i know a few other people have said this but i gotta be jumping on the badwagon of "asta is good but to win tourneys you're gonna need a top tier main".
throw or 4b just isint enough damage when yoshi can kill you dead in 2 CE's and cervy and natsu have mid screen 50%'s with 1 bar or less.
right now i'm looking at cervy.
So far, I disagree. Astaroth's not God tier but he can hang if you play him well. However, playing him well can be harder than with the faster characters. You need:
1. Excellent spacing. You HAVE to be proficient at his three ranges: long range, at the tip of his A+B; mid range, at A / 44A range (his primary range); and short range, right in their face. You need to constantly pressure at mid range and know when to run into close range for throw attempts or bull rush in for high counters or to increase spacing. You cannot whiff at mid-range. Doing so lets your opponent in, often with free damage.
2. Excellent terrain control. Every single attack should steer towards a wall or edge. Only do otherwise if you're going to get great damage or if you're playing a mind game. If you're on an infinite stage in a tournament, change stages ASAP. Asta has all the tools to control the ring - use them.
3. Excellent reading / mind games. If you can't outplay your opponent in the throw guessing game, you lose. You need his command throws and low grabs to win. They do great damage, and can RO / W! in various ways. If you can train your opponent to fear throws and force him into a regular / low throw mixups, you're in great shape. You also have to predict high attacks so you can bull rush through them.
4. Excellent defense, judgement, and patience. This is the hardest of all Asta's necessary skills. You HAVE to know every single character matchup. At close range, fast characters can pressure Asta easily, so you have to be able to block mixups, and you have to know when you can interrupt to get some breathing room. Asta doesn't have a "panic button" to interrupt flow and regain momentum, so all you can do is wait for an opportunity to counterattack or throw. This means understanding every attack for every character.
5. Excellent pressure. This is Asta's
raison d'être. Pressure with smart attacks at mid and long range. Pressure with guard breaks and force guard bursts. Pressure with throw mixups. Pressure with terrain control; get them near a wall or edge. Pressure with oki, esp. using 1A_B+G and guard breaks as they stand. Control the flow of the match. Astaroth is great at slowing the pace down; this is frustrating for faster characters, and frustration leads to mistakes. Often it's worth giving up bigger damage for increased frustration, e.g. following up a 6K CH with a 1A_B+G instead of a 44B.
I doubt I've said anything you don't already know. But, my point is that Asta seems easy to use, but he's actually very difficult at high level play. I think you can be successful with him, but it's a very different and much more deliberate style of play than the faster characters. Work hard and you'll succeed.
