=========================================================================== Tekken Tag Tournament Julia/Michelle Chang Guide -- v3.0 Date: 5/21/2000 Written by: Patrick Martin "PM" =========================================================================== Note ---- This should be displayed in monospace format. The dots and numbers should line up. .......... 1234567890 //---------------// // Legal Stuff // //---------------// Tekken and its characters are the property of Namco. This guide was written by me. I am not affiliated with Namco, and this guide is not official in any way. I just wrote this guide because I wanted to share some information to other Chang players like myself. You may distribute this guide as long as you do not modify this guide and/or you do not charge money for it. Lying, cheating, and stealing are evil! //-------------------// // Version History // //-------------------// v3.0 -- 5/21/2000 Added more combos. Added a section about some move inputs (called "Stick Tips"). Added a section about Julia vs. Michelle. Corrected some errors. (e.g., Arm Lock Suplex escape, low parry adv.) Revised some descriptions and ratings. Rewrote section about Good/Tag Partners. v2.0 -- 2/21/2000 Added more combos. Added more people to the credits. Expanded Michelle section. Fixed some more grammar errors. Removed character specific strategies. (May add them back later.) Restructured the guide. Revised or rewrote some descriptions. v1.1 -- 12/4/1999 Fixed some grammar and spacing errors. v1.0 -- 12/3/1999 First release. =========================================================================== Part I: Conventions 1. Legend 2. Stick Tips Part II: Julia 1. Overview 1.1. About Julia 1.2. Strengths 1.3. Weaknesses 2. Movelist 3. Move analysis 3.1. Basic moves 3.2. Jumping moves 3.3. Throws 3.4. Special moves 3.5. Tenstrings 4. Combos 4.1. Stand-alone combos 4.2. Tag combos 5. General Strategies 5.1. Defense 5.2. Sidestep 5.3. Throwing 5.4. Poking 5.5. Okizeme 5.6. Chicken 5.7. Supercharger Tricks 6. Tag Partners Part III: Michelle 1. Overview 1.1. About Michelle 1.2. Strengths 1.3. Weaknesses 2. Movelist 3. Move analysis 3.1. Basic moves 3.2. Jumping moves 3.3. Throws 3.4. Special moves 3.5. Tenstrings 4. Combos 4.1. Stand-alone combos 4.2. Tag combos 5. General Strategies 5.1. Defense 5.2. Sidestep 5.3. Throwing 5.4. Poking 5.5. Okizeme 5.6. Chicken 5.7. Supercharger Tricks 6. Tag Partners Part IV: Miscellaneous 1. Julia or Michelle 1.1. Advantages of Julia 1.2. Advantages of Michelle 2. Tag Class 2 Juggles Part V: Credits =========================================================================== PART I: Conventions =========================================================================== //---------------// // 1.1. Legend // //---------------// Stick/Button Layout ------------------- \ | / (1) (2) (5) - O - / | \ (3) (4) Buttons ------- 1 = Left Punch 2 = Right Punch 3 = Left Kick 4 = Right Kick 5 = Tag Stick Movements --------------- f = Tap forward (toward opponent) F = Hold forward b = Tap back (away from opponent) B = Hold back u = Tap up U = Hold up d = Tap down D = Hold down uf = Tap up/forward diagonal UF = Hold up/forward diagonal ub = Tap up/back diagonal UB = Hold up/back diagonal df = Tap down/forward diagonal DF = Hold down/forward diagonal db = Tap down/back diagonal DB = Hold down/back diagonal N = Move stick to neutral QCF = Quarter circle forward (d,df,f) QCB = Quarter circle back (d,db,b) HCF = Half circle forward (b,db,d,df,f) HCB = Half circle back (f,df,d,db,b) Conditions ---------- BK = While your back is turned to your opponent. CH = Move only works if it connects on a counterhit. (i.e., hit the opponent during his or her move execution.) FC = While crouched fully. RN = While running. SS = While sidestepping. SSL = While sidestepping to your left. SSR = While sidestepping to your right. WS = While standing up from a crouch. Command Links ------------- + = Do the commands before and after '+' simultaneously. ~ = Do next command immediately after the previous command. , = Do next command quickly after the previous command. < = Next command is delayable. _ = Do either previous command or next command. Hit Levels ---------- h = Move hits high. m = Move hits mid. M = Move hits mid and grounded opponents. l = Move hits low. L = Move hits low and grounded opponents. s = Move hits special mid (i.e., can be blocked high or low). U = Move is unblockable. T = Move is a throw or throw-like move. " = Tenstring break point. Special Hit Properties ---------------------- CS = Crumple stun DS = Double over stun GB = Guard breaker JG = Launches opponent Tag = Tag is bufferable; if move hits, partner can tag in. c = CH modifier. Effect happens if move counterhits. (e.g., JGc = launches opponent only on counterhit.) Character Size -------------- big = Ganryu, Gun Jack, Jack-2, Kuma/Panda, P.Jack, and True Ogre. heavy = All the big characters plus Ogre and Moku/Tetsujin when it imitates a big character. normal = All other characters who are not heavy. Frame Data ---------- F.Hit = Number of execution frames before attack hits. B.Adv = Attacker's frame advantage if attack is blocked. H.Adv = Attacker's frame advantage if attack hits normally. C.Adv = Attacker's frame advantage if attack counterhits. KD = Stuns, launches, or otherwise knockdowns the opponent. Tag Launchers/Juggles --------------------- class 1 = Launches very high; nearly any move can connect after this. (e.g., Devil's SS+2; Hwoarang's f,N,d,df+4.) class 2 = Launches to normal height; a high jab can connect after this. (e.g., Changs' 1~1,1; Mishimas' WGF.) class 3 = Launches to low height; some fast moves can connect after this. (e.g., Changs' f+1; Devil's df+1,2.) class 4 = Class 3 launcher that cannot be techrolled after landing. (e.g., Paul's FC,DF+2,2.) //-------------------// // 1.2. Stick Tips // //-------------------// Below are tips on some of the stick motions required by some of the Changs' important moves. If you have trouble doing moves like the Changs' Rapid Counters or Julia's Cross Arm Suplex (or even other characters' moves such as Lee's Blazing Kick), or have trouble doing five or more elbows in a juggle, look here. * f,F (or f,F#) -- "dash buffering" ----------------------------------- All moves with the stick input f,f, such as the Changs' f,f+1, can be done with f,F. In addition, you can hold the stick after the second forward tap for a fraction of a second before you need to press the button(s). This will cause your character to run a short distance before the move execution. Obviously, the distance this short run covers effectively increases the range of the move. In this guide, this technique will be referred to as "dash buffering". For the Changs, dash buffering is important because it gives their Party Crasher more reach, which is necessary in some juggles. * d,DF (or DF) -------------- This is used by the Changs' d,DF+1 and Michelle's d,DF+2. To execute such moves, tap down then quickly roll the stick to the appropriate diagonal and hold the stick there. As soon as your character begins to crouch, press the appropriate button(s). One note, you do not need to tap down. In fact, all you need to do is hold DF, then press the appropriate button(s) as soon as your character begins to crouch. The execution of the Changs' d,DF+1 is not unlike that of Bruce or Bryan's DF+3 (Snake Edge). * FC,DF ------- This is used by the Changs' FC,DF+2. To do it, your character must be in a full crouch first. Once your character is fully crouched, move the stick to the appropriate diagonal and hold it there. As soon as your character begins to crouch walk, press the appropriate button(s). There is an alternative to the above. If you are standing, you can simply hold the diagonal. As soon as your character is crouched fully and begins to crouch walk, press the appropriate button(s). * FC,db,d,DB ------------ This is the stick motion for Julia's Cross Arm Suplex. It can be tricky to do. Your character must be in a full crouch first. Once your character is fully crouched, you need to roll the stick quickly to the first diagonal, then down, then back to the first diagonal in one continuous motion, and hold the stick at the diagonal. While holding the stick, quickly press the appropriate button(s). If you not familiar with this motion, I recommend you pick Law (or Lee) and practice the motion for his Dragon Slide (FC,df,d,DF+3) because if you do the stick motion alone correctly, Law will crouch slide forward a small distance. If you press 3 while Law is crouch sliding, he will attack with the dragon slide. Once you can do Law's slide consistently, pick Bryan and try his Chains of Misery (C.O.M.) throw, which is FC,df,d,DF+1+2. Do the same stick motion as you did for Law's slide. Unlike Law, Bryan will NOT crouch slide after the stick is done correctly (and neither will Bruce, Julia, nor King). After you complete the stick motion (make sure you are holding the stick at the diagonal), press both punch buttons. If done correctly, Bryan will throw. Once you can do Bryan's C.O.M., you should be able to do Julia's Cross Arm Suplex (or King's DDT). The motion is the same as Bryan's C.O.M. except you roll the stick backward instead of forward. =========================================================================== PART II: Julia =========================================================================== //-----------------// // 2.1. Overview // //-----------------// ------------------ 2.1.1. About Julia Julia is an offensive character who relies on speed, counterhits, mixups, and juggles to win. Julia does not have fast power shots like Paul or Ogre, she does not have many defensive turtle-friendly moves (i.e., reversals) like Law or Nina, she does not have any special stances like Lei or Yoshimitsu, she does not have multipart throws like King or Nina, and she is not very easy to use like Law or Paul. Why play her? Aside from pretty looks and sex appeal to male players, Julia has fast jabs that can lead into damaging combos that launch if they counterhit, and she has strong juggles that can remove almost half a life bar from an opponent. Julia also has nasty mixups that will frustrate an opponent who cannot defend against them properly. Julia even has a few powerful and flashy throws, so she can grapple when necessary. Strengths --------- + Combos + Mixups + Sidestep + Speed + Throwing Weaknesses ---------- - Defense - Lag - Reach - Tag Launchers ---------------- 2.1.2. Strengths I will explain briefly on Julia's strengths. Combos: This is how Julia inflicts heavy damage, whether the combo is a canned string guaranteed on counterhit, a high damage juggle, or a combination of both. Julia has several strings that are true combos if the first attack connects as a counterhit (i.e., hit the opponent during his or her move execution), and these alone often remove 25-40% life. Julia is also a very good juggler. Her strongest juggles are among the most damaging in the game. In fact, she is perhaps THE strongest class 2 juggler in the game with the possible exception of Jin. She is even capable of class 3 juggles. Mixups: I am not talking about the various canned strings and their relatives (e.g., Tequila Sunrise) mind you, though they are effective against beginners and intermediates. What I really mean is the powerful options Julia can do after a fast poking move or custom string, and a mistake on the opponent's part can cost him or her up to half a life bar. For example, after a blocked elbow, opponent stands and is grabbed by Julia's Mad Axes. Later, after another blocked elbow, opponent crouches, hoping to avoid the throw. Julia hopkicks instead and it connects. Julia can then juggle for 45+ more damage. Sidestep: Julia has good sidestepping range. While her sidestep is not as wide as Law, Lee, or Ogre, she can evade attacks fairly well with her sidestep alone. In addition to her sidestep, she also has a special move that lets her spin to her right side. When used in conjuction with her normal sidestep, she can strafe very well, and she can move behind an attacker quickly. Speed: Julia has very fast moves that are useful for poking or interrupting. In the Changs' case, speed and combos go hand-in-hand. Her basic standing left jab or right kick are fast and can start damaging combos if either counterhit. Her quick elbows can also stop many of her opponents' attacks. Throwing: Julia has a fair selection of powerful throws. However, her Mad Axes makes Julia the semi-grappler that she is. Any fast poke can set up Mad Axes; and Mad Axes has damage, speed, and reach. ----------------- 2.1.3. Weaknesses I will explain briefly on Julia's weaknesses. Defense: First, Julia has no high/mid reversal or parry. While such a move by itself is not great defense, it does mean that the opponent can use high/mid attacks without fear of them getting caught, and is not restricted by either inputting chickens frequently or using only moves that cannot be parried. However, the main reason I think Julia does not have good defense is because she is not a very good minor counter mistake punisher. Her best damage dealing moves either require a major counter or do not have enough reach or speed to connect during a small opening. For example, if the opponent whiffs a jab in front of Julia, Julia can probably hit with an elbow or something similar, but this results in minor damage. Compare that to what Heihachi or Jin can do, who can punish the opponent with an (E)WGF followed by 35-45 damage juggle, which totals to about half a life bar. In short, Julia cannot turtle very well. Lag: Many of Julia's moves have long execution and/or recovery time. Also, some of her sweeps can be low parried on reaction, even more so if anticipated. Reach: Julia's arm and leg reach is relatively short, and the majority of the Tekken cast have arms and/or legs longer than Julia's. Although some of Julia's attacks have good range, her best attacks are most effective up close to the opponent, within her jab range. Opponents who can keep Julia at bay deny her of her most powerful attacks. Tag Launchers: Julia has limited tag launchers. In fact, her only useful tag launcher, as far as useful tag juggling is concerned, is her 1~1,1~5 (G-Clef Cannon), which usually requires a counterhit. Her other tag launchers are too slow, do not launch high enough (unless her partner is capable of class 3 juggles), or launch the opponent too far away. In addition, 1~1,1~5 does not launch heavy opponents very high. //-----------------// // 2.2. Movelist // //-----------------// Basic Moves Input Hit Dmg F.Hit B.Adv H.Adv C.Adv ------------------------------------- 1 h 5 8 0 +6 +6 2 h 8 10 -2 +9 +9 3 h 25 14 -16 KD KD 4 h 20 10 -7 -7 KD F,1 h 6 8 0 +6 +6 F,2 h 12 10 -2 +9 +9 F,3 h 25 16 -16 KD KD F,4 h 20 10 -7 -7 KD d+1 s 5 8 -2 +9 +9 d+2 s 10 10 -2 +9 +9 d+3 L 12 16 -17 -3 -3 d+4 L 10 20 -9 -10 -10 FC+1 s 3 8 -2 +9 +9 FC+2 s 8 10 -2 +9 +9 FC+3 L 12 16 -17 -3 -3 FC+4 l 10 12 -8 +4 +4 WS+1 m 12 10 -3 +8 +8 WS+2 m 15 18 -11 0 0 WS+3 m 16 16 -16 KD KD WS+4 m 15 11 -17 KD KD df+1 m 8 20 -15 -4 -4 df+2 m 10 16 -6 +5 +5 df+3 m 17 14 -10 +1 +1 df+4 m 12 12 -7 +4 +4 Jumping Moves Input Hit Dmg F.Hit B.Adv H.Adv C.Adv ---------------------------------------- (hop = ub_u_uf / leap = UB_U_UF) hop+1 m 12 8 -8 KD KD hop+2 M 18 43 -23 -12 -12 hop+3 m 20 15 -29 KD KD ub+4 m 25 15 -18 -1 KD u_uf+4 m 25 15 -18 KD KD (ascending or at apex of jump...) hop,N+1 m 12 20 -5 KD KD hop,N+2 M 18 39 -15 -4 -4 hop,N+3 m 20 23 -29 KD KD hop,N+4 m 25 23 -29 KD KD leap,N+1 m 15 26 -9 2 KD leap,N+2 M 18 42 -23 -12 -12 leap,N+3 m 25 30 -19 -9 KD leap,N+4 m 25 23 -8 3 KD (descending from apex of jump...) hop,N,1 m 15 27 -3 KD KD hop,N,2 M 18 39 -15 -4 -4 hop,N,3 m 20 29 -24 KD KD hop,N,4 m 25 30 -23 KD KD leap,N,1 m 18 32 -9 2 KD leap,N,2 M 18 42 -23 -12 -12 leap,N,3 m 25 37 -19 KD KD leap,N,4 m 25 32 -8 3 KD (before landing...) hop,N,1 m 18 32 -6 KD KD hop,N,2 M 18 39 -15 -4 -4 hop,N,3 m 20 35 -17 KD KD hop,N,4 m 25 36 -23 KD KD leap,N,1 m 18 38 -9 2 KD leap,N,2 M 18 42 -23 -12 -12 leap,N,3 L 15 30 -19 6 6 leap,N,4 m 25 40 -10 1 KD Throws Name Input Type Damage Escape ------------------------------------------------------------------ Death Valley Bomb 1+3 front 35 1 Knee Suplex 2+4 front 30 2 tag throw 2+5 front ? 2 Mad Axes QCB back push -> 1+2 h 0 -> tag lariat -> 5 h 24 (Need Michelle on team) Slow Power Punch Combo df+2,1 mT 15,21 Tag JG Slow Power Punch Low Kick df+2,3 mL 10,10 Slow Power Punch High Kick df+2,4 mh 10,20 Body Elbow (RN)_(FC,DF)+2 m 20 DSc Tequila Sunrise Combo (WS+2)_(3~2),1,1~5 mmm 18,5,21 Tag Tequila Sunrise Middle (WS+2)_(3~2)<2 mm 15,22 #1 Smash Tequila Sunrise Arrow Kick (WS+2)_(3~2),1,4,3 mmLh 18,5,15,15 Tequila Sunrise Low Kick (WS+2)_(3~2),4,1 mLm 15,12,21 JG Slash Uppercut Tequila Sunrise Low High (WS+2)_(3~2),4,4 mLh 15,12,23 Kicks Tequila Sunrise Low Kicks (WS+2)_(3~2),4,d+4 mLL 15,12,10 Parting Fist SS+2 m 21 Twin Arrow 1+2 m 25 GB Shove It Up f+1+2~5 m 28 Tag JGc Front Snap Kick df+3 m 17 Liquid Sweep b+3 L 10 #3 Spinning Kicks Slash 4,4,1 hLm 20,12,21 JG Uppercut Spinning Kicks High Kick 4,4,4 hLh 20,12,23 Spinning Kicks Low Kick 4,4,d+4 hLL 20,12,10 Mountain Crusher df+4<2,b Name: back push Input: 1+2 Rating: * Damage: 0 Hit Level: h F.Hit: x B.Adv: 2 H.Adv: 2 C.Adv: 2 This simply pushes your opponent's back, and causes him or her to stagger forward a bit. Does no damage by itself whatsoever. It is totally useless. -> Name: tag lariat Input: 5 (need Michelle on team) Rating: * Damage: 24 Hit Level: h F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x This only works if Julia's partner is Michelle. Julia pushes her opponent's back. While her opponent stumbles forward, Michelle tags in and takes down the opponent with a flying lariat. Looks nice, but does mild damage and is unlikely to connect in the first place. (Note: The CPU rarely escapes this, so feel free to cheese the CPU if you are losing.) Name: Slow Power Punch Combo Input: df+2,1[~5] Rating: **** Damage: 15,21 Hit Level: m,T F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,x H.Adv: 5,x C.Adv: 5,x This looks like 1~2~1 minus the first left jab, but the properties are different. The initial punch has short range and executes relatively slowly, but if it connects the opponent's front on any hit (no CH needed), the 1 will launch, and you can follow up with a juggle. The recovery time is significantly faster than 1~2, so this is a relatively safe move to use. If you block a move with long recovery time and you are standing close to the opponent, this is a good safe move to punish the opponent with. Compared to the hop kick, it is slightly slower, but it is more damaging and safer in case it is blocked. Name: Slow Power Punch Low Kick Input: df+2,3 Rating: ** Damage: 10,10 Hit Level: m,L F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,-17 H.Adv: 5,-3 C.Adv: 5,-3 This is the same as 1~2,3 minus the left jab, making it a bit slower to start. Again, be careful of the sweep's lag. Because df+2 alone recovers faster, you might get away with using the sweep because the opponent has less time to react to possible mixups. Name: Slow Power Punch High Kick Input: df+2,4 Rating: * Damage: 10,20 Hit Level: m,h F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,-7 H.Adv: 5,-7 C.Adv: 5,KD Same as the last two hits in 1~2,4. Since the 4 hits high and it recovers a bit slower than df+2, not to mention df+2 executes more slowly than 1~2, this is next to useless in a toe-to-toe fight. If you just know the opponent will try to attack immediately after the df+2, the high kick will hit, but that is all it is good for. This is not even worth doing in juggles, because the damage is low and Julia has far better moves to juggle with. Name: Body Elbow Input: (RN)_(FC,DF)+2 Rating: *** Damage: 20 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 12 B.Adv: -20 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This is one of Julia's moves from a crouch. It has fast execution time and good range, but slow recovery time. It knocks down on a normal hit and stuns on a counterhit. It has two main uses: retaliation and interruption. If you block a low attack or see an opening while you are crouching, and you need a fast move with good range, this will hit for mild damage. Keep in mind that the Spinning Sweep Combo and Skyscraper Kick plus followups do more damage. If you anticipate an attack, use the elbow to interrupt. The elbow will likely beat out your opponent's attack and stun the opponent, and you can follow up with a damaging combo if the opponent does not break out of the stun. Overall, it is a powerful attack if you use it at the right times. Name: Tequila Sunrise Combo Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),1,1[~5] Rating: *** Damage: 18,5,21 Hit Level: m,m,m F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-15,-14 H.Adv: 0,-4,KD C.Adv: -6,-4,KD Even though this has been toned down since Tekken 3, this is a good string to use if you have trained your opponent to block low after the initial uppercut because all three attacks hits mid. If blocked, recovery is a bit slow. If the last hit connects, the opponent will fall over backwards. The only guaranteed followup that I know of is to tag your partner in with a slide (or Ali Kicks with King-based partners). Name: Tequila Middle Smash Input: (WS+2)_(3~2)<2 Rating: ** Damage: 15,22 Hit Level: m,m F.Hit: 18,x B.Adv: -11,-20 H.Adv: 0,KD C.Adv: -6,KD This is probably the least useful of the Tequila Sunrise strings. The elbow can stun if it hits on a counter, and it is delayable. However, the elbow has slow recovery, and the damage from this string is not as high as the other Tequila Sunrise strings. Name: Tequila Sunrise Arrow Kick Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),1,4,3 Rating: **** Damage: 18,5,15,15 Hit Level: m,m,L,h F.Hit: 18,x,x,x B.Adv: -11,-15,-13,-12 H.Adv: 0,-4,-2,KD C.Adv: -6,-4,-2,KD This is a nice string that can do good damage. Otherwise, treat this the same as the Bow and Arrow Kick. The partial strings are useful pokes, and if you end the string at the sweep, Julia will recover crouching. Do not use the full string on Ling because the last kick has a nasty habit of missing her. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kick Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4 Rating: *** Damage: 15,12 Hit Level: m,L F.Hit: 18,x B.Adv: -11,-10 H.Adv: 0,1 C.Adv: -6,1 Though not on the movelist by itself, this deserves special attention. The first uppercut hits mid, and the low kick hits... well, low. The low kick is slow enough for people with quick reflexes to block or parry on reaction. Depending on your opponent, this string can either be very effective or very dangerous to you. If the low kick hits, any of the three enders is guaranteed. If the low kick is blocked, it is a guessing game in Julia's favor -- she can stop here or add one of three possible enders. If the low kick is parried, Julia may be in big trouble. If Julia stops at the low kick, she will recover crouching, and she can attack again soon. Unless your opponent is adept at parrying the low kick, this can be used as part of your poking strings. Remember though, if the low kick hits, any of the three enders is guaranteed. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kick Slash Uppercut Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,1 Rating: **** Damage: 15,12,21 Hit Level: m,L,m F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-18 H.Adv: 0,1,KD C.Adv: -6,1,KD This is the most risky yet most devastating of the Slash Uppercut strings. The 4 hits low, and if it connects, the 1 is guaranteed, which is a launching uppercut. Recovery is slow, so use this only if you think you opponent will not block (or parry) the 4. This is guaranteed to tear beginners apart, but it loses its effectiveness against better players. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low High Kicks Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,4 Rating: * Damage: 15,12,23 Hit Level: m,L,h F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-19 H.Adv: 0,1,-3 C.Adv: -6,1,-3 This is similar to the above string except for the high kick at the end, and it is almost useless. It recovers more slowly than the uppercut, although at least it will not put Julia into her opponent's face, but then again it may not matter. In addition, the high kick does not launch, so the damage is not as good as the uppercut followed by a juggle. If your opponent manages to block the low kick after the WS+2 uppercut, you can stop the string, use the low kick ender if you think the opponent will block high, or go for broke and use the uppercut if you think the oppoent will block low. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kicks Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 15,12,10 Hit Level: m,L,L F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-14 H.Adv: 0,1,-8 C.Adv: -6,1,-8 This is similar to the above two strings except for the low kick at the end. If the first sweep hits, so will the second sweep. If the first sweep is blocked, chances are your opponent will eat the last sweep rather than risk getting launched by the uppercut ender. In addition, Julia recovers crouching after the last sweep. While the damage and recovery are not that great, this is generally safer. If the last sweep is blocked, Julia is vulnerable to quick moves, even though the lag is less than the other two enders. Name: Parting Fist Input: SS+2 Rating: *** Damage: 21 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 18 B.Adv: -6 H.Adv: 1 C.Adv: 6 This is Julia's sole sidestep move. It has decent speed and range, and it does moderate damage. The move has better range if Julia sidesteps to her left instead of right. If blocked, the opponent is pushed away with no chance of retaliation. If it whiffs, watch out! This is a solid punishment move if you see an opening after a sidestep. Aside from bad lag if this move misses, this is a good move to throw out occasionally while you are on the offense (because your opponent may flinch and eat the punch). Just make sure the punch hits before you use it. Name: Twin Arrow Input: 1+2 Rating: **** Damage: 25 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 21 B.Adv: 3 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This move has good range, does good damage, and causes block stun if your opponent blocks so it is safe to use as long as it does not miss. The move knocks down on a normal hit. On counterhit, the opponent is knocked back far spinning head over heels, and you can run after your opponent. The only downside of this move is that it has relatively slow execution time. This is really a useful move from a distance. It can catch opponents who whiff moves from a short distance for decent damage, and it can hit opponents who sidestep a small distance (e.g., Paul's SS, Lei's stance changing). Also, the block stun from this move can give Julia the time to close on the opponent. Name: Shove It Up Input: f+1+2[~5] Rating: *** Damage: 28 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 19 B.Adv: -3 H.Adv: -1 C.Adv: KD This is another power shot similar to Twin Arrow. Compared to Twin Arrow, this is slightly faster and more damaging, but the range is less. On counterhit, this move also launches. If a tag is buffered, the tag will occur on any hit. If blocked, the opponent is pushed back, leaving Julia safe from retailation. If it misses, Julia is highly vulnerable. I am not sure, but this may go under some high attacks at times as well. One warning though, this is NOT a substitute for Twin Arrow. It does not have quite enough range to be effective as a medium-range staple attack, especially against defensive opponents. Whiff, and you die, at least against competent opponents using characters with powerful moves like WGF or deathfist. Also, if the opponent blocks Shove It Up, Julia will lose any momentum she had going, even though she is safe. This is mainly a counterhit attack. Throw it out when you think your opponent might walk into it; you may get a lucky hit, possibly CH. Name: Front Snap Kick Input: df+3 Rating: ** Damage: 17 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 14 B.Adv: -10 H.Adv: 1 C.Adv: 1 This kick covers Julia's front and does mild damage if it connects. Its speed is not the best. It is okay to use it once in a while, but Julia has moves better than this. Name: Liquid Sweep Input: b+3 Rating: *** Damage: 10 Hit Level: L F.Hit: 27 B.Adv: -33 H.Adv: 2 C.Adv: KD This is a sneaky move to say the least. It has great range, evades your opponent's high attacks, hits low and grounded opponents, and either staggers on normal hit or trips on counterhit. Its pitfalls include long execution and recovery time. If blocked, Julia will stagger and be wide open to nasty things. However, if used sparingly or during an opponent's attack, the sweep will be an asset because of the potential juggle damage if it counterhits or the ensuing guessing game if it just hits normally. Unless the sweep is blocked, Julia will recover crouching after the sweep. Name: Spinning Kicks Input: 4,4 Rating: **** Damage: 20,12 Hit Level: h,L F.Hit: 10,x B.Adv: -7,-7 H.Adv: -7,4 C.Adv: KD,4 These are the first two hits of Julia's Spinning Kicks series. While the Spinning Kicks by itself is not in the movelist, it is one of Julia's more useful moves. The first kick goes high and the second kick low. Both kicks are relatively fast, and the second kick recovers quickly, which makes this move a good poke. The kicks have fairly good range, and they move Julia forward a bit. The low kick will also stop opponents who try to sidestep around Julia. One other very useful property about this move is Julia recovers crouching after the low kick, which means Julia can start her FC or WS mixups from the crouch. This move is very good, but it has one weaknesses -- the low parry. Now that everyone has it, any player who sees the kicks coming can parry the low kick then punish Julia during her recovery. Name: Spinning Kicks Slash Uppercut Input: 4,4,1 Rating: *** Damage: 20,12,21 Hit Level: h,L,m F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-18 H.Adv: -7,4,KD C.Adv: KD,4,KD This string executes quickly, but the uppercut ender has poor recovery. Against a standing opponent, the uppercut will launch if it connects, but unless you are sure the uppercut will hit (e.g., opponent expects 4,4,d+4; opponent attacks and gets countered by the first 4), do not use this because you will be punished. This string does have use in combos. If the first 4 counterhits, it will knockdown the opponent, and the uppercut is guaranteed. Also, if you are behind your opponent and close enough for a back throw to connect, all three hits can combo, but the uppercut may miss smaller characters because the kicks knock the opponent forward. If you manage to launch, you can follow up with a juggle for major damage. In addition, this by itself is also a damaging juggle. Name: Spinning Kicks High Kick Input: 4,4,4 Rating: *** Damage: 20,12,23 Hit Level: h,L,h F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-19 H.Adv: -7,4,-3 C.Adv: KD,4,-3 Like the above string, this has fast execution time, but the last hit has slow recovery time. The last hit can be ducked, so this should not be used on a standing or crouching opponent doing nothing. However, like 4,4,1, this string has its uses. If the first 4 counterhits, the opponent is knocked away and the last kick will hit. As with 4,4,1; this string is damaging in juggles if all three hits connect. Name: Spinning Kicks Low Kick Input: 4,4,d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 20,12,10 Hit Level: h,L,L F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-14 H.Adv: -7,4,-8 C.Adv: KD,4,-8 This string is fast and it is great for chipping away your opponent's life bar. Julia also recovers crouching, which means she can use FC or WS moves afterwards. Most of the time, your opponent will block high because of the uppercut ender, so this will connect often. If blocked, the low sweep has the least lag of the three enders, but it is still long enough for Julia to get hit by something fast. Name: Mountain Crusher Input: df+4<2,b These juggles are possible after class 3 tag launchers or better, and all of them begin with the Party Crasher. Due to their ease of use and versatility, they are Julia's staple combos. * f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1 Julia can repeat elbows until the opponent is pushed too far away to be hit by anything else. Up to five elbows can connect, maybe six if the elbows are dash buffered. If the opponent is big, six elbows can be done more easily. * f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 If you want an elbow juggle that is simple, reliable, and reasonably damaging, this is the one to use. * f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 This elbow juggle does slightly more damage than the above combos. It is relatively easy to do, especially if you dash buffer the elbows. If you want to up the difficulty and add an extra five points of damage, you can add a fifth elbow (before the skyscraper kick of course). For five elbows, you must dash buffer every elbow. * f,f,N+1, df+4,2,b These are juggles Julia can do after a (low) tag launcher that does not allow the opponent to techroll. Examples of such launchers include Bryan's b+1 on normal hit or Paul's FC,DF+2,2. The juggles below do not inflict as much damage as the above elbow juggles, but they are easier to do because the sweep will hit grounded opponents and bounce them into the air for the followup hit. * d+4,1 Razor's Edge is easy to do and puts Julia closer to the opponent. * d+4,N+4 This does slightly more damage than Razor's Edge. ----------------- Starter: class 2... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- * normal ?? ... 20 ...3 30 ...df+4,2,b 28_35 ...uf+3+4 * cross-up 20 ...f,f,N+1, BK 3_4 (class 1 or tag class 2 only) ----------------- These are juggles that can be used after most class 2 tag launchers. Many juggles listed here are slightly more damaging variations of the basic class 3 elbow juggles. For juggles that start with d+2, you can start with the easier and faster (but less damaging) d+1 instead if necessary. Comments on the following juggles: * 3 This is dead simple and easy. However, Julia's 3 is not as damaging as some of the other characters' standing 3 or 4, and the damage is low compared to Julia's better juggles. Also, this does not work with every class 2 launcher. * df+4,2,b Below is another juggle that can be used after Bryan's CH b+1 or King's CH f,N,d,DF+1+2. Those launchers not only bounce high enough for a class 2 juggle, but also the opponent cannot tech roll after landing. * uf+3+4 If the opponent cannot tech roll, the Foot Stomp is guaranteed to hit. Although this is not as damaging as Julia's best class 2 juggle, the Foot Stomp does good damage, and it is much easier to do, not to mention that it looks painful and stylish. Below is a juggle that involves Julia attacking with a move that goes under an airborne opponent and hits the opponent in the back, then Julia and the opponent end up back-to-back because of the attack's momentum. (This is similar to SF2's Ryu or Ken jumping over the likes of M.Bison/Vega and hitting them at the back of the head with a jumping roundhouse.) * f,f,N+1, BK 3_4 (class 1 or tag class 2 only) If Julia is too close to the opponent when you try to juggle with the Party Crasher, and the opponent is just above Julia's head, Julia will dash underneath her opponent, hit him/her in the back, and Julia will end up backturned (BK). After that, her best option is a simple backturned kick. Damage is relatively low (I am assuming her BK kicks do 25 damage normally), and not as high as her normal class 3 elbow juggles. ----------------- Starter: class 1... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- * normal ?? ... ?? ... 40 ...UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 42 ...UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 47 ...UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 49 ...UF,N+4, d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 42_50 ...F+1+4 (big; not a true combo) * untechable ?? ... 42_50 ...F+1+4 (big) ----------------- Below are juggles that can be used after any class 1 tag launcher. Most of the following juggles begin with the high jump kick, which is one of Julia's harder hitting moves. Comments: * UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 * UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 * UF,N+4, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 * UF,N+4, d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 Take a class 3 elbow juggle, replace the first elbow with a jump kick, and... you get the idea. The jump kick hits much harder than an elbow so that damage is excellent. * F+1+4 (big; not a true combo) This only works on big characters and even then it is technically not a true combo because the opponent can tech roll after landing. However, the unblockable is difficult if not impossible to avoid since Julia is already dashing by then and her unblockable will track the opponent. Because this is so effective, this is probably the best followup against big opponents after a class 1 launcher due to the ease of use and damage. Below is another juggle that can be used after Devil's Devil Twister, Jack-2's Discharger, or P.Jack's Drill Upper. All of these launchers are class 1 and the opponent cannot tech roll after landing. * F+1+4 (big) If you are fighting a big opponent, this is the best followup for two reasons: it does great damage and it is very easy to do. Enough said. ----------------- Starter: double-over stun... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ?? ... 20 ...1+2 22 ...f+1+2 28_35 ...uf+3+4 (not a true combo) 21 ...d,DF+1,2 31 ...d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 33 ...d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 38 ...d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 ----------------- Julia has several moves that will cause a double-over stun. Assuming the opponent does not escape the stun, Julia has many juggles to choose from. The first hit of the combo should connect while the opponent is starting to fall back, so the opponent will be in the air after the attack hits. * 1+2 * f+1+2 These are very easy to do, but the damage is not the best. Julia can do better. * uf+3+4 (not a true combo) Even though this is technically not a true combo, the opponent cannot roll away in time to avoid it if the Foot Stomp is done quickly enough. This is relatively easy to do, and the damage is good. Be careful if your opponent can break out of the stun, since you must execute the Foot Stomp immediately and hope your opponent does not break out of the stun. If the stun is broken, your opponent will have more than enough time to punish Julia once she lands. * d,DF+1,2 This is relatively easy to do, but you are better off juggling with one of combos below if you insist on starting a juggle with d,DF+1. In Tekken 3, Julia could followup with a Party Crasher after this, but not anymore. * d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 * d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 * d,DF+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 The Rapid Counter Attack can substitue the first elbow in the Party Crasher juggles, and it does a bit more damage. Otherwise, these are much the same as the standard multi-elbow juggles. ----------------- Starter: block stun or stagger... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 28 ...1_d+1, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 30 ...1_d+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1,4 35 ...1_d+1, f,f,N+1, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 35 ...1, df+4,2,b ----------------- Any of these launchers will act like a class 2 launcher for Julia, and she can use any normal class 2 or 3 juggle except the standing 3 or b+4->elbow juggles after the uppercut launchers. ----------------- Starter: F+1+4... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ----------------- Julia's unblockable works like a class 1 launcher for her, and she has a greater selection of high (40+) damage juggles to choose from. ----------------- Starter: (1~1,1)_(df+1,1)... f+1... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 30 ...df+4,2,b 32 ...UF,4, f,f,N+1,4 40 ...UF,4, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 42 ...UF,4, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 ----------------- Julia's Shove It Up launches the opponent up and away on a counterhit. She can either run after the opponent and use elbow juggles, or high jump and use high jump kick juggles. Comments: * UF,4, f,f,N+1,4 This is the easiest juggle, but it is not very easy to connect with the Party Crasher. Damage is good. * UF,4, f,f,N+1, d+4,1 This is the most useful juggle after a CH f+1+2. Compared to the above juggle, the difficulty is about the same, but this juggle does more damage. * UF,4, f,f,N+1, d,DF+1,2 This is a juggle found in one of Castel's movies. It is tough to do, but it does excellent damage if the whole juggle connects. ----------------- Starter: CH FC,df+2... CH f+1~2... UF,N,3 (descending from apex of jump; non-CH)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ----------------- These moves can put the opponent into a double-over stun. Assuming the opponent does not escape the stun, Julia has many juggles to choose from. In the case of UF,N,3, Julia may need to approach the opponent quickly before she can do some of the juggles. ----------------- Starter: d,DF+1,2 (elbow must CH)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ?? ... (escapable) 25+ ...uf+4, 36+ ...df+2,1, ----------------- The second hit from the Rapid Counter Attack Lightning Bolt will cause a double over stun on a counterhit, and Julia can do any of the double over stun combos she has. Also, since Julia recovers faster than her other stun inducing moves, she can throw or do other combos such as a launcher plus juggle. A launcher plus juggle Julia's most devastating option after stunning the opponent with the elbow from this move. ----------------- Starter: CH b+4... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... 