Ranking the Super Arts

I thought this would be a good thread for Noobies to 3S. As we all know, in 3S you choose your Super Art outta 3 of them. Choosing the right one means everything and choosing the wrong one could cost u. A good super art usually comes with good priority, set-up’s, verifiable ways to combo into and land it. A good amount of bar, more than 1 stock. Giving you enough bar to work with EX Moves & the Super Art. Also put what Super Arts to use on what characters. I’ll post some later…this would just be a good noobie guide I thought.

Yun- ranked in order- SA3, SA3, SA3. :smiley: Wait, if this is for noobs, I’d say to work your way through the SA’s, going SA1, SA2, and then SA3.

Reasons being-

SA1-
Pros: combos off just about everything; good damage
Cons: has a huge bar; and only 1 stock
Teaches: General Yun usage. You need to know how to connect enough stuff in order to build a bar this big.

SA2-
Pros: Invincibility frames; decent damage; 3 stocks- so good for EX’s, as well as having a super on hand.
Cons: I’m not sure. I never really used this super. :stuck_out_tongue:
Teaches: Player starts using the chain more frequently, since it’s the B&B for connecting this combo, and thus, lays framework for SA3. And… some other stuffs here & there. Like I said, I skipped this super.

SA3-
Pros: Most versatile super- Short bar; fucking insane damage potential; allows player to pressure opponent, even if opponent is blocking; enders allow for more bar post-super, so it’s almost always stocked & ready to go
Cons: Execution is crucial; requires knowlege of SA3 juggles & other combos; not beginner-friendly

Am I forgetting anything?

Some of the SAs are quite useless on characters or they are okay, but offer nothing better that another super couldn’t. Well since I’m bored… I’m just going to spam crap that most people will skip.
(* = Best imo, + = Usable, - = don’t even bother)

Alex
*SA1 outshines the rest, why? Damage, Stun and EX Meter and easy to connect.
+SA2 is not bad, but you can’t combo into it (well you could flash chop into it but the chop has to be mp or higher and… well how many times do you see Alex mp chop someone successfully other then when they are stunned?).
+SA3 gets basically gets the same treatment as SA2 and also throwing it out randomly won’t save you anything other then a quick way to death. A super that gets jabbed out of. Though I love this SA, I believe Alex shines best with SA1.

Akuma : 1 SA Wonder. Just because his other 2 SAs will kill you.
*SA1 His best SA. Simply put, it’s his safest super incase of anything.
-SA2 Miss and die.
-SA3 Miss and die.

Chun Li : 1 SA Wonder.
+SA1 Not a bad SA, but Chun Li really has only SA2 to look to. Nothing much to say here. SA2 does the same thing, except SA2 does more damage and gives you more options in terms of EX Meter.
*SA2 Her best SA. 2 Stocks, high damage, juggle properties afterwards and allows you to setup/build meter efficiently afterwards. Lots of EX Meter here as well. No point of using any other SA then this unless you’re messing around and you don’t care about winning or losing.
-SA3 Her worst SA? If you don’t hit them from the beginning, you’re basically eating a fat combo after it. Easy to parry and retaliate if blocked and no range.

Dudley : SAs have their uses, but better to forget SA2. SA1/3 are gold.
+SA1 Combo-ability, Ex Meter, Damage. All the goods, minus the fact that like all multi hit supers with pauses, if you miss you will die. Relatively safe though still, since you should only be using this after you hit confirmed an overhead or during your juggle anyways.
-SA2 I don’t like this super much, I find it risky to use and not really many pros to it at all. The question just comes down to, why use this when you could open yourself to more options with SA1 or SA3. 1 Stock and plenty of pain if you don’t hit them and keep mashing once you do since the damage is crap if you don’t.
*SA3 Dudley’s safest SA, good damage for the amount of meter you need for it, 3 Stocks and punishes EVERYTHING. Debate-able, but I would say this is Dudley’s best SA.

Elena : I guess it’s best to just use SA2. Don’t bother with SA3.
+SA1 Pretty good SA, good damage and easy to connect. 3 Stocks, not bad. Don’t see why more people don’t use this SA.
*SA2 I guess you could call this Elena’s trump card SA. Hit confirm into it = massive damage. 2 Stocks with medium bars… Her best? Probably. I think because she gets more EX Meter with this SA compared to SA1.
-SA3 I don’t find any point of this SA. The concept of healing one’s health isn’t bad, but I think SA1/SA2 would save you more battles then this SA would. Not recommended.

