General Kitana Questions

[Juxtapose]

Hi all,

I'm playing on the PC version of the game, and now that it's been patched up and is on-par with the PlayStation 4 version, I've started playing more to learn. In the last two games, my mains were Mileena and Kitana, so that's naturally lead me to Highborn Kitana.

What are the general impressions of this Variation, and can anyone point me towards a resource or two where I can better learn the Variation's fundamentals and combos? Right now, I'm really liking her Sai Stab from her Halfblood Stance. I find it whiffs considerably less than Quick Execution, even if it's damage is usually a little lesser. Zoning with a mix of Sai Throws and Fan Tosses is handy to, and I like how you can Amplify Teleport Kick so the opponent eats a Fan, though I use her Teleport Kick sparingly.

For Edenian Razor, outside of using it on an opponent in the corner, I'm not sure how best to use this Special Move.

I've also toyed with Fan-Fare, and overall is it just me, or do her Fan's not juggle the opponent like they did in past games? I do a jump kick ~ Air Fan Toss, and that's it; I'm not connecting anything after that. Actually, even with Fan Lift, I'm not sure how to carry on beyond that really. The only one of her "dial-a-kombos" that I find actually connects outside of the corner is B1, 4. The first kick of 4 whiffs, but not the second, allowing me to end with a Quick Execution.

For Fan-Fare, the best combo I can generally do right now is B2, 3, 1 ~ Fan Lift, b1, 4, Quick Execution. That also triggers a Crushing Blow its first time.

For Highborn, without Fan Lift, I'm typically ending things with Sai Stab since it works so well, and typically I'm doing about four or five hit combos at best.

I'm not playing Online or against human opponents yet, mostly toying around in Practice, as well as doing Klassic Tower runs and the odd Local AI Fight. It'll take me a bit to get used to the new defensive and offensive systems of the game, but I know I'll get that down in time.

Thanks in advance all!

 

[Jimmypotato]

STB_Retro on twitter has some great Kitana videos, I think that might be his YouTube as well, look him up for some good Highborn Corner Oki stuff,

I think Highborn is the stronger variation at this time, I recomend trying to get in some Kasual matches to get a feel for how to zone and deal with pressure with her.

Just some thoughts;

Easy Corner combo if you catch a jump kick:
JK B34~DB2 12~DF2 - if you have the Crushing blow for DF2 this will do over 400 i believe, i'll double check when I get home, but I'm pretty sure,

Corner Combos on punish should start with B34to pop up into DB2 and you can juggle from there and find something you like,

after air fan on hit you can get a sai out garanteed safely,
Sai is +23 on block, it will hit them if they are walking as it has some tracking but they can dash forward to avoid it, but you should be throwing fans at them to make them not want to do this,

Square ass is air only in this variation but still a great and very doable Crushing blow for a frustrated opponent that wants to start moving in,

Mid screen combos should all end in Gutted and the 3rd one gives you a krushing blow that you can follow up combo, I do B14~fan and start zoning again, (Khaotic corrected me, it's 3 sais you need to hit to get this KB, I think possible over the entire length of a match, even at higher levels, time will tell)

B142 on wiff punish is a great Krushing blow,

Gutted is -6 on block which is nice,

B231~Stance - practice canceling the stance, and going into B34 - stance cancel leaves you at 0 so you can be blown up but if they are respecting the OH on the full string B231D2 or think you are going to go for Gutted you might sneak the low starter in there, this is a gimmick, but an ok one. (Looking more into this, tonight)

Gutted, can be Flawless Blocked, so keep that in mind as well,

mid range D3 on hit will jail into standing 1 but it's tight at like 1 or 2 frames, in the corner D4 jails easier into Standing 1 for a frame trap if you are looking to keep pressure on, so D4 hits you do 12 stance gutted or something, situational but good to know.

Her D1 isnt super fast and punishable on block so know your distance when using it to poke and keep space, (great range though)

Tele Kick is wicked negative on block and they can just duck the follow up fan as well, use sparingly or against crazy jumpers?? lol I dunno it's only week 1 lol.

in the corner DB2 on the left side can leave kitana at plus frames off some strings, check it out in practice, most of the time it leaves you at -6 on the right side, it's very strange haven't figured it out yet.

