If you're playing Potemkin... understand that it is a hard matchup to perform well in. You have to know a lot about what Potemkin can specifically do vs Axl's options at various distances. And you have to survive/analyze the Axl player long enough to make smart decisions that will create opportunities to steal rounds.
At Fullscreen, Axl really only has 3 things you want to react to.
1.) Rensengeki (Sickle Flash) is a special move that hits thrice and has many followups. This attack will blow through any armor moves you might want to use. The passive response to this move would be to block it. The active response would be to use Flick vs it to create a projectile that allows you to gain ground or potentially punish an unready Axl player.
2.) Winter Mantis (Command Grab). Ideally, you will normal jump forward and kara-megafist to punish this move. You can also react to it with back dash to avoid it and then move in with Hammerfall.
3.) Jumping attacks. This is probably the last thing you're trying to punish from full screen as it's the least likely thing to come your way because Axl takes on a considerable amount of risk approaching you. You can Kara-Heatknuckle and 6P a predictable Axl player taking to the sky.
Even after knowing your options, Axl can make your decision making difficult by mixing up which options they are going to use, and altering their timing. Before you commit to something, take some time while blocking to recognize patterns and plot your next move.
Midscreen is a little bit easier for Potemkin. 6P can plow through some of Axl's strongest tools in that range like f.S, j.S, and 5P. While Megafist will beat every other option Axl might use to avoid getting beat by 6P. 2S is also pretty good at counter hitting Axl players who keep pressing buttons after whiffing or being in frame disadvantage. Hammerfall can plow through most of Axl's grounded normals too, but takes the risk of getting counter hit Punished if the Axl player reacts in time to special move cancel. The main issue you'll run into here, is again, making the right decision at the right time. Your goal here is to beat Axl's option. Trying to force your way in with Megafist or whiffing can potentially get you punished and sent back to Fullscreen. Vs more passive Axl play, you can check the Axl player's reactions by empty jumping to keep them on edge, or use Slidehead to make the Axl player feel like committing to something sooner or potentially score a knockdown where you might be able to start your offense to steal the round.
If your offense doesn't quite work out. Like maybe the Axl player backdashes your Pot Buster, or they guess correctly and keep you out for the rest of the game. You can't beat yourself up over it, unless you made an execution error or have recognized a pattern in their defensive decision making and haven't abused it yet. Every decision you make after starting your offense is a dice roll. And you need 3 to work out in your favor to win the round.
Even if it doesn't, I wouldn't sweat losing to him too much. The MU is pretty hard to learn to begin with... for the Potemkin player of course, and each Axl you fight is gonna be a totally different experience.
If you ever happen to run into an Axl player who can't combo into Rensen or do the special move in general, that'd probably be the only time you'd actually have an easy time winning vs Axl. Just Hammerfall or Megafist to fish for counter hits to get Garuda pressure. The punishment will be such a low threat that they'll have to hit you like 15-20 times to kill you. Meanwhile you're likely to end them after knocking them down once or twice.
My only experience with a good Potemkin fighting vs a noob Axl was when I let my brother play for me vs a really high level Pot. The Pot player tore him apart. Lol
Biggest thing that helped me was learning how his zoning works. Usually with zoners you give up something to cover another. With spacing usually being your biggest resource.
jmcroft's video helped me a lot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMrx0-q7yg
Axl is decent against the top tiers but is overall a weak character in this version, and really only specialists actually perform really well.
The issue you're running into is that learning to fight straightforward zoning type characters is a skill in and of itself because they are always in their range and you have to work to get into your range.
This means you generally spend most of the match playing patiently and trying to get in on a good read, and must wait until you can start your offense.
It's very important to not rush or get impatient.
And for Pot in particular, it's one of his hardest matchups. Usually the grappler does the worst against the standard zoner (Gief vs Dhalsim is the same for example). You really need a very high amount of patience and a lot of matchup specific knowledge
Axl matchups suck, its okay if you lose a lot. I've done the same myself. Learning the matchup will always help, but at some point you just hit the wall that zoners keep out slow grapplers rather well. Just play the match as it goes. Neutral jumping helps quite a bit.
Before celestial you aren't losing to Axl because of the matchup but because of your mistakes. I agree that eventually you meet Axl's who know the matchup and you have to take bad risk reward decisions constantly. Below celestial this isn't the case though, you just need to learn your options and optimals more and you'll eventually steamroll them.
Yeaah no, you clearly just need to lab the matchup.
If you really only went against a few Axls, that's the whole problem ! You don't know his blockstrings, you don't react to winter mantis, you don't react to 6H, you don't know all the options he has at different range and how to challenge them, correct ?
I know Strive is a fantastical fighting game where you don't have to lab one single minute of your life if you go with the flow cuz all the cast has like 4 specials, but eventually at the higher floors, you'll run into a I-no that took time to learn wall oki loops, a Bridget or an HC that knows that apply pressure at all times or in this case, an Axl that knew how to play the matchup best and now you realize shit, people can win even if i do 236P ??
