[+R] A.B.A Complete Guide

[Skeletal Minion]

Back when Novril asked me to write the strategy/information for Guilty Bits Ep. 20: A.B.A, he asked for an overview of the character. I started off jotting down important info about her, but gradually kept expanding on it until I ended up with a nearly complete guide for the character--far more than what could be covered in the video. I didn't want to scrap it though, so I decided I would expand upon and finish it, then release it as a "companion guide" of sorts for the actual Guilty Bits episode. Now that the vid's out, I can finally post it! If you have any questions/critiques/whatever, post them here and I'll address them to the best of my ability. Enjoy!

+R A.B.A COMPLETE GUIDE

Overview

A.B.A. at her most simple explanation is a high-risk, high-reward power character. However, what makes her unique amongst characters described by that playstyle is how they implemented her risk: by essentially splitting her into two characters, a very strong one and very weak one. A.B.A. starts each round in the weaker form, or “Normal mode.” In this mode, she’s essentially F-tier. Poor normals, horrible maneuverability and speed, wimpy damage... She’s pretty terrible in every regard. However, upon landing a Keygrab or using a Bloodpack, she transforms from the worst to one of the best characters in the game by entering what’s known as “Moroha mode.” In Moroha mode, everything about A.B.A. becomes MUCH scarier, and she instantly goes from F-tier to S+. Her normals become ridiculous (giving her access to some really scary frametraps), her damage goes through the roof, her pressure game is vastly improved, she is granted an extremely fast ground dash, and she obtains one of the best specials in the game (Danzai/FB Danzai). This pseudo-brokenness does not come without a catch, however: while Moroha mode is certainly amazing once you gain access to it, there are a few drawbacks to its awesomeness; built-in safeguards allow the character to have such strong tools without being broken. The key (har har) to mastering A.B.A. ultimately depends on the player’s proficiency in both modes as well as properly managing her intricate subsystems.

Character-specific Mechanics

- You start every round in Normal mode.

- Moroha mode must be earned by landing a Keygrab or using a Bloodpack, which can be quite difficult to accomplish if put at a disadvantage early on (and against some characters, you are inherently at a more distinct disadvantage as the round starts).

- Your time in Moroha mode is limited. When in Moroha mode, a red bar appears above A.B.A.’s tension gauge. This bar, the Moroha gauge, acts as a time limit for how long she can be in Moroha mode, and is depleted 1) over time, 2) when connecting an attack with the opponent on hit or block, 3) by getting knocked down (which depletes roughtly a third of the gauge).

- If the Moroha gauge is allowed to completely drain by any of the three depletion causes above, A.B.A. goes into a huge recovery animation (50+ frames) called Suka Motion. During Suka Motion, she can’t do anything, not even Burst! This means she’s wide open to your opponent’s best starter, or even worse, their Instant Kill. In order to play A.B.A. effectively, you MUST learn to properly manage her Moroha gauge to minimize the risk of this happening. Important note: if you get knocked down with less than a third of the gauge remaining, you can perform an OTG Burst as a last ditch effort, since OTG Bursts are both strike and throw invincible. You’ll still go into Suka Motion upon landing if you didn’t burst the knockdown early enough (i.e., if you Burst after the Moroha gauge has already disappeared), but if the Burst lands, they get blown back to a distance where you can safely complete the Suka Motion. You’ll still permanently lose self-inflicted health if this happens, and it’s still possible for your opponent to simply block the Burst and punish, but OTG Bursting is definitely an option here.

- In addition, A.B.A. self-inflicts damage when landing a move on hit or block with an opponent. A portion of this can be recovered by landing another Keygrab (restores 80% of self-inflicted damage) or by using a Bloodpack (restores 120% of self-inflicted damage). If you enter Suka Motion, 0% is restored--that health is lost for the remainder of the round. You cannot die from self-inflicted damage, but it can bring you down to one pixel, so beware of chip damage.

- A.B.A. starts with three Bloodpacks per round. Once these have been used up, they cannot be replenished by any means for the remainder of the round, forcing you to rely solely on Keygrab to transform.

Without these restrictions, A.B.A. would be fairly easy to play; low execution barrier, lenient rushdown and pressure options, big damage, and very high overall health make her overall difficulty appear to be low. However, these are counterbalanced by the complexity and extreme importance placed on her subsystems. While many characters only need to worry about their health, tension, guard bar, and burst, a good A.B.A. must in addition manage Bloodpacks, Moroha gauge remaining, and self-inflicted damage. This leads to a lot of choices the A.B.A. player has to make, and more often than not, the “correct” option is a neutral shade of grey, where realization that you made the wrong decision might not become apparent until it’s too late. Fully understanding the limitations of A.B.A.’s system mechanics and minimizing their impact as handicaps is of utmost importance in order to effectively play her.

Now that we’ve discussed A.B.A.’s unique restrictions, we can move on to specific information regarding how to play each mode.

NORMAL MODE

General:

In short, Normal mode sucks. A.B.A.’s walk speed is one of the slowest in the game, and in Normal mode, she has a fairly awful ground dash. Her airdash is very slow and barely covers any distance. The few positives are that A.B.A. is very heavy and she has a pretty funky hitbox, which can cause her opponent’s BnBs to drop or require sub-optimal adjustments to make them work. She also has very high health (tied with Robo-Ky for second best defense modifier in the game).

Normals:

5P - 3f startup, upper body invul from 2-4f. This move has terrible range, but is an extremely important normal for A.B.A. as a last-second anti-air or to beat certain high-hitting pokes clean.

5K - Another important normal in Normal mode, since it has a decent hitbox and range for its speed (7f startup). About as close to a decent “mid-range” poke as you’ll get in this mode.

c.S - Fast, but at that range you’re probably using 5P instead. Works alright as combo filler though.

f.S - Hits low. The range on this got buffed in +R, as it now causes A.B.A. to slide slightly farther forward. Can catch opponents off guard if used at max range.

5H - Definitely one of her go-to NM normals. A.B.A.’s longest ranged normal in NM. Slow as Christmas, but it has an alright hitbox once it’s out, and can usually be chained into a Bloodpack on hit or block for an easy transform since the pushback on it is so great. In +R, this got a nice buff of knocking down on counterhit, making it much more viable to throw out in scenarios where it’s likely to trade.

5D - Decent speed, animation isn’t overly subtle or unsubtle. You probably won’t use this much in NM since her dust isn’t used in defensive situations at all, which is where you’ll spend most of your time in NM. If you do land one, just homing jump, land a few hits, Keygrab. No need to break out the flashy stuff since the damage increase will be negligible.

6P - Upper body invul like most 6Ps. If you land this, chain into whatever leads to a jump combo for a Keygrab.

