Rumble 101: Strike Structure

A lot of folks have mentioned that they don't know exactly what their strikes do. Sure, we've all got a basic grasp on the concept. Charge some groups, maybe add on some drop-off balls for bruises if we're feeling particularly jaunty, and pop the combo to send some balls crashing over to your opponent's screen. Does that work? Sure, maybe, but in order to get the most out of your attacks, it helps to have a better idea of how what you're doing affects the other guy.

Boothook put out an addendum to his rumble guide awhile back that demystified strikes. (LINK!) It's all in there: Base Height, Width Modifiers, Maximum Bruising... Basically all you need to know, mixed in with a ton of technical info that I'm not going to make you sift through. Instead, here's a quick illustrated series to let you know exactly what you're sending every time you pop that combo.


Couple of quick notes!
- For simplicity's sake, the Rope Coils have been used, since they are identical on both sides.
- All Strikes illustrated here are sent with the left launcher, meaning they pop in from the right side of the opponent's screen.
- All Strikes here are not factoring in drop-off or extra balls. You should be bruising, but that will be explained in-depth in the future.


- Here we see the default drop pattern for the Rope Coils, nine balls wide. Since the rumble board is staggered, in reality they look a little more like this:


BIM!
[Three Groups: 2 High, 5 Wide]
Total Balls: 10

BAM!
[Four Groups: 3 High, 4 Wide]
Total Balls: 12


BOOM!
[Five Groups: 3 High, 5 Wide]
Total Balls: 15


BOP!
[Six Groups: 4 High, 4 Wide]
Total Balls: 16



Unbruised strikes have their weaknesses. Rope coils not withstanding, many if not all of the bludgeons have clusters that can easily be cleared through with one or two balls of a lucky strike. It is unwise to depend on a single strike of any size to give you an upper hand. Smaller, more frequent strikes are essential to keep the opponent from gaining momentum, and to continue to scramble his board. For this reason, combos of Three or Four charged groups are ideal, allowing you to strike often enough to keep your opponent on his toes.