The "Picking a Main" thread

[Senzait]

How is lambda ?? Is she hard to learn? Cause even though I mostly think im going to learn Jin, i've seen some videos of Lambda that were amazingly cool, can't she combo off half screen and zone better than anyone else?

[A.X.I.S.]

Lambda...is hard.

You really have to learn how to react with her...a whiffed sword means your dead...she is not beginner friendly.

[Casshern]

Low Stamina, horrible block strings, great zoning, subpar damage. She could get some big combos in 1.00 (Arcade release) but now they're kinda lacking.

She's still fun though, just really work at it. Just don't wiff swords in a match, you will get WRECKED.

[Blade]

I have a related question:

Let's say your main is Ragna...and you're...basically sick of using him and want to learn everybody else as a sub. When learning a new character, how much do you need to know in order to play that character evenly against other players who pick their "main"?

In most matchups with others' mains it feels like I can only "win" with Ragna, and when I try with other characters the odds are reduced, especially when the opponent picked his/her main. If someone could sum up in so many words per each character's learning capacity "as a sub character to play", what would be the best things to learn to avoid losing as much versus an opponent's main?

Sorry if those are multi-tiered questions.

[KayEff]

Second paragraph - Depends on how their main is.

Third paragraph - I'll give you one word.

BLOCK.

[AzureWind]

I have a related question:

Let's say your main is Ragna...and you're...basically sick of using him and want to learn everybody else as a sub. When learning a new character, how much do you need to know in order to play that character evenly against other players who pick their "main"?

In most matchups with others' mains it feels like I can only "win" with Ragna, and when I try with other characters the odds are reduced, especially when the opponent picked his/her main. If someone could sum up in so many words per each character's learning capacity "as a sub character to play", what would be the best things to learn to avoid losing as much versus an opponent's main?

Sorry if those are multi-tiered questions.

I think what you're trying to ask is: "How do I win with my sub against a player using their main?"

Well, the only thing I could really tell you is: practice. Since you main Ragna, and have played him to a sickening extent, you already have a strong foundation for..uh...

Right. So, just practice with your subs and you'll eventually be taking out other people's mains!

(ps. good luck trying to be good with everyone. Because lord knows, kaqn may main Daisuke Ishiwatari)

edit for link tier:

http://www.dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?8666-BBCS-Character-Analysis

^ may help you with what you need.

Edited November 15, 2010 by AzureWind

[DarkRaptor]

I'm pretty sure, that if you:

• Want to win.
  
• Want to be a badass ninja.
  
• Want to be the manliest of men.
  
• Want to activate Fur Rin Ka Zan and become a super ninja.
  

Then pick Bang.

[Shiro-Fang]

It seems obvious, that if you:

- Want to look EPIC

- Want a BEASTLY sword with a BEASTLY name

- Want to be a complete and total BADASS

Then Ragna The Bloodedge is for you.

[Senzait]

Is it even worth trying to play Valkenhayn dince he is DLC ???? Is he playable in tournaments? And how does he play?

[DemiiPoet]

Speaking of Valk, is there any word on when he'll be coming to the 360?

[Circuitous]

This isn't the thread to be discussing that. Check the news thread in BB General.

[Eshi]

Is it even worth trying to play Valkenhayn dince he is DLC ???? Is he playable in tournaments? And how does he play?

Makoto is DLC and I play her in every tournament I've ever gone to since her release. It may be a bit different until Valkenhayn hasn't been released on 360 still, but still I'd imagine many ps3 tournaments would allow him. Double check with organizers if you're paranoid and serious about playing valk.

[Obsessed]

Who is the fastest character in the game besides Taokaka?

[Untouchable]

Hey guys, new here. I was a big fan of Guilty Gear, and just recently bought CS not too long ago. CS is my first BlazBlue game but I love it so far.

I started out using Lambda and got fairly decent with her, but I've grown to have an extreme liking to Carl. I have a thing for characters that don't give your opponent a chance to breathe. (Ragna spurred my interest until I realized how simple his execution was.) I'm thinking about using him as my main but he seems to be really hard to get a hang of. I can do solo Carl air combos fine, but when it comes to Nirvana combos and pressure I need some work. Is it a good idea to try to main Carl, or should I try to get even better with Lambda then come back to Carl?

Thanks for any input, cheers!

[Senzait]

Wait so how is Valk as a chacter? Is he any good? how is combo execution? Hard? I am considering if I should buy him and main him but I want to have at least some info on him.

[RaveSage]

Hey guys, new here. I was a big fan of Guilty Gear, and just recently bought CS not too long ago. CS is my first BlazBlue game but I love it so far.

