Part 3: General Strategies
In most matchups, Jade is a keepaway and space-control character. You'll be using Air Rang, Up Rang, b1, b2, f4, b4, d4 and 21 to keep your opponent from being able to approach. You want to make yourself a fortress against rushdown. You don't want to go in too hard until the opponent makes a mistake and you get a knockdown, a standing amplified Razor Rang, or manage to land a massively + poke, like b2, b3, f3, f4, or d4.
B2 is relatively spammable and is one of her most important tools. It's a high and it gets beaten out by a lot of other characters' hitboxes, for some reason, so you do have to be careful in some matchups. However, it has a massive 21 active frames, making it an excellent disjointed long-range multi-hitting hit-confirmable poke. By using it correctly in the neutral, you can make it a wall that's very difficult for many characters to circumvent.
Initially, you'll need to take some risks with b2 to make your opponent respect it on block, since it's -13. b2~bf2 works except from max range, and it's pretty unsafe. b2~df4 works but both attacks are high; it can also be canceled into amp on reaction for the additional mind game. b2~db3 works a surprising amount of the time, but is
massively unsafe. And, of course, b2~FB is always an option.
b3434 is your next most important tool. b3 is your primary punisher as an 11-frame mid. You can stagger b3 and b343, though it's easier to react to the b343 staggers. b3434 is +5 on block, but has a flawless-blockable gap. If your opponent isn't abusing that gap then you can just b3434 all day and they can't stop you.
b343 is very easy to hit-confirm. If you see it hit, cancel into amplified bf1, which will leave them standing and you at +10. If you see it blocked, you can either finish the 4 to remain +5 at the risk of being flawless-blocked. You can also cancel into any of her specials, which have the same pros and cons as with b2.
Amplified bf1 is next up. This is what allows her to dismantle her opponents once she gets her momentum going. This leaves her +10 point-blank against her standing opponent, opening up a number of mixup options. After an amplified bf1 hits your opponent from close-range, you can use any of the following options:
- b3: This will be your best option early on, and will help train your opponent to respect your + frames. Unless they flawless block, they either have to block the b3 or eat it. They can't jump out, crouch, throw, or poke. This allows you to confirm into another amplified Razor Rang, continuing the loop, or use any of the b343 on-block mind games.
- f3: This is your next best option. It's a little tighter to time correctly, but the good news is that if they try to jump out and you do it correctly, it will catch them and you can confirm into bf1.amp-d2 for 27%. It's also a low starter and can be confirmed into bf1.amp on hit to keep the loop going. It's also easier to stagger than b3, so you can do f3-throw, f32-throw, f32~bf2, or any of the other enders from the b2 mind games. The only big weakness is that it's easy to whiff against neutral jumps, which results in a full kombo punish on Jade.
- f4: This one is a little riskier due to the slow startup, though it will catch any jump attempts. You can cancel into db3 and it will catch a hit opponent for 11%. f4 is also an excelltn stagger normal, so you can try to get away with a d1 followup or throw.
- Throw: Don't use this option if you want to stay on top of your opponent, since you throw them 3/4 screen away.
- J4 or j1
- Walk back and whiff punish with b3~df4 for up to 14%.
- Walk back and whiff punish with f4~bf1.amp for 16% into her standing looped pressure.
- Walk back and whiff punish with b343~bf1.amp for 13% into her standing looped pressure.
- Walk back and whiff punish with f21~kombo or f2~db3.
- Walk back and 21 or feint with just 2.
- Walk back and j4 or j1.
Next up are Air Rangs and Amplified Air Rangs. These moves are the reason to play Emerald Defender. This one move straight up shuts down several characters. It can be used offensively or defensively. It can be used to make your opponent afraid to anti-air. It can be used to cover an escape (jump-back-instant-2 canceled into Air Rang is very effective). You can instant-air them by jumping forward or backward and inputing the move. Neutral jumping usually results in a hop attack instead, and the attack won't come out as quickly.
Defensively, Air rang is highly spammable and good at preventing opponents from being able to close in on you. By mixing in regular air rang, amplified, normals, and empty jumps, you can make it very difficult for your opponent to know for sure when to advance.
Offensively, I've already outlined the crazy frame advantage of Amplified Air Rang, and the relative safety of regular Air Rang. By using Amplified Air Rang just outside your opponent's anti-air range, you can safely punish them for trying to anti-air. Whether they block or get hit, you're usually around +11 and within b2 and f4 range, both of which will catch forward and neutral jumps.
Midscreen, if you land a jk~air.db1.amp, you can almost always get a df4 followup for 21%. In the corner, you can do jk~air.db1.amp-43~bf2 for 27%.
You can also cancel into amplified Air Rang from j1. This will usually leave you around +9 and you can micro-dash to connect a b3.
Next is f343. This is already covered pretty heavily in the section on her Normals, but it's worth reiterating. f3 is easy to stagger, and all hits of f343 are safe on block and it's relatively easy to hit-confirm f34 into bf1.amp to start her looped pressure.
Her 212 string is excellent. It's incredibly staggerable and is just an excellent poke and feint. When you get your opponent cornered, you can keep them mixed between 2, 21, and 212. Once they fear you, you can whiff the 2 as they wakeup and then throw. Try seeing if you can get away with poking after a blocked 21. It's surprisingly difficult to counterpoke, so if your opponent can't seem to punish it correctly, keep stealing their turns after they block 21.
On hit, you jail into any of her normals, though only b3 and f4 will hit midscreen. You can micro-dash into b343 and it will jail. In the corner, this jails into her +3-on-block standing 4, making it much more dangerous. You can 4, 43, or 43~special. In the corner, 43~bf1.amp-43~bf2 does 30% damage. Standing 4 leaves you +14 on hit, so you can jail into another 21 string, another standing 4, b3, or go for a throw.
From just outside d4 distance the 2nd hit of 21 will connect. The 2 recovers very quickly, allowing you to easily feint by whiffing naked 2. If the opponent jumps, you get an easy anti-air punish. If they don't, you can do another 2, 21, b2, b4, d4, f21, or any other long-range option.
Her parry isn't particularly useful, though I sometimes use it to punish wakeup-happy opponents. However, you're usually better off punishing wakeups with b2 or f2.
