yGuide To Mastering The People's Samurai --> YOSHIMITSU by johNNy blaZe TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Conventions Yoshi Basics RCC aka Recover Crouching Cancel iFC aka Instant Full Crouch Yoshi's Moves -(bonus section...How to counter low GIs) Yoshi Strategy -Getting Close -FC attack Rundown -Post GI -Ring Control (Staggers etc) -Rainbow Dropping (214A+B) -Mastering the Warp, Pogo and Sit -Yoshi's Cancels -Okizeme/Wakeup Games -Using the Aerial Unblockables Combos and Semi-guaranteed stuff Credits INTRODUCTION It's me again, johNNy blaZe, after receiving the acclaim i got for the Asta faq Wen and I wrote, i thought to myself why not contribute some more to the SC strat world and write another guide for another of my mains. Yoshi is one of the most difficult characters of the game to master, he probably IS the most difficult character to master. He requires alot of finesse and skill to play, and is quite underrated by many, maybe because they haven't seen a professional in action. I don't consider myself a professional Yoshi player but i do consider myself very proficient with him so i hope this guide will pass whatever knowledge i know to you....hopefully u don't know it already :) Why play with Yoshi? First reason is that he's a pimp. Second reason is that he is a samurai. Third reason is that he's arguably the fastest male character in the game. Fourth reason is that he's a vicious fighter, excels in almost all aspects of the game (post GI, Wakeups, UBs, throws, etc). Fifth reason is that he's in the top 5 of character rankings. Sixth reason is that he's stylish, he has many disrespectful and morally damaging moves. Eight reason is that he's a complexed character...hello, the game has been out for 3 years don't u think it's about that time where u should learn to master a complexed character. Ninth reason is that Yoshi possesses the fastest non stance attack in the game (2bA) which is a whooping 8 frames ie. 2 frames faster than his basic A attack, it is also possible to get a double over stun off it, and final reason...Yoshi gives great head. CONVENTIONS 6: Forward 4: Tap Backward 8: Tap Up 1: Tap Down 9: Tap Up-Forward diagonal 7: Tap Up-Backward diagonal 3: Tap Down-Forward diagonal 1: Tap Down-Backward diagonal 5: Point the Joystick back to Neutral A: Horizontal Slash Button B: Vertical Slash Button K: Kick Button G: Guard Button _: 'OR' xY: Tap X and immediately move to Y (in other words a button roll) +: Tap the control command at the same time [X]: Hold the aforesaid command control 8WR: Perform an Eight Way Run first WS: When getting up from crouched position WL: As you land from a jump FC: Fully Crouched BT: Back Turned 214: Do a quarter spin of the Joystick from Down to Back 236: Do a quarter spin of the Joystick from Down to Forward NB. Conventions are taken as if u're playing on the left hand side. h: The move will hit high m: The move will hit mid, M means the move also hits grounded opponents sm: The move will hit mid, but can be blocked while crouching l: The move will hit low, L means the move hits grounded opponents UM: Unblockable Mid UH: Unblockable High UL: Unblockable Low P: Hits Prone Foes SCUB: Spirit Charge Unblockable RDOS: Recoverable double over stun UDOS: Unrecoverable double over stun CH: Counter hit Post GI: After a successful guard impact IIRC: If I remember correctly IMO: In my opinion YOSHI'S BASICS I said b4 Yoshi is probably the fastest male character. He can close in quite fast and attack like a machine. His basic A is on par with Mitsu's ie. i10 bs0 hs+8. I'll dare say his A is better than Taki's since he has more range. Keep in mind Yoshi's A goes from his left to right. His basic kick is also incredibly fast, approximately i12-13 frames. When playing with Yoshi it is imperative that u make everything as stylish and as confusing as possible. Do not fall into patterns, be as random as possible. Find a style which suits you. I play Yoshi in a counterattacking, poking and faking style (to throw off GIs) It is the most entertaining style if i do say so myself. I'm going to have a section based only on Yoshi's FC attacks so each FC attack will be discussed with much more detail in that section. Another thing u should know about Yoshi that a lot of ppl take for granted: A lot of Yoshi's FC attacks require few crouch frames to execute, so u may notice u can do Yoshi's FC 3B by just ducking slightly and wringing the joystick to 3B. Hell i can even get FC 3B sometimes when i mess up doing 236B. RECOVER CROUCHING CANCEL (RCC) Most SC players know this technique by now but i'll explain anyway. There are moves which make u recover crouching for eg. 2As. You can however make 2A recover standing using the Recover crouching cancel technique which i'm going to describe now. Say u want to do 2A followed by a 3A, just do the 2A then tap either foward or backward, this will make the character take a step foward or backward, BUT, instead of waiting for him to do the step perform the command 3A, and this step will be cancelled into the 3A; that is basically the technique. Commands which begin with 4,7,8,9 and 6 can be done from crouch, no RCC is needed. RCC adds a lot to Yoshi's game, it means u can do 3A and3B at anytime u want, u'll probably want to do this if u like them as much as i do. INSTANT FULL CROUCH (iFC) This may be a relatively new technique for a lot of you so i'm gonna try to break it down to the best i can. Firstly the main idea behind the technique is to be able to FC_WS attacks without going normally into the FC position to do so. Say u want to do Yoshi's FC 3K but unfortunately u only know how to do it by first doing something like 2A to get into crouch then do the kick from there. HOWEVER, u do not have to do all that drama. All u have to do is simply guard cancel a normal B chop, hold down then do the FC 3K. You do not have to hold down for long, just hold it after the cancel then do it as u normally will. It's not hard, and when u get the feel of it, it becomes almost routine. You can also cancel a soul charge (A+B+K) into iFC, when doing so of course u will get a spirit charge since a spirit charge is a cancelled soul charge. This is very useful since 2 of Yoshi's FC attacks are SCUBs. Take for instance u want to do a spirit charged FC 14A. To perform this, do A+B+K[2]G then 14A. In Layman's terms, after pressing A+B+K, do a low guard then perform a quarter circle back and press A. Voila! a spirit charged FC 14A, and it looks very smoothe i might add. Almost to the point where u don't even c the crouch. WS attacks using iFC is trickier IMO and not really that important for Yoshi's game since his FC game is by far stronger so i won't go into this. BT iFC :- Hahaha yes, u can use this technique when your back is turned, and this is important for Yoshi since he's one of the few characters that can go into BT casually. Take for instance u do 66A+K (this is a special movement that leaves Yoshi in BT). U can perform a FC 3K from this position and it is much easier than the normal iFC, mainly because u don't need to do any cancel. To perform a FC 3K from BT just do [3]K ie. Hold [3] then press K. Simple as that. For FC 1KKK is is a bit trickier, u will need to do 2[G] then 1KKK. That is essentially the technique, i suggest u learn it and master it. Side note: When guard cancelling a normal chop like B, it provokes many opponents into attacking u and will they sometimes eat the appropriate CH move, u'll do well to remember this. For eg. On aggressive opponents a cancelled B chop immediately followed by 3A, many times hit on CH. By using these cancels into CHs mixed with the ability to iFC u can produce a very scary Yoshimitsu. YOSHI'S MOVES This section will be quite long because i'm going to do a rundown on a lot of the moves as i mention them, so i don't recommend u skim past this section although u may know all his moves already. I'm an arcade player so this is the arcade movelist, consult your DC for the DC movelist duh :) U may also want to check for the amt of damage the moves do too cuz i don't have them here. Throws G+A (escape with A) 55pts damage If i'm not doing the rainbow drop then i use this, it sets up a Pogo stance wakeup VERY WELL. On WS attacks a 3A or 3B will CH most of what they do off the ground. Decent throw, looks nice too. G+B (escape with B) 55pts damage I do not use this because it doesn't setup for wakeup as well as G+A, even if my opponent is breaking my A throw i don't even bother to mix with this. I have not met any1 who breaks Yoshi's Rainbow Drop throw consistently in any case :) Both of Yoshi's side throws do 70pts damage each Back throw does 80 damage on arcade, 75 on DC i think. 