6H - The hail mary. Terribly slow and punishable if blocked, but has a 2.5x stun modifier, making it inflict CRAZY stun on CH--land one, Bloodpack, land half a BnB, Instant Kill them because they’re now dizzy. Due to the trajectory A.B.A. swings the axe at, it can also make for an interesting (albeit situational) anti-air to tag people directly above her or certain airdashes. If this whiffs, you’re in trouble.

2P - When you need something fast (5f), but with more range than 5P. Pretty standard.

2K - Okayish range for NM, hits low. If you land this, immediately chain into 2D > Keygrab.

2S - The only move in NM that is arguably as good as its MM counterpart. Ever seen Sakura’s d.HP in SF4? That’s this move. Fantastic hitbox makes this amazing anti-air, which leads to jump combo > Keygrab. Better yet, on CH, the untech time is long enough that you can just straight up Keygrab for an effortless transform. It doesn't have upper body invul like 5P or 6P, but in anti-air scenarios where you don't need that, use it!

2H - Slow, but weirdly great hitbox once it’s out. I’ve seen this stuff pokes it doesn’t seem like it should, anti-air odd jump-ins, and even tag opponents behind A.B.A.’s feet ala BBCT Nu’s 2C. Confirm into jump combo > Keygrab.

2D - Standard sweep. When you land it, Keygrab. It’s slightly slower than 2K with marginally better range, so unless you’re at max range, it’s probably better to do 2K > 2D > Keygrab instead.

j.P - Very fast but crap range. You probably won’t be using this much unless you’re trying to win air-to-air battles with speed or using it in a jump combo.

j.K - Hits directly above A.B.A. Useful air-to-air if they’re above you, but otherwise not very useful since its horizontal hitbox is narrow and it will whiff nearly every time if used as a jump in.

j.S - A.B.A.’s best air normal. Fast, solid hitbox (for normal mode), good in jump combos, good air-to-air, good jump-in.

j.H - This move can potentially be used as a jump-in when directly above opponents since it’s basically a bootleg version of Baiken’s j.H/May’s j.2H. In +R, its horizontal hitbox was widened enough that it can cross-up! Unfortunately, it can still easily be punished with ground throw if instant blocked. It can also be airthrown, so use carefully.

j.D - Nice horizontal range, but very slow. Good for early anti-air, but not much else, especially since it has some landing recovery. If you manage to land a CH with this, you get a wallbounce > free keygrab for your troubles.

Throw - A.B.A.’s NM throw got a really nice buff in +R in that the distance opponents are thrown is shorter, making Throw > dash > Keygrab much easier when in NM (or on some characters, Throw > Keygrab). If you land one, do that.

Airthrow - Standard range, can’t be combo’d from. Fairly... standard.

Specials/Forcebreaks:

Keygrab (63214H or air 63214H) - The most important move A.B.A. has in NM along with Bloodpack, since ultimately pulling one of those two off should be your top priority at all times when in NM. Upon successfully landing, this move will do a negligible amount of damage and transform A.B.A. into Moroha mode. An interesting quirk to note with this move is that it’s both a command grab AND a strike; if the opponent is in a state where they are able to be thrown (i.e., in throw range, not blocking, not in hitstun, not throw invul, etc.) on frame 9, the command grab version will come out and the Keygrab cannot be blocked. If the command grab cannot land on frame 9, the strike version comes out instead, which is slightly slower, can be blocked, and is very unsafe on block, but is able to be used in combos. It’s important to note that there were also changes to the recovery of this move upon landing it in both Normal and Moroha mode. For the strike version, ABA’s recovery was increased, giving her far less time to follow it with a bloodpack, oki, etc (this is also why old [strike version]x2 doublekey combos don’t work anymore). For the command grab version, the opponent’s knockdown time was increased, allowing her to easily combo into a second Keygrab or set up more lucrative oki.

Bloodpack (63214P) - The other most important move A.B.A. has in NM. A.B.A. consumes one of her three Bloodpacks and is guaranteed to transform into Moroha mode on frame 23. Create space or get a far knockdown and use this, or chain into it from a hit/block 5H. NM Bloodpack also has a quirky invincibility window on frames 19-22. Although it rarely comes into play, it’s highly useful in certain situations (e.g., avoiding Slidehead).

Slide (236P) - One of NM A.B.A.’s most useful moves. An evasive slide, A.B.A. becomes VERY low-profile when executing this move, making it great for sliding under anticipated pokes for a throw > Keygrab. You can even slide under stuff like 2Ps or Robo-Ky’s knee bazooka! Just beware of lows/being thrown before the slide is over. This move also has an FRC point just as A.B.A. tucks herself inward, which can be used as a last resort to cancel the slide if baited, or to bait your opponent into attempting a punish. But if you’re going to spend 25% tension on slide, you might as well just use...

FB Slide (236D) - The best move A.B.A. has in NM, hands down. Why? Well, it’s mostly identical to regular slide aside from being faster, going farther, and being able to pass through opponents. But, it’s also COMPLETELY invincible for its entire duration. That means it’s absolutely unpunishable, a “get out of jail free” card (or well, a “get out of jail for 25% tension” card), which is something you’ll be wishing you had in many NM situations. It can evade oki, including meaty setups. It can slide through moves and supers, even stuff like Raoh’s Bellows Malice, for easy Keygrabs. Keep the tension cost in mind, but otherwise a fantastic move. This got a HUGE new FRC point in +R on frames 9-23, which is highly useful in certain situations since you can FRC to choose which side of the opponent A.B.A will appear on, or to buffer into a surprise Keygrab. The downside is that it’s kind of expensive at 50% meter.

Razor kick (236K) - Very long range, hits overhead. Throw and feet invincible while mid-kick, which makes it okay as a meaty, but you probably won’t beat many lows unless they hit very low to the ground. Has a strangely late FRC point of which use is limited to making blocked attempts safe or gimmicks. Causes a nice stagger on CH, giving you free Keygrab. Slightly unsafe on block (-4) if not FRC’d. You can also use this in place of the 3rd Rekka.

1st Rekka (236S) - Can be decent as a long range poke, but mediocre speed. Hitbox is one of the better ones in NM. On hit, string into 2nd and 3rd Rekkas > FRC > (optional combo stuff >) Keygrab. Unsafe, but its long range and decent pushback can make it safe-ish if used from afar.

2nd Rekka (236S > 46S) - Possible to frame trap after a blocked first Rekka, but take care as it’s not airtight. Staggers on hit, but in NM, it’s pretty wimpy and requires an RC to take advantage of with anything other than 3rd Rekka unless they’re asleep, and even then, spending 50% on something they can probably still shake out of is a big gamble.

