TEKKEN 3 NINA WILLIAMS MOVELIST AND STRATEGY GUIDE v1.2 by Coz
Note: This should be viewed in a standard text editor in order to look
right. It was originally made in Word and had to be converted so it would
mail right, so I apologize in advance if some of the format is off.
*Table of Contents*
Introduction
Why play Nina?
Changes from Tekken 2 to Tekken 3
Conventions
Basic Movelist
Expanded Movelist
Combos
Okizeme
Attack Strings
WYTTGTDTDT
Character Matchups
Player Styles
Credits
*Intro*
This is a strategy guide intended to provide you with the skills and
tactics of playing Nina at a high level of competition. Therefore, this
guide is made with the assumption that you already know how to play Tekken
3. I'm not going to bother with the basics of Tekken 3 gameplay and
strategy, there are many other well-made faqs out there for that. This
guide is also assuming that you are playing an opponent at a medium to high
level of skill.
*Why play Nina?*
She can put pressure on your opponent like no other character. She is
fast, fun to play, has many spectacular combos and moves. She for some
reason seems to be unpopular (or maybe the other characters are more
popular) and you can use the elements of surprise and unfamiliarity to your
advantage. She is a well balanced character and matches up good against
every character so far. Also play her because you can be extremely mean
with her, especially in the okizeme area.
*Changes from Tekken 2 to Tekken 3*
Nina was tinkered with a bit from Tekken 2 to 3. In general, I'd have to
say Nina was made even more powerful, despite a few obvious power-down
effects. Nina lost the stun-on-clean-hit Ninja Bitch Slap, the Crab Claw
multiparts can be broken, and her reversal isn't half as effective.
However, due to the changes in the Tekken engine, a handful of very useful
new moves, and some now vicious okizeme, Nina is definitely top-tier of the
Tekken 3 cast, if not the best overall.
*General Nina Fighting Strategy*
Nina was designed to be an offensive character. Obviously everyone has
their own playing style, but I believe that when you play an aggressive, in
your face style of Nina you will get the best results.
*Conventions*
MC - Major Counter, when you hit your opponent during the execution of his move.
mC - Minor Counter, when you hit your opponent during the recovery of his move.
Okizeme - Attacking a downed opponent.
QR - Quick Recovery, rolling and rising immediately after hitting the ground.
Clean hit - getting a damage or hit effect bonus by hitting an opponent
really deep or solidly with a move. In Nina's case, applies only to the
Blond Bomb and Flip Kick, and possibly the Ninja Bitch Slap.
*Basic Movelist*
This is intended to be the first or one of the first complete movelist with
hit levels. If I miss any move, no matter how insignificant, please let me
know. As the Namco site's move list, the only one with damage points, is
incomplete, most likely I will not put damage points on this movelist until
the home version is released, and there isn't space for them in the current
format anyways. The Expanded Movelist will have the damage for specific
moves lifted from the Namco site for the moves that are there. A note
about move names: in general, if you look at 5 different movelists, there
will be 5 different names for a move. This list is no exception. The
names for the moves are taken from various sorces, and by no means are
official. In general I just thought up names that somewhat described the
move. If you want official move names, go to Tekken Online, but I think
they're pretty silly (read "phoenix smasher").
Hit Effect Key (The hit effect that follows after an equal sign is what
happens on MC):
H: Normal hit
K: Knocks down
F: Floats
S: Stuns in some manner
R: Rolls back
Hit Level Key:
h: Hits standing opponents who are not blocking
m: Hits crouching opponents or standing opponents who are not blocking
l: Hits standing opponents or crouching opponents who are not blocking
g: Hits grounded opponents
s: Can be blocked by either standing or crouching opponents
u: Cannot be blocked
caps: Also hits grounded opponents
THROWS (Escapes in brackets)
Front:
1+3 Arm Takedown {1}
2+4 Lifting Toss {2}
1,2,1 Falling Elbow
2,1,3 Arm Snap
d/f,d/f+1 Embracing Arm Strike {1+2}
u/f+1+2 Overhead Toss {1+2}
QCF+1+2 Chin Bash {2}
3,4,3,1+2 Arm Bar {1+2}
2,3,4,2,2 Knee Bash, Neck Snap {2}
1,3+4,1,2,1+2 Falling Neck Snap {1}
1,2,4,3,1+2+3 Octopus Special {1+2}
1,3,2,1 Standing Arm Lock {1}
3,1,4,1+2,1+2 Double Arm Break {1+2}
2,1,3,4,1+2 Falling Arm Lock {1}
QCB+1+4 Evading Knee Bash
2,1,1+2,1+2+3 Twisting Arm Lock {2}
1,3+4,1,2,1+2 Falling Neck Snap {1}
1,2,4,3,1+2+3 Octopus Special {1+2}
1,3,2,1 Standing Arm Lock {1}
3,1,4,1+2,1+2 Double Arm Break {1+2}
2,1,3,4,1+2 Falling Arm Lock {1}
QCF+3+4 Crab Claw {1}
3+4,3,4,1+2 Arm Bar {1+2}
3+4,4,2,1+2 Achilles Tendon Lock{2}
