C.Viper Guide to just about everything

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This guide contains specific match situations, optimal punishes and must learn things to succeed with C.Viper. Enjoy. ( I will be constantly updating, revising, and polishing this thread)

Disclaimer: If you do not have a fundamental knowledge of street fighter, then this guide will not help you. Viper is no exception to the rules of rules fighting games such as: Counter hit baiting, poking, anti-air, general baiting, and spacing. She cannot just spam special moves and win. If you do not understand these mechanics, this guide may not help much.

Viper basic strategy
Viper is the quintessential 50/50 character, this chick will have you guessing for days. She relies heavily on baiting due to her bad normals, and she has a certain zoning element due to full screen lows and the threat of burn kick, so most of the time she can force her opponent to make a first move. She can apply extreme amounts of pressure based on the momentum she attains during a match. She is not a “rush down” character in the traditional sense, due to her normals being lack luster and her big damage relies on landing heavy normals. She will frustrate the opponent and make the very uneasy, so always keep that in mind. Lastly, do not try to force momentum on someone, with the advent of Arcade Edition, Viper is able to have much more freedom of movement since you can’t just hold down back against her any longer. Viper’s attacks may seem amazing, but they are pretty easy to react to and her normal attacks will get beat by just about the entire case, so its on the player to be innovative on your approach to matches. Viper has proven to be successful with "in you face play styles, footsies styles, and even turtle style, choose your destiny wisely. Low life characters will generally be pretty managable due to Viper’s high dmg, strong footsie characters you’ll have to turtle more and make good guesses, and high stamina characters may seem like they never die, but be patient, the opportunity will present itself. Enjoy!

General knowledge of C. Viper/Must learn tools

1. Do not think ex seismo will always get you out of pressure. Good players will punish ex seismo if they know you are prone to use it on wakeup. Best option is just block (duh I know) but it?s tempting since it has some invulnerability. Block and read the opponent, viper is free on wakeup. Ex Seismo’s main use is to punish ppl blatantly walking at you, punish ppl who don?t keep you honestly w/ blocking low, making good reads on when tick throws are coming, combo purposes, mix-up options, and safer seismo lock down (more on that further down).

2. Learn Fierce, feint fierce, ex seismo, this combo is a must to succeed at high level. Also, learn ?fierce, feint, low forward xx mp tk, this combo is also essential b/c sometimes spacing does not allow a 2nd fierce punch to be linked. The most lenient TK feint to use is the FP TK; you?re basically wasting your time if you are trying to link with mp and lp tk feints.

I do
:hp:, :qcb:+:hp:, :mp:+:hp:, :df::hp:, :df::mp:+:hp: ( for FFF ex seismo)

for sjc bk followup just do :db::uf:, :qcb:+:hk:
( i recommend doing down back to to upforward because you can almost do a jank 360 motion to get back to doing the bk motion)

I do the shortcut for seismo, its much more consistent, no reason not to use it, also, if you do cr down forward FP for the 2nd fierce, then you just need to do one more down foward and MP + HP for the ex seismo.

**NOTE: **Viper’s hardest punish is fierce, feint, fierce, ex seismo, sjc MP TK xx FP TK. This is he best stun combo in the corner, and can either be started by a jump in or a lvl 2/3 focus attack/ dash in.
NOTE: Avoid using FFF as a ?block string? (viper doesn?t really have safe block strings outside of mashed jabs and shorts, even then its iffy at times), this is a terrible habit and is easily reversible.

3. Seismo chains: normal seismo chained to ex seismo can not be jumped out of, good for lock pressure, decent chip dmg, usually safe if followed by a chained seismo feint to reduce recovery. To perform seismo chains, the consecutive seismo/ex must be super jump canceled (old sagats tiger knee motion) forward, down, down-forward, up-forward + punch. This motion must be performed after the first seismo has hit or been blocked by the opponent. This motion takes a decent amount of practice and the input?s cannot be rushed or else viper will go flying at her opponent and usually leads to a huge chunk of life going missing. High risk/high reward.

4. Meterless FADC: same as most every other ability viper has, focus attack is not different. Viper can sjc a focus attack. She can do it from any move that can be focus attacked including both normals and specials. The most practical applications are from seismo’s and cr mk (cr. Mk being used at very advanced levels and mostly for flashy purposes, oh shit factor if you will). The easiest way to learn this is is to use the above mentioned tiger knee motion (forward, down, down-forward, up-forward + mp +mk) using the MP and MK instead of just punch. The timing for the input should be entered just as the seismo is going to recover. Learning this abilty is a great way to get high stun combo?s from FFF, or to land more consistent ultras from mid screen instead of relying on the crap shoot that is seismo xx sjc bk to ultra. The timing for meterless FADC to CR. RH is a bit faster than the ultra juggle, so be ready to hit the training room. The most practical use of the ultra juggle is after a whiff special, and the most consistent way to use it is cr fp XX ex seismo XX meterless FADC XX ultra 1 (I highly recommend using learning the mid screen Ultra 1 juggle b/c it will save your life). Doing FFF ex siesmo to ultra 1 is more spacing specific and will whiff on some characters, so doing on FP is usually the better option.

