This blog post is going to be a bit different than my blog posts up to this point and I'm honestly not sure if this will be very long or short. I'm honestly writing this on the fly, so we'll see how coherent this ends up being. Forgive me ahead of time. Also assume that my thinking reflects only up to today. I'll be breaking down my thoughts in the following categories:
1. UNI[st] -> UNI[cl-r] Important Components (And Why It Matters!)
2. Change in my personal combo routing.
3. My Thoughts on Akatsuki: Matchup Chart Discussion.
4. My Thoughts on Akatsuki: How I feel playing MUs.
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UNI[st] -> UNI[cl-r] Important Components (And Why It Matters!)
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Change in my personal combo routing
UNI[st] -> UNI[cl-r] Important Components (And Why It Matters!)
First things first, I'll start from the base of the 1.03 patch notes that are listed here. You'll have to scroll all the way down to get to Akatsuki's section. Even though the current version is ver. 1.06, this is the last significant character balance patch, released in Quarter 1 2020. I will not cover everything here, but I will cover what I think are the most important changes.
-> 214[a] or Increased (IC) 214a:
This move has been added in [cl-r] and honestly, it's one of the best possible moves he would have gotten. At the start of the version, I wasn't terribly impressed by this move. It's a whopping -10 on block does not prorate that favorably and only allows for one falling normal on CS, so as a move to present to an opponent on offense, it's a big gimmick.
It's true strength lies as a linker towards the end of a combo. This move lets you to combo into grounded normals such as cl.5b -> cl.5c as a precursor to an air throw, allowing you to control positional disadvantage for the opponent. Because air throw is your second most favorable knockdown, this is extremely important. It also allows you to microdash 2a underneath the opponent to keep them going the same side in the combo, a technique found and popularized by Firery.
-> j.6[c] or Increased (IC) jump 6c:
This move has been added in [cl-r] and this might be the best change that Akatsuki received in this version of the game. It is an absolutely militant jump in that is hard to anti air, is +2 on shield and is massive damage if you manage to get hit by or grd crushed by this move.
It also functionally removes the necessity to do a fireball relaunch into the j.bca air series to unlock high damage for Akatsuki. In addition to that, it has great synergy with both the 2c series of enders and the 66c linker near corner, assuming you save your ground and wall bounces to allow them.
-> j.214c or jump 214c:
Knocks down. This move is extremely important for combo ender theory. It is our third most advantageous ender behind air throw and Kamikaze, Akatsuki's Infinite Worth. It is also our third most damaging combo ender, behind Kamikaze and 22a -> 22c, making it our second most damaging combo ender for 100 meter. Because of the knockdown property, it is your go to usage of 100 meter.
It also cannot be forward teched unless the opponent was comboed very high in the air.
-> 236a:
Floats opponents on grounded hit. This change is probably my personal favorite change, because I use fireballs quite a lot. It turns extended pokes into meterless full combos mid screen or corner with microdash f.5b and allows you to combo for a lot of damage from round start distance. I think it's extremely important for any budding Akatsuki player to be able to recognize the ability to combo from this move because of this, but even if they don't, the opponent is still locked out of forward tech. This allows for safe pursuit options.
I'll go as far as to re-emphasize that if you aren't comboing from this, you are missing out on the benefits of playing a character like this. It is a necessity at higher levels of play to punish mistakes.
-> 22a:
Changed timing of invulnerability to jump and dive to be earlier. This move is throw, head and dive property invulnerable from frame 1 to it's first active frame on frame 5, making it one of the best moves of it's type. When paired with CS or 100 meter (236c/j.236c, ideally) it is one of the most dangerous moves in the game.
I think mastery of this particular move will be one of the things that truly differentiates an effective Akatsuki player on defense versus any other aspiring player. This move is broken. If you can time this as late as possible, this move will beat any jump-in in the game. I'm still trying to learn how to use this move better, it's that important.
-> Air Throw:
Proration reduced. This move is very good as a starter now because of it's reduced proration, allowing you at the minimum 3000 damage without meter or vorpal as a factor, if you know the appropriate route. I have pushed combos close to 3300-3400 before meter or vorpal comes into play, so it will serve as a key anti-assault option select on defense. Compared to the paltry 24-2600 damage in the previous version, you should use this move.
