Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Arcade / Dreamcast)

Urien Advanced Tactics Guide

Version 1.3

Written by / Copyright 2001  Kenneth "SlimX" Miller

[email protected]

I. Version History
II. Personal Introduction
III. Tactics Introduction
IV. Urien's Supers
V. Combos
VI. Advanced Tactics
VII. Tyrant Slaughter Tactics
VIII. Aegis Reflector Tactics
IV. To Be Added


I. Version History

Version 1.3 - 12.22.01
Added a new anti-Akuma Temporal Thunder 100% pseudo combo to V. Combos
Added a new anti-Akuma Aegis 100% pseudo combo to VIII. Aegis Reflector Tactics
Various minor edits
Updated personal information

Version 1.2 - 7.23.01
Added Aegis Trap Pseudo Combos to VIII. Aegis Reflector Tactics
Reorganized various parts of the information
Fixed some typos and adjusted some text formatting

Version 1.1 - 5.12.01
Added General Tips and Landing the Metallic Sphere to VI. Advanced Tactics

Version 1.0 - 2.18.01
First version


II. Personal Introduction

It took me a while to finally decide to write this guide, but, as usual, I got
tired of answering the same questions or wanting to elaborate (even more than
usual) when I didn't have the space. This guide is especially unusual since I
had specifically intended to -not- write it because a fellow Urien player
(and all around good guy) Jon Rodgers (Adverse Solutions, on the
shoryuken.com forums) had already started one quite some time ago. When he
first wrote it, I had very little experience with Urien. Thus, instead of
trying to write my own FAQ with all the usual beginner's junk, I simply
provided him with information to put in his guide. It was originally just an
extensive list of combos that I translated from Skill Smith's web page.
However, that soon became some techniques for Urien that were (at the time)
little known to the 3s community as a whole. Well, it was brought to my
attention and amusement that those techniques are now considered intermediate
or even beginner's material. I have also sent a great deal of newer
information to Jon Rodgers since then but as is his way, he's been very slow
in updating the guide. That's where this writing comes in. I have a lot of
respect for Jon, but he just takes too long to respond to e-mails and update
the guide for my tastes. I decided to write this so that I would have
complete control of how and when my information is available. I am still 100%
behind Jon's guide. It's an excellent beginner's and intermediate guide not
just because of what I've told him, but because of the large amount of great
techniques and combos of his own creation that he has included. I definitely
recommend that anyone looking for basic information on Urien as well as some
more advanced techniques like the EX tackle corner juggle check out his work.
I will not be reprinting what is already in his guide besides summaries. I
will be including, verbatim, information that I have sent him that he has yet
to include. If it ends up in his guide too, I want to point out that it is
NOT PLAGIARISM on either his part or my own. If he and I get a chance to talk
prior to or after his next update, we may discuss the removal of the
information from one of our guides. We'll see, if and when that time comes.

I'd like to ask, as a personal favor, that no one use this guide on ANY web
site (besides GameFAQs, of course). If you see this guide on any page or
anywhere else besides GameFAQs, please let me know at [email protected]


III. Tactics Introduction

This guide is meant to cover only the higher level play of Urien in 3rd Strike.
I will not dumb down any of the terminology or tactics to meet the understanding
of a beginner. If you need beginner's information, please refer to Jon Rodgers'
Urien guide on GameFAQs. In writing this guide, I expect the reader to
understand and be familiar with Urien's basic attacks, special moves, and
essential combos.

IV. Urien's Supers

Here, I will give a detailed analysis of execution, techniques, and basic combos
for each of Urien's three supers. More extensive combos will be listed later.

TYRANT SLAUGHTER

The Tyrant Slaughter is, of course, Urien's highest damage super. Now, by that I
don't mean that you'll do the most damage by using the Tyrant Slaughter as your
super. Quite the opposite is true, actually. However, it is the super that does
the most damage -by itself- and that can be useful in some situations.
Typically, you should not choose the Tyrant Slaughter unless you believe your
opponent to be at a lower skill level than yourself. I say this because if your
opponent never puts himself in a position to be comboed on the ground or never
whiffs an attack, the Tyrant is useless as a super. However, if your opponent
makes any number of typical mistakes or leaves himself open regularly, the
Tyrant can be used to quickly end the match.

You will most often land a Tyrant in one of two situations. Either after a small
ground combo or to punish a blocked or whiffed attack by your opponent. I will
address both of these situations individually.

1) The Tyrant can be comboed after most of Urien's normal attacks and canceled
from most of his specials. However, the combo you should try for most often is
simply low LK, Tyrant. This combo uses the full damage of the Tyrant as well as
being very easy to land. The low LK has much longer range that it appears, it's
very fast, and it hits low. If you're careful, you can pick just about any time
your opponent is standing in range and pull this combo out. It's a great way to
punish any missed special as well. This combo even does more damage than low HP
(one hit), Tyrant as a result of damage scaling. The low LK, Tyrant combo can
also be easily performed after a jump-in attack. The low LK is so fast, you have
enough time to make sure the jump-in attack hit before continuing the combo.

