This Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Guide was made to be read with 70 chars per line *********1*********2*********3*********4*********5*********6*********7 It is best viewed with a monospaced font, such as Courier, at size 10, with 1 inch margins on all sides (with Microsoft Word, I can correctly view this Guide with the Courier New font at size 10, with the top and bottom margins set to 1.00 inches, and with the left and right margins set to 1.25 inches. If you don't know how to alter the margins, click on the "File" menu option at the top of the application and from there select "Page Setup". In there, you can adjust all four of the margins for this document). The second line of this Guide, the one above with asterisks and numbers in it, should all be on only one line and should not "bleed" down to the next. If that is the case, you shouldn't have any problems viewing this Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Systems Guide. Enjoy!!!!!! ************************************************************ CAPCOM VS. SNK 2: SYSTEMS AND COMBO GUIDE version 2.0 Applicable to the Arcade, Import Dreamcast, Import PlayStation2, and Local PlayStation 2 versions of Capcom Vs. SNK 2. I am using the Import Dreamcast version to write this FAQ and do all of my experimentation. However, I am using the characters' American names (so the boxer is named Balrog, The super-evil Shotokan is named Akuma, the psycho power guy is M.Bison, and the guy with the mask and claw is Vega). written by James Chen Unpublished work Copyright July 2002 James Chen PLEASE READ THIS SECTION BEFORE READING THE REST OF THE FAQ: This Guide is written and thus owned by me, James Chen. Any attempt to reproduce this Guide in any way, whether it be on paper or on computer or through any other known method, is prohibited. The information in this FAQ cannot be used IN ANY WAY for profit. It cannot be sold to anyone or traded in any sort of commercial transaction. The information in this Guide cannot be used and printed as your own information in any magazine, fanzine, Web Site, or other unmentioned form of publication. It cannot be used as a bonus or gift to a purchase as an encouragement for people to buy your product. This FAQ may only be distributed freely. Any desire to reprint or reuse any information that you have learned from this FAQ is allowed ONLY if: 1) Proper credit is given to me as the original author. 2) You have contacted me through e-mail and requested permission to use any information you learned specifically from this Guide and have received my consent. "To continue, this FAQ and everything included herein is protected by International Copyright Law. Failure to adhere to any of the above will result in violation of the aforementioned law, and consequently, may be the cause of legal action against perpetrators. Remember that breach of copyright (not to mention plagiarism) is a crime. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, you must promptly delete / destroy this FAQ. To put it simply, don't try and make a living off of my work, since I have every right to take legal action against you if you do so. FAQ ripping, plagiarism and misuse is sadly blatant in today's world. However, if it happens to you, remember that anything you create is automatically protected by copyright, and that gives you the right to take legal action, assert your rights, and punish transgressors to the fullest extent of the law." -- taken from Kao Megura's Street Fighter Alpha 3 FAQ And to set an example of how I myself obey these copyright laws, I hereby give full credit to Kao Megura for writing the above paragraph regarding the International Copyright Law. It was very well stated, so I have used it in my Guide rather than paraphrasing it and writing my own. I have not tried in any way to make a profit by quoting his paragraph in this Guide and have given full credit to him for writing it. Although the above paragraph uses the word "FAQ" and was written for Kao's Alpha 3 FAQ, its content and meaning still applies to this Guide. And although the above copyright paragraphs are word for word the same as my last Capcom Vs. SNK FAQ, I still follow these and believe in these principles to the fullest, despite the fact that, recently at the time of writing this, I myself have made a few mistakes of forgetting to properly credit certain persons. I have sworn to never make that error again. If the person who I accidentally forgot to credit before reads this, and is still upset with me, believe me, I sincerely apologize, and still feel bad about that... Too much miscommunication resulted in the error and confusion. * * * The Street Fighter game series, the DarkStalker series (specifically NightWarriors and Vampire Savior), the Versus Games series, Final Fight, the Justice Academy (Rival Schools) series, as well as all of the characters from these games mentioned in this FAQ, are (c) Capcom of Japan and (c) Capcom of America. The King of the Fighters series, Samurai Shodown Series, Last Blade Series, Art of Fighting Series, Fatal Fury series, and all characters from these games are (c) SNK of Japan. All other copyrights and trademarks that I have failed to mention are also acknowledged. * * * ===================================================================== This FAQ can also be found at www.shoryuken.com in text form. Also, Combo Videos of Capcom Vs. SNK 2 can be found there as well. Movelists and Combo Videos from many other games can also be found there, including Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom Vs. SNK. Please check the site out. It's the best resource out there for all of your Capcom Fighting game needs!! --------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ can also be found at GameFAQs: www.gamefaqs.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== =============================== | What's new in this Version? | =============================== ==VERSION 2.0======================================================== --- Revised and Updated Sections ------------------------------------ - INTRO - Slightly rewritten Intro to reflect new thoughts on the game. Removed "Message to Fighting Game Fanatics". - GUARD METER - Updated Guard Meter section with updated and corrected Guard Crush information. - THROWS AND TECH HITS - Altered Throws And Tech Hits section slightly to accommodate new Technical Throw Data. - DASH - Added Dash information regarding Dashing over opponents on the floor. - DODGE - Added information about canceling a whiffed Dodge Attack in in the Dodge section. - COUNTER ATTACK - Added information in Counter Attack section on Counter Attack Combos. - P-GROOVE - Added frame counts for Parrying in the P-Groove section. - K-GROOVE - Added frame counts for Just Defending in the K-Groove section. - SUPER METER DATA - A few minor changes to the Super Meter Data section, correcting incorrect information. - SYSTEM INFORMATION - Changed Character Selection section to System Information. - CHAIN COMBO - Added new Chun Li Chain Combo. - CHAIN COMBO - Corrected information on Hibiki's Chain Combo. - MOVE CANCELLATION SET-UP - Added Yun SNK Jugglable Move Cancellation Set-up. - THE SNK JUGGLABLE STATE - Modified first four sections slightly. Reworded some things with newfound information. - THE KYO / YUN EXCEPTION - Changed Kyo Exception to The Kyo / Yun Exception with new information. - LEVEL 2 SUPER CANCELING - Reworded some stuff. Few minor additions here and there. - CUSTOM COMBOS - Reworded some stuff in the first 8 sections of this Chapter. Included a reference to what counts as a good Custom Combo in terms of damage. - CUSTOM COMBOS - Added a new type of Custom Combo: the Anti-Air Customs. Also changed the names of the other 4 types of Customs and explained them in a better fashion, thanks to more real world Custom Combo experience. --- Newly Added Sections -------------------------------------------- - TECHNICAL THROW DATA - Added Technical Throw Data section to Universal Abilities chapter. - AUTOGUARD - Added Autoguard section to Universal Abilities chapter. - TRIP GUARD - Added section about Trip Guard to Universal Abilities chapter. - BUFFERING: BUFFERING INTO SUPERS - Added a new section after the Buffering section to help players perform Buffers into Supers. - BUFFERING: THE NEGATIVE EDGE - Added a new section after the Buffering section to help players avoid problems involving the Negative Edge when trying to perform Buffers. - CONTROLLED BUTTON TAPPING SPECIAL MOVES - Added Controlled Button Tapping Special Moves section to the end of Combo Basics 101 chapter. - DAMAGE SCALING - Created new Damage Scaling chapter placed after the Custom Combo chapter. - DAMAGE SCALING - Added Damage Scaling section to Damage Scaling chapter. - POST CUSTOM COMBO DAMAGE - Added Post Custom Combo Damage section to Damage Scaling chapter. - PART III: GLITCHES - Added Part III: Glitches right after Damage Scaling chapter. Also created The Glitches Chapter in this section. - THE VACUUM LEFT CORNER - Added The Vacuum Left Corner section to The Glitches chapter. - PLAYER 2 ONLY CORNER SWITCH - Added Player 2 Only Corner Switch section to the Glitches Chapter. - ROLL CANCELING - Added Roll Canceling section to the Glitches chapter. - PART IV: MOVELISTS - Added Part IV: Movelists right after the Roll Canceling section. - LEGEND - Created Legend section in Part IV: Movelists. - CAPCOM CHARACTERS - Created Capcom Characters section in Part IV: Movelists. - SNK CHARACTERS - Created SNK Characters section in Part IV: Movelists. - PART V: CLOSING - Created Part IV: Closing for organizational sake. I'll bet you're soooo happy I told you that. ^_^ ==VERSION 1.0======================================================== - Everything is new! The FAQ didn't exist before then. ^_^ ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================== | Table of Contents | ===================== I tried something different, this FAQ. I decided to make the sections of the FAQ much more distinct, and I did this by making different headers for each section. So each section (such as the Universal Abilities section) will have their own unique header-look to them, helping you figure out where in the FAQ you are... If this really did help you navigate through the FAQ, please let me know. I'd love to hear the feedback, and to know if doing that whole header thing was worth it in the end. Just e-mail me at jchensor@shoryuken.com. Thanks! _____________________ -----| PART 0: INTRO |----- '=====================' Chapter 00. INTRODUCTION _____________________ -----| PART I: SYSTEMS FAQ |----- '=====================' Chapter 01. CONTROLS Chapter 02. GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS - 00) Intro - 01) Life Meter - 02) Guard Meter - 03) Stun Meter - 04) Timer - 05) Counter Hits Chapter 03. UNIVERSAL ABILITIES - 00) Intro - 01) Walking, Jumping, Crouching, Attacking - 02) Blocking - 03) Special Moves - 04) Super Combos - 05) Buffering - 06) Reversals - 07) High Jumping - 08) Cross-Ups - 09) Throws And Tech Hits - 9a. Technical Throw Data - 10) Autoguard - 11) Trip Guard - 12) Taunts Chapter 04. GROOVE SUB-SYSTEMS - 00) Intro - 01) Dash - 02) Run - 03) Rolling - 04) Dodge - 05) Counter Attack - 06) Counter Movement - 07) Air Guard - 08) Small Jump - 09) Tactical Recovery - 10) Safe Fall - 11) Groove Sub-Systems Chart Chapter 05. THE GROOVES - 00) Intro - 01) C-Groove / Level 2 Super Canceling - 02) A-Groove / Custom Combos - 03) P-Groove / Parry - 04) S-Groove / Power Build And Power Condition - 05) N-Groove / Power Activation - 06) K-Groove / Just Defend Chapter 06. SUPER METER DATA Chapter 07. CHARACTER SELECTION - 00) Intro - 01) Picking Your Character - 02) Color - 03) Ratio System - 04) Order - 05) Round System _____________________ -----| PART II: COMBO FAQ |----- '=====================' Chapter 08. COMBO BASICS 101 - 00) Intro - 01) Multi-Hitting Moves - 02) Jump-Ins - 03) Buffering - 3a. Buffering: Buffering Into Supers - 3b. Buffering: The Negative Edge - 04) The Raging Demon Supers - 05) Rapid Fire Weak Attacks - 06) Links - 07) Chain Combos - 08) Controlled Button Tapping Special Moves Chapter 09. THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM - 00) Intro - 01) The Juggle Set-Up - 02) The Juggle Count - 03) The Juggle Potential - 04) The Juggle Formula - 05) The Juggle Potential Revisited - Gradual Juggle Potential - Phase Juggle Potential Chapter 10. THE SNK JUGGLABLE STATE - 00) Intro - 01) Description - 02) Normal Set-Up - 03) High Jump Cancel Set-Up - 04) Move Cancellation Set-Up - 05) The Kyo / Yun Exception Chapter 11. LEVEL 2 SUPER CANCELING Chapter 12. CUSTOM COMBOS - 00) Intro - 01) Basics - 02) Normal To Normal - 03) Normal To Special - 04) Special To Normal / Special - 05) The Level 1 Super Combo - 06) Rolls In Custom Combos - 07) Juggles In Custom Combos - 08) How To Make A Good Custom - 09) Custom Combo Set-Ups - 10) Types Of Custom Combos - Combo Customs - Blocked Customs - Risk / High Damage Customs - 11) Custom Throws / Otg Throws - 12) Miscellaneous Information Chapter 13. DAMAGE SCALING - 00) Intro - 01) Damage Scaling - 02) Post Custom Combo Damage _____________________ -----| PART III: GLITCHES |----- '=====================' Chapter 14. The Glitches - 00) Intro - 01) The Vacuum Left Corner - 02) Player 2 Only Corner Switch - 03) Roll Canceling _____________________ -----| PART IV: MOVELISTS |----- '=====================' Chapter 15. Legend Chapter 16. Capcom Characters Chapter 17. SNK Characters _____________________ -----| PART V: CLOSING |----- '=====================' Chapter 18. CREDITS AND THANKS Chapter 19. CLOSING _________________________________ -----| Things NOT included in this FAQ |----- '=================================' Even though this FAQ will tell you just about EVERYTHING you need to know about the Game Systems and the Combo Systems and what not, there is still a lot of things this FAQ is missing. One of the main things that this FAQ does NOT have is a "Trivia" section. This section would have all the extras and tidbits you want to know about CvS2. Stuff like the Groove Points System during 1 Player games, Special Intros, Home Version Secrets, How to fight Hidden Bosses, etc. So far, this FAQ is purely a Systems and Combo Guide. Very noticeably missing is the Juggle Counts that I had in my last FAQ for the first Capcom Vs. SNK. That last section took me FOREVER to research in my last FAQ, and with 48 characters, I simply don't think I have the time to fully research it. Plus the Juggle Count really just isn't that simple anymore, and has been severely hampered since the last game with the introduction of Phase Juggles, for example. Hopefully, after reading all of the Juggle Rules, you'll be able to figure most of them out on your own... It's really not that hard, especially in this game where most of the Juggle Counts have been greatly reduced. Chances are VERY low that I'll get around to adding these extra sections (and adding them will make this easily the largest FAQ I have ever written in my life), but I love the game so much, you just never know. I'll pull a Michael Jordan now and say that there is a 99.9% chance I will NOT ever get around to writing this section. ^_^ But since he DID come back with the Wizards in the end, you never know... ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ================ Chapter 00 ---| INTRODUCTION |-------------------------------------------------- ================ Keep in mind one thing: I did love Capcom Vs. SNK when it came out. The game was fun, the characters were nice, and everything about it was just very cool. And it was an old-school Capcom Fighting game. But times change, and let me say that Capcom Vs. SNK turned very much NOT fun quickly. Why? The severe limitations of the game just caused a lot of situations that made it very boring to play when playing against other experts. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 was then created as a way to fix all those problems. And thanks to Capcom Vs. SNK 2, one thing became apparent: Capcom Vs. SNK was a mere shell of what it could really be. I mean, let's face it. Many people complained about Capcom Vs. SNK's treatment of the "SNK"-half of the universe. "Kyo is terrible!!" "SNK Groove isn't nearly as good as Capcom Groove!" "The SNK characters play just like Capcom games!" Nothing about the game felt very "SNK" at all. All of these complaints were pretty valid, and let's face it... even as a mostly Capcom-styled game, it wasn't all that exciting after a while. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is such a huge improvement over Capcom Vs. SNK. My hope were that Capcom Vs. SNK 2 would become huge... to continue the trend of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 in a 2-D Fighting Game revival. Unfortunately, this hasn't quite been the case. While people like to play it, the level of popularity just hasn't gotten that high. And it has a lot to do with some character imbalances (Sagat, Blanka, and A-Bison are more powerful than all other characters, for example). Nevertheless, I personally still enjoy this game immensely. I think it's fun and provides a lot of variety that keeps the game interesting and enjoyable. It hasn't gotten old to me yet. And this variety is why I have created this FAQ. There is still new stuff being found and just a HUGE wealth of information that needs to be explained... so much information, so much more game systems than I have ever seen in a Fighting Game. So to me, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is a wonderful game. Oh, and one more thing... the game has six buttons. SIX BUTTONS. I cannot emphasize how much I am in love with Capcom for making the game six buttons again. I LOVE SIX BUTTONS. I LOVE SIX BUTTONS. If I could get away with writing a 92 page FAQ saying "I LOVE SIX BUTTONS" over and over again, and have it actually be posted and read, I would. But obviously, I can't get away with it, so I'll just say it here one last time: I LOVE SIX BUTTONS. I love six buttons! (Okay, so I lied...) ===================================================================== So here it is: Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Systems Guide and Combo FAQ. A quick warning, though: although this IS a Combo FAQ to a strong extent and will help describe many aspects of combos, it is also a Systems Guide, and is actually more so a Systems Guide than a Combo FAQ. So if you are looking for a list of combos for each character, you won't find them at the end of the Guide. I did not take the time to list Combos for every character. You WILL, however, find a few Combo Videos at www.shoryuken.com and various links to other Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Combo Videos. If you want to check out some nice Combos (or find lots of information regarding any Capcom fighting game), please check it out! We've got a lot of information regarding various Capcom Fighter Games for you! Again, that's: http://www.shoryuken.com Check it out. It's your TRUE competitive edge. And enjoy this Systems Guide. Hope you find it helpful. If you ever want to comment on the Guide, please feel free to send me an e-mail at jchensor@shoryuken.com. I cannot guarantee I'll write back... I am a VERY poor responder to e-mails these days due to absolutely NO free time (it's a wonder I actually managed to find the time to write this guide!!!). So if I do not respond to your e-mail for a month, please don't feel like I'm ignoring you... I simply just have very little time for e-mails these days. So please don't take it personally. Again, enjoy the Guide! ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | PART I: SYSTEMS FAQ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This half of the FAQ will tell you just about how everything in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 works. From Dashing to Rolling to Blocking to Throws to Parrying to Stuns... Just about every technical aspect of just about everything will be described in this half of the Guide (and if it's not, e-mail me and let me know, and I'll add it in there!!! ^_^). So take a look, and learn how Capcom Vs. SNK 2 works from the insides.... ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ============ Chapter 01 ---| CONTROLS |------------------------------------------------------ ============ Here is a diagram of the controls in Capcom Vs. SNK 2. The joystick has been drawn as if you are on the left side of the screen. If you are on the right, Towards becomes Back, Offensive Crouch becomes Defensive Crouch, etc. The buttons remain the same. JOYSTICK POSITIONS | BUTTONS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | ^^^^^^^ | (I LOVE SIX BUTTONS!!!) Up | o | PUNCHES Back Flip o | o Forward Flip | \ | / | o o o \ | / | Jab Strong Fierce Back o ----- o ----- o Towards | Neutral | o o o / | \ | Short Forward Roundhouse Defensive o | o Offensive | Crouch o Crouch | KICKS Down | (or Crouch) | The Controls of the Capcom Vs. SNK 2 will be very familiar if you've played a lot of Capcom Fighting Games before, unless you're used to the four buttons of CvS1. Otherwise, it's your standard Capcom Fighting Game controls. Heheh... I was reviewing my Capcom Vs. SNK Guide, and ran across this paragraph: "The major difference, however (and I'll never forgive Capcom for this), is that instead of six buttons, there are only four buttons..." I just wanted to say, "Capcom: you've redeemed yourself by putting those buttons back in." I LOVE SIX BUTTONS. (Note: A slight warning for those unfamiliar with the original Street Fighter button names. I will refer to the Light Punch button as "Jab", the Medium Punch button as "Strong", and the Hard Punch button as "Fierce". Also, the Light Kick button will be known as "Short", the Medium Kick button as "Forward", and the Hard Kick button as "Roundhouse". The buttons will be referred to in this way often, mainly due to force of habit. I would try my best to rewrite the FAQ using "Light Punch" and terms like that, but I'll say this: those button names are WAY too engrained in my head, and there's no way I'm writing this FAQ with those other terms. But I will do my best to remind those unfamiliar with these names about which button I am referring to with abbreviations like "LK" meaning Light Kick and "HP" meaning Hard Punch.) * * * ================================= -=| A Note About Special Move Names |=- ================================= While we're talking about the name of things, just so you know, I've decided to use the names of the Special Moves that come with the American versions of the game. That way, there's some consistency between the name of the moves in the game itself and the name of the moves in this FAQ. However, that also means that there are some PRETTY stupid names for the moves... and it might actually be SNK's fault, since most of the bad names come from their characters. Iori has a Super Combo that is commonly referred to as the "8 Wine Cups Super" by VARIOUS players on the internet. But in the American CvS2, they decided the name of this move would be the "One-For-The-Road Blast", which is about the dumbest name I can imagine for that move. Ryo has a move called the Kyokugen Kick Dance... that involves four PUNCHES and NO KICKS. So why it's called the "Kick Dance" is beyond me... The only difference is the spelling of some moves. Minor things like calling Ryu's hurricane kick the "Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku" rather than "Senpukyaku" (one 'u' in the middle) as it is listed in the game. Or me calling Yuri's Super Fireball the "Haohshokouken" rather than the "Haoh Sho Koh Ken" as it is called in the game. Minor things like that. But those few changes shouldn't cause any confusion. You can check the Movelists section towards the end of the FAQ to see the names of all the moves as I've called them in this game. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================== Chapter 02 ---| GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS |--------------------------------------------- ===================== 00) Intro 01) Life Meter 02) Guard Meter 03) Stun Meter 04) Timer 05) Counter Hits _____________________________________________________________________ 00) INTRO gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ In every Fighting Game, there are the basic, common factors that exist. Life Meters exist in just about every Fighting Game, as do Timers, for example. This section discusses these things, the factors that can affect the outcome of the battle that are not controllable by the player. _____________________________________________________________________ 01) LIFE METER gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ We ALL know what the Life Meter is. It's that nice bar on the top of the screen that tells you how close you are to being defeated. Not too hard to figure out for even the most casual of Fighting Game fans. "Duh! We all know what the Life Meter is! So why bother talking about it?" you may want to ask me. Well, there are a few things worthy to note about Capcom Vs. SNK 2's Life Meters. There is a lot of good information that you can ascertain about the Life Meter thanks to the Training Mode in the home versions. The first thing to note about the Life Meter is that there are 4 stages in a character's Life Meter. As your life drains in battle, the Life Meter's color changes from yellow to bright orange to dark orange to red. Your Life Meter turns Bright orange when you lose 25% of your energy, dark orange when you lose 50% of your energy, and red after you lose 75% of your energy. Right before you reach the dark orange stage (about after you lose 70% of your energy), your character will begin to take 10% less damage. And part way into the red zone, after you lose about 85% of your energy, you take 25% less damage. So the closer to being defeated you are, the more resilient you become. The other interesting thing to discover is that characters in CvS2 do NOT take "more damage" than others. It is a common way to express the endurance of characters. When people used to talk about CvS1, you'd often hear things like "Blanka takes very little damage for a Ratio 1 character!" or "Nakoruru takes the most damage out of all the Ratio 2 characters!" However, it is interesting to know that, in fact, every character takes the same amount of damage. The difference that makes it SEEM like they take more or less damage is actually the number of "HIT POINTS" the character has, to use a term for you RPG fans out there. Every character in CvS2 has a set number of Hit Points and some, obviously, have more than others. The amount of Hit Points you have is also dependent on which Ratio you are. But an average character, like Ryu (as a Ratio 2 character), has about 14,300 Hit Points. However, someone like Raiden, who has always been known to have far more stamina than other characters, has about 15,500 Hit Points. And a character like Nakoruru, who is a weaker character overall, has about 13,500 Hit Points. Then there are characters like Shin Gouki, who is designed to be FAR weaker than any other character. Shin Gouki, as a Ratio 2 character, has only about 6,400 Hit Points!!! A Level 3 Super by itself is enough to drain all of Shin Gouki's life. Since writing that last paragraph, I was pointed to some information posted by Jotaro on www.shoryuken.com's Forums. He posted some information translated directly from a Hong Kong Gameplayers Magazine article, which got the exact vitality numbers for every character (as a Ratio 2 character) that appears in the arcade version. I was quite happy to see that the values I figured out on my own were VERY close to the actual numbers. ^_^ So below is the information that Jotaro translated for the benefit of all CvS2 players: (note: The vitality for the 4 extra characters on the home versions of CvS2 were calculated by me, so they may not be 100% accurate. But seeing as how my estimates given above were ALL 100 points too little, I just did what I normally did to calculate the Hit Points, and then added 100. ^_^ Also added is the vitality for every character at the different Ratios... Since they are all based off of Ratio 2's Hit Points, these are just the amount of Hit Points calculated using the known percentage change in number of Hit Points between Ratios. To see what those percentages are, please refer to the "Ratio System" section in the "CHARACTER SELECTION" chapter.) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: NUMBER OF HIT POINTS: --------------------------------------------------------------------- R-1 [[==R-2==]] R-3 | R-4 || CHARACTERS ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 12480 [[ 15600 ]] 18252 | 21840 || Chang, Raiden, Zangief ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 12160 [[ 15200 ]] 17784 | 21280 || Geese, Rugal ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 11840 [[ 14800 ]] 17316 | 20720 || Blanka, Dan, E.Honda, M.Bison, [[ ]] | || Sagat, Todo, Yamazaki ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- [[ ]] | || Eagle, Guile, Joe, Ken, Kim, 11520 [[ 14400 ]] 16848 | 20160 || Kyo, Rock, Ryo, Ryu, Terry, [[ ]] | || Vega ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 11200 [[ 14000 ]] 16380 | 19600 || Chun Li, Dhalsim, Haohmaru, [[ ]] | || Hibiki, Iori, Maki, Rolento ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- [[ ]] | || Athena, Benimaru, Balrog, 10880 [[ 13600 ]] 15912 | 19040 || Cammy, King, Kyosuke, Mai, [[ ]] | || Nakoruru, Sakura, Vice, Yuri ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 10560 [[ 13200 ]] 15444 | 18480 || Yun, Morrigan ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 10240 [[ 12800 ]] 14976 | 17920 || Akuma ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 8480 [[ 10600 ]] 12402 14840 || Blood Iori, Evil Ryu ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 7360 [[ 9200 ]] 10764 | 12880 || God Rugal ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- 5200 [[ 6500 ]] 7605 | 9100 || Shin Gouki ------[[=======]]-------|--------||---------------------------------- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Ratio 2 Hit Points have been "highlighted" to an extent, because those are the values that all the other Hit Points were calculated off of. Thus, they would be the most accurate. Also, note how Ratio 3 Chang, Zangief, and Raiden have MORE HIT POINTS than a Ratio 4 Akuma!!! And why are they so mean to Morrigan?!? What's with this low Hit Point count for her?? But there you have the Hit Point chart. Thanks, Jotaro, for translating all of this!! _____________________________________________________________________ 02) GUARD METER gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ If you end up Blocking too much in this game, eventually, your "Guard will break." What that means is that your character, after Blocking one too many attacks, will go into a short stun period in which they are vulnerable. The Guard Meter can be seen on the screen. It's the short, green meter under the bottom of your Life Meter. Blocking attacks will cause the Meter to drain. This is known as taking "Guard Damage." The amount of Guard Damage done is directly related to the strength of the move that is Blocked. Moves that do less damage do less Guard Damage. Moves that do more damage do more Guard Damage. Unfortunately, I haven't quite figured out the correlation between damage and Guard Damage in an exact formula. Right now, it makes very little sense. A 300 damage move will completely drain an average Guard Meter in 25 hits. But a 200 damage move will drain an average Guard Meter in 49 hits. You would expect a move that's 2/3 the strength to take 150% longer, no 200%. So the exact formula for damage to Guard Damage ratio hasn't been figured out, but it's safe to say that the more damage a move does, the more Guard Meter it drains. In some instances, characters can gain strength bonuses, such as in K-Groove when your Super Meter is full, giving you an extra 35% damage. And, yes, those strength increases do affect Guard Damage as well. (Note: Please note that I use the terms "Guard Damage" and "Block Damage" throughout this FAQ. They are two DIFFERENT THINGS. Guard Damage refers to Blocking an attack and losing some Guard Meter. Block Damage refers to Blocking a Special Move or a Super Combo and losing some of your LIFE Meter.) As you Block attacks, the Guard Meter continues to drain. Once it is down to about 33% left, the Guard Meter and the border of your Life Meter will begin to flash wildly. Also, if you listen carefully, the Blocking sound changes from a solid sound to a weaker, more "paper-y" sound. If you continue to take Guard Damage and your Guard Meter becomes fully drained, this is what is known as having your Guard "broken." The game refers to this as "Guard Crush." Your character will suddenly go into a "dizzy"-like animation where your character reels backwards, arms raised in the air. You will then be vulnerable for that small period of time, and the enemy can easily take advantage of this and land a Level 3 Super, a Custom Combo, or just about anything else they want to for free. After your Guard is broken, your Guard Meter will refill to it's max and will be back to the same state that it was at the start of the round. Also, in C-Groove, Air Blocking moves also drains Guard Meter. If your Guard is broken while in the air, your character will go into the Guard Crush animation in the air but fall VERY QUICKLY onto the floor, where your vulnerability continues. You cannot shake out of the Guard Crush stun. It lasts for a fairly brief period, but you cannot make it last shorter by mashing on the joystick and buttons like you can when you fall Dizzy. If you don't Block any attacks or take any hits for about 3 seconds of actual time, the Guard Meter begins to slowly refill. However, the instant you get hit or Block an attack, the Meter will stop refilling (and if you Blocked something, it will drain even further obviously). So in order to get your Guard Meter back, you have to keep yourself from Blocking or getting hit by anything. So if your Guard Meter is about to be drained, try to go on the offense to prevent your Guard from being broken. If you can string together a nice offensive sequence, you'll have your full Guard Meter back in no time. Things that do not affect the length of your Guard Meter: All characters have the same Guard Meter length. In other words, Chang Guard Breaks as easily as Yun. Ratios don't affect Guard Meter. The Guard Damage done is always based off of the base damage a character does (the base damage being that of a Ratio 2 character). Also, how much energy your opponent has in their Life Meter OR their Super Meter does not ever increase their resistance to taking Guard Damage. Guard Damage is consistent through and through. The only thing that actually affects how long your Guard Meter is is your Groove. K-Groove and P-Groove have shorter Guard Meters than the other 4 Grooves. The other four Grooves have the same Guard Meter length. To get a good idea of how the lengths of the Guard Meters compare to each other, I can assign the average Guard Meter of C-Groove, A-Grove, S-Groove, and N-Groove a value of 100 points in length. K-Groove, then, has about 90 points of Guard Meter and P-Groove has about 80 points of Guard Meter. The Meters, on the screen, will look exactly the same in length, but the amount of Guard Damage each Meter can take is actually different. (Note: Last version of this FAQ had a chart showing how many hits it took for one Groove to Guard Crush another Groove provided by Kris Grytebust. It was taken out because the damage, as it turned out, was not affected by the attacking Groove but only by damage given. Still, though, all the research Kris provided is still greatly appreciated!) _____________________________________________________________________ 03) STUN METER gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ The concept of Stun, or "falling dizzy" as it is commonly referred to as, has existed since Street Fighter II Classic. Basically, if your character is struck too many times in a row, your character will fall dizzy. As soon as this occurs, even in the middle of a Combo or if the move that knocks you dizzy is just a Normal Move, your character be knocked over and fall down onto the ground. Stars will begin rotating around your head the INSTANT they are knocked dizzy, so you will see the stars while they are falling over. When you get up, your character will be in Stun, and you cannot perform ANY actions. Your character is thus susceptible to anything the opponent chooses. To put it more bluntly, the instant you become Stunned, the enemy gets a free Combo. Once your character falls dizzy, he/she won't stay dizzy forever. After a certain amount of time your character will recover and return back to a normal condition, but it takes a while. While you are dizzy, however, you can try to come out of dizzy faster by shaking your controller and mashing on the buttons as fast as you can. Doing this will make your character recover quicker than normal, but be careful not to go overboard with the shaking... If your character DOES shake out, and you are still wiggling the joystick, you may eat the Combo your opponent is going for anyhow. So shake as much as possible, but right before your enemy strikes you, just hold Block. If you shook out, you'll Block their attack and be safe. If you didn't shake out, wiggling the controller right before the enemy hits you won't make a difference anyhow. The Stun Meter cannot be seen anywhere on the screen, but is kept track of "internally". In other words, you can't see it anywhere on the screen (outside of Training Mode in the home versions). Basically, the Stun Meter is just a counter with a max value, and every time you get struck, the counter increases. I will refer to this concept as taking "Stun Damage". And once the counter reaches the max, your character will fall dizzy. The amount of Stun Damage you take depends on the strength of the move that hit you. The normal damage done and the amount of Stun Damage you take is almost a direct 100 to 1 relationship. A move that does 1400 damage does about 14 points of Stun Damage. A Combo that does 2600 damage will do about 25 points of Stun Damage. So it's not a DIRECT relationship, but a good indication of how it'll work. Some moves will not have this relationship, though. For example, performing a full Poison Gnawfest (the Fireball + Fierce (HP) into Reverse Half-circle + Fierce (HP) into Towards + Fierce (HP) sequence) chain will do about 2500 but only do 8 amount of Stun Damage. And it is good to note: Super Combos and Custom Combos do absolutely NO STUN DAMAGE. So you will never have to worry about your opponent falling dizzy in the middle of a Custom Combo or a Super Combo. There is the exception, though, of Ryo's Heaven Glaze Punch (Level 3 Stun Super) and Evil Ryu's Metsu Hadouken (unblockable Level 3 only Super Fireball). Those moves are DESIGNED to knock people dizzy, so they WILL add to the Stun Meter, even though they are Super Combos. The Stun Meter does reset after a fixed amount of time. Basically, if your character is not hit for that length of time, your character's Stun Meter will reset to zero regardless of how much Stun Damage you've incurred up to that point. But if you DO get hit during that period of time, you'll have to wait the full length of time after being struck again to have it drain all the way. So if you aren't hit for 90% of that length of time and then are hit by even a Jab or a Short, you'll have to wait that full length of time again before the Stun Meter drains to zero. Do note that Blocking does NOT count as being hit. So if you Block a bunch of attacks, you can still have your Stun Meter reset. As soon as you are knocked dizzy, your Stun Meter drains to zero. Then, any further hit in the Combo (falling dizzy does not reset the Combometer) will NOT ADD ANY STUN DAMAGE. So after the enemy finishes Comboing you from a Stun, you will start up with zero Stun Damage. Also, when you are knocked dizzy, your Stun Meter increases it's max by 3 points. So after getting dizzy once, it becomes harder to get dizzy again. However, the next Round, things reset to their defaults, so the fact that your Stun Meter increases rarely makes any impact on the game at all. Almost every character falls into one of two groups when it comes to the Stun Meter. There is the standard group, which has the Stun Meter length of 70. Then, there is the weaker group of which the Stun Meter length is only 60. There is a third group of privileged characters who have a Stun Meter length of 80, but only four characters fall into this category. Below are the groups listed, and which character falls into which group: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Stun Meter of 60: Akuma, Athena, Benimaru, Blood Iori, Cammy, Dhalsim, Evil Ryu, God Rugal, Hibiki, Kyosuke, Mai, Morrigan, Nakoruru, Rolento, Sakura, Shin Gouki, Vega, Yun, Yuri Stun Meter of 70: Balrog, Blanka, Chun Li, Dan, Eagle, Geese, Guile, Haohmaru, Iori, Joe, Ken, Kim, King, Kyo, Maki, M. Bison, Rock, Rugal, Ryo, Ryu, Sagat, Terry, Todo, Vice, Yamazaki Stun Meter of 80: Chang, E.Honda, Raiden, Zangief ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: There are some weird choices that Capcom made, in my opinion. Rolento is part of the 60 group and Dan is part of the 70 group? You'd think that Capcom would've loved to put Dan in the lower group. Guess they really are being nice to Dan in this game. ^_^ And Capcom has something against the women, it seems, as all of them, save four, are in the 60 group. And of the four in the 70 group, it's Chun Li, Maki, King, and Vice? I would think that Morrigan and Mai would be more likely to be in the 70 group in place of Maki and Vice. Oh well. Just my opinion... _____________________________________________________________________ 04) TIMER gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ There is not much to discuss on the Timer. The Timer is the same thing that you know from practically every Fighting Game in existence. The Timer starts at 99.9 at the beginning of a Round and quickly counts down to 00.0. Once the Timer reaches zero, whichever character has more Life Meter left over wins the Round, and if both characters have the exact same amount of Life left, the Round is considered a draw. If that happens to be the final round of the game, both characters lose. There is no sudden death, and the game ends for both players. _____________________________________________________________________ 05) COUNTER HITS gameplay elements _____________________________________________________________________ Counter Hits occur when you strike the enemy during the "start-up" animation of their move. Basically, whenever you perform a move, there are about three parts to a move: initiation, hitting, and recovery. Let's look at Ken's Towards + Roundhouse (HK) as an example. When you perform this move, Ken first goes into the animation where he begins to swing his leg around. These Animation Frames do not hit, not yet. He's just bringing his leg out in front to kick you. That's the initiation phase. Then, his leg becomes fully extended, and in that one frame, Ken's kick can hit you. That's the hitting phase. After that frame passes, Ken moves back to a normal standing position. His kick can't hit anymore, and he's just slowly getting back to the normal Neutral State. During this period, Ken cannot attack, move, or do anything because he is in the recovery phase. A Counter Hit occurs when you are struck out of the first two phases: initiation and hitting. Anytime you are hit during these frames, your character will flash white when they are struck and the words "Counter Hit" appear on the screen under your Life Meter and Guard Meter. Some moves bypass certain phases (Uppercut-type moves, for example, generally do not have any initiation phases). Also, Projectiles (like Ryu's Hadouken, Guile's Sonic Boom, Rugal's Wind Slice (The Reppuken ground Projectile), and Terry's Power Wave do NOT COUNT as having recovery. If you strike the enemy during their delay from throwing a Projectile, you will be rewarded with a Counter Hit. You can also be rewarded with a Counter Hit for hitting people out of the air. As long as you hit the enemy during the initiation or hitting phase, you get a Counter Hit. So what are the implications of a Counter Hit? A Counter Hit rewards the person landing the hit two things: 1) Increased damage. 2) Slightly longer Reel Stun. Regarding the increased damage, a Counter Hit will reward you with 20% extra damage. So a move that does, normally, 1000 Hit Points of damage will now do 1200. The second effect makes it so that moves will cause longer Reel Stun. This allows for certain moves that never Comboed before to actually Combo! However, there is a lot of details regarding this, and to learn more about it, please read up on the "Counter Hits" section in the second half of this FAQ (the Combo FAQ half). Otherwise, it is enough to know, for now, that Reel Stun lasts longer. As far as I know, if you Counter Hit someone out of the air, the only added benefit you get is the extra damage. Since there is no Reel Stun in the air, there isn't any Reels Stuns to increase. Counter Hits definitely do NOT play as big of a role in this game as they did in Street Fighter Alpha 3. In Alpha 3, Counter Hits affected gameplay all over the place. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, more than likely, you will barely notice the affects of Counter Hits. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ======================= Chapter 03 ---| UNIVERSAL ABILITIES |------------------------------------------- ======================= 00) Intro 01) Walking, Jumping, Crouching, Attacking 02) Blocking 03) Special Moves 04) Super Combos 05) Buffering 06) Reversals 07) High Jumping 08) Cross-Ups 09) Throws And Tech Hits - 9a. Technical Throw Data 10) Autoguard 11) Trip Guard 12) Taunts ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 00. INTRO \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ By referring to Universal Abilities, I am referring to abilities that are shared among ALL characters and Grooves in CvS. Regardless of which Groove you pick or which character you pick, you will have these abilities. These range from your most basic of abilities, such as Walking, Blocking, Crouching, Jumping, Buffering, Taunting, and Throwing. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 01. WALKING, JUMPING, CROUCHING, ATTACKING \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ If you've ever played a Fighting Game before, Capcom or SNK, just skip this paragraph, trust me. But I'll be brief about it, in case you read it anyhow. The four basic actions that are given to a character in almost every fighting game created are the ability to Walk forward or backwards (by hitting Towards or Back), to Crouch (by hitting any of the three Down positions on the joystick), to Jump in any of three directions (Up for a straight up Jump, Back Flip to Jump backwards, or Forward Flip to Jump forward), and to Attack (by hitting a button with or without the combination of a joystick motion). These are the four absolute most basic actions given to a character. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 02. BLOCKING \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Although this can be considered a fifth basic action, I will give this it's own section just to clarify one thing. Unlike the original SF games, CvS2 takes the stance of Blocking similar to more recent Street Fighter games. Your character will only Block if the enemy is attacking you and the attack is NEAR you. In other words, if your character is a screen away from the opponent, and your opponent throws out a bunch of Crouching Shorts (LK), your character will not go into Block stance. The attack has to be near you in order for it to cause you to Block. Everyone knows this: hold Back to block high, mid, and Jumping Attacks, as well as Overheads. Hold Defensive Crouch to Block mid and low attacks (Sweeps). Once you Block an attack, you are rendered "stuck" in Block Stun. If another attack connects on your character before you end your Block Stun, you will again be put into Block Stun and forced to Block again. In fact, since you are stuck in Block Stun during an attack, you can let go of the controller altogether and still block the next attack if you have not recovered from the first Block Stun. So for example, if Ryu performs a Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku (Super Hurricane Kick) next to you and you block the first attack, you can pretty much let go of the controller at this point, because you will automatically block every other attack from that move. However, if you are Blocking in the wrong height (in terms of high/low attacks), you will still be hit. So, let's say the enemy does a Jumping Roundhouse (HK) and you high Block it. If the enemy does a Crouching Roundhouse (HK) while you are still in your Block Stun and you don't low Block it, just because you are in Block Stun doesn't mean you will automatically Crouch to Block the Crouch Roundhouse (HK). You still have to adjust high or low for Blocking, even during Block Stun. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 03. SPECIAL MOVES \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Every character in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (and in almost EVERY 2-D Fighting Game for that matter) have what are called Special Moves. A Special Move is an attack that requires a specific joystick motion or a combination of buttons to perform. Examples of Special Moves are Ryu's Hadouken (which requires a Down, Offensive Crouch, Towards joystick motion before pressing Punch), Zangief's Double Lariat (which requires you to hit two Punch buttons simultaneously), Chang's Spinning Iron Ball (which requires you to tap Punch as fast as possible), and Raiden's Super Drop Kick (which requires you to hold two Kicks for a period of time before letting go of the Kicks). There are two main things about Special Moves that make them significant besides the alternate methods required to perform them. The first property of a Special Move is that they do damage even if the attack is Blocked. This Block Damage is by far less than the normal amount of damage that it would deal if it connected. However, if you have no energy left and you Block a Special Move, you will be defeated. Another property of a Special Move is the ability to be canceled into from a "Bufferable" Normal Move. This technique is invaluable to many characters as a form of attack and for performing Combos. Please view the sections on Buffering later in this chapter and also in the Combo FAQ half of this FAQ for more details on what Buffering means and how it affects things. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 04. SUPER COMBOS \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Regardless of which Groove you select in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, you have the ability to perform Super Combos. Just like Special Moves, these require joystick motions to perform. The motions needed are generally far more complex than that of a Special Move. The thing that sets them apart from Special Moves is that they require (in most cases) the use of the Super Meter. Regardless of your Groove, you can do a Super Combo, but how much Meter a Super Combo takes up is dependent on which Groove you are in and what Level you use. Every Super Combo has three different levels that can be performed: a Level 1 Super, a Level 2 Super, and a Level 3 Super. The Level 3 version of a Super Combo always does more damage than the Level 2 Super Combo which always does more damage than a Level 1 Super Combo. There are also certain Supers that can ONLY be performed as a Level 3. Certain Grooves can only perform certain Leveled Supers. A-Groove, for example, can only perform Level 1 Supers. S-Groove can perform Level 1 or Level 3 Supers, but the conditions needed for a Level 3 Super are very specific. Please see the Grooves chapter for specifics on which Supers can be performed and how. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 05. BUFFERING \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Extremely useful, highly practical, never dropped, and always mimicked, Buffering has been around since the original Street Fighter II. This technique is also known as "Two-in-ones" in some circles. It has been adapted into almost every fighting game you can think of, from popular arcade games like King of the Fighters, Samurai Shodown II, Mortal Kombat 4, Killer Instinct, and Guilty Gear X to even small time and relatively unknown console-only fighting games like TMNT: Tournament Fighters, Critical Blow, and Dynasty Warriors. The concept of Buffering is the ability for a character to cancel the animation of a Normal Move into one of their Special Moves or Super Combos. Normally, the Normal Move causes the enemy to reel long enough for the Special Move to hit them while they are still in their Reel Stun, rewarding the attacker with a Combo. An example of this is the ability for Ryu to cancel Crouching Forward (MK) into a Hadouken for the 2-Hit Combo that we've seen since the dawn of Street Fighter. Buffering can only be done with certain Normal Moves, and this isn't consistent between characters, not by a long shot. Only certain Normal Moves for every character is "Bufferable". That means they have the ability to be canceled into a Special Move or Super Combo. Even though some characters may have three or four times as many Bufferable Moves as a different character, you can be guaranteed that EVERY character has at least one Bufferable move. Also, Bufferable Normal Moves generally can only be Buffered on certain Animation Frames. For example, a Kyo Crouching Fierce (HP), if performed right next to an enemy, can be Buffered the instant the move hits into any of his Special Moves or Super Combos. However, Kyo's Crouching Fierce (HP) can also connect later in it's animation. Let's say an enemy Jumps at you and you use Crouching Fierce (HP) and hit him/her out of the air with the frame where Kyo has his arm almost fully extended. If you try to Buffer Crouch Fierce (HP) at this time, it won't work. That is because only certain frames of moves are Bufferable. Kyo's Crouching Fierce (HP) is only Bufferable on it's first hitting Animation Frame. To Buffer a Bufferable Normal Move, simply do the code for the Special Move or Super Combo and make sure you have hit the button to activate the Special Move the instant the Bufferable Move connects with the enemy. Remember, only Bufferable frames work with this technique. Also, some Normal Moves can ONLY be Buffered into Super Combos. For example, Benimaru's Crouching Forward (MK) cannot be Buffered into the Lightning Fist (the Raikouken spark) or his Shinkuu Katategoma or any of his other Special Moves. However, he CAN Buffer it into his Heaven Blast Flash (the Taikuu Raikouken spark Super) or his Discharge Spark. Many Normal Moves are like this. In fact, I'd dare say that more Normal Moves in this game can be Buffered into a Super than cannot. That could be an exaggeration, but I do know that MANY moves can be Buffered into Supers. Buffering becomes very useful for attack patterns. But they are ESPECIALLY useful for Combos. Moves that are normally not safe to use by themselves can be turned VERY useful thanks to the ability to Buffer Normal Moves. For example, Yamazaki's Fierce (HP) Serpent Slash, while having good recovery, can be relatively dangerous to use against opponents who move around constantly. If you use it too often, the enemy can easily Jump over it or Roll through it and punish you. However, if you learn that you can Buffer Yamazaki's Standing Fierce (HP), the Serpent Slash becomes vastly more useful. Since the Standing Fierce (HP) hits so much more quickly that a Serpent Slash, you can tag enemies with the Standing Fierce (HP) first, and then Buffer it into the Fierce (HP) Serpent Slash, which allows you to safely dish out Block Damage. And you end up safe afterwards as well! Thus, you can see how Buffering is very useful in creating attack sequences. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 06. REVERSALS \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ This describes the ability for a character to go from a "non-hittable" state straight into a Special Move instantly with nothing happening in between. Whenever you successfully perform a Reversal, the message "Reversal" will actually appear on the screen under your character's Life Meter and Guard Meter. There are four situations that a player is able to perform a Reversal attack: 1) Going straight from getting up off the floor (during which you are invincible) into a Special Move (the INSTANT you are done getting up, the first Animation Frame you go into is your Special Move); 2) Going straight from Block Stun into a Special Move (the INSTANT your Block Stun ends, the first Animation Frame you go into is your Special Move); 3) If you are hit out of the air by a non-Knock-Down move and can no longer be Juggled, you can go straight from your landing animation (during which you are invincible) into a Special Move (right when you land, the first Animation Frame you will go into will be your Special Move); 4) The instant you come out of a Stun, you can do a Special Move that will count as a Reversal (this one is the only situation where you don't go from invincible to the Special Move, so I'm not sure why they included this scenario...). Reversals are most useful in conjunction will moves that are invincible when they start. They don't even have to be invincible, but just have high priority. Most "Dragon Punch" or "Uppercut" type moves are good for Reversals, moves like Ryu or Ken's Shoryuken, Cammy's Cannon Spike, Kim's Flying Slice, etc. Also, Level 3 Supers (or any other level Super that has good priority) can be used, as can Custom Combos. Even Dodges and Rolls can be used as Reversals. The Level 3 Supers and Uppercut-like moves will beat any attack or Throw that is attempted on you at that first instant when you become vulnerable again while the Customs, Dodges, and Rolls will just avoid them. Also a common term that is used in conjunction with Reversals is the "Meaty Attack". A Meaty Attack is an attack that is timed so that the enemy will get up into it after being knocked down. In other words, if the enemy tries to perform a move when they get up against your Meaty Attack and he/she mistimes it so that they do not perform a Reversal, they will get hit the instant they get up. An example of a Meaty attack would be Bison's Crouching Roundhouse (HK). If you knock the enemy over, and then do Bison's long-lasting slide attack and time it so that the enemy gets up into it, that is considered a Meaty Attack. However, keep in mind that a Reversal that has invincibility will ALWAYS beat a Meaty Attack. Also, performing a Reversal to properly beat a Meaty Attack requires VERY good timing. In fact, the window during which you can perform a Reversal is very small. Thus, if you are hit by Meaty Attacks and fail your Reversal, do not worry. This is a common occurrence: no one, I don't think, can perform a Reversal 100% of the time. Note: through out this Guide, I will also refer to Reversals as "Wake-ups". Wake-ups are Reversals, but they are pretty much ONLY referring to Reversals that are performed when getting up off of the ground. So if I say something like, "Ryu can perform a Wake-Up Shoryuken...", I'm referring to Ryu performing a Reversal Shoryuken when getting up off of the ground. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 07. HIGH JUMPING \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ If you are a fan of the Versus Games, like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, make sure to note that, although performed the same way, High Jumping is NOTHING like Super Jumping. No, in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, High Jumping is more similar to the High Jumping from the King of the Fighters or the Street Fighter Three Series. A High Jump is simply that: a High Jump. It's higher and longer than your standard Jump. To do a High Jump, simply hit Down right before you hit any of the three Up positions on the joystick. You cannot just hold Down, then Jump and get a High Jump. You MUST tap Down before hitting any of the three Up positions. Doing so will result in your character doing a higher, longer Jump. You'll know if it's a High Jump because your character will leave behind a "shadow trail". This is good for attacking enemies across the screen, or getting an advantage on air to air attacks. Otherwise, there are no special properties of a High Jump. A High Jump is simply just that: a higher version of your regular Jump. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 08. CROSS-UPS \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Cross-ups really were an "accident" on Capcom's part. They existed in the very first Street Fighter II Classic, and somehow I don't think they were an intentional thing. But strangely, they have worked their way so strongly into gameplay that possessing a Cross-up can make or break a character. I can't possibly express how much I wish someone like King had a reliable Cross-up. If she did, I swear she'd be SO MUCH better than she is right now. And I also can think to myself that a character like Blanka just didn't NEED a Cross-up. He's good enough of a character without one, and having one only makes him much better than he needs to be. So born out of an accident, Capcom now purposely tries to give characters "Cross-ups". They seem to be pretty random with their decisions to reward some characters with Cross-ups. Some characters have Cross-Ups that work like a charm, other characters don't have ANY Cross-ups. And then some characters have Cross-ups that require precise distancing that, after practicing it enough and getting accustomed to it, become like clockw0rk... er... clockwork. And THEN some characters, if you land their Cross-ups, you probably would have been better off going to Las Vegas and using that luck on a slot machine! So what exactly is a Cross-up? A Cross-up is a move that you perform while Jumping that has a "Hit Box" slightly behind the Jumping character. Basically, what this means is that you can strike your opponent when Jumping OVER them, because your move hits far enough back to catch the enemy that's still under you. This is a VERY important thing to possess. It allows for you to attack characters, whether they are getting up or whether you just managed to get close enough to Jump or High Jump over them, from the air with relative safety. Jumping at, for example, Kyo from the front is a fairly risky thing to do. If he's ready for you, he's gonna Fire Ball (Kyo's uppercut) you out of the air. However, if you distance it right and manage to jump just barely over him, his Fire Ball (Kyo's uppercut) will miss, and you can punish him from behind. If he doesn't do the Fire Ball (Kyo's uppercut), you'll force him to Block your Cross-up, and you can end up right next to him with total Frame Advantage. From there, go for a nice poke sequence, a good Block Combo, or even a Throw attempt from one of the various Throw set-ups you can try. But best yet, because you Jump so that you hit them after you barely pass over them, Blocking sometimes becomes ambiguous for the enemy, and they might end up Blocking the wrong way! If that happens, you can easily HIT the enemy, and then go for a Combo right there and then! And after Cross-ups, you end up RIGHT next to the enemy, which usually means you can go for a nice, long, damaging Combo. Every character, as I said, has different levels of effectiveness for their Cross-ups. Also, some characters have more than one Cross-up! In a future version of this FAQ, I may include a "Cross-up" chart, indicating what the characters' best Cross-ups are. But for now, you'll just have to experiment and figure it out on your own. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 9. THROWS AND TECH HITS \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Throws have been reverted back to their original style of only needing one button to Throw for those of you from the Capcom side of things (especially the Third Strike and Alpha 3 players). For you SNK players out there, Throws are pretty much done the same as in King of the Fighters. To perform a Throw, simply walk right up to the opponent, hold Toward or Back, and Press Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK). Every character in this game has two Throws, so either one will work. And unlike older Capcom Fighting Games, two Throws is ALL you get. You CANNOT Throw with Strong (MP) or Forward (MK) in this game. Obviously, the use for a Throw is that the enemy cannot Block a Throw. Contrary to popular belief, this does NOT make Throws cheap. Actually, because Throws have such little range in this game, Throws are everything BUT cheap. They are a necessity to gameplay. After all, everything in a Fighting Game needs a counter. In your traditional 2-D Fighting Game, Throws are a counter to Blocking. Pure and simple. So if you think the enemy will Block, Throw. And if you're wrong, you'll wind up eating anything from a single hit to a small Combo to a Level 3 Super. So Throws aren't cheap by any means. Don't complain about them, learn to play with them. Apologies with regards to my little editorial there about Throws and the common misconception that they are cheap... ^_^ Characters cannot be Thrown out of Hit Stun or Block Stun. If you intend on performing a "Tick" or a "Cheap Shot" (which is what some people refer to as the act of making someone Block an attack like a Crouch Short (LK) and then following up that with a Throw. It's NOT cheap, regardless of the name people give it, I'm telling you...), you MUST wait for the character to come out of their Stun (whether it's a Hit Stun or Block Stun) before you can Throw. So for example, you can land a Cross-up Forward (MK) with Ryu. The instant you land, you are RIGHT next to the enemy and in range for a Throw. But if you try to Throw with, say, Fierce (HP), you'll end up punching instead. Why? The enemy is still in Block Stun, so the pressing of Fierce (HP) will check to see if you can Throw the enemy or not. Since you cannot, it will then make the Standing Fierce (HP) come out instead. So if you WANT to Throw the enemy after a Cross-up, you must wait half a second for the enemy to come out of Block Stun, and THEN hit Fierce (HP) to Throw. Some characters also have Air Throws. They are done pretty much the same. If you Jump and your opponent is near you in the air, hold any direction except up and press Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK), depending on which button your Air Throw is. Not every character has an Air Throw (more don't than do) and those that have Air Throws may only have one, unlike ground Throws where everyone has two Throws. They also have implemented Counter Throws (their official name is a "Tech Hit") in this game. If you get Thrown by the enemy, but anticipated it and tried Throw them before they Throw you, you will "deflect" their Throw attempt. Both of your characters will push each other away (a big, bright light flashes between you, and you two slide away from each others with arms in the air...) and no one will take damage. The way to perform a Tech Hit is to simply hit Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK) when you are Thrown. If you timed it correctly, your character will deflect your opponent's Throw, and both characters will come away unscathed. One VERY important thing about Teching Throws in Capcom Vs. SNK 2: you cannot Tech Hit a Throw 100% of the time. There are many situations where, if Thrown, you simply are not allowed to Tech Hit, such as during a Roll. In Capcom Vs. SNK 1, you were even allowed to Tech Hit during a Roll! But now, you aren't allowed to, so punishing Rolls with a Throw is 100% guaranteed. Please see the Throw Technical Data below for situations on when you cannot Tech Hit. Also, you cannot Tech Hit Air Throws, even if your character has an Air Throw too. Throws are NOT instant in Capcom Vs. SNK 2. This is a VERY significant thing to note, as you can see how it'll affect gameplay. In games like Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Throws were instantaneous and could even be used as a Wake-up! A Wake-up Throw would beat a Meaty attack in Super Turbo. But in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Throws CANNOT be used as a Wake-up, because they are not instant. They take a few frames to register and, by then, you've already been hit. In general, Punch Throws come out faster than Kick Throws. However Punch Throws, however, do a little bit less damage than Kick Throws and have a larger window to be Teched. So while they are faster, they can be escaped much easier and do less damage for the most part. See the Technical Throw Data below for the exact frame numbers for the Throw. Sometimes, when an opponent Throws you and you hit your button at the EXACT same time, you do not Tech Hit the Throw. This usually generates the steady supply of "Why didn't I Tech that Throw?!?" complaint. Well, there's actually a reason for this. Let's say your opponent comes up to you and tries to Throw you and you hit your button at almost exactly the same time as your opponent hit his/her button. If you and your opponent try to Throw each other with Punch Throws (it takes 3 frames for a Punch Throw to officially come out and connect) and you hit your button one frame after he/she hits his/her button, you will get Thrown because your opponent hit the button first. However, even though you hit your button practically at the exact same as your opponent, you do not Tech Hit the Throw! What's going on? Well, as it turns out, in order to Tech Hit properly you actually have to hit the button slightly AFTER they Throw you. The reason for this is that you hit your button before their Throw actually registers as connecting against you: during the 3 frames of start-up time for the opponent's Throw. So your button press is registering as a Throw, not a Tech Hit! Since you pressed your button a little too early, you aren't getting a Tech Hit. Plus, even if you tap the button twice in a row really quickly, you STILL won't Tech the Throw. This is because the first time you tapped the button makes it so that you are trying to Throw... which means you AREN'T IN A NEUTRAL STATE. And remember I said you cannot Tech a Throw unless you are in a Neutral State. So hitting a button to Tech too quickly CAN result in a guaranteed Throw for your opponent. VERY frustrating... Note, you cannot Tech Hit Special Move Throws. So if Zangief, Raiden, Benimaru, Vice, Todo, Morrigan, Rock, Yun, Athena, or Chang catch you with any of their Special Move Throws, you will be Thrown. There is no way to Tech Hit those. Also, though I've said this already, you cannot Tech Hit Air Throws. One fun and trivial thing to note about Throws: they implemented the DarkStalkers missed Throw animation system!! If you try and Throw an opponent and the opponent leaves your Throw range RIGHT before you hit the Throw button, your character will actually execute a missed Throw animation! The best, so far, is Terry, who utters a "WHAT?!?" when he misses his Throw. ^_^ Of course, as Majestros was quick to point out to me, Rolento is less shocked and more pissed. Take a listen to Rolento. ^_^ ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 9a. TECHNICAL THROW DATA \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ On the www.shoryuken.com Forums, hyt posted a lot of details regarding Throws in CvS2 taken from the Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 Official Guidebook by Famitsu. Below is this exact same information, but heavily edited by me for presentation's sake. I also added a few more bits of info here and there, but otherwise all information below was taken from that post. Thus, the real credit goes to hyt for taking the time and effort to transcribe all of this information down. Thanks, hyt!! This is great stuff. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------- | Throw Rules | ---------------- Remember I stated that you cannot Tech Hit a Throw in certain situations. Below are these rules. You cannot tech a throw when you are: - in the execution or delay frames of a Special Move or Super Move. - in a Roll. - Running. - Dodging. - Dizzy. - Guard Crushed. - Charging your S-Groove Meter. - Breaking a Power Stock in N-Groove. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -------------- | Frame Data | -------------- Below is the data for the Frames of a Normal Throw listed in number form as well as a small visual representation. Start-up frames are frames it takes before the Throw actually connects. The "Tech-Hittable" frames are the frames you need to press the button in order to perform the Tech Hit. The first Tech-Hittable frame is when the Throw actual connects. And remember that, by frames, we mean refresh frames and not Animation Frames. In a Capcom fighting game, there are 30 refresh frames per second, so 1 frame is equal to one of those frames. ----------------------------------------------------- | Frame Legend (Each symbol counts as one Frame) | ----------------------------------------------------- | - | Start-up Frame | | * | Tech-Hittable Frame | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | Throw | Frame Data | Visual | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | Punch | 3 Start-up Frames, 7 Tech-Hittable Frames | ---******* | | Kick | 5 Start-up Frames, 3 Tech-Hittable Frames | -----*** | | Air | 0 Start-up Frames, 0 Tech-Hittable | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ----------------------- | Ground Throw Ranges | ----------------------- The common range for a normal Throw is 52 pixels for either Punch Throw or Kick Throw for most characters. A Throw's range is measured in "pixels" from the reference point. Where is this reference point? Imagine that your character's sprite is enclosed in a rectangular box and that there is a vertical line splitting that box in half. The reference point would be where the vertical line touches the bottom of the rectangle (so it would be the middle of the bottom of your character). So to measure out 52 pixels, you would begin measuring from that reference point. Exceptions to this 52 pixel Throw range are listed below: ----------------------------------------------------------------- | Name | Throw Type | Range (each '=' equal to 4 pixels) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | All Others | Either | 52 pixels | ============= | | Chang | Punch Throw | 64 pixels | ================ | | Chang | Kick Throw | 64 pixels | ================ | | Hibiki | Punch Throw | 44 pixels | =========== | | Hibiki | Kick Throw | 44 pixels | =========== | | Maki | Punch Throw | 60 pixels | =============== | | Raiden | Punch Throw | 83 pixels | ===================== | | Rolento | Punch Throw | 60 pixels | =============== | | Rolento | Kick Throw | 60 pixels | =============== | | Yun | Punch Throw | 44 pixels | =========== | | Yun | Kick Throw | 44 pixels | =========== | | All Others | Either | 52 pixels | ============= | ----------------------------------------------------------------| """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -------------------- | Air Throw Ranges | -------------------- For Air Throws, the horizontal and vertical range is still measured from the same reference point as mentioned above. However, for the vertical range, there is an actual range that can count as "too close" to the reference point. Imagine a box around your opponent as well. If your character has an Air Throw that has a 45 - 60 pixel vertical range, the top of the enemy's "box" must be at LEAST 45 pixels above the reference point or the bottom of the enemy's "box" must be at MOST 60 pixels above the reference point. But this can be ANY PART of the enemy's box. So if the enemy has a large box around them, any portion of their box can fall into this range and be Air Thrown. ------------------------------------------------------------------ | Character | Throw Type | Horizontal | Vert. Low | Vert. High | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | Athena | Punch Throw | 24 | 60 | 68 | | Benimaru | Kick Throw | 22 | 62 | 70 | | Cammy | Punch Throw | 24 | 62 | 70 | | Cammy | Kick Throw | 24 | 62 | 70 | | Chun Li | Punch Throw | 24 | 70 | 78 | | Ken | Kick Throw | 24 | 54 | 64 | | Guile | Punch Throw | 24 | 62 | 70 | | Guile | Kick Throw | 24 | 78 | 86 | | Mai | Punch Throw | 23 | 62 | 70 | | Morrigan | Punch Throw | 24 | 24 | 32 | | Vega | Punch Throw | 26 | 78 | 86 | | Vega | Kick Throw | 26 | 78 | 86 | | Yuri | Punch Throw | 23 | 62 | 70 | ------------------------------------------------------------------ To get an idea of where the vertical numbers fall, a character of average height (such as Kyo) at the exact same height as you in the air will fall in the range of about 30 - 80 pixels above the reference point, so pretty much every Air Throw can get a person at the same height as you in the air. Below is a visual representation of this, with a "sample" Kyo height character on the right. ---------------------------------------------------------- | AIR THROW VERTICAL RANGES - VISUAL REPRESENTATION | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | | B | | | | | | | | M | | | | | | | e | | | C | | | | | o | | | | | | A | n | | | h | | | | | r | | | | | | t | i | C | C | u | | G | G | | r | | | | | | h | m | a | a | n | | u | u | | i | V | V | Y | | | e | a | m | m | | K | i | i | M | g | e | e | u | | | n | r | m | m | L | e | l | l | a | a | g | g | r | | | a | u | y | y | i | n | e | e | i | n | a | a | i | |----|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | P | K | P | K | P | K | P | K | P | P | P | K | P | |----|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 90 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 88 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 86 | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | | 84 | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | | 82 | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | | 80 | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | -----+ | 78 | | | | | X | | | X | | | X | X | | | | 76 | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | 74 | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | 72 | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | 70 | | X | X | X | X | | X | | X | | | | X | | | 68 | X | X | X | X | | | X | | X | | | | X | | | 66 | X | X | X | X | | | X | | X | | | | X | | | 64 | X | X | X | X | | X | X | | X | | | | X | | | 62 | X | X | X | X | | X | X | | X | | | | X | | | 60 | X | | | | | X | | | | | | | | Kyo-sized | 58 | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | character's | 56 | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | "box" at | 54 | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | same height | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | in air | 50 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | as you. | 48 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 46 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 44 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 32 | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | | 30 | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | -----+ | 28 | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 26 | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 24 | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------- So if you look at this carefully, you can see why certain characters, such as Chun Li and Vega, can throw the enemy when they are really far above you. If you "slide" the Kyo-sized box up so that it still falls into the character's Air Throw range, you can see that the character can be WELL above you and you can still Air Throw them. By the same measure, Morrigan can Air Throw a character WAY below her, but that isn't as practical as the characters who can Air Throw opponents far above them. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ----------------------------- | Special Move Throw Ranges | ----------------------------- Along with the Throw Ranges for the Special Move Throws, hyt provided numbers for Start-up and Recovery (Delay) for each Special Move Throw. They have been included in the chart below. If the version of the Special Move isn't listed, that means it applies to all versions of that Special Move. ================================================================== | | S | | | V | | | T | | | E | | | A | | | R | | | R | D | R | T R | | | T | E | A | I A | | | | L | N | C N | | | U | A | G | A G | | NAME | P | Y | E | L E | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Akuma | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Hyakki Gousai | 0 | N/A | 26 | 2 - 18 | | Hyakki Goutsui | 0 | N/A | 45 | 23 - 45 | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Athena | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Super Psychic Throw | 6 | 21 | 46 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Benimaru | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Benimaru Collidor | 6 | 21 | 48 | | | Strong (MP) Benimaru Collidor | 6 | 21 | 44 | | | Fierce (HP) Benimaru Collidor | 6 | 21 | 40 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Cammy | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Fatal Leg Twister | 0 | N/A | 43 | 3 - 5 | | Cross Scissors Pressure | 0 | N/A | 43 | 3 - 5 | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Chang | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Big Destroyer Toss | 5 | 20 | 88 | | | Strong (MP) Big Destroyer Toss | 5 | 20 | 80 | | | Fierce (HP) Big Destroyer Toss | 5 | 20 | 72 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | E.Honda | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Ooichou Nage | 3 | 13 | 58 | | | Strong (MP) Ooichou Nage | 3 | 13 | 57 | | | Fierce (HP) Ooichou Nage | 3 | 13 | 56 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Iori | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Scum Gale | 8 | 32 | 52 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Maki | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Izuna Otoshi | 26 | 21 | 42 | 50 - 70 | | Tengu Daoshi | 4 | 1 | 56 | 70 - 82 | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Morrigan | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Vector Drain | 6 | 23 | 42 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Raiden | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Short (LK) Thunder Crush Bomb | 3 | 27 | 85 | | | Forward (ML) Thunder Crush Bomb | 3 | 27 | 82 | | | Roundhouse (HK) Thunder Crush Bomb | 3 | 27 | 79 | | | Jab (LP) Jumping Lariat Drop | 25 | 65 | ??? | | | Strong (MP) Jumping Lariat Drop | 25 | 65 | ??? | | | Fierce (HP) Jumping Lariat Drop | 25 | 65 | ??? | | | Front Suplex | 24 | 13 | 80 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Rock | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Evac Toss | 8 | 35 | 72 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Todo | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Center of Gravity | 6 | 28 | 64 | | | Strong (MP) Center of Gravity | 6 | 28 | 66 | | | Fierce (HP) Center of Gravity | 6 | 28 | 68 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Vega | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Izuna Drop | 0 | N/A | 82 | 66 - 80 | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Vice | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Nail Bomb | 3 | 22 | 52 | | | Strong (MP) Nail Bomb | 3 | 22 | 50 | | | Fierce (HP) Nail Bomb | 3 | 22 | 48 | | | Jab (LP) Gore Fest | 6 | 24 | 52 | | | Strong (MP) Gore Fest | 6 | 24 | 50 | | | Fierce (HP) Gore Fest | 6 | 24 | 48 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Yamazaki | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Bomb Bopper | 6 | 35 | 75 | | | Strong (MP) Bomb Bopper | 6 | 35 | 72 | | | Fierce (HP) Bomb Bopper | 6 | 35 | 69 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Zangief | |------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Jab (LP) Screw Piledriver | 0 | 48 | 107 | | | Strong (MP) Screw Piledriver | 0 | 46 | 96 | | | Fierce (HP) Screw Piledriver | 0 | 44 | 86 | | | Short (LK) Flying Power Bomb | 15 | 50 | 86 | | | Forward (MK) Flying Power Bomb | 15 | 52 | 86 | | | Roundhouse (HK) Flying Power Bomb | 15 | 54 | 86 | | | Atomic Suplex | 1 | N/A | 98 | | |====================================|=====|=====|=====|=========| --Note from hyt: "I didn't include data on Yun's Command Throw because it wasn't included in the book for some strange reason." """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------------------- | Super Combo Throw Ranges | ---------------------------- For Super Throws, there are a few frames of animation before the screen goes dark for the Chi Gathering. So for these, there will be a Pre-Chi Gathering Start-up number and a Post-Chi Gathering Start-up number. |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | | S | P S | | | V | | | P T | O T | | | E | | | R A | S A | | | R | | | E R | T R | D | R | T R | | | T | T | E | A | I A | | | C | C | L | N | C N | | | H U | H U | A | G | A G | | | I P | I P | Y | E | L E | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Benimaru | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Elec-Trigger - Lvl 1 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 52 | | | Elec-Trigger - Lvl 2 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 56 | | | Elec-Trigger - Lvl 3 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 60 | | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | E.Honda | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Orochi Kudaki | 4 | 2 | 13 | 58 | | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Maki | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Ajaratengu (Ground)** | 4 | 4 | 24 | 58 | | | Ajara Tengu (Air) | 4 | 4 | 1* | 56 | 70 - 82 | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Raiden | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Destruction Drop - Lvl 1 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 102 | | | Destruction Drop - Lvl 2 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 110 | | | Destruction Drop - Lvl 3 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 118 | | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Vega | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Rolling Izuna Drop | N/A | 0 | N/A | 56 | 52 - 88 | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Vice | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Withering Force | 5 | 27 | 20 | 52 | | | Negative Gain | 5 | 1 | 52 | 76 | | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Yamazaki | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Drill** | 4 | 4 | 45 | 78 | | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| | Zangief | |--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|---------| | Final Atomic Buster | 4 | 0 | 48 | 116 | | | Aerial Russian Slam | 4 | 5 | 33 | 82 | 66 - 80 | |==========================|=====|=====|=====|=====|=========| * - (Note from hyt) This 1 frame of delay applies to Maki when she lands from the move. Added to that is the delay of how far she has to land. ** - (Note from jchensor) For the Level 1's listed here for both Yamazaki and Maki, I do believe that the information presented is incorrect. The reason for this suspicion is that both Maki and Yamazaki's Level 1 Supers are the only Super Combo Throws that can be escaped by Jumping AFTER the Chi Gathering if you were not currently in any sort of delay. All other Super Combo Throws cannot be escaped once the Chi Gathering has started if you haven't Jumped away from it already. Thus, it is my belief that the Post-Chi Gathering Start Up frame count should be higher than 4 for Yamazaki and Maki's Level 1's. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 10. AUTOGUARD \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ I remember, back in the Capcom Vs. SNK days, many of the SNK fans were griping about the lack of patented King of the Fighter type aspects to certain characters. One of the bigger complaints was the removal of any presence of Autoguard. In KOF, many characters had Autoguard: the ability for a move to "absorb" a hit and continue on. Kyo had it on a couple of moves. Shingo had it on a number of moves as well. Goro even had it on one of his Super Throws! It was present in various characters. If you struck these moves in certain frames of their animation, you would see a hit spark but the character would continue their moves regardless. This feature didn't exist anywhere in Capcom Vs. SNK, and many SNK fans were not happy about this. Well, it seems that Capcom decided that the SNK fans were right... to an extent. They decided to put Autoguard in the game, but as far as I can tell, only three characters have it... and one of them isn't even an SNK character!!! Kyo has Autoguard on the Poison Gnawfest, Chang has it on the Breaking Iron Ball, and Eagle has it with the Canterbury Blue. Kyo's Autoguard is VERY brief. It falls just about on the two Animation Frames of where his back is facing the screen during the punch... about halfway between when you start the move and when you actually land the punch. It's very, very short and is very difficult to actually use to your advantage intentionally. Kyo can Autoguard all Normal Moves and Special Moves that are not Sweeps. Sweeps will get under Kyo's Autoguard and hit him. Chang's is much more practical and it lasts for a while. His Autoguard frames take place when Chang's back is turned away from the opponent while performing the Breaking Iron Ball. It lasts much longer than Kyo's and can easily be used in strategic places without needing the incredible precision timing that Kyo requires. But just like Kyo, Chang's Autoguard can Autoguard everything except Sweeps. So if it hits low, it will get past Chang. Eagle's is by far the most practical, because you can choose how long the Autoguard lasts and choose WHERE the Autoguard protects you. When you perform the Canterbury Blue, you can hold the button to keep the move going. And as long as Eagle holds the stick out, Eagle is in the midst of Autoguard frames. So the timing required is far less precise. And since you can hold it out for so long, you can Autoguard multiple hit moves! If Rugal, for example, charges up the Kaiser Wave to its full strength, Eagle can easily hold the Strong (MP) Canterbury Blue out and Autoguard ALL THREE HITS (Chang's Autoguard frames do last long enough to absorb more than one hit, but not much more than two hits in a row. He can't Autoguard all three hits of a fully charged up Kaiser Wave, for example). Not only can Eagle hold the Canterbury Blue, but he can aim where it Autoguards as well. Whereas Kyo and Chang can always be swept, Eagle can choose where his Autoguards will cover. Fierce (HP) covers everything low, Strong (MP) covers everything mid, and Jab (LP) covers everything high. So if you think the enemy will Sweep you, the Fierce (HP) one will Autoguard it. Plus, since it's an Autoguard and not a Counter, you don't have to be perfectly precise with "aiming" it to have it work. Geese, for example, can only Counter Jump Attacks with the High Counter. Eagle, however, can do a Strong (MP) Canterbury Blue (which covers mid attacks) and if the enemy Jumping at you Kicks low enough in his or her Jump, you'll Autoguard it anyhow! Basically, the move just has to hit the area the Canterbury Blue covers, and it'll Autoguard. That makes it far more versatile. So striking the enemy during any of those above Animation Frames will not cause the move to stop. Autoguard has the ability to absorb any Normal or Special Move that hits the Autoguard area. One thing to mention, though, is that Autoguards do not work against Supers at all. Supers will blast through any Autoguard you try. Otherwise, Autoguard can catch anything, including Projectiles (except for ground-based Projectiles, if you are Kyo or Chang, since they count as Sweeps). So Autoguard, essentially, is similar to gaining sections of "invincibility", in the way that the enemy can't hit you (like how Zangief becomes invincible along his waste when he does the Double Lariat, allowing him to pass through most air-based Projectiles). However, there is a very subtle difference between having invincibility and having Autoguard. This difference mainly comes from the fact that when a move strikes you during Autoguard, the enemy actually freezes with Hit Stun, but you keep animating as if nothing hit you at all. To see this difference, let's compare Chang and Raiden. Chang's Breaking Iron Ball and Raiden's Giant Bomb are similar type moves... they both can be used as Anti-Air to bypass a Jump attack. Let's say Ryu Jumps at Raiden and does a Jumping Roundhouse (HK). Raiden does the Giant Bomb as Anti-Air and, because of the Giant Bomb's invincibility, Ryu's Jumping Roundhouse (HK) will pass right through Raiden. BUT RYU DOESN'T PAUSE IN THE AIR because the Kick just misses. So he will miss Raiden but can potentially land and Block before the Giant Bomb actually hits Ryu. Then, since the Giant Bomb has delay, Ryu can punish you with the Combo of his choice. Now, with Chang, if Ryu kicks at Chang and he did the Breaking Iron Ball, Ryu connects with the Kick during Chang's Autoguard. However, Ryu will FREEZE IN THE AIR with Hit Stun as if he hit Chang, but Chang will continue to animate as if nothing happened. So the Breaking Iron Ball has a better chance of catching Ryu out of the air because the mock Hit Stun will keep Ryu in the air for a brief second longer. Thus, Autoguard as Anti-Air (mostly with Chang and Eagle) can be very practical. Sad, though, that it in the end, SNK fans got their Autoguard, but a Capcom character has the best and most useful Autoguard move in the game... ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 11. TRIP GUARD \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ Trip Guard is a concept that has existed since the beginning of Street Fighter... except that what made Trip Guard so prominent in the original Street Fighter was that it didn't exist! Trip Guard is the ability for your character to Low Block attacks when landing from a Jump. In the old days, back in the entire original Street Fighter series, if you Jumped at the enemy and they threw an attack that needed to be Blocked Low the instant you landed, you could not Block. They just simply wouldn't let you Block Low when you landed from the Jump. And because, in the old Street Fighter games, most Sweeps had better range than most Jump Attacks, using concept this along with Projectiles was particularly deadly (just ask any Honda player who's fighting a Ryu). In later versions of Street Fighter, like in the Alpha series, this was taken out and you were given the ability to Block Low the instant you land from a Jump: Trip Guard. Trip Guard (along with Jump Attacks that reached farther than Sweeps) all but eliminated the problem from above. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 decides not to pick a side and go with it, but to do a mix between the two. Basically, your character is initially equipped with Trip Guard when you Jump. However, the instant you do a move in the air, your Trip Guard is gone. Thus, if you perform a Punch or Kick in the air, you will not be able to Crouch Block the instant you land. However, if you choose not to do anything while Jumping, your Trip Guard stays intact. The same thing goes for Low Jumps, too, except with Low Jumps, your delay is a LOT longer than from a normal Jump. However, no matter what, regardless if you did an attack or not, you cannot perform a Special Move or a Super Combo the instant you land from a Jump. This is even if your Trip Guard is still active. There is, I'm guessing, a 1-frame delay upon landing that prevents you from doing a Special Move or Super Combo the instant you land. Now, now... I know what you're going to say. "But I've baited people in trying to Sweep me when I land hundreds of times only to end up Supering them or Uppercutting them! You can cancel your delay!" As I said: ONE FRAME. One frame is hardly any time at all... 1/30th of a second. People who want to Sweep you when you land need to have unbelievable timing to land a Sweep on you with perfect accuracy 100% of the time. Still don't believe me. Uh huh... I see... Well, let me put it this way: I tested it using the ultimate of Sweeps: Bison's Crouch Roundhouse. He slides for a VERY long time, and there's no issues with timing to make sure that you connect at the precise moment the opponent lands from a Jump. I tested it out in Training Mode of CvS2 and Jumped and had Bison slide and I tried to perform an Uppercut or a Super or Zangief's Screw Piledriver (which has zero frames startup) and I was NEVER able to pull it off. Does that mean that I'm 100% positive you can't do it? Well, more like 99% positive. But I will believe otherwise if someone can send me a video clip of someone Jumping and landing and beating Bison's slide when they land with a Special Move or a Super Combo. I'm pretty sure it can't be done, and positive that the only thing you can do when you land is Block. However, curiously, I HAVE done a Normal Move the instant I land if I don't do a move in the air. I land and hit buttons the precise moment I land and I get a "Counter Hit" message for Bison. So Bison ends up hitting me out of SOMETHING. And I am not moving the joystick anywhere, so it has to be a Normal Move. So strangely, it seems you CAN do a Normal Move the VERY instant you land, but not a Special Move. But if I did a move during my Jump, I was NEVER able to get the Counter Hit message to appear, so I'm guessing that if you do a move in the air, you cannot cancel the period of delay during which you cannot Block with a Normal Move. ----------------------------------------------\ universal abilities 12. TAUNTS \--------------------- -----------------------------------------------/ One of the MOST important things in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is the Taunts. Okay, so maybe they aren't important at all, but Taunts are still in the game and Taunts are still cool. ^_^ Basically, if you hit your Start button (in the PlayStation 2, you can choose a button to assign Taunts to. On Dreamcast, you have to hold Start and then press Short (LK)), your character will go into an animation where you leave yourself completely and utterly vulnerable to the enemy's attacks. They are exactly what their names imply: they are Taunts! So you can use them to egg on your opponent, or just to let your opponent know that something really bizarre just happened (like accidentally Parrying a move into a Super Combo... Taunt afterwards for a good laugh). Taunts DO count as Special Moves, so you can Buffer into Taunts or do Wake-up Taunts and such... Why you would EVER want to Buffer a Normal Move into a Taunt is beyond me, but it is possible. Also, Taunting builds up your opponent's Meter, so there's even MORE reason that Taunting is an insult. It's almost as if you are saying, "You know what? I'm so confident I'm gonna beat you... Here! I'm giving you free Meter!!!" Nothing in the game builds up a Meter faster that having your opponent Taunt. Of course, Taunts are for fun, in the end, more than anything. ^_^ ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ====================== Chapter 04 ---| Groove Sub-Systems |-------------------------------------------- ====================== 00) Intro 01) Dash 02) Run 03) Rolling 04) Dodge 05) Counter Attack 06) Counter Movement 07) Air Guard 08) Small Jump 09) Tactical Recovery 10) Safe Fall 11) Groove Sub-Systems Chart _____ --/ \------------------------------------------------------------ =( Intro )====================================================== 00 = --\_____/ groove sub-systems The Groove Sub-Systems are abilities that affect various gameplay elements for your character. However, these Groove Sub-Systems can be shared among Grooves, so that they are not unique features of the Groove (although they can be unique to a Groove). Groove Sub-Systems are the features that are advertised, when selecting your Groove, in the blue diamonds that appear and disappear as you scroll between Grooves during the Groove selection screen. The Groove Sub-Systems are: Dash, Run, Rolling, Dodge, Air Guard, Small Jump, Counter Attack, Counter Movement, Tactical Recovery, and Safe Fall. ____ --/ \------------------------------------------------------------- =( Dash )======================================================= 01 = --\____/------------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: C-Groove | | A-Groove | | P-Groove | --------------------- Dashing allows you to make your character cover a fixed distance quickly, whether it be moving forward or moving backward. You perform a Dash by quickly tapping either Towards twice (to Dash forward) or Back twice (to Dash backwards). This will cause your character to move in that direction much more quickly than their normal walking speed. But do note that I did say it was a fixed distance, depending on your character. And once your character has begun a Dash, your character is committed to that Dash. In other words, you can no longer perform ANYTHING while Dashing. This makes Dashing mostly useful for positioning and surprise attacks. For positioning, it can help you get closer to an enemy after you knock them over (if you just walk, you'll take longer to get there, and in case you wanted to try a Cross-up or something, you'd want to get there as quickly as possible). Or, it can help you retreat more quickly. If the enemy has a good pressure attack going against you, and you aren't in the corner, Dashing backwards can be a good way to regain your position, as well as maybe trying to switch the momentum of the battle. As I hinted at, Dashes can also be used for surprise attacks. If you are able to poke and pressure your opponent enough to a point where they are afraid to try and poke you back (your moves have been winning in general), you are able to Dash in at the enemy without fear of getting hit by their move. Thus, you can sneak in a quick low attack (to catch them while they're standing and jockeying for position) or a quick Throw (your Dashing scares them into Blocking that potential low attack, so when they Crouch to Block it, you have a free walk-up Throw). With your Dash, your character technically counts as if they are in the air. In other words, if you are struck out of a Dash by, say, a Standing Jab, your character will "fall" into the air in an Air Reel and land back on his/her feet. This is important to note because if you attack someone who Dashes at you and hit them with, say, a Crouching Forward (MK) while your opponent is still in the middle of his/her Dash, this will bounce him/her into the air. Thus, you cannot perform a Crouch Forward canceled into a Special Move and have it combo. However, there is a very, very, VERY small delay period at the end of a Dash. In this slight delay, if you get hit, you WILL remain grounded, and thus you can be hit by any standard ground to ground combo. However, this delay period is very, very, VERY small, and probably lasts a whole one or two frames. In other words, chances are, you are NOT getting THAT punished for Dashing in. A few exceptions: If you do get hit out of a Dash by a Sweep, you will be sent to the floor as usual. You will not bounce into the air into an Air Reel. Also, if the enemy hits you out of your Dash with anything that Juggles, like Ryu's Shin Shoryuken, you will get hit by all hits of the Juggle anyhow. There are some characters whose Dash causes them to hop much higher than most characters' Dashes. Examples of these characters are Nakoruru, Morrigan, and Blanka. For these characters, their Dashes make them hop so high that they can actually use this to avoid attacks. They can hop right over Sweeps and other low-to-the-ground attacks. For example, Blanka can even Dash right over Terry's Power Wave and other such Projectiles! This gives their Dash an extra dimension that other characters don't have. One of the best uses for this is the ability to Dash OVER characters as they get up from the floor. This is especially useful for confusing opponents as they get up. For example, Balrog can perform a Kick Throw that slams the opponent to the floor. Then, before the enemy starts to get up, Balrog can Dash over the opponent to attack from the other side, causing him/her to take a hit from Blocking the wrong way. Also, you can Dash to the other side, have the opponent Block the correct way by reaction, and then Throw the enemy instead. Basically, it allows for a lot of really effective mind games. Learn which characters have a high enough hop to get over floored people. Even though certain characters, like Terry Bogard, do look like they hop during their Dash, they can't use it to effectively go over any attacks. So even though Terry hops ever so slightly in his animation, it has the same ability to go over moves as Ken's Dash, which is a slide along the floor. Once last thing: Regardless of how high any Dash hops, Dashes cannot go through Standing or Crouching enemies. So if you Dash right next to the enemy, you will not pass through them. You'll just push them with you. ___ --/ \-------------------------------------------------------------- =( Run )======================================================== 02 = --\___/-------------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: S-Groove | | N-Groove | | K-Groove | --------------------- Run is exactly what it sounds like it is. When you Run, your character sprints forward along the ground. You perform a Run in the same way you perform a Dash: tap Towards on the controller twice very quickly. Unlike a Dash, however, this is NOT a fixed distance method of movement. You can Run for as far as you want to. Basically, on the second tapping of Towards on the controller, if you hold Towards, your character will run until you actually make him/her stop. You can also hold Offensive Crouch, and your character will continue to Run. Now, there are basically three ways a Run can be ended. The first is simply to just stop Running. This is performed by moving the joystick, while Running, to Neutral, Crouch, Defensive Crouch, Back, Back Flip, or Up. Your character will skid for just a short period of time, and then go into whatever your character does if holding that position on the joystick. Stopping a Run at any point during a Run is important because that means you can Run for very short distances if need be by Running and immediately hitting Back to stop Running. The second way to stop a Run is to go into a High Jump. While holding Towards on the joystick, if you shift the controller to Forward Flip, your character will automatically perform a High Jump. There is no way to control this... if you go from Running into Forward Flip, you WILL do a High Jump. So even if you want to perform a normal Jump or a Small Jump OUT of a Run (see Small Jump section), you are NOT allowed to, unless you STOP your Run first, and THEN Small Jump. Otherwise, you can only High Jump out of a Run. The third way to stop a Run is to cancel it completely into any sort of move. This can be a Normal Move, a Special Move, or any other Groove Sub-System you can perform while on the ground (like Dodging, Rolling, Powering up your N-Groove Meter, or Charging up your S-Groove Meter). Basically, your character will immediately end his/her Run and go RIGHT into the move you performed (doing a Special Move usually requires you to hit at LEAST Down, which means your character WILL start going into the skidding animation, but that animation can be canceled into your Special Move). There are various things you CANNOT cancel your Run with. You cannot cancel the Run with a Just Defend (or a Parry, if you are fond of messing with Groove Edit Mode on the home version). You also cannot Run right next to the enemy and immediately Throw them (unless it's a Special Move Throw). The reason it is VERY useful to know that moves will cancel the Run is because of that skidding animation I mentioned earlier. While you are skidding, you are COMPLETELY VULNERABLE to everything during that period of time. It's basically a Run delay. So while your skidding, even though it's not a very long skid, you are open to whatever the enemy decides to hit you with. So if you Run at the enemy and stop with the intention of immediately Blocking an attack, you are certain to get nailed because of that slight skidding delay. Thus, it is better to stop Runs with attacks. Even if you want to just stop Running, you're better off stopping it with a whiffed Jab (LP), since most Jabs last shorter than the Run delay. Attacking out of a Run also allows you to apply pressure, by repeatedly doing Dashing attacks that are quick. This keeps you near your opponent and constantly applying pressure. Just remember one thing: no momentum is maintained if you attack during a Run. If you are used to the Versus Games, for example, and expect a Running Jab to make you continue to slide forward after Jabbing (LP), you will find Running in this game a bit uncomfortable. Doing a Normal Move during a Run immediately stops you, plants you where you are, and you do your move right from where you are as if you didn't Run at all. So remember, Normal Moves stop Runs instantly. One very important thing to note about Runs: you are FULLY GROUNDED. That means you cannot Run over anything in a way similar to how some Dashes can hop high enough to avoid low hitting attacks. And more importantly, that means if you are ever tagged out of a Run by any move, it will act as if it hit you while you are Standing. Thus, if someone catches you out of your Run with a Crouch Forward, your character will remain Standing, and if the enemy cancels that move into a Special Move that Combos, you will get hit by that Special Move. This goes for that skidding period too. Getting hit out the skidding delay leaves you grounded, and susceptible to big Combos. So although Runs are more versatile, they do have their risks. There is no backwards Running, so what happens if you tap Back twice? You just do a Dash going backwards, exactly as if you had Dash. So all the same properties of a Back Dash apply to a character with Run. There is one character in the game who DOESN'T Run, however: Morrigan. Anytime you use Morrigan in any Groove that has the Run ability, Morrigan will perform her "Flying Dash" from the DarkStalkers series instead. Basically, the instant you start Running, Morrigan will start to fly at a upward angle of about 30 degrees or so. You can interrupt this "Run" at anytime, like the other Runs, but once you interrupt it, she'll officially be registered as Jumping. Thus, on your way down, you can still attack and all your attacks will be her Jumping attacks. Thus, if you do a very short "Run" with Morrigan, it's almost like doing a VERY short Jump. During her flying, Morrigan can do any of her Normal Moves that she does while Jumping. However, she can also do Special Moves and Supers while flying!! So you can fly and do an immediate Air Soul Fist for example. However, while Flying, you are NOT allowed to Just Defend (or Parry, if you are fond of messing with Groove Edit Mode). If Morrigan flies behind the enemy, she'll automatically turn around and attack the opposite direction. That can crate a LOT of nice mind games for Morrigan against enemies who are getting up and cannot Safe Fall. You can keep them guessing as to which side you are planning to attack from by flying over their head with her "Run" and attacking from the other side. Morrigan can alter her flight path as well, just like she could in Vampire Savior. If you hit and hold Forward Flip after you start flying with Morrigan, she will change the angle of her flying to a more upwards angle. She'll basically do a slight turn in the air and start flying up, pretty much, at a 60 degree angle. All the same rules apply here as with her Regular Flying. This is just to help you gain some height advantage over enemies to throw an Air Soul Fist or to avoid other incoming attacks. Also, if you tap back twice with Morrigan in a Groove that makes her fly, she will Dash backwards. She has no ability to fly backwards just like no other character can Run backwards. And unlike a Normal Run, if Morrigan is struck out of her flying, she will NOT be grounded and susceptible to a Combo. She will in fact be hit out of the air as if she were just Jumping. _______ --/ \---------------------------------------------------------- =( Rolling )==================================================== 03 = --\_______/---------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: C-Groove | | A-Groove | | N-Groove | --------------------- Rolls come straight out of the Advanced Mode of the King of the Fighters series. To perform the Roll, hit Jab (LP) and Short (LK) at the same time. However, there is one major difference that KOF players will have to get used to: there is no more backwards Rolling. Regardless of what direction you are holding on your joystick, hitting Jab (LP) and Short (LK) will cause your character to Roll forward. This is great, especially for charge-up characters like Guile and Honda. Now they can remain charged up (holding Defensive Crouch) and still move forward at the same time! It's a nice way to move forward and still retain your charge. There are three stages of a Roll. The first stage is pure invincibility. All Rolls start off being invincible immediately and that lasts for most of the roll. During this first stage, you cannot be struck by any move whatsoever. During the second stage, the character is no longer completely invincible. Anything that hits low enough will hit you out of the Roll during the second stage. That includes sweeps and grounded Fireballs (like Geese's Wind Slice (the Reppuken ground Projectile) or Iori's Dark Thrust (the ground Projectile)) and other moves like Vice's Crouching Strong (MP). Everything else that hits higher will miss. This second stage usually lasts VERY VERY VERY short, and some characters do not even possess this stage of a Roll at all. The third stage is pure vulnerability. The vulnerability at the end of the Roll is fairly short, although it varies depending on your character. Some characters recover much quicker than others. During that vulnerable period at the end of your Roll, you can be hit by anything that would hit you normally had you been Standing. So even though the enemy did, say, Rugal's Standing Roundhouse (HK), it'll still strike you at the end of your Roll. This third stage of pure vulnerability doesn't make the Roll useless, though. This third stage is still short enough for effective surprise attacks and smart positioning. It keeps it, however, from being abused, which is perfect. Below are two charts. They provide the EXACT same information, but the first one provides the actual numbers for each character, and the second one provides the information with a more visual presentation. Also, the first chart lists the characters in alphabetical order, and the second chart lists the characters in order of Roll quality. Keep in mind that the Roll's length (as in length of time) is based on the number of frames. There are 30 frames per second, so if a character's Roll is 24 frames long, the Roll lasts 4/5 of a second. All of the information in the charts were taken from a post written by JackTheFob that he put up in www.shoryuken.com's Forums. He obtained the information by translating it from a Chinese Web-site that can be found at http://www.gamer.com.tw. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Legend: ^^^^^^^ ROLL DIST. = Rolling Distance (Short, Medium, Long, Far) FULLY INVIN. = First stage frames of pure invulnerability INVIN. HIGH = Second stage frames of vulnerability to low attacks DELAY FRAMES = Third stage of total vulnerability TOTAL FRAMES = Total time-length of Roll in number of frames |------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------| | CHARACTER | ROLL | FULLY | INVIN. | DELAY | TOTAL | | NAME | DIST. | INVIN. | HIGH | FRAMES | FRAMES | |------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------| | Akuma | Long | 22 | 01 | 04 | 27 | | Athena | Medium | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Balrog | Medium | 21 | 00 | 04 | 25 | | Benimaru | Medium | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Blanka | Long | 21 | 03 | 04 | 28 | | Blood Iori | Long | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Cammy | Medium | 22 | 04 | 06 | 32 | | Chang | Long | 22 | 10 | 03 | 35 | | Chun | Long | 23 | 00 | 04 | 27 | | Dan | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Dhalsim | Long | 22 | 03 | 04 | 29 | | Eagle | Long | 20 | 03 | 04 | 27 | | E.Honda | Medium | 21 | 03 | 03 | 27 | | Evil Ryu | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Geese | Long | 22 | 02 | 04 | 28 | | God Rugal | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Guile | Far | 21 | 03 | 04 | 28 | | Haohmaru | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Hibiki | Long | 21 | 04 | 05 | 30 | | Iori | Long | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Joe | Long | 22 | 01 | 04 | 27 | | Ken | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | King | Short | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Kim | Short | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Kyo | Long | 22 | 02 | 05 | 29 | | Kyosuke | Medium | 21 | 03 | 02 | 26 | | Mai | Medium | 22 | 00 | 03 | 25 | | Maki | Long | 20 | 03 | 04 | 27 | | M.Bison | Long | 22 | 00 | 04 | 26 | | Morrigan | Long | 22 | 03 | 04 | 29 | | Nakoruru | Long | 22 | 01 | 04 | 27 | | Raiden | Medium | 22 | 02 | 04 | 28 | | Rock | Medium | 22 | 05 | 04 | 31 | | Rolento | Long | 21 | 00 | 05 | 26 | | Rugal | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Ryo | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Ryu | Long | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Sagat | Medium | 21 | 00 | 04 | 25 | | Sakura | Medium | 21 | 00 | 04 | 25 | | Shun Gouki | Long | 22 | 01 | 04 | 27 | | Terry | Medium | 22 | 00 | 03 | 25 | | Todo | Long | 22 | 01 | 04 | 27 | | Vega | Medium | 21 | 02 | 04 | 27 | | Vice | Short | 21 | 00 | 05 | 26 | | Yuri | Medium | 21 | 00 | 03 | 24 | | Yamazaki | Medium | 21 | 00 | 04 | 25 | | Yun | Long | 21 | 03 | 03 | 27 | | Zangief | Long | 22 | 02 | 05 | 29 | |------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------| ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Legend: ^^^^^^^ ROLL DIST - Rolling Distance, from a rating of 1 > to 4 >>>> (1 being the shortest Roll, 4 being the longest) FRAME COUNT - Each frame is one symbol. The symbols are as follows: '-' = First stage frames of pure invulnerability '*' = Second stage frames of vulnerability to low attacks 'X' = Third stage of total vulnerability TOTAL FRAMES - Total time-length of Roll in number of frames Extra Note: ^^^^^^^^^^^ Characters listed in order of the quality of their Roll. The criteria by which I base "Roll Quality" are: 1) The less number of frames you have total, the better 2) The less number of vulnerable frames you have (second and third stages), the better 3) The less number of pure vulnerable frames you have (third stage only), the better ____________ ______ _____________________________________ ________ | | | -- FRAME COUNT -- | | | CHARACTER | ROLL | 0 1 2 3 | TOTAL | | NAME: | DIST | 12345678901234567890123456789012345 | FRAMES | |____________|______|_____________________________________|________| | | | | | | Athena | >> | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Benimaru | >> | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Blood Iori | >>> | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Iori | >>> | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Kim | > | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | King | > | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Yuri | >> | ---------------------XXX | 24 | | Mai | >> | ----------------------XXX | 25 | | Terry | >> | ----------------------XXX | 25 | | Balrog | >> | ---------------------XXXX | 25 | | Sagat | >> | ---------------------XXXX | 25 | | Sakura | >> | ---------------------XXXX | 25 | | Yamazaki | >> | ---------------------XXXX | 25 | | M. Bison | >>> | ----------------------XXXX | 26 | | Kyosuke | >> | ---------------------***XX | 26 | | Rolento | >>> | ---------------------XXXXX | 26 | | Vice | > | ---------------------XXXXX | 26 | | Chun Li | >>> | -----------------------XXXX | 27 | | Akuma | >>> | ----------------------*XXXX | 27 | | Joe | >>> | ----------------------*XXXX | 27 | | Nakoruru | >>> | ----------------------*XXXX | 27 | | Shin Gouki | >>> | ----------------------*XXXX | 27 | | Todo | >>> | ----------------------*XXXX | 27 | | E. Honda | >> | ---------------------***XXX | 27 | | Yun | >>> | ---------------------***XXX | 27 | | Dan | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Evil Ryu | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | God Rugal | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Haohmaru | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Ken | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Rugal | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Ryo | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Ryu | >>> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Vega | >> | ---------------------**XXXX | 27 | | Eagle | >>> | --------------------***XXXX | 27 | | Maki | >>> | --------------------***XXXX | 27 | | Geese | >>> | ----------------------**XXXX | 28 | | Raiden | > | ----------------------**XXXX | 28 | | Blanka | >>> | ---------------------***XXXX | 28 | | Guile | >>>> | ---------------------***XXXX | 28 | | Morrigan | >>> | ----------------------***XXXX | 29 | | Dhalsim | >>> | ----------------------***XXXX | 29 | | Kyo | >>> | ----------------------**XXXXX | 29 | | Zangief | >>> | ----------------------**XXXXX | 29 | | Hibiki | >>> | ---------------------****XXXXX | 30 | | Rock | >> | ----------------------*****XXXX | 31 | | Cammy | >> | ----------------------****XXXXXX | 32 | | Chang | >>> | ----------------------**********XXX | 35 | |____________|______|_____________________________________|________| ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Thanks, Jack, for translating all of this. ^_^ "Xie xie! Xie xie! Tai Bang!" ^_^ It is very important to recall the fact that in the first Capcom Vs. SNK, there was a vulnerable period at the very beginning of a Roll. However, this vulnerable period has been completely removed. The main significance of this change is that, now, you can use Rolls as a Reversal. So if your timing is right, you can escape any Meaty Attack with a Roll (and a Reversal message will appear on the screen). Rolls also have the ability to go through enemies. When you perform a Roll right next to the enemy, you will Roll right through them. This can be useful for confusing the enemy or used against characters getting up, waiting to nail you with their Wake-up attack. Roll through them and nail them from the other side when their attack misses. Rolls still sound like they are a bit too useful and pretty safe. However, there is something you CAN do to Rolls in the middle of a Roll: you can Throw a character out of his/her Roll regardless of what stage of the Roll they are in. So if you predict someone is going to try and Roll through you after moving up close to you, let them Roll, and then Throw them as they try to pass through you. Special Move Throws qualify here as well. So a Zangief Spinning Pile Driver, a Honda Ooichou Nage, or Vice's Nail Bomb can all grab you out of a Roll. This goes for Super Throws as well. So if Zangief is trying to set up a FAB on you, and you try to avoid it by Rolling, you will get Thrown. Even something like a Raging Demon from Akuma will grab the Roll. Remember this tactic well. If someone tries to Roll behind you as you get up, like mentioned above, you can simply Throw right when you get up, which will pretty much Throw the enemy out of their Roll. Throwing enemies out of Rolls becomes a very good counter to remember. Sometimes it's hard to keep this in mind, but if you do, punishing a Roll can be easier than normal. _____ --/ \------------------------------------------------------------ =( Dodge )====================================================== 04 = --\_____/------------ groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: S-Groove | --------------------- This Groove Sub-System comes straight out of King of the Fighter's Extra Mode. Dodging basically allows your character to become temporarily invincible, from head to toe. However, unlike a Roll, you do not move Forward. Instead, you stay in place. And Dodges generally last much shorter than a Roll, so you can Dodge attacks and then, after your Dodge ends, you can hit the enemy back while they are still in Delay. To perform a Dodge, simply hit Jab (LP) + Short (LK) at the same time. Your character will then go into some sort of pose (some Dodging poses are VERY cool looking... Check out Bison!!! ^_^) during which they cannot be hit by anything at all. There are three phases of a Dodge. The first phase is the period of time that your character starts to lean back. The second phase is a small period of time when your character remains perfectly still, frozen in one Animation Frame. The third phase is basically the reverse of the first phase: the character goes from leaning back to a regular stance. You are invincible during all three of these phases. However, the significance of these phases is the ability for Dodges to perform a fixed Dodge Attack during a Dodge. While Dodging, if you hit any button during the second phase of a Dodge (the frozen Animation Frame phase), you will go straight from your Dodge right into an attack. This attack is predetermined for each character: hit a Punch button during a Dodge, and your character will do one of his/her Punch attacks. Hit a Kick button during a Dodge, and your character will do a predetermined Kick. For example, Sakura's Punch Dodge Attack is her Close-up Standing Fierce, while her Kick Dodge Attack is her Far-away Standing Roundhouse. Dodge Attacks are all Normal Moves; no Dodge Attack is a Special Move. One thing is consistent about Dodge Attacks: one Dodge attack is always a long-ranged attack, and the other is always a short-ranged attack. The long-ranged attack will knock the enemy over and the short-ranged attack is Bufferable. This is true of ALL characters. Even if the character has a move that is not normally Bufferable, it WILL become Bufferable as a Dodge Attack if it's designated as the short-ranged attack. Zangief's Punch Dodge Attack is an example of this as it mimics his Standing Strong (MP), a move that is not normally Bufferable. However, as Zangief's Punch Dodge Attack, it is! These Bufferable Dodge Attacks thus allow you to really punish an opponent if you Dodge their attack. If you Dodge and are certain you are going to land your attack on your enemy, Buffer that Dodge Attack into a Super!! And heck, if your Super is unable to be punished and you are currently in Power Condition, feel free to Buffer that Dodge Attack every single time since you are in S-Groove and the Super is free! Remember that you can push this button during ANY point of the second phase of the Dodge. Thus, you don't have to attack from the same timing every time. If you need to remain Dodging for a bit longer than normal, wait a fraction of a second before you go into your Dodge Attack. This is suggested because the instant you do a Dodge Attack, the invincibility you have is gone. Thus, if a move is inside you when you hit a button, you are going to get hit by that attack. Also, you will do the same Dodge Attack regardless of where your joystick is held. Thus, if you want to Buffer your Dodge Attack into a Super Combo, do whatever is most comfortable. Hold the joystick wherever you want when you hit the button for the Dodge Attack to optimize your Buffering Ability. One thing to note about the Bufferable Dodge attacks: the Dodge Attack doesn't need to actually connect in order to be canceled into a Special Move! You can actually miss with the attack and still cancel on that frame that it hits. So with Ryu, you can Dodge, and then do a Fireball motion and then press Kick and then Punch really quickly. What results is that Ryu will do his Kick Dodge Attack (the short-ranged Dodge Attack) but the Punch button will register as activating the Fireball command. So Ryu will actually perform his knee attack and then cancel that into a Hadouken even though the knee whiffed. So characters like Zangief can cancel his Punch Dodge Attack in its first frame into an SPD, even if it whiffs. This essentially lets him go from a Dodge straight into the SPD with VERY LITTLE vulnerability in between. You can even do this to Super Combos, so if Zangief is in Power Condition, he can go from a Dodge into his Final Atomic Buster (which grabs instantly) with barely any vulnerability in between. This can be a very useful tactic to learn. The MOST important thing to know about Dodging is that they are completely, and utterly invincible. There is NO VULNERABLE PERIOD TO A DODGE. That means if someone sticks a long lasting move inside you while you are Dodging, you really have no fear. The instant your Dodge finishes, you can go immediately into Block, so there is no delay period to take advantage of. So Dodges are pretty safe because there just isn't any vulnerability to take advantage of. In fact, not ONLY is there no vulnerability to a Dodge, but a Dodge can be canceled into, you guessed it, ANOTHER DODGE. If you can time it just right and press Jab (LP) and Short (LK) anytime during the third phase of a Dodge, you'll go from a Dodge right into another Dodge! So what does that mean? Yes, you can Dodge forever. So if someone tries to nail you with a Level 3 Heaven Blast Flash (the Taikuu Raikouken spark Super) with Benimaru, for example, even though it sits out there for a LONG period of time, if you time your Dodges right, you can Dodge three times in a row and avoid the ENTIRE SUPER. What makes this even MORE potent is the fact that, yes, you can use Dodges as REVERSALS. So right when you get up, if you time the Dodge JUST RIGHT, you will get a Reversal message, and go from invincible on the ground right into an invincible Dodge. And if the enemy tried a long lasting Super to Block Damage you to death, you can literally do a Reversal Dodge, and Dodge the entire Super by continually Chaining Dodges until their Super ends. This is NOT easy, but it is very possible. Now, since Dodges essentially mean your character is "no longer there" for a brief period, it means that enemies can also pass through you while you are Dodging. You act as if you aren't there any more so, technically, enemies can walk right passed you while you are Dodging. A Honda Super Zutsuki (the flying headbutt), for example, will just sail right through a Dodging character, as if that character isn't even there. Also, if the enemy passes through you, or Jumps over you, or in any other way passes you while you are Dodging, if you press a button to perform a Dodge Attack, you WILL turn around and attack in the direction of your enemy! So Dodge Attacks will turn around for you automatically. Very nice! Of course, this all sounds a little TOO good, doesn't it?!? Dodge forever? Well, fortunately, Dodges have the same weakness as Rolls: they can be Thrown at ANY POINT in the Dodge. Thus, the Dodge does have a weakness. So you can't just sit there and Dodge forever. However, this does allow for some nice mind games, as to whether or not you will Dodge and Dodge again, or Dodge and come out with a Dodge Attack. Also, it is worthy to make clear that canceling a Dodge into another Dodge is fairly difficult. The window to cancel a Dodge into a Dodge is like half a second long. So your timing has to be spot on to properly Dodge twice in a row. It's not too hard that you can't get good at it, but there's definitely room for error. So a good trick, when trying to Dodge twice, is to make sure you are holding Defensive Crouch on the controller. That way, if you fail, you'll at least still Block. And there is one more weakness with a Dodge: you aren't going anywhere. You literally just sit there in one place. So it's not particularly conducive to attacking the enemy! Dodging is more of a defensive tactic. So if you are losing, energy-wise, and need to attack the enemy, Dodging will not be of a huge benefit to you. You can stand there, Dodging forever all you want! The enemy doesn't have to do anything except wait for the Timer to run out. So unless you are able to throw out Dodges in the middle of solid attack patterns, don't expect to win by basing offense around your Dodge. ______________ --/ \--------------------------------------------------- =( Counter Attack )============================================= 05 = --\______________/--- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: C-Groove | | A-Groove | | S-Groove | | N-Groove | --------------------- Counter Attacks existed in both Alpha and in KOF. Basically, a Counter attack is the ability for your character to go straight from Block Stun into a pre-determined move. Thus, you don't have to wait for your Block Stun to end before you can counter attack. However, performing a Counter Attack will cost you two things: 1) A portion of your Super Meter (how much depends on your Groove). 