~B
JUNI FAQ (Z-ISM)
writtin by Greg Dawson
gdawson@angelfire.com
================
TALE OF CONTENTS
================
1.INTRODUCTION
- Why use Juni?
- Character history
2.MOVES ANALYSIS
- Movelist
- Basic attacks
- Special attacks
- Super Combo attacks
3.STRATEGY
- Basic strategy
- Advanced strategy
- Counter strategy
- Combo strategy
4.MISCELLANEOUS
- Colors
- Win poses
- Ending
- Rant
================
==============
1.INTRODUCTION
==============
Welcome to my Juni FAQ. I have written this FAQ to promote one of the most
under-used characters in the game and to (hopefully) get some feedback on
playing with her. If you have anything to add this this FAQ, please feel
free to send it in. Also note that I WON'T be explaining basic abilities
(air recovery, gaurd protect, etc.) or anything along those lines. If you
need to know this stuff, get Kao Megura's SFA3 FAQ at gamefaqs.com.
- Why use Juni?
---------------
Why not? Seriously though, If you're sick of the shoto's and like playing
the underdog, Juni is the character for you. She's difficult to get used to
and her playing style is not like any other street fighter's because of her
unique moves. She is very fun to win with because she has MANY a card up her
sleeve, which is great, especially when your opponent thinks he'll walk all
over you. Also, she may look like Cammy or Juli, but she's TOTALLY different.
Which is (IMO) why she is't picked that much.
- Character history
-------------------
I don't have a clue really.. For the most part, I think that she and Juli
are just clones that Bison made or something. When the american SFA3 comes
out here, I'll put it in.
This is just your basic moveslist. I will be going more in-depth below.
Cannon Arrow - Charge B, T + K (can be done in air)
Cannon Spike - Charge D, U + K
Mach Slide - QCF + K
Cannon Strike - Jump towards, QCF + K
Psycho Sheild - Block, then T + 3P (can be done in air)
Hooligan Roll - QCF, UF + P (press K to cancel)
-> Razor Edge Slicer - Do nothing during Hooligan Roll
-> Fatal Leg Twister - Press K when close to opponent's head
-> Cross Scissor Pressure - Press K when below opponent's shoulders
Earth Direct Bomb - rotate 360 + P
Falling Arc - T + Foward Kick
Psycho Streak SC - Charge B, T, B, T + P
Spin Drive Smasher SC - Charge DB, DT, DB, UT + K
- Basic attacks
---------------
- Jab Punch -
Standing - Your basic Jab. Quick, weak, interruptable, and has good
priority.
Ducking - Same as above
Jumping - I honestly don't use this move, so I have nothing to say.
- Strong Punch -
Standing - Juni does a standing, quick uppercut. THE anti-air attack in
Juni's basic arsenal. If your opponent jumps towards you, try
to get right underneath him and take him out with this. It does
not work well from far away though. Try to only use this when
close. Also interruptale.
Ducking - This is your poke move.. Like most ducking strongs, this has
awesome priority. It will take out almost anything if timed right.
It is very quick as well, leaving you pretty safe afterwards.
Also interruptable and the range is slightly less than her ducking
foward kick.
Jumping - GREAT priority move here.. I've even taken Ken out of his Dragon
punch with this move. You just have to time it right. I suggest
that you throw this out pretty early.
- Fierce Punch -
Standing - A double fisted punch. Pretty quick, and has decent priority.
Can be used as an air counter, but I don't recommend it. I only
use it to juggle, and in combos since it is interruptable.
Ducking - Juni stretches forward with an uppercut. This looks like an anti-
air attack, but lacks priority. You can try using it on someone
who jumps from afar, but might find yourself getting hit out of it
a lot. DON'T use it on someone who jumps in when they are close.
Jumping - A downward version of her ducking fierce. This is pretty decent
air-to-air, but with better moves (strong, roundhouse, etc.), you
won't be using this all that much. Use at your own discretion.
- Short Kick -
Standing - A gimpy, no-range knee. I only use this in ticks and combos.
(Although I have taken people out of the air with this on
occasion, It was always by accident and a complete fluke). Also
interruptable.
Ducking - Your classic ducking short.. Quick, weak, and interruptable. It's
priority is good enough to snuff some sweeps, etc.
Jumping - I don't use it.
- Forward Kick -
Standing - I don't really use this move either. It can be used as an anti-
air attack if placed right, but I don't recommend it. Also
interruptable.
