A lot of people have been asking me to make a Sheeva guide. I am here to answer those demands. This is going to be rather long, so I've broken this down into sections, which will be as follows:

- ABOUT THIS GUIDE
- MY SHEEVA HISTORY
- INTRODUCTION TO SHEEVA
- GENERAL SHEEVA GAMEPLAY
- SHEEVA SPECIAL MOVES
- SHEEVA MIX-UPS and COMBOS
- SHEEVA VERSUS THE KOMBATANTS
- CLOSING

So let's get started, shall we?

- ABOUT THIS GUIDE
First off, I use the Xbox 360 (so don't expect tips against Kratos) and (thankfully) got a pad with a rather good D-pad, But for the sake of this guide, I will refer to moves in the following shorthand:

Up=U, Forward=F, Back=B, Down=D, Block=BL, Forward Punch=FP, Backwards Punch=BP, Forward Kick=FK, Backward Kick=FK

- MY SHEEVA HISTORY
This is boring stuff, so let's get it out of the way first. This where I state my experiences with Sheeva. I picked up MK2011 and gave the entire roster a chance, including the ones I formerly despised (like Stryker), and came away thinking everyone was pretty swell.

Well, fan tier-lists started popping up, putting Sheeva towards the bottom. And then the official stats came out saying Sheeva was the least used fighter online. I hadn't used Sheeva much either (having instead mained Sub-Zero, Smoke, and Kitana), but I legitimately wondered if the reason she was so rarely used was because she was so bad. So I started playing as her, practicing, fighting, and doing match-ups... and I instead walked away with my new main.

Now, let's be clear: I am not a professional player. I don't go to tournaments, I can't pull off 85-hit combos even if it was possible, and there are matches against better players where I definitely get my butt kicked. So this is not some "Sheeva always wins" bible that would make Sheeva suddenly a viable EVO player; no, this guide is instead intended for novice-to-moderately high players that perhaps are knowledgeable about the game mechanics, and these strategies will work against 90% of the players online... not the 10% that live, eat, and sleep their fighting moves. I have also not been online since my Xbox Live membership ran out, keeping me from staying competitive, so all of this info may wind up redundant, changed, or negated by some of the patches and fixes NRS could have implemented.

Also, this is the first guide I've ever done, so there's bound to be stuff high-level players are pointing at and laughing, or things poorly worded and explained.

These strategies are what I have gleaned from my experiences playing as Sheeva for many hours and days. I have the full 1000 achievement/trophy points, nearly all of which I got with Sheeva. My qualifications as a player aside now, let's get on with the star of this show: Sheeva.

- INTRODUCTION TO SHEEVA
So, Sheeva sucks, right? She's a slow, four-armed monster that couldn't possibly beat Scorpion in a fair fight, right?

Let's be upfront: Sheeva is not top-tier. That praise is saved for the professional Kung Lao, Cyrax, and Ermac players out there that are faster, more agile, and can chain together 80% combos. BUT, Sheeva is not low tier either. In fact, with the right play style, Sheeva can beat nearly every single character in the game handily... provided she's used correctly.

The problem most people have with Sheeva is four fold.
1) She's a grappler character
2) She's slow
3) She doesn't have high combo potential
4) She looks weird

I'll answer these as follows:
1) She's not JUST a grappler character *gasp!*
2) SOME moves are slow. Some are damn fast.
3) She trades high combo potential for high damage instead
4) That's your problem. Get over it.

Sheeva is, by most definitions, a grappler character in MK2011, along with Jax, but it's unfair to definite her exclusively by this. Zangief, she is not. A better comparison might be that Sheeva is more akin to Ermac, if you consider Ermac's Force Lift and Force Push as "grab" moves, and they share a teleport and projectile. Yes, Sheeva is just as versatile as the "top-tier" Ermac, and in many ways more versatile (which I'll cover in the character specific section).

Concerning Sheeva's speed, some of Sheeva's basic moves are slower... and some are actually FASTER than some characters. But it depends largely on who you're fighting. For example, Sheeva has a faster FP than Kabal, and a faster BK than Kung Lao's. But if you're playing for speed, you're playing with the wrong fighter: stick with Mileena or Kung Lao for that action.

And some people are upset she can't just fly into 50+ hit corner combos like I've seen Cyrax and Kung Lao players do. And she can't, really. Her combo potential is more limited than that of most speedy fighters, but she really makes the best of what she has available, even if she''s too slow to juggle someone forever.

But "slower" doesn't mean bad. Sheeva is gifted with a wide variety of mix-ups (which I'll get into), mind games, trick-out moves, and some amazing specials and high damage potential. Capitalizing on those nearly outweighs all her speed deficiencies. She hits harder than ANY other character. Her power is the trade-off for her speed.

So let me stop talking about her potential and start showing you how all of this works in action.

- GENERAL SHEEVA GAMEPLAY
To play Sheeva correctly, you have to get the idea of her as a grappler out of your head and starting thinking instead of how to control the battlefield, because Sheeva's blessed with a wide variety of zoning attacks and knock-down moves. Almost no fighter can control the battlefield as easily as Sheeva can.

Sheeva works well in nearly every area: Close, Far, Mid, Ground, Air. I'll cover general strategies for all of these below.

Close: Sheeva is the deadliest character in the game if she can get her hands on you. That's the big problem: IF she can. Because her basic moves have low priority, you absolutely can't trade blows with the faster characters and hope to come out ahead. And yet you need to be close to do the heavy damage. What do you do?

