Hey folks, here is a write-up discussing Zod's possibilities when trait is not active, i am posting it on behalf of Phosferrax as he is unable to do so himself.
"Zod has imo the most diverse zoning in the game, but every Zod must remember that without trait, he has virtually no mix-up potential. He has no fast overheard options and variants of strings mixed with mb laser are gimmicky at best, but you will catch people some of the time for big damage. This does not matter that much though, as we seen characters like BA who has no low/overhead mix-up game still be lethal.
Upclose
Zod's upclose game without trait is not about being in someones face pushing buttons or pressuring them as he has no pressure, it is about getting them back out again. None of Zods strings are punishable because on block every string ends with phantom strike which can't be interrupted and leaves Zod at -2 with slight pushback. From here, backdash or parry are your best option to put space between you and your opponent and once those option are respected you can start to press buttons after phantom strike.
His fastest starter is d12. Don't think of it as a d1, think of it as a 7f mid-hitting combo starter. Never EVER just do d1, always do d12 hit-confirm as with a d1 on hit you have wasted a combo opportunity and d12 on block is only -1. On block this leaves you with all the same options as a phantom strike. Use d12 to react to dash-ins and make sure you don't waste the meter by inputting close laser regardless.
His only strings that are advantage on block are 112 (approx. +5), 22 (+1) and b23 (+2). The thing is that with Injustice, small block advantage isn't straight forward, there is always a mix-up between whether your opponent backdashes and the whole meta-game that branches from that, except in the corner of course. But Zod wants them to backdash as it opens up his zoning options again. As usual, once they stop doing that, you can utilise your advantage, or can even backdash yourself.
In the corner, if the opponent blocks 112, go for 22, and if they block that go for d12. This is the advantage pyramid, make them respect it and you can start doing other shit. Again, once your advantage comes to an end, your initial objective is to get out of there face.
Now, make sure you know the spacing of Phantom Strike perfectly. This is his best footsies tool with its relatively fast start-up, big range and hitbox and its options on hit/block.
Zod's upclose game is fairly straight forward, he was not designed to mash buttons in the opponents face all day.
Zoning
I will start off by saying that Instant Air Zod Ball (IAZB) is his best zoning asset. This move has so much potential and should be used as your main option every time you can score a knockdown. It is better than regular zod ball in nearly every way and once an IAZB is out (especially the slow one) Zod has command of the screen. The start-up and recovery is better than regular Zod ball, but most important is that on block they grant massive advantage, which standing zod balls do not.
However, they only hit high. This means that once a slow IAZB is on the screen, the opponent will have to sit there crouching to avoid being hit by it. Zod plays his game when this move is active; if the opponent is crouching to avoid it then you can Instant Air Zod Charge (IAZC) to get into their face and attempt a throw or an ambiguous cross-up (There may be some dirt based around a throw and the Zod ball but I can't test it right now), or you can use it to set-up more zoning or even get trait out.
I don't know what to make of mb Air Zod balls yet, them seem at the moment to be a waste of meter but maybe they can be used to set up some unblockable situations in conjunction with lasers.
Learn the spacing for lasers and learn to watch your opponent; input the laser command and watch for any movement to quickly input the distance command: this is a big asset for any Zod player. Combining IAZB and mb laser can create massive chip-out situations to win a game if you're packing the meter; a mb laser on block allows for a IAZB which means they either have to jump or crouch, resulting in either an IAZC or another mb laser, both of which set-up for more zoning shenanigans.
I don't know how I feel about mb sidearm. The regular move is a great fast projectile which is a staple of Zod's zoning, but i'm not sure if the mb version is worth the extra meter. I was thinking of it as a better version of Sinestro's mb projectile, but Zod has more diverse options. Still, on block it is +3 and on hit grants good advantage to get a IAZB out with appropriate spacing.
Zod Charge is straight forward, if they're being cocky in their approach, throw it out in the appropriate range, but always use Phantom Strike over Zod Charge when you can. ZC is good for reversing positions so when you've cornered yourself, you can either Air Zod Charge to get out, or confirm a string/combo into ZC to corner them and open up the rest of the screen again. Don't go putting yourself in the corner because you wanted the extra %2 on a combo. If they jump midscreen then IAZC them. Make sure they know that they can't jump to avoid your zoning. The same with intractables, if you thinking they'll go for it then use ZC. It's a really great way to counter the intractable, then you can use it on them after the ZC has hit.
Speaking of which, make sure you utilise your spacing in combos so that you always have the majority of the screen to work with and remember that Phantom Strike on hit is better for setting up IAZB's which is why I favour ending combos with it over ZC.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on playing Zod, I'm sure I've missed some stuff out so please contribute. Also, please none of this 'I knew this day 1' bullshit please."
