- AXE COP
- Apr 16, 2010
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i always feel like
somebody's watching me
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Fauxtool posted:
I dont have archives, can someone repost the Juri, Hakan and T.Hawk guides in the OP?
Guy posted:
Guy's the character for you if you like fairly easy execution on decently damaging and somewhat flashy combos. He's fast and can utilize quick crouching pokes to lead into good hit-confirmable damage. What he doesn't have is A) an overhead that can be comboed out of (Edit: he does have f+MP and Run-HK as overheads, but they unfortunately don't lead into anything most of the time) and B) a move that forces crouchers to stand that can also be reliably comboed out of. What's worse is that his Bushin Chain and Target Combo (more on those in a bit) both don't work properly on some and/or all crouchers (for more detailed info on this, check the Guy forums on SRK). If that hasn't scared you off, then here's some of what Guy can do.
SSF4 Guy Combo Stuff
Important terms:
Hozanto: His qcb+P shoulder charge thing.
Senpukyaku: His qcb+K move. I'll probably call it hurricane kick or something because that's what I always think of.
Run-Slide: qcf+K, MK
Target Combo: MP HP
Bushin Chain: LP MP HP HK
Bushin Chain Throw: LP MP HP down+HK
The two normals you'll probably use the most when trying to hit-confirm into a combo are c.LK and c.LP. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
c.LP: It links into basically everything Guy has and it's fairly easy to link after to boot. Examples of what you'd follow up with are Bushin Chain, Target Combo, c.MP, or another c.LP. It can be blocked standing, though.
c.LK: Must be blocked low. It links into itself, c.LP, and s.LP, but nothing else from what I found. Edit: Look at how wrong I am:
Eddain posted:
Someone totally correct me if I'm wrong here since I don't have my copy of SSF4 yet, but according to the Prima guide's frame data, c.LK should be able to link into (1-frame links, 2-frame links) far s.LP, far s.MP, close s.MP, close s.HP, close s.LK, c.LP, and c.LK.
Of the moves I missed, linking into far s.MP is probably the biggest deal, as it gets you to the Target Combo off a move that you have to block low.
Using these two moves, you can confirm a combo into either Bushin Chain or Target Combo, and then combo a special off of either of those. For instance, you can do c.LK c.LP s.LP MP HP HK and get it all to combo.
Bushin Chain followups
Midscreen:
EX Hozanto - You aren't cancelling into it, you're linking after the recovery of the Bushin Chain
FADC HK Hurricane Kick - You can do this to be fancy, but it's really a waste of one EX bar
FADC Ultra 1 - You have to have started the combo about 1/3 or 1/4 of the way from midscreen to the corner. If you go into the Training Stage, have Guy walk the opponent from the center line to two large blocks away, and that's about the max range where this will work.
Corner:
HK Hurricane Kick - Good for meterless damage
EX Hozanto
EX Hurricane Kick
Ultra 1 - If you started reasonably close to the corner, no FADC required!
Bushin Chain Throw followup
Basically, this can only be followed up with the EX Hurricane Kick, and only if the throw makes them hit the corner wall before the ground.
Target Combo followups
With the Target Combo, you are cancelling the HP's hit into whatever special you choose afterward.
Midscreen:
LP Hozanto - Good, meterless, and can lead into...
LP Hozanto FADC HK Hurricane Kick - These two moves combined will move your opponent a long way across the screen. You'll only get one hit of the Hurricane Kick, though, and I'm not sure if it works on every character. Furthermore, the timing is pretty tight.
LP Hozanto FADC Ultra 1 - You need to be about the same closeness to the corner as was already discussed
EX Hozanto
LK/MK/EX Hurricane Kick - I don't really think there's a reason to use this over LP/EX Hozanto. It's especially unsafe if you mess up your combo timing and whiff it / get it blocked
Corner:
LP Hozanto, HK Hurricane Kick - More meterless damage
Everything from the Midscreen followups
Putting poo poo together - some examples:
c.LK c.LP s.LP MP HP HK, EX Hozanto
In corner, c.LP c.KP s.LP MP HP KP, HK Hurricane Kick
c.LP c.LP s.MP HP XX LP Hozanto (FADC Ultra 1 when applicable) - You can plink the s.MP (hit MP~LP, one right after the other) to make it far easier to combo into. You can also do three
c.LPs but you'll scale the combo real bad then. Two should be enough (or one c.LK then c.LP) to comfortably confirm into both the Bushin Chain and the Target Combo
c.LK c.LK s.MP HP XX EX Hozanto - c.LK has to be blocked low, so this combo should be especially handy.
In corner, c.LK c.LP s.MP HP XX LP Hozanto, HK Hurricane Kick - Again, you can plink the s.MP here.
close s.HK into either Bushin Chain or Target Combo - both of these work, the Bushin Chain should work on everyone and be easier to link into, whereas the Target combo may not work on everyone. End with whatever followup is appropriate.
c.HP, s.MP HP XX EX Hozanto - This is tough to combo, but plinking makes it a little easier at least. The nice thing about c.HP is that it forces your opponent to stand. The bad thing is that it pushes the opponent (or Guy) back a fair distance. However, you can link into the Target Combo on some characters using this. Only an EX Hozanto will connect when cancelled into because of the distance. You could then FADC into Ultra, provided you had 3 bars to use on it and had the right positioning.
