Blocking/Neutral Game vs. Parasoul?

[dama624]

Maybe it's just my inexperience, but I just can't seem to understand going against Parasoul.

I'm currently running Solo Filia, and I can bait out Napalm Pillars enough, but besides that, I'm completely free against Parasoul.

When it comes to approach, I don't know how to get around Napalm Shot spam.

When it comes to blocking, I don't know which direction to block, because I keep getting mixed up high/low, left/right, and grabbed all the time. I'd really rather not have to start mashing Gregor.

I'd appreciate any tips.

 

[winnie]

With the new change to the napalm shot its a lot harder to get in on spammers but all you got to do us super jump over them and its not that much of a problem. As for blocking Parasoul your best option is to Dp. Parasoul has very few ways to make you block a high low reset and even fewer ways to force you into blocking in the neutral game. If you notice a Parasoul player doing unsafe strings punish them with a dp super into a combo for high damage.

If you are forced to block high low try push blocking the first hit and absolute guarding the rest of the block string. If you cant do this always remember that Parasoul players will always flow up forward s.lp with a cr.mk for a quick high low and then they may go for a back s.hk for another high. This is a difficult string to block without using absolute guard.

If you are pressured into the corner by a Parasoul then you just entered blocking hell because Parasoul plus assist plus corner equal you better get a lucky reversal or your done for.

Thats all I have to say about this match up if you don't want to try risky uppercuts try putting an invincible assist on you team and call it out when your under heavy pressure just be carful not to get happy birthdayed.

 

[Dime]

The best 2 tips I can give besides Winnie's excellent tips are to use alpha counters if you happen to get forced to block a lockdown assist.

The way I've always defended against parasols mixup is via this hierarchy of defense:

Rule 1. Do everything possible to not block parasouls lockdown assist... This alone can prevent parasoul from mixing you up to death if you are good at it. But of course like all things cannot be maintained forever. So...

Rule 2. If you do happen to block a lockdown assist, then you know that a dash up high/low mixup is coming. You can guess the high/ low depending on what pattern your opponent has been using. But if for whatever reason you don't think you can predict or react to this particular high/low mixup, you have 1 of 2 last ditch options to not take damage...

Rule 3. alpha counter out of the shitty situation. And if you have the skills to do it you can pbgc out of it instead.

When you use these 3 defenses smartly it greatly reduces parasouls ability to open you up via high/low. But like everything isn't perfect... The parasoul can bait the ac... As an example. Or you might think you know they will go high...but they fool you and go low instead.

This is why being good at the first defense is paramount. You don't want to be trying to ac out of the bad situation 10 times a match... The ac is just there to improve your overall defense against the high/low. It isn't there to be relied upon as an end all be all.

 

[Jason]

Most Parasouls will go into a pretty predictable strings, either low/low/high or high/low/high.

If you manage to block her f+LP overhead or cr.LK low as her starter, that's the only real 50/50 she has.

She only has a 3 button chain and cr.HK is slow, unsafe and doesn't get you a combo if it hits. That means button #3 is going to be a high or a mid 99% of the time

The second hit is almost always a low (either f+MP or cr.MK, doesn't matter).

Once you block the medium, immediately pushblock her away so that the b+HK whiffs. You may even get a punish if you're fast enough.

The really legit Parasoul players, however, will add another layer on top of this basic mixup by using the LK Egret to interrupt her strings and go for something else but doing this puts a big hole in her blockstring where you can DP or try to poke if you recognize it fast enough (not an easy task).

 

[BOLT]

Try to cut the distance. Parasoul's zoning isn't really good and her pokes are pretty slow. So it's better to avoid being locked down and don't give her a space to attack.