Terumi's Drive is everything! Use them wisely, and you may end in with a super ender or a tight situation. Make sure you have you Heat gauge lit up at 25 or 50 for a great come back in a match. So make sure you have your combos featuring Drive attacks.
Offense
Terumi is a very strong pressure character with a decent mid-range game. The goal is to constantly gain Heat with small combos or D footsies. His 6B is a valuable tool that can be used to reset pressure since it is plus on block (+3 frames). It can be feigned by holding B and throw them when they are expecting a hit, or can be used to Fatal Counter obvious lows. It can even hit opponents who try to jump out of Terumi's blockstring for a full combo if they forget or don't have Barrier. Moreover, it is throw invulnerable from the point when Terumi supports himself with his arm. However, since it does have a lengthy start up it can be mashed out of or DP'ed. Terumi's lack of overheads is a problem with opening up cautious opponent, so sometimes the best offense is a good defense. You'll find yourself unable to hit them. Take to range with standing D to gain some Heat and jump back D for air rushers who try to jump over it. Recommended specials are his 236D (Snakebite/Jagaku) and 214D (Retaliating Fang/Gasenshou). Use 236D to catch forward and back rolls or to force your opponent to tech neutral after a knockdown. His 214D should be used sparingly on opponents who are incautiously or don't jump out of blockstrings.
Mix-up Game
- The majority of this section is taken from the "Enter the Struggle" Terumi guide (http://www.dustloop.com/forums/index.php?/forums/topic/11037-enter-the-struggle-a-terumi-guide-work-in-progress/)
Without Heat
With no meter to burn, your mix-up options are very limited. Your high/low game is very bad without Heat. You have to make up for it by making sure you have a very good throw game and enforce strike/throw mix-ups when you can. Make sure that you test your opponent’s habits on defense and see which mix-ups they will get hit by more.
- 6B > One of the many pieces of your strike/throw mix-up game. 6B has a lot of throw invincibility throughout the move and if they try to break a grab at the wrong amount, it is a free Fatal Counter. However this is beaten by using the throw break Option Select. This is done by using 4(1)A+B+C to guard. It will allow you to break a grab for a very small window (about 3 frames) and let you block the 6B. Terumi can fight this by mixing up where he throws and baiting the OS using 2A > throw.
- 2A > Lets you either start your stagger pressure due to the frame advantage on 2A or go for grabs. By doing 2A > throw immediately, you can punish people that use the throw Option Select a lot, making them more open to 6B. You can also just use the frame advantage to microdash throw instead for a green throw. You can also do 2A > 5A whiff into grab as a fast tick throw.
- 5B > +2 on block, which allows you stagger pressure or go for a grab. 5B > microdash 5B if done correctly only has a 6 frame gap in-between the 5Bs. Making it tricky for some characters to get away from you. Since 5B cannot be canceled into grab, it’s not that great for stopping the throw OS if your opponent is on point.
- 5C > Without Heat you don’t have as many options, but 5C is still a great tool. Despite being -2, it can be a good lead into throws. If your opponent doesn’t throw OS a lot, you can do a slighty delayed 6B and tag them. Since 5C is airborne, it can be used as a way to stop grabs but bear in mind that the throw invulnerability takes a while to kick in unlike 6B.
- 2C > This normal is your only real source of a high/low mix-up without Heat, and even then it is not that great. Jump cancel air 2D is your overhead option, and 3C is your low option. If you want to go for the mix-up, you must use 2C early in your blockstring or 3C will not connect at all. If your opponent knows the matchup then he will be pretty willing to get hit by the overhead until you get meter because you can’t get anything off of TK J.2D without meter except 12 heat and more pressure.
- J.2D > Overhead, without Heat it is mainly a hit check to get some meter. You can use either your jump cancelable normals (5C makes it too obivious, 2C is your best option, 5A is very situational.), or during stagger after a normal with frame advantage (They must be conditioned, very easy to jump out of.)
- 214D > This move is slow, but check your opponent with this sparingly and see if they prove to you that they can deal with it. If they can’t, this is a free 36 Heat.
- 6B gaps: It is very important that you know how big the gaps are when you use 6B so you know how big the risk is when you go for it. Remember that you can not get hit by most crouching normals and most 5As due to it going under highs and the low invul.
