Skullgirls/Peacock/Strategy
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Strategy (WIP)
- I hope you like zoning.
Goals
- Create space and throw out quick projectiles to be able to summon M item.
- Once you are holding M item you can chose to either establish more projectile pressure or close in and try to fish for a hit.
Mr. Peck's Peacock Guide-from the ground up.
Offense
- While Peacock is technicially an airdasher, she cannot run her offense like the other airdashers in the game. Her normals are stubby, she is the only character that doesn't have any low on a light button and she has a hard time getting clean hitconfirms. In theory, she faces a losing matchup aganist every character in the game up close. To combat this peacock needs the opponent to be forced to block something that is not her body, to be able to maintain pressure. This comes in form of either her own projectiles or an assist.
- M Item is your go to tool to put pressure on the opponent. It tracks them and being able to release it anytime you want forces them to be afraid of fighting back. The shadow does disappear when Peacock gets hit, so you need to be careful with it yourself.
- L George+M George or L George+H George will throw one slow and one fast bomb at your opponent. The theory behind this is to force the opponent to block the fast bomb, while presuring them when the slow bomb moves towards them. The bombs don't disappear when Peacock is hit so this forces the opponent to eat your blockstring in a lot of situations. On top of that you can use Teleport to turn the bombs into a left/right mixup.
- j.MK summons a projectile at your opponents feet, it's a fast way to make a grounded opponent block while you come down with an air button.
- Jumping over your opponent with j.HK xx ADC shares a similar theory to j.MK-forcing a grounded opponent to block while you are in the air.
- c.MK is your fastest low. IAD with j.LP or j.LK are your quickest overhead options, if you kara cancel j.MK with ADC at the start of your jump you get a lower height than IAD gives you. It's more difficult but makes it easier to confirm j.LP or j.LK.
- Throws are very important for your pressure and Peacock was gifted good ones. They naturally work well in synergy with projectile pressure, since projectiles inherently make your opponent block. Airthrow leads to a combo and groundthrow causes hard knockdown, which allows Peacock to set up projectiles and go for a mixup or establish zoning.
- Peacock's combos lead to insane damage and when she has an assist for it, she gets access to one of the best reset vortexes in the game. This makes some opponents more scared of challenging her in the first place.
Neutral
- Neutral is Peacock's strength. Stay slippery and unpredictable by utilizing Peacock's varied movement options. Use disjointed normals or ones that create projectiles to discourage your opponents approach. Once you created enough distance to throw out projectiles, either start with s.HP or L George+H George and summon an item while they are blocking the other projectiles. Once you established space control you can either go on the offense or stay back and start applying heavy projectile pressure with a zoning pattern.
- Peacock is a character with a huge variety of different tools and tricks and can be played in a lot of different ways. There are 3 main styles of Peacock:
- Heavy Zoning
- Hit and Run
- Rushdown Peacock
- Movement
Proper Movement is about 50% of your zoning work, so let's start here. Peacock's backwards movement is superb, both backdashes are fast and travel far distances. L Teleport can be canceled from a single bomb and is inulvnerable while traveling. Although moving backwards is great, moving forwards is something you also have to learn if you don't want to corner yourself. H Teleport is your best method of switching sides, although unsafe. Sweep goes forward a lot faster than your run, but you can't block while going forward. Jumping over your opponent is a decent option.
- Your backwards movement speed is extremly fast, while your forward movement is more limited. This makes creating distance easier than going in. Which is what you want to do anyways.
- Backdash and Airdash are both fast and move a huge distance. Jumping backwards with j.HK and airdashing back already sends you fullscreen and is very safe to do. This is the go to runaway option for a lot of situations. Backdashing is a bit riskier since being on the ground makes you more vulnerable but allows you to go right into throwing out projectiles.
- Teleports are amazing movement options. For the majority L and H Teleport are used to navigate around your opponent. Teleport starts being invulnerable at frame 3 and stays invulnerable until Peacock appears on the screen again.
- This makes generally L Teleport safer to use than a backdash if your opponent is closing in on you. L Teleport can also be canceled from your Bombs which also helps in making it safer, while not giving up projectile pressure. L Teleport however suffers from recovery so it takes more time than backdashing to start acting again.
- While moving backwards is great and creates distance quickly you will also start cornering yourself if you keep doing so. And in the corner is where Peacock dies. This is where you need to risk to move past your opponent, while they are closing in. Ideally you only want to do this with projectiles set up or an assist backing you up.
