OMF 2097 Casual Matches, Summer 2005
Player 1: Austin
Player 2: Robyrt
Best 2 of 3, hyper mode, rehit mode.

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Why no diversity of pilots? Because for bots who really need agility (like Shredder or Chronos), Crystal and Milano are the only options, and Crystal is better than Milano. For bots who really need power (like Pyros or Nova), a modicum of agility is still necessary to avoid getting rushed by Crystal, leaving the options as Steffan or Cossette, and Steffan is better than Cossette. For more defensive playstyles, Jean-Paul may also be a viable option, but Steffan usually works just as well in those situations.

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Key Insight: "Magic" Blocking / Reverse Blocking
Under certain unknown circumstances, your character turns around while knocked down. To block attacks on wakeup, you must block backwards (i.e. hold forward versus a jump attack). Although your character may be walking backwards, they are NOT blocking unless you hold forward. Austin and I aren't very good at seeing whether or not we should magic block, so there are a lot of random jump attacks hitting in these matches.

testing1.rec: Clear instances of magic blocking being necessary versus Concussion Cannon.
testing2.rec: Magic blocking test in the first round (when Flail finally blocks, he's blocking backwards). Also, why Flail's jumpkick owns under very special circumstances.

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And now, on to the matches!

casual00.rec: Crystal/Electra vs Crystal/Jag (W)
   Only a series of missed combos by Austin and some "psychic" Overhead Throws save Rob's Jag from the scrap heap. Watch the very beginning of the first round for some great mind game action.

casual01.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Crystal/Shredder
   Austin shows how to take advantage of Shredder's vulnerabilities with some great situational combos. Pyros doesn't lose to Shredder all that badly, as this match shows.

casual02.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Shredder (W)
   Rob brings the pain with corner lockdown in the first round and random combos in the second round. Watch for the key Flying Hands in round 1.

casual03.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Garg (W)
   Although neither of us is any good with Garg, the match is so one-sided that we played it once and decided to call it a day. Note that I never use the Rising Talon as anti-air, and lose a round as the result.

casual04.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Steffan/Nova
   Rob shows off Nova's ability to trade hits with virtually anything, but does too many jump punches and gets hit by the vs-Nova-only triple fierce.

casual05.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Steffan/Nova (W)
   An entertaining match all around: Austin lands the legendary five-hitter, while Rob lets loose with Nova's projectiles and a strange jump punch reset.

casual06.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Crystal/Pyros
   Rob shows how to get owned. Step 1: Pick Crystal. Step 2: Die to Jet Swoop.
The requisite mirror match quotient is fulfilled, though.

casual07.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Steffan/Thorn
   Austin reads Rob like a book here, and the whiffing of the stun combo doesn't help either. Watch for Thorn's strong to trade hits for no reason in the second round.

casual08.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Katana (W)
   This is why Katana beats Pyros. Rob pulls out his bag of tricks and lands some painful light-bots-only combos, then resorts to using only the kick button at the end of the second round. (It still works.)

casual09.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Crystal/Chronos
   Chronos and Pyros both get off some awe-inspiring combos, but Austin pulls through in the last round. Watch for jab combos to mysteriously fail.

casual10.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Jag (W)
   Although Austin makes some mistakes, Jag really does own Pyros. All of his specials come in really handy, and Jag has good ability to capitalize on random air combos.

casual11.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Crystal/Flail
   This matchup is like Tic-Tac-Toe: if Pyros makes a mistake, Flail can lock him into the Spinning Throw trap, and if Flail makes a mistake, Pyros can do whatever he pleases without fear of Flail ever being able to kill him. The match is included only for the sake of completeness.

casual12.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Electra (W)
   This matchup is quite interesting and not as lopsided as you'd expect. Electra's anti-air is lacking when compared to Pyros' impressive suite of air moves. Lots of fun to be had.

casual13.rec: Steffan/Pyros vs Crystal/Shadow (W)
   Pyros is so light that Shadow has some effective stun combos. Sure, they're dangerous, but Rob pulls this one out of the hat.

casual14.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Crystal/Shadow
   Austin's win here displays true Pyros skill. Psychic jump punches, crazy mashing, even high/low mixups come into play to ward off Shadow.

casual15.rec: Steffan/Pyros (W) vs Cossette/Pyros
   This mirror match isn't as lopsided as the previous one, but Austin still knows how to handle his Pyros better. Watch for some interesting results like traded hits.

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Enjoy! Please leave feedback at robyrt@marney.org or the omf.com forums.
--Robyrt