All About Pao

Classic Fighting Games Divekick
1

This thread is all about Kung Pao. Post strats, grievances, etc.

About Kung Pao
Kung Pao has a low dive but a horizontal dive kick. The kick angle makes it really good for closing distance and creating pressure. Pao’s special abilities allow her to teleport around the stage. The teleport has both offensive and defensive uses. For example, if you think that the opponent read your attack after using the portal (air special), you can hold down both buttons to delay your exit.

Air Special - Dimension Break
Creates a portal that you can use to escape an attack, or you can use it to attack the opponent. You can hold down both buttons to hide in the portal for a bit. When you come out of this portal, you always attack in the direction of the opponent. Be careful using this, because Pao is vulnerable as she enters the portal.

Ground Special - Crack Kick
Creates an exit portal that can only be opened after a Dimension Break. When you come out of this portal, you always attack in the direction of the opponent.

Meter Data
Max: 200
Air: 100
Ground: 20

A note about how to read the meter data

Spoiler

In the game, I count the number of kicks it takes to activate kick factor. Since I don’t have access to the code, I assume that each kick adds 10 points.

Recommended Gem: Dive or Kick

Pros & Cons
+Horizontal kick closes distance quickly
+Portal crack remains on screen permanently, and allows for pressure/a means of escape
+Can hide in portals
+Kickback > kick is effective, makes opponents second guess their approach
+Kick angle allows you to catch people on the way down with little chance to counter
-Lowest dive in the game
-Portal crack can be destroyed by the opponent. However, you might be able to use this to your advantage vs. opponents who actively try to destroy cracks.
-Kick is a little on the slow side

Matchups
I find Pao to be very good against Shoals and Jefailey. Shoals needs space; the less space she has, the less chances she has to hit you with her second kick. Shoals’ horizontal movement leaves her vulnerable to Pao’s kick.

Against Jefailey, you can counter his uncharged kicks with kickback, then kick. If they try to charge, go in (but not too hard).

Vids:

[details=Spoiler]

2

How do I safely build meter with her? I watched a video of the EVO side tourney and it looked like Kung players could cancel her kickback, stopping her forward momentum. How do I do this? Why not take the meter gem?

3

Almost every character can cancel their kickback. Are you talking about something special here? Can you show me the vid?

This is only my opinion, but I find that building meter isn’t that important for Pao. I don’t think she needs meter to be viable when her horizontal kick is threatening enough. Basically, I wouldn’t try to hang back and build meter when she isn’t designed for that. Instead, I would build meter by just going on the offensive.

4

Yo against Jefailey, use the yolo gem. Not only does it give you 30% boost in everything, When you start the round (lose one you lose the game) His head gets Max size. just keep kicking to build meter. Bait and punish. If he jumps back, stay at the edge of your screen and wait for him to release his kick. Then just dive kick him in the head. It is easy headshots and once you get a headshot. it is easy to get another. Trust me it works

5

How do you do a Dimension break? I can do a crack kick but never got a dimension break…

6

After you get the meter required for it, jump in the air and press dive and kick and you will do it

7

Ì tried that, what is the meter requirement?

8

When you look at your meter (the foot) you will see 2 vertical lines on it. the first line is for the Crack Kick and the second line is for the Dimension Break.

9

Meter requirement is in the first post.

10

Thanks, I hadn’t noticed the different stripes before. I think portal is pretty good, especially the hold-up ability can really give a great advantage.

11

After watching a video by G on YouTube, I understand how to space with her better now. I didn’t know that the timing of pressing K during her kickback changes the height/duration of the kick from it. I think that’s what I was seeing from the EVO Kung players.

I played for a few hours yesterday, so I have more Pao experience now. I mistakenly thought she needed meter. Now I take the kick gem most of the time I play her (usually against characters with a much higher dive, so dive gem won’t help).

12

I’m not very experienced, but I think the main way to play her is just keeping appropriate distance against vertical dive characters and wait to catch them dropping down. And against characters like Baz, Shaols etc, get in close, duke and hit.

13

Be sure to check out that video in the first post.

14

More info on the Shoals matchup:

It’s OK to go in hard on her. If you’re in her face, there’s not a whole lot she can do. At the start of each round, I always do a kick from a max height dive. What I’m trying to do is get the opponent to back away. They can’t cancel their kickback, so you get in for free. Kick factor Pao is even scarier for Shoals.

15

How do you beat Baz? It seems once he gets kickfactor he easily takes 3 games with the move straight to the other-side and no way to duke it…

Really getting the idea she is one of the weaker characters to play with :confused:

16

Baz is definitely trouble. Since he needs a lot of meter to get kickfactor, I try to be aggressive so they don’t sit back and build up. It’s OK to go for the kill when they do that, the lightning won’t hit. Basically, you want them to stop trying to build meter to make the match a little more even. Always be wary of their meter and whether they can do the ground special.

17

I try to do that, but it becomes a guessing game, most irritatingly when you come close, the teleport to the other side of the map and you have to get close again… Maybe I can pick up 2-3 games, before he has reach meter, which he can reach quite quickly with the Gem imo. And then he can easily take me down 3 times as I haven’t figured out how to duke his teleport across the screen. I think this match is really hopeless against a good Baz.

18

The only thing I can think to do against a decent Baz who’s sitting and building meter is put a Crack Kick down, so if you go in he can’t run away again. I played a couple Bazzes last night and lost horribly.

19

I fought some Baz players last night. Dive gem should help. Baz can’t jump high, and players are likely to use meter gems since his meter capacity is large, so you should have the height advantage. Just be careful not to jump too high in case they do a horizontal kick.

Kickback should help against angled kicks, allowing you counter and get the kill. But if the angled kick is wide enough, you may get hit.

20

This is the first in forever that I’m using srk. I’ll probably be here on the Divekick Forums since I’m really good with Kung Pao on ps3. I’ll admit her kick is horrible but she makes up for it by kickback & you can easily bait the opponents, especially Dr. Shoals & Mr. N. Good job describing the pros & cons for this char.