Parnak
Fight me as you will yet you can never hope to win
Yeah, we all know NW's pressure sucks (no shit!!
) big time.. However, I think it IS possible to pressure with him. Not Kabal level pressure of course, but still a primary one at least.
Let's give it a go;
The most basic thing for pressuring with NW should be learning to hit confirm his F3,1,2 string, not for what you do when you hit confirm it (typical BnB F3,1~axe) but for what you do when you don't, you finish the string to stay in your opponent's face at neutral frames. What helps me in doing that, is regarding the first two hits/inputs as one, most of the times I would cancel a dash into the string, pressing 3,1 while still holding F. I press F3,1 (when I'm in F3 range), thumb goes from 3 to 1 fluently, as if it is a single input -to save time-, then I pause a moment for the ample duration of the first two hits to play out. I concentrate my "mental resources" upon "canceling" the string with either the axe motion if I see them bleed/flail or 2 if I see them blocking.
Before we see options after a blocked F3,1,2 string, let's mention that the string takes 2% chip for each hit (6% total) while building meter of course. The string can be interrupted by armor/parry stuff in between the F3 & 1 hits, if they do that, probably they are feeling pressured lol. If it so happens you anticipate this, blow it up with F3~axe, though this should be of use only against parry happy opponents.
After blocked F3,1,2 string, commit to choosing one of these;
D1~axe
Move has greatest speed available for NW; 7 frames. If D1 is blocked, axe can be interrupted by fast pokes as we know. Your best bet here is a jump attempt from your opponent, thus getting them in an air combo. 1~axe should work in that case too, but if they don't jump, it would be vulnerable to high crashers (they use these against NW a lot) like uppercuts & D4s. If this connects, you can carry them with four 1s before dashing for the final 122~shoulder. I tend to use one or two 1s to end with 12~choke. If this is blocked, block while being ready to react with godlike uppercut against a jip.
D3
7 frames too. If they jump it, you have time to block a crossover punch, even anti-air it with uppercut or D1~axe if you 're quick enough. If they have & try to use a 6 frame poke, potential blockstun may give you the edge.. If they block it, block or test your luck with a crossover. If it hits (could happen too) immediately follow with F3,1,2 string to loop this whole pressure wannabe thing, your 11 frame combo starter F3 mid (why is this not a low?!!
) now becomes 8 frames, is in perfect range to hit, and maybe tech-jump a D3. You could also use D4 after a successful D3, but F3 I think is better at this distance for looping the same pressure and possibly hit confirming to a full combo. Is also 1 frame faster and more difficult to be jumped than D4, if you delay your inputs by mistake.
To sum it up, we have two fastest basic options after neutral frames and at a very close range (NW D3 range), the first is against jumpers and the second is against landers (non jumpers), but none of them gets particularly blown up by opposite opponent choice. You could also attempt a throw instead, but since your opponent knows the string is over, t'is not a very good idea.
D4 stuff
I have found that canceling a dash to 1,2,2~axe after D4 stand hits, is quite hard to succeed IF opponent ducks or high-crashes. You have to do it perfectly to catch opponent before they can duck your 1, timing is very unforgiving. You 're better off trying to dash cancel F3,1 instead, you lose two vital frames in comparison to 1,2,2 string, but you still have one frame left to make it in time, absent the likelihood to get whiff punished by ducks. Duck is instant, unlike jump. You have more time to catch opponent after D4 hits them standing with F3[mid(why?!
)] before they jump, than catching them in same case with 1 (high) before they duck. Of course, this means that after D4 stand hits, one can apply pressure tactics like the above since F3 comes into play.
If however D4 hits at max range, you can't make this in time. In this case, you could try B2~axe instead, it easily reaches opponent at that range and has an arc similar to Sub's Kori blade in his 2,2 string, meaning that NW's B2 has an anti air arc that WILL catch opponents in the air if they jump asap after being hit standing with D4. Proceed with typical air combos mentioned before.
I hope this makes some sense, luckily some tiny light may have been shed upon Nightwolf's pressure game. (There exists such a thing?!?
)
ALL CREDIT FOR FRAME DATA GOES TO SOMBERNESS (the one & only?!
)
***UPDATED***
So, thanks to all the contribution from the community, I can update & sum up here some pressure & mix up stuff for NW;
* F3,1,2
Close distance offensively by canceling dash ins to it. First hit is mid, parry crusher & can stuff low pokes. Can hit confirm it to BnB midscreen & corner. Else, finish it to pressure with D3. If D3 hits, you can loop/repeat pressure with the same string. If D3 is jumped, it recovers fast enough for an uppercut to Lightning set up opportunity. Can also attempt to AA with 1~axe or D1~axe ASAP. If opponent manages to outpoke you consistently with a 6 frame poke, block & punish it with D3 to continue with F3 or block & punish it with F3 itself. If said 6 frame poke happens to be a low, you can attempt to stuff it with F3 itself (again?!) If you commit to this, always cancel F3 to axe on its own, cause string's 2nd hit may whiff upon said stuff.
