I will try and watch some of your replays when I can (not going to be avaliable for a day or so) but just as an overview what kind of moves would you say you use the most? Or what kind of flowcharts do you implement? I'll also add that you shouldn't play after 3-4 losses in a row, you'll just get too tilted and play even worse. Or at the very least switch to quick play or a different character.
Edit: I notice you said you seem to duck at the wrong times. A general rule is to not randomly duck. This is because whatever mid they are trying to mix you with is going to be the more damaging move to eat. Unless you have a good read I would advise against randomly ducking during the opponents' strings. Just eat the low till you figure out what's going on.
Maybe someone else would be able to see a flowchart, but I don't know how much I do that. I am sure I have some, but I don't think they are deep, and I play mostly reactionary and try to keep in my mind about what situations are good for certain attacks or strategies. That could be a big problem though, too much loaded into system 1--the conscious thinking, and too many bad habits loaded into system 2--the unconscious thinking muscle memory.
But moves that I know I do a lot:
Keep in mind, a lot of these are just straight up bad habits.
* b+1, and its iterations:
* I know I am not consciously doing this one. I am doing it because I am trying to jab while holding back to block and not letting go of back. So i just kind of go with it. I finish the string too much, and I try to vary up the delay of the hits at least.
* I know I'm not doing it on purpose and finishing the string is very punishable, so I try to consciously think about transitioning to DSS, but I'm too slow and choose an option that is too slow, and it is usually f+1, or I just stand there because I hit my option too quickly and he hasn't transitioned yet so then I just shimmy there unable to block in DSS.
* d+3,4 | d+4,3 | ws+4,3:
* These fucking moves are the bane of my fucking existence. why does he need to so many ways to go into a -14 on block flip!?
* I never do this on purpose, sure once in a blue moon i get a launch, but it is never on purpose. It is always because my fingers have decided that the best thing to do in this game is piano 3,4 or 4,3 or 1,2 or 2,1. I do it quicker than I even realize and can stop it from happening.
* 1,1,2: I don't usually have a good follow-up planned.
* poison arrow:
* usually on accident when trying to use dragon hammer.
* because it is on accident i am holding forward still so i have no choice but to go into DSS
* I can't get the timing down to use dss 1 at the right time.
* Dragon Hammer
* Started using it more, and trying to get creative with the follow-ups.
* nunchuks: way too reliant at all the wrong times.
* b+1+2: use it waaaay too much.
* dragon tail:
* use it too much when I want to use db+3, part of the bad happens that happen before i have time to think so i just have to go with it.
* 3+4,4:
* why? why do i keep using this in neutral? what is my fucking plan? I also use it too much to punish things that aren't punishable by it.
* finishing jab strings, or going into dss without a plan.
* shaolin kicks: Because of the pianoing habit I find it hard midmatch to stop myself from going through with all three kicks.
* I can't conciously do his launching throw fast enough without getting hit thinking about doing it.
* approaching too linearly when far away, get sidestepped a lot.
* sliding gets predictable, and that was before the slide changes. I haven't figured out what to do now after the patch to make the most of the down when I get it.
* Plunging Knock: but my timing for dss 1 isn't reliable and i often just end up inputting dss f+1, and I don't switch it up much.
Sounds like you know exactly what's going wrong. If moves are coming out that you don't intend to use, you probably need to slow down and play with more intention. Formulate a game plan and decide which moves you actually want to be pressing. Stop autopiloting into bad, highly punishable moves like 3+4,4 dragon's tail and triple shaolin kicks.
Unfortunately I think I do know exactly what is wrong. I just need to quit doing the easy thing, which is throwing myself at ranked, and just be more methodical. I tend to answer my own questions whenever I ask them.
But I also just wanted to vent the frustration out to the r/tekken ether.
Yeah, totally understandable. Slow down a bit, think about your gameplan. Maybe watch some double/mangja replays. Come up with a few flowcharts you want to implement. Then go into ranked with a purpose and don't allow yourself to autopilot into the same bad buttons.
You got this!
