Musasabi no Mai

Classic Fighting Games Capcom VS SNK 2
1

Well, I’m a pretty big Mai player. Not that I’m fat or anything, I just like to play the game using the character which has the moniker ‘Mai’.

Uh… anywho. Musasabi no Mai is a move which Mai has and can use in the air. She dives forward with her fan in her mouth, and hits the opponent. Now anyone who uses Mai knows this move is not safe in the least. Of course, it can be used to fool people into doing moves by jumping in and then starting it after they’ve stuck something out, but thats another topic. What I wanna talk about is the two different ways to do this move, the Kuuchuu version (qcb+p in the air) or the Chijou version (charge d, u+p).

Now, the Kuuchuu version is the most used version. I’ve actually never seen another person besides myself use the Chijou version, and I’ve always wondered why. At first I thought it was that the Kuuchuu version is just easier to do, but I think its because most people don’t even know she has the Chijou version.

Of late, though, I’ve started to use the Chijou version ALOT. Most times as an opener to a fight, usually for a couple of reasons… Also because I believe the Chijou version is safe. The whole reason the Musasabi no Mai isn’t used is because it isn’t safe. But what I’ve noticed is that if you use the Chijou version, Mai recovers before the opponent leaves blockstun, making a blocked Chijou Musasabi no Mai safe.

Now, I don’t have my DC here to check, but I’m pretty sure that the Musasabi no Mai has a ton of recovery frames, right? If someone could please check for me… does the Chijou version of Musasabi no Mai have ANY recovery frames? I could have sworn when I used it in the arcade last that I couldn’t be punished because of the fact that the second she hit the ground, she had completely recovered.

Of course… even if the Chijou version IS safe when its blocked, it can still be DP, fireballed, and some AAs still beat it. I guess it is pretty useless. Ah well, I’ve said my piece. I hope I do get some feedback from experiences others have had with this move, so we can determine if it actually is safe when blocked.

2

I am an ex-Mai player myself. She went where Yuri is now. Anyways, When I used to play Mai seriously, I too used the Chijou version. I’d like to say that I don’t even think the Musasabi no Mai is THAT unsafe. It’s definately unsafe, but still not easy to block and punish. Unless I’m mistaken, you are correct in that the Chijou version is much safer when blocked. In fact, I think the recovery of it is almost as good as say Akuma’s or Yun’s j.down-forward (the diagonal) + forward kick.

The real reason why Chijou version isn’t so widely used is because it’s mostly a defensive move IMO, and using it offensively is difficult and often times not worth it, whereas the jumping version is easily used for offensive benefits. I’m pretty sure most people know it exists though. The Chijou version can add a lot of material for Mai’s already excellent mind games though. Thusly, even though Mai players know it exists, I recommend that they --acknowledge-- its existence by using it when the situation calls for it. It can add more to her game than what’s assumed.

3

Hmmm …

If your opponent is in the corner, jump in with rh kick, if its blocked, throw out two crouching lk’s, and during this time hold down. Press up and fierce punch right after … she goes from and back so quickly, I’ve almost always hit this, plus it keeps the pressure on.

4

Yeah, I agree. I find this move is much safer than the jumping version, but as said, more useful on defence.

When I play Mai I seem to always get the Mai/Sagat matchup, and the Chijou does work well when Sagat is pressuring Mai in the corner with st.short even cr.roundhouse.

I think its because most opponents dont look for the move and hence it has some useful suprise value, it does kind of look like Mai is jumping backwards… kind of.

5

The only time I ever use the Chijou is when I Rollcancel the Chijou to get myself out of the corner. If the opponents blocks it, your’re pretty much safe because of the blockstun…but if the Chijou connects, you can do a lvl3 deadly ninja bee super. You have to time the lvl3 super to get the max damage. Somewhere around 4000 hit points i believe.

Come to think of it, you might even be able to activate the A-groove if the Chijou connects… I dunno any of Mai’s A-groove juggling combo is any good or not though.

6

Actually, I’ve been starting to use the Chijou version of musasabi no mai recently. I used to do the Kuuchuu version just b/c well…for me it was faster but indeed it is unsafe. It’s not incredibly unsafe but it is because from certain experiences of mine it can easily be countered by characters such as Geese and Rock. Timing it right is an essence for it I guess ::Shrugs:: By using the Chijou version I did notice a recovery and you can also jump off of walls with it I think. I’ll have to experiment with that somemore.

7

i used to play mai, only real use for musasabi no mai is to use it rarely and randomly, or just to get the fuck out of the corner.

8

Kuuchuu version seems to work effectively at times, if the person likes to use anti-airs every time you jump at them. Since most anti-airs usually take up a bit of frames, it’s possible to knock them down if the Kuuchuu Musasabi is timed right, You could also do jab Kuuchuu to bait someone to anti-air you, land at sweep range before they recover. I noticed if the timing is right, you have a window to punish them. If you sense that they will recover fast, you can just wait to see if they will counter with another attack. If you’re just at the right range, you can punish. That’s the only effective offensive uses I have seen for this move. Otherwise, that move should be reserved for getting out of the corner.

I use the Chijou version quite a bit, especially if I am near the wall. It comes out very quickly, but mix it up well. I usually buffer the move during poke strings as well, but I make sure I am about sweep range before I execute it. Any closer, and they get out of blockstun before you do, due to the fact it hits them way earlier. The goal is to hit them with the Chijou Musasabi very late, to lock them down on the ground and continue adding pressure with more poke strings. Watch out for guys like Ryu and Ken, who can shoryuken you if they anticipate the poke string to Musasabi. I also don’t use it much when I’m away from the corner. It usually spells trouble due to her predictably slow drifting towards the wall… especially if you’re more than 1/2 screen away. You’re begging for a super fireball when that happens.

I was a little upset that her CvS1 ability to bounce off either wall for the Chijou Musasabi no Mai was taken away in the sequel. That was one of my major tricks in the game at the time.