GGXRD-R2/Johnny/Strategy

From Dustloop Wiki
< GGXRD-R2‎ | Johnny
Revision as of 06:54, 27 March 2021 by Shtkn (talk | contribs)

Learning Johnny

  1. Familiarize yourself with his normals, specials, and basic mechanics (Mist Stance, Levels, Baccus Sigh) at Johnny Overview
  2. Practice mist cancelling until you can do it naturally
  3. Learn his basic combos and basic level-up game flow
  4. Practice applying pressure using mist cancel and his various tools
  5. Familiarize yourself with his basic meter options
  6. Fight the CPU to confirm you can put the previous steps together and know how to confirm hits
  7. Play real matches, and keep practicing!


On Offense: Identify what your problems are. Are opponents jumping out? Are they hitting you? Are you getting pushed out? Figure out where you need to adjust, and re-apply in matches. Practice utilizing resources to maintain pressure.

On Defense: Understand universal defensive mechanics and utilize them as best you can. Ask yourself whether you are spending too much or too few resources on defense.

At Neutral: Focus on winning the ground game. Avoid relying on air approaches unless you feel there are no other answers. Identify problematic pokes and evaluate. Reflect on your movement: Are you dashing too much/too little? Are you giving ground too easily?

When in doubt, consult Training Mode and Video footage of other Johnny players.

Pressure

Basics

Johnny's pressure game is centered around his throw. Once he gets a throw or two, the opponent will start to try more risky methods to escape pressure such as mashing or jumping. Once this starts he can go for frame traps and get much higher rewards.


Tick throws

Make yourself plus, then walk or dash in range, then throw.

At point blank range use any + normal then walk in range for a throw. 2K is usually the best option for this as its +2 and doesn't have much pushback. The other option Johnny has is to Mist Cancel a normal from farther away and then step dash into the throw. This is best used from bigger normals such as f.S, 2D, 5H, or 6H.

Make sure to use the throw option select of 6S+H. Johnny's big buttons like 5H and 6H will leave you standing there for a while on whiff. c.S has less than half the total duration of 5H for example.


Frame traps

The counterpart of tick throws. By making a small gap in your pressure, the opponent is tempted to try and escape. By making the gap small enough, you can catch most escape attempts and still continue to pressure if they keep blocking.

3 frames is a good number to go for when making a gap. This will hit anyone trying to jump and it will counter hit any move with 4 frames of startup or more.


Examples of 3 Frame gaps with Johnny:

Any level:

2K,2P

c.S,5K


Level 1:

2D(1)>MC>5K

5H>MC>f.S


Level 2:

2S>MC>5K

6H>MC>5H


Level 3:

5K>MC>5K

2S>MC>f.S

2D(1)>MC>5H


Resetting Pressure

Did the last frame trap or tick throw not work? Don't let them get back to neutral, reset the situation however you can.


Pressure reset examples:

Coin - Dashing in after a coin is a very effective way to close the gap. Coin is +8 at point blank, and gets more +frames when it is blocked further in its arc. However depending on the normal used before coin, there can be a gap big enough for the opponent to jump out or escape.

Zweihander YRC - This tool lets you reset pressure from even the farthest ranges. It can be used after f.S, 2S, and even 6H. This also gives you a 50/50 mixup afterwards if timed correctly.

Jump Cancel IAD - This is especially useful after 6H, because 6H has enough blockstun to keep the opponent locked down until your air dash reaches them.

MC>dash>buttons - This is another alternative to the dash tick throw. You will want to condition your opponent to block before you attempt this, as there is always a gap after the dash.


Catching jumps:

Johnny has ways to stop people from jumping even from farther away. Use 5H, 2H or 6K to force your opponent to spend meter on Air FD and keep them on the ground. This is especially useful in the corner where people will want to jump out and over you.


Faultless defense and Instant block

Against faultless defense using 6H is a good option. It moves you forward a bit and takes a lot of meter to block. FD also gives you more frame advantage, allowing you to dash back in more safely. The extra frame advantage can also be used to make more dangerous frame traps.