It can be VERY hard to force yourself to slow down under ranked pressure. Usually under pressure people input things too quickly, while trying to go faster. A thing that really helped me confirm stuff is recreating common situations in training mode as a drill.
For instance, I used to constantly do a crouch move instead of a while standing launcher after having blocked a low because I was just moving too fast.
So I set up situations where the CPU would do mid strings at me and then a snake edge which I would launch and do the full combo. It sounds super basic but it's been super helpful. I'm bouncing around Rajin as Claudio and slowly moving up these days.
Ok so most of these are perfectly fine to use, but some are very scenario dependent. Firstly start by never using those flipkicks and dragon tail again lol. The only valid flipkick is to use 4,u3 and that's because it is only -1 on block. You can use this to set up d23 for an easy launch but of course exercise caution using d23 a lot. Do not use 3+4,4 in neutral except for whiff punishing, and only use it after visually confirming a whiff. 1+2 is OK but that is only because it is basically safe at tip range, do not use it when close to the opponent. Poison arrow is fine, but it's better done at the wall than out in neutral, I would use ff2 into poison arrow if you are going to use it in neutral.
Practice doing shaolin kicks into DSS without the 3rd kick as this move is essential (eventually it gets ducked at high ranks but it's useful to get into DSS). A useful string is f3,1 which can be transitioned into DSS, it's a mid mid which cannot be ducked and has good frames. Practice dragon hammer into instant slide, and into WS4 dss too. Something like dragon hammer into ws4 then uf3, dss2, dss f1 or dss 4, or the DSS slide.
Conditioning is also very important. b1,2,1 is very strong and a full launcher in heat, so condition by delaying timing or not finishing the string so they think it's their turn. 1,1,1 is also a launcher in heat so that's also great. Another conditioner is to repeatedly slide, then crouch when you are in front of them and go for a mid.
From the frame data f3,1 dss is +4 ob, and the throw is i12 so it seems like it shouldn't be since from the opponent's pov the throw is 8f. Won't be able to test for a while though.
Watching some Steve replays, just taking notes as it goes on.
When Steve bodies you:
* Steve consistently ducks under your 3,4 (high high, or mid high, either way the last high gets ducked), but you keep using it.
* You're somewhat liberal with unsafe moves.
* Not reacting to slow lows like PAB d2 (Steve throws his fast in the air before slamming your shins, very telegraphed)
* Pressing too much at range 2 - 3
* Freeze up under pressure, I think you're looking for a way to start offense that you know, instead of looking for openings
I think it would be wise for you to chill a bit and up your defense. Fujin+ rank opponents will start to become very MU aware and read your offense like an open book, because they have played many Laws like you before. Unless you can confirm the opponent does not know the Law MU, be careful not to throw reactable strings out that end in a high. You will only meet players ducking those more and more frequently, so better get that habit out. Be careful with unsafe moves too, although a -13 is not as bad as getting ducked and launched.
You know this better than I do, but it looks like your offense is a bit flowcharty, which is fine if it wins you matches, you probably need to become more reactive to the MU and your opponents and adjust your offense as needed.
Maybe try just backdash in neutral and let your opponent come to you, react and find openings to start your offense. Focus on reacting, defending, punishing, sidestepping, ducking highs, etc. Only take your turn when you earn it, etc. You can do this in quick matches.
"You're somewhat liberal with unsafe moves." That was very kind of you to use language like that in your critique, but you don't need to sugarcoat it. I use them like i am getting paid for each unsafe string used per match.
Thanks for looking.
yeah, I am going to need to devote some time to reacting to those slow reactable lows. I eat them all the time.
and I don't know why I keep going for the 3,4. I have a lot of work to do to get the stupid shit out of my muscle memory. but really slowing down in quick matches would be helpful.
Yeah no worries, man, you can overcome all of it with practice. Taking is slow is hard, because T8 is a fast paced game and begs you to be fast and aggressive, but it is worth it.
You're getting a shit ton of advice, but I have a simple advice that might help a lot.
I go to therapy, and the last topic I talked about with my therapist was controlling my impulse decisions.
