[CSE] Lambda Simple Questions And Answers Thread

[HexaNoid]

Thread title says it all.

Have any queries you'd like cleared up about Lambda, post it here and we'll do what we can to help.

Toan edit:

Let's toss this chart here to make it easier to locate. It deals with corner 3C->236B follow-ups and the midscreen 236C->236D link.

[Nemphtis]

I'm pretty inexperienced with Lambda and with fighting games in general. I'm curious to know whether or not it's a good idea to use her Drive to try and predict an opponent's dash-in or is it best to wait until they actually commit to a dash-in/jump-in/etc. before summoning my swords?

[Ryuujinx]

It depends on spacing and who against. Whiffing a 5D against say. tsubaki at full screen probably won't mean much, if anything. Whiffing a 5D at midscreen to a hazama with 50 meter puts you in a world of hurt.

[HexaNoid]

Like Ryuu said, it definitely depends on the situation and the character you're playing against, but in general it is a good idea. Even if you guess wrong and your opponent doesn't (air)dash in, forcing them to predict where your swords might come from next and keeping them wary of your options is a good zoning tool in itself.

[toanenadiz]

I think it depends more on your opponent's tendencies than their character.

If your opponent just goes in and doesn't care about your zoning, then you should probably focus more on reaction than prediction. Whiffing a sword when your opponent is rushing towards you is really, really bad.

Once you have them wary of your swords however, feel free to just throw them out. They will already be hesitate to go in and predicting their approach and stopping it right as it starts will mess with their head even more.

[Nemphtis]

So it depends on the distance between me and the opponent with me being further away generally meaning I'm safer, unless of course they have a ranged attack which can punish my whiffed swords.

[HexaNoid]

Yeah, pretty much. But as Toan said, player tendencies are an equally important part to consider too. Noel, for example, has a projectile that can snipe you from long range while you're trying to keep her away with swords, which would make zoning with D seem like a bad idea. However, if you know you're opponent hasn't been using it all match then it might be a good idea to use your drive anyway.

So basically, keeping a good distance, trying to get inside your opponent's head and being aware of both their options and yours are the key things to be thinking about when using drives to zone.

[AchedSphinx]

It depends on the character. A few notable risky characters to toss out 5Ds on would be Tao and Bang... well anyone that's fast really. Most people who dash-in, delay a bit and then air dash to throw Lambda off. If you want to, you can react immediately to a run dash, or wait for the jump and go for that, and hell if you don't know which it will be, 2147D will more than likely hit them. After say, an air combo ender, you can safely do 6D in most cases because they'll tech in the air and you can catch them that way. Also, practice up on 2D, it's really good for catching super high jumpers or those who are really close and your other drives won't reach. Mostly, it's all about understanding the path her drives will go when you use. All her drives have different trajectories, even her jump drives, so finding out which is best is key. Hope that helps.

[Phaiyte]

I myself am pretty specific about what I do against certain characters. Player tendencies are definitely a factor, but character does matter. Here's a small list of things that I believe sincerely help to go by in most cases.

- NEVER throw a random 5D against Tao, Arakune, or Bang. Chances are they'll be in the air before it reaches them. However if you're pressuring them in the corner then it's probably ok.

- Deeply consider 2D when against Tsubaki and she's in the air. A lot of the time she'll probably try to dive in at you and will usually get hit by the 2D, which can spell a lot of hurt if she's close enough to land a 214A afterwards. If not, then a Rapid Cancel'd 2148D can work pretty well too.

- Do everything you can to make sure you don't whiff a 6D against Ragna, Valkenhayn, Tao, Bang, Noel, or Arakune. Those characters specifically are way more than capable of punishing it badly.

- 2D is fantastic for sniping Arakune out of the air.

- A lot of Tagers like to jump and green shield while they move towards you. A great thing to keep him away is to chain 2DD > 6DD > 236D. This will push him back and force him into a bad position when he's back on the ground. If he's using Sledgehammer, just back airdash or try to land a 236C (requires decent timing). Other than that though you can zone him all day as long as you're not in range of a sledge.

- Zoning is absolute key vs Litchi. Her normals are too good for Lambda to handle. This matchup is really a big game of keepaway, and probably the best matchup to learn great zoning skills.

- Avoid using too many 5C spacing techniques against Tao or Makoto. They'll just go right under it and punish you.

