SNK vs Capcom Chaos
Demitri Maximoff for Beginners FAQ
Version 1.0
By GenesisGamma6 (AKA Epsilon of Blood-sports.net and of G3-Gaming Evolution)
Started and completed on: September 17, 2006
Formal Stuff
------------
This FAQ may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
Contents
--------
(1) Introduction to the Dark Prince
(2) Quick bio and story information
(3) Legend
(4) Game basics
(5) Special Techniques of the Future Ruler of the Makai
(6) The Vampire's EX Moves
(7) Demitri's Unique Hunter Chain Combo System
(8) Other Character Notes
(9) Miscellaneous Information
(10) Credits and Contact Info
Introduction to the Dark Prince
-------------------------------
The first appearance of a Darkstalker in a fighting game outside of the series
is with Morrigan in Marvel vs. Capcom. Her popularity spurred additional guest
appearances in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (where they also used Anakaris and BB Hood)
and the Capcom VS SNK series. As good as they were, fans were hungry for
something more and SNK brought it to them with Demitri making it on to the
Capcom roster for the SVC game. Upon my initial study and training of this
character, the sole Demitri FAQ on GameFAQs wasn't as detailed as it could
be so I'm hoping that future players will find this guide to be helpful.
The purpose of this FAQ is to give a brief guide for beginners to Demitri
Maximoff in the SNK vs. Capcom game and will by no means provide insane amounts
of combos.
Quick bio and story information
-------------------------------
Since I have no official Darkstalkers handbook, the statistical information
presented here may not be 100% accurate. Taken from
http://www.answers.com
Full Name: Demitri Maximoff
Race: Vampire
Country: Romania
Year of Birth: 1483
Height: 197cm (6'5")
Weight: 101kg (223lbs.)
Favourite blood type: AB
Deep within the mountains of Romania lies a castle that appears only on a full
moon. The castle, named after the owner of the land, was called Zeltzereich.
This castle belonged to a Makai noble, Demitri Maximoff.
Roughly 100 years ago, he had challenged Berial Aensland. He lost the battle
and was exiled from Makai to the human world with his castle. Sunlight was
something that was troublesome for people of Makai. Especially for Demitri,
who was wounded severely from his battle with Berial. If he were to be
directly exposed, his body would be destroyed from the inside and he would
disappear.
To avoid the sunlight and humans, he used what he had left of his powers and
created a field to cover his castle. He used this field to recover his
strength and heal his wounds. For 50 years, he stayed within his casket. As he
slowly regained his strength, he would step out only one a full moon with a
field around his body.
By this time, there were already people that would wonder into the castle.
They would somehow hear rumors of treasures within the castle. They would
bring crosses, stakes, garlic, holy water and silver bullets thinking they
were safe and recklessly attack Demitri. Demitri couldn't help but smile as
such weapons had no effect on him. To Demitri, humans were a low class vulgar
race, but he enjoyed their blood. He enjoyed the blood of innocent girls the
most. To him, it was like drinking the best wine in Makai. Those who had their
blood sucked by Demitri had their body and soul poised with evil. They would
become loyal servants to Demitri. Currently, 40 people settle in Demitri's
castle and care for him.
When Demitri recovered 80% of his powers back, he was able to temporarily
create an aura around him that would protect him from sunlight. Demitri had
conquered both night and day and had no weaknesses. There was no means for
humans to defeat him. After 100 years of humiliation for his loss, he had
gained alot. He acquired various new abilities and knowledge. The Prince of
Darkness steadily readied himself to take over Makai once again.
The presence of an alien life form on Earth was an unexpected event for
Demitri. Demitri seized this opportunity to further gain strength and fought
against Pyron and consumed the alien life form. He was confident that he was
strong enough to challenge and defeat the ruler of Makai, Berial.
When he returned to Makai, he found out that Berial had died and his daughter,
Morrigan, had taken heir to the Aensland family and the ruler of Makai. As
Demitri prepared himself to challenge Morrigan, he and his castle were sucked
into the Majigen by Jedah. Believing that defeating Jedah was an important
step, he went off to face Jedah.
Primary colour: Blue and red outfit. Blue skin when in true form
Secondary colour: Green and violet outfit. Green skin when in true form
Legend
------
u = Up
uf = Up-Forward
f = Forward
df = Down-Forward
d = Down
db = Down-Back
b = Back
ub = Up-Back
qcf = Quarter-Circle Forward
qcb = Quarter-Circle Back
hcf = Half-Circle Forward
hcb = Half-Circle Backward
P = Punch
LP = Light Punch
HP = Hard Punch
K = Kick
LK = Light Kick
HK = Hard Kick
Neo-Geo System Button Configuration
A = LP
B = LK
C = HP
D = HK
Game Basics
-----------
Dash: Tap f twice
Character will perform a quick dash forward. You are vulnerable to attack
during this dash.
