Dead or Alive 4: Fighting vs Critical Status enemy

Perfect Legend

Active Member
A lot of people really have problem wanting to follow up against players while they are in critical in fear of getting slow escaped into reversal attack if you try to throw, or are afraid to get reversal held if you try to follow up with an attack.

Players who really panic in critical status and don't think usually are just guessing without really trying to read their opponents offensive pattern. So when you see this happening you can option select their defense with neutral standing throw and crouch throw.

Neutral Throw and Crouch Throw both recover fast enough after specific attacks that cause long stuns like for example most characters 3p's and allow you to follow up with a attack or another throw before the opponent has fully recovered.

So for example:

Here is a chart basically:

Standing Throw
Win vs Standing Holds
Even vs Slow Escape
Even vs Crouching Holds

Crouch Throw
Win vs Crouching Holds
Even vs Slow Escape
Even vs Standing Holds

Standing/Crouch Throw go even with their opposite hit level hold only based on timing. Most of the time you will recover fast enough to where you could at least guard your opponents attack.

Also the trick is you have to use the correct attacks so that the opponent can't recover and punish you before you recover.

For Example Hayate's 6p recovers in 27 frames. The stun it causes is about 50 frames. 50-27 is 23 frames so you are at a 23 frame advantage when 6p hits on counter hit causing a critical. If the opponent does a crouching hold to escape your 6p as soon as they get hit then you will be +4 frames of course you don't get any attack guaranteed and more than likely your throw will whiff because the opponent might try to hit you thinking they have advantage and if you try to throw you will get hit on hi counter blow.

If you were to perform an attack you will more than likely beat out their next attack as long as you perform one faster than theirs too.

If the opponent decided to do a standing hold they would be -7 frames and you would be +7 so a 7 frame throw 6 frame throw would be guaranteed. 7 frame throw wouldn't because of the execution frame it would be 8 frames but maybe if you had already held forward for there to be a buffer it would work and become 7 frames so it would be guaranteed and the opponent cannot escape.

If the opponent chose to slow escape instead of a hold then you could recover in time to hit them with another attack to re open up the critical state depending on how much recover your attack has, but in this scenario 6p can't follow up and continue critical state because it recovers too slow and the stun isn't plus enough frames.

The ideal follow up to 6p by the way is the kick follow up to make it a string since it knock down and is too fast to reliably reversal hold, it is possible if the kick is delayed though.

Please note:

Factor in human error that people can't perform holds where they are on the correct frame correctly all the time especially in tournament. So in a situation where they could be safe they could also be unsafe but it is up to you to see if they are able to do that in the match.
 

virtuaPAI

I am the reason why you are here!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Good stuff PL. Here are some things that I would like to add.

-The majority of blows in doa4 cause critical status. Each Stagger that is produced is not the same, and different risk/rewards apply. Think of it as any other fighter when you hit your opponent, frame (dis)advantage change depending on the attack used. So like those other fighters, it is imperative in knowing the properties of the attack you are using. You may use an attack that put your opponent in a light stagger in which they can either recover before you, or put them in minor disadvantage where they can easily defend him/her self (the point is to keep the advantage). The best staggers to use are those that have a long duration(the ones where your opponent cannot struggle nor hold to gain frame advantage from), and Crumples.
 
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