What's new

Sonya Frustrations

Justice

Noob
I decided to main Sonya because I like her in-your-face style. But I am finding now that especially online, I can't get in close with her. I constantly get pinned just outside of jump range with projectiles and wait until they get bored and kill me with a teleport, slide, etc. Even against a Sheeva player, which the strategy guide (yeah, yeah, I know. But it was all I had until today :D) says is Sonya's best matchup, I can't do anything but succumb to Fireball>Stomp combos.

Almost every character has some sort of teleport or something to close gaps quickly. Sonya has the Arc Kick, but with such a long buildup and the vulnerability afterward, it's not a very good tactic. I've tried Kartwheel, but more often than not, my opponent thanks me for the free combo opportunity.

So, how do I get in close with Sonya without losing half my health being punished for one dash?
 

Malec

Noob
well sonya just sucks online, offline u have to dash block into your opponent and punish stupid teleports, but online with hard lags, you just cant punish teleporters and they will do it like they want do, so gg
 
The thing that helped me the most was dash blocking. Dashes are pretty safe since you can cancel them with dash, as long as you dont get predictable with them. I also gotta say that I love sonyas crouching BK. I started using it more and cancelling it into energy ring and Mil stance dash punches and my approach game got so much stronger.
 

Neclord

Noob
Well I've got no big problems so far. I just fought and won against a good Scorpion (144/34) and DDRgasm is right, dash block is pretty good and Sonya also has a very fast uppercut. Play patient against heavy zoners and teleporters and punish their moves with uppercut. When they are on the ground move on and start your pressure game. I start to attack with this combo:

Jump-in punch, Dive Kick, :bk, Cartwheel, mini dash, :l:bp, :fp, :r:bp, :fp, Leg Grab = 41% damage no meter.

I use the Arc Kick mostly as anti air.
 

Justice

Noob
Thanks for the tips guys. I guess I'll stay offline since I have no clue what language you guys are talking in :confused:
 
lol, i have exactly the same xperience with sonya online..
my combos often not works, online.

against stupid teleport lamers, i decide to use Nightwolf, he destroy them, simple like that ^^
i think, against not teleporting chars, sonya has good chance!
MS is a good tool, a very good, i use meaty MS/forward-1, forward 2 and throw on knockdown, is nasty ;D

sry 4 my englisch :(
 

Justice

Noob
Your english is fine dood. Thanks for the tips! I just get lost when people start talking about cancelling dash with dash, mini-dashes, etc.

Is there a section of the forums for mentor searches? I think I could use one :D
 

MokiDono

Noob
My main frustration is knowing when can i punish whiffed, or blocked moves, normals. I know it's a character specific thing and it will be easier after time, but still... i have problems. By the way, whats her fastest punishing combo starter? I usually use double tap forward 2 because it's range and speed. Is there any better string in her repertoire to start a fast punish?
 

Combo_Knight

Knight of Asura
I decided to main Sonya because I like her in-your-face style. But I am finding now that especially online, I can't get in close with her. I constantly get pinned just outside of jump range with projectiles and wait until they get bored and kill me with a teleport, slide, etc. Even against a Sheeva player, which the strategy guide (yeah, yeah, I know. But it was all I had until today :D) says is Sonya's best matchup, I can't do anything but succumb to Fireball>Stomp combos.

Almost every character has some sort of teleport or something to close gaps quickly. Sonya has the Arc Kick, but with such a long buildup and the vulnerability afterward, it's not a very good tactic. I've tried Kartwheel, but more often than not, my opponent thanks me for the free combo opportunity.

So, how do I get in close with Sonya without losing half my health being punished for one dash?

Arc Kick is a pretty Solid means of getting to an opponent I wouldn't rule it out just yet. It comes down to your spacing But it covers great distance and catches those with not so great mobility options, even going as far as to knock mileena out of her teleport.

Moreover I've been doing pretty well as far as online I don't see where the problems are stemming from, unless you all are going of of people with good Keep away. But this comes with the trades, gotta make use of all her tools.

Arc kick has inv. frames on wake up. MS/2 has some form of invincibility in it and you claim distance with it as well.
 

MokiDono

Noob
I think when you cancel your combo enders (which are send your opponent across the screen) with arc kick, you can cover a lot of space and don't forget the pressure factor. You land and you will recover faster then your opponent gets up or wakes up with something. It's like with Akuma, whiffing a demon flip palm. Sorry, i came from SSF4, so i try to implement stuff from it into my MK9 play :D This is why i picked Sonya in the first place :D
 

Poto2222

"Online is your forte!" - A Wise Man, 2015.
I really don't have any issues using Sonya online. I'm something like 145/41 now, and mostly thanks to the Lieutenant.

