Airegin's VF5:FS Blog

I agree that 3 k+g is a wonderful ability, and I get a ton of mileage from it as well. It's just pretty straight forward so I left it out of the list of more tricky abilities.

I'm glad you mentioned Deadly Move. I know there have been discussions in Wolf's dojo about it being useless, but I've found uses for it much like you described. I'm particularly a fan of the unblockables from it.

I find 1p, p a great tool in Wolf's relatively weak jab game. The hit throw is a good tool to catch abare players with.

Thanks for the input!

 

I agree with all of the above, and in a moment I will give you one man's opinion on this issue (that man being me, of course).

But before i give my opinion this, i'd like to make a couple suggestions to amend Airegin42's initial write up.

#1: Please edit the post to include the 3k+g move, as its one of the weapons wolves of all breeds (noob, intermediate, advanced) use repeatedly, both on wake up and from back dash and...etc... Many a wolf player will effectively fish for this move to hit, since its not terribly high risk for an incredible reward.

#2: Cover the backspinning lariat move, most often used in combos (i think its pretty stock for the flair chop combo, as well as ringout carrying). This move outside of combos appears to be fantastic tool when used from a backdash. From my perspective, its a fairly safe technique to backdash and throw this out. Chief Flash does this a good deal.

#3: The jumping back roundhouse move. It qualifies as a very tricky move because it doesn't appear that it would counter highs in a million years.

The reason I feel these three should be added: This has to do with the opinion, or fact, sentiment "that all wolf's play the same." And aside from these three, I feel like your post pretty much covers what i consider "the wolf playbook."

 

Can you describe this a bit more?I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Back-spinning lariat used in combos? It sounds like the screw hook to me.

Your #3 in particular is a tricky move I accidentally omitted, thanks for mentioning it.

I also realize that if you just want BnB's covered 6 p is one of the big ones, so I'll add that too. Also catch throws. Look for an update soon!

 

Now, on to discussing this issue of all wolf players being the same.

I believe this is, in many ways, the case. I think its 2 parts what you suggest Airegins, and 1 part Chief Flash. And when you combine the two what do you get? You get the Wolf Playbook.

Chief Flash is one of the strongest players in the US. Chief Flash is one of the most visible players in the US. Chief Flash is more than happy to share his ideas with people, and is not above helping others to try and improves. He is not one to hoard his thoughts, set ups, and strats---many strong players will try to keep their techniques secret, so that they are harder to deal with.

While CF might not share all his thoughts and such in a blog, he's more than happy to stream games, give advice during those games, etc.. This is no more obvious than is it in his now infamous GRAPE ROOM. And in this was the genesis of the wolver clone.

CF showed how with a limited tool set applied in a fairly straightforward manner backed by fundamental defense one could use wolf as a destructive force. And it can be done in such a way as to limit the actual decision making done on the wolf's part, maintain initiative, gain wins when losing (ring outs and wall combos) and generally win games without necessarily outplaying--OR AT LEAST WITHOUT OUTTHINKING--an opponent.

And the GRAPE ROOM highlighted this by watching Shangster play with this same "playbook" or "flowchart" or "Kata" or even "Auto-Pilot" if you will. On the surface, its basically the application of the moves you outlined along with the moves i suggested to add.

This is what creates the inherent frustration in the non-wolf playing base that goes up against "this wolf." It feels to many of us that an average player imitating a poor man's chief flash can get results well above his level. Now, this isn't unique to wolf persay, but since his move set is limited in the ways you suggested, and because all of these money moves have such an impressive utility for their given situations, it makes the process of imitating with this character much more effective than with others.

Also lending to this is the amount of damage each combo/throw does. This makes the imitation process more powerful. I'd argue if we had a chief flash caliber player with Taka who gave the same insights and availability to his play style, and allowed us to watch his application of it to players of all skill levels, that we'd see a standard Taka clone in action on a much more regular basis. He would fit well @ this for all the same reasons. Great damage, great throws, slightly more limited move selection but not with some incredibly vital moves.

But I won't say that this means every wolf player is faking their way to the top. Nor will I say it means that any wolf player can just copy and paste this strategy and rank up to the very top. I will say that any medium level player can adopt this playbook and reach a level of success that is hard to match by copy and pasting someone else's character. I am relatively certain a "style replication" for above average success could be applied easily with both lei fei and taka. For the same reasons. Strong combos that lead to a seizing and not relenting of the momentum. The ability to win entire fights where the opponent is the only one making choices, as well as the ability to pull out a win in a round where you have been outplayed (not that every character doesn't have this opportunity to some degree).

So that is where i think it mostly stands. We have a very very strong Wolf player who has given the blueprint to easily win matches in a straightforward way with the character of his choice. A number of character related factors amplifies this. That player and his playstyle is one of the most visible and high-profile in the entire game. The things he highlights are the things that appeals to every player at every level. [an amazing offensive juggernaut. 99% of fighting game players spend the vast majority of their time honing an offense. not a defense.] There are no amazing inputs or barriers of entry to applying this style on the surface level.

