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Skankin Garbage

How do I block, yo?! - A general guide to all defense.

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I've been working on a 15-part series of character-specific guides on all aspects of defending against a character, as well as handling their own defense. As I was writing them, however, I realized it would be important to have a guide on all the universal things that everyone can do, and how to deal with them effectively. Thus, I've written this guide.

 

I'd actually been sitting on this one for a few weeks, slowly revising it, worried that I'd left something out. Well, forget it - anyone can just tell me if they think I missed something important, right?

 

A little more info on this project... I do have some of the character-specific guides finished already; however, I want to have more in the pipeline before releasing any.

 

Ones I have complete:

 

Anakaris (checked by MightyMar and Hildr)

L.Rapter (awaiting notes from Rotanibor)

Q-Bee (will be unchecked unless a baller-ass Q-Bee wants to look it over)

 

Ones I am currently writing/researching:

 

Victor (need to find more videos of high-level Vic play; any help appreciated)

Morrigan (currently watching vids + playing a lot of Morrigan in my spare time)

J.Talbain (writing very, very slowly, to make sure it's not riddled with my own, personal biases)

 

If you like this article, I ask for your patience while I write and prepare to release future articles. Making an article is a lot of research, and it takes a lot of time to write and revise on top of that. There's also a lot of taking what I *think* I know to be solid gameplay from a character, and cross-checking high-level play to see if they do it, as well as when, why, etc. Thus, the process is slow-going.

 

Anyways. Without further ado...

 

 

How do I block, yo?!
 

 

1. Introduction

I like helping people learn how to play Vampire Savior. The most common advice I ever give to people is "The single most important technique in Vampire Savior is blocking attacks." Sometimes, the problem is that they don't understand to the extent to which I mean it; the next time you watch high-level Vampire play, count how many attacks are blocked versus how many actually hit the opponent. People are blocking attacks for loooong periods of time. Some people just don't appreciate the advice until it dawns on them that it's not only the top tier characters/whichever character they're dying to that forces them to really block properly (although, certainly, it's much easier to demand a pro-level defense from your opponent with a top-tier character).

If you think you fall into either one of these camps, this guide will still be of use to you, for sure; but, the guide is mainly written for the third type of player I run into - the player who understands and appreciates it, but still makes bad decisions. That's not a slight against them; I still make poor decisions, as well as many of the best American VSav players. It's not because we are bad players, but rather, our decisions and heuristics for running a sound defense are rooted in logic that works for many OTHER fighting games. ...Buuut, this is Vampire Savior, and everything you think you know is probably wrong (in fact, I've written a guide about how various mechanics that look familiar from other games in VSav function much differently in VSav compared to those other games. The deceptive nature of familiar-looking mechanics in VSav is a topic I've dabbled in).

My goal is to write a comprehensive (or near-comprehensive) article on the ins and outs of defending against each character in the game. I'll cover how their neutral game is played, how you need to approach (or not-approach) them, what you need to do to defend against their offensive pressure, as well as what you can do on the offensive to avoid having the advantage reversed...as well as any other random tidbits of information that could be useful.

Before I do, though, there are some basics I'd like to go over as far as defense is concerned. Some of this will overlap concepts written in my guide on Mizuumi. Some of it is information not-yet recorded in an accessible place (although many people may know it). And, some of it will even be made redundant when reading certain articles, for the sake of being thorough. But, they are concepts I assume that people know when reading the character-specific articles, so I want to make sure you understand them before going further.



2. Offensive types

In general, there are two types of rushdown in Vampire Savior. Almost every character contains the ability to do both in some limited capacity; however, every character is generally better at one or the other. And, for a bit of variety, there are also some characters who are exceptions to this "rule".

A. "Pressure" Rushdown: Characters with Pressure Rushdown use their offense to create a sequence of attacks with very few holes, no holes, or even worse: intentional breaks in the attack strings that are used to bait hasty counterattacks. It's generally pretty obvious HOW the attacks are supposed to be blocked - very few Pressure Rushdown characters incorporate frequent overheads into their game. Rather, The Pressure Rushdown characters excel in taking advantage of their menacing attack strings and abundance of frame traps to trick their opponent into mounting their counter-defense at the wrong time, and using these openings to deal damage; or even reading when their opponent is being too catatonic, to nail them with a Command Throw - powerful throws that can't be escaped from or have their damage mitigated.