214A+B The Rainbow Drop (escape with A, when escaped, Yoshi is left in BT position 0.5 arena squares from opponent) 70pts damage This is a strange throw. It's the only throw which when escaped leaves u in BT position. This is not as bad as u think considering that Yoshi's BT 2A is 7 frames fast and he can also BT iFC into most of his various FC attacks. This throw can also be performed from crouch. When doing a throw this is the throw to use. The escape window is a small 6 frames IIRC, it sets up wakeup appreciably and it does A LOTTA damage. It does more damage than many other characters' back throws. This throw also Reverse rings out :), however there are some situations in which u don't hit the water cleanly and u get rung out b4 your opponent and u lose. Great throw. Always buffer it into anything that leaves u with advantage time right in front of your opponent. Normal Moves AA (hh) 10 frame high combo slashes which stop close sidesteps. I hardly ever do the second slash (it offers less advantage on hit and disadvantage on block), i prefer to do just 1 A then if it connects i have a mega advantage of +8 frames and i use this advantage to setup a throw or many of my faking techniques or on hyper-agressive opponents i setup CH stuff like bA or 3A :) NB. one A slash offers no disadvantage on block 6A (h) This is almost similar to the second slash of AA. It goes from right to left. Gives good advantage on hit and on a counterhit, it produces an slight off axis stun which i'll assume to be more advantage. It is fast and offers minute disadvantage on block if any at all. I use this a lot in the same way as the basic A. 66A (m) i19 bs-6 hs+7 This is basically Yoshi's all round best move to stop an 8WR ho. It's decently fast and Yoshi advances a step or 2 to execute it increasing its range, it also has good recovery. It gives a DOS on a run attack CH i believe, it rarely happens however. 3A (m) i15 bs-6 hs+3 DOS on CH Ahh, i love this short ranged punch to the tummy. I use this too much at close range it is a little slower than an average B chop. On CH it induces a rDOS therefore the best option in this situation is to throw with the Rainbow Drop. This little sequence takes off around 90 damage :) Now u c y i use this a lot. For embarassment purposes use 6A+B post 3A(CH) on opponents who are slow at recovering from the DOS. Doesn't do much damage nor offers much advantage but it sure is rude. We like rude. 6B2 delayed version always works well on slow recoverers and on hit will guarantee a 66A+B for mega damage. That's another rude one :) 2A (sm) i12 bs-2 hs+8 Another lovely move. Not much is wrong with this move. Great interrupt, mega advantage on hit so it sets up Yoshi WS and FC game perfectly. An old trick is to buffer the rainbow drop when it connects. At a point in my life I abused this heavily at close range but i've stopped now since it wasn't stylish enough for me :) It's worth abusing however...the advantage it offers on hit is very much worth it. Recovers crouching 1AAAAAA (mmmmmmm) This is one of the funky spinning fists series that Yoshi has. This move has some nice properties. Firstly i always do 3 hits or less, doing all the spins will make Yoshi dizzy and he faints to the ground leaving him in the missionary position. Anyway, this move is fast, it combos with the first 3 hits, it advances and it tech crouches. Anything that advances and tech crouches is a good move IMO. This is no exception. This move has great recovery too. It recovers crouching and thus allows for WS and FC games, yeah :) You can also do like me and RCC to do 3A for CH or 1K for AA interrupts or u can buffer in the Rainbow Drop hehehehe. Another sexy thing to do is to warp (4B+K) after the 1AAAs are blocked because the opponent may try to attack u. Only faults with this move is that it is short ranged and does not track all that well. 4AAAAA (hhhhhh) This is the other of Yoshi's funky spinning fists series. I prefer the above BUT this move is not bad at all. Firstly i only do the first hit. Why! u ask? Well because too many times Yoshi just spins off axis and goes his own way. The other reason is that the first hit of this move is a good setup move. It leaves Yoshi at absolutely NO disadvantage (bs0) if blocked. Many ppl are unaware of this and will fall right into CH stuff like 3A, bA, doorknocker etc. when blocked. 4A by itself sets up the rainbow drop quite nicely on hit, as well as the 4B+K warp. It's quite entertaining watching Yoshi spin at his opponent and just warp spins away from their counter attack. Kool move, pretty fast too, approximately i15 44A (m) I like this move. It has a weird spinning evasive property about it, also has good recovery, does good damage, off axis stagger on block and stops 8WR hos. I can't say much else about this move. It's a 44A nothing very special about it. It knocksdown on hit though. The fault with this move is its short range. WL A (L) This a very nice looking jumping move. I use this a lot in wakeup and i also use it post GI when the person's back is to the edge. It Rings Out :) , on hit it causes a kind of trip stun...i assume that advantage is gained as a result. This move is fancy. It's not all that important...if u like it use it 9A (h) Another jumping attack. This one does a good bit of damage and causes an off axis stun on successful hit. I've been quite successful connecting a sidethrow after this move connects on an opponent whose back is to the edge. It has good recovery, stops sidesteps and has good range. Decent move IMO. WS A (m) This is a good WS attacks. I mix this up alot with my FC low attacks especially on duckers and retreaters. Nothing is really wrong with this move, good recovery, good axis, good range, good damage, good speed. FC 14A (l) This is one of Yoshi's best FC attacks. For one it is a SCUB, probably the fastest low SCUB in the game i'm not too sure. It sidesteps and it combos into 8WR 3Bb+kA+B+K which sets up spirit charged stuff very nicely. I will discuss it more later. Some of u are probably wondering how to do a FC SCUB attack fast enough :) If u forgot, check the iFC section. One thing that bugs me about this move is that it does NOT hit grounded opponents, well probably except the fat guys when they side roll. BB (mm) I am not a BB person. I mainly use this for mC since it is fast and combos. I use it to hit ppl out their stances or after a warp. I don't use it to setup anything because it's quite dull looking and lacks finesse. You can however; use it if it tickles your pickle, it's a decent BB. One thing to remember, u can do BB from crouch by executing it as 4BB, comes in handy for interrupting when your opponent force crouch staggers u. bA (m) i18 bs-13 hs-1 Well look what we have here, the most morally damaging move in the game. If u are a timing genius, this is the move to use to counter attack. On regular hit it is pathetic but on a deep CH Yoshi slides through the opponent, pretty lights, dark screen, the works. CH damage= 60+ i think. This move advances and tracks pretty well. Although is has poor block stun it staggers the opponent out of retaliatory range so to speak, so it is basically safe when blocked. Always try to hit this move on CH. It works especially well after the following fakes. 66A+BG, b+kG, a+b2 6B (m) i16 bs-6 hs+9 This is a decent move although linear. It has decent speed and range, and gives good advantage, however with this advantage it's hard to capitalize since the opponent get's staggered away when hit, i like this poking move a lil bit because it stops ppl rushing in apart from that there's not much i can say about it. 6B2 (L) I like this move. The delayed version induces a hop foot stun and guarantees 66A+B for mega damage. I use this a lot to throw off low GIs. Say i connected a 2A setting up my WS and FC game. The opponent anticipates and try to low GI but I do the delayed version of this and he gets hit. Another scenario will be after u've blocked a low attack like Sophie's 236AA, many Sophie players do a low GI after this is blocked, do this move to throw off their GI. Keep in mind this move works well post GI as well. NB it hits prone opponents. The fast version is a fast nice low poke by the way. 6B8 (h) i13 bs+something hs+9 I abuse this move. It is one of Yoshi's best interrupts. It has alotta range, rarely ducked, and it does alotta damage. It is also one of the best options after juggling with 3B. I've told that slut WCMaxi that he should use it in the game itself I wonder if he paid attention to me. Anyway, this move is great and u can throw it out every now and then because of its good range and speed. I throw off alotta low GIs when i use this from crouch. Very rude. Abuse this, it will catch backdashers too :) 66B (M) This is a long range uppercut which juggles on a clean hit. I do not use this version, only the 8WR version. See the 8WR version for info 3B (M) The sword uppercut and Yoshi's fastest juggle starter IIRC. This is a very powerful, versatile move, it outprioritises alot of things due to its speed and range. Yoshi has one of the better 3Bs of the game since the recovery isn't as horrible as others for eg Taki. This move hits grounded like most 3Bs and tends to counterhit many WS attacks the opponent may try of the ground. I whip this out every now and then. Juggle with 6B8_6A+B and jet for wakeup with 8WR any+B+K; more on this later. 