arydious
Noob
I do not know all the fancy forum tools to post this really nice and clean for the eyes to see, but ill work on it over time. The important thing is the information is here. If you need to find someone realy quick use CTRL-F to find them quickly
This thread will contain match up discussion. I will not include combos or any of the moves because they are cover in other threads. All match ups are subject to change
Moves and basic combos are here, some of this stuff is still good most outdated though. http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?2694-GUIDE-Smoke
Advanced combos and strategy is here, with frame traps. http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?9203-Wrath-of-the-Jackalope-First-Edition-(Smoke-Kombos-and-Frame-Traps)
What shake can and can't beat http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?7140-Parryable-Projectiles
I will say either advantage, even, or disadvantage. I will not give an advantage number.
Feel free to disagree and or agree and add your own experience to the mix. I will keep this updated regularly so the smoke army can keep up to date on match ups.
Lastly, I do not claim to be an expert, or the best. Some of the information will be from my experience, and some is what I have gathered from the forums. I am just trying to help out the community, by placing as much information in one thread as I can. If you want to flame or troll me personally send me a message and let’s keep this thread clean.
Thanks to http://testyourmight.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post60542 this thread helped me with some of my incomplete knowledge
I will do my best to keep this thread updated with the most current tactics, but remember I do not go over a button for button way to beat a character this are the strategies to help you understand the match better, not a guaranteed victory you can still get out played.
Remember Smoke is a counter character, he relies a lot on reading people and being able to counter them.
Vs Baraka
Advantage
Vs Cyber Sub Zero (CSZ)
Advantage
Vs Cyrax
Disadvantage
Vs Ermac
Advantage
Vs Jade
Advantage
Vs Jax
Advantage
Vs Johnny Cage
Disadvantage
Vs Kabal
Disadvantage
Vs Kano
Even
Vs Kitana
Disadvantage
Vs Kratos (PS3 only)
Even
Vs Kung Lao
Disadvantage
Vs Liu Kang
Even
Vs Mileena
Even
Vs Nightwolf
Disadvantage
Vs Noob
Advantage
Vs Quan Chi
Advantage
Vs Raiden
Even
Vs Reptile
Advantage
Vs Scorpion
Even
Vs Sektor
Advantage
Vs Shang Tsung
Even
Vs Sheeva
Advantage
Vs Sindel
Advantage
Vs Smoke
Even
Vs Sonya
Advantage
Vs Stryker
Advantage
Vs Sub-Zero
Even
This thread will contain match up discussion. I will not include combos or any of the moves because they are cover in other threads. All match ups are subject to change
Moves and basic combos are here, some of this stuff is still good most outdated though. http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?2694-GUIDE-Smoke
Advanced combos and strategy is here, with frame traps. http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?9203-Wrath-of-the-Jackalope-First-Edition-(Smoke-Kombos-and-Frame-Traps)
What shake can and can't beat http://testyourmight.com/forum/showthread.php?7140-Parryable-Projectiles
I will say either advantage, even, or disadvantage. I will not give an advantage number.
Feel free to disagree and or agree and add your own experience to the mix. I will keep this updated regularly so the smoke army can keep up to date on match ups.
Lastly, I do not claim to be an expert, or the best. Some of the information will be from my experience, and some is what I have gathered from the forums. I am just trying to help out the community, by placing as much information in one thread as I can. If you want to flame or troll me personally send me a message and let’s keep this thread clean.
Thanks to http://testyourmight.com/forum/showt...ll=1#post60542 this thread helped me with some of my incomplete knowledge
I will do my best to keep this thread updated with the most current tactics, but remember I do not go over a button for button way to beat a character this are the strategies to help you understand the match better, not a guaranteed victory you can still get out played.
Remember Smoke is a counter character, he relies a lot on reading people and being able to counter them.
Vs Baraka
Advantage
This match is not to tough. Your real goal here is to bate and punish Baraka. He absolutely needs to get in close on you to do anything if he stands far away to use spark you can just shake it and start your oki game. Watch out for his wake-ups and punish them. The other notable thing about Baraka is do not jump in at him, he can use the chop chop to punish you. You can also bate him to jump towards you and perform an air teleport to punish and start your oki game
Vs Cyber Sub Zero (CSZ)
Advantage
Your general goal is to stay away and bait freeze blasts. He beats you up close, and you beat him from far away. However, if he does get in and get a life lead, you may need to launch a counter assault because he can turtle pretty safely against you.
Early jump kicks beat his dive kicks, and if you catch him low enough you get 38% to his 7% (or 18% with meter). That's way in your favor, so try to stop his dive kick pressure that way (watch his meter though - his x-ray beats jump kicks and looks just like he's going in for a normal dive kick). He can mix it up with jump punches to beat your jump kicks, but he doesn't get too much damage off of that either if you're in the air. Beat jump punches with a backwards jump kick.
At long range, a trade between smoke bomb and freeze is in his favor, as he gets a full combo. However, smoke bomb is much faster than freeze, so it's still safe to pressure with that if he's blocking for free meter. Just make sure to block the incoming freeze. He might learn that slide beats smoke bomb clean (it'll whiff), so if he figures that out be more conservative with smoke bombs.
Shake is by far the best way to deal with freezes if you know they're coming. It's safe and the damage is unavoidable. This means that Cyber Sub can't really zone you too well.
Up close is where Cyber Sub has the advantage. He has fast high/lows that you'll have trouble out-prioritizing. Don't be afraid to EX:shake or bait him for a mistake and punish him, b2, 3 can be your best friend in this fight because they often forget about the range on it. Be aware of his wake up slide, its punishable but can catch you off guard.
