This guide is meant to get you started with Tanya.
1st, be sure to check out Dragon's sets in Slayers tournaments to see some great examples of high-level Tanya in action:
Part One: Normals
Tanya's most important buttons are 3 (high), f2 (mid), and b3 (low). b2 makes a nice anti-air on hard read, but its 15-frame startup makes it tough to use on reaction. f4 is a nice, safe (-2) launcher, but it's a 16-frame high, limiting its usefulness in the neutral.
Her f2 stagger game is substantial. f2 and f22 are both +14 on hit and only -5 on block. She can end in a safe -6 overhead with f2112.
Her b3 is also a decent stagger at -4 on block and +11 on hit. b344 is only -6 on block.
Standing 3 has insane range but is a high that's -14 on block. However, it is special cancelable, making it a decent way to check opponents, since they have to respect any potential followup.
2(1+3) is her primary punish string. 9 frame startup with decent range. Just remember that, due to the side switch, you need to reverse any back-forward inputs to cancel into her specials.
Part 2: Specials
Heavenly Hand: This is her projectile. The startup is rather slow at 25 frames and it only does 6%. Not great, but it at least gives her a full-screen presence. The Amplified version is much better, as it becomes a 9% mid that absorbs enemy projectiles, allowing her to effectively counterzone.
Air Heavenly Hand: The steep angle of this special makes it a little difficult to use effectively, but it's very safe. The amped version still eats projectiles and causes a crumple status, allowing you to kombo your opponent.
Seeking Guidance: You can either use this special multiple times to build it up, or just hold down the button for a sec to fully charge it. Once charged, Tanya can dash-cancel her attacks to gain significant range. The amplified version seems to only speed up the rate of charge, so it's probably a waste of meter.
If you use Seeking Guidance while you are fully charged, you will shoot up and forward, allowing you start aerial pressure as if you were jumping in. However, this seems to have no other benefit, such as projectile immunity, so it's just a nice way to start her pressure without relying on her floaty jump.
Divine Protection is her parry. You can extend the parry by holding 3. It's a little awkward, as if you just do the special as is, it will absorb the first attack but doesn't seem to give you any significant advantage. However, if you hold back while holding 3, the she will actually parry attacks with a 9% mid. If, instead, you hold forward, she will parry the attack and then go into her Seeking Guidance aerial attack. This seems to be an excellent way to blow up wakeups.
Drill Kick is her primary kombo tool and is also used to end her kombos. Certain assists (like Goro) allow her to meterless convert into a full kombo. Ending kombos with 2(1+3)~Drill Kick leaves you in a very advantageous oki situation. The enhanced version pops up for a kombo.
Spinning Drill Kicks: This is the special that makes Tanya worth playing, in my opinion. A full-screen, mid-hitting, multi-hitting special, the amplified version has armor. With the right kameo (Goro...), she can convert this into a full kombo. It can be used in the air as well, giving her substantial mobility, though though characters will be able to punish her for doing this.
Part 3: Goro [edit: or KANO!!!]
I would call this part "Kameos" but honestly, Goro just does way too much for her to consider anyone else. There are 3 major reasons to use Goro:
Part 4: Strategies
As long as you have meter, your opponent has to respect your armor. You can wakeup armor into full conversion. You can armor after any of her -5 and -6 blockstrings. This means, as long as you have meter, it is never really the opponent's turn.
Since Spinning Drill Kicks goes full-screen and hits mid, this allows you to blow through projectiles and basically just screw the neutral game. On block, you can call Goro to keep yourself safe or even plus. The full string into Goro does about 7% chip and leaves you up to +3 if timed correctly. In training, if you get more than +3, odds are the opponent can crouch. Set opponent to crouch and Block All to practice the timing.
Ending your kombos with 2(1+3)~bf4 leaves you within jump range at significant advantage. You have enough time to dash into a meaty f2 or b3, or can check with standing 3.
Calling neutral or down-Goro after f211 on block leaves you around +17 when timed correctly. For b344, you want to use down-Goro and you'll be around +11.
For Kombos, be sure to check out her Kombo Section.
1st, be sure to check out Dragon's sets in Slayers tournaments to see some great examples of high-level Tanya in action:
Part One: Normals
Tanya's most important buttons are 3 (high), f2 (mid), and b3 (low). b2 makes a nice anti-air on hard read, but its 15-frame startup makes it tough to use on reaction. f4 is a nice, safe (-2) launcher, but it's a 16-frame high, limiting its usefulness in the neutral.
