*** Yet Another Steve Fox Guide *** Version 2.0 Author: Moldy (creature@seductive.com) Created: May 2002 Latest Update: September 2002 Disclaimer: I, the author, do not claim to have conceptualized all the strategies listed in this guide. Some are original, while some were learned from friends, some were read from other guides, even some were copied from watching other people play (why that bastard...) I will, though, do my best to give credit to those people. If any of you out there have thought of the same strategies or something similar, then my thanks to you too. This document may not in any way be published for profit without permission from the author. About Me: I'm 18, from the Philippines. I've been playing Tekken since Tekken 3, but stopped playing before TTT came out, and have come out of hibernation last year with the coming of Tekken 4. I regularly use Steve, Marduk, and Paul. (Combot for a little fun) ***Move List: Go get yourself a standard Catlord Tekken 4 Movelist from Catlord's site or from TekkenZaibatsu (Where you'll probably find this guide) i. Version History 1.0 Started 1.1 Added hit properties, fixed many errors on moves and strats, revised VS char strats 2.0 MAJOR OVERHAUL! Removed lots of pointless paragraphs and false strats, revised anti-character strats, removed original move analysis, changed into Advanced FAQ. Table of Contents I Why Steve? II Moves III General Strategy a. Offense b. Mix-ups c. Defense IV Character Specific Strategy V Combos and Juggles VI. Credits *** If you have seen the older versions of this document, you're probably wondering why everything has suddenly disappeared. Let me explain. I've decided to concentrate on Steve strategies only. No more move analysis, damage values, comments, etc. You have the movelists and the frame database for that. I've you're a beginner with Steve, then I suggest you read first the other Steve FAQs on the net. I suggest you take a look at Ai-Uchi's Steve Fox FAQ on TekkenZaibatsu. It's a great start. Then check this out afterwards. *** I. Why Steve? The good news: -has fast and high priority attack strings -has good recovery -has a good number of stun inducers -excellent CH game with his sway stances -has good evasive maneuvers -can parry punches The bad news: -attacks predominantly high -lacks guaranteed strings -extreme lack of low attacks -weak throwing game -doesn't have any standing kicks -no WS mix-ups -weak okizeme game II. Moves *** This section shows the moves I use, when I use them, and how to use them. Of course, Steve has other moves, but these are the only ones I see important. *** (Move Names , Damage Values, and Frame Data based on TekkenZaibatsu's move lists) Standing Moves: (Offense) -1,2,1,(2) British Edge h,h,h,m -1,2 Standard 1-2 jab h,h -2,1 Alternate jabs h,h -2,1,2 Short Edge h,h,m -2,1,d+2 Short Edge Low h,h,l -d+2,1 Eagle Hook l,m -d/f+1,2 Upper Combo m,h -d/f+1,2,1 Upper Feint Hook m,h -d/f+1,2,1 Upper Feint Combo m,m -FLI 1,f+1 Spitfire Hammer h,m -f+3,f+2 Sea Hawk Hook h -f+3,2 Sea Hawk Upper m -d/b+2 Low Sweep L (CH Defense) -3,1 Gut Hook m -4,2 Atomic Blow m -FLI b+2 Trident Lunge h -d+1 Quick Hook h -f+1+2 Heartbreak Shot m -WS 1,2 Rising Eagle Claw m,m -3+4~2 Spinning Punch m -b+3_4,2 Trident Hook m -2~f,1 Punch Parry - (Retaliation & Punishers) -f,f+2 Eagle Claw m -d/f+1+2 Sonic Fang m,m (Okizeme) -FLI 2 Eagle Smash M -d+1 Turd Punch L -3+4~d+2 Spinning Low L -d/f+1+2 Sonic Fang m,m (rising opponents only) (Throws) -1+3 Position Change - -FLI b+1+2 Griffon Stretch - -QCB+2+4 Eagle Elbow - III. General Strategy This section deals with three (3) main aspects of Steve's game: Offense, Defense, and Mix-ups. Other aspects like Throwing, Okizeme, and Arena specifics aren't big parts of Steve's game, and therefore will not be covered in detail. A. Offense 1.) Jabbing and Poking This is where your offense starts, and what will probably decide the match in the