Hugo : All SAs usable.
*SA1 I would say this is his most threatening and the best SA. High damage and if you can pull a standing 720, I would say you have a nice weapon on hand already. As soon as you get 1 meter, a mistake could cost a hefty sum of life for the opponent.
+SA2 You can combo this off of a wall throw or against a parry happy jump ins. Not bad, but I think this would be ranked as his worst SA, which isn’t saying much since it’s still pretty good.
+SA3 I like this SA the most seeing as I can’t walk up to someone and tachi giga their ass. His 2nd best SA I would say (but what do I know, I’m not a Hugo player). Good damage, fast and can punish a lot of things.

Ibuki : Best to just learn SA1 only, don’t really need the others.
*SA1 Her best SA, safe if used properly, good mix-up, EX Meter, 3 Stocks. I… don’t see any cons, do you?
+SA2 Okay super, good damage on the grab, but difficult to get since it can be punished before you grab them. 1 Stock and long bar, if blocked, opponent can still retaliate, nothing life threatening (fireball or so), but not exactly safe either.
-SA3 I like this SA, but it only has 1 Stock which is relatively short, but the damage isn’t great and it’s easy to spot so you can just throw it out. Meaning you must combo into it… Useless SA really then…

Ken : 1 SA Wonder.
-SA1 Good damage, miss and die. Can connect in all the ways SA3 can, but pointless as SA3 has less recovery time incase your opponent is slow or whatever it may be. No point in using this SA when theres SA3.
-SA2 Good damage, again, miss and die. Connecting it is an issue as theres not much range, but not much point in using this SA either anyways.
*SA3 Best and only SA used for obvious reasons. 3 short Stocks, lots of EX meter to use, has most ways to connect.

Makoto : Good SAs, forget SA3.
+SA1 Good SA, but I have a hard time using this after using SA2 for so long. Can link after mp or higher hayate or c.lk. Massive damage, but long bar. Too bad it only has 1 Stock.
*SA2 In my opinion, her best SA. Lots of EX Meter, good damage, great combo-ability and oh so many ways to connect it. Her SA of death for basically the whole cast with the exceptions of a few characters.
-SA3 I say you should just not use this SA at all. Unless you are THAT confident in your skills at pressuring/parrying, this SA when activated can mean death for you. SA1/2 are better choices and make this SA worthless because of the fact that if it’s on, you cannot block. Not until it’s over which takes awhile.

Necro : All SAs usable.
+SA1 Good SA, 1 Stock, relatively short bar, good anti air and easy to connect. Good to punish with as well as it can pull in the enemy.
+SA2 Great mix-up SA, can use in mindgame in the corner where opponent has to super jump to avoid it and you can anti air them as soon as you miss the grab. Short down time, lots of fun here. Good damage if the grab connects as well.
*SA3 His best SA imo, great stun for the amount of damage and the bars are really short as well. 2 Stocks, good stuff.

Oro : All SAs usable.
+SA1 My favourite SA before I learned how to use SA3. This SA makes me feel the safest of all SAs, but that was when I was a wimp and was afraid to mess up parrying and got trapped up in the corner. EX Grab is great, Normal grab is great too. I’ve connected both, damage is good though probably would be ranked Oro’s worst SA. 1 Long Stock.
+SA2 Unblockables galore. Good SA, but too many things to remember about each character. Different setups for different characters, but great if you can utilize this SA to it’s fullest potential. I believe this is 3 Stocks, not sure.
*SA3 Best SA because of the combo-ability, damage and stun that you can cause with this SA. Great pressure game with 3 Stones as well as chipping damage, great damage with 5 stones as well as stun. Can’t go wrong with this SA.

Q : Forget SA3 and do as you see fit.
*SA1 Best SA probably. Punishes many things with delays at the end. Good damage and lots of EX Meter. Bars aren’t too long and 2 Stocks to boot.
+SA2 1 long Stock. Good damage, but range isn’t that great. I believe Q is better off with SA1 so there isn’t really any point of this SA though you could use it if you wanted to.
-SA3 Worthless SA, don’t even bother. Hard to connect and the damage isn’t worth it at all.

Remy : All usable, but more advisable to not use SA3 at all. Too Risky.
*SA1 I feel that this is Remy’s best SA just because it has a lot of meter and you can connect both of them as well no matter where the enemy is. Easy to connect, 2 stocks.
+SA2 Basically all the same as SA1, but you can punish jump-ins with it as well. I guess it could be debate-able and I would believe some people would think SA2 is better then SA1 for that fact so right now I don’t know. I will leave my opinion as is and if someone has a problem… well too bad. My opinion ;p.
?SA3 I don’t know any Nocturne users with Remy. I don’t think the damage is worth it to use this SA and it screws up against some jump-ins if it connects. I don’t know what my advice is for this SA, rather if you are learning Remy, to not bother even touching this SA.

Ryu : All SAs usable.
+SA1 Good SA, relatively safe. 2 medium bar Stocks and easy to connect. Not a bad choice.
*SA2 I hate this SA with a passion, seeing as it’s Ryu’s best SA and most people use it when they get “serious” anyways. This SA is 1 long stock that basically takes off all your opponent’s life if you hit them with it. If you know how to punish someone with a dragon punch you can annoy them to death with this SA.
+SA3 Learn how to release this SA properly on wake up. You want this SA to be released from your hands before your opponent gets up. Short bar, crazy stun even if not fully charged. Don’t combo into this SA or you’ll somebody will die laughing. Most likely you.

Sean : Why are you using him anyways?.. but whatever…
+SA1 I say this is the best SA to use for quick damage, you’re not going to throw any of Sean’s SAs out randomly anyways, so this is a good 3 short bar Stock SA to use to end any combo you can hit with Sean. Good damage for the size of the bar and gets your opponent off of you. Don’t try punishing crap with it, strictly for use at the END of a combo.
*SA2 Good damage, lots of EX Meter to … throw out EX Moves that will kill you… I don’t know really. You get EX Meter for moves that aren’t safe one way or another… is that really a good thing? Well if theres something I don’t know and Sean has use for EX Meter, then SA2 is his best SA to use.
-SA3 No point using this SA, it’s about the same size bar as SA2 except you only get 1 stock, might as well use SA2 or use SA1 which I think is even better.

Twelve : All good SAs, though I think it’s better to stay away from SA3.
*SA1 Easy to connect, 2 Stocks, good damage, lots of EX Meter and useful to punish. I would have to say, hands down his best SA.
+SA2 2nd best SA for Twelve, can punish fireballs or catch an opponent off guard, though SA1 is a lot safer.
-SA3 Unless you are planning to mock your opponent, then this SA has a purpose, otherwise this 1 long bar should never have a reason to be full.

Urien : All SAs usable, though Urien is only at his full potential with SA3.
+SA1 Good damage, punishing SA. Bars are average and I believe you get 2 Stocks. Other then a super to punish mistakes, you’re better off with SA3.
+SA2 Does really good stun and can be combo’d off of a tackle. Easy to use, good damage and meter, but again, better off with SA3.
*SA3 I don’t think anybody will argue with me when I say SA3 is Urien’s best SA. Unblockable setups, chipping, mind games, zone control. If you can charge partition and buffer like a beast, this SA will make your opponents scream bloody murder. 3 short Stocks. Urien’s game really opens up with SA3.

Yang : Yay almost done… the more EX the better?
-SA1 Probably Yang’s best looking SA, but also the worst. I don’t suggest using this SA at all. 1 long Stock, okay damage, but that’s about it. Yang has better supers to use then this.
*SA2 I believe Yang’s game doesn’t center around his supers like some other characters. His EXs are what make up his game. SA2 allows him punish careless fireballs as well as supply him with a godly amount of EX Meter to play with. can be combo’d into and does decent damage.
+SA3 Crippled version of Yun’s Genei-Jin, served to be used as a pressure tool, unblockables don’t do much damage. Hard to do long juggles Yun style, but not impossible. An SA that needs dedication put into learning it to pay off.

