TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT The Complete Guide to Paul Phoenix By Fred Crow DISCLAIMER: Tekken, Paul and any other character mentioned in this guide are copyrighted by Namco. The author gives permission to reproduce this guide, as long as it is presented in it's entirety, and to print this guide for personal use. If you wish to use part of this guide please contact me at phreddkroe@tds.net. Reading this guide will not make you good with Paul. It is only a guide and the only way to become good with Paul or any other Tekken character is practice. This FAQ is best viewed in Notepad using the Courier New font with Word Wrap on. If the following does not line up then switch to this font. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 a b c d e f g h i j TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Intro 2. Button Convention 3. Movelist 4. In-Depth Move Analysis 5. Juggles 6. Okizeme 7. Strategy 8. Misc. (Costumes, Netsu Power Ups, Frame Data etc.) 9. Summary 1. INTRO Paul Phoenix is often considered the cheapest character in the game. This can be attributed mostly to scrubs who use nothing but the Bone Breaker (AKA Falling Leaf) and Phoenix Smasher (AKA Death Fist) over and over. In this guide I will attempt to show you how to win with Paul without being cheap. Paul does not have that many moves but most of the moves he has are good. He has a good mix up game and some really good okizeme and one of the absolute best counter moves in the game. I made this FAQ for a few reasons. One, there are not many Tekken Tag Paul guides on the net, and the ones that exist are either incomplete or have errors that need to be fixed. The other reason is to clear Paul's name. My hope is that Paul scrubs will read this and start playing Paul the right way and maybe earn some respect instead of scorn. If you want to become good with Paul or any character then you should have a firm grasp of the basics of Tekken Tag. For this I highly recommend everyone to read the guides found on this page: http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/tekkentag/_system.php. The guides cover tagging, getting up, chickening, netsu and ki power ups, tag throwing, damage formulas, and many other things that most Tekken players take for granted. Trust me, youll be surprised by how much just knowing which way to get up (or when not to get up) will improve your game. Lack of this knowledge is what keeps most people at scrub level. PAUL PHOENIX - THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE BANE OF BEARS EVERYWHERE Origin USA Fighting Style Combined Martial Arts based on Judo Age 46 Height 187 cm Weight 81 kg Blood Type O Occupation None. Still trains with intention of being Number One Hobby Motorcycles Likes Pizza, Smell of Gasoline Paul grew up in San Francisco, California. He began training in martial arts after his father took him to see a martial arts tournament. The main event was a fight between a 900 lb. bear named Iron Claw and Willy "The Bear Killer" Williams, a martial arts master who soon became Paul's idol. Much later, Paul is involved in a tournament where Heihachi is a judge. He ends up fighting Kazuya, and after a long battle, it is declared a draw. Kazuya is enraged, as this is the first match he hasnt won. Heihachi sees great promise in Paul and later invites him to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 1. Paul blazes through the competition until he reaches his final opponent, Kuma. Paul is mauled and beaten senseless and barely scrapes by with victory due to the Phoenix Smasher. Paul and Law are booked on the same flight home from the tournament. They hit it off and become great friends. At the second King of Iron Fist Tournament, Paul utterly decimates Kuma and stops Marshall Law from killing Baek. He is then scheduled to fight Kazuya, but a traffic jam keeps him from getting there in time. After the tournament Paul continues training with Law. Law tries to teach him a flip kick but Paul never gets it down. Later on he leaves to participate in many tournaments worldwide, but often visits with Law to train and tell him of the tournaments. Paul receives a letter from Heihachi about the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3. He goes to find Marshall Law, but he is away overseeing the construction of a new dojo. Paul finds his son, Forest Law. Paul convinces Forest to come to the tournament with him against his father's orders. Paul went undefeated through the entire tournament and even defeated Ogre in what he thought was the last match. He went home proclaiming to be the champion. Ogre morphed into True Ogre and the tournament went on without Paul. Paul's friends and admirers started to disappear as they grew tired of his attitude. His dojo went out of business. 