Lili Beginner Guide SxT
*(Disclaimer - there are **many *more tactics available for Lili than this beginner guide discusses, but the below should be sufficient to create a strong foundation with the character).
Combos
A nice thing about Lili is that nearly all of her combos operate under the same principle, they end with:
[INDENT=1]LK Angel Knee, cr HP*, LK Sunflower Lance 1st hit, 2nd hit, 3rd hit[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]**The Brady guide suggests standing HP after LK Angel Knee, but cr HP is much easier to hit with and does the same damage.*[/INDENT]
**
While the opener will vary (e.g. jump-ins, anti-air, or even EX counter pressure) all of Lili’s combos should be completed using the above, unless a different variant will kill the opponent, as the hard knockdown created by Sunflower Lance 3rd hit will allow for continued mix-up pressure.
Offense
Jump-In
Lili has amazing jump-ins because she can alternate between two different double-hit attacks (one of which can cross up!), single hits, regular cross ups, and empty jumps. The below combos all use crouching HP to guarantee that the opponent is standing, so Angel Knee can connect.
[INDENT=1]jf HP (2 hits), cr HP, LK A. Knee, LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 415 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]jf LK, MK (in air), cr HP, LK A. Knee, LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 367 dmg (can cross up)[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]jf HK, cr HP, LK Angel Knee, LK Angel Knee, cr HP, LK Sun. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 415 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]jf MK (cross up), cr HP, LK A. Knee, LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 385 dmg[/INDENT]
Punish
Lili’s standard punish is just the grounded part of her jump-in combos:
[INDENT=1]cr Hp, LK Angel Knee, LK Angel Knee, cr HP, LK Sunflower Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 362 dmg[/INDENT]
As most punishes will be against standing character (e.g. after a whiffed Dragon Punch), feel free to replace the crouching HP opener with standing HP. Keep in mind though that st HP is one frame slower than cr HP.
Tag In
Much like Lili’s punish, her tag in is just a truncated version of her standard combo:
[INDENT=1]LK Angel Knee, cr HP, Sunflower Lance 1st hit, 2nd hit, 3rd hit – damage varies[/INDENT]
**Mix-Up Pressure **
As nearly all of Lili’s combos end in a hard knockdown, she has ample opportunity to create mix-ups. The most common mix-up starter is LK Feisty Rabbit, with will move Lili over the downed opponent, making it harder (but not impossible) for them to roll. Assuming you trick the opponent into holding still, Lili has a great deal of options, varying in risk:
[INDENT=1]Crouching LK – two cr LKs into Boost Combo or into cr MK, LK Sunflower Lance. Both are easily hit confirmable, so which you use will be dependent on whether you want damage or to keep Lili on screen (and net another hard knockdown).[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]cr LK, cr LK, cr MK, Sunflower Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 208 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]cr LK, Boost Combo – damage varies[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Standing LK – this attack actually hits low, which can surprise someone who isn’t familiar with Lili. Unfortunately st LK doesn’t combo into itself, so after the first hit you will need to transition into one of the above (i.e. cr LK as the second hit, etc.). Another way to use st LK is during cr LK pressure. When Lili stands after crouching kick attacks, many opponents will be expecting you to transition into Sunflower Lance, which hits overhead, so st LK can catch them off guard (due to the push back of the initial cr LKs, a Boost Combo will usually be your only option after connecting with a st LK in this way).[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]st LK, cr LK (1 frame link), cr MK, Sunflower Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 208 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]st LK, Boost Combo – damage varies [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Throw – while throws are much slower than they were in SF4, they are still a viable mix-up option, especially against counter characters.[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Crouching LK pressure, Dendrobium, dash cancel, throw – Lili’s forward dash isn’t anything to write home about, but if you’ve trained the opponent into blocking, this can catch them off guard.[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Attack Counter – if the opponent is reversal crazy (e.g. spamming Dragon Punches), countering can be a good way to throw them off. This, however, is very risky, and so should be done sparingly. In addition, don’t do this when you believe the opponent will switch cancel, as the counter will catch the* incoming* character, not the point character, only dealing 180 damage, when you could have most likely gotten more with a Boost, or other, combo. That said, if you personally find it difficult to punish DP switches, an Attack Counter can be viable choice, as it deals some damage and allows you to keep the momentum. That said, backdashing and then punishing the whiffed DP in the above case is really your best option.[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Submissive Heel – this overhead creates a strong mix-up, especially when paired with standing LK. It’s unsafe, but marginally so (-6). On the up side, it leads to a very damage combo, though it requires a 1 frame link. FYI, delay the LP:[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]S. Heel, st LP, LK A. Knee, LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 325 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Air Spine Shot – the HK version of this move is very slow, so you’ll want to go with LK for pressure, MK for a combo (though it must hit mid to lower body on the opponent and it’s not very fast), or EX for the fastest version, which also leads into a combo (can hit almost anywhere and still combo):[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]MK Spine, Boost Combo – damage varies[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]MK Spine, st LP, LK A. Knee (opponent must be standing), LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 335 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]EX Spine, cr HP, LK A. Knee, LK A. Knee, cr HP, LK S. Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 405 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Regular Cross Up – easier to avoid than the Air Spine Shot, but good for creating mix-ups. See Jump-Ins for specific combos.[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]Cross Up into EX Divine Step – this is risky and doesn’t lead to a huge amount of damage, but if you are looking for the kill or just sheer confusion, this attack mixes up the timing with Air Spine Shot and is difficult to block.[/INDENT]
Poke Game
Most of Lili’s poke game is the same as the above mix-ups (e.g. cr. LKs, MKs, dash cancels, Submissive Heel, etc.). As with all characters, lean on your safe moves first and once your opponent becomes conditioned, begin attacking with riskier moves (e.g. Submissive Heel).
