Real Bout Fatal Fury Special/Laurence Blood

Introduction

"Ooh, I can put blood in my name. I'm bad!" — Ben Stiller, probably

Being a bullfighter, Laurence Blood has always been envisioned as an evasive character, being able to counter and run circles around anything the opponent throws at him, but RBS is where he's at his most aggressive. This owes mainly to his demon flip, which lets him run strike/throw with a decent command grab backed up by a fast, high-damage, high-priority crossup which lets him go for line mixups afterwards. In addition, Laurence also has decent air normals to bulldog with, and in addition to demon flip being an option in pressure, he also deals great damage, particularly if you can convert into his unwieldly S.Power. Ironically, Laurence's weaknesses lie in his ineptitude on defense; he only has his inflexible dodge and a slow P.Power for reversals, while he himself is sluggish and a big target. His stiffness also hampers his vortex, being unable to line mix after certain knockdowns because he sometimes can't position himself. In spite of these shortcomings, Laurence's demon flip and high damage potential make him a strong character overall — provided you can do reverse pretzels on command, of course.

Colors

Movelist

Command Normals

~ - Slide Cape Flick

- Heat Saber

(Air) - Aerial Saber

~ ~ - Ole

- Tornado Kick

Special Moves

/ - Bloody Spin

- Bloody Saber

- Bloody Axle

~ // - Bloody Cutter

~ // - Bloody Shooter

~ // - Bloody Press

S.Power

- Bloody Flash

P.Power

- Final Death Bloody

Normals

Close Normals

cl.A

cl.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	Mid	3	Chain, Special	5	2	10	16	+2	0	-	-
Laurence's fastest tool for punishes.

cl.B

cl.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	4+2	10	22	-2	-4	-	-
Deals more damage than close A, but is outclassed by crouch B which recovers faster and hits low.

cl.C

cl.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31(17+17)	Mid	3+3	Chain, Special	9	3+3+2	18	34	+1	-1	-	-
The first hit chains into his special combo, which deals less damage than a standard chain.

Standing Normals

st.A

st.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	Mid	3	Chain, Special	5	1+2	10	17	+1	-1	-	-
A quick cape flick which reaches just under halfscreen. At its maximum range, Laurence can convert from it with chain 5A; this will lead to the least amount of damage possible from his chains, but it's only a four-pixel difference from the best you can get. The only other downside is how both this and chain 5A miss on crouching opponents.

st.B

st.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	4	12	22	-2	-4	-	-
The least range of his standing normals, but it will hit crouching opponents. Serves the same purpose as cl.B as a big ranged punish option.

st.C

st.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31	Mid	5	-	9	7	12	27	-3	-5	-	-
Laurence is a tall guy, so his stand C ends up being very respectable. Being a ground poke, it of course loses to opponents hopping over, but it can be used as a far anti-air. It's also a decent way to cap off his pressure.

Crouching Normals

cr.A

cr.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	Mid	3	Chain, Special	6	4	8	17	+2	0	-	-
Decent range, which lets him glue together his pressure on the ground. For punishes, his close A is better.

cr.B

cr.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Low	3	Chain, Special	7	7	4	17	+3	+1	-	-
Important because it's a crouch B, and it also has decent range and frame advantage for its job. Just make sure to get 5B after this instead of 2B so you can go into 6C 4C. Laurence may also use this as a meaty, which is good to facilitate hop pressure more than anything else, considering normal tick throws don't exist in RBS and Laurence doesn't have any standing overheads.

cr.C

cr.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31	Low	5	Special	9	16	12	36	KD	-3	SKD	-
A slide which travels a bit over a quarter of the screen. This isn't super evasive, but the priority can let him jigsaw under high attacks and stuff them early. Decent as a punish option, but not advised as an anti-air.

