Ken Combo/Tech Thread

Street Fighter V Ken
1

Post all tech/combos found in THIS thread!

Learning Resources

@sceno 's punish Google doc

@LordWilliam1234 's Ken full frame data Google doc
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1phr4jOfiXuaLxZgE1vk1myee_QK2RqP_M2cmnXOERDE/edit#gid=0

2

Making a punish doc. Feel free to add it to TC if you want.

3

Ok what’s the notation for vskill os on St rh or st fp? Do I do. Skill really late or do I do it early?

4

You have to do it REALLY late, basically just a couple frames before the move finishes recovering. That way you hit the CC hitstun but do it after the run cancel window on normal blockstun.

5

Great info. Learned a lot. I’ve got a few questions though.

  1. What exactly do I need to be using his V-Skill for? And when do I need to be using it? Also, is his step kick out of it useless?
  2. What exactly do I need to be doing once I’m actually IN V-Trigger? Like, I get that it boosts damage on certain things, and opens up new combo options, but it’s not as clear cut as everyone else’s. Also, what can I do to make my opponent fear/respect me when I’m in this state?
  3. What are all of his +frame moves/strings? I heard that air EX Tatsu is safe. Is that true, if so, what are the frames?
  4. For the cr. lk combo starters, how do you do these consistently? It only seems to link into other light moves, and hit confirming seems pretty difficult with it. You have such a tiny window after the 2nd hit (whether it be cr. lp or st. lp) to input a DP. You pretty much just have to commit to it, and half the time I can never even get it out because the window seems so small.
  5. Any other general tips or advice you could offer a new player to the game? I haven’t played SF for real since like 2011.
6

Looks like the optimal VTC hit confirm meterless combos are

Midscreen
cr.mp -> b.mp xx HP Hadoken VTC st.hp xx run xx LK Tatsu -> HP DP

Corner
cr.mp -> b.mp xx HP Hadoken VTC st.hp xx LP DP -> HP DP

  1. You can use it to follow fireballs in, to gain space from far away, for unexpected gap closers in blockstrings. Stepkick is mainly useful for doing a mix of empty ones and stepkicks at max range. If they try and counter the stepkick by neutral jumping you can DP the if you did an empty one or just whiff punishing any buttons they throw out. It’s fairly safe at max range.
  2. You can hop over fireballs with HK Tatsu. All your aerial tatsus gain loads of hitstun so you can use them to approach. Otherwise it’s mainly just more damage in combos
  3. Jabs, cr.lk, cr.mp, EX Hadoken, EX Air Tatsu. Everything else is 0 or worse. Air EX Tatsu is a divekick, it depends where you hit them
  4. It’s a chain so you basically enter the whole string (cr.lk xx cr.lp xx DP motion) and only hit the HP button for the DP if you see the first two hit
  5. Anti-air. That’ll get you through so much if you just throw relatively safe fireballs and anti-air. Ken’s got the best anti-air in the game between st.mk, cr.hp st.lp, MP DP, and EX DP; just cancel your cr.hp anti-airs into a run for a left/right mixup or combo on counter hit.
7

What exactly dose the vskill OS on the st Rh/F do. I’m trying it in training mode but I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for.

8

V-skill OS is basically inputting the V-skill late enough (like super late as said above) so it comes out only if there is a crush counter. So to see it you need to put counter hit as random in training mode and do st.RH xx run.

If the V-skill comes out when there is no Crsuh Counter it’s too early, if the V-skill never comes out at all you’re doing it too late.

Honestly tho I feel like with st.hk you can do it on reaction, it’s really slow. It’s more important with st.hp.

Also on another topic, thank you for the list of punishes, it really looks like it’s completly useless to use both v-trigger and CA in the same combo, unless you desperatly need to be in v-trigger mode (which might be a lot of times tho since we have a 3 bar v-trigger).

