Rhythm: The Death Drum

Free damage. Everybody likes free damage, right? You can get it from punishing your opponent’s mistakes, and you can get it from kicking him in the legs if he never wants to block low. But what if I told you that wasn’t all? What if I told you there was a way to get damage that doesn’t involve safety or mixups?

Everybody likes free damage- and when you can catch your opponent’s rhythm, you can hit him with any move in the game- for absolutely nothing!



What’s rhythm?

A player’s rhythm is a pattern of offense and defense that is unique to that particular player.

The principle is really quite simple- if they are not guarding, they are vulnerable. If they are attacking, stepping, doing any action at all other than guarding (JG and GI being time-sensitive exceptions) then they can be hit.

They cannot sit there and hold guard all day- eventually they are going to perform an action that isn’t guarding. They are going to move, or they are going to attack. That is the opportune time to strike.

Time your attacks so that they land right when the opponent drops his guard. It doesn’t matter what attack you use- just as long as you line up the point of impact right with that moment of vulnerability.

You can use simple, fast, safe pokes at first- but once you become more confident that you “have a lock” on your opponent’s rhythm, you can even start using slower moves and unsafe launchers. To the untrained eye, it seems as if you are just randomly throwing out your “power” moves- but in reality, you are using a carefully planned attack, moving preemptively before your opponent realizes what is happening.

Catching your opponent’s rhythm will completely penetrate his defense, without needing to use mixups or waiting for him to make mistakes. He can be playing completely solid- but if you have his rhythm, you will hit him for free, seemingly pulling damage out of thin air. If he does not see this and break his own rhythm, he will be forever doomed.

It can be a damning mental blow- and when combined with proper mixups and punishment you can completely take control and lock down the entire match.



Counter-Hits

When you start implementing this, you’ll often find that when you sniff out your opponent’s rhythm you start landing more counter-hits than usual. If you’re hitting the opponent right when they drop their guard, often times they are dropping their guard to attack- so often times your attacks will land as counters.

Your character may have strings that are NCC – “Natural Combo on Counterhit”. They may be very unsafe or near-useless on normal hit, but become fairly strong when landing counters.

Normally, NCC strings are used as punishment against players who attack at disadvantage. However, there is another purpose for these strings, and that is- using them as part of a rhythm-based offense.

Think of Pyrrha Omega’s 2B BE. At first glance this is a waste of meter- the second hit is not guaranteed if the first hits normally, so the opponent can escape even though you guessed correctly and hit them. Good players are not going to predictably attack at disadvantage, so this further limits the utility of the move.

But!

When you have your opponent’s rhythm, and land 2B BE on counterhit as a result, you now have a hit-confirmable 84-94 damage attack that punishes the opponent for having a predictable rhythm.

Look in your movelist and see what is NCC, and if you can possibly use it as part of a rhythm-based offense. Some characters, like Natsu and Leixia, have AAB NCC attacks- the string is tied to their fastest attack, and a fast attack is very likely to beat out an opponent, especially so if you are catching their rhythm. (AAB, coincidentally, is a very nice place to start “rhythm training” if you have no experience with it, as it’s very easy to use.)



Rhythm in Spacing (Space and Time)

When it comes to spacing, rhythm is also an important factor. Repelling your opponent properly with preemptive strikes requires that you have a hold on his rhythm- when exactly he will run in. Because your strikes are likely to land as counter-hits, you should note that there are moves in the game for precisely this purpose- Xiba’s 6AK, Nightmare’s BB, Hilde’s 6BBB- so on and so forth.

Causing whiffs with defensive movement is much more viable when you time your steps with your opponent’s rhythm. Backstep or sidestep right before they attack, then whiff punish. Your opponent won’t be able to land a hit, and they won’t know why, either. (They may call for your character to be banned or nerfed, however.)



Breaking Rhythm

Of course, there is a flipside to all of this, and that is when your opponent is skilled at reading your rhythm. To prevent being beat outright, you’ll have to change your rhythm- you’ll have to break it.

Breaking your rhythm is a simple process. Either attack or move earlier than expected, or defend longer than you normally would. If you “go first”, you may end up interrupting your opponent for a counter-hit. If you “go last”, you will probably get the advantage from blocking your opponent’s attack. If they are using unsafe moves to counter your rhythm, if you defend longer than usual, you will be able to punish in most cases (unless they happen to be using spacing to cover their unsafety).

It’s important that you break your rhythm from time to time to keep from getting too predictable. Momentum is a large factor, and you don’t want to give your opponent a foothold to get started if you can help it. If you’ve ever seen two players get in close and suddenly both of them freeze in the guarding position, it may not be that both of their brains just crashed- it may be a rhythm adjustment. It’s an ongoing battle, monitoring your own patterns, and making sure they are not too telegraphed.