It's actually rather simple, but you have to get the timing right. Sheeva has many combos that "move her" into range, meaning they start outside of the range where you'd trade blows, but as the combo continues, she moves into range. And Sheeva's secondary and tertiary combo hits do good damage AND put her into grappling range.

A good example might be her simple FK,FK combo, or her BP,FP,BP,B+FP combo. These combos start safe and move Sheeva into fighting distance; if the opponent tries to counter, her combo string often will catch up and knock them out of an attack. If they go defensive, her mix-ups often will catch the opponent off guard or give her the opening she needs for her powerful grab moves.

Mid: Sheeva has many attacks that have a much longer reach than you'd expect. Her Grab N Punch in particular can snatch unsuspecting players from beyond sweep range when they might feel safe. As mentioned before, Sheeva has many combos that move her from "mid" range into "close" range for heavy damage, including her teleport, but most mid-range moves can be carried over from her "far" gameplay.

Far: Sheeva has a good advantage both near and far. In particular, she has a nice unblockable ground stomp that covers the full screen of the game and is only avoidable by jumping or teleporting, and she has a very large, very powerful fireball that is surprisingly fast. If someone tries to trade projectiles with Sheeva, Sheeva's fireball would do nearly double the damage of most projectiles (for example, 12% compared to Kung Lao's 7%, and Mileena's 6%), meaning it is to Sheeva's advantage to trade a projectile if it means both of them take the damage, because Sheeva's opponent would take more damage by far. Some characters might be able to recover faster than Sheeva can, which you should keep in mind, but proper time can prevent an opponent from recovering by the time their projectile is launched.

Air: Sheeva is not very graceful in the air. Unlike some characters (such as Kitana, Sindel, Mileena, and Smoke), she can't use any of her special moves in the air. All she's got, really, is a slight, slight advantage with her kicks, seeing as how she's got longer legs than most other fighters giving her a wider reach. Secondly, like most, she can combo into an opponent from a successful F+U+Punch, and unlike most, she can start dealing heavy damage from a simple knockdown U+Punch. The tradeoff is that good air characters, or characters that can punish air fighters (like Kabal, Sub-Zero, or Cyrax), will murder Sheeva is she gets too jumpy. If your opponent is jumping, that's another story. Sheeva's anti-air grab is amazing, has long range, and has super high priority (enough so that she will cancel out any incoming kicks or attacks), keeping her opponent's feet to the floor.

Crouch: They're dead. Flat out dead. If you see an opponent crouching, Sheeva's Low Grab will make short work of them. It has wide range, big damage, appreciable priority, and most importantly is a pop-up that leaves the victim open to a punishing set of combos and further grabs. Pray for them to crouch. :D

Okay, now I need to talk about the two ways Sheeva can, and should, be played: Defense, and Offense.

Defense: I erroneously claimed that you have to "play it defensive" with Sheeva. That is still true... but it's less "defense" and more "patience". You have to find the holes in your opponent, find the weakness, then punish them. But to do that, you're going to take some abuse. Thus, the block button will become THE button to use for Sheeva. You may want to go all gung-ho, but that'll get you killed. You need to recognize your opponent's moves, read their future actions, and react accordingly; that's the hardest part. You have to know when, exactly, Mileena's teleport kicks are coming in, block them, and then grab. You have to know when Scorpion's spear is coming, and teleport away. You have to react and read their moves, but you also have to know whether to block high, low, or outright dodge. That's 70% of what good Sheeva players, or even any GOOD player, will do. Know the attack, then react. Attacking can only get you so far.

Offense:... But attacking also gets you the win. Nobody "wins" by blocking the whole match. And Sheeva is definitely a two-parter of both defense and offense. When Sheeva successfully dodges, blocks, or counters an opponent, you have to lay it on thick with her powerful combo strings, pop-ups, knockdowns, and her wonderful, wonderful grab. If you can get them in the corner, all the better. Sheeva is strong enough that she can absolutely win an entire match in only three simple combo strings (no breakers used), and thankfully many of her attacks can't be broken with combo breakers either (such as her air grap, low grab, ground stomp, etc.)

With those general strategies out of the way, let's talk about Sheeva's special moves and how those work to her advantage or disadvantage.

- SHEEVA SPECIAL MOVES
Fireball
Pros- Sheeva's fireball is one of the best fireballs in the game. Besides doing a TON of damage (12% normal, 16% enhanced), it's got decent speed too. Because the fireball is so big, I notice most opponents have a habit of trying to jump over it instead of ducking, and Sheeva's anti-air grab can work wonders in that situation. It has the benefits of being combo-able too (such as B+FP,BP or BP,FP,BP), which can chip off 1/5 of an opponents lifebar. Her Enhanced Fireball, besides doing even more damage, has knock-back properties to give her space should things get too heated. It's a great zoning tool at mid-range against average players, possibly forcing a crouch (and subsequent low grab) or a jump (forcing a subsequent air grab). Also, if an opponent crouches and blocks, they take chip damage!

Cons- The fireball itself leaves Sheeva open just before and after its execution, making it a very poor choice to use mid-range against faster opponents or against teleporters that can fly offside the screen (Smoke, Scorpion, Ermac, etc.). It's a primary role should be either as a combo finisher for damage or from as far away as possible against non-teleporters, either forcing them to trade projectile damage or risk taking fireballs to the face as they inch forward.

