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Strategy The Ultimate Grundy Vortex / Setup guide!

Awake

Noob
Here in this guide i plan to show you how powerful Grundy can be after he lands a proper knockdown. Most Grundy players will say it is best to end every combo into his trait grab simply because it is the most damaging option, i disagree. Although it is the most damaging option, i find it is more effective to sacrifice a little bit of damage, and go for a great mix-up opportunity since you literally get nothing after landing the trait grab.

So basically my game plan is to power up with the trait grab using no meter with the first combo i land. After this, the only time i would recommend using trait is if you are in the corner, mb trait wake / reversal, or tick grab setups.

Now i will get into the "vortex":

*If you have your opponent cornered, you should always end your combo with the power trait grab*
The reason for this is you maximize your damage and get a great setup, ie...

After landing the trait grab in the corner
-Meaty 1>1>3 attack leading into full combo, which then in turn leads to the same situation. Also plus on block.

-D.3. Low sweep, not quite meaty, but fast enough that it will beat all normals, techs, jumps, and backdashes. It is an untechable knockdown which means it leads into a similar mix up situation which i will get into a little later.

-Normal Throw. This option forces the opponent to either tech the grab, or reversal. *They cannot escape the throw by jumping!* The only drawback to this option is the fact you dont have much of a meaty follow up option, but you still maintain corner pressure.

-Once you establish the 3 options above, b.1>MB (Meter Burn) special> full combo leading the same mix up situation becomes an option. It is not meaty and does not catch jumps, however if your get your opponent scared of the above options, this adds to the mix up with an overhead option. Cancelling the b.1 with MB swamp hands is great for a quick high-low into full combo. Likewise, cancelling the b.1 into MB cleaver is a high-high leading into combo, and more importantly the situation.

*So basically the mix up after trait grab in the corner becomes, grab (only loses to reversals/tech), or meaty (beats techs, loses to reversals), and to beat reversals, block and punish or throw out an MB cleaver spin on occasion to blow up the reversal. Rinse and repeat.

Here's where it gets good.
Like i said before, once im powered up i will end my combo with df.1 "to the grave" grab. The reason being it is an untechable knockdown, and lead to a great high/low/grab mixup which in turn leads to the same mix up, creating a vortex.

The combo i use to set this up:
f.1>3>1>1><MBswamp hands> walk forward >b.3>j.2>1>1>to the grave. 44% Into setup, after already being power up. You can also start the combo with 1>1>3 string as well, although getting the swamp hands to connect is more difficult.

The mix up after to the grave is as follows:
-Dash>slight pause>f.1>3 x Combo for the meaty low option into full combo vortex situation
-Dash>b.1>MBhands for the meaty high followed by a fast low into full combo. It sounds odd that the you have to pause with f.1 (the slower move) and not the b.1 (the faster move) but b.1 is just that active that it will be meaty if you do it asap, or use the f.1 timing.
-Dash>Dash>Normal Throw. This option again catches all jumps and backdashes, but doesnt lead to vortex.
-Dash>dash>1>1>3 meaty string is great once you condition your opponent to tech the throw option, also leads into the vortex.


The next option I'm going to talk about is d.3
Grundys sweep which has great range, is safe and can be chaining into with d.1>d.3. Since this is an untechable knockdown, once again your opponent is forced to eat a mixup.

After landing the d.3 you have a few options:
- Meaty walk forward f.1>string>vortex situation explained above
- Meaty walk forward b.1>MBspecial>combo>vortex situation explain above
-Dash>grab once again, the meaty grab catches jumps!
-Dash>1>string>vortex situation explained above *This option is really only good once you have your opponent ready to tech grabs after the dash, otherwise go for the high/low options instead*


Up next is the corpse grab setup *revised*
Most Grundy players know how important this move is, and guess what? yup. vortex ensues after applying MB to this move, as well as adding a bit of damage.
The follow up after meter burn walking grab is this:
-Grave Rot>dash>dash>(slight pause)> trait. Like the normal throw from other situations, raw trait catches jumps, backdashes, AND TECHS! dFN93.png meaning your opponent *has to reversal or eat the trait*
-Grave Rot>Dash>Dash>(slight pause)meaty f.1>full combo for the low option into the vortex
-Grave Rot>Dash>Dash>(slight pause)meaty b.1>MBspecial>full combo for the high option into vortex

* IMO Grundys strongest set up. Although the meaties are a decent option, i think the better mix up is making the opponent guess whether you will trait grab or not, as the only way to escape the trait is by reversal, which in most cases will lead to big damage if you bait it out.

This is the first guide ive ever done, with that being said feedback would be much appreciated. I hope you all learned something from this guide, please let me know what you think!


TL;DR - SOLOMON FUCKIN' GRUNDY!!
 

