Green Arrow does pretty poorly against Deathstroke, in my opinion. My friend and I are Deathstroke and Green Arrow mains (respectively) and we play this match-up 30-40 times a day. The points I have learned from this grinding session:
- Blocking and patience are your best tools against Deathstroke. You're going to get beat up by him if you try to play aggressively. His options beat yours. Look for punishes.
- Green Arrow needs to end his strings by cancelling into DD4/DB4/DF4. This sacrifices a bit of damage (usually 5-10% raw damage on the end of your combo before degradation) but it allows you to safely equip an arrow. I can't stress enough how important this is. Green Arrow needs his trait to be on par with most of the cast in terms of ranged game. If you manage to dry equip (just by getting to midscreen+ and hitting the command) you're going to eat Deathstroke's DF1 for 6% damage and pushback, or 14% damage from his DF2. If you take a DF2MB, you're looking at 17% damage and a knockback, setting you up for a disadvantage. Consider this: You equip fire arrows and eat a DF2 MB. You're now farther away on the screen, where Deathstroke has better options and are down 17% health. Your fire arrows do 8% each; meaning you need to land all 3 to have a better trade than Deathstroke gets for free. Don't equip arrows unless you're cancelling in from a string.
- On that note, it is extremely important to remember to -try and always have arrows equipped.- If you don't have a trait, your next pressure string (b23, b13, 113, f2d13 etc) should be ended with dd4, df4 or db4. The arrow choices are yours, but I prefer freeze arrows and fire arrows vs Deathstroke because each knockdown scores me 1-2 safe dashes to close the distance and reduce Deathstroke's power.
- Once you're in on Deathstroke, the match-up goes from shitty to less shitty. Deathstroke's wake-up options are solid, but unsafe. This comes back to the first point: Blocking and patience are your best tools. Deathstroke players will often use the df3 (Sword Flip) as a wake-up option with it's extremely fast start-up and solid priority. If Deathstroke wakes up with a df3 and you block it- you get a free f2d13 xx Equip Arrow. It's not a lot of damage but it works and it gets you an arrow. Green Arrow's other options all pretty much suck so far as I'm aware. Slide is inconsistent: you win or it trades if it's meatier, but if you're a split second late you're gonna get owned and sent back into the zoning vortex. His DF3 isn't technically safe on block, but the pushback and startup of your strings means that most of your stuff is going to be blocked if you do actually manage to get in on him after a blocked df3, but I've found that most Deathstroke players (and players in general) aren't ready for the f2d13's quick low-overhead mixup so you'll usually score a hit off of an incorrect block, and it's relatively safe.
- If Deathstroke is playing the zoning game from full-screen your only option that I've found is to walk forward and crouch block on reaction to Machine Gun startup. Crouch blocking severely reduces Deathstroke's zoning options: low pistols and does chip and gives you a little bit of a walk-forward, high-pistols whiff and give you a solid step or two forward, machine gun will hip and usually gives a dash in between firing. The only reaction ability you need to learn is to stand block if you notice him doing the EX machine gun. The grenade fired hits overhead and will push you back 1/4 to 1/2 screen. DO NOT JUMP AT DEATHSTROKE. It is the worst thing you can do. Jumping over the Machine Guns gives him a chance to react and EX the Machine gun and the grenade will hit you, knocking you back and returning you to the stupidity of his full-screen game. Slowly walk towards him. If he backdashes to open the gap, you have time to forward dash and close it. While this game is slow and methodical, you are getting closer to him which is what you want and if he's backdashing, you're still maintaining the gap and slowly pushing him into the corner.
- If Deathstroke activates his power (at mid/fullscreen), it makes his bullets unblockable for a short period of time, so this is when you want to jump. When you jump you agree to take damage, but some of the bullets won't hit you in a juggled state so you are getting less damage than you otherwise would. You give up your progress by getting hit in the air as it knocks you back, but the trade off is when his power goes on cooldown (be aware of this) you usually get 2 free dashes easily. Just be aware to block the possible df3 because it beats everything you have at close enough range (joy).