I often see people mention the use of Chariot Tackle canceled into Tyrant. I'm
puzzled as to why anyone would make much use of this combo. Canceling the tackle
into the Tyrant does only very slightly more damage than using the Tyrant alone
and slows the movement down (since the tackle is much slower than the Tyrant).
The only really useful tackle to Tyrant combo is with the EX tackle. However, I
will first stress that this combo is wasteful, as it lowers the damage of the
super and uses EX. However, the EX tackle moves extremely fast and far, and can
be used as a surprise tactic. There are two ways to use the EX tackle into
Tyrant. One way is to super cancel the first hit. This is the easier of the two
methods but takes quicker timing and is only useful if you know the EX tackle
is going to hit your opponent. You can also link the Tyrant after the second hit
of the EX tackle. This is more difficult to time but allows you to be sure the
EX tackle has hit before proceeding to the Tyrant. Either of these two methods
has various ways to set it up but one of the most useful is after a parry. This
is a technique I want to mention anyway so this is a good place to bring it up.
If you're charging back, you can tap forward to parry then immediately hit kick
to perform a tackle. This is particularly useful with the EX tackle after
parrying a fireball. If you're within about half screen, you can parry a
fireball and go straight into the EX tackle, which will hit before your opponent
recovers. This is not useful in normal play but even the top players tend to
slow down a bit and throw a few distant fireballs when they get low on life.

2) The Tyrant is so fast that it's easy to use it to punish any number of slow
attacks if they are whiffed or you block them. The most useful and famous is, of
course, the shoto low HK. If you block this attack, you can pull the Tyrant and
it will hit before your opponent recovers. As well as being a free hit, any
crouching character takes additional damage. Any time I play against a shoto
that I don't already know is good or that I know is not good, I will pick the
Tyrant for this exact use. Most shotoscrubs and even some intermediate level
shoto players use the low HK too much (which is to say at all). There are two
main ways I set up the situation to use this technique. One is to do a jump-in
HK from as far away as possible. If the shoto opponent blocks it or parries it,
they tend to go for low HK because it is the only attack they have that is long
enough range to hit you from there.. If you do the jump-in HK from far enough
away and deep enough, you will have time to land and block even if your
opponent parried it. All you have to do is watch for the low HK to come out,
block, and go for it. The other main way I set it up is when I'm playing against
a less aggressive shoto. If I alternate between inching towards them and
blocking low, they tend to throw out random low HKs in an attempt to push me
away or knock me down so they can escape. If you're waiting for it, it's easy to
punish them with the Tyrant.

TEMPORAL THUNDER

This super does not do much damage on its own and should not be used as if it
did. In fact, when using the Temporal Thunder super, you should treat it as
though it doesn't do any damage at all. The point of the Thunder is to stun your
opponent. Urien has several ways to combo into the Thunder that do over 50%
stun. Against Akuma and Remy, he can do 100% stun with one combo using the
Thunder (but I'll get into that later). Stunning your opponent is important for
three main reasons.

1) You can easily perform a large combo on a stunned opponent.
2) You can taunt before performing a combo to increase your damage.
3) Comboing on the stunned opponent builds your super gauge back up.

One thing I should stress is that when comboing the stunned opponent, you should
not use the Thunder in the combo. This is because a combo started on a stunned
opponent does less stun damage than usual. You can still do a great deal of
stun, but it's better to save the super since, as stated, it does very little
damage. The main misconception about the Thunder that I want to squash is that
it should ever be used by itself or even in ground combos. The Thunder should
only be used to finish a juggle combo - period. If used by itself, it is only
useful to stop people from jumping in, but it can be parried relatively easily
and will often knock the opponent away after only one hit (which is a total
waste). If used in a ground combo, it is only useful if you are very close to
your opponent, and even then it will often miss. This is what makes the Thunder
Urien's least useful super over all, but it can still be a very powerful weapon.
If you're good at landing a low HP, the Thunder can be very useful. Low HP,
juggle with EX headbutt, juggle with HK tackle cancel to Thunder does about 80%
stun on anyone with a medium length stun bar and it will nearly stun Akuma or
Remy. This is very useful, of course. If you've already hit your opponent a bit
before landing it, they'll be stunned. However, if your opponent is very
defensive or just very good at avoiding your close range attacks, the Thunder is
rendered useless. The Thunder is only useful in set-up combos. Always keep this
in mind. The Thunder is my least used super as a result of this. However, it is
always fun to use it if you're playing against an Akuma player and want to show
off with one of Urien's anti-Akuma 100% combos which are all only possible with
the Thunder. Of course, I'll address these later.

