KOFXIII FAQs Construction - Building a FAQs guide for KOFXIII players

[COMMONSENSE]

KOF is hard don’t get me wrong though. Tbh it’s probably the hardest game I’ve ever played in my entire gaming life but the thing I see is that many experienced players on here already assume newcomers come from other fighting games and already got their fundamentals down like spacing, movement, setting up an opponent correctly, etc. I’ve started taking this game more seriously for almost 4 months now ever since I got my stick back in November and I’m still struggling to figure out till this day the mentality that goes behind KOF fundamental wise and trying to understand the flow/rhythm to playing this game comfortably. Fundamental wise as in referring to stuff like when is it the right time to jump in at my opponent, when is it not the right time to roll or knowing when I wasn’t supposed to have hopped back in this situation but to have vertical jumped instead. Tips and advice on stuff like how to tell if I am I abusing this move too much, am I attacking too little or blocking too much, or how to improve mixing up my game would greatly help. It would be nice if this FAQ could also cover such things and not so much on basic system stuff (like how to do a guard cancel roll/blowback) that can be easily found in the manual that came within the game box.

This question here needs to be answered! I think this is the number one issue people struggle with in kof! Its hard because the answer is invincible! Movement isnt something most people discuss. You have to be able to move and quick. I think of it as trying to catch them but not get caught at the same time! I never want to put myself in a situation to get jumped on! The trick is to know when you are caught and finding a SAFE way out! Learning how to pilot your character is key here! Focus on your spacing, your jumps, speed, etc. These will help you go far in kof.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Q:"Does any of the characters have a wall kick of some sort?"
A:Yes. The following characters that have a wall kick are Robert, Mai, and (to an extent) Kim.  

Q:"Which characters of KOFXIII have auto guard capabilities with their moves?"
A: Shen (st.C), EX Kyo (his DP, and all versions of his rekkas), Maxima, Clark, and Raiden

Q:"How do you perform a running throw?"
A: You need to run towards your opponent so that you are within throwing range. When you do get close enough during your run, tap back and C (or D) quickly. Pressing back on the directional notations will cause the character to stop running - players can never throw the opponent while actually running. This can prevent opponents from getting overly predictable or defensive.

Q: "When is it okay to Neo Max?"
A:To use as punisher, hit confirming into it, using it in a combo. Raw Neo Max moves take a huge amount of meter (three super stocks and a full drive meter to exact) and most of them can be easily punished if they are blocked or whiffed. Try to use Neo Max's while in HD mode, that way while in HD mode you will only have to spend two meters instead of three and it will be easier to combo into.

[HiguraShiki]

This question here needs to be answered! I think this is the number one issue people struggle with in kof! Its hard because the answer is invincible! Movement isnt something most people discuss. You have to be able to move and quick. I think of it as trying to catch them but not get caught at the same time! I never want to put myself in a situation to get jumped on! The trick is to know when you are caught and finding a SAFE way out! Learning how to pilot your character is key here! Focus on your spacing, your jumps, speed, etc. These will help you go far in kof.

Yea that's my main problem in fighting games. Tbh I only started playing fighting games 3 years ago, so when it comes to movement and actually being able to land hits and properly link them into combo's, I always tend to struggle. It's one thing to do it in practice, but in actual fights, I tend to forget easily. Though with King, I have been improving, I still have a hard time landing hits since the opponent tends to block most of the normals I through out.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Q: "What are you supposed to do when you are being pressured after a knockdown?"
A: You can roll on wake-up to avoid mix ups, jump-ins, and cross-ups. If the opponent is going for a deep jump-in however or a meaty attack, it is best to block and wait to counter act. You can also use a anti-air (preferably a standing normal anti-air) to beat out jumping normal moves.
(NOTE: Special moves/Super moves with invincibility or high priority are also acceptable but they usually not the safest options, sense the reversal windows in this game are not particularly huge). 

Q: "Are there any charging characters in KOFXIII, like in SF?"
A: Yes. There are characters that have charge motions. The following characters that have charge motions in their special moves are Takuma, Leona, Clark, Ralf, Ash, Kim, and Robert. The characters that literally do play the role of a charging character are Leona and Ash. Also, please note that it does not take as long to charge a special move in order for it to be executed. 

[desmond_kof]

Q: "What are you supposed to do when you are being pressured after a knockdown?"
A: You can roll on wake-up to avoid mix ups, jump-ins, and cross-ups.

