Identity
--------
This is a gameplay guide for Gundam Wing Endless Duel (GWED) for the Super
Famicon, published by Bandai, 1996.
This is Version 3.0, August 2000. There are many small changes and less
wordiness. No major content change.
If you see a word that doesn't make sense, check the glossary of general
terms at the end of this file.
For exhaustive game info and GWED terminology, also read the excellent GWED
guide by Jacob Poon. Find it at www.gamefaqs.com.
Zeku
[email protected]
Winning Strategies
------------------
Winning is attacking. Attacking is making active decisions other than those
based on your opponent's decisions. Attacking can take almost any form,
including method, unpredictability based on randomness or deception, and
using the clock against the enemy. Thus, even defending can be a form of
attack. When you are not attacking the enemy has more options.
The most crucial and fundamental step in improving skill is to stop taking
unnecessary risks. More specifically, never assume that your opponent will
fail to respond with perfect counterplay. If your attack may leave you
vulnerable to a counterattack, do not use it. You may eventually develop
tactics which involve voluntary risk taking, but the backbone of your game
should be to take no risks whatsoever.
Counterattack is the final basic step. If your adversary makes a mistake,
capitalize upon it to the maximum possible degree, by doing the most possible
damage to them, or placing them in the worst position you can. The purpose
for this is not as simple as killing them as quickly as possible. Every time
you fail to punish a mistake, that mistake remains a viable option for the
enemy. But if you punish a particular mistake 100% of the time, you've
accomplished something better than doing damage to them, you've reduced their
options by one, and elevated the gameplay to the next level.
Complaining or using the word 'cheap' just serves to make a player look bad.
They are either being poor sports, or incorrectly placing the blame on a
competent player (competent for the sole reason that they won) rather than on
a flawed game. If there is truly a problem with the game, the only two
options are to live with it or just stop playing. Also, players who won't
pick anything but the simplest and most reliable path to victory, and who
won't even try to win unless they have the most favorable possible
circumstances are not 'cheap' either. They just have no style. The battle
is fair. Play to win.
Winning Tactics
---------------
The following information concerns only GWED, and will be useful no matter
which character you are playing.
Any normal can be interrupted into a block dash after it has connected, or
after it has passed the point in time at which it is able to hit. If the
normal has the ability to hit multiple times, you cannot block dash until
the last hitting portion is out. Attack, and then immediately after you hit
the enemy, hold back and press two buttons. Jab+short is the safest choice.
This makes most normals in the game completely safe. You can dash in,
attack with a good normal like a sweep, and then block dash back, negating
the normal recovery time. This is the most important tactic to learn in this
entire game!
You can also interrupt a normal into a superjump or a block dash forward,
also done by pressing two buttons. If you don't hold forward or back you
will execute a superjump. Specials and supers cannot be aborted in this
fashion, which makes them riskier in a general sense.
Don't forget that half of your normals (weapons, buttons B+A) do block
damage. Also, hit stun for weapons is slightly longer than for body attacks,
(buttons Y+X) which will makes comboing after them easier. Crouching attacks
push the enemy back farther than standing attacks, so choose standing attacks
if there is no difference.
A basic and powerful tactic is to create a series of hits where you attack
the enemy safely, and if they don't block, you can proceed to combo into a
powerful attack which would otherwise not be safe. The initial safe attack,
or series of safe attacks needs to last long enough to let you observe
whether they are blocking. If they are, you stop and risk nothing, and if
they aren't, you continue comboing into something more powerful. Jabs are
perfect for this purpose, because they will chain to themselves even if the
opponent is blocking. Non-jabs will not chain if the opponent blocks.
Some normal attacks called launchers knock the enemy up off the ground. Even
though launchers don't knock the enemy up very far, if the enemy is on the
ground when the launcher hits, they will be in hit stun until they land on
the ground again, which is significantly longer than any other hit stun in
the game. This gives you extra time to combo. Notice that this 'permanent
air hit stun' only counts for the hit that actually knocks them into the air,
so if they are hit a second time while still airborne, like with Tallgeese's
crouching Y, they will experience the normal hit stun of the last hit and
gain the ability to block before landing.
In the air is one of the best places you can be in GWED. Anything that can
be blocked on the ground can be blocked in the air. Some characters cannot
throw you while you are airborne. Any attack which must be blocked high can
be blocked in the air so long as you are holding away from the enemy.
Jumping straight up is a great tactic, especially when you are close. Use
this to turtle or to poke safely. Blocking more than one attack in the air
causes you to fall rapidly.
One of the most powerful attributes of supers in GWED is that they can
interrupt block stun. The main reason it is so important to block dash after
a normal attack is that the enemy can easily enter a super motion while
blocking and abruptly end your attack.
Specials and supers can also interrupt a normal's recovery (which is called a
buffer), just like a block dash can. In GWED, you cannot buffer into a
special or super unless the normal you are buffering from actually hits.
This is a ridiculously convenient 'option select,' since you can attempt to
combo into a special or super every time you attack, and it will only come
out when you are actually hitting.
Moves that knock the enemy down are not bufferable by specials, but they
are still bufferable by supers.
Hitting the enemy causes you to gain super meter. Each hit gives you 15
points of super meter. If they block your attack, they will gain 10 per
blocked hit, and you will gain 5 per blocked hit. Vulcans give the defender
the normal 10 points per hit when blocked, but they never give the attacker
super meter back, regardless of whether they hit. Attacking when the enemy
has low meter is the safest time, but they will regain meter quickly by
blocking. I can't recommend slowing down your offense when the enemy has low
meter, but just be aware that your attacks are their main source of super
meter. You may want to throw a few times when the enemy has low meter.
A projectile must be judged carefully for real usefulness. At long range,
they are rarely anything more than risky guesses, especially since blocking
them charges the enemy's super meter. At close range, how quickly it comes
out and how quickly you recover are the important factors. Air fireballs
often prove to be far more useful as random attacks, since they are more
difficult to approach from a vulnerable direction.