Editorial Note:
CF has some of the best defense on the game. Its not as if every wolf player is going to be a darkfang who beats everyone without thinking. Even if this phenomena allows players to play above their levels, they'll still reach a ceiling and then its up to them to actually get better and not just do better flows. Not every wolf is doing this because they saw it from CF. Not every "clone" is 100% copy of the other. There are vast differences in play styles, even within the same "playbook."

This blueprint works only up to a certain level, then it is exposed. There is a certain skill level of player and below who can be beaten by inferior players who knows and applies this blueprint. But once the skill level exceeds that, is when wolf is just another character, with just another set of moves, and is mid-tier like anyone else. Against this level of competition the clone will lose every time, while someone like CF will excel because he uses zoning, superior defense, mix-ups, and intraround and interround adjustments.

I know that i could spend a day or so committing wolf combo's to memory, and a day or so working on my implantation of the playbook and have a very strong wolf (at the beginner vs intermediary player level). Wolf is one of the characters that would take me the least time to get acceptably good with. But to master him would take no less time, effort, and dedication than any other character. And being mid-tier, his ceiling my ultimately be lower than some of the others.

p.s. I'd not post all this breakdown in your blog, Airegin, if i thought you were a fraudulently weak player that was buffeted by the smoke and mirrors of Wolf. I felt good about posting it in your blog because having played you, i feel you are a thoughtful player who is reading, reacting, and making decisions based upon what your opponents do. Yes, you make use of all his moves discussed, and of course you do. But you'd be a very strong up and coming player no matter who you chose.

 

i think its used in this combo (may have the moves in wrong order)

Flair chop
short shoulder
p?
refloat move (where he does a spinning overhand chop that strikes down on the opponent and refloats them)
rest of combo.

like at the 1:15-1:18 mark.

Chief Flash uses this move off of backdash a lot on his stream, and it seems to work really well. Maybe it shouldn't be added, as its not quite as standard of a set up universally used.



Spinning backhand would have been more apt. the word lariat definitely threw off my description.

 

I added the abilities mentioned as well as a few more that I thought should be covered. Hope the descriptions help.

As for SMB's reasoning behind Wolf players being the same, I can see where you're coming from but I don't agree with your conclusions. I can say that when I was first learning Wolf I pretty much considered myself a sponge, and I tried to watch every video I could of solid Wolfs to try to pick up new strats.

I picked up bare-bones abilities that I liked from vf4/command training, as well as simple bread & butter combos from vfdc; and from there I just tried to keep my eyes open. I learned the jump in into low throw setup from a Dennis 0201 video. I learned the framework for a good knee lift combo from watching Wednesday Night Fights. I learned the new Vf5 Flair Chop setup, as well as Wolf's low crusher applications, from watching Flash's money match with Cozby.

I think that if you want to get better you need to look at every possible avenue to try to improve, and a big component of that is seeing what tools the super solid players rely on. There's no "easy street" there. At the end of the day you'll still have to get the knowledge in your hands to use these abilities correctly, and that's where most people fall apart.

Anyone can watch a video or read a blog and pick up good setups, but it takes a solid player to make them their own. I tell everyone I know that's trying to improve at VF to watch as many videos of good players as they can. I look at it like being a musician listening to as much music as possible. The more you immerse yourself in whatever you're interested in, the more of a chance you have of "getting" it.

If you watch a match of any Wolf player, be it : Me, Dennis, Brisal, Unicorn, Ash Kaiser, Shang, or Flash. We might all use the same moves, but we use them all differently and it directly showcases our different play styles. And the thing is if you lose to these setups and can't catch on, then your opponent is at the end of the day out playing you, and it's up to you to fix that. There's no short-cut.

 

Yikes! I didn't realize it'd been so long since I last updated my blog. I need to get better at this.

Last weekend was SCR, and although I almost bailed as the time grew closer and course work began to pile up, I decided to stick it out and give it a shot. I hope to put together a lengthy summary of my first major tournament here within the weekend!

 

Sorry for the delay! I'm back in school and my courses are kickin' the crap out of me.

SCR was an absolutely wonderful experience. It was my first major tournament since trying to seriously tackle the 500-pound gorilla that is VF, and I very much looked forward to having the opportunity to test myself against people outside of my own scene. I was not disappointed!

I never realized quite how much playing would go on at a major tournament. From Thursday evening to Saturday night, I played more VF than I ever thought possible. Casuals were going on the whole time, be it in the Norcal hotel room or on the SCR show floor. I met so many new faces and it was so cool getting the chance to meet people that I'd battled tons of times before online or seen on stream.

As for the tourney itself, it started out a little bit rough. There were 4 pools of players set up, and most of us thought that we were going to be divided by region so we wouldn't have to fight all of the peeps that we traveled with right off the bat. However, 4 Norcal players (Renzo, Crazydrunk, Cobratron, and Me) were all thrown into the first pool. That was very discouraging at first, and I had to play Cobra right off the bat.

