Darkstalkers 3/Anakaris

Introduction

In a nutshell

Anakaris has made his most outstanding appearances in Capcom Fighting Evolution and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. BUT, the unfamiliar mvc2 players say "where the hell's this character from," & the CFE players generally just get pissed at anak's rushdown.

In Vampire Savior, Anakaris is a bit of an oddity among characters. He has no normal throw(but CAN still tech throw, so don't worry), and no teching(pushblock) ability. Anakaris is tiered low among the Vampire Savior cast. This can be due to Anakaris's lack of a tech(pushblock) ability, his slow ability to build meter, and his guardcancel, which REQUIRES 1 stock of meter. These three factors severely hinder his defensive game.

Nonethaless, Anakaris has the ability to overwhelm opponents with his magneto-esque rushdown. He can apply pressure variably enough to prevent opponents from properly gcing or teching, and can further mix up with hi-lo games using his tri-jump. Anakaris has a double jump, and can teleport from one end of the screen to another. Both of these tools allow for anakaris to excel at run-away(though quite a few characters are just good at rtsd).

On with anak...

Moves

Normal Attacks

Standing Normals

s.lp hits crouching characters(except a crouching Q-Bee), and due to the frame advantage, you can handshake some characters to death[explained in the Combos & Patterns section].

s.mp - the chop: This is my favorite among anakaris's normals. He does a chop akin to honda's standing fierce, only in a higher mummy sort of way. It does a great job of swatting characters out of the sky. There are of course quite a few moves that will simply just outprioritize it(felicia's j.hp, & lilith's j.hp come to mind), but the utility is there.
s.mp not only has hitboxes above[and in front of] his head, but hitboxes which also extend low enough to hit crouching characters(except qbee of course.. maybe others, but my mind is fuzzy). So, should you get too far from your opponent during a handshake rushdown, a dashing strong is a viable option. It covers aerial options that an opponent may try, as well as crouching opponents, who are smart enough not to jump. There IS a small window between the last s.lp and the dashing mp though, that an opponent(who knows/sees it) can take advantage of. Nonethaless, you can best avoid retaliation by properly varying when you dash in and such(you may opt for trijump over dashing back in).
The chop is also what you'll use for characters who are chest height when in their curse mode(i.e. succubus girls, demitri, jedah, qbee).

s.lk - You can change up the dashing lp with a d.lk. The only advantage it has is that it hits all crouching characters. It has significantly less range, and no coverage for an aerial maneuver from the opponent.
s.lk can also be used for the characters who are extreemly close to the ground when in their curse mode(i.e. gallon, aubath, felicia, sasquatch)

s.mk - a distant reaching kick, with a frame disadvantage on both hit and guard. Like s.lk, it does a decent job of hitting characters in curse mode who are lower to the ground. Its range is best when opponent charactesr a a half character away.

Crouching Normals

c.lp - c.lp hits mid. using it during a handshake rushdown is viable. Anakaris's range decreases significantly. c.lp also inherently makes your opponent block low(if they weren't already smart enough to block low during the s.lp's) in expectations of a chained c.lk into knockdown. c.lp and c.lk have slightly similar frame characteristics, but although the c.lp does not hit low, it does have hitboxes convenient enough to hit some opponents who attempt to jump away.

c.mp - c.mp goes approximately a character and a half away. A column of Anakaris's hands travels the distance, approximately half screen height. They make for an excellent anti air option, provided you can predict the opponent, and at least make them block it. Wiffed, a c.mp has horrible recovery. On hit, you MUST cancel into c.mk. It should be second nature to double tap c.mk whenever you use c.mp. should you not, you will likely get punished much in the same way that you would if you had wiffed the c.mp.

c.fp - c.fp is a vertical AA. Four columns of hands extend above anakaris, covering a nice area above him. It has somewhat slow startup(but then again, all of Anakaris's AA's have slow startup), and much like his c.mp, has horrible recovery. In similar fashion to the c.mp, ALWAYS double tap the c.fierce, should the opponent be hit, to recover significantly faster(in case the opponent recovers prematurely, which does happen).

c.lk - not much to describe reguarding his crouching short. It is essential in Anakaris's hi-lo mixup. Use it in his lp rushdown, and trijump mixup.

c.mk/c.rk - c.mk and c.rk are both low hitting kicks. use both to recover faster from c.mp and c.hp. Reguarding knockdowns(using c.rk), Anakaris benifits best from knockdowns in the corner. Midscreen, anakaris isn't as fast to react for strong wakeup.(but you will generally end your chains with c.rk, unless the opponent is blocking, where c.mk is more preferrable(not because the frame advantage is slightly better, but because you keep the opponent in blockstunn for lesser time))

Jumping Normals

j.lp - I believe, it is a viable choice for an air-air option, but have no recollection of it significantly standing out as one.

j.mp - A far reaching kick from Anakaris's main body. Great for hitting from afar, during a distant jumpin. It excells at hitting opponents pre-emptively should they jump, or do a move of some sort. The hitboxes though, are primarily around Anak's feet, which means that j.mp is not a viable choice for up-front aerial confrontations.

j.mk - A two hit kick, which comes from the ground to whatever height anakaris is at[in the air]. It does a well enough job for air-air confrontations, but there are some cases where anakaris really has no decent option(and must block).

j.rk- This move suits Anakaris best for chicken guarding. It hits quickly, and recovers decently enough for anakaris to defend himself. you can link a j.rk off of a j.mk in a jumpin, where you can potentially land, and do either a ground chain, or mixup.