Ducking - A long range low kick. It is quick, and has decent priority,
therefore a good poke attack. But not as good as the ducking
strong. This is a good move if you know when to use it.. But don't
abuse it.
Jumping - a weird, upward kick. No real use.. Except maybe when jumping
straight up as an anti-air, or chasing after people who air recover.
- Roundhouse Kick -
Standing - Juni's longest range ground attack. Thankfully, I think this is
the only far-away attack Capcom decided to give Juni from Cammy's
basic attacks. This is a good gaurd crusher, and can surprise
your opponent if used well. You can try using it on jumpers from
afar as well (like the ducking fierce).
Ducking - Juni's sweep is pretty quick, without much lag afterwards. But it's
not perfect. She can be hit during the little lag after it, and
it's range leaves something to be desired. As with all sweeps, try
to use it only if you know you will hit with it, or just the tip
of it. NEVER use it right next to a blocking opponent. (duh)
Jumping - This is probably the jumping attack you'll use the most. It has
decent priority air-to-air, and is a good combo starter.
- Special attacks
-----------------
- Cannon Arrow -
Ok, I have to be honest here.. I hardly ever use this move at all. It has
bad recovery, and the damage isn't too hot. But if you use it right, it can
be alright. Try to make sure you hit with this. If not, just the tip of
your feet at least. You don't want to be eating any super combos afterwards.
It's good if your opponent leaves himself open, but you are too far away to
hit him with anything else. The one big MAJOR drawback is that when you try
to do Juni's cannon arrow, you might find yourself doing a mach slide
instead. Which can be BAD! This is because any decent street fighter is
always holding/charging back-down when on the ground, and when you go to
towards, a mach slide comes out. If you want to use this move, I recommend
that you try to always move your thumb/stick to the back position (not
back-down), and THEN move to towards an press kick.
- Air Cannon Arrow -
This move however, I use quite a bit. To do this move you have to charge
back (or back-down), then jump and press towards and kick BEFORE you reach
the peak of your jump. You can do this while jumping in any direction,
although while jumping back is the easiest. This is a good suprise tactic.
If your opponent jumps from afar, jump straight up and try to snag him with
this. If you see your opponent throwing a fireball, jump straight up and
do it over the fireball and into his face. :) If you jump back, and see your
opponent jumping up after you, do the cannon arrow. It has nice priority,
and if your lucky you'll get 2 hits. Even if your opponent air blocks this,
you're pretty safe from retalliation. If the block while on the ground
however, you might end up eating a super combo. Use this move wisely.
Also note that because if it's air-to-air priority, It's good against
jumping X-ism characters. If they jump towards, jump back and do a cannon
arrow.
- Cannon Spike -
This is Juni's version of a dragon punch. It's priority is pretty good
but it's range isn't always reliable and can be air blocked if you don't
time it right. You shouldn't use this on cross-ups (unless you wait for
Juni to turn around) and make sure that you don't whiff. If your opponent
air blocks it, you're pretty safe.. but if they ground block it you could
be in for some trouble. I use this mainly in combos and rely on other moves
for anti-air (standing strong, etc.) This is because any decent street
fighter will try to stay grounded if they notice you have a charge.
- Mach Slide -
This is Juni's teleport. She blurs invisible, her shadow moves across
the ground, and then she blurs visible again. This moves towards, NOT
away from your opponent. As you may have guessed, each kick determines where
she will end up. With short she only travels a step in front of her, with
foward about 3-4 characters widths away, and with roundhouse a bit more than
half screen. Use this foolishy and you will get killed.. I use it mainly
as an escape tactic. If you're trapped in the corner, use this to get out.
If vega goes off the wall, teleport out of the way. I don't recommend that
you do this on the fly as it has enough lag at the end for you to get
hit, and the LAST place you want to be vulnerable is right next to your
opponent. If you're smart (and lucky) you can use it to your advantage.
Here's an example.. One time I was taking on a Ryu and we're both down to
about 5% life. It's the last round and neither of us has a level of super
meter. The ryu I was taking on wasn't used to a Juni player, and I didn't
use the mach slide the entire mach. I jump back to get my bearings, dacning
out of rage trying to bait him into a mistake.. no go. He knows I'm waiting
for that fireball. So I walk out of jump range, he thinks he's safe and
tosses the fireball. I instantly mach slide across the screen, appear in
front of his outstretched hands, and take him into the air with an earth
direct bomb for the kill. Sweeeeeet. :)
- Cannon Strike -
Juni's version of Akuma's dive kick. Too bad it isn't near as good.
