PROTIP: Hi Counter Throw against Defensive Holds for MASSIVE DAMAGE (150%).
Or ya know, use the move type they didn’t counter. Or ya know, don’t use predictable strings and actually poke and manipulate the field a bit.
“WAH COUNTERS ARE BROKEN!” are the most stupid comments I’ve heard about the game going on since the DOA3 days.
FACT: There are four counter options. High, Mid Punch, Mid Kick, Low.
FACT: On block, there is a shortened window due to block stun and faster strings. Some faster strings on block become almost impossible to hold without guessing. If a string’s speed passes the full window, uncounterable on guard stun, or even a 2-in-1 on NH or CH.
FACT: Hi Counter Throws do 150% damage against Defensive Holds. For example, an Izuna Otoshi on Hi Counter does 112 damage.
FACT: Damage is based on the timing of the hold. 1-4 is Hi Counter, 5-12 is Counter and 13-22 is Normal. No other parts of the triangle system make its damage timing based. (aka: if you hi counter throw a defensive hold, or hi counter blow a throw, it will do 150% damage revision regardless, but a defensive hold needs to be timed to get full damage.)
FACT: Since in-stun is the time where the defensive hold is most used, setups arise. It’s easier to defensive hold in-stun without guard stun in the way to make it more difficult. BUT - the revision is lowered and the damage becomes 44/55/66 for non specialized holds. Try it out yourself. Another thing is that many throws can become safe in-stun. The deeper the stun type is, the more damaging a throw can be safe. A safe throw in-stun is where you can throw and not be hi counter blown in-stun, but the whiffed grab can still be free grabbed on NH some of the time, not that much of a problem. Therefore you can create setups for throws instun that have little consequence on your part, making the opponent scared to hold in-stun.
FACT: Opponents that wait to hold strings on guess and not reaction get Punch Grabbed all day. And if you held there without seeing shit? Hi Counter Throw, yay!
FACT: A whiffed defensive hold can score the opponent a free stun or launch.
FACT: Defensive Holds force you to poke and not be string based. This is especially apparent with Ryu Hayabusa’s Punch Izuna Holds, and Ayane, Hayate, Spartan, Hitomi, Kasumi’s etc… mid-kick launch holds. They increase awareness, and bias for the defender.
FACT: DOA’s sidestep is used 100% for environmental positioning, not evading. So we needed another secondary defensive option that’s a little less guaranteed, but provides more damage against attacks. The defensive hold is perfect for DOA’s system for this purpose. This keeps the game from being too offensive in general.
I could probably keep going on here.