Beginner Axl

[GatorDude]

Hi there! I mad a bet yesterday that if +R dropped on PS3 I would switched characters, as Venom was too frustrating for me.

That being said, I was wondering if some people could give me a couple tips or links on some "easy" combos to practice, not necessarily optimal, but preferrably universal. I've just been beating the AI on Maniac with normals alone to get the feel for him. There's a lot of great info on these forums that I've been reading for about 2 hours, but most of the information is really old and I'm not experienced enough to tell if it still works.

Thanks all

[GatorDude]

To add to this, currently I've just been hit confirming 2p into (4)-6 Dust then random air punishes such as S© 5H 6H as well as some random normals into renshin FRC followed by some more random normals after.

Edit: Just noticed the "what should I learn" post. It's really great and has eerything I need. Is there anything more I should know in addition to that epic post.

[Digital Watches]

I also wrote a post titled "How to play Axl Low" which is targeted at +R.

As for some universal combos, K-2D-Rensen (FRC), IAD delay j.H, 2S-623H-623H is stable across most characters. 2S is also jump-cancellable into e.g. j.HD-63214S. I'd also practice the variation c.S-5H-Rensen (FRC) run up 5H-6H, 2S-j.HD-Kokuugeki. It's a good way to practice the 5H-6H, 2S link, which is a way to start optimizing your damage.

Also, learn your combo off of crossup kokuugeki FRC. It's way harder than in AC, but a very strong tool. I use crossup 63214S (FRC) Airbackdash ~delay j.H, 2S-j.HD-63214S, but you can also go for 623H-623H to get knockdown on most characters.

[GatorDude]

Cheers, I've been browsing your stuff for the past week and it's really helpful. Kind of a dumb question, but does c.S have a different animation? It looks the same to me when I was trying it last night.

[Digital Watches]

c.S is a swing upward, f.S is a swing outward. They have similar-looking startup, but by the full extension they're pretty clearly different.

[GatorDude]

A few new questions for you.

is 2p into FB Kyokusa Geki ever worth it, I can't find anything that follows that launcher.

FRC on Resen, does is have any visual cues, it seems to just be in between the initial animation and the actual hit which makes it hard for me.

What's the best way to practice my anti-airs, AI just doesn't jump unless countering something I threw out.

Thanks in advance

[Mo the Hawk]

You can only combo after FB Kyokusa if it counter-hits as the starter. (Also if you RC it, or the opponent just doesn't tech.) Use it when opponents step into the air space it covers in front of Axl to punish jump-in attacks hard.

Generally if 2P is your starter you can gatling to f.S, and from there you can cancel into Rensen, Rashousen, Raiei S... whatever you want. Rensen FRC > further obliteration is always going to be the best bang for your buck, and 2P > f.S > Rensen combos on a lot of characters, so yeah, learn Rensen FRC. There will be a visual cue in Training Mode on the input display bar at the bottom - it will flash blue at the FRC point. Use that to nail down your timing. The simple answer is "it's the moment Rensen becomes active." You'll get a feel for it the more you practice.

Record the training dummy to IAD w/ jump-in attacks and practice reacting at various ranges. You'll probably find that you'll want to use different anti-airs for different situations. Try 2S, 6K, 6P, 623P, FB Kyokusa, even 5K for different distances and angles of approach and see which one produces the best results.

I only just started playing last year, though, so I'll defer to Watches for the expert advice.

[GatorDude]

Thx Mo the Hawk. I'll put all this to good use tonight. The FRC timing is just really weird for me, it seems to be really delayed from what I think it should be. Reacting to the blue flash is definitely easier than anything else right now.

[Digital Watches]

Yo, japanese players use 2P-Kyokusa for a reason: It's the only combo that will come out of 2P at max or near-max range, and it's an insanely good positioning tool. Either they don't tech and you get a followup combo, or they're in your optimal range (Above and about 5 character-widths in front of you) and just teched... Which means they probably dropped the soap. For most characters, being in the air where Axl can tap them is fairly similar to being in Oki. You control the situation, and they have to work to not die.

If you don't have the range to do 6H, rensen FRC, or f.S, and you have the meter to FB, it's almost always a good option. That's not to say Mo is wrong here: If you can, confirm into more damage. 2P-f.S-rensen will connect against most crouching opponents if you're fairly close, and most standing opponents if you're really close. But a max range f.S won't combo to rensen, and f.S won't connect once you're hitting them at about 3/4 of 2P's range.

Mo's advice for anti-airs is good, use it. Except don't use 5K as an anti-air, and do use 5P. 5K is good for frame traps where they're trying to jump, but 2S and 2K cover all the situations 5K does way more effectively if they're already up there.

The easiest visual-confirm for rensen FRC is the distance it travels. There's a certain length that it'll go before you can FRC it, and it's only a 2F window, so it'll look relatively the same each time. The actual distance is basically just about the tip of your 2D range, so you can use that to get a sense of the spacing.

[GatorDude]

Great information, especially about the 5K, I've been forcing myself to use it without any results!

[GatorDude]

I know this is gimmicky, but just for the lolz, are there any instant kill setups that make landing it easier. I realize this shouldn't be a priority but it's just too funny to not know since apparently he has one of the better IK.

[Digital Watches]

Well, if you have ABA close enough to losing Moroha, do (Whatever)-2D-Rensen PKS~H activate and throw the IK as soon as possible, I think it's guaranteed. If you are in IK mode already, it can tag landing recovery on a few things, including burst.