tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14265532137320353172024-02-20T01:43:52.978-08:00Black Mamba's Kill BlogA blog about DOA Helena, Helena philosophy, and General DOA.BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-29259817627983271482014-02-21T12:08:00.000-08:002014-02-21T12:08:58.092-08:00FGC: The REAL American Hustle<i>This blog post might come off vague, but while reading, I want you to REALLY think about what it is I'm trying to say and try to piece together the puzzle... Enjoy.</i><br />
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Like my last blog post, I talked about how I don't like to travel too often to "Majors" anymore and I gave some insight as to why. I want to dig just a little deeper on the subject. I'm just going to come out and say it... I think most of the big name Tournament Organizers are crooks and use Fighting Game Tournaments as an outlet to gain finance from their smaller "Majors" and then their big yearly event.<br />
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Yea, they'll tell you how much money they DON'T make from their events and play The "I do it for the Community aka My Second Family" Card, but I'm someone who isn't easily persuaded and like to ask questions. You mean to tell me that some T.O who hosts multiple "Majors" a year, for many years, isn't making a profit? Though I do have information on this subject, I don't want to throw anyone or any sponsors under the bus. Instead, I want to get y'all thinking by just using logic and common sense, a task that will already be hard enough because the FGC is pretty adamant about most things...<br />
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The FGC is brainwashed: Convinced that certain clothing companies are hot, made to believe that wearing two headphones is the way to go, (Not even talking about the person who started that trend) some of the rinky-dink FGC catch phrases, etc. The players out there already donate ridiculous amounts of money to "Professional" Fighting Game Players so those players can travel even more than they already do, and they have no problem with doing that... So what makes you think that T.Os aren't on the same hustle? Normally I don't like to knock another person's hustle, but *knock* *knock*.<br />
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Let's look at one of the few things that has actually changed in Grassroots Tournaments.... THE VENUE FEE! I've been competing in games since 2006. (Before 2009) Venue Fees used to run around $20 for each tournament, sometimes less. Now Venue Fees go from $35-$90. (Early, Late, and On-Site Registration) Now keep in mind, these are the same old dusty, cramped, smelly, hotel ballrooms we always go to for all these years. Not much has changed other than the price of admission. Are you starting to see where I'm going with this? Well let me continue.<br />
<br />
Most "Majors" are held in hotel ballrooms. It costs money to rent these ballrooms out. The players also like to stay at the same hotel that the tournament is being held at, makes for a convenient Player Village, so the tournament usually offers discount rates for these rooms. Now this is where some logic comes in... If you are hosting a tournament at a hotel and you are guaranteed to pack all their rooms with players from across the country, making the hotel itself A LOT of money, would it make sense for the hotel to charge the T.O full price to rent out the ballroom? Especially when you build that relationship with the hotel, it could wind up costing less over time.<br />
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Now let's look at "The Sponsors" for the tournaments. I personally know that sponsors put in quite a hefty sum of money into each tournament they are sponsoring. Game companies sometimes put up money for their own game for pot bonuses and then some more money in general for the event. So even if I'm completely wrong about a discounted ballroom rental; between this New Generation Venue Fee that the mass amount of players pay and all the money that all the sponsors dump into the event, does every single one of those dollars actually go into renting out the venue? <b>Where does the rest of the money go to?</b><br />
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CONCLUSION:<br />
Let me make this perfectly clear. I'm not mad that the big time T.Os make money from their events, a business is a business. What I am mad about is the trash product that we wind up getting and the low prize payouts. Tournaments are late, poorly ran, falsely advertised, etc. I'm starting to see why a lot of these T.Os want to keep things exactly the same. If they tried to make it into a legit eSports spectacle, then they know they would be losing money at first and not thinking about the long run. When MLG first started, they were losing money. It wasn't until around 2009 when they started making a profit. So why should these T.O's fix something that is not broken? Hell, most of y'all see no problems with these Grassroots Tournaments or don't ask enough of the right questions. That's because they can easily say, "I don't make anything at these events" and y'all just take their word for it.<br />
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I can go to one of my LOCAL tournaments, they charge a flat rate of $25 to enter the venue AND ENTER EVERY GAME YOU WANT TO WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY THE EXTRA $10 FOR EACH GAME, and play in all of the games and some of the games come with a guaranteed prize payout where first place can range from $75-$600.... Whenever I win or place, the money is in my account 2-3 days later, never had a problem. You want to know the funny thing? This particular T.O is blacklisted in the FGC... Coincidence? <br />
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<b><i>Follow me on Twitter:</i> </b>@CrackMambaBlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-66548864948460734182014-01-23T10:38:00.000-08:002014-01-23T10:55:13.125-08:00FGC Manifesto<span style="font-size: x-small;">The following opinions are of my views and mine alone. Reader Discretion is Advised.</span><br />
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I'm going to go a different route with this blog entry today. I want to talk about "Professional" Fighting Game Tournaments. What makes having nice things and opportunities in the Fighting Game Community such a bad thing? It is considered complete taboo if you want to make money competing in fighting games. Why does the FGC shun away legit eSports events, yet accepts uncouth Grassroots Tournaments? Marketing to the FGC is very unorthodox. I want to dig a little deeper about the FGC and try to understand their thought process.<br />
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My name is BlackMambaMoan. Very successful fighting game player and former Pro Gamer. I am someone who used to travel a lot to these "Majors" throughout the past couple of years. At the time, I thought it was worth it. Competitive Fighting Games was something that I once believed in, but for the past year, I started to realize that it is just a mere hobby that isn't worth investing too much money into. Honestly, it is the community itself that is slowly killing it. There just isn't much demand for quality events, more money, better production, etc. For most of these players, tournaments are nothing more than their own personal playground with no real ambitions to succeed competitively.<br />
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Let's be serious here, these Grassroots Tournaments are absolute TRASH! I just can't believe most of the players are happy with these events. The problems are: Tournaments run late, tournaments run very poorly, inappropriate behavior on streams where thousands of people are watching, and no REAL money in it, then have the nerve to charge the venue and tournament fees that they do. The issue with the money is the most important issue. Money makes the world go round and you need it to live. If you say otherwise, then you probably don't have any real responsibilities. <br />
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Big companies have given Fighting Games many chances throughout the years like: CGS, WCG, and MLG. What did the FGC do with all these opportunities? Shun them away... Why does this happen? Why does the FGC choose trash over treasure in every single situation ever? (Yes, everything, but I'm only talking about tournaments right now) As the costumer, you are paying for the product, but when you aren't happy with that product, then it becomes a problem. That's 99% of all Grassroots Tournaments....<br />
