NOTABLE SPECIALS
[details=Spoiler]Rising Kick: 130/140/160/170 damage; 6f/7f/7f/6f startup
Rising Kick is Julia’s DP. As an anti-air, the LK version is decent, starting up fairly quickly and possessing a good trajectory. As a combo extender, the HK version deals excellent damage and hits twice, allowing for better follow-ups. As a combo ender, HK Rising Kick has fewer juggle points than Tiger Strike, meaning that you won’t deal as much damage, but it can lead to some nifty tricks on the opponent’s wake up used in tandem with Wind Roll.
As a wake-up option, all versions are lack-lustre, due to their slow startup and their throw vulnerability. EX Rising Kick is your best option, as it hits twice, and is fully invulnerable, allowing for a completely safe (if very costly) tag-out.
Tiger Strike: 150 damage; 13f startup, -9 on block
Besides knowing that it’s quite unsafe on block, the frame data for this move is irrelevant, as you will only ever use it to end combos, or to CADC with. As a combo ender, it’s excellent. It has high damage and great juggle points, allowing you to end long juggles with it. It also puts your opponent across the screen if you wanted to zone them, but it’s also coincidentally very nearly the perfect distance to start your Swift Step mixup from.
The EX version deals slightly more damage, and is a move that screams out for armour, but in its current state is in every way a waste of meter. Never use it.
It should also be mentioned that Julia has the slowest CADC in the cast. Presumably this was done to stop her CADC PC from being too dominant, but as it is this means that CADCing for any other reason will be significantly less useful. Good to keep in mind if you don’t understand why your CADCs aren’t as crisp as with Ryu or Poison. It’s not your fault!
Swift Step/Lashing Arrow/Swift Step Explosion; 0/120/100 damage; see below
Swift Step works in tandem with Tiger Strike to create Julia’s excellent okizeme game. There are three types of Swift Step, which all do different things. LP Swift Step is a simple forwards lunge. MP Swift Step (Lashing Arrow) is a lunging punch, similar to Yun’s lunge punch in SSFIVAE. HP Swift Step (Swift Step Explosion) is a lunge, followed by an overhead punch that crumples on hit.
Swift Step Explosion leads into a 418 damage combo, which is a good reason on its own to play Julia. As you meet stronger opponents, it will become increasingly difficult to get people to fall for Swift Step Explosion, but it’s always a dangerous move. An additional benefit of this move is that the threat of it will mean that your opponent will NEVER want to raw tag out against Julia, even from full screen, because of the certainty that they will eat 418 damage. No other character can threaten this much meterless.
The EX versions of Swift Step all have armour, and additionally, EX Lashing Arrow wall bounces on hit, allowing for a fairly damaging combo. This is a risky but sometimes useful move during active footsies or on wakeup.
After Tiger Strike, Julia’s basic oki mixup is to either Swift Step forward, or Swift Step explosion forward. She has the following options: Low (Swift Step + cr.MP), overhead (Swift Step Explosion), throw, block/backdash (Julia’s excellent 2012 backdash survives if you use it to cancel a Swift Step), cross-up j.MK/j.HK, cross-up empty-jump-low with cr.MP. This nexus of options is one of the most potent mixups in the game. If the opponent begins to roll to escape this mixup, you should start using Wind Roll after Tiger Strike, or LP Swift Step xx backdash followed by a throw.
Wind Roll (Tequila Sunrise and Explosion)
Julia performs a quick pirouette which avoids all projectiles and is cancellable into three enders: Tequila Sunrise, Hunting Tomahawk and Wind Roll Explosion. The High-hitting version, Hunting Tomahawk, is completely useless and will not be mentioned again. The Low-hitting version, Wind Roll Explosion, is slow and unsafe, and should rarely be used. Rather, if you want to create a High-Low mixup, go for Wind Roll into cr.MP instead.
Tequila Sunrise is the fastest option, and it’s also an overhead that’s extremely unsafe after the first hit on block, but is +2 on the second hit on block. You will usually be punished after the first hit if it’s blocked, but in case you’re not, be aware of the frame advantage the second hit confers.
Wind Roll is your main way to get through projectiles, and has a few other more esoteric applications (e.g. it’s great to use against Jack-X on his wakeup, as it will go straight through his DP.)
Also note, it’s actually projectile invincible from frame 1, so you can use it on your wakeup if your opponent is trying to chip you to death with a meaty fireball. This can be an especially nasty surprise against Sakura and Poison, who rely on point-blank meaty fireballs, and who can then be caught with a wakeup Tequila Sunrise!
