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Pyrrha Match-Up: Discussion
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Xeph, just got my account back, can you transfer the above material to this post to allow me to edit and continue?
Thanks.
Pyrrha vs Leixia:
Experience in this matchup vs Kalas, Hyrul and Kayane.
Summary:
Stopping the irritating bitch from getting in, a summary:
Her throw game: *Shudders*
Dem mids:
Going low:
And the highs:
Will get into her evades, okizeme and how to keep her out later, my fingers are tired now =(
Thanks.
Pyrrha vs Leixia:
Experience in this matchup vs Kalas, Hyrul and Kayane.
Summary:
Overall, I feel a fairly competitive matchup, when played intelligently it is certainly winnable by both sides, however Leixia appears to have the harder time. Pyrhha has good answers to her evades, fair reverse mixup, superior damage and performs better at mid range. I will go into more detail now, but I will end my summary by saying I believe this matchup to be 6:4 in the favour of Pyrrha.
Stopping the irritating bitch from getting in, a summary:
Closing the distance from long to short range is one of Leixia's biggest weaknesses and Pyrrha is among the more damaging members of the cast with regards to shutting her getting-in tools down at mid-long range.
As a rough rule of thumb, Leixia players will be most commonly using 66AA and 66BB to get in, though this in itself is usually an act of desperation. (though 66AA can be used for whiff punishment) Anyway, punishing Leixia here is relatively trivial, as it requires no more than reasonably good reflexes, punishment is simple.
Punishing 66AA:
66AA is -12 on block, however Leixia recovers crouching, thus the only character capable of punishing it on block is Alpha Patroklos with JF Twister. Inb4 Yoshi iMCF - if that was what Yoshi was punishing with and I was Leixia, I'd 66AA all day. Anyway, what you must do is JG the second hit on reaction (it takes only a little practice and some experience) at which point, you can hit her with a stab for 62 damage, 3B for 50 damage if your JFs are inconsistent or 3B CE for 94 damage if you have the meter and sufficient hate for this little whore. *takes a deep breath*
Punishing 66BB_66BBB:
66BB is a dangerous move at mid range for both user and opponent, the first hit has some tracking and can catch you out of step, which is 100 damage if Leixia has a CE on deck. DO NOT let her get away with throwing this move around. After blocking the first hit, sidestep - side doesn't matter. Your reactions have to be on point here, if the step is a little slow, you will eat a CH and a CE combo, however you can punish with 22BAK, stab or CE.
Fun fact - if you step left, you can also punish it with 99B for some amazing reverse RO potential, but if you step right, 33B will whiff straight through her. Yay hitboxes!
As for 66BBB, you obviously have a much bigger combo window when punishing this move, it is dealt with in exactly the same way as 66BB. The reason I mention this is because it is punishable on normal hit AND counter hit: 66BB is NCC, ergo you can block when the second hit impacts, but if Leixia does 66BBB for additional guage damage, you can either step either side and punish the same way as listed above, or JG the break attack on reaction - you won't get a 3B this way, but you can raw CE for SWAG purposes.
While punishing this move on NH can be difficult, on CH it is easy. If you recognise the first hit to have hit you on CH, ALWAYS STEP because 66BB will hit you anyway, but if Leixia has gone for guage damage, bitch gonna' get slapped. HARD.
A key thing to remember vs Leixia at mid range is that Leixia players, good ones that is, do not like having to use these moves randomly while being zoned. Most often they will try to cause the zoner to whiff and use the opening to move in for better mixups. If however an opponent Leixia is randomly throwing them out, it is an important thing to take note of, paticularly so early in sets, depending on when they are used. The reason being is that it allows one to make a deduction about the player you are against - random 66AA and 66BB generally indicate one of three things:
Desperation
Reckless agression
Being bad at Soul Calibur
And while the latter applies mainly to online players, the other two are key things to note as recognising either will dictate the anti strategy, but we will discuss this further later on.
As a rough rule of thumb, Leixia players will be most commonly using 66AA and 66BB to get in, though this in itself is usually an act of desperation. (though 66AA can be used for whiff punishment) Anyway, punishing Leixia here is relatively trivial, as it requires no more than reasonably good reflexes, punishment is simple.
Punishing 66AA:
66AA is -12 on block, however Leixia recovers crouching, thus the only character capable of punishing it on block is Alpha Patroklos with JF Twister. Inb4 Yoshi iMCF - if that was what Yoshi was punishing with and I was Leixia, I'd 66AA all day. Anyway, what you must do is JG the second hit on reaction (it takes only a little practice and some experience) at which point, you can hit her with a stab for 62 damage, 3B for 50 damage if your JFs are inconsistent or 3B CE for 94 damage if you have the meter and sufficient hate for this little whore. *takes a deep breath*
Punishing 66BB_66BBB:
66BB is a dangerous move at mid range for both user and opponent, the first hit has some tracking and can catch you out of step, which is 100 damage if Leixia has a CE on deck. DO NOT let her get away with throwing this move around. After blocking the first hit, sidestep - side doesn't matter. Your reactions have to be on point here, if the step is a little slow, you will eat a CH and a CE combo, however you can punish with 22BAK, stab or CE.