Line Attacks

line.A

line.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Mid	3	-	15	5	12/10	41/39	-1	-3	-	-
Useless like most line As.

line.B

line.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	High	5	-	15	6	20	40	-2	-4	-	-
An overhead you can couple with his sweep for peanuts.

line.C

line.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	Mid	5	Special	7	2+6	20	34	-4	-6	-	-
Unfortunately, Laurence's line checks are a bit slower compared to others, particularly those from top tiers like Mai, so they do have a minor advantage on the other line. Regardless, Laurence has very good linear specials, so he has no issues converting from these.

linecr.C

linecr.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	Low	5	Special	7/9	2+6/3+3	20	34	KD	-6/-4	SKD	-
A sweep which is slower on the front line than the back.

Jumping Attacks

j.A

j.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	High	3	Chain	6	4+5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Decent catch-all air-to-air, but its priority isn't amazing.

j.B

j.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	High	3	Chain	7	8	-	-	-	-	-	-
On its own, it is outclassed by Aerial Saber in all factors but speed. However, given its downward angle and jump C's high hitbox, it can chain into it quite reliably.

nj.B

nj.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	High	3	Chain	7	7	-	-	-	-	-	-
A more-specialised air-to-air than jump A with better horizontal range.

j.C

j.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31(17+17)	High	5	-	7	2+3	-	-	-	-	-	-
An air-to-air with more reward, but it isn't active for long. Better as a hop attack. For jump attacks, Aerial Saber and his jump B chain are far superior.

h.A

h.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	High	3	-	6	4+4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Better priority to hop in with than hop C but not as rewarding.

h.B

h.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	High	3	-	7	∞	-	-	-	-	-	-
Laurence's only hop normal which sticks out forever. Its hitbox is tall enough to prevent him from getting unblockables. You may still want to use this when you know hop C won't hit.

h.C

h.

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31(17+17)	High	5	-	9	4+5	-	-	-	-	-	-
A potent bullying tool with its active frames, but its hitbox is a bit high. He can still hit every croucher with this move.

Command Normals

Slide Cape Flick

~

66 2A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
9	Mid	3	Special	5	1+2	10	17	+1	-1	-	-
Retains stand A's great hitbox, but also moves him forward. However, it can't chain into anything, and it doesn't combo into rekkas. If you use its special cancel, it's to go into demon flip for a mixup, albeit one with a very large gap.

Heat Saber

4A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
31	Mid	-	-	24	8	18	49	-2	-4	-	-
Slow startup, even for a ranged poke, but it beats stand C by a character width. RBS isn't a grounded game and the relative reward for this is meagre, so you won't get to use this much.

Aerial Saber

Aerial Saber
(Air)

j.1/2/3A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	High	5	-	7	∞	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jump only — it cannot be done from hops, which keeps this move in check. Hopping in is much more preferable to jumping in, but you still want to mix jumps into your pressure to go over hop checks. Laurence's jump is otherwise cumbersome, but this move's sharp downward angle and infinite hangtime make it a good addition to his offense, especially given for jump C to outdamage it, it has to hit deep so both hits connect. As a crossup, it works great on Aerith.

Ole

5AB

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
-	-	-	-	1	53	1	54	-	-	-	Strike: 1-53
A dodge which not only removes Laurence's hurtboxes, but his collision box as well; opponents can pass right through him. In this state, he is only susceptible to throws. His taunt looks similar, but being a taunt, it lacks invincibility. This gives him potential for shenanigans, but not much. Note his taunt changes for Terry, Andy, Bob, Billy and Kim.

Ole

~

5AB 6C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Mid	3	-	9	7	10	25	KD	-5	SKD	Strike: 1
Cancel when the cape droops — the timing is tight! Unlike in RB2, Ole only has one option available, and it's a mid. However, he still gets a launch combo for decent damage. Laurence can activate this from about frame 19 of his dodge (not counting leeway from the input buffer), so his dodge into this is effectively a 28-frame reversal.

