Championship Mode

It’s been a while, as I’ve been busy with non-SF4-related activities, but I’ve also been consumed with Championship Mode.

I’ve finally achieved G1 ranking and the difference in competition between G1 and G2 is the same as the difference between night and day.  The level of competition is just through the roof, and to be honest, I was getting my ass handed to me consistently in the first few matches, to the point where I thought I’d dip below the 15K GP mark.

I’ve never had so much fun losing in my life.  Everyone knows the matchups and executes very well.  One really has to be on their game to just exist at this level.

That being said, I can’t imagine my game not getting better much quicker at this level.

Some things of note at G1:

• If you lose the first battle, you LOSE 5 GP.
• If you go below 15K GP because of losses in the first round, you will still retain your G1 status.
• Winning in the following rounds gains you at least the following points (can be more since there is a slight variation depending on the difficulty of the matchup):
  • 2nd – 10 GP
  • 3rd – 20 GP
  • 4th – 50 GP
  • 5th loss – 100 GP
  • 5th win – 160 GP

I find it odd that the win for the competition gives you only 60% more GP than a loss.  It seems disproportionate.  I almost wouldn’t mind losing at that level (as opposed to G2, where you only get half for a loss in the finals).

Boxer

A lot of Boxer players are using an outstretched palm (not sure which attack it is) which stuffs a lot of Sagat’s AA options.  Other than altering spacing/timing, I haven’t found a better AA option (with the exception of a Tiger Uppercut up close).

Chun-Li

Some Chun players have taken to throwing a fireball, dashing forward once, and then using cr.HK when the opponent jumps over the fireball.  The cr.HK seems to have very high priority here.  I think that a well-timed MP on the way down (or a LK if actually jumping over her) would help here.

Now, when I see that she has her Revenge meter charged for an Ultra, I completely shut down the projectile game.  Her Ultra can hit Sagat from across the screen on reaction.  The take away from this is when Chun has Ultra, only throw a Tiger Shot when you see forward movement.  The forward movement means that the charge has been lost so a Tiger Shot is safe to throw (but open to her jumping over it or throwing an EX projectile of her own, of course).

Gen

It just doesn’t seem right that his Super Combo sets up the Ultra Combo.

I’m feeling much more comfortable with the matchup now, as there are more Gens online than there were before.  The specific Gen that gave me so much trouble doesn’t seem to be around much, but I’m faring much better against him now.  Specifically, I figured out how to block the wall dive shenanigans.

Specifically, most Gens try to cross up on knockdown, and then if they knock you down again, do the wall dive from the opposite wall to try and get you from behind again.  The best advice here is being able to differentiate between him jumping to cross you up or going to the opposite wall.

What confused me the most till now was that it seemed like I was being juggled with the wall dive after the knockdown.  It seems like a stupid realization, but Gen moves in such odd ways that it’s hard to pick up if you don’t see it often, which, I don’t, since I don’t know many people online who play Gen.

Dictator

A common bait that I see is to charge a Focus Attack just out of range.  It actually pulls Dictator back a little, and then springs forward, so the sequence between Dictator and the opponent is typically:

1. Dictator charges Focus Attack, animation pulls him back in the process.
2. Opponent whiffs attack in response to Focus Attack charge.
3. Dictator’s Focus Attack finishes, landing and penetrating any block.

The key here is to not be baited into attacking when being zoned by Dictator.  In this case, I typically use the sounds of the Focus Attack building to remind me to not attack.

It’s analogous to MLB umpires calling a force play at a base, they will have an eye on the base, and listen for the sound of the ball hitting the mitt of the defensive player.  Whichever event occurs first (the foot on the base or the sound of the ball hitting the mitt) wins.

Dhalsim

If you see Dhalsim flash (which indicates he is telporting), flash the elbow (i.e. LP).  It will come out before any move he has after he appears near you.  It’s much safer than any other option, and with the low amount of health that Dhalsim has (only Seth and Gouki have less), it does enough.

It’s very possible that Sagat’s height plays a factor here, and that shorter characters (think Cammy here) would whiff because the offensive hitboxes are not high enough to hit Dhalsim out of the air when he teleports close.

