VF5FS Brad Move Analysis

Top-10 Moves(top)

1. (Rising Upper): This is generally Brad's most damaging counter hit launcher to use when he has nitaku (+6 to +9). Generally speaking, however, is a better option because it's a half-circular attack and is safer on guard. The damage bonus should mainly be considered against the lightest characters.
   
2. (Lumpini Combination): The first move in this series tracks to Brad's back and will cause a wall stagger. From this stagger, (Slipping) is guaranteed. The second hit of this series is mid and can be delayed. You can mix it up between a throw for strong pressure, particularly against a wall. If it lands on a counter hit, it will cause a wall stagger that will guaranteed Slipping .
3. (Sawk Klab): Because of its speed, this move is Brad's staple punishment tool for opponents who are left standing. It will slam on any hit, allowing for a combo to be made. But note that this move will change foot position during its execution. Properly checking foot position is the key to getting the most damage from this move.
4. (Dtee Sawk Lang): This combination is useful because of its long range. Use it to punish whiffs or to close the distance on your opponents. The second part of this series can be delayed for a long time. This makes it fairly easy to hit scan.
5. (Last Shot): This mid, high combination will launch the opponent on the second hit. It is guaranteed on a crouching opponent and after any counter hit. It should be used a medium advantages, such as after hits. If used as a punishment tool, the advantage needs to be large. If you guard a sweep, counter with this move for a high damage combo.
   
6. (High Kick): Between throws, this move is Brad's strongest option when applying nitaku (+6 to +9). It will track towards Brad's front, as well as catch low punches with its special high property. On a counter hit, you can create a powerful combo on all opponents.
7. (Stop Kick): This is another long-range tool in Brad's arsenal. It's also possible to shift into stances to continue the pressure. On guard, Brad's fastest stance moves cannot be interrupted, which will make your opponent think twice before trying to interrupt. This move will also cause a wall stagger when it hits, guaranteeing all of his stance moves aside from Slipping .
8. (Turn Savate): Brad has an easy time attacking from a distance while keeping himself safe with this move. It is essential to his keep away tactics, and is the greatest reason why he's one of the best characters at mid range. Upon execution, Brad is left back turned. This allows him to use a crouching forward dash from this state, which moves him far away from his opponents. As a result, an opponent will have a difficult time punishing Brad if he whiffs with this attack or if it's guarded. can be used following the crouch dash if the opponent whiffs his move. Despite its strength, this attack has one major drawback: Since he's left in the back turned state, some characters can punish this move well if they guess correctly. For instance, Jean can easily use to hit Brad while the move is executing and then launch.
   
9. (Jaguar Tail): A fast, low full-circular. It can be a good idea to use this if your not sure which way your opponent will evade. On a counter hit, it will knock the opponent down for more pressure. It may also be applied when your opponent's back is against the wall, as it will create a wall stagger guaranteeing . If you and your opponent are parallel to the wall and Brad's back is facing it, will create an even more powerful wall stagger that will guarantee . Just be careful: On guard it is very punishable.
10. (Kao Loy): This is Brad's primary reverse nitaku tool. If you predict that your opponent will throw you, using this move will lead to a powerful combo on all characters if it lands. It's important to use this tool every once in awhile at -6 and below. Without the threat of the damage from your opponents will feel relatively safe to throw in their advantage. There are safer alternatives to discourage throwing, but none offer the damage this move does. Another use for is as a punishment tool at -17 and below. This makes in ideal for punishing risky moves such as sweeps.

Attacks(top)

P(top)

(Combination Low): A high, high, low string. This string is particularly useful when trying to finish your opponents off due to its speed, tracking, and sneaky low hit. If opponent's are good with guarding the low, you can cancel the string and use instead. is also a natural combo on side hit. can also link to Brad's stances, though this use is limited due to the lack of advantage when entering from it.

K(top)

(Teep Combination): This mid, high, mid string has some useful applications. Both and can lead to stances, so make sure you study the frames for both on entry. This string is especially useful when applying it on an opponent's side. The entire string is a natural combo when it hits, and you should be able to confirm at least the second hit before deciding whether to continue with the third hit or to use another option. On a minor counter hit, this string is guaranteed when it hits Taka's front side, too. While has some use as a tracking string, seems to work better for this purpose. Rather, the string has more use when trying to hit at range. Opponents who like to set up distanced attacks may run into this string during their executions.

