Starting out with Lau

Note: This was written by Wasakon and translated by Modelah.

Wasakon's VF5FS Beginner's Blog Post

Hi, I'm Wasakon, I usually play around Kichijoji, Tokyo. I started with VF4Evo and have been playing VF for well over 10 years.

Lau's Characteristics, Strengths and Weaknesses
Lau has abundant string attacks and can rush opponents, and I think this makes him a great choice for beginners. When opponents are against a wall his attacking power is amongst the best in the game. Even on stages without walls he can still be a threat so I guess you could say he's a very balanced, all-round character. As for weaknesses however, Lau doesn't have an upper or knee class (15f~17f) mid launcher and his throw damage is quite low.

Basic Skills
Elbow class:
- compared to other characters Lau's standard elbow attack seems to have a slightly longer reach. Gives a large advantage on counterhit or against crouchers (0 on normal hit), and allows you to fuzzy if blocked.

Upper class:
- A high (unfortunately).

Combo (counterhit):
(CH), - for all characters regardless of foot position.
​

Knee class:
Lau doesn't have any techniques that apply. I guess you could say counts, but it's so tricky to implement well I can't recommend it.

Circular attacks:
- One the best, if not the very best of Lau's moves. Hitting this is extremely satisfying! It's highly punishable on guard, though...

Throws:
- Lau's neutral throw. After this a down attack will connect on all characters except Taka. It's worth mentioning that if the throw is successful or if the opponent escapes you'll switch positions with your opponent. Effective to use when you're cornered.

- Lau's strongest throw. There aren't any special applications for this move.

- A backdrop. You'll switch positions with your opponent if the throw is successful. When your back is against a wall, you'll get a wall throw animation and is a guaranteed follow-up.

- puts the opponent in a side-turned state and gives you an 11f advantage. Usually is a guaranteed follow-up but some characters' unique movement/stance properties (for example Shun's - thanks banok and Krye) can cause the second hit of to whiff. Note both of your positions before executing; this move will throw the opponent 45° degrees in the direction their stomach is facing. When you're used to it, this can be a great positioning tool when you're near a wall or the ring's edge.

- There's no particular merit in using this, if you're going for a throw use instead. I use it simply because it's easy to pull off after a forward dash.

- When you're facing a wall you can do all sorts of combos as long as you're not playing against Taka. When the wall is behind you you'll get a special wall throw animation. There's a good chance of sneaking in a after this throw.

Combo:
(wall hit), - for all characters except Taka
​

Other Useful Moves
- aka 'Sako'. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that this move accounts for as much as 40% of Lau's total attack strength. It's quite slow at 20f but on normal hit will connect, and on counterhit will connect for a midair combo. Also, from you can enter Kokei stance by inputting . Even if your is guarded, Kokei will beat out any strike that your opponent attempts. Vanessa's DS is the only exception. In short, this is an evil move that allows you to say 'It's STILL MY TURN, sucker.'

- A standing guard break. Very effective against opponents who rely too heavily on the Lazy Throw Escape (yutori) defense.

Combo:
(GB), , , ​

- This will connect as a string on a minor counterhit or greater (requires fastest input). This is devastating to throw out when you've crouched under a high string attack or throw attempt.

Combo:
(mC+), , ​

- a basic mid attack but does no damage against crouch-guarding opponents. Once you can hitcheck the initial attack, go for . After the string you'll be at a slight disadvantage (-4f to be exact) so use with caution. For hitchecking imagine the input as , . It gets hard when the opponent crouch-guards the initial hit. Use this as move as a round finisher to demonstrate your unparalled strength.

Basic Strategy
Fight three dimensionally as Lau! First, try to put the opponent in nitaku with and a throw. If you notice the opponent starting to fuzzy against your nitaku attempts, use your guard break or a throw from a kick-cancel (- throw). However, with Lau you won't be able to maximise his damage output potential just by playing a straight nitaku game. Here's where you'll have to mix up the timing for certain moves you do.

Here's where 'sako' () comes into play. It'll lose out to your opponent's abare but doing 'sako' from or can really change up your offense.

To me, Lau isn't a straight up nitaku kind of character. I think the real essence of this character is a balance and application of three things: fast strikes, a fast throw game and your ability to mix up your timing when executing moves.

Befriend the Walls
Lau can be a monster on stages with walls. It doesn't matter if you're perpendicular, diagonally facing or parallel to a wall, and there are several ways to approach the wall.

First, when you're perpendicular to the wall try or . Hitting the opponent with will give a wall stagger, during the animation hit (or - Modelah) to wall splat the opponent.

Combo after (wall stagger), (wall splat):
, , , - for all characters , , , - for Taka​

Hitting the opponent with will cause a wall slump on normal hit, and a wall splat on counter hit.

Combo:
(wall slump), , - for all characters​

You can do more damaging combos in some cases but they're either hard to do or aren't very reliable. Get this basic combo down first before trying anything else.

If counter hits, use a (wall splat) combo listed above. I know I said there are several ways to approach a wall but as there's so much to write I'll leave it at that for now. If you'd like to know more on that please check out my old blog (in Japanese- Modelah).

