GGXRD-R/Axl Low/Strategy

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General Tactics

Axl plays somewhat differently from a majority of the Guilty Gear cast. His normals give him coverage of a lot of spaces, but compared to characters that have, for example, a jab to throw out, he has to commit pretty hard to any option he chooses. Using Axl properly requires thorough matchup knowledge, and involves identifying the situations that opponents cannot handle well and forcing those situations upon them. The first step is to understand Axl's own advantages.

Axl's pressure takes place at mid-range. By mid-range, I mean outside of the range of most characters' fast pokes, such as 5Ps and 5Ks. At this range, Axl has a lot more ability to play safe, going for options like f.S, 5K, 2K, and 3P allow him to bully the opponent without much opportunity to punish him, and so while you don't have the ability to open opponents up quite as easily as some others, you can keep them in frame traps for a long time, and for many characters the only recourse is to try something risky. With Sickle Flash YRC, Axl can keep opponents in blockstun for a long time, and his mixup tools are unusual and force opponents to make big choices (jump over an unblockable, switch blocks or jump to beat a crossup, etc.).

Axl can also excel at approaching. From far away, a lot of characters will try to either set up or run in. Axl gets to stop both with fast, screen-crossing pokes that force most characters to either throw something out that will whiff if you do nothing, or get punished for running or trying to set up projectiles or whatnot. A full-screen knockdown can still often net Axl a safe jump overhead that puts him in the middle range he wants to play neutral/pressure from. A Sickle Flash YRC can simply force the opponent to concede offensive momentum in most situations where they can't immediately hit you.

Lastly, Axl is good at reactively stopping approaches from just outside his optimal range. Sickle Flash and Heaven Can Wait are difficult for long-range characters to get around, and his dominant anti-air game with tools like 5P, 6K, 2S, 2K net him a lot of control over opponents trying to jump, and sickle flash, 2H, and f.S form a strong base of tools to react to ground approaches with. While whiffing an attack can be dangerous for Axl, having breathing room means you have time to react to whatever the opponent is trying.

So the basic gameplan is: Identify the matchup. Are they going to have a hard time approaching you? Stay back and stop them. Can they beat your f.S at midrange? Bully them from there and keep them in blockstun. Are they going to try to stay back and set up? Punish them from further away than they can deal with, then keep offensive momentum with oki. There's a bag of tricks to learn on top of this basic strategy, but your number one job is to identify which of Axl's three strongest games you want to be playing, and play it.

When Axl is under pressure, he can rely on FD to push opponents into the midrange he wants them to be in, but as far as fast options to get people off of you go... you're kind of out of luck if you want to be safe. If you can get a window big enough to jab, your counter is a good option if you know they'll throw an attack and which way it will hit. If you know you don't have the frames, you can DP or super, but they're pretty risky, so make sure you're right! And then Axl does have the option to throw if you can get a good IB in, so throw OS with 6P or c.S is probably your go-to breakout. Occasionally you can get away with throwing a 2K to low-profile or a 6H or 5K to low-crush, but I would consider those to be very matchup-dependent and hard reads in most cases.

Blockstrings

Axl's pressure game revolves heavily around the traditional frame trap / throw mixup. Many of Axl's gatlings have gaps in them (especially with Instant Blocking), but spacing them in a way that prevents smashing is easy since his normals have relatively good startups for their long range. Also, if you never threaten your opponent with a throw, people (who can react to 6H, Dust, Raiei and Rashousen) will hold down-back for the rest of their lives. Rensen YRC is one of the best pressure tools in the whole game, so saving tension for it is extremely recommendable.
In general, you will be finishing your strings with Rensen, regardless whether the string hits or gets blocked. After a block, you can do Rensen-up in midscreen to further push the opponent back, but good players can easily IB it (and the Rensen itself) for free tension and bigger frame advantage. Doing Rensen after a block in corner is not recommended since it leaves you much closer to the opponent (because the projectile pushback doesn't work on yourself) and the recovery is long enough to be punished, even Rensen-down (which isn't a projectile) by blocking the first hits and then pushing Axl away with FD to whiff the rest of the move. Once the opponent respects Axl enough (easiest way to accomplish that is switching between early and late cancel Rensen after f.S and 2D), going for tensionless pressure resets (c.S or 3P into dash) becomes easier.