30 ...df+4,2,b 30 ...df+4,2,b ----------------- After Wang tags out from the Waning Moon, the opponent may be low to the ground and can recover crouching. Most of Julia's best attacks are either too slow or will miss the opponent, so Julia does not have much to attack the opponent with. * d+3 This is the easiest followup, but the damage is low. * f,f,N+4 This is probably the best guaranteed move Julia can do. After the slide, Julia can get up with a 3 sweep (which is not guaranteed). * f,f,N+1+2 (blocked), This is tougher to do, but the damage is good -- better than the above options. Either the cross chop will hit the opponent for good damage, or the opponent will block it, then be open to a possible juggle for even more damage because of block stun. While the opponent staggers, you can juggle the opponent with any block stun combo. //-------------------// // 2.5. Strategies // //-------------------// -------------- 2.5.1. Defense Julia does not have any reversals or any high/mid parries so against high/mid attacks, she will need to block, sidestep, or interrupt them. Fortunately for Julia, her sidestep has good range, and she has lightning fast attacks like G-Clef Cannon or Party Crasher to stop incoming attacks. Interrupting attacks is Julia's best defense anyway. Julia can take away about a third or even half of a life bar with combos that start with an 8 frame jab that counterhits. If you think about it, that is a great advantage. Julia does have the low parry from Tekken 3, which can be done at anytime, and it makes parrying low attacks easier. Julia also has the universal low parry, so you can use either parry to stop low attacks. If you see a low attack coming, you should parry it *IF* by doing so it gives you the best advantage. What I mean by that is sometimes it is better to parry while other times it is better to simply block (or dodge) then counter later. Examples when low parry is the best option. * Another Julia is using the Tequila Sunrise Low Kick strings (WS+2,4,...). If you low parry the sweep, you not only have a big enough opening to start a combo, but also you prevented a nasty mixup. * King is abusing Ali Kicks. If you block them all, King is open to a quick counterattack (such as the Skyscraper Kick). If you parry the Ali Kicks, King is open to a high damage hop kick combo. * Bruce attacks with 3,2,1,4. The 4 hits low. If you block the string, Bruce is safe. Low parry the 4 and Bruce is vulnerable. Although Julia's hop kick will more than likely miss Bruce in this case, a df+4 or f,f+1 elbow can hit for minor damage. Any damage is better than none. Examples when low parry is NOT the best option. * Gun Jack is attacking with a Double CutSaw (f+1+2,1+2). The last hit is a low punch. If you low parry it, Jack will be open only for a moment, and Julia's launchers are too slow to hit him during the opening. If you block the low punch, Gun Jack is open long enough for an easy Skyscraper Kick. Since Gun Jack is big, you can juggle him with the Party Crasher after the knockdown. * You are fighting Jun, and you know the player will use Can Can Kicks. The first hit is low, and the second hit is high. If you low parry the first kick, Jun will be vulnerable, but a hop kick will miss her, and you are limited to fast but weak moves that cannot start combos. If you block the low kick, the second kick will pass over Julia's head and Jun is wide open to many things (e.g., hop kick) while she is recovering. Examples when low parry may or may not be the best option. * You see a Paul player use the 1232121421 tenstring against you. The eighth hit is low. You can parry it then followup with a launcher followed by a juggle, or you can block it and the ninth hit, then interrupt the tenth hit before it comes out with a counterhit 1~1,1 or 1~2~1 followed by a (tag) juggle. Damage is high either way. Below is a list of low kick attacks that if parried put the opponent too far away to be hit by the Changs' hop kick. In such cases, a Party Crasher or some other swift mid attack must be used instead if you want to inflict damage after a successful low parry. Bruce: 3,2,1,4 Eddy: any low attack except first hit of 3~4 Jin: b+2,4,4,4 Jun: any low attack (especially can-can kicks or leg cutter sweeps) Kazuya: db+4 or 1,2,4 (any stature kick) --------------- 2.5.2. Sidestep Although Julia has a good sidestep, she does not have many options during or after a sidestep. Still, sidestepping is useful for dodging attacks. When you anticipate an attack, you can sidestep to avoid it then punish the opponent during recovery. Be careful, some moves can track (e.g., Nina's Blonde Bomb) or have excellent lateral range (e.g., sweeps) on one or both sides and can be sidestepped in one direction only or cannot be avoided at all by sidestepping. Below are some things you can do if you manage to sidestep your opponent. * throw The throw is the easiest and most obvious followup. Depending how far the opponent advanced, you may get a back throw or a side throw. Back throw is inescapable, but the side throws can be escaped. If you know that Julia is behind the opponent, go for the back throw. If not, and you want more guaranteed results, avoid the side throw and do something else. One note: if you want to throw, you can try to setup Mad Axes since it is a fast throw. Just do a QCB then sidestep. After the sidestep, press F+2. Julia will either do the Mad Axes or a side throw. The former is a double button break while the latter requires one button. * 3+4 If you just sidestepped to the right and you want to go directly behind your opponent (for a back throw), you can make Julia spin to augment her sidestep. This is only useful if the opponent did a slow move or is winding up for an unblockable. * SS+2 This is not as damaging as a throw, but it is a solid punishment move that is easy to do. * 1+2 This is slower than SS+2, but it has better range and it does more damage. Still not as damaging as a throw. * uf+4 Since Julia does not an excellent sidestep launcher like Michelle, this is what she is stuck with if you want a juggle. This can be effective, but there are some traps you need to be wary of. First, if Julia has not finished sidestepping, the uf will cancel the sidestep and Julia will just do a standing right kick when 4 is pressed. Also, Julia can appear to be at the middle of the screen at times, which can make it very difficult to tell which way is forward. If you cannot tell which side of the screen Julia is on, it is possible to do ub+4 instead by accident. With these in mind, if you sidestepped your opponent and can clearly see a hop kick opportunity (i.e., you are not moving, opponent is still recovering, and you know which way is forward), take it. --------------- 2.5.3. Throwing Throws are useful since they are generally easy to do and inflict good damage. They are unblockable, but they can be crouched under or escaped. When you are close to your opponent and see a chance, go for the throw if you feel like it. Throws are also useful as a retaliation move sometimes, especially if your opponent has a chance of blocking any other move you try. Do not try to throw with reckless abandon though, you can be punished after a missed throw attempt, and some characters such as Jin can punish severely. Buffering is often used to make throw inputs more efficient. You can attack with something that uses one or more buttons needed by the throw, hold those buttons down, quickly input stick motions if necessary, then press the remaining button(s). Here is an example; press and hold 1 to jab, then press 3 to throw. Now for another example; tap down and press and hold 1 to do a low jab, then quickly move the stick db,d,DB and press 2. This will cause Julia to use the Cross Arm Suplex. With her variety of useful throws, Julia can be considered a pseudo- grappler. One of her basic throws does above average damage and allows for a guaranteed sweep. As for command throws, her Mad Axes and Cross Arm Suplex are very useful. Both throws do nice damage and require both punch buttons to break. Mad Axes is fast, has great range, and it is delayable. Cross Arm Suplex is done while crouching, and it does very good damage and allows followups. Julia can also use a fast attack to tick the opponent then quickly grab him or her with either throw. For example, the fast Party Crasher (f,f,N+1) is good for ticking into the Mad Axes throw, and a simple d+1 puts Julia into crouch so she can buffer the Cross Arm Suplex right away. Always mixup your throws. Even double button break throws can be escaped easily by good players if you become predictable and overuse them (e.g., abusing Mad Axes setups). ------------- 2.5.4. Poking Poking is attacking your opponent with moves that execute and recover quickly. The purpose of poking is to attack quickly while minimizing exposure to your opponent's attacks. Poking can be used to interrupt your opponent's attack and possibly shift the attack momentum to your favor. Poking can also be used to setup more powerful attacks. Julia is fast and can poke fairly well. Her pokes are great for interrupting her opponent's attack because some of them can chain into high damage strings and/or launchers that are guaranteed if they counterhit. Also, some of her poking moves allow Julia to recover crouching. What is the benefit for Julia recovering in a crouch? Julia has several powerful moves that attack at varying hit levels, and increases the chance that your opponent will block incorrectly and take damage. From a crouch, Julia can do a Cross Arm Suplex throw, Spinning Sweep Combo, Body Elbow, Skyscraper Kick, or any of the Tequila Sunrise strings. * 1 One of Julia's easiest pokes is a simple jab. It has decent range and it is fast. While it is among the fastest in execution, it does not give Julia any frame advantage after it is blocked unlike some other characters. Still, you can throw one out at a standing opponent without much fear of retaliation. Use it to setup more powerful attacks. I use it often for two reasons: to goad my opponent into attacking so I can interrupt (or trade hits at worst) the attack with 1~1,1 or 1~2~1, or to tick and sometimes buffer a throw (especially Mad Axes). * d+1 This jab is fast and it is great for poking or interrupting attacks. In addition, Julia recovers crouching. From here, she can poke some more or use one of her powerful FC or WS moves. One thing you need to watch out for is Julia (or anyone else) is vulnerable to high attacks, especially throws, while jabbing low. One of my favorite applications of the low jab is to tick the opponent with it and buffer the Cross Arm Suplex for an easy throw. * 2 While slightly slower than her left jab, this is useful because if this connects (i.e., not blocked), the opponent is at a 9 frame disadvantage, and Julia can easily buffer a throw and grab the opponent. The throw is not guaranteed to connect, but the opponent cannot interrupt it. * 1~1[,1_4] * 1~2[~1_3_4] * df+1[,1_4] * WS+2,1[,1_4] Despite relatively long recovery time if blocked, these shortened strings are important poking tools because of mixup options. Unless you become predictable, your opponent will not attack you after the string (usually) because of timing differences and the opponent's counterattack would be eaten up by your string in case you did the entire string. In addition, some of the strings have low sweeps, and can hit the opponent for minor damage. Remember though, 1~1,4 will miss Ganryu. * 4 Her basic right kick is fast and relatively safe to use. Think of it as a jab with somewhat less speed but with more power and reach. What is great about this is not only its speed, but also it can start juggles if it counterhits. * 4,4[,d+4_N+4_1] These are her Spinning Kicks strings. The first two kicks are fast, but are slow enough for experienced and quick thinking players to block or parry the second kick, which hits low. Still, unless your opponent is really good, the first two kicks alone is a useful poke that can connect at times. After the low kick, Julia can stop or add one of three enders. If you stop at the low kick, Julia recovers crouching, and you can continue with one of several of her FC or WS moves. If you choose to add an ender, use either the low kick or the uppercut. Of the enders, the low kick is the safest. Since many people do not want to take the chance of getting hit by the uppercut, they tend to block high and eat the low kick, resulting in minor damage. Julia also recovers crouching if the low kick ender was used. However, if you think the opponent might try to block low, go ahead and use the uppercut ender. If the uppercut connects, use your class 2 juggle of choice. Watch out though, if the opponent blocks the uppercut, you will be in a world of hurt. * d+4[,d+4_N+4_1] This is the sweep that preceeds one of three enders. While it does not come out as quickly as some of Julia's other punches or kicks, the first kick hits low, and Julia recovers crouching. Again, Julia has her mixup options from the crouch. If only the first sweep is used, its recovery is long enough to allow your opponent's fastest attacks to connect regardless if the sweep hits. However, it is unlikely your opponent will try to counterattack since Julia can add the ender. See the Spinning Kick strings above regarding the enders. * FC+4 This is Julia's fastest attack that hits low. It does not have much range, and unlike some characters, Julia must be in a full crouch before she can use this. It is still useful as its recovery is relatively short, and it is fast enough to interrupt some strings (like Eddy's). After the kick, Julia remains crouching. * d+3 This is a bit slow for a poke, but this sweep hits low (and grounded), and it is her fastest low attack while Julia is standing. After the sweep, Julia recovers crouching. The lag is relatively long if it blocked, so make sure it hits if you plan to use this as a poking weapon. Do NOT abuse this! Your opponent may fall for it once, maybe twice (for minor damage), but if it is blocked or parried just once, you will be sorry. * d,df+1[,2] The dashing left punch from this move has fast execution and good range. After the punch, Julia can follow up with the elbow ender or stop then either do another move or do nothing at all. If you think your opponent will try to attack after blocking the punch, go for the stun and use the elbow ender. This is also good for ticking into throws, especially if the first punch connects. * FC,df+4[,3] This is the first hit of the Spinning Sweep Combo. It strikes low and it is often hard to spot the sweep in time before it hits. After recovering, Julia remains crouching. Anytime Julia is crouching and near her opponent, she can attack with the sweep to chip away life, and Julia can easily repeat this or do something else. Know that if the sweep is blocked, the opponent has enough time to hit Julia with something fast. * df+4 This is the first hit of the Mountain Crusher. It is fast, and it hits mid. From here, Julia can either finish the Mountain Crusher (watch out for sidesteps) or stop and do something else. * f,f,N+1[,4] Now in TTT, Julia's Party Crasher can recover as quickly as Michelle's, though she can still do the delayed version from Tekken 3. That said, Julia can use the elbow to close in on her opponent. Because the elbow is very fast, it will beat out almost anything the opponent tries. If the elbow is blocked, lag is minimal (unless you delayed the recovery). Like the Rapid Counter Attack, this can setup throws or other attacks. Below is list of some things you can do after a blocked elbow. After a blocked elbow, if you think the opponent will try to... ...counterattack with a move slower than 10 frames, go for the kill and counter with 1~1,1 or 1~2~1. ...counterattack with an 8 frame move that hits high, you can do a Flash Uppercut that will evade your opponent's high attack and launch the opponent (unless he is heavy). ...counterattack with any 8 frame move, use the Skyscraper Kick ender. ...stand there and block or use a reversal or punch parry, grab him or her with Mad Axes. If you think the opponent will escape Mad Axes, use a basic throw instead. ...crouch, do any of the following: Skyscraper Kick ender, another elbow, hop kick, or a Slow Power Punch Combo. Related to poking is custom strings. A custom string is a string of moves that seem to flow seamlessly from move to move. Each move within the custom string, with the possible exception the ender, should have fast execution and recovery times; the less frames, the better. Basically, it is a string of pokes that may end with a power move. Such strings are useful for chipping away your opponent's life bit by bit or for setting up a variety of moves such as throws. Below are a few examples. Example #1: f,f,N+1, d+1, FC,df+4,3. Julia starts with a fast recovering Party Crasher elbow. After that, uses a quick low jab to get into a crouch. While crouching, Julia quickly does the Sweeping Sweep Combo. Example #2: f,f,N+1, d+1, f,f,N+1. Same as the above example except for the Party Crasher after the low jab. If the opponent tried to block low, the elbow will knock the opponent down. If the opponent blocks the elbow, you can do something else. Below are some options: f,f,N+1, d+1, f,f,N+1,4. Skyscraper Kick will snuff your opponent's counterattack, and you can juggle if it hits. f,f,N+1, d+1, f,f,N+1, f+1. The flash uppercut will evade high attacks and launch the opponent if he or she tries to jab high. (Useful against other Chang players who think they can 1~1,1 you first.) f,f,N+1, d+1, f,f,N+1, QCB,F+2. This will grab the opponent if he or she just stands there. f,f,N+1, d+1, f,f,N+1, d+1, .... Infinite custom string. Not recommended but shown as an example. Example #3: 4,4, WS+2,1[,4], f,F,N+1. Julia quickly does a high kick then low kick. After the low kick, Julia is crouching. Next, Julia does a partial Tequila Sunrise string. After that, Julia closes back in with the Party Crasher. See example #2 for some possible extensions. -------------- 2.5.5. Okizeme Okizeme is loosely defined as attacking your opponent while he/she is down on the ground. While Julia has good attacks to knock opponents trying to get up back down, she does not have any fast and powerful attacks to hit opponents who insist on staying down unless the opponent is big. Below is a list of useful attacks for okizeme. * d+1 If the opponent is rolling toward Julia from a distance, this can interrupt whatever attacks the opponent tries. This can pop such a rolling opponent into the air and you can juggle. * d+3 Of the moves she has that can hit grounded opponents, this sweep has the fastest execution time. It will knock the opponent away and give him or her time to get up, but at least you will inflict some damage, and it is the safest attack you can use. * d+4,[N+4_1] Like d+3, this will hit grounded opponents. This does not come out as quickly as d+3, but it recovers a bit faster, and Julia has the option of following up with an high kick or uppercut. Either followup is guaranteed if the sweep hits when the opponent tries to get up. The uppercut ender is useful when you know the opponent will try to get up because it leaves Julia close to her opponent and she can continue with okizeme. However, if the opponent stays down and the uppercut misses, Julia is open to attack. High kick ender does slightly more damage, but the opponent will not be close to Julia and he or she can get up safely. When in doubt, use the high kick ender. If it misses, Julia is safe. If it hits, it does good damage. Of course, if you know the opponent will stay down, just do the first sweep alone then run after the opponent. * b+3 This sweep has slower execution and recovery time than d+3 or d+4, but it has longer range. Generally, the previous sweeps are better because of speed. * FC,df+4,3 If Julia is crouching, the Spinning Sweep Combo is one of the best moves she can do. It advances Julia and if it hits the opponent while he/she is trying to get up, it will hit and float the opponent. While the opponent is floating, Julia can either juggle or wait until the opponent lands then attack when the opponent tries to get up again. If your opponent refuses to get up, you can either use the sweep only to inflict damage safely or wait for the opponent to move then try to catch him or her. If you choose to wait, you risk getting hit by a quick attack from your opponent. * df+4,2,bJulia). Nina Pros: Fast; great defense (i.e., reversal, sway); one-hit wonders; powerful juggles; good throwing skills. Cons: Stamina is among the worst in the game; slow tag launchers; gets netsu in 7 hits. Ogre Pros: Heavy while retaining normal size; kicks with long range; infinite kicks; useful unblockables; huge sidestep; high stamina; one-hit wonders. Cons: Unreliable tag launchers; relatively slow; no netsu for team. Paul Pros: Fast jabs; one-hit wonders (especially deathfist), powerful tag throw; good turtling skills; unique tackle moves; easy to use. Cons: Low stamina; small sidestep; many moves do not track well. P.Jack Pros: High power and stamina; heavy; powerful class 1 launchers; unique tag-in stomp. Cons: Very big; slow; small sidestep; limited throwing skills; no netsu; low jab is awkward to do; no powerful juggles after Julia's tag launchers. True Ogre Pros: Heavy; VERY long arms; infinite kicks; useful unblockables; high stamina; one-hit wonders; lethal okizeme. Cons: Unreliable tag launchers; relatively slow; extremely big; small sidestep; no netsu for team. Wang Pros: One-hit wonders; reversal; select fast moves; taggable Waning Moon. Cons: Relatively slow; very low stamina; somewhat limited moveset. Xiaoyu Pros: Small; high/mid parry; excellent movement/evasion skills; fast; dangerous mixups; powerful juggles; powerful okizeme; can fight effectively while backturned. Cons: Very low stamina; most moves inflict low damage. Yoshimitsu Pros: Taggable df+2 uppercut; fast pokes; power moves; good juggles; useful unblockables; can regain life; gets netsu in 4 hits; powerful sidestep attacks. (Extremely versatile overall.) Cons: His 30+ damage juggles are difficult to do consistently. Recommend partners and why: Armor King -- Fast and strong; high stamina; good juggling skills. Bruce -- Fast and powerful strings and juggles; easy to use. Bryan -- Fast; strong moves; good tag combo capability. Ganryu -- Strong moves; good juggles; high stamina; compliments Changs' fighting style. Jin -- Well rounded; very powerful tag combos; tag combo friendly. Law -- Fast; tag combo friendly; easy to use. Michelle -- Fast; good juggles; fast netsu for team. Yoshimitsu -- Very solid and versatile. =========================================================================== PART III: Michelle =========================================================================== //-----------------// // 3.1. Overview // //-----------------// --------------------- 3.1.1. About Michelle Michelle is an offensive character who relies on speed, counterhits, mixups, and juggles to win. Michelle does not have fast power shots like Paul or Ogre, she does not have many defensive turtle-friendly moves (i.e., reversals) like Law or Nina, she does not have any special stances like Lei or Yoshimitsu, she does not have multipart throws like King or Nina, and she is not very easy to use like Law or Paul. Why play her? Aside from pretty looks, Michelle has fast jabs (and other moves) that can lead into damaging combos that launch if they counterhit. Michelle also has nasty mixups that will frustrate an opponent who cannot defend against them properly. Strengths --------- + Combos + Mixups + Sidestep + Speed Weaknesses ---------- - Defense - Lag - Stamina - Throwing ---------------- 3.1.2. Strengths I will explain briefly on Michelle's strengths. Combos: This is how Michelle inflicts heavy damage, whether the combo is a canned string guaranteed on counterhit, a high damage juggle, or a combination of both. Even more so than Julia, Michelle has several strings that are true combos if the first attack connects as a counterhit (i.e., hit the opponent during his or her move execution), and these alone often remove 25-40% life. Michelle is also a very good juggler. Although Michelle does not have Julia's class 2 juggle power, Michelle is capable of 35+ damage juggles, and she can start combos more easily than Julia. Her class 1 juggles are on par with Julia's, and she is capable of class 3 juggles. Mixups: I am not talking about the various canned strings and their relatives (e.g., Tequila Sunrise) mind you, though they are effective against beginners and intermediates. What I really mean is the powerful options Michelle can do after a fast poking move or custom string, and a mistake on the opponent's part can cost him or her up to half a life bar. Sidestep: Michelle has good sidestepping range. While her sidestep is not as wide as Law, Lee, or Ogre, she can evade attacks fairly well with her sidestep alone. Michelle also has a special move that lets her spin to her right side. When used in conjuction with her normal sidestep, she can strafe very well, and she can move behind an attacker quickly. In addition to excellent sidestep range, Michelle has powerful sidestep attacks that can easily poke and/or start combos. Speed: Michelle has very fast moves that are useful for poking or interrupting. In the Changs' case, speed and combos go hand-in-hand. Her basic standing left jab or right kick are fast and can start damaging combos if either counterhit. Her quick elbows can also stop many of her opponents' attacks, and they are great combo starters as well. ----------------- 3.1.3. Weaknesses I will explain briefly on Michelle's weaknesses. Defense: First, Michelle has no high/mid reversal or parry. While such a move by itself is not great defense, it does mean that the opponent can use high/mid attacks without fear of them getting caught, and is not restricted by either inputting chickens frequently or using only moves that cannot be parried. However, the main reason I think Michelle does not have good defense is because she is not a very good minor counter mistake punisher. Her best damage dealing moves either require a major counter or do not have enough reach or speed to connect during a small opening. For example, if the opponent whiffs a jab in front of Michelle, Michelle can probably hit with an elbow or something similar, but this results in minor damage. Compare that to what Heihachi or Jin can do, who can punish the opponent with an (E)WGF followed by 35-45 damage juggle, which totals to about half a life bar. In short, Michelle cannot turtle very well. Lag: Many of Michelle's moves have long execution and/or recovery time. Also, some of her sweeps can be low parried on reaction, even more if anticipated. Stamina: Michelle has low stamina -- she takes more damage per hit than most characters. Nothing more needs to be said. Throwing: Unlike Julia, Michelle was not made to grapple. Her throws do average damage at best, and none of them have the speed or reach to be very effective. //-----------------// // 3.2. Movelist // //-----------------// Basic Moves Input Hit Dmg F.Hit B.Adv H.Adv C.Adv ------------------------------------- 1 h 5 8 0 +6 +6 2 h 8 10 -2 +9 +9 3 h 25 14 -16 KD KD 4 h 20 10 -7 -7 KD F,1 h 6 8 0 +6 +6 F,2 h 12 10 -2 +9 +9 F,3 h 25 16 -16 KD KD F,4 h 20 10 -7 -7 KD d+1 s 5 8 -2 +9 +9 d+2 s 10 10 -2 +9 +9 d+3 L 12 16 -17 -3 -3 d+4 L 10 20 -9 -10 -10 FC+1 s 3 8 -2 +9 +9 FC+2 s 8 10 -2 +9 +9 FC+3 L 12 16 -17 -3 -3 FC+4 l 10 12 -8 +4 +4 WS+1 m 12 10 -3 +8 +8 WS+2 m 15 18 -11 0 0 WS+3 m 26 16 -16 KD KD WS+4 m 15 11 -17 KD KD df+1 m 8 20 -15 -4 -4 df+2 m 10 16 -6 +5 +5 df+3 m 17 14 -10 +1 +1 df+4 m 12 12 -4 +7 +7 Throws Name Input Type Damage Escape ------------------------------------------------------------------ Waist Suplex 1+3 front 30 1 Knee Suplex 2+4 front 30 2 tag throw 2+5 front ? 