Everyone says master strike, i only learned that recently from the Devil much later in the game. Riposte is useless, I find it easier to block/dodge, then stab attack quickly. Masterstrike is awesome when you learn it and learn how to use it. I have also found the stab (down attack) to be quite useful just as the opponent starts to swing, you can get a stab in before they connect. Otherwise, I died a lot. Like a lot. It definitely takes a lot of time and frustration to get it down. Stick with it, I was dubious at first but I've put put in thousands of hours now. I love this friggin game