Matchups: You vs. The World

Some of you may notice that during your Soul Calibur V "career", you start to stagnate with your character. There are no more combos to learn, no more little tricks for your character. You play and play, but you feel that the outcome of a match is up in the air.

"It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."

You are stuck because you miss one simple principle:

You cannot play everyone the same way.

That's not just people- that's characters. You cannot play against different characters the same way. You just can't. If you’re playing against Astaroth the same way you play against Natsu you’re missing out on large parts of the game. You need to change your methods to fit the situation.

You know yourself, but not your enemy.

Set aside your basic gameplay and begin to individually study other characters. This is known as gathering matchup data. Studying your matchups augments every single aspect of your game; because you can play against characters at maximum efficiency there is no energy wasted thinking and more resources funneled towards reading your opponent.

This is what separates casuals from real players. Proper matchup study will put you far above the general playerbase to possibly rival actual tournament players. If you are a weak player, it is the one thing 100% guaranteed to make you stronger. Got poor basics? Matchup study will cover that right up. If you are a strong player, it will make you near-unbeatable.

It is work- it does take time- but if you put in the investment now, you are unlocking a depth to the game that is incomparable to anything else- the true splendor of fighters.

If the flowery explanation doesn’t pique your interest, let me put it more simply.

Studying matchups = more wins.


Let’s take a minute to define matchup data.

What is matchup data?

Matchup data is any information that helps you make better decisions in the fight.

It could be a general overview (space out Viola, stay away from close range);

it could be notes on a stance (ducking counters most options from Mitsurugi’s MST);

it could be an observation on strings (you can step right the last hit of Cervantes’ BBB if you block the first two [but you can't step left!]);

it could be frames (Patroklos’ 3B is -16 on block).

You are looking for any sort of advantage, any sort of information that will help you win.

Generally, an easy way to start off gathering matchup data is by looking at a block punishment list. Some of you may already have these lists made for you- check your respective Soul Arena. (Here is Algol’s; here is Patroklos’; here is Nightmare’s; here is Natsu’s; etc., etc.)

If you do not have this list, or if the list is incomplete, it is easy enough to make your own. Head over to the wiki, bring up your character’s frame data and the character you are training against, fire up training mode, and start testing moves.

(As an aside, it’s important that you eventually familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of training mode. Our own Fahros has a video on the subject. If you want to skip right to where he explains the record function, it is here. Training mode is not just for practicing combos and inputs, but for simulating combat situations. I’ve spent many hours in training mode testing and identifying options for any given situation, even though I don’t necessarily “practice” in the conventional sense.)

Having a simple punishment list (duck here and punish with wrB; step this and punish with 22K; block x move and punish with 236B; if this move whiffs, punish with 3B) and adhering to it will greatly increase your survival ratio.

Of course, you don’t need to limit yourself to punishment. Take notes on certain situations and what you see (Pyrrha’s B+G throw can be teched; if aPatroklos is spamming 33B you should be careful about backstepping; a common sequence for Astaroth is 44B block, 44A.)

If you really want to delve deeply into it, go into a particular character’s Soul Arena, and read through everything there. You’ll find setups, tech traps, and common situations that the character goes through. Sometimes, vocal players will even tell you the character’s weaknesses without you having to ask. Arm yourself with this information and use it against the players you come across.

Do the thinking now so you don’t have to think in the fight.

I don’t know about you, but for me it’s pretty hard to remember frames and tactics off the top of my head when I'm being punched in the face.



After you’ve compiled your list (and a few notes) it’s time to reinforce your data, and you do this by- what else?- playing.



The Feedback Loop

This particular method I learned from Belial. Shouts out to Captain Russia, he knows what’s really real.

It is specifically for online play- unless your opponents don’t mind you glancing at a “cheat sheet” in front of them between rounds at your offline venue.

(These are big pictures. Click on them to see.)

I keep a binder next to my Playstation, like so:

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IMG_1229.JPG

In this binder is the matchup data that I have compiled for all characters.

IMG_1230.JPG

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When I play online, I open up the binder. I look to see who I’m facing (is it a Natsu? A Nightmare? A Yoshimitsu?) and I flip open to that page in the binder. I take glances at it between rounds to remind myself that, “oh, this is punishable, oh, I need to watch out for this.”

Now, if you are playing randoms, this can be pretty hard to do on-the-fly. You need something more sustained, more controlled, to learn.

In the Global Colosseo, you can read users’ profiles and find out who their “main” is, and take a longer time preparing (reading your data) before going into the fight. You can also do this in Player Match rooms, seeing who people play and then quickly reviewing your material before fighting.

The absolute best way to do this, however- is to fight a long set, a continual series of matches, one-on-one.



