AC: General Q&A

[Adelheid]

There is no proration on them. The reason the combo deals less damage overall when all of them hit is because each hit lowers the opponent's guard bar a bit (By about 3 points each, IIRC - The guard bar has 257 units to it, going from -128 to 128.). As long as the guard bar is below 0 (the midpoint), the lower the opponent's guard bar, the less damage they take, so since each hit of Rensen doesn't do much damage (20 each, without any damage scaling), hitting with every hit will mean you do a bit less damage in your combos, since everything after the Rensen will deal a bit less damage hitting with 3 hits than hitting with 2. Note that this doesn't apply if the opponent's guard bar has been jacked up, since as long as the guard bar is 0 or higher it won't scale damage - in that case, more hits = more damage.

[Digital Watches]

Stark, you're mostly right, but that last part isn't quite true: You still want to avoid chipping down their guardbar even if it's jacked up. The only difference is that all hits before the midpoint will, as you said, do full damage (of course affected by things like DMG modifiers, guts, proration, etc.) What you want to do when the guardbar is jacked up is do things that do a lot of damage, regardless of hits. A lot of the time, a good way to do this is a few extra 6K-2Ss as opposed to c.S reps, and possibly extra efforts to do bombers (although those have forced proration.) If you have FLASHING guardbar, your first few moves should be moves that do good shit on CH, like hardslashes and such. In actuality, "more hits = more damage" applies better when the guardbar is extremely LOW, since at a certain point, moves will start doing minimum damage (1 damage per hit). This will probably only ever be an issue at the end of a round, and Axl doesn't have very many hit-count-jacking combos that are practical anyway. But yes, with spacing, Rensen FRC can be manipulated to hit fewer than three times, and this is a GREAT way to cut down on guardbar scaling. The reason this happens is that Rensen isn't actually a true 3-hit move. It's got twelve separate hits that each activate on a different active frame, which occurs at a different point in the move's extension. The reason rensen only hits three times is because the move is limited to hitting three times specifically. What this means is that if you space it so that the first active frame to touch the opponent occurs on the same frame as the first frame of the FRC window, you can get a 1-hit FRC on the first frame of the FRC, and a 2-hit on the second frame of the FRC. Unfortunately, since the FRC is a 2-frame window, this means that to get a 1-hit (obviously the best, since it still launches and takes the least guardbar off), you have to not only have a sense of the spacing ("where" the FRCable active frames are compared to your sprite,) but also the timing, as messing up, depending on your spacing, will cause you to either hit twice (With both FRCable active frames hitting) or not at all (with you FRCing on the first FRCable frame and being at a spacing where the second FRCable active frame will hit first) While there's a little leeway, if you really want to master low-hit Rensen combos, you should beef up your knowledge of the FRC to the point where you think of it as two separate 1F FRCs (Kind of like hitting v. non-hitting Raei FRC)

[Beowulf]

Ok, thanks for the infos you two ! I don't think I'll really have time to master that 1F hit though. However, I can see that both combos above can be useful. So I'll do like that : when I FRC the rensen, I'll look at the beat. If it indicates 4 hits, I'll go for the 2nd combo. If it shows 5 or 6, I'll go for the first. Still, I think I'll need more training to react in time when playing against real dudes ^^

[JinSaotome]

Well, I can do TK BUMPAH!! consistently now, (I use Shoto's 6321476HS, personally) and when I get my stick back, I'm gonna try to learn JI Raei FRC shenanigans, but what I also really want to practice that I've always had trouble with are Meaty Rashou setups. Are there any combos that can allow you to do them very consistently? And can they be done from any distance with proper timing, or is it always done from certain distances?

[Beowulf]

5+K, c.S, 5+HS, 2+D, Rensen-> FRC-> Raieisageki S-> meaty rashousen This one is sure to succeed if he slides in the corner. Basically, after 8 hits, The raieisageki-> meaty is sure to fail, as the enemy can tech before the end of the slide... But instead, go for the air throw in the corner ^^

[Mechanica]

I think after a bomber loop instead of Rensen, 2 followup, you can do Rensen FRC, 63214s, and meaty the [4]6HS. Or can they tech and people just don't try?

[Beowulf]

They can tech, but they just don't want because losing by rashousen is much better ^^

[Digital Watches]

Well, I can do TK BUMPAH!! consistently now, (I use Shoto's 6321476HS, personally) and when I get my stick back, I'm gonna try to learn JI Raei FRC shenanigans, but what I also really want to practice that I've always had trouble with are Meaty Rashou setups. Are there any combos that can allow you to do them very consistently? And can they be done from any distance with proper timing, or is it always done from certain distances?

Unless you're fighting ABA, there's really no point. You can pretty much always go for more damage-->knockdown. If you must learn it, it's just a matter of doing a combo with a low hit count and knowing how fast the character gets up.

I think after a bomber loop instead of Rensen, 2 followup, you can do Rensen FRC, 63214s, and meaty the [4]6HS. Or can they tech and people just don't try?

Unfortunately, this only tends to work on short, low-damage BLoops. Otherwise they can tech the slide.

[Mechanica]

Unfortunately, this only tends to work on short, low-damage BLoops. Otherwise they can tech the slide.

I see!

It's way cooler than other options, who cares if it's not as good. Keep 'em on their toes!

[Digital Watches]

I see!

It's way cooler than other options, who cares if it's not as good. Keep 'em on their toes!

