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Shang Tsung Matchup Discussion Thread

mekane

Noob
if you try to dash in to a close upskull and don't block well you'll eat a 50% combo. i don't know what was up with the AAs though.

i don't know, morph isn't that well explored yet, and then a whole lot of stuff is situational cause the timing can be like half a second off and not work.

cyrax becomes like 9-1 for shang lmao. shang can do cyrax's reset by substituting the second net with SS, but sometimes you'll morph back at the wrong time :(
and even if you block the upskull, isn't that pretty much a free throw or jump in block string / mixup for shang?
 
yup, skulls are extremely good for spacing because they give you a lot of pressure options if they come into any contact with your opponent. you really have to avoid the skulls or you'll just be getting chipped to death

also i had been meaning to test this but my ps3 blew up, but can someone go into training mode with two shangs and SS twice in a row and see if the damage boost stacks? cause if it does shang mirrors are going to be amazing and you can get twice the damage boost at the beginning of the round after winning a round with SS
 

Qwark28

Joker waiting room
If they D1, You D1.
If they D3, You D1/D3 or Crossup jump.
If they try to jump out, you standing 1 into AA combo.
Anything else, F4, GS.
and the point of this is catching the opponent in the combo right?pressure's just a bonus?

any tips on f4 gs to full combo?i'm finding it extremely hard to react to hit opponents and the only thing i can do after it hits is dash f434 far skull and ex gs,uskull,12 uskull.

when should i use upskulls?

liking shang a lot so far,he's a really deep character.
 

eskuAdradit0

"Thanks" button abuser.
and the point of this is catching the opponent in the combo right?pressure's just a bonus?

any tips on f4 gs to full combo?i'm finding it extremely hard to react to hit opponents and the only thing i can do after it hits is dash f434 far skull and ex gs,uskull,12 uskull.

when should i use upskulls?

liking shang a lot so far,he's a really deep character.
Well if you can't hit-confirm it, then you can go for a soulsteal right before they land on the ground, or you can dash, 1, dash, 1,2, us.

Upskull should be done midscreen and about 3/4 of the screen as one of your primary zoning tools. You can use them when close, but the risk is quite high. I believe they're a safe jump, though.
 

Qwark28

Joker waiting room
Well if you can't hit-confirm it, then you can go for a soulsteal right before they land on the ground, or you can dash, 1, dash, 1,2, us.

Upskull should be done midscreen and about 3/4 of the screen as one of your primary zoning tools. You can use them when close, but the risk is quite high. I believe they're a safe jump, though.
it's a bit hard to hit confirm when f4 hits,something i'm really having trouble with is when the f4 is blocked yet the skull hits,i sometimes input the wrong skull command and it tends to create accidental mindgames to my opponents and they get hit by a skull when none of us expect it.

Thank you for your help!

Ps:when i get in should i mixup or pressure?i find pressure always gets poked while mixups are at least a 50-50 with a small amount of damage (b2 particularly)
 

eskuAdradit0

"Thanks" button abuser.
it's a bit hard to hit confirm when f4 hits,something i'm really having trouble with is when the f4 is blocked yet the skull hits,i sometimes input the wrong skull command and it tends to create accidental mindgames to my opponents and they get hit by a skull when none of us expect it.

Thank you for your help!

Ps:when i get in should i mixup or pressure?i find pressure always gets poked while mixups are at least a 50-50 with a small amount of damage (b2 particularly)
Eventually your opponents will learn that they can't get jump out of F4, cGS and they'll either block the whole string or eat the whole string, so no prob. It's like when the game just came out and people didn't know Kabal was at massive frame advantage after a a successful F+4 and they'll get hit by the F+3, 2, but yet you had already cancelled the NDC..
Anyway, if you're having problems with F+4, GS because of your thumbs, you should really consider buying a stick or making your own hitbox.

If you get in from a jip: mixup.
If you get in by pokes, footsies and dashes, then use F4, cGS pressure.
 
So I just started getting in Shang Tsung and I really like him so far. But I'm looking for a little general help when it comes to matchups against teleporters. It seems that they love running and waiting for a Skull so they can teleport in. How's the best way to deal with this?
 

fr stack

Noob's saibot or noob saibot's?
Proof that Shang loses to KL

god dammit foxy everytime i come in here yours is the most recent post heres me thinkin aw foxy picked up shang good shit instead im treated to some mk konquest check out de vid at about 2 seconds in shao kahn straddlin a mountain
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
So I just started getting in Shang Tsung and I really like him so far. But I'm looking for a little general help when it comes to matchups against teleporters. It seems that they love running and waiting for a Skull so they can teleport in. How's the best way to deal with this?
It depends on which teleport you are talking about. All teleports are not created equal. Examples:

Kung Lao: your best punish is an instant D+1 into 1,2,1,2 soul steal or upskull pressure. You must make sure to hit him while he is coming out of the ground, or you will probably get hit by tele-3.

