[CSE] Arakune Q&A/FAQ Thread

[Mumm-Ra]

Invisibility followed by air throw is okay.

If you're mid-screen you should use the A and B bugs first to lock the opponent down instead of using the C and D bugs, if they try to back off you can lock them down with bugs and then do a wall teleport to get next to them.

Arakune's worst matchups are Lambda, Mu, Hazama, probably Rachel and Taokaka.

if you can predict the burst what you're supposed to do next relies a ton about the timing of the burst, or if you blocked it or not, if you're able to you should go for 6B bug>5CDbugs, since the B bug is the fastest one of the bunch.

[LordSpectreX]

Against Tager, I cannot do a thing now. Seriously. Because Ara's jump is so slow, I am just pure atomic collider bait. Going in the air is risky even pre curse now. Fakeouts are useless for baiting moves, and Gadget Finger and Tager pressure is not longer simple. I get two options on gadget finger wakeup. I can either backdash/5A/guard and get 360d cause backdash is far too slow now. Or I can jump with my very slow jump and get atomic collidered. It's basically a 50/50 mixup with the risk being 3k damage.

Not only that, If Tager has me in a blockstring, I can't do shit anymore. I can't backdash cause it's too slow, and I can't IB>5A as easily cause IB is so much slower. Keeping pressure is hard too. I cannot IAD J.B > IAD J.B repeat anymore against ANYONE cause it's too slow. Tager can just 2A me out of it for free now. If I try any other approach, he can just sledge/atomic/2C me. The only thing I feel like I can do is just turtle and zone. Once I fuck up and he gets in, it's basically over unless I get lucky.

Another problem is Tsubaki. I can't deal with this matchup. Two things happen. I rushdown, and everything I do gets 2Cd. OR i zone. And she justs runs in or does her +5 on block full screen 236C to punish when I touch the ground. I can't even touch her. I basically spend the entire game trying to bait 2C and do j.D. That's it.

Basically, I just dont understand how I get in with Ara now with J.B > IAD J.B being so horrible.

[kousaka]

simply put, against tager keep running away and don't go in unless you can or have curse

[Mumm-Ra]

Just like every other zoner

[Abyss]

jB > IAD > jB was free to bait also in CS1... this change nothing in CS2 (or maybe it is just for me).

If you don't want to zone, use a lot IAD > 4AB. Doing this make the atomic collider to whiff, and you can punish if you're close enough. You can 5A after IB'ing his 236B, or trying to backjump > IAD > 4AB or whatever to escape. The best is to punish when he do his 236B of course.

After a gadget finger, the best thing to do is waiting a little moment and forward dash I think (or backdash). Because he can't do 360 immediatly after a gadget finger, If he do 5A you will protect it, and if he do collider it will whiff. I say forward dash of course because most of time, Arakune's player just do a backdash, so he might jump in the bad direction, or do a 236B (If he do that, you get a Cloud / Bell/ jD... for free).

But normally the "new Tager" shouldn't bother you. And of course, Fake-out are still reliable, don't forget that the 214A on the ground go far than CS1, it's a great thing for trick.

[Mr.Biscuits]

What? Tager matchup is easier now than in CS1, once you get 50% he literally can't do a thing.

If you're having trouble with him than that means you're not exploiting the matchup and punishing the little options he has.

But after reading your post a bit better, it just sounds like you're having trouble just blocking...

That's not characters specific, just block and get out when you can. It's not like Tager has some ridiculous pressure or anything. Just block and stop trying to backdash/ Jump out.

[YukiBlue]

For a guy who loves playing as many characters as possible.

What should I learn straight away for Arakune, And I mean right away, the second I boot the game, How should I work with him?

This goes for Moves/Cancelling ect. Only a few sentences would be cool, im just wondering where to begin (I dont want to be great, I just want to play him "Efficiently")

[Mumm-Ra]

IAD cancelling is the most important thing, I believe.

IAD>4A/B/C/throw/barrier, lot's of combos use it, and IAD4B is one of Arakune's most important tools.

Dive Cancelling isn't as important (specially in CS2...) but you'll end up using it, j.2A, j.2B and j.2C cancel into each other, so if you cancel j.2A into j.2B just before you touch the ground, you'll cancel the landing animation, letting you do a ground move inmediatly, for example: 5C>j.A>j.C>j.2A>(dive cancel j.2B)>5D.

Also you'd need to practice the after curse combos I guess, wich are simple, just throw a wheel, a 6C rekka, a couple of dives in, and you're set.

[YukiBlue]

Sounds Tasty. Thanks for the info.

[Effay]

I can't seem to IAD with Arakune consistently in CS2. I can do it with the rest of the cast 100% in both directions though. I tried looking through the frame data to to get an answer and nothing turned up. I thought maybe it had to do with jump speed but I can IAD with characters that have a lower and higher jump speed in the vertical direction. His jump is 1 frame slower than most of the rest of the cast but I don't think that one frame would make this as difficult as it is for me. Is the minimum height for airdashing higher for him or something?

[Stafy]

Yeah, his airdash is effected by a mininum height. His IAD isn't much of one as it's really just "double tap to get the airdash" instead of doing the usual 96.