Backwards dash: Tap b twice
Character will hop backwards. Once again, you are vulnerable to attack
during the hop.
Guard Cancel Frontstep: Tap f twice while blocking or press BC while blocking
Character cancels block and dashes forward with a brief moment of
invincibility. This is a key concept to master so get used to it quickly.
This technique consumes some power gauge energy. According to Kao Megura's
general FAQ, tapping F twice consumes less power gauge energy than pressing BC
while blocking.
Guard Cancel Attack: Press CD at same time while blocking
Character cancels block and performs a small counter attack to knock opponent
back. This costs you one level of your power gauge and deals no damage so only
use this if the enemy is pressuring you too much and you need some breathing
space.
Throwing: Press AB or CD when near opponent
This is probably one of the elements that turns normal fighting game fans away
from this game. Throwing is a bit of a hassle here (even more so than Street
Fighter Alpha 3's PPP or KKK throw input). If you miss a throw, there will
be a miss animation for your character and you will be punished for a missed
throw by losing some power gauge energy. Obviously a successful throw
doesn't cost any power guage. The AB throw will keep your opponent in front
of you while the CD throw causes your character to switch sides so keep that
in mind.
Throw escape: Press AB or CD as soon as you are being thrown by the opponent
Your character will perform an action to avoid being thrown by the opponent.
Note that you must use the same input as the opponent did. So if the opponent
tries an AB throw, you have to press AB as well to escape the throw.
Recovery Roll: Press AB when landing
A standard feature in King of Fighters, this allows your character to recover
on their feet quickly instead of being knocked down.
Special Techniques of the Future Ruler of the Makai
---------------------------------------------------
Bat Dive: Press AB when near opponent
Demitri grabs the enemy, leaps into the air and slams them to the ground.
Simple enough, ne?
Light Pleasure: Press CD when near opponent
The enemy gets bitten multiple times by Demitri before he tosses them to the
other side.
Hell Ride: u + K when enemy is down
A classic feature for all Darkstalkers characters (and can be quite cheaply
abused by the DS crew in Capcom Fighting Evolution against characters who
can't recovery roll). Demitri will basically leap forward to step on the
fallen enemy before hopping back. This move has to be inputed when the enemy
lands on the ground for the first time since characters bounce when they are
knocked down. It is possible to miss with this move since the enemy could use
a recovery roll to escape.
All of Demitri's standing and crouching Lights, Mediums and Hards have been
given command move inputs. Kao Megura lists them all in his FAQ but for
convenience, I've listed them here.
f + A Standing LP
b + A Standing MP
f + C Standing HP
f + B Standing LK
b + B Standing MK
Press D Standing HK
df + A Crouching LP
db + A Crouching MP
df + C Crouching HP
df + B Crouching LK
db + B Crouching MK
d + D Crouching HK
The reason for animating the Lights, Mediums and Hards is for use in the
Hunter Chain Combo System which will be touched upon later in the guide.
Chaos Flare: qcf + P (can also be performed in the air)
Talk about an easy projectile to abuse. This is probably even worse than
Mr. Karate's Ko'ou Ken since Demitri can also use this in the air to counter
jumpers. Mixing up the A and C versions will really give your human opponent
a headache. Of course, ground projectiles like Iori's Yamibarai will pass
through this. Demitri has a bit of hang time in the air if he does an air
Chaos Flare (which only goes horizontally from the position that he had fired
it) so use that with caution.
ES Chaos Flare: qcf + AC (can also be performed in the air)
As if the normal Chaos Flare wasn't enough, Demitri gets a super version of
his projectile. The start up time for this is a bit longer since this is a
super version that requires one level of super meter to perform. The fireball
has properties of a super projectile so that means normal projectiles will
get eaten by this thing. Throwing these out once in a while is a great way to
keep your opponent on your toes and is a good way to exit out of Maximum Mode
when you have little energy left. Even though this has all the properties of
a super move (and even gives you the S+ sign when you win a round with this
move), there's no flash so that makes this thing a little more unpredictable.
Additional Chaos Flare/ES Chaos Flare notes (taken from Kao Megura's FAQ):
You can anywhere cancel from the Chaos Flare and ES Chaos Flare, but only
under certain conditions:
> You throw a ground Chaos Flare (or ES Chaos Flare) that misses,
then throw a ground Chaos Flare.
