Ken123103 put together a basic Balrog Character Analysis video. It’s worth taking a look as he does a basic overview and gives small examples of Balrog’s movesets. Warning: The video is about an hour long.
[media=youtube]vElXJ_ABdd4[/media]
Two quick questions:
In the frame data, Balrog’s dash punches of all sorts have a (#) next to them next to start-up. IE LP Dash Punch, 13(4). What does this mean? Is that from point blank? Canceled off of moves?
Have post-Headbutt setups or trickery been established for AE/2012? I asked this a long time ago, sorry if it’s redundant still 
Can someone help me with my execution? So I got down my bnbs, my headbuts to ultra, but I’m having trouble doing cr.lp, cr.lk, ex rush upper, cr.lp, cr.lk headbutt. I have pretty fast hands so I’m moving from fd to db as fast as humanly possible but the headbutt isn’t coming out. Is there a nice trick at all to it. Also the standing strong to cr. jab is kinda hard any tips?
That’s your problem, slow down your inputs so you don’t chain the short after the jab, and then you can cancel into headbutt.
Nah it wasn’t that I always chain even on the first hit my problem was theres a short window to hit the jab after ex rush and i was mashing it but I got the timing down now I just need to get used to 1 frame links. The only things I have trouble with are jabs into sweep and jabs into strongs. I got my st.Strongs into jabs into rushes and my st.roundhouse into jab into dash punch.Pretty soon I’ll be a pretty good rog.
Also is it better to cr.jab or cr.short after stuff like his overhead punch, standing strong, and standing roundhouse. I’m 95% sure jab has better damage and kind of easier to transfer my fingers from m/h to lp. Hopefully it’s not personal preference because I just want the better damage.
best damage after OH is cr.mp by far, OH, cr.mp works on everyone standing and crouching except crouching viper and cammy. As far as damage goes it’s cr.jab, cr.short, cr.strong. Plinking will help you with those links. I definitely suggest starting out with what feels the most comfortable as you’re less likely to drop the combos, but the more comfortable you get, try to shift to practicing and putting into practice the harder links for more damage/stun. You’ll may find it harder to kill opponents the better your opponent is later and the more damaging links become almost necessary to win w/o a time out.
Well yeah I know the best damage is cr.mp but the link is way harder and I prefer not to plink. Not a big fan of abusing game mechanics. But if you do know after st.mp or st.hk is it better to do cr.jab or cr.short.
Also do you of any places that have some rog option selects and frame traps? Like a list or guide or something.
I currently don’t have anything complete on frame traps, there’s a thread floating around here about some of his frame traps, but it’s a short list, nothing really complete.
That’s a horrible reason to not plink, “because i don’t like abusing game mechanics”, plinking and double tapping can literally up your combo completion percentage to 100%. WHY NOT? it’s not like you’re using akuma’s unblockable in the corner or something like that. plinking isn’t abusive like that :<
cl.mp is only +4, so cr.lp or cr.lk given if you are in range. I don’t use it so my opinion on cl.mp is moot.
The reason I use Balrog is because he’s not too requiring of 1 frame links. Also for sweep when ever I do cr.lp cr.lp st.lp sweep it works 90% of the time whether I plink or not but if I don’t have a 4 hit sequence ending in st.lp to sweep it only works 50% of the time. Why is that, is it the spacing or timing? Whatever it is I’m glad it works. The only thing I’m missing out on is if Im set on using cr.lp cr.mp to dash punch as a sort of block string if I hit the lp the mp prolly wont connect. Plinking just seems to an excuse not to learn stricter timing (which I know is a terrible mindset but I’m really stubborn.)
Also do you have an option selects?
Using option selects would be abusing game mechanics as well.
I know he can do the cr. hk OS on an opponent’s wakeup - if they try to backdash, you sweep them. If they don’t, you jab. Let me see if I can find it.
Here’s some I found -
Safejump / sweep OS [media=youtube]V5EMssijHcU[/media]
Meaty poke / Ultra OS [media=youtube]UUGFvljkw5U[/media]
Teleport punish OS [media=youtube]-9fXikstccM[/media]
Safejump / TAP OS [media=youtube]TC9Kxx1rbJU[/media]
Yeah but with option selects I can be like nahhh yo I read that. And they’ll be like oooooohhhhh your god like!
Thanks though I’ll probably learn to plink because I want to learn some rufus and deejay who both have 1 frame link bnbs.