Jump Stomp
Pros- To anyone that ever tells you that Sheeva's tele-stomp is cheap... yeah. It is. Now laugh at them as you stomp on their head for the hundredth time because they don't know how to counter or defend against it.

Sheeva's Jump Stomp (or "tele-stomp" from here on out), is one of the best and most versatile moves in the game. For starters, it's unblockable. It doesn't matter if they're jumping, standing, crouching, blocking... it will hit, and it will do a very healthy 11% of your lifebar (or 15% with enhanced). Against most casual players, I'm happy to see so many of them instinctively block when they know an attack is coming. And they'll do it over and over until they realize they have to dodge or counter.

Another advantage? It's unpredictable. I'm amazed at how many opponents (and even Sheeva players) are unaware that you can actually control where Sheeva lands. If the opponent starts jumping out of the way, you can follow them forward and backward and crush them away.

Another advantage? It's FAST. For a slow character, Sheeva's tele-stomp sends her flying. It has the advantage of having very low recovery time too, less than most character's special moves, making it one of the safest attacks to use if it whiffs.

But her tele-stomp has more uses than use cheap hits. It's also a highly effective zoning tool. Because of it's fast start-up, if given the opportunity, Sheeva can even get out of being cornered with an effective teleport against certain characters. Similarly, it allows her to travel the entire width of the arena instantly. You can land right on top of an opponent after conditioning them to expect distance moves (such as the fireball), teleport in to punish attacks long recovery (Scorpion's spear, etc.), or you could simple wish to land right in front of, or behind, an opponent to start grappling before they're aware of where you landed (I love teleporting right behind them, then grabbing them before they've registered where I'm at.)

Sheeva's tele-stomp is amazing. It's fast, versatile, powerful, unblockable, and has fast recovery. So what's the downside? Very little, but they're worth mentioning.

Cons- A missed tele-stomp can be countered by faster characters. Even worse, good anti-air opponents (Mileena, Shang Tsung, Kung Lao) can knock Sheeva out of her attack. Sheeva remains vulnerable on her sides, meaning a good opponent can exploit that and punish Sheeva if they can anticipate where she'll be or land. Carefully timing jump kicks, for example, can knock Sheeva out of her attack. She's also susceptible to punishment if she misses for certain characters.

And... that's pretty much it. Spamming the tele-stomp against these people will get you killed, but that's why you don't rely on ONLY your teleport. It's a great mix-up attack that's unpredictable and keeps your opponent guessing. If they crack the "tele-stomp code", then it's time to mix up the strategy some more. But if they don't? Tele-stomp your way to victory and laugh at how your opponents think it's so unfair.

Oh, one other negative might be that you might occasionally do the move by accident, given it's a simple D+U move, so one needs to be mindful of that if they go from a crouch to a jump and inadvertently register the move instead.

Ground Pound
Pros- Like the Tele-stomp, it's unblockable. It also is a fullscreen attack, making it a move that's fairly safe to use at a distance. If you can pull it off, there's little room for punishment or counters against non-teleporters, making it a quick and easy move to lay some damage on. The only defense against it is to jump or teleport, making it a great move to pull out and mix up when far away or using your fireball to play mind games with the opponent. If they start ducking fireballs, Ground Pound them instead. Like most of Sheeva's moves, opponents tend to try and block it out of instinct, but it's unblockable. Also, her enhanced version has good armor on it, so if your opponent tries to knock you out of it, well, tough luck.

Cons- It only does moderate damage, unless you enhance it (9% regular, 16% enhanced), and it has a VERY slow start-up. You cannot use this move against teleporters if they are aware they can punish it. They will kill you for it. You can't use it at mid-range either. An opponent can jump and kick you out of the move before you even finish pulling it off. It also can't be combo'ed very effectively (only very few, such as the FP,B+BP combo), making this best only for a few extra hits from a distance.

Grab N Punch
Pros- NOW we're getting to Sheeva's bread & butter high-damage potential. Sheeva's grabs will murder you. This one attack does 18% damage UNENHANCED (and 22% enhanced). To put this into perspective, Jax enhanced "Gotcha Grab" (16%) doesn't do as much as Sheeva's normal grab (18%) and Sheeva's X-ray does 33% damage. If she were to successfully pull off just three enhanced grabs, she'll have done 66%, double the damage of her X-ray, and less risk of losing an entire meter in the process. Hell, just two enhanced grabs surpass her X-ray, AND you can combo into her grab from nearly everything. Her enhanced has knockback properties too.

It also has amazing range. You can pull off her Grab N Punch from moderate jumping ranging, and most opponents never see it coming.

Plus, because it's a grab, your opponent can't combo break out of it. They have to just take the abuse if you land it. I've found that it's extremely difficult to get out of Sheeva's grab upon wake up unless you have a strong wake up game (like Johnny's Flash Kick).

Basically, you want to be able to do this move and do it as often as you can in a match. Thankfully, it's the easiest special she has to combo with, every time you use it is guaranteed to cost your opponent a huge sliver of life, it's got great range... it's just her best move in the game.

Cons- While it may be her best move, it has some drawbacks. For starters, unlike all her other grabs, it can be blocked (though, to be fair, Jax's gets blocked too). And it has a long recovery time if you whiff it. It's a move you can't just use freely. Use it with combos, or mix-ups. If your opponent blocks, try again with a normal grab. They'll stop blocking, so start Grab N Punching. If they start blocking, start normal grabbing again. It's a great mix-up, but it gambles with your health if they pursue a decent counter against you.

