GGXRD-R2/Answer/Strategy

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 Answer

General Tactics

Answer is a character who resolves neutral with strong air-to-ground attacks, evasive movement, and strong whiff punishing/stuffing, and then gets corner carry through combos, mixups like command grab, or blockstrings, like K scroll blockstrings. Once in the corner, Answer can go crazy on the offensive with long and tricky blockstrings that are hard to escape, and whittles his opponent down by making the correct guesses enough times. Although he is not strictly a setplay or mixup character, Answer often relies more than some characters on getting a strong corner knockdown to gain the momentum to win, and as long as he is observant of his opponent's defensive habits, he can hold onto momentum for a long time.

Neutral

From Mega Dan's Ultimate Answer Guide

Controlling the Ground

While strong, Answer’s ground control options can be very committal but if used properly you can make the opponent feel as if the ground is lava.

The attacks you should be using to control the ground are:

f.S

Great horizontal reach and can combo into 2D so it’s good as a quick lateral poke.

2S

Fair bit of reach but slightly slower than f.S and 5H. The low recovery of this move makes it very worth using even if it can’t convert into knockdown without meter. Low risk.

5H

Amazing whiff punisher and neutral counter hitting tool. Hard to get knockdown after this but it can put fear into your enemy when used correctly. This is probably his riskiest option here because of it’s high recovery and lack of ability to catch jumps.

2D

Amazing low > knockdown. If you can land this in neutral do it. It’s great for stuffing people running in at you.

236S/H

This is one of the best projectiles in the game. This changes the neutral in many matchups and with 25 meter this becomes the best projectile in the game. You can basically enforce instant plus frames and card mixups if they’re anywhere on the ground. I find that card yrc is exceptionally good at getting you out of the corner. If they try running at you with too much of a gap and this hits you can turn the situation completely around.

Controlling the Air

Answer’s air control options are actually very good. He has a variety of anti airs in his buttons as well as scrolls. The attacks you should be using to control the air are: 6P

My go to anti air. It’s a good 6P and has all the perks that come with that.

2H

Worse version of Ky’s 2H but hits behind him a little bit more which can be nice. The hurbox comes out before the hitbox you have to be careful with this move. Very useful for catching opponents resetting pressure with IAD’s. Even if this counter hits you can get a combo.

5K

Worse version of Sol’s 5K but people are slowly finding use for it vs certain moves like faust’s j.2K. Generally sol’s 5K can be used while running to quickly catch opponents in the air but it can be hard to use this move like that as it’s harder to hit confirm and has less hitstun. Can be useful vs I-no’s hover dash.

jD

Generally i would not include a jump attack within standard air control option but jD is what we call a ‘god normal’. It’s extremely strong as an air to air and has a ridiculous, wonky hitbox and good active frames. It is definitely a move you need to get used to though as counterhit fishing with air moves is an odd thing. It’s a move worth learning.

Scrolls

from Mega Dan's Ultimate Answer Guide

In Neutral

Little do people realize, scrolls in neutral can be more broken than scrolls in pressure. They give you crazy movement, whiff punishing, and high damage combos that lead to knockdown.

I like to think of setting a scroll in neutral almost like throwing a fireball - your opponent has to react or they'll likely end up in a bad situation. You can get a lot openings from just setting a scroll in neutral and countering their response - for example a lot of people like to preemptively air to air after scroll set by jumping up & putting a hitbox on the scroll (faust jH, sol jP), and if you know its coming that can lead to a juicy anti-air / air to air into a scroll KD.


P Scrolls:

The double high scroll is one of his best scroll sets in neutral at it gives you the most abstract Answer-specific movement. With this setup he can easily fly above most neutral tools and get immediately to his enemy. This scroll set also allows you to get around moves that would normally cover all the scrolls. If you do a 7, 8, or 9 dash with a K followup you can dodge something like air beak driver or faust jH that would beat sitting on the scroll. This scroll set is also paired nicely H card throw as you can control the air with scroll dashes and control the ground with card throws. It’s critical for answer’s game plan to convert anti-air or air-to-air enemies into scroll attacks using P scrolls for damage and a knockdown. It’s your goal to make the enemy think they cannot approach scrolls from the air or ground.

H Scrolls:

The close high scroll is similar to P scroll in how you start neutral but this scroll set can be more useful for getting offense started. Hitting D on the high scroll takes you all the way to the low one regardless of how far it is. This is the farthest you can travel automatically to a scroll and the angle is really odd. The only characters that generally can travel at an angel like this are bedman and answer so it can be weird to anti air. Since this travels so far at your opponent, this scroll set can be useful for getting right in at your opponent and pressuring with the low scroll that follows. If you do s.6D and do s.H right above the second scroll, this can beat player’s attempts to 6P or otherwise anti air you as you go towards the second scroll.