> You throw a mid-air Chaos Flare (or ES Chaos Flare), then a
ground Chaos Flare upon landing.
> You throw a Demon Flare, then a ground (ES) Chaos Flare.
Other projectile combinations (such as mid-air Chaos Flare, ground ES Chaos
Flare) will not work.
Demon Cradle: f, d, df + P
A very good anti-air move that is just as good as Shiki's Tenhourin anti-air.
Very quick start up and recovery. Heavy version does about three hits and can
be super canceled while in Max Mode. In some instances, I've been able to
juggle the enemy with this in the corner from a Light Demon Cradle. You have
to hit the enemy with just the tip of your bat wings and while they're still
up, use a second Light Demon Cradle for a second hit. I'm not 100% sure of the
specific conditions and characters that the juggle can be used for so any
solid information would be appreciated. The Demon Cradle is a perfectly
vertical special move.
Bat Spin: qcb + K or BD (can also be done in the air)
Demitri vanishes in a puff of smoke and then attacks the enemy from above,
using his cape to create a drill for three hits. A good move to use against
those who abuse their projectiles. Distance and angle are determined by what
button is used (B, D or BD). Demitri has some vulnerability during the startup
of this move since I could nail a Midnight Bliss on the CPU Demitri when it
attempted a Bat Spin.
Tokushu Idou (Forward): Hold BC, tap b, f
Since SVC has a standard dash for all characters, SNK created a new input to
represent the powerful fast dashing used in the Darkstalkers games. Demitri
has invincibility only when he's fully invisible so he can still be nailed
with a special/super/Exceed when vanishing or reappearing. When dashing, you
can cancel this move into any other move except for normal moves, command
moves and normal throws. This is a good way to mix up your enemy (as it has
worked on me when I first fought CPU Demitri until I got used to it).
Tokushu Idou (Backward): Hold BC, tap f, b
Same properties as above except Demitri dashes back for a retreat. I don't
use this too often and it seems to be more trouble than it's worth. But it's
still another solid way to mix up your tactics and confuse your enemy.
Dash Demon Cradle: f, d, df + P during Tokushu Idou
Demitri will snap out of his dash and perform his Demon Cradle going up at a
45 degree angle. This is a pretty nasty surprise to pull out if your enemy
tries to pursue you for an opening when you come out of Tokushu Idou. If the
enemy blocks it, be prepared to eat a combo since this move leaves Demitri
fairly open during his recovery time.
The Vampire's EX Moves
----------------------
Midnight Bliss: d, f, df + AC
"Come on, baby!!! HHHUUUAAAGGGHHH!!!!" (Can't help it... I just love this
move to death)
And I thought Geese's Raising Storm input looked a bit wacky. This input was
the original Capcom input for the move in the first Darkstalkers game and
SNK decided to go with this input, rather than the new input of qcf x 2 + PP
in the later Darkstalkers games. As it's very easy to accidentally throw out
a Chaos Flare or Demon Cradle with this input, it's easy to get discouraged
but the only way to get used to this is with practice. Trust me... when you
nail this on your opponent and see the enemy sprite get turned into a female
version (or in female cases, a more sexy version) before getting the lifeforce
sucked out of them, you'll definitely find that the training for this has been
worth it. A great super move which is unblockable. Kao Megura suggests an
alternate input of qcf, db~df + AC so give that a try if you're having trouble
doing this move.
Midnight Pleasure: A, A, f, B, D
Demitri dashes forward and bites the enemy several times before using a small
series of punches and kicks to knock them back. This input has been changed
quite a bit over the years and SNK decided to simplify this by having the
input similar to the Shun Goku Satsu's except with a kick at the end. This
move is unblockable but like the Shun Goku Satsu, this can only be canceled
into from specific animations. Definitely odd.
Demon Flare: qcf x 2 + ABCD [EXCEED]
A very strong super projectile that can be used as a follow up to a Chaos
Flare/ES Chaos Flare that successfully connects with the enemy since neither
projectile knocks the enemy down. This goes for eight hits with the majority
of the damage coming from the initial hits. Kao notes that it is best to pause
a moment before inputting the ABCD after the qcf x 2 input in order to get the
Demon Flare out.
There are quite a number of moves that Capcom gave Demitri that SNK had
to omit like the Demon Blast, Demon Billion and his 360 command throw, the
Negative Strain (counterpart to Morrigan's Vector Drain). I suppose memory and
time constraints are the ones to blame here.