Ole

~

5AB 6C 623C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
23	Mid	5	-	9	3	24	32	KD	-5	Juggle, SKD	Lower: 3-29
A leaping strike for extra damage. Despite appearances, this is just as unsafe as the followup, so unless it whiffed, there's no reason not to go for this. The window for this is also tight, but you just have to do it fast and you'll get it. This will miss on crouching opponents, but given the hit before launches, this is only a problem if the opponent blocked.

Tornado Kick

6B

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	Mid	5	Special	12	8	20	39	-6	-6	-	-
King who? This forward-moving kick sends the opponent to the other line on hit. In theory, this move is useful when spaced to hit at the very tip so Laurence is at +1, but in practice, his line checks are two frames slower than most, so he'll still lose. For some odd reason, it's also special cancellable, which is useless for combos given none of his specials hit the other line. Given its reach, it could maybe lead to rekka chip on block, but this isn't noteworthy, nor does it fit into the game's pace. He can also go into Bloody Axle, but he won't be able to throw unless you do it point blank and cancel late. Overall, not a move he uses much.

Defensive Attack

Defensive Attack
While blocking

d6A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
20	Mid	5	Special	9	7	10	25	-13	-15	-	Upper
Standard fare; range isn't too bad, isn't great. Use this how you would any other Defensive Attack.

Feint Bloody Flash

2BC

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
-	-	-	-	1	-	39	39	-	-	-	-
Bloody Flash isn't a move worth throwing out, but if you do so, this feint may have its uses. If it forces a line shift, Laurence has decent range on his line checks to punish them.

Chain Normals

A 5A

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
11	Mid	3	Chain, Special	6	2	10	17	+2	0	-	-
Laurence's go-to combo glue from stand A and stand B at their tips. Reaches the furthest out of all (2) options, but deals the least damage and whiffs on crouchers.

(1) 5B

(1)-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
13	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	4	12	22	-2	-4	-	-
Laurence's ideal combo glue for going into 6C 4C.

(1) 2B

(1)-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
13	Low	3	Chain, Special	7	8	8	22	-2	-4	-	-
Only goes into 2C, given Laurence does not have a launcher. You get this by accident when you try to do cr.B 5B, but you release the stick too late or you forget.

A 5C

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
24(13+13)	Mid	2+2	Special	9	3+4	20	35	0	-2	-	-
Laurence can go into this move, which mimics his close C, from any of his A normals. Sadly, it's pretty useless, and it doesn't even go into his close C's special chain.

(1) (2) 2C

(1)-(2)-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
42	Low	5	-	11	24	16	50	KD	-18	SKD	-
Just his slide. You can space it to make it safe or even plus, but it's still meh overall.

(1) 5B 5C

(1)-

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
42	Mid	5	-	9	7	20	35	KD	-5	SKD	-
Looks like a safer, more reliable option than 6C 4C, but 6C hits even from the tip of chain 5A. In practice, it's rather useless.

(1) 5B 6C

(1)-

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
18	Mid	3	Chain, Special	9	3	20	32	+1	-1	-	-
Part 1 of Laurence's money maker. The range is great enough on either line for this to connect from anything. Pushes to the other line on hit, which is practically just for flourish.

(1) 5B 6C 4C

(1)-

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
18	Mid	3	Special	7	2+6	20	34	-4	-6	-	-
Part 2 of Laurence getting the bag, scooping the opponent back to his line. Refer to the Combos section for ways to cash out.

cl.C 5C

cl.

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
12	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	2	12	18	0	-2	-	-
If you land a close C, Laurence can heighten its damage potential by mashing C a bunch. All these hits can be cancelled into specials, but you'll want to cancel the last.

cl.C 5C 5C

cl.

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
12	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	2	14	20	-2	-4	-	-
Laurence whips again.

cl.C 5C 5C 5C

cl.

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
12	Mid	3	Chain, Special	7	2	12	18	0	-2	-	-
Laurence whips again. Back in '97, SNK kept up with the heavy hitters like Tekken 3 and Vampire Savior with this awesome gameplay.

cl.C 5C 5C 5C 6C

cl.

