Shermie Guide for Neogeo Battle Coliseum
by Robo-Mike
Latest update:
(11-21-2005)
v1.0 Added more notes.
(10-16-2005)
v0.5 Notes added to crouch B and crouch D and Shermie Spiral and
Shermie Carnival.
Far C is cancelable. It's confirmed.
Far C is not an overhead. Sheesh, I am a moron.
This document is (c) 2005 Robo-Mike. All rights reserved.
You may download and print this file for your personal use but you
may not profit in any way.
Because I am lazy, only gamefaqs.com and pinoyfighters forums are
allowed to "host" this guide... for now. No, I don't hate your gaming
site, I'm just lazy.
***
This document is best viewed with a monospace font (e.g. Courier).
Your standard web browser will do, but just in case your browser's
settings are weird, here's a line of 70 numbers followed by a line of
70 hyphens.
All of the information contained in this document is true to the best
of my knowledge. If you see something wrong about it, don't flame,
send a correction (preferably with proof if you have it). But the
first reaction will always be "I'm not wrong", since I have tested
everything I've typed.
And of course, the mixups don't work the same way for or against
different people, so don't go emailing me saying "That doesn't work!"
But the techniques in general worked for me, so I've typed them as
a guideline to
help out the reader (you). You don't have to follow a
strict plan; versus games can be unpredictable, so go figure out what
to do to win a match as you go.
BUTTONS
A - light punch
B - light kick
C - hard punch
D - hard kick
E - tag button
Start - just what it says
P - any punch button
K - any kick button
BASIC DIRECTIONS
f - forward
b - back
d - down
u - up
N - neutral
df - diagonal down-forward
CONTROLLER MOVEMENT
qcf - quarter-circle forward (d,df,f)
qcb - quarter-circle back (d,db,b)
hcf - half-circle forward (b,db,d,df,f)
hcb - half-circle back (f,df,d,db,b)
dp - dragon punch motion (f,d,df)
rdp - reverse dragon punch motion (b,d,db)
charge b,f - hold back for some time before pressing forward
SYMBOLS
AB - press both buttons at the same time
f+BCD - press the direction and all listed buttons at the same time
A,B - moves must be inputted in sequence (e.g. A then B)
xx - supercancel
*note: It is generally acceptable to use commas "," to show canceling
either normal moves into command moves or normal/command
moves into supers, OR for linking normal moves into each other
ACRONYMS AND TERMS
NGBC or NBC - Neogeo Battle Coliseum.
jump - while standing on the ground press any of u, uf, or ub
high jump / super jump - while standing on the ground press d then
either u, uf, or ub
level - 1/3 of the super meter.
DM - Desperation Move. SNK terminology for Capcom's "super".
SDM - Super Desperation Move. Usually reserved for level 2 or higher,
but in this game, every super can be considered a DM.
Emergency evasion - Press AB when standing still. Costs 1/2 level.
Similar to Capcom vs SNK roll than the King of Fighters roll:
totally invincible except against grabs.
Recovery roll, Techroll - press AB when hitting the ground after you
get knocked down.
GCFS - Guard Cancel Front Step, press f,f when blocking to cancel your
guard and move forward. Your character will glow during this
time but is not invincible. Uses 1/2 level.
GCD - Guard Cancel Dash. It's different in SNK vs Capcom but in this
game it's the same, so everyone uses the terms GCFS and GCD
interchangeably.
JDFS - Just Defend Front Step. Press f,f after blocking at the exact
moment an oppoent's move will hit. Uses less meter, but
otherwise only the same as GCFS.
DA - Double Assault. qcf+E. This will drain the opponent's "red life".
Special DA - Special Double Assault. Usually reserved for special
pairings and require specific conditions to perform. Shermie's
Special DA (and associated partner) has not been discovered yet.
Green Life - Your character's actual health. If Green Life drops to
zero, the character is knocked out. History. Kaput. (This isn't
an official term, I just made it up but it's simpler this way.)
Red Life - Recoverable life. If you've played Tekken Tag or any of
the Marvel vs Games, you know what I mean. Inactive characters
regenerate over time (as in convert red life to green life
slowly). (This isn't an official term, I just made it up.)
