Darkstalkers 3/Rikuo

Introduction

Aubath's most infamous for his bubble loop. I call it a trap, because of the way it applies pressure, and generally keeps the opponent where you want them; but the meat of it really is a loop.

Due to the nature of his normal and special moves, he almost naturally counters the characters with upfront rushdown in Vampire Savior.

Also a bit of an oddity; its more advantageous for an aubath player to stock his meter, for bubble loop/trap.

Aubath can rushdown, or play like guile; but rushing down generally builds meter faster, and is oftentimes more advantageous(or maybe i'm just biased).

Thats most of what I can think of to say. So absorb all thats here.

Noteworthy normals

Standing Normals

• s.mp- I honestly think this move makes a decent AA... all of aubaths grounded mp's are weird... s.mp basically has his arms out in front of him spazzing for a bit... more research shall be done...

• s.lp, s.lk, s.hp - aubath's 3 other different forms of basic [normal] anti airs. s.hp seems to be the most useful; the priority is there but its not like "maD" crazy.

• s.mk, and s.rk have the hit boxes to do it too I think... though (I'll be honest...) In most of the matches I play, I'm always thinking too fast to try this out in particular...

-Standing Normal Frame Data -

Name	State	Startup	Hit adv	Blk adv	Buff	Blk pos
Jab	Close	5	+8	+7	y	H/L
	Far	5	+8	+7	y	H/L
Strong	Close	6	0	-1	n	H/L
	Far	6	0	-1	n	H/L
Fierce	Close	11	kd	-19	n	H/L
	Far	11	kd	-19	n	H/L
Short	Close	5	+6	+5	y	H/L
	Far	5	+6	+5	y	H/L
Forward	Close	6	-2	-3	y	H/L
	Far	6	-2	-3	y	H/L
Roundhouse	Close	7	+4	+3	n	H/L
	Far	8	-7	-8	n	H/L

Crouching Normals

c.lp - Aubath's c.lp carries quite a bit of frame advantage with it. Due to this, it is a bit easier for opponents to one-hit-tech his lp, but at the same time, aubath gains a useful pressure string.

c.mp - Aubath does a double stroked claw, causing 2 hits. it is marginally slower than Aubath's c.lp, which is ok; but its most detracting feature is the two hits, which allows higher level players to guard cancel upon blocking the first hit.

c.fierce - Aubath's c.hp is a double clawe'd knockdown. It shares the same animation as his level 3 [useless] overhead EX. While it may look well worth using, use his c.rk instead. his c.rk is only slightly slower, but has a much greater reach than his c.fierce.

c.lk - a somewhat average low hitting c.short. can be rapid-fire chained, and is ideal for starting his ground chains.

c.mk - A 2 hit crouching normal. apparently you can setup for throws should they block it. I'll halfto try it. I think this move suffers a bit of the same of what Aubath's c.mp suffers in being 2 hits(gc and tech-hitable).

c.rk - Almost as fast as the jabs and shorts of other characters, puts the opponent in a safe amount of blockstun, and has good reach. what more could you want?

-CrouchingNormal Frame Data -

Name	State	Startup	Hit adv	Blk adv	Buff	Blk pos
Jab	crouching	5	+9	+8	y	H/L
Strong	crouching	7	kd	-1	n	H/L
Fierce	crouching	7	kd	-11	n	L
Short	crouching	5	+7	+6	y	L
Forward	crouching	7	+1	0	n	L
Roundhouse	crouching	8	kd	-1	n	L

Jumping Normals

• j.mp - crazy range AND priority... is the equivalent of lei lei's j.mp, and maybe talbains j.mk. the hit boxes are angled and seem kinda picky..

always follow up w/ j.hp... whether you hit or miss

• j.hp - think liliths j.hp with a little less priority...

• j.mp, j.hp - japs do it, and I too have picked it up. just jumping and doing this does a great job of building meter; just dont be an idiot and know when to stop.

• j.lk, d.rk - what I think is aubaths IOH(instant overhead) combo.... useful, even when you arent going for the ioh

• j.rk(neutral) - when all A2As(rarely); j.rk solves your problems

-Jumping Normal Frame Data -

>

Name	State	Startup	Blk pos
Jab	jumping	5	H
Strong	jumping	6	H
Fierce	jumping	11	H
Short	jumping	5	H
Forward	jumping	6	H
Roundhouse	jumping	7	H
Down+Roundhouse	jumping	10	H

Dashing Normals

• d.mp - your linking move from a dash to ground chain combo(c.lk, c.lp both link after the d.mp)... Its definitly worth using for pressure or just getting in.

