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Beginner Ermac players questions and answers thread

Skkra

Skkra

PSN: Skkra
Well, first off, take online with a grain of salt, since lag changes the entire game. Don't take it too seriously.

How long have you been playing fighting games? Is MK the first game you're playing with serious intent to improve? From your post, it sounds like you're new to higher-level play; I would imagine your problem is simply underdeveloped fundamentals.

It's really, really, really hard to just explain to someone how to "be good." I could say, pressure using jump-in punch to 3,1~throw... but that advice is meaningless when the real issue might be that you can't properly set yourself up to DO a jump-in punch in the first place.

Do you understand Ermac's overall game plan? Do you feel comfortable with basics like dash-blocking, footsies, and the concept of proper spacing? I'm guessing your issues like with things like these.

The absolutely best thing you could do is get us a few matches of you playing. It doesn't matter if its just your digital camera recording your TV - anything where we could see you play would be great. Be sure to post some matches of you losing, of course, so we could tell you what you could've done.

If you were on PSN I'd add you and play you myself and go from there. Maybe an XBL person here could play a set with you and give you insights.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
Your right those basics are a part of it. I don't feel comfortable dash-blocking,footsies, and I get pressured and forget the spacing to zone. I will try to upload some games of me playing with Ermac before the weekends over.

Edit: No, I personally don't feel as though I understand his overall game plan ,and I've played the entire MK series ,but this is in fact the first I want to improve with serious intent. I also have no other way to play around other than online ,and get beat.(My friends don't play ,and I'm better than my cousins) One last thing I am new to higher-level play.
 
fr stack

fr stack

Noob's saibot or noob saibot's?
wit ermac id say hes a reactionary character abuse his bf 1 and fireballs when they start gettin reckless u can then combo them
also abuse his f4 and finish all combos wit f4 as it grants a 312 heres an example b114 lift jump kick teleport f4 31 31 312 (if the 312 hits ) jump in punch to pressure
 
Theme

Theme

Noob
I highly recommend practicing up on the b1,2,f1, ("We Win" *I think*), teleport, dash forward, 2, force lift, dash forward, b1,2,f1, dash forward, force-push. That does 39% (42% with JIP) with no bars needed. Add a bar at the end for like 45%. Its hard at first, trust me, but after an hour or two, you'll muscle memory it like I did. I just recently picked up Ermac too. It looks fancy and sick, and in my opinion, easy to learn too compared to other execution heavy characters (Just look at Kabal lmfao).

I also highly DONT recommend using force-lift as a wakeup. It is too highly punishable. You may get away with force-push wakeup because of the horrid online, but dont try it offline, you'll get punished hard. I find using pokes and unfinished strings to force your opponents to move/unblock a good way to get chip damage and build meter too.

I usually do JIP 312 then d1/d3 (doesnt matter, just poke him after that) or cross up. Sometimes, I like to add a force push or lift (lift is more risky, but its worth it IMO). You also dont want to get predictable after finishing 312, so I like to 31,31,312 poke etc. Mix it up with Ermacs low and overhead moves like JIP F3 / U4 and you're golden. Should beat most online scrubs out there.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
Theme said:
I highly recommend practicing up on the b1,2,f1, ("We Win" *I think*), teleport, dash forward, 2, force lift, dash forward, b1,2,f1, dash forward, force-push. That does 39% (42% with JIP) with no bars needed. Add a bar at the end for like 45%. Its hard at first, trust me, but after an hour or two, you'll muscle memory it like I did. I just recently picked up Ermac too. It looks fancy and sick, and in my opinion, easy to learn too compared to other execution heavy characters (Just look at Kabal lmfao).

I also highly DONT recommend using force-lift as a wakeup. It is too highly punishable. You may get away with force-push wakeup because of the horrid online, but dont try it offline, you'll get punished hard. I find using pokes and unfinished strings to force your opponents to move/unblock a good way to get chip damage and build meter too.

I usually do JIP 312 then d1/d3 (doesnt matter, just poke him after that) or cross up. Sometimes, I like to add a force push or lift (lift is more risky, but its worth it IMO). You also dont want to get predictable after finishing 312, so I like to 31,31,312 poke etc. Mix it up with Ermacs low and overhead moves like JIP F3 / U4 and you're golden. Should beat most online scrubs out there.
Click to expand...
I do beat most online scrubs :<. It's you guys I can't beat lol ,and I want to get at least close to beating you guys(Hope it didn't sound disrespectful.)
 