Motions for those who need shapes and colors
:dp::mp: +:hp: :dp::uf::mp:+:mk:

5. Instant Burn Kick: this motion is down, down-back, back, up-forward +kick. The motion must either be buffered slowly or you have to have been holding down for ~1 second to make sure super jump doesn?t come out instead of just the the super jump cancel. This bk cancel can be done immediately upon leaving the ground, or you can put a slight delay to further mix-up the opponent.

I personally do a slow half circle back while walking or buffering from a normal or a dash in, i think its the best way, simply holding down feels weird for me, but the precise input is whats listed above.

6. Seismo on the opponents wakeup: this is a great tool, however mostly use this after untechable knockdowns or after you see the opponent isn?t going to quick rise. If they jump at you from mid screen viper will lose ½ life bar. Also, be careful using this if the opponent is low on life and has ultra, the risk reward for wakeup ultra vs seismo is highly in their favor in this particular situation.

7. Neutral and forward/backward jumpin roundhouse and fierce can both combo into ultra. If you see a whiff move while jumping, be prepared to combo your ultra on the way down.

**8. ** Super jump burn kicks: as a whole avoid randomly jumping at people and doing burn kicks. Burn kicks are easily level 2 focus crumpled, focus and dash into combos, beaten on the neutral jump, and dragon punched. SJC burn kicking will primarily be used to react/predict fireball patterns or just straight punish poorly spaced fireballs.

9. Siesmo/tk feinting: First and foremost, be sure you are using viper Fierce Punch Thunder Knuckle feint. The FP feint give the highest frame advantage agatinst your opponent, thus allowing them less time to reaction to mixups. Feinting after a normal attack or a blocked/hit seismo reduces some of the recovery on these attacks. Not only does it make your attacks safer, but it also leads into mixup/baiting opportunities. Feints are (imo) vipers best baiting tool. A tk feint can lead any move in her arsenal, but most importantly remember blocking, by far her greatest asset since whiffed special moves usually lead to FFF or ultra combos.

10. Safe jump setups: safe jumping is crucial with viper. Her best safejump setups are from back throw and forward throw. For back throw upon landing, take a slight tap forward and jump in, press RH at the last possible second before hitting the ground. From the forward throw, dash forward once then take a small tap forward once again, then super jump at the opponent.

11. Super Jump Cancel Ultra 1: Learn this, it’s essentially free damage from bread and butter. IMO, it’s a must for winning at high level. Sticking a link from normals to ultra can be the difference in ending a match and having to play another 45 seconds scared for your life. The two most practical applications of sjc into ultra are: St. strong -> cr. Strong xx Burst Time and short (crouching or standing) -> st. short -> cr. Strong xx Burst Time. The easiest way to learn how to perform the motions is to practice just canceling cr strong into ultra 1. Then practice the links once you feel comfortable canceling. Remember, if you buffer the motion for ultra 1 too fast, you will most certainly always get super or ex seismo instead of ultra 1. The cr strong has to connect and time must be allowed for the super jump frames to become active before the buttons are pressed for the ultra cancel, there is not loose buffering like mashing normals into specials or super combos. Below of visual examples of the most practical applications of sjc ultra.

Videos:
[media=youtube]BMzNFKw1fyI[/media] (both buttons and screen view)
[media=youtube]YOSqdMEMQ1k[/media] (close up of hands)

12. Air burn kicks: Normal air burn kicks are great for mixups on wakeup usually, and can be can canceled off of specific jump ins, IE: Neutral jump FP and LK, and forward jump LK, RH, and MP.

13. Anti-Air: Viper’s best anti air, mostly all purpose is her FP TK. This move will be the go to button for keeping ppl from off your head. This move WILL TRADE a lot, so be sure to put much practice into trade FP TK into: Dash forward into ultra 1 (more on this in the Burst Time section), dash forward into another TK, and if they?re a bit too far for another TK you have the option to sjc BK to get a bit more dmg.

close st MK is a great AA option vs chars that attempt to jump in just inside practical reactable area for FP TK. chars like scrubby bisons, adon, and blanka, close st mk can be great to catch bad crossup attempts.

For air to air AA attempts, you’ll mostly use jump forward or back RH, neutral RH, and jump back or forward PF. neutral RH will cover most stuff, as you learn FP is better vs some characters.

