By Maj

Certain types of moves in Capcom vs SNK 2 have associated sets of rules exclusive to that category. These rule sets deviate from the general conventions of the game, and in some cases supercede the universal rules. Three such special cases are discussed here - rapid fire weak attack canceling, special counter properties, and command throws.

Rapid Fire Weak Attack Canceling

Rapid fire weak attacks are jabs and shorts that chain into other weak attacks, regardless of whether the move makes contact or whiffs. Not all jabs and shorts are considered rapid fire weak attacks and some characters don't have any at all. Because of their unique chaining ability, it's very difficult to go immediately into a roll after doing a rapid fire weak attack. Try doing a standing jab with Ryu and immediately entering the command for a roll repeatedly. As long as you push jab+short rapidly enough, your character will be unable to roll. This is because a roll cannot be initiated while your character is in the middle of an attack, but another jab or short will cancel a rapid fire weak attack. The game defaults to that and your character stands there jabbing even though you are entering the command for a roll. So if an opponent executes a super and your character is frozen in the middle of a jab, don't try to roll through immediately because that will only result in another jab or short and more than likely, you getting owned.

A situation analogous to the roll example arises when a jab or short and any other button are simultaneously pressed immediately after a rapid fire weak attack. Normally in CvS2, if two buttons are pushed at the same time, the stronger of the two takes precedence and the weaker is ignored. However, if you attempt this immediately after a rapid fire weak attack and a jab or short was used in the button combination, the jab or short will come out instead. Since the stronger attack cannot be used to cancel a rapid fire weak attack but a jab or short can, the stronger attack is ignored and the game defaults to the weak attack. To test this out with Ryu, set one of the buttons to Punchx3 under Controller Settings and try it. Note that fierce punch normally comes out. Now push jab and immediately mash on the Punchx3 button. Ryu will continue jabbing as long as you press the button rapidly enough. If you allow one of the jabs to fully animate and finish on its own, the Punchx3 button will go back to functioning as a fierce button.

A third situation falling under this category arises when a "Tap attack rapidly" special move, such as Honda's Hundred Hand Slap or Joe's Machine-Gun Punch is attempted using a rapid fire weak attack. This is actually very difficult to do because in order for these moves to come out while the character is in the middle of a whiffing rapid fire weak attack, the command for the special must be entered between the frame a jab or short is initiated and the frame where it becomes chainable. So basically, you have a one or two frame window to push jab or short three or more times in quick succession. Even if the game were to register multiple button presses during each frame, this technique would border on humanly impossible. Also, since all of your button presses are resulting in jabs, the game has no reason to store them as potential commands for a special move, so it doesn't make any difference how long you sit there jabbing. However, if these jabs connect there is a slight lag of a few frames due to the game's collision registration and you have a lot more time to input the command for the special. In addition, a good deal of the jabs don't actually come out if you mash fast enough while they are making contact, so the game has a reason to store them as commands for a special. What this all means when applied to an actual match is that these moves are perfect for comboing from jabs, but awful if you want to do a jab version far away. Also, the only two characters this applies to are Chang and Joe because those are the only two with rapid fire weak attacks that can be used in a "Tap attack rapidly" special. To test all of this out, pick Chang and attempt to do his Ball and Chain attack from his crouching jab up close. You should get it to come out after two or three connecting jabs, making a very useful easy-mode combo. Now try this far away using the same crouching jab. It's virtually impossible. Now try it far away using Chang's standing jab. This should be fairly easy since Chang's standing jab is not a rapid fire weak attack. Alternatively, you can press fierce punch and immediately start mashing on crouching jab, utilizing the lag on one of Chang's slower moves to get the command for his Ball and Chain attack in without having to deal with rapid fire weak attack chaining.

Special Counter Properties

There exists a small set of moves in CvS2 that absorb hits and in most cases, counterattack. They are Eagle's Canterbury Blue (QCF + P, hold to delay, [during Autoguard phase]), Chang's Tekkyuu Funsai Geki (charge B, then F + P [during Autoguard phase]), Geese's Counters (HCB + P), Hibiki's I o Awasu Nari (HCF + K), Kyo's 105 Shiki: Doku-Gami (QCF + HP [during Autoguard phase]), Rock's Crack Counters (QCF + K), Shin Akuma's Tenma Shurettou (D, D + PPP/KKK), Todo's Shingan: Kuzu Otoshi (QCF,HCB + P), and Yamazaki's Sadomaso (HCF + K). The interesting thing is that the trigger to activating the counter is hitting the character performing it, and the game registers this as an actual hit with respect to K-Groove meter. If you use any of these counters against an attack, you receive as much K-Groove meter as you would had you gotten hit by it normally. However, because of the Autoguard property that counters possess, the damage that would normally be done to the character performing the special counter is reduced to zero provided that the counter is appropriate for the type of hit executed against it.

Geese's High Counter and Todo's Counter Super are unique in that they can counter super moves, and the only requirement for these counters to do their job is that they get hit while in counter animation. So these two counters are actually the only moves in the game that can punish a super while it is still in its early invincible frames, and the only two counters that can interrupt Morrigan's Darkness Illusion super after parrying the first hit. And they get meter for it in K-Groove to boot! Try Geese's High Counter against Blanka's lvl3 Direct Lightning - you get almost 70% meter!

Command Throws

Characters equipped with command throws in CvS2 possess huge advantages in many respects. For one, command throws cannot be teched under any circumstance, so landing one guarantees you the damage. On top of that, they naturally count as special moves and can therefore be used to interrupt the lag resulting from a Short Jump attack or to go directly from running animation into a throw. Certain command throws are even useful in C-Groove lvl2 cancels and A-Groove Custom Combos. But that's not all ...

Perhaps the biggest advantage command throws possess is also the least obvious one. Normal throws cannot be initiated unless the opponent is in a throw-able state. This generally means that they cannot be in hit stun or block stun. The actual grab happens four to six frames after a normal throw is initiated and then the throw can be teched until the tenth or eleventh frame. What this means is that if you do tick -> throw, there is at least a six frame window for Reversals, and most jabs and shorts come out faster than that. All your opponent has to do is notice your tick attempt and mash on crouching short, and there is very little you can do to punish the crouching short even if you take it into consideration.

Command throws tend to have a grabbing frame somewhere between four and eight frames after their initiation. Now if you're using a tick setup, either with something like crouching short or a jump-in, you have the option of initiating the command throw whenever you wish - your opponent does not need to be in a throw-able state. What this allows you to do, is time your command throw so that it goes into its grabbing frame at the same time as your opponent recovers from hit stun or block stun. This type of throw setup requires much tighter Reversal timing to escape, and cannot be nullified by a jab or a short because if done right, there will not be enough time for any normal attack to come out. Using this technique, Iori gains an untechable throw that cannot be counter-thrown and is very difficult to escape, even though on paper Iori's command throw has a long eight frame startup. Command throws can also be used to grab a fallen opponent the instant they get up, again leaving them with only a one or two frame Reversal window.

A few command throws also give you meter just for executing them, so you can build a little bit of free meter every time you knock your opponent down or are a safe distance away from them. Even with those command throws that do not give you meter if whiffed, you can kara-cancel a normal attack in its very early stages into a whiff grab and get a little bit of meter for free. For example, you can use Raiden's Giant Bomb to kara-cancel his standing fierce and get one free point of super meter. Although noteworthy, this tactic is all kinds of advanced and is totally impractical.

Special thanks to jchensor, omni, ShadyK, and Viscant. Look up jchensor's CvS2 Systems and Combo Guide in the articles page or at GameFAQs.com for more detailed informantion on rapid fire weak attacks and super meter statistics.