Swat him while he’s fresh.
Highlight me for critical information regarding the match up with @SUPARNOVAX in your post.
Alex data.
1,000 health.
1,050 stun.
Has no 3 frame normal.
Noteable normals on block.
C.HK -12
C.HP is -8
S.HK is -4
Command Normals
Lariat F+HP +3
Chop F+MP (overhead) is -4
Flying Cross Chop (air dive) has 20 frames of landing recovery on hit but 34 on block or whiff.
LP/MP/HP Slash Chop are -4 on block
EX is -2
Slash Elbow
LK -4
MK -6
HK - 7
EX -10
Stomp
LP/MP/HP -5
EX +2
Power bomb has 6 frame start up but has range similar to normal throws unlike most command grabs.
V-Skill
Overhaul, grants counterhit properties to next move. Effect is lost if move is blocked or if Alex is hit. Effect not lost on whiff move.
V-Trigger
SledgeHammer is -12 on block
Fully charged SledgeHammer guard breaks.
Level 2 SledgeHammer gains one hit of armor.
Critical Art is -25
Fought a bunch in ranked and casuals. How are you guys feeling this match up so far?
Seems not bad. Hes got descent frame traps but you can punish most of his moves and ex moves with lk-blast or lk-scissors. Hes got tremendous range in the air though.
His damage output seems on the lowish side.
Light confirms don’t get Alex much, but heavier stuff into EX Chop does a GRIP.
Getting the hang of the matchup slowly, we’ve got a couple locals who are trying him out and play him very differently, so I’ve got some good practice.
you can vskill his elbow to cancel his pressure
Because of bisons lack of defensive options, alex players will get to abuse f.hp a lot. That move leaves you at a pure 50/50. I find playing defensive and buffering c.mk into lk scissors to be useful. Don’t throw out random sk. Even ex. If he does s.hk, it will eat you up for a crush counter combo.
Up close this character seems very similar to bison. Except he has a command throw and an over head. Le sigh…
Alex mashes light on wake up. Vreversal that nonsense.
I tested this earlier without knowing if it worked or not and managed to pull it off straight away. Needless to say the guy didn’t throw out another one for the rest of the round lol.
Azza should correct the data as there are a few errors.
cr.fp is -8
lk slash -4
EX stomp +2
You can throw both HP and EX elbow during startup frames.
You can stand just outside the range of his cr.mp and dash through it. Alex players love to abuse this button, so it’s not as hard to do as it sounds. Even easier to do it to his fwd.hk.
Starting to feel like this is a pretty bad match for Lord Bison.
Got beat 10-0 (with 1 draw game) and 10-2 by a Super Platinum UK Alex by the name of Rednecked_Crake.
Alex C.MP has better range than Bison’s medium pokes for the same speed and its combined with a very good hitbox/hurtbox.
Normally against grapplers Bison has a small advantage in neutral but not in this match up, if anything its marginally in Alex’s favor.
At least against Mika you have a range advantage in the neutral game and an overall health advantage but not here.
His S.HP is surprisingly good whiff punisher and unlike most pokes it doesn’t leave an extended hurtbox after its active frame end.
His LK,Slash Elbow is safe and thus super abuse-able, it even stuffs NJ.HP some of the time. I really think this move should be punishable, at least -6 on block. Its just dumb as it is.
Alex wins in terms of damage output and stun. Superior anti air with Jab AA yet gets huge reward out of random jump in’s due to his command grab mix ups and he has an overhead as well.
He kept his V-Guage for V-Reversals and almost never used V-Trigger and just V-Reversal-ed Pyscho Axe and medium strength or above block strings.
If I V-Reversal-ed him he would back recovery and V-Reversal my Psycho Axe. Very smart play, negating Bison’s strongest tools.
When he couldn’t V-Reversal he late teched against Pyscho Axe mix up on block, which I didn’t cope on till the last few games and started blowing him up.
Both characters wake up are equally bad.
His throw range matches our which negates one of Bison’s useful strengths and he surpasses it with his command grab. Bison has good frame traps but so does Alex.
Rednecked new the match up well, countered random dash in’s with jabs and gimmick VT DR. Never did anything stupid if I throw an EX.Blast at him, just blocked it and then V-Reversal-ed my follow up pressure.
Asked afterwards and if there was anything I could do to improve. I don’t have good reactions and got hit by dash up command throw alot but thats my own weakness and not a character weakness.
He said I could anti air better (which was true) but Bison’s AA is not good in general so its hard for him, overall he said Bison is just too predictable, most Bison’s do the same thing so its easy to predict. He said he didn’t know or need to know what the point of half of Bison’s specials where for, particularly his goofy fireball.
Just got completely washed by a fellow SRK Alex player. Now nevermind this guy is a great player (has one top ten finish at a us major) the matchup just seems completely and utterly hopeless.
