[KOF XIII] Mai Shiranui

Classic Fighting Games King of Fighters XIII
1

And I, the Great Dark Hero, would like to present: Mai Shiranui of KOF XIII

According to Dream Cancel, Mai Shiranui is… not quite the same as she was in her previous alliterations (KOF 2K2 for example). I wouldn’t think so. Most players disregard her as simply fan service, though she is far more dangerous than most players make her out to be. As of KOF XIII, Mai is a really great character to play who ensures her spot in the mid-tier. Mai is pretty much a “less for more” character. This integration of Mai is based around her Fatal Fury appearance (I think this is kind of loose, because she is still missing QUITE a few moves. Like her reversals for example. But, then again, if she did have a reversal in this game in her move set, she’d probably be overpowered - She would be okay as she is, due to the nature of the game.
PROS:
Mai is probably one of the best (yet extremely underrated) battery characters. Mai’s has exceptionally good normals and priority in general. The tools at Mai’s disposal include a wall jump, air-throw, a good projectile, high priority normals, a B>D chain combo, fast movement, cross-up air.C, easy safe jumps, a air command move, and an alternate jump maneuver. Mai is a character made to play good keep-away, dominate the air, and the corner. All of Mai’s EX moves set the opponent up for a juggle. Mai also has a ton of HD combo set-ups and arguably one of the best Neo Max’s in the game because it has a really huge hit box, it does not scale that much, and it covers just about half a screen. She is the corner goddess of this game and it is really easy for Mai to do a lot of damage with just one stock or even one drive. Mai’s her ground Musasabi no Mai can be used to get to places as it is quick and can easily catch the opponent off guard because there is no recover after the jump, unless there is a wall next to the opponent. The ground Musasabi can cover more ground or provide distance and the player can use her dive from her wall or cancel it into her j.d.B command move (which can also beat certain anti-airs). Last, she is one of the two characters (besides King) that perform a corner/mid-screen cross-up from a throw.
CONS:
Mai’s jumping arcs are really tricky to adjust to, as she is easily exposed to anti-airs. Mai does not have an anti-air herself, though her st.A, st.C, j.CD, and her cr.C (yes, I said cr.C) can be utilized for that purpose. The majority of her special moves except for her Ryuenbuu or Kachosen are unsafe on guard. Despite having many methods of game play, Mai loses out if she is under too much pressure, so knowing how to use her normal and playing keep-away is imperative. Last, Mai does not do much damage from mid-screen at all so the player will have to either continue a keep-away game, or use her BnB’s to drag their opponent into the corner and continue the assault. Mai needs meter to be operational so, she is a very nice battery character and (if you are extremely cautious with Mai) a decent anchor thanks to her Neo Max, corner juggles, and her strong normals.

Additional Information/Help
http://wiki.shoryuken.com/The_King_of_Fighters_XIII/Mai
http://www.dreamcancel.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mai_Shiranui_(XIII)
Videos

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[media=youtube]449hFAolLQE[/media]
[media=youtube]a6CLRadzemc[/media]
[media=youtube]GiW1JDIx6UE[/media]

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Here is a new video from myself on utilizing her Musasabi no Mai, as well as a few of her other tools!

Mai guides you through it…!

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[media=youtube]MvqrIEpN_U8[/media]

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There are some good information on Mai Shiranui combos and additional tools she has.
http://orochinagi.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=2851&sid=c856663926f60e5f6feb632a56686aa0

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Reserved.

5

I like the girl and all, but with how offense-based the game is I feel like she isn’t all that great on point despite the reputation she has as a battery. If the opponent gets in, she loses pretty quickly and requires meter to get them off of her. In other words, if the opponent is playing someone who can get in pretty quickly and easily, you probably just lost your first character without much or any progress on your part. Also, her damage output with no meter is sad.