Other combos:
c.LK c.LK XX MK Hurricane Kick - This one's not really recommended, but it's there for completeness
c.LK (or c.LP), c.LP, c.MP XX Run-Slide - the fun thing about this is, if done with the opponent in the corner, it actually causes Guy to switch places with them. This position switch tends to happen more frequently when only one c.LP is comboedi into the c.MP, but still happens almost all the time on certain characters even with two crouching light attacks before the c.MP. Normally being cornered is bad, but if you manage to then land a Bushin Throw Chain, you can set up good damage and/or mixups. It's also an untechable knockdown, which is nice.
Doing anything special cancellable into QCF+P flip jump move - This isn't a combo, but can most likely be used every now and then off a blockstring to mixup. You can then go for the throw of that flip, or use the down+P elbow to try and score a combo.
Opponent in corner, d/f+HK, c.HK - depending on your timing, you will either get an untechable knockdown or cause the opponent to reset in midair.
Opponent in corner, d/f+HK, EX Hozanto, EX Hurricane Kick - This is pretty good damage, if you manage to score the d/f+HK, that is.
Opponent in corner, d/f+HK, Ultra 1 - Big damage
Miscellaneous Guy info:
- Guy's EX Run has armor, and it has been mentioned on SRK that he does indeed have the ability to exploit an oversight in the system for an Armor Cancelled Ultra. This works by activated his EX Run (qcf+KK) right as an attack is about to hit you, and then immediately doing qcf+KKK to make the Ultra come out. It's probably not going to be practical in a match situation, but it's worth mentioning.
There's some basic Guy stuff to try out. The key is to get good at this stuff, and then learn through playing matches how to use it. For more Guy combos, as well as matchup info and other such stuff, check out the Guy subforum on SRK: http://www.shoryuken.com/forumdisplay.php?f=334
Juri posted:
Juri is by far the most interesting character added to Super's roster; she has personality, a new fighting style and the ability to hold her own from full-screen as well as mid-range. People were initially divided w.r.t. exactly how Juri is going to play at a competitive level and, while I think the jury (!) is still out on that, this first week has definitely given us a glimpse into the strengths and weaknesses of her game. I'm going to reference some poo poo in the post that may very well be incorrect, but it's just my personal opinion.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of the Juri's that you are playing online are not playing her 'correctly', myself included. I've seen a lot of mid-screen zoning transitioning into a block string and ending with a LK Pinwheel -- in my opinion, this is the worst thing you can do. If both hits of LK Pinwheel connect, you're at a disadvantage of 4 frames, which means you can be punished by far-reaching 3 frame normals (Balrog's c.jab, etc.) or reversal DPs. However, the situation is actually far worse than that because of the opponent is crouching, which most opponents usually do during a block string, the second hit of the special will whiff on the majority of the cast and you can eat a reversal ultra from just about everyone. In addition to the numerical disadvantage, you're surrendering any and all momentum you had and, even if you're not punished, you're now on the defensive and you do not want to be on the defensive with Juri.
Juri's normals are seriously under-utilized. Her s.short is a fantastic normal to occupy the space immediately in front of her. In a mid-screen footsie war whiffing a standing short every now and then tells your opponent that you're in control of that area and they're not going to be able to dash in for free. In addition, like Abel's s.short it recovers so fast that it's not punishable and the majority of the people online will see you whiff a normal and then immediately try and retaliate which puts you at an advantage. If they jump from just outside of s.short range, the majority of the cast cannot cross you up and c.fierce will beat anything they try and jump in with -- it also resets their position back to s.short range and you can resume your game plan.
I'll talk more about Juri's normals later, but let's talk about her specials. First of all, her dive kick. The only safe way to dive kick is if you TK her LK dive kick outside of standing short range and you hit low on the character's model. You're surrendering momentum by doing this, but sometimes it's a necessary sacrifice to make, especially if you noticed a pattern in the opponents close-range game that you think you can exploit. Basic Street Fighter psychology suggests that any beginner opponent will throw two projectiles and then look for another way to score damage if you're evading or countering his projectiles. When the match starts, I've had a good amount of success with storing a MK fireball, dashing back, matching their first projectiles and then neutral jumping. If they start to throw a second projectile, from this range you can punish them will all four hits of her HK dive kick. This will send your opponent all the way to the corner and you can choose if you want to keep the pressure on, or if you want to test their zoning some more. I usually choose to pressure the opponent since people make mistakes under pressure. In conclusion, the only safe ways to use her dive kick are to TK the LK version to advance, to punish certain character's projectile recovery from anywhere on the screen, to quickly break focus and if you see the opponent whiff a special as you're jumping back you can punish them with MK or HK dive kick. Almost every other use of this special is unsafe. If you connect with a dive kick, you can combo a LK Pinwheel after the first hit or you can mash on kick in an attempt to send them to the corner. Some of the hits will whiff on certain characters depending on the spacing, so unless you're certain it will hit, it's usually worth it to combo a LK Pinwheel since it puts you at a slight frame advantage after the hit and leaves you well spaced to continue your game. You can combo after and into her dive kicks, particularly the EX version, but I'll leave this for the j.MP section.