-

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
27	Mid	5	-	9	2+3	18	31	KD	-1	SKD	-
Laurence can end the combo with this canned ender, which looks like it should do a lot because it's a sword, but its damage pales in comparison to either version of Bloody Spin.

Normal Throws

Matador Slash

/

4/6C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
29	-	-	-	1	1	-	1	KD	-	HKD	-
A back throw which tosses the opponent half a screen away. You can't press much of an advantage afterwards, considering Laurence wastes time being a silly goose. However, he can go for a demon flip.

Matador Buster

Matador Buster
(Air)

/

j.1/2/3C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
27	-	-	-	1	1	-	1	KD	-	HKD	-
A backbreaker which also throws the opponent far, but Laurence has time to dash and jump in, ideally mixing up with crouch B, an air normal or Aerial Saber.

Special Moves

Bloody Spin

[4]6A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
35(10+12+20)	Mid	7	-	10	2+20	22	53	KD	-9	, Juggle, SKD	Lower: 10-31
Bloody Spin is the only proper special which Laurence retained in RB2. Sad! Anyway, this version deals three hits, doesn't switch sides and travels just short of fullscreen. For whatever reason, it isn't as safe on block as the heavy version. A neat thing about both versions is how an aerial opponent won't flip out after getting hit once, but will instead take however many hits remaining and the knockdown afterwards. You can also use this to low crush — can, not should.

Bloody Spin

[4]6C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
43(8+10+11+11+11)	Mid	7	-	12	2+24	25	62	KD	-7	, Juggle, SKD	Lower: 12-37
This version travels fullscreen, deals five hits of damage and will switch sides when connected close enough. For these reasons, it's also often ideal as a Break Shot. Regardless, although it's safer, you can still expect to get punished by a chain on block, or at least a throw.

Bloody Saber

236A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
6	Mid	7	-	13	9	20	41	-3	-5	-	-
Instead of the poke it is in Real Bout 2 (or Fatal Fury Special, for that matter), Bloody Saber here is a rekka. The first hit is a little sluggish, so it won't combo from his close C chain, but it will still combo from his 6C 4C string and his line checks.

Bloody Saber

~

236A 236A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
8	Mid	-	-	5	9	20	33	-3	-5	-	-
His rekka's second part. No reason not to go for this...

Bloody Saber

~

236A 236A 236A

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
36(11+11+11+11)	Mid	-	-	8	3+(6)+3+(6)+3+(6)+3	34	71	-11	-13	-	-
The final part of Bloody Saber sees Laurence advance with a flurry of stabs, which is great for chip damage and also for pushing his opponent to the corner. This also deals more damage than Bloody Spin, and although he's -13 on block, the pushback leaves him well over halfscreen away, which leads nicely into his next move listed here: his demon flip. Overall, this is an excellent part of Laurence's kit which helps him bully in the corner.

Bloody Axle

236C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
-	-	-	-	8	28+9	13	57	-	-	-	Strike: 1-7, Body: 8-35, Lower: 36-44
Laurence leaps high into the air, which makes him impossible to hit unless you're really going to commit to a meaty DP (don't). The fixed trajectory means it shouldn't be spammed; in Fatal Fury Special, this was an anti-fireball move which tracked, but now its trajectory has been set to take him over halfscreen. Additionally, there is no hitting a crouching opponent with early Bloody Cutter, so the invincibility frames aren't there for him to use it as a reversal, but rather to keep this move evasive. It may also be used to escape the opponent's Break Shot if they have a reason to do it on your normal.