Yun : The last 1 SA Wonder. Funny… the top 3 best characters in the game only need 1 SA…
-SA1 Good damage for 1 long bar and can do more damage if you tack on a shoulder > rush punch afterwards. No point in using this though, a good learning tool though to learn how to connect Yun’s SAs after his chains, but not something you would use in a battle.
-SA2 2 Stocks, decent damage, pointless EX Meter since yun doesn’t really need EX Meter to be dangerous. You don’t need this SA, simply put. Next!
*SA3 The only SA a good Yun player would use. 1 short Stock does so much. You don’t need EX Meter and everytime you have SA3 activated, you put your opponent’s back against the wall no matter where they are. It’s combo-mania with this SA. His best best best best best SA. Basically this SA breaks the game wide open with the fact that it does a lot of damage for the size of the bar and is quite easy to use. If you use Yun, learn to use this SA and this SA alone. That’s all you really need.

I don’t think I’m missing anything or anyone… anyways, that was a lot of time well wasted. Enjoy reading if you were/are/am as bored as I was/am.

You underestimate the power of Hyper Tornado. It’s a great super, really.
It’s damn faster than Ken SAIII. (no bs, check the gamest mook - 1 frame startup!)
It can punish a blocked shoto low forward, no reversal needed. It can punish a blocked Ken standing roundhouse from max range. Has great hit confirms.
its only downside is being a 1-stock.
Not that Sean needs EX meter.
It can intimidate the opponent. Seriusly. If they see that you can hit confirm almost everything into SAIII, and punish almost everything, they’ll get scared (lol, Sean scaring someone… it can happen), and you can maximize that by damaging them in other ways and still keep the meter. Expecially good against low stamina characters.

I don’t think Ryu has a ‘best’ SA overall, they are all good for different matchups and playstyles.

Ken SA1 has 1 one faster frame startup, but I’m guessing it has less range, and a chance for the second wave to miss right? Does SA2 have any vaccuum effect at all?

As for Dudley SA2, I saw it used in the Kyushuu tourney, anyone know why???

Makoto SA3 I think is like the SA the God of Makoto would use heheheh

Xiii : I am gonna challenge u with my Alex using SA2 :karate:

Agreed

S.A. 1 X.N.D.L. (:qcf::qcf: + P) gives Twelve the most combo potential from standing close :mk:, :l: + :mk:, crouching :lk: x 2, crouching :lk:, :qcb: + :lp:, Super Cancel. UOH, crouching LK, It serves as a decent anti-air. Gives u enough bar to work with, goes through fireball and counters the recovery time of a projectile thrower. Has upper body invincibility. Not the best recovery, dont do it from far away, easily seen and does little damage. One parry can kill it! This can also OTG combo Hugo if he doesnt quick recover.

**S.A. 2 X.F.L.A.T. (In air, :qcf::qcf: + K) ** large bar but smaller compared to X.C.O.P.Y. however hard to hit with, if parried or blocked, then your completley left un-safe and open for punishment. U wanna hit with it, it could whiff and do only 10 hits. Punish projectile throwers and whiffed moves with this. Not enough bar for EX usage. Standing close MK, Super Jump Cancel, X.F.L.A.T. is hiso nly safe & comboable set-up. It will OTG combo Hugo, unless he quick recovers.

S.A. 3 X.C.O.P.Y. ( :qcf::qcf: + P) very useless & unsafe Super Art. Nothing more but a gimmick. During the morph periods, Twelve is left completely unsafe. This serves as an opening for big damage against Twelve. This moves works somewhat decent since it will give Twelve more of an offensive game since that’s what Twelve lacks. There aren’t any good and safe set-up’s to this Super Art. All u can do is stun them (good luck with that) then XCOPY or anti-air corner A.X.E., super cancel, X.C.O.P.Y. This super carries a huge bar that will take one whole round to build.

Problems /w SA1- It does more damage than SA3, but gets raped by the damage buffer. So if you throw out the mp->hp->(fireball)->SA1, the damage gets scaled like mad. And if it’s blocked, it’s easy as hell to punish.

Problems /w SA2- No horizontal range. Last time I was messing around with it, the mp->fp chain didn’t combo because it pushed the other character too far away. And only 1 stock makes it bad, since Ken is really limited if he doesn’t have EX’es to throw out to mix up the opponent.

SA2 is actually her WORST super, since it’s hard as fuck to get the grab in. I only know of 1 combo that connects into it and gets decent damage. (I THINK it was in one of the SlimX vids) But still. Only 1 long bar makes for very little EX’es, so I wouldn’t bother with this at all.

SA3 is probably the most underrated super. It allows for resets when the opponent lands from an air chain and some other fun stuff. I forget combo for this are. Someone else want to finish this? :smiley:

You’re going to try and make me fear the dashing SA2 aren’t you? :stuck_out_tongue:

Reason why I said SA3 is her worst is because I analyzed it in this fashion:

Aftermath from Block
SA2 - Relatively Safe except from EX-Fireballs, Dudley’s EX MGB, Urien’s (EX) Tackle and some other moves as such, with only Dudley having a real advantage after it being blocked (I believe… not too sure, maybe Ryu’s EX Side Kick can reach too)
SA3 - Gets punished by a combo if you miss or it gets blocked. Screwed timing does happen.
Overall: SA2 is safer.

Damage Wise
SA2 - Does more damage, blocked/hit/grab all does more damage.
SA3 - Outranks SA2 in that it’s damage is higher then SA2’s blocked damage, but that’s not saying much. A really weak 1 stock super… Ibuki has a lot of nice use for her EX Meter and SA2 doesn’t need to be combo’d into, on wake up if the opponent is being careless or to punish someone after parrying.
Overall: SA2 is more powerful/versatile.

Combo Potential
SA2 - gets it’s fireball version overlooked because of the fact that it can screw up and it’s damage isn’t as great as the grab itself. Can still be combo’d in the same fashion as SA3 and it does more damage then SA3.
SA3 - can be combo’d in the same fashion though it’s less damage in the end either way.
Overall: Even, though SA2 gives more damage, SA3 takes less time to build. It’s a trade-off.

Overall I ranked SA2 ranked higher in my mind. I like SA3 too, but it’s damage is too low. Her chain does more damage then this and this SA won’t save you if you’re being pressured upon. If you are in control, SA2 or 3 does not matter. If you are not, it’s better to have SA2 on hand then SA3… unless I’m wrong?

Xiii: you do know that alex’s SA2 is the boomerang raid, the combo one, right? that it’s a 2 stocks super, right? that it is easily comboable, right? cuz i think you switched SA1 and SA2 around.

and actually, i think you underate ibuki’s sa3. there is some hit confirms, decent damage, decent stun, fast startup, can reach the opponent far, fills fast… depend on if you can play without using lot’s of ex’s(well, same with sa2, i admit that).
actually, sa3 is way more easy to land than sa2.

I’m talking about the SA2 fireball version. The only difference is you can catch people with SA3 since it’s low. Well tourney wise, I don’t see anybody use any other SA then SA1 anyways, I could just just shrug off on my opinionated post that SA2 and SA3 for Ibuki should not be bothered with as well since SA1 is ultimately the best SA for Ibuki anyways. Anything you hit confirm with for SA3 you can do for SA2 except for maybe lk > mk > rh chain into SA3 which I believe pushes the opponent too far to hit with SA2. Anything else? Everything else, you most likely won’t catch a person in.

With Alex, I probably did mix them up. All I did was go look up a FAQ to see what order they were in. I always thought Boomerang Raid was his first SA and Hyperbomb was his SA2. shrugs

EDIT: Actually the FAQ I looked at was wrong, you’re right. Hyperbomb is SA1, Boomerang Raid is SA2. o.O oh well, either way lols.

OH WELL! Anybody who wants to challenge me is just going to kick my ass since my execution is shit right now. I can’t make Makoto move the way I want her to anymore. My timing is always a bit too early for everything now so the move either whiffs before hand or doesn’t come out at all. =.= I’ll fix that soon enough.

As far as Alex goes, I use Stun-Gun Head-Butt! Set-up’s a free Flash Chop (HP), Power Bomb (HP) plus the ranges on it can trick the opponent. Plus I rarely use EX Moves except the air knee smash.

How are there ohh so many ways to land SA2 with Makoto? You have to either grab then or chop them on YOUR side of the screen.

SA1 you can link it off damn near anything. I know when I play my friends Makoto (haunts, he’s good) I almost never get hit with SA2 anymore. Also, I thnk Denjin is WAY WAY better than Ryu’s other 2 supers.

SA2 = 3 stocks.