There are six easily classifiable Pressure Rushdown characters: B.B Hood, Bishamon, Felicia, J. Talbain, Lilith, and Rikuo.


B. "High/Low" Rushdown: Characters with High/Low Rushdown use their toolset to trick their opponents into blocking in the wrong way. That is, they have the ability to do very quick overheads with their dash (or air dash), and either follow up with low attacks, or even do another quick overhead attack. While High/Low characters have less leeway/damage potential in altering the timing of their attacks, the High/Low Rushdown characters make up for this deficit by being able to switch between lows and overheads at very high speeds, creating a more proactive guessing game for their opponents, and using this guessing game to get past their opponents' defenses and deal as much damage as possible.

There are six easily classifiable High/Low Rushdown characters: Hsien-Ko, Jedah, L. Rapter, Morrigan, Q-Bee, and Sasquatch.


C. "The Outliers": These characters fit into the categories in strange ways.


- Anakaris might be able to be considered a High/Low character, especially since his neutral game is typically played in the air like many High/Low rushdowns characters. However, what's noteworthy about Anakaris is that, while most characters excel in one type of offense or the other, Anakaris may be the only character in the game who is equally proficient at both. So, while it might be a natural inclination to think of him as High/Low, bear in mind that he's not only adept at both, but that it's easy for him to switch between the two modes of offense at-will, giving him a powerful offensive toolset to work with...Remember, Anakaris is the worst character in the game for his lack of DEFENSIVE options, NOT his lack of options on the offensive. Forget this at your own peril. ...Although, he does lack a normal throw, and his command throws are...well...you can read my article on Anak and see.


- Demitri, in my opinion, fits in neither camp. He definitely isn't a High/Low Rushdown character, because he has no overheads outside of his jumping normals (or that treacherous Bat Spin move, which can frequently be unsafe on HIT). His dash renders him unable to use any normal moves, and none of his special moves can be chained together to make any sort of relevant Pressure-based offense (again, unless you count the rare times that Bat Spin actually allows Demitri to land normally, instead of sending him flying backwards on block). Instead, Demitri's entire game is based on okizeme (i.e wakeup games); he spends his neutral game fishing for knockdowns, and then uses his opponent's wakeup to create high risk/high reward guessing games that payoff with huge damage. If he guesses right, he gets a ton of damage and gets to try and set up the situation again; but, if he's wrong, he gets virtually nothing out of the exchange and has to start all over.


- Victor can be considered a Pressure Rushdown character; but, his pressure is not only rather weak, but he relies on the fact that his ground normals can force resets to create a sort of loop. Thus, if he gets blocked, he can't very easily continue the pressure. On top of that, any time he gets a successful combo into a Hp reset, he then has to trick his opponent AGAIN, or be pushed out and lose opportunities for damage. His offense is also tailored for heavier use of his Command Throw, which does about as much damage as one of his normal chain combos. Although, interestingly enough, landing the Command Throw usually forces Victor to forfeit the offensive advantage...is it any wonder this guy is one of the worst characters in the game? Anyways, this makes him more of a "Pressure Rushdown Lite", or something. The Diet Coke of Pressure Rushdown.



3. General Advice

There are some things you need to consider, no matter who you're fighting.


A. Everyone can do both...except Demitri and Lilith

No matter if you're fighting a Pressure Rushdown or a High/Low Rushdown character, basically everyone in the game has the ability to do both in SOME capacity, no matter how small, how effective, or how ridiculous. B.B Hood is pressure, but her J.Hk unblockable is a high/low game - she can either come down with a standard jump attack (high option), or do J.Hk to try and pin you to set up the unblockable low (low option). Many High/Low characters can still use Variable Blockstun Pressure (the fancy term for "intentionally make your own frame traps") to get some more damage, even though they can't generally get as much damage out of it as Pressure Rushdown characters. Rikuo can do instant J.Lk xx Drill on some characters, and hell, even Victor can follow up his resets/knockdowns with Giga Stake, which needs to be blocked high.

It's important to keep in mind that both avenues are available to every character in some way, shape, or form. And, whether or not it's incredibly powerful, good players will know when and how to use even the most esoteric options.



