GGACR/Potemkin/Starter

Always Be Charging

Always Be Charging (ABCs)

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF PLAYING POTEMKIN

You always want Hammerfall ready. Keep it charged!

Potemkin's ABCs, Always Be Charging. This means to be holding back whenever possible to charge HammerfallGuardMidStartup19~27Recovery33Advantage-18.
Because Hammerfall requires a 30f charge input, holding back ensures Hammerfall is always available to Potemkin, and adds the threat to Potemkin's game.

During any animation where movement inputs are not required, try to remember to hold back.
Hold back when performing any normals as quickly as possible to build up charge. For example, perform 5PGuardMidStartup5Recovery6Advantage-1 as 4P, 2KGuardLowStartup7Recovery14Advantage-6 as 1K.

With Hammerfall always available, Potemkin is able to chase opponents after knockdowns, frametrap, reset pressure, tick throw, and more.

This is pivotal to playing Potemkin. Without this, Potemkin is significantly weaker! It is highly recommended you get used to this as quickly as possible.

How To Get In

Keep your feet on the ground

As simple as it gets.

The best way to get in as Potemkin is to simply walk forward.

This builds a lot of meter, slowly closes the distance, and will force your opponent to make a move
Lets you react easily to what the opponent is doing instead of overcomplicating things
Try not to jump when it's unnecessary. Potemkin loses a lot of important tools in the air
Impatience will be your doom. Don't spam Hammerfall or Slide Head, especially against zoners. Just walk.

Important Normals

f.SGuardMidStartup12Recovery18Advantage-11 — Covers the air and the ground, but leaves a small blind spot where some opponents/attacks can run under. Unsafe on block, so cancel into 5H or Hammerfall (Brake).
2SGuardMidStartup13Recovery16Advantage-2 — Covers the ground much better than f.S, but doesn't cover the air as well. Vacuums on block, making pressure easy from here.
5HGuardMidStartup15Recovery16Advantage-4 — Massive range poke, faster than you think. Cancel into 2D on a close hit, Hammerfall (Brake) on a far hit, and Slide Head on a far counter hit.
2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery14Advantage-5 — Solid low poke, but gets a knockdown and can be chained into from nearly all of Potemkin's buttons, making it your easy game starter. Cancel into Hammerfall (Brake).
6PGuardMidStartup13Recovery19Advantage-9 — Fantastic anti-air. Leads to easy followups, or just a knockdown on counter-hit. Simplest confirm option is 623HGuardUnblockable, FD×3Startup14Recovery22Advantage-.

If you happen to find yourself in the air, you actually have many good normals to pick from, but there are two normals in particular that will come in handy.

j.SGuardHigh/AirStartup14Recovery23Advantage- — Highly active button that knocks down on an air hit, and groundbounces on a counter hit for very easy and massively damaging combos.
j.DGuardHigh/AirStartup11Recovery8 after landingAdvantage- — Anti-anti-air, stuffs people trying to swat you out of the sky, and also grants a knockdown. Can be a bit of a gimmick however.
Important Specials

Try to walk and poke more than you use your specials, but they can still come in handy.

F.D.B. (63214SGuardAllStartup21Recovery12Advantage+2) — Reflects projectiles back, has a massive hitbox, quite safe to use as a read and/or reaction.
Slide Head (236SGuardLow, UnblockableStartup23Recovery25Advantage-11) — Unblockable fullscreen shockwave. Makes your opponent jump, or get knocked down. Very punishable, so don't use it often, and don't use it against Dizzy.
Hammerfall ([4]6HGuardMidStartup19~27Recovery33Advantage-18) — Armored charging attack to blow through any counterpokes, score a knockdown, and start busting. Punishable and baitable. Hammerfall Brake is also useful, but is still baitable and punishable.
- Hammerfall has an FRC point that's highly valued in pressure and combos. This should be the first FRC you learn!
Mega Fist (236P/214PGuardHigh/AirStartup25Recovery0+13 after landingAdvantage-9) — Jumps over a lot of moves, forward knocks down on hit while backward staggers on counterhit. If you can't use Hammerfall, you should use this.

Hammerfall FRC makes the move plus and gives a mean combo on hit. Incredibly useful!

How To Grapple

Get the knockdown with 2D or 623H

Although already mentioned, 2DGuardLowStartup12Recovery14Advantage-5 is perhaps Potemkin's most important normal, as it scores a knockdown on hit and can be used from nearly all of Potemkin's normals.

Has huge range and quick startup
Special cancellable, so it's possible to use Hammerfall Brake after
- Always confirm into Hammerfall Brake and a (super)jump for a safejump!

Heat Knuckle (623H) is also a valuable combo ender that gives an extremely strong knockdown.

Drops the opponent right at your feet with a heavy knockdown
Can go into Heat Extend for better damage, but this sacrifices oki. Best used in the corner

Safejumping is simple. As the opponent is waking up, jump and use an air normal such as j.S to meaty Hitting an opponent to cover the moment as they lose invincibility. The most common one is performing an attack early on okizeme to gain frame advantage and bait reversals. them while holding back. You block if they DP Dragon Punch A move that has invulnerability during its startup, long recovery, and a rising motion., and everywhere else you start your pressure.
The easiest way is to superjump into j.S. However, superjump safejumps are only real after Potemkin Buster or Slide Head. Doing it after 2D will lose to quicker reversals like Volcanic ViperGuardMidStartup5Recovery29+10 after landingAdvantage-43.