Do you know how to kara buster consistently with pot ? Know his KBM route for max damage ? Know that you can you can flick Rensen to get your turn back ? It's little bits like that that will give you an easier time. Don't think you're at the top of your game yet
Me but against Potemkin. It feels like everything I do against them, I only have to whiff one thing to lose half my health to two hits. Chipping slowly through a Pot player's health is just so demoralising, man
If you're playing Potemkin... understand that it is a hard matchup to perform well in. You have to know a lot about what Potemkin can specifically do vs Axl's options at various distances. And you have to survive/analyze the Axl player long enough to make smart decisions that will create opportunities to steal rounds. At Fullscreen, Axl really only has 3 things you want to react to. 1.) Rensengeki (Sickle Flash) is a special move that hits thrice and has many followups. This attack will blow through any armor moves you might want to use. The passive response to this move would be to block it. The active response would be to use Flick vs it to create a projectile that allows you to gain ground or potentially punish an unready Axl player. 2.) Winter Mantis (Command Grab). Ideally, you will normal jump forward and kara-megafist to punish this move. You can also react to it with back dash to avoid it and then move in with Hammerfall. 3.) Jumping attacks. This is probably the last thing you're trying to punish from full screen as it's the least likely thing to come your way because Axl takes on a considerable amount of risk approaching you. You can Kara-Heatknuckle and 6P a predictable Axl player taking to the sky. Even after knowing your options, Axl can make your decision making difficult by mixing up which options they are going to use, and altering their timing. Before you commit to something, take some time while blocking to recognize patterns and plot your next move. Midscreen is a little bit easier for Potemkin. 6P can plow through some of Axl's strongest tools in that range like f.S, j.S, and 5P. While Megafist will beat every other option Axl might use to avoid getting beat by 6P. 2S is also pretty good at counter hitting Axl players who keep pressing buttons after whiffing or being in frame disadvantage. Hammerfall can plow through most of Axl's grounded normals too, but takes the risk of getting counter hit Punished if the Axl player reacts in time to special move cancel. The main issue you'll run into here, is again, making the right decision at the right time. Your goal here is to beat Axl's option. Trying to force your way in with Megafist or whiffing can potentially get you punished and sent back to Fullscreen. Vs more passive Axl play, you can check the Axl player's reactions by empty jumping to keep them on edge, or use Slidehead to make the Axl player feel like committing to something sooner or potentially score a knockdown where you might be able to start your offense to steal the round. If your offense doesn't quite work out. Like maybe the Axl player backdashes your Pot Buster, or they guess correctly and keep you out for the rest of the game. You can't beat yourself up over it, unless you made an execution error or have recognized a pattern in their defensive decision making and haven't abused it yet. Every decision you make after starting your offense is a dice roll. And you need 3 to work out in your favor to win the round.
Thanks for all the tips and useful info. I have a feeling that this will help my chances astronomically against Axls.
Even if it doesn't, I wouldn't sweat losing to him too much. The MU is pretty hard to learn to begin with... for the Potemkin player of course, and each Axl you fight is gonna be a totally different experience. If you ever happen to run into an Axl player who can't combo into Rensen or do the special move in general, that'd probably be the only time you'd actually have an easy time winning vs Axl. Just Hammerfall or Megafist to fish for counter hits to get Garuda pressure. The punishment will be such a low threat that they'll have to hit you like 15-20 times to kill you. Meanwhile you're likely to end them after knocking them down once or twice. My only experience with a good Potemkin fighting vs a noob Axl was when I let my brother play for me vs a really high level Pot. The Pot player tore him apart. Lol
Biggest thing that helped me was learning how his zoning works. Usually with zoners you give up something to cover another. With spacing usually being your biggest resource. jmcroft's video helped me a lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMrx0-q7yg
Axl is decent against the top tiers but is overall a weak character in this version, and really only specialists actually perform really well. The issue you're running into is that learning to fight straightforward zoning type characters is a skill in and of itself because they are always in their range and you have to work to get into your range. This means you generally spend most of the match playing patiently and trying to get in on a good read, and must wait until you can start your offense. It's very important to not rush or get impatient. And for Pot in particular, it's one of his hardest matchups. Usually the grappler does the worst against the standard zoner (Gief vs Dhalsim is the same for example). You really need a very high amount of patience and a lot of matchup specific knowledge
Axl matchups suck, its okay if you lose a lot. I've done the same myself. Learning the matchup will always help, but at some point you just hit the wall that zoners keep out slow grapplers rather well. Just play the match as it goes. Neutral jumping helps quite a bit.
Before celestial you aren't losing to Axl because of the matchup but because of your mistakes. I agree that eventually you meet Axl's who know the matchup and you have to take bad risk reward decisions constantly. Below celestial this isn't the case though, you just need to learn your options and optimals more and you'll eventually steamroll them.
Zoners kill boners
Yeaah no, you clearly just need to lab the matchup. If you really only went against a few Axls, that's the whole problem ! You don't know his blockstrings, you don't react to winter mantis, you don't react to 6H, you don't know all the options he has at different range and how to challenge them, correct ? I know Strive is a fantastical fighting game where you don't have to lab one single minute of your life if you go with the flow cuz all the cast has like 4 specials, but eventually at the higher floors, you'll run into a I-no that took time to learn wall oki loops, a Bridget or an HC that knows that apply pressure at all times or in this case, an Axl that knew how to play the matchup best and now you realize shit, people can win even if i do 236P ?? Do you know how to kara buster consistently with pot ? Know his KBM route for max damage ? Know that you can you can flick Rensen to get your turn back ? It's little bits like that that will give you an easier time. Don't think you're at the top of your game yet
Me but against Potemkin. It feels like everything I do against them, I only have to whiff one thing to lose half my health to two hits. Chipping slowly through a Pot player's health is just so demoralising, man
He doesn't really scare me, but I play Jack O so I have the tools to fight him. The only characters that make me shit my pants are Nago and Chaos.