okay, i play storm/sent/cyke, so I can’t help ya much w/ cable AAA (i’m at work, so ill try shit when i get home today w/ it and post), but with drones, I can tell ya a LOT of stuff…
if drones hit by themselves, you have a number of things you can do, these are also his BnB combos
oc.hk, sj.lk,mp, - d+lk,d+mp, - d+lk,d+mp, land, call drones (you’re resetting here) dc.hk throw (d/b + hk, scissor kick throw), throw hits into drones, s.hkx2 xx SOB
another: dash in s.hkx2 xx cyclone kick xx SOB or MOB (SOB is generally better and it can hit both point and assist)
cyclops has a 100% combo w/ sentinel drones as well
j.d+hk + drones, dash in s.lk,s.hkx2, drones hit, dash in oc.hk, sj.lk,mp - d+lk,d+mp, - d+lk,d+mp, land, call drones, dc.hk throw into drones, s.hkx2 xx SOB
that leaves cable w/ like 2 pixels of life
SOB connects perfectly into HSF if you DHC into sentinel and I imagine it would do the same w/ ground HVB, but make sure you have another meter for the DHC to HSF to kill them (ill see if i can do anything w/ timeflip, but it would probably be a SAFE dhc, even tho it didn’t connect, except vs. another cable of course, or maybe a framekill into hail or PC or something)
Learn how to do Genesplice AND the infinite. Sure GS is just a special move, but being able to nail that DP motion is a key to success w/ Cyclops. Ask Dasrik, GeneSplice forever.
Little Trick:
if you get them to block a chain into cyclone kick xx MOB for chip, 9/10 times they will dash in or try to hit you in some way after it. This is where GS comes in. Call drones as you recover and do a GS immediately as you hit the ground. If it connects, mash on fierce and xx SOB and aim it upward for damage. Free super no.1.
9/10 times they won’t attack on the way down, but sentinel will fly or storm/mags may airdash or some other sort of thing. If they do come all the way down w/o attacking (this works great on cable, as he has no way to delay falling really) out of fear of another GS xx SOB, get in dc.hk throw into drones, s.hkx2 XX SOB. You just killed them off of a block chain into MOB cuz they got stupid. It works really well, you can do it w/ solo cyclops too, but take out the throw into drones part.
Cyclops infinite: oc.hk, sj.lk,mp - d+lk,d+mp, - d+lk,d+mp,d+mk, land oc.hk repeat
i leave out the initial lp for my own reasons. I get used to doing the reset into drones and I just think it’s easier than putting 3 hits in there.
Cyclops’ Hardest Fight IMO is Storm, Sentinal can be equally as hard, but might be easier in your case since you have Cable AAA( in S/S/Cykes I have no additional AA to rely on, it’s all genesplice)
me, dasrik, and zaza are trying to figure out how to get the “fullscreen” genesplice to come out all the time w/ fierce, as sometimes the jab, shorter one comes out. dasrik and zaza have said that f,qcf + fierce gets it, I tried it last night and it seems like holding forward through the special gets you the longer range. If you see her do a ground typhoon and she has meter, you can assume she may do hail. As soon as you see the motion for typhoon start, call drones and do the genesplice. If she goes for the hail, you’ll hit her out of it. If she doesn’t, then drones should cover you from any combo she can do, just practice it.
Try to keep her grounded w/ calling drones, s.hp (the optic bullet will go ahead of them), jab genesplices (better recovery and you just want to cover the air over your head hear, prevent square jump crossups or calling an assist with it), and stay on the ground s.hkx2 to build meter after you call drones, then throw out an optic bullet, dash in j.d+hk w/ drones, dash in s.hkx2 xx cyclone kick xx MOB, then try for the genesplice trick i said before, that’s the best way to look at storm. Don’t try to take her in the air, she can move more than you and has more priority and can combo right into LA xx LS DHC whatever off of a short in the air. Don’t try to take her there, cover your airspace w/ jab genesplices.
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Sentinel? Patience my frience, if he has capcom, get your sentinel in there and play keepaway. If he doesn’t have capcom, your chances are much better. Just be patient and look for a way to get an opening to chip. If he does a HSF, sj xx SOB and aim it down at him, DHC cyclops out if you got the meter to. Like I said, it connects to HSF cleanly and if they’re in the corner, you can do a lot of damage with this method. Don’t get caught in the corner. A good sentinel won’t give you enough time to recover and get a genesplice off. DON’T GET IN THE CORNER!!! That’s the biggest hting I can stress vs. sentinels. You have a doublejump, you should be able to avoid this entirely.
Fighting him in the air? If you’re jumping up to him, do a neutral RH. If you’re in neutral airspace, sj.hp, it beats frying pan, sentinel’s best move in this situation.
Coming down? D+HK, it beats anything he can do coming up on you.
Mags/Cable
They’re relatively easy to play versus. With capcom, they can be a bit trickier, but still a lot easier than fighting Sent or Storm w/ Capcom. If cable is j.hp back w/ capcom assist, wavedash under his bullets and avoid capcom at all costs. Just try to get close for the oc.hk when he’s coming down into the infinite. The oc.hk has more range than it looks like and it’s really fucking fast. From full screen cyclops can wavedash in and oc.hk a j.hp cable upon reaction to his inital jump. If he does bullets? Cyke can duck under them, learn the timing, you can sneak in a jab optic blast xx SOB between bullets and ground ViperBeam. Cable is pretty easy to fight vs. w/ cyclops. Especially because he falls VERY prone to that MOB strategy I posted before, since oc.hk beats out a SFRH from cable if he’s coming down on you, and you have GS at your disposal.