I also think she’s not all that great of an anchor due to not having the best comeback potential. Which is why I run her second and a character like Kyo or Mature first. Having her second allows you to mess with your opponent’s head with the potential for a 450 point insta-Neomax, so they’ll be afraid to do much aside from eat chip from fans and ryuenbuus. Going 2nd also allows you to have a potential 4 meters stocked, so if you have the reactions to use HD into Neomax as a punish you still have meter to get out of high-pressure situations. This helps prevent people from just eating Neomax so you have no meter and then proceed to smack Mai around and leave your anchor with little to no resources.

One of my favorite mid-range pokes with Mai is her standing CD. I love canceling that into fan or ryuenbuu. Use it too much and it can backfire, but the poke is so stupidly long and you can cancel it even on whiff that it frustrates the hell out of people trying to get in.

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[SIZE=4]I too love to make use of blow back attacks and then whiff cancelling nto Kanchousen/Ryuenbuu because of its ridiculous push back and its range. After the Kanchousen projectile, the player can buffer for a ground Musasabi to get away or draw near the opponent for a follow up attack or option select throw/throw tech. What you say is true - Mai is simply better off as a battery character. She CAN be a good anchor but this is not recommended because Shen, Yuri, or Claw Iori can help her out for that and fill in the space. I don’t go online often, but every time I see a Mai player, they almost ALWAYS put Mai in first for some strange reason. Now, unless the player is using a zoning/keep-away team, Mai being in first is just asking for trouble. Mai is always going to be my second character, should she be on my team. Four meters is just what Mai needs to succeed. The first character can build meter (Kula, Betty, EX Kyo…), and Mai can capitalize with more reversal options, corner juggles, and HD combos. [/SIZE]

7

Your thoughts are exactly mine. Mai in first place is condemned to fail. She CAN’T do anything!! please, why is everybody saying she is a good battery char? She ISN’T! She doesn’t have multiple hits attacks to fill up power bar quickly if blocked, and she is extremely punishable if blocked. this is why people only go here and there jumping like an idiot (no offense) and spamming CD. Mai is a lot more than that. She has great corner combos and she can zone in a very decent way with her A Kachosen. But she needs cancels, and power bar. Like Great Dark Hero said, Mai is horribily underrated in this game. I’m not saying she is top tier at all, but you can do a lot of things with Mai if you place her as second or third member. Her HD combos are easy to enter with her b>D, her NM is one the best in the game (if not the best) and her corner combos can be deadly. if you have 2 cancels and 1 power bar you can do around 60% of damage in corner. But people don’t trust her, and don’t take Mai as a serious option, they are affraid to use her properly as second or third member. Most of times I use Mai as third, because she is my main, so it’s the character i use better and because with enough cancels and power she is really enjoyable and funny to play.

Mai forever.

8

Love your enthusiasm. The truth is however, is that it is too risky to place her in first or third position because other characters play that role better than she does. Now having said that, it is easy for Mai to hit confirm into a HD combo and she becomes problematic with meter usage. The main reason why she is underrated in this game is because she dos not do much mid screen damage and she does not have that many anti-air options other than her normals. Everything else is manageable and the priority behind her normal are disgustingly pivotal. If you intend on using her as a third character, please be cautious of how much meter you save up with your second character - Kula, Betty, Andy, Beni, EX Kyo, King… those characters in the secondary position will help her big time. The chances of winning increase a little more if Mai is the secondary character because characters like Shen or Claw Iori in the third positions are like walking comeback mechanics/equalizers. It is very easy for the player to play mind games with Mai while saving meter and withering the opponent health away.

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You are right, but still I like to play Mai as my final weapon placing her in third position xD. My team is King, Mature and Mai. i usually use King or Mature as first and most of times Mai as third. Enthusiasm? Well, yes, Mai is my favourite character since Fatal Fury 2, so yeah, I lover to play her. But is not only enthusiasm, I mean is not some kind of fanboyish suicide, I really take mai as a serious character and I’m trying to learn how to use her properly to be deadly with her. I know she is not the best character in the game, and it’s very true her lacking of anti-air options and mid screen combos. And her poor DM’s damage scaling… But still, i defend that Mai can be competitive if you trust her and learn her well. At least, for now i’m trying to do her best in KOF XIII, while waiting for a next KOF where I hope she rises up some positions in the tier list.

