Strategy/Playstyle Discussion + general Q&A

Mavericks420, I remember "Stand -> FC_iWS" will waste 5 frames.
"FC -> 4_6 directional move and 8WR move" such as 6K or 4K or 33K will waste 0 frame.
I think "FC -> neutral -> Standing move" such as AA or BB will waste 6+ frames at least.
 
I always thought you lost a frame or 2 when u RCC into a standing move. Either way is it possible to RCC after blocking 2b+k?
 
Following a successful FC A+G (yes I do use it) what's my strongest option to make them want to get up to mix up with the tech trap?
 
FC A+G ~33B (perfect timing) i think is a tech trap against most if not all characters. If it ground hits, you are +4 on wakeup.

EDIT: Irritating, doesn't catch all characters. Ok so i would suggest a GS mixup or just repositioning for a 33B/Throw mixup.
 
Synraii said:
I meant 33B as the tech trap - didn't realise it was character specific though - thanks for the info.
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Catchs most characters but irritatingly not the sisters. I think it actually catches Amy so thats why i assumed it caught all characters previously.
 
Mavericks42O said:
I always thought you lost a frame or 2 when u RCC into a standing move. Either way is it possible to RCC after blocking 2b+k?
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IMO, not for SC4. However, you can buffer 8WR to step or tap direction to step in a specific timing. And I believe it also waste 6+ frames at least for Standing Move Follow-up such as AA. For example: 2B+K->BufferStep->AA.

MMM.... FC A+G's .......... -_-
 
Synraii said:
FFS - as if Sophie didn't have a big enough advantage anyway ~_~
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i dont agree. I think the Sophie V NM matchup is 5/5 or 5.5/4.5 in Sophie's favor. Im surprised no one has demonstrated how linear Sophie is yet (I have a list up of basically more than half her useable move set and its all fullstep or step guard punishable, I play Sophie as a secondary as well). She'll punish the crap out of you but you'll punish the crap out of her too when she misses.
 
What? I'm only allowed to dislike Sophie on the Siegfried boards?
I could be on the lovemail thread and I'd still hate sophitia :/
 
Hey, Engared, could you send me some anti-Sophitia strats? There's going to be two really good Sophies at CEO (Suirad and Ramon) and I don't know too much about her.

I know her weak side is her right, I know to break A 90% of the time, I know to jump her mid-then-low attacks like 236 AA, I know to WR K or FC K after a blocked 4B, and I know to punish her obvious moves like B+K, B and 236 B with 33B and A+K.

But what I don't know is when to B+K evade, when to step, what linear mids I should be able to step/GI on reaction, and general stuff like that.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, that should've been a PM. Oh well.
 
DeathInMyEyes said:
Hey, Engared, could you send me some anti-Sophitia strats? There's going to be two really good Sophies at CEO (Suirad and Ramon) and I don't know too much about her.

I know her weak side is her right, I know to break A 90% of the time, I know to jump her mid-then-low attacks like 236 AA, I know to WR K or FC K after a blocked 4B, and I know to punish her obvious moves like B+K, B and 236 B with 33B and A+K.

But what I don't know is when to B+K evade, when to step, what linear mids I should be able to step/GI on reaction, and general stuff like that.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, that should've been a PM. Oh well.
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My Sophie theory is mainly theory. I've fought 3 decent Sophies but none of them come close to Ramon or Suirad so what im going to tell you is guess work. I do play Sophie as a secondary however and I have watched tons of videos in the past so ill see what i can help you with :D.

Basically every heavy hitting poke which Sophie has can be stepped to the right so if you anticipate TAS B, AS B, 66B or any major hitting B move, step to the right (full step or step guard). From here you have options; i believe that from AS B and TAS B whiff you get back throw guarantee, if not 33B, 3B, 66B, 66B+K or throw mixups are viable. The other strategy which you can try is to go down to NM's 5-6 move set (which is what I have used in the past and what Keev used against Chris and the french Sophies).


If your defense is good enough; Sophie may attempt to put some soul gauge pressure on to you, but guess what? Most of her best Soul Gauge moves do not track the slightest so if you step it correctly, it should lead to big rewards.

