That “Dan the Nightmare” dude who won EVO 2K3 recently beat the best of France, winning a French tourney solely with Raph.
Give raph players some time, we’re trying.
lol, everybody acts like Raph never wins, yet Gojira’s been winning with Raph since the game came out. Give credit where credit’s due people.
lol, that whole team didn’t know shit about Yunsung. Hayate rushed them the fuck down because of it. Good shit.
nighty is a scrub character. w3rd
:fury:
yall wanna win wit skill play my home girl xiang
Dude, I went to EC5 and you weren’t there!!! It broke me heart.
i be at evl fo sho. i dumped the yo man though hes scrubby too everyone and their moms use YO in so cali. xiang is not easy to win wit specially when you going up against someone like aris who just whore out horizontals and spacin :fury:
I aint’ a pro, but I sure as hell aint’ no damn scrub
It's not like I really use Nightmare. I just play him for shits and giggles. I think that if I'm gonna play a character just for fun then I might as well try to play him the best I can. My main bitches are Taki and Ivy. Maybe Taki aint all that great, but thats why I got Ivy. I use Voldo from time to time, but as Zig said it's just to damn hard to get hella good with him. Not to mention I use a little of everyone so I have no problem with playing X, Cassie or Asta every once and a while. I may not be as good as you guys, but I aint no scrub! :bluu:And Nightmare 'aint no scrub either 
Nightmare is for real. He’s serious.
What exactly did you mean by that? You werent’ very specific to who “HE” is, and what you meant when you “Nightmare is for real”. Did you mean Nighty is “A SCRUB CHARACTER FOR REAL” or what??? 
He means if you take Nightmare players for scrubs, then you will lose. So take him seriously.
I paly SC2, have not had much time to play it competitively, tho.
I use Xianghua as my main, and Mitsugrugi and Talim on the side.
Oh yeah, and feel free to post strats, tactics and other stuff for these characters if you want to, people. I really want to get better at this game. 
What is the tier char for this game? Is there a giant difference between any of the tiers?
Yunsung sucks ass, Maxi kinda sucks less, and everybody else is above them, really. Good luck finding any two people who agree on tiers from different areas.
If you want to get better then go to pSoulCalibur.com
Read the previous pages of this thread, Zig broke it down. OR check the site above for more information.
What about Cassie???
I also use Cassandra, but over the last pages I forgot to mention that. Where does she stand? Randumb thinks shes easy and scrubby,but I think thats a huge load of bullshit. Everyone says that her sis is better, but I dont’ really care because I aint’ really a big fan of the console version.
does anyone have any good strats for astroth.
See Zig for Astaroth strats…
Cass is hella good. She and Sophie can take X down hard if you play your cards right, which is a major bonus. She’s an extremely well-rounded character, but I find she takes a lot of thought compared to others. A lot of good tools to work with.
Whether or not she’s better than Sophie, I don’t know. Mick thought Sophie was better at last year’s Evo. Then he told me at EC5 that Cass was better. But then when asked who he thought the best character was, he said either Sophie or X, so, uhm, yeah. They’re both hella good. If you like one, you’ll like the other.
Sophie has a major edge damage-wise, but I think Cass has a better command throw and is generally more versatile. Sophie’s a bit easier as well, but I’ve always felt her poking wasn’t as good.
As for Asta stuff, I guess I’ll just repost my long-ass strat posts from an older thread, hehe. Prepare for a reading.
WARNING!!! REALLY FUCKING LONG!!!
Asta is a pretty simple character. I’d compare him somewhat to 3S Makoto. You guess right, you win. You guess wrong, you lose (generally in a pretty horrible fashion). He can be hard to win with, as he’s not that good when it comes to guaranteed damage and punishment. He’s all about theoreticals and forcing them to guess, but it’s something he’s very good at.
Pros:
-Best throws in the game, hands down. Some would argue Yoshi has a better overall throw game, as it’s easier for him to set his up outside of GI, and he’s a better character in general. But on a per-throw basis, Asta’s are superior. Plus, his throw game is immune to jump as an option select, thanks to his air throw being just normal B+G. While the air throw isn’t a lot of damage, it’s consistent, and puts them at a set distance, allowing you to plan accordingly.
-Strong ring out game. While Asta lacks the sheer RO power of Yoshi and Nightmare, his heavy weight is quite useful, as it makes it easier to push people around, while making him harder to move to some extent. Weight differences are most evident in push-out and when using advancing and retreating guard (AG and RG, respectively).
-Arguably the best post-GI game in SC2. While this is in part because he’s the one character who actually needs GI, his strong throw game and emphasis on mixups make GI the ideal tool for him. What’s great about Asta is that post-GI 2G (or G2) is useless against him, and he can still force you to re-GI. Once you start re-GI’ing, he can punish you for awesome damage. If you insist on using 2G, you’ll be eating a lot of 50/50 throw mixups. At worst, he still gets around 30%. At best, he deals 50-60% or more.
