Dream Cancel

Dream Cancel member David Kong has written the following introduction to our wiki:

So, you want to learn KoFXIII?

Written by David Kong

Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step to learning one of the most competitive, dynamic, and well-balanced fighting games in recent history, King of Fighters XIII! Before you throw yourself into the Dreamcancel wiki browsing for detailed information, here are some essential tips to ease your transition into the world of competitive King of Fighters!

• Before you begin, consider your goals. How competitive do you wish to become?

If you don’t know a thing about KoFXIII right now, ask yourself where you hope to eventually end up in terms of skill. If you plan on being a competitive player, you will need to enter the game with a serious mentality. To help you maintain this attitude, you should set realistic goals to pursue. Before you begin any journey, you will need a destination to go towards!

If you can’t set a realistic goal, perhaps it’s better for you to just stay casual. Otherwise, you will find yourself investing a lot of time and energy inefficiently, which will inevitably lead to disappointment.

• “What characters should I play? I don’t want to pick garbage characters.”

The coolest thing about KoFXIII is that every character is good! You can play anyone you want! Of course, some characters are better than others, but as far as the competitive community can tell, so far, even the worst characters in the game are totally viable. You will have more fun playing characters you genuinely like, so pick your favorite characters and see if they fit your style!

• Start in Practice Mode

Many new players simply throw themselves into online/versus mode without first learning about how the game actually works in detail. While this is fine for casual players, you will find that it is completely unproductive for becoming competitive. It will be essential to be in Practice/Training mode for at least a few hours before you begin to really understand how your character works. The very first thing you should do with your character is to learn their max damage, no meter, midscreen combo. Start this combo with a hop in C or D (hard punch or hard kick). Simply doing this will get you used to hopping. After you have mastered this combo, there are many more advanced things to practice. Simply knowing your meterless bread and butter combo for each of your characters will open your eyes to further possibilities.

Make sure to have all of your practice mode data turned on so that you can see exactly how much damage/stun you are doing!

• Focus on Fundamentals

As many players have said, KoFXIII is an “honest” fighting game. This means that you will not be able to win because of luck or gimmicky tricks (although, there is a time and a place for everything ;) ). To become skilled at KoFXIII, you will need solid spacing, hit confirms, reactions, meter management, and footsies. Focus on developing these skills, and do not try to base your game plan on guessing.

• Ordering Your Team

Team order in the game revolves around using your meter. If you are picking up the game for the first time, don’t worry about it at all. Learning how your characters use meter will come with time and practice. Your best team order will present itself to you as time goes on.

When learning the game, it’s a good idea to put your weakest character first. You will find that your first character will get the most play time over the long run. This gives you chances to practice with that character more.

• Let the Game Teach You About Yourself

This might sound a little odd, but always keep in mind that becoming skilled at fighting games is about conquering yourself just as much as it’s about defeating your opponent. As a casual player, this game can be another type of simple entertainment, similar to watching TV. As a competitive player, there is so much more to discover. If you decide to compete, you will inevitably find yourself in challenging situations that inspire panic, fear, arrogance, and frustration. How you deal with and overcome your own emotions in game will define you as a player. In this sense, becoming a great KoFXIII player is a process of constant self improvement. Keep this in perspective as you pursue your competitive goals.
We here at Dreamcancel sincerely hope that this introduction has been helpful, and perhaps has stirred your appetite for competition! If you have more questions as you dive into the game, please visit our Training Dojo and character specific threads in the forums section!