- H Teleport goes directly behind the opponent. Your destination is set upon the starting the teleport which makes H Teleport amazing aganist jump ins, since your opponent will still travel forward while you end up on the other side of the screen. It basicially turns forwards movement into backwards movement for your opponent. A lot riskier to use than the light version, since if your opponent stays in place you are open for a punish. You can make H Teleport safer by throwing a set of bombs, which also sets up a crossup, however it will halt your opponents movement, making the distance you create not as great but turning it into a potential hitconfirm. While H Teleport with bombs is difficult to punish it can still be punished when the opponent reads it correctly so be mindful.
- Running forward with M item held is a good scare tactic and will most likely make your opponent move backwards, or open themselves up for an item mixup.
- Sweep is amazing in it's own right: It is your fastest way to move forward, it breaks armor and you can always cancel it into a special. You can use it to sneak under the opponent while they are in the air. On block cancel it into L George or L Teleport to be safe. Can also be a way to start a blockstring.
- Your forward airdash acts less like an airdash and more like a leap of faith. Very slow and leaves you vulnerable for a considerable amount of time. It is much safer to use of your opponent has to block an assist or a projectile. You can jump forward with j.HK xx Airdash to try to jump over your opponent. Combined with your double jump this is still a good option to switch sides.
- Key Normals
- As mentioned above j.HK is a button you will use a lot in neutral. It creates a projctile that slowly falls to the ground and is one of your two only aerial projectiles. Jumping back j.HK xx Backdash is safe to use at midranges while the projectile will wall the opponent for a short time-which is all you need to set up stronger projectiles.
- j.HP has a huge disjointed hitbox and causes Peacock to fly backwards. This move completly shuts down aerial approaches if spaced correctly. Great move to throw out if you think your opponent will try to get in with a button but also slow to come out so it will lose upclose to faster normals easily. Combined with backdash this move sends you fullscreen. It works also well combined with j.HK. j.HP, b.ADC j.HK is good aerial keepaway option.
- j.LP is your go to air to air for close range. Unlike j.HP its quick to come out and slightly disjointed. Also leads to a combo on hit but can be tricky to confirm.
- j.MK would be your second air projectile, although not as straightforward to use as the other air buttons. The move itself has no hitbox but creates a projectile underneath your opponent's feet. The projectile also has limited range. Useful to stop a grounded opponent.
- s.HP creates a fireball and is key in starting your zoning. More in the projectiles section.
- c.HP is your sweep and movement option at the same time. Breaks armor and travels forward quickly.
- Projectiles
- Insert comments about her projectiles and their uses.
- Zoning Patterns
- Zoning Patterns are a rotation of projectiles which can be looped. It's main use is to fill the screen with as much projectiles as possible and establish chip pressure. You'll want to start with a zoning pattern from 3/4 or fullscreen. Every zoning pattern has holes and your opponent will try their best to escape it. This is why you should not loop them for too long and watch what they are doing. Your opponents efforts to escape the pattern will most likely also leave them more open to a sneaky mixup.
- The following video showcases her two important patterns.
- The first pattern in the video above is good for maximising chip damage but easier to escape.
- The second pattern makes use of L george, who will stay longer on the screen and is moe difficult to deal with than M george in the first pattern. You will miss out on chip damage on this one though.
- Lenny
Defense
- Zoning is your Defense. Use your movement, teleports and projectiles to not let the opponent close in on you. Stay slippery. Once Peacock is actually forced to defend herself your options are limited:
- M Bang is your only real reversal. It can be thrown and easily jumped over and punished. It works well however when your opponent is not baiting it out. While it is technicially punishable on block, most characters won't be able to do so since M Bang pushes your opponent back. More importantly it sends them fullscreen on hit-excatly where you want them to be. So it works as a good high risk-high reward defensive tool. Canceling M Bang into Lenny on hit or on block will make it more safe-ish to use.
- L Bang is M Bang's little brother and not nearly as often seen. It's throw invul so only used as a hard read to punish your opponents throw attempt. Very punishable on block. It staggers and leads to a full combo though.
- c.LK is your anti air button. While it does recover quickly and is fast to throw out, it's small so it requires strict timing to actually work as an anti air. Confirm with c.MP.
- Teleports start being invuln on frame 4 and leave you open during recovery. So they lose to meaties and opponents who are ready for them. However they are still one of your best answers to escape pressure. H Teleport is especially good in the corner and L Teleport creates distance backwards.
- None of your supers are invulnerable on startup, however Lenny is invuln on frame 5 which makes it only really lose to meaties. It's your best bet if you want to DHC into an actual reversal super or safe DHC to escape pressure. Mashing Lenny on his own also has it's benefits since it puts your opponent in a position, where they either have to have some sick Lenny combo ready or have to drop their pressure/combo to avoid the explosion. In most cases you both get blown up or the opponent backs off and allows you to breathe.
Matchups
Other Techniques
Block while running trick
https://twitter.com/Thewingit123/status/1152393223974871042
Counterplay
Against zoning patterns
Other
