[KOFXIII] Yuri Sakazaki

Classic Fighting Games King of Fighters XIII
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SRK presenting Yuri Sakazaki of KOFXIII!

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvS1gs-yaFEu0SNwabLW9X9eRYYBXGmXXFj9RAOXBYwx0A_CIS7A

Move Set:

  • f.B = Overhead command move
    *Tsubame Otoshi: Press b, d, or f + C/D nearby air borne opponents
  • Dive Kick: Press df.B in mid-air.
  • Saiha: QCB+A/C
  • Yuri Chou Upper: DP+A or C
    NOTE: A version Chou Upper has slight invincibility. C version DOES NOT.
  • Raiouken: QCF+B or D (mid-air OKAY)
    NOTE: In mid-air, B Raiouken stops her from move and drops her on the ground. D Raiouken still makes her travel forward during the jump.
  • Ko Ou Ken: QCF+A or C
    NOTE: C Ko Ou Ken has better recovery and slower start up. A version Ko Ou Ken has better start up but lower recovery.
  • Hyakuretsu Binta: HCB+B or D
    NOTE: B version is a one frame start up command grab. D version has Yuri run towards her opponent. It is possible to combo both of her normals into this move.
    Houyoku: DP+B or D
    Follow ups: A/C = air throw. B or D = Dive Kick. A or C

DM: Hien Hou’ Kyaku: QCBHCF+B or D
NOTE: EX version has invincibility start up

DM: Haoh Shou Kou Ken: F,HCF+A or C

Neo Max: Haoh Raiouken (air OKAY)
At this point, most players are aware of Yuri’s family members Ryo and Takuma consistently calling her out on her not being able to fight. The KOFXIII players would vehemently disagree. Yuri is a KOF character who has become very strong time around; she is a high tier character with plenty of tools to work her way to victory. Very combo friendly and she can get away with ton of play styles. To be specific, Yuri is a all around character with a air throw, dive kick, a short ranged projectile (Ko Ou Ken) that has a good hit box, a air projectile, command throw, a second jump, several anti-air possibilities, and a decent Neo Max. These are ideal tools that allow the players to do what needs to be done in order to win.
Yuri has a lot of ambiguous cross ups and very good resets for continuing her sweet mix-up game. Yuri also has many options in mid-air as well. While her damage output is very good, she can do much more damage with meter. A lot of her moves have invincibility properties which contributes to why she is very good in this game - she can even go straight through attacks with a few of her EX moves such as Kyo’s Neo Max fire ball animation. When hitting your opponent with Yuri’s normals, you notice that they appear rather short ranged and…weird. Regardless, Yuri still has plenty of meter-less punish combos and she can build meter quite easily. Yuri is a all around character who can play variety of roles on a team, such as utility (meter building), battery, anchor, rush down… and it is possible to play defensively but Yuri is not the best zoner due to her short ranged normals and projectile.

Please see here for more information:

http://www.dreamcancel.com/wiki/index.php?title=Yuri_Sakazaki_(XIII)

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Yuri is good…really good, i mean like really, really good, i remember when i began with this game, i liked her style, but i didn’t believe she was that great, however as i learned more and of course, watched some of the best Yuri players in the bussines (Romance) i changed my mind, now i think she is amazing.

First of all, she has a pretty versatile command grab, weak version is a 1 frame grab ideal for punishes and mixups, strong version is great for middle range attacks and Ex version is surprisingly a great anti air and it can get through some fireballs not to mention strong and weak versions can be canceled into anything, her normals aren’t that bad, specially st.D sure, is not Beni’s st.D but is decent enough to keep some distance, st.B can be linked into air throw when it works as an anti air, cr.C is also a great anti air, hell, even st.C+D is a great anti air, overall her normals are decent enough for almost every situation.

However, her deadliest weapon IMO is her Dive Kick, i mean it opens a lot of possibilities for her, pressure options, mixups and all sort of shananigans, it also makes her second jump even deadlier since you have to guess what she is about to do (cross up, dive kick, fire ball, etc), in other words, damn!

