I never really utilized it much, but I was wondering if this was a legitimate use/option select.
I wake up with ex dash punches a lot because it’s a little bit safer and kind of an alternative to using Headbutt. I was wondering, is it a reliable option select to go ahead and try to buffer the armor cancelled ultra for every time I’m thinking of using wake up Ex dash punch? For that matter should I just be option selecting it for almost every time I use ex dash punches?
Yes and no. My best advice is to get it downpat and to do it until you figure out what situations you shouldn’t use it in because you get punished. Although I have some ideas, well some theory fighter on situations it won’t work, generally if it gets activated it will work. Along with the hitstop (if you absorb) the opponent gets frozen for extra frames.
The best example of the hitstop is safe jumping Dhalsim and having him perform a reversal U1, even though the safe jump works, if you hit him you get frozen in place and get hit by U1, but if you don’t hit him, you can block U1. I think the safe jump from back-throw will hit Dhalsim while the safe jump from front throw will not hit him (front throw hits on the last active frame, back-throw hits on the last two active frames).
Hitstop during the absorb will play a big part in what this O/S can punish.
Yeah, I’ve kind of noticed that sometimes they can recover and block the ultra because I’m assuming they recover before the 8 or so frames for the ultra to come out.
Also, if they do an armor breaking move I’m assuming you just get broken and the ultra just doesn’t come out?
Yes. Also keep in mind that you have to do straights to catch crouchers, so generally your fastest startup time for U1 on a crouching opponent when you do the armor cancel O/S is 11f (1 for the absorb, and then the regular startup for U1 with straights), and is 10f for standing opponents (since you can use uppers). Hitstop also does some weird stuff when it comes to the opponents recovery which I still don’t quite understand the math for.
Correct, the O/S loses to meaty armor breakers and throws.