Danno
New member
EX Knife will hit a crouched opponent. Or atleast it'll hit a crouched block. Maybe its also a female vs male character thing. Its nice to toss those in there for a final chip on someone crouch blocking
Kano thread - "One dead Lin Kuei, in a tick!"
- Thread starter aedanwolfe
- Start date
EX Knife will hit a crouched opponent. Or atleast it'll hit a crouched block. Maybe its also a female vs male character thing. Its nice to toss those in there for a final chip on someone crouch blocking
Nocturne
New member
Re: Kano thread-"One dead Lin Kuei, in a tick!"
I suggest, instead of using 33 upball, try using B12 upball. I find it easier to do with less chance to whiff.
I suggest, instead of using 33 upball, try using B12 upball. I find it easier to do with less chance to whiff.
karaokelove
New member
I've got a mindgame setup that works almost every time. When playing with Kano, I try to stick right next to my opponent the entire match, being as aggressive as possible (with a few matchup exceptions, like Sub Zero or Kung Lao). Anytime I can start a wakeup game I dash in right next to my opponent. From here I can either sweep (low), grab on wakeup, pull off a <-2 ->3 Upball combo for 18%, which starts as an overhead, or just start a simple <-112 <-112 kano ball. Unless my opponent has an awesome wakeup move, like Kung Lao, they literally just have to guess and pray. I'll usually bait them by sweeping, dashing in, sweeping again (that 2nd sweep almost always hits), dashing in, and going for the overhead combo mentioned above, because by now they've "caught on" and will try to block low.
When trying to use the <-2 ->3 Upball as an anti-wakeup, you want to start it fairly early, like just before your opponent actually starts to wake up. As you know, that overhead is fairly slow but when used in this manner and timed correctly it can be devastating. You want the overhead to connect the second your opponent is able to be hit. You want to enter the entire combo as one sequence. Don't pay attention to what Kano is actually doing, as the whole combo is bufferable. Also, the overhead strike has tremendous range and I believe it can be used after a throw without moving closer to your opponent. I'll experiment today (it's been a few weeks since I've played due to a move) but if I remember correctly, you can start the combo immediately after a throw and it should connect. I'll update this when I'm sure.
Kano's sweep as a wakeup is fantastic. I don't know if it's the range or the speed of the sweep, but it can beat out many characters' wakeup moves. I love catching a teleporting Scorpion with a sweep!
And though the <-112 <-112 kano ball is definitely the easiest for your opponent to block as opposed to the other wakeup options, you'd be surprised how often they will let go of block after the 1st or 2nd hit. I guess it's just impatience.
Your other option is to use Kano's x-ray to catch an opponent as they wake up. This is risky, as they can jump to avoid it. I love to do this against characters with excellent wakeup moves like Kung Lao because it's almost assured they're going to attack rather than jump. The only time you need to watch out in that case is if they have an x-ray saved up as well, because most x-rays will beat out Kano's for some reason (I know Kung Lao's does).
The other tactic I use could probably be applied to a few other characters in the game, but I know it works with Kano. As I stated, Kano's sweep is just fantastic, and one of my favorite things to do is dash forward at the same time as my opponent and go for the sweep. If you can predict your opponent's movements this is a VERY effective tactic because a) it is very hard to see coming because you go from zoning distance to sweep distance in a split second due to you and your opponent dashing at the same time, b) it is nearly impossible to block, not only because it's unexpected but because your opponent is trying to move forward (most likely wave dashing) and not even considering blocking low, and c) it sets up Kano's wakeup game. It's also easy to bait your opponent into dashing forward by zoning and playing keepaway.
The dash tactic can also be used for Kano's knife throw. For some reason most of my opponents can't seem to understand that I can cancel a dash with a knife throw. I suppose it throws of their timing or something, because dash knives (as I like to call them) connect more often than not.
