mmm I disagree a little bit. i posted this a little while ago in the general discussion thread but didn't get any responses so here it is with edits:
my current view of cassie
brawler - not worth picking, IMO, but not terrible.
pros:
- can side switch in combos more easily
- has a special that is an overhead
- has a low range cmd grab
- better combo ender than spec ops and meterless hollywood.
cons:
- no extra projectile. which is a big deal for quite a few matchups
- worse corner setups than spec ops. worse setup compared to EX nut punch in hollywood.
- less corner damage than hollywood.
This is the purest rushdown version of Cassie since she does not have missiles or air guns. She can cancel into an overhead from her normals, which is somewhat of a gimmick. Does damage comparable to Hollywood, more than Spec Ops.
The new F3 option select helps out after her knockdowns.
I feel like her unique options in this variations aren't that relevant. Air grab is not that important. While her mixup specials are cute, i think they are overall not worth it. To me they seem like too much of a risk for medium reward options. F3 option select and D+F1 exDB2 are already low risk, high reward mixups available to all variations.
spec ops - Strongest variation IMO, but requires more patience and stamina management. Due to missile, pretty easy to use in a lot of matchups.
pros:
- missile: opponents can't stay away from Cassie that long since she can just call non-ex missile if they don't threaten anything and can't punish missile without getting hit by it.
- ex missile : At any point in neutral if they are not threatening anything, ex missile + enough stamina = free pressure, which is one of the most broken tools in the game. Run up B4 to combo into missile, or wait til they block missile and then overhead/low mixup, is very silly.
Ex missile also is free chipout when they are at low health.
Ex missile also creates ridiculous corner pressure since jumping out isn't possible.
- slight extra meter gain in hitconfirms/corner juggles with american way
- Corner game is absolutely brutal as the opponent cannot easily backup to avoid missiles. The option trees there can pretty much cover all options, though Cassie still needs to be careful of jumps if they have hard to anti air normals, and some armor options which she can just block and punish, but they are there.
cons:
- american way's input being annoying if you crouch and try to do b1
- having to use a lot of stamina to continue pressure midscreen. Guaranteed midscreen missile setups don't really exist due to roll. Off of DB2, run B12 missile, you can aim it default to catch non-roll and roll, but they can roll and backdash. You can aim it far to catch roll and roll+backdash. But it's all a guess.
- Midscreen punish game is low reward because of low midscreen damage as well as the above (she's good at getting the hits, but they don't turn into that much since she doesn't have Brawler's knockdown ender or Hollywood's nut punch ender).
- BIGGEST problem i have encountered is managing stamina. running in after a midscreen bnb (that also uses run) into missile setup CAN lead into a low/overhead mixup covered by missile. But factoring in Stamina, it doesn't seem worth it at all, since landing a mixup there usually doesn't go into another combo due to lack of run.
In the future i think spec ops will go for just a corner carry combo from midscreen that does ~20% maybe set up a missile, and leisurely approach; making decisions based on stamina.
Certain matchups are won just by the non-ex missile being very hard to deal with, I think Erron Black is a notable one.
Others need more patience, like Dvorah in swarm queen with a homing projectile that gives more frame advantage than Cassie's on block and the homing makes it better for the zoning war.
Similarly, teleport characters like Scorp force missile to be less of a factor purely in neutral; it has to be used sparingly in footsies, but is not an unstoppable tool like it is in other matchups.
Ex missile is too good and can turn anything around.
Corner setups aren't fully fleshed out but they are super hard to deal with.
Hollywood - Has quite a bit of potential. Already is one of the easier versions to play at a base level, but needs extra execution to be fully optimized.
Pros:
- much less reliant on stamina compared to Spec Ops; doesn't have to spend stamina AFTER the combo to do mixups.
- has instant air guns. I think that instant air guns is NECESSARY for playing the character fully, as it is a decent projectile for stopping slow zoning but more importantly seems like a pretty safe way to build meter. Meter is important in all versions to do EX Flip for safe hitconfirms off d+f1 / reversal, and in Hollywood to do her 50/50.
- her 50/50 off EX nut punch is super strong. It's not as dangerous of a setup as corner missile spec ops stuff but it works anywhere on the screen.
- F3 option select is super optimal in this variant because F34 on block is so good.
- really high corner damage
Cons:
- uses slightly MORE stamina in combos, but does notably more damage (35% - 41%)
- sort of reliant on meter to stay safe after low mixup (use EX db2 instead of db2 to stay safe if they guess right) and of course to start the 50/50 with ex nutpunch. The non-ex Nut punch setups are worse than Brawler's mixups off knockdown.
I guess technically if spec ops had a more reliable way of building meter for ex missile she'd be ridiculous.
Hollywood has potential if you can master F3 optionselect which can save health/meter compared to doing F3 flipkick on block and taking a lot of damage, or doing F3 ex flipkick on block every time to stay safe.
Also, Hollywood players should work to master instant air guns which lets it fight any matchup.