Its BIGGEST disadvantage though, is the amount of time the other guy has to gc your ass.... ya dont wanna go losing your rhythm..

• d.lp/lk- the other alternate to d.mp. the lp or lk make great pressure... you can c.lp/lk them after the dash into either another c.lp/lk or a short dust cloud(fwd cloud if they pushblock)

The 2 hr umehara vid has an aubath that does a looped lp/lk pressure string to an anakaris for most of the match... and essentially rapes him w/ just that...crazy:eek:[size=2](if some1 can teach me how to split up weird vid formats into individual matches; pm me)[/size]

• d.rk- a nice fast sweep from across the screen. good for when you hit w/ a cloud while across the screen, and have no super(or dont want to use one)... I've had MANY cases though where either:

• • a. the poison(pseudo dizzy?) wears off of them in time
  • b. even when I do rk. at the peek of the dash, I dont reach them, and end up wiffing.

in case b, you will likely eat something, but aubath's d.rk has a -1 frame disadvantage, which really isn't all that bad.

*Never Use Aubath's d.hp. It lets him travel a bit farther, but you can just as easily, and more safely wavedash with d.lp's. On hit, you're still at a frame disadvantage, which, well.... sucks -_-.

-Dashing Normal Frame Data -

Name	State	Startup	Hit Adv	Blk Adv	Blk pos
Jab	dashing	4	+4	+3	H/L
Strong	dashing	5	+6	+5	H/L
Fierce	dashing	8	-10	-11	H/L
Short	dashing	4	+4	+3	L
Forward	dashing	6	+1	0	L
Roundhouse	dashing	7	kd/td>	-1	L

Name	Direction	Type	Startup	Acrive	Recovery
Dash	Forward	Ground	6	14	9
Dash	Backwards	Hop	-	-	14

*Optimized chain combo- I'm pretty sure this is necessary...what do I mean by this? all the different chains that every character has... theres of course one route through all those chains that each character has that does the most damage.(to be removed) I'm pretty sure this is aubaths(I'm gunna check tonight...heh) cuz I see the japs doing it during the bubble trap.

(jumpin), c.lk, s.mp, s.mk, c.rk

*Bufferable normals:

• • s.lp, c.lp
  • s.lk, c.lk
  • s.mk

Specials

======Sonic wave====== -(charge b-f+p) - The sonic wave is much like its sister move; Both have something of an AA and anti rushdown purpose. just at different ranges and whatnot. I use mainly lp soni-wav; tho I use fierce just as much for its added range after a c.lp/lk pressure string(If I think the other guy is gunna jump at me) provided you do hit them w/ the wave, I normally follow w/ a j.hp(tho if they're REALLY far away/high up, just dash in to get in their face)

• the ES version of this move is utter crap imo... its basically a big one hit projectile that goes full screen. HUGE... but 1 lvl of meter on something that does no chip(excluding the white), and can just as easily be blocked isnt worth it. I'll do it sometimes when trying to do his tidal wave super(hcf+PP)(on pad & kbd)... ES utiliy is explained later below

======Dust "Poison Cloud" ====== - (charge b-f+k) - Like the sonic wave, I use the lp cloud after a c.lk string( fwd cloud during a pushblock)... aside from that, and hod juggles, the [normal] cloud is just one of those pain in the ass moves that you use when the other guy is jumping in. once you get them into poison state, either go for

• jumpin->ground combo-> sweep
• d.rk
• d.mp->ground combo->sweep

• ES Cloud - It has pretty much the same utility as sasquatch's ES Ice towers. a bigass cloud takes majority of the screen in front of aubath(same height mind you)... like ES towers, its EASY to catch them while their doing shit(off guard). Easily one of his most useful moves when not bubble trapping/pseudo infinitying

• The opponent can mash, to reccover from the poison faster

======Uppercut "Tricky Fish"====== -(dp+k, or B,B+k) - I feel like this is Aubaths last stand AA... its got a queerass angle, though what makes it so unreliable is the startup... The bitchass hopps back before he goes attacks. of course, its good when the enemy gets predictable(i.e. the computer's jedah... dumbest AI ever)

