Rhythm: The Death Drum

Free damage. Everybody likes free damage, right? You can get it from punishing your opponent’s mistakes, and you can get it from kicking him in the legs if he never wants to block low. But what if I told you that wasn’t all? What if I told you there was a way to get damage that doesn’t involve safety or mixups?

Everybody likes free damage- and when you can catch your opponent’s rhythm, you can hit him with any move in the game- for absolutely nothing!



What’s rhythm?

A player’s rhythm is a pattern of offense and defense that is unique to that particular player.

The principle is really quite simple- if they are not guarding, they are vulnerable. If they are attacking, stepping, doing any action at all other than guarding (JG and GI being time-sensitive exceptions) then they can be hit.

They cannot sit there and hold guard all day- eventually they are going to perform an action that isn’t guarding. They are going to move, or they are going to attack. That is the opportune time to strike.

Time your attacks so that they land right when the opponent drops his guard. It doesn’t matter what attack you use- just as long as you line up the point of impact right with that moment of vulnerability.

You can use simple, fast, safe pokes at first- but once you become more confident that you “have a lock” on your opponent’s rhythm, you can even start using slower moves and unsafe launchers. To the untrained eye, it seems as if you are just randomly throwing out your “power” moves- but in reality, you are using a carefully planned attack, moving preemptively before your opponent realizes what is happening.

Catching your opponent’s rhythm will completely penetrate his defense, without needing to use mixups or waiting for him to make mistakes. He can be playing completely solid- but if you have his rhythm, you will hit him for free, seemingly pulling damage out of thin air. If he does not see this and break his own rhythm, he will be forever doomed.

It can be a damning mental blow- and when combined with proper mixups and punishment you can completely take control and lock down the entire match.



Counter-Hits

When you start implementing this, you’ll often find that when you sniff out your opponent’s rhythm you start landing more counter-hits than usual. If you’re hitting the opponent right when they drop their guard, often times they are dropping their guard to attack- so often times your attacks will land as counters.

Your character may have strings that are NCC – “Natural Combo on Counterhit”. They may be very unsafe or near-useless on normal hit, but become fairly strong when landing counters.

Normally, NCC strings are used as punishment against players who attack at disadvantage. However, there is another purpose for these strings, and that is- using them as part of a rhythm-based offense.

Think of Pyrrha Omega’s 2B BE. At first glance this is a waste of meter- the second hit is not guaranteed if the first hits normally, so the opponent can escape even though you guessed correctly and hit them. Good players are not going to predictably attack at disadvantage, so this further limits the utility of the move.

But!

When you have your opponent’s rhythm, and land 2B BE on counterhit as a result, you now have a hit-confirmable 84-94 damage attack that punishes the opponent for having a predictable rhythm.

Look in your movelist and see what is NCC, and if you can possibly use it as part of a rhythm-based offense. Some characters, like Natsu and Leixia, have AAB NCC attacks- the string is tied to their fastest attack, and a fast attack is very likely to beat out an opponent, especially so if you are catching their rhythm. (AAB, coincidentally, is a very nice place to start “rhythm training” if you have no experience with it, as it’s very easy to use.)



Rhythm in Spacing (Space and Time)

When it comes to spacing, rhythm is also an important factor. Repelling your opponent properly with preemptive strikes requires that you have a hold on his rhythm- when exactly he will run in. Because your strikes are likely to land as counter-hits, you should note that there are moves in the game for precisely this purpose- Xiba’s 6AK, Nightmare’s BB, Hilde’s 6BBB- so on and so forth.

Causing whiffs with defensive movement is much more viable when you time your steps with your opponent’s rhythm. Backstep or sidestep right before they attack, then whiff punish. Your opponent won’t be able to land a hit, and they won’t know why, either. (They may call for your character to be banned or nerfed, however.)



Breaking Rhythm

Of course, there is a flipside to all of this, and that is when your opponent is skilled at reading your rhythm. To prevent being beat outright, you’ll have to change your rhythm- you’ll have to break it.

Breaking your rhythm is a simple process. Either attack or move earlier than expected, or defend longer than you normally would. If you “go first”, you may end up interrupting your opponent for a counter-hit. If you “go last”, you will probably get the advantage from blocking your opponent’s attack. If they are using unsafe moves to counter your rhythm, if you defend longer than usual, you will be able to punish in most cases (unless they happen to be using spacing to cover their unsafety).

It’s important that you break your rhythm from time to time to keep from getting too predictable. Momentum is a large factor, and you don’t want to give your opponent a foothold to get started if you can help it. If you’ve ever seen two players get in close and suddenly both of them freeze in the guarding position, it may not be that both of their brains just crashed- it may be a rhythm adjustment. It’s an ongoing battle, monitoring your own patterns, and making sure they are not too telegraphed.

