Now to speak about Mai’s information updates… there still does not seem to be any frame data to speak of yet. Mai’s best jump in attack would have to be j.B, with j.A/j.D being close contenders. Now why would that be?
When Mai actually connects with j.B, the opponent will suffer from a much longer hit/block stun. This makes combos far easier for Mai, especially 1 framers. Mai’s j.B also counts as a cross up as well. Mai can also cross up with j.C as well, but the likely hood of that happening is slim due to how she swings her fan. So if the opponent is being reckless or has trouble defending, you can jump in on the opponent utilize j.B for an easy BnB combo. This works like a charm. Just keep in mind that… fundamentally speaking for KOFXIII and the majority of other fighting games jumping is a risky movement. Mai’s ground game is very important because she moves very fast… her walk speed is fast, her jumping ability is rather quick… so PLEASE make use of Mai’s speed - it can help you win a lot of fights!
I also have some technology on Mai’s CD/j.CD attack that I would like share. I will compose a video later on and post it here to provide players with an idea of what to do when you corner the opponent. There is also that 2 Bar HD combo for 800+ damage I will share too from within the said video series. There will also be replays provided. The replays themselves will prove how effective Mai’s speed can really be.
Here is another HD combo I found… just for reference:
[media=youtube]cbO42GS8t0I[/media]
Those of you who are having trouble with Mai’s trials can use this as a reference too. The only one I found difficult was trial 7, which involved linking a d.A into d.C - Got pretty easy after a few tries though:
[media=youtube]upVRfXB89uU[/media]
I could not find too many KOFXIII Climax videos of her as of late. I’m going to actually record my last few sections with Mai’s game play later on…
When you are playing Mai, try to keep yourself out of the corner as much as possible, unless you have meter. To get out of the corner, you can resort to GC rolling, GC blowback to stop block strings for getting back on the offensive, walk jumping (you either do a j.d.B, air Musasabi, a normal, a air throw, or just land from a wall kick), or by doing the ground Musasabi no Mai to get to the other side real quick. Mai should be the one cornering the opponent.
Here is a short video of Mai’s HD combo.
One HD combo is meterless - for 655 damage. The next HD combo is for two meters for 801 damage. Under normal circumstances… after the jump in, I would have done Mai’s target combo B,D but I omitted the B input. At went for just D input in itself. I thought I could avoid as much damage scaling as possible.
[media=youtube]KmSdSbYquAk[/media]
I will also conduct a video on Mai’s counter hits CD attack usage as well as starting an HD combo from mid air with Mai’s air Musasabi (air qcb+C).
I got another video up. This video provide more insight on her ability to whiff cancel her CD and d.D attacks, using combos from a counter hit CD attack, and using HD combos in another unorthodox yet helpful manner.
[media=youtube]uarA7uA1pUo[/media]
I realize that Mai has multiple 50/50 mix up options. I just got done watching EVO2012 ST… I saw a lot of Vega players - Vega himself has particularly nasty 50/50 mix up game.
Mai also has those things going for her. The ground Musasabi no Mai (down charge up + A or C) can be used for the same purpose as Vega’s own Scarlet Terror and whatnot. The Mai player needs to learn how to keep the opponent guessing. Mai’s air j.d.B (Ukihane) can be made safe if spaced properly. The charging time for this game is no where near as long, so Mai can continuously use the ground Musasabi no Mai without any real difficulty (this also helps the natural charging characters in this game very nicely as well to keep up a good offensive game).
Mai can cancel into Ukihane from j.B, j.D, her ground Musasabi no Mai special move, and after wall jump. It is also pretty easy to cross the opponent up with Ukihane. The Ukihane causes a hard knockdown on hit for both grounded and air opponents. Mai can mix it up even more afterwards because she benefits from the opponent being knockdown. There are a lot of options leftover if Mai corners the opponent and even the other way around - she can wall jump and use Ukihani to change the trajectory of her jump and even hit her opponent in the process. After a knockdown, Mai can quickly jump over to the other side of the opponent do a mix up, block string, a combo, or another cross up from there (if she is still in mid air before the opponent gets up). Mai can also chain a lot of lighter normal moves together and they have pretty good reach. Mai functions really well at mid range distance from her opponent. If the opponent tries to jump/hop, Mai can follow up with a j.C, anti-air st.C, or her air throw for another hard knockdown. A version Ryuuenbu is also safe on guard, so she can use this attack to follow up as well.
