No one should downplay Takeda at this point. The only thing that gets me is all this debate between Shirai Ryu and Ronin while leaving Lasher out of the discussion. These three variations complement each other so well at this point in the game that it's stupid not to learn all three.
@HomeLee1121 PLEASE play Lasher for a week but when you lab look for gaps that you can armor through with EX Whip Trip. Practice doing that consistently and observe the level of mind fuck your opponent reaches. People aren't used to playing a Takeda that reminds them of gaps in their pressure.
Look at how long you can delay an EX Whip Trip to crush wake ups (Surprisingly WHEN you see the flash you can start the move on alot of wake ups) Jax EX OH Dash Fist is one of the wake ups that the second you see the flash you can start the input and crush his wake up. You'll ACTUALLY get Jax to respect you.
Experiment with zoning with kunai, reading a jump, running in, and catching them with Whip Strike. Characters who run to close distance alot (like cassie) get caught with D+F 1 into whip trip ALL THE TIME. I know the execution is tricky and DF1 come out instead sometimes but it's worth learning. Do that 10/10 and and you'll look for all kinds of moments it'll save you in match ups you thought you were under soo much pressure.
Most importantly though, outside of hitting people with blade drop, blade kall combos, armoring with EX Whip Trip is one of the most satisfying feelings you'll ever experience playing Takeda.
End your combos mid screen with whip strike and run in to start your mix up game. If they wake up EX Whip Trip. If they block mix them up or throw. PUsh them to the corner and Lasher wrecks face!
EX Kunai Restand works in the conrer exactly the same as it does in Shirai Ryu so it's possible to get crazy damage with Lasher. Ex Whip Strike keeps opponents from jumping out of the corner and keeps them scared.
There's no reason to not play this variation just keep in mind your going to want to BULLY the opponent not just play defensively all the time.