Axl v. Bridget

[Shoto]

Nothing right now, so get a discussion started!^^

[HolyOrderChipp]

So, any way to deal with his YoYo OD? (The one where the bicycling bear cranks your guard gauge or rapes your life bar.) Should I just block? Also, what about 236K? I'm thinking I might be able to get a counter off before the spinning followup, but it feels like I should be able to punish with some long-range poke... Also, what throw and 214P combos give good damage plus knockdown?

[Digital Watches]

So, any way to deal with his YoYo OD? (The one where the bicycling bear cranks your guard gauge or rapes your life bar.) That's easy, avoid it or block it. It's not nearly as big a problem as runaway bridget flying around the screen on the other side. 236K can't hit overhead, so just block it low. The only hard thing is the jump followup RC into crossup D, which is much less threatening than things most characters can do, and takes 50% meter. Also, and I can't stress this enough: DO NOT THINK ABOUT 214P combos. The damage is terrible (45% prorate or something like that?) and trying the move is, in all but about three situations in the entire game, an unnecessary risk that you shouldn't be taking. I mean, of course you should do a combo if you get it off, but it's not THAT different from other combos, and thinking about it like that will make you want to do it more, which you shouldn't. Throw combos also prorate a lot, so getting damage isn't really as much your concern as setting up a reset or getting knockdown. Midscreen on lights, I almost always just do throw-->Rensen, unless I think I can set up a tech trap.

[HolyOrderChipp]

The question is how to punish a blocked 236K followup. Should I be using 5P into 2S, etc? Rensen? It is possible to get a B-loop if I block the flying followup in the corner?

[Digital Watches]

The question is how to punish a blocked 236K followup. Should I be using 5P into 2S, etc? Rensen? It is possible to get a B-loop if I block the flying followup in the corner?

Maybe? I mean, if you recover fast enough, go for it. I haven't played a bridget in a while, and it didn't seem like that much of an issue then, really (You can really just counter the first part (623P) if you're really having trouble)

[excelence]

i'm not sure if it possible to rensen it out, but Bridget blocked 236k_p is always negative

[Beowulf]

DO NOT THINK ABOUT 214P combos. The damage is terrible (45% prorate or something like that?) and trying the move is, in all but about three situations in the entire game, an unnecessary risk that you shouldn't be taking. I mean, of course you should do a combo if you get it off, but it's not THAT different from other combos, and thinking about it like that will make you want to do it more, which you shouldn't. Throw combos also prorate a lot, so getting damage isn't really as much your concern as setting up a reset or getting knockdown.

I don't agree on that. Even if you don't get that much damage, there is always a reason to do the combo :

It increases your tension (and you always need some).

It makes your enemy realize you can deal damage from this move, and will hesitate in the future (why do some burst whereas it deals so few damage then ?)

You can always finish with a knock down somehow with Benten HS-> Bomber on most characters (and look for the tech throw on others).

The combo can finish the opponent off (the throw or catch itself isn't powerful enough)

[Adelheid]

On the subject of throw combos, it's a character-specific thing. Bridget is so floaty that it's very easy to whiff H Benten in the standard KD throw followup, and Bridget is also the sort of character that you definitely want to go for knockdown on instead of punishing their air recovery because Bridget is extremely mobile and can probably avoid anything you go for. Unlike most characters, even if you set up a tech throw, Bridget can go through it thanks to Starship. Because Bridget has very few Oki options against Axl, going for KD is very safe and generally recommended. If you feel like you really need that extra damage or tension, then go for it, but throw > rensen is going to get you a good KD and does at least alright damage, and in a matchup like this that outweighs pure damage by a lot, especially when it's not even that much more damage.

[Digital Watches]

I don't agree on that. Even if you don't get that much damage, there is always a reason to do the combo :

It increases your tension (and you always need some).

It makes your enemy realize you can deal damage from this move, and will hesitate in the future (why do some burst whereas it deals so few damage then ?)

You can always finish with a knock down somehow with Benten HS-> Bomber on most characters (and look for the tech throw on others).

The combo can finish the opponent off (the throw or catch itself isn't powerful enough)

That's why I said that you should definitely do the combo if you get the move.

But don't do the move. Seriously. Never if possible, although in some situations it's an okay idea (Faust scalpel, MAYBE VV, or especially if you buffer it backwards for crossup moves like Ouren or Warrant)

But seriously: Doing those counters will not be good for you in the long run. You don't get enough damage for it to be a valuable risk, they don't get you out of enough situations to matter (and most of the time they DO work, there's a better option you should learn instead), and good players won't get scared of them, they'll bait them and kill you.