LawAbidingCitizen
Bomb Setups & Ball Rolls(Mileena/Cyrax)
Since I've herd so many struggles with the Shang matchup I'm making this thread so everyone will know how to punish Shang. This won't ruin a competitive player because they will play smart and condition these unsafe tools but this will destroy every online Shang Counter picker.
Noble Raptors Video:
How to Fuzzy Guard by STB Shijinkydink
This is on Kabal but the basic concept works universally for all characters with Fuzzyable mix. Shang Tsung is one of them.
Specifically his B3U4/B3D4(Low-Overhead/Low-Low) its very easy to Fuzzy: how easy you ask? You have 16 frames after the second low hits to block the overhead. So no matter which one they do you can fuzzy both 100% of the time. I've seen top players fuzzy Kabals F224/F22xxDB1 very consistently and it only has 5f window after the overhead to block the low. 5f is considered very easy to fuzzy by tournament players its 2-3 frames that are hard but Shang's 16f gap between the mix turns it into a non-50/50. This isn't to say a good player can't trip up an opponent and get them hit by 22-30f moves because its possible when you throw multiple guesses into your pressure game making them look out for many different options that have different responses to punish can open up the best players but that's what we call out playing your opponent.
If we are being truthful Shanks mix is pretty honest. Knowing how to counter him leaves him with B1/F2 stagger into throws and guess between number of hits and the occasional frame trap into Soulsteal/Poke.
Here is dinks video on Fuzzy Block/Guard:
Wiff punishing Shang:
Its pretty hard to stay out of his F242 range because of the distance he covers with that move but if you practice it in the lab and vs friends you can turn his best string into a very punishable one even without FB. You make the first two hits Wiff then go into your starter before the last flame fist hits.
Other Strings You Can Shimmy/Bait Wiff:
114/112
B3U4 and B3D4
21U2D2
214
B2112
D1/D3
These strings have shorter range and you should find moves that are less than -4 on block so you can walk back baiting them. Become familiar with all of Shang's moves and more importantly their range.
Strings To Be Aware Of:
B112
B1D2
S3
S3U2
S3U2D2
F242
F243
B4
D4
The above strings/buttons have very good range and you need to be familiar with there range and hitboxes, many of these have step back animations where Shang walks back after avoiding counter (S3 starter). He also has disjointed hitboxes on a few that can override certain Mids/Highs and Overheads (B3U4,B3D4, S3, D4, B1).
His Zoning:
His zoning revolves around Corpse Drop(DF3 overhead and low when amped) and his straight skull (BF1 a high) and his Ground Skulls (DB1 & DB1F mids).
- Corpse Drop has slower startup at 26f so he struggles to get this out vs decent zoning because he can get beat out (Cassie) if they amp it you block first hit(overhead) and jump the high avoiding chip effectively waisting his bar and avoiding the pushback giving you more advantage. It has issues vs females on first hit so abuse that by moving slightly forward.
- Straight Skull: is a high that is pretty fast but can be ducked and with many characters it wiffs on crouch blocking opponents. Just duck them. Fuzzy upward if they are alternating Corpse Drop into Skull.
- Ground Explosion (Ground Skulls) DB1 and DB1F is his main anti air and combo starter. These have decent hitboxes but you can punish them how you seen in raptors video by several on the cast. But what he didn't show you is that you can dash between them leaving Shang -25 and even more in some cases allowing full combo punish if you time it right with a move that will reach (Scorpion and Sub shine here).
Hope this helps maybe we can compile who can punish his ground skulls on block and who has fast enough dash speed to escape them. So far I've found: Jacqui, Noob, Sub, Cassie can dash punish them.
@BuffRaiden
I know you made a thread about how you hated his Low to Overhead so from a Shang main to someone who may not know. Hope it helps.
@STB Sgt Reed
@Vslayer
@anyone else I forgot
Post what else you have found below
Noble Raptors Video:
How to Fuzzy Guard by STB Shijinkydink
This is on Kabal but the basic concept works universally for all characters with Fuzzyable mix. Shang Tsung is one of them.
Specifically his B3U4/B3D4(Low-Overhead/Low-Low) its very easy to Fuzzy: how easy you ask? You have 16 frames after the second low hits to block the overhead. So no matter which one they do you can fuzzy both 100% of the time. I've seen top players fuzzy Kabals F224/F22xxDB1 very consistently and it only has 5f window after the overhead to block the low. 5f is considered very easy to fuzzy by tournament players its 2-3 frames that are hard but Shang's 16f gap between the mix turns it into a non-50/50. This isn't to say a good player can't trip up an opponent and get them hit by 22-30f moves because its possible when you throw multiple guesses into your pressure game making them look out for many different options that have different responses to punish can open up the best players but that's what we call out playing your opponent.
If we are being truthful Shanks mix is pretty honest. Knowing how to counter him leaves him with B1/F2 stagger into throws and guess between number of hits and the occasional frame trap into Soulsteal/Poke.
Here is dinks video on Fuzzy Block/Guard:
Wiff punishing Shang:
Its pretty hard to stay out of his F242 range because of the distance he covers with that move but if you practice it in the lab and vs friends you can turn his best string into a very punishable one even without FB. You make the first two hits Wiff then go into your starter before the last flame fist hits.
Other Strings You Can Shimmy/Bait Wiff:
114/112
B3U4 and B3D4
21U2D2
214
B2112
D1/D3
These strings have shorter range and you should find moves that are less than -4 on block so you can walk back baiting them. Become familiar with all of Shang's moves and more importantly their range.
Strings To Be Aware Of:
B112
B1D2
S3
S3U2
S3U2D2
F242
F243
B4
D4
The above strings/buttons have very good range and you need to be familiar with there range and hitboxes, many of these have step back animations where Shang walks back after avoiding counter (S3 starter). He also has disjointed hitboxes on a few that can override certain Mids/Highs and Overheads (B3U4,B3D4, S3, D4, B1).
His Zoning:
His zoning revolves around Corpse Drop(DF3 overhead and low when amped) and his straight skull (BF1 a high) and his Ground Skulls (DB1 & DB1F mids).
- Corpse Drop has slower startup at 26f so he struggles to get this out vs decent zoning because he can get beat out (Cassie) if they amp it you block first hit(overhead) and jump the high avoiding chip effectively waisting his bar and avoiding the pushback giving you more advantage. It has issues vs females on first hit so abuse that by moving slightly forward.
- Straight Skull: is a high that is pretty fast but can be ducked and with many characters it wiffs on crouch blocking opponents. Just duck them. Fuzzy upward if they are alternating Corpse Drop into Skull.
- Ground Explosion (Ground Skulls) DB1 and DB1F is his main anti air and combo starter. These have decent hitboxes but you can punish them how you seen in raptors video by several on the cast. But what he didn't show you is that you can dash between them leaving Shang -25 and even more in some cases allowing full combo punish if you time it right with a move that will reach (Scorpion and Sub shine here).
Hope this helps maybe we can compile who can punish his ground skulls on block and who has fast enough dash speed to escape them. So far I've found: Jacqui, Noob, Sub, Cassie can dash punish them.
@BuffRaiden
I know you made a thread about how you hated his Low to Overhead so from a Shang main to someone who may not know. Hope it helps.
@STB Sgt Reed
@Vslayer
@anyone else I forgot
Post what else you have found below
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