Her HD combos aren’t that hard and she even has mid screen options to put your opponent on the corner.

On the downside, i have a hard time against characters with better air normals than her, mainly Duo Lon and Takuma, also zoning characters can give you a hard time, specially when they have a good DP since i think that Yuri is better when she has the air advantage.

Personally i think it goes this way with her tier ranking.
Point - High Tier (she is great as a battery and has good meterless options)
Middle - Top Tier (IMO her best position, she has tons of options)
Anchor - High Tier (not the highest because i think there are better anchors)

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Yuri’s not only a extremely viable character but adorable too!
(In yuri voice) saiha!!!"

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^^^
Sometimes i just enter training mode to hear “Wiiii” over and over again XD.

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LOLZ I do that every time I start a HD combo… If you guys want to do research, please report to this webpage!
http://dreamcancel.com/forum/index.php?board=110.0

Back to the lab, I go! I’m going to see if I can choreograph some more practical HD combos other than the ones already known…

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If you can’t win into the airs, don’t jump. Takuma and Duo Lon are both very specific matchs ups against Yuri. The reason is simple : You knock them down once, they’re doomed.
On point those match up can quite hard, but you can rely on your A Saifa to build meter against Takuma if he fireballs or rush him like hell if he doesn’t. And just play defensively against Duo Lon and make him pay the slightiest mistake.

What I like with Yuri is the fact that you can spend some meter to open the guard near instantly and then kill with a deadly hd combo (2 Ex kills into corner, full screen is 810+, 4 Ex kills full screen). That’s why I use her as an anchor for now, since the slighiest dive kick or d.B is confirmed into a dead character. But she isn’t that great to make amazing comebacks ala Iori. Because of her quite floppy arc jumps and lake of abuzing normals (such as Claw/Kyo s.C and C or specials Jumps) or SDM (Kyo/Karate) or just stupidly high damages (Claw/Shen).

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This is actually common knowledge but I need to put this here: A Yuri Sakazaki 100% HD corner combo loop! (Also known as the “Butt Loop”
[media=youtube]37HS057OmwI[/media]

Now for a personal take on her. I play Yuri as a point character for meter building purposes (Though she is easily viable for all positions, due to the nature of her game play) Yuri’s meterless combos can help her batter the opponent all to hell - Her st.A leaves her at +1 frame on guard - Yuri’s d.B is a very good hit confirm and frame trap tool - +3 on guard - very nice.
But, just make sure you use Yuri’s normal wisely here because her reach is short. Yuri also has very good cross-up set ups and you can bait out a lot unsafe reversal easily with the use of her dive kick and utilize a punish combo. Yuri’s A version Saiha causes a hard knockdown (so if you really are fighting against Duo Lon or Takuma well… good luck to them) Yuri possesses invincibility on several of her moves (A version Chou Upper - a very slight invincibility - EX Chou Upper has a very good amount of invicibility. There is also some invincibility on Yuri’s EX command grab - all of the moves mentioned above can go THROUGH a lot of moves too… such as Kyo’s NEO MAX for example). Yuri’s zoning game is decent at best - you can utilize Raiouken series can be used to zone the opponent and capitalize off of a knockdown. You can also use Yuri’s EX command grabs to catch people using normal trying to poke you out.
I enjoy playing Yuri myself - can be played in multiple ways very good tools.

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Here is an early Christmas gift for those who are curious about Yuri’s Butt Loop combo - courtesy of Illgamesh
[media=youtube]SW2q46qP1zE[/media]

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Yuri seems to get very good damage output, even without meter. But in order to dish out some really damaging combos for the win, Yuri is going to need meter and some good execution rhythm.
Yuri dp+B or D can be used to drive cancel from her command grab. DP+B~C can hurt the reeling opponent and you follow up with a DP+A and drive cancel/hyper cancel into something else… do a little wall carry. Yuri has really nasty corner pressure. Don’t forget to use her Dive Kick - it can be used for both offensive options (cross-ups, pressure, rush down) and defensive maneuvers (changing the trajectory of jumps, baiting unsafe moves, trapping opponents). Yuri has many practical tools. It seems like Yuri can be played very well under any team position. Yuri also has plenty of anti-air options (d.C, st.C, st.A, st.B, DP+A, Saiha which is safer, CD)…

Here is a tournament video of NEC XIII: There is plenty of Yuri game play. Watch, learn, and enjoy!

