GGST/Potemkin/Strategy

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Overview

Before reading this page-- you should be somewhat acquainted with Potemkins Moves. There is a lot of information there and this page should not repeat it.

General Tactics

Potemkin Strategy revolves around 3 aspects
  • Bullying with Pot's hard hitting normals and specials at the midrange
  • Slidehead, Hammerfall break to pester close the distance.
  • Jab, Garuda and Kara Buster once the gap is closed.
Always Be Charging (ABCs)
  • While not as relevant as prior entries in the Guilty Gear series, Hammerfall is still an incredibly useful tool for closing distance. Without it, Potemkin is significantly weaker.
  • Hold back while doing ANYTHING that does not require you to be holding forward, such as during a Potemkin Buster animation. During inputs in combos, hold back as well (so instead of doing 2P, do 1P) so you can keep Hammerfall ready.
  • This is important as it'll allow Potemkin to chase after a knockdown and keep pressure going, keeping his threat real and closing out rounds quickly.


  • Opponents aren't going to allow themselves to be in Potbuster range until forced to stop evading.
  • When stuck in the corner -- 5P, Back-MegaFist, and Buster are your best friends
    • Buster can be mashed during pressure by spinning the stick and mashing P


Kara Cancels with 6K

Potemkin's 6K Kara Cancels are an extremely useful tool that enhances all of his special moves and is important to just about everything Potemkin can do. There is already a tutorial ingame on how to learn how to do Kara Buster, as well as on Potemkin's overview pages, but you can click here if you haven't seen them.

Video Explanation:

List of Kara Cancelled special moves and their differences

  • All

Startup is increased by a couple of frames, usually 2. Added forward momentum.

  • Kara Buster (632146K~P)

This is the one you should practice how to do first, and the aforementioned ingame tutorial will help you do this.

Kara Buster makes it easier to catch opponents after certain gaps (such as after a Garuda Impact) thanks to the added startup, but most importantly it massively extends the range of Potemkin Buster, which is important for getting extremely high, meterless damage from punishes and for opening people as Potemkin.

  • Kara Heat Knuckle (6236K~H) OR (6K~623H)

"It's a meme" - DSBro

  • Kara Forwards Mega Fist/KFMF (236K~P) OR (6K~236P)

Greatly extends the range of Forward Mega Fist allowing Potemkin to leap in from very far and close distance effectively. Still risky thanks to Mega Fist being unsafe on block, but pushback can still make it awkward for the opponent to punish you.
Using KFMF in counter hit situations greatly extends the range of c.S combos.

  • Kara Backwards Mega Fist/KBMF (2146K~P) OR (6K~214P)

Makes Backwards Mega Fist go about as far forward as a regular Mega Fist. Surrenders the frame advantage (-2 instead of +4) but carries heavy use in combos as it will groundbounce the opponent after every hit, allowing for extremely high damage juggles in the corner. You can also do it midscreen with a microwalk, giving you high damage anywhere on the screen as long as you have the execution! Perhaps one of the more useful kara options Potemkin has.

You may have some difficulty with KBMF's input, as if you accidentally do a half circle, doing the first method (2146K~P) will instead give you Kara Buster. 6K~214P is harder to get used to, but it adds for consistency if you're worried about accidentally bustering.

  • Kara Slide Head (236K~S)

Moves Potemkin slightly forward while doing Slide Head, extending the range and making it easier to followup. Very useful in neutral for closing distance and applying a threat to your opponent.

  • Kara Hammerfall ([4]6K~H)

Gives Potemkin an extra push forward, which allows him to catch opponents much easier after Potemkin Buster knockdowns and more. One of those moves that you could recommend doing instead of the normal input almost every time.

  • Kara Flick (632146K~S) OR (6K~63214S)

Allows Potemkin to flick certain things that he wouldn't be able to otherwise (e.g. Ramlethal's sword explosions when he's not cornered).

  • Kara Garuda Impact (2146K~H) OR (6K~214H)

Another big money maker. Garuda is already one of Potemkin's most useful moves, but extending its range allows for specific and very powerful oki setups to force the opponent in a very bad position while chipping away at their health, and some combos.


Do I have to learn how to kara?

No. However, the time investment is low and the gains are numerous. Understand many punishes and Buster setups are unavailable sans kara specials.
While you can win without them, it's advised you learn them when you can.

Neutral

Pressure

Garuda

  • PRC to c.S to Garuda cannot be jumped.
    • It also cannot be reversal thrown. Buttons slower than 4 frames will be counterhit, 4 frame buttons will trade but Garuda will also counterhit in this trade. Chipp's 5P is the only button capable of cleanly beating PRC c.S xx Garuda; Sol's 5K will trade like a 4f button.