Using a slow or delayed attack is a natural way to break rhythm, if you happen to be a “twitchy” type of player that likes to press buttons. Though, you might have noticed that I said “attack earlier, or defend later”. Attacking later can work, but you run the risk of getting counter-hit. Landing these as an interrupt usually provides a large reward, however.



Fakes and Broken Ankles

If your opponent seems to be really in tune with your rhythm and matching you step for step, you can start presenting false information to provoke a response from your opponent; i.e. faking him out. This response is usually either an attack, which you dodge and then whiff punish (or some other effective defensive option), or a step or backstep, which you catch with an anti-movement attack.

A fake can also cause your opponent to hesitate and hold onto his guard button, giving you “advantage” that you can use in any fashion, like approaching and forcing mixups.

The basic fake is an unblockable cancel. Look up your character’s unblockables, and see if they can be canceled with G- like Astaroth’s 44B~G, Cervantes’ 1B+K, Leixia’s 4B+K, and others. An unblockable cancel works well as a fake because of how much sensory information is given to your opponent- the screen turns black, your weapon lights on fire, there’s a loud accompanying sound and normally your character will speak.

Unblockable fakes also work well because- well, they’re unblockables. If you don’t react in time, or don’t interrupt, you’ll be hit, usually for absurd damage. It’s enough to make anyone react.

A “lesser” fake is using a “G-cancel”- A~G, B~G, or K~G. Try all three out for your character- you want to use the one that causes the most amount of movement or noise. G-canceling is not as easy to use as unblockable canceling, as you’ll have to practice the timing- you want to cancel late enough into the animation that you get a big effect, but not so late that you miss the cancel window and actually attack.

“Dancing” to make it seem like you will run in is an option, though you have to be careful that you don’t fall into a pattern (the repetitive movement is hypnotic, both for your opponent and for you). Don’t get carried away- remember why you’re doing this, or your opponent may surprise you with a sudden blitz.

You can also intentionally whiff an attack within a certain distance (usually just inside of your opponent’s effective range). Use the JG method to find a single-hit attack that recovers fairly fast and then use it to bait your opponent. If he retaliates with a “whiff punish”, you can attempt to step, JG or GI and catch him completely off guard. You can use attacks that are normally whiff punishable right outside of your opponent’s range for the same effect, but this is riskier and requires an advanced level of spacing skill.


Remember that all of these options are only going to work on an opponent that is watching you carefully, or is “on edge”. If you get carried away with fakes and not actually attacking, and it has no effect on your opponent, you are wasting your energy at best and giving your opponent free opportunities to attack at worst. Be sure that there is pressure on your opponent- offensive pressure, mental pressure, tournament pressure- before you start making the choice to throw out fakes.



In Closing

As it is with anything in this game, success is gained by finding your opponent’s strength, and then becoming its antithesis. Among two experienced players, this exchange will become fluid and changing, different every time they fight.

Wait to strike the opponent when they drop their guard.
They change rhythm, and guard for an abnormal period of time.
You change rhythm, and force a mixup upon the passive opponent.
They change rhythm, and attack earlier, interrupting the mixup.
You change rhythm, and wait for them to drop their guard to interrupt, so that you can strike.

And so it goes.

The rhythm of battle is always present in every fight- and cursed is the warrior who possesses two left feet.
 
Timing In Strategy

“There is timing in everything. Timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice.

Timing is important in dancing and pipe or string music, for they are in rhythm only if timing is good. Timing and rhythm are also involved in the military arts, shooting bows and guns, and riding horses. In all skills and abilities there is timing.

There is also timing in the Void.

There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this. In strategy there are various timing considerations. From the outset you must know the applicable timing and the inapplicable timing, and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing, first seeing the distance timing and the background timing. This is the main thing in strategy. It is especially important to know the background timing, otherwise your strategy will become uncertain.

You win in battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies' timing, and this using a timing which the enemy does not expect.”

---

This man was a Cha-Cha champion in his local area. His face is kind of familiar…
 
To the untrained eye, it seems as if you are just randomly throwing out your “power” moves.

This phrase have make my day better, I always get this from a friend when I'm playing against him. I have been trying to teach him some analyzing and strategies skill but he is a damn iron head.

You need to adapt to your opponent and to the situation you are, otherwise you will lose.
 
Definitely my favorite of these lovely articles so far, it seems like such an unappreciated tactic online -.-

It feels like the most difficult of habits to break for me personally, I'll watch replays of when I'm playing better players and I see it all over the place: I allowed my defense to become to predictable. And yet even the slightest change to it yields almost immediate results, I love it :D
 
Great article. man how I wish I had the time to play Soul Cal. I'm so out of practice. Thanks for sharing the valuable info. Soul Calibur is such a deep fighting game. ^^
 
Hyrul is good at this kinda thing
Every tournament winning player have this skill; the problem is about fighting against a player who have a variable/adaptable rhythm; there are players who can adapt so fast that can change their rhythm before the round is over... that's the reason of comebacks in this game, cause you are trying to anticipate a rhythm that is already changed.
 
