CvS2: Rock Howard Guide
by Grolin
This unpublished work (c) Grolin.
Capcom vs. SNK 2 is (c) Capcom.
The Street Fighter series, the Justice Schools series, and the Darkstalkers
series, along with all characters from those games, are (c) Capcom.
The King of Fighters series, the Last Blade series, the Fatal Fury(Garou
Densetsu) series, and the Art of Fighting series, along with all the characters
from those games, are (c) SNK.
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You should find this Guide only at the following site(s):
www.GameFAQs.com
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If you want to use something from this guide in your own work, ask my
permission first. My email address is:
[email protected].
Feel free to download this onto your own computer. Anything that happens as a
result of that action is no fault of mine.
Do not think about distributing this Guide for monetary gain. For one thing,
it's illegal to do so. For another, this Guide, albeit better than most of the
guides you can buy at a game store or read in a magazine, isn't that great.
__________
Also, if you think I took something from your guide without permission, I
didn't. All of this info is from friends, or from various people at the
arcade. However, if you think that I took something from your work and have
proof, I'll either ask for your permission and credit it to you, or just remove
it.
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I'm not the best Rock player, and I'm not the best CvS2 player. I'd like to
say I could play at a tournament level, but I haven't tried yet. Because of
this, I must say that what you read here is not the ultimate authority on Rock.
I don't claim to be, nor should you believe any non tournament winner that
claims to be. I'm just giving you information based on what I've seen during
my arcade and home gaming experiences. If someone who is winning consistently
in nationally ranked tournaments, then I'd say listen more to him/her.
If you're winning with Rock, then by all means, contribute information, I'll be
happy to credit you for it. Or you could just ignore everything I say, but I'd
say there's some decently good stuff in here.
If you aren't winning with Rock, this Guide will help you to (possibly) start
winning.
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Updates:
9/12/03-
Formatted the character matchup section.
Removed WAY out of date sections (Sagat, Sakura, 'Gief) to totally revamp them.
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Table of Contents:
1) Notation
2) Why Use Rock?
3) Normal Moves
4) Special Moves & Supers
5) Combos
6) Grooves
7) Strategy
8) Roll Cancelling
9) Misc.
10) Credits & Thanks
11) Closing
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1) Notation
I use a notation based on what I feel is easily understood by everybody. If
you know another one, the one I use should be pretty similar. I use "forward"
rather than "towards" for a few reasons, but the main one is that when you are
directly above your opponent or vice versa, "towards" would up or down, whereas
"forward" remains the same, and because of Iori's crossup, which is away+j.LK
normally, but when you actually crossup, it technically is toward+j.LK. Also, I
use LP instead of JP, LK instead of SK, etc. This is to avoid confusing newer
players who don't realize that SP is strong(medium) punch, whereas SK is
short(light) kick, and that FP is fierce(heavy) punch, and FK is
forward(medium) kick.
Up: Up
Dn: Down
Fwd: Forward
Bk: Back
s.: Standing
c.: Crouching
j.: Jumping
hj.: High Jumping
lj.: Low Jumping
QCF: Quarter Circle Forward, ie "Fireball." Dn, dn-fwd, fwd.
QCB: Quarter Circle Back, ie "Hurricane Kick." Dn, dn-bk, bk.
HCF: Half Circle Forward, ie "Yoga Flame." Bk, dn-bk, dn, dn-fwd, fwd.
HCB: Half Circle Back, ie "Reverse Yoga Flame." Fwd, dn-fwd, dn, dn-bk, bk.
DP: "Dragon Punch." Fwd, dn, dn-fwd.
C: Charge, which is holding the direction for a short time, about a second in
CvS2.
360: 360 degree turn, any direction, like the Spinning Pile Driver.
x#: Perform the previous input # times. Also signifies Rapid Fire chaining.
P: Any punch
K: Any kick
LP, MP, HP: Light Punch(Jab), Medium Punch(Strong), Heavy Punch(Fierce).
LK, MK, HK: Light Kick(Short), Medium Kick(Forward), Heavy Kick(Roundhouse).
2P: 2 punches at the same time.
2K: 2 kicks at the same time.
>: Chain
XX: Buffer(aka cancel, two-in-one, etc.)
,: Link
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2) Why Use Rock?
Because you're willing to try something new.
Rock combines the moves of Geese and Terry, but adds his own touch to the
technique. Rock can hold his own against most characters if played correctly
but unlike "top tier" characters like Sagat, Blanka, and Cammy, Rock is hard to
learn. Still, he has many things going for him:
Pros:
1) Match control- Rock can take over a match and keep the momentum. He easily
shuts down jump-ins, rushes, poking, projectiles, etc.
2) Quick Moves- Shine Knuckle aside, his counters are quick, his Hard Edge is
quick, his Rage Runs are quick.
3) Complete Moveset- Rock has answers to basically any character, and any
situation. He has a projectile, anti air, quick dash move, counters, evasive
moves, an overhead, a command grab, and 3 VERY useful supers.
4) Speed- He's not too slow, and at least he's faster than Sagat and Blanka...
5) Rock can punish otherwise "safe" moves, like Iori's sweep, Hibiki's
Distance Slash, etc.
6) Awesome supers- Once Rock has meter, his opponent loses almost every attack
option.
7) Rock isn't as dependent on specific subsystems as others(ex. Morrigan and
Run). He can do well with whatever subsystems he has available to him.
8) Priority- Rock's normals are good. Maybe not Hibiki/Eagle good for reach,
but they're still VERY good.
9) Counters- Not guaranteed like Geese, and with all the problems with
counters, but still useful.
Cons:
1) Counters- Hard to do on reaction, and having a counter leads opponents to
bait the counter a lot.
2) Lag- Rock has a lot of lag on several of his moves, like HP Hard Edge.
3) Difficult to use- Rock depends on his ability to control a match, rather
than on easier styles like rushdown or turtling, so he requires a great deal of
strategy and knowledge of how the game works. This style also requires some
slight grasp of psychology, as you need to be able to do more than wildly guess
what your opponent's next move will be.
4) Steep learning curve- Rock requires that you learn his counters, his
normals, his specials, and what you can punish with a Shine Knuckle, plus you
need to know basically how to deal with basically every character in the game,
since Rock doesn't have any truly abusable move or strategy.
5) Damage- Rock only does average damage. Not a problem in most cases, but it
can be a problem once in a while, like if you're facing off against Sagat,
and the lifebars are about even.
6) Can't make comebacks- Well, Rock can... but only if he has a super charged
up. Without supers, Rock is hard pressed to make a comeback once he's lost
control of the match.
Overall, Rock's strengths are too great to pass him up. Most of his
weaknesses are the player's. If you can master Rock, you will be able to level
the playing field with Sagat and Blanka.
Unfortunately, too many players pass him up because he's too hard to play, and
even more won't allow themselves to play him to his potential(dependance on
counters, supers, and excessive use of the "Rock Trap").
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3) Normal Moves
s.LP
Your typical jab. Poke with them, pressure with them, do whatever you feel
like. Rapid fire.
s.MP
Relatively short ranged punch. I've heard that this can cleanly beat out
Sagat's s.HP, but I have yet to confirm.
s.HP
Far off, a straight punch for good damage, with good reach and decent priority.
Up close, a bufferable punch.
s.LK
Your typical standing short. Not too much reach, not a rapid fire normal, but
it gets the job done. I'd advise you to use other moves if you can, due to the
range.
s.MK
Very good poke, with a lot of reach and priority. It's like Terry's, which
means it's very good.
s.HK
EXTREMELY good anti air, Rock's main anti air outside of Raging Storm. I don't
care who it is, chances are they can't beat this move. Unless they're Vega,
but he's top tier.
c.LP
Crouching jabs. Same as s.LP except crouching.
c.MP
Uppercut looking move. Could be a good anti air option if your opponent is
directly above you (Still testing this), otherwise, stick to the s.HK.
Bufferable.
c.HP
Wierd elbow jab, would be a good anti air option if Rock didn't already have
his s.HK. Rock's old crouching AB.
c.LK
Crouching shorts. More reach than the above, they start Rock's B&B. Good
priority, rapid fire.
c.MK
Good poke, quick, bufferable. Links from c.LK, and possibly more. Looks like
Terry's c.HK, but it does not knock down.
c.HK
Good reach and priority. Bufferable, but only the Raging Storm or L1/L2 Shine
Knuckle will connect. One of the better sweeps, the range might not be as
great as some characters (Iori comes to mind), but as he can connect a super
off of it...
j.LP
Wierd elbow drop. Not too useful, since Rock has better jump-in and air to air
options.
j.MP
Looks like Terry's. Much like j.HP except it stays out longer and does less
damage.
j.HP
Like Terry's. Good combo starter.
j.LK
Lot's of horizontal reach, awesome priority, great for air to air or low
jumping to pressure. Very useful with Low Jumps to annoy and pressure.
j.MK
Lots of horizontal reach, good for air to air. Stays out for less time than
the j.LK. Similar in use to the j.LK as far as I know.
j.HK
Downwards angled, high priority, good damage... this is one great normal. If
you're jumping, chances are you should use this move. It is especially good
with Low Jumps(abusable, even).
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4)Command Moves, Special Moves & Supers
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Command Moves
Command moves are technically any move that requires more than one button
press, but the term has come to mean moves that require more than just pressing
one button, that are also not specials.
Overhead kick- fwd+MK
Rock's old AB overhead. He does a slow kick that is an overhead. Useful for
mindgames or to discourage turtling, and possibly in CC resets.
Punch throw- close, fwd(bk)+HP
Rock grabs his opponent and launches them away with a c.MP. The punch throw
is faster coming out, but is easier to tech. It also does less damage. But
those factors aside, you will want to use this to create distance between you
and your opponent, since it places them further away than his kick throw does.
Kick throw- close, fwd(bk)+HK
Rock grabs his opponent and throws them hard onto the ground over his
shoulder. Comes out slower than the punch throw, but is harder to tech. It
does more damage. That aside, it places Rock's opponent closer than his punch
throw does, so use it if you want your opponent close.
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Special Moves
You should know what a Special Move is, but if you don't, it is a move that
usually requires a motion, builds meter without connecting, and does damage to
a blocking target, along with teleport type moves.
Reppuken- QCF+LP or MP "Reppuken!"
Standard ground projectile. Useful in combos, but the main use for these is
to zone your opponent.
Double Reppuken- QCF+HP "Double Reppuken!"
