General Zack Tips

[Codemaster92163]

I'd hope that other Zack players decide to contribute some of their own personal tips as well, since Zack is one of the least used characters in the game, and that's really not warranted. So, to help people start using him, I'm offering some quick and easy tips to play him effectively.

Sway 6P+K is your friend - Zack's "Blanka Ball" is a phenomenal tool. Whether you use it through running P or sway 6P+K, it's great to use in most any situation. It's uncounterable, strong, has knockback/guard break properties, and it has amazing range. Obviously, you don't want to whiff it, but there's very few situations where this move isn't great. Consider using it in combos or even on blocking opponents, as you'll create a nice chunk of space between the two of you, and Zack is quite a formidable spacer.

Duck 2/8 can be a life saver - It may not be as great as a tank roll or Christie's JAK, but Zack's Duck 2/8 SS crushes highs and can be used from certain strings. The moves that come out of it aren't too great, but it does sport a tracking low and a safe tracking mid with the latter creating nice space on hit. It can also be used to avoid certain 50/50 mixups that involve throws/linear hits

6PK_ is here to help you - Starting off with an 11 frame mid punch that transitions into a slew of mid kicks with delayable frames, mix-up at the end, and a decent stun off the last hit, you've got yourself a great tool. This follows for all of his 2K_ or 3K_ varieties, though his start with 6P simply means you'll be able to start them faster. Abuse the delays and mix them up. You can frighten your opponent into guarding and get a free throw from canceling them, or a free stun if they expect a throw.

6T PP, 6T PP, 6T PP - USE ZACK'S THROWS! He has fairly powerful throws all around, especially when near a wall. His Duck T can be used for a lot of damage + a free stun if you're great at timing combo throws. 6T should almost always be followed up with PP (note I say almost always) and should be used regularly, as well as to punish. You get a nice chunk of damage from it, and the mix-up following PP is staggering. PP6P, PPK, PPP, PP2K, PP6K, PP2, PP4, PP8, etc. You can also go for another 6T following the PP if you really want to. It's really an amazing throw, and it's extremely important to use, so you better get used to throw punishing.

2H+K is not an online low - Zack was blessed with a really great tool un 2H+K. While it doesn't provide as deep a stun as some other characters' low sweeps, it gets the job done and can easily be used to break through an opponent's guard. Just be sure to not abuse it.

Learn all of his stance transitions - It's really important to know exactly what you can transition into and when from any given string. Zack's seamless stance switching is really what's keeping his mix-up at the top. Memorize all the different ways he can go to sway and duck, then use them in tandem with fully fleshed-out strings in order to confuse opponents and keep them from attacking.

H+K is great, pure and simple - Not many characters are given easy access to powerful guard breaks. There's a few here and there, while others require unique situations to use them, but Zack can pop his out at most any moment. While it's weakness is that it's a linear high, H+K is fast and provides a deceptive +3 frames on block. Since Zack has extremely fast mids and a decent jab, you don't have to worry about being beat out after it (unless you go for something extremely slow). A lot of people still attack out of guard breaks, so use the frame trap to your advantage. This move is great to throw out after his roll or after 6T.

General spacing tips - As I said, Zack can hold his own when at a distance, and it's great that he's formidable up close as well. He's definitely not a rushdown character, though. When you've created some space, 4K is a great way of maintaining it. 2K/3K strings can also keep people at bay, as they won't want to run straight in and get counter hit. Duck->Sway->Duck stance dancing can also prove useful, as Sway houses 6P+K for great damage/range while Duck can transition into his high-crushing sidestep. If you need to get in on the opponent, he has answers to that as well. 6P+K covers a decent amount of distance, plus it's safe. Roll P has amazing range and is a tracking, safe mid. 66P+K works against people unfamiliar with Zack, but it will NOT fair well against generally knowledgeable players, so use it at your own discretion. 66H+KK also covers a nice chunk of distance, and as already mentioned, running P (Zack's Blanka Ball) is also another option, though it will reset the situation on block.

 

[Yaguar]

is +2 on block. /thread.

Edit: I'll add some more awesome useful stuff later but my biggest input for Zack is don't be afraid to take risks. They pay off (and abuse like you wouldn't believe).

