Sf3 Sean: The Comprehensive Guide

Introduction For the longest time, I've been playing without so much as a plan (its indicative of my life outside the game) and while it has gotten me rather far, it is hindering my progression to the next level of skill. Following some sage advice that I've been given, I'm going to create my game plan as Sean so that I can put these thoughts to a canvas.  There are 4 Macro and 4 Micro goals of a match for Sean: Macro: Get super Get them to the corner Land super to win  Match-up Experience Micro: Build meter offensively or defensively Walk them down, KND corpse push or back throw towards the corner Whiff punish, Reversal, Confirm, or Parry + Punish into Super Knowledge of opponent's character and their options/ranges Build Super The number one key to the plan is getting super first. If I have super, then my chances of winning the round (possibly the match) sky-rocket.  There are 2 approaches to this I can take depending on my opponent's aggression or defense: ...

Opening Sequences What decision did I make? What happened as a result? What decision did my opponent make? What happened as a result? What is the meter situation on both sides at round start?   (if round 2 or 3) Neutral Am I maintaining optimal positioning to play out the neutral per the match-up? Max dash throw range? Max range where I can't be counter hit on whiff? etc. Am I responding fast enough to whiff punish the opponent's choices? What caused the situation that lead to me receiving large damage? What could I have done different there to prevent damages? Is the opponent playing out the match-up accordingly? Is there inexperience? Is the opponent aggressive or passive? Or is there a blend of both? Do they have a tendency to press buttons? Or not? Do they have a specific spacing/range where they're forced to make a decision? Am I playing with intent?  Am I playing on auto-pilot? How can I be more pro-active and focused in neutral? Am I meter building offensively? ...

Table of Contents Overview Close Range Mid-Range Far Range Okizeme Gimmicks Super-based strategy Hyper Tornado Hadou Burst Shoryu Cannon Aegis Reflector Breakdown

Sean has access to all of his options at close range . In the close inter-medial range he has access to Cl. HK Cr. MP Far MP Cr. MK  St. LP Cr. LK UOH Neutral Jump MK In the mid-range he has: Cr. MK Cr. HK Far HP Kara UOH Far MP F+HK LP Tackle LK Wheel Kick F+HP In the far inter-medial range he has: MP Tackle Forward Dash Safe Jump HK MK Wheel Kick In the far range he has: HK/EX Wheel HP/EX Tackle Forward Dash Taunt

Sean's crouching hurt-box extends his lower sprite forward 7 initially, then to 8 pixels. This is applicable to UOH, Jumps, most of his special moves and his dashes.  When crouching, his attacks keep his hurt-box from extending to the 8th while extending his throw-box by differing amounts. This means whenever you crouch as Sean, you need to time your button presses/parry attempts at the same time to minimize your sprite extension.  Sean's Forward Walk covers 2 pixels per frame with his lower sprite box retreating 2 pixels backwards before advancing 4 pixels forward.  Sean's Backward Walk covers 3 pixels per frame with his lower sprite box extending forward 9 pixels before retreating 13 pixels backwards. ( Down-parry before trying to walk back out of exchanges or risk getting clipped by long reaching lows ) Sean's Forward Dash covers 112 pixels and recovers completely in 13 frames. When a button is pressed as soon as Sean is actionable, it shortens the hurt-box's...

Intro I decided to make separate pages for his supers since I didn't go into enough detail on each one. Lately i've been playing SA2 a lot more and I think it might end up being his strongest super considering what it gives Sean but only time will tell.  SA2 is his fastest super; it starts up in 2 frames which is faster than the other 2 and it does a relatively large amount of damage while having 2 stocks of it. Its range leaves a lot to be desired but if you can manage to get in on your opponent, it's curtains for them when fully stocked. 4 EX's at your disposal meaning you get a nice balance of a damaging super and somewhat decent EX moves which is always nice. What makes this super strong is not only its fast startup, but its invincibility. Meaning that most "check-mate" scenarios are futile due to this super. An example would be parrying something like Ken Cr. MP which has a high amount of mind games due to DP or Jinrai but Shoryu Cannon shuts down these m...

