GGST/Bedman/Counterstrategy

Fighting Bedman?

Bedman has a large variety of unique tools that allow it to run strong, mix-up focused offense with loopable okizeme situations that can be difficult to challenge. Some of these tools include its special moves, which have follow-ups that automatically activate, as well as its 8-way air dash, which allows it to perform aerial attacks close to the ground for instant overheads. Its goal is to get within close range of its opponent so that it can run its offense. While it shares a goal with characters that have a rushdown-based gameplan, Bedman’s mobility is extremely lacking. It has a slow ground dash, and the 8-way air dash is also slow and doesn’t travel especially far. Despite this, its homing projectile special move Call 4BA (aka Spike)GuardAllStartup16RecoveryTotal 46Advantage-11 and its error 6E follow-upGuardAllStartup8 [14]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+20 [+3] can be used to harass its opponents from afar and force them to come closer towards the range where it thrives.

Unique Attributes/Mechanics

* error 6E State

When Bedman uses its special moves, it enters the error 6E State. When in error 6E State, a follow-up attack will automatically occur after a certain amount of time elapses. Bedman can also use its special moves Call 0x$0.20 (aka Manual Call)Guard-Startup-RecoveryTotal 30Advantage- to make the follow-ups occur immediately or Call 0x$1.00 (aka Delay Call)Guard-Startup-RecoveryTotal 24Advantage- to delay when the automatic follow-ups come out. error 6E State will end either after the follow-up attack has been used, or if Bedman has been attacked, blocks, or techs a throw (regardless of if Bedman is the one initiating the throw or the one teching it). If the follow-up comes out, it can also be interrupted if Bedman is attacked or techs a throw during the start up.

Its Overdrive Call 13C (Install Overdrive)GuardStartup4RecoveryTotal 14Advantage- powers up the error 6E State follow-up attacks, as well as Bedman itself, increasing its offensive and defensive power. The follow-up attacks share the same traits as Overdrives. You can’t Burst if you’ve been hit by one, and if you get hit by an enhanced follow-up attack in the corner, it will break the wall and cause an area shift. The Install ends after a certain period of time.

The bedframe’s head will slowly glow blue and a sound cue will play right before a follow-up attack comes out. Bedman is not locked into an animation during the automatic special move follow-ups. This means it can move and use its normals and specials as well as throw while a follow-up attack is taking place. There is an animation when Bedman uses either the Manual or Delay special moves, however, and Bedman is in a counter hit state for these special moves’ duration. Manual Call has 30 frames of recovery and Delay Call has 24 frames of recovery.

If Bedman uses a special move before a follow-up attack comes out, then the follow-up and its timer will be overwritten and the next follow-up that will come out is the one that corresponds to the special move Bedman had just used. It is possible for Bedman to use a special move right when the follow-up is about to come out, allowing Bedman to immediately queue up another follow-up .

The direction in which the error 6E follow-up fires is based on the direction Bedman is facing during its start up, meaning Bedman can cross up its opponents by firing a follow-up on the ground and then dashing over them with its air dash.

* 8-Way Air Dash

Bedman’s 8-Way Air Dash offers it unique aerial mobility and allows it to perform aerial normals close to the ground during pressure.

Round Start

From round start, Bedman’s options aren’t particularly strong compared to most of the cast. It’ll typically want to play passively, either by immediately jumping back and chicken blocking, or by backdashing and beginning its zoning. If Bedman wants to gamble at round start, it will likely resort to 2KGuardLowStartup6Recovery10Advantage-2, 5KGuardAllStartup8Recovery14Advantage-7, 2SGuardLowStartup12Recovery22Advantage-11, f.SGuardAllStartup11Recovery17Advantage-9 and 2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery21Advantage-10. 2K and 5K can stuff buttons and lead into 2D, allowing it to get a knockdown and run its oki. f.S and 2S don’t truly lead to anything from round start distance, but it can input Spike afterwards and you’ll be forced to block it. It will also have the follow-up stored and ready to go. Its 6PGuardAllStartup11Recovery24Advantage-16 can also be a decent option for stuffing out other mid/high round start buttons, and if it trades, it gets the immediate opportunity to special cancel.