Two Reppukens that merge and go on. More damaging than regular, hits twice up
close. Less useful in that it takes a lot more time to fire these off. I'm
pretty sure it hits moves like Blanka's ball and Terry's Burn Knuckle, unlike
the regular Reppuken. Useful in some situations, like in combos. The lag is
pretty bad, but most characters won't have the time to punish it if they block
both hits. Some characters with fast supers or specials might be able to catch
Rock in the delay, though. In other words, it's not Geese's Double Reppuken.
But it's close enough.
Hard Edge- QCB+P
Dashing elbow. Quick, powerful, very useful in combos. LP has short range,
MP does more damage and goes almost fullscreen, HP hits twice and goes
fullscreen. HP has very long recovery, so make sure you hit. Rock's most
powerful nonsuper combo finisher. Decent surprise move, but mostly used for
Rock's B&B. Actually, the LP and MP versions, when distanced correctly, can be
relatively safe when blocked, which makes them good pressure string enders.
Rising Tackle- Charge dn, up+P "Rising Tacoo!"
Terry's classic anti-air. Decent priority, good damage. LP hits 3 times, MP
4, HP 5. If it had more priority than his s.HK, I would use it more. However,
it doesn't. In fact, his s.HK is such a great anti-air that I would recommend
you only use this move to avoid crossups(taking a counter hit is better than
eating a combo), and in CCs.
NOTE: There is ONE use I can think of with this move, and that is against P/K
players who like to jump in and JD/Parry through the s.HK. If that's the case,
the Rising Tackle is probably a better choice, just because they: a) don't
expect it, or b) it's just that much harder to JD/Parry. NOTE: The fierce(HP)
version actually has some priority to it. You can use it for a decently
reliable wakeup.
Shinkuu Nage- 360+P
Command throw, it looks like Geese's punch throw. VERY useful, can be
"Braked" to allow for more damage.
Brake- during Shinkuu Nage, tap PPP
Basically stops Rock's pose, allowing you to follow up the Shinkuu Nage.
Recommended: Raging Storm or Shine Knuckle, Rising Tackle. This needs to be
done right when Rock grabs his opponent.
Raksasa- during Shinkuu Nage, hold PPP, then release "Haaah... Raksasa!"
Follow up to Shinkuu Nage. Rock charges and, when you release, shoots a quick
shot. Weak, but still if you can't Brake into a super or Rising Tackle, use
this. Every bit of damage adds up, plus, the Shine Knuckle can combo off of
this (that's how fast Shine Knuckle is...), and in the corner, you can start a
CC off of this.
Rage Run: Dunk- QCF+LK "Dunk!"
Rock runs forward, and when he reaches his opponent, does a variation on
Terry's Power Dunk. Decent for a surprise move, but not too much else.
Rage Run: (Stop?)- QCF+MK
Rock runs forward, then... stops. Mind games, I guess, but basically useless.
The only time you would use this is if you didn't hold down MK during the B&B
and buffer into this.
Rage Run: Shift- QCF+HK
Rock runs forward, and when he reaches his opponent, he "after images" to the
other side. Very useful, as it not only confuses your opponent a little, it
can also be cancelled into the Shinkuu Nage.
High Crack Counter- QCF+LK "Crack Countah!"
Rock has counters! This is the one you'll use most. This counters jumping
attacks and physical attack specials. This does NOT counter supers. Anyways,
Rock, if hit during the counter pose, will stop their attack and do a Crack
Shoot to do pretty good damage. Counters are always useful. I can't count the
times this move has saved me... Don't abuse it, the lag is pretty bad if you
whiff, and you can always guess wrong. In other words, don't base your game
around these moves, but develop an effective gameplan and then implement these
moves. Much like Geese, Rock has no real need for these, but they are useful.
Mid Crack Counter- QCF+MK
Counters middle hitting normals, like most standing normals and crouching
punches. Also grounded overheads(ex Ryu's fwd+MP). Effective against Blanka,
Sagat, Cammy, and Haohmaru, among others, simply because their main pokes are
mid hitting.
Low Crack Counter- QCF+HK
Counters low hitting normals, like crouching kicks. Actually, that's about
it. Nice to stop c.LK from... everybody. The second most useful, if it's not
a jump-in or special, it will probably hit low. Exceptions to this are Sagat,
Blanka, and similar characters with good mid hitting pokes, but a large part of
the cast likes to poke low with c.LK.
NOTE: The Crack Counters are not guaranteed to hit. I've missed a low counter
against Dhalsim's slide, and I know other situations may make the Crack Shoot
part miss.
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Supers
Supers are like Special Moves that use super meter, and so they do not build
meter when they don't connect.
Rock has 3 very useful supers. Oooh, "cheap!" J/k. Once Rock has L3/MAX,
his opponent's options have basically been shut down. I would even venture to
say that Rock makes the best usage of L3/MAX meter. Few other characters have
the versatility of supers that Rock has.
Raging Storm- QCFx2+P "Rayshing... Stormu!"
Expecting Geese's energy cage("Pretzal")? Well, Rock's Raging Storm is a
wierd tornado looking thing. That aside, it is a VERY good defensive super.
Beats out jump-ins and crossups quite easily. It is, however, Rock's weakest
super. At L3/MAX, you can hold down P to delay the move for a bit. Mind games
or fixing up timing for anti-air, I guess. This is Rock's most useful super.
I love this move, everybody fears the Raging Storms for a reason. This move is
ridiculously useful, stopping basically EVERYTHING from the air, as if his s.HK
didn't do a good enough job.
Shine Knuckle- QCFx2+K "Kurai na... Oriya! Itai, na!"
As mentioned before, the Shine Knuckle is what sets Rock apart from Sagat and
Blanka. This move is SO FAST! Fast as in "He DID SOMETHING at FULL SCREEN?
An opening!" fast. Really. If you throw a Reppuken from full screen, and they
get hit, you can do the MAX Shine Knuckle and it will combo. If they jump, you
can catch them on the way down. If they roll, you can catch them out of the
recovery. If they try to negate the projectile or something, you can get a
counter hit. (This is assuming you're at L3/MAX. Otherwise, it's just a good
combo finisher.) Heh, something Sagat and Blanka can't do... L1 and L2 are
useful because it's still quick and powerful, and are perfect punishment at
close range. L3 is usually all you need, and all you have if you're in P or K.
Don't base your Rock game around this move, just make sure you can recognize
openings to land this, this is perhaps the best punishment super in the game.
I seem to use it more often than other people do, but that's because I've used
it so often that I recognize the openings a bit better. To be safe, only use
this move when you're ABSOLUTELY sure it will connect, because the recovery is
VERY bad. Again, learn to play without this, then add it to your game.
NOTE: Remember when the game first came out and people just loved Rock for
this move? Well, that craze has died down(largely due to A Groove, if you ask
me), but the move remains EXTREMELY useful if used properly. Just use it to
punish things, or in combos. Sadly enough, this will probably be Rock's least
used super...
+Reference List of moves that are easily punished by Shine Knuckle:
All- basically any whiffed move, exceptions being most LP and LK, and some
specials(ex. Tiger Crush is hard to punish). Also most supers if blocked or
whiffed. Basically any blocked projectile at point blank. Consider Parried
moves to be whiffed.
Athena- blocked Psycho Sword, blocked Psycho Ball at point blank
Blanka- blocked Ball(all types, including super)
Cammy- blocked Cannon Spike, blocked spinning backfist
Geese- blocked Jaeiken, blocked Shippuken
Haohmaru- blocked s.HP, blocked Kogetsu Zan, blocked QCB+P.
Hibiki- Distance Slash(even if it hits), blocked Beckoning Slash
Iori- blocked c.HK, blocked Aoi Hana x3
Kyo- blocked QCF+K K, blocked DP+K, blocked Oniyaki, blocked complete 'Gami
chains
Nakoruru- blocked slides
Sagat- blocked Tiger Uppercut
Rock- blocked Hard Edge, blocked Rising Tackle, blocked RR:Dunk, RR: anything
while Rock runs
Ryu- blocked Shoryuken
Terry- blocked Rising Tackle, blocked Burn Knuckle
Yamazaki- blocked wierd overhead smash kick
Yun- blocked HP shoulder ram, blocked Kobokushi(palm strike), blocked lunge
punch
Zangief- blocked Banishing Flat
(L3/MAX only) Deadly Rave Neo- QCB HCF+LK LP LP LK LK MP MK HP HK QCB+HP
"Deadly Rayvu!"
It's not that hard, trust me. Does very good damage(Rock's best), Flashy
finish, or close up punishing. Relatively easilly comboed into. Very anti
fireball. Your best anti poke weapon. While not as powerful as Geese's, the
DRN looks really cool. And you can combo out of it, if you cancel it at some
point before the fireball(like HK). Keep in mind, if they're in S without full
meter, P, or K, and they have something like 10% left, you can chip it off with
the complete DRN. Learn how much chip this move does so that you know when to
stop a blocked DRN and when to continue. Also, keep in mind that this move
doesn't push Rock's opponent away like Geese's variation does when blocked, so
you can get the full super out for VERY nice chip damage. If you know that the
chip won't KO your opponent, then stop it after HK, and do a c.LKx3, c.MK to
push them off, and backdash if you really want to put some space between the
two of you.
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5) Combos
As always, don't base your game around comboing. Rock doesn't even have high
damage combos. So be happy with what you get. Please send any you find. I
won't post anything obvious like c.LK x3.
NOTE: You can add a jump in to any of these combos. Rock's best is probably
his j.HP for combos, but if you practice the timing, I'd stick to j.HK, it's
safer.
s.HP XX QCB+MP
Yeah, yeah, easy enough, but it's a combo.
close s.HP XX QCB+HP
Decent damage, easy enough.
c.LK x3, c.MK
Useful, not too damaging, but pushes your opponent off of you. A good combo
to take off a bit of guard meter and put some space between your opponent and
you. This will probably be your most used combo, as it's safe, easy, and
resets the distance between you and your opponent.
c.MK XX QCB+MP/QCFx2+K
Basic combo, useful. Hold down MK until after you do the Hard Edge/super, or
you'll end up with whatever move Rock has with that motion and MK. Meaning if
you're going for Hard Edge and don't hold down MK, you'll get Rage Run:
(Stop?). Not good. Also, the Hard Edge won't combo from the c.MK if you're
too far away, so make sure you're at practially point blank before going for
the full combo. Basically, if you connect from closer than the c.MK's max
range, you should be fine.
c.LK x2, c.MK XX QCB+HP
Good damage, relatively easy, but don't think it's like other characters'
"Bread and Butter" combos because the link forces you to have a bit more
timing, and it's not even that reliable sometimes. Remember to hold down MK,
and that you have to be relatively close for the Hard Edge to combo.
