Since I completely lost control of the match up analysis thread I started after the site change, I decided I would post up what I had in store for it here since it was just sitting on my computer.
Akuma
In my opinion, this match-up is 6-4 in Akuma’s favor. If your opponent knows how to handle the character, Akuma can shut down many of Chris’s options. He can also approach him relatively safely. With certain assists, Akuma can also deal some nasty pressure involving teleports and overheads, and once he’s in range for a Tatsu, every gun fire and grenade is a risk. Still, if you’re aware of what makes this match up difficult, it can help you make better decisions and properly anticipate what’s coming. Learn to respect and avoid his strongest tools and sooner or later, all of your stray hits/chip will pay off, since his health is so low. Before we get into some general strategy, let’s go over the specifics of Akuma’s moves and how to deal with them.
Specifics
Medium Tatsu: Akuma’s safest tatsu at +3. If they’re using this version, they know this and it will be pretty difficult to deal with.
- Corner: Akuma can only combo from here. If all three hits connect, push block the second hit and get a free cr.M. Generally safe if the first hit whiffs in the corner. There are situations where you can punish if the second spin hits first and you push block, but it’s iffy and may result in a whiffed cr.M. Best option is to push block and then super jump away from the corner in this situation.
- Out of corner: You must push block the first hit, so generally safe as well. No punish on second hit push block whatsoever. No advantage either (don’t throw grenade or guns, another tatsu will beat all).
Spam: If all three hits connect, push block the last one and then neutral jump and fall with an S to punish the whiff. In any other case, push block the last hit and then back dash. Dash in and punish the whiff after the move ends (14 frames of recovery, very easy).
Heavy Tatsu: +1 on block. No punish if last hit connects.
- Corner: You must push block the second and fourth hit to land a cr.M punish, which makes it generally safe since reacting to the second hit is very difficult. Push blocking the third hit will cause the last hits to land, remaining a block string. Same for push blocking the fourth hit. There are some scenarios where you can punish if the first hits whiff but it’s risky and should not be tried. Respect this move when you’re cornered. Push block and super jump away.
- Out of Corner: Push block the third hit for a free cr.M. The timing is tricky but just head to the lab and record Akuma doing it and it’ll start to click.
Overhead: If your opponent is getting happy with overheads, you can always mash throw in between his normal and the overhead. If you’re in block stun, this obviously won’t work, so my best advice would be to try to react to the overhead (watch Akuma intently) instead of guessing when it will come.
Jump Fireballs: Respect these. Akuma is +11 on these and they come out in 10 frames, which is quick if he throws it as soon as he jumps. Chris doesn’t have an answer to this besides dash back Flamethrower, which gives up ground but is your best option. If he’s two jump lengths away, go for a Flamethrower into Land Mine. It’ll nullify the Fireball and then give you some cover. Remember to always push block the Fireballs and if you had an Incendiary Grenade thrown, be ready to convert if he gets hit by it when you advancing guard.
Super Jump Fireballs: This is going to be Akuma’s best approach against you, especially with an assist call beforehand like Drones. If you’re full screen, you can jump and time a shot gun to hit him, but anything closer than that is dangerous. Instead, try to have a land mine down when he jumps. You will still have to block the fireball and assist but Akuma has to block on the way down which means he can’t capitalize on the momentum. This is assuming he uses the Hard Fireball for full screen and the Light Fireball for anything else. Super Jump Light Fireball has a very odd trajectory and covers him very well, so many Akuma players will use this version to gain space. Don’t try to air throw him because the Fireball will prevent it. Dash under air throws can be teched by Akuma as well, but they’re a great challenge if he isn’t calling assists with this.
Teleport: If your opponent is using this, it’s probably paired with an assist for a strong mix-up. Just remember that Akuma needs some normals to connect to make this set-up strong, so keep him out with cr.m to avoid this. Remember to always anticipate as well, it can come at anytime but if you know it’s one of his options, it won’t be as difficult to block.
General
Alright, now that you know the specifics, it’s time to get a little more general. For this match-up, you want to be outside the range of the first hit of Akuma’s Tatsu at all times. Never be in that range unless you have momentum or it can mean trouble. Akuma has no worries doing a Tatsu and beating the start-up of most of Chris’s attacks (8 frame start-up) and plowing through grenades and gun fire. Remember he destroys both of those so be weary of calling an assist and shooting. It’s a good tactic against other characters but with Akuma, a Heavy Tatsu can hit from pretty far away, since Chris takes so long to recover, and it might even lead to a happy birthday. Another thing to watch out for here is the corner. This probably goes for a lot of match-ups but just try and push block and then super jump out as soon as you can. Also, make sure you keep your opponent in check with cr.M if he starts getting dash happy, as Akuma’s normals are awful range-wise. Take the time to get by your Incendiaries as much as possible and try to only throw grenades when Akuma can’t body them with Tatsu, like after connecting a Magnum for example. If you stay aware of Akuma’s Tatsu, this match-up can become easy when you start reading patterns and punishing when you can. Oh, and one more thing, if he has more than one bar, please watch your assists calls. Akuma can snipe out assists like no other, but if you let them try to make a read and waste the bar, you’ll be in good shape. Don’t call assists as you’re tech rolling backwards as Akuma players love to super jump and do a super in anticipation.
