SF4 Seth Combo Development

Since i have almost no experience using Seth, and since quite a few people consider him their favorite combo character, i thought we’d try something different this time.

Instead of hunting down every existing SF4 Seth combovid myself, i’ll just let you guys tell me what you want me to try in his episode. As long as the idea sounds somewhat reasonable, i’ll give it a go. To keep this crazy exercise on track, please do me a favor and make sure your suggestions are based on concrete knowledge – either verified directly or seen in a video.

This process might work smoothly or it might not; it may save time or may waste time instead; it could be fun or it could suck – but it’s unexplored territory so it’s worth a shot.

72 thoughts on “SF4 Seth Combo Development

  1. Doopliss

    Is it possible to do “lvl.3 FA (trade), lvl.2 FA, LP Tanden, EX Tanden x2, lvl.1 FA?” That would be a really silly combo that I’d like to see.

  2. Maj Post author

    Well, i’ve verified that it works, but i don’t know if it’s exciting enough. I might include it but hopefully i can find a way to improve it.

    Of course it’s tricky because adding c.HP before the lvl1 Focus Attack actually makes it less interesting.

  3. Pokey86

    Why not do something like

    FA LVL3 -> FA LVL 2 -> HP Tanden -> EX Tanden -> EX Tanden -> Crouch HP -> FA LVL 1 -> Stomps

    Doesn’t the killer blow make the enemy rise higher on an airborne hit? if so maybe you could use that momentum to do a KO on the first stomp followed by a wall jump in to more stomps perhaps.

  4. Maj Post author

    EX Tanden to lvl1 Focus Attack is a 1-frame link, so sacrificing it for a generic stomp combo seems like a downgrade. I’ll mess around with post-KO stomps but i don’t know if you get a juggle height boost. Even if you do, it can’t be much and the time limit on post-KO stuff is very short. (Not to mention it’s a huge chore to set up lifebar positions for post-KO combos.)

  5. Pokey86

    ah, i see, in that case, if a ground level 1 Focus is used as a KO couldn’t you finish off with a dash in to a stomp or two if time permits it. or maybe back dash in to stretchy punch. (Doubt that’ll work though, not to mention it’s a bit of a pants ender to go through all the effort of a KO combo)

    – Random mention, your Cammy KO add-on is my favourite KO combo so far. (Spin Knuckle to Focus)

  6. Maj Post author

    Nope, no dice. If you KO with lvl1 Focus Attack and dash forward, you barely have enough time for one instant air attack before the game stops listening to what you push. Wall jump is way too ambitious.

    You can’t do anything after backdash. Not even another Focus Attack, which you can input much earlier than s.HP since Focus Attacks (and specials) get buffered into dash recovery whereas normals do not.

    Also lvl1 Focus Attack (KO) xx dash forward, lvl1 Focus Attack doesn’t juggle because it’s too slow. Obviously it wouldn’t work after c.HP because you don’t get a free juggle if the knockout hits an airborne opponent. Good thing though, because i wouldn’t want to drag out a post-KO setup for an extra lvl1 Focus Attack in a combo that doesn’t even max out Focus Attacks.

    Post-KO Tanden Engine is kinda ghetto too. Whether you use regular Tanden Engine after a light attack or EX Tanden Engine after anything else, it doesn’t keep the opponent on the ground. They just fall towards Seth but otherwise there’s nothing special about the result.

    Btw i’ve been testing all of this stuff using a standard PS3 pad – because in most cases it’s faster and more fun than using tool-assistance. So there’s nothing unique about what i’m doing. You guys can test post-KO stuff too. As long as you’re not trying to perform it at the end of a long combo, there’s nothing super difficult about it.

    And thanks for the compliment; i’m glad you liked the Cammy bit.

  7. Maj Post author

    Speaking of post-KO Tanden Engine, what’s the maximum for a non-dizzy combo? Something like HP TE, EX TE, EX TE, c.LP (KO) xx HP TE right?

    Is there any way to expand that? Regular Tanden Engine doesn’t connect during that glitched out Hyakuretsukyaku state, right?

  8. Pokey86

    I’m almost certain it doesn’t, It’s easier to consider normal Tanden as a throw, it doesn’t effect airborne, juggled, or those in hitstun.

