Shang Tsung General Discussion

[Samsung Crunchy]

what was the fire ball set up James chen was talking bout Valle kept using?

Think he was referring to all three Ex Fireskulls moves. Ground skulls to create space and Ex to return him to Shang, Up Fireskulls to punish air and home in with Ex to create an area non-escapeable damage, Forward Fireskulls for normal zoning and Ex to punish jumping and movement.

Or he was referring to jump 1, 2,2,1, close ground skull, mid, far, into Ex Ground skull, ending with another close ground skull.

 

[Vulcan Hades]

Stupid Trap: ending any unsafe string with D, U, 4. Or repeat D1/D3, U4, D1/D3, U4 etc. to frame trap, mixing it with throw and overhead. Especially in the corner.

In the corner: 2, 2, 1, ground skull, ground skull, DU2 / safe cross-up jump (he often did this vs Raiden)

safe jump set up: 2, 2, 1, DB4, DF4, Ex ground skull, step forward, ground skull, up fireskull (opponent has to block) xx safe jump punch for a free mixup.

I saw Alex Valle use these also. Good shit.

 

[AK L0rdoftheFLY]

I'm pretty sure I posted that a month ago on MKU in the shang thread. that is the best way to use him...mix du2 with jump ins, straight and ground fire balls to zone and trap into big combos.


My favorite punish is b2 into eh straight fire ball. It sends them full screen. follow up with du2, (bait the dash) then a df4 (their still in block stun), then eh ground for big damage.

 

[Rabid Justice]

You can also throw in a ex ground ball after 3x fire ball for a damaging combo. Shang really is no joke.

 

[Vulcan Hades]

I would never use 2 bars for a combo. Max I use is 1 and it's always for ex ground fireskull after a normal ground fireskull. I like to keep the rest for breakers mainly.

How do you guys use your meter? What do you feel is Shang Tsung's best enhanced moves outside of combos and why? I'm fairly new with Shang but I like using him.

I saw alex valle often use his bars for eh straight fireballs for chip damage. Like L0rdoftheFLY said, it seems pretty good to create space and push the opponent into the corner..

But what about ex soul steal? Is it worth it? I think you can stay transformed longer with it.

 

[Luxus Nights]

I would never use 2 bars for a combo. Max I use is 1 and it's always for ex ground fireskull after a normal ground fireskull. I like to keep the rest for breakers mainly.

I do the same.

But what about ex soul steal? Is it worth it? I think you can stay transformed longer with it.

Ex soul steal is his best wake up attack imo.

 

[FlsGd2BAgngsta]

My thoughts on Shang after recently deciding to pick him up as my main:

Is extremely competetive and can be used at the highest level by a player who is willing to put in alot of time with him but is a big, big challenge. Learning the 221,skull,skull,ex skull, soul steal bnb is just the tip of the iceberg. You have to make alot of reads on your opponent during the match and cant go into auto pilot/cant keep jump punching in trying to force the bnb. His zoning, as good as it can be, is also the most difficult to pull off successfully imo. Hes slow, his uppercut is slow as shit, and the only usable wakeup attack Ive been able to use is ex soul steal (ground skull has not been affective on wakeup for me at least) and is usually necessary to do on most wakeups. You dont have time to just look at where your opponent is on the screen and then act accordingly. You have to know/predict where he is and is going to be instanly and have already inputted the correct move for the situation. Hesitating to evaluate will end in gettting rushed down and mixed up. Basically you have to commit to your read instantly and ground skull or up skull accordingly without thinking about the input. All of his skull moves need to be muscle memory and learned to the point where the right skull just comes out of your hand at the right time with no hesitation.

I love using Shang and it feels awesome to 41% someone then 45% them with their own character right afterwards but the amount of work and losses on the way to greatness with him I expect will be many with anyone who picks him up. That being said I dont think he is a good alternate. I feel like you have to know his moves so good and that the inputs have to come so naturally, quick, and on reaction that Shang Tsung players should be just that...Shang Tsung players.

Since going full on with him I have lost a LOT of matches that I know I would have killed my opponent if I was using Ermac, Raiden, Sub Zero, Jade, or Quan Chi and have been tempted to say "Fuck this guy man, Im gonna show him whats up next match and flawless his ass with one of the characters I know I can with." But I am making myself stick with him, learn from the losses, work harder, try different skull mixups, etc. In the long run I think Shang is the most rewarding character in the game once you are able to break through and start crushing with him. But I also think he takes more than double the work and time that any other character takes.

 

[Gamin_Guru]

It's so satisfying turning into your opponent and hitting them with a combo that they cant do. Only problem I have with Shang atm is getting a super offensive character off me when up close especially with lag.

As for EX-moves, I dont bother with any besides EX-ground skulls for my combos. I NEED that metre to use breaker against the people I fight. Also, his X-Ray is so useless its no even funny. Comboing into it only gives me 45% when I could easily use one bar and do 36-40% damage combos.


Any tips for fighting Raiden ? Hardest character for me to fight due to the stupidly fast teleport and superman (block it 90% of the time but its super annoying anyways).

 

[iwantfood]

Yeah, Im pretty sure that its better to use meter for combos instead of x-ray.

Does anybody use EX straight fireball for chip damage? It has helped me win a couple of matches by chipping critical damage away, while pressuring your opponent as well.

 

[RWDY Nori]

Any tips for fighting Raiden ? Hardest character for me to fight due to the stupidly fast teleport and superman (block it 90% of the time but its super annoying anyways).

This is very, very hard. Have you seen Alex Valle vs Krayzie Bone from last week? Shangs bnb is zoning and Raiden destroys that, it forces Shang to fight up close. Honestly? Your best bet (at least this somewhat works for me) is to find ways to soul steal into Raiden. Hit him w/B3, 1, 2, dash shock, B3, 1, 2, superman and look at the life, it's crazy.