Iron Mountain Rush: 310 damage; 4f startup
Another damaging nerf, this Super used to startup in 2f, making it one of the best punishes in the game. Nowadays it starts up as quick as a cr.LP, and its poor range and average damage means that you’ll usually have better things to spend your meter on. Still, it’s a fairly quick super, so if you need to deal a lot of damage before the clock ticks out, it can be a good thing.
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COMBOS - obviously not an exhaustive list, just the most useful ones.
[details=Spoiler]ON TAG IN: [Launcher], Kaida, st.MP, cr.HP xx Tiger Strike: 381 off raw launcher
A good reason to play Julia, her tag combo is extremely easy to do and highly damaging. It also has convenient ways to convert back out to your partner (replace Tiger Strike with HK Rising Kick, or simply Launcher after the Raida), it combos well into Super, and it can be ended with HK Rising Kick to create a very different oki situation. The only slight difficulty with this combo is the Raida, which starts up fairly slowly. Remember to do it slightly earlier than you may think.
This combo cannot be improved on in the corner.
1. j.MK, cr.HP CADC PC, cr.MP xx Tiger Strike: 340 damage
This is your default combo off a jump-in. It’s quite simple, although it does involve a 2f link and mastery of the CADC PC technique. Good damage and confirmable on hit and block, leaving you at frame advantage in the latter case. Can also be ended with cr.MP > cr.HP > Launcher for the tag-out.
2. j.MK, st.MP, Trickling Stream xx HK Rising Kick: 308 damage
This is a frame trap combo – you’re looking for your opponent to do something between the st.MP and the Trickling Stream. Subsequently, you should also feel free to attempt a through instead of going into the Trickling Stream. It otherwise deals good damage and is a good tag-out opportunity.
**3. cr.LP, cr.HP CADC PC, cr.MP xx Tiger Strike: 300 damage **
This is your basic point-blank combo to use when your opponent runs out of frame advantage. Fully confirmable on hit and block, and decent damage. The fact that cr.HP CADC PC is so safe means you don’t have to worry about sticking in a bunch of lights just to confirm. An all-purpose, utility combo that starts using Julia’s fastest move, cr.LP (4f startup).
**4. j.MK, cl.HK, cr.HP CADC PC, cr.LK xx Tiger Strike: 367 damage **
Probably Julia’s toughest combo, cl.HK, cr.HP is a 1f link, and one that feels odd at that. It’s a good idea to practice this with plinking if you’re planning on doing it often. The good thing about this is that cl.HK is +1 on block, so the link is actually a mediocre frame trap even if you miss it.
**5. cr.LK > cr.MK > cr.HP xx EX CADC PC, cr.HP xx HK Rising Kick: **
Occasionally you will need to go for broke during footsies and try to get some good damage, instead of just poking away with cr.MK. This is one of the best combos to do this with. Totally safe and confirmable on hit or block, on hit this combo leads into fairly good, 300+ damage. Alternatively, you can simply go into Launcher after the cr.HP following the EX CADC PC. This is fairly meter intensive, so if you’re planning on playing a lot of footsies with Julia, you may want to invest in meter gems.
6. cr.MP, cr.HP CADC PC, cr.LK xx Tiger Strike: 303 damage
This is a good combo to use as a hit-confirm starting with a Low-hitting cr.MP. Useful after an empty jump, or against fast-moving characters who are accustomed to simply walking away from frame traps (Blanka, Bison, Akuma, Vega, Guile, Balrog and Elena are all examples).
7. Swift Step Explosion, Kaida, f.MP > MK xx Wind Roll, cr.HP xx Tiger Strike: 418 damage
This is the big damage combo Julia can get off of her Swift Step Explosion. Difficult to get better players to fall for this, it’s still possible even at the higher levels of play. Don’t get too used to pulling this off every match though. In a first to 10, I’ll usually pull this off 3 or 4 times maximum.
8. EX Lashing Arrow, Raida, st.MP, cr. HP xx Tiger Strike: 381 damage
Another high-damage, high-risk combo, landing EX Lashing Arrow is difficult. It’s not safe from the ranges you’re most likely to hit your opponent with it (i.e. medium range footsies, or as a Hail Mary wakeup option). In footsies, you need to make sure you have a solid read on your opponent – it’s not worth it to perform this speculatively. As a wakeup option, it’s not worth it if your opponent is most likely to throw or block. Instead, it can sometimes be useful against some meaties, and against some safe jumps. Use with care, and at your own risk.
9. j.HK, SPP Combo, SPP to High Kick xx Wind Roll, cr.HP xx Tiger Strike: 419 damage
If you confirm a hit, such as off a jump-in, you can go into this combo, which is the most damage you can deal off a jump in. If you’re blocked, and you confirm it by the time you do SPP, you can go into SPP to High Kick instead of SPP Combo, and CADC backwards to stay safe.