    Is there anyway to interrupt a tanden mid flow? he’s immune to projectiles while the suction kicks in but what about Codies Rocks or Kunai? Mind you you’re on Vanilla. Nuts. I was thinking something like HP Tanden -> Interrup -> FA LVL 2 -> LP Tanden -> EX Tanden -> EX Tanden -> Close LP -> MP Tanden

    Oh, & it’s trivial, but worth noting, on KO hit VS a grounded opponent, Seths Dive kick causes the crumple style end. Can’t see what this would Garner, land in to close HK for 2 hits, or Close HK with the first hit cancelled to FALVL1

    Hmm, i wonder if you can do a dive kick after a Close Tanden. i wouldn’t have thought so but i know Dive kick in Vanilla was alot faster.

  9. Pokey86

    Oh yeah, i forgot: it’s probably already known but

    If you hit this combo REALLY high up VS Balrog

    Jump Stomp -> Jump MP -> Stomp Set -> Dive Kick (Whiff)

    then you can EX Tanden him back in before he hits the floor, timing is tight though. might suit if you’re going for a stomps record or something

  10. Maj Post author

    Post-KO divekick crumple sounds cool. I’ll check it out, but i can probably find a better use for two meters bars than saving it for s.HK (one hit) xx EX Focus Attack. It’s not too hard to find a weird-looking juggle after KO though, as long as you have enough time before the game stops accepting inputs. Divekick impact freeze plus recovery is a lot shorter than Focus Attack impact freeze plus dash recovery.

    Is there a way to set up that stomp sequence from the ground, or do you have to start air-to-air? If it’s the latter, then wouldn’t you get more stomps by starting with stomp to j.HK on the ground? You’d save a lot of meter anyway, so i guess it depends on whether he has any way to transition from the ground to stomps to EX TE reset.

    Anyway it looks like this video might have to wait until after Evo. I’ll keep working on it and posting random findings here, but i’ve got too many Evo-related odds and ends to worry about. It seems unlikely that i’ll find a solid week of free time to hammer this out. Sorry about the added delay, sirs.

  11. Pokey86

    No worries, take your time.

    & nah, from all my attempts, even with unlimited meter, you have to start the combo from AA

  12. Maj Post author

    I messed around for a while with trading EX Tanden Engine against Ryu’s c.LP and i don’t think there’s enough hit stun to connect lvl2 Focus Attack. That means it definitely wouldn’t work with a fireball interrupt.

    As far as i can tell, you can’t trade regular Tanden Engine directly with a physical attack. So it’s not even worth it because comboing EX Tanden Engine isn’t an obstacle. Looks like we’re stuck at four.

    Also i’d prefer to avoid starting a combo with Tanden Engine since it doesn’t show up on the combo counter. At least if you start with Focus Attack crumple stun, you can deduce from the combo total that the Tanden Engine must have connected.

  13. Maj Post author

    No luck with Tanden Engine to divekick either. Looks like the divekick might be fast enough to combo, but it requires forward jump which means it always misses over the dummy – even in the corner against fat characters.

    Anyway i think the most you can do after divekick KO is two chained light attacks. Too bad Seth doesn’t have a target combo.

    It’s an interesting discovery regardless. Maybe there are other moves in the game with similar behavior.

  14. Pokey86

    I personally believe the basis on what a move does post KO is based on the amount of hitstun it causes, which is why light attacks cause crumple. Seths dive kick causes very little hit stun.

    If we had a medium/hard attack that causes just as little asa light attack it’d be good to test.

    & yeah i didn’t expect you’d get much from the Dive kic KO thing.

  15. Pokey86

    Some more rnadom notes.

    one of the things possible preventing us from doing long wall bounce combos is that the opponent nearly always fall towards the corner when you do stomp combos. however if you do a an SRK FADC as close as possible to the opponent, after the forward dash Seth turns round for a moment which means if you jump & stomp at this time the stomp will push the opponent away from corner.

    The problem here is that they cant be cornered or Seth doesn’t turn. You can be very close to the corner though. you will also get Seth to turn around after the dash if you FADC an Anti air Crouch HP, but once again they can’t be flush with the corner during.

