Fuzzy guard: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:50, 19 May 2024

Bryan fuzzy guarding all of Lili's backturn mix options with a backdash into crouch guard.

A fuzzy guard is a defensive option select technique where both standing and crouching guard are used at different timings to neutralize a mixup. Effective application of fuzzy guards can force an attacker to completely alter their offense.

It can be used in any situation where the timing of an opponent's mids and lows (or highs) aren't quite the same. For example, if a Kazumi player were to try and mix df+1 (a fast mid) with db+4 (a slow low), the defender could do a delayed duck at the timing of the db+4 to block it without taking the risk of eating the df+1. To address this, the Kazumi player has to add a slower mid to the mixup (such as f,F+4) or delay the df+1.

Fuzzy guards are most robust as a defense against strings where some or all of the extensions can't be delayed. For example, Lidia's df+1,2 is much faster than df+1,3, so after blocking her df+1, a brief duck on the high's timing covers both options. The Lidia player has no way to change the timing—the df+1,3 can be delayed, but this doesn't help since it's the slower option anyway. (The Lidia player can still make use of the mental frame advantage her df+1 gets from its extensions, of course.)

Only knowledge and practice limit this technique. An expert player could sidestep for an i13 df+1, low parry an i16 low, then stand up to block a slow homing mid, all at once. (By the time they'd done all this, the whiffed df+1 might go unpunished, of course.) Incorporating this with option selects can potentially get one to being an iron wall of defense.

Alternatively refers to quick switching between standing block and crouching block or low parry in order to avoid being predicatable in the defence.

General application

Step block can be thought of as a kind of fuzzy guard.
Backdash into low parry can be effective in a lot of situations, as lows are often slower and have more range than mids.

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-Fuzzy guard is a type of an [[option select]] where both standing and crouching guard are used to beat multiple enemy options. Sometimes it is used without a trigger(dinstance, move) and sometimes with. Sometimes it is required to be done with specific timings and sometimes it is done without specific timings and triggers.
+[[File:Lili-BT-fuzzy.mp4|300px|thumb|Bryan '''fuzzy guarding''' all of Lili's [[backturn]] [[mix]] options with a backdash into crouch guard.]]
+A '''fuzzy guard''' is a defensive [[option select]] technique where both standing and crouching [[guard]] are used at different timings to neutralize a [[mixup]]. Effective application of fuzzy guards can force an attacker to completely alter their offense.
-It can be used in any situation where the timing of an opponent's mixups aren't quite the same.
+It can be used in any situation where the timing of an opponent's mids and lows (or highs) aren't quite the same. For example, if a [[Kazumi]] player were to try and mix df+1 (a fast mid) with db+4 (a slow low), the defender could do a delayed duck at the timing of the db+4 to block it without taking the risk of eating the df+1. To address this, the Kazumi player has to add a slower mid to the mixup (such as f,F+4) or delay the df+1.
-==== Examples ====
+Fuzzy guards are most robust as a defense against [[string]]s where some or all of the extensions can't be delayed. For example, [[Lidia]]'s df+1,2 is much faster than df+1,3, so after blocking her df+1, a brief duck on the high's timing covers both options. The Lidia player has no way to change the timing—the df+1,3 can be delayed, but this doesn't help since it's the slower option anyway. (The Lidia player can still make use of the [[mental frame advantage]] her df+1 gets from its extensions, of course.)
-The simplest form(but not the only one) of fuzzy guard is with strings that can't be delayed. For example, {{Bryan}}'s {{1,2}} has both a mid and a low extension, but the mid is faster, so the defender can do standing guard into crouching guard to block both options.
+Only knowledge and practice limit this technique. An expert player could [[sidestep]] for an i13 df+1, [[low parry]] an i16 low, then stand up to block a slow homing mid, all at once. (By the time they'd done all this, the whiffed df+1 might go unpunished, of course.) Incorporating this with [[option select]]s can potentially get one to being an iron wall of defense.
-In this case there's a specific trigger to start fuzzy guarding - Bryan's 1,2 string, and you need to duck with a very specific timing - after the 1 extension(if Bryan does 1,2,1) and before the 1,2,4 extension hits you(if you don't duck in time).
-In neutral vs Paul at distance 1.5 where qcb3 and qcb4 will reach you but his hopkick will not. You can be doing ''backdash, d/f'' with the same or different timings(no specific timings required and moves are not performed with any specific timings) to fuzzy guard his qcb3 and qcb4.
+Alternatively refers to quick switching between standing block and crouching block or low parry in order to avoid being predicatable in the defence.
-In this case there is no any specific triggers like distance or a specific move but it is still considered fuzzy guarding.
-Another example of fuzzy guarding in neutral is to ''backdash, d/b'' in neutral at distance 1.0-2.0 against Kazuya to duck his electrics and block hellsweep at the same time as well as to block his f,f+3(Kazuya) because by the time he dashes in you won't be ducking anymore.
+== General application ==
-In this case the trigger to start and stop fuzzy guarding lows is distance and the goal is to make electrics whiff, block their hellsweep and f,f+3 mid at the same time. In this case there is a trigger to start and stop fuzzy guarding but no specific timings to doing that.
-Without a fuzzy guard, any unreactable mid and low are a mixup. However, if for example your opponent uses an i13 mid to mix up a 20 frame low without delays, you might block mid for 13 to 18 frames and then low parry afterwards, covering both. This is fuzzy guard.
+* [[Step block]] can be thought of as a kind of fuzzy guard.
+* [[Backdash]] into [[low parry]] can be effective in a lot of situations, as lows are often slower and have more range than mids.
-Since most powerful lows are slow, an expert fuzzy guard is hard to break with sloppy offense. The attacker has to incorporate delays or vary their moves, & often choose between pressure or 50/50s. Many strings are also fallible to fuzzy guard.
+{{Navbox system}}
-Only knowledge and practice limit this technique, meaning an expert player could sidestep for an i13 DF1, duck for an i16 high homing move, stand up, and then low parry for an i23 low. Though by the time they'd done all this, the whiffed DF1 might go unpunished.