How to deal with Marduk's Double Leg Takedown

Hello, I seen a lot of people do not know how to deal with Marduks tackle. So I thought i'd make a guide about it to help people with the counter play.
The Double Leg Takedown is one of the most unique mechanics in the game and a core part of the Marduk gameplan. This is essentially an upgraded version of the Ultimate Tackle. Its a very threatening way to control close and medium distances. It makes the opponent think about it and play around it, letting Marduk potentially mix them up with his powerful and damaging options.
There are a few ways to deal with it or defend against it, most of which ill try to show in this guide.
*This guide was rewritten based on tackles behaviour info courtesy of FasAnX from the Marduk discord. Thanks a lot my man! :D

Tackles Behaviour

Double Leg Takedown behavior might be a mystery to a lot of people due to Marduks low playrate, but its good to know this stuff if you end up playing against him.

Double Leg Takedown takes i24 frames to do out of VTS or db3,4 cancel. After that, it has 3 diffrent properties depending on the distance travelled.
-First state is the "high tackle". If the opponent is not ducking and Marduk hasn't yet ran for 3 steps (7 frames), you have 4 frames to tech it with 1+2 if it hits you.
-Second state is "mid tackle" or "spear tackle". If you duck on impact or ran for 3 steps (7 frames), you get hit by this. You have 2 frames to tech it with 1+2 or 2
-Third state is a special mid hit. On the last few frames of the tackle, Marduk leaps forward doing a special mid headbutt. This mid is -22 on block ( more than enough to punish) and -3s on hit (Not punishable but you still have the frame advantage after that).

If you get hit with the first or the second option, you're forced into a Mount Mixup. In this state Marduk has 3 option you need to tech. The tech for his options are 1,2 or neutral guard. Neutral Guard is done by either pressing nothing at all or pressing 1+2 if you pressed either 1 or 2 before.
The Neutral Guard option is the slowest and easiest to identify, making it the most reactable.

In the nutshell:
-If Marduk strikes your left side, press 1
-If Marduk strikes your right side, press 2
-If Marduk goes for a double handed slam over your head, press 1+2
Note that Marduk has a feint option. That means he can for quickly cancel a 1 break into the 2 break or from 2 to 1, making it almost impossible to react to.
He can only feint from 1 to 2 and 2 to 1. He cannot feint from his most damaging options: the overhead double handed strike (Neutral Guard break strike) and also from 1+3 and 2+4 options ( Empowered version of his normal 1 and 2 options that provide more damage and is visually indistinguishable from the non empowered version).

Anti-Strats

There are a few ways to counteract and defend against the tackle. One of the best one is to try and zone Marduk out, staying far away enough for him so you can react in time. If you do see him coming from far away, it is advised to either use a hopkick or UB4. A normal tackle tackle cannot hit you while you're airborn, so a jumping attack or jumping in general is a very good way to deal with this.
The tackle itself, being 24 frames, is reactable. To do the tackle he usually has to be in VTS (Vale Tudo Stance), giving you time to prepare for it.

Extra notes provided by FasAnX from Tekken Zaibatsu Discord:
-> on close range, you're able to interrupt it with an attack (like before) or you can sidewalk it (this only works, if you started to SW at the moment (or before) the tackle started).

-> some chars have unique responses that aren't appliable on every situation, but are in general very reliable in most of them, like Maven's backflip into block from range 1 (you can launch the headbutt) or jump over into BT moves (for BT chars) etc.

[FasAnX]

A repost from the Tekken Zaibatsu Discord, regarding your general options against the tackle:


What you can do against the tackle:

-> on mid to long range you're basically just given more time to react with an attack (optimally a low-crushing one, like hopkick, as you can't get grabbed out of it) or an evasive option (backwards flips, like Lee). The smartest choice here would be to just backdash and try to get in the range, where the tackle goes over to the headbutt attack. This way you'll be able to block it and get a launch.

-> on close range, you're able to interrupt it with an attack (like before) or you can sidewalk it (this only works, if you started to SW at the moment (or before) the tackle started).

-> some chars have unique responses that aren't appliable on every situation, but are in general very reliable in most of them, like Maven's backflip into block from range 1 (you can launch the headbutt) or jump over into BT moves (for BT chars) etc.

[Filthma]

I want to clarify that it's not technically Marduck's left or right arm, it's whichever is to the left or right of you. Just in case anybody gets mixed up from that. It's the opposite of how throws are normally broken.

[Joth]

@fortidogi No no you misunderstood. Neutral guard is like not pressing anything so it techs 1+2 and 3+4. You press 1+2 if you did a 1 or 2 break and u want to go back to neutral (state like u didnt press anything and ur break 1+2 or 3+4 attacks)

[fortidogi]

Wait, so if I just press 1+2 on its own, not to cancel a 1 or 2 break, it won't break anything!? I've been doing that to try and break the 1+2 and 3+4 followups!

This is wild. Thanks for the info!

[Hellman]

I am anti marduk player
Just try lee's machine gun kicks at starting 3xcircle buttons
Then acid rain kicks right+3xcross+1circle
Hitman stance scatter kick
Cross×Circle+Cross
Freaker jab rush
Hitman+four square buttons
Also try this move also
Left+Circles...
This is a little tip to counter marduk meatheads
Sorry,I am writing in ps format

[wifi-warrior]

Nice info.

[Joth]

@spartanman Im happy that I could help you. :D

[mcworden]

dude that tackle has been the death of me during my matches against marduck thank you thank you.

[Korsoup]

another way to beat it is to hopkick when he does the animation