K Scrolls:

The two low scrolls are generally good vs enemies that are linear or do not have much to cover the horizontal ground space.

My general rule of thumb for neutral scrolls is to always have a high scroll set first so i generally wait to throw this out when i have a P or H scroll set. When fullscreen slower enemies can’t stop you from setting both P and K so in doing so you can make enemies very wary of approaching. Generally just use K scroll to improve your current scrolls.

S Scrolls: I generally save this for pressure and setups. The close low scroll isn't very useful as you could just as quickly get onto a high scroll for better movement. I don’t recommend using this much in neutral.

In Oki and Pressure

Basically Answer wants to get a knockdown so he can get scrolls up.

What scrolls you do depends largely on where you are, what kind of mixup you want to do, and how much the opponent is respecting your offense. A General Guilty Gear thing to note is that not all knockdowns are equal. For example after a 2D knockdown answer can get meaty s.K but after an air throw distance and wake up times matter greatly whether or not you can even get a meaty 2P.

In pressure, his primary mixup is a strike/throw mixup using his excellent command grab. Limited gatling and combo options and mediocre ground buttons will in turn limit your frametrap options when you are pushed out of 2P range, which means you get one or two solid but basic mixups and then you must choose between a high risk pressure reset (such as setting a scroll and following up in different ways or IAD j.S in the corner, etc.), or a neutral reset with the advantage of a thrown card (the default option). Scrolls (and cards) are obviously the way in which you circumvent these shortcomings and allow Answer to shine offensively, turning him into a character with long, forward-moving blockstrings with several opportunities for mixups and resets with improved reward.

When do I set scrolls?

Besides the obvious use when you knockdown the opponent, scrolls are best used when not expected.

If you are in a block string and at any time put down scrolls the enemy is 100% free to mash out, jump out, or otherwise put themselves in a better position. Every Answer player can do this differently but my method generally involves a lot of 2p and 2s to keep myself plus as often as i can. I enforce frame traps to get respect and over time use that respect on things like scrolls and command grabs. This is one of the hardest things to learn with Answer as Guilty Gear players love to mash and can be pretty stuck in their ways.

Blockstrings

From Mega Dan's Ultimate Answer Guide

 2P > 2K > f.S > 5H > Special cancel
This is the first thing you want to learn as a new player.

The basic mixup here is do you do resshou, card, or scroll set. What special you do changes how they’re supposed to react to the situation, so if you’re unpredictable, the enemy will have a hard time dealing with and reacting to what you do.

 2P > 2S > delay 5H
This is a great string because if they mash between any of the moves they will be counterhit.

Use this to start making the enemy more cautious about mashing. This string has very lenient cancel windows to bait the enemy to do something. The main counterhit here between the 2S and 5H as that moves staggers for extra combos. Note that there is no low in this string and if you get predictable with your frame traps this can be easily jumped and punished. If you’re vs a jump heavy player don’t even think about doing this with any kind of delay. The main reason you’d use this string is when you think the enemy may mash after 2S but aren’t too sure about it.

 2P/K > 2S > 6H
This string sets up for a counter hit with 6H instead of 5H.

2S gatlings into 6H so for this string you don’t want to delay after the 2S. With 6H being special cancellable as well as +0 on block this string can act like you just hit resshou. Unlike 2S > 5H, this string can catch an enemy jumping which makes it a whole lot safer than the 5H variant.

 2P > 2K > 2S > 5/6H
This string is the same as the other but incorporates a low to keep the enemy in down back.

While there is no gap between 2P and 2S anymore, the main 2S >5/6H situation still exists.

 2P > 2K > f.S > 2S(whiff)> 5H

This string is similar to how ky and sol will do f.S > 2S to basically reduce the recovery of the f.s. f.S > 2S has 4 extra frames on it but it adds another move to the string. This sets up for a 5H CH.

 5H > IAD> j.S > (j.P) > j.H
Something else you want to consider is doing IAD pressure.

A strong pressure reset tool against taller characters. Great in the corner to dissuade people from jumping out. If your opponent likes to react to the reset by holding up back, you can 5H > IAD > 623K. Answer's block strings are very jumpable, so this is vital to represent. Answer’s iad pressure is also relatively fast so the enemy will likely not be prepared to 6P this the first time. This is particularly good vs Elphelt because she lacks a fast 6P to hit you out of this.