AB cancel - Press AB during a normal move (costs 1 level) to make an
invincible dash forward, canceling your normal move. I forgot
the official term for it, so I'll just call it "AB cancel".
======================================================================
Section 3: Bio (INFO)
=====================
(coming soon)
======================================================================
Section 4: Move List (MOVE)
===========================
Quick Summary of Command and Special Moves
Front Suplex
b or f + CD when close
Shermie Stand
f + B
Baku New Suplex
f + C
Shermie Kick
f + D
Shermie Spiral
hcf + P when close
Axle Spin Kick
qcb + K (hold K in midair to cancel the actual kick)
Air Axle Spin Kick
qcb + K while jumping
Shermie Whip
qcb + P
Shermie Whip Followup
qcb + P when Shermie Whip connects
Shermie Clutch
dp + K
Diamond Bust
hcf + K
Shermie Catch
dp + P
--Shermie Catch Followup
hcb + P, hold P when Shermie Catch connects
F-Captured
hcb,f + P
Shermie Cute
qcf + K after Shermie Spiral, Shermie Whip Followup, Shermie Clutch
Lightning Leg Lariat (level 1)
qcf,qcf + K
Shermie Carnival (level 1)
hcf,hcf + P when close
--Shermie Clutch
dp + K during second suplex (slam) of Shermie Carnival
----Shermie Cute
qcf + K after above move
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Normal Moves
---------------
stand A
A slap to the face. Limited use, go with stand B instead. But since
this hits faster, you can slap the opponent then mixup into grab.
Cancels into weak normal moves, command moves, special moves, DMs
stand B
Two kicks. Shermie's combo starter and poke of choice. Abuse.
Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs
far stand C
A slow double palm chop. I guess you can poke your opponent with
this if they get tired of stand B. Cancels into command moves,
special moves, DM's.
close stand C
An upward chop with both hands extended in both directions. Unlike
previous Shermie incarnations, you (usually) can't combo close
stand C into Shermie Spiral anymore. But you can still use this
as a combo starter.
Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs.
stand D
A roundhouse kick. I guess you can use this as anti-air or a poke,
but why? Shermie has better anti-airs and pokes.
Cancels into nothing.
crouch A
A low slap. Go with crouch B instead.
Cancels into weak normal moves, command moves, special moves, DMs.
crouch B
A low kick. Shermie's low hit of choice and good combo starter.
You can avoid a lot of things with this. Cancels into command
moves, special moves, DMs.
(from Jiyuu Falcon) It not as useful because doesn't combo as
much to hcf+P anymore because of the throw's reduced range. (But
crouch B,f+B works now.)
crouch C
A double upward palm strike. I guess you can use this as a combo
starter.
Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs.
crouch D
Shermie's classic sweep. Very slow, so you really shouldn't be
using this at all. I guess you can avoid stuff with it, but why?
crouch B is better. Cancels into nothing (as far as I know).
(from Jiyuu Falcon) Because Shermie is really low in this move
and the kick is higher up over the ground, you can use it as
anti-air for moves such as Terry's Burn Knuckle...
jump A
An air slap, looks like stand A but in the air.
jump B
A high knee. You can use this as a jump-in combo starter.
Decent for air-to-air combat.
jump C
An elbow. Hits higher than Jump D so you should be use it as
air-to-air. You can also use this for jump-in combos.
jump D
A flying kick. You can use this as a jump-in combo starter.
Hits the area lower than Shermie.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Command Moves
----------------
f+B
Shermie does a forward flip. Hits twice, and is an overhead which
can't be canceled into anything. If canceled into, it is no longer
an overhead, but it will execute faster and is cancelable to
special moves and DMs.
f+C
Shermie leans forward. If she makes contact with the opponent, she
will do a suplex. Not unblockable. Its slow execution and poor
range says that you should not use this even in a combo.
f+D
Shermie's CD attack from King of Fighters 2002 and Neowave. Yes,
I guess you can knock the opponent down with this, but there are
better moves to combo with. It's a decent poke, though, but if you
are blocked, this move is easy to counter with a GCFS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Special Moves
----------------
Shermie Spiral - hcf + P when close
Shermie's classic grab. It's range is lessened so C,hcf+P combo
misses a lot in this game. But you can still use it by itself to
grab anyone that Shermie can touch. It still grabs limbs.
