~B
Street Fighter Zero 3 Rose (V-ISM) Character Guide
For the Arcade and Sega Saturn
by TS
Version 2.0 (Completed 9/19/00)
Introduction-
If you're gonna read about V-ISM Rose, then why not learn from the best V-Rose
player on the planet!? How, you ask, did I become the best V-Rose on the
planet? ...because I'm the only one on earth who plays as her...
Anyway, In my attempts to make my Rose playing a little more well-rounded, I
decided to tool around in V-ISM a few months back, and see if I couldn't find
something. No infinites or 80% VCs here (I don't think), but if you're one of
the 10 people on the planet who plays Rose in any ISM in SFA3 semi-regularly,
then you might find this a little interesting. You all feel free to tell me if
you can't get these to work, or have some suggestions... By the way, I'm using
the SEGA Saturn version (the one that's most like the Arcade version out of the
3 available), on the default damage setting (2/4). tsdcs@hotmail.com, if you
need to mail me...
And just to make things clear...
JP= Jab Punch (weak punch) SK= Short Kick (weak kick)
SP= Strong Punch (medium punch) FK= Forward Kick (medium kick)
FP= Fierce Punch (hard punch) RK= Roundhouse Kick (hard kick)
d= down (direction you push to do a crouch)
b= back (away from opponent)
f= forward (towards opponent)
d/f= the direction between down and forward
d/b= the direction between down and back
u= up (direction you press to jump)
p= any punch button
k= any kick button
360°= A move performed by rotating the joystick/directional pad in a circle
qcf= quarter-circle forward- rolling the joystick/directional pad from down
to forward in one motion- standard Ryu fireball motion (d, d/f, f)
hcf= half-circle forward- rolling the joystick/directional pad from back to
down, to forward in one motion (b, d/b, d, d/f, f)
qcb= like "qcf," but starting from down and leads to back, instead of forward
(d, d/b, b)
VC= Variable Combination- Combo done while V-ISM shadows are active.
OC= Original Combo- Pretty much the same as above. Technical name for VC.
VC1= V-ISM combo activated by pressing JP and SK
VC2= V-ISM combo activated by pressing SP and FK
VC3= V-ISM combo activated by pressing FP and RK
Table of Contents
I. Important Legal Stuff
II. Second-Level Basic Gameplay Info
1. Guard Protection
2. Air Blocking
3. Juggle System
4. Counter Hits
5. Recovery Rolling
6. Damage Reduction
7. Priority
8. Button Release Method
III. About Rose
1. Character Data & Information
2. Misc.
IV. Special Moves
1. Soul Spark
2. Soul Spiral
3. Soul Throw
4. Soul Reflect
5. Zero Counter
6. Chouhatsu (Taunt)
V. Standard Moves and Ratings
1. Jab
2. Strong
3. Fierce
4. Short
5. Forward
6. Roundhouse
7. Throws
VI. Combos
VII. A Word on V-ISM
VIII. Rose's VCs
1. Anywhere-To-Corner
A. How To End This Combo
B. Standing FP Variants
2. Corner Juggle Variants
A. VC3 Jump-In
B. VC2 Double SP Juggle
C. VC1 Soul Spiral
D. VC1 Soul Spiral Fierce Juggle
3. Works in Progress
A. Soul Spark Corner VC
B. Confusion VC
IX. Basic Strategies
X. Versus Tactics
1. Adon
2. Akuma
3. Balrog
4. Birdie
5. Blanka
6. Cammy
7. Charlie
8. Chun Li
9. Cody
10. Dan Hibiki
11. Dhalsim
12. Dee Jay
13. E. Honda
14. Evil Ryu
15. Gen
16. Guile
17. Guy
18. Juli & Juni
19. Karin
20. Ken
21. M. Bison
22. Rainbow Mika
23. Rolento
24. Rose
25. Ryu
26. Sagat
27. Sakura
28. Shin Akuma
29. Shin Bison
30. Sodom
31. T. Hawk
32. Vega
33. Zangief
XI. Misc. VCs
1. General VCs
2. Scrub Torture VCs (Pseudo-Infinite Combos)
XII. Closing and Thanks
XIII. Revision History
--------------------
I. Important Legal Stuff
--------------------
Check this out. All the stuff in this document is protected by international
copyright law. Seriously. So don't take credit for anything in this guide,
because it isn't yours. Give credit where credit is due, and don't try to say
you don't remember where you read it and therefore couldn't give credit, because
this is seriously the only V-ISM Rose FAQ on the planet at the time of it's
writing. It can't be published or distributed anywhere in any form, by anyone,
other than on a freely accessible website, without the express written
permission of myself, Tryce Sanders (tsdcs@hotmail.com)
It can be found at GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com), and will soon be, or may
be currently, at my webpage, http://anubis916.freeservers.com
Street Fighter, and all characters and names associated with the game are
trademarks of Capcom of Japan, and Capcom of America.
--------------------
II. Second-Level Basic Gameplay Info
--------------------
I'm assuming the reader all ready knows how to perform the basic actions of
Street Fighter Zero 3, such as blocking, jumping, walking forward, and so on.
The following are some of the slightly more advanced techniques available in the
game.
1. Guard Protection-
Guard Protection is similar to parrying in the SF3 games, though not nearly as
useful. It protects the Guard Crush (GC) gauge from being drained as much when
you block. It's done by tapping away, or diagonally down-away (same direction
you would hold for a crouching block) from your opponent as their attack hits
you. You'll not only block, as you would usually, but you'll flash blue for
each hit that was successfully Guard-Protected. Can be done while airborne, and
if you need to practice this, CPU Sagat's Tiger shots work very well for this
purpose. You need to Guard Protect low (by tapping down/away on the controller
or joystick) for low attacks, such as sweeps, low Tiger Shots, and pretty much
anything that could still hit you if you were crouching. Also note that because
different characters have different collision detections and blocking frames
(basically meaning they block differently), Guard Protecting a fireball from Ryu
for example would not have the same timing with Rose as it would with Zangief.
V-Rose doesn't exactly take GC damage like X-T. Hawk, so you might want to take
this up if you do decide to learn V-Rose. Every little bit helps... It should
also be noted that there is partial auto-blocking in SFA3. For instance, let's
say you block a Shin Psycho Crusher from Shin Bison. after you block the first
hit, you can press any button or direction you want, and you'll still be
blocking the others. So you could just wiggle the joystick, so to speak, and
Guard Protect a lot of the hits from the move.
2. Air Blocking-
To put it simply, ground based attacks can NOT be air blocked. Two characters
are in the air. One throws out a Fierce punch, and the other blocks. Fine,
happens all the time. But if one character is standing on the ground and tosses
out a Fierce that touches the second character, the second character takes
damage. Period. Ground-based moves can't be blocked, wich includes some
specials, and any standing or crouching normal moves that will make contact with
the opponent (ie. Ryu's standing Short Kick wouldn't work, but his Crouching FP
would).
Super Combos (or "Super Moves," if you prefer) can not be air blocked in SFZ3
either, with a few exceptions... The only ones I remember off of the top of my
head are Charlie/Nash's Sonic Break (Sonic Boom super), and Gen's Shitenshuu
(death touch super).
3. Juggle System-
Whoo boy. If you want a ton of info. on SFA3's juggle system (basically when,
and how you can be hit while in mid air) you might wanna go read James Chen's
game guide for SFA3... It will give you a lot of information, and the whole
game will make more sense after reading it. Anyway, here's the summary- a
character can be juggled a pretty much infinite amount (air-recovery prevents
this, of course), but a character can only be hit once after being knocked
airborne in the corner. For example, Ryu and Akuma are fighting, and Akuma is
in the corner. Ryu does a Jab Dragon Punch and it hits, knocking Akuma into the
air. Ryu then hits Akuma with a crouching Jab, before Akuma could recover.
That's it. He can't hit Akuma with another jab, or any attack. Normally. But
another thing about the juggle system is that special move combo attacks only
seem to count as one move. So if Ryu tried JP Dragon Punch, crouching JP,
crouching JP, it wouldn't work, because the second crouching JP wouldn't hit.
He COULD however, do: JP Dragon Punch, crouching JP, RK Hurricane Kick. The
Crouching JP is two-in-oned into the Hurricane Kick, so it only counts as one
move.
That said, I'd like to point out that most of this doesn't really apply at all
during a VC (Variable Combination- combo done with V-ISM shadows activated).
But I'll explain that later...or at least try to...
4. Counter Hits-
A Counter Hit, is when you hit someone while they're in the middle of doing a
move. A Counter Hit does more damage than if you were to hit the person
normally, and you also have more time to attack them. You know one happened
because there will be a louder smack than usual when you hit them, the screen
will flash white for a split second, and "Counter Hit" will appear on the
screen. Akuma and Rose are in a match, for example. Akuma tosses out a
fireball, which Rose jumps over. She hits him with a crouching SP, and is
rewarded with a Counter Hit, because Akuma was still stuck in the fireball pose.
