Post by Xarious on May 22, 2017 13:18:39 GMT -5
Just a heads up, this is going to be a VERY long post...Have fun!
Preface: The single saber is the most common saber style in the game. For most people, it is considered an art form and the most skill-requiring style. Often times it is referred to as “the easiest to learn but hardest to master.” It is incredibly hard, and in many ways controversial, to teach a specific stylistic approach to combat with a single saber. However, everything I post here will be the most detailed extent of my own personal teachings that I can afford to give without in-gaming teaching.
This will be divided into three major categories: Components of Single Saber Combat, Single vs Single, and Single vs Staff/Dual.
Disclaimer: Just like with the more summarized version of this in Combat of a Perfectionist, this will assume you know and understand the terms referenced here. If you do not understand something being referenced, I assure you a post has been made about it in another section of the database. While I’m sure, by the time you read everything in the database, you will be able to come to your own conclusions and understanding combat, this post will focus on application of the knowledge you’ve obtained.
Components of Single Saber Combat
Understanding Your Abilities: First of all, single saber is the most dynamic weapon the game has. It has the ability to quickly adapt to the user’s needs and is by far the most complex weapon JKA has to offer. So first and foremost, let’s review all of the standard abilities that make up your arsenal. Please note that I’m not going to detail them all here, as there are other posts in the database for that. What I will do, however, is give a quick description of its role in combat.
(For simplicity’s sake, these few are quoted directly from the Combat of a Perfectionist post)
Backflip Delay: This is to be avoided the majority of the time. While it can be used effectively in some circumstances, you really do not want to leave yourself open to air follow hits, which is exactly what the air time of a backflip delay does. Probably the most effective backflip delay would be the post-swing active one, as it allows you to defend against and effectively cut down anyone who tries to air follow you, and allows freedom of motion in the air to strike where ever the opponent may be and to wiggle. However, even those have a time and a place, and if your opponent isn’t already in the process of jumping into where you are delaying at, then they can easily jump up and air hit you around the delay. Just as well, the delay is not in the highest swing stage and can be blocked in the air, so be aware that this is a very risky move.
A-Delay: While this can not be used with strong style, it is a core piece of your abilities with either fast or medium. It can change the timing of swings, increase the speed of swings, and break blocks of your opponent’s swings.
Interrupt Delay: Interrupt delays are amazing for tricking an opponent. While most experienced players will be passive if you try using this, it’s just another way to throw off the timing, and it makes for a good lure when you give the impression that you have a huge opening coming and then enter into a normal swing. That being said, they are not something I would actively choose to use.
Standard Delay: This is your single most useful skill. Aside from the fact that you can alter your timing by using a mix of chains, standard delays, and new swings, standard delays give you an opportunity unlike any other: speed. As is stated in the quote about chains above, swinging reduces your speed dramatically. Chain swings maintain that slowed speed until the chain ends, but standard delay swings will allow the user to return to full speed in between each swing in the series. Since speed is critical in combat, these are by far the most important thing you can learn to use. It will allow you in and out of situations quicker, meaning less of a chance of being hit.
Understanding Movement: You can pretty much get away with using bad attacks, or simply not even knowing something as basic as how direction determines swings, so long as you have good movement. It is an establish fact agreed on by every good player that speed and movement/footwork are the most essential elements of a good fighter. That said, once again, I’m not going to heavily detail the building blocks of how movement functions because it is explained elsewhere, but I will explain to the best of my abilities how to position yourself and utilize your groundwork in combat, and when and when not to jump.
I’d first like to start by quoting myself from the Combat of a Perfectionist post again, as I feel like I did a pretty good summary there but there is a definite need for more elaboration:
Before we move ahead, I’d like to add a new category to explain too: Distancing.
Distancing: Your greatest ally and worst enemy. Good players always keep just enough distance to not be in range of the opponent, but to be able to effectively strike and counter if their opponent messes up. Keep in mind that a duel is not a battle of being better than someone, it’s a battle of not being worse. The perfect fighter isn’t perfect because he can kill you, he’s perfect because he cannot be killed. The only reason you should ever die in combat is as a direct result of a mistake you have made. If no mistakes are made, the opposition cannot take advantage of them. So, keep in mind, you’re not trying to forcefully assault, you’re trying to wait until an opening is presented to you.
For this reason, your distancing should be geared around always remaining out of range. The only time you should intentionally be entering the range of your opponent is when they have made a mistake, not banking off the hopes that they will make a mistake when you enter. Though to be fair, the majority of the time (especially if you’re a passive player), you’ll be wanting to keep out of range and never enter their range. Instead, you’ll let them enter your range into a trap you’ve set (delays, chains, etc.). While some players may argue you can “force mistakes,” and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, that requires the opponent to be forced. If they do what they need to be doing, you will always die as a result. This tactic will only work against players who are worse than you, not better.
So, let’s get into the finer details here.
Positioning: This is really your call. You can practically get away with having your opponent anywhere around you as long as your distancing is good. It’s generally a good idea to keep them to the left though, as your swing starts on the left and it is far easier to turn into that and hit with the mid-swing. However, keep in mind that the combat here is not about the beginning or end of the swing, it IS about the mid-swing. So, if you approach from the opposite side, you can still do that. However, you want to keep the very start and very end of your swing from coming in contact with the opponent, because they can otherwise block & parry you.
