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Li Mei General Discussion

Syzoth

The last Saurian from Zaterra - Syzoth - Reptile
I've been maining Li Mei since launch and I find her lack of Overhead options frustrating.

Anyone else feels she's lacking Overhead options as well?
As a main you likely know this but I'd suggest practicing her in air db4, and consider using scorpion as a Kameo so you can do some low damage combos off of OHs (B3 forward assist). Though she does lack conventional overheads I think it's intentional because of her strong neutral and plus frames. They're unlikely to change this IMO.

People have been able to convert off of enhanced in air db4 with Kameos as well.
 

rifraf

Noob
Yes, indeed. I've been using air db4 quite a lot actually but I feel it's more of an online thing that people are not familiar with yet. I guess b3fA with Scorpion can be a legitimate option. It's not something I included in my gameplay so thanks for bringing it up.

In terms of comboing off of enhanced air db4 + Scorpion, I find it extremely risky since you have to commit to it. Not only getting full comboed but losing resources as well. Unless it's possible to confirm it Idk, in this case it's probably a skill issue for me since I'm not that fast.

I really like her and I hope she gets more options at some point. I understand why she has only 1 low, but I don't like the lack of conventional overheads. As you said, she has a strong neutral game which I enjoy very much, but it all feels wasted to me if I don't have options to check my opponent.
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
I've been maining Li Mei since launch and I find her lack of Overhead options frustrating. The opponent can crouch block her for days and f3 is not a move I want to through around much. I don't understand why her b21 is not an Overhead tbh. Or, her 4312 string. Again, a potentially great option for an Overhead.

Anyone else feels she's lacking Overhead options as well?
No, she has an unreactable safe overhead.

instant air db4(ex) will launch with right Kameo (scorpion, goro, cyrax). With scorpion she gets 40%+


Yes, indeed. I've been using air db4 quite a lot actually but I feel it's more of an online thing that people are not familiar with yet. I guess b3fA with Scorpion can be a legitimate option. It's not something I included in my gameplay so thanks for bringing it up.

In terms of comboing off of enhanced air db4 + Scorpion, I find it extremely risky since you have to commit to it. Not only getting full comboed but losing resources as well. Unless it's possible to confirm it Idk, in this case it's probably a skill issue for me since I'm not that fast.

I really like her and I hope she gets more options at some point. I understand why she has only 1 low, but I don't like the lack of conventional overheads. As you said, she has a strong neutral game which I enjoy very much, but it all feels wasted to me if I don't have options to check my opponent.
It’s not an online thing. Instant air db4 is unreactable. Her overhead options are fine, just need to practice converting off them
 

Syzoth

The last Saurian from Zaterra - Syzoth - Reptile
No, she has an unreactable safe overhead.

instant air db4(ex) will launch with right Kameo (scorpion, goro, cyrax). With scorpion she gets 40%+



It’s not an online thing. Instant air db4 is unreactable. Her overhead options are fine, just need to practice converting off them
Panic, when can I see some of your gameplay? Haven't seen you play since Hi Tech Jacqui.
 

rifraf

Noob
No, she has an unreactable safe overhead.

instant air db4(ex) will launch with right Kameo (scorpion, goro, cyrax). With scorpion she gets 40%+



It’s not an online thing. Instant air db4 is unreactable. Her overhead options are fine, just need to practice converting off them
From the way you're talking about her, you're making her sound OP. Maybe they should nerf her a bit? Or, you know, remove her low. Why does she need that to begin with, right?
 

Marlow

Premium Supporter
Premium Supporter
The EX is -6 but it's an air move that costs resource.
If all it costs is 1 bar to make safe, that's an easy price to pay. One bar to make an un-reactable overhead (with good range) safe and lead to 30%-40%? In a game where building bar is fairly easy?

Most overheads that launch are unsafe without meter.
 

rifraf

Noob
If all it costs is 1 bar to make safe, that's an easy price to pay. One bar to make an un-reactable overhead (with good range) safe and lead to 30%-40%? In a game where building bar is fairly easy?

Most overheads that launch are unsafe without meter.
Sure, that's fine as a combo potential.

My point was that I need more tools to check my opponent, and air db4 isn't the move for that. This is a character that has strong neutral game but it's not fun when my tools are limited. It's not about adding power, but more ways to play the game. Quality of life things. I also don't want to be limited in a Kameo just to be able to play neutral. That's wrong.
 