2 Arm Lock Suplex df+1+2 front 37 1+2 Blizzard Suplex (1+3)_(2+4) left 40 1 Southern Cross Suplex (1+3)_(2+4) right 40 2 German Suplex (1+3)_(2+4) back 45 none Special Moves Name Input Level Damage Notes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- G-Clef Cannon 1~1,1~5 hmm 10,5,21 Tag JG Flash Uppercut f+1~5 m 15 Tag JG Party Crasher f,f+1,4 mm 10,15 Bow and Arrow Kick 1~1,4,3 hmLh 10,5,12,15 Machine Gun Cannon CH 1~2~1 hmT 10,15,21 Tag JGc Machine Gun Low Kick 1~2,3 hmL 10,8,10 Machine Gun High Kick 1~2,4 hmh 10,8,20 G-Clef Cannon II df+1,1~5 mm 8,21 Tag JG Bow and Arrow Kick II (df+1,4)_(1+4),3 mLh 8,12,15 Rapid Counter Attack d,df+1 m 18 Burning Palm Crush SS+1 m 15 #1 Spin Behind (b+2)_(2~b) h 12 #2 -> German Suplex -> d+1+2 h 45 -> back push -> 1+2 h 0 -> tag bulldog -> 5 h 24 (Need Julia on team) Lashing Arrow f,f+2 h 25 Slow Power Punch Combo df+2,1 mT 15,21 Tag JG Slow Power Punch Low Kick df+2,3 mL 10,10 Slow Power Punch High Kick df+2,4 mh 10,20 Thrust Fist d,df+2 m 20 DSc Body Elbow FC,DF+2 m 20 DSc Tequila Sunrise Combo (WS+2)_(3~2),1,1~5 mmm 18,5,21 Tag Tequila Sunrise Middle (WS+2)_(3~2),2 mm 15,22 #3 Smash Tequila Sunrise Arrow Kick (WS+2)_(3~2),1,4,3 mmLh 18,5,15,15 Tequila Sunrise Low Kick (WS+2)_(3~2),4,1 mLm 15,12,21 JG Slash Uppercut Tequila Sunrise Low High (WS+2)_(3~2),4,4 mLh 15,12,23 Kicks Tequila Sunrise Low Kicks (WS+2)_(3~2),4,d+4 mLL 15,12,10 Snake Step SS+2 s 12 Inner Palm Crush SS+2~1 m 25 Twin Arrow 1+2 m 25 GB Front Snap Kick df+3 m 17 Twin Waking Kicks SS+3,4 mh 16,18 JG Spinning Kicks Slash 4,4,1 hLm 21,12,21 Uppercut Spinning Kicks High Kick 4,4,4 hLh 21,12,23 Spinning Kicks Low Kick 4,4,d+4 hLL 21,12,10 Razor's Edge d+4,1 Lm 10,21 JG Sweep Headkick d+4,N+4 Lh 10,23 Sweep Low Kick d+4,d+4 LL 10,10 Spinning Sweep Combo FC,df+4,3 Lh 12,15 Skyscraper Kick WS+4 m 17 Spin 3+4 - - #4 Tiger's Claw df+3+4~5 mm 14,21 Tag JG Foot Stomp (uf+3+4)_(UF+3) M 35 Ultimate Cannon (2+3)_(d+2~N+3),1~5 smm 8,9,25 Tag JG Heavy Uppercut F+1+4 U 50 backflip u~ub - - Supercharger 1+2+3+4 - - #1 - Clean hit damage is 22. #2 - Spin occurs only if the right jab connects. #3 - 2nd hit will cause a double over stun on a counterhit. #4 - Can link into any Spinning Kicks string. Tenstrings Input Level Damage Notes ------------------------------------------------------------ 2112332321 h"mm"hLh"mL"mT 12,6,6,6,6,6,7,5,5,30 #1 2112333143 h"mm"hLh"mm"Lm 12,6,6,6,6,6,7,7,10,25 2112333441 h"mm"hLh"hm"Lm 12,6,6,6,6,6,6,7,8,25 JG #1 - 9th hit must connect for the 10th hit to occur. //-----------------------// // 3.3. Moves Analysis // //-----------------------// Each move has a rating from one to five stars. * = Move is useless. ** = Move is useful only in a few situations. *** = Move is average; not bad, but not the best. **** = Move is very good; powerful but not abusable due to a weakness. ***** = Move is among the best; use it often. ------------------ 3.3.1. Basic moves Input: 1 Rating: ***** Damage: 5 (6 if stick is held forward) Hit Level: h F.Hit: 8 B.Adv: 0 H.Adv: 6 C.Adv: 6 Michelle's left jab is very useful because it executes very quickly and it can chain into the 1~1,... or 1~2,... strings. Use it to poke or interrupt. It can even be used as a tick to setup throws. Input: 2 Rating: **** Damage: 8 (12 if stick is held forward) Hit Level: h F.Hit: 10 B.Adv: -2 H.Adv: 9 C.Adv: 9 Compared to the left jab, the right jab has more reach and does more damage, but it is slower. If it connects, Michelle will have a nice frame advantage. In my experience, I found that a throw is a great followup to use during the frame advantage. The right jab is also the start of Michelle's (useless) tenstrings. Input: 3 Rating: ** Damage: 25 Hit Level: h F.Hit: 14 (16 if stick is held forward) B.Adv: -16 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This kick is slow and it hits high. It may be her fastest power move, and it always knocks down on a hit. Overall, it is not very useful. Input: 4 Rating: ***** Damage: 20 Hit Level: h F.Hit: 10 B.Adv: -7 H.Adv: -7 C.Adv: KD Michelle's high right kick is very useful. It is fast, has good range, and can chain into her Spinning Kicks series. It also knocks down on counterhit, and can be followed up by a juggle. Input: (d_FC)+1 Rating: ***** Damage: 5_3 Hit Level: s F.Hit: 8 B.Adv: -2 H.Adv: 9 C.Adv: 9 The crouching left jab is great for poking, interrupting, adding hits in a juggle, and/or getting Michelle into a crouch so she can setup her FC or WS moves. Input: (d_FC)+2 Rating: ***** Damage: 10_8 Hit Level: s F.Hit: 10 B.Adv: -2 H.Adv: 9 C.Adv: 9 This is her crouching right jab. Compared to the crouching left jab, this is a bit slower, but it has more reach and it does more damage. It can be used like the crouching left jab, but its best use is as a juggle filler. Input: (d_FC)+3 Rating: **** Damage: 12 Hit Level: L F.Hit: 16 B.Adv: -17 H.Adv: -3 C.Adv: -3 This is Michelle's fastest attack that can hit grounded opponents. Use it add damage after a throw or to peck at opponents. Michelle recovers crouching after the kick. Input: d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 10 Hit Level: L F.Hit: 20 B.Adv: -9 H.Adv: -10 C.Adv: -10 By itself, this sweep has relatively slow execution, and the recovery is not too good even if it hits (but better than d+3 if blocked). Still, the sweep is useful and relatively safe because it hits low and grounded opponents, and since this is the start of Razor's Edge and a couple other sweep strings, Michelle can followup with one of the enders. After the sweep, Michelle recovers crouching. Also, this sweep recovers faster than d+3 when used in okizeme. Input: FC+4 Rating: *** Damage: 10 Hit Level: l F.Hit: 12 B.Adv: -8 H.Adv: 4 C.Adv: 4 This is Michelle's fastest attack that hits low, and it is safe to use. It is useful for poking or interrupting. Unlike some other characters, Michelle must be in a full crouch to use this. Input: WS+1 Rating: *** Damage: 12 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 10 B.Adv: -3 H.Adv: 8 C.Adv: 8 This is a puny uppercut with little range, but it is her fastest and safest WS attack. Thanks to Michelle's Snake Step (SS+2), this is more useful to her than it is to Julia because WS+1 is one of the safest followups Michelle can use if you do not know Snake Step will connect. In other situations, this is somewhat useful if you want to stand up from a crouch and poke at the same time. Input: (WS+2)_(3~2) Rating: ** Damage: 15 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 18 B.Adv: -11 H.Adv: 0 C.Adv: 0 By itself, the uppercut is useless because it is slow in execution and recovery. However, it is the start of several powerful strings Michelle has. Each Tequila Sunrise string consists of strikes of varying hit levels and can provide a mean guessing game to the opponent if used unpredictably. Also, if the uppercut connects on a counterhit, then all the hits in the rest of the Tequila Sunrise strings are guaranteed. Input: WS+3 Rating: * Damage: 26 Hit Level: h F.Hit: 16 B.Adv: -16 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD Think of this as the WS version of 3. This is almost useless because there are better moves that are safer and can inflict more damage (e.g., Spinning Sweep Combo, Skyscraper Kick followed by low sweep). Perhaps the only time this could be of any use is if the time is down to the final second and you need a powerful final strike from a crouch. Input: WS+4 See Skyscraper Kick. Input: df+1 Rating: ** Damage: 8 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 20 B.Adv: -15 H.Adv: -4 C.Adv: -4 This is the downward chop from the G-Clef strings. It has slow execution and recovery times. The only use I have for this is if the opponent has a reversal, and I want to use a G-Clef string that is easy to buffer chickens for. Otherwise, 1~1 is safer. Input: df+2 Rating: ** Damage: 10 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 16 B.Adv: -6 H.Adv: 5 C.Adv: 5 Unlike most characters, Michelle does not have a basic juggling uppercut. Instead, she does a straight punch to the gut. By itself, this punch is not very useful because has some execution lag and lousy range, and the damage is low. The punch is the start of the Slow Power Punch strings, so if you use this punch, always go for the followup. (i.e., df+2,1_3_4) Input: df+3 See Front Snap Kick. Input: df+4 Rating: **** Damage: 12 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 12 B.Adv: -4 H.Adv: 7 C.Adv: 7 Unlike Julia, Michelle does a fast mid-hitting toe kick that is common to many characters. It is one of Michelle's fastest mid attacks. Input: [FC,]df Rating: ***** Damage: n/a Hit Level: n/a F.Hit: 1 B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x In TTT, anyone can low parry by tapping df within 9 frames of impact from an incoming low attack. It does not matter if the defender is crouching or standing. The universal low parry has no execution or recovery animation -- your character will automatically parry the attack if possible. What the low parry does is catch and push aside most of your opponents' moves that hit low and the basic low jabs that hit special mid. The opponent loses balance for a moment which gives Michelle an attack advantage -- 9 frames after a low punch parry or 16 frames after a low kick parry. A few specific attacks, such as slides, will put the opponent down to the ground if parried. In the case of a parried low kick, a hop kick can connect, and a hop kick plus juggle is the most damaging follow up after a low parry. However, the hop kick is not necessarily guaranteed, because it can miss. Whether or not the hop kick can hit depends on how close the attacker is and the attacker's size. If you think a hop kick will miss, you can use other attacks such as the Party Crasher that will hit for minor damage. The low parry is very useful because it stops your opponent's attack, and any guaranteed damage is better than none. Unlike Julia, this is the only way Michelle can low parry, so learn this! -------------------- 3.3.2. Jumping moves NOTE: Not all jumping moves are commented. Input: uf+2 Rating: * Damage: 18 Hit Level: M F.Hit: 43 B.Adv: -23 H.Adv: -12 C.Adv: -12 This is a pounce that most characters have, and it is nearly useless. It is too slow in any case, and the damage is not worth the risk. Michelle has other moves that do the job better. Input: uf+3 Rating: * Damage: 20 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 15 B.Adv: -29 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This resembles Michelle's uf+4 hop kick. However, this kick does not launch, inflicts less damage, and recovers slower. uf+4 is better than uf+3 in every way, and there is no good reason use this move at all. Input: (uf_UF)+4 Rating: **** Damage: 25 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 15 B.Adv: -18 H.Adv: KD (-1 if done with ub+4) C.Adv: KD The hop kick is one of Michelle's best launchers. It is moderately fast, hits mid, and does good damage by itself. Unfortunately, her hop kick has bad recovery time, so do not throw it out randomly. However, if you see an opening, do not hesitate to use this. A hop kick plus juggle can take away close to half of your opponent's life. Another good thing about this move is it launches anyone, even heavy characters, rather high. Input: (U_UF),N,3 (descent_landing) Rating: ** Damage: 25_15 Hit Level: m_L F.Hit: 37_46 B.Adv: -19 H.Adv: KD_6 C.Adv: KD_6 Michelle does a high jump then does a left side kick that can hit mid or low depending on when the button is pressed. If pressed when Michelle starts to descend from the apex of her jump, the kick will hit mid and cause a double-over stun on a normal hit or a rollback knockdown on a counterhit. If pressed while Michelle is close to the ground, the kick hit low and act much like a d+3. This is a useful and unorthodox mixup from medium range that is guaranteed to take your opponent by surprise as long as it is used sparingly. Input: (U_UF),N+4 Rating: ** Damage: 25 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 23 B.Adv: -8 H.Adv: 3 C.Adv: KD This is a high jump attack that looks like a hop kick. Outside of juggling, this kick is of little use. However, this kick is great in juggles because it hurts. Unfortunately for Michelle, she can only use it in class 1 juggles, and her only class 1 launcher is her (slow) unblockable. Having a tag partner with a good class 1 launcher can help Michelle greatly, as this is the key to her powerful class 1 juggles. To do this kick, you need to hold UF then press 4 as soon as Michelle jumps. ------------- 3.3.3. Throws Name: Waist Suplex Input: 1+3 Rating: *** Damage: 30 Escape: 1 F.Hit: 12 This is one of Michelle's basic front throws. Does average damage and needs one button to escape. Name: Knee Suplex Input: 2+4 Rating: *** Damage: 30 Escape: 2 F.Hit: 12 Michelle's other basic front throw. Nothing special about it. Only needs one button to escape. Name: tag throw Input: 2+5 Rating: *** Damage: ? (varies; 80% of tag partner's attack) Escape: 2 F.Hit: 12 This is the generic over-the-shoulder toss followed by a pounce from Michelle's partner. Some tag pounces do good damage (e.g., Kings, Changs) while others do very little damage (e.g., Mitsus). This is a stylish way to tag. Only use the tag throw if need to tag and your partner has a good pounce and is powered up. (In other words, use it if the tag pounce will do 30+ damage.) Name: Arm Lock Suplex Input: df+1+2 Rating: **** Damage: 37 Escape: 1+2 F.Hit: 11 This is Michelle's sole command throw. This is the same as Julia's, but since Michelle does not have more powerful throws like Julia, this is the best Michelle can do. Might as well use it if you get the chance to throw. This does more damage than her basic front throws, and it requires two buttons to break. Its range is annoyingly short, so if you want to use this throw, Michelle will need to be very close to her opponent. Name: Blizzard Suplex Input: any throw on opponent's left side Rating: *** Damage: 40 Escape: 1 F.Hit: same as throw input Michelle's left side throw. Does a bit more damage than her basic front throws, but is easily broken. If you just sidestepped your opponent, Twin Waking Kicks plus juggle is usually a better option. Name: Southern Cross Suplex Input: any throw on opponent's right side Rating: *** Damage: 40 Escape: 2 F.Hit: same as throw input Michelle's right side throw. Looks almost the same as the Blizzard Suplex and does the same damage. Also easily broken. Again, you are usually better off with a launcher plus juggle. Name: German Suplex Input: any throw on opponent's back Rating: **** Damage: 45 Escape: none F.Hit: same as throw input Michelle's back throw. It is relatively weak for a back throw, but it is Michelle's strongest throw, and it is inescapable. -------------------- 3.3.4. Special Moves Name: G-Clef Cannon Input: 1~1,1[~5] Rating: ***** Damage: 10,5,21 Hit Level: h,m,m F.Hit: 8,x,x B.Adv: 0,-15,-14 H.Adv: 6,4,KD C.Adv: 6,4,KD This is one of Michelle's best launchers against normal-sized opponents, and it begins with just a simple jab. Since Michelle's jabs come out fast, use this to interrupt your opponent's attack then juggle him or her. Since this string uses only one button, this is also a good panic button combo to use if you see something nasty coming, such as some unblockables. On counterhit, this string combos and does good damage by itself. If the last hit is blocked, Michelle has some recovery, long enough to be open to a quick counterattack, which can be bad news against some opponents (e.g., Heihachi). This move is not very effective against heavy characters like the Jacks because it does not launch them even if the last hit connects unless a tag is buffered, and even then it does not launch as high. Overall, the full string is a risky move but the payoff if it lands makes it worthwhile. It is best used to interrupt incoming attacks. In addition to the full string, the first two punches alone are useful as pokes. If you see that the first two punches are blocked, you can stop at the second punch, or you can do 1~1,1, 1~1,4, or 1~1,4,3 and hope the opponent defends incorrectly. (See 1~1,4,3 below for more details on partial strings.) Name: Flash Uppercut Input: f+1[~5] Rating: *** Damage: 15 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 19 B.Adv: -15 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD Michelle dashes forward a small distance then strikes with an uppercut. The dash can go under high attacks. The uppercut, if it hits, launches normal-sized characters but only staggers heavy characters (unless a tag is buffered). The dash makes its execution time relatively slow. Recovery time is slow too. Nonetheless, it is a useful move because it can counter predictable players who abuse effective moves that hit high (such as standing 4). Name: Party Crasher Input: f,f+1,4 Rating: ***** Damage: 10,15 Hit Level: m,m F.Hit: 11,x B.Adv: -2,-11 H.Adv: ?,KD C.Adv: ?,KD This is even more useful to Michelle than it is to Julia. Although this move looks the same as Julia's, its properties are different. Against a standing opponent, the elbow does NOT knock down. However, if the elbow counterhits, the followup skyscraper kick is guaranteed, and the kick will knockdown. Both hits together do good damage, and juggling is possible after the knockdown. The skyscraper kick has some recovery, so make sure it will hit before you use it. Also, Michelle cannot delay the skyscraper kick like Julia. (Personally though, I think the lack of delay is better because it does not interfere with juggling.) Overall, this is one of Michelle's most important moves. Name: Bow and Arrow Kick Input: 1~1,4,3 Rating: *** Damage: 10,5,15,15 Hit Level: h,m,L,h F.Hit: 8,x,x,x B.Adv: 0,-15,-13,-12 H.Adv: 6,4,-2,KD C.Adv: 6,4,-2,KD The first two hits are the same as 1~1,1 so players expecting the 1~1,1 may fail the block the bow and arrow kick and take good damage. If the 4 hits, the 3 is guaranteed if the opponent is close enough. Like 1~1,1, if the first jab counterhits, the entire string will combo. While the damage is not as high as 1~1,1 plus juggle, the full string is good to use occasionally. The low kick is slow enough that experienced players can block or parry it on reaction, so be careful. If the whole string is blocked the recovery is somewhat long, even longer if the last hit whiffs. In addition, the size of a few characters present additional complications. Ling is small enough that the 3 will miss her unless Michelle is very close, and Ganryu is immune to the bow and arrow kick because the jabs push him too far away. One major reason why this and 1~1,1 are useful is because partial strings are useful pokes. In this case, you can do 1~1 or 1~1,4; either string if blocked leaves Michelle relatively safe because the opponent will likely not try to retaliate. 