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FIX #2: Always Be Charging (AKA Quit Standing Up, Jackass)


The main problem people don't even realize they have when using Dee Jay is not maintaining charge enough.  This is vitally important because:

a) Dee Jay's best defensive measures require charge.
b) Dee Jay's heaviest and most damaging offensive measures require charge.
c) In close quarters, Dee Jay's normals are poor and he regularly needs charge to get opponents back into a better position for him.

Ever notice how smart opponents will jump your projectile from a certain range where you can't counter with a normal and they then proceed to maul you in close quarters? That's because they know once you expend your charge, you generally have fuck all for them to be afraid of. Thus, it stands to reason that you should: a) only expend your charge where you don't needlessly sacrifice positioning to do so; and b) NOT engage in actions that cause you to lose charge to your disadvantage (and thus reduce your ability to defend or attack).

Think about it. Every time you jump forward, walk forward or back, or throw an Air Slasher, you are essentially sacrificing some degree of charge and leaving yourself more vulnerable. That's a lot of time to be at a disadvantage if you are not aware you are doing it.

So how do you get around this problem? There are several ways:

1. Throw an Air Slasher and follow it in with a Forward Dash. Done right, the projectile will protect you during forward movement and allow you some time to charge back during the dash. The dash is also very short and quick to recover, so it's the perfect way to cover ground without giving up too much advantage. Just remember that your goal isn't to necessarily hit an opponent here, it's just to put you into that perfect space where your moves are most effective and the opponent's are at a disadvantage (typically just inside their sweep range).

2. Roundhouse Slide will also advance you forward while allowing you to maintain charge (it's vulnerable to focus attacks and counter attacks, however, so be smart about using it).

3. Focus attacking an opponent's fireball or long-range normal and then dashing forward accomplishes much the same task as #1 above (especially useful against characters like Blanka who have easy ways to punish your projectile setup before you ever get to a dash; a.k.a setup #1 above). This is also known as an "Instant Focus" and is further described in a separate post here.

4. Light Knee can be used to move forward and press the attack from certain ranges, BUT it does suffer the charge problem when used from distances where the opponent can easily jump you while you are landing and then start to maul you.

A good rule of thumb (and mental exercise to follow) is to actively try and maintain down/back charge whenever you are on the ground and then keep that going for the whole match. In other words, you should never be walking forward or backward to change distance, instead relying on your short jumps and dashes to gain ground. If you can get to doing this without ever thinking about it, you will be surprised how many fewer times you will have to worry about opponents mauling you in close quarters. And that, believe it or not, is half the battle.

Not doing this is a good reason why most Dee Jays suck (it was number 2 on my earlier post list).

TLDR: Maintain charge wherever possible to retain access to your most powerful moves.