One other con is that you should only use this to END a combo, because you can't combo from this. It does high damage, but then that's all she wrote. You have to start all over. If you can, delay using it as long as possible (but not too long if you fear they'll combo break out of it), and use it as the coup de grace for whatever combos you can pull off prior to it. Because it combos so easily, you can get in a whole lot of damage prior to tacking on her high-damage special.

Anti-Air Grab
Pros- Excellent priority, excellent range, excellent damage. While it's a great move against annoying jump-kickers and even tele-spammers, it's even better used with combos with knock-up properties (such as FP,BP,B+FP).

Cons- There are a few downsides. For starters, like the Grab N Punch, you should only use it either to counter an air attack or to finish off a combo, because you can't combo any further after using it. Secondly, in many instances where you COULD use an Anti-Air Grab, it would be better to use the more damaging Grab N Punch attack instead, because it grabs out of the air as well (though the range is much lower). It's safer on whiff, though, given its speed, but if you can get the Grab N Punch instead, go for that. If not, the Anti-Air Grab is a suitable replacement, and, like the Grab N Punch, can't be blocked or even broken with a combo breaker.

Low Grab
Pros- The best "set up" special she has in the game. The Low Grab does really good damage AND serves as Sheeva's most beautiful and holy pop-up attack in the game. If you can pull it off, your opponent has a string of combos, punches, and grabs awaiting his or her grisly future.

I've found the Low Grab to be best used in conjunction with the Grab N Punch and Tele-stomp. Opponents tend to get hit with the Grab N Punch as a follow-up to the Tele-stomp, but some may wise-up and start ducking. Anticipate this and Low Grab them if they start doing this and it'll make their match a nightmare to endure.

Beyond that, though, it is simply a phenomenal move with high damage, and when done in a corner can be a game-ender of the highest order. Carrying out a Low Grab practically ensures a free Grab N Punch too, so double the fun and double the damage if you can manage it.

Cons- The opportunities to pull this off are narrow, so you have to be alert and on the lookout for openings to find and exploit this. Again, I found this is best done by attacking low and conditioning the opponent to start blocking low and then grabbing them with an unblockable attack, or using moves that they attempt to duck under (Grab N Punch, Fireball) and then grabbing them when they duck under them or expect one move instead of another. It's a very conditional move, and that severely limits its potential. It's also easy to punish should it whiff. This is what separates Sheeva from most fighters; you can throw Kung Lao's hat and Scorpion's spear all day, but Sheeva's Low Grab and Anti-Air grabs are very dependent on circumstances and finding the right opening to pull them off. If you can, however, you're good for a many free hits and high damage potential.

Those are Sheeva's specials... but now we need to know what kind of mix-ups she has and where these moves might fit in.

- SHEEVA MIX-UPS and COMBOS
Shokan Fury: FP,BP,B+FP - A great pop-up. One of the best. Sheeva's FP is one of her faster normal attacks, making this not only one of the best combos at her disposal, but a combo that leaves the opponent open to more punishment, including a Grab N Punch if you get the timing right.

Blood Lust: FP, B+BP, F+FP - Deals good damage, and you can keep comboing off of this in the corner with low attacks. However, the BIG advantage to this is canceling the combo before the third hit and comboing into your specials instead. The second hit leaves the opponent in a long stagger, giving you ample opportunity to finish the combo instead with practically any special move, including a ground stomp, fireball, or even a wonderful, powerful X-ray.

Darkness: B+FP,BP,FP+BP - This is a good knockback move that will give you some space if you need it. I prefer starting with the first two hits and ending with a Grab N Punch instead, because it also has knockback, does more damage, and opponents can't combo break out of it.

Four-Way (just how Sheeva likes it. Zing!): BP,FP,BP,F+FP - This is one of Sheeva's best combos. It's fast, damaging, AND it's a pop-up and a knockback, meaning you can get in some extra moves. If you're not in a corner, you can squeeze in a fireball to finish them off. If they're in the corner, that's a whole new ballgame, since that opens them up to Air Grabs, Grab N Punchs, Fireballs, and more nastiness they'll be sure to dread. So, if possible, get them in the corner with this one.

Sheeva Rush: BP, FP, BP, B+FP- Just like the "Four-Way", except this one has much better mind-game properties. If your opponent is blocking the Four-Way, you can change it into the "Sheeva Rush" and the final hit will almost assuredly get them. It's great for mixing things up and getting in that extra hit, especially if you're away from the corner (since it keeps them close). You can usually get them with a Grab N Punch when they stand up too.

Quad Toss: Back+BP,FP+BP - Another great mix-up. It hits low (and most people don't expect the low hits), and then it becomes a pop-up, and as we've discussed, can be very good depending on the circumstances. It has knockback, so if you do it, you can squeeze in a fireball. If you're in a corner, the whole Air Grab and Grab N Punch becomes viable as well, making for high damage scenarios. Corner is best, but it never hurts to use this one. Only downside is a slow start-up, which can be exploited.

Demolish: F+BP,B+FP- This is a normally good pushback , knockdown attack. Does good damage too. It's even better when you cancel the first hit into the aforementioned Grab N Punch (learn it, love it), or any other special you wish to use. It has a rather large frame window, however, so be wary.

Turmoil: FK,FK - This is one of my favorites. Its got great range and decent speed. It doesn't do very much, but you can chain a Grab N Punch into the end of it. I love starting a Shokan Fury combo, dashing in with a Turmoil, and finishing with a Grab N Punch if I can. It's a wonderful little 30% damage combo string that's rather simple to pull off.

