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Shang Tsung General Discussion

Marinjuana

Up rock incoming, ETA 5 minutes
Tremor stuff #2

Gold Ball is good move in general to add to the kit, particularly for zoning. I like to throw out a gold ball here and there and let it recharge back to full bar for the ambush stuff. Ambush Gold Ball is excellent with fireball zoning and can be a decent thing to throw out after Injection. Basically just do anything, time the ambush low ball and continue your pressure.

Metallic FK has a few active frames and can be extra plus on knockdown while launching. Probably the easiest of his tools to get plus frames with and it launches(Not a combo unless ambush).

Aftershock BK can be a nice sneaky long range low but the ambush is particularly strong, again working well with his zoning in a midscreen range but also giving access to all these cheeky resets and pressure.

Tremor can ambush to make Young Shang claws safe like some other kameos. Metallic's FK or Aftershock's Straight Punch are always one switch away. You could also put up Crystal armor. You can combo from it the armors in the corner for like 220.

You can combo from Injection or EX Injection using Ambush Up Rock Punch or Metallic's options.

You can also use Tremor ambush to launch from a string while you cancel into Form Change or EX Form Change. Haven't found a great reason to use either this or the Injection one but I would think there's some good stuff across the cast.

You know that Crystalline Armor changes the hit reaction you take but you might not be considering that it prevents you from being captured or knocked down by projectiles. Stuff like Rain's Puddle and Water Gun, Scorpion Spear, Ice Ball.. all limited when you have that up. You can win more trades with fireballs.

Tremor has some of the projectile wall qualities that Shujinko has when you do Neutral K, although he doesn't stay on the screen for nearly as long as Shujinko might. But because he's standing, he can easily eat a hit of Kameo Lao hat or any other projectile. Another thought, since you can ambush from this, you can actually condition the opponent to be scared of it in general.

Shang's got a lot of things going for him even without Kameo like his consistent damage and fireball game and I think Tremor can allow you to attack the opponent in different ways that add to Shang's gameplay. The ambushes are 'expensive' and you can get yourself in bad spots if you use it the wrong time but I think you'll find yourself having a lot of options and some that are worth leaning into with Shang/Tremor.
 

xBlaze_13

Y NO CHAMELEON!?
Are you guys able to hit confirm old form F3 into ground skull? I feel like its somewhat possible offline, but impossible online. Hell, online it's impossible for me to hit confirm either form's F24 into skulls but offline that's doable.
 

HiddenSelectCounterPick

Crossplay Username: ProbablyMinus
I think it's pretty doable. I do it very often; although I play with a headset and game volume pretty high and I have music turned off.

Also side note I also play with an accessibility setting on that let's me hear if the opponent is blocking or not. It makes a click sound when they block.
 

SixPathsOfHate

Make triple skulls input BDF or DF Hold F
I dont do hit confirms very well. It's why I try to find as many OS' as possible and float chart my gameplay.

I try and map out every situation my actions would lead me too and stick to the plan as much as possible. Only downside is my flow chart is massive and I didnt even account for assists in that one.
I need to update it.21263
 

HiddenSelectCounterPick

Crossplay Username: ProbablyMinus
I dont do hit confirms very well. It's why I try to find as many OS' as possible and float chart my gameplay.

I try and map out every situation my actions would lead me too and stick to the plan as much as possible. Only downside is my flow chart is massive and I didnt even account for assists in that one.
I need to update it.View attachment 21263
Lots of lv4 danger playing him I play pretty much flowchart with him for sure
 

LEGEND

YES!
Are you guys able to hit confirm old form F3 into ground skull? I feel like its somewhat possible offline, but impossible online. Hell, online it's impossible for me to hit confirm either form's F24 into skulls but offline that's doable.
Its definitely possible. But i've come to the conclusion that F3 really isn't worth pressing. Its really best at just being a situational punish.

The amount of times that it'll randomly catch someone is way less than the times you'll just get bopped for trying. Stick to D3/D4
 

HiddenSelectCounterPick

Crossplay Username: ProbablyMinus
Its definitely possible. But i've come to the conclusion that F3 really isn't worth pressing. Its really best at just being a situational punish.

The amount of times that it'll randomly catch someone is way less than the times you'll just get bopped for trying. Stick to D3/D4
The full string is 0 on block I think it's worth using and on read that it's blocked ; block dash backwards. Works for me you can even catch a flawless block doing that.
 

