a very good article about noob-smoke. tank you for all the information

Dairou is one of the best characters but the most impressive characters are: Rayden and Sub-Zero. Both of them have good tricks and are realy good fighters too. tank you everybody

Tanya guide

Zi ran men

This style has only one bad mid hit and almost all of this style’s move are unsafe. Still, there is one move that makes this style ok:

b+3, f+3

These are two low hits that do a whopping 16% damage! They are relatively fast and the range is great. After b+3,f+3 you can do a quick jump kick which will hit most of the times.

1, 1, 3

Pop up combo. There are more disadvantages than adventages to this combo, they are all high hits and easily sidestepped But, you can get good damage from it: 1,1,3, f,f+3, throw = 39% {From any pop up you can do drill kick followed by a free throw for 30%+ damage).

Yue chuan

Yue chuan is better than zi ran men. Like most of Tanya moves it’s a bit unsafe but it has great lows and good damage.

d+4: this is one of Tanya's best moves, it hits low, and has awesome range. This move can and should be abused.

d+1: another extremely fast low poke, faster than d+4

b+1: like most of Tanya's moves this launcher’s recovery sucks but it’s a mid hit and can be done after a lot of d+1 and d+4.

3, 2, B+1 starts with a mid hit, the timing of this combo is somewhat weird and can catch your opponent off guard.

1,1,2 is all high and unsafe but it juggles and has good damage:
1,1,2, f,f+3, throw = 41%
or 1,1,2, cs, b+2,1,1,u+1 = 39%

2, cs, 1, 1 :Good damage, and ends with ends with 1,1

Kobu jutsu

Kobu Jutsu is a well-rounded style, great for 50/50 game, and almost all of this style’s moves hit mid but it lacks really good low hits

1,1: Two mid hits that give you an adventage on hit but they are not 100% safe. On a hit the opponent is stunned so after this either do another 1,1 ,throw or ~cs b+3,f+3. After a lot of 1,1 consider adding u+1 cause your opponent will probably let their guard down after 1,1

b+4 : Low hit, good range but very unsafe on block

b+1: Pop up, hits mid

u+4: Sidestep into a pop up, can be used to avoid coming attacks, it also hits mid

Special moves

Throw: Tanya's throw is ok.
When you are not near a wall it will give you nothing besides 16% damage. When your opponent is near a wall you can do huge and easy damage in kobu justsu. Throw, b+2,4, d+2 = 60% (you can do ~cs b+3, f+3 for 65%). When online you might want to do just throw, b+2,1 for 48%. When you throw not near a wall either turn invisible or walk up and attack.

d, b+2: Projectile, hits high and a bit slow but Tanya leans a bit back (like Mileena's d,f+2) so there is a small chance you can avoid attacks

d, u+2: Like Sindel’s air fireball from MK3 Tanya jumps up and shoots a projectile. This move is useless 99% of the time, but if you are very far u can avoid things like Kobra’s low fireball but because of its crappy range you will not hit your opponent.

u, d+1: Tanya turns invisible, in invisible mode you can do two things, you can continue your 50/50 game invisible or abuse special moves, d,b+2, d,u+2 and drill kick. Experienced players will expect a drill kick after you turn invisible and will immediately block so watch out

f, f +3: Tanya's famous drill kick. Most important it a gives you a free throw for a total of 25% damage. As mentioned above you can do this after turning invisible. And although not very easy you can combo from it. The drill kick has a big chance of being blocked and punished heavily so be careful.

d,b+4. Tanya's unicorn kick This move does 15% damage, hits mid, very fast and unbreakable.
when it's blocked it can be punished and the range is bad. Because the range sucks and it can be seen easily this move isn’t really useful.

Tips

Tanya is all about abusing low pokes, 50/50, and glitch throw combos.

Tanya has good things in all of her styles, but each one of them got some weakness so you need to use all of them.

In zi ran men all you need to do is abuse b+3,f+3, after b+3,f+3 do a jump kick and a free throw. The jump kick is not guaranteed and your opponent will learn to avoid it so either do another b+3,f+3 or cs into yue chuan.

Yue chuan has great low hits, d+4 and d+1 The problem with this style is that the mid hits are very unsafe so after abusing low pokes do either ~cs 1,1 or do the unsafe b+1 in yue chuan. D+4 is better than d+1. d+4 got awesome range, therefore it’s the best way to get close relatively safely to your opponent. When you are very close to you opponent d+1 is better to do because its faster and will stop almost every move.