Command Normals

s.B/F+mk - Anakaris does an axe kick that hits high. Its somewhat slow, but its hit boxes are active as soon as Anakaris raises his foot to his head. This kick has a huge area of reach, and is useable for swatting enimies out of the air, as well as hitting crouching enemies. Chain into a c.rk should you hit a crouching opponent. This is also a viable choice to hit opponents in cursed form. Outside of this, use Anakaris's axe kick sparingly.

s.B+RK(or s.F+RK) - Anakaris does a kick inside his coffin, while moving forward or backward. Not really good moving or stationary, since aerial opponents can block it. Don't use it.

j.D+KICK(or j.D/F+KICK) - Anakaris's second saving grace(the first being s.lp?). Anakaris forms a pyramid on his lower torso, and dives at the enemy. All kick strengths have the same startup(13 diagonally, 9 straight down). Getting the quick tri-jumps is essential for an effective anakaris. The dives give Anakaris a wakeup game, as well as a means to quickly get back to the ground.

B, B(against a corner) - Anakaris's infamous command dash that moves him from one end of a screen to another. He has a bit of startup and recovery that makes this move punishable. Use it accordingly.

EX Moves & Dark Force

====== Curse Supers ====== (lvl 1:[mp, lk, down, lp, mk]requires 1 meter , lvl 2:[hp, mk, down, mp, rk] requires 2 meters, lvl 3: [rk, mp, lk, down, lp, mk, hp] requires 3 meters) - These 3 versions of the curse super are essentially the same type of super; a beefy version of Anakaris's curse special. Unfortunately, all versions of this super share the same slow startup and travel time that the normal curse special move has. To top it off, all versions of this EX move are blockable, making even a wakeup curse super impractical.
All these deficiencies, coupled with Anakaris's slow nature of building meter make all versions of this super impractical for competative play. Stay away from these supers.

====== Hellhole ====== (HCF+KK) - Anakaris summons a column of something, a la HOD, except its unblocable. Opponents are able to be hit from top to bottom of the screen Due to its incredibly long startup, the Hellhole super makes for an impractical Anti Air option. With proper anticipation on knockdown though, it may make for a viable wakeup option(w/ the opponent waking up)..

For the most part though, Anak's meter can be better used elsewhere.

====== Dark Force ====== (P+K of the same strength) - Anakaris's upper and lowe torso separate, giving th user primary control over the upper body, while having a bit of a random AI control the lower body. Anak has hyper armor, and cannot block. This DF has quite some utility, despite its oddness. though more research is necessary.

Combos & Patterns

{{#motion: lp --- lk --- lp --- lk --- d + hk }}
*can start w/ s.lk, and end the main link w/ s.lk instead

offensive push: [d.lp(or lk), +s.lp, c.lk, +s.lp] -I cant rushdown with this particular string effectively yet, but realize the power in it. if you can do it consistently(when you want to... and yes, you shouldn't do it every time) then you can eyeball when to finish the combo, and go for knockdown->mixup. (i'll replace eyeball with that term.. i'm having a brainfart...)

• a safe chain ender seems to be c.mk. the frame recovery still seems to have anak at a disadvantage, but it's signifigantly safer than his other moves.(so you can do c.mp, c.mk[assuming the mp hits] & be relatively safe)

Ghetto throw setup: blocked c/s.lps->ES throw. -difficult to tell when the lps are stopping, & when the throw will come out.

*mp and 3P colors look the coolest

Strategy

Anakaris's Game relies on either runaway, or rushdown. He has no inbetween. Between runaway and rushdown, Anakaris has weak means of building meter, and is mediocre at best at zoning.

As far as building meter goes, I (gbursine) use repeated j.D+rk's, with no rotation between special moves(which builds the most meter when wiffed). From afar, Anakaris has no real effective [and quick] special move which aids him in building meter efficiently and safely. But from the beginning, you should be rushing down, or pressuring in some form. Anakaris building meter means the opponent is likely building meter twice as fast, which is in Anak's disadvantage in the longrun.

Almost ALL of anakaris's moves suffer from significant frame disadvantage. As such, should you decide to zone, should you hit, you may STILL be at a disadvantage.

As far as AA's go, you have from the following options:

• s.mp
• c.mp
• Snake hands(b, f+p)
• s.fierce(preemptive)
• s.F+mk(or s.B+mk)
• c.fierce

c.mp, s.fierce, c.fierce & s.F+mk should all have c.mk or c.rk doubletapped after them as a reflexive habit.

