Does a Raijin count as a DEMON?
Rachel vs Hayate 7-3
Hot damn, this match is hell on earth... Hayate vs Rachel (if the Hayate is good) is very hard to win for Rachel; it's not as bad as Ayane vs Rachel, but it's better than the Momiji vs Rachel. Hayate has faster moves, more crushes, and a really good spacing game. Your best friends in this match-up are 6T,4K/3K, 4PP, and 6H (mid kick hold.)
In this MU Rachel needs to watch for Hayate's 6PK, that's one of his better keep-out tools... luckily it's punishable (-7i), so if you block one, that's a 6T and a start to your offense, if your holding is on point, you can simply hold the K and get a free 80 damage. You also have to be wary of his 2/8P+KP because it's very evasive, it SSs and it high crushes so watch out for what strings you choose to throw out. Fortunately 2/8P+KP is punishable as well (-9i), so if you block that move 6T to get your offense going. Make sure that your holding on Hayate's 3H+K is good as well because if it's not, you're goiing to have to deal with the mixup that comes from the string. Rachel's jumping mid kick counter is a launcher as well so be prepared to combo when it connects) Like most of her other bad MU situations, Hayate can space Rachel out with his 2H+K. Low countering this move is ill-advised because how low kick hold knocks the opponent across screen; thus, resetting the spacing scenario. When Hayate puts you into stun, yo also have to be vary cautious; he's got the Raijin and Baby Raijin combo throws that can be used as launch combos, and back-turn set-ups as well. If Hayate gets you into a deep stun scenario (though you should be doing this in general,) be patient, his CB animation is very easy to watch for and many of his high damage launchers are easy to spot as well. Hayate's regular combo damage takes a big blow from Rachel's weight, and this is why I said that you really have to be wary of BT combos and Raijin set-ups, most Hayate players will do this rather than regular combos to make up for the damage they lose. If you see that these set-ups are coming far too frequently, punish them for their greed; you can slow escape a lot of Hayate's BT setups and counter accordingly, and for grab set-ups, you start your offense when you see a grab set-up on the way.
In this MU, a lot of your damage can definitely come from punishing and interrupts. Hayate is not only pretty unsafe on block, but IMO his free-canceling isn't too much to scream about. If you instill a worry of getting interrupted, the opponent will either commit to more strings rather than free-canceling, or single poking and blocking. Depending on which option the Hayate player favors, your approach will either open up more grab opportunities, or more holding opportunities. The reason that I stated 4k/3K as one of Rachel's key moves in tis MU, was because they are some of her better come-in tools, they also offer tick throw set-ps on NH and deep stun mix-ups on CH. 6T is there as a prominent anti-Hayate tool because it will be your main source of punishing, and one of your key offense starters (+3-4i on tech roll and allows for stomp set-ups.) Your 4PP is of course used to nullify any evasive move attempts... and her mid kick hold is to nullify a lot of the launchers, spacing moves, and stun/crush moves in Hayate's arsenal.
Match Up notes:
- Avoid being too linear to prevent getting crushed by 2/8P+KP
- Be wary of your followups in CQC; Hayate's 12i 6PK can be easily used to interrupt your offense and create space.
- Hold or 6T punish any blocked 6PKs
- Watch out for any "greedy" attempts to go for massive damage (BT combos, Hi-Counter Raijin)
- Try not to hold any low kicks because they reset spacing scenarios, instead block and punish accordingly
- Patience in dash blocking and mid kick holding during spacing scenarios will make it much easier to get back into CQC
- Finish combos with enders that keep Hayate close to you (6KP, 6PKP)
- Be wary of SS-ing Hayate because he has a mild amount of tracking options; one of which can lead to BT combos or grab set-ups
- Punish most of his unsafe pokes (1K for example) and interrupt during most of his free-cancels
- Most importantly, take full advantage of CQC scenarios because Hayate can easily interrupt or evade some of your offense to reset the spacing scenarios... otherwise you'll be okay... HEY at least it ain't Ayane lol
Next MU(s):Rachel vs Leon, and Rachel vs Bayman