GGXRD-R2/Ky Kiske/Okizeme

Ky Kiske

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

Introduction

Thanks to Ky's straightforward and reliable gameplan emphasising moves such as Stun Dipper, Vapor Thrust and 2D for knockdowns, he is able to apply many different options in his Okizeme game with much freedom for a multitude of circumstances. By switching between projectile options, strong meaties, safejumps and a unique j.D which allows for tricky and unexpected pressure options, Ky can reset or loop his pressure to use safe and pestering projectiles or close in again for more mixups. Ky's CSE (Charged Stun Edge) also creates chip damage the opponent must deal with on wakeup, adding to his strong okizeme. When playing Ky, it's important to safely end most routes with hard knockdowns like Split Ciel and 2D, as these give you chances for high damage and highly advantageous situations.

Example Routes

Ky's okizeme can be categorized into basic, safe jump, Charged Stun Edge, DC Charged Stun Edge, and j.D options.

Basic

Ky's weakest form of oki, usually applied when there isn't enough time to use any other options.

Basic oki involves using a meaty normal, or baiting wake-up options from the opponent. You'll generally use Ky's fast and low hitting 5K or 2K over the opponent and then apply pressure if it's blocked. Against slower reversals and with the correct timing they can recover in time to work as both a meaty and a reversal attack bait. cS and 6H are also strong meaty options which give higher reward on hit against someone waking up with buttons, but are not lows. You can also choose to go for an overhead with a 5D which can be spaced far enough away to bait reversals and is safe on block, but generally slow and reactable. 5D however is not a common option as while it is safe, it gives relatively poor pressure when blocked. When applying basic oki, you're vulnerable to reversal attacks, blitz, and backdash.

Safe Jump

A strong form of oki that can keep you safe from reversal attacks or give you better opportunities to open up an opponent. By jumping at a downed opponent and attacking with j.H (or j.S) with correct timing, you can bait reversals while at the same time forcing your opponent to block.

Video Examples:
Standard safejumps off stun dipper and 2D -> Ciel
Going for a low off the safejump setup
Going for a high off the safejump setup

Explanation:
Safejumps are an option select and one of the stronger oki options for Ky. They are commonly available off 2D, 2D -> Ciel and Stun Dipper knockdowns. The general idea is that you jump at the opponent and time a jumping normal such that if the opponent does an invincible reversal option, like super or DP, you will land and block during their start up; but if they just block then you will hit their block and be able to continue a blockstring to the ground and into pressure. If the opponent mashes, they will be hit by the meaty jump-in. j.S and j.H are common options for the jumping normal. It’s important to hold back while performing the safejump so that you actually block when landing if the opponent decides to super or DP.

The second part of the safejump is mixing it up with a late air dash/empty low. The trade-off here is that you are now vulnerable to reversals and 6P+H option selects, but you are giving yourself the opportunity to open the opponent up instead of letting them block the meaty jump-in. The reason this mixes someone up is because the initial part of the safejump looks the same. You time the jump arc, and at the moment a jS would normally land to make it a safe jump, you either land and go low (5K) or air dash and then j.S to open them up high. More knowledgeable opponents understand this option, know the timing of the j.S/5K, and know how to fuzzy guard to beat it. You can mix up (5K and 2S as your empty low to beat fuzzy guarding. Effective mixing up of these options with real safejumps is essential to Ky oki.

Charged Stun Edge

CSE is Ky's standard Okizeme tool.

CSE oki is a variant on meaty oki. It’s typically available after 2D knockdowns or grounded throws. A meaty CSE has a few advantages over normal meaties. First, if you space it right it is reversal safe (this is rarely true in the corner). Second, it provides a large amount of screen push which helps move your opponent towards the corner. Finally, it allows for you to safely establish pressure by following up the final hit of the CSE with a normal into blockstring pressure (or just a throw). You do not get a high/low mixup off CSE. You can attempt one, but they are unsafe and most knowledgeable players will recognize it’s not real and hit you out of it. If you want to force a 50/50 you can spend meter and YRC the CSE in order to go for a jump in late airdash/empty low mixup. CSE oki should be your go-to if you need to meaty someone.

