From greg’s topanga tv video : “Mago said his 2012 main will be Sagat . Yesterday in the arcade, Tokido (Akuma) 4-6 Mago (Sagat) and from earlier Mago (Sagat) 5-5 Kazunoko (Seth)”
Mago’s sagat is really sick.
Mago trainin sagat for v2012
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professional at ranging tiger shots for sure.
great example.
this is a never ending story for a great sagat player to be the best.
100% perfect tiger shots.
I think it comes down to a few things, the most important thing is good blocking, Sagat can be easily safe jumped, caught in vortex and crossed up so being on point with your blocking is the most important. Second would be knowing your character, some guys have a pretty damn agile Sagat, I think being able to turtle/zone and rushdown is very important. When I was a bad Sagat I didn’t use Sagat’s normals to their full capability.
I just wanted to post something that might help up and coming Sagat players(since I’ve seen a lot on these boards lately) on how to improve their Sagat game because it takes time. Feel free to add and critique anything, I want to help the Sagat community stay strong.
Sagat is a zoning character who has above average health, good normals, great ‘comeback’ factor and is one of the few characters with two very reliable ultras. So here are some tips to help you new Sagat players step your game up because Sagat is one of the tougher characters to master in my opinion(and I have a long way to go as well).
General Tips:
-Be patient on your wake up, when you’re playing skilled players the best option 90% of the time is block on your wake-up. Sagat’s Uppercut is a 5 frame uppercut, not like the Shoto 3 frame, so he is easily safe jumped, vortexed and crossed up.
-Safe risks, when you have two bars stocked it’s okay to take a risk on a wake up uppercut or a tech bait uppercut because it’ll be safe. It is a good gauge in letting you know whether your opponent knows how to safe jump, mash tech etc.
-Learn how to zone better, LOW TIGER SHOTS RECOVER SLOWER than high tiger shots, therefore get the timing down and Anti-Air accordingly. Slow tiger shots are an amazing tool that should not be overlooked, slow low shots don’t allow people to walk you down and high shots allow you to control the air. Your Tigershots are your full screen pokes, and they are great.
-Learn Sagat’s Kara mechanics. This is crucial to having a solid Sagat, and literally changes the Character compared to a none Kara using Sagat. The reason it is important to learn is that it increases the range on all Sagat’s specials, and it allows you to control the air and ground MUCH more effectively. Lastly, it makes a slow character overall much more agile.
-Bait players. Sagat has a very high Damage uppercut when the opponent jumps(180 I believe). To not get predictable with your Tiger shot game it’s essential to throw out random normals to make it seem like you’re going to throw out a shot. Normals like st.lp and cr.lk are excellent bait tools because the recover in 3 frames and st.lk is great because Sagat’s hitbox is lower to the ground essentially giving your more time to mash out the uppercut. A lot of new Sagat players are missing out however on ONE KEY bait tool…back, down forward, back, down forward, back down forward. That means make Sagat stand and crouch very quickly to make it seem like you are going to through in a low tiger shot, very effective, watch Bonchan do it.
GET YOUR HIT CONFIRMS ON POINT. Sagat’s hit confirming took me a while to get down and I am still learning but one method that helped me the most was putting the dummy in training mode to RANDOM block. When he/she is on auto block it becomes to predictable and doesn’t simulate the real time game to me IMO. Random block will force you to work on your reaction and hit confirming because when you play real opponents there will be mistakes made unlike in autoblock.
Sagat’s Best Normals/uses
Cr.Lp: This is Sagat’s only three frame normal, it is a fantastic normal that is special cancellable, it has even further reach than his cr.lk. This is an essential normal for punishing moves that only have 3 frames to do so.
Cr.lk: In my opinion this is Sagat’s best normal. For starters it’s +3 on block which means Sagat can kick you, stand up, walk up, kick again and set you up for excellent counter hit set ups. It’s great for tick throws and is deceptively quick for a move that starts in 5 frames i.e you end up in range when you don’t think you are.
Cr.mp: Another very good normal, comes out relatively fast and is special cancellable. It is more damaging than Sagat’s cr.mk therefore it is his best choice of method when punishing opponents CLOSE.
Cr.mk: Sagat’s cr.mk pushes him forward and is special cancellable. It is not the quickest normal but it is still very effective. It is an excellent normal for frame-traps and can help Sagat continue to apply pressure due to it’s range and options. It is Sagat’s FURTHEST cancellable normal. ONE TIP, learn, learn, LEARN how to hit confirm cr.mk, into low shot, fadc, cr.mp/mk into uppercut/Tiger knee. That is upwards of 280 damage that can come off simple mistakes(Not blocking low) or frame trap set up, and any time you can land 280 damage you take it!
Cr.hp: A very good high damage poke, opponents can’t afford to eat too many of these. It is a poke that is good for whiff punishing and punishing at max distance if you’re not comfortable with Kara’s. Be careful when you use it though, strong footsie characters can pick it apart.