Fun fact - if you step left, you can also punish it with 99B for some amazing reverse RO potential, but if you step right, 33B will whiff straight through her. Yay hitboxes!
As for 66BBB, you obviously have a much bigger combo window when punishing this move, it is dealt with in exactly the same way as 66BB. The reason I mention this is because it is punishable on normal hit AND counter hit: 66BB is NCC, ergo you can block when the second hit impacts, but if Leixia does 66BBB for additional guage damage, you can either step either side and punish the same way as listed above, or JG the break attack on reaction - you won't get a 3B this way, but you can raw CE for SWAG purposes.
While punishing this move on NH can be difficult, on CH it is easy. If you recognise the first hit to have hit you on CH, ALWAYS STEP because 66BB will hit you anyway, but if Leixia has gone for guage damage, bitch gonna' get slapped. HARD.
A key thing to remember vs Leixia at mid range is that Leixia players, good ones that is, do not like having to use these moves randomly while being zoned. Most often they will try to cause the zoner to whiff and use the opening to move in for better mixups. If however an opponent Leixia is randomly throwing them out, it is an important thing to take note of, paticularly so early in sets, depending on when they are used. The reason being is that it allows one to make a deduction about the player you are against - random 66AA and 66BB generally indicate one of three things:
Desperation
Reckless agression
Being bad at Soul Calibur
And while the latter applies mainly to online players, the other two are key things to note as recognising either will dictate the anti strategy, but we will discuss this further later on.
Her throw game: *Shudders*
While Leixia players are forever crying about her damage, her throw game is unquestionably good: her throws do more damage than most of her NH combos, lol. Anyway from head on, A+G is her most damaging midscreen throw at 55 damage, B+G dealing 45, however is has forward RO potential and can wallsplat, which gives a garunteed 3B for 63 damage. That however is the least of your wories by a wall, as B+G plus a wallsplat gives an untechable knockdown and 54 damage, but if you try to get up, 2B+K is a force block, which gives Leixia either 72 damage in total, or another throw/mid 50/50. For that reason, be mashing B by a wall, lol.
From the side:
Leixia's left side throw sets up a strong mixup by the edge, as it causes RO to an opponent with their back to the edge, which mixes up with her launchers giving her RO from throws and step catching mids - bad situation to be in.
Leixia's right side throw by comparison is her strongest midscreen throw: 65 damage, a position swap and good positioning for okizeme. This is what you will most commonly see mixed up with 22B.
As with most side throw characters, there is no real cut and dry answer to limiting her throw game, but her throw game coupled with her mids is one of the best in the game by an edge, so being mindful of space and controlling it is the best and most practical answer. I fi was knocked down by the edge and had a choice between 50 damage in ground hitting moves but getting away and taking a throw mixup, serve me the 50 dmg if I can get away with it.
From the side:
Leixia's left side throw sets up a strong mixup by the edge, as it causes RO to an opponent with their back to the edge, which mixes up with her launchers giving her RO from throws and step catching mids - bad situation to be in.
Leixia's right side throw by comparison is her strongest midscreen throw: 65 damage, a position swap and good positioning for okizeme. This is what you will most commonly see mixed up with 22B.
As with most side throw characters, there is no real cut and dry answer to limiting her throw game, but her throw game coupled with her mids is one of the best in the game by an edge, so being mindful of space and controlling it is the best and most practical answer. I fi was knocked down by the edge and had a choice between 50 damage in ground hitting moves but getting away and taking a throw mixup, serve me the 50 dmg if I can get away with it.
Dem mids:
When Leixia is in, breaking her momentum can and most often is, a freaking nightmare, so lets kick off with the mid hitting attacks:
3B
i17 launcher
Carries a tech crouch from frame 8 all the way through to impact, 41-77 damage on hit depending on meter and tracks fully after a blocked 2B+K, though it has no tracking normally to its right side. Great move range wise, wallsplats, forward RO, and obviously a 17 frame punish.
This move will break the guage in 12 blocks, but if you've just started flashing red, it will take two to crush you, so don't panic immediately. Sadly she can setup this move into a lot of forceblock situations, so regardless of your level of play, you will see it a lot.