Also: It's been brought to my attention that this combo may not work on
certain characters, namely Kyo, and maybe small characters in general. If you
find that it isn't working, just stick to one c.LK.
Thanks to xybazelu for this combo.
Thanks to Ferrio for bringing up the Kyo problem.
QCB+HK XX 360+P XX hold and release PPP
Not technically a combo, but it's tough to avoid. Extremely useful, if you
want to play Rock well you will need to be able to do the Shinkuu Nage.
QCB+HK XX 360+P XX tap PPP, QCB+MP
Good way to tack on damage to a Shinkuu Nage when you have no meter.
Need at least L1- QCB+HK XX 360+P XX tap PPP, QCFx2+P/K
This is a VERY practical combo, if you play Rock you should learn this.
Obviously, you need to practice the timing of the Brake and the distances
involved, but once you've got it down, you've basically made your supers
unblockable.
You can only do the Storm in the corner.
Need at least L1- c.HK XX QCFx2+P
Have to be fast for this one. Good damage, but that's because of the super.
Basically, you do the c.HK, then as soon as you hit HK, quickly do the QCFx2+P.
Very practical, as Rock's sweep is good, and this is easy enough.
Thanks to Dylan for this combo.
Rock in corner, opponent close, need at least L1- QCB+HK XX 360+P XX hold and
release PPP XX QCFx2+K
Hard until you practice it a lot, I hear. I never tried it, but I've seen it
done. Very good damage, mostly the SK, but still... Extremely useful if you
successfully Roll Cancel the Rage Run: Shift.
Thanks to William for this combo.
need L3- QCF+LP/MP, QCFx2+K
Rock's "trap," simplified into the combo you'll get if the Reppuken hits.
S, N only, need MAX and red life/2 extra stocks- HCB fwd+LK LP LP LK LK MP MK
HP HK, c.HK XX Raging Storm
Any other Groove, you should finish the DRN, the damage you can tack on with a
combo isn't so much greater than a completed DRN that you should take the risk.
C only, need L3- c.LKx2, c.MK XX QCFx2+MK XX C.dn up+LP, QCFx2+LP
If you can't get the Raging Storm to connect after the Rising Tackle, just skip
the Rising Tackle.
A only, need full meter- HP+HK, c.HK XX [QCB+MPx2, close s.HK]x2, dn up+HP, dn
up+LP, QCFx2+P
This does great damage, and isn't even that hard. The Rising Tackles are in
there to tack on more hits quickly. I'm pretty sure you could just repeat the
[MP Hard Edge x2, close s.HK] sequence and end with a Raging Storm, but it
wouldn't do as much damage.
NOTE: You can also land this off of a LP Rising Tackle, but it eats up a lot of
hits(5), so the damage is pitiful. And Rock's s.HK is a good enough anti air.
Unless you're sure it will finish off your opponent, try to use the ground
variation of Rock's CC.
Also, you'll note that Rock's Rising Tackles hit more often during a CC.
Strange, huh? My guess is that they only have a juggle potential of 3/4/5, and
can hit up to 5/7/9 times, so that when you're in a CC, with infinite juggle
potential, you hit for all the hits.
Thanks to whoever it was who pulled this off at Stargate.
A only, need full meter- HP+HK, c.HK XX QCB+MK x corner, dn up+HP, dn up+LP,
QCFx2+P
Easier to remember, but without the s.HK, the combo is slightly harder, as you
have less time in between each Hard Edge.
Thanks to xybazelu for this CC.
A only, need full meter- HP+HK, c.HPx12, QCB+HP(1 hit) XX c.HPxN, QCFx2+P/K
Easy. You just do a bunch of c.HP and cancel into a fierce Hard Edge to get
close again. End it with the super of your choice. If you're ending with
Raging Storm, do a sweep(c.HK) first to make it easier.
Send combos please!
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6) Grooves
Groove chart: PK-C-NS-A
C you can store the L3 forever and Rock's dash is good, and N and K do a lot
of damage, plus extra options that are very useful, namely Run and Low Jump.
P. Parry allows Rock to take over the match VERY quickly. Quite possibly
Rock's best Groove, but it's hard to use, so I would learn Rock in a different
Groove to get used to his style.
S. Dodge makes it very hard to kill Rock. It lets him stay in control. If
Rock has control in S, you're not taking it back, period. But if he loses it,
his comeback ability is killed by being in S.
A. Rock has pretty good CCs. And his Dash is good, too. Not as good as his
other Grooves, but it's still really good for Rock.
C- Quick charging meter that stays there. That's enough to scare your
opponent. Air Guard is nice, but Rock's Roll is HORRIBLE! Also, no Run, but
Rock's dash is pretty good. Alpha Counter(Counter Attack) is very useful for
anybody, especially against Chun-Li and Eagle's "chip you to death" supers, and
other situations, like CCs.
A- Quick charging meter, but NO L3! That aside, Rock has what it takes to
make good CCs, and if you can pull off CCs consistently, go for it. I'd say
this isn't a bad pick, but no L3 could be a potential weakness for some people.
It all depends on whether you want to take the time to learn CCs and setups,
and if you can deal with not having L3/MAX supers to help you out.
P- Parry and Low Jump. That's all P Groove has, and that's about all it
needs. Parry allows Rock to totally dominate the pace of a match, and that's
what Rock does best already. Parry gives you a surefire way to defend and
attack with impunity. Low Jump is a nice extra. This Groove suits Rock well,
but it's main weakness is that you will almost have to do without supers, which
can be a problem if you tend to use Raging Storm for anti air. That and the
fact that you'll have to be able to Parry well.
S- Dodge is nice, since Rock's Roll sucks. Other than that, not having MAX
S.Knuckle until you're in critical isn't too great for Rock. So so, but there
are many better choices. Considered by many to be the worst Groove, though
some think it is a great Groove. No matter what, it's a tends to be a rare
sight. Rock is either going to totally dominate in this Groove, or he's going
to lose. Once S Rock takes control, he is going to stay in control. If you
lose control, S Rock has almost no chance of getting it back.
NOTE: If you play S, then the only reason for doing that is Dodge. You'll
basically have to forget supers in this Groove.
N- Very good, for the simple reason that you have Run, Roll(Rock's SUCKS!),
Low Jump, and you only need 2 stocks for MAX
S.Knuckle. So many other characters are great in N. Probably overall the best
pick since it works so well with so many characters. Alpha Counters are
useful. Counter Roll is nice, but only against VERY long supers, or else
they'll probably recover fast enough to put the pressure on you again.
K- JD! And since Rock doesn't need a Roll, and he is good with a lot of
supers available, and Rage powers you up so much, I tend to pick this Groove a
lot. JD is very useful. Easily stop fireball barrages, with some work you
stop poking and jumpins, if you're good, supers do nothing but heal you and
give you meter... The only big downside is the meter timer, and that's not a
problem if you're smart. Don't just blow it all on a super, unless the opening
is there. Use your Rage to dish out some guard damage with pokes, and to make
even small combos into big damage. The super is a bonus in Rage, the damage
boost is the real power behind it.
Ratio: His CDZ is R2, I think. Otherwise, R1 or R2 is probably the best. R4
is a waste, since he doesn't KO opponents quickly. Same with R3. Stick to R1
or R2.
----------
7) Strategy
First of all, get rid of the following ideas: "Cheapness," "honor," and "no
tiers." For one thing, unless it's a gamebreaking glitch or something of a
similar nature, it's not cheap. "Honor" is just an attempt to look good when
you're playing poorly. And tiers exist. True, in this game, it's basically a
few top tiers, a whole mess of more or less balanced characters, and 2-3
garbage characters, but the fact remains that some characters are just plain
better than others.
Rock has so many options, but the ones most of your opponents fear is the
Raging Storm and Shine Knuckle. So when you have meter, watch to see if they
start playing more conservatively.
One thing Rock lacks is a crossup, which limits his offensive options.
Well... his j.HK "randomly" crosses up. Don't rely on it.
Reppuken xN, (opponent does anything but block/JD/Parry/Dodge) L3/MAX Shine
Knuckle.
The "Rock Trap." Decent against C, A, N Grooves, less useful against S,
almost useless against P and K. If they jump, it just takes timing to hit
them. Most people will eventually jump forward, if you have timing, hit them
right before they land(about 1/2 character height off the ground).
Sadly, all but useless now.
If someone tries it against you, you can avoid it in one of a few ways:
-a)Air specials with a "bounce" backwards will dodge the S.Knuckle. Examples
are Geese and Morrigan's air fireballs.
-b)Parry/JD easily stops the "trap," either by stopping the Reppukens, or
stopping the S.Knuckle itself. This is Rock's main option against his own
"trap."
-c)Trajectory changing moves and moves that delay falling. Examples of this:
Shoto's Hurricane Kick, Kim/Yun/Mai/Beni dive moves.
-d)Walk forward, block Reppuken, repeat. Basically, for the "trap" to work
well, Rock needs to be at fullscreen, so by getting closer, you effectively end
the trap, and as he has to recover after each Reppuken, you can get closer and
closer if he's stupid and keeps trying it.
Dash vs Run:
Running is usually considered better, however, Rock's Dash is one of the
better ones in the game. It's a close call, and I'd say it depends on your
team and strategy. I personally like Run for most characters because it
disguises a lot of moves(like Rock's Rage Runs). However, Rock is so powerful
in C and P that whatever mind games you could play with Run are barely worth
it, especially since Rock's dash is so good. It all depends on your team.
Roll vs Dodge vs JD vs Parry
Rock's Roll is horrible because it's so slow. Dodge is pretty good, but S
Groove kills whatever chance Rock would have of making a comeback. As to JD
and Parry, I would say Parry for one reason only: The Parry freeze. There is a
LOT someone can do within that split second, and Rock's ability to take control
of a match is complimented well by Parrying. JD is a good choice, but it
doesn't allow for the quick shifts in momentum that Parry does. However, with
JD comes Rage, which seems to reset momentum because the opponent doesn't want
to do something stupid and eat a 50% combo or an 70%+ combo with super. So
it's your choice, MoTW fans might want to try out K first, because JD and the
universal SNK subsystems might be more familiar to them.
Edit(7/21/03): Rock's Roll is crappy, but his RCs are pretty decent. RC Rage
Run: Shift and RC Shinkuu Nage in particular.
