So I figured since I was compiling a bunch of information on match-ups for my infamous Street Fighter Binder, that I would make a write-up on each character to aid with this process. What follows is one of many posts, one character of 25 (until super anyway). Of course they’re all written with Akuma’s offensive and defensive options in mind, but some of the information will be applicable to many. We’re going alphabetically, and I will probably make follow-up posts on said character once I learn a bit more about how things go. Abel is up first.  

Step Kick
This is his best poke because he can cancel it during the animation with a normal dash. Since the command requires a forward input, all he needs is to tap forward once more for him to dash up in your grill. That will set up his mixup game, and from there you have to make an educated guess what happens next. If this connects and he has meter he can st.HP -> CoD -> FADC -> Elbow Launch -> Ultra.

Elbow Launch
This move hits twice, the second hit launching his opponent into the air, putting them in juggle state. From there he can Falling Sky, Ultra, or do Marseilles Roll shenanigans into resets. He can also cancel the first hit into rekkas. It’s usually done meaty for a wake-up or anti-air, since the second hit is what is most important.

Jumping HP
Abel’s best Air-to-Air attack by far, when jumping forward or backward it has 8 active frames, and seems to swat a lot of things you would attempt to do out of the air. If you become predictable this will be the bane of your existence.

Jumping MK
His primary jumping attack will be with MK, be it neutral, jump forward, or cross-up attacking. It is decent as it offers a nice horizontal hitbox.

Crouching MK
Abel doesn’t have much in the way of anti-air, but this would be about as good as it gets for his normals. It has a tricky angle and kicks upward, and because of this you may be hit on what appear to be safer jumps. 

Wheel Kick
Helps him get over projectiles, and is useful for pressuring from certain distances. It’s relatively safe if the player knows what he’s doing, and it’s an overhead.

Tornado Throw
Nice command throw that serves as an important pillar in his tick/reset/mixup shenanigans.

Change of Direction
Rekka-type move that has a total of three actions, the second and third can be either a mid attack or a low attack. He can even FADC during the CoD to create more mix-up opportunities, and it’s a lot easier to perform than actual rekkas. This can be combo'd off of most of his normals, but is punishable if any hit is blocked. EX version has hyper armor.

Marseilles Roll
Great maneuver for evasion, positioning, and mixup. He’ll roll a different distance depending on what strength is used. This can be swept or thrown if it’s projected.

Falling Sky
Command anti-air grab. It’s done from a grounded position, but isn’t actually that useful for anti-air. It is more often than not placed in the end of a mixup, but can also be whiffed to build meter from a distance.

Super Combo
The “Happy Birthday” is used mostly for an anti-air, but can be hit from a c.HP -> LK Roll as well. He can of course cancel into it from CoD, each strength has different properties to it as well.

LP – Strike Invincibility, MP – Throw Invincibility, HP – Projectile Invincibility

Ultra Combo
Once Abel gets Ultra you can no longer zone with projectiles. It hits from pretty much full screen, and goes through fireballs no problem. It also has limited use as an anti-air, and does a shit ton of damage on the very last hit. Top it all off, it has pursuit property so it’s sort of like a heat-seeking missle.

On paper, Akuma wins this from pretty much any range. Abel needs to get in, and you have every tool in the world to prevent that from happening. Long range it's no contest, fireball zone to your heart’s content as long as he doesn't have ultra, just make sure they're safe fireballs.

Mid range it's potentially even more dangerous for Abel, as you can poke him to death with far and crouching roundhouse. Abel's hitbox is huge so it's a good time to practice your roundhouse loops. crouching MK has limited use, only because it doesn't have the luxuries of other shotos, and gets out-poked by the step kick. The far roundhouse is a mixup all in itself since both hits connect on Abel. After being blocked it is a 0 frame advantage, which is all the more reason to abuse the hell out of it. After a blocked RH, you can go for a walk-up throw/SRK, sweep, another HK, poke cancel, neutral jump attack, or dash back/teleport.