crunch. Though Steve's jab-based offense lacks on some parts, it is still superior to most characters. Table 1.0 Character jabs and jab strings to consider: Character Frames String Notes Heihachi 10 1,1,2 KD's, guaranteed Jin 10 2,1 0 on block, hits h,m Julia 8 1,1,1 CH launcher Kazuya 10 1,1,2 KD's, guaranteed King 9 2,1 Grab set-up on hit Kuma/Panda 10 f+1,1,1 CH launcher Law 8 1,2,3 h,h,m, guard break Lee/Violet 8 1,2,4:4 Guaranteed, big damage Marduk 10 1,d+2 h,m, guard break Nina 8 1,2,1,2 Uninterruptible Paul 8 1,2 Fastest reset time Lee and the Mishimas use jab strings as an instant retaliation. Julia and the bears use it as a CH interrupt. Law, Nina, Jin, and Paul use it pressure opponents. King and Marduk use it for offensive mix-ups. Steve uses his jabs for all of these. Meaning, Steve's offense revolves around nothing but his jabs. Unfortunately, Steve's jabs don't have the guaranteed damage like those of Julia, Heihachi, Kazuya, and Lee. He doesn't end with positive frame advantage like Paul, Nina, Jin, and Law. He can't mix up afterwards like King and Marduk. What makes Steve's jabs so dangerous, though, is not what he can do afterwards, but what his opponent will do afterwards. Steve's game revolves around poking and reaction. Similar to Paul pulling out a b,f+1 or Law doing a d+2,3 when you poke back after a jab string, Steve thrives more on the opponent's reactions, drawing them out using his fast jabs. See the next section for an application for this theorem. 1.1 1,2 and the British Edge The British Edge (1,2,1) is the center of Steve's offense. It's 8-frame fast, guaranteed 30+ damage on CH, uninterruptible, quick transition to Flicker (~b) and Sway stances (f_b_N+3_4), and has a built-in forward motion. The bad news is it hits h,h,h which makes Steve a prime candidate for WS shit, and it leaves you at -2 on block, which is actually quite good, but other 8-framers won't have a problem jabbing out of it. As mentioned above, the British Edge is best used to draw out responses from your opponents, where Steve is at his best. Table 1.1 After the British Edge Opponent's Reaction Steve's Response Any high attack Sway; Albatross Spin; Duck Counter-jab Punch-Parry; Sway; Sidestep Opponent ducks d/f+1 strings; ~b to FLI 1,f+1; Sonic Fang Duck-jab or Low attack Low Parry to Sonic Fang Opponent turtles d+2,1; d/f+1 strings; ~b to FLI 1,f+1; 1+3 Any attack above 10 frames ss_b,b to British Edge Reversal Chicken if possible Parry Hold B to auto-sway (Bryan only); Pray Sidestep w/o attack re-align Sidestep w/attack Duck (most SS attacks hit high or low) Evasive attack Block or Sidestep These are what you should do based on what you expect your opponent to do. Of course this takes a lot of anticipation and guessing on Steve's part, but the payoff is worth it. 2.) Side-turns and Off-axis stuns. Off-axis positions are a good thing for Steve because it allows him to keep the offensive momentum, and pressures the opponent for a response. Imagine getting sideturned by Hwoarang's Backlash or d/b+4,4. If you duck or try to attack off-axis, you'd most likely get launched by a b+3 or smacked by f,f+3. If you block standing, you'll eat another d/b+4,4. Either way, you're screwed. Steve's off axis mix-ups work something to that effect. You can get a standing opponent with a poking d+2,1 or d/b+2, or you can keep up the pressure by doing 1,2,1 , d/f+1 strings FLI 1,f+1, or f+3_4, f+2 which offers another sideturn if blocked. A ducking opponent will get nailed by a Sonic Fang, while anyone foolish enough to attack will get CH'd by a 3+4~2 or 3,1. 2.1 The d/f+1,2,1 D/f+1,2,1 hits high, and can be interrupted between the first and last hit. The good thing is it offers +1 on block, Crumple Fall Stun on CH, and yes, Side-turn on block. The d/f+1,2,1 is also a quick transition to flicker stance (d/f+1,2,1~b). 