Block String: the video game

[Tamaska Lem]

Ok. I know I'm pure trash and I gotta get gud, but I gotta ask is everything plus in this game? I'm having the hardest time figuring out when I can attack or do anything when I'm pushed to a corner by a constant barrage of attacks. It's just very hard to find an opening against some of these characters.

[Rei]

It all comes with experience, in the end everyone has the same generic triple strike finishers.

Offensive options are, triple strike into 6L/M/H.
Special Cancels to make them plus or safe.
Shimmy into whiff punish or throw.
Jump ins, which are super unsafe.
Oh right and everyones' favorite neutral/pressure tool 66L haha, which can be countered once you start learning spacing and your long reaching buttons.
Raging strikes is super telegraphed.

Defensive options are:
Crouch guarding which snuffs virtually all offensive options since people can't get a follow up on 6H for their triple strike finisher.
2H hit box is literally absurd in this game lmao; there have been so many instances I've gotten hit by a 2H that should not have landed.
Guard cancel is such a strong tool, resets pressure and lets you take back your turn.
Spot dodging raging strikes and certain moves goes brrr.
Grab is very react able and easy to mash out of.
DPs if your character has it. U DPs especially.

When I first got into the game too it felt like that, like a lot of characters are plus on everything, but in the end offensive options are very small. Patience is the name of the game on degense. Just keep playing and you'll learn what can be punished. What really helped me was playing the character itself that I had trouble against or looking up YT guides of said characters to sorta help me understand what I can punish. You got this homie!

[Fish]

It comes down to patience and knowledge. It may SEEM like everything is plus, and yes, corner pressure is difficult to deal with.

However, just be patient and there WILL be gaps in your opponent's offensives. The difference between an experienced player vs someone new really just comes down to, whether or not you can recognize the said gaps and exploit it to get out of the pressure.

A good starting point to learn match up is, if you ever find yourself struggling against a specific character due to oppressive pressure, take a look at the replay in slow motion, and look at what moves your opponent is using. Then, go into the training mode and test out the various moves that character has. Be sure to turn on frame data display and look for moves that you can potentially punish.

Knowing is half the battle. You might not be able to learn the counter play right away, but simply knowing what options your opponent has will make a huge difference.

and yes, as the post above mentioned, use all your defensive options available. Especially your brave counter (guard cancel/alpha counter). At the cost of 1 BP, you can force your opponent to reset their pressure without having to deal with some nasty mixups. It's a really powerful tool (just be careful don't go too overboard with it since using up your BP lowers your defense.)

[[reaVerNL@Rumble]ᚱᛖᚨᚠᛖᚱ]

Originally posted by Tamaska Lem:

Ok. I know I'm pure trash and I gotta get gud, but I gotta ask is everything plus in this game? I'm having the hardest time figuring out when I can attack or do anything when I'm pushed to a corner by a constant barrage of attacks. It's just very hard to find an opening against some of these characters.

You should check strings in training mode and see what and when you can put something between them. They also provide you with framedata in there showing exactly how + or - a move is. Similarly you can then train yourself to respond to the situation presented, look to see if 4G/6G puts you in an advantageous situation or perhaps delay mashing catches some aggravating options. For example if we look at Vira's 214M which tends to be launched from a string, is + on block and allows Vira to continue her offense. However if you mash the move, you will generally stuff it. Vira will seek to prevent you from doing that by checking you with 214L, which is punishable on block. So what you can do in training mode is record both strings (XXX214M and XXX214L) and learn to time your mash in such a way you catch the 214M but block the 214L.

There's also other examples, such as Soriz canceling off of anything except a H move being sweepable for both his rapid punches and dash punch. There's also Lancelot who's setups and mixups are generally dishonest, if you mash his strings at a specific timing you'll deny him his fireballs and if you mash when you see him hang in the air for just a bit you'll catch him in his landing and prevent him from attacking you low/crossup.

As for 66L, when blocking it you'll be at -2 and your opponent has a mixup situation favorable to him. However, when you guard said 66L he's not able to throw you unless he steps forward. So you only need to actually do something when you see the character take that step forward, when he does so, you can throw him out of just about anything he tries. 66Ls lose a lot of their potential in higher levels of play because players there are much more likely to zone you out or dp after blocking it.

[Unrighteous]

There will be gaps, but reacting to those gaps can be extremely difficult. It's often best to just us a BP and guard cancel if you're stuck in the corner.

Your reward for guessing correctly isn't worth the risk of eating a corner combo.

[Dwolfin]

yeah... its not. I know what you are referring to without even reading what you said and I assure you none of the things you are talking about are even a true block string.

[Le Corbeau [Kapo]]

DNF ??

[Inuakurei]

Originally posted by Tamaska Lem:

Ok. I know I'm pure trash and I gotta get gud, but I gotta ask is everything plus in this game? I'm having the hardest time figuring out when I can attack or do anything when I'm pushed to a corner by a constant barrage of attacks. It's just very hard to find an opening against some of these characters.

The funniest part is there are no real block strings in this game, aside from the auto combo. It's just EXCESSIVE plus frames all over the place.

[Tamaska Lem]

Probably should've commented back around the time I made this. I was honestly just venting my frustration over the matches I was playing. All of the tips here are really useful. Thank you all for the help.