Will we get to match-up tips in this tutorial? Because that’s something I could contribute with.
Specific match-ups were going to be the one thing I was going to leave out because that’s a lot. I’m going to give some general tips for the neutral game, and probably a few specific match-up tips against common characters (like 
cube is nice against Spencer and Nova, small stuff like that). It will definitely be the most important part of all of this, so help is always nice :). Good thing dok has a very solid neutral game, one of the best with assists IMO, since it is so adaptable, as long as you don’t have to block much. Very similar to Magneto or Morrigan in that regard. After this tutorial is through, I was considering writing up match-ups against every character (it’s summer, not much going on, I’ve got time, especially since I’m doing this during finals week >_>). We’ll see if I’m motivated enough to tackle that beast later, since you have to take into account that this is a team game. I probably will eventually, since discussing all of that should level up everyone’s dok gameplay.
Right.
Let’s see how it goes.
Yes I do remember that. It was a pretty long time ago. Unforuntetly I haven’t been online in a while because of some internet issues. Good times, good times.
P.S: I still stand by my opinion that mystic ray is freaking cheap as hell.
Hey LTP you wouldn’t happen to have a decent ender extension when you have Sentinel drones and doom missles on your team would you?
Haha, okay, okay.
Here’s by general BnB. I’m too lazy/tired to write my corner combo lol. Whether or not you have your groundbounce/wallbounce at the end only slightly change the ender… the basic concept is the same.
cr.:h:, IAD j., dash, st.:s:, air series, dash over and call missiles, cr., st.:s:, (slightly delayed) sj., sj., sj.:s:, missiles otg, :l: bomb, :l: bomb or :l: cube if you can (not easy from full screen), :f::h:, :l: bomb or :l: cube, call drones, :f::h:, blaster, drones hit, dash, (jamming bomb or 2 :l: bombs), :f::h:, IAD j.:s:, :f::h:, ender
Also, doing :f::h: and drones, :l: blaster, (ground tech), dash, cr.:h: over whatever else works as a decent reset, especially when they are jammed (if you can get one in instead of the :l: bombs after the missiles otg). You can time it so that they un-jam during the drones, so it can be really hard to deal with.
Thank a million dude. I’ll get to practicing right away, and when you feel like it you could post that analize cube combo with these assists but that’s only if you want to.
Went back into the Dok combo thread for my old corner BnB. I’m trying to find a more reliable variation, and it’s the first combo in my little dok video. I realized afterwards though that it is very character specific, so I have to find something better. Sentinel isn’t much of a character I’m interested in anymore (mostly there to deal with online bs), so I might be a while before I figure out something better.
[media=youtube]JQuMuCv8f_8[/media]
Dok corner combo (5 cubes)
cr.:h:, jump cancel, (j., j.:h:, :l: cube)x3, call drones and j., j.:s:, :l: cube, :l: bomb, backdash, call missiles and :f::h:, :l: cube, :s:, j.:l:, bomb, IAD j.:s:, cr., :l: blaster, HPB, cr., :l: blaster, HBR
Nos put a better variation of this combo in his Science video. If you want a visual for a close variation of my BnB and this corner combo, check out 8:55. [media=youtube]VuGZQ4q7OUo[/media]
Alright, I finally got around to making some edits. More info on the jamming bomb is provided, as well as the grab section. I also added sections on max damage and cube corner combos in the combo section. I also added a title for another future section that discusses XFactor with MODOK.
Here’s part 7. Let me know what you guys think! I’m also thinking of splitting up the video tutorial into each of these sections (or into groups of them, like the first 3). I’m thinking of recording them soon on shaky cam as a prototype of sorts, and perhaps later get them captured with sound and better quality.
7 – Hitconfirms/Blockstrings
To put our combos to use and understand MODOK’s mixups, we must first understand MODOK’s hitconfirms and blockstrings used to apply pressure and get a hit in. It is important to note that MODOK’s hitconfirms and blockstrings are far more situational and specific than most other characters, who can usually get away with chaining their normals any way they wish.