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Flying out to some Hole in the Wall Major can be very expensive. You spend a couple hundred on plane tickets. Another hundred dollars to chip in for a hotel room, if you don't get free housing. You pay a ridiculous venue fee along with tournament fees. Money for food and etc. ALL FOR WHAT? To compete in a game for a 1st place prize and not even coming close to breaking even? One example for me personally is Youmacon. I got first place in SC5, second place in DOA5, and fifth place in Injustice, and I STILL came nowhere close to breaking even on the money I spent for the trip out there.<br />
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<i>"I only compete in tournaments for respect, not money."</i><br />
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It's scrub talk, but whatever. Ok, you play for respect alone, but what happens when you do good in your tournament and you don't even get the respect you deserve? The FGC has a Respect Problem. If they don't like you or care about you, they will take all your credit away and give it to some False God. When there is no money for these events, all you CAN play for is respect, but you don't even get that...<br />
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<i>"This community started out with Grassroots Tournaments and that's how it's always going to be."</i><br />
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Let me tell you a little something about your Majors... They are garbage, but we already knew that and y'all refuse to actually admit it. I want to tell you about eSports now, something that many of you don't know about. Previously on Major League Gaming, MLG decided to add SC5, KoF, and MK9 to their roster because MLG wanted to win back the FGC. Yes, THEY WANTED TO WIN US BACK! THEY WANTED TO IMPRESS US! They put up large amounts of money for their Fighting Game rosters, but people barely showed up.<br />
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I'm gonna go on the record right now and say that MLG was BY FAR the best ran FG Tournament I have ever been to, and I'm gonna tell you why:<br />
1. Tournament ran on time<br />
2. Plenty of setups for tournament play AND CASUALS FOR THE WHOLE DAY<br />
3. Very large venue<br />
4. Very nice stage for featured matches<br />
5. Free Hot Pockets and Dr. Pepper for the whole weekend<br />
6. Free Old Spice because they know gamers be smelling bad<br />
7. Made sure to hire FGC Leaders to run the FG portion of the event<br />
8. Cash Contests running the whole weekend<br />
9. A REAL Top 8 payout<br />
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You see, if you made Top 8 at MLG, you were getting paid very well. Even if you got 8th place, at least you can say that you broke even. On top of all that, if you made Top 8, MLG flew you out to New York for one of their side events to compete for even more money. So I ask this question, what sounds so horrible about all this again??? There is no reason why a tournament like EVO should have had more players than MLG. EVO now is just an excuse most of us use to go out to Las Vegas. I've gotten Top 8 at EVO before, back when EVO was cool, and even then, it took almost a whole year to get paid.<br />
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MLG was a product well worth investing in. They took care of you, the staff was great, and the environment was a breath of fresh air. But like I said, people barely showed up. King of Fighters players have absolutely no excuse for not coming. Y'all did it, y'all made it in the big times! Me personally, I don't know how in the world that happened, but it happened and I have no reason to be mad at that. So why was MLG KOF only a less than 20 man tournament...? The return of Fighting Games at MLG only lasted for a couple of events until MLG decided to scrap the idea again.<br />
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<b>FINAL SOLUTION:</b><br />
It's time to stop holding these horrible Grassroots Tournaments on a high pedestal and let Big Company take over. If you're a Tournament Organizer, find an eSports organization and partner up with them, and learn how to run better tournaments and have better staff so they aren't making you look bad. As for the players, stop trying to criminalize the group of players that actually want to make a living playing video games. If you have a passion for anything, and there is a market for it, go for it. Sponsored Players, most of you guys are on borrowed time. We can see that with FG Sponsorships that continue to disband. There is no real reason for a sponsor to send out players to regular ol' tournaments all the time. What would they gain? Something like MLG was a very good reason to send out players because of: Money, exposure, and media.<br />
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The FGC describes themselves as a "Family." Wouldn't you want to see your family be successful and well-off? Games like League of Legends and DotA are busy playing for millions of dollars, while FG players are busy splitting a pot of a couple hundred to a thousand dollars or these "Pro" Gamers begging their fans to donate money to them... Is the struggle really that serious? Grassroots Tournaments is what got things going, but now it is time to move on and let it burn to the ground. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">And also, no, I wasn't able to understand their thought process at all...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Follow me on Twitter</b></i>: @CrackMamba</span> </span>BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-73112731619906679472013-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:002013-10-16T09:39:24.057-07:00State of the DOA Address: The Rachel Report 2Well, Rachel is just like any other DOA character now, and the faults of DOA now makes it so brain-dead players can use their regular brain-dead tactics against her. <br />
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Of course, everyone complained about something that made you have to play just a LITTLE more careful, yet no one complains about the real problems of DOA because those problems provide a nice little crutch for the bad players. DOA players will make the argument that, "A move whiffing on someone's wakeup shouldn't grant them advantage. It's not normal!" WELCOME TO DOA! A lot of things in this game isn't "normal" and shouldn't work, but it does... The science of how this works in other fighting games can be explained, but DOA players wouldn't really get it and just try and argue it. People only cry for nerfs and change when it's convenient for themselves... when it's something THEMSELVES are too dumb to figure out how to beat... I had strats against Rachel that most of the players couldn't even think of, I knew how to beat Rachel. They were simple, yet effective strats, but I knew the DOA players would just argue them down. So I only shared it with the people that ultimately changes the game, because I know the bigger picture.<br />
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The bridge between a top player and a trash player is the shortest I have ever seen in any fighting game. Even though I felt that DOA5U was, yet another, step backwards in the franchise, it still provided a little something for everyone. For the people that wanted to take away a broken DOA mechanic and have frame advantage, Rachel was for that type of player. Every other goofy aspect of the game, every other character was for that type of player. Now Rachel is just like everybody else. Unless you are a Counter Monster, who is really going to use Rachel now? LBSH...<br />
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Why does Team Ninja even listen to these type of players? Why do these players put Team Ninja in a tough situation where they eventually will have to surrender to their demands? Lets talk about facts and truths for a second. Most fighting game players HATE DOA. Nobody shows up to DOA tournaments, unless there is a pot bonus. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOURNAMENTS ALMOST GETS AS MUCH ENTRANTS AS A DOA MAJOR! So what makes it so these players are actually allowed to give their opinion on a game that is going to eventually change the game for the worse? They don't know what they're talking about, we can look at the stats on how many people play and how many people consistently show up to tournaments. You can't argue that.<br />
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The truth is, regardless if Rachel stayed the same or not, DOA players would still play DOA. DOA players have nothing else going for them when it comes to fighting games. They can't play anything else, so they're not going anywhere. DOA provides a Safe Haven for those type of players who have no fighting game fundamentals and allows them to be King of the Trash Pile. Who wants to compete in a fighting game where the Bottom of the Barrel fighting game players can talk down on you and be able to beat a superior fighting game player? <br />