If you're noticeably behind on life and he's turtling you, you may need to rush him down. It's very hard to do so, but it's sometimes necessary. Cross-up punches, as always, are a good way to get some damage, as they screw up his parry input. Your combos greatly out damage his, so one clean hit should be enough to go back to a spacing game. Watch out for parries - they're fast. Sweep if you think it's coming then go for a cross up jump punch on wake up. On a CSZ teleport be careful, he could be baiting you to hit his parry giving him some free damage and allowing him to apply the pressure to you, my advice his jump kick back away on teleport to avoid being bated.
Early jump kicks beat his dive kicks, and if you catch him low enough you get 38% to his 7% (or 18% with meter). That's way in your favor, so try to stop his dive kick pressure that way (watch his meter though - his x-ray beats jump kicks and looks just like he's going in for a normal dive kick). He can mix it up with jump punches to beat your jump kicks, but he doesn't get too much damage off of that either if you're in the air. Beat jump punches with a backwards jump kick.
At long range, a trade between smoke bomb and freeze is in his favor, as he gets a full combo. However, smoke bomb is much faster than freeze, so it's still safe to pressure with that if he's blocking for free meter. Just make sure to block the incoming freeze. He might learn that slide beats smoke bomb clean (it'll whiff), so if he figures that out be more conservative with smoke bombs.
Shake is by far the best way to deal with freezes if you know they're coming. It's safe and the damage is unavoidable. This means that Cyber Sub can't really zone you too well.
Up close is where Cyber Sub has the advantage. He has fast high/lows that you'll have trouble out-prioritizing. Don't be afraid to EX:shake or bait him for a mistake and punish him, b2, 3 can be your best friend in this fight because they often forget about the range on it. Be aware of his wake up slide, its punishable but can catch you off guard.
If you're noticeably behind on life and he's turtling you, you may need to rush him down. It's very hard to do so, but it's sometimes necessary. Cross-up punches, as always, are a good way to get some damage, as they screw up his parry input. Your combos greatly out damage his, so one clean hit should be enough to go back to a spacing game. Watch out for parries - they're fast. Sweep if you think it's coming then go for a cross up jump punch on wake up. On a CSZ teleport be careful, he could be baiting you to hit his parry giving him some free damage and allowing him to apply the pressure to you, my advice his jump kick back away on teleport to avoid being bated.
Vs Cyrax
Disadvantage
This can be a real tough fight, but not just for smoke. Cyrax has amazing bomb resets and is fast. Also shake will not work in this battle against his net. You will want to avoid being in the air in this battle, he has some amazing tools to catch you out of the air. Stay close to him to prevent the bomb game with him and apply oki pressure. If he is full screen try to bait a net or bomb so you can throw a smoke bomb, then be careful not to get hit by the net or bomb. Watch out for his reverse kick wake up This battle comes down to a lot of baiting.
Vs Ermac
Advantage
Ermac is deadly if you’re a dumb. If you allow him to punish you, then you’re going to eat a lot of damage. You have advantage at full screen, disadvantage at mid screen, and are about even close up.
At full screen, throw smoke bombs and hold block right after. If Ermac tries to fireball, it trades with smoke bomb in your favor (8% to 12% even without a combo, and you get okizime). If he tries to teleport punch on reaction to your bombs, you'll block it and he'll eat a combo. Try to vary your timing on the bombs, as he can only teleport punch if he correctly guesses the timing of your bomb and teleports at the same time. Smart Ermacs will realize this disadvantage and will block-dash to about mid screen. You need to counter his spacing with your own teleports.
At mid screen, your goal is to get in or get out. Ermac beats you badly here. If you jump, he can force push you out of it. If you throw a smoke bomb, he can threaten to jump punch in on you for huge damage. You need to block-dash in or out and not try anything risky.
Up close, both of you are about the same threat level. Ermac's 2, 2 combo is decently fast but you can duck under it cleanly. His B+1, 1, 4 combo hits special mid but is very slow, so if you're crouching you can poke out of it. Either of these combos leads to very big damage, however, so watch out. Meanwhile, you have your 42% combo with 3, D+1, 2, and you can threaten a fast overhead with B+2 for 35%, and you have a fast sweep for 7% + okizime. Watch out for his 2,1 string, he has an advantage on this string.
If you score a knockdown, Ermac has no answer to cross up jump punch on wakeup. Do that into a sweep/overhead/throw mixup..
At full screen, throw smoke bombs and hold block right after. If Ermac tries to fireball, it trades with smoke bomb in your favor (8% to 12% even without a combo, and you get okizime). If he tries to teleport punch on reaction to your bombs, you'll block it and he'll eat a combo. Try to vary your timing on the bombs, as he can only teleport punch if he correctly guesses the timing of your bomb and teleports at the same time. Smart Ermacs will realize this disadvantage and will block-dash to about mid screen. You need to counter his spacing with your own teleports.
At mid screen, your goal is to get in or get out. Ermac beats you badly here. If you jump, he can force push you out of it. If you throw a smoke bomb, he can threaten to jump punch in on you for huge damage. You need to block-dash in or out and not try anything risky.
Up close, both of you are about the same threat level. Ermac's 2, 2 combo is decently fast but you can duck under it cleanly. His B+1, 1, 4 combo hits special mid but is very slow, so if you're crouching you can poke out of it. Either of these combos leads to very big damage, however, so watch out. Meanwhile, you have your 42% combo with 3, D+1, 2, and you can threaten a fast overhead with B+2 for 35%, and you have a fast sweep for 7% + okizime. Watch out for his 2,1 string, he has an advantage on this string.