Neutral

Dealing with Bedman’s Zoning

Bedman wants to get within the close range so that it can run its powerful offense. As mentioned previously, its slow mobility means that it can struggle to approach. However, its aforementioned special move Call 4BA (Spike) allows Bedman to control the pace of neutral. During Call 4BA, Bedman launches a Spike projectile that homes in on where your position was when Bedman input the move. It can be used on the ground or in the air. It has 16 frames of start up in addition to the travel time of the projectile. Its error 6E follow-up has Bedman fire another homing projectile, a bolt of electricity with the same start up and properties as the Spike. When enhanced with Call 13C (Install Overdrive), the follow-up will Guard Crush on block and cause you to go flying into the air on hit, landing with a hard knockdown. Bedman can spam homing projectiles rather effectively by inputting Manual Call immediately after inputting Spike.

All three homing projectiles only home in on where your position is at the time when Bedman fires the projectile. If you’re trying to get in on Bedman, projectile spam can be countered by dash blocking. It's pretty easy to find a rhythm where you can dash forward and have time to block if the Bedman is dedicated to simply spamming Spike > Manual Call over and over again. Even if the Bedman takes to the skies, you’ll still gradually make headway by dashing and blocking. The projectile is a mid whether it's used on the ground or in the air. Take care not to blindly instant air dash in and get hit by the projectile while in the air, as it will send you flying back a far distance. When the special is enhanced with the Install Overdrive, you won’t be able to dash forward after the follow-up Guard Crushes you, but you can still dash forward and block the regular projectile. If your character has an advancing special move that low profiles, you can use that to advance underneath Bedman’s projectiles and start your offense. Just be aware that Bedman has ways to keep you from doing this, so keep that option in mind, but don’t just default to it when approaching Bedman.

Getting closer to Bedman is exactly what it wants. Keep in mind that Bedman’s goal is to use this zoning tactic to get you to approach and move in a way that it can eventually react to. Unless your character has decent tools to deal with the projectiles or combat Bedman at longer ranges, there isn’t really any way around this tactic, and you’re forced to engage with Bedman this way.

Playing at Mid Range

Once you get within the mid range, both you and Bedman are going to have to gamble with your pokes or an aerial approach. Bedman’s primary pokes are its f.S, 2S and 2D. f.S and 2S are standard pokes. At max range, they do not gatling into anything except on counter hit. Once you’re within poking range, Bedman may attempt to fish for a counter hit with these buttons so it can safely get its offense going. 2D has the same range and similar startup as f.S and 2S, and on hit, the hard knockdown can give it an opportunity to close the distance so it can run its close range pressure.

All of Bedman’s pokes have a decent amount of recovery, making them very committal in neutral. On whiff, 2D has 21 frames of recovery, 2S has 22 and f.S has 17. On block, 2D is -10, 2S is -11, and f.S is -9. Since Bedman’s pokes can all be punished after being blocked, unless Bedman is working in conjunction with an error 6E follow up, it can’t just throw out these buttons for free. As such, Bedman may attempt to end their Spike > Manual Call zoning pattern on Spike once you get within a certain range so that it has the follow-up stored up and can safely use its pokes. Bedman can cover multiple ranges this way. For example, it can use 2S to fish for low-profile moves like Sol’s Night Raid Vortex while the follow-up automatically comes out, covering aerial approaches. It can also use Manual Call to fire the follow-up after a poke, which is a frametrap off of every normal, as well as plus on block. If Bedman doesn’t have the follow-up to Spike stored, pretty much anything it could do at midrange is a commitment. Keep that in mind, and search for the right opening when trying to challenge Bedman in neutral.

Another way Bedman could attempt to use the Spike follow-up is by jumping into the air before using it. Bedman is capable of air dashing afterwards, meaning that if you’re on the ground and you block Spike within the range of its air dash, it can threaten an air dash into an aerial normal, namely j.SGuardHighStartup10Recovery22Advantage- or j.HGuardHighStartup15Recovery24Advantage+10 (IAD). j.S is a disjointed aerial that can be difficult to challenge with an air-to-air, and j.H is a deep hitting aerial that can beat certain 6Ps. If you can, try to hit Bedman with a rising air-to-air or a far reaching anti-air before it shoots the follow-up. While there is a gap after blocking the follow-up, the blockstun may throw off your ability to anti-air in time. Furthermore, your air-to-air options afterwards are far slower if you block the follow-up on the ground, and you can be counter hit with j.S for attempting to do so. Bedman also doesn’t have to commit at all and can just fake you out with an air dash down > j.S to check your forward movement.

