Raphael Video Discussion

[Zanaken]

In case you guys didn't know against a decent Astaroth Raphael gets one vertical stepped and lose half life to 22B$. This move alone makes this MU way in Astaroth favor.

I'll be honest. I don't like this kind of reply. You are pointing out something that I am actively trying to stop, and how bad it is if "I" fail. Yes, he deserves to get some damage in if he outplayed me. If it's more damage than I can do in that exact circumstance, whatever, I have my own strengths as a character.

I can dodge one of his verticals and land a wall combo, or some mid-field combo / mix-up, and he'll feel it too. Having one good combo starter (in this example,) to use after he outplays me is not an indication of the match-up. If it was you would have an undisputed tier list by now. Does that sound fair?

 

[Real_Bojack]

In case you guys didn't know against a decent Astaroth Raphael gets one vertical stepped and lose half life to 22B$. This move alone makes this MU way in Astaroth favor.

This is not just Asta though, much of the cast takes half life for a stepped move. Although not from Asta bananas range.

 

[Reptile]

The thing is as everyone knows already, Raphael is prone to have is moves stepped. So a retaliation like this makes it horrible especially for him. Don't get me wrong though, I also think that Raph has his own tricks against the big man:
Long range whiff punishes are very effective against Astaroth, and I would think Raph's got the best 2K reverse mixups in the game, and Astaroth hates that a lot. He has trouble interrupting 2K on hit -> 2K, and whenever he starts backstepping, 6BB$ will CH.

 

[Real_Bojack]

The thing is as everyone knows already, Raphael is prone to have is moves stepped.

Maybe it's the way I play or mebbe I'm too scrubby but I feel that tech crouches, fuck it let's go all Tekken and call them high crushes are Raph's biggest problem.

Raph can stop general stepping just fine. I find that after I start dealing heavy anti step I end up having to 50/50 if they'll step or TC and it gives me headaches. If only 33A CH gave a meaty stun ahhhh, a girl can dream can't she?

 

[ultimateonejps]

Hey guys could you give me advice on how to improve my Raphael? If there are some issues you think that are
with Dampierre, you dont really need to put the obvious ones. :P I'm going to post one more later on against Nightmare. Would really appreciate any criticism. Thanks!

 

[Delloso]

While I'm not the most suited person here to analyze gameplay videos, I feel like I can give you some helpful advice. For starters, work on your fundamentals, your Raph was very linear and predictable. Learn his moveset, the property of his moves and how to apply them on a real battle situation. Avoid following patterns, pay attention to what your opponent is doing, adapt and find a way around his playstyle. That Damp, for example, always used the same moves and liked to step a lot. Learn how to counter the moves he was using and throw in some horizontals to desencourage stepping, so that you can use Raph's linear moves more safely.

Two very important gameplay aspects that every Raph player should be taking advantage of is spacing and punishing. I suggest you read Drake Aldan's tutorials about the basics of the game, he does a very good job at explaining them and when they come into play.

Here are some important Raph moves that were mostly missing in your gameplay:
- Close range: 6BB, 3A, 2k, throws, 2A and any other fast interrupter or poke.
- Mid range: 22A, 22K, 22B, 33B, 33K BE and any other move meant to punish opponent's linearity or predictable steps.
- Long range: 236B(only as a punisher), 66A.

Bottom line is to avoid following exploitable patterns and instead choose your next moves by watching your opponent and gathering as much information about his playstyle as you can. Hope it helped :)

 

[Delloso]

For anyone interested, here are my 3 matches against DeathInMyEyes. He was using Aeon instead of his main, but they were still intense matches. I also encountered a glitch on the second match where I succesfully connect 4A+B but the stabs didn't come out for some weird reason. The damn ps3 divided the content in 2 vids, cutting the second match in half. Anyway, enjoy, and as always feel free to make any comment you want.

 

[Fendante]

Delloso nice fights. This is a relatively good matchup for Raph. Btw did you press B after the successful 4A+B parry? Is that the cause of the "glitch"?

Good job stepping and punishing Sandwinger stance. However, when Aeon did his unblockable on the ground, you were in middle of Prep 4. You had plenty of time to reenter Prep and then enter SE and hit him out of it with SE K (you tried Prep A+B which is way to slow lol). If you seem him using this move, use a ground hitter to knock him out of it or start sidestepping. Of course if you are in Prep, you have to act quickly.

