Do you feel Hsien ko is still one of your mains, or has she taken a backseat?
Hsien-Ko is one of my mains, and is the point character of my team.
Do you consider Hsien the strongest member on your team?
It highly depends on the match up, but for the most part I’d say she is as dangerous as the other two characters in her own way.
Do you play keepaway Hsien, or rushdown Hsien?
I try to keep it dynamic with her, so a combination of both.
Do you play point Hsien-ko, or keep her as anchor for gold assist? Or 2nd slot for TAC HyperViperHa?
I play her on point primarily. I will usually keep her in longer than I should, especially if I’m doing well. My typical approach to a match is to harass/retreat and build meter, cautiously waiting for an opening if possible. If I can’t open them up after awhile I’ll activate Rimoukon and DHC into Kitty Helper and let that nightmare begin. If I can open them up with Felicia I’ll combo into Dancing Flash then DHC into HyperViperHa for the kill. If Felicia goes down, I’ll play with Hsien-Ko on point until I can gain enough meter to activate Rimoukon again and then DHC into Astral Vision for Soul Spam and Gold Armor nonsense. Or I’ll just play Hsien-Ko on point until she goes down and then put all my chips into XF3 Morrigan. In any case, I try to avoid anchor Hsien-Ko as much as possible.
What tricks do you use to approach and open people up with your Hsien playstyle?
The more I play Hsien-Ko the more I realize that she is probably one of the most demanding characters in the game skill and execution wise, but if you devote the time she can be surprisingly deadly She has a lot of gimmicks that can showcase her killing power, but they require almost master level knowledge of not only the character but every match up she has in order to know when to effectively use said gimmicks. First and foremost you must master her mobility. By way of plink dashing, Hsien-Ko can move alarmingly fast, especially retreating. Utilizing Anki-Hou and an immediate super jump or fast plink dashing, it’s possible to set up full screen confirms if you happen to connect a dizzying item, but the game demands that the player be able to almost immediately react to capitalize on the chance before the dizzy wears off. Her teleport and Senpu Bu cross ups, her nearly instant overheads, her ability to form gong walls to shut out opponents, chaining multiple Tenrai Ha’s, everything about gold armor - all gimmicks that must be mastered. Oh and not to mention her combos allow little to no room for error lest they drop - but they can result in respectable damage and meter gain if fully executed and can lead to character kills with enough stocked meter.
How do you handle derp (Doom/Dante/GRider :s: spam, Hulk :h: spam, Wesker normals, Dark Wesker, etc) with Hsien in your hands? Do you give up the match or have a particular team strategy to deal?
I used to think that Hsien-Ko was a character who suffered from nothing but limitations. In time though, she has proven me wrong. Hsien-Ko is a surprisingly versatile character and can (should, really) have a different approach when it comes to every character. She actually has a lot of responses to character situations that give her a unique advantage only she enjoys thanks to her gimmick game. She is limited however in the fact that she doesn’t have any “derp” moves like spammable hard knock downs or other easy combo extending states, and her combos and gimmicks demand nearly perfect execution in order to take advantage of, and often leave her wide open if a motion or button isn’t input properly.
When it comes to some of the derpiest stuff, here are my own strategies:
Doom: Actually not a scary fight at all if you can stay above him The worst thing about Doom is that he manages to get in a foot dive, he can dish out a combo so easy a caveman could do it which will result in Hsien-Ko’s death nine times out of ten. However, this can also work in your favor since you know that most Doom players will do anything to score a footdive and can become very predictable. My typical approach is to initially super jump a lot and litter the air with gongs. This makes it extremely difficult for Doom to move without him smacking into one. This will often frustrate a Doom player into haphazardly foot diving into gongs. If at any point he is above me coming down from super jump height, I activate Tenrai Ha and send him to the floor and chain until dead. If Doom stays on the ground, gongs nullify anything that isn’t a super and you can sneak in :l: Anki Hou tosses in between gongs for dizzy opportunities.
