Round 1: Start! Opening stretegies.

Hello everybody, I'm somewhat new to this forum so I have alot of questions to ask! So, my question for today is how do you guys start your matches? The majority of online players I face do the same thing depending on what character they use. I find alot of Brad player start with a backwards crouch dash. I tend to do the same.

Anyway, I play online on a regular basis, and have a tough time vs. low abusing Pai players. They start the match with a low kick high kick string, and I can't seem to beat them out with /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif.

So how does everyone here start their matches?

 

crouch and block the low kick and remain crouching so the high kick whiffs, then you can punish her with a throw or whatever.

 

thats what you should play every Pai for and....PUNISH. I use lei, but this is a generally strategy, expecet it, duck block the first kick and stand up and throw as soon as the second kick whiffs. Can't tell you how many decent 5th-10th dan Pai's will start every round with this move. Doesn't seem to me that you get a much advantage for blocking the second kick, but if you duck it then you got options.

By the way, On starting the match, I prefer a passive start, as do most of the higher players, noobs prefer agressive starts. IMO its b/c the passive can almost always punish the aggressive in the opening.

I'm not one here to throw out my 2 cents on every question posted, but on this one I think i know what i'm talking about.
cheerio

 

That's exactly what I said!

...anyways you're right about most Pais online beginning every round with this move. It's hilarious if you punish it cause you can see how paranoid they are at the beginning of the next round.

WHICH MOVE DO I DO NOW?!

 

lol @ Beligerent Feck. You must have clicked submit before I did /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif looks like we were both typing the same advice at the same time---and thats from two peeps stuck at the master barrier, lol (unless you've completed that last win) so there must be some truth to the advice, err...at least if you want to get good enuff to be stuck at master.

 

What mid-level Lau or Pai doesn't whore /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif sooo hard? They LOVE that shit!

I don't understand why that move has such high priority. It seems to just counter hit everything from any disadvantage. It truly is the ultimate abare tool (to quote someone who said that before, maybe Happy_Friend.) Why is it so fast for a low attack too?

It's a move that is VERY friendly to scrubby-ass play. I've fought Pai's that did /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif every other move like it was going to trick me. I sat there and ducked the whole rest of the game and he just kept doing it over my head!!! Pai is a cool character and very interesting to play. It's too bad that people think they should use /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif over every other move she has to the point where it's boring to have to defend against constantly.

 

First of all, welcome to VFDC! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
That kick you're talking about is linear, that means that you can evade it, the problem is that the second kick is full circular so you can not evade it either to her back or front.
Like the guys before me said, blocking low and waiting for Pai to whiff that second is a good way to deal but if Pai doesn't do the second kick she's at -14 and you should be able to elbow her but due to lag and not knowing if she's going to continue the string, you might NOT be able to punish with Brad's fastest mid, his 14frame elbow /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif

So, unless you're absolutely sure that Pai is going to continue with the second /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif instead.
After blocking that first low kick /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif is guaranteed regardless of what Pai does.
After your /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif connects, you have advantage, push the pace by attacking with a fast mid or going for a throw. This is the most basic mini-game in VF. Connect with a smaller move and try to predict wether your opponent is going to attack out of disadvantage, block or evade. Your choices get more complicated the better your opponent is bc he/she will have a few more defensive options for you to try to deal with.


Btw, good choice in character, /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

Good!? It's the best Tony! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

I tend to start a fight with kinda weird moves. Sometimes /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif, sometimes /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif delayed if it gets blocked, or not finished if the opponent moves to far back. There were times when I started with /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif --> SR/SL/DU/LD when I knew the opponent wouldn't go for anything fast.

 

I don't know if any of you have heard of it, but a long time ago there was this online fighting game on the pc called Kwonho, hosted by Ijji.com. It was clunky, had like 45 moves per style (Of which there were 5) and I absolutely fell in love with it.

It was closed down 6 months ago (After reaching the highest ranking T.T)

I already had an Xbox 360 + XBL, so I needed to move on to a new fighting game. I played DoA, then threw it out my window. What the hell is THAT supposed to be? Like a fighting game on acid... and sped up by 16x.

Anywho, I love depth in my games. So, I picked this up. I played a very... creative style in Kwonho (Judo), and I picked Akira here due to his challenging inputs. (Kwonho had a Baji style, which is quite similar). I can do all the Akira combos and everything, but it seems a little... linear to me. Use elbows, spam /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif, win. But with slipping and ducking, Brad is pretty much freakin' crazy. I can't seem to find any North American players that don't lag though, so I don't get alot of fun fights...

If anyone feels like whipping me, add me (GT is Just6822)


I'd also like to ask about tips vs. Jacky. His (95% laggy) poke style is a bit frustrating when properly mixed with throws, and while playing online today this one Jacky player pretty much hunted me down all day long. I'm horrible at sidesteping, so whenever I succeeded I'd try countering with a /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif. Rereading this post, I'm just wondering what I could do to practice successful evading. Mine always ends up sloppy and I normally just take it in the face.

 

On a more generic note, Brad doesn't have reliable openers in the way of Pai's /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif or Vane's /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif (if you find a Vane relying on that one as opener smack her down with /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif btw).

Some oft used opening possibilities:
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif(possibly add /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif)
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f_.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif (I'm a true fan of this one)
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif//forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/u.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif (slip right) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif (risky though rewarding)
/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/df.gif(possibly add /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/b.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif or /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif)

Against aggresive players judicial use of the plain /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif can break through offences that seem water tight. At long range running /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif is surprisingly effective in my experience. Mostly it's a matter of blocking correctly (high and low) and having the nerves to wait for when you're good and ready to break out.

Don't forget to use the evade /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif kick from time to time, it doesn't have the recovery time you get between an evade and a /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif, just don't use it too often as it is punishable on block. Also, try evade /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/f.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif -> combo.

Griever:
I've used the /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif opener quite a bit myself. I also go for SL/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif from time to time.

 

You know, it's kinda risky, but if you really want to start low, why not try /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/db.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif ?

 

I would rather do 4P+K+G K but I've seen people get away with 1P as well.