EX King is an alternate version of King, adapting her moveset from Art of Fighting 2 into the gameplay style of '98.
Movelist
Notation
- Light Punch
- Light Kick
- Heavy Punch
- Heavy Kick
Throws
Hold Rush - (close) / +
Hook Buster - (close) / +
Command Normals
Sliding - +
Special Moves
Venom Strike - + /
Trap Shot - + /
Tornado Kick - + /
Moushuu Kyaku - + /
Desperation Moves
Double Strike - + /
Surprise Rose - + /
Introduction
EX King is a zoning and neutral monster, thanks to her great set of normals that cover all the different areas she needs to control and her good projectiles that set up her zoning game. Without meter, EX King isn't as threatening, but when she has a bar she gets access to two really powerful DMs that boost her damage, let her zone even more effectively, and fill some holes in her gameplan. Her neutral is her strongest point, but she can also push the offensive when necessary; her main threat there is her proximity unblockable that launches for combo followups. EX King's "fresh" moveset gives her a more zoning-focused gameplan than her regular counterpart, but also due to her fantastic corner damage, better fireballs and belligerent supers, she gets upgraded from being a standard high tier to one of the best characters in the game.
King
EX King
King VS EX King - Character Comparison
Gameplan differences
King is a zoner sporting a solid pressure game with a stable gameplan that doesn't necessitate meter thanks to her very solid special moves.
EX King is a zoner that has good mix-up up close, whose kit is amplified greatly if she has meter thanks to having one of the best supers in the game
Combo differences
King has better meterless combos at longer ranges and good supers to combo, which can be improved upon further if the player is good at switching routes depending if the opponent is standing or not
EX King has access to a launcher at closer ranges, and amazing corner damage if the player's execution is up to par, and just like with Regular King, her supers are very combo friendly, which all end in very good oki
Neutral
King plays like a traditional zoner, with great normals, multiple projectiles, and a meterless reversal/anti air
EX King has tools for offense and defense, with access to one of the best reversals in the game, Surprise Rose, locked behind meter
Preferred System Mechanics
King is an already solid character on her own, with good meter build and opportunities to charge up, who also doesn't mind what other system mechanics you use her, making her a very flexible point character.
EX King doesn't mind what mechanics you choose to use on her, but becomes one of the best zoners in the game if she has access to meter, making her a scary mid or anchor in every team.
Gameplay Overview
EX King is a powerful zoner with strong projectiles and normals, alongside a nice close range mix-up game and incredible corner damage. To compliment this kit, her projectile super is amazing, and her reversal super could potentially be the best in KOF history.
Pros
Cons
Amazing Zoning: Whether she's pressing a normal or tossing out Venom Strikes, EX King controls the neutral extremely well against almost every character.
Belligerent Normals: Amazing hitboxes and great speed - King's normals are ludicrous, most notably 5CD, 3D, 2C, 2B and j.CD.
High Reward: Provided you have the execution, EX King's corner routes are some of the most damaging in the game, and leave her in MAX Mode.
Surprise Rose: One of the best reversals in KOF history - active on frame 3, requires prior knowledge to punish, insanely consistent, provides a hard knockdown. Anything you ever dreamed of is given to you by this super.
No Meterless Reversals: Surprise Rose requires meter, meaning it is much harder to abuse when outside of Extra mode's red health.
System Mechanics
Run VS Step
EX King is flexible, as the step can assist her in neutral, or the run can assist her in pressure. Step also makes her microwalk combo easier.
Roll VS Dodge
Again, EX King is flexible here. Roll is useful for movement, and her dodge attack is pretty good. This choice is heavily matchup dependent.
Advanced VS Extra
EX King is still an amazing character in ADV mode - she can stock up bar and become a scary anchor, having access to constant GCCD alongside Surprise Rose.
However, EXT gauge's benefits propel EX King to becoming one of the best characters in the game - red health and Quick MAX turn her from an incredible zoner to almost untouchable.
Team Position
EX King is an anchor through and through. More meter is more problems... for your opponent.
Changes from Previous Versions
98UM to 98UMFE
Normals:
D Venom Strike (236D) now has less recovery
Supers:
Surprise Rose (236236P) now causes a hard knockdown
Normal Moves
Close
cl.A: Good anti-hop option at close range. Whiffs on tiny crouchers. Chainable into any standing light and cancelable.
cl.B: This is a fast standing low. Cancelable.
cl.C: Hits above EX King, so it can be used as a close-range anti-air. For combos, cl.D is the better choice. Whiffs on tiny crouchers.
cl.D: Two-hitting heavy button. This is your main combo option from jump-ins, and the two hits make it easy to hit-confirm. Both hits are cancelable.