Attachments

Awake

Noob
you can do ji.3 instead of ji.2 for more damage off a mix up.
True, but afaik you cannot combo into To The Grave if you do j.3, it puts them too low to the ground for it to combo. So unless the extra damage is going to kill, I'd recommend going for the mix up opportunity.
 

NRF CharlieMurphy

Kindergarten Meta
The mixup isn't off the knockdown....

the mixup is off the 113 and f13 on block. Since you can't "block" the trait grab nor duck it. So they have to guess whether you'll end in the grab... or if you'll do something else.

That is the true mixup. Cuz 30 frame lows and 30 frame OH's are easy as piss to block.
 

Awake

Noob
The mixup isn't off the knockdown....

the mixup is off the 113 and f13 on block. Since you can't "block" the trait grab nor duck it. So they have to guess whether you'll end in the grab... or if you'll do something else.

That is the true mixup. Cuz 30 frame lows and 30 frame OH's are easy as piss to block.
While i agree that a 23 frame overhead and 26 frame low are somewhat easy to block, thats not the entire point as the follow ups i listed are all + on block to keep your offense up (except f.1>3, but that leaves you very close to your opponent as a trade off and is safe.). Also they cannot react to grabs which is a huge part of the mix up you may have overlooked.

You can derp trait after all your strings but that will only get you so far, as your offense ends after landing the trait grab. On top of that you are losing out on a potential full combo by just doing trait after a string, instead of confirming the combo on hit, and keeping up the offense on block.
 

ll Nooby ll

To Live is to Die
I have a write similar to this one. I like the ending combos with AA Grab for setups thing. I'm probably going to try that out a little more.
 

NRF CharlieMurphy

Kindergarten Meta
While i agree that a 23 frame overhead and 26 frame low are somewhat easy to block, thats not the entire point as the follow ups i listed are all + on block to keep your offense up (except f.1>3, but that leaves you very close to your opponent as a trade off and is safe.). Also they cannot react to grabs which is a huge part of the mix up you may have overlooked.

You can derp trait after all your strings but that will only get you so far, as your offense ends after landing the trait grab. On top of that you are losing out on a potential full combo by just doing trait after a string, instead of confirming the combo on hit, and keeping up the offense on block.
he can't keep up offense tho....
Somoene will just armored B3/F3 and you're done. Those moves beat out the WC and the cancel version....

his fastest move is d2... which has no range. I'll take my 30% off a trait grab ANY day.

These "mixups" aren't true mixups... you're just getting away with people not knowing. I do these too.... and I learned that reacting to trait grab after block strings is impossible. You have to guess. THAT is a mixup. I don't have to guess after a hard knockdown what Grundy will do.... because everything is painfully slow.

The best part of your post is the block string ender mixup. If you continue to focus on that aspect, then yeah...
but Grundy doesn't have a vortex.
 

Awake

Noob
he can't keep up offense tho....
Somoene will just armored B3/F3 and you're done. Those moves beat out the WC and the cancel version....

his fastest move is d2... which has no range. I'll take my 30% off a trait grab ANY day.

These "mixups" aren't true mixups... you're just getting away with people not knowing. I do these too.... and I learned that reacting to trait grab after block strings is impossible. You have to guess. THAT is a mixup. I don't have to guess after a hard knockdown what Grundy will do.... because everything is painfully slow.

The best part of your post is the block string ender mixup. If you continue to focus on that aspect, then yeah...
but Grundy doesn't have a vortex.
If that's what you are going to boil it down to, armored b.3/f.3 beats out your trait string ender, and pretty much all of grundys options for that matter. My point is everything has a counter its up to you to bait and punish. Combos on hit, and grabs on block. .f.1>3 leaves you in range of d.2, which is what i would use to tick trait. If you think they are going to meter burn b/f 3, bait and punish. Or just block, in which case they just wasted oh so valuable meter.
 

Awake

Noob
When i wrote this it was basically just some lab notes i posted online. After playing hundreds of matches of Grundy online, ive changed my opinion slightly on the to the grave ender. The only time i end my combos with the ani air grab is for positional purposes + set up, instead of just set up.
The reason for this adjustment is because i find that Grundys corner pressure is among the best, so i will do whatever it take to corner my opponent. Although i believe the setup is solid after to the grave ender, the corner carry on the trait grab is just too good. With the set ups after trait i listed in the OP, i find im almost guaranteed damage after trait in the corner.

With that being said i tend to land the to the grave as an anti air quite often, and the setup above has done me quite well.

I also find myself have huge success with the mb walking corpse grab > stank > dash > dash > trait setup, to the point where i will meter burn this move just about every time i land it.

Im interested in finding out if anyone has had some success with these setups? Id really like some feedback so i can further improve the setups / strategy.