PND_Ketchup
"More deadly than the dawn"
Ok, so there's been a lot of talk about Lobo being a bad character, and how he's the worst in the game etc. So I thought I'd give my two cents.
Before I get started, can I please ask that any comments in this thread (should it get much attention at all) stay civil, and we respect each others opinions and suggestions, buff threads tend to get out of hand, and instead of buff suggestions that fix a character, we end up with demands for moves to be +100 on block and can lead into 60% combos.
I feel like Lobo is like Bane, he isn't horrendous, and he has tools to get the job done, but he has blatant holes in his gameplay that hurt him more than they should. Specifically the properties of his actual moves, and how they don't fit into his general fundamentals.
Lobo has been my main since the second he launched, and I have put a huge amount of time into trying to see what makes this character work, On top of using him regularly against high level players. So these suggestions aren't coming from an uneducated scrub, I feel like I have to point that out for any newcomers that may not know who I am. (Sorry if that sounded big headed.) I will always use Lobo at tournaments. the only reason I didn't use him at Colosseum Games was because he was banned.
Without further ado, here are my suggestions that I think would help make Lobo a more well rounded character.
Give Lobo the ability to stack Nuclear Shells - The trait is something that has confused me since day 1, it makes very little sense how Lobo can press the trait button consecutively, yet he can't actually stack shells on top of one another. Lobo is a character that thrives on his space control, and reloading nuclear shells sacrifices any space you have at the time, allowing the opponent to close in loads of distance. And to guarantee the nuclear shells after a combo, Lobo has to sacrifice a setup/full damage to do so. Considering how the Nuclear shells aren't at all groundbreaking to his gameplay, I feel like they should have more relevance.
Fix the hitbox on 2,1 - This is something that really irritates me, the string itself isn't actually as good as it looks at first sight, against characters that are extremely mobile, or characters that spend a lot of time in the air, be that due to air dashes, floaty jumps etc, generally, the string doesn't connect very often, and will wiff entirely allowing lobo to be wiff punished. However, after attacks like Lobos low chain, you can use it as a means to chase down backdashes, or lock the opponent down for a high or low chain. The issue here is that the hitbox has major issues, there are times when the opponent will be crouching, and the chain will simply pass straight through them, allowing Lobo to be wiff punished, this makes no sense, as the chain touches the opponent, yet nothing happens. It feels like an inconsistent bug, and I hope this will be fixed in the next patch.
Increase speed of his B2 - The normal right now has its uses, but they're heavily outweighed by the risks up close, the B2 is effective after an ambiguous Mb charge, but other than that, it's a dangerous normal to use due to it's speed. It's easy to fuzzyguard so the chances of it landing alone even if it DOES connect is slim. The dangers are that it's so slow the opponent can either low poke, leaving Lobo at disadvantage, but some characters can actually punish it before it lands. An on hit D1 may lead into a B1, but not a B2, making no mindgames at all, combined with the fact the opponent can backdash. It just doesn't feel like it needs to be as slow as it is. This is a minor change however, I feel like Lobo can live without it, should he receive buffs in other areas.
Increased armor on MB Charge - Another one of those irritating situations, You will wakeup MB Charge to try to rely on the armor, but as the armor only comes out when the chain hits the ground, this isn't even an option. Normally I would just be able to accept that Lobo has no wakeup, however, The meter is taken before the armor is given, and this makes no sense. If I'm going to spend the meter to try and wakeup/get in on projectiles at charge range, I should receive armor the second the meter is taken away. This as it stands just adds to the reason Lobo suffers so badly against keepaway, and why it's harder for him to get things going once he manages to break through.
Increase priority of the Dive Punch - I feel like Lobo has the worst dive punch in the game. It only appears to be amazing on the opponents wakeup to those that don't know that it crosses up. Other than that, the move gets beat by D1's, air attacks, grounded normals etc. If the opponent presses anything at all, Lobo will get beat out, and in some cases, full combo punished. It doesn't feel like Lobo should get beat by a D1 after an on hit D1 during pressure, If I'm going to divepunch knowing that you're going to press a low poke, I shouldn't get beaten out for making a correct read.
These are my personal changes I feel Lobo could very much do with to be a more rounded character, I don't feel like these changes would make him OP in any way, but they would be welcomed changes to help the way he is played as a character. I haven't mentioned his combos due to the fact they're not difficult with practice. Landing the Grab in the middle of strings becomes easy if you just remember to press Forward and 2 at the exact same time, and landing the B3 mid combo is all about mashing B3 the second the opponent starts to fall down from the MB bounce of the grab.
What do you guys think?