2B (M) A regular 2B and it hits grounded also. Just like every1 else's own. I hardly use it, lame looking 1B (M) (can be delayed, if delayed to the max, property changes to UM, damage=102) This is a kool move which i use quite often. I use it in wakeup games especially, it tracks decently and does HEAVY damage when charged. I also use it Post GI. Mixing this with it's half charged version is pretty mean. 44B (UM) This is Yoshi's ground UB, and like many BIG unblockables it is dreadfully slow. Of course when using this move it's mainly for its cancel :) the cancel can be used to setup FC and WS games, however, i find it too slow and the recovery off the cancel isn't to my liking so i don't use it; it does look kool though. Two things to note about this move. Firstly, u can do 44bA as 44BGA ie. cancelling this UB to get the defensive copter. Second thing is that if u press G 1 frame after doing 44B, u get a flaming sword throw. Pretty nice Post PARRY when u can get a side throw, that way Yoshi actually uses the sword so it looks kool. Sexy shit. 44bA (m) long version 44bAG (m) shorter version This is the defensive copter. I however find it less effective (defensively) than Maxi's. It does good damage though especially when the opponent goes aerial into it (takes almost half a bar). I don't use this copter defensively though, I use this when my opponent's back is to the edge so as to add ring pressure. If they get impatient and let go of block they will suffer an embarassing Ring Out. I like this move, it looks pretty and it has decent range and recovery. It's just one of those ultra-pimp moves. DO NOT DO THIS OUT OF THE BLUE AGAINST CHARACTERS WITH LONG WEAPONS :) 236B (UM) Yoshi's spinning aerial UB. This is easily one of the best UBs in the game. It slaughters the big characters. Doing this at the appropriate range will reap high rewards. There are moves which set it up nicely like post blocked 1B+K, 66A+B. Post connected FC 3B(CH), 6K. Note the distance which he travels then you can use it well. IIRC it travels exactly 1 arena square. Very nice UB. Avoids lows (duh) and most thrusting mid attacks like Night's 6B etc. WL B (M) This is the most damaging WL attack Yoshi possesses. I love this move mainly for wakeup purposes. I mix this with WL A to provide my opponent with an annoying guessing game when they're on the ground. Not to mention this move hits prone and also grounds the opponent on normal hit and guarantees a 66B. It forces crouch stagger on block too ;) This is a lovely WL move. Recovers crouching. 9B (m) A jumping slash. I don't do this at all, it is too dumb looking and there's better options for countering low attacks anyway. I hate it when i get this move when i'm trying to do 6B8 WS B (m) A pretty much basic WS B nothing very special about it, i hardly use it. 2bA_FC bA (sm) i8 bs-1 hs+2 This move is beautiful. Firstly IT IS THE FASTEST NON STANCE ATTACK IN THE GAME. U can just use this at your leisure. Use it as u will the down punch in Tekken because that is what it's like. It's one of those very unique moves. As u can c from the data it is extremely fast and yields almost no disadvantage on block. It recovers crouching and therefore sets up Yoshi's WS and FC game perfectly. It ducks high attacks also. To add some icing now, this move induces rDOS on a run CH. If u get the stun follow with the rainbow drop. This is probably Yoshi's best interrupt at close range, use it shamelessly. One thing to note about this move, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to pull off, i for one cannot pull it off consistently (1 outta 3). IIRC u have exactly 2 frames do the command, so u have to tap 2 and B simultaneously then roll to A one frame later. Much easier said than done. Good luck! FC 3B (m) i17 hs+2 bs-8 I like this move. It has good range and speed, it's a SCUB and it gives a fall back stun on CH. The problem with this move is its linear nature. This moves works best when using the iFC technique since landing a CH will be more likely. More on this move later :) K (h) Yoshi's basic kick does 21 damage on arcade which is a lot for a basic kick IMO. It is quite fast and has good range. Try whipping it out now and then like u will in Tekken. Pretty nice poke. Almost no recovery. 6KK (hm) 1st kick: i15 bs-19 A super roundhouse followed by a delayed power kick which does an INCREDIBLE amount of damage when it hits. It staggers a lot also. Anyway, i hardly use the second part. I use the first part mainly as a minor counter or to counter low GIs, it is quite fast and it is quite a rude move, also stops sidesteppers at close range. Both kicks RO pretty far by the way. I use the fear of the second kick to gain advantage time to setup other stuff. On impatient opponents i use it to get a GI after the first kick is blocked. A nice tactic is to do the the first kick only and c how the opponent replies. The opponent needs to reply with a very quick move like an AA or a sm like 2A or something if he is to counter the second kick. Use this fact to your advantage. If u know he's gonna reply with AA, duck him and punish. If he likes to 2A then jump his attack and punish. Doing B+K (Sit stance) to duck his AA is rude :), doing 4B+K on BB interrupts is also rude. The recovery of the first kick isn't good though so sometimes u'll realize u may not be able to duck an AA retaliation in time, it happens :) but still try. Decent move. NB a notorious Ring Out combo with this move. 1B+K connected with opponents back to the edge the 6K is guaranteed i believe. Nice 3K (m) i14 bs-3 hs+7 Believe it or not this is another of my favorite moves. It is a wonderful poke, gives mega advantage on hit, small disadvantage on block. I use it to setup CH stuff like bA, 3A, doorknocker and 6B8 when it hits. 3A is hardly interrupted after 3K connects. I use tons of poking with this move, 2bA, 6b8 and 3A at close range. Great move. Keep in mind if the opponent turtles after the 3K connects do the rainbow drop, you have to dash foward a bit though. Abusable 66K (m) Easily one of Yoshi's best moves. Advances, rings out far, does good damage, counters low attacks as well as throws, small recovery time and has great range. I love this move, it counterhits alotta shit at mid range and it advances really well. It tracks very nicely too. Use to your leisure, it owns. 2K (L) i14 hahaha the pathetic low kick of doom. I use this a lot because I like how annoying it is. It does pathetic damage. I use it a lot for ground damage also, which of course is not very profitable but funny nonetheless. It makes a decent interrupt and is very rarely blocked. Mix it in at close range just to chip away at the opponent's lifebar. 1K (m) This is a good move but yet it is quite underused by Yoshi players. It is slow as hell but it does have its uses. First use is for countering high attacks and throws, if u anticipate an AA do this, it does a lotta damage when it combos with 236B, for a very beautiful looking combo i might add. It works great post-GI, it is so annoyingly slow that opponents just wait and wait then GI but they still whiff the GI haha. 1K takes around 48 damage by itself on normal hit...add the 236B combo and u get close to or more than 90 damage depending on how well u time the 236B. It has surprisingly good recovery and it staggers a lot. Try a 6B8 when it's blocked u'll be surprised on how well it works. 4KB (mm) bs-5 Bread and butter combo, i can't tell u how to use this move. U will know how to use it when u c it. It does a lotta damage, too much i find. Force crouch staggers on block. I use it a lot if my opponent passively low blocks when they c me go into FC. 4K[B] (mM) (can be delayed to different intervals, when max delayed property changes to UM and does 102 damage) This and the above is a very very very cold mixup, it is too strong. Reason being is that the 2nd part tracks, not to mention the brain freeze factor for the opponent, some just stand there and take it. The last part hits prone opponents. VERY COLD!! Difficult to counter, scary for the opponent. Try it, u'll like it WS K (m) This is similar to 3K but seems even faster, i use this a lot on ppl who try to counter attack my WS_FC game. Basically similar to 3K in its properties too. G9K (m) i21 bs-6 hs+12 Another beautiful move, I use this to counter low attacks and throws just as I use 66K. As u can c by the frame data, on hit this yields a whopping 12 frame advantage and WILL guarantee an AA on successful hit. On CH the opponent staggers back and falls to the ground setting him up nicely for wakeup. Keep in mind that u should use this move alot, it does a lotta damage with the AA combo, around 60 something and leads to wakeup. Try it, u'll like it. Good setup move on any hit. Try a 1[B] for wakeup after it counterhits :) WL K (m) I do not use this 9K I used to use this because of it's funky look but i don't do it anymore. It's alright i guess. I think it gives some kinda stun on DC though. Does pathetic damage. G9K is better FC 3K (l) One of Yoshi's best moves, it knocks down and yields solid combos and sets up nasty wakeup opportunities. It is very fast, but the recovery ain't that hot, -15 for the least but if u use it properly it almost always hit. A lot more on this later :) Recovers Crouching. FC 1KKKKKK (llllll) 1st kick only hs+1 bs-11 Like all Yoshi's spinning stuff, spinning to the last one leaves him dizzy, and like all of Yoshi's spinning stuff, it combos to the 3rd hit. These low attacks are very good moves. They setup WS and FC stuff on successful hit. They're very fast and difficult to block if u use it properly of course. Yoshi is also perfectly safe when blocked, so u can do it whenever u think it's appropriate without much fear of minor counters. Doesn't hit small, still, prone opponents, only hits siderollers i think. More on this later. Recovers Crouching. 