天"Only One Can Be The True Master of The Fist!"天: The NEW Akuma Match-up Thread

[SolidRose]

Currently Under Construction For V.2013

Welcome fellow Akuma Players and quite possibly all of SRK to the NEW Street Fighter X Tekken Akuma Match-up Thread. Now with 100% more DLC attached

This is pretty much the anti-character guide against every character whilst using Akuma in Street Fighter X Tekken. Any match-ups you are struggling with? Come here and get some tips from fellow players :nunchuck: .

I will try my best to help others as well with match-ups that people are struggling with too.

The way I approach match-up breakdowns is to pretty much cover every single move that the character can do and what to do against it. Because not everybody plays the character in the way that they were supposed to.

This in my opinion can allow people to develop their own strategies against specific characters. This is in no way, me being selfish by any means. Rather it allows people to expand their horizons and find counters in characters that maybe others also cannot find as well.

Not every Ryu opens out the match with a Hadoken, not every Sagat constantly zones with Tiger Shots all day. Not every Kazuya is a wavedashing maniac and so on.

Here is how I write my match-up breakdowns.

OVERVIEW

The very beginning, this is where I tend to cover the characters’ strengths and weaknesses.

APPROACH TACTICS

As a game that is heavily focused on spacing (combined with the fact that Akuma is a zoner in this game), I find that it is essential to know the mobility options and the ways in which characters can get in on you.

Learning the reach and range of stuff such as moves which go through fireballs in my opinion is essential as these moves on whiff usually aren’t the greatest allowing you to punish them.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Every character has a different set of normals, normals have different ranges, different hitboxes, different hit levels and it is good to know some notable normals characters like to throw out especially during footsie situations.

Having strong footsies in this game can be a great asset to help you control the match especially if you are fighting someone who has strong anti-air options. You can stay on the ground and avoid jumping in your opponent’s face to lose a lot of un-needed damage.

I try to mention some of these notable footsie normals and ways in which you can whiff punish them.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

The ‘command’ normals for the Street Fighters or the Tekken Strings for the Tekken Characters section.

I cover all of the unique attacks for the Street Fighters and the Tekken Strings for the Tekken guys.

Recognising these moves can be pretty helpful during match-ups especially because a good handful of these attacks are overheads. Some of the Street Fighter cast, who couldn’t follow-up with their overheads in the past, can do it now. (e.g. Ryu and Akuma’s overheads.)

Learning the Tekken Strings on the Tekken Characters is also a good way to help yourself out in the fight. As a person who plays Tekken on the side, I can’t really stress this enough. Especially because if you don’t know your strings but your opponent knows your character, then you will find yourself at a massive disadvantage versus the person you are fighting against.

SPECIALS

The Special Moves section. Pretty self-explanatory here. Here I cover the special moves of the characters, what their uses are and how to punish them. I also cover the EX Versions as well as their Super Arts.

ALL IN ALL

Summing up everything in a nutshell. After having read the moves and what to do against them. I cover the barebones as to how to deal with the selected character. This section can be seen as the ‘Too Long Didn’t Read’ section for some. But it’s still a good reference point nonetheless.

BUT! As you guys can see, these match-up breakdowns by me can be a little too long winded and some people just want the key points.

Hence I have no problem with other people who are willing to contribute their own character breakdowns as well that are more ‘straight to the point’ than my own.

EDIT: Moved everyone over and made the correct number of posts :D.

[LEFT] [/LEFT]

[SolidRose]

Abel (Vanilla)

Abel(Done)

[details=Spoiler]**OVERVIEW
**Although he looks and sounds like someone who really should be on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Than a Street Fighter game, Abel is definitely no joke in SF X Tekken. His wake-up pressure game is now better than it was before due to the rolling system and the juggle engine allows him to combo a lot a lot more efficiently than he could in SF4.

Unfortunately for Abel, his wake-up still isn’t very strong and the longer stages means that getting in can be a problem especially whilst he is at full-screen’s distance away. Which is made worse by his lack of projectiles which can make safely tagging out difficult for him.

**APPROACH TACTICS **

THE ROLLS

Abel’s rolls can be used to get through your fireball zoning should you get a bit too fireball happy against him. All versions of this move do not go full-screen so if you are at full-screen and you are throwing fireballs, he can’t really get close to you.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far St.LK

Abel’s Far St.LK is still Abel’s poke of choice against you, it has some good reach and easily leads into his Cross Rush even at its maximum range. It is a tough poke to whiff punish in footsies.

Your best whiff punishers for this poke are your cr.MP or your cr.HK sweep if you really have the range on this move down.

Close St.HK

Abel’s Close St.HK hits as an overhead and man it is a fast one at that (fastest in the game?) You’ll want to watch Abel’s blockstrings closely in order to react to this move up close. It will take some practice at first, but it is do-able in a real match.

Just for reference, if he does this in a chain, then the move doesn’t hit as an overhead.

Some Abel players tend to use this move at the start of matches when they get in to see if you know about his fast overhead. Just block it standing and punish him with a cr.HK sweep.

If he does it shallow you can punish him with a Far St.HK into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo.

Cr.HK

Abel is one of the few characters in the game with a special cancellable sweep (the other being Ryu.) This move is usually mixed up with his Close st.HK if you start blocking his overhead.

The move is a little slower than his overhead so it is a little easier to see coming than most sweeps in the game.

If Abel doesn’t cancel this move you can punish him with a cr.MK into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo you could also cr.HK sweep him.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

FORWARD KICK (Forward + MK)
Abel sticks his leg out

This is one of Abel’s offensive tools against you.

From a forward kick on hit or on block, Abel can dash forwards, continuing the pressure against you.

This move can be punished on block by a Reversal Demon should you have 2 bars stocked for it.

There is a very good mix-up that Abel can do with this move courtesy of Renic

**SPECIALS **

CHANGE OF DIRECTION SERIES

The Change of Direction Series is a string of attacks consisting of different follow-ups in them

The move consists of 3 attacks, the first one can be blocked standing or crouching whereas in the last two, Abel can play a guessing game against you by going either for an overhead or a low option in the last two hits.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION (QCF + Any Punch)
Abel throws a giant downwards hook.

As mentioned before you can block this move either standing or crouching.

Different versions of this move dictate the speed as well as the recovery of the move.

The LP Version is the version that you will see most often; it’s the fastest and it is the safest on block but has the least range.

The MP and HP Versions are unsafer than the LP Version. These are usually cancelled into from a cr.HK or a cr.MK.

The EX Version has one hit of armor on it. It is good for catching your cr.HK sweeps

All versions of this move can be punished with a Reversal DP on block.

The EX Version

> SECOND MID (Forward + Any Punch During Change of Direction)
One of Abel’s follow-ups from a Change of Direction.

In this follow-up, Abel turns around and hits you with the back of his arm for an overhead attack.

This is NOT a true blockstring with his Change of Direction. You can DP in between the hits.

On block you can punish this move with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

> SECOND LOW (Forward + Any Kick)
Another follow-up from Abel.

In this follow-up Abel turns around for a sweep attack that hits low.

This follow-up is a litle slower than his Second Mid follow-up. Hence it is easier to see coming.

This also isn’t a true blockstring with his Change of Direction, you can DP in between the hits or you can cr. MP him for a counterhit combo.

If you can see this move coming, you can Raw Launcher it into your partner.

On block, you can punish him with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush should he not finish the move off.

WARNING: DO NOT Reversal DP on block, it will whiff due to pushback.

> FINISH MID (Forward + Any Punch)
One of Abel’s enders for his Change of Direction.

This ender must be blocked standing.

On hit this ender will send you flying to the other side of the screen. Which could be good if you are stuck in the corner and you need to get out of it.

As it sends you flying away, you can expect some Abel Players to go for the low follow-up should you be in the corner to keep up the corner pressure.

That said, this move is not a true block-string with his other follow-ups. You can DP him out of it into your partner.

You can also block it and take your punish in the form of a st. or cr.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

> FINISH LOW (Forward + Any Kick)
Another ender for Abel’s Change of Direction.

This ender is similar to his Finish Mid only it must be blocked crouching instead.

This ender is a little slower than the mid ender so it is easier to see coming

It still isn’t a true blockstring with his other follow-ups. DP him out of it.

Punish it with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush on block.

OVERALL

The key to countering this series is to listen. Abel’s follow-ups are kind of rhythmic in the sense that
his overhead follow-ups are faster than his low ones.

So listen out or if you are feeling risky, just DP out.

If you aren’t sure then teleport out to safety.

WHEEL KICK (QCB + Any Kick)
Abel jumps and then comes down with a heel drop attack.

This move hits as an overhead.

This move can be used in blockstrings against you for Abel to apply some safe pressure against you.

The move on block is pretty safe. You can only Reversal Demon all versions of this move on block.

Also don’t try to jump, you’ll just get hit out of the air if you try to jump over it.

Your best bet is to interrupt him with a DP into your partner if he tries to use it as a means to get in. You’ll get more damage as it will register as a counter hit.

The EX Version goes through fireballs, it is pretty short for an anti-fireball tactic so learn its range so
that you can predict it in your zoning.

Besides Abel’s rolls are a lot better for him when it comes to getting in so the EX Wheel Kick isn’t used as much his regular versions. Still it is something to watch out for when fighting against him.

MARSIELLES ROLL (QCF + Any Kick)

Abel rolls along the ground.

This is Abel’s main method of movement along the ground.

The key thing to note about this move is that. Whilst it is invincible to your physical attacks, it is not invincible to throws.

You can throw Abel out of the move at any point. This applies to all versions of the move.

You can also punish him during the recovery of this move should you successfully learn the range on it.

The EX Version is faster than the regular versions.

It also doubles as Abel’s Alpha Counter which has its good points and its bad points.

The Good (Or in your case The Bad)

Abel’s alpha counter isn’t necessarily an attack. More a method of movement.

This can be a pain especially if you try to bring in your partner via a switch cancelled DP as Abel can just roll under you and catch you on the way down.

It also allows him to escape corner situations also.

The Bad (Or in your case The Good)

Because Abel’s Alpha Counter isn’t an attack, it won’t cause a hard knockdown on hit like other Alpha Counters.

This doesn’t bode well for Abel if he is low on health as he will still have to hit you in order to safely tag out.

Also you can hit him during his recovery also should he try to do it and you can see it coming.

FALLING SKY (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Abel throws his arm upwards grabbing you out of air and slamming you down to the floor.

Abel’s Falling Sky is a decent anti-air against your regular jump ins.

Although as an anti-air it loses to up close jump ins and cross up attacks.

The EX Version doesn’t really help out either as you can still cross him up as well.

TORNADO THROW (HCB + Any Punch)
Abel grabs and then spins you around multiple times knocking you down.

Abel’s Tornado Throw is his main way of scoring a knockdown against you.

If you can see this move coming in his tick setups you can neutral jump it and punish him with a neutral jump normal of your choice

Don’t rely too much on it though as Abel can just throw out a Falling Sky to put you in the same situation.

The LP Version has the most range and does the least damage it is about the length of your cr.MK just for reference. He can do 3 cr.LPs and still be in range. (He’ll be out of range if you decide to walk back though on block.

The other versions have less range but do more damage

The EX Version is invulnerable to physical attacks but not throws.

SHOULDER TACKLE (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Punch)
Abel runs up to you tackling you with his shoulder

A new move for Abel and to be honest it is quite ‘hit or miss’ as it could be one of his worst or his best moves against you.

I say ‘worst’ because of the regular versions of this move.

The regular versions are really slow and do not go through fireballs, you can also interrupt them easily with either your normals or DP on start-up.

On block you can also punish with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

The EX Version is where it is at for Abel on the other hand. It’s fast, causes a wallbounce on hit and it can be really ‘sudden’ if you aren’t on your toes.

The EX Version is also safer on block than the regular versions; you can only Reversal Demon this move on block.

It still does not go through your fireballs though.

BREATHLESS (Back (Charge) > Forward + All Punches)

Abel’s super has been returned to its original SF4 state. It’s only held back by the fact that the move is a charge motion which can really screw him over especially if you are very ambigious with pressuring his rolls on his wake-up.

The super has one hit of armor on it and travels almost full-screen.

Like SF4, Abel can’t combo into this super so its best use is to either catch you should you do a raw tag or to get through your fireballs should you get too fireball happy.

ALL IN ALL

Overall, you will want to keep your distance versus Abel

Abel struggles to close the distance at full-screen thanks to the longer stages. In SF4, Abel could just do one roll from full-screen and be within the range of his command throw, whereas now, he isn’t even close and you can punish him on his recovery as well.

Watch out for his overhead whilst he is up close, it is a pain to block but it is do-able with some practice.

Abel’s pressure game is still a pain to tackle. Your teleport can help you out but don’t rely on it too much.

Block and punish Abel’s Change of directions acordingly if he does them with your DP on block. He may be safe against most characters but not you. Just don’t DP if you block his Second Low follow-up (Forward + Any Kick During Change of Direction).

And also pressure him whilst he is low on health so that you can force him to raw tag allowing you to punish his partner heavily on incoming.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Akuma Mirror Match V.2013 (Under Construction)

Akuma

Spoiler

OVERVIEW
Mirror Match time. I’m sure everyone who reads this is familiar with Akuma as a character in SFxT but in order to understand a mirror match and for those who don’t know Akuma very well. Akuma in SFxT is a very versatile character who can be played in numerous ways. From being a footsie monster with his fast walkspeed and pokes to being a very oki heavy character just to name a few playstyles.

To compensate for this versatility, Akuma has the lowest health limit of all of the tournament legal cast members at 850. Not a lot considering there are 400-500 damage combos in this game so Akuma players have to have very good defense as well as strong fundamentals to overcome these weaknesses.

In V.2013, Akuma recieved a mixed bag of changes. His offense was mainly buffed whilst his defensive options were nerfed. However, the system changes have allowed him to thrive where others have fallen. The throwable rolls change being the most significant of the system changes.

APPROACH TACTICS
Footsies
Akuma has a good amount of pokes in footsies including cr.:hk: far st.:hk: and to an extent cr.:mk: and st.:mk: these are all heightened by his good forward walkspeed which can really confuse opponents in terms of spacing

Demon Flips
The Demon Flip is another staple approach tactic. Consider demon flips as Akuma’s 2nd jump in a way. Very useful for getting over fireball zoners.

Fireball Zoning
Not necessarily an approach tactic but zoning with fireballs is a way that Akuma can play his keepaway game in mirror matches. Having 3 fireballs to work with at his disposal: normal, red and air fireballs. Although Akuma cannot fake his fireball like Ryu, the longer stages do make his fireball zoning stronger as a result.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR
cr.:hk:
Three words: 5 frame sweep. A really fast sweep which knocks down on hit, it can be punished with your own sweep on block or demoned. If you think a sweep is coming, you can jump over it for the hard read but it’s best to block and punish it.

cr.:mk:
Another solid poke to use. A little slower but it recovers faster than the sweep. Can be demoned on block.

far st.:hk:
A little slow to come out at 8 frames but it moves Akuma forward a lot and can be used to whiff punish and hit confirm into a launcher. The move hits twice on crouching opponents but only from fairly close ranges. At max range, the second hit will whiff on crouchers. You can then punish the whiff with a Cross Rush or a st./cr.:hp: into a solo combo.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

:f:+:mp:

Akuma’s classic two hit overhead. It’s unseeable and can lead to a lot of damage depending on your partner if you tag it on hit. On hit by itself, it’s +4. On block it’s only -1 so you can demon it on block. Expect to see this move during pressure strings or if the other Akuma thinks you’re crouch blocking too much

in air :d:+:mk:

Akuma’s command divekick. This move is a lot better than it was in SF4 due to the fact that on hit, it has a lot more hitstun. You can divekick someone’s head and still land in time to get a combo. This move is mainly used to mess up anti-airs if you’re anti-airing with normals or to bait your longer ranged anti-airs if Akuma does a shallow jump in.

SPECIAL MOVES
Gohadoken ( :qcf: + :p: )
Akuma’s shoto fireball. Unlike Ryu’s it builds meter albeit a small amount and it recovers 1 frame faster. Different versions vary the speed of the fireball; with the :lp: version being the slowest, the :hp: the fastest and :mp: being a mix of the two. Varying fireball speeds are good to catch people out.

For example, the :lp: version is useful vs people who like to neutral jump at full screen. Due to the longer stages, Akuma can walk behind his fireballs and catch people out.
The EX Version has two points of durability and does 120 instead of 60. Quite situational. Expect this to be used near timeout situations if you’re in a fireball war as the two points can throw you off.

Shakunetsu Hadoken ( :hcb: + :p: )
Akuma goes into a stance before shooting a red fireball
Akuma’s power fireball. It’s start-up is huge and you can react to the stance and punish him for it. The move’s main use is for chip damage and mainly being dominant in fireball wars due to its durability

Unlike his regular fireballs, this fireball travels at a constant rate no mattter what version it is. Different versions vary the durability and recovery of the move. :lp: hits once but recovers the fastest, :mp: hits twice and recovers at the same speed as a Gohadoken and :hp: hits 3 times but recovers the slowest.

A common tactic with this move is to use the lighter versions to play the fireball war. Opponents tend to jump when a red fireball is thrown out in fear of getting hit by the :hp: version but Akuma can use the lighter versions to mess with the opponents’ head. The trick to beating this tactic is to watch his arms after he throws the fireball. They draw back faster depending on the version with :lp: drawing back the fastest and :hp: drawing back the slowest.

The EX version hits 3 times, does more damage and recovers as fast as the :lp: version. On block it’s +16 making it useful for corner pressure.

Zanku Hadoken ( in air :qcf: + :p: )
Akuma throws a fireball whilst in the air.

This move is useful for zoning and approaching. Something to note about this move is that jump back air fireballs have more recovery than neutral jump or jump forward fireballs due to the V.2013 patch which increased the recovery on jump back air fireballs.

Different versions determine the trajectory of the air fireballs with :lp: being the steepest and :hp: being more horizontal. The :mp: version fits in the middle of the two.

The EX version fires two fireballs of both :mp: and :hp: versions. If both connect up close, Akuma is put at a very high frame advantage of +14.

Generally it’s best to DP air fireball approaches or dash under and punish the recovery with whatever you please.

You can Misogi jump back air fireballs if you see them coming for a hard read.

Goshoryuken ( :dp: + :p: )

Tatsumaki Zankukyaku ( :qcb: + :k: )

Air Tatsumaki Zankukyaku ( in air :qcb: + :k: )

Ashura Senku ( :rdp: / :dp: + :p::p::p: or :k::k::k: )

Demon Flip Series
One of Akuma’s approach options. Consider a demon flip like a jump only there’s more options you can do out of it. Akuma will make a sound cue to signify when he’s going to do one.

Approaching with full screen demon flips is risky as if Akuma is hit out of it, he’ll be counter hit and put in an airborne state which can lead to a full combo. Aim to air to air full screen demon flips where possible.

Different versions vary the distance of the demon flip :lk: travels the shortest whereas :hk: travels the longest and the EX version tracks wherever you are.

Apart from that Demon flips are mainly used after knockdowns for Oki.

The demon flip is Akuma’s charge move. Good for evading things after something like a launcher > tag.

Slide (no input)
Akuma does…a slide out of his demon flip

Akuma’s low option. It can be mixed up with his palm which hits as an overhead. This can be very risky to throw out as it’s unsafe if spaced in correctly (-11) but if it’s spaced correctly, it can be made safe to some moves due to push back. You can just sweep or demon this move on block though.

Throw ( :lk:+:lp: )
Akuma grabs his opponent and throws them to the ground.
An unbreakable throw which does 150 points of damage. This is used for if you’re content with blocking on wake-up too much. Reversal DPing it is an option.

Divekick ( :k: )
Akuma waits a bit and does a divekick.
Not a very common move to see due to how much it’s been nerfed in comparison to SF4. It’s slower, it doesn’t force stand on hit and doesn’t cross-up at all if you’re holding back.

That said, it’s useful after a knockdown to apply pressure and keep you guessing. At certain angles, it can make your reversal DP whiff.

Palm ( :p: )
Akuma jumps and slams his opponent with his palm.

Arguably the most useful option out of the DF and the one that you’ll be seeing the most often. It’s fast, knocks down on hit for a free charge and ground bounces aerial opponents and on counter hit. It’s also safe and can be ‘faked’ out for cross-ups as well as hitting as an overhead.

Your best bet is to block this move and take the pressure afterwards. In the pressure department, Akuma isn’t as strong as others in the game as you can down back a lot of his stuff and just watch out for the overhead or throw.

EX Zanku Hadoken
Akuma can do EX Air Fireballs from Demon flips. Just another way for him to approach safely.

ALL IN ALL

[SolidRose]

Asuka (Vanilla Part 1)

AsukaPart1(Done)

[details=Spoiler]**OVERVIEW

[FONT=Helvetica]But I think from that convo we can get the gist here. But for those who aren’t very quick when it comes to finding things in a lot of text. When Asuka gets in, it can really hard to stop her flow if you play a character who doesn’t have a ‘Get off Me’ move like a DP, Teleport or just good anti-airs. Her wake-up also isn’t as bad in comparison to the rest of the Tekken Cast. In V.2013 this pressure has become scarier in the fact that thanks to her buffs, she can now do more damage from hitting you (500 damage combos hurt much?)

She has some really effective high/low mix-ups including a command throw that hits low and an overhead with some decent speed. Her counter is also extremely good against those who don’t know what is safe and what is unsafe against Asuka and it also does some good damage too.

Unfortunately despite her buffs, Asuka still suffers from having a not so strong poke game, her normals don’t reach very far and her anti-fireball doesn’t travel her as far as the other Tekken characters in the game giving her a very weak neutral game.

She also has below average life at 950 making her slightly easier to KO than most other characters in the game.

**APPROACH TACTICS **

THOSE TEKKEN STRINGS

Yeah not knowing Asuka’s Tekken strings will get you killed pretty quickly against a good Asuka. Hence I this write up I want to cover these strings so that you can find ways to counter them.

JUMPING WITH J.HP

J.HP is Asuka’s best jump in against you, it is a double armed attack that can be really ambigious with the correct spacing. Teleport out to safety if you don’t know which way to block it

EXORCISOR

Asuka’s Exorcisor is a good way for her to get through your fireballs and hit you. You’ll want to learn the range on this move so that you can predict it in your zoning.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

cr.MK

Asuka’s cr.MK doesn’t have a tonne of range on it however it makes up for it in its hitbox.

This move lowers Asuka’s hitbox allowing her to use this move as if it were an anti-air against you. This move will avoid your regular jump ins if she times it right but you can use your regular dive kick (Down + MK) to beat it.

The move can also avoid your fireballs, allowing her to duck under them in order to avoid taking chip damage from your grounded fireballs but not your aerial ones.

J.HP

Asuka’s main jump in move of choice. You’ll want to anti-air this move as much as you can in order to avoid the mix-up as to whether you should block it as a regular jump in or as a cross-up.

st.MK

Asuka’s st.MK is arguably her best ground normal against you. It moves her forwards along the ground and it has some decent reach. You will want to learn the range on this move so that you can whiff punish it in footsie situations.

cr.HP

Just something to recognise here but Asuka’s cr.HP on counter hit causes a crumple state from which she can combo from.

**UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS **

DEMON SLAYER (Forward + LP)
Asuka ducks and then comes out with rising uppercut.

This move has a little bit of invincibility to high attacks. Well those high attacks that miss on crouching opponents.

The only high attacks that you have are either your Tatsu or the second hit of your Far Standing HK.

On block you can punish with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

You can also get her to whiff this move if it is done randomly. You can punish with a Far Standing HK for a stronger combo.

TSUWABUKI (Forward + MP)
Asuka slams her elbow down on top of you.

This move hits as an overhead and it is one of the moves you should look out for when fighting against Asuka as she can follow-up with this move solo.

On block you can Reversal DP this move into your partner for some good damage.

The move is little more unsafe on block in this version so you can now also do a st.HP into a solo combo or launcher to punish it now

THUNDER FALL KICK (Forward + HK)
Asuka jumps and does a no handed cartwheel type move.

Another overhead move from Asuka.

This move can go over your lows. Especially your cr.MK if she times this move right.

The move is also safe-ish on block allowing Asuka to get in and start her pressure game.

I say safe in the fact that it is safe to your DP but not to your Reversal Demon

You should try to learn the range of this move so that you can get her to whiff it. Allowing you to punish it on whiff with a Far Standing HK.

You could also interrupt it with a DP if you can see it coming or neutral jump it on reaction as it won’t hit you if you jump it.

DRAGON WHEEL KICK SERIES

The Dragon Wheel Kick Series is a series of strings starting from Asuka’s Dragon Wheel Kick.

These series of strings are useful as anti-airs against you.

DRAGON WHEEL KICK (Forward + LK)
Asuka flips backwards whilst using her feet to deliver a backflilp kick attack.

This move got a huge buff from vanilla in the fact that it now has air crush properties on it. Making jumping at Asuka quite hard work should you try to do it with normals. Late air fireballs can give you a safer approach.

If she tries this on the ground against you, then you can punish with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush. Although at longer ranges you’ll have to settle with a cr.HK sweep if you don’t have 2 bars for a demon.

From this kick Asuka has the following follow-ups.

DRAGON WHEEL KICK > DEMON SLAYER (Forward + LK > Forward + LP)
After performing a Dragon Wheel Kick, Asuka ducks and then comes back with a Rising Uppercut.

This is one of Asuka’s follow-ups after a successful Dragon Wheel Kick.

This follow-up can act as a frame-trap should you be punishing the first hit consistently. You’ll have to be pretty quick in order to avoid getting hit by this follow-up otherwise you’ll trade and get launched–a trade not in your favor mind you.

The follow-up however is interruptable. There are two main punishes you can do: one ‘sure-fire, safe punish’ and one ‘risky but rewarding punish’. The former being cr.HK sweep for a knockdown and the latter being far st.HK into a solo combo or launcher. Take your pick I suppose.

[FONT=Helvetica]DRAGON WHEEL KICK > LEG CUTTER (Forward + LK > Down-Forward + HK)
After performing a Dragon Wheel Kick, Asuka performs sweeps along the floor.

This move is a good way for Asuka to lead into her Leg Cutter Series of strings.

Apart from that its just another follow-up that she can do after a successful anti-air Dragon Wheel Kick. Another follow-up where you can get juggled to death.

This move is safer than her Demon Slayer follow-up.

If she does this move on the ground against you, the completed move, is safe to your normals but unsafe to your Reversal Demon on block.

If you can see this move coming on the ground, you can Raw Launcher the sweep ender as it is a low attack.

You can also stick a DP in between the string for a full combo from your partner or interrupt it in the same manner as the ‘Demon Slayer’ follow-up; only this follow-up is much easier to interrupt.

JAB SERIES

The Jab Series is a series of strings starting from Asuka’s st.MP.

All hits in the Jab Series are special cancellable on hit or block.

JAB UPPERCUT (MP > LP)
Asuka does a jab and then…an uppercut! The move speaks for itself.

This string is mainly used for hit confirming and not much else.

The 1st hit on block is Asuka’s st.MP it is Reversal Demon Punishable on block

The 2nd hit on block is also only Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

JAB LOW KICK (MP > LK)
Asuka does a Jab and then a low kick.

This is similar to her Jab Uppercut String (MP > LP) only the ender is different.

The ender in this case is a low kick that now hits low. Unlike in Vanilla where it didn’t

Like her Jab Uppercut, the completed move is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block. This is also the same for the first hit of the string. You can also stick a demon or a DP in between the 2 hits of the combo

HYAKUJITSUKO (MK > Down + MP)
Asuka does a kick and then crouches low for a low hitting gut punch.

This string is a good way for Asuka to find her way in against you and get all up close and personal.

The string starts off with her st.MK, which if you block successfully, you can get a free Reversal DP assuming that she doesn’t finish the string.

If she does then the ender, then this is safe to your Reversal DP but not to your Reversal Demon on block.

Some Asuka Players may want to make the st.MK whiff so that they can catch you out with the Down + MP portion of the string. Hence you will want to learn the range on this move so that you can whiff punish it in footsies.

There’s also the option to raw launch the Down + MP portion of the string if you can see it coming.

WHIPLASH SERIES

The Whiplash Series is a set of strings starting from Asuka’s Lunging Mist Thrust (Back + MP.)

These series of strings are what I like to call ‘counter opportunties’ for Asuka. Due to the safety of the enders in these strings.

LUNGING MIST THRUST (Back + MP)
Asuka turns around then throws a downwards punch attack.

Despite what it looks like, this move is NOT an overhead. You can block this move standing or crouching

This move has some decent range but unfortunately for Asuka it is unsafe on block to you by your Reversal DP.

WHIPLASH TO TOE KICK (Back + MP > MK)
After doing a Lunging Mist Thrust, Asuka turns around does an upwards kick.

This is one of her follow-ups after a Lunging Mist Thrust

The ender is an upwards kick that is completely safe to your stuff including your Reversal Demon.

This ender is special cancellable

Asuka players sometimes like to stick a counter at the end of this move. If so don’t try to stick something out topunish the move and then wait for the counter animation to end.

WHIPLASH SACRED BLADE (Back + MP > Down + MK)
After doing a Lunging Mist Thrust Asuka goes in for a low sweep attack.

Another follow-up after a Lunging Mist Thrust

The ender this time is a low attack that you can’t raw launcher in between due to the frame gap it leaves.

You can however DP in between the two hits into your partner for some good damage.

On block the ender is safe to your normals but unsafe to your Reversal Demon

Asuka Players like to put a counter on the end of this move to punish you should you try to punish with a normal. If this is the case, wait for the counter to finish and then punish her with a full combo of your choice.

HERON DANCE SERIES

The Heron Dance Series is a series of strings involving Asuka turning around punching and hittting you in a frenzy of moves.

HERON DANCE (Forward + MK > MP)
Asuka does a low kick and then turns around for a backfist and then finishes the string off with a straight punch afterwards.

Something to note about this string is that the first part is actually a low attack. So block it low if you don’t want to recieve some damage.

The rest of this string can be blocked either standing or crouching.

The first hits of the string are unsafe to your Reversal DP on block.

The last hit of the string (the ender) is unsafe to your cr.HK sweep. Make sure that you do it properly as Asuka can just stick in a counter and punish you for being late on your punisher.

HERON DANCE > WHIPLASH SACRED BLADE (Forward + MK > Down + MK)
Asuka does a low kick and then turns around for a backfist fakes it and then does a low sweep.

This string is similar to Asuka’s Heron Dance (Forward + MK > MP) only the last part is different

The ender this time is a low sweep that must be blocked low.

Asuka will stop the string prematurely and then go into a low sweep for a hard knockdown.

The string is not a true blockstring, you can DP in between the blockstring and you can even Raw Launcher in between the string too.

The sweep is safe to your normals and your Reversal Demon too.

So try not to punish it and instead wait for what Asuka will do next.

LEG CUTTER SERIES

The Leg Cutter Series is a set of strings starting from Asuka’s Leg Cutter, a low sweeping move.

Asuka can transition into this move from the following string.
[LIST]
[*]Dragon Wheel Kick > Leg Cutter
[/LIST]
From this move, Asuka can go into her Kariashi Shiranui (HK During Leg Cutter) at any point in these series of strings.

The whole point of this series is to act as a mix-up against you.

You can Raw Launcher the low attacks but once you start doing so Asuka can stick her knee at the end of any of these sweeps to launch you for a full combo. Your best bet is to just watch out for it if you start Raw Launching her sweeps.

LEG CUTTER (Down-Forward + HK)
Asuka does a low sweep.

This move is another way for Asuka to get in against you.

As mentioned before this move hits low and you can Raw Launcher it if she tries it randomly in your face.

Unlike other sweeps this move alone, will not knock you down.

On block this move is safe to your normals but unsafe to your Demon on block.

LEG CUTTER > KARIASHI SHIRANUI (Down-Forward + HK > HK)
Asuka does a Leg Cutter and then lifts her knee up for a launcher attack.

This move is a follow-up to Asuka’s Leg Cutter.

The ender is a knee that will launch you in the air if it hits you.

On block you can punish with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

LEG CUTTER 2ND HIT (Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK)
Asuka does 2 Leg Cutters

This move is like her Leg Cutter. Only two of them.

Punish this move in the same way you would punish her Leg Cutter on block.

Asuka Players tend to use this move for hit confirming and getting in. If you can see this move coming, get the first one to whiff and then Raw Launcher the second if you think she is getting a little too predictable.

LEG CUTTER 2ND HIT > KARIASHI SHIRANUI (Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK > HK)
Asuka does 2 Leg Cutters and then her launching knee

Same thing as her Leg Cutter > Kariashi Shiranui String. Only this just has two leg cutters before the knee ender.

Punish the knee ender with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush on block.

LEG CUTTER 3RD HIT (Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK)
Asuka does 3 Leg Cutters

Yeah I think you guys are getting the pattern here.

The only difference in this move is that the last hit puts you in a hard knockdown state. From which Asuka can pressure you on your wake-up.

Punish these on block with a Demon.

LEG CUTTER 3RD HIT > KARIASHI SHIRANUI (Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK > Down-Forward + HK > HK)
Asuka Does 3 Leg Cutters and then her knee ender.

Same move only just more of those Leg Cutters before it.

Punish this move with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush on block. [/details]

[SolidRose]

Asuka (Vanilla Part 2)

AsukaPart2(Done)

[details=Spoiler]**SPECIALS
**EXORCISOR SERIES

The Exorcisor Series are what I would like to call Asuka’s anti-fireball measures against you.

This series all starts from her Exorcisor Special Move (HCB + Any Punch)

Something to note about her follow-ups is that she can’t go into them if her Exorcisor move whiffs.

EXORCISOR (HCB + Any Punch)
Asuka turns around for an elbow attack.

This move has two main uses:
[LIST]
[]To go through your fireballs
[]To act as a combo ender
[/LIST]
As a fireball punisher the regular versions don’t travel very far. They travel to a point where she can easily just jump in on you and start a combo of her choice.

The EX Version travels about half-screen. But if you stand around full-screen’s distance this move isn’t very effective against you as she will just whiff leaving her open for you to punish her or just continue zoning her out.

On block, you can punish this move with a Reversal DP or a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush

EXORCISOR > MIST PALM THRUST (HCB + Any Punch > Any Punch)
Asuka turns around to elbow you and then does a downwards punch.

This is a follow-up for Asuka after an Exorcisor.

As mentioned before, this move won’t come out if she whiffs her Exorcisor beforehand.

On block you can punish all Versions of this move with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

EXORCISOR > MIST PALM THRUST > RAGING STORM (HCB + Any Punch > Any Punch > Forward + Any Punch)
Asuka turns around to elbow you, does a downwards punch and then does a 2 hit palm attack that knocks you away.

This follow-up causes a hard knockdown if it successfully connects.

The move knocks you back full-screen. Which is something Asuka does not want in this match-up.

On block you can punish all Versions of this move with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush

The EX Version causes a very delayed wall-bounce. Good for synergy, not much for anything else.

DOUBLE LIFT KICKS (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Asuka does two kicks that launch you in the air.

Asuka’s Double Lift Kicks are her main enders for starting combos.

The regular versions of this move can only be punished on block by your Reversal Demon.

The EX Version however is punishable via your Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush.

The EX Version is Asuka’s best wake-up move against you. This can be safe jumped with your regular dive kick (Down + MK) on her wake-up.

Some Asuka players tend to use this move when they are low on health. From a blocked Double Lift Kicks, you can only Reversal Demon her or her partner on entry.

You could also Alpha Counter them. If you want to catch both characters, you’ll want Alpha Counter after blocking the first hit.

ATTACK REVERSAL (HCF + Any Kick)
Asuka puts her hands up during which any strike will lead to a painful looking counter animation.

The first thing to note about Asuka’s counter is that it is a full body counter. Hit her anywhere during when she has her hands up and you’ll be put into one of two painfully looking counter animations.

If you hit her low, Asuka will punch you in the face pushing you back. If you are looking to get countered, don’t do low attacks whilst you are cornered.

If you hit her with any attack that isn’t a low, Asuka will push you to the other side of her. This can be a pain if she is cornered as she can throw you into the corner.

If you don’t know what is safe versus Asuka, Asuka will be able to abuse the hell out of these counters against you for an easy win.

Asuka Players tend to put in counters after the following due to their safety (to an extent) on block
[LIST]
[]Blocked Thunder Fall Kick (Forward + HK)
[]Blocked Leg Cutters (All Versions)
[]Blocked Hyakujitsuko (MK > Down + MP)
[]Blocked Whiplash to Toe Kick (Back + MP > MK)
[]Blocked Whiplash Sacred Blade (Back + MP > Down + MK)
[]Blocked Heron Dance (Forward + MK > MP if you aren’t fast enough with your punish)
[]Blocked Heron Dance > Sacred Blade (Forward + MK > Down + MK)
[]Blocked Double Lift Kicks (DP Motion + Any Kick Regular Versions)
[*]Blocked Onikubigari (HCB + Any Kick)
[/LIST]
You’ll want to punish Asuka the moment she drops her hands. From there you can take your free punish in the form of a Far Standing HK, st.HP. Take your pick

You can also Misogi her as Misogi breaks counters if she tries to counter your DPs on your wake-up.

Despite this counter being a full body counter, it is weak to aerial attacks such as regular jump ins or dive kicks.

FALLING RAIN (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Asuka lifts her hand up for a throw if she is successful then she will grab you out of the air.

This is another anti-air from Asuka

After each successful anti-air throw, Asuka can do a cr.HK sweep for a hard knockdown.

The regular versions of this move don’t pack a lot of range on them. She kind of has to do this move around the moment when your feet leave the ground. Any later and you’ll hit her out of them.

The EX Version is a lot faster, has a greater hitbox making it much better as an anti-air. This combined with her sweep does about 210 damage. Sure you can take the risk and make her waste meter (less for her partner) but I prefer the ‘try to avoid damage as much as possible’ route.

This is weak to your cross-ups but the usefulness of this as anti-air is extremely good to the point where more often than not, you will be hit out of your cross-up attempt. I ain’t holding anyone back from taking the risk though.

SWEEP THROW (HCF + Any Punch)
Asuka sweeps her hand low, if she is successful she will go into a grab animation.

This is arguably the main reason for blocking low versus Asuka.

This little throw can be quite annoying to keep an eye on as it is really fast.

Fortunately for you, if you hold down-back this throw will whiff completely against you causing no blockstun whatsoever at least for the regular versions.

The EX Version is an inescapable command throw. It is really fast and it hits for 180 damage. Reactions will be key here and even then, this move is extremely fast to react to in the first place. So props to anyone out there who can actually neutral jump this move on reaction and then come down with a neutral jump normal of their choice.

ONIKUBIGARI (HCB + Any Kick)
Asuka does a spinning high kick attack.

This move is a safe ender for Asuka to use against you.

It is safe to your normals but not safe to your Reversal Demon.

This is another safe move that Asuka can use to switch cancel into her partner for safety. It is safe to your DP but not to your Reversal Demon.