14. Links that must be learned: Viper’s primary links are two frames which is pretty much a cake walk. To be successful you must learn the Standing Strong to crouching strong link, the standing short kick to crouching strong link, and I highly advise learning the standing jab to crouching strong link.

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Burst Time and You
-Viper can land her ultra 1 off of just about anything, be patient with Viper because landing her ultra every single round is almost guaranteed.

• SJC Ultra 1 off of normals is vital as explained in the viper basics/essentials.

-Ultra 1 can be juggled from both a relatively “higher” timed AA with FP TK. In order to properly land the ultra, as the character is falling, the ultra must be activated while the height of the falling character is somewhere between Viper’s neck and the bottom of her boobs.

• Ultra 1 can also be juggled off of a somewhat deep trade FP TK. You must quickly react to the trade and dash IMMEDIATELY after the hit stun of the trade wears off. The ultra input must be buffered while dashing and the buttons must be pressed as soon as the dash ends. The timing is tight and will take practice to master.

-Meterless FADC into Ultra 1 is a great tool. Do as explained above.

• Ex seismo xx SJC BK xx Ultra 1 will take practice. The timing for the this is a late FP BK. This is risky to use, but is fairly consistent on the midsized characters like bison, ryu, rog, and akuma. This juggle does not work on all characters and has weird inputs for some; I will further update this post when I find the list.

• Corner ultra juggles stem from either SJC BK after ex seismo or SJC MP TK after ex seismo. The optimal activation time for Ultra 1 after SJC BK in the corner is just as the character falling is lined up with just at the top of viper?s head. The timing for the Ultra 1 juggle after a SJC MP TK is when the character falling is lined up with her boobs.

• FP TK xx FADC xx Ultra 1 juggles in the corner, its pretty much a blind input, just doing the moves at a natural speed, no linking required.

-Side Tip: If your opponent crosses you up in the corner and they are now in the corner, many folks will go for a throw in this situation. Always be expecting the tick throw and be ready to reversal with a LK BK. This can lead to an easy Ultra 1 juggle or a FP TK knockdown if you do not have an ultra.

-Final tip for Ultra 1, don?t be scared to use it, believe in yourself, or find a new character.

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Mix Ups

**Basic ground footsie mix-ups: **

-Viper is able to TK feint of of every normal except for RH (cr or st). The most bascialy mix-ups come from cr. MP, cr. Mk, cr/st jabs/shorts xx tk feint, with the more advanced mixups coming from st/cr FP xx tk feint and random normals into really whatever you feel like doing.

- Crouching MK and MP xx TK feint: can be followed by
Sjc cross up bk
Sjc non cross up bk
Cr. Mk xx Tk feint again
Block
Walk up Tick throw
Cr. Mk xx mp tk
Ex seismo
Seismo feint -> ex seismo
Seismo feint -> sjc bk
Overhead ( use sparingly, if overused it will land the opponent and easy lvl 2 focus.)
Dash up tick throw
Dash up bk
Dash up insta crossup bk etc?.

- St or cr. Jab/short xx TK feint can be followed by:
Block
Tick throw
Another cr jab/short
Sjc fake cross up bk
Ex seismo

- Cr/st FP xx Tk feint can use all of the cr mp/cr mk mixups as well as some more advanced mind games:

Walk up standing FP into FFF (good counter hit bait/mix up), (also great in the corner,
since there is added pressure to not get knocked down)
Normal, empty jump forward into cr short to land BnB
Normal jump forward with RH, short, or mp to cross up BK

- Mixups after overhead:

Cr strong XX MP TK
Ex seismo
Tick throw (least favorable option, most ppl tend to mash throw after an overhead has hit)
Sjc bk/cross up bk
block

- Random situational ground mix-ups

-After a forward throw, dash twice, toss a seismo feint , then dash one more time and go for a tick throw or some sort of counter hit set-up.

-Empty mp TK for bait, then ex seismo right after, not that great since the increased recovery on TK, but still effective if used properly.

-After a forward throw, dash forward once, then take a generous step forward. The super jump towards the opponent on their wakeup and the jump in RH will cross them up. This cross up can be performed after a tech risen BK if Viper super jumps towards the opponent as soon as she lands after landing a BK, however it is much easier to get mashed out on.

-Most basic mix-up of all time, after a landed mp tk, viper can do almost anything, if your opponent like to press buttons, be sure not to forget just spamming cr mp xx mp tk until they decide they want to block. Don?t use this as a simply game plan, but sometimes you have to take it back to basics.

-St short, st short, insta bk/cross up bk can be a great asset against ppl who like to mash tick throw.

