Abel was pretty easy for me to pick up at first, I personally felt that I was always in control with Abel and that momentum always carried me along in matches. I could always go around c.HKxx Wheel kick, EX CoD, crossup j.mk c.HP, back then Abel was more of me playing with a limited mindset. I didn’t have to adapt much, I just made my opponent do all the thinking.
It really did hit me once I got into the more hardcore sections, somewhere around the middle of SF4’s G2 if anything. That’s where I started to feel free in some matches, which was unusual for me at that time. Opponents stopped randomly jumping in, they learned to block crossups, tech throws, throw me out of rolls, bait TT’s, and i just folded under pressure. To me, starting out with Abel was more of a technical barrier, riding combos like c.mpxxCOD and some TT’s here and there for an entire match really drags it out. Once I realize that you can’t just reversal or EX roll out of everything and actually have to block with Abel, it hit me in the face pretty hard. Even then, it still all comes with experience, and Abel was a character I enjoy playing with and that’s what kept me playing.
What I find most amazing with Abel is how easily he helps you develop, unlike characters that force players to move on to new things as they progress, maybe dropping one bnb combo for a more damaging one or for a better hit confirm, Abel is still going to refer back to his fundamentals to get the job done. Maybe it’s how I play, but I feel Abel really shines when you take those fundamentals and learn to put your own spin on them, and that’s the mix up. As I play more with Abel, landing simple things such as a CoD start to branch out, but not only that, it helps develop your own skills, it teaches you how to hit confirm for FADCs, it forces you to stop after the first hit so that it’s safe on block, and in turn adds another part to your mix up game. You learn to chose your moves faster, deciding between LP TT or HP TT for better damage, as I played more with Abel after that first barrier, I found myself moving back to that good feeling of being in control of a match, but I now I learn how to adapt while still focusing more on offensive options, which is how I view Abel as a character when I decided to main him and as I play him now.
So the way I see it, Abel is a great character to start out with, but moving forward with him is going to be hard. Like any character, if you stick to him, it’s going to pay off, but moreso with Abel because it really makes you better as a player and he’s just an all around great character. Also, Abel forums on SRK rock.
I’ve also noticed, in training, there’s a pretty easy shortcut for it, being DF, D, DB, B instead of the whole half-circle motion. Anymore tips?