I think people are underestimating just how strong Sarah is. Looking at her from the outside she is fast, has plenty of + frame set ups and does a lot of damage. But when you look at her frames in depth it is kind of terrifying how unbelievably good they are.
# P+K is +2 on block. If you do K from stance and free cancel she is at +4 on block. If you do KK and free cancel from stance she is 0 on block.
I had no idea that she had these kinds of frame traps. She puts you at -2 disadvantage with a jumping move that parries mid's, hits K and free cancels putting her advantage up from +2 to +4 and even if she hits KK she is still left at 0 with an i10 jab, an i13 mid, a sit down stun that is -3 on block and +27 even with fastest SE.
I don't think Akira works this way, he seems to be the closest to a DOA character out of the three current VF fighters. I suspect Pai has some frame set ups similar but I could be wrong.
I know Sarah is considered top tier but I believe the gap between her and the character I consider number two, Lei Fang is fairly noticeable. There are a few set ups where DOA characters can go into stance and gain minor frame advantage but they cannot free cancel mid string and still have + frames. Stuff like this combined with the fact she has great DOA tools as well as her VF tools sets her well apart from the rest of the cast.
Disclaimer: This isn't a hate rant it's just my two cents after taking her into the lab and checking her out. I'm not calling for nerfs based on what I have found either, if she is to stay true to her VF self I think it's inevitable that she will be strides ahead of the main DOA cast who are constricted by the generals rules of how a DOA character is designed to play.
You're basically saying once she gets the vortex, she wins & that's not the case. Kasumi can parry her way out of the blender once it's spotted & so can others, leaving her at a negative frame (I don't remember the frame completely), but she's wide open for an attack. Ayane can 64H once it's spotted. I don't recall Helena getting it that easy unless she has her opponent in the air with the slaps. We all know it's good but it's about how easy does she have it getting it. Lei Fang, Akira both have tools to deal with it & so do a few others.
Helena is at +4 from Vortex.
Her fastest options are: High (P) i11 / Mid (3P) i12 / Low (2P) i14 / Tracking (1P) i17.
Most characters have an i10 Jab and an i12 Mid. If Helena wants to win against them based on speed she HAS to use either her Jab or a Mid P. If they side step the only thing that will stop them is 1P, but if she uses 1P and they mash 6P then she will lose flat out.
Her "Vortex" is good, it's very good but it is not brain dead. She has to make a decent read to capitalise on it. The opponents side step will eliminate everything except her 1P and a grab, their 6P will beat her 1P and her grab but will lose to her P and 3P. You have to look at the frames to realise there are major flaws to her Vortex and figure out how to exploit them.
This one knock down = win thing is absurd. Especially seeing as grabbing out of neutral in this game is so fucking risky. Helena players almost never go Blender > Grab because of how risky it is. It takes a strong read to go for that set up seeing as the risk is much greater than the reward.