-After an air juggle burn kick, If the opponent quick rises, a normal jump crossup BK can be an effective tool to get some more quick damage

-Tick throwing as a whole is a good part of viper?s game, never forget it, the nature of the character once she?s in forces the opponent to block/guess, they usually wont see the sudden momentum shift in the form of a tick throw

Opponents Wakeup/Corner Mix-ups

• Arugably viper at her strongest vs the majority of the cast, she has tons options to make the opponent guess on wakeup. Most of her options come from jump-ins, but she can do so much more once momentum is gained. Most of her corner mixup options lead to ultra setups if so desired.

- Mid screen knockdown from back throw:
Safe jump as mentioned early in the guide
Normal jumping rh , mp, short XX cross/non cross bk
Crossup MK or RH into BnB (this can be auto correct DP?d, use sparingly)
Take ½ step backwards, and do a fake empty jump to cross up BK
Empty jump to cr. Short for a BnB opportunity
Empty jump to delayed (fake) tick throw, then ex seismo
Walkup, sjc light bk
Walkup, insta cross up bk/fake cross up bk
Walkup, cr short BnB
Walkup, cr short XX FP TK feint, tick throw
Walkup, fake tick throw, ex seismo
Tick throw

• SJC Cross up bk?s on wakeup are usually decent for tech?d knockdowns, 2-3 at the most, they will get reversal?d eventually. Know thine enemy.

- Corner mix-ups after knockdown:

-From both close and far distance forward throw, viper can either cross up jump or super jump, respectively, hit the rising opponent with a cross up RH (while holding the opposite direction from which you jumped toward). Upon landing do a cross up insta bk, which leads to either an ultra juggle or FP TK, either way, another knock down.

-From any knockdown, safer on untechable, usually only used at normal jump range b/c it is much harder to time from a super jump. Do another cross up RH, that is cancelled to LK BK, but the bk must be input from the crossed up side. This basically gives you back to back cross ups. This can be performed mid screen, but its better to save tricks for the corner when you need big dmg.

-Fake normal jump cross up, into bk. Basically, just normal jump and quickly buffer short bk as close to the ground as possible. This gives the appearance of going for a cross up or empty jump, the opponent will most likely press a button and get flames put on ?em.

-And of course the trust tick throw, or any setup into tick throw you so desire.

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Character Specific Options

Abel:

-Neutral jumping after an initial jump in is a good tool if Abel is under a lot of pressure. Viper has bad block strings (shout out to sf4 not having block strings) and it is very tempting for Abel to mash ex tornado throw when he is in trouble, don?t fall asleep on the opponents disparity.

-Mix-up punishes well on blocked step kicks, this move is unsafe and is a rare event to swing momentum in this match.

Adon:

-All strength Jaguar Tooth attacks can be punished on reaction with ex seismo.

Akuma:

-Patience is a virtue in this match; do not throw out even 1 careless special move because it can cost you the match. Viper is extremely susceptible to Akuma’s vortex. This is a match that can be decided many times by who scores the first knockdown. Reading each specific Akuma?s vortex patterns is essential. If you cannot make good reads on their patterns, you may die before you know what happened. Hence why patience is EXTREMELY important.

-Akuma has great option selects (LOL DP) just like the other shotos, after un-techable knockdowns, it’s best to block after the demon flip pressure.

-Anti-Air w/ FP TK against akuma will trade many times due to demon flip’s great priority, stay on your toes in this match for the dash forward follow up punish after trade FP TK.

The second hit of ST RH will whiff on viper if she is crouching. This can easily be punished with CR MP xx MP TK. Be careful of the raging demon option select once he has ultra.

-Jump back air fireballs are punishable with normal seismos. Many times Viper will have to take a trade to punish an almost full screen air fireball, and it is very much worth the trade since seismo does almost triple the damage of a fireball.

• OS super jump back/forward depending on where you think he’ll teleport, you’ll land right on him for full FFF if you guess right.

Balrog (Boxer) :

-The sweet spot for fighting Rog is roughly 1 to 2 character spaces outside of his sweep range.

-Balrog is extremely susceptible to cross up bks from feint mix-ups. Fake cross-up BK is really good against him on his wakeup, as is with many charge characters, since they want to anticipate to hold their charge.

-Focusing once and a while against isn?t a bad idea against balrog even tho vipers focus is bad, it will usually land you an FFF combo b/c its so unusual to see viper focusing.

-Balrog?s overhead can be punished by a quickly reacted to cr. MP XX MP TK. Ex version as well, but the timing for the punish is much more lenient.

-Using Burst Time to counter ultra Balrog?s ultra 1 is risky, due to him being able to delay it by using the kicks to active, it?s better to block and punish after the move is finished. If you can?t take the chip, remember, it?s a gamble.

-Throw ex rush punches from full screen, best way to do so is tap forward slightly and then throw, if you back up, you give rog time to have to rush punch come out.

