Melty Blood/MBTL/Akiha Tohno/Strategy
Neutral
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Pressure
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Okizeme
Preface
Why use 236B instead of 236A after an EX knockdown?
After EX knockdowns, Akiha will typically set 236B. This might seem odd at first; after all, it doesn't actually hit them unless they stand. So why use 236B?
- Firstly, and most importantly, 236B will not OTG the opponent if done as soon as possible after your EX knockdown. 236A will. This actually gives you less time to set up after 236A, even if its startup is lower.
- 236B leaves open throw, 632146C, and AD, if they crouch the wheel. 632146C is especially enabled by B wheel, since the wheel hits your opponent if they try to jump postflash. (They can, however, still reversal punish, or Moon Drive>2A punish. So be wary.)
- Your opponent can only shield the wheel with stand shield. This means that attempts to shield the wheel always lose to meaty lows. If the opponent wants to try to shield your meaty low instead, they risk whiffing a shield. In contrast, with 236A, your opponent can always both 5D and 2D and shield the wheel; they will never whiff a shield. As a result, with 236A, you must meaty high or meaty low and guess correctly to beat their shield attempt, which can open you to other defensive options. 236B does not have this issue.
- Your opponent isn't being hit if they crouch, so they can act. This may seem bad, but your opponent is more restricted than it looks. First, they cannot input 22x or 623x without being hit by the wheel. Second, any 214x or 236x must have invuln, and the button press must be on the same frame as the final directional input in order for the move to come out. Third, attempts to dash will get hit, and attempts to backdash will either get hit during the input (44) or after the backdash invul wears off (frame perfect 4A+B). Fourth, any attempt to moondrive must time the 5 perfectly with the B+C or they will get hit. And lastly, they can attempt to stand shield the wheel late, but they must time the shield with their blockswitch, which is less forgiving than doing it with the wakeup buffer. In short: they are only so much better off than if they had blocked. And furthermore...
- The wheel will not tick unless they are in it. If your opponent crouches on wakeup and standblocks later, you do not actually lose ticks on the wheel. They will still receive four ticks as long as they standblock before the wheel's duration expires. If your opponent doesn't block immediately, they are giving you those plus frames at a better time later. In contrast, you will always get the plus frames from 236A immediately, if you get them at all.
- B wheel enables better punishes than A wheel.
Now, you will not -always- use 236B; some setups, like SKD's crossup protection break, use j.6B+C, and others use j.236X. But EX knockdown>236B is your go-to, and your most basic setup.
How does 236B affect the risk/reward on shielding?
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Corner Oki: Airthrow Knockdown
Lowest AT (e.g. 214B j.[C]B AT)
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Lower AT (e.g. j.[c]b land j.AB AT)
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Moderate AT (e.g. 3C immediate AT)
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Higher AT (e.g. 3C j.AB AT)
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Highest AT (e.g 3C j.BC dj.BC AT)
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Corner Oki: EX Wheel KD
j.[c] j.236C Knockdown > 236B Meaty 22B
Example combo into setup:
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2a 5b 2b 5c 2c 6c 22b 2c 6c 214b j[c] j.236c, backwalk to max 22B range (or another range if it's better for the matchup), 22B meaty |
When set up like this, 236B > max range 22B outspaces heat, lets you bait a fair amount of reversals, and punishes stand shield with a meaty low. It also puts you at a spacing where Shield>A Followup whiffs, and you can 3C if you read Shield>B Followup. See the chart below:
Midscreen Oki: Airthrow Knockdown
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Lowest AT (e.g. 214B j.[C]B AT)
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Lower AT (e.g. j.[c]b land j.AB AT)
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Moderate AT (e.g. 3C immediate AT)
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Higher AT (e.g. 3C j.AB AT)
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Highest AT (e.g 3C j.BC dj.BC AT)
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Midscreen: EX Wheel Knockdown
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Defense
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