B. Guard Cancel

Guard Cancel is an extremely important tool in Vampire Savior. In my opinion, it's very underused and underrated by American players. If a player is good at Guard Cancelling on command, it completely changes the dynamic of the match. Watch Japanese matchups between characters with powerful GCs, and you'll see how frequently they move into range and hesitate. It's not uncommon to see top players move into each others' attack range and then sit there for a second or more (which, as you probably know, feels like an eternity when you're the one playing). Obviously, this isn't an all-encompassing thing, and all GCs can be baited. Some attacks are "GC-safe" in most situations. Some GCs are even easier to bait than others (Anakaris's is not even safe on hit, Talbain's and Hsien-Ko's are slow enough that they can be effectively baited with almost any light attack from max range). On the other hand, there are some characters who virtually can't even be played at a competitive level without the ability to instant-GC (Demitri and Victor are the ones that immediately come to mind).

Your ability to do it WHEN you want, as well as your ability to judge when it's a good idea, is a huge factor in stopping your opponent from applying block pressure with impunity when they shouldn't be.

Guard Cancels can also be used offensively by people with GC-only attacks, as they can do a GC Option Select that allows them to attempt a GC without dropping their defense at all. This is especially useful against players/characters who are AG-happy or like to counterpoke. When playing offense, just hold a button down, and buffer the GC - if your opponent attacks, finish the GC and let go of the button you've held down. You can't get an accidentally special move if your attack is GC-only, and you won't even throw out a jab that can be counter-hit, because you used negative edge.

Characters with GC-only attacks: Anakaris, B.B Hood, Bishamon*, Jedah, L.Rapter, and Q-Bee.

* - Bishamon can use his GC attack, Kien Zan, for a few frames after block stun, hit stun, wakeup, being reset, or landing from a jump.


On top of that, some characters have unblockable ES GCs, which make them even harder to pressure. Anyone who attacks within their GC range will be hit, and anyone who has their jumping attack get GC'ed is almost guaranteed to be hit as well, since even if they land in time to block, they will land right next to their opponent with no time to move out of range.

Characters with unblockable ES GCs: Anakaris*, Bishamon, Demitri, Felicia, Lilith, L. Rapter (during Dark Force only), and Morrigan.

* - Anakaris's GC still sucks and is unsafe on hit.


Finally, Guard Cancels are important for a big reason that I don't think most people consider: They replace reversal attacks in Vamprire Savior.

Refer to this chart: http://clientes.netvisao.pt/anpedror/reversals.htm

The important thing the note, here, is that the game engine prohibits you from using the Piano Method to reversal, so unless you can consistently be accurate within 1/59th of a second (since VSav runs at 59FPS), you can't realistically rely on reversal attacks.

More importantly, many characters in the game don't have moves which are suitable reversals. A lot of characters only have three invincible moves: Their command throws (which don't actually grab opponents unless they are reversals in most cases, because throws can't be used for four frames after getting up...AND they can be stopped be simply standing out of throw range), Dark Force (which can't be used as a reversal; the chart notes that Dark Force isn't even possible until after the reversal frame), and...their Guard Cancel, which, by its nature, isn't a reversal.

Thus, even if it were possible to Piano Reversal, many characters have no suitable options in the first place. However, every Guard Cancel has invulnerable frames, and it is the answer to reckless attacks - especially reckless meaty attacks - making it the effective substitute for wakeup reversals in Vampire Savior. As long as you're not going to get chipped to death, a wakeup GC is your best bet...as long as you know it'll connect.


C. Addendum 1: Reversals

As an addendum to what I just wrote...Reversals in VSav are a stupid idea. Stop trying to do them, and if you unironically suggest that someone try a reversal and I hear about it, I will punch you in your stupid face.


D. Addendum 2: Wakeup Command Throw Exceptions


I just explained that Guard Cancelling is the substitute for reversals, for a whole ton of reasons. However, there is one exception:

While this isn't necessarily a reversal, there are some characters who can get away with wakeup command throws.

- Bishamon, Q-Bee, and Victor can all throw as they get up from a forward/backward roll; the 4-frame throw injunction doesn't apply to them in this case.