Like previous posters mentioned his cr mp is so god damn oppressive. This is easily one of bisons worse mu. Way more hopeless than Mika is.
Its not in the same ball park as Mika because none of his throws either command grab or normal throws (outside of corner) set up close meaty/throw pressure.
When your knocked down off command grabs or normal throws mid screen, look for the following.
If he dashes in after a command grab, you can punish him with C.LP xx LP.Psycho Blast.
If he dashes in after a forward throw he’s safe at -3 but you can space him out with C.LP xx LP.Psycho Blast.
If he dashes forward after a back throw hes -12.
Meaty S.HK, just block (don’t backdash)
He can also do a meaty LK.Slash Elbow off his command grab and forward throw which is safe and he can combo off if he hits you.
He can also do a mix up his flip to headbutt command grab and his stomp. Its difficult to react to the mid air pause that flip grab does which distinguishes it over the stomp (believe there is a different audio queue as well) but you can can gamble on a neutral jump on reaction to the start up of either move and then punish him hard, but if its a stomp you will get tagged and put into a proper meaty mix up. Obviously blocking high deals with the Stomp, he can use his MP.Stomp which is -5 and punishable and his EX. Stomp being +2 on block.
In neutral his C.MP is a pain. Its simply better than Bison’s S.MK, better range, better hitbox and less negative on block. From outside poke range you can use Blast to stuff it if he’s over abusing it. On block C.MP is -1, so after blocking one at the mid range you could use buffered Shadow Axe to stuff a second C.MP and do decent damage and get meaty pressure as well. His S.HK is a long range crush counter threat but Pyscho Axe is just as good. Bison’s S.HP out ranges Alex’s pokes outside of S.HK but alas no crush counter from it.
LK.Slash Elbow is also a pain. While its -4 on block, its incredible easy to space safe. S.LK is your best bet at actually punishing it due to have the best range of all Bison’s lights but your probably better off going for C.MP xx MP/HP Blast for grey damage and chip damage. This way you trade 18 chip damage and 10 grey damage against his 20 chip damage. Remember the harder strength Blast you use the more range on it. By using HP.Blast you have the best chance of chipping him back and also get a frame advantage of +2, which would enable you to throw out a buffered Shadow Axe or S.MK to counter his S.MP, S.MK and C.MP pokes afterwards or C.MK xx LP/MP Inferno to counter his C.MP. C.MP xx HP.Blast can be interrupted by his 4 frame lights but its highly unlikely he would use them after your C.MP and if he does you can use MP.Blast cancel to counter that.
His LK.Slash Elbow also stuffs neutral jumps and set up for follow up pressure, so its best to stay grounded. Another way of dealing with this move if you suspect its coming is V-Reversal.
Don’t bother jumping at him much, Jab AA into mix up hell will follow. If he jumps at you, use C.LP to return the favor, he doesn’t have great jump in hitboxes and can be crush countered with S.HK. He might occasionally throw in his dive attack, you just got to guess when this is coming out and punish him as hard as you can.
From about one quarter screen distance away EX. Head Press and VT Head Press are very difficult for Alex to anti air without spending meter. His EX. Knee Smash does get the job done reliably but his Jab AA will at best will trade (very rare) with Ex.Head Press and it will always loose to VT Head Press. His other options of normal anti air Knee will trade heavily in your favor, while C.HP will either looses outright or trade in your favor as well.
EX. Devil Reverse can also give Alex trouble when he lacks meter for EX. Knee Smash. The trick is attack him as vertically as possible as close to 12 o clock above him as possible. Attacks coming in with a more diagonal direction are more susceptible to anti air Jab and C.HP.
If he pushes you to the corner, V-Reversal his F+HP.
I strongly recommend Bison players do not follow up with dash in S.HK or Psycho Axe unless Alex has popped V-Trigger or has no V-Gauge meter to V-Reversal you. Instead follow up with a manually time medium strength attack or a jump in attack.
He has no 3 frame normal so pressure him after he blocks an Psycho Axe. Expect him to V-Reversal your Axe though.
No real reversal move outside of critical art. EX. Elbow Slash doesn’t have armor till frame 3, and his V-Trigger doesn’t parry until frame 2. His EX. Command Grab does not have throw invincibility.
I feel like “don’t jump” and “v-reversal his f+HP” are the two most important parts of this matchup. Once you start spacing yourself correctly and challenge Alex after you blocked his elbow slash, the matchup becomes less terrible. It’s not easy but if you play with the life lead you can force mistakes out of Alex. Also, it is important to not be obvious with your strings once he has v-trigger activated. Bison has really linear offense and that makes it easy for Alex to parry something and get big damage in. It’s better to run away a bit and wait for his v-trigger to be depleted.
Easily one of my worst Matchups, and as I can see, I am not the only one.