Cr.Hk, Sagat’s sweep is just average IMO which isn’t terrible, I mostly use it to max punish whiffed specials because it creates an untechable knockdown.
st.lp: Great normal for baiting opponents, is also excellent to do meaty on opponents wake up, especially on Rufus.
St.Mp…ass
Close St.Mp, Gaaaad like. Sagat virtually shove his arm up and behind his head to Anti Air the opponent. It’s great on opponents who try to cross up and it is special cancellable. Alioune Sensei buffers a TK into this normal so when he AA’s his opponent his TK comes out and he can continue his pressure in his opponents face.
St.Hp, not really that used by me, it does feel good to punch Zangief in the dome with it as a whiff punish. It’s good for catching characters with good back dashes as well.
St.lk: Under used by a lot of new Sagat’s, this move is an excellent counter poke, but most importantly it’s great for learning your distance and spacing. The first hit can be fadc’d which is still decent.
St.mk: This move is EPIC. Quick, high priority, and goes over low attacks. Does decent damage and good for spacing, causes good pushback. Stop’s scissor kicks, Akuma’s double hk etc.
Forward+Hk: The twirl kick, very good move, does solid damage and can lead to Ultra(s) and ex tiger shot. Predict players jump ins, you can get two in if you catch the player at their peak. It’s also one of Sagat’s TWO kara normals, use it for Kara knees, Uppercuts and shots(when on screen).
St.Hk: Great anti-air normal and nightmare to big targets. Don’t get to trigger happy with it against smaller characters, when they crouch they can easily counter poke and mess you up.
His Air normals are decent, j.lk is his only cross up.
Sagat’s Combos
Before I state his essential combos It’s important to note that you have to always maximize your damage, because when you lose to an opponent that has a pixel of health left you are left kicking yourself. LEARN how to always connect with Sagat’s f.hk after an uppercut FADC, it’s too much raw damage just to shrug off. Note that Characters like Gouken and Balrog(boxer) fall out of it easier, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them.
*Note these are the best/most used combos not flashiest.
cr.lk x2 cr.lp TU…the sagat BnB. You won’t learn it over night, and it will frustrate the hell out of you, but learn it, take time, it’ll never leave you when you do!
Cr.mp> Cr.lp> TS or TU…This link might seem tough at first but you eventually get the hang of it, when you’re in the zone you’ll never miss it and when the cr.mp is counter hit you will NEVER miss it, believe me.
cr.mk> TS or TU, it’s his furthest cancellable normal and it sucks you into the opponent before you unleash a TU. It is the better option than cr.mp many times because it sacrifices SMALL damage for increased range.
cr.mp> TK. This is Sagat’s strongest non-meter combo. If you jump in, Focus crumble, Daze etc your opponent this option is the best course of action.
Cr.lk>Cr.mp>Cr.lp>TU…I used to believe this Combo was difficult but if you plink cr.mp with cr.lk and cr.lp you’ll get it most of the times. The added damage is always good.
Jump in HP into KARA uppercut…this is a max distance punish which is ideal for punishing fireball characters that are tagged at the very tip of their hitbox. Learn how to get this 100% of the time.
Closing tips/Match up tips
Sagat has some great safe jump set ups, most are activated off his forward throw, there are great ones posted on this boards.
Your U2 can connect off a full screen ex.ts, don’t do it too fast however other wise you’ll waste your bar on an ex.uppercut.
Sagat Can destroy characters with poor-wake up’s with cr.lk, into combo/frame trap and other meaty attacks(cr.mp, cr.hp etc).
*I just want to post some tips on some of Sagat’s tougher matches to help you out.
Akuma(Sagats hardest match).
-This is Sagat’s hardest match and in the hands of skilled Akuma player can be a nightmare, but hopefully this makes it a bit more bearable.
-St.mk beats Akuma’s St.hk CLEAN but be careful of Akuma’s sweep, don’t get trigger happy with this normal.
-You can back dash Akuma’s demon-flip grab(if I recall) but the best option is to TU him into next year.
-U2 stops any air fireballs for max damage and if Akuma has no meter you can actually hit him with U2 if he does his redfireball from full screen and you predict it(look out for his flame).
-If you’re playing an Akuma who is st.hk happy and is getting predictable a well timed cr.hk will sweep him and it will allow you to get some space.
-Akuma’s uppercuts beat yours so be weary, use Kara ex uppercuts to go through air ex fireballs OR trade with low shots(in your favour) or sweep/cr.hp(VERY in your favour).
-When Akuma has Ultra, DON’T jump, he’ll simply buffer U1 into sweep…dead.
-Stay positive, just know if you catch him once, he’s dead.
Fei Long
- IMO this is Sagat’s second worst match in AE, due to Fei’s damage output, priority on normals and rekkas that push you into the corner, Sagat’s lonley place lol.
