Strategy How do you pressure with Sonya?

[MortySeinfeld]

This is one of the most common misconceptions I see about the character. Sonya is not a pressure character...the core element to her game is mix-ups.

A lot of posts here point out d4 - Military Stance, which you can follow with f1 for +1 advantage. But what people fail to realize is that there are only two fast options to follow a blocked f1 with:

1. Her d1 poke, which I believe is six frames. If the poke is blocked and she tries to follow with a stance mix-up, Sonya won't be at enough advantage to make a guess because she can be stopped by a counter-poke or they can jump away.

2. Her instant-air divekick, but this is very unsafe. Should it be blocked, you're eating a full combo punish.

I guess you could also include the EX Cartwheel, but are you willing to just throw them out and not think that the opponent will be smart enough to see it coming and block it, or whiff punish it? From my experience, Sonya doesn't have many other counter-measures when she's being pressured herself. A blocked cartwheel, EX or not, leaves you at negative frames.

And before anybody else makes such arguments - how are you gonna "pressure" with Sonya? 1 1 4 or 1 1 2? Unless it's off a jump-punch, they can be ducked mid-string and interrupted by d1 or d3. Poke to stance? Read the first criteria above about what happens with blocked pokes. f4? Possibly, but it's not that fast. Throws? That leads to a potential Wake-Up and therefore another guessing game.

This is only a snippet of a Sonya guide I have in mind that I'd like to release some time in the future, so until then, I hope this helps out.

Good stuff here, I want to expand on a few things.

D4 xx MS F1 is one of her best tools for getting in.

D4 xx MS F1 can be cancelled into Cartwheel, however you are -2 after a blocked cartwheel. If you are trying to maintain advantage, the F1 by itself is +1 which gives you a free D1.

D1 can also be cancelled into MS. MS lowers and retreats Sonya's hitbox slightly that you can actually use this to stuff people with good counterpokes.

One thing I like to do against a lot of characters (ie: Jax, Cage, etc.) is D4 xx MS F1, D1 xx MS (wait for counterpoke) 1+3, 1+2 (overhead throw).

Note: This will not work against characters like Kitana who have long ranged counterpokes. D1 will also whiff on Kitana after a D4 xx MS F1 (she is slightly out of range).

Most D1's in this game are -13 on block (Kitana is -15, and a few others). I also like to bait pokes and counter-pokes once I am in after a D4 xx MS F1.

The exchange often-times looks like one of these options:

- D4 xx MS F1 - D1 (Block/wait for counter-poke) - Dive-Kick (combo)
- D4 xx MS F1 - Step backwards outside of poke range - if poke - Dive-Kick (combo)
- D4 xx MS F1 - D1 xx MS (Wait for counter-poke) - Overhead throw
- D4 xx MS F1 - D1 xx MS F1 or Overhead throw immediately (make them guess)

If you are playing against players that don't like to counter-poke, respect your options and are good at defending against these options, you can start to mix things up a bit more in the following ways:

- D4 xx MS (Dash cancel) - Forward Throw
- D4 xx MS (Dash cancel) - F4 (Overhead) - if hit - JIP 114 xx ms (combo on hit/mix-up on block)
- D4 xx MS (Dash cancel) - D4 xx MS or D1 xx MS
- D4 xx MS (Dash cancel) - 1 - throw (tick throws, check jumps)

After a forward throw, a standing 4 will stand up the opponent if they are slightly lazy on their wake-up's, you can do things like:

- Forward Throw - Dash forward - 4 xx cartwheel (combo)
- Forward Throw - Dash forward - 4 xx MS (mixup)

The 4 xx cartwheel can be poked between if your opponent blocks. If you read that your opponent will actually counter-poke between the 4 and cartwheel you can do:

- Forward Throw - Dash forward - 4 xx EX Cartwheel (combo)

Sonya excels in the footsie game and builds a lot of her offense around D4 xx MS F1 because the rest of her strings are honestly really bad without a JIP.

