Im have to believe this is an uphill battle for wulf. I dont get what to do once I knock him down. I find its a constant cat and mouse game in this matchup with thunder usually beating my face in.
Any tips for high level play>?
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I don’t have that much problems with Thunder, most of his moves has much startup frames and you can catch that up with Wulf, also, mix that up and footsie a lot, don’t go air, Wulf is bad at it unless you know very well what are doing.
AddictedToKaos,
I totally agree that Thunder is a challenging match-up for Sabrewulf. Here are some things I try to keep in mind when I take on the grappler with my own wulf:
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mix-in neutral jump or jumping HK when waking up (this will counter a very grabby Thunder). Do not simply abandon the jump option as that just makes you more predictable.
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DON’T Backdash to wake-up. If you predict a grab, go with a jump option instead. Most of Thunder’s attacks have the range to counter a backdash into a full combo opportunity. If you guess wrong, but jump, you’ll still get hit, but he can’t convert into a full combo unlike the backdash.
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Gotta have crafty footsies.
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Use Jumping Slash and Hamstring sparingly. If Thunder blocks one of those generally unsafe moves, say goodbye to a chunk of life.
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Use patience when using Combo Breakers. Don’t just guess or panic. Thunder’s auto-doubles and linkers are generally easier to break than on average (IMO).
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Use Shadow Counters to deter spamming of triplax, overheads during neutral game. Crank out safe, unpredictable offense from various angles.
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Veer towards using linkers and enders that control Thunder; sending him into a corner and ending with hard knockdowns. Only go for pure damage after you have Thunder backed into a corner. While this is a good strategy to use regardless of opponent, it should be paramount in this particular match-up.
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As you have already alluded to, keeping momentum after knocking down Thunder is very challenging due to his dp potential and his ultimate throw-range advantage relative to Sabrewulf. Treat him like any other character until he begins to DP, then focus on baiting those out to get free combos. Resume wakeup pressure after his DPs subside. Rinse, repeat with some fresh wrinkles to keep the grappler guessing.
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Attempting to Break Thunder after a back throw linker will land your poor Sabrewulf in one of those commercials that has Sarah McLaughlin’s “In the Arms of an Angel” playing in the background. Do this rarely at most. This is prime Counter Breaker real estate, and he can easily Manual.
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Be very careful if you attempt to throw Throwmaster Thunder. If he predicts or baits your throw, his command grab will always have priority.
In the end, it’s a very challenging match-up for Wulf. Wulf will simply not be the optimum option when fighting some characters. Good luck from one wulf to another!
– SabreMetrics
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Thanks for all the advice @SabreMetrics. Another, question is on knockdown I tend to get cautious and back off against thunder. Is this bad? Should I be trying to stuff his wakeup or return to footsies.
When I use Sabrewulf against a Thunder (I used to play against Ray Ray Monkey all the time with him) I don’t let him breath. If I do a hard knock down, I’m already pressuring him. I generally want the Thunder to do a Shammanish that I can block and counter. After a few of those, they won’t use it as a wake up attack. I then use dash cross ups into a throw or a crouching Magic Series into whatever combo I wish.
Sabrewulf is always at his best when he’s pressuring. I know the hardest Sabrewulfs (as a Sadira main) never give me room to breath. Once I get a Sabrewulf backed up into a corner, then the match is mine.
Always pressure. Never back down. 
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@webragnarok validated the core concept of one of my earlier bullet points, sweet!
“As you have already alluded to, keeping momentum after knocking down Thunder is very challenging due to his dp potential and his ultimate throw-range advantage relative to Sabrewulf. Treat him like any other character until he begins to DP, then focus on baiting those out to get free combos. Resume wakeup pressure after his DPs subside. Rinse, repeat with some fresh wrinkles to keep the grappler guessing.”
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Interesting find here:
I’ve recently discovered that Wulf’s crouching HP sweep seems to beat the start up of Thunder’s dp if properly timed. I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test it in training so I’m not sure which strengths (almost certainly not the shadow version). But I have had a couple of matches where I can clearly see Thunder do the startup squat and he ends up eating the sweep. Which, if I’m not mistaken also leads to a safe jump on him.
You guys should test it out too.
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Thunder’s DP isn’t invincible, a ton of moves can beat it out. He just ducks during the start up so make sure you don’t use a button with a high hitbox.
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