   Example: c.S,f.S          (A 3f gap here, when c.S is Faultless blocked)


A general tip if you notice the opponent is instant blocking, is to use a longer string of weaker normals. This can mess up their timing and prevent them from instant blocking for a while.

   Example:  2K>c.S>2K>f.S>6H


High and low

Johnny is limited in this department. But don’t go a whole set without doing a high.


High:

5D - Cancel into this from another normal to make is safer to use. You can also do this on the opponents wakeup to make it plus. It is quite easy to meaty with this due to its 8 active frames.

2H - After the opponent blocks 2H you can mist cancel for a high/low mixup. At level 1 you can either hit j.P / j.K or land and do a low. At level 2/3 you can even airdash afterwards for an airstring.

Tiger Knee S Mist Finer - Using this at level 1 is slow and only gives you a knockdown. At LV 2/3 however it is much faster, and you can combo off of it.


Low:

2K - Johnny's fastest low, however it prorates the combo afterwards heavily.

2D - At 10 frames of startup, it is slow for a low option. However at level 1 it is one of Johnny's best combo starters.


Building R.I.S.C.

5H, 6H, and 2H all build 20 points of R.I.S.C. 2D and f.S both build 14 points.

These normals are what you can use to build RISC quickly.

   Example:  5H>MC>2D(1)>MC>f.S>6H        (Builds about half of the R.I.S.C. gauge)

Defense

Johnny is somewhat limited on defense. His jabs are slightly slower than average, his reversal requires 50% meter, and he has no low profile moves.

However he does have options. And when used effectively, you can get back to neutral where Johnny excels.


FD and IB - Your most reliable option is usually the universal defense mechanics. Use FD to make them whiff and then punish with f.S. Use IB to create gaps to make his other defense options less of a risk.


Backdash - Johnny has a great backdash with 7 frames of invincibility out of 11 frames total. This short backdash is not meant to create space in neutral, but to evade a move close up and then counter.


Dead Angle - Most dead angles in the game average about -11 on block. For Johnny it is -6 making it less of a risk to throw out. It also has a large hitbox making it tougher to evade or low profile.


That’s my Name - The reversal. Use when you know that they will meaty you. This is generally difficult to punish on block as it is only -6 and has a bit of pushback. However, with 8 frames of startup it is easier to safejump against this move. Its hitbox can also be low profiled quite easily. The burst version of this super only increases damage, there is no change to the invincibility or frame advantage. The burst version is only really useful to close out a round.


Blitz - Johnny gets good reward off a successful blitz at any mist finer level. So it is a good idea to practice the reversal timing for this until you get it consistently.


Jump - Johnny has 4 frames of jump startup. This means that any 4 frame gap in pressure will catch him trying to jump. Use Instant Block beforehand to make jump attempts safer, and use FD as you're rising to protect against opponents using high hitting moves to catch your jump.


5P/2P - Both have 5 frames of startup, about one frame more than average. You need a 5f gap just to trade with this. 5P will go over most crouching moves, so you will want to default to 2P as your mashing tool.


Throw OS - If you go for a defensive throw make sure to use the option select of: 6S+H. If your throw attempt whiffs 5H and 6H will leave you standing there for quite a while. Your opponent will have nearly a full second to punish you. c.S is twice as fast, letting you recover in time. c.S also has 6f of startup, making it an okay choice as a mash tool as well.


Coin - With 6f startup, this move can be used to trade with an opponent during pressure. You will still get the level up even if Johnny is hit, and the situation will reset to neutral. Be careful with this as it can be low profiled easily at close range.


5K - Both of Johnny's jabs have relatively short range and tiny hitboxes. 5K is an excellent counter poke with a great hitbox and starts any combo you want. It has 6f startup however, so be careful of getting counter hit when trying this on defense.

Neutral

Anti-airs:

  • 6P - Works great against IAD approaches and as a general purpose anti-air. Using this move whenever your opponent jumps is a great place to start.
  • Coin - The travel arc of coin can be used to stop low air approaches. It comes out quickly and gives a combo on hit. Trading with this move is still an advantage for Johnny, as it will stop the opponent and give him a level up.
  • 2H - Covers a lot of space both in front and above johnny. Should be used pre-emptively though due to its slower startup. An excellent move to keep your opponent on the ground during blockstrings.


