Kano thread - "One dead Lin Kuei, in a tick!"
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karaokelove
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Here is a consolidated post of all my Kano info. Enjoy!
I apologize for the video quality. They were taken from my iphone.
(Notation: B = Back, F = Forward, D = Down, U = Up, JP = Jump Punch, JK = Jump Kick)
Kano's Strengths:
Kano is a very versatile character. He can zone with his amazingly fast knife attack, he has an airthrow, fantastic rushdown/mindgame tactics, he can play a mean defense thanks to his wicked anti-air Upball, his sweep has deceptively long range and comes out fast, and he has one of the best X-Rays in the game (in my opinion). Though his kombo damage output isn't nearly as high as some other characters the overall damage of his moves and chains is above average. He also has one of the best personalities in the game. What other character spits on his opponents and calls them *****es?
Here are some specific strengths:
1. His sweep is fast and has very nice range. It can actually beat out several characters’ wakeup attacks. I have caught Scorpion mid-teleport many times with a simple sweep. Here's a short video showing his maximum sweep range from a dash:
2. His X-Ray is an unblockable throw attack that can reach across a 3rd of the screen (about half-screen with a dash) for 41% damage! What’s not to love?
3. His knife attack has very good recovery. You can actually use it to bait out certain attacks, only to block before they connect.
4. His Upball is a fantastic anti-air move. Use it liberally. It will frustrate most players.
5. His Airball is perfect for punishing zoners. Just jump over their projectile and slam into them.
[B}Kano's Weaknesses:[/B]
Kano's mixup game is not fantastic. His primary medium and low attacks have slow startups and can be dangerous to utilize. His primary zoning attack, the knife, can be ducked completely, and his other zoning attack, the Kanoball, can be punished on block. His kombo damage output is low compared to other characters, and the timing on his kombos is very stiff. His X-Ray, while fantastic, cannot be directly linked into, making it a risky maneuver in most cases. His wakeup game is pretty weak. Waking up with his Upball can frustrate some players but it can become very predictable, and I've found that it never seems to come out in time when I'm being rushed down. Kano can also have a rough time getting in on some characters. While his knife zoning attack is a good one, it can become very predictable. His Airball, while a fantastic move, never seems to go off when you need it to. His EX moves don't really seem worthwhile.
*A quick note regarding Kano's Meter Strategy
Considering how awesome Kano's X-Ray is (unblockable 41% damage with armor and nice range) there is pretty much no reason to use any of his EX Moves. His X-Ray does 41% over 3 bars, so for an EX more to be worthwhile it would need to add at least 13% damage to his move and/or provide an exceptional tactical benefit. None of his EX moves even come close to that damage addition, and the tactical applications of his EX moves are marginal at best. His EX Upball can be used to some benefit to get around zoning and his EX Kanoball can become unblockable (if you hold it for longer than any decent player will let you) but these uses pale in comparison to the power and utility of his X-Ray. Just having a full meter is enough to make savvy players think twice about getting in close with Kano. It is my opinion that you should never, ever, ever use one of Kano's EX moves.
Kano Basics
Fatality 1: B, D, B, F, 1 (sweep distance)
Fatality 2: D, D, F, B, 4 (sweep distance)
Stage Fatality: (Hold block) U, U (release block) B, 4
Babality: F, D, D, 3
Specials:
Kanoball: F, D, B, F; 11% damage
A very fast full-screen attack, this is one of Kano’s primary punishment tools. It can hit jumpers and duckers, and even catches some people out of their specials (like Mileena’s own ball roll). The EX version does 12% damage and can be charged to become unblockable.
Airball: F, D, B, F (in air); 8% damage
The same as his Kanoball, but it starts in the air and travels downward at an angle towards your opponent. It lacks the range of the Kanoball, but is a fantastic tool to punshing zoning techniques. The EX version adds an airthrow to the end of the attack, resulting in 16% damage, though the airthrow can be blocked. The easiest way to do the Airball command is to make it part of your jump. For example, if you are doing a forward jump into Airball you can input U-F, F, D, B, U, U-F (basically just a clockwise 360 degree motion starting with up-forward). Going into Airball from a back jump is a little trickier but uses the same principle. Just start the clockwise 360 degree from up-back.
Upball: D, F, 2; 11% damage
Kano’s primary anti-air attack. It shoots him forward at a steep upward angle. The EX version basically adds on an Airball to the end of the Upball’s animation, causing Kano to move in a “^” shape across the screen. This covers full-screen distance and can be used to avoid and punish zoning techniques. You can use it against an adjacent opponent to hit them twice for 13% damage.
Choke: D, F, 1; 9% damage
This move is better for demoralizing your opponent than anything else. A blockable command throw doesn’t really serve a whole lot of purpose. Some people have commented that you can use this attack during a chain if your opponent is blocking in order to push them away. I haven’t bothered messing with it so I can’t really comment on the practicality of that tactic. A few people have also commented on how it can be used to end a kombo so that your opponent remains at your feet without being able to roll. I'm going to start experimenting with this and will post some concrete info shortly.
Knife Throw: D, B, 2; 9% damage
Kano’s primary (only?) zoning tool. This move has decent start-up and recovery and can be a decent punishment option. Use it to bait your opponents from across the screen, to punish jumpers, or to outzone your opponent. The EX version tosses 2 Knives for 14% damage. This is also a fantastic tool to punish characters with dash attacks (like Reptile, Raiden, Kano, and Kabal) and anti-melee/parry attacks (like Kung Lao, Liu Kang, and Johnny Cage). If a player seems to be dash-crazy try to keep a knife between you and him, and he will typically dash right into it. Think of it as a pointy force field.
Airthrow: 9% damage
If you input Kano’s throw command while airborne he will attempt an Airthrow. When using Kano there should be no difference in your mind between a JK and an Airthrow. Anytime you use a jumpkick you should be Airthrowing. I’ve seen people posting that they use empty Airthrows from full-screen to build meter. This is absolutely ridiculous for the following reasons: The longer you’re airborne the more vulnerable you are, and it would take about 30 empty Airthrows to gain a single bar of meter. In contrast, the Knife Throw, even when blocked, builds a whole bar after only 8 attacks while keeping your opponent locked down AND dealing a total of 16% chip damage!
Normals:
Kano really only has 2 normals worth mentioning: His F3 is a low-hitting kick that can be used to start some chains. His B2 is an overhead that can be used to start some chains, though its severely slow start-up limits its utility.
Chains:
I’m only going to mention his worthwhile chains here. If you find a use for any not mentioned here, more power to you!
1-1: This is a quick poking attack that can help break up a rushdown offense. The damage is only 4% but that’s not really the point. You can actually do the full 1-1-2 chain, but typically the 1-1 will be sufficient.
F1-1: This has the same utility as the “1-1” chain but with a little more damage and range, while only marginally slower. It does 7% damage from just under sweep distance.
B1-1-2: This is arguably Kano’s primary offensive option. You will use this chain a LOT, so make sure to practice it over and over and over. It does 14% damage and ends with a ground bounce. 2 of these can be linked with a dash. See the “Kombos” section for more details.
2-1-2: This is used in most of the kombos you see on youtube. As a stand-alone chain you shouldn't mess with it, but it has its place in kombos, as seen below.
B2-F1: The first hit is a very slow overhead. This can be used on an opponent as they wake up if you think they will block low. Several uses for this chain are explained in the “Kombos” section.
F3-B2: The first hit is a low attack with deceptive range. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very close-quarters attack, but it does go further than it looks like it should. This is Kano’s only real mixup chain (as the B2-F1 chain is just too slow). Practice this chain until your fingers bleed, especially from a JP starter. When using this with a JP starter I always hold forward during the punch and F3. So my notation would be: FJP3-B2. Make this a habit.
B1-2: This will be your primary kombo-ender. Practice following it with an Upball. Because the "2" is used to initiate the Upball, all you have to do is press B1-2, D, F and the Upball will come out. Practice this until it's second nature.
I apologize for the video quality. They were taken from my iphone.
(Notation: B = Back, F = Forward, D = Down, U = Up, JP = Jump Punch, JK = Jump Kick)
Kano's Strengths:
Kano is a very versatile character. He can zone with his amazingly fast knife attack, he has an airthrow, fantastic rushdown/mindgame tactics, he can play a mean defense thanks to his wicked anti-air Upball, his sweep has deceptively long range and comes out fast, and he has one of the best X-Rays in the game (in my opinion). Though his kombo damage output isn't nearly as high as some other characters the overall damage of his moves and chains is above average. He also has one of the best personalities in the game. What other character spits on his opponents and calls them *****es?