BUT I've found one of its uses for beginner Aubath players(or players in panic) its good for initial stages of learning the bubble trap

The interesting thing about the move is the option of using it between a dp motion, or off of a back dash... I dont think theres any difference(like the difference between mai's two air dive commands[size=2]the name escapes me...[/size])

• ES upper - Use it within Water Jail juggles, or if you really feel like using a stock of meter on a bubbled opponent. Using an ES uppercut outside of these conditions is really just throwing your meter away(despite the damage you might be doing, you give up better positional advantage)

====== Command Throw 1, "Cataract Cry" ====== (HCB+mp or fp) - Aubath throws the opponent up, and starts doing a bunch of hits before throwing the opponent down. This move has a 2 frame startup, and is fast enough for you to mix up with jab rushes. Throws your opponent in the direction you were facing when executing the throw.

• ES - Save the meter for Bubble loop/trap. It does more damage, but the bubble still has more utility over it.

====== Command Throw 2 "Gem's Anger" ====== (HCB+ mk or rk) - Aubath throws them up once more, but this time changes into a clam shell and spews pearls at the opponent. Not as fast as (a startup of 7 frames, as opposed to 2), but it does slightly more white and blue damage. Throws the opponent in the opposite direction you were facing when executing the throw

• ES - Mix and match at your fancy, but as stated with the first command throw, the meter has more utility being saved for the bubble trap/loop.

• Command throws have no wiff animation

-Special Move Frame Data -

Name	Strength	Startup	Hit adv	Blk adv	Blk pos
Sonic Wave	Jab	15	+63	+2	H/L
	Strong	16	+59	-2	H/L
	Fierce	18	+52	-6	H/L
	ES	15	+63	+2	H/L
Poison Gas	Short	28	+61	0	H/L
	Forward	30	+57	-4	H/L
	Roundhouse	34	+52	-9	H/L
	ES	28	+61	0	H/L
Tricky Fish	Short	25	kd	-9	H/L
	Forward	25	kd	-9	H/L
	Roundhouse	26	kd	-10	H/L
	ES	25	kd	-14	H/L
Cataract Cry	Strong	2	kd	-	UBK
	Fierce	2	kd	-	UBK
	ES	2	kd	-	UBK
Gem's Anger	Forward	7	kd	-	UBK
	Roundhouse	7	kd	-	UBK
	ES	7	kd	-	UBK
Pursuit	Regular	38	-	-
	ES	35		-	-

*note: Aubath's pursuit has 8 frames of recovery.

Supers & Dark Force

====== The bubble "Water Jail" ====== [dp+PP](unblockable) - imo, its aubath's most important move. basically, his ahvb. he makes a big bubble that has a bit of startup. you can use it much like qbee uses her honeycomb super to pressure the other guy, but the unblockablility adds to it.

After properly distancing yourself from the enemy in the corner upon knockdown, use the bubble. You'll know your distance/timing is correct, because they won't be able to get up without being threatened by being encased by the bubble. upon knockdown, they have two choices:

• 1. to not move, and wake up, to try and sj out, or hit aubath.

-in this case, you will half to pressure them, or just scare them w/ you being there till the bubble catches them.

• 2. to move forward, hoping that you've bubbled too late, or too close.

following this, do a lp/mp gas, and jump in for another knockdown into bubble. If you get ancy, use his dp to go straight to the knockdown.

====== HOD "Aqua Spread"====== [fwd->dwn+PP/KK] - Think black heart's heart of darkness, where a big column comes out of the ground; only its water, instead of fire lightning & ice.

Both versions can be held down to allow the column to extend farther. The primary difference is that the Kick version will automatically activate once it is below the opponent[the punch version keeps going].

You can juggle on and off doing things like sonic wave, water jail, ES sonic wave, water jail, ES dp.... etc. flashy isnt it?.... but then, look at all the meter you're using up to look pretty. His bubble loop gives more potential damage per super bar.

====== wave super "Sea Rage" ====== [hcf+PP] - Its probably what felicia's sandsplash super in mvc2 came from(unless she has it in Vampire hunter.. I'll halfta check). Aubath does a pre pose(so this isnt instant), and waves go across the ground. Nice punishing super... also nice for the bitches that like to chip to death near the end.