Jumping: Pretty much explained it as good as it gets. Just remember, never offensively jump at an opponent who isn’t in retreat, unless you have strong style. I suppose the exception to this is if you’re in a style that you know can out-block the style the opponent is in at the time, but that is still risky, as they can always switch styles before you arrive. It’s best to play it safe and only jump when you have either the maximum block power, or when they are out of swings/falling back and cannot defend or retaliate. Keep in mind that if you’re offensively lowjumping someone, you aren’t jumping to be in their range or even to hit them. This is a misconception about how to target lowjumps. You are jumping where you anticipate they will be, and letting them run into your swing. By this same token, you are always aiming to jump to a spot that is naturally out of their range so they cannot enter and counter. It’s tricky to time, but ideally, you should be moving to where you can hit them with red if they are in your range, but you can escape from them if they try to use a medium counter once you land. Also keep in mind, you really only want to lowjump at long ranges. Short ranges can be easily countered in the air, or dodged and countered up close. In a close-up fight with medium to short range between you, neither party should ever jump for any reason; it should be a purely footwork battle.
The single exception to the offensive lowjump with red rule, is when the opponent is at a distance and free swinging with strong style. In these cases, you can essentially get away with lowjumping in with a medium hit and exiting. This can be very risky and requires excellence in timing, but it can be done without self-harm as a result if done correctly, and can therefore be included as part of your perfect style.
Movement: As crucial as movement is, it is hard to give it any better an explanation than through practice and visuals. The above quote is probably as close as it gets to effectively communicating the process. However, an element I had excluded was rolling. While you never want to roll with A or D (they travel a shorter distance and therefor leave you open to being easily chased), you can absolutely roll out of most bad situations with W. Rolling can also be strafed as-needed, and in many cases, you can get roll parries to defend you if you've really messed up. W-Rolling can also be a very effective measure to dodge lowjumps, assuming the opponent is in Jump3. Jump 1 and 2 are much lower and you may have a harder time rolling past them, so just keep that in mind.
Utilizing Core Concepts: Alongside all that, we still have to remember the core elements the game has involving its base physics. I’m only going to very quickly list them here, as there are other posts made to detail them, and I’ll be explaining their place in combat later in this post.
Blocking: Blocks are easily the number one most complex thing in the game. There is no other topic that is harder to understand than blocking. If you haven’t read it yet, go and read the post on blocking theory. Seriously. It will enlighten you to how to use blocks effectively, or how to avoid them entirely. In terms of its use in context though, single saber strong style maintains the most powerful block the game has to offer. However, do not make the assumption that this makes you invisible on the blocking field. Early stages of a swing are still incredibly weak. For example, if even a fast style user gets up in your face at the very start of a swing, they can still block you despite your higher priority due to their defense being high enough to out-prioritize strong style in stage 1. Which leads to my next point...
Poking: Poking is going to be a more ignored element. I’ll quote myself from Combat of a Perfectionist again here:
As you can see, poking will not have a huge presence in this, due to how blocking interacts with poking. However, wiggling will have a presence. Speaking of which...
Wiggling: Wiggle is still an effective tactic for both increasing your defensive capabilities, and increasing your damage output when you have successfully aimed and made contact with an opponent. It can also be used before aiming to attempt to force overwhelms, though this is not advisable. The Do’s and Do-not’s will be further explained in their respective categories below.
Understanding Style Choice: With a single saber, you have three style choices. Strong, the most defensive and most damaging style in the game; Medium, a blend of speed and damage that could be considered one of the best styles; and Fast, which is incredibly weak with low range, yet has a very narrow side motion and is quick to hit with. Here, I’ll give a short overview of their place. If you’d like more detail about the traits of these sabers choices, I suggest looking here.
Strong: This is the only style you ever want to use if you intend to strike with an offensive jump (except in rare cases referenced above). It is also your primary style for defense, and a good style to remain in while waiting for openings. Strong, however, is not a style made to kill in most cases. Most experienced players can pretty much easily manage to evade strong hits, due to their slow and common nature.
Medium: The best primary style. This carries a quick speed, decent amounts of damage, and good range with effective saber arc angles. When placed at a distance from your opponent, you should always remain in this style so that you can counter an incoming lowjump.
Fast: The weakest and least used style. There are exceptionally rare occasions where this is effective that you simply have to get used to and feel in order to make use of this style. It generally deals with very low-health opponents, and a quick strike that is faster than theirs for a finish. You will almost never want to have fast up, unless perhaps your opponent is attempting to spam block you, in which case you may want it for quick precision hits to avoid the block.
{Section #2 Placeholder}
Single vs Staff & Dual
Multisabers are, by far, either your worst enemy ever, or your best friend. The skill gap is extreme. For the sake of this lesson though, we’re going to assume the former, which leads me to one simple conclusion: You’re kind of screwed.