-> j.236a:
Recovery greatly reduced. The jury is kind of out on how useful this move actually is as far as strength... but it is still a good multi-purpose tool. It can be used as a plus frame okizeme setup in the corner, can be used against stand tech for a good punish, is not a terrible jumping option and is relatively safe on block at -3. It also serves as good combo tool on air throw combos because of the (7) j.2c -> j.236a link in air throw and in some advanced corner combos.
And why it matters?
If I were to summate this succinctly, UNI[cl-r] Akatsuki gets better knockdowns to continue pressure, gains more damage on the whole and has a lot more versatile usage for meter. I've emphasized this in some discussion to Japanese Akatsuki players, but I think that Akatsuki absolutely should be using meter as much as possible. He builds a lot of it and gets great cash out for it in almost any situation.
More demonstration of his knockdown changes in UNI[cl-r] is wonderfully presents by Marmo in a video of my ender theory posts in the discord. Other usages for moves and tactics are listed in Akatsuki's Mizuumi wiki.
-> 214[a] or Increased (IC) 214a:
This move has been added in [cl-r] and honestly, it's one of the best possible moves he would have gotten. At the start of the version, I wasn't terribly impressed by this move. It's a whopping -10 on block does not prorate that favorably and only allows for one falling normal on CS, so as a move to present to an opponent on offense, it's a big gimmick.
It's true strength lies as a linker towards the end of a combo. This move lets you to combo into grounded normals such as cl.5b -> cl.5c as a precursor to an air throw, allowing you to control positional disadvantage for the opponent. Because air throw is your second most favorable knockdown, this is extremely important. It also allows you to microdash 2a underneath the opponent to keep them going the same side in the combo, a technique found and popularized by Firery.
-> j.6[c] or Increased (IC) jump 6c:
This move has been added in [cl-r] and this might be the best change that Akatsuki received in this version of the game. It is an absolutely militant jump in that is hard to anti air, is +2 on shield and is massive damage if you manage to get hit by or grd crushed by this move.
It also functionally removes the necessity to do a fireball relaunch into the j.bca air series to unlock high damage for Akatsuki. In addition to that, it has great synergy with both the 2c series of enders and the 66c linker near corner, assuming you save your ground and wall bounces to allow them.
-> j.214c or jump 214c:
Knocks down. This move is extremely important for combo ender theory. It is our third most advantageous ender behind air throw and Kamikaze, Akatsuki's Infinite Worth. It is also our third most damaging combo ender, behind Kamikaze and 22a -> 22c, making it our second most damaging combo ender for 100 meter. Because of the knockdown property, it is your go to usage of 100 meter.
It also cannot be forward teched unless the opponent was comboed very high in the air.
-> 236a:
Floats opponents on grounded hit. This change is probably my personal favorite change, because I use fireballs quite a lot. It turns extended pokes into meterless full combos mid screen or corner with microdash f.5b and allows you to combo for a lot of damage from round start distance. I think it's extremely important for any budding Akatsuki player to be able to recognize the ability to combo from this move because of this, but even if they don't, the opponent is still locked out of forward tech. This allows for safe pursuit options.
I'll go as far as to re-emphasize that if you aren't comboing from this, you are missing out on the benefits of playing a character like this. It is a necessity at higher levels of play to punish mistakes.
-> 22a:
Changed timing of invulnerability to jump and dive to be earlier. This move is throw, head and dive property invulnerable from frame 1 to it's first active frame on frame 5, making it one of the best moves of it's type. When paired with CS or 100 meter (236c/j.236c, ideally) it is one of the most dangerous moves in the game.
I think mastery of this particular move will be one of the things that truly differentiates an effective Akatsuki player on defense versus any other aspiring player. This move is broken. If you can time this as late as possible, this move will beat any jump-in in the game. I'm still trying to learn how to use this move better, it's that important.
-> Air Throw:
Proration reduced. This move is very good as a starter now because of it's reduced proration, allowing you at the minimum 3000 damage without meter or vorpal as a factor, if you know the appropriate route. I have pushed combos close to 3300-3400 before meter or vorpal comes into play, so it will serve as a key anti-assault option select on defense. Compared to the paltry 24-2600 damage in the previous version, you should use this move.