- Some characters have command throws that will beat the throw injunction, for a variety of reasons; some characters have throws that have more than four active grabbing frames. Some characters have throws with a 4-frame (or longer) startup, with invulnerable startup. If these characters aren't being forced to block immediately as they get up , they can squeeze in a command throw, and even if it doesn't come out as a reversal, it will still cause the poorly-timed meaty to whiff (thanks to the invulnerability) and grab them.

- Characters with enough active grabbing frames to bypass the throw injunction:

Bishamon (5), J.Talbain (7), L.Rapter (11), and Q-Bee (10; ES version only).

- Characters with long-startup command throws + invulnerability:

Bishamon (7 starup; 13 invincibility), Morrigan (4; 4), Rikuo (Gem's Anger, i.e HCB+K - 6; 6)

- The simple list of characters who can do the Wakeup Command Throw Exceptions;

Bishamon, J.Talbain, L.Rapter, Morrigan, Q-Bee, Rikuo, Victor (after forward/backward rolls only)

Finally, bear in mind that if you are fighting one of these characters, simply timing a meaty properly is all you need to do to stop this...or just play your okizeme from the air. If you're on the ground, and any of these characters actually DO succeed in a reversal attack, however, you will get thrown if you're in range...which brings me to the last method of defense against characters with Command Throw Exceptions: don't do meaties from point-blank.



E. Advancing Guard/Push Block

I probably don't need to discuss this too in-depth, right? Advancing Guard (AG) is the most fundamental defensive technique in VSav...apart from just blocking. Done right, and your opponent is pushed back. Press buttons during blockstun to "proc" an AG. First two buttons won't proc. Distance pushed is based on the strength of the button pushed when it procs. 4th and 5th presses have the highest probability of proccing (see the math section in my Tutorial on Mizuumi if you're interested). If you manage 6 presses, it will automatically proc.

You can almost gauge an opponent's defensive prowess by how they AG: if they're new, they probably don't AG/can't AG very well. If they're intermediates, they can probably AG on the first or second hit; but, more importantly, they'll probably try to AG everything, and they'll do so predictively - that is, they don't actually wait to see if you attack. More advanced players are more familiar with each character's attacks and pacing, and will probably do a lot more basic blocks, interspersed with reactive AGs - that is, they "block confirm" their AGs.

Dealing with AGs becomes more complicated as you move higher up the ladder. In novice play, you can basically do whatever you want, because they can't AG/won't AG consistently. Intermediate players are enamored with how easy it is to push block people away, and will try to do it every chance they get...so, if you have high/low capability in your offense, you can use this to trip them up. Besides that, you can figure out their AG timing - usually immediately as they get up - and time your attack so that you counterhit their AG (after all, if they AG too early, they're just gonna get a jab/short).

In high-level play, if you just try to do a meaty, you'll get AG'ed for sure; but, even if you try to stagger, you're not usually going to hit your opponent. This is because they are waiting to see what you do. This allows them to defend better against high/low AND pressure game, because they aren't commiting to anything until they see what action you're going to take first. There are, however, a few upsides for the person attacking. For one, since they are not just attacking willy-nilly, they are more susceptible to throws on wakeup. Granted, they can still possibly react fast enough to counter your throw attempt; but, at least now, it has a chance of working, and becomes a viable option. For example, if you play Victor, as strange as it sounds, you can tell how smart a defender is by the fact that they DO get hit by your dashing 360 sometimes; the poor defender will always be protected from the 360 (cos they're spamming AG as soon as they have any breathing room), without realizing that they're always wide open to variable pressure, and that Victor's chain combos deal more damage than his 360. Sweet irony!

Second, because the high-level player will try to block-confirm their AGs, you can get away with doing more attacks without immediately getting pushed away, since they won't AG without being certain that they've read your offense properly. This trait diminishes somewhat as you get to the top end of VSav players, though, because they are very good at figuring out an opponent's next move based on their character selection and their spacing - only true guessing games will be difficult to AG for them.

There's only one technique that truly renders the AG inept, aside from taking advantage of its inherent risks: crossups. Or at least, some crossups. The reason is because an AG pushes you away from the direction your opponent is FACING; where they actually are on the screen has no relevance. Thus, if an opponent crosses you up, and you AG, they will be behind you, but they will be facing behind you, as well. As a result, your AG pushes you toward them, even though they're behind you when the attack connects.