Every tournament winning player have this skill; the problem is about fighting against a player who have a variable/adaptable rhythm; there are players who can adapt so fast that can change their rhythm before the round is over... that's the reason of comebacks in this game, cause you are trying to anticipate a rhythm that is already changed.
lol I know, most good players can do this, but as in same nature with spacing and zoning, some are better than others
 
Relevant:

It has nearly EVERYTHING on this topic despite being an anime. :P
Skip around to the 5 minute mark
 
animu -_-

He is right, though. In order to learn, start by imitation.

of course, it's not enough to just mindlessly copy... Imitation is a skill in itself. You have to reverse-engineer a player's thought processes, environment, and situation, in order to get a "perfect" copy.

A cheap bootleg knockoff is no good.


But, "possession" can give you a rapid increase in power. It's quite simple... If a player has been playing competitively for 10 years, and you copy him fully... then you play like someone who has 10 years of experience.

Shamelessly copy their strengths, and make it your own.

After you assimilate the "Master", and then become him, then you can start to develop your own style...
 
I've noticed that you can sometimes break the other guy's defence if you just do stuff in a rhythm that seems erratic and awkward. I think that's part of what you are talking about here. I often get stuff like Mitsu's 66BB through simply by running at someone for a fraction of a second longer than what would appear to make sense.
 
I often get stuff like Mitsu's 66BB through simply by running at someone for a fraction of a second longer than what would appear to make sense.
That's right.

Rhythm is part of the "human element". Since you're playing against actual people, what may seem illogical is actually anything but.

Sometimes, exploiting the fact that your opponent is human is all you have to go on. (Hopefully cybernetic implants don't become popular.)
 
Definitely my favorite of these lovely articles so far, it seems like such an unappreciated tactic online -.-

It feels like the most difficult of habits to break for me personally, I'll watch replays of when I'm playing better players and I see it all over the place: I allowed my defense to become to predictable. And yet even the slightest change to it yields almost immediate results, I love it :D

To be fair, the slightest amount of lag online. can make even the smallest rhythm adjustment seem more effective. What I'm trying to do is fight in a rhythm that makes the opponent feel comfortable to throw out what they want early on so I can get an idea of how they normally respond. This is so in the latter rounds I can switch up some tactics to counter their rhythm when they start to feel "comfortable". I like the hesistation from an opponent that knows that their rhythm is getting predictable and countered.

Thank you for the quality article Drake, always a pleasurable read.
 
This has been an extremely well-written series and I implore the author to continue.
But not a damn one of these matters if you simply aren't good. Not a one of these makes a difference in playing homegrown scrubs, driven players, pros, or amateurs with a gimmick. Whether it's some factor you simply haven't come to yet, or the domination of rote tactic over skill, I have only ever measured as profoundly untalented in any competition scenario despite incorporating all of these, whether my opponent is as mindful or not.
Oh wait, you haven't discussed tiers yet have you?
 
Tiers are moot, brah. And these are pretty much the very basics, the only thing more basic than these articles is pressing buttons. If you can't do the things in these articles(or press buttons)...Yeah, then you've got a problem.
 

This sounds like a playstyle flaw on your part if you're appearing "profoundly untalented" at competitions. At a tourney do you believe you have lost because of character selection or because of being outplayed? Everytime I have lost at a tourney, I have been outplayed. Online, lag does become a legit factor though.

This gist of these articles are based around developing fundamentals coupled with some advanced manoevres. The "simply aren't good" claim simply means that some aspect of your fundamentals is lacking. Gimmicks can only get you so far. If you can't adapt to a gimmick by the end of a tourney, then that's just MU ignorance.

Don't think that you have to be "godly" at SCV in order for these articles to help you in some way.
 
But not a damn one of these matters if you simply aren't good.
Is it so simple?

Rapid growth of strength relies on a feedback loop. It means you must specifically identify your weaknesses so that you can correct them.

If you cannot pinpoint where your failings are, and attribute it to a "general lack of skill", then no, you'll never improve, because you'll never know how.


The easiest way to find your weaknesses is to record your gameplay. Camcorder, or online, or whatever you can do. The bias should be towards recording losses.

When you hit the opponent, you've done well. Your natural skills come through, so you can move on.

When you get hit, you've made a mistake. Analyze the immediate situation. What was I thinking about? What caused me to be hit? Is the opponent using tactics on me? Can I prevent this from happening or copy my opponent's actions and use it on him?

When you find a weakness, you must change your natural playstyle to eliminate it (and receive all the difficulties associated with adaptation). If you know what you are doing is not working, but you do not change, you will just continue to be hit.



These articles come from constant reviewing and analysis of my own matches. I came to realize that all of the players who have ever beaten me had done so because they were using these principles and I was not.

In your case- you must turn inward and shine a light on your flaws. Giving your demons a name is the only way to slay them and move forward.
 

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