Against jump-ins:
Judge the height and angle. If they're above you, R.Storm, R.Tackle, or
HighC.Counter. If they're in front, going deep, then s.HK or HighC.Counter.
If it's a cross up, R.Storm or HighC.Counter. You can also roll to avoid
crossups, but Rock's Roll is so bad you might be in just as much trouble. The
Rising Tackle works well against certain characters, but it's main use as an
anti air is to take a counter hit and avoid a crossup.
Against jump-ins with no attack(empty jumping):
s.HK or Raging Storm anyways, unless they're in P or K, in which case delayed
Raging Storm or Rising Tackle. If they tend to go low after a bait jump-in,
Low C.Counter as they land. Some players like to throw, and the most annoying
choice is to land and go for the overhead. This is all dealt with with a
simple s.HK most of the time. Empty jumps are NEVER going to beat out the s.HK.
Against Low Jumps:
s.HK works best, but HighC.Counter works pretty well, too. Raging Storm owns
Low Jumps too, if they're close enough. MAX Shine Knuckle works wonders
against Low Jumps, because they can't JD, Parry or L3/MAX super, so if done
early enough, it's a guaranteed hit.
Rock's jumps:
Rock's best jumping moves are his j.LK and j.HK. They have great priority and
reach. The j.LK is just annoying, and it works as a great air to air. j.HK is
very good for pressuring.
Rock's empty jumps:
Edit(7/21/03) Dunno if it's really a Rock specific thing, but when Rock empty
jumps, he falls through Iori's Maiden Masher. IIRC, this is more due to the
Maiden Masher's hitbox than anything to do with Rock. Just keep it in mind.
Rock's Low Jumps:
lj.LK for annoyance, lj.HK for pressure. His empty Low Jumps work just like
his regular empty jumps(ie glitched)
Against poking:
If it's a predictable poking pattern, C.Counter it. If the character doesn't
have a very good poke, c.LK or c.MK to push them off. You can easily poke some
opponents with his s.MK and c.MK. The best punishment you can give to a poker
is the Deadly Rave Neo.
Against projectiles:
Jump-in or low jump. S.Knuckle sometimes runs into the fireball late into the
move. At point blank, any MAX super, preferably Shine Knuckle or Deadly Rave
Neo for damage. S.Knuckle does carry you a bit further forward, meaning less
risk of being hit late in the super.
Against throwing:
I don't care what your personal stance on throws is, they are not "cheap" in
any way. Learn to tech hit, and try to have an idea of when you will be
thrown. Successful tech hitting is more of a psychology thing than actual
skill. Also, you can usually jab/short somebody out of a throw attempt if
you're quick enough. If someone tries to tick throw you, then jab/short them.
Use the punch throw to create distance. Use the kick throw to stay close.
If you've knocked them down:
Sadly, Rock doesn't have the pressure options that people like Rolento have.
You're best bet is to hit them with a "meaty" Reppuken from outside their reach
to be safe. If they have a habit of using high priority wake ups, and don't
have meter, use the appropriate Crack Counter. Throw if they try to turtle up.
My personal favorite is to stick in the fwd+MK, since a lot of people block
low after getting up.
If you're knocked down:
If you are full screen away from them, Safe Fall to try to regain your
momentum. If they are up close, Tactical Recovery if you have it, or wake up
Raging Storm/Rising Tackle.
Edit(7/21/03): Blocking on wake-up is sometimes your best option... don't make
it your only wake-up option, though.
On the attack:
Rock should rarely press the attack, unlike Terry. The best way to attack
with Rock is to hit and run, which helps to avoid a potential momentum shifting
retaliation (DP, L3 super, CC, etc.). Avoid the urge to start an aggressive
rushdown, Rock doesn't have what it takes to rush well. If you can land Rock's
B&B, you can try for it, but I usually just do c.LKx3, c.MK. If you're in P,
then you can be more aggressive. Parrying allows you to force your way in and
land a combo, and if you land 2-3 full combos, that's more than a L3 super
right there.
Zoning:
Rock can zone effectively with his Reppuken, especially when you consider his
many options. Rock's strength is his ability to dictate the pace of the match.
Use Reppukens to control space, and then stick out the s.HK to stop jump-ins.
Eventually, your opponent will get frustrated(as very few characters can beat
out the s.HK), and try to rush you in some other way. This will lead to
openings, like poking patterns(punished by a Deadly Rave Neo). I've seen
players get so frustrated that they whiff laggy moves because they misjudged
the distance(poorly played Hibiki's do this all the time with the Distance
Slash). And even small mistakes like letting you block Iori's c.HK at it's
full range are punishable by Rock.
Rage Run:
Obviously, you don't want to use the Stop version much, because it leaves you
open and doesn't do too much for confusion. The Dunk is a good surprise move
against more passive opponents. However, your primary use for the Rage Run
should be the Shift. The Shift allows you to easily position yourself for a
Shinkuu Nage, which can lead to big damage. It also can confuse your opponent.
Run/Rage Run mixups- In an SNK Groove, you can mix up regular Runs with Rage
Runs, which can really mess with your opponent's mind. Running pokes mixed up
with Dunks and Shifts can easily overwhelm an opponent, since landing any of
them means damage, and landing the right poke(ex c.MK) or Shift XX Shinkuu Nage
equals big damage.
Crack Counter:
The Crack Counter gives Rock an unreliable alternative against crossups when
he has no meter. The main weakness is that, if you guess wrong, Rock is left
open for anything from some pokes to a big combo. The reward doesn't justify
the risk if you're just pulling them every time someone jumps. The key is to
observe your opponent and get to know their patterns. For instance, some Sagat
players STILL love to poke with his c.HP. Therefore, if you time it well,
instead of blocking the next c.HP, you can C.Counter it. The Counters will
eventually make your opponent change their style to be less reliant on moves
that you counter consistently, or to try things like empty jumping(jumping in
without attacking). If they do the latter, you can occasionally attempt a
Rising Tackle them for more damage than Rock's s.HK.
I almost never use this move, because once you've used it, you're tempted to
use it again, and your opponent will make a conscious effort to bait the
counter. Of course, empty jumps are good chances to use the Rising Tackle.
Reppuken:
It's a projectile. While not abusable, it is a valuable tool if implemented
into your gameplan correctly. For one thing, it takes up space. If your
opponent has nothing that can go over the Reppuken and hit you, they will jump,
Low Jump, Roll, Dodge, JD, or Parry. Since you know their basic options, you
will know how best to counter them. That's why projectiles are so useful, they
control space and force your opponent to act in a way you can predict.
Hard Edge:
Easy to use in combos. It can be used to surprise people, occasionally. Also
a great move for RC, if you can pull it off.
Also, the jab(LP) version is good in pressure/GC/block damage strings, like
c.LK, c.MK XX QCB+LP. It's the safest thing Rock has when blocked that close.
Actually, the jab Hard Edge is safe when blocked in general at normal
distances, as is the strong Hard Edge if distanced correctly. The fierce Hard
Edge is never safe if blocked.
Shinkuu Nage:
It's a command grab. It's not quite as fast as Zangief's (instant) SPD, but
it is just as effective. There are several ways to set this up, the most
common one being a Rage Run: Shift. Learn the distance you can grab someone
from, and you've made Rock that much more dangerous. You should always Brake
this, and at least hit with Rasetsu. If you can get more, by all means do so,
the damage potential just for landing this grab is very high.
Another powerful setup is ticking into the grab. "Tick" throwing is basically
forcing someone to block a quick move, like a c.LK, then walking up and
throwing them out of block stun. This takes some timing, but if learned well,
you can turn easily turn a blocked c.LK into big damage.
Other setups are empty (low)jumps, dashing in, forcing your opponent to Roll,
etc.
Supers:
Even though Rock has some of the best supers in the game, don't depend on
them. For one thing, you have to think about what else you could use the meter
for. It's not fun losing because you landed a L3 super, then get chipped to
death because you have no meter to Counter Attack/Roll a super. Don't become
reliant on your supers, but make sure you can use them effectively. For
instance, knowing what can be punished by the S.Knuckle and being able to
remember that in a real match makes the S.Knuckle that much more dangerous.
For example, when my friend plays Iori, he likes to sweep at the maximum range
to do guard damage or catch me by surprise. If I block it, I know that I can
S.Knuckle him right then and there, and he loses half his lifebar for a slight
miscalculation. However, even if my MAX meter is almost gone, I won't throw
out a super unless I have the opening(like landing a combo).
__________
Character Specific Strategies:
First of all, this game has tiers. Get over it. Second of all, there are
basically 3 tiers: Top tier, bottom tier, and everybody else. There are 4-5
characters who are consistently considered top tier, and there are 3 bottom
tiers. The rest of the cast is pretty much balanced.
(8/20/03: Format changed)
:Akuma/Gouki:
-Strengths- Good comboability. High damage. Good priority. Reliable anti
airs. Command grabs. Teleport. Crossup. Runaway that builds meter.
Safe(free) jump-ins. Good RC(Hurricane Kick)
-Weaknesses- Low vitality.
Akuma is either hyper aggressive, or running away like a pansy. His lifebar
is too short for much else. In a Run Groove, he can Shoto jab rush you. In A,
he has plenty of setups for his CC, most importantly the Demon Flip punch grab,
and Hurricane Kicks.
Rock can use Akuma's aggressiveness to his advantage. You can't stop an air
fireball jump-in, unless you RC something(Rising Tackle), or use a Raging
Storm. But, you can get free hits if he tries to Demon Flip, and if he makes
the idiotic mistake of lobbing a fireball during a jab rushdown, that's a free
Shine Knuckle. Just watch for it, when he does a max range sweep, he'll
usually throw a fireball(same goes to all Shotos).
Stopping runaway is a lot harder for Rock. Rock can use RC'd strong Hard
Edges, I suppose.
Watch out for Raging Demon setups... a good Akuma player will find ways to
freeze you up into blocking and nail you. In general, if Akuma whiffs
something that leaves him close to you and recovers quickly, you'll want to
jump straight up. At worst, he wasn't going for a Demon, at best you avoid it
and he wastes meter.
:Athena:
-Strengths- Priority. Good Roll. Crossup. Teleport. Command grab. Good
super. Good RC(Super Psychic Throw) Air throw.
-Weaknesses- Low damage. Low vitality. Short reach.
Despite the dominating aspect of her c.fierce, you'll want to avoid her
command grab more. She has several tricky ways to set it up, involving her
Dash and teleports. She can do some serious harm off the command grab, so
focus on keeping her from setting it up.