- 5A and 2A > 6B- 13 frame gap
- 2B > 6B- 11 frame gap
- 5B, 5C, or 2C > 6B- 8 frame gap
- 5D > 6B- 6 frame gap
As you can tell most of these strings can be mashed out of by most characters 5Bs and 5Cs. The key is to mix-up where you use 6B in your blockstrings, and to mix-up when you use the feint or not. The most effective normals are 2A, 5B, 5C, and 5D. 2A, 5B, 5C can force your opponent to react because they are your main tick throw options. Once you condition them to lookout for grabs, you can slip in delayed 6Bs to Fatal Counter them if they are not using the throw break Option Select. 5D is effective because it is the hardest to mash out of without a DP handy and it allows you to build a lot of Heat. Most characters must Instant Block or Instant Barrier to mash out with normals, however some don't need to if they have a good enough 5A or a Dragon Punch (Azrael, Ragna, Celica to name a few.)
If your opponent's defense is solid, you're just going to have to get your Heat and see if you can force your opponent to react and punish them. Without Heat to burn, you mostly have to relay on a solid neutral game to push your advantage. Terumi's gimmicks are not good enough to give you free wins. You must abuse your opponent's bad habits while remaining solid yourself and stay on top.
With Heat
5C Rapid Cancel mix-ups are exactly as said. RCing the first hit of 5C on block and putting your opponent in a nasty mix-up situation. The damage is not the greatest, but it's not that easy to defend if you mix-up the options at your disposal. Your overhead options off of this mix-up are great because your opponent cannot mash DPs on you since it is a true blockstring. Once you condition your opponent, you can start going for lows and throws.
Note: The j.C variations of double overheads are more ambiguous but harder to confirm the combo.
- Midscreen
- j.AB/C: Double overhead, low damage and heat. You can go for [5B > 5D > 6B > 6D > 236D] for 1546/27 or [5C 3C 22C lvl 2 6[6] 6C] 1957/7.
- j.A 2B/3C: High then low. More damage than the j.AB/C. You can go for [2B > 5C > 3C > 22C lvl 2, 6[6] 6C] for 2381/9. If you replace 2B with 3C the damage is bigger. After the j.A 2B 3C works for a double low that can be followed with [22C lvl 2, 6[6] 6C] for 2244/9.
- j.A delayed Throw: Biggest damage. You can even do j.AB/C, but Terumi needs to advance a little to not whiff the Throw. You can also use J.D to setup the throw to make it more ambiguous
- j.A j.2D: Slower double overhead that leads to the biggest heat gain between al the variations. You can go for [2A > 5D > 6B > 6D 236D] for 1806/31. The j.A cannot be skipped in this one or the 2A won't connect.
- j.B/C: A less ambiguous double overhead. You can go for [5C > 2C > 5D > 6B > 6D > 236D] for 1916/28 or [5C > 3C > 22C lvl 2, 6[6] 6C] for 2180/8.
- j.A 2A/5A/5B: Useful for frametrapping and preventing jumps.
- Corner
Note: Same variations, so these sections contains the combos you can get from them.
- j.A/B/C: If they get hit by J.A first [3C > 22C lvl 1 (Lvl 2 if you use J.B/C), 5C > 2C > 5D > 6D > 236D] 2010/40.
- j.A 2B/3C: 2B and 3C combos in the BnB list.
- j.A delayed Throw: Throw combos in the BnB list.
- j.A j.2D: [2A > 3C > 22C lvl 1, 5C > 2C > 5D > 6D 236D] 2373/50.
- j.B/C: [5C > 3C > 22C lvl 2, delayed 5B > 5C > 2C > 5D > 6D > 236D] 2609/49.
- j.A 2A/5A/5B: 2A/5A/5B combos in the BnB list.
- J.2D mix-up
This is done by RCing J.2D as soon as it is blocked or hit. Do keep in mind that this is not as safe or as damaging as 5C RC mix-up, but Terumi can’t afford to be too picky with his options.
- j.2D > RC > 2B/3C: Low. Usually the one you want to use to teach them they can't mash any buttons. Has the smallest gap out of all of your options.
- j.2D > RC > fall and walk > throw
- j.2D > RC > Air Dash (not touching the ground): This one opens the door to your overhead option. If done perfectly it doesn’t have a gap on normal block and barrier, however if J.2D is Instant Blocked or barriered, it will always have a small gap.
Warning: You can not attempt this if you did j.2D off of 5C jump cancel! Since Terumi is already airborne when using 5C, it uses up his double jump/airdash.
- . . . > j.A > j.C: Double overhead. Can be comboed with microdash > 5B > 5C > 5D > 6D > 236D/6C. Also you can do microdash > 5B > 3C > 22C lvl 2 > 66 6C/236D for more damage than usual.
Please bear in mind that this mix-up relies on the fact that J.2D will be blocked!