3rd Rekka (236S > 46S > 63214S) - Note: from here out, if I say “Rekkas”, I’m referring to all three used as a set. Again, there’s a gap between the 2nd and 3rd Rekkas which can potentially be problematic against characters who can reversal through it, and it’s highly unsafe on block. On the plus side, this has an FRC just as the key touches the ground, making it safe and able to followup on hit, where it groundslides. An easy BnB to get into Moroha with this: Starter > Rekkas > FRC > dash > 5H > Keygrab. In the corner, you can substitute that 5H for a 6H. The absolute optimal combo would be Close starter > Rekkas > FRC > dash > 2H > character specific jump combo like j.P, j.S, dj.P, j.S > Keygrab. Big damage (for NM) and style points there, just make sure your distance is correct before attempting. It’s also important to note that combo’ing off 3rd Rekka’s groundslide required an FRC in AC 99% of the time, but in +R, its groundslide time got a nice buff, so situations to combo without FRC may be more frequent.

Bloodball (236H) - A very slow-starting projectile, but it can be tough to avoid once it’s out. After ending a Moroha combo with an air Keygrab to transform back to NM, you can toss this out upon landing to give your opponent something to deal with when waking up. Better yet, if you have 25%, you can use the FRC point this move has just as the projectile appears and Bloodpack for an almost entirely safe transformation back into Moroha. It’s no AC EXE Beast, though: Bloodball takes 20+ frames to come out and will disappear if hit before ~22f. Finally, this is sometimes okay to throw out at neutral to give your opponent something to deal with while you sneak in a quick Bloodpack.

Supers:

Mushroom clouds (632146H > optional 236H > optional 236H) - Has a tiny bit of invul on startup, making it a sometimes-decent reversal option. FRC points for safety on each cloud just as A.B.A. slams her fist to the ground. The gaps between these got smaller and the explosions come out faster in +R. Unfortunately, the third cloud’s unblockable property was removed (sadface). On block or whiff, you can try gambling on frametrapping with a followup cloud or FRC to safety. On first cloud hit, you can go straight into a Keygrab if they’re close, or string into the followup clouds for more damage, then Bloodpack.

Air super (632146P) - Practically useless unless you absolutely need a hair of invincibility while in the air. There are better uses of tension.

Gameplan:

As mentioned before, A.B.A.’s gameplan is very simple in Normal mode: get out of it. How you do this will obviously depend on your opponent’s character, but typically this will involve one of the following at the start of the round and in other NM situations throughout the match:

- Evade something with slide > throw > Keygrab

- Evade something with slide > combo punish into Rekkas FRC > 5H > Keygrab

- Anti-air > combo > Keygrab

- Raw Keygrab as a counterpoke (warning: risky)

- Chain into 2D > Keygrab

- 5H hit or block > Bloodpack

- 5H on counterhit > Keygrab

- Bloodball to create space > Bloodpack

- Reversal Mushrooms > Keygrab (after 1st cloud) or Bloodpack (after 3rd cloud)

- Starter (which could be 5K, f.S, j.H, etc) > combo into Rekkas FRC > 5H > Keygrab

- Wait and see what your opponent does

An important place where a lot of Normal mode is played is right at the start of each round. Your options here are character specific. Do you start backdashing to create space for a Bloodpack? Raw Bloodpack, anticipating that they’ll back away instead? Raw Keygrab to catch their opening poke? Slide in to go for a throw? There are several choices that can be made here, and there’s never a really “right” answer, but smart play in the first few seconds of each round can be the difference in obtaining Moroha early on to stamp out your opponent or getting pushed into the corner and crushed while in Normal mode because you weren’t able to transform. Some rounds are literally decided in the first few seconds due to this. Play smart here, and when in doubt, go with the safer options (backdash, IAD away, wait and see, etc).

When you land that Keygrab or Bloodpack, IT’S TIME. Now you can actually fight back, and that’s because you’re in...

MOROHA MODE

General:

Welcome to the machine, my friends. A machine of absolutely silly normals, disgustingly gross pressure, brutal damage, and overall steamrollery. With a few nicely fished CHs, a smart footsie game, or well-applied frame traps, your opponent will be reduced to mere tatters. They want to block? No problem, their guard gauge will be flashing in seconds, making your next throw potentially lethal, or you can use your unblockable special move(!) to clobber them. They want to hit buttons? A.B.A.’s frame traps can quickly discourage that with far more than a slap on the wrist, or you can Danzai for the ultimate in “No, it’s still MY turn” moves to punish telegraphed poke out attempts. They get hit? Depending on how much you were able to crank their guard bar, they’re going to get severely hurt, put on life support, or outright killed. This is where A.B.A. is truly played, and in this mode, she is an unrelenting powerhouse in the right hands.

HOWEVER, this reward does not come without risk. Moroha mode is where you must deal with the strict limitations mentioned earlier, always keeping one eye on your Moroha gauge to ensure it doesn’t slip too low, possibly necessitating you to end a combo or pressure early to go for a transformation. You have to pay attention to how much damage you’re self-inflicting so you don’t effectively beat yourself up--one of the worst feelings an A.B.A. player can experience (next to allowing themselves to be Instant Killed by mismanaging their gauge) is to get into Moroha, apply heavy rushdown to the point of accidentally burning up your remaining Moroha gauge, then getting killed by a single poke punish because you self-inflicted enough damage to yourself to bring your health down to a pixel without your opponent having to lift a finger. You have to actively pay attention to the times you’re knocked down and when getting knocked down would lead to a Suka Motion scenario (i.e., getting knocked down when you have less than 30% Moroha gauge remaining), OTG bursting if necessary to avoid instantly losing the round. A.B.A. can be truly terrifying when played well, but don’t get so drunk on power that you lose sight of the importance in properly managing her subsystems.

In regards to other general info, your weight is the same (really heavy) and your hitbox is the same (really weird). Your lackluster ground dash has now been replaced by a VERY fast run that’s almost up there with Chipp and Millia (but not quite). Your airdash is now much faster and covers more distance. Your walk speed still sucks.

Normals:

5P: Same as NM. Still highly useful for anti-air, as a superfast close normal, or to beat high-hitting pokes.

5K: Same as NM. Slightly less useful here since you now have better options, but still useful if you’re in range and need something a hair faster than f.S.

c.S: Combo filler. Also a go-to normal when you’re close, but out of 5P range.

f.S: THIS is where things get interesting. f.S ranks among the better pokes in the game. Great range, fast (especially considering that great range), hits twice so it can stuff armored moves like Hammerfall, or take out Little Eddie/Dog then hit Eddie/Zappa. It can also be chained into 5H, which received some interesting changes that I’ll discuss momentarily, or you can confirm straight into Rekkas for a combo. f.S stuffs LOTS of things and is an all around amazing poke. Keep it handy in your footsie game.

