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Ryd'

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Everything posted by Ryd'

  1. Ryd'

    [Xrd] I-No Gameplay Discussion

    Looks more like what happens when you try to do j.H when you're not quite high enough off your dash for the attack to come out, results in a fake out of sorts. You can get a significant portion of the startup to animate without it going active. IIRC, I-No should be able to throw before appearing to touch down as well, but it's been a long time since I've messed with it. Pretty sure this has been in the series since forever.
  2. If I'm remembering the changes right, assuming they stuck to what was advertised in the notes: - 85% proration on Drill Special - +1 second of Eddie recovery after Drill Special - summoning Eddie from a puddle consumes around a -P- worth of meter - opponents can hit puddles to remove them - 90% proration on j.K - retreating in Break the Law counts toward negative penalty + improved j.K hitbox + Dead Man's Hand (Eddie throw) does more damage when you have more Eddie meter, easier to follow up + something about the shark super that nobody really cared much about Break the Law YRC stall was kept in, the extra recovery on Eddie being killed was reverted. Lost some damage and the ability to loop unblockables, which nobody really did in actual matches anyway. He just got a slap on the hand as far as nerfs go.
  3. I can't speak for the development team, but I imagine they kept Eddie's drill in because they still wanted Zato to have access to unblockables while shifting them away from being the core of his gameplay. Of his previous unblockable tools (Eddie's drill/puddle and overhead, HS drill FRC), the only one he has left is the one with the fewest setup options and requires heavy commitment; a well-timed burst hurts Zato more than other characters because you're removing Eddie from the picture for the duration of drill+recovery (also, wakeup backdash~YRC+FD). He seems to be balanced around it as well given that his damage tends to be a bit low most of the time, and many of his combo routes don't grant a knockdown unless he terminates them early or burns a chunk of meter. His ability to loop unblockables should be taken out though. That's just a little ridiculous for this game.
  4. Counting from the explosion, of course; it would be less of an issue if the attack wasn't divided into two components that hit with a variable amount of time between them (more like Faust's bomb toss) or if there was some way to stop the grenade (like pretty much every other projectile). She wins traditional zoning bouts because her main projectile is a 2 for 1 deal that can be pulled and thrown while mobile, and can either go through or over incoming projectiles. Nobody's going to try to throw another projectile if that grenade is still bouncing toward them; the initial hitbox being spent doesn't matter if the remaining time/trajectory will place the explosion near you, and Elphelt is free to play around how you react unless you threw something fast and durable at it. There are other problems with her kit, but the grenade is going to catch a lot of flak because few characters have particularly good answers to it, which helps in raising her neutral game to being among the best - something you shouldn't have when you also have suffocating pressure, ridiculous damage, and unblockables without having any kind of resource management or real cooldown to balance it all out.
  5. Difference being that when you tap Eddie/Dizzy's fish/etc., they go away and can't be resummoned immediately. Elphelt's grenade is going to win a fireball war and keep going, while also not having a forced cooldown between grenades. Its effective startup is also somewhat curbed in being broken up into two smaller components, which makes it easier to safely bring into play. It's a low-risk move with ridiculous potential reward that doesn't take a whole lot of thought to utilize, and gives a fair number of characters problems because of the manner in which it has to be respected. And it's not like she's a one-trick pony; the rest of her kit ranges from solid to phenomenal, and her damage potential is among the best in the game.
  6. Ryd'

    [P4AU] Yukari Takeba - Q & A Thread

    A/C: Charm B/D: Silence A+B: Confuse
  7. Ryd'

    (AC+R) Testament Combos

    Even less practical then. The damage you'd get off high/low proration looks like it'd be close to what you already get off 1-hit combos; no reason not to take the corner. I noticed that you stopped when the guard gauge bottomed out; does it drop there, or just become ridiculously tight? The string into BL is going to chew into the guard gauge a lot more than just straight BL, so how does that impact the overall damage/meter gain/reps? And how well does it work off throws? That'd be the primary instance I can see it being superior if it provides stronger meter gain than the current throw combos. Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I don't have time to test right now.
  8. Ryd'

