Deathbringer strategy thread

[BoringRyu]

Deathbringer is a pretty nasty guy, but he requires some finesse to play effectively, so here's a thread on how to get started. I'm still a scrub at this time tho so feel free to correct me.

Normal Move list:
Standing A - Standard punch, non-cancellable, somewhat fast. Useful for mid-range poking.
Crouching A - Longer reach than standing A, still non-cancellable. Use when standing A would whiff.
Jumping A - Decent air-to-air poke, if heated up can be chained in jumping D for extra damage/Final Strike setups.
Standing B - THE STOMP! Hits low, very fast, chains into standing D for nasty combos. Always cancel into standing D since it's -12 on block.
Crouching B - Nice long range low, easily hit confirmable into Flame Claw. Comes out faster than crouching C.
Jumping B - Fast air-to-ground move, crosses up in some weird super jump situations.
Far Standing C - Long range, 2 hit natural combo, juggles on hit. Used in bread and butter combos from mid-range.
Close C - Fast, hit confirmable close range poke. Can be chained into command overhead.
Crouching C - Same as far standing C but hits low. Is actually faster than standing C.
Jumping C - Long range air-to-ground combo starter, links easily into standing B and crouching C combos.
Standing D - Nasty mid-range zoning tool. Covers enough screen that it can't be jumped over. Can be charged for extra damage and super armor.
Crouching D - Long range sweep, can be charged for extra damage and super armor
Jumping D - Pretty big air-to-air move. Can be chained into when in heat mode.
Forward+D - Command overhead. Can be charged for extra damage.

Specials:
Fire Claw (DP+A or C) - Deathbringer's nastiest combo tool. Deals high damage, hits twice with A version, three times with C version and 5 times when powered up. This looks like an anti-air but it lacks any sort of invincibility so use it during combos only.
Fire Blow (HCF+B or D) - Always use the D version of this move as it leads to a guaranteed warcry power up. Use this in juggles when you need to get that power up nastiness going.
Cursed Destrier (HCB+A or C) - C version can be used as a late anti-air when charged. A version and powered up C version are fast, travelling moves with a big hitbox around them. Use when you need to cover some ground fast.
Warcry (QCB+B or D) - Deathbringer's most important tool. This thing powers up all his heavy attack specials into super hard hitting versions that either go faster, hit harder or do both. This also powers up Deathbringer's dashing speed immensely. More on this a little later.

Super: Final Inferno (QCFx2+A or C) - This can be charged to become an instant-kill attack, but don't bet on it ever hitting much. This move is slow and Deathbringer can be grabbed at any point during his charge up animation. You could use it for long range jump punishment but a simple jumping D would usually be better and conserving meter for Deathbringer's nasty final strike setups is more important.

Heat up!: Final Strike (Hit three times with a heavy normal attack) - This is what bring Deathbringer from highly damaging but slow moving and hard to win with character to possibly one of the deadliest characters in the game. Anytime he lands a gachi drive attack, Deathbringer can land this through his various setups, the only exception is when a gachi drive is done full screen.

Combos/Setups:
http://battlefantasia.omgforum.net/deathbringer-f8/deathbringer-combos-and-setups-t31.htm

Strategy:
Deathbringer is a character that focuses on his longer reach to put pressure on his opponent and scares them from coming too close to him through his long grab reach (he actually has the longest normal grab of the entire cast). Playing him effectively means that you are putting a great deal of focus on zoning and punishing bad plays with nasty combos. But that's not to say that Deathbringer is strong in any position, characters that manage to get up close to him give him a run for his money due to his lack of fast hitting close attacks and any invulnerable move. So in order to use him correctly, you must also have a strong defense and a willingness to take risks and read your opponent to get his Gachi drive combos going and put pressure back on your opponent.

Positioning - Deathbringer's favorite position is just at the tip of his standing C. This is where all of is strong attacks are the most effective. In order to get in that position, Deathbringer has a handful of tools to work with, ranging from combos to throws and powerful air normals. Once you get in that position, don't be afraid to stick out standing C, crouching C, standing D, croucing D and jumping D. While they're generally slow moves, at such a distance where the opponent is trying to home in onto you, moves will hit a lot more than expected. Be patient and hit confirm any and all of your normals into your combos.

If your opponent manages to get through your wall of long range normals, you'll have to get him to fall back into a more favorable position. To do this, throws, his Standing B, D chain and close C are his best options. If you land any of those, hit confirm in a combo of your choice and use the extra breathing room to power up as quickly as possible. A powered up Deathbringer is nastier than a vanilla Deathbringer and the power up opens some more movement options to him due to the heightened dash speed.

When cornered, try not to panic and read your opponent. Look for an opening or a predictable pattern and throw or gachi drive your way through. There is no easy way out of the corner with Deathbringer, so patience is a virtue in this situation.

Anti-Okizeme - Getting the opponent on the ground means a lot for Deathbringer. Every time his enemy hits the ground, he can reset his positioning and continue his pressure game. When powered up, he can quickly dash in and out of his opponent's throw range to force a whiff and throw him afterwards. Other viable options include Close Standing C cancelled into Forward + D overhead or linked into crouching B and standing B chained into standing D. Mix up between those options as much as possible to get maximum damage.

Okizeme - Deathbringer's lack of invulnerable moves makes it hard for him to deal with wakeup pressure. The only thing to remember in this situation is to NOT try to do Gachi drives on wakeup as guessing or timing wrong leads to increasingly bad situations. Block and hope for the best.

Warcry - Warcry (QCF+B or D) is an important part of Deathbringer's arsenal. The safest way to pull the move off is after a landed throw or any combo that ends with D Fire Blow. Once powered up, Deathbringer's movement is made faster and his combos nastier. Always remember to power up as soon as possible and to use the power up's ability to its fullest.

I guess that's it for now, if anyone feels like adding or discussing anything about this thread, feel free to do so.