In kobu jutsu you need to mix up 1,1 b+1 b+4 and throw.

A big part of Tanya's game is her wall game, always try to get to the wall for corner trapping in yue chuan or glitch combos. When your opponent is backed against the wall he will expect to be thrown and will block low so walk up and do b+1, b+3 (b+3 plants them and unbreakable) followed by a free throw, combo......
If you are with your back against the wall do either drill kick, walk up, free throw, combo...... or b+1, drill kick, walk up, free throw, combo.....

When I hit b+1 not near a wall I do b+2,2. This move plants the opponent and does 22% after that continue the 50/50.

Tanya is best played in small arenas like The Courtyard and The Portal where she can get to the wall easily and do her glitch combos.

If someone wants to add anything they are most welcome.

you dont have to be near a wall to do her glitch combos, she has 47% from anywhere: In Yue Chuan = throw, ff3, 2, cs, 1, 1, U+1 = 47%

Wow, didnt know that.....

It's working online?

If thats true why Tanya is so low on the tier list?

I don't think throw, ff3 works online if you're not near a wall. I tried it often. Or, I may not have the timing right, but I think it doesn't work online.

VQ

ok first, TANYA's her move where she floats and shoots fire ball is her best move. it seems you dont know much about TANYA.
just cause you dont know how to use it doesnt make her worst move.
and also unicorn kick is a good special.
do her floating fireball then do her drill kick and unicorn kick and youll see do it fast.
and learn how to use her floating fireball

other than that....good guide

d,u+2 it's not her worst move but I just dont think it's really that good.
it's range sucks and if your opponent is not stupid he will block when she jumps up.

About her unicorn kick, yeah you are right I'll change it soon

thinking of making a guide for the following...

Shujinko
scorpion
kabal
dairou

you choose and ill see what i can do.

dont worry though, im not too shabby, but im not as good as alot of people, lets take killer in white (tgrant) for example. I put up a fight against his matches, but he usually hands my ass to me most of the time...but then again, i am only 13

choose which charecter, ill see what i can come up with.

as vain said, no, not online, in fact, ive only been able to do it while i start in Zi Ran, though it works in every stance.

cmon guys, pick a charecter out of them four and ill make a guide for em

Ehh... imo it IS her worst special move. It has pretty limited range and she can be punished while in the act.

Here is my guide for Hotaru. I noticed some requests...


Ba Sha Fan

B1 This is his best overhead move, and has the best recovery, therefor making it the safest. Its an overhead, pop-up which you can combo off of. Sometimes I do the move twice if the first one is wiffed, or blocked. People will rush after you wiff a B1 and the next one can be very affective. After you connect a B1 in Ba Sha Fan, you have a few options. F2, which is his most powerfull plant move. After connecting this move you can walk up, 50/50. His Style Branching combo, 21CS, cannot track and is not good recovery wise. But his highest combo is. 21CS, 22U1. Also effectice ways to follow up are224(plant), or 22CS(harder to plant with). The first style is the best for Lava Burst. Utilize it, its the better of his two specials. His high low combo 1B3 is good when mixed up with 13(awesome mid) and 2B1(overhead pop-up)

Pi Gua

This style is one of the best in the game. Mainly for its super fast side stepping, and awesome recovery. It also tracks, unlike his first style style branching combos. Use B2 for sweep, and B1 for overhead. Also, I like to use 3 in my 50/50 mix ups in this style, its great mid hit which makes your opponent back flip. 2B1 is also a good Combo, and is great to mix in for ducking opponents. 22 is best for recovering in your combos. When you connect, do 224, or 22 CS, or 223. Wherever you prefer your opponent to be in the given situation.

Naginata

His most Damaging move in this style is a standing 3. Unfortunately, it can't track and has bad recovery. But, you can mix it up with a B1, and follow it with 3, which comes out faster than blocking. 1B1 is his safest and most effective. It hits mid, and pops up. U2 is great for sidestepping away from an oncoming combos and dominating it. Use B2 for sweep in this style as well. 114 is a great powermove, the 4 comes out very fast, but has bad recovery online.

Lastly is Grasshopper kick, just remember you have it, so when you see someone recovering, and you know you can't get to them, thats when you use it.