 

[Zandorath]

This is very, very hard. Have you seen Alex Valle vs Krayzie Bone from last week? Shangs bnb is zoning and Raiden destroys that, it forces Shang to fight up close. Honestly? Your best bet (at least this somewhat works for me) is to find ways to soul steal into Raiden. Hit him w/B3, 1, 2, dash shock, B3, 1, 2, superman and look at the life, it's crazy.

The beautiy of Shang: If you have trouble with an opponent, practice his character. You will be better with Soul steal and get knowledge of the character at the same time. If you main Shang you should make sure Raiden is one of your better characters too.

 

[TurboTaco]

I'm trying to learn Shang Tsung atm but I'm really struggling against any player with a teleport. I try to play the zoning game but any character with a teleport is just raping me. Even if I block the teleport I have no idea how to punish it, anyone got any tips/advice on what to do?

 

[this guys cheap]

soul steal him.
its worked for me vs scorpion,and nightwolf

 

[Gamin_Guru]

The beautiy of Shang: If you have trouble with an opponent, practice his character. You will be better with Soul steal and get knowledge of the character at the same time. If you main Shang you should make sure Raiden is one of your better characters too.

That's exactly what I did today. Went into training mode as Raiden and learned some combos and setups. Went online and surprise surprise, first guy I fought was a Raiden. Wiped the floor with his ass. How's it feel getting Supermanned Raiden ?

 

[Luxus Nights]

anyone got links to videos of valles shang at UFGT?

 

[iwantfood]

Has anybody found any new advanced stuff with Shang? I feel as tho I havent gotten much better in the last week. Maybe all I can do now is learn other characters BNB strategies until Brady's character breakdown...

 

[LordSpectreX]

Stupid Trap: ending any unsafe string with D, U, 2. Or repeat D1/D3, U2, D1/D3, U2 etc. to frame trap, mixing it with throw and overhead. Especially in the corner.

DU2? In the character breakdown, Tom kept doing close ground skull after f434. I even tried doing DU2 but it's so easy to punish Shang for it.

 

[Vulcan Hades]

Oups that was my bad. Trap is obviously done with ground skull not up version.

Up version is mostly used to set up safe jumps.

 

[LordSpectreX]

Lol, no problem. Everyone, even Brady, seems to do it.

But wow. Shang Tsung. This guy is my new main. I've picked him up YESTERDAY and the stuff you can do with him. I mean, I wasn't using low tier characters as my subs (Kano + Cage), but this guy just suits me so well.

At the moment with Soul Suck, Brady has a point that the time is limited, and so it forces you to rush down and make mistakes. I find that characters that can chip well are good to turn into. For example, say Sektor. I'm just going to keep using missile to get some free chip while you're turtling. Sure, you CAN use teleport, but do you want to risk it and eat a 50% combo? So most of the time, they just eat the chip, when with the damage boost, amounts to around 15-20%. Depending on the character, which is nothing to laugh about.

 

[gryphin81]

well i'm still experimenting but i tried it out against sub zero and if you do the down, up above skull after shangs overhead,
there are the following options.
-the overhead gets blocked and your opponent wants to punish -> the above skull hits and breaks the combo
-the overhead hits:
--normal get up without block -> the skull whiffs but you're save to block
--normal get up while blocking (i set the dummy to always block low) -> the skull hits and you're free to combo
--normal get up wake up attack -> you can hit confirm the skull and do a neutral jump -> after a slide wakeup you can catch him with far ground skull, and against ice clone wakeup your safe to block

now, if opp recovers you have time to confirm if he goes for recovery while shang performs the above skull, you do an medium ground skull imediatly
--recover, no block -> the medium ground skull hits
--recover, block -> the medium groundskull gets blocked but you're safe
--recover, wake up attack -> slide wakeup gets caught by above skull AND ground skull, ice clone akeup lets above and ground skull whiff but you stay safe

additionaly you can do down, forward up skull if you guess your opp will use recover, hits the opponent but its unsafe because slide is invincible against it and only far groundskull can catch iceclone.

a set up for the overhead option select is after my testing a mixup with the overhead>soulsteal and any combo you can end on his overhead.
because the key lies in the weird hit animation i think.

if i'm completely wrong here please let me know

You ever find anymore option selects ?

 

[LordSpectreX]

Based of that post and my own experience, if I set the CPU to always block and standing, and I do;

f34, db4, df4, en ground skulls, du4, du2; the du2 (down up skull) will hit the the opponent while they're getting up, even though he's blocking. Why does that happen? And is that post saying that happens during Overhead > du2 as well?

 

[McNasty]

If you land a close ground skull and you have no meter to do the whole regular ex fireball combo what do you guys use as a bnb?

 

[Zandorath]

If you land a close ground skull and you have no meter to do the whole regular ex fireball combo what do you guys use as a bnb?

I just chain as many ground skulls as I can, they build meter and cant be broken out of. Next time I'll have ex.
JPS F4,3,4 xx mid Groundskull, Far groundskull x2, (second far groundskull - whiffs sometimes). Still does good dmg.

 

[Quito]

i cant big punish when i blcok a ninja teleport or mileena roll.
anyone have a tip?

 

[deegs]

i cant big punish when i blcok a ninja teleport or mileena roll.
anyone have a tip?

You can punish with F434 into DU4 DB4 DF4 DF4 or 12 12 soul steal or maybe even do a up skull (DU2) as they land from the block (they hang in the air for a while) and do a F434 or even 221 after the skull hits into ground skull combos.