5H: For +R, this is where things get REALLY interesting. 5H now hits twice, with the second hit yanking the key back for a vacuum effect. It has received a new gatling route into 2H, which also vacuums. When both are used in succession, you can stick to your opponent like glue. However, this gatling doesn’t combo and has a slight gap (don’t get DP’d!), so it’s best used for blockstring pressure or to beat throw tech/throw punish attempts since 5H's even advantage on normal block makes it great for tick throws. The untechable time on this second hit vs. airborne opponents is pretty good and can usually be confirmed into big damage, especially near the corner. Unfortunately, 5H got hit with some nerfs as well. 5H is now pretty slow at 15f startup, and while the first hit can still stagger on CH, the second hit immediately knocking them out of it kinda ruins it. Because of this, you should be wary of throwing 5H out during footsies--the slower speed is a major issue for its usage as a poke.

5D: Same as NM, but slightly faster. In Moroha mode, A.B.A. gains access to an Impossible Dust which can be performed via double jump j.H. And A.B.A. ID combos hurt.

6P: Similar to NM, but slightly faster with a different hitbox to accommodate for the altered shape of the key. It’s otherwise used exactly the same as NM 6P: as an upper body invul anti-air.

6H: Long range, two hits, hurts really bad. This move is mainly used to catch people trying to low profile 5S/5H from afar. It can’t be confirmed into Rekkas if landed from too far away and the recovery on whiff is awful, so keep that in mind. Its air hit untechable time got a neat buff in +R, opening up some new combo options (for example, air hit 6H > Butt now works).

2P: Same as NM. Close range poke. Faster than c.S, not as fast as 5K or 5P.

2K: Same as NM. One of only two lows A.B.A. has in Moroha mode (the other being sweep), so this will be your low midsceen combo starter.

2S: Slower than NM’s 2S, but HUGE range. On CH, your opponent floats for eternity and you get whatever you want. Anti-air with this if you have time to get it out.

2H: One of your most important normals in Moroha mode. The first thing you should know about 2H is that it’s throw invincible just as A.B.A. hops slightly off the ground, making it an excellent meaty option when timed correctly. It ruins guard bar, launches on hit for a combo, has vacuum property, is +2 on block, and has an FRC point just as the axe touches the ground for the 2nd hit, making it sickeningly good for applying pressure or baits. Awesome.

2D: Really long range for a sweep. Useful to poke for a knockdown, then run in and start your pressure. Near the corner (and against some chars midscreen, depending on how close you are), this move got WAY better since you can confirm into +R A.B.A.’s new Rekka loops. You can also use this at max range to bait some DPs (Volcanic Viper, Vapor Thrust) since it swings low enough for the DP to whiff. A neat option select is to max range meaty 2D against an opponent with such a DP: if they stand and block, start staggered Rekka pressure. If they stand and eat the hit, confirm into Rekka loops. If they stand and DP, laugh as their DP whiffs, then obliterate them.

j.P: Same as NM. Use if you need something fast in the air. If you’re dash-jumping toward an airborne opponent and they block one of these, you can mash it to bring them back down to the ground and start your pressure.

j.K: Same as NM. Used raw in the air, this move is still fairly mediocre. However, it has much more interesting usage in MM thanks to...

j.S: This move rocks. I’m not even talking about how it’s great for air-to-air or for straight up jump-ins, but because it gives A.B.A. access to one of her best mixup options: fuzzy guard. This is performed by running deep j.S > dj.S > falling j.H > land and combo. Fuzzy guard combos do BIG damage, upwards of 300+ depending on guard bar and available tension. But wait, it gets better: deep j.S also doubles as a safe jump. With proper timing and practice, you can actually confirm the safe jump into the fuzzy. It’s hard, but doable and awesome. Even if you time the initial deep j.S too late, it has a tendency to clash with some DPs (notably, Volcanic Viper). j.S can also gattling into j.P or j.K. This means you can fuzzy guard by simply doing j.S > j.K or j.S > j.P. The latter isn't as useful since the hitstun on j.P is still so tiny, but the possibilities from j.S > j.K are really gross. Knock an opponent down in the corner and do this: running j.S > j.K > dj.S > j.H. When timed right, this is airtight, and if the opponent blocks low at any point, they're getting fuzzied. You could also just do j.S > j.K > land > Throw, or j.S > j.P > j.P... Lots of options here. Another nice bonus of this is that j.K CH launches opponents similarly to 2S CH, meaning this setup is especially potent when used after cranking a guard gauge to flashing. Better still, you can autopilot the j.S > j.K > dj.S > j.H variation since it combos! Sick.

j.H: This return from this is slightly lower than before thanks to its new proration, but j.H is still a beast of a move. Huge hitbox, great for cross-ups, and on CH it ground slides into ludicrous damage, even taking the new proration into consideration. Not to mention that your airthrows come with this built-in as an option select. People hate this move.

j.D: An improved NM j.D. This is faster, has longer range, and better untechable time. While moreso than before, it doesn’t see much use outside of combos, and it still has that bothersome landing recovery. It’s a staple for A.B.A.’s Orb loop BnBs, which I’ll cover in the BnB section. This also wallbounces on counterhit. In +R, j.D’s untechable time got a nice buff, allowing for much better followups than before (for example, Keygrab or dash j.S combos, etc).

Throw - A.B.A slams her opponent for a ground bounce. Easy to follow up with a corner carry combo, or with damage if their guard gauge is flashing from downbacking too hard. Standard range. Tick throw with any fast normals (5P, 2P, 2K) or after vacuuming them in with 5H.

Airthrow - Basically identical to her NM airthrow. Average range, can't follow up.

Specials/Forcebreaks:

Keygrab (63214H or air 63214H) - This gets you back into Normal mode, restoring 80% of self-inflicted damage. Use it as a combo ender when you’re low on gauge. As mentioned earlier, Keygrab was slightly tweaked in +R: the command grab version has longer range and A.B.A. recovers faster, making it easier to Command Keygrab > Keygrab for a complete transform. However, the strike version saw A.B.A.’s recovery increased, meaning strike version double-Keygrab combos in AC don’t work anymore. As a consolation prize, there are some combos that can be ended by going straight into Bloodpack > FRC > Keygrab for a complete transform thanks to the new FRC point on Moroha’s...

Bloodpack (63214P) - This also gets you back into Normal mode, consuming one Bloodpack and restoring 120% of self-inflicted damage. In +R, Moroha mode’s Bloodpack got a sweet new FRC right as she transforms, enabling the new combo above and letting you Bloodpack back into Normal mode much more safely for a mere 25% tension. Similar to its NM counterpart, MM Bloodpack has a sliver of invincibility, fully on frame 9 and to strikes on 10-13.