2) A good chunk of your Guard Meter. Basically, you need at least a "Level 1" Super equivalent of Super Meter full to do a Counter Attack. If you don't have a Level 1 built up, you cannot perform a Counter Attack. Regarding the Guard Meter, however, you can perform a Counter Attack even if your Guard Meter is empty. The chunk of Guard Meter lost is not something needed to do the Counter Attack, it's just a punishment for using it. A Counter Attack is performed by pressing Towards on the joystick and hitting Strong (MP) and Forward (MK) at the same time while you are still in Block Stun. Your character will then go from Block Stun right into their move. That move is fixed for every character, which means you only have one Counter Attack (as opposed to two, for example, in Alpha 2). Counter Attacks are fairly fast, but they do not possess much invincibility at all. They do seem to posses a TINY bit, but nothing extensive, not even for Counter Attacks that emulate Uppercut-type moves that DO have invincibility. In fact, against multi-hit Supers, quite often, you can Counter Attack an early hit of the Super, but then you'll just end up trading hits with the enemy. You'll stop the enemy's super, but the damage you took from that one hit is probably equitable to the Block Damage you were trying to avoid. So if you were using it to prevent yourself from being Block Damaged to death, chances are, it won't help. So be wary when you use Counter Attacks. Again, Counter Attacks also do drain a part of your Guard Meter. But unlike Street Fighter Alpha 3, it doesn't decrease the max of a Guard Meter. Still, this prevents you from abusing Counter Attacks. Also, as mentioned above, you need an equivalent of a Level 1 Super in your SUPER METER. So even though in S-Groove you can do unlimited Level 1 Supers when your life bar is in red, that doesn't mean you can do unlimited Counter Attacks. You can only do a Counter Attack if you Super Meter is full. Counter Attacks, in general, are very weak. They do VERY little damage to the opponent. Thus, they aren't really useful as a way to do damage, but merely a way to break momentum. If the enemy has really got you in a pinch, a Counter Attack may be just the thing needed to get you OUT of the pinch, reset the momentum of a battle, and regain the momentum in your favor. But using it as a primary source of energy draining is a mistake. One of the most important things to mention about Counter Attacks is the fact that a COUNTER ATTACK CANNOT DEFEAT AN OPPONENT. So if you are planning on using the Counter Attack to finish someone off because they had only a tiny bit of energy left... don't. A Counter Attack can ONLY drain the enemy to Zero Vital, but that's it. You will still need to do whatever you can to finish the enemy off afterwards. This is REALLY good, in my opinion, as it prevents Counter Attacks playing a major role in determine the outcome of a very close match. Before, in older games, it was hard to defeat an enemy with three Counter Attacks built up if you only had a tiny bit of energy left. Any bad attack could leave you fodder for a Counter Attack. But now that they can't defeat you, that makes attacking an enemy a bit easier, allowing for better comebacks. Lastly, some characters have Counter Attacks with such short delays that you can actually Combo after a Counter Attack!!! If you have a Super that can Juggle coupled with a Counter Attack that has a short enough delay, you can actually turn a simple Counter Attack into 50% damage!! This is most practical in N-Groove, where you can break a Power Stock and have two Power Stocks leftover. Use another one for a Counter Attack and then use up the last one to perform a Level 3 Super! Characters like Raiden can, anywhere on the screen, perform a Counter Attack and then land the Level 3 Flame Breath. M.Bison can perform a Counter Attack and have enough time to charge up for a Mega Psycho Crusher. If the enemy is in the corner, Chun Li can do a Counter Attack into a Level 3 Kikoshou. Know which characters can do this so you can use this to your advantage... AND so you know which characters you need to be careful against when they can do this to you. ________________ --/ \------------------------------------------------- =( Counter Movement )=========================================== 06 = --\________________/- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: N-Groove | --------------------- This Groove Sub-System comes straight out of KOF's Advanced Mode. Basically, it's like a Counter Attack, but instead of doing a fixed Counter Attack, you physically move yourself out of Block Stun. And with Counter Movement, you have a choice: you can either go forward or backwards. To perform a forward Counter Movement, block an attack and then hold Towards and hit Jab (LP) and Short (LK) at the same time. To perform a backwards Counter Movement, block an attack and then hold Back and hit Jab (LP) and Short (LK) at the same time. Counter Movement, just like Counter Attack, is performed at the cost of a one "Ball" from the N-Groove Super Meter. Also, you do lose some Guard Meter, just like Counter Attacks. When you perform a forward Counter Movement, you go into an instant Roll. Whatever your Roll animation is and whatever the Roll's distance is, that's exactly what you do with a forward Counter Movement. That means that if the enemy does a Super against you and you perform a Counter Movement going forward, you can escape everything they do because it is invincible at the beginning. You will just Roll forward safely through their attack. However, the vulnerability still exists at the end of the Counter Movement, and if you end up next to the opponent and they are recovered, they can easily punish you for trying to do a Counter Movement. Backwards Counter Movements cause you to simply perform a backwards Dash. However, backwards Dashes have no invincibility normally. Backwards Counter Movements are almost the same. They DO have some invincibility, but only the SLIGHTEST fraction of a second of invincibility. But generally, trying to utilize the invincibility is pointless because that invincible period is SO short. So performing a backwards Counter Movement to avoid Supers is a bad idea. Chances are you'll get hit anyhow. This is mainly used to escape pressure tactics or for positioning. Don't bet on it being used to pass through attacks. But since it is a backwards Dash, if whatever hits you cannot Juggle afterwards, you're safe, because you'll be knocked into the air instead of remaining grounded. Because Counter Attacks have little invincibility, sometimes performing a forward Counter Movement is the best way to avoid being defeated by Block Damage from a Level 3 super. For example, if Chun Li does a Level 3 Hoyokusen (the Thousand Burst Kick-like Super) and causes you to block it, chances are a Counter Attack will just end up eating the Super or trading with it because of little invincibility. But if you perform a Counter Movement, you can Roll right through Chun Li and then attack her from the other side. Be careful: Counter Movement is performed with the same buttons as a Roll. Quite often, your intention is to Roll through an enemy's attack but the enemy attacked sooner than you thought. So you Block the enemy's attack, and then hit Jab (LP) and Short (LK) in an attempt to Roll. Instead, you end up performing a backwards Counter Movement because you don't need to TAP Back and hit the buttons. Just holding the joystick at Back works, so you end up all but wasting your Super Meter and drain a chunk of your own Guard Meter. This little "glitch" in the design of Counter Movement has even turned some people away from N-Groove. _________ --/ \-------------------------------------------------------- =( Air Guard )================================================== 07 = --\_________/-------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: C-Groove | --------------------- Air Blocking, known as "Air Guard" in CvS2, has made a return. However, only one Groove gets the benefit of Air Blocking: C-Groove. If you are familiar with the Alpha Series, then Air Guard is nothing new to you. It's basically the ability to Block while Jumping. However, just like with Ground Blocking, Air Guard is not a guaranteed Block: there are certain moves that you cannot Air Guard. Generally, the rule of Air Guard is that if the move that hits you is still touching the ground, you cannot Block it. For example, if Ryu does Crouching Fierce, since his feet are still on the ground, you cannot Air Guard the move. However, since his Hop Kick (Towards + Forward) takes him into the air, you ARE able to Air Guard that. Certain moves make the character LOOK like they are airborne, but they cannot be Air Guarded. Moves like Terry's Standing Roundhouse and Mai's Standing Forward hop over low limbs, but they still cannot be Air Guarded. So even though they look like and behave as though they are not touching the ground, they still ARE registered as grounded. The best way to tell what is grounded and what isn't is that if they get HIT out of a move that is grounded, they will still be on the ground. Moves like Ryu's Hop Kick, when struck out of it, he gets put into the air. Now, for something like Ryu and Ken's Shoryukens, if you do the Uppercut late enough, your feet are still on the floor when you strike the enemy, so the enemy cannot Air Guard your Shoryuken. However, if you do the Shoryuken too early, and end up swiping the enemy after already rising into the air, the enemy can then Air Guard it because you are no longer touching the ground. So again, the general rule is that if you are touching the floor, the move cannot be Air Blocked. But if the move is off the ground, it can be Air Blocked without any problems. This goes for other Jumping Attacks, Ryu's Hop Kick, Projectiles that are airborne (like Guile's Sonic Boom, not ground projectiles like Terry's Power Wave), and any Special Move that is in the air. There are some exceptions to the rule, but overall, this is the best way to judge if a move is Air Guardable or not. __________ --/ \------------------------------------------------------- =( Small Jump )================================================= 08 = --\__________/------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: P-Groove | | S-Groove | | N-Groove | | K-Groove | --------------------- Small Jump is just that: a small Jump. It's not really a faster Jump, though. Basically, it's just a much lower, shorter distanced Jump. And it's very useful for characters who have really good Jumping attacks, like Sagat's Jumping Roundhouse (HK) or Rock's Jumping Roundhouse (HK). This allows you to Jump in on enemies without being as predictable and punishable as a normal Jump. It also gives your opponent MUCH less of a chance to naturally react against your Jump. However, if you do ANY Jump Attack while in a Small Jump, your character will have a slight delay upon landing. This is to make sure that Comboing after a Small Jump is difficult. If it were easy to Combo after a Small Jump, Small Jump could potentially be too powerful and game-breaking. So by adding the delay, you can land a lot of sneak attacks against Crouching opponents with a Small Jump, but punishing them greatly for their mistake isn't too easy. You CAN cancel this delay with a Special Move or a Super Combo. This does allow you to combo an attack after a Small Jump easier if you have a very quick hitting Special Move or Super Combo. Or, if you have a good "getaway" move, you can cancel your delay with that. For example, Blanka can do a Small Jump Roundhouse (HK) and then immediately land with a Surprise Back (the Backwards Hop). That will cancel the delay of your Small Jump and leave you very safe, while the enemy stays in Block Stun from your Jump attack. Lastly, if you do NOT do any attack during a Small Jump, there is NO delay when you land. It's just like landing from a normal Jump. Thus, you can do Small Jumps, do nothing, and land and Sweep right away, to catch a LOT of people off guard since they are trying to stand up and Block your Small Jump Attack. During a Small Jump, your ability to perform certain actions may be removed. If your character has a Special Move or Super Combo that can be performed during a Jump, it cannot be performed during a Small Jump. So Special Moves (like Morrigan's Air Soul Fist) or Super Combos (like Kim's Heavenly Phoenix Kick) will not come out during a Small Jump. You CAN do Directional Moves, however, in a Small Jump (like Morrigan's Down + Roundhouse (HK) or Chun Li's Down + Forward (MK)). Another restriction occurs if you are in P-Groove or K-Groove: you are NOT allowed to perform a Parry or Just Defend during a Small Jump. Air Throws, on the other hand, are still possible in a Small Jump. Okay, I'm missing something vital here... Oh yeah! How do you DO a Small Jump?!? Very simple: just tap any of the three Up directions. And since you can do any of the three directions, that means you can Small Jump in all three directions: forward Small Jump, backward Small Jump, and straight up Small Jump. Make sure you tap the Up position VERY quickly, however. Even the slightest lingering on the Up will cause you to perform a normal Jump. Many non-KOF players have been expressing a lot of problems getting Small Jump to work. This is natural, since Small Jumps never existed in any Capcom game before, and KOF players have had it for a while and are completely used to it already. The one advice I've heard that helps my Small Jumping ability a LOT is to think of doing Small Jumps like an upside-down High Jump. Instead of just tapping Up, tap Up, then pull the joystick Down right away. This forces you to pull the joystick away from Up quickly, and the Small Jump will come out more often than not. If you just try tapping Up carefully, you usually carefully try to hold the joystick and put it back into Neutral, but just that slight hesitation letting it linger near the Up positions will cause you to regular Jump. No, definitely, tapping Up then Down quickly works best for me. It may not help you, but it definitely improved my Small Jumping ability. Small Jumps do add another weakness to your character, though it's very hard to detect. If your character has Small Jump, it WILL take longer for your character to actually LEAVE the floor for a Jump, even if you are doing a regular Jump! Every character has one animation frame right before they Jump, sort of like a "pre-jump" animation where the character bends their knees ready to leap into the air. Well, in order to give players more time to let go of the Up positions on the joystick before getting too high up in your Jump, they have actually made that pre-Jump animation frame slightly LONGER for characters in Grooves that have Small Jump! So characters with Small Jump actually have a slightly slower Jump. You can see this by getting two of the same characters, one in C-Groove and one in P-Groove, and have them Jump straight up and down. You'll notice, that even if you started them Jumping at the same time, they will slowly shift out of sync, with the P-Groove version lagging behind. This is caused by that slight delay. The delay doesn't affect your character that much, truth be told. In fact, it's barely noticeable in gameplay at all. And if it ever affects the way a fight turns out in a noticeable fashion, I'd be surprised. But it does exist, and there are some "weaknesses" associated with it, so I've got to mention those here. For one thing, getting struck during this delay leaves you grounded. So if you tried to Jump to avoid, for example, a Crouch Forward (MK) from Ryu at the last second, you MIGHT have escaped the Kick if you were in C-Groove or A-Groove, but in any of the other four Grooves with Small Jump, you might get hit by the Crouch Forward (MK) and whatever Ryu Buffered that Crouch Forward (MK) into. Another thing that you may experience is trying to Jump over Projectiles at the last second and getting nailed on your way up. I don't know if the Small Jump delay can affect the timing that much, but I can imagine that even the SLIGHTEST delays can cause you to not make it over a Fireball properly every once in a while, whereas if you were in C-Groove or A-Groove, you would be able to make it over easily. But I seriously doubt that you'll really ever experience a great deficit for having this delay. I'll say this again, just in case anyone gets this wild idea that Small Jump delay is awful and terrible and ruins Small Jumping: the delay is so very slight, that it will most likely never affect gameplay to the point where the delay was the reason for your loss. Also, it doesn't seem to affect your ability to escape Throws. You'd think that because you're stuck on the ground for just that fraction of a second longer, that you could be Thrown a LOT easier. Well, I used this as a test: in Training Mode, get a C-Groove character and set him to Jump Straight up forever. Try to Throw this character. You'll find this is actually a VERY difficult thing to do (because Throws aren't instant, it's hard to grab the enemy for that short period of time they are on the ground). However, if I set the character to do the same in P-Groove, you would think the delay would make it so that they are MUCH easier to Throw. Actually, no. It's about the same as before. So really, the delay hardly effects gameplay, and you probably will NEVER notice it's affects in actual battle. There is one very small and minor side-effect of Small Jumps, however. Certain characters who have Special Moves that can be performed in the air sometimes like to perform their move the instant they leave the floor. Athena is the best example, with her Phoenix Arrow. Basically, you can do this move the instant you leave the floor with the Roundhouse (HK) button and make it so that it seems like she's basically doing the kick from the end of the move right from the floor. To do this, people will utilize a "Tiger Knee" motion. They roll the joystick from Crouch to Defensive Crouch to Back to Back Flip and then hit Roundhouse. The Back Flip will make the character Jump, and since you passed the Reverse Fireball motion on your way up, the Roundhouse will register as the button activation for her Reverse Fireball + Kick motion. And since she's in the air, she'll immediately do her Phoenix Arrow the instant she leaves the floor. Now, I said before that you cannot do a Special Move in Small Jumps. This causes problems for the above technique. Basically, the computer registers you as Small Jumping the instant you leave the floor. If you are still holding any of the Up directions after a short period of time, the computer will then register you as regular Jumping, and allow you to perform Special Moves and what not. That means you are defaulted to Small Jumping FIRST. So if you try the above "Tiger Knee" motion technique, it will be a lot tougher to do in a Groove with Small Jump than in Grooves that DON'T have the Small Jump. The instant you leave the floor, you are in a Small Jump, and NO SPECIAL MOVES ARE ALLOWED. So you won't ever be able to do your move the instant you leave the floor. You can only do it slightly after you leave the floor. Thus, if you base your strategy on the "Tiger Knee" motion trick (which is really useful for a small selection of characters, including Athena, Kim, and Akuma) and you play a Groove with Small Jump, practice the timing and practice it well. It's a lot harder to do in the four Grooves with Small Jump than it is in the Grooves without it. _________________ --/ \------------------------------------------------ =( Tactical Recovery )========================================== 09 = --\_________________/ groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: C-Groove | | P-Groove | | S-Groove | --------------------- Once you are struck by a Knock-Down, whether it be a Special Move, a Normal Move that knocks down (like Hibiki's Standing Forward (MK)), a Throw, or a Super Combo, your character ends up falling to the ground and landing on his/her back (or front, as is the case of Yamazaki... ^_^). After landing on the ground, normally your character immediately gets back up only half a second after hitting the floor. With Tactical Recovery, you can actually lengthen the amount of time your character lies there on the ground by a little bit, to add a bit of confusion to the enemy's timing. This is very simple to do. Before your character starts to get up, hold at least two Punches (any two or all three will work). Your character will remain on the floor for about half a second longer and then get up. You'll know you did this correctly because your character, when getting up, with have the "shadow" effect. You don't end up staying on the floor very much longer at all, but it's enough of an increase to throw off Meaty Attack timing and Cross-up timing. Also, since the character generally gets up pretty quickly after being knocked over, you pretty much have to have decided to do the Tactical Recovery before you hit the floor. If you try to hold the two Punches after you hit the ground and are lying on your back, you'll usually start getting up by then and fail to do the Tactical Recovery. Just make sure that you are holding two Punches before your character first hits the ground after a Knock-Down. You'll see that right before they hit the ground the second time after the bounce that the shadows already start appearing, almost to act, it seems, as a signal to the enemy, if they are sharp, that the Tactical Recovery is being used. Learn when to use this tactic, and it can be effective enough to shift the Wake-up game to your advantage, as it will also add a small element of inconsistency to the timing of when your character gets up from off the floor. This could save you from a lot of damage that you could eat if the enemy lands a Cross-up. _________ --/ \-------------------------------------------------------- =( Safe Fall )================================================== 10 = --\_________/-------- groove sub-systems | | | GROOVES: A-Groove | | N-Groove | | K-Groove | --------------------- Safe Fall is a way to prevent your character from even being on the ground at all after being struck by a Known-Down. Anytime you get hit by a Knock-Down, you can basically cause your character to roll backwards slightly the instant you hit the ground. This allows you to get farther away from your opponent and virtually eliminates the Wake-up game from your opponent's options. Whenever you get hit by a Knock-Down, your character will usually hit the ground once, bounce off the ground a little, and then hit the ground again and stay there. To perform a Safe Fall, hit at least two Punches the instant you hit the ground on that FIRST bounce (three Punches works too). If you wait any later than that, you will not be able to perform a Safe Fall. However, you CANNOT perform a Safe Fall after you get hit by a Super Combo. Getting hit by a Super Combo prevents you from doing a Safe Fall at all, so you will have to deal with any sort of Wake-up games the opponent has planned for you. Some people have asked, "Why on earth would you not do a Safe Fall? Is there ever any time you might NOT want to do a Safe Fall?" Well, Safe Falls DO have a weakness... There is a vulnerable period at the end of a Safe Fall where you can get hit by just about anything. Anything that would normally hit you if you were Standing will connect against you at the end of a Safe Roll. Not only that, but if something hits you, you are registered as grounded, so any normal combo against a grounded opponent will work! People can definitely take advantage of Safe Falls knowing this. For example, Benimaru can do a Super Lightning Kick with Short (LK) Kick. The instant his opponent lands, he can wait to see if you do a Safe Fall. If you do, he can do a Level 3 Discharge Spark and catch you out of your Safe Fall for free. Also, if you Safe Fall in the corner, chances are your opponent is close enough to take advantage of the Safe Fall and can really punish you. Also, there are some moves you cannot Safe Fall after, even though they put you to the floor. Usually moves that just instantly floor you are impossible to Safe Fall from. This includes moves like Kyo's Jumping Down + Fierce (HP), either of Haohmaru's Throws, Kyo's Kick Throw, Haohmaru's Secret Earthquake Slice, Kyosuke's Shadow Breaker (the Overhead punch attack), and Ryo's Crazy Tiger Thunder Attack (the Overhead leaping chop attack). ________________________ --/ \----------------------------------------- =( Groove Sub-Systems Chart )=================================== 11 = --\________________________/ groove sub-systems Below is a chart that shows you exactly which Groove has which Groove Sub-System. From looking at the chart, P-Groove and K-Groove have the least Abilities, and N-Groove has the most, making it the most well-rounded Groove. Study the chart, and figure out and remember what abilities are granted to your character for each Groove... ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ | | | | | | | | C | A | P | S | N | K | | | | | | | | | G | G | G | G | G | G | | R | R | R | R | R | R | | O | O | O | O | O | O | | O | O | O | O | O | O | | V | V | V | V | V | V | | E | E | E | E | E | E | ___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | DASH | X | X | X | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | RUN | | | | X | X | X | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | ROLLING | X | X | | | X | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | DODGE | | | | X | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | COUNTER | X | X | | X | X | | | ATTACK | | | | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | COUNTER | | | | | X | | | MOVEMENT | | | | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | AIR GUARD | X | | | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | SMALL | | | X | X | X | X | | JUMP | | | | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | TACTICAL | X | | X | X | | | | RECOVERY | | | | | | | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | | | SAFE FALL | | X | | | X | X | |___________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== =============== Chapter 05 ---| THE GROOVES |--------------------------------------------------- =============== 00) Intro 01) C-Groove / Level 2 Super Canceling 02) A-Groove / Custom Combos 03) P-Groove / Parry 04) S-Groove / Power Build And Power Condition 05) N-Groove / Power Activation 06) K-Groove / Just Defend ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << INTRO >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- The Grooves are the heart and soul of Capcom Vs. SNK 2! There are 6 Grooves in CvS2, and each Groove will greatly affect how you play your character. Grooves grant your characters abilities that aren't available in any other Groove. Most of the differences involve the use of your Super Meter and how it is used and what you can use it for. It also can grant you other abilities such as the ability to Parry. It is these abilities that make the Groove what they are. As mentioned earlier, there are 6 Grooves all together. Three of them are based on Capcom games (C, A, and P Grooves) and three of them are based on SNK games (S, N, and K Grooves). Below is a small summary of each Groove's unique abilities, and then detailed information about each Groove will follow. 1) C-Groove - Three Tiered Super Meter - Level 2 Super Canceling - Air Guard 2) A-Groove - Custom Combos 3) P-Groove - Parry 4) S-Groove - Power Build - Power Condition - Dodge 5) N-Groove - Power Activation - Counter Movement 6) K-Groove - Just Defense - Rage Meter ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << C GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - Three Tiered Super Meter Groove Systems: - Level 2 Super Canceling Groove Sub-Systems: - Dash - Rolling - Air Guard - Counter Attack - Tactical Recovery Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 1 - Level 2 - Level 3 Games of Origin: - Street Fighter Alpha Series * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- C-Groove is a purely Super Combo-based Groove. You have a Three Tiered Super Meter which allows you to perform three different Levels of Super Combos. True, EVERY other Groove has Super Combos as well, but there are four main factors that make C-Groove far more Super Combo based than the other Grooves: 1) No time limit! Once a Meter is built up, you don't have to worry about any time limits. You are able to Super whenever and wherever you like, so utilizing Supers into your gameplay is MUCH easier. You can play naturally, and your opponent will never know when the Super is coming! 2) Any Super, any time, any place! A-Groove and P-Groove don't have time limits either, so why aren't they as good? Because A-Groove is stuck with Level 1 Supers (which are pretty terrible in priority by Level 1 Super standards) and P-Groove is stuck with Level 3's. C-Groove's biggest advantage is that a person using C-Groove not only can choose to do a Level 1 or Level 3 whenever he/she wants, but a Level 2 Super, which isn't available is any other Groove. If you have the Meter (and see number 3), you can do a nice Level 1 to finish off opponents, or you can do a powerful Level 3 if you need a comeback. Whatever the situation asks for, if you've got the Meter, you can do it. C-Groove is the ONLY Groove where you can choose what Level of your Super Combo is performed. 3) Meter builds up SOOOO fast! You do not realize how fast your Meter builds up in C-Groove. I swear I've seen fights where someone blows a whole Level 3 Super Combo on someone, and in 10 seconds, BOOM! You're Meter is full with a Level 3 again. The reason this seems so much fast than other Grooves is because it requires the least amount of points to build up a Level 1 Super in C-Groove. A-Groove and N-Groove have the next shortest meters, but C-Groove's Meter is more than 1/5 shorter than A-Groove and N-Groove. 4) Level 2's can produce tons of damage thanks to C-Groove's new ability to cancel Level 2's into a Special Move or a Level 1 Super (if available). This makes it much more practical to throw out Level 1's at will, because if you have a Level 2 left, you can still do VERY damaging Combos. So you don't always need a Level 3 for a good, damaging comeback Combo. So if you like using Supers, C-Groove is the Groove for you. Especially if you're proficient at Comboing Supers. * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- C-Groove's Super Meter is divided into three equal parts. You can see the divisions in the Meter by the fact that each third gets increasingly "thicker" in the Super Meter. Your Meter will build up during the normal course of battle. When the first third fills up, you now have one "Level" of Super Meter. Now you can perform any actions that you need a Level 1 to perform (Level 1 Supers and Counter Attacks). When the second third of the Meter fills up, you can now perform Level 2 Supers. And finally, when the last third of the Meter fills up, you gain the ability to do Level 3 Supers. Whenever you perform any of these actions that drain Meter, only that portion of the Meter required will drain from your Meter. In other words, if you have exactly 2 Levels stored up and you perform a Counter Attack, you'll now have exactly 1 Level left in your Meter. Or if you have 2 and a half Levels filled up, and you perform a Level 2 Super, you'll have half a Level left in your Meter. Performing an action that consumes Meter is the only way to drain the Meter. Otherwise, whatever Meter you've gained, you keep. It never drains by any other means. C-Groove is the ONLY Groove where you can choose what level of Super you do. In order to choose which Level of Super you perform, you have to use specific buttons to activate the Super. For example, if you are doing a Super that is activated by a Punch button, doing the Super with Jab (LP) will perform a Level 1 Super. Performing the Super with Strong (MP) will perform a Level 2 Super. And performing the Super with Fierce (HP) will perform a Level 3 Super. This also applies with Supers that require the Kick buttons with Short (LK), Forward (MK), and Roundhouse (HK) respectively. If you don't have enough Super Meter for the Level you chose, it will just activate the highest Level Super possible. For example, if you have only 1/2 a whole C-Groove Meter (which is one full Level and half of the second), and you do the Super with the Fierce (HP) button, you will perform just the Level 1 that you had available to you. There are some extra benefits to filling up your Meter. At each Level you build, you also gain a slight strength increase. Once you get your Super Meter up to a Level 1, your character will do 1% more damage with every hit. At Level 2, your character will do an extra 2%. At a full Level 3, your character does an extra 5%. It's not much, but any little bit will help, right? And if you use your Super Meter for any reason, your Strength will drop down to whatever your Meter is at. So if you are at Level 3 and do a Level 2 Super, your strength will go down from 105% to 101%, since you have a Level 1 left. In C-Groove, regardless if you win or lose a round, you will keep EXACTLY whatever Meter you had filled up between Rounds. So if you win a Round with a full 100% Meter, you'll start the next Round with a full 100% Meter. If you are defeated with just 50% of your Meter, you'll start the next Round with your next character with 50% of your Meter. So be it 23%, 78%, 16%, 0%, or whatever percent of your Meter is filled up at the end of a Round, that's exactly how much Meter your character will have at the start of the next Round. * * * --------------------------- | LEVEL 2 SUPER CANCELING | --------------------------- C-Groove's one main unique ability (besides Air Guard) is a new feature that has never existed before in any Street Fighter game: the ability to cancel a Level 2 Super Combo into a Special Move or Level 1 Super Combo (if you have the Meter for it). This allows you to add more damage to many of the combos that can be performed with Level 2 Supers. The way this works is pretty simple, and it goes pretty much how you think it would: at any point, during a Level 2 Super Combo, if you input the code for a Special Move or a Super Combo that can be performed from where you are, your Level 2 Super Combo will be canceled, and your character will go straight into what Special Move code you input. However, there is one MAJOR caveat to this: the Super Combo HAS TO BE CONNECTING. You cannot cancel a Level 2 Super Combo that is whiffing, or a Level 2 Super Combo that is being Blocked. Only if the Super Combo is CONNECTING can you cancel it. It doesn't matter which hit connects, as long as ONE hit connects, you then gain the ability to cancel that Level 2 Super at any point from that time on. To keep things simple, it is safe to say, for now, that anything you perform out of a Level 2 Super Combo has the ability to Juggle the opponent. So even if a move does not Juggle the enemy normally, in this situation, it will. For example, Bison's Psycho Crusher normally does not have any ability to Juggle the opponent. But if you perform a Level 2 Knee Press Nightmare, and cancel the last hit into the Psycho Crusher, the Psycho Crusher will Juggle the enemy out of the air. Such are the benefits of C-Groove's Level 2 Super Canceling ability. To learn more about how the Juggling works, and EXACTLY why the Juggles work and why some don't, please read the Level 2 Super Canceling section in the second half of this FAQ. In the Combo section, under Level 2 Super Canceling, this will be explained in far greater detail. This allows you to add on a lot more damage to a Level 2 Super. In some cases, a Level 2 Super canceled into a Special Move will do more damage that a Level 3 by itself. A Level 2 canceled into a Level 1 is the most devastating in many cases. However, the only truly consistent thing about Fighting Games is that NOTHING is ever consistent. In some cases, performing a Level 2 Super canceled into a Level 1 or a Special Move will do LESS damage than a Level 3 by itself. In those cases, you're better off landing a full Level 3 if you are looking for damage. However, if you only have a Level 2 available, or you just want to conserve Meter, feel free to do the Level 2 in the Combo anyhow. Sometimes if you're not careful, though, the cancellation can lead to disastrous results. For example, if you do Blanka's Shout of Earth, which garners more hits if you mash buttons, just be careful if you EVER do a Level 2 Shout of Earth. Mashing Punches will instantly cancel the Super into Electric Thunder, wasting your entire Super for one hit. Mashing Kicks may accidentally make you perform a Surprise Forward or a Surprise Back, again wasting your entire Super. My advice? Mash on Short (LK) and that's it. Oh, and wiggle that joystick like mad. ^_^ ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << A GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - Two Tiered Custom Combo Meter Groove Systems: - Custom Combos Groove Sub-Systems: - Dash - Rolling - Counter Attack - Safe Fall Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 1 Games of Origin: - Street Fighter Alpha Series * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- A-Groove, obviously, is the Custom Combo Groove. Depending on your character, this can be one of the more skillful Grooves, or one of the "scrubbiest". Whatever the case is, this is definitely the Groove that allows for the most versatility of using your Meter. Custom Combos allow you to use their momentary invincibility to "blow through" attacks. They can be used to lengthen a combo that might have otherwise ended without them. They can also give you the much needed Anti-air attack your character is missing. Regardless of what you are using it for, remember one thing: Custom Combos also have the greatest ability to foul up. Although Customs last long, and while you are getting hit by a long Custom Combo it seems rather annoying, remember that Custom Combos are the only use of Meter that a player can "mess up". Not only can they mess up, but if they mess up early enough into the Custom Combo, they are left extremely vulnerable to attacks. In short, Customs are a more versatile and manual Super Combo. The potential to do much more damage than a Super Combo is there for some characters, and for others, the Custom Combo almost becomes a useless asset. Find out if A-Groove is good for your character, and if your character has many uses for the Custom. And if you are skilled enough to pull off some of the more skillful or high-damaging Combos, then this is the Groove for you. * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- The A-Groove Meter is divided into two-halves. A line in the Meter indicates the half-way point of the Meter. Once the Meter fills up halfway, you gain the ability to perform any ability that requires 1 level of Meter (Level 1 Supers or Counter Attacks). When you build up the second half, you gain the ability to perform a Custom Combo. You can still perform Level 1 Supers and Counter Attacks, and that will only drain half of your Meter. So if you had about 75% of a Meter built up and you perform a Level 1 Super, you'll end up with 25% of your Meter still full. If you have a full Meter and perform a Counter Attack, you'll end up with half a Meter left. Keep in mind, also, that if you have both halves of the Meter filled up, you do NOT gain the ability to do a Level 2 Super Combo. Level 1 Super Combos are all you get in A-Groove. Performing an action that consumes Meter is the only way to drain the Meter. Otherwise, whatever Meter you've gained, you keep. It never drains by any other means. In A-Groove, regardless if you win or lose a round, you will keep EXACTLY whatever Meter you had filled up between Rounds. So if you win a Round with a full 100% Meter, you'll start the next Round with a full 100% Meter. If you are defeated with just 50% of your Meter, you'll start the next Round with your next character with 50% of your Meter. So be it 23%, 78%, 0%, or whatever percent of your Meter is filled up at the end of a Round, that's exactly how much Meter your character will have at the start of the next Round. * * * ----------------- | CUSTOM COMBOS | ----------------- The Custom Combos in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 are very, very free form. Customs have generally come with a lot of limitations or rules or what not... But in CvS2, most of the rules have been simplified. There are still a few rules here and there, but in general, it is safe to say this: Custom Combos grant you the ability to cancel any attack into any other attack, whether it be a Special Move or a Normal Move. Also, all moves you perform in a Custom Combo gain infinite Juggling ability. That means anything that reaches the enemy pretty much will Juggle. During Customs, you can also Jump, Crouch, Roll, and do pretty much anything you normally could have done when NOT in a Custom Combo. Also, Special Moves that require charge time no long need to be charged up. So Guile can throw Sonic Booms or perform Somersault Kicks while walking forward. The only major restriction that comes from activating a Custom Combo is that you can no longer Block. So if you activate your Custom, and do not land your Combo, beware of retaliation. The last advantage given to you by Custom Combos is a period of momentary invincibility. Upon activation, your character is invincible for a short period of time. This allows you to dodge Projectiles, "blow through" moves the enemy tried to nail you with, or turn low-quality Anti-air moves, like Dan's Kouryuken, into pure 100% invincible Anti-air attacks. This is a BIG key for using Custom Combos properly, as utilizing this invincibility period properly will allow you to land your Custom Combos a lot more often. To activate a Custom Combo, simply hit Fierce (HP) + Roundhouse (HK) at the same time when you have a full Meter. You can activate a Custom Combo when you are on the ground or even if you are in the air. However, you can only perform a Custom in the Air if you haven't already performed an attack in your Jump. Again, you can ONLY activate a Custom Combo if your Meter is 100% full. There are no "50% Custom Combos" like there were in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Nope, in CvS2, you need a full Meter, or you have no Custom Combos. Once activated, your Super Meter will gradually drain from full to empty. Once it drains all the way, your Custom Combo is over, and any ability you gained is gone. You can now Block again, and you play as normal, but with an empty Meter to start building again. If you are struck in the middle of a Custom Combo (take damage in any way), your Custom Combo automatically ends. So when you are hit by any move or even Thrown, your Custom ends. Then, whatever energy is left in your Super Meter will get subtracted by 50% of a full Meter, and that is what you are left with. Thus, if you activate your Custom Combo and get hit out of a Custom Combo with 75% of the Meter still full, you'll end up with only 25% of your Meter left. That also means if you get hit out of a Custom Combo with anything less than 50% of the Super Meter full, you end up with nothing. One interesting thing to note: if you perform a Throw during a Custom Combo, and the enemy Techs it, your Custom Combo will STILL be going. However, if the enemy Throws YOU and you Tech it, your Custom ends, even though you took no damage. A new feature added to Custom Combos, though, is the ability to, at anytime during the Custom Combo, perform a Level 1 Super. Doing so will instantly end your Custom Combo and empty out the Meter, but these Supers are vital to doing damage with Customs. The Damage Scaling that occurs with Custom Combos is VERY harsh in CvS2. All hits during a Custom Combo are suspect to some very potent Damage Scaling so that your Custom may barely even scratch the surface of doing 25% damage to an opponent. However, Level 1 Supers in the middle of a Custom Combo are exempt from these harsh Damage Scaling effects. They do not do the full damage of a normal Level 1 by itself, but it will still do a good deal of damage during a Custom Combo. Thus, it is almost IMPERATIVE that you land a Level 1 Super at the end of your Custom Combo, if you are hoping to do any worthy amount of damage. Also, if you defeat an opponent during a Custom Combo (see the following section on Custom Combos), you will have an empty Meter at the start of the next round, regardless of how much energy is left inside your Super Meter. If you want to learn more about Custom Combos and how they work, the abilities and restrictions gained, the Juggling System, etc., please read the Custom Combo section in the second half of this FAQ. In the Combo section, under Custom Combos, this will be explained in far greater detail. ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << P GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - Basic, Level 3 Only Super Meter Groove Systems: - Parry Groove Sub-Systems: - Dash - Small Jump - Tactical Recovery Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 3 Games of Origin: - Street Fighter Three Series * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- P-Groove is the ultimate "risk" Groove. If you are good at predicting your enemy's actions, willing to take many risks, and want to give yourself the ultimate way to avoid just about everything that can be thrown at you in this game, this is the Groove for you. You don't get a lot of abilities in this Groove. You pretty much only get one: Parrying. Outside of a Small Jump tacked on for good measure, you're going to have to base your whole game around Parrying. So if you aren't good at Parrying, you aren't good at P-Groove. And if you aren't good at Parrying, seriously, stay away from P-Groove. But if you ARE good at Parrying, well then by all means pick it! Or if you want to get good at Parrying, pick P-Groove and practice up! Be warned, though, Parrying isn't just something you can learn with time. Parrying requires a LOT of intuition, quick reflexes, and a high level of psychology, because you don't Parry things for the most part on reaction. You generally will Parry things because you've predicted what your opponent is going to do, or you were able to make the enemy feel safe to do a certain move, which you then Parry and retaliate. But again, the best thing about Parrying is that it means you are never dead. A Meaty Fireball, for example, when you have Zero Vital doesn't guarantee death by Block Damage. Jumping at an enemy who launches a Level 3 Anti-air super on you doesn't mean you're finished. If you get good at Parrying, you can survive just about anything. So if you're ready to take the time to learn how to Parry, or if you're an avid Street Fighter III player looking to show the rest of the Street Fighter world what's up, P-Groove is for you. * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- P-Groove's Meter is very, very simple. There are no levels or tiers or sections of the Meter. There is just one big Meter. As you play, it fills up slowly, and once it is full, you can perform your Super Combo. The Super Combo will be performed as a Level 3 Super Combo, and will completely drain your Meter. There is no other action you can use with your Meter other than a Level 3 Super. Performing the Super Combo is the only way to drain the Meter. Otherwise, whatever Meter you've gained, you keep. It never drains by any other means. In P-Groove, regardless if you win or lose a round, you will keep EXACTLY whatever Meter you had filled up between Rounds. So if you win a Round with a full 100% Meter, you'll start the next Round with a full 100% Meter. If you are defeated with just 50% of your Meter, you'll start the next Round with your next character with 50% of your Meter. So be it 23%, 78%, 0%, or whatever percent of your Meter is filled up at the end of a Round, that's exactly how much Meter your character will have at the start of the next Round. * * * --------- | PARRY | --------- The Parry System was taken straight from the Street Fighter III Series. To understand Parrying, you must understand the concept of Block Stun first. As you know, whenever you Block an attack, your character is rendered stuck in "Block Stun". This means your character must remain "ineffective" for a small period of time. You cannot do anything except Block again or perform a Counter Attack or Counter Movement. Also, after you Block an attack, your character gets pushed a small distance while in the Block Stun. Parrying is a risk-based system that allows you to completely bypass Block Stun. If you Parry an oncoming attack, your character will basically "Block" the attack, but 1) Will not go into ANY Block Stun; 2) Will not be pushed back ANY distance. Thus, your character is free to perform ANYTHING you want him or her to do the instant you Parry an attack. So if you Parry an opponent's Crouching Roundhouse (HK), for example, you recover instantly and can choose to punish the enemy while their Roundhouse (HK) finishes animating. The reason why I keep calling Parry a risk-based system is because you are putting your character, pretty much, in danger every time you attempt a Parry. To perform a Parry, you must hit the Joystick Towards or straight Down the INSTANT before a move connects against you. So if you wanted to Parry a Projectile, like Ryu's Hadouken for example, you must wait until the Projectile gets right in front of you, and then press Towards on the controller. Your character will Parry the Projectile and bypass all Block Stun. However, if your timing is off, you'll either Parry too early or too late. Regardless of which you do, you'll most likely eat the Projectile. And if you were trying to Parry something more deadly, like a Super Combo, you can take a LOT of damage from a failed Parry. Keep in mind that you can only Parry Attacks. If you try to Parry an attack from Zangief, and he decides to do a Screw Pile Driver instead, you'll get Thrown. On the ground, there are two directions you can Parry: Towards and Down. These can be referred to as Parrying High (Towards) and Parrying Low (Down). That is because, just like there are moves that cannot be Blocked in both directions, there are moves that cannot be Parried in both directions. Which way you can Parry a move is based on, generally, where the attack hits. Let's use Ryu as our "height" model. Anything that hits Ryu from about the height of his waist and upwards HAS TO BE PARRIED HIGH. Examples of this are Ryu's Close-up Forward Kick (MK), Balrog's Standing Fierce (HP), Kyo's Wicked Chew (Fireball + Jab (LP) or Strong (MP)), and Maki's Standing Jab (LP). Any move that you have to Crouch Block MUST BE PARRIED LOW. This goes for moves like Mai's Crouching Forward (MK), Ken's Crouching Roundhouse (HK), Kyo's Crouching Short (LK), or the first hit of Kim's Comet Cruncher (the Slide and Overhead Kick move). Any move that hits at the height of Ryu's thighs to his shin CAN BE PARRIED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. This goes for moves like Akuma's Crouching Strong (MP), Chun Li's Standing Short (LK), Bison's Crouching Fierce (HP), and Terry's Crouching Jab (LP). Moves that are airborne, REGARDLESS of where they hit you, must be Parried High. This includes any Jump attack, Honda's Super Zutsuki, Akuma's Dive Kick, and Kyosuke's Shadow Breaker (the Overhead punch attack). The reason I make this distinction is because of moves like Bison's Double Knee Press. Both hits of Bison's Knee Press must be Parried High, even though the second hit hits kind of low. But he's still airborne, so you CANNOT Parry it Low. You can only Parry it High. And, NO, nice try: you cannot use Offensive Crouch to Parry in both directions at once. It HAS to be exactly Towards or Down, not any joystick position that CONTAINS those directions. You can also Parry in the air. Although you don't have Air Blocking, this basically acts as a suitable replacement! And what's better is that there is NOT A SINGLE ATTACK YOU CANNOT AIR PARRY, whereas with Air Guard there are many moves that cannot be Air Guarded. However, in order to Parry in the air, you cannot have done any other move during your Jump beforehand. So you can't Jump and kick on your way up and then Parry on your way down. To perform a Parry in the air, it's the same as on the ground: hit Towards on the Joystick right before a move connects against you. Once you do this, your character will Parry the attack. If this occurs while you are on your way up in a Jump, you basically maintain the momentum of your Jump and continue with your normal Jump Arc. If you Parry while you are on your way DOWN from a Jump, however, you will actually bounce upwards a tiny bit again, and then drift slightly in the direction you were Jumping. Thus, if you Parry on your way down from a Forward Flip, you'll bounce up and drift forward a little bit. If you Parry an attack right before you land during a Back Flip, you'll bounce slightly upwards and continue drifting backwards a bit. If you Parry an attack on your way down from a straight up Jump, you'll bounce slightly straight up, not drifting in any direction. During this period, you can attack with any Jump attack or air Special Move that you want on your way down. Now, keep in mind one thing: in the Street Fighter III Series, you were allowed to Parry with Down OR Towards in the air. Parrying with Down made you bounce forward while Parrying with Towards made you bounce in place to an extent. This isn't true with CvS2 anymore. You can ONLY Parry with Towards in the air, and you only have the choice to bounce in the direction that you were Jumping. Also, to keep a distinction clear: in the Street Fighter Three Series, you were able to Parry moves like Alex's Air Knee Smash and Hugo's Shootdown Backbreaker. In CvS2, however, you CANNOT Parry similar Anti-air Throw moves, namely Zangief's Aerial Russian Slam. See, Alex and Hugo's moves counted as HITS, not Throws. Zangief's Aerial Russian Slam is a THROW, and since you can only Parry hits, there is nothing of that move you can Parry. When you perform a Parry on the ground it will last for 4 frames if you hold the controller in the direction you Parried. However, if the joystick is returned to Neutral within 3 Frames after the input, the Parry will last for 8 frames on the ground, 7 frames in the air. Now, when you Parry an attack, the enemy will freeze in their current Animation Frame for a split second. This gives you some extra time to do whatever retaliation you want. So let's say you Parry the Crouching Forward (MK) from Ryu and Ryu had the intention of Buffering the Crouch Forward (MK) into a Fireball. Now normally, if you were Blocking this, you can't do anything between the hits, because the two hits Combo. But since you Parried the Crouch Forward (MK), you have no Block Stun. Meanwhile, Ryu freezes in place for a bit, so you can quickly throw out a move of your own and hit Ryu even before he goes into the Fireball animation. However, this "Parry Freeze" is not particularly long, especially compared to Street Fighter III or Street Fighter Three: 2nd Impact. So after Parrying Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK), landing a powerful retaliation attack is fairly tough. And Parrying moves that hit multiple times, like Super Combos, and then retaliating is fairly difficult (it IS possible, don't get me wrong, but still very tough. Especially depending on how fast the Super hits). For example, Parrying the first hit of Bison's Mega Psycho Crusher and then landing a Shoryuken is not easy. It can BECOME easy after much practice but, at first, squeezing in the Shoryuken before the next hit of Bison's Super isn't easy. Thus, against moves that are particularly fast, if you want to punish the enemy, you may want to Parry more than one hit in a row to ensure you get a clean Counter Attack. For example, you can Parry all 17 hits of Chun Li's Level 3 Hoyokusen (the Thousand Burst Kick-like Super). You'll have to Parry every hit, one after another. However, because of the Parry Freeze, the speed at which the Super hits will be decidedly slower than normal. So even though the Super, if connecting, hits at the rate of "hit hit hit hit hit hit", for example, Parrying it would be at the tempo of something like "hit hit hit hit hit hit". However, at any point, if you a Parry is mistimed, just be prepared to eat the rest of the Super. Of course, since you are not committed to anything when you Parry a move, you can just choose to Block the rest of the Super, if you don't feel like you are capable of Parrying the rest of it. You can also try to attack in between hits of a string of attacks. When you Parry one hit, you can try to do a move that's fast enough to catch the enemy while he/she is still in his/her Parry Freeze. But if you are too slow with your counter attack, you could end up eating the Super or whatever multi-hitting move you were trying to Parry. You can also Parry multi-hit moves from the air. So if you Jump and Ken does a Shinryuken super on your, you can actually Parry every hit of it, and remain suspended in the air until Ken finally passes through you. Another added benefit to Parrying is that you do not incur any Block Damage. That means defeat by Block Damage is something you can always avoid. If someone plants a Fireball in you when you get up and have Zero Vital, you can actually do a Wake-up Parry, and save yourself from defeat. And if you Parry all 17 hits of Chun Li's Hoyokusen, you will incur zero Block Damage. A small side note: you cannot perform a Parry during a Small Jump. You are only allowed to Parry if you perform a regular Jump or a High Jump. Also, because of the combination of the slight delay at the beginning of a Small Jump and the fact that you cannot Parry during a Small Jump, the period of right when you start Jumping up to the point where you have JUST barely left the ground, you cannot Parry anything. What makes it even worse is that if you are hit during that delay right before you Jump, you DO stay grounded. Most people won't be trying to Parry right when they Jump, of course, so this isn't really much of a big deal. But I figured I'd rather be thorough than not thorough, and so I mentioned it anyhow. You cannot Parry once you are already in Block Stun. If you Block a multi-hit attack, you can no longer Parry if all the attacks Combo. So if Chun Li does the Hoyokusen to you and you Block the first hit, you can no longer Parry any of the subsequent hits from Chun's Super. You will be stuck in Block Stun and are forced to Block the rest of the Super. This is significant to mention because in Street Fighter III: Third Strike, there was an ability called "Red Parrying" which allowed you to Parry OUT of Block Stun. That system DOES NOT EXIST in CvS2. So once you start Blocking, you are Blocking. You can only Parry again once your Block Stun ends and you are free to move again. Staying with the concept of Parrying and Block Stun, remember that Parrying BYPASSES ALL BLOCK STUN. In other words, after Parrying an attack, you are essentially in a Neutral State as if you were just Standing there during a normal fight. That means you are still vulnerable to Throws. For example, if Zangief does a Crouch Jab against you and you Parry it, and Zangief decides to Buffer that Crouch Jab into a Spinning Pile Driver, you are susceptible to being grabbed out of your Parry. In fact, that Buffer is SO FAST that it's nearly impossible to NOT get grabbed if Zangief decides to do this. The reason I mention this is because this is very different from Just Defending. Just Defending has it so that you are still in a type of Block Stun, so if Zangief tries the same trick on a character who Just Defends, he'll miss his Throw, because you can't Throw people out of their Block Stun. A little section will be added here, for your benefit, dealing with learning how to properly Parry a Level 3 Super, or any other Super that generally hits "quickly". There are some Supers that, if you are not Blocking BEFORE the Chi Gathering sequence, cannot be Blocked anymore. Regardless of what you try, you can't Block and you'll eat the Super. For example, if you are standing near Guile and NOT holding Back on the controller and he performs his Sonic Hurricane, you will not be able to Block the Super when it starts. Even if you hold Back or Defensive Crouch ANY TIME after the Chi Gathering starts, it will do you no good: you're gonna get hit by the Super. This concept needs to be understood to properly Parry a quick Super like the Sonic Hurricane. If the enemy performs a Super that close up to you, and you hadn't tried to Parry yet, you are not going to be able to Parry. In fact, most likely, you are eating the Super, as mentioned above. Thus, in order to Parry a Super that hits as fast as a Sonic Hurricane, you have to KNOW the enemy is going to do the Super in advance!!! In other words, you have to tap Towards or Down on the controller RIGHT BEFORE the enemy activates the Super. So if you are really close to Guile when he does his Sonic Hurricane, you have to have tapped Towards BEFORE the Chi Gathering sequence. Then, you can let go of the controller, and the INSTANT the Super starts up, you'll automatically Parry the first hit. Basically, your Parry command gets carried over the Chi Gathering sequence, during which no Joystick inputs are registered. Thus, when the Chi Gathering ends, the game still thinks you JUST tapped Towards on the joystick. Thus, it will register that as a Parry. Just be prepared to Block or Parry the rest of the Super after that initial Parry. Of course, this IS distance related. If you are RIGHT next to Blanka and he does the Level 3 Direct Lightning (the electric ball Super), you have to have tapped Towards before the screen turned dark for the Chi Gathering. However, if you are a screen away, this isn't necessary. Just wait until the Super gets next to you and Parry as you would normally. Also, another thing, even though joystick motions don't register when the Chi is Gathering at the beginning of a Super, this doesn't mean you can hold Towards on the controller when you are coming out of the Chi Gather to Parry a move. If you are JUST far away enough so that you can tap Towards the INSTANT the Super starts up and still squeeze in a Parry, keep in mind you DO have to TAP Towards. If you hold Towards during the Chi Gathering, it will NOT register as a tap after the Super starts up, so you won't Parry the Super and just end up eating it. *PHEW!* And FINALLY, last but not least: SOME Supers are "tricked" into thinking they are connecting when Parried. Morrigan's Darkness Illusion, Kim's Phoenix Flattener, and Ryo's Ryuko Ranbu are examples of this. If you Parry the first hit of any of these Supers, for some reason, the Super will CONTINUE as if they connected (they will stop after the first hit if Blocked)!! So if you plan to Parry these Supers, be ready to Parry EACH AND EVERY HIT THE MOVE HAS. Other Supers, like Iori's Maiden Masher and Chang's Wild Ball Attack do NOT do this. You just Parry the first hit, and they stop their Super, as if Blocked. There does not seem to be any logic behind why some continue and the other doesn't. It just seems like they did it to moves that would be "fun" to try and Parry the whole thing that do not involve Throws (Iori's and Chang's Supers both have "Throws" in the middle of them). Since Morrigan and Kim and Ryo all are just hits throughout the entire sequence, I guess they figured it'd be fun to let people try and Parry every hit to show off or something. ^_^ ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << S GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - One Level Manually Chargeable Desperation Meter Groove Systems: - Power Build - Red Health Power Condition Groove Sub-Systems: - Run - Dodge - Small Jump - Tactical Recovery Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 1 - Level 3 Games of Origin: - King of the Fighters Series * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- S-Groove, perhaps, is the most difficult Groove to learn how to use properly. The main Gimmick of S-Groove is the Dodge, and if you try to use the Dodge too much, you'll end up just getting yourself killed. I mean, how do you attack? You can Dodge, but you don't move forward, and if the enemy doesn't attack you, what good is Dodging? You'll just be accomplishing nothing. So you try to approach and Dodge and still accomplish nothing. And then you try to Dodge again and your enemy just Throws you. So is S-Groove useful at all? The answer is a resounding "Yes!!" Dodging just requires you to know how it works and how to take advantage of it. And the most important thing is: DON'T ABUSE THE DODGE. Using it sparingly, but still use it enough to make it effective. This is the key to S-Groove: knowing when and where to properly using the Dodge. Basically, playing S-Groove makes you rely on your own ability the most. You must learn how to play without Rolls or Parries or Just Defends. So your fighting style, offensive tactics, defense, etc. will need to be based on normal gameplay, as if you were playing back in the days of Hyper Fighting. But once you get that established, learning to throw in Dodges here and there in the middle of your normal, standard attack patterns is where Dodging becomes useful!!! Once you learn to integrate it into your gameplay, rather than forcing your gameplay to accommodate Dodges, you can find that Dodges are perhaps one of the most annoying things you can possibly imagine. So S-Groove takes a lot of patience, and takes a lot of skill to use. And if you use it right, you can become downright cheap in the eyes of many other players. Don't dismiss S-Groove just yet... Give it a chance! * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- S-Groove's Meter is based on Extra Mode from the King of the Fighters Series. S-Groove's Meter is just a relatively short Meter that only builds up to Level 1. However, unlike the three previous Grooves, S-Groove's Meter doesn't build up very quickly by itself. In the three previous Grooves, your Super Meter would fill up during VARIOUS actions (see Super Meter Data section that follows this section). However, in S-Groove, your Meter will only fill up if you are hit or if you Block an attack. Otherwise, your Meter does not increase except for the use of the Power Build. Once your Super Meter fills up, you are now allowed to perform any thing that requires a Level 1 Meter (in S-Groove, that would be a Level 1 Super Combo or a Counter Attack). However, notice that once the Meter fills up, a Time Bar appears above your Super Meter. This Time Bar tells you how much time you have to perform your Level 1 Super or Counter Attack. Once the Time Bar empties out, you are left with a completely empty Meter that needs to be built up again from scratch and you've lost any ability to perform a Super Combo or Counter Attack. If you do perform a Super or Counter Attack while your Time Bar has not emptied out yet, your action will occur and the Time Bar will go away and you are also left with an empty Super Meter. Also, a side benefit of having your Meter fully charged: all damage dealt by your character will be increased by 15%. So charging up your Meter at all times is pretty useful, because a 15% boost in damage is pretty good, whether you use the Meter for a Super or not! In S-Groove, regardless of how full your Meter is at the end of a Round, whether it's 50% full or in the process of having the Time Bar drain after filling up completely, you will ALWAYS start a Round off with an Empty Meter. * * * ----------------------------------- | POWER BUILD AND POWER CONDITION | ----------------------------------- Fortunately for S-Groove, you have another option for building up your Meter: the Power Build. By hitting Fierce (HP) and Roundhouse (HK) at the same time, your character will begin to build your Super Meter manually. The character will go into a "Charge" animation frame and your Super Meter will begin to fill up. You can let go of Fierce and Roundhouse at any time during a Power Build to stop building your Meter. This is handy, because while your are in the charging animation, you are vulnerable to pretty much anything thrown your way. Letting go will instantly allow your character to Block, do a Special Move, Jump, or whatever you choose. There is NO delay for performing a Power Build. Power Building generally needs to "rev up". In other words, when you start a Power Build, it the Meter builds up slowly at first. After it builds up for half a second, it increases in speed and your Meter starts to fill up quickly. This is to prevent people from building up their Meter in many short spurts. The best way to build up your Meter is to find places to Charge for a long period of time: after a Sweep, after a Throw, or after any other sort of Knock-Down. When your Meter is full, performing a Power Build is not possible. SO once it's full, the Time Bar will drain, and there's no way to put any more time into the Time Bar. In addition to Power Build, S-Groove has another unique ability called Power Condition. Basically, if your energy meter drains to about 25%, your Energy Meter will begin to flash red. This means you have entered Power Condition (another term for Power Condition is saying your Meter is "in red"). When you are in Power Condition, your now have the ability to perform Level 1 Supers for free, at no cost of any Super Meter. In other words, you can fire off Level 1's in rapid succession if you so feel like it! Unfortunately for S-Groove, though, Level 1's have little priority or speed, so they are best for use in Combos or safe pokes, not for "beating" other moves. Also, your character will automatically do an extra 5% of damage if you are currently in Power Condition. If you manage to build up your Super Meter while you are in Power Condition, you will now have the ability to perform a Level 3 Super Combo! Of course, the restrictions still apply: the Time Bar appears and will drain, and if you perform your Level 3, your Super Meter empties, and now you can only perform Level 1 Super Combos again. Also, because you are in Red AND you have a Meter full, you do even more damage. With both strength additions, your character will now do 20.7% more damage. A few things to note about Power Condition: 1) While in Power Condition, you'll notice that Power Build slows down dramatically. The "revving up" time is actually slower, and the maximum speed at which the Super Meter builds up during a Power Build is lowered. So getting free Level 3 Supers while you are in Power Condition isn't easy. 2) Even though you can perform Level 1 Super Combos when you are in Power Condition, you cannot perform a Counter Attack. You still need a full Super Meter to perform a Counter Attack. 3) When you are in Power Condition, you CANNOT perform a Level 1 if your Meter is full. If your Meter is in Red and your Super Meter is full, a Level 3 Super is the only thing you can perform. * * * --------- | DODGE | --------- Dodging is actually a Sub-System, but it's unique to S-Groove only, and it's probably S-Groove's MAIN feature! However, I've spoken about Dodges already, so please read about Dodges in the Groove Sub-Systems section earlier in the FAQ. They are essential to know how to use in order to make S-Groove effective. ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << N GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - Three Level Stock Super Meter Groove Systems: - Power Stocks - Power Activation Groove Sub-Systems: - Run - Rolling - Small Jump - Counter Attack - Counter Movement - Safe Fall Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 1 - Level 3 Games of Origin: - King of the Fighter Series * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- N-Groove is by far the most mobile of all Grooves. What Sub-Systems does N-Groove have? You're actually better off asking which Sub-Systems N-Groove DOESN'T have!! Not only can you Run in N-Groove, you can also Roll, Small Jump, Counter Movement, AND Counter Attack! You also have Safe Falls! N-Groove has the most Sub-Systems out of every Groove in the game. And it's definitely noticeable. Unfortunately, that makes it so that there really isn't anything UNIQUE about N-Groove. N-Groove, as it turns out, is the least "gimmicky" of the Grooves, and your overall most versatile Groove. I guess you could call it the most "Basic" Groove, because there is very little to understand about N-Groove outside of it's Sub-Systems and Meter System. C-Groove has Level 2 Cancels, A-Groove has Custom Combos, P-Groove has Parrying, S-Groove has Dodges and Power Build, and K-Groove has Just Defense. N-Groove? N-Groove is just N-Groove. However, just because it doesn't have anything unique doesn't make N-Groove the least useful Groove, not by a long shot. Consider it the "Mario" of all Grooves. You know how in every Nintendo game Mario is the "average" character? Bowser may be the most endurable, Luigi jumps the highest, Peach may be the fastest, whatever... But Mario, well, he's always the all-around, average character, and almost always ends up being one of the best because of that. N-Groove is the Mario of CvS2. ^_^ And if you haven't already stopped reading this FAQ after such a bizarre comparison, then read on and find out how N-Groove's Super Meter works. ^_^ * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- N-Groove's Meter System comes directly from King of the Fighter's Advanced Mode. Basically, N-Groove has one meter to fill up, but has Three Power Stocks to store. Whenever an N-Groove Meter fills up, the meter empties out again, but one Power Stock is stored. These Power Stocks are located right on the outside of your Meter, and you can have a maximum of three Power Stocks. Thus, you can build up your Super Meter three times to have a total of three Power Stocks. Once you have your third Power Stock, the Super Meter ceases to build up. Every Power Stock acts as a "Level 1" equivalent. So once you have a Power Stock, you are allowed to perform anything that requires a Level 1. In N-Groove, that would be a Counter Movement, a Counter Attack, or a Level 1 Super Combo. Once you perform one of these actions, the Power Stock will be burned and disappear from the Meter. In N-Groove, regardless if you win or lose a round, you will keep EXACTLY whatever Meter you had filled up between Rounds. So if you win a Round with 2 Power Stocks and 50% of a Super Meter, you'll start the next Round with 2 Power Stocks and 50% of a Super Meter. If you are defeated with 2 Power Stocks and 50% of a Super Meter, you'll start the next Round with your next character with 2 Power Stocks and 50% of a Super Meter. However, if you are defeated or if you win while you are currently in Power Activation (read the Power Activation section following this section), it doesn't matter how much energy you have left, that Power Activation is lost. So even if you just Stamped right before you are defeated or right before you defeat your opponent, that Power Stock you burned is gone, and you don't start the next round in the middle of Power Activation. * * * -------------------- | POWER ACTIVATION | -------------------- Really, the only thing that is unique to N-Groove is the Power Activation, which is also known as "Stamping". It is called this because, when you perform a Power Activation by pressing Fierce (HP) + Roundhouse (HK), your character will look like they "stamp" in place. Basically, they go into a charging animation for about half a second. After this occurs, your character will be flashing for a period of time. Stamping burns one Power Stock. Once you've performed a Power Activation, your character becomes stronger. Every hit your character lands will do 20% more damage. Also, your character will do more Guard Damage. This increase in strength lasts only for a fixed amount of time, however. Once you perform a Power Activation, a Time Bar appears above your character's Super Meter and slowly drains. Once it empties out, your character will return to Normal Strength. The other benefit of performing a Power Activation is that now, if you have another Power Stock available, performing a Super Combo will automatically perform the Level 3 version of the Super Combo. However, once you perform the Super, the Power Activation ends, regardless of how much Timer is left in the Time Bar. And also keep in mind that you do need ANOTHER Power Stock available. In other words, if you only have one Power Stock and you perform a Power Activation, you cannot perform a Super Combo because you have no Power Stocks left. Also, do note that once you perform a Power Activation, while the Time Bar is draining, nothing you do will build up your Super Meter anymore. So don't perform a Power Activation with one Power Stock and 90% of your Super Meter full, thinking you'll get another Stock before the Time Bar empties. It's not going to happen, because the Super Meter stays where it is during a Power Activation. Beware, though: Stamping is a committing act. If someone attacks you when you Stamp, you are a free target, even if it is just for a half a second. Not only that, but if the enemy hits you anywhere at the beginning of this Stamping animation, you will not burn a Power Stock. The actual burning of the Power Stock occurs somewhere in the middle of the Stamping animation. So if you get hit early enough, you won't burn it but there is a point where you can get hit in delay, and have successfully had your Power Stock burned. ----------------------------//=========\\---------------------------- << K GROOVE >> ----------------------------\\=========//---------------------------- ------------ | OVERVIEW | ------------ Meter Style: - Level 3 Only Rage Meter Groove Systems: - Just Defend Groove Sub-Systems: - Run - Small Jump - Safe Fall Possible Levels of Supers: - Level 3 Games of Origin: - Samurai Shodown Series - Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves * * * ----------- | SUMMARY | ----------- K-Groove's entire system is a hybrid of two different SNK games: Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (from which Just Defense was taken) and Samurai Shodown (from which the Rage Meter was taken). Basically, this is the SNK-version of the P-Groove. Essentially, the two Grooves are virtually identical: both only have Small Jump to aid in their attacks and both have an all-purpose, manual defense system. In P-Groove, it's the Parry. In K-Groove, it's the Just Defense. The only thing that REALLY separates P-Groove and K-Groove is the way the Meter works in K-Groove. Otherwise, it's very similar. K-Groove is definitely one of the more difficult Grooves to use. And because it's Super Meter is based on you taking damage, it's almost suited better for high Ratio characters. In fact, some may argue that K-Groove is the best Groove for Ratio 4 characters in a way, allowing you to gain multiple Level 3's in rapid succession thanks to the K-Groove's Meter System. However, unlike P-Groove, K-Groove is not based on Just Defending and Counter Attacking. K-Groove is definitely a very limited offensive Groove, thanks to the lack of Sub-Systems. However, Just Defense and the Rage Meter easily combine to form a formidable Groove. K-Groove can almost be considered the "comeback" Groove, allowing you to spend a round getting beat up, and then instantly making a comeback by landing your Super while you're "Raged". Because you can build Meter in large chunks at a time and do huge amounts of damage with your Super Combos, all at the same time gaining life back from Just Defends, K-Groove can be a very difficult Groove to deal with. * * * ---------------- | METER SYSTEM | ---------------- K-Groove, by far, has the most unique Meter System. It isn't based on building it up through actions like the other Grooves. No, in K-Groove, there are only two ways to build up your Meter: take damage and Just Defend. Otherwise, your Meter will never fill up in any other way. Having your Meter fill up is what is known as becoming "Raged". The Meter is supposed to measure your anger, as it did in the Samurai Shodown engine. That's why every time you get hit, it builds up. Once your Meter builds up, you are allowed to perform only a Level 3 Super Combo. That is all you are allowed with your Super Meter in K-Groove because the K-Groove is just one, long Meter with no tiers. So when it fills up, that means you are Raged and your character will turn VERY Red. Not only are you allowed to perform a Level 3 Super Combo at this point, you gain two other benefits: you take less damage and you dish out MORE damage! When Raged, you take 12.5% less damage from enemy attacks, and you also dish out 35% MORE DAMAGE. AND you do more Guard Damage as well! This is a huge benefit of K-Groove. Becoming Raged practically raises your character another Ratio! However, there is a limit. Once the Rage Meter is full, a Time Bar appears above the Meter. It slowly drains, but once it drains, you lose all of your benefits and can also no longer do a Level 3 Super Combo. You are going to have to build the Meter all over again. So if you have no Meter and your character is about to be defeated, the only way to build more Super Meter without losing all of your energy is to Just Defend! Also, if you perform a Super Combo, the Time Bar and your Super Meter will both completely drain to empty. And unlike the Samurai Shodown series, even if the Super whiffs, the Meter drains completely. In K-Groove, whatever Meter you have is retained if you win the Round. If you have 75% of your Rage Meter filled up, you'll have 75% of your Rage Meter filled up at the start of the next Round. However, if you are currently Raged and the Time Bar is present, if you defeat your opponent, your Meter will start out completely empty the next Round (so an anti-K-Groove strategy could be to Taunt to fill up the enemy's Meter before your character is defeated). Also, if you are defeated, your character starts the next Round with an empty Super Meter no matter what. * * * --------------- | JUST DEFEND | --------------- Just Defend is a pretty accurate name. Basically, if you perform a Just Defend, it means that you "just defended" an attack. That's because to perform a Just Defend, you have to Block at the last second. So if you are about to be struck by an attack, simply don't press Back or Defensive Crouch to Block until the very last second, right before the move strikes you. That will cause you to perform a Just Defend. You character will then flash a bit, indicating success. Performing a Just Defend has five major benefits: 1) You earn some Super Meter. 2) You regain a very small amount of life back. 3) You will not get pushed back at all as you would normally would in Block Stun. 4) Your Block Stun is shorter than normal. 