Fighting Ragna
Video that shows punishable gaps in Ragna's pressure:
Defense
Ragna's pressure is basic, but effective, and learning how to counter each of his moves is integral to dealing with it.
Normals & General Tips
One of Ragna's best offensive options is 2A stagger pressure. If Ragna gets in close and starts using 2A stagger, the safest counter is to use barrier block (or preferably instant barrier block). This will quickly push Ragna out and force him to use other means to maintain his pressure, that will have clearer, better counters.
2C is Ragna's go-to blockstring ender, being +1 on block with decent range and fantastic whiff recovery. Something Ragnas may try is spacing out their normals so they whiff 2C instead of hitting it on block, and because of its incredibly fast recovery, they then pressure reset immediately after. Do not let this happen, if you see Ragna whiff 2C, prepare to contest.
6B is Ragna's overhead normal, and is quite reactable. Keep in mind that Ragna can only gatling into 6B from his jabs, 2B, or 2C, so watch for the startup whenever blocking these moves. When 6B is blocked Ragna can still continue pressure, but his followups are limited to 6A, drive attacks, and special moves, making his next move predictable.
6D is a very tricky pressure reset and mixup tool for Ragna. He has three main options that he can do out of it:
- j.D, for overhead mixup or to pressure reset. Note that 6D > j.D is always a true blockstring no matter what. Ragnas will use j.D to condition you to block high and respect 6D, opening up their mixup options. When blocked, j.D is very plus, letting Ragna dash in and reset pressure.
- j.D whiff into mixup. After conditioning you to respect 6D and block high with j.D, Ragna can then whiff the j.D and hit you with a 2B or throw. When j.D is whiffed, Ragna is +1 on block, so if he goes for a mixup and you use a jab, you should beat out his option. Just keep in mind that Ragna is still at advantage, and can frametrap or maintain his turn if he wishes.
- Jump canceling, which isn't a very powerful option, but it exists and is good to keep in mind so you don't let Ragna get any free pressure resets.
- Something important to note about 6D is that it will ALWAYS have a gap before it, letting you reversal through it and avoid its tricky on-block situation. Barriering 6D out limits Ragna's options afterwards immensely, as j.D is guaranteed to whiff at longer ranges. Overdrive is also a powerful counter to this move, as on whiff it leaves Ragna wide open for a massive punish.
Ragna has a powerful tick throw game, and due to his umremarkable other mixup options it is an important part of his pressure. Something to be wary of vs throws is the Throw Reject Miss (TRM) state, which many Ragnas exploit and bait out, such as with 5A whiff > throw. Be careful using throw OS against Ragna, as he has good options to deal with it.
Special Moves
All of Ragna's special moves have specific counters to them:
- Dead Spike
A common special move to see in Ragna's pressure as it is a long-range pressure reset that gets Ragna back in close and is plus on block. However, it has several powerful counters to it, that once you start applying will force Ragna to carefully consider when he uses it.
The first is to jump over it. Dead Spike is pretty much always fuzzy jumpable (171), and if you jump over it you can get an easy punish.
The second is instant block (IB). Dead Spike is +2 at the earliest possible dash cancel, meaning that if IB'd it will be minus on block. Against careless players this is an easy spot to score a counter hit, but be aware that better Ragnas will react to the IB and play around it. Even so, you are still robbing him of his frame advantage and putting yourself in the power position.
- Gauntlet Hades
One of Ragna's few mixup tools, and a risky one, as it is punishable on block. In order to punish Gauntlet Hades on block, use a crouching normal that is 13f or faster, as otherwise you may get caught by the Spin Kick followup attack. Most Ragnas will not use this move without 50 meter to keep it safe, but even so it is an option to always be aware of. The best counter to Gauntlet Hades is to simply react and block it, then punish accordingly. You can hit him out of the startup, but this is obviously risky, made even more so by Gauntlet Hades' ability to high profile some moves.
