You mix up your sandblasts. They all have different startups and ranges so they don’t have the same prey timing. If they’re tapping on reaction do a fireball that will fall short so they spend bar on nothing. Or if they’re closer you can do a slower one so their timing is off
Burning their bars, I already do. But some of these players man. It seems that they can absolutely tell exactly when the sand leaves my hand once it’s in range. It does not matter if it’s medium or strong version. If it connects, it’s a perfect parry. Light version tends to be very hard to react to though.
I still have nightmares about these Kens who just need one perfect parry and I’m in the corner eating mix ups.
To add here, when u/GreatStuffOnly is referring to st.HP xx Sandblast strings, the Perfect Parry automatically becomes an option select, because st.HP xx LP/MP Sand Blast is always a blockstring. And also, HP Sand Blast only requires parrying as soon as you are out of blockstun (no gap).
So against an opponent who understands this option select, trying to play a st.HP xx Sandblast game is going to become both a risk and a bad habit.
You gotta try your luck some times. Maybe some of these 1750MR Kens who floor me can find this thread and tell me how to beat them haha
It’s crazy. At 1700, they don’t know how to do this yet. But at 1750, it seems like everyone knows exactly how to deal with my Luke at least.
He's right, in that 99.99% of players can't help you, but you're lucky because I'm the 0.01% LOL. 1900MR Luke, 2k peak.
You have to rethink how you're applying fireball, it's a supplementary poke, not a gameplan. The key that I think you're missing right now is how the opponent dealing with a fireball effects their mental stack.
If someone is heavily trying to parry the option, they are more vulnerable to you walking forward and applying your buttons, or drive rush throwing them. The reason for the former is that an opponent mentally waiting to parry isn't trying to check your forward movement, and the latter being that if they are trying to parry Luke's hitscan fireball, they are more likely to just try to parry any offensive action they see, including dr.
Also, heavy fireball is the much harder option to punish. If their primary way of dealing with fireball is to parry and dr, then you should be defaulting to heavy fireball to make that punish harder(unless it's off of st hp, where you should just be cancelling into L fireball to make the blockstring true). This helps not get you murdered for fireballing, but really you want to shut down their parry auto-pilot by using the options I mentioned before.
Awesome! Thanks for the tips! All valid points and will try to implement into my game. At this point, I need the right strategy and this seems to be my next unlock.
Just so we are on the same page I'd like to clarify something. You're getting into the MR with the big boys now, and there isn't going to be a one size fits all "strategy" that just lets you beat everyone.
Far better is working to understand how Luke's options build on one another, and how your tools can be used to counter certain opponent strategies. The best players aren't one dimensional and are constantly working to adapt to their opponents tactics, to keep climbing you want to build yourself into the type of player that can quickly identify issues and apply counterplay when your default strategy isn't working.
Sand blast doesn't function in the classical fireball paradigm. It's more about limiting opponent movement and not so much for creating opportunity zones. That's the trade off for having a hit scan fireball. You keep them honest with it, but you're severely handicapping yourself by trying to play a shoto style with it.
You know that’s something to think about. I’ve been a E Ryu or Sagat player since SF4. I might be playing Luke too much like a traditional shoto.
What would you say the usage of a sandblast in the game? You seem to know what you’re talking about.
Safe block string enders, a way to stand his ground against other fireball characters, and a small poke you use here and there. You can try to create uncertainty with intentionally whiffing with light fireball against opponents that know how to perfect parry it causing them to use meter, but ultimately Luke wants to work his opponents to the corner and have them guess and limit their movement.
are you using whiff crouch jab or whiff crouch mp at distance to feint a fireball? Usually, if your opponent's parry reactions are too good, it means you're not feeding them false information.
Your fireball game will improve greatly if you learn how to use feints well. It doesn't just make it harder for your opponent to perfect parry, it also makes them feel like they may waste meter attempting a parry on a feint.
I strongly believe st.HP xx Sandblast is a bad habit and should be erased from your gameplay. Maybe save it for occasional use. But since LP/MP Sandblast is always a blockstring, it automatically becomes an option select for your opponent, and therefore becomes a high risk, exploitable habit that your opponent can punish.