First, I will give you MODOK’s basic blockstring/hitconfirm against grounded opponents. This blockstring is: [cr.:l:, st., cr.:h:, jump, adf, (j.:l: or j. )]xN. This works against most characters, except for the very small characters, which give MODOK a lot of trouble, which cause his light and even medium attacks to whiff in a lot of situations. It is easy to start this blockstring from any aerial normal. If you get this blockstring to hit, you can easily transition into your BnB. Note that if they don’t block cr.:h: low and you do jump, adf, j.:l: afterwards, you can simply follow up with st.:l:, st.:s:, into combo. Just be ready to cancel into :l: blaster or :l: cube if they pushblock.
This next blockstring is similar and easier to confirm off of, but can take away for wallbounce early. This blockstring is: [cr.:l:, st., cr.:h:, :f::h:, jump, adf, (j.:l: or j. )]xN. This is easier to confirm if any part of the blockstring hits, since the j.:l: or j. will usually whiff is the :f::h: hits.
It is also good to note that these blockstrings can be started off from the following powerful and (in my opinion) underused hitconfirm. This is simply super jump up, add(f), sj., cr.:h:. With MODOK’s few lows, it is rare to make the opponent block from high to low quickly (and right back into an instant overhead), just know that the sj. must hit very low to the ground for cr.:h: to combo. This is also one of the better (and few) ways to open up smaller characters besides simply fishing for a hit with sj.:s: and bombs.
This hitconfirm works against grounded opponents and works excellently for starting the blockstrings notated above. This hitconfirm is simply: super jump, add(f), sj., jump, adf, j.:l:, cr.:l:, st., cr.:h:, etc. This works extremely well for applying pressure and confirming into a combo from a longer range. Similarly, you can do: jump, adf, j., dash, cr.:l:, st., cr.:h:, etc.
The another hitconfirm against grounded opponents that I shall give you goes like this: super jump up, addf, sj.:s:, cr., fly, adf, j.:l:, into basic grounded blockstring. Once again, if this hits, doing st.:l:, st.:s: after j.:l: allows you to go into your BnB. This gives good pressure options if the sj.:s: is blocked, and if the sj.:s: is pushblocked in the corner, this sets you up for an unblockable against some characters.
A similar hitconfirm goes like this: super jump up, addf, sj.:s:, fly, sj.:h:, unfly, j., dash, cr., into combo or blockstring. If your sj.:s: gets pushblocked and sj.:h: ends up whiffing, you are unflying right away anyway and can make your next move from there. Doing adf instead of unflying seems easier, but it does not automatically take into account this pushblock situation.
If you simply want to keep addf, sj.:s: relatively safe, doing a grounded :l: cube works perfectly, since it is safe on block and you can combo afterwards on hit.
Hitconfirming against aerial opponents is a bit trickier. When at normal jump height, you usually want to try doing: st.:l:, cr., cr.:h: into combo/pressure. This is the best anti-air since it is quick and cr. propels the opponent to the ground. st.:l:, st., st.:h: can work, but it floats the opponent higher, making it hard to convert off of in some cases. Using a :f::h: at the end makes following up easier in that case, though it uses your wallbounce. In the rare case that you can use :df::h: as an anti-air, you can usually follow up by doing: jump, aduf, j.:s:, into combo. If you hit this in the corner, you can try doing: jump, adu, j.:h:, fly, j.:h:, adf, j.:h:, cr., into combo. If for some reason, your opponent jumps into an cube, you can follow up with dash, st.:l:, cr., cr.:h: into combo. You can also combo cube into itself multiple times.
At the super jump height, a basic confirm is either sj.:l:, sj.:s:, add, into combo, or sj., sj., sj.:s:, add, into combo. It is possible to save your groundbounce by doing sj.:l: or sj. after add, but it can be difficult to follow that up for a full combo. If you want to try squeezing in a little extra damage, you can try doing sj.:s: after add, before the first sj.:s: groundbounces.
The space between super jump height and normal jump height is tricky to hitconfirm into a combo, but it’s possible. One confirm is sj.:l:, fly, sj.:l:, sj.:s:, into combo. The other is: super jump up, addf, sj., super jump up forward, sj.:l:, fly, sj.:l:, sj.:s:, into combo. These are difficult to pull off, but they are doable. It is possible to replace the fly with an adf, which is far easier, but it hits less consistently. It’s good to adf instead against larger characters.