If you score a knockdown, Ermac has no answer to cross up jump punch on wakeup. Do that into a sweep/overhead/throw mixup..
Vs Jade
Advantage
If you know to watch out for enhanced Shadow Flash and her enhanced Boomerang reset, then you're in good shape.
Before talking about your game plan, it's important to know how to deal with some of the tricks that Jade has. The first is her enhanced Shadow Flash. It has super armor, so you can't do anything against her or you'll eat a full combo. It doesn't last very long though, and she'll be sure to try to rush you down during that time, so if you can escape or block the string she attempts then you're fine. Stay on your toes and watch her meter to make sure you don't attack during the enhanced flash.
Jade also has a reset that can lead to enormous damage but is very easy to avoid. When Jade ends a combo, she can whiff an enhanced boomerang. It'll come back just in time for you to stand up. If it hits you, she gets a free combo. If you see her toss an enhanced boomerang, stay blocking as you wake up to avoid eating a second combo.
Your long range game plan is to counter her usual patterns. You have all of the tools you need to mess up whatever she throws at you. Shake counters all boomerangs. Jade is used to being able to Shadow Flash through projectiles, but Smoke Bomb doesn't actually count as a projectile, so you might be able to score some surprise bombs on her, especially on wake up where Jade is used to countering meaty projectiles with a wake up flash.
Up close, you only really need to watch out for Jade's overhead combos. Her staff overhead is so slow that if you're looking for it, you can uppercut her out of it. She only has one low string and it doesn't lead to anything, so pay more attention to her overheads. Her rushdown is pretty weak, so you should be able to handle it. Meanwhile, you have a stronger mixup game (thanks to your faster sweep) and get higher rewards, and you have enhanced shake to get out of jail if need be, so you're in good shape at point blank. Just watch out for random enhanced Shadow Flashes.
Before talking about your game plan, it's important to know how to deal with some of the tricks that Jade has. The first is her enhanced Shadow Flash. It has super armor, so you can't do anything against her or you'll eat a full combo. It doesn't last very long though, and she'll be sure to try to rush you down during that time, so if you can escape or block the string she attempts then you're fine. Stay on your toes and watch her meter to make sure you don't attack during the enhanced flash.
Jade also has a reset that can lead to enormous damage but is very easy to avoid. When Jade ends a combo, she can whiff an enhanced boomerang. It'll come back just in time for you to stand up. If it hits you, she gets a free combo. If you see her toss an enhanced boomerang, stay blocking as you wake up to avoid eating a second combo.
Your long range game plan is to counter her usual patterns. You have all of the tools you need to mess up whatever she throws at you. Shake counters all boomerangs. Jade is used to being able to Shadow Flash through projectiles, but Smoke Bomb doesn't actually count as a projectile, so you might be able to score some surprise bombs on her, especially on wake up where Jade is used to countering meaty projectiles with a wake up flash.
Up close, you only really need to watch out for Jade's overhead combos. Her staff overhead is so slow that if you're looking for it, you can uppercut her out of it. She only has one low string and it doesn't lead to anything, so pay more attention to her overheads. Her rushdown is pretty weak, so you should be able to handle it. Meanwhile, you have a stronger mixup game (thanks to your faster sweep) and get higher rewards, and you have enhanced shake to get out of jail if need be, so you're in good shape at point blank. Just watch out for random enhanced Shadow Flashes.
Vs Jax
Advantage
Jax can be deceptive but he is very readable. Watch out for the superman punch (dash punch), they like to do that at the start, which can beat your b2, 3. Shake will work against his energy wave but not his ground pound so watch out he could try to bait that. He also has an air grab, so don’t bank on landing your grab over his. Wait for him to do a ground slam, use smoke towards to punish him on it. He relies heavily on his command grabs, watch for them and punish them. Use your mind games on him, sweep until he is down block then hit him with a b2, 3. In the latest patch Jax got a lot of armor added to hos moves, This makes him extra deadly now.
Vs Johnny Cage
Disadvantage
This is a tough fight he can really close this distance with his shadow kicks, and he has a really safe wake up attack. Once he gets in he doesn’t like to leave you alone. Bait his shadow kicks, and punish them, don’t let him stay in play your game and get out. Be weary of jumping against him he can activate his flip kick on the drop of a dime. You can shake his projectiles but he might fake it for a shadow kick. Be prepared to be very jedi like and activate enhanced shake if you just can’t get away. Also Johnny does not like to let you perform wake up attacks, by ending all his combos with a nut punch, if this happens EX smoke away/towards to get out. If you escape him be ready to punish him because he will come charging at you quick. Many Johnny players will use 21 f2 to try to catch you with that last over head hit from a far distance, this will end in a dash f3 dash f3 nutpunch. Leaving you at his mercy. Lucky for us we know about this and can trick him to doing it then use smoke away or towards and play your game.
Vs Kabal
Disadvantage
For the love of everything good do not jump against kabal, between his instant air blast and EX nomad dash it will almost always end badly for you. The nomad dash is very punishable by smoke though, and Kabal uses it a lot, so watch for it and punish it. Kabal loves to end a combo with his saw blades, this will often force you to jump right after getting up or crouch block, if you jump prepare to eat more damage he wanted you to jump. Stay crouch blocking to avoid getting hit by the blades or shake them. Stay in close to kabal, and apply oki pressure, his EX nomad dash wake up, is invincible so watch out for that. Otherwise play the rock paper scissors, and apply either combos, grab, or sweep. Condition him to block low then pull out a b2,3 combo. Don’t play his game stick to smokes game. If he gets in to do the block trap against you, EX shake or teleport out. Also if you see him jump you can bait him to do instant air blast, and then punish him with a teleport.
