- Don't mash. I understand it's a habit that people pick up on from playing online because if the connection is shoddy, inputs can drop, so they press it one more time to make sure the game "registered" the move. It's still something I too need to break out of, especially offline. GG has a buffer system that makes combos easier to perform: even if you cancel into a move too early, the game will still register the input, and will execute the move on the first possible frame it can be done. Mashing on RC would cause you to lose more meter than you otherwise would have, and you don't want that.
- Ky's DP is not as good as Sol's. Vapor Thrust is great when people are right on top of you or above you, but as an anti-air, 6P and 2H are better because they lead to an air combo. It's also easier to react to jumps with those moves, because you're not always going to have time to input a DP (eg. they airdash over your Stun Edge). It's easily crouched under and safe jumped because of its long startup, and since you can't RC it if you miss, it's risky as a reversal despite the invincibility. Lastly, try to clean up your inputs so Vapor Thrust doesn't come out when you want to do Stun Edge. If you're holding forward as you do a Stun Edge, you get the DP every time, so remember to return to neutral.
- You should learn some basic chain combos. There were a lot times where the Leo player did something really unsafe (eg. you blocked his air dive), and you either didn't punish him for it or didn't punish hard enough. Knowing combos is a necessity for these types of games. Landing hits is all good and gravy, but if you're not converting them into damage, you're not going to get people scared, and they'll be more likely to disrespect and do stupidly unsafe stuff because there's no risk. Head to training mode and learn some simple bread and butters: reliable combos you can land on every character in the game that you can fall back to when you land a hit. I don't play Ky, I just found two basic ones I found in training mode:
- 5K > c.S > f.S > 2S xx Stun Dipper - Basic combo that works anywhere and ends in a knockdown.
- c.S > 2S > 5H > 2D xx Split Ciel. Punish combo. This is great because it immediately sets up a grinder while the opponent gets knocked down, which gives you enough time shoot a Charged Stun Edge through it. The opponent is forced to block it as soon as they get up, allowing you to freely run in and start pressure.
- If you land a hit but you aren't sure how to follow it up, just chain into 2D sweep. You didn't land big damage, but at least you got a knockdown out of it.
- Don't set up Grinders with Dust. Ky sets them up faster with Split Ciel.
- I don't think I saw any throws in all those games. Throws are obscenely good in Guilty Gear because they have literally no start up - they activate instantly. If someone does something that leaves them even the tiniest bit unsafe and they're in range, you can throw them, even on your wakeup. Leo's counter can be thrown. If the Leo player is being too counter happy, you can call it out by walking up to him and chucking him.
- If someone is blocking that charged Stun Edge or the powered up one, don't back off, go in. You have advantage.