Ermac: He has a slow tele so it is not that big of an issue. Even on wakeup you can usually stuff it with a well timed skull. You have to lock him down with groundskulls and pressure; dare him to teleport.

Scorpion: Similar to Ermac but possibly a little better. You should be crouching often so that when he uses the EX version you can D+1 into juggle (difficult) or wait a LITTLE longer and D+4 so you get frame advantage and can go into F+4 groundskull pressure.

Hope this helps.
 
It depends on which teleport you are talking about. All teleports are not created equal. Examples:

Kung Lao: your best punish is an instant D+1 into 1,2,1,2 soul steal or upskull pressure. You must make sure to hit him while he is coming out of the ground, or you will probably get hit by tele-3.

Ermac: He has a slow tele so it is not that big of an issue. Even on wakeup you can usually stuff it with a well timed skull. You have to lock him down with groundskulls and pressure; dare him to teleport.

Scorpion: Similar to Ermac but possibly a little better. You should be crouching often so that when he uses the EX version you can D+1 into juggle (difficult) or wait a LITTLE longer and D+4 so you get frame advantage and can go into F+4 groundskull pressure.

Hope this helps.
Any information is good information, thanks.

How do you deal with Smoke though? One of the biggest problems I'm having is Smoke's who run with Smoke Away. I can't catch them and and Skulls risk a smoke bomb or teleport.
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
Any information is good information, thanks.

How do you deal with Smoke though? One of the biggest problems I'm having is Smoke's who run with Smoke Away. I can't catch them and and Skulls risk a smoke bomb or teleport.
Smoke is a very tough MU for Shang imo. Your best bet is the SS due to its range and the fact that it can't be parried. Often times it will catch him out of the Smoke away. You can also try EX ground skulls but it must be well timed.
 
Smoke is a very tough MU for Shang imo. Your best bet is the SS due to its range and the fact that it can't be parried. Often times it will catch him out of the Smoke away. You can also try EX ground skulls but it must be well timed.
Thanks. Looks like I need to learn Smoke a bit more if Soul Steal is integral to that matchup.That goes for everyone, really...
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
Here is my updated matchup chart:

5-5 vs Baraka
3-7 vs Cyber Sub-Zero
5-5 vs Cyrax
6-4 vs Ermac
4-6 vs Freddy Krueger
5-5 vs Jade
6-4 vs Jax
6-4 vs Johnny Cage
5-5 vs Kabal
5-5 vs Kano
5-5 vs Kenshi
4-6 vs Kitana
5-5 vs Kung Lao
6-4 vs Liu Kang
5-5 vs Mileena
5-5 vs Nightwolf
4-6 vs Noob Saibot
7-3 vs Quan Chi
3-7 vs Raiden
6-4 vs Rain
4-6 vs Reptile
5-5 vs Scorpion
5-5 vs Sektor
7-3 vs Sheeva
6-4 vs Sindel
6-4 vs Skarlet
4-6 vs Smoke
6-4 vs Sonya Blade
5-5 vs Stryker
5-5 vs Sub-Zero
Agree? Disagree? Discuss (Lets get this board active again!)
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
5-5 Cage, 4-6 Sonya

No way Shang wins these matchups
Please elaborate. I don't see how Cage is not at a disadvantage. He gets zoned hard and his risky armored kick EX nut punch are his only counterzoning tools. Shang also has better frame traps that force him to guess. Sonya also has to take risks to get in. She can armor cartwheel, but she is negative after it is blocked which is just as good as putting her in a frame trap. She also can't divekick after a blocked F+4 groundskull because a D+1 or another F+4 will anti-air her into a full combo. I could see this possibly being a 5-5, but no worse.
 

A F0xy Grampa

Problem X Promotions
Please elaborate. I don't see how Cage is not at a disadvantage. He gets zoned hard and his risky armored kick EX nut punch are his only counterzoning tools. Shang also has better frame traps that force him to guess. Sonya also has to take risks to get in. She can armor cartwheel, but she is negative after it is blocked which is just as good as putting her in a frame trap. She also can't divekick after a blocked F+4 groundskull because a D+1 or another F+4 will anti-air her into a full combo. I could see this possibly being a 5-5, but no worse.
Poke againt Sonya, you die. Shang has to respect her projectile/D4/Msf1 AND her better AAs all the time. She does more damage for no meter + resets into mixups. She can divekick out of his F4 groundskull setup anyway considering anybody can jump out of shangs frametraps.