Notice that vulcans come out very rapidly and recover quickly but may
only be used at long range. Their speed and the fact that their execution
doesn't accompany any loud noises or drastic animation makes them useful as a
change-up. You can often catch people trying to dash in on you, or jumping
normally to advance. If you're fighting a strict melee game, occasionally
dash back and jab vulcan to surprise the enemy. And, if you don't make it
back to vulcan range, you've taken no great risk. Vulcans are not a major
portion of the gameplay. The fact that they charge the enemy's super
meter when blocked makes them a costly risk.
There is a simple method of jumping and then immediately executing an air
fireball. This will keep you close to the ground while shooting. Rather
than enter a fireball motion, (down > forward) enter a half circle motion,
from down to forward to up, and then wait a moment before you press an attack
button. You will jump, but the game will remember what you just entered a
moment before (the down to forward) and when you press an attack button, it
will consider this the completion of the fireball. The result is that you
will jump and immediately start shooting.
Throw. Throwing serves a simple purpose, to prevent someone from winning
without being either aggressive or alert. You may notice that good players
do not throw or get thrown often. This is because they have integrated it
into their gameplay by continual use, and found it to be only one of many
necessary tactics, powerful only against players who have little experience
with it. If you think throwing is unfair, notice that to prevent a throw,
all you have to do is stop the enemy from getting close to you. Fast weak
attacks are perfect for this purpose. In GWED it's also very easy to break
out of throws by simply throwing at the same time.
When in doubt, advance and do nothing, even if you are getting attacked
continuously. When you are close to the enemy you can punish mistakes more
easily. Remaining alert and blocking everything rather than trying to win by
attacking will beat most players.
If you have noone to play against, change the difficulty to hard, go to the
versus mode and press select on controller 2 to have the CPU control that
character. On the next screen, change the damage of the CPU character to 8
and your own to 1 for maximum difficulty. The computer seems to block a lot
more often in this mode, which is exactly the sort of practice you want.
Individual Characters
---------------------
Information about specific characters follows. It's better to use the SF
standard for the names of attacks, because abbreviations are hard to read.
jab: weak body attack (button Y)
fierce: strong body attack (button X)
short: weak weapon attack (button B)
RH: strong weapon attack (button A)
low: crouching
high: standing (aka neutral)
j.: jumping (aka flying)
Perform chain combos by pressing buttons in order while hitting the enemy.
This is how normals chain:
jabs -> high short -> low short -> (either fierce) or (either RH)
Jabs chains to each other regardless of whether you are actually hitting.
Longer chains require to be hitting.
Can't chain from low to high jabs: Heavy Arms, Tallgeese
Can't chain after high short: Deathscythe
Chains low short to high short: Epyon
Chains towards+fierce/fierce to low fierce: Wing, Wing Zero
Chains any fierce to any RH: Heavy Arms
Chains high fierce to high RH: Mercurius
Chains high RH to low RH: Wing, Deathscythe, Sand Rock, Wing Zero, Mercurius
Chains low RH to high RH: Tallgeese
Chains low RH to anything: Epyon
Just because something chains doesn't mean it will combo.
Specials will be referred to by their exact motion, rather than a made-up
name. (Uppercut, fireball, backwards fireball) The better version of a
special that uses 100 super meter is called an ES special. It's performed by
pressing a fierce or RH to complete the special instead of a jab or short.
Fireball: Roll from down to forward, then press a button.
Uppercut: Forward, then roll from down to down+forward, then press a button.
Super: Do two fireball motions in a row and then press a button.
Heavy Arms
----------
high jab: Slow. Sometimes, pause and use the ES backwards fireball instead
of continuing to tap them.
low jab: Slow launcher. Combo into this rather than using it by itself.
Will not chain back into high jab. Worthless.
high fierce: Use this from outside maximum range to counter sweeps. Not a
good move.
low fierce: Even though the range is short, this sweep is a very important
move because of its speed. Use it while dashing in, and mix it up with a
dashing backwards fireball.
high short: Hits crouchers and has more range than the jabs or the low
short. Good for random stabs if they're outpoking you with their faster
jabs. It will usually serve as anti-air if they happen to be jumping. You
may want to start chains with this since the jabs have such poor range.
low short: More range but less speed than the low fierce. Chain into this
just in case they're still blocking high after your initial jabs. Also, you
can dash in with this and attempt to buffer into an ES fireball, and then
immediately attempt to block dash back. If they get hit you will get the
combo, and if they don't you will be safe. However, because you are dashing
forward, you will get an uppercut instead of a fireball unless you release
forward immediately after starting your dash.
high RH: It hits downed opponents, and will chain from a fierce that hits.
It is exactly like the regular fireball with less range. The one advantage
it has over the regular fireball is that you can block dash after the third
projectile comes out. The range is better than half the screen. Like a
special, you cannot buffer this into super.
low RH: Anti-air and miscellaneous. You cannot block dash until the blue
explosions are fading away. If the enemy airblocks, you are safe. Use this
often if you corner the enemy, since it will trade hits with a lot of things,
even supers. You cannot buffer this into super.
j. jab: It's very hard to combo into anything after you land. Instead, use
it as a tick: Jump in with this and let it hit or be blocked, wait an
instant, and then use the backwards fireball. Highly effective, but if you
use it too often they will tech out or knock you out of the air.
j. fierce: A good choice for bread and butter offensive jumping since it
knocks down, comes out much faster than high fierce, and will hit jumpers
and crouchers equally well. Since Heavy Arms can't jump over anyone, it's
difficult to misspace this move.
j. short: This is very unlikely to hit an enemy on the ground, so use it
when you jump straight up or back. You don't really need this as air to
air since a well timed j. fierce is more universally effective.
j. RH: If you are >that< cool, then use this as a jumping attack. Since
it's just as likely to miss as the jumping short, it's fine for jumping in
and then throwing. Note that Heavy Arms is difficult to approach if you use
this while jumping straight up.
Fireball: It's fast enough to combo after a high or low short. Combo into
the ES version if you have it, since you will get most of your meter back.
The recovery time is just too long to use it randomnly. The ES version is
better than anyone's except Vayeate's or Sand Rock's.
