They don’t go into Ads according to keits.
Ouch…that’s not good.
Tusk’s follow-ups after staggers are quite linear. Not like he can mix it up much. He has to do what actually reaches…
He has follow ups of every strength with good range and could also go for a reset instead, or counter break. It’s certainly a nerf but shouldn’t be too problematic in the long run, and if it is you did about the same amount of damage as another character would do on a broken combo, if not more.
At max range for s.HP and CR.MP will be out of range for most options.
Tusk can also be out of s.HK via staggers range which basically means, “I have to do Light Skull Splitter”
Immortal Spirit into slide works a decent amount for long ranges but it’s pretty tight at long range (I believe impossible at a certain range IIRC) and unsafe if you miss and get blocked.
And slide is ultra telegraphed. Not really a strong manual to either do IS into slide or Skull Splitter.
Tusk doesn’t really have combo reset potential at long range or any range, really. His low/oh mixup out of Immortal Spirit is reactable. Immortal Spirit into throw or f.MP is good, but not a combo starter.
You can also Immortal spirit into the shoulder charge, which also connects at most ranges after his staggers. Not to mention the mixup opportunity this offers, cause people are going to be pressing buttons trying to guess break.
As a Tusk main, this doesn’t bother me. I don’t think it should bother anyone else. We just have to be a little more calculated. And that’s never a bad thing. I’m all for whatever changes are going to stop the crying that his damage is OP.
1 Like
Eh, I think if you’re hitting with a max range st.HP that does 20% and can’t be punished (at that range), it’s okay if your options are a bit more breakable to convert it into 50%.
What can Tusk do anyway?
- cr.MP (from 75% range and closer)
- step → shoulder (from ?)
- step → slide (from ?)
- st.HK (from… 75% range? and closer)
- shadow skull splitter (from 90% range and closer)
- shadow step (from max range)
- light skull splitter (apparently? I’ve never tried this particular link)
- empty step into reset (neutral jump a light break = throw attempt, backdash to beat throw and button and punish)
To me it seems like Tusk will probably have to force people into a 50/50 guess most of the time, since his only heavy option requires him to be at not max range. Considering that’s the option after a medium linker (including resets) I dunno, it seems not too bad.
Maybe that list above isn’t exhaustive either, I’m no Tusk expert.
Also, what were his options before? He could do shadow skull splitter for insane damage and a free manual, which was maybe too crazy. Otherwise, you did light skull splitter I guess (opener) and then went into the combo system right? Where lights/medium linkers are mostly unreactable and heavies are reactable. I understand it’s a nerf because you don’t have the option to go for heavies as easily to get huge damage on guess breakers, but it doesn’t seem too killer to me. If you do shadow skull splitter and they break 1, 2, 3 I think you still get like 28% or something.
2 Likes
To fill in the blanks
Shoulder can only confirm from very close. About 30% guesstimate.
For CR.MP staggers you can use shoulder or s.MK from maybe 30% (once again, not a scientifuc measurement) of its full range. After that it’s slide or light Skull Splitter.
And slide/skull solitter is hardly a true manual mixup. They’re suuuuch different animations.
Not easy, but certainly breakable on reaction.
I played another Tusk and this didn’t end well for him. Too early to say but they may need to make it so Tusk’s staggers don’t cause as much reelback or at least so he has two viable manuals off the majority of ranges.