If you suspect your enemy will not react to the jump cancel, then delay the jS to hit them crouching. Be wary of characters with crouching anti airs like Ky’s 2H and Faust’s 2K. IAD Blitz/YRC can deal with these anti airs but for Answer generally does not have/want to use meter in this way. It is better to mix up your options to keep your opponent guessing.

Characters with crouching anti airs: (some 2Ps may also work)

Faust 2K

Dizzy 2S

Jack-O 2S

Ky 2H

Milia 2H

Chipp 2H

ANY character can air throw the iad. Do not be predictable.

Scroll Blockstrings

The basic and overall most reliable scroll blockstrings use K scrolls (low scrolls) because they give you the most opportunities for resets and frametraps. They are usually a good default oki option. H and S have some uses for oki and possibly resets (in the case of H scroll), but P scrolls are not very good for blockstrings since you need low scrolls to open up your best pressure options.

Midscreen K scroll > 6H meaty > cling > s.D > s.K > c.S(1)/2K>2S or 5S/2P > 5H > 22P > cling > s.D > s.K > frametrap into blockstring or throw.

This is one of Answer's most basic blockstrings. From your 6H meaty, this would be a generic string that starts midscreen and pushes them into the corner if they block everything. s.D > s.K is the most essential scroll blockstring since it is the safest choice out of s.D, has high potential reward, and s.K is your scroll move that leads into Answer's basic blockstring mixups. The basic frametrap opportunities happen after s.K since it's +5 on block. The normals above are the examples because c.S is a 1f trap on normal block sK, has very low pushback per hit and boosts the RISC gauge a good bit, and gives reward and/or hit confirms, 2K is a 2F trap on normal block sK and is a low, and 2P is gapless on normal block and +, giving you other pressure options, but is also a good frametrap if they IB the sK.
The 6H meaty can easily be replaced with 2K > c.S(1) > 5H > 22P > cling if you need the low. Also, it's important to get used to practicing hit confirms into 2D or 6K if another scroll combo will not be possible, these being particularly viable and important out of c.S. 6K confirms are difficult but well worth it in the long run.

Corner K scroll > 6H meaty > cling to corner-side scroll > s.D > s.K > normal frametrap > blockstring gatlings into 5H or 6H > cling to midscreen side scroll > s.D > s.K > frametrap into blockstring or throw

The difference between this blockstring and the first is that you actually use the corner-side scroll first. This means that the basic way in which you make use of the second scroll is by performing a blockstring that pushes you back to the correct spacing, and then clinging to it out of 5H or 6H. Usually, your normal into sD from that distance will leave a small gap, which is nice in that it's a high reward frametrap, but it can also be a problem since it creates a good spot for your opponent to try and use Blitz Shield. Over time, you will learn to use different techniques to bait and punish blitz, maintain pressure that circumvents blitz, or delay using the second scroll for long enough that it takes their mind off of blitz shield.
Be careful of using gatlings that can lead to big whiffs if you get FD'ed. A whiffed 5H in particular is going to be a bad time for you. Avoid using excessive filler in your blockstrings when it isn't necessary, and avoid using 5H and 2D at max range. This is yet another reason c.S is so good: low pushback, drains lots of tension on FD, gatlings directly into 5H at any time, and can go into 2S > 6H to further punish FD.
Some other options this blockstring opens up is IAD repressure from 5H, since you're in the corner, and clone summon, if you have cards set, will be more useful in the corner since there is no pushback, and since you have multiple strong options for resets afterwards.

5H > 22P > cling > s.K

A general purpose corner blockstring for if you want to remain gapless after 5H 22P cling.

s.D > s.H~[H+ 2 or 4 or w/e directional you like] > s.D > s.K

Example of working in the high mixup in between scroll dashes. Not a perfectly safe blockstring, and gives up the first sK, but gives people a reason to block high. May as well use it from time to time, but since a lot of people stand block against scrolls anyway, don't count on this one. You hold the H and directional to avoid clinging to the second scroll until sH connects.

5H or other normal> K scroll set > followup of choice > cling s.D etc., or 5H or other normal > fwd. SJ H scroll set > cling > s.3D > followup of choice

Even though this has been touched on earlier, I want to emphasize it. These are two examples of how you can use the respect your opponent has given you over time to get a massive pressure reset. You can and should cancel into scroll set out of different normals, or when you're plus, to be unpredictable, working scroll sets in at different times, spacings and in different ways (i.e. standing scroll set or TK scroll set). Even though you are leaving yourself wide open when you do this, the value is absolutely massive, so once you've established the basic pressure options and can get your opponent to stop moving, sneaking in an extra scroll is surely worth it. You could try doing it earlier in blockstrings as well, to be less obvious about it and to establish an even greater advantage. For example, you could use the first corner side K scroll, do a frametrap after sK, use whatever gatlings you like to confirm the block and get your preferred spacing, and then set an H scroll or superjump and set an H scroll, and now you have 3 scrolls to work with, and even more mixup options.
The value of it is such that you only need to do it here and there to drastically increase your odds of winning. Patience pays off.