In the second video, you got hit so many times consecutively out of Prep/SE. He seemed to be reacting well so you should have feigned Prep more often. Because Aeon does have good anti-prep options, you need to be cautious when using prep. Remember, besides combo damage, the goal of Prep is to enter SE safely but if they challenge SE, start feigning Prep and utilizing options safely (in other words condition opponents to react to Prep in a way suitable for Raph).

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Raphael can punish almost anything, even Aeon's 66A. You could have had an advantage if you baited, blocked, and punished that move with 6BB or Raph's CE. Try to deny Aeon that crucial 66A.

Other than that, don't be afraid to mixup 11K, 22B, 33B, 22K, 33KBE often. Upclose, you have 2A, 6BB, 3A to stop opponents from pinning you down.

 

[Delloso]

I'm pretty sure the first few stabs of 4A+B come out automatically if you conect the aGI. The B input is only for adding in the last hit, the one that knockbacks. So even if I for some reason didn't input B, the first moves should have still come out. But in the vid, nothing happened.

Yeah you're right on the 66A, I kept trying to 4A+B it lol. Should've just blocked and punished. As for prep, I was indeed getting beaten out of it consistely everytime I tried using prep 4. I did try to vary it up a bit, but I found that setting up a strategy on paper isn't nearly as hard as executing it flawlessly on an intense match

 

[Fendante]

I did try to vary it up a bit, but I found that setting up a strategy on paper isn't nearly as hard as executing it flawlessly on an intense match

Well Im sorry the glitch denied you the 48 dmg flashing stocatta rampage. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. Prep is not easy to execute it in a match, I agree. It's also impossible to utilize Prep in a risk free manner. I used to complain because I thought Raph had the riskiest stance but then I realized other character's undergo big risks too when entering their stances. Prep may be kind of "bad" and could be better but it's still important to Raph play.

Feel good though since you won lol. Keep practicing!! For now, try to use Prep moves as punishers so you will land those moves on hit more often. 4B you should use to TC highs but that will take time to get the hang of too.

 

[youngfox]

Those were some pretty gd matches. for your prep problem well you never forced Aeon to respect the stance. for characters who have good options against prep no matter what, you do 3B then JG and it will keep them honest and allow you to apply prep. this woulda came in hand in the 2nd vid @ 3:07 when Aeon showed he was gonna try and counter no matter what. also while i love 22b into 2a there where times when you were guaranteed 33kBE and instead you went for the mix up. Try to use 33kBE when you know they are gonna whiff (like Aeons BBB).

EDIT: this is more along the lines of theory fighter (so Reptile feel free to prove me wrong) a quick look at Aeons frames show that you can get away with alot of unsafe stuff in that MU since he dosnt have too many hard hitting i16s. so 1k becomes a great step kill and 33a is an awesome way to create space, not too mention prep k shouldnt get punished too hard.

 

[Delloso]

Those were some pretty gd matches. for your prep problem well you never forced Aeon to respect the stance. for characters who have good options against prep no matter what, you do 3B then JG and it will keep them honest and allow you to apply prep. this woulda came in hand in the 2nd vid @ 3:07 when Aeon showed he was gonna try and counter no matter what. also while i love 22b into 2a there where times when you were guaranteed 33kBE and instead you went for the mix up. Try to use 33kBE when you know they are gonna whiff (like Aeons BBB).

EDIT: this is more along the lines of theory fighter (so Reptile feel free to prove me wrong) a quick look at Aeons frames show that you can get away with alot of unsafe stuff in that MU since he dosnt have too many hard hitting i16s. so 1k becomes a great step kill and 33a is an awesome way to create space, not too mention prep k shouldnt get punished too hard.

Thanks a lot, makes me proud hearing this from a player like you. Solid advice too. A pity you won't be able to go to NEC... I was practicing to be the cheerleader.

Well Im sorry the glitch denied you the 48 dmg flashing stocatta rampage. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. Prep is not easy to execute it in a match, I agree. It's also impossible to utilize Prep in a risk free manner. I used to complain because I thought Raph had the riskiest stance but then I realized other character's undergo big risks too when entering their stances. Prep may be kind of "bad" and could be better but it's still important to Raph play.

Feel good though since you won lol. Keep practicing!! For now, try to use Prep moves as punishers so you will land those moves on hit more often. 4B you should use to TC highs but that will take time to get the hang of too.