 

[MasterHavik]

zack is a rushdown character. what are you talking about?

 

[Codemaster92163]

He doesn't have a 9 frame jab or absurd frames or crushes. Yeah, he's great with mix-up and has wonderful throws, but he's not meant to ONLY be up close. He's a combination character, with great tools for both offense and defense. Why else would he have one of the best spacing tools (his blanka ball) in the game, or great keep-away kicks? He's not a one trick pony. Zack is a well rounded character that excels when he's used offensively as well as defensively.

 

[MasterHavik]

He doesn't need a 9 frame jab. He has nasty crushes to make up for it and i11 mid that is stuffing pretty much anything thrown out first. He is also a rushdown character because of his insane stun game and his CH damage too. Also ball isn't as good as you make it out to be. The range is spotty at best and is only good for combos and some enders. Most ball attempts would end with you either getting the GB or missing your opponent by a few inches it's too spotty to space. Not something to space with. If you wanna space with Zack you're using 4k, 44kk, 6H+KK(Zack Cyclone), 33kk/33kp, and etc. He is far from a one trick pony yes and he is well rounded, but he is really strong in the rushdown game. Why do you think someone like hoodless and JR can dominate with him because they create a serious flow of pressure and force people to guess.

Lastly, I used to play defensive and tried to control space with Zack like crazy and won some, but lost a shitton. hoodless kept telling me," dude go in. you got 30 frame stuns and i11 mid no one is stopping you. Don't be afraid of getting held." I actually starting to play a lot better since I have been playing how Zack is made to played. A rushdown character with very good stuns and mix up options. Btw Zack is an easily top 5 character in this game. At worst top 10. He is really fucking nasty in this game.

 

[Codemaster92163]

The ball is not meant for range. It's a SPACING tool, AKA it creates an insanely large gap between you and the opponent when you want some breathing room. And no, he doesn't have nasty crushes. 3P+K is the only halfway decent one that provides any sort of real damage off of it.

I guess we'll simply disagree on this matter. I've played him a lot, and I stand by the fact that he's best used when mixed, not simply defensive or offensive.

 

[MasterHavik]

It seems so and ball isn't meant to be a spacing tool. 3P+K isn't decent when it's crushing two hit levels and can be thrown at pretty much during any push of a button that is a really good crush and many characters don't got that.

 

[Codemaster92163]

What on earth do you think sway 6P+K is for, then? On block, it creates a huge gap between both opponents, and on hit, it accomplishes the same thing. It's only used effectively after one launch, and considering they chose to also make it uncounterable, one would assume it's meant to be used outside of a launch, too. I don't know what you're using it for, but creating distance is its best asset.

 

[MasterHavik]

I use it for combos and to catch people when they tech. That's pretty much it. Don't think I know how to use my character dude. I played enough offline to tell you shouldn't be trying to use it to create space.

 

[Codemaster92163]

And don't think I don't know how to use him, either. It's poor in combos and occasionally wonky for whiffed wakeup kicks. The whole reason TN gave him that move was for spacing purposes. He doesn't need to be constantly in their face to win. Get a health advantage, then let them run up. He has enough tools with enough range/evasiveness to deal with people trying to run up. Not that he should always back up, but when you're playing against superior rushdown characters like Christie, Pai, or Kasumi, his spacing tools should be used.

 

[MasterHavik]

Yeah I get you. Also dude it's not poor in combos..it scales very well and causes a wall splat. It's a very good way to finish your combos and it's also his most damaging after you land a CB. Also I don't do ball on whiff wake up kicks I do it after the whiff wake up and hit on the recovery frames of it.

But you're right he doesn't always need to be in your face to win. Also those characters don't have superior rushdown to him since he is going even with all those characters you mention. He can uses his crushes to make with their pressure and if eh gets them blocking he can step the kick the fuck out of them. Zack has no reason to fear an i9 character. now if you're bass or brad then yeah you should be pissing your pants.

