ask shang tsung thread

[eskuAdradit0]

Thank you for the post. Guess I skipped watching it all cause I wanted to learn Tsungs combos without morph for the time being. Having trouble timing the uppercut and even getting him to uppercut them backwards for the turnaround into f3,3,4

Yeah, that uppercut is mad hard and not worth it imo. It's too small of a window. Try the second variation. Does 2% less (still takes about half of your opponent's life) and is way way easier. Try to keep it calm and do not forget inputs. If you can't adjust to the dpad then I'd suggest building your own hitbox. Should make the Shang Tsung experience really enjoyable.
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Alright so here's the close to corner and corner alternative combos. Maybe you already know them, but it's always good to share.

Close to corner(as in, not in the corner by itself, but mid ground skull hits in the corner). :

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, mid gr. skull, dash, f4,3,4, close ground skull, f4,3, ss - 14 hits 49%. It is POSSIBLE to hit a f4,3,4, ss, but it will still do 49% and is MAD hard to do it. Definetly not worth it.

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, mid gr. skull, dash, f4,3,4, close ground skull, f4,3,4 (upskull)- 13 hits 46%

(I can't recall seeing this anywhere on the internet or any guide, anybody else, etc, but maybe somebody out there tried it prior to me. Not tryin to take credit or anything off anybody, but yeah. It's good meterless shit. Credits to me or whoever did it. EDIT: I just saw Detroitballin pullin something similar on the arizona mk9 finals, so I'm guessin this has been out before. Had no idea. sowy.)

This is the highest damaging combo for shang without using any bar. It's also very easy and that's the best two setups I could come up with. This can be tricky on some maps *cough forest cough* since you can't easily tell when is the corner coming.


Now, everybody knows the regular corner combo. Very easy, quite safe. Newbie friendly.

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, close ground skull, jump kick, f4,3,4 (upskull) - 10 hits 42%.
Trade that whiffed upskull for a ss and you get 48% (12 hits, ss counts as two hits)

However, if you're really that much of a damage wh0re and wanna look fancy, there's an alternative corner combo(and it's variation) that goes:

upskull, jp, f4,3,4, fire skull, b1,2,1,4 ground skull, f4,3,4 (upskull) - 14 hits 43% dmg. That upskull does not hit and is not part of the combo, just helps with the pressure
upskull, jp, f4,3,4, fire kull, b1,2,1 ground skull, f4,3, ss does -14 hits 44%. If you're really going for the soul steal then do the easier corner combo. Does more damage and is way easier.

- Credit goes again to CHECK4900 and his cinematic mk story mode shang tsung vs liu kang video.

This isn't newbie friendly and isn't really worth the shot unless you need that 1% to win the match. Hitting that b1,2,1,4 or just b1,2,1 is not only tricky because of the little window you get, but you gotta hit them as soon as you can, otherwise you will not be able to hit the f4,3,4 or f4,3, ss or some parts may miss. So it's hard x2.
Also, beware of the fact that the soul steal combo does not include the 4 on the b1,2,1. That's because gravity scales too much with it and you won't be able to hit the ss.

Hope it's useful. It's good for when you're facing noobs and they keep shouting "DUDE LEARN ANOTHER COMBO". I'd appreciate some feedback from the first combo, since I haven't tested the upskull pressure variation on a human. I can't really tell if it's a good idea. The second combo is just really to help monotony.

 

[Marcus]

^ Thanks for that post!

Anyway, If you guys get knocked down by a rushdown player... given that Shang has no good wake up attacks. What do yall usually do? I always get kicked in the air while waking up then jumping backwards to create some space before I throw fire skulls, ground, upskulls.

 

[Shang Tsung]

^ Thanks for that post!

Anyway, If you guys get knocked down by a rushdown player... given that Shang has no good wake up attacks. What do yall usually do? I always get kicked in the air while waking up then jumping backwards to create some space before I throw fire skulls, ground, upskulls.

What i normaly do is try to Break the Rythem of the rush down by holding down to stay OTG longer then try to Cross up jump or jump backwards to create space

 

[WhooFlungPoo]

What i normaly do is try to Break the Rythem of the rush down by holding down to stay OTG longer then try to Cross up jump or jump backwards to create space

I try this. Pressure really halts Tsung though, I cna't cross over fast enough for their attacks always connect. EX SS works wonders somtimes. IMO Shang should be sped up. He's good but he can be way better.

 

[RustedShank]

Yeah, that uppercut is mad hard and not worth it imo. It's too small of a window. Try the second variation. Does 2% less (still takes about half of your opponent's life) and is way way easier. Try to keep it calm and do not forget inputs. If you can't adjust to the dpad then I'd suggest building your own hitbox. Should make the Shang Tsung experience really enjoyable.
----



Alright so here's the close to corner and corner alternative combos. Maybe you already know them, but it's always good to share.

Close to corner(as in, not in the corner by itself, but mid ground skull hits in the corner). :

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, mid gr. skull, dash, f4,3,4, close ground skull, f4,3, ss - 14 hits 49%. It is POSSIBLE to hit a f4,3,4, ss, but it will still do 49% and is MAD hard to do it. Definetly not worth it.

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, mid gr. skull, dash, f4,3,4, close ground skull, f4,3,4 (upskull)- 13 hits 46%

(I can't recall seeing this anywhere on the internet or any guide, anybody else, etc, but maybe somebody out there tried it prior to me. Not tryin to take credit or anything off anybody, but yeah. It's good meterless shit. Credits to me or whoever did it. EDIT: I just saw Detroitballin pullin something similar on the arizona mk9 finals, so I'm guessin this has been out before. Had no idea. sowy.)

This is the highest damaging combo for shang without using any bar. It's also very easy and that's the best two setups I could come up with. This can be tricky on some maps *cough forest cough* since you can't easily tell when is the corner coming.


Now, everybody knows the regular corner combo. Very easy, quite safe. Newbie friendly.

upskull, jp, 2,2,1, close ground skull, jump kick, f4,3,4 (upskull) - 10 hits 42%.
Trade that whiffed upskull for an ss and you get 48% (12 hits, ss counts as two hits)

However, if you're really that much of a damage wh0re and wanna look fancy, there's an alternative corner combo(and it's variation) that goes:

upskull, jp, f4,3,4, fire skull, b1,2,1,4 ground skull, f4,3,4 (upskull) - 14 hits 43% dmg. That upskull does not hit and is not part of the combo, just helps with the pressure
upskull, jp, f4,3,4, fire kull, b1,2,1 ground skull, f4,3, ss does -14 hits 44%. If you're really going for the soul steal then do the easier corner combo. Does more damage and is way easier.

- Credit goes again to CHECK4900 and his cinematic mk story mode shang tsung vs liu kang video.

This isn't newbie friendly and isn't really worth the shot unless you need that 1% to win the match. Hitting that b1,2,1,4 or just b1,2,1 is not only tricky because of the little window you get, but you gotta hit them as soon as you can, otherwise you will not be able to hit the f4,3,4 or f4,3, ss or some parts may miss. So it's hard x2.
Also, beware of the fact that the soul steal combo does not include the 4 on the b1,2,1. That's because gravity scales too much with it and you won't be able to hit the ss.

Hope it's useful. It's good for when you're facing noobs and they keep shouting "DUDE LEARN ANOTHER COMBO". I'd appreciate some feedback from the first combo, since I haven't tested the upskull pressure variation on a human. I can't really tell if it's a good idea. The second combo is just really to help monotony.

nice post. ive only recently began dipping into his corner combos!...

 

[Kuai Liang]

I just started using Shang so I need some basic tips. How do you use him? What I mean by this is how do you get in with Shang to get your damage and what do you do after a blocked combo? A close ground skull, up skull? I've played a couple Shang's that just destroyed me, one guy was using D 3 and was staying on top of me all the time and he always had a skull on me so I was basically stuck. So when do you use up skull? Just looking for some beginner tips with Shang. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Klaudikus]

I'm also new to Shang Tsung, so right now I'm mastering fireball execution and the BnBs. I realised however that I don't know what Shang Tsung's wakeup options are, especially up close. For instance I played a Liu Kang player that was average, and with SubZero if he pressured me I'd use wake up slide, however with Shang Tsung, Kang's f+312 string would plow through. In fact on a few occasions he obtained flawless with that move alone. If I blocked low he would continue the string, and on a rare occasion I could poke with d+1, however d+4 doesn't poke out of that Liu Kang string. Jump was rarely an option because the string was initiated before getting up. I tried d+1 then moving in for f+434 and got constantly caught in the f+312 string.

So I guess the question is, how do you counter pressure during wakeup? CGS doesn't seem to work for me, and I've never seen it used in tournament so how do you deal with constant chip damage and pressure?