Watching the vids again now I realize what else could've stopped him from punishing prep so much. More prep BB would make him hesitate and let me get away with more SE moves. Wish I had thought about it earlier

 

[youngfox]

Delloso i really wish i coulda gone to NEC, it woulda been chill to have a cheerleader. While you are correct that prep BB woulda stopped 4 b+kG it would of only net you a mix up at best. Against Aeons 66k ,3(B) into immediate SE will make Aeon whiff and give you a SEB punish. 3b into JG gets you 66b into prep A+B while 3b into backstep could make it whiff where you might get a 33kBE into CE (best case) for 115 dmg, higher rish/reward on the last option. against 4b+kG, 3b into JG gives you A+BA (you gotta be quick) or 66 B+K as an easier option. against 4B+K if you JG it you get 3(b) into prep AB at which point you can either take the space it makes or go for more shenanigans. Finally JG into CE punishes all options except 4b+kG. essential with these options you show the Aeon player that the risk/reward is not in their favor for challenging prep and they will either respect it or play the guessing game. since raph can get dmg on Aeon when he trys to get in, playing the guessing game when you have a life lead is not a big deal

EDIT: i should preface this with the fact that they are reacting to the prep opener like 3b, if not then you can probably get away with prep k against everything since they are delaying the input to see if you entered prep

 

[Slade]

EDIT: this is more along the lines of theory fighter (so Reptile feel free to prove me wrong) a quick look at Aeons frames show that you can get away with alot of unsafe stuff in that MU since he dosnt have too many hard hitting i16s. so 1k becomes a great step kill and 33a is an awesome way to create space, not too mention prep k shouldnt get punished too hard.

66K and 6B BE hurt, but they also have very short range. At tip range, 33A is completely safe against Aeon, although at closer range he can 3A or 66K punish (42 damage from 66K).
1K is punishable by 66K or 6B BE from up close also, but at tip range it appears to be only -15 as well as out of 6B BE's range, so he doesn't get much there.

Prep K doesn't get punished very hard at any range though, 66K and 6B BE tend to whiff.

 

[youngfox]

overall those trade offs arnt too bad. i dont mind limiting my use of 1k down to when aeon has no meter and 33a should only be used at tip range so that not a big prob. The kicker is prep k being safe cuz that affords raph alot of options in any MU

 

[ultimateonejps]

Thanks for the tips Delloso! I actually like using throws (I need to use the B throw more though), 22A, 22B, 236B, but yeah I didnt use 3A except when I was near the wall and i didnt really use the plain 6BB that much. Sorry if i seemed kinda lame in those matches. I dont really know much about Damp though. And I got to see your matches. Theyre pretty good. Looking forward to see more of your matches. XD

 

[Delloso]

Thanks for the tips Delloso! I actually like using throws (I need to use the B throw more though), 22A, 22B, 236B, but yeah I didnt use 3A except when I was near the wall and i didnt really use the plain 6BB that much. Sorry if i seemed kinda lame in those matches. I dont really know much about Damp though. And I got to see your matches. Theyre pretty good. Looking forward to see more of your matches. XD

Thanks dude. I don't know much about Damp either... but I know his 3 most dangerous moves are 623B, 623KKKK and CE, watch out for those.

6BB is a very good move because it's only i12, it's faster than entire character's movelists. If you use it as an interrupter you get the CH version which nets you great rewards, as you can hit confirm the BE for 70 damage or something. If you get the clean hit version then It's even more damage. All for only 25% meter, and meter gain was never a big problem for Raph. But don't abuse it, cause it's steppable and duckable.

3A is another excellent move for Raph's arsenal. It's a fast horizontal mid that has pushback on CH. Very good interrupter for spacing and dealing with agressive close range characters. It can't be stepped or ducked, and it's great for frame traps, especially near walls where you can get a powerful wall stun combo from it.

Both moves are safe on block. Incorporating them into your gameplay will make your close ranged game much scarier. You don't need to be sorry, it took me months of training to get rid of patterns, it's way harder than it seems. I still get screwed up every now and then because of predictable move usage XD

 

[Zanaken]

So it seems my only option to upload a video is to spend about £100+ on a capture card. I spent like three days going harder than a porn-star to get some nice match-saves, yet I didn't realize Xbox seems to not have an upload feature...

 

[Leonyx]

You could also try to use a smartphone if you've got one. That's what I'm going to end up doing here soon.

 

[Zanaken]

No one likes seeing <720p in my humble opinion.

I found a bud who owns a 1080p one I can borrow, but he wont be doing that for a few weeks. I'll keep asking around till then.