Not every crossup technique works. Some aerial maneuvers cause the characters to turn around. For example, most characters with air dashes turn around if they move to the opposite side of their opponent during their dash. Morrigan's flying dash, and B.B Hood's double jump cause the same phenomenon.

(I need to make a list of what aerial maneuvers auto-correct their directions; if anyone wants to give me that list, that'd be much-appreciated.)

The point is, if you do any standard jumping crossup, or you have a dash that crosses up without turning you around, you can make certain aspects of your offense un-AG'able.


F. Jump-Out

Jump-Outs are an interesting part of American VSav. It's the preferred method of defending yourself from attacks, and for a lot of good reasons:

- It's easy: hold up, or up + back.

- It's powerful, if it works. If you're mid-screen, you get some breathing room, and potentially reset the situation to neutral. If you're in the corner, you can evade your opponent's attack and have a good chance to mount a counter-offense if they are unprepared.

- If your opponent doesn't/can't/won't include contingencies in their offense to deal with jump-outs, or can't time meaties consistently, you can use it in a variety of situations, even if you theoretically shouldn't be able to get away with it.

That being said, Americans probably use it too much...however, it's definitely used in Japan, too. The "meta" of JP Savior, however, gives proper attention to jump-outs. Their offensive strings, strategies, and techniques prepare for the possibility of jump-outs in the same way that Guilty Gear players do combos that prepare for the possibility of the opponent using Burst, for example. They know which attacks will stop jump-outs, and the ranges they need to be at. Their oki is made to discourage using jump-outs as an easy escape, and when it does happen, they even know what to do to keep the offensive pressure going, or even punish them for jumping out. On the contrary, Japanese players know when to jump, too; they make space by either AG'ing or blocking until the opponent is pushed far enough away. Jump-outs in close range *SHOULD* be a high-risk, high-reward maneuver.

So, what can you do to deal with Jump-Outs more effectively?


- Know your best attacks and strings for punishing jump-outs, and the ranges at which they are effective. I won't try to explain the best strategies for each character here (nor do I know them all as of writing this), but what I can say is, it's best to precede your anti-jump-out attacks with attacks that have a lot of frame advantage on block. Also, the best moves for punishing jump-outs are usually fast moves with longer ranges; the larger the hitbox, the slower it can be, but we're talking 4-6 frame startup on average. There are some definite exceptions to this rule if you have extremely long-range attacks, or have a ground dash with standing attacks (like Anakaris, for example).

ALL jumps have a 3-frame startup...except Lilith's High Jump, which has 6 frames, and Anak's neutral jump, which is only 1 frame, but...well, you'll hit him out of his neutral jump in most cases. My point is that your punish shouldn't be much slower than that.


- Know your offense well enough to know WHEN it's a good idea for your opponent to jump-out, so you can be prepared with something. "Something" can either be an anti-air (particularly if they're in the corner, since they can't jump out of your range), a GC (in fact, anti-air or GC is a very good mixup game for this situation; attacks get GC'ed, and descending with nothing gets AA'd), it can be walking forward, doing a dash, doing a move that propels you forward, throwing an attack that takes up a lot of space on the screen - anything that can potentially keep the offensive advantage in your favor.


- Make sure your Oki is solid. You need to be able to time meaties properly, and you need to do meaties often enough that your opponent doesn't keep trying to jump-out anyways. For example, against players who don't time meaties properly/don't meaty often enough, I will continuously try to jump-out, just because I know that I won't die before I successfully jump out of their offense, and I know my counter-offense will succeed; it's a shamelessly lazy way to beat opponents who don't factor jump-outs into their offensive plan. Basically, don't be a person that your opponent performs this type of risk assessment on; it means your Oki is weak-sauce.


- As an afterthought of that last point, make sure your jump-out punishes deal as much damage as possible, or are as threatening as possible. Your jump-out punish should have a follow-through. Your jump-out punish's follow-through should not leave you vulnerable to attack if your opponent gets reset (i.e they actually made it into the air before you hit them). Your jump-out punish should have a plan on how best to capitalize on a reset...which shouldn't be too hard; what do you already do when you get a reset? It'll probably work in this case, too.