Potemkin Buster & Hammerfall Brake Pressure

Now that you're in, time to ruin your opponent's day. This is especially where your ABCs come in handy.
Potemkin BusterGuard176 pixelsStartup3Recovery37Advantage- is one of the scariest moves in the game, and defines your character. You want to instill the fear of this move to make people panic, and then punish their response.

Use Hammerfall BrakeGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 15Advantage- (HFB) in pressure to catch opponents with Buster for massive damage
- 2SGuardMidStartup13Recovery16Advantage-2 is a highly valued button thanks to only being 0 on block combined with Hammerfall Brake and vacuuming the opponent in, leaving them at the perfect range
- Hammerfall Brake can be a bit tricky to use sometimes due to the buffer and automatic attack. To avoid this, slightly delay P after pressing H instead of pressing both at the same time.
When opponents inevitably start jumping, you have many options:
- Simply use Hammerfall without braking it. This is your most rewarding starter with meter to spend on a Roman Cancel.
- Using 5H as a frametrap
- 623HGuardUnblockable, FD×3Startup14Recovery22Advantage- after braking. Scores a great knockdown for oki.
- Using 2D to catch people low. Cancel into Hammerfall Brake.

Oki Options

You can do almost whatever you want here, but there are some simple tactics that'll take you far.

5K hits low, easily catches backdashes, and leads to very simple yet damaging combos
- Do 5K > 2S > 2H > 623H for confirms
- Omit 2H on an air hit, and use 2D instead on a max range hit
6K hits high and is very hard to react to, especially when paired with 5K. Cancel into 2D and Hammerfall Brake on hit.
Your other options like Buster and safejumps are almost always available to you as well.

Don't forget your safejumps! People really like to DP Dragon Punch A move that has invulnerability during its startup, long recovery, and a rising motion. Potemkin, so learning them early is very valuable. All of your tools work great with safejumps!

Easy mixup with 6K into a safejump

How To Not Die

Get comfortable.

So, you didn't get in, and now you're in pressure. This is an inevitability while playing Potemkin. Time to block.

When in doubt, downback and try to read or react to the opponent
- Avoid jumping or doing anything rash, as your large stature and slow speed is now a bigger issue than ever. Be patient, as always.
Potemkin BusterGuard176 pixelsStartup3Recovery37Advantage- is your best defensive option
- Its massive range is very handy on defense as well, and it's one of the fastest moves in the game. Faster than all of your normals, in fact
- Instant Block A special type of blocking done by inputting a block immediately before blocking an attack. Usually improves frame data against blocked moves or gives more meter than a normal block or both. opens up many gaps in the opponent's strings to use Buster, and is integral to escaping pressure
- Potemkin's backdash is invincible for almost its entire duration, and moves him back very little. Combine with Buster to call out and punish slow moves.
- The fear of Buster will make opponents jump or run away quite often, especially if they see you Instant Blocking
F.D.B and Hammerfall are still quite useful here for dealing with characters reliant on single-hit projectiles.

A patient defense is one of the most important virtues for a Potemkin player. A proper read leads to you totally reversing momentum and stealing games, so take your time and don't rush.

Garbage Moves That You Need To Stop Using

Hyperbolic title aside, these moves should be avoided unless you really know what you're doing. They may seem good to you now, but they have severe holes.

Judge Gauntlet (63214D)
Heavenly Potemkin Buster (236236S)
Overusing Mega Fist (236P)

Judge Gauntlet (63214D)

One of the worst moves in the game. AVOID USING THIS!

Awful reversal with heavy startup
Costs meter
Very easily avoided and punished, even on a good read
Establishes bad habits on defense; attempting to "DP" out of pressure instead of using your better options

This carries very little use against the majority of opponents in this game. You should never rely on this.

Heavenly Potemkin Buster (236236S)

Spending a lot of Tension for a very gimmicky anti-air. Generally not worth it.

Initial hitbox is far from great and will miss a lot
Leaves Potemkin airborne and likely fullscreen away from his opponent on whiff
Quickly becomes irrelevant in combos due to more optimal routes outdamaging it
Establishes bad habits in neutral; not using 6P, not staying grounded, and relying on gimmicks instead of patience

Can still see mild use, but more often than not these situations were beatable more reliably with Potemkin's other options, and will not cost him Tension in the process.

Overusing Mega Fist (236P)

Actually a useful move as previously stated, but is also a common beginner's trap. Shouldn't be treated the same as other entriesGuardHighStartup25Recovery16Advantage-6.

Not a very useful mixup considering its reactable speed, pushback and poor advantage
- That means stop using this as a safejump. Use j.S instead!
Reactable and heavily punishable
Gives a knockdown in combos, but times where you want to use this in combos over other options are quite rare
Establishes bad habits on offense; not using Hammerfall or Hammerfall Brake, getting poor conversions and damage

Over-relying on Mega Fist will become a very big hurdle to overcome in the future. It's both a very good and a very bad move.