So i’ve been writing down all the things i learn about Ken and trying to turn it into something other people can use as a resource. It’s no where near finished as i want to do things like match ups at a later date, but the game isn’t stable at all right now so it’s hard to make informed critique about some of the more specific parts of the game.
I’ve laid some of the framework and i’m still writing up the rest of the things i know at the moment, it would be great if you guys could help contribute or call bullshit when i write things you deem inaccurate. Basically anything to help flesh out this character so we can all improve!
I’ll try to make videos in the near future for each of the sections once they are fully fleshed out.
General Gameplan Strengths/Weaknesses (need to update this)
[details=Spoiler]Ken functions similar to his Street Fighter 4 incarnation, what he lacks in zoning he makes up for with his fantastic mid range pokes. Through his strong footsies and diverse anti-airs Ken can control the pace of the game against most characters, plus due to his wide range of tools as a player you’re able to use a variety of play styles effectively.
He’s quite clearly not high tier and there is nothing Ken massively excels in compared to other characters, but he’s well rounded enough so that counter picking will never be a major issue.
Positives;
Mid-Range Pokes - Unlike a lot of the footsies orientated cast in this game Ken can function really well outside of his cr.Forward range (even though this poke is incredible). With his f+Forward, cr.Forward, st.Strong, cr.Roundhouse, st.Roundhouse he can build lots of meter pretty safely and due to his standing pokes being good he doesn’t have to worry too much about raw launcher. It’s not entirely brain-dead though as lot of his pokes are unsafe on block if you space them badly so you’ll need to know the match ups.
Post-Launch Damage - At 352 mid-screen and 392 in the corner, Kens damage after a launch is above average for a member of the Street Fighter Cast.
High Damage Potential - If Ken lands a punish or a hit-confirm on a standing opponent due to the strength of his Tatsumaki with meter he can do fantastic damage, bringing in a partner or just solo.
Negatives;
Back Dash - His is utterly awful, to the point where option-selects that really never work vs back dashes work on him leading to huge damage. Typically this doesn’t matter too much, but it’s to the extent where it just simply doesn’t work as a defensive option.
Dependent Upon Boost Chains - At cr.Forward range Ken really cannot convert unless the opponent is standing and you have meter meaning you spend a lot of time swapping him out for another character. Meaning you’re going to be burning through any gems you have active while the other character is in play and you need to take careful consideration when picking a team mate.
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Buttons Breakdown (need to proof this)
Normals
Spoiler
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[]cl.Jab - Hits crouching opponents, positive on block, used for hit-confirms and general safe pressure.
[]cl.Strong - No use bar Target Combo
[]cl.Fierce - Forces standing, used for max damage punishes, frame-traps and in a few situations also works as an anti-air.
[]cl.Short - cl.Jab is generally better, used in certain option-selects.
[]cl.Forward - Massive hit/block stun, best standing hit confirm, a lot of push back.
[]cl.Roundhouse - Use cl.Fierce instead, it has a faster start up and all the same properties
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[]st.Jab - Good anti-air vs divekicks, used for pressure strings mainly.
[]st.Strong - Has a lot of hit/block stun, good in pressure strings.
[]st.Fierce - No real use.
[]**st.Short **- Makes lows whiff at certain ranges, good anti-air in certain match-ups, mainly used as a fake fireball.
[]st.Forward - Can crush lows from certain ranges, good to keep poking patterns varied as to not get launched.
[]st.Roundhouse - Okay poking tool, really punishable on whiff and when badly spaced, causes crumple on counter-hit.
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[]cr.Jab - Okay for pressure strings but for the most part you may as well use cr.Short or st/cl.Jab
[]cr.Strong - Anti-airs jump attacks that have high hit boxes, okay for footsies in some match-ups, can crush certain lows when spaced correctly
[]cr.Fierce - Anti-air, used mainly for combos and a few frame traps.
[]cr.Short - Fastest normal at 3 frames, all-round good button for pressure and the occasional punish.
[]cr.Forward - Along with f+Forward this is your go to poking tool, slightly less safe on block than cr.Roundhouse at -5 frames but can be canceled and hit confirmed.
[]cr.Roundhouse - Slightly longer range than cr.Forward and is only -4 on block which in certain match-ups is fine.
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[]j.Short - Can be incredibly ambiguous at certain ranges but has very little hit and block stone so can be punished a lot of the time.
[]j.Forward - Go to all-round jump in for cross-ups and close distance jumps.
[]j.Roundhouse - Longest range jumping attack with highest hit/block stun.