9

Really appreciate it man. Btw, new question:

  1. What is the go to max damage crush-counter/blocked DP punish, for no meter, 1 meter, and 3 meters respectively?
10

With no V Trigger, Midscreen

Meterless
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx hp xx HK Tatsu

1 Bars
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx MK Tatsu -> EX DP

3 Bars
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx hp xx HP DP (1 hit) xx CA

With VTC you can extend all those combos

Meterless
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx HP Hadoken VTC st.hp xx run -> LK Tatsu -> HP DP

1 Bar
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx HP Hadoken VTC st.hp xx MK Tatsu -> EX DP

3 Bars
st.hp xx run -> b.mp xx HP Hadoken VTC st.hp xx run -> MP DP (1 hit) xx CA

1 Like
11

whats the trick to hitting cr.mp -> b.mp consistently?

12

Practice.

1 Like
13

I don’t think he means the link, no way is someone struggling to land a 3f consistently.

If you mean “how do I make the b.mp connect because it whiffs” it’s just range dependent, if you think you’re too far out use st.lk > m.tatsu

14

Yeah, I’ve realized that. I basically never even attempt it unless I’m right up on the opponent’s nuts. I think the spacing is more lenient in the corner though.

Also, what about meaties and options on opponents’ wake-up? Are b mp or b mp decent options?

And what about frame traps? I know about cr. lp>st. lk. Any others worth using?

15

Practice confirming TC1 with back mp from max range, it’s one of his best footsie tools since it starts at 4 frames (it punishes most punishable things). You will then be able to recognize when a cr mp pushes you too far out to connect it.

On wake up, you also need to be able to confirm cr lk -> cr lp -> hp srk for the ability to hit low. Buffer the srk when pressing cr lp but hold the cr lp button as not to get an lp srk due to negative edge. Meaties depend on frame advantage. Your best bet is a cr mp since it has enough active frames but st hp gives the biggest reward and is safe when meatied. The issue with st hp is that it starts at 9 frames so you need to condition for a throw tech and get 4 frames of frame advantage. You can get that advantage with cr hp antiair to v-skill from certain distances.

As for frame traps, your best bets are st lp -> cr mp (it combos if st lp is a ch and you can cancel cr mp to hk/mk tatsu), st lp -> back mp and cr mp to back mp. From certain distances you can go for cr lp -> st mp (buffer to hadoken if you have v-trigger), just make sure that st mp connects at max range to make it all safe. You can also do cr mp (blocked) -> st lp -> st mk. If st lp connects it’s a tight frame trap, if its blocked it can lose or trade with certain mediums.

In general Ken is pretty hard to play effectively because you need to be able to react to a lot of single buttons getting blocked, connecting or connecting to a ch. Dudes with great reactions like Momochi will make him look very scary though.

16

I need help here :frowning:

Im trying the following:

cr.mp xx hp fireball xx VT > st.hp xx run > lk tatsu > mp uppercut > super afterwards… it sort of looks like it should work but it doesnt, do I really have to cancel the uppercut instead of juggle to get that combo? :frowning:

17

Yes, cancel the first hit of the DP.

18

You could aways poke fireball VT standing fp mk tatsu ex dp and keep some meter for pressure ect.

19

That is some good information, thanks! Now I know what to practice once i get the chance!

Though… what’s TC1? just b.MP?

20

Hi guys, been in the lab and this is what I’ve found so far, hopefully this is usefull for some.

Crush counter fishing:*
crlp, crlp, cr hp

after this you have the option:
[list]
[] v-skill and hp dp
[] v-skill and do a normal and do a cross under or not
[/list]

frametraps for mashing jabs: I think you can change tatsu with hp dp*
[list]
[] cr :lk:, cr :mp:, cr :mk: xx :mk: tatsu
[] cr :lp:, b+ :mp:, :hp: (the b+:mp: is a frametrap and if you delay the :hp: it’s also a frametrap)
[] cr :lp:, st :lk:,cr :mp: xx :mk: tatsu
[] cr :lk:, st :lk:, cr :mp: xx :mk: tatsu
[/list]
*
After throw:*
dash wait a bit cr :mp:, cr :mk:, st :mp: or cr :hp: these will all hit meaty
crhp can result in a CC

if you hit CH st :mp: and do the vskill you’re -1 or -2 so you can further pressure them
*
After HK tatsu:*
Dash cr :mp: = meaty hit

After HP dp:
wait a bit, dash, cr :mp: / cr :mk: will hit meaty

Also cr :mk: xx hado is not a good finisher they can do stuff between the cancel.
I advice to use st :mp: or cr :mp: and cancel that :slight_smile: