GGXRD-R2/Slayer/Matchups/Jack-O

Matchup Overview

Jack-O has good zoning capabilities in this matchup, and has many opportunities to abuse Slayer's poor mobility to set houses and use Organ. Since Slayer also lacks any projectile, he cannot safely destroy houses from a distance like many other characters. What Slayer lacks in neutral however, he makes up for with great risk/reward from his counter-pokes.

Punishing house set and organ cancels

House set is 24f normal-hit recovery, Organ is 24+12f counter-hit recovery

House set and organ cancels on block/IB
Header text	House set	Organ	Jack-O Normals
Attack level 2	-11 / -14	-23 / -26	c.S, f.S, 6P, 2S
Attack level 3	-8 / -12	-20 / -24	5H(2,3), 6H(1)
Attack level 4	-6 / -10	-18 / -22	5H(1), 2H, 6H(2)

Destroying houses

It is very important to destroy the houses. In fact, it is often even more valuable than okizeme and pressure, as it can be very difficult or inconsistent to keep Jack-O locked down as Slayer. If houses are allowed to level up off-screen, it can quickly backfire as soon as Jack-O escapes Slayer's more limited hits and pressure.

Any time you hit Jack-O, it will kill all servants, which means a lot of long range low-reward Slayer options have good value. It also means as long as you can keep hitting Jack-O with small mixups and pokes, her most powerful winning conditions get reset. This includes bursting, blitzing and dead angles also.
If you cannot keep mixing up Jack-O however, you must consider sacrificing your oki and pressure.
SL 2H is good for controlling space and hitting houses that are offscreen or behind Slayer. Slayer also has a lot of ways to go into 2H during blockstrings, either through gatlings or with plus frames. OTG 2H after for example a 2D knockdown can also be a good way to get extra hits on the houses.
Otherwise, 5P, 2P, 2K and 5K are good pokes to hit the houses and the servants. You can also use P under pressure to build tension for a low recovery option, while simultaneously threatening P pilebunker if Jack-O tries to approach.
If you have the option to sideswitch Jack-O to destroy houses during your combo or pressure, it is often a good idea to do so. For example helter YRC, or forward dash.
Many of Slayer's blockstrings and attacks move him forward, which can be a good thing if houses are in your path. However, if you start moving forward and away from houses, it can be difficult to disengage to start destroying them again.
An idea to keep in mind is the value of the houses. The P house is probably the most valuable house, followed by K and then S. If Jack-O throws an S house at you, this can be a distraction to give her space to set P and K houses, the actual houses you need to worry about, or Organ. A lone S house is probably not worth sacrificing too much to go after.

Jack-O 2D

Overview
Two-hit DP that is tied to only one button. It is a good option to use in reaction to many of Slayer's approaches, however it has low-reward and very short range.

Details

9f startup with tension, 11f if no tension available.
Is not throw-invulnerable, and even has a CH window early in the recovery.
Doesn't normally knock down, and can put Jack-O in a pretty uncomfortable anti air-tech situation with her slow dash and long recovery 6P.
If only the first hit connects or only one counter-hit, it will knockdown. Sometimes the 2nd hit will also late-hit, giving it more frame advantage.

Counterplay
If you are spaced out, this move will whiff a lot in general against low recovery moves and 6P.

This move can in theory be used in reaction to beat a lot of Slayer's approaches: P dandy follow-ups, K dandy in general, 6H, 6K, 2D, and helter skelter. Because it is tied to a down-input, you cannot cross-up to mess with the directional inputs either like other 623 DPs, and so SL dash c.S can become weaker also.
SL 6P and most pressure options when slightly spaced out will often CH and beat 2D for high return.
It is also possible to safejump against this reversal from most SL 2D knockdowns.

Jack-O f.S

Overview
A long range spacing tool, and also used as a frametrap tool and to extend blockstrings. On hit or block, a common mixup point into 3H, organ or house set.

Details

8f startup, but grows in length during the active frames.
Hitbox is low enough to hit Slayer 6P at it's lowest point.
6 active frames and 20f recovery.

Counterplay
JC f.S is -12 on block, but is -11 when going into a house set. This means it's often guaranteed punishable with burst dead on time UNLESS Jack-O jumpcancels.

K mappa to punish house set is also possible if you IB f.S, but will only do a single hit to the house, and put you in an uncomfortable position. You also run the risk of running into 3H and 5H frametraps, which are equally common options.

Jack-O 5H

Overview
A great multi-hitting poke that moves forward with a lot of active frames and a high hitbox, while low-crushing all of Slayer's low pokes. On hit, will in most cases combo into 4D.

