Help with Escrima

[LtG]

Hey all,
Here's my dilemma, I'm really good with the Staff stance, like I don't even use the escrima at all. I find myself giving up most of my grey bar trying to switch to staff and then I play catch up the whole game. I've labbed a bit and I've learned some good hit confirms and some decent bnb, but I can't consistently use them in matches. What are some ways to get better with the escrima? Do I need to have a different mentality using them, should I be more aggressive/passive?

Thanks for the help

 

[NKZero]

It's a good thing you know how to use staff stance because it's amazing up close and in corners. However I feel escrima stance is just as important if not more so.

Personally this is how I use it:

• Zoning: controlling air-space with wingdings and delay MB them sometimes to make them safe (even plus on block). Once they respect MB wingdings, my normal wingdings are safe for the most part. Once they respect me throwing out wingdings, it opens my jump-in opportunities to get in their face. I also use ground spark lot and use the cancel for mind games at a certain range. Decent projectile that conveniently ducks high projectiles while enabling you to fire off your low projectile.
• Up close: b+2 overhead is very quick and has deceptively long range. d+1, 2 is an excellent poke which I believe is +8 on block. Pretty ridiculous. When d+1, 2 is blocked, I think they must respect a b+2. Once they respect that, you can use other stings (especially since they'll be standing in anticipation of the overhead) such as b+1, 1, 2 and 1, 1, 2 (which is interruptible though), both of which grant frame advantage potentially into another d+1, 2 into more pressure etc. NW's escrima stance is under-used and under-valued as a rushdown stance. It provides different yet almost as effective results up close as staff stance. On the subject of d+1, 2, once the opponent respects any follow-up, you may be able to sneak in a quick stance change and harass them with staff stance, which is admittedly better for pressure.

In general, escrima stance gives you better mobility so you want to be in that stance more often than not. It helps you when you're being out-zoned and you get access to better jump attacks. Staff stance is mainly used in the corner or when you can safely activate it up close. Ground blast (or whatever it's called) is also useful as a zoning tool but situational at the same time.
Honestly it's hard to say what to use when for the most part. Both stances have so many uses that often overlap. The more experience you gain with the character, the more intuitive you'll be when you decide when to use which stance. It just comes naturally, situationally (character MU's, screen positioning etc.). As long as you know what you can do in either stance, the decision is yours. Just realise how important BOTH stances are, rather than neglecting one for the other.

 

[LtG]

It's a good thing you know how to use staff stance because it's amazing up close and in corners. However I feel escrima stance is just as important if not more so.

Personally this is how I use it:

• Zoning: controlling air-space with wingdings and delay MB them sometimes to make them safe (even plus on block). Once they respect MB wingdings, my normal wingdings are safe for the most part. Once they respect me throwing out wingdings, it opens my jump-in opportunities to get in their face. I also use ground spark lot and use the cancel for mind games at a certain range. Decent projectile that conveniently ducks high projectiles while enabling you to fire off your low projectile.
• Up close: b+2 overhead is very quick and has deceptively long range. d+1, 2 is an excellent poke which I believe is +8 on block. Pretty ridiculous. When d+1, 2 is blocked, I think they must respect a b+2. Once they respect that, you can use other stings (especially since they'll be standing in anticipation of the overhead) such as b+1, 1, 2 and 1, 1, 2 (which is interruptible though), both of which grant frame advantage potentially into another d+1, 2 into more pressure etc. NW's escrima stance is under-used and under-valued as a rushdown stance. It provides different yet almost as effective results up close as staff stance. On the subject of d+1, 2, once the opponent respects any follow-up, you may be able to sneak in a quick stance change and harass them with staff stance, which is admittedly better for pressure.

In general, escrima stance gives you better mobility so you want to be in that stance more often than not. It helps you when you're being out-zoned and you get access to better jump attacks. Staff stance is mainly used in the corner or when you can safely activate it up close. Ground blast (or whatever it's called) is also useful as a zoning tool but situational at the same time.

Honestly it's hard to say what to use when for the most part. Both stances have so many uses that often overlap. The more experience you gain with the character, the more intuitive you'll be when you decide when to use which stance. It just comes naturally, situationally (character MU's, screen positioning etc.). As long as you know what you can do in either stance, the decision is yours. Just realise how important BOTH stances are, rather than neglecting one for the other.