6A+B i15 bs-9 hs+1 (h) This move defines rude. It's another ultra-pimp move, Yoshi bitch slaps his opponent and produces an off axis stun of negligeble advantage time. I use this move not for damage or the stun but to humiliate. I use it Post GI on ppl who don't re-gi, I use it as a minor counter and as an interrupt. It is a lovely looking move and pretty safe when blocked, don't expect to interrupt your opponents attack after it's blocked though. It has poor range but it has axis so it will stop sidesteps. On successful hit try going for CH stuff like 3A, bA, 6B8 and the doorknocker (6B+KBBB) provided that u're in range. The opponent shows his left side on hit; the 4B+K warps to your right...meaning after 6A+B, a warp will make u end up to the opponents back which is pretty sweet. One more thing, on hit it sets up a 236B UB real nice 66A+B (M) The big Cahuna chop. Does a lotta damage and combos with 3B and some other stuff (check combo section). Unlike Mitsu, Yoshi's 66A+B is much more flexible with all the cancels off it. Firstly u can cancel it into neutral stance by just pressing G, this old trap sets up CH based stuff quite nicely especially 3A and bA, it also sets up the rainbow drop throw if they turtle. You can also cancel the chop to a low poke by pressing B. This catches alot of ppl off guard and does decent damage too, and it even hits prone opponents. You can also cancel the 66A+B to the Pogo stance by tapping up after G cancelling it, remember this during your wakeup games. 66A+BGB (L) This is how to perform the low poke off 66A+B cancel. On DC it can be performed 66A+BG2 i think 66A+BG8 (Pogo Stance) This is how u get into the pogo stance from the cancel. 2A+BB (M) I love this move but i can hardly find the situation to use it, it is more of a Mitsu move since he has many more situations in which he can combo with it. The good thing about this move is that it yields +1 advantage on block, knowing that, use it to setup CHs. The second part of this move is similar to 1B+K which is a stand alone move by itself, it staggers really far back and yields good advantage on hit and block. NB 2A+B is guaranteed after 3B+K(CH) 9A+B2 (UM) (Damage varies by time second command is input) An aerial helicopter UB, I use this to jump over vertical thrusts like Night's 6B and the likes. This is not a particularly useful UB because a little sidestep will make it whiff and then it's rapage. However, this works well in wakeup games. 9A+B4 (UM) I prefer this to the other one, Yoshi does the helicopter UB and than reverses his position in the air and comes behind the opponent. I find this one more useful since it's safer, it does more damage and it tracks better. Works best in wakeup but can be used pretty effectively if the distance is right (1.5 arena squares). I think some things are guaranteed when this hits a standing opponent but i'm not sure since such a situation seldom occurs with me. 2A+K (UM) Standing suicide, not particularly useful. Makes quite a taunt though. Guaranteed after a successful 1K, mucho style points. Do not mistime ;) On DC u can spin after u've stabbed yourself, each spin attack is mid UB. 66A+K (special movement where Yoshi walks a step foward and turns around) (leaves Yoshi in BT) This is a nice fake to use in wakeup games, its main purpose is to confuse, bait and to setup BT iFC attacks. On DC it has been improved since from it u can cancel into a BT sit by pressing B and a BT pogo by pressing A. I am unfamiliar with the DC version of the game so i'm afraid i can't expand well on these cancels...i'll try though. In the BT sit position if u teleport u will teleport backwards and away (around 1 arena square). This teleport comes in handy if the opponent attempts a WS attack in which case the teleport will make them whiff and u can minor counter with 4KB or 3B or 6A+B :). Sexy Yoshi, Sexy Yoshi. With the BT Pogo stance, it isn't much different from the normal Pogo. NO, u still cannot Pogo rush backward unfortunately :), U can try cancelling the Pogo to BT neutral stance and then do BT iFC 1KKK for ultra style points. The command for that entire sequence will be something like 66A+KA[2]G[1]KKK. If u choose not to cancel into pogo and sit, then u can simply do BT 2A (hits low in 7 frames) then follow that with a rainbow drop from cruch, or u can mix that with FC attacks, ike FC 3B and FC 3K_1KKK. 66[A+K] (UM) The most damaging move in the entire game and it is quite useful. This is the turning suicide if u did not know. This is what I use when I'm losing badly :), try using it post repel on Re-GI whores, nasty surpise for them. Doing it out of the blue catches many ppl off guard too, it'll save your life. It works surprising well after FC 3K connects...most ppl just get up right into it. Also works well on ppl who believe that a low GI is the way to go everytime they force crouch stagger u. 6B+KBBB (mhhm) i14 (2nd 3rd and 4th hits can be delayed, last hit is SCUB) The infamous doorknocker. On arcade it is unfair, it combos with all hits on a CH and then combos with 66A+B for half a bar damage. On DC it combos to 3rd hit and leaves u with a +5 frame advantage right in the opponent's face, if it counterhits with the second hit then it combos to the 4th hit where 66A+B is still guaranteed. This is a nice counterattacking move, it does good damage and it also tracks but it has short range though. On hit it makes a nice setup for the rainbow drop and on impatient opponents a 3A or 6B8 is difficult to interrupt. On turtles use iFC to go into low attacks or to setup CH stuff again. If u are an arcade player and u're cheap then all u need is 2 setups of this CH combo and u win. NB don't do the final hit if the rest have been blocked, u are sure to be GIed. However if your opponent doesn't GI it the last hit forces crouch stagger on block and leaves u at a -11 frame disadvantage. 66B+KA+BK (Mhm) I like the doing the first 2 hits of this move, the last part sux ass and the first part has too much recovery for my liking. Anyway, this move is a good rainbow throw setup since it forces ppl to turtle in fear of the other hits, u're also left right in the opponent's face with advantage time on a succesful hit, impatient opponents eat a 3A (CH) or 6B8 after this. On block try using the warp to evade the opponents counter attack. I almost forgot to mention that this move also jumps low attacks :) and the 2nd hit is SCUB. This move is a great tool for advancing, it travels around 3 arena squares and staggers a lot, i like it for that. By the way i think 66B+K by itself hits grounded opponents. 66B+K[A+B] (MhUM) arggh i don't really like the helicopter UB shift, i've accidentally rung out myself when i mess up on buffering the rainbow drop throw after this. I don't use the UB shift 3B+K (m) i21 bs-2 hs+6 I want to like this move because it induces some sorta stun on counterhit and it looks pretty and guarantees a 2A+B (which i like). However, this move is too slow and rarely lands on CH so i can't c any particular use for it except probably post GI, it forces crouch stagger on block with only -2 frame disadvantage :) maybe u can try to setup CH stuff with it since a lot of WS and FC attacks are slower than Yoshi's interrupts. If u do score a counterhit with this and u get the stun then u can be amibitious and try a 4B+KB warp to the opponents back and u may score a back throw if they quick rise. 1B+K (M) This is one weird move, it staggers really far (around 1.5 arena square) but gives a lot of advantage on block. It is also very weak on damage but it yields around +16 frames advantage on hit, but the opponent will be staggered too far to really capitalise. You can attempt a 66K or running in and slide when it hits. You can also try 236B UB it the opponent just stands there belwildered. 4B+KBBBBBB (Special Movement) iextremely quick bsN/A hsN/A (1st spin does 23 damage to self. 2nd spin and on does 25 damage) Now this is the BEST evasive move in the game, it is the infamous warp. It is extremely fast. This move is useful in so many situations. Keep in mind Yoshi goes COUNTERclockwise in a circular fashion. Use this often, it will grant u many back throws (Yoshi's back throw does 80 damage on arcade, 75 on DC i think) More on how to use this later 9B+K (M) 9B+KK (MM) {DC exclusive} Yoshi flipping foot stomp. I use this for okizeme, and i use it for baiting the opponent for a GI since it has a deceptive recovery time. I get a free GI a lot after this is blocked. On DC pressing K will make Yoshi do 2 flipping stomps which travel a good distance. I also use this when my back is turned so i can bait the opponent in for a turnaround bA(CH) or 3A(CH) or BT iFC [3]K. It's pretty stylish, but you might hardly be able to use it in battle ;) unless u're a pimp like I am. Stances The Pogo Stance A+B This is a beautiful stance, it reverses low attacks and then combos with the pogo rush for good damage. You can also cancel the stance by tapping 2 as soon as possible. This provokes counterhits and it is quite stylish. It Rings out by the way haha, yes it does. More later (Pogo stance) 6[6] (LLL) I use this a lot during Wakeup, it tracks incredibly well and is quite humiliating IMO. (Pogo stance) 7_8_9 (UM) This is a great move also because it jumps many attacks especially WS attacks, and when it hits it guarantees the pogo 6[6] for very good damage. (Pogo stance) K (m) This is similar to 1K and serves the same purpose. Use this if your opponent is insistent on hitting u with AAs when u're sitting on the sword. (Pogo stance) B+K (Special movement) Yoshi goes to the Sit stance. Hahaha, this is sexy and rude if u anticipate a high attack when on the stance. It's not very useful though but it is a good fakeout move. NB There are more Pogo moves for DC so consult your DC movelist for them The Sit Stance B+K (meditation) Yoshi gains 8 pts of life with every stroke This is a great stance not really because of the healing but because u can cancel the