This is a riskier option than the simple cr.HP CADC PC combo, and it doesn’t leave you at frame advantage, so it’s up to you if it’s worth the risk. Sometimes SPP to High Kick xx Wind Roll will catch people off guard, and you’ll be able to follow up with a throw or Tequila Sunrise for some damage.
In any case, you should learn this combo since it’s your highest damage straight punish for whiffed Launchers, Supers or DPs.
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ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES
[details=Spoiler]Frame Traps
At her core, Julia is a frame trap character. Frame traps work by making your opponent want to block, seeing as his chances of beating your normals while at frame disadvantage is low. This makes it the perfect opportunity to throw your opponent. Julia’s main frame traps you should be aware of are:
cr.MP, (frame trap), cr.MP
cr.MP, (frame trap), Trickling Stream
cr.MP, (frame trap), cr.HP
cr.HP CADC PC, (frame trap), cr.MP
cr.HP CADC PC, (frame trap), Trickling Stream
st.MP, (frame trap), cr.MP
st.MP, (frame trap), Trickling Stream
st.MP, (frame trap), cr.HP
As you can see from the above, the general principle is to start with a high frame advantage move (cr.MP, st.MP or cr.HP CADC PC). After this you will be in frame advantage, so the basic mixup is to either follow with another hit-confirmable normal (e.g. cr.MP or Trickling Stream), or throw.
Footsies
Besides combo 4 above, you’ll mostly be relying on cr.MK as your main footsies tool. Cr.LK also has some utility, and st.HP or st.HK can very rarely be useful. Be aware that the advantage of cr.MK is its extreme range, not its speed, so try to stay out of the range of characters with better footsies, like Akuma and Vega. Better yet, consider an alternative strategy when fighting them.
One option that should be very carefully considered, and is matchup specific, is to use a max range cross rush of cr.MK > st.HK. When spaced perfectly, this can be difficult for some characters to punish. Stick to doing this against characters with slow walkspeeds and short-ranged normals.
Anti-airing
Julia’s anti-air is decent, and very simple. It relies on two moves: cr.HP and LK Rising Kick. The latter is your all purpose invincible DP. It isn’t throw invincible, but it works perfectly well as an anti-air, and is fast enough that you don’t have to be massively prescient to pull it off consistently. On block or whiff, you end up floating in the air for a long time, so you will get punished hard for whiffing, unlike some other, quicker DPs (like Hwoarang’s or Elena’s).
Cr.HP is your one-button anti-air. It doesn’t have any invincibility, but has a great hitbox/hurtbox ratio, meaning that it will beat out a huge amount of aerial attempts. Remember to do it a little earlier than you might think to, as the hitbox for this move travels a little bit during the move itself. This move is especially effective against any kind of body splash move, such as against Hugo or Zangief.
Defence/Waking up
Defending is probably the trickiest part of playing Julia. She has a few tools, but they’re all imperfect. Her anti-air tools are okay, but nowhere near as effective as someone like Law, but the real problem is beating frame pressure and wakeup pressure. Julia has a strike invincible DP to go through frame traps, but unfortunately as it isn’t throw invincible your DP is beaten by two of the three options frame trappers have: blocking and throwing. The same thing goes for EX Lashing Arrow.
On wakeup, the situation is similar. As Julia, you need to get used to blocking intelligently, because there’s no easy getaway option, like Blanka or Bison have. Additionally, Julia’s crouch tech is pretty poor, as she has a relatively slow cr.LK. As with other parts of Julia’s play, you may want to conserve meter and invest in meter gems, as Julia’s wakeup is considerably better if you can afford to tag-cancel an EX Rising Kick.
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JULIA’S GAMEPLAN - don’t call it a flowchart
[details=Spoiler]Julia is a high-damage frame trap character with limited poking and defensive capabilities.
This is your mantra when playing Julia. With that in mind, this is a good starting gameplan for Julia. Obviously every Julia plays very differently, so just consider this a “bare bones” strategy:
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Get Julia in. Usually, you’ll want to play Julia as an anchor, and if you do, when Julia comes in, you’ll most likely be ending the tag-in combo with a Tiger Strike. If you’re starting with Julia, go to step 5, which talks about the neutral game.
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Use Swift Step to start your mixup off of the Tiger Strike hard knockdown. Remember, your options are as follows: Swift Step and cr.MP; Swift Step and block, Swift Step and throw; Swift Step and jump over for cross-up; Swift step and jump over for empty-jump low; Swift Step Explosion; and Swift Step xx backdash. Remember that your opponent can evade all these options by tech rolling. If he gets too used to doing this, go for a HK Wind Roll and throw him instead of starting with Swift Step.