If you’re fighting 2 chars and only have cykes? Stay on the ground. SJ only to build meter. Cyclops beats almost anyone coming down on him w/ oc.hk or genesplice. Toss out optic bullets, Follow up w/ a jab genesplice to take away the airspace above you. SJ to build meter (don’t be dumb vs. storms, she can really punish you, watch out for Framekills as well)
You can bait assists w/ an empty jump in. If you do, just dash in s.hkx2 xx cyclone kick xx SOB if the assist is “knocked” into the same place as the point character, like they’re on top of each other. You can’t PB this and get out in time, plus cyke’s range keeps the assist in the combo. This works against magnetos because they’re waiting for Psylocke to hit you as you try to come in w/ a j.d+hk, but you did an empty jump in, so they’re sitting there and you can chip them. The SOB keeps the point in check and does minor chip while this combo does a good 1/2 life damage to almost any assist.
Do NOT do random SOBs. This is a desperation technique, and I despise it. It makes you look REALLY sloppy with cyclops, cyclops always has a way to hit, just like the big four, people just don’t know how to play as him and brush him off as a meter builder who can do good chip. Not true, he can do just as much damage, if not more than the big four at almost any given time (not in the SJ state unless you can link to the infinite off a sj.lk, which is very difficult)
cyclops isn’t really a runaway character, you just need to practice and learn to use and abuse what he has. Dasrik agrees with me (called me his hero) on this part of cykes. You can do much more than sj and spam roundhouse all day, people just can’t use him.
If you want anything more specific that I didn’t answer, just ask. I’ll try stuff w/ cable AAA when I get home.
the absinthe should be in sometime later this week
edit: something else I forgot. cyclops’ snapback combos off his s.hkx2, it combos off the 2nd roundhouse. This leads to a 1/2 life snapback combo of his, and it builds a half meter as well.
Snapback combos:
Drones hit, dash in s.hkx2 xx snapback
j.d+hk + drones, dash in s.lk,s.hkx2, drones hit, dash in s.hkx2 xx snapback (1/2 life)
j.d+hk + drones, dash in s.lk,s.hkx2, drones hit, dash in oc.hk, sj.lk,mp - d+lk,d+mp - d+lk, d+mp land, dc.hk throw into drones reset, s.hk xx snapback (note only 1 s.hk, the 2nd one knocks them too far away, but the snapback is quick enough to combo off of a solo one, just practice and it comes easy)
that’s like a 3/4 life snapback and I think it builds well over 1 meter, so it’s pretty much a free snapback and you did hella damage.
oh yea, noone ever really tech hits the dc.hk scissor kick throw, it’s VERY VERY quick, so you don’t really have to worry about them tech hitting out of your resets.
also, a little trick in the corner w/ drones
if you get them in the corner and can jump in. do j.d+hk + drones, dash in s.lk (hold back), s.hkx2
IF IT CONNECTS
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dash in w/ oc.hk into infinite (1 rep) into the reset
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dash in s.hkx2 xx cyclone kick xx SOB DHC HSF, dash in s.hk launcher into whatever sentinel combo you want (ill post sent/cykes stuff later, time to get back to work)
IF IT DOESN’T
You’ve been charging back sicne you dashed in w/ s.lk, s.hkx2 while the drones are covering the block stun. as soon as drones pass you, hit forward + hk and cyclops does the ground dash. Drones blockstun will dissipate, cykes (has a constant hitbox when he’s dashing) will grab when the hitstun is gone, you can followup w/ an otg c.lk, s.hk x2 xx SOB and then get them back into the dc.hk throw into drones reset cuz you’re in the corner, so it can’t push them away.
I don’t know why, but it seems like a lot of people don’t roll out of the dashing throw, or maybe it’s not an otg, but a juggle, i doubt the latter, but people just don’t roll out of it. This is inescapable because cyclops dashing throw is ALWAYS hitting when he starts dashing until he starts to stop. You can’t jump out of it unless you jump straight up (risk that 1 frame where you might not be blocking) because the game registers the forward or back motion before the upward one, so jumping u/f or u/b out of it is pretty much out of the question, normal attacks won’t hit it since it’s always hitting, it will beat it out.
If they don’t roll, you just got a free super off the blockchain. I also don’t think you can pushblock it because the hitstun of the drones is long enough that is they push the last one, cyclops still dashes in in time and picks up the hitstun into the throw. I still need to test this but i’m pretty positive.
Cyclops is a REALLY REALLY good character. Just take the time to learn with him and practice a lot. Ive gotten told that my cyclops puts up a better fight than my other characters in certain situations, and this is after the fact that I have a 1 hit, 1 reset kill w/ storm, just like magneto’s. So I think I have a pretty solid cykes. Just practice and you’ll pick him up pretty easy. He’s easy to play, just gotta take the time to learn him and understand how he works. He’s not meant for meter building, even though he does it the fastest in the game behind dan (taunt). And BTW, you build meter faster on the ground w/ cyclops than sj.hk’s. s.hkx2 comes out VERY quickly and builds good meter, if you have drones coming w/ it, that’s more meter, and then you can cancel it into a jab optic blast behind the drones, and toss out an optic bullet after that so the OB picks up the blockstun of the drones.
i think that’s like 1/3 meter right there and it takes like 2 game seconds. It might be more or less, but I know it’s faster than spamming sj.hk’s and faster than storm’s HP’s or anything like that.