So I haven't gotten to use training mode much at all with this game yet since we've been traveling a lot, but I've gotten to play a decent variety of people and learn a lot of things.
One thing I'm noticing is just how many problems there are with using bats for pressure & getting in: vulnerable to pushblock, don't track certain things well at all (e.g. airdashes, Frost slide), and whiff crouchers up close so you can't really cover some of the holes in his strings.
In light of that, I've started considering bats as a *defensive* tool much more, and have a little bit of early success with this along with a bunch of theory-fighter stuff. So what do I mean by this?
Simple: call bats in the neutral game, and hang outside your opponent's poking range. And an important part...don't be afraid to block with bats out!
Being able to whiff punish and AA with bats is pretty obvious, as is using them to punish normally safe moves like BA's divekick. The less obvious and most important part of this post, I think, is using bats to destroy your *opponent's* pressure.
Simplest example of this: I used to lose to Superman all the time until I started using bats to beat anything he tried after f+23 breath. That one tactic opens up so much here, and I think gives Batman a slight advantage in that matchup. An almost unbeatable reversal that also catches backdashes for a full combo is a one-of-a-kind tool in this game, especially when you consider that you can still block while using it!
A more advanced example that's more theory but worth looking into...if you have bats out and block something that's -4 to -6 or so, I think doing a b1 string and bats simultaneously could be a very strong option select. b1 will beat d1's (and parries!) and stop armor moves in this situation when timed correctly...but the bats will allow us to stuff armor even if they get it off, AND catch a backdash. Unfortunately I don't think this will work with 113 due to the bats' issues with crouchers, but the idea still has potential I think.
If anything, having bats as a reversal for situations where the opponent is +4 or more on block might be an even bigger deal than the above. Especially given how god-awful Bruce's d1 is...
tl;dr I currently feel that being able to safely block or even poke while mashing bats as a reversal is a game-changer, and not nearly as easily thwarted as bats pressure is. It takes a lot more guts to have bats out in situations where you can realistically be hit, but I think the rewards are more than worth it; I believe it could turn around key matchups such as Superman & Frost, though sadly it's still largely useless vs Aquaman.
All this said, I am definitely open to criticism and other thoughts - that's why I made this thread! Any discussion here would be greatly appreciated.
One thing I'm noticing is just how many problems there are with using bats for pressure & getting in: vulnerable to pushblock, don't track certain things well at all (e.g. airdashes, Frost slide), and whiff crouchers up close so you can't really cover some of the holes in his strings.
In light of that, I've started considering bats as a *defensive* tool much more, and have a little bit of early success with this along with a bunch of theory-fighter stuff. So what do I mean by this?
Simple: call bats in the neutral game, and hang outside your opponent's poking range. And an important part...don't be afraid to block with bats out!
Being able to whiff punish and AA with bats is pretty obvious, as is using them to punish normally safe moves like BA's divekick. The less obvious and most important part of this post, I think, is using bats to destroy your *opponent's* pressure.
Simplest example of this: I used to lose to Superman all the time until I started using bats to beat anything he tried after f+23 breath. That one tactic opens up so much here, and I think gives Batman a slight advantage in that matchup. An almost unbeatable reversal that also catches backdashes for a full combo is a one-of-a-kind tool in this game, especially when you consider that you can still block while using it!
A more advanced example that's more theory but worth looking into...if you have bats out and block something that's -4 to -6 or so, I think doing a b1 string and bats simultaneously could be a very strong option select. b1 will beat d1's (and parries!) and stop armor moves in this situation when timed correctly...but the bats will allow us to stuff armor even if they get it off, AND catch a backdash. Unfortunately I don't think this will work with 113 due to the bats' issues with crouchers, but the idea still has potential I think.
If anything, having bats as a reversal for situations where the opponent is +4 or more on block might be an even bigger deal than the above. Especially given how god-awful Bruce's d1 is...
tl;dr I currently feel that being able to safely block or even poke while mashing bats as a reversal is a game-changer, and not nearly as easily thwarted as bats pressure is. It takes a lot more guts to have bats out in situations where you can realistically be hit, but I think the rewards are more than worth it; I believe it could turn around key matchups such as Superman & Frost, though sadly it's still largely useless vs Aquaman.
All this said, I am definitely open to criticism and other thoughts - that's why I made this thread! Any discussion here would be greatly appreciated.