Also… Mai gets frame advantage from st.A, cr.A, close st.C, cr.C, and CD. There is currently no frame data on showcase yet, but it is coming soon.
There is a lot of good (though not particularly the best) Mai Shiranui game play in this event - Pay attention and have fun!
[media=youtube]CNFRAe4hCBI[/media]
Mad_KOF (current EVO champ) implements Mai’s game play… and he apparently knows what he is doing. A very strong Mai… Strangely enough, he plays Mai as an anchor. If the player retains Mai’s meter appropriately and uses her speed well, any player can get very far.
[media=youtube]Kd71XMY5DjA[/media]
How high would you guys say Mai’s learning curve is? I’m interested in playing her, but since I just picked up the game I’m trying to avoid the really advanced characters at first.
Mai is not difficult to play at all. But, in mid or high level play, the player needs to know what to do and carefully utilize her strengths. She is relatively easy to win with, if the player knows how to use her normal moves and capitalize accordingly.
Putting Mai as anchor make some sense. If you’re confident enough that you can ensure Mai comes out mostly for anchor vs anchor rounds, then it’s very difficult for the opponent to make a strong offense under the threat of her NeoMAX. This can allow Mai to bully opponents with her strong normals with a little more freedom, which in turn can frustrate the opponent into making poor choices. Really, even the knowledge that Mai can suddenly punish any hop, jump, or attack for 45% is just a huge psychological weight on the opponent when it’s their last character, especially if they’ve already lost some health.
I’m pretty terrible, and I found Mai basics to be pretty easy to learn. Just avoid trying any of her link combos for now, and focus on the basics. She has good normals that you’d want to know how to use and when, and her standard combos are very easy.
To help a little more on how to utilize Mai effectively here are a few notes that should be taken into account:
- A version Ryuuenbuu is a lot safer on guard and can be used to knock people out the air if they try to jump on you from longer distances. Time the A version Ryuuenbu carefully with the opponent.
- If you intend to use the C Ryuuenbuu, try to use this in a combo. I think its still safe (or 0 frame on guard at least) but the recovery time is clearly longer than that of the A version.
Make sure you hit confirm into C Ryuuenbu (d.B, d.B, d.A) - OTHERWISE, if the opponent is blocking, resort to A Ryuuenbu instead because you’ll still be much safer that way. Cancel into C Ryuuenbu after ANY of her close normal. What needs to be understood is that both versions of the Ryuuenbu have good push back on guard but the A Ryuuenbu has a shorter recovery time than the C version does.
- Make frequent use of her normal when applying pressure. Standing C acts as a very good anti-air. Far Standing D is a very good poke and can put a stop to hoppers.
- Mai is plus frames on her d.B, st.A, and her d.A. Take advantage of this when you conduct frames traps.
- Mai is plus frames on her CD attack and she can whiff cancel it into any of her special moves. She can also whiff cancel her d.D into her special moves as well.
- Mai can do more damage from mid screen if she has meter available.
- Mai can also conduct dangerous HD corner combos for two stock and 800+ damage. This is imperative for high level play because you still have to save meter and you are likely to be playing her as a battery.
- Mai is extremely dangerous as a anchor character much like Claw Iori is - if she has meter, the player is more likely to succeed with
- She can build meter from Ryuuenbu, Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi (hcf+K), and air Musasabi no Mai (air qcb+K).
- Mai can negate projectiles easily with her A version Ryuuenbu.
- Use the ground Musasabi no Mai (d charge u+P) to get out of bad situations, punish poorly timed projectiles,
and dish out mix ups. She can change the trajectory of her jump and the Musasabi no Mai with her Ukihane = j.d.B -
her Ukihane can also be canceled into air qcb+K).
