Tom Brady's Raiden - Critique?

[B W1zZ]

I think he needs to work on his footsies and overall metagame. Also I noticed he was doing B312 shocker into b312 superman which I don't agree with, but at the same time he was using the right corner combos in b312 4 334 33 shocker, F23 superman and 334 4 334 33 shocker, F23 superman. Overall I think combo-wise he cheats himself out of damage for consistency, midscreen anyways. A few times I seen him drop F23 in the corner to bait a wakeup and land an shocker (baraka did a wakeup spin i believe), which worked when he used it but if that shocker is blocked or whiffed you eat a full combo. Also backing too far away after a corner combo and allowing the opponent to escape rather than keeping them cornered.

Basically I think he could be a force once he starts thinking faster on his feet with the character and gains more matchup experience. Also I think he needs more consistency in his combos. One other thing to note is I never seen him use F23 outside of combos (0 on block and if it anti airs can be cancelled into tele/free jump in), or the 121 string as part of his pressuring game, pretty huge in my opinion for staying as unpredictable as you can.

One thing I will give Tom Brady props on is being defense-minded while playing the character. Particularly effective against Kung Lao since that's a character you have to play patiently against, although I can't help but feel against Reptile he focused too much on trying to catch him rather than baiting out dashes/slides/jump ins and punishing accordingly.

I can't help but think of 334 en lightning as a waste of meter, since you're not exactly keeping your opponent trapped and used outside of their wakeup/keeping them trapped in the corner there's a higher chance of them escaping it. Also if the 4 lands and you lightning sure you can get a free superman, but its a waste of meter compared to doing a tele into a higher damaging meterless combo, or a high damaging combo ending in lightning on their wakeup, granting you more pressure. The 4 in 334 is -1 on block so it's generally better to lightning off of a string that is 0 on block where your opponent is left standing if it hits, like F23, B2,F1, 2,2, or occasionally off of the B312 string (after the 1), although the ladder is negative on block it's more of a guessing game. These strings also have hit confirmable enders, like 1+2 for the F23 and B2,F1 string, and either F1 or B4 from the 22 string.

To prove my point go ahead and look at the cancel advantage in the frame data thread. F23, B2,F1, and 22 ALL have cancel advantage on block of +26, which is the exact duration of the front bolt in lightning. 334 only has a cancel advantage of +17, giving your opponent a window of 9 frames to punish before the front bolt even comes out. Note that I'm only talking about these strings regarding cancelling into lightning, and not going in depth on cancelling them into other specials.

 

[Dark_Rob]

I think he needs to work on his footsies and overall metagame. Also I noticed he was doing B312 shocker into b312 superman which I don't agree with, but at the same time he was using the right corner combos in b312 4 334 33 shocker, F23 superman and 334 4 334 33 shocker, F23 superman. Overall I think combo-wise he cheats himself out of damage for consistency, midscreen anyways. A few times I seen him drop F23 in the corner to bait a wakeup and land an shocker (baraka did a wakeup spin i believe), which worked when he used it but if that shocker is blocked or whiffed you eat a full combo. Also backing too far away after a corner combo and allowing the opponent to escape rather than keeping them cornered.

Basically I think he could be a force once he starts thinking faster on his feet with the character and gains more matchup experience. Also I think he needs more consistency in his combos. One other thing to note is I never seen him use F23 outside of combos (0 on block and if it anti airs can be cancelled into tele/free jump in), or the 121 string as part of his pressuring game, pretty huge in my opinion for staying as unpredictable as you can.

One thing I will give Tom Brady props on is being defense-minded while playing the character. Particularly effective against Kung Lao since that's a character you have to play patiently against, although I can't help but feel against Reptile he focused too much on trying to catch him rather than baiting out dashes/slides/jump ins and punishing accordingly.