    (AC+R) Testament Combos

    In general, probably not. If you can space it so that they end up in the corner, it becomes a little better, but you have to ask yourself how often do you throw out YOLO BL, and how often does it actually connect? The damage isn't too much more than what Testament usually gets with 1-hit loops, so you're probably better off focusing on corner carry and make them sit in Testy's scary corner game.
  9. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi Gameplay Discussion

    ・JB's recovery frames have a fatal counter state Because it's not bad enough to whiff a fan and be stuck with someone in your face. I wonder if this applies to the 3 weeks of forced crouch landing recovery you get from the move alone.
  10. Ryd'

    [P4AU] News & Gameplay Discussion

    Mixup isn't strictly limited to high/low, and there was plenty of mixup in P4A. S.Labrys, Yu, Chie, Mitsuru, Yukiko, and Aigis all have good high/low and/or crossup options. Teddie as well, I suppose, since that AOA crossup can be kinda dirty.
  11. Ryd'

    [P4AU] News & Gameplay Discussion

    FD system. Whoever said it was missing mixup must've only played something like Labrys vs Liz.
  12. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi Gameplay Discussion

    Not noted on there: Fire levels go up to 9 now. The Maragi thing may mean that you can hit and hold the button down again after releasing to delay the pillar popping up while keeping the wave locked? If that's the case, that could be amazing for Yukiko's pressure and zoning. Edit: It could also mean that Maragi has been converted to Agi status, where you have to hold the button down to keep it from popping immediately instead of tapping the button to manually pop it.
  13. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi - Q&A/FAQ Thread

    To practice Fire Break-Maragi setups, just hit a training mode dummy with them, and set its recovery options appropriately. Depending on the setup, you'll either release Maragi perfectly timed/spaced to catch the opponent as they tech, or you'll manually detonate it so that they tech into the pillar. These setups are messed up by the opponent refusing to tech (they get hit by the Maragi as part of the previous combo, heavily scaled, and are able to tech before you can follow up); if you start getting those opponents, then you should work on the SB Agi unblockables, which can actually lead to a lot more damage in the corner if you know how to work them. Fire Boost isn't that essential. Yukiko has 2 brands of combos; those that don't utilize many fire attacks (most of her combos not involving a FC, antiair CH, or Maragi start), and those that do (anything into Maragi loops; significantly fewer starters, but much higher damage). Yukiko's smaller combos see little benefit from Fire Boost since there's so few fire attacks that go into them, and when they do, they're usually at the end of the combo, heavily scaled. Maragi loops hurt a lot more, involve a lot of fire attacks (noticeable impact by Fire Boost), and 2-3 of them is enough to KO most opponents. The time put into Fire Boost really isn't worth it when you consider that A) she gets a lot more openings for the smaller combos, B) the damage bonus isn't really palpable until you get to hit 4+, and C) few opponents will allow themselves to be sufficiently zoned to build fire levels quickly enough to matter. Assuming you're not constantly sacrificing momentum for the sake of building levels, by the time you get to a level where it'll make a difference, your opponent should be missing enough health that you won't see any great returns on the time put into Fire Boost. It'd be worth the time investment to build levels if even half of them were retained between rounds, but since everything's lost... It has its uses as a way to make an overly defensive opponent move, but Fire Break is a lot more effective at that.
  14. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi - Q&A/FAQ Thread

