______________ ___ _____________ ________ ____ | \ / \ | | | | / / | ______ \ / \ | _________| | | / / | / \ | / \ | | | | / / | \______/ | / __ \ | | | | / / | / / / \ \ | |________ | |__/ / | / / /____\ \ | | | / | | / ___ \ | | | | | \ / / \ \ | _________| | __ \ | ______ \ / / \ \ | | | | \ \ | / \ | / / \ \ | | | | \ \ | \______/ | / / \ \ | |________ | | \ \ | / / / \ \ | | | | \ \ | / / / \ \ | | | | \ \ |____________/ /______/ \______\ |____________| |_______| \____\ THE ULTIMATE FLAMINGO FAQ. v.2.0 Written by: Derek Tikkuri supertick2005@yahoo.com AOL Instant Messenger: BangeeTick Tekken Zaibatsu/Electric Cancel forum name: Tick Last updated: 8/15/01 ------------------------------------------------------------ LEGAL STUFF This FAQ may not be reproduced or sold under any condition without my E-mail concent. Feel free to distribute this FAQ among other Tekkenites as much as you want, but please don't take credit for it as your own. If this FAQ is quoted, be sure to mention my name. I'm not gonna go chasing you if you don't, but be generous. So bottom line, don't make any money off of this or pretend you wrote it. However, Tekken, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament, and Tekken 4 are all registered trademarks of Namco Inc. This FAQ has to official affiliation with Namco or the Tekken series. All characters listed are registered trademarks as well. ------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Move Analysis III. Basic Flamingo Canceling IV. Left Kicks Out of Flamingo V. The Flamingo Throw VI. Advanced Flamingo Techniques & Strategies VII. Wavedash Mix-ups VIII. Overall Strategies IX. Curtain Call ------------------------------------------------------------ I. INTRODUCTION Baek is, by far, the most complicated character in the game as far as execution goes. Sure, you got your wavedashing Mishimas who cancel into WS+2 and all that, but Baek has the whole wavedash game and much more with Flamingo cancels. I picked up Baek back in November of 2000 and am now just catching onto the exact execution of the Flamingo stance. Now I understand that Tekken Tag is just about dead with Tekken 4 arriving shortly, but I feel I have to let this all go so Baek doesn't remain a mystery to everybody. It seems as if all things I see dealing with Baek have to do with a question, so I'm here to try to create a reference guide so if anybody ever needs to know how to do something, they can check here and not have to bother other people. Remember, this FAQ is created for people who know how to play the game and already know the basics of Baek, but want to go deeper. If you're just starting out, I suggest you check out either Battousai's or Columbo's FAQ, also located on Tekken Zaibatsu. Thanks for reading and I truly hope you get something out of this. ------------------------------------------------------------ II. MOVE ANALYSIS In this chapter I will go over Baek's moves which I think have some sort of relevance. I won't put down an entire move list here because if you don't know his move list, this isn't the right FAQ for you. 1,1 Baek's standard poke. Leaves you with a ridiculous frame advantage both on regular and CH. A throw is NOT guaranteed after a CH on this move even though frame advantage would lead you to believe so. The throw can be ducked, but mix it up with d/f+4,4 and you should be fine. 1,2 This is the basic string starter. 1,2,3~f is safe if it connects and you can go into many things from there. Use this when you have a 10-13 frame advantage, but don't get it blocked too often. 1,2,3,3,4,4,3 This is in my opinion Baek's best kick string. It fits in well with any poking string you may have going and ends with the infamous Albatross, although the first right kick his high. Play around with delays and cancels for a full affect. 3,3,4,4,3 I personally don't like this combo as much as the one above because people seem to catch on to the strings easier when there's no punches out in front to throw them off. Once again, play around with delays and cancels. CD_WS+4,4,3 Baek's best move. The Albatross is all guaranteed after the first hit and does 39 damage. The crouch dash variation is good for punishing whiffed moves at a distance. Don't cancel too often if the first two hits are blocked because you'll be open to lots of punishment. An 8-frame jab will trade hits with the third if blocked. d/f+4,4,3 A different variation of the Albatross, the first two hits of this move are guaranteed, but the third one isn't on regular or counter hit. However, the first two hits do 40 damage points, one more than the entire Albatross combo. So if you have a 12-13 frame advantage, throw this out. Feel free to cancel the last hit since there isn't much risk as long as the first two connect. d/f+1 This can be your best friend. It hits in 13 frames, cancels cleanly out of Flamingo, and goes well with Baek's attacking rhythm. Abuse it when in close. d/f+2 This move hits in 14 frames and is Baek's most reliable launcher. Safe when blocked and leads to standard juggles. Poke with some high punches and then unleash this. It works well against jab-happy Mishimas since it goes under most high moves. 