But because a Counter Hit gives you more time to attack, she could now do a RK
Soul Spiral, which would be to slow normally, and have it combo. The harder the
hit, the longer the period of attack is lengthened, and a Counter Hit made with
a RK or FP will knock the opponent into the air, where you can hit them again.
Sweeps though (which I believe would be a crouching RK for every character but
Gen in Ki Ryuu [kick style]), just do more damage though, and don't give you a
chance to hit the enemy again. It's also important to note that regular attacks
vs regular attacks can provide a Counter Hit, but hitting someone out of a
special move doesn't always mean you'll get one. For instance, hitting Zangief
out of his running bear grab thing, won't get you a Counter Hit. And some
normals AND specials require you to them out of the move early to get one. Not
as simple as it sounded before, is it?
Counter Hits are Rose's FRIENDS. Crouching SP x2, SK Soul Spiral and b+FP, FP
Soul Throw, etc are good things to have around, and both require Counter Hits.
5. Recovery Rolling-
Also called "Ground Recovery." Done by pressing two kick buttons at the same
time after someone makes contact with you in mid air. You roll along the ground
when you land, instead of just lying there. You can roll behind the opponent by
holding the directional pad/joystick toward them as you press KK/roll. Can't be
done after throws/holds, and a few rare occasions; remember that you can pretty
much always roll when an attack makes contact with you while airborne, but not
always when an attack SENDS you airborne. But if you air block something, you
can still do the Recovery Roll.
Good move, if you know when to use it. Remember you can only do it AS YOU TOUCH
THE GROUND, and not before- this is an escape/confusion/surprise technique. So
if you're looking to get out of a juggle, just go with the standard Air-Recovery
(press two punch buttons at the same time after being hit in the air) instead.
Can get you into and out of a ton of trouble if you do it at the wrong time
though. Also, for some reason the GC gauge will flash if you hit the ground,
and don't either air-recover, or roll before you get up. Don't know why this
is.
6. Damage Reduction-
Damage Reduction is basically just mashing the buttons rapidly, and wiggling the
hell out of the joystick/directional pad to reduce the damage you take. Can be
done to any move, be it normal, special, super, or VC. You know you've done it
because your character will flash red for a spit second for every hit you
successfully damage reduce.
Go for it. No reason not to do it, really, especially if it's a close match.
It works best with supers that hit rapidly (Z/A-ISM Ken's Shinryuken,
Juli+Juni's tag team super, Chun Li's rising kick super, etc), and can have a
SIGNIFIGANT result on their damage. Impossible on some supers though, like
Gen's Zan'ei, and all grab Super Combos.
7. Priority-
Ken jumps at R. Mika with an FK. R. Mika does a crouching SP, Ken gets hit, and
R. Mika doesn't. Why? PRIORITY. Some moves have a ton of it, and some have
next to none. That's the best explanation I can give.
8. Button Release Method-
Ever since Super Street Fighter 2, Capcom has had an alternate method of
performing special and super moves in their games. Ryu's fireball is the
easiest example. Instead of doing qcf and pressing a punch button, you can do
qcf and release a punch button. But since this could get in the way, if you
wanted to do jump-in FP, crouching JP, FP fireball, you could just hold down the
Jab button, and, and complete the fireball motion by pressing FP, so you don't
accidentally get a JP fireball. I personally find this whole thing a little
annoying, but it does help with doing some combos (though rarely, in my
opinion). The button release method also works in V-ISM: You can just hold down
a punch and kick button of the same strength (while doing something else,
obviously), and release them at the same time to activate a VC.
--------------------
III. About Rose
--------------------
Firstly, I'd just like to say that you might want to learn how to use Rose in Z-
ISM or X-ISM, before moving on to V-ISM. That said, here's some information
about the character...
1. Character Data and Information-
Rose
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Blood Type: Unknown
Character Story from SFA3:
"Rose is a mysterious woman who wields the mystic 'Soul Power.' She feels
that Doomsday is fast approaching. She must seal Bison's power, even at
the cost of her life. What fate awaits her in the end...?"
2. Misc.-
Win Quotes:
-Every action has the potential to fill or empty one's heart.
-Fate is fate, whether or not you choose to accept it!
-If existence is a nightmare, one can only hope they are dreaming.
-Win or lose, you only achieve victory if you keep your soul!
Win Poses:
You can determine win poses in SFA3 by holding certain buttons after winning
JP: Rose crosses her legs, closes her eyes, stands waving her finger and says
"Mada mada ne," meaning "You're too slow." I'm gonna go ahead and assume she
means slow physically...
SP: Rose stands with an outstretched arm and her scarf hanging from her hand
while a sphere of energy dances around it, grins and says "Yaru Janai,"
meaning "Not bad."
FP: Rose does the same finger wave from her JP pose, but with semi-transparent,
illusory images of herself on either side of her. All three do the finger wave
in unison, and Rose says "Soreja dame," meaning "That won't do."
SK: Rose creates a double of herself, and both lean against the backs of each
other. The original Rose turns her head towards her unconscious opponent and
asks, "Daijobu?" meaning "Are you all right?"
FK: Rose creates a tarot card even taller than herself out of seemingly nothing.
The card spins around to show it's face, "The Fool," and hides Rose from view as
it does so. It rotates again, and as it reaches it's side, disappears. Rose
can now be seen in a fancy gown and is holding a tarot card in one hand, six in
the other, and one in her cleavage. She says, "Ciao!" The character portrait
by your health meter also changes a bit when you do this pose.
RK: The wind begins to blow harder, and rustles Roses hair and scarf. She looks
down at a tarot card she had pulled, and says "Nattenaiwa..." (meaning "I'm not
sure...") as she lets it fall from her hand.
Special: After either beating Shin Bison in Dramatic Battle with a partner, or
after beating Shin Akuma in Final Battle mode on the Saturn version, Rose does a
win pose similar to her FK one, except as the card obscures her, it simply
blinks out of existence and she is nowhere to be seen.
--------------------
IV. Special Moves
--------------------
1. Soul Spark (hcf+p)-
Rose's only projectile. FP is pretty fast, SP is ok speed but slower, and of
course JP is the slowest. FP Soul Sparks cannot be combo'd, and the SP ones can
only be combo'd off of a standing/crouching FP. Interesting thing about this
move is that it pushes the opponent back whether or not the actual spark hits
them. There are short wind-up periods before the Spark is released, with the JP
version having the shortest wind-up, and the FP one having the longest. So a
crouching SK, followed by a JP Soul Spiral wouldn't combo, but it would push the
opponent back a few steps if that's what you were looking for. The FP version
pushes the opponent to the other side of the screen, but has the longest wind-
up, so it can be seen coming and avoided if you're looking for it. The SP
version pushes the opponent almost the same distance and has a shorter startup,
and the JP version pushes them back to a little further than the middle of the
screen, and has no significant delay on startup. The recovery time for after
the move doesn't vary much between the three versions, but since your Spark is
around a shorter time to "protect" you at varying speeds, depending on the
strength of the punch button used, the JP version will appear to be the safest.
Again, sans Counter Hits, the JP version can be combo'd off of any
standing/crouching JP, crouching FK, or a Crouching/b+FP. The SP version will
only combo off of a b+FP or crouching FP, and the FP Soul Spark can't be combo'd
in to.
2. Soul Spiral (qcf+k)-
The move where Rose drills the opponent with her shawl. SK version hits once,
FK hits twice, and RK hits three times. Recovery time after you've finished the
move is very evident here, as the RK version takes forever to recover. Not much
difference in terms of damage between the three. sK version can be combo'd in
the same ways as a JP Soul Spark, and the FK and RK version combos the same as
the SP Soul Spark does. In my opinion the RK version is pretty much NEVER to be
used outside of combos, and the SK version will pretty much always follow a
hitting crouching SP.
3. Soul Throw (f, d, d/f+p)-
Just a note- You will literally need psychic powers if you expect to
successfully do this move more than 2 times a round, without hitting the
opponent first. Rose's Soul Throw is a good move. Good damage, good range,
good speed. But if you miss it, you can expect to take however much damage the
opponent wants to dish out. Terrible recovery, on any version of the move. As
far as vertical range, all versions go to the top of the screen. For
horizontal, the FP version covers about half the screen, the SP does about a
fourth, and the JP version goes almost straight up. Basically, you can use the
Soul Throw whenever your opponent is in the air. Your opponent jumps, and you
do a b+FP into a Soul Throw. It will work, Counter Hit FP or not. Pretty much
any time they're in range, you can get them with the Soul Throw. ...Of course
there's always an exception. You can NOT throw an opponent while your VC
shadows are activated, but you can throw them directly after they end. For
instance, you can juggle an opponent in the corner to a point where they can no
longer be hit with a VC. But it doesn't matter, because if the last legal hit
leaves them in the air, you can still grab them with a Soul Throw if they're in
range. The Soul Throw doesn't technically count as a "hit," and doesn't combo.