General tips:

  • Mind the distance by reducing mid-string parts (eg. 5K > 2D when further away); c.S turning into f.S or whiffing 5H or 2D really hurts.
  • Always hold back for the Rensen charge; beware of accidental inputs (eg. Raiei when doing dash 2K > c.S).
  • Go for a throw after 2K (shortest full recovery), 5K, 3P, or c.S; using FD dash break (eg. 66, 4KS~4H) is recommendable.
  • 2D and f.S have long cancel windows, c.S has a short one; vary the timing of follow-ups to be unpredictable.
  • Axl's Dust cancels from almost anything, has great range, and recovers quickly (only -4) which makes it decent despite the slow startup.
  • Options after 2H are very limited (two overheads, 6H and 5D, or anything after a -4 or worse frame advantage) and most opponents know it, so you have to be very unpredictable to get results with it.

(5K or 2K) > c.S > (f.S or 6P) > 5H > 2D

This is Axl's basic blockstring. Truly gapless version: 5K > (c.S > (6P)) > 2D.

  • Weak against FD and IB'ing the hit before 5H.
  • c.S and 5H gatling into 6H for a relatively safe overhead mixup.
  • Mixup with Rashousen or Raiei at any point, though both are easy to notice and lose to smashing at close range.
  • Frametraps into 5H: 5K > 5H, 6P > 5H, f.S > 5H, c.S > late cancel 5H (when done correctly, c.S doesn't combo into 5H)

5K > 6P > 3P > 5H > 2D

The 3P branch. 5K and 6P both gatling into it, and as a mid-string low it can surprise some people.

  • 6P whiffs on some crouchers and pushes back a lot, so use it sparingly.
  • The gatlings out of 3P have various roles: 5H is a frametrap, 6H an overhead, 2H a slower low and 2D a ground hitconfirm.
  • CH 3P > f.S gatling is an easy hitconfirm into 2S combos (as opposed to the harder CH 3P, 5K link), on block you can cancel into 5H and specials.

5K > c.S > 2P > f.S

A long distance string that works great against FD.

  • 2P cancels into specials and 6H for unexpected mixups.
  • 2P > f.S gatling doesn't work if you are too close (unlike 3P > f.S).

Okizeme

  • j.P - Delayed safejump, can lead into a second overhead depending on timing. Also a good tick throw.
  • j.K - Can be jump cancelled, can lead to big damage on jump-out counterhits, horizontal range means safer against throws
  • j.S - Safe from a long range. Second hit done meaty can lead into Raiei cross-ups in corner and point blank ground strings.
  • j.H - Lots of blockstun on block, can potentially lead to big damage.
  • j.D - The riskiest aerial option due to the recovery/landing animation but can lead to big meterless damage on hit.
  • 2K - Goes into a tick throw and low-profiles some reversal moves (eg. Kai's Vapor Thrust).
  • 3P - Makes most DPs whiff when spaced correctly. Beware of clashing and first frame airborne moves like Sol's Riot Stamp.
  • 6H - Aside from being an overhead, hitting it meaty gives you a big frame advantage. Opponent can easily Blitz or invuln reversal on reaction.
  • Rensen YRC - If you really want to pay 25% tension for a 100% safe pressure starter.

Finishing a combo with a Rensen-down pulls the opponent slightly towards you which means a Raiei will cross-up even in the corner and your usual diagonal jump-in might whiff, so pay attention.

Tips and Tricks

Rensen YRC

Rensen is a projectile, which means you can YRC during its startup and unleash the "Rensen Beam". The projectile travels almost instantly and the YRC flash gives you time to read the situtation and move accordingly: run up and start pressure if the opponent blocked it, pick up with 5K, 5P or IAD (depending on the range) for a combo if the opponent didn't block, or antiair with 6K and such if the opponent jumped over it. When executing Rensen YRC in a blocksting, you must time the YRC after the opponent has left blockstun and before the projectile hits them which means the easiest way to execute it is canceling Rensen from normals with low attack levels and/or long cancel times, best choices being f.S, 2D, and 2P.
Even though it's arguably the best YRC special in the game, it isn't the solution to everything. Obviously, using it costs 25% tension and slows down your tension gain for a while. Using it outside of Rensen's effective range leads to nothing in most cases and even if you make the opponent block it, if you can't open their guard up with the following pressure, you're back to the starting point.