G. Dark Force

On the opposite side of jump-outs are Dark Forces, which are perhaps the most under-rated defensive maneuver in American VSav (aside from just blocking). This probably doesn't need mentioning, but just for the sake of being thorough...each Dark Force has an activation animation, after which the character is in a special state, where either their moves are different, their hit and movement properties are different, or a combination of any of those things. Your activation animation is invulnerable, and a couple of frames afterward will be invulnerable too. Everyone's Dark Force is on a timer - the length of the timer is different on a per-character basis. Getting hit by attacks takes chunks of time off the timer. When the timer expires, your Dark Force will deactivate, which (usually) has an animation. You're completely vulnerable during this animation, but you can also deactivate manually, which is often the smart idea.

When I say "a couple frames of invincibility", I mean it literally - the majority of the cast has invulnerability equal to the length of their Dark Force animation plus two frames. The exception:

- Victor has only 1 frame of additional invulnerability, on both Dark Forces.

- J. Talbain and Sasquatch have 3 additional frames of invulnerability (true of both of Sas's DFs).

- Rapter has 8(!) additional frames of invulnerability.

- Anakaris has NEGATIVE 28 FRAMES, cos fuck Anak, I guess.


For everyone but Anakaris, the general purpose of using a Dark Force is to evade an attack on someone going all-in on their offense. If they are recklessly using moves that are too long on startup, or if they are just unrelenting in their offense to the point where they're not even concerned about a possible counter attack, you can reset the situation with a Dark Force. This is especially good when cornered against a character/opponent who likes to use jump-ins for their offensive pressure.

Honestly, a lot of dealing with Dark Forces properly is a matter of not being too arrogant. Much like dealing with Jump-Outs, being prepared for a Dark Force is a matter of mounting your offense under the assumption that a Dark Force can and will happen. If you go through the motions without properly watching your opponent, you're gonna get caught off-guard. Part of it is simply a matter of leading your ground assault with light attacks compared to medium/hard attacks (that way you recover and can block/run/counter in time); but even then, failing to react to a Dark Force, even if you're technically doing the right thing to PREPARE, is just as fatal.

Here are some things to consider when faced with a Dark Force:


- Characters who fly during their Dark Force are going to get away. Just be happy with the fact that they burned meter, give them space, and try again. Try not to give as many opportunities for them to jump-out if possible. Well-timed meaty attacks, and better jump-ins will do the trick.

DF Flyers are: Jedah, Q-Bee, Rikuo (well...he surfs, but it's basically the same shit).


- Characters with super/hyper armor are basically the same. The only difference is, against characters with Super Armor, as you're giving them space, you can watch what they do; Dark Forces are very risky as offensive maneuvers, cos if they get hit out of them, they risk having the timer run out automatically, which leads to them eating a second combo. Thus, if your super-armored opponents get too ballsy, have a plan ready for them.

DF Armoreds are: Sasquatch (super armor), Bishamon (super armor), Hsien-Ko (hyper armor). Rikuo also has hyper armor during his Dark Force, as long as he remains on his surfboard.


- Flyers and Armored DFs are probably going to use DF as a defensive maneuver more than most people. This is a big part of why I brought them up, specifically. Just about any time you put a tough situation in front of them, and they have any breathing room to act, there's a decent chance that they will respond with a DF activation. The only other character who activates frequently is Felicia, since her DF properties allow her to generate easily generate very powerful high/low pressure, and even set up unblockables.


- As for everyone else, their goal will be to move in with the quickest attacks possible. Given that the invulnerability window after the activation is so short, they don't have much choice. Thus, the most important thing you can do is NOT be within throw range, nor within the range of ANY invulnerable attack. Throws have immediate startups, so they can safely throw you before their invulnerability ends. And, characters with invulnerable attacks can just extend it further by doing a second one (granted, you can block, but still). The second thing you need to watch out for are light attacks. The invulnerable frames will be over before anyone (but Rapter) can throw a normal attack, but the window is very small. In fact, this is usually not a half-bad time to jump back; all of their fastest moves will likely not punish your jump-out, and then it's just a matter of defending against their DF attacks properly.
 

- I've implied this - and stated it outright - in a few places on this guide, but let me state it again here: Reversal Dark Forces are IMPOSSIBLE. This means that any meaty attack will always beat a Dark Force. If your opponent likes to abuse Dark Force to weasel out of situations on wakeup/reset, a properly-timed meaty will always win. In particular, jumping/aerial okizeme options are good for this; you can lead into a combo on your jump-in/IAD if you hit their DF, and if your meaty isn't properly timed, you'll land and be prepared to react accordingly.