Using a slow or delayed attack is a natural way to break rhythm, if you happen to be a “twitchy” type of player that likes to press buttons. Though, you might have noticed that I said “attack earlier, or defend later”. Attacking later can work, but you run the risk of getting counter-hit. Landing these as an interrupt usually provides a large reward, however.



Fakes and Broken Ankles

If your opponent seems to be really in tune with your rhythm and matching you step for step, you can start presenting false information to provoke a response from your opponent; i.e. faking him out. This response is usually either an attack, which you dodge and then whiff punish (or some other effective defensive option), or a step or backstep, which you catch with an anti-movement attack.

A fake can also cause your opponent to hesitate and hold onto his guard button, giving you “advantage” that you can use in any fashion, like approaching and forcing mixups.

The basic fake is an unblockable cancel. Look up your character’s unblockables, and see if they can be canceled with G- like Astaroth’s 44B~G, Cervantes’ 1B+K, Leixia’s 4B+K, and others. An unblockable cancel works well as a fake because of how much sensory information is given to your opponent- the screen turns black, your weapon lights on fire, there’s a loud accompanying sound and normally your character will speak.

Unblockable fakes also work well because- well, they’re unblockables. If you don’t react in time, or don’t interrupt, you’ll be hit, usually for absurd damage. It’s enough to make anyone react.

A “lesser” fake is using a “G-cancel”- A~G, B~G, or K~G. Try all three out for your character- you want to use the one that causes the most amount of movement or noise. G-canceling is not as easy to use as unblockable canceling, as you’ll have to practice the timing- you want to cancel late enough into the animation that you get a big effect, but not so late that you miss the cancel window and actually attack.

“Dancing” to make it seem like you will run in is an option, though you have to be careful that you don’t fall into a pattern (the repetitive movement is hypnotic, both for your opponent and for you). Don’t get carried away- remember why you’re doing this, or your opponent may surprise you with a sudden blitz.

You can also intentionally whiff an attack within a certain distance (usually just inside of your opponent’s effective range). Use the JG method to find a single-hit attack that recovers fairly fast and then use it to bait your opponent. If he retaliates with a “whiff punish”, you can attempt to step, JG or GI and catch him completely off guard. You can use attacks that are normally whiff punishable right outside of your opponent’s range for the same effect, but this is riskier and requires an advanced level of spacing skill.


Remember that all of these options are only going to work on an opponent that is watching you carefully, or is “on edge”. If you get carried away with fakes and not actually attacking, and it has no effect on your opponent, you are wasting your energy at best and giving your opponent free opportunities to attack at worst. Be sure that there is pressure on your opponent- offensive pressure, mental pressure, tournament pressure- before you start making the choice to throw out fakes.



In Closing

As it is with anything in this game, success is gained by finding your opponent’s strength, and then becoming its antithesis. Among two experienced players, this exchange will become fluid and changing, different every time they fight.

Wait to strike the opponent when they drop their guard.
They change rhythm, and guard for an abnormal period of time.
You change rhythm, and force a mixup upon the passive opponent.
They change rhythm, and attack earlier, interrupting the mixup.
You change rhythm, and wait for them to drop their guard to interrupt, so that you can strike.

And so it goes.

The rhythm of battle is always present in every fight- and cursed is the warrior who possesses two left feet.

 

This article makes my name happy.

 

"If they are attacking, stepping, doing any action at all other than guarding (JG and GI being time-sensitive exceptions) then they can be hit."

This is not true. People they find niches in the game that are annoying. Some people I encounter just go into a forward run and attack, attack, attack, and it seems like there's nothing i can do. I can't interrupt because a lot of the hits cancel my hit, I can't guard because they are too mixed-up or guard breaking, I can't step because they track me. A lot of people don't even need to guard because as long as they're attacking, it's better than guarding. i wish this wasn't true, but it's what I've experienced. It sucks.

 

Snip

Don't forget to learn your frames for block punishes.

 

thanks for the advise. I've just been reading the thread above this one about gimmicks. Which is pretty much what I've been looking for.

 

Don't forget to learn your frames for block punishes.

Wow! I'm already learning about the whole "guard crush" thing. That's the problem right there. What good is guarding if it's unreliable. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't put so much tracking on certain character moves.

Like he mentioned Pyrrha’s wr[A+B], which is a guard crush. So you have to step it, right, got it, the only problem is that I could be stepping half way around her and she will still track me a get the hit, so what's the point?

I know they are trying to eliminate all those people who will just stand there and block, but now they have all these people who abuse these gimmicks [as they call it]. In my opinion a block based game is still the better system because if you want to win, you have to attack, and when you attack, you're open to be countered. Its more practical that way. Now people have to go through sheets and sheets of data, just to keep from being miraculously abused.