AEGIS REFLECTOR

Anytime I write about the Aegis Reflector, I feel like I should have said more.
The Aegis Reflector has a staggering amount of uses which makes it (in my
opinion) the best super in the game. The main aspect of the Aegis that
I want to stress is that it isn't about doing damage -with- the super itself.
The super, when it hits, does very little damage. It can be (like the Thunder)
treated as though it does no damage. What the Aegis does is supplement and
enhance all of Urien's attacks and specials. It allows for otherwise-impossible
combos and tricks. Even if the use of the Aegis allows only, say, one throw,
it's still great. It's not that the throw does a lot of damage; it's that the
throw was all but guaranteed to hit.

The Aegis is not about doing large damage (though it can do so in the correct
situations) but rather about doing easy, near unavoidable damage. No other super
has this potential in such a strong and versatile fashion. When a beginner
player first tries to use the Aegis, they tend to complain of its low damage.
They see the corner combos involving using the Aegis to continue a ground combo
as the best way to use the super. I can say, with little fear of contradiction,
that this is the least useful way to use the Aegis. Yes, you can do more damage
than just about any other ground combo, but if you're playing against an
opponent that will allow you to land this combo, then you could have done even
more damage using the Tyrant or Thunder. The point of the Aegis is to create
situations where your opponent has little choice but to take damage regardless
of how they play. The Aegis also acts as an obstruction. It is the only super
that you can choose the location of and that will stay where you put it for
several seconds. It disrupts your opponent's entire play style while allowing
you to move freely. The Aegis will cut off the recovery lag at the end of any
attack that can be canceled, be it normal or special. This is how the Aegis
enhances attacks. You can do a tackle that doesn't leave you vulnerable when
blocked or even parried by using the Aegis. Again, this isn't causing damage,
it's making Urien more powerful and versatile. I'll discuss the specific
techniques of the Aegis later.


V. Combos

Urien can be used very effectively without combos but where he really shines and
where most of his damage is found is in combos (mainly juggles). Urien has the
best juggles in the game, hands down. He has two main ways to set up a juggle,
both of them useful in different situations. One is the low HP, the other is the
Metallic Sphere.

General Combos

Here I'll list the classic corner juggle for reference. I want to point out that
it need not be done only in the corner, but anywhere from about half of the
whole playing field will still work. I will also point out that these combos
cannot be performed on Hugo, Alex, Necro, or Twelve.

- Low HP (two hits), juggle with EX tackle, juggle with HK tackle, juggle with
HP or LP/MP/EX headbutt or MK tackle (the MK tackle can be canceled to Thunder)

- Anti-air sphere, juggle with HK tackle, juggle with EX tackle, juggle with HK
tackle, juggle with HP or LP/MP/EX headbutt or MK tackle (the MK tackle can be
canceled to Thunder)

- Against Hugo, Alex, Necro, Twelve use: juggle with HK tackle, juggle with EX
headbutt, juggle with HP headbutt or HK tackle (the HK tackle can be canceled
to Thunder)

Tyrant Slaughter Combos

As stated, the Tyrant is only useful for small combos, but they do good damage.

- Low LK, Tyrant

- LP, MP, Tyrant

- MP, MK tackle cancel to Tyrant

- Low HP (one hit), HK tackle cancel to Tyrant

Temporal Thunder Combos

The Thunder can be used to end almost any juggle combo. However, if the combo
that precedes it is too long, it will significantly reduce the stun that the
Thunder does.

- Low HP (two hits), juggle with EX headbutt, juggle with HK tackle cancel to
Thunder

- Low HP (one hit), EX headbutt, juggle with LP headbutt, juggle with Thunder

- Anti-air sphere, juggle with HK tackle cancel to Thunder

Aegis Reflector Combos

The best Aegis combos involve using it only to cut off recovery time to create
juggles.

- Anti-air sphere, juggle with HK tackle cancel to HP Aegis, juggle with HK
tackle

- Low HP (two hits), juggle with MK tackle cancel to HP Aegis, juggle with HK
tackle

- (corner) Anti-air sphere, juggle with HK tackle cancel to HP Aegis (whiffs),
juggle with HK tackle, juggle with HK tackle cancel to HP Aegis (whiffs), juggle
with HK tackle, juggle with HK tackle

Pseudo Combos

These are not real combos but rather a series of combos connected by an
escapable but tricky technique that tends to fool most opponents.

- Jump-in HP/HK, low LK, LP headbutt (whiffs), throw

- (corner) Do the classic corner juggle up until the last HK tackle then charge
down during the last HK tackle as though you were going to do the LP headbutt
finish. Instead, do a standing MP into HP headbutt, throw. The HP headbutt
will not hit but will land you right next to your opponent. You have to charge
down, move the stick to neutral, press MP, then press up and HP to use the
technique. It's like Guile's old standing HP, flash kick combo. If you expect
your opponent to try and counter attack your throw, use a LP headbutt instead
of HP headbutt, and you will land in time to block the counter. If they try to
tech your throw, they will still be in range, though (and you'll get thrown).
If you do block a counter (like a shoryuken), you can land a low HP and juggle
away. If you have enough meter, a combo here will all but assure a KO.

100% Damage Combos

All of these require you to be using Temporal Thunder with both bars full.

