Combo is still the lifeblood of fast-paced fighting games, especially Guilty Gear Strive. Like other games in Arc System Works, the Guilty Gear game has an eye-catching drama, a faster battle tempo, and a brutal focus on technology. Both novices and fighting game experts can quickly get started. However, those who have more technical knowledge of Strive’s combo system will live longer than competitors.
Get familiar with the moves
When performing combos, players not only need to have an in-depth understanding of the character’s moves, but also their combo potential. Like other Guilty Gear games, Strive has command normals (direction + attack), exclusive special attacks, and Overdrives. All of these are unique to each character. In addition, there are some small actions, including a mix of basic attack modes used in conjunction with the “style” of a certain character. Before players can venture to master combos, they must be fully familiar with the character’s game style and action combinations.
Get familiar with ending
Perhaps the biggest difference between combo experts and newcomers is the way the combo ends. In fact, players often forget that the reason their combos are incomplete because they don’t even know how they want to complete them. This lack of completion may leave players vulnerable to unnecessary Counter Hits and Blocks.
They can always make a hard kill at a step away, which is very suitable for starting a lower attack chain. Similarly, they can end with a fierce attack, let the opponent fly to the end of the stage, and end in a neutral manner, away from any possibility of Counter Hits.
Go for the Wall
Players know that pressing an enemy against a wall is an excellent way to suck the health of the opponent. Strive, now has a wall breaking mechanism. If the opponent receives a pressured attack, the wall next to the fighter may break and eventually shatter. If the player successfully completes the wall breaking action, he will enter a new stage. After a successful wall break, the attacking player’s Tension Meter greatly improves.
However, the trade-off is that Wall-Break essentially forces both parties to return to a neutral state. Interestingly, players can avoid this situation by using Overdrive to end their Wall-Break. Doing so will almost always force the enemy to be hit hard in the new phase, leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.
Stay up in the air
Anyone who has played a fighting game will notice that airtime can easily become a fatal point for any player. The longer they stay in the air, the more likely the enemy will hit them in time and make a combo. In turn, the player must find all possible ways to send opponents through the air. In addition to special actions, the player can also cancel the launch of the opponent into the air with air cancels, usually with Forward + Punch. With the right character, even a timely counterattack can throw your opponent into the air.
Punish defensive opponents
Strive strongly encourage aggressive play styles. In fact, RISC Meter is a way for teams to punish extremely defensive opponents. When the player blocks too much, the enemy’s attack will increase the RISC Meter. If it fills up completely, the next enemy attack will always turn into a hard counterattack and end with a serious damage point. In turn, players may want to put enough pressure on their opponents to block and amplify their RISC meters. Likewise, a player who notices that the opponent’s RISC plan is already high may want to fill it up and hit a strong counterattack.
Shove aggressive enemies away
As mentioned earlier, Psych Burst is one of the best ways to fight against aggressive players. Thanks to Psych Burst, defensive players can repel aggressive enemies, giving them a second or two cooldown. For combo-oriented players, Burst is something they need to get rid of the equation to ensure a hit. Fortunately, aggressive players can easily incorporate Dust into their strategy.
Placing short-range Dust in a combo can knock the enemy into the air so that you can perform two combos in time. Such dust may also force panicked opponents to release bursts prematurely, giving players the opportunity to punish them with the combination they plan to execute.