The next special I want to talk about is her Pinwheel. It's a mediocre reversal, it loses to most cross-ups and it's very noticeable and leaves you open to extraordinary punishment if it whiffs and therefore, it's main use is as a combo ender. You can FADC the first hit of her Pinwheel, although it's really impossible to confirm if the special hits before you FADC, so you can only use it pre-emptively to end a block string and possibly to get more combo damage, although I haven't experimented much with her combo options after FADC Pinwheel; I usually try a low short or a throw. The best use of this special is catching the opponent off-guard with the LK version. Both the MK and HK versions knock the opponent down, but the LK version leaves them standing at the absolute perfect range to cross-up and gives you a slight frame advantage. What I usually like to do is end my first combo with a HK Pinwheel which hits 4 times, has a long exaggerated animation and knocks the opponent down (it also does the most damage outside of the EX Pinwheel). Then, my next combo, I will purposely use the LK version and immediately transition into a j.MK which will cross them up and combo that into a c.fierce and your choice of Pinwheel to end the combo. You can keep doing this, sacrificing ~30-40 damage and a knockdown for a chance to mix the opponent up. The best thing is that Juri's jump is fairly low and shallow and if they block the cross-up you can go for a low short into a block string, a throw, or a neutral j.HK into another 300 damage combo. The key is to keep the opponent guessing. You never want to do the same thing twice. If you crossed the opponent up and then neutral j.HK into a c.HP xx HK Pinwheel then you should try something else the next time because it's probably not going to work again. She can 'start the party' with basically any normal, so keep the opponent on their toes. The LK version will combo after an EX dive kick or the first hit of any other dive kick. The EX version will combo after an EX dive kick as well. The EX Pinwheel comes out in 7 frames which is the same as the LK Pinwheel, it does 200 damage and it can be used to punish hilariously unsafe moves. One thing of note is that HK Pinwheel will drop hits on some of the cast, so it's usually advisable to stick with MK Pinwheel and sacrifice the 20 damage.
Her third special is the fireball, the core of her zoning gameplay and combo potential. In my opinion the future of competitive Juri lies in this special. The initial hit is completely safe so you can (and should) end your block strings with a stored fireball. I very rarely store the LK fireball (only after a dizzy), because if you're storing a LK fireball you can't reliably tech throws; MK fireball is your best all purpose storage spot, although remember you're not going to be able to focus. Her fireballs don't go full-screen so you're not going to be winning any projectile wars, though you can keep pace with absolutely every character in the game. The first hit of her projectile kick negates projectiles and what you should do is use the kick to absorb the first projectile, release the kick to negate the second projectile and repeat, mixing it up so that sometimes you have two fireballs stored and you can knock them out of the air if they try a far-range air special or a long-range jumping attack. Unfortunately, this is also the part of her game that I am the least familiar with, although I'm almost certain that her success as a tournament-viable character is going to hinge almost entirely on her normals and this special. If I score a dizzy and have 2 or 3 meters to blow, I store her LK and MK projectiles and do j.HK, c.HP, ]MK[, c.MK, ]LK[ FADC c.HP xx Pinwheel (HK or EX depending on how much meter you want to blow). If you have a MK fireball stored and you nail a jump-in, you can almost always go from your typical BnB (j.HK, c.HP xx HK Pinwheel) to j.HK, c.HP, ]MK[, c.MK xx HK Pinwheel for extra damage. It's going to take quite a bit of time to get used to in the short-term, but try and always have a MK fireball stored when you're jumping in on an opponent so that you can score that extra damage since Juri is going to need to do all of the damage she possibly can with every opening in order to succeed.
Her final special, and the one that I see people almost completely forgetting about online is her counter. The LP version moves you forward and is very unsafe from anything but close-midrange. Basically, if you're not going to cross the opponent up with your LP counter, don't use it. Sometimes, even if you are going to cross the opponent up, if they're expecting it, they can punish you. It's very tricky finding the perfect range where you can counter and then either jump back and punish their whiff with a dive kick or get into a range where you can mix them up well. Her MP counter is the best way to avoid tick setups. If the opponent is ticking you with 3-4 frame normals and threatening with a throw and you don't think you can find a reliable opening, you can always use this special which starts up in 3 frames to get the gently caress out of that situation (unless of course you're in the corner). Her HP counter is great in projectile wars since you can use it on ANY projectile, be it normal, EX, super, or ultra and usually punish the recovery with a HK dive kick (or EX into more damage if you're in range!). EX counter is really fantastic. After you input this special, which starts up in 1f, you can hold back to dash back, forward to dash forward or up to move up. The best way to use this is to hold up since when you're airborne via this particular counter, you have access to all of your neutral jump moves, but you can position Juri slightly by holding left or right after the move executes. You can ambiguously cross the opponent up after an EX counter by holding towards the opponent and pressing HK as you descend. This can lead into an easy 300 damage for 1 meter in situations where you're almost sure the opponent is going to use a meaty normal on your wake-up or in the aforementioned tick-throw situations.
