We’ve already got our general-bitching thread. I felt like the last matchup thread was a lot of help.
Let’s discuss DJ’s matchups now that a lot of that stuff has changed. The additions of LK Sobat regaining its low invul and an actual reversal in EX upkicks have a pretty significant impact on the matchup landscape in my opinion.
Freejay and Blaqskillz had some nice lists in the last thread.
Anyone want to share their thoughts? I always came to the matchup thread for advice, esp the two above mentioned lists were helpful in guiding my method of approach to matches I didn’t know. Tips help when you describe these matchups instead of just …
I can offer some Guile thoughts:
In my opinion its a solid 3-7 in Guile’s favor. There’s a specific sweet spot just at sweep range where Guile starts to sweat because you have actual options, but he has a painfully easy time guarding that space, as well as pushing you back out of it. Once you’re actually get in and score a knockdown, you have to make it count. Crossup provides great pressure against Guile’s flashkick since it can’t do anything to crossup, and since buttons are his only real method of getting you back out (or a reversal on block string), it all comes down to the frame trap game. One teched throw or an escaping button from Guile means you’re back to square one though. Empty jumping or using knee shot to close the gap during the neutral helps you worm your way into this precious space. Some cheeky FADCs in the neutral off of a slasher or a blocked sobat can be a risky way to spend bar, but if you catch him off guard and get a hard knockdown, it’s definitely worth it in my opinion. An expensive risk, but this matchup is all about risk management. Meter is relatively cheap too in this matchup.
While being defensive and holding onto the life lead is not as difficult as getting inside on Guile, it’s still pretty challenging if they know what they’re doing. Guile wins the fireball war because even if you can throw plasma at the same rate, the fast recovery on his boom lets him close the distance with bazooka knee and then, when he’s close, he can screen his normal attacks with fireballs to put on the pressure or defend against jump ins that aren’t straight reads. If he gets inside your space, his buttons have priority, and it’s even worse in the corner where the recovery and frame advantage of his Sonic Boom make finding a gap to escape through tough (best luck I’ve had in these cornered situations is somehow getting in a walk up backwards throw during a pause in his offense where he’s trying to let you hang yourself, or by getting a blocked crossup into pressure on him, IE reversing the tables and sticking him back in the corner rather than trying to fight him all the way across the stage). When Guile’s sitting on meter, his EX boom can really punish you in the fireball war and forces you to confirm his booms before throwing your slashers unless you want to risk getting punished. If you bait an EX boom out, its slow recovery gives you a chance to punish Guile, so it’s best to play more reactive when he’s sitting on bar and gauge how meter happy your opponent is. One wrongly spaced EX boom can be big trouble for Guile, though a smart Guile player knows he has no real reason to toss an EX boom at dangerous spacings without a strong handle on your fireball patterns, so don’t hold your breath for what will never come – just stay cautious and look for your opportunities elsewhere. My best luck against Guile in the fireball war is to threaten the dangerous spacing near his sweep range. EX booms aren’t safe at all and your options open up. He’ll likely hesitate here, which gives you time to take the initiative, for offensive or defensive purposes – don’t be predictable! If you get close to occupying this space several times then back off every time, the next time you get into that space he might get lazy on his guard thinking you’ll not take the opportunity, and then you can slip past his wall for a hard knockdown when you catch him looking, or, at the very least, get in for some block pressure to eventually get that knockdown.
Solid 3-7. Maybe can turn it to a 4-6 if you hit that beastmode. You need to get a strong read on Guile early on. Fortunately, getting a good read on Guile isn’t impossible because he’s not exactly a character with a massive list of options. He’s got a smaller list of extremely strong options. You’ll be able to pick up on a pattern eventually.