You did really well against Suirad last time however and the main thing i noticed was he was attempting to kill you step with a lot of AA, so i think you have to be patient and work your way out of Sophie's deathzone or use tech crouch interrupts such as 66K or GS A (risky but may pay off). I would still say that spacing is the key in this match cause Sophie will attempt to close distance and kill you with TAS B (which is steppable to the right) which you can punish him very heavily for. Also upon knockdown, make sure you control the ground space (you can be safe here or you can be risky; its up to you and i suggest you do it depending on situation). Play safe, whiff punish and don't give him free damage. I suggest if you are going to fish with 3B, change it to fish with 11K (+4 on NH so 3K/1K is a frame trap). I think B+K spacing should be done from range and not point blank, if you read BB spam, B+K into NSS K or ibA are viable options. If he attempts to kill your WS B with 2A, you can delay your NSS attack (or hold 4 during the transition) and 2A will whiff. 4B is full steppable as well and i think you can get Backthrow guarantee from it. Space right and i believe is not so scary anymore.

If you need a list of post 2A+B mixups and/or post KD throw mixups tell me. Ill give you a full list of 50/50s which i have developed (but needs testing on top players :D). Also my counter to step guard is to run up to your opponent and just plain grabbing him (cause most opponents will flinch in this situation, you can mix it up with 33B).

Ramon on the other hand might be a different beast (imo hes the best Sophie in the world) so Ill wish you good luck on that and tell me if my theories survive the encounter lol.

Also try 7K (block) B+K NSS mixup or 6K (block) B+K NSS Mixups or K (Block) NSS mixups or 8B (Block) B+K NSS mixups :P
 
Thanks, Engared. I really appreciate it.

The 5-6 movelist idea seems pretty viable. I've been practicing it for the past few days, thinking it may be a good choice against Suirad (since Ramon had to cancel). I think I'm going to be using this strategy a lot.

Oh, and you're right about fishing with 3B; I should've been using 11K. In fact, the day after I fought Suirad last time, while I was watching that vid, I facepalmed and told myself I should've been using 11K instead of 3B.

And Suirad's Sophie felt different from most of the Sophies I've seen in video. He used a lot of AAs to kill my step, like you said. So I guess that means I'll have to space her and use 66K/11K for TCs, like you said. I know a delayed GS A after 33B will stop her AA.

And about the 50/50s, if you want them tested against good players, I'll be willing to test them out in casuals. And if they work, I'll use them in the tourney.
 
DeathInMyEyes said:
Thanks, Engared. I really appreciate it.

The 5-6 movelist idea seems pretty viable. I've been practicing it for the past few days, thinking it may be a good choice against Suirad (since Ramon had to cancel). I think I'm going to be using this strategy a lot.

Oh, and you're right about fishing with 3B; I should've been using 11K. In fact, the day after I fought Suirad last time, while I was watching that vid, I facepalmed and told myself I should've been using 11K instead of 3B.

And Suirad's Sophie felt different from most of the Sophies I've seen in video. He used a lot of AAs to kill my step, like you said. So I guess that means I'll have to space her and use 66K/11K for TCs, like you said. I know a delayed GS A after 33B will stop her AA.

And about the 50/50s, if you want them tested against good players, I'll be willing to test them out in casuals. And if they work, I'll use them in the tourney.
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Yeah i've developed a style which i call the control NM which basically in every situation you have a mixup or set of mixups which you can use to put enormous pressure on your opponent; from grabs, to whiff punish, to baits to ground control. Some i have already tested on opponents here but I just want to be sure that they work on "top" level opponents. Your 2A+B game needs work though so send me a PM and ill give you the full list on 2A+B mixups.
 
I'm looking for some pointers, mostly on what to do in neutral. It seems that with the lack of safe moves my best option is to wait for my opponent to do something and then punish into mixups.

You can find some of my gameplay here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15217311 starting at around 1:42:00

I want to know what I should continue doing, and what I should cut down on.

Before anyone says anything about doing 22_88b too much at range, I know that's a bad idea. I was running out of ideas and it had been quite a while since I've played.
 
Read Tiamant's guide. Your NM needs a ton of work (no offense intended). Too much for me to cover here which the guide has not already covered. Ill say learn step game and get a spacing game. Learn NM's frames and use tons of agA or IagA. Walk up and throw/mid etc.
 
I agree that I need a ton of work, but I don't think I did too badly for having next to no experience. (I have looked at Tiamat's guide since that was recorded)

Looking at that vid again, I should have been sidestepping a lot of those verticals.

As for spacing, I'm not quite sure what moves to use for it. I'll try a few out and see what works.
 
NM's IagA is his best spacing tool. You can use B+K as well as a pull-back variation and bA if you sense pressure from your opponent.
 
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