...also see notes on Diamond Bust by Jiyuu Falcon. It *seems* that
if you try to use Shermie Spiral on someone close enough who can't
be grabbed (at the time you're trying to grab) due to blockstun,
Shermie will try to grab them for a short duration before going
into whiff animation. In short, extended window to grab.
Axle Spin Kick - qcb + K (hold K to cancel)
Except for the ability to cancel, this move remains hardly changed
from her KOF incarnations. Shermie is invincible for around 3/5 of
the time she is spinning. If you cancel the move you can go for
a Shermie Spiral or Shermie Carnival. D version goes higher and
farther than B version, which means more time for opponent to see
what you're doing, so go with the B version.
Air Axle Spin Kick - qcb + K while jumping
This is like Orochi Shermie's move from 2002/Neowave. Shermie does
a double jump and flips down onto the opponent with an overhead
stomp (minus the electricity). This can crossup. D version jumps
higher and lasts longer on the way down.
Shermie Whip - qcb + P, then qcb + P when Shermie Whip connects
In the KOF days I can use this as anti-air, not anymore since if
the opponent is too far away they will fly off instead of get
grabbed. Let's see. Maybe if you hit with qcb+P then don't followup
you maybe able to go for a grab, but the opponent gets thrown so
far all you can do is Diamond Bust... which uh, deals almost the
same damage as the followup, so... just do the followup, ok?
Still quite safe to throw out against ground opponents.
Shermie Clutch - dp + K
A jumping anti-air grab. Better priority than ever. Use it. It
doesn't grab opponents on the ground, though.
Diamond Bust - hcf + K
A running grab. This moves faster and grabs faster now. It even
recovers quickly if you miss. And it even grabs people out of GCFS.
Difficult to see coming. Use this. As always, opponent can escape
this move by jumping before Shermie grabs.
(from Jiyuu Falcon) The best thing about [this NGBC version of]
Diamond Bust is that when Shermie reaches the opponent and s/he is
currently in a non-throwable state (say, coming out of blockstun),
Shermie will pause for a bit, waiting [to grab]. Then again, it
could just be the system change. Oh, it also happens with Shermie
Spiral (if you're close enough).
Shermie Catch - dp + P
Shermie stole a page out of Orochi Yashiro's book. She jumps up in
the air for a short jump (C goes higher) where she will try to grab
standing opponents (but not jumping people... and Jiyuu Falcon
confirms that it doesn't grab crouching characters either). I'm sure
the only thing guaranteed after connecting with Shermie Catch is
the followup...
Shermie Catch Followup - hcb + P, hold P when Shermie Catch connects
If you don't hold, she will just do the suplex (looks like f+C)
without "squeezing" the opponent while counting to three.
Do yourself a favor and hold the button for more damage, please.
F-Captured - hcb,f + P
Reverses high and mid normal, command and special moves. As far as I
know I don't think it can counter supers. Shermie will show off her
chest and if opponent touches her she will grab them.
Shermie Cute - qcf + K after Shermie Spiral, Shermie Whip Followup,
Shermie Clutch
It does minimal damage, sure. But it's guaranteed, so why not?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Desperation Moves
--------------------
Lightning Leg Lariat (level 1) - qcf,qcf + K
This uses the animation of her Hidden SDM from 2002/Neowave. This
is (non-Orochi) Shermie's first-ever non-grab super. This is great
for combos.
It's fast, but remember, this is an SNK game and most supers have
no invincibility. I did try to stuff opponent's moves with this
DM and right after the super flash, Shermie did get interrupted by
a LOW KICK a couple of times. With that said, I guess you can use
this to blow away the opponent if they try anything slow.
But remember, Shermie gets massacred on block.
Shermie Carnival (level 1) - hcf,hcf + P when close
Nothing much to say except that this is her only grab super in this
game. You can combo this from B,f+B in the corner. Always do the
followups for that extra hurting.
