What's new

Match-up Discussion Johnny Cage vs Kabal

So I have a friend that mains Kabal and I main JC. Well I'm having trouble now that he knows how to do instant air gas blasts and he's pretty good at nomad dash cancel pressure. Any tips or advice to help me do better?
 
1. learn to dash duck well if you don't already
2. you have to be patient once you get into kabals f32 / your f3 range... you need to backdash sometimes bait and whiff punish depending on how they play otherwise you will run right into them... but you also have to no when you can jump buzzsaws or just to bulldog in with a well spaced f3
3. Once you get into stay in, and be wary and bait ex dash and pokes... you have to slowly force him to the corner and sometimes even take damage to keep him there, its the only way you will beat him.. sometimes staggers can be better than frame traps because frame traps put you into a very reactable reading situation in which he has hte option to ex dash... then again you have to make reads... if hes good at flash parry then it makes it really hard... you have to stop pressuring randomly or at convenient times but also not be afraid to keep going
4. flashkick on occasion if you can squeeze it in (to make him respect it) but this a very rare thing, dont burn meter on read kicks you need it to for ex nut punches, frame traps, and breakers so you can maintain corner game, saving your meter is huge

Dealing with kabals pressure


1. Duck, so he cannot do 111 and standing 2 because you either have to ex nut punch or respect the follow up completely
2. after f32 and b12 he plus 2, you have to read whether he is going to poke or not or cancel into buzzsaws, if he likes to down 3 you can counter-poke(with d3 or f3) and on occasion crossover... dont become patternized because kabals will start blowing you up
3. after f4 dash cancel he is negative 5 so your best option is a f3 because it anti-airs and starts pressure

the main thing is not to be predictable but to know when to throw out pokes, if hes not making you respect pokes then either 11 or down poke to start pressure(if hes not doing a heavy frame trap)... poking is easier but dont get habitual...

its a good thing to read and use ex nut punch, and then bait him into ex dashes... once hes meterless hes your fucking mouse if you are on him

Synopsis: Cage is a really good character , maybe the 5th or 6th best character to pick against kabal (sadly), but its atleast a 6.5-3.5 matchup in kabals favor, more likely 7-3... but he is a viable strategy because with a couple great reads cage can blow anyone up... its not nearly as bad as kenshi because you can feasibly outfootsie a kabal and then outread him... patience and making great reads with your pressure is the only way to win
 

Mikemetroid

Who hired this guy, WTF?
3 things for the Kabal Matchup

1. Dashing ducking to get in. Normally its okay to cancel the dash with d3 instead of a block if that works better for you
2. Keep your meter for Breakers and the occasional Red Kick.
3. Learn to make good reads. This is so you don't get hit by any of his ex dash BS. Good luck on the 50/50s
 
Well, I can get in pretty well. I can't cancel my dashes with d3 because I use an xbox analog stick so it sometimes just does flipkick and I'll get hit by gas blasts and the nomad dash... But I can eventually chase him into the corner but once I get him there he somehow gets me with an EX Dash or crossover into pressure on me... :( Also I should add that I'm still having trouble with getting out of his pressure. I try to guess when I can poke out and he tries to guess when I'm going to and stops me with either b1 f3 or f4 which stinks because for me I risk 40% of my health and for him, he risks 1% damage because all I can do his poke out :\
 

Mikemetroid

Who hired this guy, WTF?
Your best bet then probably is to know his gaps upclose. Know when to ex nutpunch out, and work on the timing for anti crossups (d1)
 

Lulzlou

Noob
You should only do red kick when he is closer the corner. On a stage like roof top, one red kick can push kabal far so he can run away even more. Get kabal cornered and keep him there. Kabals at his weakest when his back is facing the corner. Work on having a strong corner game.
 

HGTV Soapboxfan

"Always a Pleasure"
Also if you are punishing kabal and he has breaker, do NOT launch him. He will break and dash into open space. Fwd33 nut, if he breaks he cant get out of the corner, and if he doesnt, you can continue pressure. The damage is not worth it.