A sheet of frame data will tell you that it is punishable by AA and raw CE, which in fairness it is, but at tip range it is safe to AA, as the first hit will whiff. Leixia players can preempt your block punish at mid range with this and actually bait it into big damage. While meterless she only gets 2A and 44B, she can also iWS B BE and raw CE you. Be careful of your spacing when you punish this move, if not, you can eat a lot of damage.
Raw CE however will always punish.
THERE'S NO ESCAPE!!!
Earlier I talked briefly about it having no tracking to the right, but not the left. Now the left side tracks slightly, which is to say it CAN catch 22K when Pyrrha is at advantage, lol.
Overall, its annoying to play against but imo a staple CE punish (AA at most ranges if it will kill/you are meterless). If Leixia wants guage pressure, she can pay big damage for it.
22_88B
FUCK THIS MOVE
One of her best launchers - completely full tracking, launch on NH and one frame too safe to be stabbed, did I mention it guard crushes in 12? ARRRRGGGGHHH!
While it is made slow by the necessary quickstep and it has no TC, its mixup is nightmarish - Leixia uses this as her mid option in a Pyrrha-esque run up side throw mixup. When she does this, the sidestep for the throw allows this move to impact in 16 frames, making it hard to interrupt on reaction. Though I'm sure that if your name's therenovator or azazel you can JG it every time on reaction no problem, so good for you two. >_>
Anyway, its saving grace is that its -13 on block, PUNISH THIS MOVE when you get the chance, raw CE that shit all day. As for AA punishment, it only works at point blank range, which means if it was used in a side throw mixup, you may punish it, but any other range and you will get baited as described above. Standing K has exactly the same issue, as does 2A. I personally see it first and foremost as a mid to reinforce the throws, but it is annoyingly hard to whiff punish at longer ranges and hass a meaty-ass hitbox, so it is also used regularly for baiting at mid ranges, the rationale behind this is that Leixia players want you to run into it and THEY ALL FREAKING DO IT. Don't fall for it all day like I do, lol.
In summary, AA at point blank, CE any other time.
FC 3B
Contrary to popular (and uneducated) belief, FC 3B does not have any TC frames whatsoever, much like Yoshi's FC3K, you can interrupt with throws, AA, anything. Its only crouching frames are in the motion used to perform iWS 3B, which is what people identify as a TC, which is of course, nonsense.
This move is 100% safe on block against Pyrrha and will guard crush in 11, even worse, it does carry some tracking to her left, as with 3B step right, just in case.
While it is one of her slower launchers, fom FC it is the same speed as Cervantes' 3B, which means your reflexes will not help you in dealing with this move; the only way it can be dealt with is through mixup:
At close and mid range, the pushback on this move is insufficient to force you out of throw range, so take a throw/mid mixup. Use 66A as the mid; it beats all evades and is 100% uninterruptable here.
At further ranges, taking a mixup is imo impractical considering the risk/reward and Pyrrha can instead use it as an oppertunity to keep Leixia out, resetting Leixia's momentum, which is something. You get a safe backstep on block vs this move - 66B and CE will not kill you, if you want room to breath and have space behind, here is an oppertunity.
22kAA_22kAAB_22kaak
Leixia's strongest NH combo string, ending in a low/mid mixup on block that far too many people are willing to take, this string on block and all its varients if 22kAA is used are handled by one reasonably simple punish:
JG the second hit of the wheel kick and 3B is garunteed, however I do not recommend this, the reason being is that Leixia can 22kAAK, in which case 3B will hit airborne and you will get little damage, instead compromise with a stab punish. It is good damage vs 22kAA, deals 40 dmg to 22kAAK and can be JF'd vs 22kAAB, which will also be a counter hit. If Leixia attempts 22kAAB and you 236B:4, you will get a CH which if you get a clean hit deals 78 damage, which is Omega DNS B:4 territory.
Another fun fact: If you happen to JG the first hit of the string and Leixia follows through, 236B will trade and a second 236B:4 is garunteed, giving 96 damage meterless. Impractical generally, but worth knowing. You can 236B, 66B BE, 22BAK for 118, or 236B, 66B BE, delayed CE for 126 - shoutouts to TASB TASB:4 damage! =D
3A+B
Mid hitting antistep, this move to all extents and purposes is 3B, 17 frames, full tech crouch from frame 8 onwards. Reasonable advantage on hit and a KND on CH, overall VERY good antistep and completely safe on block. Thankfully, it can never guard crush. On block, take a throw/mid mixup, but favour the mid, Leixia recovers in full crouch and it is a common setup into WS B_WS B BE. You don't want to eat that for trying to throw, lol.
On normal hit, you will be forced into BT and Leixia is liable to run in for a throw/mid mixup. Should she dash in, BT 2A will stuff everything. Leixia will answer this instead with 3A+B (hit) FC 3B, which is a good GI oppertunity for Pyrrha with A+B, giving 59 dmg.