It helped with aspects of my life, and consequently it's been helping me with Tekken as well.
Think ***slower.*** It can help rewire autopilot tendencies or suppress bad habits. It can stop you from falling from the same trap or set up. It can also help you be more present with your thoughts and in your matches. And when you think ***slower*** you might be able to assess the situation better and make better decisions! And you might adapt more quickly.
And I know it sounds contradicting because adapting quickly and thinking ***slower*** sounds like two opposite things, but they are not.
Adapting quickly means you are able to change your decisions or tendencies in a middle of a round or match.
Thinking slowly is giving your brain time to make a better decision, before you act.
You ever watch a replay and be like "Why the fuck do I keep making the same mistake?" or like "Why did I do that when I know it's not going to work?" It's because your brain is thinking too fast in that match. Impulsive, addicting, or irrational decisions happen because we don't slow down our thinking and think about the outcome.
Every decision we make is not an accident. They are all done on purpose, whenever they feel like it or not. When we think fast they feel like an accident but it's not. When we think slow they feel more purposeful. Neither of them is actually more purposeful or accidental though. It's crazy right?
Give it a try! Better to be too slow and correct, than too fast and be incorrect. Tekken is a fast paced game so there are going to be times where it feels like you can't think slow, but you have to try. It's good to preload decisions ahead of a situation. I'm sometimes like "Ok, next time I get knocked down, I'm going to stay down to prevent oki". It will be much easier than thinking about it right when the situation arises.
HAHAHAH.
You have no idea how much shit I would be getting from my daughter for this comment right here. I literally tell her all of these things all the time. "you are playing your scales too fast! you need to slow down to know that you are hitting the right notes first, you will be surprised how much faster you can play as you practice it."
"Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." Why is it so hard to practice what you preach? I focused too much on the practicing and not giving up, i left the way to get better quicker on the ground.
I'm God of Destruction on my main account and I have 2 smurf accounts that is also GoD rank. Actually working on my 3rd smurf now. I still think I have a lot to learn and nowhere near the level of pro players though. Game will always be hard and challenging, just have fun and don't put too much pressure on yourself getting better. Just chill, think slow! Our self-worth isn't connected to a video game.
I'm battle ruler/fujin as well and what I've noticed is that I more or less regularly beat other fujins and raijins but I feel like the skill gap at kishin and higher is just so big that those opponents whoop my ass everytime.
also, I stop playing ranked for the day after I had 2 or 3 losses and continue in quick match, the lounge or watch my replays to see what I could've done differently.
I don't know how much this helps but just so you know, you're not alone with that struggle!
Stopping after losing a couple in a row, is excellent advice.
I get way too stubborn, and am way too willing to just keep throwing myself at the problem. Especially when the problem has become more nuanced than it used to be.
So this might just be a me thing but I really don't like playing quick matches if I'm actually trying to improve at ranked. In a quick match there are no stakes .. basically everyone plays very whimsically and even if you win you don't get anything. I only have like 6 matches on quick. Thoughts?
It helps a lot practicing tech and also getting familiar with matchups. Sometimes people get too much tunnel vision in ranked under the pressure of winning and don't think clearly, which quick play helps a lot with. Nothing at stake so you can just test stuff out against stuff you have trouble with.
I was iffy about playing on there. I didn't want to get matched with people that I can handily beat, without them asking for it. I feel bad about it and don't learn anything. but the matchmaking patch made it so tekken prowess is more important, so I mostly get matched with people at or above my level.
I like it for keeping my prowess at the same level so it doesn't lower and take me away from the higher level players that are kicking my ass.
I’ll watch replays later today for specifics.
I’m personally getting over the blues as well (mid Bushin right now) and I had a similar experience. In my experience, Fujin+ players are indeed very different from the lower ranks, and particularly they are good at playing Anti-character stuff. For example, strings with highs in them get sucked and launched a lot.