1~1,4 is also useful for setting up attacks since Michelle recovers crouching after the 4. Name: Machine Gun Cannon Input: CH 1~2~1[~5] Rating: ***** Damage: 10,15,21 Hit Level: h,m,T F.Hit: 8,x,x B.Adv: 0,-15,x H.Adv: 6,5,x C.Adv: 6,5,x This combo works only if the first jab strikes as a counterhit. However, if this lands, the damage from this alone rivals that of Paul's Phoenix Smasher! Not only that, but also the last hit launches and Michelle can perform a juggle afterward to drain even more life. Even heavy characters are launched with ease by this move. If you do not get the counterhit, or it does not hit the opponent's front, all you get is 1~2, and its recovery is slightly worse than 1~1,1. Nonetheless, it is generally safe because of the threat of 1~2 mixups. Like the G-Clef strings, this also starts with a simple jab. Compared to 1~1, 1~2 is faster and more damaging, but has less range. If you are fighting a heavy character or your partner has weak tag class 2 juggles, use this instead of 1~1,1 as your main counterhit weapon. Name: Machine Gun Low Kick Input: 1~2,3 Rating: ** Damage: 10,15,10 Hit Level: h,m,L F.Hit: 8,x,x B.Adv: 0,-15,-17 H.Adv: 6,5,-3 C.Adv: 6,5,-3 The last hit of this string strikes low. Michelle also recovers crouching after it. This can be useful for sneaking in a low hit once in a while. Be careful, recovery if it misses or is blocked is relatively long, and opponents with WS launchers (e.g., Jin or Law) can punish Michelle severely. In addition, the low parry can stop the sweep and open Michelle up for free damage. Even if your opponent is incapable of powerful FC or WS attacks and low parry followups, this remains something you cannot abuse (unless your opponent is a beginner and does not know how to defend against this). To be honest, the low kick is not very useful because it is relatively slow and the risk is (generally) too great for such a small gain. Name: Machine Gun High Kick Input: 1~2,4 Rating: ** Damage: 10,15,20 Hit Level: h,m,h F.Hit: 8,x,x B.Adv: 0,-15,-7 H.Adv: 6,5,-7 C.Adv: 6,5,KD I have mixed feelings about this move. The kick goes high, so it will miss an opponent who is waiting for 1~2,3 (as if 1~2,3 was not dangerous enough to use), and he or she can punish you. On the other hand, it can counterhit aggressive opponents trying to get the jump on Michelle after blocking an anticipated 1~2 or failed 1~2~1. If the right kick counterhits, the opponent will be in air and open to CH 4 juggles. Aside from attacking an overaggressive opponent, this may have some use in juggling for it is easy to do, though the damage is not the best. Overall, this is probably a little more useful than 1~2,3 because the danger is about the same, but the rewards are greater. Name: G-Clef Cannon II Input: df+1,1[~5] Rating: *** Damage: 8,21 Hit Level: m,m F.Hit: 20,x B.Adv: -15,-14 H.Adv: -4,KD C.Adv: -4,KD This is like 1~1,1 minus the first high jab. Since it comes out more slowly, it is not as useful as 1~1,1, and it should not be relied upon for interrupting purposes. However, if your opponent expects the Bow and Arrow Kick, he/she can be tricked into eating the uppercut. Name: Bow and Arrow Kick II Input: (1+4)_(df+1,4),3 Rating: *** Damage: (12,12)_(8,12),15 Hit Level: m,L,h F.Hit: 20,x,x B.Adv: (x,-13)_(-15,-13),-12 H.Adv: (x,-2)_(-4,-2),KD C.Adv: (x,-2)_(-4,-2),KD This is like 1~1,4,3 minus the first high jab. This is slow to initiate. I am not sure if Ganryu is immune to the sweep in this string. Name: Rapid Counter Attack Input: d,df+1 Rating: **** Damage: 18 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 11 B.Adv: -2 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This is a fast, far reaching left punch with great speed. It is similar but different from Julia's. First, the left punch always knocks down on any hit, does slightly more damage than Julia's, and it recovers faster than Julia's. However, Michelle has no builtin followups to this move. Still, it is useful in juggles as a filler or ender. The punch is also useful if you want to knock the opponent down to the ground. Name: Burning Palm Crush Input: SS+1 Rating: **** Damage: 15 (22 on clean hit) Hit Level: m F.Hit: 15 B.Adv: -10 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This move is moderately fast and has a large hit area. The palm knocks down if it hits. On counterhit, the palm sends the opponent rolling away. If blocked, the opponent is pushed away. Overall, this is a safe move even though the damage is somewhat low. The palm is also effective in hitting sidestepping opponents. Name: Spin Behind Input: (b+2)_(2~b) Rating: ** Damage: 12 Hit Level: h F.Hit: 10 B.Adv: 0 H.Adv: -1 C.Adv: -1 The spin occurs only after the jab connects. After the spin the opponent will have his/her backturned to Michelle. Since Michelle has a slight disadvantage after the spin, you need to anticipate what your opponent will do and act accordingly. It is a guessing game on both sides. If you think the opponent will crouch, launch him or her with a jump kick at the back and juggle. If you think the opponent will attack with a move that does not hit mid, crouch then, if the attack misses, counterattack. Do not bother with any of the followup links -- your opponent's fastest backturned attacks will beat them out. In addition, the opponent also has time to crouch under any link. -> Name: German Suplex Input: d+1+2 Rating: * Damage: 45 Hit Level: h F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x This is faster than trying a 1+3 or 2+4 throw on a backturned opponent. Still, the opponent can duck or hit you out of the link so don't even try it. (Note: The CPU rarely escapes this, so feel free to cheese the CPU if you are losing.) -> Name: back push Input: 1+2 Rating: * Damage: 0 Hit Level: h F.Hit: x B.Adv: 2 H.Adv: 2 C.Adv: 2 This simply pushes your opponent's back, and causes him or her to stagger forward a bit. Does no damage by itself whatsoever. It is totally useless. -> Name: tag bulldog Input: 5 (need Julia on team) Rating: * Damage: 24 Hit Level: h F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x This only works if Michelle's partner is Julia. Michelle pushes her opponent's back. While her opponent stumbles forward, Julia tags in and does her Headlock Face Crusher throw. Does mild damage and is unlikely to connect in the first place. (Note: Again, as with the German Suplex link, this is effective CPU cheese.) Name: Lashing Arrow Input: f,f+2 Rating: ** Damage: 25 Hit Level: h F.Hit: 21 B.Adv: -19 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This move is not that good. It hits high, and if it is blocked, Michelle has slow recovery. The only good things about this move is it has a long range, does good damage, and sends the opponent rolling on counterhit. Only use this if your opponent leaves him/herself open at a distance and you have no other move that can take advantage of the opening (easily). Name: Slow Power Punch Combo Input: df+2,1[~5] Rating: **** Damage: 15,21 Hit Level: m,T F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,x H.Adv: 5,x C.Adv: 5,x This looks like 1~2~1 minus the first left jab, but the properties are different. The initial punch has short range and executes relatively slowly, but if it connects the opponent's front on any hit (no CH needed), the 1 will launch, and you can follow up with a juggle. The recovery time is significantly faster than 1~2, so this is a relatively safe move to use. If you block a move with long recovery time and you are standing close to the opponent, this is a good safe move to punish the opponent with. Compared to the hop kick, it is slightly slower, but it is more damaging and safer in case it is blocked. Name: Slow Power Punch Low Kick Input: df+2,3 Rating: *** Damage: 10,10 Hit Level: m,L F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,-17 H.Adv: 5,-3 C.Adv: 5,-3 This is the same as 1~2,3 minus the left jab, making it a bit slower to start. Again, be careful of the sweep's lag. Because df+2 alone recovers faster, you might get away with using the sweep because the opponent has less time to react to possible mixups. Name: Slow Power Punch High Kick Input: df+2,4 Rating: * Damage: 10,20 Hit Level: m,h F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -6,-7 H.Adv: 5,-7 C.Adv: 5,-7(or KD?) Same as the last two hits in 1~2,4. Since the 4 hits high and it recovers a bit slower than df+2, not to mention df+2 executes more slowly than 1~2, this is next to useless in a toe-to-toe fight. If you just know the opponent will try to attack immediately after the df+2, the high kick will hit, but that is all it is good for. I do not know if Michelle's version will knockdown like Julia's if the kick counterhits. This is not even worth doing in juggles, because the damage is low and Michelle has far better moves to juggle with. Name: Thrust Fist Input: d,DF+2 Rating: **** Damage: 20 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 18 B.Adv: -12 H.Adv: 1 C.Adv: KD This move has good range, although it has a bit of windup. If it is blocked, the opponent is pushed back and Michelle recovers quickly. It does modest damage, but if it counterhits, the opponent is stunned, and Michelle has time to launch the opponent then juggle for major damage. Overall, this is a very good medium range move. Name: Body Elbow Input: (FC,DF)_(RN)+2 Rating: *** Damage: 20 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 12 B.Adv: -20 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This is one of Michelle's moves from a crouch. It has fast execution time and good range, but slow recovery time. It knocks down on a normal hit and stuns on a counterhit. It has two main uses: retaliation and interruption. If you block a low attack or see an opening while you are crouching, and you need a fast move with good range, this will hit for mild damage. Keep in mind that the Spinning Sweep Combo and Skyscraper Kick plus followups do more damage. If you anticipate an attack, use the elbow to interrupt. The elbow will likely beat out your opponent's attack and stun the opponent, and you can follow up with a damaging combo if the opponent does not break out of the stun. Overall, it is a powerful attack if you use it at the right times. Name: Tequila Sunrise Combo Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),1,1 Rating: *** Damage: 18,5,21 Hit Level: m,m,m F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-15,-14 H.Adv: 0,-4,KD C.Adv: -6,-4,KD Same as Julia's, this is a good string to use if you have trained your opponent to block low after the initial uppercut because all three hits mid. If blocked, recovery is a bit slow. If the last hit connects, the opponent will fall over backwards. The only guaranteed followup that I know of is to tag your partner in with a slide (or Ali Kicks with King-based partners). Name: Tequila Middle Smash Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),2 Rating: ** Damage: 15,22 Hit Level: m,m F.Hit: 18,x B.Adv: -11,-20 H.Adv: 0,KD C.Adv: -6,KD This is probably the least useful of the Tequila Sunrise strings. The elbow can stun if it hits on a counter, and it is delayable. However, the elbow has slow recovery, and the damage from this string is not as high as the other Tequila Sunrise strings. Name: Tequila Sunrise Arrow Kick Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),1,4,3 Rating: **** Damage: 18,5,15,15 Hit Level: m,m,L,h F.Hit: 18,x,x,x B.Adv: -11,-15,-13,-12 H.Adv: 0,-4,-2,KD C.Adv: -6,-4,-2,KD This is a nice string that can do good damage. Otherwise, treat this the same as the Bow and Arrow Kick. The partial strings are useful pokes, and if you end the string at the sweep, Michelle will recover crouching. Do not use the full string on Ling because the last kick has a nasty habit of missing her. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kick Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4 Rating: *** Damage: 15,12 Hit Level: m,L F.Hit: 18,x B.Adv: -11,-10 H.Adv: 0,1 C.Adv: -6,1 Though not on the movelist by itself, this deserves special attention. The first uppercut hits mid, and the low kick hits... well, low. The low kick is slow enough for people with quick reflexes to block or parry on reaction. Depending on your opponent, this string can either be very effective or very dangerous to you. If the low kick hits, any of the three enders is guaranteed. If the low kick is blocked, it is a guessing game in Michelle's favor -- she can stop here or add one of three possible enders. If the low kick is parried, Michelle may be in big trouble. If Michelle stops at the low kick, she will recover crouching, and she can attack again soon. Unless your opponent is adept at parrying the low kick, this can be used as part of your poking strings. Remember though, if the low kick hits, any of the three enders is guaranteed. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kick Slash Uppercut Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,1 Rating: **** Damage: 15,12,21 Hit Level: m,L,m F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-18 H.Adv: 0,1,KD C.Adv: -6,1,KD This is the most risky yet most devastating of the Slash Uppercut strings. The 4 hits low, and if it connects, the 1 is guaranteed, which is a launching uppercut. Recovery is slow, so use this only if you think you opponent will not block (or parry) the 4. This is guaranteed to tear beginners apart, but it loses its effectiveness against better players. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low High Kicks Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,4 Rating: * Damage: 15,12,23 Hit Level: m,L,h F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-19 H.Adv: 0,1,-3 C.Adv: -6,1,-3 This is similar to the above string except for the high kick at the end, and it is almost useless. It recovers more slowly than the uppercut, although at least it will not put Michelle into her opponent's face, but then again it may not matter. In addition, the high kick does not launch, so the damage is not as good as the uppercut followed by a juggle. If your opponent manages to block the low kick after the WS+2 uppercut, you can stop the string, use the low kick ender if you think the opponent will block high, or go for broke and use the uppercut if you think the oppoent will block low. Name: Tequila Sunrise Low Kicks Input: (WS+2)_(3~2),4,d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 15,12,10 Hit Level: m,L,L F.Hit: 18,x,x B.Adv: -11,-10,-14 H.Adv: 0,1,-8 C.Adv: -6,1,-8 This is similar to the above two strings except for the low kick at the end. If the first sweep hits, so will the second sweep. If the first sweep is blocked, chances are your opponent will eat the last sweep rather than risk getting launched by the uppercut ender. In addition, Michelle recovers crouching after the last sweep. While the damage and recovery are not that great, this is generally safer. If the last sweep is blocked, Michelle is vulnerable to quick moves, even though the lag is less than the other two enders. Name: Snake Step Input: SS+2 Rating: ***** Damage: 12 Hit Level: s F.Hit: 18 B.Adv: 0 H.Adv: 11 C.Adv: 11 Do not let the low damage and hit level fool you. This move is very useful, and the benefits are well worth its moderate execution. What this move does is move Michelle forward and put her into a crouch at the same time. Afterwards, Michelle can use her powerful FC or WS moves afterwards. If the move is blocked, Michelle recovers very quickly and is not at a frame disadvantage. If the move connects, the opponent will be vulnerable long enough for a guaranteed fast hit. As far as I know, a Skyscraper Kick is guaranteed after a successful SS+2 hit. Name: Inner Palm Crush Input: SS+2~1 Rating: ** Damage: 25 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 34 B.Adv: -10 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD Michelle starts the Snake Step, then interrupts it and does a Burning Palm Crush. In short, this is like a delayed SS+1 that does more damage. Because execution time is slow, you will likely not hit your opponent unless he/she tries to reverse or parry the Snake Step. This is useful for psyching out your opponent at times, but it is too slow to be useful for much else. Name: Twin Arrow Input: 1+2 Rating: *** Damage: 25 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 21 B.Adv: -3 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This move has good range, does good damage, and causes block stun if your opponent blocks so it is safe to use as long as it does not miss. The move knocks down on a normal hit. On counterhit, the opponent is knocked back far spinning head over heels, and you can run after your opponent. The downside of this move is that it has relatively slow execution time. Unlike Julia, Michelle is at a slight disadvantage after recovering from Twin Arrow, so she cannot use it to stun the opponent and gain an attack advatage. Like Julia, Michelle can use this to attack opponents who sidestep a small distance, though Michelle's SS+1 is a more effective anti-sidestep attack. Name: Front Snap Kick Input: df+3 Rating: ** Damage: 17 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 14 B.Adv: -10 H.Adv: 1 C.Adv: 1 This kick covers Michelle's front and does mild damage if it connects. Its speed is not the best. It is okay to use it once in a while, but Michelle has moves better than this. Name: Twin Waking Kicks Input: SS+3,4 Rating: ***** Damage: 16,18 Hit Level: m,h F.Hit: 14,x B.Adv: -11,-10 H.Adv: 0,KD C.Adv: 0,KD This is Michelle's best sidestep move, and it is one of the best sidestep launchers in the game. Damage from both kicks, especially on a counterhit, is high, and the second kick launches normal-sized characters. Although the kicks do not launch heavy characters, a jab will easily knock such characters off their feet while they stagger, and can be juggled just as easily as everyone else. Recovery is reasonably fast as long as you do not miss. The only downside to this move is the second kick whiffs if Michelle is not close to her opponent. The best time to use this move is after you sidestep your opponent and Michelle is close enough for a side throw to connect; both kicks should connect then. Also, the first kick alone can be used as a poke. Name: Spinning Kicks Input: 4,4 Rating: **** Damage: 20,12 Hit Level: h,L F.Hit: 10,x B.Adv: -7,-7 H.Adv: -7,4 C.Adv: KD,4 These are the first two hits of Michelle's Spinning Kicks series. While the Spinning Kicks by itself is not in the movelist, it is one of Michelle's more useful moves. The first kick goes high and the second kick low. Both kicks are relatively fast, and the second kick recovers quickly, which makes this move a good poke. The kicks have fairly good range, and they move Michelle forward a bit. The low kick will also stop opponents who try to sidestep around Michelle. One other very useful property about this move is Michelle recovers crouching after the low kick, which means Michelle can start her FC or WS mixups from the crouch. This move is very good, but it has one weaknesses -- the low parry. Now that everyone has it, any player who sees the kicks coming can parry the low kick then punish Michelle during her recovery. Name: Spinning Kicks Slash Uppercut Input: 4,4,1 Rating: *** Damage: 20,12,21 Hit Level: h,L,m F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-18 H.Adv: -7,4,KD C.Adv: KD,4,KD This string executes quickly, but the uppercut ender has poor recovery. Against a standing opponent, the uppercut will launch if it connects, but unless you are sure the uppercut will hit (e.g., opponent expects 4,4,d+4; opponent attacks and gets countered by the first 4), do not use this because you will be punished. This string does have use in combos. If the first 4 counterhits, it will knockdown the opponent, and the uppercut is guaranteed. Also, if you are behind your opponent and close enough for a back throw to connect, all three hits can combo, but the uppercut may miss smaller characters because the kicks knock the opponent forward. If you manage to launch, you can follow up with a juggle for major damage. In addition, this by itself is also a damaging juggle. Name: Spinning Kicks High Kick Input: 4,4,4 Rating: *** Damage: 20,12,23 Hit Level: h,L,h F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-19 H.Adv: -7,4,-3 C.Adv: KD,4,-3 Like the above string, this has fast execution time, but the last hit has slow recovery time. The last hit can be ducked, so this should not be used on a standing or crouching opponent doing nothing. However, like 4,4,1, this string has its uses. If the first 4 counterhits, the opponent is knocked away and the last kick will hit. As with 4,4,1; this string is damaging in juggles if all three hits connect. Name: Spinning Kicks Low Kick Input: 4,4,d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 20,12,10 Hit Level: h,L,L F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: -7,-7,-14 H.Adv: -7,4,-8 C.Adv: KD,4,-8 This string is fast and it is great for chipping away your opponent's life bar. Michelle also recovers crouching, which means she can use FC or WS moves afterwards. Most of the time, your opponent will block high because of the uppercut ender, so this will connect often. If blocked, the low sweep has the least lag of the three enders, but it is still long enough for Michelle to get hit by something fast. Name: Razor's Edge Input: d+4,1 Rating: **** Damage: 10,21 Hit Level: L,m F.Hit: 20,x B.Adv: -9,-18 H.Adv: -10,KD C.Adv: -10,KD This is like 4,4,1 without the first high kick. The sweep comes out slowly. The uppercut is not guaranteed even if the sweep counterhits. Do not use this on a standing opponent unless you are sure you opponent will not or cannot block it, because its slow recovery will allow your opponent to punish you hard. In juggles, this is actually a very good ender, and it is easy to do. This move can also be handy in okizeme if you can catch your opponent trying to get up as it will knock him or her back down and Michelle will be close to the opponent after the uppercut. Overall, this move is quite useful. Name: Sweep Headkick Input: d+4,N+4 Rating: *** Damage: 10,23 Hit Level: L,h F.Hit: 20,x B.Adv: -9,-19 H.Adv: -10,-3 C.Adv: -10,-3 Like 4,4,4 minus first high kick. Against a standing opponent, this is not very useful because of poor recovery and the last kick can be ducked. Like the Razor's Edge, this has some use in juggles or okizeme. Name: Sweep Low Kick Input: d+4,d+4 Rating: **** Damage: 10,10 Hit Level: L,L F.Hit: 20,x B.Adv: -9,-14 H.Adv: -10,-8 C.Adv: -10,-8 Like 4,4,d+4 sans first high kick. This is just as useful, even though it is a bit slower. Use it to setup and/or chip away at your opponent. Again, Michelle is somewhat vulnerable if the last sweep is blocked. Name: Spinning Sweep Combo (a.k.a. Bow Leg) Input: FC,df+4,3 Rating: ***** Damage: 12,15 Hit Level: L,h F.Hit: 16,x B.Adv: -14,-14 H.Adv: -3,KD C.Adv: -3,KD This is another very useful move Michelle has, and it is done from a crouch. The sweep seems to come out quickly and if it hits, the followup kick is guaranteed to hit if Michelle is close enough to the opponent. The total damage from both hits is quite good. The only weaknesses of this move is recovery time and it is prone to miss Ling unless Michelle is very deep when the sweep hits. However, do not let that stop you from using this move when you see an opening. If at anytime you are crouching and close to your opponent, and your opponent is standing, do this for some easy damage. If you are not close enough such that the second kick may not hit, or the opponent might crouch in time to block low, just do the first sweep only; Michelle will recover crouching quickly enough. (Actually, she is vulnerable, but the opponent will often wait for the second kick so chances are that Michelle will not get hit.) This move is also useful in juggles and okizeme. Name: Skyscraper Kick Input: WS+4 Rating: **** Damage: 15 Hit Level: m F.Hit: 11 B.Adv: -17 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This kick comes out fast and covers her entire front. Always knocks down if the kick connects, and a d+3 or d+4 followup is guaranteed. Even more damaging juggles are guaranteed if the opponent is big (e.g., Jacks). If the kick is blocked, the opponent will be pushed away a bit. However, the recovery is a bit slow, and the opponent has time to attack you with something fast. Nonetheless, this is a good defensive or retaliation move overall. Name: Spin Input: 3+4 Rating: *** Damage: n/a Hit Level: n/a F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x Michelle spins to her right (or opponent's left). This is quite useful since it can augment her normal sidestep into a double sidestep. Michelle can chain the Spinning Kick strings during the spin. Name: Tiger's Claw Input: df+3+4[~5] Rating: **** Damage: 14,21 Hit Level: m,m F.Hit: 24,x B.Adv: x,-8 H.Adv: x,KD C.Adv: x,KD Even though the execution time is slow, this move is a great tag launcher. With this, Michelle will dash under high attacks then pop up with two kicks. The second kick will launch if it connects. The damage from both hits alone is very good. If it blocked, the opponent staggers back, leaving Michelle safe. If it whiffs, Michelle recovers slowly and is in trouble. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness of this move is that the second kick is prone to miss unless Michelle is very close to her opponent and/or the opponent tries to close in with an attack. Anticipate when your opponent will attack with something high (even if it is a jab or throw), and try to launch with this. Name: Foot Stomp (a.k.a. Earthquake Stomp) Input: (uf+3+4)_(UF+3) Rating: ** Damage: 35 Hit Level: M F.Hit: 48 B.Adv: -32 H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This move is not useless, but the times when it is useful are uncommon. Since Michelle jumps high into the air before coming down with a painful stomp, the move is slow. If the stomp misses or is blocked, Michelle will be wide open to all sorts of punishment. The stomp has a strange hit area against a standing opponent -- it hits if it touches the opponent's head or back. The most useful application of the stomp is in combos. The stomp is guaranteed to hit after any of her double-over stun inducing moves (provided the opponent does not break out of the stun), some special tag throws, and some launchers that do not allow techrolling. The stomp is also useful in hitting your opponent out of a dangerous stance from mid range. For example, Lei's drunken stance or play dead tricks, Ling's Art of the Phoenix, Eddy's handstands, or Kuma's Hunting Bear. Name: Ultimate Cannon Input: (2+3)_(d+2~N+3),1[~5] Rating: * Damage: 8,9,25 Hit Level: s,m,m F.Hit: 10,x,x B.Adv: x,-11,-8 H.Adv: x,0,KD C.Adv: x,0,KD The first two hits are nothing special. Execution time of the last hit is far too slow. Your opponent has time to sidestep around Michelle (even big characters like Jack can sidestep twice easily and throw Michelle from behind), hit Michelle out of the dash before the uppercut hits (though the dash will go under high attacks), or at the very least block. If for some reason the uppercut connects, it will launch normal-sized characters and you can juggle, but do not count on that happening. This used to be an easy, damaging juggle for Michelle in Tekken 2. With the advent of techrolling and faster recovery in Tekken 3 and TTT, it is easy to avoid the uppercut, and it is just as useless as Julia's. In short, stay away from this move. Name: Heavy Uppercut (a.k.a. Heaven Cannon) Input: F+1+4 Rating: ** Damage: 50 Hit Level: U (mid) F.Hit: 67 B.Adv: x H.Adv: KD C.Adv: KD This unblockable has good range, but it is too slow to be of much use since an alert player has time to either back away to safety or rush in and interrupt it. However, Michelle will dash under high attacks once she starts moving. If this connects, the opponent will suffer heavy damage and be launched very high, and you can follow up with a class 1 juggle for even more damage. This unblockable hits mid and can hit grounded big characters. This move is lethal to big characters because they are especially vulnerable to it in some circumstances. Comments on the unblockable's tracking ability: Until Michelle starts dashing, the unblockable can track the opponent like many other unblockables. The dash is linear. However, Michelle can reorient herself to face the opponent after she stops dashing. Her reorientation gives the unblockable a bit more reach toward the opponent's general direction, which may be enough to connect an opponent who would have otherwise sidestepped the unblockable. Name: backflip Input: u~ub Rating: ** Damage: n/a Hit Level: n/a F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x If you need to run away, this is safer and better than the backdash because the backflip moves faster and covers more distance. That is the only good use I can think of for the backflip. This can be used to stop Michelle from running while tagging in. Name: Supercharger Input: 1+2+3+4 Rating: ** Damage: n/a Hit Level: n/a F.Hit: x B.Adv: x H.Adv: x C.Adv: x Michelle pauses for a moment (55 frames to be exact) and yells while she gathers energy. Once charged, Michelle's hands will glow. The supercharger lasts two seconds. While the charge lasts, any hit is treated as a counterhit, and any blocked attack will do guard damage. However, Michelle is unable to block and any hit she takes is also treated as a counterhit. ----------------- 3.3.5. Tenstrings Input Hit Level Rating ------------------------------------ 2112332321 h"mm"hLh"mL"mT * 2112332143 h"mm"hLh"mm"Lm * 2112333441 h"mm"hLh"hh"Lm * The first six hits in each of Michelle's tenstrings are the same. The fifth hit can be low parried. The sixth hit goes high, so it can be easily interrupted then. Even though there is a possible mixup on the eighth hit, it is followed by a break point so the last two hits are not guaranteed even if the eighth hit connects, so the last two hits are easily blocked. Michelle's tenstrings are only effective against novice players who do not know how to defend against them and are useless against anyone else. //---------------// // 3.4. Combos // //---------------// Below is a list of combos that Michelle can use. There are far too many combos to list them all, so I have listed the more noteworthy ones -- namely the more popular combos and a few variants. The combos are separated by combo starters. The most common starter is the launcher, but combos can also be started by a stun, a trip, or even a knockdown move that does not allow the opponent to tech roll. Unless specified otherwise, all the listed combos assume that the opponent is facing toward Michelle. While the opponent is helpless in the air, any hits in the juggle do less than full damage. The first hit in the juggle does 80% damage, while all successive hits do 50% damage. Note that hits in a combo on an opponent standing on the ground do full damage. Each combo listed has an approximate damage value next to it, based on the damage formula. I have done the damage calculations by hand (since I do not have a PSX), so the damage values in some juggles may be off by a point or two due to rounding. -------------------------- 3.4.1. Stand alone combos ----------------- Starter: class 3... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- * normal 28 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 28 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1 30 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 32 ...f,f+1, d,DF+1, d+4,1 34 ...f,f+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 36 ...f,f+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 * untechable 18 ...d+4,1 19 ...d+4,N+4 ----------------- These juggles are possible after class 3 tag launchers or better, and all of them begin with the Party Crasher. Due to their ease of use and versatility, they are Michelle's staple combos. * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1 Michelle can repeat elbows until the opponent is pushed too far away to be hit by anything else. Up to five elbows can connect, maybe six if the elbows are dash buffered. If the opponent is big, six elbows can be done more easily. * f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 If you want an elbow juggle that is simple, reliable, and reasonably damaging, this is the one to use. * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 This elbow juggle does slightly more damage than the above combos. It is relatively easy to do, especially if you dash buffer the elbows. If you want to up the difficulty and add an extra five points of damage, you can add a fifth elbow (before the skyscraper kick of course). For five elbows, you must dash buffer every elbow. * f,f+1, d,DF+1, d+4,1 * f,f+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * f,f+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 These are more damaging variants of the above juggles. The Rapid Counter Attack can substitute one or more elbows for more damage, though consecutive d,DF+1 punches are not possible. NOTE: From here on, the above juggles and their variants will be refered to as "elbow juggles". These are juggles Michelle can do after a (low) tag launcher that does not allow the opponent to techroll. Examples of such launchers include Bryan's b+1 on normal hit or Paul's FC,DF+2,2. The juggles below do not inflict as much damage as the above elbow juggles, but they are easier to do because the sweep will hit grounded opponents and bounce them into the air for the followup hit. * d+4,1 Razor's Edge is easy to do and puts Michelle closer to the opponent. * d+4,N+4 This does slightly more damage than Razor's Edge. ----------------- Starter: class 2... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- * normal ?? ... 20 ...3 25 ...1~2,4 28 ...1~2, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 31 ...4,4,1 32 ...4,4,4 28 ...d+2, f,f+1, d+4,1 30 ...d+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 32 ...d+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 29 ...F+2, f,f+1, d+4,1 31 ...F+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 35 ...F+2, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 21 ...d+2, FC,df+4,3 34 ...d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1,4 36 ...d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1, d,DF+1 39 ...d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1, f,F+1,4 * untechable ?? ... 28/35 ...uf+3+4 * cross-up 20? ...f,f+1 , BK 3_4 ----------------- These are juggles that can be used after most class 2 tag launchers. For juggles that start with d+2, you can start with the easier and faster (but less damaging) d+1 instead if necessary. Comments on the following juggles: * 3 This is dead simple and easy. However, Michelle's 3 is not as damaging as some of the other characters' standing 3 or 4, and the damage is low compared to Michelle's better juggles. Also, this will not work with all class 2 launchers. * 1~2,4 This is relatively easy to do since no stick motions are involved. However, damage is relatively low. * 1~2, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 The initial 1~2 acts much like the first two elbows in other juggles. Otherwise, no other comments. * 4,4,1 This is a simple but damaging juggle. This is easy to connect on big opponents, but it is much harder to connect on smaller opponents. It can hit anyone though. The key is to hit the opponent with the high kick as low as possible, so the low kick hits. * 4,4,4 This is more damaging and masher-friendly than 4,4,1, but it is even tougher to connect on normal-sized opponents since the third kick does not have as much reach as the uppercut. Otherwise, comments from 4,4,1 apply here too. * d+2, f,f+1, d+4,1 * d+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * d+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 * F+2, f,f+1, d+4,1 * F+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * F+2, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 A jab can substitute the first Party Crasher in most of the class 3 elbow juggles. * d+2, FC,df+4,3 The damage this juggle inflicts is relatively low. However, more hits are possible after the Sweeping Sweep Combo if you are fast enough. Since Michelle lacks Julia's Mountain Crusher, she cannot inflict as much damage, and her followups are more limited. * d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1,4 Without the Mountain Crusher, this is the easiest followup worth doing. However, this is risky -- you must be fast to connect the Party Crasher. If you are too slow and miss, the opponent will hit ground and can tech roll and get up before Michelle can recover. * d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1, d,DF+1 This is a variant of the above juggle. It is just as risky, and it is a bit harder to do, but the damage is a bit higher. * d+2, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1, f,F+1,4 This is a difficult juggle. Just connecting with the first elbow after the Spinning Sweep Combo is difficult enough. Dash buffering the second elbow long enough so that it and the skyscraper kick can hit is even more difficult. This is perhaps Michelle's most damaging class 2 juggle -- if you can pull it off. Below is another juggle that can be used after Bryan's CH b+1 or King's CH f,N,d,DF+1+2. Those launchers not only bounce high enough for a class 2 juggle, but also the opponent cannot tech roll after landing. * uf+3+4 This is very easy to do and the damage from this as comparable to that from Michelle's best class 2 juggles. Below is a juggle that involves Michelle attacking with a move that goes under an airborne opponent and hits the opponent in the back, then Michelle and the opponent end up back-to-back because of the attack's momentum. (This is similar to SF2's Ryu or Ken jumping over the likes of M.Bison/Vega and hitting them at the back of the head with a jumping roundhouse.) * f,f,N+1 , BK 3_4 If Michelle is too close to the opponent when you try to juggle with the Party Crasher, and the opponent is just above Michelle's head, Michelle will dash underneath her opponent, hit him/her in the back, and Michelle will end up backturned (BK). After that, her only option is a simple backturned kick. Damage is relatively low (I am assuming her BK kicks do 25 damage normally), and not as high as her normal class 3 elbow juggles. ----------------- Starter: class 1... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- * normal ?? ... ?? ... 40 ...UF,N+4, f,f+1, d+4,1 42 ...UF,N+4, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 44 ...UF,N+4, d,DF+1, d+4,1 46 ...UF,N+4, d,DF+1, f,f,1, f,f+1,4 42_50 ...F+1+4 (big; not a true combo) * untechable ?? ... 42_50 ...F+1+4 (big) ----------------- These are juggles that can be used after most class 1 tag launchers. Since Michelle does not have the lethal class 2 juggles Julia has, Michelle should use class 1 juggles because they match or exceed the damage done by her best class 2 juggles. Comments: * UF,4, f,f+1, d+4,1 * UF,4, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * UF,4, d,DF+1, d+4,1 * UF,4, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 Take a class 3 elbow juggle, replace the first elbow with a jump kick, and... you get the idea. The jump kick hits much harder than an elbow so that damage is excellent. * F+1+4 (big; not a true combo) This only works on big characters and even then it is technically not a true combo because the opponent can tech roll after landing. However, the unblockable is difficult if not impossible to avoid since Michelle is already dashing by then and her unblockable will track the opponent. Because this is so effective, this is probably the best followup after a class 1 launcher due to the ease of use and damage. Below is another juggle that can be used after Devil's Devil Twister, Jack-2's Discharger, or P.Jack's Drill Upper. All of these launchers are class 1 and the opponent cannot tech roll after landing. * F+1+4 (big) This will inflict more damage than most if not all of Michelle's other juggles, so if you are fighting a big guy, this is THE move you should use. Needless to say, this is very easy to do. ----------------- Starter: double-over stun... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ?? ... 20 ...1+2 28/35 ...uf+3+4 (not a true combo) 34 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 36 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 38 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 ----------------- Michelle has several moves that will cause a double-over stun. Assuming the opponent does not escape the stun, Michelle has many juggles to choose from; she can do any of the standard class 2 juggles and then some. The first hit of the juggle should connect while the opponent is starting to fall back, so the opponent will be in the air after the attack hits. * 1+2 This is very easy to do but the damage is not the best. * uf+3+4 (not a true combo) Even though this is technically not a true combo, the opponent cannot roll away in time to avoid it if the Foot Stomp is done quickly enough. This is relatively easy to do, and the damage is good. Be careful if your opponent can break out of the stun, since you must execute the Foot Stomp immediately and hope your opponent does not break out of the stun. If the stun is broken, your opponent will have more than enough time to punish Michelle once she lands. * d,DF+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 * d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 The Rapid Counter Attack can substitue the first elbow in the Party Crasher juggles, and it does a bit more damage. Otherwise, these are much the same as the standard multi-elbow juggles. ----------------- Starter: block stun or stagger... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 28 ...1_d+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 30 ...1_d+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 35 ...1_d+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1,2 34 ...d+1, FC,df+4,3, f,f+1,4 ----------------- These combos can be used on opponents reeling from block stun or, in the case on heavy opponents, after getting hit by launcher that merely staggers them. The first hit of the combo will knock the stunned opponent into the air for full damage, and the rest of the hits will juggle. The only move Michelle has that will cause block stun long enough such that an attack can hit is the generic cross chop while running or tagging in, and the cross chop needs to hit as late as possible. Against heavy opponents, some of Michelle's launchers, most notably 1~1,1, f+1, and SS+3,4 do not launch (unless a tag was buffered in taggable launchers) if the launcher connects. Instead, the opponent is knocked off balance for a moment. If a followup attack connects before the opponent recovers fully, the opponent will be knocked into the air and can be juggled. While the opponent is recovering, he cannot neutral guard attacks. I do not know if the opponent can active block attacks (i.e., hold back) while recovering. ----------------- Starter: [BK] uf+4... (2+3)_(d+2~N+3),1 (normal only)... (WS+2_3~2,4,1)_(4,4,1)_(d+4,1)... df+3+4... SS+3,4 (normal only)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ----------------- Any of these launchers will act like a class 2 launcher for Michelle, and she can use any standard juggle except the standing 3 after the uppercut launchers. ----------------- Starter: F+1+4... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... 32 ...SS+3,4, f,f+1,4 ----------------- Michelle's unblockable works like a class 1 launcher for her, and she has a greater selection of juggles to choose from. My juggle of choice, if I want the most damage, is one of the UF,4 juggles. * SS+3,4, f,f+1,4 I first saw this in a Castel movie. This is a nice combo that is good for show off, and the damage is good. Depending on how close you are, you just might be able to squeeze in another hit (e.g., another elbow) before the Party Crasher. Since Michelle cannot sidestep while tagging in until it is too late, she cannot do this fancy juggle after any class 1 tag launcher. In other words, she can only do this juggle after her unblockable. ----------------- Starter: (1~1,1)_(df+1,1)... f+1... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... 29 ...F+2, f,f+1, d+4,1 31 ...F+2, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 35 ...F+2, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 34 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 36 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 ----------------- Against normal-sized opponents, these launchers will launch to class 2 height. However, Michelle is often too far away to connect with a left jab or low jab, so she has fewer reliable juggles. Against a heavier opponent, these launchers will only stagger the opponent most of the time, and the above juggles will not work. However, if you are close and fast enough, a jab might hit the opponent before he recovers from the stagger and knock him off his feet. If you manage to do this, you can juggle. ----------------- Starter: CH 4... (1~2,4)_(df+2,4) (4 must CH)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 28 ...f,F+1, f,F+1, d+4,1 30 ...f,F+1, f,F+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 34 ...d,DF+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 ----------------- Michelle's basic standing right kick knocks the opponent away on a counterhit. While the opponent is in the air, Michelle can connect with a Party Crasher or Rapid Counter Attack. Comments: * f,F+1, f,F+1, d+4,1 * f,F+1, f,F+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 Same as the class 3 elbow juggles. To connect with the first elbow, you need to input the elbow quickly as soon as Michelle recovers, and the elbow needs to be dash buffered about a half step. Because you need not put the stick into neutral before pressing 1, these combos are slightly easier to do with Michelle than with Julia. * d,DF+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 The Rapid Counter Attack does more damage than the Party Crasher. Since Michelle recovers from d,DF+1 faster than Julia, she has an easier time adding extra hits, so you might as well try. Otherwise, same old elbow juggles. ----------------- Starter: (CH 1~2~1)_(df+2,1)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 20 ...f,f+2 15 ...f,F+1,4 28 ...f,F+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 30 ...f,F+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 36 ...f,F+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 ----------------- After a counterhit Machine Gun Cannon or Slow Power Punch Combo, the opponent is popped up high and away. After Michelle recovers, she can run forward to juggle her opponent with elbows, or she can try to connect with the Lashing Arrow. (Out of numerous attempts with the Lashing Arrow, I only connected with it once.) Comments: * f,f+2 This is difficult to connect, and this is not the best juggle Michelle can do. If I am playing to win, I do not even think about trying this. This is only mentioned by Julia cannot do this. * f,F+1,4 * f,F+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 * f,F+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * f,F+1, d,DF+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 These are similar to the standard elbow juggles. To connect with the first elbow, tap forward twice and hold forward after the second tap for a brief moment to dash buffer the elbow. While running, if you wait too long to start the first elbow, you will do a basic left jab, which may or may not hit. ----------------- Starter: SS+3,4 (heavy)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ----------------- Twin Waking Kicks cannot launch heavy opponents; instead, they stagger. However, Michelle recovers quickly and is so close to the opponent that she can do any block stun combo. ----------------- Starter: CH FC,df+2... UF,N,3 (descending from apex of jump; non-CH)... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ----------------- These moves can put the opponent into a double-over stun. Assuming the opponent does not escape the stun, Michelle has many juggles to choose from. In the case of UF,N,3, Michelle may need to approach the opponent quickly before she can do some of the juggles. ----------------- Starter: CH d,DF+2... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... ?? ... (escapable) 25+ ...uf+4, 36+ ...df+2,1, ----------------- If the Thrust Fist counterhits, the opponent will be in a double over stun, and Michelle can recover in time to start a fast launcher followed by a juggle or any other double over stun combo. A launcher plus juggle is the most damaging choice. ----------------- Starter: (lying face down) clean or CH 3... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 28 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 30 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 32 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 17-22 ...[d+1_d+2_FC+4,] FC,df+4,3 29-34 ...[d+1_d+2_FC+4,] FC,df+4,3, f,f+1,4 ----------------- Michelle can play dead just like Julia (i.e., not very well). If the 3 connects on a clean hit or counterhit, Michelle's opponent will be tripped and can be juggled. This is the only way Michelle can start a low float juggle. Comments: * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 * f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 These are the same standard elbow juggles. In this case, any one of them is dependable. * [d+1_d+2_FC+4,] FC,df+4,3 Because Michelle recovers crouching, she can easily start a Spinning Sweep Combo juggle immediately. The low jab or low kick before the Spinning Sweep Combo is not needed, but it adds a little extra damage and may lift the opponent a bit higher. Since the opponent is not in the air as high, it is tougher to connect with anything after the Spinning Sweep Combo before the opponent touches the ground and can techroll. ----------------- Starter: WS+4... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 9_12 ...d+3 8-18 ...d+4,1 (not a true combo) 8-19 ...d+4,N+4 (not a true combo) 28 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 (big) 30 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 (big) 32 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 (big) ----------------- After the Skyscraper Kick connects, the opponent will be knocked down to ground and cannot quick recover. While the opponent is down, Michelle has few guaranteed followups that will add a little more damage. If you know the opponent will try to get up immediately, you can use Party Crasher juggles instead, and such juggles will hit if the first elbow connects. Comments: * d+3 This is the fastest and easiest followup. It also does slightly more damage than the d+4 sweep alone. * d+4,1 (not a true combo) This is a bit slower, but the sweep is guaranteed to hit. If the opponent tries to get up when the sweep hits, the uppercut will hit as well. The uppercut also advances Michelle toward the opponent, which is good if it hits, but bad if it misses. * d+4,N+4 (not a true combo) This is nearly the same as Razor's Edge. The only difference is the last hit is a right kick instead of an uppercut. The right kick does slightly more damage than the uppercut, and it does not advance Michelle much so it is safe to use in case the opponent stays down. The only problem with this is I find it easy to do a low kick (d+4,d+4) instead during the heat of battle, which will miss unless the opponent is big, and even if it hits, the low kick does less damage. * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 (big) * f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 (big) * f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1,2 (big) Same as the standard elbow juggles. In this case, only big characters can be hit by the elbow -- it will miss smaller characters. ----------------- Starter: CH f,f+1,4 ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ... 28 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, d+4,1 30 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1,4 32 ...f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, f,f+1, d,DF+1 ----------------- The Skyscraper Kick after the Party Crasher recovers a bit faster than the stand-alone Skyscraper Kick. Because of this, the elbow juggles can work on anyone, but they will require precision timing against smaller characters. The juggles will work easily against big characters. ----------------- Starter: SS+2... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 12 ...WS+1 15+ ...WS+4, ----------------- If the Snake Step connects, Michelle will have an advantage lasting 11 frames. This is long enough for a few attacks to hit guaranteed. * WS+1 If you are unsure that SS+2 will connect, this is a safe attack to use. If SS+2 is blocked, WS+1 is relatively safe even if blocked. If SS+2 hits, so will WS+1. * WS+4, If you know SS+2 will be a sure hit, use this. The Skyscraper Kick is Michelle's most damaging followup that is guaranteed to hit, and Michelle can juggle after it. ----------------- 3.4.2. Tag Combos Tag juggles are useful because they do more damage to the red life bar, leaving the opponent less life to regenerate. Anytime you connect with a tag launcher, and your partner can juggle well after it, tag out and let your partner finish the juggle. ----------------- Starter: (WS+2)_(3~2),1,1~5... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 13 ...f,f,N+4 (does not hit with Kazuya, Kunimitsu, or Yoshimitsu) 20 ...f,f,N+4,4,4 (Alex/Roger, Armor King, or King only) ----------------- After a Tequlia Sunrise Combo, the opponent staggers back a bit before falling down. Michelle cannot followup with anything guaranteed by herself, so her only juggle option is to tag out and let her partner finish the combo. The only followups that can hit are either a tag slide or Ali Kicks. * f,f,N+4 For most characters, this will do a tag slide. Damage from the slide may not be very much, but it is better than nothing. A few characters will do something other than a slide, which may or may not hit. * f,f,N+4,4,4 (Alex/Roger, Armor King, or King only) If Michelle's partner is Alex/Roger, Armor King, or King; they will do Ali Kicks instead. This does more damage than a tag slide. ----------------- Starter: (1~1,1)_(df+1,1)~5... (2+3)_(d+2,3),1~5... df+3+4~5... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- ?? ...(partner's class 2 juggle) ----------------- Against normal-sized opponents, these are Michelle's class 2 tag launchers. If the opponent is heavy, these become class 3 tag launchers. The G-Clef Cannon is Michelle best tag launcher. Tiger's Claw is another useful tag launcher because it will hit opponents who try to use high attacks against Michelle. Her Ultimate Cannon can tag launch, but it is so slow that using it will only get Michelle killed. After the tag, Michelle's partner can finish off the launcher with a juggle. ----------------- Starter: Julia: (CH 1~2~1~5)_(df+2,1~5) f+1+2~5... Kuma: Hunting Bear, 1+2~5... Michelle: (CH 1~2~1~5)_(df+2,1~5) Wang: df+2,1~5 ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 24 ...f,f,N+1+2 13 ...f,f,N+4 ----------------- These tag launchers put the opponent up and away, and Michelle can juggle the opponent with a cross chop or slide as she tags in. The cross chop does good damage, but you need to be fast for it to connect. The slide does less damage, but it is easier to combo with. ----------------- Starter: Anna: uf+1+2 (if not teched) Jack-2: back throw Kuma: HCB,F+1+2 Kunimitsu: right side throw Nina: uf+1+2 (if not teched) Paul: f,f+1+2 Wang: right side throw ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 28_35 ...uf+3+4 9_12 ...d+3 13_17 ...f,f,N+4 ----------------- This is a taggable special throw done by Michelle's partner followed by an attack from Michelle. The throw leaves the opponent grounded long enough for Michelle to literally stomp her opponent once she tags in. * uf+3+4 Ouch -- this hurts! The total damage from the throw and stomp is very good. * d+3 This is fast and easy, but it is nowhere near as damaging as the Foot Stomp. If the diagonals are bad, you may be stuck with this. * f,f,N+4 The tag slide will hit, and it is more damaging than a d+3, but the opponent might be able to get up with a sweep and hit Michelle before she recovers -- not good. ----------------- Starter: Baek: left side throw Bruce: 1+3 (if not teched) Eddy: left side throw Ganryu: (left side throw)_(right side throw) Gun Jack: left side throw Law: f,f+3+4 (if not teched) Lee: f,f+3+4 (if not teched) Lei: 1+3 Nina: right side throw P.Jack: left side throw ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 9 ...d+3 13 ...f,f,N+4 ----------------- This is a taggable special throw done by Michelle's partner followed by an attack from Michelle. The opponent can get up rather quickly after these throws, so only relatively fast attacks such as a sweep or tag slide can hit. ----------------- Starter: Wang: df,DF+2+4... ----------------- Damage Finisher ----------------- 12 ...d+3 17 ...f,f,N+4 ?? ...f,f,N+1+2 (blocked), ----------------- After Wang tags out from the Waning Moon, the opponent may be low to the ground and can recover crouching. Most of Michelle's best attacks are either too slow or will miss the opponent, so Michelle does not have much to attack the opponent with. * d+3 This is the easiest followup, but the damage is low. * f,f,N+4 This is probably the best guaranteed move Michelle can do. After the slide, Michelle can get up with a 3 sweep (which is not guaranteed). * f,f,N+1+2 (blocked), This is tougher to do, but the damage is good -- better than the above options. Either the cross chop will hit the opponent for good damage, or the opponent will block it, then be open to a possible juggle for even more damage because of block stun. While the opponent staggers, you can juggle the opponent with any block stun combo. //-------------------// // 3.5. Strategies // //-------------------// -------------- 3.5.1. Defense As for moves like reversals or parries, Michelle has none except for the universal low parry. Because of this, Michelle will need to block, sidestep, or interrupt attacks to defend herself. Fortunately for Michelle, her sidestep has good range, and she has lightning fast attacks like G-Clef Cannon or Party Crasher to stop incoming attacks. Interrupting attacks is Michelle's best defense anyway. Michelle can take away about a third of a life bar or more with combos that start with an 8 frame jab that counterhits. If you think about it, that is a great advantage. Michelle does have one move to help her avoid attacks -- her backflip. This lets her retreat quickly, and it is great if you need some space. Because of her speed and mobility, Michelle does not need a reversal to bail her out if she gets into trouble. Unlike Julia, Michelle only has the universal low parry to stop incoming low attacks. If you have trouble tapping the diagonal at the precise moment, here is a tip (that I learned from one of Reverend C's faqs) that can help. You can put Michelle into a crouch, and while she is crouching, roll the joystick to the diagonal (much like doing one of the Changs' FC moves) as the attack is about to hit Michelle. That should parry the attack. This is easy to do on Kings' Ali Kicks or Jacks' Cossack Kicks. As with Julia, you should parry only if the benefits are better than if you merely blocked or evaded the attack. Example when low parry is the best option. * Julia is using the Tequila Sunrise Low Kick strings (WS+2,4,...). If you low parry the sweep, you not only have a big enough opening to start a combo, but also you prevented a nasty mixup. Example when low parry is NOT the best option. * You are fighting Jun, and you know the player will use Can Can Kicks. The first hit is low, and the second hit is high. If you low parry the first kick, Jun will be vulnerable, but a hop kick will miss her, and you are limited to fast but weak moves that cannot start combos. If you block the low kick, the second kick will pass over Michelle's head and Jun is wide open to many things (e.g., hop kick) while she is recovering. Below is a list of low kick attacks that if parried put the opponent too far away to be hit by the Changs' hop kick. In such cases, a Party Crasher or some other swift mid attack must be used instead if you want to inflict damage after a successful low parry. Bruce: 3,2,1,4 Eddy: any low attack except first hit of 3~4 Jin: b+2,4,4,4 Jun: any low attack (especially can-can kicks or leg cutter sweeps) Kazuya: db+4 or 1,2,4 (any stature kick) --------------- 3.5.2. Sidestep Michelle has a good sidestep, and with all of her powerful sidestep moves, it is important to sidestep the opponent when you see a chance. When you anticipate an attack, you can sidestep to avoid it then punish the opponent during recovery. Generally, left limb attacks are avoided more easily if you sidestep to the left, and similarly, right limb attacks are avoided more easily if you sidestep to the right. Be careful, some moves can track (e.g., Nina's Blonde Bomb) or have excellent lateral range (e.g., sweeps) on one or both sides and can be sidestepped in one direction only or cannot be avoided at all by sidestepping. Below are some things you can do if you manage to sidestep your opponent. * throw The throw is the easiest and most obvious followup. Depending how far the opponent advanced, you may get a back throw or a side throw. Back throw is inescapable, but the side throws can be escaped. Either way, Michelle's throws are not that great, and she has more powerful alternatives. * 3+4 If you just sidestepped to the right and you want to go directly behind your opponent (for a back throw), you can make Michelle spin to augment her sidestep. This is only useful if the opponent did a slow move or is winding up for an unblockable. * SS+1 If you want to knock the opponent down and away, this will do it. The damage is paltry though. This is also one of Michelle's best anti-sidestep moves; use it to stop sidestepping opponents dead in their tracks. * SS+2 This is neither as fast nor as damaging as Twin Waking Kicks, but it is a very safe move to use since the Michelle has no disadvantage if it is blocked, and Michelle has guaranteed followups if it hits. * SS+3,4 This is the best move you can do. The kicks themselves do good damage and they launch. Follow up with a juggle for even more damage. Total damage from the kicks and juggle do more damage than any of Michelle's throws. --------------- 3.5.3. Throwing Throws are useful since they are generally easy to do and inflict good damage. They are unblockable, but they can be crouched under or escaped. When you are close to your opponent and see a chance, go for the throw if you feel like it. Throws are also useful as a retaliation move sometimes, especially if your opponent has a chance of blocking any other move you try. Do not try to throw with reckless abandon though, you can be punished after a missed throw attempt, and some characters such as Jin can punish severely. Buffering is often used to make throw inputs more efficient. You can attack with something that uses one or more buttons needed by the throw, hold those buttons down, quickly input stick motions if necessary, then press the remaining button(s). Here is an example; press and hold 1 to jab, then press 3 to throw. Now for another example; press and hold 2 to jab, then quickly tap df+1. This will cause Michelle to use the Arm Lock Suplex. Although Michelle is not as good a grappler as Julia, she does have enough throws to be complete. Her basic throws are more-or-less standard and she has one command throw that requires a double button escape. Like Julia, Michelle can use fast moves to setup and buffer throws. ------------- 3.5.4. Poking Poking is attacking your opponent with moves that execute and recover quickly. The purpose of poking is to attack quickly while minimizing exposure to your opponent's attacks. Poking can be used to interrupt your opponent's attack and possibly shift the attack momentum to your favor. Poking can also be used to setup more powerful attacks. Michelle is fast and can poke fairly well. Her pokes are great for interrupting her opponent's attack because some of them can chain into big damage strings and/or launchers that are guaranteed if they counterhit. Also, some of her poking moves allow Michelle to recover crouching. What is the benefit for Michelle recovering in a crouch? Michelle has several powerful moves that attack at varying hit levels, and increases the chance that your opponent will block incorrectly and take damage. From a crouch, Michelle can do a Spinning Sweep Combo, Body Elbow, Skyscraper Kick, or any of the Tequila Sunrise strings. * 1 One of Michelle's easiest pokes is a simple jab. It has decent range and it is fast. While it is among the fastest in execution, it does not give Michelle any frame advantage after it is blocked unlike some other characters. Still, you can throw one out at a standing opponent without much fear of retaliation. Use it to setup more powerful attacks. I use it often for two reasons: to goad my opponent into attacking so I can interrupt (or trade hits at worst) the attack with 1~1,1 or 1~2~1, or to tick and sometimes buffer a throw. * d+1 This jab is fast and it is great for poking or interrupting attacks. In addition, Michelle recovers crouching. From here, she can poke some more or use one of her powerful FC or WS moves. One thing you need to watch out for is Michelle (or anyone else) is vulnerable to high attacks, especially throws, while jabbing low. * 2 While slightly slower than her left jab, this is useful because if this connects (i.e., not blocked), the opponent is at a 9 frame disadvantage, and Michelle can easily buffer a throw and grab the opponent. The throw is not guaranteed to connect, but the opponent cannot interrupt it. * 1~1[,1_4] * 1~2[~1_3_4] * df+1[,1_4] * WS+2,1[,1_4] Despite relatively long recovery time if blocked, these shortened strings are important poking tools because of mixup options. Unless you become predictable, your opponent will not attack you after the string (usually) because of timing differences and the opponent's counterattack would be eaten up by your string in case you did the entire string. In addition, some of the strings have low sweeps, and can hit the opponent for minor damage. Remember though, 1~1,4 will miss Ganryu. * 4 Her basic right kick is fast and relatively safe to use. Think of it as a jab with somewhat less speed but with more power and reach. What is great about this is not only its speed, but also it can start juggles if it counterhits. * 4,4[,d+4_N+4_1] These are her Spinning Kicks strings. The first two kicks are fast, but are slow enough for experienced and quick thinking players to block or parry the second kick, which hits low. Still, unless your opponent is really good, the first two kicks alone is a useful poke that can connect at times. After the low kick, Michelle can stop or add one of three enders. If you stop at the low kick, Michelle recovers crouching, and you can continue with one of several of her FC or WS moves. If you choose to add an ender, use either the low kick or the uppercut. Of the enders, the low kick is the safest. Since many people do not want to take the chance of getting hit by the uppercut, they tend to block high and eat the low kick, resulting in minor damage. Michelle also recovers crouching if the low kick ender was used. However, if you think the opponent might try to block low, go ahead and use the uppercut ender. If the uppercut connects, use your class 2 juggle of choice. Watch out though, if the opponent blocks the uppercut, you will be in a world of hurt. * d+4[,d+4_N+4_1] This is the sweep that preceeds one of three enders. While it does not come out as quickly as some of Michelle 's other punches or kicks, the first kick hits low, and Michelle recovers crouching. Again, Michelle has her mixup options from the crouch. If only the first sweep is used, its recovery is long enough to allow your opponent's fastest attacks to connect regardless if the sweep hits. However, it is unlikely your opponent will try to counterattack since Michelle can add the ender. See the Spinning Kick strings above regarding the enders. * FC+4 This is Michelle's fastest attack that hits low. It does not have much range, and unlike some characters, Michelle must be in a full crouch before she can use this. It is still useful as its recovery is relatively short, and it is fast enough to interrupt some strings (like Eddy's). After the kick, Michelle remains crouching. * d+3 This is a bit slow for a poke, but this sweep hits low (and grounded), and it is her fastest low attack while Michelle is standing. After the sweep, Michelle recovers crouching. The lag is relatively long if it blocked, so make sure it hits if you plan to use this as a poking weapon. Do NOT abuse this! Your opponent may fall for it once, maybe twice (for minor damage), but if it is blocked or parried just once, you will be sorry. * d,DF+1 The dashing left punch from this move has fast execution and good range. Michelle recovers very quickly from the punch, and she can followup with more attacks. If the punch hits, the opponent will be knocked down. * FC,df+4[,3] This is the first hit of the Spinning Sweep Combo. It strikes low and it is often hard to spot the sweep in time before it hits. After recovering, Michelle remains crouching. Anytime Michelle is crouching and near her opponent, she can attack with the sweep to chip away life, and Michelle can easily repeat this or do something else. Know that if the sweep is blocked, the opponent has enough time to hit Michelle with something fast. * df+4 Michelle does a fast toe kick that hits mid. It is one of her fastest mid attacks, and the recovery is minimal. * f,f+1[,4] Michelle's