LARS GUIDE – TEKKEN 7

Table of Contents

1 Introduction
- - 1.0.1 Strengths
  - 1.0.2 Weaknesses
2 Gameplan/Strategy
3 Basic Tools
4 Top 20 Moves
5 Stances
6 Comments on Other Moves
7 Bread & Butter Juggles
8 Matchup Discussion for All Characters
- 8.1 Lars Punishes for Hwoarang

Introduction

Hi, I’m Gabb_1 and I main Lars in Tekken 7 (mained him in Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag 2 also). While I like learning new characters (I can play the majority of the cast half-decently), I found myself sticking to Lars as my main through all these years, despite him getting progressively weaker since he was introduced in the Tekken series. It’s not so much about character loyalty (being a purist), but rather about chemistry with the character and the way he plays. I simply do best with that character, despite his weaknesses.

I decided to write this in-depth guide on Lars for a few reasons. As everyone knows, he is one of the most underused characters in Tekken 7 (casually & competitively) and I would like to encourage more people to use him more seriously (even main him!). I also noticed that in-depth Lars guides are almost nonexistent, so I would like to help fill that gap. I also think that writing such a structured guide may give me more ideas on how to use him more efficiently. I will point out that the guide will be longer than most guides found online as I really want to be thorough to help out my fellow Lars players. If you’re looking for a quick summary, this isn’t the right document for you. But I promise, you have more chances of winning with Lars if you read my long-winded guide :).

My goal here is not to debate in which tier Lars belongs, but rather to expand on what tools he has (and lacks). This guide will also not focus on combos/juggles, so I will only list one Bread & Butter juggle per launcher (Youtube is a much better source for obscure/impractical/flashy combos that you won’t ever use!). Lastly, I will not list every single frame data as this information can easily be found (I use this source). I want to bring value, and that cannot be done by regurgitating data that is already discussed in a better way by other sources.

The guide will focus for the most part on Lars (except notably in the Matchups section at the end), and I will assume that the readers of this guide will have basic knowledge of Tekken 7 mechanics. The goal of this guide is to help Lars players win at a decently high level and I will assume that your opponent is strong (I won’t try to teach you how to beat weak players with gimmicks/too unsafe strategies).

Strengths

Solid and consistent block/whiff punishers
Long-range and consistent wall carry + high-damage wall combo
Well-rounded (outside of his CH game)
His quick punches are good and have above-average range (1,2/2,1/df+1/b+1/db+2,1/b+2,1)

Weaknesses

Almost nonexistent CH game, combined with almost no moves giving + frames on block
Utterly terrible Rage Drive
Very risky lows (not compensated by dedicated 1/2 grabs)
Somewhat linear (compensated by strong b+1 homing move)

Gameplan/Strategy

As it has been pointed out by many people already, Lars’ gameplan may not seem obvious. He is generally dependent on his opponent making mistakes (and punishing such mistakes on block/whiff). Because he has few strings (most of them are only two moves) and few gimmicks (only his stances may be qualified as gimmicks, and only by players unfamiliar with Lars), he has to rely on fundamentals to win, and he has to work quite hard to win vs. solid players.

Lars on the Offense

Let’s say for example that your opponent is “just standing there” turtling you to death…Lars has the usual generic and 1+2 grabs but we will assume that your opponent is able to break those on reaction; you then have to resort to your lows to open up the opponent, but Lars’ lows are either very risky or slow to set up (FC df+1+2). Lars is forced to be in a difficult situation where he can’t poke well with lows, and as such the outcome may be more random since you will be forced to use ff+4,3/db+4/d+1+2/ff+3+4. The opponent will usually becomes nervous at the “crazy lows” and will start to react and potentially make mistakes. If you are playing against an opponent that you consider much stronger than yourself (based on fundamentals), this is most probably the strategy you will end up using (whether you like it or not), since Lars’ tools are limited.

Some players may be discouraged from altogether using his launchable-on-block lows, and I honestly do not think that Lars can be effectively played this way. Tekken 7 has evolved so much from Tekken 6 (other characters gained so many efficient tools), that Lars has to use his scary lows to win (there is so much you can do by using his generic d+4 and running up to your opponent crouching and using FC df+1+2). The same way that mishimas have to use their hellsweep, Lars has to use db+4 and ff+4,3. These two lows are unseeable, so Lars cannot be compared to Katarina on that aspect (almost all her lows are launchable on block, but they are slower and more reactable).

Lars used to be described as a “poking character”, but with the loss of his old df+2 CH launcher, this is less true in this game (and as mentioned before, he can’t poke well with lows). It remains that similarly to Bob, he has so many quick attacks (mostly punches) which are safe (1,2/2,1/df+1/b+1/db+2,1//b+4/b+2,[1]), and his good-reach 1,2 jabs will keep reminding the opponent to not attack when Lars has any frame advantage. It should be noted that Lars doesn’t have many high attacks, and while his lows are very risky, you will get less frequently launched by people randomly ducking your high attacks.

Lars on the Defense

Your opponent pitbulls you and is pressing lots of buttons… Unfortunately, Lars’ CH game is terrible so you cannot rely on that. You have to make good guesses and punish on block or have good movement and punish on whiff (b+3,4 has the longest reach, while f,b+2,1 launch is optimal if you have enough confidence it will hit).

None of these two situations are especially beneficial for Lars considering his tools, but generally speaking he is considered to be an offensive character that is heavy on jabs and on using risky lows, stressing out the opponent and punishing everything on block/whiff. If you can’t punish well (either because of a poor knowledge of frame data, or because of slow reactions), Lars may unfortunately not be the character for you. If you don’t thrive on being able to punish strongly and consistently, you may find that Lars just doesn’t offer anything special. To do well with Lars, you will find yourself counting frames all along the match, and every +1 frame will count.

Launch → Same Wall Carry → Same High-Damage Combo

You probably think that the above sequence describes any other character, but it is simply incredible how consistently Lars can almost always wall carry the same way (f+3,1,2 after tail spin), and finish with the same wall combo (the same since Tekken 6! → df+1, db+2,1, f+1+4). It is one of Lars’ strength that his juggles in general and the carry+wall combo are so consistent. You will rarely lose matches because your combos randomly dropped (that’s if you don’t go for his highest-damage combos which actually are inconsistent; I suggest you don’t waste your time with them for +3 damage).

Wall Game

While Lars’ wall carry+combo are strong, his wall game is on the weak side since he can’t use low pokes effectively and his wall splat moves aren’t good (his improved b+1 CH in S2 does help his wall game though). Note that after the shoulder from his go-to wall combo, most players who get hit by it will either try the low toe kick D+4 (which you can low parry to another df+1,db+2,1, f+1+4) or do the mid kick/spring kick which you can f+2,4 splat (and reset again the wall combo). If they stay on the ground you can d+3+4 stomp them.

Comeback Potential

I consider that Lars has good comeback potential, mainly because of his hard-hitting low ff+4,3 (34 damage, neutral on hit). String two of those in a row and the opponent basically just ate a ~70 damage juggle. This low, combined with a well-timed orbital uf+4, is scary when Lars is in rage and has nothing to lose. Lars also has so many other launchable-on-block lows that he can start using those when he’s about to die.

Lars’ Rage Drive is unfortunately terrible (and oddly designed), which puts a ceiling to his comeback potential. Having to transition into a stance makes his RD so obvious and telegraphed.

