Akuma Matchup Thread

[SolidRose]

Next Up Guile

Shoutouts to Noriega for covering this guy a little I just thought I’d expand on it a little more.

OVERVIEW
The guy who has lived through the SF Series with only two special moves is here in SF X Tekken and my god his meta game still hasn’t changed: pure defense.
Guile thrives on zoning and pure frustration, made worse by the fact that his Sonic Booms have some very good recovery on them and his normals are also pretty strong too.

APPROACH TACTICS

SONIC BOOM
Expect to hear Guile say this alot during this match-up to be honest as he will be using this to keep you out. Your best defense against a Sonic Boom is your own fireballs. Your Shakunetsu Hadoken can burst through his Sonic Booms and hit him if he gets too Boom happy.

JUMPING
Something to note about Guile’s jump is that it is pretty floaty in the air making it pretty easy to anti-air. So if he jumps in your face return him the favor for being so defensive and anti-air him with a cr.HP/ DP.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing HK
This normal has quite alot of range, probably moreso than it does in SF4. It moves Guile forward and on hit allows Guile to launch and bring in his partner for extra damage.

It is arguably his longest range normal on the ground. Its even longer than your normals but in footsies reach isn’t everything. Its a good idea to learn the range of this move so that you can stand just outside of its hitting range.

From here you can whiff punish with a cr.HK sweep.

It is also pretty slow so if you can see this move coming you can cr.MK him into a Cross Rush.

Cr.MK
Guile’s cr.MK has some decent range to it. Expect him to use this around the range of your cr.HK sweep so that he can interrupt you and punish you for it.

This normal also leads into his target combo so it is important to recognise this so that you will be able to block his target combo.

J.LK
This is Guile’s main cross-up, it is just something to recognise really if he gets a knockdown against you and he tries to pressure you on your wake-up its really ambigious so if you aren’t sure as to which way to block, teleport out to safety.

Cr.HK
This double sweeping move hits twice and can be used to throw you off in footsies.

Some Guile players tend to delibarately make the first hit of this attack whiff and then use the second hit to knock you down. If this is the case raw launcher him and if you can see this move coming depending on where you are, there is a chance that you can jump in on him and score a free combo.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

STRAIGHT CHOP (Forward + MP)
Guile slams his fist downwards.

This move hits as an overhead and it is quite a safe one too. It doesn’t do too much damage but still 50 damage is quite a bit for Akuma especially if you are hit by 3 of these at one time.

On block this move is safe to your normals and DP but it is Reversal Demon Punishable if performed deep. It is only safe to everything that you have if he does this move at its maximum range.

SPINNING BACK KNUCKLE (Forward + HP)
Guile spins around and smacks his opponent in the face with his two knuckles.

This move is mainly used to keep you out and/or if you keep on standing alot. Its safe to your normals, DP and your Demon but it whiffs against crouching opponents.

If Guile isn’t hitting you with his Far Standing HK there is a chance that he is probably trying to hit you with this if so crouch under it and either cr.MK him into a Cross Rush or cr.HK sweep him.

KNEE BAZOOKA (Forward/Back + LK)
Guile jumps forwards using his knee

This move not only moves Guile forwards along the ground but it also allows him to retain his charge also. Guile will most likely use this when he is approaching you and trying to connect this move as on whiff its pretty punishable via a cr.HK sweep or a cr.MK into a Cross Rush if you are fast enough.

Also on block this move is Reversal Demon Punishable. Although the blockstun period is pretty small compared to most attacks in the game so practice against it and try to get used to busting out a Reversal Demon on block during the small window of blockstun.

ROLLING SOBAT (Forward/Back + MK)
Guile performs a spinning kick.

This move goes over lows and can be used as a small pressure tool against you as it is safe to your normals, DP as well as your Demon also on block.

Something to note about this is move is that if Guile does the forward variant of the move, he loses all of his charges so he will have to charge again to gain access to his specials again.

If he does it backwards, then he still retains his charges.

Your best bet is to watch out for this move at all costs and try to punish it on whiff if he tries to use it as a means to approach you.

REVERSE SPIN KICK (Forward/Back + HK)
Guile basically does what no other military man can do by spinning upside down and kicking in the air

Not much you can do on block here. This move is safe to everything in Akuma’s arsenal including a Reversal Demon on block.

It is a little slow though, so if you have some good reactions then you can DP him out of this move and into your partner so that you can score some good damage on him.

GUILE HIGH KICK (Down-Forward + HK)
Guile’s Signature Head Kick.

This move is only useful in combos to be honest as this move misses crouching opponents.

On whiff you can cr.HK sweep him or cr.MK him into a Cross Rush. If he stupidly does this close you can Close st.HP him into a full combo but the window of punishment is pretty strict. You’ll have to perform the Close st.HP as soon as you see his leg whiff over your head though for the full punish.

TARGET COMBO (Cr.MK > Forward + MP)
Guile hits low and then does his Straight Chop Overhead.

This target combo can be a pain to deal with especially if you get frustrated mid-match against Guile. The concept is pretty simple. A low hit and then straight to an overhead but it can catch out even the best of players especially if they are flustered by Guile’s Defense.

Something to note about his target combo is that if he starts it from far away, the ‘overhead’ portion of the Target Combo will whiff. It will whiff if he tries to hit you with his ‘foot’ of his cr.MK allowing you to whiff punish it with a cr.HK.

Fortunately for you the completed string is Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

The first hit on block is his cr.MK on block it is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block this is whether he does it up close or far away.

SPECIALS

SONIC BOOM (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Kick)
Guile’s Signature Projectile.

Unlike most projectiles in this game Guile’s Projectile can’t be Demon Flipped over on reaction due to its almost instant recovery.

The speed of this projectile changes depending on what version Guile does.

The LP Version travels the slowest
The MP Version is like a mix of speeds between the LP and HP Version
The HP Version travels the fastest.

The most notable version is the LP Version, it can be used as a method of approach against you if Guile just throws the Boom. He can walk behind it like its his own personal shield. If he tries this you can try to go air to air with him and hope that you’ll win. Or you can try to bait this move out and/or throw him off with an EX Gohadoken.

The EX Version travels alot faster than the other versions and hits twice. You’ll want Guile to abuse his EX’s as much as possible as they are his main way through your wall of fireballs.

Like most fireball characters, Guile will be trying to vary the speeds of his Booms to catch you off guard and its up to you to beat him at his own game with your own.

One of the ways you can do this, is through your Shakunetsu Hadoken. Try to vary the versions and get him to jump so you can throw him off. For instance, throw out a couple Light Shakunetsu’s and see what he does. Get him comfortable with throwing booms against your Shakunetsu and then go for a heavier version to throw him off if he doesn’t stay grounded.

This is also Guile’s Charge Move. If Guile tries to get free EX Booms from full-screen by charging this move up, punish him with an EX Demon Flip > Palm Followup for a full combo. He can dash to cancel the charge so if he tries to do so and you can read him then try a regular Demon Flip (preferably HK Version) if he is fullscreen.

You also can play the Charge Move game with him too by charging your own Demon Flip and trying to mess up his anti-airs. (Oh the mindgames of the fireball war.)

FLASH KICK (A.K.A SOMERSAULT) (Down (Charge) > Up + Any Kick)
Guile’s Somersault, a Somersault in which many people have tried to attempt to do this move in real life with some mixed results.

If there is one thing that must be said about this move is that maybe I’m wrong here but the range on this move has increased quite a bit from SF4 especially in the HK version which travels a very good distance in this game.

This move has 3 uses to it:
[LIST]
[]As an anti-air against your jump-ins
[]To punish your Cr.HK Sweep
[*]As a Wake-up Move
[/LIST]
As an anti-air and a wake-up move this is pretty weak to cross-up pressure so you can abuse cross-ups against him whilst he gets up assuming he doesn’t roll away from you.

If he does roll away from you continue trying to zone him out as usual. As Norieaga stated you can neutral jump air hadoken him to keep him grounded and stop him from jumping to start his offense.

Guile can also bring in his partner off of a blocked Flash Kick. Like Ryu’s DP Switch Cancels, the regular versions of this move are NOT safe on block. This is arguably your best time to catch Guile out on his wake-up as this is where he is most open.

Reversal DPing both the LK and MK versions on block can lead to you hitting both characters on incoming.
If you want to hit both characters in incoming for the HK Version, you will have to time your DP precisely. Still even on reversal you will still hit his partner on incoming.

The above is assuming that the move is performed deep. If it is performed shallow then a Reversal DP will catch both characters on incoming.

As Norieaga stated you can also Demon/Misogi a blocked Flash Kick even if he brings in his partner.

ALL IN ALL

Its a very patient and very very long match-up this one to be honest.
Its a waiting game you should try to not be the first one to crack and leave an opening.
Punish his massive openings HARD as I have mentioned before and try to frustrate the Guile Player by beating Guile at his own game. (Yeah that sounded very stupid and hard as Guile’s are a patient bunch)

One plus for you is that Guile is usually placed on the Second Spot of teams as a sort of ‘run the clock’ type character. So you’ll want to land as much damage on his partner as much as possible so that when his partner Raw Tags you can punish Guile HARD on incoming.

Guile’s health was nerfed from SF4 to SF X Tekken and so you’ll be able to KO him alot quicker than in SF4. 50 damage does make the difference you know !

He also doesn’t hit REALLY hard so the worst you’ll get if he punishes you with no meter is a couple hits into a Flash Kick if he even has a charge which doesn’t do alot to you (Well considering everything else does a crap tonne of damage to you this isn’t as bad as everything else.) Hence you’ll find that Guile will be bringing in his partner most of the time to do some extra damage.

Severely damaging Guile’s partner is also another good way to beat Guile himself as depending on who he is paired up with, that partner may have to rely on Raw Tags to get Guile back in again and Akuma is good at dealing with Raw Tags thanks to his Demon Flip.

If all else fails you can always play his game and run the clock but be prepared for some Rage Mail if you do so.

[SolidRose]

Time to get back on track with this.

Next up Julia

OVERVIEW
Julia is in my opinion the definition of the term: ‘Big Things Come in Small Packages’. For any people not familiar with the Tekken cast, don’t let Julia’s small size and small voice fool you. She’s pretty versatile as a character and hits pretty hard as well. Also unlike most female characters in this game, she can take as much hits as the guys with her 1000 health too.

APPROACH TACTICS

SWIFT STEP MIX-UP
Julia will be using her swift steps in order to cross the screen. Her steps travel some good range and they can be mixed up with different options to throw you off.

WIND ROLL
Julia’s main anti-fireball tool can also be used to get her through your fireballs. without worry. It is similar to King’s Jaguar Step although without the slight invincibility to physical attacks. To counteract this, Julia can vary the ranges on her Wind Roll unlike King who is stuck with one range that doesn’t go that far. Just for reference, it takes about 2 Heavy Versions of her Wind Roll to get within a good solid poking distance between herself and you.

JUMPING
Julia has some decent jump in attacks. You’ll want to anti-air these as much as possible to avoid getting locked down by her.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing MK / Forward + MK

Outside of her cr.HK sweep this is one of Julia’s longest range moves on the ground, you’ll want to learn the range on this move so that you can punish it in footsie situations as she can gain a full combo on you if she successfully connects you.

Her Forward + MK normal is also one of the starters for one of her Tekken Strings.

Just for reference but if you stand just at the tip of this normal where it will whiff you can whiff punish it with a cr.HK sweep.

St.LP
This normal moves Julia forwards along the ground. It isn’t used as much though as her st.MP is alot better for doing so. Still it is noteworthy.

St.MP
Like her St.LP but with more range on it.

Cr.MP
Julia’s Cr.MP also hits as a low attack. Its really just something to recognize whilst she is up close pressuring you.

Cr.HK
Natives do really share moves right? This normal resembles both Guile and T.Hawk’s double sweep type Cr.HK moves although its a little slower than Guile’s.

Like Guile if she attempts to hit you with the first hit of this move and you block it, then you can punish in between the first and second hits with a Misogi or a Demon.

She may also try to hit you with this move from a distance by whiffing the first hit and then catching you with the second. If so raw launcher her or if you have some good reactions you can jump in on her for a full combo.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

PARTY CRASHER (Forward > Forward > MP)
A step-in elbow attack

This move is safe to everything in Akuma’s arsenal including a Reversal Demon on block.

Fortunately it does push both you and her back a little bit allowing you to have some breathing room assuming that you are mid-screen.

KAIDA (Forward + HP)
Julia slams both of her arms down simultaneously

Although this move does look like an overhead attack, it is not. Its main use is in combos as it ground bounces air to air opponents allowing Julia to continue her assault.

Like her Party Crasher this move is safe to your stuff including a Reversal Demon on block

Unlike her Party Crasher though this move is a little slow to start up plus on whiff so if she does this raw and she whiffs punish her with a Far Standing HK or maybe cr.MK depending on where you are.

Onto Her Tekken Strings

Julia is quite a string heavy character to be honest. They are her main combo starters and her main ways to open you up outside of some of her special moves.

BAIYUAN SANSHOU (LP > Back + MP > LP > LP)
A 4 hit punch combo that ends in a low

Personally I just find this string to be like Julia’s ‘Do you know about me?’ move to be honest as its a good way for Julia to score some free damage against you which you don’t want.

As mentioned before this is a string with 4 hits and the last one is a low.

The completed string on block is cr.HK punishable as well as Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

DIVINE IMPACT (LP > LP > MP)
A 3 hit string that ends in a powerful knockback punch attack causing a techable knockdown.

One thing to note about this string is that the last hit of this string hits as an overhead. The rest of the hits can be blocked either standing or crouching.

Another thing is that hits of this string are NOT true blockstrings. You can DP in between the first two hits as well as the last two hits of the string of the string into your partner for some damage.

The 1st hit on block is Julia’s st.LP it’s safe to everything in your arsenal

The 2nd hit on block is more unsafe on block to a Reversal Demon only.

The completed string on block is Cr.HK sweep punishable as well as Demon Punishable on block.

Julia can mix this string up with her Divine Intervention string thus creating a high/low mix-up.

DIVINE INTERVENTION (LP > LP > MK)
A 3 hit string that ends in a low

This string is like a mix-up to Julia’s Divine Impact. Unlike Divine Impact instead of an overhead followup the last hit hits as a low.

Also unlike her Divine Impact the 2nd and 3rd hits of the string are true blockstrings, to an extent as you can only Reversal Demon through the last two hits.

Treat the 1st and 2nd hits on block as if you were to block the first two hits of Julia’s Divine Impact and you can DP through those hits too.

Overall though this mix-up from Julia has one big problem: you can block in between the 1st and 2nd hits of the string on hit. Limiting its uses hence it isn’t thrown out as much as her other strings.

TRICKLING STREAM (Back + MP > LP)
A 2 hit string that ends in a low

This string consists of 2 hits. One of them being a very sneaky low attack that can throw you off if you are not careful.

The last hit is also special cancellable too and Julia players tend to cancel into one of her Swift Step moves to apply some more pressure.

On block this move is safe to your stuff including your demon. Fortunately it does push you back a little if she doesn’t special cancel it.

RAGING RAPIDS (Back + MP > MP)
A 2 hit punch string that juggles on hit.

The main use of this string is in combos. Outside of those, this string isn’t a very strong string for Julia to be throwing out at you.

Unlike her Trickling Stream, this move can be blocked either standing or crouching meaning no overheads to worry about in this mix-up .

On block this move is cr.HK sweep punishable as well as Reversal Demon punishable.

SLOW POWER PUNCH COMBO (Forward + MP > LP)
A 2 hit string that launches

The first thing I can think of when it comes to this move is HIIIIIIYAAAA! Too bad it ain’t in this game.

This string’s main use is in combos to extend them. Outside of that it isn’t thrown out as much as it can be blocked either standing or crouching.

If this string is done raw on the ground, it is unsafe on block. You can punish with a cr.MK into a solo combo or a Cross Rush.

SLOW POWER PUNCH TO LOW KICK (Forward + MP > LK)
A 2 hit string that ends in a low kick.

As mentioned before the last hit is a low so you’ll want to block it if you don’t want to be taking damage.

