My friend says I have no skill because I use Akuma :/

Classic Fighting Games Ultra Street Fighter IV
1

Hi guys,

Firstly, I’d just like to introduce myself. I am Afzal. I regularly browse the Shoryuken forums but I’ve never really thought about signing up until now. I’m a dedicated (but average) Akuma player and I would like to contribute to these forums in finding tech/strategies because I’d like to give something back if I can :slight_smile:

Anyways, to the subject. I’ve been playing SF for just under a year now. It took me weeks to decide on a chracter I wanted to focus on and it so happened to be Akuma. Main reasons? Air fireball, badass Ultra 1 and because I suck at doing normal Ultra motion (QCF x2). Believe me I’ve tried, and I just cant get it down consistently. Its due to the way I use my controller (I used the tip of my thumb on D-Pad). When I started off as Akuma, I just got my ass handed to me left right and centre. I have almost no-one to play with/train with so learning match-ups was slow (I still dont know more than half of them as well as I think I should). I had no idea that he was such an advanced character.

I have a friend that I play with daily (the only person). We started off learning the game together, he as Bison and me as Akuma. I used to lose to him all the time but now I generally win more against him (60%~). He moved onto other characters too like Gouken, Dudley and more. Everytime I win, he constantly has a go at me for winning because I’m Akuma. He says I have zero skill and anyone can win with Akuma if they know ‘Vortex’. He started off saying this in AE. He also thinks Air Fireballs are OP and the most difficult obstacle to get through in the game.

I’ve explained to him that Akuma is strong but to play him properly it requires a lot of skill and dedication. Also, I showed him ways around Vortex and Air-Fireballs in some matchups but everytime I’m able to control space with them effectively, he says I’m just playing keepout and Akuma is a turtle character only. He tried to prove his point by playing Akuma mirrors and then sometimes corners me with fireballs for a few seconds and then even if I win (usually by a reasonable life advantage), he says stuff like… ‘See how easy it was for me to corner you? You couldny do anything to escape’.

I sometimes have a lot of problems vs. his characters (e.g.) Gouken grabbing me for Ultra 1 or Dudley cornering me and taking of most of my health in one combo and trying to open up his Bison. If I have a problem, he simply makes an argument for why its no big deal because he has it worse with the air-fireballs and with the ‘Vortex’. I said Akuma is fragile, I cant make any mistakes so its difficult for me too. But he simply says that it doesnt matter because I can potentially take off all his health from one knockdown. I show him what to look out for in Vortex, and he simply says its too hard to react to or block against. He says Akumas Vortex is still strong because its always ‘in his favour’.

He goes out of his way to make me feel like I’m just winning because I play Akuma and tries to convince me that Akuma is braindead and requires no skill to use. I picked up Akuma because I liked him. I found out about Vortex later on but he says I’m a tier whore because I also played Aquaman in Injustice against him (I played him before I knew anything about any tier list. Tom Brady was my fav MK player and I played Aqua because I liked the way he used him). I only put up with him now because I have no one else to play with.

What do you guys think about this? What should I do?

2

Your friend is an idiot…and a scrub.
If he is going to continue to whine like that…find someone else to spar with.

3

This person is not your friend

4

Beat him again and again with Akuma, and just smile each time you win.

5

Your friend is a scrub, sir.

6

Better yet, pick Ryu/Ken and make him pick Akuma. Play patiently and see how many times he can actually get the win.

7

I’d do that, if I could find someone else to play with. I don’t play much Ranked because I feel its more easier to learn matchups in Endless sets. I lose a lot and just get kicked out by players. Also, almost all my other friends plat SF4 on another platform. Those that dont, hardly play on the platform I use (PS3). I just feel like its hopeless sometimes :confused:

I’m starting to think that myself.

LOL. I might just do that.

Haha, he actually has that word as part of his online ID.

Tried that. This was the outcome: He basically said, since Ryu is easy to use and he doesnt know how to do Vortex, I’m getting free wins on him because Akuma has low health so it doesnt prove anything :confused:

8

Keep playing, practising and improving your game.

9

I don’t know about “this person is not your friend”, but they’re obviously a scrub. I’m not going to suggest you stop hanging out with them, but you should try to find other people to play with if possible, preferably ones who are actually interested in getting better instead of crying about your character.

10

This reminds me of when I used to play Dragonball Z fighting games when I was younger and my cousin would complain when I used throws, in the end he insisted on a limit of three throws per game. Your friend is complaining because it’s easier for him to blame you for him losing than acknowledging that he’s losing because he’s not good enough.

11

I know exactly what you mean. I don’t have a problem with him making excuses but when he puts me down it really hurts my self confidence. He even goes as far as saying things like… “Do you feel like you deserved that win? Do you feel like you earned it? My character has bad wakeup so all you have to do is knock me down and win the match. etc”. He makes it sound like if Akuma knocks you down, the announcer might as well say K.O.