- EX Air Musasabi no Mai (EX air qcb+BD) has a slight invincibility(??) start up - or at the very least, projectile
invincibilty This was confirmed recently in a fight I got into against a Mature player.
- Use her air qcb+A (or the EX version) to cancel her back dash. This is good for when the opponent is trying to rush
Mai down, especially the EX version.
- Mai’s EX Chou Hitsatsu Shinobi Bachi functions as a very good reversal and a very good move to combo into.
- Most of Mai’s meterless (meaning no stock) corner combos will end with an air throw, C Ryuuenbu, a Hitsatsu, or a
reset (C or d.C).
- The Neo Max can function as a easy two frame punisher against laggy normal moves, projectiles, jumps, hops,
back dashes, or special moves with poor recovery.
- Don’t get cornered - if this does happened, go for GC rolls, GC blowbacks, regular rolls, ground Musasabi no Mai, normals (push the opponent away), throws (preferably back throws), or wall jumps.
- Mai can corner cross up if she rolls or jumps immediately after the opponent is throw into the corner (the character is back turned after her throw. Mai and King are the only characters who can do this for some reason).
- In terms of game play, Mai has the capacity to rush down, zone, conduct keep away, turtle, and play mix up games.
- For positioning (in mid or high level game play), Mai should be either a battery or anchor characters.
Get a load of Naoki’s Mai!!
[media=youtube]IxkGIknXKqw[/media]
Check out the midscreen HD at 2:25
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<p>I’ve been waiting for this for a while! Here is something very lovely to share… FRAME DATA!</p><p><a href=“https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AsrvpuirdQzwdGM0UDlRcGozMkJBQVZES0F4Zmw1MGc&f=true&noheader=true&gid=21”>https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AsrvpuirdQzwdGM0UDlRcGozMkJBQVZES0F4Zmw1MGc&f=true&noheader=true&gid=21</a></p><p> </p><p>According to the statistics on Mai’s data, it is almost exactly what I expected. However… There are several things about Mai I did not know about!</p><p>Mai’s j.d.B Ukihane… Apparently, you can actually get a frame advantage if you use it carefully. On the ground it is -1 frame… So I was half right about using the move in moderation to score a hard knockdown. I am also more in love with Mai’s normal moves than ever before. Definitely worth it. EX Ryuuebu is plus frames. Mai with meter can really be a big help, which solidifies the concept of her being one of the best options for battery. </p>
<p>Here are some videos of me actually playing KOFXIII - Mai will show on both of them. This took place last year during the Holidays. </p><p> </p><p><a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4JvYhSFM7I”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4JvYhSFM7I</a></p><p><a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw1BWeP0vHg”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw1BWeP0vHg</a></p><p>Also this video is another 2 meter HD combo for Mai to utilize. 806 damage.</p><p><a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPrHhM4tMTg”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPrHhM4tMTg</a></p>
Desmond Delaghetto, Reynald, and Mario E talk on Dream Cancel podcast. Apparently, Mario E is picking up Mai now…! This is a podcast that talks about the overall progress of Winter Brawl!
Spoiler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ4MLfCeb3M
Here is some footage from Winter Brawl - Mario E playing as Mai. The actual game play starts at 4:41. We do think alike. He used quite a few of my favorite tricks, such as the Ukihane cross up, one of her BnB’s as a good punish (cr.C, qcb+AC, hcf+D)… Very good stuff! … However, keep away still plays a huge role in Mai’s game play - j.A, s.C, and s.A are her go to tools (I really need to making this clear too, because her A series attacks are SOOOOO underrated but they are also so good)!
Also what needs to be understood is that Mai’s close st.A is her fastest normal move. In the second video, Mario E’s Mai got into a fire ball war with a strong King player. Mai can easily slip over projectiles easily at further ranges with ground Musasabi no Mai and punish with Ukihane - or she can use the Musasabi no Mai in itself because you can’t really whiff punish her when she lands (she has no recover when landing on the ground from Musasabi no Mai so it CAN be used as a safe jumping tool if she is “flying” into characters from far ranges).
[details=Spoiler]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvEFo6T1nbY [/details]