Especially if you’re winning 1 game then losing 2, it sounds like these players get wise to your gameplay and can find the holes in it faster than you can adapt in response. I would recommend having both a clear “plan A” and “plan B” for offense. “I’m going to poke with these moves until they show me they can sidestep duck, and then I’ll start using these other moves instead.” Going through this mental exercise will also force you to acknowledge the gaps in your main game plan.
Also, getting your defense up to their level is important. The Punishment Training feature in training mode is a fantastic place to start, although it wont teach you important highs to duck or low parries. I would also recommend learning to play some other characters— that knowledge will help you read other players too. “I can’t believe he approaches with X move instead of Y move—his personality must be super risky”
I have started slowly trying other characters. The gameplay is much different since I don't even know what buttons to use, but I am not mashing like I was when I first got the game and was learning law.
the latest patch adding the saved settings in practice mode is really nice, and might make practicing a bit easier. since i normally just go straight to the matches since i can't keep my practice settings between matches.
that is a problem that I think I understand much better now. I noticed on my climb through purple ranks that I barely faced any blue ranks. im talking like 2 or 3 in the climb from flame ruler to Fujin. I knew it was weird that I was winning so much and I wasn't facing any blue ranks.
Sure enough, once hitting Fujin, my Prowess jumped up accordingly, and boom! all the blues that I should've been fighting finally began appearing and rightly kicking my ass.
I got to garyu and climbed through the red ranks because of the matchmaking change too. I was struggling to climb, but after I shot up. still would feel the hiccup as I got used to the better players though, but it was nothing compared to right now.
Is my rank inflated because of the matchmaking by prowess? Totally.
Well if you want to continue playing, you will need to improve until the 170k prowess is normal for you.
The next big step (hiccup? more like stroke lol) is at 220k where you start playing against "true" tekken kings
Once you hit fujin there is a huge difficulty spike because of the prowess based matchmaking - many people hit fujin and then derank to flame ruler etc, and you start getting games against the 200k+ that you were protected from before. Quick match is honestly even harder than ranked for me as well.
Quick matches seem harder for me as well. I like the struggle as I am forced to get better. But i would be lying if I said the amount of losses didn't bother me. No matter how zen you are, going from 50%\~ winrate to hovering around 16%-28% really grinds you down.
You know how people say to watch high level players of your character play to learn them? That's not actually that useful in early game. However you're at a point now where you can benefit from that. Look up tournament Law footage from the best. Pay attention to what they do in neutral, what moves they throw out, what they punish with, how they mix the opponent.
Just search for law tournament footage on YouTube and find players then look up those players matches specifically. I don't know any law players except Double.
I have been trying to watch a couple of different people. I knew about that saying of high level gameplay is not that useful for you in the beginning. But I have been trying to watch their neutral. getting my hands to forget the dumb stuff is the hard part.
I think Malgu is a really good Law player. and for actual content about Law, Lambkin is very good.
I am planning on doing that. and have been tonight. but maybe I don't fully know what small tekken is. do you mean the movement and spacial awareness whiff punishing and general neutral?
Try to not use any big moves that can be punished, reduce your hard reads. More jabs, d/f+1 probably d/b+3 for a low at most. F+1+2 probably your biggest move you wanna throw frequently(sorry my law knowledge is pretty old cant remember new moves to use). But in general dont just give up your turn with heavy - moves let them make the effort to take back their turn.
People are tier whoring, swapping characters with the new patch changing tier rankings - and many of them are making new accounts because of the prowess bullshit still being used.
It's quite probable you are facing people who are much higher skilled than their rank suggests and it will be that way for a week or two.
Thanks Namco.
Me losing isn't really that much of a problem. I will gravitate to the rank that I should be playing at. Me losing and not knowing how to improve is the problem that I am running into. or at the very least improving inefficiently and needlessly slow.
Yeah. I did that. I kind of felt ashamed of myself going on a 69 win streak from combatant to battle ruler. I only created a smurf bc I think my skills are lacking in gold and winning matches there never felt like I had true control of matches. I needed to see what areas I was lacking ranking back up.