Abel

I love grabbing him out of the Grab out of the Marseille Roll.  A LOT of Abel players still don’t know this.

Ken

If Ken does his Ultra Combo in reaction to Sagat’s Ultra Combo, Ken’s Ultra Combo will win.

C. Viper

When punishing a whiffed Ultra Combo with Sagat’s Ultra Combo, the response has to be timed so that she is not on the ground when the Ultra Combo Animation occurs.  If so, Sagat’s Ultra Combo could go right over her, as she crouches on one knee when she hits the ground.

Zangief

This beast can actually kara-cancel into a throw?!?!

Granted, he doesn’t have any more range on a throw than most other characters (frame data indicates that it a typical 0.9), but the fact that he is so dangerous up close (and this is a technique to get you in closer) makes anyone who knows it much more dangerous.

Blanka

Blanka’s Ultra Combo was the bane of my existence for so long when it was done close to my character. I would always get caught by it, even when I thought I was blocking.

Then I found out that you have to block down when Blanka is going up and then block up for the rest of the combo.

I consider this discovery to be a personal victory, it was that annoying.

A nice little loop with Blanka is to block a non-EX Rolling Attack, and then throw a Low Tiger Shot followed up with a HK.  More often than not, Blanka will jump foward, and can almost always be countered with a HK from Sagat.  The only thing to be careful of here is if he has EX meter charged, as his response can be to do another Rolling Attack but an EX one this time, which will go through the Tiger Shot.  The HK is quick enough in this situation to do it on reaction, which is key (I’d never recommend a reaction based purely on faith of the follow-up move).

If Blanka takes to jumping straight up after you throw the Low Tiger Shot HK, use the Tiger Shot LK instead, and he will land on it.

Sagat

For a long time, I haven’t used the cr.MK because of the frame advantage it has over the cr.MP and not wanting to be punished when crossing-up on someone with a j.LK.

However, I’ve found it very useful against Ken, Zangief and Boxer, in that when they try to zone you, you can use the cr.MP (at risk of punishment of course) to change the distance between you and them, which typically nullifies the moves they poke you with when you whiff.  I’ve found a good follow-up to the cr.MK is the cr.HP, as Ken, Zangief and Boxer will typically try to react, and the cr.HP has a quicker startup than most of the follow-up moves these characters present.

For a long time now, I always wondered why when blocking Blanka’s Backstep Rolling Attack I could counter with F+HK –> Low Tiger Shot and have it hit, while I couldn’t do the same combo after having a Tiger Uppercut stuffed without doing an EX move.

It turns out that you can basically juggle with two normal moves, and to get the third juggle you must use an EX move, Super Combo, or Ultra Combo.  So the following all work:

• F+HK –> F+HK –> EX/Super/Ultra
• Stuffed Tiger Uppercut – > F+HK –> EX/Super/Ultra
• Tiger Uppercut –> FADC –> F+HK –> EX/Super/Ultra

So the general rule is when juggling, the third hit of the juggle MUST be an EX/Super/Ultra.

Here’s an example of the first item in the list in a Top 8 Match at East Coast Throwdown between Gootecks (Boxer) and Long Island Joe (Sagat):

Another great thing to note is how he uses the LK –> Tiger Knee/Tiger Shot.  It’s a great tick move that I haven’t gotten down yet.  However, there are frames in between that can be punished, but in this case I don't know that Boxer has any response to it. I would NOT suggest using this against anyone that has a move with invulnerable frames on startup and doesn't require charge, as that move can probably be used to counter in between the LK and Tiger Knee/Tiger Shot.

Finally, because of the following Twitter comment by thenk83:

@manny7 rufus have any gap killers? with sagat, a kara tk will launch u across the screen. but i gotta catch'em when missing fireballs. #SF4

I didn’t think anything about it when I first read it, but it definitely stuck in my mind a few days later when I did it by accident.  Until this time, I had thought that the HK was the primary kara-able move, but it turns out that’s not the case.

The primary kara-able move is really F+LK.  All it takes to put it together is seeing it once and knowing that your move travelled a LOT farther than it normally would.  Then a little training in practice mode is all it takes to lock it down.