Tagging Reo and Tom due to their knowledge of the game, and Reo's knowledge of Lobo.
REO
Tom Brady
Before I get started, can I please ask that any comments in this thread (should it get much attention at all) stay civil, and we respect each others opinions and suggestions, buff threads tend to get out of hand, and instead of buff suggestions that fix a character, we end up with demands for moves to be +100 on block and can lead into 60% combos.
I feel like Lobo is like Bane, he isn't horrendous, and he has tools to get the job done, but he has blatant holes in his gameplay that hurt him more than they should. Specifically the properties of his actual moves, and how they don't fit into his general fundamentals.
Lobo has been my main since the second he launched, and I have put a huge amount of time into trying to see what makes this character work, On top of using him regularly against high level players. So these suggestions aren't coming from an uneducated scrub, I feel like I have to point that out for any newcomers that may not know who I am. (Sorry if that sounded big headed.) I will always use Lobo at tournaments. the only reason I didn't use him at Colosseum Games was because he was banned.
Without further ado, here are my suggestions that I think would help make Lobo a more well rounded character.
Give Lobo the ability to stack Nuclear Shells - The trait is something that has confused me since day 1, it makes very little sense how Lobo can press the trait button consecutively, yet he can't actually stack shells on top of one another. Lobo is a character that thrives on his space control, and reloading nuclear shells sacrifices any space you have at the time, allowing the opponent to close in loads of distance. And to guarantee the nuclear shells after a combo, Lobo has to sacrifice a setup/full damage to do so. Considering how the Nuclear shells aren't at all groundbreaking to his gameplay, I feel like they should have more relevance.
Fix the hitbox on 2,1 - This is something that really irritates me, the string itself isn't actually as good as it looks at first sight, against characters that are extremely mobile, or characters that spend a lot of time in the air, be that due to air dashes, floaty jumps etc, generally, the string doesn't connect very often, and will wiff entirely allowing lobo to be wiff punished. However, after attacks like Lobos low chain, you can use it as a means to chase down backdashes, or lock the opponent down for a high or low chain. The issue here is that the hitbox has major issues, there are times when the opponent will be crouching, and the chain will simply pass straight through them, allowing Lobo to be wiff punished, this makes no sense, as the chain touches the opponent, yet nothing happens. It feels like an inconsistent bug, and I hope this will be fixed in the next patch.
Increase speed of his B2 - The normal right now has its uses, but they're heavily outweighed by the risks up close, the B2 is effective after an ambiguous Mb charge, but other than that, it's a dangerous normal to use due to it's speed. It's easy to fuzzyguard so the chances of it landing alone even if it DOES connect is slim. The dangers are that it's so slow the opponent can either low poke, leaving Lobo at disadvantage, but some characters can actually punish it before it lands. An on hit D1 may lead into a B1, but not a B2, making no mindgames at all, combined with the fact the opponent can backdash. It just doesn't feel like it needs to be as slow as it is. This is a minor change however, I feel like Lobo can live without it, should he receive buffs in other areas.
Increased armor on MB Charge - Another one of those irritating situations, You will wakeup MB Charge to try to rely on the armor, but as the armor only comes out when the chain hits the ground, this isn't even an option. Normally I would just be able to accept that Lobo has no wakeup, however, The meter is taken before the armor is given, and this makes no sense. If I'm going to spend the meter to try and wakeup/get in on projectiles at charge range, I should receive armor the second the meter is taken away. This as it stands just adds to the reason Lobo suffers so badly against keepaway, and why it's harder for him to get things going once he manages to break through.
Increase priority of the Dive Punch - I feel like Lobo has the worst dive punch in the game. It only appears to be amazing on the opponents wakeup to those that don't know that it crosses up. Other than that, the move gets beat by D1's, air attacks, grounded normals etc. If the opponent presses anything at all, Lobo will get beat out, and in some cases, full combo punished. It doesn't feel like Lobo should get beat by a D1 after an on hit D1 during pressure, If I'm going to divepunch knowing that you're going to press a low poke, I shouldn't get beaten out for making a correct read.
These are my personal changes I feel Lobo could very much do with to be a more rounded character, I don't feel like these changes would make him OP in any way, but they would be welcomed changes to help the way he is played as a character. I haven't mentioned his combos due to the fact they're not difficult with practice. Landing the Grab in the middle of strings becomes easy if you just remember to press Forward and 2 at the exact same time, and landing the B3 mid combo is all about mashing B3 the second the opponent starts to fall down from the MB bounce of the grab.
What do you guys think?
Tagging Reo and Tom due to their knowledge of the game, and Reo's knowledge of Lobo.
REO
Tom Brady