Just stick to double tapping when airdashing, you'll get used to it and it's less trouble than it's worth when you're used to it. Generally Arakune doesn't need to instant IAD that much, in my opinion. His jump normals can get him to the ground fairly quickly (j.4B especially)

[Skye]

Against Tager, I cannot do a thing now. Seriously. Because Ara's jump is so slow, I am just pure atomic collider bait. Going in the air is risky even pre curse now. Fakeouts are useless for baiting moves, and Gadget Finger and Tager pressure is not longer simple. I get two options on gadget finger wakeup. I can either backdash/5A/guard and get 360d cause backdash is far too slow now. Or I can jump with my very slow jump and get atomic collidered. It's basically a 50/50 mixup with the risk being 3k damage.

Not only that, If Tager has me in a blockstring, I can't do shit anymore. I can't backdash cause it's too slow, and I can't IB>5A as easily cause IB is so much slower. Keeping pressure is hard too. I cannot IAD J.B > IAD J.B repeat anymore against ANYONE cause it's too slow. Tager can just 2A me out of it for free now. If I try any other approach, he can just sledge/atomic/2C me. The only thing I feel like I can do is just turtle and zone. Once I fuck up and he gets in, it's basically over unless I get lucky.

I know I'm late to the party, but as I am someone with more Tager experience than anyone really needs (Axis), I can shine some light on your plight. lol rhymes

The slow jump does not affect this match up at all, just stay out of range, jumping backwards gets clear of 2c and 2a and IADing messes AC up bad still. I know the slower jumps takes weirder timing to IAD, but it's still applicable. Fake outs are still viable, but like the previous games, it situational as hell and is basically rolling dice unless in curse, in fact it's best in precurse in CS2 than it ever way in CT or CS1, namely because of the increased level on his attacks and the IB nerf, people are forced to react later than sooner. It's not much, but the practicality is okay enough. Gadget is not a problem, it's the same as it always was, backdashing into 360 or jumping into Collider was always there, it's a dice roll with Arakune, my solution is usually gold burst, adds at least 70% curse and ruins Tager's momentum, at worse it's +1 on IB. Tager's blockstrings are still backdash-able, no one likes blocking Tager over fear of getting thrown, but because his stuff is a little more tight, doesn't mean much, Barrier block him if you need the space and Magnetism is child's play now that 5d doesn't pull you in fullscreen. Use your aerial approaches better, there is always a way to come down on people, if you're getting AA'd a lot bait them or move differently to avoid them.

And fighting Tager, you should turtle and zone until you get curse.

[Effay]

Yeah, his airdash is effected by a mininum height. His IAD isn't much of one as it's really just "double tap to get the airdash" instead of doing the usual 96.

Just stick to double tapping when airdashing, you'll get used to it and it's less trouble than it's worth when you're used to it. Generally Arakune doesn't need to instant IAD that much, in my opinion. His jump normals can get him to the ground fairly quickly (j.4B especially)

I've actually been doing that but I figured it was the ghetto way. I guess I'll just have to keep practicing.

Thanks.

[Omicron Austin]

Should I be avoiding ending my pre-curse combos with 6B > j.6D and end combos with 5D instead if I'll curse them with that last hit? It seems to me that when curse happens, I want to be close rather than far, and with the first combo ender I feel like I spend a lot of time catching up to them. Or am I just thinking about this all wrong?

And, assuming I am thinking about this all wrong, how do you guys do 6A bugs, etc, while doing the 44 teleport?

[Mr.Biscuits]

It's all situational, 6B > J.6B would be better if you send them to the corner. That way they'll be locked down in the corner.

To do 6A bug during a Teleport is as easy as just doing it while Arakune is in his teleport animation. You can hold down A and then do 446 release A. Or 44 hold down A 6 release A.

[Skye]

In any case the main priority is to get them cursed, so I personally wouldn't worry too much about their relative distance, of course it does throw things into a dice roll, you can usually lock down a neutral tech fullscreen with 6cd bugs and you can wall teleport to get to them.

[King_Slime]

How does one practice the 6A and 6D reset traps featured in the new video and critique thread? I'm assuming you set the dummy to block low plus neutral tech?

Resets seem to be a huge part of ara's game this time... my ara is way too sloppy.

Thanks

[LordSpectreX]

Is it me or is 5A after using J.4B on a crouching Bang REALLY hard to connect?

[Dorian]

Works fine for me.

[kousaka]

it'll depend on how many hits of jB and if it's CH or not

[Skye]

How does one practice the 6A and 6D reset traps featured in the new video and critique thread? I'm assuming you set the dummy to block low plus neutral tech?

Resets seem to be a huge part of ara's game this time... my ara is way too sloppy.

Thanks

Practice with techs and blocking of all sorts, the trick to them is to cover all forms of teching and no teching at all. I wouldn't worry too much about blocking, since player skill doesn't extend to blocking highs and lows in such a situation.

[Sol.Badguy]

Simple question. What is the basic Curse combo loop that I should be doing? I'll usually settle for the classic J.236C -> Release C/D -> Walk them forward -> D bug hits them up -> J.236C -> Repeat.

I feel like there's something else I should be doing..

[Skye]

That's the CS1 combo, due to j.236c's repeat move proration, that combo does nothing.

The notation is

j.236c > release 6cd

6c > 5cd > 2c

j.2acd

j.2bcd (Depending on your p1 starter and if you got the curse meter)

[Sol.Badguy]

I see, thanks

[Greatest Guess]

Is IADing possible as Arakune? I just started practicing with him and can't seem to pull it off.