Rumors of Makoto's demise greatly exaggerated

So, after playing around with Akuma for a while. I'm going to stick it out with Makoto. After some time in the lab, some things are starting to come together for me. I still get bodied but I'm learning quick some of her mixups.

I still hate the Ibuki and Sim matchups with a passion. Although Ex. Oroshi is finding more use these days as an anti poke where a TK axe kick won't do. 

Main character change for the moment

After playing around with Makoto for a while, I've decided in order to improve my basics I'm going to work on Akuma as a main character now. He's a shoto,can help with my fundamentals of the same and is just an all around fun, but damage character.

Secondary Character

So after thinking about it for a while and doing some research, I think I'm going to learn Akuma as a secondary character to cover the match-ups that Makoto has a problem with. His style of attack and guessing games/damage potential is similar enough to Makoto that it works for my playstyle.

Words to the wise

So just as a side note, I have a ton to learn. But I have a year to do it in.  Makoto has to be the character with highest learning curve, if anyone wants to pick her up cold be prepared to loose a lot. Online play especially can be frustrating with the complete random BS that floats around and lag. But battle through it and you will be rewarded with a beastly character that will body just about anyone with a few bad guesses.

Makoto Basics Part 1: Normals

Morning peeps,

I'm going to review the Makoto basics in the next few posts. It will be broken down into Normals, Specials, Super/Ultras, Combos, Footsies, Defense, Offense etc.

First off lets do a review of the notation that gets used. I'll use the standard Japanese notation. Below is a diagram to help understand.

My button notation comes from Third Strike. Just a quick review.

jab = lp
strong = mp
fierce = hp
short = lk
forward = mk
roundhouse = hk

example: s.mp = standing strong

A lot of what I'm talking about it's good to go into training mode a check out. Makoto has a lot of normals, the majority of them are darn good. But it's a lot of work to go into the details of each and everyone.

So in some cases I'll provide links to comprehensive reviews that have been done of her moves before. I'll just give my opinion and what I happen to use them for. This is less of a guide and more of a review of what I know at the moment. I'm not going to touch every normal move, just the ones that are more or less useful.

s.lp: standard jab, it can be canceled into a hayate or into itself. Safe on block +2

s.mp great normal, big hit box, lots of active frames. Great for frame traps, +2 on block, +5 on hit. (can do 2 x s.mp, 0 frame link)

s.fp: slow normal, can be used as an AA. Unsafe on block. This is mainly used in your Karakusa combos (more on those later)

s.lk I don't use this much on it's own, it's a little slow for my taste 5 frame start-up. Can combo into a hayate if you want.

s.mk I use this as a far anti-air. Can be used to counter poke but your better off using s.mp since it gives more frame advantage and comes out faster. Can't be punished on block (-2)

s.fk: I hardly ever use this one, it's a big meaty attack with 8 start-up frames and 8 active frames.

c.mp: great poke, can combo into Hayate or Ex-Hayate. I tend to use this when poking at mid range as a way to move in. Hit confirming this into an Ex-hayate leads to the wakeup game and up close and personal time which is where Makoto is the best.

c.fp: oddly enough this is one of her two sweeps, the one I use more often than not. 

c.lk: good poke, can combo into Ex-Hayate. Can be used in her post-Hayate guessing game.

c.mk good poke, makes for an odd AA like Juri's c.mk. Doesn't combo into anything.

c.fk big roundhouse kick, long range, don't use it much

f.mp: this is a great move as it advances you forward, is safe on block, can be used as a meaty and has the ability to stuff a lot of other normals. When in mid range can be used to push in closer into zone where Makoto does best, up close and personal (i.e. karakusa, s.mp, c.mp range)

f.fp: great meaty, tap fp twice more to get extra hits.

f.lk: Makoto's odd thrust kick. This is unsafe on block, I don't use this as a poke. This normal can be used to kara-cancel in her command grab (karakusa). It significantly increases the range of the grab which is where a lot of her most damaging combos come from. Takes a little practice to make it work but well worth it. Starting to work it into my play style.

f.hk: Makoto's other sweep, your not going to use this as a sweep. If you hold the roundhouse button this turns into a feint where she just steps forward. Right now a lot of my kockdown mixup game comes from this. If you start the move next to their body, this move will cross over their body to the other side, making it very useful.

As far as jumping normals go. There are only a few I use:

nj.mk 10 active frames so it makes it great for safe jumps.

fj.fp Makoto's hurtbox on this move is very small so it's very difficult to beat mid air.

fj.mk useful for crossups, but most of the time Makoto's cross ups come off a knockdown or using Tsurugi.

I'm still spending a lot of time in training mode learning how to use these.


I'll cover her specials at a later time.


Peace

Statement of Purpose: Evolution 2012

Greetings everyone,

I'm creating this blog in an effort to chronicle my year long training to prepare for Evolution 2012.

Just to give a bit of background on myself I'm a 31 year old scientist, martial artist and gamer. In the early 2000's I got in competitive fighting games. I grew to love the fighting game community and the games themselves. I played Third Strike and CvS2. Recently with the release of Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition I felt the urge to re-enter the scene.

After watching almost non-stop the Evolution 2011 tournament I have made it my goal to prepare as much as I can and go to Evolution. I'm going to document my progress and my thoughts in the process. 


In Street Fighter I main Makoto, and I'm still looking for a secondary possibly Juri.


I'll give you my current feelings on Makoto since I mained her back in Third Strike.


Makoto doesn't really fall into the standard archetypes of characters (i.e. Grappler, Shoto....) She's in a class of her own. She's capable of blowing you up just like she could in Third Strike through the use of her really nice normals and nasty high damage/ high stun combos. 

I'm in the middle of grilling dinner so I will have to write more later on.