P+K(top)

1. or or (Rapid Double Jab): This is a high, two-in-one NC executing in 14 frames. It is also Brad's strongest move leading into a stance in terms of beating abare. On guard, it's nearly impervious to interruption against his launchers. For example, Ducking will beat most of the opponent's moves. Only attacks faster than 12 frames in execution can beat them, and in that case, Brad can use his faster, high launchers instead. While doing this will force Brad to divert from the strong Ducking /Ducking nitaku guaranteed on most of the case, is still a potent attack to begin a string.
2. (Rapid Shot Upper): The third element of this string is mid and has some interesting follow-ups. or is a NC from it that will force your opponent to become side turned. From there, is guaranteed. Since this move is high, may be used to discourage crouching. However, this move is risky as it's -16 on guard! Even though it launches, there's nothing guaranteed from it. Since the reward does not outweigh the risk, it's advisable to refrain from using this move. Perhaps the most interesting means by which to end this string is with . This is a high which will launch an opponent under certain circumstances. If you can land the third hit of the string on a counter hit, then the hook will land if Brad can reach his opponents. The following chart details the circumstances. "Elbow" refers to the mid attack (usually ) used by the CPU opponent in the Dojo Mode in Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown when set to "Guard and Counterattack 4."

1. Character
   
   
   Elbow
   Throw
2. Akira
   Open
   N/A
   Open
   Open
3. Pai
   Open
   N/A
   Open
   N/A
4. Lau
   Both
   Open
   Both
   Both
5. Wolf
   Both
   Both
   Both
   Both
6. Jeffry
   Both
   Both
   Both
   Both
7. Kage
   Both
   Both
   Both
   Both
8. Sarah
   N/A
   N/A
   N/A
   N/A
9. Jacky
   N/A
   N/A
   Open
   N/A
10. Shun
    Both
    Both
    Both
    Open
11. Lion
    Open
    Open
    Both
    Open
12. Aoi
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
13. Lei
    Both
    Both
    Both
    Both
14. Vanessa
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
15. Goh
    Both
    N/A
    Both
    Both
16. Brad
    Both
    Both
    Open
    Both
17. El Blaze
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
18. Eileen
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
19. Jean
    Both
    Both
    Both
    Both
20. Taka
    Both
    Both
    Both
    Both

The attacks in the header refer to what your opponents use when they get counter hit by . These attacks affect whether or not Brad will have sufficient range to connect with the final part of the string. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it provides a decent idea of its reliability against the cast. Keep in mind that since distance is the dependent factor in determining the string's usefulness, that it may work in more situations - and characters - if Brad's opponents are against a wall. An effective way to land this string is by delaying the third attack and mixing it with a throw. Also, if Wolf catches with his RAW, the entire string will be guaranteed!

K+G(top)

(High Spin Kick): A safe, full-circular high kick. Its 17 frame execution makes it widely applicable, as it will beat evade cancels much of the time. On guard, Brad can back dash into Sway Back to avoid nearly attack. Alternatively, you can continue with which is a full-circular low which knocks down on normal hit. It's possible to hit check this combination only if you can confirm a hit before the initial attack lands. Since many opponents will crouch if they guard , you can either follow it with a mid - such as or the highly rewarding - or you can use defensive techniques. will cause a spinning knockdown on counter hit, so try to either use meaties or make a combo with . This move will also cause a wall stagger guaranteeing on normal hit, since the stagger occurs late. If Brad's back is facing a wall, the knockdown from the counter hit can also lead to a wall combo.

P+K+G(top)

(Ga Muay): One of the more interesting moves in the game, it doesn't fall into any specific category. It's not a sabaki in the sense it guarantees minor counter damage (rather than normal hit damage) and it's not a reversal in that Brad incurs only normal hit damage (instead of minor counter damage) when it fails. Rather, it falls into the miscellaneous category for its unique properties. Upon execution, Brad has 42 frames in which to catch an opponent's mid kicks. It will work on any type of mid kick except for somersault kicks and jumping kicks.