I started out using Lambda and got fairly decent with her, but I've grown to have an extreme liking to Carl. I have a thing for characters that don't give your opponent a chance to breathe. (Ragna spurred my interest until I realized how simple his execution was.) I'm thinking about using him as my main but he seems to be really hard to get a hang of. I can do solo Carl air combos fine, but when it comes to Nirvana combos and pressure I need some work. Is it a good idea to try to main Carl, or should I try to get even better with Lambda then come back to Carl?

Thanks for any input, cheers!

Carl is a very strong character so he's defiantly worth learning. As you already noticed, you're going to have to learn how to control Nirvana a lot to get better. Probably lurk around the Carl threads for hints and watch some Carl players in action like Zong_One. Lambda can be a strong character as well and imo she's very beginner friendly since you have fewer normals/specials than other cast members. She'll also help you get into the swing of execution and understanding how to use your (limited) options.

Something else, I notice you're in Brooklyn, NY. If you haven't already, check out the match making and event boards for your local scene because I'm pretty sure there are a ton of players in your area that can give you tips and experience.

[Untouchable]

Alright cool, will do. And yeah, I checked the match finder area...I look forward to meeting new people and getting better at this game. Thanks for the feedback.

[Nemphtis]

Greetings gentlemen,

I've just ordered BBCS and I’m still a beginner in the fighting game genre. I work seven days a week and my spare time is generally limited, but what time I have is mostly spent gaming. I’m interested to know which character is the easiest to ‘master’ for high level play, and hopefully an explanation as to why you’ve recommended that particular character.

I would add personal preferences like how I’d much rather play rush-down or have a very ‘fast’ character but I want to keep it simple; which character requires a minimum amount of practice to play at a high level for someone who has limited time to play, but still wants to play to win?

[Feanor]

Fast, rushdown, piss-easy to pick up and play: Ragna. Don't know about high level though.

[Senzait]

Could we have more, "If you like:"????? not all characters got described.

[Nemphtis]

Thanks Feanor, but does anyone else have recommendations for me? I'd like to get multiple people's opinions on this if possible.

[Feanor]

The "if you like" stuff never got grouped, it's extremely subjective, and TBH if there are certain things you like in your fighting game characters you'll notice them yourself when playing through their respective Arcade/Story modes.

Here's one though:

* If you like other people to decide how you should try to have fun with your game, expecting to be a pr0 in a week, and then quitting cause "they said I'd like it/it would be easy for me/this game is stupid", go to dustloop.com and look for the "Picking a main" thread.

[Lumination]

Thanks Feanor, but does anyone else have recommendations for me? I'd like to get multiple people's opinions on this if possible.

Easy characters to get a hang of would probably be (in no particular order): Ragna, Jin, Bang, Tager, (and maybe) Makoto.

Of those, I'd say the "rushdown" types would be Ragna, Bang, Makoto, and a little bit of Jin. He also has a bit of zoning to do.

[Feanor]

Of those, I'd say the "rushdown" types would be Ragna, Bang, Makoto, and a little bit of Jin. He also has a bit of zoning to do.

Jin a rushdown? I'd characterize him more as a "tricky" character since he doesn't really have decent pressure or fast combo starters and has to catch the opponent off-guard to do anything ("tricky" because of the nature of 2D, j.5D and EX moves; high-level players don't really play him as such but for low-level play he's rather gimmicky). When you're in the corner against a Jin he might seem like a rushdown char since that's where Jins can do real damage so the Jin player might seem desperate to get a starter in, but that's exploitable.

Also I may be wrong but I think there's only one character in the game for whom you can buffer moves into combos and that's Ragna. I suppose Makoto's hitstop on some moves makes it easy to hitconfirm/follow them but I'm not sure exactly how beneficial it is for the player. The difference in difficulty between Ragna and the other characters is rather huge.

Hazama is also an extremely interesting character, who might be called "rushdown" though it's not entirely appropriate for him. His basic BnBs are very easy to learn and his drive allows many possibilities during a match. Since his execution isn't Ragna-level easy I think it's easier to pick up subs if you main Ragna, I know some Ragna players who only play their main cause they find other characters difficult.

[Nemphtis]

If Ragna is the easiest character to learn for high level play, then I'll stick with him until CS2 is available in Europe, at which point I'll be more comfortable with the game and can consider switching to a new main. I may give Taokaka a go because someone mentioned she's good for people who play on instinct, but my friend who already mains her says all her combos in CS rely on taunt cancelling or something, and involve links. If I can handle her BNB combos consistently, I may just use her as she seems quite speedy-looking, if not then I know I can fall back on Ragna. Can anyone expand upon the comment regarding Taokaka being good for instinctive play? Is it actually true, and if so what makes her so capable in this category compared to other characters?