MKF30

MKF30

Fujin and Ermac for MK 11
FrostyBarrel said:
I do beat most online scrubs :<. It's you guys I can't beat lol ,and I want to get at least close to beating you guys(Hope it didn't sound disrespectful.)
Click to expand...
Hey dude, big time Ermac player here myself. I can say, especially online. Play it safe and try to punish people with his TKS, into combos of your choice, JK, teleport, dash 22, TK push etc, etc

But I'm not a big fan of those b1, 2 f1 combos....they're more eye candy and often do less damage then say a jump in 1, 3 1, TKS combo which is not only safer but ultimately more appropriate in most cases. I also feel the same about his "fancy" corner combos, screw that...for one, not going to happen 9 times out of 10, that's extremely situational and Ermac is a zoning, turtling character.

Despite what a few people out there may say, he's NOT intended for rushing down. Of course if you're close, use his D1, D4, 1, 3, 2 into stagger, mix up F4 etc. His one overhead is a joke, far too slow Up+4. Wouldn't even bother using it, I've had tons and tons of success against majority of the roster even top tiers far higher then Ermac with wise zoning alone. You want to keep them far, far, far and fight far, use his fireballs and TK Pushes as good zoning tools, cancel his B2 into teleports, block and TKpushes. Use his levitation cancels, air blasts into moves as he lands....Ermac has tons of tactics that are VERY effective, yet rarely talked about.

As for beating guys on here, just practice and play them man. Nobody really on this site will be "easy" per-se if they're posting often in a specific character forum. Good luck. I'd also hit the practice dojo, play around with his combos, but forget those precisely timed ones....they're not going to happen online, even offline in a serious, close match.

I'd recommend some good damaging yet relatively easy to do(say medium level) combos online:

jump in, 1, 3, 1, TK slam, Jump kick, teleport, dash in 2, 2(orF+1), TK push(you can teleport after this immediately to put close pressure or stay back for zoning tactics)

If you do a combo finishing with his enhanced TK push, you get a free jump in. Do it but be cautious of wake ups, you can get a few throws here and there or 50/50's up close with his F4, throws or 132 pressure.

His reset is effective but can easily be detected if used too much, do you know how to do this? After a 132 connects, rush in F4, B+2, cancel it on contact into teleport and continue putting on pressure.

Hope this helped.

Another good tactic that's rarely done but very good you must be super fast, if you're far and someone's trying to get in close try to bait a jump, do the levitation, cancel it immediately buffered into the TKP, they'll jump thinking you're going to do a butt slam or teleport, and you'll snag them right out of the air. If you mix this up well with air blasts, teleports, cancels etc they won't know what to do and will often confuse the hell out of them if done right.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
I would have a video uploaded with me playing 3-4 matches ,but I can't find my cable that I use to upload them from my digital camera.(It's my only means of recording and uploading me playing.)
 
KH_Captain

KH_Captain

Nightwolf wannabe
this character is pretty good and really easy to use, but you have to take risks with him or you will end up with a really 1 dimensional character. Think more in terms of risk reward and you will do well. don't forget about u4 overhead f4 low reset, 31, 312, b114, b21(charged and not),b34, and please remember the instant airblast all these moves are useful but its not like they can't be stopped so remember that.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
Yeah one thing I try to work on is find a good balance of being aggressive and being zoner. By that I mean being a bit more aggressive when playing a better zoner.
 
Skkra

Skkra

PSN: Skkra
First off, keep in mind that playing online is insanely far removed from playing in person. It can help you develop, but when you're ready to level up some more, you'll have to travel to a tournament and play with other good players.

You really need to upload some footage of yourself playing for us to help you. I could tell you 500 different things to try, but it doesn't mean anything since I don't know if you have the skills to set it up.

Here is some advice you can apply though.

1. LEARN THESE TWO COMBOS 100%
Jumpin punch, B+1,1,4~TKS, jumpkick~teleport, dash 1,2~TKP (45% no meter)
3,1~TKS, jumpkick~teleport, dash 2,2~TKP (can't remember exact percent and I'm at the office right now)

Those are two easy and powerful staple juggles that get you huge damage and that you must be able to do. The 1,1,4 gives you plenty of time to "hit confirm" the juggle - meaning, you have ample time to see whether or not the string is connecting. If it is, complete the juggle. If not, stop after the 1,1,4 so you do not get punished. 1,1,4 is a safe string. Afterwards, you can backdash, jump away, or just block. As a note for the second one, I find if you jumpkick~teleport right away it gives you tons of time to dash for the 2,2.

If you can't complete those two combos all the time, sit in practice mode and practice them until you can. Getting them down in muscle memory is a must. There's no point to trying to level up your play if your fundamentals arent ready, and solid combos are a major step to that. You know what separates us here from tons of scrubs? When I screw up, they uppercut me. When they screw up, I take half their life. When you do land that opening you need to be able to convert it to big damage without thinking about it.


2. STAY AT MAX PUSH RANGE
A big part of Ermacs game is spacing. Practice just dashing back then doing a push, or walking back and throwing out a push. You can beat your basic online scrub because they dont know how to approach people. For someone who always jumps when in jump range, be prepared to backdash and push.