Backwards fireball: The ES version has better range. If they are in hit
or block stun they will not be grabbed, so practice grabbing at the earliest
possible instant after tapping them. Execute this motion while dashing
forward normally, and the grab stops the dash automatically. Mix this up
with dashing low fierce. If you use this too much you will be countered, so
use a variety of attacks.
Uppercut: Because this move homes in, doing it in the air is usually
preferrable, so that it can home up or down. Since there is no way to get
large damage out of this, it is basically just another worthless projectile.
Super: Not very good. Doesn't juggle well, low damage, hits downed
opponents only a few times, doesn't go the full screen, and is very difficult
to combo into. (Try comboing from low short, but you have to be pretty
slick) You can only use this to countersuper in a few cases. Save your
super for ES specials.
Useful combos: High jabs, low short, ES fireball. If the jabs just aren't
working for you use high short, low short, ES fireball. Throwing is the
threat which will allow you to attack more often, or encourage the opponent
to make an error.
After knockdown: Low short, low fierce, low RH.
Wing
----
high jab: Hit crouchers, but low jab is much better.
low jab: This move has range, hits low, and always chains to itself, so
start every chain with it.
high fierce: Chain into this launcher for a guaranteed easy combo into any
special. ES uppercut is the best and easiest to time. Super will combo but
won't juggle well. The towards+fierce is decent, because it has range, hits
crouchers, doesn't knock down, and you can chain it into low fierce. Combo
into super after towards+fierce if you are that badass.
low fierce: A sweep with average speed and range. Doesn't have that much
more range than low short, and is slower, so you don't want to dash in with
this.
high short: Doesn't hit crouchers and thus is useless. You might choose
this for anti-air.
low short: More range than low jab so chain into it. Will outprioritize
a few things that jab won't at the edge of its hit area, but recovery is
worse.
high RH: Speed, range, and priority. Practice comboing either RH into the
beam super. Use this often to outpoke the enemy.
low RH: Like high RH, only the range is better-too good IMO. It won't
counter low attacks like high RH, but will double as anti-air at great
distance. Do it a second time to juggle if they're cornered. Combo into
super after ending your chain with this.
j. jab: Kind of pointless except for tick-throwing.
j. fierce: Not as good as j. RH. Slower, hits a smaller area, and no block
damage.
j. short: Useless. Even if they are superjumping above you, j. RH will
still work and do more damage.
j. RH: It covers your front, hits crouchers, and comes out quickly, but
pushes them back quite a bit.
Fireball: This is the worst fireball in the game. Slow coming out, long
recovery, small projectile, and flies slowly. The ES version is decent.
Use it after RH if they are cornered or very close.
Backwards fireball: Combos after a launcher or a close RH. From full range,
this will go over sweeps and out-prioritize weak attacks. You recover pretty
quickly, so it's fun to poke with, but suicidal if you use it often. Not
integral but not worthless either. Also use this to advance if they are just
inside full screen range or fallen. Use it very early against downed
opponents to tap them at the last second.
Uppercut: Note that it doesn't come out instantly like ye olde shoryuken so
you have to do it a little early. Airblocking renders this very weak
anti-air, since they will land before you. Like Wing Zero's, you can block
the instant your feet touch the ground so the enemy can't use a ground chain
against you when you miss. They will just have to hit you out of the air.
Since it works while jumping, use it for obvious juggles.
Beam Super: Average. It won't hit downed enemies and juggles horribly.
It's much easier to combo into this super than Wing Zero's, because you can
buffer from either RH.
Bird super: Invincible but worthless. The enemy can choose to jump 3 times,
or just block it to gain super meter, and then hit you out of the air as you
recover. Since you can activate super while blocking, this is a good counter
if Sand Rock or Epyon use their super randomnly.
Useful combos: Low jabs, either RH, beam super. Low jabs, high RH, low RH.
After knockdown: Low jabs, low fierce or high RH. (high RH can be buffered
into a fireball if they don't have super)
Death Scythe
------------
high jab: Doesn't hit crouchers. Use to prevent jump-in throws.
low jab: Harassing only, since it won't chain into anything but a short and
then they will be too far away to chain into both hits of the RH.
high fierce: It knocks down unlike RH, and has better range than low fierce.
You may use this to whack an enemy on the way down from an uppercut because
of its speed and range compared to low RH.
low fierce: A good dashing attack. His dash is pretty slow comparitively,
so you don't catch people off guard with this very often.
high short: This is not bufferable by specials even though it doesn't knock
down. You also cannot chain after this attack. It's decent anti-air. I
have the feeling that high RH was supposed to be un-bufferable to prevent the
infinite and they got it switched.
low short: Your best random poke. The range is almost as good as Shen
Long's and it hits low. Use this often.
high RH: If you use this at max distance you won't be able to blockdash
back until after the scythe has passed the second hitting portion so it's not
really a great random poke in spite of its huge head to foot hitting area.
low RH: Just like the low RH, you are a bit vulnerable since you can't
abort until the move is almost finished anyway. Note that both RHs hit
crouchers and function as anti-air.
j. jab: Fast air to air. No real use for this.
j. fierce: A little unweildy because of its small hit area. It's a little
easier to space and time than the RH. Use high RH to combo after rather than
low short, to get the full 2 hits out of the RH.
j. short: Pretty good any time you jump straight up.
j. RH: Because you get two points of block damage out of this, using it
repeatedly could prompt a random countersuper. Follow with a ground RH if
they don't have meter.
Fireball: Average, it does travel very quickly, and you recover as soon as
it leaves the screen, so it's good if they are out of jumping range. The ES
one is just a dumb guess by itself.
Uppercut: Worthless. They will air block and hit you out of the air after
landing, because the extra blocked hits causes them to fall faster. You can
block the instant your feet touch the ground.
Super: Combos nicely after the low RH. Worthless anti-air of course.
Useful combos: I'm assuming you're not going to use the infinite, since that
sort of blows the whole game, so: Jumping RH, high RH, fireball. Jumping
fierce, low jab, low short, high fierce. Jumping fierce, low short, ES
fireball, low short, low RH, uppercut or super.
After knockdown: Low short, high RH.
