Dealing with Stun Abuse

[Dallas1088]

I wanted to make this topic because I feel like the hardest battles I fight in this game are against people who get you in stun, then completely disregard strings in favor of doing the most random single pokes they can think of until you're dead while occasionally throwing in a launcher.

It's not that I find this "cheap" or "lame," by all means if it's working then go ahead and use it, but it's one of the biggest issues I face and I'm looking for help in dealing with it. When I'm caught by one of these people I feel as if I'm tossed into nothing but a guessing game, moreso than any other time I'm playing. Every wrong guess nets them more damage, and if I do happen to land a counter, one wrong move and I'm back to where I was before.

It's really disheartening to lose at your favorite fighter consistently, so I (and I'm sure any others having the same issue) would really appreciate any help/feedback/stories you guys can share to help make dealing with this playstyle a little more manageable.

 

[Roroko]

Sounds like slow escape would be the answer.

 

[dawnbringer]

Some tips.

Look for ways to avoid getting stunned. Of course that's not that simple.

Moves that are easier to land usually do small amount of stun. For example, a fast 13 frame knee does only 13 frames of critical stun. There could be not many things that one can follow up with, and you can hold out of stun easier.

Moves that deal a lot of stun usually are harder to land. See what moves get you stunned the most and think of ways to counter or avoid those moves. Start with the most effective (abusive) moves. Even if there is a super effective and easy to land move that does a lot of stun, you will be aware of it, which gives you more chances against its user.

 

[shunwong]

In these situations, throwing out holds is usually worthless. That's what your opponent wants. I usually try to slow escape and block but I seem to suck at slow escaping anyway.

 

[Tones]

People either extend stuns with mids or jabs.

Some characters have a good piss off move E.G Lisa's 4k+f. You may have one as well. Use it if they are poking you about but you manage to block something.

 

[Drake Aldan]

Slow escape!

Press and hold then go . Or you can do the other way . Or if you have a left analog stick you can spin it.

If you slow escape, your opponents won't have the time to leisurely poke you at random. They'll have to use "guaranteed" sequences of moves on faith without confirming if they hit or not. If they're too slow you'll shake out of the stun and block.

Once they start autopiloting and repeating the same sequence of moves after stunning you, then you hold them!

 

[Darrell]

^^ Yup, and if you do find yourself throwing out randoms counters, not knowing exactly what you're trying to counter, at least get the timing right. Don't try to counter just to get yourself out of the stun.

 

[DrDogg]

No offense guys, but this is DOA. Slow escaping simply doesn't work if the opponent is poking/stunning correctly.

Also, OP... you live in Phoenix. What part?

 

[shunwong]

No offense guys, but this is DOA. Slow escaping simply doesn't work if the opponent is poking/stunning correctly.

So, what would be the way of getting out of the situation, if any?

 

[Neige]

So, what would be the way of getting out of the situation, if any?

As I recall, the threshold is 28 damage. Past that, you CB or launch because everything else knocks down. In other words, after the first hit that they tag you with they can only poke past 28 points before they have to launch or CB you. With most combos I've discovered (mind you, I play grappler class characters mostly), the "good" stagger-proof pokes do this in 2 hits. That's because in general; the more damage a move does, the more stun it creates.

It's much more defensible than Capcom Vs Marvel, that's for sure.

 

[DrDogg]

So, what would be the way of getting out of the situation, if any?

In theory, better defense so you don't get stunned in the first place. Unfortunately, that's not really a proper response to this situation. It's just how DOA is played and it's my main issue with the game. Any time at least one player can counter it's a guessing game (unless one opponent is in the air or grounded and unable to use a wake-up kick).

Casuals like it, because rarely is there any guaranteed damage. I very much dislike it, because I want guaranteed damage.

As I recall, the threshold is 28 damage. Past that, you CB or launch because everything else knocks down. In other words, after the first hit that they tag you with they can only poke past 28 points before they have to launch or CB you. With most combos I've discovered (mind you, I play grappler class characters mostly), the "good" stagger-proof pokes do this in 2 hits. That's because in general; the more damage a move does, the more stun it creates.

It's much more defensible than Capcom Vs Marvel, that's for sure.

It's much deeper than that. While 28 critical damage (not actual damage) is the threshold, some attacks put you in a very short stun which allows for an easy way around this. For instance, with Mila, I use an attack with a short stun, then either go for a throw or an attack I want you to block that transitions into her tackle. The idea is that you automatically get out of the stun as the throw/attack connects so you're either hit by the throw (unless you're mashing), or the attack is blocked for the tackle transition.

Lots of characters have setups like this that keeps the guessing game going. I'd much rather play MvC, where I know my defense/offense is rewarded (although I'd rather play Tekken/SC -- too many 50/50s in Marvel).

 

[Dallas1088]

No offense guys, but this is DOA. Slow escaping simply doesn't work if the opponent is poking/stunning correctly.

Also, OP... you live in Phoenix. What part?

I'm in the Ahwatukee area, near Chandler and Tempe. I've been to one little tournament for MK once, but didn't know anyone so just stayed quiet the whole time haha

 

[Keylay]

There isn't really a good way to get out. You have to guess what your opponent is going to do. You can try slow escaping but they might be waiting to get you with a throw. And certain characters can do throws that put you back into another critical stun and you'll have to do it all over again. I find it really annoying and want them to reduce the critical stun threshold. The longer the stun threshold, the more guessing that's involved for both players.

 

[Brute]

If you have a character with advanced parries, they are often a good choice. For example, Kasumi's teleport will counter mid punches AND kicks, which your opponent may be switching between to keep you guessing. Lei Fang tends to be the master of this catching attacks from multiple angles.

 

[Raansu]

Slow escaping really is your only option outside of guessing for a hold, but as DrDogg said, against pokes, SE only works so well. Stun game really just needs to revert to DoA++ stun system.

 

[Chaos]

See this is one of the reason why Tekken is better IMO because even when you get stun, you can still block/escape but you can't get out of it if the stun is too deep or if the combo has a guaranteed follow up. Don't get your panties in a bunch & end up saying
"your nothing but a Tekken fanboy!!! I hate you!!" lol. There are some mechanics on DOA that I perfer over Tekken ( every character can counter hold, every character has a crouhing throw & less muscle memory).

 

[Brute]

See this is one of the reason why Tekken is better IMO because even when you get stun, you can still block/escape but you can't get out of it if the stun is too deep or if the combo has a guaranteed follow up. Don't get your panties in a bunch & end up saying
"your nothing but a Tekken fanboy!!! I hate you!!" lol. There are some mechanics on DOA that I perfer over Tekken ( every character can counter hold, every character has a crouhing throw & less muscle memory).

Weird. For me everything in DOA is muscle memory combined with reaction time.

 

[ILYA✰]

Get used to it. Characters like Helena aka Bells of Good Fortune and Christie aka Milky Way depend heavily on the stun game...

 

[Prince Adon]

Personally for me if I quit playing doa I'll just return to VF, MK or KOF. Those the only interesting fighters outside of DOA imo.

 

[d3v]

Work on your neutral game and avoid getting hit in the first place.