Remember: Bedman’s goal in neutral is to control and predict how you move and react. While you are forced to allow it a degree of control, you don’t have to surrender control completely. Mix up the timing of your approaches, how you approach, as well as how you challenge Bedman once you’re in the midrange. Bedman’s defense is extremely poor, so once you get in and manage to run your offense, it can really struggle.

Offense

Bedman’s defense is on the weaker side. It's only reversal is Call 4CC (Reversal Overdrive)GuardAllStartup9+4Recovery70Advantage-39, where Bedman generates a massive shockwave of energy. Its fastest button is its 5 frame 2PGuardAllStartup5Recovery10Advantage-2. Its 5K is 8 frames, but it is disjointed at the tip, which could allow it to challenge certain attacks from a longer distance, and since it connects into 2D, it allows Bedman to start running its offense if it successfully connects. It has a very strong backdash, on par with other heavyweights like Nagoriyuki and Potemkin. It can't really jump out of pressure as it has a slower jump compared to most of the cast, and has slow options out of that jump as well.

Defense

Defending Against Bedman’s Other Specials

Bedman’s pressure is primarily enforced by its special moves and their error 6E follow-ups. In addition to Spike, it has two other special moves it uses on offense. The first of these special moves is Call 4B3 (aka Spin)GuardAllStartup14Recovery24Advantage-12. Spin is an advancing multihit strike where the Bed transforms into a spiked top. This special move is not often used in neutral due to its long recovery (24 frames), because of how minus it is on block (-12), and because of how far away you’re left at after the move’s completion. Bedman can’t ever use Spin during a blockstring without Tension to Roman Cancel it. Even if Bedman uses Manual Call to activate the error 6E follow-up, it still has 15 frames of start-up. If Bedman ever carelessly uses Spin and you block it, this is an opportunity for you to mash a fast button or throw.

Spin’s error 6E follow-upGuardAllStartup15 [21]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+36 [+26] is a forward moving, multi-hit flame projectile. Spin is Bedman’s primary combo ender. As such, the applications of its error 6E follow-up generally revolve around post knockdown setups and pressure. Because Spin’s weaknesses prevent Bedman from being able to frequently use it, it won’t often have access to this follow up. If Bedman ever tries to immediately go into Spin’s follow-up on block using Manual Call, there’s a sizable gap that’s punishable with just about anything. However, if you end up blocking the follow-up, Bedman is very plus on block, and Bedman’s able to chain into other errors or sneak in a mixup.

Bedman’s other special move is Call 4B9 (Malfunction)GuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup24~38Recovery23Advantage+3. Malfunction is a strike attack where Bedman uses its broken arm to attack with an explosion. On hit, it can put you in a hard knockdown, and it Guard Crushes on block. The attack can be charged. It does more damage and leaves Bedman at a higher advantage on block the longer Bedman charges it for. Malfunction has a minimum of 24 frames of start-up. If Bedman ever tries to go for this, this is another opportunity to mash a fast button. Just don’t mash too late and get counterhit, as Bedman gets a major return from counter hits with this move. Remember that this move Guard Crushes, and can leave Bedman anywhere from +3 to +19 on block depending on how long it charges the move for, so if you do end up blocking it, do NOT press anything afterwards.

Malfunction’s error 6E follow-upGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup34 [40]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+49 has Bedman’s head pop off of the bed frame as a moving high damage projectile that also Guard Crushes on block. It's the error follow-up with the slowest startup and the most limited range. Blocking this gives Bedman the opportunity to go for a high/low mixup or a second, slightly charged Malfunction since it Guard Crushes you and leaves Bedman so plus. It has limited to outright useless applications in neutral pressure. Bedman has to be quite close to you in order for it to properly connect, and since the bomb has 34 frames of startup, it's all too easy to either hit Bedman or force it to block before the bomb releases. However, if Bedman manages to get in with the bomb ready to release, then its reward is very big.

When Bedman has the bomb primed, it may hang back and wait for you to go in. When the bomb is ready to release, Bedman may find an opportunity to commit with a forward movement, such as jumping at you with an air dash that’s low to the ground, right before the bomb releases. Even if you attempt to anti-air Bed and Bed blocks you, the bomb can still come out and punish the anti-air. You can attempt to dash forward or use an advancing special move to escape this situation. Similarly holding onto the bomb can deter you from going in. If you make a really bold commitment, it will be at your peril.