When Abel gets close that's when it gets a little tricky, but the advantage is still Akuma, since he can teleport out of all his crazy mixups. Don't become predictable with these, sometimes you're going to find it better to just stand your ground and block, or try a different method of reversal to reset the situation. If he reads you like a book Abel will chase you down with an HK roll and beat the shit out of you, that's no fun. Of course you can condition Abel to think you'll teleport, which let’s be honest -- most would. Then you can punish the roll or whatever else he had in store for you.

If you yourself can put some pressure on Abel, go for it, just be wary of EX Tornado through block strings and tick throw setups. You're going to want to knock him down and set up a vortex at that point, and since his anti-airs leave a lot to be desired, you can take calculated risks (about as calculus as 1+1=2) that can result in a nice payoff, but this depends on the type of player who is playing Abel. Dive Kick pressure in general is hard for Abel to deal with, so for approaching by air demonflips are the way to go.

In general, Abel is probably going to take fewer risks against Akuma, only because Akuma can get out of mixup in many ways. So don't be shocked when he gets a life lead and just turtles for the following 60 seconds. 

Protips

• Fireball zoning works for the first half of the match, once he gets ultra the atmosphere changes.
• Abuse far roundhouse when possible, but be wary of EX CoD through it.
• Abel’s anti-air options are limited, so jump in and apply pressure when probable.
• Don’t be predictable with your reversal options, lest you be punished hard.
• You can throw Abel on reaction when he performs a Roll.
• He can Super, Ultra, or Tornado Throw you out of Ultra or Super demon, use these wisely.
• Change of Direction can be punished after blocking the first hit with SRK or super.

So I figured since I was compiling a bunch of information on match-ups for my infamous Street Fighter Binder, that I would make a write-up on each character to aid with this process. What follows is one of many posts, one character of 25 (until super anyway). Of course they’re all written with Akuma’s offensive and defensive options in mind, but some of the information will be applicable to many. We’re going alphabetically, and I will probably make follow-up posts on said character once I learn a bit more about how things go. Abel is up first.  

Step Kick
This is his best poke because he can cancel it during the animation with a normal dash. Since the command requires a forward input, all he needs is to tap forward once more for him to dash up in your grill. That will set up his mixup game, and from there you have to make an educated guess what happens next. If this connects and he has meter he can st.HP -> CoD -> FADC -> Elbow Launch -> Ultra.

Elbow Launch
This move hits twice, the second hit launching his opponent into the air, putting them in juggle state. From there he can Falling Sky, Ultra, or do Marseilles Roll shenanigans into resets. He can also cancel the first hit into rekkas. It’s usually done meaty for a wake-up or anti-air, since the second hit is what is most important.

Jumping HP
Abel’s best Air-to-Air attack by far, when jumping forward or backward it has 8 active frames, and seems to swat a lot of things you would attempt to do out of the air. If you become predictable this will be the bane of your existence.

Jumping MK
His primary jumping attack will be with MK, be it neutral, jump forward, or cross-up attacking. It is decent as it offers a nice horizontal hitbox.

Crouching MK
Abel doesn’t have much in the way of anti-air, but this would be about as good as it gets for his normals. It has a tricky angle and kicks upward, and because of this you may be hit on what appear to be safer jumps. 

Wheel Kick
Helps him get over projectiles, and is useful for pressuring from certain distances. It’s relatively safe if the player knows what he’s doing, and it’s an overhead.

Tornado Throw
Nice command throw that serves as an important pillar in his tick/reset/mixup shenanigans.

Change of Direction
Rekka-type move that has a total of three actions, the second and third can be either a mid attack or a low attack. He can even FADC during the CoD to create more mix-up opportunities, and it’s a lot easier to perform than actual rekkas. This can be combo'd off of most of his normals, but is punishable if any hit is blocked. EX version has hyper armor.

Marseilles Roll
Great maneuver for evasion, positioning, and mixup. He’ll roll a different distance depending on what strength is used. This can be swept or thrown if it’s projected.

