NageBlog: Simplified game plan mindset by @NAGE_PINK (EN translation)

Source: http://nage.hatenablog.com/entry/2015/11/16/221429



NageBlog: Simplified game plan mindset

2015-11-16



Hi, this is Nage.



I use this blog when I want to go past 140 characters, and I'm not sure whether I can update it regularly.



This time, I'd err.. Like to talk not only about how I play as Faust, but how I plan my game around it.



Or something like that.. So..



I update this while on the move so I'm sorry I couldn't post an update about my games at Toshin gekitotsu.



I do plan on posting however, so I appreciate your patience.



Revelator updates are coming soon though so you should probably still expect my disappearance..



This time I'd like to talk about 3 things:



- How I see Faust.

- Game plan options.

- Weighing game plan alternatives in actual situations.



How I see Faust:



First of all, I'd like to share how I see and use Faust as a character:



- By throwing items, conditions could easily become favorable.



- Has lots of diversions and anti airs.



- Has low opportunities to switch neutral around and convert damage from defensive situations.



- Strong mixup game (overhead/low/throw/bait punish etc.)



- Has opportunities for high damage output but few clear paths to guaranteed high damage.



I guess he could be considered a "setup character", in the same way you could call Venom and Jack-o "setup characters".



With this in mind, I think that the strongest trait of such characters is that they are able to control / influence the opponents' movement with their setups.



The opponent would probably have difficulty in waiting out from a distance and anticipating the approach, so if we consider the options:



“Opponent is waiting at a distance and is trying to anticipate my move" leads to "I have time to go for a setup" leading to "Now that I have a set up ready I'm in a convenient position".



With this kind of game flow, the opponent would get flustered, then what happens would probably be "opponent gets closer" which leads to "A diversion/item or anti air counter hits"



This continuous pattern fits the image and makes it kind of simple to go about things, though if the opponent is also a setup character it's kind of a different story lol.



Even though this concept of "steering the game's flow" seems simple I feel it is really worthwhile. Something about the joy of winning via response or adaptation.



As for why I'm writing this article, I basically want to share my thoughts on how I see my precious game plan or what I love so much about Faust lol.



Rapidly having to react to different scenarios seemed fun, so if I'm able to express some of that I'd be very happy.



Possibilities in game plan:



1: Setup (item throw)

2: Safely approach

3: Safe mix up

4: Counter attack

5: Move around

6: Rushdown



If I have to decide immediately I'd have to choose from these 6 patterns. Let me elaborate a bit:



1: Setup (item throw)

2: Safely approach

3: Safe mix up



Setup: Creates a condition to safely approach.

Safely approach: Let's me get closer in favorable conditions to allow a mix up.

Safely mix up: Mix up in favorable condition.



Set up, get closer (safely), and then set up again.



Safely approach once more, and you'll have earned your safe mix up approach.



This is the most simple pattern for winning to me.



Of course there are still times when you'll have difficulty approaching and mixing up.



Reward from set up:

- Creates favorable conditions.

- Creates opportunities to safely mix up.



Risk from set up:

- Enemy can approach during set up.

- Can also directly receive damage during it.



The point I'm trying to make is that when an opponent approaches during set up you yourself become at risk.



It's important to keep in mind that to both parties you're either setting up or being set up. In general, it should be easy to figure out to who's advantage the situation is going.



The actual risks during "setting up" are few, but it's important to be careful about the opponent taking the momentum of the game and the game with it.



A simple example can be made with fast characters like Chipp and Millia. They can get in easily during setting up.



The more difficult example is if we take a character like Ky into consideration.



Even if the set up goes through and you reach midscreen safely, the opponent's obstacles pose a threat to you and might even eliminate your items and make it harder to get a return off the setup.



Set up mix ups aren't overpowered, but getting carried to the corner and losing your tension gauge is the kind of losing pattern that's involved.



Getting your opponent's health down isn't immediately viable so this is what makes things a bit more complicated.



For opponents where you struggle with getting your set ups safely, intercepting or anti-airing them should gain you some leeway. "The opponent expects a set up so he'll approach. Having that in mind, instead of setting up I'll intercept the approach with a counter" is the kind of thinking I'd have.



To counter, I would consider either reacting to an approach, or a read based setup counter. I only would add the setup counters in cases of opponent characters that I can't easily counter on reaction.



Rewards from interception:

- Directly dealing damage

- If you get a good counter, you could possibly earn a safe opportunity for setting up. Even if your counter attempt is blocked, gaining the opportunity to set up is decent return.



Risk from interception:

- When anticipating an approach to counter, there are cases when you aren't able to do a set up.



5: Moving around

Moving until you feel you have ample time to act.



In addition to the thoughts: "I won't put myself in the corner", "I'll stick to center of the stage" and "If my opponent is knocked down I'll approach and push them to corner", it's sometimes also the case when you just want to move out of an inconvenient situation.



I wrote another article on movement here, so please read that if you'd like to know more: [refers to previous blog post which was not translated yet I believe?]



6: Rushing down



Used for getting in when opponents are waiting for a set up or a counter attempt.



It's basically the option of ignoring those approaches and directly heading in to attack.



This option becomes stronger when the opponent is very wary of set up approaches or counter attempts.



While it's easier to rush down an opponent who isn't expecting it, it's the type of option that could lose effectiveness the more it is used and such should not be used extensively. Let's say it's the kind of option you only tease with every once in a while?



I explained about how getting a proper rush in actually makes it easier to safely set up or counter later during the game in the below article [refers to external link], which talks about playing unpredictably and trying to react with riskier options.



I figured fighting those characters that only fight with their strongest elements is really hard, so I learned that I should read their reactions and be creative with what would beat those.



Oh, I also forgot to mention that another strong option is starting to rush in, then stopping and setting up.



Decision making during real matches



While basic decision making is the same regardless of what character you're playing against, I change my decisions to match what works best for the specific matchup.



For example, the ratio of setting up vs intercepting an attack when playing vs Sol or vs Millia is definitely going to be different.



This could lead you to say "If every character has a different approach, then what's the point of summarizing all these options?". The answer is that I realized that by segmenting these possibilities, it allowed me to more simply understand why I lost sometimes and cut down the amount of time I needed to adjust my game plan.



While I mentioned the Ky matchup earlier as a troublesome one, several years ago I wouldn't have even thought about the reason I would have lost those matches lol.



I'd have gotten frustrated thinking "If he approaches me I get in trouble, and if I approach him his counters and anti airs are strong so I can't get in. What should I do??" in those cases.



Back then, I wasn't able to realize the set up counters I was running into, so I was rushing into bad situations, and even if I threw items their effect would be countered and I would lose focus.



Now that I have a game plan and priorities in mind, I can go "OK so this option probably won't work" and adjust depending on the situation. Sometimes I still get carried away and lose focus though lol.



This marks the end of this article, which was kind of an article where I gathered the thoughts in my head into sentences for my own reflection.



Thanks to everyone who read through this.

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