[CS2] Valkenhayn R. Hellsing Character Video Tutorial

[GenoWhirl]

This thread is part of a board-wide collaboration to help newcomers to the game. More info can be found: here. As I am nowhere near the best Valk player, please help me make this guide as complete as possible.

1) Introduction

* Character breakdown of play style, strengths, and weaknesses

*Breakdown

Valkenhayn is all about spacing and mix-up. Safely playing your neutral game until you confirm into a knockdown to begin the pressure!

*Strengths

Valkenhayn is a character with great pokes and normals, great mobility thanks to wolf form and even greater mixup opportunities with said wolf form. His strength lies in conditioning the opponent to make him helpless against your mix-up, while having varied options in his neutral game.

*Weaknesses

Barring one of his guardpoint normals (which is not as reliable as a DP), Valkenhayn has no meterless way out of pressure. This, together with his measly (probably age induced) 4 primers, make him a character that you really don't want blocking. Outside of the corner, his damage is also relatively low. And without proper conditioning, his mixup is susceptible to most forms of mashing.

* Breakdown of normals

Air Unblockable moves: 5B, 2B, 6B, 5C, 2C, 3C, 6C, 6A, (w) 5B

5A Basic poke, will whiff on crouching opponents, making 2A preferable. Cancels into 5D.

2A While a bit slower than 5A, it hits crouchers, has bigger range, and has less pushback which allows it to link more easily into damaging combos. Also cancels into 5D.

6A Has a guard-point. No follow-up unless it's a Counter Hit.

5B Poke with excellent range. Slightly slower than other 5Bs, and outside the corner doesn't lead into many combos.

2B Low poke, decent reach, used mostly to hit confirm.

6B Pressure tool and Fatal Counters. Has massive frame advantage, can cancel into D or other specials, too.

5C Long Range poke, although kinda slow, mostly followed up with 236A or nothing at all. Crouching and Counter hits combo into 236C.

2C Horrid horizontal range, great vertical range. Catches rolls and leads to many combo options. Really fast. (2A > 2C > 236C!)

3C Low attack, links into 236B from almost anywhere, and to 2C and 2B when close enough. Pushes back quite a bit, and it's relatively safe.

6C Overhead and Fatal Counter. Corner Bounds, as well. Gives some foot invul. It can cancelled into D on start-up only. Safe.

j.A Overhead, one of the slowest j.As, and has short range.

j.B Overhead, decent range and an overall good air poke that leads into good damage.

j.C Overhead, quite fast, but has mostly vertical range. Scores knockdown on air hits, making it a great combo ender. With meter, you can use it as an instant overhead from 5B. Can cancel into j.214B on whiff, hit or block.

5D and j.D Morph from human to wolf, and vice versa.

(w) 5A Really fast low hit. Gatlings into itself 3 times.

(w) 5B Really nice anti-air, and launches the enemy on hit.

(w) j.A Overhead, Fast, and can cancel into itself 3 times. (Using it three times straight doesn't add more proration!). It's as good as (w) j.B as a combo starter. Has lots of untechable time on an air-hit.

(w) j.B Overhead, fast yet slower than (w) j.a. Knocks down the opponent on air hit, and is fundamental to wolf combos.

* Breakdown of special moves

Air Unblockable Specials: 236A, 236B~B, 236C, j.214B

236A (Nacht Jager) Mostly used as a blockstring ender or after 5C in a combo where the opponent isn't crouching. Wolf mixup can be done after it, but it's recommended to only transform into wolf on hit since 236A is negative on block.

236B (Schwarz Jagd) Low hit. Valk's best starter, it can cancel into wolf on hit, whiff, block or startup. Unfortunately, without meter he is forced to follow up with 236B. Not very safe.

236B~236B (Weiss Jagd) Follow up to Schwarz Jagd, it sends the opponent flying. Corner Bounds. Horrible P2. Unsafe. Can cancel into wolf on hit, whiff, block or start-up.

236C (Nacht Rozen) No longer an overhead, mostly a combo tool or used to punish people who try to jump out of pressure. Can be used after 2C, 6B, or 5C on a crouching opponent.

j.214B (Mondlicht) Mostly a combo tool. Can cancel into wolf on whiff, hit or block.

(w) 236A, j.236A (Konig Wolf A) Useful as a combo tool, and means to approach thanks to it's horizontal range as it can be easily hitconfirmed into a combo.