Here’s a great video showing how it’s done, as well as the differences in appearance and range of the moves when kara-cancelling them.

So what’s the use?  Basically, you would use it to close the gap when the moves in themselves won’t do it.  Here’s a great example of Long Island Joe using it in another Top 8 match at East Coast Throwdown:

Notice how after after Sagat throws Ken (from behind during the recovery of the Hadouken), he kara-cancels the F+LK into the Tiger Knee to position himself in front of Ken to throw him shortly after wakeup.

I’ve noted that you can kara-cancel the F+LK into both the Tiger Knee and the Tiger Uppercut.  From across the screen, it can be deadly.  The great part about kara-cancelling into the Tiger Knee is that if moving forward, you can anchor the beginning of the move in the F+LK which would make for a more fluid execution.  This is especially important against Boxer, where a Tiger Knee is very effective, but sometimes difficult to do on demand.

The other great thing about this is that it can be used as a deke, baiting the opponent into a reaction based on the F+LK, which is then punished by either the Tiger Uppercut or the Tiger Knee.  The sequence goes like this:

1. Sagat executes F+LK.
2. Opponent begins to counter.
3. Sagat executes Tiger Knee or Tiger Uppercut to punish (use Tiger Uppercut if you need invulnerability).

It’s also great when you need to close the distance on someone, particularly Dhalsim or Seth players that like to jump forward with outstretched limbs.  Also, it’s possible when someone jumps forwards to punish them with either, even from a distance, which is nice, because it really helps keep the pressure on.

Some other tricks I’ve done is to punish a fireball, but it’s VERY difficult to do, as you have to cancel with the Tiger Uppercut before the fireball hits you, but close enough to hit the opponent when executing.  A more effective tactic is to Tiger Knee over the projectile from across the screen so you are right in their face.  This is particularly effective against Akuma’s triple fireball if timed correctly, as well as his air fireball, as it allows you to get under them and then propel forward and limit his space (since people play him so defensively).

In the end, it’s a great move that catches a lot of people off guard, typically at the wrong moments.

General

So the big news two weeks ago was the Gamestop National Street Fighter 4 tournament.  By now, everyone knows that Justin Wong won and can currently claim the title of U.S. Champion.

Of interest was the exhibition matches between Justin, the Japanese national champion Iyo, the Korean national chapion Poongko, and Daigo.  This is the match between Daigo and Iyo:

Of note:

@0:33 – Daigo uses a focus attack against the outstretched limbs of Dhalsim from across the screen.  This makes  a great deal of sense, since Dhalsim doesn’t have anything that can hit for a second time which would knock someone out of a focus attack at that range and if timed right, you will get a hit on the limbs.  It’s a great counter from that distance for any character.

@2:47 – Daigo jumps back to avoid Dhalsim’s fireball, and then throwing his own so that it comes out right at the point where Dhalsim’s fizzles.  This should be considered against Dhalsim, Chun-Li, and Sakura when using any character with a projectile that doesn’t fade.

@3:01 – Daigo does a “psychic” Hadouken EX.  Seriously folks, don’t try that at home.

@4:27 – Again, a “psychic” SRK to hit Dhalsim’s outstretched limbs cancelled into a Super Combo which hits from across the screen.  Do not even attempt unless your name is “Daigo”.

@7:03 – Daigo does a j.HP –> cr.HP –> Hurricane Kick EX –> Hurricane Kick EX.  Quite nice.  If I played Ryu, I’d try to put that into my corner pressure game, since you aren’t going to get it in the middle of the screen.

Then there is the match between Daigo and Poongko:

To be honest, there doesn’t seem to be much to mention here.  While Poongko is an amazing Ryu player, he lacks a certain finesse.  His style is very aggressive, which is fine in itself, but his aggression leads to some sloppy play, as evidenced by his match above, and with Justin as well.

Finally, there is the match between Justin and Daigio.  Of course, everyone knows about the 2004 Evo semi-final match between Daigo and Justin in Street Fighter III: Third Strike, where Daigo came back from what seemed to be an insurmountable lead by Justin.  Well, this time, Daigo didn’t really give Justin much of a chance, taking four straight rounds from him:

@2:34 – Daigo goes into a sequence of cr.LP –> cr.LK –> cr.LP –> cr.LK.  It’s a small thing, but if the first hit, it means three more hits at least.  He chained them perfectly.

