GGST/Goldlewis Dickinson/Counterstrategy

From Dustloop Wiki



Fighting Goldlewis

Goldlewis’ goal is to use his special moves, which are passively buffed over time thanks to the Security Level, to lock you down so he can close the distance to where he can apply massive amounts of pressure and damage utilizing his Behemoth Typhoon special move, which guard crushes and cranks your RISC gauge on block and leads to massively damaging combos on hit. Goldlewis has limited mobility compared to other characters. While he has a dash, it's pretty slow. He also can't double jump, making aerial approaches extremely committal.


Unique Attributes/Mechanics


  • Security Level
  • Behemoth Typhoon

Security Level is a resource Goldlewis can spend to augment his special and super moves. The icon on the top of the gauge represents his current Security Level, which increases from Level 1, to 2, then 3 (there is no Level 0) Goldlewis starts the round at Level 1. Goldlewis' Security Level increases passively over time. As Security Level increases, Goldlewis' S special moves Thunderbird (Drone)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Thunderbird.pngGuardAllStartup57Recovery34 TotalAdvantage- and Skyfish (Minigun)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Skyfish.pngGuardAllStartup25Recovery75~134 TotalAdvantage-13) and his Overdrive Burn it Down (Laser)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Burn It Down.pngGuardAllStartup13+(84 Flash)+79Recovery27 TotalAdvantage- gain three separate versions that correspond with his current Security Level. Using any of these moves causes the meter to be reset to 1. The gauge takes 2 seconds to fill from Level 1 to 2, but takes longer at 6 seconds to fill from Level 2 to 3.

Behemoth Typhoon is a special move where Goldlewis swings his coffin, leading to massively damaging combos on hit as well as guard crushing with extensive chip damage on block. This is his primary pressure tool. It has 8 different versions, all sharing the same name. Each corresponds to a different half-circle plus the H button, including some very unconventional motions. Because of this, all half-circles have been abbreviated to only the cardinal directions in numpad notation. For example, 63214H becomes 624H and so on. Goldlewis can also perform any Behemoth Typhoon in the air as well. When defending against Goldlewis, you need to get familiar with each Behemoth Typhoon, what’s plus, what’s safe, what’s a frame trap and what’s fake. Any air Behemoths are slightly minus, so you can take a turn if they end up doing one. Also, never burst a Behemoth if the Goldlewis has Tension, as they can PRC the Behemoth to block the burst.

Round Start


Goldlewis doesn't have especially strong round start options as long as you're aware of them and know how to deal with them. His best poke from round start is f.SGGST Goldlewis Dickinson f.S.pngGuardAllStartup11Recovery23Advantage-12, which loses to 6P and can be low profiled by shorter characters such as Giovanna or Baiken. He could approach with a j.DGGST Goldlewis Dickinson jD.pngGuardHighStartup14Recovery14Advantage+13 (IAD), but this also loses to 6P. Goldlewis' own 6P can't really be used as a counter poke a lot of the time due to it's really high hitbox. It’s mainly a defensive 6P. This means that his pokes are incredibly weak and yours are harder for him to contest. For certain characters, excessively relying on 6P will leave you vulnerable to 684HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (684).pngGuardAll* (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery21Advantage-5. This is Goldlewis' farthest reaching Behemoth Typhoon. It will also catch any attempts to approach or retreat from the air, as well as Guard Crush you if you walk back. However, it does whiff on backdashes. Some characters' 6Ps still beat it, such as Ky and Testament, but Goldlewis can also walk backwards and whiff punish you with 684H as well, so it's best to alternate between 6P or backdashing round start to immediately put some distance between you. His j.D catches backdashes, which is why you need to rotate your options and not default to just one response each time. Experiment with your character and see what options they have against him at Round Start.

Neutral


Goldlewis' corner pressure is debatably on par with that of Ramlethal's in both restriction and possibility of imminent death. While he may be scary, you cannot let Goldlewis back you into the corner, as you'll lose the ability to utilize backdash effectively, leaving FD as your only hope. If your meter runs out, that's usually the end of the round, as Drift RC means just 50 meter is enough for him to loop frametraps and deal insane chip damage. Avoid the corner at all costs.

Some of the weakness of Goldlewis that were touched upon in Round Start apply to neutral as well. Goldlewis' pokes and approaches are generally vulnerable to 6P. This means that you can generally play pretty passively, wait for Goldlewis’ approaches, and just 6P no matter what he does and the only thing he can get away with is going for a raw Behemoth Typhoon or running in with a 2DGGST Goldlewis Dickinson 2D.pngGuardLowStartup14Recovery24Advantage-10, which is a pretty slow poke, and can be punished with an IAD > Aerial.

