^^^^I’m just messing with you man. But I guess I dont realize how big XBL really is. I play this game pretty faithfully and besides SJV I have only seen Eggo in videos and I have never heard of John Rambo.
And by no means was I trying to say I am part of that group. Besides we are all yoga brethren here.
^^ No worries. I thought it was my bad. Most often, I swing by the forums when I am at work. I reply to topics in between everything going on at work… Sometimes, some pretty incoherent sh*t gets thrown down. :lol:
Yeah, it’s too bad those guys don’t play on XBL. I’d love to see them play.
I would love to see those guys again. However, with the inabilty to find a consitant version of ST to play at EVO that would make everybody happy (God knows they try!). I don’t think I’ll have a chance to play them again. I can’t imagine them flying out to play HDR. Though, it would be blast to see them play it.
Oh trinity of Yoga masters, I have a question;
Blanka,
Fuggin Blanka.
At 3/4 to full screen, I can deal with him, however, if I make a mistake, and he gets a safe jump lk, oh boy, it turns out like Honda getting in my face.
I know I have 0 anti air options at this point, if im razor sharp, I can teleport out, this is risky though, even if I get out, I still get tagged 50% of the time.
Now, I have been able to throw after the lk being blocked, but honestly, it happens so sporadically that I have concluded that it is due to the Blanka player messing up, and not me finding a sweet spot. (Question #1 IS there a sweet spot? If so, what is the best stick position for this to work?)
Of course, taking the hit then counter throwing is another option, however, I have a great deal of difficulty doing this with Sim, im not sure why, I can do the exact same thing with Guile and it works, is this not a viable option with Sim, or am I just not quick enough?
So, Safe/Meaty jumping lk setup (Face bite/4 hit combo 50/50) what are my best options?
Also, jumping FP works well against some of Blankas jump ins, as well as standing MK, I can usually make a Blanka player turtle up under pressure, I just have to have a definite answer to this continued pressure if they get in.
Any ideas?
dont let the modest man fool you, fatboy has a beastly sim
poison: i will gladly play you anytime, then you can learn who i am :lovin:
There is so much that can go into replying to your post. I think it is best to break it up…
Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
So, first thing is first. What are the most common mistakes you are making when Blanka breaks your zone?
Maybe I am wrong, but I feel we should address that before we discuss the rest of your post.
[Shameless self promotion]
PS. Have you watched this… [media=youtube]N87lC1P3voc[/media] .
I have been told it helps ppl, or at least it is entertaining. (less the spelling mistakes!!)
[/Shameless self promotion
lol, very nice vid, good stuff.
Ok, well #1 seems to be me getting too predictable with FBs and him getting a knock down, then the pain begins.
And #2 is if I get caught with any ball, he is close enough to break out the jumpy antics.
I did notice in the vid a trick I do not use all that much (and perhaps I should use more) low mp arms, I will try to get more of those in (on landing), they seem to get him back on his heels.
However, I noticed in the vid a bunch of Back + MP antiairing, now I have failed with that one several times against Blanka, usually its a far jump in with Roundhouse, whats my best grounded anti air for that? (of should I just default to jump back FP?)
I noticed a lack of drills in that vid, I have had some limited success drilling Blanka out of balls and jump attacks, is this a good or bad idea in the long run?
That video is hilarious. Cleanse the dirty rat yoga master.
Can you explain this further? What do you think you are doing to make you fireball patters to predictable?
Do you have an algorithm in which you choose to use certain fireballs?
If you don’t have algorithm for fireball usage, think about your game play and think about what your default Fireball is? ***
I.e. Some people like to throw LP fire ball b/c it stays on screen longer can can be combo-ed into. When in doubt what fireball do you throw out? 
Let me know. It 10.05 here (PST) I have to get some stuff of my desk before I can get anymore out. But, don’t worry. There will be a good break down soon. I think it should help. It taken me quite a while to put it all together.
Until then, take some time to post answers those questions. Chances are others are having some of the same issues. That way we can help everybody out.
As always, thanks for listening to my opinions. :pleased:
[whoring]
PS. You can do me a favor, I promise working on some great stuff. We can trade! Can you help train my brute? Goto: http://scrotumismax7.mybrute.com . Create a character and give her a fight! Please! 
[/whoring]
Well, at full screen I usually use FP FBs to keep them crispy, with the occasional Jab FB to mix up the timing, my issue is at 3/4 to Half screen, Blankas jump is so fast he pretty much gets in on reaction, and the jumping roundhouse has crazy range.
