Raphael Tournament Discussion

tnx guys, good tips all round. I'm gonna stay clear of JG for my first tournament, just to be on the safe side. using meter management for combo's and parry just to keep it effective. focussing on keeping peeps out of throw range because my reaction to breaking them is usually bad due to tournament jitters.
 
Don't be afraid to "spam" shit, either. If it works, keep doing it until they deal with it. It isn't your fault if they are bad.
 
NGKrush said:
tnx guys, good tips all round. I'm gonna stay clear of JG for my first tournament, just to be on the safe side. using meter management for combo's and parry just to keep it effective. focussing on keeping peeps out of throw range because my reaction to breaking them is usually bad due to tournament jitters.
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Honestly if you have time, I would grind out specific jG strings before the tourney. Some EX moves are a real bitch if left unchecked. At the very least, practice jGing the second hit of Pyrrha's 66B EX. The timing is easy, and it's one of the best moves in the game if you don't know how to handle it. I haven't started implementing jG into my neutral game at all, but I do try it on specific moves like that, which REALLY need to be handled.

I was able to get the timing down in about a minute, and can even do it reliably (almost) online. So offline, it should be relatively easy to practice for. Once you understand how jG works, the timing really is pretty generous.
 
Explain how it works, cuz I for hell can't seem to jG ANYTHING.

Although..I tihnk Raph's 4A avoids the Pyrhha's 66B BE second hit
 
The biggest issue I see with people fucking up jG is holding it too long after the first hit of w/e is blocked. There's a period of time after releasing guard where you CANNOT JUST GUARD. Secondly, just tap as lightly as possible on guard. The easiest practical ones that come to mind are Astaroth EX bullrush (Though Raph should be able to step the second hit after blocking the first anyways), and Xiba shit into that stepping K (6BK, 6AK, A+BBK). Also, just step Pyrrha's 66B EX downwards (Towards the screen). It takes a bit of practice but you're getting a free 22B into whatever instead of weak shit off jG or 4A.

Edit: Step it on the second part I mean lol First part tracks like nuts. 22B shit hasn't fucked up for me yet in that situation but I'll mess with it more later tonight.
 
Dullyanna said:
Also, just step Pyrrha's 66B EX downwards (Towards the screen). It takes a bit of practice but you're getting a free 22B into whatever instead of weak shit off jG or 4A.
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Unreliable outside of zero range, really. I've gotten hit trying to step this way more than I've gotten hit trying to jG. Also test in practice mode to make sure you actually get your damage off 22B, sometimes your shit will whiff.

But yeah, for jG you have to tap guard for LESS than 4 frames, then release. The actual jG window starts when you release. The ideal input would only have you pressing guard for a single frame. So time your input earlier than you think you need to, and you'll start to get a feel for it.
 
hotnikkelz said:
Piggy on a totally offtopic post...what the fuck is your avatar??
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My appendix exploded a few years ago and this was the result (mostly due to having waited 4 days to go to the hospital since I didn't have insurance). This was after a week in the hospital, and this is how they sent me home, no stitches or anything - giant, gaping, stomach wound.
 
So hopefully I will be attending my first SCV tourney this weekend since quitting smash competitively, any tips and other knowledge with Raphael I should know from you guys? Also expecting to play against some NM, Yoshi's, Leixia's and Mitsurugi's here as well so advice on the MU's would be cool?
 
Learn Nightmare's punishes, a TONNNNNN of stuff he does is unsafe. Basically, look for which moves he can use to transition into either Grim Stride or Night Side Stance. GS A will auto GI your verts, but is high and also unsafe. NSS K is his quick snap kick that he'll use as a frame trap tool, also unsafe. Both SHOULD be 3B punishes, iirc.

Yoshi owns me. I honestly just have trouble with this character. His mids are slower than his low/high options out of Dragonfly stance, so commit to a duck and stand for the mids, like a 2D fighter. Other than that, I mean he's just got a lot of lows and gimmicks.

Leixia 6K,K nets you a free 3B, but barely. You'll have to be on point with this, and your 6B will go over her head since she's in crouch. If you sense her EX WS B coming (I'm on fire!) you can sidestep all the way around to her back for a free 66B combo. DO NOT go for a 22B here until you're completely clear of the move. If you only take a single sidestep and try to hit her, you may wind up getting hit anyway. Aside from that just try not to block too many of her guard breaking attacks, most of them can be jumped/sidestepped if you're sharp.

Mitsu has always been about knowing your punish options. And they're pretty much the same punishable moves they've been since SC1. Try to keep him out of range 1 if you can, because that's where his mixup is at.
 
Thanks for dat knowledge laydown Kowtow also another quick question or 2. Any tips on the Alexander kids and their alternative forms along with Cervantes and what moves to avoid and punish from those characters?
 
KowtowRobinson said:
If you sense her EX WS B coming (I'm on fire!) you can sidestep all the way around to her back for a free 66B combo. DO NOT go for a 22B here until you're completely clear of the move. If you only take a single sidestep and try to hit her, you may wind up getting hit anyway.
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That move has annoyingly slight retracking (but thankfully is rather slow). If you anticipate this (opponent is FC and has meter to burn), it's easier to time a backdash canceled into a QS to avoid the move.
 
WuHT said:
That move has annoyingly slight retracking (but thankfully is rather slow). If you anticipate this (opponent is FC and has meter to burn), it's easier to time a backdash canceled into a QS to avoid the move.
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It only retracks at the beginning when she's swaying to the side. Once she finishes that part, she's locked in. Even Cervy can step this to both sides, so Raph should have no trouble if you see it coming.

Gamegenie222 said:
Thanks for dat knowledge laydown Kowtow also another quick question or 2. Any tips on the Alexander kids and their alternative forms along with Cervantes and what moves to avoid and punish from those characters?
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You can still outrange the siblings if you're smart with your movement, operate at a range that they aren't comfortable with, outside of their pokes. Pyrrha in particular can crash in with 66A if she wants, but if she gets sloppy you can CH her on the way in. Both of them have EX moves that are easy to jG or avoid, and it's worth doing for both. Test on Patroklos 66A EX and Pyrrha's 66B EX. Don't let them have these moves.

EDIT: Of course, leave no stab unpunished. They're all unsafe.

Cervy is punishable all over his movelist, just go into practice and test. Take MAX damage off every blocked iGDR, you should have time for a 66B if you're sharp. His 3B is only -13 and his aB is only -16, but both of those are easy for Raph to punish at any range with 6B,B and 3B respectively. Take advantage of Raph's superior punish range to get guaranteed damage where other characters may not be able to. I don't think I've ever been punished for Cervy 66B on block for as long as I've been playing the character (read: a LONG ass time), if you stick a 6B,B in his face at least, you might freak the Cervy player out a bit lol.

EDIT: iGDR is not 66B punishable, but it is 236B punishable if you're sharp. 66B is actually only -12 now, that's as safe as it's ever been. But it's still not safe to Raph. ;)

In case you're curious http://www.hayes-ade.com/CervantesBlock.htm

I'll add this to the VS thread once I have time to sit down and get exact punishes confirmed.
 
KowtowRobinson said:
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Some more low level anti-cerv:

wr A+B, you can B+K the last hit (or obviously you can 88B him for BT goodness.

4B BE: You can B+K against him if he does a BT B+K after the guard break (or obviously you can 88B him for BT goodness.). You may be out of grab range when the B+K hits cerv but at least its confirmed you have at least 10 frames to do something.
 
NGKrush said:
got 3rd, losing to a nm who won the tournament (single ko). thanks for all the tips!
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I'd critique, but I lost to my first nightmare ever in casuals yesterday. Haven't lost to one since SC3, and even that was rare. I'm pretty much a fraud and nothing I say should be taken seriously from here on out.
 
Was at a tourney this last weekend. Played ok. What I've learned is characters slower than Raph seem to have a hell of a time with pressure. I piled it on against a Nightmare and a Hilde and did pretty well. 6-0'd the Nightmare.

The trouble came against the speedy up close characters. I was dominated by Maxi. Just out classed. Couldnt punish him, couldnt do anything against his mixups...He laughs when you side step. He doesnt give a shit. I was getting thrown all day. To me, it's looking like Raph's lack of good horizontals is going to permanently keep him low tier. I dont think he can win against characters like Maxi, or Natsu.
 
You're not supposed to fight Maxi or Natsu up close, that doesn't make Raph a bad character. You're supposed to grow as a player and search your brain for solutions, not resort to 'I can never X' the moment you get stumped.
 
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