[]nj.Forward - Best neutral jump attack for air-to-air due to the horizontal hatbox.
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Command Normals / Target Combos
Spoiler
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[]f+Forward - Staple mid-range poking tool, at the most it’s -2 on block but has 5 active frames so space it correctly, it’s also a great hit-confirm into super on counter-hit.
[]b+Forward - Relatively quick overhead, will cause bounce if the opponent is crouching and it’s a counter-hit, also bounces airborne opponents.
[]f+Roundhouse - Same overhead properties as b+Forward but you walk forward before doing the attack, if you hold the button down no attack will come out just the walk up and you can cancel it into a special attack (similar to Sagat’s kara attacks but its more for mixups not punishes due to the speed).
[]Target Combo - Can be used as a potentially very damaging hit-confirm, forces standing, punishable on block (can be canceled though), in some a few situation used for max damage combos.
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Specials
Spoiler
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[]jab.Shoryuken - Only has lower body invulnerability, can convert post-shoryuken into more damage without using meter.
[]strong.Shoryuken - Go to anti-air across the board with 7 frames of full body-invulnerability, start-up is 5 frames so it can be safe jumped.
[]fierce.Shoryuken - Only has 3 frames of full body-invulnerability but also starts up in 3 frames, even on block due to being three hits it is a pretty safe way to tag in another character. It’s also quite good vs empty jumps or wall dives.
[]Hadouken - Mid-range poking tool, pretty good way to end block strings, substantially slower than Ryu’s fireball so don’t try to zone with it too much.
[*]Tatsumaki - Goes over most fireballs but not as effectively as Ryu, on a standing opponent it is key to getting max damage of metered combos with your partner, on airborne opponents it is good for positioning but won’t do as much damage as fierce.Shoryuken.
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Ex Specials / Supers
Spoiler
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[]ex.Shoryuken - Only reliable way to get out of safe-jump setups.
[]ex.Hadouken - No real use apart from breaking armour safely.
[]ex.Tatsumaki - An amazing way to get metered damage without bring in your partner on a standing opponent.
[]Super - Only has 2 frames of start up so it is a great punish, it’s also a reliable way to convert from a counter-hit f+Forward.
[*]Cross Art - Nothing different from other Cross Arts beyond its ability to anti-air
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Combo Framework
Outside of the corner you can finish your combos with either a Shoryuken or Tatsumaki. The Shoryuken will do more damage and give you a knock down on a standing opponent, but the Tatsumaki will keep them standing which can lead into massive damage if you switch to another character. When they are airborne the Shoryuken still does more damage but the Tatsumaki will give you better positioning.
Spoiler
Hit-Confirms
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[][199/164] cr.Short, cl.Jab, cr.Forward xx Shoryuken/Tatsumaki
[][224/184] cl.Forward, cr.Forward xx Shoryuken/Tatsumaki
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Post-Launch
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[][352/322] Target Combo xx CADC, cr.Forward xx Shoryuken/Tatsumaki
[][392][corner] Target Combo, cr.Strong, cr.Fierce xx Shoryuken
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Solo Meterless Max Damage
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[][326/284] Target Combo xx jab.Shoryuken, cr.Forward xx Shoryuken/Tatsumaki
[][389][corner] Target Combo xx jab.Shoryuken, cr.Strong, cr.Strong, cr.Strong, cr.Fierce xx Shoryuken
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Solo Metered Max Damage
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[][444/402] cl.Fierce xx ex.Tatsumaki, cl.Fierce, xx jab.Shoryuken, cr.Forward xx Shoryuken/Tatsumaki
[][479][corner] cl.Fierce xx ex.Tatsumaki, cl.Fierce xx jab.Shoryuken, cr.Strong, cr.Strong, cr.Strong, cr.Fierce xx Shoryuken
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Safe Jumps
All of these are 4 frame safe jumps.
Spoiler
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[]forward+throw - st.Jab xx st.Jab, nj.Forward
[]back+throw - cr.Strong, J.roundhouse
[]cr.Roundhouse - slight step back, J.roundhouse
[]super - short.Tatsumaki, nj.Fierce
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Frame Traps
Most of Ken’s frame traps come from his rapid cancel lights, there are a few traps within the heavier buttons that can help extend your block strings and get you some more damage.
Spoiler
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[]st.Strong, cr.Forward - 2 frame gap
[]cl.Forward, cr.Forward - 1 frame gap
[*]cl.Forward, st.Strong - 2 frame gap
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