Vs Kano
Even
Kano is a beast, but you can shake his knifes if he wants to throw them which helps a lot. Secondly watch out for up ball it is wicked fast and not punishable, he can use it to close the distance or punish you for about anything. Kano like to get in and put you on the ground, then switch between his high or low start up combos, or grab The overhead is a little slower so you can read it better and block accordingly. If you don't see the overhead you know to down block or get ready for a grab. So do your best to not end up on the ground because for some reason he seems to beat most wake up attacks. If he uses cannonball just get ready to punish it. He will almost always wake up with up ball, follow him where he lands and do a quick sweep or b2, 3 combo. Lastly be really careful of his X-ray, it does 41% and is a grab so if he is jump distance away from you he can land it and end the entire game.
Vs Kitana
Disadvantage
Kitana is really fast and can throw fans like crazy. Shake those fans down. If you jump she will try to catch you with up to 4 fans and or a long combo, if she jumps, teleport and punish her then apply pressure. You want to stay in close to her so she can’t throw those fans at you. She is still very capable up close; her fan lift can put you in a world of hurt. Keep her guessing on what you are going to do, and stay offensive, so she can’t mount a full offense against you.
Vs Kratos (PS3 only)
Even
Kratos has many tools at his disposal, his bow can be shot rapily and it does a good amount of damage. He can also do a couple fo 4-5 hit combos that will send you 6 feet under real fast. Kratos also has the ability to parry, the timing is a little strict on it though. Kratos is full of deceit and cancels, basically you need to counter his attacks, after all smoke is a counter player. If he shoots the bow, show no mercy shake and then run in for the sweep. I say sweep just in case he set up a parry. After a couple of sweeps go for the B2,3 amd you will keep him messed up. You can also bait his dash, for a full punish with what ever combo you want. Really watch for his parry the EX version will pop you into the air, resulting in you losing 40% life.
Vs Kung Lao
Disadvantage
At full screen he can only toss his hat at you and teleport. Hat loses to shake and smoke bomb badly. He can teleport, but you can uppercut that on reaction. His only real options are block-dashing, whiffing a dive kick, and Ex: teleport. If you see him jump in the air go for an air teleport, even try to bait his dive kick.
Up close, Lao absolutely wrecks you. Spin beats out all of your normals, and you have a very hard time punishing it with your slow normals. He can mix it up with throws, a very fast low combo into spin, and his usual 1, 1, 2 spin. You can't win at point blank, and your primary goal is to get him off of you. Ex Shake can be a good move. Your sweep goes under his 1, 1, 2 and out-ranges most of what he has. Block dashing backwards can work, as can Ex teleport. If you’re up close rely on your poke’s and poke cancels into smoke bomb to really mess with his head.
Don't ever jump. He can punish it on reaction at any range. From far away, he gets a free dive kick. Up close, he gets a spin into a combo.
Up close, Lao absolutely wrecks you. Spin beats out all of your normals, and you have a very hard time punishing it with your slow normals. He can mix it up with throws, a very fast low combo into spin, and his usual 1, 1, 2 spin. You can't win at point blank, and your primary goal is to get him off of you. Ex Shake can be a good move. Your sweep goes under his 1, 1, 2 and out-ranges most of what he has. Block dashing backwards can work, as can Ex teleport. If you’re up close rely on your poke’s and poke cancels into smoke bomb to really mess with his head.
Don't ever jump. He can punish it on reaction at any range. From far away, he gets a free dive kick. Up close, he gets a spin into a combo.
Vs Liu Kang
Even
Tools for him
SPECIALS:
*Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - standard fire ball, safe from mid to far range, unsafe at close ranges.
*Low Fire Ball HIT LEVEL: L - low version of fire ball, safe from mid to far range, unsafe at closer ranges.
*Air Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - air version of fire ball. safe in most situations.
*Flying Kick HIT LEVEL:H - fast flying kick. decent ranged punisher. on block gets punished by combo of choice.
*Bicycle Kick HIT LEVEL:M - very unsafe on block, doesnt do much on hit, not even good in combos. this move is basically worthless.
*Parry HIT LEVEL
arries H,M, and Throws - 8% parry. catches moves that hit high and mid. will get hit by lows. unsafe on wiff.
MOVES:
* Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard fire ball.
* Low Fire Ball HIT LEVEL: L - more damaging version of the standard low fire ball.
* Air Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard air fire ball.
* Flying Kick HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard flying kick.
* Bicycle Kick HIT LEVEL:M - more damaging version of the standard bicycle kick.
* Parry HIT LEVELarries H,M, and Throws - same properties as standard parry only it launches now.
Don't let him corner you.
Liu Kang can't beat your range game. Bad Liu Kangs or Liu Kangs who aren't familiar with the matchup may try their fireball/flying kick mixup to try to hit shakes. You can shake fireballs on reaction, so don't sweat those. Punish flying kicks. The only way he can land one is by guessing your shake and doing it at the exact same time. Be careful with smoke bombs - flying kick beats them.
Another piece of preliminary information before attempting the matchup is how to deal with his mixups. A lot of people seem to think he has 50/50 strings, but that's really not the case. He does have strings that hit low and mid, but not in the same spot, so you can actually block them both without guessing. Block the first hit of his strings low and the third hit high. If you do that, he can't mix you up like that.
There's nothing really special about the way this matchup plays except for his corner pressure. As always, you beat him from full screen but can't really pressure him, and he can put decent pressure on you if you're up close. You want to zone him and force him to make a mistake. Important to know he does not have any combos that start with an overhead, just some that end with an overhead so a down block on start is safe.
