Kabal has the best zoning in the beta.
Everyone needs to watch the series between Sonic Fox (Kabal) and Semiij (Skarlet) below, which currently represents the highest level of play. Kabal's aerial downward buzz saw seems highly effective for zoning and in the neutral.
Look these might be the two best players out there(ill agree with you on that, one of them is atleast) but that doesn't mean semiij is optimally zoning in this matchup (sonic when he plays skarlet as well) nor does it appear he has any initiative to maintain zoning nor has he even equipped the best possible zoning variation with skarlet . You don't need to (to outzone kabal) but it certainly helps to equip blood flow for 2 slots and i'll explain here in a moment why with a few other points.
*For one i''d like to preface that perfect block is a serious threat to zoning because it eliminates chip and pressure to get in, in kabals case it is very threatening to his zoning, as his low blood saw can be jumped anyways or blocked and his high is ducked. His air buzzsaw as well, albeit difficult. Skarlet as well but i think it'd be much more challenging to time and do consistently.
*As well, just because one character outzones another, does not mean that the character is a superior zoner in general. I'll think you'll agree in a few when i show you some footage that if your a baraka player, you'd much rather attempt to get in vs a kabal even just blocking aerial buzzsaws then vs skarlet. However, Kabal does not outzone skarlet.
In regards to the skarlet vs kabal and skarlet being so much better at zoning than kabal it's not even funny using blood flow
1. Blood flow allows you to throw a slower blood ball allowing you to effectively lock down the opponent even though it is duckable. if they attempt to jump it there are serious threats A) a high projectle or sometimes the low can hit them out if timed correct at longer distances b) a well timed tentacle c) another blood ball (fast or normal or slow)
essentially you have to block and inch your way in
2. Due to blood balls locking people down, it creates a frame trap situation with her tentacle move - once the blood ball passes, a tentactle can be thrown to punish them for doing anything. This frame traps, based on the speed of the blood ball at quite close distances and in some cases forces them to block or attempt to perfect block both.
3. IT doesn't stop there, along with blood ball creating frame trap situations - it setups her low projectile (which forces blocks) and her high (which deals with jumps and forces them to duck) - which ALSO frame trap at full to about 4/5 screen.
4. well what about stopping other people from shooting projectiles?? the tentacle does this, it grants knockdown and you will out trade people. Generally once they are knocked out, you can tentacle them again . Once they respect this you begin to steal momentum throwing your own other projectiles.
-Also TENTACLE is so good. If they block it full screen you can predict them advancing and throw it again 3/4 screen. you can even react to their location by changing the input like MMH in INJ 2.
I digress - Essentially she is very freddy like but is more control based and also has a kit of normals which supplement her zoning (f2 tentacle f2 tentacle) that freddy would freaking get erect over but we don't need to get into that.
VS KABAL -
1. same shit as above (#4) as well as one key thing... slow blood balls or blood balls in general can often be used to at the very least to trade with the air saw on the way down and get enough hit advantage to reallocate space.
2. he still suffers like everyonebut scorpion to the same frame trap shit full screen . Jade cannot deal with it unless she's already activated, and i believe she still has to worry about tentacle when glowing anyways. It's hard enough for her to get it out.
Nevertherless i promised some footage, these are not near the level of players(though wavy is a beast and i accidentally left our set) of sonicfox or semiij, i am not either. These players could be doing much more to deal with zoning. But that does not mean everyone who plays this game at a high level is perfect and ill show you some examples.
(I played a solid kabal earlier but i was accidentally streaming on mixer so i dont have it recorded. It would show you how to deal with air buzzsaws with bloodball. Also just blocking them and being a footsie monster character is okay as well. Because skarlets footsies are nuts.)
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/403172747
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/403258223