2. BUTTON CONVENTION 1 - Left Punch 2 - Right Punch 3 - Left Kick 4 - Right Kick 5 - Tag button f - tap forward once b - tap backwards once d - tap down once u - tap up once d/f - tap down/forward once d/b - tap down/back once u/f - tap up/forward once u/b - tap up/back once F - hold forward B - hold backwards D - hold down U - hold up D/F - hold down/forward D/B - hold down/back U/F - hold up/forward U/B - hold up/back + - Commands must be input simultaneously , - Move to be done following the previous one _ - Or (either command may be input) ~ - Command to be input immediately after the previous one FC - Full Crouch WS - While Standing from a crouch N - Neutral joystick i.e. no movement input SS - Sidestep 3. MOVELIST THROWS Command Name Damage Escape 1+3 Over the Shoulder 30 1 2+4 Shoulder Pop 30 2 1+3_2+4 (Left) Dragon Screw 45 1 1+3_2+4 (Right) Fall Away 40 2 1+3_2+4 Reverse Neck Throw 50 none b+1+3_2+4 Attack Reversal -- -- b+2+3 Foot Launch 35 2 f,f+1+2~5 Push Away 35 1+2 D/F+1+2 Twist and Shout 40 1+2 d/b+1+2 Ultimate Tackle 5 From Ultimate Tackle: 2,1,2,1,2 Ultimate Punch 5,5,5,5,5 1,2,1,1+2 Punches to Armbar 5,5,5,25 2,D+1,1:4~1~1+2 Ultimate Punishment 56 1+2 Armbreaker 25 ARTS Command Move Name Hit Level Damage_Counter Dam. 1,2 Left Right Combo HH 5_7,15 f+1,2 Quick Left Right Combo HH 6_8,15 d/b+1 Low Jab M 5_7 2,3 Jab-Roundhouse HH 12_17,21 F+2,3 Quick PK Combo HH 12_17,20 2,D+3 Jab Sweep HL 12_17,8 F+2,D+3 Quick PDK Combo HL 12_17,10 1,4 Reverse PDK Combo HL 5_7,8 f+1+2 Hammer of the Gods (1) M 27_40 B+1+2 Burning Fist (2) M 100_150 d/b+3 Sweep Kick L 12_17 u/f+3~4 Shredder MM 17_25,28 f,f+4 Neutron Bomb (1) M 20_30 f,f+2 Flash Elbow M 15_22 u/f+4 Hop Kick M 13_18 f,f+3~4 Double Hop Kick MM 20_30,15 f,f+3~4,4 Triple Hop Kick High MMH 20_30,15,25 f,f+3~4,f_d/f_+4 Triple Hop Kick Medium MMM 20_30,15,15 f,f+3~4,d_d/b_+4 Triple Hop Kick Low MML 20_30,15,15 d+2 Down Strike (3) D 16_23 d+4,2 Bone Breaker LM 13_18,20 Clean 19_27,16 d+1 Hammer Punch M 15_22 d+1,2 Hammer Punch to Power Punch MM 15_22,26 d+1,4,2 Hangover MLM 15_22,15,21 WS+2 Thunder Palm M 16_23 d,d/f,f+2 Phoenix Smasher M 33_48 Clean 49_72 d,d/f,f+1 Thruster (4)(9) H 20_30 f+1+4 Shoulder Tackle M 20_30 d,d/b,b Sway (9) - -- d,d/b,b+1 God Hammer Punch (5)(9) M 15_22 d,d/b,b+2 Rubber Band Attack (1)(7) M 18_26 d,d/b,b+3 Sway to Low Kick L 12_17 d,d/b,b+3,2 Rapid Fire LM 12_17,21 d,d/b,b+3,2,1 Rapid Fire to Gut Buster LMM 12_17,21,25 Delay 12_17,21,21 d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Rapid Fire to Stone Breaker (9) LML 12_17,21,21 SS+3 Pump in Pedal L 15_22 Clean 22_32 SS+1 Turn Thruster H 23_33 FC,d/f+2 Jawbreaker M 21_31 FC,d/f+2,1 Gut Buster MM 21_31,25 FC,d/f+2,2 Stone Breaker (9) ML 21_31,21 D 2 sec,u+1+3+4 Incomplete Somersault (6) M 25_37 FC,u/f+3+4 Somersault (8) M 30_45 (1) Causes stagger on block. (2) Unblockable. (3) Only usable when opponent is in the air or on the ground. (4) Stuns on counter. (5) Bounces on counter. (6) Paul takes 15 damage. (7) Stuns on hit, knocks opponent across the screen on counter. (8) Only when teamed with Law. (9) Press 5 to tag immediately after this move. STRINGS 5 Hit Damage 1,2,3,1,2 5,15,7,6,30 H H M M M 10 Hit 1 1,2,3,2,1,2,1,4,2,1 5,15,7,5,7,4,5,7,8,30 H H M H M H H L M M 10 Hit 2 1,2,3,1,4,2,1,4,2,1 5,15,7,6,7,8,5,8,10,24 H H M M L M H M L M 4. IN-DEPTH MOVE ANALYSIS THROWS: I have rated these throws on a star system of 1-5. These moves are only being rated against the rest of Paul's throws, not against every character's throws. * Horrible throw. Dont ever do it. ** Poor throw. Not recommended. *** Your average throw. Doesnt do great damage, 1 button escape. **** Good move. Good damage, 2 button escape, or good okizeme set up. ***** Great move. Good damage, 2 button escape, taggable, inescapable, etc. OVER THE SHOULDER *** Your basic 30 damage front throw. SHOULDER POP *** Your other choice for a basic 30 damage front throw. DRAGON SCREW **** Good damage for a side throw, use it if you get the chance. FALL AWAY *** Average side throw damage. REVERSE NECK THROW ***** Not great damage for a back throw, but if you somehow get the chance to use it then go for it. Its 50 damage, its inescapable and you can get a guaranteed down thrust for 66 damage or set up your own okizeme. ATTACK REVERSAL *** As you should know, in high level play you will get chickened repeatedly if you overuse this