I usually get hit by this uber range jump, then the up close antics can begin.
^
Would a fake Yoga Fire be a viable option to mix in here? Duck and stand back up with a quick :lp: or b+:lp: to bait a jump?
Well, yes, however the jumping RH from Blanka seems to beat my ground anti airs clean (I of course could be missing a timing trick here, but it has been a serious frustration for me) a “fake” to walk back and cr. mp (long) has a pretty small window (the step back out of range takes time) to hit but it does work.
Im experimenting with the “fake” to a jump back FP, not sure how thats gonna work out yet.
[quote=“AudioCG, post:471, topic:50715”]
Well, at full screen I usually use FP FBs to keep them crispy, with the occasional Jab FB to mix up the timing, my issue is at 3/4 to Half screen, Blankas jump is so fast he pretty much gets in on reaction, and the jumping roundhouse has crazy range.
i’m no expert and haven’t played him long but here are a couple of things that help me when blanka breaks the bubble.
i use the jab fireball more for spacing at all distances and the fierce to break up blanka’s timing. for me this doubles up my attacks in the medium range where he is likely to get hit by the slow fireball or a limb when he comes at you. if he takes the hit for one; he takes the hit for both and risks the dizzy when and if you followup your attack. makes him think twice about jumping n and gives you an advantage for the moment. if he blocks one; he blocks both and gets pushed back out. prevention is first and foremost.
when he gets in; i sometimes drill (forward or rh); walk under/n2; or slide under/n2 his gap and attempt to grab. this is highly risky but blanka is in anyway. this can throw him off his rhythm but you get punished severely if you whiff. if you’re both in the air and you drill; you land first and get the grab when he whiffs his air attack. walking under is almost a guaranteed grab. walking n2 is a lot more risky; but can catch him off guard. the slide is the same way. he’s n the gap and it’s in his advantage but you can make the situation fifty-fifty by going offensive.
if you get a noogie; you give him a taste of his own medicine. you can noogie trap because he’s still out of rhythm n wondering what’s going on; slide n2 throw; low forward-low forward fireball; or slide/drill low forward-low forward fireball. because of your grab/throw you’re technically still in command even though he has the spacing. low fwd-fwd fb pushes out a little n hurts if connects. dizzy possibilities. the throw forces him to start over if he doesn’t tech. if he techs; i do a flame because most blankas you’ll meet online jump right in after they tech out of your throw. jab fb is safer because some will charge a ball after a tech throw; wait out your flame n then give you one to the face.
also; learn the hitboxes for sim’s back jab; strong and forward because they are all anti-airs if he’s right on top of you.
hope some of this helps.
krimson
Hmmmmm, upon further investigation, I have determined a few things.
#1 I FB too much at half screen (safe jumpins break my face)
#2 I try the wrong anti air against certain jumpins (I fail at back + jab too often)
#3 I am not very good at catching jumpins with the low mp or fp at all
#4 I dont know what I need to do to slide a jump in consistently (on my to do list)
Im ok with my long kicks and stuffing there, and I have moments of awesome with drill-in combo pressure.
It seems I really need to buckle down and figure out my plethora of anti air options, and when is the correct time to use what.
#1 I FB too much at half screen (safe jumpins break my face)
this is where you mix up with the flames if he’s still attempting to get in; or start using offensive tactics to break up his rhythm if he’s already “in”. if he’s just getting n2 the half-screen distance; you can slide in an upwards yoga flame for example. if he’s half-screen and jumping straight up; he has you where he wants you and is baiting your attack. you can jump back and anti-air if he attempts to jump in. you can fireball after jumping back if he didn’t jump in to try and break his charge; or just start walking backwards and bait the ball as well as create distance.
#2 I try the wrong anti air against certain jumpins (I fail at back + jab too often)
me too. start using these anti-airs against everyone until it becomes second nature. i’m not there yet; but getting better.
#3 I am not very good at catching jumpins with the low mp or fp at all
i don’t use these much. luck reaction most of the time. i think they work against the ball but the standing anti-airs work better for me. prolly at a higher level of play these would be good to use but i don’t know because of lack of experience.