Falling Sky
Command anti-air grab. It’s done from a grounded position, but isn’t actually that useful for anti-air. It is more often than not placed in the end of a mixup, but can also be whiffed to build meter from a distance.

Super Combo
The “Happy Birthday” is used mostly for an anti-air, but can be hit from a c.HP -> LK Roll as well. He can of course cancel into it from CoD, each strength has different properties to it as well.

LP – Strike Invincibility, MP – Throw Invincibility, HP – Projectile Invincibility

Ultra Combo
Once Abel gets Ultra you can no longer zone with projectiles. It hits from pretty much full screen, and goes through fireballs no problem. It also has limited use as an anti-air, and does a shit ton of damage on the very last hit. Top it all off, it has pursuit property so it’s sort of like a heat-seeking missle.

On paper, Akuma wins this from pretty much any range. Abel needs to get in, and you have every tool in the world to prevent that from happening. Long range it's no contest, fireball zone to your heart’s content as long as he doesn't have ultra, just make sure they're safe fireballs.

Mid range it's potentially even more dangerous for Abel, as you can poke him to death with far and crouching roundhouse. Abel's hitbox is huge so it's a good time to practice your roundhouse loops. crouching MK has limited use, only because it doesn't have the luxuries of other shotos, and gets out-poked by the step kick. The far roundhouse is a mixup all in itself since both hits connect on Abel. After being blocked it is a 0 frame advantage, which is all the more reason to abuse the hell out of it. After a blocked RH, you can go for a walk-up throw/SRK, sweep, another HK, poke cancel, neutral jump attack, or dash back/teleport.

When Abel gets close that's when it gets a little tricky, but the advantage is still Akuma, since he can teleport out of all his crazy mixups. Don't become predictable with these, sometimes you're going to find it better to just stand your ground and block, or try a different method of reversal to reset the situation. If he reads you like a book Abel will chase you down with an HK roll and beat the shit out of you, that's no fun. Of course you can condition Abel to think you'll teleport, which let’s be honest -- most would. Then you can punish the roll or whatever else he had in store for you.

If you yourself can put some pressure on Abel, go for it, just be wary of EX Tornado through block strings and tick throw setups. You're going to want to knock him down and set up a vortex at that point, and since his anti-airs leave a lot to be desired, you can take calculated risks (about as calculus as 1+1=2) that can result in a nice payoff, but this depends on the type of player who is playing Abel. Dive Kick pressure in general is hard for Abel to deal with, so for approaching by air demonflips are the way to go.

In general, Abel is probably going to take fewer risks against Akuma, only because Akuma can get out of mixup in many ways. So don't be shocked when he gets a life lead and just turtles for the following 60 seconds. 

Protips

• Fireball zoning works for the first half of the match, once he gets ultra the atmosphere changes.
• Abuse far roundhouse when possible, but be wary of EX CoD through it.
• Abel’s anti-air options are limited, so jump in and apply pressure when probable.
• Don’t be predictable with your reversal options, lest you be punished hard.
• You can throw Abel on reaction when he performs a Roll.
• He can Super, Ultra, or Tornado Throw you out of Ultra or Super demon, use these wisely.
• Change of Direction can be punished after blocking the first hit with SRK or super.

Nice write up . i find abel always beats me when i play balrog or guile ....
 
EDIT : FIXED

nice stuff, this could also be very usefull for abel players too knowing their weekneses and all. shame i have to wait till s for sakura.

Dude. Why get all this info now when it could all change when Super comes out? I started a binder also but I put it off till I get the real deal come Spring 2010.

" nice right up . i find abel always beats me when i play balrog or guile .... "

Great read Ultima, can't wait for the Ken edition. I would write character specific guides also, but they would lack content. I think my general strategy against everybody is to jump at every opportunity, taunt while losing, and of course mash.

what does CoD stand for? 
 
great guide btw.