See, there are only two kinds of multisaber users: good, and bad. Multisaber skill scales directly off your footwork, and very little based off of actual attacks, as they only require a few basic swing skills. To put it simply, and this may sound kind of redundant, if a staffer or dualist is better than you, then they will win. In single vs single combat, the playing field is level. In single vs multisaber combat, it is always slated to favor the multisaber. The only thing they are required to do is not make mistakes. Now, that may sound obvious, so I’ll try and put it this way: If a multisaber user plays the way they ideally should, they have more speed, equal damage, and, depending on if it Is a staff or dual, either a near-equal block, or more range. This means that, best case scenario, you have a passive duel that lasts an eternity. Worst case scenario, you are not able to harm the multisaber user because they just have to avoid essentially walking into trick swings, and then they take advantage of you and kill you.
That said, no one is perfect. They can be defeated, it is just a far bigger challenge for the single user and a whole lot of luck on your side. A duel is all about who can make the fewest mistakes. However, usually, there is an element of action involved (e.g. lowjumping with a D swing at your opponent for a kill, requiring them not to make the mistake of being hit by it, but not necessarily requiring you to avoid making mistakes) whereas with multisabers, they do not actively hunt if they are smart. They cannot lowjump at you, as that will get them killed. They cannot try to rush you and have a parry battle with you, as that will get them killed. Their goal is to wait for you to give openings and take them, they cannot force the openings. They can try to force openings by putting on a lot of pressure, but all the single saber has to do is make more distance. That said, you cannot hit them in so long as they play their own distance smart, and do not do any of the things already mentioned. Therefore, the only way you can defeat them is by trickery.
This said, let’s discuss how to beat a multisaber.
In General:
Anything On The Table: Remember basically every rule ever of using a single saber I’ve given before? I’d still suggest you hold to most of them, but the truth in this case is, everything is up for grabs. The goal is to confuse the multisaberist and trick them into basically running into your saber. This isn’t strong vs strong, so you don’t have to worry nearly as much about priority checks. As long as you’re around mid-stage, you’ll block the multisaber or break right through them. You want to avoid being predictable at all costs. However, just because all restrictions get lifted for this, don’t think that you should do anything and everything! There are strategies that work and strategies that simply do not work. For example, a wallrun delay is still predictable, as your landing location can be seen a mile away. Thus, a good multisaberist will have you dead before you hit the ground.
So, that in mind, I still have a pretty strict way of approaching a staff or dualist despite that notion, as your goal should always be to make as few mistakes as possible, and some moves, like wallrun delays, are natural mistakes. Here’s the basics:
Distance!: Always keep distance. Your goal is to keep enough distance that you can safely use your delays and lure them into death. A multisaber’s goal is to make sure you can’t do that. You want a good amount of distance on them, let them come to you. Force THEM to be on the offensive. If they jump at you, you can kill them. If they get impatient, you can kill them. Play passive and keep back. This is a battle of who is more patient, really.
Blocking is Bad: Do. Not. Rely. On. Blocks. In particular, if the multisaber in question is using a low-packet setup (this is particularly prevalent in staffers), that multisaber is built for passing through and avoiding any and all blocks possible. The fact that you can out-block them is simply a bonus if you can, but the real goal should be to always stay distant unless you’re making a clean and clear hit, not to try and block the multisaber. Ideally, blocks should only serve to buff your ability to break the multisaber and as saving graces in instances where the multisaber may otherwise shred you. Blocks are not meant for being spammed, especially against a style that is entirely capable of overwhelming you anyway.
Okay now... Things specific to stylistic approaches against these:
Fast:
Please don’t do it. You do not need to hate yourself this much. That said, if you must...
Delays: Scroll down and see the “Delays” section for medium, and just realize that it is about five times as hard with fast style to get a clean hit.
Medium:
Wiggling: If you’re in medium, wiggling is mostly a no-go unless you have a perfectly clean shot (a “clean shot” also includes a well-timed A-delay hit) on the multisaber. Wiggling does increased damage, but it also drastically increases blocks. The multisaber will thrive off the lower-priority blocks, so do not give it the chance to block your medium, or you will be instant-killed. Duals are particularly lethal for this, as their flailing-like motions give them a much larger area of blocking.
Delays: Your A-delay is essential here. If you aren’t going to delay your strike, you might as well not be using medium. Practically any other type of hit is going to be blocked unless you have precision aim, but keep in mind that if the staffer is equally as good, they should be able to meet your aimed-swing with a hit of their own and force the block themselves. You can, of course, get lucky hits with medium pokes or diagonal hits, but this is once again advised against, because a good multisaber will keep the heat on and make use of their mid-swing to prevent you from landing that blow (keep in mind, multisaber swings are pretty quick, so they can have their mid-swing up for defense, or to crush right through you, rather fast). You will be forced to strike during the early or late stages with any other medium swing, and seeing as multisabers have no cooldown time for swings and can chain indefinitely just like fast style, your likelihood of getting such a good opportunity is low.
These are super effective against staff as opposed to duals, as the bonus range that duals get makes it easier for them to prevent a medium user from hitting. Against staff, however, medium has the longer range and gets a much better position (assuming the staffer does not use switches to avoid the range issue).