2.2 The f+3_4, f+2 F+3_4, f+2 hits high, KD's on hit, Crumple Fall Stun on Ch, and yes, Side-turns on block. It hits high, but the danger of getting nailed with a 2 or 1 from ducking stance makes opponents reluctant to duck. Table 2.0 After Side-Turns Starter Follow-up DCK f+2 D+2,1 D/f+1 mix-ups 1,2,1 Sonic Fang 3+4~2 DCK mix-ups 3,1 d/f+1,2,1 ~b FLI + follow-ups all DCK f+2 follow-ups 3.) Going Low Steve isn't a low hitter. Everyone knows that. His d/b+2 is damn slow and is easily punished (17 frames, -15 on block). His d+2,1 is just as slow, but is safer, does more damage, but is still not much of a threat than Law, Paul, and Lei's low hits. Still, poking low gives your opponent something to worry about in the crunch, and can give you those little chips of damage that are just enough to win the game. 3.1 d+2,1 d+2,1 hits high,mid, does about 25 damage (I think). Is guaranteed at close range, and though slow, is still very unexpected. This move is very important in your poking game, just as your 1,2,1 and your d/f+1 mix-up is. Some good set-ups for d+2,1 -Off-axis stuns (Side-turns) -1,2,1 or 1,2 (On hit) -FLI 1,f+1 (Blocked) 3.2 2,1,d+2 Few people seem to block this, probably because they are used to seeing the whole 1,2,1,d+2 string instead of the shorter version. This is especially good against people in corners, and in the crunch. B. Mix-Ups Steve Mixing-up isn't as dangerous as Lei, Paul, or Marduk, and isn't as annoying as Hwoarang or Xiaoyu. This is because he lacks powerful low hits or near-decent grabs that makes an opponent duck on defense. His mix-ups rely more on his side-turns and fast strings, which sooner or later will pressure an opponent into reacting. Table 1.0-b Steve's Offensive Mix-ups 1,2,1 D/f+1 d/f+1,2 D/f+1,2,2 D/f+1,2,1 3,1 d/f+1+2 d+2,1 d/f+1 1,2,1 DCK 2,1 ~b FLI 1,f+1 ~b FLI 3,1 DCK FLI b+1+2 FLI 1,f+1 1,2,1 d+2,1 2,1 d/f+1 d/f+1+2 3,1 DCK 3,1 ~b (FLI) 1:f+1 DCK 2 f+2 1,2,1 d+2,1 2,1 d/f+1 3,1 d/f+1+2 DCK 2,1 ~b (FLI) 2 d+2,1 1,2,1 d/f+1 3,1 d/f+1+2 DCK 1,2,1 d/f+1+2 d+2,1 As you can see, all the starters link into a string ending with either the starter itself, or another starter. The good thing is if an opponent tries to poke in between these strings, you can parry (punch or duck-jab) or sway under them and CH for mad damage. C. Defense 1.) Counter Hit Steve has an excellent CH game thanks to his sways, his stun- inducers, and his crazy combos after those stuns. If you're good at reading an opponent and anticipating his actions, then this part is payoff. Table 1.0-c Counter Hit Situation Move Result Opponent attacks high 3,1 Double-Over 4,2 Double-Over f+1+2 Freeze Stun 3+4~2 Crumple Fall b+3_4, 2 Crumple Fall f+3_4, 2 Juggle Opponent attacks mid d+1 (~b) Crumple Fall FLI b+2 Crumple Fall (1),2,1,2 Juggle Remember that Double-over stuns are escapable by holding f during the stun animation. Use the f+1+2 only out of pure desperation. 2.) Low Block vs. Low Parry Against low attacks, Steve only has two options: Parry then counter with a Sonic Fang, or Block then counter with a WS 1,2. For Steve, it is better to parry quick low attacks and block those with long block stagger animations. Table 2.0-c Low Attack Defense Situation Counter With: After Low Parry Sonic Fang After Block WS 1,2 3.) Eagle Claw vs. Sonic Fang Table 3.0-c Comparison of Eagle Claw and Sonic Fang Move Speed Damage Follow-Ups On Block Eagle Claw (f,f+2) 14 frames 25 Yes (FLI 2) -11 Opponent RC Sonic Fang (d/f+1+2) 14 frames 28 No -10 Guard Break These moves are very similar, and they are both very good. Their differences actually lie in their application. Sonic Fang hits rolling opponents, and is a good juggle ender. Eagle claw guarantees a 1+2~2 follow up, and is a good stun combo ender. Sonic fang is a better retaliation, while Eagle Claw is better as a whiff punisher. Lastly, Sonic Fang is a more suited for offense, as a mix-up to nail crouchers, while Eagle Claw is a better defensive tool due to its range and power (Eagle Claw + FLI 2 = 40 damage). 