Getting back to Juri's strengths: her normals. Juri has an unquantifiable advantage in the early days of the game just because of how some of her normals are animated. Until everyone figures out what is safe and what can lead into what, she has some fantastic options. For example, her far s.MP has a weird twisting and advancing towards the player, almost begging the opponent to hit you and it has a really high hit box, if you follow this up immediately with a low forward which moves her hit box all the way to the ground, spaced properly, it's very difficult for the opponent to punish. Her best combo starting normal is her short. Both standing and crouching it can lead into 200+ damage meterless combos anywhere on the screen and it comes out in 3-4f. c.LK, s.LK -> c.MP xx HK Pinwheel is her meterless 1-frame link combo that you should be practicing to punish anything thats -4 or worse. Her close s.LK has amazing range and so you can transition into this combo easily and it works on every opponent, crouching or standing. Her c.fierce is amazing anti-air. Sometimes, it even works on cross-ups. If the opponent jumps in from far away, you should use s.MK, it has a much longer horizontal hit box. Her s.jab and c.jab are great to keep the pressure on; they can chain and link into themselves and other normals and cancel into specials -- they have deceptively large range as well. Her close s.MK hits twice, breaks focus and can be special cancelled. Her c.strong is an amazing poke with an upwards-hitting box that has exceptional range. If you want to meet the opponent in the air, her jump forward HK is great, but her neutral jumping normals are much better. If the opponent is at a similar height, you can use her j.LP, j.HK or j.MK. If the opponent is above you, which they usually will be if you're meeting them in the air, you should use j.MP, j.HP or j.LK. Her jump forward MP is also an amazing air-to-air attack and can lead into U2!
I haven't messed with U1 enough and that's an entirely different beast, but U2 is easy enough to land that you don't need to gently caress with U1 immediately. You can land U2 off of an air-to-air j.MP. If you hit them at the apex of their jump, you'll have to land, use j.MP again then then ultra. You can also mix it up and use MP as a jump-in attack on wake-up. If you cancel the j.MP into a HK dive kick you can combo into U2, although the timing is very strict. j.MP into HK dive kick into U2 can be used as an instant overhead, although you literally have to be as close as possible and the timing is difficult.
What I usually like to do is zone safely for as long as I can, playing right outside of far s.HK range with fireballs until I learn the opponent a bit and then try and safely move in to mix them up. c.LK, c.LK, s.LK. far s.LP xx [MK Fireball] is a decent block string and leaves you at a perfect range to use her overhead which evades low attacks; this works especially well on characters that love landing that low short after any break in your string (Bison, Chun, etc.) The overhead will go over their low shorts and give you a 2f advantage on hit. On block it's neutral, so follow up with a low short to keep the pressure on. At 20f startup, it's no Dudley overhead, but it's certainly useful if you use it sparingly and at the right times when a low counterattack is almost guaranteed. After that you can move into another string and end with a c.MP which links from a s.LP or cl.LK. c.MP has a great hit box and only leaves you at a 1f disadvantage so you can usually keep the pressure coming. All in all, I see her strengths as zoning and spacing at midrange, keeping the opponent guessing with 'mix-ups' and annoying the opponents by keeping them out or safely rushing them down. She's at her weakest under pressure since her only viable reversals (EX counter and EX Pinwheel) are unsafe as gently caress and 3 bars to get a chance at safely waking up isn't an exchange I would consider favorable. Just block, tech throws and look for an opening to counter out.
I wanted to say more, but that's a start. Any other Juri players feel free to chime in on U1 or how you keep pressure on because after using the overhead trick to get back into range once they're not going to fall for it again and you're going to have to manually advance and surrender your pressure.
Hakan posted:
Oiling Up Like a Man - A Beginner's Guide to Hakan
Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional, and my only opportunity to play against real life humans is via my terrible internet connection. I am going to do my utmost best to stay away from posting "lag tactics" and incorrect information, and I will appreciate it if anyone can point out any incorrect information I may give out.
That big red guy up there in the picture is Hakan, the second brand new character in SSF4, and the one that seems to get overlooked more as a joke than other newcomer Juri. He is a practitioner of Yagli Gures, aka Turkish Oil Wrestling, and as such has some interesting grapple moves and even more interesting gimmicks with oil. They way Hakan has been designed, he fluctuates wildly between traditional grappler, defensive poker, and offensive styles. I will do my best to explain his strengths and his weaknesses, as well as how to use some of his better normals, and how to set up to oil up and/or grapple with the best of them.