* Jip
You can also attempt to jip after blocked F3,1,2. Can use 1,2,2,1 string with jip to attempt a BnB, but if you expect opponent to block against your jip, only do the string's first hit (1) that recovers extremely fast & then go for a throw that can come out surprisingly fast. You can even trade the throw with EX Lightning; it is risky but has the element of surprise here. From such close position, backdash into 1~axe or 2~axe for Lightning midscreen or corner resets/combos.
* D4
The only hope to fear stand block against NW, one has to make the best out of it. Surprise NW wise opponents by even linking this to a Jip! Can also dash in, hold down & press 4 to do it for closing distance and shrinking hitbox absent risk of triggering an unwanted shoulder instead of D4. Recommended follow up is cancelling a dash to F3 string ASAP, if done right they will be hit if try anything but block. So F3 mentioned tactics come into play here. If it happens that you hit them standing with D4 from move's max range, you can't make it near them in time to pressure. What you can do in this case is buffer in B2~axe. It will trap them in an air combo if they jump and you 're safe if they don't.
* safe shoulder
Block confirm a 1,2,2,1 or a B2,2,1 string to cancel them into a shoulder instead of axe BnB. The shoulder comes out following an overhead, thus becomes 100% safe. Can be done from jip if you go for a BnB attempt but see midways that your opponent blocks you. Due to the extra jip hit, it becomes easier to block confirm shoulder, especially with 1,2,2,1 string. After shoulder you can play footsies, for example by canceling a backdash to moves with great range such as B1 or B2.
* B1/B1,1,1 (shout outs for chief L0tFLY's favourite)
Nightwolf's secret weapon, that requires good reads to be used effectively. Has great range, cannot be ducked, is a BnB starter and builds tons of meter safely by canceling the whole string to axe. What makes this a good footsie tool is that you can extend its basic reach at will WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR POSITION by mashing out
. So in the footsies game you can use it solo to bait them whiff something that you could capitalize on by dash in 1,2,2,1 or F3,1,2 or you can bait them to whiff punish your expected to be a solo B1, when for real you extend it to a full B1,1,1 effectively punishing their attempt to whiff punish you! (HAVE AT THEE JANY JANY CAGE)-match up still remains 3-7 though
Guys, I hope this helps anyone who thinks picking up Nightwolf and all of us who like using him for whom he is, despite the fact that he's low tier only for having been denied some more decent frame data.
CREDIT GOES TO THE NIGHTWOLF COMMUNITY
) big time.. However, I think it IS possible to pressure with him. Not Kabal level pressure of course, but still a primary one at least.Let's give it a go;
The most basic thing for pressuring with NW should be learning to hit confirm his F3,1,2 string, not for what you do when you hit confirm it (typical BnB F3,1~axe) but for what you do when you don't, you finish the string to stay in your opponent's face at neutral frames. What helps me in doing that, is regarding the first two hits/inputs as one, most of the times I would cancel a dash into the string, pressing 3,1 while still holding F. I press F3,1 (when I'm in F3 range), thumb goes from 3 to 1 fluently, as if it is a single input -to save time-, then I pause a moment for the ample duration of the first two hits to play out. I concentrate my "mental resources" upon "canceling" the string with either the axe motion if I see them bleed/flail or 2 if I see them blocking.
Before we see options after a blocked F3,1,2 string, let's mention that the string takes 2% chip for each hit (6% total) while building meter of course. The string can be interrupted by armor/parry stuff in between the F3 & 1 hits, if they do that, probably they are feeling pressured lol. If it so happens you anticipate this, blow it up with F3~axe, though this should be of use only against parry happy opponents.
After blocked F3,1,2 string, commit to choosing one of these;
D1~axe
Move has greatest speed available for NW; 7 frames. If D1 is blocked, axe can be interrupted by fast pokes as we know. Your best bet here is a jump attempt from your opponent, thus getting them in an air combo. 1~axe should work in that case too, but if they don't jump, it would be vulnerable to high crashers (they use these against NW a lot) like uppercuts & D4s. If this connects, you can carry them with four 1s before dashing for the final 122~shoulder. I tend to use one or two 1s to end with 12~choke. If this is blocked, block while being ready to react with godlike uppercut against a jip.
D3
7 frames too. If they jump it, you have time to block a crossover punch, even anti-air it with uppercut or D1~axe if you 're quick enough. If they have & try to use a 6 frame poke, potential blockstun may give you the edge.. If they block it, block or test your luck with a crossover. If it hits (could happen too) immediately follow with F3,1,2 string to loop this whole pressure wannabe thing, your 11 frame combo starter F3 mid (why is this not a low?!!