(w) 236B, j.236B (Konig Wolf B) Mostly a combo tool, due to it's upward angle. Otherwise same as above.

(w) j.214A/B (Eisen Wolf) Used to bait anti-airs thanks to it stopping momentum and rushing downwards, can be followed up on counter hit. The only difference is the angle of the attack.

(w) 236D/j.236D (Himmel Wolf) Command Grab that deals out a guaranteed 1500 damage. Can be followed up in the corner.

(w) C in any direction/D in any direction while canceling into wolf. (Rasen Wolf/ Geschwind Wolf) The famous wolf dash. It can be used in a plethora of ways. For mixup, to approach, for combos, to bait reversals. Anything! The direction you're pressing will affect Valk's dash direction. However, pressing 7D will cause you to perform a 45 degree aerial wolf backdash, then a very fast dash in the 3 direction. 4D will make you wolf backdash, then dash forward as if you did a normal 5 dash. These two dashes have invul.

632146D (Sturm Wolf) Has some invul on start-up. Can be linked from almost anything (including 5B). Mostly used as a combo ender.

j.236236c (Konig Flug) Pretty much a combo ender after j.C.

* Changes from CS1 to CS2

http://www.dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?10710-CS2-Valkenhayn-Final-Changes-Discussion&p=872444#post872444

2) Combos

* Basic combos

* Advanced combos

* Counter hit and Fatal Counter combos

* Character specific combos (if needed)

(Keep in mind that the combo section is going to be 100% practical combos you would use in a tournament, not flashy, combo video material)

3) Strategy

* Mixups (by Guardian)

Valk is an extremely tricky character in terms of mix-up. His high/low mixup is one of (if not the) the best in the game, and you should exploit this whenever the opportunity arises. Your optimal pokes are dependent upon where your opponent is. You want to use 5A/2A, 5B, and wolf pokes for close range combat. Mid screen you want to space and counter poke with 5B, 6B (situational), 5C, and 6C(situational). Proper use of these pokes will either score you a simple combo into knockdown + oki, or a reset opportunity. His mix-up is somewhat vulnerable to mashing, however he has tools to deal with the majority of situations where someone is trying to counter your rushdown. The following examples will illustrate these basic mix-up principles, along with options to consider when someone is mash prone.

* Pressure

* Okizeme

* Misc. tips/tricks

Will continue soon.

[Kaigu]

Some minor things...

5B 2B xN no longer works.

6C can no longer cancel into wolf on hit or block.

[w]5A chains into itself three times.

This tutorial interests me so I'll help out as much as I can.

[GenoWhirl]

Some minor things...

5B 2B xN no longer works.

shit

6C can no longer cancel into wolf on hit or block.

Shit

[w]5A chains into itself three times.

I'll add it, thanks for reminding me

This tutorial interests me so I'll help out as much as I can.

...

[Guardian]

Geno you beat me to it; i was gonna start this today lol

j.C can be done as an IOH from any situation; it doesn't need to be done in a string.

I thought someone posted a vid to where you can still whiff cancel 6C into wolf? (will have to find it though)

Some stuff for the mix-up section since all the practical combos are pretty much known. I'll probably add more in subsequent posts

Valk is an extremely tricky character in terms of mix-up. His high/low mixup is one of (if not the) the best in the game, and you should exploit this whenever the opportunity arises. Your optimal pokes are dependent upon where your opponent is. You want to use 5A/2A, 5B, and wolf pokes for close range combat. Mid screen you want to space and counter poke with 5B, 6B (situational), 5C, and 6C(situational). Proper use of these pokes will either score you a simple combo into knockdown + oki, or a reset opportunity. His mix-up is somewhat vulnerable to mashing, however he has tools to deal with the majority of situations where someone is trying to counter your rushdown. The following examples will illustrate these basic mix-up principles, along with options to consider when someone is mash prone.

After hitting with 5B, 5C, 236A

You have several options, as 236A gives adv on hit:

Stay in human, pressure with 2A and mixup into j.C(overhead) or 2B(low)

These options are the safest and easiest as j.C can be jump cancelled on hit, comboed into super, or RCed for another j.C into more combos. 2B can gatling into 5C for another 236A that sets up the same mixup, or you can go for a reset with 6C or j.5D into wolf pressure.