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If you managed to land a combo ending with a Tiger Strike off your Swift Step mixup, then simply repeat the mixup.
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If your mixup was blocked, go into your frame trap game. This is detailed in the “Frame Traps” section, above. Most of your successful options off the frame trap lead either into cross rush, or into Tiger Strike (go back to Step 2), or into a throw, which will leave you close enough to resume your frame trap game.
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If your frame traps were successfully blocked or disrupted, you’ll find yourself back at neutral spacing. This is when you engage with Julia’s poking tools.
Remember that unlike footsies characters like Blanka, Law, Nina or Vega, footsies are NOT where you win the match. You use your footsies as disruptive tools to intimidate your opponent into either jumping at you (in which case you anti-air, close the distance and resume your up close game), or to give you an opening to approach, usually by jumping in when they’ve committed to a poke or fireball.
Remember that your optimal distance to jump from is just around the maximum range of your cr.MK. Off the jump-in, you have your full suite of frame traps available to you, and you can go back to step 4.
- If you are knocked down or backed into a corner, escaping needs to be your priority. Do not be afraid to Alpha Counter, this is one of your best ways to restore advantage.
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TRICKS AND GIMMICKS - for fun and profit
[details=Spoiler]Julia is a character who doesn’t rely on highly tricky mixups, beyond her basic post-Tiger Strike oki mixup. That said, there are a few tricks that you should be aware of.
1. The point-blank Swift Step Explosion
In the spirit of utterly absurd unpredictability, sometimes trying a cr.HP xx Swift Step Explosion will bamboozle your opponent for long enough for the move to hit. Never try this twice in the same match, and preferably don’t try this twice against the same player. At least not for a few days.
2. The Tequila Sunrise on wakeup
After a Rising Kick, or after a Tiger Strike combo that leaves you close to the opponent (for example, near a corner), you’re sometimes in perfect range and left with the perfect amount of time to do a Wind Roll xx Tequila Sunrise. This is fairly effective as a mixup, and you can alternatively go low with cr.MP, throw, or just block.
3. Wind Rolling point blank
Wind Roll has a particular animation – it’s quick and not very flashy. You can sometimes surprise your opponent by cancelling a cr.HP into Wind Roll, then throwing. This is especially effective if you’ve trained your opponent to think that you’re always going to do cr.HP CADC PC.
4. The corner Party Crasher “lockdown”
Study Ryan Hunter’s matches to see how this is done. Essentially, if you’ve got your opponent stuck in the corner, keep spamming Party Crasher as close together as possible, until your opponent gets tagged with one of them, preferably a Counter Hit, allowing you to go into a big combo. This is ultimately a gimmick, as any kind of reversal will beat it, as will any move that’s 5f or faster. Some characters can deal with this better than others. Asuka, for example, doesn’t have any long range normals quick enough to beat this.
5. The Divine Impact whiff
Divine Impact is a Tekken String in which the first two hits do not combo into the third hit, which is a relatively quick 100 damage overhead. The trick here is that since it’s a Tekken Chain, you can whiff the first two hits and still pop out the third overhead hit. This can sometimes be useful in footsies as the first two hits are relatively quick and difficult to whiff punish. The overhead itself will almost certainly catch someone who hasn’t seen it before off-guard, but as with all the tricks here, it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and will be demolished if you keep trying it.
6. The Sweep-Tag mixup
Julia’s sweep is almost completely useless. It hits twice like Guile’s making it extremely unsafe and easy to punish, and meaning that you can’t profit from the hard knockdown it produces. However, one situation in which it can be useful is as part of a blocked cross rush.
If you start with cr.MK > cr.HK and tag cancel the first hit of the cr.HK, you will have a neat little high-low mixup with your incoming character. This works especially well if the incoming character has an overhead, or a quick jump arc (like Marduk or Blanka). This is somewhat similar to Hwoarang’s tag-cancelled Hunting Hawk mixup, but reversed.
**7. The CADC fake-out **
Julia’s cr.HP CADC PC is one of her most commonly used strings. As a result, you’ll very quickly train your opponent into blocking as soon as they see a cr.HP, since they know a frame-advantage led Party Crasher is incoming. You can use this to your benefit by CADCing forward instead of cancelling into Party Crasher, and immediately throwing. This fake-out is a little slower than would be ideal, because there is an awkward pause at the end of Julia’s dash, but it still works.
Smarter players with more Julia experience will sometimes try to reversal immediately after your cr.HP, expecting a Party Crasher they can beat. The CADC fake-out is also useful to CADC backwards if you think your opponent is going to try something of the sort, allowing you a full punish.
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