Tuesday, May 7, 2013

VF Meaties Explored

Meaty is a term used to describe a move that is executed early, so the opponent will be
instantly forced to deal with the attack in its active window as soon as they recover from
an invulnerable state.
This is a very important concept that can be used as a strong tool in many fighting games.
In VF, when an opponent techs from a knockdown, it's possible to use meaties. When a meaty
is applied in this situation, the only 2 options for the opponent to choose are either:
1. Guard High
2. Guard Low
The opponent cannot use any attack nor evade meaties in VF.
While any attack can be used as a meaty, every character has ideal moves to use.
Part 1
A Mid attack will be the most important option for every character. The best mids to use
will exhibit at least one the following properties:
    - Safe/Advantage on Block
    - Good Amount of Active Frames
    - Launch/Knockdown on Normal Hit
    - Force Stagger on Crouch Hit
While it's possible to use regular launchers as meaties, it's not recommended since they can be punished.
Part 2
Once the opponent expects the mid upon teching, it'll be important to have other options to
use as a mix-up. The best options are:
1. Guardbreak
2. Catch Throw
3. Throw
4. Certain Lows can be used as strong meaty options. The safer & more rewarding the attack is, the better.
These options will be best once the opponent respects the player's mids, since the opponent will also be able to get out of these with appropiate reactions.
Part 3
So to avoid meaties, the opponent will have to choose not to tech. If the opponent doesn't tech, the player can use OTG (Off The Ground) and down attacks to extend combo damage. Once both players understand the oki mechanics, the mix-up will be deciding whether its worth teching or not.
I should mention, combos with 2-3 hits or moves that instantly cause knockdown are the easiest for applying OTG combos.
Closing notes
The opponent can use late tech to get out of many meaty setups. In some cases, its possible for the opponent to tech late enough with time to avoid being OTG'd.
As an opponent, it's recommended to tech if you won't survive a down attack.

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