- Hazama is a real pain. He can outzone you any time of the day with his chains. Key here is predicting whether the player is going to jump or not and how high if he does, and make sure you toss a sword before he throws his chain. His chain is faster, and can hit opponents at more angles than Lambda. It's also a pretty good idea to try to learn the spacing of 236C specifically for this matchup. Catching him with it when he jumps for a chain is always great and usually pretty safe.

That's not everything but it's good advice in general imo.

[toanenadiz]

- Avoid using too many 5C spacing techniques against Tao or Makoto. They'll just go right under it and punish you.

Could you please elaborate on how you use 5C as a spacing tool? I never use 5C outside of combos or blockstrings so I am interested on how other people can use it to space.

[Hellknight10]

Could you please elaborate on how you use 5C as a spacing tool? I never use 5C outside of combos or blockstrings so I am interested on how other people can use it to space.

yes please do elaborate on that

every time I see someone do this as Lambda it just confuses me

if someone blocks 5C (or 5CxN) you are at a horrible disadvantage but let's say they don't do anything about it (maybe because they're too far to do anything)

then what are you going to do? the best option is to special cancel to cover for those bad frames right? but all her specials can technically be mashed out on reaction and Lambda's specials are extremely predictable in terms of mix up (and leave you at a disadvantage on block again)

you could use a gatling to 2C or 3C or even 6C, but again none of those moves help since they all leave you in the same situation, with the exclusion of 2C which can be jump cancelled but you would have to be quite close for it to hit

if you whiff it you are as good as dead and if you are too close then why in the world are you mashing 5C when you can be using a better close range move (5A, 2B, etc)

Phaiyte, you got anything for Hakumen?

I got my own strats against him but I would like to hear a different perspective on things

[tuka]

You guys actually took that silly note about 5C seriously? random 5C is suicide.

It's only use outside of combos is when doing a blockstring point blank and gatling it to 4B(2) or 3C (an amazing-almost-impossible-to-react-to mixup, but works only at a very specific range) and 2C if you want to jump cancel.

[M19Kamikaze]

I was trying to practice combos from the recent EX Lambda video but I cannot figure out why I keep dropping this combo (3rd Combo):

3C 214B 6A TK Cresent etc.

I think the Gravity Seed time is shorter in comparison to the video. Or am I moving too slow?

Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS9wKHW4R3k&list=PL72A8575BA71EF93D&index=7&feature=plpp_video

[tuka]

I was trying to practice combos from the recent EX Lambda video but I cannot figure out why I keep dropping this combo (3rd Combo):

3C 214B 6A TK Cresent etc.

I think the Gravity Seed time is shorter in comparison to the video. Or am I moving too slow?

Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS9wKHW4R3k&list=PL72A8575BA71EF93D&index=7&feature=plpp_video

This combo is pretty useless, it's hard and requires very specific positioning, those before it are much better.

You keep dropping it at 6A > TK > 5C right? you need a very deep dash for 6A and the TK must be at a perfect minimum-height, and then hope your timing on 5C is perfect as well.

Also notice 3C > 214B isn't done from point blank (although not necessary).

edit: actually 3C's distance is the key for this combo, point blank the gravity disappears too fast, but take a step back and it will stay longer.

[AchedSphinx]

Popping off a few questions because I'm bored.

5D(1) > 4D viable as mixup?

5C > 4B (2) I saw severin do this at evo, works well on Rachel but haven't figured out how many swords you need per character to push them far enough away so that the 4B(2) hits. Try to rearrange that statement into a question... it's late.

[toanenadiz]

Popping off a few questions because I'm bored.

5D(1) > 4D viable as mixup?

5C > 4B (2) I saw severin do this at evo, works well on Rachel but haven't figured out how many swords you need per character to push them far enough away so that the 4B(2) hits. Try to rearrange that statement into a question... it's late.

1st question: Sure, why not? 4D is a 30 frame overhead and most people would just block it on reaction but it is better than nothing (unless the opponent reads it and dashes forward after the 5D).

2nd question: There is no definite answer. Depends on if your opponent is IBing or barrier-blocking (or neither), how close you were when you started and how fast you mash 5C. It is far easier to just try to get a feel for when 4B(2) would hit rather than trying to count out how many hits of 5C before you do it.

[AchedSphinx]

You zen monk Toan. Why do I feel that you're calmly crossing your legs and nodding nonchalantly as you impart us with your wisdom?

