"Stability" in a Fighting Game Context

I throw the words "stable" and "unstable" out a lot during gameplay discussion. For someone who uses these words so often, I tend to hesitate when asked to define them; that's what this article is for.

In this context, "stable" refers to being effective while minimizing risk. This may refer to a specific tool, an entire gameplan, or even a character's overall playstyle. I will be referring to gameplans specifically in an offline or low ping tournament context. This is an important distinction because bad connections skew what is stable in a competitive setting (this will be another writeup soon, don't worry). A stable gameplan is generally less reliant on hard reads, as it puts more stock in your ability to execute it than the opponent's inability to respond to it.

(If you want another perspective on this, I strongly recommend reading Daigo's book, which has a whole section about it. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who loves fighting games.)

An "unstable" gameplan relies on the opponent making mistakes, not knowing something, or taking an unnecessary amount of risks. These are pretty vague descriptions for an already vague term, so let's break it down with specific examples.

Let's start with "relies on the opponent making mistakes." I mean this in the broad sense of relying on the opponent to not answer something consistently or not know something. As a simplified example, think about how new players get hit by Paprika's 6CC & 6CCC, not knowing that they are overheads- or not knowing that Arizona's deadbuck can be thrown. It goes without saying that you should take advantage if the opponent doesn't know these things, but that should be an adjustment and not the base gameplan.

For a more complex example, let's look at Tian's 3D, Paprika's Teleport C, and Arizona's 6B. Tian's 3D was (rightfully) nerfed in 2.0, but it's still hitting people as a wakeup option in this version. The problem with this move as a base defensive option is that it always relies on the opponent mistiming their meaty. The average number of active frames for a 2A in TFH is about five frames. With that in mind, you probably get why leaning on this is a bad idea. Paprika's Tele C is another good example; Tele C is not invincible, but it does have one frame of startup in the corner. Mid level Paprika players lean on this option all the time. This is not a stable defensive gameplan for the same reason, because it relies on the opponent mistiming their meaty. Those are both defensive examples, so let's look at an offensive example with Arizona's 6B. Arizona's 6B is a 24f overhead that is such a good starter, it actually got hotfixed in a recent patch. 6B is also -10 on block, which means it can be universally punished by a B normal (for you BlazBlue players out there, this is basically the Gauntlet Hades of TFH). As soon as the players leaning on this option are faced with someone who has strong defense, their offense falls apart. 6B is a great mixup when layered with throw or as a "round closer" in a clutch situation, but using it as your base offensive gameplan is not sustainable because it relies on an assumption of the opponent's ability to react to it. 

"Well, it works. Why should I stop doing it?"

Once again: If you know your opponent can't deal with something, you are encouraged to take advantage of it. But leaning on this as a base gameplan rather than an adjustment is a recipe for inconsistency. These options have a place in competitive play. I have been known to press 3D in tournament, even after the nerf it got in 2.0; but I'm specifically using that when I've already identified a scenario where it will work. It's more of a supplement to my list of defensive tools, rather than one I rely on.

Now, "takes an unnecessary amount of risk." Again, let's be clear- I am not saying never take risks in fighting games. Especially if you play a character who has more higher/risk reward options, you'll have to take risks to close out tournament matches at a high level. There is a place for high risk/reward options in competitive play. Back to Tian's firecrackers, let's talk about 6D as a neutral tool. Even in match-ups where it can punish a lot of options (Arizona, Paprika, Velvet), it's an extremely high risk tool. But this IS the perfect move to throw out once you know the opponent is set on doing something that it will punish. Usually, this is the kind of move that can be saved for where you know it'll close out a game. In the Arizona match-up, I can punish stomps and ropes with it as long as I'm attentive. But it's risky, so I want to make absolutely sure that the opponent is not thinking about this option in neutral. Keeping them off of the mental stack until you need them to close out a game is an effective way to minimize risk on an otherwise risky option.

Your reaction to this might be along the lines of "Wait, it sounds like everything I've been doing has been an unstable gameplan the whole time" or "But my character has such an inherently high risk playstyle- what else am I even supposed to do?" Well for one, that's perfectly okay because everyone is trying to get stronger. This genre, in my opinion, is about reflection and improvement. If you want to start forming a more stable gameplan, now is the best time to do it.

And remember, No one is asking you to not use these options- only to be more mindful of the opponent when you do use them. If the character you play has high risk/reward tools, think about how you can set up the opponent to get hit by your strongest options. Kagura players got really good at this in BlazBlue. Everything that character does has a comically high risk/reward. The scariest Kagura players I've fought (shoutout to JukeBoxHaru) weren't just rotating their high risk options and hoping for the best; they were actively setting up their offense to cash out on these risks when it mattered most.

Last thing to wrap up: nobody is asking you to play a certain way. If you have fun taking big risks and going ape on people in tournament, more power to you! I probably really enjoy watching you play. I'm just explaining how to optimize these things for an offline tournament setting.