-> j.236a:
Recovery greatly reduced. The jury is kind of out on how useful this move actually is as far as strength... but it is still a good multi-purpose tool. It can be used as a plus frame okizeme setup in the corner, can be used against stand tech for a good punish, is not a terrible jumping option and is relatively safe on block at -3. It also serves as good combo tool on air throw combos because of the (7) j.2c -> j.236a link in air throw and in some advanced corner combos.
And why it matters?
If I were to summate this succinctly, UNI[cl-r] Akatsuki gets better knockdowns to continue pressure, gains more damage on the whole and has a lot more versatile usage for meter. I've emphasized this in some discussion to Japanese Akatsuki players, but I think that Akatsuki absolutely should be using meter as much as possible. He builds a lot of it and gets great cash out for it in almost any situation.
More demonstration of his knockdown changes in UNI[cl-r] is wonderfully presents by Marmo in a video of my ender theory posts in the discord. Other usages for moves and tactics are listed in Akatsuki's Mizuumi wiki.
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Change in my personal combo routing
So, this section will probably not be that long compared to the above, since I think there's not so much to cover here. It took me a little while to adjust to the new routing that was added in UNI[cl-r] and honestly speaking, I'm still getting around to optimization here, but here goes:
-> omission of (linker) 2c > 6b
This is probably the most important change in the majority of my routing and it helps explain a bit of the linkers below. Contemporary combo knowledge from UNI[st] (and my doc, which is currently outdated) will tell you to slap this in literally everything. It was a component for the most damage in combos in [st] and still is for a few combos in [cl-r], but I have shied away from this for a few reasons, one of which because it spends two bounces right away.
-> (linker) 214[a]
This particular linker has high synergy with the contemporary combo [ex: 5a 5b 2c 6b 66b cl.5c 6c 214[a] {delay} cl.5b cl.5c j.AT = 2965 (3256)] but also has synergy with the modified launcher [ex: 5a 5b 2c 2b 6c 214[a] {delay} cl.5b cl.5c j.AT = 2483 (2727)]. The latter is less damage, but has more flexibility. You can do the microdash under for more damage and on stronger combos, this allows for other modified linkers.
-> (linker) dash 214a
This particular linker works in combos that have as much or more favorable proration than counter hit f.5b starters. It allows for more corner push and unlocks more damage when combined with other components. This linker also stars in the highest damage 6c start combo.
-> (linker) 66b > f.5c
This linker was found by Kilimine and expanded on by perhaps the most infamous player u4ick, who is also known to have one of the strongest Akatsuki's in the country. This is a very high damage linker that has high synergy with combos that omit linker 2c > 6b. The reason behind this is because j.6[c] will use one of your bounces after f.5c.
-> (linker) j.6[c] > 66c
In the above link in the 66b > f.5c linker, the second combo shows off the j.6[c] > 66c linker, which allows for Akatsuki to easily transition from midscreen to corner. As you can see, it also unlocks a lot of damage. As an aside, the 66c near-corner link is also possible as a part of the fireball relaunch near corner.
-> (ender) 2c > 2a whiff
This is one of my favorite enders, shown off in the okizeme guide above. It's +30 or so and has high synergy from j.6[c]. You can also do it from j.bca relaunches if you feel dedicated to tsumo-style enders.
-> omission of (linker) 2c > 6b
This is probably the most important change in the majority of my routing and it helps explain a bit of the linkers below. Contemporary combo knowledge from UNI[st] (and my doc, which is currently outdated) will tell you to slap this in literally everything. It was a component for the most damage in combos in [st] and still is for a few combos in [cl-r], but I have shied away from this for a few reasons, one of which because it spends two bounces right away.
-> (linker) 214[a]
This particular linker has high synergy with the contemporary combo [ex: 5a 5b 2c 6b 66b cl.5c 6c 214[a] {delay} cl.5b cl.5c j.AT = 2965 (3256)] but also has synergy with the modified launcher [ex: 5a 5b 2c 2b 6c 214[a] {delay} cl.5b cl.5c j.AT = 2483 (2727)]. The latter is less damage, but has more flexibility. You can do the microdash under for more damage and on stronger combos, this allows for other modified linkers.
-> (linker) dash 214a
This particular linker works in combos that have as much or more favorable proration than counter hit f.5b starters. It allows for more corner push and unlocks more damage when combined with other components. This linker also stars in the highest damage 6c start combo.
-> (linker) 66b > f.5c
This linker was found by Kilimine and expanded on by perhaps the most infamous player u4ick, who is also known to have one of the strongest Akatsuki's in the country. This is a very high damage linker that has high synergy with combos that omit linker 2c > 6b. The reason behind this is because j.6[c] will use one of your bounces after f.5c.
-> (linker) j.6[c] > 66c
In the above link in the 66b > f.5c linker, the second combo shows off the j.6[c] > 66c linker, which allows for Akatsuki to easily transition from midscreen to corner. As you can see, it also unlocks a lot of damage. As an aside, the 66c near-corner link is also possible as a part of the fireball relaunch near corner.
-> (ender) 2c > 2a whiff
This is one of my favorite enders, shown off in the okizeme guide above. It's +30 or so and has high synergy from j.6[c]. You can also do it from j.bca relaunches if you feel dedicated to tsumo-style enders.
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My Thoughts on Akatsuki: Matchup Chart Discussion
(Link to Old is here)
(Link to Old is here)
Matchup Chart changes from May 2020:
= Disadvantage: No Change
= Sl. Disadvantage: Hyde (Evenish > Sl. Dis), Lond (Evenish > Sl. Dis)
= Even Enough: Enk (Sl. Dis > Evenish), Mer (Sl. Dis > Evenish)
= Sl. Advantage: Pho (Evenish > Sl. Dis)
= Advantage: Car (Sl. Ad > Adv)
Why?
I'm actually still kind of wavering on Hyde and Enkidu's placements because they could be flipped or they could be both in Sl. Disadvantage.
One of the big changes is that Hyde players have gotten so much better about placing active moves into where Akatsuki wants to be. Because of Hyde's own fireball and 22x, Akatsuki's fireballs are sealed pretty well, forcing him to have to box with Hyde. Hyde, Akatsuki, Enkidu and Gordeau's backsteps are really strong for repositioning, but the former three are also very good at pressing fast things to check what Akatsuki wants to do.
I realize that this may be hypocritical because Enkidu vs Akatsuki is actually extremely similar as far as neutral goes. In addition, I think Enkidu is very adept at picking apart both Akatsuki retaliation and also in sealing retreat/backstep. Unlike Hyde, however, I think that Akatsuki has an easier time of sticking to Enkidu once he's there.
-> Londrekia is difficult for a lot of the same reasons that Hyde is, actually. The difference is that Londrekia's general ability to deal with fireball through tools like 4C, j.3b and 214C (which hops mids/fireball) all transition straight into an extremely powerful position in the corner.
Once you get to the corner, 4C and 5b(b) and smart positioning seals off a lot of Akatsuki retaliation. It's one of the current most oppressive positions I feel like I play, even more so than Byakuya web setups and Vatista gem setups. Attacking through FF is also really difficult, but honestly I feel like this feeling comes exclusively from fighting Foxof. Latency makes things more difficult, but I think even offline these positions will be difficult for Akatsuki.
-> Merkava is a character whose neutral presence I felt more troubled by before because of lack of matchup experience. I think changes to Akatsuki like 214C's acceleration, a true knockdown from j.214b, 22a and ICj.6C all combine to allow Akatsuki to fight airborne Merkava quite well and trace his landings.
Akatsuki is a character whose increased ability to generate hard knockdowns allows him to attack from advantage more often. Merkava's best abare options typically comes from low attacks and the combination of Akatsuki's fast attacks and tatsu killing both lows and divekick makes offense really tenable for him. Merkava's offense is also really potent if he has meter, but I think the neutral dynamics have shifted closer for Aka's comfort.
-> Phonon is a character that I felt a lot more comfortable with towards the end of ST. I was sort of at the point where I thought the MU was a sleeper slight advantage point in that version of the game. I think running offense, especially with meter is very strong against Phonon. I think the nerf on 2a is very important for Akatsuki's pressure structure. Parry is a very good answer to air fireball and other air moves.