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So once there is something new and different from the "standard" DOA, something that makes it so you just can't wild out completely, they use all their energy and resources to get it removed. Congratulations, you have all collectively killed off Team Ninja's new character Rachel. (Which I'm pretty sure they don't appreciate in the slightest) Have fun at your 20 Man Extravaganzas.<br />
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[On a side note, I would still be able to beat 98% of the players with my TWO ACTUAL main characters. So this post wasn't made because I feel that I would start losing now. Just thought I'd point this out before people make any offhanded remarks.]BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-84526307892646831992013-09-12T11:12:00.001-07:002013-09-12T13:31:52.485-07:00State of the DOA Address: The Rachel ReportI want to address the Rachel problem before Team Ninja makes the irrational decision of nerfing her. This is going to be different from my usual Helena posts, but this really needs to be addressed.<br />
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After playing DOA5U for over a week, using Rachel, and having some of the most illogical conversions about the game with other DOA players, I have come to a couple of conclusions. First, DOA players have no idea how to explain their own game and lack basic fighting game knowledge. Second, most DOA players just want to mash buttons all day on wake up. The hot topic lately is everyone complaining about how Rachel can force tech opponents, getting rid of wake up kicks, doing too much damage, she's broken, etc. You DOA players have no idea what a "Broken" character is. DOA players usually only play DOA. They don't know the struggle of Vergil and Dark Phoenix, (UMvC3) Viola and Hilde, (Soul Calibur) or Superman. (Injustice) Just to name a few.<br />
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The issue here with Rachel is that she has a force tech stomp you use to end all your juggles. If it hits, it leaves Rachel at +15. If it whiffs, you still can't hit a button against Rachel when you are getting up. I've had people complain to me saying such nonsense like, "I just want to be able to get up off the ground" and "IF THE STOMP WHIFFS, BOTH SHOULD BE AT NEUTRAL..." Are you kidding me? This just goes to show you that when DOA players complain about something and the end game being that Team Ninja nerfs them, they really have no idea about fighting games. When you knock someone down in a 3D fighting game, the attacker can run up on you and continue pressure while you are getting up. I don't know why most players are looking into frame advantage if the stomp whiffs, but this is basic 3D fighting game protocol. When are both players ever at neutral on wake up? How would that even work? In Virtua Fighter, you do also have wake up kicks in that game, BUT when they hit, the one who used the wake up kick is at negative frames on hit.<br />
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I've even had someone play the most busted game of Theory Fighter with me that made little to no sense. What DOA players need to understand about their own game is that when you get force teched, you are in a mixup. When you get thrown by a throw that causes a stun of sorts, you are in a mixup. WHEN YOU GET STUNNED, YOU ARE IN A MIXUP! All these things are the same exact concept of what DOA is truly about. It's the Rock Paper Scissors System. How is that any different then when Rachel techs you up? IT'S A GUESS. THAT IS WHAT THE GAME IS. I've pretty much tried explaining how Rachel's Blender worked to another DOA player and what you HAVE to do against it, and to cut this part short, I'm going to explain this in Laymen's Terms:<br />
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<b>ME:</b> <i>"If you think I'm going to throw out Rock, then throw out Paper."</i><br />
<b>THEM:</b> <i>"But then you can throw out Scissors."</i><br />
<b>ME:</b> <i>"Ok... then if you think that, then throw out Rock."</i><br />
<b>THEM:</b> <i>"That doesn't work because then you can throw out Paper."</i><br />
<b>ME:</b> <i>"OOOOK.... THEN THROW OUT SCISSORS IF YOU THINK THAT."</i><br />
<b>THEM:</b> <i>"That doesn't work because then you can throw out rock."</i><br />
<b>ME:</b> "...."<br />
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DOA is a game heavily based on guessing. YOU HAVE TO GUESS. PERIOD. So why are people complaining about a character that uses this basic idea? One of the main problems is that they complain about throws being too fast and unbreakable, which is the only logical point I can think of from them. This is not Rachel's fault, THIS IS THE GAME ITSELF'S FAULT. If anything, Rachel just points out the issues with DOA's system. Instead of nerfing Rachel, buff the game. Make throws slower, make ducking faster, and make throws breakable. Only make throws unbreakable when it comes to Throw Punishment. If you block an attack that is -5 or higher, then the throw should be unbreakble. (It's the same concept as if you throw an unsafe attack in Street Fighter 4)<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
Instead of nerfing Rachel, give other characters this same tool she has. Maybe make this the Gold Standard of how DOA should be played. Rachel makes the game honest and punishes players for just mashing buttons on wake up, mashing buttons on disadvantage, and having poor decision making skills. Better yet, other characters don't even need this tool, just take out wake up kicks. They genuinely just slow down the pace of the game anyway, right? I witnessed a man get top 8 at a major tournament from just mashing buttons on wake up, with no fear or consequences. This is not appealing to the competitive fighting game scene. (Hence why tournaments have low numbers and people only showing up when large amounts of money is on the line) With Rachel, she MAKES DOA5U. She takes away this bad aspect of the game, and is why DOA players complain about Rachel because, in conclusion, they just want to be able to press buttons all day... I could share some insight on how to deal with Rachel, because quite a decent amount of people I play with know how, but I have Rachel friends that are going to TFC this weekend and I want to see them Train Wreck everyone.BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-55666217836769578642013-08-29T08:38:00.003-07:002013-08-29T14:04:07.538-07:00Helena DOA5U Kano: "Hello baby, did you miss me?"<br />
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Been a long time Helena enthusiasts. Welcome back to the Helena Kill Blog, The Greatest Show on Earth. Back for ONE TIME ONLY to talk about DOA5U Helena and her changes. Let me start out by saying thank you to Team Ninja for sending me an early copy of the game. Is Helena still capable of getting the job done? Well lets go over some of her changes:<br />
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<b>Pseudo Force Tech:</b><br />
Also famously known as "The White Girl Blender." For those that don't know, Pseudo Force Techs were a way for Helena to completely eliminate Wake Up Kicks in DOA5. You achieve this by ending all your juggles with the Handslaps. After Handslaps, you finish off with BKO 6P, which will either tech the opponent up if they stay on the ground, or the move will whiff if the opponent techs themselves. Either way, the wake up kick is completely out of the picture. Pseudo Force Tech... GONE! BKO 6P doesn't tech opponents off the ground anymore. Near a wall, Handslaps will slam opponent into the wall now. Her wall game was deadly in the previous version of the game because Handslaps didn't wall splat and you can really keep the pressure going. All that is gone now. The Blender is situational now because you can still catch people in the original scenario if they tech up before BKO 6P, but if they stay on the ground, BKO 6P won't FT... Moving on.<br />
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<b>66P:</b><br />
This move, and any string that ends with this move, is -9 now... This WAS her stable get in attack...<br />
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<b>6P+KP:</b><br />
6P+K has a punch follow up now. The last punch also Bounds opponents. (This is a new mechanic for DOA5U that ground bounces) You can combo off of it into 66KP(P).<br />
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<b>236PKP:</b><br />
Still a good juggle ender, but when used on a grounded opponent, it has this new ground roll animation that was added into DOA5U. You can combo into 66KP(P).<br />
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<b>P+KP:</b><br />
You can no longer delay this string... At least it still has amazing crush properties from what I can see.<br />
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<b>BT 7P:</b><br />
