mind game orbs
once you’re confindent in most of the trap sequences, regular ground pins, re-jump patterns etc…, you should start dabbling around in the mind games orbs help create. Eventually after a few lockdown reps and you’ve instilled that you will trap and do big life, your opponent will eventually start sj-ing out. When you get this, you can start playing around when to activate and the like. It allows you to get a few more bits of bar which can lead to another trap pattern and bait for assists.
say you had 1.1-1.2 meter and if you faked an activation setup and they sj to get away, build a little bar and take advantage of them as they come back down. The little bar you built up is around 1.4-1.5 meter and since the average trap rep build about 50%, you damn near close to your next meter if you didn’t build it up. Being 10% away from a bar is much different than being 30-40% away.
now that you faked a setup your opponent is probably prepared the next time you attempt that so its going to be a counter this time. Set your trap pattern up so if you wanted to you could activate but if you didn’t, you’d have the option to have the first move. This way when they think you’re going to build a little bar, they’ll come @ you. The tricky part to this is that you yourself can be pinned so you really have to think it out and avoid bad scenarios. If you get into blocking position, try to block as little as you have to before you can be released.
the whole thing is a little tough to do because of those damn overheads but it does feel rewarding when you hold all the available options and your opponent has to play to according to what you do. Control the fight by forcing bad scenarios.
some random knowledge, its good to know where all the holes are in your trap patterns. This is really had to figure out on your own because the computer doesn’t guard right. So all your knowledge of this for the most part is going to be an in game lesson. When you figure out where the holes are, you can see if you’re going to make a mistake or avoid an AA call in the middle or during the re-trap part of your patterns. If you’ve realized you’ve made a mistake in the trap, you can play it as a strength instead of the weakness it is. You play it as a strength by making them think you’re going to fall for it or try something. Undoubtedly 90% of the players you’ll play will probably smash the AA button against you during the trap. Just wait and punish.
also when you can control the holes and force your opponent to take them, they will undoubtly get out or counter. If they get out, play smart, build bar, etc. However some people will try to get a free counter right here more than likely an AA for an easy hit and to break up the next rep. Create the hole on purpose, step back and let the assist come out and punish. Forcing holes are hard since striders orbs patterns actually are kind of random and can be totally random when the opponent is directly on you. Some of thing rings get obsorbed and now its all broken looking and it just gets too complicated after that. Under the right circumstances which is usually a ground pin or mid height re-jump series, you can create a hole on purpose. You just gotta be far enough to see which ring pattern you threw out and try to break it up by throwing less rings which will create the hole. Th
strider unblockables
**when strider activates, the screen flashes and no one is able to move. If you have a move out exactly where it’ll hit the opponent and you activate super AND your opponent isn’t in block animation they will get hit. **This is pretty effective w\ the lk bomb. When you time it right as an ambigous xup as opponents are coming down from running away, its virtually unblockable. This also works with assist and its cheap as fuck. Unblockable bomb\assist is just beastly.
I think I read somewhere that blocking is 1 frame. When strider goes into activation the game pauses for his little animation then it INSTANTLY goes back to game time. Now if your opponent isn’t in block animation before they freeze, the only possible way they can block is if your move is 1 frame off from hitting. The bomb\assists that are common for s\d all have big fat hit boxes so its damn near hard to time it wrong unless you have a complicated setup. There are much more effective ones that are easy to pull off and do rediculous amounts of life. Just my guess on why it works. If blocking is really 1 frame, i’m sure its right.
