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.
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.