Damn!! He makes Makoto look like a Goddess. I wish I had them type of skillz.
You guys saying his opponents are ignorant to what Makoto does are thinking the people losing in these videos are a step behind you in terms of Makoto knowledge. The truth is, they’re a step ahead of where you think they are. All these players have already been through the numerous games where they mashed jab and backdash and reversals and held up, and they’ve all learned it doesn’t work against a smart player.
Just because you don’t see Flash conditioning his opponents in these videos doesn’t mean they haven’t been conditioned, or in this case, educated in Makoto. This was a local tourney. You really think these people haven’t played his Makoto before? When you see people blocking against Flash’s Makoto, it isn’t because they don’t know how to escape her, it’s because they do know what Flash is capable of using to stop those escapes or mashes. You can’t use the same defensive option all the time. Sometimes you have to block against a character with a scary command grab.
But even with that said, the video you guys all watched (Team Flash vs Team Graph) that you’re all saying no one tried to do anything…that wasn’t even the case at all. Everyone blocked at times, and did reversals at times, jumped at times, etc. It was hardly people doing nothing and letting themselves get steam rolled like you’re trying to make it out to be.
Vs Viper
2:17: First post-hayate mixup of the game, Viper does BK which whiffs over Mak’s t.HK
2:21: Viper backdashes away from pressure after meaty Tsurugi
2:28: Viper reacts to the point blank Strong xx Feint, thinks it’s a throw setup and jumps back
2:31: After getting reset from being anti-aired, Viper hits something when she lands and gets CH by s.MP
(Note the whole first round, Flash doesn’t get a single correct read…which is understandable because it is the first round)
–Round Two–
2:52: Flash uses a faster tick into Karakusa and gets it
2:58: Post-Hayate, Viper tried to BK again, this time Flash stuffs it with s.MP
2:58: After being reset by the s.MP, Viper lands and immediately EX Seismos…doesn’t work so well
Vs Vega
3:21: Vega tries to hold back to walk away from the mixup while still potentially blocking high…Flash uses that opportunity to jump on Vega again (Also note, there was basically nothing Vega could do to anti-air him at this angle, because of his poor anti airs. He would have had to react extremely fast with a jump back strong, neutral jump roundhouse, or air throw)
3:23: Vega mashes Jab Post-Hayate. Flash slightly mistimes the s.MP so it trades instead of counter hitting, but still a trade in his favor
3:26: Post Hayate, Vega blocks this time (conditioned)
(Here’s the sexiest part)
3:26: Post Hayate, Flash does s.MP xx Feint, s.MP xx Feint, while Vega is blocking. The third time though, he just does s.MP without the Feint. With the Feints, Vega could have been Jabbing between the Strongs, but without the Feint, since it’s +2 on block, when he finally tries to mash, he gets CH by the next Strong, and dizzied. Perfect read.
3:33: Post-Hayate: Vega blocks again. (Should note, it’s not like Vega has great options in the corner)
3:35: Pretty sure this was a mistake. I’m pretty sure Flash intended to cancel the s.MP that CH Vega into a Feint, but because of the way it hit super late, Flash mistimed releasing the buttons for the Feint, so the Hayate came out insetad (and somehow didn’t combo?)
–Round Two–
4:04: After the c.MP xx Feint, Vega tries to walk back again, like he did off the first mixup in the first round (and what you guys were saying no one was doing), and Flash reads it perfectly and hits with t.HK.
4:07: Vega backdashes on wakeup
4:08: After having just backdashed, and not really gotten away, Vega now commits to blocking. Flash reads, and ticks into Karakusa.
4:13: Still blocking. Flash reads right again.
4:15: Still blocking. Flash reads right again.
Vs Blanka
5:14: Post-Hayate Blanka tries to jump and gets hit with a c.MP
5:15: Blanka blocks a long string
5:31: After having blocked for so long before, as soon as the first gap comes (after the Makoto c.LP), Blanka mashes c.MK (lol?). Flash uses the opportunity to jump in again.
5:32: The jump in resets Blanka out of the air, and when he lands, he’s still not blocking and gets hit by the meaty s.MP.
5:34: Execution error by Flash, causes him to whiff the Karakusa, which would have fit, because Blanka finally sat still after getting hit twice in a row. You can see the Blanka sweep he hits with is clearly delayed, because he was trying to block intiially.
5:44: Post-Hayate Blanka EX Rainbow Balls away.
–Round Two–
6:33: Flash correctly reads that the Blanka will try to block since he’s already mashed so much, and gets a tick into Karakusa.
6:36: Post-Hayate: Flash reads wrong and thinks he’s still going to block. Instead of does Rainbow Ball for the second time.
6:38: Flash does a random c.MP xx Hayate, which I’d have to think is an execution error, but I’m mentioning it because notice how the Blanka blocks the c.MP but gets hit by the Hayate. He was clearly holding up here (aka: he was not going to try to block).
6:39: Post-Hayate: Blanka jumps back
6:45: After a hit Kamoto c.MP, Blanka jumps forward (lol? Still not attempting to block)
6:55: After the beefy knockdown combo, Blanka does EX Rainbow Ball for the third time to get away.
–Round Three–
7:34: After the level 1 focus, Blanka EX Rainbow Balls away from the mixup again.
7:36: Blocks a random c.MP xx Hayate (so maybe the first one wasn’t a mistake?) but he’s holding back so hard to try to walk away, he doesn’t even take his free punish.