33B_33BB
33B itself is safe on block vs Pyrrha, but 33BB is punishable by AA and CE. AA will only punish if 33BB was blocked t close range though. Being a 33_99 move, it has some realignment and thus some unpredictable tracking, but quickstepping either side when close to neutral usually beats it and 3B will whiff punish either variant.
44[A]
Leixia's biggest combo starter. Slow as hell, but hits mid, tracks fully and crushes in less than 10. Most often used when the opponent runs at her and the opponent is expecting a throw ie at the start of a round vs certain players *cough me cough*.
Safe on block, but the followup is forced and it hits high, duck it and stab her.
2B+K
At mid range, delivers a quake stun, which is stab punishable but at close range gives a +11 on block sp. mid through which leixia can either AA, take a throw/mid 50/50 (3B traks fully here) or AA, the do the 50/50, lol. Much like natsu bomb setups, there are wakeup situations where getting up forces you to block the break attack, but in neutral game, just guarding it is important. To Leixia it is free damage that crushes in 8. This will take time and a lot of experience, but it needs learning.
3B
i17 launcher
Carries a tech crouch from frame 8 all the way through to impact, 41-77 damage on hit depending on meter and tracks fully after a blocked 2B+K, though it has no tracking normally to its right side. Great move range wise, wallsplats, forward RO, and obviously a 17 frame punish.
This move will break the guage in 12 blocks, but if you've just started flashing red, it will take two to crush you, so don't panic immediately. Sadly she can setup this move into a lot of forceblock situations, so regardless of your level of play, you will see it a lot.
A sheet of frame data will tell you that it is punishable by AA and raw CE, which in fairness it is, but at tip range it is safe to AA, as the first hit will whiff. Leixia players can preempt your block punish at mid range with this and actually bait it into big damage. While meterless she only gets 2A and 44B, she can also iWS B BE and raw CE you. Be careful of your spacing when you punish this move, if not, you can eat a lot of damage.
Raw CE however will always punish.
THERE'S NO ESCAPE!!!
Earlier I talked briefly about it having no tracking to the right, but not the left. Now the left side tracks slightly, which is to say it CAN catch 22K when Pyrrha is at advantage, lol.
Overall, its annoying to play against but imo a staple CE punish (AA at most ranges if it will kill/you are meterless). If Leixia wants guage pressure, she can pay big damage for it.
22_88B
FUCK THIS MOVE
One of her best launchers - completely full tracking, launch on NH and one frame too safe to be stabbed, did I mention it guard crushes in 12? ARRRRGGGGHHH!
While it is made slow by the necessary quickstep and it has no TC, its mixup is nightmarish - Leixia uses this as her mid option in a Pyrrha-esque run up side throw mixup. When she does this, the sidestep for the throw allows this move to impact in 16 frames, making it hard to interrupt on reaction. Though I'm sure that if your name's therenovator or azazel you can JG it every time on reaction no problem, so good for you two. >_>
Anyway, its saving grace is that its -13 on block, PUNISH THIS MOVE when you get the chance, raw CE that shit all day. As for AA punishment, it only works at point blank range, which means if it was used in a side throw mixup, you may punish it, but any other range and you will get baited as described above. Standing K has exactly the same issue, as does 2A. I personally see it first and foremost as a mid to reinforce the throws, but it is annoyingly hard to whiff punish at longer ranges and hass a meaty-ass hitbox, so it is also used regularly for baiting at mid ranges, the rationale behind this is that Leixia players want you to run into it and THEY ALL FREAKING DO IT. Don't fall for it all day like I do, lol.
In summary, AA at point blank, CE any other time.
FC 3B
Contrary to popular (and uneducated) belief, FC 3B does not have any TC frames whatsoever, much like Yoshi's FC3K, you can interrupt with throws, AA, anything. Its only crouching frames are in the motion used to perform iWS 3B, which is what people identify as a TC, which is of course, nonsense.
This move is 100% safe on block against Pyrrha and will guard crush in 11, even worse, it does carry some tracking to her left, as with 3B step right, just in case.
While it is one of her slower launchers, fom FC it is the same speed as Cervantes' 3B, which means your reflexes will not help you in dealing with this move; the only way it can be dealt with is through mixup:
At close and mid range, the pushback on this move is insufficient to force you out of throw range, so take a throw/mid mixup. Use 66A as the mid; it beats all evades and is 100% uninterruptable here.
At further ranges, taking a mixup is imo impractical considering the risk/reward and Pyrrha can instead use it as an oppertunity to keep Leixia out, resetting Leixia's momentum, which is something. You get a safe backstep on block vs this move - 66B and CE will not kill you, if you want room to breath and have space behind, here is an oppertunity.
