Haha I saw what you did there…and I liked it!
I don’t play on psn anymore (my optimal stick is for it but the lag is too much) but does ald_1 still play he was one of the best on psn.
What happened to chemistren82? beastly geif. Wax taylor wasn’t bad either. Uber cyber zangeif from AE days AKA uber cyber ryu was good but haven’t seen him in a while.
Mirror matches do have value, I agree that they dont determine who is the best ryu online or whatever, however it seems as if a lot of time has gone into discussing and analysing specific match ups for a given character, but has any body spent any time and written a guide or discussed the do and donts for mirror matches?
It’s funny you mention this, because I don’t think anyone has. Maybe that’s because it’s assumed that if you use a character that you know their strengths and weaknesses so you can come up with a strategy from that. For example Zangief Vs Zangief ultimately becomes a game of footsies, because you know that most attempts to attack Zangief directly end up in an SPD. You can’t zone with projectiles, so you have to rely on yourself having better mind games and spacing. I tend to suck at mirror matches, but 'Gief mirrors aren’t too bad for me.
Ken mirrors are horrible. It’s weird but I’d rather fight Vs Ryu (when played right is a harder matchup). I think that’s because I know how dangerous Ken is all round and maybe give the opponent too much credit and miss out on good chances for fear of getting reversed etc. Maybe it’s just because the majority of Ken players don’t have a strategy so it forces you to play reactively. Most times I am scared to do anything because of how erratic most Ken players are.
I can see how a gief mirror match would be a mind game intensive match, simular to guile v guile. If you have 2 experienced guile players against each other usually the first mistake leads to a loss, its very hard to win a guile mirror match if you have even slightly less health than the other guy. To the outside it may look like both players are just constantly throwing booms, but the guy who mistimes a boom usually loses the match. A crital factor of guile v guile is ur opening move, most guile players open with a boom, but some will do a fierce flash kick which goes through the boom, however the crital thing is do you guess if the other guile player is gonna do a boom or is he gonna do a flash kick, that early decision can cost you the match.
Zero, would you consider zangief to be a tough matchup for zangief?
Not really. You are a bit limited in how you want to play, simply because you wouldn’t usually try and crossup Zangief or go for a tick SPD (because you can bet they will be mashing for a reversal SPD in which case you come worse off). Zangief by his design, needs to get in close to do any significant damage, so in a mirror match, it’s a risk to go near him. You are both reduced to doing small damage and just trying to widen the life lead.
He doesn’t have the luxury of doing damage from far away like projectile characters or Dhalsim, so his best options are low roundhouse, stand forward or lariat. These are his moves with the largest range and will let you do damage out of SPD range. You feel limited in the match up, but not like it’s difficult. Sometimes the matches can go to the wire, or if you gain momentum you can win rounds with 3/4 life left if you simply out play them.
As both characters have a lot of stamina, you generally have a little margin of error.
I think mirror matches are probably going to be diverse as the characters themselves. I think the only potential bitch matchup would be Dictator Vs Dictator. Has mad attack power, dizzy potential and lockdown, but has no real reversal. I think someone made a comment earlier about dictator matches being whoever gets knocked down first generally loses. I think Boxer mirrors are also similar due to his reversal not being the best.
Similarly, I think defensive characters’ mirrors tend to be difficult too, eg Honda, Guile. You want to sit there and react to and punish whatever the opponent does, but since they have the same strategy as you, you would both end up sitting there doing nothing. All you can really do is throw out somewhat safe moves or pokes (kind of like Zangief’s mirror). As you say, it generally boils down to whoever fucks up first, or whoever does something clever or unexpected. It basically ends up in trying to gain a life advantage and hang on to it, or widen it.
I dunno. Mirror matches don’t serve any purpose in determining who is the best player of a certain character. All it would potentially do is prove who is the best at that certain matchup. That may or may not mean that winner of said mirror has greater knowedge of that character, but it’s knowledge of the other characters too which makes a good player, that knowledge that allows you to form strategies.
People apparently have never played Claw vs Claw aka worst matchup in history.
I like watching blanka mirror matches, find them very entertaining as a spectator.
Blanka mirror matches always start out slow and then get crazy. The key is avoid being very aggressive at the beginning of the match. This is because of the high probability of being countered, resulting in a knock down and follow up with bite/shock/headbutt shenanigans. Empirion will murder you in mirrors if you try to come out swinging. I’ve learned to be more patient at the beginning of mirror match thanks to him. The guy has awesome counter skills.
Wrong! That would be Honda vs. Honda. I set my alarm after the match starts in case I dose off.
LOL.
Im going to have to disagree with this. I believe Claw vs Claw is one of the easiest mirrors in the game.
^^^^ lol…
i hear claw vs claw is 7-3 in claw’s favor.
we’ll see about that. the thing is i don’t play sf4 so i don’t know how i feel about going to naptown clash at this point just to play in an 8 man side tournamen when last time i went there was like 40 (?) people there for hdr and it was worth it because I made enough to cover the expensive ass all day parking at circle centre mall. On the other hand i haven’t been to indy for a bit so i’ll consider it. Last time I realllly wanted to go but couldn’t make it which for whatever reason pissed people off because you KNOW people wanna get at me in that game for real. Hopefully I can beat royalphlush if he manages to make it out to the tournament but I’m going to have to play my absolute best… maybe then it’ll be easier to just acknowledge me as the best. But yeah i’d be down for a mm some time… i’d be willing to play anyone in the country in this game for money without even thinking twice about it.
As far as entertaining mirror matches go, Cammy mirrors are fun, lots of flying around, things happening, people falling down, its all really quite entertaining.
Well I hope you come down to Indy, I would love to meet you and play no matter what.
You need to come out for So Cal Regionals and gimme dat money!
I need to come to socal regionals to take your money!!! Hate hate hate 
Was that meant to single me out? 
Man if I find it boring to fight Thelo and his E Honda with Blanka I can’t Imagine what Cammy players have to go through…
I might have to go to the next Naptown clash now, not very far away at all…
LOL.