Here are some specific strengths:
1. His sweep is fast and has very nice range. It can actually beat out several characters’ wakeup attacks. I have caught Scorpion mid-teleport many times with a simple sweep. Here's a short video showing his maximum sweep range from a dash:
2. His X-Ray is an unblockable throw attack that can reach across a 3rd of the screen (about half-screen with a dash) for 41% damage! What’s not to love?
3. His knife attack has very good recovery. You can actually use it to bait out certain attacks, only to block before they connect.
4. His Upball is a fantastic anti-air move. Use it liberally. It will frustrate most players.
5. His Airball is perfect for punishing zoners. Just jump over their projectile and slam into them.
[B}Kano's Weaknesses:[/B]
Kano's mixup game is not fantastic. His primary medium and low attacks have slow startups and can be dangerous to utilize. His primary zoning attack, the knife, can be ducked completely, and his other zoning attack, the Kanoball, can be punished on block. His kombo damage output is low compared to other characters, and the timing on his kombos is very stiff. His X-Ray, while fantastic, cannot be directly linked into, making it a risky maneuver in most cases. His wakeup game is pretty weak. Waking up with his Upball can frustrate some players but it can become very predictable, and I've found that it never seems to come out in time when I'm being rushed down. Kano can also have a rough time getting in on some characters. While his knife zoning attack is a good one, it can become very predictable. His Airball, while a fantastic move, never seems to go off when you need it to. His EX moves don't really seem worthwhile.
*A quick note regarding Kano's Meter Strategy
Considering how awesome Kano's X-Ray is (unblockable 41% damage with armor and nice range) there is pretty much no reason to use any of his EX Moves. His X-Ray does 41% over 3 bars, so for an EX more to be worthwhile it would need to add at least 13% damage to his move and/or provide an exceptional tactical benefit. None of his EX moves even come close to that damage addition, and the tactical applications of his EX moves are marginal at best. His EX Upball can be used to some benefit to get around zoning and his EX Kanoball can become unblockable (if you hold it for longer than any decent player will let you) but these uses pale in comparison to the power and utility of his X-Ray. Just having a full meter is enough to make savvy players think twice about getting in close with Kano. It is my opinion that you should never, ever, ever use one of Kano's EX moves.
Kano Basics
Fatality 1: B, D, B, F, 1 (sweep distance)
Fatality 2: D, D, F, B, 4 (sweep distance)
Stage Fatality: (Hold block) U, U (release block) B, 4
Babality: F, D, D, 3
Specials:
Kanoball: F, D, B, F; 11% damage
A very fast full-screen attack, this is one of Kano’s primary punishment tools. It can hit jumpers and duckers, and even catches some people out of their specials (like Mileena’s own ball roll). The EX version does 12% damage and can be charged to become unblockable.
Airball: F, D, B, F (in air); 8% damage
The same as his Kanoball, but it starts in the air and travels downward at an angle towards your opponent. It lacks the range of the Kanoball, but is a fantastic tool to punshing zoning techniques. The EX version adds an airthrow to the end of the attack, resulting in 16% damage, though the airthrow can be blocked. The easiest way to do the Airball command is to make it part of your jump. For example, if you are doing a forward jump into Airball you can input U-F, F, D, B, U, U-F (basically just a clockwise 360 degree motion starting with up-forward). Going into Airball from a back jump is a little trickier but uses the same principle. Just start the clockwise 360 degree from up-back.
Upball: D, F, 2; 11% damage
Kano’s primary anti-air attack. It shoots him forward at a steep upward angle. The EX version basically adds on an Airball to the end of the Upball’s animation, causing Kano to move in a “^” shape across the screen. This covers full-screen distance and can be used to avoid and punish zoning techniques. You can use it against an adjacent opponent to hit them twice for 13% damage.