The only use I can see for this move is if you don't think you have enough
time to hit them with a normal jump attack. For example, ryu throws a
fireball, you jump but not early enough to land a combo so do this instead.
If your opponent blocks this you're pretty screwed (see a pattern forming
yet?) so make sure you hit with it. It is possible to combo off this move.
Oh yeah, you have to do it before you reach the peak of your jump
- Pscho Sheild -
I like this move.. theoretically, you should never be gaurd crushed if you
use this move right. Juni pushes her opponent back XvSF style, except a lot
farther back. Almost full screen even. Use this if your opponent is all
over you to give you some room to breathe. The one main problem with the
pycho sheild is that it's hard to do. You have to do it the INSTANT you
block. Doesn't sound that hard, but it is. Practice makes perfect.
- Hooligan Roll -
This move is awesome yet very crappy at the same time.. It starts up slow,
and you turn into a flying target.
-> Razor Edge Slicer - Juni does a sliding low kick. No real use.
-> Fatal Leg Twister - Juni does a frankensteiner..
-> Cross Scissor Pressure - The bomb! This move kicks ass. It's damn
hard to connect with, but if you do it's well worth it. This is Juni's
most damaging special. It takes off more than a spinning piledriver!
Possibly the most damaging special in the game (besides Balrog's final
punch). You CAN'T get this on a ducking opponent, Juni will do the fatal
leg twister instead. Also, she can't do it on herself either (in a
Juni/Juni match). It doesn't matter if she's ducking or standing, you'll
always get the fatal leg twister. If your opponent is in the air however
(ANY opponent), you'll always get the cross scissor pressure. But it's
hard to incorporate into juggles. So if you wanna get this move (believe
me.. you do) you either have to be very lucky, or very smart. :)
- Earth Direct Bomb -
Juni's special throw. The range is poor (about the same as Honda's
buttofucko), and the damage isn't amazing either. But this should still be
one of the main weapons in your arsenal. Jab has the most range and the
least damage while fierce is vice versa (as with all special throws). This
should be use often, whenever your opponent blocks to loosen them up.
- Falling Arc -
Just an overhead.. The only special thing about it is that it hardly pushes
you out at all.
- Super Combos
--------------
- Psycho Streak -
Juni does a salute, and Bison appears in front of her (about 1 character
width) and does a psycho crusher. This is your ace in the hole. Use this
move wisely and you'll love it. Not much use in combos (since her other
super does more damage), but good nonetheless. It can't be air blocked,
and is very quick. DO NOT use this on the fly, as the lag time is horrible.
If they block it, Juni stays in the salute pose for about 2 seconds totally
vulnerable. You have to bait your opponent into eating this, which shouldn't
be too hard. If they jump from afar, do it. If they throw a fireball, do
it. If you know they're going to attack, do it. Don't do it in front of
your opponent, because Bison will appear BEHIND your opponent and you'll
whiff.
- Spin Drive Smasher -
Juni does a cannon arrow, followed by a canon spike. A decent super.. The
damage is good, and priority is decent. Best used in combos and to snuff
close attacks. As with all supers level 1 has the least priority while
level 3 has the most. I'm not sure if this goes through fireballs (I doubt
it).
==========
3.STRATEGY
==========
First of all, let me explain my playing style. I don't throw at all. NEVER.
Around here, throws are cosidered cheap. Except if your opponent is totally
open to ANY attack. So you won't find any ticking strategy here. Special
throws however, are fair game. The same goes for air throws. My reasoning
is that if you can win without throws, you are a better player. Also, I
like to take risks. I could play totally defensive, never leaving myself
open but I find that boring.. After all, it's a PSX game. It's not like
you're in the arcade with money on the line. I can lose 10 matches in a row
and still be happy as long as I have good matches.
- Basic Strategy
----------------
With Juni, you want to always be on the go.. Stick and move, stick and move.
Her offense isn't amazing so most of the time you'll be trying to bait your
opponent in and snag that counter hit. Always charge when you can. Dance
in and out of range poking with her ducking strong, ducking forward and
occasionnally her standing roundhouse. If they jump, hit them with the
standing strong. You have to throw it out a bit early so they sort of land
on it. Watch for patterns (obviously) and exploit them the best way you can.
Don't be afraid to try a hooligan roll every now and then, because if you
manage to land the cross scissor pressure, it's TOTALLY worth it. If you
do jump in, and you think your opponent will try to hit you, snuff it with
her jumping strong. Whenever close ALWAYS grab them with the earth direct
bomb.