Example video on punishing Gauntlet Hades with Ragna:
- Blood Scythe
An extremely slow pressure reset, mainly used by Ragnas to keep the opponent grounded. It is +3 on block, so if normal blocked be wary of your next action, as Ragna is at significant advantage. Note that on IB it becomes neutral, opening up your options immensely. The main caveat to this move is that it has 38f startup, making it easily reactable. Do not block Blood Scythe, simply anti air Ragna out of it.
Air Blood Scythe is a very different move, with much faster startup but much worse frame advantage. Ragnas will generally use this in pressure to catch opponents trying to jump out, but if blocked note that Ragna is very minus, potentially punishable depending on the height the move was used at.
- Hell's Fang
Hell's Fang is typically used to catch jump startup, or as a powerful pressure reset with 50 meter. On block this move is -4, making it relatively safe but putting Ragna at significant disadvantage. If IB'd, it becomes punishable, making this the preferred counter to Hell's Fang. Overdrive is also a powerful counter to this move, as ODing through it gives a guaranteed punish (make sure to punish with a fast button if ODing through the first hit, or you may be hit by the followup attack).
Offense
Ragna's defensive tools are good, but nothing particularly special.
Ragna's only real defensive option outside of system mechanics is his dp, in C Inferno Divider. It is quite fast, with a large vertical and horizontal hitbox (it even hits behind him, which can be relevant to some characters such as Azrael). This makes baiting it somewhat difficult, but not improbable. Just be careful not to give Ragna too much freedom from over-respecting his dp.
Ragna's anti air game is decent, fantastic in certain scenarios and underwhelming in others. Ragna can use his 5A as an anti air, due to its fast 5f startup and high hitbox, which is very good at stuffing low jump-ins and instant air dashes. You can't really bait it either because of its fast recovery, which is why you want to try and approach Ragna from higher angles. 5A will not help him from an attack directly above him. In that scenario, he will have to use 6A, which is a much less powerful anti air. It has very fast head invulnerability, but its hitbox is small, and its recovery is long, making it very easy to bait. It can also be crossed up due to the input, so ambiguous crossups are powerful against 6A.
Ragna's pokes are extremely good, and this helps him contest pressure quite well, depending on the character he's facing. If he pushes you back with barrier or instant barrier to his range, and you are a character with stubby buttons who cannot contest in that range, Ragna is in a very good position. Pay close attention to his barrier usage and try to stay within your own range.
It's also worth noting that Ragna's 2A is 7f fast, and his 5A whiffs crouchers, meaning that his fastest reliable button out of pressure is 7f. This can be useful in certain scenarios, such as a neutral on block situation if you have a faster jab.
Neutral
Ragna's neutral is strong, being the area he excels in the most.
Ragna has many large buttons that he uses to control space in neutral. His main footsie tools are 5B, 5C, j.C, and 2D, which all have great range and are easily hit confirmable. If you cannot contest Ragna's range, then you will have to be cautious about making your way in.
Ragna will not typically use a large number of special moves in neutral, but there are still some that can prove useful.
Hell's Fang is the special you will likely see in neutral the most, as it can be a useful get-in tool, especially with meter. Its extremely active hitbox makes it hard to stuff out with normals once it has started travelling, but projectiles and disjointed normals will thwart this move very easily. You can also simply jump over it and punish from there. Be careful not to get counter hit by it as that gives Ragna a massive reward.
Air Gauntlet Hades and Air Blood Scythe can both also see some use in neutral, and they share similar purposes. Air Gauntlet Hades flings Ragna across the screen at a wide angle with an active hitbox, making it useful for travelling in some matchups. Air Blood Scythe travels less distance, but hits at a much wider angle, making it more generally applicable. Both of these moves are minus on block and can be anti-aired, so it's preferable to take a passive approach vs them. Just be careful not to give Ragna too much leeway when he's airborne because of these moves, just try to remain aware of them.