Sunday, November 27, 2011

UMVC3: Undead Frenzy: Nemesis T-Type Combos, Resets, Keepaway Video



Nemesis resets make me so happy. ^_^

Thanks, OneWingedAngel.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Teach me, Teach me How to Viper [MvC3 C.Viper Technical]

It's time to face the cold, hard truth about my MvC3 team: It's not working.

I have leveled down from 5th Lord to 5th Ranger, simply because I am diving into Ranked matches at every opportunity. I was doing relatively well, beating a lot of high level teams, but falling flat against a number of opponents who were within my skill range. I'm not plummeting by any means, and my technical skills feel stronger than ever.

Taskmaster and Tron do ninety percent of the work in a given match. I can't envision winning any matches without that duo. Aim of Hawkeye and Gustaff Fire assist allow me to deal huge damage on characters trying to get in. Once in close range, Tron's assist confirms into big Tasky combos. It's solid, and I feel confident playing Tasky/Tron against virtually any team that comes up. I've been tacking on Hulk or Dormammu as anchors to make those dramatic Level 3 X-Factor comebacks, but ideally I would be in fewer dire situations if my team didn't rely on the anchor so heavily.

The tragic flaw of my Tasky/Tron/(Hulk or Dormammu) team is that once Tasky falls, I can only do so much with Tron. Normally I just fish for hits and go for damage while trying to earn and save meter for the anchor. Tron dies, anchor comes in, hopefully avoids the initial mixup, and then uses level 3 X-Factor and the stored meter to wreck shop. Great, when it works. But when a team kills off Tasky and then lames out Tron, well, not so great. I end up with a team that has no potential to open up the opposition, and runs out of time or dies trying to get in.

Also, with the UMvC3 changes being a looming reality, I have to consider that: (1) the DHC glitch is non-existent, so the big damage Tron/Hulk combos I've displayed in this space before are worthless, and (2) aerial X-factor makes my Dormammu chip setup less viable. I first pondered a new anchor, but then began to look for a different team concept, one favoring a scenario that involves me winning.

After watching Evo 2011, I'm taking a page from the book of PR Balrog, and opting to go for two strong, synergistic point characters (Logan and Dante, in Rog's case) with a powerful defensive assist (Tron) in the anchor slot. Once the first character is defeated, the strategy changes very little, still using the remaining point character to engage, backed up by the Tron assist.

I am starting to learn C.Viper, and hope to have a competitive Viper/Tasky/Tron team at some point. Becoming proficient with Viper is a daunting task. I've started at page one in the SRK forum Viper thread and I feel like I'm beginning to grasp the mechanics behind her combos. Theoretically, this team has all the tools to win, and with more lab time my Tasky and Tron will definitely be where they need to be, but the variable is whether I can get my Viper up to snuff.

So there's the big announcement: my official declaration of my intent to learn Viper. What follows are some notes I've gleaned from the aforementioned thread, that I will keep handy on my blog for future reference.

First off, learn to rapid fire Seismos. It's simply Seismo, super jump cancelling into another Seismo. Duh.

f, d, df + Atk, [f, d, df, f, uf + Atk] x n


Next, learn the box dash loop. Similar in principle in that we're using a super jump motion to cancel out of the Seismo, but in this case allowing the super jump to come out, and immediately airdashing forward into H, S, land and link M, H, Seismo, repeat. How easy is this?

L Seismo, IADF j.H j.S, (land) M, H, L Seismo, IAFD j.M, j.S, ...

Third, learn this throw/air throw combo with Tasky assist from Chrisis. Gotta be able to get damage off a throw. Will have to learn to H Thunder Knuckle~Feint on Hit as an alternative to S launching. Okay.

Throw/air throw, L Seismo, IADF H, S, (land) M + Assist, H, M Knuckle (Task hits), H Knuckle~Feint, jc, j.M, j.M, j.S, dj, j.M, j.H, j.S, EX Burning Kick, (land) S, j.M, j.H, dj, j.M, j.H, j.S, (land) L Seismo xx Burst Time (DHC)

Finally, step up to Viper guru Gottnoskill's execution exhibition. Two H Thunder Knuckle~Feint loops and two box dash loops, with a relaunch. Nothing to it.