-Cross rog up on wakeup, going for safejump is the optimal option since you want him to lose his charge and hopefully bait out a headbutt or rush punch which can sometimes be punished by cr mk and ex seismo, respectively. Only time you really don?t want to cross him up is if you get an early knockdown and a good empty jump short will beat most rush punches or wakeup headbutts, however, this is hard to time, and if the opponent is mashing jab, you will most likely get beat.

-Very deep turn punch can be tick thrown on block (TAP can be thrown out of in before it becomes active) or punished by a cr. Short or cr jap XX FP TK, but you must react extremely quickly on this punish( This is pretty risky, but is a tool for use.)

-Rog has a decently tough time getting very close to viper, so if he lands a knockdown but doesn?t really have the momentum, they will many times go for a tick throw. Anticipating this with BK is a good tool in this situation.

-Neutral jumping in anticipation of max range light rush punches is decent tool for some nice damage, just be careful not to spam this, rush upper will AA you very quickly. LP TK is also good for anticipating rush punches.

-It is crucial to punish blocked head butts with Ultra. This sounds like a ?DUH? statement, but if this opportunity arises it has to be seized, you may not get another chance to land ultra in this match up.

Blanka:

• Viper can safe jump Blanka’s ex up ball as well as all of his other options. From back throw, land, tap down on the joystick momentarily then hold up forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zTCKlY5Ogk

-Horizontal ball (blank ball) can be punished with ex seismo or reversal timed FP or MP regular seismo (can be blocked crouching or standing).

-Always watch your toes in this match, respect the slide, blocked slide is most practically punished by cr. Mk or cr. Mp XX mp tk.

-Ex up ball is punishable with a reversal timed ex seismo.

-Viper can be crossed up by blanka?s ultra 1 or her wakeup, practice this, learn the spacing.

-Point blank ultra 1 out of say a hop into ultra can be back dashed, followed by FP TK XX Ultra 1 depending on the spacing, and a semi point blank range, maybe ½ character space away start up can just be back dashed and do raw Ultra 1 to AA. It?s much safer to just go with option 1 overall since mis-timed spacing can be the match.

• In the corner off of any hard knockdown, do a meaty st lk into another st lk OS st mk, beats eletricity and mk catches ex rainbow, and ex up ball his punishable on hit.

• mid-screen off hard knockdown, do meaty st lk to cr lk OS cr RH, beats eletricity or catches backdash/backhop on wakeup. pushback on first st lk is too much to use st mk to catch ex rainbow.

Cammy:

-Punish blocked cannon drills with ST strong -> CR strong xx MP TK, maximizing punishes is vital in this match

-Block your ass off when Cammy is in, OS teching is a guaranteed No-No in this match.

-Making good reads on dive kick patterns is essential to winning this match since its so heavily in cammy’s favor, there are no shortcuts to winning this match.

Chun-Li:

-Chun-Li is very susceptible to viper’s overhead, especially since it can beat ex spinning bird on
wakeup, be sure to not forget this tool in this match.

-Chun has decent option selects, so be careful when back dashing after fireballs, you can be OS swept.

-Safe jumping ex spinning bird is a great tool.

-Be sure to watch for punishes on blatant walking/dashing forward because Chun will be walking forward most of the time in this match due to the fact that she cannot out
lame Viper.

-Fireballs can punished with SJC BK and seismos, good chuns won’t use fireballs much, but don’t fall asleep on free damage.

• Random hazansho can be ex seismo’d on reaction if you keep a sharp eye for them.

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Cody:

• Option select ex seismo beats cody’s wakeup zonk clean.
  C. Viper

• Auto correct FP tk or ex seismo can be done on reaction to viper attempting to bk on your wake up.

• Viper can juggle herself with a FP TK after mid-screen air Bk

Dan:

Dee Jay:

• Reversal timed ultra punishes dj’s ex Double rolling sobat (the slide kick on the ground).

-Dee Jay safejump courtesy of Manny O
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntUNgTHEb5A&feature=related

Dhalsim:

-Option select MP seismo beats wake up teleport.

Dudley:

-Blocked Ex Machinegun upper can be punished with a reversal timed ultra 1.

El Fuerte:

E. Honda :

-FP TK will usually trade with Honda?s jump in?s, always be prepared for the follow up punish .

-Wakeup insta bk can be reversal’d by ex headbutt and Ultra 1, use these sparingly.

-FP and MP headbutt can be punished by a reversal timed MP TK if the move was blocked while standing.

-Be mindful of high jump-ins from Honda, most of the time Honda will try to Oicho or jab hands b/c it is so hard for him to finally get in, so many times reversaling w/ fp tk is a great option b/c Honda isn?t usually going to bait on what could be the only successful jump in he may get all match. This is a judgment call, but be looking out for it, you?ll notice the situation arises more than you?d think.