Party Crasher is very fast and has minimal lag. It can be used to close in on her opponent or to counter incoming attacks. Because the elbow is very fast, it will beat out almost anything the opponent tries. If the elbow counterhits, the skyscraper kick is guaranteed to hit and juggles are possible. If the elbow is blocked, lag is minimal. This can be used to setup throws or other attacks. Below is list of some things you can do after a blocked elbow. After a blocked elbow, if you think the opponent will try to... ...counterattack with a move slower than 10 frames, go for the kill and counter with 1~1,1 or 1~2~1. ...counterattack with an 8 frame move that hits high, you can do a Flash Uppercut or Tiger's Claw. Either move will evade your opponent's high attack and launch the opponent. ...counterattack with any 8 frame move, use the Skyscraper Kick ender. ...stand there and block or use a reversal or punch parry, grab him or her. (Arm Lock Suplex is best if Michelle is close enough to her opponent.) ...crouch, do any of the following: Skyscraper Kick ender, another elbow, hop kick, or a Slow Power Punch Combo. * SS+1 While not the fastest mid attack Michelle has, the Burning Palm Crush is relatively fast. Due to its hit area and speed, it is effective against opponents who sidestep. * SS+2[~1] The Snake Step is a very powerful poking tool. Although it executes a bit slow for a poke and it requires a sidestep, its recovery is excellent and puts Michelle into a crouch (and you know what that means). If the Snake Step is blocked, Michelle has no disadvantage and she can attack again immediately. If the Snake Step hits, Michelle has an excellent frame advantage and some attacks (like the Skyscraper Kick) are guaranteed to hit in the meantime. In case you abuse the Snake Step and your opponent wises up, you can do the Inner Palm Crush instead, which looks like the Snake Step during its execution. * d,DF+2 This is more of a long range keep away move. You can use this to peck at someone from afar. If it is blocked, the opponent is pushed back far away. Related to poking is custom strings. A custom string is a string of moves that seem to flow seamlessly from move to move. Each move within the custom string, with the possible exception the ender, should have fast execution and recovery times; the less frames, the better. Basically, it is a string of pokes that may end with a power move. Such strings are useful for chipping away your opponent's life bit by bit or for setting up a variety of moves such as throws. Below are a few examples. Example #1: f,f+1, d+1, FC,df+4,3. Michelle starts with a fast recovering Party Crasher elbow. After that, uses a quick low jab to get into a crouch. While crouching, Michelle quickly does the Sweeping Sweep Combo. Example #2: f,f+1, d+1, f,f+1. Same as the above example except for the Party Crasher after the low jab. If the opponent tried to block low, the elbow will knock the opponent down. If the opponent blocks the elbow, you can do something else. Below are some options: f,f+1, d+1, f,f+1,4. Skyscraper Kick will snuff your opponent's counterattack, and you can juggle if it hits. f,f+1, d+1, f,f+1, f+1. The Flash Uppercut will evade high attacks and launch the opponent if he or she tries to jab high. (Useful against other Chang players who think they can 1~1,1 you first.) Alternately, you can use Michelle's df+3+4 instead. f,f+1, d+1, f,f+1, df+1+2. This will grab the opponent if he or she just stands there. f,f+1, d+1, f,f+1, d+1, .... Infinite custom string. Not recommended but shown as an example. Example #3: 4,4, WS+2,1[,4], f,F,N+1. Michelle quickly does a high kick then low kick. After the low kick, Michelle is crouching. Next, Michelle does a partial Tequila Sunrise string. After that, Michelle closes back in with the Party Crasher. See example #2 for some possible extensions. -------------- 3.5.5. Okizeme Okizeme is loosely defined as attacking your opponent while he/she is down on the ground. While Michelle has good attacks to knock opponents trying to get up back down, she does not have any fast and powerful attacks to hit opponents who insist on staying down unless the opponent is big. Below is a list of useful attacks for okizeme. * d+1 If the opponent is rolling toward Michelle from a distance, this can interrupt whatever attacks the opponent tries. This can pop such a rolling opponent into the air and you can juggle. * d+3 Of the moves she has that can hit grounded opponents, this sweep has the fastest execution time. It will knock the opponent away and give him or her time to get up, but at least you will inflict some damage, and it is the safest attack you can use. * d+4,[N+4_1] Like d+3, this will hit grounded opponents. This does not come out as quickly as d+3, but it recovers a bit faster, and Michelle has the option of following up with an high kick or uppercut. Either followup is guaranteed if the sweep hits when the opponent tries to get up. The uppercut ender is useful when you know the opponent will try to get up because it leaves Michelle close to her opponent and she can continue with okizeme. However, if the opponent stays down and the uppercut misses, Michelle is open to attack. High kick ender does slightly more damage, but the opponent will not be close to Michelle and he or she can get up safely. When in doubt, use the high kick ender. If it misses, Michelle is safe. If it hits, it does good damage. Of course, if you know the opponent will stay down, just do the first sweep alone then run after the opponent. * FC,df+4,3 If Michelle is crouching, the Spinning Sweep Combo is one of the best moves she can do. It advances Michelle and if it hits the opponent while he/she is trying to get up, it will hit and float the opponent. While the opponent is floating, Michelle can either juggle or wait until the opponent lands then attack when the opponent tries to get up again. If your opponent refuses to get up, you can either use the sweep only to inflict damage safely or wait for the opponent to move then try to catch him or her. If you choose to wait, you risk getting hit by a quick attack from your opponent. * f,f+1 The Party Crasher can hit an opponent rolling forward or backward, and possibly float him or her for a possible juggle. * F+1+4 Her unblockable is guaranteed to hit big characters on the ground, and it inflicts heavy damage. Because of its range, the opponent will have to move quickly to stand a chance of avoiding it. Smaller characters can avoid it by just lying still on ground, but if they flinch in any way, they are vulnerable too. -------------- 3.5.6. Chicken A "chicken" is a reversal to attack reversals. Anytime you use a high or mid punch or kick against a character with attack reversals (Anna, Jin, Jun, Nina, Paul, or Wang), you should always buffer a chicken if possible. Since the Changs are offensive characters, chickens are very important if you want to stay on the offense against characters endowed with attack reversals. A chicken damages your opponent and shifts the momentum to your favor. Generally, to chicken an attack, press f+1+3 for left attacks or f+2+4 for right attacks right before or at the moment your opponent tries to reverse your attack. Michelle has a few attacks with a non-obvious chicken input. Twin Arrow, which uses both punch buttons and appears to use both hands at once, is treated as a left attack and is chickened with f+1+3. Even though the Thrust Fist uses both hands, it uses only the right punch button and is chickened with f+2+4 like other right attacks. Her Heavy Uppercut unblockable is treated as a right attack and is chickened with f+2+4 even though she uppercuts with her left hand; the reversing character uses a right punch reversal animation after reversing the Heavy Uppercut. Some of Michelle's strings, notably 1~1,..., 1~2,..., or 4,4,... strings, are hard to buffer chickens for the first hit because the input for the whole string must be done quickly. My advice is do not use the full string if you think your opponent will reverse the first hit as you will likely be caught trying to finish the string if the first attack gets reversed. Instead, use either the first hit only, or use the slower starting alternate versions of those strings (e.g., df+1,... df+2,..., or d+4,...). In the case of the slower starting strings, you should have time to input the whole string before you need to buffer a chicken for the first hit. Quick chicken note: Attack reversed Escape ------------------------------- left limb -- f+1+3 right limb -- f+2+4 1+2 (Twin Arrow) -- f+1+3 F+1+4 (Heavy Uppercut) -- f+2+4 -------------------------- 3.5.7. Supercharger Tricks When Michelle is supercharged, her moves will inflict guard damage if they are blocked, or will counterhit on any hit. Below are some tips that can help you use the supercharger wisely. Because of the time it takes to supercharge, you should only use the supercharger when it is safe to do it. One occasion to supercharge is after you knock the opponent down and away from Michelle (e.g., after CH Twin Arrow). By the time the opponent recovers, Michelle will be supercharged. If your opponent has only a tiny sliver of life left, the guard damage from a blocked supercharged attack can K.O. the opponent. Since the Party Crasher and Rapid Counter Attack have excellent speed and reach, it will beat out many of your opponents' attacks, and they are the best attacks Michelle can use for this purpose. The Thrust Fist is also useful because it has long range and it stuns on a counterhit. One more thing about supercharger: Michelle can supercharge, tag in her partner and her partner will be supercharged; and vice versa. You can tag when you anticipate an attack, then punish the opponent during recovery. //---------------------// // 3.6. Tag Partners // //---------------------// A good partner for Michelle is someone who can take advantage her strengths, cover her weaknesses, and most importantly, hold his or her own in case Michelle gets hurt badly and needs to rest. Below is a general and rather simple-minded list of pros and cons of each character, followed by a small list of recommended partners. Even though some characters are more powerful and/or tag combo friendly than others, everyone is strong enough to win. (That is why I removed the character evaluations present in previous versions of this guide.) Michelle has good speed and some nice launchers. However, Michelle has poor stamina and no very powerful juggles after a class 2 launcher (although she is no slouch at juggling). Her most damaging juggles require a class 1 launcher. She can use a tough, strong partner that has a good class 1 launcher and/or powerful class 2 juggles. Alex/Roger Pros: Small body; very fast jabs; relatively fast TGF worth 50 damage; painful command throws; guard-breaking windmill punch with guaranteed followups; SS sweep that can cheese newbies to death. Cons: Poor reach; low stamina; mediocre class 2 juggling ability; awkward tag launcher. Angel/Devil Pros: Mishima moves (i.e., flash punches, crouch dash, WGF, hell sweeps, tsunami kicks, and stone head throw); standing twin pistons; powerful SS class 1 launcher; high stamina. Cons: Limited moveset; limited class 2 juggling. Devil has no netsu, and his standing beam is ineffective against small opponents. Angel has relatively short arms. Anna Pros: Fast; great defense (i.e., reversal, auto-parry, cat stance); powerful juggles; well-rounded. Cons: Less than reliable tag launchers (somersault flip kick and some uppercuts). Armor King Pros: Above-average stamina; moves with good range and/or power; WGF; good juggling skills; powerful command throws. (Very solid character overall.) Cons: His better juggles are not very easy to do. Baek Pros: Good poking strings; has at least one easy and damaging juggle; punch parry with guaranteed and damaging followups; class 1 tag launcher. Cons: Somewhat limited moveset; slow tag launchers. Bruce Pros: Fast; great reach; strings that are killer on CH; easy 40+ damage juggles; punch that auto-reverses opponent's punch attacks. Cons: Limited moveset; many moves do not track well; weak throws. Bryan Pros: Fast and powerful moves; punch parry; strong juggles; useful mixups; relatively fast unblockables. Cons: Limited throwing options; limited low attacks. Eddy/Tiger Pros: Unusual and confusing moves; normal stance can auto-sidestep. Cons: Many moves and strings suffer from major lag; poor sidestep; limited juggling skills. Ganryu Pros: Heavy; fast and powerful moves; punch parry; above-average stamina; good mixups; powerful juggles; long-range unblockable that evades many attacks and can be cancelled; class 1 tag launcher; gets netsu in 4 hits. Cons: Slow tag launchers; big target (but not as big as Jacks, Kuma, or True Ogre); Michelle loses netsu. Gun Jack Pros: High power and stamina; heavy; fast and taggable WS launcher; good mixups; powerful throws. Cons: Large size makes him susceptible to more damaging combos; slow; small sidestep; no powerful juggles after Michelle's tag launchers. Heihachi Pros: Mishima moves; powerful tag launchers; strong juggles; vicious okizeme. (Extremely powerful overall.) Cons: Low stamina; gets netsu in 7 hits and Michelle loses netsu. Hwoarang Pros: Powerful launchers and juggles; kicks with good power and reach; excellent movement abilities; class 1 tag launcher. Cons: Limited low attacks. Jack-2 Pros: High power and stamina; heavy; fast and taggable WS launcher; good mixups; powerful throws; good okizeme. Cons: Large size makes him susceptible to more damaging combos; slow; small sidestep; no powerful juggles after Michelle's tag launchers; no netsu. Jin Pros: Mishima moves; powerful tag launchers; fast and taggable WS launcher; class 3 juggles; juggles that do 40+ damage; reversal; useful unblockables. Cons: Limited low attacks. Julia Pros: Same basic style as Michelle; fast; very powerful juggling ability (i.e., class 3 juggles, juggles worth 45+ damage); both Julia and Michelle get netsu faster; powerful CH combos; good throwing skills (especially with Mad Axes). Cons: Same basic style as Michelle; lag in many moves; limited tag launchers. Jun Pros: Confusing strings; good defense (i.e., reversal, evasive moves); class 3 juggles; right punch always launches. Cons: Relatively slow; low power and stamina. Kazuya Pros: Mishima moves; effective mixups; mist step; gut punches setup deadly combos; useful unblockables. Cons: Limited moveset; limited class 2 juggling; gets netsu in 7 hits. King Pros: Largest set of powerful throws; one-hit wonders; good reach; good poking ability; good okizeme skills; inescapable kick reversal. Cons: Limited and awkward tag launchers. Kuma/Panda Pros: High endurance; very strong; great reach; extremely damaging tag throw; powerful okizeme; heavy; fast f+1~1,1; easy class 1 tag launcher. Cons: Very big; relatively slow; small sidestep. Kunimitsu Pros: Fast; bizarre and surprising powerful moves; good evasion skills; taggable df+2 uppercut; quick unblockables. Cons: Low stamina; limited mixups; no overwhelming one-hit wonders; her 30+ damage juggles are difficult to do consistently. Law Pros: Fast; powerful tag launchers not affected by weight; high/mid parry; punch reversal; wide sidestep; powerful and easy ch 4 juggles; very easy to use. Cons: Low stamina; limited low attacks. Lee Pros: Fast; powerful tag launchers; infinite kicks; wide sidestep. Cons: Low power and stamina; few useful mid attacks; no throws with two button escape. Lei Pros: Large moveset; many fighting stances; high/mid parries; can turn back or play dead at will; can regain life; excellent mixups; good movement skills (especially if "haha" backstep is used); powerful and easy ch 4 juggles. Cons: Damaging tag juggles are not easy to do. Moku/Tetsujin Pros: Can mimic most characters; inherits most characters' strengths (and weaknesses). Cons: Moveset changes after each tag in; tag combos tend to be one-way (from Mokujin->Michelle). Nina Pros: Fast; great defense (i.e., reversal, sway); one-hit wonders; powerful juggles; good throwing skills. Cons: Stamina is among the worst in the game; slow tag launchers; gets netsu in 7 hits. Ogre Pros: Heavy while retaining normal size; kicks with long range; infinite kicks; useful unblockables; huge sidestep; high stamina; one-hit wonders. Cons: Unreliable tag launchers; relatively slow; no netsu for team. Paul Pros: Fast jabs; one-hit wonders (especially deathfist), powerful tag throw; good turtling skills; unique tackle moves; easy to use. Cons: Low stamina; small sidestep; many moves do not track well. P.Jack Pros: High power and stamina; heavy; powerful class 1 launchers; unique tag-in stomp. Cons: Very big; slow; small sidestep; limited throwing skills; no netsu; low jab is awkward to do; no powerful juggles after Michelle's tag launchers. True Ogre Pros: Heavy; VERY long arms; infinite kicks; useful unblockables; high stamina; one-hit wonders; lethal okizeme. Cons: Unreliable tag launchers; relatively slow; extremely big; small sidestep; no netsu for team. Wang Pros: One-hit wonders; reversal; select fast moves; taggable Waning Moon. Cons: Relatively slow; very low stamina; somewhat limited moveset. Xiaoyu Pros: Small; high/mid parry; excellent movement/evasion skills; fast; dangerous mixups; powerful juggles; powerful okizeme; can fight effectively while backturned. Cons: Very low stamina; most moves inflict low damage. Yoshimitsu Pros: Taggable df+2 uppercut; fast pokes; power moves; good juggles; useful unblockables; can regain life; gets netsu in 4 hits; powerful sidestep attacks. (Extremely versatile overall.) Cons: His 30+ damage juggles are difficult to do consistently. Recommend partners and why: Armor King -- Fast and strong; high stamina; good juggling skills. Bruce -- Fast and powerful strings; lethal combos; easy to use. Bryan -- Fast; strong moves; good tag combo capability. Ganryu -- Strong moves; good juggles; high stamina; class 1 launcher; compliments Changs' fighting style. Jin -- Well rounded; very powerful tag combos; tag combo friendly. Julia -- Fast; very powerful juggles; fast netsu for team. Law -- Fast; tag combo friendly; easy to use. Yoshimitsu -- Very solid and versatile; class 1 launcher. =========================================================================== PART IV: Miscellaneous =========================================================================== //--------------------------// // 4.1. Julia or Michelle // //--------------------------// Despite their similar moveset and size, both Changs' cannot be played exactly the same way; that is if you want to get the best results with either Julia or Michelle. Each Chang has distinct advantages over the other. You might ask which Chang is better? IMO, both are about equal, as their advantages seem to balance each other out. If you want a brawler or a strong juggler, Julia is for you. If you want a dancing, hit-and-run poker, Michelle is for you. Below I will list and explain the advantages of Julia and Michelle. (Personally, I like Julia more than Michelle.) Advantages of Julia ------------------- * Better throws * More stamina * Stronger juggles Advantages of Michelle ---------------------- * Better poking * Better sidestep attacks * Easier combos * Greater mobility -------------------------- 4.1.1. Advantages of Julia Julia is the "brawler" of the two Changs. Below is a brief description of Julia's advantages over Michelle. Better throws: Some of Julia's basic throws are more damaging than Michelle's (by five points). Also, Julia has more damaging and effective command throws, and she can blend them into her poking strings more easily than Michelle. Her Mad Axes has fast execution and good reach, and it does good damage. Julia also has a throw that is done from a full crouch. More Stamina: Julia has 8% more hit points than Michelle. Enough said. Stronger juggles: Julia's class 2 juggles are among the strongest in the game. Julia can make the opponent really pay if he or she gets launched, and she is a great partner to those with highly effective tag launchers. ----------------------------- 4.1.2. Advantages of Michelle Michelle is the "dancer" of the two Changs. Below is a brief description of Michelle's advantages over Julia. Better poking: Michelle has stronger poking options. Michelle's Party Crasher can start combos if the elbow counterhits. Most of Michelle's sidestep attacks are effective pokes, and some of them are effective combos starters as well. Michelle also has more effective long range poking attacks than Julia as well. Better sidestep attacks: Nearly all of Michelle's sidestep attacks are useful. SS+1 is a fast mid attack that clogs sidestepping opponents and knocks them down, SS+2 is an excellent poke that can start combos, and SS+3,4 is a powerful launcher. All of them are relatively safe. Easier combos: Michelle has more fast combo starters than Julia. Her Party Crasher can start combos if the elbow counterhits. Tiger's Claw evades high attacks and launches anything for a juggle. Her sidestep attacks can also start combos rather easily. In addition to easier combo starters, Michelle has easier elbow juggles. She cannot delay the recovery of the Party Crasher elbow, which means you do not need to move the stick to neutral after each double forward tap, which Julia must do. This makes juggles that require dash buffered elbows easier. Greater mobility: Her backflip can move Michelle away from danger quickly. Michelle can also attack on the move more effectively than Julia. For example, SS+2 advances Michelle and puts her into a crouch; and d,DF+2 is a good medium to long range attack. Ultimately, this is what compensates her relatively small arms and legs. //----------------------------// // 4.2. Tag Class 2 Juggles // //----------------------------// Below is a brief list of effective tag class 2 juggles for all the characters in TTT. Most are relatively easy to do after any of the Changs' class 2 launchers. * Alex/Roger 28 ...F+4, d+3+4 40 ...f,N,d,DF+1 (tag-in combo only) * Angel/Devil 24 ...4 * Anna 33 ...2, uf+1,3, f+1+2 41 ...QCF+1, 1,2, df+3,1,4 * Armor King 31 ...f,N,d,DF+2, d+3+4,4,4 32 ...F+4, d+3+4,4 34 ...2,1, f,N,d,DF+2, d+3+4 * Baek 31 ...3+4, d+4,3,3 36 ...3,3,3,4 * Bruce 41 ...3, b+4,3,4 * Bryan 38 ...d+2, f+4,3,4 * Eddy 35 ...1, F+1, 1,2,4~4 * Ganryu 31 ...2,1, 2, d+1+2 37 ...2,1,2, df+2, 1+2 * Gun Jack 26 ...2, F+2, 1+2 32 ...2, F+2, f+1+2,1+2 (big) * Heihachi 24_36 ...QCF+2 30 ...F+1, f+1,b+2,1 38 ...f,N,d,DF+4,4,N+1, d+1 * Hwoarang 33 ...4,4,4, RFL 3 35 ...3,3,3,3[~5] * Jack-2 26 ...2, F+2, 1+2 32 ...2, F+2, f+1+2,1+2 (big) * Jin 32 ...1, b,f+2,1<2 42 ...b,f+2,1,d+2, f,f+2 46 ...b,f+2,1<2, df+4,4 * Julia 30 ...df+4,2,b