Misc: The dash is slow but temporarily invincibile. Theres a delay before
you can throw when recovering from the dash, but you can still use it for
that purpose. Dash in, block low a moment, then back+fierce. If you tried
to throw too soon the fierce may beat their attack anyway. You have to mix
this up with dashing attacks for it to be effective.
Sand Rock
---------
high jab: Standard fare, hits crouchers.
low jab: Same as high jab.
high fierce: This move sucks. Bad speed, range, priority, doesn't combo
after anything except high/low short, and doesn't work as anti-air.
low fierce: A little bit more range than high fierce but it's still bad.
high short: This has impressive range, speed, and hits crouchers. If you
want to use this as a random poke, make sure you juggle with a special move
if it actually hits. Juggling with fireball is low damage but will always
work, unlike the uppercut which will miss at maximum range. Chain into this
and then uppercut. Use for anti-air.
low short: If they are blocking your jabs, make sure you chain into this
just to make sure they're blocking low. You can dash in with this, and
attempt to buffer it into the backwards fireball, and then immediately
attempt to block dash back. If the low short hits you'll get the combo, if
it doesn't you'll be safe. Option select. You can combo into uppercut
if they are close.
high RH: Much better than those fierces. Use this from maximum range if you
are getting harassed by some of the other characters's good RH pokes. You
can't combo into super after this, but you can fireball after it to keep the
pressure on.
low RH: By itself, only slightly better than low fierce. Hits downed
opponents.
j. jab: Okay. It's pretty easy to combo into a ground chain after this.
j. fierce: It's faster than the ground versions and knocks down. It has a
little better air to air range than RH, but RH is better because of block
damage.
j short: Even though it won't hit crouchers it's good as a changeup because
of the range and speed. Always attempt to air fireball after using this.
j. RH: Standard fare. Knocks down so dash in and push them into a corner
if possible.
Fireball: Like Vayeate's, no other fireball can affect it, and it will
destroy normal fireballs. Watch for an Epyon player to do his super and
quickly throw this. The quick air version can hit standing enemies, and at
least keeps them grounded.
Backwards fireball: Easy way to combo after any weak attack, but it's far
too risky if they have super available. If you use it by itself, start
right at the edge of hitting range.
Uppercut: For comboing after high short. If you use it randomnly, do so
at the maximum range, so you can recover before they counterattack. This
will combo after a close low short also.
Super: Pretty pathetic. It's too slow to combo, and doesn't juggle well.
On the positive side, it recovers pretty quickly after it's finished, and
lasts so long it's hard to tell when it's going to end, so it is somewhat
hard to counter. This makes it acceptable for its only reliable purpose,
which is random use. Don't use it against Wing or Wing Zero because of the
bird super. Save your super for comboing into ES uppercut.
Useful combos: Jabs, high short, ES uppercut. Jumping short, air fireball.
Close jumping jab, low short, ES backwards fireball. Jabs, low short, high
RH, (fireball).
After knockdown: Low short, low RH.
This character takes less damage and has a longer normal throw range than
any other character. Try to stay close and throw. Force traded hits and
attack continuously if possible.
Wing Zero
---------
high jab: Normally a move like this is incredibly powerful, because you can
hit low without crouching, and thus easily advance and poke. However, it
comes out at an average speed, has short range compared to many high RH's,
doesn't recover very fast, and your walking speed is slow, so it's not that
overwhelming. Obviously, use it to start chains and attack randomnly.
low jab: If you are already ducking, it's not any worse than high jab.
high short: Doesn't hit crouchers, worthless.
low short: Hits low, more range than jabs. Combo into this. Use it instead
of high RH to outpoke up close because it hits low.
high fierce: Doesn't hit crouchers, and knocks down. It has more range than
low fierce so use it after: 4 jabs if they are standing and you want to
knock them down. Otherwise use RH. It chains into low fierce, which is
mysterious, since you have to chain very slowly to combo, and it hits them
after they've fallen.
low fierce: Has only slightly more range than high jab, so you might want
to dash in with this if you are slightly more than half screen away.
high RH: Fast and long range, just like Wing's. Use this to outpoke the
enemy, or to finish a chain without knocking them down or launching. Buffer
this into super, though it's rather difficult.
low RH: Range, speed, and launches. Chain into this if you want to juggle
with any special. Use this for anti-air, rather than the uppercut.
j. jab: This will hit a standing opponent as you jump back, which you can
then buffer into an air backwards fireball.
j. fierce: Not as good as j. RH, because it only has one hit area.
j. short: Style points if you get this to connect.
j. RH: Fast, air to air, hits crouchers, has longer hit stun than fierce.
Of course, it knocks them back further also.
Fireball: Average. Comes out fast enough to combo after a short (or RH).
All four hits of the ES version won't combo unless they are in the corner, so
be careful with it. Use the quick air fireball technique to keep them
grounded.
Backwards Fireball: Use the ground version after jumping RH, low RH.
Otherwise, the ground backwards fireball version is just a wild guess,
especially against characters with good dashing sweeps. The air version
rocks as much as Tallgeese's. Jump backwards and use the ES version
randomnly, since your super isn't too great.
Uppercut: The low RH is a lot safer than this for anti-air. For juggles,
the fireballs have more range and equal damage. Using this to reverse
ground attacks is risky, especially since it doesn't come out that quickly.
Using it in the air is also a big risk, unless you are juggling them in
the corner. It seems to be completely useless. One thing to note is that
the second his feet touch the ground he's able to start blocking, and he
lands quickly so they to whack you out of the air. If you are determined to
use this as anti-air, do it as soon as you see them jump, since the higher up
you hit them, the longer they will take to land after blocking. The ES
version will cause them to airblock multiple times and thus fall more quickly
and counter you more easily.
Beam super: Not very good. It's difficult to combo into, juggles poorly,
and doesn't hit downed opponents. It does come out quickly though, and does
good damage up close. It's a good wild guess if the enemy has low super.
Like any beam super, it counters other supers well.
Bird super: Pretty worthless. See description of Wing's bird super.