====== c.hp super "Direct Scissor" ====== [d,d+PPP](hits HIGH, lvl 3, original 2 colors only) - It looks so... like c.hp. only it hits high, and costs 3 levels. useless? probably not, but not practical at all... you're better off using j.lkXXj.d+rk for an instant overhead combo.

Dark Force "Ocean Rage"

Aubath Jumps on a stingray, and gain super armor. Also, he does only crouching moves; but can move anywhere. he can jump off at any time by pressing down+KKK (maybe just kk, but 3 kicks to be safe).

Anyway, theres two primary things to do with this super.

1. d.lp rushdowns
2. go high as you can, and do a bubble, then pressure till bubble hits and loop away

Option 2 leave characters other than Lei lei, Bishamon, Anakaris, Zabel, Morrigan, and Aubath SCREWED... there is almost nothing that can be done to prevent them from being encased in the bubble trap.

All the characters mentioned here can either Dark Force into a Hyper Armor of some sort, or teleport away.

-EX Move Frame Data -

Name	Req meter	Startup	Hit adv	Blk adv	Blk pos
Water Jail	1	40	-	-	UBL
Aqua Spread	1	42	kd	-3	H/L
Sea Rage	1	28	+7	-11	H/L
Direct Scissor	3	25	kd	-23	H
Dark Force	1	32	-	-	-

Combos & Patterns

-d.mp, +c.lk, c.mp, c.mk, c.rk

-d.mp, [+c.lp, c.lk]x2, +c.lp. c.rk

Jab rush: [d.lp, s.lp, c.lp] (effective, except against a good guard canceller)

• A dashing jab gives you three(+3) frames of advantage when blocked. A standing jab has 5 frames of startup, and gives 7 frames of advantage. This gives you quite some leeway to either, continue jabbing or shortting, or dash in to keep on your opponent. You'll notice the 2 frame hole between the dashing lp. This is necessary to deter their attempts at gc-ing and teching.

You may even want to open that window, if you know they may be attempting something, and hit them out with a s.lp or c.lp.

HOD juggles- The gist: [Sonic wave, juggle with Aqua spread]xN You can end it with his uppercut. ES moves are not necessary to continue juggling, but should you be at a distance where the normal sonic wave would not be able to reach, you will more than likey be forced to use an ES sonic wave.

Of course though, while it all looks pretty; it consumes too much meter for the amount of damage you net.

“Bubble trap/loop”- Corner knockdown, bubble, apply pressure, (they get grabbed), short gas, jump in->knockdown, WRR(can be countered) [-The bubble trap may require meter, but with proper play, getting meter should be easy] -imo this makes him top tier

Strategy

I started playing Aubath b/c 1. I thought he was cool, 2. ssbomberman said top tier Aubath couldn’t be done. Where do I believe he stands after learning him? mid top. This fool's got alot going for him... explaining what I do is the hardest part(mainly b/c this is my first attempt in trying to guide people).

Aulbath is best played as a rusher and the key to being a good Aulbath player is one word. Pressure. If you can keep pressure going, then you can force your opponent into mistakes and basically do whatevery you want to them. This also leads to the second thing that makes Aulbath shine, his game off the knockdown. Because what comes after a knock down and a stocked meter is the heart of Aulbath's pressure game and what makes many a new person to VS hate Aulbath. The Bubble. It’s your queen so to speak. When playing Aubath, the bubble trap is always going to be the heart of what you want to do... but as things happen more often than not, you're going to be landing damage plenty of other ways. We'll cover the bubble later

The home of the bubble trap: the corner.

it is where Aubath shines(when the opponent is in the corner that is). Once you have your opponent in the corner, you want to maintain pressure with lp rushdown, in hopes of netting a knockdown, via chain combo, or throw. Alternatively, you can stand a character away, and retaliate whatever they do. Use j.mp->j.hp empty links should they decide to jump at you, and tech should they try an offensive string at you.

There are many ways to pressure your opponent, but one of the best ways is through his dashing moves. A good string of dashing moves is hard for people to tech and it is even harder for people to stop if done right. You gain so many options when you lock someone down with the rush. Some pressure strings you can use include...

1)D.MP, C.Lp, C.Lp, Sonic Wave (HP version), d.LP, repeat

2)D lp, clp, clp, EX Sonic Wave, dash lp (lk, mp)

3)d lk, clp, clp, dash lp, Throw.

The list really goes on and on and on. As long as you know how to pressure and keep the pressure on, you can feel free to substitute anything in that you want.