Three Key Moves to Practice/Master vs. Strong Opponents

As much as I do not like spending hours grinding technical stuff in practice mode, I came to the realization that you need to grind and master the following three moves to increase your chances of winning vs. solid players:

1- iWR+3: Slash kick; its animation is beneficial for Lars as it comes out quickly, and it naturally mixes up with ff+4,3 because of the ff motion. At 30 damage, +8 on block (use b+4 if you think they will attack), and wall splat, this move is essential for Lars, and I suggest you spend some time practicing making it out come “instantly”. I usually make the dummy in practice mode block standing and I try chaining iWR+3 (don’t backdash after it’s blocked). There are many sources that explain how to perform iWR moves, so I will not elaborate on them. I will mention that I use the ff,N,F+3 technique, and the advantage is that if you mess up and get f+3, Lars will go into his Dynamic Entry stance, and it’s usually too quick for the opponent to react (just cancel the stance or use 1 which is the quickest option out of the stance, or even the 2 mid safe CH launcher if you see they are hesitating). The disadvantage of using the f,N, fF+3 technique is that you will get ff+3 if you mess up and I’d rather get f+3.

2- f,b+2,1 (whiff punish): As Lars’ optimal whiff punisher, it’s worth practicing making it come out on reaction at 14 frames (same way Bryan players need to practice Jet Upper). Lars players usually underuse this move since not only it’s launchable on block, but it also requires some execution. I myself usually use df+2,1 as my go-to whiff punisher, which is sub-optimal; f,b+2,1 should be used instead.

3- FC df+1+2: Since most of Lars’ lows are launchable on block, this situational low becomes vital to doing well with him (by taking less risk). You basically want this move to come out as quickly as possible from standing. This will surprisingly take some practice. If you take too long for the game to register your full crouch position to then input df+1+2, your opponent will easily interrupt you. You should be able to move around, side step, and very quickly whip out this move. Practice doing SS cancel into DF and hit 1+2 as soon as FC is registered. It’s difficult to explain through writing, but muscle memory will be useful to use this move effectively. At 24 damage and only -12 on block, this low is solid (even if it only gives you +1 on any hit). The go-to low-risk mixup from full crouch is FC df+1+2 vs ws+1. I noticed that when I became effective at using this low quickly from standing, the opponent sometimes did not even have time to properly react. At times you will want to make your full crouch more obvious to then be able to mix it up with ws+1.

“Lars is linear”

While it is true that some of Lars’ key moves are now more linear (uf+4, db+21, ff+1+2…), it remains that he has access to b+1, which is a quick i15f mid & safe homing move (one of the quickest mid homing moves in the game). As it only does 17 damage on normal hit, the opponent may not be scared of sidestepping, but you know that if they do, you have a reliable move at your disposal to deal with it. On CH, note this move wall splats and in open space, the opponent gets KND face down, head towards you; the typical oki is ff+1+2 if they try to stand up vs. d+1+2/db+4 grounded (if you are close enough, db+4 is normally guaranteed). Because of this move (and db+4 being effectively almost a homing move), I do not think that Lars should worry too much about tracking the opponent specifically to one side if they side step or side walk. Don’t get bogged down with the four combinations (SSL, SSR, SWL, SWR), and how to deal with each of them with this or that specific move; just use b+1 if you think they will move around. The reality is that you have no idea whether they will actually SSL, SSR, SWL, or SWR. There are certain key moves that you will always be using, like his df+1, where there is some use knowing that it will always track one side (but that’s only when you play enough matches vs. one player and start to see patterns; in a tournament in a FT2 context, just use b+1 to track).

Flowcharting/Counting Frames

The term “flowcharting” has a bad reputation as it’s taken to mean that you are just using the same patterns over and over through defined sequences of moves that you keep using.

This said, you do need to be able to create synergy between Lars’ moves and when you are on the offense, because he generally does not have very strong moves, you need to think about what sequences could work. You definitely will need to be counting frames. I will state right away that “flowcharting” with Lars can be somewhat challenging because he lacks a good low poke that gives him + frames (db+1,3 and d+4 give him – frames). If he wants to go low, he usually has to resort to db+4 (very risky as a poking tool), or ff+4,3 which is a bit slow and somewhat telegraphed…

Let’s look at a typical example of counting frames with Lars when setting up an offense:

You space out your opponent with the long-range db+4 and it hits on normal hit, you are at +5 and the opponent is crouching. If you think they will attack with any move, you could ws+1 to launch them, so normally the opponent will stay put and eat the next mixup. As they are crouching, they can only side step in one direction, and ws+2 will catch them no matter which way they sidestep. Your go-to mixup will most likely involve FC df+1+2 as you are already crouching. If you do FC, df+1+2 and they get hit, you are at +1…if you think they will attack, simply 1,2 which would put you at +7. If you think they will SS, you can SS with them or use b+1 to stop them (and then be at +4).

df+1 (+5 on hit) or 1,2 (+7) are also good ways of starting an offense. Remember that b+4 is a good tool if you think they will attack while being at too negative frames (for example after 1,2 or db+2,1 on hit, the opponent would eat b+4 on CH).

Basic Tools

Block Punishers

Standing

10f: 1,2/2,1 Low-damage (~16), below-average

12f: f+2,4 32 damage, wall splats, knocks down, long-range; you will be using this a lot

13f: f+1+4 Useless (lower damage, and shorter reach than f+2,4)

14f: f,b+2,1 Strong punisher on block/whiff but launchable on block; awkward execution

15f: f+1+2 The famous “Arc Blast”; so-so range, no reliable crushing…below average

16f: uf+3 The famous “Lightning Screw”

17f: b+3,4 Long-range (e.g. used to punish on block Asuka’s b+3, Paul’s DF…)

While Standing

11f: ws+4 Generic, low damage

13f: ws+2,1 Reliable but somewhat low-damage and only +3S (force crouch) on normal hit

15f: ws+1 Launcher; reliable and only -12; can switch sides by holding forward; quite good

Whiff Punishers

f,b+2,1 Optimal as quickest launcher at 14f, and 68 damage BnB juggle

df+2,1 Easier than f,b+2,1 but sub-optimal as slower and lower (58) juggle damage

uf+3 Lightning Screw!

f+1+2 Safer than all options above (in case of mis-timing), but shortest range

b+3,4 No launch, but longest range, 34 damage, KND, wall splat

CH Fishing

Extremely weak (Lili comes to mind as being worse in that department)

b+4 15f, mid, safe (-8), +8 on hit, 50 damage on CH

Underrated/underused. This would actually be quite good if its hitbox were not so wonky. I don’t know if it’s intentional for this move to be so inconsistent, but I’ve seen it whiffing randomly even by the Greats like Knee. The Season 2 notes seemed to imply that the inconsistent hitbox was fixed, but no…. Not only that, but when it trades with your opponent’s attack, you won’t get the 50 damage (it really is the poor version of Lars’ df+2 in previous Tekkens). But as I mentioned previously, you need to be able to incorporate this move into your arsenal/gameplay (because Lars’ CH game is so mediocre). You need to start seeing this move as landing you a low-damage combo on CH, but with no wall carry (and no special oki). On hit, at +8, you can chain another b+4 and the opponent has to block (can’t even SS).

ff+1+2 17f, mid, -11 on block (can’t punish in the open), KND on hit, juggles on CH

This move became more linear in Tekken 7, and it’s another one of those “not great, but Lars doesn’t have anything better for this purpose”. Out in the open, the opponent cannot punish you, but you do lose the momentum on block. The required ff motion naturally mixes well with ff+4,3.

db+4 22f, low, death on block, +5S on hit, juggles on CH

This low is arguably Lars’ best low move. Considering this move’s high-crushing abilities, and its long range (can be used to space out incoming opponent), gives +5 on hit/juggle on CH, and that it’s unseeable, if you have not incorporated this move into your gameplay, you are doing something wrong. Outside of it being launchable (which would be expected considering how good it is), its other weakness is the low damage on normal hit (17); as such this move is usually meant to be a CH fishing/defensive tool. You need to use db+4 so that your opponent gets scared of its existence…once they start ducking, they will start eating uf+4 for 66 damage + carry to wall. db+4 on CH also gives a juggle of 66 damage + wall carry. This move will often save your life/match.