Strong:
Use Delays: (Hopefully you're seeing a running theme here!). Glide delays are okay, but what I’m really talking about here are standard delays and interrupt delays. Timing is everything. If a multisaberist figures out your timing, they’ll be all over you. Try never to waste your third swing, and keep changing patterns of swings. Make them literally have to count each of your delays if they want to stand a chance of hitting at the right time. Combo delays if you have to, just make sure your opponent is wary about moving in on you.
{This post is in the Beta phase. The above is complete, sections 2 and 3 are still under production. I will update this with them as soon as I finish them!}
Preface: The single saber is the most common saber style in the game. For most people, it is considered an art form and the most skill-requiring style. Often times it is referred to as “the easiest to learn but hardest to master.” It is incredibly hard, and in many ways controversial, to teach a specific stylistic approach to combat with a single saber. However, everything I post here will be the most detailed extent of my own personal teachings that I can afford to give without in-gaming teaching.
This will be divided into three major categories: Components of Single Saber Combat, Single vs Single, and Single vs Staff/Dual.
Disclaimer: Just like with the more summarized version of this in Combat of a Perfectionist, this will assume you know and understand the terms referenced here. If you do not understand something being referenced, I assure you a post has been made about it in another section of the database. While I’m sure, by the time you read everything in the database, you will be able to come to your own conclusions and understanding combat, this post will focus on application of the knowledge you’ve obtained.
Components of Single Saber Combat
Understanding Your Abilities: First of all, single saber is the most dynamic weapon the game has. It has the ability to quickly adapt to the user’s needs and is by far the most complex weapon JKA has to offer. So first and foremost, let’s review all of the standard abilities that make up your arsenal. Please note that I’m not going to detail them all here, as there are other posts in the database for that. What I will do, however, is give a quick description of its role in combat.
(For simplicity’s sake, these few are quoted directly from the Combat of a Perfectionist post)
Cartwheels: Never. A cartwheel is a slightly more effective kata. Maybe. It's like the politically correct way to kata that people wont get mad about. Lets review: It locks you in an animation, moves you in a predicable pattern (that you can guide, almost like a butterfly), and requires the opponent to screw up pretty badly in order to get hit. It also keeps you locked in the animation for a moment post-landing, much like most motion katas do. That's a really bad set of attributes for any movement. I'd honestly take a butterfly over a cartwheel any day.
Wall Delays: Yes, they look cool. But every wall delay (wall flip, wall run, wall grab) locks you in animations temporarily, and has a predictable movement. One of the things I teach my students right after teaching them how to do a wall delay, is how to anticipate and kill someone who uses it, just to show that they aren't useful. They may be fancy, and yes, against someone who doesn't see it coming, they may work. I've used some against staffers at times because the only way to kill them is through unorthodox movements. But the end result is that these are only as effective as your opponent is incompetent.
Glide Delays: If you have to use a fancy delay, this is the one to go with. You can start it anywhere you want, as it doesn't rely on environment. It does sort of lock you into an animation, but as long as you distance yourself correctly, this can be effective.
Lunge, DFA, roll stab, and any generic kata: Never. Lunge is fast and fancy but it requires three components: You opponent to make the mistake of being predictable enough to get hit by it, you being good enough to be accurate with it, and that the opponent actually dies from it (Spoiler alert: If they survive the lunge, you probably wont). Rollstabs are kind of the same way. Once again, they rely on the opponent being incompetent and letting themselves be hit by it, and if the rollstabee survives, you as the rollstabber will not. DFA moves... I do them because I can get away with it and I like being able to say I can kill someone with it. It's one of those do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do things. In serious combat, you will never want to use it. Ever. As for all other katas.. Self-explanatory, I think.
Wall Delays: Yes, they look cool. But every wall delay (wall flip, wall run, wall grab) locks you in animations temporarily, and has a predictable movement. One of the things I teach my students right after teaching them how to do a wall delay, is how to anticipate and kill someone who uses it, just to show that they aren't useful. They may be fancy, and yes, against someone who doesn't see it coming, they may work. I've used some against staffers at times because the only way to kill them is through unorthodox movements. But the end result is that these are only as effective as your opponent is incompetent.
Glide Delays: If you have to use a fancy delay, this is the one to go with. You can start it anywhere you want, as it doesn't rely on environment. It does sort of lock you into an animation, but as long as you distance yourself correctly, this can be effective.
Lunge, DFA, roll stab, and any generic kata: Never. Lunge is fast and fancy but it requires three components: You opponent to make the mistake of being predictable enough to get hit by it, you being good enough to be accurate with it, and that the opponent actually dies from it (Spoiler alert: If they survive the lunge, you probably wont). Rollstabs are kind of the same way. Once again, they rely on the opponent being incompetent and letting themselves be hit by it, and if the rollstabee survives, you as the rollstabber will not. DFA moves... I do them because I can get away with it and I like being able to say I can kill someone with it. It's one of those do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do things. In serious combat, you will never want to use it. Ever. As for all other katas.. Self-explanatory, I think.
