How do I improve my blockstrings / pressure ?

[Vhaeraun]

What do you guys have in mind when executing your blockstrings? How do you condition your opponents in baiting them to poke but results in a counter hit in your favor instead, making your opponents block wrong, making them bunker just to punish them afterwards? How do you break their guard?

I played played and played, but every time I'll be on offensive, I feel like I'm using the same blockstrings over and over again and the opponent catches on whatever I wanted to do next. Using VAkiha on MBAC, I even get poked out of 5b!5c blockstring! On Last Blade 2 where Moriya's normals stronger than A are punishable, I rely on A attacks to make them poke wrong, but I always end up getting punished because they know when i'll end my strings. I don't know how to pressure using Jin on BBCS.

I also feel like my gameplay is boring, dull and "just going by the books"

Is having less variety of opponents a factor? I live in the Philippines and finding matches here is pretty hard when they're all fapping to tekken and SF. and delays are quite high when i'm fighting Singaporeans.

My MBAC videos for reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLzadNoqFwg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie84rOBxId8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1lAvJC2zY&feature=related

[BurstOfAnger]

Yo Vhae, Senzo here.

Ah, I know how you feel. SEA players can do amazing stuff like poking in a 5b!5c blockstring. Even bara-ing staggers. Wtf? When those guys poke, it's not that they predicted the blockstring gap. Those fags just mash what they like and realize it works.

You could try decreasing the gap between 5b and 5c in your blockstrings. VAkiha's 5c is quite a slow move so the delay need not be so long.

As for variety, that's gotta come from training and experience. Try setting the AI dummy to guard all and try random blockstrings and try randomizing the sequences. That's how I trained my Nanaya. If you find my Nanaya any good that is..

EDIT: Oh, for Gilgy, bait bunkers with jumps. He loves spamming his Kouma bunkers.

[Vhaeraun]

Thanks for the input.

Well, opponent specific strategies are fine and all, but I want to learn condition them properly, bait and punish them accordingly. So that by the time there are local arcades here in PH (I wish), and hopefully influx and variety of opponents, they wouldn't be able to catch on real quick on my pressure even before finishing a single match with them

[ehrik]

You shouldn't be using 5c in a blockstring in the first place. IIRC Vakiha's main blockstring tools are 5b/2b/2a/5a whiff cancels along with TK flame tongues. 4c/2c are used when you push yourself out too far and they try to jump.

I don't know Vakiha blockstrings so I'll wait for someone else to come by.

[Rokunaya]

If you read mashing, don't be loose with your blockstrings. Only stagger as much as necessary to beat people. If you don't know what staggering is, however, just cancel the normal into the next one long enough so that if someone pokes it will come out, but you will counterhit them. If they're poking out mindlessly, just stagger them to death. Once they actually start wisening up and start respecting, then do other shit.

[LordPangTong]

5B is probably VAkiha's strongest option in blockstrings. It moves her forward, can be partial charged, and if it happens to connect on a croucher, it gives knockdown. When at close range, use 5A/2A/5B to make them sit still. After that, you can start staggering the 5B to try and catch mashing/jump outs, and/or start working 5C/4C/2C into your blockstring. (These normals will push VAkiha further away, but also attack from a much further distance.) The trick here is to keep in a range where you can poke with any normal (5B/4C/2C/5C) and if it happens to connect, you are still able to confirm into full combo. (Momiji loop) Most of V Akiha's normals are normal cancellable very late in the animation, so you can easily make deceiving staggers.

If you're still playing MBAC, you have the wonderful resource that is 2368A. Once you get the defender to sit still with your scary staggers and pokes, you can start resetting the pressure situation by using the TK flametongue, which has frame advantage on block.

[dakanya]

supplementing what lpt said...

2A or 5A 5B 5C 2C is a level 0 blockstring, if they mash at anytime, you should be able to confirm into a combo. you can build upon this string for even more respect by staggering 2C longer, whiff cancelling 5C but do a 2C anyways, using 236C...

once they start respecting, other options start opening up as they become less risky such as redash 5A, tk ribbon, j9, iad...

i watched some of the v.akiha vids but they're a year old so i don't know if any advice on your play would be relevant now