22kAA_22kAAB_22kaak
Leixia's strongest NH combo string, ending in a low/mid mixup on block that far too many people are willing to take, this string on block and all its varients if 22kAA is used are handled by one reasonably simple punish:
JG the second hit of the wheel kick and 3B is garunteed, however I do not recommend this, the reason being is that Leixia can 22kAAK, in which case 3B will hit airborne and you will get little damage, instead compromise with a stab punish. It is good damage vs 22kAA, deals 40 dmg to 22kAAK and can be JF'd vs 22kAAB, which will also be a counter hit. If Leixia attempts 22kAAB and you 236B:4, you will get a CH which if you get a clean hit deals 78 damage, which is Omega DNS B:4 territory.
Another fun fact: If you happen to JG the first hit of the string and Leixia follows through, 236B will trade and a second 236B:4 is garunteed, giving 96 damage meterless. Impractical generally, but worth knowing. You can 236B, 66B BE, 22BAK for 118, or 236B, 66B BE, delayed CE for 126 - shoutouts to TASB TASB:4 damage! =D
3A+B
Mid hitting antistep, this move to all extents and purposes is 3B, 17 frames, full tech crouch from frame 8 onwards. Reasonable advantage on hit and a KND on CH, overall VERY good antistep and completely safe on block. Thankfully, it can never guard crush. On block, take a throw/mid mixup, but favour the mid, Leixia recovers in full crouch and it is a common setup into WS B_WS B BE. You don't want to eat that for trying to throw, lol.
On normal hit, you will be forced into BT and Leixia is liable to run in for a throw/mid mixup. Should she dash in, BT 2A will stuff everything. Leixia will answer this instead with 3A+B (hit) FC 3B, which is a good GI oppertunity for Pyrrha with A+B, giving 59 dmg.
33B_33BB
33B itself is safe on block vs Pyrrha, but 33BB is punishable by AA and CE. AA will only punish if 33BB was blocked t close range though. Being a 33_99 move, it has some realignment and thus some unpredictable tracking, but quickstepping either side when close to neutral usually beats it and 3B will whiff punish either variant.
44[A]
Leixia's biggest combo starter. Slow as hell, but hits mid, tracks fully and crushes in less than 10. Most often used when the opponent runs at her and the opponent is expecting a throw ie at the start of a round vs certain players *cough me cough*.
Safe on block, but the followup is forced and it hits high, duck it and stab her.
2B+K
At mid range, delivers a quake stun, which is stab punishable but at close range gives a +11 on block sp. mid through which leixia can either AA, take a throw/mid 50/50 (3B traks fully here) or AA, the do the 50/50, lol. Much like natsu bomb setups, there are wakeup situations where getting up forces you to block the break attack, but in neutral game, just guarding it is important. To Leixia it is free damage that crushes in 8. This will take time and a lot of experience, but it needs learning.
Going low:
In this area, compared to her mother, Leixia leaves much to be desired, pressuring with lows is harder with Leixia than any incarnation of Xianghua, but she still has a few tools and gimmicks, so lets look into pissing all over them! =D
FC 3BB
Of all of Leixia's lows, this is probably the most annoying until you begin to answer it on reaction. Many Leixia players will tell you to step it and launch, but I disagree: stepping late will have you knocked down by a CH into hideous oki (44[A] if you tech, 3B if you don't, which force blocks itself) and noone wants that. What I recommend is to use 9A on reaction, it will evade the low, whiff punish her and combo into 3B for 46 damage. This is a KND answer with comparable damage to 3B, 236B. If you can get this down reliably, you effectively take FC 3BB out of the game altogether, no Leixia player would risk it. Even in the best setups like 66AA on hit, it can and must be dealt with on reaction. Better still this punish pushes Leixia out, minus about 20% of her health. LEARN.
FC A+B
The way to punish this is pretty clear, 9K. But don't, not every time at least. If you use 9K on reaction, Leixia can cancel with G and WS B or WS B BE you for trying. The better answer I believe is to look at the bigger picture, you are better at range than Leixia. FC A+B has a lot of pushback on block and on top of that you get a safe backstep. Doing this puts you just over half screen away from Leixia, which makes life much harder for her. Leixia may desperately try to catch your backstep anyway, if she does you can put her near half bar down. On top of that, if Leixia does cancel and go into an evade or whatever, you are in a much better position to take the initiative and apply pressure or respond to pressure.
You can also step to your left, but it tracks fully to Leixia's left - don't step right.
WS A+B
Full tracking low, advantage on hit (+2), this low is a pain in the ass. You have to learn to react to it if you don't want to be forced into a nasty mixup situation. Fortunately, it is pretty slow by Leixia's standards and cannot guard crush, on block, punish wih stab or CE.