(from Jiyuu Falcon) Shermie Carnival has altered properties
[compared to KOF series]. Previously, it was useful for catching
people unawares, with it's slight delay and invul, but you couldn't
combo into it. Now you can combo, but no more catching. It behaves
now like [the old] Shermie Flash, plus followup.
Additional notation:
, - moves are done one after the other (e.g. st.A,st.B means you press
stand A then stand B)
[] - Optional moves (you can skip them)
/ - OR (e.g. cr.C/cr.A means you can do either crouch C or crouch A)
xx - cancel/supercancel (usually supercancel as normal cancels are
denoted by the comma)
(corner) - can be done only in the corner
" " (space) - separates followups of the same special move
(You can add a jump attack such as j.D for the following combos)
(You can also replace st.B 2hits with cr.B in all situations, or
st.close C or cr.C in some situations.)
st.B (2 hits), qcf+E
st.B (2 hits), hcf+P qcf+K
st.B (2 hits), qcb+P qcb+P qcf+K
st.B (2 hits), f+B (2 hits), qcfqcf+K
st.B (2 hits), f+B (2 hits), hcfhcf+P dp+K qcf+K (corner)
..and that's it, what do you expect from a grappler? :)
======================================================================
Section 6: Shermie Strategy and Mixups (TECH)
=============================================
This is based on what works for me, but you don't really need to
follow this drift by the letter, go find your own waves. Remember, the
key to winning is for Shermie to stay on top of the opponent and make
it difficult for them to predict her actions.
Erm, okay, that... didn't sound right.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bread and Butter Mixup Flowchart
--------------------------------
Shermie's standard combo is: [st.A], st.B (2 hits), f+B (2 hits),
qcfqcf+K
So where does the mixup come in? If opponent blocks it, you can do a
Diamond Bust (hcf+K) to try to grab them. (Actually if the kicks hit
you can also "combo" into hcf+K. But I think it can be escaped.)
In addition, you can also do qcb+K which also has a mixup of its own.
You can stop at st.B then pause, then grab (dash and grab?) them.
I know what you're thinking, hcf+K is a good tick throw, right? Well
your opponent can jump to avoid it, but instead of doing hcf+K, if
you wait a while before trying to throw, you can see if they try to
jump after your st.A or st.B. If they do, then punish them with dp+K.
And to top it off you can also do press AB during normal moves such
as st.B to cancel it and move forward. This costs 1 level (similar
system from KOF2k2). This is great as a surprise especially against
newer players, you can grab them afterward with Shermie Spiral (or
Shermie Carnival if you have all the meter) for decent damage.
So here's the flowchart:
+-------------+-----------------------------------+
| | |
| | V
st. A -> st. B (1st hit) -> st. B (2nd hit) -> f+B (2 hits) -> super
| | | |
| | | |
V V V V
qcb+K hcf+K hcf+K hcf+K
tick throw qcb+K qcb+K qcb+K
| AB into grab AB into grab
| tick throw
| |
+---> If they jump, dp+K. <-----+
*I don't see why you'd waste one level to AB cancel the st.A since
you're probably still in range for a grab why not use hcf+P or super
grab for more damage instead. hcf+K after blocked st.A is also
pointless since hcf+P does more damage, and you're likely to be still
in range.
To get a low attack, you can of course substitute crouch B instead of
stand B. Treat crouch B as if it was the second hit of stand B. You
can also try crouch C or close/far stand C for a more damaging poke.
One more thing, if your opponent decides to perform GCFS anytime in
the combo (I'm sure they'll be tempted to do it especially during
the end of f+B) you can always do qcb+P or hcf+K to reel them in.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Mixups
------------
1. qcb+K: To kick or not to kick?
Basically, you just throw you qcb+B in the middle of a pressure
string. Better train the opponent a bit to expect your kick. When they
start blocking when you try qcb+B, just hold B then grab them as you
land.
This is very funny against GCFS-happy players. They will sometimes
input f,f on reaction after seeing Shermie land from qcb+B. Watch as
Shermie doesn't do her kick, and the boys dash right up to Shermie.