-A good anticipation option for butt slam Honda?s is to back dash the first butt slam after a block. If they follow up with another slam it will most likely be the short butt slam since it?s the safest. Viper?s back dash puts her at perfect range that you can just CR FP after the back dash, followed by ex seismo XX SJC BK or Ultra 1.

Fei Long:

• LP rekka can be punished w/ cr strong XX MP TK from very deep, don’t even bother if its not very deep. MP and FP rekka are pretty easily punished after the 2nd rekka.

• After landing a seismo XX air BK, be careful with doing a followup jumping cross-up BK, fei longs flame kick goes straight up and will beat you clean every time.

• Capitalize heavily on seismo lock down after a knock down. Be careful with tech rises though, chicken wing will get out of seismo and give fei long free entry.

• After forward throw, dash forward twice, then do a jump forward HK early, as you land super jump backwards, its looks like a bad jump in, if Fei attempts to ex chicken wing, you will land right on top of him for a full FFF combo.

Gen:

Gouken:

• Dash punches can easily be punished on block with cr. mp xx mp tk, (use st. strong, cr strong, mp tk for more dmg if u wanna)

Guile:

• Seismo feint baiting is very useful to force guile out of his normal sonic boom zoning

• LP TK and F MP are both good tools to get around sonic booms without giving up space

• Be ready for trade FP TK AA punishes in this match since guiles jump-ins have good priority

• Ex burn kick can be used to escape Sonic Hurricane if Viper is close to guile when he activates, Sonic Hurricane cannot be counter Ultra?d

• Guile’s CR FP can be reversal time’d ultra 1 on block, so if you catch them option select teching, be ready.

• the timing for the punish on guile’s lk and mk flash kick is tight and cause cr fp FFF to whiff, so be sure to do st fp FFF on this punish to be sure, or you can opt for FP feint Cr LK to make sure that distance isnt an issue.

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Guy:

• Guys jump ins on knockdown can be a hassle, using well timed ex seismo feints to throw him to the corner can win you matches, since guy has no good answers for viper pressure in the corner.

• St mk is a good tool for keeping Guy’s bushin drop honest. Many times you’ll probably trade with the elbow, but it keeps him from getting in for free and keeps viper from guessing with FP tk.

Hakan:

Ibuki:

• OS you’re jump ins on ibuki’s wake up with ex seismo, it beats every option ibuki has. (not ibuki wakes up 2 frames faster than normal, so you have to jump early otherwise she can low forward under your bk and throw you before the OS seismo comes out.)

-After a blocked ex ‘dp’, the safest option is to focus in case of a kunai follow up is to focus and dash forward into a tick throw. You can also do standing roundhouse to get an easy knockdown (requires better reactions). and of course, the universal lvl 2 focus crumple.

-LK BK is a good tool to punish predictable slides.

-Viper’s normals are bad, so just throw after a deep blocked slide to be on the safe side.

Juri:

• Mk, HK, and ex pinwheel are punishable by ultra 1.

• St MK is a good tool to beat juri’s counter on her wake up if she chooses to teleport on top of your head.

Ken:

-Great option selects like all shotos, block on his jump ins or pay the price.

• Ken’s far/midscreen jump in air tatsu/ex will beat viper’s AA FP TK clean most of the time, ST RH is the
  effective AA here, or even just punish it on the ground after he lands.

Makoto:

• Mak can punish jump RH xx Bk on reaction with her lp dp move.

• On a safejump RH, viper’s OS ultra beats every single one of makoto’s wakeup options, cept for ultra 2.

M.Bison (Dicatator):

-Overhead (forward +mp) is a great tool to go over psycho crusher on wakeup, this move hits overhead if the bison chooses to down back you, and it recovers in time to block head stomp and devil reverse.

-Always respect bison’s wakeup game, always!

-Deep Cross-up RH on wakeup can stuff Ex Psycho Crusher

• Blocked Ultra 1 (Nightmare Booster) is punishable with reversal timed Ultra 1. Viper must input Ultra 1, direction-wise-, toward bison after 3 blocked hits of the psycho crusher at the end of the ultra.

-Devil reverse can be ultra 1?d or ex seismo?d on the way down.

-Be sure to use ex seismo feints on wakeup in this match, bison?s ambiguous cross ups can be quite a chore to deal with, and can lead to multiple knockdowns.

-Occasional focus attack bating at max range of his sweep/slide can be used to score an easy crumple if you can make a good read. (Do this very sparingly, or you will eat PC punishes)

-Hp seismo also beats DR clean.

-Neutral jump HK at the tip of his SK range if he’s happy with them, if you read it right land a nice combo on him. Spaced right the worst you’re going to eat is a trade EX HS.

-LP TK is a decent poking option from just outside Bison?s ST RH. LP TK goes under ST RH if spaced properly and can either go under or beat Psycho Crusher if timed properly.