Useful combos: Jabs, high RH, super. (or ES fireball if they're cornered)
j. RH, low RH, backwards fireball. (or j. RH, high RH, low RH, fireball)
After knockdown: Jabs, low fierce. If they have no super: Jabs, high RH,
fireball, and they will stand up into the fireballs.
Shen Long
---------
high jab: Prevent jump-in throws. Doesn't hit crouchers.
low jab: Pressure and start combos.
high fierce: Worthless. More range than low fierce, but less range than
high RH.
low fierce: Your best dash-in attack.
high short: The first hit is as fast as a jab, so you may prefer to start
chains with this. The second hit has far more range than a jab. Combo
into ES fireball, low short, or super.
low short: This is a painfully effective move, which you should use at
regular intervals. They must block low even if they are more than halfway
across the screen, and if you are half screen or closer, chain into high RH
or a super.
high RH: This is your other extremely effective normal, which hits almost
as quickly as a jab from half screen, knocks down, and functions as anti-air
if they happen to be jumping.
low RH: Average anti-air. If they airblock you're usually safe. If it
hits, try to juggle with a high RH. For some reason, you can't buffer this
into a super or a blockdash.
j. jab: Worthless, doesn't hit crouchers, j. short is better air to air.
j. fierce: Bread and butter jumpkick. Pretty easy to combo after.
j. short: Air to air. Use the down+j. short if you are jumping in from
almost full screen, or jumping away from close to them. Follow up with a low
short. However, on most jumpins use j. fierce.
j. RH: If you use this move, I have to respect you on a professional level.
Fireball: By itself, it's far less effective than high RH or low short, but
it does a lot more damage than these. Always combo into the ES version after
a high short for maximum damage. The air version is just a dangerous guess.
Uppercut: The usefulness of this move is highly questionable given that
most of your good normals do block damage. It comes out more slowly than a
normal, and always leaves you slightly vulnerable while you recover from it.
If the enemy blocks, you are wide open for a super. The ES fireball does
much more damage in a combo. It's not horrible, but not an integral aspect
to your gameplay. Use it in the air, or for block damage as they stand if
they don't have super.
Super: Average. It knocks the enemy up so it doesn't juggle well. Tack it
on after a chain if you have it, but it only does a little more than the ES
fireball. It will always combo after a low short, while the ES fireball
won't always.
Useful combos: Low jabs, high short, ES fireball. Low jabs, high short, low
short, super. From big distance, low short into high RH.
After knockdown: Low short into low fierce or 2 low fierces.
Mercurius
---------
high jab: Notice that it doesn't come out as quickly as Vayeate's and
doesn't hit crouchers. Low RH is much better for anti-air.
low jab: A little bit safer and easier to time and start combos with than
the than the low short. Chain into high fierce if they aren't in the corner.
high fierce: Your launcher. Always attempt to chain into this normal and
then immediately super. Great damage and very easy. This is not that great
outside of combos.
low fierce: Your best surprise dash-in attack. If it hits, immediately do
a super for a little extra damage and you will get most of your super meter
back.
high short: Has less range, comes out more slowly, and is less safe than
low short. Not that useful outside of chains.
low short: This move is great. It comes out quickly, absorbs one fireball,
hits 3 times, trades with most attacks, and does 3 points of block damage.
Beware waiting until the last hit to block dash back if the enemy has super.
If they're cornered you have plenty of time to decide whether to chain to
high fierce or blockdash away.
high RH: A good attack because of its wide hit area. The shield takes a
moment to come completely forward, so always try to use it from the maximum
range.
low RH: Great anti-air. It's much faster than Vayeate's but hits in a
smaller area. It knocks down so you can super when it hits.
j. jab: No real use, as j. fierce is better for preventing air throws.
Doesn't hit crouchers.
j. fierce: Like j. jab, it doesn't hit crouchers, but has good range. If
you hit a grounded enemy with this, immediately use standing fierce to kick
them up again, then jump and do another j. fierce, to kick their sorry ass a
third time, then buffer that into an air uppercut, then super! It is a
launcher exactly like high fierce, but it's too risky to attempt to super
after it, since you will land and the super will come out even if the
j. fierce didn't hit.
j. short: This move looks abusable but it's not all that deadly, because it
can be supered. Jump and then quickly tap the button, so that you land
almost immediately after it stops hitting. It can be blocked low. If you
hit, buffer into the uppercut so they get knocked down, then super.
j. RH: Go nuts with this baby. Make sure you try to stay just within
hitting range, and not any closer. If they jump, the middle frame, with the
shield pointed up at an angle, will knock them back. It hits crouchers if
you aim well, and it must be blocked high.
Fireball: With the invincibility on, you probably want to attack the enemy
with all the time you have. The regular fireball is junk and you shouldn't
want to abort invincibility. If you throw the ES fireball, you're wasting
the rest of your super for the chance that they won't block. Not useful.
Backwards fireball: While the invincibilty is on, the objective is to avoid
getting thrown. If they are trying to wait you out, this is a good chance to
throw them. Always use the fierce throw since Mercurius has the only normal
throw that charges super. The j. short is good for avoiding throws. Try to
get them cornered with some j. RH's, then do the j. short over and over. The
best time to activate this is right after you throw the enemy or knock them
down. It may be smarter to save your super meter for chaining into a super.
Uppercut: This has complete invincibility to high attacks and projectiles
for most of its duration, and it hits crouchers with very high priority,
thus countering many low attacks that would otherwise hit it. However it
takes a moment to come out and recover. If you use this often you will be
countered. Use it to juggle after an air hit. Super if you hit with it.
Super: Its easy comboability and ability to hit downed opponents is
balanced by the fact that it cannot counter other supers very quickly or from
far away. If you see the opponent is supering and you are still close and
blocking, try to enter it before you get pushed back very far, since it will
go over or through most attacks.
Useful combos: Low jabs, high fierce, super. If you corner them, low
jabs, high short, low short, high fierce, super. See the combo under
'j. fierce.'
After knockdown: Super or low fierce or low fierce into super.
Tallgeese
---------
high jab: Slow but hits crouchers. Nice for starting combos but it will
be outpoked.
low jab: It only hits once if they block, so be ready to block dash back.