 

Just a quick tip, acquire proficiency before levelling criticism at the design of the game. You might find when you understand it; previous criticisms don't hold weight anymore.

Good luck with your learning.

 

Learn the moves with GC properties and how to avoid them, man. Depending on what you think Pyrrha will be doing with rising A+B, you can backstep it, poke her out of it, or try to GI/JG it. It's a mid too, IIRC so a lot of non-meter moves with GI properties will repel it too. Assuming I've remembered it correctly :C

 

Phyrra's WsA+B is also very very slow so you can easily BB her out of it. Every move that gives free hits on block is incredibly slow and easy to react to with practice. Just don't freeze up.

There is Dampierre's randomness from 33B but that's just something you have to deal with when fighting him.

 

Just a quick tip, acquire proficiency before levelling criticism at the design of the game. You might find when you understand it; previous criticisms don't hold weight anymore.

Good luck with your learning.

thanks for the tip. I don't mean to be so critic, but its only because I shouldn't really have to research on-line how to play a video game. If anything all this backdoor information should come with the game.

 

I agree with this.

I shouldn't really have to research on-line how to play a video game. If anything all this backdoor information should come with the game.

I do wish the game would be better about teaching itself, I've been saying that for years my friend.

Soul Calibur has a pretty low barrier though, fortunately, compared to almost all other fighting games on the market, so since you are already here on the site, you should pick it up in no time.

Again, best of luck.

 

Now people have to go through sheets and sheets of data, just to keep from being miraculously abused.

This is in every fighter in existence. (It's also in games that aren't fighters. Try being a new guy in a FPS or RTS... yikes...)

In this case, it's just matchup (in)experience. You gain it by playing, or you gain it by studying, but you have to get it somehow to win.


I would like to say to you one thing.

Everything in this game has a counter.


There is some way to beat or reverse whatever the other guy can throw at you in the game. There's always a way.

(It bleeds into a general philosophy, too. If there isn't a way, make one.)

If you find yourself getting frustrated or feeling like you have no options, STOP and say, "Exactly what happened to me?"

Try to grab the replay so you can analyze it. If you can't grab the replay, keep a camcorder on hand or your phone in video mode or something, so you can see what the other guy is doing to you.

Go into Practice mode, pick that character, find out what they're doing. Go into the wiki, look at the frames, see if there are any vulnerabilities, look at the properties.

Like he mentioned Pyrrha’s wr[A+B], which is a guard crush. So you have to step it, right, got it, the only problem is that I could be stepping half way around her and she will still track me a get the hit, so what's the point?

wr[A+B] is a horizontal mid. Horizontals generally track step. You can step it to a certain side because of its hitbox, but I wouldn't try it.

wr{A+B] has short range, and is very slow. It can be interrupted with an attack, or backstepped.

It's like this for everything. If your first instinct doesn't work, don't assume the move has no weaknesses- start thinking and trying everything. You can even ask around here for help to identify weaknesses until you start becoming proficient at finding them on your own.


Becoming good involves finding where you are failing, and then attacking that directly with analysis and numbers and testing. You can't improve if you readily accept defeat; you must adapt, and continually strive to find the opponent's weakness.



I agree with you entirely, in that all of this should be in the game. The guide makers shouldn't have a job, I shouldn't be writing these things, and 8WR should just be a community meeting place.

Until that happens, though, you'll have to study outside of the game.

Keep trying friend, don't give up.
You'll find the truth eventually if you keep looking.

 

.....
This is the foundation of my life. It's not just useful for Soul Calibur, Fighting games, Competition, but everything in life. I call it signatures, no rhythm [to each their own with their word choices].

In my high school art class there where paintings on the walls without an artist signature. However people tend to leave their signature with everything they do, writing, fighting, dancing, soul calibur, streetfighter, etc.. I saw a painting and asked if Emily Ballard painted it. I'd never seen her work before and there was no signature to say it was her who drew this, however I did know her and had talked to her a few times enough to get a grasp of who she was. It was her painting. In the course of this class I guessed a few others, was wrong here and there, but about 95% accurate following my intuition and guessing who painted what of these non signed paintings.

My sister always knows if I've created something. Writing, a replay from Smash brothers brawl [she'll tell you which character I am despite limited knowledge of the game and rarely seeing me play], a painting, a piece on the piano, etc.. She's known me all my life and can intuitively tell I made something.

Everyone leaves traces of their self in everything they do. Soul Calibur is no different. Which is why there's a few things that'll help you with your game, reading and being unreadable. It's not just SC, but everything this works with.

Reading: two ways.
C. Concrete looking for signs and paying attention to shit like "This aPat always uses 22BA after he whiffs, so I can side step and duck each time he whiffs." And that might change, as said in the article.

