Well I’m no expert on the match up, but here’s some of my thoughts on it.
Close Range:
The Good:
This is where Laura shine’s in this match up. Birdie does not have any 3 frame normals which means at +0, he has to respect her st.lp. Since st.lp is +2 on guard, this also means that st.lp, st.mk or st.lp, st.mp can be used as frame traps. And since st.mp is +3 on block that means st.lp,st.mp,cr.hp can also be used a a two chance frame trap at the right range. You can also mix this up with st.lp, mk.SunsetWheel, as again, +2 on guard st.lp means 6 frame SunsetWheel will beat his st.lk or similar 4 frame normal clean. You might want to use lk.Sunsetwheel if your not sure about the distance, but mk definitely works at point blank after a blocked st.lp (I’ve tested in training), while I’ve not been able to get hk.SunsetWheel to land. Of course you still have the usual st.lp,st.lp,lp.bolt hit confirm as well.
The Bad: Birdies command throw does beat both yours, and your normal throw, at +0, as its only 5 frame start up, so use throws up close when not at advantage at your own risk, but that doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, part of the beauty of her normal advantage of him at this range is that if he does respect it, you can then mix him up by throwing instead. Still, just be aware that they are a pretty big risk as just about anything Birdie does short of blocking at this range is probably going to beat any of your throws. Also be aware that unlike Laura, Birdie does have an ex move thats armored from frame 1, ex bull horn, so he does always have that as an option, but its worth noting that Laura’s st.lp completes in 12 frames, while ex bull horn has 15 frames of start up, so if both are activated immediately at +0, you still have time to block, and ex bull horn is -19 on block. He could potentially use it during your frame traps, but its a negative edge move, so atleast he can’t really mash it out, and if he isn’t frame perfect, st.mp after a +2 blocked st.lp is 15 frames (17 total frames-2), so even one 1 frame off and you can block and score a punish so its a big risk to him to even try it.
Mid Range:
The Good:
Not really much good to say here, this is basically the range you don’t want to be at in this fight as far as I can tell. Its worth noting that only his light normals are plus on block, but most that are negative push you far enough that they’re effectively unpunishable as far as I can tell.
The Bad: Birdies normals far out range Lauras, even his lights can often hit you at ranges that are largely outside of your buttons ranges, and his throw has good enough range that he can actually catch you with it at ranges where you’re not even close to being able to throw him. His bull slider is especially frustrating since its -5 on block, but pushes you just far enough away that cr.mp won’t hit (from what I can tell, even if he does it at point blank range). You can land your CA on block reversal though, so be mindful of your CA status if your against a Birdie player who is abusing bull slider. You’re goal should generally be to either get through this range to close range, or to bide your time just outside this range and hope Birdie comes to you.
Long Range:
The Good:
Long range is largely a stalemate, but if it is, its one that heavily favors Laura. Unlike Laura’s bolt, Birdie’s Bull Head has no “safe-ish” version, most versions being -10, his hp version being only -5. In previous tests I’ve found that cr.mp -> mp.bolt works wonders as a punish. His V skil seems like a good idea to him at the time a lot, but as long as you can stay within mp.bolt range, the massive start up of his v skills allow you to relatively easily mp.bolt him on reaction to any v skill and catch him during the start up. Conversely, Birdie’s Chain Throw has pretty fast start up, but is a staggering -23 on block, again allowing you to punish with mp.bolt on block (or ex in either case if you need the extra range or damage). The key at this range is staying in at least ex.bolt, preferably mp.bolt range at all times until you find the opening to make your move through mid range into close range. Also, this probably goes with out saying as its true for all characters, but be aware of Birdies dolphin dive (Revenger) at this range as birdie players LOVE to throw it out. It can’t hit you in the air and has lots of recovery, so just neutral jump on reaction and punish for big damage. One last thing of note, because st.lp is soooo good for laura against Birdie in this match up at close range, even at +0, its arguably okay to occasionally try to v-skill (volty line) your way in. While he can certainly still punish on block if he’s paying attention, if you land the volty line laura is now up in his face at +0, something thats normally not overwhelmingly good, but is a lot more so in this match up.
The Bad:
There are ranges at which Birdie can hit you, or set up his v skill, and you can’t hit him (outside mp.bolt or ex.bolt), and at these ranges Birdie is technically at the advantage simply because you have no way of punishing him for doing whatever he wants. Still, his options of what he can actually do to you at these ranges are limited so its not the end of the world if he catches you at this range, just don’t stay at this range. The biggest thing to watch out for/not do, is throw out random claps while in chain throw range, the clap won’t reach him, and the tiny bit of meter your building isn’t worth the risk of him grabbing you with his chain.
V-Factor: I’d say that Birdie’s V skills and V trigger are generally a little more useful then Laura’s (debatable for sure). Birdie becomes an absolute beast in V trigger do to his massive damage and speed boost, as well as the fact that just about everything he can do becomes armored. However, its worth noting that I believe all of his specials become less safe as well (bull head for example now being at best -7 on block) so it may be worth taking a more defensive stance, especialy outside throw range. ex, charged, or v triggered claps also become a little more useful simply do to their multi-hit propertys that blow up his armor, but he’s still got his chain throw so use these wisely.
Final Thoughts: I think a lot of people attribute this match up to being largely in Birdies favor, and maybe it is, I personally haven’t played enough high level Birdies to truly evaluate the match up, but at least on paper I don’t really think its quite as bad as some people make it out to be. To me the key is leveraging laura’s superior normal speed to bully Birdie at close range, and not being afraid to occasionally risk an ex bolt or volty line read at mid range to “get in”. Because to me, thats where the match up is won and lost, if you try to out footsie Birdie at mid range, he’s probably going to win, and the longer he keeps you out, the more likely he is to win, so some times its worth taking a few calculated risks to try to get in at advantage (or even just +0), rather then let Birdie dictate the match at his range. Just be careful that your getting in at at no worse then -1, at -2 (such as from a blocked lp.bolt) the close range completely shifts in his favor do to his 5 frame command grab, and make absolutely sure you’re aware of not only what Birdies options are, but what the best punishes to them are, when at long range.