Overall he's fun but can be frustrating to learn, due to his slowness in Ba Sha Fan. This is one Character that absolutely without a doubt NEEDS to grab. If your opponent is blocking, or you know that you can't connect a combo in time, but you can grab, then GRAB. He needs these to keep up with opponents and show dominance. Because that is what this character is about, dominating his opponent. He does not have a bunch of fancy combos that he can do, and hope for his opponent to let his guard down, so every move must be calculated, and many of your attacks will be counters. You must play defense, as his moves come out fast, but recover badley. Playing Hotaru is a risk, and you will have to really work for you wins, for this, I will never lose interest in him.

I hope this narrows it down for some people with interest in Hotaru.

Thanks to Alda and Chimage for helping me learn him, and offering tips.

Pretty much sums up why he's top mid-tier. Its funny how you forgot his poke game, since that is the most ridiculous thing about him.

He doesn't have very good pokes. All have bad recovery. Down 4 in Ba Sha Fan can be useful. Down 4 in Pi Gua as well, Down 1 in Pig Gua is fast, but with very limited range. Those are the ones you should know... Sorry I left that out.

Cool guide for Hotaru. It's about time he gets some notice in the MK world. Also did you mention the 2, 4 combo in Ba Shan Fan because I find that is a cool sneak attack.

Also which characters is Hotaru good to use on and who does he have trouble fighting against.

Hotaru free throws:

BSF - 21cs, cs, b1, walk under, throw
PG - b2, throw
Nag - b2, throw or b1, walk under, throw

After any throw, you can let them fall to the ground and still get a free hit on them before they get up. Like a style combo would be:

throw, wait until they land, backdash, lava burst, combo
throw, wait, (Nag) 1b1, jump over, throw, combo

Hotaru is top ten (upper mid-tier). Nice guide BMB.

Thanks, I think he is good verse basically all the mid and low tier characters. His worse opponents are Dairou (TS still pounds grasshopper kick if you are in mid air) And BRC, his poke game just can't compare, especially if BRC is playing keep away.

wow guys...just wow. first off i'd like to say great job on all of the strategy guides. i'm thoroughly impressed. doomsday...nothing but admiration. great job with noob, shujinko, and scorpion. they were extremely helpful. But on a personal note, i am getting xbox live for the first time in about a week (i know i know laugh all you want) and i have fallen in love w/ this web site in the meantime. but as far as the strategy guides go, are there going to be guides for all of the characters. what about nightwolf, kira, darrius, and ashrah? thx a lot guys, great job, and i'll be seeing you all in about a week

Darrius' ease of use is pathetic.You can be effective and win with him using only 3 moves,but just for this thread's sake,here's your "Darrius Strategy Guide".

Special Moves

b,f+2 - his blue projectile.There's nothing special about it;it's like any other projectile.But use it wisely as it can be useful in certain situations.However,do NOT abuse it.When it gets side stepped,you're at a disadvantage.

d,f+3 - this hits low and plants the opponent into the ground.It's awful on block,but we'll discuss this move later on when we get into more depth.

b,f+1 - basically like the above except the fact that it hits mid,and more importantly,Darrius side steps before doing this move,so it may be useful against Sub-Zero's Ice Clone or Smoke's Smoke Cloud.Again,use this carefully as it's very unsave on block.

b,f+4 - well,you really shouldn't use this at all.It's not save on block and when it hits it serves no purpuse.It's best used as a tool for block damage.

Throw - Darrius' throw is one of the best throws.We'll discuss it later in depth.

Darrius Stances

Who am I fooling?Darrius only needs one stance because the other stances can NEVER compensate for what he can do in his best stance - Gauntlest (weapon stance).Thus,I won't even bother commenting on Shinto Ryu (first stance) and Leopard (second stance);I mean,I can say that he has a decent mid in the Leopard stance (his 4),but who fucking cares?Here's why you shouldn't care...

Gauntlets

3 - this hits mid and it's his best mid move;during online play,you can spam the shit out of this as the lag will make the move much safer than what it is off-line.To make it safe,simply do another 3 after your initial 3 when the opponent blocks it OR buffer (perform the motion of the move while your character is recovering) d,f+3 after your 3 has been blocked.

EDITED: b+3 - I cannot believe I forgot about this.Thank hjs-Q for mentioning it.This is a low,and even though it's not very safe,it gives a free THROW on hit.

d+4 - a nice low that sets up nice mix ups

General Strategies

Unless you're new to this game,you must know that MK:D's high level gameplay consists of mostly 50/50 mix ups (and infinite combos at times),so you must play Darrius that way accordingly.Fortunately,he's one of best characters at 50/50 mix ups.

