I shouldn’t be losing to dumb luck in the first goddamn place. If I didn’t lose to dumb luck and mindless mash tactics throughout Elena’s life cycle well up until Ultra’s point, then I expect to continue doing so on what is basically the most played FG on the planet right now. But lo and behold, this game has managed to turn this bitch on her head in the most ridiculous ways possible because some asshole decided to mesh a massive collective of characters, each with completely different playstyles based on their respective game’s playstyle, from several iterations of SF and hope all the balancing pans out.
And if you haven’t watched the replay, she’s reset out of her EX Mallet the same way you AA someone out of the sky with any high reaching, standing normal. She was clipped out of the sky from a crouching short. I’ma say it again; that is bullshit, and it will always be bullshit so long as Mallet suffers from low attacks.
For real, why are we even using 3S Elena as a benchmark for how her moves should be when:
3S and USF4 are completely different games
3S Elena wasn’t even that good to begin with and most of her non EX specials were pretty bad
3S and USF4 are completely different games
I mean, if Sean gets added as DLC, would it make sense to treat his 3S incarnation as his benchmark and if certain moves are better in USF4 than in 3S it’s somehow not right? Should Yang have invincibility removed and hit box reduced from his dp because it was a shitty AA in 3S?
EDIT: went to the lab to test her MS after getting thrown out of it late into its animation for the third time in USF4 and it seems like the moves airborne frames are indeed broken. It seems that on certain frames during the time that the move should be airborne, it ceases to have any airborne frames anymore and thus she can be thrown. This may tie into the move randomly losing to jabs/shorts/forwards at times, as it does go over and crush lows on certain airborne frames…just not all of them.
I’ve seen MS go over fireballs before. Yet the move
What you’re bitching isn’t an issue. I’ve seen non ex MS go over projectiles. Yeah the ex lost to a random low short. However you shouldn’t really throw that move out there like that. The power of ex MS comes from confirms from cr.mp into full combos.
Elena cannot be thrown out of the air. She can be thrown on the frame that Mallet Smash hits and not a frame sooner. Throws always win trades so she gets grabbed.
She can also be thrown before she jumps, but that’s mostly irrelevant since the move doesn’t get used from that range.
Elena does not get “clipped out of the sky” in the video. She gets hit because her foot is there.
Gen’s cr.LK cannot hit her at all until the exact frame shown here:
It would be nice for these frames to crush lows but it’s hardly a priority. Aside from the worthless LP version, Mallet Smash is good enough already. It’s her other moves that need fixing.
Also, I’m only talking about 3S because I find it hilarious that someone who won’t shut up about the game is obliviously complaining about one of the few things that is basically the same.
So planning on learning Elena. Going for the easy aproach here, since my Execution leaves much to be desired.
My general gameplan will be keep away, with ocasional diving in. Good Buttons for this is sHK, Slide, FA, sLK, fMP, fMK and cMP bufferd with either Lynx Tail, Spin Schyte or mallet smash. Mallet Smash can be good to get a combo started aswell. Just Dashing in and either throw or mash cLP seems viable to.
For AA sMP and EX DP seems best. cHP, sMK, sLP and cMK are other more situational ones. But sMP should handle most, exept godly ones like Vegas jiHP and Balrogs jiHK.
Hit confirming is kept simpel with cLP. Either 2 or three followed up by either MK DP or MK Spin Scythe. I should look in to a way to combo in to EX Lynx Tail as well for the posibility of U1.
Big Combo is cMP xx LK Rhino Horn xx EX DP.
Easy combo that can be done on crumble or after HP Mallet Smash (forces stand).
Well Thats where I’m at now, just need to learn to pull it off.
Any other simpler things that i missed that can be worth considering?
To expand on that a bit more, H Lynx Tail FADC has different timings depending on whether the first hit of Lynx Tail is blocked or not.
You generally want FADC the first spin (second hit) and input the dash as though it is going to hit. Keep the FADC held down after the dash input.
First hit not blocked = Dash comes out:
If you see them standing up, HP xx H Spin Scythe or HP xx MK Lynx Tail for a ton of damage (except Dan/Blanka).
Otherwise you can do a safe cr.MP combo or a difficult st.HK combo.
First hit blocked = Dash doesn’t come out. Two options:
Input another dash. If they block the second hit then you’re at +5. If not then you get a combo.
Let go of the focus. Charging to Level 2 will combo if they got hit by the second hit of LT.
If you FADC in the second spin (third hit), you’re risking that hit simply whiffing due to shitty hitboxes, and you’re not at as much of a frame advantage afterwards (neutral on block).
(Edit: First or second hit can also whiff from the tip of its range. Try to do it close enough that both hits will connect, and definitely avoid doing it at a range where the first hit connects and pushes the opponent out of range of the second hit. The second hit needs to connect or it’s a waste of 2 bars)
H Lynx Tail FADC being +5 on block means you can use it to set up a guaranteed chip kill.
e.g. st.LK xx H Lynx Tail (FADC) cr.LP xx M Scratch Wheel
tldr; LT FADC is fast, safe, and potentially leads to a ton of damage. If you have lots of meter just do it. Especially if the opponent is looking scared of overheads.
I would say that if your execution leaves much to be desired, you should probably look for another character.
If you can’t link 1 frame links into 1 frame links into plinkable 1 frame links into EX cancels into 1 frame links into 1 frame links into plinkable 1 frame links into special cancels consistently, you aren’t going to have a character who could even be considered top of the bottom tier.
Yea. It has the best AA hitbox. I tried it in xT when it lead to 200 damage but it was outclassed. Since there aren’t many alternatives it’s probably better to try using it for a week.
ya, st.hp although it has a bad hitbox for grounded opponents and is slow it does surprisingly well in certain MU’s. I still think it’s by far the best AA to use in the Rufus MU. His jump is slow and st.hp tends to catch a rufus player divekicking or simply jumping due to its slower startup.