Marlow

Premium Supporter
Premium Supporter
I understand that, but I wonder how much is character design and simple tradeoff. She might not have all the tools, but the tools she does have are strong.
 

rifraf

Noob
I understand that, but I wonder how much is character design and simple tradeoff. She might not have all the tools, but the tools she does have are strong.
Indeed, I wonder the same. But, in the end of the day, as a player I do feel limited during gameplay which is not fun.

Just an example it comes to mind: If the last hit of her b21 was an overhead that you can't combo of off in any way, would that really make her OP?
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
Sure, that's fine as a combo potential.

My point was that I need more tools to check my opponent, and air db4 isn't the move for that. This is a character that has strong neutral game but it's not fun when my tools are limited. It's not about adding power, but more ways to play the game. Quality of life things. I also don't want to be limited in a Kameo just to be able to play neutral. That's wrong.
What extra tools would you like?

I’m not sure I’m understanding. You acknowledge that she has a safe overhead and safe low option, that lead to great damage, and are unreactable.

You think her neutral game is strong.

She has plenty of plus frames and staggers.

What tool or extra thing would you like? What is going to make her better? How does she need to change?

It seems that if you’re having trouble opening people up with a character with good plus frames, good staggers, good neutral, and unreactable mix, that’s a skill issue.
 

rifraf

Noob
What extra tools would you like?

I’m not sure I’m understanding. You acknowledge that she has a safe overhead and safe low option, that lead to great damage, and are unreactable.

You think her neutral game is strong.

She has plenty of plus frames and staggers.

What tool or extra thing would you like? What is going to make her better? How does she need to change?

It seems that if you’re having trouble opening people up with a character with good plus frames, good staggers, good neutral, and unreactable mix, that’s a skill issue.
I've already talked about it in length in my previous posts.

I have no problem you calling out my skill issues. You are missing the point. I'm not asking for BuFfs and more juicy combo starters with 0 counterplay. When I play the game with this character, I feel I need more tools to check my opponent, NOT open them up necessarily. I feel she's missing some overhead options. All her strings are mid-high, except 2.
I feel restricted and that's not fun. Idc if she's OP or not, I just want to have fun. Simple.

More tools=More fun. I'm not talking about balance, that's the developers job. They can give her more tools and still keep her balanced or whatever.
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
I've already talked about it in length in my previous posts.

I have no problem you calling out my skill issues. You are missing the point. I'm not asking for BuFfs and more juicy combo starters with 0 counterplay. When I play the game with this character, I feel I need more tools to check my opponent, NOT open them up necessarily. I feel she's missing some overhead options. All her strings are mid-high, except 2.
I feel restricted and that's not fun. Idc if she's OP or not, I just want to have fun. Simple.

More tools=More fun. I'm not talking about balance, that's the developers job. They can give her more tools and still keep her balanced or whatever.
I mean, you are asking for buffs. Changing the hit-level of a move from mid to overhead is an inherent buff. Would mean with frost Kameo or Kung Lao there’s a (fuzzy-guardable) mixup.

I don’t think she needs anymore overhead options; she already has a great one. If you wanna mix an overhead into any string, pick scorpion Kameo and use f+Kameo. Or, pick goro and use his grab that hits ducking opponents. Or pick striker and you’ve got mix off anything.

I think that’s the beauty of the Kameo system; you can add in mix wherever you want, or sure up weaknesses in any place you feel like.

Li Mei’s base tool kit is really strong. She’s more likely to get nerfed then she is to be given more tools haha.
 

rifraf

Noob
I mean, you are asking for buffs.
I'm not. You are just seeing it from a black/white perspective for some reason. She could have more tools without being buffed. It's not binary.

I also don't want to be locked to a Kameo just to play my neutral the way I feel it's fun. Kameos are meant to be just a plus. Are we supposed to use Kameos just to be able to have fun with our characters? I don't think so. The characters need to be complete on their own, period.

Li Mei’s base tool kit is really strong. She’s more likely to get nerfed then she is to be given more tools haha.
I don't understand why you'd want to nerf such a bare bones character like Li Mei tbh. That's just wild to me. I hope they add more tools to her so she's more fun to play.
 
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Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
I'm not. You are just seeing it from a black/white perspective for some reason. She could have more tools without being buffed. It's not binary.

I also don't want to be locked to a Kameo just to play my neutral the way I feel it's fun. Kameos are meant to be just a plus. Are we supposed to use Kameos just to be able to have fun with our characters? I don't think so. The characters need to be complete on their own, period.
I mean it literally is a binary. Giving more tools = a buff. Unless they’re nerfing the move in some other way, eg. making it unsafe/slower.