I can't help but think of 334 en lightning as a waste of meter, since you're not exactly keeping your opponent trapped and used outside of their wakeup/keeping them trapped in the corner there's a higher chance of them escaping it. Also if the 4 lands and you lightning sure you can get a free superman, but its a waste of meter compared to doing a tele into a higher damaging meterless combo, or a high damaging combo ending in lightning on their wakeup, granting you more pressure. The 4 in 334 is -1 on block so it's generally better to lightning off of a string that is 0 on block where your opponent is left standing if it hits, like F23, B2,F1, 2,2, or occasionally off of the B312 string (after the 1), although the ladder is negative on block it's more of a guessing game. These strings also have hit confirmable enders, like 1+2 for the F23 and B2,F1 string, and either F1 or B4 from the 22 string.

To prove my point go ahead and look at the cancel advantage in the frame data thread. F23, B2,F1, and 22 ALL have cancel advantage on block of +26, which is the exact duration of the front bolt in lightning. 334 only has a cancel advantage of +17, giving your opponent a window of 9 frames to punish before the front bolt even comes out. Note that I'm only talking about these strings regarding cancelling into lightning, and not going in depth on cancelling them into other specials.

This is called constructive critisism with alot of good advice to boot. Something alot of people who choose to just mindlessly bash Tom Brady could take a lesson from. Much respect B W1zZ, youve always been one my favorite Raiden players to watch.
One thing Il say seems to get Tom alot is performing under tournament pressure. I get to watch Tom play alot. I sit on my couch and watch him and REO play all night long in my living room going back and forth, back and forth. Tom always plays at a much higher level in casuals than he sometimes displays in tournaments. Trust me when I say Tom is more than capable of playing this game at a very high level. The difference is I think Tom gets rattled more when he gets into trouble in tournament matches where as REO holds himself together mentally much better. The combos Tom was dropping in tournament for instance he never dropped the night before playing REO at my house.
Sure Tom has been playing in tournaments for a long time. But hes never been as much of a public figure as he is and has been over the past year in the MK world. He puts alot of pressure on himself to do well, you guys put even more pressure on him to do well. He goes to these tournaments and has to fight total monsters like Maxter,CD,CD jr, REO etc etc. Its alot to live up to.
I think he did fairly well for his first outing with Raiden. Sure hes got some more work to do, but we all know how dedicated he is to the game and I think we will see more and more improvement at each tournament.

 

[Salad Petresky]

I want to see several scenarios like Kitana 2,1. That could be one though.

16 man lol, kitana only has 1 frame to punish teleport. I think its pretty impossible, I think if you dont have things like reptile dash; punishing it will be really hard even when you see it comming

Umm... problems with brady's raiden: Dropping combos, back jumping like a mad man (that MU with art was terrible), no patient, 334 ex lightning is a problem, not punishing with superman on wiff strings, he goes in when he doesnt need to, and he doesnt delay his teleport like when perfect legend played raiden. I mean wheres the brady that goes for time out lol?

 

[salvificblood]

This is called constructive critisism with alot of good advice to boot. Something alot of people who choose to just mindlessly bash Tom Brady could take a lesson from. Much respect B W1zZ, youve always been one my favorite Raiden players to watch.
One thing Il say seems to get Tom alot is performing under tournament pressure. I get to watch Tom play alot. I sit on my couch and watch him and REO play all night long in my living room going back and forth, back and forth. Tom always plays at a much higher level in casuals than he sometimes displays in tournaments. Trust me when I say Tom is more than capable of playing this game at a very high level. The difference is I think Tom gets rattled more when he gets into trouble in tournament matches where as REO holds himself together mentally much better. The combos Tom was dropping in tournament for instance he never dropped the night before playing REO at my house.
Sure Tom has been playing in tournaments for a long time. But hes never been as much of a public figure as he is and has been over the past year in the MK world. He puts alot of pressure on himself to do well, you guys put even more pressure on him to do well. He goes to these tournaments and has to fight total monsters like Maxter,CD,CD jr, REO etc etc. Its alot to live up to.
I think he did fairly well for his first outing with Raiden. Sure hes got some more work to do, but we all know how dedicated he is to the game and I think we will see more and more improvement at each tournament.