- Advanced Strategy
-------------------
ok.. the good stuff.
- when poking, try a ducking forward that pushes you just out of range.
Keep hold back-down to get that charge. If your opponent jumps, cannon
spike his ass. If he tosses a fireball, psycho streak or jump in for
combo. If he walks back, stay there.. Juni can still hurt her opponent
from full screen with the psycho streak.
- when feeling offensive, poke with that ducking strong! great move..
if they block your jump-in, do a ducking strong, wait a sec.. then
another ducking strong. This should beat any counter attack. Don't get
too preditable though. Mix up her ducking jab, ducking short, ducking
strong and ducking forward. Here's an example.. You jump in, they block.
Do a ducking light, then a jab, then a strong, then a forward. If you time
it right, your opponent should have a hard time getting out of it. Leave
out the ducking forward sometimes as well, because your opponent might try
to hit it. And if you ever connect with a jab, short, or strong, cancel it
into her roundhouse cannon spike, or her spin drive smasher. After pushing
them away with normal attacks, always look to see if your opponent is going
to attack. If they do, bang! Psycho streak their ass.
- Use the mach slide to escape, and the psycho sheild to push away. These
two moves can piss off your opponent to no end. If they jump, mach slide
underneath. They'll probably jump again.. snag em with the air throw,
or take them out with a straight up jump forward or a jumping strong. You
could even mach slide underneath them again. Try to have cotrol of the
match. YOU decide when you want the opponent close, or on the other side
of the screen. If your opponent won't get away from you, or you're about
to be gaurd crushed, psycho sheild his ass away. They'll most likely come
straight back at you with a jump, in which case mach slide underneath.
Piss 'em off.. They'll make more mistakes that way.
- If you can predict a fireball, you can do many things.. Jump in for combo
(boring :), mach slide through it and earth direct bomb, or if you're really
good, hooligan roll over it for a cross scissor pressure.
- After poking a bit, jump away and see what your opponent does.. If they
jump, nail them with a psycho streak. If they throw a fireball, jump over
for combo (if you're close enough) or psycho streak. If they jump and you
don't have a level, jump up/away and do her air cannon arrow.
- Here are some ways to land the earth direct bomb..
Do a high jumping strong, land and earth direct bomb.
Do a close overhead, then earth direct bomb.
A close standing short, jab earth direct bomb (yes, the range is THAT
crappy that you have to do the jab version)
Jump attack, walk forward, stand short, duck short into short mach slide,
earth direct bomb.
Jump attack, walk forward, earth direct bomb. (Hard! Because of Juni's
ground speed, doing an earth direct bomb from standing position requires
precise thumb/stick movement).
If you knock your opponnent down, mach slide to their body as they get up,
earth direct bomb (be careful of wake ups).
As a wake up move.
After a high hitting cannon strike
- I'm sure you already know how to bait a wake up dragon punch. Do it. (duh)
- escape from vega's wall leap with a mach slide.. rendering it useless.
Also use it to escape from R.Mika's dageki super (when she goes to the top
rope). It's a good idea to use it on ANY super your opponent tries to
guard crush you with, or to kill you with block damage.
- If you block a multihit super that has little or no recovery, psycho sheild
it away, and THEN hit them. It's a good idea to psycho sheild these types
of supers (charlie's crossfire blitz, guy's kick super, etc..) away anyways
just to protect from guard crushes and save block damage.
- Also note that her alpha counter sucks ass.. all you do is a mach slide.
Not worth the level of meter and block of guard meter.. Just do a psycho
sheild instead.
- here are some techniques using the hooligan roll...
Jump attack, duck strong into strong hooligan roll.
If you knock them down, hooligan roll at them as they get up.. watch out
for supers. You could even do it early and cancel the roll to block the
wake up.
After a counter hit cannon spike close to the corner. If your opponent
flips out you can grab them.
if you manage to counterhit them with a standing fierce next to the corner,
cancel it into the hooligan roll for big damage.
If you do connect with the cross scissor pressure next to the corner, try
it again as soon as you land.. or you could do a forward mach slide and
earth direct bomb your opponent as they get up.
Most of all, DON'T telegraph the hooligan roll.. it's bad enough that you
slowly curl into a ball. Try not to go mad on the joystick and give it
away before it even comes out.