------- Bison specific ways to deal with burn kicks, courtesy of Jakob002
?What to use at what ranges/ depending on where you predict it’ll hit. Jumpback hp/hk, nj. hp/mk/hk, cr lp, st lp/lk, sk/pc ,expc/exks, OS/autocorrect U1, U2, teleport, focus, hs/ex hs all work depending on the range, situation and where they hit. Sometimes you have to block high then lower your crouch to lower your hit box so you can punish.
OS U1/teleport really messes her up and forces her to risk giving up her oki and mixing in baits, so even when Viper has the advantage she’s forced to guess. However, I learned that if she gets a lead on Bison and sits on it, it’s tough for him to get in on her.?
Another trick a lot of Vipers don’t use against Bison is buffering the motion for EX seismo at max SK and max slide range, and when you see it come out press the buttons and get a free launch. I wouldn’t do it too much because it’ll become obvious after awhile but it’s worked on me before. Even at fullscreen if they’re whiff SK’s to build meter (thinking that’s they’re only “safe” option against Viper) you can tag them.
Basically, just be aware of the tools and the tips for the match.

• Option selecting RH BK on bison’s wakeup when he doesn’t have meter for a reversal. The Bk will catch his tele clean, if he does block, then you’ll get a cross up bk that he’ll have to deal with.

• OS ex Thunder knuckle on jump ins will also catch teleports.

• in the corner, after forward throw, dash twice, neutral jump with FP or RH and OS superjump back, it catches EX psycho crusher for a FFF.

Rose:

• Insta bk on rose’s wakeup can be auto-correct soul threw, so don’t use insta BK unless you’re sure you’ll catch the opponent off guard.

• EX seismo feints on wakeup play a decent part in this game due to rose having a scary cross-up.

• Option select Ex seismo beats wake up ex soul spiral.

Rufus:

• Always respect Ex-messiah kick once he has meter, bait bait bait and safejump.

-Poorly timed dive kicks can be beated clean by EX BK, usually used on viper’s wakeup.

-Be alert for trade FP TK in this match, stay on guard for your punishes.

-Although usually a strong part of vipers mixups, In this matchup, even while on the offensive, don?t bother going for tick throws on Rufus very often, its better to keep him guessing because ex-messiah and random dive kicks from him holding up (which even top players do vs viper) will lead to too much un-needed damage taken.

• Viper cannot be chipped to death by Big Bang Typhoon from point blank range if she has Ultra 1 stocked. The timing is VERY tight, but if you activate Burst Time at the very last possible moment, rufus? ultra invincibility will wear off and you will get a clean punish, kinda risky, but consistent if you get the timing.

• If Rufus does wake-up reversal ex messiah kick and it is blocked from a safe jump, it will cause Rufus to whiff over head.

Ryu:

-SJC BK over fireballs on reaction is a good option in this match.

-Viper’s seismo game really shines in this match; there should be much zoning and damage coming from seismos.

-Ryu’s jump ins are very meaty, be ready to have FP TK trade a lot in this match, stay sharp with your dash up punishes, mainly dash ultra, since pound for pound Ryu will be landing bigger damage per encounter than viper.

-Do not reversal ex seismo after jump ins on ryu, best bet is to block since Ryu has amazing option selects. Also, be careful when OS teching after jump ins, b/c ex tatsu will blow that up very quickly.

-For whiff tatsus from a far distance punish with counter with CR FP. For med/close distance whiff tatsu punish with CR MP. Also, dashing up after a counter poked whiff tatsu can lead to a great mixup/baiting option.

-LP TK and and F+MP(overhead) can be great options to get around fireballs, as well as anticipate and punish poorly timed/spaced fireballs, or to grab a sudden momentum shift.

-Don’t attempt to AA Ryu from his max distant jump ins, you will almost always get beat out clean, its best to just back dash/focus back dash.

[subzero44]

Sagat:

-Punish whiff Forward+RH on reaction with Ultra 1.

-Sagat has decently high hit points, blocked Tiger Uppercuts must be punished with ultra. Hitting pretty combos is fun, but get your damage while you can.

-Back dashing against Sagat is really good after blocked BK and TK, but be mindful he can safely punished with a kara-Tiger Uppercut once he has 2 meters stocked.

-Viper?s normals actually shine in this match, control the footsie game when possible.

-Anticipatory SJC BK is a solid option in this match to punish counter fireballs. SJC BK’s can also be a good way to get in since Tiger Uppercut does not have a great pathing and viper?s super jump gets around it quite easily.

Sakura:

• Sakura’s jump ins many times will beat FP TK clean, don’t 2nd guess you’re AA or you risk getting beaten clean. .

• This match is pretty easy, just zone and jump out of the corner, sakura has no way to lock down viper. I personally just play it gief esque but you can actually pressure on knockdown.