Tri-dash j.S, M, H, S (1st hit), H Knuckle~Feint, M, H, H Knuckle~Feint, M, H, L Seismo, IADF j.M j.S, (land) M, H, L Seismo, IAFD j.H, j.S, (land) M, H, S, j.M, j.M, j.H, dj, j.M, j.M, j.H, EX Burning Kick, (land) S, j.H, dj, j.H, j.S, (land) L Seismo xx Burst Time (DHC)


I'll be in the lab for awhile.
Don't bother calling.

Oh yeah. Don't forget to learn the infinite.

And here is some gratuitous girl-on-girl (MarlinPie vs KBeast FT5 at Evo2k11).

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Don't You Know Any Other Moves? [Taskmaster UMVC3 Charge Sting New Move]




Looks like Tasky may have forgotten the events of Vanilla Marvel Vs Capcom 3, 'cause he just learned a new move!

Not sure if you can combo into Charge Sting, but reportedly and logically you can cancel Shield Skills into Charge Sting, allowing you to combo on hit, and catch opponents trying to punish Shield Skills on block. (You could do this with the arrow or counter special before, but hopefully CS will be safer.)

Also, allows a free Hyper arrows afterwards as well.

Here's hoping Taskmaster is buffed all around. He's by far best character in MvC3, and I'd love for my experience to give me a leg up if he happens to fall in God-tier in UMVC3.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Surge of the Intent to Put Lego on Blast Awakened in Killa [SSF4 AE Hype Evil Ryu]

Not so long ago, not unlike the Treaty of Tordesillas, Legoman decided we needed to preemptively pick teams, as it were, amongst the four new roster additions of the incoming Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition downloadable content. With the same breath, Legoman called dibs on Oni. (beat)

While I naturally had a desire to investigate Oni's EX crossup, and was absolutely scintillated by the possibilities of the air Demon, I was resolved to abide. In doing so, I have begun to wrap my mind around Evil Ryu, or as our friends overseas would call him 'Satsui no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu'. A more literal translation would be, the 'Surge of the Intent to Kill Awakened in Ryu'.

We'll stick with Evil Ryu for brevity.

First thing to note is that Evil Ryu has the same health and stamina as Akuma, so pretty goddamn bad, but not the worst. He does not have Akuma's air fireball or demon flip, but he does have the teleport and a command dive kick, but with a lower activation point than Akuma's. He also has both his normal Hadou and the Shakunetsu hadou (aka red fireball). He has a faster walk speed and a much better forward dash than regular Ryu, allowing for Focus Crumple, delayed cr.Short into dash under reset on most of the cast, allegedly. It is also widely reported that he can juggle short Tatsu to Sweep on only five members of the cast.

His crouching forward is more akin to Ryu's in 3s; it advances him, making [cr.Forward xx Hadou] combo from any distance, and making it an excellent block string. The most notable new inclusion is the standing axe kick aka Dragon Stomp (DS). You can combo into the forward version and then plink into low strong to continue the combo. The EX version hits overhead and gives an untechable knockdown. Roundhouse version gives the untechable, but can be blocked low.

Meterless staple combo should be something along the lines of [Dive Kick, cr.Jab, cl.Fierce xx forward DS, cr.Strong xx short Tatsu, Shoryu]. Three meters should allow [cr.Forward xx forward DS, cr.Strong xx EX Hadou FADC U2] for some flashy, high damage action.

More generally, I am also looking forward to God Tier Yun, Cody's three frame cr.Short, Akuma's [Fierce xx Teleport xx U2], and also the general buffs to formerly trash tier Makoto and Hakan.

Watch your back, Lego.

Oh, and the badass alt costume in a couple of weeks don't hurt either.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Dim Mak [Tron / Hulk / Akuma - Touch of Death DHC Trick MVC3]



[j.H xx H Drill (mash) - M xx f+M - j.M - j.M - j.H - H - S - j.M - j.M - j.H - j.S - d+H + Tatsu Assist - H Beacon Bomb - j.H - j.S - L Beacon Bomb - King Servbot DHC* Gamma Quake - S - j.M - j.M - j.H - j.S - L Gamma Wave xx Gamma Crush]


Touch of Death on any character in the game.
(1.3million+ damage)
Works midscreen (carries opponent to corner).
Requires 1 meter at start of combo. (Can kill off of a First Attack.)
Builds 2+ more meters, expends 3 total.

