Bushido
Well-Known Member
Oh my...
LEGEND
- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 5 is neutral
- 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - Kick - Hold/Block - Punch + Kick - Throw, also known as T i4 = This refers to the frames. It takes 4 frames for the move to execute.
BT = Back Turned HiC = Hi Counter CB = Critical Burst
CS = Counter Strike
OVERVIEW
Alpha's playstyle can be described as "all or nothing." Her moveset has a heavy emphasis on Critical Bursts, the stun game, and high damage throws. She has very little defense, not many options to get out of pressure, and is the lightest weight in the game. With all of this, she brings extremely high damage to the table. Therefore, she's high risk for a high reward character.
PROS
+ Has a high damage output
+ Has the highest damaging throw in the game (149 at HiC)
+ Fast at 9/13/12
+ A lot of mixup potential in stun
+ Great stun game
+ Good stun to launch damage
+ 3 different Critical Bursts
+ Easy to pick up
CONS
- No wakeup kick
- Quite bad mid-long range
- FLOAT stance can be a little counterintuitive
- Very little defensive options
- The lightest weight in the game
- Quite unsafe on block
- Not a lot of block pressure
- A little hard to master
CQC (CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT)
CQC is where you want to be a majority of the time, this is where Alpha shines. She's incredibly fast and has a bit of mixup potential and pressure on block.
P string: Same as Kasumi with a 'lifting ender.' Stuns on the 4th hit. The ender is also a GB at -2. P and PP are the only block strings that are safe, at -3 and -4 respectively.
PPPPK: A pressure string with huge delayability and crumple stun with her kick. On block it's safe due to the pushback.
PPKK: By itself it isn't very unique. A good stun at the end of the string, but it's -10 by itself, but has quite a bit of mix-up potential
PPK2K: Quite the atrocious string by itself. The rest of the low string will be held, and it doesn't have the FLOAT cancel the original does, so she's stuck at -25. It's a good low mix-up, but make sure to cancel the string.
PP2KKK: A good go-to string. The K string attatched puts you in a good spot for a basic juggle. However, the low can be held on reaction, so know your options from PP
PP2KK2K: Same thing as PP2KKK, but with the low added in as a mix-up option. It stills leaves you at -13, so still, be wary of that.
PKK: A -great- way to start the stun game. It can go into a 2K for mix-up, the entire K string for the greater stun game, or the 7K for the safety if it's blocked. Abuse this.
6PPP: A pretty great string in the stun game and in neutral. Tracking on the second hit and multiple strings that follow up after 6PPP make this quite a versitile string the longer it goes on. By itself, however, it doesn't do much except close the distance and track. It's -11 on block.
4P: A great whiff punisher that is --almost-- guaranteed in --certain-- situations. However, there are several ways to follow up the "wandering" stun depending on what you expect the opponent to do. 3H+K into a combo, 6K to extend stun, or throw to punish a hold. These are just a few of the many.
3P string: The exact same properties as the P string, only without the first two Ps (obviously) and it only takes 3PPK instead of PPPPK
2P: Neutral on NH...i12..a low, what's not to love?
66P: This is also another pressure tool and a CB that's a -high-. It's -4 on block, guarantees a FLOAT P on hit, and is a high critical burst. This move also comes out of the 6K string.
K string: Pretty important for Alpha. It has good stuns, plenty of strings to get into it, a safe option afterwards, and mix-up potential. I wouldn't recommend finishing this string though, as it leaves you with nothing, especially on block at -14
9K: A very strange move. It gives a good stun, is i14 which if faster than all of her other Ks save for good ol' 5K, but it's -14 on block. So, it's mostly just used as a stun extender. It can be used as a counter-poke as well.
8K and its strings: 8K is a great launcher, and it also has the FLOAT cancel if you ever catch yourself inputing it on block, so it's safe from throws, while people have to respect the follow-ups. She can continue the entire string, FLOAT cancel at -any- time before the string finishes, and can use the final K at all points before the string is finished. The end of the string is sort of a rising sweeping kick that ends in a mid punch, which leaves you with a GB, in FLOAT, and at -11. So, you're only safe from throws, strikes will punish hard.
6K and its strings: Imagine Kasumi's 9KK squared, that's Alpha's 6K string in a sense. However, unlike Kasumi, Alpha's P is -4. This makes 6K a pretty scary string. However, it's quite predictable, so don't get into the habit of using this too often.
4K and its strings: 4K is actually a pretty good stun extender, with its FLOAT cancel moving her BT towards the opponent. It's not a good pressure tool, not do I advise finishing the whole string at any point. It just pushes the opponent full-screen from you. You do not want that.
3K: Nothing much too it, a 20 frame mid K CB that's safe due to push-back. 20 frames though so, not the best pressure tool.
2KKK: The same properties as PP2KKK. The same applies with 2KK2K.
33KK: There aren't many uses for this move. It's a knockdown on NH that puts you back in Neutral, in stun there's barely any combo potential with a high ratio of failure, and on block it leaves you at +10 but in FLOAT, so you really can't do anything with that +10 if they keep blocking. I recommend not using it at all, but you can -if- you have an idea of how your opponent will react.