4. Soul Reflect-
Not to be used unless against projectiles except for the FP version, and even
then, only in combos. All versions of the move are fairly quick, and none
really has any really bad recovery time to speak of. Though since the JP
version is the least capable of attacking, I guess that would mean it's the most
vulnerable. The JP version is a very useful move, an absorbed projectile boosts
the meter quite a bit. The following (only one) Soul Spark you do after
absorbing a projectile with the JP Soul Reflect will also do some extra damage,
and I've also stopped E. Honda's FP head but with it, though it does take some
timing. The SP version reflects the projectile horizontally. Interestingly
enough, if two Roses reflect a Soul Spark back and forth, it will fly faster
than it did originally. The FP version, in addition to being the only one
suitable for a combo, reflects projectiles at a more upward angle. A projectile
reflected with a FP Soul Reflect, followed by a jumping RK isn't a bad idea.
Take note that with the exception of Dan's Shinkuu Gadouken, Rose's Soul
Reflects will not work on ANY super projectiles and she WILL be hit- It will
just do one less hit than normally. Also, Cody's Bad Stone can not be reflected
or absorbed, it just falls to the ground. The all of the Soul Reflects can be
combo'd off of a crouching/Standing/Standing b+SP, and crouching FK. They would
in theory combo off of a standing b+FP or crouching FP, but the moves push the
opponent back out of the range of the Soul Reflects.
5. Zero Counter (f+JP+SK, f+SP+FK, or f+RK+FP while blocking)-
Use Zero-Counters with a lot of caution when playing as Rose, especially in V-
ISM. To do Zero Counter, you need at least one spare block on your GC meter,
and at least 50% of your OC gauge (V-ISM super meter), because this is what it
takes away when you do one. Rose's Zero Counter (a.k.a. Alpha Counter) is a
crouching RK in V-ISM. ZCs don't do a ton of damage in general, and this one is
no different. Good range though. The purpose of this move is usually to stop
block-damage VCs and Super Combos. Or to just knock someone out of a VC,
because once hit, it will stop. As your GC gauge is restored at the beginning
of every round, you shouldn't be hesitant to use this if you really need to.
There are VCs in the game that do 30% block damage, and also given the fact that
360ø throws can be ticked into during a VC, be aware that you will have to learn
it sooner or later.
6. Chouhatsu (Start on the Arcade version, set it how you like on the
Saturn)-
No practical use, whatsoever. Actually, that's not true- I DID dodge a Spinning
Pile Driver from Zangief with it. He just did his missed throw animation...
Rose crosses her legs, closes her eyes, stands waving her finger and says "Mada
mada ne," just like in her JP win pose. She steps to the side a little, but
this is still not enough to dodge anything. Does zero points of damage. Still
love it though. You can taunt once per round, and however many times you want
during a VC. You can actually taunt after beating the opponent with a VC, for
as long as the background is still that purple/blue color. It's a little slower
than most taunts though, so you won't be able to use it often without getting
clobbered.
--------------------
V. Standard Moves and Ratings
--------------------
1. JP-
Standing- Seems to work pretty well as anti-air, but not much use otherwise.
Crouching- Quick, and a good poke. Can't really be combo'd off of, but it has
good priority, so there's a chance you could follow it with a crouching SP and
combo off of that. 3 or so crouching jabs isn't a bad attack for GC purposes,
and if you don't get a counter hit, you really don't have much else you can do.
One of Rose's better moves, and even goes through some super moves (Rolento's X-
ISM/Z-ISM super, for example).
Jumping- Not bad for jumping toward your opponent when you're both airborne.
Quick and has nice priority, but you probably won't be using this as much as
some other attacks.
2. SP-
Standing- not a real great to use outside of combos. Priority isn't too good,
and it's not all that fast. Not one of Rose's better moves, in my opinion.
Standing b+SP- Pretty much the same as above, but quicker, with a touch more
priority, and with less range.
Crouching- Ah. Probably Rose's main attack. Pretty much the best move to
throw in combos she has next to a crouching/b+FP, but this is much safer. Links
into a JP Soul Spark, a SP or FP Soul Reflect, an SK Soul Spiral, or if the
crouching SP is a counter hit, an FK or RK Soul Spiral. Very good poke, and
whether or not it lands as a Counter Hit, you can combo off of it. Crouching SP
(Counter Hit), crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral, should pretty much be getting used
whenever you land one of these on a Counter Hit (and don't have your VC meter
charged at the time). You could also substitute the second crouching SP and SK
Soul Spiral, for a crouching RK. Even though it won't combo from any range
other than point blank, it will push the enemy away (if that's what you want),
and take a chunk of the enemy's Guard Crush meter. You can also follow the
crouching SP with a crouching JP or SK without needing a Counter Hit. Works
well as anti-air against SOME attacks (Cammy's jumping FP for example), thought
not well at all against others. I sometimes, when far away from the opponent,
just throw out repeated crouching SPs or SKs, just to charge the meter (she can
toss them out faster than I initially thought, with the right timing).
Jumping- Not too great a move. Not REALLY bad, but probably the least useful
of all of Rose's jumping attacks. Pretty decent range, but priority isn't all
that great, mostly because of it's angle. Nice for an air-to-air attack, but
Rose has better. Misses crouching opponents completely.
3. FP-
Standing- probably one of Rose's worst normals. Her standing FP in V-ISM
should pretty much never be used. OK damage, but too slow, and doesn't combo
into anything. Seems all right for keeping your opponent back, but she really
has better ways of doing this. This is the move where she flings her shawl at
you...not to be confused with...
Standing b+FP- This is what would be, in any other ISM, Rose's close standing
FP. But because standing normal moves are for the most part under your control
in V-ISM, getting this move requires you to hold back when you press FP. Pretty
good move. Works fairly well as anti-air, if you get the timing right, though
like any standing attack, it works better against some jump-ins than others.
Keep in mind that most characters can evade this move completely, by just doing
a crouching block. So unless you start a combo where the opponent is standing,
you should consider using a crouching SP instead. Also, if the opponent does a
jump in, and you nail them with this move, you will be rewarded with a Counter
Hit, and be able to grab them with a Soul Throw, which you can't do without the
Counter Hit. As a matter of fact, any time you nail anyone with a Counter Hit
FP, of either the b+FP, or crouching FP variety, you can catch them with a Soul
Throw before they can recover. Important to know.
Crouching- Bad range, speed is okay, and the priority is nice. But the range
is really, really bad. You literally can't hit someone with it unless you're
RIGHT next to them, or they're jumping at you. You can't even fit it in combos
all of the time, because of the range. Fit it it where you can, as it DOES do
more damage than the crouching SP, but is less safe if you miss.
Jumping- Pretty nice for jump-ins, ok range too. Lacks a little priority, but
still not a bad move. The timing is a little weird on it though.
4. SK-
Standing- Not a great move. The only use I can think of for it would be to
throw it into a confusion VC, because people would be unsure of whether or not
they should block high or low. But since Rose really doesn't have any genuine
overheads (meaning any attacks that have to be blocked high), this is still a
fairly useless move. At least it looks cool...
Crouching- It's a nice poke, and the fact that an attack has to be blocked low
is always a plus. More a keep-out move (toss it out when your opponent get's
too close), actually. A bit quicker than the crouching JP, though the range
seems to be a little less. Unfortunately, it doesn't combo into anything
without a Counter Hit, and it can't chain into itself. You could be crouching
close to an opponent and do crouching JP x3 or 4, but that wouldn't work here.
Upon Counter Hit, you might just want to toss out a crouching SP, into a SK Soul
Spiral, or a crouching FK/RK if you're looking to push somebody away.
Jumping- The angle of this move is what makes it good. Range is bad, but the
vertical range is pretty excellent. Might want to use it for anti-wake up
(stick it out so they are forced to block it instead of attacking immediately
when they get up), though it's a little fast for that, meaning you'll have to
have excellent timing to pull that off. Not always great as a jump-in per se,
but something just to stick out to ward off attackers if you jump in their
direction and do a tiny bit of GC damage. Not to be used exclusively (or even
that often at all), but it can be worked in here and there, and in some matches
more than others.
5. FK-
Standing- A decent move. Can't combo into anything, but such an unorthodox
move that it warrants use once every two hundred matches. Range isn't too
great, but the priority is good, and it's quick. In my opinion it will always
get you style points. Goes over sweeps.
Standing b+FK- Not much use either, that I know of. Probably goes over
sweeps, but doesn't combo into anything. A bit slow on start up (still faster
than the standing FP), almost seems to be a decent poke (though more of a keep-
out move) when used at the right range. Not bad as anti-wakeup. Style points
here too.
Crouching- Similar to Rose's crouching SP, but little quicker and keeps the
opponent back better. Not as good as the crouching SP for combos, but can be
tossed in them, if only for variety's sake. Quick, good priority, pretty good
poke, and if it lands on a Counter Hit, you might want to just go with a
crouching RK, though I suppose you could probably go with a Soul Spiral if you
want.
Crouching d/f+FK (slide)- Good range, but can get you both into and out of
trouble pretty easily. Helps get past airborne overheads like Cammy's Hooligan
Combination (the thing where she jumps at you and grabs you with her legs) and
to a lesser extent, Akuma's Hyakki attacks (his qcf, u/f+P overhead moves with
the palm/leg). Priority on this move is pretty good, but recovery time is BAD.
