Just wondering the communities thoughts on a question. Do you guys prefer to cut combos early for set-ups, or finish them all for maximum damage? Every time I miss my set-ups I feel like I left damage on the table.
I usually take the damage if it's the first touch of the match. My rationale is both that by landing the first touch I build the free bar of meter so I feel good about spending it. And on top of that, it's just nice having a life lead early as it opens up the option to do some zoning and force the other player to come in giving opportunities to get an AA d2 combo or to land a trip guard or whiff punish b1 combo.
Mid round or if I have a health deficit I will usually go for the setup to try and ultimately close the life gap with the better overall damage assuming a landed mix/setup.
Also, it depends on the opponent. If I land the f3 setup on a trait lift, in definitely going to do it again and again until they prove they can block it or delay wake up or whatever. Also depends on the character and their wake up options. Some characters have those fast advancing and sometimes invincible wake ups that make the f3 cross up whiff and if they show they know that, it tilts the risk reward ratio away from me.
Also, you should consider their meter situation and their willingness and knowledge of when best to use air escape.
Lastly, if I land a ji3 or a raw f3 starter, I usually commit to the damage because those starters just net a lot of damage and with GL those opportunities to break 400 are rare.