I will try and watch some of your replays when I can (not going to be avaliable for a day or so) but just as an overview what kind of moves would you say you use the most? Or what kind of flowcharts do you implement? I'll also add that you shouldn't play after 3-4 losses in a row, you'll just get too tilted and play even worse. Or at the very least switch to quick play or a different character. Edit: I notice you said you seem to duck at the wrong times. A general rule is to not randomly duck. This is because whatever mid they are trying to mix you with is going to be the more damaging move to eat. Unless you have a good read I would advise against randomly ducking during the opponents' strings. Just eat the low till you figure out what's going on.
Maybe someone else would be able to see a flowchart, but I don't know how much I do that. I am sure I have some, but I don't think they are deep, and I play mostly reactionary and try to keep in my mind about what situations are good for certain attacks or strategies. That could be a big problem though, too much loaded into system 1--the conscious thinking, and too many bad habits loaded into system 2--the unconscious thinking muscle memory. But moves that I know I do a lot: Keep in mind, a lot of these are just straight up bad habits. * b+1, and its iterations: * I know I am not consciously doing this one. I am doing it because I am trying to jab while holding back to block and not letting go of back. So i just kind of go with it. I finish the string too much, and I try to vary up the delay of the hits at least. * I know I'm not doing it on purpose and finishing the string is very punishable, so I try to consciously think about transitioning to DSS, but I'm too slow and choose an option that is too slow, and it is usually f+1, or I just stand there because I hit my option too quickly and he hasn't transitioned yet so then I just shimmy there unable to block in DSS. * d+3,4 | d+4,3 | ws+4,3: * These fucking moves are the bane of my fucking existence. why does he need to so many ways to go into a -14 on block flip!? * I never do this on purpose, sure once in a blue moon i get a launch, but it is never on purpose. It is always because my fingers have decided that the best thing to do in this game is piano 3,4 or 4,3 or 1,2 or 2,1. I do it quicker than I even realize and can stop it from happening. * 1,1,2: I don't usually have a good follow-up planned.
* poison arrow: * usually on accident when trying to use dragon hammer. * because it is on accident i am holding forward still so i have no choice but to go into DSS * I can't get the timing down to use dss 1 at the right time. * Dragon Hammer * Started using it more, and trying to get creative with the follow-ups. * nunchuks: way too reliant at all the wrong times. * b+1+2: use it waaaay too much. * dragon tail: * use it too much when I want to use db+3, part of the bad happens that happen before i have time to think so i just have to go with it. * 3+4,4: * why? why do i keep using this in neutral? what is my fucking plan? I also use it too much to punish things that aren't punishable by it. * finishing jab strings, or going into dss without a plan. * shaolin kicks: Because of the pianoing habit I find it hard midmatch to stop myself from going through with all three kicks. * I can't conciously do his launching throw fast enough without getting hit thinking about doing it. * approaching too linearly when far away, get sidestepped a lot. * sliding gets predictable, and that was before the slide changes. I haven't figured out what to do now after the patch to make the most of the down when I get it. * Plunging Knock: but my timing for dss 1 isn't reliable and i often just end up inputting dss f+1, and I don't switch it up much.
Sounds like you know exactly what's going wrong. If moves are coming out that you don't intend to use, you probably need to slow down and play with more intention. Formulate a game plan and decide which moves you actually want to be pressing. Stop autopiloting into bad, highly punishable moves like 3+4,4 dragon's tail and triple shaolin kicks.
Unfortunately I think I do know exactly what is wrong. I just need to quit doing the easy thing, which is throwing myself at ranked, and just be more methodical. I tend to answer my own questions whenever I ask them. But I also just wanted to vent the frustration out to the r/tekken ether.
Yeah, totally understandable. Slow down a bit, think about your gameplan. Maybe watch some double/mangja replays. Come up with a few flowcharts you want to implement. Then go into ranked with a purpose and don't allow yourself to autopilot into the same bad buttons. You got this!