"Zod has imo the most diverse zoning in the game, but every Zod must remember that without trait, he has virtually no mix-up potential. He has no fast overheard options and variants of strings mixed with mb laser are gimmicky at best, but you will catch people some of the time for big damage. This does not matter that much though, as we seen characters like BA who has no low/overhead mix-up game still be lethal.
Upclose
Zod's upclose game without trait is not about being in someones face pushing buttons or pressuring them as he has no pressure, it is about getting them back out again. None of Zods strings are punishable because on block every string ends with phantom strike which can't be interrupted and leaves Zod at -2 with slight pushback. From here, backdash or parry are your best option to put space between you and your opponent and once those option are respected you can start to press buttons after phantom strike.
His fastest starter is d12. Don't think of it as a d1, think of it as a 7f mid-hitting combo starter. Never EVER just do d1, always do d12 hit-confirm as with a d1 on hit you have wasted a combo opportunity and d12 on block is only -1. On block this leaves you with all the same options as a phantom strike. Use d12 to react to dash-ins and make sure you don't waste the meter by inputting close laser regardless.
His only strings that are advantage on block are 112 (approx. +5), 22 (+1) and b23 (+2). The thing is that with Injustice, small block advantage isn't straight forward, there is always a mix-up between whether your opponent backdashes and the whole meta-game that branches from that, except in the corner of course. But Zod wants them to backdash as it opens up his zoning options again. As usual, once they stop doing that, you can utilise your advantage, or can even backdash yourself.
In the corner, if the opponent blocks 112, go for 22, and if they block that go for d12. This is the advantage pyramid, make them respect it and you can start doing other shit. Again, once your advantage comes to an end, your initial objective is to get out of there face.
Now, make sure you know the spacing of Phantom Strike perfectly. This is his best footsies tool with its relatively fast start-up, big range and hitbox and its options on hit/block.
Zod's upclose game is fairly straight forward, he was not designed to mash buttons in the opponents face all day.
Zoning
I will start off by saying that Instant Air Zod Ball (IAZB) is his best zoning asset. This move has so much potential and should be used as your main option every time you can score a knockdown. It is better than regular zod ball in nearly every way and once an IAZB is out (especially the slow one) Zod has command of the screen. The start-up and recovery is better than regular Zod ball, but most important is that on block they grant massive advantage, which standing zod balls do not.
However, they only hit high. This means that once a slow IAZB is on the screen, the opponent will have to sit there crouching to avoid being hit by it. Zod plays his game when this move is active; if the opponent is crouching to avoid it then you can Instant Air Zod Charge (IAZC) to get into their face and attempt a throw or an ambiguous cross-up (There may be some dirt based around a throw and the Zod ball but I can't test it right now), or you can use it to set-up more zoning or even get trait out.
I don't know what to make of mb Air Zod balls yet, them seem at the moment to be a waste of meter but maybe they can be used to set up some unblockable situations in conjunction with lasers.
Learn the spacing for lasers and learn to watch your opponent; input the laser command and watch for any movement to quickly input the distance command: this is a big asset for any Zod player. Combining IAZB and mb laser can create massive chip-out situations to win a game if you're packing the meter; a mb laser on block allows for a IAZB which means they either have to jump or crouch, resulting in either an IAZC or another mb laser, both of which set-up for more zoning shenanigans.
I don't know how I feel about mb sidearm. The regular move is a great fast projectile which is a staple of Zod's zoning, but i'm not sure if the mb version is worth the extra meter. I was thinking of it as a better version of Sinestro's mb projectile, but Zod has more diverse options. Still, on block it is +3 and on hit grants good advantage to get a IAZB out with appropriate spacing.
Zod Charge is straight forward, if they're being cocky in their approach, throw it out in the appropriate range, but always use Phantom Strike over Zod Charge when you can. ZC is good for reversing positions so when you've cornered yourself, you can either Air Zod Charge to get out, or confirm a string/combo into ZC to corner them and open up the rest of the screen again. Don't go putting yourself in the corner because you wanted the extra %2 on a combo. If they jump midscreen then IAZC them. Make sure they know that they can't jump to avoid your zoning. The same with intractables, if you thinking they'll go for it then use ZC. It's a really great way to counter the intractable, then you can use it on them after the ZC has hit.
Speaking of which, make sure you utilise your spacing in combos so that you always have the majority of the screen to work with and remember that Phantom Strike on hit is better for setting up IAZB's which is why I favour ending combos with it over ZC.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on playing Zod, I'm sure I've missed some stuff out so please contribute. Also, please none of this 'I knew this day 1' bullshit please."