Air to Air:

  • j.S - Covers a lot of airspace and can lead to good combos at LV2/3.
  • j.H - Great hitbox, decent active frames and plummets on air hit. Good during air scrambles to put your opponent on the ground.
  • j.D - Good when they are high above you, will also get a knockdown with a counterhit at certain heights.
  • Airthrow - Works really well to cover the blind spots of other moves and as a general purpose anti-air.


Pokes:

  • 5K - This is your fastest poke and best all around normal. Lots of options on hit/block and very hard to punish on whiff. When you are in range for this, you should press it nearly every time.
  • f.S - Rules the ground game against most of the cast. Confirming off of this move can be more difficult than 5K. Depending on the situation you either need to Mist Cancel or Gatling into either 2H or 6H.
  • K Mist Finer - There is no hurtbox on Johnny's arm/sword during this move, making it a low risk/low reward poke with incredible range. At level 1 it is best to think of this move as Johnny's Fireball. It controls space really well but loses to a well timed airdash.


Counter Pokes:

  • 2S - Some characters will try to low profile under Johnny's two best pokes (5K/f.S). Use this move to discourage this behavior. 2S has low reward on normal hit however.
  • 6P - There are some rare pokes with slightly longer range than f.S. Using this move pre-emptively can make your opponent a little more hesitant to throw out predictable pokes.
  • Coin - Trading against ground pokes with coin is also worth it for Johnny. Even though he gets counterhit here, if the opponent gets hit by coin it will be very difficult to combo you. Be careful of moves that can go under coin however.


Ground Spacing:

While Johnny has some of the best pokes in the game, getting into their effective range can sometimes be difficult. His walk speed is average and his forward dash has a minimum distance it must travel before he can attack or block.

For example: Your opponent is walking back and forth just outside of f.S range. If you dash to get in you might get hit. If you try to walk in range you are not blocking for a long time. Not being able to microdash with Faultless Defense means that most of the time your opponent gets to decide the distance between you.

To make this spacing game more difficult for your opponent, make sure to change what normal you poke with regularly. Switching between 5K, f.S, 6H, 6K and Mist Finer can make your opponent scared to go in, and give you back the priority in neutral.


Offensive Movement:

  • Instant Air Dash - Johnny has an average airdash in terms of startup and distance covered. Avoid relying on this to get in.
  • Forward Jump - Johnny has a relatively floaty jump. While he has excellent air options, he is more vulnerable than most to air throws here. Same goes for his superjump, it goes higher than average. This can sometimes be a disadvantage if you want to jump over something and then get back in.
  • Zweihander YRC - An excellent tool if you don't get predictable with it. The initial Zwei Transport can go over a lot of ground options. Can punish long range pokes with a full combo easily. Loses again to well timed airthrows.


Defensive Movement:

  • Jump back - If your opponent is rushing you down constantly, try jumping back and using j.H, air mist finer low, or even Zweihander. It can be a good idea against rushdown characters to just put a hitbox where your character used to be a second ago.
  • Backdash - Johnny's backdash travels a short distance but has excellent invincibility frames. If you just want to get away, backdashing a couple times will actually do more harm than good. Backdash through one move and then punish.
  • Mist stall - Going into mist stance in the air floats Johnny and slows down his fall considerably. Combine this with his floaty jump to make it harder to tell when and where you will land.


Anti-Anti-Air:

  • j.H - The hitbox of this move reaches incredibly low. If timed correctly, using this move as a jump-in can beat some characters 6P. Staggers on counterhit for better combos as well.
  • Air S Mist Finer - There is no hurtbox extension with mist finer, making it safe against most anti-air attempts. This can be difficult to space however, and the only reward you get from this move hitting is a knockdown.
  • Air Zweihander - This move pauses Johnny in the air during its startup, and then the fire hitbox extends all the way to the floor from even superjump height. The slow startup is vulnerable to airthrows however. You can use YRC to make this move safe, do a mixup, or combo from it.