TK Axl Bomber

TK Bomber, an Axl Bomber done at the lowest possible height from a jump cancellable normal (with motions such as 6923H or 69874123H) is an important tool that extends your damage, corner carry and tension gain to new levels. The most obvious use is Bomber loops in the corner for big damage, but even in midscreen doing a TK Bomber after 2S (where beginners usually follow up with j.H > j.D > Bomber) is important because it can lead to a knockdown by itself, 5P > Rensen for more damage and a knockdown, 5P > 6K (HJC) j.6P > j.S for more damage and breathing room, or even into full Bomber loop combo if it carries the opponent (and you) near enough the corner.
Dropped TK Bombers can usually be salvaged by ending the leaked j.H into j.D > Axl Bomber, although it can leave you in a risky position (opponent recovering above you with a frame advantage). Other salvation methods in the corner are following leaked j.H with j.D which wallsticks the opponent for a while, or a neutral double jump airthrow OS after the leaked j.H which can catch the opponent's tech.

2K Low-profiling

While it isn't Axl's best low option in blockstrings because of the damage prorate and limited gatling options, 2K has a hurtbox that goes very low very quickly, allowing you to prone under various things. The most obvious use is dodging projectiles like Kai's Stun Edge, but it works well in regular footsies against taller normals as well. You can even use it to make some character-defining moves completely whiff: if you see a Sol coming in with a Bandit Bringer, you can respond with 2K, making the BB whiff and allowing you to throw OS on their recovery. It works well against some characters' jump normals too, but once the opponent takes notice of it, they can respond by hitting deeper (which in turn means you gain more frames to use regular AA options like 2S, 6P and air throw).

Fighting Axl

Neutral

Axl basically has to choose between closing in (run, Raiei (YRC), 6H, IAD j.S), covering the air (5P, 6K for pre-emptive jumps, antiair stand-by for 2S and 6P), or covering the ground (Rensen, 2P, f.S, 3P). Although Axl has one choice that covers them all, Rensen YRC, without meter Axl has to dedicate himself to one of these options, which means you can counter it with a correct guess: stand by and antiair his approaches correctly (j.S has a hurtbox going along its hitbox so it loses to or at least trades with 6Ps), run to go under his 5P/6K or to get closer while he's paying attention to air, or jump and IAD over his ground options, IAD YRC being a really strong option even against Rensen-up (though a neutral Axl might be able to respond with a pre-emptive 6K that remains active throughout the YRC flash, his own YRC after your YRC, or the 4F high-mid counter move after the YRC flash).

Pressure

Once you have been forced to block Axl's moves, the mindgame shifts into "what to do after X": Rensen, Raiei and 6H are all pretty much safe on regular block (of course depending on the range and opposing character), which means Axl can keep up the guessing game. After Rensen, things don't change much from neutral aside from the frame advantage against him (regular -15, up follow-up -13, both more on IB) which isn't that meaningful in the post-Rensen range, but it nevertheless gives you better chance of return for your correct guess (eg. IAD against blocked Rensen into Rensen or run against blocked Rensen into 5P). After a blocked Raiei or 6H, Axl is close to you with +1 advantage: his 7 frame 2K has early low-profile frames which makes it able to beat many smashing options (aside from fast 5Ks that hit low) and even against the ones that do beat it, he can always take a big risk with Benten (full invuln 1-11F) or 4F guard-point counter (needs to guess high-mid or low correctly). If Axl blocks or backdashes because he fears retaliation with a better normals, DP, or command throw, you can turn the tides by running in.

Mixup

If you take your time to learn how to defeat Axl's slow, unorthodox mixup tools (jump over the command throw, airthrow or IB the overhead crossup special, block or 6P the 6H), Axl has to start doing legit frametrap-throw mixups. While his slow run and normals (most of which are negative on full recovery) are much more suited for frametraps that push him back to the neutral guessing game on block, Axl gets a big return for his throw since he can combo for 100+ damage and a knockdown in midscreen (and even more in the corner) on practically all characters. This means blocking is much less riskier option in general, but be prepared to abare if the Axl shows disrespect with pressure resets and throws.

Miscellaneous

  • Artemis Hunter (aka Benten), Axl's DP, is easily safe jumped since it has 9F startup and is freely punished on block (-27) or whiff (35F recovery). On regular hit you can tech in the air, though on CH it has more untech time and usually knocks down. The damage (46) isn't great either, so overall it's not really the best reversal out there.
  • Sparrowhawk Stance: Do the in-game Axl matchup Mission with your character and find out what works out best. See the Special Move entry description for the logic behind the mindgames.
  • Rensen's down follow-up, normally -5 on block, can be pushed away with FD to make it easier to punish.

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