Here’s the condensed version, if you don’t want to read the whole explanation/look at the notations:
With proper hitstun decay in the corner (which is different for levels 3 and 4), The normally hard knockdown for Tools of Survival M becomes a very close to the ground flip out that makes for an inescapable Funny Face Crusher Reset for the majority of the cast, regardless of if they tech forward, backwards, or not at all. Similar resets can be made with Standing M regardless of hitstun decay, but they are more situational.
Table of Contents
1 Video Demonstration
2 Why the reset works
3 Level 3 VS Level 4 and Standing M versus Tools M
4 Solo Combos.
5 Assist Combos
6 Looping the reset
7 Characters it does and doesn’t work on
1 Video Demonstration
**TheCape **put together an excellent video showing the basics for the reset and some of the options. Fantastic way to visually see the concepts of the tech at work from there. Thanks again so much for your help!
[media=youtube]Pw7yAXXmQ0E[/media]
2 Why the Reset works.
Tools of Survival M normally wallbounces. If it doesn’t wallbounce, it instead becomes a hard knockdown. With a certain amount of hitstun decay, the person instead flips out very low to the ground. If they tech forward, Frank interferes with their flip (they can’t flip as far because they collide with Frank’s character which limits the movement; Spencer can do a similar thing for his H Jawbreaker) so they get hit by the reset. If they tech backwards they don’t get high enough in the air to avoid the reset, and if they tech neutral they don’t go anywhere (that said the neutral timing is a bit faster than forward/backward, so you have to pay attention).
As for Standing Medium Resets, If an opponent is hit with a meaty standing medium in pretty much any combo beyond one air series, they flip out immediately. With proper timing/spacing, a standing M can be inescapable regardless of tech. This is a combination of them flipping out low to the ground, and Frank being pushed back by the animation of Standing M in both level 3 and 4. However, this is far more sensitive than Tools M resets, and requires better timing. The benefit however is that it’s more accessible and allows resets in situations where a Tools M reset cannot be done.
3 Level 3 vs Level 4 and Standing M (courtesy of TheCape) vs Tools M
There are two major determinants of how to approach/how effective the reset is: level and how you cause them to flip out. Let’s start with Level 3.
Level 3 is the more limited of the two resets in terms of Frank’s tools providing less options (he can’t crossup the opponent after a grounded Tools H OTG, Tools M doesn’t provide as strong of a wallbounce/as much hitstun, etc). However, its strength is that it is easier to get into what setups are available, and also even allows potential to do both Level ups -and- resets at minimum meter usage (See Assist Combos for an example).
Tools M combos aren’t terribly practical for a level 3 Frank. He needs to be close enough to the corner to use the wallbounce in the middle of the combo to get rid of it, and either save his groundbounce until the end of the combo to do the second tools M, or have an assist that leaves them in hitstun long enough after his otgs via roundhouse or camera to link a Tools M at the end of the combo. Situations like these are creatable, but are far more sensitive to than other setups. Also, Tools M in level 3 can only have a certain amount of hitstun decay (roughly 2 air series worth). Any more than that will cause them to flip out too high, and any less will cause a knockdown at the end.
Regardless, here’s an example of a solo combo that works from roughly Midscreen to Corner:
:h: :s: Air :h::qcf: (land) :s: :h::s: Tiger Knee :qcf::h::qcf:
Standing M Combos are much more straightforward. Any point in a combo when you’ve pushed to the corner and have them in an airborne state near the ground (like after an OTG with Tools H), hit them with a Standing M low to the ground. Where specifically is hard to describe, but you more or less want the broom/chainsaw to land at the halfway point of the character sprite when they fall, not on top of it. If done too high they will tech too high on a back tech and go over your head for a front tech. An easy example is nearly-identical to the tools M reset:
:h: :s: Air :h::qcf: (land) :s: :h::s: :qcf::h:
The difference here is that you could omit the first air series/wallbounce if you wanted to, you don’t need the tiger knee Tools H to get them high enough to link the standing M, and this combo has far less stringent requirements on both hitstun decay and wallbounce usage. This allows standing M resets to have other applications where Tools M is impossible, as seen in the combo section.
Level 4 offers readily available setups for both Tools M and Standing M resets. Tools M has different properties in level 4, the higher bounce of Tools H offers more opportunities, and Frank has a greater control of hitstun decay with his multi hitting normals. This allows for reset opportunities on practically all common hitconfirms (though some require assists to do so).
**Tools M **Combos offer far more potential in level 4. For one, Tools M recovers faster than it does in level 3, which allows Frank to link Tools M into itself. This allows Frank to finish a combo with proper hitstun decay with Tools M x2 if he hasn’t used his wallbounce, which gives a significant boost in damage and meter. In addition, level 4 Tools M also has more hitstun than in level 3. Although this means you can’t reset into tools M x2 earlier in combos, the payoff is that most combos that reach the necessary hitstun decay will always work regardless of how much damage is done afterwords. Fruthermore, the damage of these combos + the reset will KO every character in the game and be exceedingly meter-positive.