Kano's air ball is also fantastic for playing mind games. I try not to rely on it too much because it always seems to not go off when I really need it to, but when it works it can be great for tricking opponents. I like to jump backwards defensively and at the height of my jump shoot forward with an air ball. A simple trick that catches most opponents off guard, though you don't want to become predictable with it. Once they expect the air ball, you can empty jump backwards and throw a knife as soon as you land. Against a teleporter expecting a trick, you can empty jump backwards and simply block. Odds are they will teleport right into your block, expecting to catch you after a whiffed air ball or knife throw.
I haven't gotten to play since the patch and subsequent nerfing, but last I played the recovery on the knife was so good it was very easy to bait out a teleport from Scorpion (or pretty much any teleporter with the exception of Smoke) and just block before their teleport hit. You could then wait just a sec for them to drop a bit and start a full combo. Using these strategies I got to rank 120 in player matches on xbox live, with my highest KOTH streak being 35. Kano is the only character I use, mainly because he calls people *****es and spits on them when he wins. (Seriously, his EX command grab is as good as any fatality...). Oh, and against Kung Lao and Raiden, at least before the patch, his Upball startup was faster than the recovery on their teleports, so as long as you could bait out a teleport or at least be prepared for one, you could punish it literally every time. Most Raiden players just don't know what to do when they can't teleport anymore.
When trying to use the <-2 ->3 Upball as an anti-wakeup, you want to start it fairly early, like just before your opponent actually starts to wake up. As you know, that overhead is fairly slow but when used in this manner and timed correctly it can be devastating. You want the overhead to connect the second your opponent is able to be hit. You want to enter the entire combo as one sequence. Don't pay attention to what Kano is actually doing, as the whole combo is bufferable. Also, the overhead strike has tremendous range and I believe it can be used after a throw without moving closer to your opponent. I'll experiment today (it's been a few weeks since I've played due to a move) but if I remember correctly, you can start the combo immediately after a throw and it should connect. I'll update this when I'm sure.
Kano's sweep as a wakeup is fantastic. I don't know if it's the range or the speed of the sweep, but it can beat out many characters' wakeup moves. I love catching a teleporting Scorpion with a sweep!
And though the <-112 <-112 kano ball is definitely the easiest for your opponent to block as opposed to the other wakeup options, you'd be surprised how often they will let go of block after the 1st or 2nd hit. I guess it's just impatience.
Your other option is to use Kano's x-ray to catch an opponent as they wake up. This is risky, as they can jump to avoid it. I love to do this against characters with excellent wakeup moves like Kung Lao because it's almost assured they're going to attack rather than jump. The only time you need to watch out in that case is if they have an x-ray saved up as well, because most x-rays will beat out Kano's for some reason (I know Kung Lao's does).
The other tactic I use could probably be applied to a few other characters in the game, but I know it works with Kano. As I stated, Kano's sweep is just fantastic, and one of my favorite things to do is dash forward at the same time as my opponent and go for the sweep. If you can predict your opponent's movements this is a VERY effective tactic because a) it is very hard to see coming because you go from zoning distance to sweep distance in a split second due to you and your opponent dashing at the same time, b) it is nearly impossible to block, not only because it's unexpected but because your opponent is trying to move forward (most likely wave dashing) and not even considering blocking low, and c) it sets up Kano's wakeup game. It's also easy to bait your opponent into dashing forward by zoning and playing keepaway.
The dash tactic can also be used for Kano's knife throw. For some reason most of my opponents can't seem to understand that I can cancel a dash with a knife throw. I suppose it throws of their timing or something, because dash knives (as I like to call them) connect more often than not.
Kano's air ball is also fantastic for playing mind games. I try not to rely on it too much because it always seems to not go off when I really need it to, but when it works it can be great for tricking opponents. I like to jump backwards defensively and at the height of my jump shoot forward with an air ball. A simple trick that catches most opponents off guard, though you don't want to become predictable with it. Once they expect the air ball, you can empty jump backwards and throw a knife as soon as you land. Against a teleporter expecting a trick, you can empty jump backwards and simply block. Odds are they will teleport right into your block, expecting to catch you after a whiffed air ball or knife throw.