5H > K scroll set > 5H > 22P or SJ > cling > sD~[D + 4 or 2 or any directional you're comfortable with] > s.K > c.S(1) > 5H > 22P > cling > s.D > s.K > etc.

An example blockstring following a K scroll set repressure. In this case, you are using the midscreen side scroll first, so to avoid having to cling straight to the second scroll after s.D, you have to hold down D and a directional as you're going into s.K to avoid clinging. This way, we can get the most out of our two new scrolls, as opposed to just doing sD > sD > sK.

High to low scroll s.3D > low sH > cling or 2K c.S(1) 5H > 22P cling etc.

Reminder that you get a sort of ok high/low mixup that converts easily if you have both a high and low scroll available. It can be disrespected by knowledgeable players, but once you've gained some respect, working in a fairly hard to block mixup that gives a combo or pressure isn't something to ignore. You could do this out of oki setups or H scroll resets. If the s.D hits, you can either land and combo into 6K/ 6H cling, or you can release your sH early and cling into sD.

s3D > 5P or 2P > etc.

General purpose blockstring for if you wanted to remain gapless after s3D.

Learning Resources

Fighting Answer

The most important things to think about in neutral are his scroll dash and his card YRC. Because Answer can evade and counterattack in ways that are very punishing and hard to contest head on or counter from the ground, your main goal is to neutralize his scrolls. You can do this by running away from the effective range of his scrolls, by zoning out the movement paths of s.D and superjump, or by stuffing his attempts to get set up and smothering him. What approach you employ will depend largely on your character. Your last line of defense, generally speaking, will be an attempt to antiair or air to air him directly, which is risky for a lot of reasons (his spacing, his speed, scroll cling invuln, his reward from trading in air-to-air interactions). If you failed to do any of the above, which inevitably will happen, the lowest risk option is to patiently block and allow him to get in, since after he's used his scrolls, the risk/reward is usually a lot less daunting for you.


In regards to running away from scrolls, the main things to keep in mind are 1. how far do you actually have to run to "get out", and 2. will it put you in the corner? Generally speaking, avoiding getting cornered should be one of your top priorities since Answer's corner pressure is top notch, but not at the cost of getting hit hard. If you are playing a character with a very fast dash, run-under will become an increasingly viable strategy. Conversely, if you are playing a character with excellent backwards movement, it's a lot easier to move into a position where you will have a better chance to anti air him or counter-poke when he tries to come in. This is not without risks, and sometimes constitutes a bit of a read on which direction he will go, but in the case of characters with splendid ground mobility, it is easily one of your strongest options. If you are already near the scroll, running forward to get back to midscreen is good: if the scroll is a ways in front of you, you need to move backwards, or, if already cornered, block or attempt an antiair. As long as you are able to maintain a good screen position, it's OK to be forced to block sometimes. Answer excels at defeating aggressive opponents, but is very weak against passive and measured play.


In regards to zoning scrolls, it's fairly straight forward: you should prefer highly active moves, moves that reach all the way up to P-scroll height, or ideally moves that accomplish both. A couple of good examples of this would be Ky j.D or Raven's projectiles. Basically, you are picking moves that leave you unexposed, but make using the scrolls a non-issue to deal with. Not every character has such moves. Generally, this strategy of projectile zoning will force Answer to use air Data Logging (parry), so be prepared to deal with the follow-up attack by IB'ing it, repositioning, etc. Take note that he can cling to another scroll out of it if he falls onto one (above your head).


In regards to stuffing him, rushing him or contesting directly, you should usually stick to moves with low total durations to minimize the risk. You can probe with air-to-air moves, if you have ones with low total duration or good hitboxes and active frames. Moves like Baiken j.S/j.D, Faust j.H, Beak Driver, Elphelt j.D, Sol j.P/j.H etc. are VERY hard for him to deal with as they really give high scrolls a lot of trouble. You should aim to do this BEFORE he's already on the scroll or you run the risk of getting beat up. If you are forced into an awkward situation where Answer is already moving to a P scroll, you can try to airthrow as he's rising, or you can try to stick out a large hitbox (think Ky 2H or Raven 5K). The risk of these things is that his scroll dash is very fast and hits hard, and he can easily force a whiff and then punish you hard for it, so this is why it needs to be stressed how important it is to not operate in the effective range of scrolls.

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