Even if you HIT the opponent with it, they still have time to attack you before
you recover. Interesting way to dodge some jump-ins though... Not a bad move
for trying to get in close if you're far away, and goes under high Tiger Shots
from Sagat.
Jumping- One of Rose's best jumping attacks. Good range, pretty decent
priority, not bad speed. Though only being medium kick, the damage is average,
this is what you will probably want to use for jump-ins. So you're not hitting
the opponent with a medium kick by itself, so the damage is less of an issue.
Can also be used as sort of an aerial poke, and it's basically a more
horizontal version of Rose's jumping SK, making it pretty easy to hit people
with.
6. RK-
Standing- Fairly good keep-out move. Excellent range (the best of any of
Rose's normals, and has one of the longest horizontal ranges in the game), nice
priority, but it's a little too slow on start up to be a truly great move.
Also, you're vulnerable to jump-ins when you do it, so keep that in mind. Good
move to do at the beginning of a round. If it lands on a counter hit and takes
someone off of their feet, you might want to follow it up with a JP Soul Spark,
which they'll have to block/dodge unless they activate a Super move of some
sort. Either way, you get to keep them out.
Standing b+RK- One of those moves that SHOULD be an overhead, but isn't.
Pretty quick, and an okay move for anti-air, because it it's such a good move
vertically that you can actually sometimes hit people out of their attacks
before they press an attack button. For instance, Rose can't get past Sakura's
jumping FP (well actually, Rose's crouching SP works, but just not reliably.
So, lets pretend for a moment that it didn't work at all here). Once Sak has
her FP thrown out, none of Rose's attacks will knock her out of it. But, if you
hit her with a b+RK as soon as her jump is in your range, it will knock her out
of the move, because she has either not completed, or started the attack yet.
Not much use otherwise, except for tricking people into thinking you're gonna do
the Soul Piette. Again, one of those moves that, in my opinion, warrants use
just because it's so unorthodox. Nice range, pretty quick.
Standing f+RK ("Soul Piette")- This move doesn't have a ton of use outside of
VCs. Moves Rose towards the opponent a step, but her FK slide is pretty much
always better for that anyway. Slow recovery time, and not to be done often as
a normal move. Can dodge things rarely, but her FK slide is still better. Can
often be done after winning a round though, if you wanna smack your K.O.-ed
opponent in mid-air.
Crouching- Very nice range, fair speed. Can't be used too often, do to the
fact that the opponent will often be either too close or too far. Can be used
after a Counter Hit made by any normal move (with the exception of a FP/RK) just
to push the opponent back.
Jumping- Has it's high and low points. Good range, okay speed, nice priority
(due to it's angle), but misses most crouching opponents completely. Jumping
straight up and doing this move is not a bad idea to keep opponents at bay, but
realize that you are very vulnerable on your way down in some situations.
Pretty good for air-to-air situations, but for jump-ins other than [Jump-in RK,
crouching RK], you'd probably want to go with the FP or FK instead. Seems to
have a little less priority than the jumping FK, but it has the most horizontal
distance of any of Rose's jumping attacks, and there will be times that this
will be the only jump-in that you can land because you are too far away.
7. Throws-
Standard Ground Throw ("Soul Drain")- press f or b+PP while standing or
crouching. Nice range, and being a throw, it's not really slow. If you think
someone is going to throw you, you might want to attempt the throw just for the
tech-hit. But you can pretty much always poke with a crouching SK/JP/JP/FK
instead. Depending on what direction you press to initiate the throw, you can
determine which side you land on, and is therefore not a bad move for getting
out of the corner (though you could also start a VC if you had enough on your VC
gauge). Nice Damage, but I don't know about priority, and seeing as how one
person would just Tech. Hit the other's throw, it really doesn't seem to matter
a ton.
Air Throw ("Soul Fade")- press any direction other than u or d, +PP while
airborne. Okay Range, and just looks cool. I like to toss this in the end of
VCs whenever possible... Regardless of what direction you press, doing this
move will always make you switch sides with the opponent. As with the Soul
Drain, button mashing during the move won't increase the number of hits, but
will make it harder for the opponent to button-mash to reduce the hits/damage.
--------------------
VI. Combos
--------------------
In this section, "/" means "or." For instance "Standing/Crouching SP" means
"Standing SP, or Crouching SP." Also, "Crouching SP/FP" means "Crouching SP, or
Crouching FP."
-Crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral:
Pretty simple. You poke someone with the crouching SP, and if it lands you go
into a SK Soul Spiral. Not a ton of damage, but quick, and it will take the
opponent off of their feet.
-Crouching SP, crouching SK, JP/SP Soul Spark:
Pseudo-combo. The JP or SP Soul Sparks don't really combo, but this is just to
push the opponent back some. Fairly useful, and you can switch the crouching FK
for the crouching SK, if you want some extra GC damage.
-Crouching/Standing SP, FP Soul Reflect:
Opponent has to be close for this to work, but it's a good way to both push them
back, and take them off of their feet. Leaves them much farther away than the
crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral
-Crouching SP (Counter Hit), crouching SP/FK, SK Soul Spiral:
Rose's crouching SP has good priority- so good, that there's a good chance that
you'll be getting Counter Hits if you know when to stick it out. Wait until the
Counter Hit crouching SP is over, toss out another, and follow it with an SK
Soul Spiral.
-Crouching SP (Counter Hit), Crouching RK:
Another Pseudo-Combo, sorta. The two hits won't actually combo unless you're
really close, but even if you're not, you can toss out the crouching RK for GC
damage. Be careful though, because there's a little bit of recovery time after
the crouching RK, and someone with a really quick super, or someone who knows
what they're looking for can attack you afterward.
-Crouching FK, JP Soul Spark:
The crouching FK has a lot of distance on it, and it combos with a JP Soul
Spark...not sure what else to say about it...
-Crouching JPx3:
I end up doing this combo at least once per match, blocked or not. Don't know
why. It's quick, it's easy, and I dunno. Anyway, on to the next.
-Crouching SK/JP (Counter Hit), crouching SP/FK, SK Soul Spiral:
The crouching SK is quick and has good priority as well, so if it lands on a
Counter Hit, the crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral is a good way to go.
-Crouching SK, Crouching RK:
I don't think this combos, even on a Counter Hit SK. But This is just for GC
Damage, really.
-Crouching FP (Counter Hit), FP Soul Throw:
Basically the same as the combo above, but the opponent doesn't have to be done
while your opponent is airborne. A Counter Hit crouching FP will take the
opponent off of their feet, and allow you to Soul Throw them.
-Jumping FK/RK/FP, crouching SP/FK, SK Soul Spiral:
Basic jump-in combo for Rose. I personally use jumping FK, crouching SP, and SK
Soul Spiral, because of the range and angle of the jumping FK. Using the juming
FP, roughly 27 damage points, and 20% damage.
-Jumping FP/RK/FK, b+FP, RK Soul Spiral:
I like to go with a jumping FP. Be warned though, Roses b+FP misses crouching
opponents entirely. Roughly 33 damage points, and 23% damage.
-Jumping RK, crouching RK:
Good because you can be far away when you do it. Not much else to say about
it...
-Opponent in air, standing JP/b+FP/Crouching SP/FP, JP/SP/FP Soul Throw:
This combo is basically about hitting the opponent with something that can be
cancelled into a Soul Throw, and then doing a Soul Throw. For instance, for
Cammy's Jumping FP, you might want to use a crouching SP. But for say a missed
FP Dragon Punch, where you were right under the opponent and they're still in
the air, you'd probably want to go with a crouching FP, then a JP Soul Throw (a
FP Soul throw would miss). Since Soul Throwing every time someone jumps would
get you killed (mainly cause you'd miss, and they'd kill you), this combo is a
good idea.
-Opponent in air, jumping FP (Counter Hit), FP Soul Throw:
If you hit your opponent with a Counter Hit (FP or RK especially) while you're
both in the air, you'll have time to land and grab them with a Soul Throw.
-Opponent in corner, jumping FP/FK/RK, crouching/standing SP, FP Soul Reflect,
crouching/standing SP, RK Soul Spiral:
Nice combo, good damage. The jump-in can't be too deep, or the FP Soul Reflect
will miss. Also, because of that Button Release Method thing, I usually go with
"jumping FP, d+SP, d, d/b, b+FP" instead of the normal 2-in-one method. Using
the jumping FP, roughly 49 damage points, and 34% damage.
-Opponent in corner, jumping FP/FK/RK, crouching SP, FP Soul Reflect, standing
b+FP/crouching SP/FP, FP Soul Throw:
The jump-in has to be sort of shallow, but still hit low enough to combo with
the crouching SP. The last hit before the Soul Throw has to keep the opponent
high, so it's important that it hit as quickly as possible. Not extremely
difficult, but doing this combo with the b+FP is probably about as hard as any
of Rose's combos get. The larger the character, the easier this combo is to do
on them. Using a jump-in FP, and a b+FP before the FP Soul throw, this combo
does roughly 56 damage points, and 40% damage.