Her f2 stagger game is substantial. f2 and f22 are both +14 on hit and only -5 on block. She can end in a safe -6 overhead with f2112.
Her b3 is also a decent stagger at -4 on block and +11 on hit. b344 is only -6 on block.
Standing 3 has insane range but is a high that's -14 on block. However, it is special cancelable, making it a decent way to check opponents, since they have to respect any potential followup.
2(1+3) is her primary punish string. 9 frame startup with decent range. Just remember that, due to the side switch, you need to reverse any back-forward inputs to cancel into her specials.
Part 2: Specials
Heavenly Hand: This is her projectile. The startup is rather slow at 25 frames and it only does 6%. Not great, but it at least gives her a full-screen presence. The Amplified version is much better, as it becomes a 9% mid that absorbs enemy projectiles, allowing her to effectively counterzone.
Air Heavenly Hand: The steep angle of this special makes it a little difficult to use effectively, but it's very safe. The amped version still eats projectiles and causes a crumple status, allowing you to kombo your opponent.
Seeking Guidance: You can either use this special multiple times to build it up, or just hold down the button for a sec to fully charge it. Once charged, Tanya can dash-cancel her attacks to gain significant range. The amplified version seems to only speed up the rate of charge, so it's probably a waste of meter.
If you use Seeking Guidance while you are fully charged, you will shoot up and forward, allowing you start aerial pressure as if you were jumping in. However, this seems to have no other benefit, such as projectile immunity, so it's just a nice way to start her pressure without relying on her floaty jump.
Divine Protection is her parry. You can extend the parry by holding 3. It's a little awkward, as if you just do the special as is, it will absorb the first attack but doesn't seem to give you any significant advantage. However, if you hold back while holding 3, the she will actually parry attacks with a 9% mid. If, instead, you hold forward, she will parry the attack and then go into her Seeking Guidance aerial attack. This seems to be an excellent way to blow up wakeups.
Drill Kick is her primary kombo tool and is also used to end her kombos. Certain assists (like Goro) allow her to meterless convert into a full kombo. Ending kombos with 2(1+3)~Drill Kick leaves you in a very advantageous oki situation. The enhanced version pops up for a kombo.
Spinning Drill Kicks: This is the special that makes Tanya worth playing, in my opinion. A full-screen, mid-hitting, multi-hitting special, the amplified version has armor. With the right kameo (Goro...), she can convert this into a full kombo. It can be used in the air as well, giving her substantial mobility, though though characters will be able to punish her for doing this.
Part 3: Goro [edit: or KANO!!!]
I would call this part "Kameos" but honestly, Goro just does way too much for her to consider anyone else. There are 3 major reasons to use Goro:
- Safety: Tanya's specials are very unsafe, so dropping Goro at the end can keep you safe or even plus.
- Meterless Conversions. Goro allows Tanya to convert meterlessly off her Drill Kicks. He also allows her to covert off her Spinning Drill Kicks. This allows her to get full-kombo conversions off her armor. He also allows her to meterless convert off her b344 string.
- 50/50 Tick Throw: I'm sure this is fuzzyable, but Goro's back-special turns her b3 into a great mix option. The Goro special will launch for a full kombo, and it will connect whether the b3 hits or not, as long as the opponent remains blocking low. Since b344 all hits low, this creates the guessing game.
Part 4: Strategies
As long as you have meter, your opponent has to respect your armor. You can wakeup armor into full conversion. You can armor after any of her -5 and -6 blockstrings. This means, as long as you have meter, it is never really the opponent's turn.
Since Spinning Drill Kicks goes full-screen and hits mid, this allows you to blow through projectiles and basically just screw the neutral game. On block, you can call Goro to keep yourself safe or even plus. The full string into Goro does about 7% chip and leaves you up to +3 if timed correctly. In training, if you get more than +3, odds are the opponent can crouch. Set opponent to crouch and Block All to practice the timing.
Ending your kombos with 2(1+3)~bf4 leaves you within jump range at significant advantage. You have enough time to dash into a meaty f2 or b3, or can check with standing 3.
Calling neutral or down-Goro after f211 on block leaves you around +17 when timed correctly. For b344, you want to use down-Goro and you'll be around +11.
For Kombos, be sure to check out her Kombo Section.