1-v-1

Sets are the preferred style of play for most offline players, as compared to the “endless stream of opponents” typical of online play. You’ll fight head-to-head sets in casuals (“for fun”), at tournaments (these are particularly short sets), or perhaps even for money (!)

Long sets in particular provide one particularly valuable thing- the accumulation of lots of experience in a very short amount of time.

Online, you can set up a 1v1 room by going to Player Match, setting the Player Count to 2 and the Private Slots to 1. Create the room and then invite someone to play.

(You can invite friends; people you’ve met randomly online; people here on 8WR. Ask around, network to find new players of all different types. Don’t be shy- people want new friends! Really!)

Try to keep them there for at least 8 matches (if they are the type to leave, try to keep your challenges to a “ft2” or “ft3”). This shouldn’t be a problem, as most players will play along for an indefinite amount of time.

Since you control who you invite into the room, you most likely know beforehand who you’re playing against, and what character they use. You can open up your matchup book and read it freely from match to match and round to round, applying information from it as you go.

This strengthens your matchup knowledge the more you do it- your punishments become faster and more decisive, your situational knowledge starts to increase. You inoculate yourself against common tricks and setups and increase your defensive capabilities, keeping you in fights longer.

Now, as you’re playing, you may notice that some of your data is inaccurate- you can’t physically do what you wrote down, you can’t JG this or punish that in time. Your opponent may start using techniques or strategies that you have not thought of before. This is what you want- remember this. Save your replays if at all possible.

When you are finished playing, review your replays, think back to what gave you trouble into the match, and then go back into training mode and start updating your matchup data. Find new solutions that will work for you- maybe you need to dial back your expectations on punishment; maybe you need to look more closely at your frames, spacing, and options after getting hit by a certain move. Try out everything; attacking, moving, Guard Impact, just start throwing stuff out until you find what works. You are using the new information you have gained from playing in a real, uncontrolled environment, and refining the data that you already have.

(As an aside- when players say they are “labbing”, or “hitting the lab” for a certain character after a loss, they are gathering and/or refining matchup data. They may not put it on paper, but this is what they are doing.)

Once you have studied these new situations well, you can go back and challenge the same person or character again, and repeat the process. (This can go on as long as you want until you are satisfied- continual refinement can be a lifelong process. This is the “infinite replay value” of fighting games.)


Closing Thoughts

Matchup study can be quite a bit of work. Collecting data on every character in the game is a massive task. Thankfully- you don’t have to stress yourself about it; you can take things one step at a time.

Try picking a character you really dislike playing against. Maybe it’s Xiba, or Voldo, or Leixia. Anyone at all, where you think “I wish this character weren’t in the game.”

Put together an anti-list just for that character. Just one list- it doesn’t have to be too long, and it doesn’t have to be extensive. It doesn’t have to be 100% correct, either. Just put something together with a little bit of study.

Then, go find players who use that character. Find them by looking at user profiles online, find them by asking around 8WR. Friend them and invite them to a 1v1 room.

This is quite literally “confronting your fears”. If you have the right attitude about losing you will overcome your difficulties. Don’t stop for anything.

If you win the majority of your matches due to what you’ve learned from your studies- you’re probably not scared of that character any more. If you lose- take those replays, figure out why you lost, and then dive back into studying again.

When you have reached a level of competency that you are happy with against that character, move on to the next one.

Take your time- move at your own pace. This is a game, it is supposed to be fun. Don’t overwork yourself- just know that you should set aside some time to study when you can.

Just putting in a little work now will pay off big dividends in the future.
 
Some additional thoughts.

This is why you need to pick a “main”. There are at least 25 characters- since your lists are customized to your character, if you switch between two characters and you are studying matchups for everyone your pages just doubled from 25 to 50. It’s enough of a problem putting together data for 25, much less doubling or tripling your workload. (Thinking about putting data together for the upcoming Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is giving me a headache already.)

Of course, you can try to simplify things by putting together commonalities between both characters, but your knowledge won’t be as strong or extensive. Even if you have all frame data memorized you still have to know specific situations for your character. Just because this move is -16 on block and you have an i16 move to punish with it doesn’t mean that it will actually work in reality.
Test your stuff. It'll save you.

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Because the method is based on a feedback loop, good data is wholly dependent on who you play. GIGO – garbage in, garbage out. If the only experience you have versus Hilde is a crappy Hilde who spams 6BBB all day, you are going to be very surprised when you meet a real Hilde player.

If you want good data, seek out strong players. This is the only way to be sure your data is good.

Likewise, if you cannot find strong players, you’re in trouble- your data is going to be weak because it is not forged from the intense fire of a good player. Offline players who stick to playing locally often have this problem (“Nobody here plays ZWEI!”)