    C Maragi is a good tool, and serves a different purpose from the D variant; which you use depends on the situation and/or what you expect your opponent to do. If you elect to use Maragi as part of a blockstring after having a 5/2C blocked, some opponents may roll right after blocking your normals to avoid D Maragi, Agi, etc. and get in. C Maragi will generally catch them as they come out of it (results may vary depending on spacing; you can always activate it at the appropriate spacing to be sure), giving you one of Yukiko's best damaging starters. Catch someone with this once, and they'll generally think twice about (ab)using that option. It also works great if you can maintain ambiguous roll-crossup spacing in the corner (i.e. if they try to roll to behind you to escape the corner, they'll end up in front of you instead). Of course, you don't want to abuse it either, because if it's expected, you might eat a nasty hit. It can also work as a general zoning tool from long range if you have time to throw one out; the slower speed is nice for this purpose since it means it'll persist on the screen that much longer. If you knock someone back full screen, you can use Maragi to recall your persona after the usual B Agi xx 3D xx whatever setup (this would be one way to create the situation Ciddy described earlier); especially useful if you failed to drop your persona behind them, though using it in general as part of the setup regardless of where your persona landed isn't a bad idea if you're playing more of a zoning game. Varying your options means your opponent has that much more to think about, which can lead to hesitation, free hits, or both. There's a lot of theory in this, and things are seldom quite so neat and clean (I also haven't really played in months...). Ultimately, how you approach things depends on the matchup and the opponent that you're fighting. Playing Yukiko requires being able to read your opponent to a certain extent because of how weak she is on defense and how much it hurts to whiff her options, so you'll want to learn to pick up on any tendencies your opponent has (safe/cautious vs aggressive/risk-taking), and adjust your gameplan as needed.
  15. Ryd'

    [P4A] Elizabeth Gameplay Discussion

    Yukiko can use Dia during anything on the ground that can be special canceled to negate Liz's IK for free.
  16. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi Gameplay Discussion

    Mostly lots of zoning with some rushdown if you can establish pressure in/close to the corner; how much aggression you can get away with depends on the matchup. Knowing when to back off is important. Covert anti-air hits and Maragi into bigger damage, learn how to set up and make the most of your unblockables. And don't get caught, because you will die.
  17. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi - Q&A/FAQ Thread

    Just do it as fast as you can without canceling your jump before you leave the ground; that's all there really is to it. 5BB can be canceled into just about anything 5B can be canceled into. Whether things will combo or not depends on spacing.
  18. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    Go watch the concept matches. Results aren't absolute, but they aren't completely devoid of information, either. The Akihiko team was able to pull off a solid share of the wins, and it wasn't always because he made two good guesses or Yukiko did something really stupid and then guessed a mixup wrong. There were some matches where a character had a really strong showing, but there were a lot of others that were quite close (and not simply because "lol, Yukiko at 60~80% health is one hit away from death"). I'm restating myself, but given her startup/recovery times (seriously, take her into training mode and get a feel for what it's like to whiff fans and whatnot; it's awful), Yukiko has to commit with a zoning option without any kind of guarantee that it'll connect when she throws it out unless she's already established momentum (then you have to wait out the bigger stuff or take a risk). Akihiko can (and does, in the videos) bait her ranged options and punish her cleanly for them, at times getting anywhere from 60-80% of