Details

10f startup on the first hit, but the 2nd hit has 25f startup. Low-crush from frame 8-60.
Notably does not hit on both sides as the animation implies.
The startup hurtbox is very small, making it excellent for close range whiff-punishes just outside of Slayer's reach.
Jump-cancellable (only the first hit), special cancellable, and only gatlings into 5D.

Counterplay

This move is great for beating Slayer IAD, forward dashes and dandy step at close range. It is also very consistent at beating one of Slayer's key counterpokes in this matchup, Slayer 2H. It's also a good oki-tool to stop BDC options on wakeup.
In neutral the first part of this move has pretty short range, and then the following hits are very susceptible to Slayer CH 6P, even when done during blockstrings. It is very weak to blitz and whiff-punishes if you can outspace it, with neutral jump j.H or BDC P pilebunker and such.
If you block this move, you can always stand stand block as there is no low option to mix up with 5D.

Jack-O 2H

Overview
Short range multi-hitting move that can get additional hits by mashing H. One of Jack-Os best CH and air starters, commonly used to fish for those type of hits, or to stall for servants to arrive.

Details

One of few cancelable attack level 4 normals.
13f startup and -2 on block
Can only be special canceled after the final hit.

Counterplay
Since Jack-O is commited to the 2H animation until the final hit, you can often create punish opportunities by utilizing FD and pushing Jack-O out before the final hit connects.

You should always stand block against this move to make yourself thinner to increase the chances of creating a gap. There are no low cancels.
BDC P pile, blitz, BDOT, EW are good punishes for when the final hit has a gap.

Jack-O 3H

Overview
Long reaching, very active and low-profiling poke. Is punishable on block, but can be made more safe by spacing it out. This move combined with 5H, can turn many neutral interactions into a dice roll of either doing a low-crush move or a low-profiling move.

Details

13f startup, and begins low profile at frame 11.
Does not extend much on startup, which means if you are spaced out you can trade a lot into this move.
When 3H is low-profiling, it goes under SL 5P, 2P, 5K, mappa, but notably does not go under pilebunker, under pressure and 6P.

Counterplay
Since the low profile part is a bit slow too come out, you can chase it down with K mappa and keeping your frametraps semi-tight.

SL 2H is also a very powerful move against 3H, which doubles in destroying houses. SL 6K will also work against 3H.
IB and block-punishing with SL 2K or 5K are also powerful options, as it tends to drop a lot from far range.
During JC blockstrings, it's also pretty consistent to BDC mappa or P pilebunker to beat the gap into 3H as long as there are no servants nearby.

Jack-O 4D

Overview
General purpose combo ender and frametrap tool that can be difficult to punish. Sideswitches on hit in any direction.

Details

11f startup, but doesn't hit crouchers until frame 16. Standing characters around 13f startup.
9f active total and boasts a great hitbox, as well as feet invulnerability during the active part.
This move has priority in any trade.
-11 on block, but because of how the active frames are spread out, it's practically always much safer. Can be very difficult to punish at far ranges without IB.
Can option select bursts with RRC.
Can be done while rising to jump over some stuff, while still being able to hit crouchers.

Counterplay
Even though 4D is a hard move to block-punish, any hit will kill all servants, so you still want to go for small hit punishes if houses are out. It's also weak to dandy step and BDC whiff-punishes when used as a frametrap.

K mappa on hit

Jack-O 5P is a 4f normal, which normally doesn't hit Slayer crouching, but it will hit any of his crouching pokes like 2P, 2K, 2S, etc. JC 5P also whiff-cancels into 2K, making it impossible for Slayer to get around this move after K mappa hit without doing BDC bite or other BDC options.
Jack-O 6D is also a pretty interesting move as it has 17f startup, low crush, throw-invulnerability AND it hits both sides, making it a good callout for 6P, BDC bite, BDC mappa, forward dash and even dandy step at certain timings. It also has normal-hit recovery, making it difficult to punish alongside her other moves.
Jack-O 5H is also pretty powerful, as it will hit SL 6P, and it will catch BDC mappa and dandy steps options, and importantly it also catches backdash into nothing. A powerful move that must be respected in this situation.

Punishing supers

Forever elysion driver

Block before flash, then jump CH j.H c.S 2D.
CH j.H 2SH 5K j.S2K j.D dj.SHD in the corner.
If you hold FD before flash, you cannot escape, so don't do this.
6K and delay IL will work if you do it before flash.
Will auto correct and hit Slayer if you try to dash through it.
Jump back after flash into CH SDD is possible.
EW after flash is also possible.

Calvados

+9 on block, which is at least not enough to get greedy with house and organ.
EW after flash if close enough or BDOT trade.
Burst version can be used with YRC to jump out of stuff before flash, does not spend burst and only costs 25% total. The jump isn't high enough to avoid many of Slayer's hits, so delaying your attacks is often good enough.
Otherwise very difficult to punish.