This move was made into a Critical Burst. She now has a Critical Burst in all her stances now. They are all mid punches.<br />
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<b>214P+K:</b><br />
New move. Kinda looks 236P+K, except it is a single hit that leads into BKO Stance. Sit Down Stun in middle of stun threshold, -10 on block...<br />
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<b>66F+K:</b><br />
New move. This move actually seems like it has potential. Goes into BKO Stance, uncounterable stun, and hold resistant. -16 on block...<br />
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<b>F+K:</b><br />
OMG,YOU CAN GO INTO BKO STANCE FROM THIS ATTACK BY HOLDING DOWN THE 2 DIRECTION! This is one of the things I suggested to Team Ninja a while back. Glad to see it in the game. It's also -1 on block when you go into BKO Stance from it. (Not bad) However, F+K by itself is only +2 now...<br />
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<b>236P+K:</b><br />
Another thing I suggested to Team Ninja was that this move should be at least +1 on block, annnnd the move is +1 on block now. I can really work this into my game now. (considering this is her only stance transition that is advantage on block) <br />
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New Stance Transitions:<br />
Which brings me to my next subject. Helena gained a couple of Back-turned Stance transitions from some old moves. (6P4, 8PP4, 3PP4) The problem with this is that, on block, they range from -6 to -8.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
This is what I mainly found so far with her in DOA5U. The way Helena and the game plays, she might still be viable, but they really dumped all over her in this version. Most of the mixups are still there. (Except for The White Girl Blender) I think she still suffers from the same problems as before with her stance transitions still being high negative on block. She still is kinda slow compared to the other characters. Her wall game suffered a lot. All and all, she got nerfed.<br />
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One last thing, she has a taunt buff. HAHAHA<br />
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BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-34110214169387138022013-01-31T11:53:00.001-08:002013-01-31T12:00:29.827-08:00Try Again in Dead or Alive 6Until then... Actually... It's over... BYEBlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-50509595155270878742012-10-19T18:04:00.000-07:002012-10-22T16:44:48.902-07:00Pseudo Force Wake Ups<b>Pseudo</b><br />
adjective [soo-doh] <br />
1. not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.<br />
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When Helena's old DOA4 force wake ups were taken out the game, Helena players had to start getting real creative in DOA5 when it came to coming up with tactics to get rid of your opponents wake up kick and forcing them to get up off the ground right away. Now this is something that I personally found towards the beginning stages of DOA5 and something I play around with, but I also see a couple other Helena players have discovered this as well when I see them using it online. So I'm going to explain this new piece of Helena technology that I personally feel that every Helena player should start adding to their arsenal. <br />
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Every juggle Helena has, on any weight class, can end with almost any string variation that ends in her Handslaps. The following three strings are the Handslap strings I'm talking about to use at the end of her juggles:<br />
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<i><b>33p4p</b></i><br />
<i><b>BT 4ppp</b></i><br />
<i><b>BKO 6p4pp</b></i><br />
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This will leave you in BKO Stance. Once the Handslaps slam the opponent to the ground, you can force tech them with BKO 6P. Here's the twist though... BKO 6P does NOT force wake ups. The opponent can actually tech up before the BKO 6P hits them grounded. The thing is though, whether they get hit with BKO 6P or they tech themselves up, Helena is still pretty much in the same advantageous situation as if she force tech'd the opponent herself. Replacing her typical Bread and Butter combos with either one of those three strings only do a tiny bit less damage, but puts you in better Oki position. Problem in DOA games is that when you knock someone down, there is always that fear of wake up kicks. So most of the time, you can't pressure a grounded opponent. Using Handslap strings at the end of the juggles takes away the wake up kick and you can continue to pressure the opponent with your attacks. (as it should be in a fighting game)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">33p4p:</span><br />
This is gonna be your most common juggle ending string considering this is out of Helena's normal stance. Whenever you launch the opponent with a launcher that doesn't leave you in a stance, use 33p4p to end the juggle and then go into BKO 6P. You can also use this string in BKO Throw combos. (BKO Throw -> 4ppk -> 33p4p -> BKO 6P)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">BT 4ppp:</span><br />
You use this string from BT launchers or front-facing launchers that leave you BT.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">BKO 6p4pp:</span><br />
This is where things get real scummy. You use this string on the opponent when their back is against the wall. The difference with this particular string on the wall and the other two Handslap strings is that the other two will kinda push the opponent back when you force tech them or they tech up themselves. With BKO 6p4pp against a wall, it leave them RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AGAINST THE WALL. Pretty much resetting the whole situation. So when you slam the opponent against the wall, (cause it grants you a free combo) combo right into BKO 6p4pp. Once they are up again, that is where the real mind games begin. You can do 2f+k, or something that slams them into the wall to do it all over again, or 6f+p to get a wall throw where they can't wake up kick, or you can do BKO Throw -> P -> BKO 6p4pp -> BKO 6P, etc. The possibilities are incredible. All these options put them back in the same F***** up situation against the wall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
End your juggles with Handslap strings. It only does a little less damage than the combos you are using now and lets you keep up the pressure. After handslap juggle enders, use BKO 6P to either force their wake up or they tech themselves and the BKO 6P whiffs, but still puts you in a similar situation as if you hit them with BKO 6P. If the BKO 6P whiffs, I believe you are at a little less advantage, but still enough to pressure and mix up the opponent. Keep in mind that when they do tech up though, the opponent is not gonna be right in front of you. (they will be pushed back a little bit) So be sure to dash in a little or use ranged attacks. Take this to Training Mode, play around with it, find some post-tech setups that you are comfortable with, etc. You'll also start to notice that the juggles with 33p4p and BT 4ppp can kinda carry the opponent to the wall... Get the opponent to the wall...<br />
<br />
SLAPS ALL DAY! <br />
<br />
BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-60827279484358881962012-10-07T18:59:00.001-07:002012-10-08T05:27:51.765-07:00DOA5 Helena Patch Wish ListDear Team Ninja, (PLEASE READ)<br />
<br />
There was once a time where I felt that Helena was the perfect fighting game character. She embodied all of the tools to make her a serious and respectable character in DOA4. In DOA5, all that changed... The fighting system has changed in DOA5 to where we now have unholdable stuns, pretty good frame advantage on block, etc. As the game changed, Helena did not. DOA5 Helena plays a lot like DOA4 Helena. The best way I can describe her now is if DOA4 ever came out with a patch and they nerfed her by making her unsafe and taking away her force techs, this would be that character. The problem is that this isn't DOA4 and this is a new system. She plays EXACTLY like a DOA4 character. She has to be the only character in DOA5 that got worse since DOA4 while every other character got either a little better or a lot better.<br />
<br />
I wanted my next blog post to be a breakdown of Helena's best moves, but I felt that this could not wait. People feel that Helena is "still good" because they aren't fighting her correctly. A lot of players aren't punishing her unsafe moves at all. She doesn't have safe ways going into her stances. She is one of the most unsafe characters in the game now for no reason. She lacks good unholdable stuns. One of her sitdown stuns, (6pp) is the second punch in the middle of a string. I also find her sitdown stuns to be easily Slow Escaped before any good followups can connect. This is a character that people feel is strong early on, but she will only get very weak later on down the road once people learn to properly fight her.<br />