Good stuff as always. For the AA m cube hit confirms you can m cube dash cr.l into a full combo or just m cubex2 or 3, super and you can add assists for more. Or fish for hits/lockdown by doing assist~cube into your normal blockstrings (good against AG too cause h cube is the perfect distance). That goes for both m and h cubes. Anti-air hitconfirms I use s.l or cr.lxn, cr.m, c.h into the normal bnb. super jump confirms are spot on, but it might be worth mentioning you can save your ground bounce if you tag them during the add with m or l,m into normal bnb pretty difficult, but not impossible. Can’t wait for the rest!
Thanks for the feedback! I can’t believe I didn’t think of using that anti-air lol. I think I tried doing it a while ago, but for some reason, it didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. Perhaps it was in a slightly different context. Anyway, that definitely should be the go to anti-air. I’ll add in the rest of your comments soon as well, along with fixing some of my spelling mistakes and whatnot (it’s making my eyes bleed).
Standing or cr.l, st.m, h, airdash j.m into the bnb works too. Standing m does hit higher than cr.m so there definite merit in that one too. Another siuational aa is just placing an l cube. If they attack even if you get hit you can combo off it(barring ground bounces and staggers) with cr.l, cr.m, cr.h, bnb. With just doom assist and a dhc you are well over 900k which is a good trade.
I love this thread. Not sure how I feel about the name, but I think I just became a Brodok.
Nice write up LTP. One question, do you think the midscreen cube TAC combo is practical? That one makes the corner up and down TACs feel like doing a hulk day 1 combo.
this thread is awesome, keep up the great work brodoks.
Yes, awesome indeed Brodoks. I’ll try an add some goodness when I’m able. I’m working on some cube tech now!
Okay, so I made a few changes. I edited in some better hitconfirms and fixed some grammar stuff. For the combo section, I added a quick paragraph at the end regarding relaunching small characters and Dorm in the corner. Also for the next section, I split it up into 2 sections, one for mixups and one for resets. Honestly, organizing all this kind of stuff was a bit awkward, since hitconfirms, blockstrings, mixups, and resets are all somewhat similar (ie. incoming mixups act a lot like most resets, blockstrings are pretty much hitconfirms, mixups are partially based off of your hitconfirms/blockstrings, etc). I’m sure there will be some stuff missing in these parts collectively because of this.
Anyway, here is the next part. Resets should be coming up soon! Along with the neutral game… that should be interesting.
8 – Mixups
First off, I will say that MODOK’s mixups are not derp good, like the inherent ones granted to teleport characters. You have to find out what your opponent will or will not do, and exploit their weaknesses. Do they like holding up back? Do they like mashing buttons? Are they content staying grounded and trying to block? Do they like mashing throw on the ground? Do they like mashing advancing guard? Have a variety of mixups to throw out and keep cycling through them until you find something that works, then remember to use that mixup more often than not until they begin to block it. Then you can bait them into thinking you are using that mixup, but then do something else that counters what you are baiting them to do.
Another quick thing I’d like to mention is that with select assists, MODOK has little need for mixups. Why? Because MODOK has a self unblockable. Getting in close and calling a powerful lockdown assist is an easy hitconfirm or an unblockable setup. Once they are locked down, move to the distance where cr.’s edges will touch your opponent’s feet once it hits the floor, making it count as a low. Fly cancel cr. and dash forward with either j.:l: or j. for what is essentially an unblockable.
So what if they like holding up back? There are two main options you want to be going for. The first is going for an air grab. The second option is the use cr.’s persistent low property in your favor. Since jumping has some startup where you are standing, you can be hit low. cr. on the ground will then hit the opponent when they land, giving you a free combo. Combining the two of these strategies is particularly devastating, and should also be used as your main reset. When the opponent is jumping in the air, do cr., fly, adf, air grab. If the air grab is teched, do j. as you fall. This causes j. to hit when the opponent lands in cr., making this a very hard to escape unblockable setup. This is also good to go for when an opponent is advance guarding an assist in the air.
