Disclaimer: All information is provided assuming that you know how Dark Gaming’s PvP differs from other servers. If you do not know about the differences, please check out these posts:
As well as checking out the PvP Manager and Armor Spreadsheet for weapon and armor differences.
Introduction
One of the most common scenarios in PvP is when you are close to your opponent. It’s one of the three “ranges” you can be at between your opponent, the other two ranges being mid and long range.
Close range is probably the most important range, as it’s where you can dish out the most damage, but also take the most damage. There are a lot of weapons that are limited to close range, and they all have offensive and defensive capabilities.
I already explained the two weapon archetypes related to close range in my Weapon Archetypes guide, but I will briefly go over them here.
Offensive and Defensive Tools
The two archetypes utilized in close range are Close Range and Antirush weapons. Close Range weapons are aggressive weapons, like Paladin’s Hammer, Elf Melter, and Aqua Scepter. This also includes Point-Blank weapons, like projectile-less swords and Starlight. These weapons are considered aggressive because you can rush people with them reliably.
On the other side of the coin are Anti-Rush weapons, like Bubble Gun, Light Disc, and Toxikarp. These weapons aren’t as effective in rushing, but can do great damage if your opponent runs into them.
The combination of offensive and defensive tools give close range interactions a lot of nuance, and can make a lot of complex scenarios.
In order to explain how you should approach these scenarios, I will be making comparisons to a common scenario in a different genre of competitive PvP games.
Rush/Anti-rush and Jump Ins/Anti-Airs
A common interaction in a lot of fighting games is when you jump at your opponent and attack with an air attack. Jumping at your opponent with an attack is called a jump-in. However, jumping in comes with some risk, as your opponent can react with an Anti-Air move, a move that has a hitbox that is high up and sometimes has invincibility.
The Jump In/Anti-Air scenario is quite similar to the Rush/Anti-rush scenario. In a Rush/Anti-rush scenario, you become aggressive with a close range weapon and your opponent responds by fleeing, switching to an anti-rush weapon.
On paper, an Anti-Air should always beat a Jump In, as that’s what the Anti-Air is made for. However, someone who is using a jump-in can succeed in doing so.
The key is being unpredictable. There are several ways to be unpredictable, either by changing the timing of your jumping attack, or just jumping in without an attack to bait an anti-air.
Unpredictability in Rushing/Anti-rushing
In PvP, being unpredictable is entirely based on your movement. If your opponent is flying towards you constantly, that’s when you should use an anti-rush. However, your opponent can disengage and flee in the other direction at any time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you will be simply put at mid range, however, if you have your anti-rush weapon out, you’ll have to swap back to your mid range weapon.
Any movement that your opponent can use, you can use, so you can also bait anti-rushes.
Studying your opponent
Because it’s so easy to bait an anti-rush or get caught by one, the key to successfully rushing/anti-rushing is understanding your opponent’s playstyle.
Is your opponent constantly running at you with Paladin’s Hammer and nothing else? You should play defensively, constantly using anti-rush. Is your opponent refusing to commit, instead staying out of range, spamming Sniper Rifle? You shouldn’t even be thinking about your anti-rush weapon.
Studying your opponents and whether they play aggressively or defensively is key, but it’s only half of what you should know about your opponent when it comes to rushing/anti-rushing.
You should also study how your opponent responds to your playstyle. If you keep pushing at your opponent with a Paladin’s Hammer and they don’t use an anti-rush, you can keep getting away with it. The opposite is also true. If your opponent spams bubble gun as soon as you get remotely close, then you should stay in the mid range.
It is important to mention that good PvPers can change their playstyle on a dime, but this is usually done in response to what you do.
Essentially, Rushing and Anti-Rushing is entirely dependent on your skill and ability to study your opponent, rather than if you can react to aggression.
Not every Close Range scenario is Rush/Anti-rush
One more important thing I should mention is that not every scenario warrants using an anti-rush weapon. The other most common scenario involves you and your opponent using both of your close-range aggressive weapons at your eachother. This scenario is most often called a “Trade” scenario.
The key difference between a trade scenario and a rush/anti-rush scenario is aggression. In a trade scenario, you aren’t flying directly at your opponent, and neither is your opponent. Most of the time, you’re using jukes or small movements to try to dodge your opponent’s weapon.
Again, unpredictable movement is key to winning in this scenario, but it’s important to distinguish between this scenario and the rush/anti-rush scenario.
Conclusion
The Rush/Anti-rush scenario is the scenario that is probably the closest to a common scenario in fighting games. Both involve utilization of offensive and defensive tools, meaning that winning in them is based on player skill rather than the tools they have.
So, to summarize, you should study your opponent and whether they are aggressive or defensive, and respond accordingly. You should also know whether your opponent’s aggression warrants using an anti-rush weapon.