I haven't gotten to play since the patch and subsequent nerfing, but last I played the recovery on the knife was so good it was very easy to bait out a teleport from Scorpion (or pretty much any teleporter with the exception of Smoke) and just block before their teleport hit. You could then wait just a sec for them to drop a bit and start a full combo. Using these strategies I got to rank 120 in player matches on xbox live, with my highest KOTH streak being 35. Kano is the only character I use, mainly because he calls people *****es and spits on them when he wins. (Seriously, his EX command grab is as good as any fatality...). Oh, and against Kung Lao and Raiden, at least before the patch, his Upball startup was faster than the recovery on their teleports, so as long as you could bait out a teleport or at least be prepared for one, you could punish it literally every time. Most Raiden players just don't know what to do when they can't teleport anymore.
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karaokelove
New member
Here are a few Kano issues I've come across online:
Smoke. He was the first character to give me trouble because his teleport is actually fast enough to punish the knife (even pre-nerf). I finally learned that when fighting him I just had to constantly hold down block (not quite literally, but close) to counter his teleport. If you're lucky, your opponent won't learn and will keep teleporting into your "combo wall" (as I like to call it...). Most Smoke players only know how to teleport spam with him. Once they can't, they start to smokeball spam, which is easily Kano-Balled over for a quick punish. Also, Smoke's counter won't work on the Kano Ball, which most Smoke players don't seem to be aware of. Most Smoke players seems to be fairly impatient (as do most teleport players in general) so as long as you can pace yourself and play defensively you'll beat Smoke every time.
Kitana. I'm sure other zoners can do this as well, but this was so bad with Kitana I'm going to single her out. Kano's knife, no matter how badass it is, can be completely ducked if your opponent doesn't block while ducking. That's all they have to do, just hold down. I fought a Kitana player who would do just that, while getting in her own projectiles. I would block them, but I would take chip damage while she was taking nothing. She would keep the entire screen's distance at all times, and if I started to get in close she would use her fly move to instantly go to the other end of the screen. It was the most effective/annoying game of keepaway I've ever had to deal with, as Kano simply had no tools to catch her. Her fans would catch the Kano Ball, and even if they didn't, one block and you're eating a combo. Her flight move and Kano's upball just don't seem to synch up, so I could never punish her for doing it, even when I knew that's what she was about to do. If I remember correctly, the only way I was able to beat her was by jumping her projectiles and going into Air Ball, in addition to the occasional lucky hit. A well-timed knife would occasionally catch her as she came out of flight.
Kung Lao. If you read the strategies in my previous post, you can completely forget them when fighting Kung Lao. His spin attack, when used as a wakeup, negates any offensive options Kano has. The good news is that if your opponent is Spin crazy, during wakeup try to bait out the spin by dashing in like you're going to try a sweep or overhead (staying out of spin range, of course) and hurling a knife when he tries to catch you in the spin. Other than that, it's much like fighting Smoke: just hold block and try to punish. You can punish his teleport easily enough with upball. Just input the command as soon as he starts to drop through the floor. Try to avoid using upball as an anti-air, as Kung Lao's down-kick seems to trounce it every time. Instead just block the down kick (block anytime Kung Lao is airborne) which is very punishable. Also, as I mentioned above, if you have the meter saved up it is very easy to bait a wakeup spin from Kung Lao and catch him with Kano's devastating x-ray. This is probably the best way to get in good damage against Kung Loa besides punishing his teleports and down-kicks.
Jade. A good Jade player can really give Kano some trouble. Though she lacks the wakeup options of characters like Kung Lao, her moveset completely negates Kano's zoning game. The good news is that most Jade players will try to abuse this and you can train them to use their anti-projectile move right before you Kano-ball for a nice solid hit. Keeping the pressure up on Jade is important because she is severely dangerous at her preferred ranges. She can combo from sweep distance and can actually use zoning tools to knock you into that distance when you thought you were safe. You have to learn to predict her low projectile and kano ball over it. The knife to kano ball combo (mentioned in the next post) works wonders because she'll let the knife pass through her and try to counter immediately.