Cr. LK (blocked) options [+1] Cl. HK - High parry only beats Jump (will lose to 3f normals or faster) Cr. MK - Low parry only (will lose to 4f normals or faster and throw if mashed there) Opponent can jump out Delayed Cr. LK's - Low parry only beats jump beats mashing Kara Throw beats blocking  Shimmy into (?) beats opponent looking to tech St. LP (High/Low parry-able) Safe on whiff (-1) Un-Jump-able Parry Catches crouch-tech, button presses, etc. Cr. LP (blocked) options [+3] - the same as Cr. LK but a few are a bit more potent Cl. HK/HP - High parry only beats jump 2f gap between buttons Cr. MK - Low parry only Opponent can jump out (loses to 3f normals or faster and throw if mashed there) Cr. HP - High/Low parry beats jump (loses to 3f normals or faster) St. LP (blocked) options [+5] - the same as above but some even more potent now Cl.MP - High parry only Perfect string (can even walk up and hit-confirm target combo) No gaps Beats jump Works on Ibuki, Makoto, Alex, Oro, Chun, ...

 Oro: St. MP - -18 St. HK - -23 Cr. HK/HP - -24 St. MK - -21 St. HP - -23 Alex: St. HK - -36 Cr. HK - -35 Cr. HP - -29 F+HP - -23 St. HP - -19 Dudley: Cr. MK/HK - -28 Elena: Cr. MK - -19 F+MP -  -21 F+MK/Sweep/ - -27 B+HK - -20 HK - -23 St. MP - -22 Slide - -32 Remy: St. MK - -19 Cr. MK - -25 Cr. HK - -26 St. HP - -20 F+MK - -23 Hugo: Cr. MP - -19 St. MP - -22 Cr. MK - -25 St. HP - -23 Urien:  St. MK - -20 St. HK/Cr. HK - -25 St. HP - -20 F+HP - -24  F+MP - -19 Ken: St.HK - -22 Cr.HK - -32 Makoto: Cr. HP/F+HP - -24 St. MK/HK - -18 Q: Cr. MK/MP - -19 Cr. HP - -22 St. MK - -20 Cr. HK - -41 B+HP -  -26 to -18 St. HK - -34 Ibuki: Cr.MK/F+HK - -19 St. HK - -24 (always) Cr. HK -  -28 12: Far MP/Cr. MP/Cr.MK - -18 St. HP - -21 Cr. HK - -35 St. HK - -29 DRA: -39-38 AXE: anywhere from -21-19 Gouki: Far HP - -28 Cr. HK - -31 St. MK/F+MP - -23 St. HK - -25 Ryu: St. MK - -21 Cr. HK - -31 St. HK - -23 Yang: St. MK - -20 St. HP - -23 Cr. HK - -25 Chun: St. HP - -23 Cr. H...

Neutral Jump HP - 15 Stun 1 taunt = 16 stun 1 1/2 taunt = 17 stun 2 taunt = 18 stun 2 1/2 taunt = 19 stun 3 taunt = 20 stun F+ HP - 12 stun 1 taunt = 12 stun 2 taunt = 14 stun 3 taunt = 16 stun J.HP/Cl. HP/MK Tornado/etc - 13 Stun  (+5 for Target F+HP link) 1 taunt = 14 stun 2 taunt =  16 stun 3 taunt =  17 stun Cl. HK/Far MP/etc.  - 11 Stun 1 taunt = 12 stun 2 taunt = 13 stun 3 taunt = 15 stun Far HP/Forward Throw - 10 Stun 1 taunt = 11 stun 2 taunt = 12 stun 3 taunt = 14 stun Cl. MP/Hadou Burst/etc. - 9 Stun (+1 for Target Combo) 1 taunt = 10 stun 2 taunt = 11 stun  3 taunt = 12 stun EX Dragon Smash/Tackle - 16 stun 1 taunt = 17 stun 2 taunt = 19 stun 3 taunt =  22 stun Wheel Kick (EX if all 3 hits) - 19 Stun 1 taunt = 21 stun 2 taunt = 23 stun 3 taunt = 26 stun EX Tornado - 19 Stun 1 taunt = 20 stun 2 taunt = 21 stun   3 taunt = 24 stun EX Tackle - 25 Stun 1 taun...

Introduction Sean recovers from a jump faster than most characters in the game, only having 1 frame of landing recovery as opposed to 2 and a overall shorter jump animation when its played out.  Frame data Sean has 2 different safe-jumps that are possible: +37 advantage +38 advantage With that in mind, I wanted to see about Meatying with max range late J. HK so that I get the most advantage and meter I can get while still maintaining some semblance of safety on offense. As Sean jumps its either: Empty Jump  Late J. HK If they QS then the options are: Cr. MK x EX Tornado or SA1/3 Sweep UOH Cr. LK DED (when applicable)  Kara Throw If they don't and the late J.HK whiffs, the options are: Whiff Jab - Cl.HK (Meaty) UOH Character LP Dragon Smash MP Dragon Smash HP Dragon Smash EX Dragon Smash  Chun-Li x Whiff St. LK then Jump Forward x x Yun Wait a frame then Jump Forward x x x Ken Wait a few frames then Jump Forward x x x Makoto Whiff St. LK...