Bloody Cutter

~

/

236C A/B/C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
32	Mid	7	-	3	2+6+1	13	24	KD	Up to +10	SKD	-
A huge, screaming-fast air-to-air which also crosses up, effectively acting as a Vega walldive. This couples nicely with the throw he can do as well, and will come out anyway if the throw doesn't hit. Finally, coupled with Bloody Axle's generous invincibility, you can use it for its original purpose in calling out fireballs; however, RBS isn't a fireball-heavy game, and there are better ways to deal with zoning pre-emptively. Overall, this is the main move to use from Bloody Axle. You can even fish for crossups with this if you cancel into Bloody Axle from a blocked string, although you will be left at a disadvantage if they guess right. Another boon is how the move gives you enough time after hitting to shift to the other line and go for left-right mixups.

Bloody Shooter

~

/

236C 214A/B/C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
16	Mid, Low	5	-	3	Up to 47 (Fireball: Up to 28)	13	Up to 62	KD	-14	SKD	-
Laurence stops his air momentum, leaps back and throws a sword. It will always fly at the same diagonal angle, regardless of button pressed. The sword's hitbox is tiny, which primes it to sneak under everyone's standing guardboxes; this is a quirk common to SNK games which results in air fireballs turning into lows.

Bloody Press

~

/

236C~4/6C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
37	-	7	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This can only be activated during Bloody Axle's second portion. If it misses, Laurence will activate Bloody Cutter instead, so it's a win-win if you're in range. However, you can only let this rip once Laurence's hurtbox has expanded downward, so he is much more vulnerable to getting anti-aired. You get time to shift lines after this hits, but not enough to position yourself for crossups.

S.Power

Bloody Flash

3412361BC

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
96(146+202)	Mid	-	-	19	3+(14)+3+(3)+2+(7)+…+(4)+2+(10)+2+2	15/17	129/144	KD	+1	HKD	-
Good thing they simplified the input, huh? This move's job is to combo from Laurence's 6C 4C string ender, which gives him a lenient amount of time to complete the input. From his cl.C string, it's a bit too slow to combo from any of the hits. Outside of this, it can also be used to chip safely, given its massive hitboxes and six guaranteed slashes, but it does leave him vulnerable to line shifts. The last two hits will only come out if the sixth slash hits. You can longcut the input as 41236, 41236, 1BC — or you can do three half circles.

P.Power

Final Death Bloody

2363214C

Damage	Guard	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Properties	Invulnerability
112	Mid	-	-	22	24	11	56	KD	-11	HKD	Strike: 1-18, Lower: 22-45
Unfortunately, this ranbu is too slow to combo from anything. Its intended use is to counterattack; not only are the i-frames generous, but when spaced, it can also be made safe. It also leaves the opponent behind him on hit, which is useful to have if cornered. The problem, however, is the invincibility doesn't bleed into the active period; while the active period can go through ground fireballs, given its lack of lower hurtbox, there is a brief period where he is fully vulnerable. In practice, the move ends up being something you just throw out, as the reward is high for something which isn't too risky if spaced. Otherwise, it's ideal to just use Break Shots if you have the meter.

Chains

(0) - None

(1) - cl.A, st.A, cr.A, cl.B, st.B, cr.B

(2) - 5B, 2B

(3) - 5C, 6C 4C, 2C

Special - A 5A (3), A 5C, cl.C 5C 5C 5C 6C, j.A/j.B j.C

Chain paths courtesy of Goh_Billy:

cl.A -----> 5A -----> 6C -----> 4C
st.A |      5B        5C
cr.A |                2C
     |----> 5C
     |
     -----> 2B -----> 2C

cl.B -----> 5B -----> 6C -----> 4C
st.B |                5C
cr.B |                2C
     |
     -----> 2B -----> 2C

cl.C -----> 5C -----> 5C -----> 5C -----> 6C

j.A/j.B --> j.C

Combos

NOTE: Assume 236A leads to its full rekka chain when listed.