With Makoto I can connect SA2 off of:

[ On My Side Of The Screen ]
lp/mp karate chop (only ever connects if they are completely lost/scared. getting uoh > hayate > karakusa a couple times and c.lk > hayate a lot gets people into the annoyed/scared state of wake up. Almost to the point where I can just stand on top of them and Karakusa them on wake up. Makoto = anti-parry. Anyways there isn’t much use of the chop for me here, I’m still trying to incorporate it into my game and trying to see if I can coach people enough to hit this. Not working well so far.)
s. fierce (alone and after karakusa)

[ Anywhere ]
Careless Fireball (not everybody is a pro and some people are smarter with their projectiles then others)
Careless Hurricane Kick
Wake Up (I’ve caught a lot of people during wake-up, just because I do something I don’t see anybody else do. If I cannot hit them on wake up, meaning I don’t attempt it, it’s because my opponent is either too good or is pressuring me too much for me to utilize wake up as a tool to connect SA2. I can hit anywhere on the screen with SA2 except a jumping opponent in the far far corner of the screen. All it takes is coaching and if I have the execution at the moment to coach them into it.)

If you don’t believe me, play with me =) I’m not the best, the greatest or even good now (god damn execution rots away when you have nobody to play with or only play 3s like once or twice a month =.=). All I can say is basically I’ve been playing only (noobs?/intermediate players?), I wanna see where I stand and whether I need to step it up or should I just stop caring lol.

You can’t use it on wakeup against anyone who meaty c.shorts on wakeup. And how many people are just gonna throw fireballs and random hurricanes on a SA2 Makoto…

SA1-lets see. c.short, c.mk, UOH, any connected Hayate, actual decent wakeup, s.mp, karakusa.

lol, I know people would reply in such a fashion if I wrote Wake Up. That’s why I said at the end. PLAY ME. Sometimes the best things are seen. It’s not like it’s my trump card, I use it when I’m in control, it won’t save me, ever, but it works. Otherwise I’m just talking bullshit and you can disregard it at your own discretion.

I play a Makoto who is most likely BETTER THAN YOURS. I have SEEN WAKEUP SA2 and it’s not good. I can meaty Makoto WHENEVER I want when she has sa2, she has absoluteley nothing that will beat my meaties.

Why do I have a feeling that u two will never get to play each other??

Xiii: seriously dude, u should go to orbit more often

P.S Stungun Headbutt is for scrubs

I should, but orbits is 2 hours away from me by bus and it’s hard to find people go with me all the time. When my friends go, they get scared and don’t want to play because they’re afraid to waste money. I just play whoever, but it’s quite boring going up and down 2 hours by myself. Whenever I go, theres nobody good there. Last time I was there, I fought a Remy with a 16 win streak and it was kind of disappointing, probably because he was bored to death of Remy already.

Anyways, I’m saying wake up SA2 works. If it works, why is there an argument? It IS a way to connect SA2. Whether your friend’s Makoto is better then mine or not, I don’t really care. If I can’t play them then it doesn’t really matter, does it? Either way we can’t be friends anyways because If we could play and I turn out to be better then you or your expectations, you’d probably just get mad at me anyways so lets not bother arguing. I said that there are a lot of ways to connect SA2, was I wrong? If I was then I am, I’m sorry. If not then why argue.

Anyways, whether it’s good or bad. The wake up is also a big issue.

Overhead (UOH > Hayate , s.lk > Chop)
Low Attack (c.lk > SA1/Hayate , twd.RH)
Meaty Normals (s.mp > whatever)
Throw (Karakusa or Option Select)
Throw Bait into SA2 (twd.RH (hold) cancel into whatever)

Losing at least half your life from SA2 isn’t like it’s not a big deal. THere are some people who you can telegraph this on. As long as you can see their habits. If they can stay calm and clear minded against you then either they are really good or you aren’t pressuring them enough.

Also, I agree with you Aneurysm about Stungun for Alex, but it’s still a fun SA. It’s just not practical to use against people who know how to play at more then just a beginner’s level, I see a lot of Alex users using it and getting people though, so what can I really say? I show people by jabbing the Stungun out, but people don’t get it still. Whenever the super comes out, for some reason a lot of people freeze up or try to jump away and hide instead of attacking. Well, whatever works. I don’t know Alex that well, Stungun lets you tack on an extra fierce flashchop into hcb command grab. I don’t know at what level the SA becomes useless, but it works wonders in intermediate non-competition level of play I guess o.O

Well, enough typing since people always love to tell me how much I suck after I type anything.