Ghostjumping strategy

[MrRubix]

I figured I'd share some tips that I am pretty sure no one else really uses. But it's effective and I use it whenever I notice a sub-4 frame separation leading into a two-framer (one example: On 1.5x, such a separation occurs when, say, the down arrow's tip could JUST graze the tail of a left arrow if it were to move leftward). You don't really see these too often since songs with two-framers are limited, but this approach works in a pinch and I've found it to be pretty effective. This method is also pretty crucial for consistency on songs like Nova Pulser.

I call this "ghostjumping." You basically hit the arrow before a two-framer (a "leading" arrow) as a jump such that you are also able to hit the two-framer early enough to combo/PA it.

What follows is a useful guide for ghostjumping depending on degrees of separation. Pretend that the following guide only applies to a set of three arrows -- a leading arrow and a two-framer set. Understanding how to get the most out of ghostjumping requires you to practice the songs with two-framers a bit so you know how to anticipate the framers and how you should time your hits. Regardless, here is how to maintain combo with each case's corresponding PA outcome:

With ghostjumping:

When the 2-framer is 4 frames away:
Jump the leading arrow as a late Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as an Average. I don't really advocate this but if you're desperate for combo, it could work in a pinch.

When the 2-framer is 3 frames away:
Jump the leading arrow as late Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as a Good
Jump the leading arrow as middle Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as an Average

When the 2-framer is 2 frames away:
Jump the leading arrow as middle Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as a Good
Jump the leading arrow as early Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as an Average

When the 2-framer is 1 frame away:
Jump the leading arrow as early Perfect and you will hit the two-framer as a Good


Obviously, for 2 and 3-frame separations, you *can* hit the leading arrow by itself as a Perfect in any of the three Perfect frames and then hit the two-framer starting in its Good window, but it can be hard to do this consistently for some people. This is why ghostjumping is effective -- you increase one degree of certainty: If you get Judgment X on the leading arrow, you have a much better idea what will happen with Judgment Y on the start of the framer set. The same cannot be said for hitting such arrows individually. This is why people tend to avmiss on fast sections with framers. They can hit the leading arrow just fine, but they tend to not be fast enough in hitting the framer. Hitting non-framers is easier than hitting framers, so why not hedge your risk and bundle the two separate entities in one hit?

You can calculate for yourself that the probability of getting a Perfect and a Good on such a framer set is higher with ghostjumping than without. You can also use this approach for three-framers, although obviously the rules change a bit (for PA, the degrees of freedom shift). If you jump the leading arrow as late Perfect, the three-framer will be hit as something other than Perfect if it's more than 2 frames away, although this isn't bad at all for combo!

This is particularly effective on OMW because you can basically combo the two-framers as long as you avoid hitting late Perfects on the leading arrows. You can also ghostjump many other sections of this song to hedge your risk and maintain combo if you're worried about avmissing.





Here is an example on OMW:

First 2-framer: On the right, a bit after 200 combo. Couple it with the up arrow immediately before it and treat it as a jump starting on the up arrow as either middle or early Perfect.

Second 2-framer: Almost immediately after the first 2-framer, and it's on the left. Couple it with the down arrow immediately before it and treat it as a jump starting on the down arrow as either middle or early Perfect.

Third 2-framer: It's roughly after ~320 combo or so, on the left. Couple it with the previous down arrow and treat it as a jump starting on the down arrow as early Perfect for optimal PA, although you *can* jump the leading arrow as a Good if you want an Average on the two-framer. Either way, combo is conserved.

Fourth 2-framer: Almost immediately after the third 2-framer, and it's an up arrow. Couple it with the previous down arrow and hit it as a jump starting on the down arrow as either middle or early Perfect.

Fifth 2-framer: Almost immediately after the fourth 2-framer (around 330+ combo) -- basically the same setup as the second 2-framer: It's on the left, and it should be coupled with the previous down arrow, hit as a jump starting on the down arrow as middle or early Perfect.

Sixth 2-framer: It's almost immediately after the fifth 2-framer, and it's on the right. Couple it with the previous down arrow and hit it as a jump starting on the down arrow as middle or early Perfect.

Seventh 2-framer: Again, it's almost immediately after the last one, and it's on the left. Pretty much the same as the second and fifth 2-framer. Couple the framer with the down arrow before it and treat it as a jump starting on the down arrow as middle or early Perfect.



Practice ghostjumping where you find yourself avmissing in such situations. It's a really effective way to maintain your combo, and when you get good enough at it, optimize your PA.