Some help getting started? Tough to know where to begin.

[EntropicByDesign]

Im brand new to the forum and just as new to KOFVIII. I posted an intro thread a bit ago if anyone wants to read it.. Its long. I type a lot.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this short and to the point.

First, I am looking for people to play with on Steam. I'm located in the US, and would LOVE to find an experienced player who'd be interested in teaching a newb the game. Consider me a student, kick my ass and give advice. I learn quick. Steam name is EntropicByDesign

Second.. and this is a VERY vague question.. but, here goes.. I would like some advice on where to begin. Some help picking a team, and perhaps some guidance on what I should be working on for each character once I have picked a team. There is simply so much to learn, and my unfamiliarity with the game makes it hard to even know where to start.

I have found the AMAZING wiki page you all have made, with combos and info and everything on it.. That thing is incredible (thank you btw). So I do have that as a guide.

But, on to picking a team.. I like a huge number of the characters in KOF and my understanding is that the game is very well balanced. There are the high tier guys I seem to always see when I watch tournaments and such like Mr. Karate, EX Iori and Kim, but at least from what I have read, there arent any dumpster characters that are just crap.

Now, one thing that's important to me is ease of use.. I have bad hands and execution is always going to be a hurdle for me. I don't mind to practice and I don't mind to put in work but while learning a game with this much going on I want to keep my first team relatively simple on the execution side of things.. So characters with a nod towards ease of execution for the important stuff. And obviously I'd like a team that make sense and compliments itself well.

Any advice you all have would be appreciated. I figured I would just list some of the characters I have gravitated towards, and maybe you guys can chime in with opinions on a good team comp or maybe recommend a character I have missed or overlooked. Also, when I refer to a character as being easy/difficult to play, all I'm really referencing is that characters execution requirements on the BnB stuff the character NEEDS to be effective.

Kim (I see him on EVERY team when i watch tournaments, but hes just.. fun. I dunno how easy he is to actually utilize but he has a short list of specials and just looks bad-ass)
Ash (heard he is very difficult to use correctly.)
Saiki (havent unlocked him yet, LOL, but have liked what I have seen of him on streams and such, BnBs Ive seen look hype)
Kyo (Ive heard he hits hard and isnt super hard to learn?)
Benimaru (Coolest name ever)
Daimon (big, hits like a truck)
Shen (Again, heard he isnt too difficult to play?)
Duo Lon (Cool as hell. heard he is difficult)
Andy (Dunno, something about how he 'feels'. I like him)
Yuri (reminds me of Sakura, whom I VERY much enjoy in SF.. Some of her combos look hype as hell too)
Mr. Karate (Hes just a bad-ass, but dunno where he is on execution requirements, and I see a little too much of him. Not against playing him at all though)
Ex Iori (Love this guy.. But see so much of him.)
Mature (Super fun and feels very quick and responsive)
Athena (Extremely interesting character. Very cool, but Ive heard she is difficult to play)
Maxima (He, at least to my newb self, feels very unique and he hits like a damn atom bomb. Im leaning heavily towards him having a spot unless I find out hes crazy difficult to play well)

That's my quick list on the characters that really stood out to me in my little practice sessions. I am not adverse to playing a character just because I see them a lot, like Ex Iori or Mr. Karate, but I don't want to form my team by looking up a tier list, grabbing the top three guys and calling it a day.

I know this is kind of a silly question because ultimately,  I have to make the final decision, but I'm just looking for any opinions you all have on how to put together a solid team that isn't going to be incredibly difficult to utilize. Id like to get in the game and out of practice mode as quickly as I can.

Any way, thanks for reading all this, and I know this question is likely asked a lot, and there is a TON of info out there, but that's kind of the issue, there is so much, its hard to know where to begin. I can start putting together a list of basic BnBs and game-plan info and everything once I have a team figured out. Id love to hear your-alls advice and opinons!

Hit me up on Steam too if anyone is interested in playing, or teaching or just shooting the shit. ID: EntropicByDesign

[Amedø310]

Hi. Have you tried Terry? He's pretty easy to pick up for beginners and he has a lot neutral game tools.

