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Jax Question and Answer thread

Zoidberg747

My blades will find your heart
Alright so I just picked up Jax and really would like to know a couple things, but more importantly, it is almost impossible to find info in this character forum. A general help thread like this would be very helpful to other Jax beginners so they can ask for help, find info etc.

Anyway here are my questions:

What are Jax's BnB's? Midscreen? In the corner?

What is his best anti-air?

What is his best teleport punisher(combo or special)?

Does he have a special that makes his strings safe on block?

Which of his strings is safe on block?

Thanks in advance.
 

PND OmegaK

Drunk and Orderly
What are Jax's BnB's? Midscreen? In the corner?
There are probably better, but these are what I use. after 12 you can cancel into gotcha or anti air grab (harder to time) depending on the situation.

Midscreen:
f413 14%
f4xxOverhead smash 16% (you can add an EX GP afterwards for an untechable 10%)
b124 xx dash punch 23%
f22b1xxanti air grab 26%
Close GP, NJP, 1(x3), 12xxdash punch 28%
Mid GP, 1(x4), 12xxdash punch 31%
Far GP, 1(x4), 12xxdash punch 35% (only works if opponent is closer to you)
Far GP, dash punch 21%
Anti air 1, 1(x3), 12xxdash punch
Air-to-air punch, 1(x4), 12xxdash punch

Corner:
f413, d1, 1(x3), 12(x2), 12xxgotcha grab 40%/43%
b124, 1(x5) 12, 12xxgotcha grab 44%/47%
Close GP, NJP, 4, 1(x4) 12xxgotcha grab 35%

Corner Reset Combos (after the overhead smash the EX GP is inescapable):
f413/b124, d1, 1(x2), 12xxoverhead smash 34%
EX GP 1(x3) 12xxoverhead smash 28%
EX GP 1(x4) 12(x2) 12xxgotcha grab 33% (use this if you dont want to continue the reset)

What is his best anti-air?
Standing 1 works wonders and can go into a combo. Same with d1.
Anti air grab deals with divekicks, jumpkicks, and lots of other arial moves which a standing 1 cant consistently beat.

What is his best teleport punisher(combo or special)?
1(x4) 12 into Gotcha/Dash Punch/GP setup

Does he have a special that makes his strings safe on block? Which of his strings is safe on block?
dash punch is neutral on block afaik and creates a fair bit of distance. Obviously it only works if the opponent is stand blocking. Most of Jax' strings are safe on block or give him advantage anyway so I wouldn't worry about this too much.

On a side note, I suggest watching as much tyrant and CDjr gameplay as possible.
 
Couple things.
Close GP, NJP, 1(x3), 12xxdash punch 28%
Close GP, NJP, 4, 1(x4) 12xxgotcha grab 35%
Doing NJP actually does a bit less damage than just doing another 1, and I personally find NJP slightly more difficult.
Anti air 1, 1(x3), 12xxdash punch
Air-to-air punch, 1(x3), 12xxdash punch
When starting a combo on an aerial opponent, the first hit does not increase the opponent's downward acceleration, so you can do an additional 1 with little to no more difficulty than the usual jab juggles. The same goes for punishing opponents that spin in the air after a blocked special.

Punishing Mileena's EX Teleport Kick is a bit more difficult... I usually block and do d+1 > (1)x3 xx Gotcha Grab, but I just judge what I can fit in based on the height and distance from me at the time. Some moves that leave the opponent spinning in the air on block can be punished by mid Ground Pounds, such as Raiden's superman, but I haven't experimented with which other ones it works on, and it only does about 2% more damage and builds an almost negligible amount of meter.

To punish fast teleports such as Raiden's, I usually just d+1 or 1.


In the corner, I use:

f+4,1,3 > d+1 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab (omitting a 1 or 1,2 if I feel I might drop it)
b+1,2,4 > (1)x6 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab (omitting a 1 or 12 if I feel I might drop it)
f+2,2 xx Dash Punch > d+1 xx Dash Punch > d+1 xx Gotcha Grab (Difficult, but even dropped does the same as or more damage than other options I've found and doesn't throw the opponent out of the corner... still don't use it very often)
Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab

f+4,1,3 > d+1 > (1)x2 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
b+1,2,4 > (1)x3 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x2 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound
...EX Ground Pound > (1)x3 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
...EX Ground Pound > (1)x6 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab


As for anti-airs, in addition to what OmegaK said, don't forget about Jax's 7-frame uppercut, which is particularly useful when you want to avoid switching siddes with the opponent using anti-air grab. Also, strange thing about the anti-air grab is that Jax is completely invincible, even avoiding damage from projectiles, (I believe from startup to first active frame, which is 15 frames in) as long as the opponent is in the air, so it can be situationally useful in that regard. Also, keep jump kick xx Backbreaker in mind.