-Neutral jump mk beats chicken wings and rekkas(combo cr.lp after). Don’t get too comfortable with it but it is still solid.
-Space your tiger knees well, you need it to advance forward while hitting fei back, but mistimed could mean lights out so be careful.
-Poorly spaced second rekkas can be punished with Cr.lp into specials.
-When the opportunity arises JUMP over fei and reset the field, sagat Cannot beat fei in the corner.
-Be weary of throwing out poor normals, Fei’s cr.lp buffered into rekkas will counter pick you all day.
-Go into training mode and learn how to uppercut/ultra chicken wings, make it appart of your muscle memory moving forward.
-After a low-tiger shot at certain distances you CANNOT JUMP NOR SHOOT ANOTHER SHOT after if Fei is mashing rekka, it beats you clean, block and play safe.
Viper
-Another tough match for Sagat, but not as bad as Fei or Akuma IMO.
-Kara uppercuts are important, they control the air, they beat ex-sizemos(believe it or not) and they punish sizemos that are mistimed on your jump in.
-TS are as good as usual but be weary of tkbirdkicks
-Random f.hk by Sagat can put an end to bird kics and do amazing damage on Viper.
-Viper can be safe jumped OS TU after a forward throw. Simply forward throw, hk tk, wait a frame then jump and buffer the TU…it beats everything I believe.
-When in the corner block the so you don’t get sent into the wall because even if you get hit it will knock you into the middle of the stage, in the corner Sagat gets more pressure and/or ultra link FREE.
Unbelievable post Tiger Slap. Thank you.
I would like to add that standing short (LK) and roundhouse (RK) can also be used to break focus, as they are two hit normals. The first hit of both can be cancelled, but it’s much easier to cancel from standing LK.
This string is character dependent, but crouching LK x 3, stand lk, cancel into low tiger is a decent push-out.
Great stuff there Tiger Slap have you got any advice against Ken ? I’m just about learning to st forward his step kick, that character is more worrying than ryu sometimes lol…
also just posting a vid by Alioune Sensei showing the safe string on rufus on okizeme, I know most of the more stronger players have seen it before and use it.
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How guys, I’m getting back into AE since 2012 is out.
Sagat is my 2nd main. I use him to overcome some of Dudley’s bad matchups.
So far, Online Lag and my excecution skills are my two biggest problems for both characters.
I’ve just recently dropped two matches to a high-level T. Hawk player with a 3-bar connection. I fell for the old myth that T. Hawk is free to Sagat. 
^^ another reason why online is trash. It has gotten better for me and I actually play more of it since i upgraded my internet to 50 megs. Offline is where its at! Also traveling too.
Decided to go for an experiment. I asked the Dud forums to talk about/debate the Sagat vs Duds match in 2012 so we started talking about it in their social thread. I think you guys should head over there and post your thoughts.
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mago still training sagat 2012, hes fucking awesome lol
@4:10 is like tiger mode!! unleash the beast!!
@4:54 that final round, i like how he safe jump and option select claw’s backflip with cr.mp OS cr.mk. read him like a book
@ 3:12 TIGA UPPERCUT!!!
How to beat Adon and t hawk?
T hawk?? you serious son?
Adon neutral jump mk his bullshit, U2 catches all wall kicks (people still use U1 though), Block lots, hard online because of bullshit throws. Standing HK good in the footsie battle , no close fireballs. Hard match.
6 pool…
Lol Thanx bro
Btw, anyone noticed that CH. c.mp combos to cl.st mp? Trying to link ch c.mp > cl.St MP > st.HK / st.hk TU/TK cancel for some swag points
needs to be point blank tough
*(forget st.hk cancel, too far after cl.ST.MP
st mp to cr lp work?
Btw Thawk is free yo. Anti air and punish the shit outta blocked condor dive. I treat him like a more mobile gief
This is info adon players don’t give you. one of my offline buds plays adon and just rips me new ones every time! I shall put the J.mk to work, and work on my U2 timing i seem to do it way too late.
@EZ tigershots are a great friend in the T.hawk fight. Get him locked him down, wait for impending jumps and condor dives, block and punish!
so im maining sagat in 2012 b/c i wanted something new (i mained ken from vanilla up until this point). i am honestly loving this character, after playing a mixup heavy char in this game for a few years sagat’s solid playstyle feels great to me.
im having a bit of trouble with the akuma matchup, and the ibuki matchup too. idk why ibuki but i’m having trouble keeping the bitch out. i’m not asking for a full write up because i can just study the matchups from watching videos, i would just appreciate a few little nuances that may have taken you a couple months or even years to figure out that i may not pick up on for a while.
fd . Hk catches her backdash , shes the only character this works on. Cr.mp is now a good frame trap for her ever since it got buffed. punish slides with full damage for example st lk x tu.