Granted, it's not a good idea to meaty all the time (you'll get AG'd/GC'd all day if you do), but this is an effective way to handle a Dark Force if you predict them. The inverse of this is true, too; the fact that Variable Blockstun Pressure is necessary to deal with AG/GC means that sometimes, even doing a Dark Force on wakeup can be effective...rarely, and much moreso for Flyers and Armoreds than anyone else, but rarely useful, nonetheless.

 

 

H. Okizeme

Every character that isn't Anakaris has the same basic options. They can get up and try to AG your next attack, giving them breathing room to try and counter your next move or bring the situation back to neutral. They can Dark Force, if they think your timing is off/think you'll stagger the timing on purpose. The invulnerability of Dark Force can allow them to capitalize and reverse the situation if they successfully catch their opponent off-guard. They can try to block the next attack and convert it into a Guard Cancel, which will see varying degrees of success based on your proximity to them, how quick the startup of their GC is, whether the hitbox of their GC is wide enough to actually hit you, and whether or not their ES GC is unblockable. If your timing on meaties isn't correct, whether intentional or not, they can also just try to jump on wakeup. This is a very advantageous spot for most people in the game to be in.

There are, of course, some options that people have available to them that others don't. Taller characters can sort of cover high/low options with a crouching AG, because if your High meaty isn't on point, you'll get hit out by their C.Lp. Some characters have cool unblockable GCs. Some characters, as stated above, also have good enough command throws to take you out if your timing isn't right.

The foundation of a good Oki covers these options as well as possible. The key is not only to know what your character should do about these responses, but also to be able to gauge what your opponent is going to want to do, both by their own personal habits as well as based on the character they've chosen.

- If your opponent is AG-happy, that's the time to apply Variable Blockstun Pressure. Intentionally do slower attacks on wakeup than they are expecting, or even do your same quick attacks after waiting just a split second.

- If your opponent likes to Dark Force or jump-out, you've got two options: either, do a proper meaty (it's very commonplace for people to use Variable Pressure without even thinking about it in most levels of VSav play, which makes it easy to respond with either one of these. Jump-outs are more popular, though, since you don't have to time anything). Make sure you know the timing on your meaties, and if you have a meaty attack that punishes jump-outs, that's even better.

Another option is, if your character can do this, to Oki from the air. If you use Variable Pressure from the air, it doesn't really matter what they do: If they jump out, you're nearing the end of your jump, so you can make them block a low air attack and then Guard Break them. If they Dark Force, as long as you're reacting to them, you should have plenty of time to realize that they've activated Dark Force, and take the proper countermeasures...whatever they may be.

- If your opponent likes to GC, you also have a few options, depending on how they do it. Novice players will just finish their entire Guard Cancel, leaving them wide open to be punished (after all, they'll be in the middle of a Shadow Blade or something else stupid). If they buffer only half of the GC at once (i.e they "block-confirm" before finishing the GC), you need to either do a more-delayed Variable Pressure than you would with AGs, or you need to do meaty attacks from as far away as possible.


Think hard about what the character you're playing against might want to do, based on their skillset. And, just as important, think about what the habits of your opponent are (hint: jump-outs/up-backs/whatever you call them are very popular in American VSav...quite rightly, since American VSav players rarely do pressure strings without holes/with contingency plans for jump-outs).



4. General Tips vs. Pressure Rushdown

A lot of this will be gone over in more detail in the character-specific articles, but I figure some things are worth mentioning here.

- Pressure Rushdown is all about frame traps. Block confirm your AGs. Block a lot. Do not just go attacking as soon as you have breathing room - that is the MAIN WAY THAT PRESSURE RUSHDOWN DEALS DAMAGE.

- You do need to AG eventually. Most people won't have a problem with this; they're more likely to have a problem with being overeager and reckless, as described in the previous tip. However, being too catatonic is still a problem. You're more likely to get thrown by a Pressure Rushdown than a High/Low Rushdown, and good players WILL kill you for this.