Wolf cancels (5D/3D/7D/4D)

This is where things get interesting.From 5D you will cancel into wolf and perform an instant air dash. Since you're doing an air dash, you're in a jump state and you have access to all your overheads. This allows you to get a mix up that is extremely difficult to block. Canceling with 1D/3D will take you directly to the ground from the wolf cancel in the appropriate direction. 7D will cause you to perform a 45 degree aerial wolf backdash, then a very fast dash in the 3 direction. 4D will make you wolf backdash, then dash forward as if you did a normal [w]5c dash.

-5D mixups:

*[w]j.B hits overhead

If this is blocked, you get a fuzzy guard opportunity with another [w]j.B, or [w]5a for the low.

*j.236D if they jump (you can be punished if they don't jump, high risk/high reward). The aerial command grab has huge vertical range, and will grab every character in the cast if they jump this setup (Rachel MAY be able to escape with wind, but will require testing)

-3D mixup

*[w]5A(low) into combo

Keep mashing [w]5a if you want to stay safe. it's very hard to reversal out of even w/ IB, and all the hits are low. Barrier guarding this hardly pushes valk away.

*[w]236D(grab)

-4D/7D/1D

These three are primarily used for baiting purposes. Wolf command back dashes have a lot of invincibility, so these will appropriately bait out mashers and reversals, giving you ample time to punish. The use of each of these are very situational, and probably should be included in another in depth tutorial guide.

[Sahgren]

Worth noting that the j.C itself cannot be jump cancelled even on hit, so j.C instant overhead can actually be unsafe as they exit hit/blockstun before you can land. Going wolf is needed to make it safe® if you don't want to spend meter.

[GenoWhirl]

well if tyhey block it you can go mondlitch > wolf you know

[Sahgren]

well if tyhey block it you can go mondlitch > wolf you know

Yep, might not be the safest option since you can't guarantee that they'll block the Mondlicht (whiffed Mondlicht doesn't do much to cover wolf cancel, so it's more up to how much you can get them to respect the possible juke to keep it safe), but it's there.

I just feel like that should probably be mentioned too in the video since j.C instant overhead seems to be a big part of Valk's human/non-wolf cancel mix up in CS2. RC > j.C is good for continuing pressure, but we can't leave out the meter-less options.

[GenoWhirl]

Also, it'd be better to mixup with (w) j.A than j.B since they're the same attack level, P1 and P2 wise. Those 3 frames can kill or save.

Should we include blatantly unsafe troll mixup? (236C > 4D)

[Sahgren]

It might be best to keep this serious, this is supposed to be a video tutorial for people actually trying to learn the character after all. People can find their own ways of trolling.

[GenoWhirl]

Well I added Guardian's 236A Mixup thing, and some short uses for the special moves, help appreciated as always

Gonna compile guide combos

[Guardian]

j.C can be jump cancelled on hit and on block, i do it all the time in matches to get wolf mixups. If they changed this in CS2 then that's another story, but I am 100% sure that this works. If you don't believe me go try it for yourself.

I put [w]j.B in mixups because the resulting combo gives more damage. You can condition them to block with [w]j.A if necessary, but j.B is usually sufficient and results in greater damage. Pick your poison I suppose.

[Sahgren]

j.C can be jump cancelled on hit and on block, i do it all the time in matches to get wolf mixups. If they changed this in CS2 then that's another story, but I am 100% sure that this works. If you don't believe me go try it for yourself.

At least according to the frame data here on DL, they changed it in CS2 so that j.C cannot be jump cancelled on hit or block *shrug*. Again, it's just something I feel that's the sort of thing that should be mentioned when listing j.C IOH in a tutorial video.

[Guardian]

At least according to the frame data here on DL, they changed it in CS2 so that j.C cannot be jump cancelled on hit or block *shrug*. Again, it's just something I feel that's the sort of thing that should be mentioned when listing j.C IOH in a tutorial video.

That......really sucks then, guess I forgot about that change. In that case we should just go with what Geno presented, and cancel into 214B and cancel into wolf.

I'm gonna have a lot of work to do....

[André]

It's said that 236A gives you frame advantage on hit(+), but it leaves you at -2 according to frame data. http://dustloop.com/guides/bbcs2/frameData/valkenhayn.html

Shouldn't that be reviewed?

I don't understand much about the more technical stuff but i saw this and thought it should be said. Sorry if I'm wrong.

[NickExtreme1]

Genowhirl, if you need assistance putting this together in a video format, I'll be glad to volunteer. I've upgraded to a HD PVR, so quality will be better than my CS1 Mu-12 videos.