Don't try this when you're sitting next to your opponent in the
arcade though. Some people just love to watch hands. Needless to say,
this works better on a Versus (dual cabinets) setup.
2. dp+P: Why?
Well during the "bread and butter" string, instead of hcf+K or qcb+K,
you can bust this out (including the followup) for a bit more damage.
This can surprise people who live to expect the qcb+K.
3. Wakeup games
What are the happy fun things you can do when opponent is down?
a. qcb+B to make their anti-air whiff, hopefully combo them as
Shermie lands
b. start the "bread and butter" pressure string as they get up
c. grab them immediately... works sometimes
d. overhead with f+B (surprise!)
e. counter them with hcb,f+P (especially if they love to throw
out anti-air on wakeup)
f. crossup with air qcb+K (see below)
4. air qcb+D: crossup mixup
If you knock down the opponent near you (or you pressure them to block)
you can try to do the j.qcb+D. It will sometimes crossup, sometimes it
won't. It just takes some practice to know the perfect distance. But
once you get the hang of it... you have a 50/50 crossup guessing game
on your hands. Since j.qcb+K knocks down, you can always repeat.
What I do is jump backward and do qcb+D after a split second for the
crossup. I can also wait slightly longer, so I won't get a crossup and
hopefully make them block the wrong way.
PROS
* Fastest incarnation of Shermie in any SNK game
* hcf+K is really beefed up
* Can mixup when close
* Grabs do good damage
* Anti-air that works
* Easy bread-and-butter combo into super
* Many normals and command moves are GCFS bait, some of them are
cancelable into special moves like hcf+K (hint hint)
CONS
* As a grappler, suffers from mid to long range
* Has difficulty getting in close against characters with zoning
options (like Marco, Mudman, Athena, Big, Robert, and... Marco)
* Normals, command moves and special moves are very telegraphed
* DMs are punishable when missed (or blocked, in the case of
qcfqcf+K)
* Many normals and command moves are GCFS bait
To win, Shermie has to be on top of the opponents the entire round.
Don't give them any breathing room. Again, you don't have to follow
what I say, but this advice works for me... sometimes.
Here are some of the more unpopular matchups.
*** Marco *** (hard)
First up, the Marco player would know better than to start using the
knife on Shermie because GCFS + special grab beats knife. If Marco
tries a 1-hit pistol shot canceled into forward roll, Shermie should
immediately grab them.
From afar, Marco players usually follow the grenade-then-iron-lizard
routine. If you try to jump after iron lizard (most characters can't
jump the grenade at the top of its flight) they will counter with
jump kick or jetpack or sometimes even the zombie blood super.
Here's the plan. If you're in mid range, once you see the lizard, do
a dash jump and do a jump D. The worst thing that can happen is you
trade hits with Marco's knife uppercut, jump kick or jetpack. You can
also do jump qcb+D to beat the uppercut if you're expecting it.
Just watch out for the variation of grenade into machine gun. Do
air qcb+K to hop over it. Also watch out for grenade then air jetpack.
If Marco starts doing that, just block the grenade and play defensive
for a while, he might jump up by reflex making him a vulnerable target
in the air. You can then block his jetpack and punish, or just use dp+K
on Marco if he doesn't use jetpack.
*** Mr. Big *** (really hard)
Another tough matchup. Mr. Big will use crouch A, crouch D all day to
zone Shermie. You also have to deal with Mr. Big's godly anti-air
lariat (his AC or BD), making an aerial assault difficult.
I really advise tagging out to a projectile character here (use E on
block to blow Mr. Big far away for better results).
With that aside, here's how you can try to get close. Do a jump-in on
Big, hopefully he will do the lariat... but before you touch him, you
can do air qcb+K to stomp him flat. Once you teach him not to use the
lariat, you can freely air qcb+D during a jump-in to cross him up...
maybe start doing Jump D's, etc.
You can also try ground qcb+B once he's trained to go on the defensive
and not use the lariat.
Also if they throw out a cr.D and you block it, they usually try to
dash in and start another set of cr.A, so an F-Captured might work in
this situation.