Without the bubble, Aubath has two tools right off the bat, which makes him a pain in the ass:

• sonic wave
• poison gas.

They both have quite a bit of recovery, but if you trade hits with them, they go into whatever stun these moves do to them, preventing them from finishing a retaliation of any sort.

If you've got a level of meter(not hard to get...) and manage to sonic someone jumping in, you can land 68 pts of damage with an air juggle. Against all the priority jumping whores, the wave beats them all(i.e. lilith, qbee, bishamon...etc).

Poison gas shoots closer w/ the weaker kicks. with the range it comes at, you're generally looking for them to be jumping/dashing/walking/doing random shit into this.

The ES is ESPECIALLY effective, since it takes up the whole bottom portion of the screen. AND, you can of course walk forward for the slightest of seconds after a charge, and then press KK; which, if doing an ES, will reach the very far ends of the screen. Poisoning them within close proximity nets you a free combo->knockdown

Should you landing distant clouds, go for a dashing rk (as I said above earlier be careful).

Aubath, knockdown is a key game. Not like other characters, where you can jump up and down or walk back and forth playing mind games. Aubath's got the bubble so. taking this a step further, if you know where your opponent's going to roll upon knockdown, you could easily get them in the bubble at midscreen!

Bubble tactics

Ok, so you have the meter, you have the pressure going and you score the knockdown. GOOD JOB! Then you input the bubble command and your glorious bubble comes out and thennnnn....they escape it. >:( So what are we gonna do here? There are many ways to make sure your bubble doesn't go to waste and improve your chances of landing the bubble.

In the corner:

KD, Bubble, Meaty C.MK - This is almost a win-win for Aulbath. Your opponent can either A)Get hit by the Cmk and then get bubbled or B) Block it and get bubbled.

Pressure string, throw, bubble, dashing lk, lp or mp- If you land that throw, you can Bubble right after and put the pressure back on again with a dashing move. Even if they tech the throw, unless they are mashing hardcore, the dashing move will generally keep them locked down until the bubble arrives.

On opponents jump: A LOT of people are going to want to simply jump out of the bubble loop. There are a few options you can nail them with in the air that will keep them grounded/ or drop them into your bubble in mid-air.

Bubble, jump in chicken guard, (after block) j.lp- The chicken guard will keep you safe from accidently getting hit while in the air. After they attack, hit them with j.lp and you'll drop them right into the bubble. Then they're all yours.

KD, bubble then jump in lp or mp (maybe hp). People will want to jump out of that bubble on sight of it in the corner, so you want an attack to cover them while they're getting up and trying to jump out. lp comes out fast and beats a lot of attacks. Mp is even better since it has a nice hitbox and has a lot of priority.

Countering the Bubble

An aubath that properly knocks down in the corner distances himself so that if you try to strategically wake up away from the corner, you'll wakeup into the bubble. If the aubath had distanced himself improperly, then the bubble will likely miss; but more often than not, this is not the case. As such, I'll list the options(if any) for characters to counter, or get themselves out of the trap.

• Anakaris - dark force, or end screen teleport
• Aubath -dark force
• BB Hood - double jump(tho more than likely, she'll get pressured & caught)
• Bishamon - screwed
• Demitri - bat spin
• Felicia - wall cling->jump away(proper pressure deters this)
• Gallon - screwed
• Jedah - screwed
• Lei Lei - dark force
• Lilith - screwed
• Morrigan - teleport
• Q-Bee - fly(tho aubath will likely pressure, so it is difficult)
• Sasquatch - screwed
• Victor - screwed >.<
• Zabel - teleport

Hitting or throwing aubath while the bubble is out will automatically remove the bubble.

And there you have it, proper counters for being cornered, and bubble looped/trapped. for those characters who I said were screwed; It's based on my experiences and observations both with aubath, and against capable aubath bubble-loopers.

Aubath Querks

• Aubath's dash goes under "normal" projectiles(morrigan, demitri type)

• he hopps back 3x.

• you can follow up his hod super as soon as you see the guy falling back down(I dont think you can hit him if he gets too close to the ground)

• tapping the opposite direction and an attack button after doing a mp or hp normal throw will result in another hit.

fuck... I'm confused as hell as to how this template works >.<

http://www.shoryuken.com/wiki/index.php/Vampire_Savior_%28Darkstalkers_3%29#Character_Specific_Strategies