5) You will not take Block Damage. So performing a Just Defend has many benefits. Although the Benefits are not as direct as a Parry (which frees you up for instant retaliation), the various smaller benefits can make it VERY worth while. Although you still do have Block Stun, the Block Stun is still noticeably shorter to allow you to actually Just Defend and retaliate against certain slower attacks. Also, you will gain Super Meter, and in K-Groove, having a Full Meter is a HUGE benefit. You will maintain your ground and not get pushed back any distance at all, so you can take advantage of an enemy's delay if you, for example, Parry a Fireball up close. And on top of all these benefits, you will even gain a little amount of health back. It may not be a lot of health, but it's easily enough to discourage an enemy from throwing Fireballs from a screen away if you keep Just Defending them all. Again, to perform a Just Defend, just hit Back or Defensive Crouch right before a move connects against you. Now, unlike P-Groove, Just Defending is a little more cut and dry. Whatever you can Block by holding Back, you Just Defend by pressing Back. Whatever you can Block by holding Defensive Crouch, you Just Defend by hitting Defensive Crouch. If you can Block a move with either direction, you can Just Defend it with either direction. It's all very simple. And of course, BECAUSE you are hitting Back or Defensive Crouch to perform a Just Defend, Just Defend is a FAR less risky technique than Parrying. If you Just Defend too early, for example, you'll most likely end up Blocking the attack you tried to Just Defend and not take any damage. In P-Groove, Parrying too early will cause you to eat the attack. However, you CAN still Just Defend too late, and thus eat the attack. So you're usually better off trying to Just Defend early rather than late. Keep in mind that you can only Just Defend Attacks. If you try to Just Defend Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver for example, you'll fail and get Thrown. There is nothing to Just Defend! You can Just Defend during Jumps as well. Thus, even though you cannot Air Guard in K-Groove, you still have some form of defense during a Jump! You can even Just Defend moves that cannot be Air Guarded!! Just hit Back or Defensive Crouch in the air right before you are hit by a move and you'll Just Defend the attack and not get harmed. However, in order to Just Defend in the air, you cannot have done any other move during your Jump beforehand. So you can't Jump Kick on your way up and then Just Defend on your way down. However, when you Just Defend a move in the air, you character will get bounced fairly high up into the air, and slightly backwards, regardless of which direction you are Jumping. Once you bounce backwards, you are free to move almost right away, and you can do whatever you want: a Jump Attack, an Air Special Move, or even another Just Defend. But, if you bounce back after a Just Defend and perform some attack like a Jumping Roundhouse (HK) the instant you bounce up, on your way down, you can no longer do a Just Defend or any other attack. After a Just Defend in the air, just like a normal Jump, you are allowed only one action. When you push Back or Down/Back, any move that makes contact with you within 6 frames gets Just Defended. If the joystick is moved away from Down or Down/Back during those 6 frames, the Just Defend input is lost. Thus, unlike Parrying, holding the joystick in the position is better than returning to Neutral. In order to perform multiple Just Defends in a row, the joystick needs to be put back to Neutral within 6 frames of the previous Just Defend in order to be able to perform another Just Defend. When the attacks come really quickly, the best way to Just Defend all the hits is to quickly wiggle the joystick between Neutral and Back or Down/Back. You can't Just Defend in the middle of a Run. This can be important in gameplay. Majestros brought this up to me, and I paraphrase his words here: I think this is pretty important because with the other Run grooves, if you see someone Running at you, you have to consider whether they're going to attack or whether they're going to Roll. But if the enemy is in K-Groove, you can pretty much perform a Wake-Up no matter what they do if they're in range since K-Groove can't Roll and K-Groove can't Just Defend in the middle of Running. If you Block the first attack in a series of hits that Combo, you can no longer Just Defend any of the later hits. Basically, once you are put into Block Stun, you aren't allowed to perform a Just Defend. Thus, if you have the intention of Just Defending a series of attacks, you'll have to start by Just Defending the first hit all the way until the last hit. And yes, that means you can Just Defend multiple attacks in a row. So when you perform a Just Defend, you can continue to Just Defend every attack that comes your way by repeatedly hitting Back or Defensive Crouch against every hit. This is possible DESPITE the fact that performing a Just Defend puts you into a type of Block Stun. During a normal Block Stun, you cannot perform a Just Defend, but after one Just Defend, you CAN do another Just Defend during THAT Block Stun. Other that that exception, a Just Defend's Block Stun behaves like a normal Block Stun. In other words, if you Just Defend the first attack in a Combo of attacks, you can NO LONGER get hit. So if you fail to time a second or third or later Just Defend correctly, you'll just end up Blocking the rest of the attacks rather than getting hit by them. So unlike Parrying, you are relatively safe after you Just Defend the first attack. Just Defending multiple attacks while in the air is a lot trickier than Just Defending multiple Attacks on the ground. Because you bounce high up, it's much harder to time proper Just Defends in the air. For example, if you Just Defend Sagat's Fierce (HP) Tiger Uppercut, each Just Defend will occur with a small "delay" in between them, because you get bounced up so high. Sagat has to "catch up to you" after every Just Defend so don't expect 5 quick Just Defends in a row. And another problem with Just Defending in the air: because you have no Air Guard, failing a Just Defend in the air after Just Defending one attack means you get HIT. When you fail a second Just Defend on the ground, you will end up Blocking the rest of the hits. But in the air, if you fail a second Just Defend, you will eat whatever other moves are coming. Do note that because you ARE still in a form of Block Stun during a Just Defend that you CANNOT be Thrown. If Zangief does a Crouch Jab (LP) and you Just Defend it and Zangief Buffers that into a Screw Pile Driver, the Screw Pile Driver will miss, leaving him vulnerable. This is contrary to Parrying, where if you Parried the Crouch Jab (LP), you will get Thrown by Zangief's Screw Pile Driver. Now, even though Just Defending still leaves you in Block Stun, you CAN still recover in time to Counter attack the opponent if they do a move with a long enough delay. This is because your Block Stun IS shorter than a normal Block Stun and that the enemy's attack doesn't push you anywhere, leaving you at a distance where it's MUCH easier to take advantage of the enemy's delay. Interestingly enough, since you never get pushed away, continually Just Defending a series of non-stop attacks will essentially make you "stuck" where you are, Just Defending forever. For example, if Ryu walks up to you and starts to fire off Crouch Shorts (LK) forever, all of which Combo, and you Just Defend each and everyone of them, you'll never get pushed away! So Ryu can sit there and Crouch Short (LK) forever while you Just Defend forever! Thus, you may be FORCED to Block, just so you will get pushed back and can move again!! Of course, no one will ever do that because if you did Just Defend forever like that, you'd get all your energy back eventually. With Just Defend, most moves do NOT produce any sort of "Just Defend Freeze". When you Parry, the game freezes for a second with what I call a "Parry Freeze." With Just Defend, there really isn't much of a pause. So to Parry multiple hits from, say, a Super, you'll need to perform Just Defends one after another VERY, VERY, VERY quickly. So if Chun Li does her Hoyokusen (the Thousand Burst Kick-like Super), you will literally need to Just Defend every hit in real time. This is not easy AT ALL, but if you do manage to Just Defend the first hit, you'll, at worst, Block the rest of the hits. This makes Just Defending multi-hit attacks MUCH more difficult than Parrying multi-hit attacks. But since you will Block if you fail, it's still much safer than Parrying. For some reason, Just Defending Super Fireballs actually DOES cause a slight "Just Defend" Freeze. Thus, Just Defending an entire Super Fireball is about the same timing as Parrying a Fireball Super. Why this is, I have no clue, but just keep it in mind if you do plan on Just Defending an entire Projectile Super. A small side note: you cannot perform a Just Defend during a Small Jump. You are only allowed to Just Defend if you perform a regular Jump or a High Jump. Also, because of the combination of the slight delay at the beginning of a Small Jump and the fact that you cannot Just Defend during a Small Jump, the period of right when you start Jumping up to the point where you JUST barely left the ground, you cannot Just Defend anything. What makes it even worse is that if you are hit during that delay right before you Jump, you DO stay grounded. Most people won't be trying to Just Defend right when they Jump, of course, so this isn't really much of a big deal. But I figured I'd rather be thorough than not thorough, and so I mentioned it anyhow. A little section will be added here, for your benefit, dealing with learning how to properly Just Defend a Level 3 Super, or any other Super that generally hits "quickly" (note: this section is exactly the same information provided in the Parry section for P-Groove. If you've read that section, you can take everything written there and apply it to Just Defend as well, and can skip reading this section). There are some Supers that, after activation, if you are not Blocking BEFORE the Chi Gathering sequence that occurs before every Super, you cannot Block in time and you will eat the Super. For example, if you are standing near Guile and NOT holding Back on the Controller and he performs his Sonic hurricane, you cannot Block in time. Even if you Hold Back or Defensive Crouch after the Chi Gathering starts and before the Super actually happens, it will do you no good: you're gonna get hit by the Super. This goes for Just Defending, too. If the enemy performs a Super that close up to you, and you hadn't tried to Just Defend yet, you are not going to be able to Just Defend. In fact, most likely, you are eating the Super. Thus, in order to Just Defend a Super, you have to KNOW the enemy is going to do the Super in advance!!! In other words, you have to tap Back or Defensive Crouch on the controller BEFORE the enemy activates the Super. So if you are really close the Guile when he does the Sonic Hurricane, you have to tap Back before the Chi Gathering sequence. Then, you can let go of the controller, and the INSTANT the Super starts up after the Chi Gathering sequence, you'll automatically Just Defend the first hit. But just be prepared to Block or Just Defend the rest of the Super. Of course, this IS distance related. If you are RIGHT next to Blanka and he does the Level 3 Direct Lightning (the electric ball Super), you have to have tapped Back before the screen turned dark for the Chi Gather. However, if you are a screen away, this isn't necessary. Just wait until the Super gets next to you and Just Defend as you would normally. Also, another thing, even though joystick motions don't register when the Chi is Gathering at the beginning of a Super, this doesn't mean you can hold Back on the controller when you are coming out of the Chi Gather to Just Defend a move. If you are JUST far away enough so that you can tap Back the INSTANT the Super starts up and still squeeze in a Just Defend, keep in mind you DO have to TAP Back. If you hold Back during the Chi Gather, it will NOT register as a tap after the Super starts up, so you won't Just Defend the Super and just end up eating it. One last weird thing that was brought to my attention by Jason Cole of Northern California: Performing a Just Defend "freezes" the "charge state" of your character. For example, let's say you are Crouching with Guile and are charged up for a Somersault Kick, and the enemy Jumps at you and kicks at you. You then let go of the joystick, immediately hit Back and Just Defend their attack. Then, the enemy lands, and before you recover from your Just Defend delay, the enemy throws out five Standing Jabs in a row, all of which you Just Defend while standing and Just Defending by pressing Back 5 times in a row. After the enemy stops Jabbing, you can hold Up and press any Kick button right at the end of your last Just Defend delay and you will come out with a Somersault Kick! So even though you've let go of Crouch to do MULTIPLE Standing Just Defends, your charge isn't instantly lost during the Just Defend. Thus, the Razor Kick can still come out. So basically, while you are in any Just Defend delay, time does not pass as far as Charge time is concerned. Because you are always given a small window before your Charge time disappears (which is why you can do things like Stand Fierce (HP) into a Somersault Kick with Guile), you can actually stand to Just Defend an attack and then still Razor Kick. It's a very weird trick, but could be useful for Charge characters to come out with Special Moves or even Supers after Just Defending a move. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ==================== Chapter 06 ---| SUPER METER DATA |---------------------------------------------- ==================== Every Groove has a different Meter and each Groove's Meter has a different length. Also, the actions that build up the Meter vary from Groove to Groove. This section will tell you exactly how much it costs to build up each Meter in every Groove and which actions will add energy to the Meter. There are 11 "basic" actions that can add to the Meter in all Grooves. Parrying, a 12th action, only adds Meter for P-Groove. Just Defending is a 13th action that only adds Meter for K-Groove. Below is a chart listing the 13 actions that can build up meter and how many points each of these actions are worth: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ACTION POINTS GAINED ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Performing a Middle or Hard Normal Move: 1 point Performing a Special Move: 4 points Landing a Jab (LP) / Short (LK): 4 points (Landing an n-Hit Jab (LP) / Short (LK)): 4 + 4(n-1)points Landing a Strong (MP) / Forward (MK): 8 points (Landing an n-Hit Strong (MP) / Forward (MK)): 8 + 4(n-1)points Landing a Fierce (HP) / Roundhouse (HK): 12 points (Landing an n-Hit Fierce (HP) / Roundhouse (HK)): 12 + 4(n-1)points Landing a Special Move: 8 points (Landing an n-Hit Special Move): 8 + 4(n-1)points Landing / Missing a Throw: 5 points Having an Attack Blocked: 2 points Taking Damage: 2 points Blocking any Attack: 2 points Parrying any Attack: 5 points Just Defending any Attack: 14 points Having an Enemy Taunt: 21 points + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Yes, I did say there are 13 actions, but listed 16 actions. That's because the ones in parentheses are the exact same actions as the ones listed above them. They are just the Multi-hitting formula with 'n' equaling 1. So they essentially count as the same action. Performing and Landing moves are TWO separate events. So if you hit the enemy with a Fierce (HP), for example, you don't just build up 12 points. You build up 13, because you had to perform the Fierce (HP) and THEN land it, which is 1 + 12 = 13 points. You only gain Meter from performing a Middle (Strong (MP) or Forward (MK)) or Hard (Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK)) Normal Move. In other words, you can build up Meter (albeit very slowly) whiffing attacks from those four buttons, but you cannot build up Meter by whiffing Jabs (LP) or Shorts (LK). Multi-hitting moves build up Meter in a very specific fashion. They all have their default amount of Meter that they build. Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) build up 3 points, Strongs (MP) and Forwards (MK) build up 8 points, Fierces (HP) and Roundhouses (HK) build up 12 points, and Special Moves build up 8 points when they connect. However, if the move naturally hits more than once, every hit that occurs afterwards will build up 4 points. For example, Sagat's Stand Short (LK), when connecting with both hits, will build up 8 points total (4 for the first hit, and 4 for the next hit: 4 + 4 = 8). Rolento's Crouching Strong (MP), which hits 3 times, will build up 17 points (1 for performing the move, 8 for the first hit, and 4 for each of the two following hits: 1 + 8 + 4 + 4 = 17). Kyo's Offensive Crouching Roundhouse (HK) will also build up 17 points (1 for performing the move, 12 for the first hit, and 4 for the second hit: 1 + 12 + 4 = 17). Now, the Meter builds up SPECIFICALLY in that order. The amount of Meter built up is not relegated to the specific hit. That probably doesn't make any sense at all, so let me try to elaborate: In the above Kyo example, Offensive Crouching Roundhouse (HK) builds up 17 points, right? Performing the move gives you 1 point, the first hit of the kick gives you 12, and the second hit gives you 4. However, those values aren't "tied" to those hits. If Kyo does the move and the first hit of the kick whiffs and only the second hit connects, that second hit will build up 12 points! So basically, a move's first hit will ALWAYS build up that default value, and any subsequent hits that happen to occur will build up 4. Hopefully, that makes sense... Moves that are multiple commands but "one move" count as multi-hitting Special Moves. An example of this type of move is Kyo's Wicked Chew into Nine Scars Maker into Seven Hurting Combos (which is the Fireball + Jab (LP), Fireball + Jab (LP), and then Kick sequence). Let's say you do that whole Aragami chain. Even though you are performing three separate Special Move commands, the whole sequence counts as a 3-hit move rather than 3 separate Special Moves. Thus, it'll only build up 16 points on the Meter (use the formula: with 'n' equaling 3, 8 + 4(3-1) = 16). Some multi-hitting moves will NOT count every hit as a separate action, though, and only register as a 1-hit Special Move in terms of gaining Super Meter. For example, Morrigan's Close-up Roundhouse (HK), which hits four times, and Ryo's Zanretsuken, which hits 14 times if done with the Fierce (HP) button, only counts as ONE hit. Thus, you'll only gain 12 points of your Super Meter for Morrigan and 8 points of your Super Meter for Ryo. Also, there are some Multi-hit moves that don't build up Meter in the manner described above. This usually falls under moves that hit multiple times from the air and don't really have a "set" number of hits. The two moves I know that behave this easy are Morrigan's Down + Roundhouse (HK) when done from the air and Kim's Flying Kick. Both of those two moves don't build up the default amount of points on their first hit (12 for Morrigan, 8 for Kim). Why they did this, I have no idea. Then, there are even some moves that fall somewhere in between those two moves listed above, like Rolento's Patriot Circle. That counts only as three actions (one for every Fireball Motion), so landing a Patriot Circle will gain you the meter of a 3-Hit special move (which again is 8 + 4(3-1) = 16) even though every Fireball motion gets you more than one hit. Landing hits is different than taking hits. If you are on the RECEIVING end of a multi-hit move, you will actually gain meter for EVERY hit. So you WILL get 8 points (2 for each hit) if Morrigan's Close-up Roundhouse connects against you. Blocking moves is the same as getting hit. Blocking a multi-hit move, such as Rolento's Patriot Circle, will warrant you Meter for every hit you block. So for Blocking the 11 hits of a full Patriot Circle Combo, you'll gain 22 points of meter (2 for each block). Getting Thrown counts as taking damage, and if the Throw hits more than once, you'll gain Meter for every hit. Kyo's Punch Throw, for example, only hits once. So you'll gain 2 points if you get Thrown by Kyo's Punch Throw. Kyo's Kick Throw, however, is a 2-hit Throw, so you'll gain 4 points for getting Thrown by it. And yes, you read right, whiffing a Throw does build up the same amount of Meter as landing a Throw. In addition to the 13 actions listed above, S-Groove has it's own unique way to build Meter, as you've read in the S-Groove section: the Power Build. Also, in K-Groove, you gain Super Meter from taking damage, just like the other Grooves, but not in simple 2 point increments per hit. In K-Groove, how much Meter you gain from taking damage is based on how much damage you've received. In other words, getting hit by Fierces (HP) will add more Meter than getting hit by Shorts (LK). However, the amount of Meter added is not a direct one-to-one relationship to the amount of damage received. Just because one Jab (LP) does twice as much damage as a Crouching Short (LK), that doesn't mean that it'll take half as many Jabs (LP) to fill up an entire Meter. In the case of Ryu, for example, every Close-Up Jab (LP) does 400 damage and every Crouch Short (LK) does 200 damage. But it takes 12 Standing Close-Up Jabs (LP) to build up a whole K-Groove Meter, and 18 Crouch Shorts (LK) to build up the K-Groove meter. And then there are moves like Ryu's Jab (LP) Shoryuken which takes only FOUR of these to connect to build up an entire K-Groove Meter!! Also, a Fierce (HP) by the enemy will add the same amount of Meter to your character regardless of what Ratio they are or you are. The amount of Meter gained is based on the base damage of the attack (the base damage being that of a Ratio 2 character). + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ACTIONS THAT BUILD METER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ | | | | | | | | C | A | P | S | N | K | | | | | | | | | G | G | G | G | G | G | | R | R | R | R | R | R | | O | O | O | O | O | O | | O | O | O | O | O | O | | V | V | V | V | V | V | | E | E | E | E | E | E | |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| | | | | | | | Performing a Normal Move: | X | X | X | | X | | Performing a Special Move: | X | X | X | | X | | Landing a Jab / Short: | X | X | X | | X | | Landing a Strong / Forward: | X | X | X | | X | | Landing a Fierce / Roundhouse: | X | X | X | | X | | Landing a Special Move: | X | X | X | | X | | Landing / Missing a Throw: | X | X | X | | X | | Having an Attack Blocked: | X | X | X | | X | | Taking Damage: | X | X | X | X | X | X* | Blocking any Attack: | X | X | X | X | X | | Parrying any Attack: | | | X | | | | Just Defending an Attack: | | | | | | X | Power Build: | | | | X | | | Having an Enemy Taunt: | X | X | X | X | X | X | |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| * - Amount gained in K-Groove is different. See paragraph above. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Each Groove has a different length for their Super Meters. Below is a chart indicating the lengths of each Groove's Super Meter: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GROOVE SUPER METER LENGTHS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ C-Groove - 56 a Level, 168 total A-Groove - 72 a Level, 144 total P-Groove - 192 total S-Groove - 100 total N Groove - 72 a Level, 216 total K-Groove - 168 Total + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + As you can see, P-Groove has the longest Meter, by far, to gain any abilities. N-Groove's Meter is the longest in terms of the actual total, but it only takes 144 points to get access to a Level 3 Super and only 72 points to get to a Level 1. C-Groove, as noted earlier, requires by far the least amount of Meter to gain a Level 1: 56 points. Although the length of K-Groove's Meter has been listed, it really doesn't matter much, since all of the ways you can build it up are not based on the point system listed in the first chart. The only way I figured this out is through Taunting, the only method that works consistently for every single Groove. And lastly, though already discussed in each individual Grooves section, having your Meter full will increase your strength for most of the Grooves. Below is a chart indicating how much your damage increases depending on what state your Meter is (and in the case of S-Groove, what state your Life Meter is in as well). + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + DAMAGE INCREASE FROM SUPER METER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ _____________________________________________________________________ | C-Level 1 | = (1%) C-Level 2 | == (2%) C-Level 3 | ===== (5%) A-Full Meter | (0%) P-Full Meter | (0%) S-Red Life | ===== (5%) S-Full Meter | =============== (15%) S-Full Meter + Red Life | ===================== (20.7%) N-Power Activation | ==================== (20%) K-Full Rage Meter | =================================== (35%) _________________________|___________________________________________ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ====================== Chapter 07 ---| SYSTEM INFORMATION |-------------------------------------------- ====================== 00) Intro 01) Picking Your Character 02) Color 03) Ratio System 04) Order 05) Round System [ 0 ]-system-information--------------------------------------------] [ --->>> INTRO <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] Just the way the flow of the game goes seems to get more and more complex with each passing game. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, picking your characters and just the way the Round System works is a bit complex. I mean, back in the old days, you picked your character, and that was it! Then, in Street Fighter III, they added choosing a Super Art. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, you suddenly had to pick "Isms". In Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, not only did you have to choose three characters, you also had to pick what TYPE of Helper they were!! And now, in the Capcom Vs. SNK series, things are just... well, things are just downright confusing if you aren't familiar with anything. So here, for you benefit, is all the information you need to know about how the game flows. [ 1 ]-system-information--------------------------------------------] [ --->>> PICKING YOUR CHARACTERS <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, you have to choose SO MANY THINGS just to get started! There are just so many steps: 1) Pick your Groove; 2) Pick your characters; 3) Select the Ratios for your characters; 4) Choose an order for your characters. Choices, choices, choices, decisions, decisions, decisions!!! Obviously, we've covered the Grooves, so pick the one you like the most. Then comes picking your characters. The way Capcom Vs. SNK 2 works is that you can have 1, 2, or 3 characters on your team. Now, the selection screen is a little weird at first, but is quite simple once you get used to it. I only say this because of Capcom's bad decision to make their selection screen this weird "diamond" motif. In the Beta version of this game I played at the E3 of 2001, it was incredibly confusing! Even though the cursor for selecting characters moved diagonally (along the diamond pattern), you moved the cursor with up, down, left, and right. It's like playing Q*Bert with a non-diagonal joystick! Needless to say, it sucked. So they changed it to this "mouse-like" system where the joystick moves this arrow very slowly around the grid. Thus, up is up, down is down, etc. Just move the arrow to point to the character you want to use and hit any button to choose your character. There is also an "End" diamond near the top and the bottom of the selection grid. You can use this to stop picking characters, if you just want one or two characters. If you pick a third character, it automatically ends your character selection. Be careful and not too hasty when picking your characters... Quite often, I try to go to "END" with only two characters, and accidentally pick Dan just 'cause I'm in such a hurry and have gotten careless. ^_^ Not that there's anything WRONG with picking Dan, of course. ^_^ [ 2 ]-character-selection-------------------------------------------] [ --->>> COLOR <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] Heh, picking your color for your character is always a way to personalize yourself. You may simply like the way one character looks in one color over another, or you may simply just want to picked the ugliest colors because you're masochistic. ^_^ For example, you can pick the Dark Blue Mai because you like Mai, and blue is your favorite color. You can pick the pink Chang because, well frankly, he just looks completely silly that way. Or you may just enjoy picking Orange Rugal because the color peach is your thing. ^_^ Whatever your prerogative, you have a total of 8 colors to choose from. To select these colors, you choose your character with a different button. The way to access all eight colors is: Jab, Strong, Fierce, Short, Forward, Roundhouse, any two Punches, and any two Kicks. Two Kicks is usually reserved for the REALLY funky colors. ^_^ Also, ONLY ON THE HOME VERSIONS, you can create your own colors using Color Edit Mode. There, you can make them whatever color you want. You can come up with some really cool ideas!! Some of my favorites include my friend's idea of turning Rugal into the Joker with purple outfit and green hair, turning Geese African-American... which results in giving him corn rows (!!!) and makes him look completely bad-ass, and bringing back old favorite colors like Queequeg Dhalsim from Hyper Fighting (man, for any of you who know what Queequeg refers to, pretty good... ^_^ But it makes sense, right? Yellow skin, purple tattoos? Right? ^_^)). You can also just come up with some REALLY bizarre ideas. Most people who are lazy to try and make really good colors resort to the all-black "shadow" color of a character or the "acid trip" random colored character who just looks like a multi-colored blob. The coolest part about this is that you can also change the NAME of the character using Color Edit Mode. So for my Rugal color, his name actually IS the "Joker" during a fight. ^_^ It's pretty cool. I don't know, maybe I just get off on Color Edit Mode too much, but I REALLY have too much fun making up new colors for characters. [ 3 ]-character-selection-------------------------------------------] [ --->>> RATIO SYSTEM <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Capcom decided to opt for a Free Ratio System, unlike the last game. In CvS1, every character was a fixed Ratio: King was a Ratio 1 character, Ken was a Ratio 2 character, Rugal was a Ratio 3 character, and Akuma was a Ratio 4 character. You didn't have any choice about this, that's what they were... In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, however, you are now free to choose characters at any Ratio you so desire. As mentioned earlier, you are allowed to choose from 1 to 3 characters. After choosing your characters, then you need to determine the Ratios your characters are. Basically, you have 4 Ratio "slots", and the characters you pick must fit in these four slots. When you get to the Ratio selection screen, you can hit Left or Right on the Joystick to switch between the possible configurations you can have with your characters (and the nifty little "Ratio Diamond" display they have gives you a graphical representation of the Ration Selection you've made). Below are the possible Ratio Sets you are allowed to pick, depending on the number of characters you have chosen: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Character: |---------------| | 1st Character | -----|---------------|----- Set 1) Ratio 4 **** -----|---------------|----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 Characters: |---------------|---------------| | 1st Character | 2nd Character | -----|---------------|---------------|----- Set 1) Ratio 1 * Ratio 3 *** -----|---------------|---------------|----- Set 2) Ratio 2 ** Ratio 2 ** -----|---------------|---------------|----- Set 3) Ratio 3 *** Ratio 1 * -----|---------------|---------------|----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 Characters: |---------------|---------------|---------------| | 1st Character | 2nd Character | 3rd Character | -----|---------------|---------------|---------------|----- Set 1) Ratio 2 ** Ratio 1 * Ratio 1 * -----|---------------|---------------|---------------|----- Set 2) Ratio 1 * Ratio 2 ** Ratio 1 * -----|---------------|---------------|---------------|----- Set 3) Ratio 1 * Ratio 1 * Ratio 2 ** -----|---------------|---------------|---------------|----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Ratio that is selected affects how powerful the character is. A character with a lower Ratio will dish out less damage. Below is a chart signifying how much your offense is affected by your Ratio. We'll count Ratio 2 as the standard, so that Ratio 2 will do a normal 100% damage. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DAMAGE DEALT BETWEEN RATIOS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |----------| | DAMAGE | |----------| Ratio 1 | 82% | Note: Enemy receiving the damage does Ratio 2 | 100% | not affect damage given out. This Ratio 3 | 117% | chart is the damage regardless of Ratio 4 | 130% | which Ratio the enemy character is. |----------| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So let's say you are using Ryu. His Crouching Short, if you are using a Ratio 2 Ryu, will do 200 damage. Now, because defense isn't adjusted with which Ratio you are, this Ryu will do 200 damage to the other character REGARDLESS OF WHAT RATIO they are. So the damage dealt is solely dependent on what Ratio the ATTACKER is. So as a Ratio 1, Ryu's Crouch Short does 164 damage to all other Ratios. As a Ratio 3 character, Ryu's Crouch Short does 234 damage regardless of the Ratio of the character receiving the damage. And with Ratio 4 Ryu, a Crouch Short will do 260 damage to ALL characters even if they are Ratio 1, Ratio 2, Ratio 3, or... ...Ratio 4? No. This is the ONLY EXCEPTION to this damage rule. For some reason, Ratio 4 versus Ratio 4 do not do normal damage. Even though Ratio 4 Ryu will do 260 damage to every other Ratio, Ratio 4 Ryu will only do 208 damage with a Crouch Short to another Ratio 4 character. A Ratio 4 character does 104% of the normal damage to another Ratio 4 character. I'm guessing that Capcom implemented this because they didn't want a Ratio 4 versus a Ratio 4 fight to go by so quickly. It's just one match, so they figured they'd extend it as much as possible by making a Ratio 4 do about normal damage to another Ratio 4 character. Not only does the amount of damage change between Ratios, but so does the amount of Hit Points you have. This has already been mentioned earlier in this FAQ, under the "Life Meter" section under the "GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS" Chapter. All of the Hit Points were given out in that section, but the percentage differences were not given. Below is a chart indicating how many Hit Points your characters have in relation to your Ratio 2 character's Hit Points: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AMOUNT OF HIT POINTS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |----------| | Amount | | of | | Energy | |----------| Ratio 1 | 80% | Note: If you want to see EXACTLY how many Ratio 2 | 100% | Hit Points each character has, please Ratio 3 | 117% | refer to the "Life Meter" section Ratio 4 | 140% | under the "GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS" Chapter. |----------| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Again, this information has been confirmed by Jotaro's translation of text provided by the Hong Kong Gameplayers Magazine. However, I calculated these numbers myself and was surprised to find that I was right on the money with these percentages. ^_^ But still, I'm much happier that I have the backings of a magazine company to support my numbers. So an average Ratio 2 character (characters like Ryu count as average) has 14,400 Hit Points. At Ratio 1, Ryu has 11,520 Hit Points. At Ratio 3 it's 16,848 and at Ratio 4 it's 20,160. In the last game, Ratio 4 characters were practically useless, and weren't really a feasible option for trying to win. Ratio 3 characters weren't much better, because they just simply weren't strong enough to win well. As a result, a team of 4 Ratio 1 characters or 2 Ratio 1 and 1 Ratio 2 characters was almost always your best choice. Thankfully, in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, the damage was balanced out a lot more. Now, Ratio 4 characters are far more plausible of a choice. Stronger characters tend to make better Ratio 4 characters, though, than characters based on speed. Blanka, for example, is a FAR better Ratio 4 character that Cammy. Both are great characters overall, but as a Ratio 4, Blanka is better, because he beats people faster and tends to gain more life back that way. Some people may ask me which Ratio set is the best and most practical. I'll answer the question right here: it's hard to say. Every combination seems to work well, but it also depends on the characters you play. Weaker characters who are based on speed seem to do better as lower Ratio characters, and characters who are stronger and win by brute force seem to do better as a higher Ratio character. However, this really is a matter of opinion. Like I said, all Ratios seem to be practical, so it's really very hard for me to recommend a Ratio Set for you to use. You will just have to experiment with your team and figure out what is best for you. [ 4 ]-character-selection-------------------------------------------] [ --->>> ORDER <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] Fortunately, Capcom decided to implement a "blind" pick when it comes to order. Because you now cannot see the order in which your opponent picks their characters, you cannot try to choose your order based on theirs. This prevents the "Musical Chairs" syndrome, as I like to call it, where one player has one character slated to go first, so the opponent chooses a counter character to go first. Then the first player switches to have a different character slated to go first, and then the opponent switches his/her order to counter the new first character. This then repeats over and over again until the timer runs out. Now, because you choose your order without letting the other person know the order, this won't happen... Picking the order of your characters is pretty simple. All your characters will be displayed on the screen with numbers next to them when you are told to choose your order. The first character you chose will be labeled "1" and the second character (if you have one) will be labeled "2" and the third character you've picked (if you have one) will be labeled "3". To pick your order, you basically have to press the button combination that applies to the character number. Jab (LP) + Short (LK) represent character number 1. Strong (MP) + Forward (MK) represent character number 2. And Fierce (HP) + Roundhouse (HK) represent character number 3. So let's say you picked Ryu, Ken, and Sakura on your team. However, Ryu is your Ratio 2 character, so you want Ken to go first, then Sakura, then Ryu. When the Order selection screen appears, just hit Strong + Forward first for Ken and then Fierce + Roundhouse for Sakura. Your third character, Ryu, will be chosen for you automatically since he's the only one left. You can also just press the Start button as a short cut, and the characters will be put in the order that you picked them. [ 5 ]-character-selection-------------------------------------------] [ --->>> ROUND SYSTEM <<<---] [-------------------------------------------------------------------] There are various Round formats used in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, but the standard one is the Ratio Match format. This is the Round format you'll experience in the arcades and on the home versions by default. Ratio Match works just about how you think it would... After both players have selected the order in which their characters will be used, the first character for both players go up against each other. When one is defeated, he/she is replaced by the next member of the team (based on the order you selected). The winner from the last Round fights the new character until another one of the two characters is defeated. Team members continue to replace fallen team members in their chosen order until one team finally has all of the characters on his/her team defeated. The other team then comes out victorious. If the Timer runs out before a character is defeated, the character with more health wins the Round. If both characters trade hits that causes them both to have fully drained Life Meters, or if the Timer runs out when both characters have the same amount of life, the Round ends in a draw. In that case, both characters "lose" and the next characters from both sides come into the match with full health. If only one player has a character left (the other was on his/her last character), the person with the character left automatically wins. If neither player had a character left, the game ENDS and both players lose the fight, which means, in the arcade at least, both players need to pay again for their next game. The fight is declared a draw. The only thing to mention is that, between Rounds, the character who won the Round does NOT get a full Life Meter at the start of the next Round. The character will only keep the energy they had left at the last Round. So if you are a Ratio 2 character and beat a Ratio 1 opponent with half of your life remaining, you'll start the next Round with half of your life remaining still. You DO get a small portion of your life back, however. That's essentially the motivation to win the Round, otherwise it really doesn't make much of a difference who wins a Round. The amount of life you get back is dependent on how much Time is left on the Timer. The more time is left on the clock, the more life you get back. This can factor a lot into strategy, as well. For example, Ratio 4 characters have the best chance to kill characters quickly. Thus, the best way to defeat a Ratio 4 character is to try and damage the opponent and, at the same time, try to eat as much time off the clock as possible. That way, when your character inevitably gets defeated, the enemy will not be rewarded with much life in return. If you let the Ratio 4 opponent defeat you too quickly, chances are he/she will get back about as much life as he/she lost, which isn't good for you at all. A side note: if you are playing on the home version and you have it set to no Timer, the amount of life you gain back will always be the same. The second format that can be played on the home systems is the 3 on 3 Match. This emulates a King of the Fighters style Round format. You have to pick 3 characters, and choose their order. Then the fight proceeds like a Ratio Match, with winner remaining, gaining back only a portion of his/her life. The only thing that makes it different from a Ratio Match is that you are forced to have three characters, and all characters behave like Ratio 1 characters. So every match is essentially a Ratio 1 vs. a Ratio 1 character. The third format is the Single Match format. This emulates your standard Street Fighter match. You choose only one character, and play a best of 3 Rounds. When one character is defeated, both character return for the next Round with a full Life Meter, and fight resumes. Whomever wins two Rounds first, wins the fight. In this mode, all characters behave like a Ratio 2 character, so every fight is basically a Ratio 2 vs. a Ratio 2 character. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | PART II: COMBO FAQ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Combos in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 have expanded. I mean, the basics are all still there: Buffering, Links, etc. However, a whole new level of Combos has been added to CvS2, especially in the realm of Juggling. Juggling in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has become far more complex than it was in Capcom Vs. SNK 1. The scary part is that CvS1's Juggle System was pretty confusing enough to explain. However, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 brings in a WHOLE new level, because of all the new Systems implemented: Level 2 Super Cancels, Custom Combos, and other new Juggle methods like High Jump Canceling. So read this section to learn everything you need to know about Combos. If there is something about Combos I still didn't cover, something that still puzzles you about Combos, write to me at jchensor@shoryuken.com and let me know. I'll try to include it in my next FAQ and cover any topic I may have missed. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ==================== Chapter 08 ---| COMBO BASICS 101 |---------------------------------------------- ==================== 00) Intro 01) Multi-Hitting Moves 02) Jump-Ins 03) Buffering - 3a. Buffering: Buffering Into Supers - 3b. Buffering: The Negative Edge 04) The Raging Demon Supers 05) Rapid Fire Weak Attacks 06) Links 07) Chain Combos 08) Controlled Button Tapping Special Moves _____ | | combo basics 101 | 0 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ INTRO ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| The game is still far more Capcom-based than SNK-based, when it comes to Combos. So again, you SNK fans will have to adapt to the Capcom-styled Combo System if you haven't already done so. Combos seem more powerful and potent in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 than they were in CvS1. Learning how to get the maximum damage you can out of your Combos is VERY important, now. So read on, and learn everything you need to know about Combos and more! To help you learn Combos, all of the examples in this section are going to be given with Kyo. That way, if you so desire, you can turn on Training Mode and choose Kyo, and see all of these things for yourself. You can try all the examples listed here, and not have to change between characters. Just pick Kyo vs. Ryu, and that way you can test out all the things described here. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 1 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ MUTLI-HITTING MOVES ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| So what's the easiest way to get a Combo? Let the game do it for you. There are many moves, whether Normal Moves or Special Moves, that automatically hit more than once. The majority of Super Combos out there also hit for more than one hit. Thus, you can end up with a combo with simply one button press, whether it's two hits from Kyo's Offensive Crouching Roundhouse (HK), three hits from Akuma's Shoryuken, four hits from Morrigan's Close-up Roundhouse (HK), 5 hits from Ryu's Level 3 Shinkuu Hadouken, or 14 hits from Ryo's Fierce (HP) Zanretsuken. It's not much, but it's a Combo. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 2 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ JUMP-INS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| If you get an opponent Stunned or if you are just performing an Exhibition Combo (a Combo done purely for show, not for any practicality... like most stuff you see in Combo Videos), players tend to begin a Combo with Jump-Ins. After your character lands (if you hit the enemy with your Jump Attack low enough to the ground right before you landed), you can continue your Combo with a move done from the ground that's fast enough to hit the enemy before he/she stops reeling from your Jump Attack. What you do when you land is up to you. That's what makes Jump-Ins so potent. They allow you to get one strong hit in before performing whatever Combo you desire from that point on when you land, whether it be something that involves Buffering or Chain Combos. So for example, Kyo, can do a Jumping Fierce (HP) into a Standing Fierce (HP) for a simple, 2-Hit Combo. Different Jump Attacks can affect where your character lands. Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) tend to push the enemy the least distance, so you will usually land closer to the opponent. Fierces (HP) and Roundhouses (HK) push them the farthest away, so you tend to land a bit farther away from the opponent. However, most of the time, the distance is negligible. If you attack low enough to the ground, the enemy doesn't even get a chance to start sliding away before your ground move connects. Very few combos fail because the Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK) pushed them too far away. But all Jump Attacks WILL push them a slight distance, so any Combo that can be performed from being RIGHT next to the enemy MIGHT not work after a Jump-In... unless it's a Cross-Up. Cross-Ups are very potent, because of this, as they usually land you RIGHT next to the opponent. Thus, any Combo that requires you to be RIGHT next to the opponent, you can usually perform it after a Cross-Up. One thing to note about Jump-Ins. Many times people claim that the best way to perform Jump-In Combos is to land your Jump attack as "deep" as possible. In other words, you want to make your move hit so that it connects as close to the ground as possible. While this DOES allow you to EASILY Combo the next move when you land (putting as little space in between the moves as possible), it might not necessarily be in your best interest. There's a trade off on the height at which you land your Jumping attack. Landing a deep Jump attack allows you to Combo slower moves on the ground. If you want to Combo Yun's Standing Forward Kick (MK) after, say, a Jumping Fierce (HP), you'll need to land your Jump attack as deep as possible, because Standing Forward (MK) is very slow. If you land the Fierce (HP) too high up in the air, you'll have farther to go before you land, which takes up some time. By the time you land and hit Forward (MK), the enemy has just about finished Reeling and will recover before the Forward (MK) connects. But if you hit with the Jumping Fierce (HP) deeper, you will land instantly, and your Forward (MK) will come out in time to Combo on the Reeling enemy. However, sometimes this isn't the best thing to do. Let's look at Ken vs. Ryu. If you perform a Jumping Fierce (HP) and go for a Standing Close-up Fierce (HP) Buffered into a Fierce (HP) Shoryuken when you land, what happens? Well, if you perform the Jumping Fierce (HP) deep, the Fierce (HP) Shoryuken will whiff entirely. So does this Combo work at all? Actually, yes, it does. But you have to land your Jumping Fierce (HP) HIGH UP in the air. This is what I've termed as "High Hitting" long, long, long ago in the days of Hyper Fighting (I just called it that, but with no FAQs, no one knew about it. ^_^). The reason why this works is because, if you hit the enemy high in your Jump, your forward Jump's momentum will naturally keep you moving forward until you land. Thus, you end up RIGHT next to the enemy when you land (not as close as if you land a Cross-up, but closer than a deep Jumping Fierce (HP)). However, the move you do when you land must be a FAST move. If the move is slow, like Yun's Standing Forward (MK), it'll NEVER connect after a High Hitting Jumping Fierce (HP). Thus, you must land with a faster hitting move, like Ken's Close-up Standing Fierce (HP). That move hits almost immediately, so it's easy to Combo it after you land. So if you do a Jumping Fierce (HP) high up in the air with Ken, you can get the Standing Fierce (HP) into Fierce (HP) Shoryuken to connect. Mastering High Hitting can be the key to landing the highest damaging Combos. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 3 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ BUFFERING ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| Capcom is never going to abandon the most widely used form of Comboing invented back in the days of Classic Street Fighter. There's really no reason why they should, too! Arguably, there is no better system of creating Combos than through the use of Buffering. What is Buffering you ask? It's the ability to cancel certain Normal Moves into a Special Move. This technique is also commonly referred to as "Two-in-Ones" and just about every company that's made a fighting game has adapted Buffering into their Fighting Game: King of the Fighters, Samurai Shodown II, MK4, Killer Instinct, Guilty Gear X, TMNT: Tournament Fighters, Critical Blow, Dynasty Warriors, and many, many, MANY others. It's almost impossible to find a Fighting Game out there that doesn't adapt this system (okay, lie: there ARE games that don't follow this system of comboing, but most of those are all based after Virtua Fighter, the pioneer of 3-D fighting games. Most 3-D games are based on the principle of Floats, Juggles, and Strings. I bring this up just to be thorough... ^_^). Again, the concept of Buffering is the ability for any of the characters to be able to cancel the animation of certain Normal Moves into one of their Special Moves or a Super Combo. Not all Normal Moves have the ability to be canceled like this. Thus, the moves that are granted this ability are known as "Bufferable" Moves. Normally, the Bufferable Normal Move causes the enemy to Reel long enough so that whatever Special Move you canceled your Normal Move into will hit the opponent while they are still in their Reel Stun. You will then be rewarded with a Combo. An example of this is the ability for Ryu to cancel Crouching Forward Kick (MK) into a Hadouken for the two-hit combo that we've seen since the dawn of Street Fighter. One of the major factors of using Bufferable Moves in Combos is the amount of time the Normal Move will put an enemy into Reel Stun. All Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) done from the ground cause the same Reel Stun length, the shortest Reel Stun length in the game. All Fierces (HP) and Roundhouses (HK) cause the same Reel Stun length, which are the longest Reel Stun lengths that can be caused by a Normal Move. And all Strongs (MP) and Forwards (MK) will cause a middle-length Reel Stun, shorter than that caused by a Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK), but longer than that of a Jab (LP) or a Short (LK). Since Special Moves have varying distances and different speeds, it becomes imperative to learn, for your character, which moves are Bufferable and which Special Moves combo from these moves. For instance, a move such as Kyo's Wicked Chew (Fireball motion + Jab (LP) or Strong (MP)) takes an average amount of time before it actually starts to hit. It's not slow, but it's not particularly fast either. Thus a Crouch Short (LK) or a Crouch Jab (LP), both of which are Bufferable for Kyo, will not combo into the Wicked Chew. If the enemy gets hit by the Crouch Short (LK), it will not cause the enemy to Reel long enough for the Wicked Chew to hit the opponent before they recover. He/she will recover in time and be able to Block it. However, a Crouching Strong (MP) is ALSO Bufferable for Kyo, and it puts the enemy into a decidedly longer Reel Stun. Because of that longer Reel Stun, the Wicked Chew WILL combo if Buffered from the Crouch Strong (MP). So Crouch Strong (MP) into Wicked Chew and followed up by the last two hits (Nine Scars Maker and Seven Hurting Combos - Fireball + Punch, then Kick) will all connect for a four-hit combo. But how about the Poison Gnawfest (Fireball + Fierce (HP)? That move comes out slower than the Wicked Chew. Thus, a Crouching Strong (MP) Buffered into the Poison Gnawfest will not Combo!! This time, a Crouching Fierce (HP) is in order. Crouching Fierce (HP) puts the enemy into an even longer Reel Stun, so after a Buffered Crouch Fierce (HP), the Poison Gnawfest will indeed Combo. If a Special Move Combos after being Buffered from an attack, it is pretty much guaranteed to also Combo after any Normal Move of the SAME AND STRONGER strengths. So for example, Kyo's Short (LK) version of the New Wave Smash (the leaping double kicks) Combos after a Crouching Short. Thus, it is also a guarantee that it will also Combo after being Buffered from Crouching Jab (LP), a same strength Normal Move, and a Crouching Strong (MP), a stronger Normal Move, AND a Crouch Fierce (HP), an even stronger Normal Move. Distancing can also affect outcome of a Normal Move Buffered into a Special Move. Use can do this as an experiment with Kyo. Place Kyo right next to the enemy and perform a Crouching Strong (MP) Buffered into the Forward (MK) version of the New Wave Smash. You'll see that you are rewarded with a 3-hit combo, and the Crouch Strong (MP) puts the enemy into a long enough Reel for the Forward (MK) New Wave Smash (again, the leaping double kicks) to connect. Now do this: place yourself right next to the enemy and do two quick Crouching Jabs (LP). Now, after you finishing Jabbing (LP), WITHOUT MOVING from where you are, do the Crouch Strong (MP) into the Forward (MK) New Wave Smash again. You'll notice this time you only get a 2-hit Combo, which were just the two hits from the New Wave Smash. Why not a 3-hit Combo this time? It's because the Crouch Strong (MP) did not Combo with the New Wave Smash. But why not? We already proved that the Crouch Strong (MP) puts the enemy into a long enough of a Reel Stun. What happened? Distancing is what happened. The New Wave Smash ended up being too far away, and it needs to travel a distance before it will connect. If you put too much space between you and your opponent, that distance may be large enough so that by the time the New Wave Smash reaches the enemy, the enemy has recovered. But if you are closer, the Forward (MK) New Wave Smash gets to the enemy right away, so the Crouching Strong (MP)'s Reel Stun is long enough for it to connect while the enemy is still Reeling. So learn the distances that your moves will combo. Otherwise, you may put yourself in a very bad situation with a Special Move that didn't Combo AND put you in a vulnerable situation... Some Normal Moves that are not Bufferable into a Special Move CAN be Buffered into a Super Combo. For example, Kyo's Crouching Forward (MK) cannot be Buffered into any of his Special Moves like the Wicked Chew or the R.E.D. Kick, but it CAN be Buffered into a Super Combo. Many characters have this property. Other examples of this are Guile's Crouch Fierce (HP), Yuri's Standing Far Away Short (LK) and Standing Far Away Roundhouse (HK), and Maki's Standing Far-Away Fierce (HP). All these moves can Buffer into Super Combos, but not Special Moves. This is very important, actually, depending on what character you are. For example, if you know you can cancel Benimaru's Crouching Roundhouse (HK) into his Heaven Blast Flash (the Taikuu Raikouken spark Super), Benimaru gets a very useful and practical combo. Buffering his Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into the Heaven Blast Flash is a very useful combo in normal combat. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 3a |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ BUFFERING: BUFFERING INTO SUPERS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| Buffering into Supers is not easy at first, and actually takes a lot of practice. So in the following section, I'm going to give some tips on how to Buffer into "Circular Motion" Supers. * * * -=CIRCULAR MOTION SUPER BUFFERING TECHNIQUES=- By a "Circular Motion Super", I am referring to any Super that requires you to rotate the joystick for most of the Super motion. This includes Double Fireball motions, the standard SNK Super motion, and Double Half-Circle motions. These motions will be illustrated later in this section. There are basically four different Buffer techniques used to Buffer Normal Moves into a Circular Motion Super Combo. In order to be a "Combo Master", you've got to learn all four because different characters / situations will require you to know all four. But get good at them one at a time to start off. I'll list them in order of practicality and usefulness for each motion. Before we begin, one thing must be established first and foremost. I mentioned something earlier when I first talked about Buffering. The one thing I said was that only certain frames of Normal Moves can be Buffered. Thus, regardless of which of the four Buffer techniques you are trying, the following statement holds true: You want to hit the button to activate the Super during the Animation Frame that the Normal Move connected on. If the move you are trying to Buffer continues its animation AT ALL, you're out of luck in 99% of the cases. That's because only that one, specific frame can be Buffered (there are some exceptions to this rule, but rather than talking about them, I'll ignore them because they are not relevant in learning how to Buffer into Supers). Once the move connects, you've only got half a second in which the Normal Move freezes in Hit Stun. Once it resumes its animation, it can no longer be Buffered. Thus, you've got to finish the motion for the Super and hit the button that activates it before that happens. So let's look at Terry's Crouching Fierce (HP). When it connects, TERRY freezes in the position with his hand extended out in front of him. Then, after a half second of Hit Stun, the Fierce (HP) will continue to animate and his arm will retract. In order to Buffer that Fierce (HP), you've got to have hit the button to activate the Super BEFORE TERRY STARTS TO ANIMATE again. This may seem like blatantly obvious information, but it's important to have that mindset. Making sure that you keep in mind that you must hit the button before the animation continues is VERY important. The reason for this is because you learn, regardless of which technique you use, the time between when you hit Fierce (HP) and when you hit a button to activate the Super NEVER CHANGES. The only thing that changes is how fast you have to do the Super motion. So keeping this in mind will help you learn to not do the motion for the Super too slow, which causes you to hit the button too late. But you'll also learn that in many cases the motion doesn't need to be done quickly either. Regardless of how fast or slow you do the Super motion, as long as you hit the button during that Hit Stun, you know that the Super will come out if you did the motion correctly. One thing to keep in mind is that different strengthed moves give you different amounts of leeway for Buffering. Fierces (HP) and Roundhouse (HK) cause longer Hit Stun, so obviously you'll have more time to Buffer them into Supers. Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) will cause much less Hit Stun, so you'll have much less time to Buffer them. Now, the following are the motions that are in question (all motions can be mirror-imaged): --------------------------------------------------------------------- DOUBLE FIREBALL SUPER MOTION | \ --o | \ --o + button o o o o SNK SUPER MOTION | / o-- / | \ --o + button o o o o o DOUBLE HALF-CIRCLE SUPER MOTION o-- / | \ --o o-- / | \ --o + button o o o o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- You are allowed to hit the button for the move to be Buffered at ANY POINT during the Super motion, which is what makes Buffering into Supers that much easier. The motions are long enough so that there are VARIOUS places you can hit the button for the move you are trying to Buffer. However, only four of them are practical spots, and those four spots are what make up the four Buffer techniques. The four spots that you can perform the move to be Buffered are labeled in the diagrams below as A, B, C, and D. --------------------------------------------------------------------- DOUBLE FIREBALL SUPER MOTION [C]| \ --o[B]| \ --o + button o o o o [-A-] [-D-] SNK SUPER MOTION [C]| / o--[B]/ | \ --o + button o o o o o [-A-] [---D---] DOUBLE HALF-CIRCLE SUPER MOTION [C]o-- / | \ --o[B]o-- / | \ --o + button o o o o o o [---A---] [---D---] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Each of these will be described in detail and rated in three categories: Usefulness, Ease, and Practicality. By Usefulness, I am referring to at how often you are "allowed" to use this method. Ease describes at how easy it is to use that technique. Practicality rates the technique on how practical it is to use in combat. The ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being good, 1 being bad). * * * +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | -A- | Usefulness | Ease | Practicality | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Fireball Super | 5 | 4 | 5 | | SNK Super | 5 | 4 | 5 | | Half-Circle Super | 3 | 2 | 3 | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ For this technique, you hit the button for the Normal Move you want to Buffer anytime during the two Down positions of the beginning of the Super Combo motion. This is the easiest place to hit the button for the attack you are trying to Buffer and the BEST way to do combos into Supers if you are trying to Buffer a Crouching move (which is possible and the most practical for 90% of the Super Buffers you normally would want to do). The idea is this: there are two joystick positions, Down and Offensive Crouch, that'll make you to do Crouching attack at the beginning of the Super motion. Thus, if you press the attack button slightly after you begin your Super motion, you'll most likely press the button during one of those two Down positions. Right after you hit the button to attack, finish the Super motion and then hit the button to activate the Super. The nice thing is that you've already completed a good portion of the Super motion by the time the attack connects. This makes it so that if you hit your attack button at point A, you've really only got 1 more circular motion complete. Thus, you really don't need to the motion all that fast. Just start the motion, hit your attack button, then take your time finishing the Super motion before the Normal Move continues it's animation. Don't get me wrong, it still takes a lot of speed to finish the motion before the animation continues. Without a doubt, this is the number 1 technique you'll be using for the Double Fireball Motions and the SNK Super Motions (there's still a lot of motion left for Double Half-Circle Motions so this technique doesn't work as well for it). The reason this technique is the one to learn is because it allows for very accurate timing of the Normal Move you want to Buffer. You'll find this especially true with Combos with Links. Comboing a Crouch Fierce (HP) Link after a Crouch Jab (LP) with Ryu, for example, requires some good timing. If you want to Buffer the Crouch Fierce (HP) into a Shinkuu Hadouken, this technique is the best because it doesn't affect your button press timing. Also, hitting people after whiffing moves with a Normal Move can sometimes require precise timing of the Normal Move if the enemy's delay is only very brief. This technique works well in these situations as well. So the first thing you'll need to find out is which of your character's crouching moves are Bufferable and learn this technique. * * * +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | -B- | Usefulness | Ease | Practicality | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Fireball Super | 3 | 5 | 4 | | SNK Super | 3 | 4 | 4 | | Half-Circle Super | 1 | 3 | 1 | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ For this technique, you hit the button of the move you want to Buffer at the end of the first Fireball motion. This makes Buffering into a Super just like quickly performing two Fireball motion Special Moves in a row. But this works only on two conditions: 1) Your character does not have a Special Move that involves a Fireball motion + the button you are trying to Buffer. 2) You are trying to Buffer a Standing attack. This trick also works PARTICULARLY well with Rapid Fire Weak Attacks, like fast Crouching Shorts (LK) from someone like Sakura. The idea is this: make the Buffering of the Normal Move as easy as doing a Standing attack Buffered into a regular Special Move's motion (just a Fireball motion or a Half-Circle motion). Performing a Standing Normal Move into a Special Move is easy, right? So why not make Buffering into Supers the exact same difficulty? The way to do this is to, when you want to Buffer into a Super, do the first Circular motion + the button of the move you want to Buffer and then quickly do the last circular motion + the button of the Super activation. So for Double Fireball motions, it's like doing two Fireball commands in a row really quickly. The way it works is that the first Fireball motion you do registers as the motion for the Super. But since you have no Special Move with that button, you'll end up just doing the Normal Move while Standing. Then, when you do the next Fireball motion, you'll end up canceling the Normal move into the Super, since you've officially done two Fireball motions for the Super. (For Third Strike fans, this is almost exactly like canceling Ryu's Fireball into a Super Fireball.) Let's use Sakura as an example. Let's say you are right next to the enemy and you land a Crouching Short (LK). You Chain that into another Crouching Short (LK) and then Chain that into a Standing Short (LK). But now you want to Buffer the Standing Short (LK) into her Midare Zakura Super (the Shououken Super). This is actually really simple. Hit Crouch Short (LK) 2 times and then quickly do Fireball + Short (LK) and then another Fireball + Short (LK). What happens is this: the first Fireball + Short (LK) doesn't register as a Special Move because Sakura doesn't HAVE a Fireball + Short (LK) Special Move. So what comes out? Standing Short (LK) because Standing Short (LK) can Chain from Crouching Short (LK). After that Standing Short (LK) connected, you did another Fireball + Short (LK). But his actually is the second Fireball motion you've performed! So the last Standing Short (LK) registers as the activation for the Super. Voila! Stand Short (LK) is thus Buffered into a Level 3 Super! It also works well for SNK Super motions as well. Take Rugal for example. He can do Crouch Short (LK) twice. Then do Fireball + Short (LK) and then a reverse Half-Circle motion + Punch. This will result in Rugal doing a Standing Short (LK) canceled into the Gigantic Pressure. It WOULD work for Double Half-Circle motions, but there are VERY few characters who could actually use this technique. 