Ermac. Coming soon...
Reptile. Coming soon...
and finally...
Sub Zero. I've got a buddy I like to spar with who is the best Sub Zero player I know (his gamertag is Bootnocka. If you want to get schooled, hit him up...). He's the only player who can consistently beat me. He's retardedly good at the game in general, but when he wields Sub Zero there is very little Kano can do. The only way I've found to even challenge a good Sub Zero player is to resort to cheap zoning techniques. I despise these matches, as I like to stick right next to my opponent and be as aggressive as possible. You simply cannot do that against a good Sub Zero player. You can occasionally jump an ice ball and punish with Kano's air ball, but 90% of the time your ass is getting frozen by a clone. You can't play aggressive wakeup because Sub Zero's wakeup slide will beat anything Kano can dish out. You can't even use your wakeup upball, which outclasses almost every other move in the game, without getting frozen by a clone. All you can do is hang back and throw knives to force Sub Zero to come to you. If you can control the match in this way, then you stand a chance, as Sub Zero is mainly a defensive character. Most characters have a hard time getting in on a defensive Kano player, and Sub Zero is no exception. You have to constantly watch out for Sub Zero's slide attack, spending any downtime blocking low. Even during wakeup your best option is typically going to be to just block low. Trying to bait out a slide can be a good tactic, as it's somewhat punishable on block. This is my least favorite matchup because it forces me to play in a manner that I can't stand. If you have any advice on countering a good Sub Zero player (emphasis on good) without resorting to spam tactics I'm all ears.
Smoke. He was the first character to give me trouble because his teleport is actually fast enough to punish the knife (even pre-nerf). I finally learned that when fighting him I just had to constantly hold down block (not quite literally, but close) to counter his teleport. If you're lucky, your opponent won't learn and will keep teleporting into your "combo wall" (as I like to call it...). Most Smoke players only know how to teleport spam with him. Once they can't, they start to smokeball spam, which is easily Kano-Balled over for a quick punish. Also, Smoke's counter won't work on the Kano Ball, which most Smoke players don't seem to be aware of. Most Smoke players seems to be fairly impatient (as do most teleport players in general) so as long as you can pace yourself and play defensively you'll beat Smoke every time.
Kitana. I'm sure other zoners can do this as well, but this was so bad with Kitana I'm going to single her out. Kano's knife, no matter how badass it is, can be completely ducked if your opponent doesn't block while ducking. That's all they have to do, just hold down. I fought a Kitana player who would do just that, while getting in her own projectiles. I would block them, but I would take chip damage while she was taking nothing. She would keep the entire screen's distance at all times, and if I started to get in close she would use her fly move to instantly go to the other end of the screen. It was the most effective/annoying game of keepaway I've ever had to deal with, as Kano simply had no tools to catch her. Her fans would catch the Kano Ball, and even if they didn't, one block and you're eating a combo. Her flight move and Kano's upball just don't seem to synch up, so I could never punish her for doing it, even when I knew that's what she was about to do. If I remember correctly, the only way I was able to beat her was by jumping her projectiles and going into Air Ball, in addition to the occasional lucky hit. A well-timed knife would occasionally catch her as she came out of flight.
Kung Lao. If you read the strategies in my previous post, you can completely forget them when fighting Kung Lao. His spin attack, when used as a wakeup, negates any offensive options Kano has. The good news is that if your opponent is Spin crazy, during wakeup try to bait out the spin by dashing in like you're going to try a sweep or overhead (staying out of spin range, of course) and hurling a knife when he tries to catch you in the spin. Other than that, it's much like fighting Smoke: just hold block and try to punish. You can punish his teleport easily enough with upball. Just input the command as soon as he starts to drop through the floor. Try to avoid using upball as an anti-air, as Kung Lao's down-kick seems to trounce it every time. Instead just block the down kick (block anytime Kung Lao is airborne) which is very punishable. Also, as I mentioned above, if you have the meter saved up it is very easy to bait a wakeup spin from Kung Lao and catch him with Kano's devastating x-ray. This is probably the best way to get in good damage against Kung Loa besides punishing his teleports and down-kicks.