Tips and Tricks

Mist Cancel

Essential Johnny technique used to drastically reduce the recovery on many of Johnny's pokes.

Observe: 5H on block is -16, punishable by many characters. When Mist Canceled, it becomes +5. Better than safe, it's advantage!

How to Mist Cancel

  1. Do a move that is special cancelable.
  2. Special cancel in to a Mist Finer.
  3. Hold button to stay in Mist Stance.
  4. While holding button, press H to Stance Cancel (Note: Holding the button when mist cancelling is not mandatory. If H is inputted during the window of mist stance startup, it will cancel at the first possible frame. However, if H is not inputted during that window, the actual Mist Finer will come out. While this technique makes it easier to perform the fastest possible mist cancelling, it is much easier to make a mistake. Thus, it is recommended to hold the button unless you have a good grasp of the timing and have good execution. At Mist Level 3 only, it is possible to Mist Cancel by inputting 214 P+H / K+H / S+H simultaneously.)
   Example: 5H>214[P/K/S]~H

The button you choose to use for Mist Cancelling can be P, K, or S, but you should ideally choose the version you hold based on hitconfirm situations. For example, at Level 1, mist cancelling ground strings with K is very important, since it is the only mist finer that will combo on hit from many of Johnny's long pokes. However at Level 2, it is often preferred to hold S while midscreen, in order to confirm into Low Mist Finer. Meanwhile in the corner at Level 2, K becomes the dominate button in order to go into Mid. Holding P is very useful at any level when using a poke as an anti-jump or anti-air, such as 5H, 2H, etc. Near the corner, using P in order to go into a delayed Mist Finer High after blocking is also very viable. From 2H, P, K, and S are all viable depending on level, based around which way you think they may be hit or block 2H.

Mist Cancel Frame Advantage Chart

Shows the frame advantage for each attack level assuming fastest possible mist cancel by level.

Ground Mist Cancel total frames: LV1: 13(9F+4F). LV2: 10(6F+4F). LV3: 8(4F+4F)

Attack Level Normals MC Level 1 MC Level 2 MC Level 3
Level 0 2P, 2K -4 -1 +1
Level 1 5P, 5K -2 +1 +3
Level 2 c.S, 2S, 6P +0 +3 +5
Level 3 f.S, 2D +3 +6 +8
Level 4 5H, 6H +5 +8 +10

Air Mist Cancel total frames: LV1: 12(8F+4F). LV2: 10(6F+4F). LV3: 8(4F+4F)

Attack Level Normals MC Level 1 MC Level 2 MC Level 3
Level 0 j.P -3 -1 +1
Level 1 j.K -1 +1 +3
Level 2 j.S, j.H, j.D +1 +3 +5
Level 3 - +4 +6 +8
Level 4 2H +6 +8 +10

How Do I Practice Mist Cancels?

The following strings are recommended to practice to get the hang of practical Mist Cancels. They are all useful in real matches, and are listed at the lowest level it is possible to perform them.

Level 1

5H mc 5K

counterhit 5H mc dash 5K

2H mc j.P

corner throw j.D mc j.S jump cancel j.D mc j.D Zweihander (623 K)

Level 2

5H mc f.S

6H mc f.S 6H (crouching only)

2D mc 5K

2H mc j.K

2H mc airdash

2H mc j.D (close range)

Level 3

5H mc 5H

6H mc 5H

2D mc f.S

f.S mc f.S

Zweihander YRC

Zwei YRC is a powerful mixup tool. The basic use is to cancel the move with YRC just before the opponent blocks the projectile half of Zweihander, and from there you either do an airdash into an overhead attack or land into a low attack. There are two versions of Zwei: "air Zwei" is input as j623 K (so, in the air), and "transport Zwei" is 623 K > K (starting from the ground).