This is why- you might’ve heard this in other games- online is great for practicing matchups, because of the insanely large playerbase. The bigger the number of players you can choose to fight, the more likely you’ll be able to find a specific character.

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Good data requires good players. Right?

This is the strange interdependence that exists in fighters. I am only as strong as my strongest opponent.
Were it not for all of the superior players that I have faced, and all of the losses that I have incurred, I would have never improved. I would not be writing this today.

Even a person you hold a grudge against can teach you in the game by beating the crap out of you. You may get some attitude or a little teabagging along with it, but make no mistake- this is valuable information. This is a gift, a blessing. You should probably even express your gratitude (Thank you sir, may I have another?)

Essentially- your strength is my strength- my strength is your strength. Champions are not born in a vacuum- all of our skills are connected. Free yourself from the bitterness and selfish thoughts and realize what opportunities you have in front of you. It only takes an open mind to be able to grow.

This is also why I teach- and why you should, too. It’s quite literally “growing your own opponents”. The goal is for the student to surpass the master- so that now it is your time to learn.
And maybe you make a few friends along the way too, eh.

And- maybe if everyone was strong- we’d have more showings at tournaments, huh?

Maybe not- but at least people would have more fun.
 
It's funny you talked about a binder because I gathered Data and stored it up (in a mental binder) on Viola pre-patch and unleashed it all at once on this cocky ass chick that I know. Then I learned Maxi could backstep 44A BE in the process of letting her have it and it was all she wrote.

I also couldn't wait to show her the broken combos so she could have some new stuff to throw at me. Level up your foes. It only makes you stronger.
 
This is why you need to pick a “main”. There are at least 25 characters- since your lists are customized to your character, if you switch between two characters and you are studying matchups for everyone your pages just doubled from 25 to 50. It’s enough of a problem putting together data for 25, much less doubling or tripling your workload...

My only thoughts on this are that you can have a main while still having a secondary for poor match-ups.

If you play a secondary only for one or two poor match-ups you may have 29 pages of work as you won't be playing the other character for every match-up.
 
I FUNDAMENTALLY DISAGREE WITH THIS METHODOLOGY AND THE IMPRESSIONS IT GIVES ME.


DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.
 
Great article! Wow! Soul Calibur, has such a deep concept of sportsmanship. For many of us who may never set foot on an actual ring, we get to enjoy the competitive experience within our fingertips. And it's satisfying to discover just how far we can go when our skills is put to the test.

Soul Calibur not only challenges our skills but it challenges everything that we are as a fighter. It reflects the make or break molding that we face in our daily lives. Life is like a daily battle, and Soul Calibur reflects this in a much more fun and exciting way.

Indeed, attitude is everything, especially in the Soul Calibur world. This is a great article, and it shows just how rich and deep the world of Soul Calibur really is. In many ways, the Soul swords in their endless match of good and evil, is like a measuring scale for us in where we lean towards the most. Those that rage quit or sends hate mail, may favor Soul Edge's power of domination, and thus their soul is as good as gone and those that enjoy the fun match and earned their keep with all the right attitude would be in favor of the spirit sword, and thus their soul becomes legendary. I guess for the next installment the measuring scale that determines our attitude in our actions would be an interesting new online feature. But that's just an idea I thought of in mid writing. ^^

Anyway, great article. ^^
 
Amazing article to be honest I've never really read frame data or really have studied match ups with other characters, I always pick my fave and play against whoever but after reading this I really do want to take my gameplay to a whole new level, I really appreciate you putting this article and hopefully I can run into you online so you can give me some pointers even if its just you beating me to a pulp.
 
What happens when you know your enemy but don't know yourself? I'm stuck in picking a main limbo. Learning match ups with nearly the whole cast has been helpful, but I keep tripping over my own execution and lack of fundamental skill...

Still, solid writing here and even more informative than I thought it would be. I'm going to try and take these concepts to heart more going forward with SCV.
 
What happens when you know your enemy but don't know yourself? I'm stuck in picking a main limbo. Learning match ups with nearly the whole cast has been helpful, but I keep tripping over my own execution and lack of fundamental skill...
It's like this.

If you have an emotional attachment to a character- if playing a certain character makes the game fun- stick with that character and study matchups, pushing past the difficulty. You'll just have to step up and skill up to achieve competency.

If you're not much for losing- or, rather, you're not very patient, and you want to see results quickly- pick Mitsurugi. (See JJJ's recent switch from Ezio to Mitsu.)

Or pick Pyrrha.