Swiper: F+FK,B+FP- Not much to say on this one. It's a great little low-hit mix-up that will punish high-blockers with some nice 13% damage and keeps them close. You can combo into a special with it if you like, which might be good if your opponent doesn't block low very often.

Rehabilitated: F+FK, BP- I prefer "Rehabilitated" over "Swiper, not just because it does 18% damage, hits low, and has knockback properties if you need the space, but also because I love watching opponents spin around the battlefield like tops. It's a good one-off combo, but you can't chain any specials into it, making it best used as a clearing move so you can get back to tele-stomping or fireballing.

For a better idea on how to see how Sheeva's combos can work in action, and how some of them can be used in conjunction with other specials and combos, I'm including a few decent Sheeva combo videos for your viewing pleasure.

Sheeva Combos 1
Sheeva Combo and Throw Set-ups (with loud rock music...)
Sheeva Combos (with MORE rock music...)
More Sheeva Combo options

Anyway... combos and specials and all those are just peachy in Training mode. But how does Sheeva fare in a real fight? Depends on who you're fighting.

- SHEEVA VERSUS THE KOMBATANTS
I'm going to break this down for each and every single fighter, where Sheeva is strong and weak against them and general tactics to use. I'm also including a number system of 1-10 based on my oh-so-scientific powers of observation on how hard I believe each person can be to fight, with 1 being the easiest, and 10 being the hardest.

This is a long one... so *whew*, let's get started.

SCORPION - 2
I have never lost online to a Scorpion player. There is a good reason for that. Part of that is due to Scorpion's frequency online; I can telegraph Scorpion's moves in my sleep now. The other part is that Sheeva has a good counter against nearly everything Scorpion does. Scorpion's spear, in particular, leaves him open to a nice, good tele-stomp to the face. I can read his Hellfire from a mile away and jump to avoid it. Scorpion's teleport punch can be countered with a tele-stomp, or blocked and countered with a Grab N Punch. The only thing that might give people trouble is his Takedown leg grab, but if you're quick Sheeva's B+BK actually has priority if you time it right. Couple that with the fact that blocking Scorpion's combo strings is easy and very punishable, and I've never lost to Scorpion. Had a few close calls, but no legitimate losses. Sheeva can just shut him down too well.

LIU KANG - 7
Liu Kang has the advantage of speed. His fireballs are faster. His punches are MUCH faster. Most of his moves have little recovery, making Liu hard to punish for mistakes. But he has them, and you have to force him to make them. For starters, DO NOT get into a fireball exchange with him. You may be able to do more damage, but Liu Kang's fireballs are fast enough that he can hit you before you even finish launching them. Worse, his low-fireball makes him duck right under yours as he launches his own. For Liu Kang, you have to get in close. Close the distance. Tele-stomp right up to his face if you have to. Then, goad him into combos. The problem with Liu Kang is most of his combos end with a long recovery period. That's what we want. Block his combos, then counter hard. If he tries his own special counter, just do an unblockable attack on him to teach him a lesson. If he does his Flying Kick or Bicycle Kick, block and counter accordingly.


KUNG LAO - 10
Kung Lao is hard for ANYONE. He's especially tough for Sheeva. Nearly all of Sheeva's strengths are useless against Kung Lao. If you Tele-stomp, he can spin-hit you out of the air without any effort. Don't use the tele-stomp unless he's open (say, after a Hat Throw). If you can, try and whittle him down with fireballs. He'll trade unfair damage and will have to try a different strategy. Usually, he teleports, and if he does that, be ready for him. Either duck or counter hard. If he does his Jump Kick, block and counter. Kung Lao's hat spin, however, is the worst for Sheeva. It's a close-range pop-up with almost zero start-up frames, meaning it has priority over nearly all Sheeva's moves. Here's where your enhanced specials with armor, knockbacks, and hit-and-run combos come in handy. The hat spin is the big killer, as it launches Sheeva high for plenty of big combos. Kung Lao's reputation as one of the best, if not THE best, kombatants isn't without warrant. He's fast, damaging, and has foils for most of Sheeva's moves. The best bet is to go with mix-ups and combos and hope you can launch him. Unlike most, he's very hard to punish. If his Hat Spin misses, however, feel free to kill him at your leisure.

SUB-ZERO- 5
For the most part, Sub-Zero isn't too much of a problem. He's one of the slower fighters, and his ice attacks don't do squat unless he can combo into them... "unless" being the key word. Lacking a teleport and a limited slide, you can trade fireballs against Sub-Zero very easily. He'll get in an ice ball for sure, but if you're far away and he didn't use his enhanced, you'll be free before he can reach you... and you can just teleport if you see him sending the ice ball and crush him. Since most of Sub-Zero's moves are ground based, feel free to Ground Pound him as well, since he'll likely try and stick to the ground to pull of his moves. The only move to really watch out for his the ice clone. A smart Sub-Zero player will make an ice clone if Sheeva tele-stomps and she'll land right on it if you're not careful. Of course, controlling her landing spot can make even that decision one he'll regret. Try to avoid being frozen at close-quarters, which opens up the damage doors; if you can, Sub-Zero isn't too hard to manage.

SINDEL- 3
Sindel's got some problems against Sheeva, much to our benefit. Most of her attacks aren't worth much, except for her low scream ball - watch out for that. If Sindel goes for her screams, tele-stomp her. If she levitates? Tele-stomp or Anti-Air. Sindel lacks really good combos too, and her scream stunner has a big start-up that you can punish her for. Her best attack is her cartwheel keels. Block those and counter. Overall, Sindel's rather easy to punish for most everything she does.