stance to provoke counterhits and the teleport. To cancel the stance quickly, do B+KG or B+K8 as quickly as possible. Yoshi sits then stands up quite quickly. A 3A or bA works well after cancelling the stance. You can also try rude stuff like 44bA, 4B+K or 6A+B and don't forget to Rainbow Drop the turtles. I always go for the rude stuff first, because I'm annoying. More on this stance later. (Sit Stance) 4_6 The teleport, 'sigh' Namco could've made this better, i personally find it too slow but you can use it in wakeups with a good degree of success if u have good timing. Things to note about this teleport. You need to be around 1 arena square MAXIMUM for Yoshi to teleport to the opponents back, any longer and Yoshi will spin as if he's teleporting but stays in the same position going nowhere with a lotta disadvantage time, which pretty much sucks. In the BT sit, teleporting will make u teleport backward about 1 arena squares away. When lying on back, B+K (Yoshi recover off the ground in the Sit Stance) This is quite entertaining and makes a good taunt, it is not very useful though. [2]B+K Yoshi goes into the Sit stance and stays still, nothing else, he doesn't heal or anything. This is absolutely useless. It makes a good taunt and good ending stance, that's about it... completely useless 8WR Moves 8WR 6_3_9A (m) Similar to 66A 8WR Right A (h) I like this move for stopping sidesteps, it has a wide arc, small recovery and it is quite fast. On a normal hit it sets up the rainbow drop really really nicely, the opponent is normally caught off guard with the throw. On CH the opponent suffers an off axis stun which i'll again assume to be more advantage time. I also setup CHs (3A especially) or faking techniques with it when it hits, the recovery is so nice that the opponent turtles when it hits. Use it if a lot if the opponent doesn't duck it. 8WR 4A (m) Similar to 44A 8WR 1_7A (l) One of the few low attacks Yoshi can do without going into crouch mode. I use this sometimes if i forsee a high attack or throw. It has good recovery and seems very safe when blocked. Not a bad move, but it's quite slow, don't expect to really connect a decent opponent with it if u do it out of the blue. Works well post GI, but there are better options. It rings out, more to the left side. Recovers Crouching 8WR 3_9BB+K (MM) DC exclusive :- u can spirit charge cancel by doing 8WR 3Bb+kA+B+K thus getting a launcher with no recovery This is a five star move, it is a very rangey uppercut followed by 66B+K. It is Yoshi's quickest tool for advancing. It does so in a blink. It has a tendency to track well, it seems to miss but it hits alot after u sidestep a move. If it is blocked then i suggest u GI or warp, i don't think you should try to interrupt, but it seems safe if blocked though. Makes a nice combo start as well eg 8WR 3BB+K, 9K, 4B+K, 2bA, FC 1KKK (just another demo) The DC exclusive version cancels the shark attack part so u get the uppercut followed by Yoshi charging, this allows for combos like a SCUB 66A+B after u've launched with it. I'm not too familiar with the DC version like i said b4, but i just needed to point out how good it is. By the way 8WR 3B can be used in ground combos. 8WR 2B (M) This is an infamous move. I use this a lot to punish attacks after i've sidestepped them, it does good damage, has good range, speed and it tracks. When followed with the 3B combo it does around 50 damage i think (can't remember). I think it also combos with 8WR 3B for good damage too. Not a difficult move to figure out, so i'm not gonna discuss it much. It force crouch staggers on block and on arcade it is a SCUB. Instead of using the 3B combo you can use iFC to do low attacks for wakeup and send them to the ground again ;) A spirit charged FC 14A works extremely well after this connects. To perform this do, A+B+K[2]G14A. Charging for half a second is sufficient to get the low swipe to be an UB. 8WR 1_7BA (mh) First hit only: i18 hs+1 bs-10 I used to whore this move and with good reason. It's fast, ducks highs, tracks, has range, and the second hit has a very wide arc that stops sidesteps in all directions, even behind u. It combos with both hits but often misses shorter characters like Sophie. This move is one of Yoshi's best containment move from 8WR, it is also a nice custom string starter. eg 8WR 1BA, 2bA, 6B+KBB, 2bA, 6b8. Just to demo its use as a combo starter. On deep hit it sets up a rainbow drop quite nicely. On impatient opponents you can setup CHs the same way as u will with 8WR Right A (its a similar slash). Players with good reflexes will duck the second slash and punish u severely so be wary. Recently I've found myself doing the first part very often for interrupting attacks, it tracks pretty well and has deceptive range. 8WR 4B (UM) Yoshi's Big Ground UB 8WR 6K (L) The 8WR slide which every1 has. Guarantees a 3B on all characters 8WR 3_9K (m) Similar to 66K 8WR 2K (h) I use this move a lot at close range. It gives a +1 advantage on block and it has good axis. Not much wrong with this move. Use it whenever u want. I use it to setup CHs or rainbow drop duh. Any move that gives adv on block is used to setup CHs. This move would've been so great if it were a mid. NB. Knocksdown on CH 8WR 1_4_7KB (mm) Similar to 4KB 8WR 1_4_7K[B] (mM) Similar to 4K[B] 8WR any+A+B (M) Similar to 66A+B, cancels and all. 8WR any+A+BGB (L) Similar to 66A+BGB 8WR 3_6_9B+KA+BK (Mhm) Similar to 66B+KA+BK 8WR 3_6_9B+K[A+B] (MhUM) The UB shift remember 8WR any(except 6)+B+K (m) This is one of Yoshi's best cancels if not the best. There's so much flexibility in this move. The main use of this move is in wakeup because the roll tracks extremely well and travels a long distance with decent speed. I'll now discuss the cancels 1) 8WR B+KG :-This cancels the stabbing roll into a FC position. Although it has recovery, the cancel is still very useful. Knowing how powerful Yoshi's FC game is, the opponent is put in a dilemna after this. U can attack low with FC 3K, FC 1KKK or FC 14A and proceed with wakeup again, or you can do the rainbow drop or you can do a mid move from crouch like WS A or FC 3B. If they duck u can RCC to 3B or just use a simple WS A or FC 3B. If the opponent does a WS attack u can use 4B+K from crouch and warp away from his attack and hopefully it will gain u a back throw :) If u have balls u can RCC to a 3A or just use 6B+KBB to counter his WS attack and still follow with the rainbow drop. This has alotta style and sexiness to it, and is only limited by your imagination. Hell u can even cancel the roll then do a jump and mix between WL A or WL B. Good shit from this cancel 2) 8WR B+K8 :-This cancels the roll into the Pogo. This is sexy. You can either go into an immediate Pogo rush or Pogo hop. If not you can cancel the Pogo stance really quickly by tapping down as he goes up on the sword. This makes a very pretty fake and baiting technique. I use that especially to setup CHs like 3A and bA or i do a 4B+K warp to evade their counter attack and go for a side throw (70 damage on both side throws). On turtles i cancel the pogo into the rainbow drop throw for a lotta style. Style is what we're looking for here. NB Remember that you can go from the Pogo into the Sit position by pressing B+K and u can also do the Pogo kick on AA opponents :) , also remember on very fast characters u may want to use GI if u think they'll interrupt all your fancy shit. If not 4B+K warp is very nice. High risk, high reward 3) 8WR B+K2 :-This is the least useful of the cancels just because the recovery in the sit stance is just too slow. I have alotta difficulty cancelling the sit fast enough too, so my CH setups don't work too well here. However, when i feel like showboating i use the roll to sit just to teleport my opponent's WS attack and 4KB_66K minor counter them in their back. This teleport works well in reversing ring positions. I prefer the other 2 cancels overall and hardly use this one. NB in case u forgot, Yoshi's best stuff for poking your opponent are: 1) A :- u should know by now 2) K :- fast and decent damage for a kick 2) 6A :- ditto 3) 4A..._1A... :- good setup moves 4) 2bA :- fastest non stance attack in the game, rDOS on run CH. Sets up FC games 5) 2K_2A :- 2K is more likely to hit but 2A gives more advantage on hit and less disadvantage on block, sets up FC games 6) 6B_6B2_6B8 :- All these pokes have good range, use them, nails rushers 7) 3K :- good range and speed, good advantage on hit 8) 8WR 8_2K :- advantage on block 9) 6A+B :- disrespectful and it's as fast as 3A NB in case u forgot,Yoshi's best stuff for counterhitting your opponent are: 1) 3A :- 15 frames fast, short ranged, rDOS on CH, follow with rainbow drop for 90+ damage total 2) 6B8 :- 13 frames fast, best long ranged interrupt, hits high, does around 45 damage on a CH 3) bA :- 18 frames fast, advances and tracks well, does around 60 damage with CH throw, good mid range interrupt 4) 66K :- avoids lows, tracks well, rings out, good mid range interrupt 5) 6K :- 15 frames fast does good damage on CH, good range, stops sidesteps, rings out far, sets up 236B UB well. 6) 6B+KBB...:- 14 frames fast, tracks, best MID interrupt at close range, on arcade guarantees all hits, on DC guarantees first 3 hits with 5 frames advantage 7) 3B :- this is awesome, it has range and speed and launches. It counterhits a lot of stuff that rushes into it, WS attacks die to this. There are other basic interrupts like 2A, 2bA, 6A+B and 3K etc, but i selected the few which are best DAMAGE wise. The basic interrupts are more for poking and setting up high damage CH stuff like the above, get my drift. Bonus Section (Countering the mid/low GI) This isn't a section i should be writing but still decided to do it JUST IN CASE u don't know. A problem many new Yoshi players encounter are Low GIs, yes i was a victim of it once. Everytime u try to use a FC attack it gets parried but now i know how to stop those ppl from doing that to me. The answer is simple, all u have to do to counter a mid/low GI is use high attacks while in crouch :) duh. It took me a while to figure that out hahahahaha. Anyway these are what i use on ppl who love to GI my WS_FC attacks. 