On block the low is pretty punishable. You can punish with a Far Standing HK into a combo of your choice (preferably into Close Standing HP into a full combo as you are close enough to do it)

There are other options such as a Demon but I’d only use that for styling purposes.

I am really not sure as to why this string is even in the game to be honest. Well maybe for completionists sake.

SLOW POWER PUNCH TO HIGH KICK (Forward + MP > MK)
A 2 hit string that ends in a long reaching front kick.

This whole string can be blocked either standing or crouching

On block you can punish with a Far Standing HK although you’ll be a little more far out than her Slow Power Punch To Low Kick string on block so the best you can do solo wise is a cr.HK sweep. There is the option to go into Cross Rush and bring in your partner though.
Yet again another string that is limited in its uses

RED ORCHID COMBO (Forward + MK > MP or HP > Any Kick)
A 3 hit combo that ends in a high kick.

This string is used for two reasons
[LIST]
[]To start Julia’s combo game
[]For that Forward + MK poke
[/LIST]

You can punish the completed string on block with a Far Standing HK into a solo combo and/or Cross Rush on block.

The first hit is Reversal Demon Punishable on block

The second hit is cr.MK punishable into a Full Combo/ Cross Rush. Assuming that she doesn’t special cancel the move on block. Otherwise most Julia Players do special cancel on block to make the move somewhat safe against you.

MOUNTAIN CRUSHER (Forward + MK > MP or HP > Forward + Any Punch)
A 3 hit sting that ends in a forward elbow.

This string is used for the same reasons as her Red Orchid Combo

Outside of that, the purpose of this string is to poke you into a full combo from Julia.

The completed string on block is Far Standing HK punishable. From there you can go into a Cross Rush or a Cr.HK sweep for a Solo Combo

Treat the 1st and 2nd hits on block like as if you were to block the 1st and 2nd hits of her Red Orchid Combo

[SolidRose]

Julia (Continued)

SPECIALS

SWIFT STEP (HCF + LP)
Julia takes a lunge forwards.

This move makes Julia travel a good distance along the ground.

One thing that is important about this move is that Julia is considered airborne during the later frames of this move. Its about where the dust comes up after she moves. So watch your punishment during the Swift Step as you may put her in an SF4 style reset state and you may whiff your special move as a result.

Other than that this move is used as a little bit of a ‘fakie’ type move to scare you into blocking due to her other options during this kind of step.

If she just Swift Steps in your face, you can DP her out of the step and into a full combo from your partner.

The EX version has one hit of armor, its useful for getting through your fireballs that don’t hit multiple times. If you can read this during your zoning by watching her meter it shouldn’t give you a tonne of trouble.

LASHING ARROW (HCF + MP)
Julia takes a lunge forwards and smacks you in the face with her fist

This move is pretty fast for what it is. It can really throw you off if you aren’t looking out for it.

Fortunately for you, if you successfully block this move, you can punish with Close Standing HP into a full combo or a DP or a Cross Rush. Take your pick depending on your situation.

Like her Swift Step, the EX version has one hit of armor on it which can throw you off at first but if you can bait this out you can just DP her out of the move or block it and take your free punish.

SWIFT STEP EXPLOSION (HCF + HP)
Julia takes a lunge forwards, stops and does a crumpling blow

This move is arguably the most dangerous option out of Julia’s Swift Step mix-up as it is an overhead that crumples you.

Her other attack out of her Swift Step is her Lashing Arrow which can be blocked either standing or crouching whilst her other option is nothing so it shouldn’t be too bad to practice against.

This move is Reversal Demon punishable on block only.

The EX version gives her 1 hit of armor again like her other variants of the Swift Step. Try to bait it out if you can so that you can get a free DP into a full combo and/or you can get her to waste her meter.

WIND ROLL (HCF + Any Kick)
Julia spins around

This move is kind of similar to King’s Jaguar Step, without the physical invincibility its still invincible to your projectiles though.

Unlike King’s Jaguar Step, the distance on it can be altered depending on what version she does.

The LK version takes her the least distance whereas the HK Version takes her the most distance.

She does have an EX Version of this move but it is rarely thrown out for some reason. Still it doesn’t go through your physical attacks so you can punish it in the same way like the regular versions.

TEQUILA SUNRISE ELBOW SMASH (Any Punch > Any Punch During Wind Roll)
Julia lifts her fist up and then elbows you away from her causing a techable knockdwon

The first part of this move hits as an overhead whereas the second hit can be blocked either standing or crouching.

If you can manage to block the first hit of this move, you can interrupt the rest of the move with a DP if she tries to do the second part.

The first hit on block is really unsafe on block, you can punish with a Close Standing HP into a full combo, Cross Rush or Demon.

The second hit on block is safe to your normals but is Reversal Demon punishable on block.

Because of the above, you’ll want to make sure that you do DP between the first two hits so that you don’t have to deal with a safe second hit.

HUNTING TOMAHAWK (Any Kick > Any Punch During Wind Roll)
Julia does a high kick and then a shoulder move knocking you away from her and causing a techable knockdown

This option isn’t thrown out as much by Julia Players as both hits can be blocked either standing or crouching.

Like her Tequila Sunrise Elbow Smash you can also DP in between the 1st and 2nd hits of the attack as they are NOT true blockstrings.

The 1st hit on block is DP punishable but at this range you’ll only get 1 hit of your Heavy DP so you’ll want to use the Medium Version to get some better damage and/or more combo potential for your partner if you switch cancel them in.

You can also punish with a Far Standing HK on block assuming she doesn’t decide to finish the move that is.

If you have some good reactions, the moment that you see her turn her body around to shoulder you is the moment where you can DP her out of the move if she tries to finish it. If she doesn’t turn around then you will be able to punish her with a Far Standing HK on block.

Speaking of which, the 2nd hit on block is Cr.HK sweep punishable but you can also Reversal Demon it if you have the meter.

WIND ROLL EXPLOSION (Down + Any Kick > Any Two Punches During Wind Roll)
Julia performs a low kick and then a shoulder attack knocking you away and causing a techable knockdown.

The first part of this attack is a low whereas the second part of the attack can be blocked either standing or crouching.

This attack can be mixed up with her Tequila Sunrise Elbow Smash for a good high/low mix-up against you. Its pretty much a guessing game here unless your reading of Julia and reactions are on point then you can react by blocking low/high depending on which attack she does against you.

Like her other options, you can DP in between the two hits to score a full combo for your partner.

The first hit on block can be punished with a Far Standing HK assuming she doesn’t finish the attack that is. Like her Hunting Tomahawk, you’ll want to react with a DP the moment you see her turn around, if she doesn’t turn around, then you can punish with the Far Standing HK.

The second hit on block can be punished with a cr.HK sweep but you can Demon it also if you have the meter.

RISING KICK (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Julia’s DP attack. It looks like Yang’s DP from 3rd Strike but without the roll beforehand

Julia’s Rising Kick is a good anti-air if you just plain jump at her. If she times it right she can beat your jump ins clean.

It will whiff against cross-ups though. Hence off of a knockdown, you can expect most Julia Players to roll alot on their wake-up.

The EX version is alot better than her regular versions as it hits twice and does some more damage and it packs some more invincibility also.

If Julia does not roll on her wake-up, you can safe jump this move off of a knockdown from a cr.HK sweep by doing a Regular Dive Kick (Down + MK) on her wake-up making her whiff the move as a wake-up move.

TIGER STRIKE (QCB + Any Punch)
Julia does an elbow, if it connects it will go into an animation causing some damage

There are two main uses for this move.
[LIST]
[]As a ender for Julia’s combos
[]During her blockstrings to make her moves somewhat safe against you
[/LIST]
For any sharp readers reading this post, they have probably been wondering why I say ‘somewhat safe.’ Well its because on block this move is Reversal Demon punishable on block.

The EX version just does more damage and packs a different more painful looking animation. Expect her to use this to finish you off.

IRON MOUNTAIN RUSH (QCB + All Punches)

Julia’s super is two things: Very Fast and Pretty Powerful for what it is.

It does 310 damage and yet it starts in under 2 frames meaning she can punish your stuff on block with it such as your sweep.and your cr.MK if you do it deep.

You do have a couple safe strings against this super though without meter.

If you do a deep jumping HK then afterwards (assuming she doesn’t just do it in between the blockstun) you can do a cr.LK > cr.LP then a st.LP.

You can also do a safe hadoken string in the form of cr.MP > cr.MP > cr.MK into Heavy Gohadoken. If she tries to super you, the super will whiff due to the amount of pushback you create in this string on block.

Outside of punishment, the main use of this move is to KO you when you are low on health.

On block this move is safe to your normals but it is unsafe to your Demon. So Demon her if you have the meter.

ALL IN ALL

Many people lose to Julia as they don’t know what she does and what she can do. Against Julia, you’ll want to zone her as much as possible during the match so she can get too hasty or just try to Lashing Arrow you or do something stupid.

Despite being pretty good up close, quite a few of Julia’s attacks knock you away from her causing techable knockdowns – knockdowns that you can quick stand out of apart from her Tiger Strike. So she constantly has to keep on working her way in after every combo unless you are in the corner.

Couple this with the fact that you can DP through some of her up close pressure and/or just block most of her stuff makes her close range game seem strong but its something that you can deal with at the same time.

Her overheads are also pretty telegraphed as they can only be done off of her steps i.e. her Swift Step and Wind Roll.

Overall try to bait her out as much as possible, pressure her a little bit on wake-up to get her a little bit Reversal happy and also watch out for when she has two bars. Like you she can punish things that others can’t with two bars thanks to her super.

[SolidRose]

Next up Juri

OVERVIEW
Juri is one of those characters in SF X Tekken who have benefited immensely from the new system changes. The longer stages mean that her zoning is now stronger than ever before, the lack of a focus attack system strengthens her fireball game alot plus some of the buffs that she recieved from SF4 to SF X Tekken have made her a stronger character than she ever was before.

Although she has been made stronger overall, her weaknesses from SF4 are still present. Her wake-up options aren’t the greatest and her health has been nerfed from 950 in SF4 to 900 in SF X Tekken making her easier to KO.

APPROACH TACTICS

SHIKUSEN (A.K.A The Dive Kick)

Juri will be using her Shikusen to get past your fireball zoning should you get too predictable. Its definitely a move to watch for two reasons:
[LIST]
[]It’s one of her main approach tactics that is somewhat safer than her other options.
[]It’s also pretty punishable if you block it.
[/LIST]
KASATUSI (A.K.A COUNTER TELEPORT MOVE)

Again another move to get past your zoning. Try to vary the speeds of your fireballs so that you can bait this move out as it is pretty punishable on whiff by you.

FUHAJIN (FIREBALLS)

Juri will be using her fireballs to counter your own fireballs should you throw too much at her. Its best to learn the ranges of her fireballs so that you can stay a good distance away from her when she does it.

JUMPING

Juri’s jump is pretty fast unlike other characters so practice anti-airing against it.

ZONING YOU OUT!

Well this isn’t really an approach tactic but it is more of a keep-out tactic instead but it must be mentioned nonetheless.

If Juri has the life lead against you, expect her to zone you out as much as possible especially if there is little time left on the clock.

She can zone you out using her fireballs and her anti-airs to keep you at bay. I will cover these tactics below.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing LK

Juri’s Far Standing LK packs quite a bit of range on it. It can reach almost as far as your cr.MK. Try to learn its range and play with it with your fast walkspeed.

If you stand on the very tip of this move where it won’t hit you, you can whiff punish it with a cr.MK into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo

Cr.HP

Juri’s main anti-air attack and man is it a good one. Its one of the many reasons as to why you should try to avoid jumping at Juri randomly as it will lead to a full anti-air combo that can be really annoying over time if you are struggling to get in against her.

It can also be used offensively thanks to the move being jump cancellable on hit or block. After a successful blocked jump in attack, some Juri Players may want to do a cr.HP and then want to cross-you up with a j.LK./ j.MK.

Your best counter to the above tactic is your cr.HP. if you block a cr.HP and she jump cancels walk back slightly and then do a cr.HP. You’ll get a counter hit and she’ll be put in a juggle state which from there you can keep on zoning her out or you can pressure her on her wake-up.

WARNING: This tactic will not work if she goes for an instant air dive kick. But its riskier for her to go for one if she does

Depending on how deep the cr.HP hits the type of jump in Juri will do can change off of the jump cancel.

If she does the move deep, after a jump forward, she can only cross you up.

If she does the normal shallow then after a jump forward expect her to hit you from the front like a regular jump in.

J.HP

This normal now ground-bounces air-to-air opponents. She isn’t like Yoshimitsu in the fact that you can’t quick-stand out of this one.

If you space yourself correctly, you could go air-to-air with her and beat this normal thus gaining a counter hit and a full combo but it is REALLY risky. Still I ain’t stopping you from doing so.

Far Standing HK

This normal goes over your low attacks.

Unlike SF4 your cr.MK doesn’t lower your hitbox as much due to its decreased active frames so you can’t just slip under this move like you could before.

You can however Reversal DP this move as well as Reversal Demon Punish this move on block if you have the meter and she starts abusing the hell out of it.

The Reversal DP will only work if she does the move deep whereas the Reversal Demon can be done whether she does it deep or shallow.

Neutral Jump HK

This normal hits on both sides of Juri. It is mainly used in roll situations against you from which you can either teleport out or block.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

SEKKU (Forward + MK)

Maybe i’m getting older or something but this overhead seems a little bit faster than it was in SF4. Juri players tend to use this in her offense if you start holding Down-back alot. They tend to poke with a couple low attacks (e.g. two cr.LKs) and then go for it.

This is Juri’s best way to open you up on the ground outside of jumping at you and/or throwing you. You can block the overhead pressure but if you are feeling a little bit unconfortable you can teleport out to safety. Juri doesn’t have a massive answer to your teleport unless you start getting too predictable.

On block you can punish this move with a Reversal Demon only.

SPECIALS

Whilst Juri doesn’t have the biggest list of special moves, the ones that she has are really valuable and deadly if used correctly.

FUHAJIN (A.K.A ‘The Fireball’) (QCF + Any Punch)

Juri’s fireball is different from other fireballs for a couple reasons:
[LIST]
[]She can store and release up to 3 fireballs in a given time period
[]Her fireballs go at different directions
[*]They provide frame advantage on block if used up close
[/LIST]
Depending on what button she presses, the fireball will go in a different direction upon release.

The LK Version releases the fireball really low to the ground, its good for passing under your own fireballs during your fireball zoning and hitting you for some free damage. You’ll want to learn the range of this move so that you can stand outside of its range during your fireball zoning.

Up close this move also provides some good frame advantage so don’t even bother trying to DP during her block strings whilst this move is out during one.

The MK Version releases the fireball pretty much to the same level as other fireballs in the game and it will collide and cancel out yours assuming you throw regular fireballs. It isn’t used as much as her other fireballs as this one is mainly used in combo situations.

The HK Version releases the fireball at a vertical angle making it really good for anti-air situations. Assuming you don’t cross her up because as an anti-air it is weak to cross-up attacks.

One thing to note about Juri’s fireballs is that you need to watch out as to whether or not she is storing them. Juri will signal her fireball storing by lifting her leg up and laughing a little from there it is a guessing game as to which version she has stored up. But with some intuition you can guess though.

If she is trying to get in on you but she can’t, then she will most likely be storing the LK version of her fireball attack to pass under your fireballs and hit you.

If she is trying to keep you out, then she will most likely be storing her HK Version of her fireball attack.

She won’t really be storing the MK Version up too much unless it is to throw you off or in combo situations.

Most Juri Players tend to store both her LK and HK Versions of her fireball at once cover her head and annoy you by trading with your fireballs. You’ll be able to see this if you walk towards her and try to play footsies with her.

She can only use her Medium Kick normals against you if she stores her HK and LK versions of her attacks. Her other ground normals aren’t really the best options against you in footsie situations apart from her cr.MK and to some extent, her cr.MP for whiff punishment.

The EX Version of this move hits twice and fortunately for you, she can’t store this version like her regular ones.

SHIKUSEN (A.K.A The Divekick) (QCB + Any Kick)

Juri’s dive kick attack is one of her main ways to cross the screen and get in on you if you get too fireball happy.

