COUNTERMEASURES FOR ROUND START ESCAPE BLAST

Written by: Maruyan

In regards to strategies using the mechanics of DFCI, I’ve compiled methods for approaching round start having used Escape Blast.There is no definite answer, so I think it would be appropriate to view this as one way of thinking. Using Escape Blast at the start of a round is something that happens at least once within every 10 matches.

In reaction to your own Power Blast the opponent uses his own, however he’s just a little too late and his failed Power Blast attempt turns into an Escape Blast.

During neutral you’re thinking about using Power Blast, but just as you go to press the button a projectile flies at you, or you get hit by a long reaching normal, then it becomes Escape Blast. Or you try to get within reach for the Power Blast to hit the opponent but you’re too late and get hit instead leading into Escape Blast...When this happens in a tournament you feel like dying, however from here on we’ll use the mechanics of DFCI to strategize around this. As a prerequisite before continuing we’ll first be comparing Power Blast and Escape Blast.

Power Blast

  • Increases Climax Gauge (1 or 2 meter+1 meter that gradually fills up over 10 seconds)

  • Health recovery, 15% attack increase

  • After the Power Blast effects end and your health is at 100%, it takes 2500F or 40 seconds for the gauge to recover


Escape Blast

  • After using Escape Blast, if your health is at 100%, it takes 6600F or 110 seconds for the gauge to recover.

No matter how you look at it Escape Blast puts you at an unbelievably disadvantageous situation. From here on we’ll be delving into the main topic, referencing back to the first image where the opponent used his round start Escape Blast, in what manner should you approach neutral?

It’s a 3 choice problem

１．The opponent, having just Escape Blasted, you take the opportunity to relentlessly go on the offensive.

２．You’re at an advantageous position, without doing anything out of the ordinary you go about neutral like normal.

３．Intentionally approach neutral drawn back and take things slowly.

Which one would you pick?

A drawn back approach to neutral and letting time pass.

We’ve created a last round-esque situation after having taken the first round (Note 1) It finally seems like a suitable situation so let's attack. It’d be opportune if I could kill the opponent with 2 high damage combos. The opponent can’t use Escape Blast anyways (Note 2), so let’s save up my blast too and do my best to use high damage combos. How did it come out to this situation? Firstly, you hit the opponent with your Power Blast so the meter situation should be as follows.

You: Round start 1 meter + 2 meter from Power Blast + 1 meter that fills over time = 4 meter

In comparison here is your opponent who Escape Blasted at round start.

Opponent: Round start only 1 meter

In addition your blast recovery recovers 2.664 times faster in comparison to the opponent who Escape Blasted. To put into actual numbers, if both players start at 0, by the time you reach 100 your opponent will only be at around 37%. Basically the benefit of passing time becomes unfair (Note 3), the benefit towards you becomes bigger and leaving it the way it is puts you in an advantageous situation. Going back to the 2nd image, including the blast that you’ll soon get back you should have around 6 meter to spend, which you should use to defeat your opponent within 2~3 moves. Using Trump in your first combo nets you 4500, Power Blast afterwards and use an assist combo on the next hit for another 4500, and finish it off with a throw.

The opponent has yet to recover his blast gauge so he’s unable to Escape Blast, and tries to turn it around with his own Trump, but will still die within the next hit. Even though the opponent is in trump state they have no meter so the return from attacking is little to none, and by the time they finally recover their blast gauge they’ll have run out of trump state. Furthermore if you were to use just one high damage combo, the opponent could possibly lose by timeout so he would need to deal more than what you’ve already dealt or he’ll lose. Because the opponent started off with a round start Escape Blast, his win condition for the round is to use Power Blast (Note 4) and if he Escape Blasts again it truly becomes his loss. Looking at the first image you might be thinking “isn’t it the same if I just start attacking”? However if you were to attack in that situation your gauge isn’t sufficient enough so at the least it’d take 3~4 moves to win. On the other hand, in DFCI there are special properties in which the less health you have the quicker your blast gauge recovery becomes, and the player with the health deficit has no meter penalty when using pushblock. So the goal for the opponent becomes to run away and recover his blast gauge until he can use Power Blast.

Blast gauge recovery rate becomes quicker when under 50%, pushblock requires no meter from having the health deficit

At this point winning from a time up is a still hard to perceive situation. To summarize,

Choice 1: Winning from 3~4 moves, or a time up (Average)

Choice 3: Winning from 2~3 moves, or a time up (Optimal)

By looking at it this way choice 3 looks favorable. These have been the strategies for using the system mechanics of DFCI. Even the first choice still leaves you at an advantage, and strong fighting game players don’t need to rely on things like this to win, but by considering these strategies, even if just slightly, your likeliness of winning will increase. I’ll nonchalantly say this, but Niga and OZ are the strongest of even the top players, but after thinking over it well their overwhelming strength is something I’m proud of. If you use the system mechanics well you can beat players stronger than you, and winning will become more stable. I think it would be beneficial for players troubling over how to utilize strategies to read over this.

Note 1: Last round-esque situation after having taken the first round

By winning the first round, maintaining your pace during round two so you can go into the last round in the perfect situation is desirable. While you are in the optimal situation of hitting round start Power Blast and the opponent Escape Blasts and is the worst possible situation, you can create the same type of situation.

Note 2: The opponent can’t use Escape Blast anyways

In addition to the blast gauge not returning until he dies, using Escape Blast a second time will guarantee that his meter gauge will be nowhere near sufficient and regardless of what he does he has no chance of winning. In an Escape Blasted situation if you can hit the opponent 6~7 times you can win, but unless you have an overwhelming difference in strength...

Note 3: The benefit of passing time becomes unfair

In DFCI, there are numerous occasions in which the benefit of passing time becomes unfair. As for a couple of examples,

Yourself: 2 meter, 50% blast recovered Opponent: 5 meter, has Blast

Yourself: Shana potential, non trump state Opponent: Yukina potential activated, in trump state

It might be good to think that as time constantly passes it works positively towards both players

Note 4: The opponent’s win condition for the round is to use Power Blast

I mentioned it slightly in note 2, but DFCI is a game where without meter you can’t do damage, so if you don’t use Power Blast an unwinnable situation is created. This time I talked about round start Escape Blast from the first round, but starting the third round with half a bar of meter, Blast, and one trump is the same kind of situation. In a situation where if the opponent doesn’t Power Blast he can’t win, if you can approach neutral so the opponent can’t use Power Blast winning will become much more stable.