Choke: D, F, 1; 9% damage
This move is better for demoralizing your opponent than anything else. A blockable command throw doesn’t really serve a whole lot of purpose. Some people have commented that you can use this attack during a chain if your opponent is blocking in order to push them away. I haven’t bothered messing with it so I can’t really comment on the practicality of that tactic. A few people have also commented on how it can be used to end a kombo so that your opponent remains at your feet without being able to roll. I'm going to start experimenting with this and will post some concrete info shortly.
Knife Throw: D, B, 2; 9% damage
Kano’s primary (only?) zoning tool. This move has decent start-up and recovery and can be a decent punishment option. Use it to bait your opponents from across the screen, to punish jumpers, or to outzone your opponent. The EX version tosses 2 Knives for 14% damage. This is also a fantastic tool to punish characters with dash attacks (like Reptile, Raiden, Kano, and Kabal) and anti-melee/parry attacks (like Kung Lao, Liu Kang, and Johnny Cage). If a player seems to be dash-crazy try to keep a knife between you and him, and he will typically dash right into it. Think of it as a pointy force field.
Airthrow: 9% damage
If you input Kano’s throw command while airborne he will attempt an Airthrow. When using Kano there should be no difference in your mind between a JK and an Airthrow. Anytime you use a jumpkick you should be Airthrowing. I’ve seen people posting that they use empty Airthrows from full-screen to build meter. This is absolutely ridiculous for the following reasons: The longer you’re airborne the more vulnerable you are, and it would take about 30 empty Airthrows to gain a single bar of meter. In contrast, the Knife Throw, even when blocked, builds a whole bar after only 8 attacks while keeping your opponent locked down AND dealing a total of 16% chip damage!
Normals:
Kano really only has 2 normals worth mentioning: His F3 is a low-hitting kick that can be used to start some chains. His B2 is an overhead that can be used to start some chains, though its severely slow start-up limits its utility.
Chains:
I’m only going to mention his worthwhile chains here. If you find a use for any not mentioned here, more power to you!
1-1: This is a quick poking attack that can help break up a rushdown offense. The damage is only 4% but that’s not really the point. You can actually do the full 1-1-2 chain, but typically the 1-1 will be sufficient.
F1-1: This has the same utility as the “1-1” chain but with a little more damage and range, while only marginally slower. It does 7% damage from just under sweep distance.
B1-1-2: This is arguably Kano’s primary offensive option. You will use this chain a LOT, so make sure to practice it over and over and over. It does 14% damage and ends with a ground bounce. 2 of these can be linked with a dash. See the “Kombos” section for more details.
2-1-2: This is used in most of the kombos you see on youtube. As a stand-alone chain you shouldn't mess with it, but it has its place in kombos, as seen below.
B2-F1: The first hit is a very slow overhead. This can be used on an opponent as they wake up if you think they will block low. Several uses for this chain are explained in the “Kombos” section.
F3-B2: The first hit is a low attack with deceptive range. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very close-quarters attack, but it does go further than it looks like it should. This is Kano’s only real mixup chain (as the B2-F1 chain is just too slow). Practice this chain until your fingers bleed, especially from a JP starter. When using this with a JP starter I always hold forward during the punch and F3. So my notation would be: FJP3-B2. Make this a habit.
B1-2: This will be your primary kombo-ender. Practice following it with an Upball. Because the "2" is used to initiate the Upball, all you have to do is press B1-2, D, F and the Upball will come out. Practice this until it's second nature.
Last edited:
karaokelove
New member
Kano's Kombos
Kano's kombos are actually tough to pull off, being almost impossible in a laggy online match. They all require very strict timing and if you're not careful you can end up doing his Choke move by accident (particularly when performing the Upball command). Kano is just not a kombo-oriented character. Most of your damage is going to come from short bursts of offense. Regardless, here are some of his bnb kombos:
1. JP, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, Upball (11 Hit, 33% Damage)
There’s really no reason to ever use this kombo. It’s one of the easiest kombos to whiff. The timing is incredibly strict and will require hours of practice to get it anywhere close to consistent. You’re better off using one of the other kombos listed.
2. JP, b1-1-2, dash, b1-1-2, Kano Ball (8 Hit, 34% Damage)
You have to input the dash near the end of the first chain just before his downward slash meets the ground. With a little practice this will be second nature. Don't try to input the 2nd b1-1-2 chain too soon after the dash. Let the dash complete and go for it. The Kano Ball at the end can be difficult to connect with. For a more reliable version with slightly less damage, use kombo #3.