In terms of Versions:

The LK version travels the least distance and it is used sometimes in Juri tricks such as cr.HP > Jump Cancel > LK Dive Kick

The MK Version is like a mix between the LK and the HK Versions, it has decent range and its like the ‘best of both worlds’ version for Juri

The HK Version travels the most distance and it can travel full screen if she jumps forwards.

It only barely reaches you full screen though.

As of Version 1.04, Juri’s dive-kicks have been made more unsafe on block. You can st.HP into a full combo, Cross Rush her , DP or Demon take your pick. It can be a little bit tricky at first as the block stun period for this move isn’t as big as other moves in the game.

The EX Version still packs all of the follow-ups i.e. Second Impact and Third Strike but it causes a wall bounce on hit. It travels about the same range as the light version and its distance can’t be altered.

Its main use is in combos. Outside of them, its as punishable as the regular versions.

> SECOND IMPACT (Any Kick During Shikusen)

One of Juri’s follow up attacks after a dive-kick, this move isn’t really something she shouldn’t be throwing out if you have blocked the intial dive-kick. Nevertheless, on block more often than not she either land on the other side of you if you block this move. You can walk back a little before she lands allowing her to land in front of you waiting to be punished.

You have the armory of Akuma’s punishers on your side when she lands. Far Standing HK, Cross Rush, St.HP and Demon are your best options.

> THIRD STRIKE (Any Kick During Second Impact)
Anyone who has played the Street Fighter 3 series knows the roots of this move really well. If you haven’t go and look up and/or play the SF3 series of games.

On hit this move knocks you away full-screen, which can be a pain if you don’t have the life lead.

Apart from that this move won’t hit you if you have blocked the Second Impact follow-up. So you can punish her in the same way that you would punish a blocked Second Impact.

KASATUSHI (A.K.A 'The Counter Teleport) (QCB + Any Kick)

Juri’s counter teleport has a couple uses:
[LIST]
[]As a wake-up option
[]As a means to get through your fireballs
[/LIST]
Different Versions of this move take her to different locations on the screen.

The LP Version will teleport her behind you and/or in front of you if she is further away
The MP Version will teleport her backwards away from you.
The HP Version will teleport her vertically upwards

As a wake-up option, it is alot stronger than it was in SF4 due to the removal of armor breaking attacks. You can no longer Demon Flip Palm > Option Select her to death on her wake-up

Juri Players tend to use the HP Version as a wake-up option as a means to counter and then attack you on the way down with a Neutral Jump HK. If you jump in at her and she does this as a reversal, cr.HP her on the way down. You may score a counter hit thus putting her in a juggle state.

The LP Version is used to get through your fireball zoning. Its a good idea to learn the range on the move so that if she does it, you can punish her during her recovery.

You can punish her during her recovery with a cr.HP or a cr.MP into a Solo Combo or you can just DP her into your partner.
The cr.HP is a little timing sensitive whilst the cr.MP is more reliable and does net you more solid damage if you are good with the cr.MP > cr.HP link.

The MP Version is just used for defensive reasons. Just to keep you out and create some space.

The EX Version’s direction can be changed depending on what direction the Juri player decides it also allows her to move forwards and backwards in the air too. Which could make you whiff your cr.HP anti-air if it is done in a wake-up situation.

If you aren’t sure as to whether to anti-air or not, teleport out to safety or if you have some good reactions, you can walk back and see what she does. If its nothing, then she has just wasted meter.

SENPUSHA (A.K.A ‘The Pinwheel’)

The Senpusha is Juri’s main combo ender for her juggles. It does some decent damage and it is a good way for her to bring in her partner when she is low on health.

The LK Version keeps you standing on hit and on block, you can punish with a st.HP, Cross Rush, and/or a Demon

The MK Version knocks you back on hit and on block its even more unsafe to your punishers. You can still punish with a st.HP, Cross Rush and/or a Demon if you want.

The HK Version is like the MK Version only it does more hits and it is the worst on block compared to the regular versions. Punish with a st.HP, Cross Rush and/or a Demon on block.

The HK Version is notable as it allows Juri to bring in her partner when she is low on health. If you can time it correctly, you can Alpha Counter between the block stun catching both characters.

The EX Version is Juri’s best wake-up option against you that isn’t a counter. Like SF4 you can simply safe jump this by jumping at her with a J.HK after a knockdown.

You’ll want to watch Juri’s meter pretty closely as this is her best safe tag against you. Although she does need two bars to do it. So watch her meter carefully as she’ll most likely do this move when she has low health and 2 bars to tag her out safely.

Despite this being her best safe tag against you, you can Reversal Demon Juri after your period of block stun has ended. Catching her and leaving you in your pose whilst her partner has to wait for you to finish. After that you’ll have to block the onslaught from Juri’s partner if she is still alive after getting Demoned.

KAISEN DANKAIRAKU (QCB + All Kicks)

With most super arts doing around like 300-330 damage, its a surprise that Juri came out as having one of the most damaging Super Arts in the game at 350 damage. Which is quite significant as it makes her a really good finisher when it comes to Cross Art situations.

Unlike other supers, this super hits low and it moves her forwards a little bit before she spins up and starts it. Which can be really useful against you especially if you become too jump-back happy against her. Hence it’s advised that you try not to throw air fireballs around its range when Juri has 2 bars stocked up.

ALL IN ALL
Its a game of: who will crack first? And you will want to make sure it is her and not you.
Your zoning fares pretty well against hers to be honest. Just try to mix-up your fireballs as much as you can so that you can bait out her approaches and punish them accordingly.

Remember to watch your ranges also if she tries to Counter Teleport through your fireballs or try to tag you with her own ones whilst she tries to get in.

Juri’s close range game is a little bit of a pain thanks to her jump cancellable cr.HP. You can block and take the pressure or you can teleport out to safety. Juri still doesn’t have a great answer to your teleport unless you get WAY too predictable and over reliant on it.

Knockdowns are also key too as Juri players tend to roll alot on their wake-ups to make up for the fact that her wake-up game is still pretty weak. So you’ll want to knock her down and try to hit her as much as you can after she exits the roll to stop her from rolling too much.

And also, despite all of her buffs, solo wise, her mid screen damage still is not very strong when she doesn’t have a fireball charged up. If she has meter, then from there it depends on who she is paired up with to be honest.

[SolidRose]

Quick Little Update

Characters Done
[LIST]
[]Ryu
[]Ken
[]Balrog
[]Juri
[]Heihachi
[]Kazuya
[]Hwoarang
[]Guile
[]King
[]Hugo
[]Law
[]Ogre
[/LIST]
Characters Working On / Thinking of Doing Next
[LIST]
[]Chun Li
[]Vega
[]Cammy
[]Jin (pretty difficult due to his frame-trap game up close, will have to go into frame data)
[]Raven
[]The Akuma Mirror Match
[]Rolento
[]Xiaoyu
[]M.Bison
[]Ibuki (might not see until later unless it is heavily requested and/or people are having trouble against Ibuki)
[*]Kuma (Very underused character, could be a good one)
[/LIST]

[SolidRose]

Next up Chun Li

OVERVIEW
The first woman of fighting makes her literally guaranteed appearance in SF X Tekken (well apart from Honda but that is another subject in itself.) Packing some good pokes and a very versatile metagame of a mix between offense and solid defense, Chun Li can be quite a hard one to crack. This is amplified by the fact that she got alot better from SF4 and she adapts to the juggling system well as a whole.

Fortunately for you though her weaknesses from SF4 are still here. Although the anti-air weakness isn’t really much of a weakness anymore, her wake-up options are not the strongest, her health isn’t great like yours and she still has to play as patient as ever in order to take you out.

APPROACH TACTICS

KIKOKEN

Chun Li’s Kikoken fireballs travel a longer distance now and its made better for her in the fact that she can do them whilst walking forwards thanks to the motion similar to her 3rd Strike days.

Chun Li players tend to throw these kikokens and then walk forwards behind them similar to Guile in order to create some offense. Depending on where she starts this, your best bet is to nulify the fireball with your own and then see what she does. You could also go air to air with her but the chances of you winning aren’t really in your favour, still I won’t force anyone to take a risk here and do it.

HAZANSHU

Chun Li’s Hazanshu can be a little bit of a pain to get around as it is a good way for her to get past your fireballs at around cr.MK / cr.HK sweep range. You’ll want to space yourself properly using your fireballs so that you can predict this move and punish during your recovery if you are spacing yourself properly

JUMPING
Not really a common one but Chun Li is quite a floaty jumper in this game, making her slightly easier to anti-air than other characters such as Juri. Try to anti-air Chun Li at all costs as any jumps she does towards you are pretty much free DPs and/or cr.HPs if you space yourself properly

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing MP

Chun Li’s Far Standing MP packs some good range to it and thanks to the chaining system in SF X Tekken, she can launch you afterwards for a full combo. If you have ever hated getting randomly hit by Far Standing MPs by Chun Li in SF4 then you are even worse off here so practice blocking those Far Standing MPs

That said you can whiff punish this normal with a cr.HK sweep for a knockdown, if you are really good with your ranges, then you can get a st.MK into a Cross Rush (st.MK is a little better to use as a whiff punisher in this game with Akuma in my opinion due to the fact that it moves him forwards slightly.)

Far Standing HK

Chun Li’s Far Standing HK still has its long reach from SF4. It still misses on crouching opponents so in general you should try to hold down-back a bit in footsies so that when she does this move it will whiff over your head and you can whiff punish with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep.

Far Standing HP

Chun Li’s Far Standing HP is pretty fast and has some good reach to it and it is safe on block to even your Reversal Demon.

On whiff it isn’t the greatest, you can whiff punish with a cr.MK into Cross Rush and/or solo combo or a cr.HK sweep for a knockdown.

Cr.MP

Chun Li’s cr.MP is similar to her cr.MK. They are both low attacks, have similar reach and are some good whiff punishers against your cr.MK but that is where the similarities end. Her cr.MP is a good anti-air against your jump ins as it lowers her hitbox therefore making your regular jump ins whiff if timed correctly.

If you can time your jump in a little late, then you will be able to beat this an anti-air. You can also approach with a regular dive-kick (down + MK at the peak of your jump) to beat it.

Close Standing HK

As of SF X Tekken, this move is now jump cancellable on hit or block. Chun Li will be using this to create some offense against you and/or in combos.

Unlike Juri she can only perform this normal deep and if she jumps forwards out of it, she can only cross you up with a J.LK (assuming you are mid-screen) her other normals just whiff over your head.

Hence it’s main use is in combo situations as her jump is a little too floaty to create some pressure against you. You can walk under her and catch her with a full combo on the way down should she whiff the J.LK cross-up.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

For those new to fighting Chun Li in Street Fighter, Chun Li is a very poke based character and her array of unique attacks compliment her already good set of normals.

KAKUKYAKURAKU (Down-Forward + HK )
Chun Li Flips over and kicks you in the head.

Man try pronouncing this word in real life.

Aside from that, this move is mainly used to cross you up after Chun Li knocks you down. More often than not, this move hits as a cross-up attack that hits you if you are crouching.

You can either roll after she knocks you down with this move thus negating her cross-up or you can stand and block the move on wake-up and then take the extra pressure. Depending on deep the move is on block, she could go for a throw. From here it is simple throw teching to be honest.

On block this move is completely safe to your stuff so don’t bother trying to Demon it on block.

REAR SPIN KICK (Down-Forward + LK)
Chun Li flips over knocking you upwards for a full combo.

Chun Li’s Rear Spin Kick is a good anti-air mid-screen. It is pretty much her best one without burning meter against you. Its made easier to land for her as her walk speed is also pretty good too so she can space herself properly to anti-air you.

As an anti-air however it is weak to cross-ups so you can cross-up tatsu her or j.MK her if you are at the right distance if you can bait this anti-air out.

She also can’t just perform this move on the last frame so you can mix-up your jump ins with your Dive Kick (Down + MK at the peak of your jump) and regular jump ins to throw her off her timing.

KAKUSENSHU (Forward + MK)
Chun Li performs a spinning kick

Chun Li’s Kakusenshu is a decently ranged poke that moves Chun Li forwards along the ground. She will most likely be doing this move around cr.MK range and it. It is kind of similar to Ken’s Forward Step Kick only it is a little slower.

On block you can only Reversal Demon Punish this move. So if you don’t have 2 bars, you’ll have to take the pressure from Chun Li afterwards.

KINTEKISHU (Back + MK)
Chun Li sticks her leg out. From here she has different follow ups after this move on hit or block.

This move is the starter for Chun Li’s follow up moves afterwards. You’ll want to learn the range on this attack so that you can punish it in footsie situations.

If she does this move deep, then you can Reversal Demon Punish this move on block.

KINTEKISHU > TENKUKYAKU (Back + MK > MK)
Chun Li performs a 2 hit kick combo that launches.

This is a move you will see quite a bit against Chun Li if she is juggling the crap out of you.

She can only jump cancel this move on hit only.

Some Chun Li Players tend to put a little bit of a delay between the 1st and 2nd hits to act as a bit of a frametrap against you. It works against other characters but not Akuma as you can stick a cr.LP in between the delay to punish her thus scoring a counter hit. From there you can go into a cr.HP into a combo of your choice.

KINTEKISHU > TENKUKYAKU > TENSHOKYAKU (Back + MK > MK > Down Foward + MK)
Chun Li does a 2 hit kick combo that ends in a flurry of upwards kicks.

Apart from looking a bit flashy, this move is mainly used in switch cancel combos.

It also can be used as a way to make the first hits of Chun Li’s string safer. But you still can punish it on block.

Chun Li Players can sometimes mix this move up to try and scare you into Reversal DPing on block after the first two hits of the string.

The ender has some good priority on it. It can beat your Reversal DP.

Fortunately this little mix-up falls to one move: MISOGI! First Law and now Chun Li. On block you can Reversal Misogi the first two hits and if she tries to do the ender, you can also Misogi her for free too.

Of course there is the option to block as well and then take your free punish in the form of a st.HP into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush but the Misogi doesn’t require you to guess as to whether she will finish the string or not.

YOSOKYAKU (Down + MK)
Chun Li’s famous little toe taps.

This move can be performed up to 3 times in one sequence.

These moves work pretty well as air to airs against you if Chun Li can time them properly. Just for reference, she has to be above you whilst you jump at her for these to connect properly

Outside of that this move isn’t thrown out much by Chun Li players apart from in some flashy switch cancel combos.

WALL JUMP (Up-Back Whilst Against A Wall)
Chun Li well…the move name says it all

Chun Li’s Wall Jump is a good way for her to remain in the air where she is pretty strong at and keep some air time against you.

Interestingly, if you have some good reactions, if you can see her wall jump coming, you can actually Misogi this move for free and get the full animation too. You’ll want to time it after she kicks off the the wall and is in the air floating for a while.

(Tested with her performing the wall jump holding forward whilst she was in the air and then holding back as soon as she landed)

TARGET COMBO (HP > HP Whilst In The Air)
Chun Li’s Double Punching Target Combo

This is arguably Chun Li’s best jump in attack against you, it hits twice and both of those moves hit crouching opponents.

It is common for most people to block the first hit and then get hit by the second hit and then eat a full combo. Block both of them standing for your own safety.

Although if your zoning is on point, you should be able to anti-air this move without a problem due to her floaty jump.

Another thing to note about this move is that on whiff, it does build quite a bit of meter. So don’t be surprised if you see some Chun Li’s rocking those Onslaught Gems to try and build meter quickly.You can Demon Flip this move on reaction whilst she is coming down from the move causing a ground-bounce from which you can combo off of if she tries to do it or you could throw a couple fireballs at her to try to keep her grounded.

SPECIALS

KIKOKEN (HCF + Any Punch)
Chun Li’s Projectile.

As mentioned before in the ‘Approach Tactics’ section, Chun Li’s Kikoken can now be performed whilst walking fowards thanks to its new motion.

Depending on what version she does, the distance and recovery of the move can change.

