The 1.02 Critique (Save-A-Natsu movement!)

- Bomb+skydrop should do less damage. (down to 33% from 45%)
Previously I rarely used airthrows as 4A+B~A felt much safer than doing PO rush and it was easier/more damaging to follow up with A+B FC A+B 4KKK than doing B+K B+G/214 PO 8B+G (I only managed to do it reliably on bigger opponents). The damage might be too much but that PO rush isn't anything bulletproof if the bomb gets blocked (stepping, blocking for big punishment, interrupting - all are possible). I'll admit that I'm not an expert how that situation tends to turn out in most matchups. However. Since the A+B followup combo no longer works I think it hurts her bombs as well because for doing damage after it you'll have to do the PO rush which I find being a guessing game that does not favor either player. Previously blocked bomb canceled into A was just 100% safe on block. If 45% combodamage (does it even do that much?) is too much compared to it's safety... I don't know. As other stuff takes some hits in this patch I'm glad that the fear for 4A+B still exists there.

I like the changes to FC A+B at the moment. Just the last week I started discovering how powerful tool it actually is outside combos and the stun removal seems justified (considering how strong it felt after just few nights of using it more actively instead of just using it in combos after 3KKK). Only issue is that is there any reason to use that move now? It might work as a safe CH fishing tool but I haven't tried what kind of combos it gives on CH. Range or tracking might be big issue as well.

I understand the patch notes so that 6A+B CH no longer works as a combostarter unless only the second hit lands as a CH and in those cases the A:6 continuation would work. Not sure if the combo works if one starts it with some other move like HOV B or any other move that led to the 6A+B~4 A:6 3KKK... combo. Hope it still works like that because then the nerf would only be in place to prevent rather op CH combo fishing with 6A+B that is pretty safe thanks to PO BE which was easily the best way (with guard impacts) to use meter. Not like PO A, PO K or PO B+K (or maybe HOV too but I never really used it that much) weren't decent tools for avoiding punishment either. Now 6A+B 4 only gives nice position for Possession.

To make this all stay on topic... In short it is just too early to say if Natsu even is too weak after all the nerfs. She lost some cheesy stuff but the notes are bit vague on how badly her combogame takes damage. Might take more effort to deliver big damage but she still seems viable to me.

If there is something I'm worried it is her non-existend mixup game. 4A can work to some extend but without meter for PO BE it is just setuping yourself up for punishment. 2K would seem good candidate for buffing as it is not too fast nor does contain any evasive properties so if it was better on hit wouldn't make it completely broken. -6 is just bad even if 2KK is NCC. -2 might work keeping Natsu's i10 moves in mind. +0 or any advantage might be too much considering generally lows are negative on hit.
 
I don't fit in there... :x
It's okay, neither do I.

a+b should only be -10 instead of -12
smiley-scared009.gif


Wow, why stop at -10? Why don't we just make it +0? Don't get me wrong, I love A+B, but it's already pretty much unpunishable by everyone.
 
As long as they make darts stun, even if just outside of combos, the hitboxes on the 6 characters don't mess up her BnB combos and they fix the self RO glitch on airthrows vs bigger characters, i am pleased, no need for anything else honestly.
 
I understand since i was a Natsu main but she deserved to get nerfed she might actually be fun to play now.
 
I understand since i was a Natsu main but she deserved to get nerfed she might actually be fun to play now.
I don't think you'll find too many Natsus that will disagree with the notion that we needed a nerf. Most of our issues are the way they nerfed us. Complain about high damage? Mutilate our combos, and destroy one of our okizeme tactics, effectively reducing the amount of moves we had in our arsenal. Like many have said here, Namco could've just reduced our overall damage with the ending kick of 3KKK, the PO A:6, and the wall jump of 4KKK. At least then we would still have the pleasure of executing a 10 hit combo off a well placed CH. And still have a viable ground mixup along with bomb tech traps. Hell, they could've just reduced the bomb damage as well, and I would be happy as long as I had 2 solid options on the ground. If your version of fun to play means more spacing and whiff punishment play with 66B, AAB, and A+B, then so be it. (I do agree with the nerf to WS K on block, however. The risk reward was too much, hopefully it still exists as a combo starter).
 
Wombat, if they made it not combo into anything at all there is very little reward for it, so why let a slew of people get an i12 punisher for us not getting all that great of a reward?
 
I know, I was saying that I think we get almost the full BnB combo off of it, because Song said it was no reward.

Did you misunderstand me, or mean to quote Song?
 
I'll rephrase. The risk has been increased and the reward has been decreased, why bother?
You can just play safe and use moves that they cannot punish, right?
 
Assuming it truly is -12 on block, it's still pretty safe. Though it's more easily steppable. The reward is almost the same as it's always been: WS K CH, 6A+B4, PO A:6, 3KKK, and I guess 1A, since caltrops is useless. It's one of the few moves that actually still is rewarding.
 
LOL Sorry about that. I should have quoted. I meant to say I think a+b should be -10 so we have to guess or whatever since you can't FC a+b or 1a off it anymore. :(
 
Ohhh, you were talking about A+B. I thought you meant the most recent post. Yeah, quotes help.

I don't think most characters even get an i12 punisher after a blocked A+B due to the push back, except maybe stab. That's i12, right? Even so, that requires pretty strict timing. The opponent would have to start inputting the 236 on the precise frame he came out of block stun. Or can it be buffered?
 
I don't think most characters even get an i12 punisher after a blocked A+B due to the push back, except maybe stab. That's i12, right? Even so, that requires pretty strict timing. The opponent would have to start inputting the 236 on the precise frame he came out of block stun. Or can it be buffered?
Stab is i14 when JF'ed. -12 usually gets AAs or Natsu's own A:6. This is what we'll be expecting with WS K now too.
 
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