Simply after his 3 (in weapon stance) on hit follow up with d,f+3.The d,f+3 will be unbreakable and will plant setting up EASY 50/50 mix ups;that means,walk up and EITHER throw the opponent OR do another 3.The opponent has to guess between an unblockable high (the throw) and a mid attack (3 in weapon stance).In other words,if your opponent ducks and blocks,he/she eats the 3 (in weapon stance);if your opponent stands and blocks,he/she eats the throw.

Now,you may wonder how you can continue your mix ups when you've thrown someone.No problem.Thanks to Boon's incompetence to test MK:D,Darrius' throw can also act as a JUGGLE STARTER just like his 3 (in weapon stance).After you throw someone,simply walk up and do d,f+3.The d,f+3 is unblockable and inescapable setting up 50/50 mix ups yet again.

Overall,play Darrius UP CLOSE using his 50/50 mix ups mentioned above.Try avoiding playing keep away (which most players will force you to do anyway since everyone knows how strong Darrius is up close).

Combos

In weapon stance, Throw, walk up, 1,2,4,4,4
Note:This can do 50% of damage or more.

In weapon stance;opponent in corner, Throw, jump kick, 1,2, d+2
Note:This does 65% of damage or more.

Infinite Combo

Any stance,
Throw, walk up, d,f+3, side step, throw, walk up, d,f+3, side step, throw, etc.
Note:Inescapable infinite combo (opponent cannot use breakers to break it).This infinite combo takes advantage of the "side step/plant glitch".Practice the timing for the free throw after the side step to insure consistancy.

Conclusion

Darrius is hands down the most boring character to play against in my opinion.Plus,he's very easy to use,too,with easy-ass infinite combos and glitchy and un-intended damage after his throw.His 50/50 mix ups are very powerful;in fact,the only thing he lacks is some kind of long-ranged keep away tool (like Bo Rai Cho's Puke Puddle,Dairou's TS Drop,etc.) and he would be worst than BRC and Dairou.

If anything is unclear,PM me and I'll answer it for anyone gladly.

Ashra
She's one of the fastest characters in the game, the best female overall, and can quickly destroy most opponents. Here is my Ashra guide.

Chou Jaio
This is her first stance and it has some pretty useful moves

F+1 piercing wrist extremely fast popup move follow it up with a combo
22 CS downfall combo good for planting opponents and for 50/50
F+4 chicken leg
22 twin eye poke good move for confusing people who think you are going for the downfall combo after they block low do piercing wrist or if they block high throw
2,1 stone wirst plants the opponent good for 50/50

Ba Gua
Good style to use once in a while if you are playing fair BUT you can be a real bastard and go for the free throw madness in this style

combos in Ba Gua
Rusty Blade 1,3 CS
Painful Palms 1,2,2
Dancing Hands 1,2,2,3
Face Scrape 2,2,3
Face Poker 2,2 CS
Art of Overkill 1,3,F+3
her sweep B+4 gives her a free throw so after it go for the free throw again abuse only if you are facing a cheesy player :)
Kriss
pretty good offensive style
U+2 gives her a free throw
some combos for kriss
Kriss Kross 2,2
Twin Swipes 1,1
Fast Enough F+1,1
Fast Hands F+1,1,1
Extreme Fists F+1,1,1,1
Goddess Blade 3,4
King Thunder 3,4,2
Killer Bride 3,4,2,2

Special moves
Heavenly Light- D,B+1 good move only when you are far from your opponent not for close quarters at all.
Lightning Blast- D,F+1 excellent move to use against offensive opponents it comes out extremely fast, it is relatively safe, and it blasts the opponent across the screen giving you distance.
Spin Cycle- D,U+3 very useful move pops up the opponent, tracks sidesteppers and comes out fast, great against Raiden and Jade's teleport
Nature’s Torpedo- F,F+4 another useful move that can catch opponents off-guard when used sparingly

Ashra's throw is extremely useful because it is unbreakable and can get you out of tight spots when your opponent is near a deathtrap.