<br />
Now I'm not a big fan of nerfing the other characters. (Especially this early on in the game's life) Just straight up making the "good" characters worse can hurt the game in the long run. Instead, make the weaker characters better. Give them buffs to also make them good. In this post I decided to list a couple of changes that Helena should get in a future balance patch of DOA5:<br />
-----------------------------------<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PPK</b></span><br />
This move should be +1 on block.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6P</b></span><br />
Helena lacks any real good DOA5 unholdable stuns. What I suggest is give her back her Limbo Stun on Counter Hit for 6P, like how it was in DOA2. Keep people honest. This would be a really great addition for Helena and make her one step closer to feeling like a DOA5 character.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BT 4ppp</b></span><br />
When this move is used in a juggle state, it should hard knockdown. (like Tina's 6f+k) That way, you can force tech the opponent with BKO 6p or BKO Sweep.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>F+K</b></span><br />
I feel you should be able to go into either BKO Stance or Back Turn Stance from this move. Do F+K and hold the DOWN button to go into BKO, and to go into BT, hold the BACK button after inputting F+K. Going into either stance after F+K should leave you at least +3 on block. Helena needs more safe and advantageous ways to go into her stances. This would be fair too because the move isn't really that fast and it's a high.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BKO K</b></span><br />
This move, on CH and in middle of stun, should give her that unholdable stun where you lean backwards and fall to the ground. It's the same stun that Gen Fu's 4p+k on CH and in stun gives. Again, she needs more of these type of stuns to truly fit the DOA5 mold.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Handslaps</b></span><br />
236p+k leaves her at neutral on block right now. I think she should be at +1 on block. She has strings that end with the handslaps that leave her at -4 on block. (BT 4ppp, 4p2p, 33p4p) They should be either neutral or -1 on block.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8K</b></span><br />
Not even gonna say 8k should be real safe or advantage on block, but I don't think it should be -8 on block. I think -5 is pretty respectable. That way it can still be punished by only Grappler Characters.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>66P</b></span><br />
Why was this move made unsafe? Not even that it's unsafe, but it's REALLY unsafe. This move and any string that ends with this open palm should be -2 or -3 on block. This was her "Get in" move. I think it should also sitdown stun as well. It wouldn't be cheap because I'm pretty sure you won't get anything guaranteed on hit by the time you recover.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
Helena needs more safe ways to go into her stances and just overall more safe moves in general. She needs these unholdable DOA5 stuns that everyone else has. The BKO duck nerf makes sense to me. She needs to be an overall better character because, like I said earlier, she is gonna get much worse as the game matures. This Helena that we were delivered right now, is just a bad version of DOA4 Helena. She needs buffs.<br />
BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-65815501623444643772012-09-28T17:47:00.000-07:002012-09-29T07:40:32.318-07:00Early DOA5 Helena ImpressionsSo Dead or Alive 5 is FINALLY out. I had some time with the game, (both casually and in competition) and I have to say that Team Ninja delivered a great product this time around. They tweaked the Hold System, added an actual Sidestep System, Made the Wall Game real good, Frame Advantage, etc. It's a good fighting game, I LIKE IT!<br />
<br />
This is gonna be about my early Helena impressions though. Pre-Release of DOA5, people seemed to have went into mass hysteria about Helena being bad now. I will say that, though Helena got weaker, she is still capable of doing work.<br />
<br />
Let me start off with the main nerfs. She no longer holds the power that was the BKO Throw Force Wake Up. (Helena's Vortex for you FGC people) This was, hands down, her most devastating mix up she had. (MOST DEVASTATING MIX UP IN THE GAME!) After you hit them with her throw from BKO stance, you can force them up off the ground and it put them in some pretty messed up situations. She had an uncounterable setup after it, mix them up with BKO sweep, throw loop, etc. It was almost a wrap once you were caught in the mix up... But it is gone now.... <br />
<br />
Another setback is that her BKO Duck doesn't duck under all Mid Attacks anymore. She can now get hit with mids that either hit the ground, (ex: Hayabusa's 3f+k) or mids that come up from the ground. (ex: Hayabusa's 3p+k) I'm gonna be very unbiased here, she kinda deserved this nerf. It actually makes sense. BKO Duck is still useful for getting out of certain situations, but you CANNOT rely on this as much as you use to be able to in DOA4. Also, P+K isn't the ultimate High and Mid crush, panic move anymore. High attacks still get crushed. Certain mid attacks can still be crushed, but so far it doesn't seem like many can. Just like BKO Duck, you can't rely on P+K as much anymore, but doesn't mean that you should take it completely out of your arsenal. P+K is still useful if you think your opponent is gonna throw you.<br />
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Last main nerf is that she is really unsafe now, and I mean REALLY unsafe! One of her stable moves in DOA4 was 66P and was safe on block. NOW IN DOA5, it is -9 on block. (along with any string that ends with that open palm) Now that she is really unsafe on a lot of her attacks, she seems more risky to use now.<br />
<br />
<i>All Doom and Gloom right? Well lets get to her good stuff.</i><br />
<br />
<b>THE GOOD:</b><br />
Even though her pp2kp was removed from the game, she can now end her juggles with 236pkp. Since DOA4, this was one of her more powerful juggle enders and you had to have a high enough Stun Threshold, launch, to be able to use this ender. Now this is just her regular BnB juggle ender off any launch height and on any weight class.<br />
<br />
88_22K is def a real nice addition and should be in every Helena player's arsenal of moves. It's actually her BKO Sweep made into a SS kick attack. Sidestep + Sweep that ducks + Stuns on hit = Probably one of the best SS attacks in the game. <br />
<br />
I like what they did with her KKK and 3KKK strings. It's pretty much the same speed as it was before, but now when the opponent is hit with them, they don't fall to the ground anymore. You can use these strings to extend the stun. I feel Helena's stun game is pretty weak. So with her kicks, it helps her stun game a little more.<br />
<br />
Though she is pretty unsafe, she does have a couple of safe moves that come to mind:<br />
F+K is +7 on block<br />
236p+k (Handslaps) is +0 on block<br />
Any string ending with Handslaps is -4 on block<br />
1K(P) is +9 on block<br />
<br />
The BKO Throw Force Wake Up may be gone, but she now has a wider variety of combos that she can do from BKO Throw:<br />
1.) BKO Throw, 4ppk, 9K = 60 dmg<br />
2.) BKO Throw, 4ppk, 8pp2p = 67 dmg<br />
3.) BKO Throw, P, 66kp(p) = 60 dmg<br />
What is special about BKO Throw combo number three is that, in DOA4, you can only use that one against the wall. Now you can do it out in the open space and near a wall. You get an extra 10 dmg if this slams against the wall or object. <br />
<br />
2kk buff is one of my favorite buffs in the game. 2kk kinda sucked in DOA4 and you couldn't get much off of the launcher on a stunned opponent. In DOA5 however, up close, you can get 236pkp as a juggle.<br />
<br />
<b>FINAL THOUGHTS:</b><br />
Yes, Helena is quite nerfed and isn't the powerhouse that she used to be. This doesn't mean that she can't win. You have to work a lot harder with this character now and really know Helena and your match ups to win. Helena's evasiveness isn't what it used to be, but she can still be pretty evasive. Helena doesn't play the new DOA5 system too well. I feel her stun game is pretty weak due to the fact that her best attacks during the stun threshold are Mid Punches. If you choose to toy around with a stunned opponent, you have to get REAL creative. In my opinion, I think your best bet with Helena is to Stun -> Launch right away. It is good that a lot of her best moves from DOA4 still work exactly the same on Hit. (2f+k, BKO Sweep, 33P, BKO 6k, etc.) You have to be able to read your opponent better now, take more risks, use wacky setups, etc. Helena is the type of character now where you truly have to be a master of the character. Character loyalty will payoff in the long run.<br />