Then there is the new Championship mode that was added to the console versions of SF4.  There isn’t much to be said about them, with two exceptions:

1. On PSN, the voting for the video replay is absolutely broken.  Check out the top video on PSN, and see how there are votes being accumulated for every second of the game, while none of them are “funny”, “awesome” or “beautiful”.
2. While the disconnect detect system is good, it is still flawed.  It would seem that someone can still disconnect at the end of a match and in some instances, the disconnect will be credited against the person disconnected on as well.  I have a 2% disconnect rate and I have never ragequit.

Rufus

When the Messiah Kick is blocked, Sagat can counter with a Tiger Uppercut (all versions) before launching into the follow-up attack.  That means that any move with a startup of five frames or less can be snuck in before the follow-up to the Messiah Kick.

Guile

There are many times (not always) when he crouch blocks a Low Tiger Shot EX and it takes a little bit longer for the second hit to be blocked.  I get the feeling that he can get a reversal between the two hits when they are not one after the other.

Ken

I saw in a video that you can start a focus-attack after the cr.MK in a cr.MK –> Hadouken combo and go through the fireball.  It should work with Ryu, regardless of the frame data difference (Ryu’s Hadouken comes out one or two frames faster, depending if it is an EX or not) because the Hadouken will be absorbed by the focus attack.

Blanka

When crossing up with Blanka, it’s always good to use a cr.LK, as the cr.MP will go right over him if he ducks.

Akuma

There is enough recovery time from the two-hit standing HK (before they go to the cr.HK) to counter with a Tiger Uppercut.

El Fuerte

Man, this character still houses me every time.  Rufus used to be in this class, but not so much anymore.

Gen

See section on El Fuerte.  Consider yourself a pinball when playing a skilled Gen player.

Sagat

I’ve seen a number of videos where Sagat can combo from LK –> Tiger Knee or Tiger Shot, but for some reason, I can’t get the timing down.  It’s not a link, but an actual cancel (frame data supports this as well), but for some reason, the timing seems different.

I can get a stuffed Tiger Uppercut –> F + HK –> Low Tiger Shot EX or Ultra Combo.  To connect with the last move, one just has to wait a little bit after the F + HK before executing the last move.  Against Blanka’s Backstep Rolling Attack, you can replace the Low Tiger Shot EX with a regular Tiger Shot.  I have to explore why this situation allows for a non-EX Tiger Shot, as I don’t always want to waste the Super bar.

General

Lately, patience is the name of the game.  I’ve found that people are more patient now, which definitely suits my style of play.

I still think that it’s incredibly important to improve my rushdown/pressure game though.

Ragequits seemt to be common now.  It’s just f’n annoying when trying to get BP (although I realize that BP is not what is most important).

I’m starting a separate category for ragequits that I’ve come across while playing on the PS3 version. 

I’m beginning to work more people into the corner as well as improving my zoning game.

Akuma

When he does the far HK (which hits twice), jumping over him and trying to punish with a Tiger Uppercut always failed.  I was countered consistently with a SRK.

Sagat

Against a Ken player, I got a much better feel for the distance required to use HK for anti-air.  I really have to get more comfortable with using the Tiger Uppercut in closer situations though.

I’m also not using the Tiger Knee enough.  The LK has a nice amount of pushback which can be used to apply pressure.

Also having a little more success with digging deeper when crossing-up with the j.LK in the corner.

Blanka

Blanka’s Backstep Rolling attack can hit behind the head if timed right (about mid-range, and there are Blanka players out there which are timing it right).

Ryu

An early j.HP seems to be a nice counter against the early j.HK.

Ken

See notes for Ryu on j.HP.

Dhalsim

Sagat cannot use his Ultra to go through Dhalsim’s Ultra.

Boxer

Still getting mixed up when defending against the Dash Punches, have to read the difference between high and low better.