The LP Version travels the most distance but has the worst recovery. It is usually used to counter you if you get too air fireball happy

The MP Version is like a mix between both the LP and HP Versions, she turns around more for this version

The HP Version has the best recovery and it is Chun Li’s main answer to your fireballs in the fireball war. Fortunately for you, it doesn’t go full screen it travels about half of it.

You will want to learn the range of Chun Li’s fireballs so that you can play with their ranges using your fast walk speed and eventually get a jump in against her if she screws up the range.

Your Red Fireball is also a good way to get her to get a bit jump happy so that you can anti-air her for jumping around the place if she jumps forwards.

The EX Version hits twice and moves a bit faster. It also packs the good recovery of the Heavy Version. Meter is key with Chun Li and the more of these she throws out, the less options she has against you.

HAZANSHU (HCB + Any Kick)
Chun Li flips over slamming her foot down on top of you.

This move can be a little tricky as different Versions of this move change its properties and range.

The LK Version is the fastest vesrion of the move and it doesn’t hit as an overhead.

The MK Version is like a mix between the LK and HK Version only this move does hit as an overhead that leaves you standing. It travels further than the Light Version

The HK Version is the slowest, it hits as an overhead and knocks you down on hit. It also travels the furthest out of all of her Hazanshus

The EX Version, hits as an overhead but ground bounces you on hit allowing her to follow-up.

All regular versions of this move can be Reversal Demon Punished on block. Whereas the EX one cannot.

The range of this move will determine whether you should block high or not. In general it is advised to block this move high as most Chun Li Players tend to go for the overhead option (MK and HK Versions) than her non-overhead option (LK Version.) Although with some good reactions it is possible to tell whether she is going to go for the overhead or the non-version as Chun Li Players tend to mix these up.

Also you should learn the range of this move so that you can space your fireballs accordingly so that she cannot just jump over and punish them on reaction.

SPINNING BIRD KICK (Down (Charge) > Up + Any Kick)
Chun Li’s Famous Spinning Bird Kick

As a move this is mainly used in switch cancel combos. Similar to Ken’s Tatsu the regular versions don’t knock down on hit making them good candidates for switch cancelling. If you are tagged with a cr.MK and you are standing prepare for some pain.

Outside of that, all regular versions of this move miss crouching opponents. The first hit will connect if done up close and then the rest will miss you if you hold down-back. Allowing you to punish with a st.HP into Solo Combo / Cross Rush on her recovery. You’ll want to do the punish the moment she hits the floor again.

The EX Version knocks you back full screen which can be a pain if Chun Li has the life lead against you. It also doubles as her Alpha Counter move meaning blocked jump ins could lead to you getting knocked back fullscreen. There isn’t much you can do here other than to try other approaches such as empty jump throw.

It is also Chun Li’s best wake-up option. A wake-up option that you can stuff with your Demon Flip Divekick and your Regular Dive Kick on her wake-up. Hence you can expect most Chun Li Players to roll on their wake-ups.

HYAKURETSUKYAKU (HCF + Any Kick)
Chun Li’s Rapidly Hitting Kicks

Unlike SF4 and other iterations of SF before it, this move is not a mashable move, it involves a command input and then extra hits can be gained by mashing.

That aside this move ranges from being really safe to being really unsafe.

If she does this move shallow, the last few kicks will whiff allowing you to punish with a Far Standing HK into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo.

If she does this move deep, then it is safe on block even to your Demon in some cases.

The EX Version is more consistent at landing all of the kicks and hence its as safe as if she landed all of the kicks in her regular versions.

Chun Li can sometimes use this move to chip you out when you are low on health and she can also bring in her partner too. If this is the case Alpha Counter her out of it. With the right timing, you can catch her partner on incoming.

SENRETSUKYAKU (HCF + All Kicks)

Chun Li’s super is a good way for her to punish your fireballs as it travels full-screen. Hence you will find that most Chun Li players tend to save their meter wisely in order to save for this super and kill you for it.

It isn’t as fast as the SF4 Version on start-up as you can actually EX DP her out of it. You’ll want to do it the moment you see her leg come around for the first kick.

You could also Neutral Jump it (assuming that you are mid-screen) and then punish on the way down.

You could also go for a Misogi if she does this randomly in your face as well.

On block this move is really punishable. It is best to block this move crouching as none of the move hits as an overhead and you’ll make the last hit whiff over your head allowing you to get some stronger punishers in the form of a Far Standing HK into a full combo.

ALL IN ALL
Chun Li is still a monster in the right hands but she still retains the same weaknesses like her SF4 counterpart to an extent.

Your fireballs are alot stronger against her as she can’t focus through them like she could in SF4 and the stages are longer too meaning you can zone her out alot easier than before. Just try to make sure you learn the ranges on her moves so that you can space yourself properly and punish her counter measures on whiff.

When making your approaches try to avoid air to air combat as Chun Li’s air throw and good air to airs will knock you straight out of it. Still there is the option to take the risk though and hope it works.

Also try to get Chun Li and/or her partner to waste their meter. Chun Li is quite threatening with meter as she can play a good defensive as well as offensive game as well as punish your fireballs from full-screen. Without meter Chun Li’s effectiveness diminishes a little against you.

Also her health is pretty low like yours so you can take advantage of it too to an extent

[SolidRose]

Next Up Rolento

OVERVIEW
Rolento hasn’t been in an SF Game for years and now that he makes his return in SF X Tekken, he is as overplayed and still as crazy as ever. Rolento makes his transition well into this game due to his plethora of movement options and the breaking of the phrase ‘style over substance.’ Granted he isn’t flashy but he gets the job done with his patriot circle pressure, his knockdown mix-ups and of course those pokes.

Rolento has one big problem though and it is that his wake-up options aren’t the strongest despite his bunch of strengths. Also being a mainly melee based character he has to get in your face for the most part.

APPROACH TACTICS

HIS MOVEMENT VIA HIS SPECIALS

Rolento can move in up to 4 different directions these are:
[LIST]
[]Off the wall
[]Rolling backwards then attacking
[]Jumping backwards then attacking
[]Jumping on that stick of his
[/LIST]
These can be really annoying to counter at first and I hope that I can try to address the ways in which you can counter these options.

POKING WITH NORMALS

Rolento has a stick and some long reaching limbs and with these limbs he will poke and poke and poke you to death. To counteract this, his walk speed isn’t the fastest around. Hence, learning the range on his normals is one of the key ways of beating Rolento.

JUMPING

Rolento is a little odd in the jumping department due to that stick of his. He can alter his jump arc slightly using his stick and move in other directions, hence it is best to DP him the moment he is highest in the air in order to anti-air him properly.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

St. / Cr. LP

The infamous ‘tap tap tap’ normals from Rolento are a pain but they can be countered by back dashing and/or teleporting out of it. You can also Alpha Counter him as well if you feel uncomfortable or you are cornered.

Cr.MK

Rolento has a long reaching cr.MK but its reach and the amount of time it is active for means that is easier to whiff punish than most normals in the game. Go for a cr.HK sweep if he whiffs this normal a little too much to score a knockdown.

Far Standing HP

Rolento’s Far Standing HP is his longest reaching normal on the ground. It reaches so far that if you are hit with the tip of this normal, he can’t launch you afterwards as he is too far to do so.

You’ll want to learn the range on this move alot as on whiff if you have some good reactions, you can jump in on him and score a free combo. Rolento players tend to use this as a ‘clear the space’ kind of move, just to show you who has the greater reach or if they become REALLY desperate to score a hit on you assuming they can’t open you up via other means.

There is also the option to cr.HK sweep him as well should you really master the range on this move if he whiffs it.

Far Standing MP

This is Rolento’s main anti-air of choice and it is a good one. It will stuff your jump ins clean if timed right.

As an anti-air this is weak to cross-up attacks and up close jump ins due to the fact that he moves forwards whilst doing the move.

He also can’t follow-up with it by himself as the move is not special cancellable. He will have to switch cancel into his partner in order to follow up with it and this is assuming the move even hits as a counter hit.

Far Standing MK

Rolento’s Far Standing MK is good long range kick against you. You’ll want to learn the range on this move so that you can whiff punish it with your cr.HK sweep or even your own Far Standing MK into a Cross Rush.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

TRICK ROD (Forward + MK)
Rolento stands on his stick whilst on the ground

This move is like a little counter to your low attacks. Rolento will use this if you get a little bit too low happy against him.

It doesn’t last very long though so getting him to whiff this is key so that you can punish him with a cr.MK or a cr.HK sweep for a knockdown

SPIKE ROD (Down + MK Whilst In The Air)
Rolento Bounces on his stick whilst in the air

This is where fighting against Rolento can be a little tricky (although I am probably sugarcoating this statement a little too much)

This move can alter Rolento’s jump arc making it quite annoying to anti-air him. You’ll want to anti-air him the moment he is at the highest point of his jump in order to beat him clean when he jumps at you therefore shutting this move down completely.

If Rolento does manage to get this move out, then he can go forwards or backwards, they both travel the same distance so it is good to learn this distance so that you can space yourself properly and punish him accordingly for it.

If Rolento goes forwards generally, he has two options:
[LIST]
[]Attack from the front with a J.MP
[]Cross you up with a J.MK
[/LIST]
You can react to this move with a cr.HP. You’ll want to do the cr.HP the moment he bounces off of the floor. You could score a counter hit from this allowing you to follow-up afterwards.

Rolento will mainly go backwards in order to bait out your DPs and anti-airs. He can’t really do much from the distance but it does give him an idea as to whether you are DPing or not. In this case he will tend to cross you up with a J.MK going forwards next time he does the move to make your DP whiff.

Of course there is idea of just flat out teleporting out of there if you don’t want to face the onslaught of mix-ups.

TRICK LANDING (All Kicks While Landing)
Rolento sticks his stick down on the floor whilst landing

This is just another way for Rolento to mix you up only its a bit easier to see coming as he has to be hitting the floor in order to perform it.

This move travels the same distance as his Spike Rod, so if you have got the range of his Spike Rod down, then you will be able to counter this move more effectively.

SPECIALS

STINGER (DP Motion + Any Kick > Any Punch)
Rolento Jumps Upwards and Shoots a Knife at a Downward Angle

The main purpose of this move is to act as a little zoning tool against you to keep you out. I say little as you can Demon Flip over this move and then Palm him for a full combo assuming he is airborne.

Rolento will signal this move by jumping and making a noise, during which he can only throw his knife. He can’t do any air to air normals so you won’t have to worry about being beaten air to air unless you are hit by the knife.

Depending on what version of this move Rolento uses, the distance that he jumps will change.

The LK Version jumps the lowest to the ground whereas the heavier versions allow him to jump higher off the ground.

The higher Rolento jumps off the ground, the longer the range of his knife throw.

The knife itself doesn’t have the durability to stop your fireballs so you can throw them and nulify the knife attack.

The EX Version jumps as high as the Heavy Version and instead shoots 3 knives instead of 1 like the regular versions. It is pretty difficult to catch all three of them with a regular fireball but the challenge is there though :).

Your best punish against this move is your Misogi. Simply perform it the moment he jumps off of the floor or if he tries to throw his knife and you will catch him on the way down from the move.

Your next best punish is your Demon Flip > Palm Follow-up. Although you’ll have to time this one a little bit. You’ll want to do it the moment he jumps in the air. If done correctly, you can either whiff him completely or hit him whilst he is in the air.

Either way it does lead to a free combo of your choice as you can punish him on the way down from the move.

MEKONG DELTA ATTACK (All Punches > Any Punch)
Rolento Jumps Backwards into a Ball and then rolls in your face.

This is one of Rolento’s ways of getting in your face. It is arguably one of his worst at full-screen to be honest.

Different Versions of this move allow Rolento to travel at different ranges.

The LP Version allows Rolento to travel half the screen.

The MP Version allows Rolento to travel a little bit more. If he does this from full-screen, he will be just outside the range of his cr.MK and Far Standing MK.

The HP Version allows Rolento to get right up close into your face.

The regular versions of this move do not go through your fireballs which limits its usefulness.

On the other hand the EX Version does and it is really telegraphed as well due to the flash from the EX move. So if he does this, then time your DP properly and punish him whilst he is doing the move.

There is also the option to block this move and take a Reversal Demon Punish too. This works also both the Regular and EX Versions

MEKONG DELTA AIR RAID (QCB + Any Punch > Any Punch)
Rolento rolls backwards and then jumps forwards with a strike from his stick.

The key thing to note about this move is that it is an overhead.

Different Versions allow Rolento to travel different distances with the LP Version travelling the least and the HP Version travelling the most.

Like his Mekong Delta Attack the Regular Versions of this move are not invincible to fireballs whereas the EX version is.

On block you can Reversal DP Rolento and Reversal Demon him also. This works for all versions of this move.

You can also anti air him too with a DP but you’ll have to be quick especially against the EX version as the anti-air can whiff.

MEKONG DELTA ESCAPE (QCB + Any Kick > Any Punch OR Any Kick)
Rolento Jumps on the wall

During this wall jump, Rolento can change his trajectory and he can perform any of his aerial normals during the wall jump.

The wall jump is a little slow, so if you aren’t throwing any fireballs and you can see this coming, air to air him out of it. This is arguably the best time to actually go air to air with Rolento due to the recovery from this move. You’ll want to air to air him the minute he bounces off of the wall.

The EX Version is slightly faster and invincible to projectiles and your physical attacks but you can still counter him in the same way as the regular versions.

You can also either decide to anti-air him or you can teleport out of there when he decides to do this move to safety

PATRIOT CIRCLE (QCF + Any Punch)
Rolento Spins his stick around. This move can be done 3 times in a sequence.

Ahh the annoying sound of this move. You’ll see this move alot if you are getting hit alot by Rolento.

The move is a Rekka Type move similar to Fei Long’s Rekkas from SF4.

The Rekkas become more and more unsafe the more he does.

The 1st Rekka on block can only be Reversal Demon Punished on block. It is used in conjunction with his cr.MK for a safe pressure string if you don’t have 2 bars.

The 2nd Rekka on block is DP punishable on block

The 3rd Rekka isn’t even a true block-string thus it can be interrupted with your normals and even your Misogi on block.

The EX Version is one big swing. It is Rolento main ‘Get off Me’ move apart from his super. You’ll want get him to whiff this move so that you can punish him during his recovery especially on his wake-up. Most Rolento Players tend to roll on their wake-ups due to his no so strong wake-up options.

There is option to also block the EX Version and take your punish in the form of a DP or a Reversal Demon.

PATRIOT SWEEPER (QCF + All Punches)

Rolento’s Super is an over the top version of his Patriot Circle move. It doesn’t pack alot of range but it does pack some invincibility.

Due to the Super’s poor range, its main use is in a combo to kill you.

On block this move acts like Rolento’s Patriot Circle only he is forced to finish all of his rekkas. You can DP him between the 2nd and Last Rekka.

It can also be used to chip you out due to its multitude of hits also. If you have the meter, Alpha Counter him.

On block you can punish the completed move with a st.HP, Cross Rush (Start with either LPs or MPs), Demon. Take your pick, Rolento is really open here so any punish will do depending on your current situation.

ALL IN ALL

Knockdowns are key in this match-up with Rolento here as he can be easily abused on wake-up by you. Make sure that you whiff punish his main poking normals with your cr.HK sweep and try to mix him up as much as possible if he decides to roll.

Try to zone Rolento out as much as possible to take advantage of the fact that he is a melee based character. Sure he has projectiles but his zoning outside of those projectiles isn’t very strong against you due to your demon flips. Meaning more often than not, he will be forced to come to you.

Also just because Rolento has mobility doesn’t mean you don’t too. Your demon flips can be good for getting around the place and screwing over his offense as well as your teleport to get you out of bad situations. Rolento doesn’t have great answers to your teleport unless you start getting too over reliant on it.

Make sure you punish his patriot circles accordingly as Rolento Players like to use them in pressure strings against you and not knowing how to punish these can lead to frustration which can lead to Rolento easily wiping you out due to your low health. So try not to get locked down by Rolento at all costs.

[Norieaga]

I figured out some setups for stuffing certain reversals on wake-up (ex. Chun-Li’s EX SBK) with the non-DF dive kick. If people are interested I can actually make a video? It seems like only SolidRose and I are even on this character forum anymore, lol.