Also see Garuda Oki

Potbuster Setups

Slidehead, Hammerfall, break, Potbuster on wakeup.
Garuda impact and Counterhit 2S stagger, allowing for a guaranteed kara-buster in range. Blocked Garuda and blocked c.S allow for a strike/throw mix between buster or another button (e.g. delay 2s, delay 2h, or buster for blocked c.S, 2d, or buster for garuda)

Garuda Oki

Garuda Impact (214H) is one of Potemkin's best, and most useful special moves. After a knockdown, 214H is an excellent way to force a very nasty situation on your opponent. Garuda Oki's versatility is nearly boundless; there is no reason not to do it when possible. It deals a ton of chip damage, can even be meatied twice in a row, and it beats nearly every reversal option the opponent could use to escape it. Once blocked, Garuda Oki allows for a simple strike/buster mixup for a ton of damage, or other silly things.

You can set up Garuda Oki after most of Potemkin's knockdowns, such as CH 6P, Air Mega Fist, 2D, Throw, and Potemkin Buster if you're close enough to the corner. If you actually are in the corner, you can set up Garuda after combos easily by hitting the opponent with an OTG 5K/c.S and cancelling into 214H, which will hit them meaty and reset the situation. Spacing Garuda is important, as if you are too close to the opponent you run the risk of reversals beating you. If spaced properly, the only thing an opponent can do is use a reversal super, and in many cases reversal supers will clash with Garuda. In this case, cancel into Faultless Defense and punish the opponent.

This is one of Potemkin's greatest strengths and it's recommended you do it as much as you can. Being able to force your opponent to block the already dangerous Garuda is phenomenal, and it lets Potemkin carry momentum very easily after a knockdown - a unique strength among most of the GGST cast.

Options after Garuda

WIP

On Hit
  • Kara Garuda -> Kara Buster

Very easy way to get a lot of extra damage, corner carry, and set up into another Garuda if you're close enough to the corner.

On Block

It's recommended you delay most options to make the timing ambiguous, as well as ensuring Potemkin Buster will hit.

  • Potemkin/Kara Buster

Will open opponents who choose to block easily, as well as Kara closing the distance. Will lose to jumping.

  • 2D

Will open opponents trying to block, jump, or backdash. Cancel into Hammerfall Brake immediately to loop oki if they got hit by this, which also means more chip damage to scare them.

  • c.S

+4 on block and one of your best. It will catch opponents attempting to jump or mash, and if this is blocked as well it sets up your c.S 50/50 with Potemkin Buster. On hit, you get a fat combo.

  • Roman Cancel (BRC/PRC)

Sets up an even scarier mixup with 5K, 5D, and Potemkin Buster. A good way to close out rounds if you have the meter. If you want to make the low and high less reactable, you can use 2D as well, but if you already know your opponent is focused on reacting to the high/low then buster them instead.

Double Garuda

Yes, you can do Garuda twice in a row.
It's actually possible to make Garuda land so meaty that you can followup with a second Kara Garuda for twice the chip damage, closer range, and all of your regular On Block followups afterwards. The opponent cannot jump, mash, or throw out of the second Garuda if done right. Garuda needs to hit on effectively the last possible frame in order for this to be possible - this actually makes it so meaty your opponent can backdash it if they anticipate it. Use it after you've conditioned them to block Garuda and not backdash, which shouldn't be too hard to do on an experienced player. While it's very hard to realize you're going for a Kara Garuda on the first hit, opponents can still attempt to reversal super or DP out once they realize that's what you're doing. It's recommended you only use this on characters without DPs.

The reward for Double Garuda is as massive as it sounds. With proper conditioning, it will only make you even scarier.

Video Explanation:

Fighting Potemkin

  • He keeps Megafisting, what do I do?
    • 6P should stuff it //(needs to be tested with all chars)

Matchups

Axl

Axl is quickly being recognized as one of the most annoying matchups to learn for potemkin vs. Axl Primer

Faust

Anti-Drill Punish

Leo

MegaFist can punish fireball at range

Gio

  • 6P beats Sol Poente (Flip kick) and Trovao (Arrow) on reaction.
  • Potemkin is able to force Giovanna to approach with his big buttons

Players To Watch

External Links/Videos

What Can Potemkin Flick?

  • Missing a few moves, majority of options present

Potemkin Pressure Guide

  • Quick, informative, entertaining - many of the discussed garuda 50/50s

Potemkin Replay Playlist

  • Lots of FAB

Potemkin Discord

  • Large, active, willing to help

Navigation

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