Some Asuka players like to stick a counter after this move is blocked, just don’t do anything and see what she does next, if it is a counter then punish her the moment her hands go down.

The EX Version does this move and then a Double Lift Kick at the end for a launcher attack.

You can punish the EX Version of this move with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

If she tries to bring in her partner you can Alpha Counter her out of the move, you’ll want to do it on the second hit in order to catch both characters*

*= Tested with Asuka doing her EX Version, Switch Cancelling on the First Hit and her partner holding Down-Back on entry.

This is also Asuka’s charge move and she will be doing quite a bit of charge cancels with this move to stay in your face, these are unsafe to your DP if she dashes forwards. More often than not she will be dashing back in order to bait your DPs though. If you have 2 bars you can Reversal Demon both the forwards and back-dashes.

KISHIN ENBU (HCB + All Kicks)

Asuka’s Super is quite frankly an odd one to land in the right circumstances.

Aside from that, this super’s main use is in combos to kill you.

Despite the super packing some overheads, the super can be blocked either standing or crouching.

She must connect with the last hit of this move in order to get the full animation.

If this is done randomly in your face, you can EX DP it, Teleport out, or Misogi her for some extra punishment.

You could also just block the move and do a Far Standing HK into a Cross Rush for a punish.

ALL IN ALL

Asuka struggles to close the distance at longer ranges and you can easily create space thanks to your teleport and fireballs.

Her anti-fireball doesn’t make her travel very far. Still you must learn the range on it so that you can get her to whiff it allowing you to punish it.

Asuka becomes quite annoying to deal with once she gets the life lead and she has meter due to her EX Falling Rain so try to prevent this from happening. By getting the life lead early and keeping her out.

Also if she tries to anti-air you with her cr.MK, do a regular dive kick (Down + MK) to stuff it clean.

Footsies are welcomed here as her pokes aren’t as strong as yours and you can really take advantage of her lack of good pokes in this match-up.

You should also aim for knockdowns so that you can pressure her on her wake-up. This should lead to you baiting out her EX Double Lift Kicks so that you can punish her during her recovery.

Anti-air her jump ins at all costs to stop her from getting in with her J.HP.

Asuka doesn’t really have a straightforward answer to your teleport unless you just get too over-reliant on it as a wake-up option so use it wisely.

This along with punishing her strings properly can really shut down Asuka’s offensive options. This is made worse for her when you have two bars stocked for a Demon. You just have to punish her properly with it.

And don’t fall for her counter tricks, it is tempting to just cr.HK sweep her and hope for a counter hit but try not to do it after her safe moves, wait and see what she does next and if it is unsafe to your Demon, then do it. [/details]

[SolidRose]

Balrog (Vanilla)

Balrog(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW
In the world of SF4, Balrog was a beast of a character but in the world of SF X Tekken, Balrog isn’t as scary as he used to be. With EXs being more valuable and less often to come by plus the amount of nerfs he recieved from SF4 to SF X Tekken, Balrog has been toned down drastically.

This doesn’t mean that he is a pushover though. His footsie game is still on par with some of the best characters in the business and he still hits HARD thanks to some of the buffs he got from SF4 to SF X Tekken. He also does benefit a little due to the loss of armor breaking attacks from SF4.

For those who are interested in seeing Balrog’s changes check out this thread here:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/t/sfxt-balrog-my-overall-impression-and-analysis/143505

APPROACH TACTICS

DASH PUNCHES
Balrog’s dash punches still hurt a bit and it still is a good approach tactic. Balrog will use his EX versions to pass through your fireballs if you get too fireball happy and/or predictable. Your best bet is to mix-up your fireballs as often as you can. They still have one hit of armor on them though so any multi hitting attacks e.g. Shakunetsu or your Heavy DP will hit him out of them.

TURN PUNCH
Balrog can also Turn Punch you through your fireballs if you get too predictable with them.

JUMPING AND THROWING
Outside of his Dash Punches and his Turn Punch, Balrog’s options for opening you up are pretty limited with Jumping at you and Throwing you being his other options without meter. Anti-air the jump ins with your cr.HP and tech his throws where possible.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing LP
Despite its startup being reduced, this normal now is more consistent at hitting you whilst you are crouching. Its good for jab pressure but its nothing a simple backdash can’t solve.

Far Standing HP
Now causes a crumple on counter hit allowing Balrog to follow up with a damaging combo. It still has some good range to it also. So learn the range on it and try to get him to whiff it in footsies. Especially if he has done a Super Charge beforehand.

Far Standing HK
Still a good whiff punisher against your cr.MK and cr.HK sweep so watch out for it as he can bring his partner in for more damage now.

cr.HK
Balrog’s sweep has some good range to it. Its been made more unsafe on block however. Punish it with a cr.HK sweep as your cr.MK won’t reach due to pushback.

SPECIAL MOVES

DASH PUNCHES
Balrog’s dash punches are pretty much his main specials that you will see alot of in battle against him. They can be a little tricky at first to get used to but with some practice you can punish them properly.

Some EX Versions of Balrog’s Dash Punches have 1 hit of armor on them.

DASH STRAIGHT (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Punch)
Balrog’s dash straight is still a good move to throw out there against you randomly taking off a good portion of your health.

However this move is LP punishable on block if he does it deep so if he does then punish away. Like SF4 it is also Demon Punishable on block.

The EX version is safe to your normals but not your Demon. Reversal Demon Punish it on block if you have the meter.

DASH UPPER (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Kick)
Now alot easier to use as an anti-air against you so be careful about your approaches against him.

On the ground this will miss crouching opponents

If you are fast enough you can get a st.HP into a full combo if you crouch it but if not punish with a st.LP or cr.LP into a Cross Rush for a full combo.

Balrog can no longer follow-up after a successful EX Dash Upper on hit anymore unless its in the corner so you won’t see this move used as often by Balrog Players

DASH LOW STRAIGHT (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Punch)
The low version of Balrog’s Dash Straight Punch

This move has been made more unsafe in comparison to SF4. Its punishable via your cr.MK into a Cross Rush (you could also start a solo combo with a cr.MK into LK Tatsu as well) and it can be Demoned also on block.

The EX version is also punishable via your cr.MK into a Cross Rush or Solo Combo and also Demoned too. The window is less forgiving though as it is slightly safer on block than the regular version.

DASH SWING BLOW (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Punch (Hold)
Another variant on Balrog’s Dash Straight Series.

This move hits as an overhead but if you are used to blocking overheads from the Tekken characters, this one shouldn’t be too bad to practice against.

On block it is punishable by a s.HP into a full combo or Cross Rush. You could also Demon it if you have the meter but the window for punishing this move is pretty big unless you want to style.

The EX version on block can still be punished with a s.HP. But the armor from this move has been removed meaning you can st.LP him out of it for a counter hit (if you are feeling stylish go for a cr.MP into a Far Standing HK link for a full combo.) or DP him out of it if he does it in a block string.

BUFFALO HEAD (A.K.A ‘The Headbutt’) (Down (Charge) > Forward + Any Punch)
Balrog’s Buffalo Head was nerfed severely from SF4 to this game.

All of the regular versions of this move whiff on crouching opponents allowing you to punish the move even easier than in SF4.

The EX version does not however and still retains its invincibility so watch out for it by watching his meter. So you can bait the move out.

DASH LOW SMASH (Back (Charge) > Down-Forward + Any Kick)
Another variant of Balrog’s Dash Upper

This move is unsafe on block to your cr.HK sweep but the punishment window is a bit strict. The best time to punish it is after Balrog shouts SMASH! and then cr.HK it after you exit blockstun.

If all else fails you could just Reversal Demon Punish the move on block. This works for both the regular and EX versions.

Another thing to note about the EX Version is that it has no armor properties on it like in SF4 making it less useful as an approach tactic for Balrog

TURN PUNCH (All Kicks/ All Punches (Hold) )
Balrog’s knockout punch.

The primary use of this move is to go through your fireballs and hit you for some pain.

The longer this move is held down for, the more powerful it is when Balrog releases it.

Something to note about Turn Punch is that whilst its held down Balrog can only do either only his ‘Kick’ normals or his ‘Punch’ normals depending on what button he has held down (if he stupidly holds down both he can’t throw out any normals at all.)

This move has been made slightly more unsafe on block. If the move is done deep, then you can LP and Reversal DP it on block.

It is Reversal Demon punishable however even if it is done shallow.

If you can see this move coming you can punish it with a Far Standing HK into a full combo if you want. Peform the Far Standing HK just after Balrog has turned around out of the Turn Punch.

CRAZY BUFFALO (Back (Charge) > Forward + All Punches OR All Kicks)
Balrog 5 Punches of Pain are back but they aren’t as strong as they used to be.

They still are good at punishing your teleport so if he has 2 bars try to avoid being teleport happy on your wake-up.

Outside of that Balrog’s main ways of landing this super have been nerfed pretty badly.

His far standing MK can no longer be cancelled into his super and he can’t dash punch and then cancel into super also. Greatly limiting its use.

He still can easily do this on incoming to finish you off unlike you (Misogi comes to mind.)

ALL IN ALL
The system changes really do hurt Balrog quite a bit against you in this match-up. Balrog’s EXs were very good in SF4 but with EXs being pretty valuable in this game and the nerfs Balrog got, Balrog does have a harder time at cracking you open. If he does though it still hurts.

The demon is pretty much your friend here. As Akuma’s demon has the properties of his ‘Super’ version from SF4 Balrog doesn’t have any safe Dash Punches when you have a Demon stocked. Its also easier to get than it was in SF4. Two Bars out of Three in SF X Tekken compared to 4 Bars of EX in SF4.

Punish his Dash Punches accordingly as I have mentioned before and put some pressure on him. His ‘Get off Me’ moves such as his Headbutt have been nerfed severely so you can take advantage of not having a headbutt randomly smack you in the face whilst you are pressuring him (unless its EX) he still has his EX moves though but you can throw him out of them.

Knockdowns are still vital against Balrog and its made better by the fact that his wakeup options have been made worse compared to how they were from SF4. There is rolling though so punish his rolls as you would with a 50-50 J.MK or J.LK on his wake-up.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Bob (Vanilla Part 1)

BobPart1(Done)

[details=Spoiler]**OVERVIEW
**In SF X Tekken, Bob is a very heavy footsie based character who prides himself on having some good, long reaching pokes and some decent walkspeed (well for a Tekken Character that is.)

He has a plethora of setups for his partner including crumples a high launching uppercut and ground bounces. He also isn’t bad up close as he packs the same high/low mix-up game that the Tekken Characters have up close as well as above average life (1050) making him slightly tougher to KO than most of the cast.

This along with his Special Step can make Bob a monster if used in the right hands.

Unfortunately for Bob, he suffers from not having a lot of options from full-screen due to him lacking a projectile.

Despite his walkspeed being pretty good in comparison to other Tekken Characters (and yes I’m looking at you Lili!) It still is pretty slow which can make getting in for him pretty difficult against some characters.

DISCLAIMER: Not saying I hate Lili but its her walkspeed which kinda annoys me a little especially when you go from a fast walker to a slow…whatever.

Also, his normals on whiff are more suseptible to being whiff punished in footsies more than other characters.

Moreover, his wake-up isn’t very strong, he has one solid reversal which you can crouch under and punish on whiff.

APPROACH TACTICS

SPECIAL STEP

Bob’s special step like other special steps is invincible to your high attacks but not your low attacks just like other special steps in SF X Tekken.

The Heavy Version of this move travels just over halfscreen. So you’ll want to try to play with the range of this move so that you can punish him if he tries it during your zoning.

THOSE NORMALS

Bob has very long reach and he will be using this to the max against you and why wouldn’t he? If he touches you with one of his longer reaching normals even if he hits it at the tip, he can still go straight into launcher and into his partner.

If he whiffs one of his longer reaching normals though, he is pretty wide open in comparison to other members of the cast so take those opportunities should he whiff a normal.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far St.LK

Bob’s Far St.LK hits low unlike other characters’ Far St.LKs. It’s just something to watch out for whilst he is pressuring you.

Far St.HP

Bob’s Far St.HP is a very long range swiping strike.

Just for reference, this thing hits about a good 2 squares away from you in the training stage.

You can punish this move on whiff with your cr.HK sweep if you have the range on this move down.

Far St.HK

Bob’s Far St.HK is his longest reaching normal on the ground.

It travels around 2 and a half squares in the training mode stage.

Fortunately for you, it’s a lot worse on whiff than his Far St.HP. You can whiff punish this with your own Far St.HK into a Launcher for your partner.

Far St.MK

A starter for Bob’s Tekken Strings, look out for it.

Cr.MK

For a guy with stubby legs, Bob’s Cr.MK has some good reach.

Again it’s another move to just learn the range on so that you can whiff punish it with your Cr.HK sweep or even your Far St.HK if you have mastered the range on this move.

Cr.HK

Watch out for this normal especially as it is a starter for one of his trickiest Tekken Strings. Which I’ll be covering below.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS

DOUBLE CHAPATI (HK > HK Whilst Airborne)
Bob does a two hit kick whilst airborne.

This is Bob’s main jump in of choice. It hits two times and its hitbox isn’t that bad making it a solid jump in against you.

Other than that, if you block the two hits standing then you shouldn’t have a problem with dealing with this string. The only problem afterwards is Bob’s Pressure.

THE GAUFRETTES SERIES

The Gaufrettes Series is what I’d like to call Bob’s little mix-up strings from far away.

As mentioned before, he can only perform these strings from far away from you using his Far St.MK

GAUFRETTES CUTTER (MK > MP > HP)
A 3 hit string that ends in a swiping strike.

You can block whole string standing or crouching.

This string is pretty safe against you especially if he ends on the final hit.

The final hit of the string is only Reversal Demon Punishable on Block.

Bob Players tend to finish the string but if he doesn’t and he decides to end on the 2nd hit, you can cr.HK sweep him on block.

The 1st hit on block is Bob’s Far St.MK, you can only Reversal Demon Punish this move on block.

GAUFRETTES KICK (MK > MK > HK)
A 3 hit string that ends in a high kick

Same starter only with some differences.

The 2nd hit of the string hits low whereas the 3rd hit is a high kick attack that cannot be crouched under.

On block you can punish the 2nd and 3rd hits of this string with a Cr.HK sweep if it is perforrmed deep. I wouldn’t bet on this option though as Bob Players tend to space themselves properly to avoid your sweep but the opportunity is still there.

If the string is performed shallow, then you can only Reversal Demon Punish it on block.

This string is usually mixed up with his Gaufrettes Punch String (MK > HP)

GAUFRETTES PUNCH (MK > HP)
A 2 hit string that ends in a downwards punch attack.

This string is the mix-up string.

The ender for this string is an overhead that causes a very comedic looking stun on hit.

Your best bet is to just practice to be honest. Practice against this string and mix it up with his Gaufrettes Kick String so that you can react accordingly.

Although you can expect Bob players to do this to you should you decide to hold down-back all day against him.

On block you can punish this move with a Cr.MK if it is performed deep, from here you can either go into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo.

You can also Cr.HK sweep him. This tends to be more reliable as it will work if he does it shallow also but take your pick.

The first and last hits of this string aren’t true blockstrings. You can DP him in between these hits.

ONE TWO PUNCH (LP > Back + MP)
Bob’s Variation of the ‘Left Right Combo’ Tekken String.

Bob’s One Two Punch is a safe 2 hitter against you. Well to some extent at least.

You can only Reversal Demon the 2nd hit on block, the 1st hit is safe to your Reversal Demon.

FAST BREAK (LP > Back + MP > LP + MP)
A 3 hit string that ends in a downwards punch attack.

This string is a frame trap string.

It will beat out your st. and cr.LPs and counter them but it will lose to invincible moves like the ones from your DP.

This whole string can be blocked standing or crouching despite the last hit looking like an overhead.

Treat the first hits on block like Bob’s One Two Punch String (LP > Back + MP)

The last hit is punishable with your Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

You can DP in between the 2nd and 3rd hits on block as they aren’t true blockstrings.

COURSE PICANTE (LP > LK > LK)
Bob starts with a jab and then goes low and then does another kick to knock you back.

This string is a way for Bob to knock you away from him should you

Something to note about this string is that the second hit, hits low.

Apart from that you can’t punish the 1st hit on block with your Reversal Demon.

However you can Reversal DP the 2nd hit of the string if it is performed deep or cr.HK sweep him if he does it shallow.

The last hit can be punished with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Launcher on block.

CONTORNO FARCE (Down + HK > HK > HK)
Bob fakes his sweep and then flips about the place.

This string can be a little tricky to tackle at first.

The key to tackling this string is to first recognise the Cr.HK. Once you have that down, you can react to the later parts of it.

The first part of the string is Bob’s Cr.HK, during this, he fakes the move so that it doesn’t hit you and then flips about the place. These moves after the ‘fake’ hit as overhead attacks.

Punish Bob’s Cr.HK with your own Cr.HK sweep.

All overhead follow-ups are unsafe on block to a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

The Second to Last and the Last hits of the string aren’t true blockstrings, you can DP in between them.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Bob (Vanilla Part 2)

BobPart2(Done)

[details=Spoiler]SPECIALS
SPINNER BALL (HCF + Any Kick)
Bob rolls along the ground

This move is a way for Bob to approach you only it isn’t a great one as all versions of this move don’t go through fireballs. Limiting its uses.

The move is actually a standalone attack unlike his Special Step.

You can block this attack standing or crouching.

If Bob doesn’t do his follow-ups, you can punish him on block with a Reversal DP into your part.

From this move, Bob can perform the following follow-ups:

> LYONNAISE BREAK (Any Punch During Spinner Ball)
Bob comes out with an uppercut

This follow-up is Bob’s ‘Safe’ follow-up from his Spinner Ball.

You can block this move standing or crouching.

This move is safe to some characters but not to you, you can Reversal Demon him on block should he decide to do this move.

> PERFECT PRESS (Any Kick During Spinner Ball)
Bob flips over and lands on top of you.

Another follow-up from Bob’s Spinner Ball.

This move hits as an overhead.

It is the only move during Bob’s Spinner Ball where he takes to the air so it shouldn’t be too hard to block (in theory that is.)

If you successfully block this move, you can punish him with a Reversal DP into your partner.

You can also punish him with a St.HP into a Solo Combo but you’ll have to walk forwards a little to get the st.HP to connect.

> PANINI FLIP (Down + Any Kick During Spinner Ball)
Bob goes low for a sweeping upwards kick that launches you into the air.

Another follow-up from Bob’s Spinner Ball, this one hits low.

Bob players tend to use this once you start falling for his overhead options.

It’s really unsafe on block to you. You can punish this with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Launcher.

CRACKER (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Bob jumps upwards.

This is Bob’s main anti-air special move against you.

As an anti-air it loses to up close jump ins and cross-ups though.

This move misses on crouching opponents leaving him open to a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush

You could also block the move and do the same punish.

The EX Version acts as Bob’s wake-up move. You can crouch under it just like the regular versions.

This move can be safejumped with a meaty J.HK on Bob’s wake-up.

> POUND CAKE (Any Punch During Cracker)
Bob slams his fist downwards

This follow-up hits as an overhead.

If you have already blocked or successfully crouched under his cracker, you won’t really need to worry about this overhead as you can just punish him as mentioned before.

You can interrupt this move with your normals. I prefer to go for a cr.MP or a St.HP as you’ll get a counterhit. From there you can go into a nice counterhit combo.

On block you can punish this overhead with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

> CRACKER JACKER (Any Kick During Cracker)
Bob uses his belly to deliver a blow to knock you back full-screen.

Another follow-up to Bob’s Cracker. This one can be blocked either standing or crouching.

On hit this move sends you flying away full-screen for a techable knockdown.