move. Ive found the best way to use this is to use it very sparingly and only use it when your opponent would not expect it. Use it when your opponent is pitbulling, after he knocks you down and you see him charging in, immediately stand up and use it. Or every once in a while use it as you tag in. Now dont do this every time like this or your opponent will just start to throw you. Use your judgement and dont use this move too much unless youre playing scrubs. This move does damage equal to half the damage your opponent's move would have done +25. FOOT LAUNCH *** Not a bad throw but not a great throw. It does 35 damage and gets the opponent away from you, which can be good or bad according to your style of play. It leaves you back turned and in perfect distance to start a running ultimate tackle. Use it to alternate between your two best throws, Twist and Shout and Push Away, since they both have the same escape. PUSH AWAY ***** This is a great throw. Decent damage, two button escape, puts your opponent almost a full screen away, and is taggable. When you tag in your partner, your opponent will remain on the ground long enough for you to do just about anything you wish. With King or Armor King you can do a ground throw, with Julia, Michelle and Wang you can do U/F+3+4, etc. etc. Ive noticed a little trick you can do with Paul and Jin using this move. Do the throw and tag Jin in, as soon as Jin enters do the soccer kick (b+4), Jin will kick the grounded opponent and the camera will shift so that Jin is off screen. If you tag immediately after the soccer kick Paul will tag in. The animation looks as smooth as if Jin's soccer kick was a tag move if you get the timing down. This also works with a few other characters with certain moves. Do punch combos to buffer this throw. i.e. 1,2(hold 2),f,f+1. TWIST AND SHOUT **** Another good throw. Does 35 damage and has a two button escape. Unfortunately its the same escape as your other best throw, so alternate with the Foot Launch or your basic throws. Buffer this throw as well. This throw is 1 frame faster than the rest of Paul's throws. ULTIMATE TACKLE *** (***** for Ultimate Punishment) This move is very easy to reverse or escape and even easier to see coming, but, not many people use it so that makes it less expected. Not very many people at all expect it to come buffered off of a close range punch combo. The Ultimate Punches dont do very much damage at all and are easy to be escaped. The Arm Breaker is harder to escape but likewise does little damage. Your real tool here is the Ultimate Punishment. A lot of people have a very hard time doing this move due to its lightning quick input requirement. I think that 61 damage is worth spending a little time to master it though. So heres how to do it correctly. Do the tackle, hit 2 as youre falling then hold D, hit 1 right after you hit the ground, hit 1 again as the first punch lands, then immediately hit 4~1~1+2. The last part must all be input before the last punch lands. If you want to do this right every time then you must learn to buffer. Buffered, the last part would go like this: 4~1 (hold1)~2. After the first punch the Ultimate Punishment is not escapable. For reversals, escapes and more information on the Ultimate Tackle and all the commands that come out of it, see http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/tekkentag/system_tackles.php ARTS: I have rated the arts on a star scale of 1-5. These moves are only being rated against the rest of Paul's arts, not against every character's arts. * Horrible move, never do this. ** Poor move. Maybe good as a surprise move once in a long while. *** Average move or a good move with only a few basic uses. **** Good move. A good, versatile move that should be used by every Paul player. ***** Great move. Do I really need to explain? LEFT RIGHT COMBO *** Paul's basic poking move. Two quick jabs that come out at 8 frames. These are good for setting up buffered throws. If the opponent blocks then Twist and Shout, if they are hit then Push Away. This is just a guideline though, dont do this every time or they'll catch on. Also good for putting you at the right distance for Hammer Punch and Sway combos. LOW JAB *** Most people think Paul has no low 1 jab, but he does. Its not D+1 like most people's but he does have one. If you are good with diagonals then use it just like youd use d+1 with everyone else. Counter high attacks and build custom strings with it. JAB-ROUNDHOUSE * A 10 frame jab followed by a slow roundhouse. The roundhouse will almost always be blocked, in which case you will be left with a -12 frame disadvantage. If you just must use this move buffer a chicken for that slow kick. QUICK PK COMBO ** Same as above except the roundhouse is no longer so slow. If the jab is blocked your opponent no longer has time to reverse it. JAB SWEEP ** Same as above but the kick is low and your frame disadvantage is greater. You can go into the Thunder Palm from this move which makes it just a tad better. If you ever feel like doing this move, do the Quick PDK Combo instead. QUICK PDK COMBO *** Same as above but the kick is quicker. REVERSE PDK COMBO ** The same as above but Paul uses opposite limbs. This and the last two combos can all be ducked for the entirety. HAMMER OF THE GODS **** Good damage, staggers on block, good for okizeme and even juggles. Use this move but dont overuse it. BURNING FIST *** Paul's unblockable. Incredible damage and incredibly slow. Only use this move when anticipating a tag in and only when the character tagging in doesnt have a mid/high reversal. If this move is reversed you'll wish you never learned how to do it. SWEEP KICK ** The last half of the PDK combos. SHREDDER **** Good for starting (only use the 3) and ending juggles. Its a pretty safe move if blocked, unless you only do the 3, in which case good players will throw you. Has good surprise value if you dont use it all the time, which you shouldnt. NEUTRON BOMB *** Staggers on block and closes the distance between you and your opponent. You can use your WS Thunder Palm coming out of this move. This is good for catching pit bulls who will begin attacking immediately after they block this move. FLASH ELBOW *** A decent counter move. Though not near as fast as Julia's elbow, it does do a good bit of damage and leaves you at a safe distance if blocked. Use this if you are not good at countering with the Phoenix Smasher. DOUBLE HOP KICK Almost identical to the shredder except that its a little harder to do, but you can add an extra kick on the end at either high, medium, or low level. TRIPLE HOP KICK HIGH **** The third kick will only hit if you delay it. Very good as a juggle ender. TRIPLE HOP KICK MEDIUM *** Does less damage but hits ducking opponents. Use this if you think your opponent expects you to go low. TRIPLE HOP KICK LOW *** Use this to mix it up with your other hop kicks. This usually hits as no one expects it. If they begin expecting it then go medium. DOWN STRIKE *** You should use this move after a Reverse Neck Throw or as a one stop solution to missed juggles and as a basic okizeme move. BONE BREAKER ***** Ah, the dreaded Bone Breaker AKA the Falling Leaf. It has been toned down from Tekken 3. If it is blocked you become staggered so only use it when you know it will hit. Its best used in close range so set it up with a quick 1,2 combo or crouch dash into a turtler. If the 4 hits the 2 is guaranteed. This is one of Paul's best okizeme moves and is his all purpose juggle ender. You can end any juggle with this move. Keep in mind though that the timing is different for some juggles. HAMMER PUNCH **** Paul's best okizeme move. Always buffer a chicken when used standing. Use this move to go into the Thunder Palm and Jaw Breaker and Gutbuster mixups. HAMMER PUNCH TO POWER PUNCH *** Always, and I mean always buffer a chicken after the second hit. A block will leave you safe. Mix this up with the hang over. HANGOVER **** This move slays scrubs. A good move to start off the fight with. Mix this up with the Hammer to Power Punch. It ends with an elbow so no worry about reversals is needed. THUNDER PALM **** A WS juggle starter. When you juggle your opponent with this move he will be horizontal which makes juggling more difficult and throws off the timing of your Bone Breaker juggle. To hit with a Bone Breaker you must wait until your opponent is almost on the ground. Can be used after a Neutron Bomb. You can use this after Paul's mini-crouch dash (d,d/f,f) to confuse your opponent. PHOENIX SMASHER ***** The Death Fist. This move gets a lot of crap because of scrubs abusing it. This is Paul's best move though and you should use it no matter what anyone says. If they cant block a standing mid hit then thats their problem. Use this as your counter move. It does devastating damage and sends them flying. Used in combination with the sway this can be deadly. Jin crouch dashes, you sway, he whiffs a WGF, you nail him, send him flying and run after him maniacally as he tumbles to the other side of the screen. THRUSTER ***** Paul's best juggle starter. Juggles to a good level, does decent damage on its own, cant be reversed, and stuns on counter hit allowing you to set up devastating juggles. Reverse happy players will eat this all day long expecting a Phoenix Smasher (Death Fist). Also note that the move will start a juggle regardless of a counter hit if you buffer a tag. SHOULDER TACKLE *** Side steps to the right then hits your opponent for 20 damage. If youre good at reading your opponent then punish him with this move. SWAY ***** Most people only use the sway as a means to go into rapid fire. Use the sway to make your opponent whiff then punish him with a Phoenix Smasher. You can get away from many moves with the Sway. It takes a lot of practice to use the Sway defensively but its worth it in the end and further seperates you from Paul scrubs. GOD HAMMER PUNCH *** On counter this move bounces and allows you to set up some powerful and stylish juggles. Not a great move without the counter hit though so Im being generous with the stars here. RUBBER BAND ATTACK *** A decent, safe move that will momentarily stun your opponent if he doesnt block. Break this out every once in a while to avoid becoming stale. SWAY TO LOW KICK *** The other way to Sway, read on. RAPID FIRE *** If youve gone this far then no need to stop now, proceed on to one of the next two moves. RAPID FIRE TO GUT BUSTER **** Its usually best to do the Gut Buster on its own without the Rapid Fire, that is unless you are juggling. This is a great juggle ender even though its sometimes hard to pull off quickly. You usually will have to delay the last hit when using as a juggle ender. You can sometimes fake people out by delaying the last hit. RAPID FIRE TO STONE BREAKER **** The same goes for the Stone Breaker except you dont have to delay to juggle. This move can also be used to start a juggle. Rapid Fire to Stone Breaker to Rapid Fire to Gut Buster is an awesome juggle if you can get all of it to hit. Against good players you probably wont though. Mix up with the Rapid Fire to Gut Buster. These two moves arent very fast and almost everyone knows how to block them. PUMP IN PEDAL *** It does decent damage and gives you a +3 frame advantage on a hit, of course youll be too far away to take advantage of it, but it hits low and can be a decent surprise tactic. Its real use is in okizeme. TURN THRUSTER ** I dont see any reason to use this move. Its relatively safe to use but it hits high and is so easy to see coming. If anyone has any good uses for this please e-mail me. JAWBREAKER *** Sets up either the Gut Buster or Stone Breaker. You can make a decent mix up game with these two. Remember you can go into these after a Hammer Punch by holding the D and then pressing d/f+2. Another way to go into the Jaw breaker is to go d,D/F (slight pause),2. This creates even more mix up between your Thruster and Phoenix Smasher. GUTBUSTER *** This is the one that will hit the most. Try delaying it if it isnt hitting and remember to mix it up with the Stone Breaker. STONE BREAKER **** When you can get this to hit it sets up a great juggle that ends with Rapid Fire to Gut Buster. Its hard to get people to go for this though. You have to mix up with the Gut Buster and use delays to get someone to eat this move. Also can be useful for okizeme when youre too far away to use Hammer Punch and Bone Breaker. INCOMPLETE SOMERSAULT * A useless move if ever there was one. If your opponent actually lets you take the time to charge it up then you still have to hit him, which you probably wont do. Way too much effort for 25 damage. Never use this move unless you are trying to embarrass or impress. SOMERSAULT ** This move can only be done when Law is your partner. It is much faster than the Incomplete version, but it still not a very good move. If you want to show off with Law then do their tag combo. Do the Poison Arrow with Law to a tag, then when Paul comes in press 2,2. Paul will immediately do a Stone Breaker and tag out and Law will flip in and super charge, then press 2 and he will backhand your falling opponent. This is a crowd pleaser and the absolute best tag combo in the game. 5. JUGGLES Paul is not a great juggler, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt try and get your opponent in the air, because he can do some damage and hes got a very good okizeme game. I will not list every possible juggle for each starter. I will however list a good variety of Paul's most damaging juggles so you can find one that feels right to you. Some of them are very hard to do so dont worry if you cant do it right away. Also keep in mind, if you ever accidentally juggle someone (it happens sometimes) or you