Standing
f.A: Standard standing jab with good range and priority. Incredible hop check. Chainable into any standing light except for 2B.
f.B: Has low invincibility when she's off the ground. Good for stopping hops, and but is prone to trading as an anti-air against jumps.
f.C: Very fast and active poke (comes out in just 4f, and stays out for 9) that can catch hops and function as an anti-air from further away. It also works well against grounded opponents in footsies, though it won't hit crouchers other than the large ones and is susceptible to getting hit by lows. Just a fantastic button generally.
f.D: Another good poke, hits a bit lower than f.C. Works well for anti-airs at long range, where you hit with the tip of her shoe.
Crouching
2A: A standard crouching jab. Decent for blockstrings. Chainable and cancelable.
2B: This is your main low combo option alongside cl.B, Chainable and cancelable.
2C: One of EX King's best anti-airs, as it has nice priority and hits a nice angle above her. On hit, you can cancel it into 236B to force your opponent to block it meaty as they're coming down. Cancelable on hit, block, and whiff.
2D: This is a pretty bad sweep, as it has about the same length of her 2B but leads to nothing. It does have a lot of active frames though. EX King has no shortage of strong low options, so this being bad isn't really a problem.
Jumping
j.A: A fairly standard j.A that gets outclassed by her other jumping buttons.
j.B: One of your two go-to air-to-airs alongside j.CD. Use j.B when you think j.CD will be too slow to come out.
j.C: A strong jump-in normal. Can be used for crossups.
j.D: Another good jump-in normal. Comes out very fast and can be used as an instant overhead. When used as a jump-in attack, delay the button press so that you hit them deep, as the advantage on hit is a bit tight.
CD Normals
5CD: Great poking tool, as it has low invincibility and can be canceled into 236K to make it safe/take up more space. Makes for a good meaty, as it's slightly plus on block. Cancelable on hit, block, and whiff.
j.CD: This is great as a air-to-air as well as jump-in, as it goes from top to bottom in an arc. One of EX King's best air-to-air buttons, and great to use as a jump-in for pressure.
Throws
Hook Rush:4/6C (close)
Regular throw, techable. EX King delivers a knee strike and an uppercut that sends the opponent into a soft knockdown.
Hook Master:4/6D (close)
Regular throw, techable. EX King grabs the opponent with her legs and flips them behind her, leading to a soft knockdown.
Command Moves
Sliding Kick:3D
A low-hitting, low-profile, cancelable slide. The complete package.
This move allows EX King to go under aerial fireballs, and additionally helps her poking game.
Fairly unique in that it is only cancelable during the raw version and not the canceled-into one. You can get around this in combos by late-canceling into it, which retains the cancelability of the raw version while still combo-ing.
You can cancel it into a special move, like 236K for pressure or 421K/63214K for a combo. Safe if spaced out, but punishable if done too close and not canceled.
Special Moves
Trap Shoot:623B/D
King does a backflip while kicking. Functionally a hitgrab, where a launch takes place after the combo. This launch can only be capitalised on if you Quick MAX the last hit.
On block, it has a lot of pushback, making it fairly safe. Not good as an anti-air, despite looking like a DP, as it will lose or at best trade against jump-in attacks, and it does zero damage in a trade.
Also despite looking like a DP, it has no invincibility whatsoever and cannot function as a reversal. However, it is very fast, and will combo from just about anything if close enough.
Causes a soft knockdown.
Not good for reversals or anti-airing, good for ending combos and taking up a bunch of space onscreen.
Really good for racking up corner damage.
Venom Strike:236B/D
EX King launches an airborne projectile that travels fullscreen. B version travels slower and D version travels faster.
B version being slower means that it's better for setting up anti-airs and roll punishes.
D version travels very fast, so it can be good to catch people off-guard with.
Both versions are very safe on block, even at point-blank range.
Can be hopped over.
Very solid projectile overall, and important to EX King's zoning game.
Tornado Kick:63214B/D
EX King leaps forwards into the air and does two kicks as she travels. B version travels halfscreen and D version travels 3/4 of the screen.
Good move to throw out to catch approaches with, or to harass the opponent from long range.
B version is fairly safe on block, D version is punishable if not carefully spaced.
Good combo move when you're not in range for the 421K, like after a spaced 3D.
During corner combos, EX King can land only the first hit of the move with proper timing, allowing her to juggle further and get a serious boost to her damage.
Moushuu Kyaku:421B/D (close)
EX King delivers a series of close-range kicks and then launches the opponent. There's no difference between the button strengths.
This is a fast proximity unblockable with partial startup invincibility.
This is a key move for EX King, as it can be combo-ed from both lights and heavies and it launches, allowing for a variety of combo enders.
This also helps her mixup game a lot, since she doesn't have many other tools to threaten with when up close.
On wakeup, combining this with Surprise Rose allows EX King to employ a high risk, high reward guessing game.
Desperation Moves
Double Strike:236236B/D
King throws out two big projectiles. The B version travels slower and the D version travels faster.
Like most projectile DMs in the game, this is really good, as the projectiles EX King launches will beat out most other projectiles in the game, blowing away any zoning attempts. When EX King has a full stock, she can easily win any projectile zoning wars with the D version.