" Great read Ultima, can't wait for the Ken edition. I would write character specific guides also, but they would lack content. I think my general strategy against everybody is to jump at every opportunity, taunt while losing, and of course mash. "

Basically his antiair options are crap, so jump in, and jump up when you think he'll command grab. 
 
P.S Throw fireballs when he has ultra, he's weak to it.

As a shitty Akuma player I support this guide..thing.

I don't think Akuma needs guides on how to beat  the rest of the cast. He has enough in his arsenal, both offensively and defensively that a wide array of options can work. This is like writing a guide on how to play Ryu. You don't really need a guide for it since he's got the best options in every given situation.

" I don't think Akuma needs guides on how to beat  the rest of the cast. He has enough in his arsenal, both offensively and defensively that a wide array of options can work. This is like writing a guide on how to play Ryu. You don't really need a guide for it since he's got the best options in every given situation. "

Akuma is prolly one of my favorite opponents to fight as Abel, as the fight always seem to be pretty exciting.
 
Good write up, looking forward to the next one :)

" @Napalm said:

" I don't think Akuma needs guides on how to beat  the rest of the cast. He has enough in his arsenal, both offensively and defensively that a wide array of options can work. This is like writing a guide on how to play Ryu. You don't really need a guide for it since he's got the best options in every given situation. "

Akuma has the tools to accomodate nearly all matchups but you still need to know what's effective against and defending against each character. While alot of air fireballs may be good against Rufus if you do it to a Gen you'll get a 3/4 screen super.  On Ryu, he has fantastic tools but if you don't know the right way to keep out a Zangief or how to get in to a Dhalsim those tools are useless. That's why matchup guides are important. "

" @Scooper said:

" @Napalm said:

" I don't think Akuma needs guides on how to beat  the rest of the cast. He has enough in his arsenal, both offensively and defensively that a wide array of options can work. This is like writing a guide on how to play Ryu. You don't really need a guide for it since he's got the best options in every given situation. "

Akuma has the tools to accomodate nearly all matchups but you still need to know what's effective against and defending against each character. While alot of air fireballs may be good against Rufus if you do it to a Gen you'll get a 3/4 screen super.  On Ryu, he has fantastic tools but if you don't know the right way to keep out a Zangief or how to get in to a Dhalsim those tools are useless. That's why matchup guides are important. "

We need one more than anything. I don't mean, us, but I mean future Guile players. "

Match-ups are very important in SFIV. In 3rd Strike you could get by on tiers alone, since a character higher on the tier list was just straight up better than a character below them. In SFIV that's not the case, so you have to understand how each match-up works. After learning the general stuff, then you plan for what to do against a offensive Abel, then a defensive Abel. Then you learn specific players habits.  
 
In writing these up a lot of this knowledge sinks in better, which is why I'm doing them. 
 
@SpecialBuddy:  Well my binder is complete pretty much except for match-ups, so I might as well do them. I'm sure a lot of the match-up knowledge will carry over, and it's certainly better than waiting until there are 33 characters to study. 

Excellent stuff. Only thing I would add is something on close overhead roundhouse, which is a weird-ass move that you don't see super often, but can kind of mess you up. Comes out really fast, is super meaty, and works great in step kick mixups to stun/kill people.

very cool stuff. I agree that Akuma doesn't really need specific strategies to combat each character, he just needs to know what to watch for and what not to do since he has so much in his arsenal. fortunately these writeups detail a lot of what Abel does, so it's useful even if you don't play Akuma.
 
I'll be looking forward to other matchups.

 Marseilles Roll
Great maneuver for evasion, positioning, and mixup. He’ll roll a different distance depending on what strength is used. This can be swept or thrown if it’s projected.
 
I love standing HK that with Sagat.. its funny after 3 times attempted :D they usually start wheel kicking the rest of the match :D

" nice right up . i find abel always beats me when i play balrog or guile .... "

" @turbomonkey138 said:

" nice right up . i find abel always beats me when i play balrog or guile .... "

Write up... If I'm ever on the other side of the damn planet, I'm going to crack your skull with my grammar hammer. "