11A_11AA_11AaG
Full tracking low, -4 on hit but gives a reasonable reverse mixup, Pyrrha cannot beat all options and doing a jump attack to beat the followup will lose clean to 11A, WS B BE, but on hit 66A beats all of Leixia's evades and you can re-zone her in the same way as FC A+B if she follows through.
Fun fact: I Leixia follows through on hit, Raw CE will GI the low, Guaranteeing a second CE, impractical but cool for full meter, lol.
FC 3BB
Of all of Leixia's lows, this is probably the most annoying until you begin to answer it on reaction. Many Leixia players will tell you to step it and launch, but I disagree: stepping late will have you knocked down by a CH into hideous oki (44[A] if you tech, 3B if you don't, which force blocks itself) and noone wants that. What I recommend is to use 9A on reaction, it will evade the low, whiff punish her and combo into 3B for 46 damage. This is a KND answer with comparable damage to 3B, 236B. If you can get this down reliably, you effectively take FC 3BB out of the game altogether, no Leixia player would risk it. Even in the best setups like 66AA on hit, it can and must be dealt with on reaction. Better still this punish pushes Leixia out, minus about 20% of her health. LEARN.
FC A+B
The way to punish this is pretty clear, 9K. But don't, not every time at least. If you use 9K on reaction, Leixia can cancel with G and WS B or WS B BE you for trying. The better answer I believe is to look at the bigger picture, you are better at range than Leixia. FC A+B has a lot of pushback on block and on top of that you get a safe backstep. Doing this puts you just over half screen away from Leixia, which makes life much harder for her. Leixia may desperately try to catch your backstep anyway, if she does you can put her near half bar down. On top of that, if Leixia does cancel and go into an evade or whatever, you are in a much better position to take the initiative and apply pressure or respond to pressure.
You can also step to your left, but it tracks fully to Leixia's left - don't step right.
WS A+B
Full tracking low, advantage on hit (+2), this low is a pain in the ass. You have to learn to react to it if you don't want to be forced into a nasty mixup situation. Fortunately, it is pretty slow by Leixia's standards and cannot guard crush, on block, punish wih stab or CE.
11A_11AA_11AaG
Full tracking low, -4 on hit but gives a reasonable reverse mixup, Pyrrha cannot beat all options and doing a jump attack to beat the followup will lose clean to 11A, WS B BE, but on hit 66A beats all of Leixia's evades and you can re-zone her in the same way as FC A+B if she follows through.
Fun fact: I Leixia follows through on hit, Raw CE will GI the low, Guaranteeing a second CE, impractical but cool for full meter, lol.
And the highs:
AAB Series
Step killer, hit confirmable. third hit is stab punishable. AA however is -10 on block and is worth pushing a mixup on post block as the only thing she can call you out with is a 25 dmg poke that leaves you at -4, to which she risks a stab. Risk/reward is in your favour, so take the initiative.
AA BE_ AA BE K
On block, you can do a full step to the right then immediately B+K, it will whiff punish the AA BE K but will be blocked if she did aa BE, reward is not good but Leixa has effectively wasted a BE and to counterattack she must risk the B+K followup, which on CH HURTS.
4K
15 frame puniser, catches step 3B followup on hit. Leixia is left at -2 and outside of block punishment, you will see this move used almost exclusively by a wall or ring edge. Obviously in this situation you want to risk nothing, but Leixia's game here is godlike, so I would recommend putting Leixia in a situation where if she wants to keep attacking her answers will not RO you, and that is where 22K comes in - her answers are 3+B and 2A. Its not ideal, but its better than instant death. The mixup being Leixia does either of these moves or simply blocks and you return pressure there.
Step killer, hit confirmable. third hit is stab punishable. AA however is -10 on block and is worth pushing a mixup on post block as the only thing she can call you out with is a 25 dmg poke that leaves you at -4, to which she risks a stab. Risk/reward is in your favour, so take the initiative.
AA BE_ AA BE K
On block, you can do a full step to the right then immediately B+K, it will whiff punish the AA BE K but will be blocked if she did aa BE, reward is not good but Leixa has effectively wasted a BE and to counterattack she must risk the B+K followup, which on CH HURTS.
4K
15 frame puniser, catches step 3B followup on hit. Leixia is left at -2 and outside of block punishment, you will see this move used almost exclusively by a wall or ring edge. Obviously in this situation you want to risk nothing, but Leixia's game here is godlike, so I would recommend putting Leixia in a situation where if she wants to keep attacking her answers will not RO you, and that is where 22K comes in - her answers are 3+B and 2A. Its not ideal, but its better than instant death. The mixup being Leixia does either of these moves or simply blocks and you return pressure there.
Will get into her evades, okizeme and how to keep her out later, my fingers are tired now =(
Phragonist
[10] Knight
what is pyrrha's worst matchup?
