Character matchups

In doing the leap from VF4 play to the new online VF5, I noticed one big problem that plagued me for the first few weeks (and still is to some extent), that being that every character is represented online, while my offline group has less than half the cast actually played well. So, being "good" offline, really didn't translate to anything, as I had to learn to fight all the characters I hadn't faced before. I'm not complaining or anything... it was a good experience, but I thought I'd write up a couple notes to help anyone else coming in new to the game to get past this stage a bit faster.

This is really aimed at beginners... just some ideas to help you come up with a plan when you might otherwise just freeze up and get killed. Intermediate level play and beyond is really governed by individual player style, and broad generalizations about character strengths don't count for much. Without further ado:

Akira - If there was one fight where you want to spam reversals, this is probably the one. Use mid reversals to catch those elbows and combo starters Akira lives by. Be careful, though... a good akira will expect that as soon as he sees Aoi and start to lean towards some of his high crumples and throws.

Aoi - The mirror match. A good Aoi knows all your mind games, and knows how to get out of them, so you probably shouldn't waste your time. Just keep the fight close and don't get predictable. Aoi lends herself to defensive play, setting up traps and baiting reversals... so don't let your opponent do either, just stay aggressive.

Brad - If you're having trouble using Tenchi stance, this is the match to learn. Brad tends to keep advantage on block. However, he has two easily exploitable weaknesses... very few low attacks, and a relatively weak range game. Keep him out, and go for counter hits as he closes in. If he gets in, use parry stance for some guaranteed damage, and go back to the range game.

Eileen - Don't try for reversals much in this match, eileen is the master of delay attacks. And, like lion, her "monkey" stance makes it difficult to read attack height if you don't already just have her moves memorized. At close range, eileen's throws can be dangerous when combined with her combos. At long range, she similarly has more options than you probably want to deal with. Keep her at mid range, and bait her into Tenchi stance or just counter hit as she tries to close in.

El Blaze - If El Blaze gets close to you, it will hurt. Keep him at mid range, similar to fighting Eileen. If you see Rocket Discharge, duck. He can still hit you with a mid kick, or just go for a low throw, but both options are preferable to getting hit with his stance throw, as the mid kick does much less damage, and the low throws are escapable.

Goh - A great close range throw game, and a long list of mid range sabakis can make this a very hard fight. Learning to use reversals on his mid kicks can help a lot. Use your own sabakis to break through his defense, and keep the pressure on when you get close to him, so he can't throw.

Jacky - He has an amazing mid-range combo game, and slide shuffle makes it extremely hard to get close to him. Reversals and tenchi stance are great if you can pull them off, but since he's not easy to predict, you can't rely on them. I find this match really comes down to blocking/back dashing until you see Jacky make a mistake, and then get in and do as much damage as you can.

Jeffry - His long range game tends to center around one ridiculously high damage mid kick. Learn to parry or reversal when you see it. He's very scary at close range due to some great combos, and very high damage throws. Keep him back, and you severely limit his options. Be aware that Jeffry players tend to master evades and low punches a bit faster than other characters to make up for his slow speed, expect to see both used often, and don't let it stop you.

Kage - Kage is quite fast, and has great options available at any range. Another fight where it's usually best to stay defensive until he makes a mistake and then get in some damage. Learn to break TFT or you won't get the chance to live to regret it.

Lau - Lau hits hard, but he can be a bit predictable at times, use that to your advantage... reversals and Tenchi stance really win the day here, especially at close range. At mid or long range, he tends to use a lot more varied height attacks, and he has some nasty sweep kicks. Just block, or back dash, until you can respond with a launcher.

Lei-fei - First of all, you need to learn how to block his standard combos and, more importantly, when it's safe to break them. Once you've done that, watch out for his sabakis. This is another fight you want to keep out of close range if given the choice. Lei-fei tends not to give enough advantage on block to allow a throw, so just wait for opportunities for counter hits and juggle combos.

Lion - This match is just plain hard to win (or possibly I just don't know what I'm doing). At long/mid range, you can learn to recognize Lion's moves with a bit of experience, and usually get the upper hand. However, at close range, Lion is extremely hard to deal with. He hits low too often for Tenchi stance, and reversals can be hard. This match tends to just go down to poking back and forth, and Lion is made to do that better than Aoi is. Good evading can help tip the scales in your favor, occasionally.

Pai - Another fight like Jacky or Lei-fei, learn to block her canned combos, and don't try to throw or reversal too much. Wait for opportunities to land launchers, and her light weight will allow a lot of damage, just remember she's trying to do the exact same thing to you.

Shun - This fight looks hard at first glance... he has great moves at most ranges, and his weird looking style makes reversals/throws unusually hard as well. The main issue I find is you have to keep him sober. If he gets over 10 drinks, it's extremely hard to win. Use 2kpp whenever it's guaranteed, as the final P will remove one drink. Stay close just to keep the pressure on so he can't start drinking. If you can manage that, and start recognizing his moves, it's really not as hard as it appears to respond to him.

Sarah - She tends to have an edge over Aoi in both speed and range. However, she has a very long recovery on block from her combo enders/launchers. Just wait for a whiffed knee, and hit her hard. Be wary of flamingo stance as well, if she can get right on top of you with it, it's hard to respond... low punch and hope for the best is often the only thing you can attempt in that situation.

Vanessa - Another balanced character where you need to keep positioning in mind. First, learn to counter her ranged game... the long range kicks can be hard to respond to, but they're all reversable, and Tenchi stance or a simple back dash will avoid most of them as well. Her close game, while not quite as limited as Brad's, also tends to be vulnerable to Tenchi stance. Learn to punish her for high damage when you can... even knowing how to get around all her moves, it can be hard to recognize them and respond correctly every time during a real match. Don't sit around while she slowly drains your life away.

Wolf - On paper, he looks a bit like Jeffry... low speed, dangerous close range game, and some high damage throws. That isn't entirely true when playing him, though. In particular, his mid and long range moves tend to be stronger and more varied. Stay close, and use fast attacks to avoid handing him throw opportunities. He also has some sabakis that you'll need to learn to recognize.

 

Use sober combos (ending with /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif) and punish -12 with /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif. Drinks go down in no time with the 12i half-circular bitch-slap of sobering.

VS DS: Break /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif in that order. Do not punch her when her back is to the edge of the ring! When at mid-range, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif (lol).

Vanessa's punishment sucks and leaves her at disadvantage, if the player is smart (most aren't, durka durka) they'll set up sabaki. If it is /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif or /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif, just duck it. If it is /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif, punish it. If they hit check and can fuzzy guard, use low throw (preferably /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif, it is an odd break).

Using /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif at disadvantage is better than reversal (obviously), as it will beat both /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif and /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif.

VS OS: See a string= duck and punish.

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I needs (intentional) to get started on Aoi punishment thread. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif

"Learning to punish everything correctly" should be on the top .