3,3,3,4 Don't use this move if you can help it. Only morons will get hit by the stun at the end, and not too many morons play Tekken anymore. 3,3,3,d+4 Actually a safe move if the opponent doesn't parry it like they should. Leaves you at -8 when blocked, so no big juggle starters will hit if this combo doesn't hit. Follow up with an u/f+3+4 if the last kick connects by some chance. u/f+3+4 This is one of my favorite moves. It hits in only 15 frames and has high priority over most attacks. It's hard to counter this move, and even if they do, you'll already be airborne. Safe when blocked, but I wouldn't mess around with going into FLA too much afterwards. f,f+4 is guaranteed afterwards whether they hold B or not, but you have to be quick. Your best bet is to crouch dash up and go for mix-ups. d+4,3,3,[d+3_3] I use this move a lot more than most people. If you finish the combo enough, the cancel is relatively safe. The first three hits are all guaranteed if the d+4 connects on a counter hit. Best used in okizeme. d/b+4 Best ground-hitting move. This usually re-grounds the opponent so they can't techroll, which makes this better than f,f+4 in my opinion. It's also 1 frame quicker and does 2 more damage points. f+4,3 I don't find myself using this move too often since it's so slow, but I do remember delaying the second hit and getting the stun out of it. Worth a shot. d+3,3,[n+3_3] I don't use this move too often. The last hit is easy to block, and the only time you might want to give it a spin is to start it right before somebody tags out. That way the second hit just might catch the partner as they come in with a CH, but that's not very dependable. Try using this move only in juggles, okizeme, or at the opponent's back, where all three hits are guaranteed. b+1 The built-in sidestep right allows you to get a quadruple sidestep by doing SSR, b+3, SSR, b+1. This will most likely hit and lead to hit opportunities like d+4,3 or 1,1. A good starter for poking strings. b+2 Although this move isn't as useful since it doesn't go with a Flamingo sidestep, a CH b+2 leads to a free d+3,3,n+3 or d+4,3,3. This doesn't always seem to connect since you may be a little bit off-axis at times. If your lucky, d+4,3,3 will ground the opponent, leading to some more wicked okizeme with a Flamingo cancel. b+4 I use this move against Ling a lot and any other character who likes to move around. Leaves you with a bit of advantage but ironically spaces perfectly for a crouch dash Albatross. 4<4 This move can be abused a lot as well. Use the delay for a quick lure. 1,2,3,4 This is a good quick poking move for taking off a little life. When mixed up well, the low kick is never blocked. WS+3,4,4,3 This move rocks. It's all guaranteed on CH for 61 damage, and even if it doesn't all connect you can delay the last two hits if you want and cancel into Flamingo. Works well when you cancel from a crouch dash. WS+3,3,4 I don't use this move too much since it's real easy to see, but it's actually quite safe if blocked and not parried. If it hits on CH, all 3 hits are guaranteed and you get a free u/f+3+4 on axis. Follow that up with a f,f+4 for a 76 damage combo. u/f+2 I probably don't use this move as much as I should. It leaves you +6 on block and +14 on CH, leaving you with a free d/f+4. u/f+3,4,3 This is a move I usually avoid. There's usually better options than this, but if this is what comes to mind after a whiffed move than go for it. d+4,3,3 doesn't connect after the first two, so don't bother with it. ------------------------------------------------------------ III. BASIC FLAMINGO CANCELING Very few people understand the depth of the Flamingo Stance. Rarely will you find a Baek player who correctly utilizes FLA to dominate an opponent. I myself have not yet mastered the movement, but I consider myself to be pretty good, especially compared to the majority of Baek players who think they know all about this stance. Here are the basics of FLA: All moves without a f,f or u/b, u, or u/f input can be done out of Flamingo stance with the exception of f+4. Canceling into moves is actually quite