So I guess this is might be more of a rant helping me vent then it is a plea for advice.
The situation:
Game: KOF XIII
I’m new to KOF the series in general.
I’m getting use to it, but extremely hard adjusting.
I love the game.
I’m not new to fighting games.
I’m currently practicing with a friend every other two or three days for about 2.5-4 hours each time.
I try to be as aggressive as the game lets me.
My current team is Kyo, Clark, Daimon.
Now here comes my rant. I love versing this guy. I also like watching him play because his style is very strategic and interesting to watch. His style is very very counter based. And extremely passive, with very little offensive strategy. Similar in some ways to an original KOF style. The only time I can manage to make him slip up is if I put full pressure on him. He actually has managed to memorize my style to a “tee” and will literally wait for me to throw the first move so he can counter it. This gets me very down at times and actually makes me play worse. Now I feel like the normal answer to this situation is try to be unpredictable, and in very small but strategic ways I am. But I still feel like he knows what I’m going to do. What should I do, how do I get the most out of this situation?
(Main Questions)
What do I do about his style of play?
What should I be doing when we’re practicing?
And how do I make practicing with this guy fun, enjoyable, and overall a good learning experience?
Should I re-submit this post differently if so how ?
This doesn’t seem like a KOF-specific problem, really. If everything you’re doing is being countered easily, it’s probably because you’re trying to be overly aggressive instead of playing much of a spacing/neutral game. You should avoid rushing in recklessly and also vary your methods of approach. If your opponent is relying on using unsafe moves like counters and DP’s, you just need to find ways to bait these things out, like using empty hops against counters or skirting the range where his DP could hit you. If he’s just waiting for you to jump in and anti-airing, attack from the ground instead. Mix up between hopping and running/walking in, and make use of your poking and zoning tools before committing to any risky offense. Kyo, for example, has a decent fireball and some good pokes (standing D and crouching D come to mind), so make use of these until you find an opening. Similarly, figure out what tools your other characters have that are useful in a neutral situation and work those into your game. If you start making use of more of the options available to you, it becomes much harder for your opponent to be able to predict your actions.
If you want to know anything specific about KOF XIII, there’s a pretty good chance that you can find your answer on the SRK Hyper Guide, so check it out.
Your definitely right on all accounts. My neutral game and my basics are garbage. That is probably why I’m so predictable and easily punished. All I do is try to meta and learn block strings. Back to square one for me. Thanks for the advice.