[media=youtube]qj9aqQ_b-xA[/media]

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I think what makes Yuri so strong is her ability, when in on you, to change to an equally viable gameplan.
Like she can depend on her command grab setups, which are good. She can focus on poking and landing divekick mixups. She can keep poking and work her way in with normal pressure and mixups, especially with her normal cross ups. She has so many options to kind of get in on people that you can’t really play against her thinking she’ll stick to one tactic.

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Here is a small video presenting a standardized 2 meter HD combo for Yuri.

[media=youtube]OIEkNrCznpw[/media]

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Here is a revised 2 Bar HD combo for Miss Little Gouki… a.k.a Yuri. This was done a while ago however - here you go!

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Here is another Yuri combo sample - a Butt Loop Variant done by myself -

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Fa_XcH0-w

Also, JuiceboxKing has a cut and dry tutorial here for those who are new to the game and want to know the character that is known as… Yuri Sakazaki herself.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKetH_laDh8

In terms of team positioning (in mid/high level game play), Yuri is generally played as a second character or on anchor because she benefits SOOOOOOO much with meter and her mix ups and general damage output increases exponentially. And, of course, Yuri can kill an opponent with just two meters with an HD combo. Don’t EVER forget to utilize her dive kick! It is a relatively safe options for starting an offense and mixing up the opponent! Even the legendary Gouki himself could relate and learn a thing or too from the mighty Yuri Sakazaki LOL
Yuri’s EX HCB+K special move also does an un scaled 100 damage for its use and will catch opponents in mid air during combos. I’ve gotten 711 damage from a typical Yuri combo because of it. Romance, the Yuri specialist himself, uses the move every now and then because it has slight invincibility start up and it causes a hard knockdown.
Please learn how to play Yuri! She is a fun character to utilize!

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So i am completely new to learning kof and i am trying to get the butt loop down but at about the 3rd rep the butt usually gets blocked after st.C any help for this?

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Yuri gets pushed back a little during the Butt Loop combo. My method is just pressing forward during the st.C. You should notice that Yuri barely moving forward during the combo shortly before the following st.C. It will keep Yuri close to the opponent as you conduct the combo.
Press forward whilst pressing st.C, then input the f+A so that it can still register as a combo.

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Thank’s alot Hero very helpful stuff. :smiley:

And if you don’t mind me asking what would be some good blockstrings/frametraps & combos to get me started other than cr.B, cr.B, st.B xx DP?

Edit: I seem to be improving at it but just to make sure i just hold forward the entire time right? Like im not meant to do a slight walk in then do st.C correct? Also does it matter at all on the timing of the air fireball?

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The problem with Yuri is that her block strings are rather linear. If you are going for a block string while trying to pressure the opponent, end the block string with cr.B as Yuri is +3 frames on block. At the mid range, you can occasionally resort to qcf+A after canceling st.B to space yourself away from the opponent to readjust your offense.
Also, here are the frame traps provided by Amedo and the fellow members of Dream Cancel.
(L) = Link, can be a frame trap as well.
1.) st. A, cl. C
2.) st. A, cr. C (L)
3.) cr. A, far C
4.) cr. A, cl. C (L)
5.) cr. A, cr. C (L)
6.) cr. A, cl. D
7.) st. B, cr. C
8.) cr. B, far C
9.) cr. B, cl. C (L)
10.) cr. B, cr. C (L)
11.) cr. B, cl. D
12.) air d/f+D, any ground normal attack base on spacing

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Thank you soo much.

I cant wait to get into this game and get good at it i have a long way to go though lol soo much info to digest it’s insane will probably be maining Yuri & King yet to find a third i like only started playing kof13 yesterday.

Might try EX Iori when Steam Edition drops.

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A present for all Yuri Sakazaki players:

Spoiler

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4605374313334086&pid=15.1

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