simple. Any move can be done while holding forward and then circling to the desired direction quickly. Example #1: I want to cancel 1,2,3 into d/b+4. Notation: F+1,2,3, d/f,d,d/b+4 Once you get the timing down pat, you can cut the stick straight towards d/b if you're fast enough and still pull off the move. Example #2: I want to enter Flamingo using b+3 and then go into his d+4,3,3... string. Notation: b+3, F, d/f,d+4,3,3... Using forward is the best way for beginners to learn canceling. However, holding back works just as well. Referring to Example #2: Notation: b+3, n, b,d/b,d+4,3,3... Never going forwards runs the risk of hopping back before attacking, which results in far less range. I suggest holding forward first even if you do know the timing of the cancels well enough. Using b+3 for quick Flamingo canceling can seem tough at first, but it's a breeze compared to the advanced stuff. See Advanced Flamingo Canceling for more on that. ------------------------------------------------------------ IV. LEFT KICKS OUT OF FLAMINGO STANCE Now this is where it gets a little bit more tricky. In order to perform a 3, d/f+3, or d+3 out of Flamingo, we cannot let go of 3. Doing so will not let us do one of those three left kicks until we enter Flamingo again. So let's go to another example. Example #3: I want to cancel the crouch-dash Albatross into flamingo, and then into the snake kicks. Notation: CD+4,4,[3]~f, d/f,d+4,3,n+3. Here's an explanation of everything we did in the last example: we canceled the Albatross using forward and held 3. Then we did a quarter circle down and hit 4 while still holding 3, and then continued the rest of the string like we normally would. Once again, when you get the timing down you can cut the stick straight to down without having to directly pass through the diagonals. Example #4: I want to cancel the punches into Flamingo and then a left kick string. Notation: 1,2,[3]~[f], 4,3,3,4 Here, we canceled the punches into Flamingo and held 3 AND forward this time. While holding both, we then hit right kick and out came the standard left kick. Pushing 3,3,4 then continues the string of butterfly kicks. There is actually a way to buffer the three even though you let go of left kick just after going into Flamingo stance, although it's not 100% that you'll get it. Example #5: I didn't hold left kick as I went into Flamingo and want to perform the snake kicks without exiting Flamingo. Notation: b+3, f, u, d~[3], f,d/f,d+4,3,n+3 By pressing and holding left kick at exactly the right time during a Flamingo stance, you won't perform FLA 3. Usually this works best immediately out of a sidestep, but you may not always get it to work. With a little practice you might, though. ------------------------------------------------------------ V. FLAMINGO THROW Hopefully now that we've got the move cancels down pat, we can move onto the Flamingo throw. Now the throw can be done anytime we're in FLA. You don't need to be holding a button or a direction At anytime while standing in Flamingo, you can hold forward and press 2~3. If you've done it right, the throw will come out. You don't have to press 2~3 at the same time as forward or anything, just as long as you're holding it. Practice a little and this will probably be the easiest thing to do out of Flamingo. Example: I want to cancel the Baek Rush into the Flamingo throw. Notation: d+4,3,3,3~[f], 2~3 You can even let go of forward and re-press it at a different time and still get the throw out. I personally think that the FLA throw wasn't meant to be. If you notice, pressing f+2~3 in basic standing position will still give you the throw by canceling the backfist. Now look closely at the animation for the FLA throw and you'll see that Baek starts the backfist but cancels into the throw. So the reason f+2+3 can't be done out of FLA is because Namco doesn't truly want you to be able to throw out of Flamingo. Maybe they did afterall, but I'm skeptical. It's just one of the many mysteries of Baek Doo San... ------------------------------------------------------------ VI. ADVANCED FLAMINGO STRATEGIES & TECHNIQUES This chapter is here for those who are going for pure style. A lot of these techniques are good and can be used effectively in gameplay, but others are just for flash and probably won't work in any kind of high level play. But practicing a lot of these can really make any other Flamingo canceling seem simple. Technique #1: Triple sidestep into OB snake kicks When I think of advanced Flamingo techniques, this is always the first that comes to mind. It's a little hard to do at first but once you get the hang of it you could be landing