Mage
I'll make you submit!
I'd be thinking of a long range character like Hilde maybe. But Xeph is probably about to hunt me down and beat my ass for having an uneducated guess.
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Xeph
#TRYHARD
Honestly, I don't see her having any bad match ups. She's either in a 5:5 situation, or in her favor. This contributes to why she's so damn solid.
andur
[10] Knight
I despise playing against players who safely backstep zone... Not so much a character match-up persay, more a play style that takes advantage of Pyrrha's one real weakness (or perhaps my personal weakness). Having CE be the only thing fast enough with enough range to counter some setups is frustrating.
andur
[10] Knight
I'm curious, what do you think her match up numbers are for each character?
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Xeph
#TRYHARD
I use 6B+K to stop backdash. It's her safest tool for it, though it still can be backstepped in some cases... which is retarded. And of course, 66A- same problems.
Here's my list (of course, could be wrong due to lack of MU exp. or simple scrubbiness.)
Alpha Patroklos | 5:5
Aeon | 5:5
Algol | 5:5
Astaroth | 6:4
Cervantes | 6:4 (could be swayed to 5:5)
Dampierre | IDK!!!????
Ezio | 6:4
Hilde | 6:4
Ivy | 5:5
Leixia | 6:4
Maxi | 6:4
Mitsurugi | 5:5
Natsu | 6:4
Nightmare | 7:3 (Could be swayed to think 6:4)
Patroklos | 5:5
Omega Pyrrha | 6:4
Raphael | 7:3 (Could be swayed to think 6:4)
Siegfried | 5:5
Tira | 5:5
Viola | 5:5 (Could be swayed to think 6:4)
Voldo | 6:4
Xiba | 6:4
Yoshimitsu | 6:4 (Could be swayed to think 5:5)
ZWEI | 7:3 (Could be swayed to think 6:4)
Mage
I'll make you submit!
Simple scrubbiness? Lol.
So you reckon she has no MUs that are in the opponents' favour?
So you reckon she has no MUs that are in the opponents' favour?
Syn_SC
[10] Knight
Alpha Patroklos is a 6:4 to Alpha.
He has better throws, better mids, the best 2A in the game, better block punishment, better whiff punishment, better wall combos and better RO potential.
Pyrrha has 66A, better ways of scoring damage, better antistep and arguably a better guard crush game.
Competitive matchup but the odds are certainly in Alpha's favour.
Krynxe
[08] Mercenary
I'd say Astaroth is closer to a 5:5, maybe around a 55:45 for pyrrha. If he can get his zoning game right, it's hard for pyrrha to get in safely and then she has to fear grabs out of most of her good setups and options when she does get close. Pyrrha still has a bit of advantage due to her arsenal of decent tech crouches, but a good astaroth still holds up well
But I guess if anyone knows the astaroth pyrrha mu, it's Xeph
But I guess if anyone knows the astaroth pyrrha mu, it's Xeph
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- #12
Dr. Hates
Jerk.
So how can the Cerv matchup go to 5:5, precisely? I come here to learn your dirty secrets and find nothing but filth and mendacity.
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Xeph
#TRYHARD
Hey, I said I could be swayed to think 5:5. Otherwise, I'm still on the boat of 6:4.
edit: And you know all my secrets, stop lurking here, you'll find NOTHING.
yumeno
[08] Mercenary
Generally, does Pyrrha have a bad neutral game?
She doesn't have safe pokes and opponents like to capitalize on this weakness by spacing.
I have a hard time trying to put on pressure.
Also, how do you setup for punishes with Pyrrha?
She doesn't have safe pokes and opponents like to capitalize on this weakness by spacing.
I have a hard time trying to put on pressure.
Also, how do you setup for punishes with Pyrrha?
Slade
[14] Master
She has one of the best neutral games in SCV.
wut
Prevent them from doing so with 66A, 236A_236AA, 22A, AA, or 6B+K. Because Pyrrha out-punishes spacing characters so well, they're often forced to come to her and try to rush her down. That's when she starts to excel if you make good reads on how the opponent is trying to establish offense. Ducking throws is risky but if you have the reactions needed to stand up in time to block the bigger launchers and such it can be very rewarding.
Throws, 1K, and smart backdashing/sidestepping to bait whiffs.
Watch some videos of Xephukai or Ramon. The #1 thing to keep in mind with Pyrrha is that she's easily a billion times more dangerous when she has a life lead, regardless of how small. Fighting an opponent who gets an early life lead and forces her to come to them is the biggest challenge Pyrrha faces, just as the biggest challenge for the opponent is opening up a strong defensive Pyrrha who has the life lead.