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<i>My next Kill Blog entry will be a breakdown of her best attacks. Until next time, and please, DON'T DROP THIS CHARACTER YET!</i><br />
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BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-47271838450072915372012-08-29T16:30:00.000-07:002012-08-29T16:32:21.890-07:00Match Analyzer #2 (Pre-Release Edition!) It has been too damn long, but the Kill Blog is back! With the new DOA5 coming out, time to get back on the Helena grind. I thought I'd do a breakdown of the recently released Helena reveal video. From what I can see from the video and from what I read, Helena is def nerfed a bit. In the video, there was still some stuff that I did like though. Fighting Game players have the tendency to say a character is bad by ONLY looking at all their negatives and completely disregard the positives. Let me break it down in my perspective and what I saw in this video:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="510" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_H8zjt7rXjg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
@ 0:15 - 0:21<br />
First thing I notice is that she still has her KKK string. They seem a little bit slower, but might be due to the game overall being slower. These were some of her better pokes in DOA4 and used for interrupting. The kicks were unsafe, but you can delay them for so long, that the opponent has to respect the followups. Right after the KK string, Helena went right into BKO throw. It still seems pretty fast and useful. The combo that was used after the BKO throw consisted of a new string. (Looks like from her 8P) I kinda like what I see from this combo because Helena recovers pretty fast from it and it looks like you can continue the pressure afterwards. I just like the position that Helena is in after ending the BKO throw combo. (Especially after Lisa teched backwards, which means she can't wake up kick) Now one can only assume that the untechable setup from BKO throw is gone. That was her main tool in DOA4. As of right now, I'm not too worried about it being gone because there were other ways to use BKO throw setups without the untechable and make them get up and still apply pressure. I think that new combo might just add another option to do the trick.<br />
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@ 0:26 - 0:31: <br />
Here we see her old BNB BKO throw combo. This was the other option from DOA4 when you didn't want to go for the untechable setup and just wanted damage, and it still seems like it does good damage. Right after the combo in the video, I see Helena still has 66K. In DOA4, the full string was 66KPP (Low, Low, Mid) and you can go into BT stance or BKO Stance from the 66K. I'm glad to see this move back in the game because it was one of my favorites. Now with 66P being unsafe in DOA5, this might be one of the alternative options of getting in with her now. Though I have to say that even on NH, 66K obviously didn't leave Helena at much advantage, so be careful with this move.<br />
<br />
@ 0:42:<br />
BKO Sweep is still in the game and it still looks fast. This was the best sweep in DOA4 and I am glad to see that it is still intact. What made this sweep so good was, not only was it fast, but it stunned from tip range and tripped up close. Also on CH, it trips from any range. You can stay into BKO after the sweep and keep looping it if you wanted. One of her key mix up tools and I'm just gonna assume that this will be a good step killer.<br />
<br />
@ 0:49:<br />
In DOA5, I wonder how good 1PP is gonna be. Will it kill step? Will it be a Natural Combo? I hope so!<br />
<br />
@ 1:19:<br />
Well, 2F+K is still in the game and still looks like an amazing move. It still gives off that deep stun and leaves you into BKO. That's that stuff I do like!<br />
<br />
@ 1:26:<br />
And here we have a new string to play around with. (Looks like from her 33P) On block, I think it gives you slight advantage and puts you into BKO Stance. What caught my eye is how fast Helena was able to cancel out of BKO Stance. She recovered pretty fast from this new string. This string might have potential. I want to see what it does on hit.<br />
<br />
@ 1:34:<br />
Here we have another new string. (From her 3P) Damage didn't look too impressive. Maybe there is a use for this string, but I'm not sold just yet.<br />
<br />
@ 1:40:<br />
Wow, her SS Kick Attack is her BKO Sweep. This is gonna be a real good option after stepping an attack because you will more than likely get the CH trip, leaving you in a great position for mix ups. <br />
<br />
@ 1:58:<br />
Glad to see 33P still stuns.<br />
<br />
@ 2:08 - 2:11:<br />
I see she does still have the P followup after 33P for the launcher. (33PP) They might have replaced her other followup (33P4P) with that new string from 33P I was talking about earlier... Good, because 33P4P was not that great. So anyways, after Lisa got launched, we notice one of Helena's nerfs. PP2KP got removed from the game... it was her main BNB combo ender. It was good because it juggled every weight class in the game when you didn't get a high enough launcher. Now I see that Helena players will have to resort back to DOA2U BNB combos with PPP or PPK from launches that aren't high. <br />
<br />
@ 2:22:<br />
And here is her Power Blow attack from her 4P+K to end the match.<br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
Yes, Helena got nerfed a bit, but it isn't all doom and gloom. Some of her best tools are still in the game and still works the same, and even a couple of new tools as well. The things that will make her not AS STRONG anymore is: The fact that she is more unsafe, Her evasion from BKO won't be as strong, and one can only assume that she will be linear. Even if she is linear though, BKO Sweep should be a good step killer. Pretty much from what I gathered, you will have to put in a lot more work trying to win with her. It's work that just might payoff in the long run. I think the key strategy that the rest of the Helena players are gonna have to start adapting is: Stun opponent and go into BT Stance or BKO Stance, and you can't be as reckless with your attacks anymore because SS is good in this game.<br />
<br />
I'll be back with more Helena DOA5 info as it becomes more available.<br />
<br />
I WILL SAVE THIS CHARACTER!!! <br />
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<i>Video courtesy of TecmoKoei</i><br />
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BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-25086750180479457112012-06-25T14:11:00.003-07:002012-06-25T14:27:49.085-07:00Dead or Alive is BACK!I took a long hiatus from the Kill Blog, but now with the return of Dead or Alive with their next installment, "Dead or Alive 5", I will be making more posts before and when the game releases. Expect a new post when the Helena DOA5 Reveal Trailer gets released. (Hopefully soon?) So stay tuned in the coming months for more Helena strats, theories, Match Analyzers, and Helena shenanigans!BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-90074110081904228272011-02-18T02:18:00.000-08:002011-02-18T08:23:29.337-08:00Match Analyzer #1 (Drdogg vs Arnell Long)<b>Analyze</b><br />
verb [an-l-ahyz]<br />
1. to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results.<br />
<br />
<br />
For this entry, I will be analyzing a match video from the JaX Money Invitational at the DOA in Dallas 2 tournament. For my first Match Analysis, we have Drdogg vs Arnell Long. I will mainly be concentrating on Drdogg's Helena. Drdogg is a well known Helena player from back in the day. One of the forefathers of Helena technology that you see today. So in this best 2 out of 3 tournament set, I will explain what went right and what went wrong using a format where I point out certain times of matches and make a note. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/61Df7prEBOo" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>TIMED ANALYSIS:</b><br />
@ 0:11<br />
Here is a basic setup with Helena. He used a safe move like ppp, baiting his opponent to go on the offense, and then throws out p+k to crush his throw for a juggle to take off a pretty nice chunk of health.<br />
<br />
@ 0:35 - 0:48<br />
Drdogg went for the ppp string again, but this time got countered in the middle of it. the string is a high-mid-mid. The second and third mid punches gets countered more often then you think. Getting countered in general is a momentum killer. I think it would have been better to use pkk in that situation. After that, Arnell did a good low throw punish to continue the momentum shift and win the round. All that could have been avoided with pkk instead, but we're not here to play Theory Fighter and throw out "What if's" like that. What's done is done. <br />
