What does Talim do well?

After I switched to Groh I attempted to solve the problems I had with Talim, and while I did find some new stuff, she didn't make a comeback even as a secondary.

Basically all of my damage now comes from BT throws, mixed up with BT B which loops back to BT with 4BA (do not go for the stun combo).

(I still don't know her stance abbreviations so ill be using inputs instead)

B+K A combos into 4BA on both NH and CH, as long as you're close enough. Even on CH, do not go for the stun combo like I said, just take the BT setup. This was really finicky before the patch, but they adjusted 4B so it drags in.

Pretty much every launcher she has can combo into AAA+B, which leaves you BT, but Talim can't really deal with rolling unlike Zas.

I believe 2B is the fastest way to get BT on whiff, which can be useful on other knockdowns, but it's also not too bad on block.

2/8B+K AB is basically the same attack, but will pretty much always be blocked. The real mixup is between A+G and B:B, both of which leave you BT with a follow up AAA+B from the latter, but the grab is very, very unsafe and B:B can be stepped on block.

I use 6B+K A to close distance a poke low, usually shifting into 2/8 for the above mixup, but CHs completely destroy flow from this, forcing an A+B follow up which does not lead to BT. If you can somehow react to that CH, you can get to BT using 6 [K] AAA+B.

If you can't tell, you kinda have to jump through a lot of hoops to even get the chance to BT throw, and even then you still have to make 2 reads on stand/crouch and which grab break they'll use. A lot of these steps are really punishable if you guess wrong, and CHs and range issues mess up your combos frequently, robbing you of your BT reward.

(I didn't mention 6BB6 A+B 2A+B which is a huge combo, but it only works on NH and I believe is being patched out in January)

Ultimately she feels a lot like Zasalamel, but with no range, no frame traps and way, way more punishable. Reliant on her vortex to do damage instead of it just being an extra on the side, and often with multiple steps to get there depending on how you're able to get into range.

When the opponent doesn't know what to do, it works great. When they do, you're walled out. It's not like she can't do anything at that point, but personally, I'd rather be playing Zas.

/r/SoulCalibur Thread