Well, aside from the fact that you have to cut your combo short and do less damage, you also have to time your weak, short BLoop a lot tighter, so that the opponent is very low when hit with the rensen FRC. Meanwhile, any character with a throw-invincible reversal can get out of the rashousen anyway, probably on reaction (although reversal timing is slightly different for sliding). Against ABA, I'm sure the risk reward is good for meaty rashousen, as while she can danzai it, you don't get punished that way, and it's still two knockdowns. Otherwise, I'd say it's all flash, and not as worth it in a real match.

[Mechanica]

Yeah? Well you have girlhair just like Axl. How's that for a throw-invincible reversal?

COUNTER!

[Digital Watches]

Yeah? Well you have girlhair just like Axl. How's that for a throw-invincible reversal?

COUNTER!

:sad:

[magus1234]

Im sure its known, but after you land a catch counter, an opponent can burst you but you are invincible after the counter.

[Adelheid]

:sad:

I'll absorb the blow by claiming to be a much better image of Axl. In fact, I even dressed as Axl last halloween.

Also you're forgetting something very important: long bomber loops sometimes just up and dizzy people. In those times, I always go for meaty rasho, because it's just so stylish and they can't avoid it. Yeah, you could just use the time they're still dizzied to start a new bomber loop. But that's somehow less cool.

[Mechanica]

Stark gets it.

:sad:

jus kiddin bb i luv u

[Digital Watches]

Why so serious?

[Digital Watches]

I'll absorb the blow by claiming to be a much better image of Axl. In fact, I even dressed as Axl last halloween.

Also you're forgetting something very important: long bomber loops sometimes just up and dizzy people. In those times, I always go for meaty rasho, because it's just so stylish and they can't avoid it. Yeah, you could just use the time they're still dizzied to start a new bomber loop. But that's somehow less cool.

Really? I thought killing them was super cool.

[Adelheid]

Really? I thought killing them was super cool.

But it's not ultra cool.

[Aurora Borealis]

Hey guys, I've had Guilty Gear Accent Core for a little while now (not that I'm any good) but I've just started playing around with Axl today. There's so much information on here that I don't really know where to start. I read the overview of his moves and a little bit of general strategy but that's pretty much it. Can anyone give me a few tips about what I should read on here and what aspect of my play I should work on first?

[Digital Watches]

Hey guys, I've had Guilty Gear Accent Core for a little while now (not that I'm any good) but I've just started playing around with Axl today. There's so much information on here that I don't really know where to start. I read the overview of his moves and a little bit of general strategy but that's pretty much it. Can anyone give me a few tips about what I should read on here and what aspect of my play I should work on first?

While this isn't what I did (I had to learn all this the hard way), I think the very first and foremost thing you need to learn to play Axl well is defense. Learn to block, learn to recognize overheads, and especially to recognize throw setups. Learn to backdash properly, learn to IB, learn to 1fJ out, and learn to recognize the rare opportunities you have to poke out and how to capitalize on them. Axl is a very solid character on the offensive. He can keep an opponent locked down, give them very little opportunity to counter or even burst, and can be played in crazy ways that trip people up, but to win matches, you have to be able to block like a bad motherfucker, because his moves give you no viable alternative to doing so.

[Aurora Borealis]

So 1fj is 1-frame jump? I read a bit of an explanation on it about how because you FD your jump it comes out faster, but besides the quicker startup, is it a normal jump or a really short one or something? First thing to work on is defense, as you said, but while I'm doing that, what should I be looking to work on offensively? All I really have to play with right now is the computer AI and training mode.

[Digital Watches]

So 1fj is 1-frame jump? I read a bit of an explanation on it about how because you FD your jump it comes out faster, but besides the quicker startup, is it a normal jump or a really short one or something?

You're off the ground on the frame after input, which means that if you time it right, no tickthrow works (Granted, no one's going to get it perfectly every time, but it's a good way to get out of throws, seriously.)

First thing to work on is defense, as you said, but while I'm doing that, what should I be looking to work on offensively? All I really have to play with right now is the computer AI and training mode.

Eh. Training mode is good for learning combos and blockstrings, AI is good for nothing, nothing, and more nothing. I guess get your FRCs down first. Rensen is crucial, Kokuu is good, Raei is nice, Benten and 2H are situationally useful, Raei H is gravy, so learn them in that order. Then I guess practice some bomber loops. Basic midscreen combos you should practice if you need to, but really there's nothing hard about them. The three main BLoop variations you should need to learn are from Rensen FRC (Close enough to the corner to IAD j.D, Bomber), from midscreen, and from strong setup (Kokuu, Bomber, or Raei). Character specific variants can follow. And to learn solid blockstrings/pressure game, you really do need to have rensen FRC almost inhumanly close to perfectly consistent in every situation, so work on that.

[Silmerion]

You're off the ground on the frame after input, which means that if you time it right, no tickthrow works (Granted, no one's going to get it perfectly every time, but it's a good way to get out of throws, seriously.)

You know that video of Niiyama fighting Shoot? Niiyama ends a blockstring in 6H, 1fj-s to avoid Shoot's counter, then gets right back on the offensive. Pretty awesome.

[Kobayashi]

Huh. I thought you couldn't be thrown during jump startup.

[Digital Watches]

Huh. I thought you couldn't be thrown during jump startup.

Actually, that's probably right, but getting smacked by a throw OS is no fun either.