She doesnt have to take any risks to get near him, all she has to do is dash once and the match is in her favour, whats shang gonna do against D4MSF1 all day? He has no answer other than risking a skull, any skull he does except for the behind upskull will mean that she can divekick him.

His frametraps arent legit frametraps, theyre guessing games that put Sonya at advantage. If she blocks a groundskull, shes supposed to be at -2, Shangs fastest normal that isnt a poke is a standing 1 that cant be comboed off of, hers is a 7 frame launcher. If shang goes to poke she can divekick him, so frametrapping her isnt exactly that effective. Even then she can ExCartwheel.

Cage dont need exNP or kick against shang, he has better normals. Once shang gets caught by Cage its game over. Cages best counterzoning move is his jumpkick which covers a rediculous amount of the screen, not his specials. You better hope you're firing the right skull or you're gonna get Jk'd into NP.

The only characters in this game that keep Cage out are Noob, Sektor, Kabal and to an extent Kitana. Otherwise WILL catch you at some point.

Shangs frametraps are nowhere near as good as Cages. Everything on hit is way more advantage for Cage and everything on block is either neutral, +3 or +5. Whereas shang can only be +2, +2 against a Cage player may aswell be neutral to both players since Cage is that much quicker than everybody but Sektor and Sonya

This is how I see it, but I play both Cage and Shang to a similar level
 

cR WoundCowboy

WoundCowbae <3
Poke againt Sonya, you die. Shang has to respect her projectile/D4/Msf1 AND her better AAs all the time. She does more damage for no meter + resets into mixups. She can divekick out of his F4 groundskull setup anyway considering anybody can jump out of shangs frametraps.

She doesnt have to take any risks to get near him, all she has to do is dash once and the match is in her favour, whats shang gonna do against D4MSF1 all day? He has no answer other than risking a skull, any skull he does except for the behind upskull will mean that she can divekick him.

His frametraps arent legit frametraps, theyre guessing games that put Sonya at advantage. If she blocks a groundskull, shes supposed to be at -2, Shangs fastest normal that isnt a poke is a standing 1 that cant be comboed off of, hers is a 7 frame launcher. If shang goes to poke she can divekick him, so frametrapping her isnt exactly that effective. Even then she can ExCartwheel.

Cage dont need exNP or kick against shang, he has better normals. Once shang gets caught by Cage its game over. Cages best counterzoning move is his jumpkick which covers a rediculous amount of the screen, not his specials. You better hope you're firing the right skull or you're gonna get Jk'd into NP.

The only characters in this game that keep Cage out are Noob, Sektor, Kabal and to an extent Kitana. Otherwise WILL catch you at some point.

Shangs frametraps are nowhere near as good as Cages. Everything on hit is way more advantage for Cage and everything on block is either neutral, +3 or +5. Whereas shang can only be +2, +2 against a Cage player may aswell be neutral to both players since Cage is that much quicker than everybody but Sektor and Sonya

This is how I see it, but I play both Cage and Shang to a similar level
I am not sure what you mean. The only normal Cage has that is faster than Tsung is his 8 frame standing 1 (which hits high). Also, all of Cage's strings except 1,1, F+1 and (I think) F+3,3 EX forceball are neutral on block. If this were against someone like Kang or Noob then yes, Cage would have the advantage, but Tsung has a 6 frame D+1 and a 7 frame D+3- he can get out of the pseudo frame traps with little difficulty. How does Cage have better frametraps when almost all of his strings are neutral on block? also, pretty much the only way to get the advantage off of 1,1, F+1 is to jail with a JIP, which does not happen often at a high level. Not to mention the fact that Shang gets to pressure off of a successful poke. Shang also doesn't need a skull to knock Johnny out of the air- standing 1 works just fine (even with a jump kick).

Against Sonya- Jump kicks and close skulls can shut down people who are predictable with the D+4- MS. Once they adapt, they will be looking to EX cartwheel which actually puts her at a worse frame situation on block than does Shang's F+4 groundskull. I do not see how the frame trap is any less effective. If she tries to dive kick my poke after F+4 GS, the D+1 will anti-air her because she is at too much frame disadvantage. She can guess with the EX cartwheel, but again, that puts her right back in the frame trap.
 

Phosferrax

Original Liu Kang cop.
Can someone help with Baraka and sub?what's the general strategy vs them?
Against Sub, you outzone him from full screen to midscreen with skulls. Anywhere closer that midsceen is when Sub can trade with your projectiles in his favour, but using ice ball from that range is very risky for him, as is slide. Essentially, Sub has to come to you so you have to take advantage of that by using US for space control. Sub's D4 is one of his best tools, so block low and counter poke with D3 when you block it.