3,1,4,2+4 Single Leg Lock {1}
1,3,2+4,3+4,1+2 Figure-Four Leg Lock {1+2}
Left:
(any throw motion) Arm/Leg Snap {1}
Right:
(any throw motion) Swinging Arm Toss {2}
Back:
(any throw motion) Crawling Limb Snap
MOVE NOTATION DESCRIPTION HIT LEVEL HIT EFFECT
SIMPLE MOVES
u/b+3_u+3_u/f+3 Quick Sky Kick m K
u/b+4_u+4_u/f+4 Leaping Kick h K
3 Slow High Kick h K
4 Fast High Kick h H
1//2 Jab//Slow Jab h H
d+3_wc+3 Turning Sweep L H
d+4_wc+4 Quick Low Kick l H
d+1_2//wc+1_2 Low Jab_Slow Low Jab l H
d/f+1_ws+1//d/f+2_ws+2 Uppercut m H//F
d/f+3 Slow Sidekick m H
d/f+4 Quick Sidekick m H
ws+3 Turning Heelkick h K
ws+4 Quick Axekick m H
SPECIAL MOVES
d+4,1 Low Kick, T-A Slap lh H
d/b+2 Ninja Bitch Slap m H=S
d/b+1 Swipeing Uppercut m H
d,D/F+2 Swinging Uppercut m F
f,f+1 Step-in Slap h H
f,f+2 Quick Stab m H
f,f+1+2_ws+1+2 Blond Bomb m K=R
F+1+2 Delayed Blond Bomb m K=R
b+2,2 Double Slaps mm K
f,f+3_QCF+3 Bad Habit Kick m H=S
f,f+4_QCF+4 Flip Kick M H
u/f+4,3,4 Can Opener hlh H=K
wc,d/f+4 Leg Sweepy L K
d/b+4 Leg Slicer L H
d/b+4,3 Divine Cannon Combo Lm F
d/b+3+4_d,d/b+3 Divine Cannon m F
SS+1+2 Super Blond Bomb m K=R
SS+2 Palm Uppercut m H=F
SS+b+1_b+1 Evading Chop h K
SS+1 Palm Hit m H
SS+4 Shin Sweep L H
d+3+4 Grind G -
u~u/b Backflip - -
b+1+3_b+2+4 Attack Reversal - K
d+1+3_d+2+4 Low Guard Break - -
d/b+1+2(u,u to cancel) Hunting Swan u(m) K
QCF,d/b+2+3 Poison Breath u(h) H
Tenstrings:
1_d/f+1_ws+1,2,1,2,3,3,1,2,1,4 h_m,h,h,h,h,l,h,h,h,h
1_d/f+1_ws+1,2,1,2,3,3,1,2,4,3 h_m,h,h,h,h,l,h,h,l,m
1_d/f+1_ws+1,2,1,2,4,3,4,2,4,3 h_m,h,h,h,h,l,l,m,l,m
PUNCH/KICK COMBOS
3
3
2 Kick, Low Kick, Uppercut hLm
4 Kick, Low Kick, High Kick hLh
d+4 Kick, Low Kick, Ankle Kick hLl
4 Kick, Turn-Around Kick hh
4
3
2 Fast Kick, Low Kick, Uppercut hLm
4 Fast Kick, Low Kick, High Kick hLh
d+4 Fast Kick, Low Kick, Ankle Kick hLl
d+3
2 Low Kick, Uppercut hLm
4 Low Kick, High Kick hLh
d+4 Low Kick, Ankle Kick
1_d/f+1,2
1,2,f+1+2 4 Punches, Blond Bomb hhhhm
f+1+2 2 Punches, Blond Bomb hhm
3 2 Punches, Kick hhh
4 2 Punches, Turn-Around Kick hhh
d+3
4 2 Punches, Low Kick, High Kick hhlh
2 2 Punches, Low Kick, Uppercut hhlm
d+1,N+4 Low Jab, Toe Kick sm
d+2,N+4 Slow Low Jab, Toe Kick sm
2
4 Punch, Turn-Around Kick hh
3 Punch, High Kick hh
d+3
4 Punch, Low Kick, High Kick hlh
2 Punch, Low Kick, Uppercut hlm
d/f+3
1,2,f+1+2 Mid Kick, T-A Slap, Punch, B Bomb mhhm
4 Mid Kick, Turn-Around Kick mh
2
1,4 Mid Kick, 2 Punches, Sweep mhhLH
d+3
2 Mid Kick, Punch, Low Kick, Ucut mhLm
4 Mid Kick, Punch, LKick, H Kick mhLh
3 Mid Kick, Punch, High Kick mhh
4 Mid Kick, Punch, T-A Kick mhh
3,3
3 Mid Kick, 2 High Kicks, Low Kick mhhl
4 Mid Kick, 2 High Kicks, T-A Kick mhhh
1,2,f+1+2 Mid Kick, 2 H Kicks, Punches, BB mhhhhm
*Expanded Move Section*
This section is intended to explain in detail everything there is to know
about all of Nina's moves, in terms of what it does, how good it is and
when to use it. Damage for the moves on the Namco site is listed
underneath each move. If you don't know already, in a player vs. player
fight, each lifebar is 140 points. In a player vs. cpu fight, each bar is
115.
THROWS
Arm Takedown (1+3) Usefulness: **
Damage: 30
Nina grabs the opponent's arm and spins them to the ground. Can be
followed up with okizeme. Useful if your 2+4 throw is being consistently
broken, otherwise don't use it.
Lifting Toss, Falling Elbow, Arm Snap (2+4,1,2,1,2,1,3) Usefulness: ***
Damage: 30, 5, 10
The better of the two normal throws. Does slightly more if you get the arm
snap, and has okizeme possibilities. To get the elbow/arm snap, do the
1,2,1 immediately after you hit 2+4, and then hit 2,1,3 right as she hits
the ground. The damage on this throw was toned down from Tekken 2.
Embracing Arm Strike (d/f,d/f+1) Usefulness: ****
Damage: 50
Nina's single best throw. Can be followed immediately with a 25 point
d+3+4 grind, and then okizeme. Obviously not a throw you are going to get
frequently because of the difficult motion, but it has its uses after a
d+4,1 and as a mC. Broken with 1+2. More on this in other sections.
Overhead Toss (u/f+1+2) Usefulness: **
Damage: 40
This throw is odd because of the inordinate amount of execution time on it,
and that it can be reversed (and reversal-broken with f+2+4). However, the
long execution time can be a boon in that if you throw it out sometimes,
people will run into it. 1,2,u/f+1+2 seems to work a lot.
Chin Bash multiparts (QCF+1+2) Usefulness: **
Damage: Chin Bash - 10
Arm Bar - 30
Knee Bash/Neck Snap - 30
Falling Neck Snap - 35
Octopus Special - 45
Standing Arm Lock - 20
Falling Arm Lock - 25
Double Arm Break - 25
These are the easiest of Nina's multipart starters to get off, however it
is also the most easily broken. I'd recommend against using the knee
bash/neck snap as the 2nd part as the break is with 2 and people tend to
hit it most often, however the octopus special after that part is the most
damaging.