Against Akuma -

100% Combo #1 (The Original):
(Anywhere from about 60% of the entire playing field to just barely out of the
corner) Jump-in HP, low HP (one hit) into EX headbutt, juggle with EX tackle,
juggle with HK tackle cancel to Temporal Thunder does 100% stun and about 75%
damage and Akuma will now be in the corner. Jump-in HP, low HP (two hits),
juggle with HK tackle, juggle with standing HP for that last 25%

The only part that is difficult in The Original is the HK tackle juggle after
the two-hit low HP in the corner. It's quite hard to time. You can also replace
it with two MK tackle juggles followed by standing HP but that's just about as
hard to time. If you do just one MK tackle the whole combo does about 99%
damage. However, if you do one MK tackle then juggle with the LP headbutt to
finish, it will also do 100%. It's also very hard to time, though.

100% Combo #2 (The Taunt):
Perform The Original until you land the Temporal Thunder that stuns Akuma. As
soon as you recover, taunt, then jump-in HP, low HP (two hits), juggle with MK
tackle, juggle with anything (standing strong is easiest).

This combo is much easier to do since the MK tackle juggle is really easy. For
an even more stylish finish, end with a standing LP (yes, even LP will do), then
after the KO, walk forward and juggle with LP, MP. As an alternative, if you
have a hard time with the jump-in HP into low HP but not with the HK tackle
juggle, you can switch them. If you taunt, you can skip the jump-in HP before
the low HP but you then have to do the HK tackle, standing HP finish. Urien's
taunt is so fast, it's completely done before they even stand up.

100% Combo #3 (The Realistic):
(Same distance as The Original) Simply skip the jump-in HP and start with the
low HP (one hit) into EX headbutt and continue until the Temporal Thunder.
Taunt, then finish The Original as normal for the entire 100%

This requires the difficult HK tackle (or two MK tackles or MK tackle, LP head
butt) juggle of The Original but it will do 100% with no jump-in, making it
feasible in an actual match. Now, of course, the chances of having Akuma at 100%
life when he sets himself up for this isn't likely so you can do the MK tackle
juggle to make it a lot easier. With the MK tackle instead of the HK, the combo
will still do 99% damage. Akuma will have a completely empty life bar but still
be alive. Obviously, from this point, it's pretty easy to deal with him though
there's always a special significance to a true 100% damage combo.

100% Combo #4 (The Easy):
(Anywhere on screen) Jump-in HP, low HP (two hits), juggle with EX headbutt,
juggle with HK tackle super canceled into Temporal Thunder to stun and knock him
near or into the corner. From here, there are 3 variations to finish, all at
about the same degree of difficulty (not much).

 Finish #1: Jump-in HP, low HP (two hits), juggle with EX tackle, juggle with
HK tackle, juggle with LP headbutt or MK tackle

 Finish #2: Taunt, low HP (two hits), juggle with EX tackle, juggle with HK
tackle, juggle with LP headbutt or MK tackle

 Finish #3: Taunt, jump-in HP, low HP (two hits), juggle with EX tackle, juggle
with HK tackle

Now, this combo still requires the jump-in at the beginning but after that is
much easier to perform in all ways than The Original or The Taunt. You can
choose which of the finishes you do depending on which you find easier, the
jump-in HP into low HP or the juggling. The finish without the taunt is just for
if you're far away enough from Akuma after the Temporal Thunder that you're
concerned he might shake out of it before you can get close. Though that's
not likely to happen, I like having a way to complete the entire combo that
doesn't involve a taunt. What makes it all so easy centers around the fact that
you don't need the EX tackle in the first part of the combo. It saves the EX
energy that you can use later and allows you to do the first part anywhere on
screen. (I also want to note that, in case it's not obvious, any time you taunt
in the middle of the combo, you don't want it to hit Akuma. Not only will it
knock him out of the stun but if Urien's taunt hits, he doesn't even get the
attack bonus.) Basically, The Easy makes The Original and The Taunt useless
but, of course, I included them too. They'll be important when we get to:

Against Remy -

100% Combo (The Remy):
(same conditions as The Original against Akuma) Perform The Original up until
the Temporal Thunder which will also stun Remy. Then taunt, and complete the
rest of The Original using the MK tackle, MK tackle, standing HP finish.

It's the hardest combo to do of the whole lot, but it will give you that
precious 100% against Remy. The taunt in the middle gives you just enough extra
damage to make it happen. Notes regarding landing the combo on Remy include that
it's actually possible for him to be completely in the corner when you first
jump-in and it will still work. (For some reason, the EX headbutt will miss
Akuma if he's completely in the corner.) Also, you have to jump-in from a little
closer on Remy to connect with the low HP. For some reason, even though they
have the same length stun bar, The Easy won't work on Remy. The first part of
the combo won't quite stun him. All I can figure is that there's some small
pause in the middle of it that gives him just enough time to regain some stun
such that it won't work. Akuma not only has the shortest stun bar (along with
Remy) but he also has one of the slowest stun recovery rates.

