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Change suggestions to spice up Baraka

CanoCano

Noob
While i've always liked how Baraka is a simpler character compared to the rest, i think he's been long overdue for some changes to make him more deep
These suggestions hope to add some sauce to his gameplan without making him overtly complicated

Normals:
  • Tarkatan Plunger (F2) now hits Mid, start up increased to 18f and is +2 on block, cancelable only into Stab Stab (DB1) and War Flag (DB4) on hit
  • Bleeding Foot (B3)'s start up increased to 15f, first hit no longer causes damage scaling
  • Heel Drop (F3)'s start up reduced to 25f and block advantage increased to -5
  • Knee Breaker (D3)'s block advantage increased to -3
  • Quick Shave (S4)'s first hit no longer causes damage scaling
  • Muay Kry (F4)'s cancel advantage increased to 33f, start up reduced to 10f, block advantage decreased to -9, F/block advantage decreased to -25

Strings:
  • Deep Cuts (B12) now hits Overhead, block advantage decreased to -10
  • Leg Kutter (B13) added, hits Low and knocks down, 5% damage. 16f start up, 2f active, 20f recovery, +11 on hit, -5 on block
  • Warrior's Fury (B32)'s hit advantage increased to +20, block advantage increased to -6, cancelable into War Flag (DB4) on hit
  • Butcher (S444)'s input changed to S43, 1st and 2nd hit no longer cause damage scaling
  • Slaughter House (S444444)'s input changed to S4344, 1st hit no longer causes damage scaling

Specials:
  • Blade Sparks (j.DB1) now hits High and travels horizontally, recovers faster than Bleeding Blade (BF1) when Instant Air'd and damage down to 5% from 8%. These changes do not apply to Enhanced Blade Sparks (j.DB1+BL)
  • Stab Stab (DB1) and Enhanced Stab Stab (DB1+BL)'s damage up to 9% from 7.75%
  • Baraka Barrage (DF2)'s damage down to 9% from 12%
  • Enhanced Baraka Barrage (DF2+BL)'s damage down to 11% from 14%
  • Death Spin (j.DF2) doesn't cause damage scaling until final hit, applies to Delay (j.DF[2])
  • Enhanced Death Spin (j.DF2+BL) doesn't cause damage scaling until final hit, applies to Delay (j.DF[2]+BL)
  • Chop Chop (BF3) damage up to 12% from 9%, can be canceled into War Standard (DB4+BL) on hit
  • Enhanced Chop Chop (BF3+BL) damage up to 16% from 11%, can be canceled into War Flag (DB4) on hit if Armour isn't broken
  • Extend Chop Chop (BF3~BL) removed due to being useless, also to make canceling into War Standard easier
  • War Flag (DB4) added, Baraka plants a flag on the ground and he gains a 50% damage increase on all specials and normals (not strings or passive damage) until it runs out after 8 seconds or gets hit by an opponent's projectile (projectile will phase through the flag)
  • War Standard (DB4+BL) added, costs 2 Bars, damage increase goes up to 100%, lasts 9 seconds and will fully stop a projectile unless it has higher priority (ex: Tanya's EX Fireball)
  • Flag Strike (DB4~F) added, press Forward during War Flag or War Standard's start up to make Baraka swing the flag at the opponent, hits Mid and does 15% damage, still applies damage buff
  • War Flag and War Standard's frame data: 24f start up, 480f active (Meterless Buff) and 540f (EX Buff), 18f recovery
  • Flag Strike's frame data: 25f start up, 8f active hitbox + buff, 24f recovery, +15 on hit, -18 on block

Reason of Changes, Normals:
  • F2 has hardly any reason to be used at all so these changes hope to make it useful in Neutral and as a Meaty button
  • B3's start up was too close to F4's for the latter to be that useful (+ F4's other drawbacks), the damage scaling was decreased as compensation
  • This change hopes to make F3 a slightly more threatening option as a Meaty button
  • D3 feels like just a worse version of D1, this change hopes to make D3 into a safer but slower option in defense and pressure
  • These changes hope to make S4, S444 and S444444 into more damaging combo options
  • There was hardly any reason to use F4, these changes hope to turn it into a fast Mid that's easy to combo off of and use in pressure, with the added unsafety as a tradeoff

Reason of Changes, Strings
  • Making B12 an Overhead and adding B13 hopes to make B1 a better pressure poke and useful to close out rounds, also add a way to meterlessly combo off of it (Kameo after B13)
  • There is little reason to use B32 if you ask me, so these changes hope to turn it into a decent combo/pressure ender
  • It feels weird for Baraka to have two different Dial-Up Combos when every other string has normal inputs, so the input change is to normalize them a little