All percentage figures are taken from Sodom, who takes a little less damage per-
hit than "average." For example the exact same combo above that I did on Sodom,
would do 62 damage points, and 45% damage, if done on Juni, who takes below
average damage.
VII. A Word on V-ISM
Complicated.
No, seriously, for those of you who don't know, I'll go through some of the
basic attributes of V-ISM. First of all, the invincibility. You are
invulnerable for a small period of time when you start a VC. The time is
significant on the arcade and Saturn versions of the game, but is greatly
reduced on the Dreamcast and PlayStation versions. This is VERY important, and
a large contributor to why V-ISM is the best mode for some characters. For
instance, Dhalsim is in the corner, and Ryu (in V-ISM) is approaching. Dhalsim
trys to hit Ryu with a close crouching FP when he gets in range. Ryu starts a
VC, and Dhalsim's crouching FP goes right through Ryu and misses him completely.
Dhalsim then eats a VC that does 70% damage, courtesy of Ryu. Ouch. The
invulnerability also
works with jump-ins, special moves, and Super moves.
Another aspect of V-ISM, though this isn't particularly important to Rose, would
be chains. While a VC is activated, you can link any move into any other move,
though you or the opponent still gets pushed back afterward. Want to stick a
Crouching RK right after a crouching FP? Sure. Want to do a crouching JP right
after a standing SP? Useless, but go ahead. Any move, into any other move.
And this is possible because of
No recovery time. Once you complete a special move, you can immediately start
another move, and you don't even have to complete the move if it's a normal one.
You can, for instance, combo two Soul Piettes right after one another, even
though the Soul Piette has a substantial recovery time outside of a VC. This
works with special moves as well. SK Soul Spiral, crouching SP will work too.
Extended juggles. You can juggle an opponent in the corner until the VC runs
out, or with some characters, all the way across the screen. In theory, if the
VC shadows lasted forever, you could juggle them until K.O.
And finally, taunting and increased speed. You are significantly faster than
normal while a VC is activated. Also you can't taunt as many times as you want,
until the OC gauge is empty.
VIII. Rose's VCs
Just a note- you can start one of these after a lot of Rose's normal combos.
For example, do the last combo listed in the Combos section, and after the
crouch SP/standing b+FP at the end, start a VC, do a SK Soul Spiral, and go into
one of the corner variants listed here in the VC section. This, however, is
just a list of VCs, which is confusing enough as it is. Also, I would like to
clarify that things in parenthesis are repeated the indicated number of times.
For example, "(VC1) B+FP (SK Soul Spirals)x5," would mean activate a VC by
pressing JP and SK, do a b+FP, followed by five SK Soul Spirals.
1. (VC2) Anywhere to Corner-
This is assuming you're starting from a cornered position, but will work
anywhere (hence the name). If you're opponent is close, activate VC2, and:
Crouching strong, [SK Soul Spiral, Soul Piette (towards + RK)]x4, *X*. Roughly
60% damage, max, and I think 75 points of Damage.
A. How to End This Combo
First of all, *X*. When I do this VC, *X* is generally:
Missed Soul Throw, and then [crouching FP, missed LK Soul Spiral] until the VC
runs out. B+FP works also, instead of just the crouching FP. But, depending on
where you start the VC, the move that lands them in the corner might be an SK
Soul Spiral, and that is bad. In that situation, *X* would be:
Soul Piette, missed Soul Trow, [Crouching FP, SK Soul Spark]x?? until VC ends.
Another way to end the VC (there are many), would be to hit them with a
crouching FP just as the meter runs out, do a jumping (straight up) RK, and then
a FP Soul Throw. I also like to do it with the Soul Fade (regular air throw) in
place of the jumping RK, just for style points. It should be noted, however, if
you do the combo any way other than just using the Crouching FP, SK Soul Spiral
until it ends, they can flip out. So in the way I listed above, with the
crouching FP at the end, followed by a Soul Fade, the opponent could, in theory,
air-recover before the Soul Fade. Chances are they wouldn't, but they could.
Anyway, I'd like to point out that this combo isn't the easiest in the game at
first. It takes a little timing (different timing on different characters,
actually), and also a basic understanding of how things work for bot Rose and V-
ISM in general (I highly suggest you read James Chen's SFA3 combo FAQ. A3 makes
a lot more sense once you have). Though hopefully you either had enough all
ready, of have learned a thing or two from reading this FAQ.
The trick to it, by the way, is interrupting the last one or two frames of the
Soul Spiral with the Piette, and the last frame of the Piette with the SK Soul
Spiral. I'm sure it's not the most useful combo in the game, but I discovered
it (I hope), so if nobody else chooses to use it, I'll still will. One of the
best combos Rose has period, IMO, and especially in V-ISM. The timing, while
pretty individual between characters, is more or less the same. There are some
exceptions though, as doing it on Charlie and Balrog seems especially difficult,
and doing it on Blanka and Chun Li seems easier than with other characters.
Also, depending on how far away you are when you hit them with the last Soul
Piette, you may need to do a FP Soul Throw...it all depends on distance. The
Soul Throw just keeps the opponent from air-recovering, so it's important that
you land just a little sooner than they do, so you can hit them and continue the
VC. The point is, find a home version of the game, and practice the Soul Piette
part of the VC in Training Mode. Takes a little getting used to. And you MUST
get the first Soul Piette up right after the first Soul Spark, because some
characters seem to fall to the ground faster than others (Zangief for example).
Also, the reason I chose to start the combo with a crouching SP, was
because A) it's Rose's best poke, and B) a crouching Feirce lacks range, and
might actually get a counter hit and mess up the combo.
One last thing about this combo though, is that a SK Soul Spirals (the ones at
the beginning, that hit) are sometimes interchangeable with a Soul Piettes. For
example, instead of:
Crouching SP, LK Spiral, Soul-Piette, LK Spiral, ....etc., you could do:
Crouching SP, LK Spiral, [Soul-Piette]x2, LK Spiral.
Soul Piettes do 1 or 2 points more damage than a SK Soul Spiral, so I'm not sure
many points this combo would do if done for absolute maximum damage. Just find
whichever configuration works best for you.
B. Standing FP Variants
A variant of this combo is:
(activate VC1/3) Crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral, Soul Piette, [standing/b+FP, SK
Soul Spiral]x?? until VC is over. Doesn't leave them in the corner, but does
about the same damage as the Anywhere-to-Corner I explained above. The b+FP/SK
Soul Spiral version will push the opponent further than just the standing FP/SK
Soul Spiral one. If you're going by which VC looks the coolest, I'd just have
to go with the standard VC (the first one listed), but if you want to use these
instead feel free.
2. Corner Juggle Variants-
A. VC3 Jump-In
(VC3) Jump in FP, crouching SP x2, SK Soul Spiral, crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral,
[Standing back + FP OR crouching FP, JP Soul Spark (most will miss)]x??, until
VC ends. Not sure about the damage, seems to be about 50%, give or take.
I'm pretty sure you're able to do something after the VC, but like I said
before, my fingers are kinda slow. Also, I'm not sure about character sizes, so
you might have to replace the crouching SP x2 at the beginning with either a
regular crouching SP, or a crouching JP, followed by a crouching SP. If you
have to resort to just the crouching SP, then note that the combo can be done in
VC2 and VC1 as well as VC3.
B. Double SP Juggle
(activate VC2) Crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral, repeat from beginning until VC
ends. About 45%, max.
Not a terribly damaging VC, but pretty useful, since Rose's best poke is (I'm
pretty sure) her crouching SP, it has a pretty good chance of hitting the
opponent. It's not exactly a crouch-cancel infinite, but 40% off of a crouching
SP is better than nothing. The combo is really, REALLY simple. You just miss
every Soul Spiral after the first, and concentrate your timing on hitting the
opponent with the SP. It's important not to get overzealous, because you may do
the Soul Spiral motion too quickly, and miss the opponent all together.
It's also important to mention, that if you time your crouching SP late enough,
you can hit the opponent with not only the crouching SP, but the VC shadow of
the previous one as well, and every SP will score 2 hits instead of 1. Really
good if you wanna either show off, or get you're score high. A shame though,
this VC doesn't work on Ryu, Ken, Dan, or Akuma, so you'd have to switch to VC
"D" listed in this section (does more damage, but just doesn't look as cool)...
C. VC1 Soul Spiral
(activate VC1) Crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral x2, [crouching SP, SK Soul
Spiral]x??? until VC ends. About 30-35% damage.
Pretty much the opposite of combo B. You focus on hitting the enemy with the
Soul Spiral instead of the crouching SP. Pretty much all Rose VCs are ambigous
though, so there are different ways of doing this. You could actually just do
"(VC1) [Crouching SP, SK Soul Spiral x2]," from the beginning of the combo till
the end of it. I couldn't get more than 21 hits from this combo, so if anyone
knows a way to get more damage, let me know... Anyway, this combo is basically
just for getting a flashy K.O., in my opinion.
