MBAC: Blocking and how important it is (Read this if you're new with Kouma !! )

[S-Blade]

I've noticed something with people starting to pick up Kouma, and they really can't seem to understand this bit.

There's one really big problem with Kouma for less skilled players, or at least people who don't know 100% what they are doing. You can't mash people out. Wakeup 2aa is absolutely out of question 99% of the time with Kouma. It does not work. If they have a move out there or a move that isn't even meaty but is going hit you, 2a will lose to the vast majority of the moves in the game. The ONLY reason you would use it is if the opponent somehow whiffed a move on you and you got up fast enough to punish with 2aa. Even if your opponent decides to block on wakeup (which is very rare), there isn't much of a difference between them blocking your 2aa (and maybe a blockstring that followed) and both of you just sitting there blocking nothing. So, I'm on wakeup, I'm Kouma, what the hell do I do?

You block.
You fucking block.

A lot of people don't realize it, but blocking is damn good for Kouma, and here's why.

There are two scenarios once you start blocking: the opponent uses a blockstring to keep you in blockstun, and the opponent plays a stagger/pressure game with gaps and frametraps. Kouma can easily deal with BOTH. Watch:

Scenario one. The opponent is using frametraps and other staggers to try and bait a counterhit from you off of your terrible 2a.
Here's what you can do in the gaps between their hits:
623a because its fast and good
22a to stuff a move and get them out of your face
22b to get you out of there
22c is the standard near-foolproof way to get out of a tough situation
236a/b to EITHER get a blocked first rekka hit and cancel into 22c for a direct 22c setup which almost guarantees you a knockdown when you learn to utilize it, OR absorb a hit of theirs with superarmor and score yourself a knockdown.
Utilize clash frames since you know they are going to throw something out (5b is nice and clashy, dashing and immediately blocking hoping for a clash somewhere is an ok substitute if you don't want to risk getting CH comboed)

This is all from blocking. These are all very good. The worst is 623a and although risky it still has great priority and resets to neutral positioning/situation.

Situation two. They're keeping you in blockstun and not letting you out.
First option is obvious. Bara them. Dunk that shit with RAGE.
Are they using moves that keep them in the air and away from bara-dunking danger? You can still bara 623c if you've practiced it. It's also still a really good move.
You might not have the meter which is very likely if you're utilizing your EXes like you should be. In this case, you keep blocking and you wait until you see a gap in their assault, which may be unpredictably often (V.Sion) or fairly obvious after a long while of blocking (Aoko). There are lots of ways you can trump them with this gap. If they ended in the air, you should be clear for a 623b. If they ended on the ground, 236b is still great.
Even if you miss all the gaps and find yourself blocking for a very long time, this still is not terrible and is no reason for a loss of hope and/or confidence. You're now in the corner and Kouma's ability to reverse the situation completely is great. You, eventually, are going to get a chance to one of these options or maybe another trick up your sleeve (dodge/held shield into grab is a standard that i haven't mentioned yet) and the probability of one of these succeeding against your opponent is high.

So block. Block. Block and fucking win.

New players of Kouma especially need to absorb and understand what I've mentioned here. It's the key to the lock that everyone has been fumbling with. It's also the missing piece to the puzzle as to why no one thinks Kouma is the A-tier that the Japanese have agreed upon.

I apologize for missing such a fundamental in my guide which I understand has been leading a lot of people through. But it's here now, and hopefully everyone who has been having trouble can now hop over the obstacle that's been hindering them and start to become better players.

EDIT: Almost forgot to add~~ if you're entering a Kouma vs Kouma match, forget everything that you've read here. This is one of the reasons why that matchup compared to what you usually see in an MB match is totally and completely fucked up beyond all recognition. The better Kouma will probably block more by habit, yet that's how the other Kouma will score his grabs, and of course it works the reverse way at the same time, so is whoever wins just whoever grabs first? Who the fuck knows.....you can fucking reverse a situation in the corner into a win when THEY tick you, it's so fucked up and weird.

[Fui]

You can also attempt a shield command throw reversal and put them in the corner.

Against people with decent pressure 22a will just get you screwed. Don't go for the CH with it when you're -frames, you're going to get raped. It's not a DP. It has awful startup.

Kouma's 2a isn't that horrible. It has pretty good range for a 2a and it has normal F startup. It does what it's supposed to do. I poke with it generally (people pick up on 5b pokes really fast, so don't get greedy with the proration) and it's successful except against DPs of course. Sorry you're not quite Kohaku, you can't clash frame mash out of DPs.

You think the corner is bad with Kouma you should try Nero...completely different story.

And you shouldn't be mashing 2a with anyone on wakeup. If the opponent continuously goes for dash pokes/grabs, punish with dunk. If they like the air, generally block unless their movement is predictable, then go for the godly 2b CH (or bitchslap airdash-hovering v.akihas) or shield -> 214a -> [4] -> 5c 2b airthrow. If they know how to pressure, wait it out like you would any other chara and look for bara/poke openings.

[S-Blade]

22a has one hit of superarmor, which is why its viable. People don't often stagger in such a way that they'd be able to get two hits in and stuff you.

His 2a is bad because of the shitty-as-fuck priority. While it's true that

you shouldn't be mashing 2a with anyone on wakeup

it still ends up working on occasion which makes it at the very least an option (especially at higher level play when people least expect it) and it has worked before in matches between players here in the US (example: choco vs sp00ky). For Kouma, it isn't. And a lot of people can't get this through their head.

And it still doesn't have good priority when using it on dash-in, but you have nothing else to use.