Air Zwei YRC is rather lenient, but because the whole move starts up rather slower than Transport Zwei, you need a lot of space to do it safely without risking an airgrab. Generally off a corner knockdown you can do this by simply jumping.* You can also use it as a hard callout for attacks that move forward into you, or to bait throws with forward dash > jump Zwei YRC.

(*In Rev1, superjumping and doing Air Zwei YRC would put you out of range of any threat of reversal super or reversal into RRC to escape your mixup. In Rev2 the blockstun on Zwei's projectile is reduced, so you must be lower to the ground to guarantee a tight mixup after.)

Transport Zwei YRC has much stricter timing in order to get a proper mixup. The idea is to YRC at just the right time to preserve your air momentum from the actual transport special. If you YRC too early, the projectile won't come out, and if you YRC too late, you will float upwards from the YRC and you'll have to adjust somehow. You must also time the Zwei projectile itself so that you are low enough in the air after the YRC to hit the opponent after an airdash, which can be very difficult on characters that are small while crouching (such as Faust, or May).

The proper timing can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWl7uUNrSlI

To input Transport Zwei YRC properly, players have used the following methods:

  • input 623 K > K ~ PSH quickly (hitting K with one finger and P S H with three other digits. works best on stick)
  • input 623 K > K > KSH or PKS (essentially double-tapping K. needs precision to get it reliably.)
  • using a macro button: the P+K+S macro will let you hit K, release, then tap the macro button to get the YRC. Be careful, as if K is still held down, the P+K+S macro will just register as P+S

The other macro button you can use is the instant kill macro (P+K+S+H). This has the advantage of not requiring K to be released, since if K is held the IK macro registers as P+S+H. (It has the disadvantage of having a button on your stick that can potentially lose the round if you accidentally press it.)

As for the mixup afterwards, the somewhat-universal overhead option is airdash jKPK. jKPS will work on most reasonable characters but whiff on small crouchers like Millia or May. (Note that if the opponent blocks the Zwei standing, they'll be locked in a standing block animation even if they input low block, so you can go for airdash jKPD, but a player that knows this will probably block crouching.) Be wary of spending too many resources in the followup combo unless it kills, because the damage will be pretty scaled by the jKPK opener and you won't build much meter because you opened with a YRC.

For the low option, simply land and do 2K (slightly faster) or 2D (more payoff) into a standard combo.

If your opponent fails to block the Zweihander, you can still continue a combo off airdash by chaining into jD (ie. airdash jKPD, or jKSD if you react in time), or you can land and set up a better combo (Such as 6H > Coin, 6H > level 2 K mist finer, or 6H > mist cancel > far S > 2H etc. For a burst-proof starter, you can combo immediately into Coin or close S while holding back, depending on whether you need level or not).


Countermeasures to Transport Zwei

note: This is written for the Rev2 version, and may need to be updated when the Rev2.1 patch comes to consoles.

Transport Zwei doesn't have to be used only after a knockdown, but when you input it at neutral or in a blockstring, there are certain options the opponent has to counter it. Still, it grants a very threatening mixup and if the opponent can't react every time, it can win you the game. It can also counter certain low-profile options, such as Ky's slide and Millia's roll, that otherwise would go under your far pokes.

If the opponent...

-Jumps to block Zwei: they get out of the high/low mixup, but you can mash 5P on their block to burn their meter (if they don't continue to Faultless Defend, you'll break their air guard with your ground move) If the opponent jumps forward to block the Zwei, you may connect with the kick part, and your YRC will turn into a RRC - or, if you don't have 50% meter, you'll simply do an unsafe-on-block Zweihander.

-Uses Blitz Shield to counter the projectile: this will Reject you, though you can work in an occasional Transport > YRC (with no projectile) to bait this for huge payoff (counterhit 2D starter!). Even if they do reject you, you'll be in the air so their payoff won't be huge (unless they have the advantage at neutral, ie. they're Chipp or Millia)

-Uses Dead Angle Attack (a.k.a. guard cancel) after blocking: this can work, though on some characters your airdash can go over their guard cancel, and on slow guard cancels you may be able to safely whiff 2K (or even jK) and then block.