The one particularly nasty thing that Liu has is his corner pressure. If you get hit by a combo, you'll be carried about halfway to the corner. Once you're in the corner, his pressure is pretty nasty. His meaty strings usually beat wakeup attacks, but Smoke has an ace in the hole. Smoke's enhanced teleport on wakeup is totally invincible and will get you out of the corner no questions asked for only one bar. That beats what almost everyone else can do (most ends up breaking a combo). Basically watch for him at full screen and bait those flying kicks, then punish the crap out of it. Watch out for his parry its precise timing but can still get you on wake up.
SPECIALS:
*Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - standard fire ball, safe from mid to far range, unsafe at close ranges.
*Low Fire Ball HIT LEVEL: L - low version of fire ball, safe from mid to far range, unsafe at closer ranges.
*Air Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - air version of fire ball. safe in most situations.
*Flying Kick HIT LEVEL:H - fast flying kick. decent ranged punisher. on block gets punished by combo of choice.
*Bicycle Kick HIT LEVEL:M - very unsafe on block, doesnt do much on hit, not even good in combos. this move is basically worthless.
*Parry HIT LEVEL
arries H,M, and Throws - 8% parry. catches moves that hit high and mid. will get hit by lows. unsafe on wiff.MOVES:
* Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard fire ball.
* Low Fire Ball HIT LEVEL: L - more damaging version of the standard low fire ball.
* Air Fire Ball HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard air fire ball.
* Flying Kick HIT LEVEL:H - more damaging version of the standard flying kick.
* Bicycle Kick HIT LEVEL:M - more damaging version of the standard bicycle kick.
* Parry HIT LEVEL
arries H,M, and Throws - same properties as standard parry only it launches now.Don't let him corner you.
Liu Kang can't beat your range game. Bad Liu Kangs or Liu Kangs who aren't familiar with the matchup may try their fireball/flying kick mixup to try to hit shakes. You can shake fireballs on reaction, so don't sweat those. Punish flying kicks. The only way he can land one is by guessing your shake and doing it at the exact same time. Be careful with smoke bombs - flying kick beats them.
Another piece of preliminary information before attempting the matchup is how to deal with his mixups. A lot of people seem to think he has 50/50 strings, but that's really not the case. He does have strings that hit low and mid, but not in the same spot, so you can actually block them both without guessing. Block the first hit of his strings low and the third hit high. If you do that, he can't mix you up like that.
There's nothing really special about the way this matchup plays except for his corner pressure. As always, you beat him from full screen but can't really pressure him, and he can put decent pressure on you if you're up close. You want to zone him and force him to make a mistake. Important to know he does not have any combos that start with an overhead, just some that end with an overhead so a down block on start is safe.
The one particularly nasty thing that Liu has is his corner pressure. If you get hit by a combo, you'll be carried about halfway to the corner. Once you're in the corner, his pressure is pretty nasty. His meaty strings usually beat wakeup attacks, but Smoke has an ace in the hole. Smoke's enhanced teleport on wakeup is totally invincible and will get you out of the corner no questions asked for only one bar. That beats what almost everyone else can do (most ends up breaking a combo). Basically watch for him at full screen and bait those flying kicks, then punish the crap out of it. Watch out for his parry its precise timing but can still get you on wake up.
Vs Mileena
Even
Watch out for her d4 it is a big pain to his because of its really low hit box, it has the ability to avoid your b2 3 starter.. Mileena is a very fast paced character with lots of change up. Do not block low against her she will use her overhead attack u3 against you. Mileena will try to close the distance and because she has instant air sai's this will help her keep smoke from jumping. If she catches you in the air with a sai she can end it with a combo in the 30% range. When Mileena teleport kicks she will always use her Sai after because it throws people off and she is able to escape most punishes like this. Be ready and try to get her with a smoke bomb out fo it or start your main BnB combo. Your goal is to keep her away, you zone game can destroy her because she can't use her's against you. Always stand block because she can only sweep or poke you for damage rather than full combo. She could try her b3 b4 sweep combo, this is deceptively far range but very readable and puts her at frame disadvantage so drop some bomb and combo or go in for the JIP.
Vs Nightwolf
Disadvantage
Nightwolf is a beast, although he can’t reflect smokes, smoke bomb he can cause smoke some problems. His shoulder charge is very fast and his hatchet swing can be an anti air against us. You have to always be careful of the lightning, but you can punish it with a teleport. Nightwolf will try to get in close because smoke can shake down the arrows he fires, so he will most likely shoulder charge to close the distance, a well timed smoke bomb can make him regret this. If he does start getting close and your not happy with it, EX shake or EX smoke towards/away. Force him to make a mistake them mount your offensive oki pressure to keep him messed up. Remember the shoulder charge is a wake up but you can punish it with a quick 21 smoke bomb.
Vs Noob
Advantage
Noob usually excels at long range. His shadow tackle is faster than most other ranged options and it hits overhead, he can threaten with a low projectile, and when he makes the enemy crouch to avoid the low, he can teleport in or just continue chipping. This is usually what a Noob player will try to do to opponents, and his game revolves around getting back into this position.
Smoke's shake totally undermines this whole strategy. It ignores the low mixup completely and you can do it on reaction to all of his projectiles if you're sharp. Shake also recovers fast enough that even if the Noob player baits it and tries to punish it on reaction, you'll be able to block and punish in time. Noob can try to predict your shake and teleport at the same time, but doing so is extremely in your favor. He gets 10% off of a successful prediction while you get 42%. So long as you watch for random x-rays, you should crush him from this far away.