<br />
@ 0:51 - 1:07 <br />
Drdogg really bounced back from that last round with perfect play! Starts the round with pk, scores a CH, and goes straight into BKO throw to 1kk. Now, this level heavily favors Helena due to the electric floor danger zone. Going for the untechable on a danger zone floor does more damage than actually doing the juggle, which the juggle would normally do more damage on a non danger zone level (not to mention the great mix up you get after getting the better damage from the BKO throw to 1kk on the DZ floor.) Though most of the time, Helena players will go for the mix up regardless if there is a DZ floor or not, it was still the right thing to do. Drdogg did yet another safe move to p+k and juggle, punished Kasumi's 6kp and winds up winning the round with a Perfect. This round is a good example of not letting previous missteps get to your head and adapting.<br />
<br />
@ 1:09<br />
Helena's pkkk is unsafe on block, yet it wasn't punished. A blunder from Arnell.<br />
<br />
@ 1:24 - 1:33<br />
Drdogg uses p+k to crush the last mid punch in Kasumi's pp6pp and stuns the opponent. From here, it's just stun mix ups, to a launcher, to a juggle. At this point, Drdogg doesn't need to take any risks at all, so he uses 6p+k because it is safe on block and will kill the opponent if it hits. The move connected and Drdogg wins the first match. The lesson here is if you have a huge health lead, don't take stupid risks. Play it smart and safe.<br />
<br />
@ 1:48 - 2:10<br />
Start of the second match, and so many things went wrong... Started out good with Helena's pkk, but went right into BKO 4pk and the mid kick getting countered. BKO 4pkp is a string you want to avoid most of the time because you will rarely get away with using this. So easy to counter. Here is the next mistake, and a big one! After Arnell counter the mid kick, Helena hits the ceiling and could have got a juggle from hitting the ceiling, but Arnell doesn't take the juggle... he could have taken the juggle AND knocked him down the stairs for big damage. This misstep leaves Drdogg able to tech back up and start his assault of more baiting into p+k CH juggle setups and ultimately causing Arnell to lose the round. <br />
<br />
@ 2:20 - 2:43<br />
Helena's p+k,p string is unsafe, yet it isn't getting punished. Drdogg seems to be the only one punishing anything this entire match. Towards the end of the round, Arnell has a spec of health left and Drdogg still has half a life bar. Arnell begins his offense, gets a stun, launch, juggle to even up the game. Arnell then connects 4p+k with Kasumi and wins the round. Though he won the round, 4p+k was a really risky move to throw out. I think he should have been more careful at the end, but his risky move did however pay off.<br />
<br />
@ 3:01 - 3:07<br />
At the end of the round, Drdogg uses the BKO throw untechable mix up and goes right into another BKO throw to 1kk to win the round. We didn't see too much of the BKO throw in this match, and I will explain why later.<br />
<br />
@ 3:10 - 3:34<br />
It's Match Point and this round pretty much went into Drdogg's favor. At this point, Arnell is scared and mentally given up and just starts throwing moves out for no reason. The finishing touch, Kasumi's pp6pp string gets interrupted by Helena's pkk and the good doctor wins the match. <br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION:</b><br />
All Drdogg was doing was playing off Arnell's mistakes. Arnell played too reckless and scared while Drdogg kept his cool. Arnell pretty much beat himself in this match. Too much bad offensive aggression from the Kasumi player. What he should have did was play a little more defense by spacing more. This would have slowed down the pace of the match and let Arnell collect himself and come up with a better plan of attack. Moves going unpunished didn't help him either. Drdogg made the right choice of not doing as many BKO throws as, in the book, he should have. Playing against someone so reckless would have made BKO throw too risky to throw. Drdogg probably could have done more BKO duck though.<br />
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<i>Video courtesy of Drdogg</i>BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-73226648145669218772011-02-12T22:14:00.000-08:002011-02-12T22:14:25.939-08:00My Top Ten Helena Moves to Victory<b>Victory</b><br />
noun [vik-tuh-ree]<br />
<div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">1. a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">success</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">triumph</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">over</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">an</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">enemy</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">battle</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">war.</span></span></div><div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> </span></span></div><div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> </span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> </span></span></div><div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">You have to have the ammunition to use the weapon. You can have the perfect weapon, but what use is it to you with no clips? Don't be the one stuck on the battlefield awaiting your death like a scrub. </span></span></div><div class="dndata"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> </span> </span></div><br />
1.) BKO f+p - My favorite move with Helena. Known as The BKO Throw. 12 frame throw from BKO stance. The BnB combo after the throw is 4ppk,9k. If you want to go for a more Oki setup, you can use the two Untechable setups I mentioned in my last post. One thing about the BKO throw you should know is that you don't have to wait until you are fully in the stance to use it. You can press 2p+k to go into BKO, but instead of waiting until it gets in the stance, press f+p while Helena is going down to do the throw. It's like canceling out some activation frames so the throw can come out faster. Be warned though, if you are playing against a reckless opponent who is just hitting buttons, be careful using the throw because you will get popped and very unhappy. Lets face it, you can't use mind games on a mindless one. I will say this though, the 4p2p Uncounterable setup after the <span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">1k(2),4k</span></span> Untechable from BKO Throw is a great scrub buster and stuns on hit.<br />
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2.) pkk - Good interrupting string and good poke. The full string can actually go up to pkkk, but most of the time you are only going to want to use two kick follow ups after the punch. Blocked pkk is -10. pkkk is -11 on block. Both can be punished, but a lot of the times, people are skeptical to do anything after blocking pkk just for the fear of that last kick coming out. The second kick stuns on hit.<br />
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3.) 9k - Possibly her main launcher. Two mid kicks come out to launch you for the juggle. Though the second kick can actually be countered, it's very rare seeing that because it comes out too fast. It's also a Normal Hit (NH) launcher. That means that the opponent doesn't need to be in a stun or Counter Hit (CH) to launch them. Tactic I like to use with this move is to stun my opponent and go for a quick launch with 9k. People like to get their opponent into a deep stun first so when they decide to launch them, they get max height and max damage. But most people who have played me know I like to go for the quick and easy damage. Stable BnB from this launcher is pp2kp.<br />
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4.) 2f+k - Very good low attack that puts you in BKO stance. On hit, the move stuns. On block, it is low throw punishable. After you hit your opponent with this move, you can press UP on the pad and stand up. I like to loop this move by standing back up. So for example: 2f+k connects, opponent is stunned, you stand up, 2f+k again, and so on. It turns into quite the stun mix-up where you can also stay in BKO stance after using this move and BKO 6k to launch them for the juggle. It's not that fast of a move and it is blockable on reaction, but you will soon realize that you can hit people with 2f+k pretty often. Kind of a sneaky low attack.<br />