[SolidRose]

I figured out some setups for stuffing certain reversals on wake-up (ex. Chun-Li’s EX SBK) with the non-DF dive kick. If people are interested I can actually make a video? It seems like only SolidRose and I are even on this character forum anymore, lol.

It would be greatly appreciated, the more videos showing the effectiveness of Akuma in SF X Tekken, the more people will actually stand up and start to take notice of this character.

I intend to get some sort of recording device myself soon. I have some things to show for Akuma.

Oh yeah, the character I’m going to cover next will be Nina. Should be finishing it by tomorrow (or some time depending on what area/timezone people live in or something.)

[SolidRose]

Next Up Nina

OVERVIEW
One of my favorite Tekken Characters to be honest due to her bunch of high/low mix-ups and overly cool personality. Nina makes her way into the 2D plane and she has transitioned pretty well. Her high/low mix-ups are still present and her chain throw is here (although it is only one branch of moves but you can’t be too greedy.) Nina doesn’t have to rush down though, she can control the space with her good anti-airs and deceptively long reaching pokes.

Nina does have some problems though especially in the health department. She only packs 50 more health than you (900) and her wake-up options like most of the Tekken cast aren’t very stellar.

APPROACH TACTICS

EX BLONDE BOMB

This is one of Nina’s Anti-Fireball tactics against you. You’ll want to learn the range on this move so that you can get her to whiff it against you.

ROLLING DASH

Another Anti-Fireball Move. It looks like a Mishima Style Special Step only it doesn’t have any of the benefits of one. You can DP her during the step at any point even if is an EX step.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing HP

This is Nina’s longest reaching normal on the ground. Fortunately for you its unsafe to your cr.HK sweep on block. This will work if she does this shallow or deep. The normal also isn’t special cancellable so the only thing that she can do afterwards is a Cross Rush.

You can also neutral jump this normal on reaction and then come down with a neutral jump normal of your choice into a full combo if you can see this move coming. Nina Players tend to use this move to test your ranges to snag you into a Cross Rush combo.

cr.LK

Nina’s cr.LK is pretty good. It is similar to Kazuya’s cr.LK to an extent in the fact that it is fast and has some good reach. You can whiff punish this normal with your cr.HK sweep but you’ll need some good reactions or just straight up reading skills to do so.

cr.MK

Nina’s cr.MK is a really good poke against you, it is arguably the reason as to why most characters really lose to footsie situations against her. You will want to learn the range on this move exclusively as it is one of Nina’s main key pokes in the footsie war.

It’s pretty difficult to whiff punish but it is do-able. You can whiff punish it with your cr.HK sweep or your st.MK.

You can also Reversal Demon Punish this move on block if she does this move deep.

st.MK

This is a normal to simply recognise as this normal is one of Nina’s main starters for her Tekken Strings.

cr.MP

This normal moves Nina along the ground and at some good distance also. She can use this normal for whiff punishment so it is best to learn the range of this move so that you don’t get whiff punished and then killed for it.

cr.HP

This is Nina’s main anti-air of choice against you. It moves her forwards a bit so that she can punish your shallow jump ins also.

This anti-air loses to cross-ups though. You can also approach her with some EX Air Fireballs so that you can lock her down and put some pressure on her.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

IVORY CUTTER ( LP + MK )
Nina spins around and hits you with her arms and legs.

This is Nina’s only overhead move and it is a good one.

It has some good reach and if she has meter, she can switch cancel into her partner for some extra damage.

Nina Players will use this move should you keep on holding Down-Back against her.

If you can successfully block this move, you will be rewarded with a Reversal Demon on block.

This move also ground bounces on airborne opponents just something to mention should she catch you whilst you are jumping backwards.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO SERIES

Nina’s Left Right Combo Series is a series of string attacks that start from her Left Right combo. Do note that she can chain into her regular normals such as a sweep at any time during these strings.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO (LP > MP)
Standard Left Right Combo from Tekken.

Nina’s Left Right Combo is a really safe move against you. It is safe to everything in your arsenal including a Reversal Demon on block.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO TO SPIDER KNEE (LP > MP > LK)
Nina does her Left Right Combo and then does striking knee

Unlike her Left Right Combo, Nina’s Left Right Combo To Spider Knee String is unsafe on block assuming that she completes it.

You can punish her with a Reversal Demon on block.

The last hit is also special cancellable.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE (LP > MP > MK)
Nina Does her Left Right Combo and then ends with a spinning high kick.

This string isn’t as useful as Nina as the last hit of the string is unsafe on block.

You can punish her with a cr.HK sweep or a Far Standing MK into a Cross Rush.

BITING SNAKE (LP > MP > LP > MK)
Nina does 3 punches and then ends in a low kick.

This string is more of a mix-up string to start hitting you low to knock you down so that Nina can pressure you on your wake-up.

With some good practice against this string, the ‘low’ on this string is pretty telegraphed as it is her only option after 3 punches.

The 1st and 2nd hits on block act like Nina’s Left Right Combo on block – Completely safe to your moves.

The 3rd Hit on block is Reversal Demon Punishable

The 4th Hit on block is cr.HK sweep punishable

THE HIGH TO SPIN LOW KICK SERIES
Like her Left Right Combo Series of strings, Nina can chain into her regular normals at any time during these strings.

HIGH TO SPIN LOW KICK (MK > LK)
Nina kicks high and then spins around and goes for a low.

This is Nina’s starter for her other follow-ups. You can’t launch in between the high and the low but you can Reversal DP between it. Just don’t rely on it too much as the first hit on block is safe to your DP.

The best punish against this string is your Reversal Demon. You can Reversal Demon the 1st hit and the 2nd hit on block at any range.

The 1st will take some practice though as the blockstun is pretty small so you only have a small window for the reversal .

BLONDE TO UPPERCUT (MK > LK > MP)
Nina Performs an Uppercut after her High Spin to Low Kick String (MK > LK)

This string is one of Nina’s follow-ups after a High Spin to Low Kick. (MK > LK)

The ender is an uppercut that launches you into the air from which Nina can combo afterwards.

The 2nd and 3rd hits of this string are NOT true blockstrings for you. You can DP in between the 2nd and 3rd hits.

As always, don’t rely on the DP too much though as Nina can just stop the string early at the 2nd hit and then block your DP.

Like her High Spin to Low Kick String, you can Reversal Demon her in between the 2nd and 3rd hits.

BLONDE TO HIGH KICK (MK > LK > MK)
Nina does a high kick after her High Spin to Low Kick String. (MK > LK)

In this string, the high kick ender does not miss on crouching opponents.

However the completed string on block is cr.HK sweep punishable as well as Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

Nina can cancel this move into her Rolling Dash Special afterwards for mix-up potential. It is generally cancelled into her EX Version as it is an unblockable throw.

FLASH KICKS (Down-Forward + LK > LK > LK > MK)
Nina kicks multiple times and then ends in a high kick.

The purpose of this string is mainly just to hit confirm Nina’s moves into her launcher or other specials.

Nina can perform the ender of this string prematurely by doing it after the first kick or the second kick

The first kick on block is Reversal Demon Punishable

The second kick is safe to your Demon

Interestingly the 3rd kick Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

The last kick of this move misses crouching opponents. If you are fast enough you can get a st.HP into her and start a combo of your choice or just Cross Rush her on whiff.

CREEPING SNAKE TO LEFT LOW UPPERCUT (Down-Forward + LK > MP > Down + LK > MP)
Nina does a mix of punches and kicks in this string that would make this description kinda long.

Simply put, this string is a frametrap string which I will detail further below

This string starts with 2 hits: a kick and then a punch

Both of the first 2 hits are Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

From these two hits Nina goes low with a low kick and then ends with her uppercut.

the 3rd and 4th hits of this string don’t combo naturally with the first 2 hits. You can block the last 2.

The 3rd and 4th hits are meant to act as frame traps against your moves. But you can raw launcher her in between the 2nd and 3rd hits of the move.

There also is the option to DP between the 2nd and 3rd hits too. But bear in mind that Nina can stop the string on the 2nd hit and be safe to your DP.

Also the 3rd and 4th hits are NOT true block strings you can also DP in between both of them.

The completed string is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block

CREEPING SNAKE TO LEFT LOW HIGH KICK (Down-Forward + LK > MP > Down + LK > MP)
Nina does her Creeping Snake and then does a low kick and then ends in a high attack.

This string is similar to her Creeping Snake to Low Uppercut String but the ender is different. Instead of an uppercut, Nina ends with a high kick.

This High Kick misses crouching opponents.

Treat the other hits in the ways that you would punish the Creeping Snake To Left Low Uppercut String (Down-Forward + LK > MP > Down + LK > MP)

SPECIALS

SKULL SPLITTER (Reverse DP Motion + Any Punch)
Nina Spins around and hits you with her hand.

Although this move does look like an overhead, it isn’t. This move actually hits low

You could block this move but if you can see it coming, Raw Launcher it and bring in your partner for some damage.

The Versions of this move vary but the heavier the version, the longer the distance that this move travels. The MP and HP Versions are notable as they cause a hard knockdown on hit.

Hence you should learn the range of this move so you can predict it alot easier in your zoning.

The EX Version causes a ground bounce on hit instead. Its main use is to combo you and pretty much nothing else as all versions of this move DO NOT go through fireballs.

GEYSER CANNON (QCB + Any Kick)
Nina spins around and then does a massive twirling kick that launches.

This move is Nina’s main way to keep you in the air whilst juggling you.

Some Nina Players tend to use this move in block strings to make them safe when really you can just Reversal DP her on block. This counts for all Versions of this move including EX.

The Regular Versions of this move do not travel through fireballs

The EX Version does though, so you’ll want to learn the range on the EX Version so that you can bait it out.

The EX Version also is one of Nina’s wake-up moves due to its invincibility. You’ll want to bait this move out as much as you can especially during roll situations to get her to waste meter and punish her on block.

You can punish all of the regular versions of this move with a Reversal DP or Demon

You can punish the EX Version with a Reversal DP or a cr.MP into a solo combo or a Cross Rush

ROLLING DASH (HCF + Any Kick)
Nina slides and then goes into one of her Tekken Multi Throws.

By itself this move is just an evasive slide.

Ok so there is only one multi throw here but comments aside, this move does go through your fireballs. Nina can use this move to avoid them and punish you with her multi-throw.

Unlike Tekken there is no ‘break’ that the opposing player must do if they are ever grabbed by Nina’s throw. Its all down to the Nina Player to input the moves successfully.

You’ll want to learn the range on the HK Version so that you can predict it in your zoning, get her to whiff it so that you can punish her during her recovery.

> BACKHAND SLAP (Any Two Punches During Rolling Dash)
Nina grabs the opponent’s arm and then uppercuts them in the chin.

This is the most notable follow-up to Nina’s Rolling Dash as it is a start for her multi-throw afterwards.

The regular versions of this move do not grab those who crouch. You can just block the move and then punish with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush

The EX Version is the version that you should be looking out for the most though as it is an unblockable attack and it is sometimes used in Nina’s up close pressure from her strings such as her Left Right Combo Series of strings.

You’ll have to practice against the string and look for the EX flash from Nina. The EX Flash itself is not invincible to anything so you can interrupt her out of it or throw her out of it.

The EX Version is also sometimes used as a way to finish you off if you have low health or on your wake-up should you decide to block. If this is the case Teleport out of there to safety.

> ARM BREAK (Any Two Punches During Backhand Slap)
Nina breaks one of her opponents’ arms.

Not much to note here if you are getting hit by this but if Nina screws up you will break the throw.

> DOUBLE ARM BREAK (Any Two Punches During Arm Break)
Nina breaks both of her opponents’ arms.

If Nina screws this portion of the throw up then you will hit her out of the throw for some damage against her. This could lead to some odd KO moments if she happens to be low on health.

BLONDE BOMB (QCF + Any Punch)
Nina does basically a kamekameha with her hands.

This move is mainly used as a combo ender.

Don’t know why some Nina Players do these in block-strings as this move is unsafe on block.

The LP Version is cr.MK punishable. From there you can go into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

The MP Version is also cr.MK punishable and you can go into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush

The HP Version isn’t even a true blockstring with her cr.MK (which is her main special cancellable normal) so you can DP or even Misogi her in between the hits.

Though personally, treat the regular versions on block as if you were to block the LP Version unless you are good at recognising different Versions of Nina’s
Blonde Bomb

The EX Version goes through fireballs unlike the regular versions and causes a crumple on hit.

Make sure you learn the range of this move so that you can predict it during your zoning. She has to react the moment she sees your hands draw back for the fireball (assuming you use the HP Version) otherwise you will be able to block her.

Also try to refrain from throwing jump back air fireballs around her cr.MK range whilst she has meter as she can go under you and hit you whilst you are coming down.

On block this move is completely safe to your moves including your Demon so you will want her to whiff this move so that you can punish her during her recovery.

Oh and like any other character Nina can put some pressure on you using this move as it is her charge move. By using charge cancels which are unsafe if she dashes forwards.

DOUBLE EXPLOSION (QCF + All Punches)

Nina’s super can be quite tricky to get around at first but it’s still as punishable as other Super Arts

This Super Art has two uses:
[LIST]
[]As a Fireball Punisher
[]To Kill you during a combo
[/LIST]
The 2nd use is the main use for this super as the range on this move for fireball punisher is pretty small when compared to moves like Chun Li’s super.

To block this super, you must block rolling part low and then for the rest, you must block the other parts standing as they are overheads.

The completed super is punishable with a Far Standing HK into a Cross Rush. You will have to walk forwards a little before you do the Far Standing HK though.

ALL IN ALL

Ok so I’ll admit it Nina is a beast up close but fortunately for you. She doesn’t fare very well from full screen. Her options are extremely limited. She doesn’t have any special flips and that to get her across the screen. Hence a strong zoning game by you is one of the keys to Nina’s demise just remember to learn the ranges on her normals and her anti-fireball moves so that you can space yourself properly and punish her attempts to get in.

Also despite her close range game being so good. It loses to down-back for the most part. From a Down-Back position, the only way for her to open you up outside of jumping in your face is her overhead the Ivory Cuttter (LP + MP.) So you can hold down-back for the most part when she gets in and then teleport out to safety if she is putting too much pressure on you.

Try to knock her down alot as well by punishing her unsafe strings with cr.HK sweep on block so that you can get her rolling and wasting her meter. Nina’s wake-up options aren’t the strongest unless she has meter on her side.

[Norieaga]

I figured out a use for the DF repertoire. If you charge the kick after a knockdown, you can time it late and deep to stuff certain reversals. I’ll see what kind of moves can be stuffed as I go along. If you don’t commit to the actual kick then you can force your opponent to roll out of fear while you dash in or out. I’m gonna experiment with this.

[SolidRose]

I figured out a use for the DF repertoire. If you charge the kick after a knockdown, you can time it late and deep to stuff certain reversals. I’ll see what kind of moves can be stuffed as I go along. If you don’t commit to the actual kick then you can force your opponent to roll out of fear while you dash in or out. I’m gonna experiment with this.

What kind of knockdown are we talking about here? Cr.HK? , DF > Palm? , DF > Sweep? If it’s Cr.HK that would be great.

Been doing some tricks myself in the lab by canceling into KKK Teleport on incoming after a Cross Rush or a Switch Cancel combo. Been using it to bait rolls since I tend to zone a lot so my opponents tend to also roll a lot towards me.

[Norieaga]

Its off of a fwd throw. You can do it after sweep but the timing is REALLY tight, plus you have to make sure your dash recovers before your opponent rolls so that he can’t hit you with anything.

[SolidRose]

Next Up Raven

OVERVIEW

Generally touted as arguably the most braindead character in SF X Tekken next to Hugo and Heihachi, Raven is an absolute beast. It’s a surprise as to what Capcom did to him to make the guy so strong as a character. With some high damage potential very strong jab pressure up close complimented with a very long backdash and average health. Raven can be a tough one to take down.

Raven does suffer in the wake-up department though. Although he has some wake-up moves, they aren’t invincible on the first frame (minus his backdash and his teleport). His specials for the most part are not safe also. Some things to take advantage of in this uphill battle.

