Ghosting
First and most important thing to learn when playing Geki is his methods of ghosting.
What is Geki Ghosting?
Geki Ghosting is the alliterative name to Geki's signature technique, which is his ability to go into an invincible state where it becomes almost impossible to hit him as long as he stays within it. Though this sounds powerful, it isn't without its disadvantages. There are two distinct methods to ghost, Teleport Stall and Crouch Stall, which will be elaborated upon below.
Why Geki Ghost?
Honestly, because Geki kind of needs to. His moveset is by far the weakest in the game, and winning melee combat against any other cast member is nigh impossible. Even his shurikens aren't enough to play a stable zoning game against anyone but Mike. So ghosting is essentially his one and only win condition: get lifelead with a single attack, and stall until time runs out to win the round. Even then, one slip up can mean losing the round, and as such Geki still loses most matchups in the game. :gekry:
How do you Ghost?
There are two methods. There will be pinned posts below this one going into more detail, but here's the basics of both: Teleport Stall: Hold back. Immune to most attacks, but you need to keep holding the right direction, or you'll leave the ghosting state. Crouch Stall: Hold down for 20 frames. You become immune to a lot of attacks, and don't need to worry about sideswitching, but more moves can hit you.
What ghosting method do I use for which matchups?
| Teleport Stall | Adon, Eagle, Gen, Joe |
| Crouch Stall | Lee, Retsu, Sagat, Shotos |
| Other (Geki has other win conditions or doesn't need ghosting) | Geki (mirror), Mike |
| Pick a different character | Birdie (yeah you won't be beating birdie no matter what...) |
Geki is a difficult and unrewarding character, but if you aim to learn him or even just play him for fun, be sure to familiarize yourself with both ghosting techniques!
General Gameplan
Geki, more than any of the cast, is an all-or-nothing character. The ideal strat with Geki is to get a lifelead and then ghost until the timer runs out. While it's a simple gameplan, and doesn't sound too hard on paper, there are many ways it can go wrong. The number one key to playing Geki is to not get hit. Geki's damage from his moves are very low in comparison to the rest of the cast. If you get hit, you're probably going to take 25% or more, and then you'll have to fight to get your lifelead back, and will probably take even more damage in the process. If you get the first hit, then start holding back and ghosting. Even when you're ghosting, you're still not out of the woods yet, as it'll be detailed below, but lifelead will be your chance to win the round.
What To Do Roundstart
Most of the action for Geki happens in the beginning of the round. Some good options on roundstart are his 'kara' claw (done by a microwalk forward and pressing HP), a jumpkick, or either of his shurikens. Your safest and most consistent option is to jump back, but your followup options after that tend to be telegraphed, so you shouldn't always jump back. While every option carries some risk, it all comes down to what you and your opponent does on roundstart. The one thing your opponent can do that tends to be dangerous is a forward jumpkick. If the jumpkick's slow enough, you can anti air with HP. If the jumpkick's too fast, your best option is to jump back. In the most dire of situations, you may need to teleport to avoid taking damage.
While Ghosting
For the most part, you'll only want to start ghosting once you get the lifelead. Sometimes however, you may be forced to go into teleport regardless of your predicament.
If You Have Lifelead
If you're teleporting while you have the lifelead, that's a good thing. You're on track to win the round, but the win isn't guaranteed yet. Your opponent's best bet in this scenario is to keep trying to switch directions to try to make you block the wrong way. Pay very close attention to which way the opponent's character is facing. Reacting usually isn't too difficult, but sometimes it gets weird. Don't panic, keep an eye on the opponent's movements. Some characters are far better at trying to trick you than others; you're a lot more likely to mess up VS. Eagle than Retsu.
If Neither Player Has A Lead
So you're not losing yet, but the situation isn't great for you. You'll basically be locked in teleporting as the opponent will be constantly chasing you. Finding a way to escape that pressure and/or landing a hit without getting one yourself won't be easy, and against some characters it's almost impossible. Against characters where you're safe on hit, find an opportunity to land a cheap shot on them, and it should work fine most of the time. Against characters where your stuff is often punishable, you'll need your opponent to slip up hard.
If The Opponent Has Lifelead
This situation's not too different from when you're at equal life, except this is tragically more common and way harder to feasibly escape. If you can get out of ghosting, do it. You might need to do something risky like a jumpkick to get your lead back. If you can't, however, there really isn't much you can do besides an HP and hoping for the best out of a teleport.
Types of Ghosting
Geki Ghosting Method #1: Teleport Stall
Geki's "block" is unique, as it functions as a teleport. You'll disappear for around half a second then reappear close to the opponent. However, by continuing to hold back, you become impervious to most attacks as long as you keep holding it. Until recently, this was the only known form of ghosting. The big drawback of this method is that your opponent can attempt to sideswitch you and make you hold forward, causing you to stop ghosting and potentially get hit, so you'll need to keep a lookout for which direction you're facing. Depending on the matchup, this can be easy or near impossible.
Does not work on:
Birdle LK
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Works on (almost) every move in the game | Requires you to keep holding in the right direction |
| Immediate, no startup | Input might cause you to do it on accident, which is not ideal if you're at a life deficit |
Geki Ghosting Method #2: Crouch Stall
The more recently discovered piece of ghosting tech. By holding down for 20 frames, you become impervious to most attacks in the game. Unlike teleport stall, you don't need to worry about the opponent trying to mix you up via sideswitch. The problem is, crouch stall can be broken by more attacks, so against certain characters it won't be very helpful. Still, in the matchups where it does work, this can 100% guarantee you a round, in contrast with teleport stall where you constantly need to check your direction until the time runs out.
Does not work on:
Adon MP/HP (2nd hit) Birdie LK Birdie HP Eagle LK/MK/HK Geki LP, MP Gen Forward Jumpkick Joe 2LK/MK/HK Mike LK/MK/HK
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| If you can get this off, and the opponent doesn't have a move to break it, the round is as good as yours | Somewhat long startup |
| No risk of being mixed up, just hold down and you'll be safe | Weak to several moves listed above |