Destroy High-String Happy Opponents
When punishing an opponent's high strings from a crouch, Lau's is without a doubt the most potent weapon in the entire game.

Combo:
, , ​

This is a great general-purpose combo that can really sap your opponent's will to fight. To set this up successfully it's important to know what moves your opponent has that have follow-up strings, so you should really try to learn every character's strings (just by watching real matches is enough).

Good Luck!

Wasakon

 

Where is the rest of it @Modelah? Good stuff though and I want to add something about the knee. If you connect with the front k which is the 17 frame knee on counter hit it will stagger your opponent which can open them up for a launcher and a big but simple 107 damage which works on all characters except taka. @IcKY99 knows what I am talking about lol. I might add some more stuff later because there is plenty of good moves.

 

The 6k stagger is pretty easy to break.

 

Not everyone can break out of it and even if they do its not all the time. Good combos can come from 6k if not stagger broken.

 

It's harder to break online.

Anyway, since you're actually posting in the Dojo section now, I'll let you in on something. You should follow the 6K stagger with 6P+KP and not 4K.

 

The one I use will work on anyone except taka but the 6p+kp after the 6k stagger only works well on lighter characters and does about the same amount of damage. The 6k stagger 4k follow up with the 4p+k follow up with 3ppk is more reliable for me at least online.

 

Also for the 6p+g throw to the wall follow it up with 4p+k p+k follow that with 66k+g then 6p+k p+k for a moe devastating combo which works most of the time especially if the wall is straight behind your opponent, on most characters except taka.

 

Sure, but the fact is you're not gonna be 100% sure you're gonna get a combo after you guess right. And the more you use it the more likely it is the opponent will learn how to break the stagger. It simply is not a knee-class launcher, even though it can be a useful and damaging move to surprise the opponent with.

 

Thats true and I see what you are talking about but then again nothing really is 100%, at least not always. By the way what do you use with Lau that works well for you? Moves wise.

 

Good combos can come from any stagger the opponent can't break, especially online meaning Lau's 6K isn't anything special, in fact it's pretty shitty for a 6K.

 

Except side-turned - because for some bizarre reason 4K+G, K+G and 6K+G recover 6 frames faster in a side-turned situation - making them +3, +5 (in Kokei stance) and -11 respectively.

Totally disagree here. 66P+G gives head toward face down recovery and permits evade of linear move in yomi - this mitigates the loss of damage compared to 46P+G.

Two other relevant throws for Lau - Lau recovers from ground after 4P+G allowing ring repositioning rather than hunting for a stomp.

6P+G is the only throw Lau has that takes a drink off Shun.

​

 

Another advantage of 66pg is that if it's escaped, leaves you facing forward instead of putting you in a sideturned situation.

 

Totally grasping straws there, 66P+G allows you to evade opponent's rising kick? So what, they can just roll before and make it full-circular. I'd personally rather take all the damage I can get instead of relying on gimmicks, Lord knows Lau needs it.

 

The difference is 5 points of damage over 46p+g I think, and you wouldn't choose that throw for wake up options alone, but it's relevant. While damage is damage, advantage is advantage too, and players should be made aware of it in guides. And opponents - it's not natural for everyone to slow roll after throw knockdowns, especially when tech rolls aren't an option.

 

What advantage? The opponent wakeups extremely fast after 66P+G meaning you don't have too much time to setup whatever oki Lau has, I forget, unless you want to yomi it out by making the oponent sideroll everytime after that throw since they have no incentive not to due you being able to avoid their rising mid kick, but then again you could have just done 46P+G which A) does more damage, 5 is plenty, and B) leaves more time for oki (you can backdash and launch punish both low and mid mmediate rising attacks, making it infinitely better than just guess evading only the mid)

P+G, qcbP+G, 6P+G and 46P+G, these are the only throws Lau needs.

 

You can jump over the opps wakeup kick

 

We're talking at cross purposes here, I'm not good enough recommend offence. But throws and knockdown moves that affect wake-up kicks deserve to be mentioned in guides, it's useful information. Without that, the ignorant player can wake-up with the mid and whiff against an OM - can't that be a 10 frame advantage? Nothing is guaranteed and my limited frame thinking gets very cloudy in whiffs.

 

Or even if they do break it, you can set up other stuff on the premise that they will recover stagger and block, like blockbreaker or a mid(in case they break stagger and fuzzy).

 

The point is simple: 6k doesnt guarantee anything and thus does not fit the bill as the proper nitaku tool/knee class move/combostarter/whatever you want to call it Lau so desperately needs.

 

6K is tried and tested PSN tactic, for sure. Important to make the distinction between an environment like that, and 'real life', heh. Seen a few Lau users on there basing their whole game around it

Just wondering about the Oki options, ie moves to do when the other guy is getting up. 9K from range comes in for a little combo, 8K+GK beats the low kick for a stagger, and if you space it just right, charge P+K can do the job as they get up. Anything else? I see in an older thread here, mentioning about hovering over them in Kokei and press the P+K, is that legit? Tried it a few times in matches, seems a bit random.

Going back to the charge P+K, if that ever hits from wherever, is there a best kind of universal follow-up? Cheers.