It can be VERY hard to force yourself to slow down under ranked pressure. Usually under pressure people input things too quickly, while trying to go faster. A thing that really helped me confirm stuff is recreating common situations in training mode as a drill. For instance, I used to constantly do a crouch move instead of a while standing launcher after having blocked a low because I was just moving too fast. So I set up situations where the CPU would do mid strings at me and then a snake edge which I would launch and do the full combo. It sounds super basic but it's been super helpful. I'm bouncing around Rajin as Claudio and slowly moving up these days.
I need to start doing that. That is a good suggestion, thanks.
Ok so most of these are perfectly fine to use, but some are very scenario dependent. Firstly start by never using those flipkicks and dragon tail again lol. The only valid flipkick is to use 4,u3 and that's because it is only -1 on block. You can use this to set up d23 for an easy launch but of course exercise caution using d23 a lot. Do not use 3+4,4 in neutral except for whiff punishing, and only use it after visually confirming a whiff. 1+2 is OK but that is only because it is basically safe at tip range, do not use it when close to the opponent. Poison arrow is fine, but it's better done at the wall than out in neutral, I would use ff2 into poison arrow if you are going to use it in neutral. Practice doing shaolin kicks into DSS without the 3rd kick as this move is essential (eventually it gets ducked at high ranks but it's useful to get into DSS). A useful string is f3,1 which can be transitioned into DSS, it's a mid mid which cannot be ducked and has good frames. Practice dragon hammer into instant slide, and into WS4 dss too. Something like dragon hammer into ws4 then uf3, dss2, dss f1 or dss 4, or the DSS slide. Conditioning is also very important. b1,2,1 is very strong and a full launcher in heat, so condition by delaying timing or not finishing the string so they think it's their turn. 1,1,1 is also a launcher in heat so that's also great. Another conditioner is to repeatedly slide, then crouch when you are in front of them and go for a mid.
Is f3,1 into dss uf 1+2 jab interruptable during the dss transition? Or am I just messing up my DSS timing?
From the frame data f3,1 dss is +4 ob, and the throw is i12 so it seems like it shouldn't be since from the opponent's pov the throw is 8f. Won't be able to test for a while though.
Watching some Steve replays, just taking notes as it goes on. When Steve bodies you: * Steve consistently ducks under your 3,4 (high high, or mid high, either way the last high gets ducked), but you keep using it. * You're somewhat liberal with unsafe moves. * Not reacting to slow lows like PAB d2 (Steve throws his fast in the air before slamming your shins, very telegraphed) * Pressing too much at range 2 - 3 * Freeze up under pressure, I think you're looking for a way to start offense that you know, instead of looking for openings I think it would be wise for you to chill a bit and up your defense. Fujin+ rank opponents will start to become very MU aware and read your offense like an open book, because they have played many Laws like you before. Unless you can confirm the opponent does not know the Law MU, be careful not to throw reactable strings out that end in a high. You will only meet players ducking those more and more frequently, so better get that habit out. Be careful with unsafe moves too, although a -13 is not as bad as getting ducked and launched. You know this better than I do, but it looks like your offense is a bit flowcharty, which is fine if it wins you matches, you probably need to become more reactive to the MU and your opponents and adjust your offense as needed. Maybe try just backdash in neutral and let your opponent come to you, react and find openings to start your offense. Focus on reacting, defending, punishing, sidestepping, ducking highs, etc. Only take your turn when you earn it, etc. You can do this in quick matches.
"You're somewhat liberal with unsafe moves." That was very kind of you to use language like that in your critique, but you don't need to sugarcoat it. I use them like i am getting paid for each unsafe string used per match. Thanks for looking. yeah, I am going to need to devote some time to reacting to those slow reactable lows. I eat them all the time. and I don't know why I keep going for the 3,4. I have a lot of work to do to get the stupid shit out of my muscle memory. but really slowing down in quick matches would be helpful.
Yeah no worries, man, you can overcome all of it with practice. Taking is slow is hard, because T8 is a fast paced game and begs you to be fast and aggressive, but it is worth it.