ERMAC - 8
Ermac can be problematic if you don't block right. If you do, he becomes significantly easier. You can punish almost all his attacks with the right blocks, but Ermac's a tad unpredictable at times. You can trade projectiles with him from across the screen, but be prepared to block whenever he teleports in for the punch. Far more dangerous is his teleport lift, which leaves anyone open to a brutal set of combos. Try your best to stay out of mid-range range, using the advantage of Sheeva's Grab N Punch lunge to hopefully make up the distance. Ermac's not so bad if you're right in front of him or far away, but at mid-range he can be deadly. Ermac can punish your tele-stomp if he's played right, but I got good mileage out of the fireball and ground pound, and good enough mind-games can lead to great Grab N Punch, Low Grab, or Anti-Air opportunities. The more Ermac runs around, the more likely those opportunities will arise.

REPTILE - 5
Reptile's acid spit is much faster than Sheeva's fireball, but her fireball is much faster than his forceball, and his fast forceball is much faster than her fireball. *whew*. Really, though, Reptile's not too bad right up close in his face, which is where Sheeva excels. Reptile has few high-damage combos, most of which are easily telegraphed, and few of his special moves can be done effectively in close-quarter combat. Watch out of his slide, which can catch Sheeva off guard, or his elbow dash. But Reptile is someone you can very safely tele-stomp with few good counters against her. Hell, you can ground stomp and fireball at him too depending on which projectile he's using. Overall, not as much trouble as you'd think.

KITANA - 5
Depending on who uses her, Kitana can be extremely easy, or very annoying. Her fans are pretty fast, and if you get caught in the air with them open you up to a world of hurt. Still, it's difficult for her to counter Sheeva's telestomp. Her best solution is to do her butt-thrust across the screen to avoid it, otherwise she'll probably take it in the face. Because Kitana likes to stay airborne so much, Sheeva's tele-stomp becomes one of the best moves, with her Ground Pound and Fireball only used if the opportunity arises. Kitana doesn't excel in close-range combat, however so keep the pressure on and plow into her with punches and grabs and mix-ups and pop-ups as soon as you can close the gap. Just try to avoid jumping too much.

JOHNNY CAGE - 7
Johnny is a suitable challenge. He's got speed, an upward Shadow Kick that can punish tele-stomps, and good close-quarter. What he doesn't have is a very good distance game, so use that to your advantage. Ground Pounds and Fireballs can trade good damage against his rather tepid green fireball. Cage will want to get up close to do major damage, and as he inches forward, be sure to counter with knockbacks and grabs to keep him at a distance. If you can, you shut Cage down.

JADE- 4
Jade's got some variety to her that makes her dangerous against most fighters... but not Sheeva. Most of Jade's moves are moves Sheeva can punish very easily. Her boomerangs are slow and can be countered with nearly everything Sheeva has if the distance is great enough. If Jade uses her projectile invulnerability, so what? Ground Pound or Tele-stomp works just fine against her in that state. Jade is more dangerous up close BUT most of her attacks end up pushing you away regardless, so play that to your advantage. If you have to get close, go with the typical mix-ups and squeeze in some pop-ups and grabs. Beyond even that, blocking nearly all of Jade's attacks leaves her open to painful counters.

MILEENA - 6
Mileena is actually not very hard for Sheeva to punish. But Mileena has speed and versatility on her side. Nearly everything Mileena does, Sheeva has a punishment for. If Mileena is using sais, you can Ground Pound, Fireball, or if the opening presents, tele-stomp in. Block her roll attack and counter. Block her teleport kicks and counter. What you don't want to do is tele-stomp at random, because Mileena's teleport kicks are some of the best anti-tele-stomp moves in he game. She's not too hard to rough up once you get in her face, though; she doesn't have very high basic combos. The big thing to avoid is her roll and pop-up attacks; deny her those and she's not very hard.

NIGHTWOLF- 6
Nightwolf is pretty good too. His projectiles are better than Sheeva's, his shoulder ram can hurt and close distance, and he's formidable as a close-quarter fighter as well as far away. His tomahawks in particular can give Sheeva trouble, as they're damaging and faster than most of her moves. But, like most opponents, he doesn't have a very good tele-stomp counter (though a well-placed tomahawk can beat it), and his arrows are only about as fast as Sheeva's fireballs and do less damage. Secondly, practically all of his attacks are ground-based, so Ground Pound is very useful against him. Blocking his shoulder ram leaves great Grab N Punch opportunities. The hard one to avoid is his summoned lightning. If you can, Ground Pound him out of it before he can get it off, or tele-stomp out of the way (and onto his head).

CYRAX- 9
Against a high-level Cyrax player, Sheeva is going to have problems. Cyrax has a very good teleport that can get him out of danger, his bombs make most of Sheeva's telegraphed moves hard to carry out, his net is even good enough to capture Sheeva before a tele-stomp, as is his upward kick, and his combos up close are damaging and fast. But... Cyrax has long-winded moves too. If you see Cyrax do his net, you can try tele-stomping onto him (try to avoid the fireball if you can, but feel free to use it all other times). Bombs are the same way. The time it takes for Cyrax to plant them, you can tele-stomp out of danger and right behind Cyrax for punishment. Cyrax's combos are lethal, and unpredictable, so use good judgment, respond with your own mix-ups, and try and get some grabs in there. Cryax, I notice, likes to jump (because of his air grab), so if he does and expects you to as well, just make him eat an Anti-Air instead.