*** Kaede *** (moderate)
stand A - Since Kaede's stand A is not cancelable, GCFS-grab works.
If they really love to abuse stand A, you can also try the
F-Captured.
crouch B, cr.B cr.A - Watch Kaede. If he tries to dash and start
another round of crouch B's, you grab 'em before he gets a chance.
Watch out, Kaede can also qcb+A instead of dashing if he reacts to
your attempts to GCFS or grab. Also try mixing in Shermie's qcb+K
or dp+P.
dp+P (uppercut) - Because this goes quite high, you can't possibly
jump and qcb+K even if you predict it. Just keep the match on the
ground.
qcb+A (three slash rush) - On first or third hit, you can always
GCFS, grab. But be wary of this move, getting hit will result in
eating a gigantic electric sword. Kaede can still try a super when
he expects a GCFS so be careful.
hcf+K (special grab) - This special grab results in a free uppercut
or super, so Kaede players will try to get close even though it's
Shermie's territory. So don't let them get too close, or try to
grab or poke them first during their dash.
qcb,db,f+P (lightning strikes) - DON'T attack Kaede while he is
charging the move, he is hard to hit. After you block a lightning
bolt, however, just GCFS and combo his sorry ass. If you can jump
over Kaede, better, but it's risky.
qcfqcf+P (electric sword) - Most likely only seen in combos so you
don't have to fear it. If you fight someone who likes to throw
this out randomly, just watch for them to get level 2 and run
around midscreen to bait the super, block it, GCFS, and punish.
*** Iori *** (hard)
Crossup is easy to see and block, so you shouldn't worry about it.
Iori jumping over you is a dead giveaway. Just watch out when he
jumps over, does nothing, and tries to grab.
His special grab, while slow, results in moderate damage so watch out
for it.
Iori's uppercut is good so don't get too close--just bait it then
punish him.
His pokes of choice are C,projectile or C,qcb+C so don't GCFS the far
C. In fact, don't GCFS the qcb+P strings because Iori will only do
one or two of it, and if he sees you GCFS he can easily add on
another hit to counter.
(more matchups to come if I feel like it)
-
======================================================================
Section 8: Question and Answer Portion (FAQ-)
=============================================
Here are some of the "questions" which are interesting to answer.
As a courtesy I will not name names.
I'll add more Q&A's if there's any more issues that need to be
answered.
(coming soon)
======================================================================
Section 9: About the Author (ABOU)
==================================
Location:
Project 8, Quezon City, Philippines
Where I play:
Quantum SM North Edsa (Quezon City) - I go here very often
About me:
I prefer the online alias Robo-Mike. Robo comes from Robo-Ky, a
character in the fighting game Guilty Gear XX. You can tell now
that I'm better at 2D fighting games than 3D.
Thank you for reading this guide.
Links:
pencil-sketch-badger.deviantart.com
======================================================================
Section 10: Contact Info (MAIL)
===============================
e-mail: hidden for now
Post at the NGBC board at GameFAQs, if you have any questions. We need
more board activity, really.
Jiyuu Falcon - Many bugfixes and additional tips. Without him, the
guide would not have been possible.
CONTRIBUTORS!!!
Thanks for adding a few more tips and making my guide even
bigger!
(coming soon)
GameFAQs
For FAQ hosting, a great interface and a big collection of cool
guides.
my job
For taking up most of my time and giving me money for my gaming
hobby.
s4.invisionfree.com/pinoyfighters - Pinoy Fighters Forum
A great community of Filipino fighting game players.
Local NGBC arcade players
Including Jiyuu Falcon, Keso Circle, random KOF players
======================================================================
Section 12: Revision History (HIST)
===================================
(11-21-2005)
v1.0 Added more notes.
(10-16-2005)
v0.5 Notes added to crouch B and crouch D and Shermie Spiral and
Shermie Carnival.
Far C is cancelable. It's confirmed.
Far C is not an overhead. Sheesh, I am a moron.
(10-10-2005)
v0.1 Initial beta test (unreleased)
======================================================================
Final Words
===========