Evading Knee Bash multiparts (QCB+1+4) Usefulness: **
Damage: Evading Knee Bash - 15
Standing Arm Lock - 20
Falling Arm Lock - 25
Double Arm Break - 25
Twisting Arm Lock - 28
Falling Neck Snap - 35
Octopus Special - 45
Admittedly I haven't fooled around with these much. The time to input the
2nd part is extremely small, and its a very difficult throw to grab with in
the first place as Nina takes a step back before the initial grab. It can,
however, go under many high attacks. There is some confusion about this
multipart series as some of the major movelists have different things
listed. Since I really haven't used them much I'm going with what Namco
Online says for them. I apologize in advance if they're incorrect.
Crab Claw multiparts (QCF+3+4) Usefulness: *
Damage: Crab Claw - 15
Arm Bar - 35
Achilles Tendon Lock - 20
Single Leg Lock - 35
Figure-Four Leg Lock - 45
These are also very difficult to get off, especially the Achilles Tendon
Lock. What works for me is to do QCF, pause, 3+4,3+4,4,2,1+2 very fast.
These do about as much damage as the Chin Bash ones. As you probably know,
a while running+3 to a standing opponent will automatically do the Achilles
Tendon Lock.
SIMPLE MOVES
I'm not going to go into detail on all of these as they are pretty standard
as far as Tekken normal moves go. The Sky Kick (u/f+3) is extremely quick
and hits mid, and recovers decently, however it only hits from extremely
close range. The Leaping Kick (u/f+4) unfortunately hits high and has some
startup time, but if it manages to hit you can get an OTB combo with d+4,1.
Its also the start of the Can Opener.
SPECIAL MOVES
Low Kick, Turn-around Slap d+4,1 lh Usefulness: *****
Damage: 7,10. Damage is 10,10 if move is performed wc+4,1
There is tons to say about this move so lets get right into it. This is the
most overlooked move Nina has, and one of the most useful. Basically its
just a low kick then a turn-around chop. If the low kick is a counter the
slap is guaranteed, but don't use this move for the damage as its does
basically nothing. Use it because the recovery on the turn-around slap is
TINY and leaves you at a huge advantage, ESPECIALLY when the slap hits.
Keep in mind that the 1 can be reversed if the 4 is blocked, so be ready
with reversal-break attempts. 2 of the biggest uses for the Low Kick,
Turn-Around Slap (hereafter referred to as the LKS) is in float combos and
for okizeme, both of which will be discussed in other sections. When you
use it against non-floating or grounded opponents, there is 3 basic
situations:
1) The kick hits, the slap is blocked.
This is obviously the most common situation. If you use the LKS against a
standing opponent, they will be forced to block the high slap if the low
kick hits. After the slap is blocked, you have a small initiative
advantage, i.e. if you both punch after the slap, your punch will hit. So
what this means is that since the slap put you right in their face, you
have the option of guessing what they are going to do and responding with
the appropriate action. If they duck or punch, Divine Cannon them. If
they stand, use the Embracing Arm Strike. In general, the safest thing
they can do is crouching punch, but your crouching punch will beat that as
well a low guard break. More on this in the attack string section.
2) The kick MCs, the slap hits.
This is where you really have a chance to inflict some serious pain. You
are at a much better advantage when the slap hits rather than blocked. If
you do an Embracing Arm Strike immediately after the slap hits, it will
pull them out of everything they do including punches. The only thing they
can do is crouch, but that's easily remedied with a Divine Cannon, d/f+2 or
other mid-hitting moves. Note that if the slap hits, the recovery time on
it is so low that 1,2 punches and d+1,N+4 is actually guaranteed, so go for
it if they have just a little life left.
3) The kick is blocked or hits, the slap whiffs over their head.
Obviously this is the worse situation. Your best bet here is to either
backdash or crouching punch, most of the time the crouching punch will
either come out or trade against whatever they're doing. However if they
block the kick it means you've trained them to start blocking low, which
means you have them right where you want them. Don't try to abuse the LKS
against people with good fast while standing attacks like Jin and Xiaoyu as
it can leave you with some major pain if the slap whiffs and they react
with ws+2.
One last note about the LKS: you can sidestep in the middle of it before
the slap comes completely out, but not do a sidestep attack.
Ninja Bitch Slap d/b+2 m Usefulness: *
Damage: 20, 30 on clean hit
Nina's old b+2 was wimped. It no longer double-over stuns on clean hit,
only on MC clean hit. After it double-over stuns, you can still follow it
up with an Embracing Arm Strike or a d/f+2 float. Don't use it very much,
as the execution and recovery time on it are both pretty bad, but at least
its not mCable.
Swipeing Uppercut d/b+1 m Usefulness: *
Damage: 10
This is a new Nina move, but one that I really don't see a use for. It
doesn't float, even on MC, and isn't blindingly fast or recover very well
either. Cute for show I guess. At least it hits mid.
Swinging Uppercut d,D/F+2 m Usefulness: **
Damage: 24
Another new Nina move that somewhat resembles the Swipeing Uppercut. Nina
takes a big step forward and swings her arm in an arc Jack-style. It hits
mid, and floats, but not very high and you can't follow it up very well
with anything other than a punch. The interesting thing about it is that,
like Jin's ss+2, sometimes your opponent will spin around slightly while
being floated, which means they can't quick recover. It would rate higher
but in every circumstance where you can use it, the Divine Cannon is a
better choice. This is a move that everyone has conflicting ideas about
how exactly it is performed but in my experience d,D/F+2 is the minimal
required.
Step-In Slap f,f+1 h Usefulness: *
Damage: 20
Don't use this move. It hits high, has huge execution and recovery time,
and pretty much sucks. If you do somehow manage to hit with it a Divine
Cannon Combo is guaranteed though, as they get turned to the side. On MC
they'll take a decent amount of damage and get knocked down. Use at your
own risk.
Quick Stab f,f+2 h(m?) Usefulness: **
Damage: 21, 15 for "mid" version.
Nina steps in and stabs her hand into her opponent's face. Recovery and
execution time are moderate. The only use for it that I've seen is if you
need a dashing mid move and don't want the bad recovery of the Blond Bomb,
or in wacky float combos. Supposedly hits mid if you tap rather than hold
forward, but I'm not 100% sure of that.
Blond Bomb f,f+1+2_ws+1+2 m Usefulness: ***
Damage: f,f+1+2 - 30, 45 on clean hit. ws+1+2 - 20, 30 on clean hit.
This is one of Nina's better moves, despite some pretty bad recovery time.
Nina steps in and does a double palmed strike to the opponent's midsection,
knocking down on normal hit and rolling back on MC. Does some good damage,
and is moderately hard to sidestep. Don't use it in float combos anymore
(if you ever did in the first place), use the Bad Habit Kick instead. Its
good for long range mC, but I wouldn't recommend using it too much in
normal fighting conditions as the recovery time is pretty horrendous and
will put you in a bad position. Although it is a 1+2 move, it is
reversal-broken with f+2+4.
Delayed Blond Bomb f+1+2 m Usefulness: *
Damage: 20, 30 on clean hit.
Don't use this move either. The only difference between this and the
normal Blond Bomb is that Nina takes a big step in prior to doing the move,
during with she can be MC ed by anything.
Double Slaps b+2,2 h,h Usefulness: **
Damage: 15, 18
Another decent new Nina move. Nina takes a step in and slaps twice. It
knocks down on normal hit and MC, but odd things happen when only the
second slap hits. More on this in later revisions. Anywise, it has
moderate execution time and bad, but not terrible, recovery. Its best uses
are in float combos, although don't use it against players who QR as they
can always do it before you can continue the float. Don't use it on the
ground too often, but its not bad if you're not sure of the diagonals and
need a fast mid move. If you somehow manage to connect with only the 2nd
slap, the opponent will turn to the side instead of being knocked down,
allowing for more abuse.
Bad Habit Kick f,f+3_QCF+3 m Usefulness: *****
Damage: 25
Most likely the best of the new moves Nina gained. Nina kicks the opponent
in the groin with the toe of her foot. If it hits normally, the opponent
with grab their groin for a second, then stand back up. On MC, they will
grab their groin and fall to the floor with their butt up in the air. If
you use it successfully against a standing opponent, immediately dash in.
If the kick hit normally, they will recover about the time you get to them,
leaving you with the initiative. If it MCed, you can start a float with
the LKS, or just do a Blond Bomb for some big damage. This move has good
recovery and execution, so use it at will when your opponent is within
range. The Bad Habit Kick is also the best guaranteed float combo ender
Nina has. Another nice thing about the Bad Habit Kick is that you can
disguise it with the QCF, i.e. you can do QCF+3 one time, which hits mid,
then do one of her crouch-dashing multiparts the next.
Flip Kick f,f+4_QCF+4 m Usefulness: **
Damage: 20, 30 on clean hit. When missed, Nina takes 5 points.
Nina jumps in the air and flips over, landing on her back. As you've
probably noticed, Nina will take damage if she doesn't hit anything at all
and squirm on her back for a second. However, you can quick recover from
this move, although I'm not exactly sure how. Most likely you can do it
anytime you don't hurt the opponent with it, but the window of time you can
QR is very small. Anyway, against skilled players your not going to find a
use for this move much. Its best use is against grounded opponents or to
end a float combo, but obviously they can QR and you'll miss. However at
the end of float combos it does substantially more damage than the Bad
Habit Kick so it might be worth the risk. Never use this move on a
standing opponent as if they reverse it, you can't reversal-break it as it
has a special reversal animation (Paul's powerbomb, Nina's leg spin etc.)
Can Opener u/f+4,3,4 hlh Usefulness: **
Damage: 20, 10, 14
This is a risky move but if used sparingly, it can be an effective way to
chip off the last 30 points or so from an opponent's life bar. Nina leaps
forward with her right leg then immediately do a low shin kick and a high
kick. It will sometimes catch opponents with bad reaction times or people
who are unprepared for it. If you need just a last bit of life, you can do
the first two hits and not be in too much trouble if they are blocked.
Quick-thinking players can low guard break the second hit, so be careful.
If the whole thing is ducked, you are in for some rough loving, but the
second hit pushes back far enough so that the standard while standing+2
will whiff. Try to use it sparingly or in weird situations where your
opponent won't be expecting it.
Leg Sweepy wc,d/f+4 L Usefulness: ****
Damage: 18
This is a great addition to the Nina arsenal. Nina goes real low to the
ground and swings her legs around underneath the opponent and knocks them
down if they were standing. Its great when your opponent is on the ground
and you need a last bit of life to finish them off. It has a deceptive
range on it, enough so that if you use it up close, it will catch
back-dashers. If someone manages to block it, they are pushed far enough
way so that only a ws+4 or maybe 3 will catch you. More on this move in
the Okizeme section.
Leg Slicer d/b+4 L Usefulness: ***
Damage: 10
First part of the Divine Cannon Combo. Nina quickly kicks at her opponents
shin and falls on her face, leaving her feet towards the opponent. In
Tekken 3, she can now roll back or forwards after the Leg Slicer, but not
dive unless you turn over to her face by pressing 1 prior to rolling.
Useful if you are playing hit and run, or if you just need a little life
off to kill your opponent. Be wary against good players though, as they
will expect this and low guard break it.
Divine Cannon Combo d/b+4,3 Lm Usefulness: *****
Damage: 10, 25
Like the Jin Gut-Punch Rush combo, much of your tactics should be based
around getting this move to MC. Nina does a Leg Slicer, then immediately
does a Divine Cannon. On normal hit the Divine Cannon doesn't combo, but
on MC it does and that should pretty much end the match. This was slowed
down slightly from Tekken 2, and the Divine Cannon can now be reversed, but
is easily solved by buffering reversal-break attempts. One thing to note
is that the recovery time on the Divine Cannon in the Divine Cannon Combo
is slightly smaller than a normal Divine Cannon, so you can do different
float combos.
Divine Cannon d,d/b+3_d/b+3+4 m Usefulness: *****
Damage: 25
Nina takes a big step forward and launches her upward. There is no
difference in the two different ways of executing this move but obviously
the d/b+3+4 is easier to do. This move comes out slower than it appears
and has a moderate recovery time. This is Nina's best normal juggle
starter, and should be the move you use to mC with if you get the chance,
but normally the execution time is a little to high to connect with it on
mC unless you really anticipate a whiffed move. The real nice thing about
the Divine Cannon is that it goes under punches. If people try to punch
out or duck when they lose initiative, the Divine Cannon will snag them.
Be careful though, as if they manage to sidestep from close range you can
sometimes be back thrown. Both versions of this move are reversal-broken
with f+1+3.
Super Blond Bomb SS+1+2 m Usefulness: ***
Damage: 20, 30 on clean hit.
The Super Blond Bomb is a lot like the regular Blond Bomb but the animation
is slightly different. What's "Super" about it is that if you connect on
normal hit, they will go flying away in a weird sort of Tekken 1-style
Blond Bomb animation, and most importantly, not be able to Quick Recover.
On MC it give rollback animation like the normal Blond Bomb.
Palm Uppercut SS+2 m Usefulness: ***
Damage: 15
Another nice sidestepping move. Nina uppercuts with her open palm,
causing a stagger-like animation on normal hit and floats on MC. Decent
execution and recovery time, but doesn't do much in the damage department.
Evading Chop b+1_SS+b+1 h Usefulness: **
Damage: 15
Nina sidesteps and chops out with her open arm. Connecting with it causes
a crumple-down animation, and she can easily start a combo with d+4,1.
However, the fact that it hits high and the not-so-good recovery time puts
this move towards the end of the usefulness scale.
Palm Hit SS+1 m Usefulness: *
Damage: 15
While the execution time is decent and it hits mid, it does basically no
damage and the recovery is god-awful. Another one of the "why the hell did
they give her this?" category.
Shin Sweep SS+4 L Usefulness: **
Damage: 10
Not a bad move. Nina quickly sweeps with her leg, and if it connects,
drops her opponent to their knees for a second. Its not much for damage
and the recovery time makes it something you don't want to whiff, but not
its not bad for mixing it up while in-fighting and can confuse your
opponent. It can be followed up with immediate while standing moves if
you're fast.
Grind d+3+4 G Usefulness: ****
Damage: 20, 10 if they are rolling.
This is another great new move for Nina which helps her win the okizeme
game. It basically works like Paul's Stone Splitter (d+2) and King's
ground throw (but faster). The problem is that they can't be moving at all
if you are going to get the full 25 or 30 points out of it. This seems to
be guaranteed after an Embracing Arm Strike. Much more on this move in the
Okizeme section.
Backflip u~u/b - Usefulness: *
Basically a glorified backdash. Nina flips away similar to Lee's but is
faster and recovers slightly better. Use this if you want to get out of a
bad situation quickly or feel like showing off, otherwise leave it alone.
Attack Reversal b+1+3_b+2+4 - Usefulness: ***
With the addition of reversal-breaks Nina's reversals has lost much of its
usefulness. Against skilled players, its best if you use it sparingly or
at odd times. Rising kicks can't be reversal-broken so you can use it
effectively in Okizeme situations.
Low Guard Break d+1+3_2+4 - Usefulness: ****
A great new addition to Nina's defensive arsenal. When attacked by a low
kick or punch, Nina pushes away the attack, setting up for some punishment.
Keep in mind when Nina low guard breaks a kick, the opponent's recovery is
much longer, allowing a guaranteed Divine Cannon. When she breaks a punch,
the recovery is very short. Your best bet after a low punch guard break is
to do an immediate Embracing Arm Strike as they will usually stand up right
into as they will be expecting a Divine Cannon. Note: the low guard break
also works on special level attacks, like a crouching punch.
Hunting Swan d/b+1+2 u(m) Usefulness: *
Damage: 95.
Like most unblockables, does massive damage and can be seen coming a mile
away. Best used when completely unsuspected or as a last-ditch attempt.
It gives crumple-falling animation and can be comboed into d+4,1. It is
reversal-broken with f+2+4.
Poison Breath QCT,d/b+2+3 u(h) Usefulness: *
Another seemingly useless move. Does no damage to standing opponents.
I've heard it can be effective in Divine Cannon Combo combos but since I
have a hard time getting this move consistently I haven't tried much. A
Divine Cannon may be guaranteed after it.
Tenstrings
All tenstrings are reversible at the 5th hit so be careful.
1_d/f+1,2,1,2,3,3,1,2,1,4 h_mhhhhlhhhh Usefulness: *
Don't use this one as its the easiest to block and mC.
1_d/f+1,2,1,2,3,3,1,2,4,3 h_mhhhhlhhlm Usefulness: **
Fairly tricky, ends in a super-lagged Divine Cannon Combo that you can get
small floats after.
1_d/f+1,2,1,2,4,3,4,2,4,3 h_mhhhhllmlm Usefulness: ***
Nina's best tenstring and the one you should use if you feel like using a
tenstring. Also ends in a Divine Cannon Combo.
PUNCH/KICK COMBOS
Again I'm not going to explain every one as most are fairly useless,
especially the ones that end high. Nina lost her ability from Tekken 2 to
use the big sky kick in her P/K canned combos, i.e. 1,2,u+3 etc. The d+3,2
Low Kick, Uppercut is one of her best as the uppercut is guaranteed if the
low kick MC s, but you're probably better off with the Divine Cannon Combo
anyway. Keep in mind that the only way to get the nicely annoying double
sweeps is d+3,d+4, 3,3,d+4, and 4,3,d+4. Abuse them if you can get away
with them as nearly everyone is going to block high to avoid the uppercut
float starter. The d/f+3,2 combos are like the d+4,1: you can sidestep
during them but can't do sidestep attacks.
*Combos*
Here is the section on Nina float combos. Lots of Nina combos,
particularly the off the bounce or low floats, can be interchanged with
other ones at a small damage difference. Against players who don't QR,
many of these combos can have a punch or two added at points. Experiment.
d/b+4(MC),3,b+2,2,d+3,N+4,f,f+4
More or less Nina's most damageing Divine Cannon Combo combo. Don't use
this on experienced players often as they can Quick Recover from it at 2
different points.
d/b+4(MC),3,b+2,2,d+4,1,f,f+3
Slightly less damage than the above combo and only Quick Recoverable at one
point.
d/b+4(MC),3,u/f+4,d+4,1,f,f+3
This is the Divine Cannon Combo combo I use against players who QR. It
does slightly less damage than the above combo.
