Braindead
I want Kronika to step on my face
I have a bunch of strategies on how/when to use the ice aura, and I wanted to share them, so this thread will contain a bunch of stuff about the ice aura.
So first, the frame data says that both normal and EX aura have a 0-frame start up, and 31 frames of recovery. It sounds about right so I doubt there are errors with that given info. The active duration of both versions is about 10 real-life seconds (~6 in-game seconds).
Personally, I like to have my aura activated all round long. I have gotten very used to the active duration and during the match I can feel when it's about to run out so I start working on using it again. I think that's an important timing to get used to. I like to think about this like a trait in Injustice.
There are 2 main usages of the Aura so far: the defensive usage which is to eat no chip, and using it as an offensive tool in a combo reset as it's already known. In this video below I'll show a bunch of stuff and I will explain the main points after it.
1. Using Aura for a combo reset:
It's already known that after a grounded freeze you can do a JIP B12 xx Aura, then start a new combo with a 50/50 of B3 or B2. This is a good thing to do when you feel you can take a risk to go for more damage. B12 xx Ice Ball, JIP B12 xx Aura does 19%, and if you land the next combo you can have a total of ~40-45% meterless damage. Not bad. B12 xx Aura leaves you in a good frame advantage and the next B3 won't be interrupted.
2. Activating Aura on hit:
There are 3 ways to activate the aura on hit while leaving you in advantage: D4 xx Aura, B12 xx Aura, or F4 xx Aura. The first one leaves you in a very slight advantage, maybe +1 or so. You can see in the video I start my jump a fraction of a second before the AI. This is good to use when you see an opening for a poke or maybe trying to trip guard.
F4 xx Aura leaves you on a better frame advantage, and you'll see the importance of this in the next point. B12 xx Aura leaves you in a lot of advantage, and it's used in the combo reset mentioned above.
3. Activating Aura on block:
This is big. You can safely activate the Aura on block by doing F4 xx Aura. This leaves you at a very slight disadvantage, which I think is around -1 or -2. In the video I set the AI to reversal with EX spin which is 4-frames and I was able to both block it and easily backdash it. If the F4 hits you don't have to worry about it because you'll be on a good frame advantage as shown in the previous point.
4. Activating Aura during combos:
This part is a little tricky. There are a few things to consider here: Damage, corner carry, stamina, and Aura active duration utilization.
The simplest way to activate the Aura in the middle of a combo is doing it when you freeze your opponent. The problem with this approach is the time wasting. The active duration of the Aura is about 10 seconds, and generally after you freeze your opponent you continue your combo for about 4 seconds. That means you're wasting about 40% of the active duration of the Aura just to finish your combo. This is crucial if you're low on health or if you're using the EX Aura, because you want to utilize the most of the bar you spent.
To solve this, I came up with a combo that allows you to activate the Aura right at the end of the combo without losing your knockdown pressure. As you can see in the video, if you end the combo with F12 you get enough time to activate your Aura then continue your pressure. This works both in corner and midscreen. I was able to stuff KL's spin with both B3 and B2. The AI is set to roll and I'm still able to stuff the wake up.
However, in the corner you're sacrificing 2% of your BNB damage or 4% of the optimal combo damage (B12 xx Freeze, JIP B2 B2 242 123 xx Slide does 34% I think, but the timing is tricky and it's easy to drop it.)
In midscreen you're sacrificing 2% damage of your BNB, a small part of your corner carry, and some stamina.
These trade-offs mean you have to decide what is more important to you at the stage of the match, the damage and corner carry or defending your health.
These are just some findings that I came across, and I think it's useful to know how to utilize the Aura optimally. If you know some other strategies, tips, etc., do share and I'll add them to the OP.
So first, the frame data says that both normal and EX aura have a 0-frame start up, and 31 frames of recovery. It sounds about right so I doubt there are errors with that given info. The active duration of both versions is about 10 real-life seconds (~6 in-game seconds).
Personally, I like to have my aura activated all round long. I have gotten very used to the active duration and during the match I can feel when it's about to run out so I start working on using it again. I think that's an important timing to get used to. I like to think about this like a trait in Injustice.
There are 2 main usages of the Aura so far: the defensive usage which is to eat no chip, and using it as an offensive tool in a combo reset as it's already known. In this video below I'll show a bunch of stuff and I will explain the main points after it.
1. Using Aura for a combo reset:
It's already known that after a grounded freeze you can do a JIP B12 xx Aura, then start a new combo with a 50/50 of B3 or B2. This is a good thing to do when you feel you can take a risk to go for more damage. B12 xx Ice Ball, JIP B12 xx Aura does 19%, and if you land the next combo you can have a total of ~40-45% meterless damage. Not bad. B12 xx Aura leaves you in a good frame advantage and the next B3 won't be interrupted.
2. Activating Aura on hit:
There are 3 ways to activate the aura on hit while leaving you in advantage: D4 xx Aura, B12 xx Aura, or F4 xx Aura. The first one leaves you in a very slight advantage, maybe +1 or so. You can see in the video I start my jump a fraction of a second before the AI. This is good to use when you see an opening for a poke or maybe trying to trip guard.
F4 xx Aura leaves you on a better frame advantage, and you'll see the importance of this in the next point. B12 xx Aura leaves you in a lot of advantage, and it's used in the combo reset mentioned above.
3. Activating Aura on block:
This is big. You can safely activate the Aura on block by doing F4 xx Aura. This leaves you at a very slight disadvantage, which I think is around -1 or -2. In the video I set the AI to reversal with EX spin which is 4-frames and I was able to both block it and easily backdash it. If the F4 hits you don't have to worry about it because you'll be on a good frame advantage as shown in the previous point.
4. Activating Aura during combos:
This part is a little tricky. There are a few things to consider here: Damage, corner carry, stamina, and Aura active duration utilization.
The simplest way to activate the Aura in the middle of a combo is doing it when you freeze your opponent. The problem with this approach is the time wasting. The active duration of the Aura is about 10 seconds, and generally after you freeze your opponent you continue your combo for about 4 seconds. That means you're wasting about 40% of the active duration of the Aura just to finish your combo. This is crucial if you're low on health or if you're using the EX Aura, because you want to utilize the most of the bar you spent.
To solve this, I came up with a combo that allows you to activate the Aura right at the end of the combo without losing your knockdown pressure. As you can see in the video, if you end the combo with F12 you get enough time to activate your Aura then continue your pressure. This works both in corner and midscreen. I was able to stuff KL's spin with both B3 and B2. The AI is set to roll and I'm still able to stuff the wake up.
However, in the corner you're sacrificing 2% of your BNB damage or 4% of the optimal combo damage (B12 xx Freeze, JIP B2 B2 242 123 xx Slide does 34% I think, but the timing is tricky and it's easy to drop it.)
In midscreen you're sacrificing 2% damage of your BNB, a small part of your corner carry, and some stamina.
These trade-offs mean you have to decide what is more important to you at the stage of the match, the damage and corner carry or defending your health.
These are just some findings that I came across, and I think it's useful to know how to utilize the Aura optimally. If you know some other strategies, tips, etc., do share and I'll add them to the OP.