her health. "One good read" is primarily in regards to SB Corkscrew, which is one hell of a good tool for the matchup, and something that forces Yukiko to respect Akihiko on the ground the moment he is at 25 meter and at 3/4 of the stage distance (at max zoom out; this thing is kind of ridiculous); not difficult achievements. It's not his only option though; his movement may not be on Yosuke's level, but he can maneuver around Yukiko's game (again, watch the videos). That he can work his way in without requiring the stars aligning, coupled with the fact that it seriously hurts when he does, make the fight a lot a closer than you seem to give it credit for. It also doesn't hurt that his frame data completely kicks Yukiko's ass. Going back to bad analogies; with Tager vs Nu, Tager had huge numbers, but that was in no way anywhere close to even for him because he had no realistic options for getting where he wanted to be without some big mistakes on Nu's part. Akihiko doesn't need huge mistakes; a simple whiffed fan (among other things) is enough for him to close from various positions at mid screen, and he can force his way in with meter, with an extra cost to make it safe it was blocked. Yes, that cost is steep for much of the game (50 meter for hitting awakening lessens the hit somewhat), but the reward is huge (getting in on Yukiko reduces her safe options to 0). I also think you're selling Akihiko's mixup short. It's not impossible to defend against, but top players still fall for his essentially 5-way game often enough for him to keep running it rather than not bothering and trying for counter hits and frame traps exclusively. It's not as good as Millia's mixup game, but it does earn him a fair share of hits. For more realistic analogies, Slayer/Jam vs Testament in GGAC were not particularly bad matchups for the close range characters; I believe Slayer was even (ultimately; it was said to be Testament's advantage earlier in the game's life) while Jam was 4.5 (not a noteworthy disadvantage). Like Akihiko, both of them had to work around a character that could control much of the screen; and like Akihiko, they had ways around that, with the matchup becoming even more level once they got enough meter for their nastier tools: DoT, BBU, FB Puffball; these were the great equalizers. That they cost meter is irrelevent, they were amazing tools and had to be respected the moment they became available. These characters also operated on the "land 2 hits and win" philosophy; in the case of Slayer, sometimes 1 was enough. Key differences here are that Akihiko is, on the whole, a bit slower than those two (noticeably slower than Jam most of the time; feels close to Slayer's movement speed) and has less range overall; Yukiko's options are generally slower than Testaments, with longer recovery on the majority of them, her average damage is noticeably lower, and she lacks good tools at close range (HS Beast) that the opponent has to respect when she (Yukiko) is not in immediate control. I'm not going to say that the matchup is in Akihiko's favor, but evenish seems about right. Yukiko might have slight advantage (6-4 at the very worst; 5.5 or even seems more correct) due to the neutral game early on (she is much more likely to be able to slip away and start her ranged game than Akihiko is to catch her from the start, so he's almost guaranteed to have to do some work for the win), but the speed at which the fight can be turned around is too great for her to hold a significant advantage here, especially since she has issues regaining momentum if she's completely lost it (again, Slayer/Jam vs Testament). She has the ability to set the initial pace from the start of the match, and if she's able to get him in the corner and work her real game, it can be incredibly painful. Conversely, she has no safe options once he gets in, he has the tools to make that happen, and his ability to convert hits into damage is stronger than hers (even more advantageous coupled with the differences in health). All this makes for an incredibly volatile matchup. That's not theory-fighter; actual play reflects that.
  19. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi Gameplay Discussion