It can also be used on the offensive as it gives you +5S, and allows you to enforce a quite-safe mixup afterwards (ws+1 vs. FC df+1+2; both -12 on block with similar speed of i15/i18, respectively). If you think your opponent will attack after eating db+4 on normal hit, simply use ws+1 to launch or ws+2/ws+4 to stop any attempt.

NC Moves

1,2

2,1

f+1,2

f+2,1

f+2,4

df+2,1

db+1,3

db+2,1/db+2,3

b+2,1

b+2,3

b+3,4

ff+4,3/DE 4,3

ff+3+4

f,b+2,1

FC df+1+2

ws+2,1

DE 1,2

NCC Moves (all bad strings)

1,4

f+4,1,2

df+3,3

d+3,1

Tail Spin Moves

df+2,1 The go-to tail move

b+3,4 Only for obscure juggles where the opponent would be too far for df+2,1 to reach

b+1 Low damage, but good if you think they may hopkick (will tail spin directly)

4 Useful after balcony break and after ws+1 launcher if you don’t want to switch sides

DE 1+2 Auto tail launcher

2,1,4 I never use this to tail

b+1+2 Too slow to tail spin reliably

Wallsplat Moves

I consider Lars’ ability to safely wallsplat to be quite weak

f+1+4 Shoulder, 13f, launch punishable, quickest mid move to wall splat

b+3,4 Only on whiff/visual confirmation as you will get launched otherwise

b+1+2 Mid, homing, -11 on block, high/mid random crushing (has to be set up)

b+1 CH Season 2 buff

ff+1+2 Mid, -11 on block (you may get punished depending on wall position)

ff+3 Mid, safe, slow…I should use this more…

2,1,[3] Mediocre way to wall splat (-12 on block), but it works sometimes

Homing Moves

b+1

b+1+2

Low Crush Moves

uf+4 at the 9th frame

UF,N,4 at the 9th frame

uf+3 at the 12th frame

High Crush Moves

d+1 Dick jab, useful sometimes to set up FC df+1+2

d+4

db+4

db+1

db+3 Don’t use that; launchable on block

b+1+2 High crushes only for some frames

f+3 High crushes only for some frames during Dynamic Entry animation

Top 20 Moves

There is some sense of order/ranking only in the first ten moves of the following list.

1- uf+4

Safe (-9), long-range orbital, that low crushes at the usual 9th frame. It takes 25 frames to come out, but the opponent cannot react to it (it may be something about the animation). Opponents will often twitch duck at the last second thinking db+4 is coming out. The move is linear, so you need to use it at the right time. It has more range than Bryan’s orbital but has to be used differently (it’s not as good on the defense, and doesn’t randomly clip opponents all the time). It should also be noted that the move has some evasive properties (mostly situational rather than systematic like a typical backswing blow). This move is essential to make your opponent afraid of trying to block db+4 or ff+4,3.

2- db+4: Previous discussed.

3- ff+4,3/DE 4,3

Lars’ most damaging low (34 damage), and one of the most damaging lows in the game. At 22 frames to come out, it is unseeable in theory; the issue is the ff motion which at times lets your opponent know it’s coming. The trick here is to buffer it after another move (whether on hit or block). So practice doing 1 to ff+4,3…df+1 to ff+4,3…b+4 on hit to ff+4,3, and try to make it as seamless as possible. It can be naturally mixed with fff+3 or even ff+2 or ff+1+2. This low is the backbone of Lars’ comeback potential. At 0 on any hit, you may be able to chain another one depending on your opponent’s tendencies. Usually in open space, you want to backdash and see how your opponent reacts (launch their whiffed move). Some players may not know it’s 0 on any hit now and may try to attack you as it was -3 in previous Tekken games.

4- FC df+1+2: Discussed previously.

5- b+4: Previously discussed.

6- b+1

15f mid, homing, safe (-9)/+4 on normal hit/knocks down & wall splats on CH, tail spins. I believe this move is again greatly underused/underrated. It is often compared to Kazumi’s b+2 (which wall splats on normal hit). I believe Lars’ version is stronger as he doesn’t throw himself forward while doing the move (unlike Kazumi), so depending on the distance, he doesn’t always have to eat a mixup on block. At tip range, you can easily deal with the opponent having to move forward to attack you (and losing their frame advantage). Lars’ b+1 also deals decent damage on normal hit (17 vs. 12 for Kazumi). It is a go-to move that can be used in various situations, with virtually no risk. While it is certainly not as good as Josie’s ff+4 or Noctis’ ff+1+2, it still remains an extremely solid mid homing move (that has an easier execution).

7- b+2,1

Underused. Another solid double-mid punch string for Lars that takes 16 frames to come out and only -10 on block. 29 damage, and you have 15 frames to hit confirm (the move is similar to Asuka’s 3,1 but everything about it is worse than hers). If your opponent blocks b+2 and gets CH by the delayed 1, they will crumple; you can dash to db+2,1 to pick up (hard, inconsistent). The range of b+2 isn’t the greatest so keep that in mind.

8- ss+2

What a great side stepping move…It comes out quickly, is mid, has good range, safe (-6 force crouch; you won’t be able to SS their ws+4), decent tracking, knocks down on any hit dealing a total of 40 damage with the guaranteed d+3+4 stomp follow up. You can choose to transition into Silent Entry after the stomp but the opponent has time to stand up and ws+4 interrupt you so use it sparingly. ss+2 is your go-to option if you are side stepping but aren’t confident enough that Arc Blast will hit.

9- ff+1+2: Previously discussed.

10- iWR+3: Discussed previously.

11- f,b+2,1: Discussed previously.

12- b+3,4

Longest range whiff punisher (i17f); 34 damage; KDN; wall splats; tail spins (if opponent is in air).

13- f+2,4

You can’t randomly throw this out in the open (non-jailing double-high); it should only be used as a block punisher. I include it here in this list because it is one of the best 12f standing punishers in the game, and you will be using this move a lot.

14- b+1+2

Usually only used at the wall since it’s slow (i21f) and -11 on block. Lars sets this up to wall splat as it has good high crushing properties (even mid sometimes) and it is a homing move. Doing simple things like 1,2 on block to b+1+2 will often crush the opponent’s retaliation. Against opponents who can’t punish you too hard at -11 (Lars himself for example!), use this move more freely.

15- Dynamic Entry 1+2

Underused. Long range high launcher which is safe at -10 with lots of pushback. Tracking is surprisingly good considering this launches on any hit. It comes out quickly (12f once in stance, which is barely slower than the fastest 11f high option 1). Dynamic Entry benefits in Season 2 of some frames in crouching status, so DE 1+2 will randomly high crush attacks, while covering a long distance. Use it and check whether the opponent ducks (it comes out fast so they need to react quickly to the DE animation). If they duck a lot you need to adjust since there is no quick threatening mid from DE (the 2 mid option only deals 17 damage; the 3 mid kick is way too slow).

16- Generic 1,2/df+1/d+4

His basic 1,2 jabs have above-average range, giving you +7 on any hit. Because they sometimes track sidesteps, you will be using this both on the offense and defense.

df+1: 13f, solid range, and while “only” giving +5 on any hit (-1 on block), the range more than compensates.

d+4: Lars has to use generic d+4 to compensate for his very risky lows. On any hit you are at -2, so you will trade with jabs if you ws+4. To catch side steppers use ws+2 which is almost like a homing move.

