Something else that I am not getting, so maybe I might be idiotic here. But why do people insist on using the same kind of pattern in their gaming over and over again? I see that SLB and DC use pretty much the same moves on each other in their matches. It makes me wonder if, in a real tournament, such as Evolution, if the better players, like Valle or Daigo, fall for that strategy or not take it at all. Sure, I understand the concept - if it works, don't change it. I get that, don't get me wrong. But with any strategy, people can figure out a way to expose weakness out of that strategy and dominate you for the entire portion of the match. So aren't some of the players better off in mixing up their game instead of doing the same thing, over and over again? This isn't just a question for DC or SLB, it's for anybody really.
Metamania
Good call man, there is a lot of repetition in the videos, but it's not as robotic as it might appear. The easiest answer is yes, top players tend to have bread-and-butter strategies that they try to implement at every opportunity. Daigo, for example, never skips the opportunity to use LP Shoryu > Focus Attack Dash Cancel > Ultra. At the same time, there is a strict demand for elasticity, as well as the ability to switch tactics on the fly (this is actually one of the strength I have that make me a decent player). I'll try to explain.When you watch me specifically, I'm sure you can't help but notice how much I use EX Rush Punch > dash > Tatsumaki Gorasen. I do it over and over and over, with very little change. There are other variations I could use, like EX Rush Punch > Rush Punch but the reason I do the one and not the other is simple: payoff. That Tatsumaki Gorasen variation nets the most normal damage and stun damage, and there's nothing else in Gouken's arsenal that can compete with it for the same amount of meter. Not that I know of, anyway, and believe me, I've checked.
So for me, the strategy lies in trying to find a place to put that EX RP. I can't just throw it anywhere I want, because any player can get good at avoiding it if I'm not sneaky with it. There are a handful of tricks I can use for it: Demon Flip Kick, jump-in FK/FP, cross-up MK, and fireball punish (it goes through fireballs if you time it right). I think the exclamation points for Gouken in all those matches are the big combos, but the actual skill comes in between - trying to put a stop to DC's neverending rushdown, recognizing the holes where I can get the EX RP in, counterpoking. There is actually a lot more going on in my head, and in the matches, than simple-minded attempts at landing that combo.
Now, there are other tactics that I don't use simply because I haven't yet gotten good enough to implement them efficiently. You see the first one in the first match where I go EX RP > Focus Attack Dash Cancel > Ultra. Actually nailing the Ultra in the "sweet spot" in that combo is still a pain for me, so I usually opt out (for the record, after reviewing the vids and talking with DC, I've resolved to get that locked into my arsenal). Another one is Tatsumaki Gorasen > Focus Attack Dash Cancel > Ultra. This would actually be a great option to have available to me when I only have two blocks of SC meter instead of the three I need for my "main" combo. Again, though, I just haven't worked on it enough for it to be dependable yet. All this said, though, even if I had these techniques down pat, you'd still see a lot of the usual combo out of me for the same reason as mentioned before: the payoff is just too good to pass up.
Another thing worth mentioning is that I actually use a few more tricks against other players, but DC is inexplicably good at not letting them work on him. Gouken has a guaranteed Ultra out of his back throw, for example, but DC was so good at keeping away that any time I did manage to grab him, I just went with the forward throw because it caught me off guard that I'd actually gotten the grab. Against other people, I back throw all day. DC also tends to know what I'm up to when I use Demon Flip too (whether I'll kick, sweep, or grab - I tend to surprise him with the parry though), so that's also of minimal use against him. When I post videos of me playing other people, hopefully I'll be able to show off a bit more, heh. DC just tends not to put up with shenanigans.
Anyway man, that's my spiel. I'm glad you asked me, by the way, and I'm not the least bit offended that you called it out how you saw it. It's actually nice to have the opportunity to talk about my game a bit, so thanks. You can catch me on Xbox Live (gamertag is ii axxess ii), and I'm always interested in playing all the GameSpot regulars. Send me an invite if you like, and we can put some matches in.
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