APPROACH TACTICS

TELEPORTING

Raven Players will use their teleports in order to get in and by pass your zoning. It has some ridiculous recovery on it and it also isn’t helped by the fact that the teleport tracks your current location. You’ll want to bait these out as much as you can during this match-up in order to win.

THROWING NINJA STARS

Raven’s projectiles are a little different from the rest of the cast as they can be thrown in the air horizontally (compared to Akuma’s which can only be thrown at an angle.) They can be used as both zoning tools and as a way to create offense.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

st.LP

Raven’s st.LP packs some great frame advantage on block (about +4 I believe.) With jab pressure being a viable tactic in this game you can be sure that Raven is going to tap you mercilessly with these for days.

Something to note about Raven’s st.LP is that the further he is away from you, the greater the frame gap he leaves.

If he starts hitting you at around his elbow you can reversal DP him through the blockstun but this really does depend on the speed at which he does the move.

You can backdash out of the st.LP punishment though assuming you are midscreen. If you are in the corner without meter, then a teleport is arguably your better choice.

There also is the option to alpha counter him should you have the meter.

Far Standing HP

Just a notable one for the simple fact that this normal will put you in a crumple state on counter hit. So watch out if you see some Raven Players charging up so that they can get a free counter hit from you.

cr.MK

Raven’s cr.MK is his best normal for canceling into his specials. It has some decent range but it stays active for a little longer than most cr.MKs which you can use to your advantage.

Whiff punish it with a cr.HK sweep or a st.MK into a Cross Rush.

st.MK

One of two of Raven’s anti-airs. This anti-air tends to beat your regular jump ins even counter hitting you out of them.

He can’t special cancel this normal though so if he does counter hit you, he can’t really follow-up with it unless he tags out into his partner.

As an anti-air this move loses to your cross-ups and your up close jump-ins such as ones from your regular dive kick (down + MK) provided that you have the right spacing in mind.

cr.MP

Raven’s second anti-air and it is arguably Raven’s best anti-air of choice against your jump-ins as it not only lowers his hitbox but he can also special cancel this move afterwards.

Like his st.MK, this anti-air loses to your cross-ups as well as your up close jump-ins.

If you have some meter to spare you can also approach him with some EX Air Fireballs to put some pressure on him. These will stuff both of his anti-airs since they don’t have any invincibility.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

STORMBRINGER (Forward + MK > MK or HK)
A 2 hit kick string that can be blocked either standing or crouching.

Apart from looking a bit flashy, this move does go over your low attacks

This string is safe to your normals and DP but you can Reversal Demon both hits on block should he decide not to finish the string.

SKULL SMASHER SERIES
The Skull Smasher Series of strings are a set of strings that Raven can use to easily open you up and score some damage.
They take some time to get used to and practice against but with some practice you can react to the versions and punish accordingly.

SKULL SMASHER (Back + MK > LK)
A 2 hit kick string that can be blocked either standing or crouching.

There isn’t really much you can do on block against this string other than a Reversal Demon on block. This works for both hits of the string on block.

It does push Raven back a little though putting you back into your ideal footsie range.

SKULL SMASHER FEINT (Back + MK > MK)
A 2 hit kick string that ends in an overhead.

This is a string to watch out for against Raven as the second hit causes a ground bounce on hit. Allowing Raven to start his damaging combo game.

The overhead follow-up is unsafe on block to your st.LP into a Cross Rush though. You will have to walk a little bit forwards to get the st.LP to connect on block.

There also is the option to DP between the 1st and 2nd hits into your partner but don’t rely on it too much as the 1st hit on block is safe to your DP. So some Raven Players may just stop the string short.

SKULL SMASHER FEINT LOW (Back + MK > HK)
A 2 hit kick string that ends in a low.

This string is mixed up along with Raven’s Skull Smasher Feint String (Back + MK > MK) for a high/low mix-up against you.

The low is a little slower than the overhead option though so if you can see this coming you can raw launcher it (pretty strict timing), DP in between it or you can just block it and take your punish in the form of a st.LP into a Cross Rush.

For those who learn by the game sounds and audio, Raven makes the same noise every single time he does either the overhead or the low option. So you can listen to his shouts and then react accordingly.

SPECIALS

CROSSED NINJA STARS (QCF + Any Punch)
Raven throws his ninja stars at you.

This move has two main uses
[LIST]
[]To act as a zoning tool to keep you out
[]To act as a way for Raven to get in and apply his pressure.
[/LIST]
One thing to note about this move is that Raven cannot perform any moves after he does this move until he lands on the floor again.

As a zoning tool this move is pretty annoying to deal with due to the fact that it is really hard to hit Raven whilst he does this move assuming he jumps back.

Interestingly you can walk Raven to the edge of the stage and if he still insists on throwing these out, a Misogi on reaction will catch him whilst he is doing it assuming he jumps in the corner.

Raven Players tend to avoid corner situations though due to his not so great ‘Get Off Me’ moves.

As a pressure tool this move puts you in some decent blockstun on block and Raven Players from this point will either teleport in front of you or behind you using his Haze speical move and it is up to you to predict this and punish it.

Generally most Raven Players tend to go for the cross-up teleport just to check if you are blocking correctly but be aware of the frontal approach also.

If Raven just does this move on the ground you can EX Demon Flip over him and follow-up with either your Palm or your Throw Follow-up. The palm is preferable in case he tries to jump afterwards but you can use the throw if you think that he is going to block or you screw up your timing. You’ll want to Demon Flip the moment he draws his Ninja Stars from… wherever he keeps that stash of ninja stars.

The EX Version hits twice. It is mainly used in either the fireball war to throw you off or to extend his combos. Not much to mention here other than you will either see this move if you are being juggled to death or Raven gets a little bit too uncomfortable with your zoning.

HAZE (DP or Reverse DP Motion + All Punches or All Kicks)
A.K.A Raven’s Teleport

This is Raven’s main way to not only by pass your zoning but also create some space against you as a wake-up attack.

Depending on what Version he does, where Raven will end up can change.

**DP Motion + All Punches **

This version tracks only behind you from where you are currently are. It is advised that whilst zoning Raven that you keep your Air fireballs low to the ground so that if he does teleport behind you, you can punish him for it on his recovery with a DP into your partner.

Reverse DP Motion + All Punches

This version teleports Raven backwards further than his kick variants. It isn’t used as much when Raven has 2 bars or more as the motion overlaps with Raven’s Super Art. But you can expect to see it whilst Raven doesn’t have 2 bars or more.

You can Option Select a Demon from a regular jump in on his wake-up should he try to use this to get away from you. This will also catch his backdash as well as it will work with his other Kick Variant.

DP Motion + All Kicks

This version teleports Raven in front of you instead of behind you unlike his kick variant. Reactions will be key here during your zoning to be honest so that you can punish him during his recovery.

A good training exercise against both his front and behind teleport,is to set Raven to record and randomly teleport behind you whilst you are zoning him out and then get him to mash on LPs during his recovery. By doing this, you will get a feel for the recovery on his teleport and you will be able to find out how low you should do your air fireballs in order to be safe. It isn’t foolproof by any means but it is a start

**Reverse DP Motion + All Kicks **

Same as his Reverse DP Motion + All Punches Version only it travels less distance so it is easier to punish.

One thing to mention about Raven’s teleport is that it is not very effective in corner situations as the versions track your current positions and/or teleport him backwards…straight back into the corner.

ALTER EGO (QCF + Any Kick)
Raven Shouts and then using his gadgets, launches an attack

Depending on what version Raven uses, the properties of this move can change.

The LK Version hits as a low attack

The MK Version hits as an overhead

The HK Version looks a little tricky at first but you can block it either standing or crouching.

It is important to note that all versions of this move are unsafe on block and this is a move that you should watch out for exclusively against Raven as it will lead to really strong punishes from you in the form of your st.HP, DP or Cross Rush into your partner for some extra damage.

The EX Versions of this move are similar to the regular versions only the EX Version of the HK Version causes a wall bounce on hit.

The EX Version of the MK Version is also a decent ‘Get Off Me’ move from Raven due to its invincibility on start-up. You’ll want to bait this out as much as possible against Raven by watching his meter as it’s his most viable way to get you off of him aside from his teleport.

WIND CROSS (QCB + Any Punch)
Raven runs in your face with his two kunais for a slash attack

This move has two uses:
[LIST]
[]As a Fireball Punisher
[]As a Combo Starter
[*]As a Mix-up Tool
[/LIST]
With the right timing, this move can go through your fireballs. Hence you’ll want to learn the range on this move so that you can get him whiff it if he tries to do it.

On whiff you can punish him with whatever you please. St.HP into a Solo Combo, Cross Rush or a Demon etc.

All versions travel the same distance making learning the range on this move not as bad as you may think.

As a Combo Starter, many a player who has been hit by Raven knows what this leads to MORE DAMAGE.

As a Mix-up Tool, this move can be followed up by pressing a punch button again for a cross-up

Simply block forwards for the intial move and then block the other way for the cross-up

Your best punish against this move on block is either your Demon if you have meter or you st.MK into a Cross Rush if you don’t have any meter. Depending on where he finishes, you may or may not have to walk forwards a bit before punishing him.

Something to note about this move is that, the further away he is from you when he starts this move, the closer he will be to you on his recovery assuming that he doesn’t perform the follow-up. If he does then he will be in the position that he started from.

The EX Version has another follow-up that misses on crouching opponents. So your best bet is to crouch block this move so that you can avoid the follow-up from the EX Version should he try to do it against you.

If you are even interested in blocking the EX Version then you should just block the in the other direction as if you were blocking the first hit of the move.

The EX Version is really punishable on block. Punish with a st.HP or if you have the right spacing, a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo. You could also Cross Rush him into your partner, but start with a Heavy Normal for less damage scaling.

Raven can use the EX Version as a Reversal Attack but it isn’t invincible on the first frame to lets say a DP so you can stuff him on his wake-up as well as safejump him with a Regular Dive Kick (Down + MK) on his wake-up.

This is also Raven’s Charge Move and like any other character, Raven can do some Charge Cancels with this move, these are unsafe if you block the normal and he dashes forwards to your DP.

Raven can also use this move to bring in his partner as well. Punishing his partner on incoming can be a little confusing at first but with some practice it is doable. You can punish his partner on incoming with a st.HP into a full combo or a Cross Rush.

DOPPLEGANGER (QCF + All Punches)

Raven’s Super Art is just a ‘Super’ Version of his Wind Cross (QCB + Any Punch) special. It is a lot better at going through your fireballs due to its increased invincibility.

Outside of going through fireballs, expect Raven to use this just to finish you off when you don’t have a lot of health left.

ALL IN ALL

Momentum is the key word here against Raven. The more pressure you can put on him and the more that you can get him reversal happy via knocking him down, the better your chances are at defeating him.

His specials are pretty unsafe so you can punish him as I have mentioned above.

Also Raven’s gameplan can be a little linear at times. Sure he has those teleports and tricks but after a while it just becomes the same old stuff to be honest. So you can take advantage of that weakness. He only has two overheads, both of which are unsafe on block. So you can hold down-back for the most part against him.

Remember to backdash his st.LP pressure also.

Forcing Raven to the corner is another good way to defeat Raven as Raven doesn’t have a great answer to corner pressure which you can really abuse against him by keeping him in the corner and controlling the corner with your fireballs.

A strong footsie game by you is also another good way to defeat Raven as whilst Raven has some decent normals, your footsies are pretty strong against him. You can constantly keep on faking him out and screwing over his ranges using your cr.HK sweep or whiff punishing him with your st.MK / cr.MK.

If all else fails you can always pair up Akuma with a partner who has a better time against Raven

[SolidRose]

Next Up Yoshimitsu

OVERVIEW

Ikkei Tousen! Yoshimitsu is here to show the Street Fighter cast the weirdness of having a Ninja Blade and speaking in some ancient Japanese dialect that those in the western world struggle to pronounce.

Although Yoshi is considered by many to be the worst character in the game. The leader of the Manji Clan can give you the strength of a thousand and more with his great setups and his very unorthadox zoning game and moves.

To counteract this Yoshi suffers from having some not so great reach on the ground despite having a sword and a lot of his moves are unsafe for the most part.

APPROACH TACTICS

MANJI VACCUUM DANCE (A.K.A TELPORTING IN YOUR FACE)

Yoshi’s teleport is a good way for him to bypass your zoning and get in your face. Whilst it isn’t as strong as Raven’s due its increased recovery time, if you get too predictable with your fireballs, Yoshi can teleport behind you can hit you for some damage.

Hence you’ll want to do your air fireballs low to the ground and try to mix up your ground fireballs as much as you can.

THE POISON WIND SERIES

The Poison Wind Series is a series of Tekken Strings Yoshi has in order to really confuse you and open you up. These will be covered in more detail below.

KEEPING YOU OUT

Yoshi has a very weird zoning game. Which is great from the standpoint of someone who plays Tekken and enjoys it as it fits the actual character. For those who have never faced Yoshi before…, then things start to get a bit tricky.

Yoshi’s Zoning Game consists of two main moves:
[LIST]
[]His Sword Poke Windmill
[]His J.HP
[/LIST]
Although it may not be much these two moves can really keep you out which is a pain especially if he has the life lead.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

J.HP

Yoshi’s J.HP is arguably his best air to air normal against you. It hits multiple times and has a good hitbox.

You could take the risk and go air to air with him though. Just make sure that you learn the reach of this move so that you have a better chance of winning against him.

J.HK

Just a normal to note as this move causes a ground-bounce on hit. Unlike other ground-bounces though this move is techable. You can quickstand out of the ground bounce even if the move counter hits you.

St.MK

Yoshi’s St.MK is arguably his best poke against you on the ground, it has some good reach and it’s special cancelable.

Like any poke, you’ll want to learn the range of this move so that you can whiff punish it in footsies.

As Yoshi doesn’t have the greatest reach on the ground, he will be relying on you to whiff your normals so that he can whiff punish you. So you want to make sure that you try to not make your normals whiff around him whilst playing footsies with him.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

FLEA (Down + All Kicks)
Yoshi balances on top of his sword.

Yoshi’s Flea Stance is pretty much the defining characteristic of his uniqueness in SF X Tekken.

A couple things to note about Yoshi’s Flea stance is that:

[LIST]
[]Whilst in this stance, Yoshi cannot move backwards and forwards. He can only jump.
[]He also is immune to low attacks for one hit only assuming he stays in his current position.
[]He cannot block whilst he is in this stance
[]In order to cancel his stance, he must manually stop it or perform a Sliding Headbutt. He can’t dash out of it like say someone like Hwoarang.
[/LIST]

FLEA TO SLIDING HEADBUTT (Any Kick During Flea)
Yoshi slides himself into you causing a very comical crumple state on hit.

This is Yoshi’s main offensive tool from his Flea Stance. You can expect to see this move quite often as Yoshi doesn’t have alot of lows. In fact, this is his only low attack outside of his cr.HK sweep.

For those who are wondering, you can’t raw launcher this move. Instead, blocking it is arguably your best option.

Punishing this move can be a little odd at first.

Your most reliable punish on block without 2 bars is your DP (if not then just go for the Reversal Demon if he has low health). Preferably the MP Version on Reversal as you will get the most hits, you can wait and then go for a HP Version also.

There also is the option to cr.MP him into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

And for those who are really good with their punishment, you can stick in a close standing HP into a full combo but the timing for this is a little strict.

If you punish too early, then Yoshi will reset SF4 style and your follow-up move will whiff.

If you punish too late then Yoshi will be able to block in time.

JUMPING FLEA (Up-Back , Up or Up-Forward During Flea)
Yoshi jumps around with his sword.

This is where fighting against Yoshi can become a little bit of a pain. This move may only do 60 damage but it all adds up if he hits you with lets say 5 of these.

As jumping attacks hit crouching opponents, Yoshi will be using this move to condition you into stand blocking against him so that he can catch you off guard with his Sliding Headbutt follow-up.

Yoshi’s sword becomes a massive hitbox during this move so anti-airing him can be really difficult without meter. Don’t even bother trying to cr.HP him as you will most likely be counter hitted out of it.

