I Need help Improving my valentine

[Notkastar]

As of late,
I've been trying to use a 3 party team.

Valentine as the leader
with IV Naginata (her standing HK)
I've played her the least

Fukua as Backup
with ether Platonic Drillationship (L) or (H) or Fever clone (L),(M) or (H) (you know, real assist moves rather than stand alone like IV Naginata)
I played her as my leader for my main team of "Fukua and Squigly" so I know a bit more than the basics with her

and Squigly's as my anchor
with Arpeggio
I've played the most with her and know more than just the ends and outs of of her combos (sorta)

Everything so far it's going well, I'm able to make some pretty nice combos here and there, I also feel like they have pretty good synergy together with the assist.

Although,
In more intense battles I feel like Val is falling short compared to the other 2 member: Squigly and Fukua solo combo wise.

Here are my BnB combos I use with her

Is there a way I could improve upon them?

 

[Stuff]

you're scaling the heck of your combo by using her multi hit attacks. Not doing that is a good start unfortunately I don't play val so I can't help much sorry.

 

[Notkastar]

Nah it's o.k, anything is helpful at this point. Good point, maybe instead of doing standing MP and MK all the time; I could just go straight to the c.HP.

 

[Colossi]

The first three hits deal full damage. Each hit after it, will lower the damage of the next hit by 12,5% (somebody correct me on this one), until it reaches 20% of damage on the 15th hit.
This means you'll want to start your combos with moves that hit few times and hit hard, and finish the combo with moves that hit several times. I suggest you to start your combos with c.lk c.mk(one hit only) c.hp. It has two lows and a launcher, and you can follow up with an air chain after.

Spoiler: Combo videos that will probably help you out

c.lk c.mk(1) c.hp
j.hp IAD j.mp(1~2) j.hp
jump j.lp j.mp(1) j.hp IAD j.mk
dash s.lp(3) s.mp(9) c.mk s.hk(3) xx H Bypass xx EKG Flatliner

c.lk c.mk(1) s.hp xx H bypass
c.mk(1) c.hp
jump j.hp IAD j.mp j.hp
jump j.lk j.mp j.hp IAD j.mk xx Shuriken/Vial toss
s.lp(3) s.lk s.mp(9) c.mk s.hp xx H bypass xx EKG Flatliner

c.lk c.mk(1) c.hp
j.hp IAD j.mp(1) j.hp
jump j.lk j.mp j.hp
jump j.lp j.mp j.hp xx Shuriken/Vial toss
s.lp(3) s.lk s.mp(9) c.mk s.hk(3) xx H bypass xx EKG Flatliner

c.lk c.mk(1) c.hp
j.hp j.hk IAD j.mp(2~3) j.hp
jump j.lp j.mp(1) j.hk IAD j.mk j.hk
dash s.lp(3) s.mp(9) c.mk s.hk(3) xx H Bypass xx EKG Flatliner

 

[Fedora_Ninja]

Advise doing Fukua anchor and Squigly 2nd. Fukua is a strong character without assists. Val should always be point and Squigly is usually preferred 2nd so when she comes in she'll still have assists and will have meter. Val's suggested assists are c.mk, H Bypass, or s.hp.


Combos...

• What Colossi said. Ideally cram as much hard hitting stuff possible within your first 15 hits, then end your combo with the ground chain: s.lp(x3) s.mp (x2) c.mk, s.hp xx H bypass xx EKG. or if you want damage and don't mind losing the corner, s.lp (x3) s.mp(x2) s.mk s.hk(x3) xx H bypass xx EKG
• replace s.mp with c.mk.
• Don't go straight into scalpels after a jump in, just do your regular bnb on hit.
• off a ground throw, just go straight into launcher.
• Spending Scalpels > Scalpels isn't worth it at the end of a combo. The amount of damage for 2 meters is nowhere near EKG -> DHC. Just end the combos with a single EKG super.
• What was the point of the snapback combo?

Anyways, optimized combos are already in the combo thread and Colossi already pulled some combos for you.

Also I suggest creating a training diary in case this thread gets derailed and you have further questions about your team that aren't for Val.

 

[Notkastar]

Wow Colossi, I can tell that you're a veteran player with valentine. Some of these trick with her I didn't even know existed (I don't fight that many Valentines) like that you could chain after the third midscreen j.HP with an j.MK, that you could use the shuriken as a staple in a combo and that j.HK could be done like j.HP in an aerial combo.

Fedora ninja you make so extremely valid points there and also pose so really great ideas too, thank you! The point of the snapback combo was to bring them in close and make sure the j.HP hits something besides air, I'm still kinda new to her so I can't do her types of combos so easily yet.

Edit:Also Good idea about the diary, I've been apart of a thread started by me, then destroyed by me.

Spoiler

He's how I thought that thread went imo

 

[Colossi]

Thanks, but I'm not one of the most experienced with her.
Those combos I displayed are fairly easy. The hardest one is the second one, that has weird timing, but it's not a must learn.
I am adding the notation of each combo now, in case you don't know when you air dash and this kind of stuff.

 

[Notkastar]

I guess I need time to get use to the comboing style you use to get the most out of valentine.
The rule I was able to come up with from watching your videos was
"The fewer multi hitting attack hits in your combo, the more powerful they'll be in the long run of things"

Am I right?

 

[Colossi]

The fewer in the beginning. After 15 hits it's better to do multihit, since it's scaled anyway. Just don't do many multihitting in the air or else you'll lose air momentum and the other moves may not come out. This rule works for every character.

 

[Notkastar]

Oh, so I want to hold off on the multi hitting attacks until after the 15 hit when your moves still do more than chipping. Anything after 15 hits would be a numbers game of seeing how many times you could hit them before the end of the combo.

Therefore turning a combo that would do 15% into something that could do 40%!

 

[Dinglejet]

yeah, that's a way to look at how to approach doing things. Some other things to think about with val are also to keep a vial handy, since those can help with combos or lower the opponents reaction time. also be sure to take advantage of finishing stuff with s.hkX3 for sliding knockdown to set up oki stuff, which drillationship can help with, or just load a vial.

 

[Notkastar]

Good advice, having a vail handy is ways useful and reading this gave me an idea!

In the combo colossi did up there with the staple shuriken that could just as easily be replaced with a purple veil! Adding even more damage to her already ludicus chipping damage combos Val can do!

 

[Colossi]

The purpose of that shuriken toss is to throw a vial, but since having vials is situational, the damage is calculated without it. That's why the notation says "Shuriken/Vial toss".

 

[Notkastar]

Oh, my apologies.
I didn't see that at the time i typed that
and that raises another question I had, if you don't have the vail in that combo would you jump forward to more of the heavy hitting attacks or would you do the same combos you would do if they were affected by the purple veil trying to make the combo last as long as possible?

(Which one would do the most damage is my question)

 

[Colossi]

The combos are performed the same way regardless of having a vial or not.

 

[Notkastar]

Ah, O.k
That all the questions I have,
the greatest of thank you's for answering my questions everyone
Edit:And helping me improve as a skullgirl player!