This is why I want to see Tom do well. I hate to see somebody who's really good underperform because of pressure. I get the feeling that Tom puts so much into the game he gets really tight in matchplay, whereas in casuals, he can probably just relax and let his instinct take over a bit more.

I've said it before, people need to just let the guy play the game instead of being on his case at every available opportunity.

 

[Sasarix]

This is why I want to see Tom do well. I hate to see somebody who's really good underperform because of pressure. I get the feeling that Tom puts so much into the game he gets really tight in matchplay, whereas in casuals, he can probably just relax and let his instinct take over a bit more.

I've said it before, people need to just let the guy play the game instead of being on his case at every available opportunity.

What you say is true but please stop putting him up on this platform that he dosn't deserve. "People need to just let the guy play the game". We don't stop him from playing the game what he needs to do is stop blaming the community and input bugs everytime he loses.

 

[salvificblood]

What you say is true but please stop putting him up on this platform that he dosn't deserve. "People need to just let the guy play the game". We don't stop him from playing the game what he needs to do is stop blaming the community and input bugs everytime he loses.

You're a typical example of the kind of person I was talking about.

 

[Mr. Mileena]

It was Tom's first Major using a new character.
Give him some props.

I'll probably choke when I use sindel at my first major too, it's normal.
You have to punish differently, completely re-learn matchups, etc.

I'm sure he will be better by FR, (i really hope he stops doing the ex "trap", waste of meter)

All in all, Tom played it well, i can see where he is coming from.
I hope he does better next major

 

[B W1zZ]

This is called constructive critisism with alot of good advice to boot. Something alot of people who choose to just mindlessly bash Tom Brady could take a lesson from. Much respect B W1zZ, youve always been one my favorite Raiden players to watch.
One thing Il say seems to get Tom alot is performing under tournament pressure. I get to watch Tom play alot. I sit on my couch and watch him and REO play all night long in my living room going back and forth, back and forth. Tom always plays at a much higher level in casuals than he sometimes displays in tournaments. Trust me when I say Tom is more than capable of playing this game at a very high level. The difference is I think Tom gets rattled more when he gets into trouble in tournament matches where as REO holds himself together mentally much better. The combos Tom was dropping in tournament for instance he never dropped the night before playing REO at my house.
Sure Tom has been playing in tournaments for a long time. But hes never been as much of a public figure as he is and has been over the past year in the MK world. He puts alot of pressure on himself to do well, you guys put even more pressure on him to do well. He goes to these tournaments and has to fight total monsters like Maxter,CD,CD jr, REO etc etc. Its alot to live up to.
I think he did fairly well for his first outing with Raiden. Sure hes got some more work to do, but we all know how dedicated he is to the game and I think we will see more and more improvement at each tournament.

This is exactly the point of my post. By no means do I want to bash on Tom Brady at all, but just throw a few things out there that I noticed. I have a lot of respect for him as a player and I'm glad he made the switch to Raiden. The thing about Raiden is you can't just pick him up and expect to get #1 at every single tournament. Despite what people may think the character is fairly easy to pick up and start doing well with, BUT he really takes time to master and learn the matchups, especially if you're going up against players like Morty who are highly experienced fighting against the character.

On the casuals vs tournament note I can totally see it. For instance the past 2 time's I've actually played Marvaz in a tournament he bodied me in casuals beforehand but I ended up beating him in tournament matches. The pressure of performing well can be a bitch, but keeping it together in a tourney in my opinion is just one of those skills you have to develop on your own.

 

[Sasarix]

It was Tom's first Major using a new character.
Give him some props.

I'll probably choke when I use sindel at my first major too, it's normal.
You have to punish differently, completely re-learn matchups, etc.