Since you beat him so badly at range, Noob has to get close to you. The problem for him is that you still have an advantage there. Noob only has one mixup. It starts with B+1, 2, and from there he can to F+4 for a low or B+1, 4 for an overhead into a special. Most of the time Noob players go for the overhead because the payoff is so much better, but even if he lands the whole string it's at most 23%. Meanwhile, yours is much, much higher, and you can get big payoffs from hits that he gets very little from (such as a jump kick, 38% for you and 7% for him). You also boast a faster sweep and much faster overhead, meaning you should be getting more hits in than he does.
Last point to watch out for is that he can teleport in the air. Stay blocking while he's jumping. He may try to bait anti-airs this way, but again if you catch him it's 42% for you and only 10% for him.
The numbers are in your favor for this matchup. Just play solidly, erring on the side of caution. Noob has to take big risks to win this matchup, so just watch out for them and punish appropriately.
Smoke's shake totally undermines this whole strategy. It ignores the low mixup completely and you can do it on reaction to all of his projectiles if you're sharp. Shake also recovers fast enough that even if the Noob player baits it and tries to punish it on reaction, you'll be able to block and punish in time. Noob can try to predict your shake and teleport at the same time, but doing so is extremely in your favor. He gets 10% off of a successful prediction while you get 42%. So long as you watch for random x-rays, you should crush him from this far away.
Since you beat him so badly at range, Noob has to get close to you. The problem for him is that you still have an advantage there. Noob only has one mixup. It starts with B+1, 2, and from there he can to F+4 for a low or B+1, 4 for an overhead into a special. Most of the time Noob players go for the overhead because the payoff is so much better, but even if he lands the whole string it's at most 23%. Meanwhile, yours is much, much higher, and you can get big payoffs from hits that he gets very little from (such as a jump kick, 38% for you and 7% for him). You also boast a faster sweep and much faster overhead, meaning you should be getting more hits in than he does.
Last point to watch out for is that he can teleport in the air. Stay blocking while he's jumping. He may try to bait anti-airs this way, but again if you catch him it's 42% for you and only 10% for him.
The numbers are in your favor for this matchup. Just play solidly, erring on the side of caution. Noob has to take big risks to win this matchup, so just watch out for them and punish appropriately.
Vs Quan Chi
Advantage
Quan Chi does not have to much as for weapons in this game, he has some nice change up combos but none of which are round enders. His teleport is something to be aware of it is fast and relatively safe. Quan Chi really has to read you perfectly to pull off most of his move, over all this should be an easy fight, bait him from a far, and smoke bomb to get those combos rolling. Also oki pressure should end this guy quick, he has only the his teleport as a wakeup and most of your moves will beat it, unless it’s enhanced. A good Quan Chi player likes to combo into the zombie attack, which leads to more damage, avoid it.
Vs Raiden
Even
Personally Raiden is not a big deal, unless online where you should just quit. Raiden players rely heavily on their torpedo, which is highly punishable. You can bait the torpedo off of wake, ups or just by giving him the distance, this always results in a big punish combo for smoke. His lightning bolt is nice but smoke has shake so he will only try it to catch you off guard. Raiden players like to bait you to jump at them so they can use thier b3 start, which leads to over 30% combo, really watch out because Raidens leg seems to stretch to hit you, it like a mile long.
Raiden players love to mount a heavy offense on you by teleporting in and doing a couple of different things, grab, torpedo, combo, or sweep. Watch out if they teleport and sweep multiple times they are setting you up for an overhead hit to apply some damage to you. When ever you see Raiden teleport either do d3, or d4. It will stop the grabs, sweeps, and combos, but not a torpedo. Smokes poke is fast enough that you can block the torpedo as well. This really messes up raidens game here. He can also go for a crossup, by no means should you be ducking when he does, almost always ends bad for smoke. If he jumps over either teleport or do an instant jump away kicks to prevent the onslaught. If you mess up Raidens up close game he will get nervy and try to find something else by crouch blocking which you can punish with b2, 3. Be aware of how to counter his after teleport game and this battle becomes easy.Raidens EX Teleport got a buff and is faster now, it also doesn't have to finish before he can start a combo so remember that.
Raiden players love to mount a heavy offense on you by teleporting in and doing a couple of different things, grab, torpedo, combo, or sweep. Watch out if they teleport and sweep multiple times they are setting you up for an overhead hit to apply some damage to you. When ever you see Raiden teleport either do d3, or d4. It will stop the grabs, sweeps, and combos, but not a torpedo. Smokes poke is fast enough that you can block the torpedo as well. This really messes up raidens game here. He can also go for a crossup, by no means should you be ducking when he does, almost always ends bad for smoke. If he jumps over either teleport or do an instant jump away kicks to prevent the onslaught. If you mess up Raidens up close game he will get nervy and try to find something else by crouch blocking which you can punish with b2, 3. Be aware of how to counter his after teleport game and this battle becomes easy.Raidens EX Teleport got a buff and is faster now, it also doesn't have to finish before he can start a combo so remember that.
Vs Reptile
Advantage
The Reptile match-up is pretty simple. Most Reptile players after knocking you down try to Acid Ball to zone you so you have the option to wake-up with Shake or Teleport (I prefer shake). You also have to watch out for the slide so advance with caution and constant Dash>low >Dash>low etc. maybe throw a Smoke Cloud in there to keep them in check. Watch out for Acid Balls/Spits when you jump in. Getting hit by Acid Balls will cause you to take at least 36% dmg from juggleing and getting hit by an Acid Spit will do 8% damage and put you at their feet. Reptile can do a quick combo into Acid Ball juggle or a slower one for more damage. The faster one I believe (not sure about the starting 3 hits) it's :f Acid Ball, reptilian elbow, + , , Acid Ball. The slower one is the Acid Ball into the same combo. So that is what can really hurt you. Other than that don’t worry too much about their zoning, don't random teleport either, watch out for Slides, Shake when cornered or rushed down (hope they don’t sweep or low hit). They don’t really turn invisible but if they do then just Smoke Cloud because of its huge radius so they won't be able to jump right away.