4.) The Punch-Parry Never forget the punch parry! It is one of Steve's most powerful tools. It is especially important against 8-frame jabbers, and those who use predictable punch strings. This will save your life-> a lot. Always use this! IV. Character Specific Strategy 1.)Bryan Fury- The dead guy still remains a top tier character in Tekken 4, although he seems to have slowed down a bit. His f+2,1,4 combo is guaranteed if the first hits, and it hurts a lot. If Bryan is bulldogging with punch rushes, parry his hands off and punish him. Sidestep his combos since he is very linear. Attacking high is not advisable all the time since a crouching Bryan could give you a problem. As usual, you'd have to watch out for the Chains of Misery Throw and the WS moves which Byran is famous for. Attacking mid at the wrong time can get you out prioritized by a CH 8-frame jab string (ouch!) Don't be reckless in attacking Bryan, he'll punish you real bad for it. Whenever you get Punch Parried, hold B for Steve to automatically do a back sway. This would avoid the ensuing Mach Breaker follow-up, if he doesn't use the Gut Punch ending. Watch out for a sudden Snake Edge! Difficulty: Medium 2.)Christie Montiero- Whether against a scrub or an expert, be careful. Attacking recklessly could get you a roundhouse kick to the face. Low parry their kick strings, and you've got yourself a free Sonic Fang. Christie can kill you with her confusing low-mid strings. Christie has more mix-ups than other confusion characters, but her strings are very slow, so just try to read what your opponent is doing. Kill her immediately! Difficulty: Medium 3.)Heihachi Mishima- You shouldn't have a problem here. You'll probably out prioritize all of the old man's moves. Just don't be a fool to whiff a move or your ass will get juggled for some big time damage. Don't let him call out his Thunder Godfist variations (Omen and Sapphire Godfist). These cause guard break, and anyone who has mastered their motions will abuse them. Difficulty: Medium 4.)Hwoarang- Here's where you've got a problem. Hwoarang-Steve fights are usually about who gets their attack strings out first. You still can't afford to be reckless: your high attacks can be avoided by that damn E. Coli kick (f+3~3). I found that sidestepping when you think Hwoarang will pull out an E.Coli will get you behind him. If you ever get caught in his infinite flamingo strings, duck under the high hit in the series, and punish it with WS 1,2. You'll get the offensive rhythm after that. If you get turned around by a guard-breaking kick, don't be stupid- just turn around and resume your guard. Else, you'll be eating a nice, big, Backlash, and don't duck either! Better to eat a mealy d/b+4 than to get launched by a b+3. Try to get him cornered and bulldog him there, because his moves are slower than yours. Difficulty: Hard 5.)Jin Kazama- Jin loves to bulldog. Playing him toe-to-toe is real fun, although against expert players, a poking game is more suitable. Always remember to Punch-Parry. Sidestep his 1,2,3 combo. Learn to defend against his Laser Cannon/Laser Scraper mix-ups. There's a whole FAQ at Tekken Zaibatsu about this. Don't panic when he gets into his soul omen to lingering soul power up. Just block and you'll be safe. Don't be foolish and rush in after Jin finishes a string, you'll be eating 2 nice Can-Can kicks. WS 2 will kill you so mix-up mid, and use your Flicker cancel which autoguards real nice. Difficulty: Easy to Medium 6.)Julia Chang- Not much here, just learn to defend against the mix-ups, and sidestep her attacks. Don't be foolish with your attacking, you don't want to eat a G-Clef Cannon on CH. Learn to break the Mad Axes throw (1+2). Don't get caught in a elbow->jab->elbow->Mad Axes/Other Throws mix-up. That's real nasty. Like with Bryan, she's got a guaranteed combo on a CH 8-frame jab so be careful! Difficulty: Easy to Medium 