When Brad catches a kick with , he is granted 15 frames of advantage. Usually you'll want to use in this situation, though near a wall may lead to a wall combo. Ideal applications for this kick are to catch rising mid kicks or to keep opponents honest in strings using mid kicks. Some characters also use mid kicks at long distance, such as Sarah. Therefore, using may make it difficult for certain characters to attack at this range. Don't forget that you can buffer a throw escape into the animation as well. One last interesting property about this move is that at the correct range, it can avoid an opponent's low attacks!

Stances(top)

1. (Ducking) (; Move followed by as a derivative): Overall, Ducking is Brad's most powerful stance. It's options are:
   1. (Ducking) (Ducking Rush): This string hits high, high, mid, special high and grants Brad some strong pressure. The first attack executes as quickly as his standing jab and functions in exactly the same way. So the strategies that apply to it also apply here. (Ducking) is a natural combo which also grants the option to enter stances. You can use (Ducking) to keep opponents from crouching afterwards or go for a throw instead. (Ducking) will beat low punches with its special high property and also allows for stance entry. For added pressure, you may also delay this string quite a bit.
   2. (Ducking) (Push Kick): This move is slow, but safe and has good range. It will also create a wall stagger guaranteeing or create a wall splat if a wall stagger has already been made.
   3. (Ducking) (Sting Upper): This series is mid, mid with the last hit being a launcher. Though it may be difficult, it is possible to hit scan the first attack before ending the string. Brad can also complete the string with or instead, which is a high that will cause the opponent to become side turned. is guaranteed on any hit, but is only guaranteed on a counter hit. If the opponent is side turned against the wall, -> is also guaranteed and leads to a wall splat.
   4. (Ducking) (Knee Kick): This is a powerful launcher that avoids all lows the moment it enters its execution phase. If it's guarded, the opponent can only counter with a throw.
   5. (Ducking) (Neck Clinch): This is a catch throw capable of tracking an opponent evading towards either side, as well as stopping attacks in their initial phases of execution. When this throw lands, it places Brad into a special stance called "Neck Catch." From there, Brad has three throw options he can use.
2. (Slipping) ( or ; Move followed by or as a derivative): While arguably not as strong as Ducking, Slipping is entered one frame faster than Ducking as a derivative (for example, after ). Therefore, it should be considered if your opponents try to interrupt your stances after certain strings. It's also strong to apply this stance in okizeme.

Throws(top)

1. (Elbow Slash): Brad's basic throw has some useful characteristics. First, if an opponent tries a rising attack in-place immediately after being thrown, will beat it. Against a wall, this throw is useful to use with to keep your opponents guessing. Some moves, such as , are even guaranteed if you can cause a wall stagger with it at the correct angle! This throw is also good for ring out purposes, knocking the opponent away from whichever direction Brad is facing. If it's escaped, however, Brad may be forced out of the ring himself!
2. (Hold Elbow): A light down attack is guaranteed following this throw on every character except for Aoi. If you think Aoi will try to reverse this after the throw, you can setup a launcher. OM towards her legs and work from there. But be careful. She can be deceptively hard to hit for an extended period of time. It may be less risky to try to launch her with a simple .
3. (Triple Crush): This throw guarantees a light down attack, raising the total damage to 63.
4. (Neck Slash): Of all Brad's throws, this offers the best okizemi options. A light down attack is also guaranteed afterwards unless the opponent rolls towards Brad's back or using a rising attack in place. Against some characters, however, Brad has some strong options to deal with this. Be sure to check the "Strategy" section for more details.
5. (Body Knee Crush): While the damage from this throw is weak, it has a couple of unique features. First, it allows for some interesting ukemizemi options. Check the "Strategy" section for more details. This throws should also be used alongside for a ring out throw mix-up since it pushes the opponent forward. Unlike , Brad doesn't run the risk of being pulled out of the ring if it's escaped. He's pushed back away from the opponent instead (as he is for all of his forward directional throws), making this a pretty safe option.