Thanks for all the help! I've found out lately just how much I need to learn the escrima as NW has a lot of weird matchups imo. The Staff is amazing, I feel the kit is better than the escrima as a whole, but the lack of mobility and no aerial projectile definitely has forced me to find a way to use the escrima more efficiently.

 

[poofynamanama2]

When in escrima try to use frame traps. d12 is +8 on block so abuse the hell out of it. Here are somethings I like to do after blocked d12

-b2 is guaranteed, overhead combo starter. b2, 33~fury, j3~wingydings does 31%
-33 is also guaranteed but can trade with pokes if they can reach. 33 on hit leads into 33~fury, j3~wingydings
-f123 is 10 frames so this is also a frametrap, and its his best combo starter and 0 on block
-instant wingydings. cant really do anythign about it except block, can MB to make it safer
-instant j3~wingydings, I do this on characters with larger hitboxes that have a harder time escaping the hitbox of j3
-crossup j3. on hit you can do j3, d12~fury, j3~wingydings around 30% I think? forgot the damage output
-a new tactic Ive been working on, and I dont see as many players using, is to use MB scatterbomb during pressure. No one uses this so people dont know when its gonna come or how, but I like doing d12~MB scatterbomb especially if I conditioned them to block high for the b2 followup. MB scatterbomb hits mid and is +19 on block so you can get a free b2 after.

also keep in mind b112 is +2 on block, so use this to your advantage ESPECIALLY in the corner. b112, d12, b2 is a nice little frametrap that can done in the corner and gives you free chip.

b13 and b1~flip kick is a nice little low/overhead mixup Ive been using. You can MB the flipkick into full combo into either

b1~flip kick MB, b3, j2, j2, 223
b1~flip kick MB, b3, j2, j2, f213~fury

I like the first combo because of the splat that 223 gives lasts fuckin forever so you can dance around them for a little while for some oki setup. you can switch to stance for pressure or backdash and zone with groundspark. With the second combo if I end in fury I usually switch to staff stance for the same thing

Hope some of this helps!

 

[DocCeaser]

d12 does not give you a free b2 on block and I'm pretty sure the string is not +8. Even if it really is +8, that mean that 6 frame moves would still beat the b2.

 

[AssassiN]

When in escrima try to use frame traps. d12 is +8 on block so abuse the hell out of it. Here are somethings I like to do after blocked d12

-b2 is guaranteed, overhead combo starter. b2, 33~fury, j3~wingydings does 31%
-33 is also guaranteed but can trade with pokes if they can reach. 33 on hit leads into 33~fury, j3~wingydings
-f123 is 10 frames so this is also a frametrap, and its his best combo starter and 0 on block
-instant wingydings. cant really do anythign about it except block, can MB to make it safer
-instant j3~wingydings, I do this on characters with larger hitboxes that have a harder time escaping the hitbox of j3
-crossup j3. on hit you can do j3, d12~fury, j3~wingydings around 30% I think? forgot the damage output
-a new tactic Ive been working on, and I dont see as many players using, is to use MB scatterbomb during pressure. No one uses this so people dont know when its gonna come or how, but I like doing d12~MB scatterbomb especially if I conditioned them to block high for the b2 followup. MB scatterbomb hits mid and is +19 on block so you can get a free b2 after.

also keep in mind b112 is +2 on block, so use this to your advantage ESPECIALLY in the corner. b112, d12, b2 is a nice little frametrap that can done in the corner and gives you free chip.

b13 and b1~flip kick is a nice little low/overhead mixup Ive been using. You can MB the flipkick into full combo into either

b1~flip kick MB, b3, j2, j2, 223
b1~flip kick MB, b3, j2, j2, f213~fury

I like the first combo because of the splat that 223 gives lasts fuckin forever so you can dance around them for a little while for some oki setup. you can switch to stance for pressure or backdash and zone with groundspark. With the second combo if I end in fury I usually switch to staff stance for the same thing

Hope some of this helps!

Agreed DocCeaser, it is +8 on block but none of his normals after D12 are really guaranteed. You can always backdash out of his pressure, they'll have a hard time doing it with a 1-2 frame gap(follow-up with F213) but it is still possible.

Also following up B112 with D12 is not a frametrap if the opponent has a 6-frame poke and if he has meter he can do B3 MB(possible D12 is too fast for B3 MB). Backdashing is still an option as well unless his back faces the corner.

I could be wrong about this, but I don't think 223 creates an untechable knockdown when done in a juggle. Only D3, Flipkick and 113 do as far as I know in Escrima.