#4 I dont know what I need to do to slide a jump in consistently (on my to do list)
practicing sliding against jump ins against the shotos. their jump isn’t as quick and aggressive as blanka’s. i’m not sure since i haven’t paid attention to it; but i think you should see their attack before you go n2 your slide. your slide should be a delayed or late reaction.
and if i haven’t said so; be able to super on reaction. i’m still working on this; but once you catch a blanka with it; it makes him much more wary of rushing down and makes him second guess his game.
noogie
krimson
Ok, sorry I just got back from a Business trip. Sorry for the late reply.
I am happy to see you looking at your play style, that is the first step to understanding the game play.
#1 You are spot on about throwing the FB to close. When Blanka is at 1/2 screen, use normals, to poke an push away.
#2 Back Jab is not a best choice AA against a jumping Blanka, many of Blanka’s moves will trade. Depending how close he is and what jump-in you think he is going to use, you best options are DB+LP, B+LK, B+MP, JB+HP, or slide under and throw from behind.
#3 Think of it as a trip-guard sweep. Two quick rules of thumb: If they are jumping in with HP, they’ll hit your extended limbs. If they are closer than 70~75%of the screen when they jumping and use RH, they’ll your head when crouch down to extend the arm.
#4 The slide is not meant to hit the jump, it is ment only to go underneath, and them throw from behind. You can’t AA slide his jump-ins, unless he whiffs them REALLY early in his jump.
What should you generally do at the start of rounds and what are some good block strings to zone aggressively?
Edit, this is for start of rounds, forgot to say that
Its different for each character but generally I do 3 things
Jump back against
Honda (and throw out mk if necessary), Zangief, bison, vega (jump straight up and react)
Walk back and wait for opponent (crouch block if neccessary against
ken, guile, deejay, blanka, fei long, cammy, sagat(crouch blk)
Possibly try an attack against
Chun(cr. mp), Dhalsim (RH slide), Balrog (cr. mp), Ryu(delayed c.mp or st. RH), Akuma (same as ryu) T-Hawk (Upflame)
In reality I do alot more opening attacks, but that is dangerous. I like to throw a flame on ryu and akuma once in a while bc they usually open w a dp to punish limbs.
Let me know if you agree w/ this guys. it seems to work for me most of the time
^^ These are a great questions.
Sims main weakens in ST/HDR is that he has a tough time getting attacking opponents to stop their momentum. Then if he is able to do that, he has to chase them down to knock down some of their life.
Higher level play with Sim can honestly take the just about the whole round to win. So you want to be really picky about how you decide to start your round. One knock down can lead to a very quick death if you are Sim.
You statement can really be broken down into three pieces:
What to do when a round starts?
What are good block strings?
How do I zone aggressively?
Be sure not to overlap the ideas of block stings and zoning. They are very different things. I think it is best to answer your questions backward b/c I feel that the way you asked part of your question shows you may the incorrect mind set when playing Sim.
What do you mean by ‘zoning aggressively?’
To be honest, I never see Sim as an aggressive zoner. I see him as a patient and controlled player. True as you get better with Sim, you can tighten your timing of specials an normals so seem at though you are playing quickly. But Fire Balls only travel so fast, characters only jump so fast, block stun lasts a specific amount of time. Sim only needs to be where he is supposed to be in the games own time. Not any sooner, not any later. Don’t force him (or his limbs) into any space where he doesn’t need to be. Just like pieces on a chess board, the fireballs and limbs only need to be, where they they need to be, when they need to be there :xeye:… LOL… You get my point. If you move to soon, you expose yourself in ways you may not have intended. Remember, Sim’s only invincible attack is his super. Any other time you choose to attack you expose yourself to the possibility of damage.
Playing to fast with Sim leads to a quick death. When I play against other Sims with other characters, I wait for them “to aggressively zone” me and then I am ALWAYS able to score a knock down. They leave to many holes in their zone I can always squeak in or gain a knock down.
Here is an example:
If I am Cammy I will gladly lose half my life to score a knock down. I follow it up, with an ambiguous C/U short > Cr.mp >Cr.mk> drill for a dizzy. Then jump in with Hp>HP>RH drill for a GGPO. But, I can can only do this if the Sim gets to predictable with his play…typically through aggressively trying to zoning me.
Have to get back to work…
I’ll get to the block string question with in the day.
If you can, I’d like to hear more about what you mean to aggressively zone. I may have misunderstood you and how you define the term. Somantics… you know how they can go… 
As always, I am certainly no expert. So I am not sure if this will help you. But, thanks for listening to my POV. :china: