Thoughts on USF4 - FR Build

I meant to post my impressions earlier so this post is somewhat dated due to the fact that newer Ultra builds have since been tested since Final Round where I had a chance to play the game. In any case, for those curious here is what I think.

General thoughts- I've said from the beginning, I did not like the idea of Ultra. I happen to think the current version is very well balanced despite the Cammys and Akumas out there. In my opinion you can't claim that you are rebalancing a roster of 35+ characters when you then add five completely new ones. New characters take whatever balance you thought you had and tosses it out the proverbial window. With that being said, after playing the game, it is still SF4. Indeed, it still feels the same and plays largely the same. The game mechanics that were changed are slight and will not completely change things-- at least not right away.

I like the changes they made to the existing cast for balance. With Combofiend and the Capcom staff taking extra care this time around, I feel like this could be the version of SF4 everyone wants, which brings us to the new characters.

As stated before, new characters throws off any balance one intends to create because the new characters are largely not accounted for when deciding changes to the existing cast. Therefore, it is my belief, given the good changes that we have already seen that the fate of this version of the game will depend largely if not entirely on how strong the new characters are. Right now the new characters all have something to offer sans Hugo, which is okay with me. However, I hope they tone down Rolento (Free escape with meter and two good Ultra combos) and Decapre (Great utility overall).

Sakura - Escape Tatsu is no more. After being hidden away from Capcom across several versions this option is gone. It's fair and should never have even been allowed to stay in the game for as long as it did.

Other changes involve intricacies that involve frames and hitboxes which are difficult to test on the fly. All I can say overall is that Sakura is still Sakura. Her gameplay still holds. No nerfs to damage or stun means good players can still wreak havoc upon others with poor defense.

Rose - She seems stronger overall. EX Spiral is legit now but with the added risk of being completely throwable. The Double Ultra can be very useful for her.

Ken - In the build I played, his EX Tatsu was changed to be like Ryu's making certain air juggles not work and obviously making cross up EX Tatsu a non factor. He had his jab > Sweep link and faster walk speed as reported. I believe for seasoned Ken players this makes him stronger, but I don't see others flocking to him.

Elena- I had a hard time playing her as I didn't not know how her moves worked at all making my judgment pretty much invalid. All I can say is her Healing Ultra is just as cheap as you think it is.

Poison - I had a lot of fun playing her. Her low mk is very good. Ryu-like in effectiveness and you can easily hit confirm into Rekkas from it. Of course she retains her strong fire ball and anti air game from SFxT. In the right hands, a very annoying character.

Results: DDQ BBQ 6: Tag Battle

Mike "Hogosha" Connolly hosted a great event that was strictly teams for all the main games. Shoutouts to him and his tireless work in putting this on. Here are the results for each game below.

Towerfall (9 teams)
1st - Hogosha/Jeremy
2nd - Blank/NGamer3k
3rd - Ether Lord/Alex
4th - Kerahime/Steve

SF4 (8 teams)
1st - Blank/NGamer3k (Adon/Sakura)
2nd - Kemps/Latino Link (Boxer/Fei Long)
3rd - Grog/TopHat (Honda/Makoto)
4th - Vamperial/Figgy  (Makoto/Honda)

Melee (5 teams)
1st - Sanchez/Frootloop
2nd - Mundungu/Kerahime
3rd - Kenneth/Richardo
4th - Kuares/Blank

3rd Strike (5 teams)
1st - DTJB/Hogosha (Makoto/Elena)
2nd - NGamer3k/TopHat (Ken/Makoto)
3rd - Grog/Rob (Ken/Urien)
4th - Vamperial/Figgy (Akuma, Yang)

UMVC3 (9 teams)
1st - Sanchez/Frootloop
2nd - Adam/Hogosha
3rd - Joker/NGamer3k
4th - Kuares/Blank

Project M (6 teams)
1st - Joker/Blank  (Link/Mario, Charizard)
2nd - Richardo/Kenneth (Sheik/Fox)
3rd - Frootloop/Steve
4th - Mundungu/Kerahime

Mystery (11 teams) (Unfinished)
1st - Kerahime/Steve
2nd (3 way tie) - Blank/NGamer3k, Kenneth/Richardo, Matt/Alex

My Streamed Match at FRXVII

For those that missed it, this is my Loser's Final match of my pool at Final Round this year. 

Flurry of Updates

I have once again neglected this blog, so I need to play catch up. As a result, I will be posting a bunch of stuff today regarding recent happenings, starting with FR and ending with some preparation for UFGT. Cheers.