Hakan's Special Moves
Oil Shower - DP+K - The most important move in Hakan's arsenal, Oil Shower causes him to douse himself in (even more) oil, conferring some very nice bonuses. Some of his special moves do more damage and stun while oiled, one of his normal moves changes properties to become chainable, many of his normals and specials gain extended range, and he becomes capable of moving around while charging a Focus Attack (which leads into more gimmicks that will be discussed later). Edit: I forgot to mention that his forward dash becomes quicker, and his backward dash goes back like half the screen when oiled. It's a great tool to get away from throw setups or crossup setups after being knocked down, assuming you still are oily at that point.
The LK Oil is the fastest of the four versions, and also ends the fastest (about 8 seconds assuming you weren't interrupted mid-animation). Most of the time, you'll need to rely on LK Oil, as the other versions will be easily punishable, even at full screen distance. However, you will sometimes get to use EX Oil to make projectiles pass through you (this works even on projectile ultras). Later on, I'll discuss some safe (or mostly safe) setups for LK Oil.
Oil Slide (+ Body Press followup) - qcf+P (press P for followup) - Hakan slides along the ground aiming to hit the opponent in the feet and follow up with a body press. This move gets faster when Hakan is oiled up. The LP version is the shortest, and the HP version goes just about one full screen width. EX version goes MP distance when unoiled, HP distance when oiled, and goes through projectiles, even ultras (I used it to go through a Sonic Hurricane last night, it was funny).
Oil Slide is also Hakan's armor breaking move, and can be used to punish FAs charged up within poke distance even if the opponent tries to backdash, because Hakan will just keep sliding and hit them at the end of their backdash. Oil Slide can also be comboed into off of a couple of Hakan's normals. Oil Slide can even be used effectively in some anti-air situations. Finally, it can set up a mostly safe LK Oil after the followup Body Press.
Note: Oil Slide can be FADCed out of, but only if you have not input the additional punch for the followup Body Press. It's a little weird, but keep that in mind.
Oil Rocket - 360+P - This move is Hakan's traditional SPD, and is one of the moves most affected by the difference between unoiled and oiled Hakan. Unoiled, Oil Rocket has just slightly less range than a regular throw, whereas oiled it has approximately 50-60% more range than a regular throw. This means you won't be using it too much when not oiled up. The LP version shoots the opponent away the furthest, setting up a safe LK Oil. The MP and HP versions do more damage and leave the opponent closer to Hakan. The EX version leaves the opponent at MP version range, but does more damage and also is strike invulnerable, making it a decent "Get the gently caress off me" move if they intend to try a point blank meaty attack.
Oil Dive - 360+K (delayable by holding K) - Hakan slips around, then lunges at his opponent. This grabs standing opponents and airborne opponents, but whiffs completely on crouchers. The LK version starts up fastest and does the least damage. I don't know of any special properties on the EX version worth mentioning besides more damage and stun. All versions set up a mostly safe LK Oil. This move tends to get used rarely, either when you believe your opponent will be trying to jump out of a 360+P or an Ultra 1 setup, or in some gimmick setups that I will describe later on.
Guard Position (aka Coward Crouch) - down+PPP - This causes Hakan to assume a lying down low to the ground pose just like Blanka's move. It dodges projectiles and most high/mid strikes. It might be bufferable into 360+P maybe? I honestly don't use this move near as much as I probably should, so I don't have a lot to say about it.
Hakan's Super Move
Flying Oil Spin - qcf,qcf+K (delayable by holding K) - Hakan's Flying Oil Spin starts out much like his Oil Dive, except it has the super flash. It also whiffs just the same on crouchers. What it does differently, though, depends on what button you press:
- LK super is strike invincible. Any type of strike will do nothing to Hakan and he will continue on to grab the opponent.
- MK super is grab invincible. Even command grabs like Zangief's SPD will do nothing but whiff in the face of this version of Flying Oil Spin.
- HK super is projectile invincible. Much like EX Oil Slide, this will even elude ultra projectiles like Ryu's Metsu Hadouken.
As you can probably guess, the chief use of this super is to punish an opponent's action on reaction. Dudley coming across the screen with a Machine Gun Blow? LK super. T.Hawk going for an obvious tick into 360+P? MK super. Some smartass Ryu throwing a Metsu Hadouken to try to chip you to death on your wakeup? HK super. You can also try to use it in an anticipatory role. For instance, if you are walking forward to bait an SRK on your opponent's wakeup, you can activate LK super and watch the SRK whiff, then release the K when they fall down to where you can grab them.
Just as a note, I'm pretty sure the invincibility applies only to the initial slip-sliding portion, and not the secondary airborne portion before the grab connects, so be careful of that.