And her base kit is good? Kameos only make her game plan more solid (more mix, or more damage, or more pressure, or better counter zoning). I think her base kit is a complete character.
 

rifraf

Noob
Unless they’re nerfing the move in some other way, eg. making it unsafe/slower.
Yes, that's what I'm saying but that's the developers job. As a player, I'm providing feedback as to how it feels to play. If they need to tone down her raw power in order to give her more tools so be it, idc.

I think her base kit is a complete character.
She is a bit bare bones imo. There are characters in the game that have more tools, not in terms of raw power but gameplay choice.

This is a crazy game, let's keep it this way.
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
She is a bit bare bones imo. There are characters in the game that have more tools, not in terms of raw power but gameplay choice.

This is a crazy game, let's keep it this way
Not asking this to be antagonistic, I’m just genuinely curious which tools you think she doesn’t have, that other characters have as part of their base kit

She has:
Good projectile
Good damage
Safe 50/50s
Decent mids
Decent range
Great staggers
Safe, hit-confirmable strings
Good stage control (with lanterns)
Fast reversal
Great plus frames
Good armour
Good 3/4 screen punish
Great mobility/movement
Decent anti-airs

The tools she doesn’t have:
Combo-able throw (I mean technically she can use cyrax Kameo but the link is ridiculous)
Fast hitting armour break
Multiple multi-hit level strings (although she has f44)

Even the best characters in the game (Kenshi, Cage, Baraka, Raiden) don’t have everything listed in their base kit.
 

chrisisnice

I'm a lover, not a fighter
I feel I need more tools to check my opponent, NOT open them up necessarily. I feel she's missing some overhead options. All her strings are mid-high, except 2.
I feel restricted and that's not fun. Idc if she's OP or not, I just want to have fun. Simple.

More tools=More fun. I'm not talking about balance, that's the developers job. They can give her more tools and still keep her balanced or whatever.
Given the sheer amount of amazing tools Pan1cMode has laid out, it sounds like you need to move to another character rather than having her moves altered to suit your gameplay.
 

rifraf

Noob
Not asking this to be antagonistic, I’m just genuinely curious which tools you think she doesn’t have, that other characters have as part of their base kit

She has:
Good projectile
Good damage
Safe 50/50s
Decent mids
Decent range
Great staggers
Safe, hit-confirmable strings
Good stage control (with lanterns)
Fast reversal
Great plus frames
Good armour
Good 3/4 screen punish
Great mobility/movement
Decent anti-airs

The tools she doesn’t have:
Combo-able throw (I mean technically she can use cyrax Kameo but the link is ridiculous)
Fast hitting armour break
Multiple multi-hit level strings (although she has f44)

Even the best characters in the game (Kenshi, Cage, Baraka, Raiden) don’t have everything listed in their base kit.
I think you might've compiled the list above with specific Kameos in mind, which is something I find disingenuous if true. Her dmg is decent, not good. Safe 50/50s?? She has no mixups. That's one of her main weaknesses which I'm guessing is by design. Her projectile is excellent. She has 1 armoured move which is decent.

Not to be antagonistic either, but I feel you are exaggerating her power lvl. But I respect your opinion either way.

In simple words, I don't feel weak when playing her. I like her playstyle. Her strong points imo are her mobility, stage control from far and mid stage, punishing from afar. That's what I'd like to see enhanced. Punishing mid stage is a bit poor imo, although it is kind of her staple playstyle. She's not a mixup character or a dmg freak, but she's fast and can play a very solid neutral game. That's where I feel there's a hole in her kit. A string with an overhead, other than f44 of course.
 

rifraf

Noob
Given the sheer amount of amazing tools Pan1cMode has laid out, it sounds like you need to move to another character rather than having her moves altered to suit your gameplay.
No one said we should be altering the character's gameplay at any point, you're probably misunderstanding the conversation here.

Also, keep in mind we're having a discussion. Don't take anything written here as gospel.
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
I think you might've compiled the list above with specific Kameos in mind, which is something I find disingenuous if true. Her dmg is decent, not good. Safe 50/50s?? She has no mixups. That's one of her main weaknesses which I'm guessing is by design. Her projectile is excellent. She has 1 armoured move which is decent.

Not to be antagonistic either, but I feel you are exaggerating her power lvl. But I respect your opinion either way.

In simple words, I don't feel weak when playing her. I like her playstyle. Her strong points imo are her mobility, stage control from far and mid stage, punishing from afar. That's what I'd like to see enhanced. Punishing mid stage is a bit poor imo, although it is kind of her staple playstyle. She's not a mixup character or a dmg freak, but she's fast and can play a very solid neutral game. That's where I feel there's a hole in her kit. A string with an overhead, other than f44 of course.
Those are her base kit.

