Kaisogen

hi folks! jae here. welcome to the first financial update of 2023! this is a long one with a lot to discuss so strap in. as always, I recommend taking a look at past financial updates for context on terminology and concepts.

first off: where have we been? why has this financial update taken so long to come out?

2023 has been kind of a mess for us thus far. I was unfortunately kind of a non-entity due to health issues (complications from long covid) during the entirety of Q1, meaning that all work I had planned (including revenue-generating work) was automatically delayed. I’m currently the only one who writes these, which means that if I forget or am unable, it doesn’t happen. (we’re working on fixing this part.) I realize this is kind of a non-answer but it’s the truth. I have a bad working memory so sometimes I forget things, like that I need to write the financial update. fellow ADHD-havers will probably understand.

on to the meat!

Also before I begin the notes, I would like to put a disclaimer that apparently this game calls Mids "Highs" for some stupid fucking reason, so my divekick isn't actually an overhead. Most of my labbing from the other night is literally useless lmfao.

Labbed some combos today, let's see... Got really obsessed with trying to find the optimal Drive Impact punish, and so I labbed these combos out!

The important part is your starter, of which you have only one real option it seems: 5HK->236MK. This deals quite a lot of damage, and sets up perfectly for SA3.

Alternatively, if you want frame advantage but don't want to use Super Art, 623LK has the best frame advantage, while 623HK has slightly worse advantage but more damage. If you can space it right, 214XP can have up to 63f of advantage, although it's a bit more difficult after a drive impact punish. If you have Drink Level 4 you can use the followup for more damage. I think 214LP makes the most sense here since you have enough advantage to take a drink and be plus. Alternatively 2HP 236HK does 3Kdmg, and spends no drive gauge.

If you wanna use SA3 and deal a load of damage though, you can cancel the 7th(?) hit of Bakkai into it. From there your options open up immensely. You can do 214PP to get the best frame advantage. You can even take a drink, and there's a framekill with 5/2LK that times throw perfectly in the corner (assuming you're close enough, and this combo DOES have quite a bit of corner carry).

Alternatively, for a drive gauge dump high damage route you can do DR 2KK, j.MP j.214KK 623KK for the most damage of any of them. Framekill bonus: 2HP times it perfectly on the default 41f advantage, though advantage is variable based on height so be careful and lab it out yourself. If you don't want to spend any drive gauge you can always do 214HP. If you don't go for followup, 5HP framekills into throw in the corner. If you do the 6P followup, in the corner you can get a framekill into throw using 2LP, although this one is a little tough IMO since you can't mash it or else you might get a repeat 2LP.

Anyways so the full, max damage sequence goes like this:

DI PCH, 5HK 236MK 236236PP, DR 2KK j.MP j.214KK 623KK.
4918dmg, +40f

Messed around with DR 5MP 2HP combos, and they seem pretty fun. Useless as a drive punish starter since it scales pretty badly... But you could totally confirm into it from target combo. I.e. mashing 2LP. So you could get a sequence like this: 2LP 2LP, 5LPLKMP DR 5MP 2HP, 236HK for some serious damage, drink, etc. Seems kinda useful. That sequence alone does 2438dmg, and leaves you fairly plus (not enough to drink though.)

Found a pretty swaggy Jamie combo earlier off of an anti-air, but it's really impractical and fairly difficult to do on reaction.

2KK jc.214KK 236236P
parry rush 2KK jc.214KK 236PP 6P 6P

does 4Kish I think? at Drink Level 4. Scales pretty badly tbh

found that if you land a 2KK anti-air your best option seems to be either following up with j.MP, which gives you the perfect setup for a framekill meaty throw with 5MK->throw. you can also do j.214KK 623KK for enough frame advantage to take a drink midscreen. In the corner you're too close so you get punished, but you can forgo the drink for like 14 frames of Oki to do whatever you want with. 236PP does the same damage, just with worse frame advantage, so not much purpose in doing it unless you NEED to drink in the corner, in which case you can use the Kick variation to take an extra swig. 214P / 236K, all variations don't follow up after EX divekick, and you can't do 2KK again so these are probably your best enders off of this anti-air.

so to summarize: 2KK jc.MP 2MK Throw, is a meaty throw setup, that works pretty consistently.

You can also do 2KK jc.HP, and based on your distance it'll crossup. I haven't found a very good framekill for this yet, not sure if one exists. you have a 14f window or so, and unfortunately your fastest normal has a total startup of 14f.

edit: if you hit them with the top of the 2KK hitbox, then you should framekill using 5MK. at the lower end of the hitbox, use 2MK to framekill. It's a two frame difference, and it matters.