strenghts: fast, useful varied combos, useful special attacks, good throws, high damage potential, free throws.
weaknesses: no good pokes, weakness against pokes, no long range attack(ex:Bo staff, Dairou slam, etc.)
Strategies for Ashra
Sweep your opponent across all three styles and condition them to think that you are goin to keep sweeping then when they crouch do a pop up move
Hold up when performing her combos in Chou Jaio to track sidesteppers.
Ashra's worst fights are against the unholy trinity of Bo, Dai, and N/S anyone else (Shujinko, Darrius, Scorp, etc) are on even playing fields with her. strategy against:
N/S: her lightning blast is extremely effective against Smoke players who try to come in and trick u into eating a smoke cloud. DO NOT rush your opponent when he is Smoke as he/she will most likely use a cloud. Use a mix up of her downfall combo and her style chnage combo. If you get an opportunity for a free throw TAKE IT. vs. Dairou He's a headache to fight but still easier to beat than Bo. Most players will abuse the Tombstone so be ready to jump back wards and after a missed tombstone do her nature's torpedo as they wont be able to block for at least 3 seconds (be careful because they can still sidestep, teleport, etc) play a 50/50 game against Dairou mixing throws, sweeps, change ups and her killer bride combo in Kriss. vs. Bo this is her toughest battle because he is freaking unstopable when used right. The strategy that works for me is to STAY on the Bo player. Dont give them a chance to breathe and use ur best 50/50 tactics, if you get a chance for a free throw TAKE IT. dont give the bastard a chance to breathe or ur dead.

Damn Dave, you bastard! I went away for a few days and decided to write a Darrius guide, come back and see you made one, lol. Anyway, good stuff, I was unaware of that jump kick shit and the free throw after b3. In my guide I did cover his unarmed stances a bit just for fun.

Since I can't let it go wasted like that, here's my Darrius guide. If it contains any factual errors or things that either me nor Dave haven't already mentioned, feel free to add to it.

DARRIUS GUIDE

Let’s cut the crap and admit that Darrius is easily one of the most hated characters in MKD (not only because he is a weak Jax replacement). Like all of the top-tiers, you can get an easy win with him if you only know three moves. He is one of the characters that demonstrate how broken this game truly is. But unlike other powerhouses like Kobra, Bo, Scorpion or Noob-Smoke, Darrius doesn’t have much left to make him a more varied and interesting fighter. However, this guide will attempt to cover something more than just the basic strategies you’ve all seen.

SPECIAL MOVES

I think that Darrius was designed to be weak in terms of styles. Most of his strength, therefore, is concentrated in his special moves. Without them, he could well be a low-tier character. All his special moves (except his throw) also deathtrap opponents, making them even better than they already are.

Tricky blast (b,f,2): Darrius’s projectile is one of the faster projectiles in the game. It really looks slower than it is, and can catch an oncoming adversary off guard, or may hit notorious turtlers like N/S or Sub-Zero when they perform their stinky cloud or ice clone. It can also be used at long range to pressure your opponent. However, like most projectiles, don’t use it too often or you will wind up being punished.

Twisty kick (b,f,4) : This move is basically an update of Cyrax’s helicopter kick in MKDA, and boy has it improved. It does a whopping 21% damage and hits mid three times. Some opponents are tricked into releasing block when the second hit has landed, making them eat the last hit. The downside of this move is its bad recovery time, and the fact that the animation sometimes lags, which causes not all hits to connect or simply go through your opponent. This gives the adversary a chance to hit you. Therefore, it’s best to whip out this move either as a close-range surprise attack and/or when you’re sure your opponent will block low.

Sliding fist (b,f,1) : This move hits mid, plants and comes with a free sidestep. All great, but because of this initial sidestep, more experienced opponents will react quickly enough to block it, and secondly, after he has sidestepped he travels across the screen diagonally, so he may still eat things like the stinky cloud, ice clone or spin dash. Third, it’s punishable on block and only truly works at mid- or close-range. Considering that his twisty kick is also a mid with better range and more than twice the damage, in most cases you’d better leave this move alone. However, it’s effective against weaker opponents, or if you intend to go for the free throw after the plant. Another good thing to note is that his sliding fist is an effective counter move that has priority over most other moves, or equals them out.

Target practise (d,f,3) : Darrius’s butter and bread of the special moves lies in this gem. While you get no sidestep out of it, this move is exactly the same as the one above, only that it hits low. Being a plant move, you can get a free throw of it (walk up, ss, throw). It can be used as a countering move, and like most of his specials, it’s faster than one might expect. Another interesting thing is that while it’s a mid-range move, its hit box extends somewhat beyond the animation and opponents can be hit by it even after they seem to have blocked it for a split second, resulting in a surprise hit and a free throw opportunity.