Edit: Oh yeah, I have another question for CX. 6C, in CS2 has 100P1 on its frame data, since 2C dropped to 80P1 I think, are there any new interesting combos that can be made out of 6C starter(as in 9k+ combos are possible off it)? Well, I suppose this is a question that won't be answered for awhile but I wanted to throw it out there.

[cookiehours]

I really need to start asking for advice. I never really ask and then I usually end up screwing myself. I really want to improve with Lambda. The biggest issues I had with using her is backing myself into the corner like an idiot and backdashing at the wrong times. I don't know whether it's a panic reaction (because Ragna's damage scares the shit out of me and I don't want his ass near me and Hazama makes me want to chuck my controller across the room...not to mention Bang....) or not but I feel that my mobility is lacking with Lambda. What can I do to overcome this? You know, aside from playing people.

I feel it's hindering me from getting really good with her. I can do the combos and rape people in the corner, it's just that my mobility sucks.

[AchedSphinx]

I really need to start asking for advice. I never really ask and then I usually end up screwing myself. I really want to improve with Lambda. The biggest issues I had with using her is backing myself into the corner like an idiot and backdashing at the wrong times. I don't know whether it's a panic reaction (because Ragna's damage scares the shit out of me and I don't want his ass near me and Hazama makes me want to chuck my controller across the room...not to mention Bang....) or not but I feel that my mobility is lacking with Lambda. What can I do to overcome this? You know, aside from playing people.

I feel it's hindering me from getting really good with her. I can do the combos and rape people in the corner, it's just that my mobility sucks.

Well, first off, you should read up on some frame data on characters such as Bang and Ragna so you get a feel for what's safe and what isn't. Next up, Lambda is a very mobile character, the thing is you have to use her spacing properly to make it work for you. If you're stuck in the corner, you have options, such as counter assault or calamity, the best thing to do is wait for an opening and you can easily jump out if they're not expecting it. Also, try not to be predictable with running way. I know that's what Lambda does but often times you can IAD forward, double jump, super jump, etc to throw your opponent off.

Hope that helps :D

[severin]

Popping off a few questions because I'm bored.

5D(1) > 4D viable as mixup?

5C > 4B (2) I saw severin do this at evo, works well on Rachel but haven't figured out how many swords you need per character to push them far enough away so that the 4B(2) hits. Try to rearrange that statement into a question... it's late.

there's a bunch of ways to space 4B2 properly with blockstrings, but they can always just IB, Barrier, etc etc

just learn the spacing, after enough time you'll just begin to know when 4B is spaced properly

[cookiehours]

Well, first off, you should read up on some frame data on characters such as Bang and Ragna so you get a feel for what's safe and what isn't. Next up, Lambda is a very mobile character, the thing is you have to use her spacing properly to make it work for you. If you're stuck in the corner, you have options, such as counter assault or calamity, the best thing to do is wait for an opening and you can easily jump out if they're not expecting it. Also, try not to be predictable with running way. I know that's what Lambda does but often times you can IAD forward, double jump, super jump, etc to throw your opponent off.

Hope that helps :D

That actually helped me, thanks.

[greysguardian]

So i 've been watching this tutorial video to get familiar with CSEX Lambda changes, but i'm not understanding why exactly the wheel whiffs after the 6C. Can anyone please explain?

http://youtu.be/KTPFcPWleF8?t=58s

[hakimiru]

They say it depends on the height that you connect 5C with (which is the same concept as in CS2).

Their wording:

"If their center is roughly the same height as 5C or lower, sickle will connect. If they are too high, it will whiff."

[AchedSphinx]

That actually helped me, thanks.

I'm glad I was able to help. I've just started using that advice myself and it works wonders when you realize how speedy Lambda can be (that and my defense has gotten way better).

So i 've been watching this tutorial video to get familiar with CSEX Lambda changes, but i'm not understanding why exactly the wheel whiffs after the 6C. Can anyone please explain?

http://youtu.be/KTPFcPWleF8?t=58s

In most cases, if you want the 236D (wheel) to not whiff, you can delay 6C a few frames or so and it will normally not whiff. That's what I do typically since 6C has a good amount of untech time. In some cases, you have to delay it because maybe you hit 5C too earlier or they're too high up, delaying moves can make combos work.

[M19Kamikaze]

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but at times, I find 236A a somewhat viable means of escaping the corner. Although I will admit, you REEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY have to pay attention to the openings or you eat combos for free.