(1) (2) 6C 4C [4]6C/236A/3412361BC (88/90/127 damage) - Pretty much the only combo you'll need. [4]6C knocks down and switches sides, 236A corner carries and 3412361BC deletes them. These all work from line C as well.

cl.C 5C 5C 5C 5C [4]6A/C (76/85 damage) - Your best combos from his heavy string. [4]6A deals less damage but doesn't switch sides. Neither 236A or 3412361BC come out fast enough to combo.

5AB 6C 623C (31 damage) - The damage you get from a dodge.

Strategy

236C~A/B/C is Laurence's best move by a country mile. It's fast, it’s a crossup, it has great range, it knocks down on hit and, if you time it late, it's even plus on block. It can't be spammed, given 236C's set trajectory and its susceptibility to anti-airs, but its wealth of amazing traits otherwise make it key to his gameplan.

Its main application lies on offense, where Laurence has a bevy of ways to set it up. A simple way is to cancel into it from his normals; this will grant him the opportunity to fish for an ambiguous crossup. Laurence's normals are designed more to counter than to break through, but he can still push his way in with hop C and j.2A, where he can then stick to his opponent with his long-reaching light attacks and his 6C 4C chain. The best way to end these chains meterless is with 236A~236A~236A, which deals great damage, corner carries, hits the wall a few times and, most importantly, positions you to go for 236C. This spacing will also let you go for 236C~4/6C, his throw, which will correct to A/B/C if it misses. Quite a few of Laurence's tools, such as st.C and his throw, will also put you at this sweet spot. Finally, once the strike lands, Laurence can line shift, position himself and go for a line C combo. He can use 236A to put him in the sweet spot again or [4]6A/C to go for another line mixup — your choice. If you land the throw instead, you can still shift lines, but you'll only have time to bulldog with a line C (or use your overhead line B, which is slow).

Additionally, the move possesses niche uses in neutral. Laurence can use it to jump in; gutsy, given the hitbox makes him most susceptible to anti-airs on his way down, but rewarding thanks to A/B/C. For more niche cases, he has an air fireball in 214A/B/C he can use; however, although it's fast, the recovery is dreadful and he can't capitulate on the knockdown. Regardless, it may be worthwhile to gamble your way in at times with 236C, as his neutral otherwise isn't amazing. His air normals are so-so and have their weak spots, while normals such as st.A, st.C and his slide are only really effective to punish and counter. His normals for the most part aren't the fastest, he doesn't have a light which chains into itself and he doesn't have a safe special which keeps him close. Combined with his tall hurtbox and sluggish movement, Laurence may have to bet the farm on 236C, which starts invincible, to get him out of tight spots. He has his dodge (AB), but its sole followup (6C 623C) requires stringent timing, which forbids him from counterattacking whenever he wants; likewise, his P.Power — another dodge to start — is also marred by its lengthy startup.

A boon Laurence has on defense is his high damage; not only do [4]6C and 236A deal huge amounts of damage, but if you can do his S.Power (3412361BC) in combos, you'll get many opportunities to take back your lifelead. As mentioned in its section, the S.Power is much easier to perform when longcuts are used. The 6C 4C chain is an easy way to confirm it, and you can not only get it from fast close-ranged lights, but also st.A, which combos into 5A 6C 4C at its tip. st.A only hits standing opponents, but it shouldn't be an issue with most punishes at this range. In addition, he can even confirm into S.Power from line checks, although this requires fast hands — not so much keen eyes, given it's safe on block, but it doesn't hurt. Of course, the threat of his damage makes him scary on offense, too; with his decent air normals and long-ranged cr.B, Laurence has the tools to land it, but if he can't, there's always 236C.

Laurence has his flaws when it comes to movement, but with skillful use of 236C, he can make up for this and run laps around his foes with ease. Once mastered, he can slash any opponent to ribbons.

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Base Roster
Andy Billy Bob Cheng Chonrei Chonshu Duck Franco Hon Fu Joe Kim Krauser Laurence Mai Mary Sokaku Terry Tung Yamazaki

EX Characters
EX Andy EX Billy EX Mary EX Tung