I'm not really poking with it, but I'm mostly using it as an AA punisher replacement. K does almost as much damage as AA without putting him into stance. So stuff like Astaroth's knee with is -14 on block. Maxi can punish with 2A, K or AA. AA sucks because even on hit, Asta can just do another knee and get you on CH. To me, K is a good choice since it gives more damage but less hs than 2A. So now you get a choice between better hs or better damage depending on what you need. The one frame does make a big difference on the amount of stuff he can interrupt, which helps out his mind game.