Hakan's Ultra Combos
Ultra 1: Oil Coaster - 720+PPP - Hakan's 720 suffers from the same problem as his 360+P in that it has horrid range when unoiled. However, when oiled up, its range becomes ridiculous, allowing you to tick it off pokes that your opponent might think leave too much space for a tick into Ultra. Edit: I was incorrect and should've realized it. Hakan's range on U1 is the same awesome range whether oiled up or not. This means that Hakan can use it in tick setups no matter what, as well as to punish moves that leave too much space for an unoiled 360+P or a normal throw to punish. It also does a huge amount of damage, especially when oiled up.
Ultra 2: Oil Combination Hold - d,d,d+KKK - Hakan's very unique Ultra, this is essentially a catch-all move that grabs anything with an airborne hitbox that comes too close out of the sky, puts the opponent into a strange pin hold, then shoots them out the backside and into the wall with oily power. It also has some measure of invincibility on startup, causing some punishers, such as SRK, to whiff and then get grabbed. It can even make Ultras like Metsu Shoryuken whiff and get eaten up. OCH is not as damaging as Oil Coaster, but its powerful ability to shut down the opponent's aerial game is something that cannot be ignored in certain matchups.
Hakan's Notable Normal Moves
Throw/Back Throw - Both of Hakan's throws are generally better options than Oil Rocket when unoiled. They set up a safe or mostly safe LK Oil, too. Back throw does like 10 more damage than front throw.
Air Throw - Hakan has an air throw, too. You cannot use it immediately after jumping like you can with Guile's air throw, so it's not as useful as a reactionary anti-air. Still, if you expect a jump, you can use this to put the opponent on the ground and score a mostly safe LK Oil.
forward+LP (f+LP) - Hakan does a quick forward swipe. This can be used to stop attempts by the opponent to jump out of tick throw setups, and also as a quick interrupting poke.
Crouching LP (c.LP) - Everyone loves a crouch jab, and while Hakan's isn't the best, it does have one good use: a counterhit c.LP can be cancelled into Oil Slide for a nice combo.
c.LK - c.LK isn't all that special when unoiled, but it becomes chainable when Hakan is oiled up. This makes it good for interrupting attacks when in close, as well as for ticking into 360+P or Ultra 1.
f+MP - This move causes Hakan to move forward with a shoulder even when not oiled, although the range is improved by oiling up. This move can be ticked into 360+P or Ultra 1. It also can be cancelled into Oil Slide for a nice combo, and the cancel can come late enough that you can essentially confirm whether the f+MP hit or was blocked. Finally, f+MP has a particular gimmick application with 360+MK that I will cover later on.
c.MP - c.MP has good speed and reach, making it good to use as a counter-poke and alright as a "Get away from me" poke. It is not special cancellable, so it's only other application is to potentially tick into 360+P or Ultra 1.
Jumping MP (j.MP) - j.MP is a good air-to-air move for Hakan. It has good reach, comes out relatively quick, and has the special property of putting the opponent in a juggle state. This allows you to land and combo into Oil Slide, to land and combo into Ultra 2 (this works on Hakan's forward jump only pretty much), or to just land and do an HK or even an EX Oil safely. You'll be using this one a lot.
Important note: Neutral jump MP apparently does not put the opponent in a juggle state like forward/backward jump MP!
c.MK - One of Hakan's primary low pokes, c.MK is important because it is special cancellable into Oil Slide. This move is extremely useful when you expect the opponent to try and jump away from a 360+P after a knockdown, as the c.MK will catch them in their pre-jump frames and let you put them back on the ground with the Oil Slide.
Standing HP (s.HP) - Hakan does a downward chop for two hits. This has good range and is generally quick enough to stuff a Focus Attack attempt. It also works well as an anti-air, but requires relatively strict timing in order to not trade with it. It also makes a good counterpoke due to its range.
f+HP - Hakan's godly double palm thrust. This move has great range and will stuff quite a lot of moves when done from its max or close to max range. When oiled, Hakan will move forward a small distance while doing the palm thrust, giving the move even more range. f+HP does big damage and big stun; two f+HP and one other move I cannot remember off the top of my head outright stunned Seth at the beginning of a round when I was fighting fellow goon Duck King. f+HP can be used as an anti-air, but you need to be sure that they'll land in front. Even if it trades as an anti-air, you'll still win on the damage and stun fronts, so it's often worth throwing out even when you think it might trade. Finally, when used at any range other than its absolute maximum while oiled up, it can tick into 360+P or Ultra 1.
c.HP - I don't actually use this one much, but I've heard it has some good uses. Hakan does a low kinda headbutt tackle thing which moves him slightly forward. It's supposed to do good damage and stun, so it may be worth throwing out in poke/counterpoke situations. Edit: I did a little more toying around with c.HP. It moves Hakan forward a fair distance even when not oiled, and does good damage and stun. It may be useful for unoiled tick into Ultra 1, or oiled tick into 360+P or Ultra 1.
j.HP - Hakan's j.HP is pretty good as air-to-air, although it doesn't put the opponent in a juggle state like j.MP. It's also a fairly good attack for jumping in and trying to punish or combo.