I. Intuitive [what works best for me considering I'm an iNtuitive type of personality as far as Carl Jung is concerned and I trust my intuition]. You have a feeling and listen to you unconscious intuition and act accordingly. You don't know what you should 3B with Nightmare as this moment but you trust your intuition after it's adjusted to your opponents Rhythm/Signature and it works out more often than not [trust me, your unconscious mind will adapt just like your conscious mind does, I've researched this quite a bit since it's what I primarily rely on in life]. Only problem is you really don't know why and wouldn't be able to explain this.

Playing against the computer or an opponent that doesn't adapt and change often will only mean you're able to defeat them. Play fresh opponents as often as possible to adapt your skills. My routine is Practice, Computer, Human, lather, rinse, repeat. Not saying I win tournaments but I am always increasing in skill level [and I'm a bit of a slacker and lazy with it all].


Blankmind: Ever clear your mind?
Try to think of absolutely NOTHING!!!! NOTHING AT ALL!!!! Go blank and stop thinking, then act. Not ever YOU know what you're going to do next. If you don't know how the hell will your opponent know? This should never be a constant strategy, only a transmission to give your opponent the unexpected.

Here's an example using SSBB [when I started to strongly use this idea]. I had toonlink while a friend I'd never beaten before had Marth. I knew more about the game than he did. I knew more of the "chess problems" of smash bros than he did, but he still always won. Because he always anticipated what I'd do next and reacted intuitively. Most of the time he knew. In the 3 stocks it ended, on average, his having 2 lives or one with low damage when I lost. When he made input errors I would catch him in a string up traps and zoning and kill him.

One day, I tried clearing my mind at random. Going blank and thinking of nothing then acting while thinking of nothing. Initially this is pretty bad and you do stupid things or lucky things and luck is the only thing that'd save you. Gotta play smart and safe, then randomly go blank and do something that doesn't make sense to your opponent.

Taaj was the one who always beat me in smash. The first day I demolished him I went blank every so often. During the blank state I didn't know what I was doing and neither did my opponent who was relying mostly on reading me. I took away his strength. He could no longer read me.


Rage and Serenity: The best state of mind.
"Remember Erik, True Focus lies somewhere between Rage and Serenity" - Professor X
When I first saw this movie and heard that I thought . o O (hey! they stole my idea and worded it all fancy and shit, but left a few things out).
Here's how this works. READ!!! a lot. Tech traps, combos, frame rates, all the shit you come to 8wr to read about. Practice what you read against the lifeless computer and ingrain it in your head so it's 2nd nature and you no longer think about your combos, you know them [like walking, A attacks, B attacks, Guarding, K attacks, Grabs, Breathing, other things you don't think about]. Make all of this natural. KNOW IT! [btw, still works with everything in life here].

Then you can activate Rage mode.
RAGE!: A wild beast. Close to blank state with the unpredictably, but not a lot of thought going on here.
Ever see someone lose it, black out, and best someone [beat the shit out of them, win in chess, mvc3?]. Rage gives the desire to succeed out of anger and aggression.

Serenity: Focus!
This is a calming state of mind where everything is clearer.

Basically when you're in a state of rage you need to focus. You'll just do things out of rage with the initiative while you have the clarity and focus to allow you to think.

So.... Get angry and in your anger focus and think straight and you will have all the resources of your knowledge at your ready. This is difficult to do. Worth it if you're that in tune with your emotions and concentration. In a state of Rage you just have what you have learned and ingrained in your head really. Without focus you're predicable. Once you focus you will start to see things you wouldn't normally see and increase your skill level. [try to record this for further study].


All of this makes your rhythm unpredictable

 

These articles come from constant reviewing and analysis of my own matches. I came to realize that all of the players who have ever beaten me had done so because they were using these principles and I was not.

In your case- you must turn inward and shine a light on your flaws. Giving your demons a name is the only way to slay them and move forward.

Or I could be not self-centered and give my opponent credit for beating me.
You ever hear that guy , he loses and says "why do I Suck today?" and "if XYZ, I would have won," and "I gotta get this move / single thing to work, and then OH BOY YOU'LL LOSE," or, the super damning "This [stuff I'm doing] is terrible. I am a monkey here."

These are code for "My opponent isn't really playing this game. I'm just not rising to competence today; (So) The outcome was bullshit/random to begin with." Alternately, it's a symptom of being a self-absorbed 15 year old with his head up his ass. The fact he was beat, actually is no compliment to the victor whatsoever.
I don't wanna be that guy.

I have some flaw somewhere, but I also only am beaten because my opponent has merits. Of the many tactics deployed between the two of us, all of the items from this series appear. There is additionally the fact my opponents have insight into something about flow or Fighters or 3D itself, and I don't. They win games with this. I could "lose" if we both were awful; I would not be "beaten" if my opponent had not also some merit to make it decisive. That's all I'm saying.

Your prose is great but it's still nothing I've nver considered.