-Strong overall damage. Asta doesn’t have the best damage, and his post-block punishment isn’t that great. But his throws fucking hurt, and he hits you hard if you duck at the wrong time. Plus, he has one of the most damaging anti-jump moves in the game (more on that later).
Cons:
-Large size. A lot of people think Asta’s step sucks, but his step is actually quite good. The problem is his size. Asta can sidestep just about anything, but he frequently has to know when it’s coming. Passive step can be risky for him in certain matchups as well, as he can be forced into a frame trap where step isn’t an option. Step can be useful for him, as his post-step punishemt is actually quite damaging, albeit a little slow. But in general, you won’t want to rely on it. Ironically enough, GI is a better option for him most of the time, even though it guarantees nothing.
-Speaking of step, Asta isn’t that strong against it in general. His best horizontal would be A+K, but it has crap range. Otherwise, he kinda forces you to block a lot, but not much else. His strong mid-attacks are mostly linear, and throws don’t have that great of tracking in general. That’s part of the reason why he needs GI, 'cause step isn’t a problem in that situation. Against characters like Ivy, Cervy, Yoshi, Xianghua, Sophie, and Nightmare, this can be a major problem, as they all have strong post-step punishment.
-Risky overall play-style. Asta is kinda self-contradictory in his design. He wins by pushing throw/mid mixups, and the safest place to push those mixups is post-GI. But GI is fundamentally risky by nature. He’s also a bit lacking when it comes to versatility, so you have to have damn good mind games in order to win consistently.
Bread and Butter:
66B
This should be your main mid attack. It’s fast, has excellent range, hits mid up close, and will pretty much smash through almost anything head-to-head. It’s also your main punishment tool. While the base damage isn’t great, it really adds up when you add in bonuses from hitting crouching opponents and counter hit modifiers.
This move can also be used for “reverse” mixups, when you’re at a disadvantage and/or after being knocked down. In that kind of situation, you and your opponent both know there are certain options that you can’t interrupt. So, because they know you know, they might go for something that’s NOT uninterruptable, but would be likely to hit if you just sat and waited.
That’s where 66B comes in. Because it’s so fast and breaks so reliably, it’s an excellent choice for when you want to take a risk and hit them when they don’t expect it. In other words, you kinda force THEM to guess whether or not you’ll take a risk and try to out-guess them.
This can also be done with GI and throws, but 66B is generally the best, thanks to the range and strong damage on counter hit. Obviously, this approach is VERY risky, and you don’t want to abuse it, as it becomes a lot less effective in the long run. But it can make them a lot more cautious to attack you in an ideal situation, and that makes your life a lot easier.
66K/33_99K/FC 3K
Bullrush, possibly his best overall move. It’s safe on block, does decent damage, is a great ring-out tool, and is a very reliable tech crouch. The evasive properties are great when combined with its already decent speed, as there aren’t that many horizontal mids fast enough to beat Bullrush in a neutral situation. In fact, passive step->Bullrush is a very solid strategy for Asta when you want something safe and reliable.
There are 3 types of Bullrush, all of which can be charged. 66K is actually the one you want to use the least, as it has the worst tracking (not sure if FC 3K has better tracking, but that has a different use, which I’ll get to later). However, what makes 66K worth using is the G cancel for the charged version. You can G cancel 66[K] to throw post-GI for a very hard-to-read fake out, as the move can be canceled so late into the animation. You can even buffer to crouch throw if they duck, go mid, or not cancel at all and just let the Bullrush hit.
33_99K is the best overall version, thanks to its strong tracking. Plus, it’s easily accessable from 8 way run, making it a good post-step punisher if nothing else is fast enough, and/or if you’re using step->Bullrush to beat both verticals and horizontals.
While not his best post-duck punisher, FC 3K is the most reliable. It’s also good for a quick ring out if you duck a high near the edge.
As mentioned earlier, all 3 versions can be charged. 66[K] and 33_99[K] both launch behind Astaroth and have guaranteed followups for massive damage. 33_99[K] is the best, as the fully charged version does more damage than 66[K], and you have more reliable followups because it leaves them close. FC 3[K] has a different knockdown effect that supposedly gives you a guaranteed 22B, but I’ve never gotten that to combo reliably. I’ll need to check whether or not there is any major difference between FC 3K and FC 3[K], but considering how there is no significant difference in speed, you might as well go for the charged version.
Post-66[K], the best followup is a quick turn-around to 22B. You have to be pretty fast, and it doesn’t always combo, unfortunately. But it’s still a lot of damage. You can also get 4** and B+G (air throw), but that requires a very precise distance on hit.
Post-33_99[K], air throw is the best damage from anywhere on the stage. And it’s a lot, just over 50%. However, if you want excellent wakeup, go for 4**. It still does almost as much damage, and it leaves them right at your feet. However, you must delay the 4** to get maximum damage, and to avoid hitting them mid-air. If you fail, they can recover early, and you’re at a disadvantage.