Throw : Darrius’s throw is one of the most advantageous throws in the game, on par with Bo’s. Like most other throws it does 15% but Darrius recovers from it faster than his opponent, presenting great opportunities for mix-up games and glitch combos. Even if you skip all his stances, you can still pose an enormous threat to your opponent if you just stick to his throw and special moves. After Darrius’s throw, you have two good options to choose from :
* Wait until your opponent drops and restart your 50/50 game. Make your opponent guess what you’re going to do : another throw ? Target practise ? A mid maybe ? Because Darrius has gauntlets 3 as a mid that launches, he can reset the 50/50 game almost indefinitely.
* Walk up in gauntlets and do 1,2,4,4,4. While the animation shows your opponent has actually just reached the ground, they are in fact still airborne and can be hit by this combo with undiminished strength, giving a total of 56% damage. If you’re unsure about the timing, you can first do 3, but this will weaken the combo to about 47% . The advantage over the first option is more damage, the disadvantage is its breakability.
I should note that whichever of these two options you choose, you’re probably going to piss off your opponent, especially if they consider glitch combos not legit.

SHINTO RYU

The best of his unarmed stances, though that doesn’t say much, since leopard is really bad. Shinto ryu is basically a watered down version of Kobra’s shorin ryu, or, if you will, a carbon copy of Johnny Cage’s karate stance in MKDA. It’s pretty quick, and some moves are quite safe. Shinto ryu is good to mess around with to show you know more than just the basic Darrius tricks, and can be used to surprise some opponents. I will discuss some moves of interest.

f2 : Darrius’s only pop-up attack in this stance, which he shares with Kobra. It hits high, but it’s pretty safe. After it, you can decide to go for his target practise (sliding fist will miss sometimes because of its longer animation), take the free throw and go for an all-out thrashing, or you could decide to be stylish and do 2,3,4 after it, giving some 25% damage, which is, sadly, the most you can get out of a shinto ryu juggle.

d3 : Another move Darrius shares with Kobra. It’s the closest thing he has to a good low poke, but like f2, it’s not as safe as it looks. You can be thrown or battered on block, but the good thing is most people don’t know that. It does only minimal damage, but it’s his only good low in shinto ryu.

u3 : Darrius’s only mid in his first stance, which he ALSO shares with Kobra. It sidesteps and pushes the opponent away with a short kick, and it’s fast. It’s good to use up close against a turtling opponent, or after you’ve used d3 a few times to mess with their mind. Unlike Kobra’s u3, however, Darrius’s version of this move has a different hit box, which makes it weaker and less reliable. U3 deathtraps opponents.

(1,2,)3,3,3 : Unsafe and unconvincing in the damage department (it does around 26% I believe), but online, the last hit comes with some delay, often tricking opponents into releasing block and eating it anyway. The good thing is that it also deathtraps opponents. Downside : all hits are highs, and the combo is retardedly unsafe.

(1,)2,3,4 : Like his first three moves discussed, this combo is safer than most other moves, but not entirely. It does push away your opponent some, and it looks stylish. Only use it for good measure, because all moves hit high and the damage is not spectacular.

All other moves, juggles or combos in shinto ryu are pretty much worthless, and only good if you know your opponent is going to be hit. Perhaps worth mentioning is the fact that Darrius’s uppercut in shinto ryu has a good recovery time and can be used in corner glitch combos. I’ve pulled it off three times in a row in the corner in practise, but I doubt it works online.

LEOPARD

Leopard is also a stance that was already present in MKDA, as one of Nitara’s styles. It hasn’t changed much, and that’s not a good thing. All combos from leopard are punishable, useless and do little damage. His only launcher suffers from the same maladies. Only three moves are notable.

d3 : Basically this is the same move as in shinto ryu, so there’s little left to say about it.

b3 : This is a sweep that hits low, and does more damage than d3, though it’s not fantastic. But given Darrius’s size, which limits his hit box considerably, this move is pretty good, especially in combination with the following move.

(1,1,2,)4 : 4 is Darrius’s only mid in leopard and pushes the opponent away. It does pretty good damage and can be integrated into a combo if you like it stylish. However, it’s best used as a stand-alone move to mix-up with his sweep or low kick. For a body-to-body move, leopard 4 has pretty good range, too.

