Shotos and c.MK analysis

Classic Fighting Games SSF2T: HD Remix
1

Short introduction: So I played a lot of Ryu back in the day, and have been playing HD remix for more then a month now. I think I got a lot better since then and my win % in ranked matches is prob around 60% compared to it being like 20% 3 weeks ago…despite my ranking screwing up ( I never disconnect and dont care about rank really, I dunno what happened but it multiplied all my wins/losses by 10x and froze in place )

anyways my question is, I try to use everything in Ryus arsenal, from his fake fb shenanigans, footsies with HK, and classic fireball traps, overhead MPs if they don’t reversal too often, jab dp reversals ( which I can do pretty decently now on the pad by tapping instead of trying piano method ), hurricane kicks on the jump, short hurricane kicks then throw, etc

One thing I don’t use however is MK. I know the bread and butter j.HK, c.MK, fb combo, I just don’t seem to use it and instead opt for the j.HK, st FP, dp combo which seems a lot easier to do. Besides the fact MK makes a good link to many combos like the super ( which I never do cause that execution just seems beyond me ) and can be canceled into moves ( I dont do this enough anyways ), I noticed it basically equals the same damage as a c.HK but without the knockdown. According to the hitboxes it seems to come out faster but has slightly less range despite the fact it visually looks like it has more, Im not sure about the priority against other moves since I seem to exclusively use c.HK. I know its slower, but to me it just seems to have a higher reward because of the knock down, and since I dont cancel out normals to specials that much anyways. I just cant find a place for c.MK into my style. Anyone have any suggestions or comments?

2

I have three.

One, moves that are fast and have decent horizontal range are always good as pokes. There will come a time when people will not let you get close enough to use close :hp:.

Two, next time, try the Ryu thread. http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=168775

Three, read my thread regarding being new to the forum. There are a lot of other tips there, as well.

3

fair enough statement for your first point

I have read the Ryu thread and even posted in it for your second point

For your third point, I’ve been lingering around here a lot and made this thread because it just doesn’t concern Ryu but other Shotos and exclusively discusses the c.MK ( I sure talked a lot about Ryu though )

4

dang 76 views and no replies except for Fresh OJ?

5

This isn’t true when the combo potential of low forward is taken into account, but it sounds like you already know that. Also, c. mk xx red hadouken can also cause knockdown as well as more damage than a simple sweep.

Low forward also has better recovery than the sweep, so not only is it a relatively safe poke to throw out, you’re less-susceptible to punishment if it whiffs.

If you have made all these observations about c. mk and your style, then maybe using c. mk just doesn’t fit into your style. Or you’re not putting in as much effort as you could be in trying to implement it into your game. I suggest watching ST match footage and you’ll see plenty of uses.

I also believe a good player who is true to his character does try to incorporate every single tool their character has in order to win. This means being able to use all the little tricks that make Ryu Ryu, responding with the proper anti-air, and performing his most damaging or profitable combos when the time is right, basically seeing the correct play every time it presents itself and answering with the proper inputs.

I suppose to answer your question more directly, because of the fact that there’s a fireball fake now, here is one such situation. You and everyone else’s grandma already knows about j. hk, c. mk xx hadouken. It deals fine damage and is safe on block. So a logical mixup is j. hk, c. mk xx fake fireball, walk-up throw (as the opponent is in a false state of blockstun).

Let’s not forget the most basic high-low mixup here. The toward+strong overhead is good for a reason: the opponent must block high. Ah, but what makes it great for a reason is when the opponent believes you’re going to do an overhead and blocks high, yet you being the smart player you are, decide to the healthy thing and mixup your mind game, instead nailing him with c. mk xx hadouken (bonus knockdown if it’s red) from the very same distance as the overhead.
Hell, even (meaty) c. mk, c. mk xx hadouken is a viable use. And when you start throwing in meat c. mk’s, you can also start throwing in your fake hadouken into throw mixup.

There’s nothing wrong with using the sweep, it’s a solid move, but c. mk also has its merits in the many opportunities it can be used as a damage multiplier, really.

6

seriously, sweep xx hadouken works just fine.

it is true about the whiff thing though. low forward is way better as a poking tool, but sweep has a better hit box and gives guaranteed knockdown, and has more pushback for zoning.

7

He’ll definitely need cr.:mk: once he starts trying to do combos from the Rushing Gut Punch (:r:+:hp:). Other than that, it just sounds like he hasn’t fought anyone that hasn’t been able to keep him out well. Once he does, he’ll have to use something else to gain ground…and his poking game will be born.

Same with Ken…same with Akuma.

8

Seriously, cr. mk is ryu’s best poke. I would think any other move he would have trouble finding a spot to use compared to cr. mk.

Tip: You can bait a sweep by standing just out of its range, then counter sweep the recovery. You cannot do this with cr.mk.

I think all 3 cr. kicks are the same speed though.

9

good feedback guys, also your tip is something I observed a lot when fighting other shotos and I guess its one of the contributing factors that got me into always relying on cr.HK

PSN ID: GabbSDF, always up for a friendly game of HDR