Flipkick (41236K) - A.B.A. climbs up on the key and performs a backflip-kick dismount to launch her opponent on hit (higher on CH, so adjust combos accordingly) or stagger on block. Flipkick is best used with 50% to RC it--on hit, this gives you better combo options like Flipkick RC > dash j.S > etc, while on block it guarantees you can capitalize on the stagger. A.B.A. is also unthrowable and feet invul when she’s up on the key. You can also use this move in place of the 3rd Rekka, but the pushback from the first two Rekkas is usually enough that the Flipkick will whiff, making this option best used when opponents have IB’d the first two Rekkas or in combos after the first two Rekkas have landed, allowing for grimy oki setups (including FB Bloodball > Flipkick). This move received some buffs in +R in that it now bounces the opponent higher and does slightly more damage than in AC. The Flipkick would be straight up dumb if it weren’t for one major flaw: it can be normal blocked in the air (i.e., chicken blocked), no faultless required. If you time it as a meaty, it’s slightly better since they can’t jump, but they can still reversal or backdash. Use sparingly. You can also get this (almost) guaranteed if you’re able to set up a meaty FB Bloodball. While they’re blocking the FB BB’s new extra hits, just run up and Flipkick--no FRC needed! I say “almost” because there are a scant few options that will get them out, namely, DAA.

1st Rekka (236S) - Almost completely identical to NM 1st Rekka, but more useful here since you can string into it from better long range pokes.

2nd Rekka (236S > 46S) - Similar to NM Rekka, but with much better stagger on hit. If you want, you can RC and go into whatever you want from the stagger, or if you’re close enough, you might be able to link into a quick poke (5P, 2P, or 5K) depending on how good your opponent is at mashing out of stagger. You can even get Rekka 1 > Rekka 2 > [Command Keygrab]x2 for a complete transform. This move got a really nice buff to its untechable time on air hit in +R and is now nearly triple(!) what it was in AC. The reason this is so nice is because the untech time is long enough that you can confirm in 3rd Rekka > Rekka loops after tagging an opponent trying to jump out with 2nd Rekka.

3rd Rekka (236S > 46S > 63214S) - Also similar to its NM counterpart, but with longer groundslide time. This groundslide time has been extended in +R, removing the necessity to use an FRC to followup in more scenarios. Between the increased groundslide and the above change to the 2nd Rekka’s untechable time, A.B.A. has a great new combo piece in the form of Rekka loops, performed as [1st > 2nd > max delay 3rd Rekka]xN for two or three reps. While this isn't an "end all, be all" option, A.B.A. can now convert much more effectively from previously “meh” starters such as corner 2D.

Orbs (air 41236S) - Orbs are an integral part in many of A.B.A.’s combos in Moroha mode, specifically her Orb loops. The Orbs are considered a projectile, meaning sometimes they’ll linger and still trade when you get hit first. It’s possible for both the front and rear Orbs to land if you’re really close, and when you do, it hurts like hell. For example, during Butt loop, Butt > RC > Orbs (2hit) > PAIN. There’s an FRC point just as A.B.A. begins to tuck her outstretched leg back in (right when the Orbs become active), which is useful for making the timing to begin the next rep of the Orb loop more lenient to land and as an oki tool. Dash jump at downed opponent > Orbs FRC over their body just before they wakeup > 2K, 5D, begin pressure, etc. If your Orbs are mistimed or if you land too close, you opponent can wakeup throw, but if they want to do that, you can Orbs FRC > Orbs again for HUGE damage as you CH their throw attempt, or you can simply Orbs FRC > land > jump to bait the throw and still land CH Orbs.

Danzai (623H) - This is one of the best specials in the game. Throw invincible on the upswing, super armor, big hitbox, launches on hit, and huge pushback on block to help make it pseudo-safe since you’re moved back pretty far (although it can definitely still be punished, so don’t go crazy with it). Danzai is just great and has many uses. It can blow up pokes or telegraphed poke out attempts, it can be used as a reversal or to beat throws, it can be used as anti-air, it can be used to eat blue bursts... What’s not to like? Just be sure to keep the following in mind: it only absorbs one hit, so multi-hit or fast attacks will win, it loses to Supers automatically, characters with long range attacks can punish even after blocking the second hit, and characters who don’t can IB the first hit and backdash the second. Some characters also have char-specific ways to deal with Danzai as well (for example, Baiken can alpha counter). Danzai is best used as a defensive option, but can work as an offensive one if used very sparingly. If you just run up and Daigo Danzai, you’re probably going to get bodied. It should also be noted that any attacks the armor absorbs will still inflict 50% of their damage, so don’t use this if you’re extremely low on life.

FB Danzai (623D) - Remember what I said about Danzai only absorbing one hit? Not for FB Danzai, which has hyper armor(!). This will plow through whatever non-Super hits are thrown at it and keep on truckin’. FB Danzai also launches higher on hit, and the height an opponent is bounced depends on their height when they were hit and if it landed as a CH (which makes them bounce even higher). In most situations, this is a good thing, since it gives you better/easier followup options. However, it’s possible for the opponent to bounce too high, typically when landed as a CH anti-air. When this happens, even 2S might not be able to land before they tech, so you’ll need to go straight into a jump combo ASAP. (Note: this air height/ground bounce height correlation happens with regular Danzai as well, but it’s far less dynamic there, rarely requiring your combos to be altered as heavily as high FB Danzai bounces).

Butt (421H) - This move is limited to combos, specifically, Butt loops or as an ender to get knockdown. If used outside of a combo, it’s possible to make it safe depending on spacing, but it’s far too specific to rely on in an actual match, since the distance is really picky and the frame your opponent blocks the move on will be slightly earlier if they block high. It auto jump installs, so you can double jump if you RC it, but this is rarely useful.

FB Bloodball (236D) - Normal mode’s Bloodball makes a comeback in Moroha mode for 25% tension. In +R, this got a tremendous buff, being that it now hits 6 times instead of 2. The FRC point on the NM version is the same here, and with the extra hits, this can lead to some really gross setups like meaty FB Bloodball > dash in Flipkick while they’re guarding the Bloodball for a dirty unblockable. For the ultimate in scumbaggery, you could FB Bloodball > FRC > dash in and throw just before the Bloodball goes active, or dash in Command Keygrab > Keygrab for a complete transform. Overall the FRC is great, with the downside being the high tension cost at 50%.