And if there's something that helped as much as Sonya's speed is BLOCK and PATIENCE. I use this strategy mostly against teleporters. Players who uses characters like Smoke, Raiden and Scorpion are the easiest. Those type of players are VERY impulsive, and they will try to teleport & hit on the most predictable times. For Scorpion and Smoke, a simple block and you're free to punish them as hard as you can. For Raiden it becomes a little more difficult, since if they realize that you're blocking every hit they attempt, they will change strategies quickier than Scorpion and Smoke players, since Raiden can't be easily and heavily punished after his teleport. Thank God for his predictable "Superman" move. They all do it as a wakeup move or after getting just a bit away from you. LOL

But the greatest problem is Ermac, definitely. Mostly are zoners from hell, and they'll spam projectiles as much as they can. They hardly try to Teleport, since they know that this won't give them too much advantage, and if it gets blocked they're dead.
If you do a simple dash or simply jump over one of the projetiles while they're shooting them, Telekinetic Push is what you'll get. If you have enough luck, you can block it and then start your pressure game, but it's almost certain that he'll do that move again, so stay alert.
The most effective strategy is to Arc Kick those projectiles in order to avoid them. But you gotta do this AS SOON AS THEY SHOOT THE PROJECTILE. If you're too late, they will Telek. Push you and you'll have to start all over again. If you do it at the right time, you'll be able to block it, and they will freak ouy. They won't try to Telek. Push you again, since you're TOO close from them. The will probably try to backjump to gain distance, of just backjump and teleport in the air. It's noticable that in other cases some will try to do a not-so-much-effective combo. If they hit, you know what will come after the last hit.

After "Arc avoiding" the projectiles and blocking the following Telek. Push, you're free to use a HUGE variety of strategies to send those kind of players back to hell! xD
 

Neclord

Noob
I really don't have any issues using Sonya online. I'm something like 145/41 now, and mostly thanks to the Lieutenant.

And if there's something that helped as much as Sonya's speed is BLOCK and PATIENCE. I use this strategy mostly against teleporters. Players who uses characters like Smoke, Raiden and Scorpion are the easiest. Those type of players are VERY impulsive, and they will try to teleport & hit on the most predictable times. For Scorpion and Smoke, a simple block and you're free to punish them as hard as you can. For Raiden it becomes a little more difficult, since if they realize that you're blocking every hit they attempt, they will change strategies quickier than Scorpion and Smoke players, since Raiden can't be easily and heavily punished after his teleport. Thank God for his predictable "Superman" move. They all do it as a wakeup move or after getting just a bit away from you. LOL

But the greatest problem is Ermac, definitely. Mostly are zoners from hell, and they'll spam projectiles as much as they can. They hardly try to Teleport, since they know that this won't give them too much advantage, and if it gets blocked they're dead.
If you do a simple dash or simply jump over one of the projetiles while they're shooting them, Telekinetic Push is what you'll get. If you have enough luck, you can block it and then start your pressure game, but it's almost certain that he'll do that move again, so stay alert.
The most effective strategy is to Arc Kick those projectiles in order to avoid them. But you gotta do this AS SOON AS THEY SHOOT THE PROJECTILE. If you're too late, they will Telek. Push you and you'll have to start all over again. If you do it at the right time, you'll be able to block it, and they will freak ouy. They won't try to Telek. Push you again, since you're TOO close from them. The will probably try to backjump to gain distance, of just backjump and teleport in the air. It's noticable that in other cases some will try to do a not-so-much-effective combo. If they hit, you know what will come after the last hit.

After "Arc avoiding" the projectiles and blocking the following Telek. Push, you're free to use a HUGE variety of strategies to send those kind of players back to hell! xD
Yea I can't agree more, block and patience is really the key in most of her matchups. I have something like 85/20 now.
And Ermac is indeed the greatest problem. Ermac players really benefit from the bad netcode. :p

But I also had some problems against good Kung Lao players with constant pressure. How do you escape the constant fast 3 or 4 hit combos? I always stand or sit there and block and wait for the right opportunity to strike. But it seems like his jabs are always faster than mine. I can just try to jump out and get hit by one of these fast jabs. Any tips?
 

Poto2222

"Online is your forte!" - A Wise Man, 2015.
Yea I can't agree more, block and patience is really the key in most of her matchups. I have something like 85/20 now.
And Ermac is indeed the greatest problem. Ermac players really benefit from the bad netcode. :p

But I also had some problems against good Kung Lao players with constant pressure. How do you escape the constant fast 3 or 4 hit combos? I always stand or sit there and block and wait for the right opportunity to strike. But it seems like his jabs are always faster than mine. I can just try to jump out and get hit by one of these fast jabs. Any tips?
Yeah, Kung Lao is a big problem too. But the Shaolin is a problem for every single character in the game, incluiding Kung Lao himself. xD
Unfortunately I still didn't come up with a good strategy against Kung Lao players, even though I win most of the times. But one thing that I know for sure is that they'll try to [1, 1, 2, Whirlwind Spin] you throughout the entire match. Even if their first hits get blocked, they will continue the combo, because the special move at the end of it will gain some worthy distance from their opponent. After that, you have just a slim chance to punish them, since that blocked move has a very fast recovery time (which is IMO pretty unfair for such useful Special Move, but that's just me complaining LOL). Dash and [2, 1] could easily be two succesful hits after blocking their spin offline, but online it's a completely waste of time. Unless the connection is very, very solid (and when I'm saying this, I mean "SOLID AS A FREAKING BUNKER"), they will be able to block it, even with your fastest input.