One good thing about keeping her out of c.fierce range is that she'll also be
out of command grab range. Your primary advantages in this match are that
Athena's threat potential lies at close range, whereas you can afford to fight
a longer ranged game. Low Jumps are especially useful in this match, lj.RH
tends to work nicely against Athena, though she might be able to c.fierce it if
she anticipates it.
:Benimaru:
-Strengths- Long jump. Mobility. c.forward is Sagat c.fierce like. Crossup.
Air throw
-Weaknesses- ? Below average stamina.
Eh... beware the c.forward. Dunno much more, except his CCs are ghetto and
easy. Keep him away from his command grab range if at all possible.
:Balrog/M.Bison:
-Strengths- Damage(!) Priority. 2nd best L3 super in the game. Reach.
Weaknesses- Low vitality. Punches can be ducked.
He has power, reach, and priority. Just don't leave yourself open to his
painful combos, and when he has L3/MAX, treat him like Rock. Gigaton Blow
hurts too much to just let it hit you. Also, you can try to poke low to beat
out some of his moves, namely the dash punches.
His s.fierce will be a pain to deal with as you attempt to set up your own
poking strings. Keep your poking low and safe. If Rog doesn't have meter,
it's generally safe to attempt a Reppuken from about half-screen to 3/4 screen
away.
:Bison/Vega: TOP TIER in A Groove
-Strengths- Damage. Killer CC. Pressure game. Priority. Air dominance.
Decent mixup game. Great crossups. Stamina.
-Weaknesses- Big?
He will Scissor Kick you to pressure you and do guard damage. Whiffing a
counter is not an option, because he will knock you down and continue to
pressure you. Basically, your main task is to keep him from locking you down,
and keeping him from turtling. Very hard to do, especially against A or N
Groove Bison. Psycho Crusher is fast and powerful, but it loses
to jumping attacks most of the time, and Rock can Counter it. Watch out for
the Devil's Reverse and head stomp, if he goes for them, just Raging Storm him.
Bison is like a stronger Cammy. He's got priority, damage, and mobility,
along with a lot of life, and a VERY painful super(Mega Psycho Crusher) and an
EXTREMELY painful CC(paint the fence), both of which have MANY setups. In
fact, fighting A Groove Bison is like having to deal with a 90+% handicap, and
it's hard to not lose 10% against Bison. Try to stay mobile, and try to draw
out the match as long as possible while slowly inflicting damage, and maybe
you'll win on time out, but more likely you'll lose Rock, and the next
character will have a much weakened Bison to contend with.
More to come...
:Blanka: TOP TIER in ANK Grooves
-Strengths- Reach. Damage. Great RCs. Decent mixups. Priority. Great
crossup. Stamina.
-Weaknesses- Big. Alpha Counter is crap. Susceptible to longer guard crush
"traps."
What to say? Long reach, high damage, even a halfway decent mixup game. RC
Electricity just about makes this match stupid. If he just sits there and
does RC Electricity, attempt RC Shinkuu Nage? There's not much you can do...
but this is top tier we're talking about.
If he crosses you up, you're going to have to suffer a hefty 800 points of
free chip damage. So avoid the crossup as best you can. Raging Storm is your
friend. If you don't have meter, just Run/Dash/walk under him if you have time.
On the bright side, Electricity seems to trigger the Crack Counter.
NOTE: Blanka's c.HP doesn't have that much priority, it's just got reach and
power. It's not as good as Sagat's.
:Cammy: TOP TIER in K Groove
-Strengths- Priority. Reach. Quick. Good DP. Small. Crossup. Strong throw
game. Pokes are long reaching, fast, high priority. Air throw.
-Weaknesses- Jump-ins are crappy. Linear. Low vitality. Low damage.
Cammy is very popular, and for good reason. She has insane priority, she's
very quick, she has quick moves, she has safe moves...
Moves to watch for are s.RH, s.fierce, and c.forward. She has issues dealing
with ground projectiles, however, and so Reppuken becomes your friend at 3/4
screen range, and at times at halfscreen. Her jumps are pretty sad to begin
with, and Rock's s.RH is more than enough to handle them. Your primary
objective will tend to be keeping her back past halfscreen, where you can
Reppuken and deal with her response accordingly... if she gets any closer she
can easily overwhelm Rock with her superior pokes.
If you're feeling gutsy, her standing pokes are mid Counter-able, and while
her c.forward is good, honestly you're going to see many more s.RH and
s.fierce. Just watch out for throws and don't rely on the Counter.
:Chun-Li: TOP TIER in C Groove.
-Strengths- Deadly footsie game: High priority, long reaching pokes that cancel
to super. Post-kick super mixups. Crossup. Headstomp. Air throw. Several
viable anti-airs. Quick.
-Weaknesses- Low vitality. Damage threat without meter is minimal. SBK can be
ducked.
Chun-li. Deadly. Don't get fooled into attempting to match her in the
footsie game; one mistake on her part and at best you knock her down, maybe
burn a L3 to do half life. You make a mistake, at best you lose half life at
the expense of one level on her part... at worst you lose 10000+. Not worth
it. To make matters worse, she can jump the Reppuken with s.RH, which hurts
your zoning game a great deal.
So what to do? Hope for your opponent to get into patterns that you can break
down. Otherwise, find safe ranges to RC jab/strong Hard Edge and threaten with
it here and there.
:Dan:
-Strengths- Damage. Stamina. air short Dankukyaku(QCB+short). Builds meter
quickly. Occasional FULLY invincible uppercut.
-Weaknesses- Priority is pretty sorry. Slow attacks, too. Uppercut invincible
is occasional.
Don't let him taunt you, or you'll gain too much meter... Actually, he's not
too bad. Just don't underestimate him, watch out for his invincible
Kouryuken(when Dan flashes white) and Dankukyaku. He's not too hard to beat if
you take the match seriously, since many people who pick him are just scrubs
out to show their "skills," and even if your opponent is good, Dan has serious
limitations that make him easier to beat than most.
:Dhalsim:
-Strengths- Reach. Good super.
-Weaknesses- Stamina. Priority is surprisingly bad.
Dhalsim has reach. His limbs are quite annoying, but they also leave him
vulnerable. Don't super them, you'll just waste meter. Hit him with a MP Hard
Edge. Jab Yoga Fires are annoying, since they provide coverage, and Dhalsim
can combo from them. Watch out when he gets close, Yoga Stream hits low. His
Yoga Spears can be annoying, Raging Storm/Counter them occasionally, but a lot
of the time a smart Dhalsim will dive just out of Rock's range. Shine Knuckle
that.
More to come...
:Eagle:
-Strengths- Damage. Stamina. Reach. Priority. Best auto-guard move in the
game.
-Weaknesses- Big. Several moves unsafe if blocked.
Eagle has great reach, priority, and damage. His auto-guard pseudo counters
work as attacks on their own, so beware of that. They don't auto guard against
supers, though. His Oxford Red(multi-hit rush) moves very
quickly(anti-fireball CC).
If Eagle's in a Roll Groove, he can RC jab spins to AA you... he can always
c.fierce, so keep your jumping attacks to a minimum. lj.RH works well as a
surprise attack, though.
:E. Honda:
-Strengths- Stamina. Damage. Great RCs. Command grab. Crossup. Good Roll.
-Weaknesses- Big. Slow. Several important normals are slow.
RC spamming Honda can be handled with good old Crack Counter. If you have
meter, you can punish blocked headbutts with Shine Knuckle.
In general, Honda's greatest strength in this match is his damage advantage.
A few sweeps, a few headbutts, and he's ahead by a sizable margin. Also, he
can headbutt over Reppukens for free damage.
:Geese:
-Strengths- Damage. Stamina. Guard crush ability. Crossup.
-Weaknesses- Less threatening at midrange.
Rock's father can and will guard crush you quickly if you give him the chance.
You need to keep him off you any way you can. Don't risk trading, because it
will always be in Geese's favor. He can also dizzy you quite well.
Geese guard crushes so fast... fwd+HP, c.HK, Double Reppuken, or worse, either
of the normals combo'd into a Reppuken... and when he's MAXed or Raged...
beware that while he's rushing you down.
While Geese may have a decent midrange poke set, few of them are threatening,
and he's not exacltly a footsie character, either. So just around the range of
his c.forward is a good position to hang around- at worst he hits you with it,
more likely he'll try some other, more punishable way in.
Geese is very good at offense. Anybody playing him like a turtle is relying on
counters. Rock needs to mix it up with C.Counters, s.HK, far s.MK, c.MK,
Shinkuu Nage, the punch throw, and Reppukens to keep Geese off of him. Once
Rock has meter, he can be a bit more aggressive, since Geese's moves are laggy
in general, leaving him open if he messes up.
:Guile: TOP TIER in C Groove.
-Strengths- RC jab Sonic Boom. A viable AA option against almost every jump-in
in the game. Air throw. Pressure game stemming from jab Sonic Booms and frame
advantage from many normals. Great supers.
-Weaknesses- Some pressure strings are vulnerable to L3 super retaliation.
Ah, Guile. Daigo's success has made Guile big again. The Sonic Boom demands
a reaction that, unfortunately, is rarely threatening to Guile. His pressure
strings involving the Boom are almost 90% safe... if you have meter you can
attempt to blow through with L3 supers at various points. Some strings are
also safe for you to RC jab Hard Edge through- at worst Guile blocks it and
you're back to neutral momentum.
In general, a hard match- Guile keeps you from jumping the Booms in a
threatening manner with his AAs. Jumping straight upis an okay option, but you
get nothing and lose your initiative.
How to fight him? If you're in P you can Parry through several strings...
other than that, it comes down to preventing himfrom making you block or eat
anything at anywhere closer than 3/4 screen range.
:Haohmaru:
-Strengths- Priority. Reach. Good Dash. Good jump-ins. Crossup.
-Weaknesses- No reliable source of quick damage.
Just because he has the 3000 damage s.HP doesn't mean he'll use it often.
Haohmaru pokes very well with his c.LK, LPs, andMPs. His c.HP is a decent anti
air, his close s.HP does very good damage and is pretty quick, his far s.HP is
slow andlaggy, but takes off a large chunk of your lifebar(both s.HPs take off
more than his specials...). The QCB+P overhead smashis a great surprise move,
and recovers quickly(for Haoh). Super wise, he really doesn't need them. The
QCFx2+P multislashis a good chip weapon, and easier to use, but if you let him
time it right(like jumping at him...) his HCB Fwd+P will takeoff WAY too much
life. In any case, the only offensive meter use from Haoh is probably gonna be
"random" supers or combos into the multislash.