Damn I need to learn that ultra os but it seems pretty hard.
True, he only has about five 1f links worthy of mention: (1) cl.hk, cr.mp (2) cr.lp, cr.mp (3) st.lp, st/cr.hk and (4) cr.lk, cr.lp, (4) cr.lp, cl.hk You can only plink 4 of those, but those are easily his most damaging links. You probably miss it because you’re working off a rhythm and w/o the rhythm you drop the link. I’m the same way with cr.mk, cr.lp, st.lp, cr.hk. I hit the link just about 100% of the time because the rhythm is really easy to follow, but other combos ending in sweep I drop often w/o plinking (e.g. ex.ru, cr.lp, st.lp, cr.hk). Plinking is an excuse to have good execution and make your execution rate 100%, if you’re not using it just because you don’t want to, then you’re easily handicapping yourself in terms of damage and combo completion, end of story.
And on the topics of O/S…please dont let my hard work go to waste, yes it’s a fuckin’ bible in terms of length, but I put a lot of work into it.
[media=youtube]a1ASBOHUEwI[/media]
[media=youtube]ajvoh5pcPbY[/media]
Lol don’t worry I found them before you responded to me nd i watched.
Thought I’d redo my old video on frame traps from a long time ago.
0:00 1) Jab usage
0:53 2) Basic cr.jab frame trap
1:15 3) Counter-hit st.HK setups
2:51 4) Shimmy setups
*** I didn’t include these in the shimmy setups, but I guess I’ll leave them here for completion.***
…[5] After a headbutt knockdown, you can rush punch during the knockdown and this will give you a walk back opportunity.
…[6] If you can predict or see a stand tech, walk back with cr.MP xx EX Dash Upper (whiffs on crouchers) and finish the loop as desired.
As a followup, I’ll post what the mindset of a basic Balrog player could be like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVAxJyHyQM
Match 1 [vs Yun]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- Messed up the punish on his missed upkicks. Accidental overhead comes out.
- A lot of Yuns like to backdash. So after a backthrow, dash into TAP > Ultra catches the wake-up backdash.
- After getting Yun within a pixel of life as there is very little for me to gain by staying up close.
- Performed EX Headbutt as soon as lunge punch was blocked for guaranteed chip.
Round 2:
- Using a lot of jump back and forth with HP to catch divekicks that come into range and j.HK to catch lunge punches on the way down.
- Manage to catch a lunge punch. One too many jabs into the combo leads to a dropped combo.
- Used EX upper to charge through Yun’s shoulder blockstring.
- The EX Headbutt in the corner after a divekick was a read/guess.[/details]
Match 2 [vs Ryu]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- Gameplan is to sweep Ryu’s cr.MK if they throw this out a lot.
- I had a feeling that this Ryu was a stand tech’er. Which is why I did a fair bit of cr.MP xx EX Rush Upper.
- The way I used cr.jab this round was to see what it would take to get Ryu to mash a dp.
- Once Ryu is within an inch of life, I start to back off.
Round 2:
- Still using jabs just to bait a dp.
- Shimmied into a dash low straight instead of a straight. Doesn’t always combo.
- Frame trap timing did not match Ryu’s crouch tech pattern.
- With SUPER mid-way through. Looking for a bad fireball or a badly spaced normal to catch (with st.MK buffered).
Round 3:
- Used EX dash straight to charge through pressure. EX straight should be the go to special for this NOT EX dash upper (unless you make a good read).
- Ryu has full meter and Ultra. Respecting this.
- Ryu starts throwing a lot of plasma. Seeing if I can space a dash Ultra.[/details]
Match 3 [vs Yun]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- After torpedo punch connected, tried to land a meaty one on Yun’s wake up, but completely whiffed. Punished with Yun’s palm.
- Still using j.HP and j.HK for divekicks and lunge punches, respectively.
- Use of Ultra to take Yun to the corner, even though pathetic damage. Also, may not get a chance to use it again.
- After chaining 3 jabs, I immediately jump back with j.HP. Noticed that Yun likes holding up during blockstrings and immediately divekicking.
- YOLO EX dash upper.
Round 2:
- Yun starts going more ham.
- Missed sweep after counter-hit st.HK. Blaming this on online
- Wombo combo into headbutt after crouch tech.
- Catch divekick in the corner with jump back HK.[/details]
Match 4 [vs Ryu]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- Way too many of my dash straights are being focused. Once I realise this, I cut down.