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5.) p+k - Every Helena player should be using this move. A mid punch that crushes High and most Mid attacks. This is one of the best moves in the game. Excellent panic attack. Launches on CH. Unsafe on block, but has a Punch followup at the end to catch opponents off guard at times. The move goes under mids, USE AND ABUSE IT!<br />
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6.) 33p - Good High Crush attack. Stuns on hit. After you hit them and stun them, you can sometimes get away with walking all the way around them to expose their back and get in some damage.<br />
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7.) 66p - It's actually quite sad that this is the only Safe Move on my list. I guess you can say that Helena doesn't rely on being safe too much, but relies on adapting to the opponent and taking risks so you can get some good mix-ups. But 66p is a safe mid attack and can also be used as a While Running attack. After blocked, you are left safe and is a good way to bait out p+k CH. On hit, it puts the opponent in a sit down stun.<br />
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8.) BKO 6p - A good fast mid poke. Stuns on CH and a good way to prolong stuns.<br />
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9.) 214 f+p - Her command throw that leaves the opponent back-turned and leaves Helena in BKO stance. Pretty good mix-ups come from this throw. BKO 4k, BKO 6pp, or BKO Throw are three of many good followups that can be used to punish your opponent.<br />
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10.) BKO 4k - One of the best sweeps in the game. (Coming second to Busa's safe sweep) Pretty fast and can remain in BKO stance by holding the down button after the command. Can be abusable at times seeing as it trip stuns the opponent into a mix-up of another sweep or something else. Can be low throw punished on block.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mention: </b>66kpp - I love this attack string. The string is a Low to Low to Mid. The kick part of the string is a low attack. Good way of getting in on the opponent because it covers a lot of distance. You can hold the Down button after the 66k and put yourself in BKO stance.<b> </b>If you do the second part of the string, a lot of the time it gets countered, so be careful. The last punch in the string is actually chargeable. This string is also Helena's most damaging juggle ender, Helena just has to get a high enough launcher to do this juggle ender. BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-84501817925998341022011-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:002011-02-12T20:39:55.844-08:00Enter Helena - The Perfect Weapon<b>Weapon</b><br />
noun [wep-uhn]<br />
1. <span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">any</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">instrument</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">device</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">for</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">use</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">attack</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">defense</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">in combat.</span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Tecmo has created what I think is the perfect fighting game character, and that character is Helena from DOA4. The proper pronunciation is actually "Elena," but I think most of us North American players are used to saying it with the "H." She is a French Opera Singer that uses the fighting style Pi Qua Quan.</span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">In my opinion, I would have to say she is the best character in the game. Though it can be debated that Hyabusa and Gen Fu are better, Helena has too many powerful tools to be denied her top spot. Helena is one of the more difficult characters to play with due to her bigger move list and harder to maximize her full potential. One thing about Helena players is that you will never see two Helena players that play the same. Helena has a very versatile play style seeing as she has very strong offensive and defensive tools. She has 3 different fighting stances: Her default Forward Facing stance, Back Turned Stace (BT), and the always popular Bokuho Stance (BKO). I've seen quite a few games to where characters have multiple stances, but those stances would consist of useless technology. All of Helena's stances are VERY useful. </span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">The trick to maximizing her full potential is to use attacks and setups that leave her in either BKO or BT. This will open up even more moves from those stances to your disposal for more combos, setups, and devastating throw mix-ups. Helena's BKO Stance is by far one of the most powerful tools in the game. PERIOD. Two very dirty tactics come from BKO Stance. First, the BKO throw (BKO f+p). Not only do you have the option of a good juggle from this throw, you also have the option of doing Untechable setups that leads you to even more options. The best ways to perform these Untechables after the BKO throw is 1kk or 1k(2),4k</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">1kk leaves you standing after you tech the opponent up. From this move, you have an opportunity to do a really good Uncounterable attack by using 4p2p. From the 1kk Untechable after BKO throw, 4p2p cannot be countered or beaten out. I think you can counter the second punch in the string, but you rarely see it because you have to be strict with the timing. This is a great way to bait out a deep stun if they hit a button. Your opponents only option is to stand there and block. Even if they block 4p2p you are left at neutral on block.</span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">The second Untechable setup I recommend is 1k(2),4k. This setup will leave you in BKO stance. From that point you can go into a variety of moves from BKO to keep them guessing. You can also just loop them and BKO throw again. Rinse, repeat. </span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Now for that second dirty tactic from BKO stance.... BKO Duck! You perform this duck while in BKO stance by pressing Down repeatedly. What this does is duck under ALL high attacks and ALL mid attacks! I can't stress this enough how much you should be abusing the BKO duck. Such a good way to open up your opponent and scare them. You are only vulnerable to low attacks and low throws. USE THIS AT ALL COSTS! </span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">My top 10 Helena Moves:</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">1.) BKO Throw</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">2.) pkk</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">3.) 9k</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">4.) 2f+k</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">5.) p+k </span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">6.) 33p</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">7.) 66p</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">8.) BKO 6p</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">9.) 214 f+p</span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> </span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">10.) BKO 4k</span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">I will elaborate why I use these moves in my next blog.</span></span><br />
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">So with that being said, your game plan with Helena is to scare your opponent with BKO throw, BKO duck, mix-ups, stuns, etc. BKO throw should be your main tool because that causes a great mix-up. Her mix-ups are low risk/high reward, so don't second guess yourself when using Helena. You just have to go with the flow. Keep reading future posts because I will def go deeper in the mind of a Helena player.</span></span>BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426553213732035317.post-17719323503239278802011-02-06T23:49:00.000-08:002011-02-07T00:26:34.712-08:00Introduction<span style="background-color: yellow;"></span><b>kill</b><br />
verb [kil]<br />
1. To destroy.<br />
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A brief introduction of myself. My name is Jeremy Florence. I go by the handle "Black Mamba" aka. "Balack Omamba." I am the World Champion of DOA4 and top Helena player. I've been playing DOA for 5 years and have won numerous tournaments. I have decided to dedicate a blog to mainly DOA4 Helena, DOA in general, and possibly DOAD Helena when the game comes out. Some of the general topics I plan to cover are: Helena strategies, moves, combos, offense/defense, match videos, character match-ups, mindset, etc.<br />
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I will be posting a General Helena post and strategies in the posts to come. So stay tuned.BlackMambaMoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04692208597535489058noreply@blogger.com0