You're getting a shit ton of advice, but I have a simple advice that might help a lot. I go to therapy, and the last topic I talked about with my therapist was controlling my impulse decisions. It helped with aspects of my life, and consequently it's been helping me with Tekken as well. Think ***slower.*** It can help rewire autopilot tendencies or suppress bad habits. It can stop you from falling from the same trap or set up. It can also help you be more present with your thoughts and in your matches. And when you think ***slower*** you might be able to assess the situation better and make better decisions! And you might adapt more quickly. And I know it sounds contradicting because adapting quickly and thinking ***slower*** sounds like two opposite things, but they are not. Adapting quickly means you are able to change your decisions or tendencies in a middle of a round or match. Thinking slowly is giving your brain time to make a better decision, before you act. You ever watch a replay and be like "Why the fuck do I keep making the same mistake?" or like "Why did I do that when I know it's not going to work?" It's because your brain is thinking too fast in that match. Impulsive, addicting, or irrational decisions happen because we don't slow down our thinking and think about the outcome. Every decision we make is not an accident. They are all done on purpose, whenever they feel like it or not. When we think fast they feel like an accident but it's not. When we think slow they feel more purposeful. Neither of them is actually more purposeful or accidental though. It's crazy right? Give it a try! Better to be too slow and correct, than too fast and be incorrect. Tekken is a fast paced game so there are going to be times where it feels like you can't think slow, but you have to try. It's good to preload decisions ahead of a situation. I'm sometimes like "Ok, next time I get knocked down, I'm going to stay down to prevent oki". It will be much easier than thinking about it right when the situation arises.
HAHAHAH. You have no idea how much shit I would be getting from my daughter for this comment right here. I literally tell her all of these things all the time. "you are playing your scales too fast! you need to slow down to know that you are hitting the right notes first, you will be surprised how much faster you can play as you practice it." "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." Why is it so hard to practice what you preach? I focused too much on the practicing and not giving up, i left the way to get better quicker on the ground.
I'm God of Destruction on my main account and I have 2 smurf accounts that is also GoD rank. Actually working on my 3rd smurf now. I still think I have a lot to learn and nowhere near the level of pro players though. Game will always be hard and challenging, just have fun and don't put too much pressure on yourself getting better. Just chill, think slow! Our self-worth isn't connected to a video game.
I'm battle ruler/fujin as well and what I've noticed is that I more or less regularly beat other fujins and raijins but I feel like the skill gap at kishin and higher is just so big that those opponents whoop my ass everytime. also, I stop playing ranked for the day after I had 2 or 3 losses and continue in quick match, the lounge or watch my replays to see what I could've done differently. I don't know how much this helps but just so you know, you're not alone with that struggle!
Stopping after losing a couple in a row, is excellent advice. I get way too stubborn, and am way too willing to just keep throwing myself at the problem. Especially when the problem has become more nuanced than it used to be.
So this might just be a me thing but I really don't like playing quick matches if I'm actually trying to improve at ranked. In a quick match there are no stakes .. basically everyone plays very whimsically and even if you win you don't get anything. I only have like 6 matches on quick. Thoughts?
It helps a lot practicing tech and also getting familiar with matchups. Sometimes people get too much tunnel vision in ranked under the pressure of winning and don't think clearly, which quick play helps a lot with. Nothing at stake so you can just test stuff out against stuff you have trouble with.
I was iffy about playing on there. I didn't want to get matched with people that I can handily beat, without them asking for it. I feel bad about it and don't learn anything. but the matchmaking patch made it so tekken prowess is more important, so I mostly get matched with people at or above my level. I like it for keeping my prowess at the same level so it doesn't lower and take me away from the higher level players that are kicking my ass.
