The first move!

makoto
#1

i have been reading the stickies here abour the available combos and crafting strategy so i understand what i should be doing WHEN this and this happends but i have no idea how to get there… lets say in the strategy stickie it was mentioned that i need to get my apponent on the ground, well… thats after im getting close… how do i get close with makoto? this might be a very stupid question but i realy dont know how to engage and put on pressure with makoto… the first move is my problem.

no im not asking for very basic info… ill probably get that intime i just want some tips on how do i get close and personal while applying pressure.

ps. im playing fighting games, SSF4 AE, makoto, for two weeks lol so keep in mind ^^… i guess

#2

It is NOT a stupid question… Closing distance is the primary stumbling block for all makoto players. It is one of her 2 main weaknesses.:… She was designed that way. Understanding how she moves And when to use what movement is very important.

One thing you will see a lot is people telling you to be patient. I won’t get into theory now cause I’m typing on my iPhone, but here are a couple of things that can get you to where you want to be…

-BEING PATIENT
-it’s ok to be on the other side of the screen, but not for free. Build some meter with Oroshi and tsurugi over projectiles. I know it seems trivial or obvious but this becomes important later.
-if you’re going to jump over projectiles and do tsurugi, do LK tsurugi. Many characters like to walk up behind the projectile and hit jumpers. LK Tsurugi will halt your forward momentum and most attacks… DPs included. You can whiff punish many moves this way

Gtg but I’ll write more when I get to work (bout 30 mins)

#3

thanks alot :smiley: i was thinking its probably a stupid question cus it seems like a basic aspect of the game… i was looking for a way to walk in and punch some damage… hmm well i guess its more complex then i though… no wonder i cant do it good lol the most complex thing i do so far is jump Hp Mp Mhayate lol
i should work on my tsurugi cus im absolutly suck at that,
can a post hayate combo come out after tsurugi? gonna test anyway but oh well lol.

#4

Dam work was crazy! I’ll get back at this thread tonight. There are some very important movement options you should consider…

#5

Actually I have a few minutes so here’s some more:
-It is pretty common to ask mid level maks how they move and you’ll ding that one of the best and most practical answers you’ll get involve command normals. You need to know how far they move, how long they take to move, and when to use them. I’ll write a short primer later (or maybe robo already wrote one? Maybe search the OPS in the Q&A section man Robo writes stuff like this all the time…) but basically when you get a chance, experiment with fMP, fMK, fHP, fHK, and fHK feint. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, as well as some specific used. I will point out that fMP should be abused more that Boxers jab. Ok maybe that’s pushing it but, seriously… Not much lol.
-know the distance and use of tsurugi. Lean that shit man! I’m serious. Makoto is NOTHING without tsurugi so grind that shit out and get it down. No move is more important. It leads out of and into everything IMO. It has some specific uses too but seriously get it down. You won’t be sorry. The thing i want you to try is not IAT… Rather take Makoto to practice and stand full screen. Dash ONE TIME and jump forward and do a late HK Tsurugi. That is a hell of a way to punish projectiles once you get it down. Also if the mash normals, even if it trades it’s in your favor (150 damage!)

Be back on in a few hours!

#6

Wow, I remember when this sort of thing would get Mossad exploding READ THE GODDAMN STICKY NEWB. This truly is a new era of Moman.

Read the QA sticky thread! your questions are also answered there! Open up all those scary hidden parts and marvel at the godawful detail!

#7

Makoto is rough to pick up but defensively shes very basic. You don’t have to worry about getting your reversal baited because surprise you don’t really have one. I’ll tell Makoto’s all day every day, the best defense is a really great offense. You need to do whatever you want until they give you a reason not to. So you’re opponent is throwing fireballs. Guess what? You’d have to block 6-10 of them to equal ONE real hit. Let them throw them. Neutral jump them. Focus them (occasionally), jump them when you’re sure they would never see it coming. One of the first things I did when Makoto was put into super was figure out what a character can hit me with in a neutral state at the start of a round with no meter. For instance, if they can fireball you (non-ex) you can slightly delay a tsurugi and glide right over that bitch, smack them in the dome piece, and then put them right in the corner. Learn your pressure tools. One of the super awesome things I do is make them block a crouch strong and then hayate cancel it into a mk/fk tsurugi. You’d be surprised how awesome it is. All you have to do is get one hit. One hit = hayate = post hayate mixups = potential untechable knockdown = safejump/unblockable setups = ??? = profit

P.S. GOD im fucking pumped right now

#8

QA thread would be appropriate but then this question is also a very good one. Makotos movement is awkward and involves the use of normals unlike say Akuma (even though he has far HK), Ryu or any of the characters with a decent movement speed. I did tweet James Chen, after he did his First Attack episode where he talked about spacing and movement, ‘dancing’, asking if he was going to try to explain how characters who have a slow walk speed ‘dance’ using normals.

#9

wow thank you guys so much :open_mouth: most of the time i dont realy understand the answers in Q&A thread cus im realy new… uuh ok so… im gonna practice tsurugi like hell for the next week… and how do you cancle hayate?.. with jump?
i will have to read those posts a few times to understand it all so ill get back to u with the progress i think xD

thanks alot ! it realy helps

#10

To cancel just push punch and kick when you do the motion, if you just hold kick you can do haute cancels with the normal haute motion

#11

If someone’s spamming fireballs predictably and you want to wake them up a little bit, after you’ve built enough meter from tsurgi-ing and focusing the fireballs you can try an EX Hayate to knock them out of their next attack before they can throw another one.

Try to time it so your invincible as the fireball hits you. This is a fairly risky tactic depending on how alert the opponent actually us, but it’s a good chance to knock them down and towards a corner from a near-enough full screen. I find it works pretty well against mid-level Guiles, Chuns and a few of the Shotos. Use it to get under Akuma’s air fireball too.

Watch Shiro’s Evo 2011 fight against Xian’s Yun. Shiro took the match because he knew how to work the space and caught his opponent off guard.