Yet again if you have already crouched under the first part of this move, you won’t have worry about the second part of it as you can punish it in the same way that you would punish his Cracker.

Like his other follow-up, you can interrupt him in between the hits with a cr.MP or a st.HP for a counterhit combo.

SPECIAL STEP (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Bob’s Trump Card In my honest opinion.

Bob’s special step is where he shines the most in my honest opinion.

Like other special steps, he is invulnerable to any attacks that aren’t lows, this includes DPs as well.

Any lows will hit him straight out of it so if you can, tag him with a cr.MK or a cr.HK sweep to hit him out of it.

The longest version of this move is the HK and EX Versions; these versions just over half-screen. So you’ll want to space yourself properly so that you can recover in time to punish him during his recovery should he not do a follow-up.

You can punish him with a St.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush but you can also punish with a Far St.HK as well if he lands just outside the reach of the st.HP.

The EX Version of this move has one hit of armor on it. Good for if you start Cr.HK sweeping him but if you tag him with Cr.MKs and chain them, then Bob Players may not want to throw this move out at you as much.

From his Special Step Bob has the following follow-ups:

> LANGUE WASHER (LP During Special Step)
Bob comes out with a hook punch

This is Bob’s ‘Safe’ option from a Special Step

This move is safe to your normals on block but unsafe to your Reversal Demon.

> SPIRAL ROCKY (MP During Special Step)
Bob comes out with a over the top SRK type move.

This is one of Bob’s tag moves should he be low on health against you.

It’s a multi-hitting uppercut that is a safe tag should his partner put a suitable blockstring behind it.

If his partner comes in and blocks, then you can Reversal Misogi Bob on block

If they try to cross-you up then you can Reversal Demon Bob also.

Although if he doesn’t tag out you can punish him with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block. You can also do a Far St.HK also for a stronger punish.

> GRANCHI CANNON (LP + MP During Special Step)
Bob comes out with a two handed attack

You can block this move either standing or crouching.

This is a dangerous option out of Bob’s Special Step for you simply because it causes a crumple on hit.

Bob can loop this move up to three times (this is generally referred to as The Granchi Loop) which can lead to some very damaging setups if he has a partner who can really extend their combos.

NOTE: For you, you can land a full demon off of this as well.

> APRES SWEEP (LK During Special Step)
Bob does a sweeping low kick

This is the only option out of Bob’s Special Step that hits low.

On block you can punish this move with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Launcher.

The shallower he does the move, the less likely that you will be in range to do a Solo Combo but hey, a punish is a punish.

> CUTTING COPPA (LP + MP During Apres Sweep)
After doing an Apres Sweep , Bob turns around and does a 2 handed push attack.

This follow-up is pretty safe to your stuff to be honest.

It is safe to your normals but not your Reversal Demon.

Something to note about this move is that it isn’t a true blockstring with his Apres Sweep. You can DP him between the hits.

For the DP I’d go for the MP as it will leave him standing in hitstun waiting for your partner to come in and get a free ground juggle.

GIGA JACKER (QCF + Any Punch)
Bob uses his belly as a weapon against you.

This move as two main uses
[LIST]
[]To act as a ender for combos
[]To reflect back your projectiles.
[/LIST]
As a combo ender, this move pushes you back full-screen which can be useful for Bob if he is low on health but it isn’t when he needs to get in.

This move causes a techable knockdown from which you can quickstand out of.

If he raw tags, it is NOT safe. You can Reversal Demon Flip over to his partner on entry or Misogi them.

For the Demon Flip, you’ll have to use the regular versions as the EX Version will track Bob whilst he runs off the stage; missing his partner.

You can use any follow-up from the Demon Flip only the divekick is the hardest to land as you must do it late assuming that you are mid-screen.

As projectile reflector, it can reflect your regular projectiles including air fireballs but not your EX projectiles.

Also you can bait this move out by throwing a HP Air Fireball and then EX Demon Flipping in his face should he reflect it from fullscreen.

The EX Version is…weird to be honest.

Bob jumps a certain distance and uses his belly to land on top of you for an overhead attack.

Bob can only go a certain amount of distance before returning to his original position. More often than not, he will go back to where he started this move so if you can see it coming, avoid it and then punish him during his recovery.

You can also air to air him for a counter hit juggle if you can see this move coming.

Get over there by using your Demon Flip to your advantage as the only way to punish it on block is via a Reversal Demon.

GIGA METEO (QCF + All Punches)

Bob’s super does some good damage (at 320.)

I’m not sure if there is a way to combo into this super. There probably is but I don’t know it lol.

This move is basically a ‘super’ version of Bob’s EX Giga Jacker in the fact that it homes in on wherever you are.

If he does this randomly, you can Misogi him for doing a random super.

You can also air to air him and get a counterhit juggle too.

On block you can Reversal Demon flip over to him and then Divekick him on the way down. From here you can do a Far St.HK or move forwards and do a st.HP.

ALL IN ALL

A couple words: Keep Bob Out.

Bob struggles to close the distance at full-screen so take advantage of that weakness by zoning him out.

The above statement sounds bad for offensive Akuma Players. Hence for aggressive Akuma Players. I think you know the drill by know. Knockdowns!

Knockdown Bob and pressure him on his wake-up to really take advantage of his lack of good wake-up options.

You can also try to footsie Bob as well but it is at your own risk as unless you really do learn the ranges on his normals. If you aren’t sure or confident on the reach of his normals try not to footsie him for your own safety.

Remember to crouch under his Cracker as it doesn’t hit crouching opponents.

Punish his strings accordingly as mentioned before and punish his unsafe moves on block like you would after reading this (if you did read all of this post.)

Remember to learn the range on his Special Step so that you can tag it with a crouching normal of your choice preferably cr.MK into a Chain so that you can beat the EX Version if he tries it.

Remember to watch out for both his cr.HK and his Far st.MK, these lead into his up close mix-ups and it is vital that you watch out for these and punish them accordingly. Especially his cr.HK as soon as you see it whiff, block high and you’ll save yourself the trouble of being juggled to death.

Also try to really damage Bob’s partner as well. Bob has a lot of setups but his main problem is that he can’t follow-up with these setups by himself and the ones that he can follow-up with don’t net him a very damaging combo solowise so Bob Players tend to depend on their partners to finish off the setups.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Cammy (Vanilla)

Cammy(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW

Considered by many to be one of Akuma’s worst match-ups in SF4 next to Yun, it is kind of hazardous for me to say this but Cammy got better. Her walkspeed is a lot better from SF4, her moves have been made safer and her pokes have improved making her a dangerous footsie character as well as an offensive juggernaut in the field. This along with some tricks Cammy got in SF X Tekken can make her a pain to deal with at first.

Her weaknesses from SF4 are still present though, she doesn’t have an overhead move to open you up and she has to be in your face to cause a threat due to her lacking a projectile attack. She also has slightly less health from SF4 (from 950 to 900) making her easier to KO.

APPROACH TACTICS

SPIRAL ARROW

For those who don’t know and/or this is their first Street Fighter game, Cammy’s Spiral Arrow is a fast move that can catch you off guard and travel under your projectiles. So mix up your fireball zoning as much as you can so that you can bait this move out and punish her on block.

QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE

Cammy’s Quick Spin Knuckle is another move from Cammy that travels through your projectiles. As an anti-fireball move, it is pretty slow as an anti-fireball move though. Unless she catches you throwing a Shakunetsu, then you won’t really be punished by this move. Hence her Spiral Arrow is chosen over this move in general.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION

Cammy’s Hooligan combination can be a little tricky to counter at first for newer players. But I’ll be going through some ways as to how you can counter this move below.

POKING WITH NORMALS (I.E. JAB PRESSURE)

Cammy’s pokes are alot better as footsie tools against you thanks to the chaining system in SF X Tekken. Her st.LP pressure is really abuseable as she can get up to 6 hits of it on you before hit confirming into her Cross Rush.

Hence you will want to learn the range on Cammy’s pokes so that you can whiff punish them in footsies.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

St.LP

As mentioned before Cammy’s jab pressure is really abuseable against you. But like most jab pressure in this game, you can simply backdash and avoid the extra hits.

Because Akuma is Akuma he can also teleport away to safety or you can Alpha Counter her should she try to lock you down with these in the corner.

Far Standing MK

Cammy’s Far Standing MK is a really annoying poke against you. It has a tonne of range on it and it recovers pretty quickly making it hard to whiff punish in footsie situations.

On whiff you can try to whiff punish it with a Far Standing HK if you can or if you are really good with your footsies, you can just about cr.HK sweep her.

There also is the option to interrupt her or just flat out jump in her face whilst she does the move but this is only if she gets REALLY predictable with it.

Close Standing HK

Like her official tag team partner, Chun Li, Cammy’s Close Standing HK is also jump cancelable on hit or block. Unlike her partner though it does allow her to start some better offense due to her not so floaty jump arc.

Assuming Cammy jumps forwards, from a deep Close Standing HK Cammy can only cross you up with her J.LK. She can also do an instant air Cannon Strike from a forward jump.

If you can time your cr.MK just right, you can avoid the J.LK cross-up. Not only that but you can also block her option selects afterwards specifically from her Cannon Spike and even her Super.

You can also block the J.LK cross-up and then Reversal DP her if she decides to get too block string happy up close. This won’t work if she does nothing though.

Against her Instant Air Cannon Strike the best thing you can do is block unless you have two bars stocked for a Reversal Demon. You could DP but it is dependent on how high off the ground she does the Cannon Strike.

Neutral Jump LK

Just something to note here but this is an instant overhead move from Cammy. She will mainly use this to finish you off should you be low on health. As on hit or block it isn’t very strong. You can Reversal DP her on the way down both on hit and on block.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

Cammy doesn’t have any…

SPECIALS

CANNON SPIKE (DP Motion + Any Kick)
A.K.A Cammy’s DP.

Cammy’s Cannon spike is pretty much her DP against you.

Like any other DP the main use of it is anti-airing and as a ‘Get off Me’ move.

You’ll want to bait this move out as a ‘Get off Me’ move as it is the main time when Cammy is most vulnerable against you apart from her Super.

As a move it got a lot better from SF4. As the move puts you in a floatier state than before.

(Just out of interest, if you pair up Cammy with Akuma, you can get Cammy to do a HK Cannon Spike and from there, a Switch Cancel into Akuma will allow you to land your Misogi anywhere on the screen for the full animation.)

You’ll want to block this move crouching so that she does the move deep instead of shallow. This is so that you can get stronger punishes on block.

All regular Versions of Cammy’s Cannon Spike can be punished on block with a Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush. You’ll have to walk a little bit forward for the Far Standing HK to connect though.

Her Cannon Spike also isn’t great in Switch Cancel situations, you can Reversal DP her partner whilst they are running in on block.

The EX Version has some more invincibility but it is still as punishable as ever on block by you by your Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on Block.

You can also punish this move like the regular versions in switch cancel situations too.

Also as an anti-air this loses to up close jump-ins such as ones from your cross up tatsu.

QUICK SPIN KNUCKLE (HCB + Any Punch)
Cammy spins around then does a 2 hit combo using her arm.

Cammy’s Quick Spin Knuckle is a way for Cammy to avoid your fireballs as mentioned before.

Different Versions of this move allow Cammy to travel different distances, with the HK Version travelling the furthest and the LK Version travelling the least distance.

It is pretty slow as one though.

Put it this way, as long as she doesn’t catch you whilst you are doing a Shakunetsu, you will be able to block and recover in time.

The Quick Spin Knuckle has one redeeming factor to it. It is safe on block to everything in Akuma’s arsenal including a Reversal Demon. Hence interrupting her with a DP or a st.HP if your timing is right, is the best way to counter this move

The EX Version is like the regular versions on block only it causes a wall bounce on it. Expect to see this either randomly from Cammy to throw you off or when she is juggling you.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION SERIES
The Hooligan Combation Series’ is a series of moves starting from Cammy’s Hooligan Combination.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION (HCF starting from Down-Forward + Any Punch)
Cammy Jumps up in the air

Different versions of this move will take Cammy different distances.

The LP version takes Cammy upwards a little vertically

The MP version takes Cammy forwards

The HP version takes Cammy forwards more than her MP version.

The EX version tracks your current location, it’s main use is to get past your fireball zoning.

All versions of Cammy’s Hooligan Combination aren’t invincible to fireballs.

You’ll have to predict this move by not only watching her meter but varying your fireballs, so that you are in the correct position to punish the follow-ups.

Cammy jumps upwards into a ball type move. By itself it is pretty easy to punish without an input but with one it becomes a little bit more dangerous.

Any successful air to airs from this move will lead to counter hits allowing you to follow-up for a damaging combo.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > RAZOR’S EDGE SLICER (No Input During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball then does a sliding attack.

This move is safe everything that you have including a Reversal Demon on block.

Just for reference you can’t raw launcher her out of the move on reaction.

Hence reactions will be the key here. Interrupt her with a DP if you think that she is going to do this move.

The properties of this move are the same with the EX Version

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > FATAL LEG TWISTER (LP + LK Near Opponent During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball and then grabs her opponent by the face giving them a frankensteiner to the floor.

The grab in this move is unbreakable similar to your Demon Flip > Throw follow-up.

Something to note about this move is that this move does not grab crouching opponents. So if she misses the grab she will be put in a floating state leaving her open for a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on whiff.

HOOLIGAN COMBINATION > CROSSED SCISSORS (LP + LK Near Opponent in Air During Hooligan Combination)
Cammy jumps into a ball and then air throws her opponent.

This air throw is really annoying due to the fact that you’ll have to predict it from Cammy.

You can take a risk by going air to air with her and trying to punish this move but I wouldn’t rely on it too much as the air throw has some good priority.

Cammy players tend to use this with her EX Version. If he times it right, she can make your DPs whiff.

Your best bet is to try and bait this move out during your fireball zoning and this will take some practice and some good reading skills on your part.

OVERALL
Cammy’s Hooligan Combination is a pain to deal with and you’ll have to rely on your ability to read your opponent and your reaction skills in order to beat it. That is all there is to it.

CANNON STRIKE (QCB + Any Kick During Forward Jump)
Cammy’s dive kick move.

As an approach tactic the regular versions of this move are pretty slow in the air and simple to anti-air.

It can also be blocked either standing or crouching.

The main use of the move is during Cammy’s jump cancels with her Close Standing HK.

Depending on where she hits you with this dive kick the safety of it on block can vary.

If she hits you in your lower leg then it is safe to your DP but not your Reversal Demon.

Any higher and you can reversal DP her on block.

The EX Version can be done from any jump not only forwards. It is also safer than the regular version. It is safe to your reversal Demon.

The EX Version can be used as a instant air move against you. Your best bet is to just block and take the pressure.

SPIRAL ARROW (QCF + Any Kick)
Cammy spins along the ground launching herself into a missle straight into your face.

Depending on what version Cammy does, then the distance that this move travels can change.

The LK version launches her the least distance and the HK version launches her the most distance.

The regular versions of this move are not invincible to fireballs. The EX version however is.

You’ll want to learn the range on the EX Version of this move so that you can predict it and punish it during your zoning.

The safety of this move varies depending on deep or shallow she does the move.

If she does this on the very tip of this move, then you can only Reversal Demon her. This is about where she almost finishes spinning

If she does this move really deep then the move becomes a 2 hitter that you can punish on block with your st.HP/ Cr.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

Any other point on this move, you can punish with your Reversal DP

SPIN DRIVE SMASHER (QCF + All Kicks)

Cammy’s Super surprisingly isn’t as threatening as it used to be in SF4.

It still works versus your air fireballs though so don’t get too air fireball happy against her around the range of this move.

The range on it isn’t as great as it used to be. So much so you can use your Punch Teleport to avoid it completely and get it to whiff.

This even works if she tries to option select you on your wake-up with something like a J.HK.

Interestingly the range increases to just about full screen if she does an EX charge. It is still as punishable on block though.

You can punish this move with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

ALL IN ALL

This is quite a tough one for Akuma to be honest.

Keeping Cammy out can be a pain and her footsies are now alot stronger against you.

But EX moves are more precious in SF X Tekken and her main ways of getting past your zoning are via EX moves or just predicting you properly.

Hence you’ll want to mix up your fireballs as much as you can to keep her guessing and try not to let her get close.

Avoid her little jump cancel tricks by punishing them in the ways I have mentioned above.

Also she has standing overhead, so she loses to down-back up close. Her only other way to open you up is to throw you. From here you just gotta learn basic throw teching.

Bait out her Cannon Spikes as much as you can as they are very unsafe on block. Practice punishing all versions of them so that you can get a feel for the punishing window of the move.

You should also try to aim for knockdowns a bit against Cammy as you can still safejump her Cannon Spike with a Regular Dive Kick (Down+MK) on her wake up assuming that she doesn’t roll and it isn’t the EX Version.

Your teleport is also a bit stronger against her during her pressure. Don’t get too over reliant on it though as some Cammy Players will want to bait this move out so that they can punish you during your recovery.

If all else fails, like any other bad match-up in SF X Tekken, you can always pair Akuma up with someone who has a better time against Cammy.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Chun Li (Vanilla)

ChunLi(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW
The first woman of fighting makes her literally guaranteed appearance in SF X Tekken (well apart from Honda but that is another subject in itself.) Packing some good pokes and a very versatile metagame of a mix between offense and solid defense, Chun Li can be quite a hard one to crack. This is amplified by the fact that she got alot better from SF4 and she adapts to the juggling system well as a whole.

Fortunately for you though her weaknesses from SF4 are still here. Although the anti-air weakness isn’t really much of a weakness anymore, her wake-up options are not the strongest, her health isn’t great like yours and she still has to play as patient as ever in order to take you out.

APPROACH TACTICS

KIKOKEN

Chun Li’s Kikoken fireballs travel a longer distance now and its made better for her in the fact that she can do them whilst walking forwards thanks to the motion similar to her 3rd Strike days.

Chun Li players tend to throw these kikokens and then walk forwards behind them similar to Guile in order to create some offense. Depending on where she starts this, your best bet is to nulify the fireball with your own and then see what she does. You could also go air to air with her but the chances of you winning aren’t really in your favour, still I won’t force anyone to take a risk here and do it.

HAZANSHU

Chun Li’s Hazanshu can be a little bit of a pain to get around as it is a good way for her to get past your fireballs at around cr.MK / cr.HK sweep range. You’ll want to space yourself properly using your fireballs so that you can predict this move and punish during your recovery if you are spacing yourself properly

JUMPING
Not really a common one but Chun Li is quite a floaty jumper in this game, making her slightly easier to anti-air than other characters such as Juri. Try to anti-air Chun Li at all costs as any jumps she does towards you are pretty much free DPs and/or cr.HPs if you space yourself properly

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far Standing MP

Chun Li’s Far Standing MP packs some good range to it and thanks to the chaining system in SF X Tekken, she can launch you afterwards for a full combo. If you have ever hated getting randomly hit by Far Standing MPs by Chun Li in SF4 then you are even worse off here so practice blocking those Far Standing MPs

That said you can whiff punish this normal with a cr.HK sweep for a knockdown, if you are really good with your ranges, then you can get a st.MK into a Cross Rush (st.MK is a little better to use as a whiff punisher in this game with Akuma in my opinion due to the fact that it moves him forwards slightly.)

Far Standing HK

Chun Li’s Far Standing HK still has its long reach from SF4. It still misses on crouching opponents so in general you should try to hold down-back a bit in footsies so that when she does this move it will whiff over your head and you can whiff punish with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep.

Far Standing HP

Chun Li’s Far Standing HP is pretty fast and has some good reach to it and it is safe on block to even your Reversal Demon.