7.)Kazuya Mishima- While he may be slower than you, don't rush in and bulldog just yet: a WS 2 Gut Punch leads to a devastating combo. Just poke his ass off alternating high and mid to keep him from crouching. Parry any Shining Fists they plan on doing. Keep moving around instead of in and out to negate the effectiveness of the Crouch Dash. Learn to block the Mishima Fury combo (hhlm) since a TGF is pretty much guaranteed if it hits. Don't fall for the 1,2,4 & 1,2,d/f+1,f+2 mix-up! I myself am a victim of this. Difficulty: Medium to Hard 8.)King- One thing you should be wary of King is when he goes into an Armor King-type of game. He'll use the Rolling Sabat, the Konvict Kick, the Hopkick, the Flying Knee, and the Dark Shoulder. The problem here? All these attack hit MID, which you can't sway out of, they have nice properties (the hop kick juggles, the Rolling Sabat is fast, the Konvict Kick chains into a DDT on CH, the Shoulder Ram and Flying Knee do massive damage.), they have great priority for power moves, and all these, you cannot parry. This one, you'll have to bulldog. Another thing: WATCH OUT FOR THESE THROWS! (The big 5): -Giant Swing (45-70 dmg) 1 escape/techroll -Rock Bottom (50 dmg) 1+2 escape -Tombstone (58 dmg) 2 escape -Muscle Buster (50 dmg) 1+2 escape -Frankensteiner (inescapable, 30-45 dmg) Difficulty: Medium 9.)Kuma/Panda- Honestly? Bulldog. Poke them out of their Hunting Bear Stance with your d+2. Difficulty: What a Joke 10.)Marshall Law- Be careful with your attacks, a parry from Law could end up in a painful backfist. Avoid attacking high always unless you'd want to get CH'd and juggled to eternity. Watch out for grab mix-ups coming from his strings, and don't fall for his tricks. Dragon's Tail... Difficulty: Hard 11.)Lee Chaolan/Violet- Don't get hit by the following: -Mist Trap (Duck under it or it's guaranteed damage) -Acid Rain (Block. Unless you want to see a slick juggle) -SS+2 (~f,1,2,4:4 is guaranteed if it hits) -u/f+4 (Juggle starter. Lee's wall juggles hurt a lot) Other than that, you won't have a problem Difficulty: Medium 12.)Lei Wulong- One of your hardest fights, hands down. Lei will drop down under your punches, he'll guard stun and bulldog you to death. My advice? Just stay the hell away from him. If you could force him to whiff (hard to do), that's a good thing. Try your best to avoid his attacks, blocking them just won't work. One of my weaknesses is a hardcore Lei player- not just with Steve, but with any character I'm using (except Marduk!). Difficulty: Near Impossible 13.)Craig Marduk- Marduk shouldn't be much of a problem against Steve. Bulldog him, poke him, and Throw him, since he's damn slow. The important thing you should remember is to mix-up your attacks high and mid, unless you want to get an unchickenable reversal that ends with him on top of you, or get juggled for 50+ damage. Learn to block the mounted punches. Block the punches with 1 or 2. Learn to anticipate when Craig will call out a d+1+2, it launches and it ducks under high moves.(His only Steve killing move) Difficulty: Medium 14.)Nina Williams- Don't let her out poke you so she can't bring out her mix-up Game. Just be smart and patient on offense so you don't get CH'ed for a painful kick to the balls. Learn the multi-grab breaks! Of course, since Nina isn't popular among amateurs (those dependent on multi- grabs would rather stick to King), this means that a Nina player would most likely be an expert. That means he would know when to poke and when to turtle, and he can do it quite well. Nina pokes predominantly high, so SWAY!!! Difficulty: Medium to Hard 15.)Paul Phoenix- Against scrubs, you can win with one hand. Against good players, you're in for a very tough fight. Paul can sway back and avoid your pokes, CH-ing you for mad damage. Sway under a 1,2 abuser (watch out for d/f+1~>Throw setup, though). Parry a Tile Splitter the moment you see it. Avoid