just get confused while your opponent is in the air, go for a Bone Breaker. Paul can end any juggle with it, its very easy to do, and it does decent damage. Starter: u/f+4 (Hopkick) 1,2,d,db,b+3,2,2 Damage: 50 (Very hard to do) f,f+3,4,4 Damage: 48 1,1,2,d,df,f+2 Damage: 43 (Also hard to do) 1,2,u/f+3,4 Damage: 43 u/f+4,d,db,b+3,2,2 Damage: 42 1,2,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 40 1,1,2,f+1+2 Damage: 40 u/f+4,d+4,2 Damage: 39 Starter: d,d/f,f+1 (Thruster) 1,2,d,db,b+3,2,2 Damage: 57 (Very hard to do) 1,1,2,f,1+2 Damage: 47 1,2,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 47 u/f+4,d+4,2 Damage: 46 d/f+1,f,1,2,d+1 Damage: 45 1,u/f+3,4 Damage: 43 d+4,2 Damage: 40 Starter: WS+2 (Thunder Palm) d/f+1,u/f+3,4 Damage: 43 d,d/f,f+2 Damage: 42 (Hard to do) d+4,2 Damage: 41 (Somewhat difficult timing) u/f+3,4 Damage: 40 Starter: d/f+2 f,f,1,2,f,f,1,d,d/f,f+2 Damage: 43 (Very hard to do) f,f,1,f,f,d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Damage: 43 f,f,1,2,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 40 d/f+1,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 37 Starter: d,d/b,b+1 (God Hammer Punch) on counter hit only. f,f,d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Damage: 51 d,d/f,f+2 Damage: 48 f,f,1,2,f+1+2 Damage: 46 f,f,1,u/f+3,4 Damage: 45 f,f,1,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 42 f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 40 f,f,1,2,d+1 Damage: 40 Starter: d,d/f,f+1 (Thruster) on counter hit only. Most of these juggles are hard to do. u/f+4,1,2,f,f,d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Damage: 80 u/f+4,u/f+4,d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Damage: 79 u/f+4,1,1,f,f,d,d/b,b+3,2,2 Damage: 76 u/f+4,1,1,2,f,f,d+4,2 Damage: 73 u/f+4,1,2,u/f+3,4 Damage: 73 u/f+4,1,2,d,d/f,f+2 Damage: 70 u/f+4,u/f+4,d+4,2 Damage: 69 u/f+4,1,2,f+1+2 Damage: 67 Starter: FC, d/f+2,2 and d,d/b,b+3,2,2 (Stone Breaker and R.F. to Stone Breaker) These juggles arent getting their own charts for two reasons. 1. Because both moves have multiple hits that may or may not connect before the last hit connects, thus changing the damage properties and forcing me to make 6 charts for something thats not that important. 2. Because there are only two juggle enders you should worry about with this juggle starter. d,d/b,b+3,2,2 This requires very good timing but is it definitely worth mastering as it is a very damaging juggle. d+4,2 This does a little less damage but is so much easier to connect with. 6. OKIZEME Okizeme is the art of hitting your opponent while he is on the ground and keeping him on the ground. The following moves are important in Paul's okizeme game. HAMMER PUNCH Very easy to do and it puts your opponent right back on the ground allowing you to set up for more okizeme. Can hit from a good distance. HAMMER OF THE GODS This is slower but more damaging. Also puts your opponent back on the ground. Has slightly less range than Hammer Punch. PUMP IN PEDAL This does pretty good damage but its best quality is it's range. This move hits opponents on the ground. BONE BREAKER This is a great close range okizeme move. If your opponent rolls towards you, use the Bone Breaker, Hammer Punch or Hammer of the Gods. If your opponent rolls away from you, use the Phoenix Smasher. If your opponent stands straight up use the Bone Breaker. If your opponent rolls towards or away from the screen, use the Bone Breaker. This takes good timing. If your opponent does a standing low kick, low parry it and use the Bone Breaker. If your opponent does a standing high kick, either reverse it or Sway into a Rapid Fire combo. If your opponent does nothing, use the Pump in Pedal. 7. STRATEGY Paul should be played as offensively as possible. This should come as no surprise to any of you. The key to winning with Paul is to stay on the offense and keep him guessing as to what youll do next. That can pretty much be said of any character in Tekken to some extent, but I had to say it anyway. Take advantage of Paul's 1,2 Punches. Use them to link into the Hangover, Bone Breaker, or the Push Away and Twist and Shout throws. Make sure you know how to use all of Paul's mixups. Out of Paul's pseudo crouch dash (d,d/f,f) you can do many things. First of all you can do the Thruster. Its a juggle starter and if it hits on counter it stuns, allowing you to set up a devastating juggle. You can of course do the Phoenix Smasher. At the end of the crouch dash, when Paul starts to rise back up, you can do his WS+2 Thunder Palm. If you crouch dash by pressing d,D/F, you can go