-Attempts a reversal, such as Sol's Volcanic Viper: As long as you reach the YRC window before their move connects with you, you should be able to see their animation during the YRC pause and react with FD in the air, so you can be safe and possibly punish.

-Air throws the Transport: This is the most reliable countermeasure - if the opponent can react in time and do the tricky input. To avoid this, try to be less predictable with Zweihander and try to do it from closer to the opponent, so that it's harder for them to react.

Aside from these options, against a Transport done when the opponent isn't forced to block, the opponent can use preemptive anti-air options like neutral jump > air buttons, or forward-extended antiairs (best example is Ky 2H) that would hit Transport before you can get above the opponent to drop the projectile on them.


Treasure Hunt Crossup

The hitbox for Treasure Hunt activates halfway through the dash. This allows for it to crossup depending on how close you were to the opponent when you started. However, this wont work if they are still in blockstun. So if you cancel into it from a Heavier normal they can block it both ways. They could even let go of their controller and still block it!


Cancel into Treasure Hunt from a weaker normal, or charge it for a bit to make sure that they are out of blockstun in time.

   Example:  2P>2K>Treasure Hunt

2K is a Level 0 normal with only 9f of blockstun, so your opponent needs to hold forward to block Treasure Hunt. This beats blitz, jumping, and mashing as well. And in order to reversal out, your opponent has to flip their inputs to the other side!


Treasure Hunt by itself doesn’t do all that much damage, but it does give you 2 coins. Also after this super hits you have enough time to dash in and do a meaty. You might want to do the Mist Stance Dash Treasure Hunt for 10 more damage.

   Example:  5K>5H>SDTH[charge] > ]release[

At 100% tension you can Red Roman Cancel for a full combo.

Notes on Mist Finer

Travel Time

The active frames of Mist Finer behave a bit like a projectile. With Mist Finer mid for example, it has 3 active frames but the first active is rather short. Only on active frame 3 does it reach its max range. You can think of Mist Finer as Johnny's really fast fireball.

(In older Guilty Gear titles this connection was even more obvious. As all Mist Finers were done with 236 motions.)

Counter Hit

Only the first frame of getting into Mist Stance is in counter hit state. The entire Mist Finer slash itself is also not counter hit.

If you are hit out of stance startup or while you are holding stance, you will keep your level. But if you are hit during the startup of the slash itself you will lose it.

Airdash Mist Cancel

If you want to block after an airdash you must wait for it to end completely first. However at level 2/3 Mist Canceling an airdash lets you block a few frames faster. This can also be used to kill the momentum of an airdash and let you use air normals closer to the ground.

Johnny's Forward Dash

Technical info

  • 18 frames total
  • Can not normal block during any part of the dash
  • Forward dash travels about 1.7 times farther than his backdash


First part of the dash:

  • Frame 1-13
  • Cancelable by jumping
  • Removes part of his lower hurtbox


Second part of the dash:

  • Frame 14-18
  • Cancelable by jumping, FD, Normals, Specials
  • Cannot cancel into throw, backdash, forward dash, or normal block
  • Hurtbox returns to normal
  • Moving at a much slower speed than the first part

Dash into attack

You can cancel the second part of the dash with an attack.

This basically adds 13 frames of startup to any normal in exchange for more range.

Even dash into 2P now has 18f startup, the same as 6H.

A dash cancelled into 6K can be good way to cover a lot of space quickly.


These 13 frames can be important to consider when attempting to reset pressure.

For example: At LV1, 5H>Mist Cancel, is +5 on block.

If you dash cancel after this into 5P, your opponent has a 13 frame window to either jump out, or hit you with a button.

By the time you reach them after the dash, you are essentially -8.


Dashing over attacks

  • During the first 13 frames of his dash, part of Johnny's lower hurtbox is removed.
  • Evading an attack with the dash depends on the hitbox of the attack in question.
  • The move also needs to have 13 active frame or less.
  • If not, then you need to FD which gives them extra frame advantage.
  • A 13f move requires a frame perfect dash to go over it.


For example:

-You can dash over 2K from most of the cast but not from Baiken or Faust.