As for the assist, there isn’t much to say about it. It’s one of the best in the game and destroys everything in it’s path. If you can plink dash, start plink dashing backwards in anticipation of it to avoid blocking, as it deals some nasty lock down. Also, remember that it’s the Medium version of his Tatsu, so It does three hits. Keep in mind that you can always X-Factor and punish Akuma after it ends. You’ll have to practice the timing but it’s good to use if you see a pattern developing and you know your opponent is going to press a button along with Akuma’s assist.
Super-Skrull (The regular font portions were written by Needlecrash and the italicized portions were added by me)
Depending on how you look at it, Kl’rt, the hero of the Skrull Empire, can give Chris a hard time. Mix-ups, command grabs and the Meteor Smash can give Chris a run for his money. However, knowing how to deal with Skrull will make things a little less stressful for you. In my experience, fighting him from either close or long range makes things easier for me.
I’d say the match-up is 6-4 in Skrull’s favor, especially since he has inescapable command throw set-ups. He can attack Chris from anywhere on-screen, making grenades and guns risky to use, but a lot of his options are also unsafe. Regardless, knowing Skrull’s options in various situation will help ease the match-up greatly.
Elastic Slam: This is his long range command grab and it goes at a 45 degree angle or straight ahead. Be wary of his distance and possibly expect a mix-up. If close, use crouching light. It’s quick enough to stop it.
Also, you should know that his arm doesn’t really have a hurt box, so with the Medium version, it will go through grenades and even Flamethrower at certain ranges. Trading with an Incendiary doesn’t do anything either as the animation outlasts the fire, so it’ll be gone by the time he’s done slamming you. Always be aware of his distance to you and try to back dash away from its range.
Meteor Smash: This goes in 3 directions: Directly in of Skrull, Midscreen and Far-Screen. Depending on the direction, your blocking direction will also change. Keep that in mind. I would block but not punish because the Inferno Hyper may come out. Also, Grenade Toss L will beat out Meteor Smash if done early. If you have a vertical assist, it will beat this out too. Taskmaster’s Vertical Arrows does wonders against this. Also, the 2nd hit of Grenade Launcher will beat this out and Skrull will be hit by the following 2 hits from Chris’ hyper as well.
This move does very little hit stun, so when a Skrull player will X-Factor cancel this move into command throw, you can always do a cr.l and beat the start-up. Cr.m also works but the timing is a little tricky.
Inferno (Super): Best thing to do, if you’re close enough to it, is to just block it. Then, when it ends, punish him when it’s done. If it whiffs, punish with Grenade Launcher or Satellite Laser. Grenade Launcher will beat Inferno. Period.
*Skrull Torch (Super): This move has invincibility after the fourth frame for a bit and can be used as a make-shift Hard Drive on incoming, so time your meaties properly as he can combo off this with X-Factor.
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Death Penalty (Level 3 Super): Satellite Laser to punish. However, the Level 3 hyper might change the direction in which you were blocking. Therefore, pay attention for your location on the screen since the hyper can cross up.
This move will always cross you up if you aren’t already in the corner. Always hold forward if they throw this out randomly when you’re mid-screen. It also hits overhead.
Rolling Hook: This move is quite powerful for Skrull as it can hit foes from full-screen and allows him to get a full combo afterwards. Always be weary of this attack, as it can hit Chris even if you have a Land Mine down. This attack is gold for happy birthdays as well, as it can catch you off guard quite easily with its range. If you know this move is coming, you can go prone and avoid it all together. Just know that he can cancel the move on whiff, so be careful when trying to punish. This move is also unpunishable from anywhere on screen, due to its significant push back.
Brutal Pile Bunker (Air Down+H): This move is going to be the most difficult to deal with, especially after an air dash, where Skrull’s use the move most. Always try to have a Land Mine down preemptively to counter it, although you won’t be able to combo afterwards. Counter-hit Incendiary’s don’t let you combo afterwards either, but they will hit Skrull. Never, and I repeat, never try to react and air throw this move; it will win every time. Just block it and push block.If you don’t push block, just know that Super-Skrull can jump over any counter you attempt, leaving you open to get hit by another one of these. You really have to respect this move when Skrull is range and try to work your way out of by push blocking. The only time you shouldn’t push block is when you’re in the corner, as this is the only time you can punish it with cr.m, although the timing is a little tight.