On whiff it isn’t the greatest, you can whiff punish with a cr.MK into Cross Rush and/or solo combo or a cr.HK sweep for a knockdown.

Cr.MP

Chun Li’s cr.MP is similar to her cr.MK. They are both low attacks, have similar reach and are some good whiff punishers against your cr.MK but that is where the similarities end. Her cr.MP is a good anti-air against your jump ins as it lowers her hitbox therefore making your regular jump ins whiff if timed correctly.

If you can time your jump in a little late, then you will be able to beat this an anti-air. You can also approach with a regular dive-kick (down + MK at the peak of your jump) to beat it.

Close Standing HK

As of SF X Tekken, this move is now jump cancellable on hit or block. Chun Li will be using this to create some offense against you and/or in combos.

Unlike Juri she can only perform this normal deep and if she jumps forwards out of it, she can only cross you up with a J.LK (assuming you are mid-screen) her other normals just whiff over your head.

Hence it’s main use is in combo situations as her jump is a little too floaty to create some pressure against you. You can walk under her and catch her with a full combo on the way down should she whiff the J.LK cross-up.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

For those new to fighting Chun Li in Street Fighter, Chun Li is a very poke based character and her array of unique attacks compliment her already good set of normals.

KAKUKYAKURAKU (Down-Forward + HK )
Chun Li Flips over and kicks you in the head.

Man try pronouncing this word in real life.

Aside from that, this move is mainly used to cross you up after Chun Li knocks you down. More often than not, this move hits as a cross-up attack that hits you if you are crouching.

You can either roll after she knocks you down with this move thus negating her cross-up or you can stand and block the move on wake-up and then take the extra pressure. Depending on deep the move is on block, she could go for a throw. From here it is simple throw teching to be honest.

On block this move is completely safe to your stuff so don’t bother trying to Demon it on block.

REAR SPIN KICK (Down-Forward + LK)
Chun Li flips over knocking you upwards for a full combo.

Chun Li’s Rear Spin Kick is a good anti-air mid-screen. It is pretty much her best one without burning meter against you. Its made easier to land for her as her walk speed is also pretty good too so she can space herself properly to anti-air you.

As an anti-air however it is weak to cross-ups so you can cross-up tatsu her or j.MK her if you are at the right distance if you can bait this anti-air out.

She also can’t just perform this move on the last frame so you can mix-up your jump ins with your Dive Kick (Down + MK at the peak of your jump) and regular jump ins to throw her off her timing.

KAKUSENSHU (Forward + MK)
Chun Li performs a spinning kick

Chun Li’s Kakusenshu is a decently ranged poke that moves Chun Li forwards along the ground. She will most likely be doing this move around cr.MK range and it. It is kind of similar to Ken’s Forward Step Kick only it is a little slower.

On block you can only Reversal Demon Punish this move. So if you don’t have 2 bars, you’ll have to take the pressure from Chun Li afterwards.

KINTEKISHU (Back + MK)
Chun Li sticks her leg out. From here she has different follow ups after this move on hit or block.

This move is the starter for Chun Li’s follow up moves afterwards. You’ll want to learn the range on this attack so that you can punish it in footsie situations.

If she does this move deep, then you can Reversal Demon Punish this move on block.

KINTEKISHU > TENKUKYAKU (Back + MK > MK)
Chun Li performs a 2 hit kick combo that launches.

This is a move you will see quite a bit against Chun Li if she is juggling the crap out of you.

She can only jump cancel this move on hit only.

Some Chun Li Players tend to put a little bit of a delay between the 1st and 2nd hits to act as a bit of a frametrap against you. It works against other characters but not Akuma as you can stick a cr.LP in between the delay to punish her thus scoring a counter hit. From there you can go into a cr.HP into a combo of your choice.

KINTEKISHU > TENKUKYAKU > TENSHOKYAKU (Back + MK > MK > Down Foward + MK)
Chun Li does a 2 hit kick combo that ends in a flurry of upwards kicks.

Apart from looking a bit flashy, this move is mainly used in switch cancel combos.

It also can be used as a way to make the first hits of Chun Li’s string safer. But you still can punish it on block.

Chun Li Players can sometimes mix this move up to try and scare you into Reversal DPing on block after the first two hits of the string.

The ender has some good priority on it. It can beat your Reversal DP.

Fortunately this little mix-up falls to one move: MISOGI! First Law and now Chun Li. On block you can Reversal Misogi the first two hits and if she tries to do the ender, you can also Misogi her for free too.

Of course there is the option to block as well and then take your free punish in the form of a st.HP into a Solo Combo or Cross Rush but the Misogi doesn’t require you to guess as to whether she will finish the string or not.

YOSOKYAKU (Down + MK)
Chun Li’s famous little toe taps.

This move can be performed up to 3 times in one sequence.

These moves work pretty well as air to airs against you if Chun Li can time them properly. Just for reference, she has to be above you whilst you jump at her for these to connect properly

Outside of that this move isn’t thrown out much by Chun Li players apart from in some flashy switch cancel combos.

WALL JUMP (Up-Back Whilst Against A Wall)
Chun Li well…the move name says it all

Chun Li’s Wall Jump is a good way for her to remain in the air where she is pretty strong at and keep some air time against you.

Interestingly, if you have some good reactions, if you can see her wall jump coming, you can actually Misogi this move for free and get the full animation too. You’ll want to time it after she kicks off the the wall and is in the air floating for a while.

(Tested with her performing the wall jump holding forward whilst she was in the air and then holding back as soon as she landed)

TARGET COMBO (HP > HP Whilst In The Air)
Chun Li’s Double Punching Target Combo

This is arguably Chun Li’s best jump in attack against you, it hits twice and both of those moves hit crouching opponents.

It is common for most people to block the first hit and then get hit by the second hit and then eat a full combo. Block both of them standing for your own safety.

Although if your zoning is on point, you should be able to anti-air this move without a problem due to her floaty jump.

Another thing to note about this move is that on whiff, it does build quite a bit of meter. So don’t be surprised if you see some Chun Li’s rocking those Onslaught Gems to try and build meter quickly.You can Demon Flip this move on reaction whilst she is coming down from the move causing a ground-bounce from which you can combo off of if she tries to do it or you could throw a couple fireballs at her to try to keep her grounded.

SPECIALS

KIKOKEN (HCF + Any Punch)
Chun Li’s Projectile.

As mentioned before in the ‘Approach Tactics’ section, Chun Li’s Kikoken can now be performed whilst walking fowards thanks to its new motion.

Depending on what version she does, the distance and recovery of the move can change.

The LP Version travels the most distance but has the worst recovery. It is usually used to counter you if you get too air fireball happy

The MP Version is like a mix between both the LP and HP Versions, she turns around more for this version

The HP Version has the best recovery and it is Chun Li’s main answer to your fireballs in the fireball war. Fortunately for you, it doesn’t go full screen it travels about half of it.

You will want to learn the range of Chun Li’s fireballs so that you can play with their ranges using your fast walk speed and eventually get a jump in against her if she screws up the range.

Your Red Fireball is also a good way to get her to get a bit jump happy so that you can anti-air her for jumping around the place if she jumps forwards.

The EX Version hits twice and moves a bit faster. It also packs the good recovery of the Heavy Version. Meter is key with Chun Li and the more of these she throws out, the less options she has against you.

HAZANSHU (HCB + Any Kick)
Chun Li flips over slamming her foot down on top of you.

This move can be a little tricky as different Versions of this move change its properties and range.

The LK Version is the fastest vesrion of the move and it doesn’t hit as an overhead.

The MK Version is like a mix between the LK and HK Version only this move does hit as an overhead that leaves you standing. It travels further than the Light Version

The HK Version is the slowest, it hits as an overhead and knocks you down on hit. It also travels the furthest out of all of her Hazanshus

The EX Version, hits as an overhead but ground bounces you on hit allowing her to follow-up.

All regular versions of this move can be Reversal Demon Punished on block. Whereas the EX one cannot.

The range of this move will determine whether you should block high or not. In general it is advised to block this move high as most Chun Li Players tend to go for the overhead option (MK and HK Versions) than her non-overhead option (LK Version.) Although with some good reactions it is possible to tell whether she is going to go for the overhead or the non-version as Chun Li Players tend to mix these up.

Also you should learn the range of this move so that you can space your fireballs accordingly so that she cannot just jump over and punish them on reaction.

SPINNING BIRD KICK (Down (Charge) > Up + Any Kick)
Chun Li’s Famous Spinning Bird Kick

As a move this is mainly used in switch cancel combos. Similar to Ken’s Tatsu the regular versions don’t knock down on hit making them good candidates for switch cancelling. If you are tagged with a cr.MK and you are standing prepare for some pain.

Outside of that, all regular versions of this move miss crouching opponents. The first hit will connect if done up close and then the rest will miss you if you hold down-back. Allowing you to punish with a st.HP into Solo Combo / Cross Rush on her recovery. You’ll want to do the punish the moment she hits the floor again.

The EX Version knocks you back full screen which can be a pain if Chun Li has the life lead against you. It also doubles as her Alpha Counter move meaning blocked jump ins could lead to you getting knocked back fullscreen. There isn’t much you can do here other than to try other approaches such as empty jump throw.

It is also Chun Li’s best wake-up option. A wake-up option that you can stuff with your Demon Flip Divekick and your Regular Dive Kick on her wake-up. Hence you can expect most Chun Li Players to roll on their wake-ups.

HYAKURETSUKYAKU (HCF + Any Kick)
Chun Li’s Rapidly Hitting Kicks

Unlike SF4 and other iterations of SF before it, this move is not a mashable move, it involves a command input and then extra hits can be gained by mashing.

That aside this move ranges from being really safe to being really unsafe.

If she does this move shallow, the last few kicks will whiff allowing you to punish with a Far Standing HK into a Cross Rush or a Solo Combo.

If she does this move deep, then it is safe on block even to your Demon in some cases.

The EX Version is more consistent at landing all of the kicks and hence its as safe as if she landed all of the kicks in her regular versions.

Chun Li can sometimes use this move to chip you out when you are low on health and she can also bring in her partner too. If this is the case Alpha Counter her out of it. With the right timing, you can catch her partner on incoming.

SENRETSUKYAKU (HCF + All Kicks)

Chun Li’s super is a good way for her to punish your fireballs as it travels full-screen. Hence you will find that most Chun Li players tend to save their meter wisely in order to save for this super and kill you for it.

It isn’t as fast as the SF4 Version on start-up as you can actually EX DP her out of it. You’ll want to do it the moment you see her leg come around for the first kick.

You could also Neutral Jump it (assuming that you are mid-screen) and then punish on the way down.

You could also go for a Misogi if she does this randomly in your face as well.

On block this move is really punishable. It is best to block this move crouching as none of the move hits as an overhead and you’ll make the last hit whiff over your head allowing you to get some stronger punishers in the form of a Far Standing HK into a full combo.

ALL IN ALL
Chun Li is still a monster in the right hands but she still retains the same weaknesses like her SF4 counterpart to an extent. A lot of thought into defeating Chun Li will depend on the person who’s playing her. Not every Chun Li plays the same so as such, you will need good adaptation and reading skills in order to win. Some of the stuff mentioned in this write-up can be useful against her.

Your fireballs are alot stronger against her as she can’t focus through them like she could in SF4 and the stages are longer too meaning you can zone her out a lot easier than before. Just try to make sure you learn the ranges on her moves so that you can space yourself properly and punish her counter measures on whiff.

When making your approaches try to avoid air to air combat as Chun Li’s air throw and good air to airs will knock you straight out of it. Still there is the option to take the risk though and hope it works.

Also try to get Chun Li and/or her partner to waste their meter. Chun Li is quite threatening with meter as she can play a good defensive as well as offensive game as well as punish your fireballs from full-screen. Without meter Chun Li’s effectiveness diminishes a little against you.

Also her health is pretty low like yours so you can take advantage of it too to an extent :)[/details]

[SolidRose]

Cole
[spoiler=“Cole”][/spoiler]

[SolidRose]

Dhalsim
[spoiler=“Dhalsim”][/spoiler]

[SolidRose]

Reserved for Dhalsim

[SolidRose]

Guile (Vanilla)

Guile(Done)

[details=Spoiler]Next Up Guile

Shoutouts to Noriega for covering this guy a little I just thought I’d expand on it a little more.

OVERVIEW
The guy who has lived through the SF Series with only two special moves is here in SF X Tekken and my god his meta game still hasn’t changed: pure defense with simple, solid normals to keep you at bay. Whilst Guile is good at playing keepaway himself, he struggles with heavy pressure tactics as his invincible moves are unsafe i.e. Flash Kick and making offense for him can be difficult due to his very high and floaty jump making it difficult for him to chase people when there is a life deficit.

In V.2013, Guile’s health was nerfed down to 900 and he had some meter gain adjustments. However his meta-game is still intact and it can still work against you.

APPROACH TACTICS

SONIC BOOM
Expect to hear Guile say this alot during this match-up as he will be using this to keep you out. Your best defense against a Sonic Boom is your own fireballs. Your Red Fireball ( :hcf:+:p: ) can burst through his Sonic Booms and hit him if he gets too Boom happy.

JUMPING
Something to note about Guile’s jump is that it is pretty floaty in the air making it pretty easy to anti-air. So if he jumps in your face return him the favor for being so defensive and anti-air him with a cr.HP/ DP.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Far St.:hk:
This normal has quite alot of range, probably moreso than it does in SF4. It moves Guile forward and on hit allows Guile to launch and bring in his partner for extra damage.

It is arguably his longest range normal on the ground. Its even longer than your normals but in footsies reach isn’t everything. Its a good idea to learn the range of this move so that you can stand just outside of its hitting range.

From here you can whiff punish with a cr.HK sweep.

It is also pretty slow so if you can predict this move coming you can cr.MK him into a Cross Rush.

Cr.:mk:
Guile’s cr.MK has some decent range to it. Expect him to use this around the range of your cr.HK sweep so that he can interrupt you and punish you for it.

This normal also leads into his target combo so it is important to recognise this so that you will be able to block his target combo.

J.:lk:
This is Guile’s main cross-up, it is just something to recognise really if he gets a knockdown against you and he tries to pressure you on your wake-up its really ambigious so if you aren’t sure as to which way to block, teleport out to safety.

Cr.:hk:
This double sweeping move hits twice and can be used to throw you off in footsies.

Some Guile players tend to delibarately make the first hit of this attack whiff and then use the second hit to knock you down. If this is the case raw launcher him and if you can see this move coming depending on where you are, there is a chance that you can jump in on him and score a free combo.

Cr.:hp:
Guile’s Main anti-air of choice.

The hurtbox on this move was decreased in V.2013 making it a much more solid of an anti-air than it used to be. Vary the timings of your jump-ins by using late air fireballs or a command dive-kick (:d: +:mk: whilst airborne) to get him to mistime it.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

STRAIGHT CHOP (Forward + MP)
Guile slams his fist downwards.

This move hits as an overhead and it is quite a safe one too. It doesn’t do too much damage but still 50 damage is quite a bit for Akuma especially if you are hit by 3 of these at one time.

On block this move is safe to your normals and DP but it is Reversal Demon Punishable if performed deep. It is only safe to everything that you have if he does this move at its maximum range.

SPINNING BACK KNUCKLE (Forward + HP)
Guile spins around and smacks his opponent in the face with his two knuckles.

This move is mainly used to keep you out and/or if you keep on standing alot. Its safe to your normals, DP and your Demon but it whiffs against crouching opponents.

If Guile isn’t hitting you with his Far Standing HK there is a chance that he is probably trying to hit you with this if so crouch under it and either cr.MK him into a Cross Rush or cr.HK sweep him.

KNEE BAZOOKA (Forward/Back + LK)
Guile jumps forwards using his knee

This move not only moves Guile forwards along the ground but it also allows him to retain his charge also. Guile will most likely use this when he is approaching you and trying to connect this move as on whiff its pretty punishable via a cr.HK sweep or a cr.MK into a Cross Rush if you are fast enough.

Also on block this move is Reversal Demon Punishable. Although the blockstun period is pretty small compared to most attacks in the game so practice against it and try to get used to busting out a Reversal Demon on block during the small window of blockstun should it be used offensively against you.

ROLLING SOBAT (Forward/Back + MK)
Guile performs a spinning kick.

This move goes over lows and can be used as a small pressure tool against you as it is safe to your normals, DP as well as your Demon also on block.

Something to note about this is move is that if Guile does the forward variant of the move, he loses all of his charges so he will have to charge again to gain access to his specials again.

If he does it backwards, then he still retains his charges.

Your best bet is to watch out for this move at all costs and try to punish it on whiff if he tries to use it as a means to approach you.

REVERSE SPIN KICK (Forward/Back + HK)
Guile basically does what no other military man can do by spinning upside down and kicking in the air.

This move is useful for avoiding crouching attacks, so if you’re getting too used to crouch teching Guile’s offense, expect one of these to come your way and get hit into a full combo.

Not much you can do on block here. This move is safe to everything in Akuma’s arsenal including a Reversal Demon on block.

It is a little slow though, so if you have some good reactions then you can DP him out of this move and into your partner so that you can score some good damage on him a last resort tactic but it’s better than nothing I suppose.

GUILE HIGH KICK (Down-Forward + HK)
Guile’s Signature Head Kick.

This move is only useful in combos as this move misses crouching opponents.

On whiff you can cr.HK sweep him or cr.MK him into a Cross Rush. If he does this close you can Close st.HP him into a full combo but the window of punishment is pretty strict. You’ll have to perform the Close st.HP as soon as you see his leg whiff over your head though for the full punish.

TARGET COMBO (Cr.MK > Forward + MP)
Guile hits low and then does his Straight Chop Overhead.

This target combo can be a pain to deal with especially if you get frustrated mid-match against Guile. The concept is pretty simple. A low hit and then straight to an overhead but it can catch out even the best of players especially if they are flustered by Guile’s Defense.

Something to note about his target combo is that if he starts it from far away, the ‘overhead’ portion of the Target Combo will whiff. It will whiff if he tries to hit you with his ‘foot’ of his cr.MK allowing you to whiff punish it with a cr.HK.

Fortunately for you the completed string is Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

The first hit on block is his cr.MK on block it is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block this is whether he does it up close or far away.

SPECIALS

SONIC BOOM (Back (Charge) > Forward + Any Kick)
Guile’s Signature Projectile.

Unlike most projectiles in this game Guile’s Projectile can’t be Demon Flipped over on reaction due to its almost instant recovery.

The speed of this projectile changes depending on what version Guile does.

The LP Version travels the slowest
The MP Version is like a mix of speeds between the LP and HP Version
The HP Version travels the fastest.

The most notable version is the LP Version, it can be used as a method of approach against you if Guile just throws the Boom. He can walk behind it like its his own personal shield. If he tries this you can try to go air to air with him and hope that you’ll win. Or you can try to bait this move out and/or throw him off with an EX Gohadoken.

The EX Version travels alot faster than the other versions and hits twice. You’ll want Guile to abuse his EX’s as much as possible as they are his main way through your wall of fireballs.

Like most fireball characters, Guile will be trying to vary the speeds of his Booms to catch you off guard and its up to you to beat him at his own game with your own.

One of the ways you can do this, is through your Shakunetsu Hadoken. Try to vary the versions and get him to jump so you can throw him off. For instance, throw out a couple Light Shakunetsu’s and see what he does. Get him comfortable with throwing booms against your Shakunetsu and then go for a heavier version to throw him off if he doesn’t stay grounded.

This is also Guile’s Charge Move. If Guile tries to get free EX Booms from full-screen by charging this move up, punish him with an EX Demon Flip > Palm Followup for a full combo. He can dash to cancel the charge so if he tries to do so and you can read him then try a regular Demon Flip (preferably HK Version) if he is fullscreen.