-You can dash over Axl's 2K but not his 2H because 2H has a higher hitbox.

-You can dash over Sols Grand Viper, but because it has so many active frames you must FD brake to avoid getting hit.


Some useful moves you can dash over include:

  • Potemkin - The shockwave from Slide Head.
  • Faust - 2P and the shockwave from the 100 ton weight items.
  • Slayer - 2K, 2H, and the explosion from Helter Skelter.
  • Raven - 2H


FD canceling the dash

Using Faultless defense, you can cancel the last 5 frames of the dash.

An example of a dash into a FD-cancel: 66[PK]4

Punch and Kick are not need for the FD. You can use any combination of buttons that will produce a FD.

Because this uses FD, it temporarily reduces Johnny's tension gain. As a result, using it is somewhat of a playstyle preference, and should definitely be avoided in mid-combo if it is not mandatory.


Techniques that use FD canceling include:


FD cancel into block

Also called FD brake. Cuts 5 frames off the dash which can save you from getting hit. However FD brake is not as useful for Johnny as it is for some other characters. It can't really be used to bait out moves in neutral, because the distance he travels during a normal dash and an FD brake dash is nearly identical.


FD cancel into throw

Also called Wavethrow. This essentially spends a little meter to make Dash>Throw a few frames faster. This can make tick throw setups harder to escape/react to.

Example: 66[PK]4>6H


FD cancel into backdash

Also called the Satou step. Named after an old school Johnny player. This can be used to bait people into whiffing a move right in front of you, and then punish with a long range poke. Good against people who like to press buttons to stuff Johnny's approach.

Example: 66[PK]4>54 (Make sure to let go of [PK] in between the 'back' inputs)


FD cancel into Dash

Also called Wave Dashing. This can be used in order to chain successive dashes together faster than normal.

Examples:

A FD-dash into a dash (double hop): 66[PK]4646

N FD-dashes: 66[PK]{4646}xN

there's an extra '4', in between each additional dash past the first, that you don't need. But for most, it acts like a mental-metronome and helps keep a steady tempo.

Coin into a double hop: Stuff > 236[H~P], 664646

Mist Cancel into a double hop: Stuff >214[P]~[H], 664646



Dash jump cancel (DJC)

Dashing can be canceled at any point by jumping. And the frames of jump startup can be canceled into special moves.

For example:

DJC Coin - 236569H

The entire motion must be done fairly quickly. The 'H' button here must also be pressed less than 4 frames after the jump or you will get j.H.

This extends the range of coin by about half of Johnny's dash length. Useful in some burst punish combos.

It can also can be used after an airthrow to get level 3 with:

Airthrow>land>DJC coin> dash> coin


DJC Bacchus - 41236569P

Can be used after an air Zweihander knockdown in order for the mist to have less distance to travel before it applies.


DJC blitz - 6658 S+H

If someone keeps hitting your dash halfway through, this can be a way to call them out on it and still be close enough for a combo.

Fighting Johnny

  • Make him waste his coins and Mist Finers whenever possible.
  • Make sure to check his dash during pressure. Become familiar with when Johnny wants to dash back in.
  • Frame traps work well against his slow jabs and 4 frame jump startup.
  • Throws and unblockables lead to poor damage. Don't take huge risks to avoid them.
  • Take advantage of FD brake to bait out his slower pokes.
  • Use low profile moves if you have them. Going under 5K and f.S make neutral a lot easier.
  • Make sure to study where his burst safe options are, he is naturally harder to burst against than most characters.
  • Neutral jumps can work well to get you out of his ground pressure safely.
  • He has a floaty jump, and an average airdash speed. Airthrows can be very effective against him.
  • Be careful when doing anti-airs from the ground. He has several good ways to cover his landing, such as Zweihander, j.H and Mist Finer low.

Matchup Tips

Answer  Answer

Axl Low  Axl Low

  • Use FD brake on any dash you do in neutral.
  • Instant Air Dash YRC can be a good way to get in.
  • His DP, Artemis, is -27 letting you dash>5H for a huge punish.