Stone Dunk (Hold Air S): This move is even harder to deal with than the Brutal Pile Bunker as it’s +21 on block and even if you had a grenade on the floor, Skrull can land and block it. This move will almost always come out of an air dash. If he’s in range for this move, there’s really nothing you can react with. You can jump and air throw him out of its start-up, but it’s risky because if he does a Brutal Pile Bunker instead, you’ll get bopped. You have to show even more respect for this move than the previous one and just push block it as it comes.
General
In this match-up, you want to stay just outside of Skrull’s command throw range. This range keeps you safe from his air dash options as well and can allow you to set down Land Mines, which are powerful against him. Skrull players usually have Drones backing them up (if they’re using him on point) so you have to be aware of the ranges for his Meteor Smash at all times, as Drones will make this move safe. Also, never get too comfortable full screen as he can land a Rolling Hook from anywhere. It should also be noted that Chris is one of those characters that cannot escape Skrull’s command throw resets. This means getting touched by Skrull can lead to death, so you have to really be on your game if you run into a good Skrull player. Also, his launcher is unpunishable by Chris, so don’t wait for him to finish a chain and then try to counter, just push block and look for a whiff. This match-up is leaning towards 7-3, but staying out of the range of his Medium command grab will do wonders for you.
As for his assists, his Orbital Grudge has super armor so don’t be surprised if it eats a Land Mine. It’s probably his best assist, but Stone Smite is powerful in the hands of mobile characters. Its hit box is huge and wall bounces, allowing for an easy confirm. Both of these assists force you to block, but don’t provide too much lock down so it isn’t that bad. Tenderizer assist is usually used be characters like C. Viper and Firebrand, who have unblockables. If you run into this, try getting hit by the assist as it will scale the combo more and makes it more difficult for your opponent to convert.
Vergil (Unfinished)
Specifics
St.H: Very powerful. Fast and can beat the start up of many of Chris’s moves. It also has ridiculous range so footsies are out of the question but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn the range of the move. Cr.M can beat the start up of his St.H in certain situations. It’s rare but it can happen, so be on the look out. Also, it should be noted that this move obliterates Land Mines. The Land Mine will explode but Vergil will be too far to get hit by it. There are ranges where the st.H will hit Chris but won’t set off the mine, and that will result in a hit on Vergil, so it’s good to have them out safely, but never put them out in the neutral game. It can even ‘beat out’ a Flamethrower at certain ranges because the flames never actually reach Vergil. It can also nullify projectiles, in Chris’s case Magnum and all Gun Shots (Shot Gun and Machine Gun will have some bullets still make it through). This is a rare occurrence but if it ever happens, at least you’ll know why.
Helm Breaker: Not too much to say about this move besides respect it. It’s too fast to react to and its range is incredible. Chris’s dash doesn’t lower his hot box much either so dash-unders are pretty much out of the question. If you option select throw, you can dash under it pretty well, but that’s really the only sane way to get to the other side. Something that I’ll stress as much as respecting it is to always chicken block this move, I repeat, always chicken block Helm Breaker. If you sniff one, just hold up back and punish with cr.l when you land. If you’re too far away for a cr.l, you can only punish with cr.m if you jumped rather late and landed quickly. You can kind of feel when you can land the cr.m. Just record Vergil doing it and try holding up-back. If you hold up-back and he doesn’t do a Helm Breaker, make sure you’re ready for an air throw, because either that or a dash up st.l is sure to come. Another thing I should mention is that you can in fact air throw Vergil out of this move, but a rule of thumb is if you’re not in range already for the throw, don’t go for it. You will undoubtedly be hit by it on your way up. This move’s range and speed beat out Chris’s grenades in many situations as well. For Land Mine to connect, you have to be fairly close to Vergil. Any other range will miss him completely. Helm Breaker can also beat out the start up of every grenade, so banking on trading with Incendiary is a tough bet in this case. Even with all this in mind, the number one way people get hit by Helm Breaker is by trying to press a button (usually a light) to stop Vergil’s pressure. As much as it sucks, you have to avoid doing this. If the Vergil player doesn’t have a follow-up assist, you can afford to eat a few Helm Breakers, but if they have one or are willing to blow X-Factor, this habit can be dangerous. In short, when facing Vergil, you just have to deal with it. His pressure game is so good because he can shut down your options safely. It’s tough to deal with but at least you’ll know why it’s so difficult and can develop counter strategies from there.