D. VC1/2/3 Soul Spiral Fierce Juggle
(activate VC1/2/3)Crouching SP, FK Soul Spiral, [Away + FP and/or crouching FP,
JP Soul Spark]x??, just before VC ends throw up Crouching FP, followed by an Air
throw.
The crouching FP, air throw isn't really necessary, but like I said, I like to
end VCs and/or rounds with her air throw when I can. The opponent can air-
recover before you can land the throw, but it's really dependant on the
opponent, whether they will or not. You could also do a straight up jumping
FP/RK, followed by a Soul Throw.
3. Works In Progress-
A. Soul Spark Corner VC
There's a V-ISM Rose combo against Dhalsim and Birdie, that goes like:
(VC1) FK slide, JP Soul Spark, repeat.
Well I could never do that, so I tried to find another way to work the Soul
Spark into a combo. I think I've succeeded. The bad news? I
can't do this one either.
Seems to work, though because of my slow fingers, I've never been able to get it
past 7 or so hits. Seems pretty good for Guard Crush (meaning to empty the GC
gauge) purposes, though for that I really like to use VC2 instead of the JP/SK
activation. Could someone tell me if this thing works, and if so, on who?
Thanks.
B. Confusion VC
Ah yes, yet another Combo in Progress. I'm not the world's best Rose player
(outside of V-ISM that is. Muwahahahahahahaheheheheheho), but I KNOW she can do
something cool here. What I have so far is...
Opponent in the middle of the screen(VC3), close crouching RK, Soul Piette, FK
slide, [the part where the combo gets cool].
I seriously have no idea what to stuff in that last part. Or if I should change
the order of the last 2 moves, or what...if anyone has an epiphany, feel free to
chime in.
--------------------
IX. Basic Strategies
--------------------
Crouching SP. CROUCHING SP!! Seriously, this is a move I find myself using
quite often. Fairly quick, good priority. Combos into a lot of things. Can be
used as reliable anti-air against some attacks (Cammy/Charile's Juming FPs, I
think Bison's head stomp, etc), and is important in VCs. If I know I'm gonna
land a Counter Hit, for instance if M. Bison teleports right behind me, then
I'll usually go with a crouching SP (Counter Hit), crouching SP, FK Soul Spark.
Suppose I could start a VC, but come one. He's really not worth the trouble.
Like any character in a fighting game, there are 3 ways to play Rose.
Turtle- Defense machine. Only making a move when your opponent makes a mistake.
Of course, in V-ISM, attacking a character who is capable of starting a VC and
going through your attack to land a VC, constitutes as "making a mistake." I
think this mode is actually pretty good for X-ISM Rose, though the lack of Zero
Counters and air blocking hurt her turtling significantly. Turtling is good for
any ISM Rose, but it really depends on your opponent whether turtling is the
most effective way to beat them. Lots of jumping back and tossing out SK/SP/RKs
in this style. Also a lot of anti-air moves into Soul Throws.
Hyper Offensive- All out, bum rush ass whipping. NO. Not too good for Rose.
Again, this depends on your opponent (cause they could just not be good enough
to defend against you), but if you're playing against someone who's good, you'd
probably want to stay away from this. You'd be using a lot of jump-ins and
high-risk stuff here, along with some poking. This mode isn't all bad- there
are some REALLY damaging combos you could do here, and the VC blowout (that
moment of invincibility you have when starting a VC) would let you get in and do
some serious damage. And while Rose is more than capable of hurting someone,
the fact that too much offense can get you hurt, a lot. The opponent could to
an anti-air move (dragon punch etc), anti-air super, or if in V-ISM, they could
do a blowout, and your move would miss, landing you right in front of them. At
their mercy. No. Of all the Roses, I'd have to say that V-ISM is the best for
being offensive, if for no other reason than the VC blowout. But you still
would want to stay away from this when faced with someone good.
Moderate- This would be somewhere between total defense and total offense. Some
poking, a little offense, a little turtling, and the RARE jump in. This is the
best mode for rose in general, I think. But of course, there are always
exceptions, and I'll try to point those out later in the Versus Tactics section.
There's risk involved in this style of play, but that's true of any. I'd say
this one is the LEAST risky, because if you turtle too much, your opponent can
get in your face and do some block damage/GC damage, and if you're too offense-
minded...well I all ready went over that. I'd have to say that Z-ISM is
generally the best for this style of play, with V and X tied for second place.
Not to say I think Z-ISM Rose is necessarily better than V-ISM, it's just that
any 3 levels of her Aura Soul Throw come in handy here. Not quite as easy in V-
ISM, because the opponent's mistake has to be a bit more pronounced- and in X/Z-
ISM, an simply jumping in any direction qualifies as a bad mistake on their
part, if Rose is within about a half-screen's distance has a full meter.
--------------------
X. Versus Tactics
--------------------
In general: Don't forget the basics! You can do a VC blowout through most
attacks in the game, don't block too much or you'll be Guard Crushed, and jump-
ins, from ANYONE, yourself included, can lead to an incredible amount of damage.
The Standing JP (or standing b+FP), FP Soul Throw combo will keep the opponent
from jumping in too often, but beware that it will not work against ALL jumping
attacks, and some character's moves have more priority than others. It's better
to either just block when Sakura comes at you with a jump-in (assuming she's
past the range of Rose's b+RK), or just blow through it by starting a VC, for
example. You can be NAILED if you do a jump-in against the wrong character at
the wrong time, and so can they if they do the same to you. Remember that X-ISM
characters can NOT air block, EVER, and take advantage of it (I usually do this
with a Soul Spark). Forget who's supposed to be bad according "character
rankings," and who's not a "top tier" character, as any good player can beat
you, with any character they happen to be good with. Good luck!
1. Adon-
Adon will poke at you. Be prepared. Not quite sure what else to say... Hope
you're not to dependant on your jump-ins, because his Rising Jaguar is the
standard anti-air special that all characters have. You can turtle if you'd
like, but be wary of tossing out too many Soul Sparks, as they leave you wide,
wide open for a Jaguar Tooth (wall bounce move). You can start a VC after a
blocked Jaguar Tooth (though a throw isn't a bad idea either), by just skipping
the crouching SP, and doing the SK Soul Spiral right after you activate the VC.
Suppose you could just do the VC blowout right through the Jaguar Tooth, but
it's up to you. Same applies for the Jaguar Kick. Not an extremely difficult
match, in my opinion.
2. Akuma-
I personally would turtle here too, but it depends on the player. Beware of V-
Akuma's, like anyone should. Akuma takes more damage than many characters, and
is also easier to dizzy, so take advantage. If he starts to turtle too much,
you might want to go on the offense, a little, and back him up into the corner.
Always remember that a character in V-ISM can VC blowout too, so be careful what
you use. The price for any missed special move can be very high against V-ISM
characters, and this applies to just about anyone vs. anyone. Akuma's Dragon
Punch is quick and high on priority, so you might want to wait until it's over
before starting a VC, instead of trying to interrupt it. If he misses a
fireball while in the corner and you do a jump-in, somebody better pray for him.
Also keep in mind that there's a small period of vulnerability as his teleport
is starting and a touch of recovery time as it is ending, so do what you can.
3. Balrog-
Have yet to face a competent Balrog player, but despite what some people
believe, this guy is dangerous. In X-ISM especially because of the sheer amount
of damage he can do. If he lands a close JP, he can combo into an FP, and
cancel it into a super move, so watch out. I believe a blocked Dash Straight
leaves him open for a VC, as does crouching to avoid his Dash Upper. Not sure
about this though, will have to check... Hell, you might just be able to do a
VC blowout right through either move- but that wouldn't be nice... Not sure
about the properties of his Turn Punch.
4. Birdie-
If you want an easy way to beat CPU Birdie in any ISM, just sit back and fire
off JP Soul Sparks the whole match... Anyway, Birdie's Bull Horn (the turn
around headbutt) goes through jump-ins and most other moves, and he can psuedo-
tick into his 360° throws with his jumping SK. His supers aren't bad, but I'd
have to say his X-ISM "The Birdie" would have to be his best one. Hits hard,
but his throw range is the worst of all of the grapplers. His standing FP goes
through jump-ins pretty well, and if you want to get past it, I'd suggest you
either use a jumping SK, or just stop doing jump-ins and turtle. If he's in Z-
ISM you'll have to consider his Bull Revenger (leap and slam super) before
deciding to do any laggy moves while turtling. A blocked Bull Head or Bull Horn
(charging headbutt moves) leave him lagging for a significant amount of time,
but don't wait too long, or he can either grab you or start a super. Not a
really difficult fight, but it really depends on your experience with facing
Birdie in general, and your ability to play without relying on jump-ins. One of
his major disadvantages in general, by the way, is that his Bull Horn is only
invulnerable during the turn-around part. So he can be swept, or even thrown
after he turns around.
5. Blanka-
Very, very cool character. Just had to say that. Anyhow, I've never really
faced a good Blanka player in person (not to say I haven't seen one), but poking
you, and then Guard Crushing you with a super seems to be a pretty good strategy
for him. His Amazon River Run (crouching FP slide) will knock you off of your
feet, and it covers a lot of distance, as do most of his crouching moves do.