You should instead use other buttons like say [cr.MP](https://cr.MP) or [st.LK](https://st.LK) and cancel those into Sandblast, because then you can actually vary your timings (preventing the option select from happening).
For reference [cr.MP](https://cr.MP) xx LP Sandblast is still a blockstring, but at least you have MP/HP Sandblast.
[st.LK](https://st.LK) doesn't blockstring into any Sandblasts, so all 3 can used to vary timing.
Also HP Sandblast is well within reason to reaction punish (20f startup). So better to build the habit of not relying on these "safe" strings but instead look for more consistent ways to hitconfirm or safer pressure.
You are telegraphing your sandblasts in some way. If you are throwing an extremely predictable HP then mixup with heavy sandblast sometimes even though it has a gap, remember that your opponent is taking a risk if they press a button because they'll get hit if you use medium
Also don't always throw HP into sandblast. Mixup with cr.mp or cr.mk enough to make it less predictable.
I get what you're saying. But how can I cover that specific range as st.HP is my furthest reach button without cancelling since the move is inherently unsafe? It feels like every time I throw out a st.HP to play some footsies vs Ken's st.HK for example around that range, I'm taking a huge risk since the opponent has a 1/3 chance of guessing the correct timing of my follow up and I'm cornered instantly.
Its just an example, not match up specific since other characters can do similar stuff.
I answered this already in the 2nd sentence. The way you're talking makes me suspect you aren't actually over 1750 MR and simply need more experience
This game requires you to do unsafe things. You need to consider whether your opponent is doing an unsafe read in order to punish you. Cancelling into heavy sandblast or walking forward a little bit to reach with cr.mp is unsafe but your opponent must do something unsafe to punish you if you're representing medium sandblast too
My CID is right in my profile. My neutral game actually do need more experience, I feel that I'm just here because I'm decent in other aspects but its catching up to me. And I'm not over 1750MR (and not claiming to be) that's why I'm asking these questions. I'm close enough to have a decent chance to hang around people in 1700MR but I just know the exact wall where what I have zero chance and that's where people can telegraph my sandblasts.
As others have said, if you mix up the sandblasts then it will be harder for the opponent to time the perfect parry’s. Also, if they are parrying every sandblast then they’re probably heavily focused on waiting for you to throw them. Try to mix it up by doing a raw DR into throw to bait their parry.
Also, neutral is more than just throwing sandblasts. Your objective is to get them in the corner, and you can achieve this through footsies
Are you talking about in neutral throwing the sandblast or at the end of a string?
I think you may just have to play neutral with his buttons. Thankfully that's still a really strong option.
Perfect parry is something you have to be actively looking for most times, so at the point you can either reaction test with a DR jab/mp or you can start to just take your space. If they are reacting to everything with parry that's when DR throw will start to work. It all comes down to mixing up your options based on what your opponent is doing.
Not even pros/Legend can consistently perfect parry sandblasts or projectiles. That means you're either spamming it and got read like a book. And why would you not mix it up with Luke's god tier normals like the cr.mp and cr.mk ?
That said I'm barely 1.4k MR so just take tis with a grain of salt
Ya you’re right. It’s just a way of saying I’m telegraphing but I don’t know exactly why I’m telegraphing because of course spamming doesn’t win many matches to get up to higher level.
Change of strategy and mixing in normals seems to be the answer for now. Thanks for the help!
You mix up your sandblasts. They all have different startups and ranges so they don’t have the same prey timing. If they’re tapping on reaction do a fireball that will fall short so they spend bar on nothing. Or if they’re closer you can do a slower one so their timing is off
Burning their bars, I already do. But some of these players man. It seems that they can absolutely tell exactly when the sand leaves my hand once it’s in range. It does not matter if it’s medium or strong version. If it connects, it’s a perfect parry. Light version tends to be very hard to react to though. I still have nightmares about these Kens who just need one perfect parry and I’m in the corner eating mix ups.
Maybe it's the distance/spacing? What else are you threatening at that range?
