Lau Mix Ups?

What are some good moves/mix ups that Lau can use in FS?

In vanilla, I used alot of 1PP2p, 1PPP variations to keep my opponent honest. With these moves, I felt like I kept my opponent guessing and gave myself breathing room for other strats.

Looks like this moveset isn't in FS.

So, what are some good pressure tools/set ups for Lau? I've been playing around with stuff--but I haven't found anything that's really scary.

 

In my top ten move list at the bottom of the forum I go into a lot of lau's moves and the options you have off of them. I think it's hard to talk about things like mix-ups since mix-ups in this game are so dependent on an opponent's tendencies. I feel like your mix-ups vary a lot depending on the opponent's actions to various moves. How they react to being put at disadvantage etc.

Obvious things I can think of (outside of mid/throw at heavy advantage) are anything that leads you into kokei at advantage, and training them to not evade out of it with k+g, and then you can start mixing them up with other options like 6p+k guard break and 2p/3p/ppp/p+k.

 

Puttin this here

 

That's deep...

 

I've always been drawn to Lau as a character when I used to play VF4 back in the day but I just felt like he didn't have enough going on. He was all PPPK combos and a few launchers. Now in VF5:FS I think you are really spoilt for choice and I've actually taken him on to learn as a main/sub. There's a ton of stuff you can throw out.

 

Yeah maybe I didn't investigate deeply enough before but definitely loving what he's got going on now. Also lot's of great outfit potential. I've got around four outfits for him already.

 

Lau still kind of isn't about launchers or combos, he has none that you can just sort of try to throw out like a knee or yoho or something, instead he's more like applying pressure and trying to bait you into attacking into his CH launchers, like 4P+K or Kokei 3P. Most of Lau's pressure moves, however, are pretty slow, so until you can get your opponent to stay put enough for you to start throwing out knifes and such all you've got to work with is the typical 6P and P stuff plus his throws, even though they are pretty sub-par. The most common error with Lau seems to be that people flowchart A LOT with his Kokei stance, like throwing out Kokei 3P at every opportunity after getting into the stance instead of mixing things up, which usually just yields more trouble than reward against good players. While Kokei doesn't have any "real" mixups, as all the moves from it are either high or mid with no throws and a really, really slow guard break, one can apply something simple like sometimes not going into Kokei and sometimes going, and when you do get into Kokei don't just flowchart with 3P but instead use stuff like K+G, P+K and K as well, P+K is especially good against side turned opponents as it gives advantage on guard and a side crumble on CH, easy setup from his 214P+G throw into 6PP~Kokei.

Sorry about getting all anal, but it really irks me how people play the old man, especially online.

 

Kokei P+K gives a crumple even on NH on crouching side turned opponent which is why it's so good.

 

It's also heavily punishable on evade. This is where kokei k+g comes in, which can not be ecd'd when the opp is sideturned

For Lau to get a dangerous Nitaku game going, you need to get a +8 advantage. This can be most effectively by getting a CH on p or 1p. After this, you can mixup with throw and either 4p+k or 3p+k (I recommend 4p+k). After 1p, crouching 46p is also an option against all chars except the heavyweights, Akira and Jacky, since even though it's heavily punishable, you get a ~80 damage combo (on NH).

You can nitaku after 2p, but you need to keep in mind 2p doesn't make the opp stand up, so if you CH a crouching move, the opp will recover crouching, meaning you can't throw, so no nitaku. Nitaku after CH 2p would be between throw and crouching 46p.

Of course, at lower disadvantages, you can use other mids, but they simply aren't as threatening. Most prominent mid here would be 6p+k, which you can confirm into the p followup for a knockdown. Afterwards you can use 46k+g as a meaty to really pressure the opponent.

 

For a rushdown character, he has really good options and +frames on block to actually initiate offense. He's especially nasty in side-turned situations, because they can't do much. No Baiken business going on and you are at full liberty to Kokei P+K, G+K, even Guard Break. That mix-up is nasty. I think it was Marly himself that showed me some of those mixups from 214G+P into 6PP Kokei.

Even at neutral at both close and mid range he has options that can simply wreck you.

Options from crouching are pretty good, because you have WR K and full crouch 3_PP into kokei if you feel like pushing the offense. They're not that reliable, but good on CH.

If you're at good enough frame advantage (like anything from +5 or what Krye said +8) and you read your opponent still trying to retaliate, you got really good crushes like 1P and 4P+K.
I won't recommend 3P+K that much because of the speed and safety unless you want a hail mary and I don't know if there are that many unsafe moves in the game for it to be used as a punisher, but I'm sure they're there.

Anyway, I'm more than a year late for this thread, but I still find some new way of applying pressure and condition someone to a mixup with this character.

 

It's sick, but note, doesn't really work against Aoi. Fascinating match-up, as Tenchi shuts down a good chunk of his launchers too.

Pick up a cheap 360 man, come join us on there, Lau still pretty rare to see. I use him a bit, but find him a bit stiff and slow v some of the cast, heh.

 

Well if aoi is in tenchi then use 9k and start a combo from there.

 

Hmm, I'll have to test that one. 6K is out of the question, as she''ll suck it up, then launch you. Regarding grabbing her with 214P+G (made easier if they keep going into Ying Yang), if the player keep using her 1P+K to avoid say Lau's 6PP, you can instead try K+G, which hits high, and apply Kokei pressure from there.

 

1P CH against tenshi is fine too.

 

Pops, don't confuse people by spreading wrong info. 214pg into 6pp is guaranteed vs aoi, nothing she can do about it.

For people having trouble with aoi, some quick things that are good to know:

-1p on side counter gives +11 and thus gives a guaranteed 6pp afterwards. This is nice since some aois (coughkingo) like to try and reverse his sidemixups and this will beat all those reversals.

-1p from the front gives nitaku on counterhit. Use cr. 46p to play a nitaku game that is actually scary. Move is doublelimbed so no more tenchibullshit either.

-Crouching 46p combo: 4p+kp+k, 6p+kp+k, easy 78 damage on nh.

-If you fear tenchi or reversals: 1p or 2p. You'll be safe on evade and block, and if you hit, you'll get a nice nitaku. Once she starts defending: throws, or if you catch her guarding a lot use gb into 46p for easy damage.

-46p aoi combo: p, 2p+k, 3kpp.

Kick ass.

 

The only character qcb p+g, 6pp doesn't work on is Shun.

Also Lau is pretty bad at rushdown since all of his + on guard moves are either high or slow and sometimes both, and they never give enough advantage to beat fuzzy, not to mention Kokei has no real mixups.

 

Who has a move that is +6 on block and doesn't go into a stance? GB's not counting.
You don't absolutely have to go into Kokei. You can not enter it and sweep or throw or GB instead.

I don't really see how Lau would be bad for rushdown. He has KND low and a GB and other good moves for setting up pressure. The only thing he's missing is a scary nitaku launch, IMO.

EDIT: I don't think he needs that though. He's got options.