If it hits, combo into low short then uppercut. This will not chain back
into high jab.
high fierce: Good range and damage, and knocks down. Towards+fierce has
the most range of anything that will knock them down, so mix it up with the
RH if you're tapping them from maximum range.
low fierce: Best dash-in attack. Attempt to buffer it into a super every
time, and of course, block dash back when it doesn't hit.
high short: Speed, range, and hits crouchers. Use within chains or as an
alternative to poking with high RH.
low short: This is a lot safer and smarter than the uppercut for anti-air.
If you whack them out of the air, juggle with high fierce for a knockdown,
then super or other low attack. If you chain into this and it launches them,
you have plenty of time to ES backwards fireball, and sufficient time to
super.
high RH: Extremely good range and speed. Use this if you are being
outprioritized on the ground. Chain into it from high jab or short. Always
try to combo into the ES fireball. With practice you can combo into your
super after this for better damage.
low RH: Has a smaller hit area than high RH but the same range. You can
chain into high RH if it hits of course. Hits downed opponents, and isn't
a knockdown attack, which means you can buffer into a special after hitting a
downed opponent.
j. jab: Jump straight up with this if you want to fend off a jumper.
Otherwise useless, it doesn't hit crouchers.
j. fierce: Hits crouchers. High short will combo easily after this. The
down+j. fierce knocks down, but comes out more slowly and has less range.
j. short: Use moves like this as taunts.
j. RH: Probably j. fierce is better in every case, because the area in which
this attack hits crouchers is small.
Fireball: Good. The projectiles come out quickly and move quickly. The ES
version is excellent, proving useful at close range because it comes out as
fast as a normal and pushes them back. Obviously, it will be dangerous if
they have super, or if they jump. The air versions are good random attacks,
and difficult to punish. Use the quick air fireball technique.
Backwards Fireball: This is an attack consisting of 2 hits. The first hit
advances momentarily, has very low damage and average priority. It's simple
to combo into this after a low short, but you may find it to be a useful
pressure tactic outside of combos. You can throw them normally almost
immediately after they block it, as long as they don't hit you, throw you, or
jump very quickly. The entire time you are glowing green the move is
completely vulnerable, so they will be able to see it coming if you use it
very often.
Uppercut: Totally useless by itself. They will airblock and you will die.
Combo into this if you hit with a low jab, low short.
Super: One of the best. Combos easily, hits downed opponents, and has the
speed to counter other supers. Damage is low.
Useful combos: High jabs or high short, low short, ES backwards fireball
or super. High short, high RH, ES fireball or super.
After knock down: Super or low fierce or low fierce into super. You don't
want to use low RH into super since you may accidently get a fireball instead
of the super. Since the low fierce cannot be buffered into a special, (it's
a knockdown move) you are guaranteed a super or nothing.
Vayeate
-------
high jab: Juggle or prevent jump-throws.
low jab: Start combos, harass, force them to block.
high fierce: It has slightly more range than low fierce and knocks down.
If you throw with jab you can dash after and whack them after the first
bounce with this.
low fierce: Your best surprise dash-in attack. Never fail to interrupt
this move into a block dash back or superjump up.
high short: You can block dash forward the moment the projectile completely
leaves the gun. This is an easy way to advance from full screen without
having to jump, since they will be in block stun, and no supers hit low.
The long delay makes it impossible to combo into.
low short: Basically useless as far as I can tell. Use low RH or high RH
instead.
high RH: Comes out a little faster than the other anti-air normals. It
won't hit an enemy that's on the ground.
low RH: The move of choice when your opponent likes to superjump to gain
ground. Block dash after and you will be right under them before they land.
Beware a throw as they land. Guessing with this attack is good if you intend
to block dash forward anyway.
j. jab: It's pretty large so use it for air to air. Doesn't hit crouchers.
j. fierce: Incredible range that lets you maintain distance if you want to
use your fireball. Jump and whack them at appropriate intervals. If they
use ground fireballs, this is often a better counter than your own fireball.
It knocks down so you get a free advance and hit.
j. short: Your only reliable way to get some block damage. If you harass
them with this too much, they will super you. This is your most important
pressure attack for a simple reason, it's possible to combo into a super
before you land. Always attempt to buffer into a super and the super will
only come out if you hit. Option select.
j. RH: Ok. Use this immediately after a jump to keep them grounded.
J. down+RH is less useful during normal jumps, since it will miss if they are
jumping. Even though the regular j. RH may go over their head, they won't be
able to jump.
Fireball: Comes out slowly, has a long recovery, and causes the entire
character to glow, clearly broadcasting what you are doing to the opponent.
However, the fireball cannot be destroyed by any other fireball, and it will
destroy most other fireballs. Not that useful.
Uppercut: Comes out quickly and will trade with almost anything for the
duration of its rising portion. This is a relatively safe way to harass the
enemy, because you gain the ability to attack on the way down. You cannot
block while descending. Use it often to stay close, mixed up with other
attacks like low jabs. If the move hits, make sure you do a super in the air
to combo. It is the second hit of the uppercut that actually launches the
enemy, so they will stay in hit stun until they land.
Super: Excellent. Use it for combos and for countering other supers. Use
it on the way down from a jump if you use it randomnly. You don't gain much
from ES versions of your two specials, so just save your meter for comboing
into this super.
Useful combos: Uppercut into super. Jumping short into super. Low jabs
into low fierce. Uppercut, last second air jab, ES uppercut, RH. (Tiger
Genocide!) Uppercut, last second air jab, high RH.
After knockdown: Low fierce.
Epyon
-----
This character is only available in versus and trial mode. Select Tallgeese,
then press LLLLRRRRLRLRLRLR. Those are the L and R buttons, not the control
pad directions.
high jab: Hits crouchers, but use low jab instead.
low jab: This hits low. Use this in conjuntion with the overhead to play a
high/low game.
high fierce: Flash kick! No range, and because it leaves the ground, you
can't abort it with a block dash. This can't be countered after being
air-blocked, so you can use it for anti-air instead of low short if you want
to knock them down.
low fierce: This sweep recovers more quickly than it comes out, so it's very
safe even without block dashing. If you buffer into super immediately after
this hits, they won't be able to stand up before the super starts hitting.
