Raph's Top Ten Moves

WuHT

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Lets discuss what are you top ten.

Considering patch 1.02

There is no clear tier that separates the top 10, so raph is back to being a character where there is no small pool of quality moves that are so strong he can reduce his movelist to 10 core moves and hope to win.

1) SE B : No brainer, undeniable combo damage and + on block. Does great guard burst damage too. The move itself got nerfed but SE A and SE K exist to beat step anyways so pre-patch you just got lucky sometimes (which is why the move is good)

2) 6BB/(B)/B/(BE) series: i12 at great range. Its also great bang-for-the buck meter usage as it turns a 40 damage string into 65+ damage with knockdown. prep BB(BE) is almost as good but the non BE CH string leads into a stun which could lead to a combo superior to the BE version (not that i'm complaining). The fact that you can opt to guard, add the 3rd B, go into prep, or do the BE means that you can expect big payoffs if you can out think your opponent.

3) 3(B): This move gets the prep engine going. Granted there are a LOT of tcing moves in the game, but access to prep4 and SE (while keeping your range) makes it a solid move. At its most basic is a 40 damage ranged punish or a 50 damage up close punish at i16. It's also slightly stronger due to the fact that 3B exists and you should expect a defensive strat from the opponent whenever this move is blocked which gives you time to study your opponent's tendencies.

4) 2K: This is a seriously underrated move for being "generic" move. As long as you're in range, it has surprisingly reliable tracking, allowing you to break up the aggressive lateral movement of an opponent with an option that is not vulnerable to tech crouching. Can hit enemies attempting to roll on the floor as well as beat super-TC moves. Same speed and yet longer reach than 6A. You'll be scoring this a lot on CH if you're using it as described, so the damage is not insignificant. Raph's extra long leg plus his better-than-average backdash whiff bait makes 2K also a very good initiator to observe your opponent. The loss of 22B combos makes side-step whiff baiting less effective however. Weaknesses are that it never tech crouches, and gives -2 on NH and CH (like his BB)

5) 3A: Love the mid-knockdown interrupting wallsplatting properties on CH. Low damage, but semi tracking and safe! It should be mentioned that its a really fast move (i14) that is always a threat after you do a 0 on hit low (especially near a corner/wall).

6) wrB: i13 mid. Great combo of speed, safety and range. Nothing abuseable as it does 1/15 of your opponent's hp per hit. You'd think this should have been his go-to poke. The problem with this besides its obvious low damage is that it pushes them pretty far away which pretty much nullifies any pressure raph can mount.

7) 66A+G: Something about 60 damage and the mashable life gain makes me happy. If they're orange bar, pretty much throw out one of these to seal the deal. However, gives both you and your opponent quite a bit of meter though so keep that in mind.

8) A+BA: Adds good damage to combos after a wall splat, a stun or when they are grounded and you catch. Its also surprisingly evasive given that you step back slightly and TC. Weaknesses are the fact that it is terribly short in range and also a frustrating ability to whiff on grounded opponents that aren't aligned perfectly.

9) 4(B): Despite the push-back on hit issues, the new prepBBB stun now makes this a pretty darn awesome TC move. The move is long ranged enough to also function as a decent whiff punisher. It's high itself, but it TCs starting at i3 which is pretty exceptional (and TC cleanly until impact frame). You can choose to do a quick 85 A+BA to follow through or blow your meter and end with CE which can be pretty good for reading your opponent's high.

10) 66B: Mid and guard break with + frames on block. Too slow for my taste, but has impressive range and an almost 60 damage followup on hit. On paper it is a really strong move with great range, good damage potential, great on block, some TC frames, and very good meter gain and guard gauge damage.

HM: 22A: If you're in range (and this move has exceptional range) you won't whiff, period. One of raph's most reliable tracking moves and is virtually safe on block. On CH you gain massive frame advantage so you can change a zoning game into a rushdown strat. Don't expect to win matches with this as your core move, but it compliments your poking zoning game. Weaknesses are obvious, in that it is low damage and guarantees nothing on CH. Also only available from side step (can't emergency stop step at range) and is high. Despite its long list of weaknesses, its value (to raph) is exceptionally high.

SE A: Another super reliable step killer. It's i15 and mid, and has incredible range. Spins the opponent backwards on hit, and gives you a huge frame advantage on hit. The biggest thing holding it back is that it is stance accessible only, which always makes the move telegraphed (when you have 4 options from SE) so it reduces the efficiency of its raw speed. It pushes the opponent forward noticeably on hit, so a grab mixup post hit requires dashing. Lastly, unlike SE B, it's not incredible on block , as it is now about -7 on block without decent pushback. Treat basically like 1B on block or hit (except can't wall splat). Exists almost solely as a reason for them to sit still for SE B.

version 1.0
Top 4:

1) SE B : No brainer, undeniable combo damage and + on block. Does great guard burst damage too.