Most of Goldlewis’ options midscreen can be backdashed. In fact, all of them can be backdashed from a blocked f.S or 2D at their max range. Furthermore, Goldlewis has ZERO options to punish you for going for the backdash. NONE of the Behemoths can touch you. All he can do is go into a true string with his fastest 684H Behemoth, which leaves him -5 at full screen (which is pretty much neutral). You might eat the chip damage, but it could be worse considering he got a move out on you in neutral. In order to catch backdashes, Goldlewis will have to hard-call them out with specific options that only work at close range, such as 486HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (486).pngGuardHigh (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+14~15. 426HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (426).pngGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+12~+16 also works if Goldlewis has backed you up close to the corner since it causes a wallbounce. He can also go for a delay 268HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (268).pngGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+6~14. 5HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson 5H.pngGuardAllStartup19Recovery15Advantage-2 can also catch a backdash, but he needs running momentum. Lastly,he can j.D to catch a backdash, which is a very hard read, because of that button’s weakness (6P).

Do NOT get cheesed by Behemoth Typhoon whiffs in neutral. Most variations of Behemoth Typhoon are extremely difficult or impossible to whiff punish, depending on your character's ability to do so. Many Goldlewis players prey on lack of experience to get free counterhits with sequences like 268HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (268).pngGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+6~14 into 684HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (684).pngGuardAll* (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery21Advantage-5, or even into itself. This is not to say you shouldn't ever punish Goldlewis for a missed BT, just that you must be acutely aware of when you are actually able to. 684H in particular is actually quite punishable on whiff, so don't let him throw it out like it's nothing.

The gameplay that is awkward for Goldlewis to deal with in neutral is: playing patiently, just outside of the range of 684H, waiting for a whiffed move, or waiting for a blatant engagement. Whenever he engages, you should be ready to 6P. Whenever he whiffs, be ready to punish him.

Dealing with His Security Level Special Moves

Don’t let Goldlewis get a Security Level 3 Thunderbird (Drone)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Thunderbird.pngGuardAllStartup57Recovery34 TotalAdvantage- out. This is a projectile that blocks all other projectiles and can be hard for some characters to contest. It leads to a hard knockdown on hit, and the amount of time it stays active depends on the Security Level. When used in the corner, it remains in the corner until the Security Level is depleted. He can only safely get this out on a hard knockdown from 2D, throw, or OTG 5H. Make it part of your gameplan to just not let him get it out. If Goldlewis takes damage, Thunderbird will disappear, but this can still be a difficult projectile to deal with.

Security Level 3 Skyfish (Minigun)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Skyfish.pngGuardAllStartup25Recovery75~134 TotalAdvantage-13 also causes a hard knockdown. This is a gatling gun that fires for a longer time depending on the Security Level. It also beats other projectiles (except for Nagoriyuki’s Clone). At fullscreen, this knockdown allows Goldlewis to close the gap and re-establish some pressure. Otherwise, this move is mostly used as a meaty for chip damage/tension drain, but it’s generally too slow to use on reaction. At Security Level 2 and 3, Goldlewis can cancel Skyfish to avoid punishes via aerial approaches.

Goldlewis' Overdrive Burn it Down (Laser)GGST Goldlewis Dickinson Burn It Down.pngGuardAllStartup13+(84 Flash)+79Recovery27 TotalAdvantage- is a multi-hitting projectile move. Its range, duration, and number of hits are dependent on the Security Level. The higher the gauge, the stronger it gets. Goldlewis can’t afford to use this up close. If he does, he can easily be run up to and thrown, and you’ll be invincible to the laser during the throw animation. Don’t let Goldlewis go for it midscreen. If they go for it fullscreen, some characters have options to stop this as well. Sol has Night Raid Vortex, Nagoriyuki could go for a Fukyo into PRC Throw, May could use S Dolphin, Potemkin could use Hammerfall, etc.

Offense


Goldlewis has no meterless invincible reversal. On defense, he can use his 5 frame 2PGGST Goldlewis Dickinson 2P.pngGuardAllStartup5Recovery6Advantage+3 in order to challenge stagger pressure. Certain characters have lows that can actually low profile 2P, such as Nagoriyuki and Testament's 2K. It's worth labbing with your character to see if they have any options that low profile this. Otherwise, when he has Tension, be sure to bait out his reversal Overdrive Down With the SystemGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Down with the System 2.pngGuardAllStartup6+(135 Flash)+4Recovery46Advantage-33.

Defense


If Goldlewis gets in on you, you need to use your Burst early. Be smart about using it, but still, use it early. Don't just hold onto it in pressure and only use it once you've been put into a combo or counter hit into a strong starter. With Goldlewis, this is very dangerous. His high chip damage and massive amount of plus frames means his offense is long and does a decent amount of damage on its own without even needing to open you up. Thus, you should be very considerate about where you Burst and use it to push Goldlewis back out. Remember, Goldlewis struggles in the neutral game, meaning it can be advantageous to force him to play it again by Bursting his pressure instead of saving it to prevent damage.