P+K: This move is kind of disgusting. It's at i14, resets on NH, and is a lift stun if you're in the stun game. Utilize this, but be wary if the opponent is on block, as it's -14 on block.
6P+K: Kasumi's CB, no big deal.
4P+K: Kasumi's PB, also not a big deal.
214P+K: Alpha's unique PL, yay.
H+K and its strings: The same properties as the kicks in PPKK, the exact same.
2H+K and its strings: The same thing as PPK2K
3H+K: One of your main launchers at i18, so it's not too slow. On neutral it lift stuns, but that won't be too easy to land. It will launch at any stun level, so use that to your advantage. The same move is also in SS K.
MID RANGE
This is one of Alpha's weakest distances. She doesn't really have much she can do here. However, a lot of her strings carry her very quickly across the screen, such as 6PPPKK into K string. There are some tools that have quite a reach rather than the carry:
66P
4P
3K
Also, it's worth noting she has Kasumi's 9P to flip closer too. Not only that, 9PH will cancel the flip in mid air leaving her in FLOAT stance and all of the options that come with it too.
BACK TURNED
Alpha backturned is a little uncommon. If you end up there on your own terms, however, things can get pretty interesting. Here are your options:
BT P: Goes straight into the neutral punch string, but the start-up is 11 frames.
BT 4P: A launching whiff punisher that can be combo'd off of even on NH.
BT 2P: i13 low that gives +9 on NH, even better than the FT one as it crushes highs.
BT K: This move is quite useless. i14, an extremely small launch, and -14 on block. Even if you're just whiff punishing, BT 4P is literally better than BT K in every aspect, even in reach.
BT 8K: If you do end up back-turned, this is the 2nd best option you have. It cannot be throw punished on block, it provides a knockdown when it hits, and is just an overall decent "Get off of me tool." The only problem is, it's extremely long at i24.
BT 7K: Now this, THIS is what you need to use if you end up back-turned. It is the fastest strike in the game at i8. It's GB is relatively safe with it's pushback as well. The only drawback is that it once again pushes Alpha and her opponent to full screen distance. Weigh your options and see which "Get off" tool would be the most optimal.
BT 4K: Not really that optimal of a choice. i15, -13 on block, and it gives the anime fall when it connects.
BT 2K: Nothing special, a knockdown when it connects, and
THROWS
Alpha's throws do a despicable amount of damage. While playing Alpha in the stun game, you should be looking to throw punish a hold attempt nearly every time. Even at mid range, Alpha's OHs are still threatening. iX will be the frames the throw is while a/b/c will represent the damage. a being neutral, b being counter, and c being hi counter.
5T: Simple throw for a punish, use this always when punishing. i5 55/68/82
6T: By itself it's just terrible. It puts Alpha at mid-range (not her strength) and leaves her in FLOAT, which leaves you with nothing if the opponent is smart enough to block. However, 6T is a combo throw, and as such will go into 2T, which is just a plain kick. It's a small window to execute so I just recommend sticking to 5T if you're just going to punish. i12 62/77/93
33T: Same thing as Kasumi's essentially. However, Alpha's leaves her in FLOAT. i12 75/93/112
214T: Another one of Kasumi's throws. i10 68/85/102
236236T: This is what makes Alpha so...revolting. This throw is what you'll be looking to land everytime you land in the stun. The free HiC damage is just ridiculous if you land it. Master this. i20 100/124/149
8T: A really good jumping OH that covers quite a bit of distance at 3.16m . It also leaves her in FLOAT. i30 65/80/97
2141236T: A far reaching, crouching OH that is pretty cool to watch. It crushes highs and reaches a good distance at 3.21m, about mid-range i25 70/85/102
FLOAT STANCE
One of Alpha's most unique moves is her FLOAT stance. As read earlier in the guide, the stance can be part of some strings as a cancel to avoid a throw punish. There are several ways to utilize the stance not only from cancels, but also from actually getting there yourself (9P)
So, after you are in the stance:
P - A 3.58m reach mid punch dash that leaves you at -10 when blocked. It can be used for repositioning in some cases, and as part of the 66P guarantee mentioned before.
K - A much shorter 1.81m reach high kick that, though i11, leaves you -20 on block. This is primarily used after the 66P CB, as that will leave you in float stance
H - This will just bring you back down quicker than floating there would. This is the option you will be using about 80% of the time.
HOLDS AND PARRIES
Alpha's Kryptonite basically. She doesn't really have a hold at all. All of her holds just teleport her back to r1f distance (~2.00m) at -8 most of the time. While nonpunishable, it's quite underwhelming. Your best option is to just 6P and hope for a CS. If 6P does connect, however, you guarantee a launcher. The only two characters to worry about are Leifang and Bayman for their BT parries. Alpha's parries are just like Kasumi's (9H and 3H), but instead Alpha teleports behind and dashes to hit them for mediocre damage with a big pushback as well.
About Me
Hello, my name is Bushido (clearly). I'm mostly known as a Kokoro main, but I've been playing Alpha since I've started the game back in DoA5. She's been one of my favorites in 5, and I just had the random inspiration to make a guide. Hopefully everything is sound, let me know if anything needs fixing!
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