I think you should add a note of caution to this because people can start empty jump throwing you if you are rolling too much, or even use certain option selects to catch you if you roll through their meaty attempt on wake up.

You can also use a anti-air (preferably a standing normal anti-air) to beat out jumping normal moves.

I don't think this is a good idea to do when you are waking up. It is when you are standing and a jumping attack is coming at you, but not when you are rising from being knockdown down.

Here is a question for someone to answer:

Q: Do all back-dashes have invincibility on start-up like in Guilty Gear?

[solidshark]

A lot of talk about how to overcome/hold your own for KOF XIII has lead me to this one.

Q: What's the best way to learn how to deal with certain match-up's I'm having trouble with (Mr. Karate for example)?

A: Learn about the character you're having problems with. Play with said character in practice. Learn all of their moves, what their normals can do. Take advantage of the record/playback move function in practice, see what can be done on a move-to-move basis (how this projectile reacts to this counter, can this EX whiff or overpower a certain special, etc). Makes yomi a lot easier if you're fighting a character you know how to play with. And also, look for footage of those characters on YT or somewhere, preferably at high-level; chances are you'll notice a common attack pattern, and therefore can know how to block or react to it.

[Loona]

Not quite a question, but this is too handy a piece of knowledge not to sneak in somewhere: while throws are performed with the hard attack buttons and a direct direction, they won't be activated while you're running - this is actually a good thing, since a common combo starter is a close hard attack into a command normal, so if you manage to run into an opponent and land a hard attack, you've got yourself a more reliable combo starter than a jumping attack (which in this game needs to be landed rather close to the ground to reliably start combos, to encourage the use of hops).


Might as well toss in an issue of my own as a question:

From other games I've gotten into the habit of using throws when blocking certain attacks that leave the opponent really close, using the fact that I'm holding a direction to block, and from there just pressing a hard attack button. I'd probably get more damage out of a combo starting with a close hard attack, but in the head of battle I'm having a hard time letting go of the blocking direction in time to use a standing close hit instead of a throw, while still taking advantage of the opponent's few vulnerable frames.
Any tips on how to handle this, in battle or training mode?


Commenting on a few other for completion:

Q: "I hail from CVS2. Does KOFXIII possess Custom Combo's like CVS2 does in it's A groove system?"
A: Yes, in a manner of speaking. The "custom combos" of KOFXIII consist of making use of the drive meter and HD mode. The drive meter has two segments and the player can cancel special moves into other special moves or super moves at the cost of one segment. If the drive meter is full, the player can enter HD mode and conduct customizable combos that way, as it allows you to freely cancel special moves into other special for a limited time. 

One thing worth noting here for those used to the CvS2 A-groove - you can't (hyper)drive cancel a special into itself, at least not the same version - you can cancel the strong version into the weak or EX version, for example, but not strong into strong, so there's no "paint the fence" or "shoshosho" here, unless you change between the versions of the special everytime one connects.
This makes execution a bit more interesting and less boring to watch IMO.

Q: "I'm a CVS2 player, new to KOFXIII! I use the P and K groove a lot in CVS2. Does this game have the Just Defend mechanic like the K groove does? The P groove replicates the mechanics of 3S while the K groove is designed to imitate the mechanics of Garou: MOTW and Samurai Showdown BTW..."
A: There isn't. But, KOFXIII does have multiple defensive options that relate to making use of meter to conduct Guard Cancel Rolls and Guard Cancel Blowback. There are some character with autoguard that allow them to attack without worrying about getting hurt in the process. Ryo is also a character who can replicate the P and K groove mechanics of CVS2 to an extent.

Worth noting: Ryo's parries are done with (down)forward + weak kick.

Q: "Is it possible to play this solo or does it have to be played with 3 team characters?"
A: There are options for playing solo characters. However, by arcade, online, or offline tournament game play standards, it is necessary to learn at least three characters as it is a part of KOF's tradition of 3v3 matches.

If you're worried about using characters you're unfamiliar with, havem be first in line in your team, and use the ones you know best for last, that way you can get some practice with the new ones, while keeping your "weapon of choice" for last to bail you out if the new character doesn't quite work out.

Q: "Hello. I play CVS2 competitive and I use C groove a lot because it gives me access to multiple Super moves and other standardized mechanics. Does KOFXIII, have multiple versions of super moves and options?"
A:Yes. The characters in this game will always have two versions of a super move and one Neo Max. A regular super move will cost one meter. A EX Super Move will cost two meters and is usually far powerful than a regular Super Move. A Neo Max is the characters most damaging move, which will cost three meters and a full drive meter. However, if the character is in HD mode, they can use Neo Max moves for two meters instead, making it a very useful mechanic. 

Note: Not all specials or supers have EX versions, make sure to check that in the in-game move list. In some cases the EX versions will change a move's properties significantly, although most often they'll add to the move's priority and damage, so make sure to research those differences for characters you're particularly interested in.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

snip

Some nice information here. I did mention earlier about the "running throw" scenario, which can be very useful on occasion.
However, when you conduct a drive or hyper cancel, you can never cancel it into the same special move regardless of whether it is the strong or weak version. You can only cancel the same special move into it's EX version. Otherwise, the player will have to cancel that special move into a different special move. There are some special moves that can not be drive or hyper canceled out of, and there are also supers that can not be Max Canceled in HD mode.
For Ryo's parries, the player can press f+B to parry high/mid attacks. df+B will parry low hitting attacks.  
Everything else was on point.
I'm going to revise those questions that they are not as wordy but they will retain the information that we both shared for those coming from CVS2.

To answer your question, go to training mode. From there, you can use the record feature in the button configuration to set up the same scenario again so that you can work on defensive or offensive strategies - in a match, if the opponent ends up close to you after using a unsafe move, just resort to pressing a hard normal move by itself first without pressing any of the directional inputs. After you hit the opponent successfully you can input command move (if the character has one) or special move notations to conduct your punish combo or, at the most, perform an HD combo. If the opponent is close to you after they finished using a safe move however, continue to block and try to look for holes in the opponent offense and counteract them.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Q: "Hello! I'm a KOF98 player. I realize that the HD mode has some similarities to the Max Mode of 98 and I started recently playing KOFXIII! When the character enters HD mode, does the character get a higher damage output, access to stronger versions on their supers, and stronger push on guard from their attacks?"

A: No, the affects of both HD mode from KOFXIII and KOF98 are different but they serve the same purpose in helping the player achieve victory. What makes the Hyper Drive mode different from Max Mode from KOF98, is that there is no damage output increase. HD mode allows players to freely cancel special moves into other different special move notations, even while the opponent is guarding, and it allows the player to Max Cancel from their Super into Neo Max.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Q: "Does team order matter in KOFXIII?"
A: Yes, in a manner of speaking, it does. However, the game will support the player if they have unique orders for there teams, but what needs to be understood is that all characters can play different roles, depending on what position they are in and what the players preferences are. All characters benefit well off of meter, thus increasing the players chance of winning and/or making a comeback in a match. Meter management plays a huge role when it comes to team order arrangement, especially on mid/high level game play. The first characters can have three super meter maximum. The secondary characters can have four meter maximum. The third character can have five.  The characters in general can play different roles on a team, some better than others but they can easily suit the players abilities and preferences. Also, when you select your order before the match, you can adjust your team according to your opponents team to combat against specific match ups. As the player develops their team, they can develop strategies behind their team as well so that they can play different roles accordingly. The following roles that the characters can play can be meter builders, batteries/annoyance, zoners, utility, pure offense (with or without meter), pure defense/turtle, keep away, etc. 
There are so many factors to consider, but KOFXIII's system is lenient enough to support the players creativity. The player can easily form a team however they wish but the player needs to understand what their characters are capable of (How easily they build meter, damage output with meter, damage output without meter, overall game play, movement, timing, situation, positioning, and strategies). In mid/high level play, team order does matter, depending on how well the player manages their meter and how they adapt during game play.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Q:"Um... Hey. I'm new to KOFXIII, though I have played several games in the past. Does KOFXIII have any infinite combos to speak of?"
A: Yes, but none of them would be practical in a real match due to their difficulty.

Q:"Are the TOD combos in KOFXIII?"
A: Every character in this game can KO an opponent, depending on how much meter they possess at the moment and how well the player can execute their combos. Some of the characters don't even need HD mode to do so in a match.

Q:"I come from Guilty Gear. Are there any Insta-Kills in this game?"
A: Not really, but their are Neo Max which are a close equivalent and can easily be comboed into, especially during HD mode. They would normally take around half of the opponents health or a little more.

Q:"I am a GG player. Does KOFXIII have Gatling Combos and Roman Cancels in this game?"
A: The offensive system in the game favors mostly rush down but still requires very good insight on fighting game fundamentals - If a character has a command move, they can normal cancel a close standing C (Hard Punch) and (on many occasions) D (Hard Kick) into their command move. The command moves in turn can cancel into special move to help the player continue and/or finish their combo. Some command moves may not naturally combo from close standing C's or D's however and some of them might not cancel into special moves.
Chain combo from light normal moves and canceling closing standing C's and D's into command moves are somewhat equivalent to the Gatling system of Guilty Gear.
The equivalent of "Roman Cancels" in this game are drive cancels which allow players to cancel special into other special moves. Keep in mind that special moves can never cancel into itself unless it is the EX version. Also remember that some special moves can not be drive cancelled at all.

[AirLancer]

An important thing to note is that you can only Drive Cancel on hit, unless you're in HD mode.

[Malik]

Greetings all fellow members, and KOF enthusiasts,

The purpose of this guide and thread discussion is to build a FAQs (frequently asked questions) guide to provide assistance to those who intend to play KOFXIII and improve their overall skill. The guide will also elaborate on KOFXIII game play mechanics and some specific strategies whenever possible to give players a better understanding of the game. This thread will be used for constructing a concrete guide for new players, especially ones that come from different fighting games getting into KOFXIII. All fellow KOFXIII players and DC members, please feel free to submit your own FAQs for the thread if you have some available. This thread will be utilized to construct a big time KOFXIII FAQs guide for newer players.
The most helpful questions will be put on showcase for the KOFXIIII FAQs.


Q:"How can I effectively use hops?"
A:In the KOF series Short hops are done by simply pressing up in whatever direction you are jumping for the character to jump slightly into the air. Hyper hops are done by quickly pressing down and then tapping up in the direction you intend on going. Both versions of the hops can be used for both defensive and offensive manuevers. Short hops will help you conduct instant overhead (which basically revolves around the player, using the appropriate normal move during a hop) when you jump towards them. Short hops allow make it easier to mix up your offense and conduct safe jumps (safe jumping requires players to jump in a manner where they can land in time to guard and avoid any incoming attacks when necessary). The purpose of hyper hops are to close and open gaps between both characters quickly. Hyper hops used as an offensive tool allow players to apply a high pressure
game plan and rush the opponent down.

Q:"Are there Alpha Counters in KOFXIII?"
A:No. There are other options that have similar concepts however: The Guard Cancel Roll and the Guard Cancel Blowback. The Guard Cancel Blowback is the closest thing to a "Alpha Counter", while the Guard Cancel Roll serves a different cause. To use the Guard Cancel Blowback, the player must press D and C at the same while guarding an attack, and the character will perform their default Blow Back move to knock incoming
opponents away and provide space.

Q:"Is there Negative Edge in this game, like SF?"
A:Not really but you can still influence your ability to perform special moves and DM's by holding buttons for a little longer for the game to register your command as you are still doing another special move. This is extremely useful if you are conducting HD combos or trying to complete the trials.

Q:"Are the trials useful in this game for real game play in KOFXIII?"
A:There are some elements in the trials worth knowing but most of the trials in KOFXIII are extremely impractical or useless (meaning that some of the combos in the said trials might consume way too much meter for little damage, or unreasonably complex combinations of attacks that also lead to less than noteworthy
combos.

Q:"Are there any 50/50's in this game?"
A:No. The rolling mechanic nullifies 50/50's completely.

Q:"What characters are good for beginners to utilize?"
A:For beginners - Terry, Andy, Robert, King, EX Iori, Athena, Shen, and Kensou are generally considered to be very beginner-friendly.

Q:"My opponent keeps rushing me down and pressuring me with so many mix ups. How do I defend myself?"
A:Be sure to block the opponents attacks accordingly. If you are cornered, carefully take initiative to get out of the corner. Look for ways out. If the opponent is attempting a jump in, you can roll out of the corner. You may also jump over the over the opponent if you anticipate them pressuring you on the ground. The best way to get out of high pressure in the corner is to Guard Cancel Roll out of the way, because there will be no risks to take and you will not have to worry about the opponent hurting you during your roll recovery or throwing you.  Also keep in mind that standing normals can beat out jumping normal moves, jumping normal moves can beat low normal moves, and low normal moves beat out standing normal moves. You can use normal moves to counter act the opponents movements. A well timed special move or Desperation move can help you too.

Q:"How do you build meter easily?"
A:You build meter by whiffing certain special attacks, successfully attacking the opponent, guarding against any kind of special move, and getting hit by the
opponents moves. In this version of KOFXIII however, when on defense (blocking or taking damage from hits/combos) your meter builds faster.

Q:"How do you unlock Billy and Saiki?"
A:You must play through the Arcade mode and defeat them once.

Q:"Are EX Kyo, EX Iori, and EX Mr.Karate just powerful versions of the characters or are they different?"
A:All DLC characters play completely differently from their counterparts but are completely balanced by the game standards.

Q:"When should I roll?"
A:When you perform a regular roll, you are invincible to all attacks except for throws. Use the roll to avoid projectiles, avoid cross-ups or jump-ins, and get out of the corner while the opponent is trying to pressure you. If you perform a Guard Cancel Roll, the character is completely invincible from start up to the very end of the characters rolling sequences, throws included. Also, you can extend the distance you travel when you roll by double tapping forward on your control pad/stick
or while the character is running.

Q:"What characters have moves that can specifically negate/reflect projectiles?"
A:Elisabeth, Shen, Athena, Kula, and K'. There are other characters that can deal with projectiles differently by using certain special moves at the correct time or by having special moves that can outmaneuver projectiles altogether.

Q: "My opponent is crazily spamming projectiles! How do I counteract this?"
A: Time your jump-ins so that you can capitalize on the opponents poorly timed projectiles. Also, blocking is also a good idea because when you block projectiles or any other special moves for that matter, your character is the one building meter. Some special moves can ignore the properties of a projectile as well. You can also roll through projectiles but be careful of meaty attacks and throws. Roll carefully through the projectile and cautiously advance towards
your opponent.

Q: "I'm from SFIV. How does the meter system work in this game? Is it similar to the Revenge System, too?"
A: The Revenge Meter in SFIV fills when the opponent is getting hurt only. The Revenge also allows characters to utilize Ultra Moves, which is the characters most
powerful of that SFIV game. There is also a four bar system for SFIV that fills by traditional means.
The Super Meter and Drive Meter of KOFXIII serves various purposes:
The Super Meter is meant for EX Moves, Supers, EX Supers, Guard Cancel Rolls, Guard Cancel Blowback, and Neo Max. The Drive Meter is meant for cancelling special moves into special moves (drive canceling), cancelling special moves into super moves (super canceling), using raw Neo Max, and using Hyper Drive Mode. The meter system

Q:"What are the CD attacks used for? They seem so useless!!"
A: The CD attacks are blowback attacks or knockdown attacks. When hit the opponent with these, it will cause a techable knockdown, but you can not attack (juggle) the opponent after hitting the opponent with this, unless you get a counter hit from the CD attack. This is trustworthy for spacing yourself. The characters in this game have different uses for this and they can also whiff cancel them into different special moves.

Q:"Does this game have normal move links?
A: Yes but they are mostly not necessary as they are not intergral to KOFXIII. The KOFXIII engine focuses on chain canceling normals. It should be noted however that linking normal moves with others can cause some big damage and provide a little more offensive maneuvers - but they are not mandatory due to the
nature of the game.

Q:"Are there any unblockable set ups in this game?"
A: Yes, but this mostly applies to characters with command grabs. There are also moves in this game that allow characters to outright break the characters guard and it is also possible to Guard Break through a large sequence of moves, especially with Hyper Drive I.E. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVQcpZfw6vs

Q:"Are there Focus Attacks and FADC's in this game?"
A: No, but the CD attacks and the drive canceling that allude to this system however. CD attacks used to knock the opponent away (that which can also be
whiff cancelled and use during jumps), and drive cancels can be done by inputting special move notations immediately after another special move.
You can never drive cancel out of projectile moves. But, you super cancel into the character Super move (or EX Super) by inputting the characters Super move
notations after the projectile (or the special move).
There are some special moves that can not be drive/super canceled from period.

Q:"My opponent keeps hopping at me and pressuring me too much! What should I do? DX"
A: Stay calm and block any incoming attacks. If the opponent is hopping towards, use the character standing C (standing HP) or a good standing normal to beat the opponent out of the air. You can also roll out of the way while that are hopping towards you. Another way to stop incoming hop attacks is to utilize characters stand   or   normal as most characters have one or both options to stop them.

Just read the OP & made some spelling edits & fixes that I see should have been done (Adding in my two cents)

[besteboyjr]

Regarding movement in KOF, I feel that it can be a very footsie heavy game, just faster paced than Street Fighter.  Footsies is basically using normal moves(punches/kicks/cd attacks) to control space. By throwing out properly spaced normals, you can limit the movement of your opponent. If you are new to the game you need to master several key elements, including hopping and running. Hopping lets you jump in from the air, establishing air footsies. A lot of times it is difficult to land a combo or safe block string in this game, even if a jump in hits. I don't even use jump ins to land combos much, except when I punish. I suggest using long reaching jump-ins, ie Iori's jump , Shen's jump  , hoping the opponent blocks, holding them in place momentarily, giving you the advantage. Check the wiki on the front page of this site for the lowdown on each character's normals or go into training mode and test them yourself. If your opponent blocks your jump in, you have several options. You can use another jump in, throw out a ground normal, as long as its in range, or do nothing and wait for a reaction.  This brings up the 2nd technique of running. Reasons running is GREAT in this game are as follows: punishing far off whiffed moves like a missed uppercut (dragon punch), making sure you get a strong normal instead of a throw, advance techniques like running throws. You want to at least attempt a throw, preferably early in a match, when the person isn't vulnerable to a combo. This keeps them honest. They will realize that you will not let them sit there all day and hold block. What else? It sets up something you may have heard of as a frame trap. While you are using jump ins, ground normals, and running normals to apply pressure, a lot of times you will be at a frame advantage over the opponent, meaning you can do anything you want, while their character is stuck, still recovering from block stun. At this point you can run in again, or walk if you choose, and hit them with a normal, followed by your hardest hitting combo. Just make sure it was not blocked, as finishing some combos as block strings can leave you open for punishment.  Why would this work? If the opponent was expecting a throw like you had been attempting earlier, they may have tried to jump away, which beats throws. EXCEPT, you hit a normal, which stops jumps in their tracks, punishing them for assuming you would throw again.  This is a basic overview of some of the metagame of KOF. Please ask any additional questions, I'll answer if I can or direct you elsewhere if I can't.
I found this video just after typing this on orochinagi.com, it sums up most of this post in two minutes: http://youtu.be/vik7OljiXt8

[Great_Dark_Hero]

This is some really good information on establishing offense and defense.
Moving right along.

Q: "Hello. I am usually play UMVC3 a lot. Does KOFXIII possess chain combos or ABC combos?"
A: Yes, there are chain combos in KOFXIII. In fact, chain combos play a pivotal role in KOFXIII. It is important to learn which light normal moves can cancel into specials and combo naturally. It is also important to understand the properties of the said normal moves. Chain combos are important because they help the player utilize hit confirmed combo starters and block strings. There are no true ABC combos but some characters do have target combos that are useful for keeping block strings safe and for continuing combos.

- Example of a chain combo:  Kyo = crouching B(light kick), crouching B (light kick), standing B (light kick)... etc

- Secondary example of a chain combo: Terry Bogard = crouching B(light kick), crouching A(light punch), crouching C(heavy punch)...... 

- Example of a chain combo that can go into a command move as a natural combo:
Kyo = crouching B(light kick), crouching A(light punch), df+D... etc

- Another example of conducting chain combos into command moves: King = crouching B(light kick), crouching B(light kick), standing B(light kick), df+D(heavy kick).......

- Target Combo Example: Mai = standing B(light kick)> standing D(heavy kick)

- Generic combo from a hit confirm and chain combo: Iori = crouching B(light kick), crouching A(light punch), qcb+A......

Also keep in mind that standing C(heavy punch) will cancel into most command moves. 

Q: "How does the meter system of KOFXIII work when you play a match?"
A: The characters can build meter by attacking the opponent successfully, utilizing (and sometimes whiffing) specific special moves, blocking special moves, and receiving hits.
The amount of meter the character can possess is dependent on the characters current team position.
The player chooses three characters to play. The character in the first position can possess 3 meter stock. The secondary character is allowed to have 4 meter stocks. The third character is allowed to have 5 meter stocks. The super meter in this game allows players to do Guard Cancel Roll, Guard Cancel Blowback, EX Moves, and Super Moves(Desperation Moves). All of the characters on a team will also have access to drive meter, which will have two segments. The drive meter allows players to conduct drive cancels. A drive cancel always cost one bar. If the drive meter is full, the character can either perform up to two drive cancels, or the character can go into Hyper Drive mode. Last, the character conduct a Neo Max by having 3 meter stocked and a full drive meter. Always keep in mind that the meter system in this game plays an important role and provides character with more offensive and defensive maneuvers. Be careful of how you arrange your characters when you select your character team positioning.