Tag Out
With bar Lili can tag out during any of her combos, but few of these switches lead to extra damage and are instead used simply to swap safely. Without meter Lili has *very few *options other than a Boost Combo or a raw tag, so manage her life carefully, getting her out to recover health whenever possible.
Defense
Anti-Air
Lili has one of the best anti-airs in the game: unique attack down forward HK (i.e. Andante). This move is powerful because it is literally invincible to aerial attacks for the majority of its frames and leads to a full combo:
[INDENT=1]Andante, LK Angel Knee, cr HP, LK Sunflower Lance 1st hit, 2nd hit, 3rd hit – 292 dmg [/INDENT]
Another unique property of Andante is that it has very high juggle potential, meaning it will hit the opponent when many other moves will simply whiff.
Pressure
With bar, Lili has four options if she is being pressured:
[INDENT=1]1 – EX Angel Knee – By far her best option, if you can be sure that the opponent will pressure from a standing position, as it leads to a full combo, ending in a hard knockdown:[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]EX Angel Knee, LK Angel Knee, cr HP, LK Sunflower Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 332 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]2 – EX Feisty Rabbit – Probably her safest choice, easier to execute than an Alpha Counter and less recovery than EX Angel Knee. EX Feisty Rabbit has a large invulnerability window, but unfortunately doesn’t lead into a combo. The first time you use this move to get out of pressure, avoid using a follow up, as the opponent will most likely expect you to or won’t realize that you are punishable after just the twirl (-5). The next time, try ending with Rabbit Thorn for a frame trap leading into a combo (the 3rd of Sunflower Lance must be timed properly or it won’t be a hard knockdown).[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=2]EX Rabbit Thorn, Andante, cr HP, LK Sunflower Lance 1st, 2nd, 3rd – 342 dmg[/INDENT]
[INDENT=2] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]3 – EX Attack Reversal – Probably your worst choice, while it deals 180 damage if it hits, you are completely exposed if it doesn’t, with a much longer recovery window than either EX Angel Knee or EX Feisty Rabbit.[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]4 – Alpha Counter – A very safe choice, though hard to execute at times. It can be blocked, but this is very rare. Deals 120 damage and creates a hard knockdown for either mix ups or a safe tag in.[/INDENT]
Without bar Lili is at a large disadvantage if she is being pressured. Her backdash is quick and moves a decent distance, so it should be relied upon the majority of the time to escape the opponent. On wakeup, a roll followed by a backdash can fully reset the situation, but only do this if the opponent isn’t expecting it, as a throw from your opponent will almost always beat your backdash when coming out of a wakeup roll. You can also Attack Counter to get out of pressure, but this is *very *risky. Only do so once you have become completely sure of your opponent’s attack patterns. (For example, if the opponent realizes that you are relying on backdashes and begins to punish accordingly, take note of the attack they use to knock you out of your backdash and then during the next wakeup or pressure situation Attack Counter with the appropriate version.) On the up side, if you are able to pull off a successful counter, the opponent will begin to respect Lili even when she is meterless, making it much easier to backdash your way to safety.
Overview
Lili hits hard, has a *very *strong ant-air, and a solid mix-up game, both grounded and in the air. On the downside, her only meterless reversal move is a counter and she doesn’t have an easy, cheap way to tag out, if near death or wishing to extend combos. Due to these strengths and weaknesses, Lili is best used as an anchor, giving your point character time to build meter, so Lili has more reversal options, in addition to her highly damaging EX Air Spine Shot mix-up combo.
