Zoidberg747
My blades will find your heart
I've seen a lot of questions about run canceling, run combos and the like so I figured I'd make a quick little guide to help some people understand it better. :
What is the Run Mechanic?: Pressing ff+Block will cause you to run straight at your opponent. It will deplete your stamina bar and you may not be able to run until it fills back up.
Can I cancel run with moves?: Yes, if you are running you can cancel into a move at any time. This can be a great way to play footsies because if you run and immediately cancel into a move, it makes it seem like the move has more range(because the run moves you forward a bit).
Can I cancel moves into run?: You cannot cancel most moves into run. However, if you have a move that says it can be canceled with a dash(see the move list) it can also be canceled with a run. This can lead to combos or pressure.
How do I do run combos?: The trick is to treat the run like any other sequence in the combo. Using Dvorah as an example, here would be a simple run combo: f44 run f44 ovipositor rush. So you would input the f44 first, immediately input ff+block, and then press f44 into ovi. The hard part for some is the fact that if you press anything but the moves you want during run, it will cancel into that instead. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you dont do any extra inputs in the combo. After some practice they will become much easier and completely open up combo possibilities.
How do I cancel moves into run?: As said above, if a move can be canceled by a dash it can be canceled by a run as well. This could lead to something like a string canceled into a special canceled into a run canceled into another string. That may seem very complicated but it is easier than it may seem. Using Dvorah as an example, you could do f11xdf1xff+blockxf11. As with run combos, the key is to try and avoid doing extra inputs during the sequence. The hardest part of run cancels is the fact that they have different windows to do the cancel on block and on hit. The easiest way to practice this is to go into practice mode and set the opponent to block a random kombo, which means they will either block all of the string or none of it.
Can I combo off of run cancels?: In some cases yes. If the move you are run canceling hits and you do the cancel fast enough the game will register it as a combo and allow you to do a followup launcher. The key is to go into practice mode and test your run cancels to see if they combo on hit. Keep in mind you have to input the run cancel as quickly as possible in order for it to combo, so it is best to practice it thoroughly before finding out if it will combo.
Can I do as many run cancels as I want, like Kabal?: (Thankfully) no you cannot. Run cancels deplete the stamina bar like regular runs do, which means you can only do as many run cancels as the stamina bar allows. Most of the time you can do two run cancels in a row, but the stamina bar will deplete and take longer to regenerate. A better approach is to do one run cancel into a blockstring for pressure, and after that block string go into another blockstring run cancel. This depletes the stamina bar much slower and allows it to regenerate much faster.
How do I defend against running in general?: Players can always be hit out of run, so if someone is trying to run at you from fullscreen the best approach is to try and hit them as fast as you can. There are also characters that have tools that are great to stop a running approach(Erron Blacks Caltrops, Sub Zero Ice Clone).
How do I defend against Run Cancels?: You would have to test them in practice mode to see if they can be reversal'd or armored through. The best option is to simply block the run cancel pressure until they deplete their stamina bar(putting them in an unfavorable situation). However this can be difficult due to the fact that some characters can run cancel into high/low mixups.
If anyone has any more questions or wants to add something to the OP, let me know.
What is the Run Mechanic?: Pressing ff+Block will cause you to run straight at your opponent. It will deplete your stamina bar and you may not be able to run until it fills back up.
Can I cancel run with moves?: Yes, if you are running you can cancel into a move at any time. This can be a great way to play footsies because if you run and immediately cancel into a move, it makes it seem like the move has more range(because the run moves you forward a bit).
Can I cancel moves into run?: You cannot cancel most moves into run. However, if you have a move that says it can be canceled with a dash(see the move list) it can also be canceled with a run. This can lead to combos or pressure.
How do I do run combos?: The trick is to treat the run like any other sequence in the combo. Using Dvorah as an example, here would be a simple run combo: f44 run f44 ovipositor rush. So you would input the f44 first, immediately input ff+block, and then press f44 into ovi. The hard part for some is the fact that if you press anything but the moves you want during run, it will cancel into that instead. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you dont do any extra inputs in the combo. After some practice they will become much easier and completely open up combo possibilities.
How do I cancel moves into run?: As said above, if a move can be canceled by a dash it can be canceled by a run as well. This could lead to something like a string canceled into a special canceled into a run canceled into another string. That may seem very complicated but it is easier than it may seem. Using Dvorah as an example, you could do f11xdf1xff+blockxf11. As with run combos, the key is to try and avoid doing extra inputs during the sequence. The hardest part of run cancels is the fact that they have different windows to do the cancel on block and on hit. The easiest way to practice this is to go into practice mode and set the opponent to block a random kombo, which means they will either block all of the string or none of it.
Can I combo off of run cancels?: In some cases yes. If the move you are run canceling hits and you do the cancel fast enough the game will register it as a combo and allow you to do a followup launcher. The key is to go into practice mode and test your run cancels to see if they combo on hit. Keep in mind you have to input the run cancel as quickly as possible in order for it to combo, so it is best to practice it thoroughly before finding out if it will combo.
Can I do as many run cancels as I want, like Kabal?: (Thankfully) no you cannot. Run cancels deplete the stamina bar like regular runs do, which means you can only do as many run cancels as the stamina bar allows. Most of the time you can do two run cancels in a row, but the stamina bar will deplete and take longer to regenerate. A better approach is to do one run cancel into a blockstring for pressure, and after that block string go into another blockstring run cancel. This depletes the stamina bar much slower and allows it to regenerate much faster.
How do I defend against running in general?: Players can always be hit out of run, so if someone is trying to run at you from fullscreen the best approach is to try and hit them as fast as you can. There are also characters that have tools that are great to stop a running approach(Erron Blacks Caltrops, Sub Zero Ice Clone).
How do I defend against Run Cancels?: You would have to test them in practice mode to see if they can be reversal'd or armored through. The best option is to simply block the run cancel pressure until they deplete their stamina bar(putting them in an unfavorable situation). However this can be difficult due to the fact that some characters can run cancel into high/low mixups.
If anyone has any more questions or wants to add something to the OP, let me know.