Notes on the 100% combos as a whole:

Any jump-in HP can be replaced with a jump-in HK. You can perform The Original
on another character (like Ryu, for instance) but he won't quite be stunned by
the Temporal Thunder. He also has a much better defensive rating than Akuma.
However, it's still a great combo since it does good damage and about 96% stun.
If you've hit Ryu with anything prior to the jump-in, you'll still stun him and
if you proceed with The Remy, you'll do pretty close to 100%.

100% Temporal Thunder Pseudo Combo Against Akuma #1 (half-screen to corner)

- Anti-air sphere, juggle with HK tackle, juggle with EX tackle, juggle with
toward+MK, Temporal Thunder (stunned). Taunt, jump-in HP, low HP (two hits),
juggle with EX tackle, juggle with HK tackle.

Technically, the toward+MK ends the combo so the Temporal Thunder does more
damage and stun. This pseudo combo is almost too easy. All you have to do is
have your Temporal Thunder bars full and land an anti-air sphere and there you
go. The only tricky part is landing the toward+MK and then landing the Temporal
Thunder. You want to do the toward+MK as soon after the EX tackle as possible.
It almost looks like he goes straight from the EX tackle into the kick. As soon
as the kick hits, just do the Temporal Thunder immediately and it will connect
unless parried. Yes, that's the only catch. The Temporal Thunder can be parried
but I can't imagine anyone pulling that off unless they had practiced it many
times and were expecting this combo before it happened.

*NEW*
100% (99%) Temporal Thunder Pseudo Combo Against Akuma #2 (anywhere)

Low HP, juggle with EX headbutt, walk forward a step, juggle with low MP,
Temporal Thunder (stunned). Taunt, jump-in HP, low HP, juggle with
EX tackle, juggle with HK tackle, juggle with MK tackle.

This one is similar to #1, but because it utilizes the low MP (which doesn't
knock your opponent away), you don't need to be in the corner to do it. It also
starts with a low HP, which is nice (since it can be started after a parry).
Just as with #1 and the toward+MK, you must activate the Temporal Thunder
immediately after the low MP hits. Make sure you land the low MP as "deep" as
possible to give yourself the best chance of the super connecting. Just as with
#1, the super can be parried, and it's a bit easier than after the toward+MK.
However, just like with the toward+MK, your opponent must parry before the
screen freezes, since the super is right on top of them after the low MP hits. I
list this as a 99% damage combo because technically, it leaves Akuma with a
completely empty life bar, but still alive. Obviously, a jump-in HP at the
beginning would solve that, but that's not easy to land. As much as I'd like a
way to make the combo do 100% on its own, there's just nowhere in the middle to
add any damage that doesn't require you to start the combo near the corner (low
HP, HK tackle, EX tackle, HK tackle would do it). If you are all the way in the
corner once you stun him with the super, you can go for that combo to get the
true 100%.

VI. Advanced Tactics

General Tips

Here, I'm just going to list some assorted tactics that are all pretty much
independant. Sorry for the lack of organization. =)

- After doing an EX tackle, follow with a LK tackle or a LP headbutt. Most
people try to counter attack after blocking it or get away after getting hit
by it. In either case, the LK tackle or LP headbutt will hit them. The LK tackle
has better range, but if they try to throw you, they can actually throw you
out of the tackle. The LP headbutt eliminates that problem. Neither is
fool-proof but it's a pretty effective technique.

- If you do a LK tackle that hits or is blocked, follow it with a low LK into
another LK tackle. If you're too close, they can counter, but from farther away,
it's effective. It goes well after the EX tackle technique mentioned above. If
you're using the Tyrant, use that instead, but don't use it blindly (this
applies to all character with this sort of set-up but I won't get into that
now). You have time to watch their character flinch for a counter attack, then
pull out the Tyrant.

- Use low MP, LP headbutt liberally. If the low MP is blocked low (which it
usually is) then the LP headbutt will whiff. If they try to counter with an
uppercut, it will usually trade with the LP headbutt. If they try to counter
with a low attack (which is typical) you will hop over it and you can throw. If
they stand up and block the LP headbutt, you're still pretty safe.

- If you don't have something else specific in mind and you have the energy,
always punish whiffed attacks with low HP, EX headbutt, HP headbutt. It will
do 50% or more stun (depending on the character you're up against) and decent
damage. It also will move them closer to the corner. Also, since you recover so
quickly from a headbutt, you can use the time they're on the ground (if they
don't quick stand) to dash toward the corner a couple times (pushing them in the
process). You can replace the HP headbutt with an HK tackle, but it's harder to
time. It gives a tiny bit more damage and a tiny bit less stun. The advantage is
that you can super cancel it into the Thunder (if you're using it) and it knocks
your opponent even farther into the corner. However, if you prefer to pressure
your opponent, you don't want to knock them so far away.