Baiken  Baiken

  • Coin>dash>FD brake can block all Azami follow-ups if she catches the coin.
  • Work throws into your offense a lot, and make sure to get decent damage off them.
  • Don’t dash into a Baiken that is retreating with air Tatamis. Combos from the mats hurt a lot.

Bedman  Bedman

  • Destroy seals whenever possible. Use low recovery normals for this.
  • His dead angle is -21, letting you dash>5k for a big punish.

Chipp Zanuff  Chipp Zanuff

  • Try to use throw and airthrow option selects against his teleports.
  • Understand his Rekka and what options he has at each point.
  • Be aware that his 6P is invulnerable enough to beat 5K, f.S, and 2P, and be prepared to use other normals such as 2K or 2S.
  • 2H can cleanly beat Gamma Blade if timed correctly.

Dizzy  Dizzy

  • Get 2D to whiff during blockstrings, then punish.
  • Make sure to IB the ice fish to give yourself more time to escape.

Elphelt Valentine  Elphelt Valentine

  • Dash>6K YRC can beat sniper stance.
  • Mist finer will blow back grenades in neutral.

Faust  Faust

  • 6P can beat his scalpel and f.S. Also works against his j.2K drill.
  • Make sure to FD in the air, Faust's 5K is a great jump catcher.

I-No  I-No

Jack-O'  Jack-O'

  • 2H can hit houses and all minion types at once.
  • Instant block and 2H can make it easier to punish her 3H slide.

Jam Kuradoberi  Jam Kuradoberi

Johnny  Johnny

Kum Haehyun  Kum Haehyun

Ky Kiske  Ky Kiske

  • 2H will beat many of his ground buttons.
  • 2K is safe against all of his reversals if done meaty.
  • 6P will evade S stun edge and its fortified version.

Leo Whitefang  Leo Whitefang

May  May

  • Beach balls can be cut with Mist Finer.
  • Jumping to avoid Overhead Kiss gives enough time to fall down with a j.H.
  • Dash>6K to punish any full screen whistleblowing.

Millia Rage  Millia Rage

  • Avoid longer pokes like f.S, 2S, and 6H. Use 5K instead to keep yourself safe.
  • Use coin and 2H as your go to anti-airs.
  • 2H can also catch rolls and some dash in approaches.

Potemkin  Potemkin

  • Keep him out with pokes, Mist Finer and your faster movement.
  • Normal>coin will beat Hammerfall at most ranges.
  • Dash over the shockwave from Slide Head and punish his recovery.

Ramlethal Valentine  Ramlethal Valentine

  • Use 5P and j.P to hit swords as they start up.

Raven  Raven

  • Throw is your best option against stance.
  • Make sure to use 6P against needles and glide.
  • 2H will beat a lot of his options on pressure. It will counter hit the ground command grab, stop any jump cancel re-glide, and 5D will be an air hit for him with no combo.

Sin Kiske  Sin Kiske

  • Play patient in neutral until he has less calories.
  • Use backdash on his wakeup to get Hawk Baker to whiff.

Slayer  Slayer

  • Make sure to punish Pile Bunker and Crosswise Heel as hard as you can.
  • Slayer is plus after a lot of his normals, avoid mashing on defense. He wants that counter hit so bad.
  • You can forward dash over 2K, 2H and even 2D if you time it late.

Sol Badguy  Sol Badguy

  • Use K Mist Finer to go through Gunflame.
  • 2S and f.S will beat most of his ground pokes.
  • A well spaced 2D will clash with Volcanic Viper on wakeup.

Venom  Venom

  • Try to use j.H on top off balls to stop teleport.
  • All of his normals are negative on block, don't fall for tick throws that don't come after specials.
  • Dark Angel loses to meaties if it's not the burst version.

Zato-1  Zato-1

  • Make sure to Mist Cancel or Gatling any normal that hits Eddie.
  • 2K, 2S, 2H and 2D will all break puddles.
  • The 2 hits of 2D can be used to hit both characters.

Resource Links

Navigation

Template:Navbar-GGXRD-R2