Hey guys. Been lurking on the Dan boards for a while. Today, I played an Evil Ryu, and he was giving me problems.
If I blocked, he’s just throw projectiles.
If I jumped, he Shoryukened me.
If I did a Dankyaku (Dan Kick) he Shoryukened me.
Couldn’t poke because of the Hadokens.
Is there anything I can do, or is this just one of those matchups?
Well, unless you’re playing Daigo, the guy you’re playing isn’t always going to have perfect reactions. If every jump you make is getting Shoryukened, it means you’re jumping at predictable times. Your Dankus being Shoryukened means the same. They’re slow startup, and can be SRKed on reaction when the opponent is looking for them.
But if your opponent is looking for that SRK, it means he’s not throwing fireballs. You need to be less predictable!
You can advance against most fireballers by using a Focus Attack to absorb the fireball and then dashing forward. Be careful doing that against Sagat, Gouken and Guile, who have faster recovery on their fireballs and might be able to hit you while you’re still dashing. It should work fine against Evil Ryu.
Once you’re close enough your pokes (particularly s.MK) will beat out his fireballs, and punish him if he’s preparing a Shoryuken. EX Danku can also be used to quickly get in his face from mid-range without being a bit SRK target due to its speed.
The question that every Dan has to answer. Xiahou Mao basically nailed it. Unpredictability is Dan’s strongest attribute with his limited move set. Are you playing online a lot? Against randoms or friends?
I suggest you try several games with the main goal of simply getting in. Forget about winning for a second and just practice getting in. See where that goes.