(Face Down-Legs Toward Opponent position)3, ws+4,d+4,1,f,f+3
While basically a "pretty" combo it has its uses, especially people who have
mistimed their okizeme attempt. If you are playing against opponents who
QR omit the ws+4. Note that d/b+4 by itself will leave you in the FDLTO
position.
d/f+2,1,d+4,1,f,f+3
This is the combo I use if I hit with Nina's quick uppercut or after any
other low float.
d/b+2(MC),d/f,d/f+1
One badass combo.
d+4,1,1,f,f+3
This is the combo I use if you catch a back-rolling downed opponent with
d+4,1. More on this in the okizeme section.
d/b+3+4_d,d/b+3,u/f+3,d+4,1,f,f+3
This is the combo you should use if you connect with a Divine Cannon
against opponents who QR. If you don't think they're going to QR, use the
1st Divine Cannon Combo combo as there is enough time to get the b+2,2
after a normal Divine Cannon. Using u/f+4 after a Divine Cannon will
result in the d+4,1 being QRable.
f,f+3(MC),<dash in>,d+4,1,b+2,2
Obviously you can do other things after the LKS but this should give you
some ideas.
d,D/F+2, 1,d/f+3,2,3, f,f+4
The reason this and others like it is an actual guaranteed combo is that
sometimes after the swinging uppercut, punch, the opponent gets spun around
so that he's faceing down, which means he can't QR from the flip kick.
*Okizeme*
By now you should be familiar with the okizeme game in Tekken 3. The game
works like this: Player A is knocked down and Player B stands over them.
If A tries to rise, B does his low (but usually not ground) move that hits
A out his attempt. If B does it before A tries to get up, A can wait for
it to whiff and counter with a rising kick. However if B thinks A is just
going to wait for the whiffed attack, B can do a ground move such as the
grind, the Stone Splitter, ground throw etc. Nina's standard okizeme move
is the LKS. If your opponent back or forward rolls when you do the LKS,
both hits will connect and allow a small float combo. If your opponent side
rolls, the 4 will hit and the 1 will whiff, allowing them to get up safely.
If they lie there, both hits will whiff and they'll be able to hit you with
a rising attack before you can recover. Obviously, you'll want them to
back roll. However you need to set them up for this. A lot of this has to
do with knowing your opponent.
Probably the best thing to do to start after you've knocked someone down is
to do d+4. This will hit side and back rollers, and allow you time to dash
in and set them up again. The best thing is that if they are lying there,
the d+4 will whiff, and usually they'll try to rising kick you. You then
have a choice of guessing whether its a 4 and reversing it (rising 4s can't
be reversal-broken), or a 3 and low guard break it. Many players, after
getting knocked down, will stay on the ground and wait to see what you do.
This is the perfect time to use the d+3+4 grind. What's nice about the
grind is that it recovers before they have an opportunity to get up safely,
so you can repeat the whole process. Nina has the meanest okizeme in the
game, so be ruthless when you use it. I estimate I get about 20-30% of the
damage in a round I won from okizeme, and this is on people who play me all
the time. Good luck.
*Attack Strings*
Nina, like Jin and Xiaoyu, has the ability to string together moves almost
seemlessly. She can do this because of low recovery time on some of her
moves. When playing Nina aggressively, you need to predict what your
opponent is going to do when you do X, and then counter with Y or Z. In
most cases, Y and Z are the Embracing Arm Strike and the Divine Cannon.
This section contains strings that will set up for Y and Z. The most
important thing to remember when attacking with a string is that when
you've started a string, there is only a few things that they can do, and
there is a way to counter every one of them.
In general, your best bet for attacking is to use the LKS. So many good
things can happen if you guess correctly after this move.
d+4,1,d/f,d/f+1_d/b+3+4
This is a simple yet powerful string. The vast majority of people are
going to punch or duck after blocking the 1 slap, and the Divine Cannon
beats both of them. Remember to buffer reversal breaks for the Divine
Cannon.
d+4,1,d+1,ws+4
This is basically a setup string for against people who like to low punch
after d+4,1. This easily flows into other strings or moves.
d+4,1,d+1,d,df+4
The low jab sets up for the sweepy very nicely. The sweepy will catch them
even after a backdash.
d+4,1,d+1,d+2+4
Use this when people start trying to low jab or kick after your low jab.
d+4,1,d+1,d+4,1,d/b+3+4
A confusing and very successful string as it trains your opponent to crouch
into the Divine Cannon.
1,2,u/f+1+2
As stated before, an unusually successful string. The extra range on the
u/f+1+2 throw makes this connect.
d/f+3,2,1, d/b+3+4_d/f,d/f+1
The 3rd hit, the 1 punch, has a low amount of recovery on it and can be
stringed into the Embracing Arm Strike or Divine Cannon easily. The Divine
Cannon is your best bet as most people will be expecting the 4 sweep after
d/f+3,2,1.
d/b+4,3(blocked),d+4,1
A lot of times people will come in with a slow move after blocking the
Divine Cannon Combo and the LKS will MC it, setting up for more fun. This
is an easy way to stay aggressive. Don't use this against characters with
fast horizontal mid moves, like Lei's rushing punches, as you'll be MC ed
easily.
d+1,N+4,d/f,d/f+1
Occasionally people will walk right into the Embracing Arm Strike after the
ws+4 as they're hoping for an intiative advantage.
*WYTTGTDTDT Section*
This section is what about to do in response to what you predict your
opponent is going to do, or "When You Think They're Going To Do This, Do
That".
After losing intiative, duck or punch:
Divine Cannon. It will hit crouchers and go under punches easily.
After losing intiative, reverse:
Either throw, pause a second and Divine Cannon, or just do a mid/high move
and reversal-break it.
After losing intiative, sidestep:
This is sort of a problem, not only for Nina but every character in
general. If they sidestep immediately after a medium or long recovery time
move a Divine Cannon will usually snag them. If they do it after a short
recovery move or one that pushes you far away, your best bet is probably to
dash in and Divine Cannon, or just Divine Cannon Combo if you think they're
going to use a sidestepping move. Be careful of using the Divine Cannon on
sidesteppers as if you do it from close range and they dodge, they can
sometimes back throw you.
After losing intiative, ducking punch:
If they're close up, you can low guard break the punch and follow with a
throw or Divine Cannon. If the punch is going to whiff normally, you can
smack them with a Divine Cannon if you time it right, or just sidestep or
reverse if you expect a ws+4.