F234 I think the string is, is a fast safe string, not special cancel able but - and has an OH at the end I believe, Stay away from F2222 if you can, very punishable,

B231D4 - if you get the Krushing blow at the end it has a Bleed effect for DOT as well, very cool.

Thats all I can think of for now, practice instant air square ass and instant air fan, have the fun,

 

[xKhaoTik]

Easy Corner combo if you catch a jump kick:
JK B24~DB2 12~DF2 - if you have the Crushing blow for DF2 this will do over 400 i believe, i'll double check when I get home, but I'm pretty sure,

I think you mean b34.

after air fan on hit you can get a sai out garanteed safely,

air fan does not guarantee a sai, unless you’re talking about a ground fan that hits them in the air.

Sai is +23 on block

its +13.

Mid screen combos should all end in Gutted and the 3rd one gives you a krushing blow that you can follow up combo, I do B14~fan and start zoning again,

3 gutteds do not land a KB. You have to land 3 seeking sais, which is almost impossible unless you’re playing someone who cannot stop moving. It’s a dumb requirement and won’t see any high level play.

Gutted is -6

its -7. Safe but her turn is over.

B231~Stance - practice canceling the stance, and going into B34 - stance cancel leaves you at 0 so you can be blown up but if they are respecting the OH on the full string B231D2 or think you are going to go for Gutted you might sneak the low starter in there, this is a gimmick, but an ok one.

None of her cancels are neutral. All are negative and some are even punishable.

Stay away from F2222 if you can, very punishable,

f2222 is a really good combo ender

 

[Jimmypotato]

I think you mean b34.

air fan does not guarantee a sai, unless you’re talking about a ground fan that hits them in the air.

its +13.

3 gutteds do not land a KB. You have to land 3 seeking sais, which is almost impossible unless you’re playing someone who cannot stop moving. It’s a dumb requirement and won’t see any high level play.

its -7. Safe but her turn is over.

None of her cancels are neutral. All are negative and some are even punishable.

f2222 is a really good combo ender

yah meant B34,

Yes when you hit them with a ground fan in the air,

- turn on the live frame data in practice and throw the sai on block and look at the block advantage,

stance cancel DB4~4 shows as 0 in practice thats what I meant,

Yes F2222 is good as a combo ender, should not be throwing it out willy nilly is what i meant,

-7 and safe is pretty much kitana, the other string is -4, but your turn is over a lot with her when pressuring, not a pressure character in my eyes but people block stuff so it's good to know where you are at,

(ah, I thought it was 3 gutters, lol good to know lol)

 

[Jimmypotato]

Also you can control the Sai to land in front of them, I haven't found a good use on this, I guess if you think they will try forward dash to avoid the tracking? just hold the direction towards kitana or away for it to land behind them, just a neat thing that I don't think is on the move list,

 

[Jimmypotato]

I think you mean b34.

air fan does not guarantee a sai, unless you’re talking about a ground fan that hits them in the air.

its +13.

3 gutteds do not land a KB. You have to land 3 seeking sais, which is almost impossible unless you’re playing someone who cannot stop moving. It’s a dumb requirement and won’t see any high level play.

its -7. Safe but her turn is over.

None of her cancels are neutral. All are negative and some are even punishable.

f2222 is a really good combo ender

Yah just realized the cancel thing makes no sense because u would be going off the string frames on that lol, been a few years lol

 

[Juxtapose]

Thanks for the replies both, much appreciated! I've been toying a little more the last few days, and I am really liking Gutted as an ender. And yes, it is three Seeking Sais needed for the Krushing Blow. Works against the AI, I'm much more skeptical against a competent human opponent.

I'm finding Edenian Razor of very limited use, mostly just in the corner.

Main strings I've been using overall are:

• B1,4,2
• F2,3,4
• B2,3,1
• Sometimes B3,4

On occasion I'll do a 1,2,D2 for the low, or a 2,1 if I'm close and looking for something a little faster than B2.

I'll keep the above tips in mind, and thanks again all!