And his Surprise Forward and Surprise Back (leaping toward and away moves)
afford him a brief period of invincibility. Also, his jumps are really, really
good. Blanka can stay away well, but I really don't have any specific advice
for fighting him...just remember which air-to-air attacks have the best
priority, and the basic things you can do. Find myself jumping quite a bit in
this match.
6. Cammy-
Pretty dangerous, potentially, but I've never really been faced with a good
Cammy player. Her Hooligan Combination (the overhead grab) is one of her best
attacks, and rightfully so, considering the priority on it. I personally use
the crouching FK Slide to get under this move. However, you can also get past
it using a crouching FP if she's close enough overhead, or just jump back with
an RK or something if she's too far. Her jumping FP is one of her best jump-
ins, but remember that a crouching SP (which you should follow with a FP Soul
Throw, by the way) beats Cammy's jumping FP, and easily. Don't try to do
anything drastic if Cammy is knocked down, because a wakeup Cannon Spike will
nail you just about every time. I play this match with pretty moderate offense,
though I'd suspect you could turtle your way through it too. Should also be
noted that Cammy's Killer Bee Assault super (Only has it in Z-ISM) can NOT be
air blocked, so don't get too jumpy if you're unsure.
7. Charlie-
Dangerous guy. Really dangerous. Standing JP works well as anti-air against
some normals, but watch out for that far jumping RK. Also, keep in mind that
good players might not even appear to be charging when they charge for his
specials/supers- So don't expect him not to pop out with a Somersault Justice
or Crossfire Blitz, just because you didn't see him go into a crouching block
for an eternity.
8. Chun Li-
Beware the X-ISM Chun Li. Always. That said, I personally would play
defensively against X-Chun (remember her super goes through just about
anything), and a bit more offensively against Z-Chun. Never played a good V-
Chun Li. CL vs Rose is not an easy match for Rose, so you're gonna have to put
in work here- depending on how good the opponent is, of course. Chun Li has
that CROUCHING ROUNDHOUSE OF DOOM thing going on (which you can roll after, if
hit by), so keep that in mind if you plan on doing jump-ins (not a good idea,
IMO). Should also be noted that if you get caught blocking the Spinning Bird
Kick from X-Chun, it does a ton of block damage, so stay away from that if at
all possible. Good luck, and don't forget about the VC blowout.
9. Cody-
I think you sort of have to be offensive here. Not too much, of course, but you
can get close and poke him to death. And if he keeps dodging, nail him with a
VC...Not sure what else to say... You can slide under the Bad Stone with the
crouching FK slide.
10. Dan Hibiki-
Ah. The Ruiner of "Perfect" rounds, but just BARELY. Anyway, never faced a
good Dan, but his Hisshou Burai Ken (X-ISM Super, that Punch/Kick/DP super in Z-
ISM) has good range, and excellent priority- especially considering it's one of
DAN'S moves. Koryuken is the basic Dragon Punch move, so the priority is pretty
good. Range is bad though. Fear not the Gadoken. Duck his Danku Kyaku (Flying
kicks/Hurricane Kick type move), and nail him for it. The Shinkuu Gadokuen can
be reflected/absorbed with the Soul Reflect, if you want to try it. No real
advice on how to fight him...
11. Dhalsim-
Your crouching SP/JP will beat Dhalsim's limbs if he sticks them out. Don't
jump at an X/Z-Dhalsim often at all if he has a meter. If you block one of his
foot/head drills, you can jump and air-throw him if he tries for a second.
Don't let V-Dhalsim get you in the corner, ever. If he starts a VC with you in
the corner, you might just want to Zero Counter if you block it. You can
seriously turtle this match away, as he really can't do much of anything against
you from a distance, priority wise... Don't forget about his teleport, but he
also is at a disadvantage (in my opinion, at least) close up. Dhalsim is
usually a good character, but he's at a disadvantage against Rose. Wouldn't
call it an "easy" fight, but there's nothing he can do on the ground (without
using a super) that you can't beat. This is not to say a Dhalsim who's better
than you won't kick your ass, of course.
12. Dee Jay-
Can't say I've fought any Dee Jay other than the CPU's. Not an especially
difficult fight, but doesn't seem to be an easy one either. Feel free to throw
him when possible.
13. E. Honda-
You can time it so that the end of your JP Soul Reflect will knock Honda out of
his Super Zutsuki (flying headbutt special move). Never seen a good Honda, so I
don't know. If he does a jump-in, you might just want to block. Remember that
the Level 2/3/X-ISM Headbutt super goes through projectiles.
14. Evil Ryu-
Ryu. With a teleport. Ouch. In any event, you should always know what's what
when facing a V-ISM Ryu, especially one with a teleport. Keep your guard up,
and take your time. Don't under estimate this guy, in X-ISM either. All he has
to do is hit you with a crouching jab while your anywhere close to the corner
and follow it with 2 RK Hurricane Kicks. If he gets you dizzy, that' means you
screwed.
15. Fei Long-
Fei Long's Rekka Ken Super has a lot of priority, so keep that in mind when
facing an X or Z-ISM version. That flaming dragon kick of his also seems to be
invincible at start up, so watch what you do. Other than that, he doesn't seem
to cause Rose too much of a problem...
16. Gen-
Block. Don't do too many jump ins, and remember that if you're knocked down,
and Gen is doing his SP of FP Hyakurenkou (blurry hand special), then there's
nothing you can do but block. If he tries to hit you with that over head punch,
you can hit him back (or VC him) whether you block it or not. Stay on guard.
17. Guile-
Your crouching SP beats his jumping RK, and your standing JP beats his jumping
FK. His standing FK (Standing neutral FK, in his V-ISM form) is a pretty good
move to have, and works as anti-air against some attacks, as will his standing
close FK in X/Z-ISM, his crouching FP, along with his Sonic Knee (f or b+FK in
V-ISM, f or b+SK in Z/X-ISM). If he misses a flash kick, you get to either land
a Soul Throw, or a VC, depending on the distance. Same things about charging
apply with Guile as they do with Charlie, and neither of them has to do much to
land a rather damaging VC. Have yet to fight a non-CPU Guile in A3.
18. Guy-
Similar to Gen, in that one hit from this guy can land you into serious trouble.
Fortunately, it's not as easy for Guy to capitalize on this as it is for Gen
(You'll land Gen's crouching SK a lot more often than you will Guy's standing
JP, for example). He has some moves that confuse and are unorthodox, so watch
out. Hope your reflexes are good.
19. Juli & Juni
20. Karin
21. Ken
22. M. Bison
23. Rainbow Mika
24. Rolento
25. Rose
26. Ryu
27. Sagat
28. Sakura
29. Shin Akuma
30. Shin Bison
31. Sodom
32. T. Hawk
33. Vega
34. Zangief
--------------------
XI. Misc. VCs
--------------------
Just some other stuff I found...
1. General VCs-
Adon:
Shadow Revolver Stab-
(VC2) Crouching FK, (crouching FP, SK Jaguar Kick)x8, Jaguar Throw. About 60%
damage.
There's a little half-second pause between the crouching FK and that first
crouching FP, but after that, the whole thing moves pretty smoothly, and fairly
quickly. The Jaguar Throw basically means you can end the combo with any of
Adon's throws...they won't technically combo though. Several times when I've
done this combo, the VC ends right before the last Jaguar Kick (Adon's b, d, d/b
+ K move), so it can be blocked. If this is so, you could go for a throw
attempt if they do, but they could also do the same to you. For safety
purposes, you could replace the last SK Jag Kick and Jag Throw, with an SK Jag
Tooth (hcb + K wall poke move). Or to do it a simpler way, you could replace
them with a crouching Roundhouse, and just jump back as the VC is ending.
Adon's standing FP actually does a little bit more damage than his crouching
one...but as standing FPs have a tendency to miss crouching opponents
completely, I opted for the crouching FK/FP as opposed to the standing ones. Of
course you can feel free to do it any way you want though...
Done with the opponent in the corner, like most VCs that do 50% or more. The
standing FPs hit too, contributing considerably to the amount of damage this VC
does. Unfortunately, this VC doesn't work on Cammy, Juli or Juni. You'd have
to change it to VC1, and just do (RK Rising Jaguar, standing FK)x7. The
standing FKs will miss, but this VC can't be flipped out of because of them.
Only does 40% though.
There's a fancy, but less damaging version of this VC that goes like
(RK Rising Jaguar, standing FP, RK Jaguar Tooth, Standing FP, RK Jaguar Kick)x2
in VC3. Does like 48% damage, but really isn't worth the effort for me
personally. Looks cool though. All sorts of things you can do with the Jaguar
Kick/Tooth/Rising Jaguar to edit it.
Birdie:
Head Stomp-
(VC1) Crouching SK, (JP Bull Head, standing RK)x8, Taunt, Bad Hammer. About 60%
damage, and up to 65%.
The Bad Hammer is a move Birdie gets when you press b+FP. The Bull Head is
Birdie's charge b, f+p move. But of course, during a VC you don't have to
charge. This VC can also be done in VC2, but I find the timing much easier
here, and the damage is about the same. To do it in VC2, you'd need to replace
the crouching SK at the beginning with crouching SP.