Supers:

Air super (632146P > optional 214K) - I’m listing this first to get it out of the way because it still sucks. Yes, it got some buffs in +R, including extended untechable time on both the Super and its follow-up, and it received a strange new FRC point that occurs incredibly late in the move (after the Super is over and A.B.A. is already descending), but it’s just not enough to justify spending 50% unless you’re desperate for a sliver of air invincibility. Especially since that 50% is MUCH better spent on...

Goku Moroha (63214,63214S) - Now THIS is how you buff something. Goku Moroha mode, a.k.a. Tsubu Mode, is an install super that activates Goku Moroha mode, which is essentially a hyper-Moroha mode that costs 50% and one Bloodpack to activate. In AC, Goku Moroha was one of the worst supers in the game for several reasons, the main one being that it only replenished a third of her Moroha gauge and barely lasted a few seconds even if your Moroha gauge was full. In +R, Goku Moroha got HELLA buffs, and is now arguably one of the best supers in the game:

- Requires 50% tension and one Bloodpack to use

- The activation is an attack that is invincible frames 1-15, +5 on block, staggers on hit, knocks down/wallbounces on air hit, fully replenishes the Moroha gauge, and cannot be interrupted (although it can and will sometimes trade). The invincibility and safety when blocked makes it a solid reversal option.

- A.B.A.’s damage output is slightly reduced while in Goku Moroha mode. Her self-inflicted damage is slightly increased.

- A.B.A. gets a large speed boost, gaining an insanely fast ground dash and a second airdash.

- Almost every one of A.B.A.’s normals can gatling into any other normal. An easy string to ruin guard bar is [5S > 5H]xN.

- Practically every attack A.B.A. has receives faster startup, less recovery, or both. A.B.A.’s 5D, for example, becomes the fastest dust in the game.

- Several new FRC points are added (the timing being just as the move goes active): 1st Rekka, 2nd Rekka, Flipkick, and Danzai.

- All FRC windows are widened by roughly 2f, making all FRCs easier to perform. The newly added FRCs have large 4f windows as well, so they too are easy to hit.

- The Butt is now naturally jump-cancellable, no RC required.

- Danzai’s total animation becomes MUCH faster (although this makes it harder to eat bursts with it mid-combo, since you'll probably already be downswinging when the burst goes active).

- Perhaps best of all, Goku Moroha’s activation bears a unique property in that it can be cancelled into from ANYTHING that isn’t airborne. If you’re on the ground and just connected with a move, you can cancel into Goku Moroha. This means that anytime A.B.A. has 50% and at least one pack, she has access to the most ridiculous frame trap in the entire game, one that is almost completely safe and puts you in a very dangerous install mode, meaning that even if the frame trap fails and they kept blocking, A.B.A. still benefits. About to have your blocked Danzai punished? Goku Moroha. Not respecting 3rd Rekka or 5H post-block? Goku Moroha. This property is an excellent mash/punish deterrent when you’re at 50% and have a pack.

Instant Kill:

Unknown Darkness (236,236H while in IK mode) - Keep this in mind when your opponent is approaching a dizzy (red flashing character portrait). If you’re close and quick enough to activate IK mode as soon as the dizzy occurs (hint: RC), it’s possible to squeeze this in before they can shake out. Otherwise, never use this.

BnBs:

Here, I’m going to go over how the flow works for A.B.A.’s Moroha combos. For ground hits, you'll usually string into 2H or Rekkas, then combo into Orb, Butt, or Rekka loops depending on what you want. "What you want" could be damage, knockdown/oki, Moroha gauge refresh, or corner carry. These choices are both affected and determined by distance to corner, available tension, special properties (e.g. if they got launched by the starter being CH), number of hits early in the combo, positioning, Bloodpacks remaining, Moroha gauge remaining, the opponent's guard gauge, and other factors.

The combo route choices are less obvious in +R for A.B.A. now that [strike Keygrab]x2 is gone, but some generalizations are: Low on gauge? Combo into Keygrab, or if possible, Goku Moroha for full gauge refresh and knockdown. Not low on gauge? Combo for damage or corner push. Depending on the combo, you can also end in Keygrab and possibly have time to Bloodpack before they wakeup, but this is riskier now that you have less time to get the Bloodpack out. You’ll recover at about the same time so you won’t be able to pressure, but hey, you refreshed your bar. Then there’s the new “end combo with Bloodpack FRC > Keygrab” thing, a complete transform that restores 120% self-inflicted damage as a pseudo-replacement for double Keygrab. The uses for this are a bit limited and IMO it's overly difficult--for only 25% more meter, you could refresh by going into Goku Moroha with much greater ease and have enough time for a sweeter oki setup (not to mention that simply being in Goku Moroha is a great reward in itself).

Some sample combos:

- Orb loop from Rekkas (corner): Starter > Rekkas FRC > dash in > 6H (1hit) > j.S > j.H > j.D > Orbs (FRC if too high off the ground or to make timing easier) > dash j.S > j.H > Keygrab.

- Butt loop from Rekkas (corner): Starter > Rekkas (FRC if needed) > 2K > 5S > 2S > Butt > dash 5S > 2S > Butt > 5P > 5S > 2S > j.D > Orbs.

- Orb loop from 2H (corner): Starter > 2H (2hit) > IAD j.S > j.H > Orbs FRC > dash j.S > j.H > j.D > Orbs > Keygrab.

- Butt loop from 2H (corner): Starter > 2H (2hit) > dash in 5S > 2S > Butt > 5S > 2S > Butt.

- Rekka loop into unblockable setup (corner): 2D > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > delay 3rd Rekka > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > delay 3rd Rekka > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > Flipkick.

- Midscreen throw combo: Throw > 5H (2hit) > Danzai > dash j.S > j.H > j.D > Orbs.

- Midscreen corner carry: 2H (2hit) > iad j.S > j.H > land > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > delay 3rd Rekka (FRC > dash for longer distances) > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > Flipkick.

- Anti-air combo: 5P > 5S > 2S > sj.K > j.S > j.H > Keygrab.

- Moroha gauge refresh: Starter > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > dash 5K > 5S > 1st Rekka > 2nd Rekka > dash [Command Keygrab]x2.