- Standing MP makes an excellent close-range anti-air. Obviously, you'd like to
be able to juggle them, but MP is very safe and high priority, especially from
full range. Even if they parry it, they have to attack very quickly to counter
and they'll be too high to combo. If you expect to hit with the MP, 2-in-1 it
into a LP sphere. It will be right in front of them as they land and will add
additional pressure.

Landing the Metallic Sphere

Obviously, one of the best ways to do damage with Urien is by using his anti-air
Metallic Sphere combos. Landing a sphere can be the hard part. If your opponent
never puts themselves in the air, you can't land it. That pretty much goes
without saying. However, even if they never jump, they may use a move that puts
them in the air, such as an uppercut. If you are prepared for an attack like
this, you can take advantage of it in the same way as a jump. Of course, if
someone likes to jump around, they make your job easier. =) Hence, I'll address
both of these concepts separately.

Against all but the best players, you can coax your opponent into jumping if
they don't already make a regular habit of it. Here are a few suggestions for
times to throw out the MP sphere:

If you have your opponent near the corner, you can do the classic 1, 2, 3
technique on him. Throw out two LP spheres followed by a MP sphere. Something in
the human brain makes people want to react on the third instance in a repeated
sequence. =) More often than not, the other player will expect a third LP
sphere, and may even wait to see Urien's sphere animation start, then jump and
land on the MP sphere. You can vary this up, of course. I once played some guy
in an arcade and threw out five LP spheres in a row, followed by a MP sphere and
the guy blocked/parried all five of the LP spheres then jumped on the MP sphere.
He and I both laughed outloud. =)

If you attempt a long distance poke and your opponent blocks or parries, they
often like to jump in in an attempt to close the distance (to avoid dealing with
more long distance Urien pokes). The attack that seems to cause this reaction
most often is Urien's low HK. If you do it from full distance and your opponent
blocks it, the natural reaction is to jump in. Greet them with a MP sphere.
Following the low HK with the MP sphere is also pretty safe since they're so far
away that most moves won't reach you.

Following a tech throw, some players like to jump in, assuming they'll get off a
surprise attack. Be careful throwing a sphere here, though, as some players like
to dash in and go for a low attack or another throw instead.

There are also a few ways that you can try to land the sphere on someone that's
not actually jumping or that is using an anti-air attack. Here are some
examples:

Against any char that has an uppercut-type attack: After knocking them
down, stand close as though you are going for an attack as they get up. Instead,
dash back right before they get up and throw a LP sphere. If they tried for a
wake-up uppercut, they will land on the sphere. Even if they don't, this will
leave you relatively safe.

If you're playing against an Akuma player that likes to meet you in the air with
an HK air hurricane, try this: Jump straight up instead of forward, then land
and throw out a HP sphere (MP sphere will whiff, usually). If he was watching
for your jump (since you have to do the air hurricane pretty early) he may
mistake your up jump for a forward jump and then land on the sphere. Yes, I have
landed it this way. =)

VII. Tyrant Slaughter Tactics

The main Tyrant technique is EX metallic sphere super canceled into Tyrant. You
don't want to do it when you're really close to your opponent. Instead, do it
when you're a little bit away up to full screen away. It's also not as effective
if your opponent is already in the corner. However, that's easy to fix since all
you have to do is back up and turtle to bring almost any opponent towards you.
Now, if you do the technique and they don't block, they get hit by all of it.
Simple as that. If you're not too close to the corner and they block it, things
start to get interesting. If you're just the right distance from the corner,
you'll precede the EX sphere such that right as you finish the last hit of the
Tyrant, the EX sphere will come sailing in and force them to block while you
recover. It ends up like one big string. This is really only desirable if you're
trying to cheese away the last bit of your opponent's life bar. If you're a
little farther from the corner, the EX sphere will be even farther behind.
You'll recover right before it hits. If they keep blocking, pick an attack to
deal with they're blocking position (low attack if they're blocking high, some
sort of overhead if they're blocking low). If they try to attack you, things get
really fun. Depending on the timing of the EX sphere, they'll usually get hit by
it right as they start trying to attack. Since you're recovered, you can
actually link from the EX sphere into a low HP into whatever. Now, of course,
that part isn't fool-proof. If the sphere is too far away, they can hit you
before it gets to them. Even worse, a lot of supers will go through the sphere
if they're close enough when they perform it. However, some supers will still
get hit since the sphere is so slow (Chun-Li's, for instance). And, to make it
worse, the experts usually know to not even try to attack, just throw. If the EX
sphere is delayed, they can throw you after blocking the last hit of the Tyrant
and the EX sphere will pass right through them. "What if they parry it?" you
say? Well, let's just say that the idea of anyone, even the top players,
parrying the entire Tyrant Slaughter with a random, slow, two-hit projectile
somewhere in the middle of it seems very unlikely. I've never even seen anyone
attempt it who got past the first hit or two. "What if they jump over it?" you
say? Well, the EX sphere is so slow that even if they jump forward, they'll
still land on it where the best they could do is double parry the opposite
direction in the air which is not an easy task. Possible, of course, but if they
can pull that off, more power to them. If they jump straight up, the sphere will
be right on top of them as they land and you'll be recovering behind them. The
one way is super jumping. It can get you far enough over both Urien and the
sphere to clear it all. To avoid that, do the Tyrant Slaughter close enough
where it will hit them as soon as it starts.