f+HK - Hakan does a large forward step and kicks low. This attack is dangerous to throw out too often, as it's often punishable on hit. However, when oiled up, this attack actually knocks the opponent down like a sweep, and it has a huge range, so it's worth keeping in mind for that reason alone. When blocked from its max range, it is possible that an EX 360+P will stuff your opponent's punish attempt. Finally, this move is often used just to close distance after a throw or 360+P when you're still good on oil.
c.HK - Hakan does a weird sorta drop kick in place thing. It has good range, and causes an untechable knockdown just like any other sweep, so it can be good for setting up a mostly safe LK Oil or for setting up whatever shenanigans you desire on their wakeup. Due to the weird hitbox of this move, c.HK can cause some jump in attacks from your opponent to straight up whiff, depending on the timing. You can then sometimes whiff this to make an opponents jump in attack whiff, then pop up and go for a 360+LP or a c.MK XX Oil Slide or something like that.
j.HK - Neutral jump HK (nj.HK) can be used in some situations to stop an opponent from pressuring on the ground. j.HK can also cross up in the corner. It's slow, so you have to throw it out a little earlier than you might think.
Looks Like it's Time to Oil Up - Setting up safe situations to oil
It should come as no surprise that Hakan is far more effective when oiled up than when he is unoiled. The goal, then, should always be to set up a situation where you can establish oil safely and then lay on some pressure. This doesn't necessarily mean jumping back to start every round and immediately oiling up, consequences be damned, though. Oftentimes you will have to work, and work hard, to score a safe (or mostly safe) situation in which to oil up.
What do I mean by "mostly safe"? Well, some of Hakan's LK Oil setups are safe against everything but the absolute fastest of moves. For instance, Chun Li's super can punish LK Oil in situations where 99% of other moves, even crouching jabs, cannot punish it. Here are a list of the mostly safe setups to go for when unoiled:
- Oil Slide + Body Press (either using to punish something from mid-range or in a combo off f+MP or c.MK) Note: Your timing needs to be on point for this. You need to do LK Oil at the first available moment after Hakan recovers from the Body Press, or you'll be punishable by a lot of other things, including SRKs and like moves)
- c.HK
Setups that should be completely safe include:
- 360+LP (as if you'll ever score this unoiled)
- 360+K (honestly not 100% sure on this one) (Edit: According to Boy of Joy, LK Oil will be 100% safe, and MK Oil will be mostly safe)
- Forward and/or Back Throw
- Air Throw (I was apparently wrong before, and even MK Oil is completely safe after Air Throw according to other Hakan players)
- j.MP, land HK/EX Oil (this one should be absolutely safe, but if not then MK Oil is definitely safe)
- full screen EX Oil to dodge a projectile (the projectile goes through Hakan and stays on screen, so they can't throw another right away)
- HK/EX Oil after either Ultra
Your gameplan when unoiled, then, should be focused on putting the opponent in a situation where you can score one of these untechable knockdowns and oil up. You'll have to play smart and poke smart, then score the knockdown and go to town.
Oiled Up and Ready for Love - Gameplan for oiled up Hakan
When Hakan is oiled up, he's at his most dangerous. Oil is always fleeting, though, so you should always have it in the back of your mind to score another untechable knockdown or other safe oil situation. In addition to the setups above, you now have the possibility of scoring a knockdown with f+HK, although this one tends to be unsafe even to LK Oil with as the f+HK recovers somewhat slow. This is when you can go to town, using the great range on your various pokes to set up tick situations, or using c.MK XX Oil Slide to punish your opponent for trying to break your pressure.
Your opponent knows as well as you do that oil does not last forever, so they will often try to zone you out or just plain jump away. If they try to zone with pokes, use your fabulous pokes like f+HP or even f+HK to punish them, then potentially tick off the f+HP into 360+LP to set up an LK Oil again. If they try to zone with any projectile, they're stupid, because EX Slide will now go full screen, will pass through projectiles, and will be very fast. If they just jump away a lot, quickly but carefully advance forward with focus slides cancelled into dash, or with f+HK, or even try to get them to land on an Oil Slide.
Horizontal or Vertical Hugs? - Deciding which Ultra to choose
Both of Hakan's Ultras are very good at very different things, so how do you decide which one to pick?
The key deciding factor for me on whether to choose Ultra 1, his 720 Oil Coaster, or Ultra 2, the all-consuming anti-air Oil Combination Hold, is how much the opponent's gameplan revolves around the air. This can even change between different opponents with the same character. For example, a Ryu with a fetish for crossups and throwing out random Tatsus will prompt me to choose Ultra 2. A Ryu that plays a more solid ground based poking game and utilizes fireballs to zone will generally cause me to choose U1. I know it's a stereotype, but there are a lot of "flowchart" players out there, who live and die by the j.HK c.HK two hit combo, and U2 does a whole lot to punish them for that kind of behavior. Similarly, smarter players who play more of a cautious reactionary game may well fall for Oil Coaster tick setups more than jumping into U2. Ultimately, both Ultras are usable in most any matchup, so it is up to your preference to decide.
