Aoi Openers

Could someone please make a list of good openers with Aoi. I just started her and it would be very helpful. Remember only openers please. I am too lazy to try to remember actual combos. /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

++
Not recomended against: Wolf, Jeff, and to an extent Goh and Vanessa
+
+
+->MC->Low Throw
+

Those are my standards.. I go out of the box from time to time though.

 

A few others I sometimes use:


+

 

A bit on the slow side, but yeah... they work. I think Aoi's is definitely her most underrated move. Hard to dodge and is *I think* only counterable w/ a throw.

 

How valid is dashing back into a crouch kind of game? I know this sounds stupid, but I keep thinking CDing back and using or is a good way to start...but I'm awful about figuring it.

 

In VF4-ver C I sometimes started the round with +, which was great if your opponent started the round with a rush. Of course u have to hit this STRAIGHT after the GO or you'll be set-up for a humiliating float.

Unfortunately, this move is now harder to pull-off consistently in Evo due to the high spin kick being right next to it input wise.

But to reiterate, I find + is one of the best starters in Evo. It's incredibly fast and the and low flow naturally from it.

 

The more I think about it, the more I think it's probably better with
Aoi and Shun, in particular (VF 4 ver C), to get the hell away from
the opponent right off the bat. The two characters don't have the
kinds of awesome openers a lot of characters have. It's kind of
frustrating and probably one of the reasons you don't see a
tremendous amount of high level Aois, though Shun is a bit more
diverse and Japanese players slay with him. You might want to
incorporate Aoi's little semi-circular dance, with the G-cancel (sorry to not
have the commands down), as an evade/mind game...everybody
thinks you're gonna attack right away, so do something different.

 

That's exactly why I love using these two characters. They're a real challenge to master and you have to be on your toes constantly to get a decent number of wins.

There's a certain satisfaction in using an underdog character and winning the odd game with style. I've never been into going for percentage games or winning streaks. I guess I'm just not a very competative person, although I love playing human opponents. I much prefer experimenting and toying with my opponent, and hopefully surprising them during a round.

Aio and Shun are perfect characters for this style of play. /versus/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

yup,thats why i use'm both too. Shun's best opener i think is his +++.. it's awesome for people who start off with one big strike , but not really combos. the + variant is pretty good but i seem to miss with it a lot. Oh and another funny thing to do with shun is the exact opposite. +++ so that you rush right up to them then just give them a nice throw /versus/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

I'm not an Aoi expert by any stretch (no really, by ANY stretch), but what I enjoy most is the idea that the character does seem to have some of the most extreme limitations in martial style, requires a monstrous amount of knowledge about the other characters (for the reverses), and yet if she's handled right you can REAM stronger characters (all about the player, when using Aoi).

GaijinPunch is one of the most informative Aoi players on the board here, so whatever he says is solid gold. Using Aoi is still, for me, the most gratifying experience with any character. And you can play her, in particular, in wildly diverse ways even for all the limits on her. I prefer hanging back to start, poking, and hope to find an Mc or MC in there somewhere. If you find the opening, Aoi's great at maintaining almost constant pressure, she's as linear as Lau and yet the G-cancel gives you options galore. Love her.

That being said, I've been ripped worse playing her than anyone else, especially against humans. The worst button-mashing Lei Fei in the world can put the serious ass-grinding on your Aoi, if you're not careful. Nobody looks worse getting floated all over the ring than Aoi.

 

[ QUOTE ]

In VF4-ver C I sometimes started the round with +.


[/ QUOTE ]

Refresh my memory... what move is this? Are you referring to + ? If so, the reason why it's harder to pull off, is not due to input - it's b/c it's a down attack only now. /versus/images/graemlins/frown.gif I learned this (the hardway) at the Evo beta tests.
It was great against a Lei Fei that would do nothing but dance around.

+ is good if you play against a chicken (someone who constantly runs away). Otherwise, most starters by other characters will destroy this. It's a long-range attack, so a quick, short-range jab/eblow will always win.

MrUmenokouji and gang:
I do agree that both Shun and Aoi are both underdogs. Even if they are MUCH stronger in Evo than they were in Ver. C (especially Shun) there's still not a whole lot of love for them out there. Aoi is used more than Shun I'd say, but usually it's a sub-character. That does come in handy though, as there are many different ways to play both of them, so the less practice your opponents have against them, the better.

Oh, yeah - on Aoi's - one very common way to use it is after + hits. The full command looks like:
++. That's the easiest way to get a counter unless you just have wicked timing.

I did write an Aoi guide for Ver. C. Some of the stuff still applies.

 

to me that sweep hit-throw combo has more "wicked" /versus/images/graemlins/cool.gif timing than a regular attempt. maybe after i tried it a few times it would come really easily but otherwise in a match i dont have trouble connecting with the move its just the MC part which can sometimes be a little tricky. on that little trick can you buffer in the rising elbow? can it be done in Ver. C?

 

Well, if the + hits (not a counter, but just a hit) then you've got a several frame advantage on your opponent. If they're REALLY fast, they might be able to get low punch in, but even sometimes that one won't win. Since the natural instinct is to attack hard, since Aoi is crouched down, they might come w/ a hard mid-elbow or something. The hit throw will at worst hit, and hopefully will be an MC.

 

Now that i've cornered a few Aoi players, what's your favorite/most useful followup to the stumble throws, i.e. , , etc.?

 

I was referring to most comebacks in terms of Aoi going straight for the + -- there's VERY that will get past this. I think distance has something to do w/ it, b/c I've had people interupt me w/ a low punch, but I've had it done on me when trying to low punch right after.

IE - beat knuckle, elbow, and the other favorite punishing moves will lose. Honestly though, I often go for a mid-reversal after it hits.

 

It can go under LPs, but I think it's stance-dependent.

In reference to Myke's statement, most non-knockdown sweeps leave the attacker at disadvantage on normal hit. Aoi is a little bit better off in that she has the canned inashi after (which makes even a blocked sweep difficult to punish), and also because she has so many tools anyway that allow her to avoid while attacking (e.g. +).

 

[ QUOTE ]
GaijinPunch said:

Refresh my memory... what move is this? Are you referring to + ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, my mistake. This is a great attack to use if you've got some range from your opponent and just before they rush or kick-off a canned combo.

 

I am drawing a blank on the "stumble throw". Is this an Evo thing only?
I don't mean to be slow, I'm just not sure what this is...the command
doesn't look like anything I recognize.