As for being safe on block, you don't really have to worry about it. All Jax's specials are safe on block, except perhaps a close-range Energy Wave(I'd have to double-check that). Most of Jax's strings are safe on block... I think f+2,2,b+1 and 1,2,3 might be unsafe. f+4,1,3 gives enough advantage on block for a d+1 in most cases. If you want to make a string safer on block and you are fast enough to recognize that the opponent is stand-blocking, you can cancel into Gotcha Grab on a standing opponent, which is neutral on block. I find it particularly helpful after a blocked f+2,2, which gives plenty of time to hit-confirm and observe the position of the opponent's block. I also use 1,2,3 xx Gotcha Grab (the grab gets blocked) or 1,2,3 xx Overhead Smash to punish blocked specials that leave the opponent standing, but its effectiveness has been significantly reduced since the last patch that removed the around +10 frames Gotcha Grab gave on block. (I still find it useful, though).

Also, while CD Jr and Tyrant are good to watch, I'd try to avoid watching some of their pre-patch videos, or at least recognize that some of Jax's options have changed significantly if doing so.
 

PND OmegaK

Drunk and Orderly
Couple things.
Doing NJP actually does a bit less damage than just doing another 1, and I personally find NJP slightly more difficult.
When starting a combo on an aerial opponent, the first hit does not increase the opponent's downward acceleration, so you can do an additional 1 with little to no more difficulty than the usual jab juggles. The same goes for punishing opponents that spin in the air after a blocked special.

Punishing Mileena's EX Teleport Kick is a bit more difficult... I usually block and do d+1 > (1)x3 xx Gotcha Grab, but I just judge what I can fit in based on the height and distance from me at the time. Some moves that leave the opponent spinning in the air on block can be punished by mid Ground Pounds, such as Raiden's superman, but I haven't experimented with which other ones it works on, and it only does about 2% more damage and builds an almost negligible amount of meter.

To punish fast teleports such as Raiden's, I usually just d+1 or 1.


In the corner, I use:

f+4,1,3 > d+1 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab (omitting a 1 or 1,2 if I feel I might drop it)
b+1,2,4 > (1)x6 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab (omitting a 1 or 12 if I feel I might drop it)
f+2,2 xx Dash Punch > d+1 xx Dash Punch > d+1 xx Gotcha Grab (Difficult, but even dropped does the same as or more damage than other options I've found and doesn't throw the opponent out of the corner... still don't use it very often)
Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab

f+4,1,3 > d+1 > (1)x2 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
b+1,2,4 > (1)x3 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x2 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound
...EX Ground Pound > (1)x3 > 1,2 xx Overhead Smash > EX Ground Pound...
...EX Ground Pound > (1)x6 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab


As for anti-airs, in addition to what OmegaK said, don't forget about Jax's 7-frame uppercut, which is particularly useful when you want to avoid switching siddes with the opponent using anti-air grab. Also, strange thing about the anti-air grab is that Jax is completely invincible, even avoiding damage from projectiles, (I believe from startup to first active frame, which is 15 frames in) as long as the opponent is in the air, so it can be situationally useful in that regard. Also, keep jump kick xx Backbreaker in mind.


As for being safe on block, you don't really have to worry about it. All Jax's specials are safe on block, except perhaps a close-range Energy Wave(I'd have to double-check that). Most of Jax's strings are safe on block... I think f+2,2,b+1 and 1,2,3 might be unsafe. f+4,1,3 gives enough advantage on block for a d+1 in most cases. If you want to make a string safer on block and you are fast enough to recognize that the opponent is stand-blocking, you can cancel into Gotcha Grab on a standing opponent, which is neutral on block. I find it particularly helpful after a blocked f+2,2, which gives plenty of time to hit-confirm and observe the position of the opponent's block. I also use 1,2,3 xx Gotcha Grab (the grab gets blocked) or 1,2,3 xx Overhead Smash to punish blocked specials that leave the opponent standing, but its effectiveness has been significantly reduced since the last patch that removed the around +10 frames Gotcha Grab gave on block. (I still find it useful, though).

Also, while CD Jr and Tyrant are good to watch, I'd try to avoid watching some of their pre-patch videos, or at least recognize that some of Jax's options have changed significantly if doing so.
NJP actually does the same amount of damage as a standing 1 and I dont think it affects scaling any differently, just gravity, so substituting is completely up to preference. I do however like your "Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab" combo, it's much easier to do than mine and the damage is larger.