Her aerial db4(ex) is a safe overhead. Her f44 is a safe low; as is her sweep. Yes with Kameos she can get damage, but without them she still has a safe overhead and low.

That would be a mixup.

Maybe you’re struggling to utilise/execute instant air db4? Because it literally is an unreactable safe overhead. It’s one of the best overheads in the game; even without kameos.

Her stagger and pressure game is also really strong which leads to a nice strike/throw game as well (another form of mixup).

Honestly her up close game is her strength. She gets you to the corner in one combo, and then proceeds to stagger you to death and there’s the threat of a 50/50 in there if you let her establish herself.
 

rifraf

Noob
That would be a mixup.
I still can't see the mixup. Do you mean her f43/f44? Because that's not a mixup. The opponent can crouch block/stand block both strings. Let's also forget about Kameos for now so we can understand each other.

Maybe you’re struggling to utilise/execute instant air db4? Because it literally is an unreactable safe overhead. It’s one of the best overheads in the game; even without kameos.
Idk if instant air db4 is unreactable but it's not safe, it's -14 on block. The EX is -6 but it costs resource which is a major issue as a tool to check your opponent. I don't want to spend resource while on top of that using a difficult to execute move just to check my opponent for an overhead. In this case, f44 is much more preferable. Or even f3 tbh.

Her stagger and pressure game is also really strong which leads to a nice strike/throw game as well (another form of mixup).
Yes, her pressure is strong. Although, I feel is a stretch calling stagger + throw a mixup. By this logic, aren't all throws a mixup of some sort?

Honestly her up close game is her strength. She gets you to the corner in one combo, and then proceeds to stagger you to death and there’s the threat of a 50/50 in there if you let her establish herself.
Maybe her up close game could be toned down a bit, and in return she could get more mid stage tools. I mean, idk. In my experience, up close she can be quite oppressive but characters like JC obviously destroy her, as they should. Also not many people know how to play against her so I'm not sure yet about that.
 

Pan1cMode

AUS FGC represent!
I still can't see the mixup. Do you mean her f43/f44? Because that's not a mixup. The opponent can crouch block/stand block both strings. Let's also forget about Kameos for now so we can understand each other.



Idk if instant air db4 is unreactable but it's not safe, it's -14 on block. The EX is -6 but it costs resource which is a major issue as a tool to check your opponent. I don't want to spend resource while on top of that using a difficult to execute move just to check my opponent for an overhead. In this case, f44 is much more preferable. Or even f3 tbh.



Yes, her pressure is strong. Although, I feel is a stretch calling stagger + throw a mixup. By this logic, aren't all throws a mixup of some sort?



Maybe her up close game could be toned down a bit, and in return she could get more mid stage tools. I mean, idk. In my experience, up close she can be quite oppressive but characters like JC obviously destroy her, as they should. Also not many people know how to play against her so I'm not sure yet about that.
It’s a 14 frame overhead. It’s definitely unreactable.

The ex one is safe. She has the tools, you just don’t like using them. That’s fine, but you can’t go on saying she’s doesn’t have mix when she has one of the best overheads in the game. It needing bar is fine because of what it does. Li Mei builds bar very easily anyways.

Johnny doesn’t destroy her up close. She has db3(ex) as a 7frame reversal and her armour is decent. She also has a decent d1 and can take her turn with s1.

Her hardest matchups are probably Ashrah and Reiko, but even those don’t feel too bad.

It honestly sounds like you’re looking at a really strong character with really good tools, and saying, “I don’t like the way she plays in this aspect” and therefore requesting she be changed. The reality is she’s incredibly strong with a great tool set. If you don’t like the way she plays or don’t like using certain tools, or want mixed hitlevels in strings, pick a Kameo to fix that, or pick another character.

Li Mei is fine as she is.
 

rifraf

Noob
It honestly sounds like you’re looking at a really strong character with really good tools, and saying, “I don’t like the way she plays in this aspect” and therefore requesting she be changed.
Maybe I'm failing to get my point across. I don't want the character changed.

As far as I can tell, we're at odds in terms of one specific move. EX air db4. It sounds that you see this as the end all be all overhead move for Li Mei, which I feel it's a bit short sighted. I'm not denying it's a powerful move and a useful tool to have, but like in real life each tool is useful for a specific task. For example, using a Philips screwdriver on a Pozidriv screw will get it done. But, you should be using a Posidriv screwdriver to begin with.

I would love to see one of her strings to include an overhead, other than f44. It will make her gameplay much more interesting in my opinion.
 
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