(The Temporal Thunder doesn't really have any tricks to it. The uses are in the
combos I listed earlier.)

VIII. Aegis Reflector Tactics

(This section assumes you've read the Aegis techniques in Jon Rodger's Urien
FAQ)

Aegis Trap Pseudo Combos

- (not in the corner) any tackle (hit or blocked) cancel to HP Aegis, dash
forward, neutral throw, (Aegis bounce), juggle with low HP, juggle with MP/HP/EX
headbutt or (low MP, whiffed headbutt, throw)

This is the simplest Aegis trap that the others are based on. This can be plenty
effective on its own, but you can only land it on any given opponent a few times
before they start to catch on and jump away or tech your throw. It's the
variations on it that help keep it confusing.

Now, there are a few characters that this Aegis trap won't work on because of
the way they bounce off of the Aegis after the throw. It will work on the rest
of the characters, though the way you land the low HP is different on different
characters. Here's a list to explain it.

Group #1: Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Sean

The trap was made for these characters. If you perform it correctly, they will
bounce two times off of the Aegis and give you plenty of time to juggle. In
fact, you need to hold back for a split second before you do the low HP or it
will whiff. Also, make sure you wait for them to pass over your head.

Group #2: Dudley, Makoto, Oro, Ibuki

This group will only take one hit before they bounce off the Aegis, but they
still stay in the air long enough to make the low HP pretty easy to land. You'll
still need to hold back a split second before doing the low HP.

Group #3: Yun, Yang

The twins are very small, so you have to hold back longer than usual to land the
low HP. Besides that, they're basically like Group #2.

Group #4: Remy, Elena, Alex, Urien

This group also takes only one hit from the Aegis, but they bounce off more
quickly and a shorter distance away. As a result, you don't want to hold back
at all before the low HP. In addition, you'll need to perform the low HP the
instant they fly over your head.

Group #5: Q

Q hits the Aegis twice, but because of his erradic juggle properties, you don't
want to hold back before doing the low HP. However, since he hits twice, you'll
need to wait longer than any other character before performing the low HP.

Group #6: Hugo, Necro, Twelve

This group will hit the Aegis either once or twice, but it doesn't really
matter. Why? Because they bounce the wrong direction (away from you). If you're
really fast, you can do a HK tackle the instant you let them go and you'll
juggle them (if you're lucky).

Group #7: Chun Li

&@%$*# Chun Li. For some unknown reason, she drops straight through the Aegis
and doesn't bounce at all. It's still possible to use a different version of the
trap on her, though (but I'll get to that in a second).


- (not in the corner) low HP, EX headbutt, juggle with toward+MK or toward+MP,
HP Aegis, dash forward, neutral throw, (Aegis bounce), juggle with
low HP, juggle with MP/HP/EX headbutt or (low MP, whiffed headbutt, throw)

This variation requires you to land a low HP as well as have enough meter for
both the EX headbutt and the Aegis, but it's very effective. The time your
opponent has to escape is even shorter than with the standard ground version.


- (corner) Anti-air sphere, HK tackle, EX tackle, HK tackle, standing MP, MP
sphere cancel to LP Aegis, dash forward, neutral throw, juggle with low HP . . .

You want only the tip of Urien's fist to connect when you land the standing MP
so you may need to back up a tiny bit before pressing the button. If your
opponent gets hit by the Aegis (hit/blocked/parried), then you're doing it too
close or too early. Wait until they fall a bit before landing the MP. The MP
sphere is supposed to whiff. It's only there to help the timing of the combo and
to encourage your opponent to block (leaving himself open for the throw).

. . From here, you can do a few different things. Juggling with a MP/HP/EX
headbutt adds on some guaranteed damage. However, there are ways to turn this
sequence into a 100% pseudo combo.

Akuma, Remy: On these characters, you'll need more meter (two full bars on Remy)
but the pseudo has only one escape point (the neutral throw). The EX headbutt
after the low HP will stun them. From that point, you can perform a combo on
either of them to do a total of 100%. On Akuma, it's very easy. You can do
(jump-in HP, low HP, MK tackle) or (taunt, low HP, MK tackle) or (low HP, EX
headbutt, HP headbutt). On Remy, you'll need to combine combos as usual. Do
taunt, low HP, EX headbutt, HP headbutt to finish him.

Anyone else from Group #1, #2, #3 except Dudley, Oro: You can perform this
version with only one full Aegis to start. Almost like magic, you'll always have
the correct amount of meter for the needed attack if you perform it all as
indicated. If you use the low HP, low MP, whiffed headbutt, neutral throw
finish, they will be stunned. Then perform taunt, low HP, EX headbutt,
HP headbutt/HK tackle to finish them.