Thanks for the info on the anti-airs, I wasn't actually sure how many jabs you could get in because I never really counted, I just assumed it was 3. x:

I agree with you on punishing Mileena's teleport too, that thing can be a bitch at times. I also didn't know you could punish the ball rolling animation with ground pounds, never even thought about it, good shit!
 
NJP actually does the same amount of damage as a standing 1 and I dont think it affects scaling any differently, just gravity, so substituting is completely up to preference. I do however like your "Ground Pound > dash > 4 > (1)x5 > (1,2)x2 xx Gotcha Grab" combo, it's much easier to do than mine and the damage is larger.
Ah, I figured out why I thought that... it was that combo. I forgot that the 4 gets scaled by the NJP before it. Yeah, as far as I can tell, the damage is the same off each.
 
So can anyone talk to me about the block dashing with the latest patch? Did they nerf it? When i attempt to block dash against zoners I get blown up every time. Before the patch I would just eat chip damage in exchange to close the gap. So either I'm doing something wrong or they completely change it...anyone know whats going on how to properly dash block now?
 
I haven't seen the same thing. It's been working fine for me. You tried Gp canceling out into a dash?
weird, their was a match Saturday on the devastation stream (I believe Sony vs Kabal?) and Sony couldn't dash block in. I heard Tom saying something about it but didn't really catch what he said. Naw, i'll have the cancel a try... I never invested time into it because the gp is already slow and going into a dash didn't really help speed my game up. Plus I don't really see it helping against zoners like Kano or Kabal but at this point I'm willing to try anything.
 

FDY

Noob
Hey all. Just started getting serious with Jax and was wondering about his pressure game. When im finally in on my opponent its hard for me to maintain the advantage up close because im unsure what types of strings or abilities i should be using to keep them trapped. Ive noticed in alot of Jax's videos, especially Tyrants, when hes on his opponent he seems to be doing alot of D3's or maybe D4's with grabs. It all goes so fast its hard to tell whats happening though. Any advice would be appreciated :)
 
Hey all. Just started getting serious with Jax and was wondering about his pressure game. When im finally in on my opponent its hard for me to maintain the advantage up close because im unsure what types of strings or abilities i should be using to keep them trapped. Ive noticed in alot of Jax's videos, especially Tyrants, when hes on his opponent he seems to be doing alot of D3's or maybe D4's with grabs. It all goes so fast its hard to tell whats happening though. Any advice would be appreciated :)
First off, record some of your games rather offline or online. Good way to study whats happening and learn how to adjust your game against other characters. Don't worry about the quality as long as you and the viewers can see whats happening post them on the Jax thread so we can give you feed back.

Jax is a really good rush down character but understand that all characters can't be rush down. For example ermac, his tele grab is just way to fast on wakeup or noobs shadow clone. So there is some guessing games your going to have to put in there. To answer your question it really depends on the character your facing, his gotcha grab beats alot of the normals while his f4,1 xx (move here) will beat most high wakeups. Jax also has a low hit box when your doing d1, d3, d4 which will cause some moves to whiff giving you the chance to kombo. D1 can easily lead into a 20-30% kombo if you anti air with it.

If you have a more specific situation let me know I can better answer the question.
 

ELC

Scrublord McGee
Alright, just got my ass handed to me by Expert AI Jax, and I'm curious: what is the universal punish starter for a ground pound that is cancelled post-pound?
 
Alright, just got my ass handed to me by Expert AI Jax, and I'm curious: what is the universal punish starter for a ground pound that is cancelled post-pound?
Jax can only cancel a Ground Pound post-pound if it hits. He has to wait significantly longer on whiff.
 
His ground pound is really slow, so unless he catches you with f4,1, 4 then the likeliness of him catching you with it is really low. Just be aware and jump on reaction. If he's trying to do it on your wake up tech roll, a normal player will be caught off guard unless your becoming predictable since most players go for medium gp. The AI will probably always catch you so just armor move through it. From your signature i assume you play scorpion, just harpoon his ass or ex when in doubt. I believe he only beats it at full screen.
 
I'm pretty sure he meant after Ground Pound whiffs... There's not really a universal punish, I don't believe. If you're close enough, you can jump-in punch into a combo or hit Jax with a low hitting move, but he recovers and is able to block before standing up (he doesn't even have to stand up), so it's character-dependent. Most of Scorpion's strings would hit Jax, but from a distance, I think you'd have to settle for a Hellfire... Harpoon would whiff and Teleport Punch is too slow and only connects if you use the ground version. You'd have to start the Teleport before he finishes his GP, so he's still able to cancel it into d+1, anti-air grab, etc.