He's got reach with his sword. And, of course, he has a 3000 damage far s.HP
which he can use to really punish you if he catches you asleep.
Mostly, he'll just rush you with pokes. His projectile's a joke, so don't
expect many of those. If you do see one, jump inand combo him. Watch for his
c.LKx2, overhead smash "combo," since it's a high/low mixup.
Haoh has the reach and priority advantage. But since a lot of his better
pokes are somewhat slow, you can punish him ifyou're quick. Also, Haoh has
nothing for a true fullscreen threat.
:Hibiki:
-Strengths- Priority. Reach. Insanely good okizeme. Several mixup options.
Makes good use of meter, builds meter well. Crossup. Good jump-ins.
-Weaknesses- Very punishable lag on several key moves. Weak stamina.
Hibiki is very good. Hibiki has a lot of priority on her normals, and has
very quick moves. Her QCF+P Distance Slash can easily punish any lag if you're
close enough. Her QCB+jab is a common round starter, and is basically safe if
she hits with the very tip. Also, her simple s.HP beats out almost ANY jumpin
from Rock, and her j.jab, j.strong, j.forward, and j.fierce win more often than
not in the air. Her "Divine Spirit of Victory" super is obscenely useful, as
is her Speed Mode combo super. Her DP+K is slow, but if you're not expecting it
and don't react, she will smack you for a free combo. And watch out for her
HCF+K counter, as it sets you up for her super. Her Speed Mode super is safe
when blocked. And to make matters worse, her j.HK crosses up. Many good
Hibiki players run in and c.jab or c.short to pressure, and often will
lj.strong or RH for a quick overhead offense. Also, a smart Hibiki will usually
avoid Distance Slashes against Rock when he has meter.Punish her Distance Slash
with a S.Knuckle. It doesn't matter if she hits you, you'll get her. Hibiki
can't counter supers, so keep that in mind. Her 2 most often used supers, her
"Divine Spirit of Victory" and Speed Mode supers, are VERY useful, so keep
yourself out of the air when Hibiki has MAX meter.
NOTE: Hibikis that start with QCB+jab... It's quick, high priority, decent
damage, and relatively safe. Unless you're in C or P Groove, Rock can't really
punish this even if you block. You can try to JD/Parry and attack, or even
Crack Counter.
(8/20/03): Hibiki is the Millia/Magneto of CvS2. After a knockdown, it becomes
a guessing game in Hibiki's favor as to which way to block. Her options:
High hits from in front-
DP+K XX QCF+fierce. sj.RH.
Low hits from in front-
c.short x3, c.jab XX QCF+strong (PUNISHABLE WITH SHINE KNUCKLE)
s.RH XX (QCB+fierce XX) QCF+fierce
High hits from behind-
j.RH
Mid hits from behind-
QCB+fierce XX QCF+fierce
Also, if she tick throws, your stun meter won't reset...
When she's in A Groove, she pretty much gets free damage when she activates.
Watch VERY carefully and block high; try to keep up with her as she runs back
and forth around you. Standing lessens the effectiveness of the "unblockable"
run slash XX hop reset, while also preventing DP+K resets... it does leave you
open to s.RH resets, which do more damage and look like DP+K resets, but most
Hibiki players will try to hit with overhead or crossup resets.
:Iori:
-Strengths- Deadly up-close mixup game. RC Aoi Hana. Great battery. Powerful
offense. Crossup. Best Roll in the game. High damage for no meter.
-Weaknesses- Depends on several risky moves. s.RH can be ducked. Supers are
sub-par in damage. Offense relies on ground fireball.
Iori's offense is tough to beat. He has a very good cross up, powerful
combos, high priority moves, and the Ya Otome, which is a very good anti air
and combo ender. First of all, you can counter his jumpins and specials, your
supers are more useful overall, and a reliable anti cross up(Raging Storm, and
Crack Counter). Block his Aoi Hana x3 high, though most decent Iori players
know not to continue the chain if it's blocked.
You want Iori to be passive. That way Rock can take control. Rock shouldn't
rush down, but he shouldn't let Iori rush down either.
NOTE: Many good Iori players will be in N Groove. Run and Roll equals Iori's
jab Yama Barai, Run setups, and helps him attack and position himself easily.
Plus, so many other characters are great in N.
NOTE: Many good Iori players are now playing A Iori. First of all, he has
versatile combos anyways, and his CCs are easy for the damage they do. Add to
the fact that he can, like Todo, command grab you to start his CC, and even
reset his CC with a command grab. He pretty can also land the CC from pretty
much anywhere and get you cornered. Your advantage here: No Run for Iori means
his jab Yama Barai offense is far less effective.
(8/20/03): If Iori gets into point blank range, it becomes a 50/50 guessing
game- will he throw you or combo you? His s.jab's +7 frame advantage gives him
all the time in the world. My suggestion? More often than not, jump. If he
decided to combo, you get hit out of the air by a s.jab and you're back in the
same situation, but at least you didn't get counter hit into a big combo, and
you're back into a 50/50 situation. If he tried to Scum Gale, you avoid it and
nail him with a combo.
:Joe:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
c.HK slide. That move right there gives Joe too many options. If he slides,
he's basically safe as long as he distanced it right. If he ends up close to
you, though... Shine Knuckle.
The Tiger Kick has a lot of invincibility. But you can still counter it. The
Golden Heel Hurter can crossup. It's also similar to Terry's Crack Shoot for
anti air, except it can hit twice. The Hurricane Uppers are annoying. The jab
one is similar to a Sonic Boom in that Joe can Run after it and attack. The
fierce Double Hurricane is just plain good. You can't Shine Knuckle through
them. Rock can Roll through, I think, but since his Roll is so slow, Joe
doesn't need to worry about it much.
Super wise, outside of combos, you will only see one: The Double Cyclone.
It's like having 2 Raging Storms that converge around Joe. ie, it has more
horizontal range than the Raging Storm. Damage wise, it's better than Rock's
Storm. It's a very good super, you don't want to jump at Joe at all.
And in A Groove, he has an easy CC that also acts as an anti air for 60% life.
Just something to watch out for.
Thanks to Dylan about some move specifics, like the Tiger Kick invincibility.
:Ken:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
He can combo you to death, he can rush you down, he can even confuse you a
bit. Ken's got major power in his combos, especially in C Groove. Watch out
for the DP, of course, and the R.E.D Kick wannabe. His supers can hurt,
especially if he combos them. Ken's weakness: You should know what he can do,
and aside from his Super Turbo kick specials and the R.E.D Kick, he's got
nothing that you shouldn't recognize. Just keep him off of you, Crack Counter
his specials, do the usual for jump-ins, and poke him out of the way. The main
things to watch for are his DP, RED Kick, and his Shinryuken super. And of
course his combos, like his L2 Shoryureppa XX QCB+LP, LP Shoryuken, L1
Shinryuken, which takes off way too much life.
:Kim:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
He can rushdown, poke, and confuse with his kicks. Beware Kim's low sliding
kick and his overhead as confusing attacks. He has mad priority on his c.HK
and j.HK, so watch out for that. Once he gets his rushdown going, it's
going to be hard, so stay out of the corner. Crack Counter if you have the
opening, s.HK the non dive kick and super jump-ins.
NOTE: Kim's L2 super XX Haki Kyaku XX stance change leads to his infinite...
ouch.
More to come...
:King:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Quite possibly the worst character in the game. The only things to watch out
for are her Double Strike, Tornado Kick, and her Silent Flash, which has good
priority for a L1. Aside from that, she can't do damage, she has no reliable
anti air aside from her L3 Illusion Dance, and she has a short lifebar. This
is not the top tier CvS1/KoF'99 King.
:Kyo:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Kyo's movelist is like his KoF '98 self, but with the ('95?) "Spinning Kick."
Kyo players like to get in close for his 'Gami chains and to try to set up his
supers. Just watch for the chains, countering anything you can. His
Oniyaki(DP) will be a problem, but if you have Air Block, or are good with JD
or Parry, you'll be fine. The R.E.D Kick is pretty fast and surprising if
you're reaction time is just a little slow. If you really need help, poke him
out with s.MK, counter or s.HK his jumpins, Roll or JD if he gets in, then
counter his lag. Also, his supers hurt, but one sucks against jumpers(Mu
Shiki). However, the Orochi Nagi can be used easily for defense and in combos.
If you're careless when he has L3/MAX, Kyo can wipe you out really fast(Kyo
has a 100% combo when Raged!).
NOTE: Kyo's Aragami chains(LP and MP) have slight holes in them at certain
points. If your opponent does QCF+L(M)P HCB+P, the HCB+P won't combo from the
first punch. Also, if they do QCF+L(M)P QCF+P P, the final punch won't combo.
Of course, good Kyo players will use the HCB chain to hit you on the floor
after a juggle, and they'll finish the QCF+Px2 chain with the kick, which does
combo.
NOTE: Again, a good A Groove character, and anyone can see why. Probably a
more common A character than most. He is VERY powerful in A, if he connects
with a CC, you're basically screwed, especially if he dizzies you with it...
:Kyosuke:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
He's considered by many to be the 2nd worst in the game. Even so, watch out
for his Cross Cutter and Final Grade Remix. Don't underestimate him, but you
still shouldn't have any trouble with him. And you can block the Final
Grade Remix, so don't worry about it being a grab like the Project Justice team
up supers.
Kyosuke has an infinite in S Groove and a semi infinite in C. Ouch.
More to come(though there isn't much more to say...)
:Mai:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Mai has enough priority to stuff DPs completely, so don't even bother with the
Rising Tackle. s.HK will most likely trade in your favor, if not beat her out
entirely, but L3/MAX Raging Storm wins 100%(duh). Mai is quick, she
can triangle jump off the wall and dive at you, just plain dive at you, super
dive at you, j.HK you to death, poke, throw some fans, shoot some fire, (super)
elbow smash you...
Crack Counter will make her think twice about jumping with an attack, meaning
s.HK and Rising Tackle work more consistently. The Ryuu Enbu(flame twirl) is a
good combo ender and a relatively good poke move, since it's basically a
stationary fireball, meaning you can't counter or outprioritize the flame. The
Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi and Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi can be Rolled through
safely, even by Rock, but if you're feeling macho or something, you can Crack
Counter the non-super one. Keep Mai on the ground, and keep her lying on the
ground, her wake up options without an uppercut type move are limited to
basically her Ryuu Enbu. And watch out for the command wall jump into head
dive.