{Learning an extended combo like this is like learning to play a piece of music. Visualization, muscle memory, and audio cues all play a part.}

I am still trying to get the most out of the King Servbot-Gamma Quake DHC trick. I extended the initial Tron series to get as much damage as possible before the Delayed Hyper Combo resets the damage scaling and hitstun decay. This version can kill any character from the start of the round as it only requires one meter to start, yet builds enough to use three hypers. The Gamma Crush finisher is only necessary for the top tier of health characters; without it, the combo uses 2 meters to do 1.1 million damage. A large portion of the cast cannot survive the DHC trick, anyways. Obviously characters that can easily avoid Tron's j.H (i.e. Amaterasu) will need a different approach.

I still haven't gotten the hang of using Dormammu's Dark Hole to combo after Tron's OTG d+H, so I subbed in Akuma. Almost any lockdown assist should work here (Skrull Tenderizer, Chun Legs, Sent Drones, etc.) to setup the Beacon Bomb, but I have found the hitstun on Akuma's Tatsu to be the easiest with which to work. Some assists leave the opponent too low for H Beacon Bomb; L Beacon in it's place does not allow for the extra j.H before the final j.S, but again the damage difference is negligible. The groundbounce into the second Beacon Bomb is actually necessary, allowing time after Akuma's assist so that Hulk is available for the DHC.

I have a more practical version that is more reliable for online play, and I confirmed it works on both Zero and Shuma Gorath, notable for their small and wacky hitboxes, respectively. I consolidate the Tron segment from

[...Drill - M - f+M - j.M - j.M - j.H - H - S - j.M - j.M - j.H - j. S ...]

to

[...Drill - M - f+M - j.M - j.M - j.H - S - j.H - j.S ...]

but I only gained meter build, not substantive damage.


(Kinda proud of this one. Definitely puts the other combos I posted to shame.)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Trickery [Tron / Hulk / Skrull DHC Trick Touch of Death Combo]

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

[H Mixer, OTG cr.H + Skrull Tenderizer Assist xx Bandit Boulder, H Beacon Bomb, j.S, L Beacon Bomb, King Servbot DHC Gamma Quake, S, j.M, j.M, j.H, j.S, OTG L Gamma Wave XX Gamma Crush DHC Lunch Rush DHC He Loves You]


152 Hits
1.4+million damage
Burns 5 Meters (972k with only 2 Meters, 1.28mil with only 4)
No X-Factor

DHC from King Servbot to Gamma Quake before King Servbot hits, or else the opponent will flip out due to hitstun during Hulk's air combo, if you can even hit the launcher.

Stopping at Hulk's OTG Gamma Tsunami nets 972k damage for only 2 Meters. I think Lunch Rush kills Thor with four meters, so the fifth for He Loves You is just for kicks.

Adding the Beacon>King Servbot>Gamma Quake setup increases the damage potential of my Tron and Hulk immensely if Tasky is down.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Shakedown [MvC3 Online Technical]

Tasky/Tron/Hulk is back in the groove.  A few days under the weather really cut into my practice, and my muscle memory all but went to shit.  Things are improving now, with a couple of consecutive strong days behind me. 
 
Notable highlight:  Had two ranked matches against a Master Lord Zero/Ammy/Phoenix team that was boasting over 1700 wins.  (I'm floating around 250 wins at this point, and the game has only been out for two months, so this should give some perspective on the dedication of this Phoenix player.) 
 
In the first match, I came out of the gate strong with Tasky and the Gustaff Fire assist, putting a hurting on his Zero and Ammy.  Ended up coming down to Hulk and Dark Phoenix battling it out, and I was edged out by the sheer madness of her black chaos. 
 