Snake hands is a reliable AA should it hit. Majority of the time, Anakaris nets a clean hit for decent damage. The Snake Hands travels in a row, aligned with the middle of the screen. As such, small (and medium sized) crouching characters can completely avoid blockstun, and retaliate if close enough. The same case goes for characters during a jump high enough to avoid the snake hands(which means you mis-timed, or mis-anticipated your opponent's actions).

I recommend that you use the jab or strong version of Snake hands. For two reasons mainly:
-The stronger versions of Snake hands contains more hits, thus longer blockstun, and more chances for your opponent to push you away(which isn't what you want when on the offense)
-Anakaris recovers significantly longer. This becomes a liablility depending on how the opponent is hit(they can recover faster than Anakaris in some cases), or if they are in blockstun.

Rushdown

The basic premise of all forms of rushdown lies in conditioning and confusion. Anakaris is capable in excelling in both areas. While the goal of confusion is self explanatory, conditioning is the process of making an opponent respond to an expected action. Once the opponent is conditioned, changing the pattern more often than not, causes an opening in the opponent's defence.
Anakaris has two primary methods of conditioning:

• lp.rushdown (handshakes)
• trijumps.

His handshake rushdown focuses on corralling the enemy, and conditioning them to block low attacks(provided you throw the c.lk's into the fray). For the handshake rushdown, learning to link Anak's c.lk into s.lp [while not necessary] allows for hit confirming into a knockdown. If the opponent's got your [(s/d.lp)/(c.lk)] pressure down, mix a trijump or throw into the fray.

Because Anak has no normal throw, his ES command throw must be used. Anakaris's ES hands has startup significant enough for an opponent to retaliate. To minimize retaliation, always buffer off of a s.lp or c.lk into ES hands. There is a "sweet spot" range, where buffering into ES hands is close enough for anakaris to grab the enemy quickly, while being far enough for mashing opponents to wiff in the hole between the normal and the throw.

Unless the opponent is in the corner, scoring a knockdown is not wholely advantageous. A knockdown midscreen allows for three wakeup options, as opposed to the two that a knockdown in the corner provide. Unless you float(s.UP), anakaris isnt fast enough to react and maintain an offense. With this being the case, it is more advantageous to pass on knockdowns when landing a hit midscreen. Corralling the opponent towards the corner leads to more opportunities for damage.

Of course, this isn't saying you should never pass on continuing a combo. Depending on your opponent's ability to block and predict, netting damage midscreen may be better.

Anakaris excels when his opponent is cornered. He can condition the opponent to block high with his tri-jumps, or condition with continuous pressure from handshakes. Once the opponent gets knocked down, Anak is provided with a myriad of choices for wakeup. Anakaris's wakeup game, consisting of meaty hi-low mixup, is where he nets a good majority of his damage. Anak's trijumps have a large enough hitbox for players to jump back after a knockdown, time a trijump trijump straight down, and cover both the corner, and the wakeup position near the corner, should the opponent decide to move while knocked down.

A meaty trijump into c.lk alone does for fair mixup. As the match progresses, changing the pattern into two or 3 trijumps before the c.lk(this utilizes the conditioning in rushdown).

Baiting & disarming

Against some characters(dp ones primarily), you'll spend time toward baiting dp's(uppercuts), or disarming them(or both). Baiting an opponent to dp is generally accomplished by doing something that looks punishable, or alludes to being punishable, and then making the opponent wiff a dp to leave you safe, and in position to retaliate.

Disarming an opponent is a result of, but not limited to, baiting. It is a specific type of conditioning, where your opponent [mentally] eliminates an option for counterattack against an offensive move(in this case, wakeup mixups). In addition to baiting, taking an opposite strategy, and using high priority moves that will consistently beat out the opponent is a viable option in disarming the opponent from attempting to counterattack. This allows for more suceptible forms of mixup to be used(as well as a good ES hand for good measure).

Anakaris Quirks

Circle Mailorder: ah, I also tried Anakaris. but I think he's probably too weird for me to learn right now gbursine: ya Circle Mailorder: he can't tech hit, but I guess he doesn't need to for that backdash screen change thing gbursine: don't learn anak gbursine: till much later gbursine: naw gbursine: he needs it gbursine: lol Circle Mailorder: : / Circle Mailorder: eheh gbursine: he gets locked down beginning of a match by some characters gbursine: lol gbursine: and has barely any options gbursine: w/ out meter or momentum Circle Mailorder: >.< then he's just a low-tier hero, played only for bragging rights? gbursine: yes and no gbursine: tiers are so close gbursine: he can still beat the shit of of the upper tiers Circle Mailorder: haha gbursine: ya gbursine: his rushdown is beastly Circle Mailorder: wow, I wouldn't have guessed that gbursine: ya gbursine: i think if he had just pushblock gbursine: he'd be upper mid easily Circle Mailorder: hmm, I see.. gbursine: ya gbursine: he has no AA defense gbursine: and has no way of keeping pple off him when he wants Circle Mailorder: the backdash screen switch isn't fast enough? gbursine: nope gbursine: its got a small yet significant amount of startup Circle Mailorder: ah...