Zidane vs Kuja(help me Dave!)

[Mushroom]

Hi dave! I recently joined because I saw all Nero's vids on Youtube. Um... against kuja, does zidane have a chance? Oh! and by the way have you ever fought Ghurdrich's cecil? If you did, how did that fight go?

[Ckarasu]

Well, I'm no Dave, but I think I can help.

Zidane most definitely has a chance here, but you'll need to be close up and careful with your approach. Zidane's range game is no where near as powerful or as versatile as Kuja's, but your close range game is. Do not use laggy attacks, as Kuja can easily punish that. Learn to block Strike Energy/Burst Energy, and do get predictable. Also, do not choose to fight in open areas (Crystal World), as that will make things harder than they should be.

These are just a few tips.

[Mushroom]

strike energy and burst energy?? what do they look like? is strike the one where kuja throws his magic balls and grabs ya?? dunno what burst looks like...

[Ckarasu]

Strike Energy: Sends out 4 or so orbs in a straight line, and follows up with various attacks. Mid to short range. Very fast.

Burst Energy: Generates a small, red-orange flare right in front of him and detonates it. It, too, has a follow up attack. Short range, very fast.

[Mushroom]

um does blocking the strike energy stagger kuja?

[Ckarasu]

Yes, it does. It's a fast move, so you need to predict it in order to block it, most of the time.

[Mushroom]

um which attacks should i be equipping? i shouldnt have any ground moves right? BTW u are a big help thanks alot dude :)

[Ckarasu]

um which attacks should i be equipping? i shouldnt have any ground moves right? BTW u are a big help thanks alot dude :)

You'll probably never encounter a Kuja that will stay on the ground for long. Solution 9 (for a ranged option, in case you need to pressure), Swift attack, and Tempest would seem like a decent build. Free Energy for HP attack, as Grand Lethal is too slow. Shift Break also works, but it can get predictable if you use it too often. Be sure to equip Riposte, Sneak attack, and counter attack. Also, you might want to use anti counter attack, to prevent Kuja from getting a lot of criticals. It would be wise to have the Meo Twister links on your air moves (Master your attacks, and they should appear).

[Mushroom]

ohh what about storm impulse??

[Ckarasu]

ohh what about storm impulse??

Sure. Zidane has plenty of fast moves, and as long as it chains into Meo Twister, it will work.

[Mushroom]

storm doesent chain anymore

[Ckarasu]

storm doesn't chain anymore

Hmm. Well, BRV-HP chains are going to be the only reliable way to deal HP damage.

[Dave880]

Kuja is a hard match up for Zidane. Zidane is a close combat fighter while Kuja is both Long and Close with his brave moves. One advantage Zidane has going for him is a BP to HP move. Don't expect to break Kuja unless you are able to block one of his quick moves and punish him right after. A substantial amount of Kujas I play against usually use Snatch shot in their set up. Snatch shot is difficult to get around because there is no delay after the two shots Kuja fires. Kuja players usually spam Snatch shot in order to lure the opponent in and then use a close/quick move (don't remember what they are call) to punish Zidane. Since Storm Impulse is nerfed, this match up is extremely difficult because Zidane lacks any long range brave attacks such as Slide Hazard, Holy, Full Slide, etc. Sure there is Solution 9, but it makes Zidane vulnerable for a Ultima. My suggestion is play smart and try to look for any openings. By the way, all of Kuja's hp attacks are easy to dodge and actually makes Kuja have some delay after it is used. Take advantage of any Kuja player that uses a HP attack because that is your chance to punish them,

[Nevfx]

All I do it get him in the air, brave attack and then hit him with Free Energy when he's getting himself ready, the dodge away.

I works ok, for me anyway.

[Mushroom]

Dave :) do u have any videos of u fighting kuja? do u have a youtube acct?

[NeroMD]

Dave doesn't have a youtube account, He's too lazy to make one. If people request this i'm willing to upload Dave vids on my channel.

[Dave880]

Na, I don't have a youtube account. I'm too lazy to upload videos onto the internet. Just be patient and look for a opening with Kuja especially if Kuja uses a HP attack. If you want videos of me with my Zidane then I might consider if...
NeroMD: If people request this i'm willing to upload Dave vids on my channel.

[Ghurdrich]

To comment on the latter part of OP's post, which I just read; Yes, Dave has fought my Cecil. He schools me more often than not.

[Bathoin]

So true. I have yet to play dave in a match, so I have no idea how I fair against him. But for kuja players, I'm not sure if it helps you, but anytime I rush towards them, I dodge out of the way a few feet from them so they can wasted an attack, then hit them. Also, watch out for kuja guarding if you use my idea, chances are that your opponent will use flare star after guarding. Dave, can you do me a favor and see if my idea works? I keep using it with mixed results on human players. Can you see if it can stand in pvp matches?