This DM is also good for combos, since you can land it off of 3D and 421K.
Both versions are punishable on block when done up close.
The MAX version's projectiles become bigger (about the size of a Haoh Shoh Koh Ken) and more damaging, and they travel the same speed as the D version's.
Surprise Rose:236236A/C
EX King launches the opponent up into the air, then divekicks them back down to the ground, where she performs a series of fast kicks. A version travels a shorter distance and at a shallower angle compared the C version.
This is an invincible DM with only 2 frames of startup, making it active on frame 3. It's easily the best reversal in the game, as the invulnerability will also beat out most things.
Since it starts up so fast, it can also work as a close-range punish.
Can be very hard to punish, and this "safety" can be abused on people who haven't studied the matchup - Run under EX King as soon as possible, or do a rising j.CD as she rises.
MAX version travels at the same trajectory as the C version, but EX King does more kicks, so it deals more damage.
All versions deal a hard knockdown.
Combos
General Notes:
In any metered combo, 236236K can be replaced with 236236BD for more damage if you have the resources. With Extra meter, this will be done automatically if you're in MAX Mode and have a desperation charge ready.
Meterless
Low
2B, 2B, 421K, 623K/63214D
EX King's main light confirm. The 623K ender does more damage, but requires a microwalk to connect, while the 63214D ender is easier to land and offers better corner carry/okizeme.
2B, 2B, 421K, 2C, 236B
Version of the above that does less damage, but resets the opponent into a meaty projectile for better pressure. Requires you to do a microdash when midscreen.
2B, 2B, rdp+K, 63214B(1), 623K
Corner-only variant using the one hit Tornado Kick technique that does a lot of damage but requires tight timing. The 63214B must be delayed slightly, and only the first hit must connect.
2Bx3, 623K
Her longest light confirm. Has to be done point-blank, and the timing for the lights is tricky.
3D > 63214D
Basic confirm from slide. Useful as an anti-air to catch the opponent's landing or low profile their jump-in. Also useful as a poke against grounded opponents, but 63214D is not very safe if blocked so make sure to confirm that the opponent is standing or in the middle of an attack when the slide is about to hit, or quick max the second hit of 63214D to be safe either way.
Mid/Jump-In
(j.X), cl.D, 63214D
Basic jump-in combo. Easy to confirm but not as much damage as the 421K routes.
(j.X), 2B/cl.D(1), 421K, 623K/63214D
Main jump-in and heavy button confirm.
(j.X), 2B/cl.D(1), 421K, 2C, 236B
Reset route from a jump-in. Still requires microdash to land 2C midscreen.
(j.X), 2B/cl.D(1), 421K, 63214B(1), 623K
Jump-in one hit Tornado Kick route.
(j.X), cl.D(1), 3D, 421K, dp+K/hcb+D
Late cancel cl.D(1) into 3D. The timing isn't super difficult, but it takes some practice to get used to.
(j.X), cl.D(1), 3D, 421K, 2C, 236B
Reset route with late cancel.
(j.X), cl.D(1), 3D, 421K, 63214B(1), 623K
Your strongest meterless combo, and a combination of the techniques you learned - late cancel cl.D(1) 3D and one hit Tornado Kick.
With Meter
Low
2B, 2B, 421K, 236236D
Basic metered low confirm. 236236D might not connect properly near the corner.
Mid/Jump-In
(j.X), cl.D, 421K, 236236D
Main metered jump-in and punish combo. 236236D is still inconsistent in the corner.
(j.X), cl.D(1), 3D, 421K, 236236D
Main confirm using late cancel, 236236D's corner inconsistency still included.
With Quick MAX
Low
2B, ABC, cl.D, 421K, 236236D
Low starter into a Quick MAX combo. Boring, unconfirmable and nearly useless, since you can just go into proximity unblockable from 2B chains anyway. It's strongly advised that you don't do this combo.
2B, 2B, 421K, 623D, ABC, 623D
Basic double Trap Shot route. Not too much damage, but it looks pretty stylish and puts you in MAX Mode. Quick MAX the final hit of the first Trap Shot.
2B, 2B, 421K, 63214B(1), 623D, ABC, 623D
One hit Tornado Kick from lights. Insane damage for a light starter.
Mid/Jump-In
(j.X), 2B/cl.D(1), 421K, 623D, ABC, 623D
Heavy starter double Trap Shot.
(j.X), cl.D(1), 3D, 421K, 623D, ABC, 623D
Double Trap Shot route from a heavy starter, late cancel included.
THE EX King combo. Late cancel 3D, one hit Tornado Kick, double Trap Shot... Outdamages some characters' SDM routes and leaves you with most of your MAX Mode meter left. You can omit the late cancel 3D and do cl.D(1) if you haven't mastered the timing.
- Light Punch
- Light Kick
- Heavy Punch
- Heavy Kick
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