I'm sure he will be better by FR, (i really hope he stops doing the ex "trap", waste of meter)

All in all, Tom played it well, i can see where he is coming from.
I hope he does better next major

Ok again I don't have a problem with the guys abilities in MK. And him losing last night wasn't that bad cause it was his 1st major with Raiden. I respect what he has done for the community but he gets no respect for the way he acts about losing and any of you think it's ok to act like he does when you lose then your just as bad as him. When he loses he should get up, shake his opponents hand and tell him GG instead he scoffs and makes a podcast blaming everyone but himself. Other than the poor sportsmanship that he shows I think he's an ok dude.

 

[MashPotatoTower]

for the record i didnt read anyones post.
Tom should of switched to sub zero! HE SHOULD OF SWITCHED TO SUB ZERO!!!!
what are you trying to prove tom? why? so what if subzero has a bad match up against freddy that is no reason to drop his ass at the corner.

I believe in you Tom. now believe in your self.
toms raiden is awesome dont get me wrong. he could very well be the best character in the game, but it will never be by enough for him to dominate everyone else raiden alone.

Toms biggest weakness is how easy it is to get the crowd against him.

 

[Zoidberg747]

Tom takes the game very seriously, and when he loses it does seem like he is salty and a bad sport. But people have to understand that when you put so much effort and time into something, and then you do not perform as well as expected, it is a really terrible feeling(Not saying he didnt perform well, top 16 at a major with a new char. is impressive IMO. I am talking general here). Sometimes you do take out this terrible feeling on the things around you, and you may come off as a bad sport. I ahte to break it to you, but that is human nature. When I lose a basketball game by 2 points that eliminates my team from the tournament we had been working all season toward, I may not feel like shaking the other teams hand. I am either too dissappointed in myself, or to angry at bad refs(i.e. bad characters like Sub).

All of that aside, Tom does more for the MK community than anyone else, and is one of the most knowledgeable players I know of. Sometimes he takes hype to a crazy level, but you have to take the good with the bad.

 

[Sasarix]

Tom takes the game very seriously, and when he loses it does seem like he is salty and a bad sport. But people have to understand that when you put so much effort and time into something, and then you do not perform as well as expected, it is a really terrible feeling(Not saying he didnt perform well, top 16 at a major with a new char. is impressive IMO. I am talking general here). Sometimes you do take out this terrible feeling on the things around you, and you may come off as a bad sport. I ahte to break it to you, but that is human nature. When I lose a basketball game by 2 points that eliminates my team from the tournament we had been working all season toward, I may not feel like shaking the other teams hand. I am either too dissappointed in myself, or to angry at bad refs(i.e. bad characters like Sub).

All of that aside, Tom does more for the MK community than anyone else, and is one of the most knowledgeable players I know of. Sometimes he takes hype to a crazy level, but you have to take the good with the bad.

Well that is the difference between a player and a pro player. And even if you don't shake the other teams hand after your basketball game I bet you don't go and make a video blaming the crowd for your loss.

 

[Pig Of The Hut]

Man I love Tom and why do I feel like in the end he'll win evo

It's like rocky 4

 

[Mr. Mileena]

Ok again I don't have a problem with the guys abilities in MK. And him losing last night wasn't that bad cause it was his 1st major with Raiden. I respect what he has done for the community but he gets no respect for the way he acts about losing and any of you think it's ok to act like he does when you lose then your just as bad as him. When he loses he should get up, shake his opponents hand and tell him GG instead he scoffs and makes a podcast blaming everyone but himself. Other than the poor sportsmanship that he shows I think he's an ok dude.

This thread is to solely critique Tom's Raiden, not his attitude, personality, etc.
Let's not get off topic.
Enough said.

 

[Zoidberg747]

Trust me, we blame the refs for A LOT of games(there are times when it is justified too, LOL). And like I said, you have to take the good with the bad.