Chains: Chains are okay for beginners, but they begin to lose value as you advance. The important thing to understand is that, during a strike, your movement speed gets slowed a LOT. During chain striking, your movement speed remains at that slowed value until the chain ends. Delay swings, on the other hand, are different. In between each swing of a delay, your movement speed spikes back up to standard non-swing speed. This means that, to compliment the core component of always-keep-moving, you should never chain, but rather, delay or start a new strike. I suppose everything has its place, and I often chain D-D so that I can draw people in and delay a WD strike into them, but once again going back to the best-player-ever presumption, chains are generally a bad idea. Please realize that this applies to all styles with the single exception of fast style (fast style, for some reason, is not hindered by the act of swinging at all). Sidenote: Funny thing, if you chain while holding shift, your movement speed gets so drastically reduced that it almost looks as if you're standing still in strong style.
Backflip Delay: This is to be avoided the majority of the time. While it can be used effectively in some circumstances, you really do not want to leave yourself open to air follow hits, which is exactly what the air time of a backflip delay does. Probably the most effective backflip delay would be the post-swing active one, as it allows you to defend against and effectively cut down anyone who tries to air follow you, and allows freedom of motion in the air to strike where ever the opponent may be and to wiggle. However, even those have a time and a place, and if your opponent isn’t already in the process of jumping into where you are delaying at, then they can easily jump up and air hit you around the delay. Just as well, the delay is not in the highest swing stage and can be blocked in the air, so be aware that this is a very risky move.
A-Delay: While this can not be used with strong style, it is a core piece of your abilities with either fast or medium. It can change the timing of swings, increase the speed of swings, and break blocks of your opponent’s swings.
Interrupt Delay: Interrupt delays are amazing for tricking an opponent. While most experienced players will be passive if you try using this, it’s just another way to throw off the timing, and it makes for a good lure when you give the impression that you have a huge opening coming and then enter into a normal swing. That being said, they are not something I would actively choose to use.
Standard Delay: This is your single most useful skill. Aside from the fact that you can alter your timing by using a mix of chains, standard delays, and new swings, standard delays give you an opportunity unlike any other: speed. As is stated in the quote about chains above, swinging reduces your speed dramatically. Chain swings maintain that slowed speed until the chain ends, but standard delay swings will allow the user to return to full speed in between each swing in the series. Since speed is critical in combat, these are by far the most important thing you can learn to use. It will allow you in and out of situations quicker, meaning less of a chance of being hit.
Understanding Movement: You can pretty much get away with using bad attacks, or simply not even knowing something as basic as how direction determines swings, so long as you have good movement. It is an establish fact agreed on by every good player that speed and movement/footwork are the most essential elements of a good fighter. That said, once again, I’m not going to heavily detail the building blocks of how movement functions because it is explained elsewhere, but I will explain to the best of my abilities how to position yourself and utilize your groundwork in combat, and when and when not to jump.
I’d first like to start by quoting myself from the Combat of a Perfectionist post again, as I feel like I did a pretty good summary there but there is a definite need for more elaboration:
Positioning: Always keep your opponent on the left side of the screen (as a general rule. In reality, anywhere between dead center and the far left side is usually okay, but for entry purposes, you want them on the left so you can enter to attack with the A-key), and never out of sight. If your cg_fov isn't already 97, make it so! You're at a disadvantage if you have it at anything lower, because visibility is key to combat.
Jumping: Don't do it. Avoid jumping at all costs. The only situations you should jump in, are these: 1. You are in single saber strong style and doing a low jump offensive strike 2. Your opponent jumps in retreat and you follow 3. Your opponent high jumps and you go to aerial kill him 4. If you have absolutely no other option for survival. However, at that point, we're once again at the chess analogy. If you have to jump in order to survive, and your opponent fails to kill you when you jump, that means that your opponent failed to put you in checkmate when they had the opportunity. Never rely on jumping to keep you alive.
Movement: Always keep moving. Always. You never want to hold shift for any reason, because walking is just unnecessary slowed movement. The fact is, you need to be moving either faster than or equal to the opponent's speed in order to stay out of the way of their swings and be able to hit them with yours. If you walk, you either become an easy target, or your strikes become easy to evade. Never stand still, because you do not want the opponent able to catch you. Use only A, W, and D for movement, never S. Base-level teachings say that A and D are the fastest, but the reality is that W is the same speed as A and D. S, however, is still far slower. The only time you should use S, is to draw in an opponent to hit them. Curved motions are almost always preferred in my book, however (this is a huge stipulation, pay attention), if the opponent can predict where you will be, your curved motion wont matter. This is because the curved motion will be faster, yes, but it travels in an indirect path. Specifically on the ground, a straight motion from point A to point B will take the same amount of time as a curved motion from A to B because it is a more direct path even though it is slower. This is why you never want to walk circles around your opponent. Use this information wisely. I usually try for very short curved motions in a less predictable pattern to avoid people taking a straight path and beating my speed, though often if you need to break away from a close cut swing, a straight line directly left or right can be more effective than a curved one. This will, however, open you up to lowjump follows, so if you know your opponent is good at lowjumping, you always want to try and curve out of situations instead.
In the air, curved will always be better because JKA strafe physics get.. well, complicated (I'd look to Strafing Concepts and Strafe Theory for a better explanation there). So, whenever you're engaged in an air-based battle, always use the curved motions.