Got the rematch a few minutes later, and it started similarly, with me coming out of the gate strong nearly wiping his first two characters.  That's when he wisened up and snapped in my Hulk, caught me in a mixup, and sent Dr. Banner packing.  Tasky, Zero, and Ammy got knocked out subsequently, and we were down to his Phoenix and my Tron.  I got a few hits in, nearly triggering the transformation, and then backed off as I would have only had to play about 20 seconds of keepaway for the W.  Not liking the prospect of getting beaten on a time over, his Phoenix used X-Factor and burned one meter to activate her healing shield, in an attempt to recover enough health to put the pressure back on my Tron.  His Phoenix then tried to build back her fifth meter with some teleport and rushdown, however TRON WAS NOT HAVING THAT SHIT.  Once I got a solid block in against his low series, I saw the opportunity and snatched it.  I X-Factor cancelled out of my guard stun and activated Tron's Level 3 grab hyper Shakedown Mixer, which snagged his Jean and did more then enough damage to put her down for the count.  Shakedown gave her the fifth meter back, but since the move is considered one hit (or something), the Dark Phoenix transformation didn't activate.  Tron plopped back in Gustaff and had some post-K.O. chuckles: "Aahaahaa!"
 
I've seen a disproportionate number of people in the higher ranking echelons running Phoenix.  This is actually quite fortuitous, as the more experience I can get against good Phoenix teams, the better.  I am not confident in my ability to hit a proper snapback combo and then finish off Marvel Girl before she can hard tag back out.  I usually prefer to focus on clobbering the first two foes, and then hopefully having enough left in the tank to confront Dark Phoenix.  It is essential that I save my X-Factor, though, because Hulk (or Tron, in the above example) will need it.
 
Using X-Factor to cancel guard stun and then immediately activating a hyper is an underutilized tool in this game, at least, I think, in online competition.  Often times if I end up one-on-one with my Hulk versus Sentinel, I will allow myself to be put into block stun in the corner, and wait for a big slow normal like frying pan so I can X-Factor cancel into Gamma Crush.  Yesterday I also punished a Chun Li with my Taskmaster by X-Factor cancelling guard stun from Hyakuretsukyaku (Lightning Legs) into his Secret Move counter.  A savvy player could save their Chun in this instance by X-Factor cancelling out of Legs, and then using anything that would beat the counter, but this requires quick reaction, and the willingness to use X-Factor to save Chun.  Not quite as attractive as burning it to kill a character.
 
I am seriously considering dragging my team up to Xanadu in Baltimore to see how I measure up.  I had said I wanted to tighten up a few things, specifically my Hulk OTG (sans Hyper), at which I have admittedly gotten better.  My Tron and Tasky combos could use some tightening up as well, but I've been pretty scrappy lately, and I think I may be better off than I think.  Guess I won't know till I go.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5


http://www.justin.tv/offcast/b/283672426 ClakeyD vs Viscant at 1hr47min - Clakey hits She Hulk XFC->Hyper Throw vs Phoenix; (misses w/ Tron)less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Tron - Drillin' Like a Villain [Tron MvC3 Kill Combo]

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

[Tasky alpha assist > M Beacon Bomb > H Drill xx King Servbot > H xx Lunch Rush XFC H Drill (mash) > H, S, j.H, j.S, cr.H + Hulk beta assist]


80 hits
1.3million+ (enough to kill any character in the game)
Builds 1.5 meters (not bad)
Burns XFC and 2 meters

It's a very easy execution combo off of Tasky's assist containing two H Drills and two Hypers with an OTG into Hulk. As you can hear, all the links are 100% mashable. Just mash it till it works.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Let Me See That Tron [MvC3 Combo Notes]

Tron Extendedj.H, H Drill, M, Gustaff Fire,
j.L, j.M, j.H, (land),
j.M, j.M, j.S, (land),
S, sj.M, sj.M, sj.H, sj.S, (land),
A2, Beacon Bomb,
Servbot Beatdown, H, Lunch Rush
Tasky Rushdowncr.M, H, Spidey Swing,
j.M, j.M, Spidey Swing,
j.M, j.M, j.H, (land),
Shield Skills, S, sj.M, sj.H, Vertical Hyper Arrows
Pool 2x Quick WorkL, M, H, H Quick Work,
L, M, L Quick Work (Cuttin' Time??)