Chun-Li

Her reverse kick from behind is dangerous, as a hit leads into a cr.LK –> Lightning Legs.

Cammy

Cammys are not spam-happy with the Cannon Drill anymore, so opportunities to counter are more rare.

My reaction time to the Hooligan Combo is slow, need to combo better, although jumping counters or evades about half the time.

Seth

His array of moves is much more varied than I thought.  He has the air-step kick that Chun-Li has (and can hit three times in the process), as well as something like Gouken’s dash which goes through fireballs.

Sakura

I feel really guilty playing against her in her alternate uniform (the school gym outfit).

General

The up and down of obtaining BP is frustrating.  At one point, I was +300 BP (at ~3500 BP) and then I just as easily lost it.  At least this time I had the good sense to walk away.

Later that night, I was down to ~3300 BP.

And then today, I shot up to ~3900 BP, and then lost it by the end of the night to end up ~3300 BP.  About ten or so hours in all, and nothing to show.

I think I need to consider having player matches, since I’m focusing too much on the battle points and it causes me too much stress, to the point where I am not learning from my mistakes.

Ken

Ken is becoming increasingly frustrating and it's getting in my head.  I definitely need more practice against him.

Sagat’s standing HK doesn't seem to be a viable anti-air option against Ken.  The Tiger Uppercut doesn’t reach out enough to hit him if he zones correctly.

I’m convinced that the offensive hitboxes for Ken’s j.HK and Ryu’s j.HK are different, even though the frames are very similar.  IMO, Ken’s has a much bigger hitbox, and a MASSIVE priority.

I beat a Ken later in the day.  It felt SO good.

Cammy

The cr.MP –> Low Tiger Shot or Tiger Knee is a really nice response to the Cannon Drill.  Takes some of the pressure off.

Akuma

I’ve noticed a lot of Akuma players like to do the two-hit standing HK then to cr.HK.  The recovery time on the two-hit HK though is enough that you can jump out before the sweep comes out though.

Gouken

He can miss his throw -> Ultra.

Fei-Long

His flame kick has good range forward (kind of like Ken’s Shoryuken).

Dictator

His HK has really high priority.

Dhalsim

This is such a defensive character.  While I typically like it, I find him annoying.

Against characters with longer recovery times on projectiles, if both characters are not against opposite walls, Dhalsim can j.HP (towards you) from almost anywhere on the screen and hit during recovery.

I have to find a better solution for when he teleports into my space.  I can defend most of the time, but I still get switched up and don’t always block the overhead attack.

Guile

He can link cr.MK –> MP, which is an overhead.  Have to be very careful with the blocking on that.

Blanka

Trying to jump in after a knockdown is a risky proposition unless you can hit deep.  If not, will shock you.  In the event you hit early, hitstun/blockstun is short enough that he can get the electricity out before you can get to the hitframes of the next move in the combo string.

The Backstep Rolling attack can be hit on the way down.

When close, do not jump back if he has charge stored up, otherwise, he will hit you with the Anti-Air Rolling attack.  With Sagat at the start of the match, do not jump back, as any Blanka player worth their salt has charge on open.

Zangief

The same applies here that applies to Blanka with the shock, just replace the electric shock with the lariat.

Blanka

I’m more comfortable with the matchup now, or the Blanka players I’m up against aren’t as good as before.

Seth

I can’t believe someone actually plays at him.  I assume that he is going to be banned from tournament play, and it’s a little bit of a waste to spend time to learn the character if that is the case.

His diving kick is an overhead attack, and you have to be careful to block against it.

His Ultra Combo doesn’t do as much damage as a player as one would think.

Dhalsim

His Yoga Fires are sooo slow, but when he teleports to the other side of you, it’s a pain to figure out what way to try and block.

Also, have to be careful of reacting instantly to the teleport, because he can attack in the air when recovering from the teleport.

Ryu

When a player wants to hunker down with Ryu, it can be really annoying to try and get in.

Claw

Like Blanka’s Backstep Rolling attack, the cross up of the Wall Dive is a bitch, but I managed to blocked it once.  Jump back and HK doesn’t seem to be as effective against it now, but Tiger Uppercut still dominates.