3. JP, b1-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (7 Hit, 32% Damage)
This is my go-to kombo for online play. It's great for punishing teleporters! You can also replace the Upball with a thrown Knife if you want to keep your opponent close by for slightly less damage. Because “2” is the input for Upball, you don’t have to press it twice in this kombo. You can literally press b1-2, D, F and your Upball will come out.
4. (submitted by Daggerfall) JP, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (10 Hit, 34% damage)
This is a variation on kombo #1. It’s fewer hits but with more damage, making it the better choice. It’s a little easier to connect with but will still require tons of practice to get it consistent. The 2nd 2-1-2 chain just has such a small window of opportunity that it can be frustrating to connect with. I recommend kombo #5 as a more viable option.
5. (submitted by Daggerfall) JP, b1-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (10 Hit, 37% damage)
This is pretty much my new favorite kombo. Usually it is tough to connect with the 212 but it’s a little easier when following the b112. You just have to be patient with your dash. If you input the 2-1-2 chain too early, it will interrupt your dash and you will be out of range to complete the kombo. Also remember that you don’t have to complete the entire Upball command at the end of the kombo. See kombo #3 for details. I plan to make this my new go-to kombo for online play.
Kano is limited when it comes to getting his kombos started. The jump punches mentioned in the above kombos are a standard method. Here's one more to consider:
F3-B2 (2 Hit, 9% Damage)
This is a good starter because the first hit is low and the 2nd hit launches. It is best followed up with dash, 2-1-2, dash, B1-2 Up Ball for a 9 Hit, 34% Damage kombo, as seen in this video:
If you have trouble connecting with the 2-1-2 chain, or are in a particularly laggy match, you might be better off following it with dash, b1-2, Upball for a 6-hit 30% damage kombo. This is much easier to connect with and you only lose 4% damage. It just depends on how comfortable you are connecting the 2-1-2 chain.
The range on the low-hitting F3 is deceptively long. If you dash before using it you can hit your opponent from outside sweep distance.
This can be a very tricky maneuver if you link into it from a JP (as seen in the video above) because the JP will hit low-blockers and the F3 will hit high-blockers.
Connecting with Teleport
Kano can have a hard time connecting his kombos against teleporters. After you block a teleport attack your opponent is usually hovering in the air for a few seconds. If you start your kombo too early most of it will whiff. You'll want to wait for your opponent to fall. Start your kombo just as they touch the ground but before they can block. This way you will be able to get off the entire kombo. Your best option to punish a blocked teleport is to use kombo #5 without the JP starter (just b1-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball). You can also catch your opponent in your X-Ray and there’s nothing they can do about it. Just like the kombo, though, if it’s used too early it will whiff. I see a lot of people doing uppercuts to punish blocked teleports and it makes me sad. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to bust out a 34%-damage kombo or 41%-damage X-ray to punish a teleport!
Mixups and Mind Games
When using Kano as a rushdown character it is very important to get comfortable with his awesome set of mind games. I call this the Paper Rock Scissors method because your opponent has no choice but to guess how to defend. It is important to note that Kano’s rushdown tactics only apply to characters without a strong wakeup attack (like Kung Lao and Nightwolf). My favorite way to start up Paper Rock Scissors is from a JK Airthrow. Here is what you can do anytime you initiate an offensive wakeup game against your opponent (from just outside sweep range or closer):
1. Dash in and sweep. (low)
This can be used to train your opponent to block low, setting up your other choices for success. It also has amazing range. Because of its range and speed Kano's dashing sweep can be used to initiate Paper Rock Scissors all by itself.
2. Dash in, B2-F1, Upball. (overhead, no dash needed; 3 Hit, 21% Damage)
You want to start the overhead well before your opponent starts to wake up, as it has a very slow startup. You can use this when you have trained your opponent to block low, or if your opponent is a low-blocker by nature. Be careful because if you input the Upball command too fast, you might end up doing a Choke instead. Don't dash after a sweep as there is no need. You can literally spam B2 as you sweep an opponent in order to hit them as soon as they are able to be hit.