17- ws+1

15f, mid ws launcher. Good reliable launcher that is only -12 on block. You can also switch sides by holding forward which makes Lars go into his Silent Entry stance. If you don’t want to switch sides, tail spin right away with 4!.

18- Silent Entry 1: mid option from SE. Refer to Stances section below for more details.

19- Silent Entry 2: low option from SE. Refer to Stances section below for more details.

20- db+1,3/db+2,1

I had a hard time choosing between the two for #20.

db+1,3 will get you launched on block since it’s low-high and considering it only does 19 damage and is -1 on any hit, this low’s risk-reward profile is bad for Lars. Then again he will end up using it because “he doesn’t have a choice”. It comes out quite quickly at 17f, and it also high crushes (you can just do db+1 to high crush and take much less risk at -12 on block). You can hold d after db+1,3 for Lars to remain crouching (but it’s still -1 on any hit).

db+2,1 is a 15f double-mid punch string that is safe at -8. The issue with this string is that it doesn’t track very well, and you always lose your turn on block (you used to be able to SS jabs in Tekken 6 since it was -6). At only 20 damage, this string is underwhelming. It is usually used in specific situations (in juggles, if you are about to die and want to poke safely, to hit AOP…). At least it will give you +6 on any hit, so you can string another one without any possible interruption. You can transition into Silent Entry with db+2, f (which isn’t very good since you take the risk of eating random hits by your opponent). The string is similar to Noctis’ db+1,1+2, but does less damage, is more unsafe on block, and isn’t a sword move that can’t be parried…

Stances

Lars’ two stances historically haven’t been very good, but they have seen some interesting buffs in Season 2, making them much more useful especially when closer to the wall.

Dynamic Entry (DE)

Manually entered using f+3, and can be cancelled by tapping up; you can therefore chain them, creating a (useless) Lars “wavedash”.

DE can also be entered into after using f+1,2,3/df+3,d/ws+2,d/Rage Drive.

DE 1,2

NC, safe double-high string, does not jail, 34 damage, wall splats, quick (11f after stance animation)

This is obviously risky because it doesn’t jail, but it’s worth testing how well your opponent reacts to the second high. This move is commonly used close to a wall since it wall splats. If your opponent starts ducking, you can just do DE 1 and continue your offense (or even DE 1,f to go into SE). This move is also the go-to wall carry move after tail spin. Note that Lars is considered in crouch position from the 4th to the 10th frame of the DE f+3 animation; technically you could high crush using f+3, 1+2, but it would yield random results.

DE 2

Mid option, i17f, 17 damage on normal hit, -8/+6/juggle on CH

This move rarely hits randomly on CH because it’s slow. You may delay it to make the opponent twitch to land a CH. It remains your go-to mid option in this stance.

DE 3

I never use this as it’s way too slow (27f to come out after the stance animation). It’s now a Wall Bounce move that gives +4 on block. This move probably lands once in a blue moon. Iy would need to be quicker to be useful.

DE 4,3

A good addition in Season 2; same as ff+4,3 but from stance. I note that while this move is good, there is no super-threatening mid option from DE. You can always try to cancel DE into Arc Blast but it will likely get blocked most of the time. Players aren’t used to this low for now, so it rarely gets blocked (for now…).

DE 1+2

Discussed previously.

DE 2+3

1+2 escape grab from DE…it’s not good since most people know it by now (the only grab from stance).

Silent Entry (SE)

Cannot be manually entered into from neutral. In Season 2 you can transition into SE from DE tap forward (which is a nice addition but the entire sequence is quite slow).

SE can also be entered into after using f+2,1/b+3,f/db+2,f/ws+2,f/ff+2,f/ws+1,f/stomp, f/DE 1,f

This stance is now much more useful in Season 2 and in general is more threatening than DE.

SE 1

Buffed in Season 2 as new Wall Bounce move. Now even far from the wall SE 1 is threatening (and only -10; hard to punish). I usually delay this option a bit so my opponent twitches (mixes up well with the low option when delayed).

SE 2

Low option, now quicker at 19f to come out, -13/+3S/juggles on CH. This low is quite useful especially close to a wall since the opponent will not want to duck the SE 1 Wall Bounce option. On normal hit I usually go for FC, df+1+2, a grab, or ws+2,f. This low also has more value when you are in Rage (since Rage Drive is a mid launcher from SE).

SE 3

Mid launcher, -14 on block, decent tracking. Use this sparingly since it’s quite unsafe. I usually use this from afar when people are moving around and I’ll go into SE from b+3,f or db+2,f or even DE f. You will get used to the right timing when it’s more likely to hit. You can use this to mix with the low but it’s obviously more risky than using SE 1; the risk all depends on how well your opponent’s character can punish at -14.

SE df+1

Underwhelming mid, I see no reason to use this instead of SE 1 which is quicker, does more damage and Wall Bounces. SE df+1 is only useful if you are about to die and need a safe mid option from SE. I use this move only to end my juggles (for the oki). It’s also used to break the floor on Forgotten Realm.

Comments on Other Moves

1,4

It’s not very good as it’s NCC; it’s still good to use once in a while to make the opponent remember that you may go low after a single jab. You are at +1 on any hit, so use it sometimes. There is no pre-canned mixup (like Asuka’s 1,3 vs. 1,1), so you will have to do things like 1, df+1 (which for the most part will not work well as a mixup).

2,1,3/2,1,4

2,1 by itself is a 10f punisher for 17 damage with worse frames than 1,2 (-7/+4/+4; 1 more damage). It does have an advantage over 1,2 in that it’s high, mid and has two extensions. The two extensions are guaranteed if the 1 hits on CH. The mid option 3 is -12 on block and KND/wall splats, while the 4 also KND/splats and does a lot of damage (but is a high). Both extensions can be delayed. These strings are just average at best in my opinion, and have a bit more value when there is a wall involved.

f+1+2

Arc Blast/”JYU”: poor range, no crushing (unlike a typical 15f hopkick), and -13 on block (used to be -14 in S1). This move is mediocre but it is your go-to quick launcher, that won’t get you launched on block. A df+1 on block to SWR to f+1+2 works quite well (people like to poke after blocking df+1). Random Arc Blast works sometimes and some opponents will find it hard to punish correctly (the animation makes it harder to punish than a hopkick which is more recognizable).

f+1+4

Shoulder: 13f, launchable on block. Use this only to finish the wall juggle (f+2,4 is always a better punisher). It is your quickest mid wall splat move this said, so if you are desperate/about to die anyways, you can use this for crazy comebacks at the wall.

df+2,1

df+2 by itself has a big hitbox and tracks somewhat well so Lars players are tempted to just yolo df+2,1. Being mid-high, you should in principle refrain from doing the whole string…df+2 by itself does 15 damage (which is somewhat low for a i16f move), and is -8/+3/+3, so it is usable as a mediocre big-hitbox mid poke. Not a very good string otherwise (safest thing is to only use it as a tail spin move within a combo or to whiff punish). BnB combo from df+2,1 is below 60 damage.

df+1+2

Power Crush. Slow at i25f, mid, -12, opponent face down, head towards you (nothing guaranteed). It’s a bad Power Crush move as it’s too slow; but at least it’s only -12. After it hits, I’ve seen people do df+3, d (DE), 2 or 4,3 (if they stand up). I usually try to stomp them or Arc Blast in the air which hits them if they hold back to stand up quickly.

d+2

I don’t like this move at all…At i18f, it only does 17 damage on normal hit and has a weird range (+0/+8S/splat floor). This move is a mediocre attempt to create a sense of being able to put pressure on the opponent, but it just doesn’t work well. I’d rather just use b+1 or b+4, which are quicker and more useful. In my own mind, this move belongs to the “Useless Moves” section below, but I am aware that some Lars users do use this move so I am including it here.