Gameplan:

Now that you’ve made it into Moroha, you can start fighting back. If you’re not already in, play footsies by utilizing your normals. When something connects, you can push directly to the corner if it hit. If blocked, draw them in with 2H and 5H, then go to work wrecking their guard gauge. If they start getting pushed too far away, re-vacuum them back in or burn 25% to extend your pressure via 2H FRC or 3rd Rekka FRC. Observe when they’re trying to poke out and frame trap--A.B.A.’s frame advantage on most normals in Moroha is pretty damn great. Mix it up by throwing in staggered Rekkas. Pay close attention to your Moroha gauge, and if it dips below 30%, back off or go for a transformation. You don’t want to lose because you failed to bait a single DP or was mashed out once by 2K > 2D, then got IK’d. Capitalize when you open them up and end the combo appropriately depending on the needs of A.B.A.’s subsystems. When their guard bar is flashing, DESTROY. In Moroha, you have the upper hand, and once you get in you can straight up bully your opponent. Please note that it’s not entirely free though: DAAs are a free knockdown, so they must be baited/punished accordingly (or if you’re styling, Danzai on reaction). After a combo, if you ended in Keygrab, you’re back at step one in Normal mode, so Bloodpack back into Moroha or get back in there to land a Keygrab. If you went for damage, were able to perform Bloodpack FRC > Keygrab, or are otherwise still in Moroha as they stand, depending on how they were knocked down you could run in and time a 2H to bait throws and begin your pressure anew, jump and go for a fuzzy while safe jumping reversal attempts, meaty with a FB Bloodball to set up the unblockable, run up and go for throw...it’s up to you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide as much as I enjoy A.B.A., and to those of you who are new to Guilty Gear, I hope you enjoy it even more

[LionHeartx]

Yeah I just saw the GB episode on her the other day, good work and thanks for this. I always liked her design but I had no idea what her playstyle was like but after i watched the episode I kinda had an idea and found myself playing her and shes like ridiculously fun. So I'll probably make her my secondary.

Question a friend of mine (Nitro) said that if I was gonna learn AC ABA that I should know that she is completely different in +R. So im just curious how do you feel about her in +R?

btw Nitro Noodlez said you made him despise A.B.A lol.

[NitroNoodlez]

Well, I didn't mean completely different, but there are some pretty significant changes to the character in +R from what I've gathered.

Excellent guide though. This will be really helpful for one of my local friends who is trying to get into the game by learning A.B.A.

[Mumm-Ra]

Small correction, MM j.P and j.K could be linked from j.S since AC, not sure about slash.

EDIT:

Also I just found out that NM j.S>j.S is a fuzzy and links to keygrab, very tight though, yet another gimmick to add to the list:

Jump in j.S>dj.S>Keygrab

Just like in the MM fuzzy you can throw a 2K instead of the dj.S. NM mixup got better?!

Probably not.

DOUBLE EDIT:

Okay been toying with this for a bit, obviously some characters are harder to hit with the fuzzy, but remember those posts I made about Slide FRC (you probably don't)? Since you keep the momentum of the slide your jumps are closer to the ground and the fuzzy becomes easier to do and even doable on characters that seemed impossible to hit with it (Millia and Dizzy for example), some character however (like May and Jam) are impossible to perform the fuzzy on no matter what, or so I've concluded in the 20 minutes I tested this

[Skeletal Minion]

Really? Lol, I didn't know that. I'll correct it in the guide when I have a moment.

If anyone else has suggestions or corrections, please post! I want this to be the best guide possible (much like Moroha's ABA 101 guide--shouts to him writing that since it's how I learned AC ABA).

[Ichipoo]

Thanks for the guide! Been trying to make time to learn +R and this guide has certainly pushed me in the right direction. Would've been nice if it included Goku Moroha combos but I'll simply experiment with that on my own.

[Mumm-Ra]

Goku Moroha combos are rather simple, unless you want to go all fancy pants on your opponent, just do anything into launcher>[2S>butt(421HS)>IAD j.S>j.HS>orbs(j.41236S)>land>c.S]xN, or you can omit the part after the IAD completely and just do butt loops all day.

 

Launchers include anything into 2H, anything into 2D>c.S (if you're close enough, if not you can do 2D>5HS), AA 5P, AA 6P, AA 2S itself, etc.

[Ichipoo]

Thanks for the reply. After watching more footage of Tsubu's A.B.A. it seems that he goes for butt loops or rekka loops, but now I'm wondering how do I know which loop to choose, does it even matter?

[ARESone]

Hey guys,

 

im pretty new to guilty gear.

 

Cant connect throw into keygrab. CPU stands up and blocks it all the time. Do I have to rc the slide or am I just to slow?

[4r5]

prob too slow

[Mumm-Ra]

I made a list before regarding throw>dash>keystab on all characters, some characters don't even need the dash to connect the keystab after the throw, actually, some characters are impossible to do the dash during the combo.

 

I don't know if this was posted already, I believe not, but here we go, Throw>Keystab for each character, way easier now, but Anji and Zappa are pretty hard to pull off compared to the rest of the cast. You can't use dash against certain characters (e.g. Axl), and you NEED to dash for others (Justice). Some characters can be done both ways, sometimes easier one way than the other (Slayer is easier with throw>dash>keystab).

• Sol - dash needed
• Ky - dash needed
• A.B.A - dash needed
• Dizzy - no dash needed, can't dash>keystab
• Johnny - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Millia - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Anji - dash needed
• Slayer - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Chipp - dash needed
• Zappa - dash needed
• Jam - dash needed
• Kliff - dash needed
• Axl - no dash needed, can't dash>keystab
• Order Sol - dash needed
• Eddie - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• May - dash needed
• Robo-Ky - dash needed
• Testament - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Baiken - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Potemkin - dash needed
• Venom - dash needed
• Faust - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Bridget - dash needed
• I-No - no dash needed, can dash>keystab
• Justice - dash needed

Disclaimer: Maybe you can do throw>keystab without the dash on all characters, or dash>keystab on characters I said it's not possible, I'm not a god in this game so if you know that you can actually do something I said you couldn't in the list feel free to correct me 

 

I belive SM should put this on the OP if it isn't much to ask, since I believe it's useful information and it's also a pain to try and find it myself in the other thread lol

[Ichipoo]

Is this an appropriate place to ask this? A.B.A subforum seems dead and this was the last "updated" thread that had some discussion so I figured I'd ask here.

 

This is something I've been wondering for a while now, but I notice that Tsubu is able to perform ... > 2H > IAD > j.S > j.H > land > Rekkas or 5H > Danzai on some characters. I'm aware that these two routes don't work on all characters but what I'm curious about is how does Tsubu perform his airdashes in order to perform said routes? Me personally, I do ... 2H > 866 > j.S > j.H > Orbs > Rekkas midscreen to carry my opponent into the corner but then this route doesn't really work on every character since some characters can tech out after getting hit by orbs. Also doing 866 instead of IADing makes my opponent drop from the air a bit so that they're low enough for Rekkas to hit.

 

I guess what also trying to ask is what's a good "universal" corner carry route in Moroha Mode that involves 2H > IAD > j.S > j.H > ...?

 

Also, while I'm here, what are good Dust combos in Moroha Mode? 