2) SE A: Compliments no.1 by being tracking and even on block. I've been grabbed out of this once though, so that made this no. 2

3) 22B: Seems like his bread and butter combo starter after any sort of side-step. Being safe and leading to 60+ damage with no meter is fine by me. Only problem is that there is a hitbox error at some ranges where 3B, BBB, A+B will not hit (only 6K will).

4) 6BB(BE) and prep BB(BE): Raph's better meter usage, i12 and rapes guard meter. I love having full 2x meter and spamming this 4 times a round. Guilty pleasure indeed.

Other good moves:
5) 3(B): This move gets the prep engine going. Granted there are a LOT of tcing moves in the game, but access to prep4 and SE at tip range can even counter alpha pat's bullshit. At its most basic is a 40 damage ranged punish or a 50 damage up close punish at i16

6) 3A: Love the mid-knockdown interrupting wallsplatting properties. Low damage, but semi tracking and safe!

7) wrB: Great combo of speed, safety and range. Nothing abuseable. You'd think this should have been his go-to poke.

8) 66B: Mid and guard break with nutty frames on block. Too slow for my taste, but has impressive range and an almost 60 damage followup on hit.

Moves I like:

9) 66A+G: Somethign about 60 damage and the life gain makes me happy. The way they land by your feet is not bad too

10) 44B: Seems to be more evasive than SC4 44B.. though the followup is half as good.


I wish there was a step killer in one of these moves (aside from stance). Lets hope 22A gets buffed the hell up in the patch.
 
Sessioned for many hours today - here are my top 10 as of now (in the order in which I think of them) I know that this is sort of a long list, but it is still early, and this should start some conversation:

22B - this move is the shit.

3B - good punisher

2A - boring, but covers step everywhere

SE - this all gets lumped in together, but it is totally useful, especially B and K

6BB - fast punisher into Prep

1K - good TC, good step stopper (left)

44B - great to use against people who like to 2A

8A+B - fan-fucking-tastic. Good aGI, covers step, totally useful IF you understand the frame properties

AB - pokey pokey

Honorable mention:

236B / 66A - when you gotta close distance, one of these two should help.

66A+B - I use it way more than I should, but it I like it after knockdown

2K / WR B - poke poke

Throw - best low you have

4B - go CH fishing!


Moves I am trying to avoid using:

BB (Unless I am using BBB as a follow-up to a CH without meter, or I KNOW they are going to attack)

3A - It tracks to the right pretty well, but so does 2A

CE - total trash, ignore unless you need A) super fast interrupt with priority or B) just barely enough damage to kill them. Not worth wasting 2 BB(BE) to use

33KB - not sure why this move would be used instead of 22B

66B - while cute, I just get stepped way too much, into back throw, usually

66B+K - I liked it in SC4, but it tracks way worse now

11K - trash
 
Raph has a shit ton of garbage because the designers are all potheads. Here is what I feel we can work with for now outside the normals, with prayers of a beneficial patch in my nightly routine:

22B - consider this a usual, in my above comment, but always needs mentioned. It's a balanced move, but it's really the most solid thing the potheads gave us.

6B(B)~Prep/BE - Pure gold. Punish, counter-hit, tracks everything but quick step so a little delay is win. Delay is perfectly fine too when they just went something like -10.

!Crouching 3B - This also discourages step. Will track 8WR and whatnot. I use this a crap ton lately. Great range, knocks them down so you can apply pressure, but unless you're at an edge, the stun is useless. Must try if you're not using it.

33K(BE) - Ring out mid.

Step~BB_BBB ~ Try it sometime. Crazy range, gets counters often. When 22_88B won't work because the enemy is quick stepping over and over. Little timing is all it takes.

~Prep, 4(GI), SE - Fail the prep entry, dodge back to avoid, enter SE and either get your counter-hit or positive frames/guard damage.

3B (no prep) - Yeah, do that high crushing unsafe move again, expecting Prep BB follow-up.

A+B, A - Underrated esp against short range characters. Moves back a little and yields a counter hit coming back up. Not great by any means but definitely has it's uses.

@Wall, B-Throw / 33K / 3A - Often you'll want to end with A+B,A for most damage. If you put them into wall with the throw, even tho there is damage scaling, you'll often want to re-hit them into wall with 3A so 3(B) follow-up is sure to align properly.

