The King of Fighters XIII/Ralf Jones

File:Ralf XIII.jpgFile:Ralf Sprite.gif

Normals

Standing

st. A: 25 damage, cancellable, hits high. Standard punch attack. Fast and stops a lot of short hops.

st. B: 30 damage, cancellable, hits high.

st. C: 80 damage, hits high. Great long-range poke. Very useful for zoning.

st. D: 80 damage, hits high. Another long-range poke. It's not quite as fast as st.C, but it's still very useful.

cl. C: 40 x 2 damage, cancellable on first hit only, hits high. This is Ralf's primary combo starter. Often followed up with his C Burning Hammer. Alternatively, Jet Uppercut can be used to hit-confirm combos.

cl. D: 70 damage, cancellable, hits high. Decent damage, but not quite as fast as cl.C. It also causes more knockback than cl.C, making some follow-ups whiff. Aside from those two (notable) drawbacks, it can be used as a substitute to cl.C in many combos.

Crouching

cr. A: 25 damage, cancellable and chainable, hits high.

cr. B: 30 damage, cancellable, hits low. A quick attack often used to start combos. At close range, it can be comboed into df+A or linked to cl.C.

cr. C: 70 damage, cancellable, hits high. Awesome. This is Ralf's only long-range cancellable move, so it really is the backbone of a lot of his damage. It is often used after Burning Hammer and cancelled into either Gatling Attack or a DM.

cr. D: 80 damage, (whiff) cancellable, hits low. Causes a soft knockdown. Great range for a sweep. Often used after blocked Burning Hammer or whiffed Explosive Punch

Jumping

j. A: 45 (40) damage, cancellable, hits mid. A quick punch aimed downward. As Ralf's only cancellable jumping attack, this move is great for hop pressure.

j. B: 45 (40) damage, hits mid.

j. C: 72 (70) damage, hits mid. An elbow drop with a good amount of hitstun. This is a good for jump-ins if Ralf is approaching from above.

j. D: 70(68) damage, hits mid. A kick aimed downward. This is the preferred jump-in option is Ralf is approaching from further away.

Blowback Attack

CD: 75 damage, (whiff) cancellable, hits high. Excellent CD. It has great range and moves Ralf forward. On counter hit, it can combo into either of Ralf's DMs (or NeoMax). More often, it's whiff canceled into Burning Hammer (to keep advancing) or Explosive Punch (to keep Ralf safe).

j. CD: 90(80) damage, cancellable, hits high. Drop kicks have a tendency to be awesome in KOFXIII, and Ralf's j.CD is no exception. Great speed and amazing range. It can also be canceled into his Blitzkrieg punch.

GCCD: 10 damage, hits high.

Throw

Dynamite Headbutt = (b/f+C/D): 100 damage, can be broken. Causes soft knockdown. Pretty standard throw, which leaves the opponent at a neutral distance from Ralf.

Command Moves

Jet Uppercut = (df+A) 65 damage, cancellable, hits high. Ralf punches straight up. Good anti-air and useful for hit-confirming combos.

Special Moves

Vulcan Punch = (P repeatedly) - Ralf delivers a volley of explosive punches. Any punch will knock the opponent away, so you're unlikely to ever connect more than one of them at a time. (On counter hit, two.) New to the console version is the ability to move forward while performing this move. This gives it a bit more utility, in that it allows Ralf to advance forward while keeping himself somewhat protected against jump-ins. Probably his least-used special.

(EX) = (AC repeatedly) - Unlike the normal version, this can hit multiple times (usually three midscreen and four in the corner). Still very few situations where this move is recommended.

- Drive/Super Cancellable

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: 80xN/70xN

Burning Hammer = (qcf+P) - A quick, explosive punch to the gut. A version is quicker, more damaging and Ralf recovers quicker. The C version stuns the opponent long enough to allow Ralf to follow-up with a normal, Gatling Attack or DM. As such, it forms the heart of most of Ralf's combos.

(EX) = qcf+AC - This version is too slow to combo into, but has full-body autoguard, making is work like a counter move. On hit, it puts the opponent in a crumple state. The next hit will knock the opponent down, so the best options are a DM. Best meterless option is a j.CD.

- Drive/Super Cancellable

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: 60/50/100

Explosive Punch = (qcb+P) - Ralf pounds the ground, causing a mushroom cloud explosion around him. A version is fast, but the hitbox is extremely small. Some like to use it for the meter gain. C version is larger, and a decent (if slightly slow) anti-air. Be advised that the hitbox on the C version is still smaller than the explosion itself. Ralf is completely covered during the explosion and can attack the moment it clears. Often st.C or D are used to make sure opponents can't get in to punish him. C version can also be used in the corner to juggle opponents.

(EX) = qcb+AC - The EX version hits three time for decent damage. Like the C version, this is also sometimes used in corner combos for some powerful combos.

- Drive/Super Cancellable

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: 60/80/60x2+80

Gatling Attack = (b~f+P) - Ralf charges forward with a backhand, and follows up with Burning Hammer (A version), Jet Upper (C version) or Vulcan Punch into Jet Upper (EX version). The A version doesn't knock down, so it is useful for DC and HD combos. The C version is stronger, making it a better choice if you lack meter. In the corner, it can be drive cancelled into Explosive Punch to juggle the opponent.

(EX) = b~f+AC - In addition to being faster and more damaging, the EX version ends in a hard knockdown. While it's not a bad special, it doesn't lead into any bigger damage. Most Ralf players end up saving their meter for other moves.

- Drive/Super Cancellable

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: 40+35/40+30x2/30x2+20x4+100

Blitzkrieg Punch = (qcf+P) in air - Ralf dive bombs the opponent. This overhead attack is great for pressuring opponents and players have been known to abuse it. What makes it so spammable is that, after hitting the ground, Ralf bounces far enough back to avoid most punishment. It can be Drive and Super cancelled, and only if the move connects with the opponent's toes is it possible to combo from it. This is nearly impossible to hit-confirm, however. Typically, a successful hit causes a hard knockdown.

(EX) = qcf+AC in air - EX version is faster, more damaging and has some invincibility.

- Drive/Super Cancellable

- Hit Detection: Mid

- Damage: 120/180

Desperation Moves

Galactica Phantom = (qcfx2+P) - Ralf hits the opponent with an explosive punch. This move can be charged for increased damage. Fully charged (about four seconds), it is also unblockable. Galactica Phantom can travel through projectiles and other attacks, making it a useful punish.

(EX) = qcfx2+AC - The EX version does much more damage and travels a bit further.

- Max Cancellable

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: Lv1:180 / 300 Lv2: 220 / 340 Lv3: 260 / 380 Lv4: 320 / 500

Bareback Vulcan = (qcb hcf+K) - Ralf tackles the opponent and punches them repeatedly. This move has faster start-up than regular GP (but slower than EX GP) and good reach (Ralf runs full-screen). The move ends with hard knockdown with the opponent at his feet, which allows Ralf keep pressure going. This is usually Ralf's preferred DM for combos.

- Max Cancellable on first and last hit

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: 15x9+100

Neomax

Jet Vulcan = (hcbx2+AC) - Ralf explodes in a flurry of punches, after which he goes into a "cool down" pose. Outside of combos, this move does 94 hits and 486 damage. Standalone, this move has some utility as an anti-air since it sucks the opponent in and will always do the full number of hits (like Ryo's Zanretsuken). However, it's much more advisable to use this as an ending to HD combos. Since EX GP suffers a lot from damage scaling, this will always be Ralf's best finisher.

- Hit Detection: High

- Damage: (10+0)x11+(8+0)x35+8+80

Combos

0% Gauge

0 Meter

cl.C, df+A, qcf+C, cr.C, b~f+C (280)

cr.B, df+A, qcf+C, b~f+C (216)

1 Meter

cl.C, df+A, qcf+C, cr.C, qcb,hcf+K (413)

2 Meter

cl.C, df+A, qcf+C, cr.C, qcfx2+AC (445)

50% Gauge

0 Meter

cl.C, df+A, qcf+C, b~f+A (DC) qcf+C, b~f+C (310)

(corner) cl.C, df+A, qcf+C, cr.C, b~f+C (DC) qcb+C, qcb+A (371)

1 Meter

cl.C, qcf+C, cr.C, b~f+A (DC) qcf+C, qcb,hcf+K (439)

(corner) cl.C, qcf+C, cr.C, b~f+C (DC) qcb+C, qcb,hcf+K (467)

2 Meter

cl.C, qcf+C, cr.C, b~f+C (SC) qcfx2+AC (charged to Lv2) (496)

HD Combos

0 Meter

cl.C, HD, cl.C, qcf+C, [b~f+A (HDC) qcf+C] x5, b~f+C (453)

1 Meter

cl.C, HD, cl.C, qcf+C, [b~f+A (HDC) qcf+C] x5, qcb,hcf+K (569)

2 Meter

cl.C, HD, cl.C, qcf+C, [b~f+A (HDC) qcf+C] x4, b~f+A (HDC) hcbx2+AC (706)

3 Meter

cl.C, HD, cl.C, qcf+C, [b~f+A (HDC) qcf+C] x3, qcb,hcf+K (MAX) hcbx2+AC (800)

Console Changes

• Strong Burning Hammer has less lag. You can combo it into his C Gatling Attack without needing to cancel.

• During Vulcan Punch (all versions) Ralf can move forward.

• EX Burning Hammer has faster startup and can be comboed from strong attacks.

• Both versions of Galactica Phantom can be charged.

• Crouch D has less lag.

Yamamoto – Ralph=power is the simple equation we used here. The centerpiece being his chargeable Galactica Phantom. Damage increases as charge levels go up, release it earlier to improve damage with a super cancel. It’s nostalgic that he can move again during his Vulcan Punch.

Links & References

Technical Reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVSOO7o3nZA

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