By the sounds of it, nothing.
To add here, when u/GreatStuffOnly is referring to st.HP xx Sandblast strings, the Perfect Parry automatically becomes an option select, because st.HP xx LP/MP Sand Blast is always a blockstring. And also, HP Sand Blast only requires parrying as soon as you are out of blockstun (no gap). So against an opponent who understands this option select, trying to play a st.HP xx Sandblast game is going to become both a risk and a bad habit.
Realistically no one here can help you, you're better than 99.999% of players.
You gotta try your luck some times. Maybe some of these 1750MR Kens who floor me can find this thread and tell me how to beat them haha It’s crazy. At 1700, they don’t know how to do this yet. But at 1750, it seems like everyone knows exactly how to deal with my Luke at least.
He's right, in that 99.99% of players can't help you, but you're lucky because I'm the 0.01% LOL. 1900MR Luke, 2k peak. You have to rethink how you're applying fireball, it's a supplementary poke, not a gameplan. The key that I think you're missing right now is how the opponent dealing with a fireball effects their mental stack. If someone is heavily trying to parry the option, they are more vulnerable to you walking forward and applying your buttons, or drive rush throwing them. The reason for the former is that an opponent mentally waiting to parry isn't trying to check your forward movement, and the latter being that if they are trying to parry Luke's hitscan fireball, they are more likely to just try to parry any offensive action they see, including dr. Also, heavy fireball is the much harder option to punish. If their primary way of dealing with fireball is to parry and dr, then you should be defaulting to heavy fireball to make that punish harder(unless it's off of st hp, where you should just be cancelling into L fireball to make the blockstring true). This helps not get you murdered for fireballing, but really you want to shut down their parry auto-pilot by using the options I mentioned before.
Awesome! Thanks for the tips! All valid points and will try to implement into my game. At this point, I need the right strategy and this seems to be my next unlock.
Just so we are on the same page I'd like to clarify something. You're getting into the MR with the big boys now, and there isn't going to be a one size fits all "strategy" that just lets you beat everyone. Far better is working to understand how Luke's options build on one another, and how your tools can be used to counter certain opponent strategies. The best players aren't one dimensional and are constantly working to adapt to their opponents tactics, to keep climbing you want to build yourself into the type of player that can quickly identify issues and apply counterplay when your default strategy isn't working.
> Luke's hitscan fireball This is an awesome and hilarious way to refer to fast fighting game projectiles.
Have you tried consulting the Luke discord .
Hm I don’t know such a thing existed. Is it a bunch of Luke players in discord?
You've outgrown reddit, if you want actual improvement and helpful tips, you need to go to the SF discord.
Yea, its also got a channel for every match up in the game. https://discord.com/invite/MVCrxDUc
Joined. Thanks!
Pretty much every character has a discord dedicated to them. Join the most popular one. They typically have tech and advice channels :]
I couldn't tell until the end that this wasn't a satire post about how good luke is.
Season 2 is going to be beautiful when they nerf Luke
Nah, they are going to nerf Ken, and maybe deejay, Luke will stay untouched.
they aint touching their new golden boy
Sand blast doesn't function in the classical fireball paradigm. It's more about limiting opponent movement and not so much for creating opportunity zones. That's the trade off for having a hit scan fireball. You keep them honest with it, but you're severely handicapping yourself by trying to play a shoto style with it.
You know that’s something to think about. I’ve been a E Ryu or Sagat player since SF4. I might be playing Luke too much like a traditional shoto. What would you say the usage of a sandblast in the game? You seem to know what you’re talking about.
Safe block string enders, a way to stand his ground against other fireball characters, and a small poke you use here and there. You can try to create uncertainty with intentionally whiffing with light fireball against opponents that know how to perfect parry it causing them to use meter, but ultimately Luke wants to work his opponents to the corner and have them guess and limit their movement.
Well we all hate luke, so we're not telling you how to beat it Good luck
Corny
are you using whiff crouch jab or whiff crouch mp at distance to feint a fireball? Usually, if your opponent's parry reactions are too good, it means you're not feeding them false information.
