How to compose a team

[Vanilla]

Just starting with KOF and I am wondering what things are important to consider when composing a team. Right now I am learning KOF2002UM and have mostly just been practicing with Leona and selecting two other random characters to just to try things out. Any suggestions for who I should try out to compliment Leona would be appreciated.

[Remxi]

I guess the main thing to consider is meter usage. First slot should go to a character that is either good without meter, good at building meter, or good at pressuring the opponent without worrying about their defensive meter options. Last slot is for characters that need meter to be effective, whether it's through damage, defense or shutting down options.

A good example would be K' or Kula in the first position as they build good meter and don't need to use it to do decent damage. Their pressure is also much more effective when the opponent doesn't have excess stocks to guard cancel roll through things. A character you see in final position is often is Kasumi, because people want to land that HSDM and they need the stock for it.

Some chars can play any position while others excel at a specific roll. imho Leona should be a second or third character, just so you have enough meter to have V-Slasher on demand when you need it.

btw people sometimes refer to first char as "battery" and last char as "anchor".

[Judge Fudge]

Some players put their best character as their anchor, but this isn't necessarily the best way to go.  Like Remxi said, consider meter usage.  As a Leona player, I've found that she has a harder time building meter on her own than most of the rest of the cast.  Considering that she's a somewhat meter-dependent character, placing her 2nd or 3rd would be best.  With Leona, it's all about the V-Slasher, so you should do whatever you have to to make sure she has at least one ready to go.

[Vanilla]

Thanks for the advice, i'm working on K' right now.
Speaking of Leona, where can I find some info on her BnB's and setups? So far, I have just been getting by with ambiguous hop  C, 2A confirm into C Moon Slasher and cl. D, 4B, X-Calibur. What other ways can she combo into V-Slasher other then off a jump in or Baltic Launcher?

[Remxi]

Her basic combos are c.B, c.B, c.A, d~u+C and j.X, s.D [1], rdp+K, s.D [2], f+B, V-Slasher. You can combo into V-Slasher from a j.CD counter hit, or supercancel it from b~f+D.f+D.

[Judge Fudge]

She can also cancel into it off of a hh A, B, or D.  The timing is kind of tricky, but being able to do it consistently is essential.  The timing for Leona's cancels and combos is harder than most characters (at least in 98.  Not sure about 2k2), so she's probably not the best choice for a beginner, but stick with her anyway.  If you get a feel for her, then other characters should be a walk in the park for the most part IMO.

[Vanilla]

Thanks for the info. I am a bit of a training mode rat and typically play higher execution characters so I don't mind taking the plunge.

[C 3]

Good advice, but can you and other experienced players make a chart or something along those lines putting the whole cast in 3 categories:

point
2nd
anchor (something along those lines)

please and thank you!

[sibarraz]

I guess that a list like that should based more on how do you feel using each character, according on how much do you need the gauge for each character

[C 3]

True, but in the first post for example he mentioned that K' and Kula are good suggestions for point characters.  I'm looking for that kind of advice, except for the whole cast.

[JeremyH]

One other thing you may want to take into account as well, it can be helpful to have team alternates who excel at different types of gameplay.  For example, you don't want all of your character to be ineffective against zoning characters or grapplers, so it can be nice to keep your options open.  It sounds like you already have an idea of who/what you are looking for, but just for anyone else wondering

[Judge Fudge]

A list like that would be very hard to compile seeing as it changes from game to game.  Also, there are some characters who are extremely versatile and can be effective in any position, so they don't really fit in any particular category.

[OCV|Gilgamesh]

kupo !

What do you think about :

Team 1 - 1.Chin / 2.King / 3.Takuma
Team 2 - 1.Kensou / 2.Andy / 3.Joe

[Ryudo]

Trying to compose a Team myself. Thinking somewhere down the lines in OG 2K2.
Team 1: Ralf, Terry, Kyo
Team 2: K', Ryo, Kyo
Team 3: Benimaru, Andy, Kyo

Tell me what you guys think of these teams?

[Remzi]

Ryudo, not bad. Terry has less use for meter than Ralf, so you might want to swap them up though.