I like to think she will have Kagero no Mai some day :smiley:

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[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman](Mai really does not get any love in this game, despite the “No Mai no buy” bullshitters complaining - most people will underestimate because of it. She is pretty easy to win with, especially as a battery character. Should anyone play her as an anchor, it is basically a risk/reward scenario). Here are some Mai BnB’s: These will sort of “drag” the opponent into the corner after you hit confirm into them. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]0 Stock, No Drive Gauge -[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]cr.B, cr.B, st.B, st.D [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]cr.B, cr.B, cr.A, hcf+B [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]cr.B, cr.A, cr.C, qcb+A [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]cr.B, cr.A, cr.C, hcf+D [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]Be care with the latter two combo’s - They are links but they lead to serious damage should you have meter availabe. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]Once your opponent is pressured to the corner you can set them up with this 436 damage combo for for one stock[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][FONT=times new roman]Corner] cr.B, cr.B, cr.A, qcb+AC, qcb+C, qcb+C, qcb+C, Air Throw. The timing of the Ryuebuu loops will take a little adjustment - you can use this variation for 431 damage to be safe and prevent dropping any combos - s.C, qcb+AC, qcb+C, qcb+C, air throw = 431 dmg. [/FONT][/SIZE]
Mai has really good ground and (especially) air normals - and very good cross-ups. Despite not having any other command moves, her chain combo B>C and he high - low mix-up compensate for it. Don’t forget that you can still use the ground Musasabi after a projectile to mind-screw your opponent - they’re not going to have much time to react because it is fast.
For HD combo’s and for two stocks Mai can do this for example: - A combo worth 769 damage: [FONT=times new roman][SIZE=4][corner]j.C, s.C, [HD] s.D, hcf D [2hits], [HDC] air.qcb C, hcf D [2hits], [HDC] qcb C, hcf B [1hit], [HDC] qcb A, (hcf D [2hits], [HDC] qcb C) x2, qcb C, Ex qcb~hcf+ K. [/FONT][/SIZE]
Or for no stock, full damaging HD combos she capable of this for 640 damage: [corner]j.C, s.C, [HD] s.D, hcf D, [HDC] air.qcb C, hcf D [2hits], [HDC] qcb C, hcf D [1hit], [HDC] qcb A, hcf D [2hits], [HDC] qcb C, qcb C, air throw
As I said before, the majority of her EX moves juggle the opponent, so she does extremely well with meter. Should the player not want to take any unnecessary risks, Mai can always play a nice keep-away game, all thanks to her projectile and her deceptively powerful normals (you can use her st.C as an anti-air and most of her air-normals have exceptional priority).

11

Mid screen options i use often

-crB, crA, hcf+B [DC] in air qcb+AC, air grab or qcb+A or qcb+C (will hit only the first hit of ryuenbuu) about 385 of damage

-crB, crA, qcb+AC, hcf+D (If you reached the corner) [DC] qcb+C (these could be ryuenbuu or musasabi depening if mai is flying or not when hcf+D) anyway both options make juggle to continue with another qcf+C (maybe two if you canceled hcf+D into a ryuenbuu and the juggle is higher enough) and then air grab. Around 460 of damage or maybe 520 if you could enter 2 ryuenbuus at the corner before air grab.

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sorry for double post

Great Mai played by Mad KOF as third member. At 0:05:30

[media=youtube]3BRkm7uwU0Q[/media]