    With this in mind what have i been able to accomplish?… One extra stomp after a wall bounce VS Rufus (Which is, Grounded SRK -> FADC -> Stomp -> Wall Bounce -> Stomp -> Stomp [+ wall bounce off other end for no reason]) & one extra stomp after a wall bounce against Boxer (AA Crouch HP -> FADC -> Stomp -> Stomp -> Wall Bounce -> Stomp -> Stomp [+ wall bounce off other end for no reason])

    I’m hoping it’s just my execution, i was hoping to get an AA Crouch HP -> FADC -> Stomp -> Wall bounce -> MP -> then perhaps EX Tanden (Maybe, if god likes combo videos)

    Also for a random note #1, if you FADC a Crouch HP -> SRK in the corner you can do 3 stomps to a wall bounce to a Dive kick VS Rufus. Pretty easily actually

    Me messing around VS Rog

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ngrylLzvo

    I had a few more ideas, but this was just to test my new recording equipments (Or old, depending on how you look at it)

  16. Pokey86

    Random note #2

    Smileymike101 discovered that all the hits before the final hit of super maintain juggle potential. So if you were able to interrupt it in any way, you could follow up with anything. (Presuming they’re in float statte first. God knows how you’d interrupt it though, i know two hit projectiles beat it, but all those are usually to fast to do anything. The video below proves it, as the opponent has to be in JP0/Float for the suction to take effect.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypSu50Ecg7A

    Random Note #3

    Just curious, i know you can do Sonic Boom -> FADC -> Legs. Which, at the right distance, legs hits first & the boom hits during the legs animation. But does anyone know what this might do to an opponent that gets KO’d by the boom?

    Sorry for the multiple posts.

    Random Note #4

    Crouch LK -> Stand LK -> Stand HP -> Boom -> FADC (against most characters & shoto’s)

    Stand HK -> Stand HP -> Boom -> FADC (VS Seth mostly)

    these two combos after a very deep jump in, Tanden suction or boom -> FADC in corner lets you link directy after with Crouch HP or Ultra 1

  17. Maj Post author

    Nobody rises as much as Balrog does, but Honda is kinda floaty too. Also Rufus, Dhalsim, and Zangief seem to be useful juggle dummies, but that might be for other reasons like large falling hitboxes.

    Not sure i understand the last random note. Are you saying to combine those two sequences and end with c.HP to ultra? I guess that might be a good alternative to a vs-Seth damage combo.

  18. Pokey86

    i mean after the FADC boom you can go to crouch HP, the boom hits late offering frame advantage, letting you go from the boom straight to the ultra, hell you miught be able to do a stomp to jump hk, i haven’t tried.

  19. Maj Post author

    Oh i see, i’ll keep that in mind if i find an interesting c.HP followup. But j.D+MK to j.HK requires very deep timing plus probably counterhit, so it’s pretty much hopeless in the middle of a combo, going up instead of coming down.

  20. Pokey86

    yeah i tried it, no chance of stomps mid combo.

    This’ll probably be my last contribution, i’m fresh out of ideas now.

    i managed to do Stomp -> Stomp -> Wall bounce -> Full Stomp set

    Against Balrog that was jumping towards me while i was in the corner., it looks like it might work on other characters but i can’t be sure, it also looks like you’d be able to suck Balrog back in with an EX Tanden after, but i’ve always just missed it.

    Oh yeah, final random note, with perfect spacing near the corner you can do Crouch HP -> Sonic Boom -> EX Tanden -> Whatever.

  21. Maj Post author

    More damage trials with Seth:

    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), HP Tanden Engine, s.HK, s.HP xx LP DP, LP super (15 hits) (602dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), vertical j.HK, walk forward, close s.HK, c.MP xx HP super (615dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), vertical j.HK, c.HP xx whiff HP Sonic Boom xx HP super (621dmg)

    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), lvl3 Focus Attack xx dash forward, HP Tanden Engine, s.HK, s.HP xx HP Sonic Boom xx HP super (570dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), lvl3 Focus Attack xx dash, HP Tanden Engine, s.HK, s.HP xx HP super (592dmg)

    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), lvl3 Focus Attack xx dash, HP Tanden Engine, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu, j.D+MK x3, LP super (15 hits) (590dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), HP Tanden, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyaku, j.D+MK x3, LP super (15 hits) (593dmg)

    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), vertical j.HK, c.HP xx HP DP x3, LP super (15 hits) (563dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), vertical j.HK, c.HP, HP super (15 hits) (593dmg)
    Seth counterhit j.HK vs Seth crouch, s.HK, s.HP xx HK Hyakuretsu (Seth dizzy), vertical j.HK, c.HP xx LP DP, LP super (15 hits) (597dmg)

    These are all headed in the wrong direction. Not too encouraging. Looks like i’ll have to include that ghetto damage combo after all, or Pokey86’s variant.

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