LEGEND

YES!
The full string is 0 on block I think it's worth using and on read that it's blocked ; block dash backwards. Works for me you can even catch a flawless block doing that.
F3 has a really bad hurtbox and is awful on wiff so if you're fighting a character that plays footsies with a fast disjoint jab ( which is like half the cast or more) you are likely going to get bodied. Honestly F3 could be +10 on block and I wouldn't recommended pressing it in those MUs.

It can be used in some counter poke setups, but the risk just isn't worth the reward most of the time. I'm hesitant to use it more than once or twice, just to show it exists.
 

HiddenSelectCounterPick

Crossplay Username: ProbablyMinus
F3 has a really bad hurtbox and is awful on wiff so if you're fighting a character that plays footsies with a fast disjoint jab ( which is like half the cast or more) you are likely going to get bodied. Honestly F3 could be +10 on block and I wouldn't recommended pressing it in those MUs.

It can be used in some counter poke setups, but the risk just isn't worth the reward most of the time. I'm hesitant to use it more than once or twice, just to show it exists.
I use it for strike throw, I show them the full string then I show them its safe and then I'll try to throw after the f3 and sometimes I'll f3 into f4121
 

LEGEND

YES!
I use it for strike throw, I show them the full string then I show them its safe and then I'll try to throw after the f3 and sometimes I'll f3 into f4121
i guess what i'm trying to say is that it is generally not a great button to press in neutral. It has it's setups, but ending up at point blank range is never somewhere Shang want's to be, even if he's plus or staggering.

in the range that F3 could potentially be used, I just play entirely off of D3, D4 and walk back to maintain ground skull ranges. The second someone gets hit by a poke i go into F4 -> chip string (hit confirm into ground skull combo) , jab /tick throw or delayed throw to beat micro duck.

Only doing the safest most optimal thing and nothing else is generally the best way to play. You'll keep your Kameo stocked and weaker players will hand you openings.
 

xBlaze_13

Y NO CHAMELEON!?
Its definitely possible. But i've come to the conclusion that F3 really isn't worth pressing. Its really best at just being a situational punish.

The amount of times that it'll randomly catch someone is way less than the times you'll just get bopped for trying. Stick to D3/D4
I actually disagree here. It's not the greatest move, but it's his only whiff punish attack. I also use if for combo extensions with Goro. Young form F3 is just useless to me. It's a very reactable overhead that doesn't even jump over low moves. Its not like it even starts a combo so if it was at least plus on block, it would have been worth using.
 

LEGEND

YES!
I actually disagree here. It's not the greatest move, but it's his only whiff punish attack. I also use if for combo extensions with Goro. Young form F3 is just useless to me. It's a very reactable overhead that doesn't even jump over low moves. Its not like it even starts a combo so if it was at least plus on block, it would have been worth using.
yeah i'll agree you need the button for wiff punishes.
 

SixPathsOfHate

Make triple skulls input BDF or DF Hold F
Its definitely possible. But i've come to the conclusion that F3 really isn't worth pressing. Its really best at just being a situational punish.

The amount of times that it'll randomly catch someone is way less than the times you'll just get bopped for trying. Stick to D3/D4

I use the whole string when they're mid-full screen so I check them. I dont mind the F3 whiffing since it can be used to bait people into not blocking the 2.
You can also do it after a blocked D4 if you expect a poke but its so tight due to how slow F3 is that you have little time to reaction.
 

LEGEND

YES!
I use the whole string when they're mid-full screen so I check them. I dont mind the F3 whiffing since it can be used to bait people into not blocking the 2.
You can also do it after a blocked D4 if you expect a poke but its so tight due to how slow F3 is that you have little time to reaction.
if someone is tight on their wiff punishes the F3(2) isn't coming out in time.

Overall, thinking about it now. It might be worth covering with Stryker grenades. I'd have to test which one to do and how to avoid dropping a combo from the grenade juggle.
 

xBlaze_13

Y NO CHAMELEON!?
So I found that out of the whole roster, the character that gives me the most difficulty is a competent smoke. As Shang/Goro, do I have that many options against a Smoke who is using ice armor? Since young spikes and Old man Claw get stuffed by ice armor, I have zero defense in this matchup. I think a kameo switch is a must for this one, and I honestly hate that.
 

HiddenSelectCounterPick

Crossplay Username: ProbablyMinus
So I found that out of the whole roster, the character that gives me the most difficulty is a competent smoke. As Shang/Goro, do I have that many options against a Smoke who is using ice armor? Since young spikes and Old man Claw get stuffed by ice armor, I have zero defense in this matchup. I think a kameo switch is a must for this one, and I honestly hate that.
Do you still have the match footage?