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Xeph
#TRYHARD
Pyrrha's neutral game is pretty strong. Applying pressure can stem for BB's, AA's, 1K, 66A, 66B, 4K, grabs. The comment on safe pokes, I don't see why you think that. The moves I mentioned above are all safe (Except 1K, being -15 on GRD).
"Set ups" for punishment come down to these:
- Punishing moves that are unsafe when you guard them.
This is key to playing a solid Pyrrha. You know to know which moves are unsafe, and know what to punish with. Anything -14 on GRD is going to be stab-able (granted, they're close enough, even for tip.) You also have AA (i11) and CE (i13) for anything -11 or higher.
- Punishing whiffs
Punishing whiffs is just as important as punishing unsafe moves. Forcing whiffs stem from backstepping/side stepping/8wr/ducking. Reacting to whiffs, especially whiffs from moves that are low -'s on GRD, is the execution part.
- Just Guarding
with a punisher that's i14, JGing into stab becomes a viable option. For example, Cervantes' WR K is -12 on guard. AA would be your go to punish if you're in range. But on Just guard that -12 turns into -19(checked wiki). -19 means you can stab WR K now. Cervante's WR K, being at -19 on JG, also enables with the option to use 3B.
Those would be your best ways to use stab effectively. I'll also fuck around and try to use it as an interrupt, but that's pretty risky.
Also, check here http://calibur.8wayrun.com/threads/pyrrha-q-a-general-discussionthread.8745/ for general tips about Pyrrha use. Or, ask more questions in that thread.
yumeno
[08] Mercenary
Maybe it's cause I still suck at using her. :/
I've tried using these. 6B+K is pretty good. 66A on the other hand, tends to whiff? 3A might be a better option I think. It has TC and probably slightly more range than 66A.
Wouldn't 6B+K work better as an alternative interrupt too, apart for catching backstep? I've seen Something-Unique using this quite a lot.
Sorry if this is going off-topic. Maybe you could move the posts to the general discussion thread?
Thanks for the inputs though. :)
Silent Joel
[12] Conqueror
That's a solid list, although I'd say her matches vs Cervy and Sieg are definitely in her favour.
SoNG-Of-SiLeNCe
Red Lotus
I'm back!
So, uh. Which punishment guide coming out next?
So, uh. Which punishment guide coming out next?
andur
[10] Knight
Playing around in the lab some against Astaroth, I found a few interesting things:
Against 4K/4KK/4KA+G/4KB+G, if you block the first 2 hits you can step to your right (sword side) you'll step 4KK and the throw variants. If you 2A after 4K, you punish 4K and interrupt 4KK, but, 4KB+G will get you still. You get a 22BAK punish out of the deal if you are fast enough (though be sure to step confirm it or they'll just 4K and block you).
Edit: Huge caveat on this, it only seems to work if you are on the 1P side of the screen for some reason...
Against 3KA/3K{A}, if you block 3K (on hit 3KA is a force block), and 6B+K, it will TC under 3KA for a NH and CH 3K{A}. If you are up close, it trades with CH 3K{A}, dealing roughly the same damage to both of you, but, Astaroth gets knocked down and you don't. At range, it can beat CH it clean. I really hate those 2 moves, being a very similar looking mid and high. If you are feeling lucky that they aren't just doing 3K, you can 236B to beat both moves. 6B+K wins out in my opinion being safe and at least dishing out some guard gauge damage if they just 3K.
Against BB, if you get hit by the first B, you can A+B auto-gi the 2nd or 22BAK it. Course BB6 ruins this fun, but its NC so nothing you can do about that. But 22BAK steps both on block.
Against 4K/4KK/4KA+G/4KB+G, if you block the first 2 hits you can step to your right (sword side) you'll step 4KK and the throw variants. If you 2A after 4K, you punish 4K and interrupt 4KK, but, 4KB+G will get you still. You get a 22BAK punish out of the deal if you are fast enough (though be sure to step confirm it or they'll just 4K and block you).
Edit: Huge caveat on this, it only seems to work if you are on the 1P side of the screen for some reason...
Against 3KA/3K{A}, if you block 3K (on hit 3KA is a force block), and 6B+K, it will TC under 3KA for a NH and CH 3K{A}. If you are up close, it trades with CH 3K{A}, dealing roughly the same damage to both of you, but, Astaroth gets knocked down and you don't. At range, it can beat CH it clean. I really hate those 2 moves, being a very similar looking mid and high. If you are feeling lucky that they aren't just doing 3K, you can 236B to beat both moves. 6B+K wins out in my opinion being safe and at least dishing out some guard gauge damage if they just 3K.
Against BB, if you get hit by the first B, you can A+B auto-gi the 2nd or 22BAK it. Course BB6 ruins this fun, but its NC so nothing you can do about that. But 22BAK steps both on block.