If you don’t have Burst, then remember: mashing and jumping are generally not effective. Goldlewis has many back-to-back frametraps that all have anywhere from decent to devastating reward. The absurd area of effect and active frames of any Behemoth Typhoon will catch jumps 99% of the time. Mashing or jumping can be used in fringe reads, but should absolutely not be go-to strategies. This means that you’re typically going to have to block on wakeup. Make sure you use Faultless Defense whenever you block him. Although blocking Goldlewis is scary, patience is key. Goldlewis can catch a backdash on your wakeup easily with a meaty 268H or 5KGGST Goldlewis Dickinson 5K.pngGuardLowStartup10Recovery12Advantage-7, which are common okizeme options for him. 268H also gives Goldlewis a comically damaging combo on counter hit, so avoid mashing as well.

A well timed invincible reversal can throw a wrench in Goldlewis’ pressure. Since much of his pressure consists of frametraps, Goldlewis must worry about reversals more than many characters. Be careful, however, as his punishes on baited reversals are very damaging. You also need to be careful about using a reversal on wakeup if Goldlewis is airborne, as he is likely using j.HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson jH.pngGuardHighStartup15Recovery20Advantage- to safejump (which he can do off of almost all knockdowns). Your reversal will usually be better spent on his plus frames, as he will have to call it out. Goldlewis is very likely to go for a Behemoth Typhoon after a c.SGGST Goldlewis Dickinson c.S.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery12Advantage+1. This is usually a good time to input a reversal. Additionally, you could delay using Burst until you see the a Behemoth Typhoon in his blockstrings. This will be a free Gold Burst almost all the time, unless Goldlewis goes for a 268H.

Midscreen, if Goldlewis lands a hard knockdown on you, this is a very dangerous situation to be in. From specific spacings, Goldlewis can do a safe jump or cross you up on your wakeup with j.H or j.D. Goldlewis will typically go for this after a knockdown from a throw or a 684H. He could also go for this after sending out Drone. You’ll have to guess which direction he’ll try to land this on during your wake up.

A strong but risky setup Goldlewis can do after a hard or soft knockdown in the corner is whiffing 5PGGST Goldlewis Dickinson 5P.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery6Advantage+3 into either 842HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (842).pngGuardLow (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+16 or 862HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (862).pngGuardHigh (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery18Advantage+12. This is a mix up that can be extremely hard to see coming and is a true 50/50. The damage off of a Behemoth starter is also great, and if he has enough Tension to Roman Cancel, Goldlewis can convert into any number of his devastating corner combos. Even worse, if he successfully times either of these Behemoths then it counts as a true meaty with all the plus frames that Goldlewis usually gets, making this remarkably safe. This setup is vulnerable to invincible reversals, however. Goldlewis also needs Tension to convert into a full combo, which may lead to worse reward compared to the standard frame traps that Goldlewis has on offer.

Using Faultless Defense Against Goldlewis

Using Faultless Defense in general is essential for getting him off of you. It will force Goldlewis to play slower and a little more reactive. Faultless Defense can make many options, (including most Behemoths) whiff and force him to work hard to stay close, whether it's by risking a jump-in or spending Tension to drift Roman Cancel in after a Guard Crush. If he tries for a tick throw after a blocked c.S, Faultless Defense makes him have to run a lot further to get close enough for one. Faultless Defense will also prevent c.S into 2H. This is important because this string frame traps, combos into itself, and leads to a really big combo. It will completely whiff if you FD.

When blocking Goldlewis, it's worth memorizing common pressure strings so that you have an understanding of what options you have and when you can use them. However, you won’t be able to use any option if you don’t use Faultless Defense. Pay attention to which options the Goldlewis is going for after c.S. It can be easy to get distracted by the different highs and lows when guarding this character, but it’s very important to understand that Goldlewis’ kit is harder to mix you up with if you haven’t been knocked down. The highs and lows are all reactable. Instead, it’s much more important to understand whether Goldlewis is going for a safe or unsafe option.

  • If you’re blocking him up close, use Faultless Defense during the entirety of this standard gapless string: c.S > 268H > (button) > 684H or 624HGGST Goldlewis Dickinson Behemoth Typhoon (624).pngGuardAll (Guard Crush)Startup12Recovery21Advantage-5. After this string, his turn is over.
  • If he loops 268H into 268H, this can be mashed on with 5K. If he goes for c.S into 486H, this can also be mashed on with 5K.
  • Using FD on c.S means that 624H and 842H won’t hit. If you don’t have the Tension to use Faultless Defense on these and you block them, then it’s his turn.

References/Resources

How To Beat Goldlewis (Exposing my own main) by baccpack

Anti-FD Pressure with Goldlewis Dickinson by baccpack

Goldlewis Pressure Strings Image 1

Goldlewis Pressure Strings Image 2

Cheryo's pre-season 3 Goldlewis counterplay guide

Navigation

Systems Pages