GGXRD-R2/Kum Haehyun/Strategy

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 Kum Haehyun


General Tactics

Blue ball is the key to winning neutral in most matchups as Kum Haehyun. It seems like a normal fireball with a weird gimmick, but it's actually much better. Kum can hold the ball back and then run in with it, which makes rushing the opponent down much more threatening. This alone isn't enough--if the opponent thinks you're going to do that, they might try to stop you from making the fireball, or attack you once its out assuming you'll hold it back. In both situations, you can shoot the blue ball forward like a normal fireball to stop their approach and put yourself at advantage. Increasing the speed of the ball happens very fast, much faster than when any other character tries to put out a projectile.

Kum isn't a shoto (Ryu/Ken from Street Fighter), as that fireball/shoryuken playstyle doesn't work reliably in a game with Xrd's movement. But the shoto tactic is well-applied in certain matchups where the opponent struggles to delete projectiles (Jam and Slayer, for example) because Kum has both a really threatening fireball and good anti-airs. On the flipside, Kum struggles in neutral against characters that easily handle projectiles. Sin's beak driver and elk hunter, Johnny's mist finer, and Elphelt's rifle all disarm the threat of a held-back blue ball because they can easily hit it or threaten to hit Kum (getting hit or blocking makes the blue ball disappear).

Try and safely make the blue ball and use it to create an advantage. Once your opponent has learned to fear your blue ball, they will try to jump and get in pre-emptively more. Use your anti-airs, air-throws and j.p against air aggression, and 5K, 2S, and hayabusa to deal with aggressive approaches on the ground.

Blockstrings

Okizeme

Kum tends to get knockdown from three main sources: 2D, throw, and air combo. 2D and throw almost always give spacing and timing to safely get a red ball out, while that is not guaranteed if you take the opponent into the air. Against characters with good reversals, you might be safer using the blue ball for a less threatening okizeme situation after air combo.

Kum okizeme goes like this: you get a knockdown, you make a red ball and put it on the far side of the opponent, and the opponent wakes up into it. You hit them ONCE with the ball, which pushes them towards you. From here, you have many options. Raw 5HS/6K, walk back 5HS/6K, 2K 5HS/6K all work depending on the opponent. However, all of those options have countermeasures. The most solid mixup, which is difficult to perform because it requires good control of the ball, doesn't try to mix the opponent up after the first ball hit. Instead, you go 2K2S, knocking them back into the 2nd hit of the ball. Now, you are fully actionable, your opponent is in blockstun, and if the opponent stand blocks the ball (also called 414) and instantly shifts their guard low (negating attempts to 5HS while blocking all lows) then you can 2D them as the 2nd ball hit connects (while they're stand blocking, so you hit), something that isn't possible on your 1st ball hit. After the 2nd ball hit knocks them back towards you, they have to guess high, low, or throw. Your 5HS or 6K here is as close as Kum can get to a true 50/50. If you get the hit, confirm it into the 3rd hit of the red ball, and then go into 2HS. A key tip to controlling the ball situation is to use moments when Kum is locked into an animation (doing 5HS/6K, for example) to steer the red ball without moving your character.

There's a lot of variability in timing based on initial spacing and matchup as well. See this chart to reference the risk of getting a whiff or double hit instead of the preferred single-hit. Losing two hits of the ball to an opponent on wake up makes you very vulnerable to anti-Kum-mixup techniques. It's important to practice getting a single hit in all your okizeme situations against the whole cast!

Tips and Tricks

Kum Haehyun has the best 2P in the game. Press it. It's fast, hits far, and puts you in a situation that can win you the round when it hits. Make the opponent afraid to leave gaps in their offense or be greedy about taking another turn. Once you teach them how threatening your 2P is, they will try to frame trap you instead of trying to risk re-pressure.

Fighting Kum Haehyun

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