Jade. A good Jade player can really give Kano some trouble. Though she lacks the wakeup options of characters like Kung Lao, her moveset completely negates Kano's zoning game. The good news is that most Jade players will try to abuse this and you can train them to use their anti-projectile move right before you Kano-ball for a nice solid hit. Keeping the pressure up on Jade is important because she is severely dangerous at her preferred ranges. She can combo from sweep distance and can actually use zoning tools to knock you into that distance when you thought you were safe. You have to learn to predict her low projectile and kano ball over it. The knife to kano ball combo (mentioned in the next post) works wonders because she'll let the knife pass through her and try to counter immediately.
Ermac. Coming soon...
Reptile. Coming soon...
and finally...
Sub Zero. I've got a buddy I like to spar with who is the best Sub Zero player I know (his gamertag is Bootnocka. If you want to get schooled, hit him up...). He's the only player who can consistently beat me. He's retardedly good at the game in general, but when he wields Sub Zero there is very little Kano can do. The only way I've found to even challenge a good Sub Zero player is to resort to cheap zoning techniques. I despise these matches, as I like to stick right next to my opponent and be as aggressive as possible. You simply cannot do that against a good Sub Zero player. You can occasionally jump an ice ball and punish with Kano's air ball, but 90% of the time your ass is getting frozen by a clone. You can't play aggressive wakeup because Sub Zero's wakeup slide will beat anything Kano can dish out. You can't even use your wakeup upball, which outclasses almost every other move in the game, without getting frozen by a clone. All you can do is hang back and throw knives to force Sub Zero to come to you. If you can control the match in this way, then you stand a chance, as Sub Zero is mainly a defensive character. Most characters have a hard time getting in on a defensive Kano player, and Sub Zero is no exception. You have to constantly watch out for Sub Zero's slide attack, spending any downtime blocking low. Even during wakeup your best option is typically going to be to just block low. Trying to bait out a slide can be a good tactic, as it's somewhat punishable on block. This is my least favorite matchup because it forces me to play in a manner that I can't stand. If you have any advice on countering a good Sub Zero player (emphasis on good) without resorting to spam tactics I'm all ears.
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karaokelove
New member
And, if that's not enough Kano info for you, here are a few more tidbits.
Surprisingly Effective One. Again, I haven't gotten to try post-patch Kano, so this one might have lost some of its potency, but give it a shot and see. The recovery on the knife is so good that it can be almost immediately followed with a kano ball (and by "immediately" I mean it's almost a 2-hit combo. In fact, if the knife catches an airborne opponent, the ball will hit them before they hit they ground for an actual 2-hit combo!). For some weird reason, 90% of the time your opponent will block the knife but not the ball. I have no idea why, but it works way more than it should. (I hate to admit, but for testing purposes I've caught some players 4 or 5 consecutive times with this tactic...). You would think that kind of thing would get predictable, but even advanced players seem to eat it more often than not. Be careful if your opponent does seem to catch on, as a blocked kano ball is very punishable. I'll usually use this tactic against zoning characters as a means to get in close. I assume the reason they never block the kano ball is because they're trying to follow up your knife with a projectile of their own.
Surprisingly Effective Two. I love Kano's air throw. My main lead-in is a plain ol' jumpkick-to-air throw. You wouldn't think that would be a game-changing technique, but here's where it gets surprisingly effectve: even if your jumpkick is blocked, still go for the throw. Just spam the throw command as you land. Unless you're playing against an advanced player who can consistently break throws, you're going to catch your opponent. Even against advanced players, I catch them with that post-jumpkick throw more often than I should. I assume the blocked kick keeps them in guard stun just long enough so they can't react faster than it takes for Kano to land and throw. You can then follow up any throw with wakeup mixup mentioned 2 posts ago.