However, they may be able to stand inbetween hits (by mashing) and then
countersuper.
high short: Great speed and range. Use this from half screen to poke.
low short: Unlike a normal low short, this will chain back to high short,
so you can alternate as long as you are within range. Usually however, just
chain into low fierce or low RH before you get pushed back too far. This
is very safe anti-air, allowing you to start attacking again before they
land.
high RH: Never use this against an opponent on the ground. If you use this
for anti-air, you will land at the exact same time as them, so there is no
advantage over the low short.
low RH: Even though this hits low and launches, all the juggles with normals
require proximity, and this move has great range. Instead, poke with it from
full range and attempt to buffer into the backwards fireball. If the low RH
hits, you will gain ground exactly like buffering into a block dash, except
you can attack while hopping in. If you are close enough, or if you use the
ES backwards fireball, you can juggle with jumping fierce on the way in and
knock them down. If you aren't close enough to juggle with fierce after the
launch/hop, the RH has more range. Also: This move chains to every other
normal. When you knock the enemy down and you dont want to use your super,
alternate between this and low short, which chain to each other.
j. jab: Hits crouchers.
j. fierce: Comes out very quickly and knocks down. Use this if they are
above you since it hits in every direction.
j. short: It's pretty easy to combo after, so jump in with this if you
intend to keep hitting.
j. RH: Good air to air, but nothing else. J. short may still be better
since you land faster.
Fireball: Control the direction of this move by holding in a direction as
soon as he forms a ball. The flying portion knocks down but the ball portion
functions as a launcher. If you fly towards them and they block, you will be
hit or thrown. Use it near them to take advantage of the great priority of
the energy ball portion and then hold back to get away from them. You cannot
attack or block while recovering from this move, so holding up is dangerous.
The ES version is less risky since you can advance and then retreat. Use it
if the super is not a safe choice.
Backwards fireball: This the only overhead in the game. This move starts
and advances very quickly, >any attack done during it must be blocked high<,
is very hard to react to, and is easy to combo into and after. Mix this up
with your low fierce and low RH, and keep them grounded with low short.
Because of this one move, it's smart to stay in the air while fighting Epyon,
because just holding back will block anything as long as you are airborne.
It is possible to do an infinite with this move: low short, hop with short,
repeat, but it's difficult to maintain indefinitely.
Super: Not that great. The only way to combo into this is to knock them
down, and it doesn't do much damage in that case. It will not counter other
supers at long range, so they can just blast you at will. If they block your
super you will be countered. If you do this in the air to avoid
countersupers, they can blockdash in underneath you to miss a lot of the
shots, also preventing you from regaining much super. On the other hand, the
initial ball portion hits and has high priority, and the shots never miss
completely. Characters without good countersupers (Heavy Arms, Death Scythe,
Sand Rock) are pretty helpless against this super unless you happen to corner
them before activating it. You usually get a decent amount of super meter
back. Stick to the high/low game and use this after a knockdown or when it's
safe. Wing and Wing Zero can counter this by just activating the bird super
right after starting to block.
Useful combos: Low jabs, low short, low fierce. Low RH, buffer into
backwards fireball, fierce in the air. Close low RH, high fierce. Notice
all these knock down.
After knock down: Super if you don't mind the risk of a countersuper,
otherwise use: low RH, low short, low RH, low short, low RH, high short.
You can also replace any of the attacks with a backwards fireball into short
(which hits) to get close again but they will probably stand up during the
delay.
Cool combos: Low jab, low short, low RH, low short, backwards fireball,
flying short, jumping fierce, super. Low jab, low short, low RH, low short,
high RH.
Rankings
--------
These rankings are my opinions, provided for the purpose of comparitive
experience. They are seperated from best to worst.
Top tier: Mercurius
Epyon
Middle tier: Shen Long
Tallgeese
Vayeate
Wing
Wing Zero
Bottom tier: Death Scythe (w/o infinite, ie. if high RH wasn't bufferable)
Heavy Arms
Sand Rock
Terminology
-----------
This is a small and basic street fighter glossary, which is included just
in case you haven't heard a particular term before.
2in1/Interrupt/Buffer: The process of aborting the recovery animation of
a normal (and sometimes a special) by executing a special or super while the
normal is in the recovery animation. Strict limitations on this are imposed
by the game itself, and vary from game to game.
Block damage: A small amount of damage that you take when you block certain
attacks. If an attack does block damage, you always take at least a little
bit of damage. If you have no life left, you cannot block an attack that
does block damage.
Block stun: A period of time right after you block in which what you can
do is limited, depending on the game. If the opponent keeps hitting you
while you block, you may never leave block stun, or may do so only briefly.
Chain combo: A type of combo in which the animation of the previous normal
is suspended and is replaced by a new normal. In most games, a series of
normals will only chain if the hits are actually connecting with the enemy,
regardless of whether they are being blocked. All chains are predetermined
by the game designers, since all normals in any game have some recovery
time. Game makers seems to have gotten the idea for these after people
stumbled on a bunch of link combos in the SF2 series which looked cool.
Combo: A series of hits which cannot be blocked, assuming the first hit
of the series is not blocked. Any attack that hits the opponent while they
are in hit stun has comboed from the previous hit.
Come out: Refers to how quickly an attack gains the ability to hit after it
is initiated. Weak attacks tend to come out faster than strong attacks.
Crossup: A jumping attack that hits the enemy on the far side, so they must
block towards the direction you jumped from. A normal jumping attack is
blocked away from the direction you are jumping from.
Dash: This is a faster way of moving than walking left or right in some
games. It's usually performed by tapping left or right twice quickly, or
tapping twice quickly and then holding the second tap.
Dizzy: In some games, after getting hit by a long series of attacks, the
character will temporarily lose the ability to move, block, or attack. They
are 'dizzy.'
ES special: A better version of a particular special that uses some of your
super meter. In GWED, buttons X or A in conjunction with the correct motion
perform ES specials. Also called 'EX.'