Here’s an example using a standing M hit confirm + Nova’s assist, Centurion Rush, which always groundbounces:
:h: :s: Air :h: :s: :qcf: :h: :h: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :dp: :h: :qcf: :qcf:.
This combo will build over 2 bars, and the FFC follow-up will build about a bar and a half. The two combos will do over 600k damage each in level 4 (even more in 5) and will KO any character.
Standing M combos work the same way in level 4 as they do in level 3; they can be tacked on at the end of any combo with an opponent in an airborne state, and when properly placed and catch all three techs. For level 4, the advantage of a standing M combo is they can be placed earlier in a combo to reset if needed (whereas Tools M is dependent on hitstun decay). However, it isn’t needed for ending longer combos where you can hit a Tools M, since used/unused wallbounce in level 4 is irrelevant.
A good example of where Standing M is needed in level 4 is situations where you can’t end a combo in Tools M to cause flip out but could with a standing M. Here’s an example using a Air MMS hit confirm (using your groundbounce early) and having Wesker’s OTG assist:
Air :s: (land) :h: :s: Air :h: :qcf: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1:
Your groundbounce is used, so you can’t put it at the end of the combo to use Tools M. If you use a tools M at the end of that combo you have to do it meaty (Wesker’s OTG doesn’t have much hitstun at the end of a combo) and won’t cause a flip. Standing M on the other hand will work since it will be meaty, low to the ground, and cause a flip.
4 Solo combos
There are two basic solo combos for Frank: a standard BnB (with a bit more attention to hitstun decay) and a Giant Swing L combo. Here’s the standard:
:h: :s: Air :qcf::l: :qcf: (land) :s: Air :h: :s: Tiger Knee :qcf::h::qcf:
(Air MMH could also start that combo, as long as you didn’t use S and lose your groundbounce).
Giant Swing L allows you to start with air hitstun at the beginning of the combo, so you don’t need a tools L in the air series to get sufficient decay. It looks like this:
:qcb::l: :h: :s: Air :h: :qcf: :s: Air :h: :s: Tiger Knee :qcf::h::qcf:.
Both combos work in level 3 and 4. However, they require you to be midscreen or closer to the corner in order to follow up after the air Tools M.
The biggest reason there aren’t more solo frank combos is that he needs to save his groundbounce until the end in order to prop them up to reset. This limits his combo extension options and reduces how far he can travel. However, this can be made easier via…
5 Assist Combos
Assists open up a wide variety of ways to setup resets for Frank. Whether it’s allowing him to extend a combo without using his groundbounce, propping his opponent into the air at the end of a combo to land Tools M or Standing M, give him reset options he cannot do by himself, or even to allow him to level up -and- reset at the same time, assists can make the reset go from situational to practically universal.
**Most, but not all, characters have some way to aid Frank. **Some however, do not. Taskmaster is a good example: none of his arrows have enough hitstun decay to let Frank OTG via roundhouse or snapshot and extend, and they don’t have Otg/groundbounce/wallbounce properties to let Frank prop up or extend. Other assists, like Nova’s Centurion Rush, open up nearly every reset opportunity imaginable thanks to its long, forced groundbounce.
Given all the different assists/possibilities, it isn’t practical to make an exhaustive list of combos/ways to use an assist (though a list may be made later of characters that have no assists to aid Frank for resetting at a later date).In order to better illustrate these examples, here’s an example using each basic setup with a different assist:
These combos are made for level 4 Tools M resets. Standing M resets would work both in 3 and 4
1 Combo Extension to preserve groundbounce (Using Dormammu Dark Hole)
:h: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :dp: :h: :s: Air :h: :s: Tiger Knee :qcf::h: :qcf: :qcf:
2 Using Groundbounce to extend, assist to prop up at the end (Using Wesker OTG. Most other OTGs would work as well)
:h: :s: Air :h: :s: :qcf: :h: :h: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :qcf: :qcf:
3 Allowing Resets that are normally impossible (Using Nova’s Centurion Rush )
Note: This combo only works on characters with large enough hitboxes to land the Tools H otg (Hulk, She-Hulk, Sentinel, Nemesis, and for some reason…Viewtiful Joe. there may be others). The forward air throw version works on the whole cast. It also is midscreen/near corner only
Forward Ground Throw :qcf: :h: Air :h: :qcf: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :dp: :h: :qcf:
4 Leveling up from 1 to 3 and resetting (Using Rocket Raccoon Pendulum A 1 and Nemesis Launcher Slam M A2)
:h: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :qcf: :s: :s: Air :h: :s: :a2: :qcf: :s: (level to 3)
Note: Variants of the level 1 to 3 Reset assist can also be done with a wide variety of assists via TACing. Great way to level up Frank AND kill the opponent!