getting bulldogged by repeating JFs, that's a big headache. Be VERY careful when attacking, b,f+1 will kill you everytime. Overall, be really, really careful. Difficulty: Hard 16.)Steve Fox- Always a good fight. This will be either a bulldog fest or an hour-long poke fest. Nothing much to say here, just, don't be reckless. A single CH punch from Steve will kill you. You do have a punch parry don't you? Difficulty: Varies 17.)Ling Xiaoyu- Xiaoyu, along with Lei and Hwoarang will be very hard to fight. Her mobility will make her a very hard target. Her Phoenix stance will avoid almost all your attacks. Of course, the strategy here is don't get hit when she moves in to strike. Try to move around and make yourself a hard target yourself. Counter her pokes with your Punch Parry and Sway moves. If you try to bulldog a really good Xiaoyu, her movement'll just dizzy you. Apparently, sidestepping will avoid most her attacks momentarily, giving you just enough time to stop her with a 1,2 jab before she tracks you. I've found that 3+4~2 works well against Phoenix Stance abusers. Difficulty: Hard 18.)Yoshimitsu- Nothing much since I haven't gone up against good Yoshimitsu players. I'll get back to you on this. Difficulty: Medium V. Combos and Juggles Starter 1,2,1,2 d/f+1,2,1, d/f+1+2 DCK 2 3,1~b, FLI 1,1,[1],2 CH 3+4~2 3,1~b, FLI 1,f+1, d+1 B+3_4,2 d/f+1,2,1~b FLI 1,1,[1],2 F+1+2 f,f+2, 1+2~2 (a.k.a. "The 3-hit Wonder") CH 4,2 f,f+2, 1+2~2 CH 3,1 ~b FLI b+2 There are other combos and combo starters, but most of them produce the same stun effect as the moves listed here, meaning you can apply the same juggles. (ex. CH DCK f+2 and CH d+1 are similar to CH 3+4~2, etc.) Check out Shukudai's Steve Combo movies at www.arcadepimp.com. It features some great and damaging juggles and combos which I did not list here. Check it out! VI. Final Words and Credits Again, thank you for taking the time to read this guide. I really hope you've learned something. Thank you to whoever has come up with a strategy/combo/juggle that was mentioned in this guide. Thanks also to all Steve players, scrub or not (there a no Steve scrubs in the Philippines.), for playing a new character. Specific acknowledgements: Ai-Uchi - read his Steve Fox FAQ on TekkenZaibatsu, it's a great start for Steve Players. Great for basic strategies and move set-ups. Arsenal, Gr8_Dane, DC_Static, and all the other guys at #tekken - for answering My silly questions on MIRC. Kurt dela Pena (Mini-King)- adopted his closing remarks. Check out his great Marduk FAQ. Shukudai - check out his Steve combo movies at www.arcadepimp.com For the coolest juggles. Paeng - one of the best players where I play. Plays a very mean Hwoarang and Paul. Drop by University Mall or SM Fairview if you want a good match. Manuel & Peng - my constant Tekken companions and sparring partners. Jonald - the dishonorable Marduk. Mutya - your boyfriend looks like shit, woman. Worlds of Fun Amusement Center (SM Fairview) - for finally fixing that damn Joystick, and for switching to a best of 9 format. TekkenZaibatsu.com - the best Tekken resource on the internet. Namco - for creating this wonderful and innovative character, for creating Marduk, and for improving Lee as well. No thanks for not giving King the Dark Uppercut, how the hell would I juggle with a lame-ass hop kick? Questions, comments, or suggestions? E-mail me at Creature@seductive.com. Please put "Steve FAQ", or "Steve Guide" or something like that in the subject line. As Kurt De la Pena says, I'm not the best Steve user in the Philippines, or in Quezon city for that matter. I'm just an above average player, nothing much. Still if you want a game, look for me in the Philippines, specifically SM Fairview Mall in Quezon City, Specifically the Worlds of Fun Amusement Center. You'll find me at the Tekken 4 machine, using Steve, Paul, or Marduk. I'm probably the only guy there that uses Combot. END