Using Manual Call with the follow-up is fairly terrible in blockstring pressure due to the large gap. It's very easy to mash out of. However, in the corner, Bedman can jump into the air and use Manual Call to drop the bomb right above your head. It’s high enough to avoid most 2Ks, 2Ps, and 5Ps, and even if you attempt to jump out, you’ll still end up blocking the bomb and being Guard Crushed while flying back into the corner. It can also attempt to use Manual Call after f.S, 2S, or 5H, and because of the distance, you may end up whiffing a normal while the bomb still appears.

Defending Against j.H

Bedman's j.HGuardHighStartup15Recovery24Advantage+10 (IAD) is a multi-hitting aerial attack, and every single one of its hits is an overhead. The normal habit of blocking high and then low against aerial attacks does not work against Bedman as you'll just block the first hit and then get hit by the rest. Instead, you have to continue to stand block until Bedman lands at which point you can block low.

It can be difficult to know exactly how many hits of j.H will come out before Bedman lands, making it difficult to know when to start blocking low to block a potential 2K, but with some practice it is possible to block j.H in any situation. The number of hits depends on how high up Bedman is, at IAD height j.H hits twice, and when higher it hits more. Only start blocking low when Bedman is almost on the ground. With practice, it is possible to reliably block j.H on reaction no matter the situation.

Another option Bedman has is to fake j.H completely by airdashing down-forward to make j.H whiff in order to do an empty low 2K. Normally, empty lows can be easily fuzzy blocked by blocking high then low, but as mentioned, j.H cannot be fuzzy blocked like this despite the gap between the overhead and low. Instead, this mixup can be almost entirely negated by doing a delayed throw. Block high, and then at the timing that j.H would start hitting, input throw. If done properly, you will block j.H, but throw them instead if they try to do an empty low.

Bedman does have setups that either leave it outside of throw range or alternatively, use !HGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup34 [40]RecoveryTotal 0 [Total 30]Advantage+49 to keep you in blockstun the entire time, but doing delayed throw almost completely invalidates this mixup in most safejump situations. Be aware that Bedman can hard bait this by making j.H whiff and then backdashing, but this can be beaten in many ways, turning the situation from a 50/50 mixup into an RPS situation, which is far better for you.

Defending Against the Rest of Bedman’s Pressure

Bedman uses the error 6E follow-ups from his specials to enforce its pressure, while it tries to break your guard with its abundance of high and low normals. These normals include its 6HGuardHighStartup25Recovery30Advantage-16 and 5DGuardHighStartup20Recovery26Advantage-15, which hit high and need to be blocked standing, and its 2S and forward advancing, multi-hit 2HGuardLowStartup16Recovery30Advantage-15, which need to be blocked low. There’s also his 8-way Air Dash, which allows him to perform aerials close to the ground.

Bedman’s 6H and 5D each have slow startup time. 6H has 25 frames of startup, while an uncharged/charged 5D has the standard 20/28 frames of startup that all Dusts have. These buttons are slow and easy to interrupt with most buttons, however, Bedman can attack in tandem with an error 6E follow-up to keep these buttons safe from being interrupted. It's best to try to avoid challenging these buttons, or any buttons, when Bedman has an error 6E follow-up stocked, or else you risk getting frametrapped.

There are 5 hits to Bedman’s 2H, and it can cancel any of these hits into a special move. This creates a strong RPS scenario that can be very difficult to deal with. All of Bedman’s special cancels from this normal can be dealt with, but they each have different answers to them.

2H > Spike loses to 6P
2H > Spin loses to throw
2H > Malfunction can be mashed on with far reaching P or K normals

A key part of Bedman’s pressure is a technique called Error Chaining. This is when Bedman does a special move in conjunction with an active error 6E follow-up, allowing it to loop strong close range pressure strings. If done perfectly, you can’t reliably mash out of these pressure strings unless you have normals faster than 5 frames, or an invincible reversal. Opportunities where you could mash before, like during the startup of Malfunction, can’t be mashed on anymore because those gaps are covered by error 6E follow-ups. Faultless Defense can hinder these offensive strings, and as such, is required to use when defending against Bedman. This will force Bedman to vary its blockstrings or commit to throws or stagger pressure.