d+1+2

This 25-damage low is slow at i24f and the animation really gives it away more (than say Claudio’s db+3 at also i24f). If you can crouch cancel rapidly, a slide ff+3+4 is guaranteed to hit in some way. I don’t use this move as I prefer to use ff+4,3 which does more damage and is less easily reactable. This said, it is useful in the context of oki after combos (it will hit the opponent if they stay on the ground, which isn’t the case for ff+4,3).

db+2,3

15f, double-mid, NC, (-13, 0, +23G). This string isn’t good…you have better options to whiff punish, and because it is -13, you can’t use this well (you might as well Arc Blast). Most opponents won’t attack after blocking db+2 so this string as a whole isn’t very good.

db+1+2

Evase slow mid that juggles on CH. At -14 on block, I never use this string; I find it too random/unreliable. I’m sure some Lars players have found interesting setups where it will make the opponent whiff to launch them.

uf+3

The infamous Lighting Screw! This move used to have so much crushing in Tekken 6, whereas it barely does in Tekken 7. This is the kind of move that generates laughs on block or on hit…It becomes more valuable when you are about to die and your opponent is pressuring you hard with + frame moves. At -26 on block, you will get launched by the entire cast.

Delayed hopkick (uf,N,4)

Doesn’t have much value since it’s -11 and Lars has a safe orbital uf+4. It does 5 more damage than uf+4 and comes out two frames quicker so you may find some use for it.

ff+2

Slow mid launcher at i22f. Not very good since it’s -13. The only good thing about it is that it “naturally” mixes up with ff+4,3 (same speed, same telegraphed ff motion).

ff+3

Mediocre, totally underwhelming…slow mid at i19f that is linear and only does 22 damage. If they don’t roll away by holding back, you get a free stomp. It is your safest way to wall splat. I use this move once per year.

ff+3+4

At i20f, you would think it’s a better low than it actually is. 26 damage (-16,0,0), people like to jab after so SS Arc Blast them. But the low is bad because the animation gives it away…prepare to get launched a lot if you use this move. It has some value as a low vs. characters that cannot launch at -16 (Steve, Marduk, Asuka, Anna…).

ws+2,1/ws+2,d or f

13f, mid, tracks very well. By itself ws+2 only does 10 damage (-9, +2, +2) but tracks so well that you should keep it in mind. You can’t delay ws+2,1 so it usually is only used as a punisher (although it’s only -12S on block). Damage is underwhelming for a 13f ws punisher (27 damage and +3S on hit). If the opponent gets CH by only the 1, you get an oki mixup, but nothing guaranteed (usual face down, head towards Lars).

ws+2,d is useful to hit SS’ing opponents and to take a breather; it auto-transitions into DE so use 1+2 to launch them if they attack in the air while you are rolling backwards.

ws+2,f takes much more courage as you run the risk of getting launched, especially on block. It transitions into SE so enforce SE 2 vs. SE 1 mixup. After SE 2 hits, you can re-do the ws+2 “mixup”.

ws+4

Underwhelming move/punisher at only 16 damage and +5 on any hit. It remains your safest option when in full crouch, but it’s much easier for the opponent to side step than ws+2.

Stomp d+3+4 (F)

You normally use the stomp after ss+2/Power Crush hit. The stomp isn’t launchable on block if you don’t transition into SE by holding forward (-14 if no transition). Note that if you do transition and it gets blocked, you are at -23. Most players will try to ws+4 you after ss+2, d+3+4, f (SE), which would stop any of your attempts; but if your opponent doesn’t…then the mixup from SE is in your favour.

Rage Art

Typical mid launch punishable Rage Art. Its range has been buffed in S2, so in certain juggles you are able to df+1 or f+3,1 into Rage Art after the tail spin.

Rage Drive

One of the worst Rage Drives in the game, since you need to be in SE stance, which is the stance you cannot access directly (either a move needs to come out first or you need to go into DE first). In S2, the low option from SE has been buffed in terms of speed so your Rage Drive mixup is more valuable. After the Rage Drive hits, both the DE 1+2! and 2 options will juggle the opponent; the 1+2 high option can be ducked while the 2 mid option needs to hit on CH to juggle (opponent may try to attack to interrupt the gimmicky unblockable option). The unblockable option won’t hit often but you should practice the juggle (it has saved my life a few times vs. even strong players).

Grabs

Typical; Lars doesn’t have dedicated 1/2 grabs. He does have many 1+2 grabs (uf+1+2, WR+2+4, and the jump grab). The lack of good grabs forces Lars to have to use his risky lows.

Useless Moves

1,1,1

Absolutely no reason to use that move. Even if the last 1 hits on CH, you don’t even get a juggle and it’s -12. At least in TTT2 it was a bound move (even then it was useless).

3 (or 3~d)

Why does this move even exist?…

f+4,1,2,1

This string used to be Lars’ go-to tag wall ender in TTT2, but in this game you should be using df+1, db+2,1, shoulder at the wall. I never use this move, and even when I do for fun, the last mid seems to whiff randomly.

df+3,3

Launchable on block, double-mid, only NCC….no reason to use this bad move (maybe only if you have some fancy wall carry juggle to show off).

df+4

15f, mid kick, underwhelming, use b+1 or b+4 instead.

d+3,1

Low, high, only NCC, totally useless outside of picking up people who stay on the ground close to the wall…even then you should just use the stomp.

uf+3+4, 1 (or 4)

Gimmicky, might work only once if you use the low. Keep it for casual games.

UF+3+4 (hold; jump grab)

Gimmicky, and the opponent has a long time to escape the grab, on top of needing to be at the right distance…again, keep it for casual matches.

f+1,2(3)

I personally don’t use this, although f+1,2,b is NC for 21 damage and safe high, mid (-5/+6/+6). I think on paper that the string isn’t so bad, but I usually end up simply using 1,2 which is better to build momentum than this awkward string. The mid extension is -12 on block (if you don’t transition into DE stance by holding back) and is -9 if you auto-transition into DE (which you shouldn’t because you will get launched by a generic 15f mid launcher). This string is gimmicky and I suggest you do not use it.

f+2,1(b)

Similar string to the one directly above…double high, NC, jails, 22 damage (-6, +5, +5) if you don’t auto-transition into SE by holding back. This string is better than the one above because the transition is into SE stance and not DE (better embedded mixup), and it has better frames on block. I still never use this…It would only be “good” against an opponent who gets so confused/nervous by Lars’ stances, so the string can be forgotten I think.

Bread & Butter Juggles

f+1+2, df+2, db+2,1, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 65 damage

uf+4/SE 3, df+1, f+1,2,3,d (DE), 1+2! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 66 damage

f,b+2,1, f+1,2,3,d (DE), 1, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 68 damage

uf+3, ws+4, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 62 damage

df+2,1! f+3,2, df+1, df+1, b+3,f,1 58 damage

ff+2,f,3,df+1, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 69 damage

ws+1,f,3, df+1,df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 65 damage (Lars switches sides)

ws+1, 4! f+3, 2, df+1,2,b+3,f,1 62 damage (Lars doesn’t switch sides)

DE 1+2! CC df+1, f+1,2,3,d (DE)1,f,1 56 damage

db+4/SE 2 CH, ws+4, db+2,1, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 66/70 damage

ff+1+2 CH, f+3,2,df+1,f+4,1,2, db+2,f,1 61 damage

DE 2 CH, f+1,2,3,d (DE),1,df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1 68 damage

b+2+3, run up (buffer the 4), f+3, 2, df+1, df+2,1! dash b+3,f,1 87 damage

Mini Combos

ss+2, d+3+4 40 damage

b+4 CH 50 damage

Okizeme When Juggling

Most Lars players will end their juggle with b+3,f,df+1 (which gives 2 less damage than b+3,f,1). The opponent is then face down, head towards you. Your go-to lows are then either d+1+2 (especially if you think they will stay down instead of quick stand up by holding back), or ff+4,3. Your go-to mids (if you think they will quick rise and duck) are iWR+3 or even small dash to uf+4, and if you think they will try to attack you, ff+1+2 will CH launch them. Your go-to grab is iWR+2+4 which will air grab them if they attempt to hopkick. You can even feint a mixup and backdash and launch their whiffed move. Unless there is a wall involved or unless I need that +2 damage to kill I always force a mixup on them by finishing the juggle with b+3,f, df+1.