95% of the characters who have a Super with this motion also have Special Move Codes that interfere with this technique with both Punch and Kick buttons. Take Akuma for example. He has a reverse Half-Circle + Punch Special Move (the Red Fireball) and a reverse Quarter-Circle + Kick Special Move (his Hurricane Kick), both of which will interfere with his reverse Double Half-Circle + Punch Super Combo (the Super Fireball). Only four characters can actually use this technique with Double Half-Circle motion Supers: Evil Ryu (who doesn't exist in the arcade, so what's the point?), Kyosuke (despite the large amount of Kyosuke fans out there, I'm just gonna say it: Kyosuke sucks in this game and he's not worth actually learning in Serious 2-player combat), Chang (who's reverse Double Half-Circle + Kick Super doesn't Combo after anything), and Raiden (who generally doesn't get a lot of chances to land Combos). So this technique is almost completely useless when it comes to Double Half-Circle motion Supers. Again, this ONLY works if your character has no move that matches the code. If Sakura had a Fireball + Short (LK) Special Move, this would NOT WORK. This technique, you'll learn, is the most useful for Buffering a two-hit or three-hit Rapid Fire Weak Attack Chain into a Super. The last hit of the Chain will be a Standing Move, naturally. Many characters won't be able to use this technique. Take Benimaru, for example, who has a Fireball + Punch and a Fireball + Kick Special Move while also having all Supers that you'd want to Combo that are done with Double Fireball Motions. You won't be able to use this technique because those Special Moves will interfere with the Super motions. But those that can use it, such as Sakura, Terry, Chun Li, Rugal, etc. will find it very practical. * * * +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | -C- | Usefulness | Ease | Practicality | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Fireball Super | 4 | 2 | 4 | | SNK Super | 4 | 2 | 3 | | Half-Circle Super | 3 | 1 | 2 | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ For this technique, hit the button for the move you want to Buffer and then just do the Super motion as quickly as possible before the Normal Move continues to animate. There is no trick to this method of Buffering into Supers. There is no strategy, no secret, no technique... nothing. This is just pure finger dexterity and hand speed at it's best. This is just hit the button and then do the Super motion as FAST as humanly possible before the move continues to animate. And, sadly, this technique is very valuable to learn, especially when it comes to Buffering Standing Strongs (MP), Forwards (MK), Fierces (HP), and Roundhouses (HK). Needless to say, this method is damn near impossible for Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK). It IS possible, yes, but you've got to be FA-A-A-A-A-AST. Let's use Chun Li in N-Groove as an example. You've just used your Crouch Roundhouse (HK) as Anti-Air and knocked the enemy to the floor. The enemy, however, performs a Safe Fall and is ready to attack again. You want to take advantage of this Safe Fall by nailing it during it's delay... but how? There's only one way: Run up to the Safe Falling enemy and nail him/her with a Standing Strong (MP). It's the only Normal Move that reaches far enough and quickly enough to punish an enemy who performs a Safe Fall after getting hit by her Crouching Roundhouse (HK). Crouching Strong (MP) after Running up to the enemy very briefly will catch an enemy in a Safe Fall delay if you hit the enemy very close to you with the Crouch Roundhouse (HK). But at farther distances, it's simply too short ranged to reach the enemy. Standing Strong (MP) after Running for a bit, however, will reach in the majority of the cases and nail the enemy in his/her delay. Also, Standing Strong (MP) is Bufferable. Maybe a Crouching Forward (MK) can catch the enemy, but that's the end of your punishment. If the enemy Safe Falls and you know you can nail him/her, you want to deal as much damage as possible. So you want to use a move that's Bufferable. But then this poses another dilemma: what Combos from her Standing Strong (MP) at that distance? The only thing that will Combo is her Hoyokusen (Lightning Kick Super) at any level. So you have to Run up to the enemy and do a far Standing Strong (MP) into a Hoyokusen. Even though Chun Li has no Fireball + Punch Special Move (her Fireball is a Half-Circle motion), you can't Run up and then try the second method listed above. The slightest delay of you trying to pull the first Fireball motion before hitting Strong (MP) will make you too far to reach the enemy, or too late to hit him/her out of his/her delay. So you've got to run up, hit Strong (MP), and the just do the motion for the Super as fast as possible. Another example is with Cammy. If she has a Level 3 charged up, she can actually wait and see Sagat whiff a Crouching Fierce (HP), which happens to be one of Sagat's best pokes, and counter with a Standing Roundhouse (HK) which will hit Sagat in his delay. But then, you can Buffer that Roundhouse (HK) into the Level 3 Spin Drive Smasher and do some REAL damage to Sagat for whiffing his punch. But the only way to do this Combo is to simply press Roundhouse (HK) and then do the Super motion as fast as possible. So you can see there are many instances where you WILL need to learn this technique. It's definitely harder to do than the previous two methods, but if you want to have the full range of "Comboability", you need to learn this method. It's easiest to apply to Double Fireball motion Supers, though. SNK Super motions are possible, but slightly harder. Double Half-Circle motions, however, are not very compatible with this method, because the code is so much longer and you have to be REALLY fast to pull this off. Again, it's possible, but only the best of the best can consistently pull off a Standing attack Buffered into a Double Half-Circle motion Super using this technique. Either that, or your game is running at a very slow speed. * * * +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | -D- | Usefulness | Ease | Practicality | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Fireball Super | 3 | 3 | 2 | | SNK Super | 3 | 4 | 3 | | Half-Circle Super | 3 | 3 | 4 | +-------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ For this technique, you hit the button for the Normal Move you want to Buffer anytime during the two or three Down positions of the second Circular motion in the Super code. This method is actually easier than the above method, but not as practical. The reason why is because the very first technique listed above pretty much makes this technique obsolete. The precision you gain from the first technique (using point A) far outweighs any benefits you get from using this technique (using point D). This technique works, but the lack of precision can harm you. For example, if Ken misses a Dragon Punch and you are Kim, you want to be able to nail Ken with a Crouching Forward into his Phoenix Flattener (the Super where he flies forward and pummels you). If you use this last technique, you have to do the first Fireball motion before Ken lands from his whiffed Dragon Punch and time the joystick to be in one of the three Down positions and hit Forward (MK) to do a Crouch Forward (MK) at the very split second that Ken is on the ground and in delay. It's simply not as efficient as the first method. Plus, it's harder to do on reaction to, say, a whiffed Jab (LP) Dragon Punch from Ken, whereas the first method is. And finally, it's much harder to use this method during Combos from Jumps because you have to do the first Fireball motion in the air, timed well enough so that you will be in the middle of your second Circular motion after you land. So why are we still referring to this technique if it's so useless? Well, for one thing, it is probably the only way you can do Buffers into Supers consistently in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. ^_^ But it can be used in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, mainly for Double Half-Circle motions. These motions are longer and harder to do than your standard Double Fireball or SNK Super motions. So using any of the above three techniques isn't that easy. This current technique isn't much easier, but it is the best way to do Supers into Double Half-Circle motions because it allows for the most leeway in terms of the speed at which you must move the joystick. But all the problems stated above still hold true: you lose accuracy and ease of performance, but in this special case, you may not have much of a choice. If you are fast enough so that you can do it with the first technique, more power to you. And seriously, you may be better off just trying to get good at it that way. But for now, using this last technique may be the simplest way. * * * So those are the four different techniques used to do Supers in a Combo. In order to perfect your Comboing skills and become a Combo Master, you will have to learn all four techniques eventually. But, for now, focus on learning them one by one in the order they are listed above. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 3b |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ BUFFERING: THE NEGATIVE EDGE ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| I'm going to talk a little about the "Negative Edge," here, to help people with some problems they may encounter when trying to perform Combos with Buffers in them. The "Negative Edge" was a technique implemented by Capcom to help people perform Special Moves. Normally, when you perform a Special Move, you do the joystick motion and the press the button. However, you can also perform a Special Move by performing the joystick motion and then LETTING GO OF A BUTTON. So with Ryu, for example, you can hold Jab (LP), do the Fireball motion, and then let go of Jab (LP) and the Hadouken will still come out. This is what is known as the Negative Edge. Capcom implemented this so that even if you press the button slightly early, letting go half a second later will let you do activate the Special Move. The problem is that this easily messes up Combo attempts! This especially messes up attempts at performing Buffers into Supers. Trying, with Ryu, to perform a Crouch Fierce (HP) Buffered into a Shinkuu Hadouken using the first technique listed in the last section, for example, often results in you performing just a Crouch Fierce (HP) into a regular Fierce (HP) Hadouken. This is because if you tap Fierce (HP) for the Crouch Fierce (HP) and then do the motion for the Super, you tend to let go of the Fierce (HP) button right around the time that you finished the first of the two Fireball motions required for the Super. That registers as performing the Hadouken before you even finish the code for the Shinkuu Hadouken. So you'll end up Buffering the Crouch Fierce (HP) into the regular Hadouken rather than the Shinkuu Hadouken. So how do you fix this? The best method of avoiding the Negative Edge problems is to hold buttons down, rather than tapping them. So in the example with Ryu, above, you can avoid all Negative Edge problems not by tapping Fierce (HP) but by HOLDING it and then finishing the Shinkuu Hadouken motion and activating it with Jab (LP) or Strong (MP) instead. That way, you can't accidentally do the HADOUKEN code by letting go of the button. You're holding it down to ensure that it doesn't activate the Fireball with the Negative Edge. This technique works ESPECIALLY well for the Charge Supers, like Guile's Sonic Hurricane. Performing Crouch Strong (MP) into Sonic Hurricane, for example, is MUCH easier if you hold the Strong (MP) button down. This works in all sorts of situations, not just Combos. If you are trying to do a tip-of-the-Crouching Forward (MK) into a Short (LK) Spiral Arrow with Cammy as a poke, for example, you might accidentally come out with the Forward (MK) Spiral Arrow instead because of the Negative Edge. This plants you right next to the enemy with huge delay and gets you killed. The Short (LK) version would let you poke the enemy and be safe afterwards. So you can avoid this problem, again, by holding the Forward (MK) button down, ensuring that you'll only get the Short (LK) version of the Cannon Drill. So you can see why learning how to hold the button down can be a very effective way to avoid this problem. The biggest problem comes from C-Groove. The different buttons activate specific Levels, so sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing whatever button you want to activate a Super. So what if you are Ryu and you want to do Crouch Fierce (HP) into a Level 3 Shinkuu Hadouken? You can't hold Fierce (HP) down, because you need to use Fierce (HP) again to activate the Super! There are two ways to fix this. The first is just brute force: make sure you do the first Fierce (HP) tap for the Crouching Fierce (HP) as FAST AS POSSIBLE. Just tap the button, and quickly let go before you complete the first Fireball motion for the Super. That will avoid Negative Edge problems but you have to be quick and aware that this can be a problem. The second method is taking ADVANTAGE of the Negative Edge. Just do Crouching Fierce (HP), hold Fierce (HP), do the two Fireball motions, and let go of Fierce (HP). That way, you are holding the button down to prevent Negative Edge but then letting go of Fierce (HP) and utilizing the Negative Edge to perform your Super! Either method can be used, and both are equally as practical. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 4 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ THE RAGING DEMON SUPERS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| There are only two instances of this move in the arcade version of Capcom Vs. SNK 2, four in the home versions. Basically, the "Raging Demon" Super is a generic way of labeling the Shungokusatsu, known as the Raging Demon, of Akuma, Evil Ryu, and God Rugal. It also applies to Morrigan's Darkness Illusion. So what is it about these moves that prompts them to be put into their own category? They all have the same code to activate them: Jab, Jab, hit Toward on the joystick, then hit Short and finally Fierce (LP, LP, Toward, LK, HP) very quickly. However, this code is a bit complex to perform. It's not your standard one-button activation for a Super Combo. Because of this, the Raging Demon Supers were given a lot of leniency. I am assuming they were afraid that these moves would be difficult to perform. Since most of it requires button presses, you could be in the middle of a move that was performed by one of the early button presses by the time you finish the code. Normally, a Special Move or Super Combo cannot cancel a whiffed Normal Move, so the Super should not come out. But these moves are allowed to cancel ANY NORMAL MOVE at ANY ANIMATION FRAME, whiffed or connecting, blocked or hitting. They did this because they knew that while tapping out the code, you will be flailing a bunch of Normal Moves. To make it easier for the move to come out, they allowed you to interrupt any Normal Move with it. So for example, if you are using Akuma, You can do the following trick. Hold Toward on the controller. Press Strong (MP) and then quickly do the code for the Shungokusatsu. What will happen is that you will go into your Overhead. That move is rather slow and takes a while to finish, and is not, in any way, Bufferable into a Special Move or a Super Combo. However, because you finish the code for the Shungokusatsu WHILE the move is still animating, it will cancel the Overhead anyhow and the Raging Demon will come out!! This is a good tactic because people will stand up to block the Overhead, but you cancel it into the Shungokusatsu instead to grab them. So if you are fast, you can have the Shungokusatsu cancel anything you want, like Crouch Roundhouses (HK) or Stand Fierces (HP) etc. This doesn't do much in terms of combos, though, since the Shungokusatsu, from any of the three characters that possess it, cannot Combo it. It is a Throw, and thus it can't even be put into a Combo. But it does help set-up great ways to land the Raging Demon. Raging Demons in this game are VERY quick. If you perform the Shungokusatsu right next to an enemy, and they aren't already in the middle of trying to Jump away or in the middle of an move that possesses some invincibility, they will be grabbed. In past games, like Street Fighter Alpha 3, he could have started the Super at point blank range, and you could still Jump away on reaction after the Chi Gathering. So the Shungokusatsu Super is actually effective in CvS2 and will grab people close-up, so that they can't escape it on reaction. However, there are three situations where the Shungokusatsu will NOT connect, even if performed right next to the enemy. It cannot grab enemies out of Block Stun, Hit Stun, or while they are getting up off the floor. So if you do, say, a Crouch Roundhouse (HK) which is blocked and it gets canceled into the Shungokusatsu, the enemy can ALWAYS JUMP AWAY from the Shungokusatsu. If you actually HIT someone with the Overhead and cancel it into the Shungokusatsu, Akuma will slide into the enemy even while the enemy is Reeling and not grab them. And if the enemy holds Up, they will simply Jump away. And if you do it to someone getting up, they can always Jump away right when they get up. It is ONLY effective against enemies who are simply Crouching or Standing there, or in the middle of a move. Okay, so we've discussed the Raging Demon Supers of Akuma, Evil Ryu, and God Rugal and I said they can't be put into Combos (outside of Stuns). But this is the COMBO half of the FAQ. So why are we talking about this here? The answer is Morrigan. Her Darkness Illusion is the same code as the Shungokusatsu, and has been given equal lenience in doing the code. That means that anything can be canceled into the Darkness Illusion, at any point in time. This is VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, because this allows you great Combo opportunities. For example, one of her easiest combos is Crouch Short (LK) Chained into Standing Roundhouse (HK). Her Close-up Roundhouse (HK) is a somersault kick that hits four times. While all four of these hits are connecting, you can, at your leisure, tap out the Darkness Illusion code. And even though NONE of the hits in that Roundhouse (HK) is Bufferable in any way, shape, or form, the Darkness Illusion will cancel that Roundhouse (HK) and Combo on the enemy. So if Morrigan is in the middle of ANY Normal Move, it can be canceled into the Darkness Illusion. This goes for while she is Jumping too!!! Morrigan has a Down + Roundhouse (HK) in the air on her way down that hits three times. None of these three hits are Bufferable in any capacity, but if you are quick enough, you can tap out that Darkness Illusion code and cancel the last hit of Down + Roundhouse (HK) into the Darkness Illusion and it will Combo. Heck, you can even wait until Morrigan lands and cancel the DELAY that Morrigan has from her Down + Roundhouse (HK) when she lands into a ground Darkness Illusion. Also, one other sneaky trick you can do with this is cancel your delay of a Jumping move. If you Jump and hit Roundhouse (HK) on your way up with any character, after the Roundhouse is done, your character is pretty much stuck in the air and vulnerable all the way until he/she lands. Not so with Morrigan. You can actually cancel that "vulnerability" into the Darkness Illusion!! Technically, you are still considered in a Normal Move "delay", and since the Darkness Illusion can cancel any Normal move, it can cancel this delay as well. So if you do any Jumping move, you can do this to cancel it. So anything that has a Raging Demon code can cancel any normal move at any frame of animation. This can be useful in various situations, but mostly for Morrigan, who can use it in combos. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 5 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ RAPID FIRE WEAK ATTACKS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| Rapid Fire Weak Attacks are basically the quick Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) that can be chained into themselves. The most well-known of these moves is Ryu and Ken's Crouching Short (LK). If a player is Crouching and hits Short (LK) as fast as possible when right next to the opponent, you can easily be rewarded with three successive Crouching Shorts (LK) for a three-hit combo (usually, the next Crouching Short (LK) misses, as the enemy has been pushed too far away). Thus, in essence, the Crouch Short (LK) is chaining into itself repeatedly. Thus, the Crouching Short (LK) of Ryu and Ken can be called a "Rapid Fire Weak Attack" in that it can chain into itself. That is a good, simple way to describe it. And for experiment's sake, Kyo's Crouch Short (LK) behaves the same: it can Chain into itself for three hits. However, the actual technical way in which a Rapid Fire Weak Attack works is this: if a Weak Attack has the ability to Chain, it has the ability to Chain into ANY Weak Attack, not just itself. If the Weak Attack that you chain it into just happens to be ANOTHER Rapid Fire Weak Attack, you can also Chain that third Weak Attack. Thus, we can dissect what's really going on if someone like Kyo does three Crouch Shorts (LK) in a row. What really is happening is that Kyo is merely Chaining a Crouch Short (LK) into a Crouch Short (LK) which so happens to also be a Rapid Fire Weak Attack. Thus, you can Chain it into yet another Crouch Short (LK) for three Crouch Shorts (LK) in a row. But three Crouching Shorts (LK) isn't the only thing that's possible. Since their Crouch Jab (LP) is ALSO a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, Kyo can also do Crouch Short (LK) into Crouch JAB (LP) into Crouch Short (LK), or any combination thereof. As long as they Chain into another move that's also a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, you can keep Chaining the moves. However, the restriction must be stated once again: you can only Chain a Rapid Fire Weak Attack into another Weak Attack, i.e. any other form of Jab (LP) or Short (LK) (Crouching or Standing, Close-up or Far Away). Also, keep in mind that Rapid Fire Weak Attacks share one unique ability: they can Chain into each other whether you land the move or whiff the move. So since both Crouch Jab (LP) and Crouch Short (LK) are Rapid Fire Weak Attacks for Kyo, you can just Crouch there and ram on Jab (LP) and Short (LK) all day, and Kyo will continually come out with Jabs (LP) and Shorts (LK) in rapid succession, whether the enemy is nearby or not. That's why characters like Kyo can ram on Stand Jab so quickly in attempts to stop an incoming Blanka Rolling Attack, but characters like Rolento, who's Stand Jab (LP) is NOT a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, can't. Many characters have at least one Jab (LP) or Short (LK) that counts as a Rapid Fire Weak Attack. Some characters have more than one. Let's look at Sakura for example. Her Standing Jab (LP), Crouching Jab (LP), and Crouching Short (LK) are all considered Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Thus, you can chain any of those three moves into each other, such as Standing Jab (LP) into Crouching Jab (LP) into Crouching Short (LK). You can also Chain them into the Standing Short (LK) kick. However, since Standing Short (LK) is NOT a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, the Chain Combo ends there. Standing Short (LK) cannot and WILL NOT be Chained into any other Weak Attacks. So Standing Short (LK) pretty much ends all Rapid Fire Chain Combos. Fortunately, Sakura's Standing Short (LK) is Bufferable and a Fierce (HP) Shououken combos from a Standing Short (LK). So tacking that at the end of the Chain Combo gives Sakura her most highly used combo: Crouching Short (LK), Crouching Short (LK), Standing Short (LK), Fierce (HP) Shououken. Very rare, but some characters such as Guile have all four Weak Attacks as Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Thus, he can conceivably Chain any of the attacks into any other of the Weak Attacks. Of course, he normally can't get more than three or four of them off in one combo. Some characters only have one, such as Chang (only his Crouching Jab (LP) is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack). Other characters have none at all, such as Blanka or Rolento. Then there are characters like Cammy whose Close-Up Short (LK) is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack but her Far Away Short (LK) is not. So it is highly varied between characters. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 6 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ LINKS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| In the olden days of Street Fighter, Links were very useful in doing longer combos when you were provided with little else (like Honda... What did he do for combos in Classic Street Fighter II?!? He had zero Bufferable Moves. ZERO!!!). A Link is not a special form of combo like Buffering. Basically, a Link is when you combo two moves in a row using no special methods. Usually, a Link occurs if the first move ends fast enough so that a second move, which typically comes out really quickly, can hit the enemy before he/she finishes recovering from his/her Reel Stun. Thus, the two hits register as a two-hit Combo. Links have become highly prominent in Capcom Vs. SNK. In fact, I can't think of a game, other than Street Fighter II Classic, where Links have played such a HUGE role in comboing. A LOT of things Link in this game. Fortunately, this does not get abused, because Linking is still perhaps the most skilled version of combos ever created in a Street Fighter game. Links are all about timing and are not very "user friendly" at all. There's nothing intuitive about them. They are simply just timing, and the only way to get good at them is to practice. So for example, Kyo, up close, can do a Crouching Jab (LP). Before the enemy recovers from the Reel of the Jab (LP), Kyo will recover, and can throw out a Crouching Fierce (HP) and catch the enemy before their Reel Stun ends. Thus, the two hits will connect as a two-hit combo. And then, you can Buffer that Crouching Fierce (HP) into his Poison Gnawfest (Fireball + Fierce (HP)). Ryu can Link a Crouch Jab (LP) and a Standing Fierce (HP). Or a Crouch Short (LK) into a Crouch Forward (MK). Cammy can Link a Standing Close-Up Fierce (HP) into a Crouch Forward (MK). The list goes on and on. There are so many Links in this game, it would double the size of this FAQ just to print them all out, probably (okay, so maybe not). So rather than doing so, you're gonna have to find them on your own. But there's a LOT out there. Very few characters have no Links (there are some characters where I haven't found any... yet...). As I said, performing Links consistently is mainly a result of practice and timing. There is no trick to them. Just remember that if you hit the button too early, your move won't come out (you're still in the delay from the first attack). If you hit it too late, the two moves won't combo. Keep adjusting you timing until you can get them to connect consistently. If you are having trouble doing Links, just keep practicing. That's the only advice I can really give on perfecting Links. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 7 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ CHAIN COMBOS ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| In the last game, only one character had Chain Combos: Morrigan. Well, in Capcom Vs. SNK 2, the feature has been extended to a few characters now. Morrigan still has the most "free form" style of Chain Combo, and Kyosuke follows with a close second. The other cases are all "fixed" or "canned" Chain Combos: you cannot vary the sequence of the Chain Combo. Chain Combos are the ability for a character to cancel the animation of a Normal Move into another Normal Move, much like Buffering is the ability to cancel Normal Moves into Special Moves. The sequence of Normal Moves cancel into each other so quickly that the opponent cannot recover from their Reel Stun quick enough to block. In most cases, this allows you to maximize the damage you perform. We are going to discuss the "Fixed" Chain Combos of the game first. And then a second section will be devoted purely to Morrigan. -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- /------------------\ < Fixed Chain Combos > \------------------/ Various characters in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 have Chain Combos. Most of the Chain Combos that exist in the game are "Fixed". There is only one basic sequence that the character can perform and this sequence in general cannot be varied. With every Fixed Chain Combo (except for Terry's), the timing to perform the Chain Combo is about the same. After a move that is a part of the Chain Combo sequence connects, you are allowed to Chain into the next move in the sequence ANYTIME before the current move ends. In other words, once a move connects, as long as it's still animating in it's recovery or delay, you can Chain into the next move. So, for example, with Yun, you can time his Chain Combo of Standing Jab (LP) into Standing Short (LK) into Standing Strong (MP) really quickly (Tap tap tap) or you can even space it out slightly, and hit each button slightly AFTER the move hits (tap tap tap). Basically, the earliest you can chain the moves is right AFTER the move hits. For many of these Chain Combos, hitting the button the INSTANT the move hits will actually lower your success rate, especially with Iori and Blood Iori. Also, if there is no joystick direction associated with the move, the Chain Combo move MUST BE DONE WITH THE JOYSTICK NEUTRAL. Except for the first move of the sequence, the joystick CANNOT be held in any direction for the Chain Combo to come out successfully. For, for example, with Maki: if you are doing her Standing Jab (LP), Standing Strong (MP), Standing Fierce (HP), Standing Roundhouse (HK) Chain, you have to leave the Joystick in Neutral by the time you hit Strong (MP). If you hold the Joystick in a direction at ANY point in that sequence, and hit the next Button while the Joystick is being held, that attack will not come out. Below is a list of every Chain Combo that is known in CvS2. Any additional details about it will be added as a small description: * * * -Athena- 1) Standing Close-up Strong (MP) -> Towards + Forward (MK) Only Close-up Strong (MP) Chains. The nice thing is that, even though the Towards + Forward (MK) hits twice, the first hit can actually miss and still Combo (the second hit will still reach the enemy fast enough to nail him/her and knock them down), if you accidentally did it from a bit too far away. * * * -Blood Iori and Iori- 1) Standing Strong (MP) -> Towards + Strong (MP) Towards + Strong (MP) is Bufferable, so this Chain can lead into various Combos. I have more success doing the Chain slower than the other. Hitting Strong too early seems to happen a lot more often than hitting it too late. * * * -Chun Li- 1) Jumping Fierce (HP) -> Jumping Fierce (HP) This Chain Combo sequence is a bit unique in that the first hit, the first Jumping Fierce (HP), does not even need to CONNECT for Chun Li to be able to Chain the moves. You can Jump, hit Fierce on your way up, and then hit Fierce again and she'll still chain into the second hit, even if the first hit doesn't connect. But you still have to hit the second Fierce (HP) before the first one finishes animating. Oh, and you cannot do this Chain sequence Jumping straight up. 2) Standing Far-away Short (LK) -> Standing Far-away Short (LK) -> Standing Far-away Short (LK) I don't even know why they give this Chain Combo to Chun Li. 1) Most of the time, you get a Short (LK) Lightning Kick Buffered after the second Kick when you try it if you press Short (LK) too fast. 2) It is literally impossible to land on most characters. If you are too close, you'll do the Close-up Standing Short (LK) first. But when you get far enough for the Far-away Short (LK) to come out, the third Kick in this Chain is too far away to connect!!! So it only can really land against a few characters who are large, like Sagat. So there really is no practicality to this Chain Combo at all. If you actually manage to land it in a perfectly distanced Combo in the heat of a battle, then... then... then... then I would seriously bow down to you. ^_^ * * * -Evil Ryu and Shin Gouki- 1) Standing Strong (MP) -> Standing Fierce (HP) Although Standing Fierce (HP) looks exactly like the normal Standing Fierce (HP), the Fierce (HP) in the Chain Combo is a Knock-Down. * * * -Hibiki- 1) Close-up Standing Fierce (HP) -> Standing Fierce (HP) I'm hard pressed to list this one... It's not really a Chain Combo. I mean, you can do Close-up Standing Fierce (HP) and then press Fierce (HP) again, but there are a few things you can do with this Close-up Standing Fierce (HP). First of all, you don't even need to hit Fierce (HP) again for the second hit. You can just HOLD Fierce (HP) down after the first time you press it and Hibiki will automatically do the second swing. Secondly, after the first Fierce (HP) connects, at ANY time before the second Fierce (HP) hit connects, you can cancel her animation into ANY SPECIAL OR SUPER as long as you are still holding down Fierce (HP)!!! So even though her close-up Standing Fierce (HP) is not normally Bufferable, you can hold Fierce (HP) after the first hit and Combo it into, say, a Jab (LP) Distance Slash. And even though it's normally Super Bufferable, now you can cancel it into any Level Super with much more leniency on timing (though only Level 3's will Combo that late). It's really very bizarre how this "Chain Combo" works, thus it's very hard for me to qualify this as a Chain Combo. But, as usual, gotta be thorough and list it anyhow. * * * -Maki- 1) Standing Jab (LP) -> Standing Strong (MP) -> Standing Fierce (HP) -> Standing Roundhouse (HK) This first Chain Combo, you may recognize, is the same as Guy's Chain Combo from Street Fighter Alpha 3. However, this Chain Combo doesn't knock down, like Guy's did. Instead, the enemy remains standing throughout this entire Combo. 2) Standing Jab (LP) -> Standing Strong (MP) -> Standing Fierce (HP) -> Down + Fierce (HP) The Down + Fierce (HP) is VERY hard to time. Although you CAN do it anytime during the Standing Fierce's (HP) animation after it hits, it'll only connect if you do it as soon as possible (again, hitting Down + Fierce (HP) the INSTANT that first Standing Fierce (HP) connects will NOT work. You have to hit it slightly AFTER). Otherwise, the final hit of this Chain will whiff (you can see Maki grab at the air). Also, even though the animation makes it look like Maki is performing a Throw, the move isn't actually a Throw. If the enemy Parries all three of the first hits of this Chain Combo, the last hit will still whiff, and you'll see her grab at the enemy. The enemy is NOT in Block Stun, so technically, it should grab... but it doesn't. * * * -M.Bison- 1) Jumping Strong (MP) -> Jumping Strong (MP) Like Chun Li, the first Jump attack, the Jumping Strong (MP), does not even need to connect to be able to Chain into the next Jumping Strong (MP). In fact, for Bison, you don't even need to hit the second Jumping Strong (MP) before the first one finishes animating! You can hit Strong (MP) on your way up in the Jump, let the punch come and go, and then hit Strong (MP) on your way down and it will still come out! So he has the most lenient Chain Combo of them all! However, like Chun Li, you cannot do the move while Jumping Straight up. But UNLIKE Chun Li, both hits of this Chain sequence are Knock-Downs if you nail the enemy out of the air. * * * -Terry- 1) Standing Close-up Fierce (HP) -> Offensive Crouch Fierce (HP) Terry's Standing Close-up Fierce is a two-hit move. However, BOTH hits can be Chained into the Offensive Crouching Fierce (HP). You can do it after the second hit for three total hits, but that combo only connects for all three hits against really wide characters, like Zangief. Terry is the only one without the lenient Chain timing. For Terry to successfully Chain the Close-up Fierce (HP) into the Offensive Crouch Fierce (HP), you have to hit the second Fierce (HP) RIGHT after either hit of Standing Close-up Fierce (HP). If you wait, say, a little bit after the second hit, you will not be able to Chain. So Terry requires a bit more timing, but it's still very easy. Lastly, all three hits of this Chain Combo are Bufferable, so Combo to your heart's content! * * * -Yun- 1) Standing Jab (LP) -> Standing Short (LK) -> Standing Strong (MP) Remember, all Buttons must be pressed with the Joystick in Neutral. Otherwise the Chain Combo will fail. And YES, if you hold a direction, the Standing Short WILL still come out in this Chain. But that's because Standing Jab is a natural Rapid Fire Weak Attack. So if you are holding Towards when you hit Short, it'll still come out. But because you Chained, now, into his regular ol' Standing Short, that move has NO ABILITY REGARDLESS OF JOYSTICK DIRECTION to Chain into the Standing Strong (MP). In order for the Short to be able to Chain into the Standing Strong (MP), the Joystick has to be in Neutral when you hit the Short (LK) Button. Standing Strong is Bufferable. 2) Standing Strong (MP) -> Standing Fierce (HP) -> Back + Fierce (HP) The Back + Fierce (HP) looks like the Kobokushi (the Palm Strike), but it's really just a Normal Move that looks like it. It's a lot faster, and it has no ability to do Block Damage. Thus, it's definitely just a Normal Move. It is not Bufferable by a Special Move, but it IS Super Cancelable. 3) Jumping Jab (LP) -> Jumping Towards + Fierce (HP) Unlike the other two Jumping Chain Combos listed so far, this Chain Combo ONLY works if the Jab (LP) connects. Jumping Jab (LP) sticks out for a while, too. But even if it connects late, you can still Chain it into the Towards + Fierce (HP). -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- /--------\ < Morrigan > \--------/ Morrigan's Chain Combos work exactly like they do in Vampire Savior. In the last game, her Chain Combo timing was VERY lenient. It behaved a lot like the other Fixed Chain Combos behaved. But in this game, that isn't the case. The timing for her Chain Combo has become a LOT more precise, and far less forgiving. Now, in order to properly Chain her moves, you MUST hit the next Button in the Chain Combo sequence at the EXACT moment the previous move connects. Any earlier or later will cause the Chain Combo to fail. As I said, this is exactly how Chain Combos have been in the DarkStalkers series of games. So if you are familiar with her Chain Combo timing from those games, it'll be the same here. She can Chain her attacks together, but only in a specific order. The order in which you can Chain her attacks is: Jab -> Short -> Strong -> Forward -> Fierce -> Roundhouse (LP -> LK -> MP -> MK -> HP -> HK) Morrigan's Crouching Jab (LP) is a two-hit attack. Either hit of this Jab (LP) can be Chained from. Also, you can use either Standing or Crouching Moves in this sequence. And when you use this sequence, you can go forward in this sequence and skip any moves you want. You cannot, however, go backwards in the Chain sequence. So, for example, you can choose to just do a Standing Jab (LP) Chained into Crouching Forward (MK) Chained into Crouching Roundhouse (HK), skipping Short (LK), Strong (MP), and Fierce (HP) all together. However, she cannot do a Jab (LP) Chained into a Strong (MP) and then Chain back to a Short (LK). You can only progress forward in the series. (Those of you familiar with characters who have the Magic Series pattern of "ZigZag" in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will find this sequence right at home). Morrigan has various Bufferable moves. However, when they are in the middle of this Chain sequence, they lose their Bufferability. Thus, if Morrigan does Crouching Short (LK) chained into a Crouching Forward (MK), and then tries to Buffer that Forward (MK) into a Soul Fist, it will not work, even though Crouching Forward (MK) Buffered into the Soul Fist works outside of the Chain Combo. -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- -+- /-------\ < Kyosuke > \-------/ Kyosuke's ability to perform a Chain Combo is VERY limited. He can only perform a Jumping Chain Combo in one of two places: Jump Canceling Offensive Crouch + Roundhouse (HK), or Jump Canceling his Super Lightning Upper. Once he cancels either of those two moves into a Jump, Kyosuke suddenly gains the ability to Chain his Jumping attacks together. This works whether he Jumps forward, straight up (which only is useful in the corner), or backward (though why you would ever do this is beyond me). And, like Morrigan, the timing of the Button presses must be PRECISELY when the previous move landed. Hitting it any later, like you are doing a Fixed Chain Combo, will not work, and you'll get a failed Chain Combo. The sequence in which Kyosuke can Chain his Jump attacks together is exactly the same as Morrigan's: Jab -> Short -> Strong -> Forward -> Fierce -> Roundhouse (LP -> LK -> MP -> MK -> HP -> HK) Again, you can go forward in this sequence, skipping moves, but you cannot go backwards. So you can do Jumping Jab (LP) into Strong (MP) into Fierce (HP) into Roundhouse (HK), skipping Short (LK) and Forward (MK), but you cannot do something like Jab (LP), Strong (MP), and then going back to Short (LK). Some moves work better than others in the middle of this sequence. Forward (MK), for example, hits really far below Kyosuke, and thus is probably the worst move to try and use. Also, Fierce (HP) and Roundhouse (HK) are Knock-Downs, and they will floor the enemy. And unlike Morrigan, any move that has Bufferability RETAINS that ability in this sequence. So Jumping Jab (LP), Short (LK), and Strong (MP) all retain their ability to be Buffered out of, even if you Chain into them. _____ | | combo basics 101 | 8 |============================================================|| |_____| ---[[[ CONTROLLED BUTTON TAPPING SPECIAL MOVES ]]]--- || ||==============================================================|| Five characters have Button Tapping Special Moves: Blanka (Electric Thunder), Change (Spinning Iron Ball), Chun Li (Hyakuretsukyaku), E.Honda (Hyakuretsu Harite), and Joe (TNT Punch). Move of these moves are very useful, but of course they are Button Tapping Special Moves. It's hard to use them in a controlled manner so that you perform them whenever you want, unless you happen to be a star Track N' Field player. ^_^ Thus, their use is rather limited, sometimes, and can be easily telegraphed to your opponent by a sudden WAP!WAP!WAP!WAP!WAP! sound coming from your buttons. ^_^ Wouldn't it be nice if you had some better control over the Button Tapping Special Moves? Well, you can. ^_^ Otherwise this section would be pointless and there would be no reason for calling this section "Controlled Button Tapping", would there? So yes, you can turn the Button Tapping Special Moves into a controlled weapon, putting them easily into Combos and using them as pokes at practically anytime you want 'em. "How?!?" you ask? It's actually very simple. The way it works is that every Button Tapping Special Move needs to have 5 button presses occur within a given timeframe for the move to come out. This was true for ALL past Street Fighter games. However, what makes it so easy in the Capcom Vs. SNK series is that, unlike the older Street Fighter games, you no longer need to use the SAME BUTTON. In all Street Fighter games prior to Capcom Vs. SNK 2, you needed to hit one Kick button or one Punch button 5 times within a certain time frame to cause a Button Tapping Special Move to come out. But in the Capcom Vs. SNK series, you can use any-strengthed button. And in Capcom Vs. SNK 1, you needed 6 button presses. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, they made it as easy as possible. So what this means is that, to do Chun Li's Hyakuretsukyaku, you only need to hit any five Kicks in any order within a certain time frame. And the time frame is fairly lenient. So now, you can walk up to an enemy and quickly tap out: Forward (MK), Short (LK), Short (LK), Forward (MK), Roundhouse (HK). This is basically rolling your fingers from right to left starting with Forward (MK) and then rolling them left to right across the three Kick buttons. If you do this quickly enough, you'll actually finish the code before Chun Li leaves her Bufferable frame of the Standing Forward (MK) Kick. And so, you'll actually, after merely WALKING UP to the opponent, do a Standing Forward Kick (MK) Buffered into a Roundhouse (HK) Lightning Kick Combo!! It's very simple... I can do the Combo consistently. The other nice thing about all this is the fact that the last button pressed is the version of the Button Tapping Special Move that comes out! That's why in the above Combo, the Lightning Kick that comes out is the Roundhouse (HK) Lightning Kick. This is HUGE for characters like E.Honda, who's Kyakuretsu Harite (the Hundred Hand Slap) is a useful poking move, especially the Fierce version. In the time it takes for Honda's Standing Strong (MP) to whiff, you can easily tap out: Strong, Jab, Strong, Jab (MP, LP, MP, LP) ...which is four Punches so far. After the fourth button press, you can simply press Fierce (HP) and Honda will suddenly come out with the Fierce (HP) Hand Slap! And if you want to fake your opponent out, don't press Fierce (HP) at all and watch them whiff an Uppercut or something. So now you can attack with the Hand Slap or fake it at the tap of ONE button! And it's extremely controlled so that it's never a question to you whether you are doing the Hand Slap or not. It's only a question to the enemy, whom you get to keep guessing. And now, most importantly, this makes Button Tapping Special Moves easily accessible for Combos. The above Chun Li example is not practical at all, but there are many practical uses for Button Tapping Special Moves in terms of Combos. Joe, for example, can now easily so a Crouching Jab (LP) chained into a Crouching Jab (LP) Buffered into a Fierce (HP) TNT Punch. This is a great Meaty Combo because if the enemy Blocks it, it will do a good three nicks of Block Damage. If they get hit by it, it's a 5-hit Combo. Just tap out this sequence quickly: Jab, Strong, Fierce, Jab, Fierce (LP, MP, HP, LP, HP) Do this by rolling your fingers across the Punches twice (skipping Strong (MP) the second time). What will happen is that, if you're quick enough, the second time you hit Jab (LP) will cause you to perform another Crouching Jab (LP) because Crouching Jab (LP) is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack for Joe. But it's also Bufferable, so when you hit Fierce (HP) the second time, it'll activate the TNT Punch and cancel the Crouching Jab (LP) for you 5-hit Combo. This also helps for characters in Grooves with Low Jumps. You cancel Low Jumps with Special Moves, so being able to easily cancel Jump Attacks with a Button Tapping Special Move would be huge. For example, Honda can perform a Jumping Fierce (HP) and land instantly with a Strong (MP) Hundred Hand Slap, which Combos from the Jumping Fierce (HP). Thus, even if the enemy Blocks it, you can do good damage and not have a delay from your Low Jump. To do this, simply Low Jump at the enemy and tap out this follow sequence: Fierce, Strong, Jab, Fierce, Strong (HP, MP, LP, HP, MP) --or-- Fierce, Strong, Jab, Jab, Strong (HP, MP, LP, LP, MP) The initial Fierce (HP) you press will make Honda do a Jumping Fierce (HP) and then the rest will make you land and cancel your Low Jump delay with a Strong (MP) Hand Slap. It's the Strong (MP) Hand Slap that you want because the Strong (MP) one Combos easier than the Fierce (HP) one and does more hits than the Jab (LP) one. You can actually TRY to do a Low Jumping Roundhouse (HK) canceled into the Hand Slap, but it's much more difficult. You basically have to add Roundhouse (HK) to the beginning of the above sequence. Sounds like it shouldn't be THAT tough, but just because it's on a different Row than the Punches, it's much harder to roll your fingers across the appropriate buttons. Another character this technique helps out tremendously is Chun Li. Having the ability to quickly make Chun Li perform a Hyakuretsukyaku (Lightning Kick) is VERY useful, especially in Grooves with Low Jump. Why? Because now you can use her Low Jumping Short (LK) as a Cross-up, and not land with a delay so that the enemy, who you are now right next to, can punish you like nobody's business. What happens instead is that now you can Combo a Low Jumping Short (LK) into a Roundhouse (HK) Lightning Kick, which can, in turn, be LINKED into a Crouching Jab (LP) Linked into a Crouching Strong (MP) Buffered into a Level 1 Hoyokusen!!! This is a technique used by all of the top Chun Li players in Japan and is VERY devastating. So the way to do this is to quickly (and in this case, I mean VERY quickly) tap out the following sequence: Short, Forward, Roundhouse, Short, Roundhouse (LK, MK, HK, LK, HK) The initial Short (LK) will perform the Cross-up Kick, and if you tap out the rest REALLY fast, she'll land with the Roundhouse (HK) Lightning Kick, which is the only version of the Lightning Kick that you can Link a move after. And it'll come out so quickly that it WILL Combo after the Low Jumping Short (LK). This can make a Low Jumping Chun Li VERY deadly. So if you use a character with Button Tapping Special Moves, learn how to use it in a controlled fashion. Doing so will let you easily perform all sorts of tricks, including Meaty Fierce (HP) Electric Thunders with Blanka. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ============================ Chapter 09 ---| THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM |-------------------------------------- ============================ 00) Intro 01) The Juggle Set-Up 02) The Juggle Count 03) The Juggle Potential 04) The Juggle Formula 05) The Juggle Potential Revisited - Gradual Juggle Potential - Phase Juggle Potential - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< INTRO >>> <> system <> 00) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> The Juggle System in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has grown in complexity... even though, it really hasn't. It's really tough to say. With the advent of Level 2 Super Canceling and Custom Combos and a lot of small, specific cases (from Yun's Super Jump canceling to Kyosuke's Air Combos to a group of really bizarre Kyo exceptions), Juggling seems to have become a whole different beast. But at the same time, Juggling has become a LOT less free-form. Combos like Ken's Jab DP into Level 1 Shoryureppa, King's Punch Throw into Surprise Rose in the corner, and Guile's Level 1 Total Wipeout into Level 1 Somersault Strike into Level 1 Somersault Strike... all those Combos are GONE. There just simply isn't as many opportunities for Juggling as before. Also, if you understood the Juggle System of the first Capcom Vs. SNK, it shouldn't be too hard to understand the Juggle System of this game. Despite the inclusion of all these new features, the Juggle System still remains pure and identical at it's heart. The Juggle Count / Potential from the last game still exist, as does the "KOF Juggle System" (as I called it back then. I've since renamed it for this game). And both of those still make up the heart and soul of the Juggle System. But these things must be described in some form of order, so first off is the Capcom Juggle System. This system of Juggling is mostly the same as it was before. However, if you've never understood it before, it is VERY complex, and even HARDER to explain. And because of a new type of Juggling that has become more prominent in this game (it existed before, but only on VERY few moves), it has actually gotten increasingly complex. So read on, learn about the Capcom Juggle System and hopefully I've described in a way that's understandable... - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM: PART 1 >>> <> system <> 01) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> <> Part 1: The Juggle Set-up <>----------------- - - - - - - - - If you are going to be Juggled in this game, you have to have one main thing: a Juggle Set-Up. There are two types of Juggle Set-Ups in this game, and are extremely reminiscent of Alpha 3's two Juggle Set-Ups: the Knock-Downs and the Air Reel animation frame. The first type of Set-Up, the Knock-Downs, are simple to explain. Anything that knocks the enemy over so that they will land on their back counts as a Juggle Set-Up. This can be a Sweep, a Dragon Punch, or a Super Combo... if it will put the enemy on to floor, you can Juggle them before they hit the ground. They can be VERY close to hitting the floor, too. If your move is fast enough to catch them the instant before they hit the floor, they will be Juggled, no problem. Throws, on the other hand, do not count as a Juggle Set-up. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has completely wiped out post-Throw Juggles (for the most part). So even though Throws put you on the floor, they do not count as a Juggle Set-up. The second type of Juggle Set-Up is a bit harder to explain. Basically, the second opportunity for Juggling comes from one particular Air Reel Animation Frame that all characters go into when getting hit out of the air by a move that is NOT a Knock-Down. Whenever you strike an opponent out of the air with a Normal Move that's not already a natural Knock-Down (some Normal Moves are natural Knock-Downs, like Geese's Toward + Fierce (HP)), the enemy will Reel in the air by flying back in an Animation Frame where they look like they are in pain for just a tiny bit before automatically doing a small somersault in the air that makes it so that they will land on their feet. That "pained" Air Reel Animation Frame is the key for this second Juggle Set-Up. That Animation Frame allows the enemy to be Juggled by anything that has the ability to Juggle the opponent. As long as the Juggle move connects while the enemy is in this Air Reel Animation Frame, it will connect for a Juggle. If you try and Juggle them after they finish this Animation Frame (they do that little somersault), you can't Juggle the enemy anymore. Let's look at Akuma. His Jab (LP) Goushoryuken has the ability to Juggle the enemy. If the enemy jumps at you and you strike them out of the air with a plain ol' Standing Jab (LP), the enemy will Reel in the air for a second, then flip and land on his or her feet. So let's say you Buffer that Jab (LP) with a Jab (LP) Goushoryuken. Since the Goushoryuken has the ability to Juggle, and you did the move quickly after the Jab (LP) connected (by Buffering the Jab), it catches the enemy while they are still in that "pained" Air Reel Animation Frame. Since that frame allows characters to be Juggled, the Goushoryuken will connect without any problems. But let's say you are in the corner, your opponent Jumps straight up, and you run under and Jab (LP) the opponent out of the air. Now, instead of Buffering the Jab (LP), you let your Jab (LP) finish normally, and THEN do a Goushoryuken. Well by this point the enemy has already left the Air Reel Animation Frame and is flipping to land on their feet. If that's the case, then they can no longer be Juggled: they become "invincible" the instant they start the small somersault and will remain so until they land. So the Goushoryuken will completely whiff and you won't get your Juggle. This is all because the Goushoryuken did not connect while the enemy was in that crucial Air Reel animation frame. So to sum things up, in order to have a Juggle occur, you have to have a Juggle Set-Up, whether it be a Knock-Down or use of the Air Reel Animation Frame. If you don't use either of these methods for a Juggle Set-Up, you will not be allowed to Juggle the enemy. - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM: PART 2 >>> <> system <> 02) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> <> Part 2: The Juggle Count <>----------------- - - - - - - - - As a character gets Juggled while Reeling in the air, the game implements a "Juggle Count". This Juggle Count does not appear anywhere on screen. It is actually kept track of internally. Basically, the Juggle Count is the number of times a character has been Juggled in the air. For example, if you do Crouch Roundhouse (HK) Buffered into a Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku (hurricane kick) with Akuma, the Roundhouse (HK) will set the enemy up for a Juggle (because it's a Knock-Down which makes it a Juggle Set-up) and the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku will Juggle with one hit. When that Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku hits, the game will keep count how many times the enemy was Juggled. So after the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku, the Juggle Count is now at 1. So if Akuma does another Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku and Juggles the enemy again, the Juggle Count is now at 2. This Count is very important, because it will determine just what can Juggle and what cannot anymore. Why this is so will become clear in the next section where we discuss Juggle Potential. Just keep in mind that every time an enemy is Juggled, the game keeps track of this number. - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM: PART 3 >>> <> system <> 03) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> <> Part 3: The Juggle Potential <>----------------- - - - - - - - - Regardless of what you do to set up the enemy for a Juggle, if you don't have a move that actually is ALLOWED to Juggle the enemy, you are at a loss. Only certain moves in this game are allowed to Juggle, like Akuma's Goushoryuken mentioned above. However, some moves just aren't allowed to Juggle. Let's take a look at Ken, shall we, and see if we can make this a bit clearer. Ken's Crouching Roundhouse (HK) is a Juggle Set-Up. So if he gets the enemy in the corner, and connects with a Crouch Roundhouse (HK), he can Buffer that into a Jab (LP) Shoryuken. The Crouch Roundhouse (HK) is a Juggle Set-Up, so the enemy is set-up for the Juggle, right? The Jab (HP) Shoryuken should connect and Juggle, right? No. This is because his Jab (LP) Shoryuken does not have any "Juggle Potential". In order for a move to actually Juggle the enemy, it has to have a Juggle Potential. Ken's Shinryuken has Juggle Potential, so instead of Buffering the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into a Jab (LP) Shoryuken, Ken can Buffer the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into any Level of his Shinryuken. So Buffering the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into a Level 1 Shinryuken will actually connect and Juggle the enemy (if Ken does the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) Close-up. From farther away, the Shinryuken doesn't have enough reach to catch the enemy in the air). If the Shinryuken had NO Juggle Potential, it would have just completely whiffed, even though it passes right through the enemy. Moves that actually have Juggle Potential also have values assigned to each hit of the move. So you can say something like, "Akuma's Short Hurricane Kick has a Juggle Potential of 2." But like I said, these values can be assigned to a particular HIT of a move! King's Surprise Rose has a total of 5 hits: two knee strikes on her way up and three stomps in the air on her way down. You'll learn that you can say things like "The first hit of King's Surprise Rose has a Juggle Potential of 0, but the second hit has a Juggle Potential of 1!" What this all means shall be explained in the next few sections. - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM: PART 4 >>> <> system <> 04) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> <> Part 4: The Juggle Formula <>----------------- - - - - - - - - The Juggle Count and the Juggle Potential go hand in hand to determine what can Juggle an enemy set up by a Juggle Set-up. Basically, as the Juggle Count increases when a character gets Juggled, only moves that have a HIGHER Juggle Potential than the current Juggle Count will be able to Juggle the enemy! Thus, when we talked about Akuma's Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku (hurricane kick) having a Juggle Potential of 2, that means if the Juggle Count is currently at 2, the Short Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku CANNOT JUGGLE ANYMORE. So there is a formula to determine how many times a move with Juggle Potential can Juggle the enemy. The number of possible Juggles is equal to the Juggle Potential minus the Juggle Count. Or: Num Hits = Juggle Potential - Juggle Count Okay, let's go back to Ken's Crouching Roundhouse (HK) into Level 1 Shinryuken. The Level 1 Shinryuken has a Juggle Potential of 6. So after Ken hits the enemy into the air with the Crouch Roundhouse, the enemy has been poised for a Juggle by the Juggle Set-up. The current Juggle Count is 0 (nothing has Juggled yet). Since Ken Buffers the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into the Level 1 Shinryuken with the Juggle Potential of 6, how many hits do we get? Let's see, what was that formula? It was Juggle Potential minus the Juggle Count, right? 6 - 0 = 6. The Level 1 Shinryuken will Juggle for 6 hits, giving you the grand total of 7 Hits for your Combo (one for the sweep, 6 for the Super). But now let's look at this... The Level 2 Shinryuken has a Juggle Potential of 10. So after the last Combo, we had 7 hits total. But what is the Juggle Count at? The Juggle Count is currently at 6! That means, if Ken lands and does a Level 2 Shinryuken right after the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Level 1 Shinryuken Combo, what will happen? Well, since the Juggle Potential of the Level 2 is higher than the current Juggle Count, it WILL Juggle the enemy... But for how many hits? Let's try that formula again... Juggle Potential minus the Juggle Count: 10 - 6 = 4. The Level 2 Shinryuken Super will Juggle for 4 more hits. This brings the Juggle Count up to 10, so only a move with a Juggle Potential of OVER 10 can Juggle the enemy now! So in other words, if the enemy has been Juggled more often than your Juggle Potential, your move will miss entirely. Let's use Ken as an example again. Let's say you are in N-Groove and you've performed a Power Activation. You've stamped and used a Power Stock and have two remaining. You catch the enemy with a Crouch Roundhouse into a Level 3 Shinryuken super. The Level 3 Shinryuken has a Juggle Potential of 14. So you get all of the hits and have a 15-hit Combo. But Ken lands before the enemy does, so you quickly use up the last Power Stock for a Level 1 Shinryuken to catch the enemy before they hit the ground. But the Level 1 Shinryuken has a Juggle Potential of 6! So, let's see, will this work? What's that formula again? Juggle Potential - Juggle Count = number of times move will connect. So that's 6 - 14 = -8. Hmmm... Things don't look good. Again, if the Juggle Potential of your move is LOWER than the current Juggle Count, it's gonna whiff entirely. The Level 3 Shinryuken Juggled 14 times, putting the Count at 14. The Level 1 Shinryuken can only Juggle 6 times. Since the enemy has already been Juggled more than 6 times, the Level 1's Juggle Potential has been surpassed. So it will whiff entirely. One last example with Akuma. Let's say Akuma does a Crouch Roundhouse (HK) and barely hits the enemy with the tip of his Kick and Buffers that Kick into the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku. Like Ken, his Crouch Roundhouse (HK) is a Juggle Set-Up, and his Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku, any strength, has a Juggle Potential of 2. So Juggle Count is 0 before the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku connects and the Juggle Potential of the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku is 2. That means it can hit the enemy two times in the air (2 - 0 = 2). However, the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku only hits once! After that, Akuma lands. So the Juggle Count is now at 1, but Akuma's Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku STILL HAS the Juggle Potential of 2. That means he can do ANOTHER Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku and Juggle the enemy again! The Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku, since it still has a Juggle Potential of 2 and the Juggle Count is only at 1 (2 - 1 = 1 hit left!), will connect again for a second Juggle. However, now that the Juggle Count is at 2, and the Juggle Potential of the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku is 2, that leaves no hits left for the Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku. So if you did another Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku, it will not connect at all. Here's a question I anticipate I might get asked if I say something like "Akuma's Goushoryuken has a Juggle Potential of 2." Then, you might ask, "You said that Akuma's Goushoryuken has the Juggle Potential of 2. Yet when the enemy jumps at me, and I do a Jab (LP) Goushoryuken and hit them out of the air with a good, deep hit, I get three hits. If you can only Juggle for 2 hits, why did I get 3?" The explanation of this is simple. The first hit does not count as a Juggle. Sure, you are hitting them out of the air, but remember you need a Juggle Set-Up before the enemy actually starts getting Juggled. Thus, the first hit of the Goushoryuken knocks the enemy INTO a Jugglable State acting AS the Juggle Set-Up because it's a Knock-Down. From there, the enemy gets Juggled two more hits, equal to the Goushoryuken's Juggle Potential. - - - - - - - - -----------------<> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> juggle <> <> <<< THE CAPCOM JUGGLE SYSTEM: PART 5 >>> <> system <> 05) <>===============================================<> <> <> <> <> Part 5: The Juggle Potential Revisited <>----------------- - - - - - - - - The above examples given in the last chapter were ALL very simple and clear cut. Why? Because the moves I listed in the combos above all had a "consistent" Juggle Potential throughout the move. Akuma's Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku (hurricane kick), for example, has a Juggle Potential of 2. The WHOLE MOVE has the Juggle potential of 2. Very simple, very easy. There's nothing to elaborate. The Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku has a Juggle Potential of 2 and that's all there is to say about that. Life is never that simple. In Capcom Vs. SNK 1, life WAS considerably simpler. Many Supers just had one, giant, consistent Juggle Potential. Ken's Level 1 Shoryureppa had a Juggle Potential of 3. Guile's Level 3 Somersault Strike had the Juggle Potential of 10. These Juggle Potentials applied to every hit of these Supers. Well, this isn't the case anymore. If fact, there are two VERY limiting factor with Juggle Potential these days. They both existed before in CvS1, but they were far and few between. Now, it feels like the majority of the Juggle Potentials follow these rules. So what are the two limiting factors you ask? There's the Gradual Juggle Potential and the Phase Juggle Potential. I'll go over these one by one. * * * ---------------------------- | GRADUAL JUGGLE POTENTIAL | ---------------------------- The Gradual Juggle Potential is an easy concept to understand. Basically, with every possible hit of a move, the Juggle Potential increases by one. Thus, rather than having a whole entire move be of one Juggle Potential, every hit has their own Juggle Potential, and this Juggle Potential increases by one with every hit. Let's take a look at all three levels of Akuma's Messatsu Goushoryu. The Level 1 version makes Akuma do two Goushoryukens in a row, both of two hits for a total of 4 hits. The Level 2 makes Akuma also do two Goushoryukens, but each one hits three times for a total of 6 hits. The Level 3 makes Akuma do three Goushoryukens, the first two being 2 hits and the last being 3 hits for a grand total of 7 hits. The way Gradual Juggle Potential works is that each hit of the Super has one more Juggle Potential than the last. So for the Level 1 Messatsu Goushoryu, the first hit has a Juggle Potential of 1, the second hit has a Juggle Potential of 2, the third hit has a Juggle Potential of 3, and the fourth hit has a Juggle Potential of 4. This is what is known as gradual Juggle Potential. This is the same for EVERY Level of the Super. Let's look at a chart below, which will list the Juggle Potential for every hit of each Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . --<< THE JUGGLE POTENTIALS OF AKUMA'S MESSATSU GOUSHORYU >>-- Level 1 ^^^^^^^ 1st GOUSHORYUKEN 2nd GOUSHORYUKEN _______|_______ _______|_______ | | | | Hit 1 Hit 2 Hit 3 Hit 4 ===== ===== ===== ===== 1 2 3 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Level 2 ^^^^^^^ 1st GOUSHORYUKEN 2nd GOUSHORYUKEN ____________|____________ ____________|____________ | | | | Hit 1 Hit 2 Hit 3 Hit 4 Hit 5 Hit 6 ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== 1 2 3 4 5 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Level 3 ^^^^^^^ 1st GOUSHORYUKEN 2nd GOUSHORYUKEN 3rd GOUSHORYUKEN _______|_______ _______|_______ ____________|____________ | | | | | | Hit 1 Hit 2 Hit 3 Hit 4 Hit 5 Hit 6 Hit 7 ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So what does this mean? We've already established that Akuma's Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku has a Juggle Potential of 2. So let's say we do Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Short (LK) Hurricane Kick so that the tip of the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) barely connects. That will cause the Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku to hit the enemy only once for 1 Juggle, so the Juggle Count is now at 1. If we do ANY Level of the Messatsu Goushoryu, we see that all three Levels have a hit in the first Goushoryuken that has a Juggle Potential of AT LEAST 2. In other words, if done quick enough, all three Levels of the Super will be able to Juggle the opponent after one Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku. However, if you do the Super too late, the enemy may pass through Akuma and hit the ground BEFORE Akuma "reaches" the second hit of the Super! Remember, ONLY THE SECOND HIT of the Super has a Juggle Potential of 2. Since the enemy has been Juggled once already, the first hit will whiff so the only way the enemy can be Juggled is to get hit by the SECOND hit of the Super. Now let's think of this scenario: Akuma does the same set up as mentioned above but does the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) up close to the enemy. Now when he Buffers into the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku, the Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku will hit TWICE, once on it's way up with his knee and once more when he swings his leg around. That means the Juggle Count is now at TWO. So what happens when he does the three Levels of the Messatsu Goushoryu now? Only Level 2 will connect. Why? Because only Level 2's first Goushoryuken has a Juggle Potential hit of 3. The other Levels won't have a hit that has a Juggle Potential of 3 until the SECOND Goushoryuken of the Super! So by the time Akuma has gotten to the second Goushoryuken of those Levels of the Super, the enemy will have hit the ground LONG ago. So there's no way a Level 1 or 2 will Juggle after the above scenario where the Juggle Count is already at 2. But if you do a Level 2 super, as long as Akuma gets to the last hit of the first Goushoryuken of the Super before the enemy falls to the ground, it will Juggle! And since that hit with the Juggle Potential of 3 occurs in the FIRST Goushoryuken, it is very easy to get this Super to Juggle, even thought the Juggle Count is already 2. It's the only Level of the Super that reaches a Juggle Potential hit of 3 early enough to catch the enemy before he/she hits the ground. So you can see how Gradual Juggle Potential can affect your ability to connect Combos. Who'd've ever thought that a Level 2 would be better for Combos than a Level 3 in terms of Juggling? Most people would assume that higher Levels have better Juggle Potentials (they usually do). However, understanding how Gradual Juggle Potential works will show you why the Level 2 is in fact the only Level that can catch the enemy. Gradual Juggle Potential applies to Special Moves as well, not just Supers. We already described King's Surprise Rose earlier. If you notice, that move follows the Gradual Juggle Potential to a tee, except that the first hit has a Juggle Potential of 0 and the SECOND hit starts with the Juggle Potential of 1. But in any case, each hit gains one more Juggle Potential than the last. * * * -------------------------- | PHASE JUGGLE POTENTIAL | -------------------------- Okay, now this is starting to get weird. "Phase" Juggle Potential. Where am I coming up with these names and why are there so many? Why is this so confusing??? Well, hopefully, it's not confusing, hopefully I've managed to not lose you so far. This is the last of the Capcom Juggle System rules, so bare with me... ^_^ A Phase Juggle Potential is basically the same thing as the Gradual Juggle Potential accept for one major difference: you never get a chance to "reach" a certain hit. The second "hit" of the move never is reached. The second hit of a move only occurs if the first hit connects. What does this mean? Well, let's look at Ken's Fierce (HP) Shoryuken. That move is three hits total. One where his arms is under his chest, one where his arm is at head level, and the last is when his arm is stretched up into the air. This third hit lasts all the way until Ken reaches the top of his Shoryuken climb. When you hit someone out of the air with a deep Fierce (HP) Shoryuken , it Juggles for two hits for a total of three hits. So let's do some theorizing here. We'll just guess that we have a Gradual Juggle Potential on our hands. The first hit of the Shoryuken has a Juggle Potential of 0, the second hit has a Juggle Potential of 1, and the third hit has a Juggle Potential of 2. Thus, getting the two Juggles of an anti-air Fierce (HP) Shoryuken would make sense. But if the second hit has a Juggle Potential of 1, this Combo should work: Crouch Roundhouse (HK) Buffered into Fierce (HP) Shoryuken. The Roundhouse knocks the enemy into the air and the second hit of the Fierce (HP) Shoryuken easily passes through the falling enemy. But the enemy doesn't get hit at all! Ken just whiffs entirely! Why didn't this Combo work if the second hit has a Juggle Potential of 1? The Juggle Count is still at 0! This is where the Phase Juggle Potential comes into play. Essentially, when you perform the Fierce (HP) Shoryuken , the move remains in "phases". Upon activation, it remains in it's first "hit" phase, which has the Juggle Potential of 0. It will ONLY move into the second hit phase if the move, ANY HIT, connects during the first phase. And after the move reaches the second phase, it will only move into the third phase if the move connects while in the second phase. The second hit phase has a Juggle Potential of 1 and the third phase has a Juggle Potential of 2. Okay, this makes NO sense whatsoever, does it? To understand this properly, we must separate hits from phases. Ken's Fierce (HP) Shoryuken has three hits and three phases, but these two concepts don't coincide. Ken goes from the first hit to the second hit to the third hit during his general animation. But Ken will ONLY move from one phase to the next if any of those hits CONNECT. So while hits are reached automatically, phases can only be reached if a hit connects. For example, we had Akuma's situation where you can "reach" the third hit of his Super to Juggle the enemy after two hits of a Juggling Short (LK) Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku. With Phase Juggle Potential, you cannot "reach" that third hit by whiffing the first two hits. In order to "reach" the third hit, the move HAS TO CONNECT TWO TIMES. And it doesn't MATTER which of these hits connects. As long as two of the hits connect, it reaches the third phase. So each time a move connects, it jumps to the next phase, and each phase has a gradual increase in Juggle Potential. So if you perform a deep Fierce (HP) Shoryuken against a Jumping enemy, the move is in it's first phase upon activation. It then moves into the second phase (with a Juggle Potential of 1) when that first hit connects. The second phase has the Juggle Potential of 1, and Ken still has yet to reach his second hit. Thus, since we are in Phase 2 with the Juggle Potential of 1, Ken's second hit is allowed to Juggle. It connects and shifts the move into the third phase, which has a Juggle Potential of 2. Since Ken has a third hit left in his move, that hit connects. But by that point, there are no more "phases" left, so the move stops connecting. So let's say the enemy is high up in the air and you do a Fierce (HP) Shoryuken. Ken will go through his first hit and second hit, and then reach his third hit when he rises up into the sky. But because neither of the first two hits connected, he's still in his first phase! When Ken sideswipes the airborne enemy with the third hit, it was still in it's first phase. But now that it connected, we've moved onto the second phase, which has a Juggle Potential of 1. But Ken has run out of hits! So there isn't anything left to Juggle with. This is why Ken's Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Fierce Shoryuken doesn't connect. The enemy is put into the air and Ken goes up for the Shoryuken. But the move's first phase has a Juggle Potential of 0! So since none of the three hits of Ken's Shoryuken connected, it never goes into the second phase, which can Juggle. Thus, the Shoryuken passes harmlessly through the enemy. Although Ken passes through all three hits of the move, he never advances a single phase. And moves that exhibit Phase Juggle Potential can only Juggle if the move advances in phases, not hits. Let's look another example of this: Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken. The Shinkuu Hadouken, if Buffered from a Crouch Roundhouse (HK), will pass right through the enemy. Thus, it most likely has no Juggle Potential. However, what if the enemy is Jumping, and lands on a Shinkuu Hadouken? The entire Shinkuu Hadouken will connect, 5 hits from a Level 3, 4 hits from a Level 2, and 3 hits from a Level 1. So obviously, it CAN Juggle... What gives?!? Why doesn't it connect after a Crouch Roundhouse (HK)? Same rule as Ken's Fierce (HP) Shoryuken. The Shinkuu Hadouken can't get to it's second phase, which allows it to Juggle because a first hit of the move never occurs. Thus, it'll never leave the first phase. The only way to have that happen is to have the enemy land on the Shinkuu Hadouken. The move will then move to it's second phase with the Juggle Potential of 1, which allows the next hit of the Shinkuu Hadouken to connect. That shifts it into the second phase and so on and so forth. Thus, the entire super can connect and Juggle if the enemy lands on it, but won't Juggle after a typical Juggle Set-up like the Crouch Roundhouse (HK). One last example: Ken's Shoryureppa. Each Level behaves exactly like Akuma, with the same number of hits and the same number of Shoryukens that occur. The Level 1 version does two Shoryukens in a row, both that do two hits for a total of 4 hits. The Level 2 also has two Shoryukens, but each one hits three times for a total of 6 hits. The Level 3 has three Shoryukens, the first two being 2 hits and the last being 3 hits for a grand total of 7 hits. However, each Shoryuken in every level of the Super has it's own phase count!!! Thus, Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into ANY Level of the Shoryureppa will not Juggle. And even if you catch someone out of the air with the Shoryureppa, you may get a Juggle from the Shoryuken that connects, but the instant Ken starts the next Shoryuken , the phase reset back to phase 1 with no Juggle Potential. That means it will not Juggle anymore! So with the Shoryureppa, the best you can get for Juggling is all the Juggles from ONE of the Shoryukens that occur during the super. You'll never get more than one to Juggle. Very few moves actually exhibited this behavior in the first Capcom Vs. SNK. But in this game, a TON of moves exhibit this behavior. Terry's Rising Tackle, Sagat's Fierce (HP) Tiger Uppercut, Kyo's Forward (MK) and Roundhouse (HK) Spinning Kick (the rising triple kick attack), Iori's Fire Ball (Iori's uppercut), and so on and so forth. Knowing which moves exhibit this behavior will help you understand why some moves can Juggle (like Akuma's Messatsu Goushoryu) and some can't (Ken's Shoryureppa). * * * So understanding this Juggle System is very important to learning what will connect and what will not. This Juggle System is pretty complicated, and isn't the most intuitive thing. If this still isn't clear, and I haven't done my job explaining it clearly enough, please drop me an e-mail at jchensor@shoryuken.com. I will NOT explain it further in an e-mail response, I just want to know if it's not explained clearly enough. I will attempt to make it easier to understand in a further revision of this FAQ if it is necessary. Again, I will NOT, repeat, NOT explain it to you more clearly in a reply e-mail if you send me an e-mail. I simply don't have the time. But I would still like to know if it is not described understandably. Thanks to anyone in advance who gives me feedback on the explanation I have provided. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== =========================== Chapter 10 ---| THE SNK JUGGLABLE STATE |--------------------------------------- =========================== 00) Intro 01) Description 02) Normal Set-Up 03) High Jump Cancel Set-Up 04) Move Cancellation Set-Up 05) The Kyo / Yun Exception <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< INTRO >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 00) The second half of the Juggle System involves the SNK Jugglable State. In the FAQ I wrote for the first Capcom Vs. SNK, I called this the "KOF Juggle System". I've since renamed it to the "SNK Jugglable State." The reason why I call this the "SNK Jugglable State" is because these types of Juggles didn't exist in any previous Street Fighter games before the Capcom Vs. SNK series. They've only existed in SNK games like King of the Fighters. Thus, I felt it appropriate that, since I named the other Juggle System the "Capcom Juggle System", I be fair and name this type of Juggle after SNK. Thus, we have the SNK Jugglable State. The reason why I call it a "state" rather than a "system" is because there really isn't much of a system behind it. Actually, "state" is a very good word because this type of Juggle only can occur when a character is put into a certain state. And there are only a certain number of ways a character can be put into this state. Fortunately, SNK Jugglable State is MUCH easier to grasp than the Capcom Juggle System. There are no "set-ups" or "counts" or "potentials" to describe. The best way to explain this type of Juggle is to explain what happens when you are put into the SNK Jugglable State, and then the set-ups will be explained afterwards. There are SO MANY set-ups for the SNK Jugglable State in Capcom Vs. SNK 2. In the first Capcom Vs. SNK, I think there were a whole whopping 3 moves that put the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State. You literally could count them on one hand. But not this time. Nope, this time SNK Jugglable State exists in so many places, most of which you probably don't even notice IS the SNK Jugglable State. But as I said, the SNK Jugglable State is MUCH easier to understand than the Capcom Juggle System. So even though there are still multiple parts to this Juggle system, it will be easier to understand BY FAR. So read on and hopefully, you'll agree with me. 01) <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< SNK JUGGLABLE STATE: PART 1 >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 01) Part 1: Description <> - - - - - - - - -----------------<> So what is the SNK Jugglable State? It's quite simple. It's a condition where a character is in the air during an Air Reel that will result in them falling on their backs onto the ground (like after getting hit by a Knock-Down). It's just like any other Air Reel except that the enemy can be Juggled by ANY ATTACK. You can hit the enemy with a Jab (LP), a Fierce (HP) Uppercut-like move with any character, a Super Combo, a Roundhouse (HK), a Jump Kick, a Projectile... Whatever can reach the enemy will Juggle him/her. For about 99% of the situations where a character is put into the SNK Jugglable State, the instant the character is put into this state, the Juggle Count is also reset to 0. Thus, no matter what the Juggle Count is at the time, the instant the character is put into SNK Jugglable State by any of the following set-ups listed, the Juggle Count resets to 0 so that certain Juggles will ALWAYS work after the set-up. Not only that, but the hit that connects against an enemy in SNK Jugglable State counts as a Juggle SET-UP, not as an actual Juggle. Thus, if you strike an enemy out of the air when they are in SNK Jugglable State when the Juggle Count is 0 (which it will be, 99% of the time, since SNK Jugglable State resets the Juggle Count), it will still be 0 after that hit. Any Juggle that occurs AFTER that hit will start the Count at 1. One thing to mention here, though: the instant you get hit, the enemy LEAVES the SNK Jugglable State. In other words, if you strike an enemy with a move that normally causes the SNK Jugglable State and TRADE with the enemy, the enemy will NOT be SNK Jugglable State anymore. Even if you hit the enemy with an SNK Jugglable State set-up, and then get nailed afterwards (like with a lingering Steel Rain from Rolento), the enemy will fall out of the SNK Jugglable State. There are a lot of little specifics here and there, however, because there are so many specific set-ups for the SNK Jugglable State. There is, for example, one VERY specific exception where the SNK Jugglable State exists in a non-Knock-Down situation. All the SNK Jugglable State Set-ups will be described in the next few sections. <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< SNK JUGGLABLE STATE: PART 2 >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 02) Part 2: Normal Set-up <> - - - - - - - - -----------------<> Normal SNK Jugglable State Set-ups are just moves that, when they strike the enemy, knock the enemy into the air in an SNK Jugglable State. Basically, after these moves connect, you are free to Juggle the enemy with whatever you so desire. Below is a list of all the SNK Jugglable State Normal Set-ups that exist in the game: Athena - Super Psychic Throw Blood Iori - 2nd hit of the Deadly Flower Hibiki - Melding Being Blade (the counter) - Going My Way (ROOT-3) Iori - Hit enemy out of the air with a One-For-The-Road Blast (known as the "8 Wine Cups" Super on most public Forums) Kim - Level 2 or Level 3 Phoenix Kick Tornado Kyo - The Forward (MK) or Roundhouse (HK) New Wave Smash Terry - Buster Wolf Yamazaki - Taunt & Counter Yun - Hit enemy out of the air with a Jab (LP) Tetsuzankou - The Strong (MP) or Fierce (HP) Tetsuzankou - You Hou <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< SNK JUGGLABLE STATE: PART 3 >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 03) Part 3: High Jump Cancel Set-up <> - - - - - - - - -----------------<> This is a special case of the SNK Jugglable State. A very few select number of moves (6 in total count) have the ability to be canceled by High Jumps. When you strike the enemy with these moves and then perform the High Jump cancel, the enemy will be in the SNK Jugglable State and can be Juggled by anything. However, because you are performing a High Jump, your choices are severely limited. For the majority of the time, you can only follow up with the best air Chain Combo your character has. And in one case, the character doesn't even have an air Chain Combo. If you DON'T CANCEL these moves with the High Jump, the enemy cannot be Juggled by anything outside of what follows normal Capcom Juggle behavior. You can see this illustrated with Yun. If you can catch the enemy out of the air high enough with his High Jump Cancelable move, Standing Forward (MK), you will recover before the enemy hits the ground. But you'll notice that nothing you do after the kick connects and recovers will Juggle the enemy, even though you are clearly making contact with the enemy. However, your moves just whiff. Now try this: if you hit the enemy out of the air high enough with the Standing Forward (MK), you can High Jump Cancel the move and quickly do a whiffing Dive Kick (Offensive Crouch + any Kick button) and land before the enemy does. After you land from the Dive Kick, NOW you are allowed to Juggle the enemy with any move! Thus, you can see how the High Jump is integral to getting the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State. Below is a list of all the moves that can be High Jump canceled and, as a result, puts the enemy into an SNK Jugglable State: Chun Li - Standing Close-up Roundhouse (HK) - Hoyokusen Kyosuke - Offensive Crouch + Roundhouse (HK) - Super Lightning Upper Ryo - Kyokugen Kick Dance Yun - Standing Forward (MK) A special note will be written about Chun-Li's Standing Close-up Roundhouse (HK). Unlike Yun's Standing Forward (MK) or Kyosuke's Offensive Crouch Roundhouse (HK), Chun Li's Close-up Roundhouse (HK) isn't a Knock-Down. So if you hit someone while they are standing and High Jump cancel this move, nothing will happen, really. The enemy stays on the floor and you... well, you just end up Jumping over the enemy, most likely. However, if you hit an airborne enemy with Chun Li's Close-up Roundhouse (HK)... You STILL don't knock them down. In fact, they follow a normal Air Reel arc. But wait... remember the Juggle Set-ups for the Capcom Juggle System? Well, these set-ups STILL apply to SNK Jugglable States, apparently. High Jump canceling Chun Li's Roundhouse (HK) will put the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State, but only as long as they last in the Air Reel. The instant they do that little somersault to land on their feet, they are free from the SNK Jugglable State. But if you High Jump Cancel the Roundhouse (HK) fast enough, and go into the air before they do that somersault, you can nail them with any Jumping attack you want, including her two-hit Fierce (HP) into Fierce (HP) Jumping Chain Combo. In both of Kyosuke's High Jump Cancel set-ups, you do NOT need to do the full High Jump command. You only need to press any of the "Up" directions, and he'll go up into the air with a Super Jump automatically. Everyone else needs a full Down then Up motion for the High Jump. Oh, and just so you know, Ryo's Kyokugen Kick Dance is the four-hit PUNCH attack (Half-Circle back + Punch). I have NO clue why they call it a "Kick Dance." <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< SNK JUGGLABLE STATE: PART 4 >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 04) Part 4: Move Cancellation Set-up <> - - - - - - - - -----------------<> In some cases, the enemy is put into the SNK Jugglable State merely to accommodate a Combo. For example, Vice can perform her Mayhem (the charging Shoulder Attack) into the Da Cide Slayer and have the Da Cide Slayer Juggle the enemy out of the air. This is just like the High Jump Cancel Set-ups, but instead of using High Jumps, you're canceling the move with another move. Move Cancellation Set-ups allows the enemy, now in the SNK Jugglable State, to be Juggled by anything and the Juggle Count is reset to 0. This is the best way for Capcom to make moves possess Juggling follow-ups, but not allow for "easy Juggling." Kyosuke is a good example. Doing his Lightning Upper launches the enemy slightly up and Kyosuke can chain that Lightning Upper into his Shadow Cut Kick, which will Juggle the enemy out of the air. But the Lightning Upper doesn't have a very long delay after it hits, and Kyosuke easily recovers before the enemy hits the ground. Now, if Capcom wanted to let the Shadow Cut Kick Combo afterwards just by making the Lightning Upper put the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State, that would mean he can Juggle with ANYTHING he wants, even if he didn't cancel the Lightning Upper. He would recover and be allowed to Juggle with anything, including his Final Grade Remix (the triple-team Super). That would probably be WAY too potent for Combos, and that's something Capcom wouldn't want. Thus, to prevent the Juggle set-up from being too powerful, and to basically "force" you into using that one sequence of Lightning Upper into Shadow Cut Kick, the enemy can only be in SNK Jugglable State if you cancel the Lightning Upper with the Shadow Cut Kick. As for knowing that the Juggle Count returns to 0? This can be proven with a Combo that Kyosuke can perform (although this explanation really isn't that crucial for any reason. In fact, it's quite trivial, and only of interest to those who have a penchant for extreme details on how exactly things work. Skip this paragraph if you're really not interested). With Kyosuke, catch the enemy in the corner with his Level 1 Super Shadow Cut Kick, which results in the enemy being Juggled a lot out of the air at the end. You can cancel the end of that Super into an air Shadow Cut Kick, which will Juggle because of the Move Cancellation Set-up. However, Kyosuke lands before the enemy. At this point, you are allowed to Juggle the enemy with a Level 2 Super Shadow Cut Kick, which only has a Juggle Potential of 1 on it's second hit. The only way the Level 2 Super could Juggle after the Level 1 Super Juggled the enemy in the air is if the canceling of the Level 1 Super into the normal Shadow Cut Kick resulted in the Juggle Count resetting. It's a long winded example, and quite confusing. It's not easy to understand this explanation and even if you don't, don't worry about it. It's really not that important. Below is a list of moves that can be canceled into something specific, sending the enemy into SNK Jugglable State: Kyosuke - Lightning Upper canceled into a Shadow Cut Kick - Any Jump attack canceled into a Special Move or another Normal Move when doing an Air Combo - Super Shadow Cut Kick canceled into a Shadow Wave or Shadow Cut Kick in the air Rock - Evac Toss canceled into the Raksasa Vice - Gore Fest canceled into a Tranquility - Mayhem canceled into a Da Cide Slayer Yun - Standing Strong (MP) Chained into Standing Fierce (HP) Chained into Back + Fierce (HP) Yuri - Fierce (HP) Yuri Super Upper canceled into a Yuri Double Uppers With Yun, since the only thing you can cancel the Back + Fierce (HP) at the end of his patented Chain Combo is a Super, Supers are the only thing you'll be able to Juggle with (even though the only useful thing to cancel it into is a very late You Hou). This, in fact, COULD be just a normal SNK Jugglable State set-up, but there's no real way to find out. But since it does involve the cancellation of a move, I think it's best to assume it's a Move Cancellation Set-up. <> <> <> <>----------------- - - - - - - - - <> juggle <>===============================================<> <> system <> <<< SNK JUGGLABLE STATE: PART 5 >>> <> <> <> <> <>===============================================<> 05) Part 5: The Kyo / Yun Exception <> - - - - - - - - -----------------<> The Kyo / Yun Exception is pretty easily explained, but very complicated in the end. It involves both the SNK Jugglable State concepts as well as the Capcom Juggle System concepts. Basically, up to this point, I've said that everything that puts the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State resets the Juggle Count to 0, correct? Well, there are two moves that are exceptions to that: Kyo's New Wave Smash (the Double Kick) and Yun's Tetsuzankou (the Shoulder Ram). These moves will put the enemy into the SNK Jugglable State after the second hit of the move connects, but it will NOT reset the Juggle Count. And in Kyo's case, the first kick of the New Wave Smash knocks the enemy into the air, so the second kick, the hit that actually causes the SNK Jugglable State, puts the Juggle Count at 1! As stated earlier, in all the other cases of SNK Jugglable State set-ups, the hit that hits the enemy out of the air for the Juggle doesn't add to the Juggle Count. This isn't the case for Yun's Tetsuzankou and Kyo's New Wave Smash. The hit that hits the enemy out of the air actually ADDS to the Juggle Count. Thus, certain Combos that seem like they should work won't. For example: if Yun does a Strong (MP) Tetsuzankou and then Jumps up and follows up with a Jab (LP) Chained into Towards + Fierce (HP), it should connect, right? The Towards + Fierce (HP) has a Juggle Potential of 1. It doesn't, though, because the Jab (LP) counts as the first Juggle! It puts the Juggle Count to 1 so that the Towards + Fierce (HP) completely whiffs, since it's Juggle Potential is only 1. Another example: With Kyo, Towards + Fierce (HP) Buffered into a Level 2 Serpent Wave is a Combo in the corner. The Towards + Fierce (HP) is the Juggle Set-up, and the Level 2 Serpent Wave has a Juggle Potential of 2, so it connects twice for a total of three hits in the Combo. If Kyo's New Wave Smash behaved like a normal SNK Jugglable Set-up, you should be able to follow-up the New Wave Smash with that exact same Combo: Towards + Fierce (HP) Buffered into the Level 2 Serpent Wave. However, the Juggle Count isn't reset with this SNK Jugglable State set-up. No, the Juggle Count is at 1 already, as mentioned before! The enemy can STILL be Juggled by anything (the Towards + Fierce (HP)), but that move puts the Juggle Count up to 2! Thus, the Level 2 Serpent Wave, with the Juggle Potential of 2, now has too low of a Juggle Potential to connect. Another exception given to these two moves: You CAN hit the enemy high enough out of the air with the Forward (MK) New Wave Smash or the Jab (LP) Tetsuzankou that you recover while the enemy is really high up in the air. This means you have time to fire off another Short (LK) New Wave Smash or Jab (LP) Tetsuzankou. However, if you notice, the moves just COMPELTELY WHIFF. This was Capcom's attempt to make sure that Kyo and Yun have no Infinite Combos... at least, that's what I believe is true. They designed it so that the New Wave Smash cannot Juggle after a New Wave Smash and the Tetsuzankou cannot Juggle after a Tetsuzankou. This is despite the fact that the enemy is in the SNK Jugglable State, which means ANYTHING should be able to Juggle them. Capcom just wouldn't let it happen and so the moves whiff. Although the opportunities are far and few between to do this, and even if they DIDN'T put in this weird exception, there would be no Infinite Combos (just wouldn't work because of timing), I guess they figured it'd be better to be safe than sorry. No more needs to be said about Yun, but Kyo's weirdness continues on. If the Juggle Count REALLY does not reset to 0, what happens with moves like his Fierce (HP) Fire Ball (Kyo's Uppercut)? The move has a Phase Juggle Potential, but the second phase of the move has a Juggle Potential of 1. So what happens after New Wave Smash? You do a Fierce DP and... both hits connect?? That doesn't make any sense. The second phase of the Fierce DP only has a Juggle Potential of 1, so the first hit should connect, bringing the Juggle Count to 2 after New Wave Smash. Thus, the second hit should whiff!! But it doesn't! So what gives?!? The theory is this: The instant you perform any Special Move that has a Phase Juggle Potential, the Juggle Count resets to 0. I know, I know, don't ask me why they decided to do this and make it SO incredibly confusing. But my logic is that they didn't want a move like his Spinning Kick (the upwards rising multi-kicks) with Roundhouse (HK) to hit the first hit and whiff the rest. I guess they thought that would look kind of "stupid" or something? So they decided that all of his multi-hitting air Juggle moves would reset the Juggle Count as soon as they connected. I mean, what's the harm? All of those Special Moves (Fierce (HP) Fire Ball (Kyo's Uppercut), Roundhouse (HK) Spinning Kick, and Forward (MK) Spinning Kick) basically make it so that Kyo can't take advantage of the reset Juggle Count, because the delays of those moves are too long. Or... are they?? The REASON you can tell that the Juggle Count was reset to 0 is because they made an oversight: you CAN Combo after one of those moves. This Combo is what I call the "Tom Nonaka Combo", since he was the one who told me about it. ^_^ But basically, if you judge the height of it well enough, the Forward (MK) Spinning Kick move will hit the enemy out of the air for both hits and Kyo lands BEFORE the enemy does! Thus, you can do a Level 3 Serpent Wave right when you recover from the Spinning Kick. Now, the beginning of the Level 3 Serpent Wave, during the portion where Kyo engulfs himself in flames, has a Juggle Potential of 2. Now, if the Juggle Count were NOT reset by the Spinning Kick, there is NO WAY the Super will connect (Juggle Count is at 1 after New Wave Smash, the Spinning Kick adds two more hits for a Juggle Count of 3, and that is way too high for the Super to connect with a Juggle Potential of 2). However, the Super DOES connect, for ONE HIT while Kyo continues to hold down the button to remain engulfed in flames. Thus, the Spinning Kick HAD TO HAVE reset the Juggle Count to 0, and the second hit of that move brought the Juggle Count back up to 1. Thus, the Level 3 Super can Juggle the enemy for one hit (since it's Juggle Potential is 2), and then the rest of the Super Combos just fine (because the actual portion of the Super where Kyo splashes the flame over the enemy has a Juggle Potential of 3, 4, and 5). Now, this isn't just any Special Move. Only moves that exhibit the Phase Juggle Potentials. If you do Spinning Kick into just a Jab (LP) Fire Ball (Kyo's Uppercut), you also land in time to nail the enemy out of the air with a Level 3 Serpent Wave. Unfortunately, the Juggle Count doesn't reset, because the Jab (LP) Fire Ball (Kyo's Uppercut) is not a Phase Juggle Potential move. Thus, the Juggle Count is increased by the Jab (LP) Fire Ball (Kyo's Uppercut) to 2, and the Level 3 Super no longer has a high enough Juggle Potential to connect while Kyo is on fire. * * * So understand the SNK Jugglable States. And understand the Capcom Juggle System. Understand them both, and understand them WELL. They are the heart and soul of the Juggle system in CvS2. And everything that let's you Juggle are based off of these two principles... So know them WELL. ^_^ ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== =========================== Chapter 11 ---| LEVEL 2 SUPER CANCELING |--------------------------------------- =========================== This is C-Groove's unique ability to cancel a Level 2 Super into any Special Move or Super Combo. Explaining the Level 2 Super Canceling could have been far more complicated had I not already described the SNK Jugglable State in great detail. You find out that Level 2 Super Canceling is simply just another SNK Juggle State Set-up. Basically, the way Level 2 Super Canceling works is that as soon as you cancel a Level 2 Super, the enemy will INSTANTLY be put into the SNK Jugglable State (if the enemy is in the air getting hit by your Super, of course). That means anything that couldn't Juggle before now can! This is why Bison can perform the Level 2 Knee Press Nightmare and cancel the last sliding hit into the Psycho Crusher. The Psycho Crusher has no Juggling Potential, normally, but the instant you cancel the Level 2 Super, the enemy is put into the SNK Jugglable State, so anything can Juggle! Let's take a look at our first example: Cammy. Cammy can perform a Level 2 Spin Drive Smasher on the enemy. She'll do her Cannon Drill and then her Cannon Spike that hits three times. On the third hit of the Cannon Spike, you can cancel that into a Cannon Strike. The Cannon Strike will miss, but it will cause Cammy to land before the enemy does. And because Cammy canceled the Level 2 Super, the enemy was put into SNK Jugglable State. That means, when Cammy lands, she can Juggle the enemy with just about anything she wants from a Standing Fierce (HP) to a Cannon Spike to a Level 1 Reverse Shaft Breaker. Not only that, but like most SNK Juggle State set-ups, Level 2 Super Canceling resets the Juggle Count to 0. Let's take a look a Benimaru against an enemy in the corner. Normally, Benimaru's Heaven Blast Flash (the Taikuu Raikouken spark Super) at Level 2 has a Juggle Potential of 7 and his Level 1 has a Juggle Potential of 5. Thus, you can do the following Combo in the corner: Crouch Roundhouse (HK) Buffered into the Level 2 Heaven Blast Flash, canceled into the Heaven Blast Flash, followed by a Level 1 Heaven Blast Flash. The way that Combo works is this: the Crouch Roundhouse can only be Buffered by Supers. The Level 2 Heaven Blast Flash has a Juggle Potential of 7, right? So after the Crouch Roundhouse (HK), the Super Juggles the enemy for all 7 hits. But the Juggle Count is now at 7. However, the instant you do the Heaven Blast Flash, the Juggle Count resets to 0! And the first hit does not count as a Juggle, so the Heaven Blast Flash hits the enemy, and the Juggle Count is still at 0. So when you follow up with a Level 1 Heaven Blast Flash, it will connect for ALL 5 HITS of it's Juggle Potential. The Juggle Count is still at 0, so 5 - 0 = 5 hits of the Super. Thus, once you understand Level 2 Super Canceling, you can start creating high damaging Combos like the Benimaru one above. One of the Combos that you will see the most used is Ken's. Combo anything you want into the Level 2 Shoryureppa Super, and cancel the VERY LAST HIT OF IT into his Jab (LP) Zenpou Tenshin (his Roll). Ken is still technically on the ground when that last hit connects, so this is possible. And the enemy has knocked into the air by the last hit of the Super, so when Ken does his Jab (LP) Zenpou Tenshin, the enemy is instantly put into SNK Jugglable State. If you aren't in the corner, you then Juggle the falling enemy with a deep Fierce (HP) Shoryuken. If you are in the corner, you can do a Jab (LP) Shoryuken instead, and follow that up with a Level 1 Shinryuken. This Combo does a TON of damage and is VERY practical in the middle of combat. Okay, a few technical things on Level 2 Super Canceling. This was mentioned in the C-Groove section, but I'll restate it here, again: You can only cancel a Level 2 Super if it CONNECTS. If the Super whiffs, or if it is Blocked, you CANNOT CANCEL IT. However, this isn't actually how it works. The way it works is that the game system will only let you cancel the Level 2 Supers if the enemy is in the middle of a Reel. As long as the game registers the enemy as Reeling during the course of a Level 2 Super, you have the right to cancel it. Of course, the only way you can see this demonstrated is with Rolento and his Steel Rain, which doesn't give him any Combo that is really all that impressive. So for the most part, you can simply state: you can only cancel a Level 2 Super if it connects. So for example, if Ken whiffs the Level 2 Shoryureppa, he can't cancel the end of it with an air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku after he leaps into the air. However, if he does a Level 2 Super against Dhalsim from a screen away while Dhalsim tries to punch Ken with a Standing Fierce (HP) and Ken nails Dhalsim with one hit of his Super, Ken will whiff the entire rest of his Super. However, just because it connected with just that ONE HIT, Ken can now cancel the Super at the end when he leaps into the air with an air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. Some Supers, however, are just VERY picky. Canceling them isn't the simplest of things. Cammy's Spin Drive Smasher is one of these Supers. The Cannon Spike portion of the Super seems to never want to cancel UNLESS the last hit of it connects. Even if the Super connects early on during the Cannon Drill portion and the rest of the Super misses, you can't cancel the Cannon Spike portion like you can cancel the second Shoryuken of Ken's Shoryureppa Super in the Ken example above (even when the second Shoryuken misses). UNLESS the very last possible hit of that Super connects, you cannot cancel it into the Cannon Strike. And to make it even MORE picky, it can only be canceled a tiny bit AFTER it connects. You can't cancel that move the instant it hits like you can with most Supers. So when you do the Super, and you get the three hits from the Cannon Spike, wait until slightly AFTER the Super connects before you try the Cannon Strike, otherwise it won't cancel. Other Supers just have very specific periods where they can or cannot be canceled. For example, Iori's Level 2 Maiden Masher ends with Iori placing the enemy on the ground, holding his/her face to the ground, and then blowing them up in purple flames. During that part where Iori is holding the enemy down, you cannot cancel the Super. But right AFTER Iori causes the enemy to explode and spring out of his hand, you can. It's different with every Super. Just experiment and figure it out. It's usually not too much of an issue, because in general there's only one place in every Super you'll want to cancel it, and you'll already know what to cancel it into, so there's not a lot to dwell on. But it's just good to know that some Supers are as free form as others. Most Supers are free form, though, and will behave exactly like I said: let the move connect, and then at ANY point during the Super from that point on, you can Cancel it into a Special Move or another Level 1 Super Combo. The only true exceptions to the ability to be canceled are pure Throw Supers. Benimaru, Maki, Raiden, Vice, Vega, and Zangief cannot cancel their Level 2 Throw Supers into anything at all. Only Yamazaki can do it, but his Throw Super is comprised of hits, so I guess they let you cancel that Super. But outside of Yamazaki, you cannot cancel any Level 2 Throw Supers. Also, please note that if you cancel a Level 2 into a Level 1 Super, the Level 1 Super DOES NOT GAIN any special properties. It will retain all of it's normal Juggle properties. The reason I mention this is because the Level 1 Supers that you can do at the end of a Custom Combo gains the ability to Juggle with EVERY HIT of the Super. I am afraid people may get confused and wonder why Canceling Athena's Level 2 Shining Crystal Bit into the Level 1 Shining Crystal Bit only allows her to Juggle the enemy once with the orbs spinning around her, while if you cancel a Custom Combo with it, it can Juggle up to four times! Just keep in mind that Level 1 Supers canceled out of a Level 2 Super behave just like an ordinary Level 1 Super by itself. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ================= Chapter 12 ---| CUSTOM COMBOS |------------------------------------------------- ================= 00) Intro 01) Basics 02) Normal To Normal 03) Normal To Special 04) Special To Normal / Special 05) The Level 1 Super Combo 06) Rolls In Custom Combos 07) Juggles In Custom Combos 08) How To Make A Good Custom 09) Custom Combo Set-Ups 10) Types Of Custom Combos - Combo Customs - Blocked Customs - Risk / High Damage Customs 11) Custom Throws / Otg Throws 12) Miscellaneous Information ==================================._ A-GROOVE | INTRO | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 00 \ `================================== Custom Combos are back for yet another round! And in every game so far, Custom Combos have been dealt with differently. Whether it's Street Fighter Alpha 2's Customs Combos, Street Fighter Alpha 3's Variable Combos, or even Street Fighter EX 2's Excel Combos, they've all never behaved quite the same. But in almost every case, at least for the Alpha Series, it seems like it's the Custom Combos that end up dominating the game. They are too powerful and too versatile, to the point where, frankly, Alpha 2 became Custom Fighter 2 and Alpha 3's V-Ism made X-Ism and A-Ism obsolete. And now, they've brought back Custom Combos for Round 3... and are they over powering? Yes and no. Some Customs have turned out to deal out waaaaay too much damage (think Bison) while other characters can only deal out about the same amount of damage that any other Groove with a full Meter can. And even though they are still extremely versatile like they were in the past games (quick activation from anywhere: ground or air), they still have their own limitations and ways around them. Capcom seems to have done a good job making a really nice balance for Custom Combos. They are still versatile in this game, but not nearly as powerful. Capcom's Custom Combo damage scaling has a lot to do with it, making Customs damage behave in a very, very specific way, limiting the amount of damage they really can cause. A-Groove thus isn't overly abusive as it was in the other games so far. It's lack of other abilities, such as Run and Low Jump, hinder it quite a bit. Customs, though, still make A-Groove one of the more fun Grooves to play. But they definitely have a "formula" to them, thanks to the damage scaling, so sit back, relax, prop up your feet, and read on to see how Customs work and how they can grant you the most damage possible. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | BASICS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 01 \ `================================== Customs don't gain any otherworldly powers in this game. In Alpha 2, you gained that forward momentum that kept you moving forward. In Alpha 3, you gained the Shadows. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2? Nothing. At least... nothing extraneous. As mentioned in the A-Groove section, the main two abilities you gain from activating a Custom Combo is: 1) The ability to chain moves into each other. 2) Infinite Juggling Potential on all moves. Basically, think of it as Alpha 3's Custom Combos without the shadows. That's about the equivalent. Of course, there is also no Flipping in this game, so you can imagine how much EASIER that makes everything in this game. That does mean that, yes, you can easily make a Custom Combo where you repeatedly Juggle someone in the corner with Standing Fierce (HP) forever until the Custom runs out. So Custom Combos in this game can get downright scrubby-looking. And the limitations in this game are FAR less restrictive... Often, Slides in Alpha 3 could not Chain into themselves. But they can in this game, so Customs like repeatedly sliding with Mai (Crouch Forward (MK)) work, no problem. And what makes things even MORE unfortunate is that, oftentimes, those are the MOST DAMAGING Customs the character possesses. That is probably the biggest problem with Customs in CvS2: they can require a great deal of skill to perform certain Combos, but the ones that use up less skill usually are the more effective ones. Others may do more damage, but not by much, and the level of skill needed to perform the simple ones more than makes up for the slight damage loss. If you want most basic information about Custom Combos, please read the A-Groove Section in the Grooves Chapter. That will help explain all the technical aspects: when you can activate them, what happens if you get hit out of one, what abilities you retain and which ones you lose, etc. Below will simply describe all of the Custom Combo properties, and how you can use Customs to piece together a worthy Custom Combo. The ability to Chain moves into other moves will be broken down into categories, and described one by one. Below is a chart indicating the different Chaining abilities you gain: ##################################################################### # WHILE ON THE GROUND # WHILE JUMPING ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ # ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |--------| (2) ||=========|| # |--------| (2) ||=========|| | NORMAL | ----> || SPECIAL || # | NORMAL | ----> || SPECIAL || | MOVE | || MOVE || # | MOVE | || MOVE || |--------| ||=========|| # |--------| ||=========|| /|\ | # /|\ | | (1) | (3) # | (1) | (3) | \|/ # | \|/ |--------| ||=========|| # |--------| ||=========|| | NORMAL | <---- || SPECIAL || # | NORMAL | || SPECIAL || | MOVE | (3) || MOVE || # | MOVE | || MOVE || |--------| ||=========|| # |--------| ||=========|| # ##################################################################### Special Move to Special Move and Special Move to Normal Move while on the ground behave the same way, thus they will both be discussed at the same time. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | NORMAL TO NORMAL | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 02 \ `================================== Chaining a Normal Move into another Normal Move is VERY simple. Unlike in Alpha 3, there are pretty much NO restrictions as to what can Chain into what. Whether the move be a Slide, an Overhead, a Sweep, or a Normal Move that brings you forward, it can Chain into another Normal Move. And Fierces (HP) can Chain into Roundhouse (HK) which can Chain into Jabs (LP) which Chains into Strongs (MP) which Chains into Shorts (LK) which Chains into Roundhouses (HK) which can Chain into Fierces (HP)... whatever is your desire works. The only real restriction is that Chaining Normal Moves into Normal Moves during Custom Combos is possible ONLY if the move makes contact! It doesn't matter whether it is Blocked or if it connects, as long as the move makes contact with the enemy, it is fair game to be Chained. That means you CANNOT Chain a Normal Move into a Normal Move if it whiffs. And you cannot Chain a move before it hits. So if you do, say, Ken's Overhead (Towards + Forward (MK)) in the middle of a Custom to draw your enemy to stand up, and then Chain that Overhead into a Crouch Roundhouse (HK) before the Overhead connects... well, that's not possible. The Overhead has to make contact before you can Chain the move. Also, that means the move can be Chained out of at ANY POINT after it connects. So 2-hit moves like Kyo's Offensive Crouching Roundhouse (HK) can be Chained the instant it connects. So you can Chain it after the first hit or after the second hit. You can even wait until RIGHT before the move ends to Chain it. So you can let it hit twice, wait half a second, and THEN Chain it into another move. The timing is very lenient. The only caveat is that it HAS to connect at some point. All of the above rules apply while Jumping. And while Jumping, the whole delay period after a Jump attack connects in the air counts as the delay of the Jumping attack. So if you Jump and hit Roundhouse (HK) on your way up in the Jump and hit an enemy in the air, you can Chain that Roundhouse (HK) into another move the instant it connects or even wait until right before you land to do your next move. As long as the Kick connected, you can Chain it whenever you so desire. If the move WHIFFS, however, you cannot do another Normal Move until you land. While Jumping, however, there are a VERY FEW select moves that cannot be Chained from Normal to Normal. Kyo's Down + Fierce (HP) and Morrigan's Down + Roundhouse (HK) are two examples of this. These moves cannot be chained OUT OF. They can be Chained into, but not out of. There may be more moves like these, but these are the only ones I know of. It is NOT just all Directional Moves that have this limitation. Zangief's Down + Fierce can be Chained out of, for example. It's just a few certain moves. Sometimes I experience a weird problem when trying to Chain a Normal Move into another Normal Move late in the Normal Move's animation. I hit the button, but nothing comes out. This happens VERY rarely, but I THINK there may be, like, a half second where, at the end of a Normal Move, you CANNOT Chain from it anymore. It usually occurs when I try to repeatedly Juggle the enemy in the corner with the same move over and over again, like a Standing Fierce (HP). Randomly, one of the Fierces (HP) I press will not Chain properly, and my Combo gets ruined. As I said, this happens VERY rarely, and maybe it's just me. ^_^ But I thought I'd mention it, in case any one else experiences this too and wonders if it is just him or her, or if there IS something weird going on. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | NORMAL TO SPECIAL | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 03 \ `================================== Normal to Special is the easiest to describe. You can cancel a Normal Move into a Special Move during Custom Combos at ANY TIME. I repeat that again, otherwise this section won't be long enough to justify being it's own section: "You can cancel a Normal Move into a Special Move during Custom Combos at ANY TIME." This is if you have it Blocked, if it connects, or even if it WHIFFS. You can cancel it before it hits, after it hits, while it is hitting... Anything you want!! This works while on the ground or while Jumping. The possibilities are everything you can think of. Even moves like Ryu's Hop Kick can be canceled into an air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku before it connects! Whatever seems like will work... will work. The end. ^_^ ==================================._ A-GROOVE | SPECIAL TO NORMAL / SPECIAL | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 04 \ `================================== Canceling a Special Move with both Normal Moves and Special Moves work the same. If a Special Move connects or is Blocked, you can Chain it into something else, be it a Special or a Normal Move. You can cancel Ryu's Jab (LP) Shoryuken even before it leaves the floor, for example, into a Hop Kick (Towards + Forward (MK)), the Towards + Fierce (HP) sliding Punch, a Short (LK) Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku, or even another Jab (LP) Shoryuken, if you are fast enough. You can even wait until Ryu goes into the air and cancel the Shoryuken into an air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. You can even let the DP land and cancel the delay of your Shoryuken the instant you touch the floor. The only real restriction is that, just like Normal to Normal, canceling the Special Move is possible ONLY if the move makes contact. It doesn't matter whether it is Blocked or if it connects, as long as the move makes contact with the enemy, it is fair game to be canceled. Otherwise, the Special Move will behave as it normally would, delay and all. Also, just like Normal to Normal, the Special Move can be canceled out of at ANY POINT after it connects. you do Benimaru's Roundhouse (HK) Shinkuu Katategoma. That move spins and hits many times, if Blocked. You can cancel that move after the first hit connects or the second it connects or the third hit connects, etc. And you can cancel it into anything you want. Another example is with Hibiki. Normally, her Distance Slash has a lot of delay to it. But if it connects, whether Blocked or not, you can cancel it at any point into whatever you like. You can cancel it the instant it connects. You can even wait until the very end of your delay, right before she finishes putting her sword away to cancel it. Projectiles are the same way. You can ONLY cancel the delay of a Projectile if the Projectile you threw actually CONNECTS with the enemy. If it misses or is still on screen, you can't cancel it's delay at all. Only if it makes contact can you do something else. This is the only area where Jumping and being on the ground differ. Special Moves can be canceled into other Special Moves no problem in the air. But you cannot, I repeat, CANNOT cancel a Special Move into a Normal Move in the air. They just won't let you. So Ryu cannot do a Fierce (HP) Shoryuken into the air and then do a Jumping Strong (MP) to cancel the Shoryuken. Ken cannot Jump and do an Air Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku and then cancel that into a Jumping Fierce (HP). Morrigan cannot do an air Soul Fist and then cancel that into Down + Roundhouse (HK). Normal Moves just cannot be done in the air after a Special Move. The biggest thing about canceling Special Moves, however, is that the timing for canceling Special Moves gets REALLY picky sometimes. For example, canceling a Jab (LP) Shoryuken with Ryu into anything else is really tough. You can't seem to cancel the move the INSTANT it connects. You have to wait until slightly AFTER the move connects before you can cancel it, and if you wait TOO long, Ryu will end up in the air so you can't Chain it into a Hop Kick or some other Normal Move anymore. So the timing of canceling a Jab (LP) Shoryuken before it leaves the floor is REALLY tough. SOME Special Moves just won't let you cancel them until certain specific points. Ryo's Zanretsuken, for example, cannot be canceled out of after it connects until the point where Ryo actually performs the final blow. But while he's pummeling the enemy with those multiple punches, you cannot cancel it at all. Same goes for Iori's Dark Crescent Slice (the "Grab You and Explode You" move... had to keep that goofy description of the move in because it made a friend of mine laugh uncontrollably. ^_^). You can't cancel that move until after the Iori blows the enemy up in that move. But until then, you have to let Iori hit the enemy and put him on the ground. But after the explosion occurs, you can do whatever you want. Throw Special Moves cannot be canceled at all. Zangief, Yamazaki, Raiden, Morrigan, Iori, etc. cannot cancel their Throw Special Moves at all. The only exception (there always has to be an exception) is Todo. Todo can cancel his Center Of Gravity (his Throw Special Move) at any point, probably because he doesn't actually "Throw" the enemy, but keeps them on the floor after he hits them. Most moves behave how I first described them: able to be canceled at ANY point after they connect. There are just those few that cannot be done. There aren't too many of these moves, so it isn't too hard to remember which ones can and which ones can't. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | THE LEVEL 1 SUPER COMBO | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 05 \ `================================== Perhaps the most important aspect about Customs is the ability to perform a Level 1 Super Combo at any point during a Custom. Basically, canceling moves into the Level 1 Super Combo is exactly like canceling a Normal Move into a Special Move or a Special Move into a Special Move. Level 1 Supers act as Special Moves so the same rules apply. The important thing to remember, though, is that Level 1 Supers at the end of Customs are the best way to actually get damage from your Custom Combo. Many times, a Custom involving only Normal Moves and Special Moves will warrant you 4000 or 5000 points of damage. Good Custom Combos will get you about 6000 points of damage from just Normal Moves and Special Moves. But if you tack on a Super that connects for all or most of the hits, you can easily jump those damages from 4000 to 6000, 5000 to 7000, and so on and so forth. But, obviously, you usually want to tack on the Supers as late in your Custom as possible, otherwise it will just end your Custom Combo when you could've done more damage if you waited. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | ROLLS IN CUSTOM COMBOS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 06 \ `================================== Rolls can be performed in Custom Combos and behave like Normal Moves. You can only cancel into a Roll from a Normal Move if it connects. The same goes for canceling Special Moves into Rolls. The Roll is your only defense if you've messed up your Custom Combo. You can't Block anymore, so the only way to avoid getting hit by attacks is to Roll through them. Unfortunately, that leaves you pretty vulnerable in its own right. Still, though, it's your only hope of avoiding stuff like Level 3 Supers. The other use for Rolls is a method of "transportation". Some good Custom Combos use Rolls. For example, Sagat, when not the corner, can do a Jab (LP) Tiger Uppercut canceled into a Roll immediately. That will move Sagat closer so that he can land yet another deep Jab (LP) Tiger Uppercut on the enemy in the air. Without the Roll, Sagat would have no way of getting in close enough to Combo anything else worthy of good damage. Iori can do something similar, except continue Juggling the enemy in the same are of the screen. He can cancel a Jab (LP) Fire Ball (Iori's Uppercut) into a Roll and then repeat Standing Close-up Fierce (HP) into Roll. He'll keep Rolling behind the falling enemy, knock the enemy the other direction, and basically play a one man game of ping pong. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | JUGGLES IN CUSTOM COMBOS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 07 \ `================================== Juggling is very specific in Custom Combos. The main two things to note about Juggling in Custom Combo: 1) Once the enemy is struck by a Knock-Down, every hit in a Custom Combo is a Knock-Down. 2) Every move you do has Infinite Juggle Potential for every hit of that move. All Normal Moves that don't have natural Knock-Down ability will only behave as a Knock-Down once the enemy has already been hit by a Knock-Down. So if you hit someone with a Shoryuken, for example, and then Juggle the enemy with a Standing Jab (LP), that Jab (LP) will also be a Knock-Down, and cause the enemy to land on their backs. However, if you just activate a Custom against an enemy Jumping at you and hit the out of the air with that same Jab (LP), it will NOT be a Knock-Down. Normal Moves will only act as Knock-Downs on enemies that ARE ALREADY FALLING ON THEIR BACKS, otherwise, it will act as normal. And once the enemy is falling onto their backs, everything that reaches the enemy WILL Juggle, no matter what. EVERY HIT of EVERY MOVE gains infinite Juggle Potential. It doesn't matter if it's a Phase or a Gradual Juggle Potential Move, or even if the move didn't have ANY Juggle Potential before. If it connects against the enemy while they are in the air, it will Juggle. One of the main important things to note is that this applies to the Level 1 Super you can do as well. This is HUGE, because it allows for you to land many things that aren't normally possible. For example, Terry's Level 1 Buster Wolf normally has NO Juggle Potential at all. However, you can perform a Buster Wolf at the end of the Custom Combo so that the first hit (the hook punch) tags the enemy out of the air. That hit normally has NO Juggle Potential, but it will Juggle in this case. But what makes it even better is that the second hit, where Terry sprays the flames up into the air, will Juggle as well!!! That hit also normally cannot Juggle, but in this case it will. So you can get both hits of the Buster Wolf to connect as a Juggle at the end of a Custom Combo. And THEN, remember, Buster Wolf is an SNK Jugglable State set-up!!! So you can still Juggle the enemy AFTER THAT. Just keep in mind that this is VERY different from canceling Level 2 Supers into Level 1 Supers from C-Groove. For example, doing a Tiger Genocide at the end of a Custom with Sagat will allow the Tiger Genocide to Juggle for most of it's hits. Canceling a Level 2 TIGER RAID into a Level 1 Tiger Genocide will only warrant you one hit. Athena's Shining Crystal Bit will Juggle only once if you do a Level 1 version of the Super out of the Level 2 Super. But at the end of a Custom Combo, the orbs spinning around Athena can Juggle for up to FOUR TIMES before you need to cancel it into the second half of that Super. That's because, again, EVERY HIT OF EVERY MOVE gains infinite Juggle Potential when performed in a Custom Combo. But only during Custom Combos. I got confused, when the game first came out, and wondered why Athena's orbs would Juggle more than once at the end of a Custom but not during the Level 2 Super Canceling of C-Groove until I realized what was going on. I'm making that distinction clear here, in case anyone else is confused like I was. Remember how I said that these moves gain infinite Juggle Potential? Well, that means normal Juggling rules DO apply to these moves. What I'm trying to get at here is: the move that knocks the enemy over DOESN'T HAVE TO OCCUR IN A CUSTOM COMBO. You can use the infinite Juggle Potential at ANY TIME, as long as the enemy is in a position to be Juggled! Suddenly, a whole world of Custom Combo set-ups has opened up. Rugal can do a Jump Roundhouse (HK), Crouching Strong (MP) Buffered into a Fierce (HP) God Press normally. However, Rugal recovers VERY quickly after the God Press. Thus, he can actually ACTIVATE A CUSTOM COMBO and Juggle the enemy before they land! The God Press acts as a Juggle Set-up, and the Custom Combo activation gives Rugal infinite Juggle Potential. Thus, anything he does after the Custom activation will Juggle the enemy after the God Press. This opens up a WORLD of Custom Combo set-ups. Ryo can perform his Kyokugen Kick Dance (the four-hit Punch move... that HAS NO KICKS... what was Capcom thinking with some of these names??) and then activate a Custom Combo and Juggle the enemy afterwards. Athena can Psychic Throw you into the corner, Juggle with a Fierce (HP) Psycho Sword, then activate her Custom and continue to Juggle. Sagat can land a Fierce (HP) Tiger Uppercut in the corner, land, activate a Custom, and continue to Combo you. The potential goes on and on. So learn some good set-ups for your character. You'll learn that these types of set-ups are perhaps the BEST way to land a Custom. They are pretty much guaranteed if you land the first part of your Combo, and you won't waste a Meter activating a Custom Combo only to have the opponent not fall for your bait and simply Block your Combo. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CUSTOM | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 08 \ `================================== Custom Combos follow a very distinct formula. Basically, you want to do about 7, 8, or 9 hard hits, and then go into a sequence that grants you MANY hits quickly, regardless of what they are. The reason for this is that Damage Scaling during Custom Combos follows a VERY distinctive pattern. Customs Damage Scaling is based 100% on the Combometer and what value it's on at the time. Below is a chart showing you the damage a move will do depending on what number is currently showing on the Combometer: ##################################################################### CUSTOM COMBO DAMAGE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |------------------|----------------| | Hit number n | Percentage | | of the Combo | of Damage Done | |------------------|----------------| | 01 | 72% | | 02 | 64% | Note: Minimum damage possible | 03 | 56% | from a hit during a | 04 | 48% | Custom Combo is | 05 | 40% | 100 points. | 06 | 32% | | 07 | 24% | | 08 | 16% | | 09 | 08% | | 10+ | 00% | |- - - - - - - - - | - - - - - - - -| | Level 1 Super | 80% | |------------------|----------------| Note: Haohmaru's Standing Fierce (HP) and standing Close-up Fierce (HP) are both drastically altered during a Custom Combo. They normally do 3000 and 1800 points of damage respectively, but in a Custom Combo, both Fierces (HP) are treated as if the move does 1300 points of damage. So to calculate how much damage Haohmaru's moves do, it would be 72% of 1300, 64% of 1300, etc. ##################################################################### Thus you can see how every hit grants you less and less damage. And by the end of your Custom Combo, every hit is doing only 100 points of damage (as 100 is the minimum amount of damage that a move can do during a Custom). Thus, the logic behind creating a good, damaging Custom Combo is to take advantage of the near full damage you can get from the first few hits, and then go for nothing but frequency of hits towards the end. Let's take a look at Mai for a good example of how knowing how Customs work can give you the most damage (for reference's sake, remember that most characters have about 14400 Hit Points): Mai has two possible Custom Combos: 1) Repeatedly hitting Roundhouse (HK) while Standing and ending that with a Level 1 Super Deadly Ninja Bees or 2) Repeatedly hitting Forward (MK) while Crouching and ending that with a Level 1 Super Deadly Ninja Bees. Either Custom will work and both are fairly easy, as Mai will continually move herself forward so that the enemy does not get pushed too far away. The first Combo comprised of Standing Roundhouses (HK) will give Mai a Combo damage total of 7224 points. That's a decent amount of damage for a Custom Combo... about 50% damage on most characters. The second Combo, comprised solely of Crouching Forwards (MK), will give Mai a damage total of 6364 points. It's a decent amount of damage for a Custom, but obviously the other is better. Why? Because the first Combo takes advantage of the fact that the first few hits aren't affected by Damage Scaling as much. Thus the first few hits are what do the most damage (and the Super at the end). Can we improve on the Combo more though? Most definitely. Mai's Standing Roundhouse (HK) does 1200 points of damage, close-up or far away. And obviously, that kick is slower than the Crouching Forward (MK) Slide. So let's do some math here. As the 9th hit of the Custom Combo, Mai's Standing Roundhouse will do 8% of it's normal damage, which is 96 points of damage (raised up to 100, because of the minimum damage value). So by the 9th hit of the Combo, Mai's kick are doing 100 points of damage each. We said the Crouching Forward (MK) kicks come out faster, correct? So if we want Mai to do as much damage as possible, it turns out that the best Combo for her to do is to do exactly 8 Standing Roundhouses (HK) in a row and then SWITCH OFF to repeated Crouching Forwards (MK) from the 9th hit and on. Why? Because, once your Combo reaches a point where every hit is doing 100 points of damage, you want FREQUENCY of hits, not strength. Thus, because the Crouching Forwards (MK) hit at a much faster clip than the Standing Roundhouse (HK), you'll get MORE 100 point damage hits in with Crouching Forward (MK) than you would with Standing Roundhouse (HK). Because you'll squeeze in 5 extra hits, your Combo damage now jumps from 7224 points of damage to 7724 points of damage: 500 more points! And you'll know to do this only by knowing how Custom Combo damage works! So you can see how a good Custom Combo goes from hard hits to quick hits at around the 8th or 9th hit of the Combo. Also knowing this teaches you that you want to avoid landing Jabs (LP), Shorts (LK), and multiple hit moves at the beginning of a Custom Combo. For example, landing Yuri's The 100 Blows (the multi-slap move) at the beginning of a Custom Combo is a waste. It's a bunch of low damage hits that will eat up the Combometer count, and as a result, pretty much every hit you do from your Combo will be 100 points of damage, resulting in a VERY worthless and low damage Custom. You want at LEAST your first 5 or 6 hits to be substantial hits. Otherwise, there just isn't any point. So avoid multiple hitting moves. It may feel better getting a higher count on the Combometer by repeatedly doing Fierce (HP) Tiger Uppercuts at the beginning of a Sagat Custom, but you'll get more damage from doing repeated Jab (LP) Tiger Uppercuts instead, because each hit has more damage and you'll use up less of the high damage hits that way, saving them for good, powerful hits. That is the key to making a damaging Custom Combo. Remember, the damage scaling is based on the Combometer, and nothing else. Thus, if you perform one of the set-ups mentioned earlier, like Sagat's Fierce (HP) Tiger Uppercut, land and then activate the Custom, the Combometer is already at 7 hits. Thus, the first hit of your Custom Combo will do 16% it's normal damage already. So if you do plan on using set-ups, make sure you know whether to go for quick hits right away (such as in Sagat's case) or to stick with the hard hits to start up (like in the Rugal example given above, which starts your Custom off at the 5th hit, which is still 40% damage). For reference, poor Customs do 6000 points of damage or less. Average Customs should do 6000-7500 damage. Customs that do over 7500 points of damage are qualified as good Custom Combos. If your character has a Custom Combo that can be used in realistic combat situations that does over 7500 points of damage, that's usually a good indication that your character's Custom Combo is worth it and your character qualifies as a good character to use in A-Groove. If you have a Custom that does over 10000 points of damage, that qualifies as an amazingly powerful Custom Combo. Few characters can do it, but the ones who can... if you can pull them off consistently, do it! ==================================._ A-GROOVE | CUSTOM COMBO SET-UPS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 09 \ `================================== The hardest thing about using Custom Combos is... when do I activate them?? There seem to be so many places to use them, but where is a good place to activate them? If I use it, and the enemy Blocks or isn't doing what I thought they would be doing, my whole ENTIRE Meter goes to waste! What should I do? Well, there various Custom Combo Set-ups that exist in the game. The best users of Customs Combos tend to take advantage of the slight invincibility that a Custom Combo grants you. One of the most popular set-ups, for example, is to Roll right next to the enemy and then activate your Custom Combo. If the enemy tried to hit you out of your Roll too late, you invincibility will allow you to pass through whatever move they stuck out to hit your Roll, override it with your own attack, and then proceed to Combo him/her to pieces. Also, you can use Custom Combos in places where enemies tend to try and counter attack you after Blocking a move. For example, after Benimaru's Towards + Forward (MK), the move where he runs forward and does a punt-like kick, people try to hit him back a LOT. Activate your Custom Combo slightly after their Block Stun ends (to give them time to start attacking), and then blow through their counter attempt with your invincibility to land a Combo of your own. Another popular bait is to Jump well over your opponent, but to still land in a range where they can easily catch you with a Sweep. Right after you land, activate your Custom, avoid their Sweep, and then Custom them in retaliation. Players usually can't resist trying to hit you after you land from Jumping over them, so it's a good place to try and sneak in a Custom. These three examples of Set-ups are more proactive ways to try to set-up Custom Combos. These methods are the riskiest usage of Custom Combos, because if the enemy doesn't bite at your bait, you have a non-hitting Custom Combo on your hands. Do what you can to keep yourself from getting pummeled in your current state of the inability to Block. There are much more reactionary and defensive set-ups as well, used more to take advantage of the enemy's oversights. The most popular of these is the Anti-air Custom Combo. If the enemy Jumps at you, thinking you have no good Anti-air or hoping to catch you off guard (so that you don't have time to react with a full Uppercut motion on the controller in time to Anti-air the enemy), you can easily take advantage of this by activating a Custom Combo. It's EASY to react with just a button press (or two buttons, as the case may be) and then hit your enemy with an Anti-air move that is a Knock Down. This allows you not only to turn your low-quality Anti-air into a pure, invincible Anti-air, but if you have a good Custom to follow-up that Anti-air, you can potentially do upwards of 60% damage to the enemy for their misstep. Another example of the reactionary Custom Combo set-ups is the anti-Projectile Custom. If you have a good Custom Combo that can start off from a decent range, you can actually react to close ranged Projectiles thrown by the enemy, activate your Custom Combo, walk THROUGH the Projectile, and then Combo the enemy while they are still in delay. Terry is a good example of this, as a Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into a Strong (MP) Burn Knuckle will Combo from a decent range and is a good way to start a much longer Custom Combo for Terry. So walking through a Projectile and nailing the delayed enemy with this start-up is simple. Another simple way of landing Customs is the punishment Set-up. When the enemy misses an Uppercut or does something else that leaves them vulnerable, simply activate the Custom and punish away! Or if you Guard Break the enemy or they have been knocked Dizzy, activate them and deal as much damage as possible. You can also Combo Customs from Jump-ins. Land a good Jumping Roundhouse (HK) or Fierce (HP) when you, say, jump over a Projectile and then activate the Custom when you land. Do a move as fast as possible out of the activation, and you can catch the enemy while they are still in their Reel. The last example of a reactionary Custom Combo set-up is a Custom used as an anti-Roll. If you see the enemy Roll at you, you can activate your Custom Combo and REALLY punish the enemy for their Roll. Not only does this allow you to land a good, damaging Combo, this will also make your opponent think twice about Rolling at you when you have a full Meter again. The last set-up has been mentioned already: the 100% guaranteed Combo set-up. This is basically when you activate your Custom following a normal Combo that leaves the enemy set-up to be Juggled. This is the best way to land a Custom, because if you perform your Combo correctly, you are landing the full Custom 100% of the time. You've already hit the enemy into the air, so when you activate your Custom, you are guaranteed to connect it. There isn't anything the enemy can do anymore. These are the primary ways to land Customs. The more obvious set-ups, such as enemy in delay or opponent is stunned, don't come around every 5 seconds, though. So you need to learn when to land your Custom Combos in other situations in order to make full use of your Meter. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | TYPES OF CUSTOM COMBOS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 10 \ `================================== There are various "classes" of Custom Combos that are available for your use. These aren't "official" classes or anything. These are just names given to certain types of Custom Combos by the Street Fighter community. But even so, they are all very important classes of Custom Combos, and you can tell if your character is a good character to be used in A-Groove if your character possesses most of these classes. Below are the different classes of Custom Combos that have been qualified by the Street Fighter community. Following that are descriptions of each one. Combo Customs: 1. Corner Juggle Customs 2. Ground Customs 3. Midscreen Juggle Customs 4. Anti-air Customs 5. Jumping Corner Juggle Customs Blocked Customs: 1. Guard Crush Customs 2. Block Damage Customs Risk / High Damage Customs: 1. Broken Customs 2. Confusion Customs * * * ----------------- | COMBO CUSTOMS | ----------------- These are the type of Customs that are doing what they are intended on doing: Comboing the opponent. There are five distinct types of Combos you can do with Custom Combos, and this is what they are: 1) Corner Juggle Customs These are fairly simple to come up with. Basically, it just involves you putting the enemy into the air with a Knock-Down and then repeatedly Juggling the enemy in the corner. This can be done in a number of ways. Morrigan, for example, can do this with repeated Jab (LP) Shadow Blades. Someone like Zangief can Sweep an opponent, and then do this with repeated Standing Fierces (HP). Whatever it takes, that's what you will do to keep the enemy Juggled in the corner. And with 100% of the characters, Juggling the enemy with a nice hard hit, like Roundhouse (HK) or Fierce (HP) Chained into itself over and over and over again in the corner, and then tacking on a Super at the end will warrant you with a very nice damaging Custom, on average of around 6000 to 7000 points of damage. 2) Ground Customs These are by far the easiest to come up with. Basically, these Customs involve you NOT putting the enemy into the air, but rather, keeping them on the ground. These types of Customs are perhaps the "scrubbiest" of Customs, because most involve you hitting one button ad infinitum until the end, where you tack on a Super. All you have to do is to find the move that makes you move forward when you do the move, and there you have it. Mai's Crouching Forward (MK) has already been established as one, as is her Standing Roundhouse (HK). Chang can use Standing Forward (MK) or Standing Strong (MP) over and over again for a Custom Combo. Kyo can use Offensive Crouching Roundhouse (HK) over and over again (one or two hits of it). Some characters have moves that allow them to do that, but must be done with a rhythm. Chun Li's Standing Towards + Roundhouse (HK) and Benimaru's Standing Fierce (HP) are examples. Both moves have a little recovery period where they continue to drift forward slightly. If you mash on the buttons to the point where you do not allow Chun Li or Benimaru to drift forward slightly in their recovery period, the move you are using WILL push you too far away from the enemy eventually, breaking your Combo. Instead, put a LITTLE space in between each hit, so that your character will make up a little ground from that recovery period. The enemy is reeling long enough so that you can afford the tiny delay (and by tiny, I mean, like, half a second long or a quarter of a second long. That's all you really need). Sometimes, it requires a little more than just one move. The above examples all can be done if you simply mash on one button. The character will do all the work for you afterwards. However, some Ground Customs do take a bit more work. Geese, for example, needs to use his Evil Shadow Smasher (the Jaiaiken three-hit move) in order to create a good Ground Custom Combo. Allow one or two hits from that move to connect, cancel it into a Standing Fierce (HP) and then cancel that Fierce into another Evil Shadow Smasher. Repeat that over and over again. Eagle can do three Standing Roundhouses (HK) canceled into a Forward (MK) Oxford Red, then instantly cancel that move into three more Standing Roundhouses and repeat (until 9 hits, after which you'd be better off letting the Oxford Red hit with it's multiple hit portion). These are all Ground Custom Combos, but require the help of Special Moves. Generally speaking, you also want to make sure this Combo works against Crouching opponents. Benimaru's Standing Fierce, for example, goes over the heads of some Crouching characters. Thus, you either want to make sure the Combo hits Crouching characters or that you "stand the enemy up" at the beginning of the Combo. Almost all Special Moves, like Benimaru's Iaido Kick (the knee strike referred to as the "Sword Kick" on most public forums) and most Projectiles will cause the enemy to reel standing up. So with Benimaru, against the shorter characters, make sure you strike them with the Iaido Kick first to stand them up. Any subsequent hit in the Combo will keep them standing up. So cancel the Iaido Kick into Towards + Forward (MK) (to get yourself next to them), and then go for the Standing Fierces (HP). Or course, these Customs work once they reach the corner as well, so there's no need for a distinction of Ground Corner Customs and Ground Midscreen Customs. 3) Midscreen Juggling Customs Midscreens are a necessity if you do not have a good Ground Custom. If you don't have a good Ground Custom Combo, that means you can only use Customs once you get your enemy into the Corner for a Corner Juggling Custom... and that simply won't do! You have to develop a Midscreen Juggling Custom Combo so you have Custom Combo options in the middle of the battlefield away from the corners. If you don't have a good Midscreen Custom and you don't have any Ground Custom Combos, there's almost no point in using A-Groove. The trick to Midscreen Juggling Customs is to find a way to deal hard hits to Juggle the enemy while still finding a way to stay close to the opponent. Terry has one of the better Midscreen Customs: Crouch Roundhouse (HK) canceled into a Strong (HP) Burn Knuckle. Repeat that sequence over and over. It will: 1) Deal hard hits for good damage for the early half of the Combo. 2) Keep him moving forward so the enemy doesn't fly out of range. 3) Push the enemy into the corner, where he can transition to a Corner Juggle Custom that involves many quick hits for the second half of the Combo. This is an ideal Midscreen Juggling Custom. Some characters can use Jump Attacks for Midscreen Custom Combos. If you can find a way to pop the enemy into the air and then Jump after them, that could easily work as a Midscreen Juggling Custom Combo. However, often, they need to end the Jumping sequence with a weaker hit, because stronger hits knock the enemy far away from you, so when you land from a Jump, there's nothing more you can do. Let's look at Akuma for example. One of his classic Customs comes after landing Crouch Roundhouse (HK) followed by two one-hit Short (LK) Hurricane Kicks. After he lands from the second Hurricane Kick, the enemy is still in the air and Akuma can activate his Custom Combo. Connect a Standing Close-up Fierce (HP) and Buffer that into his Hyakki Shu, or as it has become to be known, the "Demon Flip." Hit Kick in the air to make him come down with his overhead kick from the Demon Flip (the Hyakki Goudan) and cancel that into a Hurricane Kick. You'll land right after the enemy gets hit by the Hurricane Kick, which bounces the enemy up a little bit. Then, while the enemy is still in the air, Super Jump at the enemy with three Jumping Roundhouses (HK) really quickly. Now, if you go for another Jumping Roundhouse (HK), you'll knock the enemy too far away so that when you land, your Custom is over: nothing will reach anymore. However, if you cancel the third Jumping Roundhouse (HP) into a Hurricane Kick, that'll knock the enemy straight up so that you can land and go for another sequence of the three Super Jumping Roundhouses (HP) and a Hurricane Kick. By this point, you'll be in the Corner (if you started from the other Corner) and can transition to a Corner Juggle Custom (which, for Akuma, is usually repeated Fierce (HP) Red Fireballs canceled into a Super Fireball at the end). Some Midscreen Juggling Customs don't involve you moving forward, but keeping the enemy Juggled in between yourself. These are Customs that typically involve Rolls, but the generally do fairly weak damage. An example of this is one I mentioned earlier with Iori. He can cancel a Jab (LP) Fire Ball (Iori's Uppercut) into a Roll and then repeat Standing Close-up Fierce (HP) into Roll. He'll keep Rolling behind the falling enemy, knock the enemy the other direction, and basically play a one man game of ping pong. End this Custom Combo with a Maiden Masher. These types of Customs, needless to say, do not need any type of transitions into Corner Juggles. Lastly, there are a lot of Midscreen Customs that start off on the ground and then transition into Midscreen Juggling Combos, for damage's sake (or if they have no other choice). Rolento, for example, usually wants to start off his Custom Combo by landing a Crouching Forward (MK). He can then chain that into three Crouching Fierces (HP). Then Chain that into a Crouching Roundhouse (HK) Chained into a Standing Roundhouse (HK) to Juggle the enemy. Cancel the Roundhouse (HK) into a Flash Jump and Juggle with a Roundhouse (HK) during your Flash Jump. Do Standing Roundhouse (HK) into a Flash Jump again and Juggle with one last Roundhouse (HK) in the air. By now, you've reached the corner and can transition to a Corner Juggling Custom. 4) Anti-air Customs Easily one of the most best situations to use Custom Combos is as Anti-air. People tend to Jump at their opponents every so often in battle, especially if you have no other good Anti-air!! Well, they Jump at you more often than letting you land Custom Combos from other types of set-ups, so having Anti-Air Custom Combos is really important. There are two types of Anti-air Custom Combos. The first type of Anti-air Custom Combo takes advantage of Trip Guard. Remember talking about Trip Guard, WAAAAAY earlier in this FAQ? Well, knowing that the enemy cannot Block after doing a move while Jumping is HUGE for Custom Combos. If you have a Custom Combo that can start from the ground, particularly a move that must be Blocked while Crouching, this is where you can take advantage. If the enemy Jumps at you and attacks, activate your Custom as Anti-air and then throw out a move that must be Blocked Low. Your temporary invincibility will let you pass through the enemy's attack and since the enemy can't Block when they land, thanks to Trip Guard, they'll fall right into your Custom Combo. Remember Rolento's Custom Combo listed just above here? Well, that Custom qualifies as a perfect Anti-air Custom because it starts with the Crouching Forward. Mai can use her Crouching Forward (MK) slide and transition to Standing Roundhouses (HK) for a Ground Custom. There are tons and tons of possibilities. The weakness of these types of Anti-air Customs is that if the enemy wises up on you and knows you like using this type of Anti-air Custom Combo, they can Jump and do nothing. You'll activate your Custom and throw out a Low Attack, but they CAN BLOCK IT because they didn't do a move! Their Trip Guard is intact, and now your Custom Combo has been wasted (but still, try to make the most of it). So beware of those who are keen to your Trip Guard Anti-air Custom Combos. The second type of Anti-air Customs are true Anti-airs: they just Juggle the enemy right out of the air. But what makes this difficult is that you MUST perform something that is a Knock-Down because if you don't, there's no way to land a full Anti-Air Custom. In the Akuma example above, you can't start your Anti-air Custom with the Standing Fierce (HP) into the Demon Flip and go from there. The Fierce (HP) isn't a Knock-Down, so the Hyakki Goudan will just completely whiff! You need to have a Knock-Down somewhere so you can go from your Anti-air Custom into a standard Midscreen Juggle Custom. Iori is a perfect example for this. He can use his Jab (LP) Fireball (his Uppercut) as the Knock-Down for his Anti-air Custom. He can cancel his Uppercut's landing delay into a Crouch Roundhouse (HK) and Juggle the enemy clear across the screen with repeated well-time Crouching Roundhouses (HK) from there. We can go back to the above Terry example. Terry's Crouching Roundhouse (HK) can hit enemies out of the air! So he can just do the Crouching Roundhouse (HK) into Burn Knuckle as his Anti-air Custom Combo! This makes Terry very powerful as an A-Groove character. He has a good Combo that works as a Midscreen Custom that can be started if the enemy is on the ground OR in the air. 5) Jumping Corner Juggle Customs At the end of a Custom Combo, you want lots of hits in quick succession. Sometimes, a character has no good move for doing that at the end of a Custom Combo. So sometimes, their best choice is to use Jump Attacks instead. Take the above Rolento Combo for example. When Rolento lands from the Roundhouse (HK) during the second Flash Jump, he reaches the corner. From here, you want to get lots of quick hits. The best way to do this? After landing from the Flash Jump, Jump at the enemy with a Jumping Strong (MP) which hits three times really quickly. Chain that into a Jumping Short (LK) so you have time to land and do it again. After the second repetition of it, finish the enemy off with a Standing Fierce (HP) canceled into his Mine Sweeper (Grenade Super). But sometimes... Jumping Corner Juggling Customs are goo at the BEGINNING of a Custom! The logic behind this is: Jumping attacks are powerful and can deal damage on average of 1200 points of damage if you use Fierce (HP) or Roundhouse (HK). And since you can Chain them into each other in the air during a Jump, logic dictates that maybe this would be the best way to dish out damage at the beginning of a Custom Combo. So let's take a look at Rugal. Let's say you threw a Wind Slice (the Reppuken ground Projectile) across the screen at the enemy. They try to Roll through it, which is what you expected. Thus, you have a God Press already running at them to meet them at the end of their Roll and catch them out of their delay. After you slam them into the wall, you activate your Custom Combo and Juggle them with 13 Standing Roundhouses (HK) and end it with the Gigantic Pressure. That Combo will do 8372 points of damage. But what if you can land Jumping Hits after the God Press instead? You can only get 13 Standing Roundhouses (HK). Can you possibly try to land more hits without losing damage? Well, yes, and Jumping Attacks is the best way to do it because they aren't much weaker than the Standing Roundhouses (HK) if you use Jumping Fierce (HP) and you can land a lot more of them. But how do you land a Jumping attack after the God Press? There's a special technique usually used to set-up such Combos. Because you like to use strong hits at the beginning of a Custom, you never want to hit the enemy with Jabs (LP) or Strongs (MP) or the like early on. But often, to set-up Jump Combos, you have to. I mean, if you hit someone with a Fierce (HP) in the corner, the Fierce (HP) usually takes too long to recover. By the time the Fierce (HP) is done, the enemy has already almost fallen to the ground. So typically, you would use a Jab (LP) or a Strong (MP) to bounce the enemy up. Because those moves recover faster, in general, you can then go in for a Jump attack after the move recovers, and catch the enemy while they are still high enough in the air. However, you CAN still use the hard hitting moves as "Launchers" so to speak. The way to do this is to Chain your hard hitting move into a whiffed Crouching Short (LK) or a whiffed Crouching Jab (LP). What that does is allow you to hit the enemy with a powerful hit to knock them into the air, but give that powerful move the delay of a Short (LK) or a Jab (LP). AND, at the same time, it will not add any hits to the Combometer, so the Damage Scaling won't be affected. So let's apply this to the above Custom Combo set-up with Rugal. Grab the enemy with the God Press, throw them into the wall, then activate your Custom Combo. This time, however, Juggle the enemy with a Crouching Fierce (HP) and then chain in into a WHIFFING Crouch Short (LK). Then Jump at the enemy four times in a row with four Jumping Fierces (HP) in each Jump, and end it with a Gigantic Pressure. That Combo, instead, does 8884 points of damage. Granted, it's much harder, but if you can get good at it, it's worth it for 512 extra points of damage! So you can see that the Jumping Fierces (HP) allow you to get in more hits. But not only that, they are all very POWERFUL hits, so you can get high damage. Of course, it takes much more timing and skill to implement the Jumping Custom, but the extra damage can be very worth it. * * * ------------------- | BLOCKED CUSTOMS | ------------------- Whenever you try one of the risky methods of landing a Custom Combo (such as Rolling at the enemy or baiting them) and the enemy doesn't fall for your trick, often you'll end up with wasting your Custom if you don't know what to do with it. But if you keep that in mind, you can actually try taking advantage of this in other ways. Basically, if you know the enemy is going to Block the Custom, you can go for a Combo specifically to break their Guard. 1) Guard Crush Customs These Combos are designed simply to "Combo" on the Blocking enemy and try to do as much Guard Damage as possible. The goal of these is to land as many hard hits as possible, and ending it so that you can tack on a little extra at the end for even more Guard Damage. Let's look at Ryu for example. If the enemy ends up Blocking your Custom Combo in the corner, you can simply do repeated Towards + Fierces (HP). Ryu will just slide forward with a punch that hits twice. You can keep repeating this move over and over and over and over again. If you do this until the Custom Combo Meter empties out, you'll do about 1/2 of a full Guard Meter's worth of damage. However, if you time it so that RIGHT before the Custom Combo Meter empties out, you can throw out a Crouching Jab at the very end, Link that into a Crouching Fierce Buffered into a Fireball. The reason for this is that after the Custom Combo Meter empties out, moves will do Normal Guard Damage again (moves performed in Custom Combos do far less Guard Damage than normal). So tacking on the Crouching Jab allows a non-Custom Combo Crouching Fierce and Fireball to connect, upping the Guard Damage to nearly 75% of a full Guard Meter. The only way for an enemy to escape this is if you time it poorly and mess up your "Combo" or if they perform a Counter Attack or Counter Movement. Either way, you've got their Guard Meter down: go in for the attack! 2) Block Damage Customs These are essentially the same as the Guard Crush Combos, but instead you are focusing on Block Damage. In 95% of the cases, Block Damage Customs will BE your best Guard Crush Custom. But in some cases, as with Ryu, they aren't the same thing. For Ryu, the above is a good Guard Crush Custom, but repeated Shakunetsu Hadoukens (the red Hadoukens) in the corner is his best Block Damage Custom. Cancel the Custom, before it ends, into a Level 1 Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. That sequence will do only 50% Guard Damage, but it will do a good 2500 points of Block Damage, just about. That's practically two full Fierce (HP) punches worth of damage! Other characters have the benefit of Both. Benimaru, for example, can just do repeated Shinkuu Katategomas until the Custom ends, and cancel the end with a Heaven Blast Flash (the Taikuu Raikouken spark Super). This Custom, when Blocked, will do OVER 4000 POINTS OF DAMAGE!!!! That is HUGE! That is more than some Customs that connect!! ^_^ Not only that, but it'll drain about 5/6 of the entire Guard Meter. That is VERY potent! That means if the enemy has about 1/3 of their Guard Meter drained, you can do this Combo and time it just right so that the instant you Guard Break the enemy, you cancel into Benimaru's Heaven Blast Flash to make it even more damaging. And to make it even better is that is works ANYWHERE ON THE SCREEN, not just the corner. Sakura, however, is an example of the ultimate Guard Crush + Block Damage Custom. You can do repeated Fierce (HP) Shououkens, and if you can do it (it's VERY hard), you can drain a full Guard Meter COMPLETELY. And, tacking on the Midare Zakura at the end of this Custom will give you a lot of damage because most of the Super connects (and the enemy took a LOT of Block Damage from the Shououkens!!). This trick works WELL against P-Groove and K-Groove players, as they can't even Counter Attack you. As I said, most character's Block Damage Custom is the same as the Guard Break Custom. If that's the case, then be prepared to pull it out if the enemy Blocks your Custom. * * * ------------------------------ | RISK / HIGH DAMAGE CUSTOMS | ------------------------------ These aren't Combos. These are sequences that you use that have holes in them on purpose. You are trying to either start landing hits on a Blocking enemy, or to try and maximize the damage of your Custom as much as possible. How that works will be explained below. 1) Broken Customs These go hand in hand with Ground Customs. Basically, your goal is to "start the Combo over" at some point in the Custom. Why? Because, remember that the Damage Scaling occurs based on which hit of a Combo your are currently on. It has nothing to do with how far the Custom Combo Meter has drained or anything. So by breaking your Combo intentionally and going for a risk, you can end up doing a TON of damage. The best example of this is with Ken. Ken can do a Ground Custom easily by starting with a Crouch Forward (MK) and then using Towards + Roundhouse (HK) repeatedly. Doing this until the Meter runs out, and ending it with a Crouch Roundhouse into a Shinryuken, will result in about 7000+ damage... very good by Custom Combo standards. However, if you do Crouching Forward (MK) into just about 8 Towards + Roundhouses (HK), sneak in an Overhead (Towards + Forward (MK)) and then Chain the Overhead into the Towards + Roundhouse sequence again, and end it with the Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Shinryuken, you can get almost 10000 points of damage!!! If the enemy isn't suspecting it and gets nailed by the Overhead, you "break" your Combo, but end up resetting the damage done so that Damage Scaling goes back to the 72% it starts at during a Custom Combo. This can be HUGE. If the enemy falls for such a trick, a Ratio 2 Ken can pretty much take out the ENTIRE Life Meter of a weaker Ratio 1 character, like Cammy. So you had better be careful if your opponent tries to pull something like this on you. Of course, the weakness of this trick is if your opponent is READY for this, they can end up Blocking the entire rest of your Custom Combo. Worse yet, they are ready for the Overhead, and when they see it, they hit you with a move, ending your Custom all together. So rather than going for a guaranteed 7000 points of damage, you risk going for 10000 but may end up with only 4000. 2) Confusion Combos Whereas Broken Customs are designed for when the enemy is getting hit, Confusion Customs are designed for when the enemy is Blocking. Basically, you are not trying to do Guard Damage or Block Damage. You are trying to hit the enemy, pure and simple, and you are trying every trick in the book. Perhaps the best example of this type of Custom Combo is with Maki. If you activate your Custom Combo, but the enemy is Blocking, you can start going ballistic with her Hayagakes (the various forward running moves done by Fireball + Kick). Simply keep pressuring the opponent with repeated Standing Fierces Buffered into either the sliding Hayagakes or the Overhead Hayagakes. Throw out Crouch Roundhouses in there as well, and go straight from sliding Hayagakes into Overhead Hayagakes. Basically, your whole goal is to get the enemy to Block the wrong way once, so that hopefully you can continue your Combo after the enemy gets hit. If Maki ever lands one of those Overhead Hayagakes, for example, she can continue it into a full on Corner Juggle Custom Combo. If you can do this quickly and well, the enemy will have a hard time Blocking every single attack correctly and will, hopefully, get caught at some point. The problem is that the sequence isn't a Block Combo. Thus, at any of the many holes you are leaving open, the enemy can try to sneak in their own move to hit you while you are trying your tricks. Your hope is that what you are doing is fast, confusing, and intimidating enough that the enemy is scared to try anything, because the slightest misstep could equal disaster. ==================================._ A-GROOVE | CUSTOM THROWS / OTG THROWS | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 11 \ `================================== Remember how, a while back, I mentioned that you CANNOT, in any way, shape, or form, Combo after a Throw? That Capcom took all measures to prevent Throw Combos? That if you Throw someone, there just isn't ANY POSSIBLE THING you can do? Well, I lied. Because there is ALWAYS an exception. And there is an exception to the Throw rule, but a VERY specific exception. ALL Special Throws allow the enemy to be Juggled afterwards if one condition is met: the hit that connects against the enemy for the Juggle is performed during a Custom Combo. So you can actually nail an enemy after a Special Throw with a move in a Custom Combo. You'll notice, however, that VERY few characters actually have the ability to Combo after their Special Throw, as 90% of the characters are still in delay far after the enemy has landed. So only a few characters can actually Juggle after a Special Throw. Vice can Juggle after a Gore Fest and Chang can Juggle after a Big Destroyer Toss. In a one in a million situation (Chang RIGHT in the corner, enemy RIGHT next to him), Raiden can perform the Front Suplex follow-up to the Raiden Combination-Body Blow can Juggle afterwards. Doesn't sound very special, does it? Only three characters (that I know of at this time) can Juggle after their Special Throws... all whom are better off not using their Throws in Customs? Well, Chang can perform his Big Destroyer Toss in the corner, THEN activate the Custom Combo, and then Juggle you afterwards. But the damage you get from that Combo is pretty bad, considering the Combometer is already at 8 by the end of the Big Destroyer Toss. Still doesn't sound too useful to be able to Combo after a Special Throw. Well, bizarrely enough, four characters have NORMAL Throws that can be Comboed after: Maki's Punch Throw, Yun's Punch Throw, Chang's Kick Throw, and Hibiki's Kick Throw. Of course... only Maki and Hibiki recover soon enough to be able to Juggle after their Throws. And Hibiki is the only one who can Throw and THEN activate the Custom and still have time to Juggle afterwards. So again, this doesn't sound too useful... Well, there is a major bug in Capcom vs. SNK 2. You can tell it's a bug because it only happens to two characters: Dan and Rolento. Basically, once Dan or Rolento are hit by anything that knocks them over, they are free bait to be Thrown at any point at which they are touching the ground. That could be the instant they hit the ground on their first bounce, or after they land after the bounce and lay there. The WHOLE TIME while they are lying there, you can pick them up right off the floor with a Special Throw. They even be to the point where they are JUST ABOUT ready to stand up, and you can Throw them. It's pretty sad. Tactical Recoveries only widen the window during which you can be Thrown, and Safe Falls only help so much since you can be Thrown out of a Safe Fall delay ANYHOW. And again, this goes for Normal Throws AND Special Throws. Any Throw can pluck Dan or Rolento right off the ground. However, Normal Throws are a one time thing: once you perform a Normal Throw, the enemy cannot be Comboed anymore. So if you knock Dan or Rolento over in a Custom Combo, then Throw them Off The Ground (hence, the term OTG), that's it. That's the end of the Custom Combo. You cannot Juggle the enemy afterwards at all or do anything else. Hmmmm... NOW this is starting to make sense why I mentioned that you can be still be Comboed after a Special Throw. Because you can actually Combo after a Special Throw, this allows you to pick up Dan and Rolento off the floor over and over and over and over again with your Special Throws. After Normal Throws, Dan and Rolento are put into a state in which they cannot be Comboed. But after Special Throws, they still can be Comboed. So Vice, for example, can perform her Nail Bomb repeatedly to a cornered Dan or Rolento, picking them up off the floor repeatedly!!! This major bug makes those two poor souls fear A-Groove characters with Special Throws more than you can imagine. Basically, anytime Dan or Rolento get knocked onto the floor by a Knock-Down, they can be picked right up off the floor by a Special Throw that is done during a Custom Combo REPEATEDLY. This Special Throw can be Zangief's Screw Pile Driver, Vice's Nail Bomb, Yamazaki's Bomb Bopper (the exploding headbutt Throw), Yun's Senpou Tenshin (the flip-over-you Throw), Iori's Scum Gale (the switch-sides Throw), Raiden's Thunder Crush Bomb, God Rugal's Rugal Execution and so on. Even Super Throws work. Zangief can do a Final Atomic Buster, Maki can do an Ajaratengu (her 720 Throw Super), Vice can use her Withering Force, Benimaru can use his Elec-Trigger... anything that Throws will work!! The move that puts them onto the floor doesn't even need to be done during a Custom either. You can do something like Benimaru's Iaido Kick into the Bounce Back Tri-level Kick (the follow up to the Iaido Kick) in the corner, activate your Custom, and the repeatedly grab Dan or Rolento of the floor with repeated Benimaru Colliders and then finish it off with the Elec-Trigger. This actually HURTS big time! And now you are probably aware of why I mentioned the four characters whose Normal Throws can be Comboed afterwards. Yup, you guessed it: Maki's Punch Throw, Yun's Punch Throw, Chang's Kick Throw, and Hibiki's Kick Throw can ALSO pick up Dan and Rolento off the floor over and over and over again. Why these four Normal Throws have this property, I have no clue. It just happens. And why Dan and Rolento are the only sad folks who are susceptible to this? I again have no clue. Just bugs, I guess... ==================================._ A-GROOVE | MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION | `=============================. ================================._| custom combos: 12 \ `================================== Any last second information regarding Custom Combos will be listed here, but fortunately for me, there is only one thing I can think of. Because Special Moves can chain into Special Moves, certain characters will run into problems. Let's look at Iori. To do his Deadly Flower (the rushing, manual three-hit Special Move), you need to do a Reverse Fireball motion three times in a row. However, in the middle of a Custom Combo, you are allowed to cancel the Deadly Flower into a Normal or Special move the instant it hits. So what happens when you try to do all three hits of the Deadly Flower? Well, when the first hit connects and you do the next Reverse Fireball motion, you end up canceling that move into the first hit of the Deadly Flower again! Instead of registering the Reverse Fireball motion as the second part of Iori's Deadly Flower, it registers it as the FIRST part again! So there is no way to do all three parts of Iori's Deadly Flower in a Custom Combo. You can only do all three parts if the first two parts whiff, because you can't cancel the move Custom Combo-style if it whiffs. Thus, you can make it behave as normal if the move whiffs. Kyo's Wicked Chew and Poison Gnawfest sequences also has this problem. Rolento's Patriot Circle DOES NOT, however, because of severe limitations placed on Rolento. The people at Capcom decided that the first two parts of the Patriot Circle CANNOT BE CANCELED into anything. In a Custom Combo, the Patriot Circle just cannot be canceled into anything: not a Normal Move, not a Roll, not a Special Move, not even a Super. Thus, doing another Fireball motion WILL make him continue his Patriot Circle, since he isn't allowed to cancel it into the start of another Patriot Circle sequence. Sakura's Shunpuu Renkyaku (the ground hurricane kick) also exhibits this problem. If you try to do the second part of her Shunpuu Renkyaku, you'll most likely do a Shunpuukyaku (the air hurricane kick) instead, canceling the Shunpuu Renkyaku from the ground you are currently in. However, Sakura CAN do the second part of her Shunpuu Renkyaku... but only if you are REALLY quick. You can, for example, do Crouching Forward (MK) canceled into a Shunpuu Renkyaku in the middle of a Custom Combo. And if you can manage to VERY quickly do another Reverse Fireball motion + Kick BEFORE THE FIRST HIT OF THE Shunpuu Renkyaku CONNECTS, Sakura will automatically do the last, Knock-Down straight kick at the end of the Shunpuu Renkyaku. If you do the motion anytime AFTER the first hit connects, you'll be getting the Shunpuukyaku for sure. For some reason, even though you CAN cancel it with other Special Moves or Normal Moves as soon as it lands from the first part, Yuri's Fierce (HP) Super Yuri Upper into Yuri Double Uppers works without a hitch. Same goes for Hibiki and Vice. Hibiki will still be doing her Beckoning Slash into Distance Slash or her Piercing Moon Pounce (the Overhead Special Move) into Distance Slash because, even though she's using the Custom Combo engine to do it rather than it's own built in Chainability, the result is exactly what she would have done without the Custom Combo. The same goes for Vice. Her Mayhem into Da Cide Slayer still works normally because even though you are canceling the move with the Custom Combo engine, it just ends up doing exactly what you wanted it to do had you not used the Custom Combo engine. Raiden can do his Raiden Combination - Body Blow into the two follow ups, but ONLY if you make sure you do the Reverse Fireball motion for the Head Butt instead of accidentally doing a full Reverse Half-Circle motion. If you do the full Half-Circle, you'll end up doing Poison Spray instead. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ================== Chapter 13 ---| Damage Scaling |------------------------------------------------ ================== 00) Intro 01) Damage Scaling 02) Post Custom Combo Damage ______________________________ ________ ____ ___ __ _ _ | | | | | | | DAMAGE | | | <0> Intro | | | | | | SCALING | | |______________________________|________|____|___|__|_|===========|_| Every game has it: a method of preventing Combos from doing too much damage. We've already talked about the Custom Combo's form of Damage Scaling, but there's some information about Capcom Vs. SNK 2's normal Damage Scaling that should be discussed. ______________________________ ________ ____ ___ __ _ _ | | | | | | | DAMAGE | | | <1> Damage Scaling | | | | | | SCALING | | |______________________________|________|____|___|__|_|===========|_| Before we get into Damage Scaling, I want to establish that all Normal Moves, Special Moves, and Super Combos do a pre-set amount of damage. Unlike older Street Fighters, like the classic Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting (where a Jump Roundhouse (HK) from E.Honda could do a small amount of damage sometimes or a HUGE chunk of damage at others), CvS2 moves do a fixed amount of base damage. The damage of a move is never affected by any random factors. It will always do the base amount of damage, altered only by the FIXED damage changers such as Super Meter (in some Grooves), amount of energy left of the opponent, and Counter Hits. Well, another form of fixed damage alteration comes through Damage Scaling, a very common occurrence in almost all Fighting Games. Damage Scaling is the designer's way of preventing Combos from doing too much damage by reducing the amount of damage a move does when that hit occurs "late" in a Combo. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Damage Scaling follows a pretty simple formula. No Damage Scaling is present for the first five hits of any Combo. So for the first five hits of a Combo, every move will do 100% of it's damage. With each succeeding hit after that, the damage will be reduced by an extra 1/24th. So let's say you have a move that does 1200 points of damage. If you land that move as the 6th hit of your Combo, it will do 1/24th less for a total of 1150 points of damage. If you land it as the 7th hit of the Combo, it will do 2/24th less damage for a total of 1100. If it is the 15th hit of a Combo, it will do 10/24th less damage for a total of 700 points of damage. This formula will be applied to every hit but the minimum damage a move can do is 100 points. Thus, after the 24th hit of a Combo, it is guaranteed that every hit will only do 100 points of damage from that point forward. The damage a move does can be calculated through a formula listed below. For the nth hit of a Combo, if n is greater than 5, the damage will be (if the normal damage a move does is "x"): Damage dealt (if n > 5) = x * (24 - n + 5) / 24 So let's look at Ryu for an example. His Short (LK) Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku does, normally (without any damage enhancement from Super Meters), 1200 points of damage. Now, let's say you have only a Level 2 built up in C-Groove, and you catch Kyo in the corner with the following Combo: Jumping Fierce (HP), land with a Crouching Fierce (HP) Buffered into a Level 2 Shinkuu Hadouken, then Level 2 Super Cancel the Super Fireball into the Short (LK) Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. By the time the Hurricane Kick connects against Kyo, it's the 7th hit of the Combo. So let's plug that into the formula, where the normal damage "x" is 1200 and the hit number "n" is 7: 1200 * (24 - 7 + 5) / 24 = 1100 So, as the 7th hit of a Combo, the Short (LK) Hurricane Kick will do 1100 points of damage. It does 22/24th its normal damage according to the formula. Remember, this formula applies to EVERY Normal Move and Special Move that occurs after the 5th hit of a Combo . So how does this knowledge help you? Well, because of this knowledge, you can make sure that your Combos will do the maximum damage possible. Let's say you perform the following Combo with Yun in C-Groove: Standing Jab (LP) Chained into Standing Short (LK) Chained into Standing Strong (MP) Buffered into the You Hou, followed by a Jab (LP) Tetsuzankou (the Shoulder Ram). Now, the enemy is free to be Juggled one last time. What are your follow-up options? Well, one option you can do is the Standing Forward (MK) High Jump Canceled into a Jumping Jab (LP) Chained into a Towards + Fierce (HP). Or, you can just Juggle with a Fierce (HP) Kobokushi (the Palm Strike). Now, both of these follow-ups, when not affected by Damage Scaling, will do 1600 points of damage. But in the above Combo, there have already been 7 hits of the Combo. So how much damage will each follow-up do? Well, the Standing Forward (MK) Launcher does 500 points of damage, the Jumping Jab (LP) does 400 points of damage, and the Jumping Fierce (HP) in the air does 700 points of damage. But since they are the 8th, 9th, and 10th hit of the Combo, they will do, instead, 437 (21/24th of the normal damage), 333 (20/24th of the normal damage), and 554 (19/24th of the normal damage) which bring the damage to a grand total of 1324 for those three hits. The Kobokushi, however, does 1600 normally, and as the 8th hit will do only 21/24th of it's base damage, which comes out to 1400 points of damage. So, in actuality, the Kobokushi, though less hits, is the better follow-up for an extra 76 points of damage. Not much, but hey, every little bit counts. Logically speaking, then, it appears that doing one, powerful hit will be affected less than a string of smaller hits. That's because in a string of hits, each succeeding hit gets affected buy increasingly stronger Damage Scaling whereas one hit only gets affect by the one percentage. But let's look at another example. Let's create two follow-ups for Level 2 Super Canceling Ryo's Ryuko Ranbu. Ryo's Zan Retsu Ken, on it's own, does 1950 points of damage with 14 hits. A 4-hit Combination of Ryo's Fierce Kyoku Gen Kick Dance High Jump Canceled into a Jumping Fierce, on it's own, does 2400 points of damage. Now, let's do a Combo, with Ryo, of Crouch Jab (LP), Crouch Jab (LP), Stand Short (LK) Buffered into a Level 2 Ryuko Ranbu. Before the 11th hit of the Ryuko Ranbu (which is right before the first hit of the first Uppercut at the end of the Super), you can cancel it into either of the follow-ups given above. The Zan Retsu Ken follow-up gives a grand total of 4029 points of damage for the whole Combo (for Ryo starting at a full Level 3). However, the follow-up of the Kyoku Gen Kick Dance sequence does a grand total of 3977. So how come in this case the smaller number of powerful hits does less than the many weak hits? It's because the weak hits of the Zan Retsu Ken do 100 points of damage each normally. Thus, when used to Level 2 Super Cancel the Ryuko Ranbu, Damage Scaling does not affect the damage of these first few hits at all! Remember, the minimum damage one hit can do is 100, so those moves cannot drop below their normal damage. So the initial 13 hits of damage (for 1200 points of damage all together... the very first hit of the Zan Retsu Ken does 0 points of damage) will still do 1200 points of damage even when affected by Damage Scaling. Thus, the Zan Retsu Ken is a better Level 2 Super Canceling follow-up. So with the two above examples, you can see how knowing how Damage Scaling works can benefit your Combo ability. Sure, the damage differences can be very minute, but then just think of the last fight where your opponent made a Zero Vital comeback victory. Then you'll see how every bit counts. A very important thing to mention: Super Combos are exempt from Damage Scaling. Super Combos will do the damage they are supposed to do REGARDLESS of which hit it occurs in a Combo and regardless of which Groove you are using. Thus, in C-Groove, a Level 2 Super Cancel into a Level 1 Super will have the Level 1 Super do 100% of it's normal damage. It becomes obvious, then, that the best follow-up to a Level 2 Super Cancel will always be a Level 1 Super Combo. In other words, to my knowledge, there is not one character that is better off canceling the Level 2 into a Special Move instead of a Level 1 Super Combo if all you are concerned about is damage. The lack of Damage Scaling also is in affect in other Grooves, too. If you can follow-up a Level 3 with a Level 1 Super in N-Groove or S-Groove, that Level 1 will do 100% of it's damage as well. Needless to say, the only exception to this is the Supers during a Custom Combo. A Super done in a Custom Combo will do 80% of it's normal damage. ______________________________ ________ ____ ___ __ _ _ | | | | | | | DAMAGE | | | <2> Post Custom Combo Damage | | | | | | SCALING | | |______________________________|________|____|___|__|_|===========|_| So Damage Scaling applies to every hit that occurs in the game, except the damage done during a Custom Combo, which has it's own formula for Damage Scaling. But here's something interesting to note: Custom Combo's own private Damage Scaling only occurs when the Super Meter of your character ACTUALLY STILL HAS METER IN IT. So after you activate a Custom Combo, while the meter drains, all hits are affected by the Custom's Damage Scaling. However, once the Meter finishes draining, all hits that occur AFTER that will be affected by normal Damage Scaling. This can actually be used as an alternate way to end a Custom Combo. Rather than using a Super, you can end Customs with a move that normally does a lot of damage if your Custom is one that has very few hits (so that move will not be affected by Damage Scaling that much). For example, Raiden can do the following Custom Combo: Crouch Roundhouse (HK) Buffered into a Jab (LP) Giant Bomb. Cancel the Jab (LP) Giant Bomb into a Fierce (HP) Giant Bomb and then repeatedly do 5 more Fierce (HP) Giant Bombs. That should be 8 hits total. At this point, you'll have a tiny bit of Custom time left. You can do the Level 1 Flame Breath, but if you started the Custom Combo mid-screen, you're in the corner by now. Timing the Flame Breath can be difficult, because doing it too early results in the enemy bouncing off one hit and the other hits all missing. So instead of the Super, you can do a Fierce (HP) Jumping Lariat Drop right before the Meter drains. Raiden will jump up and grab the opponent with some Meter left (so it can still Juggle) and then slam them down after the Meter has been emptied. So when the Jumping Lariat Drop actually does its damage, normal Damage Scaling takes over rather than the Custom Combo's Damage Scaling. The move does 1800 damage normally, but since it's the 9th hit of the Combo overall, it will be damage reduced by only 4/24ths. So you will get 1500 damage without the need for timing a Level 1 Super that has a joystick motion that many people hate performing (two backwards half-circles). Sure, the Super will do 1680 damage if you land it, but if you are not confident with the joystick motion nor the timing, you can do a simple DP + Fierce (HP) motion instead for only 180 points of less damage. Also, characters with Air Throws can also take advantage of this. Guile, for example, has a Custom Combo in the corner: Crouch Roundhouse (HK) into Towards + Roundhouse (HK), which is the upside-down kick. Do the upside-down kick 9 more times. After the 10th upside-down kick, you can do a Level 1 Somersault Strike Super with the enemy as close to the ground as possible to score 1520 damage from the Super Juggling the enemy. But 1) many people have expressed extreme frustration at pulling off the motion for the Somersault Strike. 2) Timing the Somersault Strike can be tough. Too early, and you'll you get very few hits out of it and it does very little damage. Too late and the enemy will hit the ground and you do ZERO extra damage. So, instead, you can cancel the last upside-down kick with a Standing Jab (LP) that hits and then Jump up and grab the enemy with the Roundhouse Air Throw. By the time the Air Throw does its damage, the Super Meter will have fully drained, it will be affected by normal Damage Scaling, and it will do 1333 damage (16/24th it's normal damage). Along with the one standing Jab (LP) for 100 points of damage, you get 1433 points of damage, losing only 87 points of damage for doing a Combo that is by FAR easier to do. Less room for mistakes means better clutch at performing Combos actual combat. This knowledge may also be useful in situations where your enemy blocks 80% of your Custom but ends up getting hit part way through it (if you threw in an Overhead they didn't Block or something). You might want to end a Custom with an Air Throw instead of a Super at this point because, if you're only in your 4th hit, your Air Throw (5th hit) would do 100% of it's damage! The Super would still only do 80% of its normal damage. Perhaps the Super will still more damage, though. You'll just have to check with your character. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | PART III: GLITCHES | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * No game is without their share of glitches. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has some glitches. One is just a nuisance, one can really hurt you if you don't know it exists, and the last one can potentially change the way the game is played. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ================ Chapter 14 ---| THE GLITCHES |-------------------------------------------------- ================ 00) Intro 01) The Vacuum Left Corner 02) Player 2 Only Corner Switch 03) Roll Canceling ___ ___ / \ INTRO / \ | 0 |=======================================================| 0 | \___/ ________THE_GLITCHES________ \___/ Y'know? Just 'cause it baffles me, I have to say... to my knowledge, no Corner problems existed in the old Street Fighters... World Warrior, Hyper Fighting, Super Turbo... The Corner was just the Corner. So what happened? Capcom, recently, seems to have problems with programming the Corner logistics properly. I don't know why Capcom can't seem to get these Corners programmed correctly, but their recent games have had issues. Street Fighter Alpha 3 had issues. Capcom Vs. SNK had issues. And now, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has it's own share of random happenings in the corner. Well, mainly just two: the "Vacuum Left Corner" and the "Player 2 Only Cross-up." I just don't understand why this keeps happening... ___ ___ / \ THE VACUUM LEFT CORNER / \ | 1 |=======================================================| 1 | \___/ ________THE_GLITCHES________ \___/ It's a stupid name to give something: the "Vacuum Left Corner." But I don't care because a stupid glitch deserves a stupid name. Basically, what the Vacuum Left Corner is is the tendency of having a character as far into the left Corner wall as possible to fall OUT of the Corner when knocked into the air by an opponent right next to them as if some magical force is sucking them out. Sound strange? Okay, this is much easier to understand when you see it for yourself. Get Chun Li. Use Chun Li. Move the enemy into the right Corner all the way up against the wall. Move Chun Li right next to the enemy. Now do her Offensive Crouch + Roundhouse (HK), which makes her hop into the air and come down on the opponent with her knee. What happens? The enemy gets knocked INTO the corner. Now switch corners. Get Chun Li. Use Chun Li. Move the enemy into the left Corner all the way up against the wall. Move Chun Li right next to the enemy. Now do her Offensive Crouch + Roundhouse (HK) kick. NOW what happens? The enemy gets knocked into the air and then proceeds to fly OUT of the corner for no discernable reason. There is your Vacuum Left Corner in effect. This doesn't happen too often, fortunately, but can still be frustrating for certain characters in certain situations. For example, in the right Corner, Chun Li can do the Offensive Crouch Roundhouse (HK) and if it hits the enemy, they stay in the Corner so you can still apply some good Corner traps. Plus, it's EASY to react to the enemy getting hit and following up the flipping kick with a Level 2 Kikoshou canceled into a Short Spinning Bird Kick followed by a Level 1 Kikoshou. Great Combo. Great damage. Simple to do. And the left Corner? If you connect the move, the enemy flies out of the Corner. And if you try to react to the enemy getting hit by the flipping kick, the enemy will most likely have passed over your head by the time you have reacted, spoiling your Combo. Plus, you aren't in proper position for keeping the enemy stuck in any Corner pressure tactics anymore. Here's an example of this problem ruining a Custom Combo. Try the following Custom Combo with Terry with your opponent in the right Corner. Activate your Custom and do the sequence of Crouch Roundhouse (HK) canceled into a Short (LK) Crack Shoot 4 times. Then do a Fierce (HP) Rising Tackle followed by another Fierce (HP) Rising Tackle right away. Right before your Meter runs out, do the Buster Wolf. The enemy should bounce on both hits. Follow up with one last Fierce (HP) Rising Tackle. VERY good Combo, lots of damage, not too hard. Now, let's try it in the LEFT Corner, shall we? Do the same Combo and what do we see happens? After the second Rising Tackle, you can't get the Buster Wolf off because the enemy starts to fly OUT of the corner. No Buster Wolf, no extra Rising Tackle at the end of the Combo, say good-bye to 2000 points of damage. Now granted, you CAN time everything right so that you can land the entire Combo in the left Corner (do the second Rising Tackle a bit later than normal, but that might not give you enough time to pull off the Buster Wolf before your time expires), but it's just an extra hassle that you really shouldn't need to worry about. A Corner is a Corner. There shouldn't be any inconsistencies between Corners. Of course, this really doesn't come up THAT often, so it's not that big of a deal. But I'm not sure how this glitch could have possibly escaped Capcom. It's just something that could have been avoided if your were just careful. ___ ___ / \ PLAYER 2 ONLY CORNER SWITCH / \ | 2 |=======================================================| 2 | \___/ ________THE_GLITCHES________ \___/ This glitch actually CAN factor into gameplay if you or your opponent is aware of it. In Capcom Vs. SNK, one of the biggest confusion tactics involved the Corner, especially for Nakoruru. There were ways for her to knock you down in the Corner and start playing mind games with you, Dashing in and out of the Corner and making you guess which side she ended up on. They tried to all but eliminate this problem in Capcom Vs. SNK 2. If the enemy is knocked into the Corner, they will REMAIN in the Corner and there isn't any way for the other player to work their way INTO the Corner and catch you Blocking the wrong way. Needless to say, they failed. Of course, it does require very specific set-ups to get this to work, so as long as you are aware of them, you should be able to be ready for them. But you need to know exactly when it can occur. Basically, it works like this: ONLY PLAYER 2 can set it up so that, when knocking Player 1 into the Corner (either Corner), they can go over Player 1 and end up IN the Corner. However, the prerequisite for this to work is that the move that you use to knock Player 1 down must knock Player 1 into the Corner with his or her head sticking OUT of the corner (feet first). This actually severely hinders the number of set-ups available for this trick. But still, if you aren't ready for it, you can easily get caught by a player who gets over you and Combos you for 70% life from the other side (characters like Sagat can do this... not a pleasant thing to happen to you). For example, with Ryu, he can Throw you into the Corner with either button. When he Throws you into the Corner, you will fall into the Corner head out and feet first. Now, before you actually land and stop bouncing, Ryu can pass over you with an airborne move and end up in the Corner himself. So Ryu can Throw you into the corner, then perform a Hop Kick (Towards + Forward (MK)), a Short (LK) Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku, or a simple Jump. He'll end up in the Corner and can land a painful Combo on you while you are still expecting to be Blocking towards the Corner when in fact you need to be Blocking away from the Corner now. But all of Ryu's other Knock-downs (Crouch Roundhouse (HK), Tatsumaki Senpuukyakus, Shoryukens, and Shakunetsu Hadoukens) knock the enemy into the corner head first, so the trick doesn't work! Same goes for most other characters. Most characters only have one set-up if they have a set-up at all. Sagat can only do the trick with a Punch Throw (and then Tiger Knee or Jump over the fallen enemy to get to the other side) for example. So not many characters can actually use this trick at all. But if you run into a player who DOES know the trick, you'll have to become very aware of it and get ready to switch your Block if you see them go airborne after putting you into the corner feet first. ___ ___ / \ ROLL CANCELING / \ | 3 |=======================================================| 3 | \___/ ________THE_GLITCHES________ \___/ A new glitch has worked its way heavily into Japanese play and slowly into American play. It's effect on the gameplay of Capcom Vs. SNK 2 has yet to be fully felt, but at this point, it seems pretty much determined that it does not ruin the entire game. However, the affect of this glitch will be discussed towards the end of this section. For now it's sufficient to say this: learning this glitch can be very important, depending on which character you use. The glitch is known as "Roll Canceling." Basically, what Roll Canceling does is add a bit of invincibility to ANY character's Special Move... but there is one requirement: you have to have Rolls. Thus, only characters in C, A, and N Groove can perform Roll Canceling. But if you have the Rolls, you now have the ability to make Blanka perform a Rolling Attack right through Ryu's Hadouken! Iori can perform the Deadly Flower right through your Sweep. And Blanka can perform a Meaty Electric Thunder on a rising opponent, and stuff just about any Reversal... including Level 3 Supers!! * * * ------------------------------- | A History of Kara Canceling | ------------------------------- The way the Glitch works is by Capcom's allowance of what is known by the Japanese as "Kara Canceling." Kara is the Japanese word for "empty," and the ability to Kara Cancel moves has affected other Street Fighters before this one. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Kara Cancels let Guy and Gen Buffer moves in Chain Combos that weren't normally Bufferable. In Street Fighter III: Third Strike, "Kara Throws" allowed a character to increase the range and speed of their Throw by a significant amount. And in ALL Street Fighters, you are able to cancel Normal Moves into Special Moves even if they don't connect. We are all familiar with Buffering, right? It's just canceling a Normal Move that connects into a Special Move, like Ryu's Crouching Forward into Hadouken Combo. Well, a Kara cancel is essentially the same thing, except you are canceling things that whiff... that hit nothing but air (thus, the term "empty"). It was put in to allow leniency on performing Special Moves. So you can actually perform a Crouching Forward and cancel it into the Hadouken even if the Crouching Forward doesn't hit, but you have to do it quickly. Capcom implemented this to allow players to perform Special Moves easier... hitting a button slightly too early won't produce the Normal Move and will let the Special Move come out. * * * ---------------- | WHY IT WORKS | ---------------- So how does Kara Canceling factor into this glitch? Simple. Roll Canceling is the ability to Kara Cancel a Roll into a Special Move. But what makes this glitch work is that the invincibility from the Roll does not get "re-evaluated." In other words, it sticks. Thus, using this technique allows you to pass through all air-based Projectiles or to have 100% invincible Anti-Air Special Moves or to "out-invincible" Level 3 Supers! So let's dissect the Roll as much as possible. What exactly happens when you press Jab (LP) + Short (LK)? It looks like just one thing: your character goes into a bunch of Animation Frames deemed invincible by the game. But that's not actually what's going on. When you press Jab (LP) + Short (LK), there are actually TWO events are occurring... or two "threads" as I will refer to them. These two threads coincide so well with each other, though, that it appears that only one event is occurring. The first and most obvious thread is the animation thread: your character goes into the animation where they move along the floor with the shadow affects. The second and equally obvious thread is the invincibility thread: you become invincible. But what is important to note is that, while these two threads occur in conjunction with each other to form one action (the Roll), they are in fact two separate entities being kept track of by the game. This is very important in understanding this glitch. The fact that these two things are actually independent allows us to cancel the Roll animation, yet retain the invincibility frames. When a Roll is Kara Canceled, only one thread is interrupted: the animation thread. Thus, the invincibility thread continues to live on. So the Special Move gains the benefit of these invincibility frames rather than the Roll. Thus, the Special Move begins to animate and does its thing, but gets the benefit of the Roll's invincibility! And already you can imagine how this can affect certain characters' game plans. However, remember: Roll invincibility doesn't last forever. And since the invincibility thread is that of the Roll, that means the invincibility DOES run out. Every characters' Rolls have 21-22 frames of pure invincibility (except Chun Li, who happens to have 23, and Eagle and Maki, who have 20). Thus, only the first 21-22 frames of a Special Move will actually be invincible. So although Ryu can, for example, Roll Cancel his Hadouken, he'll still become vulnerable shortly after the Fireball leaves his hands. So if you predict Ryu's Fireball and Jump over it as he throws it, even if he Roll Cancels the Hadouken you'll still be able to nail him in his delay. Granted, you may hit him a little lower than you expected (throwing off your timing), but you can still hit them. More examples: if Blanka does a Roll Canceled Rolling Attack from across the screen, by the time he reaches you, you can still Jab (LP) him or Uppercut him out of the Rolling Attack. Also, if the move has natural delays, you can always nail the enemy out of their delay. If Cammy does a Roll Canceled Cannon Drill too close to you, you can still nail her during her delay if you Block it. If Bison does a Roll Canceled Psycho Crusher and you Block it, you can still nail him after he passes through you. If you Block a Roll Canceled Rolling Attack from Blanka, you can still nail him in his delay (if you can reach him, that is... ^_^). But that doesn't mean Roll Canceling turns out to be useless. Blanka can perform a Roll Canceled Rolling Attack or M.Bison can perform a Roll Canceled Psycho Crusher for 100% Anti-Air. If Iori does the first third of the Deadly Flower with a Roll Cancel and forces you to Block it, it's free! You can't hit him before he hits you, and he has no delay. And just having another way of avoiding Projectiles can never be a bad thing (Roll Cancel your own Projectile to go THROUGH the enemy's Projectile!). * * * ------------------ | HOW TO PERFORM | ------------------ The biggest thing going against Roll Cancels is that it is HARD TO DO. So I will repeat it again: THIS IS NOT EASY TO DO. So if you have trouble pulling this off, don't be discouraged. It takes practice, so don't expect to perform these Roll Cancels at a 100% clip. If you can pull it off 70% to 80% during a normal match, that's already incredible enough. Any Special Move works with Kara-Roll Canceling, but you need to be fast. You can only cancel the first 3 frames of a Roll with a Special Move (and by frames, I mean refresh frames... so 3 frames is basically a fraction of a second). Thus, you have to perform the Roll and then the Special Move within microseconds of each other. In fact, it's best if you "blend" the Roll into the motions. Here are two examples: -Roll Canceled Fireball Special Move: -- Down, Down/Toward + Jab + Short, Toward + Punch Roll Canceled Sonic Boom Special Move: -- Back, Neutral + Jab + Short, Toward + Punch This is the best way to perform a Roll Cancel. But it's still makes it very difficult. The window is 3 frames, remember, for the Roll Cancel. Thus, it's VERY easy to do the Roll too early or too late, both leading to results that may not be necessarily desirable. If you press Jab (LP) + Short (LK) too early, you'll most likely just Roll, which may put you right next to the enemy so they can Combo you with whatever they so feel. If you press Jab (LP) + Short (LK) too late, you will just end up doing the Special Move WITHOUT the invincibility you are trying to get (because the Jab (LP) or Short (LK) will activate the Special Move rather than making you Roll). But I would say that 90% of the time a failed Roll Cancel will results in the Special Move sans invincibility. If you are Rolling most of the time when you fail, you are more than likely pushing the Jab and Short buttons too early. The best way to do this is to try a "sweeping" motion of your fingers across the buttons. Place your index finger and thumb over the Jab (LP) and Short (LK) buttons respectively. Then put your ring or pinky finger over the button you plan to use to activate the Special Move. Then, when you do the joystick motion, roll your hand from left to right very quickly so that you press Jab (LP) and Short (LK) during the joystick motion. Time it so that you end the joystick motion at the same time you end rolling your hand. The rolling motion of you right hand essentially lets you hit all three buttons almost at the same time, bringing the index and thumb down only half a second earlier. That should allow you to Roll right before you activate the Special Move. For those of you who play cross-handed, I don't have a recommended way of doing this... You might have to try hitting the Jab and Short with your ring and pinky fingers instead, and hit the third button with the index finger or thumb. But I don't know how comfortable that really is, so you'll have to figure something out on your own. When all is said and done, it takes precise timing to perform and it isn't easy. You have to practice to become good at it, but some players have already gotten to an 80% success rate. Some players claim a 95% success rate already on most Fireball motions, but they usually refer to Training Mode scenarios. Pulling it off in the midst of combat, when you need absolute precision and timing is another story. But it can be done with some consistency, no doubt. It just takes practice, so don't be discouraged. * * * ----------------- | SPECIAL CASES | ----------------- Now that we know how to Kara-Roll Cancel a Special Move, we should mention certain special cases for certain types of Special Moves. -Counters- Characters that have a Counter, such as Geese or Rock, become invincible when they perform a Kara Counter. But, essentially, this makes the Counter pointless! If someone is attacking you, you should NOT perform a Roll Canceled Counter, or else the enemy cannot hit you. And if they cannot hit you, you can't Counter the move! Thus, you may only want to Roll Cancel, say, Geese's Counter just to go through Projectiles. -Reflects- Projectile Reflects, such as Rugal's Dark Barrier or Athena's New Psycho Reflector, work mostly the same way whether Roll Canceled or not. The only difference is that you can't be hit for those first 21-22 frames if it. Otherwise, the Fireball will be reflected back as normal. However, there are two cases where the behavior is a little different: Yamazaki's Double Return and Eagle's Saint Andrews Green. In both of those cases, the character doesn't actually reflect your Projectile. Rather, what really happens is that they absorb it and fire back their "own" Projectile. Apparently, these moves work by "trading" with the Projectile. The moves hit the Projectile and erase it but the Projectile also "hits" the move. If the move is hit by the projectile, it'll register as catching a Projectile and will shoot back it's own. But if you Roll Cancel these two particular reflect moves, the projectile can't HIT the moves because they are invincible! So what happens is that the Projectile is hit by the move (and gets erased), but the Projectile doesn't hit the move... so nothing is shot back!! So if you are trying to reflect a Projectile back at the enemy with these two characters, don't perform a Roll Cancel. -Button Tapping Special Moves- Button Tapping Special Moves behave like all other Roll Canceled Special Moves. However, the reason for this section is... how on earth do you purposely perform a Roll Canceled Special Move?!? Well, remember how earlier it was said that it only takes five button presses to activate a Button Tapping Special Move? Knowing this lets you perform a Roll Canceled Special Move. Basically, perform a controlled Button Tapping Special Move the same way you normally would, except use Jab + Short as on of the button sequences (preferably the second to last one). So with Honda, for example, you can do the following sequence: Jab, Strong, Fierce, Jab + Short, Fierce (LP, MP, HP, LP + LK, HP) The initial Jab (LP) will make you whiff the Punch. Right when the Jab (LP) ends, you'll have just finished pressing the first Fierce (HP). Then, quickly do the last two presses. The first will make you Roll, the second will make you come out with the Hyakuretsu Harite (the Hand Slap). It turns out that the most useful version of Roll Canceling a Button Tapping Special Move is with Blanka. Doing a Roll Canceled Fierce (HP) Electric Thunder to a person getting up from the ground means you have an invincible Meaty Attack. Even a Level 3 Tiger Raid from Sagat will lose out to such a Meaty Attack. It takes great timing to perform, but if you can pull it off consistently (as one player in Japan can), then it's worth it. -Taunts- Yup. Taunts act as Special Moves. So you can Kara-Roll Cancel a Taunt!!! So yes, you can use Taunts to go through Projectiles as well! And to avoid Special Moves and Supers and such! So not only can you avoid these things, you can avoid them IN STYLE!! ^_^ The ultimate Kara-Roll Cancel insult! * * * --------- | Q & A | --------- By now, many many many many MANY questions are probably popping into everyone's head. Most of you out there will probably start asking yourself many "Can you...?" questions. Can you Roll Cancel the Roll into another Roll? Can you Roll Cancel a Roll into a Custom Combo in A Groove? Can you Roll Cancel into Super Combos?!? Can you perform a "Dodge Cancel" in S Groove? Can you Roll Cancel a Counter Movement in N Groove? Well, this section will attempt to answer all the questions you may have come up with. Q. Can you Roll Cancel the Roll into another Roll? A. No. Rolls, remember, cannot be Buffered into. Thus, they do not have the ability to cancel Normal Moves that hit or otherwise. Since Normal Moves and Rolls are the only things that can be Kara Canceled, you can apply the same logic to Rolls. Thus, Rolls cannot be used to Kara Cancel themselves. So no 100% invincible infinite Rolls. Q. Can you Roll Cancel into Super Combos?!? A. Yes. However, Supers have their own "invincibility threads." Thus, whenever a Super is activated, the game will recalculate the intended invincibility thread of the Super Combo. So whatever invincibility thread was leftover from the Roll Cancel will be erased with the appropriate invincibility thread of the Super Combo. Thus, Level 1's and other weak Supers will not gain the invincibility of a Roll. Q. Can you Roll Cancel a Roll into a Custom Combo in A Groove? A. No. And this is a moot point anyhow. By the same virtue as the Super Combos, a Custom Combo would recalculate it's own invincibility right upon start-up. So even if you could Cancel a Roll into a Custom, there really isn't much point to it. Q. Can you Roll Cancel a Dodge in S Groove? A. No. Repeated attempts have been made to perform a Kara-Dodge Cancel, but so far to no avail. There are no solid theories as to why this is, but the best theory I can provide is this: Dodges are very "specific" in their properties and the three phases of a Dodge are handled very specifically. So there was no carelessness in accidentally allowing the Dodge to be Kara Canceled at the beginning. This reason doesn't make much sense, admittedly. ^_^ But there really is no clear reason why this doesn't work. Q. Can you Roll Cancel a Counter Movement in N Groove? A. No. Even though Counter Movements ARE just Rolls, it appears that because they are done in a non-Neutral situation (during a Block), Capcom wasn't worried about Counter Movement commands and Special Move commands interfering with each other. Thus, you are not allowed to Roll Cancel a Counter Movement. At least, so far, I haven't been able to do it and haven't seen anyone do it. Q. Can you use the Negative Edge to perform a Roll Cancel? A. Yes. But this isn't easy at all. It sounds like it should make performing a Roll Cancel MUCH easier... a breeze, even. But for some reason, it is MUCH easier to perform a Kara-Roll Cancel the "normal" way: by pressing a button. Normally, you would think that it would be more effective to do the motion, hit Jab + Short part way through the motion, and then activate the Special Move by releasing the Jab or Short that you pressed down (depending on what Move you are trying to do). However, after trying this repeatedly, it's pretty conclusive that this method is actually HARDER to do. Why is that? We're not sure why, but it may, in fact, be quicker to hit another button down by rolling your fingers across Jab (LP) and Short (LK) and the third button then it is to releasing Jab (LP) or Short (LK) after pressing them down. Q. Can you Kara Cancel a Roll into a Jab (LP) or Short (LK) version of a Special Move? A. Yes, but, again, it's MUCH harder to do. This is because you have to tap Jab (LP) + Short (LK) VERY quickly. You have 3 frames to cancel a Roll, right? So in 3 frames, you have to have let go of the Jab (LP) and Short (LK) and have pressed Jab (LP) or Short (LK) again for your Special Move! 3 frames is a VERY short period of time, folks, so this is not gonna happen very often at all. You're better off sticking with the other four buttons for activating the Special Move (another limiting factor of Roll Canceling). Q. Can you extend Zangief's SPD range with this, in a way that the Extended SPD Range in Alpha 3 worked? A. By virtue that you move slightly forward because of the Roll before it's canceled, yes, by a tiny bit. But good luck Roll Canceling 360 motions. ^_^ Q. Hmmm... Speaking of Zangief's SPD... Since these are a Roll's invincibility, can you Throw the enemy during these invincible frames? A. Yes. All properties of the Roll are still there. So even if Iori does a Kara-Roll Canceled Deadly Flower and you do a Final Atomic Buster with Zangief, you're going to grab the enemy. Rolls do not have invincibility against Throws. However, if the Throw isn't instant or if it has less range than the attacking move or if it has no invincibility, you will probably get hit out of your Throw attempt rather than getting the Throw off. You can only be Thrown if you are within their range and they can grab you past (or through) your attack. And, of course, ONLY if the move you are doing is still on the ground. You still can't be grabbed if you do a Roll Cancel Blanka Rolling Attack, for example, unless it's an Air Throw of some sort (like Zangief's Aerial Russian Slam). * * * --------------- | CONCLUSION? | --------------- So just how much will this affect gameplay? After reading the description of this glitch, this glitch sounds VERY game breaking. Invincible Rolling Attacks from Blanka? Free Anti-Airs for just about every character? Have Projectiles now been rendered useless? This isn't good at all! So the question has arisen: should this be banned from tournaments? Is this one of those glitches that should just be disallowed? This debate hasn't been resolved yet, and the following is an editorial from me. This is in no way fact-based or what you should follow. It is simply my opinion after trying to watch the effects of Roll Cancels... and that's ALL it is: an opinion. But my answer to this question is "No." It shouldn't be banned nor should it be considered "cheating" if someone can do it to you. Here are my reasons: 1) It's really difficult. If you can pull it off consistently, within the constraints of a REALLY tough and frantic match, then you deserve to pull it off. That's clutch. 