One issue you may find is that CSE doesn’t reach the opponent quickly enough to hit them as they wake up. A solution to this is to dash-CSE (2366H). The H is delayed slightly in order to give Ky a moment to run. This will let you establish CSE oki off most 2D knockdowns and even some stun dipper knockdowns. Pay attention to your spacing to recognize when you need to use it. Dash CSE is not universally good though - in the corner if you dash CSE you can place yourself at a spacing where blitzing the CSE will reject Ky as well. So be mindful of spacing!

Note: Just be careful of reversals before the projectile actually hits. People can still try and DP there.

Durandal Call Charged Stun Edge

DC CSE is Ky's ideal Oki in the corner and a standard setup using 2D > Split Ciel, Split Ciel > 2D, or ending corner loops with Split Ciel.

Video Examples:
- This demonstrates the oki described below as well as the perils of meterless high/lows midscreen with DC-CSE and no YRC.

DC-CSE is available anytime you’ve knocked someone down and have the grinder up. The most common variants are combo -> 2D -> Ciel and combo -> Ciel 66 2D. The former gives you much better corner push but the opponent can backdash it midscreen, while the later sacrifices corner push for guaranteed lockdown. A common approach after DC-CSE is to dashjump and then go for a high/low or a meaty jS/jH safejump. A common misconception is that this is a true 50/50 (i.e. gapless). This is not a true 50/50. Ky has no true 50/50s without spending meter.¹ The opponent can IB the last hit of grinder and then DP/super/6P+H you out of the high/low. If you want to do this, it’s basically a test of match-up knowledge. If they don’t know, go wild. If they do, respect it and just use the grinder as lockdown to get a dashjump jS into pressure. You can also just use the lock down to run up and pressure, or run up and throw. Mix up your options!

In order to make this a true 50/50, you must YRC the CSE. At that point you can go for the dashjump late air dash or empty low. Often times you’ll see someone opt for a safejump off a 2D -> Ciel knockdown if they don’t want to spend the meter on the YRC.

¹This is technically not true as there are specific routes in the corner that give IB tight mixups without YRC after DC-CSE; but they are specific and beyond the scope of a basic DC-CSE overview.

j.D

A somewhat gimmicky way of setting up Oki. It can be used to get the opponent to block if done early over a knockdown, and is relatively freeform in how you can choose to act from there. Possible options are airdashing over the opponent, firing an S Stun Edge through it, double jumping and going for an ambiguous crossup, YRCing for a falling high/low mixup, and simply landing and continuing pressure. If done low enough to the ground, you can even use the grinder left behind to power up projectiles. Despite it's versatility, it can lose to a lot of different things, such as Blitz Shield, airthrow, or 6Ps/anti airs.

Choosing an Oki Route

As many of Ky's moves knock down in different ways, it is important to note which ender gives you what knockdown and how to respond to each knockdown.

Off most common knockdowns (Stun Dipper, Sweep), the opponent is left relatively close to Ky, and while it means CSE is easier to use, it is less safe and/or efficient than using a meaty. Conversely, a knockdown resulting in a reset using Split Ciel benefits greatly from using Stun Edge as Ky is too far away for a meaty and, even ignoring this, a grinder is already present next to Ky, allowing him to deploy a fullscreen Fortified CSE. On a simpler level, consider the following routes as a general guideline for your okizeme decisions:

- If the opponent is knocked down from a move that leaves them close, opt for a safejump, meaty 5K or, as a mixup option, j.D. Note, these options are usually not safe from DPs like Volcanic Viper or Reversal supers like Tyrant Rave. If used correctly, however, j.D will recover before the opponent wakes up, allowing Ky to block reversals in time.

- If the opponent is too far away, CSE is your best option. The opponent won't be able to interrupt Ky so long as they don't have a fullscreen super, and as most fullscreen resets are a result of Split Ciel, Ky will have already set up a grinder to fortify his projectiles. If the opponent is perhaps not far enough away for this, consider Charged Stun Edge > YRC for a mixup or faster recovery.