The low HP, low MP, whiffed headbutt, throw is a pseudo combo, but it's
effective if you don't overuse it. The headbutt you use (either LP or MP)
depends on the character you are facing. Really, you can always use MP,
but if they walk forward after they land (unlikely), it can hit them in the
head, ruining the trap. On the other hand, LP headbutt won't move you close
enough to grab some characters. Typically, if it's a medium-to-heavy character,
use LP. If it's a light character, use MP.

Elena, Urien, Chun Li: To perform the MP, MP sphere cancel to LP Aegis part and
be able to land the dash, neutral throw, you have to land the standing MP as far
away and as late as possible. Hold back until you're at the maxium distance that
the MP will hit, wait for them to fall a bit, then perform the sequence. It's
risky to perform on these characters because of the odd way they fall. They
don't all act the same, but the solution works on all of them. The finish itself
is the same as the Group #1, #2, #3 characters.

In case I haven't made it obvious, the trap won't work on anyone with a long
stun bar (Alex, Dudley, Q, Oro, Hugo) because the whole sequence won't stun
them. It also won't work on Necro or Twelve because of the way they bounce off
the Aegis.

Also, I'll reiterate, the whole thing is a pseudo combo trap. For anyone except
Akuma and Remy, there are two escape points, the second of which is somewhat
obvious. If you want to land this trap, you'll have to keep the techniques under
wraps until you perform the whole thing. In other words, don't land a bunch of
low HP, low MP, whiffed headbutt, throw on your opponent before you try for the
100%, or he may see the technique coming at the end of the trap. Also, it is
possible for your opponent to spaz out of either of the neutral throws to lessen
the stun. If you try the whiffed headbutt version and they spaz out of the
throw at the end, the sequence will not completely stun them (unless you've
already hit them, but then it's not a true 100% anyway).

*NEW* 100% Mid-screen Aegis pseudo combo against Akuma

If you combine a few of the above concepts, you get this pseudo that doesn't
require the corner (in fact you can't be in the corner) and starts
with a low HP (so it can be done after a parry) instead of an anti-air sphere.

(At least one screen-length from the corner) Low HP, juggle with EX
headbutt, juggle with toward+MK, HP Aegis, dash forward, neutral throw, (Aegis
Bounce), juggle with EX headbutt, juggle with HP headbutt (stunned). Taunt,
jump-in HP, low HP, juggle with EX headbutt, juggle with HP headbutt to KO.

Voila - a KO with just that one quick escape point. Make sure you taunt as soon
as you land from the HP headbutt to give you the most time. If you add a
jump-in HP at the beginning, the whole thing will actually KO several of the
weaker characters as well as doing over 90% to most of the rest. It won't
work on Hugo, Alex, Dudley, Oro, or Q, since they have long stun bars and it
won't work on Necro or Twelve because of how they bounce off the Aegis.


Any time you follow the Aegis bounce with a low HP, MP headbutt, you can
continue to put pressure on if you have another Aegis full. As soon as you land
from the MP headbutt, immediately perform the LP Aegis and charge down. As soon
as Urien lets the Aegis go, use the HP headbutt to jump over your downed
opponent and sandwich them in. You can then use LPs, low LKs, MPs, or low MKs to
bounce your opponent back and forth. If they are blocking your attacks, after a
standing MP or two, wait for them to bounce off the Aegis and then just throw
them. They may even take an extra hit at the end from the Aegis that's still
floating there. And, of course, "What if they quick stand after the MP headbutt
juggle?" Well, perform the rest of the technique the same way. Instead of
jumping over them with the HP headbutt, it'll put you right in front of them,
then just throw. Yes, they could tech it or hit you, but the chaos of the Aegis
and HP headbutt makes it look like they're avoiding the technique you were
trying for and they won't likely react in time. Yeah, it means you used up an
Aegis just to land a throw but that's what the Aegis is all about.

Another fact that many people don't know about the Aegis is that the upward
(PPP) Aegis comes out in one frame. This is the same speed at which Ryu's Shin
Shoryuken, Makoto's Seichusen Godanzuki, etc. come out. This means that it can
actually be used in a combo to create a hit or to reflect a projectile
(including supers) at point blank range.

The Aegis can be used on top of someone in the corner to make them eat cheese
damage if you want, but an even better technique is to put the Aegis right in
front of them without hitting them. At this point, you can mix up high and low
attacks to try and fool your opponent. If they try to attack, the Aegis will
knock them back. Keep in mind, if someone is good at defeating your high/low
tactics, try using the taunt right next to them. It starts out looking like the
toward+HP overhead but then hits low. If the Aegis is actually on top of them,
they will then get hit by it and you can juggle.


VII. To Be Added
a) Specific character strategies
b) Anything anyone asks me about


Again, special thanks to Jon Rodgers. Check out his FAQ on GameFAQs.

Copyright 2001 Kenneth "SlimX" Miller

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