Work in Progress Cr. LK tick Cl.HK into Kara HP UOH Shotos, Chun, Mak/Urien/Remy/Oro (Kara HK UOH), Twins, Remy, Hugo Delayed Target Combo into UOH (up close) Shotos, Chun, Mak, Urien, Dudley, Ibuki, Remy, Hugo Cl. HK tick (take a step back) UOH Shotos, Chun, Mak, Urien, Dudley, Ibuki, Twins, Necro, Remy, Alex, Hugo Cr. LK x St. LP x Cr. LK into UOH Shotos, Chun, Mak, Urien, Remy, Alex, Hugo, Oro Cr. LK tick Cr. LK x 2 into Kara HK UOH Mak, Ibuki/Twins/Alex/Oro (Kara HP UOH), Remy, Hugo HP- Towards HP into UOH Shotos, Mak (walk a step back), Ibuki, Remy, Hugo, Q, Oro EX Wheel (blocked) into UOH Shotos, Chun, Remy, Hugo Back throw, UOH Shotos (require St.MK to move forward and Kara HK UOH), Chun (Kara HK UOH), Mak, Urien, Dudley/Alex (take a step back), Ibuki (Kara HK UOH), Twins/Necro (step back Kara HP UOH), Remy, Hugo, Oro HP Dragon, dash UOH  Shotos, Remy, Alex, Hugo (delay the UOH a bit), Q

To further optimize things, I decided to log down the amount of time Sean gets on his KND's (not counting SA2 since taunt oki and Wheel Kick knockdowns are far in between and it varies depending on the height they get smacked down from) Hadou Burst Sean isn't granted the amount of time of okizeme as say, Gouki but he does get time to set some things up. The amount of time Sean gets off of quick cancel is set in stone but if he late cancels off a Cr. MK at max range, he gets rewarded with extra frames of time to set something up. Urien - +60 on knockdown normally          - +62 if Cr. LK Cr. LK x St. LP or max range late cancelled Cr. MK (mid screen standing)          - +64 if max range Cr. MK (midscreen crouching)          - +63 if max range late cancelled Cr. MK (cornered crouching) Oro/Elena - +39 on knockdown normally        - +43 if max range Cr. MK or Cr. LKx2 (midscreen...

Table of Contents Overview Close Range Mid-Range Far Range Okizeme Gimmicks Super-based strategy Hyper Tornado Hadou Burst Shoryu Cannon

In my opinion, this is probably the  only  match-up where Sean is at an advantage. Twelve's health is is terrible and like Sean, a good amount of his special moves leave him crouching on block/parry. Twelve rules the air with his IAD's and wall bounces but Sean has  many  Anti-airs which means that you have half the match won if you can keep him out of the sky. Learn to parry his Cr. HP and Cr. HK as those moves are among the most risky in his arsenal to use. Towards Roundhouse is the perfect counter-poke to Twelve's Standing Roundhouse. Parrying is still important in this match-up, don't jump in the air without buffering first. Twelve is one of the very few who can be hit by Cl.HK x Dragon Smash (though its not as consistent as it is with Elena). This is one of the few match-ups where Wheel Kicks are effective due to them taking a good portion of the screen up and keeping him out of the air. His main close range poke Cl. MK can be parried both high and low. Its ...

Introduction I figured out recently that i've been going about basketball setups all wrong. Its not that the ball is supposed to hit meaty (even though it can), the ball is supposed to be thrown while Sean himself hits meaty. I had came up with flashy basketball combos a year or so ago involving shit like: - Throw the ball then Jab x (let the ball hit) x Target combo Just merely messing around, not knowing that these combos would actually become part of a knockdown situation that's actually paramount to Sean's pressure on wake-up..... The ball is essentially like Sean's St .LP in nature (+5 on hit and block) and is a confirm for many things. The ball's juggle counter is 1 that allows Sean to DP you (and/or super) if the ball hits you out of the air and he's in range. The ball can stuff out reversals since its active for so long before it hits the ground (granted the blow-through attack doesn't flat out destroy it but this depends on how much invi...