Tron, T-Tron, Tron, Tron
As they say, no rest for wicked. Finally got my 100 ranked wins, but this only means it's time to stop punishing scrubs and to start getting down to the ol' nit'n'grit.

The team that earned me those hundred ranked wins (Hulk, Tasky, Pool) is being put on the back burner while I work on a more versatile, more powerful team. I've put Tasky on point and I'm retraining myself to execute his powerful rushdown in contrast to my lame keepaway methods of yore. Tron is in for her high HP, and her long combos. Deadpool is keeping his anchor spot for now, though I need to work out a few assist situations, and I may find I don't need him for his quick OTG.

The extended Tron combo is something akin to Clakey D's signature sequence. I've yet to master the rejump, but another round or two in training and I'll have it. It builds a lot of meter and does respectable damage. For the assist (A1) after the OTG (cr.H), I am hoping Tasky's Horizaontal Aim Master assist will function like Sent's Charge Drones in setting up the Beacon Bomb. If not, I will likely rework the end of the combo in to something akin to [(land), Pool OTG Assist, Beacon Bomb, H, Beatdown, H, Lunchtime]. Will probably need some fine tuning. [UPDATED: Yep. (land), OTG Assist, Beacon Bomb, Servbot Beatdown, H, Lunch Rush.] I didn't include it, but there's always the option to DHC Lunchtime, or XFC into another Lunchtime.

(Without Hulk on point, I don't need Tasky's Parabolic assist to accompany my Gamma Wave spam.)

For the Tasky rushdown, it's tough to reliably hit the [Shield Skills, S] against some characters, and it is vital to superjump vertically to stay with the opponent. Against a big hitbox like Sentinel, I can actually go into another Spidey Swing instead of the Shield Skills, and keep that sequence going a little longer, though hitstun decay haunts the end of that combo.

I was messing around with some Deadpool combos to give me more options up close. I found that double Quick Work combo to be pretty flashy, but I have yet to test if I can tag on a Cuttin' Time Hyper after the second QW. Here's hopin'. [UPDATED: Nope.] Also of note, Cuttin' Time DHC to Parabolic Hyper Arrows is stylin' sweet, though it's easy to mix yourself up and activate Tasky's Hyper Counter instead. (It doesn't look very pro...)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

KILLA SMASH [MvC3 Progress]

So, I know KB has been quiet lately. MvC3 is here. Connect the dots.

I am proudly reporting a 55-6 record in ranked matches at the moment. (I had started 10-0, went up to 19-2, and then had chalked up four more losses on my way to 37-6. Since then I've enjoyed an 18 game win streak.)

My ranked team is Hulk/Tasky/Deadpool. I commence nearly every match the same way: spamming H Gamme Waves and calling Tasky's Parabolic assist constantly, forcing most opposing teams to try to find a way in, and typically taking decent damage in the process. Eventually they resort to super jumping over my zoning, which prevents them from seeing Hulk's hyper-armored H intercepting their jump-in. From there, the games begin.

Catching an opponent in the aforementioned armored standing H gives a ground bounce, resulting in a combo along the lines of [H, cr.H, S, sj, M, M, H, S, Gamma Tsunami] and then DHC into Tasky and Pool's projectile Hypers if meter is available and the damage is necessary. If I am fortunate enough to have them in the corner following the super jump S, I OTG with Deadpool's Katana-rama assist, popping them up for Gamma Crush (which is significantly more damaging than Tsunami). I also use Hulk's [jump-in H, S] or the Anti-Air Gamma Charge bounce to start the sequence.

After Hulk has bullied one of them into nonexistence, I typically play a really lame keep away game with either Tasky or Deadpool, building meter and getting in as much free damage as possible. The opponent will often get desperate to get back in at this point, and, when they do, I usually bring Hulk back in to clean up at close range. Once I've trained an opponent to fear Hulk's armored normals, they're ripe for being command grabbed, which sets up Tsunami DHC into whatever else.