If for some reason they get hit by J.2D and you RC J.2D, Go for J.A(X2) > J.B into a basic ground confirm. Like Terumi's other options, it won't do much damage, but it is something.
Defense
Terumi's defensive options mostly consist of abusing his speed or universal mechanics without the proper Heat in stock such as using Barrier or Instant Block/Barrier and poking out of pressure with 5A or just jumping out. After a good read on their pressure high jump outs (backwards air-dash optional) and use j.D to create some distance between you and the opposition (also use 41236C in midair to catch any punish attempts). You can also mix-up this escape option with j.2D to quickly land on the ground and use 5D to turn the escape option into pressure. It is advised against using Counter Assault with Terumi due to how extremely situational it can be since its hit box misses easily on crouching opponents.
For more traditional reversals Terumi has his Distortion Drive 623B (Divine Twin Blades/Gouga Soutenjin), which works like a Dragon Punch along with its high-risk-high-reward factors. On Counter Hit you can follow up with either 41236C or 6C for extra damage or set up okizemi with 2D, but if it is blocked prepare for a Fatal Counter and/or massive punish. His other traditional reversal is 632146D (Serpent's Cursed Sting - Jabaku Fuuenjin). It is much slower than 623B (17 frames compared to 7) but has much more damage potential and more invuln (frames 1-26). Another reversal would be his Distortion Drive 41236C (Gleaming Fang/Jakyou Messenga). It has a longer start up (invincibility starts on frame 4) but it is not as punishable on block (-9), goes through projectiles and can lead into a full combo on hit. Finally, he has the biggest gamble for reversal options with his Distortion Drive counter 236236A (Venomous Bite/Ouja Zanrouga). Only use it when you have a cold hard read on their pressure, otherwise welcome the corner and enjoy some pain. Both noteworthy options but it is recommended to have 100% Heat in stock to use 623B and in some specific match ups (Hakumen) or used right next to the corner for 41236C to avoid punishment.
Neutral
Your main goal in neutral is to gain Heat through footsies and small combos while working your way into close range. In neutral, your most comfortable range in footsies is at max 5B range. This range allows you to stuff your opponents pokes with 5B and allows you to use your own pokes. Despite 5D and J.D being the obvious choices, you need to be aware of your other normals in neutral.
- 5B: Your main counterpoke. Despite its short range, it is fast and has a lot of priority. On Counter Hit you can dash up and link another 5B into a high Heat Gain, or damaging confirms.
- 2B: Your main low attack and one of your longer ranged normals. Terumi puts himself pretty low to the ground and since it's a low, you can catch someone walking backwards trying to make something whiff. It is used a lot in matchups where 5D can be easily stuffed (Noel, Hakumen, Kagura, Litchi to name a few.)
- 2C: Can low profile, net more damage than 2B, has slightly more range than it, but has a lot more recovery and is not a low attack. This is used as a longer ranged alternative to 2B.
- 5D and J.D: At their maximum range, these moves are mainly for harassment to get Heat and are best suited to protect your space due to their range. If you are not at the max range of 5D, you can get decent confirms on normal hit. You can confirm off of both of this normals at any range with Heat. After connecting with 5D your follow up options are 6[B], 236D, and 6C. 6[B] is the safest follow up and allows you to close in regardless of if the move hit or was blocked and start pressure. 236D gives hard knockdown on hit which can be followed up with Heat. On block you will have either spend meter to continue pressure (or go for a cheese Distortion Drive stomp mix-up) since this move is minus on block. 6C is the best option if you have meter since it will net you 3K damage, corner carry, and all the meter you just spent. 6C is very punishable on block so, again, only use it when you have meter.
- 2D: Can be used against characters with no full screen options to try and force a reaction out of them, other than that, don't use it in neutral.
- 6C: High risk, high reward whiff punisher and counterpoke. Try to have at least 47 heat if you are not sure if it's going to hit or not.
- Anti-Airs
6A and 5A pretty much cover almost any situation. j.A and air throws are great if you just want to meet them in the air instead, while 2C in very specific matchups (Jin J.B and J.C, Hazama chaining in with his Drive to name some) can be used as a hard read anti-air for much higher damage than 6A and 5A, however the risk is much bigger than 6A and 5A.
Once you have 50 Heat stocked, all of your pokes become a lot more dangerous. You will be able to confirm always into at least 3K damage while getting at least half of the Heat you used back. If you guess wrong on a poke and they block it, you can use the meter to get close and begin pressure, or to keep yourself safe and continue playing neutral.