Mai Shiranui (Console)

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Here is a recent video on Naoki's Mai game play during a tournament session. Please pay attention and look at the video very closely - Many tier lists have been recently constructed! Every now and then some of them place Mai as a bottom tier character (i.e. seemingly useless) - this video will contradict that theory GREATLY...

KoF XIII : Nishinippori Versus (2012/5/19) [Part 3]

[t3h mAsTarOth...!]

Mai is my main character... I play her second also and she is my best character... I even put her on the lowest tier... Being on the lowest tier however doesn't make her unusable... I can deal with pretty much any character with her better than i can with Billy... She also has the best neomax in the game...

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Mai is my main character... I play her second also and she is my best character... I even put her on the lowest tier... Being on the lowest tier however doesn't make her unusable... I can deal with pretty much any character with her better than i can with Billy... She also has the best neomax in the game...

Ah, well... then again, this isn't MVC2 and this is probably one THE most balanced fighting games of this generation. Mai is viable through and through... But, we should speak about which characters can go well with Mai on a team.
What team members can Mai have? What character suit themselves for her?

[t3h mAsTarOth...!]

Mai is completely viable... In a tournament though, Mai is best played second... She just gets out done as a battery against some characters cause her damage without meter is pitiful... As an anchor she just doesn't have the power to do a massive comeback... It's possible but not practical... Without meter you can't really expect to take out a Benimaru/Karate/Hwa/Kim/Kyo with a ton of meter... Specially if their on their first character...

I think any battery that can give her Neomax is good with her... She will most likely blow meter so someone that doesn't need HD like Benimaru/Yuri/Takuma/Hwa can act as anchor with her...

[sibarraz]

Mai is best at second, I do this

With Andy I got 3 meters, don't waste any with him (maybe one according to the context)

Then, mai with meter is scary, since her neomax changes completely her playstyle, some people say that is stupid to spend 3 meters and her HD just to do her neomax, but IMO she justs need that, since my game with her is zoning, and rushing with her searching for long combos is really risky. I can pull one or even 2 neomaxes for matches, since she gains meter REALLY fast

The third character is yuri, since she can make meter fast, and with her I don't need much meter I'm fine

btw, mai vs kyo matchup is like 9-1 for kyo lol

[t3h mAsTarOth...!]

It's not that bad... You can stop Kyo from spamming j.d+C by throwing out far C... Without that the poking game is still in Kyo's favour but not that bad... just be careful when he has 2 meters... Mai's safe jumps are no longer viable...

[sibarraz]

It's not that bad... You can stop Kyo from spamming j.d+C by throwing out far C... Without that the poking game is still in Kyo's favour but not that bad... just be careful when he has 2 meters... Mai's safe jumps are no longer viable...

My biggest problem is jumping cd

With raiden I had the same problem

[Shiranui_ninja]

My team is King, Mature and Mai. There's no reason for that, they are just my favourite characters since I play KOF. And I use Mai as anchor. I know is not the best position for her but she's the character I know better and I use better (and I like more) and this is why I safe her as third member, to use HD combos/Neomax/meter with her. Usually I use King as point, to zone and pressure in corner without meter and cancels. Then I use Mature to keep pressing, filling up meter if its' needed or using simple combo qcb+C x3 > super cancel > qcb, hcf + C. then i use Mai to go crazy on pressure, zoning, corner combos and HD combos if I have the chance and finish the job :D

Another order I use often is Mature as point, Mai as battery and King as anchor, but I never do it good with King in third position. Mai is more deadly in my hands than King (it has to be said I'm not a great player, just a casual one :P)

[sibarraz]

Today Chilean Player Gutts will make a video review of mai (REN TIME), for 30 minutes

This will start at 9pm chilean time (now we are at 10:18 am, so calculate yourself)

I will put the link soon

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Mai does have a few options for HD combos without the use of super meter stocks (0 stocks). Mai is also capable of following up after the HD meter disappears. 

Mai problem

[corner] s.B, s.D [HD] s.D, hcf D [HDC] air.qcb C, hcf D [2hits] [HDC] qcb C, hcf D [2 hits] [HDC] qcb C, hcf D [2 hits] [HDC] qcb C, qcb C, air throw [597]
This was sample of what "can" do after she the HD combo. An air throw results in a hard knock down and she benefits from hard knockdowns.
If you wish to save meter, than this should be a good HD combo to use. But, there are plenty of methods of following up "after" a HD combo. Instead of an air throw you can do a reset with s.C and the continue your assault with some sort of high/low mix up.

If you have some meter to burn (if you want to finish a match quickly) you can one more EX move or DM to keep your cycle going.

If you have two meters at your disposal, you can use the EX Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi (Her EX DM) instead of the Air Throw. This will result 680 damage.

If you have three meters at your disposal, you can use the Neo Max which will result in 784 damage. You need to do this on the very last Ryuenbuu loop and input the Neo Max notation when her arm smacks the opponent.

[Shiranui_ninja]

My HD combo 0 meter:

b>D, HD, C, hcf+D >HDC> in air qcb+c (corner) > hcf+D > HDC > ground qcb+C > qcb+C > qcb+C > HDC > qcf+A > qcb+C > qcb+C (HD mode off) > qcb+C > air grab or DM if i want to spend some meter. about 600-650 of damage


Amazing video with great HD combos, non hd combos and stun combos.

KOF XIII MAI SHIRANUI COMBOS

[Sprint]

My HD combo 0 meter:

b>D, HD, C, hcf+D >HDC> in air qcb+c (corner) > hcf+D > HDC > ground qcb+C > qcb+C > qcb+C > HDC > qcf+A > qcb+C > qcb+C (HD mode off) > qcb+C > air grab or DM if i want to spend some meter. about 600-650 of damage

Change the ending. You can get an extra DC in there before the gauge runs out.

b>D, HD, C, hcf+D >HDC> in air qcb+c (corner) > hcf+D > HDC > ground qcb+C > qcb+C > qcb+C > HDC > qcf+A > qcb+C > qcb+C > HDC > qcf+A > qcb+C > qcb+C

Then either do:
- airthrow
- qcb+C > d+C > cancel into walldive > cancel into d+B for an overhead (definitely do it if you think they're close to stun... it does 10 stun)
- Instant air qcb,hcf(uf)+BD > qcb+C > airthrow
You can get a bit more damage with a neomax combo, but you build a ton of meter doing this instead.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

Here is another HD combo for 0 stock: 630 damage (it is possible to get 645 damage, but that would require the player to late cancel into HD mode, then use two Ryuenbuu's after hcf+D, instead of one). If you replace the very last Ryuenbuu with Mai's Neo Max, then you get 809 damage for two stocks. The video goes by the assumption that you chose Mai for battery purposes but it is possible in all team positions (the timing of this combo is a bit tricky but become easy after a couple tries).
KOFXIII - Mai Shiranui Ideal HD combo

[Sprint]

I'd hardly call that 'ideal'. When started the same way as in your video, the combo I gave in the post immediately before does 671 damage (using the qcb+C,d+C ender) and doesn't require any tricky timing at all. It's stupidly easy.

If you do the instant air super ender I mentioned, it does 802 damage for 2 bars and builds about 70% of a meter at the end just like the meterless combo. It's really hard to do, but worth it for that extra bar (unless you already have max). If you have 4 bars you can chain 2 of them (example).

For just raw damage with 2 bars (after the airdive):
- hcf+D(1hit) (DC) qcf+A, qcb+C, hcf+D(2hit) (DC) qcb+C, hcf+D(2hit) (DC) qcb+A, hcf+D(1hit) (DC) Neomax
826 damage when using the same starter. This is incredibly easy, but doesn't build you a ton of meter like the aforementioned combo.

[Great_Dark_Hero]

I'd hardly call that 'ideal'. When started the same way as in your video, the combo I gave in the post immediately before does 671 damage (using the qcb+C,d+C ender) and doesn't require any tricky timing at all. It's stupidly easy.

If you do the instant air super ender I mentioned, it does 802 damage for 2 bars and builds about 70% of a meter at the end just like the meterless combo. It's really hard to do, but worth it for that extra bar (unless you already have max). If you have 4 bars you can chain 2 of them (example).

For just raw damage with 2 bars (after the airdive):
- hcf+D(1hit) (DC) qcf+A, qcb+C, hcf+D(2hit) (DC) qcb+C, hcf+D(2hit) (DC) qcb+A, hcf+D(1hit) (DC) Neomax
826 damage when using the same starter. This is incredibly easy, but doesn't build you a ton of meter like the aforementioned combo.

If I paid attention. I see where the problem is! That hcf+D towards the beginning is a better start than Kachousen. I didn't think that would actually connect after an HD cancelled air-dive (I was kind of decieved by the Musasabi dive recover, but now its clear to me that you connect for two hits after a Musasabi). This combo is FAR easier and damaging than the one I displayed. I'm also amazed at your stun combo video - especially sense you linked a s.A after a Kachousen... Very nice.  I'll make corrections to that video momentarily. Thanks again for your help.