Necro's corner pressure is just as dangerous as Dudley's which means this match-up will require constant walking forward. The problem is that he can zone you out using his moves which means parrying will be of importance in this match-up. Learn to parry his revolving punch, electric and overheads. Sean, if defense permits, can punish his main long range normals after parry with Tackle (depending on dist.) Also if Sean manages to walk him to the corner, he becomes that much more dangerous. Cl. HK is important in this match-up as this is the only match-up where Sean's strongest ground combo (Cl. HK x EX Dragon Smash) is able to be utilized outside of a basketball toss situation but only if the Cl. HK is on Meaty or if he's stunned (again you won't need the basketball). Necro can also be crossed up if hit with a EX Dragon Smash with only 1 dash if he quick rolls. His hit-box is massive, which means you can land combos in this match-up which you wouldn't normally ...

Full Power Match-up Dudley, like Elena, is one of the few characters Cl.HK x HP Dragon Smash works on. On Dudley, its not as consistent as Elena since it has to be cancelled quickly from Cl.HK (or it will whiff) but its still able to be used. Dudley is also the only character Sean can hit-confirm MP Dragon Smash on (whether standing or crouching) from Cr. LK x St. LP. He also has his TC x SA3 confirm on him crouching as well. Recommended Super: SA1 - To take advantage of Cl.HK x HP Dragon Smash and to be able to punish him and his MGB's on block. SA2 - To punish his overhead, corner pressure, damage, and to get bailed out if caught in a super war. Strongest combos in this match up: Cross-up J.MK x Cl.HK x HP Dragon Smash x SA1 = 68 Damage Cl. HK x HP Dragon Smash x SA1 = 59 Damage Normals that can be Tackled : Standing HP Forward HP Crouching HK Crouching MK Punishing Target Chains : MK - HK - HP Chain if red parried leaves him crouching, Punish with...

"Full Power Match-up" Sean's options get substantially better in this match-up due to Elena's hitbox, allowing Sean to combo into his DP off of any of his cancel-able normals. He can even connect Cr. MP/MK x EX Tornado on her whether standing or crouching fairly easy. His meter building also improves greatly due to being able to hit with combos like J. HP x Cl. HK x HP Dragon Smash consistently which builds 47 points of meter (which is 2/3s a stock of Hadou Burst, a 1/2 stock of Shoryu Cannon and a 1/3  stock of Hyper Tornado). Elena is one of the few characters that Cl. HK x Dragon Smash works consistently on, which means this MU is where Sean is at his strongest without meter. As such whenever the opportunity arises to land that combo, do it. Elena will usually try to keep you at a distance and sneak in when she gets the opportunity which means, Parrying again is an important part of this MU. Elena has one of the best wake-up mix-ups in the entire game. She can ...

In this match-up, Sean has one extra hit confirm into Hadou Burst/Hyper Tornado, being his Target Combo if you catch her crouching and if the MP - HK is delayed.  Tackle is of benefit since it can escape kunai set-ups and if done early enough, scoot underneath her SA1. Recommended Super: All 3 can be used. Hadou Burst - Consistent damage, can punish Raida on block; can punish F+ MK, F+ HK on parry. Can also punish Tsumuji on block IF it ends with a low sweep (for extra damage to boot). Shoryu Cannon - To deter her air game, and deals great damage; can punish her Raida,  F + MK and F + HK after parry and 2nd hit of MK Tsumuji on reversal or any variation (that isnt EX) that leaves her too close. Hyper Tornado - A 45% punisher vs. her. Can punish things like Raida and almost all of her variations of Tsumuji. Can also punish F+ MK and F + HK on parry and her SA1 on block (distance dependent). Punishing her DP + K : Down parry twice, then Neutral Jump HK/HP ...

Ken is strong because of his ability to confirm SA3 easily and because his SA3 can reversal many moves after block. Don't dash when in Ken's Cr. MK zone, unless he whiffed a move and you would be able to dash without getting hit by his Cr. MK. If you see that his c.MK whiffed punish it with your Cr. MK x SA1 or 3, or Cr. HK if he's not in range for your Cr. MK. Ken's ability to hit confirm SA3 is one of things that makes him excellent character. He will do a mix-up of throws and Cl. MP-HP x SA3 hit confirm on your wake-up. There is really no way to get out of this situation safely, you're just gonna have to predict his move. However, if you are in corner try to get out from there as soon as possible. If Ken tries to punish you in air with EX Tatsumaki it's easy to parry it, just learn the timing. When you parry Ken's move remember that he can cancel it into SRK or SA3 and counter punish. Sean can do the same thing (w/meter). Remember that Ken's standin...