Tenstring:
You can reverse them at certain points, but your best bet is to low guard
break them at a low point, especially if its a kick as you will get a
guaranteed Divine Cannon. Examples: Paul 1,2,3,1,4, Nina 1,2,1,2,4,3, King
1,2,1,1,3,3,4 etc.
Quick Recover:
An immediate Divine Cannon will usually catch them. I'm not sure about the
mechanics of the QR, as there has been times where I've Divine Cannoned
someone 3 times in a row after a QR, and others where its been blocked.
Anyways, if your Divine Cannon is being blocked after a Quick Recovery,
just switch to throws.
Back roll and dive at you:
The best thing you can do is fake like you're going to attack them, and
then back dash, makeing their dive miss. Embracing Arm Strike them. If
you're too close and you think they're going to dive, sidestep and run at
them. Usually they do a turn towards attack when you get close. Just stop
and then dash in and throw or Divine Cannon.
Forward roll and dive at you:
Obviously the best thing you can do is float them with d+4,1 before they
can get the dive off. If you're doing a lot of fakeing for the back roll,
they might start doing the forward roll+dive from medium distance.
Sidestep and run at them.
*Character Matchups*
This section is about what you need to keep in mind while playing against
the other characters with Nina. The experience line is how much I
personally have played Nina vs character X. Key: ***** I play this matchup
all the time against good players. **** I play this matchup frequently.
*** I've played a some good players of this character but not a lot. ** I
have rarely played this matchup. * I have basically no clue other than
what I've learned from playing the computer or some scrub.
vs Xiaoyu: Experience: ***
Keep in mind that the Blond Bomb and the Bad Habit Kick will hit Ling out
of her Phoenix Stance. Be careful with d+4,1 traps as she has the
second-best ws+2 in the game and because of her height, the slap tends to
whiff completely.
vs Nina: Experience: ****
Be ready with reversal-break attempts. Try to learn something new. If
they get predictable with LKSes and Divine Cannon Combos, you can attempt
to low guard break them at reasonably low risk.
vs Yoshimitsu: Experience: ***
You can reverse nearly all his unblockables including the ultra-annoying
HCF+1, but not f,f+3,1. If they try to use the pogo stick as okizeme, rise
with u+2, then u+3 sky kick them as if you try to punch out when they're on
top of you you'll get smacked. You can low guard break the d/b+3,3,3
spinning kicks if you manage to block them.
vs Law: Experience: ****
Basically be prepared to low guard break the b+2,3,4 Junkyard Combo, and if
you're fast, the d/b+4 Dragon Tail Sweep. Law can be an offensive force
but most of that offense is centered around the Junkyard Combo, so if you
take that away he's pretty much at your mercy. You can mC the b+1,2,1
tripple upper combo with an Embracing Arm Strike.
vs Hwoarang: Experience: ***
Skilled Hwoarang players are going to try to mix up their stunning moves
with stance-changing attacks. Low guard break 1,1,3,3 and 3,3,d+3, and his
other junk that ends low. You can play more defensive against Hwoarang, as
he has many holes in his offense and in general, relies on people falling
for his tricks rather than solid offensive strategy.
vs Eddy: Experience: ***
Use lots of LKSes. Low guard break. Use more LKSes. The LKS will hit him
out of both handstand and on-back position.
vs Paul: Experience: *****
This is a tough match, but its better for Nina than it is for nearly any
other character. Basically you need to stay on top of him all the time, as
if you let him get started with the crouch-dash, death fist_falling leaf
crap you're going to be in trouble fast. You can generally abuse the d+4,1
traps more on him as he doesn't have a quick low punch (d+1 is the
tilesplitter).
vs King: Experience: ****
On paper a very even matchup as King can kick reverse the Bad Habit Kick
and Divine Cannon Combo without worrying about reversal breaks. However,
Nina has a definite speed advantage over him. If you happen to get
multiparted, watch their hands and input the appropriate break. If you
block one ali kick, you can immediately low guard break the next.
vs Lei: Experience: ****
Use lots of careful d/b+4s when he's in play dead position. You can also
use the f,f+4 flip kick but with good timing Lei can roll away from it. In
general the safest thing to do after a rushing punch-stance change is to
low punch him out of it. One thing to keep in mind is that unlike Tekken
2,you can now reverse Lei's play dead position, 3+4 upkick. If you have
balls you can attempt to low guard break rave spins. Also, whenever he is
on his face do the flip kick, he can't sideroll away from it because
hitting 1 when he's face down will make him flip over. You can generally
abuse the LKS on him as if he drops into play dead position while you do
it, you'll pick him up off the ground and start a float. If you see him
going into the 4~3 cresent kicks, try to punch him out of them. If you
have to block them, the best thing you can do is hold down back and look at
their controller. If they hit 2, you have enough time to react and block
high. If Lei does 1,2,1 (start of the tenstr
ings), I usually use the u/f+3 sky kick but there is probably something
better you can use.
vs Jin: Experience: *****
A very even matchup and one of the hardest for Nina. Basically you need to
set an offensive rhythm against him so he can't start his crouch-dashing
guessing games. However his ws+2 can easily mC the d+4,1 traps, so you'll
need find something else to attack with. Learn to on reaction low guard
break u/f+4,4,4,4, 1+4,2,d+4, TGF,sweep, and if you're ballsy, the hell
sweep. Attacking with d+3,2_d+4 is somewhat safe as many times, Jin
players will look to mC the d+4,1 with a ws+2, and will crouch right into
the d+3,2 uppercut because the low kicks look somewhat similar.
vs Kuma: Experience: *
Easy win. Too big and slow to avoid Nina's traps. Doesn't float high
after Divine Cannons.
vs Julia: Experience: **
Lots of chances to low guard break on her, particularly with the d+4,4
variants. She has a hard time getting things going offensively.
vs Gun Jack: Experience: **
Another fight where your speed and his lack of moves that will hit you out
of LKS traps is to your advantage.
vs Bryan: Experience: ***
You can low guard break 3,2,1,4 and 1,2,1,3. Most Bryan players are going
to attack you with his M/L quick strings so be ready with reversals. Keep
an eye out for his d/f+3 sweep.
vs Heihachi: Experience: ****
He lost a lot of offensive power with the weakening of his hell sweeps, so
you don't need to be on top of him at all times in order to beat him. In
fact, he's one of the easiest character to successfully sidestep and
side/back throw. His hell sweeps work like King's ali kicks: if you block
one, you can low guard break the next, but "blocking" the first hell sweep
high doesn't count as a block; you need to block the next one to low guard
break the 3rd.
vs Ogre 1: Experience: **
He can be a pain to play against with the Baek cheese sweeps and f,f+2.
