Eh, the damage difference between level 3 and level 4 chunk ender is negligible, about 3%. If I make it to level 4 in a combo with aganos unless I’m really desperate for chunks I’m just gonna go for HKD ender, take the damage (almost a 15% boost over level 4 chunk ender,) and get a setup.
If you get to 4 chunks with the ender, how safe/smart is it to offload a Light or Medium chunk to get the opponent to block and then put up a wall?
I use it. Some characters have good ways to deal with this, but it works most of the time.
Its a double pression tool. If you touch a button, you eat the payload into combo, if you use a sub optimal way to avoid it, maybe you could eat a shadow ruin or similar against at least 1 wall
Didn’t realize we were discussing the utility of it, just the fact that he has it as an option. Also, down + HK and forward + HK both hit low at that range do they not?
Forward+HK is not a low, no (but even if it was it’s not a good enough move to use as a mixup).
Yes, you can try to mix in sweep and you might have some success, but it’s a knockdown for not much damage so the right move is still to block high against him. You’ll often react to sweep (because it hits twice at that range, and the first hit is not low), and the times you don’t nothing bad will happen.
But yes, Aganos does have an overhead and it will hit people sometimes. It’s very fast but it’s not really what I would call a “good” overhead because it is not backed up by a good low threat. For example, if Jago didn’t have crouch MK, nobody would get hit by neck cutter.
Yet, he actually has overheads that don’t require him to jump to do them.
…but not unless he’s up really close or has the peacemaker in-hand (although I admit having the latter is probably 1 of the best-ranged overheads in the game).
Another thing to consider when facing Aganos is what he can do with his shadow meter, especially if he has walls already in place or chunk-armor still present. A simple jump or even an attack can spell doom for you if he has these tools available to him (for example, if you jump, he can shadow ruin you through a wall or recapture you with a shadow natural disaster; if you attack him, he can potentially shadow counter you where other characters wouldn’t be able to due to multiple chunks of armor). Even if you stay back and defend, it can give him the opportunity to use his shadow meter for a shadow payload assault, which can cause massive chip-damage on block, set him up for a combo or high-damage on hit, or allow him time to get more chunks, walls, and/or the peacemaker.
If he has shadow meter and walls set up, you want to bait that meter and make him waste it - then punish him for it (preferably by knocking down his walls in the process).
He has an outstanding ranged knockdown with his peacemaker as well.
Yeah - I’ve always believed the peacemaker to be 1 of his most powerful tools, even pre-buff, when others didn’t, due to its reach, mixup potential, and versatility. Still, for as powerful as it is, every swing is, IME, reactable (I’ve seen some players blow my mind at how good they are at reacting in time to effectively block it), and the 3rd hit on the chain combo is even breakable, unlike other chain combos - many players don’t even know that.