    Something else to note for Synthesis; there really is no single way to play Yukiko. You can be more aggressive (kind of high-risk), or you can play it safe and put more emphasis on zoning/being lame. Generally speaking a mix between the two is good because it makes you hard to predict if you balance things right, and Yukiko already has a hard time opening up patient/safe players in neutral without being predictable on top of everything else. While she has a scary pressure game (primarily in the corner), it really isn't absolute; holes will appear, and it's important to learn to recognize when you may lose control of a situation. Yukiko is very momentum-based; her close range game is pretty bad compared to just about everyone else if she doesn't have other things set up to cover her or intimidate the opponent, so if you have a hunch that things may go sour, it's almost never a bad idea to back out and go back to zoning before anything unfortunate happens. In some matchups, the smarter thing to do is be on a perma-lame status and let your opponent kill himself trying to get to you. You've generally been on the aggressive side in other games, so you might find yourself needing to curb those tendences with Yukiko; going in too often can get you in trouble, and Yukiko's defenses are pretty lackluster on the whole.
  20. Ryd'

    [P4A] Yukiko Amagi Gameplay Discussion

    Generally speaking, you're getting more damage by them eating the Agi than you would if they just blocked Yukiko's full screen game, which is, admittedly, not a difficult feat. 3D isn't so much about mixup (you really don't have any at that range; if the persona's in the air, block high; once it's on the ground, block low; everyone picks up on this really fast) as it is about maintaining momentum; being sandwiched between you and your persona, and sometimes not being able to see what your persona's doing, creates the chance to get extra hits that can convert into bigger damage than usual (reversed 236B is amazing). Against people who're playing extra safe when you're at that distance, there really isn't a whole lot you can do to open them up; Yukiko isn't that ridiculous of a character. Let them try to come to you while working around your game, capitalize on any mistakes. How do you punish blocking? Try throwing, I suppose. Yukiko running in from full screen isn't particularly scary; her better options require setting things up in advance, which you aren't getting if you're running from that distance. Her mixup at neutral (which is essentially the situation being created here) is pretty basic; very limited high/low mixup (AOA is easy to react to, 2D takes forever if not set in advance, no other ground overheads), no special throws. Unless they're sitting under Agi the entire time you're dashing at them, you don't have any particularly good options to open them up; if they are sitting there without you popping it, you can use it for a crossup, but that seems like a very unlikely situation. More importantly, what characters make you want to go to them at full screen? SLabrys is the only one that really comes to mind. For pretty much everyone else, you can let them come to you while working around being wedged between you and your persona, while you're free to dance around and make their life hell. Depends on how you're spaced. You can try jumping back and coming down with jA if they roll, jB if they don't. If you have an Agi set, rolling isn't a problem if you pop it meaty. If you're setting up an unblockable, you have a bit of a conundrum since an Agi isn't enough to cover the full delay between wakeup and 2D hitting; you can have a gap when they get up or before 2D hits. I prefer the former, as it's safer for the unblockable (by the time you have to commit with a low, they're firmly locked down), letting you freely block/punish wakeup reversals or rolls. You probably won't get much more than a standard combo here. If you're spaced further out, you have different options, again, depending on the spacing. Maragi can work; either detonate D early where their roll will leave them, or sometimes just throwing out C will tag them due to its slower startup (also works really well with people who like to roll at the gaps in Yukiko's blockstrings). You can also drop 2D so that it'll catch a roll; nice fatal counter with a 5BB SB Agi into whatever for a pickup. Yukiko's airtight pressure ends at 5AA. Depending on the opponent, going any further can mean a free reversal, but 5B, 5C, and 2C can be used to create space if you don't expect to/can't be punished for it. What you do from there depends on your opponent. Agi cuts off the pressure, but keeps you safe. 5D can create a lot of space, but can be stuffed/rolled if the opponent's looking for it. 2D is not safe at all. Fire Boost/Break is always an option if you don't have anything else you need to be doing. Maragi is a bit riskier depending on the situation, but an interesting option; as previously mentioned, C will tag attempts to roll through whatever you might've tried to end a blockstring with, whereas D is may catch some maneuvers by surprise (loses to roll though); mixing them up and manual detonations are recommended. For everything else, peruse the various threads and watch more videos; it's a bit unreasonable to ask for a complete breakdown of everything the character can do. Also, fix your character ADD already. And spend more time in training mode =p
  21. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    5C is slower than 5B by 4 frames. In theory, that string would have enough of a window to throw out a Parry and catch 5C. You'd have to be psychic for that, though, and I don't think I've seen a Yukiko do that.