For anti-airing him you’ll want to anti-air him with a DP at the peak of his jump. Outside of that you will either trade or whiff your regular DP (the latter is assuming that he jumps up close.) You could use an EX DP to beat him clean though but it isn’t worth the meter in my opinion.

Your best way to get out of the pressure is your teleport. Yoshi doesn’t jump very far with this move and as mentioned before he has to manually exit his stance rather than dash out of it.

FLEA RELEASE (Any Punch)
Yoshi gets off of his sword.

Not much to mention here but this is Yoshi’s main way to exit his Flea stance without attacking you. If you are near him or you can see this move coming, you can EX Demon Flip > Palm follow-up him in the face for a full combo.

TRIPLE ROUNDHOUSE COMBO (Forward + HK)
Yoshi performs 3 spinning kicks .

The main use of this move is in combos. Outside of them, they aren’t a very strong tool against you as they miss crouching opponents.

You can punish him with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush if he is near to you and if he decides to use the move raw in your face.

Just out of interest, if you decide to block this move, you can Reversal DP it if it is done deep. If it is done shallow, then your best punish is a Reversal Demon

POISON WIND SERIES
The Poison Wind Series of strings is a series of strings that Yoshimitsu can use against you in order to confuse the hell out of you. He can’t chain into regular normals out of these strings though.

The main thing to note about this series of strings is that all of the starters of this string start from his Forward + MK overhead. This overhead is unsafe on block to your DP or a close standing HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

Hence you will want to the learn the move’s range so that you can read this move and punish accordingly.

POISON WIND BRONZE FIST (Forward + MK > MP > Back, Back)
Yoshi does a flip, slaps you in the face and then backdashes.

As flashy as this string looks, it loses to your DP on block. Every hit of this string including the backdash can be DPed on block into your partner.

The 1st hit on block is his Forward + MK overhead, you can punish this as I have mentioned before.

The 2nd hit(s) on block is unsafe to your St.HP.

The 3rd phase of the move is Yoshi’s backdash, Yoshi’s backdash doesn’t travel very far so it is pretty simple to just DP him out of it.

If you are ever hit by this string, the best thing to do is just block. As he is safe to your DP and your Demon.

POISON WIND SILVER FIST (Forward + MK > MP > Any Kick)
Yoshi does a flip, slaps you in the face and then backflips.

This string is similar to his Poison Wind Bronze Fist only with a different ender this time.

This time the ender is a backflip from Yoshi.

Treat the 1st and 2nd hits on block like the 1st and 2nd hits from his Poison Wind Bronze Fist String (Forward + MK > MP > Back, Back)

The backflip ender has no invincibility. So if you successfully block this string then you can DP him afterwards or you can st.HP him into a Solo Combo or just Cross Rush him afterwards.

POISON WIND GOLD FIST (Forward + MK > MP > Any Kick > Any Punch)
Yoshi does a flip, slaps you in the face, backflips and then comes back again for a long reaching sword strike.

This string is an extension to his Poison Wind Silver Fist String (Forward + MK > MP > Any Kick)

The ender this time is a long reaching sword attack that launches you pretty high into the air.

Treat all of the other hits on block as you would for punishing his Poison Wind Silver Fist String (Forward + MK > MP > Any Kick)

If you can successfully block and punish the beginning of this string, then you won’t have to worry about the ender.

The ender is safe on block to your stuff including your Demon. You can however, interupt it with a Far Standing HK assuming that he even bothers to finish the string.

POISON WIND BRONZE FIST STEEL FIST (Forward + MK > MP > Forward + MK)
Yoshi does a flip, slaps you in the face and then does another flip.

This string is similar to Yoshi’s Poison Wind Bronze Fist (Forward + MK > MP > Back, Back) only the ender is different.

Instead of backdashing, Yoshi will go for another Forward + MK overhead.

Your best option to block this move to be honest. Just practice blocking that overhead follow-up and punish it on block as mentioned before.

Overall the main key for beating these series’ of strings is to make sure that you block the overhead, I can’t really stress this enough as blocking the overhead leads to guaranteed free punishes on block.

[SolidRose]

Yoshimitsu Continued

SPECIALS

POISON BREATH (HCB + Any Kick)
Yoshi breathes his poison breath in your face.

Depending on what version of this move Yoshi does, the properties of this move can change.

The LK and MK Versions are like standalone projectile attacks. With the MK Version having a little bit more start-up than the LK version. These versions are generally used as blockstrings against you similar to a cr.MK > Hadoken string (only without the horrible advantage on block.)

If Yoshi does any of his cancelable normals into the MK Version it is not a true blockstring, you can DP between the hits on block.

The HK Version is the most notable version as it causes a crumple state on both regular and counter hit.

If Yoshi times it right, this can be a good anti-air against your regular jump-ins. It does lose to your cross-up attacks though.

The HK Version can be used in roll situations against you to hit you as meaty whilst you are getting up.

The EX Version has the start-up of the lighter versions but it has the properties of the Heavy Version. It is used as a combo extender for Yoshi’s solo combos but not really much else.

On block you can punish the all Versions of this move with a Far Standing HP into a Launcher or a Cr.HK sweep assuming that he does the move deep.

If he does the move shallow, then you can punish with a Reversal Demon on block.

FLEA TO POISON BREATH (HCB + Any Kick During Flea)
Yoshimitsu does his Poison Breath attack whilst in his Flea stance.

This move is similar to his Poison Breath only it can be done from his flea stance.

You can block this move either standing or crouching.

Outside of that this move is really unsafe on block as Yoshi doesn’t return to his normal fighting stance afterwards. He returns to his Flea stance instead so you can punish it with a Far Standing HK into a Cross Rush or a Solo combo depending on the distance between you and him when he does it.

Tested for all versions of the move.

GEHOSEN (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Yoshimitsu’s SRK or DP move

This move has two uses:
[LIST]
[]In combo situations
[]As an anti-air
[/LIST]
In combo situations we know what we are going to see here: Akuma being juggled to death.

As an anti-air it is not a bad one against you if he times it right and he spaces himself properly.

It does whiff against your cross-ups though.

Different Versions of the move move Yoshi forwards at different distances with the LP Version moving him the least distance and the EX Version moving him the most distance.

If he decides to do this move raw in your face then if he does it deep, you can punish him with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

If he decides to do this move shallow, then you can punish him with a Far Standing HP into a Cross Rush or a Cr.HK sweep for a knockdown.

The EX Version packs some good invincibility and is good enough to go through the regular versions of your DP. You’ll want to bait this move out as much as you can against Yoshi as it is his best ‘Get-off Me’ move minus his super.

You can safejump this move after a sweep or a hard knockdown by doing a regular divekick (down + MK) on his wake-up assuming he doesn’t roll.

SUICIDE (HCB > Forward + Any Punch)
Yoshimitsu turns around then stabs himself in the hope of hitting you too.

One thing to note about this move is that it hits as an overhead. So block it high if you can see it coming.

Other than that this move is really punishable on block. Punish with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block

The EX Version hits twice instead of once. You can interrupt the second hit with your DP or you can st.HP him into a full combo of your choice assuming he does the move deep.

If it is done shallow then you can punish this with a Far Standing HP into a Cross Rush.

If it is done shallow then you can punish this with a Far Standing HP into a Cross Rush.

SLAP U SILLY (QCF + Any Punch)
Yoshimitsu slaps u crazy!

Depending on what version Yoshi does the duration of the move changes.

The LP Version lasts the shortest whereas the HP Version lasts the longest.

This move can also be mashed as well for more hits. Too much though and Yoshi goes into a spin state putting him into a hard knockdown position. From which he can roll if he chooses to.

The spin state is pretty punishable on block. You can punish him with at st.HP into a solo combo or a Cross Rush before he falls to the floor.

The heavier versions of this move are notable as they allow Yoshi to bring in his partner especially when he has low health. If you have the meter you can Alpha counter him or if you have 2 bars, you can Reversal Demon him afterwards. This is assuming his partner wants to jump over you and go for a cross-up or something like that.

The EX Version is the best version of this move for Yoshi. It packs all of the usefulness of the mashed versions of his regular versions but without the spinning effect.

On block you can punish the EX Version with a st.LP or a DP (preferably MP Version to get all of the hits) or a Demon on block.

Like his other versions, you can Alpha Counter him if he tries to bring in his partner whilst trying to do this move or you could Demon him if his partner wants to cross you up or jump at you.

STONE FISTS (QCF + Any Kick)
Yoshi hits you low with his feet (despite the move being called ‘Stone Fists’ tsk tsk Capcom)

This move is similar to his Slap U Silly (QCF + Any Punch) only it hits low.

This move has slightly longer reach than his Slap U Silly (QCF + Any Punch)

Depending on what version Yoshi does the duration of the move can change. With the heavier versions lasting longer than the lighter versions.

This move can be mashed also for extra hits putting Yoshi into a spinning state. But it is really punishable on block to a st.HP into a full combo or a Cross Rush.

If he does this move deep, all Versions of this move can be punished with your DP on block. If he does it shallow then you can only Demon him on block.

Like his Slap U Silly (QCF + Any Punch) this move can be used to bring in his partner when he is low on health.

Alpha Counter him like you would usually and/or Demon him if his partner tries to cross you up or jump afterwards.

The EX Version doesn’t put Yoshi in a spin state but hits as much as the mashed versions. Punish it like how you would punish Slap U Silly on block.

INDIAN STANCE VACUUM DANCE (DP Motion / Reverse DP Motion + All Punches or All Kicks)
Yoshi’s Teleport

Different Versions Teleport Yoshi to different areas on the screen. Unlike Raven this teleport has a longer recovery period than his one making it easier to punish during his recovery.

One thing to note about Yoshi’s teleport is that like Raven’s, his teleport tracks your current location. This is good for getting through your fireball zoning but bad in corner situations as he will teleport right next to you if he tries to use it as a escape tool or straight back into the corner.

**DP Motion + All Punches **

This version teleports Yoshi behind you. It is good for by passing your fireball zoning but Yoshi but as long as your zoning is on point you can recover in time and punish him during his recovery during your zoning. Unless he catches you doing a Shakunetsu.

**Reverse DP Motion + All Punches **

This version Teleports Yoshi backwards. It is a lot longer than his Kick variant and it doesn’t overlap with his Super unlike Raven.

DP Motion + All Kicks

This version teleports Yoshi in front of you. It is used as kind of a mix-up to throw you off.

Reverse DP Motion + All Kicks

This version teleports Yoshi backwards but it isn’t as far as his All Punches Version.

SWORD POKE WINDMILL (HCB + Any Punch)
Yoshi spins his sword and sucks you in like a Vaccuum.

Maybe it’s just me but I think this is the move that saves Yoshimitsu from being practically almost unusable as a character in SF X Tekken.

This move is really good for keeping you out due to its massive hitbox near Yoshi. The only thing that you have in your arsenal without 2 bars that can reach over and hit him is your Demon Flip > Dive Kick.

The regular versions of this move start sucking you inwards at about halfscreen’s distance away

The EX Version is almost fullscreen.

You’ll want to learn the range on these versions so that you can punish them with your Demon Flip Divekick.

You will have to use the EX Demon Flip to punish Yoshi’s EX Version of his move. You could also use a regular one too if you have some good reactions.

This move is weak to fireballs. But you can get sucked in still if he reads you putting him at some decent advantage. Your best bet is to just block and see what he does next and then react accordingly.

You can also Misogi him too if he decides to bust this move out randomly against you.

Like his Slap U Crazy and his Stone Fists, this move can be used to bring in his partner. You can Alpha Counter him during the blockstun or Reversal DP him if his partner doesn’t put any blockstring behind the move because it is unsafe to your DP.

SWORD POKE WHIRLWIND (HCB + All Punches)

Yoshi’s Super is a ‘Super’ Version of his EX Sword Poke Windmill attack. It travels about the same distance only for you it will hit you harder if he connects the move successfully.

This move is still weak to your fireballs though.

Treat this move like his EX Sword Poke Windmill if he does it raw. Learn the range on it and Misogi him if you have two bars.

ALL IN ALL

Although Yoshi is considered to be pretty bad, it still doesn’t mean that you should hang back and think that it will be easy to win. Yoshi has his tricks as well and he is a weird one to tackle at first. But with the right punishment and spacing then he is beatable.

Yoshi’s strength is his ability as a great set-up character for his partner. Yoshi relies on his partner alot to deal the rest of the damage whilst he sets it up. Hence severely damaging Yoshi’s partner is a good way to defeat Yoshi himself. Especially if that partner doesn’t have a safe tag without having to burn meter.

Watch out for Yoshi’s Flea Stance and punish the follow-ups on it as I have mentioned before and remember to Alpha Counter and/or Demon those tags he tries to pull on you when he has low health. The price of raw tagging against Akuma is really high for him as Akuma can punish his partner from anywhere on the screen if he has meter.

[TZA]

I figured out some setups for stuffing certain reversals on wake-up (ex. Chun-Li’s EX SBK) with the non-DF dive kick. If people are interested I can actually make a video? It seems like only SolidRose and I are even on this character forum anymore, lol.

Please share – I’m reading!

Also, thanks as always SolidRose

[SolidRose]

Next up Cammy

OVERVIEW

Considered by many to be one of Akuma’s worst match-ups in SF4 next to Yun, it is kind of hazardous for me to say this but Cammy got better. Her walkspeed is a lot better from SF4, her moves have been made safer and her pokes have improved making her a dangerous footsie character as well as an offensive juggernaut in the field. This along with some tricks Cammy got in SF X Tekken can make her a pain to deal with at first.

Her weaknesses from SF4 are still present though, she doesn’t have an overhead move to open you up and she has to be in your face to cause a threat due to her lacking a projectile attack. She also has slightly less health from SF4 (from 950 to 900) making her easier to KO.

APPROACH TACTICS

SPIRAL ARROW

For those who don’t know and/or this is their first Street Fighter game, Cammy’s Spiral Arrow is a fast move that can catch you off guard and travel under your projectiles. So mix up your fireball zoning as much as you can so that you can bait this move out and punish her on block.

QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE

Cammy’s Quick Spin Knuckle is another move from Cammy that travels through your projectiles. As an anti-fireball move, it is pretty slow as an anti-fireball move though. Unless she catches you throwing a Shakunetsu, then you won’t really be punished by this move. Hence her Spiral Arrow is chosen over this move in general.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION

Cammy’s Hooligan combination can be a little tricky to counter at first for newer players. But I’ll be going through some ways as to how you can counter this move below.

POKING WITH NORMALS (I.E. JAB PRESSURE)

Cammy’s pokes are alot better as footsie tools against you thanks to the chaining system in SF X Tekken. Her st.LP pressure is really abuseable as she can get up to 6 hits of it on you before hit confirming into her Cross Rush.

Hence you will want to learn the range on Cammy’s pokes so that you can whiff punish them in footsies.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

St.LP

As mentioned before Cammy’s jab pressure is really abuseable against you. But like most jab pressure in this game, you can simply backdash and avoid the extra hits.

Because Akuma is Akuma he can also teleport away to safety or you can Alpha Counter her should she try to lock you down with these in the corner.

Far Standing MK

Cammy’s Far Standing MK is a really annoying poke against you. It has a tonne of range on it and it recovers pretty quickly making it hard to whiff punish in footsie situations.

On whiff you can try to whiff punish it with a Far Standing HK if you can or if you are really good with your footsies, you can just about cr.HK sweep her.

There also is the option to interrupt her or just flat out jump in her face whilst she does the move but this is only if she gets REALLY predictable with it.

Close Standing HK

Like her official tag team partner, Chun Li, Cammy’s Close Standing HK is also jump cancelable on hit or block. Unlike her partner though it does allow her to start some better offense due to her not so floaty jump arc.

Assuming Cammy jumps forwards, from a deep Close Standing HK Cammy can only cross you up with her J.LK. She can also do an instant air Cannon Strike from a forward jump.

If you can time your cr.MK just right, you can avoid the J.LK cross-up. Not only that but you can also block her option selects afterwards specifically from her Cannon Spike and even her Super.