That being said, after I played against Silent online, I came away very impressed by various utilizations of 6FF. I might go as far as to say smart utilization of this move is the new future for that character. I also think that set plays with Phonon's new air movement has some usage in confusing Akatsuki's decision to anti air. Phonon pressure and offense w/ long distance TRMs and a maze of buttons are still things to consider when playing.
-> Carmine is a character I still need more experience in playing against. Talking to Pinku and Spinach reveals to me more about the holes that Akatsuki can bully him. 5BB is basically an RPS point against Carmine, because it's a 5f gap. 22B beats everything and punishes 5BB outright, but FFOS and 22a (beats strike, throw, jump) both turn into combos if Carmine decides that he wants to test something else.
Akatsuki still basically negates his reversals when he utilizes 214b on Carmine's wakeup, a thing that has carried over from EL. Force Function, though it does not delete 6b anymore still serves as a good answer to various setups and he cannot generally be fuzzied on defense.
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My Thoughts on Akatsuki: How I feel playing MUs
(Link to Old is here)
My Thoughts on Akatsuki: How I feel playing MUs
(Link to Old is here)
I'm kind of burning out here, so this section will be fun, quick and dirty.
-> Angry Face: All these characters are constantly either fucking pressing buttons into your dashup, are half the screen away from you or are playing the "I'm not touching you :)" game when your back is in the corner with there being little you can do to deal with it. They have good ways around my fireballs or basically touch me and I'm highly likely to lose the game.
-> Slight Frown: These characters roughly play the same range as me, but they have good abilities to shift their movement either with backstep, air movement or another particular movement vector. Because the effective range is similar and they have longer reach on average, it's a chore getting them to sit still and respect my offense.
-> Neutral Face: These characters are characters where the pace of the set is really slow. I think that I have solid answers for the first 3 and the MU flow feels relatively solved for now, but obviously it's not so easy that just because I understand, it means that I win. I actually currently feel like I'm close to solving how vs Vatista is supposed to be played, but it's nebulous still. Don't ask me about it yet.
-> Smiley: These matchups are rich in interaction and by that I mean, I get to do my dumb shit within reason. These are nice and comfortable matchups where I generally understand how they're supposed to work. Hilda and Phonon are more touch-and-go than the others, by nature of polarization for Hilda and slightly because of the similarity Phonon has to Slight Frown characters. Luckily, Phonon's fireballs are nice parries and she explodes for doing some canned options.
-> Aggressive Smiley: I have a nice time just moving these characters to the corner and making sure they explode like Patrick did when he got lasso'd by Sandy in that Texas episode. I feel like I really understand how Chaos wants to play Akatsuki and it's an extremely fun matchup. Gordeau suffers against Akatsuki and I'm glad. Perish.
-> Angry Face: All these characters are constantly either fucking pressing buttons into your dashup, are half the screen away from you or are playing the "I'm not touching you :)" game when your back is in the corner with there being little you can do to deal with it. They have good ways around my fireballs or basically touch me and I'm highly likely to lose the game.
-> Slight Frown: These characters roughly play the same range as me, but they have good abilities to shift their movement either with backstep, air movement or another particular movement vector. Because the effective range is similar and they have longer reach on average, it's a chore getting them to sit still and respect my offense.
-> Neutral Face: These characters are characters where the pace of the set is really slow. I think that I have solid answers for the first 3 and the MU flow feels relatively solved for now, but obviously it's not so easy that just because I understand, it means that I win. I actually currently feel like I'm close to solving how vs Vatista is supposed to be played, but it's nebulous still. Don't ask me about it yet.
-> Smiley: These matchups are rich in interaction and by that I mean, I get to do my dumb shit within reason. These are nice and comfortable matchups where I generally understand how they're supposed to work. Hilda and Phonon are more touch-and-go than the others, by nature of polarization for Hilda and slightly because of the similarity Phonon has to Slight Frown characters. Luckily, Phonon's fireballs are nice parries and she explodes for doing some canned options.
-> Aggressive Smiley: I have a nice time just moving these characters to the corner and making sure they explode like Patrick did when he got lasso'd by Sandy in that Texas episode. I feel like I really understand how Chaos wants to play Akatsuki and it's an extremely fun matchup. Gordeau suffers against Akatsuki and I'm glad. Perish.
