Rude
You will serve me in The Netherrealm
In order to get some discussion going on in these forums again, and to help newer players get a grasp on Batman's trait, AND to assist more seasoned players on finer points of Mechanical Bats Management, I've decided to make this thread to talk about it. I should mention that I am, by no means, a great Batman player. I have however, been playing the character since the game released and would very much like to share all that I've learned.
So here are a few general uses for Mechanical Bats:
Safe Jumps/Cross-ups: The idea here is that you release trait, sometime dashing forward, and what happens is that the opponent is forced to block the bats. Because they are blocking the bats, a cross-up j2 is nearly unblockable. It is not a true unblockable set-up though, just in case you were wondering.
Whiff-Punishing: With proper spacing, Batman can release his trait to capitalize on a whiffed move. Again, spacing is crucial here as the timing for different punishes varies, but on hit Batman can get a full combo just from releasing trait after a whiffed move. Solid stuff.
Pressure: One of the most common uses for Batman's trait. During block strings, in the middle of his many block-string gaps, you can release Bats to continue pressure. Take 113 for example. The gap in 113 is 11(HERE)3. So you could do 11, release trait, and continue with another string. Or you could release the trait and try for a cross-up. A lot of this is timing/spacing dependent, but it is very viable. You can also cancel bats during most of his strings and be at enough advantage to follow up with various strings that are uninterruptable. Things like 1,2 xx trait cancel grant huge advantage, and the varying options after have been discussed at length in other threads. The best Batman trait cancel strings are: 1,2, 22, b11. Trait cancelling after these strings is a guaranteed follow-up.
Zoning: Mechanical Bats do basically nothing on block and very little on hit. The only time Zoning with Mechanical Bats is a good idea is if you have a tremendous life-lead, if you're punishing a whiffing jump-in, or if you're just trying to close out the round. The only other time would be for characters like Hawkgirl, where using trait can get her out of the air and into a position you're more comfortable with. Not the recommended use for Bats. I should recant by saying that this does have its use and purpose, especially in certain match-ups, but ONLY in my opinion, zoning with bats is a match-up specific thing. To addendum: Zoning with Bats can be useful if you're trying to position them in a specific way, or keep them blocking for a dash-in, or other spacing-related things.
Anti-Air: While my feelings on Batman's d2 have changed recently, Release Bats is by far his absolute best anti-air option. It can grant a full combo, the tracking definitely helps, and the threat of doing this is enough to stop an opponent from jumping at all. The timing can be very tricky though, so it requires practice.
Ending combos: Batman can release trait at the end of his combos and follow-up with a MB Grapple for a standing reset of sorts. There are all sorts of options and tech involving what to do after a MB Grapple, so I won't delve too deeply into that here. Not a bad way to use Bats, but not the best.
Extending combos: When doing certain strings (F23, as an example) that normally do not combo, releasing trait can allow you to create a combo opportunity where there was none previously. A satisfactory usage of trait.
Defense: There are times when you will be heavily pressured. Bane, Wonder Woman, The Flash, all these characters have very strong pressure games. It is because of this that Batman can hold onto his trait and use them at the right moment to interrupt pressure and turn the mometum around. The most difficult part of this is knowing when to release trait at what situations, and the timing thereof. Now, it is my understanding that you cannot release trait during block stun. If I am incorrect, I will hold all of the dats. You can also release your trait in the middle of string gaps and allow yourself a full-combo punish that other characters cannot.
Well, thank you all for reading. This isn't everything and I will admit that my own understanding of trait and its uses are limited, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling in a discussion about THE MOST important part of playing Batman.
So here are a few general uses for Mechanical Bats:
Safe Jumps/Cross-ups: The idea here is that you release trait, sometime dashing forward, and what happens is that the opponent is forced to block the bats. Because they are blocking the bats, a cross-up j2 is nearly unblockable. It is not a true unblockable set-up though, just in case you were wondering.
Whiff-Punishing: With proper spacing, Batman can release his trait to capitalize on a whiffed move. Again, spacing is crucial here as the timing for different punishes varies, but on hit Batman can get a full combo just from releasing trait after a whiffed move. Solid stuff.
Pressure: One of the most common uses for Batman's trait. During block strings, in the middle of his many block-string gaps, you can release Bats to continue pressure. Take 113 for example. The gap in 113 is 11(HERE)3. So you could do 11, release trait, and continue with another string. Or you could release the trait and try for a cross-up. A lot of this is timing/spacing dependent, but it is very viable. You can also cancel bats during most of his strings and be at enough advantage to follow up with various strings that are uninterruptable. Things like 1,2 xx trait cancel grant huge advantage, and the varying options after have been discussed at length in other threads. The best Batman trait cancel strings are: 1,2, 22, b11. Trait cancelling after these strings is a guaranteed follow-up.
Zoning: Mechanical Bats do basically nothing on block and very little on hit. The only time Zoning with Mechanical Bats is a good idea is if you have a tremendous life-lead, if you're punishing a whiffing jump-in, or if you're just trying to close out the round. The only other time would be for characters like Hawkgirl, where using trait can get her out of the air and into a position you're more comfortable with. Not the recommended use for Bats. I should recant by saying that this does have its use and purpose, especially in certain match-ups, but ONLY in my opinion, zoning with bats is a match-up specific thing. To addendum: Zoning with Bats can be useful if you're trying to position them in a specific way, or keep them blocking for a dash-in, or other spacing-related things.
Anti-Air: While my feelings on Batman's d2 have changed recently, Release Bats is by far his absolute best anti-air option. It can grant a full combo, the tracking definitely helps, and the threat of doing this is enough to stop an opponent from jumping at all. The timing can be very tricky though, so it requires practice.
Ending combos: Batman can release trait at the end of his combos and follow-up with a MB Grapple for a standing reset of sorts. There are all sorts of options and tech involving what to do after a MB Grapple, so I won't delve too deeply into that here. Not a bad way to use Bats, but not the best.
Extending combos: When doing certain strings (F23, as an example) that normally do not combo, releasing trait can allow you to create a combo opportunity where there was none previously. A satisfactory usage of trait.
Defense: There are times when you will be heavily pressured. Bane, Wonder Woman, The Flash, all these characters have very strong pressure games. It is because of this that Batman can hold onto his trait and use them at the right moment to interrupt pressure and turn the mometum around. The most difficult part of this is knowing when to release trait at what situations, and the timing thereof. Now, it is my understanding that you cannot release trait during block stun. If I am incorrect, I will hold all of the dats. You can also release your trait in the middle of string gaps and allow yourself a full-combo punish that other characters cannot.
Well, thank you all for reading. This isn't everything and I will admit that my own understanding of trait and its uses are limited, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling in a discussion about THE MOST important part of playing Batman.
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he only need one bat tho