The King of Fighters XIII Gameplay discussion (All shortcuts on 1st page)

[Saitsuofleaves]

Well Juicebox, welcome to DC.  You picked a slightly meh time to come asking for critique just because some of the best on DC will be busy with SoCal Regionals all weekend, but meh.

When I have spare moment (in other words, too tired or annoyed to play KOFXIII at the moment) I'll watch the archive and try to help out as best as I can.

[Blake/White]

Been watching some arcade vids and the difference in building meter when getting hit compared to the console version is really something.

Like in one of the console Dune matches posted the guy landed a HD combo on him but due to that combo Dune was able to build enough meter to HD combo him right back at the very start of the next. Basically the guy's downfall was the HD combo he pulled the previous round.

In a Kim combo that was posted (which used a whole bunch of air QCF+BD to keep the combo going), the opponent built almost an entire HD guage and 3 bars just thanks to that combo.

Is this making you guys reconsider what combos to use?

Also, started using the 1 frame back dash addition a little. Its very interesting for sure, came in very useful against a Clark user and a few other situations.

Was thinking about this earlier. Maybe stick to just regular Drive cancel combos and save HD combos for the very last character for a one hit kill opportunity. Probably the best anchors now will be characters who have strong combos that only require 50% Drive and still have access to HD combos that can KO instantly. I bet Hwa Jai will be a really powerful choice for an anchor now.

[Saitsuofleaves]

Hwa Jai is a ridiculous anchor right now.  Helps that a lot of his strings are safe.

[Blake/White]

Yeah, I messed around with him a little and his damage is just crazy. Simple stuff that hurts. Doing an easy 40% off of a hop attack anywhere on the screen for just one stock is kinda scary. Funny how that one change to Dragon Backbreaker made such a difference.

[MUSOLINI]

I'm hoping to take a more active role in discussions about this game to further my own understanding of it. Glad to see you guys are active.

Did any of you catch my offline play on Neomaxico? You can catch the archive at
twitch.tv/neomaxico

I'm hoping for a critique. Currently my team is King/Andy/Robert so that I can grasp the fundamentals and apply them across all 3 characters more or less the same. I already know I need work on Andy and Robert's HD combos, though I would like suggestions for what their HD combos should be in general.

I think my experience with SF makes playing King really intuitive for me. I'm pretty sure she'll be first on my tournament team. Totally open to switching the others, so right now I'm learning more characters to see what playstyles I like. Probably going to learn Hwa next, I hear he's GDLK.

tl;dr

first post, hi guys, critique my play plz, keep the scene alive

dont have timeright now, but king is a good choice for you if your familiar with sf. robert and andyare allsoreally good, but like yousaid their worthwhil hd combostake time to learn. i think youd do well with zoning characters at first cause you come from a sf bg, characters like ash, king, kim, duo long. duo and kimmight be too tough thouh at first, a lot of characters actually take time to master and own with. its not like you can pick rog or blanka and ease through your good matchups by holding  . problem with 13 is that if you really wanna use a character effectivelly and be good with them, you actuallyneed to master a lot of shit like hd combos, activating them from lows, dc combos and all other shit you need  to learn with every other fighter. your luc is that king is highly easy, effective and can easily combo in hd.

ill check some vids when i gotthe time.

[Raynex]

I'm hoping to take a more active role in discussions about this game to further my own understanding of it. Glad to see you guys are active.

Did any of you catch my offline play on Neomaxico? You can catch the archive at
twitch.tv/neomaxico

I'm hoping for a critique. Currently my team is King/Andy/Robert so that I can grasp the fundamentals and apply them across all 3 characters more or less the same. I already know I need work on Andy and Robert's HD combos, though I would like suggestions for what their HD combos should be in general.

I think my experience with SF makes playing King really intuitive for me. I'm pretty sure she'll be first on my tournament team. Totally open to switching the others, so right now I'm learning more characters to see what playstyles I like. Probably going to learn Hwa next, I hear he's GDLK.

tl;dr

first post, hi guys, critique my play plz, keep the scene alive

Welcome to DC Juicebox! I've been curious about how your crossover from the SF series has been going. I'll definitely give your matches a watch. No doubt you'll learn this game in no time!

Interestingly enough I also play Abel, AND main King . I'm finding success in running King on point as well. The issue is that so many characters use meter on 2nd/3rd position better than King does, and I think her neutral game is her real strength. Basic zoning and corner pressure builds meter faster than most people realize, and she needs minimal bar to turn a corner hit into good damage. Her option tree really expands once you become familiar with her corner lockdown game.
(i.e.: [corner] st.D (or cr.Bx2, st.B) df+D, hcb+B, dp+B [DC] qcf+BD, qcf+Bx2, cr.C (385 dmg+ Reset, 1 Bar 50% Drive)

But anyways, on the topic on HD combos for Robert:

Robert's midscreen HD combos are spacing dependant and can get pretty tricky, so I recommend learning his corner combos first. It will help get you familiarized with timing common DCs and make executing all of his combos easier later on. Here's a great HD combo to start with:

Robert, 2 Bar + HD Mode

[Corner] cl.C, f+B (or cr.B, cr.A, f+B):

[HD activate] cl.C, f+B, dp+D (2 hits) [DC] air qcb+D, [*delay* dp+C [DC] qcf+P, dp+A (DC) qcb+D (whiff)]x2, dp+C [DC] f,b,f+K OR xx qcf,hcb+BD aka NeoMax

No bar ender - DP [DC] f,b,f+K = 650 damage
2 Bar ender - DP xx NeoMax = 820 damage

*The delay before the dp+C is imperative. It makes it so your opponent drops low enough for the fireball to hit after DCing the dp+C. Also, DP xx NeoMax can be input as    

[sogos]

Im new to KOF but I have a strong GG background. This game is fucking AMAZING but I have some questions

I'm looking effective zoning characters, not necessarily "keepaway" but someone who can pressure with their footsies/good normals. I've found and have had success with King, are they any other characters who play like her?
which characters are strong regardless of meter?
is there a "fishing" character? That is, someone who relies on the opponent making a mistake or fishing for counterhits
who overall has the best normals? mainly im looking for whoever has the most +frame advantage on block on most normals
who has the BIGGEST normals?

thaaaaaanks

[Running Wild]

I would recommend Robert, Andy, Athena and EX Iori.

[solidshark]

Im new to KOF but I have a strong GG background. This game is fucking AMAZING but I have some questions

I concur with RW's recommendations right now.

Welcome to the site btw

[sogos]

great game
friendly and seemingly active community
it makes me sad that kof isnt HUGE in the US. KOF for EVO, make it happen

thanks for the advice guys, ex iori is solid. im rolling with benom stripe/iori 98/SAIFAAAAAA right now, in that order, any other suggestions?

[solidshark]

Might try looking into Mai, Ash, Ralf and Hwa too. Mai espeically will take work, but lots of Japanese players have been showing me some of her ways to get in with her. Ash is potentially the best zoner to me if you take advantage of his Ventose (charge projectile) and Genee. Ralf's Cs and Ds are strong standing, crouching or jumping, and Hwa's CD is my favorite as it catches everyone off guard; it's more of a hop compared to Joe's.

Basically, I'll say look into the entire cast if you can, and don't be afraid to change playstyles and strategies. Sampling Chin a lot more, and know I'm going to have to do new things to play him like other great Chin players.

[Raynex]

great game
friendly and seemingly active community
it makes me sad that kof isnt HUGE in the US. KOF for EVO, make it happen

thanks for the advice guys, ex iori is solid. im rolling with benom stripe/iori 98/SAIFAAAAAA right now, in that order, any other suggestions?

Hopefully this game will blow up in NA. It has a great following down here in Toronto already! Our first KOF tournament outnumbered UMvC3/AE in terms of entrants. We got the majority of the hype as well as great reception from the crowd. Great game indeed.

I really think you're team would benefit from a more meter efficient order. Athena/King/Iori would be best imo (Saifaaa IS Athena right? haha). Out of the three, Athena and Iori are best on point. You also need a strong anchor who can open your opponent up to translate your stocked meter into dead characters. Iori has an overhead, command grab, cross-up, DP, fireball, and hit confirmable rekkas. So many ways to go into HD combos + a great neutral game. Athena is great on point because her zoning game requires zero meter is VERY effective. King is great 1st OR 2nd, but Athena outclasses her on point with arguably the best zoning in the game. By virtue of Iori being best out of the 3 on anchor, and Athena being better than King on point, placing King second works well and doesn't take anything any from your team.

Give Athena/King/Iori a try and see how it goes. It'll give your meter more utility during end game, and take advantage of both Athena's strong meter build and Iori's offense.

[sogos]

haha saifaaaa is yuri

yeah king is definitely my point character, with yuri and iori98 fighting for anchor. I'm not sure which one of them is more effective without meter and belong in the 2nd spot if I ever get into a situation where my 1st character doesn't build enough meter through getting rushed down or being forced to spend meter for a kill or whatever

[BioBooster]

Hopefully this game will blow up in NA. It has a great following down here in Toronto already! Our first KOF tournament outnumbered UMvC3/AE in terms of entrants. We got the majority of the hype as well as great reception from the crowd. Great game indeed.

Awesome \(^o^)/

[Diavle]

Fresh out of practice mode, turns out Robert can HD bypass a raw neomax when performed in the air.

So you can essentially do an air neomax at the cost of HD and 2 power bars.

Wonder if it works with other characters who can perform their neomax in the air.