Matchup Discussion for All Characters

As a Lars player, you will normally struggle vs. the two following categories of matchups:

Characters that also rely heavily on fundamentals to win but simply have better basic tools than Lars (Jin, Bryan, Shaheen…).
Characters that don’t play normal Tekken; being a Lars player who again relies on fundamentals, you will likely take a lot of time to adjust to matchups that don’t respect frames/fly all over the place/can go on the floor at any time: e.g. Eddy/Ling/Asuka/Lei…2D chars potentially too.

Here are some general comments for every matchup for Lars.

Akuma – Good Matchup for Lars

Lars can launch both short tatsu (-17) and long tatsu (-14). You need to lab this, and you will realize that you can spam f+1+2 and if it’s short tatsu (after d+3 doesn’t cleanly hit), Akuma will get launched, and if it’s long tatsu, you won’t get hit but will continue blocking while spamming Arc Blast…Ideally you want to f,b+2,1 when he stops kicking, but it takes some practice.
Lars can launch a failed Akuma b+1 (-14), but it’s hard on reaction due to the notation of f,b+2,1.
Best way to deal with Akuma’s flip is a single 2 jab at the right moment; otherwise if you’re quick enough you can tail spin directly with standing 4 (slow).
If you block fireballs up close, punish with long range f+2,4 (-13!).
Space Akuma out by backdashing and using db+4 and b+1 and whiff punishing with b+3,4; Lars has more range.

Alisa – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Be careful when trying to CH outperform her as she has access to her 13f magic 4.
Launch her new Power Crush df+1+2 (-14).
Use Lars’ long-reach 1,2 jabs to float Alisa when it’s obvious she is trying to WR+2/WR+3,4.
Be mindful that everytime she blocks your ss+2, you will likely have to eat her mixup as she has a good low from FC (FC df+1+2).

Anna – Matchup depends on how crazy the Anna player is, but it’s usually unpleasant

Anna is weak, and has so many gimmicks…you just need to learn how to deal with them no matter who you use. Anna players like to press buttons and enforce risky mixups; Lars’ CH game is terrible, so keep that in mind.
Many Annas like to enforce mixups on block with ff+3,4,3,b (-1 on block). Lars’ uf+3 will beat both the 2,1 and d+3,3 option. Do it once to force them to use the mid/unsafe options. Same thing for d+4,1b “mixup” on block.

Armor King – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Don’t let AK spam df+2. Punish it with f+2,4 (of course you need to guess whether he will commit to the 2nd high hit of his 10-string).
Lars cannot punish well certain key moves of AK (namely ws+2, ws+1 and Dark Upper, all at -10).
Don’t try to out-CH him, you will eat so many b+1s; stay far away from his hopkick and duck a lot.

Asuka – Difficult Matchup for Lars

Top 5 char in S2, in my opinion.
Asuka is the #1 defensive character in the game, so any kind of offense by Lars will be significantly hampered by Asuka’s b+3, can cans, and reversal. You need to slow down, be more on the defensive and punish! (Lars punishes Asuka’s b+3 consistently with b+3,4)
While on the offensive, Asuka may start spamming db+3 and since Lars’ punisher for that move is underwhelming (ws+4), try to low parry/low crush.
Her 10f standing punisher is the worst in the game (standing 1 for 8 damage), so do not hesitate to use some of his -10 on block moves (b+2,1/SE 1).
If you think a long reversal is coming, your knee moves are b+4 and uf+3 (only when you visually confirm she is reversing). You can also use his df+2, ff+1+2, d+2…
You will most likely be forced to play defensively, which isn’t ideal for Lars.

Bob – Difficult Matchup for Lars

Bob will outpoke Lars (with even better “quick punches”) and has better CH tools (df+2/magic 4).
Lars will have a hard time capitalizing on Bob’s weak punishers; Bob cannot launch standing until 18f, but Lars has no move to spam around -17 that would make it worthwhile. And Lars has no -13 low on block (Bob only has ws+4 for -13).
You can always take a more defensive approach and try to block Bob’s risky lows (db+3+4 and cd+4).
Thankfully not many people play Bob.

Bryan – Terrible Matchup for Lars

Top 5 char, in my opinion.
Bryan will keep CH’ing Lars all day long. Your slow lows will get orbital’ed. Every time he will b+1 you (+3 on block), you won’t have any good CH tool to stop his offense. Lars’ punisher to soccer kick is underwhelming (ws+2,1). Bryan has a plethora of -10 moves that Lars cannot punish well.
At least now in Season 2, Bryan cannot Jet Upper your blocked Arc Blast anymore.
Punish every single Bryan df+2,3 with f+2,4; it always reaches.
Bryan’s standing punishers aren’t good until 14f, so you can try using more moves like Arc Blast.
His Rage Drive is 100x better than yours. The char himself is 100x better than Lars.

Claudio – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Nothing Lars specific. In Season 1, Claudio could 4,3 spam to stop Lars’ offensive. It’s not the case in S2.

Devil Jin – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Top 5 char, in my opinion (in everybody’s opinion really).
Devil Jin is difficult to deal with for any char, since he can enforce an annoying mixup easily. This said, I still think the matchup is neutral for Lars.
Launch dvj’s RD (-14, recovers crouching) with f,b+2,1.

Dragunov – Neutral Matchup for Lars

I consider Dragunov to be weaker than how most people perceive him (both in S1 and in S2).
Dragunov’s CH game is really underwhelming, so you can focus on your offense with Lars.
Launch his Power Crush (-14)!
While his Rage Drive is also 100x better than Lars’, Dragunov’s lows are underwhelming…he will struggle to make a comeback (assuming you can react to Dragunov’s dedicated 1/2 grabs).

Eddy – Difficult Matchup for Lars

I could take the opportunity to rant on how much I dislike this character, but I won’t.
Use db+2,1 to float Eddy (no it won’t work after you block b+3,3).
Punish his annoying ss+3+4 with b+3,4.
Thankfully, Eddy is unpopular in Tekken 7.
Stand up Eddy and fight like a real man!

Eliza – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Bottom 5 char, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Lars cannot specifically abuse Eliza’s weaknesses (no -13 low for example).
Be careful on the offense not to get hit by her magic 4 (13f, like Alisa).
Strategy is non-Lars specific: duck a lot, who cares if you eat ff+2.
Hopefully, we only need to tolerate her until Tekken 8.

Feng – Slightly Disadvantageous Matchup for Lars

Feng’s b+1 CH, b+4, and df+1 CH will halt your offense effectively.
Lars can’t punish well b+1 or d+2, and cannot launch qcf+1.
Feng’s bad punishers: Lars again doesn’t have a good -13/-14 low, but you can use random Arc Blast a bit more freely (unless your opponent is really good and shoulders it on block).