You said you're taking your first steps towards competitive play. Its a long road, be patient and accept that you probably don't actually "know how to play" if that makes any sense. You're going to be rebuilding your skillset from the ground up. Lets see those videos so we know how to help you.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
I can't find the damn cable :<

Edit: I realize what I really want is just to be able to hold my own against good players as I am still relatively new to a certain extent.
 
Skkra

Skkra

PSN: Skkra
Well, let us know if you ever find your cable. Like I said, without seeing you in action its really really difficult to give you anything but generic advice, because if you're new to high-level play, we don't know what your major issues are.
 
G

GoodLifeGodLike

Noob
1 thing, don't random teleport. The teleport has 2 purposes mainly. One is in combos and the other is after a TKP, you can use to get across the screen to apply more pressure kind of like Smoke does.

Just keep practicing.

Watch Krayzie's Ermac in this video and check out how he plays him. Notice a couple times how he uses the 3,1,2 to get a free jump in punch and apply more pressure. Adding little things like this can make a huge difference.

 
Skkra

Skkra

PSN: Skkra
Frosty, thanks for posting that video. That was more helpful than any posts could've been. You're doing several things that you can stop doing easily that will net you immediate results. Please dont be offended by anything I say here - I'm going to try and give you constructive criticism to help you begin your journey to leveling up.


1. Stop teleporting
You teleport waaaay too much. Jump~teleport is generally not good unless its made on a very strong read. For now, while you're trying to level up, I would recommend just not doing jump~teleport at all. Be patient. It will make you a better player if you consciously work on your zoning and footsies.

2. Stop using your EX meter!
You waste a ton of meter. I am really not sure why you would use EX TKP or EX TKS, but there was no reason to in any of your matches. Ermac's EX moves really arent necessary for the most part. If you're doing them for extra damage, forget about it... they add so little damage. You should only use Ermac's EX moves in very specific circumstances. For now, while you're starting out, dont use them at all. You should be saving ALL of your meter for breakers or your x-ray. If you do that, you'll see results right away, as you'll be able to break way more combos.

3. Stop using Push and Slam when someone is close to you
You continually try to use TKP and TKS when your opponent is right next to you. Those moves leave you insanely open on block - if your opponent in that video had been slightly better, you should've been being punished with 35-45% life combos every time. Don't use those moves when someone is right near you and blocking. Instead, try a sweep, F+4, dash~grab, or dash~3,1.

4. Work on your "hit confirms"
Several times, you use B+1,1,4 ~ TKS blindly. Again, a stronger opponent would've punished you hard for blocking a TKS. Whether or not you're hitting or they're blocking, you do the TKS. You need to learn to "hit confirm" your string. B+1,1,4 is a long enough string that you can watch and see whether they're blocking or not... to literally confirm that your string is hitting. If the string isnt hitting, just B+1,1,4 and stop it - you're safe on block. If you ARE hitting, only THEN do you tag on the TKS.


I know lag is also a factor, but make sure you go into practice mode and make sure you have your combos down. Even practicing for 5 minutes a night before you go to bed will slowly cement the combos into your fingers. Anyways, I'll watch your video again tomorrow, but these 4 things jumped out at me right away. If you start implementing these into your game, you'll see results immediately - particularly #2 and #3.

I hope this helps you! It should be a good start on your path to reaching a higher level of play.
 
FrostyBarrel

FrostyBarrel

Noob
So just a question.

Would it be better for me to use analog stick or d-pad (I use the xbox gamepad) The d-pad is use to use and execute for me ,but aboout half the time I drop combos because I can't teleport fast enough mid air,but with analog stick I never drop combos for that reason instead it's because it feels odd to me right now.
 
Skkra

Skkra

PSN: Skkra
Honestly, use whatever works best for you. Whatever you use should be comfortable to play on, and allow you to perform all of your moves.

No matter what you choose, the important part is to practice and make sure you can do your combos. If you like using a d-pad, you may want to invest in a Madcatz SF4 Fightpad. Its a wired controller, its very comfortable to use, and it has one of the best d-pads I've ever played on. It's only about $35 on Amazon. I absolutely love mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Street-Fighter-IV-FightPad/dp/B001M22WMY/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_1

Meanwhile, make sure you implement the things I wrote above. Stop teleporting all the time, stop using your meter for anything except breakers and x-ray, and stop trying to randomly TKS when an opponent is right next to you. It make take some conscious effort to stop doing some of them, like the teleporting, since it seems to be a bad habit that you do all the time. But make a serious effort to stop - every time you do it, remind yourself to stop. Once you stop those first few bad habits you should see a definite improvement in your game.
 
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