**Dante: ** Dante can be a nightmare, and the worst part is that Dante is such a versatile character that it’s hard to determine what strategies to recommend. Try not to let him open you up with his long range low, and really try not to get caught in his box jump vortex or you’ll be fighting off highs and lows for some time. if you see Dante looking like he’s about to teleport and he isn’t covered by an assist, try to activate Rimoukon on the side he is appearing. That way if he comes down with either Helmbreaker or The Hammer, you’re covered and he’s open to combo. Just remember that Dante doesn’t have a lot of health, so if you manage to open him up make sure that you’ve either got enough meter to make the kill or have someone to eventually DHC to who has enough killing power to finish the job.
Ghost Rider: Right now Ghost Rider is my worst nightmare made even worse since he often comes paired with Sentinel Drones, which along with Ghost Rider’s j.:s: covers two important angles that cut off almost all of Hsien-Ko’s options and nullifies her gimmicks. Gong is nearly useless in this match since Ghost Rider doesn’t have projectiles that are worth reflecting and the recovery of a heavy gong can be enough time for him to open you up from full screen. If I’m forced to fight Ghost Rider I usually end up trying trying to stay at the screen’s edge, which is the only relatively safe area in which you can throw Anki Hou or set up gongs. I’ll usually set up one heavy gong, then super jump and try to mix him up on the descent from the air using her dash and Senpu Bu. The only thing Ghost Rider has going for him as an overhead defense is his launcher so if you predict that’s coming, chicken block it and punish once you’re able. Over all it’s a frustrating match up; probably her worst. Activate gold armor and tag out if at all possible.
Hulk: Not that scary, but like Doom he’s often a one-punch KO opponent. You first of all want to try to keep your distance. Plink dash and retreat, tossing out a standing :h: every now and then and cancel it into either an Anki Hou or Henkyo Ki to set up cover and begin your retreat again. It’s important to remember that Hsien-Ko’s standing and jumping :h: will pierce super armor and can lead to combo opportunities. You can also open him up with Senpu Bu. Try not to let Hulk get over you; punish any attempts with an emergency Tenrai Ha. He usually comes paired with Sentinel Drones, and this is one fight where Henyko Ki really shines, tossing them right back into Hulk’s dumb face. Hulk can be a long fight and require a few mixups if you don’t have a meter building assist, but he’s not really that scary. Just be patient and cautious.
**Wesker: **Not that scary. If you are familiar with the distance on Wesker’s teleports and the range of his most used normals (c.
, anyone?), Wesker often becomes predictable If you can get his mobility down and predict where his teleport will end, you can punish it. Just beware as most Weskers will come with a beam assist or Sentinel Drones – some kind of assist to cover their teleport. This can make it difficult to open him up. Senpu Bu comes in handy here as you can normal jump to peak height, then use Senpu Bu to swing around as much as possible. You’ll stay above beam height and will probably catch both Wesker and the next assist he calls mid-swing which could result in a happy birthday. If you can manage to eliminate even one assist, it will make Wesker considerably less dangerous. As it was mentioned before, going up against a Wesker who knows how to properly use his command grab can be dangerous because it makes him that much more unpredictable and dangerous. If you can keep Wesker out of range of there being a risk of his teleport crossing you up, he’s more or less harmless. Gong projectiles if placed properly and combined with good evasion can completely shut Wesker down. Not to mention will reflect gunshots if they are set off early enough which can disrupt his offensive flow, :l: Anki Hou makes her hitbox short enough to pass under Wesker’s standing gunshot, and if he gets cheeky and tries to bait a counter, you can cancel your normal into Houten-Geki and give him a hug he won’t soon forget. Wesker’s mobility in the air is limited as well so gong walls are effective in this fight. Dark Wesker can be scary if you’re forced to stay on the ground where he can cross you up, but he can’t convert into big damage if you’re at super jump height unless he cancels into super. This is where you take to the skies and abuse Senpu Bu to give her as much air time as possible. He won’t even be able to use Maximum Wesker against you without getting cut up. Ride out X-Factor and return the fight to the ground where you can finish him off.
to interrupt Phoenix Wrights, etc. Against derp nonsense I Rimoukon cancel off the first chance I get and call Dark Harmonizer while I chase. Trenchcoats aren’t used to their derp being ignored. Works for Hulk too. My team is Hsien A/Dormammu A/Morrigan Y
it’s just high or low, also 2l after a 2h seems to frame trap non ag blocking