I couldn’t pick up Nu. If I did, I know that every morning I wake up after playing Nu I’ll look in the mirror and say “Who do you think you are? Where do you get off?”, punch the mirror angrily and then cry quietly, holding back my sobs as I spam D.
I can relate.
I’m SLOWLY learning the Haku-Rach matchup. Still fucking terrible.
What I’m trying to do is learn the matchups enough that I don’t have a tremendous disadvantage against the top three (like I currently do). I’ve gotten lucky and beaten the top three. I don’t want it to be luck anymore.
That and I can’t think of a character to pick up that isn’t Nu, Jin, or Noel. Not one that I want to play as, anyway.
Since I also main Rachel with Haku, I’ll offer what I know.
Now, a good Rachel will generally have one of two play styles, the first of which is to keep you spaced with poles and pumpkins. Frogs will depend on the player since you can just stomp those, so they may not bother. Once you get in, Rachel will attempt CH 6a or 6b, or perhaps j.3cd. 6c if they’re being cocky.
What you need to do is catch them off-guard, or counter their strings by IB’ing if they’re prone to keep going. A typical string will use 5b 5cdc with 6a, 3c, and poles added in. If they’re foolish enough to bring a frog out at the end of one, hit hard.
Second type of play style is rushdown Rachel, which relies less on pole zoning and more on getting in with overhead j.2cd, pumpkins, and catching you with 6a/6b CH. I find rushdown harder to play since you have to be on the ball at all times. Watch for when Rachel summons the frog mid-combo because the timing there is tight. Not much to say here other than getting used to Rachel’s mix-up, blocking, then punishing.
Naturally, I’m assuming you’re not up against top players. The above is probably only valid up to intermediate bordering on advanced players. Finally, abuse 3c, and practice IAD’ing in safely by timing when a pole comes out, or after the Rachel electrifies her poles. Haku vs. Rachel is all about finding the holes in her fortress, then raping her brains out because she has shit defense.
Vs. Arakune, now… Fuck. As best I can tell, you swing around with C, and if you get in a hit, burn up those magatama. Learn which of Ara’s stuff is unsafe on block, then punish that. No IAD’ing here, just straight jumping/hopping and hitting those clouds with C. If you get in a 6c CH, and you have 8 stars, do:
6c (CH) -> Renka (1) -> Zan -> 5c -> Zan -> 2c loop (8k+ dmg!!)
Because that stuff does twice as much damage as a simple 6c into super, and you want to HURT Ara. But the trade-off is that the 6c -> Renka is a tight frame, so the guaranteed super might be the better idea. Best advice I can give here.
Finally, Nu. Just check out the match-up thread over on Dustloop in the Haku section. Can’t give better advice than that.
I love it
Expert advice on Hakumen vs Arakune
“Swing around until you get a lucky hit in, and then abuse his special linking”
lol, that’s very sad but true.
That’s why I don’t mind the Arakune matchup so much anymore. I’m still terrible, but I’ve gotten the retaliatory jabs into my game more, so I can punish obviously unsafe-on-block shit. Especially when they want to abuse that crawling-head thing.
I still have no landed a D-Counter in an actual match, though. I can’t seem to learn the timing.
D counters have tricky timing. that’s just a matter of seasoning yourself to the timing of it all. Even then, still tricky stuff.
Bad idea.
really not tiring to me a dick but arakune’s are easy to me. when they put on the self cloud. you know there going to teleport behind you. jump backwards until you stretch the screen. when he finally teleports, you jump up and counter grab there ass. then do what hakumen’s do best. when they are above you most likely there going to dive bomb you 2C is really good for this and jumping at his flower curse and insta blocking into a dash helps to. this is just how i get around there annoying asses.
and if your going to counter pick but not be to oblivious, user jin . 5D messes with there plans something fierce.
the combo meter in these matchs turned Dark red a lot, like your opponets didn’t know how to tech or something. but after 214B in or near the conner you and 2C instead of 5B, more damage and more stun. and barrier guard a little less
Yes, very bad, Kune is Tao’s worst match-up by far.
Bell bug + Cloud > Tao
Yes, I’ve been trying to play her against some Arakunes and that didn’t go so well. **** I can’t catch a break against that ****ing burning sack of ****. ****.
But that aside, what the hell, I can’t 41236 C > C > 236A on Noel? I knew I couldn’t do it on Carl, or at least assumed anyway since he’s so small, but why not Noel? Am I doing something wrong here? It would seem extremely arbitrary (and complete bull, like Haku needs something else bringing him down) if that combo didn’t work on Noel for some reason.
^ Some chars.’ hitboxes are weird like that. Same way a 3c will whiff a downed Nu with Rachel when you clearly see it hit her feet.
Just do Zan -> 236a instead.
i was messing around and found out 2C works if there close enough. then you can go into basic aerial BnB.
You might wanna add that appealing to a higher being while playing against arakune is also a good idea. Sending a prayer to God, or vowing that you will kill many an infidel if Allah bestows a boon upon you in your match seem to work pretty well too.
Luckily most of the Arakunes I’ve gotten online are pretty scrubby, so waving around the sword and then linking everything I got seems to work pretty fine. Every once in a while though…
EDIT: Another thing, who should I try to learn to counter pick Arakune that isn’t Nu? Taokaka is predictably not working out so great, and I get so pissed off when some Arakune just lands his curse and proceeds to just mash buttons and more curse until I die.
I don’t think Kune has a counter character that isn’t Nu
-_-;
IMO, Jin or Rachel
Jin because he’s VERY solid, and has the tools to deal with Kune (DP’s, j.B is nice, 2D and 5D are good as well)
Rachel just because she’s top 3, so she automatically has a pretty good shot against Kune
would kune really be that much of a problem if they made his clouds not curse on block. i’m mean come on now the idea of block something and still being virtually screwed either way is kinda ridiculous. he would be placed at mid tear and everyone one would go back to v 13 
who is becoming overly predictable as a collective group.
it would still be annoying. i want it so clouds don’t do any hit/block stun so i can do a kamikaze attack, or when they’re on the other side and throwing out a cloud, i can actually hit 'em out of it instead of getting knocked down by a cloud…
and it’s still stupid that arakune gets 6c loop which is 5k+ AND a recurse from a low poke. and from 5b. and 6a. and 5d. and j.d. and from dive cancels if already cursed… :
oh and from 2c RC.
No curse on block would be a god send. The cloud not hitting you and just sort of ‘casting’ the curse on you begins to teeter on a little too much, but I would welcome the change.
But anyway:
So I after 2D pop up I usually go into C-> 236A -> 632146C if I have the meter. However, sometimes when I pop them up they are out of range of my C that swats them back down. I’m sure this has been asked before, but what exactly is causing this? Does it only pop them up in range if you counter a low attack and not an attack you can block with mid? Did I counter them too far away? And does 2D -> work on everyone or is it exempt like on Carl or something?
im fairly certain 2d doesn’t suport a 5c… after a 2d i just do 6c-shippu. i think you’re thinking of 5d.