- Counter Strategy
------------------
You should get counterhits a lot.. if you use the strong right. If you
get a counter hit with the standing strong (anti-air), walk forward and try
a standing fierce, then a roundhouse. If you get a counterhit with her
ducking strong (happens a lot), do another in spin drive smasher, or even a
sweep will work. As I said before in my Blanka FAQ, it's hard to describe
every situation but always look for the counter hit and take advantage of it.
experiment and find out what techniques work best for you. One thing to try
is with the pschyo streak. If you counterhit with her standing strong,
do a psycho streak and time in so they land on it. You can even do it after
a counterhit cannon spike, but you have to keep your charge by going to
up-back and pressing kick when you do then cannon spike. You opponent also
has to flip out (don't worry, they most likely will).
- Combo Strategy
----------------
First off, I want to talk about supers.. When Juni has a level, she is a lot
more dangerous than without. You pretty much ALWAYS want to have a level.
Doing a level 3 spin drive smasher is pretty tempting in a combo.. but having
that psycho streak is also something to think about, especially at the end
of the match. Super management should always be something to think about.
Now for the combos..
Jump roundhouse, ducking strong, spin drive smasher (any level)
This is your bread and butter combo. Learn it. Her ducking strong is so
quick that you can do 2 of them before the super, but it's a lot harder.
Jump roundhouse, ducking strong, roundhouse cannon spike.
Use this if you don't have a level.. be wary though. The cannon spike can
miss if you're not close enough.
Jump roundhouse, standing fierce, pyscho streak.
Not really practical, but cool nonetheless.
And that's about it.. :) Juni isn't much of a combo character. You could
always replace the strongs with standing fierce's for style and damage, but
it isn't really worth it.
===============
4.MISCELLANEOUS
===============
- Colors
--------
You can pick 6 different colors regardless of what -ism you use.
I will also list Bison's colors. Note: her tie and hair are always orange.
Square - Dark (almost black) green outfit, dark red gloves, black boots.
Bison - Bluish purple outfit, gold armor, pink psycho crusher. (hyper colors?)
X - Purple outfit, red gloves, black boots.
Bison - Green outfit, gold armor, light green psycho crusher (CE colors?)
Triangle - Light black (maybe blue?) outfit, red gloves, black boots.
Bison - Red outfit, metal colored armor, light purple psycho crusher (classic)
Circle - Dark red outfit, red gloves, black boots.
Bison - Purple outfit, gold armor, light green psycho crusher.
R1 - Light blue outfit, pink gloves, black boots
Bison - Grey outfit, light blue armor, light blue psycho crusher (gross)
R2 - Bright red outfit, pink gloves, dark red boots.
Bison - White outfit, light blue gauntlets and shoulder pads, dull blue
armor, light green psycho crusher.
- Win Poses
-----------
- Ending
--------
To be honest, I have no idea what is going on.. Bison's dead, and Juni looks
mortified. Then (of course) Charlie comes and the place gets nuked. When
I get the english version I'll put her ending in the next update. It's a
good ending nonetheless, with a fair bit of original artwork.
- Rant
------
Ok.. So you've read this guide, practiced for countless hours, and still
find yourself losing matches with Juni. Hey, I never said that you'd win! :)
Seriously though, Juni isn't top-tier material. If you're looking for the
win, go pick V-ism Akuma or Z-ism Gen. At least you're learning a new
character, and (hopefully) having fun doing it. That's the only reason I
pick Juni. She can hold her own against the other street fighters if played
right, and I have a laugh while doing it. Best of all, If you DO slaughter
all your opponents with Juni, you can say, "Ha! I can even beat you with
JUNI!" :)
Anyhow, this FAQ must come to an end. If you have any questions, comments,
complaints, etc.. (pretty much anything) email me. PLEASE! ^_^ This is my
3rd FAQ attempt and I've only recieved 1 solitary email.
oh yes.. I forgot..
*OBLIGITORY ANTI-SHOTO RANT*
If you only pick Ryu, Ken, or Akuma, you're a scrub. Practically EVERYBODY
is good with the shoto's. Whoppeeee.. you can do a dragon punch. wow.
But can you use Gen? I thought not. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's
true. It's not wrong to use these characters, but for gawd's sake! Pick
someone else for once! Mix it up! You'll get *so* much better at the game
by learning different characters, strategies, and weaknesses. There's plenty
of FAQs to help you along the way as well. So if you, or someone you know
thinks that Ryu is the only character in the game, encourage them to use
someone else.
*OBLIGITORY ANTI-SHOTO RANT*
well, that rant shouldn't apply to you because after all, this -IS- a Juni
FAQ you're reading. Anyhow, spread the word. ;)