- Ryu is throwing more plasma and is getting way more jumpy.
- Tried to catch Ryu dashing out of focus with a headbutt. Done a bit too late and misses completely.
- Weighing the risk/reward of being in the corner with this much life = YOLO EX Headbutt
Round 2:
- Really, really, really should have FADC’ed the sweep that hit Ryu’s focus attack. Very lucky to get away with.
- Also, should have FADC’ed the dash straight that was focused a bit later.
- Considering perhaps using Ultra at some point, while walking and crouch blocking plasma.
- Missed an ULTRA (Game only registered 2 buttons instead of 3 for the input).
- Walking and crouch blocking at the last second is a bit difficult online (at least for me). “Last second” is a bit more than that online.
- Seem to have a problem with blocking this Ryu’s air tatsus. Looks a bit ambiguous.
Round 3:
- Once Ryu focuses, I buffer st.MK into SUPER.
- Shimmy with cr.LK xx Dash Straight.
- Back off. Huge life lead.
- Whiff punish Ryu’s cr.MK with Dash Punch.[/details]
Match 5 [vs Yun]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- Failed shimmy. Yun held up and divekicked.
- Yun’s palm destroys EX dash punches on wake up.
- Hit by cross up shoulder.
- Dizzied and demolished.
Round 2:
- Shouldn’t have thrown Yun out of the corner.
- After Ultra knockdown and while Yun is in the corner, I use Balrog’s overhead for the FIRST TIME.
- Yun may have missed an OS Ultra on my wake-up, as I backdashed.
Round 3:
- Yun’s lunge punch breaks the armor of my EX dash punch (before it starts up almost)
- Use Ultra to take Yun to the corner.
- Yun goes ham.
- Manage to chip out with SUPER.[/details]
Match 6 [vs Ryu]
[details=Spoiler]Round 1:
- Should have tried backdashing after TAP a bit, since Ryu started trying to throw me after a blocked TAP.
- Kinda lost the round to random bits of avoidable damage.
Round 2:
- With a bit of luck, catch Ryu’s jump back HP with anti-air TAP.
- Shimmy into EX overhead. FIRST TIME using on this Ryu.
- Back off. Kinda expected a wake-up jump out of the corner.
Round 3:
- Starting to use EX dash low straight to catch Ryu’s cr.MK
- Still using shimmy cr.MP xx EX dash upper to try to catch Ryu stand tech’ing for some reason. (Might be a bad use of meter at this point.)
- Did not FADC my sweep as it was focused. Ryu capitalized with a combo into ULTRA.
- All goes downhill from here. Change in momentum.
- Lose entire health bar to random projectile damage and cross-up tatsus. Like I said before, walking and crouch blocking at the last second online is kinda difficult.[/details]
So that’s basically my entire thought process during a random endless session. Hopefully, the gameplay in the video made sense even if I didn’t explain myself.
This is how I approach a stereotypical Bison matchup (6:11). Everything I have mentioned thus far in tutorials that I’ve made and other threads, I put into practice here.
Also, keep in mind this Bison player was more hesitant to wake up EX PC, because I’d punished him a lot in the past with Super/Ultra.
I couldn’t find any mention of this but is there any way to auto-correct super/ultra after a Bison Psycho Crusher (Medium or Heavy) done at point blank range? It feels like if you are like right in the middle and he passes you the timing is much more intuitive. If he does it right in front, the hits feel like they have too much blockstun and he passes you so you lose the charge before Balrog can get the ultra/super reversal off.
Just wondering, how is this Bison player using MP/HP PC to pass through you? Just raw? Or through a cancelled normal like cr.MP/cr.MK/cr.LK?
Usually Balrog’s ultra is used against Bison players trying to use EX PC as an escape tool or wake-up option. PR Balrog said it was something about executing the 3Ps or 3Ks while pressing back. But to be honest, if you just mash a reversal Ultra as Bison passes through you, you’ll always get an auto-correct Ultra. Never really tried to punish an MP/HP PC, as it’s not often used. Although as a Bison player, I do sometimes use HP PC to escape a corner, by cancelling it from a normal rather than just using it raw. Might have to try this one out in training mode.
if you wiggle the stick between bwd and fwds it helps (like doing backdash ultra). so, hold bwd, fwd, bwd, fwd, 3K/3P. Might help.