GAUNTLETS

This is what Darrius is all about. However, he doesn’t have many truly interesting moves to offer, unless integrated into combos or mix-ups. Gauntlets would still be a pretty disappointing style without the special moves Darrius has.

b3 : If your opponent is blocking high and for some reason you’re not going to throw or use target practise, this move a nice sweep to use. It does 7% and knocks the opponent of their feet, giving you a go at a new 50/50 game. It’s punishable on block, though.

d4 : A quicker alternative to b3, and more of a low poke like d3 in his unarmed stances.

3 : Darrius’s main launcher in gauntlets, and his best one, too. It hits mid and does about 10% damage. Because of lag issues online, it’s one of those pop-up attacks that you can do in quick succession if your opponent is blocking it. Most of the time it will hit your opponent at some point, or because he is busy blocking your flurry of 3’s, you can squeeze in a low attack, a throw or his target practise. You can follow up this attack with a target practise to reset the 50/50 game or get a free throw, or you can use 1,2,4,4,4 for a total of 33%. The only downside to gauntlets 3 is that it’s breakable, unlike his considerably less useful mids in his unarmed stances.

(1,2,)4,4,4 : Much like shinto ryu 1,2,3,3,3, this combo is best avoided in combat, but some people will not block the last kick because they think the combo is over after the second 4. Since the entire combo is punishable at any point, you’d better simply complete it once you start and hope for a mistake on your adversary’s part. This combo might also be used if you train your opponent to expect single moves, and then suddenly dish out a combo.

STRATEGIES

You have to find out a lot for yourself, of course, but here are some tips of things I think work many times :

Getting in the first hit during a match is always important to me, because it gives you a psychological advantage. A useful move to open the match with is, surprisinly, the twisty kick. Like most special moves it can be buffered before the match starts, and catching your opponent off guard with some 21% damage is a great opener. If you think your opponent is going to sidestep, block or charge with a faster move, however (like Nightwolf’s shoulder barge, for instance), you could try target practise, because it counters most other special moves. Opening the match against defensive players with target pratcise is not a great idea, because it will miss and you’ll be beaten down. A third option to start the match with is to walk up and throw, or test the water with d3 or 1,2,3,4 in shinto ryu to see what the other guy is made of.

Remember that you can follow up both his sliding fist and target practise with a sidestep and free throw. Combined with his glitch combo, this will each time give you an opportunity to blow over half of your opponent’s life bar. If your opponent (or you) is against free throws after a plant move, or glitch combos, you can simply stick to 50/50 games after these plant moves. Nearly all of Darrius’s good moves reset the 50/50 game in Darrius’s advantage (meaning he can strike first and retain the iniative to attack). Getting back to his two plant specials, remember their usefulness in punishing foolish offence and disabling turtlers up close. If you throw in a gauntlets 3 from time to time, Darrius is nearly unbeatable up close.

Experienced players will play defensively against Darrius, luring you into using your two planters abundantly while they backdash or block right at the good moment, leaving you vulnerable. Don’t fall into that trap. There is little more stressing than having to come up against a defending Darrius, because he can hit you at any time once you’re in mid-range. You don’t have to go and walk up against a turtle with Darrius. Wait for them to come to you. At long range a safe bet is his tricky blast, unless aaginst notorious teleporters. But the tricky blast doesn’t have as much lag time as it would appear, so you can do it often and show your opponent you are still dangerous, even at long range.

Good guide VQ, Darrius is so broken.

But, I dont find any reson to move move from wepon stance, 3 is so broken online, you can just do 3, d,f+3, throw 1,2,4,4,4 or on block buffer another 3 or d,f+3

Also d+1 in Leopard is great, it's like Jinko's d+1 in SF

Well, I just use the other styles for effect, or if I think my opponent has a good chance of hitting me so I can reduce damage. 2,3,4 in shinto ryu really isn't that bad, it tends to surprise people a lot. But regardless, his best unarmed moves are still shit compared to gauntlets 3.

Didn't know about d1 in leopard, sounds good.

I might do a Kira guide soon, by the way. I'll send it to you and Frostie for reviewing before I post it here.

VQ

Nice job,guys,but make sure you PM CROW.

He will update the thread.Make sure you do it or I'll do it for ya...