Jumping: Don't do it. Avoid jumping at all costs. The only situations you should jump in, are these: 1. You are in single saber strong style and doing a low jump offensive strike 2. Your opponent jumps in retreat and you follow 3. Your opponent high jumps and you go to aerial kill him 4. If you have absolutely no other option for survival. However, at that point, we're once again at the chess analogy. If you have to jump in order to survive, and your opponent fails to kill you when you jump, that means that your opponent failed to put you in checkmate when they had the opportunity. Never rely on jumping to keep you alive.
Movement: Always keep moving. Always. You never want to hold shift for any reason, because walking is just unnecessary slowed movement. The fact is, you need to be moving either faster than or equal to the opponent's speed in order to stay out of the way of their swings and be able to hit them with yours. If you walk, you either become an easy target, or your strikes become easy to evade. Never stand still, because you do not want the opponent able to catch you. Use only A, W, and D for movement, never S. Base-level teachings say that A and D are the fastest, but the reality is that W is the same speed as A and D. S, however, is still far slower. The only time you should use S, is to draw in an opponent to hit them. Curved motions are almost always preferred in my book, however (this is a huge stipulation, pay attention), if the opponent can predict where you will be, your curved motion wont matter. This is because the curved motion will be faster, yes, but it travels in an indirect path. Specifically on the ground, a straight motion from point A to point B will take the same amount of time as a curved motion from A to B because it is a more direct path even though it is slower. This is why you never want to walk circles around your opponent. Use this information wisely. I usually try for very short curved motions in a less predictable pattern to avoid people taking a straight path and beating my speed, though often if you need to break away from a close cut swing, a straight line directly left or right can be more effective than a curved one. This will, however, open you up to lowjump follows, so if you know your opponent is good at lowjumping, you always want to try and curve out of situations instead.
In the air, curved will always be better because JKA strafe physics get.. well, complicated (I'd look to Strafing Concepts and Strafe Theory for a better explanation there). So, whenever you're engaged in an air-based battle, always use the curved motions.
Before we move ahead, I’d like to add a new category to explain too: Distancing.
Distancing: Your greatest ally and worst enemy. Good players always keep just enough distance to not be in range of the opponent, but to be able to effectively strike and counter if their opponent messes up. Keep in mind that a duel is not a battle of being better than someone, it’s a battle of not being worse. The perfect fighter isn’t perfect because he can kill you, he’s perfect because he cannot be killed. The only reason you should ever die in combat is as a direct result of a mistake you have made. If no mistakes are made, the opposition cannot take advantage of them. So, keep in mind, you’re not trying to forcefully assault, you’re trying to wait until an opening is presented to you.
For this reason, your distancing should be geared around always remaining out of range. The only time you should intentionally be entering the range of your opponent is when they have made a mistake, not banking off the hopes that they will make a mistake when you enter. Though to be fair, the majority of the time (especially if you’re a passive player), you’ll be wanting to keep out of range and never enter their range. Instead, you’ll let them enter your range into a trap you’ve set (delays, chains, etc.). While some players may argue you can “force mistakes,” and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, that requires the opponent to be forced. If they do what they need to be doing, you will always die as a result. This tactic will only work against players who are worse than you, not better.
So, let’s get into the finer details here.
Positioning: This is really your call. You can practically get away with having your opponent anywhere around you as long as your distancing is good. It’s generally a good idea to keep them to the left though, as your swing starts on the left and it is far easier to turn into that and hit with the mid-swing. However, keep in mind that the combat here is not about the beginning or end of the swing, it IS about the mid-swing. So, if you approach from the opposite side, you can still do that. However, you want to keep the very start and very end of your swing from coming in contact with the opponent, because they can otherwise block & parry you.
Jumping: Pretty much explained it as good as it gets. Just remember, never offensively jump at an opponent who isn’t in retreat, unless you have strong style. I suppose the exception to this is if you’re in a style that you know can out-block the style the opponent is in at the time, but that is still risky, as they can always switch styles before you arrive. It’s best to play it safe and only jump when you have either the maximum block power, or when they are out of swings/falling back and cannot defend or retaliate. Keep in mind that if you’re offensively lowjumping someone, you aren’t jumping to be in their range or even to hit them. This is a misconception about how to target lowjumps. You are jumping where you anticipate they will be, and letting them run into your swing. By this same token, you are always aiming to jump to a spot that is naturally out of their range so they cannot enter and counter. It’s tricky to time, but ideally, you should be moving to where you can hit them with red if they are in your range, but you can escape from them if they try to use a medium counter once you land. Also keep in mind, you really only want to lowjump at long ranges. Short ranges can be easily countered in the air, or dodged and countered up close. In a close-up fight with medium to short range between you, neither party should ever jump for any reason; it should be a purely footwork battle.
The single exception to the offensive lowjump with red rule, is when the opponent is at a distance and free swinging with strong style. In these cases, you can essentially get away with lowjumping in with a medium hit and exiting. This can be very risky and requires excellence in timing, but it can be done without self-harm as a result if done correctly, and can therefore be included as part of your perfect style.