) now becomes 8 frames, is in perfect range to hit, and maybe tech-jump a D3. You could also use D4 after a successful D3, but F3 I think is better at this distance for looping the same pressure and possibly hit confirming to a full combo. Is also 1 frame faster and more difficult to be jumped than D4, if you delay your inputs by mistake.To sum it up, we have two fastest basic options after neutral frames and at a very close range (NW D3 range), the first is against jumpers and the second is against landers (non jumpers), but none of them gets particularly blown up by opposite opponent choice. You could also attempt a throw instead, but since your opponent knows the string is over, t'is not a very good idea.
D4 stuff
I have found that canceling a dash to 1,2,2~axe after D4 stand hits, is quite hard to succeed IF opponent ducks or high-crashes. You have to do it perfectly to catch opponent before they can duck your 1, timing is very unforgiving. You 're better off trying to dash cancel F3,1 instead, you lose two vital frames in comparison to 1,2,2 string, but you still have one frame left to make it in time, absent the likelihood to get whiff punished by ducks. Duck is instant, unlike jump. You have more time to catch opponent after D4 hits them standing with F3[mid(why?!
)] before they jump, than catching them in same case with 1 (high) before they duck. Of course, this means that after D4 stand hits, one can apply pressure tactics like the above since F3 comes into play.If however D4 hits at max range, you can't make this in time. In this case, you could try B2~axe instead, it easily reaches opponent at that range and has an arc similar to Sub's Kori blade in his 2,2 string, meaning that NW's B2 has an anti air arc that WILL catch opponents in the air if they jump asap after being hit standing with D4. Proceed with typical air combos mentioned before.
I hope this makes some sense, luckily some tiny light may have been shed upon Nightwolf's pressure game. (There exists such a thing?!?
)ALL CREDIT FOR FRAME DATA GOES TO SOMBERNESS (the one & only?!
)***UPDATED***
So, thanks to all the contribution from the community, I can update & sum up here some pressure & mix up stuff for NW;
* F3,1,2
Close distance offensively by canceling dash ins to it. First hit is mid, parry crusher & can stuff low pokes. Can hit confirm it to BnB midscreen & corner. Else, finish it to pressure with D3. If D3 hits, you can loop/repeat pressure with the same string. If D3 is jumped, it recovers fast enough for an uppercut to Lightning set up opportunity. Can also attempt to AA with 1~axe or D1~axe ASAP. If opponent manages to outpoke you consistently with a 6 frame poke, block & punish it with D3 to continue with F3 or block & punish it with F3 itself. If said 6 frame poke happens to be a low, you can attempt to stuff it with F3 itself (again?!) If you commit to this, always cancel F3 to axe on its own, cause string's 2nd hit may whiff upon said stuff.
* Jip
You can also attempt to jip after blocked F3,1,2. Can use 1,2,2,1 string with jip to attempt a BnB, but if you expect opponent to block against your jip, only do the string's first hit (1) that recovers extremely fast & then go for a throw that can come out surprisingly fast. You can even trade the throw with EX Lightning; it is risky but has the element of surprise here. From such close position, backdash into 1~axe or 2~axe for Lightning midscreen or corner resets/combos.
* D4
The only hope to fear stand block against NW, one has to make the best out of it. Surprise NW wise opponents by even linking this to a Jip! Can also dash in, hold down & press 4 to do it for closing distance and shrinking hitbox absent risk of triggering an unwanted shoulder instead of D4. Recommended follow up is cancelling a dash to F3 string ASAP, if done right they will be hit if try anything but block. So F3 mentioned tactics come into play here. If it happens that you hit them standing with D4 from move's max range, you can't make it near them in time to pressure. What you can do in this case is buffer in B2~axe. It will trap them in an air combo if they jump and you 're safe if they don't.
* safe shoulder
Block confirm a 1,2,2,1 or a B2,2,1 string to cancel them into a shoulder instead of axe BnB. The shoulder comes out following an overhead, thus becomes 100% safe. Can be done from jip if you go for a BnB attempt but see midways that your opponent blocks you. Due to the extra jip hit, it becomes easier to block confirm shoulder, especially with 1,2,2,1 string. After shoulder you can play footsies, for example by canceling a backdash to moves with great range such as B1 or B2.
* B1/B1,1,1 (shout outs for chief L0tFLY's favourite
)Nightwolf's secret weapon, that requires good reads to be used effectively. Has great range, cannot be ducked, is a BnB starter and builds tons of meter safely by canceling the whole string to axe. What makes this a good footsie tool is that you can extend its basic reach at will WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR POSITION by mashing out
. So in the footsies game you can use it solo to bait them whiff something that you could capitalize on by dash in 1,2,2,1 or F3,1,2 or you can bait them to whiff punish your expected to be a solo B1, when for real you extend it to a full B1,1,1 effectively punishing their attempt to whiff punish you! (HAVE AT THEE JANY JANY CAGE)-match up still remains 3-7 though Guys, I hope this helps anyone who thinks picking up Nightwolf and all of us who like using him for whom he is, despite the fact that he's low tier only for having been denied some more decent frame data.
CREDIT GOES TO THE NIGHTWOLF COMMUNITY
shake. Raiden's teleport & armors should work however.