Demitri's Unique Hunter Chain Combo System
------------------------------------------
I'm far from an expert on this system as my standard combo with this system is
a measly five hits. Considering how you're trying to use a four button system
for something designed for six buttons, it can be a bit frustrating. What has
to be kept in mind is the strength rule which we all remember from countless
hours of playing Darkstalkers, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super
Heroes and the Marvel crossover series:
LP > LK > MP > MK > HP > HK
You can alternate between standing and crouching while performing a Hunter
Chain combo. Taking Kao's sample combo...
f + A > B > A > B > C > D
That is basically an equivalent of the strength rule mentioned earlier. You
can add on a Hell Ride for a seven hit combo. You can also omit steps in the
combo as long as the strength rule is followed. For example, the combo I
usually frequent is
Jump D => Crouch A => Crouch B => Crouch D => Hell Ride
Easy five hits. The strength rule is maintained and the combo still goes
through. It's not necessary for a Demitri player to know how to use this
properly to enjoy this character but knowing how to pull off Chain Combos
from nowhere would definitely make you a force to be reckoned with.
Other Character Notes
---------------------
Demitri's a pretty tall character as he can't even duck underneath Sagat's
high Tiger Shot/Cannon. But other than that minor detail, Demitri's a great
character with a lot of speed and good reaction time. Somewhat friendly for
beginners and deadly in the hands of experts. Enough said.
Demitri is not normally selectable. To select him, activate the roulette by
pressing Start. Tap Right, Right, Right, Left, Up, Right, Down, Up and then
press any punch or kick button while still in roulette.
Some CPU End Boss Tips for those having trouble getting to Demitri's ending
Shin Akuma: The CPU attack pattern is that once you get in a corner, he'll
continue teleporting back and forth and do random things that would obviously
destroy an agressive player (or a complete newbie). Have patience. Once in a
while, he'll leap forward to do a Zankuu Hadouken. Once he lands, he usually
pauses for a bit so that's when you can quickly perform a throw or a Midnight
Bliss. Strangely enough, Midnight Bliss can beat out Messatsu Gou Shoryuu at
the startup point.
Violent Ken: Time your jumps carefully so that he can whiff his HP Shoryuuken
and then nail him with a combo or Midnight Bliss/Pleasure. Another interesting
note is that the Midnight Bliss can beat out the Shinryuuken at the startup
point.
Orochi Iori: Because of Demitri's height, Iori can easily beat you out of your
normal dash so the only surefire way to beat him here is to use a Hunter Chain
Combo after coming in for a Jumping C/D. Knock him around with a few Hunter
Chain Combos and see how quickly his health drops. You'll be amazed.
Serious Mr. Karate: Learn to master Guard Cancel Frontstep so that you can
punish him when he does Chou Haoh Shikou Ken. He will occasionally leave
himself wide open when he does his HP Built Upper and Kyokugen Kohou so be
ready to combo him there.
Red Arremer: If you know Demitri inside and out, you shouldn't have too much
of a problem with this fight. His fast reflexes can beat out Red Arremer at
certain times. ES Chaos Flare is a solid option here but don't do it if the
Zombie is out. Use the Midnight Bliss when Red Arremer starts to turtle
against your offensive attacks. Finally, the Demon Flare is a great way to
wrap things up if Red Arremer goes for a Hell Hunter (Chijou) pattern since
he's vulnerable for a second before attacking.
Athena: Easy for anyone in general. All you need to do is be aware of her move
properties and their openings for a counterattack.
Miscellaneous Information
-------------------------
Win pose 1: Laughs in position while flames erupt from his aura.
Win pose 2: Gives a respectable bow.
Win quote 1: Now you've angered me! That is your greatest mistake!
Win quote 2: Hmph... Defeat does not suit me.
Win quote 3: Hmm hmm hmm. It only hurts at first. Soon you'll feel ecstasy.
Win quote 4: Tonight I make a toast... with your blood!
Win quote 5: Forgive me. I cannot accept your existence in my realm.
Special win quote against Dan: A silly battle...
Credits and Contact Info
------------------------
Special thanks to those who wrote up Darkstalkers FAQs. Their useful
information made this SVC Demitri FAQ easier to write. Also, thanks to Kao
Megura's FAQ for some additional notes on move properties and the Hunter Chain
System.
Kudos for Capcom and SNK teaming up together on these projects. Hope to see
another one in the works soon.
I also have some exclusive guides at the G3 website. So far, only Serious
Mr. Karate is up but I will eventually get a Shin Akuma/Gouki FAQ and a Final
Boss FAQ up there. Check it out under the Game Guides section of the G3 site.
http://www.g3-evolution.tk
AIM: GenesisGamma6
Yahoo:
[email protected]
MSN/Hotmail:
[email protected]
Copyright 2006 Isaac Tong