  22. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    Another little tip in case this isn't widely known: Yukiko's realistic airtight blockstring options end at 5AA; technically 5AA 2A+B, but that's hardly optimal since the only thing she can do from there is special cancel unless she wants to burn a chunk of meter. Given Akihiko's range, this doesn't mean a whole lot since Yukiko can safely pressure at a distance that you can't really retaliate from (this is a large part of what makes her pressure scary for a lot of characters once she gains solid momentum, not just Akihiko). However, if Yukiko is close enough and likes to use unsafe blockstrings (anything that goes beyond 5AA, lol), you can IB the second A and DP her before 5B can come out. At certain ranges, the IB isn't necessary, but I'm not sure if Akihiko can connect at that range. You can also do this between 5B and 5C if she's close enough, though I think most Yukiko players are moving more in favor of 5AA 5B 2C for safety purposes, as 5B 2C is tighter than 5B 5C. If you have meter to burn, a reversal super is also an option, and something like Maziodyne lets you punish from any range. Back to the initial point, safe Yukiko players will jc 5AA into whatever they feel like doing to possibly maintain momentum or create space, and there really isn't a whole lot anyone can do about this, so it's up to you to figure out what kind of player you're dealing with. If it's the overly aggressive kind, you have an option to put her in her place for treading on your turf (close quarters combat). Get ready to be frustrated if you find a decent Yukiko. I won't deny that she's an incredibly annoying character for most to fight; not necessarily the most threatening in most situations, but she can cause a lot of aggravation if you're the impatient type.
  23. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    @Dacid: Yukiko doesn't score fatal counters easily at all (AOA included, with that 33f startup). The only FC she can really plan on is 5C for punishing certain things like DPs and other moves that have really bad recovery. 2D can be used to tag rolls, but that requires a good read on her part, and you get some room to maneuver if she guesses wrong. 5D...there's really no reason for anyone to eat this FC. If you do, you screwed up badly and deserve the 5k+ she'll probably get off it. With 2A+2D unblockables, block high and let 2A open you up. It's only a few hundred damage difference, but she's not breaking 2k damage (pre-awakening) off those without wasting meter on a super at the end (read: not worth it unless it's going to kill, or the reset for similar damage she'll get in the corner will finish the job). A lesser used setup is sweep+2D; this one's more dangerous if done properly (damage can get to 3k+ regardless of which hit opens you up, coupled with Fire Break setups that can come off it, she can reach 7-8k+ total damage for a complete string of setups), but is harder to utilize as it can only be followed up when synch'd with the last hit of 2D, and even then, only midscreen unless Yukiko's willing to sacrifice her burst (not worth it unless it will close out a match), OMC it + cough up another 25SP to convert it into a proper combo, or take a less optimal and damaging setup by going staight into Agi xx Agidyne. I don't think I've ever seen another Yukiko play with this one, so it probably isn't something you need to worry too much about. On a related note, most of Yukiko's damage comes off her resets. If done right (high/lows: following an air throw or set up with Agi for oki; Fire Break: varies), there really isn't a whole lot you can do about them. Properly executed high/lows, you're pretty much boned since Yukiko doesn't have to commit until you're blocking the Agi that goes off before 2D comes down; if she's on point, she can punish the vast majority of escape attempts except for stupidly good things like Teddie's DP. Fire Break unblockables are trickier, as the more damaging ones are meant to catch techs. If Maragi's coming (generally the most damaging option in most situations), don't tech at all; it'll get added on to the combo previous and you'll take minimal damage while being able to escape. If she sets SB Agi, you're boned and not getting away without taking damage unless you have Maziodyne available, burn it on wakeup, and OMC it; this one can be especially dangerous, as she can chain two unblockable combos together off a single use in the corner. Any other use is generally suboptimal due to being easier to escape or dealing significantly less damage (shenanigans with Agi/Agidyne in blockstrings, day 0 C Maragidyne>Fire Break>D Maragidyne crap, etc.), but still inherently dangerous simply because of the unblockable nature of the move and Yukiko's potential for stringing unblockables together. Edit: EX Corkscrew's invul is from 1-18. I haven't been kidding around when I've been talking about how good that tool is. I think the match Robawtninja was talking about was in the second video at 6:50. Akihiko does what looks like Kill Rush xx Hook xx EX Duck (Yukiko uses Dia) xx Hook xx Parry (catches Dia) xx D Weave. There's a yellow flash at 6:52 that looks like a successful Parry iirc, and the Weave looks a little late to have gotten out of Dia's range in time.
  24. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    Which vid? If it's the concept match vids, that's a 3 part set. Just wanted to address this. Yukiko has damage; it's just a lot more situational that most characters, requiring them to eat something they really shouldn't have (FC 5C/5D/2D), Maragi, or getting CH while midair. Maragi and CH 2B (anti-air) can lead to around 3.5~4k damage at certain ranges, or it can lead to a slightly smaller combo (usually around or just under 3k) to set up unblockables for another 3-4k depending on the setup used. Her FCs can lead to around 4-5k+ if Yukiko is able to properly pick up off them. Not that you should be hitting buttons at random at any range when you're not able to hit Yukiko or her persona, but you'll want to be careful with reckless jump ins and watch the situation before you commit to a slide or duck. Outside of that, you're right, getting clipped by her zoning doesn't really hurt. Edit: 2A (or any stray hit she can pick up off of) while in awakening will lead to around 3k damage for 50sp + unblockable followup. Yukiko can also throw away her burst for higher damage off any hit she can follow up from, but given how bad her defensive options are, that's not something you should really worry about her doing unless it's going to close out a match.
  25. Ryd'