Geese – Difficult Matchup for Lars

Let’s rejoice by the fact that we likely need to tolerate this character only until Tekken 8.
Your offense will be stopped by CH d+1,f+1 string and by df+2 CH launch, and also by random b+3,2s.
One good thing for Lars is that he can punish Geese’s mid Power Crush (-14). It somewhat mitigates Geese’s cheap Power Crush “mixup”.
As Lars lacks useful high attacks, Geese’s mid parry becomes even more useful.
Man, is this character cheap or what???

Gigas – Good Matchup for Lars

Bottom 5 char, in everybody’s opinion.
Lars can launch Gigas’ d+2.
Lars can pitbull Gigas.
This troll character is just terrible.

Heihachi – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Lars can’t punish Heihachi’s ff+2 (-16 with pushback), which can become annoying and abused.
Heihachi can ewgf launch punish Lars’ db+4 and ff+4,3 on block, but can only ws+1 punish Lars’ ff+3+4 slide (-16).

Hwoarang – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Lars’ poor CH game makes it more difficult to stop the Hwoarang usual string spam.
Be sure to launch punish Hwoarang’s new Power Crush df+3,4 (-14), and to always punish the Power Crush from stance (-12), and b+1 also (f+2,4 will reach).
db+4 from a distance is quite useful vs Hwoarang.
Lars can uf+3 on reaction when Hwoarang activates his Rage Art to crush it and launch Hwoarang.

Jack – Good Matchup for Lars

Lars can launch punish Jack’s df+2 (-14), but it will require practice, to not be too slow and get launched yourself.
It may become hard for Jack to stop Lars’ offense (Jack’s f+2 at -12 also gets punished hard), especially as he is unable to side step easily Lars’ iWR+3.
Launch punish Jack’s new Power Crush ff+4 (-14).

Jin – Terrible Matchup for Lars

Jin is the #1 char in Tekken 7 (both Seasons), in my opinion.
Lars and Jin have a similar playstyle in the sense that they rely on fundamentals to win. Jin has everything while Lars will really struggle vs. a solid defensive Jin. You will be eating many magic 4s when trying to mount an attack, and Jin will space you out with f+4.
Jin has the safest set of moves in the entire game (with Bryan and Leo), so Lars doesn’t get to punish much, even if you turtle.
It really seems that Jin can do everything Lars does but better, except that his jabs have poorer range than Lars’ (punishing is more inconsistent with Jin) and Jin doesn’t have a safe orbital. Minor stuff…
I really don’t like this matchup, and tend to switch to other chars instead.

Josie – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Nothing Lars-specific; just make sure you always f+2,4 her random df+2/uf+4. You can launch punish her cd+2 (-14).

Julia – Matchup TBD

Not yet released at time of writing.

Katarina – Neutral Matchup for Lars

You are bound to eat a lot of 4,4 or 4,4,4 on CH, so either punish at -10, or optimally practice SWR after the first kick on block.
Katarina has a few -10 on block moves that Lars won’t be able to punish well (uf+3+4, magic 4 string, 333, df+22, which you should SSR in between).

Kazumi – Neutral Matchup for Lars

This character is terrible in Season 2 (I would’ve said in S1 that Lars would be at a disadvantage).
You will have to deal with Kazumi stopping your offense with 11(2), and magic 4. You won’t be able to punish well db+4. She will be able to punish hard your FC df+1+2.
Note that her terrible hopkick now low crushes at the 13th frame (vs. the usual 9th frame), so remember that when you’re counting frames.

Kazuya – Slight Disadvantage for Lars

Kazuya has quicker CH options to stop your offense (than other mishimas): magic 4, df+2 (just make sure you always f+2,4 punish).
Lars’ ws+1 is only -12 so don’t be afraid to use it to try and duck launch an incoming ewgf.

King – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Space him out with movement, db+4, and be ready to whiff punish.
Be careful of King’s b+1 CH fishing when you are on the offensive.
It’s a known fact that King players cannot break grabs themselves :). So grab him back!

Kuma – Depends on how yolo your opponent is

Punish Kuma’s ff+2 (-19) with b+3,4.
uf+3 (hits lower than Arc Blast) him when he is in Bear stance and cannot block.
Make sure you punish on block his annoying Power Crush b+1 correctly. Launch with uf+3 if he goes into Bear Stance, and f+2,4 if he doesn’t. You can also use Lars’ shoulder as an option select.

Lars – Neutral Mirror Matchup

I usually take a defensive stance in Lars mirrors and wait for them to make mistakes. Side walk a lot (punish whiffed orbitals) and try to see patterns in their usage of the usual launchable lows. Lars is bound to eventually use db+4/ff+4,3. Even when I attack another Lars it’s usually only to make them make mistakes.
I must say that I have not had the pleasure of facing very strong Lars players in Tekken 7 (unlike back in Tekken 6). I’ve tried to play Doujin’s Lars when I was in Singapore but he wouldn’t because of the slight lag (had the pleasure of eating Shaheen’s slide instead). But no, this guide was not made for the sole purpose of me having fun Lars mirrors!

Lei – Neutral Matchup for Lars, but likely to be Unpleasant

The ultimate king of gimmicks in Tekken 7; learn the gimmicks! Fundamentals vs. Gimmicks, this usually isn’t a fun match for Lars.
Punish ff+3 appropriately. Test with f,b+2,1 first to see if they ever turn around correctly (the quickest way). You can juggle with Lei BT by spin tailing right away with df+2,1. Otherwise, f+1+4 shoulder will punish no matter what he chooses to do after ff+3 gets blocked.
Random Arc Blast him more freely as his standing punishers are weak (unless your opponent can f,N,4,1,2 punish, which is unlikely).

Law – Bad Matchup for Lars

Law has many good tools that you don’t have (safe df+2, 15f hopkick, magic 4, good low poke db+3…).
Be sure you launch punish his meaty Power Crush ff+3; be ready when your back is to the wall as it is now a Wall Bounce move.
You won’t be able to punish well his amazing db+3 and it will be hard to stop his offense.
Law lacks range so space him out!
Your float juggle to his slide is consistent/reliable: ws+4, db+2,1, df+2,1! dash df+1, b+3,f,1

Lee – Depends on your opponent’s skill level with Lee but mostly Neutral Matchup for Lars

At least in North America, you are very unlikely to ever meet a Lee that can use him optimally and can b+3,3 juggle out of every situation (d+3 CH, ff+4, bb+4…). If you do meet such an opponent you will be at a disadvantage as Lee also has magic 4, df2 to deal with your offense.
Use the same slide float juggle as the one above for Law.

Leo – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Always punish Leo’s df+2 on block with f+2,4 (it will reach).
When Leo will block your FC df+1+2, it will hurt.
Be careful when using ss+2 and putting Leo in FC on block (use less ss+2 vs. Leo than you would otherwise).
SSL b+1,4 in between and launch with Arc Blast.
Leo has less range so you can space him/her out.

Lili – Lars at a Slight Disadvantage

You won’t be able to punish well on block her df+2 (-11) and her low ff+4 (-12), which you will be eating a lot every time she ws+4 KND you (after blocking Lars’ FC df+1+2 for example).
Very difficult for Lars to side step her f+4.
Keep in mind that her CH game is even worse than Lars’, so you can attack her somewhat freely; when she is in rage, be careful of her yolo Matterhorn and her launching Power Crush. Against Lili players that SS a lot, either SS with them or spam b+1.

Lucky Chloe – Neutral Matchup for Lars

This character is weak and has no range…space her out!
Lars’ df+1 easily floats her when you block the first part of her cali roll.
Lars can launch her 3,4 (-14).
Many Chloe players like to f+4,b,cali roll on block. Lars’ df+1 will whiff and eat a huge juggle in this scenario. You can instead use his shoulder when she goes BT.
Against Chloe’s who are hopkick happy (aren’t they all?), you can use b+1 to stop any SS and/or tail spin her if she hopkicks.
To punish her Rage Art, jump backwards into uf+3 or ws+1.
On the offense, be careful of her b+4 knee 16f mid, and also random high crushing uf+3 (-17). You need to gauge quickly how uf+3 happy your opponent is.