... Basically- if you are learning the game, learning fundamentals, and need immediate positive reinforcement when you learn, you need a character that is zero execution. This is so you can learn advantage/disadvantage, learn frames, learn spacing, learn okizeme, etc. and because there is no execution required you can just concentrate on learning principles and nothing else.

When you are finished learning and you possess solid fundamentals, you can play as whoever you want. (Even Edge Master.)


Sometime shortly after the game's release, I joined an online tournament for SCV. I was beaten by SonicFox and DTM (in both cases because I did not study my matchups, did not know that I should have been studying my matchups, and fell prey to Nightmare 2B+K BE and Viola 44A BE/CE. I didn't even know that the orb was Special Mid then, I just thought Viola was broke, some sort of unholy creature that didn't belong in Soul Calibur).

I lost faith in Patroklos- (I now know I wasn't using him properly then)- and went to the beginner's safe haven- Mitsurugi.

I won the next tournament.


(Just so you know- the lesson from this video is that- no matter how skilled you are, even if you are the best player in the world- you cannot escape the mighty 50/50. I play Mitsu, I have a trump card, that even if everything goes to hell, I can fall back on.

"I am willing to gamble my life. Are you?")

Mitsurugi has all of the tools in the game that he needs to play any sort of style.
Aggressive rushdown Mitsu? He's got that (6B8/2, 3A, 1B, 4B, etc.)
Wild Gambler Mitsu? Start chucking those 2KB BEs out.
Spacer Mitsu? Some of the best moves in the game (6B, B6, B+K, 33B, 11BA, 4A. 4A even recovers extremely fast on whiff so you can continue to make mistakes without much consequence!)

You can learn every aspect of the game through Mitsurugi without having to stress yourself over execution.

I later learned enough about Patroklos that I began to believe he was stronger than Mitsurugi- at least in my hands- and I haven't looked back. I've grown my fundamentals ever since.

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I strongly favor low or no execution characters- the reasoning being that execution gets out of my way, and I can fight the matchup and the player alone. I don't need to be fighting against my controller or my own character as well, that's not good odds.

When you pick a zero execution character- pure basics with Mitsurugi (or Pyrrha) can get you all the way to MLG. Or EVO. Or- well, what I'm trying to say, is that you need nothing special in terms of execution to compete at the highest level with these characters. That means that your success with these characters will be based solely off of your fundamental strength, your own skills.

tl;dr Pick Mitsu. Learn the game. Learn your basics. Then pick who you want.
 
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That's what I like about Maxi. He has only one really hard move but isn't necessary to be successful with him. Truthfully I only do his just frame for showboating.

Edit: Hilarious video BTW
 
Everyone always told me that matchups were very important in this game. It's not like I didn't believe them. I thought I knew that. But I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I don't feel like I'm a fundamentally strong player, so I felt like taking out the time to learn a matchup would only be a waste since I don't have the skill to capitalize on that knowledge.

But what you're saying is the complete opposite of what I thought. Is matchup knowledge truly so critical in this game that it can turn a bad player into a good player, and a good player into a great player? Forgive me for being skeptical... I knew I would eventually have to learn what kind of stuff certain characters have that defies what I thought I knew about how the game worked, but I didn't dare to think that learning matchups could possibly make such a dramatic turnaround.

Are you serious about this? For real?
 
Oh, but there's one other thing that's really bothering me. Drake, don't tell people to use Mitsurugi! I support Pyrrha and other zero-execution characters as beginner characters, or hell, even as permanent picks for people who can't be bothered to do joystick gymnastics. But Mitsurugi's zero-execution isn't why you can get all the way to MLG or EVO with him. His complete overpoweredness is.

"...what I'm trying to say, is that you need nothing special in terms of execution to compete at the highest level with these characters. That means that your success with these characters will be based solely off of your fundamental strength, your own skills." That's true for Pyrrha, and I can certainly get behind recommending her as a first character as I already said, but patently false for Mitsu! Mitsu's as safe as Leixia, as fast as Natsu, as damaging as Nightmare, and his 4B gets him out of nearly EVERY unfavorable situation. That character's completely jacked up! You won that tournament not because Mitsu's a beginner's safe haven, but because he's overpowered. I admire your endlessly positive viewpoint, I really do, but here you're just denying reality. And I'm absolutely not trying to invalidate your tournament win. Winning a tournament is a difficult feat no matter which character you use... but you're misjudging the advantage you had by switching. The advantage you had wasn't that Mitsu was easier, it was that he was WAAAAAAY stronger. If you get people started with Mitsu, there's really no reason to switch away from him. Mitsu's the character you pick if you can't be bothered to do any work.

Please, don't recommend busted-ass characters for people to learn the game. They'll be ruined when they look into other characters that interest them and find that they actually have to do work to win.
 

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