2) Roll Cancels can only be that effective on moves that have absolutely no delay. A Roll Canceled Blanka Rolling Attack or Rugal God Press may sound pretty damn scary, but if you aren't attacking and simply Block them, you can punish them in your normal fashion! So let them try it, and then Combo them afterwards. And with moves like Iori's Deadly Flower that have no delay when Blocked, the range on that move is not that long. So if you play a smart game outside of the Deadly Flower's range, you can watch Iori whiff the first hit and then Sweep him in response. The invincibility doesn't last long enough to cover his recovery if he whiffs. 3) If all you are trying to do is Roll Cancel Special Moves to attack your opponent, your gameplay will suffer tremendously. Mastery of Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is SO MUCH MORE than just Special Moves. For example, experts in N-Groove with rush you down with repeated Running Normal Moves and Low Jumps. A-Groove players need to find a way to land their Custom Combo, otherwise why are they using A-Groove? And C-Groove is very highly Super Combo based, and I've already established that Roll Canceling Supers does nothing. And if you fight someone who thinks they can beat you simply by throwing out Roll Canceled moves all day, they become obvious, predictable, and very easy to beat. Roll Canceling can only be useful when used sparsely and in situations that WARRANT a Roll Canceled Special Move. They ARE useful, but can't be relied on as your key to victory. 4) How can you enforce such a ban? You would either have to really just trust the integrity of those who entered to not try the glitch (if Bison hits you out of the air with a Psycho Crusher, he MAY have just hit you RIGHT before your kick came out...). Either that, or you have to have someone watching hands for the entire fight and having to have a judge stare at hands the entire game is plain ridiculous. So those are my reasons why they shouldn't be banned. The people of Japan are not planning to ban it and it is already integrated into normal gameplay. Yet we don't see it dominating any matches. They don't see it as something that can ruin CvS2 and so far it hasn't. So at this point, it's really up to you to decide for yourself whether it's cheap or not. Learn it and try to exploit it, and if you can make it "cheap" and "unfair" and "game breaking," then we'll talk. But for now, nothing has been proven, so there should be no ban. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | PART IV: MOVELISTS | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Here are the movelists for every character in the game, starting with the Capcom half and then the SNK half. Characters are listed alphabetically. Thanks goes to Jeff Chen for writing up the little Bios and history of which games the characters appeared in. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ========== Chapter 15 ---| Legend |-------------------------------------------------------- ========== (Applies to all characters facing right) ===================================================================== ===================================================================== | \ ---o QCF - | \ (Down, Down/Towards, Towards) o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- | / o--- QCB - | / (Down, Down/Back, Back) o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- ---o | \ DP - | \ (Towards, Down, Down/Towards) o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o--- | / RDP - | / (Back, Down, Down/Back) o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o--- / | \ ---o (Back, Down/Back, Down, HCF - / | \ Down/Towards, Towards) o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Towards, Down/Towards, HCB - ---o \ | / o--- Down, Down/Back, Back) \ | / o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- 360 - Rotate the joystick in a full circle in any direction --------------------------------------------------------------------- T - ---o (Towards) --------------------------------------------------------------------- | D - | (Down) o --------------------------------------------------------------------- B - o--- (Back) --------------------------------------------------------------------- o U - | (Up) | --------------------------------------------------------------------- \ DT - \ (Down/Towards) o --------------------------------------------------------------------- / DB - / (Down/Back) o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o UT - / (Up/Towards) / --------------------------------------------------------------------- + - Press following button at same time you finish previous motion. --------------------------------------------------------------------- , - Charge in previous direction before going to next position. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tap - Press the following button repeatedly. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== (o) (o) (o) JAB STRONG FIERCE P - Press any Punch: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o K - Press any Kick: (o) (o) (o) SHORT FORWARD ROUNDHOUSE --------------------------------------------------------------------- (o) (o) (o) JAB STRONG FIERCE 2P - Press any 2 Punches: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o 2K - Press any 2 Kicks: (o) (o) (o) SHORT FORWARD ROUNDHOUSE --------------------------------------------------------------------- (o)-- + --(o)-- + --(o) JAB STRONG FIERCE 3P - Press all 3 Punches: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o 3K - Press all 3 Kicks: (o)-- + --(o)-- + --(o) SHORT FORWARD ROUNDHOUSE --------------------------------------------------------------------- (o) o o JAB LP - Press the following button: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o (o) o STRONG MP - Press the following button: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o (o) FIERCE HP - Press the following button: o o o --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o LK - Press the following button: (o) o o SHORT --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o MK - Press the following button: o (o) o FORWARD --------------------------------------------------------------------- o o o HK - Press the following button: o o (o) ROUNDHOUSE --------------------------------------------------------------------- START - Press the following button: (Start Button) ===================================================================== ===================================================================== -> - Can be followed up with following command. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (A) - Can be done in the Air as well. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (A only) - Can only be done in the Air. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) - Level 3 Only. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (x 3) - Can be repeated 3 times. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (hold) - Hold the button down. --------------------------------------------------------------------- .../... - Can do either option on either side. --------------------------------------------------------------------- () - Follow instructions inside parentheses. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== Movenames that are indented are moves that can be used as a follow-up to the last listed move that has one less indentation. ---Example: Move 1 Move 2 - Follows Move 1 Move 3 - Follows Move 1 Move 4 - Follows Move 3 Move 5 - Follows Move 3 Move 6 - Follows Move 1 Move 7 - Follows Move 6 Move 8 Move 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Moves are listed first. Super Combos are listed next. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================== Chapter 16 ---| Capcom Characters |--------------------------------------------- ===================== AKUMA ----- GAME OF ORIGIN: Super Street Fighter II Turbo (as Shin Gouki) OTHER APPEARANCES: X-Men: COTA, Street Fighter Alpha Series, Street Fighter III: Second Impact, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, X-Men: Children of the Atom, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter: EX, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Akuma and the master of Ryu and Ken both trained under a common master. One day, Akuma discovered that the techniques he was learning were meant for killing, and so he unleashed their potential and murdered both his master and the master of Ryu and Ken. He has been looking for worthy challengers ever since. Akuma's style is the same that Ryu and Ken use, only it is fully-realized and extremely powerful. He is merciless to his opponents and has no doubt brought on the deaths of many challengers. He has issued a challenge to Ryu to unleash his potential as well, and to come seek him in a fight when he does. When not looking for new challenges, Akuma resides on an island near Japan. His trademarks are the Japanese/Chinese symbol for "heaven" burned on his back, and his most destructive move, the "Raging Demon." Gouhadouken - QCF + P Zanku Hadoken - QCF + P (A only) Shakunetsu Hadouken - HCB + P Goushoryuken - DP + P Tatsumaki Zankukyaku - HCB + K (A) Hyakki Shu - DP + K Hyakki Gouzan - (do nothing) Hyakki Goushou - P Hyakki Gousai - B / T + P (slightly above enemy) Hyakki Goudan - K Hyakki Goutsui - B / T + K (right next to enemy) Ashura Senku - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Zenpou Tenshin - QCB + P Messatsu Gouhadou - HCB HCB + P Messatsu Goushoryu - QCF D DT + P Tenma Gouzanku - QCF QCF + P (A only) Shungokusatsu - LP LP T LK HP (3) ===================================================================== BALROG ------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Balrog is an incredibly strong boxer who was disqualified from the US boxing circuit. He was picked up by M. Bison, who made him one of his Shadowloo goons. Balrog doesn't have a lot of brains to boast about, but his strength is truly fearsome. He beats opponents through deadly brute force. At heart, Balrog is greedy and lusts for a life filled with riches, fame, and women. Dash Straight - B, T + P Dash Uppercut - B, T + K Dash Ground Straight - B, DT + P Dash Ground Uppercut - B, DT + K Turn Punch - Hold 2P / 2K, then release Buffalo Headbutt - D, U + P Crazy Buffalo - B, T B T + P (can hold K after start) Gigaton Blow - B, T B T + K (3) ===================================================================== BLANKA ------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX2, Street Fighter EX3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Jimmy was lost in a plane crash in Brazil. He was horribly mutated and grew up in the wild. He emerged as Blanka and began to appear on the Street Fighting scene. Although appearing ferocious, Blanka appears to be trying to make friends. However, his method for making new friends is to fight them and although Blanka finds this as fun and playful, his opponents may not share this sentiment. He fights with jungle ferocity and uses sharp teeth and claws. He can also generate electricity in his attacks. He is friends with Dan. Electric Thunder - Tap P Rolling Attack - B, T + P Back Step Rolling - B, T + K Vertical Rolling - D, U + K Surprise Forward - 3K Surprise Back - B + 3K Direct Lightning - B, T B T + P Ground Shave Rolling - B, T B T + K Shout of Earth - DB, DT DB U + P ===================================================================== CAMMY ----- GAME OF ORIGIN: Super Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, Street Fighter Alpha 3, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Cammy is one of M. Bison's genetically enhanced soldiers. These soldiers have the bodies of young women, increased strength, and robot-like personalities ready-made to carry out Shadowloo's assassination orders efficiently. They employ a fighting style developed by special Shadowloo training. Cammy's skill and efficiency makes her a favorite of M. Bison's. She would later be abandoned by Bison, found in an amnesiac state by the British Special Forces, and utilized as an agent. For now, though, Cammy loyally follows the orders of M. Bison, terminating opponents and gathering fighting data. Spiral Arrow - QCF + K Cannon Spike - DP + K Axle Spinning Knuckle - HCB + P Hooligan Combination - DB D DT T UT + P Fatal Leg Twister - B / T + P (slightly above enemy) Cross Scissors Pressure - B / T + P (right next to enemy) Razor Edge Slicer - (do nothing) Cannon Strike - K Cannon Strike - QCB + K (A only) Spin Drive Smasher - QCF D DT + K Reverse Shaft Breaker - QCB QCB + K ===================================================================== CHUN LI ------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II Series, Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX series, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Chun Li is a Chinese Interpol agent. Her father disappeared at the hands of Shadowloo and now she wants nothing more than to find out what happened to him. She is a skilled martial artist who uses a lot of speed. She has partnered up with Air Force agents Charlie and, later, Guile during her investigation of Shadowloo. When it is all over, Chun Li hopes to be able to return to the life of a normal young woman. Hyakuretsukyaku - Tap K Kikouken - HCF + P Spinning Bird Kick - D, U + K Kikoushou - QCF QCF + P Hoyokusen - QCF QCF + K ===================================================================== DAN HIBIKI ---------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter Alpha OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha series, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK Pro BIO: Dan's father was killed by Sagat in a fight. Dan seeks revenge although his style is weak. Dan is loud, obnoxious, and likes to show off even though he has little to back it up. He is mostly portrayed as a joke character. In various games, he has revealed that he has a friendship with Blanka (whom he calls Jimmy), called Sakura his "student," and found out that his father had been turned in to Mecha-Gouki. His trademark is his ability to taunt infinitely and with variety in every game. Gadouken - FB + P Kouryuken - DP + P Dankukyaku - QCB + K (A) Zenten Chohatsu - QCF + Start Kouten Chohatsu - QCB + Start Shinkuu Gadouken - QCF QCF + P Kouryurekka - QCF D DT + P Hissyo Buraiken - QCB QCB + K Chohatsu Densetsu - QCF QCF + Start ===================================================================== DHALSIM ------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, X-Men Vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, Street Fighter EX 2, Street Fighter EX 3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: The Indian Dhalsim practices yoga to reach a higher plane of existence. Dhalsim feels his role is as a protector of his family, land, and people. He is normally very peaceful, and street fights as part of his training. He incorporates yoga in his fighting, enabling him to stretch his limbs and breathe fire. Dhalsim is supported in his efforts by a wife and son. Yoga Fire - QCF + P Yoga Flame - HCB + P Yoga Blast - HCB + K Yoga Teleport - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Yoga Stream - QCF QCF + P Yoga Volcano - QCK QCF + K Yoga Tempest - HCB HCB + P (3) ===================================================================== EAGLE ----- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Gameboy Advanced version) BIO: Obviously of the British upper class, Eagle challenges his opponents with a baton in each hand. The later British boxer Dudley resembles Eagle in style. Eagle was one of the tougher opponents Ryu faced in the original Street Fighter. Manchester Black - QCB + P Canterbury Blue - QCF + P (Hold) Oxford Red - HCF + K Liverpool White - QCB + K Saint Andrews Green - DP + P Manchester Gold - QCB QCB + P Union Jack Platinum - QCF QCF + P ===================================================================== EDMOND HONDA ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: E. Honda had reached the top of the sumo wrestling circuit. He was insulted to find that the rest of the fighting world did not consider sumo wrestling a legitimate martial art. He went out into the world of Street Fighting to prove them all wrong. Honda's sumo techniques include some non-traditional moves, but the intent is all the same: to crush the opponent. He has been known to have a friendship with Ryu and an association with Sodom. Hyakuretsu Harite - Tap P Super Zutsuki - B, T + P Super Hyakken Otoshi - D, U + K Ooichou Nage - 360 + P Onimusou - B, T B T + P Orochi Kudaki - 360 360 + P (3) ===================================================================== EVIL RYU -------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter Alpha 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Home version), Street Fighter EX Plus, Street Fighter EX 3, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Evil Ryu is the manifestation of Ryu when his full power is finally realized. Like Akuma, Evil Ryu has relearned the killing aspect of their martial art and has unlocked the most powerful move of them all: the Raging Demon. Perhaps only Evil Ryu is a worthy enough challenge to Akuma. Hadouken - QCF + P Shakunetsu Hadouken - HCF + P Shoryuken - DP + P Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - QCB + K Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - QCB + K (A only) Straight Air Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - HCB + K (A only) Ashura Senku - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Shinkuu Hadouken - HCB HCB + P Messatsu Goushoryu - QCF D DT + P Shungokusatsu - LP LP T LK HP (3) Metsu Hadouken - QCB QCB + K (3) ===================================================================== GUILE ----- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Home version), Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX series, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Guile is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His friend and Air Force comrade, Charlie Nash, was killed while trying to arrest M. Bison, evil overlord of Shadowloo. Wearing the dog tags of his late friend, Guile vows vengeance on M. Bison. He uses a fighting style developed through military training, emphasizing strength and focus over speed. He has been known to partner up with Charlie's former Interpol associate, Chun Li. Sonic Boom - B, T + P Somersault Kick - D, U + K Total Wipeout - B, T B T + K Somersault Strike - DB, DT DB U + K Sonic Hurricane - B, T B T + P (3) ===================================================================== KEN MASTERS ----------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter 2010 (^_^), Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter III series, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX series, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Ken trained from childhood in Japan with his friend Ryu. When he moved to the USA, he became the U.S. Street Fighting champion. Although he leads a satisfactory life with his girlfriend Eliza, he is often challenged by Ryu to seek self-improvement. Ken is arrogant and showy, and his style of fighting reflects that, right down to the flaming Shoryuken. He would later go on to: marry Eliza; have a son named Mel; and take on a student named Sean. Hadouken - QCF + P Shoryuken - DP + P Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - QCB + K (A) Ryusenkyaku - RDP + K Nataotoshi Kick - HCF + LK Inazuma Kakoto Kick - Hold LK from Nataoshi Kick Kamabarai Kick - HCF + MK Inazuma Kakoto Kick - Hold MK from Kamabarai Kick Oosotomawashi Kick - HCF + HK Inazuma Kakoto Kick - Hold HK from Oosotomawashi Kick Zenpou Tenshin - QCB + P Shoryureppa - QCF D DT + P Shinryuken - QCF D DT + K Shippu Jinraikyaku - QCB QCB + K (3) ===================================================================== KYOSUKE KAGAMI -------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Rival Schools OTHER APPEARANCES: Rival Schools 2: Evolution, Rival Schools 2: Project Justice BIO: Kyosuke is on the morals committee at Taiyo high school. He joins up with schoolmates Batsu and Hinata to investigate the kidnapping of Batsu's mother. He knows, however, that the mastermind behind the kidnapping is his older brother, Hyo. Kyosuke can be described as cool, calculating, and deductive. He wears glasses and fights with finesse. Cross Cutter - QCF + P Lightning Upper - DP + P -> QCF + K Shadow Wave - QCF + P (A) Shadow Cut Kick - QCF + K (A) Shadow Breaker - QCB + P Super Cross Cutter - QCF QCF + P Super Lightning Upper - QCB QCB + P Super Shadow Cut Kick - QCF QCF + K -> QCF + K Final Grade Remix - HCB HCB + K (3) ===================================================================== M. BISON -------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha series, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX series, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: M. Bison is the evil dictator of the criminal organization of Shadowloo. He wants nothing more than to hold the world in his grip and become the most powerful man in existence. He possesses a demonic energy known as Psycho Power, which he uses to defeat his opponents in any fight. Some sources say that M. Bison is a being who remains immortal by continually housing his soul in a new, strong body whenever his present form is beginning to weaken. This may be the reason he is after Ryu. Currently under his employ are Sagat, Vega, and Balrog, as well as a specially trained group of strength-enhanced female soldiers, the most prominent of which is Cammy. Bison is the murderer of Charlie, is responsible for the disappearance of Chun Li's father, and has a history of antagonism with Rose. The main storyline suggests that he will ultimately be destroyed by Ryu and Ken, but will he ever be destroyed for good? Psycho Banish - DP + P Psycho Crusher - B, T + P Double Knee Press - B, T + K Head Press - D, U + K Somersault Skull Diver - P Devil Reverse - D, U + P -> P Psycho Warp - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Knee Press Nightmare - B, T B T + K Mega Psycho Crusher - B, T B T + P (3) ===================================================================== MAKI ---- GAME OF ORIGIN: Final Fight 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Gameboy Advanced version) BIO: Maki is Guy's childhood friend, and the younger sister of Guy's fiancee Rena. Maki and Rena's father is also Guy's master, according to the story of Final Fight 2 (although his name in that game is not Zeku, who shows up as Guy's master in Street Fighter Alpha 2). Maki teamed up with Haggar and Carlos to fight the Mad Gear gang when they resurged and kidnapped Rena and her father. Maki likes to street fight and was taught the Bushin/Ninjitsu style that Guy was taught. She uses a baton and possesses a lot of footspeed and acrobatic moves. Genko - QCF + P Hayagake - QCF + K (Can be canceled into Saka Hayagake) Run Cancel - LK Slide - MK Overhead Hop - HK Saka Hayagake - QCB + K (Can be canceled into Hayagake) Run Cancel - LK Jump Forward - MK Jump Backward - HK Tengu Daoshi - HCF + P (A only) Wall Jump - QCB + LP (A only) (Perform against wall) Izuna Otoshi - QCB + MP / HP (A only) (Perform against wall) Wall Drop - QCB + LK (A only) (Perform against wall) Hassoukyaku - QCB + MK / HK (A only) (Perform against wall) Reppukyaku - 3K (Drains own Life Meter slightly) Bushin Gouraiha - QCF QCF + P Tesshinhou - QCF QCF + K -> K Ajaratengu - 360 360 + P (A) ===================================================================== MORRIGAN AENSLAND ----------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Vampire (DarkStalkers) OTHER APPEARANCES: Vampire Hunter (Night Warriors), Vampire Savior, Vampire Chronicles, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Morrigan has inherited the position of the ruler of one of the three Houses of Hell. However, she'd rather have playful adventures in the earth realm than to assume full-time ruling responsibilities. Morrigan is a succubus, a creature that lures men to their doom by seducing them, and she fights with supernatural powers. Soul Fist - QCF + P Air Soul Fist - QCF + P (A only) Shadow Blade - DP + P Vector Drain - HCB + P Valkyrie Turn - HCB + K -> K (A) (Hold U or D to change heights) Cardinal Blade - QCF QCF + P (A) Soul Phoenix - QCF D DT + K Darkness Illusion - LP LP T LK HP (A) ===================================================================== ROLENTO ------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Final Fight OTHER APPEARANCES: Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Final Fight Revenge BIO: Rolento was a member of Metro City's Mad Gear gang until the group was dismantled by the heroes Guy, Cody, and Haggar. Afterwards, Rolento sought to create his own nation out of a united militia. He has a large number of followers and soldiers, but when he fights he does it one-on-one. Rolento wields a metal baton and uses knives and grenades in his attacks. He is adept at leaping all over the walls of a fight setting in order to use an arsenal of aerial attacks. Patriot Circle - QCF + P (x 3) Stinger - DP + K -> P / K Mekong Delta Attack - 3P -> P Mekong Delta Air Raid - QCB P -> P Mekong Delta Escape - QCB + K -> P / K Scouter Jump - 3K Trick Landing - B / F + 3K (when landing from any Jump) Take No Prisoner - QCF QCF + P Mine Sweeper - QCB QCB + P Steel Rain - QCF QCF + K ==================================================================== RYU --- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter 2010 (^_^), Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter III series, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX series, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Ryu is the main character of the Capcom Street Fighting games. He is the epitome of the fighter who lives only to fight and improve himself. Ryu is disciplined, his technique is honed, and his strength is incredible. He trained from childhood in Japan with his friend Ken. Now he travels the world looking for the next worthy opponent. During his journeys, he was challenged by Akuma, the man who killed Ryu's master. Akuma informed Ryu that he had much untapped power hidden inside him, and that he could never be the warrior he wishes to be until he unleashes that power. That power is also sought by M. Bison, overlord of Shadowloo, who wants to capture Ryu and somehow enhance himself with Ryu's strength. Hadouken - QCF + P Shakunetsu Hadouken - HCF + P Shoryuken - DP + P Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - QCB + K (A) Shinkuu Hadouken - QCF QCF + P Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku - QCB QCB + K Shin Shoryuken - QCF D DT + P (3) ===================================================================== SAGAT ----- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter EX 2 Plus, Street Fighter EX 3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Sagat was the world street fighting champion until a young upstart named Ryu defeated him, burning a scar in to his chest. Sagat soon found himself bitterly consumed with a lust for revenge, training hard to one day face Ryu again and defeat him. He added new moves to his Muay Thai arsenal, and has accepted a position helping M. Bison in exchange for the promise of new power, which he hopes to use against Ryu. Sagat is a towering fighter and wears an eyepatch. He was master to Adon and the killer of Dan's father, the man who cost him an eye. Tiger Shot - QCF + P Ground Tiger Shot - QCF + K Tiger Uppercut - DP + P Tiger Crush - DP + K Tiger Cannon - QCF QCF + P Ground Tiger Cannon - QCB QCB + P Tiger Genocide - QCF D DT + K Tiger Raid - QCB QCB + K ===================================================================== SAKURA KASUGANO --------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter Alpha 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, Street Fighter EX 3, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Sakura is a schoolgirl whose primary interest is Street Fighting, much to the dismay of her friends and classmates. She idolizes Ryu and often seeks to challenge him and make him her mentor. Sakura's style is modeled after Ryu's and, although her technique is not as refined, her moves have been honed to be quite effective. Hadoushou - QCF + P Shououken - DP + P Shunpu Renkyaku - QCB + K -> QCB + K Shunpukyaku - QCB + K (A only) Oukakyaku - QCF + K (A only) Sakura Otoshi - DP + K -> P (x 3) / K Shinkuu Hadouken - QCF QCF + P Midare Zakura - QCF D DT + K Haru Ichiban - QCB QCB + K ===================================================================== SHIN GOUKI ---------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Super Street Fighter II Turbo OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Home version), Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Shin Gouki is Akuma at his true, full power (Gouki is Akuma's name in Japan). Shin Gouki's most notable feature is his Double Zanku Hadouken in the air. That, along with his speed, makes him nearly unstoppable. After the Millionaire Fighting 2001 Tournament (sponsored by Ken Masters and Robert Garcia), Shin Gouki not only has the full powers of Akuma, but he also, after performing a Raging Demon on Rugal, has the addition of Orochi blood. Now, Akuma has access to the deadliest move in the history of all Street Fighting: the Raging Demon powered by Orochi blood. Gouhadouken - QCF + P Zanku Hadoken - QCF + P (A only) Shakunetsu Hadouken - HCB + P Goushoryuken - DP + P Tatsumaki Zankukyaku - HCB + K (A) Tenma Shurettou - D D + 3P / 3K Ashura Senku - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Messatsu Gouhadou - HCB HCB + P Messatsu Goushoryu - QCF D DT + P Tenma Gouzanku - QCF QCF + P (A only) Shungokusatsu - LP LP T LK HP (3) Misogi - HCB HCB + K (3) ===================================================================== VEGA ---- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX 2, Street Fighter EX 3, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Vega is called the "Spanish Ninja." His preference is to fight in cage, where he can scale the walls and dive down on opponents, tearing them apart with a long metal claw that he wears on his hand. He wears a mask to protect his face, since he is extremely vain and considers himself beautiful. This obsession with beauty permeates his personality and his attitude towards his opponents. He equates beauty with strength and ugliness with weakness, deserving of death. He is employed by M. Bison as an assassin for Shadowloo. Rolling Crystal Flash - B, T + P Sky High Claw - D, U + P Flying Barcelona Attack - D, U + K -> P Izuna Drop - D, U + K -> B / T + P (near enemy) Scarlet Terror - DB, T + K Back Slash - 3P Short Back Slash - 3K Flying Barcelona Special - DB, DT DB U + K -> P Rolling Izuna Drop - DB, DT DB U + K -> B / T + P (near enemy) Scarlet Mirage - B, T B T + K Red Impact - B, T B T + P (3) (Must have claw) ===================================================================== YUN --- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter III OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Gameboy Advanced version), Street Fighter III series BIO: Yun and his brother Yang appear in the later timeline, during the time of Street Fighter 3. They were born in Hong Kong and are well-known in the streets of Hong Kong as the Twin Dragons, the wildest boys in China. They have strong connections to the underworld bosses who they consider their godfathers. However, Yun is temperamental, impulsive, cocky, and arrogant and Yang disapproves of Yun's tendency to fight without thinking. They both learned their martial arts from their grandfather, which some rumors say is Gen; all three have similar martial arts styles. Yun enjoys skateboarding as much as fighting, which he does with a good dose of speed. Tetsuzankou - DP + P Zesshou Hohou - QCF + P Senkyutai - QCF + K Kobokushi - QCB + P Fake Kobokushi - QCB + 3P Zenpou Tenshin - HCB + K Sourai Rengeki - QCF QCF + P Raishin Mahhaken - QCF QCF + K You Hou - QCB QCB + K (3) Hiten Souryujin - QCB QCB + K (A only) (3) ===================================================================== ZANGIEF ------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Street Fighter II OTHER APPEARANCES: Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX series, Gem Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: When he rose to prominence as the greatest wrestler in Russia, the Russian government put Zangief through more training and had him become an agent. Zangief's assignments included the infiltration of Shadowloo, which he may have done by posing as one of their members. Zangief's fearsome fighting techniques, which include the crushing Screwdriver (or Spinning Piledriver), has earned him the nickname "Red Cyclone." Since he Throws so much, opponents often cry cheap, but this doesn't faze him. Zangief works alone, but has recently taken up an apprentice named R. Mika. Double Lariat - 3P Quick Double Lariat - 3K Banishing Flat - DP + P Screw Piledriver - 360 + P Atomic Suplex - 360 + K (next to enemy) Flying Power Bomb - 360 + K (away from enemy) Final Atomic Buster - 360 360 + P Aerial Russian Slam - QCF D DT + K ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ================== Chapter 17 ---| SNK Characters |------------------------------------------------ ================== ATHENA ASAMIYA -------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Athena OTHER APPEARANCES: Psycho Soldier, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Neo-Print BIO: Athena is blessed with powers from all sorts of mythological origins. They say she is an incarnation of the Greek goddess Athena, and that she draws her psychic powers from the legendary bird, the Phoenix. She utilizes these powers to fight evil, and she and her friends Kensou and Chin form the Psycho Soldiers, a band of heroes. This team also participates regularly in the King of the Fighters tournaments. When not utilizing her psychic powers in battle, Athena prefers the life of a cheerful and spirited young schoolgirl. Her trademark is her incredibly vast wardrobe, and she can change outfits magically in the blink of an eye. Psycho Ball Attack - QCB + P Psycho Sword - DP + P (A) New Psycho Reflector - HCB + K Phoenix Arrow - QCB + K (A only) Super Psychic Throw - HCF + P Psychic Teleport - QCF + K Shining Crystal Bit - HCB HCB + P -> 3P (Level 2 or 3 only) Crystal Shoot - QCB + P (hold) Phoenix Fang Arrow - QCF QCF + K (A only) ===================================================================== BENIMARU NIKAIDO ---------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '94 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters series, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Benimaru is a young half-Japanese half-American who is skilled in the fighting style known as "shooting." He is quite conceited and vain, and loves nothing more than the attention and adoration of women. To his frustration, it is his fighting partner, Kyo, who seems to get most of this attention and adoration. Kyo, Benimaru, and a third partner named Goro teamed up to participate in the King of Fighters tournaments. Benimaru has, over the years and throughout many adventures, become a reliable friend to Kyo, but never ceases to grumble at the praises lavished upon Kyo. He hopes to one day be able to steal the spotlight from Kyo, in the most sportsman-like way possible, of course. Benimaru's trademarks include his overdone hairstyle and his ability to channel electricity in to his attacks. Lightning Fist - QCF + P Lightning Fist Upper - DP + P Iaido Kick - QCF + K Bounce-Back Tri-Level Kick - D U + K Super Lightning Kick - DP + K Shinkuu Katategoma - HCB + K -> 3K Benimaru Collidor - HCB F + P Heaven Blast Flash - QCF QCF + P Discharge Spark - QCF QCF + K Elec-Trigger - HCB HCB + P ===================================================================== BLOOD IORI ---------- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '97 OTHER APPEARANCES: SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Iori's Yagami family line has always been tainted with the blood of Orochi. When the Orochi power took over his body during the Riot of Blood, Iori lost control over himself and became uncontrollably murderous. Only with a confrontation with Kyo was Blood Iori defeated, returning Iori to his normal self and finally breaking free of the Orochi curse. Dark Thrust - QCF + P Fire Ball - DP + P Deadly Flower - QCB + P (x 3) Dark Crescent Slice - HCB + K Hellfire Wave - HCF D DF + P Maiden Masher - QCF HCB + P ===================================================================== CHANG KOEHAN and CHOI BOUNGE ---------------------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '94 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters series, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO BIO: Chang and Choi were lowlife criminals in Korea, but their lives changed forever when they ran in to Korean fighter for justice, Kim Kaphwan. He beat them into submission, then forced them to train with him so that they could one day be good and upstanding men. Chang and Choi do not enjoy this at all, and often try to find ways of escaping, but every time they try they are caught by Kim and then beat into submission again. Kim puts their training to use by having them become his teammates and participating in the King of the Fighters tournaments. Chang is a humongous and rotund man who wields an iron ball on a chain in battle. Choi is a tiny man who wears a hat and uses claws to fight his enemies. The two friends get a chance to team up and fight together in CvS2. Spinning Iron Ball - Tap P -> 3P Breaking Iron Ball - B, F + P Big Destroyer Toss - HCB F + P Hurricane Cutter - HCB + K Flying Slice Dash - DP + K Hisho Kuretsu Zan - HCF + K Wild Ball Attack - QCF HCB + P Tornado Ripper - HCB HCB + K ===================================================================== GEESE HOWARD ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury OTHER APPEARANCES: Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: First Contact, Art of Fighting 2, King of Fighters '96, King of Fighters 2000, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, BIO: Geese is the feared evil crime boss of Southtown. The whole city is under the control of his organization. His goals are simple: to become extremely rich and extremely powerful. As a diversion and a way of drawing out and eliminating possible dangerous enemies, he created the King of Fighters tournament. He held the tournaments for a few years until one day he was defeated and apparently killed by Terry Bogard, who came to avenge his father's death. But Geese did not die, and he has kept his business running, this time with a lower profile. Geese is a proficient martial artist whose main skill is his ability to counter enemy attacks. He is arrogant but level-headed. He is later truly killed by Terry, who then raises Geese's orphaned son Rock. Wind Slice - QCF + LP / MP Double Wind Slice - QCF + HP Gale Slash - QCB + P (A only) Upper Body Blow - HCB + LP Middle Body Blow - HCB + MP Lower Body Blow - HCB + HK Evil Shadow Smasher - HCB + K Raging Storm - DB HCB DF + P Deadly Rave - HCB F + LK, LP LP LK LK MP MK HP HK QCB + HP ===================================================================== GOD RUGAL --------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Capcom Vs. SNK 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: None BIO: Rugal has received various enhancements in the past, turning himself into Omega Rugal and such. But nothing has ever made him as powerful as this. Sapping the powers of Akuma after the Millionaire Fighting 2001 Tournament (sponsored by Ken Masters and Robert Garcia), Rugal gained the powers and knowledge that Akuma has awakened in himself. Now, God Rugal has the powers to bend time and space with teleportation and the power to use the most deadly skill ever conceived: the Raging Demon enhanced by Orochi power. Wind Slice - QCF + P Kaiser Wave - F HCF + P (hold) Genocide Cutter - DP + K God Press - HCB + P Dark Barrier - HCF + K Dark Smash - QCF + P (A only) Rugal Execution - HCB + K Ultimate Lane - DP / RDP + 3P / 3K Gigantic Pressure - QCF HCB + P Total Annihilation - QCF D DF + K Last Judgement - LP LP F LK HP (3) G-End - HCB HCB + P (3) ===================================================================== HAOHMARU -------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Samurai Shodown OTHER APPEARANCES: Samurai Shodown Series, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium BIO: Haohmaru is a character based on the classic samurai Musashi Miyamoto, and is the hero of the Samurai Shodown series of games. Haohmaru seems to be a wanderer who is only looking for the next worthy challenger. He thinks very highly of himself. He is well-rounded and astoundingly powerful with his sword. Secret Cyclone Slash - QCF + P Fake Cyclone Slash - QCF + K Secret Crescent Moon Slash - DP + P Secret Earthquake Slice - QCB + P Slash of Supreme Judgement - QCF D DF + P Flame of the Conqueror - HCB F + P (3) ===================================================================== IORI YAGAMI ----------- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '95 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Iori's family and Kyo's family go way back; the Yagamis and Kusanagis had been fighting each other for hundreds of years. Both families were responsible for sealing away the deadly Orochi power, but in due time the Yagami clan broke the trust they had with the Kusanagi clan in order to free the Orochi and gain its power. As a result, the descendants of the Yagami clan have blood tainted with Orochi power. Iori is no exception. His goal is to kill Kyo, which he means to do in the King of Fighting tournaments. Time after time, though, he failed to that. A selfish loner and all-around angry individual, Iori only became more dangerous when the Orochi power within him began to take control of him in what is known as the Riot of Blood. He became uncontrollably murderous, and only in a final confrontation alongside Kyo versus the source of the Orochi power was he able to finally free himself from the curse of the power. Iori's trademark in his fighting is the purple flame. His attack style is brutal and inelegant, utilizing clawing and slashing. Even after all that he's been through, his goal is still to kill Kyo. Dark Thrust - QCF + P Fire Ball - DP + P Deadly Flower - QCB + P (x 3) Dark Crescent Slice - HCB + K Scum Gale - HCB F + P One-For-The-Road Blast - QCB HCF + P (hold) Maiden Masher - QCF HCB + P ===================================================================== JOE HIGASHI ----------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury OTHER APPEARANCES: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Fatal Fury Series, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: First Contact, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters KYO BIO: Joe is one of the Lone Wolves, a band of fighters headed by Terry Bogard. He is good friends with both Terry and Terry's brother Andy. Together, they fight in tournaments, but they also dish out justice to the criminals who reside in the Bogard's hometown of Southtown. Joe's specialty is Muay Thai. He is a braggart and a loudmouth, but his friends forgive him because they always know they can depend on him. Hurricane Upper - HCF + P Slash Kick - HCF + K Tiger Kick - DP + K Golden Heel Hurter - QCB + K TNT Punch - Tap P Screw Upper - QCF QCF + P Exploding Hurricane Tiger Talon - QCF HCB + P Double Cyclone Upper - QCB QCB + P (3) ===================================================================== KIM KAPHWAN ----------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout: Fatal Fury series, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: First Contact, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO BIO: Kim is a Korean Tae Kwon Do master. He is obsessed with one thing: justice. Since he is so skilled in his martial art that he has decided to use this skill to fight crime wherever he finds it. Most notably, the reforming of criminals Chang and Choi has been his main project for many years now. He trains them hard and makes them his teammates in the King of Fighters tournaments. Chang and Choi are not appreciative of this, and often try to escape, but are never successful. Kim is an upstanding and honorable man; his skills will later be passed on to his two sons. Crescent Moon Slice - QCB + K Flying Kick - QCF + K (A only) Flying Slice - D, U + K -> D + HK (after D, U + HK only) Sand Blaster - D, U + P Comet Cruncher - B, F + K Spirit of Conquest Kick - D D + K (hold after D D + HK only) Phoenix Flattener - QCB DB F + K Heavenly Phoenix Kick - QCF HCB + K (A only) Phoenix Kick Tornado - QCF QCF + K ===================================================================== KING ---- GAME OF ORIGIN: Art of Fighting OTHER APPEARANCES: Art of Fighting 2, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: A woman of French origin, King was sent to Thailand at a young age to learn the Muay Thai fighting style. She became skilled, but was dismayed at the fact that the Muay Thai tournaments did not allow women. Thus, she dressed in men's clothes, cut her hair short, and gave herself the name "King" in order to disguise herself as a man in the tournament. She was exposed, however, and disqualified. Disgraced, King moved to Southtown in the U.S. to open a bar. An elegant woman who still hides her womanhood in appearance and speech, King was glad to be able to exercise her skills in the King of Fighters tournaments, where she usually assembles a team of women fighters. She is friends with many of the women fighters in the tournament, and harbors a secret affection for Ryo. Venom Strike - QCF + K Double Strike - QCF QCF + K Surprise Rose - DP + K Trap Shot - RDP + K Tornado Kick - HCB + K Mirage Kick - QCB + P Illusion Dance - QCF HCB + K Silent Flash - QCB QCB + K ===================================================================== KYO KUSANAGI ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '94 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Kyo is the reigning champion of the King of Fighters tournaments. Beginning in 1994, Kyo and his teammates (usually consisting of Benimaru, Goro, and/or Shingo) took the circuit by storm and, because of the corrupt nature of the tournament, found themselves battling off a lot of evil forces, ranging from Rugal to the source of the Orochi power which his ancestors fought so hard to seal away. Kyo continues a centuries-old feud between his family and the Yagami family by often fighting with Iori. Cool and cocky, the handsome Kyo is popular with classmates and friends alike, although he condescends to those whom he feels are not worth his time. His trademark is the weapon of his family: the crimson flame. Fire Ball - DP + P Crescent Slash - HCB + K R.E.D. Kick - RDP + K Spinning Kick - DP + K New Wave Smash - QCF + K -> K Wicked Chew - QCF + LP / MP Nine Scars Maker - QCF + P Rusting Eight Combos - P Seven Hurting Combos - K Rusting Eight Combos - HCB + P Flashing Slash - P Seven Hurting Combos - K Poison Gnawfest - QCF + HP Crime Gnawfest - HCB + P Punishment Gnawfest - F + P Serpent Wave - QCB HCF + P (hold) Final Showdown - QCF QCF + P ===================================================================== MAI SHIRANUI ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: First Contact, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Mai is trained in the Ninjitsu arts by her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui. Her grandfather also trained Andy Bogard, whom Mai became instantly attracted to. In the years that followed, her attraction to him grew, but Andy took little notice and journeyed with his brother Terry on many adventures. Mai has since had several encounters with the Bogard brothers inside and outside of the King of Fighters tournaments. Mai uses folding fans, flames, and aerial attacks in her fighting. She is extremely well-endowed and is considered beautiful, passionate, and not too bright. And she still loves Andy to this day. Kacho San - QCF + P Ryu En Bu - QCB + P Deadly Ninja Bees - HCF + K Flying Squirrel Dance - D, U + P Air Flying Squirrel Dance - QCB + P (A only) Sun Fire Samba - D, U + K Super Deadly Ninja Bees - QCB HCF + K Swan's Fandango - QCF QCF + P Crimson Firebird Diver - QCB QCB + P (A only) ===================================================================== NAKORURU -------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Samurai Shodown OTHER APPEARANCES: Samurai Shodown series, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: From Galen Komatsu and Ewan Ng's Samurai Shodown Information FAQ: "Nakoruru is one of the Ainu, Japan's indigenous/aboriginal people." She is a self-appointed protector of nature, and destroys opponents who would dare to defile it. She uses a small knife and is assisted in battle by her faithful hawk Mamahaha. Confident in her strength, beauty, and the protective watch of the mountain gods, Nakoruru has no fear in a fight. During one of Nakoruru's intro, you can see Manali, Nakoruru's friend from the "Nakoruru: Anohito Kara no Okurimono" Dreamcast RPG and anime. Annu Mutsube - B DB D + P Lela Mutsube - QCF + P Amube Yatoro - HCB + P Kamui Risse - RDP + P -> P Mamahaha Grab - QCB + K Mamahaha Slash - LP / MP Mamahaha Kick - LK / MK Mamahaha Release - HK Mamahaha Attack - HP / B + HP / F + HP Shichikapu Ai - QCF + P Kamui Mutsube - QCB + P Shichikapu Kamui Irushika - HCB HCB + P Elelyu Kamui Risse - HCB HCB + K Shirikoro Kamuinomi - QCF QCF + K (3) -> 3K ===================================================================== RAIDEN ------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury OTHER APPEARANCES: (As Raiden or Big Bear) Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Raiden is a costumed, masked wrestler. He sometimes fights under the name "Big Bear" without his face mask. He has often faced off against the Lone Wolves (The Bogard Brothers and Joe Higashi). Lately he has found a new challenge: fighting for the right to be called the greatest wrestler by defeating the Red Cyclone: Zangief. Unusually strong and endurable, Raiden believes himself to be as powerful as the lightning god from whom his name originates. Giant Bomb - B, F + P Poison Spray - HCB + P Super Drop Kick - Hold 2K -> then release Thunder Crush Bomb - 360 + K Jumping Lariat Drop - DP + P Raiden Combination-Body Blow - RDP + P Head Butt - QCB + P Front Suplex - QCB + K Destruction Drop - 360 360 + K Flame Breath - HCB HCB + P Crazy Train - QCF QCF + P ===================================================================== ROCK HOWARD ----------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves OTHER APPEARANCES: None BIO: Rock belongs in a future timeline, after Geese has suffered death at the hands of Terry Bogard. Terry finds that Geese had a son named Rock. Only eight years old, he is adopted and raised by Terry, who teaches him his fighting style. Once Rock is old enough, he uses his skills in a quest to find out more about his past and to locate his mother. Rock's style is most similar to Terry's, but he does retain moves characteristic of his father, Geese. Apparently, he is not proud of Geese's legacy, as implied by his intro when he faces off against his father in this new fantasy realm of Capcom vs. SNK. Cyclone Sock - QCF + LP / MP Double Gust Punch - QCF + HP Rising Tackle - D, U + P Hard Edge - QCB + P Crack Counter - QCF + K Rage Run-Type "Dunk" - QCB + LK Rage Run-Type "Save" - QCB + MK Rage Run-Type "Shift" - QCB + HK Evac Toss - 360 + P Raksasa - 3P (Hold) Raging Storm - QCF QCF + P Shining Knuckles - QCF QCF + K Neo Deadly Rave - HCB F + LK, LP LP LK LK MP MK HP HK QCB + HP ===================================================================== RUGAL BERNSTEIN --------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '94 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters '95 (as Omega Rugal), King of Fighters '98, King of Fighters 2000, King of Fighters R2, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Feared and powerful, Rugal oversaw criminal activities from his personal aircraft carrier, the Blacknoah. He was of a high class: he loved beautiful women, drank wine, and kept a panther by his side. He also had the sick hobby of taking strong fighters he would personally defeat and encasing them in liquid metal to create statues for his collection. Once he found out about the Orochi power, he desired to have it, but the evil Orochi representative Goenitz stopped him and attacked him, gouging out Rugal's right eye. Rugal survived and Goenitz was impressed, so he infused Rugal with a bit of Orochi power while sending Vice and Mature to pose as Rugal's secretaries and keep an eye on him. Rugal replaced his eye with a sight orb, and hosted a new King of Fighters tournament so that he could kill the winners and make them part of his collection. This plan failed; the result was that he was left for dead when the Blacknoah self-destructed. Because of the Orochi power, though, Rugal survived. He replaced his arm with a cybernetic arm and became Omega Rugal. He ran another King of Fighters tournament to get his revenge on the Kyo's team, who handed him his defeat the first time. This plan also failed: Rugal drew from his Orochi power but could not handle it, and it killed him, this time for good. Wind Slice - QCF + P Kaiser Wave - F HCF + P (hold) Genocide Cutter - DP + K God Press - HCB + P Dark Barrier - HCF + K Dark Smash - QCF + P (A only) Gigantic Pressure - QCF HCB + P Total Annihilation - QCF D DF + K ===================================================================== RYO SAKAZAKI ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Art of Fighting OTHER APPEARANCES: Art of Fighting series, Fatal Fury Special, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Ryo is the eldest child of Takuma Sakazaki, a master of Kyokugenryo Karate. Once, Takuma disappeared and then Ryo's little sister, Yuri, was kidnapped. With his friend Robert Garcia, Ryo investigated the streets of Southtown until he was able to rescue his family. Ryo is an upstanding man who takes the study of his art of fighting very seriously. He frowns upon his sister's being trained to fight because he doesn't want her to get hurt. He also harbors a secret affection for King. Tiger Flame Punch - QCF + P (A) Koho - DP + P Lightning Legs Knockout Kick - DB, F + K Zan Retsu Ken - F B F + P Kyoku Gen Kick Dance - HCB + P Crazy Tiger Thunder Attack - RDP + P Haohshokohken - F HCF + P Ryuko Ranbu - QCF HCB + P Heaven Glaze Punch - QCF QCF + P (3) ===================================================================== RYUHAKU TODO ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Art of Fighting OTHER APPEARANCES: none BIO: Todo had an old score to settle with one Takuma Sakazaki. One day he went in to Southtown to take care of business, only to come back defeated at the hands of Takuma's son, Ryo. Todo's daughter, Kasumi, has now taken up the fight in his place. The Todo family utilizes a style called Kobujutsu. Ryuhaku Todo is said to be rather slow and can lose track of his opponents. Why he is now an active fighter in CvS2 is anybody's guess. Ecstasy Crunch - QCF + P Rising Ecstasy Crunch - DP + P Air Ecstasy Crunch - QCF + P (A only) Center of Gravity - HCB + P Ultimate Ecstasy Crunch - QCF QCF + P Mind's Eye Slingshot - QCF HCB + P ===================================================================== RYUJI YAMAZAKI -------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury 3 OTHER APPEARANCES: Real Bout: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Real Bout: Wild Ambition, Real Bout: First Contact, King of Fighters '97, King of Fighters '98, King of Fighters '99 (Home version), King of Fighters 2000, King of Fighters KYO BIO: Yamazaki is a crazed fighter who lives to kill his opponents. He considers himself an assassin for hire and has found himself under the employ of many an evil crime boss. One such employer was Geese, who wanted to utilize him in a team to participate in the King of Fighters tournament for the purpose of discovering more about the Orochi power. Yamazaki has been fighting regularly in the tournaments ever since. He fights with one hand in his pocket; that's where he keeps the knife he often uses in his attacks. Yamazaki is practically insane, laughing maniacally as he trounces his opponents. Hydra's Judgement - DP + P Serpent Slash Upper - QCB + LP (hold) Serpent's Feint - HK Serpent Slash Middle - QCB + MP (hold) Serpent's Feint - HK Serpent Slash Lower - QCB + HP (hold) Serpent's Feint - HK Taunt & Counter - HCF + K Double Return - QCF + P Sand Scattering - QCB + K Serpent Slash - QCB + P Flight of Tempering - DP + K Bomb Bopper - HCB F + P Guillotine - QCF QCF + P Drill - HCB HCB + P -> Tap P ===================================================================== TERRY BOGARD ------------ GAME OF ORIGIN: Fatal Fury OTHER APPEARANCES: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Fatal Fury series, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Fatal Fury: First Contact, Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters EX, King of Fighters KYO, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Terry Bogard is one of the legendary fighters on the King of Fighters circuit, as well as a hero of Southtown. His father, Jeff Bogard, was murdered by Geese Howard when Terry and his brother Andy were young. Terry then trained hard in the streets, using skills taught to him by his father, to prepare for the chance for vengeance. He got his chance when Geese hosted a King of Fighters tournament. Terry, along with Andy and their friend Joe Higashi, fought through the tournament to the top, and there Terry personally landed the blow that knocked Geese out of the high-story window to his apparent (but not actual) doom. Terry continued honing his skills in later KoF tournaments. He and his team are called the "Lone Wolves." Terry wears a trademark red cap and jacket. He would later finish Geese off for good and raise and train Geese's orphaned son, Rock. Power Wave - QCF + P Burning Knuckles - QCB + P Rising Tackle - D, U + P Crack Shot - QCB + K Power Dunk - DP + K Power Geyser - QCB DB F + P Buster Wolf - QCF QCF + K ===================================================================== VICE ---- GAME OF ORIGIN: King of Fighters '96 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters '98, King of Fighters 2000, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Vice and her partner Mature were agents and assassins working for Goenitz, an evil representative of the Orochi power. They were sent by Goenitz to keep an eye on the developing release of Orochi from its seal and on Rugal, who is utilizing a small grant of the power. The two ladies volunteered to be Rugal's secretaries until he unfortunately destroyed himself trying to use Orochi power. Next they were sent to watch over Iori, whose inherent Orochi power may also be developing. They posed as his partners in the '96 tournament. Unfortunately, at that tournament's conclusion, Iori entered the Riot of Blood and killed both Vice and Mature. Vice was known for being angry and violent, often desiring to spill an opponent's blood with her deadly strength. Nail Bomb - HCF + P Gore Fest - HCB F + P Tranquility - DP + P Mayhem - QCB + P Da Cide Slayer - DP + K Da Cide - HCF + K Da Cide Slayer - DP + K Outrage - QCB + K Rave Fest - QCB + K (A only) Negative Gain - HCB HCB + K Withering Force - QCF QCF + P ===================================================================== YURI SAKAZAKI ------------- GAME OF ORIGIN: Art of Fighting 2 OTHER APPEARANCES: King of Fighters series, King of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King of Fighters KYO, SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, Capcom Vs. SNK BIO: Yuri's first appearance as a character was as a kidnapping victim in Art of Fighting. Apparently, she was kidnapped by Geese, who also blackmailed her father, Takuma, into fighting for him. She was rescued by her brother, Ryo, and her good friend Robert Garcia. Since then, Yuri has shown herself to be a worthy fighter in her own right, much to the dismay of her brother, who is afraid she will embarrass him and the fighting style he and their father trained to perfect. Yuri, generally a good-natured young girl, lends a dose of spunk and speed to the family fighting style of Kyokugenryo Karate. Tiger Flame Punch - QCF + P Raiohken - QCF + K Yuri Super Upper - DP + P Yuri Double Uppers - DP + HP Saiha - QCB + P The 100 Blows - HCB + K Haohshokohken - F HCF + P Scalding Steam Blast - QCF D DF + P Flying Phoenix Kick - QCF HCB + K ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | PART V: CLOSING | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Typical wrap-up stuff here. Credits, thanks, and closing. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ====================== Chapter 18 ---| Credits and Thanks |-------------------------------------------- ====================== Wow. There are just too many people to mention and to thank in this FAQ... I dunno how I'm gonna squeeze everyone in to keep this FAQ short (oops... too late for that, I guess... ^_^). Well, I guess I'll start directly with those involved with the FAQ... -- Thanks to Alan Sentman, first and foremost, for reading this monstrosity over and over and over again, giving me edits and opinions and experiments to try, always proving himself right over my theories. Also thanks to him for letting me use his apartment as a vacation spot to relax and take some time to seriously dedicate to writing this version 2.0 of the FAQ. He does just about everything a man who needs a real editor could possibly want. And even stuff that a man who needs an editor doesn't need. ^_^ But what can I say? The random poems and comments and jokes I got were great for keeping me sane while writing this thing. Thanks, Alan. -- Also, a separate thanks to Derek Daniels for also helping me experiment and always conversing with me about various aspects of the game, helping me always flush out ideas and getting everything straightened out. And also thanks to him for telling me I'll never, EVER do a version 2.0 of this FAQ. He did it to inspire me, I know, to actually get off my ass and do it. And what can I say, he did it. ^_^ So whether I actually wrote this FAQ or not, he wins. ^_^ -- Thanks to Majestros for the always interesting and fun conversations about the game systems of CvS2. I don't think I ever have that much fun just _talking_ about a Street Fighter game as when I'm discussing them with you. You're always willing to lend an ear to my theories on Juggles, and are always quick to give me your discoveries and theories as well. You're a great help to me writing these FAQs. -- Thanks also go to Majestros and Jason Villarreal and Tragic for also helping read over my FAQ and offering suggestions and corrections. Ands thanks to Jeff Chen, for being my early grammarian. -- Thanks to the crew at shoryuken.com: Inkblot, Ponder, Mr. Wizard, Javi, Choiboy, s-kill, and Omni (Again. See, I always get you in my Credits sections of my FAQs, this time I got you twice). -- Thanks to the Southern Hills Golfland fighting game crew for the repeated competition and practice... and for just hanging out. First and foremost, I need to thank Mr. Alex Valle. You always give me something to strive for... namely finally beating you FOR THE FIRST TIME in a tournament. ^_^ And I can't forget the others, though I'm not even gonna try to list them here anymore, since I'm bound to forget WAAAAAY too many people. So I'll just thank them all in one big inclusive thanks! -- Thanks also to John Choi, another person who I strive to be as good at in this game (or any game). That list expands itself with other NorCal players as well, but again, no name listing in fear I will leave someone off... -- Thanks also to my "local" competition, who I play most of all: Jeff Chen and Jason Villarreal. -- Thanks goes to CJayC... without whom there would be no GameFAQs, and without GameFAQs, life just wouldn't be the same, would it? ^_^ -- Thanks to Henry Moriarty, for talking me through some concerns of mine. -- Thanks to Kao Megura, who is always the inspiration of Fighting Game FAQ writers. -- Thanks to Kao Megura. Because, seriously, one thank you to this guy is never enough. Kao is the man who made Fighting Game FAQs THE FAQs to read. His attention to detail and tendency to explain everything is legendary. -- Thanks to Jeff Chen, my bro, who created the Movelists and wrote the bios for each character. That was a lot of extra work he did, almost for his own interest. -- Special thanks go to Kao Megura, Galen Komatsu, Orochi K, MO'Neill, OmegaMAD, JKuroki, MDean, Henry Moriarty, EXAndy, Yoma, Toxic, KShirakani, JGolden, Hunter, GalFord, SFujimoto, SHolmes, RJoseph, Deuce, Darklancer, Gunsmith, RSephiroth, MMalekzandi, TClemente, Acorn, and CJayC. These fellas all wrote various FAQs for Art of Fighting games, Samurai Shodown games, Fatal Fury games, King Of Fighters games, various Marvel Crossover games, Street Fighter EX games, etc. that I used to look up which characters have been in which game for the Movelists. -- And ESPECIALLY thank you to Kailu Lantis for writing the King Of Fighters Story FAQ and the Fatal Fury Story FAQ. Without those, the "Bios" for each character would have been nigh impossible. Also, a thanks to Psyke/Orochi K for the King Of Fighters Cast FAQ, which saved me a GREAT deal of time in gathering up who was in which game. And Galen Komatsu and Ewan Ng for their Samurai Shodown Information FAQ. -- And last, but not least, thanks to Capcom for their continual support for the arcade scene. There have been rumors of Capcom pulling out of the coin-op scene, but may that day never occur. Keep making your 2-D fighters... they are still the best Fighting Games out there. -- And a parting homage to the original SNK. I never really played their games all that much, but like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, being Capcom's main "competitor" in Fighting Games always made both strive to improve their 2-D games. Hopefully, SNK's revival as Playmore will see SNK continue to make new Fighting Games. We'll see what your SNK Vs. Capcom arcade game will turn out like. ^_^ -- And, as usual, thanks to Alan Sentman and Jason Villarreal for coming up with the "proper" pronunciation of "Combometer" (comm-BAH-muh-ter). I will pronounce it this way forever now thanks to you guys... ===================================================================== ===================================================================== ===================================================================== =========== Chapter 19 ---| Closing |------------------------------------------------------- =========== Dammit, this FAQ is already long enough. I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I hope you enjoyed reading through the FAQ and learning just about everything there is to know about this game. If you have any compliments, comments, criticisms, or suggestions for future updates, please e-mail me at jchensor@shoryuken.com. However, my time is tight, and it took me a good three months to write this FAQ. I barely have time for anything these days, so I will say this right now: if you e-mail me for any of the above, please do not be insulted if I do not respond with an e-mail of thanks. My e-mail abilities have plummeted just about entirely, because I have such little time, and any free time I do have, I'd like to spend it doing some of my hobbies. ^_^ So this goes ESPECIALLY to those who are writing to ask me a question. PLEASE feel free to write me with a question, but please do not be surprised if I don't write you back for a week, a month, or maybe even three months. But I will TRY to get back to you the best I can. I hope this FAQ has helped you come to a VERY strong understanding of the game. Hopefully, there shouldn't be a question you haven't had answered from this FAQ about the game system. So take this newfound knowledge of the Combo System and use it well. And remember one thing... I LOVE SIX BUTTONS!!! Whoops... That's not how it's supposed to go... Um... What was it again? Oh yeah... COMBO IS THE KEY!!