Before I knew it, it was losers finals, and it was me vs. Crazydrunk. If you've read this blog much, you know the two of us have a good amount of history, and that I have a ton of respect for him. By this time the stream was set-up, and I was very happy to have our match be the first streamed VF for the tourney. It was my first time playing to a crowd, and it was awesome hearing the crowd chant "Wooooo!" every time I landed a Ric Flair chop. Put a huge smile on my face seeing so many people getting hyped up for Virtua Fighter. It could have gone either way, but luck was on my side and I was able to secure a place in the top 8.

Pool 2 went on stream and there were a lot of cool matches. Afterwards it seemed like casuals went on forever! I shook so many hands and fought against so many different playstyles that by the end my head was spinning. This continued into Saturday, and it was really a treat getting to see all the different players that came out and were supporting vf.

Eventually, top 8 came together Saturday night, and my first match was going to be against the infamous Rip! Now, I'm going to come right out and say it, I think this guy gets way too much crap. We chatted it up a bit before our match and he seemed like a real good guy, and he's definitely doing his share to support the scene. However, what really impressed me were his matches in pool 3. His beat knuckle delays were extremely impressive, and from the match he had with Norcal's very own Romon, I was very much looking forward to playing against him. I took away the victory, but I definitely wanna give him some serious respect.

Next, I was up against Brisal73. Another extremely fun match that I was fortunate enough to walk away from as the victor. Now, as I've said before in this blog; before I was a serious player I was a serious fan. Wednesday Night Fights played a huge role in my taking the game more seriously and trying to become a solid player. Although he didn't play him as often as I would have liked, Brisal's Wolf was a huge inspiration to me, and made me want to reach a higher level of playing. I definitely know that I learned the knee lift setup from watching him play, and I'm sure there are many more. If you're reading this Brian, I just really want to say thanks for going out of your way to do the streams, as well as promote some positive vf. You're one of the people that I very much wanted to meet, and it was truly a pleasure getting to play you. It meant a ton to me to hear you say you'd learned a Wolf setup from watching me play. It's a small world.

Then before I knew it, top 4 was right in front of me, and I had to face Shidosha! The Shirt is another player that I have a ton of respect for, and is one of those guys that made me want to play. His commentary made me hype for Virtua Fighter like no one else, and for that I want to say thanks man. As I told him before our match, it was a serious honor getting to sit on the stage of a major tournament and be in the top 4 with a player like him.

Now...the match was to put it simply, terrible. I will make no excuses, I just played like my head was up my ass. Wolf is very much a Yomi based character, if you can't read your opponent then you will be crushed. And that is exactly what happened. I kept making really, really bad choices and for some reason my head wasn't wrapping around what was happening quite right. In many ways, he played my own game against me. I play a very offense heavy style, and when he started doing that against me I didn't have it in me to stop him and turn it around. Shidosha played a very solid game, and the better player won.

It was rough to choke like that so close to a top 3 finish, but I'm still very pleased to have gone and had a great time in Irvine.

Massive shoutouts to:

Plague - It was seriously an honor getting to know you a bit man. Much like with Brisal, watching you on WNF made me hungry to improve, and I love your passionate commentary. The casuals we played were amazing, and your mastery of the knee always brings a smile to my face. Thank you so much for making the tournament happen at SCR!

The Las Vegas crew - Really enjoyed getting to meet you fellas. Look forward to more matches and hype building at Sega Cup!

The Arizona crew - Dip and Pine, I really enjoyed playing you both. I don't think I got to play against Azure, so come out to Sega Cup!

Dre Fei - Your Akira was a thing of beauty. I find your style very inspiring, and I hope to be able to adapt a similar defense to my Wolf play. Your finals with Renzo were awesome.

Cobratron & Diane - Thanks for inviting me and driving us all out to Irvine! I had a really great time getting to know the both of you and look forward to more events like this one.

Renzo - Congrats on taking first bud, you deserved it! Just like Dre, I find your extremely fundamental play endlessly inspiring.

LA Akira - We didn't get to talk too much, but I really enjoyed listening to you and Jeff discuss the game. You inspired me a ton when I first started playing, and I plan to take your advice to heart and work on my close-quarters game. Thanks and I hope to play you some time!

And I'm sure I'm forgetting some more, so if you played me throw up a post! Hope to see you all at Sega Cup!

- Roger

 

Thanks for the rundown of your practice routine. I am trying to get into VF more and start learning the matchups. It is helpful so see how you approach it. Also, congratz on top 4.

 

Sega Cup update coming soon. It was a ton of fun and I truly hope it becomes an annual event!

 

It's been sometime since I last blogged!! Alas, the game has gotten away from me a bit since returning back to school. However, casual sessions in NorCal are still a blast and we have an impromptu tourney scheduled for after Capcom Cup at the hotel. I hope to put together a post before then to catch this blog up to speed!

 

A new Sega Cup has been announced and I realize I never even blogged about the last one! Over the next week I'm gonna put together a post to catchup on past events and tournaments, as well as discuss my recent change of approach with the game.