 

[Sasarix]

I think his Raiden will be fine if he just studies the match-ups a little more this time. Before he fought Sabin I thought he was doing a great job other than wasted meter but he was trying some different stuff this time. I also think he was not playing as safe as he normally does and that could have had a big affect on his reads. I agree with THTB though I think Kenshi would be a better character for him to play. If he studies his match-ups with Raiden you might see him win a major this year as long as CD Jr and Reo stay home ;P

 

[UsedForGlue]

Right, that's not punishing, that's being forced into a guessing game and happening to guess right. The power to force a guess like that all the time is ridiculous.

Yea, there is no way its a safe teleport, it can be punished on reaction, but like your saying, you defiantly shouldn't build your game around it. Its not a solid tactic.

 

[Salad Petresky]

Yea, there is no way its a safe teleport, it can be punished on reaction, but like your saying, you defiantly shouldn't build your game around it. Its not a solid tactic.

Kitana cant punish on reaction man, you have 1 frame to punish it with a full combo. 2 is 12 frames, teleport is -13 frames

 

[Big Pampering]

dropping combos, ex lightning ball needs to go, more use of projectiles, better footsies, more use of d3 and grabs to open up opponents, less use of f24 after teleport, better meter management

imo tom should play more patiently, the way he plays know I feel like he gives his opponent all the chance of picking up on his habits but not allowing himself to pick up any habits his opponent has. tom seems to be very afraid to take any risks also, he is too aware of raidens weaknesses. and just because raiden might not have any bad matchups doesnt mean he doesnt have to learn any matchups. learning matchups takes time, that is why his raiden is still incomplete.

And I really think he should keep a kung lao as a second, for example raiden vs reptile is a big NO imo. Props to brady, I dont think he has enought time until final round to learn all the matchups from the start but until evo he should be able to polish his raiden a lot better.

 

[UsedForGlue]

Kitana cant punish on reaction man, you have 1 frame to punish it with a full combo. 2 is 12 frames, teleport is -13 frames

Maybe Pig and me think its easier to punish because we use Instant Short dive kicks with CSZ.

 

[MashPotatoTower]

lol yeah like rocky 4

if you can change! and I can change! WE ALL CAN CHANGE!!!... to raiden..

 

[NRF CharlieMurphy]

Honestly... there were times watching when I was thinking "JUST LET IT GO MAN!!!" He'd get someone guessing and then bail them out by backing off. To me... Raiden is at his best when he blitzes you for like... 2 or 3 block strings with teleports mixed in.. and throws. I don't know what it is about some people who hate throws... by I think we can all agree how annoying they are... especially when you are trying to guess when to counter attack.

Again... there were flashes of brilliance in what he did. It only takes Raiden like... one string to get you into the corner.

Obviously I can't give any advice game wise. I simply think... he needs to "let er' rip" and just pummel people.

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

Yea, there is no way its a safe teleport, it can be punished on reaction, but like your saying, you defiantly shouldn't build your game around it. Its not a solid tactic.

It's not completely safe it's just very fast, try to cross-up raiden in the corner as he teleports and he'll catch that JiP.

Another way to confirm it, is with CSZ divekick autocorrect that i know you're aware of.

As far as his Raiden goes, in some matches he looked like the best Raiden i've seen then in others he looked like a day 1 Raiden. But overall his Raiden is solid, he just needs more time with the character and get his execution on point.

 

[salvificblood]

Maybe Pig and me think its easier to punish because we use Instant Short dive kicks with CSZ.

You have the advantage of being able to catch Raiden in anything he's going to follow a teleport up with with the short divekick, too. It's not like you're late and he full combos you. To consitently deal with the tele, you need to be in punish mode for the entire time against raiden. Absolutely hate it.

 

[Grolarbears]

Yea, there is no way its a safe teleport, it can be punished on reaction, but like your saying, you defiantly shouldn't build your game around it. Its not a solid tactic.

Are we talking about a full punish here as in a full combo punish? Because I know Noob can punish Raiden's teleport with his throw and 1,2. I just wanted to clarify so I could understand. A solid Raiden player I play against locally, I punish him often with Noob's throw, but his teleports are also mildly predictable.