Vs Scorpion
Even
The match-up against Scorpion is pretty tricky. The dangers of being aggressive are being hit by either Teleports or Spears. The dangers of being too defensive are getting hit by Hellfire’s. When fighting Scorpion you can be aggressive on their wake-up, they don't have much that can get them out of a wake up , + , other than Teleport. The Scorpion Hellfire is unblockable as well as uncounterable. The full screen block contest is in Scorpion's favor. Scorpion can Hellfire all day while you’re Smoke Cloud does not chip and it leaves you vulnerable for a Teleport. Jumping is ideal in this situation. When fighting a talented Scorpion they will try to Spear anti-air you, when you see them spear you can teleport. Hit or whiff it's in smoke's favor because you can land and , + , before they can , , spear you. After blocking , , you should + because they will most likely follow up with a Takedown or Spear(this will whiff), and then you can punish. Sometimes they will Hellfire if they're expecting the low . So it's up to you to read your opponent's decision. These are things to watch out for and keep in mind. The rest is up to you as a player to read your opponent and decide what you'll be doing
Scorpion, is a tough battle for both sides, this match really comes down to who reads the other person more. Do your best to bait those spears because you have years to punish a whiffed spear, but what out for his teleport, the EX one is not punishable and will follow you with the second hit. Lastly a good scorpion will end big combos with EX hellfire, there is nothing you can do about this, and it is not escapable.
Scorpion, is a tough battle for both sides, this match really comes down to who reads the other person more. Do your best to bait those spears because you have years to punish a whiffed spear, but what out for his teleport, the EX one is not punishable and will follow you with the second hit. Lastly a good scorpion will end big combos with EX hellfire, there is nothing you can do about this, and it is not escapable.
Vs Sektor
Advantage
There's no magic way to beat Sektor, but there are a few things you can know and watch out for that will help you out.
Sektor has a straight missile and an up missile. You can shake both of these on reaction. Again, unless he guesses exactly when you shake, he can't teleport uppercut you from full screen.
Teleport uppercut has a few notes associated with it that you should know. Interestingly, it's not a physical attack. That means that enhanced shake won't beat it. Be careful about that. On wakeup, it has a lot of invincibility, so be careful with meaty attacks when he's getting up. The enhanced version is completely safe on block. He can also do an instant air teleport which is, really hard to read and they bait for it a lot. Remember if he hits with a teleport your going to eat a combo, a few combos from him and your dead.
Sektor's flamethrower stuffs absolutely everything in its range. You need to blockdash close enough while you're within its zone to threaten a cross-up jumping attack. Everything else will lose to it. If you block dash up you can bait him into a flamethrower so you can drop a smoke bomb on him.
Sektor has a high/low mixup in B+3 and U+3, 4. Start blocking low and if you see his leg rise, block high. That'll take care of most of his mixup. He rarely does U+3, 3 because B+3 are the same thing but faster.
With all of these things in mind, read your opponent and note his tendencies. Respond to them appropriately. Smoke definitely has the tools to win this one.
Sektor has a straight missile and an up missile. You can shake both of these on reaction. Again, unless he guesses exactly when you shake, he can't teleport uppercut you from full screen.
Teleport uppercut has a few notes associated with it that you should know. Interestingly, it's not a physical attack. That means that enhanced shake won't beat it. Be careful about that. On wakeup, it has a lot of invincibility, so be careful with meaty attacks when he's getting up. The enhanced version is completely safe on block. He can also do an instant air teleport which is, really hard to read and they bait for it a lot. Remember if he hits with a teleport your going to eat a combo, a few combos from him and your dead.
Sektor's flamethrower stuffs absolutely everything in its range. You need to blockdash close enough while you're within its zone to threaten a cross-up jumping attack. Everything else will lose to it. If you block dash up you can bait him into a flamethrower so you can drop a smoke bomb on him.
Sektor has a high/low mixup in B+3 and U+3, 4. Start blocking low and if you see his leg rise, block high. That'll take care of most of his mixup. He rarely does U+3, 3 because B+3 are the same thing but faster.
With all of these things in mind, read your opponent and note his tendencies. Respond to them appropriately. Smoke definitely has the tools to win this one.
Vs Shang Tsung
Even
Shang Tsung is an interesting character, watch out for his ground fireballs they can make you eat a large amount of damage, and are very hard to shake on reaction. Do not stand still in this match up because of his fireballs. Really pressure shang tsung up close he wants the distance and also wants to save his meter for doing powerful combos. Take advanatage of that and combo him as much as possible, he doesn’t have much to do to you up close so apply oki pressure and watch out for the soul steal wake up.
Vs Sheeva
Advantage
Sheeva is an underrated player. She can dish out a lot of damage with a little bit of hits, but she needs to be close to do it. When she gets in close avoid low blocking, her heaviest combos come from the low grab she can do. When your full screen keep checking her with smoke bombs, but watch out for her air stomp, if you see her do it, perform an instant back kick, which will normally put her out, then apply oki pressure. You also need to watch your jump ins against her because of her air grab, Remember Sheeva is basically a wrestler most of her damage comes off of grab combos.