into the Gut Buster or the Stone Breaker. Thats a mix up inside a mix up. You can also crouch dash and end it by going into the Bone Breaker, adding a low hit to the crouch dash mix up. Another mix up game of Paul's is the GutBuster/Stone Breaker. These can go either high or low and can both be delayed. Learn how to fake your opponent out by delaying. This works especially well with the Gut Buster. One of Paul's best mix ups is the Hammer Strike mix up. From the Hammer Strike you can go into the Power Punch or the Hangover. This is a good high/low mix up. Hold down after doing the Hammer Strike and you will end the move in FC, allowing you to rise and do the Thunder Palm or do the GutBuster or Stone Breaker. Paul has enough mix ups that you never have to play the same way twice. This is good, the less your opponent knows about what youre going to do next, the less chance he'll have to block it. Paul's okizeme is some of the best in the game. Never let up when your opponent hits the ground. Use reversals every once in a while, but do not over use them or you will be chickened to death. Against people you know cant chicken, use them more often. Remember to buffer chickens for many of Paul's moves against reversal enabled characters. Moves to chicken buffer are listed in the MISC. section. Use the sway to make your opponent's moves miss you, then nail him with the Phoenix Smasher. Dont overuse the Phoenix Smasher and Bone Breaker. They are powerful weapons but they are two edged swords. Their bad recovery time will get you punished if you miss or if they are blocked. And one of the most important things, learn other characters. Read through FAQs for other characters and find out what moves they do, how to block them, etc. Practice with them if you have a PS2 or a lot of quarters. Know your enemies weaknesses and their strong points and you will be able to beat them more often. And remember, just reading this guide isnt going to make you a better Paul player. It will point you in the direction you need to go though. The best way to get better is to play with people who are good. Learn from them. Learn what they do, what they dont do, and try to figure out why. Do they always seem to catch you when you do a certain move? Do they always hit you with a certain move? If you cant figure it out, ask them. Most Tekken players are more than willing to help you become a better player. Its no fun playing scrubs all day. TAG PARTNERS Here I will list a few characters that I think go very well with Paul. This should not be taken as a list of the people who are best to use with Paul. These are just the characters I like playing with Paul. Who you use is up to you. Heihachi Mishima Hei is my favorite partner for Paul. He makes up for the areas where Paul is lacking, especially in juggles. Heihachi's juggles are some of the best in the game and tag juggles between Paul and Heihachi are brutal. As you should know, tag juggles dont allow your opponent to regenerate any of the damage they deal when he is tagged out. Heihachi also has a good mix up game. You can really confuse your opponent by tagging in and out with these characters several times in a match. Now I dont mean just tagging out while your opponent is standing. You will be punished for this. When you juggle you should tag in the other character and let the other finish it. Paul can end any of Hei's juggles with a Bone Breaker and Hei can end most of Paul's with F+1,B+2,1. Off of Paul's Push Away tag throw Hei can get a guaranteed D+4 stomp. Against scrubs and the computer you will some times be able to hit a Demon Tile Splitter (D+1+4) unblockable that will do a whole lot of damage. Hei also has a Death Fist that is faster but less damaging. Stay on your opponents, do many tag juggles, and keep them confused with this pair. Both Hei and Paul have very few hit points so dont get cocky. Jin Kazama This should be played very similar to Paul and Heihachi. Jin has great juggle starters and enders. Use his b,F+2,1,2 to end tag juggles and use the Soccer Kick (B+4) to finish the Push Away throw. Marshal Law This is mostly for style. Paul and Law have a tag move that is probably the best looking and most impressive move in the game. Do Law's f~2~1. He touches your opponent who will be stunned and crumple to the floor. This move can be tag buffered, if so Paul will come in immediately. Press 2,2 and Paul will do the Stone Breaker and knock them high into the air. Law comes in with a flip kick and he powers up as your opponent falls. Press 1 as they fall and if timed right Law will backhand them again. This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser and does a lot of damage that cant be recovered. Teaming with Law lets Paul use the Incomplete Somersault, or Idiot Flip Kick. Its not a great move but it is funny if it hits. Paul and Law also have a special pre-fight animation together. Try to use characters that excel where Paul does not. Characters with good juggling ability, good low moves, lots of arts, etc. Paul is a good tag partner for just about any character. Whatever partner you choose, you should learn him just as well as you know Paul. Learn what juggle enders they can use to Paul's starters and vice versa. 