it quite often. Notation: SSR, b+[3], SSR, f,d/f,d+4,3,n+3 If done correctly, you will circle around to the opponent's back, hopefully avoiding an attack in the process, and get the free snake kicks at the back. Once you get the opponent in the air, you can do f+3,(3),3,4 from any angle to finish off a juicy 68-damage juggle. Be aware of what side of the screen you're on after doing this, since it's very likely you could be facing the other way than when you started the triple sidestep. Technique #2: Hopping around in Flamingo to FLA throw This is actually quite easy but it's cheesy and works a lot. Notation: b+3, (hop around), [f], 2~3 What looks like helpless hopping on one foot can be used as a lure for the throw. Hwoarang isn't able to get out of FLA as easy as Baek and people often mistake a Baek player in FLA as being stuck there, but as we all know this is not the case. If you do the throw when people aren't expecting it, it doesn't get broken as often. Technique #3: The insanely fast Flashing Halberd This is so safe and catches so many people it could be the best and easiest trick out of Flamingo. Notation: b+[3], (hop around), f,n,4 Tapping f,n,4 or b,n,4 while in Flamingo and holding left kick will perform the Flashing Halberd, the basic [u/f]+3+4 move. This moves seems to come out faster than most other Flamingo moves and it's good for catching people not expecting it. Technique #4: Laying those jab-happy Mishimas to rest This is a good punch parry trick both against Mishimas and anybody with an 8-frame jab trying to knock you out of Flamingo. Notation: Any FLA entrance, b+1+2 Pressing b+1+2 as soon as you cancel Flamingo from any string will successfully parry any jab attempt thrown at you. Say if you did CD+4,4,3~f, b+1+2, even if the opponent blocked the first two hits, their punch will still be caught by the parry. This is why the majority of top-level players will do a kick as Baek comes to a move he can cancel into Flamingo and prepare a stun escape if indeed he does finish the string. If you go right ahead with the non-delayed Albatross, an 8-frame jab, including a d+1 will trade hits with the last kick, making it completely safe save a few points to may take from a measly jab. Technique #5: The infinite punch parry Don't use this unless you're feeling cocky for the day...it's good fun but I don't recommend it if you're serious about winning. Notation: b+1+2~B, b+1+2~B, b+1+2~B, etc. This is what I use as a taunt. Just keep doing the punch parry from Flamingo over and over until the opponent attacks. It serves the same purpose as a taunt and is pretty fun too. Okay, now these are just a few advanced techniques you can try out, but there are many more you can figure out on your own. Anything to do with canceling after lots of movement can be considered advanced. You'd be surprised how many people know so little about Baek and are real impressed by it. I think if a lot of people realized how easy many of his cancels are, they wouldn't have the same amount of respect for Baek. So try keeping most of it a secret if you're really into people being impressed with your play. ------------------------------------------------------------ VII. WAVEDASH MIX-UPS If you're a Mishima player, chances are you'll adapt to Baek easier than others. Wavedashing can be done with Baek like any Mishima, and he has plenty of mix-ups out of it to keep it interesting. Here's a list of possible moves. Of course theoretically, anything can be done out of a wavedash but these are the ones that seem to flow the most. High: WS+3,4,4,3 Mid: CD+3 WS+4,4,3 f,f+3 d/f+2 d/f+4,4 d/b+4 WS+1 Low: d+4,3,3... d+3,3,[3_n+3] Throw: f,f+2 f+2~3 d/b+1+3 His mix-ups may not be the best, but put in enough throws and you'll be sure to catch somebody off-guard. ------------------------------------------------------------ VIII. OVERALL STRATEGIES Baek is meant to be played as an unpredictable character. While Tekken is based on unpredictability, few characters rely on it as much as Baek does. You always have to remember to mix up his delays and cancels as much as possible to be effective. Baek is a good character for pitbulls, but he also has enough solid moves to play at a slower pace. Top level Baek players such as Seok stay back and wait for you to make an offensive mistake, but at times he'll dash in and do a quick Flamingo mix-up to keep you on your toes. Of course he wins a lot, but most players aren't good enough to play at that pace and still win. Players like Free Baek (Team TKV) play a perfect mix of spacing and then attacking, while others rush most of the match. My own style is a mix of Free Baek