Fireball: An attack that generally moves forward, and has the ability to hit
but usually cannot be hit. The important aspects of a fireball in rough
order are: how quickly it comes out, how quickly you recover from creating
it, whether it hits crouchers, how fast it moves, how large it is, and (least
important) how much damage it does. This also refers to the motion: down to
forward, then a button.
Flying: While you are in the air. May include things besides just normal
jumping. (like Epyon's overhead in GWED)
Frame: This refers to the actual graphical representation of something
happening during the game in a particular instant. Frame is used to refer
to particular aspects of a move, because in almost every case, the
properties of an attack (or whatever) do not change without the graphical
representation also changing.
High/low game: Alternating attacks that must be blocked either high or
low to confuse the enemy and cause them to block the wrong way.
Hit stun: A period of time right after you get hit in which you can usually
do nothing, depending on the game. If you get hit while in hit stun, you
are being comboed.
Hits crouchers: An attack that may be blocked either high or low, but
cannot be ducked under. Attacks that can be ducked under are referred to
by 'doesn't hit crouchers' since 'hits high' usually means an overhead.
Hits low: An attack that must be blocked while crouching.
Juggle: To combo an enemy while they are airborne.
Knock back/push back: When you hit the opponent they are pushed away whether
they block or not. If they are in the corner, you are pushed back instead.
Knock down: A hit that causes the enemy to fall completely down, thus
temporarily changing their properties. Typical changes are inability to
move, inability to attack, and inability to be hit or thrown. These changes
typically disappear as soon as the character stands up again, but you may
remain invincible to throws longer than you are invincible to attacks.
Launch: To hit the enemy off the ground so that they may be juggled before
regaining control of their character.
Link combo: A series of at least two hits in which the first hit is
animated completely from hit to full recovery, and another attack which is
initiated immediately after the first attack combos. Notice that for a link
combo to exist, the hit stun from the first hit must last longer than the
total time of: the recovery animation of the first hit and the startup
animation of the second hit.
Meaty: First, it's important to understand that many attacks have the
ability to hit over a period of time. If you attack someone normally, that
move will connect as soon as it can, and then lose the ability to hit again,
while it goes into recovery animation. But, if at the first instant at which
it is able to hit, it does not, it still may retain the ability to hit for a
short time before it begins its recovery animation. If you use such an
attack while the opponent is in the process of standing, or otherwise
incapable of being hit, and they suddenly become eligible to be hit (eg: by
standing completely up) the attack may hit later in its excution/animation
than it otherwise would. Notice that as a result of this, the hit stun of
the enemy begins AND ends at a later time during the attack than it otherwise
would. Meaty attacks are the key to many links.
Meter: Super meter. Sometimes meter is also called 'super.'
Neutral: This refers to not pressing in any direction on the crosspad or
joystick.
Normal: An attack that comes out when you press a button.
Option select: This is an expression the SF crowd seems to have picked up
from Virtua Fighter players. It means to do something, which no matter what
the opponent does in response, (or is already doing) the end result will be
favorable, or at least not unfavorable for you. Also note that this refers
to a situation in which one of at least two different things may happen,
but you are not aware of which. Meaning, blocking is not an option select.
Overhead: An attack that must be blocked high. Technically, all jumping
attacks are overheads.
Poke: To attack for the purpose of maintaining the initiative by making
the enemy block, and not necessarily for starting a combo. Important aspects
of good pokes are range, speed, and priority.
Priority: A general and non-specific expression referring to how likely
a particular move is to hit other moves cleanly, or trade rather than being
hit cleanly.
Punish: This is the act of counterattacking a mistake made by the enemy.
Recovery/Recovery animation: A period of time after a particular move no
longer possesses the ability to attack, but still is animating, and
preventing you from doing anything else.
Reversal: Doing something immediately after standing so that you never enter
the neutral animation. Also called a wake-up attack. This is also sometimes
used to mean a simple counter, an attack that comes out after the enemy's
attack and yet still beats it or negates it.
Scrub: A scrub is someone who isn't any good or has no style. Technically,
using this word makes you a scrub.
Semithrow: A semithrow operates like a hit in that it can be blocked, but
it will not trade hits under any circumstances. It will either win the
exchange or it will be hit cleanly. Semithrows don't necessarily have
anything to do with 'parrying.'
SF: Street Fighter, the game that created the 2p fighting genre.
Special: This is an attack which is generally performed by inputing a
series of inputs on the joystick or buttons, or anything more complicated
than just pressing a button. Specials tend to have unique properties, like
coming out rapidly, invincibility, or doing block damage.
Super: A more dramatic version of a 'special' which always uses up some of
your super meter and usually has some powerful properties, like coming out
instantly, or doing lots of damage.
Super meter: A numerical or graphical meter that grows when you do various
things, usually attacking, getting hit, blocking, etc. Since some moves use
up part of this meter, it limits the use of those moves.
Sweep: An attack that hits low and knocks down.
Tech-out/Tech-hit: In some games it is possible to escape from throws by
performing a throw very soon after your enemy throws you. Capcom called
this a tech hit.
Throw: An unblockable attack, which usually must be performed close to the
enemy. Range, damage, and execution vary from game to game, but throws can
almost never be executed while the enemy is in block stun or hit stun. A
throw is also distinguished from a hit by the fact that it can't trade hits.
Tick: This is hitting someone with an attack that produces short-duration
hit or block stun, and then throwing them. AKA tapthrow.
Trade hits: A situation in which both characters attack at approximately
the same time, and both attacks connect. This places both characters in
hit stun at the exact same time, though the length of the hit stun may not
be the same for both characters. Notice that if one of the characters is in
hit stun for a shorter time than the other after trading hits, and follows
this with a very quick attack, it may be possible to perform a combo even
though that character was just hit.
Turtle: Playing pure defense, or more specifically, attempting to reduce
risk by reducing aggression. This can be a viable strategy depending on
the game or your opponent.
Uppercut: A special that usually has high priority and comes out quickly,
but has an unsafe recovery. This also refers to the motion: Forward, then
down to down+forward (or completely forward again), then press a button.
-----