6A+B :- very rude, and it sends them a very disrespectful message 6B8 :- not only is this rude, it does good damage and is quite fast 6K :- same as 6B8, very rude and does alotta damage, RINGS OUT :) 4A :- sets up stuff 214A+B :- Remember u can do this from crouch Instead of doing a high move u can do a delayed move to throw off their timing for eg. 6B2 delayed version. This is nasty, if they whiff their GI it does a lotta damage with the 66A+B combo. Other moves to try are 66A+B :- has a nasty delay to it and does A LOT of damage, combos with 3B too, ouch, that'll teach 'em not to GI. 66[A+K] :- oh, so u wanna GI huh, eat a suicide....it works remarkably. Try doing it after u've blocked something like Sophie's 236AA, many Sophies low GI after this. Poor them Jumping attacks :- like WL A and WL B, they work well sometimes. That is enough IMO, these are what i primarily use. YOSHI STRATEGY We've finally reached, let's get right to it then... Getting Close I think this is where a lot of ppl who play Yoshi have a problem. Yoshi is not a long ranged character but he has tools to get him close. The main ones that i use are: 1) 66B+KA+B This is the first 2 hits of the shark attack. This advances Yoshi a good distance, it is not as linear as it looks, the second hit does track a bit and IIRC both parts jump low attacks at some point in the animation. This move makes a decent round opener, i especially love this move for its stagger, i use this to add ring pressure as early as possible. Apart from that i explained in the movelist section that u can use this move to setup the rainbow drop, a warp or your CH stuff (3A etc). 2) 8WR 3bB+K on DC u can spirit charge cancel it (8WR 3Bb+kA+B+K) This is probably the best tool for advancing, it does so in like a blink. I already blabbed a bit about this move in the Movelist section so if u happened to miss it then go backward. 3) 8WR 1BA Not really an advancing move but it has range especially with the second hit. Nice containment move from the 8WR, good combo initiator, and sets up rainbow drop on deep hit. 4) 66K I already said i love this move, advances well, tracks well, avoids lows, rings out.... what more u want. 5) 4KB It advances, -5 frame disadvantage, force crouch stagger. 6) 8WR any+B+K This is a great tool to advance but if your opponent is hyper agressive he may probably clout you on the way in. I discussed this heavily in the movelist. The roll itself tracks very, very well, that's what makes it so nice. 7) Run in Obviously if everything fails this is what u do. CHARGE!!!! 8) B+K Indirectly this is an advancing tool. When the opponent sees u healing they're bound to rush in and well, rape u in the butt. This is basically all u really need to close in. I think i abuse 66K the most of the bunch, followed by 8WR 3bB+K, both are enough for me most of the time. FC Attack Rundown By now you should know that his FC attack game is essential to obtain victory. All his FC attacks lead to some kinda setup or wakeup opportunity or what not; through them a lot of damage may be obtained. The good thing about them is that they are all very fast, in my years of experience i'm yet to c any1 who blocks all Yoshi's FC low attacks easily, to do so requires good guessing, prayer and years in the Soul Calibur Dojo for the gifted. A lot of ppl try to passively duck everytime they c Yoshi goes into FC haha, that's suicide. These are ALL his FC attacks: FC 3K, FC 1KKKKK, FC 14A, FC 3B and to a lesser extent *FC bA* 1) FC 3K :- This is one of his best FC attacks. It has range, speed, axis. It knocks down the opponent in a non techrollable state and sets up numerous wakeup opportunities. If u choose to do guaranteed damage after this connects the best option is RCC 3B. If u're like me and choose not to do guaranteed damage, the best wakeup followups to it are: a) 66A+K - this is probably the most commonly used (in DC version) due to it's versatility. You will not believe how many ppl just get up and block after this move connects, they never even think to probably sideroll. This fact makes 66A+K one of the better options...if u're losing hold the A+K to do the suicide. It connects a lot. If the opponent lies there too long, use the fake to Pogo stance and Pogo hop them. If u believe they're going to try a WS attack do the fake into the Sit stance and teleport from there attack and then minor counter with 4KB, 3B or 6B8. b) A+B (Pogo stance) - If u're an arcade player, i reckon this is one of the better options. I suggest go immediately into the Pogo hop and pogo rush combo. It works often. c) A+B+K[2]G14A ie. SCUB FC 14A - This is probably what I use the most. If the above doesn't work for you i suggest u do this one. Most opponents have no chance in hell getting away from this unless they're quite seasoned. If the opponent is gonna do a WS attack on you i don't suggest you use this but it is unlikely that they will attack after the trip. d) bG - I also use this a lot, especially if i'm sure my opponent has balls to attack me off the ground. The bG fake has probably the most versatility of all the other wakeups in this situation because u're not commiting yourself to any specific attack. If your opponent just stands and block bG to 214A+B works wonders and sends them back to the mat for another dose of bGing goodness. If u don't want to throw use bG to do iFC 3K and iFC 1KKK (any FC low attack). Imagine how frustrating it is for your opponent connecting 2 of the same kicks in a row. If they attack, hmm this has to be the funnest opportunity, u get to do all your sexy counterhitting shit like 3A, bA, doorknocker etc. If u want to be riskier then you can use 4B+KB warp to their back...I recommend u do 2 spins since it will most likely get u to the opponent's back. From there you can throw for 75 damage, or u can 4KB them in their back if they duck. That's about all u need for wakeup post FC 3K. You don't need to limit yourself to these options, u can be imaginative and try other stuff like 9A+B4_2, Sit teleport or even RCC 2A+B on lazy opponents. Be creative, don't use the same thing over and over again. It gets tired. By the way FC 3K connects a lot when u block low moves, or u've been forced crouch staggered, u'll do well to remember that ;) Movin on... 2) FC 1KKKKK :- This is the only FC attack which never knocksdown the opponents, so wakeup is not possible from this obviously. However it is still valuable in its setups. I love this move mainly because it has amazing priority, combos with first 3 hits, has range, has speed, has axis. When i say it has priority, i mean it has a lot of priority. This is the only FC move i've seen that effectively counters retreat-attack moves. For eg. Hwang's 44B, Mitsu's 4B and Taki's 44B, these moves as u know counter WS_FC attacks quite well, but FC 1KKK stops them cold. On block these kicks are also perfectly safe (-13 frames disadvantage, most WS attacks hit in 14), unlike FC 3K which guarantees a stab from Sophie on block (dammit). All in all this is a good series of low moves. A common reply to this attack when it is blocked is a 2A_2K from your opponent. I use that opportunity to jump over an nail him with a WS attack. On WS K players a 4B+K warp works amazingly well, works well on a WS Bs too. When the kicks connect this is where the fun stuff starts and u start to abuse your opponent with a barrage of attacks. Firstly a FC bA is difficult to interrupt when these kicks hit, so if the opponent is gonna attack u, then this lil punch will CH their stuff, even a WS K or doorknocker will counter most of what your opponent will do. If u are more ambitious u can RCC and do 3A, 3B or bA, all of which are evil on CH. If your opponent turtles then your rainbow drop him. If he is trying to walk away then FC 3B, WS A or 6B8 can tag him on the way out. Got all that? Sit down and try to imagine the most reasonable retaliation attempts by your opponent and then counter his retaliation to suit. So i'll do this again. Situation: the kicks hit If he attacks, FC bA, WS K, RCC 3A, RCC bA, RCC 3B and doorknocker. All these do well in punishing him. If he stands there in shock, rainbow drop his ass or keep perstering with low attacks like 2K to make him start blocking low. If he ducks, nail him with RCC 3B, FC 3B, WS A. If he tries to run, FC 3B, 6B8, WS A can tag him on the way. Hell even 66A+B or 66A+BGB can catch him. 66A can DOS on run attack CH Situation: the kicks are blocked (-13 frames disadvantage) If he attacks attempt 4B+K warp or try to counter hit him with FC bA. GI is nice also. If u think he's gonna attack low or special mid attempt a jump counter like G9K, WL A or WL B That's how u have to break it down, u got the tools now use them. 3) FC 14A :- This is my favorite FC attack. I didn't say it is the best, it is MY favorite. T his move has good properties, it sidesteps to the left, yields solid combos, has good axis, it is a SCUB and has decent speed although it's the slowest FC attack. It does the most damage of all the FC attacks when it combos, but that isn't the reason i like it, i like it mainly because of the sidestep and the SCUB. Thanks to iFC from spirit charge, using this as an unblockable in wakeup is quite valuable. Its speed and axis make it dificult to evade or GI on reflex. When it connects which most of the time it does when SCUB, it guarantees 8WR 3Bb+kA+B+K (DC exclusive). This is a perfect setup for soul_spirit charge stuff since on hit the opponent flies around 1.5 arena squares away on the ground. U'll do well to connect a SCUB 66A+B after this hits. You can try to fake out your opponent by doing 8WR any+B+K cancels while spirit charged. On arcade u'll just have to settle with the 8WR 3B combo and then probably spirit charge manually ;) and then continue with the 8WR any+B+K cancels. By the way this move has as much recovery as the FC 3K, just in case u choose not to spirit charge it and it's blocked, prepare for a lil bit of punshiment WS punishment. 4) FC 3B :- This is quite an underused move by many Yoshi players. May i remind you of the good properties of this move. It is fast, 17 frames fast, it has range, it is SCUB and on CH it induces a fall back stun on your opponent and it does decent damage too. I like this move, i use it to punish duckers and retreaters especially, if i'm lucky it will tag the back dashers on CH and I'll get the stun. The stun sets up pretty stuff like a spirit charge to 66A+B or a 236B (spinning UB), if not you can use the 8WR any+B+K roll cancels for wakeup. I've already explained in much detail the extensive use and versatility of the 8WR any+B+K roll. Another reason y Yoshi is just plain better than Mitsu. *5) FC bA :- I don't consider this a TRUE FC attack since u can do it by simple doing 2bA but i needed to point out that it can be done in FC, which makes it valuable as an interrupt in FC position. Especially if the opponent blocks your 2A, simple follow with FC bA to CH their retaliatory attempt. Post GI Learning how to effectively followup after a succesful GI is imperative in high level Soul Calibur play. Since i GI more than the average person (the Asta in me) i thought it necessary to find the best followups to a succesful GI. Fortunately Yoshi has a strong post GI game. So many options...here goes. 66[A+K] :- This is your best option when time is low and u're losing, if they re-gi they're screwed. Now for the other stuff: On ppl who Re-GI At high level play, delayed moves work well but, i choose the more interesting iFC technique, post GI. My most commonly used options after i fake them with bG include FC 3K, FC 14A and Rainbow drop. These very often connect and most players do not succesfuly Re-GI this or even block it as a matter of fact. A wise man once said bG to FC 3K should be an integral part of every Yoshi player's post GI game, and he's right; a mix of bG -> FC 3K or bG -> 214 A+B is enough for most opponents. If u are having too much difficulty with that u better stick to delayed moves like 66A+B, 6B2 (slow version), 1[B] and 1K. 1K is a very good option considering the amount of damage it does with the 236B combo. On ppl who don't Re-GI properly For those ppl i choose to mock them so i do a mix of bG to 6A+B or bG to 1B+K for rudeness of course. If u like style If u're like me then the best way to be stylish is using the Sit cancels post GI. eg B+KG_8 -> 214A+B...Yoshi sits stands then rainbow drops...very pretty. Or u can sit cancel -> 6A+B for rudeness. If u backed them to the edge A mix of bG -> 66K, 3B or 6K works well. If not u can do 1B+K for the block stun and follow with 6K. Normally with the advantage gained from blocked 1B+K a 6K counterhits a retaliation and Rings Out. The end Ring Control (staggers etc) I'm an Asta player and I've somewhat learnt to master well umm appreciate the concept of superb terrain control and using staggers to setup CHs. Yoshi is not like the big guys so u wouldn't expect him to stagger opponents to left or right but only foward. The best moves to stagger the opponent to the edge include: 1) 66B+KA+BK :- The shark attack...staggers foward alot, puts your opponent in a disadvantageous position quickly 2) 1K :- This staggers quite a bit, sets up a 6B8(CH) really well. Amazingly good recovery 3) 1B+K :- For such a weak move this staggers heaps, advantage is gained too. Sets up 236B, spirit charging as well as the 8WR roll cancels 4) 8WR any+B+K :- The rolling STAB. The stab staggers a lot. I suggest u use this with care, aggressive opponents will hurt u on the way in. 5) 4KB :- Doesn't stagger far foward but it forces crouch which is good. A 3B counters most WS attacks in this situation except for Nightmare's ouch :) 6) 44bA :- Doesn't stagger forward but it staggers. I use this for applying ring pressure, if they let go block too early u win. Can shorten duration by pressing G. 7) 6KK :- The second hit staggers the opponents foward a lot. Give yourself some breathing room. Many opponents are not brave enough to GI the second hit haha 9) 66A+B :- Staggers foward and forces crouch 10) 8WR 2B :- a weakened version of the above so to speak ps I don't use Yoshi's staggers to setup CHs like i will with Asta since Yoshi's less effective in that department IMO. Rainbow Dropping This is without a doubt Yoshi's most important throw. It does 70 damage by itself, and leaves the opponent next to you for wakeup. The escape window for this throw is 6-7 frames where average throws there's a 13 frame escape. Post throw break Yoshi is left in BT, considering how fast yoshi's BT attacks are, this can hardly be a disadvantage. It is imperative u master the command for this throw and learn to buffer it while in block stun animations. To do this just simply do it while holding guard, it really isn't that hard. It looks really pretty when u buffer this in while being staggered by say Hwang's 44K. I grabbed my friend endlessly out of his spirit charge kick cancels just because I buffered the throw. If your opponent breaks the throw I suggest u reply with an immediate BT FC 3B, BT FC 3K (see iFC technique to c how to do FC attacks form BT) or the simple BT 2A. BT 2A is probably the safest option since it hits in 7 frames and hits low. FC 3B has nice properties on CH. FC 3K on turtles. On DC u can do some sexy shit like 9B+KK, that's a double hop away from them while remaining in BT. When they rush in to attack u, imediately press G to turn around and do bA or 3A for CH. bA(CH) after this sequence is spectacular. IF u connect a bA(CH) after a BT 9B+KK on a seasoned opponent, proclaim yourself a Yoshimitsu god and go drink some champagne. Remember any move that gives u good advantage and leaves u in front your opponent sets up the throw well for eg connected 8WR right A. And that's all i gotta say about rainbow dropping Mastering the Warp, Pogo and Sit This is probably the most difficult aspect of Yoshi to understand and master, i haven't quite mastered his stances myself. I'll start with the warp 1) Warp (4B+KBBBBBB) This is the best evasive move in the game. It is ultra quick, probably it's the quickest move in the game and it goes COUNTER-clockwise. Therefore if u're on the left side and u warp he goes to the right in a circular fashion. The warp has no recovery as i can c. So u can immediately warp and do a throw. Each spin goes around 45 degrees so, doing all the spins will make Yoshi do a whole circle around the opponent and then he gets dizzy which is really dumb and take a huge chunk of your life. This is how i use the warp...If the opponent is going to attack, most likely a vertical do only ONE spin, that way instead of going a 45 degrees it will appear to have moved Yoshi a whole 90 degrees+ with one spin, since many verticals advance while attacking. So on occasion u might be able to get a backthrow if u happened to warp something like Taki's 66B (thrusting assassin strike). If u're going to use the warp for setup, that is to say if u're gonna use it in wakeup or post GI or after u've stunned the opponent with 3A or 3B+K then i suggest u do TWO spins. That way it increases your chances of connecting a back throw. Keep in mind u don't want to spin too much, u have to make sure the damage u do on the opponent FROM the warp is greater than the damage self-induced BY the warp. Now with this in mind don't just go warping around senselessly, do it when u expect an attack. I forgot to mention, u may want to do 2 spins against horizontal attacks, naturally it works better. I also recommend to use the warp much less on Nightmare....the problem with Night is his left handed nature. His faster horizontals go in the opposite direction to your warp, so it will seem as though u've warped into his horizontal, the results are not pretty. Use the warp to 1) Evade jumping attacks to avoid WL mixups. 2) Escape wakeup stuff when on the ground...tap G them immediately input 4B+K 3) Escape when back is to the edge....or u can stay there and hope to Reverse Ring Out with the Rainbow Drop :) 4) To escape UBs, most notoriously Asta's 4[A+B] which is a damn hard UB to escape, u won't be able to sidestep it and if u can't interrupt warp from it. 5) To avoid block stun traps...eg Sophie does 4[A] if u attack u'll eat a 236B, warp after u've blocked the 4[A] 6) To escape WS and FC attacks. most WS attacks are linear, FC kicks are normally with the right foot :) warp evades them all. Works well on Xiang These are just a few good uses of the warp, now be imaginative and think of other ways to use it. After a successful warp, I normally do a BB, throw or 4KB on duckers. These three moves suffice. I do a simple BB when i know i can do nothing more damaging so i take back the damage done by myself by just minor countering with BB. This as far as i can explain the uses of the warp 2) Pogo (A+B) I love this stance. It reverses LOW ATTACKS and then guarantees a pogo rush for a good bit damage. It's quite hilarious to c those scrub Mitsu charge up their double low UB and Yoshi just sits on his sword and waits for them to rush in. Anyway, the main use of the pogo stance is for okizeme, in arcade the direction of the jump is limited but on DC i think u have a bit more control on where u can hop. Pogo works especially well after a G+A, 214A+B and FC 3K. There are of course more situations but these are most common. I use this stance to setup counterhits since it cancels pretty decently. To cancel the stance quickly perform the command as a+b2, that's tap A+B then immediately pull down. Many ppl fall for that fake, as a result it has gained me many 3A(CH), bA and 6B8s. For rudeness try cancelling the pogo and do 44bA (defensive copter), on turtles u throw, u should know this game by now. Anyway i recommend u don't go up on the sword all willy nilly, use for okizeme and for fakes and for predictable low attacks, nothing else, the opponent will sidestep u and u're gonna lose some health. 3) Sit (B+K) This is a good faking out stance. The teleport isn't particularly that useful except in wakeup (it is too slow). It is good for the heal and the fast cancel. To cancel the sit either do b+k8 ot b+kG, both will cancel the stance really quickly. The sit provokes counterhits so i use the cancel to CH my opponent when he tries to retaliate. U should know by now the best CH stuff are 3A, bA, doorknocker, 6B8 and 6A+B for rudeness. U can even try dashing up to your opponent and Sit cancel then throw him or do something else, very stylish to watch and pretty risky but fun to do. Post GI, sit cancel then rainbow drop is always impressive. There's not that much to Sit cancel, it is more of a style thing than anything else ;) How to heal? Well every pixel of life counts so healing sporadically may prove pretty useful. The best time to use the heal is after a FC 3K connects or after u've staggered them away with something like 1B+K, of course u'll be forfeiting good advantage, but u can gain a valuable 16 points of health with good timing haha. Also try hopping backward out of opponents range heal for one stroke then stand back up. It works effectively sometimes. Your opponent sees u walking backward and tends to throw out a high horizontal to stop u, the sit ducks it and u get a free 8 pts more health :) very cool stance. That's about all i can say about the stances, i tried my best, this is all i know :) lol Yoshi's Cancels Yoshi has the best cancels in the game, i'm gonna list all the cancels he has 1) 44BG :- cancels the Big UB. You can use it for iFC but it is pretty cumbersome since it has recovery. Cancelling the 44B in one frame will do a cancelled UB into a B+G throw, looks great if u sidethrow with it. Pressing A after the cancel will produce the defensive copter (44bA) 2) 66A+BG :- cancels the big cahuna chop into a standing position. Use this to setup CHs, i can't tell u how many times i've landed a bA(CH) after cancelling this. Tapping 8 after cancelling the chop does a fake into the Pogo stance. Tapping B after the cancel makes Yoshi do a long ranged low poke. 3) 66A+K :- turning suicide fake. Use in wakeups, especially on quick risers. DC exclusive :- tapping A goes into Pogo stance, tapping B goes into Sit stance. 4) a+b2 :- Pogo stance cancel 5) b+k8_G :- Sit stance cancel 6) 8WR any+B+KG :- cancels the rolling stab into a FC position, works well in wakeup especially on those who don't get up fast enough. 7) 8WR any+B+K8 :- cancels the roll into the Pogo Stance. Best used in wakeup 8) 8WR any+B+K2 :- cancels the roll into the Sit stance. Best used in wakeup 9) bG :- basically a universal cancel but i just thought i should mention it. When using the iFC technique, this is what u should use, not aG or kG, but bG. 10) 8WR 3bB+K :- cancels 8WR 3B into the shark attack series. DC exclusive :- 8WR 3Bb+kA+B+KG, cancels to Spirit charge, hence Yoshi possesses a launcher with no recovery, allowing him to do combos like 8WR 3Bb+kA+B+KG -> SCUB 66A+B, hell u can even cancel that SCUB 66A+B and do another one and it can still be a SCUB if u held the charge long enough. I should mention that most of Yoshi's cancels are most useful in wakeup and not during the actual battle as such. Okizeme/Wakeup Games This is the art of inflicting as much pain as possible when the opponent is on the ground. I'll try to keep this section as brief as possible since i already went through wake-up stuff in other sections especailly with 66A+K and 8WR roll cancels. To keep things simple, a mix of bG -> 3B, FC 3K, FC 14A, 214A+B, 3A is sufficient on most ppl. 3B and 3A will counter their WS attacks, FC 3K sends them to the mat if they quick rise, FC 14A ditto, 214A+B on ppl who are just standing there looking at your ass. In some situations it is more creative to try more ambitious stuff. Examples of such situations will be like post connected 8WR 2B, 66A+B, 3B+K(CH), FC 3B(CH), FC 3K, G9K(CH) etc. For a connected 8WR 2B and 66A+B u might want to follow with SCUB 14A (see iFC) instead of doing a guaranteed 3B For FC 3B, 8WR roll cancels as well as 236B work nicely For FC 3K and G9K(CH), 66A+B cancel into Pogo works sometimes. 1[B] works well after G9K(CH) especially well. Using the warp for wakeup to evade WS attacks proves to be very useful and quite entertaining; often gains backs throws. Point being, there are situations where the opponent can't get off the ground immediately, take this opportunity to do a SCUB 14A for wakeup or u can try the 8WR roll cancels rather than simply doing guaranteed damage like 3B. Anyway, the bG cancels are versatile enough and are quite annoying for the opponent. Remember always Rainbow drop ppl who just like to get off the ground and stand there. Hordes of 3A(CH) and 3B(CH) will train them not to do WS attacks. ps Using the aerial helicopter UBs prove to be useful on occassion....whip it out every once in a while, they all do good damage. I forgot to mention the main juggles from a 3B and 8WR3B_66B My juggle is 3B, 6A+B -> 8WR roll cancels for wakeup (i like style so i use 6A+B) U should use 3B, 6B8 -> 8WR roll cancels for wakeup (6B8 does much more damage than 6A+B) Other juggles include 3B, 6K -> very common, acceptable damage, doesn't setup wakeup as above, recovery from the 6K isn't good enough 3B, 66K -> ringout purposes 3B, 6B8, 8WR 3B -> does decent damage, air controllable though, doesn't setup for wakeup as the first 2 juggles i mentioned 3B, 6B8, 66B+K -> i think it's guaranteed Do not do 3B, 4KB -> it is very tired and ppl often air control the second hit. Using the Aerial Unblockables The aerial unblockables are 1) 9A+B2 :- Perhaps the most useless of the bunch, doesn't track well, use this if the opponent is closeby and on the ground, they might get up and take it. 2) 9A+B4 :- Much better than the above, it tracks, does better damage and turns u around, so chances of the opponent sidestepping behind u to throw u when u whiff is unlikely, works well after 4KB 3) 236B :- the best of the bunch, slaughters big guys, travels around 1 arena square, works well after 6K blocked/connected, 66A+B blocked, 1B+K blocked/connected, FC 3B(CH), 1K blocked/connected, there's much more but i'm not gonna mention them... just as long as the opponent is around 1 arena square away from u it will work wonders, Simple as that. Remember that it hits grounded opponents too. Makes a good round opener on rushers. I mentioned most of this in the movelist section but i put it here just in case u forgot, reference the movelist for more information. Combos and Semi-guaranteed Stuff Yoshi isn't a combo based character but he does have his share 8WR slide kick -> 3B_2K G+B -> 2K not guaranteed but hits a lot 6B+KBBB -> 9B+K -> 66A+B -> If they techroll, 6B2 delayed -> 66A+B -> 2A+B -> 1B 3B+K(CH) -> 3B -> 2A+B WL B -> 66B_8WR 3B 8WR 2B -> 3B 8WR A+B -> 3B -> 2A, sets up throw or FC games -> 2bA, ditto 1K -> 236B (best looking) -> 2A+K hehehe FC 14A -> 66B_8WR 3B FC 3K -> RCC 3B -> FC B -> 8WR 2B -> 66B_8WR 3B 6B2(slow)-> 66A+B -> 3B Pogo Hop -> Pogo rush Thos are probably the most practical UBs, there's probably more but these are the most common CREDITS Thanx firstly to my mom and your mom. Thanks to Namco for making this game, which is still going strong after 3 years. All charcters bla bla bla are copyright Namco Ltd or what not. Thanx to: Toohectic (koolest webmaster on the planet) WCMaxi, my talks with him spawned many ideas, also he provided me with all the frame data i have here Ai Uchi (bunny), his Yoshi guide gave me interesting stuff to work with Fetz (mr. nice guy) Corinthian (mr. cheap yoshi) Fhwang Sung Kyung (ultimate combo man) for his combos Marginal (kool guy) Buddylee san (another kool dude) Hprx (canadians suck :P) Trancekilik (see above) Wen (my sensei) and every1 else i'm supposed to thank but forgot :) -jB