If Mai gets a decent lead, she can runaway quite well... but unlike Rolento
runaway, Mai's can easily be caught by the likes of Rock. If you see her jump
off the wall and gets ready to do her dive, you can backdash and Raging Storm
her. Use L1 to save meter, if possible, unless you're totally sure about it.
Maki- Don't let her confuse you with her Hayagake(run and grab). She can run
back and forth... and then suddenly go for her forward run "grabs" or backwards
run jumps. Also, her corner tactics are even more confusing than Rolento's.
She can do a grab, just jump off, dive kick, fall down... Plus, she can take
off 60% with a simple combo into her kick super(s.HK XX QCFx2+K K). She has a
super grab, which also works in the air. She can alter her jump angle with her
j.dn+MP. But once you've gotten through her tricks, Maki loses a large part of
her game, since she doesn't fare well in a normal match up against Rock. Try
to keep her from running away.
More to come...
:Morrigan:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Keep her from flying with the Rising Tackle, s.HK, and Raging Storm. That
basically shuts down her offense... ^_^ One thing about Morrigan: If she's on
a team, you will almost never have to worry about CCs or L3 supers out of
nowhere, since she will (almost) ALWAYS be in an SNK Groove. If you can keep
her from starting her flying game, she's stuck with her ground game, which may
be good, but it's much simpler to deal with. Just be wary of knockdowns.
More to come...
:Nakoruru:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
She's one of the smallest characters, she's EXTREMELY fast, she has a lot of
priority, she's got good CCs, she has a healing super, and she's got the bird.
If she knocks you down, she can just call the bird to hit you as you
get up and Run in, or if she has Dash, she can be confusing and Dash over you
to cross you up. Nak can run across the screen faster than some characters'
dash moves do. Her main weaknesses are her relatively low damage per
hit(covered by her comboability and CCs), and her low life bar(covered by her
healing super). She has a decent poking game, and she can easily rush you down
and pressure you. Be careful of the bird and her slide, plus her projectile
reflector.
Raging Storm her off the bird, Shine Knuckle the second you see her go for the
healing move, you can probably get her. Her main weaknesses are her lack of
reach and life. Rock has reach and the damage advantage.
More to come...
:Raiden:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
His shoulder rush is pretty quick for such a big guy. The Drop Kick can be
surprising, at times. The Raiden Combination gives Raiden some comboability.
And then he can use his breath to shoot you down.
Raiden does so much damage... If you're getting hit by the Raiden Combination
and he suddenly uncombos... if he has no meter, jump. If he has L3, it's a
guessing game; either he does the 720 and grabs you, or does the firebreath and
burns you if you try to jump... good luck.
More to come...
:Rock:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Basically, watch for his supers, the Shinkuu Nage, and C.Counters. Never
leave yourself too open, but don't just sit around. If you can keep the
momentum, Rock does very well against himself... This game comes down to
Groove, team, skill, and strategy. Don't bother jumping in, it's not worth it.
Don't abuse the Counter in this match, one mistake equals a S.Knuckle or DRN.
:Rolento:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses
All of you who complain the Rolento has been "toned down," all I can say to
you is... You are _VERY_ wrong. Rolento continues to be able to pressure you
like mad and crush your guard with no problem, or run away from you for quite
some time. His jabs(LP) beat basically everything you do, and they link into
each other. And he's confusing, too.
How to beat Rolento? Get around his tricks and keep him from running. So,
onto his tricks:
1) Jab rush: Rolento just jabs at you while walking. If you block, he links
3-4 and switches, if you get hit he links into his c.MK XX Patriot Circle, then
continues. Blocking is just as bad as taking the hit, since he can quickly
wear down your guard and continue to attack. What does Rock do? If your
opponent is REALLY predictable, you can stick a C.Counter in before he starts
another jab set. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for him to change up(usually
after 3-4 jabs). Also, Rolento can quickly switch to runaway by: s.LP, c.MK XX
bk+KKK(or QCB+K). Or, he can just continue the pressure like so: s.LPx3, c.MK
XX fwd+KKK, dn+MK, continue. You can throw him after the dn+MK, but you have
to be quick.
2) Knife: Rolento throws his knife at you, often after a knock down or a
blocked jab, c.MK link. Rolento WANTS you to block this. Why? Because he
then lands and continues the jabbing. So what do you do? Hit the knife. Jab
it or something, Rising Tackle and Raging Storm are probably your best choices
here if Rolento is close enough. Don't roll or block, you've just played into
Rolento's hands. Another good option is to jump over it and try to kick
Rolento.
3) Scouter Jump: More mind games here. Used offensively, it gives him a
quick, long jump to cross up or jump in deep. Used defensively, he can jump
far away fast, and pogo hop to build meter while moving. s.HK if he Scouter
Jumps in front of you, Raging Storm if behind. If he Sc.Jumps backwards, then
_walk_ towards him. If he jumps at you, s.HK. If he tries to jump over you,
he probably won't make it if you s.HK or Raging Storm. If he tries to run,
he'll hit the corner, which leads to his...
4) Wall Jump: Mainly a runaway tool, as the Scouter Jump is easier to use on
the attack. Basically, if he goes for it when you're both in the corner, he's
safe, unless you read his mind and Raging Stormed him as he jumped. But the
easier way is to stand a bit away from Rolento, out of reach for all of his
normals. If he goes for the wall jump, then the time you have to Raging Storm
is slightly longer, or you can turn and run after him.
5) Steel Rain, Take No Prisoners: This is rare, since a)it's basically N
Groove only, and b)it'll only work once on a smart opponent. The premise is
that you will instinctively block high when the knives fall from the sky, while
he "stamps" and uses Take No Prisoners to hit you low. What do you do? Block
low, the entire thing falls apart, Rolento uses up his whole meter, and you
take minimal damage, plus he's wide open for Shine Knuckle punishment.
6) Command rolls: If he does the followup, you have to block it high, or High
C.Counter it. If he c.HK slides, you can Low C.Counter it, or jump. If he
throws a knife, jab the knife. If he starts his crazy jumping... see the jump
sections.
:Rugal:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Powerful, relatively quick, high priority and damage, reach, useful specials,
great CCs, a cross up... Rugal is a great character. Unless your opponent
tries to fireball+DP "trap" you, this is going to be a hard fight. He
can stop Rock's projectile zoning with his reflector and his own much larger,
multihit projectile. Jump-in and you'll more than likely get anti aired by his
Genocide Cutter(DP+K) or s.HK. A "trick" I've seen with him is his air QCF+LP,
which is basically safe when blocked, and as you will probably try to punish,
you eat a Genocide Cutter. Similar to Cammy and Sagat's bait+uppercut
sequences. Other things to watch for are his Kaiser Wave and the God Press.
His Genocide Heaven(QCFx2+K) has good priority, even at L1.
Try to either keep close or far away from Rugal. Rugal has more reach than
Rock in general, so you want to be at point blank or out of reach. He has
several setups to his CC, watch for him trying to combo into the God Press and
the air QCF+LP. Counter the air QCF+P, it shouldn't be too hard to see it
coming. Prepare to Raging Storm him out of the air if you can, always be alert
for openings, because Rugal will leave several chances for you to punish him,
if you are alert and ready for them. And you need to capitalize on those
openings. If you're in P, make the openings with a Parry. Otherwise, charge
up a L3/MAX meter and wait for the chance to land a super.
:Ryo:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
His j.LK has great priority. His j.MK crosses up. He has an air fireball.
So Ryo has some strong aerial tricks, but on the ground, he has other options.
Surprise move wise, he can attempt to be Kyo/Ken with his overhead special, he
has a pseudo DP, a launcher type move, a fireball, the Zanretsuken(multi punch
thing), and his flying kick. His supers aren't bad.
The Haohshokouken is big, which means you're not jumping it, the Ryuko Ranbu is
just plain useful, and the Tenchi Haoh Ken basically dizzies when connected,
and is unblockable.
Fortunately for Rock, Ryo is rather slow, his moves have enough startup to
react to, and his priority seems lacking. Deal with his jumping with a Raging
Storm, or jump even and j.LK him if you think he's going to fireball. The
Haohshokouken is easy to Parry, JD, Dodge, or Roll through. Also, the Tenchi
Haoh Ken has little reach, is slow, and it's uncomboable, plus you can still
Parry it.
:Ryu:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Been around a while? Yeah. Not a single new move? Yeah. Favorite of
scrubs? Yeah. Bad character? No. Ryu remains a powerful character in CvS2.
Sure, he's missing his c.HK XX Shin Shoryuken combo, which in itself made Ryu
great. Rock can do a lot against Ryu. Do the usual for his jumpins. Do
whatever your Groove allows for against a stray Hadouken. Most good Ryu's use
Hadoukens as a poke or combo finisher, or to cover him as he runs up. Counter
Tatsumakis done outside of combos. In the air, watch out for his Shoryuken, or
j.Tatsumaki. Shin Shoryuken comes out really fast, and does
great damage, and can be comboed into. Shinkuu Hadouken is probably the
preferred L1 and L2 super over STSK, but if you're poking low all the time, he
can do the STSK for free damage. Or he can try to chip you to death with it.
Avoidable with a Counter Attack, if you have one.
NOTE: S Groove Ryu. What's so good about him? Apparently his options with
Dodge. Don't let him knock you down in the corner, and if he does, do a throw
or Shinkuu Nage to get out.
NOTE: SNK Groove Ryu. He will probably run in and link several running jabs
together(3-4), run in with a safe block combo, then continue the rush. He also
mixes in some lj.HP. It's a seemingly random attack that's very difficult to
get out of. Counter Attack if you must, otherwise, wait to see if he Low Jumps
and get him then(Shine Knuckle and Raging Storm work quite well)
:Sagat: TOP TIER in C Groove
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
(This section demands a TOTAL revamp... more on this soon.)
NOTE: Tiger Raid has to be blocked low. Combined with the fact that you can
duck a High Tiger Cannon, you might as well block low if you see the super
flash when you're close to Sagat.
Thanks to Dylan for the Tiger Knee, Tiger Uppercut bait sequence hint.
:Sakura: TOP TIER in A Groove
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Her j.MK is one of the best crossups in the game. (And that's about all that
was useful... revamping this section soon)
More to come...
:Terry:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Rock's "father" can put the hurt on you easily. Terry has very good combos,
very useful moves, a great Roll, and a very good ground game. Watch out if
Terry throws a LP Power Wave, he will usually Burn Knuckle after it.