Favorite Matchup. My favorite matchup is definitely against the noobmaster himself: Scorpion. I'm not sure if this still applies after the patch, but Kano's knife recovery is fast enough to bait out and block a teleport. Heck, sometimes you can even catch Scorpion in the back of the head mid-teleport! Once you block his teleport wait a split second for him to land but not long enough for him to block. You can then get in a <-112 <-112 Kano Ball combo. If you can predict his unblockable Hellfire attack, just kano ball. If you can predict a spear, just jump and air ball. Scorpion also has no wakeup options to keep an aggressive Kano player at bay. Just keep your guard up until you can go on the offensive and before you know it Scorpion will be toast!
I also love fighting anti-projectile characters like Smoke, Jade, and Nightwolf, because you can train them to use their anti-projectile moves and slam them with a kano ball.
Surprisingly Effective One. Again, I haven't gotten to try post-patch Kano, so this one might have lost some of its potency, but give it a shot and see. The recovery on the knife is so good that it can be almost immediately followed with a kano ball (and by "immediately" I mean it's almost a 2-hit combo. In fact, if the knife catches an airborne opponent, the ball will hit them before they hit they ground for an actual 2-hit combo!). For some weird reason, 90% of the time your opponent will block the knife but not the ball. I have no idea why, but it works way more than it should. (I hate to admit, but for testing purposes I've caught some players 4 or 5 consecutive times with this tactic...). You would think that kind of thing would get predictable, but even advanced players seem to eat it more often than not. Be careful if your opponent does seem to catch on, as a blocked kano ball is very punishable. I'll usually use this tactic against zoning characters as a means to get in close. I assume the reason they never block the kano ball is because they're trying to follow up your knife with a projectile of their own.
Surprisingly Effective Two. I love Kano's air throw. My main lead-in is a plain ol' jumpkick-to-air throw. You wouldn't think that would be a game-changing technique, but here's where it gets surprisingly effectve: even if your jumpkick is blocked, still go for the throw. Just spam the throw command as you land. Unless you're playing against an advanced player who can consistently break throws, you're going to catch your opponent. Even against advanced players, I catch them with that post-jumpkick throw more often than I should. I assume the blocked kick keeps them in guard stun just long enough so they can't react faster than it takes for Kano to land and throw. You can then follow up any throw with wakeup mixup mentioned 2 posts ago.
Favorite Matchup. My favorite matchup is definitely against the noobmaster himself: Scorpion. I'm not sure if this still applies after the patch, but Kano's knife recovery is fast enough to bait out and block a teleport. Heck, sometimes you can even catch Scorpion in the back of the head mid-teleport! Once you block his teleport wait a split second for him to land but not long enough for him to block. You can then get in a <-112 <-112 Kano Ball combo. If you can predict his unblockable Hellfire attack, just kano ball. If you can predict a spear, just jump and air ball. Scorpion also has no wakeup options to keep an aggressive Kano player at bay. Just keep your guard up until you can go on the offensive and before you know it Scorpion will be toast!
I also love fighting anti-projectile characters like Smoke, Jade, and Nightwolf, because you can train them to use their anti-projectile moves and slam them with a kano ball.
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karaokelove
New member
Kind of. A good Reptile player can still give me a run for my money, but I can usually come out on top using these strategies. Reptile's wakeup dash has the same effect as Sub Zero's and Kung Lao's wakeup moves: it completely negates your offensive wakeup options. This means you have to play more defensively than with most other characters. If you hang back, you can try to keep Reptile at bay with knife zoning. When he inevitably throws out a projectile, jump and air ball. You can also use the anti Kung Lao tactic of baiting Reptile's wakeup dash by dashing into sweep distance, and then throwing a knife just as he's able to input his dash command (the knife is great for stopping his dash). The knife is Reptile's worst enemy. His dash is Kano's worst enemy. Thus you should stay out of dash range and zone. The only reason you would want to get in close would be to bait out a dash so you can block and punish it, in which case you should be on the defensive. And don't forget to watch out for his slide attack, which will hit you low. I'm pretty sure the knife can still hit his slide, though. In fact, the knife will interrupt pretty much anything Reptile will throw at you, so even in close you want to keep throwing knives at fairly short intervals (just don't get predictable). You'll be surprised how often Reptile will dash right right into an airborne knife. Think of it as keeping a pointy barrier between you and him.