Of course, none of this matters if their back is to the wall. Off either 66[K] or 33_99[K], you have two disgustingly damaging options. The most reliable one is Poseidon Tide (PT), or 214A. Should it hit, they’re losing around 60%, and it just looks awesome to boot.
Then there’s 22[K]. While a tad bit unreliable if the angle is weird, it’s still fairly consistent off 33_99[K] (can’t remember if it works off 66[K], I should check). Should it hit, the opponent is stunned, and you get a guaranteed 22B for an awesome 70% damage.
Long story short: Bullrush kicks ass.
4B
This is Asta’s 2nd fastest attack along with 66B, both of which come out in 15 frames (his fastest attack, 6A, is 12 frames). This is generally your best close-range move, as it tracks a decent amount, and knocks them down on counter hit. Thanks to the way it hits, it’s a great way to stuff someone’s attempt to get in on you with a slightly slower attack, or if they didn’t get it out in time.
This move is also a good substitute for Bullrush and 66B as your main mid attack in certain matchups. Bullrush is slightly slower, and 66B is linear as fuck, so 4B is a generally safer, albeit less rewarding, option. In addition, it’s great for wakeup, as it’s extremely reliable for hitting grounded opponents.
Finally, you can charge 4B as well. If blocked, you get a TON of frame advantage+forced crouch, so it’s a good mixup situation, or to force them out. While it’s slower than normal 4B, just mix up your timing to keep them from interrupting you. On hit, 4** also knocks down, similar to counter hit 4B.
214A
PT is one of the best moves in the game, hands down. While its use has dwindled over time as more effective counters are discovered with other characters, the move’s properties are such that it will always be a staple of Asta’s arsenal. Sometimes, you’ll use PT a ton. Sometimes, you won’t use it at all. This move is all about mind games, and rewards you greatly for it.
PT has a small but noticable tech crouch window on startup, allowing it to duck high attacks, provided you time it corrently. But you can also move while doing the move. This means you can duck highs AND sidestep, all in one motion. You can also move backwards, a very effective option when combined with RG that is often overlooked by mid-level players in my eyes.
Should the first hit connect, PT shifts to an attack throw that deals a little over 30%. This makes step->PT a very effective tool for Asta, provided they don’t have a strong anti-step/sideways PT option that can be used passively. Because it’s a mid horizontal and covers 360 degrees around Asta, you will almost never whiff with PT if they don’t have time to recover and block or counter.
After the first hit, each individual swing deals only 9 damage, for up to 5 swings total. However, the latter swings all combo on hit, so you can still get some damage from it on hit.
On block, PT is punishable, but this is where you need to be smart. If you vary both your movement and the number of swings, you can limit their ability to punish you. They can GI the 3rd swing, but that’s a pretty risky option considering how you can usually move out of GI range, then move back in to hit them.
Unfortunately, some characters can punish PT pretty easily, especially if the player is good at recognizing when you stop spinning. But as mentioned earlier, this isn’t really a move you can abuse. Rather, PT rewards you for knowing what they’re going to do.
On a final note, PT is awesome against jump. The attack throw off the first hit connects on airborne opponents (hence why PT juggles are possible), and does full damage, making this an outstanding anti-jump tool.
B+G6_B+G4
Asta’s command throws are the basis for his entire game. Without them, he would be utterly useless, and his GI and ring out game wouldnt be much to worry about.
Asta has 4 throws off B+G: regular B+G, which is worthless; B+G air throw, which automatically connects on jumping opponents and tech-jump moves; and the two command throws mentioned above. The reason Asta’s command throws are so good is because he has both an A and B break with an 8 frame window, instead of the standard 13 frames.
B+G4 is a B break. While the throw itself doesn’t do much damage, you have guaranteed followups for great damage. 22B is the best overall followup, giving you around 87 damage, or just under 40%. Sometimes, the damage reaches as high as 91 for some reason, but 87 is the most consistent.
Another followup is 4**. It only does a little less damage, and gives better wakeup. Unfortunately, 4** still pushes out a bit, so if they eat a followup hit like 4B and roll away, they’re usually safe. However, when near a wall, 4** is awesome. While 22B leaves them just as close, 4** has much faster recovery, allowing you to immediatly pressure them.
The other followup to use is 66B for ring outs. The damage is low, but that’s not what it’s used for. The timing is a little hard, as you have to hit them mid-air and you can’t buffer it. But 66B gives you the best ring out range. If you’re right next to the edge, you can use 6K instead for an easier followup.
B+G6 is an A break. While it does less damage than B+G4+followups, it still hits them for a “mere” 68 damage, which is well above average, and leaves them right at your feet. Unless they do anything, they’re left off-axis, so 2A pickup is not possible unless they sideroll. But if they want to avoid that, they have to either stand up and block, or eat a free 4B. Training someone to stand back up into another throw is both damaging and quite satisfying.
That’s basic Asta. Next time, I’ll type up some stuff on less critical but still useful moves, plus some stuff I personally like to use.