[Mumm-Ra]

These combos work on most if not all characters, it's a matter of timing, I do 2HS>956. Learn how to do 2D>IAD>j.S first of all, sometimes you need to delay the attack (sol), sometimes you need to do it faster (Johnny, Pot), same with the j.HS and the orbs, always try to get the orbs as late as you can to land earlier than the opponent and be able to do things before they tech, because orbs have landing recovery.

 

For 2HS>IAD corner carry combos you've got 2HS>IAD>j.S>j.HS>(orbs>[5HS *one hit*])>rekkas(x2 meterless if near enough from the corner).

 

Dust combos are simple unless you're in the corner, a normal one would be 5D>j.HS> JC j.HS>JC j.S>j.K>j.S>JC j.S>j.HS>keystab/orbs (i'd take the keystab for the knockdown).

 

Corner you've got impossible dust into butt loop, or if you're insane like Tsubu you can do 5D>late IAD j.K> IAD orbs>land>[TK orbs FRC>orbs>]xn>2S>butt

[Ichipoo]

Thanks, I'll try out these changes later, seems a bit annoying to have to keep track of the small, subtle changes in timing in her combos for each character but at least if I'm near the corner, ... 2H > [(66) > c.S > 2S > butt]x2 seems to work if my opponent is high enough in the air.

 

And as for Dust combos, I found a good silly one haha.

 

http://youtu.be/t896jr0kBGQ?t=17m2s

[Ichipoo]

Most likely this is something that varies for each player, especially since A.B.A is the type of character where you can do whatever you want with her and more often than not it'd work out, but what combos do you guys use in the corner? Currently I do the butt loop (... > 2H > (66) > c.S > 2S > butt > ...) as mentioned in my previous post here, but the problem is that if I can only do one rep, the opponent can tech out after butt. If I'm able to do two reps, my opponent most likely won't be able to tech and is still in the corner. 

 

What I'm asking is that I'm trying to look for a way to keep my opponent in the corner so that I can keep my momentum while at the same time not giving up as much damage. However, I also realize that there may not be a "clear cut" answer to this due to the varying consistency of combos in GG compared to other anime fighters. I suppose I could keep it simple and just go back to doing stuff > Rekkas.

[SIne]

Ok, from 2h or anything really, if you want a hard knockdown you are going to want to confirm into rekka loop x3 and on the last rekka after 46s, do 63214k to keep them in the corner, its a bit tricky at first but the loop is acommplished by delaying as much as possible after 46 s into 63214 s then do 236s immediatly into another rep then again into ender. Outside of that combo, in the corner, i like to do ...whatever into 2h iad j.s, j.h, orbs, land 66 5S, 2s, ass then, 66 5p 5s 2s ,ass. They can tech but, it puts you in a good position to punish what they try to do or keep pressure and does pretty good damage

[Mumm-Ra]

For butt loops, remember that 2K>6P>2S>butt also works and catches opponents closer to the ground, if you believe you missed the window for a second 5S>2S>butt.

 

For corner combos, besides butt loops or orbs into butt I like doing 2HS>IAD j.S>j.HS>orbs>land (5HS [1 hit]>rekkas) / (5HS [2hits]>danzai>danzai>goku moroha).

 

The last two work midscreen though. Also remember that 2S>goku moroha always works and is hard knockdown.

 

If I score a 2D near the corner my favorite one is 2D>236S>46S>flipkick>running j.S>j.HS>j.D>orbs>land>(running j.S>dj.S>j.HS>keystab) / (sj.j.K>j.S>j.HS>keystab [this one's a bit unstable but easier]).

[Ichipoo]

Yeah I've seen Tsubu do 2K > 6P > 2S > butt before, have't exactly tried it out enough times myself to get a feel for when to use it though.

 

And as for (5HS [2hits]>danzai>danzai>goku moroha), the dummy techs out right after the first hit of 5H, I'm guessing I need to work on the IAD j.S > j.H > orbs > land part.

 

Also, this is a bit embarrassing but after landing a Dust, how do not go all the way up? This is something I haven't been able to figure out and I'm trying to replicate that one Dust combo in the video I posted a while back.

[SIne]

Jumpcancel after dust and input FD then do j.d or j.hs or whatever just make sure you do it fast , as you have a certain number or frames before you can no longer do the 'impossible dust' combo

[Ichipoo]

Thanks again. Also I think I've found a way to land the butt loop twice a bit more consistently. Seems like the less normals you use before 2H, the less chance you have of the 5S > 2S > butt loop dropping at the second rep. However, if you do something like 5K x2 > 5S > 2H, then omitting 5S and going straight into 2S may help. Note that I'm still messing around with this, but I've noticed some success keeping a presence of mind of what normals I've used before 2H and adjusting the loop accordingly.

 

Also, I forgot I've found an interesting video on Goku Moroha combos a few months ago.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6biHGgqZVE

[Mumm-Ra]

These butt>IAD orbs combos always kill me, I'd rather just go for the j.S>j.HS>orbs route, it always murders anyways, specially with cranked bar.

 

And yes, less hits in your combo means less gravity and less stun decadence, if you do P>K>K>S>2HS>S>2S>butt, the opponent will fall faster to the ground compared to just doing P>S>2HS>S>2S>butt, taking this into consideration and the character's weight, you need to adjust your combo, doing 2K>6P>2S instead of just S>2S for example.

[Ichipoo]

Same here. I feel that the butt > IAD route is only useful for its immense corner carry, otherwise the reward isn't really worth the execution. Also, I've been messing around with j.S > j.H > j.D > orbs and it's great haha.

[Mumm-Ra]

You mean outside of Goku moroha? running j.S>j.HS>j.D>orbs has been always my favorite combo route, actually I just love running jump combos with any character. In Goku, for corner carry I love using r.jS>j.HS>j.S>dj.S>j.HS>j.D>orbs, it looks pretty cool and in two reps you go from corner to corner.

 

Man I hope ABA has (a non crap) goku moroha in Xrd when she gets in, I just love the thing.

[Ichipoo]

Yes I meant outside of Goku Moroha, and thanks for telling me that alternate Goku Moroha corner carry route! I'll try it out myself.

 

And yes I hope Xrd includes A.B.A sometime in the near future, although I haven't heard anything about ArcSys including any more additional characters.

[Ichipoo]

So an idea popped into my head this morning which was to see if I can OS A.B.A's keygrab and bloodpack together since they share the same directional input. The theory behind is that if the opponent gets hit by NM 5H, then A.B.A will go straight into keygrab, if blocked, then A.B.A uses a bloodpack. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get this to work with the various methods I've tried (63214H~P, 63214P~H, 63214H+P) and the outcomes were either A.B.A would strictly use a bloodpack, or keygrab regardless of whether the opponent was blocking or not.

 

If anyone could make this work, that would be great but to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if it's not possible in the first place though.