I only play player matches and rarely, so I level really slowly. Level 20 or something? I don't even know.
Well, you could maybe give some tips to the rest of us? I say that because I go on Dustloop looking up stuff to try and learn things and the sheer volume and stuff is just absolutely overwhelming to where I think I get an overload and don't really learn much. Like, okay, I've memorized one or two combinations, but know nothing of when to use it or what character it works best against, you know?
I'm gonna go ahead and agree with what Zero and Jam said. Messing around in training mode is a good way to figure stuff out. I "made up" a combo for Noel, only to realize later that it was actually a combo listed on DL. But I never found in amongst all the stuff there, just because there's so much and it's kind of overwhelming. And not gonna lie, before LunaKage became the Noel mod, the Noel boards were atrocious in terms of gathering information. But anyway, messing around in training mode helps you to figure out your character better, just in general. You'll learn things that no one can teach, and you'll figure out your own tricks.
Also, videos are important. I watch videos to see new things. Someone out there will always be finding new stuff about the characters, regardless of who you play. If you're feeling uninspired, watch Japanese vids. You'll find crazy stuff in there. If you're feeling like there's something new that you'd like to try but you don't know what, watch North American vids. The stuff that Americans try is never particularly difficult to pull off, but it's usually pretty useful in terms of pressure and blockstrings, and especially for Noel, because most Americans will take damage over oki, and where Noel doesn't have a strong oki game (practically none at all), it's a good opportunity to see what other players are doing.
If you're looking for a useful Noel trick (and I'm catering mostly to you online folks, though I don't really play much online). Noel gets damage off of random mediocre pokes, and learn to capitalize on that. For example, say you get a hit off of a 5D, what are your options?
- If your opponent is blocking: 5D > d.6A > d.6C > d.6A > d.6C > 236D. Breaks two primers, and leaves you at a reasonable safe distance.
- If your opponent is blocking, but you want to get them in the corner: 5D > d.6A > d.6C > 214D. Extremely unsafe if your opponent is expecting it, but it might throw them for a loop, and then you might get a nice corner combo out of it, and Noel corner combos can be pretty amazing, damage-wise.
- If your opponent is blocking high: 5D > d. 6A > d.6C > [214A > 2B > 6C > drive combo] OR [d.6D > etc.]. 214A will lead to a decent fatty combo, and d.6D hits low, so maybe you could end with Bloom Trigger to finish, and put yourself at a safe distance, or Spring Raid, and follow-up with 66 > 6C > drive combo for more damage.
- If your opponent is blocking low: 5D > d.6A > d.6C > d.6B > etc. Same thing as above, really.
- If your opponent isn't blocking: PROFIT.
You can also end any of Noel's drive moves early with Optic Barrel, if you're feeling unsafe or unsure about what to do. It's +0 on block, which isn't amazing, but it's safe.
All of this might seem kinda scrubby, I guess, but see what you can come up with. They all start off of the same moves every time, so it's easy to remember, and it's going to keep your opponent guessing. It's all about experimenting. Take risks! Be creative! Get greedy! That's just an example of stuff that I came up with by messing around with Noel in training mode. Learn to capitalize on what you can do. And last but not least, when you're learning something, go step-by-step. Don't worry about the end result, and don't worry about winning. Just think about improving, and you'll get there.
Wow, that was waaay more than I intended to write. :I
edit: Also, take my advice with a grain of salt, because I don't think I'm very good.
