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[P4AU] Ken Amada Gameplay Discussion

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Does Ken have a safe string into sweep now? His biggest flaw in 1.1 was not having any safe strings that couldn't be reversaled with DPs or supers with enough range, unless he used Koro to cover himself. My friend plays Adachi and he basically hammers Atom Smasher whenever he sees me go past 5A/2A in a blockstring and it works like 90% of the time cause I can't actually bait it without RCing. I actually think Adachi is one of Ken's worst matchups just because of Atom Smasher.

2A>2B>236A is kinda safe to catch ppl mashing supers. 2A is +1 on block and is good for doing frametraps. For blockstring I'd say 2A>2B(1~2)/5B>Sweep could work but you have to time it correctly.

 

Also, if there's a Ken Skype chat, someone can add me pls?

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2A>2B>236A is kinda safe to catch ppl mashing supers. 2A is +1 on block and is good for doing frametraps. For blockstring I'd say 2A>2B(1~2)/5B>Sweep could work but you have to time it correctly.

 

Also, if there's a Ken Skype chat, someone can add me pls?

 

A Atom Smasher is 13f startup.  Ken's 236A is -17.  You'll still get rekt.  5B sweep isn't airtight either.  In fact I don't think Ken has anything capable of baiting out Atom Smasher now, though apparently Mediarama is safe on block so that may be something if it's airtight.

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Does Ken have a safe string into sweep now? His biggest flaw in 1.1 was not having any safe strings that couldn't be reversaled with DPs or supers with enough range, unless he used Koro to cover himself. My friend plays Adachi and he basically hammers Atom Smasher whenever he sees me go past 5A/2A in a blockstring and it works like 90% of the time cause I can't actually bait it without RCing. I actually think Adachi is one of Ken's worst matchups just because of Atom Smasher.

 

   You should avoid doing strings into sweep too often : Even though it is his best starter with 2B,  you can't get to it safely and the big pushback makes it harder to set something with Koro after it. It's ok against chars with limited DPs but most of the top tiers have a super that can deal with the hole before the sweep (Narukami, Aigis, Minazuki, Mitsuru Adachi and others).

   Generally, the only thing you can do to be somewhat safer is to  get Koro to act at different places to mess up with their reversal timings. jA >jump cancel is also helpful if they know 5A into anything isn't airtight on IB. As said above 2A is + 1 so staggering with it and mixing it up with 2C and 5C should also help to trip them up.

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That's what I'm saying. Ken gets fucked by reversals and with Koro only being good for one attack now, the standard reaction for anyone who even remotely knows this matchup now is going to be wait until he uses his Koro action then just mash reversal super nonstop after that. You can also mash reversal super prior to Koro acting so long as you stop when Koro goes in, since Ken can't string into a mixup safely off anything outside out of 2B range and he can't bait reversals without using Koro either.

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That's what I'm saying. Ken gets fucked by reversals and with Koro only being good for one attack now, the standard reaction for anyone who even remotely knows this matchup now is going to be wait until he uses his Koro action then just mash reversal super nonstop after that. You can also mash reversal super prior to Koro acting so long as you stop when Koro goes in, since Ken can't string into a mixup safely off anything outside out of 2B range and he can't bait reversals without using Koro either.

 

     I completely agree with you, then again a lot of characters don't have a lot of ways to deal with those. Ultimately,  it is bound to happen in a game with powerful reversals and loose strings, and only a few select chars can really scare you from scoring a reversal because of their toolsets. The only thing you can do is make them trip up by varying your pressure as much as possible to divert them from using their DPs, or make them so intent to DP you that they either get caught by a DP bait, or caught off guard by a throw or a mixup. Also, even though it is a reaally hard read, if you're in Awakening, and somebody attempts a reversal super after a blocked normal,  you can use the super flash to buffer B Ultimate Cross. Haven't tested it on Atom Smasher but it is guaranteed on most of the reversal supers out there (Thunder Reign can work too, but only at specific distance and against specific supers). It's not great, but it at least makes them reconsider abusing a super in your strings.

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Hello, I just picked Ken recently (I said I would on the release date but stuff happened) and was wondering if there was a Skype chat that I could join. My Skype ID is qubilay2 

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Hey guys, decided to mess around with Ken since the Junpei struggle is too real. I have a quick question. What are some BnB pressure strings I should be using. I have his combo theory down for the most part, but I'm lost as to what I should do when people start blocking. I'm talking about his absurd lockdown that seems to never end. How should I go about it?

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As for blockstrings you're pretty open to just freestyling and finding what suits you. As for Ken himself the only airtight blockstring he has is 5a/2a> 2b> 5b that is, if Koromaru is not available. If you do anything aside from that string without having Koromaru attack in-between the opponent can reversal and escape.

You also have the option of leaving intentional gaps in order to open up your opponent. Characters who don't have far reaching reversals like Chie and Yukiko will tend to roll in order to escape and that's when you can react by having koromaru attack with 5C or something and get a combo.

In 2.0 you have the option to get oki off every confirm with ~236A > 236D> 236B> 4AAAA. You do the autocombo until the opponent gets pulled back off the 236A. Since it's autocombo you gain meter and your burst refills a bit faster which is great for playing Shadow Ken.

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Chie can God's Hand you for a billion damage so that's not the best example.

Which is 50 meter, 100 because Chie will most likely need to OMC the super to avoid death, and with Chie's need for meter, spending 100 to escape isn't optimal unless she's certain the God's Hand will hit. And given where Ken is usually positioned in pressure, getting God's Hand to hit Ken (rather than Koromaru) isn't easy -- if you over-commit or become sloppy with your pressure, then that's an issue on the Ken side, not a strength of God's Hand. Meterless, Chie's DP isn't a great reversal. Actually, very few characters have DPs that will tag Ken during pressure -- Shadow Labrys and Labrys can do it, unsurprisingly, given the size of their DPs (and Shab has other complications for Ken). What Agito said is entirely accurate.

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Ken's 2B is -19 and his 5B is -25.  Chie's C and D God's Hands are 15f and 24f startup, respectively.  She does still have to mash the right one (C will miss at 5B max range and D is too slow to punish 2B) so it's not as annoying as Adachi's "mash Atom Smasher constantly to punish everything" option but she definitely does have a good option to get out of Ken pressure other than rolling.

 

I've found that if you are in fact expecting a roll/mash that isn't a DP (i.e. can't be OS'd by down-backing and mashing B+D) your best "mixup" is something like 5B (5C) 2A+B.  Airtight string to prevent them from reversaling out that will hit them low if they're standing up/not blocking because they're mashing 236236236236etc.

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Hi I am back and although this is late I am here to talk about a few things.

i am gonna keep this short because no one likes walls of text.

 

Although it is true that Chie has the option of god hand it is not a reliable way out of Ken pressure mainly because Ken can change his strings and positioning with ease.

It'd actually be easier for Chie if she spent the meter on GC or GC roll.

 

Next up 5B > 2AB is not the best mix up, not even close, its anti-jump and a way to extend pressure, it isn't the most safe either since there is quite a bit of a gap that allows supers to be used.

It does let you punish rolls since 2AB recovers decently.

 

Next if your opponent is mashing supers which lets be honest they probably are you can always end your strings frame positive.

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Hi, yes, I exist. Now that it's likely the US will be getting 2.0, I did a big write up on 2.0 Ken's changes, impressions, etc. The Tweet and subsequent discussion is here. (If you'd rather skip straight to the Evernote: Ken 2.0 Impressions (mixedmethods).) 

 

Let me me know what you think and let's talk Ken! Can't wait for that buffed j.A. :yaaay:

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