You can also block the J.LK cross-up and then Reversal DP her if she decides to get too block string happy up close. This won’t work if she does nothing though.

Against her Instant Air Cannon Strike the best thing you can do is block unless you have two bars stocked for a Reversal Demon. You could DP but it is dependent on how high off the ground she does the Cannon Strike.

Neutral Jump LK

Just something to note here but this is an instant overhead move from Cammy. She will mainly use this to finish you off should you be low on health. As on hit or block it isn’t very strong. You can Reversal DP her on the way down both on hit and on block.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

Cammy doesn’t have any…

SPECIALS

CANNON SPIKE (DP Motion + Any Kick)
A.K.A Cammy’s DP.

Cammy’s Cannon spike is pretty much her DP against you.

Like any other DP the main use of it is anti-airing and as a ‘Get off Me’ move.

You’ll want to bait this move out as a ‘Get off Me’ move as it is the main time when Cammy is most vulnerable against you apart from her Super.

As a move it got a lot better from SF4. As the move puts you in a floatier state than before.

(Just out of interest, if you pair up Cammy with Akuma, you can get Cammy to do a HK Cannon Spike and from there, a Switch Cancel into Akuma will allow you to land your Misogi anywhere on the screen for the full animation.)

You’ll want to block this move crouching so that she does the move deep instead of shallow. This is so that you can get stronger punishes on block.

All regular Versions of Cammy’s Cannon Spike can be punished on block with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush. You’ll have to walk a little bit forward for the Far Standing HK to connect though.

Her Cannon Spike also isn’t great in Switch Cancel situations, you can Reversal DP her partner whilst they are running in on block.

The EX Version has some more invincibility but it is still as punishable as ever on block by you by your Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on Block.

You can also punish this move like the regular versions in switch cancel situations too.

Also as an anti-air this loses to up close jump-ins such as ones from your cross up tatsu.

QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE (HCB + Any Punch)
Cammy spins around then does a 2 hit combo using her arm.

Cammy’s Quick Spin Knuckle is a way for Cammy to avoid your fireballs as mentioned before.

Different Versions of this move allow Cammy to travel different distances, with the HK Version travelling the furthest and the LK Version travelling the least distance.

It is pretty slow as one though.

Put it this way, as long as she doesn’t catch you whilst you are doing a Shakunetsu, you will be able to block and recover in time.

The Quick Spin Knuckle has one redeeming factor to it. It is safe on block to everything in Akuma’s arsenal including a Reversal Demon. Hence interrupting her with a DP or a st.HP if your timing is right, is the best way to counter this move

The EX Version is like the regular versions on block only it causes a wall bounce on it. Expect to see this either randomly from Cammy to throw you off or when she is juggling you.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION SERIES
The Hooligan Combation Series’ is a series of moves starting from Cammy’s Hooligan Combination.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION (HCF starting from Down-Forward + Any Punch)
Cammy Jumps up in the air

Different versions of this move will take Cammy different distances.

The LP version takes Cammy upwards a little vertically

The MP version takes Cammy forwards

The HP version takes Cammy forwards more than her MP version.

The EX version tracks your current location, it’s main use is to get past your fireball zoning.

All versions of Cammy’s Hooligan Combination aren’t invincible to fireballs.

You’ll have to predict this move by not only watching her meter but varying your fireballs, so that you are in the correct position to punish the follow-ups.

Cammy jumps upwards into a ball type move. By itself it is pretty easy to punish without an input but with one it becomes a little bit more dangerous.

Any successful air to airs from this move will lead to counter hits allowing you to follow-up for a damaging combo.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > RAZOR’S EDGE SLICER (No Input During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball then does a sliding attack.

This move is safe everything that you have including a Reversal Demon on block.

Just for reference you can’t raw launcher her out of the move on reaction.

Hence reactions will be the key here. Interrupt her with a DP if you think that she is going to do this move.

The properties of this move are the same with the EX Version

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > FATAL LEG TWISTER (LP + LK Near Opponent During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball and then grabs her opponent by the face giving them a frankensteiner to the floor.

The grab in this move is unbreakable similar to your Demon Flip > Throw follow-up.

Something to note about this move is that this move does not grab crouching opponents. So if she misses the grab she will be put in a floating state leaving her open for a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on whiff.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > CROSSED SCISSORS (LP + LK Near Opponent in Air During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball and then air throws her opponent.

This air throw is really annoying due to the fact that you’ll have to predict it from Cammy.

You can take a risk by going air to air with her and trying to punish this move but I wouldn’t rely on it too much as the air throw has some good priority.

Cammy players tend to use this with her EX Version. If he times it right, she can make your DPs whiff.

Your best bet is to try and bait this move out during your fireball zoning and this will take some practice and some good reading skills on your part.

OVERALL
Cammy’s Hooligan Combination is a pain to deal with and you’ll have to rely on your ability to read your opponent and your reaction skills in order to beat it. That is all there is to it.

CANNON STRIKE (QCB + Any Kick During Forward Jump)
Cammy’s dive kick move.

As an approach tactic the regular versions of this move are pretty slow in the air and simple to anti-air.

It can also be blocked either standing or crouching.

The main use of the move is during Cammy’s jump cancels with her Close Standing HK.

Depending on where she hits you with this dive kick the safety of it on block can vary.

If she hits you in your lower leg then it is safe to your DP but not your Reversal Demon.

Any higher and you can reversal DP her on block.

The EX Version can be done from any jump not only forwards. It is also safer than the regular version. It is safe to your reversal Demon.

The EX Version can be used as a instant air move against you. Your best bet is to just block and take the pressure.

SPIRAL ARROW (QCF + Any Kick)
Cammy spins along the ground launching herself into a missle straight into your face.

Depending on what version Cammy does, then the distance that this move travels can change.

The LK version launches her the least distance and the HK version launches her the most distance.

The regular versions of this move are not invincible to fireballs. The EX version however is.

You’ll want to learn the range on the EX Version of this move so that you can predict it and punish it during your zoning.

The safety of this move varies depending on deep or shallow she does the move.

If she does this on the very tip of this move, then you can only Reversal Demon her. This is about where she almost finishes spinning

If she does this move really deep then the move becomes a 2 hitter that you can punish on block with your st.HP/ Cr.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

Any other point on this move, you can punish with your Reversal DP

SPIN DRIVE SMASHER (QCF + All Kicks)

Cammy’s Super surprisingly isn’t as threatening as it used to be in SF4.

It still works versus your air fireballs though so don’t get too air fireball happy against her around the range of this move.

The range on it isn’t as great as it used to be. So much so you can use your Punch Teleport to avoid it completely and get it to whiff.

This even works if she tries to option select you on your wake-up with something like a J.HK.

Interestingly the range increases to just about full screen if she does an EX charge. It is still as punishable on block though.

You can punish this move with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

ALL IN ALL

This is quite a tough one for Akuma to be honest.

Keeping Cammy out can be a pain and her footsies are now alot stronger against you.

But EX moves are more precious in SF X Tekken and her main ways of getting past your zoning are via EX moves or just predicting you properly.

Hence you’ll want to mix up your fireballs as much as you can to keep her guessing and try not to let her get close.

Avoid her little jump cancel tricks by punishing them in the ways I have mentioned above.

Also she has standing overhead, so she loses to down-back up close. Her only other way to open you up is to throw you. From here you just gotta learn basic throw teching.

Bait out her Cannon Spikes as much as you can as they are very unsafe on block. Practice punishing all versions of them so that you can get a feel for the punishing window of the move.

You should also try to aim for knockdowns a bit against Cammy as you can still safejump her Cannon Spike with a Regular Dive Kick (Down+MK) on her wake up assuming that she doesn’t roll and it isn’t the EX Version.

Your teleport is also a bit stronger against her during her pressure. Don’t get too over reliant on it though as some Cammy Players will want to bait this move out so that they can punish you during your recovery.

If all else fails, like any other bad match-up in SF X Tekken, you can always pair Akuma up with someone who has a better time against Cammy.

[SolidRose]

Next Up Poison

**OVERVIEW **
The person whose gender has been heavily debated in Street Fighter Lore makes it’s appearance in SF X Tekken. Debates aside I think I’ll refer to Poison in this post as a Woman using pronouns like ‘she’ and ‘her’ for reference. Just because she looks like one (Oh let the flaming begin!)

In SF X Tekken Poison has a good mix of solid zoning and decent offensive pressure. Unfortunately she does suffer in the damage department as well as not really having much of a back-up plan for zoning if she is down on life.

APPROACH TACTICS

LOVE ME TENDER
Poison’s Love Me Tender Special is a good way for her to by-pass your fireballs and get in your face. Expect to see this move a lot whilst you are trying to keep Poison out.

PROJECTILE ZONING
Poison can zone you out with her fireballs. Whilst they don’t travel full-screen, they at least nulify your regular fireballs.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

st.MK

Poison’s st.MK is a decently ranged poke that Poison can use to keep you out. You’ll want to learn the range on this so that you can whiff punish it with your cr.HK sweep in footsies.

Far Standing HP

This is Poison’s longest reaching normal on the ground, it is safe to your stuff including a Reversal Demon on block and it isn’t helped by the fact that Poison’s Whip has its own hitbox on it. Making it very difficult to whiff punish.

On the flipside, it is a little slow to start up so if you can interupt it with your st.MK/ cr.MK or a cr.HK sweep then the normal is beatable.

cr.HP

Poison’s main anti-air normal of choice.

It is a little slow for an anti-air and there is a chance that you can trade with it if her timing is off a little.

Something to note about this move is that there is no hitbox behind it. You can easily jump over her and you won’t be hit by the back end of the normal.

As an anti-air this loses to up close jump-ins or cross-ups.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

ELBOW DROP (Forward + MP)
Poison jumps upwards slamming her elbow down on your head for an overhead attack.

This move is pretty much a standard overhead move to stop you from holding down-back the whole time whilst Poison is pressuring you. As an overhead it only does 60 damage which is a lot for you but at the same time it is really unsafe on block.

A Tekken mentality kind of comes to mind here: ‘You can chip me with your lows but my launcher will do so much more if it hits’

On block you can punish with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush or a DP into your partner.

BACKFLIP (Any Two Kicks)
Poison well…does what the move says

This backflip kind of resembles Vega’s backflip in the fact that it is invincible whilst it is active.

The best use of this move is as a wake-up option especially during roll situations or after a hard knockdown.

If you can see this move coming, you can punish her during her recovery by walking fowards and punishing her with a combo of your choice the moment her legs hit the floor again.

There also is the option to option select a Demon on her wake-up should you have 2 bars stocked for one just for some style points if you want.

**SPECIALS **

WHIP OF LOVE (QCB + Any Punch)
Poison lashes at you with her whip.

This move is Poison’s Rekka type move. It’s similar to Rolento’s Patriot Circles only they are more unsafe on block.

All Versions of Poison’s Rekka’s are NOT true blockstrings. You can DP in between all of the hits of her Rekkas.

NOTE: The below punishes are assuming she does the move deep instead of shallow for the regular versions.

The First Rekka is DP Punishable on block

The Second and Third Rekkas are st.HP punishable on block. From there you can go into a Solo Combo or you could just do a Cross Rush also.

If she does the move shallow you can only Reversal Demon her on block if she does the first Rekka only. The others will place her deep.

The EX Version is like the regular versions only it has an extra follow-up to it that ground bounces on hit.

This extra follow-up is just as unsafe as the 2nd and 3rd Rekkas on block.

Expect to see this if you are getting hit by Poison if not then punish her in the ways I have mentioned above.

KISSED BY A GODDESS (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Poison’s DP Move

This move has 3 main uses to it:
[LIST]
[]As an anti-air
[]To act as a combo finisher (A.K.A 5+ Seconds of watching Akuma getting juggled to death)
[*]To get Poison out of there when her health is low
[/LIST]

On hit this move pushes you back full-screen. If Poison is low on health, she will tag out into her partner. Unfortunately for her this DP doesn’t cause a hard knockdown on it. You can quickstand from the knockdown and then if she tags out, punish her partner on the way in with a Demon Flip > Divekick or Palm Follow-up.

You can punish her with a st.HP or a Far Standing HK if you have the right spacing on block. From there you can go into a Solo Combo of your choice or you could Cross Rush her on the way down.

Whilst the move itself is unsafe on block. You’ll want to punish Poison the moment her legs touch the floor again. Any earlier and you’ll put her in SF4 style reset.

You could use this reset to your advantage though.

Poison can also use this move to tag herself out by doing a DP Switch Cancel with it. It isn’t safe on block.

You can st.HP/cr.HP her partner whilst they are coming in due the small amount of block stun this move leaves on block.

The EX Version just has more invincibility in comparison to the regular versions.

You can safejump this move by doing a j.HK or a Regular Dive Kick (Down + MK) on Poison’s wake-up.

LOVE ME TENDER (QCB + Any Kick)
Poison jumps in the air landing on top of you.

Something to note about this move is that all versions of move are completely safe on block to everything in Akuma’s arsenal so don’t bother trying to Reversal Demon this move on block.

Different Versions take Poison different distances. With the LK Version taking Poison the least distance and the HK Version taking Poison the most distance.

The regular versions of this move do not go through your fireballs.

The EX Version of this move tracks to your current location similar to your EX Demon Flip. It also does go through your fireballs. Hence you’ll want to watch Poison’s meter carefully so that you can bait this move out and punish it accordingly.

Since you can’t Demon this move on block your best bet is to interrupt it. You can interrupt it with either a cr.HP or a DP. The DP is preferable in my opinion as it offers greater Switch Cancel potential.

If you don’t interrupt this move, you’ll have to take the extra pressure afterwards or teleport out of there to safety if it is getting too rough.

AEOLUS EDGE (QCF + Any Punch)
Poison slashes with a whip causing a projectile attack.

Poisons’ projectile functions a little differently compared to other projectile characters in the game.

First of all, all versions of this projectile, including EX, do not travel full screen.

Secondly different versions of this move can make the properties of this move change.

The LP Version travels the most distance

The MP Version travels about the range of her Far Standing HP

The HP Version is the most interesting as it leaves the projectile pretty close to her. It also stays out longer than her other projectiles. Allowing her to anti-air you or to create some corner pressure whilst you are cornered.

Hence you will want to vary your jump in angles a little against her just to throw her off if she tries to anti-air you with this move.

As for corner pressure. You can just block down-back and then wait for her overhead and punish any of her throw attempts. You could also roll > teleport out of there as well.

The EX Version is like her LP Version only it hits twice instead of once unlike its regular counterparts. It isn’t used as much as her regular versions as her EX Love Me Tender (QCB + Any Kick) is so much more valuable to use against you.

If you have the meter you can Demon Flip over her projectiles on reaction should you see one coming. You can also Misogi her if you have 2 bars.

This is also Poison’s charge move and she can do some dash cancels with this move which are unsafe on block if she dashes forwards to your DP.

LOVE STORM (QCF + All Punches)

Poison’s super is a variant of HP Version of her Projectile only this projectile travels full-screen instead of staying still in one area.

If you are hit by this projectile at any point, you will be hit with the full animation regardless. So block this if it is done raw in your face and you can’t EX DP her out of it.

You could also Misogi her if she tries to do this randomly in your face.

Because this projectile moves so slowly Poison can advance on you whilst she does this move. The projectile itself doesn’t have a tonne of durability. You can cancel out this projectile with your own regular fireballs even.

Outside of that expect Poison to use this in a combo to kill you.

ALL IN ALL

During this match-up you will want to play a little bit like Poison. Mix it up between your offensive game and your defensive game.

You have a leg up in the fireball war as your fireballs have more durability than hers but she can fake hers unlike you can so watch out for it if she tries to fake a fireball to get you to jump.

Try to bait out her Love Me Tender (QCB + Any Kick) so that you can punish her with a DP on reaction by mixing up your fireballs.

Try to knock her down and she what she does on her wake-up. Follow her rolls and try to bait out her wake-up attacks.

Practice against blocking that overhead of hers. It is her only way of opening you up on the ground outside of jumping in your face as you will be able to punish her heavily on block.

[TheDarkestHadou]

I gave up on sfxt

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