Stupid Hakan Tricks - Gimmicky poo poo that works every now and then
- Hakan has a real interesting "un-combo" that I read about in an UltraDavid post on SRK. If Hakan's f+MP connects on a standing opponent on hit or I believe even on block, you can cancel it (NOT tick it) into 360+MK Oil Dive and immediately release it. This is some kinda frame trap where the opponent cannot crouch in time (the Dive grabs them right as hit/blockstun ends and before they can crouch), and they can't jump away because Oil Dive grabs jumpers. Someone did mention that an opponent can furiously mash a crouching normal and occasionally get it to come out before the Dive, and the opponent can always use an invincible reversal like an EX SRK or something, but it's good to use occasionally on an unsuspecting opponent.
- After an Oil Slide + Body Press, do an LK Oil and immediately buffer it into EX 360+P or Ultra 1. This one depends a lot on the opponent's behavior. If you find that they try to punish the LK Oil (and/or succeed because you gently caress up the timing sometimes), then this will grab them from most such attempts. If they tend to be more cautious and jump away, you can instead try a 360+K or use c.MK XX Oil Slide to catch their pre-jump frames.
- Whiffing one of Hakan's normals that moves him forward and buffering into Ultra 1 or 360+P. The moves that will move Hakan forward even while not oiled up include f+MP, c.HP, and f+HK. Whiffing any of these moves in front of the opponent is obviously punishable, but if you have your opponent afraid to counter for whatever reason - say, for instance, you've already ticked into oiled up EX 360+P to stuff their punish attempts once or twice - then this strategy may well catch them in their indecision and make them pay.
- Whiffed Oil Slide buffered into EX 360+P or Ultra 1. If you have your opponent too afraid to do anything but block the Oil Slide, you can instead whiff it just short and buffer EX 360+P or 720+PPP. This will work best if your opponent's not seen you whiff a slide short before and isn't aware that it recovers faster than a blocked slide.
- Blocked Oil Slide FADC whatever. FADCing an Oil Slide will help you not eat a big punishing combo, and can perhaps be used to buffer into EX 360+P or Ultra 1 in much the same way as the whiffed Oil Slide.
- Edit: One more stupid Hakan gimmick I forgot to mention. Hakan can use his 360+K on an opponent's wakeup just like Cammy can use her Hooligan Combination. Opponents getting up, even those holding down/back, are still considered standing for I believe one frame, and Hooligan Combination, Oil Dive, and any other similar move can successfully score a grab in that situation. It's not anywhere near as useful for Hakan, though, because he doesn't have a braindead way of getting the timing right like Cammy does, and if you whiff you're in an even worse position than if Cammy whiffs her setup.
- Addendum: It has been discovered that there actually is a reliable way for Hakan to get the timing so that his 360+LK will grab the opponent on the frame they are considered standing when getting up. I've been testing it unoiled, but it should be the same timing regardless. Land an EX 360+P, and do a f+HK as soon as Hakan has recovered (i.e. on the first frame after recovery from the EX 360+P). Do 360+LK as soon as the f+HK has recovered (buffer the motion into the f+HK), and be sure not to hold LK at all. Assuming you did it right, you will grab them even if they try to crouch block or jump out. On some characters, such as Dudley and Abel, you might have to delay the 360+LK just slightly, as they get up a little differently. Note that this can still be escaped via invincible reversal, and if you mess up the trap you will be in for a world of hurt. It's still a good thing to know about, though.
Lord of the Focus Dance - Advanced Hakan Techniques
Remember when I mentioned that Hakan can move while charging Focus when oiled up? Turns out there are a few other cool things he can do. As always, he can Dash Cancel any Focus Attack, whether it be a naked Focus or a Focus Cancel off a normal or off Oil Slide. However, when oiled, Hakan can also perform what has been dubbed a Dash Normal Cancel (DNC). A DNC allows Hakan to cancel his forward dash at any point, or his backward dash at the very beginning, into any of his normals or command normals. What this allows Hakan to do, then, is to Focus a poke, immediately Dash Cancel, and then immediately Dash Normal Cancel into, oh say, c.MK XX Oil Slide.
This same technique can allow Hakan to combo off a level 1 Focus, which normally isn't possible except on counterhit. He can Level 1 Focus DNC c.MK XX Oil Slide, for instance.
Hakan can actually take this a step further still. It's very tough to get down, but Hakan can actually c.MK FADC+DNC c.MK XX Oil Slide, effectively giving him an easily hit confirmable combo into Oil Slide.
Side note: FADC+DNC has been dubbed by UltraDavid and others as "crisco" cancelling, in keeping with the oil theme. Call it whatever you want, though.
One final neat feature to Hakan is that his oiled up f+HK auto-techs normal throws. It seems to be the only move with that property, and it remains to be seen just how useful such a thing might be. Edit: It has been mentioned by SA member David Sirlin that this autotech property can transfer over to other moves if you kara f+HK into them. I am absolutely the worst person at karaing anything, so if someone can provide a list or an explanation of what moves this can be used for, I would really appreciate it.
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