and something comparable to what you see in RedfooT videos where he uses Baek. I'll play a slow game at times and try to get the opponent to mess up, and other times I unleash attack strings that won't let up until somebody's lifebar is gone. Free Baek comes in and rushes with safe moves, but RedfooT uses a mix of sidestepping defensively and somewhat risky offensive moves. String example: 1,2,3~f, d+4,3, d/f+1, 1,2,3,3,4<4<3 The above string has good pokes, but ends in a string that is normally considered an ender. Lots of people will expect you to cancel after doing so once or twice beforehand and may get caught with the stun at the end. Example #2: CD+4,4,3~f, d+1, WS+3,4<4<3~f, d+4,3,3,3~[f], 2~3 This string has three cancels ending with the FLA throw. The best way to impress people is throw in a delay or two here and there and then end with the big throw. Example #3: 1,2,3~f, 1,1, d/f+1, d/f+4,4,3~f, b+1, u/f+3+4 This is one set-up I use for u/f+3+4 (trust me, there's plenty). It's also fun to end with a punch parry instead of the b+1. As much as you may be against it, doing strings you already have in your mind can be smart. Reacting to what the opponent is doing is real hard with Baek, so realizing what may catch somebody not thinking beforehand can be your best bet. Notice the lack of low moves in the strings. This might require you to stop halfway through and throw if it works. As with any character who lacks good low moves, throws are vital to your game. And don't forget about 1,2,3~f, FLA d+3. If you ever need to take off that last little bit of life, this is the move to do it with. Using FLA d+3 can be really good for pissing your opponent off and throwing in a little poke when needed. A good defensive Baek player basically knows what to use in whatever situation he may find himself in. Moves like 1,1, 2,2 d/f+2, d/f+4,4, CD+4,4,3, u/f+3+4, and CD+3 are great for punishing blocked or whiffed moves. Use a throw if the frame advantage is somewhere in the 3-10 range if you feel it's appropriate. d+1 can also lead into custom strings, but if you plan on staying defensive, this isn't the move you want. Here's a quick list of the aforementioned moves used for punishment. 1,1 = 13 10 frames 2,2 = 33 10 frames d/f+2 = 15 + juggle 14 frames d/f+4,4 = 40 12 frames CD+4,4,3 = 39 11 frames u/f+3+4 = 24 + follow-up 15 frames CD+3 = 25 + juggle 23 frames ------------------------------------------------------------ IX. CURTAIN CALL The main objective of this FAQ was to not only help people create a better Baek, but to understand him better seeing as very few people know his depth. Now I know I waited too long to do this seeing as Tekken 4 is coming out the week of writing this. However, seeing as it won't be on Playstation 2 until 2002 I figured this might keep people busy and help them learn one of the deepest yet misunderstood characters in the game. I hope you have taken something from this and broadened your Tekken horizons a little bit. Thanks to all who read, I really appreciate somebody who reads this in an attempt to learn something. And to all Midwest people who I may not have met during the year of Tekken Tag Tournament, I hope to see all of you around the country at future Tekken 4 tournies. ------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL THANKS TO: Castel - for making Tekken Zaibatsu what it is and bringing together so many great Tekken players. Catlord - for creating the basic Tekken FAQ format and concept. Error227.!? - for telling me Baek is the best character in the game and making sure I stuck with him. Team WI - for giving me competition the rare times I traveled to Milwaukee and not making fun of me TOO bad. FreeBaek - for playing Baek to his full potential on Korean TV. RedfooT - for using a style similar to what I've molded my own Baek into. Everybody whose ever given me props on my Baek - It always gives me a good feeling when somebody is impressed by my gameplay. The whole experience isn't the same without anybody to appreciate the work you've put into it. You can never hear "good shit" too much it seems. Everybody whose called me an asshole - you guys make me realize the flaws in my personality. I'm sorry if I offended anybody over the past year. :-) ------------------------------------------------------------ UPDATE HISTORY v.2.0 (8/15/01) First two chapters done from scratch, Advanced Flamingo Strategies & Techniques re-done and Overall Strategies added. No more radical future updates. v.1.2 (8/10/01) FAQ finished, but computer catches virus and crashes! v.1.0 (8/9/01) Thrown together rather quickly and sent. Hoping to update as soon as tomorrow.