6 Looping the reset
Another interesting property of the reset is that it can be looped into itself with the right assists. For the overwhelming majority of characters, in level 4 the first combo + the FFC followup will kill anybody without using a meter at the end of the FFC followup. Still, this allows you to reset/kill a character if you manage to hit them with a raw FFC (including one off the bench!) While other assists are likely usable, Nova assist is the easiest to do/demonstrate. This variant only works on level 4, because level 3 doesn’t let you dash under the OTG:
:dp: :atk::atk: :qcf::h: (dash under if in the corner) :s: Air :h: :qcf: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: :dp: :h: :qcf: :dp: :atk::atk:
A level 3, corner-to-corner followup into reset also works (and levels from 3 to 4), but it’s very specific. Here’s an example using Rocket Raccoon Pendulum A1 and Nova Centurion Rush A2 (note it’s very similar to the level 1 to 3 reset combo):
:dp: :atk::atk: :qcf::h: :s: Air :h: :s: :a1: (dash) :qcf: :s: (dash) :s: Air :h: :s: :a2: (dash) :qcf: :s: (level to 4) :qcf:
7 Who The reset Does and Doesn’t Work On (and how to deal with them):
Unfortunately, the reset doesn’t work on everybody. Characters withaerial mobility such as double jumps and air dashes can escape the FFC’s range. Teleports do not work, as do some airdashes that have startup. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no options against them. In order to be better explore options, the characters are broken down into the following categories: Always works, Double Jump only, Air Dash Only, and Miscellaneous.
the reset Always Works assuming it’s properly executed, regardless of tech, on the following characters:
Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Fist, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Taskmaster, Wolverine, X-23, Akuma, Amaterasu, Chris, Felicia, Firebrand, Frank West, Haggar, Hsien-Ko (needs testing), Jill, Nemesis, Phoenix Wright, Ryu, Spencer, Vergil (non-Devil Trigger), Wesker, Zero.
These characters either have no mobility in the air, or mobility that takes too long (airdashes with startup, teleports with startup, etc). Time it properly, free reset.
The following characters only have a Double Jump, which allows them to hop above the funny face crusher on forward/backward techs:
Captain America, Deadpool, Arthur, Strider.
Double jump characters can escape by jumping after a forward/backward tech within a few frames. they also can block during the double jump. However, what comes up must come down. If you know they’ll double jump, you can bait it out and then FFC them when they fall since it’s their only mobility option. Bear in mind though they can call assists/perform actions that keep them in the air longer, so use caution/discretion.
These characters only have an Air Dash, which they can use to escape:
Doctor Doom, Dormammu, Magneto, MODOK, Phoenix, Shuma Gorath, Storm, Thor, Tron.
The air dash only that are two ways (tron and Shuma) have to both Tech forward and air dash to escape. As for the others, either tech and a variety of dashes work.
The disadvantage airdashers have is they cannot block while they air dash, which allows you to readily challenge them with a broom or chainsaw after resetting them. this sets up a 50-50 where they either don’t dash and you FFC them, or they do dash and you air MMS into a combo. (that said FFCing them requires a bit of commitment) Waiting for them to fall is ill-advised since it gives them to use aerial attacks/call assists/fly. While you have an advantage here you should clearly press, make sure to respect their aerial options when necessary (Doom’s Foot Dive, Dormammu’s air S, etc).
Here’s a few Miscellaneous characters:
some have both a jumping and dashing available to them, which makes them harder to pin down:
Vergil (Devil Trigger), Viewtiful Joe, Trish, Dante, C Viper, Chun Li.
other noteworthy characters include:
Sentinel: Double jump, plus a frame 1 aerial invincible hyper (level 1).
Super Skrull: can use Meteor Smash to quickly escape, or his airdash which is up/forward.
Morrigan: airdash, plus a frame 1 aerial invincible hyper (level 3)
Iron Man: His forward/backwards/diagonal airdashes all have startup, which allow him to be reset. His only escape option is an upwards air dash, which has 0 startup. That said, if a person plays Iron Man, knows the reset and the only way to escape it, kudos to them. They earned it.
Conclusion
Giving Frank Touch of Death/strong mixup potential after overcoming his leveling barrier gives him far more potential as a strong, competitive character. I’m hoping with this and other technology to eventually be able to make my Frank West team a viable, tournament able team as opposed to just my “fun” team. If there’s any questions/comments don’t hesitate to ask, and I’ll continue update the thread as needed if more concepts/insights/tech comes to light. Hope this all helps.
Zansam