From a progression perspective,  try out Normal Kyo, Maxima, Shen, Duo Lon, Kim, and Terry.

[EntropicByDesign]

I havent yet, but I will now. Thank you!

Im actually in training mode now with Kyo, not too horrible on execution and he hits like a truck. I will def check out Terry.

[Amedø310]

I havent yet, but I will now. Thank you!

Im actually in training mode now with Kyo, not too horrible on execution and he hits like a truck. I will def check out Terry.

Are you online now? I can set-up a game on steam to see if we can play some matches. Just add me on steam. Name is Amedo310. If we have good connection I have help you get comfortable with the game.

[EntropicByDesign]

Inv sent on Steam, =]

[BodyOrgan]

I don't have much experience with many characters in this game. In the beginning my mains were King, Yuri, and Mai, but I honestly wouldn't recommend them to a beginner except maybe King.... but even still I would probably stay way from her so you don't rely on her zonning ability as a crux (should be focusing on hit confirms, and landing combos).

Right now my mains are EX Kyo, Kula, and EX Iori... I dabble with Terry somewhat. Out of my mains the easiest to play, and combo from is EX Kyo (can be the hardest to get in on someone though). A beginner can pick him up, and start using combos pretty quickly. The combos only require minor timing even for some of the more complicated ones. He also has combos for days, so you have plenty to try, and figure out what is easiest for you to pull off.

Next easiest is EX Iori. He's a bit different though. You can use him effectively with most of his combos, and be a real threat, but he's also the hardest of my team to master due to his infinites and free cancels which would make you an insurmountable 800 pound gorilla to deal with. Like I said though, those aren't really required to be a threat. He has one of the easiest crossups to pull off. Easier than Terry, and Terry's is stupid easy. Comes with a command grab so if you can't open your opponent up, and they just keep blocking..... BAM!

I don't play Maxima, but since you seem to like him from what I can tell he's a high risk high reward character. A buddy of mine on my friends list plays him (very well), and if I blink twice during a match, then I've lost a character. When fighting against Maxima I have to make sure everything I do is safe. Safe jumps, empty jumps delayed action, etc... otherwise Maxima will hand me a full punish which will nearly kill my character. The buddy's name is HUcast, I recommend you play him, and have him go full Maxima on you

Another easy character you might want to try is Shen.... back when people around here used to play, a couple of n00bs picked up Shen, and were able to quickly HD for 900ish damage with him. The character also has some armored moves (goes through non armored moves)... one such being his st.C. Doesn't have a DP though, and it seems most of his options require meter which is why everyone runs him anchor.

[6Let]

I'll be sure to add you soon. I'll be glad to help out.

[EntropicByDesign]

@BodyOrgan - THANK YOU for recommending Ex Kyo. I hadnt even touched him yet.. Only labbed him for 10m or so, but I like him a lot. Solid chance he will get a spot on my team =]

@6Let Excellent. I'll be on quite a lot tonight.

EDIT, posted twice, when I should have just edited this post.

Really liking Ex Kyo.. So, so far I have Ex Kyo, probably on point, with Maxima on battery? Or would he be better as anchor?

Need to settle on my third. Shen comes highly recommended, but I don't care for him much, I don't find him very enjoyable to play.

What about Saiki? Any characters that stand out as solid in this team comp? Is Ex Kyo reasonable as a point?

Thanks guys.

Also, REALLY leaning towards King on my team.. Fun, not too tough to play, zoning and good normals.

[The Fluke]

I think that maxima, saiki and ex kyo sounds pretty flexible. All three characters are popular on point but imo, with this team you should be able to quite comfortably move characters around depending on matchups.

[BodyOrgan]

I think that maxima, saiki and ex kyo sounds pretty flexible. All three characters are popular on point but imo, with this team you should be able to quite comfortably move characters around depending on matchups.

I agree with this, but EX Kyo is probably the worst of the three to put on anchor. When other characters have meter they're able to keep EX Kyo out of striking range. Take King for example, when she has 1 stock she can EX DP (an invincible move) a jump in even after firing off a venom strike which leads into combo opportunities. On point the other characters don't have any meter right away, so their options to keeping him out are more limited.

[EntropicByDesign]

Gotcha.

I am still experimenting. I really think King is going to get a spot somewhere, somehow. She is just fun and straight forward.

I spent some time with Saiki today and I might like the idea of him more than the reality.

I also like Mature. Dammit KOF.. Why are so many of your characters so fun to play.

Ok. So, Ex Kyo is pretty much still for sure, King is pretty much guaranteed at this point as well. As much as I like Maxima though, he's getting edged out bit by bit.. Though I do like the idea of a big-body on my team. I need to fiddle with Daimon a little too.

[EntropicByDesign]

Ok, been kinda busy, so haven't had a lot of time to work on KOF, but I think I have a team figured out.

King on point.
Ex Kyo as battery
Mature/Maxima as anchor.


Thoughts? I like the idea of King being able to zone to start things out.. As a newb *ideally* this would let me slow the pace down a little when/if I become competent with her, which just gives me a chance to breathe a little and get my feet under me. Ex Kyo as battery because, well, King is on point, lol.. And Mature/Maxima as my anchor. Mature seems (in this team comp) best suited to this position and while Maxima can fill a couple different roles, again, in this team comp I think he would fit best at the end. The fact that he does eleventybillion damage is nice as well as theoretically, would mean I'm never *totally* out of the fight. I list them both because I cant decide on just three characters. Hell, i cant decide on just four, but if I dont do something I'll just oscillate between characters for eternity and never actually sit down and learn the effin game. Hell, I still want Saiki in there somewhere and I like Andy a lot too.. =/

Normally I struggle to find a character I actually like.. but in KOF, even though I get to pick 3 characters at once, I like so many of them I cant settle down. BaH. I guess its a good problem to have though.

[Hobojim]

I see BodyOrgan has already swayed you towards EX Kyo. He runs him point, and pretty well, and the character is not that difficult to play at a beginner level.

On the other hand, I run Andy on point, and while he might not be a better character in general, I think he lends himself very well to a beginner player's needs. He has an easier time getting in than EX Kyo does, and has a fireball for some minor zoning (although you shouldn't rely on it too much, depending on which character you're up against). Executionally-speaking, he isn't that hard, although some of his drive cancels in the corner are not altogether easy. It's a good way to ease yourself into the requirements of the game, in my opinion.

One more thing. You mentioned in your first post that you love EX Iori, but you see so much of him. That's not a very good reason not to play him. Especially if you're a beginner; why hamstring yourself? If you think a character is fun to play, you should use him. Having fun is the best way to not get burnt out on a game, and the more used a character is, the more fleshed out the information for him will be on the wiki, most likely, so you'll have more to work with and learn from.

[Amedø310]

One more thing. You mentioned in your first post that you love EX Iori, but you see so much of him. That's not a very good reason not to play him. Especially if you're a beginner; why hamstring yourself? If you think a character is fun to play, you should use him. Having fun is the best way to not get burnt out on a game, and the more used a character is, the more fleshed out the information for him will be on the wiki, most likely, so you'll have more to work with and learn from.

This right here and with KOF having so many interesting characters, you'll likely decide to take a break and play others for a while. The biggest concern for me, when it comes to KOF, is not trying to play the whole damn cast in each title.

[The Fluke]

One more thing. You mentioned in your first post that you love EX Iori, but you see so much of him. That's not a very good reason not to play him. Especially if you're a beginner; why hamstring yourself? If you think a character is fun to play, you should use him. Having fun is the best way to not get burnt out on a game, and the more used a character is, the more fleshed out the information for him will be on the wiki, most likely, so you'll have more to work with and learn from.

This right here and with KOF having so many interesting characters, you'll likely decide to take a break and play others for a while. The biggest concern for me, when it comes to KOF, is not trying to play the whole damn cast in each title.

I actually think that not playing ex iori because of how common he is a valid choice. I'd recommend picking whatever you want to play and try to, but not worry about winning.

I've pretty much put kim on ice because he's really not that fun to play a lot. Instead i play kensou and i think i benefit alot from that as a player. I'm happier when i play now and i don't get as frustrated as i used to wich allows me to keep my focus on the game.