- This is somewhat an extension of the first point, but Pressure Rushdown also excels in having options to blow up Tech Hits that aren't necessarily frame traps. Just by having two approaches to a situation with different timings can trip up defenders who rely on anticipation. For example, Bishamon usually dashes in with attacks, but he also has a popular audible to his dash where he cancels the dash into an ES Fireball. If he had attacked, it would have been push-blocked; but, in this situation, he'll probably eat a single attack and trade with the ES Fireball, leading to big damage anyways.

- Pay mind to WHAT attacks you decide to Advancing Guard, as well as what attacks you decide to Guard Cancel. For example, if you're getting dashed at by a Pressure Rushdown character, most of them will still have forward momentum anyways, so you haven't really pushed them away. On the flipside, they can't stop their forward momentum in the middle of an attack, so this is usually a fantastic time to Guard Cancel. Obviously, consider the moves being used, as well; you're probably gonna have a harder time GC'ing Rikuo's Dashing Lp compared to his Dashing Mp. If you don't AG the right things, you're not actually stopping their offense.

- I've mentioned this earlier, but every Pressure Rushdown has a limited High/Low game. Some are more limited than others; for example, Rikuo's High/Low options are pretty awful compared to Talbain's, which can be pretty strong. Regardless, be aware of each Pressure Rushdown character's High/Low capabilities and options, because it will be the only times where the direction you block is made ambiguous.



J. General Tips vs. High/Low Rushdown

As with the Pressure Rushdown tips, much of this will also be covered in the character-specific guides in more depth.

- Block HIGH. React LOW. Most characters - Pressure OR High/Low - can't use their set of both High and Low options from any distance. The farther away your opponent is, the less likely they are to use a low attack. The closer they are (and I mean, very close), the less likely they are to use a high attack, unless you're cornered. There are, of course, some exceptions; but, following this rule will have you making a lot less guesses on how to block.

- AG a lot in neutral situations. If you can keep a High/Low character out of that sweet spot where they can make you guess which way to block, you can avoid taking serious damage in many situations. Once they're actually in that range, it's much riskier to AG (and unfortunately, still necessary, which is part of what makes High/Low so powerful).

- To expand upon that idea, once they are in range to make their high/low pressure a true guessing game, you want to stop trying to AG the high attacks as much, and try to block-confirm their ground attacks for your AG. Whatever you do, do _NOT_ try to anticipate with your AGs; all they need to do is attack where you're not expecting to get a ton of damage out of your guess. Whereas, on the flipside, if you're watching closely, and you realize you're blocking low when they're about to go high, you at least have a split-second to react, instead of being stuck doing a crouching Jab cos you *thought* they were gonna go low. Block-confirm your AGs!

- ...Expanding upon THAT idea...When you're on the defense versus a High/Low character, you need to watch them CAREFULLY. This might sound obvious, but it's something anyone can work on. When you're in your High/Low opponent's sweet spot where they can make you guess, good reaction is going to be your best friend. If you aren't sharply focused on them, you will have trouble reacting correctly/quickly (Hint: this is also your best chance to GC a High/Low character, so you want to be able to react efficiently. FOCUS!).

- The previous point ALSO ties into THIS point: as an inverse to Pressure Rushdown having High/Low capabilities, so too do High/Low characters possess Pressure capabilities. They will use staggered ground normals to try and frame trap, but they will also use this to catch you unfocused. For example, Sasquatch can, after some repeated C.Lks, do one of two things: he can either go right into a Short Hop for a high attack, or he can do something like C.Mp -> C.Hk. The brilliance of this is, let's say you stand up to block the Short Hop or even try to jump-out: C.Mp -> C.Hk is about the same speed as a Short Hop, and if you're not paying attention, you'll register blocking an attack without realizing that you're about to eat the sweep. So, again, the name of the game is FOCUS. Defending against High/Low characters is very heavily reaction-based.

 

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Conclusion

 

Not much to say, other than I hope you found this guide helpful. My goal is to ensure that these guides are useful for new players and veterans alike, unlike my last guide, which was specifically to help newcomers. Let me know if you think I missed anything!

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Excellent guide. Looking forward to more of your material. Detailed VS strategy like this in English is sorely uncommon.

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(I need to make a list of what aerial maneuvers auto-correct their directions; if anyone wants to give me that list, that'd be much-appreciated.)

 

 

 

QBee [9] hover over to the other side of the opponent > airdash normal will autocorrect on the airdash for certain.

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