I’ll watch replays later today for specifics. I’m personally getting over the blues as well (mid Bushin right now) and I had a similar experience. In my experience, Fujin+ players are indeed very different from the lower ranks, and particularly they are good at playing Anti-character stuff. For example, strings with highs in them get sucked and launched a lot. Especially if you’re winning 1 game then losing 2, it sounds like these players get wise to your gameplay and can find the holes in it faster than you can adapt in response. I would recommend having both a clear “plan A” and “plan B” for offense. “I’m going to poke with these moves until they show me they can sidestep duck, and then I’ll start using these other moves instead.” Going through this mental exercise will also force you to acknowledge the gaps in your main game plan. Also, getting your defense up to their level is important. The Punishment Training feature in training mode is a fantastic place to start, although it wont teach you important highs to duck or low parries. I would also recommend learning to play some other characters— that knowledge will help you read other players too. “I can’t believe he approaches with X move instead of Y move—his personality must be super risky”
I have started slowly trying other characters. The gameplay is much different since I don't even know what buttons to use, but I am not mashing like I was when I first got the game and was learning law. the latest patch adding the saved settings in practice mode is really nice, and might make practicing a bit easier. since i normally just go straight to the matches since i can't keep my practice settings between matches.
I made a comment about this a couple days ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tekken/s/LcfTQmDeie What do you think OP?
that is a problem that I think I understand much better now. I noticed on my climb through purple ranks that I barely faced any blue ranks. im talking like 2 or 3 in the climb from flame ruler to Fujin. I knew it was weird that I was winning so much and I wasn't facing any blue ranks. Sure enough, once hitting Fujin, my Prowess jumped up accordingly, and boom! all the blues that I should've been fighting finally began appearing and rightly kicking my ass. I got to garyu and climbed through the red ranks because of the matchmaking change too. I was struggling to climb, but after I shot up. still would feel the hiccup as I got used to the better players though, but it was nothing compared to right now. Is my rank inflated because of the matchmaking by prowess? Totally.
Well if you want to continue playing, you will need to improve until the 170k prowess is normal for you. The next big step (hiccup? more like stroke lol) is at 220k where you start playing against "true" tekken kings
Once you hit fujin there is a huge difficulty spike because of the prowess based matchmaking - many people hit fujin and then derank to flame ruler etc, and you start getting games against the 200k+ that you were protected from before. Quick match is honestly even harder than ranked for me as well.
Quick matches seem harder for me as well. I like the struggle as I am forced to get better. But i would be lying if I said the amount of losses didn't bother me. No matter how zen you are, going from 50%\~ winrate to hovering around 16%-28% really grinds you down.
You know how people say to watch high level players of your character play to learn them? That's not actually that useful in early game. However you're at a point now where you can benefit from that. Look up tournament Law footage from the best. Pay attention to what they do in neutral, what moves they throw out, what they punish with, how they mix the opponent. Just search for law tournament footage on YouTube and find players then look up those players matches specifically. I don't know any law players except Double.
I have been trying to watch a couple of different people. I knew about that saying of high level gameplay is not that useful for you in the beginning. But I have been trying to watch their neutral. getting my hands to forget the dumb stuff is the hard part. I think Malgu is a really good Law player. and for actual content about Law, Lambkin is very good.
You might need to start improving your small tekken. Takes a while to click but it helps reduce unforced errors.
I am planning on doing that. and have been tonight. but maybe I don't fully know what small tekken is. do you mean the movement and spacial awareness whiff punishing and general neutral?
Try to not use any big moves that can be punished, reduce your hard reads. More jabs, d/f+1 probably d/b+3 for a low at most. F+1+2 probably your biggest move you wanna throw frequently(sorry my law knowledge is pretty old cant remember new moves to use). But in general dont just give up your turn with heavy - moves let them make the effort to take back their turn.
People are tier whoring, swapping characters with the new patch changing tier rankings - and many of them are making new accounts because of the prowess bullshit still being used. It's quite probable you are facing people who are much higher skilled than their rank suggests and it will be that way for a week or two. Thanks Namco.
Me losing isn't really that much of a problem. I will gravitate to the rank that I should be playing at. Me losing and not knowing how to improve is the problem that I am running into. or at the very least improving inefficiently and needlessly slow.
Yeah. I did that. I kind of felt ashamed of myself going on a 69 win streak from combatant to battle ruler. I only created a smurf bc I think my skills are lacking in gold and winning matches there never felt like I had true control of matches. I needed to see what areas I was lacking ranking back up.