Lomyn
Snoctopus
A lot of players are posting asking questions what the “Instant Air Fan” or “iAF” is, despite the various topics that have already been created and answered. So, once and for all, here is your definitive “WTF is iAF” guide.
WTF is the iAF?
The instant air fan is, simply put, an air fan (j.d,f+1) thrown as low to ground as possible so that Kitana appears to immediately go from a neutral standing position to the air fan attack. When done correctly, the fan will hit standing opponents, where as an air fan that is thrown at a higher point in the jump will soar over the head of the opponent.
How do I do an iAF?
Input u, d,f+1 as quickly as possible. I’ve heard that you can do d,u,f+1 as well, but that method has never worked for me. If done properly, the fan will hit a neutral standing opponent in their face. Opponents are able to crouch it as they would any other projectile.
Why would I use an iAF over a regular fan?
The two primary reasons are startup speed and recovery. A properly performed iAF comes out almost twice as quickly as a ground fan, and also has far less recovery. The iAF also does slightly more damage, and opens up a few decent combo options if it hits an airborne opponent. It is much more difficult for an opponent to react to and punish iAFs, and against some characters at the proper distances there may be no punishes that can be done on reaction.
Awesome! So it’s like an impenetrable wall of fans!
No, it’s not. Like any ability in a well-designed fighter, if you become too predictable your opponent can really lay the hurt on you. Low-traveling attacks such as Sub-Zero’s slide or Stryker’s roll can go under the fans, and teleport attacks can still hit you, such as those done by Ermac, or Scorpion’s X-Ray. Some characters can also still just flat-out out-zone Kitana even when using this technique. That’s not to say that against other zoners they’re useless- against some of Kitana’s tougher matchups (Stryker, Noob) there are many cases where you wouldn’t even be able to get a normal fan on screen but you can sacrifice some damage to get an iAF on screen to hit your opponent/get them to block, allowing you to regain some initiative- you just need to be aware of your opponent’s punish options.
Do I need to use iAFs to win?
At higher levels of play, yes. It’s an incredibly powerful tool, and by varying the height you use the fans at Kitana can control huge sections of the screen to counter several angle of attacks. You are only hurting yourself by ignoring this tool.
How do I do them consistently?
Practice. I found the attack easier to do on a stick than a pad. You can cheat a little by starting at u/b and rotating to d, and then f, but it is harder to get the fan out as low to the ground as possible with that method due their being extra inputs after the initial jump. You’re really best just learning to do u, d,f+1 properly.
WTF is the iAF?
The instant air fan is, simply put, an air fan (j.d,f+1) thrown as low to ground as possible so that Kitana appears to immediately go from a neutral standing position to the air fan attack. When done correctly, the fan will hit standing opponents, where as an air fan that is thrown at a higher point in the jump will soar over the head of the opponent.
How do I do an iAF?
Input u, d,f+1 as quickly as possible. I’ve heard that you can do d,u,f+1 as well, but that method has never worked for me. If done properly, the fan will hit a neutral standing opponent in their face. Opponents are able to crouch it as they would any other projectile.
Why would I use an iAF over a regular fan?
The two primary reasons are startup speed and recovery. A properly performed iAF comes out almost twice as quickly as a ground fan, and also has far less recovery. The iAF also does slightly more damage, and opens up a few decent combo options if it hits an airborne opponent. It is much more difficult for an opponent to react to and punish iAFs, and against some characters at the proper distances there may be no punishes that can be done on reaction.
Awesome! So it’s like an impenetrable wall of fans!
No, it’s not. Like any ability in a well-designed fighter, if you become too predictable your opponent can really lay the hurt on you. Low-traveling attacks such as Sub-Zero’s slide or Stryker’s roll can go under the fans, and teleport attacks can still hit you, such as those done by Ermac, or Scorpion’s X-Ray. Some characters can also still just flat-out out-zone Kitana even when using this technique. That’s not to say that against other zoners they’re useless- against some of Kitana’s tougher matchups (Stryker, Noob) there are many cases where you wouldn’t even be able to get a normal fan on screen but you can sacrifice some damage to get an iAF on screen to hit your opponent/get them to block, allowing you to regain some initiative- you just need to be aware of your opponent’s punish options.
Do I need to use iAFs to win?
At higher levels of play, yes. It’s an incredibly powerful tool, and by varying the height you use the fans at Kitana can control huge sections of the screen to counter several angle of attacks. You are only hurting yourself by ignoring this tool.
How do I do them consistently?
Practice. I found the attack easier to do on a stick than a pad. You can cheat a little by starting at u/b and rotating to d, and then f, but it is harder to get the fan out as low to the ground as possible with that method due their being extra inputs after the initial jump. You’re really best just learning to do u, d,f+1 properly.