    [P4A] Akihiko vs Yukiko

    Holy crap, you think your character is bad? Akihiko getting one good read isn't something like Arakune/Tager getting one good read vs Nu. He isn't nearly as easily contained as the aforementioned characters because, in addition to the tools that everyone has for movement (jump, super jump, double jump, air dash, ground dash, evasive action), he does get his own options (ducking, heavy lunges like sb kill rush) with an invincible gap closer (sb corkscrew) that leads to a lot of pain, à la Jam's FB puffball and Slayer's BBU. For reference, look at how Slayer/Jam vs Testament matches went in GGAC; they can get zoned a lot, but "one good read" can easily be the end of the match for Testament, and it's a hell of a lot rarer for characters with a kit like that to be completely shut out than it is for them to close in at least once (or more, as is often the case). Akihiko is a close-quarters brawler, so the name of the game vs a zoning/spacing character like Yukiko is to play some serious footsies with their ranged options, work your way in and land a hit once or twice and win. No, you don't get something to do the job for you like Yu's slide/dive (still a gamble) or Chie's meteors (a move that should never have been given to a character like her); but that's how it's supposed to be when you have a character with Akihiko's frame data (dominates just about everyone when he gets in). Just to clarify things, you understand that Yukiko's attacks are either slow to startup or have sluggish recovery (especially on whiff!), right? Her fastest poke is her 7f 2A, everything else she has is 10+f to startup, with things like 236C, 5D, and 2/jD being particularly slow. Fans outside of 5B (5BB, 2B, jB) and 236D have noticeably bad recovery. 236A/B, she has some flexibility with, and how it's dealt with depends on the situation it's being used in, but a held Agi goes away on hit or block, and keeping one dormant prevents her from using the corresponding button while the flame is stored. Her zoning is good if she can read her opponent, but she falls flat if she can't due to the recovery on whiffing, and she can't instantly fill up the screen with fans or go into something else reasonably quickly if she whiffs one (except 5B). Since I'm still getting a vibe that the majority believe Akihiko is largely helpless in the matchup, here's some ways to get around Yukiko's zoning options: 5B: jumps of all sorts, air dashing, ducking, evasive action, parry 5BB: double/super jump, air dashing (not iad!), ducking, evasive action, parry 2B: same ground options as 5B as well as simply running up to her (depending on the angle), air options depend on your position, but jumping or airdashing (forward or backward) to avoid are all possible jB: pretty much same as 2B, except ducking/parry may be stuffed depending on the angle the fan is thrown at (not guaranteed, she has to anticipate the duck/parry; there is no one fan trajectory that covers everything) Maragi: evasive action, jumps of all sorts, air dashing; because she can activate the pillar manually, you should be ready to block if you're over it 5D: evasive action (depends on spacing), going over it, punch it (5/2A) if you're close enough (not necessarily close to Yukiko) when she throws it out (37f startup; jab should stuff this for free unless you're asleep), or block and jab the recovery if Yukiko won't make it to you in time (if she throws a fan, it's worth it to eat a fan for a persona card). The startup is the same regardless of how far it pushes you; only the persona's dashing speed is affected. 236[A]/: go around the area if it's not set on you, or make Yukiko block something if you're close-ish 5C: I believe Akihiko's C moves will win if you're spacing yourself well (even if you just nail her persona, she's stuck for a while due to the recovery) Minor note: Maziodyne beats out many of her options as well, but it's not listed as it's not always available. Seriously, go back and watch the concept match set again. Akihiko isn't helpless in this matchup, nor is one who has good fundamentals particularly handicapped. Yukiko's options at neutral can be baited, and each time you successfully do so, you're gaining ground; once you get close enough, everything becomes a huge gamble for her. If she's actually connecting with the majority of what she throws out (or everything, as may be the case?), then Akihiko is being read like a book she's read dozens of times before, and why shouldn't he be free if that's the case? If Yukiko can't get a read on Akihiko at all and whiffs fans at a bad time, he's in, and she's probably going to die. You have options to maneuver around what she can throw out, and there's a limit to how quickly she can get things out. You're not supposed to just blindly cannonball in each and every time; that kind of mindset is almost a guaranteed loss. Dealing with her offense? Unless you're in the corner, she's really limited here. She doesn't