He's not very solid either so you can generally hang around medium distance
and punish him.
vs Ogre 2: Experience: **
In general you should play him like he's Paul or you'll wind up eating lots
of f,f+2 snake grabs. Because of his size lots of things will hit him on
the ground that normally won't, like the Bad Habit Kick and Blond Bomb.
*Player Style Section*
In my experience there are 6 different players out there. Here's how to
play against all of them.
Scrub
Obviously this can refer to a large number of Tekken "players" but by scrub
I meansomeone who has NO clue what they're doing. They will never block
both hits of the Divine Cannon Combo and will usually get hit by both even
if it doesn't MC (but it usually will). Their character of choice is
usually Eddy though scrubs have been sighted playing Law and Hwoarang also.
Basically its up to you how you want to beat them, usually if they're
"playing" Eddy I just use them as an excuse to practice low guard break
combos. If you happen to get behind to one of them you can usually beat
them with repeated LKSes but they'll probably throw a little scrub-fit.
Novice
These types of players know some moves and maybe even how to block. They
generally play whoever appeals to them personally but there doesn't seem to
be reason behind it. Common Novice character choices are Paul (death
fist), Yoshi (Tekken 1 tenstring), Hwoarang (d+4,4), Jin (cheese sweeps),
etc., basically the thing that differentiates Novices from Scrubs is that
they can do one character's scrub-killing move. They will regularly eat
tenstrings, MC Divine Cannon Combos, multipart throws etc.
Average
Average players are in my opinion the most fun to play against. They can
throw (usually the same two buttons over and over), reverse (though they
usually just do a move, reverse), block some level-changing moves like Paul
d+1,4,2, and can even sometimes put together something resembling a float
combo like 1, deathfist. They usually play Paul or Lei and do their
respective scrub killing techniques. What's fun about them is that they
will get completely flustered when they don't work. They will be amazed by
big juggle combos and still get their ass handed to them by okizeme.
What's funny about Average or Good players is that they think they're
actually good at Tekken because they can beat all the other Scrubs and
Novices.
Good
By Good I mean players that actually have some skill. They can block all
the reaction-block moves like Paul #D,d/f+2,2_1, they can use reversals
somewhat effectively, they can somewhat adapt to your playing style and
strategies. Good players usually play Paul (still), maybe Jin, Lei,
Heihachi, even Nina. I'm kind of lumping Good and Average players together
as they tend to use the same stuff and characters. The difference between
Good and Average players is that you will have to put some effort into
beating Good players as they can put up a decent fight by not being as
predictable as Average players. What's neat about Good players is that
they usually think they rule because they can beat all the scrubs and
beginners. They'll usually fall for Nina's good tenstring, can't
reversal-break or low guard break, and duck or reverse a lot when they lose
initiative.
Expert
These are the people like me. They live and breath Tekken. They can
block/counter every tenstring and reaction-block moves, can reversal-break,
can low guard break, etc. Most Experts will play at least 4 characters
with a degree of mastery and a few more at a good level also. Before you
go off proclaiming yourself a Expert consider this: Experts become Experts
from one thing: good competition. They become good through playing others
regularly who have skill and winning. I personally am extremely lucky as
our Tekken is .25$ to continue so it encourages competition. Consider
yourself an Expert if you have gone to every arcade in your area at least a
couple times and have beaten everyone there soundly. Chances are you will
find someone who is good and if you can beat them you are probably at an
Expert level. When you play someone at an Expert level you have to be
smart. Don't ever expect the little strategies that you use to beat people
of a lesser skill level will work against
them. You need to have a whole other set of tactics to use against very
good and expert players.
Master
The line between Expert and Master play can be easily crossed. Masters are
100% cold-blooded and never ever make stupid mistakes. They are completely
ruthless, will take advantage of every opportunity they have and play
merciless okizeme. The big difference between an Expert and a Master is
that Masters have proved themselves in Tournament and non-local play. You
can call yourself a Master (and an addict) if you have traveled to a major
metropolitan area just to seek out the best Tekken players and beat them.
However true mastery is probably outside the reach of most non-big city
Experts unless they have a huge base of high-skilled Tekken players in
their local area.
*Credits*
Chris "coz" Ozols (
[email protected]) - Author, Asskicker
Bruce Allen (
[email protected]) - Co-Asskicker, creator of lots of cool stuff
Burnsville Players
John - (Nina/Law) creator of other cool stuff.
Chet - (Jin/Paul) for showing me the power of ultra-offensive Jin.
Jarvis - (Paul/Jin) for thinking yer good.
Jesse - (Paul/Jin) Also very good competition, too bad you stole everything
from us.
Saoeub - (Jin/Paul) do I really need a reason?
Brady - (Lei) helping me learn how to rape people that QR.
I-Wanna-Be-Like-You guy - (King) for giving me a good laugh.
The Tekken Slut - (Nina) for kicking all the scrub's asses with Nina.
The BBB guy - (Jin/Paul) making me laugh when I chicken you and you get pissed.
Brian - (Jin) doing lots of tenstrings with Jin (aka low guard break time)
Two-Dot-Chet - (Lei/Paul/King) Playing a solid Lei.
MT - (Xiaoyu/Ogre/Bryan) Hmm.. free wins?
Shaw - (King/Yoshi) More free wins?
Buttons Julia guy - (Julia/Hwoarang) Wow, scrub Julia IS good.
Zon - (Law) Having the guts to play Law with skill when you could just play
Paul like everyone else.
Drexel - (Paul) Hmm.. Killing the Paul winning percentage?
*Standard Challenge*
If you live in or are visiting the Minneapolis area, stop by Aladdin's
Castle Burnsville or email me if you want to play a mean game of Tekken 3
(or VF3 or SF3, I play them all).
8/24/97