Movement: As crucial as movement is, it is hard to give it any better an explanation than through practice and visuals. The above quote is probably as close as it gets to effectively communicating the process. However, an element I had excluded was rolling. While you never want to roll with A or D (they travel a shorter distance and therefor leave you open to being easily chased), you can absolutely roll out of most bad situations with W. Rolling can also be strafed as-needed, and in many cases, you can get roll parries to defend you if you've really messed up. W-Rolling can also be a very effective measure to dodge lowjumps, assuming the opponent is in Jump3. Jump 1 and 2 are much lower and you may have a harder time rolling past them, so just keep that in mind.
Utilizing Core Concepts: Alongside all that, we still have to remember the core elements the game has involving its base physics. I’m only going to very quickly list them here, as there are other posts made to detail them, and I’ll be explaining their place in combat later in this post.
Blocking: Blocks are easily the number one most complex thing in the game. There is no other topic that is harder to understand than blocking. If you haven’t read it yet, go and read the post on blocking theory. Seriously. It will enlighten you to how to use blocks effectively, or how to avoid them entirely. In terms of its use in context though, single saber strong style maintains the most powerful block the game has to offer. However, do not make the assumption that this makes you invisible on the blocking field. Early stages of a swing are still incredibly weak. For example, if even a fast style user gets up in your face at the very start of a swing, they can still block you despite your higher priority due to their defense being high enough to out-prioritize strong style in stage 1. Which leads to my next point...
Poking: Poking is going to be a more ignored element. I’ll quote myself from Combat of a Perfectionist again here:
Poking is good, but in my opinion, becoming outdated as well. All you really want is the very middle stage of a swing (single-stage wiggling, as it were). All other stages can be blocked or overwhelmed, and they also do less damage. The middle stage also carries far more range than the early stages, which makes it easier to keep distant if you only hit with the mid-stage. The ending stages are often met with a counter-attack from an opponent, which usually creates a block. In the perfect world, you should be able to exit with your footwork and not take damage, therefore, pointing the end stage at the opponent would be unnecessary to defend with. In fact, it tends to be counter intuitive because if the opponent blocks your end-stage swing as you retreat out, then you lose your ability to delay another swing. It is for this reason that I always start a poke, enter with A-movement to hit with the mid-swing, and exit with D-movement to keep the saber away from the opponent. Yes, my side is then open, but my footwork allows me to still keep distance. The only reason you would take damage, is if 1. you timed your retreat movement wrong or 2. the opponent was close enough to have taken damage from your mid-swing. In the event of #2, they should be dead if they stayed in long enough for you to wiggle and kill them, so it should not be an issue in the first place.
As you can see, poking will not have a huge presence in this, due to how blocking interacts with poking. However, wiggling will have a presence. Speaking of which...
Wiggling: Wiggle is still an effective tactic for both increasing your defensive capabilities, and increasing your damage output when you have successfully aimed and made contact with an opponent. It can also be used before aiming to attempt to force overwhelms, though this is not advisable. The Do’s and Do-not’s will be further explained in their respective categories below.
Understanding Style Choice: With a single saber, you have three style choices. Strong, the most defensive and most damaging style in the game; Medium, a blend of speed and damage that could be considered one of the best styles; and Fast, which is incredibly weak with low range, yet has a very narrow side motion and is quick to hit with. Here, I’ll give a short overview of their place. If you’d like more detail about the traits of these sabers choices, I suggest looking here.
Strong: This is the only style you ever want to use if you intend to strike with an offensive jump (except in rare cases referenced above). It is also your primary style for defense, and a good style to remain in while waiting for openings. Strong, however, is not a style made to kill in most cases. Most experienced players can pretty much easily manage to evade strong hits, due to their slow and common nature.
Medium: The best primary style. This carries a quick speed, decent amounts of damage, and good range with effective saber arc angles. When placed at a distance from your opponent, you should always remain in this style so that you can counter an incoming lowjump.
Fast: The weakest and least used style. There are exceptionally rare occasions where this is effective that you simply have to get used to and feel in order to make use of this style. It generally deals with very low-health opponents, and a quick strike that is faster than theirs for a finish. You will almost never want to have fast up, unless perhaps your opponent is attempting to spam block you, in which case you may want it for quick precision hits to avoid the block.
{Section #2 Placeholder}
Single vs Staff & Dual
Multisabers are, by far, either your worst enemy ever, or your best friend. The skill gap is extreme. For the sake of this lesson though, we’re going to assume the former, which leads me to one simple conclusion: You’re kind of screwed.
See, there are only two kinds of multisaber users: good, and bad. Multisaber skill scales directly off your footwork, and very little based off of actual attacks, as they only require a few basic swing skills. To put it simply, and this may sound kind of redundant, if a staffer or dualist is better than you, then they will win. In single vs single combat, the playing field is level. In single vs multisaber combat, it is always slated to favor the multisaber. The only thing they are required to do is not make mistakes. Now, that may sound obvious, so I’ll try and put it this way: If a multisaber user plays the way they ideally should, they have more speed, equal damage, and, depending on if it Is a staff or dual, either a near-equal block, or more range. This means that, best case scenario, you have a passive duel that lasts an eternity. Worst case scenario, you are not able to harm the multisaber user because they just have to avoid essentially walking into trick swings, and then they take advantage of you and kill you.