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SevenDeadlySins
New member
Lol, Karaokelove you like Kano for the same reasons I do. I'm just going to add that knife recovery time has been nerfed and I don't think you can combo it with kanoball anymore(I have tried it online and it hasn't worked, could be due to lag). Also kanoball can hit ducking opponents(avoiding knife throws) if you didn't know.
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karaokelove
New member
The knife to kanoball combo isn't really a "combo" as much as 2 consecutive moves that seem to work very well together. Even with an extra 2 frames of cooldown, it should still have roughly the same effect, which is more psychological than mechanical. People just seem to release block after the knife and get hit by the ball. And I'm aware that the kanoball can hit ducked opponents, but you have to be very careful or you get punished. In the case of Kitana, at full screen's distance she was able to tell whether it was a knife or a kanoball coming her way and would react accordingly, so it wasn't a viable option. I've found that's the case with most players who attempt to duck the knife rather than block it. Thanks for the heads-up, though.
karaokelove
New member
Also, for you guys looking to maximize Kano's damage output, I can say that I personally go for reliability over health %. I can never get the 212 212 212 combo to go off reliably, so instead I opt for the <-112 <-112 kanoball. Though it does slightly less damage it is much more reliable and in my opinion that's just a lot more important. If you have trouble connecting the kanoball at the end, limit the combo to <-112 <-11 kanoball. That was a quick 27% pre-patch (did his damage get affected in the patch?). If you want to punish airborne attacks, such a Scorpion's teleport, you have to wait a sec until they land on the ground (or are slightly off the ground). If you time it right you'll get off the whole combo.
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karaokelove
New member
A quick note on fighting Cyrax. This might not apply after the patch. If I find out that's the case, I'll delete this post. By now you should know how easy it is to punish teleporters with upball. In the case of Cyrax it's actually too easy... If you're too quick, you will upball right through Cyrax, after he's teleported but before he's completely substantial. Be careful with your timing because Human Cyrax and Robot Cyrax actually have slightly different teleport properties that can affect this outcome (with Human Cyrax's teleport being slightly faster). It's worth it to practice and experiment with this situation, and before long it should be impossible for Cyrax to threaten your Kano with teleportation.
karaokelove
New member
Phew, and I believe that's about all the Kano knowledge I possess... I'm finally going to get back to playing today after about a 3 week hiatus. I'll be happy to answer any questions or make an clarifications, and I am definitely open to any criticisms or differing ideas. If you want to throw down on xbox live, my gamertag is karaokelove.
Commander
Well-known member
boX
New member
you provide some great value in your posts! thank you
one suggestion would to go back into your replies and update your posts after you've updated your MK9 via the patch. kano did have some nerfing done and it may impact what you originally posted as advice. another thing would to go back and correct the combos you listed. i belive in post #71 (or close to it) you mention his combo as B112, but later in the post say B122. i would make sure you're accurate when giving out the combo advice. otherwise, you've provided great value here!
some things I like to do with kano:
- i always jump in with kano and do a rolling-tap with the kick button (3) and then immediately hit the throw twice (R1, R1). reason being, if the opponent doesn't block, then my kick hits and then the first R1 will initiate an air grab. if the opponent does block the kick, then the first R1 won't connect, but the second R1 will connect once i land giving me a ground grab. I've engrained this motion into every jump kick i do regardless if my character has the ability to do an air grab. but since i play kano and jax, these are very useful.
- those of you using kano, master his EX ball when in the air. the easy way to do this is the moment you jump up, hold down block, then do his ball movement. you won't need to tap block at the end of the movement as the game already reads it as an input. this is so much easier then jumping in the air, doing the ball movement and trying to time hitting block when your last ball movement hits.
there are a lot of little tricks and nuances to using kano, but it takes practice just like every other character.
karaokelove
New member
Hey, thanks for the heads-up. I corrected the combo info.