[Sahgren]

It's said that 236A gives you frame advantage on hit(+), but it leaves you at -2 according to frame data. http://dustloop.com/guides/bbcs2/frameData/valkenhayn.html

Shouldn't that be reviewed?

I don't understand much about the more technical stuff but i saw this and thought it should be said. Sorry if I'm wrong.

For CS1, 236A is + on block. In CS2 it was nerfed down to -2 on block. It still gives an advantage if it actually hits them and leads into a ~4k combo with RC meter, it just doesn't lead into the ultimate online-scrub-killer pressure anymore.

@NickExtreme1: Spirit Juice commented that he'd prefer it if everyone just sent in a writeup on what should be mentioned in the video. He'll do all of the video compilation himself for consistency's sake.

[NickExtreme1]

That's cool, I'll be sure to contribute whenever I can.

I think it should be noted that Himmel Wolf (Command Grab) corner bounds since I see no mention of it in the OP.

[GenoWhirl]

Thanks Nick, and don't worry. Even if we let SJ record the tutorials, we can still do a forum wide wacky combo vid lol

[Guardian]

Geno, you're going to have to delete the mixup section I posted from the main post. Valk has a lot of underlying nerfs/changes that are not so obvious. After I do some practice mode testing, I'll revamp the mix up post.

At least the wolf fuzzy still works. I might owe someone an apology about him being high mid :-/

[GenoWhirl]

Alright, I removed the 236A mixup section. The other thing was morel ike a general description of his mixup anyways so I think it's fine to let it in

[Guardian]

So....his mix up now seems to be limited to wolf shenanagans and j.C rapid combos. Played him extensively last night; his mix up is a shell of it's former self. Training people not to mash A is going to be very difficult now though. The wolf fuzzy is now character specific, and any wolf mix up after 236A ON HIT can be mashed out of. 236A is now officially his worst move that should probably never be used outside of 50% meter.

[Dragonthorn]

What do you guys think of using 236a[w] in conjunction with his wolf cancellable moves instead of continuing the wolf dash? And then wolf dashing from the other side once 236a[w] cross ups for mix up? 236a[w] is hard enough to beat that those who poke out of it tend to get CH'd.

[Sahgren]

What do you guys think of using 236a[w] in conjunction with his wolf cancellable moves instead of continuing the wolf dash? And then wolf dashing from the other side once 236a[w] cross ups for mix up? 236a[w] is hard enough to beat that those who poke out of it tend to get CH'd.

I'm not entirely certain using a wolf cannon directly after a wolf cancel is the best idea, since you'd be within the opponent's poking range with a relatively slow wolf cannon startup. That does work in neutral when you're already in wolf, since it punishes the opponent's attempt at trying to spam 5A or AAs in order to keep you from wolf dashing in.

[Dragonthorn]

I'm not entirely certain using a wolf cannon directly after a wolf cancel is the best idea, since you'd be within the opponent's poking range with a relatively slow wolf cannon startup. That does work in neutral when you're already in wolf, since it punishes the opponent's attempt at trying to spam 5A or AAs in order to keep you from wolf dashing in.

Should have clarified. How about from 7D wolf cancel? That's puts you at quite a distance. And if they try to poke they just get CH'd. I think with some reversals it just clashes too.

[Sahgren]

Should have clarified. How about from 7D wolf cancel? That's puts you at quite a distance. And if they try to poke they just get CH'd. I think with some reversals it just clashes too.

The thing with that is that 7D > j.B/j.A already punishes people trying to mash out of 5D/3D. Going for a wolf cannon then would give them even more time to realize that you've juked, stop mashing, and start blocking while taking away the high/low mixup of j.A/j.B if they stay blocking. Adding a wolf cannon after 7D/4D isn't going to stop anything that'd normally stuff a 7D/4D juke (ala Plat's Heartcar or Noel's step forward > 6A).

Just did some testing, and there's the additional problem of range. Unless they IB the 236A or you're at pointblank for 236B, 6C is the only wolf cancel-able move that would keep you in range for j.214A/B to connect. j./236A works off of a 4D juke, but runs into the same problem of not helping you beat anything that would already beat a 4D juke.

Ultimately, it could help net a higher reward than 7D/4D > j.A/j.B, but it doesn't solve any problems that doing a good job of mixing up your wolf cancels would. You're free to experiment more yourself, I just don't personally see much of a reason to use it.