Seth:

-Staying on the ground early in the match forces Seth to come towards Viper, his poor walk speed will eventually force him to jump. You must not miss this AA opportunity. Seth?s dive kicks will almost 100% trade with Viper’s FP TK, so this is yet another match to be on your toes for the dash follow up punishes after trade FP TK

-Patience is essential in this match to the same extent as fighting akuma. One knockdown on either side can win and lose the match: no whiffed special moves and no random jump-ins.

• OS mp seismo or ex tk beats wakeup teleport.

T. Hawk:

Vega (Claw):

-Wall dives can be met air to air and stopped before he can perform any action, the best way to do so is with a super jumped MP.

• Ex seismo can be used to go through Izuna drop.

-Vega badly out pokes viper, primary damage in this match will come from mix-ups on his wakeup. You must keep solid pressure applied to vega when possible, b/c of his great mobility and his space control with ex izuna hitting on the way up.

**Yang: **safe jump

**Yun: **safe jump

-LP and HP lunges can be punished with reversal time u1.

• After back throw, a late LK bk on top of Yun’s head will force and attempted auto correct up-kick to auto-incorrect to command throw.

Zangief:

-Faking a super jump-in and doing a BK that goes over Gief’s Lariat can be a good tool to both not get trapped in the corner and to grab free damage by punishing Lariat with a follow up ex seismo.

-A blocked ex-green hand can be punished by ST strong -> CR strong xx MP TK or ST strong -> CR strong xx Ultra 1.

• Learn to chain seismos/have decent seismo game otherwise this match will be close to impossible to win.

• Depending on giefs jump in, 2/3 screen jump attempts from gief and easily be AA with MP TK.

• Close jump ins from gief are usually best AA using neutral jump RH, since you sometimes dont want to risk trading or getting FP TK beat clean.

• After blocked or hit MP TK, be sure to mix up between back dash and jump back in case they do green hand immediately following.

• Deep MP TK can be reversal spd’d on block.

[subzero44]

Viper FAQ:

1. This or that move is coming out when i try to do this cancel or that special, what should am I doing wrong?

   Chances are you're most likely doing the move too fast.  For instance, if you're having trouble doing seismo chains and you keep getting super jump only, you're inputting too fast, or you're trying to do sjc fadc, and you get just the fadc cancel but no dash, you're probably doing it too fast.  Occasionly, someone does something too slow, but usually too fast.  Slow down your inputs and check your timing.

2. I can’t do Meterless FADC cancel, what am I doing wrong?

1. You are not properly inputting the dragon punch motion usually, I noticed that i’d skim over the down forward motion and do forward, down, forward upforward and ofc, viper goes flying in the air.
2. you’re doing the motion too fast and getting the stored input for the super jump, but no fadc because the timing was too fast and only the super jump was still able to come out.
3. you get fadc but you use meter because you didn’t get the super jump cancel, only the dash cancel. You’re doing superjump input too slowly, the actual inputs need to be input quickly in order to make sure you are indeed super jump canceling.
4. you get the super jump cancel, but you miss the dash, and viper just whiffs the focus attack. you’re most likely missing forward motion on the dragon punch input. or you’re first forward input took too long before the 2nd one for the actual dash.

that list should help you with any problems, you tell me which one of those you’re doing, and I can tell you exactly where you’re messing up.

[Kayke]

Good shit bro.

[Tiger_Swiftly]

I’ve taken up Viper recently and this is a Godsend.

Awesome post.

[MaDWaK]

I like this shit man. good stuff. you have good info most of the commonly hard matchups.

[subzero44]

I like this shit man. good stuff. you have good info most of the commonly hard matchups.

yeah well, all the good people around where I live play all of my counter matches, so I know them the best. I actually feel more comfy fighting counter matches than even matches (they’re still stacked against you sadly).

[Face112]

Thanks for putting the effort into creating this.

[Paladinight]

Good stuff, thanks for the time and effort bro :).

[Jae_The_One]

wow this is great info thanks

[Benz]

Good thread. Didn’t know FP feint has the highest frame advantage.

[Hitomi]

Good guide. I would elaborate a bit more on her wakeup game, in my opinion - stuff like EX BK beating Cammy’s and Rufus’s dive pressure, BK beating all throws, and EX Seismo feint providing a lot of invincibility at the cost of an EX bar.

[CannonStrike]

Recently switched from Cammy because Viper has a better payoff IMO. I had all of her trials done so I didn’t think it would be that hard, wow I was wrong. After getting my butt kicked by every Ryu and their mother I decided to check the forums. This is exactly what I needed, thanks bro.

[limeken]

Very nicely compiled, I look forward to the finished version.

[Ash2k4]

Very nicely done man alot of info l can use here l was using juri for a long time but now iam back to good old viper takes for this much needed info to level up my game.