 

[Kuai Liang]

I'm definitely not the best or even sure I have a good idea but what works for me is d3 d3 d3 d3, it's fast and it gets them off just enough for you to get something in. But another thing I throw out sometimes if I know their character is ex SS on wakeup. Most people aren't really paying attention and get hit. It's just another option since he has armor on his ex so most of the time it will work.

 

[Marcus]

So I guess the question is, how do you counter pressure during wakeup? CGS doesn't seem to work for me, and I've never seen it used in tournament so how do you deal with constant chip damage and pressure?

I cant seem to counter pressure on wakeup too so Im assuming that you just cant. What I do is jump away and mix up gskulls,fireballs, and high skulls to create space, then try to jump in for pressure at the right time.

 

[Rabid Justice]

For Shangs wake up you have to make good reads. Du2 will beat out single hit moves like sweeps but everything else will stuff it. ex soul steal should work for the rest but I think it whiffs crouched opponents. Jump cross ups you just have to block

 

[Sao87]

For Shangs wake up you have to make good reads. Du2 will beat out single hit moves like sweeps but everything else will stuff it. ex soul steal should work for the rest but I think it whiffs crouched opponents. Jump cross ups you just have to block

Ex Soul Steal is his only viable wake up option, it will bypass attacks and wake him up safely if they are in front of you. On wake up during a cross up you have to take the attack and block, just like everyone else. Against cross ups in general you can lower your hitbox with d3 or you can try to anti air them with d1 and then convert into a 1,2 xx 1,2,2 meteor combo for a safe jump attempt. Shang doesn't get pressured as easily as people think.

 

[Deadly Torcher]

I'm also new to Shang Tsung, so right now I'm mastering fireball execution and the BnBs. I realised however that I don't know what Shang Tsung's wakeup options are, especially up close. For instance I played a Liu Kang player that was average, and with SubZero if he pressured me I'd use wake up slide, however with Shang Tsung, Kang's f+312 string would plow through. In fact on a few occasions he obtained flawless with that move alone. If I blocked low he would continue the string, and on a rare occasion I could poke with d+1, however d+4 doesn't poke out of that Liu Kang string. Jump was rarely an option because the string was initiated before getting up. I tried d+1 then moving in for f+434 and got constantly caught in the f+312 string.

So I guess the question is, how do you counter pressure during wakeup? CGS doesn't seem to work for me, and I've never seen it used in tournament so how do you deal with constant chip damage and pressure?

Im in the same boat, I play a Kang who mixes up his attacks when im in the corner, I guess wrong im banjaxed, he also picks Freddy who I have the same problems with. He knocks me down, then rushes me cos i've no good wake ups. When im reptile he stays well away from me tho.

 

[Marcus]

I sometimes stay down longer to throw off my opponent's timing. As a character with no real good wakeup option, theyll be anticipating that youll get up quick.

 

[Mr.Snuggles]

I've been messing around with Shang for a week or so now. No trouble taking down random online but I feel like I'm missing so much with him.

Downskulls ( the ones that come down from the top ) - When do I use them? I feel they are so unsafe to use and that an upskull is the better option. Longer recovery on block and stagger make it seem like something I should be using though.

Ex SS - should I be using this more often? The idea of transforming is cool and all but I dont like to be transformed for long personally. I feel that I may hit with a small combo, or a special move but that's about it. Does the exSS make a huge difference compared to the normal SS? I just feel like my bar of meter is better used somewhere else.

 

[eskuAdradit0]

I've been messing around with Shang for a week or so now. No trouble taking down random online but I feel like I'm missing so much with him.

Downskulls ( the ones that come down from the top ) - When do I use them? I feel they are so unsafe to use and that an upskull is the better option. Longer recovery on block and stagger make it seem like something I should be using though.

Ex SS - should I be using this more often? The idea of transforming is cool and all but I dont like to be transformed for long personally. I feel that I may hit with a small combo, or a special move but that's about it. Does the exSS make a huge difference compared to the normal SS? I just feel like my bar of meter is better used somewhere else.

1.- I think you're talking about Upskulls when you're sayin "Downskulls". Upskulls are D,U, 2. And they come from the top all the way down to your opponent, or next to him. You can use them to end your BnBs and add some pressure. When zoning from distance, an upskull on hit grants a Far Ground skull. (Ground skulls are the ones that come from the ground and go to the top. D,F,4 is one of them). They're a precious tool but you have to time them(or set the right one) in order to not get punished. Every type of Skull from Shang has a different timing you want to learn.