7:38: A lot of execution errors, but Blanka actually trying to block now
7:42: After having just blocked the previous string, after getting reset out of the air, Blanka mashes something and gets CH by Makoto’s Jab. This scares him into getting hit by the Karakusa.
So there you go. If you think these people were doing nothing but block, I don’t know what to tell you. Like I said, the thing that’s causing these people to actually block sometimes is because they are so familiar with Makoto’s potential, not the opposite.
I hope I’m not coming off like an asshole or anything, and I know you guys specifically said you weren’t discounting anything from Flash’s or his Makoto, and you weren’t even saying the players were bad, only potentially ignorant to Makoto. So it’s nothing heated or anything, I just wanted to explain why I disagree with your assessments, especially because I know first hand that what you were proposing isn’t the case at all.
Btw, in case you didn’t realize, only two of the videos from that tourney were linked here, but there’s a bunch more with Flash playing if you want to see more Makoto play. Option-Select.com youtube
I disagree, because of your choice of words. Makoto has a better mixup from her feints. Viper has more options from her feints. In other words, after feinting, Viper can do a nearly limitless number of things, but almost all those things are relatively not-scary, and fairly easily defendable. Makoto only does a small number of things, but they’re all relatively scary.
Thanks for the insight Ryan.
Makes a lot of sense.
Also, I love watching you play against Flash on the stream.
@ Ryan, my post was meant to be sarcastic, I know that the people flash has been playing against including you have fought Flash Metroids Makoto plenty of times and obviously have tried doing reversals against him. And I saw posts discrediting his success with Makoto by saying his opponents were not skilled enough or ignorant to how to fight Makoto. I definitely wasn’t trying to imply his opponents were bad although it might seem that way from the way I worded my post lol.
also thanks for the match breakdown
Yeah, thanks Ryan.
Again, for the record, I have not been dissing FM or even his opponents…I hope it was never coming off like that. Rather I’ve been expressing my confusion at what element I’m missing in the whole situation. I really enjoy having all these great matches to watch. Option-select has quickly become one of my most visited websites.
Great post, Ryan. Thanks for the breakdown.
this reads as a “shit i need to look awesome on the internet lets pretend i was totally being sarcastic the whole time.”
Lol seriously? maybe if you read the rest of my post when I said
‘‘But even then I’m sure even people who didn’t know how to fight her would eventually start doing reversals and owning flash’s Makoto. Honestly I think there’s a little more to it than that, Flash is amazing at adapting to the opponent, whether it be using F+HK to catch a back dash or training them to block.’’
clearly I’m stating that it’s flash’s ability to play Makoto that is getting him his success rather than his opponents ignorance.
Way to be a douche though, even if I didn’t say that there is no way you would know whether I was or was not being sarcastic.
Also your post pretty much reads as ‘’ I’m going to try and look cool on the internet by calling someone out on something when I’m not completely sure what they meant in the first place.’’
Wait, so knowing what Makoto is capable of is worst than ignorance? That’s friggin’ awesome!
After reading the play by play from Ryan (thanks for that by the way) and re-watching the vids again myself, it’s apparent that Flash simply outplayed his opponents (which you have to do with Makoto in the first place). They made the wrong decisions at the wrong times and all paid for it. So it wasn’t ignorance as much as it was they guessed wrong or just straight up made a mistake.
They were aware of the holes in offense but at the same time were aware of how each hole could possibly be bait. Yomi, lol.
Started actually playing Super again and realize it’s rather easy to get people to respect you after you force a few whiffed DPs via backdash or whiffed (command)throws via iTsurugi into pain. I honestly think the key are the usage of Hayate feints. Abusing Hayate feints make it a lot easier to get people to respect your possible baiting, lol.
I’m done being a negative nancy, lol.
Great post, Ryan; gonna rewatch all the vids with Flash with that in mind.
Anyone who thinks that the answer to Makoto is something as simple as “walk back” is ridiculous…lol that is all =D
i wish my Makoto was as good as that…i never do hayate feints…i’ll try to incorporate that into my game when i get my stick but it’s to rough on the d-pad
“… MP hayate - dash - 63214+HP+MK”
Could someone show this input with arrows? I don’t seem to get the whole numbers thing.
Look at your keypad. It’s a hcb.
I don’t get why people show inputs as numbers tbh.
:mp: Hayate - :r::r: - :hcb: :hp:+:mk:
Ah, I see. Could some kind soul explain what each number represents? I know there are 8 directional inputs, and I don’t see, mathematically, how 63214 could be qcb. Because… if 6 is f. 3 shouldn’t really be down f. … right? It should be 67812… or am I missing something?
Also, if this is the case, wouldn’t HP + HK be just as good an option? Or does that equate to a taunt instead of the OS…?
it’s number pad notation
789
456
123
:ub::u::uf:
:l:–:r:
:db::d::df:
that backdash / neutral jump OS is pretty cool but you better have balls of steel to dash into their face 'cause you’ll be at -16f if they decide to just block.
Look at your Keyboard. Look at the Numberblock on the right. Now take a pencil and paint a halfcircle begining with number 6 over to 3, head up to 2 etc.
Here you are.
Sorry for my english 
Ah, I see…! That actually makes perfect sense. As a laptop user, I can also see why it passed me by. Thanks alot…! To Mantachen as well. 