how to counter black knight shield + long sword?

[Seba]

problem i encounter as a pyromancer + long sword player is that I lose against player who guards with a shield. nothing works on them. what moves should I do to fight against them?

[Iri]

Drop the magic and go for L2-R1 guardbreak?

[A Fat Horse]

As primarily a shield player, (even to the point of using it for offense a lot of times) the thing that breaks my balls the most is when people have learned exactly when to kick. The L2-R1 guardbreak is usually SUPER telegraphed, so I can generally adapt before it has time to complete, and magic isn't too much of a concern because it can be relatively slow to kill, but the damn kicks can be so hard to spot when they're done correctly.

I'd try practicing your timing and accuracy regarding kicks, and then combine that with a long-range harassment style use of the pyromancy. Shield players are generally more physical-combat/defense based, so our magic defense will usually be a bit weaker than others.

As a shielded unit, long-range fire/magic attacks are gonna attrition damage me, so I'll want to close the distance to put the pressure on you. Put a few hits on my shield to get my attention on stamina, and then get a nice close kick in there instead of the rest of the combo.
If you consider where my camera is floating, backing me up against a wall or into a corner will cause a good bit of perspective-warp while I'm locked onto you, so that'll also complicate things for me and make it less likely I'll see your kick coming.

After you get that first devastating strike in, THAT's when I'd go for maybe a L2-R1 strike or such. Once you make me watch 2/3rds of my health vaporize, you've got me scrambled and I'll be susceptible to a much greater variety of attacks.

Good luck!

EDIT: Something else to consider, a lot of the guys using these great big shields don't have the proper stamina or poise to back them up. Don't be afraid to go straight in and see if you can't break their guard with raw force!

[Ganzo]

I find Great Club and Knight Slayers Ring to be extremely effective against shielded players. Just don't spam you attack so when you do stun them, you can get in close enough for that sweet, sweet counter.

[Seba]

thank you all for the great tips, im sure I will make use of them :^)

[TrueArchery]

What I'd try first is just mashing the ♥♥♥♥ out of 1hR1 to test whether they've the stamina to block a whole barrage that burns all your stamina. They can't parry you, they also can't counter-attack in time inbetween your strikes.
Knightslayer Ring helps.

Just keep a tiny bit for one roll away at the end. It's annoying to not be able to dodge their counter because you mindlessly burned all your stamina.