[CP] Litchi vs. Azrael

[Urichinan]

Discuss the Azrael matchup here.

[Ryyudo]

This match up is awesome, in the sense of being hella tense the whole time. Defense and IBing is a must and plus in this match up.

(There is a somewhat better organized tl;dr at the bottom if you don't want to read through my brain vomit.

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Full-screen is your chance to re-control things. Throw staff, long range normals Azrael will have a hard time getting through while trying to approach. (3C, 6B -> 6C.) But I find this really only applies near full screen. Staff throwing is really strong for Litchi to get in on her terms, as it forces Azrael to wait. He can use Growler to absorb the staff, but he cannot cancel it in any way and is a free run/CH punish in with Litchi if she's behind the staff (or even reacting to a near full screen Growler during your staff throw allows you to cover a LOT of space before he gets out of it.)

Once he gets to about 3/4s screen his options becomes a lot more viable to get in (Dash-in, Gustaf Bunker [236A], Dash Cancel Gustaf). It's pretty risky to Itsuu and wait at this range; the invincibility on his forward and backdashes run the risk of him going right through it. Growler can absorb the hit for free without risk. Personally, I can't reaction Itsuu his incoming Gustaf in time and get CH a lot. If you block it, you're forced to play his game as it is plus on block and a great combo starter on CH.

From 1/2 screen, his jump ins become really powerful tools along with his 3/4s screen tools. Itsuu~A becomes more viable from a range where he cannot react and only has few good air options, but not many I've see beat an auto-guard to Itsuu~A. Still runs a risk though of CH, so use sparingly. It is hard to AA Azrael without Tsubami. 5A trades heavily in Azrael's favor, 2A gets beat clean, and 2C is often unreliable. j.A is an okay option (may still get CH heavily in his favor), but IAD backwards j.C forces him to chase and is decent. Command Backdash allows you to get out of his zone and canceling into an air forward dash may allow for your to regain advantage. He also has the Kanji dropkick, so watch out for that, but it is punishable on block if you react with a 5B right away. Don't try to challenge it, he's invincible through a good chunk of the middle.

Of course, once he's in on his terms, it's his world. Frame traps and dangerous-to-get-hit-by mixups everywhere. Just really learn how everything looks and react/block/make good guesses (lol).

As for what Litchi can do close range I found out last night that if you think he's going to dash through you OR press a button, you can actually use Tsubami to catch both options as Tsubami hits behind her for whatever dumb reason. You want to input it forward, not where he may be after. Also, need to do it a bit early and allow the game's buffer to do it first frame possible, otherwise he'll cross up and you'll get a staff set and give Azrael a free CH. One thing I'm finding some love with also with his dash-throughs is Option Selecting pressing both Barrier and Throw at the same to cover more options. Just gotta be on point with reacting with that after he crosses you up.

Theoretically, you can mash out 2A/5A to catch a dash attempt but this is wrought with risks. Outside of him being able to press a button to beat you out, if you actually hit it too early, the jab will come out the wrong direction while he dashes through you. Leads to free CH for Azrael. A good IB on anything not 5A can lead to you being able to 5A/2A something for CH, so weigh your risks and options there. I do not suggest grabbing ever while he's doing his pressure. There is way too much that will beat out your grab due to his general advantage and movements. Unless you REALLY know how the player plays and leaves room for it, don't try it. He also has his 6A shoulder check which is straight invincible after some start up, which can be used as a frame trap. He's a bit negative on block, so if you IB it you can punish it. If you don't, weigh the risks of pressing buttons after. Because of the invincibility, it's a decent move for Azrael to get back in with while you're respecting him if you barrier him out or otherwise. Try to IB it though. I don't think he can confirm off it unless I'm remembering it poorly.

Azreal is negative on all his D moves on block (anything with a black/red/orange effect), so try to regain advantage after a successful block on a D move. IBing = guaranteed punish with 5A/2A

Be careful about setting staff during pressure. Azrael can commit to a 5C (CHs) into super, doing a large chunk of damage (3k range) and regaining him momentum. Azrael's 5A as an AA is very strong and quick also and can stuff a lot of jump-ins, even during staff pressure. Even if he gets CH by the staff, it's a marginal sacrifice for getting advantage or a combo.

If you regain space at 1/4th screen or so, command backdash to regain full screen/force him to chase and make a mistake. A lot of his moves reach really far though, so careful about backdashing in general as many of his moves stuff or catch any attempts.

His is both a good move but is risky for Azrael all the same. If on ground and you see it coming from close enough, you can run under it and get a CH 2A on his landing. If you have to block it, respect it. Even on IB, you cannot punish it (at least in my experiences). He can use it as anti-air-throw bait as it keeps him airborne for longer and and raises him juuust a bit so you cannot grab him at max ranges (and you get CH, back into the vortex).

I think that's it for my (poorly organized) thoughts on the match up.

The tl;dr:

Full-screen: Max range pokes and staff throws. Bait Growler and punish/gain advantage.

3/4 screen: Don't Itsuu-wait, mid-range pokes. Blocked Gustaf = Positive for Azrael.

1/2 screen: Azrael jump-ins are strong. Itsuu~A decently strong on jump-ins. 5A, j.A them quickly or command backdash to regain spacing to get something more favorable. Blocked dropkick = punish him. Divekick can be dashed under with quick reactions and close range for a punish. Blocked/IB divekick = Safe for Azreal. Azrael Divekick can be used to bait air-to-air combats/throws.

Close range: Block/IB until opportunities arise. Blocking D move = Advantage, IB D move = 5A/2A punish. Dash-through cross up/Button can be beat by early DP (hits behind). Option select Barrier + Throw. Weigh risks with 5A/2A to beat out incoming moves. Dash-through can make many moves whiff and open you for CHs. 6A is an invulnerable frame trap.

Offense warning: Setting staff predictably/too close to Azrael = getting punished by 5C Super. Azrael backdash can bait out a lot of whiffs for him to punish. 5A a strong Azrael AA, can hit a jump-in attempt during staff pressure to regain momentum.