Anyways, I’ll see if I can find some sparring partners on here to train with :slight_smile:

12

Everyone got through this period where you have no idea how stupid you play and that it’s the main reason your life drop, so you make up stories about what you read on internet to back up your self esteem.

At the end of the day, if you’re in the corner it’s because you got outplayed to much from the mid screen and had to walk back instead of anti airing and countering stuff mid screen. Or you just lead and challenge the opponents skills to open you up without making mistakes to help him.

You probably aren’t playing a very good Akuma right now because you’re still new to the game (if I remember me after a year, I had a very different opinion of this game and the matchups) and the speed walk and attack options (far HK, air FB, sweep, Shaku, DP, tatsu, …) combined with a random game plan with jumps ins, jumps back makes his life horrible. But it’s mostly because his game plan is just as random as yours.

It’s like playing Honda like it was Ryu, it’s not gona end well. Every character have weaknesses and strengths you have to understand and use before you even start of doing creative stuff.

At low level, Dictator is the one that corner others free. Gouken have a damn throw to Ultra comeback. But how can you count on that if you jump to your death or aren’t ready to punish opponent mistakes first ?

You both need to learn something else than random special, jumps, buttons presses, get in his face at all cost then improvise. At a distance, both chars can avoid opponent to approach or punish a bad decision like fireball. At another distance it’s not possible. Find this out and ask yourself why would you place yourself in the wrong spot ? Accept losses because of bad execution or reacting too late for a moment. All you have to focus on is positioning in the right spot to be strong against most opponent options. This is universal for any character.

Example you could say Dictator will keep knee pressing you if you just defend at a distance. Yes but 1) that doesn’t hurt much when you block 2) at it take is one neutral jump from you out of 6 brainless knee press to land 300 damages on him then what he’s gona do ? keep doing it for 60 seconds ?

Soon both of you will level up to the point where “random shit” wont win you games like before. That’s where the struggle starts for Akuma mostly.

13

Sorry, perhaps I should have been clearer with what I said. When I have problems, I find ways around them. I just mentioned a few things that can make it harder for me to win (basically, the advantages of some of the characters he uses). My point there was simply that he goes on about how OP Akuma is yet when I argue back about some of the advantages his characters have, he simply says ‘Yeah but… I have it worse cause one knockdown means dead’.

14

no problem the read can maybe help others anyway.
For the one KD = dead meme, the only advantage Akuma have is a way to end a bnb with advantage on position and timing at the cost of damage. Nothing prevent the opponent to just block the next attack. He have no more DF overhead to force a high low mixup and this was a key point of the old “1 sweep = dead” thing. On an opponent that mixes his defensive options and read your own habits, you’ll struggle like never to get a hit. Those that can’t stop to challenge his DF kick or safe jumps, the end will come fast. But just as fast as if you challenge Bison knee press pressure, Cody frame traps, Zangief lariat, Ryu zoning, etc.

Adapt/respect to opponent strength and be on point when it’s your time. That how things goes.

15

Oh wow, your friend sounds just like that lowtiergod moron LOL

16

We have 850hp and a heavily nerfed vortex. Tell him to keep playing Zangief and mashing out circles on his dpad.

17

You see the video that moron made on “Opting Out” of matches? Lol…too bad he couldn’t “Opt Out” of regionals last week. #bodiedfirstmatch #claw.

18

I kinda like this Lowtiergod guy. It’s not a scrub to begin with. Watch his matches there’s good stuff a scrub would never imagine with Rose. Or everyone who’s not you or sponsored is a scrub ?
And I think I get his trashtalk comedy just for what it is, entertaining, style of youtuber that need viewers.
"Why so serious ? " Should be his main title.
Yes his claims are often bullshit, but just as much as any other players out there. This same forum here is full of exactly the same crap arguments left and right. If he was a booster I would have something to dislike, or a fraud like DSP. But he’s just a random player that rage over the wrong things and scream it loud with some “style” in the video editing, acting, a little bit.

And at least this one put his ass in RL tournament. I wish every “moron” would be more like him.

19

Shabrout // Dude, you have no idea how rude he is, and how he reacts to his opponents’ wins. I’m sure you don’t really know about his behavior since you live in Europe (right?) and don’t play on XBL.

Just FYI, I’m not just saying he’s a moron based on his Youtube channel, no. I’ve had matches with him, and every single time I beat his Rose or other “low tier characters” (of course I lose too), he starts sending me all these fuckin stupid messages. I ignore those, of course, but there are reasons why people hate him. And there are many reasons why his account"S" were banned more than a few times.

Oh well, he’s not a scrub. I’ve never said that :wink: His Rose is pretty good. He’s a fuckin psycho though, something’s wrong with him, period.

20

Oh man, that’s some good stuff hahahaha.