I haven't played the game in 4 days, but I think that a [→+2, 2] or a [←+2, 1] can be successful hits after blocking the spin, but I'm not sure. These combo's first hits have some great reach and there's no need to dash after block, but they're not as fast as [1,1] or [2,1], so maybe they'll be able to block them aswell... I really don't know. I'll see if I can try them later.

Also, we should thank God again for Kung Lao players being very impulsive too! If they get just a little further away, they will jump (away or in your direction) and Dive Kick you (as soon as they stop the Hat Throw Spamming Fest, of course), and every time they fall down they'll do a Whirlwind Spin Wakeup move, since they are like "LOLOLOLO I'M SO UNPREDICTABLE, MAH SPINZ IZ TOO FAHST". xD
 

Neclord

Noob
Yeah, Kung Lao is a big problem too. But the Shaolin is a problem for every single character in the game, incluiding Kung Lao himself. xD
Unfortunately I still didn't come up with a good strategy against Kung Lao players, even though I win most of the times. But one thing that I know for sure is that they'll try to [1, 1, 2, Whirlwind Spin] you throughout the entire match. Even if their first hits get blocked, they will continue the combo, because the special move at the end of it will gain some worthy distance from their opponent. After that, you have just a slim chance to punish them, since that blocked move has a very fast recovery time (which is IMO pretty unfair for such useful Special Move, but that's just me complaining LOL). Dash and [2, 1] could easily be two succesful hits after blocking their spin offline, but online it's a completely waste of time. Unless the connection is very, very solid (and when I'm saying this, I mean "SOLID AS A FREAKING BUNKER"), they will be able to block it, even with your fastest input.

I haven't played the game in 4 days, but I think that a [→+2, 2] or a [←+2, 1] can be successful hits after blocking the spin, but I'm not sure. These combo's first hits have some great reach and there's no need to dash after block, but they're not as fast as [1,1] or [2,1], so maybe they'll be able to block them aswell... I really don't know. I'll see if I can try them later.

Also, we should thank God again for Kung Lao players being very impulsive too! If they get just a little further away, they will jump (away or in your direction) and Dive Kick you (as soon as they stop the Hat Throw Spamming Fest, of course), and every time they fall down they'll do a Whirlwind Spin Wakeup move, since they are like "LOLOLOLO I'M SO UNPREDICTABLE, MAH SPINZ IZ TOO FAHST". xD

Yea, they are really impulsive sometimes. ^^
I need to test it with back+2, 1 after a spin. This would be very good because back+2, 1 can lead into some nice combos. :)
I just need to play more Kung Lao players to gain experience in this matchup. Most of the time I fight against Scorpions. :p
 

Justice

Noob
Thanks for the tips and discussions guys! It's stuff I really needed. Patience has never really been one of my strong suits :)

A new frustration I forgot to mention: every once in a while, I'll be beebopping along and suddenly Sonya will go into her military stance but will stay in it until she gets hit. I'll smash the buttons but she won't move. What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it? It usually occurs in the middle of another combo and the game thinks I'm buffering the military stance.
 

Spiron

Noob
Hey Justice, been reading these forums off and on sense MK9 came out, kind of a new MK guy myself but finally signed up and figured i would post here first. I can't tell without seeing you play but i think your biggest trouble is you might be over thinking it to much. What i mean is this, i have amassed a goofy 1873-196 w/l record in player matches on xbox live using Sonya 99% of those matches. II did that with a very basic game that does not require much thought and only the smallest of skill.

now that record it means nothing cause i played a lot of very very bad people, [basically anyone who came along in a player match] i would get torn apart and have been torn apart by really good players and people at tourneys, i am nothing. That being said i can do 1-3 basic things well and that is all you really need online. i use dive kicks a lot [A LOT] basic jump in mix ups and military stance pressure in the corner.

Off of dive kicks you can go into any kind of bread and butter combo really, dives can also be used to get past a lot of fireball spamming and give a for free combo. doing so many dive kicks gets people to look for it, at least the smarter players, that is when you mix in just jumping in and throwing [ goofy but online is goofy] and once you have them in the corner you can set up a lot of mind games, basically mix up the military tackle on wake up [ which is a overhead] or military dash punches [ this hits low] or throws or jump back dive kicks. All of that sets up hella mind games and people just don't know how to deal.

trust me when i say if i can get wins doing this anyone can, good luck in your future makes keep that grind going like the rest of us.