- If Deathstroke activates his power from mid-screen or closer, you have the option to dash (if necessary) and punish with j3, 223 xx DF1. It's 30% damage and scores a knockdown. Unfortunately, because Deathstroke is cool, you don't get to mix him up, you get to block his wake-up and then punish again. Blocking and patience.
- Deathstoke can also corner-rush you down and once he scores a solid knock-down he can move in on you and start his mix-up. His b222 string is an overhead mix-up that ends -8 on block, his b1u2 is a low-mixup launcher that is safe on block and if lands can hit confirm easily into a 3231 xx df1 for 24% damage and reset you to midscreen, or a super if he has the bars (though Deathstroke playing a zoning game often won't have full bars due to his df3mb being so solid.
- Once you have dealt with the full-screen zoning game and get to mid-screen, this is where you have a solid ability to deal with his zoning. If he does a machine gun at this middle range (from the range at the start of the match to a little farther than that) you have time to jump in and 3 him. You can sometimes pick up the 223xxarrow equip or 223xxdf1 or 223xbf3mb (unconfirmed) for some damage but if you don't have the arrows I recommend picking up fire arrows. A fire arrow does 8% and scores you a knockdown (which equals free dashes which eliminates a lot of the headache out of the matchup.
- If you do for some reason get caught jumping in on Deathstroke and he plans to start machine gun just as you're coming down, you can use GA's db1 to delay your fall and possibly survive the machine gun. You don't get a punish off this but you won't eat damage and get knocked back either. Still, try not to ever jump in at Deathstroke from any range other than midscreen when he has no meter. Otherwise you'll just get hit, get pushed back, and deal with the horrible vortex all over again.
TL;DR: Deathstroke is a beast at full-screen, but walking forward and crouch-blocking when he fires beats most of his options. Watch for Machine Gun with Meter Burn: the grenade hits overhead. When you advance to midscreen you have more options, you can j3 him on reaction to a machine gun but if he has meter, a good deathstroke will meterburn and knock you back because the grenade will anti-air you. So only jump in on him if he's meterless or you feel he won't react in time. Off the j3, your best punish without arrows is usually 223xdf1. This gives a solid 30% damage and builds some meter. Dash in afterwards and then block his wake-up to keep pressure on. Remember to cancel your pressure strings into equipping your trait. f2d13 xx dd4 is a great mixup that leaves you with 3 fire arrows. Never think you can equip arrows freely, you'll eat sick damage and be forced to fight Deathstroke at range. Your best option is almost always blocking. Most of his shit is really safe but you can punish wiffed machine guns with jumpins if you get away with it, or if you block his b222 overhead mixup (hits high, mid, high) you can score a full punish. When Deathstroke is on top of you, crouch blocking beats most of his options, wait with one finger on the throw tech button and wait for the overhead mixups to stand block. His b1u2 launcher is too safe and fast for him not to use, so if you resort to stand blocking you're gonna get launched and eat constant 20+% combos.
Notice: I am not an amazing player. This game is still new. If there is misinformation, correct me. Let me know. I hate this match-up as much as the rest of us and would love tips on how to deal with it. I'd rate it as a 7-3 matchup in Deathstroke's favour: Green Arrow can't really beat Deathstroke's wake-up game with anything. (I've tried a lot of different things) Deathstroke's zoning is much more powerful at ALL ranges until Green Arrow equips arrows. The green arrows do 1% damage and will trade with Deathstroke's ranged attacks. It's never worth it to fire a green arrow. Green Arrow has to give up combo finishers to get his trait and the only good thing for Green Arrow is his super and ice arrows being good tools to reset and deal heavy (70%+) damage in a single combo. It's still an uphill battle though. Good luck fellow Green Arrows!