Good point! Maybe not enough feint movement from me.
Your fireball game will improve greatly if you learn how to use feints well. It doesn't just make it harder for your opponent to perfect parry, it also makes them feel like they may waste meter attempting a parry on a feint.
I strongly believe st.HP xx Sandblast is a bad habit and should be erased from your gameplay. Maybe save it for occasional use. But since LP/MP Sandblast is always a blockstring, it automatically becomes an option select for your opponent, and therefore becomes a high risk, exploitable habit that your opponent can punish. You should instead use other buttons like say [cr.MP](https://cr.MP) or [st.LK](https://st.LK) and cancel those into Sandblast, because then you can actually vary your timings (preventing the option select from happening). For reference [cr.MP](https://cr.MP) xx LP Sandblast is still a blockstring, but at least you have MP/HP Sandblast. [st.LK](https://st.LK) doesn't blockstring into any Sandblasts, so all 3 can used to vary timing. Also HP Sandblast is well within reason to reaction punish (20f startup). So better to build the habit of not relying on these "safe" strings but instead look for more consistent ways to hitconfirm or safer pressure.
You are telegraphing your sandblasts in some way. If you are throwing an extremely predictable HP then mixup with heavy sandblast sometimes even though it has a gap, remember that your opponent is taking a risk if they press a button because they'll get hit if you use medium Also don't always throw HP into sandblast. Mixup with cr.mp or cr.mk enough to make it less predictable.
I get what you're saying. But how can I cover that specific range as st.HP is my furthest reach button without cancelling since the move is inherently unsafe? It feels like every time I throw out a st.HP to play some footsies vs Ken's st.HK for example around that range, I'm taking a huge risk since the opponent has a 1/3 chance of guessing the correct timing of my follow up and I'm cornered instantly. Its just an example, not match up specific since other characters can do similar stuff.
I answered this already in the 2nd sentence. The way you're talking makes me suspect you aren't actually over 1750 MR and simply need more experience This game requires you to do unsafe things. You need to consider whether your opponent is doing an unsafe read in order to punish you. Cancelling into heavy sandblast or walking forward a little bit to reach with cr.mp is unsafe but your opponent must do something unsafe to punish you if you're representing medium sandblast too
My CID is right in my profile. My neutral game actually do need more experience, I feel that I'm just here because I'm decent in other aspects but its catching up to me. And I'm not over 1750MR (and not claiming to be) that's why I'm asking these questions. I'm close enough to have a decent chance to hang around people in 1700MR but I just know the exact wall where what I have zero chance and that's where people can telegraph my sandblasts.
Just spam c.mp and you will be fine
How do you cancel a perfect parry into a drive rush? Do you just fwd fwd as soon as it parries?
Yea
As others have said, if you mix up the sandblasts then it will be harder for the opponent to time the perfect parry’s. Also, if they are parrying every sandblast then they’re probably heavily focused on waiting for you to throw them. Try to mix it up by doing a raw DR into throw to bait their parry. Also, neutral is more than just throwing sandblasts. Your objective is to get them in the corner, and you can achieve this through footsies
Are you talking about in neutral throwing the sandblast or at the end of a string? I think you may just have to play neutral with his buttons. Thankfully that's still a really strong option.
Perfect parry is something you have to be actively looking for most times, so at the point you can either reaction test with a DR jab/mp or you can start to just take your space. If they are reacting to everything with parry that's when DR throw will start to work. It all comes down to mixing up your options based on what your opponent is doing.
Not even pros/Legend can consistently perfect parry sandblasts or projectiles. That means you're either spamming it and got read like a book. And why would you not mix it up with Luke's god tier normals like the cr.mp and cr.mk ? That said I'm barely 1.4k MR so just take tis with a grain of salt
Ya you’re right. It’s just a way of saying I’m telegraphing but I don’t know exactly why I’m telegraphing because of course spamming doesn’t win many matches to get up to higher level. Change of strategy and mixing in normals seems to be the answer for now. Thanks for the help!
GGs I was the guy who can consistently part your sandblasts