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Here is a summary of how to use Mai’s jumping arcs to her advantage.
What needs to be understood is that part of the reason why Mai is underrated in this game is because of her unique jumping arcs. This can be taken advantage of - she is vulnerable to typical anti-airs but the majority of them will either trade with her normals or have her out prioritize them with her normals altogether. (THAT IS most A. version DP’s or charge down > up anti-airs). Mai will trade with these sort of DP’s because her priority in the air is fantastic (a la j.A and especially J.B due to its cross-up potential). With her unique jumps she may be exposed to anti-airs but it is far easier to do safe jumps. She can do her option selects and/or bait the opponent into making a mistakes after she knocks them down. She jumps high, but she falls very quickly. Most C version anti-airs are what Mai should truly be worried about - Kyo’s or Robert’s C version anti-air has more invincibility on start-up but is very unsafe and risky - Mai can time her jump arcs so that she can block on time and do her option selects from there (Ground Musasabi, jump/hop again, roll back/forward, block, hit confirm into a BnB combo, DM). (You can also use Mai’s regular or EX Musasabi while back dashes if the opponent to counteract aggressive players or pressure).
A good way of ensuring to hit your opponent is to do a regular jump to j.C or j.D, air d.B, and her Dive attack. The first to attacks can combo into a hard knock down
which is extremely important. HOWEVER, Mai is NOT safe during her air d.B attack. So she can whiff cancel her air d.B attack into her air QCB - A or C… or EX QCB A or C to remain safe if the opponent guards again.

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Many genius’s from Dream Cancel have begun a match up thread Mai Shiranui - very nice for research.
Source: http://dreamcancel.com/forum/index.php?topic=1789.0

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Can anyone explain to me why Mai is so dope! I just love her and she is slept on so hard! I mean I understand why but last not she became the best person on my team! I made up some new tech I never seen anyone do! OMG I AM NOW A MAI FANBOY

16

Mai is awesome because she’s one of the most annoying characters in the game to fight next to Ash.

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Ash! I never thought about this before… this might actually be one of the best summaries. In fact, Ash might be a good edition to whatever team Mai could be on. (I really love the premise of Ash’s Sans Coulette to Germinal).

What I also realize is that Mai and Ash have so much in common:

  • They both have the some of the best corner juggles in the game.
  • They are also good at applying corner pressure.
  • Their projectiles easily catch a lot opponent off guard because of how fast they are.
  • Neither one of them do a ridiculous amount of damage at mid-screen.
  • They are both do exceedingly well with keep-away.
  • They both have very nice Neo Max moves.

The differences I can think of is Mai having an air throw, a wall kick, better normals, a better Neo Max, quicker speed, not projectile friendly, and a few more special moves, she is motion character, and has a different method of controlling space (the ground version of Musasabi no Mai).
For Ash he is better at zoning, has a SHIT LOAD of DM’s (all of which serve a very good purpose and are extremely useful), does a little more damage from mid-screen. Ash is also quite a bit more, and has a more ground anti-air options, and he is a charging character. Ash’s method/gimmick of controlling space is (my favorite move), Genei which functions like a trap of sorts. A very good one.
These two can capitalize on each others weaknesses, should they end up on the same team.

We should get around to discussing which characters a viable to Mai’s approach. (This is getting fun).

18

It is pretty much confirmed that Mai is a good battery and (if you’re careful) a good anchor character. We should discuss the characters that Mai can form a good synergy with (Like Beni and Mr. Karate) for example. Here is some tournament footage with extremely scary Mai game play from Naoki. This video pretty much confirms that Mai being a weak character is completely out of the question.

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[media=youtube]u2povwB9MaA[/media]

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Wow. Awesome Mai. I will use this video to imrpove my gameplay with her. Thanks ^^

20

I hated Mai, i don’t know why but my characters always have a hard time fighting against any decent Mai, specially Leona…so i was thinking…if you can’t beat them…so i began to use Mai more frequently not too long ago and she has some amazing tools, i mean her normals are ridiculous, and while she is not that combo heavy in the middle of the screen her basic stuffs works pretty well, indeed she is no top tier material and the lack of any decent wake up or anti air moves hurt her a lot, but if you can get in and put your opponent in the corner you will have a pretty good option, also her zoning game is decent enough to get away from characters like Clark or Goro.

I like using her as point…yes, she can’t do anything that amazing, but her normals are so annoying that most of the time i get away with some good damage against not so good opponents but as i keep playing with her i’m going to try to use her against better players and see how good or bad she works as point.