The King of Fighters XV/Orochi Shermie/Strategy
General Gameplan
Neutral
Orochi Shermie (O. Shermie) focuses on zoning and playing neutral with the potential for set play and explosive damage. Her first and foremost priority is getting Mugetsu no Raiun (41236X or Kiss) onto the screen. Kiss is her most defining move and is the center piece of her neutral, mix ups, and zoning. Once a Kiss is on screen her gameplan can actually begin. Most of O. Shermie’s moveset serves triple duty as zoning, combo, and pressure tools. Because of this the Neutral and Pressure sections will cover her moves in individual use cases for easier readability.
Kiss(41236 Series)
O. Shermie’s actual game plan differs depending on situation and match-ups. In match-ups where the opponent struggles against zoning, Kiss is used to control the ground and force the opponent to move into spaces of the screen that O. Shermie has better control over. In these match ups it is important to note that putting a Kiss on top of the opponent is not always the best idea. While getting them to block Kisses is nice for chip and meter, it’s often more important to deny screen space and capitalize on mistakes. This means that the A version of Kiss is often the best and most used version as it denies the space right in front of O. Shermie.
It's also important to note that Kisses DO NOT disappear if O. Shermie blocks or is hit. This is once again most important with the A version as it allows her to get trade combos, especially against opponents trying to jump in on her. When trading with jump-in attacks her most consistent combo is to juggle with Shukumei, Genei, Shinshi (236236B/D) Depending on height and screen position she can confirm into larger combo starters such as 214BD though these situations are extremely few and far between. Her EX Kisses are a contentious use of meter, especially in neutral. 41236AC is the easier of the two versions to justify as it slowly moves towards the opponent while deleting any and all level 1 projectiles it comes into contact with. This move is the best middle ground between Kiss and Fireball. Controlling ground space and forcing movement without the need for prediction or reaction.
41236BD is awkward and often not worth the meter. It moves progressively slower towards O. Shermie. It appears ¾ of the screen away before it begins traveling. Theoretically this can be used as insurance to deter overaggressive opponents since like all Kisses, it doesn’t go away on hit. In practice however its better to spend the meter pushing them away or just not use the meter at all. Avoid using this move outside of set ups. While Kisses are her number one priority a good O. Shermie player must utilize the rest of her toolkit in a way the accentuates the strength of Kiss. This includes her stellar normals and Yatanagi no Muchi (214A/C or Fireball)
Fireballs (214A/C)
As with most projectiles O. Shermie’s Fireball does a great job of controlling the horizontal ground space. However, her Fireballs come with quirks that affect how she uses them compared to other fireball characters. Her 214A is close to functioning like a traditional fireball but only travels ¾ of the screen. Because of this O. Shermie can’t quite contest other zoning characters like Joe and Ash who can throw projectiles from full screen unimpeded. While the lack of distance is a hindrance this move is still useful in most of the situations a normal fireball would be.
214C makes up for 214A’s short comings however it overcompensates in a few ways. Thankfully, it does go full screen and is O. Shermie’s only true full screen option as even her D Kiss isn’t quite full screen. This fact alone makes it her most accessible zoning tool. The quirkiness of this fireball comes in the form of its durability and recovery. Even after the 1.62 recovery buff this version still leaves O. Shermie wide open if the opponent gets around it. As a projectile it also has slow start-up as O. Shermie swipes her hand twice before actually throwing it. The initial swipe has the ability to cancel out other level 1 projectiles while still throwing the Fireball with her second swipe. This gives her an edge in projectile wars as she can easily eat through opposing projectiles while controlling the screen space with her own. It also needs to be said that this is generally her safest blockstring ender and combo ender from Light attacks. You cannot be mindless about this as it’s common knowledge that the first hit can be Guard Cancel Rolled allowing for a full punish. Overall, these projectiles are meant to overwhelm grounded approaches so that she can force opponents into the air and onto Kisses.
214AC is mostly the best aspects of the other two versions with the added benefit of being a level 2 projectile. Just like the C version the initial swipe can delete other level 2 projectiles giving her an option to overpower most other EX fireballs. Meter is a very precious resource for O. Shermie and she tends to have better uses for it. As such she shouldn’t throw this out carelessly.
One last quirk about her fireballs is that O. Shermie takes a sizeable step forward when throwing them. It takes approximately 10 A Fireballs to walk O. Shermie fullscreen and approximately 8 C Fireballs. This isn’t a super important detail however it does affect her in hardcore fireball wars as it means she will slowly approach her opponent. Whether this is a good thing though is decided by the match-up and preference.
Axe Kicks (214B/D and J.236B/D)
Both the air and ground version of her axe kicks (214B/D and J.236B/D) are mostly combo filler but have some neutral use. Her jumping axe kicks provide a great option to mess with the opponent’s anti-air timing as both stall her air momentum. The D version has a larger delay while also providing plus frames. As of 1.62 her 214D travels about half screen and is virtually safe (-3 with huge pushback) This means it can be used as a pseudo lariat style attack for moving across the screen while attacking, though mileage may vary on this. On hit it provides a free A Kiss set up which is great.
Normals
The final piece of her zoning puzzle is her normals. Simply put, their all incredible. Amazing speed and range on all of her normals makes them the glue that holds her zoning game together.
Far B – Great standing poke with a lot of active frames thanks to its multiple hits. Only the first hit is cancelable but this is hardly a downside since O. Shermie doesn’t want to buffer her specials at the ranges this move is useful at.
Crouch B – Lightning fast for its range but can’t chain into itself meaning its often relegated to a pure and simple poke rather than a long range combo starter. At further ranges this move won’t combo into 214C and never combos into 214B. In punish cases it easily combos into 214BD for big damage. As of patch 1.62 this move is now whiff cancelable which ironically weakens it as a buffer.
Far C – The normal that dreams are made of. A decent speed for the amount of space it covers, this move hits all in front of O. Shermie while covering the perfect air space to stop hops. Like most of her tools it isn’t as abusable as one would like but it can’t be understated how much space this one move controls.
Crouch C – The normal that gives hope for the future. Unbelievably fast for the space it covers (faster than regular Shermie’s 2C as of 1.62) Not as much horizontal range as the animation suggests but its vertical range is absurd. THE go-to anti-air.
Jump C – The normal that enlightens our souls. O. Shermie shrinks herself quite a bit while also creating one of the most egregious cross up hitboxes in the game. Jumping at the opponent with this move is a great way to transition into pressure.
Crouch D – Like most of her normals it has incredible range for its speed. The go-to low check in neutral that sets up Kiss on hit and remains incredibly safe on block. Buffering this move into Kiss or Fireball is a great way to create space.
Jump D – A rather lack luster move in the grand scheme of things but an essential part of her neutral as it hits far and can start combos.
Neutral Jump D – A quirky normal with great range and a retracted hitbox. The input limits its usefulness but it can act as a wall to halt approaches.
Jump CD – An alternative to Jump D. Similar range but slower with a far bigger hitbox and provides a knockdown. You can use them interchangeably in most situations but Jump CD is usually better for Jump Back escape attempts.
6A – An unassuming but amazing normal. An airborne kick that crushes lows, is safe, and is cancelable. This move can be thrown out with relative impunity. It can be hit confirmed into her J.236236BD super which can intern be cancelled into 236236AC for incredible damage. For less meter dump she can also cancel into J.236BD for a full combo, though this can’t be confirmed and is punishable if blocked.