8. MISC. PAUL'S COSTUMES 1 Black Gi 2 Red Gi 3 Dark Blue Leather 4 Black Leather PAUL's WINNING POSES After you win, hold the following button to receive the winning pose listed: 1 - Paul wipes his hands together, throws his fist in the air and grunts. 2 - Paul punches downward, brings his fists to his waist and grunts. 3 - Paul pumps his fist in the air three times and grunts. 4 - Paul squats down and motions for you to bring it on with his hand. NETSU POWER UP When the character you are controlling is hit a certain number of times, your partner may or may not receive what is called the Netsu or anger power up. Their bar will start flashing and their damage will be increased for a while. The following chart shows you how many hits your partner must receive before Paul will get angry. Law 4 Heihachi 4 Devil 7 Ogre 0 True Ogre 0 Everyone else 5 MOVES TO CHICKEN BUFFER The following moves are the most often reversed moves Paul performs. You should try to buffer a chicken after these moves when facing a reversal enabled opponent. Phoenix Smasher Hammer Punch God Hammer Punch Rubber Band Attack Gut Buster (last hit) FRAME DATA Tekken Tag runs at 60 frames per second. This means that every second you are actually seeing 60 different pictures on your screen. Every move you do takes a certain amount of these frames to execute, and after doing the move takes a certain amount of frames before you can do another move. If your opponent blocks or gets hit by the move it also takes them a certain amount of frames to be able to do another move. Knowing all the frame data information isnt necessary to be a good Tekken player but it can help you a lot by knowing which moves you will be able to do and when and how fast they will execute. For the frame data for all of Paul's throws, basic moves, and special arts see http://www.tekkenzaibatsu.com/tekkentag/framedata.php?id=paul PAUL'S PROS AND CONS PROS Paul does a lot of damage, has a good mix up game, lots of juggle starters, lots of good mid level moves, a high/mid reversal, a defensive sway, a pseudo crouch dash, good okizeme, good throws, good tag moves, and a great counter attack game. CONS Paul has very few hit points, doesnt have a lot of arts, isnt a very good juggler, has poor recovery time from many of his better moves, doesnt have a lot of low arts, and is considered the cheapest character in the game by most people. LOW PARRY Every character in Tekken Tag has what is called the generic low parry. It is performed by pressing D/F when your opponent performs a low move. Your opponent's limb will be thrown to the side and you will gain a little bit of frame advantage. If youre going to low parry then you should know what to do after the parry. For Paul, the best post low parry move would have to be the Bone Breaker. If the move you parry is a punch then your opponent will have time to block the Bone Breaker. Consider using a mid hitting move when this happens, but not all the time or your opponent will always block the right way. 9. SUMMARY I hope this guide will help to make you a better Paul player, and a better Tekken Tag player as well. I know the many FAQs on the net, especially Tekken Zaibatsu have helped me become much better. Remember, Paul is seen as cheap, so earning respect with him is much harder than other characters, except maybe Jin. Keep practicing and show them all how wrong they are. If this guide helps you, or if you want to ask me something, tell me Im wrong, etc., feel free to email me at phreddkroe@tds.net I would like to thank all the FAQ writers on the net, Tekken Zaibatsu, Namco for making such a great game, and all the Tekken players around the world. If any of you are ever in Gadsden, Alabama (though why the hell would you be?) you may be able to find me at Aladdin's Castle in the Gadsden mall. Look for a big bald guy with a goatee and glasses. Go easy on me though, just cause I wrote a guide doesnt mean Im a master. :)