Reason of Changes, Specials
  • j.DB1 feels kinda useless unless you spend meter on it, so these changes hope to make it useful in neutral while still making the EX version useful in combos
  • DB1's damage is buffed so it isn't left in the dust by the other combo ends getting buffs
  • DF2's damage was nerfed as compensation for the higher damage output of a lot of other moves
  • j.DF2's buff was to make it a stronger air combo ender
  • BF3's buffs were go make it a stronger ground combo ender and setplay tool
  • The addition of War Flag and Flag Strike hopes to both strengthen Baraka's neutral and pressure, by acting as a shield against projectiles on EX and the buff greatly increasing his reward off of any combo option while sacrificing stronger meaty buttons in favour of setting it up

Post inspired by @rifraf 's similar post on the Li Mei forum
 
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LEGEND

YES!
F2 being + with no pushback would be nice. I don't think it needs to be a mid though. Cancelable on hit for a bit more reward would also make it a bit more worth going for.

The rest of the suggestions don't really do anything except the Flags, and I don't think they fit Baraka's playstyle. I also don't think he should have a true mix-up in B1 unless that's something alot more characters start getting.

I'm enjoying all the new cancels and would appreciate the same kinda treatment that Rain, Reptile and Ermac got recently. Just something a bit more dynamic than hitting staggers with the 212 string and shimmying. Don't need anything that's truly a "buff", just more fun.
 

CanoCano

Noob
F2 being + with no pushback would be nice. I don't think it needs to be a mid though. Cancelable on hit for a bit more reward would also make it a bit more worth going for.

The rest of the suggestions don't really do anything except the Flags, and I don't think they fit Baraka's playstyle. I also don't think he should have a true mix-up in B1 unless that's something alot more characters start getting.

I'm enjoying all the new cancels and would appreciate the same kinda treatment that Rain, Reptile and Ermac got recently. Just something a bit more dynamic than hitting staggers with the 212 string and shimmying. Don't need anything that's truly a "buff", just more fun.
I was more envisioning F2 as a Neutra/Meaty button which is why i made it a Mid tbh
I disagree that these changes don't do anything mostly, they're mainly made so that Baraka has more options and doesn't have to use the same 4 attacks over and over which would make him twice as fun imo
 

LEGEND

YES!
I was more envisioning F2 as a Neutra/Meaty button which is why i made it a Mid tbh
I disagree that these changes don't do anything mostly, they're mainly made so that Baraka has more options and doesn't have to use the same 4 attacks over and over which would make him twice as fun imo
"Doesn't do anything for his current gameplan" I should have said. Its additional moves but i'm not sure what the point would be. Aside from closing out rounds with the new mixup I feel like I'd still be doing the same thing I'm doing now 99% of the time. Flag Strikes being + on block would make them worth setting up imo.

Did you mean horizontal or diagonal for j.DB1? Like giving him the option to put up flags and shoot blades either grounded or aerial? Not sure what that change is the way it is written.
 

CanoCano

Noob
"Doesn't do anything for his current gameplan" I should have said. Its additional moves but i'm not sure what the point would be. Aside from closing out rounds with the new mixup I feel like I'd still be doing the same thing I'm doing now 99% of the time. Flag Strikes being + on block would make them worth setting up imo.

Did you mean horizontal or diagonal for j.DB1? Like giving him the option to put up flags and shoot blades either grounded or aerial? Not sure what that change is the way it is written.
You're right i goofed up with j.DB1 lol, yeah it's supposed to say it now shoots Horizontally so that he can swat enemies out of the air from further away and counter-zone better, tho setting up flags in the air isn't an option
You might be onto something with Flag Strike being + tbh, so long as it has decent pushback
What i tried to do with flags was make it into a shield in neutral and an option in corner pressure, as in you would be sacrificing a stronger combo ender and stronger pressure buttons for higher reward in the following combo
 

1man3letters

Alpha Tarkatan - Moderator
Moderator
Sure Baraka has a taunt pointing fun at how flags sucked

F2, b32, b12 changes be nice, even F3 but tbf don't really agree with the vibe of any of the other changes you mentioned besides giving him his spin back

The air Jacqui move kind sucks so improvments to that wouldn't go a miss
 

1man3letters

Alpha Tarkatan - Moderator
Moderator
That taunt is not pointing fun at the flags, its simply Baraka reminiscing about his soldier says
He looks at its then fucks it away but yeah either way the flags did suck in mk11 and MK1 Baraka different so I rather not see that part him return imo is all saying, would suit him even less in this character wise also