I've been messing around with Kano in practice for about 30 minutes now and as far as I can tell everything still applies. There is a noticeable gap between the knife throw and kanoball but it still seemed more than fast enough to serve its purpose, though it might not combo anymore if hitting an airborne opponent (though that was just a happy accident in the first place).
What do you mean when you say "rolling-tap"? I use that same technique, as far as going for the air grab after a jumpkick and doing the ground grab if blocked, but I'm not familiar with the rolling-tap.
As far as ex-moves go, Kano's x-ray is so powerful I try to avoid his ex-moves at all cost. I look at it this way: Kano's x-ray uses 3 bars and does 41% damage. Thus, for an ex move to be worth while it must either add around 13% damage to the attack (which none of his ex moves come even close to doing) or significantly up the move's tactical application (his air roll being the only considerable choice). I would much rather use that meter for guard breaks or x-ray. Of course, I love having 1 bar when I finish a match so I can do his ex Choke in place of a fatality...
I've been messing around with Kano in practice for about 30 minutes now and as far as I can tell everything still applies. There is a noticeable gap between the knife throw and kanoball but it still seemed more than fast enough to serve its purpose, though it might not combo anymore if hitting an airborne opponent (though that was just a happy accident in the first place).
What do you mean when you say "rolling-tap"? I use that same technique, as far as going for the air grab after a jumpkick and doing the ground grab if blocked, but I'm not familiar with the rolling-tap.
As far as ex-moves go, Kano's x-ray is so powerful I try to avoid his ex-moves at all cost. I look at it this way: Kano's x-ray uses 3 bars and does 41% damage. Thus, for an ex move to be worth while it must either add around 13% damage to the attack (which none of his ex moves come even close to doing) or significantly up the move's tactical application (his air roll being the only considerable choice). I would much rather use that meter for guard breaks or x-ray. Of course, I love having 1 bar when I finish a match so I can do his ex Choke in place of a fatality...
boX
New member
i agree with you on saving meter for the xray, but it also serves a purpose with the EX air ball.
example: kano vs noob
if kano is to defeat noob, he needs to rely on getting over those shadows. kano doesn't possess a teleport, so he has to jump or dash block to get in on noob. you have a couple choices. if you EX the up ball, the ball will shoot up, then back down. effectively going over the shadow, but upon connecting with noob, will hit him at his feet. option 2 is to go airborn with a jump and then execute the ex roll. if you do the ex roll and connect with noob, you hit him then immediately do a grab. the grab will result in a takedown to the ground and you roll off him, but not too far. it allows you to immediately get in close and do your wakeup attacks you mentioned earlier in your posts! however, if you skip the ex air ball and just do a regular airball and connect with noob, the distance you place upon yourself and him once you rest is greater, making it harder to do your wakeup attacks you mentioned.
against noob, fat chance you're going to have many opportunities to do your xray, so this is a good oppoenent to use the meter for ex moves. now, against other characters, i would say save your meter for xray purposes. it's all a chess game that starts on the character selection screen. remember to always hide your character, even if your opponent is pretty sure you're selecting kano. it may just influence who they pick and who they pick may have more weaknesses against kano.
karaokelove
New member
Hey Danno, glad I could help. And Box, just wanted to let you know I literally just got out of a KOTH room with a noob player. I didn't have to result to ex moves and I caught him with every x-ray except once when he used his at the same time and his twin grabbed me from behind (that bastard...). I used the same tactics I use on all teleporters: I hung back counter-zoning until I got the opportunity to airball over his projectile. When I would get in close I would use my mixups. Noob literally has no defense against my mixup strategy and on the occasion where he would guess correctly I could block his attack and reset the mixup. I was on constant guard against his teleport, and sure enough he would get impatient and try to throw it in there. I would block and he would take 27% damage/port, not to mention I would be left on the offensive side of a wakeup game. The only thing I wasn't able to do with consistency was my jumpkick to air/ground throw because of Noob's excellent anti-air.