You also can play the Charge Move game with him too by charging your own Demon Flip and trying to mess up his anti-airs. (Oh the mindgames of the fireball war.)

As of V.2013, Guile no longer gains meter from throwing Sonic Booms.

FLASH KICK (A.K.A SOMERSAULT) (Down (Charge) > Up + Any Kick)
Guile’s Somersault, a Somersault in which many people have tried to attempt to do this move in real life with some mixed results.

If there is one thing that must be said about this move is that maybe I’m wrong here but the range on this move has increased quite a bit from SF4 especially in the HK version which travels a very good distance in this game.

This move has 3 uses to it:
[LIST]
[]As an anti-air against your jump-ins
[]To punish your Cr.HK Sweep
[*]As a Wake-up Move
[/LIST]
As an anti-air and a wake-up move this is pretty weak to cross-up pressure so you can abuse cross-ups against him whilst he gets up assuming he doesn’t roll away from you.

If he does roll away from you continue trying to zone him out as usual. As Norieaga stated you can neutral jump air hadoken him to keep him grounded and stop him from jumping to start his offense.

Guile can also bring in his partner off of a blocked Flash Kick. Like Ryu’s DP Switch Cancels, the regular versions of this move are NOT safe on block. This is arguably your best time to catch Guile out on his wake-up as this is where he is most open.

Reversal DPing both the LK and MK versions on block can lead to you hitting both characters on incoming.
If you want to hit both characters in incoming for the HK Version, you will have to time your DP precisely. Still even on reversal you will still hit his partner on incoming.

The above is assuming that the move is performed deep. If it is performed shallow then a Reversal DP will catch both characters on incoming.

As Norieaga stated you can also Demon/Misogi a blocked Flash Kick even if he brings in his partner.

ALL IN ALL

This match-up is a test of patience, expect alot of fireballs to be thrown as both yourself and Guile will most likely be forcing each other to approach. It’s a test of pure spacing with fireballs, footsies and anti-airs and whoever is stronger in these areas will most likely have the upper hand. You can force Guile to approach you with your Red Fireball, so long as your spacing is correct, you should be able to throw one and not eat a jump in from Guile.

Guile no longer gains meter from Sonic Booms, this is great as you will be able to build meter at a much quicker rate as your fireballs can still build meter. Be wary for things such as meter gems to help him get the headstart on you though.

Most of your damage on Guile will come in the form of hard knockdowns and baiting out his flash kicks on wake-up. Guile’s defensive options aren’t the greatest whilst being pressured: cross-ups can make his flash kick whiff on wake-up and it can also be safe-jumped.

Guile’s health was nerfed even further, down to 900 in V.2013. Making him easier to KO than before.

He also doesn’t hit REALLY hard so the worst you’ll get if he punishes you with no meter is a couple hits into a Flash Kick if he even has a charge which doesn’t do alot to you (Well considering everything else does a crap tonne of damage to you this isn’t as bad as everything else.) Hence you’ll find that Guile will be bringing in his partner most of the time to do some extra damage.

Severely damaging Guile’s partner is also another good way to beat Guile himself as depending on who he is paired up with, that partner may have to rely on Raw Tags to get Guile back in again and Akuma is good at dealing with Raw Tags thanks to his Demon Flip.

If all else fails you can always play his game and run the clock but be prepared for some Rage Mail if you do so.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Heihachi (Vanilla)

Heihachi(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW
Its pensioner vs pensioner in this fight (well it kinda depends but its still an old guy vs another old guy.) Heihachi has some very tricky high/low mix-ups up close whilst having some decent air to airs as well as anti-airs to boot. Combine this with some brain-dead damage he can get from combos and we have ourselves a fight here people.

APPROACH TACTICS

RISING/DRAGON UPPERCUT
Heihachi’s Rising and Dragon uppercuts pack a little bit of a Kazuya-Style Mist Step in them on start-up, this can be used to get through your fireballs and hit you if you aren’t spacing yourself properly. If you can see it coming, hit him low with a cr.MK (provided that it isn’t and EX Rising Uppercut) or just punish him on whiff as he can’t wavedash like his son due to him not having a standalone mist-step command.

DEMON BREATH
This move is used to send your fireballs right back in your face or even stop them completely. Heihachi will be using this to try and close the distance and get in against you. It doesn’t work against your EX fireballs however so if you have the meter to burn or you want to throw off Heihachi’s fireball tennis then go ahead and throw one of these out for good measure.

OBVIOUS JUMPING
Anti-air as always with cr.HP or DP if necessary being aware of your spacing.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

cr.MK
Heihachi has an alright cr.MK, he’ll use this when he gets into footsie range with you to try and play footsies with you.

cr.HK
Heihachi’s sweep unlike his son’s is cr.HK sweep punishable on block, it is also Reversal Demon Punishable if you have the meter.

J.HK
One of Heihachi’s main jump in attacks it also crosses up as well making it very ambigious, teleport out if you aren’t sure about which way to block.

J.MK
Serves the same purpose as his J.HK only it has less blockstun on block so you can uppercut out of it on block if you think he is going to press a button.

UNIQUE ATTACKS/TEKKEN STRINGS

TATARIGOROSHI (Back + MP)
Heihachi’s main anti air of choice, its special cancellable too. Heihachi if you use this if you start getting a little too jumpy for his liking. It is however weak to cross ups so he has to space it correctly in order to hit you. If he doesn’t space it properly, it isn’t the best on whiff so punish it with either a Cross Rush or s.HP etc.

LIGHTNING CRUSH (Forward + LK)
One of Heihachi’s main pressure tools up close. It can be blocked either standing or crouching and it is very safe on block. Its safe to both your uppercuts and demon so just block it and realise that this isn’t really where you want to be against Heihachi.

CHROME DOME (Forward + LP +MP)
This move has one hit of armor but only in the later stages of it.
Heihachi can charge this move up and on hit it causes a ground bounce. It can be blocked either standing or crouching.

The purpose of this move is mainly to throw you off and scare you into attacking. He only gains his armor in the later frames of this move. Before that its pretty much interruptable. On top of this, its unsafe on block if performed deep. Punish with cr.MK into Cross Rush or into a solo combo.

HAMMER PUNCH (Back + LP)
Heihachi’s overhead, this overhead is pretty dangerous as it leads to a full combo on hit. Its also pretty fast but you can see it coming at least. So practice against blocking it. You’ll be rewarded with a free Reversal Demon on block for your troubles if you can block this move properly.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that this move is sometimes used in Heihachi’s blockstrings. Some Heihachi players will do something like one/two cr.LPs into the overhead to open you up. During this you can stick a cr.MP between the cr.LP and the Hammer Punch scoring you a counter hit and allowing you to link into Far Standing HK for a full combo.

EISHO MON (Forward + MP)
Heihachi’s low hitting punch from Tekken.

This move moves Heihachi forward as well as create offense, he will usually try this around your cr.MK range so if you can see it coming, raw launcher it to punish. Its safe on block to your uppercuts and demon as well but you can always take a risk if you think he is going to press buttons afterwards.

JICHINSAI (Back + LK)
A safe overhead from Heihachi in the form of an axe kick.

Not much you can do on block although it does push him slightly further away from you than his Hammer Punch so that’s a plus at least.
Its slightly slower and easier to to see coming so it is easier to interrupt or neutral jump than his Hammer Punch is though.

TEKKEN STRINGS

FLASH PUNCH COMBO (LP > LP > MP)
A three hit punch combo that causes a hard knockdown
Like his son, Kazuya, Heihachi’s Flash Punch Combo is rarely used as there are usually stronger options available for Heihachi. Its also unsafe on block like his son’s.

LEFT RIGHT COMBO (LP > Back + MP)
Standard one-two punch combo from Tekken
Not much to say, this move isn’t used alot by Heihachi Players it is however Demon Punishable on block and safe to your sweeps and jabs (the latter being due to pushback on block.)

DEMON SLAYER (LP >Back + MP > MP)
Another three hitter that leaves the opponent standing. A common Mishima string from Tekken.

Heihachi’s Demon Slayer is alot better than his Kazuya’s for two reasons. It all combos naturally (opponent can’t block the last hit like Kazuya’s) and like Kazuya’s it can be used as a frametrap string. It isn’t really used much however.

It is DP punishable on block as well as LP and Demon punishable though so if a Heihachi Player throws this out, go ahead and punish him for it.

DEMON KICKER (LP > Back + MP > MK)
Same as Demon Slayer only the last hit misses crouching opponents making it less useful as a string. Duck it and punish with whatever you please.

THE DOUBLE PALM SERIES
The double palm series’ of attacks is Heihachi’s main mix-up tool up close. Heihachi will lift his palm up (Forward + LP). During which he has the following options:

DOUBLE PALM STRIKE (Forward + LP > LP)
This is Heihachi’s safe option, it pushes you back but it is DP and Reversal Demon Punishable on block.
Heihachi will most likely special cancel this move to make it safe but if he doesn’t then punish him with the above.

MUSO TETTSUI (Forward + LP > MP)
Heihachi will slam his other hand over you causing a ground bounce on hit.
This move hits as an overhead and combined with his Muso Kageki it can lead to some tricky high/low mix-ups.

MUSO KAGEKI (Forward + LP > HP)
Heihachi will turn around and go low. This looks like his Eisho Mon (Forward + MP) but he can’t follow up with it on hit. It is used with his overhead followup for mix up potential.

In order to negate this mixup, similar to Kazuya, buffer a DP during the first hit of the string. If performed correctly if he goes for the overhead or the low option the DP will hit him out of it allowing you to switch cancel into your partner for some damage.

If he doesn’t finish the string and just stops with Forward + LP then it is DP punishable on block and if he goes for a Double Palm Strike, the DP won’t come out and you can punish him afterwards.

SPECIALS

DRAGON UPPERCUT (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Heihachi’s Dragon Uppercut is mainly used as a combo ender and not really thrown out as much as his Rising Uppercut. If it is though it is very punishable on block via Cross Rush or s.HP into whatever you want.

Same goes for the EX version. Only difference here is more damage.

DRAGON UPPERCUT FOLLOWUP (Any Punch During Dragon Uppercut)
Again not really thrown out but still if it is for some odd reason walk back and punish him as soon as he lands with a Cross Rush or s.HP.

RISING UPPERCUT (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Heihachi’s Rising Uppercut as mentioned before can be used to go through your fireballs Although the EX version is arguably alot better at doing this than his regular versions.

All Regular Versions of the Rising Uppercut are safe on block to your normals but they are Demon Punishable on Block.

The EX Version acts like Kazuya’s EWGF on block. It is safe to your demon but Heihachi doesn’t get it for free like Kazuya so there is a limit at least.

HEAVEN’S WRATH (HCF + Any Kick)
Heihachi’s counter is a full-body counter that works against your physical attacks but not your fireballs

It also doesn’t work against jump in attacks.
For any attacks that aren’t low attacks, Heihachi gets a followup combo. You’ll just get knocked back if you try to hit him low.

The EX version just lasts longer

This is a move you’ll want to bait out as much as you can versus Heihachi as it is one of his ‘get-off me’ moves when you are pressuring him.

HELL AXLE (QCB + Any Kick)
A series of jumping kick attacks:

The Light and Medium Versions of this attack only hit once, miss on crouching opponents and are really unsafe on block but still if they are thrown out at you. Punish with s.HP or Cross Rush.

The same thing goes for both the Heavy and EX versions only these versions hit twice and they are still as unsafe as the other versions.

Generally this move is used in combos and it isn’t very effective outside of combos but still if they are thrown out at you. Take the opportunity and punish these for free.

DEMON BREATH (QCF + Any Punch)
Heihachi’s Demon Breath as mentioned before can be used to reflect your fireballs back at you but it can be also used up close to make his Double Palm Strike safe.

The Light version is completely safe to your uppercuts and your Demon
The Medium Version is Cross Rush Punishable (Start with c.MK) and Demon Punishable
The Heavy Version is the most punishable by both Cross Rush and s.HP (move a little bit forward beforehand though). Although the Medium and Heavy Versions look similar so Cross Rush is arguably the better punish.

The EX version is as punishable as the Medium Version of the move

RAIJIN STANCE (HCB + Any Punch)
A.K.A Heihachi’s charge move
This move comes out pretty fast and its one of the ways Heihachi can close the distance between you and him. Your best bet is to get him to whiff this move as its horrible on whiff but its pretty safe on block albeit only the light version which can’t be Demon Punished.

The other versions including EX however can be.

RAIJIN’S WRATH (HCB + All Punches)

Heihachi’s Super can be used to your fireballs at about midscreen range so don’t get too projectile happy with those ground fireballs around this range.

Outside of that its main use is in a combo to kill you.

On block its punishable with a Far Standing HK and from there you can either cr.HK sweep or launch if you want.

ALL IN ALL
You are the more mobile dude in this fight. Use your mobility and fireballs to your advantage and punish his mistakes hard and remember to buffer DP during his Double Palm Strike Series of strings and Demon any unsafe moves accordingly. Above all don’t get locked down, it only takes a couple good high/low mix-ups and you are dead, you can still take a risk and uppercut out of there though.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Hugo (Vanilla)

Hugo(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW
Hugo is the typical big powerhouse character of X Tekken. A character of extremes: extreme damage potential, extreme reach, extreme size and extreme health. However his big size does make it hard for him to get in on certain characters which is made worse due to the longer stages in the game and mainly unsafe high/risk high reward moves.

In V.2013, Hugo was toned down. His Monster Lariat no longer has armor on the first frame making it difficult for him to get through fireballs but at the same time, the system changes to rolls and throws removing red life can make him threatening should he knock you down.

APPROACH TACTICS

CHARGE CANCELS
One of the most common Hugo approaches is his charge cancels. Hugo players tend to cancel crouching lights into his Monster Lariat super charge move and possibly dash out of it or just let it rip. The former is punishable by a simple cross rush combo but as always it will take some practice to get used to it and the latter is explained in the ‘SPECIALS’ section.

BODY SPLASHES
Another approach is that when he is in your face. Hugo will go into ‘Splash Mode’. Fishing hard using his body splash (Down + Heavy Punch) to land and easy mode over 50% of your health combo. Anti air with Akuma’s Crouching Heavy Punch and/or teleport away if you don’t want to face the risk of blocking ambiguous cross ups.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Cr.:lk:
Has some good range and hits low, usually used to chain into his swep (Cr.MK)

Cr.:mk:
Hugo’s sweep it is usually chained into from his Cr.:lk: for a hard knockdown

St.:hp:
Hugo slams his elbow down. Its an overhead (albeit its a litle bit easy to see coming) so stand up and punish him because its unsafe on block.

Cr.:mp:
One of Hugo’s key pokes other than his Cr.:lk:. Usually used to cancel into his Giant Palm Breaker.

St.:mp:
Moves Hugo forwards along the ground. It has great reach. Useful to getting in your face and causing you trouble. Learn the reach of it so you can whiff punish him with either a Cr.:hk: sweep or Cross Rush.

UNIQUE ATTACKS

BODY PRESS (Down + HP)
Hugo’s Body Press was nerfed in V.2013. The hitbox isn’t as massive as it was anymore but it’s still a threat as he can easily 50% you if he lands a hit with it

The key thing to note about blocking this move is at which part of Hugo’s body is he attacking you with?

In general if he hits you from his upper body to his waist then it won’t cross you up whereas if he wants to hit you with his lower body, it will cross-up.

HAMMER HOOK (Forward + :hp:)
A massive long swinging punch from Hugo

Interestingly this move causes a knockdown against airborne opponents outside of that this move is rarely thrown out because it whiffs against crouching opponents and is pretty unsafe on block hence you should crouch under it and punish it whenever you can. Its really slow and easy to see coming so crouching under it shouldn’t be a problem.

Punish him with a Far Standing :hk: into Cross-Rush or solo combo if you block it high.

LEAP ATTACK (Down > Neutral > Down + :mk:)
Hugo jumps up and sticks his knee up

This move hits as an overhead and can be used on your wake-up to stop you from holding Down-Back the whole time against Hugo.

Outside of that, this move is mainly used in Hugo Mind Games to be honest. For instance charging up a special move and then hitting you with this move to gain a counter hit from which he can follow up with a damaging combo.

This move is pretty slow and its made worse by the fact that Hugo is so massive so its pretty easy to see coming.

This move is safe to your normals, :dp: and even your demon on block as it grants him some frame advantage.

SPECIALS

MONSTER LARIAT (QCF + Any Kick)
Monster lariat is cross rush punishable, Close Standing Heavy Punch punishable as well as DP punishable (the latter being good if you have a partner who can really create massive damage from uppercuts.) Still it has one hit of armor though so you will have to be careful when jumping in at him. I would suggest crossing him up with a Cross-Up Tatsumaki (when he has no meter.) so you can absorb the hit of armor from the lariat and punish him if he lets go. Generally cross rush is advised but you can do some solo combos depending on the situation (e.g. partner is low on health etc.)

The EX version is safe and is usually done to bring his partner in if he is low on health or sometimes it is done out of a super charge in both cases (provided that you are blocking) Cross Cancel (or Alpha Counter as it is well known for) out of it. This works especially well if he has low health although there is a risk that his partner may want to cross you up and if you do it too late I believe that it will miss his partner leaving you open.

GIANT PALM BREAKER (QCB + Any Punch)
His Giant Palm Breaker is usually done in blockstrings using his crouching light kick or medium punch to cancel into them. They can easily be DPed out of and or Demoned/Misogied (is misogied even a word?) if you see fit as it isn’t a true blockstring.

I don’t see alot of Hugo players use the EX Version of his claps. Either way they still aren’t a true blockstring and meter is too important in a game such as this. DP those for free and bring in your partner if you see fit to bring on the hurt if needed.

If you block any version of his Giant Palm Breaker, you will be locked down in frame advantage as Hugo gains alot of it on block. Just don’t attack and wait for the next normal into his Giant Palm Breaker so that you can DP between.

MOONSAULT PRESS (360 Motion + Any Punch)
Hugo’s 360 throw, Moonsault Press, lacks range, a couple jabs and you are out of his 360 range the EX version will ignore your physical attacks though and he will use this if you become a little bit too block-string friendly up close.

ULTRA THROW (HCB + Any Kick)
Hugo’s Ultra throw can cause some problems if he’s close to you as it can grant him a nice mini combo. The range on it isn’t great like his Moonsault Press so you can walk away or back dash it if you can see it coming.

MEAT SQUASHER (360 Motion + Any Kick)
The Meat Squasher in my opinion is what I believe to be Hugo’s last ditch effort in throwing you about the place. This move is pretty easy to see coming whether it is the light version or the heavy version. Hugo players tend to lock you down in blockstun and then use the move if they find that the clap strings don’t work at all. Jump it and enjoy your free combo (same thing for EX as well).

SHOOTDOWN BACKBREAKER (DP Motion + Any Kick)
Hugo superjumps upwards for a backbreaking throw.

This is a move you should watch out for the most against Hugo as if he times this correctly he can bypass your fireball zoning and be in your face in an instant thanks to its increased range.

This move will even catch your back dash should you try to wake-up with one.

Fortunately though this move has one big weakness. It is horridly unsafe and can be stopped by your air fireballs if you time it right.

If he does this move and he whiffs, he will more often than not be on the other side of you on his recovery. During this he is extremely vulnerable. You can take your pick of which move you can use to punish him. Be it Far Standing :hk:, st.:hp: into a full combo or Cross Rush.

The regular versions are also weak to cross-ups so if he does it as a wake-up option you’ll fly straight over him and he’ll be at fullscreen meaning he’ll have to work his way to get in on you again.