Vs Sindel
Advantage
Sindel relies heavily on her projectile game, which as we all know, smoke destroys on anyone. She has a very large mix up, when she is up close but her damage is lacking. She also has very little answers for constant pressure against her. Her only wake up is step up which you can easily block and throw a smoke bomb down against.
Vs Smoke
Even
If you are playing smoke vs smoke, its tough the match is all about reads. Best bet is to formulate a strategy of your own to really counter a mirror. Just think about what you do and try to read and bait better than the other guy
Vs Sonya
Advantage
Sonya is a tricky girl to get your hands on, she is very fast, but smoke nullifies her projectile which helps. You need to watch out for her military stance some of her biggest combo’s start from here. She is also an amazing anti air character, with her arc kick, air throw, and air drop its best to not get into the air unless your baiting so you can punish with a teleport. On the ground she is quick but with good reads you can easily punish her and make her eat a lot of damage, remember your low pokes will cancel into teleport or smoke bomb to really abuse her. Watch out for her wakeups she has three of them that can hit in different places, generally she will try to get out with arc kick so you can smoke bomb her when she lands to punish that. Her lag grab can be deceptive, but it has a long recovery and you can make her eat your main bread and butter combo. She is really fast which may seem overwhelming but just remember how she hits and block accordingly
Vs Stryker
Advantage
Stryker recieved quite a buff from the last patch, I still think we have the advantage on him because were able to shake his projectiles. HIs roll now has armor on it when he uses the :en version, and its faster. I have still not face to many strykers to write up a full guide to him yet.
Vs Sub-Zero
Even
Strategy: Sub-Zero is a zoning character. You're an anti-zoning character. Outzone him and force him to make mistakes.
Don't rush in on him when he throws down an ice clone. Wait for ice blasts and punish with shake. Be sure to block incoming slides and punish. He'll eventually learn that he has to come to you, as he has absolutely no options to deal with your ranged game.
Unfortunately, Sub-Zero has pretty good rushdown. He can threaten a quick mid or low at pretty much any time. His damage is decent, especially if he has full meter.
That means that you need to force him try to get in, but not actually let him in. Punish his mistakes as he tries to get in, and if/when he does get in, be very careful. Don't jump to get in on him. He can threaten an ice clone at any point if he detects that you'll get aggressive, so stay calm. Cross-up jump punches are good against him if you need to launch an offense.
This match is all about getting someone to make mistakes. He can aggravate you into doing something stupid and punish pretty well. However, remember that you control the pace of the match, so make sure that you're the one causing the frustration, and capitalize on his mistakes with your big damage combos.
The fight against Sub-Zero isn't really that bad since Sub-Zero can't zone Smoke due to lack to teleport or even an anywhere on screen unblockable (Hellfire). The main thing to watch out for is that slide which can catch people off guard and it knocks down. Also blocking Sub-Zero's , , (3rd hit is an overhead... high)combo opens up an amazing opportunity to quickly dash cancel into , + , combo. Ice clones you really shouldn't worry too much about them since you can stay away with Smoke Clouds or Teleports. The only time you should be careful when Sub-Zero clones is when jumping in. A talented Sub-Zero player will Ice Clone to counter your jump in. Even then it's hard to time since Sub-Zero can't clone if you're anywhere face-to-face with him. So I BELIEVE (not sure) that jumping over Sub-Zero is Clone-proof. Once again, a well-timed slide is an anti-air. Watch out for the X-Ray, don't underestimate the X-ray. It travels pretty far. When Sub-Zero has X-ray watch out on your jump ins, start blocking on their wake-up, don't teleport unless you combo. As for Counter idk if it can stop moves.
Don't rush in on him when he throws down an ice clone. Wait for ice blasts and punish with shake. Be sure to block incoming slides and punish. He'll eventually learn that he has to come to you, as he has absolutely no options to deal with your ranged game.
Unfortunately, Sub-Zero has pretty good rushdown. He can threaten a quick mid or low at pretty much any time. His damage is decent, especially if he has full meter.
That means that you need to force him try to get in, but not actually let him in. Punish his mistakes as he tries to get in, and if/when he does get in, be very careful. Don't jump to get in on him. He can threaten an ice clone at any point if he detects that you'll get aggressive, so stay calm. Cross-up jump punches are good against him if you need to launch an offense.
This match is all about getting someone to make mistakes. He can aggravate you into doing something stupid and punish pretty well. However, remember that you control the pace of the match, so make sure that you're the one causing the frustration, and capitalize on his mistakes with your big damage combos.
The fight against Sub-Zero isn't really that bad since Sub-Zero can't zone Smoke due to lack to teleport or even an anywhere on screen unblockable (Hellfire). The main thing to watch out for is that slide which can catch people off guard and it knocks down. Also blocking Sub-Zero's , , (3rd hit is an overhead... high)combo opens up an amazing opportunity to quickly dash cancel into , + , combo. Ice clones you really shouldn't worry too much about them since you can stay away with Smoke Clouds or Teleports. The only time you should be careful when Sub-Zero clones is when jumping in. A talented Sub-Zero player will Ice Clone to counter your jump in. Even then it's hard to time since Sub-Zero can't clone if you're anywhere face-to-face with him. So I BELIEVE (not sure) that jumping over Sub-Zero is Clone-proof. Once again, a well-timed slide is an anti-air. Watch out for the X-Ray, don't underestimate the X-ray. It travels pretty far. When Sub-Zero has X-ray watch out on your jump ins, start blocking on their wake-up, don't teleport unless you combo. As for Counter idk if it can stop moves.