NOOB SAIBOT- 8
Noob's a pain. His projectiles are fast, he's got a teleport that can get him out of danger, and he's got good close-quarter combos. But he's got big recovery frames too. There's our hole. Let's get him. If Noob tries to spam his shadow moves, either of them, you can tele-stomp him as punishment, getting you out of danger and onto his head. Feel free to pressure him with combos of your own, since most of his specials require some distance to be effective. If he teleports, either block or tele-stomp; blocking will leave him open to counters; teleporting takes longer than it does for Noob and by the time he recovers, you'll be on him. DON'T just tele-stomp, because his teleport can counter yours if done right. It's best not to trade fireball damage with Noob, but Ground Pounds can effective knock him out from spamming and give you room to launch a counter of your own.

SMOKE - 3
I've never lost against Smoke. Just like Scorpion, I can read Smoke's moves in my sleep. If he teleport punches, block and punch his brains out. If he uses his smoke bomb, block and punch his brains out. If he, er, turns invisible? Punch his brains out. Smoke just doesn't have very many good anti-Sheeva moves, and Sheeva has very good anti-Smoke moves. Getting in close prevents Smoke from using most of his moves, so close that gap, lay the pressure on, Grab N Punch, and you should be set against most Smoke players. If they try and goad you into the air, just ignore them and Anti-Air their jumps away. Block and counter, block and counter. Nothing Smoke has can't be read and countered.

SEKTOR - 4
Sektor's not very hard either. His teleport is easily punishable. His missiles are slow and you can trade Fireball damage with him. His combos aren't bad, but he has some nasty kicks to watch out for. Don't just tele-stomp, though, or he'll teleport-punch you in return. But if he makes the first moves, punish him for it. The usual block and counter methods work just as good on him as others, and his close-quarter game is lacking compared to most. So throw in those mix-ups, trade damage where needed, watch out for the surprises he has, and he shouldn't be too difficult.

SONYA - 4
Sonya's got speed on her side... but not much else. She has the unfortunate disadvantage of being a rather good close-quarter combatant... except against Sheeva. Sheeva can shut her down rather well. Sonya's leg grab can be blocked and badly countered. Her jump kicks can be blocked and Anti-Air countered. Her kiss is telegraphed and can be countered. And Sonya has few anti-Sheeva moves, so don't be afraid to tele-stomp, Grab N Punch, Ground Pound, and combo away if you can. Just watch out of her mix-ups and her speed; you can't trade punches as well, so get to the heavy hitter material as soon as you can and Sonya won't last long.

JAX - 3
For another grappler, Jax comes in at a bad disadvantage against Sheeva. His attacks don't do as much damage, though they have some faster start-ups. His ground pound is similar to Sheeva's, but less effective (Sheeva's is full screen and he has to specify distance). His tepid projectile isn't anywhere near as good as Sheeva's either. Up close, though, and Jax can lay in the damage with combos and grabs... but so can Sheeva. If you want to play a distance game, you can, and you will likely win. Sheeva's Ground Pound, Tele-stomp, and Fireball outmatch Jax's attacks, and up close she has the better grabs and more damaging combos. Jax, however, has that wicked X-ray to watch out for, so the risk of getting in close to do damage is just as high as taking just as much damage. A good Sheeva player can come out on top with good mix-ups and combos, but a novice one could end up being out-muscled in a close-quarter fight.

KANO- 5
Kano's knives are fast and dangerous. They can knock Sheeva out of nearly everything, including tele-stomp, and Kano's ball attack is fast and deadly as well, enough so that it, too, can knock Sheeva out of tele-stomp. Up close, Kano's got his throttle and X-ray to worry about, but not much else, so get in Kano's face and give him some good pop-ups, grabs, and combos. Watch out for his ball after knockdown, block, and counter him easily. Try to avoid jumping, as both the knives and Kano's air grab can shut you down. But up close, Kano's not much of a threat.

STRYKER- 7
Stryker's got some great moves. His gun and grenades are good projectiles; Sheeva can outmatch Stryker on the grenades, but not the gun. The gun is just too fast, duck, block, and either Ground Pound or Tele-stomp if the distance is too great. Up close, Stryker is damn tough too; his baton hit special hits low and is unpredictable, and Stryker can roll under Sheeva's fireballs and grab attempts. But his combo potential is lacking, and blocking any of them leaves Stryker open to pop-ups and grabs. Try to avoid jumping, as Stryker's grenade toss can shut you down, but telestomps from above often work. You do the most damage up close, but watch out for his X-ray. Blocking it is easy, and it's highly punishable, but too often you could get the receiving end of it. Because Stryker has to keep his feet on the ground, though, Ground Pounds are effective, especially Sheeva's X-ray.

SHANG TSUNG - 9
Shang Tsung may be the best anti-Sheeva player in the game. Almost all his moves can absolutely demolish Sheeva. His Up Fireball can defeat a tele-stomp. His Ground Fireballs negate the advantage Sheeva normally has with Fireballs and Ground Pounds. Shang's normal Fireball is also fast, and will often knock Sheeva out of her attack. In short, you don't want to get far from him. As much as you can, keep the knockback attacks to a minimum, close the distance, and try and work in throws and grabs that leave Shang right where you left him. Even then, Shang's soul-suck, grab, and X-ray are deadly up close. My most success has been Tele-stomping BEHIND Shang and countering with combos, blocking his rather poor combos, and punishing any holes he has. But you have to close that gap. Do whatever it takes. Get in his face. But don't let him get control of the arena; that's Sheeva's job.