The EX version is alot faster and travels a further distance but you can still prevent it from hitting you if your fireball zoning is on point. With it active crossing up Hugo is not recommended as the hitbox on it is much better and can stop your cross-up attempts easily.

GIGAS BREAKER (QCF + All Kicks)
Unlike Third Strike, Hugo’s super can be comboed into in SF X Tekken. The super does a massive amount of damage (380 to be precise) so it is definitely something to avoid if Hugo does it raw.

Some Hugo Players sometimes will perform this move by charging up his Monster Lariat until it reaches its super level. During which Hugo will run in your face with one hit of armor and on block will perform an EX Monster Lariat which is safe on block. Jump over him when he does this and punish him hard for it.

He could also just do this move fullscreen through your zoning as a way to get in. Hence it is a good idea to watch Hugo’s meter so that you can predict this move and punish it on whiff.

ALL IN ALL
Keep your distance and let him come to you. He’s a big guy and you’re the guy with the crap health here. It only takes two solid combos for him to kill you so be patient and bait out his bunch of 360s especially Meat Squasher and well ‘frustrate’ the player by zoning him with fireballs for days.

TL : DR
Then again why explain how to beat Hugo when Renic has done it here some of the stuff I’ve mentioned does apply to Akuma here though. Granted this is for Vanilla but Hugo didn’t change too much so the strategies shown are pretty applicable now.

[/details]

[SolidRose]

Hwoarang (Vanilla Part 1)

Hwoarang(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW
Gee Tae Kwon Do has really been highlighted in fighting games more alot huh? First Kim from KOF then Hwoarang then Juri.
History aside Hwoarang is here and he is pretty much here to kick your block off. With some really tricky high/low mix-ups and some really good safe pressure. Hwoarang can be a tough guy to beat…if he is close to you that is.

APPROACH TACTICS

SPECIAL STEP
Hwoarang’s special step is similar to the Mishima’s ones. It still has some invincibility to highs and some mids but it is weak to lows. Hwoarang can alter the distance that he can travel depending on the strength of the button pressed; with light travelling the least distance and heavy the most distance.

It is therefore advisable to stay just outside the range of the heavy version a point such that if he special steps through your fireballs you have enough time to recover and block.

AIR RAID
Hwoarang’s very very long dive kick can also be use to traverse over your zoning. He’ll time it in such a way he will be able to by pass your air fireballs so that he can punish you when you land. For this reason it is a good idea to mix-up your zoning so you can bait this move out and punish him for thinking that he can read you like a book.

KICK MIX-UPS
Hwoarang’s kick mix-ups are deadly. Many a new Tekken player hath fallen to a Hwoarang endlessly kicking them to death online or even offline amongst friends. However with some correct judgement you will soon be able to get used to his flurry of kicks and start seeing the gaps in the offense which I hope to provide here.

He also has jumping as well but I think you guys know what to do here.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR
No arms used here, Hwoarang just kicks. That still does mean that his normals are still whiff punishable though.

Hwoarang doesn’t have the greatest reach (unless he is in his flamingo stance but I’ll get to that :)). But you should still watch out for his regular normals as they can be used to whiff punish you in footsies.

St.LP
Hwoarang’s st.LP unlike other st.LPs hits low. It looks like a small little step but it is still something to look out for whilst he is up close.

St. MK
Watch out for this normal as its one of Hwoarang’s longest reaching normals on the ground. It also leads into his Middle Kick Series’ of Strings.

cr.HK
One of Hwoarang’s whiff punishers in footsies. It also has some good reach too. Its cr.HK sweep punishable on block if he does it deep though.

It is a little slow on whiff though so if you can get him to whiff it, then you can whiff punish it with a cr.MK or cr.HK sweep for a knockdown or a Cross Rush.

UNIQUE ATTACKS / TEKKEN STRINGS
Man are we going to be here for some time. Could be another post to cover this character at this rate.

SPINNING TRIP KICK (Down-Back + LK)
Hwoarang spins his leg around and hits low

This move is pretty much a safe move for Hwoarang to throw out as it is safe to everything in Akuma’s arsenal. Even a Reversal Demon on block.

Hwoarang can also special cancel this on hit or block too allowing him to perform some tricks into Air Raid or Dynamite Heel. The latter being for some safe pressure.

It is a little slow however so if you can see it coming, neutral jump it if you can and punish on whiff (will take some very good reactions!)

TSUNAMI KICK (Forward + MK)
One of Hwoarang’s overhead attacks.

Hwoarang steps forward and slams his heel right down on your head for an overhead attack. Its pretty dangerous as on hit he can follow-up with it for a full combo so block it high unless you want to be taking some damage.

This move is also safe to your arsenal of attacks including your demon on block. Still it is better to block the overhead and not recieve the extra damage that you would have recieved had you not blocked the overhead in the first place.

There also is an option to neutral jump this move on reaction leaving him open for a full combo as you fall downwards. This will rely on your intuition and good reading skills though.

IRON HEEL (Forward + HK)
Another overhead kick from Hwoarang

This overhead is a little bit more dangerous than his Tsunami Kick as it causes a ground bounce on hit.

It is mainly used in roll situatioins to catch your rolls should you decide to hold down-back after exiting a roll. There is the option to teleport out of there thus avoiding the risk though.

Fortunately for you this does come with some advantages for you on block as it is DP punishable and Demon Punishable on block unlike his Tsunami Kick

It is also a little slower than his Tsunami Kick hence its easier to see coming. If you done well in blocking your Tsunami Kicks this shouldn’t be that bad to block.

FADE AWAY KICK (Back + MK)
Hwoarang’s Fade Away kick can be used to punish your normals on whiff should you get a bit too rushdown friendly with him.

This move has a slight immunity to lows on start-up making it a good counter for your sweep. He can also special cancel this as well on hit.

It is fortunately for you Reversal Demon Punishable on block so bait this out if you can. Hwoarang will most likely use this if you are low on health or you are putting too much pressure on him.

Onto his Tekken Strings

REVERSE KICK (MP > MP)
A two hit kick combo from Hwoarang

Hwoarang’s reverse kick can be blocked either standing or crouching. The last part of this string is special cancellable. From here Hwoarang can continue to put some pressure on you via his dash cancels using his Dynamite Heel.

The completed string is Reversal Demon punishable on block but Hwoarang players tend to cancel it into a Dynamite Heel to make it safe.

CHAINSAW KICK (MP > LP)
A two hit kick combo that ends in an overhead.

Hwoarang’s Chainsaw Kick combo is definitely a string to watch out for against him. For some Hwoarang Players this is their main way of opening you up so it is imperative that you block the second hit standing.

Some Hwoarang players like to mix this up with a chained cr.HK sweep creating a high/low mix-up.

The solution to this is to buffer a DP during the first and second hits as the first and second hits of the string are not true block strings.

If done correctly, If Hwoarang goes for the overhead, the DP will come out and hit him. If he goes low, the DP won’t come out and you can punish him on block with a Cr.HK sweep.

FLASHING TRIDENT (LP > MP in the air)
A 2 hit target combo in the air.

It is a simple thing to state but yes this move does hit twice so do block both of them standing. By standing and blocking both hits, you severely limit the usefulness of this move for two reasons.
[LIST]
[]Hwoarang jumps in your face to do this move so you can anti-air him
[]The second hit is there just in case you decide to hit down-back after you block the first hit.
[/LIST]
MIDDLE KICK COMBO (MK > MK > MK)
A 3 hit kick combo.

Hwoarang’s Middle Kick Combo is part of a series of strings that allow him to transition into his Flamingo Stance (or Motion Switch as the game calls it.)

The completed string is safe to your normals but is Demon punishable on block.
The First hit on block is DP punishable on block.
The Second hit on block is st.LP punishable on block but you can Demon it if you have the meter.

The above is all assuming that he does the string deep.

HIGH KICK COMBO (MK > MK > HK)
Another 3 hit kick combo that ends in a high.

Same string as his his Middle Kick Combo only the last hit is a high kick that you can’t duck. The main difference between this and his Middle Kick Combo is that the last hit is special cancellable. Hwoarang can do some pretty tricky dash cancels afterwards which on block can be DP out of if he dashes forwards. On hit you can only Demon him.

The completed string itself is unsafe to a Reversal Demon but as it is special cancellable. Hwoarang Players will cancel this into a Dynamite Heel to make it safe.

Like his Middle Kick Combo this also transitions into his Flamingo Stance

LOW KICK COMBO (MK > MK > Down + LK)
A 3 hit kick combo that ends in a low.

This string is similar to his Middle Kick Combo series’ of kicks only it ends in a low instead.
Since the other variations on this string can be blocked either standing or crouching the low thrown in here is a little thing to throw you off.

The completed string is safe to your normals but is Reversal Demon punishable on block

LOW & HIGH KICK COMBO (MK > MK > Down + LK > HK)
A 4 hit kick combo that ends in a high.

This string combines both his High Kick Combo and his Low Kick Combo strings. It is sort of a ‘best of both worlds’ for Hwoarang. A low to throw you off plus a special cancellable kick at the end (which is Demon Punishable on block if he doesn’t special cancel it.)

Like his High Kick Combo sting, Hwoarang can dash cancel out of this move and/or do a Dynamite Heel for some pressure.

If he dashes forward you can DP out of the dash on block.

This string also transitions into his Flamingo Stance.

LOW & HIGH SMASH KICK COMBO (LK > MK)
A quick two hitter that ends in a special cancellable high.

This string is similar to his Middle Kick Combo and his Low & High Kick Combo in the fact that it ends in that same special cancellable high attack.

Like his other strings that involve this kick Hwoarang can dash cancel out of it for some pressure. Punish it with a DP on block if you see him dash cancel.

This string transitions into his flamingo stance.

QUICK KICK COMBO (MP > MP During Flamingo Stance)
A multi-hitting kick combo that launches.

This string starts off with two kicks and then another kick that launches on it.

The first hits of the string (MP) are Demon Punishable on block.

The cool thing about this string is that the second hit can be crouched under so you can punish it with a cr.MK into a Cross Rush or Solo Combo if you want or you could just cr.HK sweep him.

FLAMINGO KICK COMBO (LK > MK)
A 2 hit combo that ends in Hwoarang’s special cancellable high kick.

This string is similar to his Low & High Smash Kick Combo string only it can be done from his Flamingo Stance.

He can also transition back into his Flamingo Stance after this attack.

FIRE STORM (MK > LK)
A 2 hit kick combo that ends in a very flashy jumping spinning kick.

This string isn’t used that much as it has one big problem. Yep the last hit of it can be crouched under and to top it off, he is left standing right next to you on whiff too.

Punish him with a st.HP into a Full Combo or a Cross Rush

Even if you block the high you can still punish it on block with a Demon.

MOTION SWITCH (All Kicks)
Hwoarang Sticks his leg up.

His walkspeed also slows down to a crawl whilst he is in this stance.

Hwoarang can transition into this stance from the following strings:
[LIST]
[]Middle Kick Combo (MK > MK > MK)
[]Low & High Kick Combo (MK > MK > Down + LK > HK)
[]Low & High Smash Kick Combo (LK > MK)
[]High Kick Combo (MK > MK > HK)
[/LIST]
It is important to note that Hwoarang cannot block whilst he is in this stance. But he can dash out of it and perform specials out of it as well.

During this stance Hwoarang’s standing ground normals change. Here are some notable normal changes

st.LP
Looks like a small low kick but it isn’t a low attack.

st.MP
Now a two hit kick attack. Its a starter for his Quick Kick Combo string.

st.HK
Now has ALOT more range than his regular st.HK. The only problem though is that it misses crouching opponents so you can punish him really hard depending on where you are. If up close do a st.HP into a a full combo.

If you are further away, cr.MK him into a Cross Rush or cr.HK sweep him.

If there are any more notable normals from this date please reply and I’ll update the list.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Hwoarang (Vanilla Part 2)

HwoarangPart2(Done)

[details=Spoiler]Hwoarang Continued

SPECIALS

SPECIAL STEP (DP motion + Any Punch)

As mentioned before Hwoarang’s special step is similar to the Mishima’s special steps. It will miss your highs but it will lose to your low attacks.

The main use of this move is to dash through your fireballs and punish you.

Hwoarang can stick a Sky Rocket during the part of the move where the little dust flicks up making it annoying to punish.

He can also perform special moves during the recovery of it as well.

First of all the best way to approach punishing this move is to stand just at the edge of his Heavy Version. From this point his Sky Rocket during the move will not hit you.

Its also good as he will have to recover before he can do a special move. Your DP beats practically all of his special moves up close apart from EX Sky Rocket which tends to trade a bit with your DP.

The EX Version is alot faster but fortunately it doesn’t pack as much range as his regular versions.

Overall your best bet is to bait this move out using your ability to read your opponent and punish accordingly with a DP whilst he recovers.

SKY ROCKET (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Hwoarang’s main anti-air of choice. It sends you sky high (to an extent) just like it does in Tekken.

Something to note about this move is that whilst it is a good all around anti-air. It is pretty weak versus cross-ups if he tries to do it at the last minute like your DP.

There is a chance that this anti-air tends to trade with your jump ins also.

Like Ryu this move only hits once and some Hwoarang players tend to use this move as a switch cancel to bring in their partner and also like Ryu’s it IS NOT SAFE…on block that is.

You can LP his partner whilst they are coming in or Reversal DP into yours for some damage. Unfortunately unlike Ryu, you won’t be able to catch Hwoarang unless you do a non reversal DP even then his partner will be able to block it.

WARNING: The above tactic won’t work for the Heavy Version for some odd reason. For the Heavy version you can only Reversal Demon his partner on entry.

The EX version has some more invincibility and reaches higher. It is near suicide for Hwoarang to use this as a method to tag out as you can st.HP both him and his partner for a full combo on block.

(Tested with all versions of Hwoarang’s Sky Rocket and leaving his partner to hold Down-Back on entry.)

HUNTING HAWK (QCB + Any Kick)
Gee the kicks that gave me so much trouble in Tekken until I learnt the art of side-stepping :D.

The amount of blockstun on this move is pretty big no matter what version he uses to be honest.

Depending on what version he uses, the amount of kicks that he does changes.

The LK Version is one kick that can be blocked either standing or crouching.This is Reversal DP/Demon Punishable on block.

The MK Version is two kicks that can be blocked either standing or crouching. They are also Reversal DP/Demon punishable on block.

The HK Version consists of 3 kicks. The first two kicks act like the MK Version whereas the last one is an overhead that causes a ground bounce on hit. On block this move is also Reversal DP/Demon Punishable on block.

If you block the first two hits standing but you get hit by the overhead, you can quick stand after the overhead hits. Hwoarang can’t follow up with this by himself though.

And just for reference, if you are hit by the first two hits, you can’t quick stand after the 3rd hit hits you.

The HK version is also very good in switch cancel situations. Expect him to do this if he is low on health and wants to bring in his partner or he wants to chip you to death.

If you have the meter you can Alpha Counter him out of it. If you Alpha Counter just after the 2 hits and if performed correctly, you can hit both Hwoarang and his partner on incoming.

The EX Version causes a wallbounce on hit. Expect to see this only in combos where he is juggling you to oblivion.

If he does it raw in your face though you can punish him whilst he is coming down.

The first hit of the EX version hits you whether you crouch or stand but the rest of the hits miss against crouching opponents.

If you stand still he will land on the other side waiting to be punished. Punish him with a s.HP or Cross Rush.

You’ll want to punish him the moment he lands. If you punish too early you’ll put Hwoarang in a SF4 style reset situation. If you punish too late, he will be able to block in time.

You could use the SF4 style reset to your advantage though.

AIR RAID (HCF + Any Kick)
Hwoarang jumps and makes a stupid noise (well if you have him in English but that’s my opinion) and then comes down at you with a dive kick.

This move hits as an overhead.

Whilst Hwoarang is in the air, he can change is trajectory.

The LK version doesn’t travel very far and it can be used in some Hwoarang tricks such as in block strings. They ain’t safe and they are pretty risky to be honest.

For instance you can walk under him if he tries to do this as part of a block string.

The MK version is like a mix between his LK and HK Version. It travels about the same distance as his Heavy Special Step only it will cost him more as it takes him longer to recover from the move.

Your window of punishment for the MK version is the moment he lands. After that he’ll be able to block afterwards.

The HK version travels full-screen.

One thing to mention about the HK Version move is that if he tries it from fullscreen and you stand still you can easily anti-air it with your DP if you don’t move.

The best counter to this move is to air to air him out of it I prefer to use j.HP but you can use j.HK if you want or any other air to air of your choice if you can successfully bait this move out. You’ll want to time it the moment you see his leg shoot downwards.

You can also use a neutral jump MK to score an air to air counter also into a s.HP > Heavy DP from there you can switch cancel into your partner and kill him for it.

The EX version travels alot further than the regular versions and can be used to bait out your DPs.

It also causes a hard knockdown on hit and retains its overhead properties.

If you can bait this move out punish it as I have mentioned before with an air to air normal of your choice. Remember to time it the moment you see his leg shoot downwards.

AIR RAID SPECIAL (HCF + Any Kick Whilst In The Air)
This is similar to his regular Air Raid only it can be done in the air.

As a dive-kick it is pretty slow to be honest but it does still hit like an overhead like his regular Air Raid.

Anti-air these as you please with a cr.HP or DP.

The same thing goes for the EX Version only it has a little bit more priority just anti-air them with your DP or cr.HP

DYNAMITE HEEL (HCB + Any Punch)
Hwoarang Slams his heel down on your head.

Contrary to popular belief, the regular versions of this move are NOT overheads.

They do however provide some good frame advantage on block. It is even safe to your Demon.

Some Hwoarang players tend to throw after this move has connected up close. The only best advice here is to practice teching throws here to be honest.

Thankfully though you can be assured of one thing. The longer the block string that Hwoarang puts behind this move, the further away he will be from you assuming you are mid screen meaning he’ll have to work his way in again.

As mentioned before this is Hwoarang’s charge move and he can dash cancel this move for some extra pressure. On block this is DP punishable if he dashes forwards.

The EX Version of this move is a very slow overhead attack and unlike his regular version, this move is Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

The EX Version is mainly used in block strings primarily but up close this move acts like a very tricky cross-up attack. Fortunately though you can just walk under him and punish him on whiff with a s.HP, Cross Rush, Demon. Take your pick.

HEEL EXPLOSION (HCB + All Punches)
Hwoarang’s Heel Explosion Super is basically stronger variant on his EX Dynamite Heel its obvious use is in combos to kill you.

This move hits as an overhead although like his EX Version it is pretty slow and easy to telegraph if done raw in your face.

As a wake-up attack the first hit tends to whiff against you up close making it not a very viable one too.

On block you can punish this move with a Far Standing HP into a Cross Rush or a cr.MK into a Solo Combo if you want.

ALL IN ALL
Ok so Hwoarang has a crap tonne of safe pressure up close but here is the big problem with him: HE LACKS OPTIONS FROM FULLSCREEN. Unless he is up close his options from fullscreen are limited hence it is a good idea to zone him out and take advantage of his main weakness.

Bait out his approaches as much as possible since they do get a little bit predictable over time.

Watch out for his overheads that lead to full combos such as Chainsaw Kick. Outside of some pretty slow overheads, Hwoarang’s pressure loses to down-back, some good throw teching and simply walking backwards from him.

And although he has alot of moves that transition into his Flamingo Stance, if you just walk back the usefulness of the stance becomes pretty apparent and you’ll be able to see why it isn’t used as much by Hwoarang Players.