As for punishing him before the Ground Pound connects, there's no real guaranteed way to beat it since he can cancel it into jump, armored moves, projectile, anti-air, low poke, etc. or just let it complete. It's character/situation-dependent and prediction-based.
 
I'm pretty sure he meant after Ground Pound whiffs... There's not really a universal punish, I don't believe. If you're close enough, you can jump-in punch into a combo or hit Jax with a low hitting move, but he recovers and is able to block before standing up (he doesn't even have to stand up), so it's character-dependent. Most of Scorpion's strings would hit Jax, but from a distance, I think you'd have to settle for a Hellfire... Harpoon would whiff and Teleport Punch is too slow and only connects if you use the ground version. You'd have to start the Teleport before he finishes his GP, so he's still able to cancel it into d+1, anti-air grab, etc.

As for punishing him before the Ground Pound connects, there's no real guaranteed way to beat it since he can cancel it into jump, armored moves, projectile, anti-air, low poke, etc. or just let it complete. It's character/situation-dependent and prediction-based.

Oh, if thats the case then ex harpoon or hell fire will do the trick. If your close your going to want to wait a second because right after a whiffed gp because he can instant uppercut right after it.
 
Here's my question. I tried Jax today and seemed to go very well. Would you be kind enought to give me some advice on how to use him combo-wise? The main issue is that I use pdp's MK TE fightstick...I find the distance between some buttons rather far, so I think it's risky to do some combos without my finger leaving the block (R2 middle) button. Thanks guys. I think I'm really gonna like Jax. "Bring it!"
 
Oh, if thats the case then ex harpoon or hell fire will do the trick. If your close your going to want to wait a second because right after a whiffed gp because he can instant uppercut right after it.
Just tested it, EX Harpoon whiffs as well. Hellfire, it is. Or perhaps Takedown, but at that distance, you'd probably just hit him with a string.
 
Just tested it, EX Harpoon whiffs as well. Hellfire, it is. Or perhaps Takedown, but at that distance, you'd probably just hit him with a string.

Interesting, i swore that worked. Ex Harpoon will hit a crouching character rather they block(chips) or not. Didn't realize his hitbox was lower during a ground ppound. When are you doing the EX Harpoon?
 
Here's my question. I tried Jax today and seemed to go very well. Would you be kind enought to give me some advice on how to use him combo-wise? The main issue is that I use pdp's MK TE fightstick...I find the distance between some buttons rather far, so I think it's risky to do some combos without my finger leaving the block (R2 middle) button. Thanks guys. I think I'm really gonna like Jax. "Bring it!"

I was using the Pdp stick as well and I have to say that the distance between the buttons are very annoying! What I suggest if your going to continue using the stick is to go to the lab and practice execution on his strings.

123 xx (special move)
F4,1,4
F4,1, ud4
F4,1, block ud4
F4, ud4
f4, block ud4
B1,2,4xx En. Dash punch


Basically you need to work your hands till your flawless using the block button in kombos.

I eventually ended up having to go to a more execution heavy character like Sonya or Jade to really get that block button down.
 
Interesting, i swore that worked. Ex Harpoon will hit a crouching character rather they block(chips) or not. Didn't realize his hitbox was lower during a ground ppound. When are you doing the EX Harpoon?
Timing it so it passes over him after the Ground Pound already whiffed, but before he starts recovering... I was just letting Jax recover on his own, not hitting any buttons after the GP. I don't think it's so much an issue of his hitbox being lower than a crouch during the Ground Pound as it is the EX Harpoon having the property of hitting crouchers. Example: Just look at Ermac's Force Ball pass through a crouching Kenshi... it's certainly not the lowered hitbox of the crouch that avoids the projectile, but the properties of the attack that causes it to whiff on crouchers. In fact, I think Jax's hitbox is a bit higher than a crouch, at least near his back arm... that's why Teleport Punch still hits him but doesn't hit crouchers; Teleport Punch does not have the property of whiffing on crouchers, it's just the lowered hitbox of crouching that avoids it.
 
I was using the Pdp stick as well and I have to say that the distance between the buttons are very annoying! What I suggest if your going to continue using the stick is to go to the lab and practice execution on his strings.

123 xx (special move)
F4,1,4
F4,1, ud4
F4,1, block ud4
F4, ud4
f4, block ud4
B1,2,4xx En. Dash punch


Basically you need to work your hands till your flawless using the block button in kombos.

I eventually ended up having to go to a more execution heavy character like Sonya or Jade to really get that block button down.
Thank you very much my friend. I will go to the lab and will.. "Bring It!"