2.- EX SS is your only wakeup option since it has armor. I'd only suggest you using it if you know WELL your enemy's character. It lasts about 8 seconds(enough for a lot of bnbs) and gives you damage boost. Now, don't rush in like an idiot since your opponent is most likely expecting you to do so. Instead, pressure nice and smart(chip damage gets boosted as well). You should see the opportunity to land a combo as an option and not a must.
You can do it on reaction or to end the round, since you'll be granted with damage boost for next round without being morphed.(Doesn't happen with regular SS)
Your meter should be used in breakers and BnBs.

Soul steal is the pinancle of Shang's science. You should be worryin' about Shang as himself at first. If you're taking him seriously then you'd want to master him at most and that's when SS comes in handy (or so I heard.)

 

[Mr.Snuggles]

When you say end a BnB do you mean on block? I assume you mean on hit but I'd rather be sure. Other than that, is there a real common place to use upskulls? I do throw them out on occasion, I just always feel like the downskull is the better option. I've attempted to watch videos ( no pc, so I'm kind of limited on my iPhone to the actual videos I can see ). I almost never see an upskull thrown, it's usually a downskull.

I guess my real question should have been is the extended time on exSS make a big difference compared to a normal SS? My biggest problem is when Shang transforms back, I feel as if it leaves me open for attack. I do see ending a round with it though, I'll keep that in mind. I do like to end his BnB with a SS though, not only for the extra damage but it causes my playstyle to change completely because I'm using another character. It makes them stay in a constant guessing game as to my actions. I've also made sure to play at least a week ( 30+ hours at least ) as every other character to learn their basics just so I could use Shangs SS properly after transformed.

Thanks for the correction on the skulls. I'm bad at remember names, just know what they do and the command to do them, lol.

 

[eskuAdradit0]

So, for you xbox shang players, is the faster and instantaneous-armor on EX Soul steal a huge improvement?
As for lookin' it on the paper, I'd rather have him have armor on EX Upskull, but then that'd have made him OP.

Thoughts? Ideas? Shares?

 

[Sigmar]

So, for you xbox shang players, is the faster and instantaneous-armor on EX Soul steal a huge improvement?
As for lookin' it on the paper, I'd rather have him have armor on EX Upskull, but then that'd have made him OP.

Thoughts? Ideas? Shares?

i honestly liked it before, that's just me, it does help though.

 

[Marcus]

I dont really use Soul Steal... Should I be incorporating that in my game?

 

[bloodsport]

I dont really use Soul Steal... Should I be incorporating that in my game?

 

[Marcus]

lol can you explain why and when should I use it?

 

[bloodsport]

lol can you explain why and when should I use it?

against bad matchups (like KL or raiden), for wakeups, basically whenever youre on the verge of losing, go on a soul stealing spree. its perfect for keeping pressure going because most people will lock up when facing a morphed ST haha, with block string damage you can knock off like a quarter of a bar before EX SS runs out. for normal SS i use it after combos (AA 1,2,1,2,1,2,2). but youll have to memorize all the SS bnbs (as in the combo starts morphed and ends with a SS to morph back)... thatll take some time

 

[Marcus]

against bad matchups (like KL or raiden), for wakeups, basically whenever youre on the verge of losing, go on a soul stealing spree. its perfect for keeping pressure going because most people will lock up when facing a morphed ST haha, with block string damage you can knock off like a quarter of a bar before EX SS runs out. for normal SS i use it after combos (AA 1,2,1,2,1,2,2). but youll have to memorize all the SS bnbs (as in the combo starts morphed and ends with a SS to morph back)... thatll take some time

Thank you sir. AA to combo to SS learned. I always usually AA and proceed with 12,12,12, upskull (for the reset) then jump in for another pressure combo. You think the SS to end the anti air is much better to do than the upskull reset?

 

[bloodsport]

Thank you sir. AA to combo to SS learned. I always usually AA and proceed with 12,12,12, upskull (for the reset) then jump in for another pressure combo. You think the SS to end the anti air is much better to do than the upskull reset?

it depends on the opponent really. if they cant adapt to frame traps then youre better off keeping pressure. but matches like kung lao (where you can barely pressure at all) i prefer to ss and give them some of their own medicine. but honestly i dont use SS much in my games, i whore resets all match long... so i mean, the reset is much more useful, but only sometimes

 

[eskuAdradit0]

You should only use soul steal if your morphed char is stronger (morphed char + damage boost) than your regular Shang, and that's usually against your own bad matchups.