It is a cheap, lame, dickish way to play the game, but if there's one thing I know about the Marvel series, it's that a smart opponent will never hesitate to win through any cheap, ruthless, unsportsmanlike means possible. Dark Phoenix stall teams can be problematic, mostly due to my tendency to stay with my lame zoning too long into a match. The few teams that can outplay me in keep away (normally teams repping Arthur and/or Dormammu) likewise tend to be troublesome. I've run into a couple of solid rushdown teams, and in particular one of my last few losses was against a very capable Wesker/Dante combo. The vast majority of teams I face are really weaksauce rushdown (typically Wolvie/Dante/Akuma) and my above referenced strategy makes short work of them.

I had Super-Skrull in the line up because he is so cheap and easy. I received a number of messages from a displeased individual on the receiving end of these tactics, that repeatedly called me a "cheap pussy" for using Skrull, so I dropped him from the line up in favor of Deadpool. But, for the record, Skrull's teleport into 'He Loves You' (Inferno) is, like, braindead easy. I would still use him against a troublesome Sentinel, I think.

So far Legoman hasn't really gotten into the groove as I have, which I'm sure is due in no small part to my prior experience with the VS series, as well as the tremendous amount of time I've spent with the game since release. I am sure he'll find his niche given more time with the system. In our one foray back to SSF4 since MvC3's arrival, he dominated every match up except for Cody vs. Honda, which I came away with somehow.

Back to MvC3, I'd like to become proficient with more of the cast. I want to learn Phoenix so that I can understand how to counter the Dark Phoenix transformation, and can employ the strategy myself if necessary. I also would like to learn a rushdown character (probably Dante or Wesker) to diversify my team, as that could both speed up easy wins, and give me more options against lame stall/keepaway teams. I've been impressed by both Weskers and Dantes for their ability to teleport passed zoning defenses.

Stay tuned for more. Also, I'm K1774771K on PSN, if you're looking to get fucking smashed.

You fight with Hulk, and they say Hulk not smart?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Odds and Ends: Year of the Rabbit Edition

First off, My man HebeGB threw down some heat to cap off 2010 on Dirtbox Radio. You can grab the recording from the Dirtbox Radio archives or directly here.


Secondly, last I battled Legoman, the impending arrival of his blushing bride and some distractions arising from his distribution gig may have taken his eye off the ball. Leave it to Killa to make the most of the situation. We played only three matches: Dudley vs. DeeJay, Makoto vs. Dhalsim, and Cody vs. Honda. I won all three.

Step ya game up, Lego.


I feel like I can maintain optimal spacing in the Honda match better than before. Fake rock and roundhouse Ruffian keeps him guessing, and I've started to take more control on the ground from midscreen, readying Bingo to punish his Focus attacks, or using Crack Kick > EX Criminal to stuff most of his other advances.


Thirdly, Phoenix and Mike Haggar were revealed today for MvC3. Looks like the Lupinko list I inscribed here is dead on. If they're going to throw a curveball, it better be soon. I think the only surprises will be the DLC down the road. The Dark Phoenix mechanic, seen at about 0:50 in the clip, seems really cool. And, as I stated before, I would've taken Alex or Cody over Haggar.




Finally, as expected, I've picked up Caitlyn, the new sniper champ in League of Legends. (Not Legal Legends, ffs. Due to my poor pronunciation a couple of cohorts assumed I was playing a multiplayer online courtroom drama, to which I objected.) Took me a little while to wrap my head around the build. At this point, she is strong, but requires a high degree of discretion. I'm running armor penetration quints and marks, and mana regen per level seals and glyphs. Masteries are 9/0/21 for cooldown reduction and movement speed. Ghost and Cleanse as summoner skills for escapes.

I start her with Doran's Blade and one health potion. From there I buy the new CDR boots, then Brutalizer, then Phage. I then ditch the Doran's to make Black Cleaver, then upgrade Brutalizer to Ghostblade and Phage to Frozen Mallet. This set inflicts a lot of damage on enemy champs she can outrange, as every hit lowers their movement speed and armor. While this doesn't always set up a kill, it does disincline enemy champs from trying to take her on directly.

Want to see a hat trick?

The concept artwork is by Eduardo Gonzales, who also did the Miss Fortune concept design I liked so much.