have particularly good or threatening blockstrings midscreen; she lacks any reliable overheads without a knockdown+Agi set for the common high/low unblockable (if you let her set up 2D+2A without that kind of prep, you're sleeping at the wheel), and at worst, she can kind of crossup with iad jA. With some hefty and/or risky setup and generally some meter, she can do crossups with Agi, but that's dangerous as she's moving into your range to do so. As for her (very limited) defense game; her reversal supers are very lacking, and her DP isn't even particularly good in this matchup. At 22f to start up, not even having true invincibility (it has the auto-guard everything property), and having pretty miserable horizontal range, it's not that difficult to work around unless you level yourself with baiting and trying to punish it before the attack portion goes off. Regarding the 9-7 thing; it means a lot more than you guys seem to appreciate. Team Akihiko came out on top vs team Yukiko (granted, only one win, so pretty damn close to even) with some of the best players for each character. That should tell you a lot about how the matchup is expected to go at high level play. And while 16 matches isn't a huge set, it's large enough to see how things should play out when all's said and done. Yes, Akihiko has to work to get in, but getting in is supposed to be the majority of the fight because it can end really quickly once he gets to where he wants to be. It looks bad in the neutral game? Why? Because he can't immediately go to town on Yukiko? Then in your mind, how exactly is a match between a close range fighter vs a long range fighter supposed to go? Is he supposed to have an option to safely get in no matter what Yukiko does? Not much of a fight in that case, is it? Is she supposed to have a guaranteed way to push him out no matter the circumstance? No, that's not very fun either. As it happens, neither is really the case here. There are ways around everything, and it's up to each character to play around the other's game. If Akihiko never gets close, it's over. If he gets in, it's probably over for Yukiko because her close range game is terrible when she hasn't had time to setup shop. She's not Nu; she doesn't get to cover multiple angles in quick succession, nor does she have a good escape tool if things start looking bad. Hell, she doesn't even have any air unblockable attacks, or even anything that gives her "head invincibility" (the "untouchable by aerials" property that is attached to every single other character's 2B). Akihiko is also nowhere near as sluggish as Arakune or Tager; I'm not sure why people are so fond of this kind of extreme comparison. As you should have picked up (but apparently everyone except Dacidbro failed to), Akihiko has tools to get in. His options aren't omnipotent, but neither are Yukiko's. The concept set really showed that. There isn't a single Akihiko who failed to win matches, while Whistler (Yukiko) went 0-4. The matchup being 6-4 or worse? If it's worse than 6-4, those'd have to be some mediocre Yukikos for that to be true, but seeing as 2 of them made it to SBO (one of whom made top 8), that clearly isn't the case; and there isn't a single Yukiko that went without a loss, either. If it's somewhere between 6-4 and even, then it's nowhere near being a sufficient disadvantage to warrant the kind of talk there's been here. The worst 3 matchups in the game are considered to be Liz/Mitsuru, Yukiko/S.Labrys, and Kanji/Liz at 3-7; and high level vids of those matches don't strike me as genuinely being as bad as advertised (though the disadvantaged character does indeed seem disadvantaged, and generally comes out negative in sets). No offense to the people here, but I somehow doubt that you know more about the game than people who've been playing it a lot longer, and probably have a better overall feel for it. I'm not simply bowing blindly to Japanese superiority here; their top players have had a good deal more time to get real experience with the game, and the situation over there makes it a lot easier to gain real experience with matchups (large quantity of players in a substantially smaller area, better overall netplay quality, etc.) This matchup isn't listed as being one of the terrible ones, and it really doesn't look it, either. As for Akihiko "not being that good", no offense, but I really have to laugh. What're you comparing him to? Mitsuru/Aigis/Chie? So he doesn't have as ridiculous options as those three. That doesn't make him bad (or at least "not good") by any stretch of the imagination. He's a solid character (and incidentally, ranked higher than Yukiko), and from what I've seen of him at high level play, he really doesn't have any glaring weaknesses like Kanji or Elizabeth (and even those two can still be a very real threat in their worst matchups). The balance in the game isn't bad enough to warrant that kind of talk.
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