What if they like mashing buttons? Use frame traps and abuse the great hitboxes on some of your normal. A very simple one is: jump, adf, j…:l: or j., jump, adf, j.:l:. cr.:h:, jump, add(f), cr.:h:, etc, works decently as well. Another one is: jump, adf, j., cr.:h:, etc. A really good frame trap is: jump, adf, j., back dash, st., since this beats mashing buttons/throw. Simply staggering your blockstrings work too. These strategies work well against people mashing throw as well, just keep in mind that you must not get too close.
What if they are scared to do anything and sit on the ground blocking? This is great, since you can go for more throws. One setup is: jump, adf, j.:l:, jump, adf, j.:h: (whiffs), forward throw. Another setup is: jump, adf, j.:l:, wave dash and assist call, forward throw. Also, try mixing up what you do after a cr.:h:. You can either go for the instant overhead with j.:l: or j., or you can go for another cr.:h:. Of course, you can also try going for a throw attempt after cr.:h: as well.
What if they like mashing advancing guard? In the corner, these two strings beat advancing guard, and almost do outside of the corner. The first is: (jump, adf, j. )xN. The second is: (jump, addf, cr.:h: )xN. Add in some assist calls to get some pressure going. The nice thing about the second one is that it hits low, combos into itself anywhere, and can transition easily into your BnB. Just to reiterate, you can use the unblockable setup against opponents using advancing guard in the air, especially against assists. Otherwise, like the mashing buttons/throw scenarios, abuse your normals’ hitboxes and use frame traps to bait the advancing guard.
Always remember to use your assists to aid with your mixups and pressure. See how they can contribute and can help put you in a better position once you get your opponent to block something. Also, remember to throw in some cubes and barriers in your offense. st. is plus on block, so throwing that out there along with an assist call and chaining that into a barrier is great for setting up pressure. At midscreen, :h: cube goes directly to where your opponent will pushblock themselves to, so throwing that out during the middle of you blockstrings along with an assist call works great as well. Similarly, calling assists in the corner while doing cr., cube shuts down a lot of options for your opponent, especially when they are behind a barrier. :l: cube is also good to throw out in case an opponent is jumping in on you, since you will likely be safe with the trade and may in fact allow you to combo afterwards (think of it as a miniature version of Dorm’s flame carpet, except that it doesn’t disappear when you get hit). Cubes are always nice to throw in with assists if you can, since cubes are safe on block.
Before I conclude, I will mention some incoming character mixups MODOK can perform. At midscreen, an easy setup revolves around placing an :l: bomb just under where the opponent’s next character will spawn. From there, you can dash under or not for an easy left-right mixup, or if you notice that the incoming character has some air mobility, you can catch them trying to dash away by doing :df::h:, and following that up with: jump, aduf, j.:s:, into combo. In the corner, you want to get creative with your assists, as well as use cube, since cube goes directly on their spawn. Prepare for the cases when they get hit, block, and pushblock. Limit their options as much as possible and try to make them eat an unblockable.
As an example, this is my basic incoming character setup in the corner with Eye of Avocado. It is: cr. and Eye of Avocado, cube, dash, react. If they get hit, they fall into the Avocado for an easy (though heavily scaled) follow up into KO or jamming bomb. If they block, they fall into the Avocado and I have all day to find the perfect distance to do cr., fly, adf, j. or j.:l:. If I notice they try advance guarding the Avocado at the end in order to stay up in the air to avoid the unblockable, I can go for an air grab… which leads into the unblockable if teched. If they advance guard the cube, the dash forward nullifies that effect, and they either fall into the Eye if they have no air mobility or I can try going to the unblockable air grab setup.
Yes, yes, a hundred times hell yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is so good. If I knew where you live I would freaking kneel to you ( not really but you know what I mean).
I’m of the belief that anything is practical, it’s just a matter of whether you are willing to put in the time and effort to get it down and know how it works. I would probably never learn it myself though, since pretty much all of my teams have dok on point, and if he isn’t, the point character has easy corner carry combos. Even if I didn’t, it would be very rare for a midscreen side TAC to dok to happen. From a strategic standpoint, if you are going for midscreen TAC’s as a part of your main game plan, that alone is a problem. Knowing the side corner TAC to dok is far more useful and easier imo, especially since most people will usually be guessing up or down, since they are far more commonly used. I’ll update the combo section with my side corner TAC… once I lab some more and get it down more consistently.