Marduk – Matchup TBD

I haven’t studied this matchup yet, as I have been more interested in Armor King.
As a first note, launch his ff+3,2 on block (-14).

Master Raven – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Make sure you launch her ff+3, ws+1, Power Crush f+1+2, homing f+3,2 (all -14).
Her CH game isn’t so great (4,1 is risky and she can’t juggle from solo 4 CH anymore), so remember this when you are on the offense (she also doesn’t have a typical hopkick to low crush you).
Raven can be played so weirdly…I’m having a hard time assessing this matchup despite all the -14 on block moves she has.

Miguel – Lars at slight disadvantage

In Season 1, I would’ve said Neutral Matchup, but a few of Miguel’s key moves are now -13 instead of -14 (Power Crush b+4, ff+2,2).
Miguel will now magic 4 launch you for ~75 damage. He can also poke better than Lars.
Punish his SAV df+2 (-17, pushback) with b+3,4.
Lars’ punishment to Miguel’s db+4 (-14) is underwhelming.

Negan – TBD

Not yet released at time of writing.

Nina – Lars at Disadvantage

Nina will CH you all day: at 11f magic 4; at 12f b+2,2,2; at 13f f+2,1,4!; at 14f f+3/b+4.
She will also use her ss+2 to avoid your quick punches (but launch ss+2 on block at -14).
She will likely outpoke you with df+1,2; Ivory Cutter; db+3/d+2.
She basically has the advantage on the offense and on the defense. What she does lack is range in her quick moves so I suggest spacing her out (db+4 and b+1 will hit her a lot; b+3,4 any whiff).
Launch her very good/quick Power Crush (f+1+2; -14; wall splat).
Launch her ff+3 (-14), which is hard to do on reaction.

Noctis – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Some say Noctis is a better version of Lars (safer “Lightning Screw”; db+1,1+2 is like Lars’ db+2,1; FC df+2 is similar to Lars’ FC df+1+2; ws+1,2 is like Lars’ ws+2,1; safe orbital which is slow; somewhat similar ss+2; risky lows…).
What Lars has over Noctis is better range with his punch pokes. Noctis is one of the worst chars on the defense (despite his unchickenable parry and uf+1), while Lars isn’t as bad despite his bad CH game…Noctis doesn’t have a tool like Lars’ db+4 on the defense (no generic d+1 and d+4).
Lars usually can’t punish Noctis’ db+1+2 (-16); very rarely will db+2,3 reach.
While I think Noctis is more usable in S2 (better frames mostly), I think that Lars can manage quite well by pummeling Noctis on the offense. Just get a sense of when your opponent likes to parry (and use b+4 which cannot get parried).

Paul – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Top 5 char, in my opinion. Despite the tier difference, I think that Lars can manage quite well in this matchup (and punish DF with b+3,4).

Shaheen – Bad Matchup for Lars

On paper, Shaheen has much better basic tools than Lars (magic 4, generic df+2, 15f long-range hopkick, good low poke d+3, better Rage Drive, also has a safe orbital…).
His comeback ability is in my opinion not as good because his slide is somewhat obvious.
It will really depend on the difference in basic Tekken skills.

Steve – Absolutely Terrible Matchup for Lars

I am always amazed at how hard this matchup is for Lars (I am one of the who doesn’t think Steve is so great because of his glaring weaknesses)…but you will still eat so many b+1, df+2 on CH…you won’t be able to stop his punch spam.
Steve is known to have terrible punishers (cannot launch until -17 standing, and -18 while standing); but as Lars you can’t even abuse this weakness…his best low is -12 and all his other lows are worse than -18. And it’s not like you have some great -16 mid move that you could spam.
Launch his orbital uf+2 (-14); also try to launch his Duck 2 (-14).
I usually switch chars to deal with Steve; it’s just too painful for Lars.

Xiaoyu – Difficult Matchup for Lars

Ling players don’t respect frames, don’t want/can’t play normal Tekken, instead of building solid defense skills, they prefer to spam AOP…Ling is the secret sister of Lei…
To deal with AOP: if you visually confirm she’s in AOP with negative frames, uf+3 her! db+2,1 will also hit her while in AOP (even the ~d version). db+4 will hit her but it’s slow-ish for that purpose (you risk eating AOP uf+3,3). AOP will crush most of your offense, so you will likely have to play defensively.
Like with Steve, you cannot abuse the fact that her WS punishers are weak (ws+4 until -16), because of the nature of Lars’ lows. You also don’t have good -12 moves to spam (her f+1+2 is underwhelming and rarely used to punish -12).

Yoshimitsu – Neutral Matchup for Lars

Speaking of a character who doesn’t respect anything and likes to party all day…the difference with the previously discussed characters is that he isn’t very good…
Assuming you know the matchup, Yoshi’s gimmicks should be dealt well by Lars.
When he b+2,1 into stance, use uf+3 to launch on block (Arc Blast may not reach).
Launch df+1,4 (-14).
Launch cd+2 (-14).
A good thing is that there aren’t many decent yoshi players in North America…

Lars Punishes for Hwoarang

1,1,3,3 (Home Surgery) → Crouch 3^rd hit – WS.1 | UF.3

3,3,3 (Left Kicks) → FB.2,1

4,4,4,3 (Chainsaw Heel) → WS.1

F.3-3 (Snap Kick) → F.1+2 | FB.2,1 | UF.3

DF.3,4 (Double Claymore) → FB.2,1

D.4,4 (Firecracker) → Crouch 2^nd hit – UF.4 | WS.1 | UF.3

DB.3 (Sweep Kick) → WS.2,1

DB.4,4 (Crescent Kick) → Crouch 2^nd hit – WS.1 | UF.3

B.1 (Stealth Needle) → FB.2,1

B.3 (Left Plasma Blade) → F.1+2 | FB.2,1 | UF.3

UB.3,3 (Flamingo Shuffle) → Crouch 2^nd hit – WS.1 | UF.3

UF.3+4,4 (Flashing Trident) → F.2,4

DPM.4 (Sky Rocket) → F.1+2 | FB.2,1 | UF.3

SS.4 (Spinning Trip Kick) → WS.2,1

Backturn 4/3 (Plasma Blade) → F.2,4

–Right Stance–

Right Stance 4.3 (Chainsaw Kick) → WS.1

RS F.4-4 (Grand Theft) → F.2,4

RS D.4 (Heel Screw) → WS.4

RS DB.3,3 (Teaser) → Crouch 2^nd hit – WS.1 | UF.3

RS backturn D.3 (Low Kick) → WS.2,1

–Left Flamingo–

LF 3,3 (Kick Combo Middle) → F.2,4

LF D.4 (Cutter Right) → WS.1 | UF.3 | Delayed Hopkick

LF DB.4 (Combat Low) → WS.4

LF B.3 (Left Thunderbolt) → F.2,4

LF UF.4 (Switch Plasma Blade) → FB.2,1

–Right Flamingo–

RF 4 (Right Kick) → FB.2,1

RF F.4,4 (Right Sword) → Crouch final hit – WS.1 | UF.3

RF D.3 (Cutter Left) → WS.1 | UF.3 | Delayed Hopkick

RF D.4,3 (Cactus Shot) → UF.4 | WS.1 | UF.3 | Delayed Hopkick

Cactus Shot 2^nd Hit → FB.2,1

RF B.3 (Left Heel Lance) → 2,1

RF B.4 (Right Thunderbolt) → F.2,4

Let’s not forget this.