And any openings he brings. Punish him HARD for it and he’ll be less willing to try and bust out any tricks against you.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Ibuki (Vanilla)

Ibuki(Done)

[details=Spoiler]OVERVIEW

The young spirited ninja girl makes her appearance in SF X Tekken. Surely she can get along with potentially a walking terrorist right?

Although her kunai vortex isn’t really an issue as much due to the rolling system in SF X Tekken, that doesn’t make Ibuki a less viable character to use. She has some good mix-ups on wake-up after a knockdown and she can be a pain for any fireball heavy characters due to her ability to pretty much ignore them for the most part due to her good anti-fireball game and her above average mobility options.

However Ibuki does suffer from a lack of very long reaching special cancel-able pokes. Her best one being her st.MK (although her unique attacks do make up for this weakness a bit) . She has a floaty jump arc making her easier to anti-air than the majority of the cast and her health is also pretty low at 900 making her easier to KO than other members of the cast.

APPROACH TACTICS

NECK BREAKER

Ibuki’s Neck Breaker got a lot better from SF4 into this game as now, all of the regular versions of the move now go through fireballs. You’ll want to learn the range on these moves so that you can predict them in your zoning (if you actually plan on trying to keep her out that is.)

HIEN

Ibuki’s Hien is a good way for her to apply some pressure towards you. You’ll want to anti-air this move so that you won’t have to worry about the extra follow-ups afterwards.

NORMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR

St.MK

Ibuki’s St.MK is her best, longest reaching special cancellable poke on the ground. Whilst it doesn’t pack a tonne of reach it can be use to whiff punish you in footsies should you get too whiff happy.

Like any poke, you’ll want to learn its range so that you can whiff punish it with your st.MK , cr.HK sweep or your Far St.HK.

J.HK

Just something to note but this normal will cause a ground-bounce on aerial opponents. This normal was already a decent air to air against Akuma in SF4 and now it has been made better than what it was in SF4.

If you ever go air to air with Ibuki (if so you probably like to play ‘The Best Defense is The Best Offense’ gameplan) then you will want to space yourself so that Ibuki will whiff this air to air so that you can counter with your own one.

Close St.HK

This normal is a jump cancellable normal from Ibuki, just for reference it looks like a 2 hit upwards kick.

She can only jump cancel this move on

A. The second hit
B. On hit and on block.

The jump cancel on block isn’t extremely useful due to Ibuki’s floaty jump arc for offensive purposes. She also can’t cross you up if you stand stil assuming she jumps forwards

Defensively, she can do any of her aerial attacks afterwards. The most notable one that you will come across is her kunai. Ibuki Players sometimes throw jump back kunais after a blocked Close St.HK to stop you from approaching her on block.

It isn’t safe to you though. You can Demon Flip over the Kunai and punish her on the way down with the throw or the palm follow-up

UNIQUE ATTACKS

AGEMEN (Back + MP)
Ibuki lifts her hand up for a palm strike type move.

This is Ibuki’s main anti-air move of choice against you, it tends to beat jump ins clean without trading and it has a good hitbox.

As an anti-air it is weak to up close jump ins and cross-ups like ones from your Cross up Tatsu.

BACKHAND PUNCH (HP > Forward + HP Whilst Far From Opponent)
Ibuki streches her arm outwards for an elbow and then extends it into a backfist attack.

This move is a good way for Ibuki to throw you off of the range of her st.HP. Whilst her st.HP doesn’t have a lot of range on it, this little attack boosts its range knocking you down in the process if it hits you.

You can quickstand out of the knockdown though.

Unfortunately you can’t Reversal Demon this move on block. So your best bet is to get her to whiff it so that you can punish it with a Far st.HK into a Cross Rush or a Cr.HK Sweep.

SPIN KICK (Forward + LK)
Ibuki does a low kick attack.

Despite looking like a low attack, you can block this move either standing or crouching.

This move has some decent reach to it and on top of this it is special cancellable. Making it a solid poke against you.

If this move does hit you at its maximum range, she doesn’t get a massive juggle off of it. The best that she can do is to cancel into a LK Tsumuji (QCB + Any Punch) and that version doesn’t even knock you down.

If this move is done deep, you can Reversal Demon it on block. I wouldn’t count on it though as most Ibuki Players tend to try to use this as a poke at its maximum range to make it safe against your Reversal Demon.

Like her Backfist Punch (HP > Forward + HP Whilst Far From Opponent) you’ll want to get her to whiff this move so that you can whiff punish it with a st.MK, cr.MK or a cr.HK sweep. For either a knockdown or a Cross Rush.

REVERSE SPIN KICK (Back + MK)
Ibuki turns and goes a body level spinning kick attack.

Another good poke for Ibuki. Only she can’t special cancel this one.

This poke is unsafe to your Reversal Demon if she does this move deep on block (about up to where her knee is) any further than that point and it is safe.

This move leads into Ibuki’s Target Combo 7. So it is good to recognise this move just in case she goes into it.

HAMMER KICK (Forward + MK)
Ibuki jumps upwards and then brings her leg down over your head.

This move hits as an overhead and it’s quite a slow one to be honest in comparison to all of the other overhead moves in the game.

You can Reversal DP this move on block into your partner for some good damage depending on who you are paired up with.

SAZAN (Down-Forward + MK)
Ibuki slides along the floor

Something to note about her slide is that she can only folllow-up with it unless she hits with it at its maximum range.

It can also go under fireballs if timed right. Hence it is a good idea to learn the range on this move so that you can predict it in your zoning.

Like most slide type moves in the game, the safety of this move depends on how deep or shallow Ibuki does the slide.

If the slide is done deep, you can Reversal DP the move on block.

The slide becomes safe if Ibuki hits with the tip of her foot when she does this move.

BONSHO KICK (Forward + HK)
Ibuki jumps with both of her legs and does a double kick attack.

Another safe poking tool from Ibuki.

It will come as no surprise to most people because as Ibuki jumps during this move, this move goes over low attacks.

The move does not pack a lot of range but it still can be annoying in corner situations.

As this move is safe to your stuff including your demon, your best bet is to react to it by doing a st.MK to hit her out of it or any other poke that isn’t a low.

If you are feeling risky and you have some good reactions, then you can uppercut her out of the move into your partner for a good combo.

THE TARGET COMBOS

Ibuki’s Target Combos are her main way for starting offense against you or just mixing you up when it comes to aerial movement.

Some things to note about her Target Combos:
[LIST]
[]She can’t do Target Combos 1, 2 and 3 unless she jumps in the air
[]She can’t do Target Combos 4, 6 and 7 unless she is near you.
[*]She can do Target Combos 7 and 9 anywhere.
[/LIST]
TARGET COMBO 1 (HP > Forward + MK) Whilst Jumping
Ibuki jumps with her J.HP and then does a kick afterwards

This target combo is best for starting damaging jump in combos with Ibuki.

Outside of that if you can anti-air this move properly with either your cr.HP or your DP, you won’t have to worry about the damaging juggle that she will inflict next.

TARGET COMBO 2 (LK > Forward + HP) During an Angled Jump
Ibuki jumps forwards with her J.LK and then does a punch afterwards

The ‘Angled Jump’ part just means that she can only do this Target Combo whilst jumping either forwards or backwards.

This target combo is good for crossing you up.

Something to note about this Target Combo is that she cannot finish the Target Combo unless the first part connects be it on hit or block. Limiting its usefulness against you.

Like her Target Combo 1 You’ll want to anti-air this move at all cost to stop her mixing you up afterwards.

TARGET COMBO 3 (LK > Forward + MK) During an Angled Jump
Ibuki jumps forwards with her J.LK and then does a kick afterwards.

This target combo is similar to Ibuki’s Target Combo 2 only if it hits, she will get a slightly less damaging combo in return.

Apart from that, just anti-air this move accordingly with your cr.HP or you DP and you should be fine.

TARGET COMBO 4 (LP > Forward + MP > Forward + HP) Whilst Near Opponent
Ibuki does a very quick 3 hit punch combo.

This target combo is good for hit confirming and mixing you up.

The second and last hits of this target combo are special cancellable.

Ibuki players tend to either go into a Kasumi Gake (QCF + Any Kick) or a Tsumuji (QCB + Any Kick) for either mix-up potential or safety.

TARGET COMBO 5 (LP > Forward + MP > Forward + LK) Whilst Far From Opponent
Ibuki does a quick 3 hit string that ends in a low kick.

This target combo is more used as a safe string against you (to some extent.)

You can block this whole target combo standing or crouching.

You can only Reversal Demon the 2nd hit of this Target Combo. Don’t bother punishing with normals as this target combo is safe to them.

TARGET COMBO 6 (LP > Forward + MP > Down-Forward + HK > Forward + HK) Whilst Near Opponent
Ibuki does a one two punch and then does a sweep into a spinning kick that juggles.

This target combo is Ibuki’s main target combo for juggles.

The 1st hit is safe to your Reversal Demon

The 2nd hit is unsafe to your Reversal Demon

The 3rd hit is a sweep that puts you in a untechable knockdown state. This is cr.HK sweep punishable on block if she doesn’t finish the string

The 4th hit is a spinning kick that is the most unsafe part of the Target Combo. You can punish this on block with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

The 4th hit is jump cancellable though and Ibuki players will go for this option to make the move safe. But due to Ibuki’s floaty jump arc, it’s pretty easy to just walk back and cr.HP her out of her next move assuming you block the Target Combo to begin with.

TARGET COMBO 7 (Back + MK > Forward + MK)
Ibuki does a spin kick and then jumps slamming her foot on top your head afterwards.

This target combo is basically her Reverse Spin Kick (Back + MK) and her Hammer Kick (Forward + MK) combined into one Target Combo.

The overhead portion of this Target Combo is slightly safer on block than her raw overhead. It is only Reversal Demon Punishable on block.

Hence you will want to interrupt this Target combo with a DP in between the string.

Be careful with this option though as if she starts the target combo deep then your DP will whiff if it is not a Reversal DP.

You can also interrupt it with a cr.HP if you can see this move coming for a counter hit. From here you can get a free super charge assuming that she doesn’t quickstand.

TARGET COMBO 8 (HP > Down-Forward HK > Forward + HK) Whilst Near Opponent
Ibuki does a punch and then does a low sweep into a spinning kick.

This target combo is similar to Ibuki’s Target Combo 7 but without the hit confirm at the beginning.

The first hit is Reversal Demon Punishable on block

Treat the other hits like the 3rd and 4th hits of Ibuki’s Target Combo 7.

Like her Target Combo 6 the last hit in this string is jump cancellable on hit or block. But due to Ibuki’s floaty jump arc, it’s pretty easy to just walk back and cr.HP her out of her next move assuming you block the Target Combo to begin with.

TARGET COMBO 9 (LK > Forward + MK > Forward + HK)
Ibuki does a 3 hit kick combo that ends in a spinning kick.

This target combo is similar to her Target Combos 7 and 8 only this one can be done anywhere.

The First hit of this target combo is safe to your Reversal Demon

The Second hit of this target combo is Reversal Demon punishable on block

The Third hit can be punished with your st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

The last hit is also jump cancellable on hit or block. But due to Ibuki’s floaty jump arc, it’s pretty easy to just walk back and cr.HP her out of her next move assuming you block the Target Combo to begin with.[/details]

[SolidRose]

Ibuki (Vanilla Part 2)

Ibuki Part 2

[details=Spoiler]SPECIALS

KUNAI (QCF + Any Punch Whilst Airborne)
Ibuki jumps upwards and throws a kunai at you.

A typical new players’ reaction after seeing this move would be to say that this move is similar to Akuma’s air fireballs (that is if they have seen Akuma’s gameplay already) but this is far from that case.

The kunais do not have the same durability as fireballs. You can shoot a fireball through Ibuki’s kunai and it will pass through her kunai and hit her.

If you have the meter you can EX Demon Flip over her kunai’s and hit her for a ground-bounce into a combo of your choice.

If you want some style points, you can also Misogi this move on reaction. You’ll want to Misogi around the moment when she is coming down from the move.

The EX Version throws two kunais that travel full-screen. With meter being pretty important, this move isn’t thrown out as much by Ibuki players but that doesn’t mean that you should not keep an eye out for it.

You can still EX Demon Flip over it for a full combo of your choice.

TSUIJGOE (DP Motion + Any Punch)
Ibuki flips in the air.

This move may look really flashy but it isn’t as useful as it was in SF4. In fact it it is more useless than it was in SF4 due to the removal of Ibuki’s Super Combo Tasumi Suzaku (QCF x 2 + Any Punch Whilst Airborne)

Try not to DP this move as you won’t be able to hit Ibuki whilst she is twirling in the air. You will be able to punish her on the way down from it though with a st.HP/cr.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on whiff.

At the peak of her jump, Ibuki can throw a Kunai. Just avoid the kunai and punish her in the same way that you would punish her kunai.

You could also just avoid the kunai and then punish her on the way down from the move.

This move doesn’t have an EX Version.

NECK BREAKER (HCF + Any Punch)
Ibuki slides along the floor for a grab. If it connects Ibuki will jump around and break her opponents’ neck.

So what if they can get up afterwards. Hey this is Street Fighter.

This move got a lot better from SF4 in the fact that the regular versions go through fireballs this time around.

This can make zoning Ibuki a pain if you get the life lead.

The regular versions of this move do not travel full-screen so if you can stay at full-screen’s distance and zone, then she won’t be able to reach you with her regular versions.

The HP Version just for reference, travels about 3/4 of the screen.

Should you be at full-screen, you’ll only have to worry about the EX Version which travels full-screen.

Interestingly if she tries to option select you on your wake-up with the EX Version, the EX Version won’t catch your Punch Teleport.*

*= Tested with a Meaty J.HP Option Select into EX Neck Breaker

All Versions of Ibuki’s Neck Breaker are unsafe to your st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush.

KASUMI GAKE (QCF + Any Kick)
Ibuki uses her quick speed to move quickly in different directions.

Different Versions take Ibuki in different directions.

Both the LK and MK Versions leave Ibuki in front of you. With the MK Version having a greater recovery than the LK Version.

The HK Version puts her behind you. This version is good for roll situations after a hard knockdown as a well timed HK Version will make you roll in front of her allowing her to pressure you further.

Ibuki Players tend to stick this move in the following Target Combos
[LIST]
[]2nd and last hits of Target Combo 4
[]2nd hit of Target Combo 6
[*]2nd hit of Target Combo 9
[/LIST]
In Target Combo 4, a cancel into LK and MK Kasumi Gake on the 2nd Hit is unsafe on block to a Reversal DP. You can punish the HK version on its recovery with a Cross Rush or a Far St.HK. Likewise if she cancels on the 4th Hit you can only Reversal Demon her on block.

In Target Combo 6, a cancel into LK and MK Kasumi Gake is unsafe to a Reversal DP on block.

In Target Combo 9, a cancel into LK and MK Kasumi Gake is also unsafe to a Reversal DP on block.

KAZAKIRI (DP Motion + Any Kick)
A.K.A Ibuki’s DP

Ibuki’s Kazakiri is an alright anti-air against you. The regular versions tend to trade really badly against you regular jump ins especially if you jump with a J.HK.

This is weak to cross-ups and up close jump-ins.

The EX Version leaves you standing and it allows Ibuki to combo afterwards. Expect to see this whilst she is juggling you to death.

This move is pretty good in switch cancel situations as it multiple times.

Whilst you won’t be able to DP her partner on entry, you can Reversal Demon either her or her partner depending on what her partner does.

If her partner tries to cross you up, you will catch Ibuki in the demon, likewise, if the partner just blocks, you’ll catch the partner instead.

On block Ibuki can make this move a little bit safer with a kunai but only on the EX Version. The regular versions can be punished with a st.HP into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block assuming she doesn’t switch out into her partner.

TSUMUJI (QCB + Any Kick)
Ibuki’s rapid kicks of doom!

This move is mainly used as a combo ender for Ibuki to knock you down.

Ibuki can stick a low in the MK, HK and EX Versions of this move. So it is best block this move low as the other hits aren’t overheads.

The LK Version doesn’t knock you down.

The MK Version can be mixed up with a low attack that does knockdown

The HK Version does the most hits and Ibuki can knock you down if she chooses.

The EX Version can knock you away, it is mainly used in combo situations and not much else to be honest.

If Ibuki tries to go low, it is NOT a true blockstring, you can DP in between the hits.

All Versions of this move on block are unsafe to your Reversal Demon on block.

HIEN (Reverse DP Motion + Any Kick)
Ibuki jumps upwards and then jumps on your head.

This move hits as an overhead. Although it is pretty telegraphed as Ibuki makes a noise before performing this move.

It is a good anti-fireball tool though against you as it just hops over your fireballs as they weren’t there in the first place.

Different versions take Ibuki different distances. Learn the range of the HK one especially so that you can predict it in your zoning.

Off of all of the regular versions, Ibuki can stick a kunai at the end of this move. Punish it in the same way that you would punish Ibuki’s kunai by demon flipping over the regular versions. Watch her meter though as the EX Version will beat your Demon Flips clean, still if you can get her to waste her meter that is always a plus.

I personally am I big fan of this move because if you anti-air this move with your MP DP, the move will trade in your favor as you will be able to walk up and do a st.HP into an HP DP into your partner. This even works with the EX Version if you can time it right.

So baiting this move out is key should you decide to zone against Ibuki. Ibuki Players tend to not throw this move out as much but if it is thrown out then take the trade into the full combo (unless you can’t take like 25 damage which is about 2 blocked fireballs I think.)

Just for reference, the EX Version causes a hard knockdown.

RAIDA (HCB + Any Punch)
Ibuki steps forwards and goes for a throw.

Although this move look like a command throw, it is not.

The regular versions can be blocked and punished with a Far St.HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

The EX Version is an unblockable command grab. Ibuki players tend to use this in their block strings so avoid it by neutral jumping out of the way and then come down with a neutral jump normal of your choice.

This is also Ibuki’s charge move and Ibuki can do some charge cancels with this. This are unsafe to your DP if she dashes forwards on block.

YOROITOSHI (HCB + All Punches)

This super like other supers in SF X Tekken is only useful for killing you when you are low on life.

Ibuki’s Super is a little weird to tackle at first.

If you block the first part of the super, then there is another part of the super where Ibuki sticks her hand out for another projectile. You’ll want to interrupt this with your normals. Most notably your st.HP before she does the follow-up.

The completed super is unsafe to your Far Standing HK into a Solo Combo or a Cross Rush on block.

You can also do a Misogi as well for some style points and in my case some lovely hate from the endless lobby.

ALL IN ALL

This match-up can go either way to be honest.

Ibuki can really give you trouble should to try to zone her out especially if she has meter as she can just ignore your fireballs like they are nothing.

On the other hand it can be a pain for her to try and zone you out especially if you have meter as you can just ignore her kunais like they are nothing in the same way with your EX Demon Flip.

Footsies are welcomed here as Ibuki’s footsies whilst alright aren’t as strong as yours in this case against you. So try to play that spacing game with her.

The Demon is also your friend here as most of Ibuki’s close range game is shut down once you have 2 bars just remember to Reversal Demon the correct moves.

Block and punish her target combos accordingly.

Also watch her meter as well, and try to get her to waste it if you can. Like after her Hiens (Reverse DP Motion + Any Kick) she can throw an EX Kunai to beat your demon flip: sure it does damage but compared to the other damaging stuff that you can do with 1 bar of meter, it really isn’t worth it. This tactic works especially if she is partnered up with a partner who heavily relies on meter to do their damage.

Overall in this match-up you’ll want to play a liitle bit more offensively than you would usually do. Unless you play a very heavy offensive game in the first place then by all means, go for it as her anti-airs are weak to your cross-up tatsu and her anti-air normals are weak to your EX Air fireballs.[/details]