[Dave880]

Just played against a NA Kuja and the opponent was Nexus. I can 100% confirm and say it is much easier to fight kuja in the NA version instead of the JPN. And to respond to Bathoin strategy about
I rush towards them, I dodge out of the way a few feet from them so they can wasted an attack is something that doesn't really work against a good Kuja player like Nexus. Remember you can still get hit during a dodge animation, hence I rather not risk my brave using that tactic especially against Kuja. I saved some replays of Zidane vs Kuja and I'll ask Nero to upload some if people are interested in seeing it.

[PKNintendo]

Is Zidane still disadvantaged against Kuja?

[Mushroom]

to Nero: can you post dave's vid pls??? I wanna see it :) thanks alot!!
to Ghurdrich: mmmm.... thanks for answerin :)
to dave: how bout against tidus?? how are your fights with nero's tidus?

to everyone: I only learned how to pronounce tidus' name recently... i used to pronounce it like: tydus. Nothing really, just amazed at my stupidity hehe

dave when you fight against kuja do you use omni dash?
Whats your set up look like anyways? what abilities do you activate??

[Dave880]

It's always a challenge fighting against Nero's Tidus. Hop step can instantly break Zidane (333+666 Crits) and its really hard to block on reaction because of its quickness. Zidane doesn't really have any strong moves like Tidus and at times I have to play the chip away game against him in order to win. One block against me, I'm done for because I know he has enough brave to already kill me because of hop step.

[Dave880]

Here are some videos Nero uploaded on his youtube channel of Zidane vs Kuja. Hope it helps.

YouTube - +DFF Forums + Zidane (Dave88334) Versus Kuja (Nexus)

YouTube - +DFF Forums + Zidane (Dave88334) Versus Kuja (Nexus) Part 2

[Tensai]

Just some questions if you don't mind - great matches by the way!

Would Vortex hit after a successful block? I'm inclined to think that Riposte Storm Impule is weaker than a Riposte Vortex + Tempest (sneak attack) combo - and this chains as well. The reason I ask is that I've seen several players ditch Storm Impulse for Vortex to chain more with Zidane's RDC, but I'm unsure if it's a wise move...

What accessories are you running on your Zidane (I'm unsure if it's allowed officially...but I'd assume so)?

and it seems you don't have any jump boosts on - any particular reasons for this or is it just to make room for those extra abilities?

And the final question of curiosity - how many matches did you play against his Kuja and the win count? :P

[Dave880]

1)The reason I put storm impulse instead of Vortex is because I really find no use in using Vortex at all. I used vortex in a couple of matches and find it to be awful unless the opponent is above me or I was able to fake them out by getting them to guard. I tried guarding then using vortex and it still missed completely. I tested vortex on Ashkonn (I think that was his name) and some how vortex missed him completely after I blocked him. Another reason I have Storm Impulse on Zidane is because if your lucky enough to hit your opponent against the wall you might be able to hit him/her with Free energy.

2) At the moment, I don't have accessories equip to Zidane because the tourney is coming up soon and I want to get good enough practice with Zidane in no equips.

3) Multi-Slide+ is the major reason why I don't have jump boost equiped, and as you said to use the extra AP on extra abilities.

4) Score was 4-0 against Nexus' Kuja. I might ask Nero to upload one more match if people are interested.

[Tensai]

Yea...vortex natural hit after block isn't true. Just a hope of mine....

and yea - more vids are nice. Nexus played great :P as did you :P

[Nexus_Nocturnal]

Dave is always hard to fight. xD

[Dave880]

Here are more videos with Nexus and I in the tournament. More Zidane vs Kuja but this time I have a new strategy. Worked out pretty well. Ultima messed me up in the 2nd video because I was trying to use Multi-slide to get to him but the delay made me get caught. Hope it helps. Btw, snooze and loose is good ability to have against Kuja.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkLO9ekL_HQ&feature=email
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNZP9iLbt-M&feature=player_profilepage

[Rarthyr]

Dave ftw go Dave

[Nexus_Nocturnal]

Yeah, I finally get caught up to you Dave and kick your ass and yet you whip out a brand new strategy. Back to the old drawing board.

[Dave880]

Sorry Nexus :p but ya there is a big difference between the old videos and the new ones versus Nexus lol. I'll be ready for your new strategy Nexus :D!

[Nexus_Nocturnal]

Epic Snooze and Lose poke fest is epic