Prep~A (Musket) - Often times thrown out as garbage (and it is), but it's another move that tracks well if delayed (their quick step ended). I've whiffed 3(B)~Prep before at a decent distance, they react to it but get counter hit by this move as I suddenly align very glitch like. I advise never trying 3(B)~Prep unless punishing or at a distance. Your 4(GI) escape is too valuable. If you 4(GI) and they whiff, be sure to punish with ~Prep K(BE) for ring out or wall splat, as off wall you can do 22_88B as they hit the wall real high, then combos off that - something like 3A, A+B, A is usually most assured. You need to study the positioning of the two characters to always max damage.
 
"While Rising B" press B after you were ducking, also called "While Standing" B.
 
my list (coming from my personal experience):
6BB etc i12 the only chance of controlling opponent.
22A takes this away and you could even play someoene other
22B main source of damage
4K it tracks quite well
22K another surce of damage
11K and yet another for grounded
FC 3B TC and scary
A+B,A
BBB
33K,B still usable prevent TC step abuse if timed correctly.

i don t really like any prep considering some characters have the same tools that neutered preps in scIV but without prepA and any risk of damage its worse even on HIT.... u won t be entering SE anyway if opponent is not grounded and knows how to handle raph.
 
If the AGI window is in the same place it was back in 2 or 3 then it's nearly impossible to use because the AGI doesn't activate until like 13 frames or so and lasts for like 3 frames or something. 8A+B is a stupid shit move that Namco insists on keeping every damn game even while he loses other quality and useful moves in its stead.

Just to be sure we are talking about the move where he waves his sword all over his head like a drunk right?
 
LOL - yeah, that's the one. I've successfully parried Pyrrha 66B+K a bunch of times, especially at the beginning of the round. It aGi i12 - i17 and that move is i16, so it works out pretty well.
 
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Still not seeing where/how to apply 8A+B, I haven't auto GI'd anything with it yet.

GIing pyrrha's 236B with it is pretty satisfying. It'll catch most of her options after she does that stupid 4K on block (AA, 2A, side step, 236B). And project soul is really pushing this as raph's signature move, giving it a clean hit bonus
LOL - yeah, that's the one. I've successfully parried Pyrrha 66B+K a bunch of times, especially at the beginning of the round. It aGi i12 - i17 and that move is i16, so it works out pretty well.

Brought this up in another thread, but aGIs that start on frame i12 is kinda weird, cuz thats when you can 6BB(BE) her out of it in the first place. Unless it TCs....
 
It'll beat a tech crouching move like 2a? Weird. And how would it beat her AA? If the window starts that late, and 4k is still advantage, or even zero on block, I'm not seeing how it'll beat an AA. Unless Pyrrah's is slower than I thought.
 
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O its even ? i thought it was like -2 or -1. But yeah it'll aGI SL horizontals last I recall
 
Pyrrah AA is i11, pretty sure.

I lke 8A+B cause it does everything, aGI lots of stuff at a good number of frames, cover step, hit mid. It isn't the best move ever, but certainly necessary with Raph's limited use moves - having something that covers many options is rare for him.
 
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I don't know.. the fact it goes hi-mid pisses me off when i get CH'd by a TCing move in the middle of raph's 8A+B.

But yeah it seems to be as close to a multi-purpose move that raph has (like his 44K). Shame on the lateness of the aGI frames though. If it started at single digits.. man that would be great
 
Pyrrah AA is i11, pretty sure.

I lke 8A+B cause it does everything, aGI lots of stuff at a good number of frames, cover step, hit mid. It isn't the best move ever, but certainly necessary with Raph's limited use moves - having something that covers many options is rare for him.
how on earth do you get the timing to GI with it?
 
Practice, I guess. Finding tendencies of your opponents helps a lot, knowing how they are likely to react to a move on hit / block and knowing what your frame situation is at really helps a lot, too.
 
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The problem with 8A+B and B+K's aGI windows is that they are late enough so that they're used more for when the initiative is more ambigious (when it's about -2 to +2 and you know the opponent may try to interrupt).

ie: You manage to hit them with 4A (you're at -2) and the opponent knows this while backturned. They attempt a backturned B (single hit) so you can get a successful B+K off that.

You should be able to quick step or barely backdash in any situation where you could have aGI (provided there is some distance).
 
A quick question about 6BB(BE) - is it worth it at all when the opponent has meter for guard impact?
 
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A quick question about 6BB(BE) - is it worth it at all when the opponent has meter for guard impact?

The guide says no. However, throw a few out and see if the opponent actually guard impacts (or performs an easy-peasy quick step). If they don't, repeat for the guard burst.
 
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