The taunt I mentioned was the one you get by just pressing the chouhatsu button,
and not a direction. He has 3 of them, total. Like always, you can replace the
taunt with something more useful, for example a standing FP.
With a certain timing, you can hit the opponent with all hits of both the Bull
Head, and standing RK.
Dee Jay:
Fierce Punch Jackknife Juggle-
(VC3) Crouching JP, SK Jackknife Maximum, (Standing or Crouching FP, SK
Jackknife Maximum)x?? repeat until VC ends, air throw or taunt. Does roughly
65% damage.
The Jackknife Maximum is Dee Jay's "charge down, up+k" move. But since you
don't have to charge for charge moves during a VC, you just need to press d, u,
SK during this one. The timing is a little strange, but it just takes a little
getting used to. Easier to do on some people than on others... And if you make
a mistake, and they do an air-recovery, just keep going. Chances are you can
hit them with a standing FP before they can do much.
The taunt obviously isn't necessary, and the air throw can be escaped...they
just look cool...
Speaking of the standing FP...you can do this combo using either a standing or
crouching FP...but there is a catch. The standing FP does a bit more damage,
but is harder to land. Likewise, there are some situations when doing the combo
with just the crouching FP, where the standing FP would work better. So my
suggestion would be that you mix up the crouching FPs and standing FPs... Takes
some practice though.
Finally, the big limitation on this VC- the opponent has to be standing for it
to hit. If the opponent is crouching, or in a crouching hit stun, the Jackknife
Maximum won't hit. This isn't a huge deal, though I do find it a bit
inconvenient myself. It means you have to wait until someone either misses a
move (by either doing a VC blowout, or just waiting), or just go low when they
go high. Seems to work as anti-air (skipping the crouching JP), but not as
well.
Crouching Fierce Corner Jackknife Juggle-
Whoo. Long name. All right, this is basically the same VC listed above, but
it's done in the corner, and with crouching FPs. This combo can be flipped out
of unless you hit the opponent with the crouching FP as soon as possible- or in
other words, to juggle them as high as you can with the first crouching FP.
Charlie seems to be able to flip out of it anyway. I hear he bounces higher
than other characters when he's juggled, so maybe that's it.
Guile:
Fierce Flash Corner Juggle-
(VC3) Crouching SP, SK Flash Kick, (Crouching FP, FK Flash kick)x5, Crouching
FP, VC ends, back breaker (KK air throw) or taunt. About 55% damage without the
back breaker.
I know SOMEBODY else had to have come up with this VC before me (I've only been
using it for around 2 months). So if somebody else claims discovery for this
before that, let me know, because I wouldn't want to take credit for something
that isn't mine.
Like the vast majority of combos with taunts in them, it isn't necessary here.
Looks cool though. Also, if the opponent does an air-recovery after the
crouching FP, the back breaker can be avoided.
Anywhere To Corner FP Juggle-
(VC3) Crouching SP, SK Flash Kick, (standing FP, SK Flash Kick)x6, VC ends,
crouching FP, standing RK. About 60%
This combo can also be done with some FK flash kicks thrown in instead of some
of the SK ones, but this is the basic VC. This is assuming your back is to the
corner, by the way. The FPs hit twice, I believe. In place of the standing RK
at the end, you could toss out a f+FP in place, or after it. If the opponent is
in the corner when the VC ends, you can do a back breaker. Those things really
do a lot of damage, but anything after the crouching FP can be escaped by either
tech-hitting the throw, in the case of the back breaker, or performing an air-
recovery immediately after the crouching FP.
Done in the corner. Not a really easy VC. You let both parts of the standing
RK hit, for a total of 4 hits per each standing RK. None of the Tiger Shots
hit, they're just there to keep the opponent from moving (too complicated to
explain right now). You may exchange the standing RK/FP Tiger Blow at the end
for a standing FP, or whatever you want, basically. Sagat has a more damaging
corner VC (repeated low RK Tiger Shots), so this is basically just for showing
off and getting a high score.
Zangief:
Atomic Flat-
(VC1/VC2) Cross up FP Body Press, crouching JP, standing SK, JP Banishing Flat,
Atomic Suplex. Around 40% if all hits connect
The Body Press is the flying splash Zangief does when he presses f or b or d+FP
while jumping, the Banishing Flat is his f, d/f, f+P glowing hand move, and his
Atomic Suplex is his 360° + k move from close Range.
This VC works weather blocked or not, because you can do 360° throws during
almost any circumstance and grab the opponent from close range, during a VC.
This isn't a particularly useful VC, just thought it looked cool.
2. Scrub Torture VCs (Pseudo-Infinite Combos)-
Two, rather important things- the pseudo infinites for Guile and Fei Long, only
seem to work against Blanka and Sodom for some reason. Apparently, he has some
sort of special juggle property going on, or something. Anyway, since you're
chances of finding a scrubbish Sodom player outside of Japan are mightily slim,
and just about Nobody plays Blanka, I guess these first two VCs are just for
exhibition purposes. I've only tried these VCs on about two thirds of the cast,
so if I find these first 2 work on anyone else, I'll be sure to update.
Charlie:
Somersault Buster-
(VC2) RK Somersault Shell, Flying Buster Drop
Started in the corner, though you can sort of bounce them in other directions.
Flying Buster Drop is Charlie's PP air throw, and the Somersault Shell is his
Flash Kick.
Fei Long:
Kyaku Toss-
(VC1) SK Shien Kyaku, standing FP, KK air throw
Pretty simple. You just keep jumping and throwing them after the standing FP.
Which can be replaced by a b+FP, or b+RK, by the way. The throws don't combo in
this VC. The opponent can air-recover after whatever you decide to toss after
the Shien Kyaku. Performed with opponent in corner.
Guile:
Corner Break-
Do the first VC listed above and do a crouching FP after/as the VC ends. Jump
toward them as they fall, and grab them with his KK throw. After you grab them
with it, they'll bounce off of your shoulder, and you can keep grabbing them
over and over again. Considering that throws are what do a ton of damage in
this combo, it can obviously be ended by just Tech. Hitting out of any of the
throws. Also, doing an air-recovery after the crouching FP will make it
impossible to be grabbed by Guile. I'd also like to note that I think I did
this VC on Dhalsim once, but it was very difficult.
Guy:
Otoshi: Kage Sukui-
(VC1) SK Bushin Senpuu Kyaku, Izuna Otoshi
Simple, like all of the combos in this section. The Bushin Senpuu Kyaku is
Guy's qcb+k move. From there you just jump and throw, again and again. Done in
the corner. Opponent can air-recover after the Bushing Senpuu Kyaku.
Scrub torture OF THE GODS. I don't know how to explain it better. Easily
countered by any sort of wake-up move (Dragon Punch for example) that is done
quickly. You can actually replace the T Busters with some sort of jumping
attack. Or you can do both, and alternate between the Tomahawk Busters and
jumping attacks, to further scare the opponent into blocking. This combo is
basically 100% intimidation.
-------------------
XII. Closing and Thanks
--------------------
Thanks to the arcade I go to, The Game Room in Citrus Heights, CA. No money at
the moment, but since nobody plays SFA3 there anymore (bastards! Should put
that game in the SFEX2 cabinet anyway...), and since the majority of the good
players can beat me in MvC2 anyway, having money isn't all is good, but not
really that important in the end.
To Capcom, for making fun games.
To everyone who's ever written an FAQ for any game I've played, ever. That
about covers it, right? Special thanks go out to Kao Megura, for the wealth of
info in his SFA3 FAQs- got some of the more obscure move names from them,
actually. And also to James Chen, for making his Combo Systems FAQ for SFA3.
An interesting read...
To everyone who attended and put together the B4 Street Fighter tournament on
July 15 and 16, 2000. First tourney I've been to, and it was pretty nice. Took
a thrashing in SFA3 (a combination of not being able to work the sticks, and
just not being as good as I am now), but did surprisingly well in SSF2T, even
though I didn't enter the tourney. Used to play Super SF2 all the time, but I'd
actually never gotten to play SSF2T before the tournament. Not quite what I
expected... Good game though. *ramble ramble ramble*
To the two ladies who frequent the previously mentioned arcade I go to. The
chances of either of them reading this are about nil (luckily), but I'd like to
thank them anyway. Thanks for restoring my faith in the female species, by
being both female, and at the same time good in fighting games. I appreciate it
on a level that I don't even fully understand... Does that sound queer or what?
--------------------
XIII. Revision History
--------------------
Version 1.0- Initial posting. Majority of the FAQ was up. (August 7, 2000)
Version 2.0- First update. Added the first half of the character Vs
strategies, made a few edits here and there, and added/finished the Generall VCs
part of the Misc. VCs section.
Version 3.0- Almost done!! All right, finished the Misc VCs section (probably),
and made some minor edits here and there.
Next Update: Gonna finish the VS character stragies, probably make some more
minor edits, and that'll be all... Will probably be posted in about a month
(school sucks).