She has a very good projectile and doesn't always need to be the character that is aggressing. Sometimes just doing Fireballs and Uppercuts will win you games.

If you are having trouble opening up your opponent for dive-kick combos, start incorporating more throw setups into your game.

Sonya also has a myriad of ex cartwheel setups, some are character dependent; some based on conditioning and reads. I might post some of that stuff later.

 

[Justice]

Good stuff here, I want to expand on a few things.


Sonya excels in the footsie game and builds a lot of her offense around D4 xx MS F1 because the rest of her strings are honestly really bad without a JIP.

Can't you say this about any character really? A JIP just adds to everything very nicely I'd say

 

[redeyes]

Can't you say this about any character really? A JIP just adds to everything very nicely I'd say

not really cause most of her strings hit high or have gaps when you can poke out of them where with a JIP you are jailed stand blocking.

 

[MortySeinfeld]

Can't you say this about any character really? A JIP just adds to everything very nicely I'd say

Technically yes, but pretty much all of her strings whiff against crouchers in some capacity or have really bad startup frames.

That's why her offense needs to be centralized around d4 xx ms imo.

 

[Justice]

Thanks for the tip guys! Actually, ducking opponents is why I've started fooling around with the 312 string. The 3 hits mid and catches duckers but still the 12 will whiff if they remain in crouch block :'(

 

[RTM2004]

If you are playing against players that don't like to counter-poke, respect your options and are good at defending against these options, you can start to mix things up a bit more in the following ways:

- D4 xx MS (Dash cancel) - F4 (Overhead) - if hit - JIP 114 xx ms (combo on hit/mix-up on block)

From a jip blockstring after a successful MS cancel into F4, any personal tips with 112MS or 312/314MS as opposed to 114MS?

 

[redeyes]

From a jip blockstring after a successful MS cancel into F4, any personal tips with 112MS or 312/314MS as opposed to 114MS?

114 can be hit confined into MS b2 for a 28% combo. which may be why its the string of choice.

 

[MortySeinfeld]

From a jip blockstring after a successful MS cancel into F4, any personal tips with 112MS or 312/314MS as opposed to 114MS?

The only reason I would use 112 xx MS instead of 114 is if I identify that the opponent is poking between the 114 xx ms and the follow-up option successfully (112 is -1 on block/114 is -6 on block).

redeyes is right, the reason 114 xx MS is preferable is because you can hit-confirm it into the following combo:

- 114 xx MS B2, B21F2, dash, 112 xx MS (mixup)

On block, you can go into a mixup (can be poked out, but very tight windows), typically 1+3, 1+2 (overhead throw); or F1/B4 (low options).

In the situation you mention where the F4 does hit, there is enough of a stagger animation that you get a free JIP into block string.

Technically you could go into any of the options you listed, each providing you at least 3 blocked hits with varying advantages/disadvantages.

312 xx MS provides a ridiculous amount of block advantage for a mix-up option (again overhead throw or low option). This will throw people off who have never really seen it before.

In the corner you can actually combo from 31 and 312 in various ways:

- 31, 1, 21 xx cartwheel, 1,1, 112 xx MS (can probably get more damage out of this, I can't remember).
- 312, d1, 1, 21 xx cartwheel, 1, 1, 112 xx MS (can probably get more damage out of this, I can't remember).

I believe 312 xx MS 1+3, 1+2 technically combos in the corner as well.

If you use 312 xx MS Mid-Screen and it hits:

- 312 xx MS 4

for the additional damage and the distance that it pushes the opponent into corner.

 

[Death]

Great posts morty. Pretty much everything morty said is what you need to do. Sonya also has good set ups off uppercuts too.

 

[Eminent]

Death
Like what?

 

[pickle keeper]

Is 2~MS at all worth doing? 2 comes out a few frames faster and has the same cancel advantage I believe.