That said, no one is perfect. They can be defeated, it is just a far bigger challenge for the single user and a whole lot of luck on your side. A duel is all about who can make the fewest mistakes. However, usually, there is an element of action involved (e.g. lowjumping with a D swing at your opponent for a kill, requiring them not to make the mistake of being hit by it, but not necessarily requiring you to avoid making mistakes) whereas with multisabers, they do not actively hunt if they are smart. They cannot lowjump at you, as that will get them killed. They cannot try to rush you and have a parry battle with you, as that will get them killed. Their goal is to wait for you to give openings and take them, they cannot force the openings. They can try to force openings by putting on a lot of pressure, but all the single saber has to do is make more distance. That said, you cannot hit them in so long as they play their own distance smart, and do not do any of the things already mentioned. Therefore, the only way you can defeat them is by trickery.
This said, let’s discuss how to beat a multisaber.
In General:
Anything On The Table: Remember basically every rule ever of using a single saber I’ve given before? I’d still suggest you hold to most of them, but the truth in this case is, everything is up for grabs. The goal is to confuse the multisaberist and trick them into basically running into your saber. This isn’t strong vs strong, so you don’t have to worry nearly as much about priority checks. As long as you’re around mid-stage, you’ll block the multisaber or break right through them. You want to avoid being predictable at all costs. However, just because all restrictions get lifted for this, don’t think that you should do anything and everything! There are strategies that work and strategies that simply do not work. For example, a wallrun delay is still predictable, as your landing location can be seen a mile away. Thus, a good multisaberist will have you dead before you hit the ground.
So, that in mind, I still have a pretty strict way of approaching a staff or dualist despite that notion, as your goal should always be to make as few mistakes as possible, and some moves, like wallrun delays, are natural mistakes. Here’s the basics:
Distance!: Always keep distance. Your goal is to keep enough distance that you can safely use your delays and lure them into death. A multisaber’s goal is to make sure you can’t do that. You want a good amount of distance on them, let them come to you. Force THEM to be on the offensive. If they jump at you, you can kill them. If they get impatient, you can kill them. Play passive and keep back. This is a battle of who is more patient, really.
Blocking is Bad: Do. Not. Rely. On. Blocks. In particular, if the multisaber in question is using a low-packet setup (this is particularly prevalent in staffers), that multisaber is built for passing through and avoiding any and all blocks possible. The fact that you can out-block them is simply a bonus if you can, but the real goal should be to always stay distant unless you’re making a clean and clear hit, not to try and block the multisaber. Ideally, blocks should only serve to buff your ability to break the multisaber and as saving graces in instances where the multisaber may otherwise shred you. Blocks are not meant for being spammed, especially against a style that is entirely capable of overwhelming you anyway.
Okay now... Things specific to stylistic approaches against these:
Fast:
Please don’t do it. You do not need to hate yourself this much. That said, if you must...
Delays: Scroll down and see the “Delays” section for medium, and just realize that it is about five times as hard with fast style to get a clean hit.
Medium:
Wiggling: If you’re in medium, wiggling is mostly a no-go unless you have a perfectly clean shot (a “clean shot” also includes a well-timed A-delay hit) on the multisaber. Wiggling does increased damage, but it also drastically increases blocks. The multisaber will thrive off the lower-priority blocks, so do not give it the chance to block your medium, or you will be instant-killed. Duals are particularly lethal for this, as their flailing-like motions give them a much larger area of blocking.
Delays: Your A-delay is essential here. If you aren’t going to delay your strike, you might as well not be using medium. Practically any other type of hit is going to be blocked unless you have precision aim, but keep in mind that if the staffer is equally as good, they should be able to meet your aimed-swing with a hit of their own and force the block themselves. You can, of course, get lucky hits with medium pokes or diagonal hits, but this is once again advised against, because a good multisaber will keep the heat on and make use of their mid-swing to prevent you from landing that blow (keep in mind, multisaber swings are pretty quick, so they can have their mid-swing up for defense, or to crush right through you, rather fast). You will be forced to strike during the early or late stages with any other medium swing, and seeing as multisabers have no cooldown time for swings and can chain indefinitely just like fast style, your likelihood of getting such a good opportunity is low.
These are super effective against staff as opposed to duals, as the bonus range that duals get makes it easier for them to prevent a medium user from hitting. Against staff, however, medium has the longer range and gets a much better position (assuming the staffer does not use switches to avoid the range issue).
Strong:
Use Delays: (Hopefully you're seeing a running theme here!). Glide delays are okay, but what I’m really talking about here are standard delays and interrupt delays. Timing is everything. If a multisaberist figures out your timing, they’ll be all over you. Try never to waste your third swing, and keep changing patterns of swings. Make them literally have to count each of your delays if they want to stand a chance of hitting at the right time. Combo delays if you have to, just make sure your opponent is wary about moving in on you.
{This post is in the Beta phase. The above is complete, sections 2 and 3 are still under production. I will update this with them as soon as I finish them!}