Terry is very good on the attack and defense. Do the usual against his
jumpins, and never let him land one, since most good Terry players have
mastered his (j.HP/HK), close s.HP XX Buster Wolf combo, and at least one
followup. That hurts. When you attack, watch for his Rising Tackle and Power
Geyser as anti airs. Also, beware the Crack Shoot, it's a good move that Terry
tends to use at the start of a round or after LP Power Wave. Power Dunk should
be relatively easy to spot, Counter it if you're confident, otherwise block it
high.
:Todo:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Never make a Todo joke again. If you do, you will be sorry. Todo is simply
DEVASTATING in A Groove. If he lands his HCB+P command grab with full meter,
you are screwed, regardless of his Groove, but in A, he will take off,
minimum, 50%. If he goes for a harder combo, about 9000 damage. If he goes
for a reset CC by stopping and then grabbing you again, you're looking at
something like 70-90% right there. Plus, he pokes decently, and can easily set
up his QCF+P wave trap to build meter, chip a lot, and go for his CC. Sounds
like Spiral's knives from MvC2... And he can use his QCF HCB+P super counter
to turn your DNR or S.Knuckle into free damage for him.
Todo's weaknesses are his slow movement speed, his lack of reach, and his
relative lack of variety. He basically is going to trap you down with his
waves, poke you a bit, and find an opening for his command grab. Don't even
bother trying to Roll through the waves, Rock's Roll is so slow that Todo will
probably recover fast enough to command grab you for a super/CC. The key to
beating Todo lies in his lacking moveset. Keep him from throwing waves by
staying out of the wave reach and MAX S.Knuckle him when he whiffs a wave. Try
to stay far out so he can't grab you. Or you can put up an offensive, since
Todo can't defend too well outside of his Wave and counter super.
NOTE: You might think Todo's wave super would be hard to Parry, but actually,
you only need to Parry one or two hits. Why? Because you're not being pushed
back when you Parry, so the whole wave passes through you quickly. This also
seems to apply to the regular wave, but I'm not sure about it yet. JD should
also do the same, as there is no pushback when you JD or Parry.
:Vega/Balrog:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
Vega's gonna walk back and forth a lot, bait you into whiffing stuff, and
c.strong you. He will likely repeat this style of play till you die. That, or
RC claw roll in your face because there's not much you can do about it.
If Vega does anything other than that, he's just trying to mess with your mind
to bait you into eating something... then back to the dancing and low
stronging. Or sweeps if you whiff something big.
:Vice:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
A more versatile grappler. With 2 command grabs, reach, priority,
comboability, and her very powerful tick throw game, Vice can be tough,
especially since you can't counter her most damaging moves. Watch out for her
Ravenous when she jumps, either Counter it or Raging Storm it. Her supers are
unblockable grabs, and she jumps forward for one, so don't think you're out of
her grab range at any time. If she jumps in with j.LK, don't block it, anti
air her, or she'll land and throw super you.
More to come...
:Yamazaki:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
He will s.HK or c.HK many times, in all likelihood. He will also use his
Snake Arms to keep you away, or do block damage, or in combos. His Sand Kick
can be combo'd into, and his Snake Arm links from it. His Guillotine owns
jump-ins(at L3/MAX), and he has a grab super(for which he many setups). And he
has a counter for non-super physical attacks, and regular fireballs. In short,
Yamazaki can keep you out quite well, and beat you up if you get close.
Rock can possibly get in on Yama, but he can't do too much up there except
maybe s.MP. Outside of Snake Arm range, you can attempt to throw Reppukens.
One trick you might want to try... if you have full meter and throw a
Reppuken, if Yama reflects it you should have a free Shine Knuckle.
More to come...
:Yun:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
He can combo like mad, and he can move around pretty well, too. His lunging
punch move is fast and surprising. Unless you know it's coming, don't try to
counter it, you can probably just block it and punish. And if he gets close,
he can command grab you into a combo. s.HK him out of his dive kicks, c.MK to
push him off, Shine Knuckle if you can react fast enough to his lunge punch,
shoulder ram, or palm strike. Oh, and watch for that air super.
More to come...
:Yuri: Annoying, and very safe if played correctly. She can throw QCF+LK
fireballs to do almost free damage, since there isn't much you can do if you're
in that position. Rock's Roll is almost not an option against it, since she
lands quickly enough to block your attack, or worse. Backdash to avoid them.
She can combo her c.HK into her regular fireball for safe guard/block damage.
Her HCB+K slap move has high priority and is pretty fast. Super wise, not much
to worry about, unless you're in the air and can't JD/Parry well, in which case
you eat a Haohshokouken or Hien Hou'ou Kyaku.
More to come...
:Zangief:
-Strengths-
-Weaknesses-
(Needs a major overhaul... coming soon!)
More to come...
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8) Roll Cancelling
You can find the "science" behind this elsewhere. Basically, you cancel your
Roll during the first 1-3 frames into a SPECIAL. Nothing else. Your special
then gains the invincibility of your Roll. This is HARD if you're even a
little bit slow. Practice by RC'ing into a taunt. Do a Roll, then almost
immediately do a taunt. If done correctly, you're character will taunt after
shifting forward a little. Do it too early, you'll just taunt, do it too late,
you'll just Roll.
Rock's Roll sucks, but his RCs don't.
Thanks to William and Dylan for info about RC.
RC Reppuken or Double Reppuken
Covers up the startup of the Double Reppuken. Decent okizeme move, if nothing
else.
RC Hard Edge
Blow through anything, real fast. Rock's 2nd best RC move. His non super
equivalent of a L3/MAX S.Knuckle ^_^. Also, RC jab Hard Edges are good for
pressure, since they're pretty safe.
RC Rising Tackle
Flawless anti air. What more could you want? Actually, only useful against
crossups, because Rock has his s.HK for anti air. On the bright side, it is
probably Rock's easiest RC move.
RC Shinkuu Nage
RC'd command throws are VERY dangerous. Useful, indeed. Unblockable, and it
blows through their attack, too... This can be downright scary if you master
it. Unblockable, invincible setup for a super. Of course, it _is_ a 360, that
makes this a relatively hard RC.
RC Rage Run: (anything)
Very good. Run through, do whatever it was you were trying. Shift is
probably the best choice. It could even make Stop somewhat useful. Run
through their poke, stop in their face, combo. But since Shift sets up a great
combo already...
RC Counters
Useless. If you can't get hit, you can't counter. Not even good as a dodge,
they lag too much.
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9) Misc.
Rock is the son of Geese Howard and Marie Heinlein. Apparently his "evil
blood" isn't from Geese, it's from his mom. Rock was pretty pissed at Geese for
ignoring his mom when she was sick, and when she died, Rock wanted to go and
kill Geese. When he got to Geese's office, he found that Geese was
inconveniently unable to comply with Rock's wishes, as Terry Bogard had just
killed Geese by knocking him out the window of Geese's rather tall skyscraper.
Terry, who felt bad for killing Rock's father, decided to raise Rock. (Real
Bout 2: Fatal Fury)
In MoTW, Rock beats up his uncle, Kain R. Heinlein, then Kain tells him Marie
is alive or something to that effect, and Rock decides to follow Kain around to
see his mom. (Garou: Mark of the Wolves)
NOTE: This info was found in the SNK bio for Rock, which xybazelu sent to me.
Also: Whenever Rock got his "Geese Super Ending," his win quote would be "Why
does my evil blood boil?" As stated above, this "evil blood" is NOT FROM
GEESE, it is from Marie.
Thanks to Mark Kim for Marie's maiden name. I could have sworn I had put that
in one of the updates...
Rock's win poses are among the coolest in the game. Those poses would be...
1) Bites his glove, holds it with his mouth, and shakes his hand, saying some
Japanese far more clearly than you could with a glove in your mouth.
2) Rock turns his back to you, waving his right arm and making AWESOME "angel
wings" with his "chi." A different quote.
3) FINISH WITH SK: Rock throws his jacket onto his opponent and says "Abayo,"
while flicking his nose with his thumb.
Abayo is a way of saying "Good bye," rudely if I remember correctly. And the
nose/thumb thing seems common in many anime involving martial arts, though I
have yet to figure out what it means. Probably rude.
4) FINISH WITH GEESE SUPER(RS or DRN): Rock grabs his arm in pain as "chi"
flows out of it. Rock groans in pain. This one is another great pose, not too
much else to say here.
Rock speaks English AND Japanese during a match, much like Geese. Strange, as
he lives in Southtown, which is in the US, and Terry speaks only English...
Rock's "Most Unpleasant" thing is... girls. Assume what you will.
NOTE: From SNK bio.
Rock has 2 special openings that I know of, and I'm pretty sure that's it.
They are:
-Terry- Rock says some Japanese ending in "Terry," Terry is standing with his
back to you. When Rock finishes, Terry gives him a thumbs up, then says
"Phew!" I prefer Terry's old quote of "Hey, rookie!"
Terry, when he wins against Rock, has a special winpose where he basically
gives a thumbs up and says "OK!"
-Geese- Rock clenches his hand and looks angrily at Geese. Geese looks very
amused by all this, and says "C'mon!"
Rock makes an appearance in KoF 2k1 in one of Terry's winposes. Young Rock
runs onto the screen, and Terry and Rock do Terry's "Standa!"("Stand up!") pose
from MoTW.
Thanks to xybazelu for this info.
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10) Credits and Thanks
Capcom and SNK- for the games
NY Friends- For being great friends who I can talk with.
Sugar Land crew- for competition at home, for free!
Stargate- For being the best arcade in Houston.
Mark Kim(
[email protected])- For info on Rock's mom's maiden name.
Ferrio- For bringing up the Kyo problem with Rock's B&B.
Leerok the Lacerta- Part of "NY Friends," and also for his website, which is
amusing if nothing else.
GameFAQs- For hosting this Guide, and for being a source of much gaming
information. I need RPG guides all the time ^_^.
GameFAQs *GOOD* CvS2 players- For strategies, combos, and a wealth of
experience that I can easily draw on. I need to play you all soon, but the
lack of time for me to get my skills to a more competitive level is making me
worried...
CvS2 players, good and bad- For playing this game. We can only get better with
good competition, and we can only have competition if there's someone to play
against.
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11) Closing
Well, this is the end of the Guide. If you want to send comments, suggestions,
or submit info, feel free to do so, email me at:
[email protected]
I might write another one, chances are I'll be adding more combos and Character
Strategies in this Guide.