 

[Codemaster92163]

Brad's not a huge issue for me since 2K___ exists. Most heavyweights I hate fighting because while he gets absurd damage from launches, he gets almost nothing on heavies, so I always play a poke/stun/throw game against them. Plus I space them out since Bass is terrifying when he has frame advantage, but doesn't have many options to get back in.

But no, his most damaging CB combo (if you're not next to a wall) is to use the 66P+K launch. What he gets after it depends on if you used Sway P+K or 236H+K for the CB, but the most I've ever gotten on a lightweight is 66P+K2 > K > 33KK > 6KK. For midweights, it's the same thing, just instead of 6KK, it's 6K2K. It does a sizable amount more than his 3P+K combo, plus it has the added bonus of electrified floor damage, but none of those include sway 6P+K.

I still don't like to play toe-to-toe against the i9s because they all house i11 mids in addition to their natural speed from most every attack. Apart from Kasumi (and kind of Christie), they all have terrible tools for getting back in range, which is why I force them into that situation as much as possible, since Zack can play both sides of the field whereas they can't.

 

[MasterHavik]

I se your point. Also on heavyweights it's easy as balls to juggle them my combos still work on them just fine. you don't need to heavily change you combos on them.

Also another thing why going toe to toe with i9s is that outside of pai are really unsafe so you can easily punish get the flow back. Spacing them is an option and should be consider though.

 

[GarryJaune]

is +2 on block. /thread.

Edit: I'll add some more awesome useful stuff later but my biggest input for Zack is don't be afraid to take risks. They pay off (and abuse like you wouldn't believe).

and it depends on range,in close range blocked,-1

 

[iHajinShinobi]

I'd also like to add that Ayane blocking Zack's blanka ball benefits her a lot more than it does him. Just because of her P > BT8P already does the same thing and the kind of character she is.

 

[Blazeincarnated]

I'd also like to add that Ayane blocking Zack's blanka ball benefits her a lot more than it does him. Just because of her P > BT8P already does the same thing and the kind of character she is.

But she ain't got Zack Beam doe. LOL

 

[crapoZK]

Just got around to this thread.
Zack at close range is an absolute beast because of his mix-ups and high speed, along with his counter potential. He can use his short strings to open up players, and his immense stun game can bait holds, to go for his 66T, which is the better option for a HiC throw because it is quick and it does a bit of damage. He can sometimes be a pokey character, but that is how a Zack would play if he is going for a reset, or they know that the opponent is going to hold. He can be a pain to play as seeing as he needs to put in more work than of that a character like Hitomi, but it can be dealt with.

Duck under any highs that you know are coming and use P+K for the high stun, with quick start-up. Don't under estimate Zack's Sway P, as it dodges jabs and gives a stun on NH. Use it more, preferably at the start of a match. Though at the start of a match, P+K is the best start-up counter he has, but, if you want the poke, use 4K. It is -1 on block. Zack is a mix-up character and he can deal damage when he wants to. As I've been playing Zack since DOA1 and I've played quite a lot of online, I've noticed that if you constantly try to do combos (Especially if it's the same one), you will get countered. When you really want to do combos is when you see fit; i.e. Whiff Punishment, Failed Throw Punishment and to counter. Zack is the only character that constantly puts you in a guessing game and he can make you think he will do a low, but he ends up doing a mid or a high instead. Trick your opponents with _2KK/3KK

to bait holds and get the HiC 33T or 66T for max damage. Make sure you don't do the attacks fully and in motion, as you WILL be held. No, not maybe. WILL be held. Delay them, and don't do it all the time. And, if you are going to de lay it, make sure that they are in stun, as Delayed gatling kicks go up to -15 on NH.

Zack's Duck and Sway Stances have become the core of Zack's fight style since DOA4, and has become more effective in DOA5/U. When Zack is in these stances, It is a mix-up, because he has so many strings in them, and it forces the opponent to start guessing, which is a gold mine for Zack. You have to make sure you mix up the attributes of his attacks so that you don't get held, so just lash out a plethora of different attacks, but you have to know PRECISELY what you're doing, or you'll become too predictable. Off of duck, he has his own unique sidestep, which gives him two options, a bazooka punch or a low sweep. A low sweep would be more safe to do if you are rushing down.