BARAKA - 2
Baraka is pretty easy to deal with. He has almost zero distance game, save for one lousy projectile. Ground Pound and Fireball at your leisure, and if he pulls off a projectile of his own, Tele-stomp him for it. Try to avoid getting too close; Baraka is best as a close-quarter fighter with better reach than Sheeva, though almost all his attacks have knockback, very few pop-ups, and very limited combo potential. If he does get in your face, use your mix-ups, pop-ups, and grabs to dish out the damage and push him away. Overall, one of the easiest matches for Sheeva.

KABAL- 7
Kabal's speed and versatility is dangerous. His Nomad Dash can knock Sheeva out of Tele-stomp, and his projectiles are fast and potent too. But Kabal lacks a good close-quarter game against Sheeva. His hookswords can be parried and countered easily, his combos have holes to exploit, and in general he can be grabbed at the start and end of most of his moves and combos with some effort. But he's not to be underestimated; don't use the tele-stomp unless you're sure you can pull it off. Block him if he does use the dash and punish him for it. Ground Pound comes in hand at times, and you can trade Fireballs effectively. The problem with Kabal is you're not sure what he'll use, so be prepared to react accordingly.

RAIDEN- 8
Raiden is one of the worst match-ups against Sheeva. He's lightning-fast (heh) where it matters, does good basic damage, and he can control the playing field almost as well as Sheeva. His Superman is the stuff of hatred and legend, and it can be used both to knock Sheeva out of attacks or to avoid her tele-stomp. His lighting is faster than her fireball. He has powerful close-quarter grabs and specials. Your Ground Pound is effective, unless he Supermans. Your Fireball can effectively trade hits with him, but his teleport can negate this. The best way to deal with Raiden is to goad him into an attack, be it the Superman or a grab or a teleport, and be prepared to block and punish. Everything Raiden has CAN be punished, and punished HARD, but the start-up on his moves are so much faster than Sheeva's that you have to play much more defensively than with others. You can't out-punch or out-fight him. You have to wait for his slip up, and then tear into him before he can recover.

CYBER SUB-ZERO- 3
Rather easy, thankfully. Cyber Sub's moves don't have anything specially to worry about besides his ice-counter, so be wary of that. You can tele-stomp out of the way of the ice bombs and punish him at the same time. Like regular Sub, you can trade a Fireball for an iceball if the distance is good enough. You can block and punch the hell out of his dive kick. Cyber Sub does have some good combos though, and some surprisingly decent mix-ups. Watch out for those; usually they go for the two ice sword combos; either block the first one and counter, or let him do his rising uppercut and respond in kind. Overall, Cyber Sub is one of the easier match-ups.

SHEEVA- ?
Depends on how good you are. Best Sheeva wins! But, seriously, if Sheeva uses Ground Pound, use a Tele-stomp to avoid it. You know what to avoid (jumping, crouching), and how much damage her fireball can do. Sheeva in particular is a big target, so you can pound into her with your own Sheeva for good damage and easy grabs.

QUAN CHI- 5
Quan Chi can be a bit tough. His skull projectile is fast as hell, and his teleport stomp is almost as annoying as Sheeva's (almost... but not quite). His ground portals do minimal damage, though, and a good fighter will deny Quan Chi the opportunity to get a health or damage boost (or negate the effects before he can capitalize one them). Quan Chi's tough move to avoid is his trance, but you can just block that and counter. Business as usual. His close-quarters game is lacking, so lay into the combos and grabs. Block his annoying teleport because, unlike Sheeva's, you CAN block his, and make him pay for it.

SKARLET- 5
Skarlet's got some speed on her, and is a tad unpredictable, but her fast knives still aren't a match for Sheeva's abilities. Up close, Skarlet's gonna be in trouble. If you read her moves, Sheeva can grab her out of attacks, counter them if they whiff or block, and her tele-stomps, fireballs, and Ground Pound can do an effective job at range as well. Watch out of Skarlet's teleport and short sword up and down strikes; block where needed, counter, and she should go down.

KENSHI- 7
Kenshi is best up close, and he's much, much faster than Sheeva, able to shut down her combos and grabs before they even start. He also has fast recovery times. But he's lacking at a distance, so get some space and use those Ground Pounds, Fireballs, and Tele-stomps if you can (and if he gets clever with the upward sword swings, teleport behind him and grab him then). Watch out for his telepathic ghost images though; block and counter as needed.

RAIN- 7
Rain's a very good anti-Sheeva. His roundhouse kicks, control bubble, lightning, water sprays, teleports, teleport kicks... they all make him dangerous and unpredictable. He can counter most of Sheeva's moves easily and has fast recovery on most of his moves. Most. You can punish him hard for a missed or blocked bubble, roundhouse kick, lightning, and more. The issue with Rain is avoiding his attacks and getting out of the danger zone; if you can, you can punch and grab and tele-stomp him to your heart's content. But he's dangerous at nearly every place on the arena and is almost impossible to zone. Close-quarter is best, though a few Ground Pounds can help at a distance.


- CLOSING
And that's it for now. I may return to append this or to answer any questions or add any info or strategies I stumble across. I hope this helped, and don't hesitate to discuss or ask me any questions regarding either Sheeva or this guide. Thanks everyone.