3. Dash-Jump in (input the dash command and immediately jump) and initiate the following kombo: JP, F3-B2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball. This is a 9-hit 34% kombo that hits Medium, Low, and High. It can be VERY difficult to deal with, especially during Paper Rock Scissors. If you get the Dash-Jump down, your JP should connect at the exact moment your opponent is able to be hit. This is almost always a good choice. The great thing is you can abuse it as much as you want. It your opponent starts to catch on you can just use one of the other Paper Rock Scissors options. It is best used from sweep distance or further (with a dash-jump), making it the perfect choice to follow an Upball. You will know you’ve done the Dash-Jump correctly when you hear the dashing sound effect but you don’t really see Kano dash. You will notice that his JP gains a nice bit of range, though. Again, if you have trouble connecting with the 2-1-2 chain, or are in a particularly laggy match, you can use JP, f3-b2, dash, b1-2, Upball for a 6-hit 30% damage kombo. Here’s a short video showing this option in action:
4. Dash in and throw. (unblockable)
Use this when you are sure your opponent is going to block but you’re not sure if it will be high or low or just to mix things up. Be careful because the recovery on the throw is fairly slow making it difficult to maintain offensive pressure after throwing your opponent.
5. Dash in and start your b1-1-2, dash, b1-1 Upball kombo. (medium)
This should be reserved for when you have already caught your opponent with the other choices a few times. Once they’re flustered they will usually try to attack mid-chain, allowing you to get off most of the kombo. Option #3 is usually a better choice, though.
6. X-Ray (unblockable, no dash needed)
The range on Kano's X-Ray borders on retarded and will definitely catch even veteran players off guard. Unless your opponent is in the corner, you would have to follow your Upball with 1 dash to connect with your X-Ray and your Kano Ball with 2 dashes to connect. Watch out for delayed wakeup or you'll waste your X-Ray.
Usually you can train your opponent to block low by getting in 2 dashing sweeps. The 3rd attack can be the overhead kombo. You can toss in a throw just to mix things up, and the dash, b1-1-2 kombo is good for keeping pressure up. You can never go wrong with option 3. Kano just got his low attack with the recent patch and it’s your job to abuse it! If you’re lucky, your opponent will continue to guess wrong and you can take him out completely using only Paper Rock Scissors.
Here’s a short video demonstrating Paper Rock Scissors
You can see how fast and relentless the Paper Rock Scissors assault is. With such a mix of high, low, medium, and unblockable attacks coming out at random your opponent has no choice but to guess when to block or attempt to counter.
Kano's kombos are actually tough to pull off, being almost impossible in a laggy online match. They all require very strict timing and if you're not careful you can end up doing his Choke move by accident (particularly when performing the Upball command). Kano is just not a kombo-oriented character. Most of your damage is going to come from short bursts of offense. Regardless, here are some of his bnb kombos:
1. JP, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, Upball (11 Hit, 33% Damage)
There’s really no reason to ever use this kombo. It’s one of the easiest kombos to whiff. The timing is incredibly strict and will require hours of practice to get it anywhere close to consistent. You’re better off using one of the other kombos listed.
2. JP, b1-1-2, dash, b1-1-2, Kano Ball (8 Hit, 34% Damage)
You have to input the dash near the end of the first chain just before his downward slash meets the ground. With a little practice this will be second nature. Don't try to input the 2nd b1-1-2 chain too soon after the dash. Let the dash complete and go for it. The Kano Ball at the end can be difficult to connect with. For a more reliable version with slightly less damage, use kombo #3.
3. JP, b1-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (7 Hit, 32% Damage)
This is my go-to kombo for online play. It's great for punishing teleporters! You can also replace the Upball with a thrown Knife if you want to keep your opponent close by for slightly less damage. Because “2” is the input for Upball, you don’t have to press it twice in this kombo. You can literally press b1-2, D, F and your Upball will come out.
4. (submitted by Daggerfall) JP, 2-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (10 Hit, 34% damage)
This is a variation on kombo #1. It’s fewer hits but with more damage, making it the better choice. It’s a little easier to connect with but will still require tons of practice to get it consistent. The 2nd 2-1-2 chain just has such a small window of opportunity that it can be frustrating to connect with. I recommend kombo #5 as a more viable option.
5. (submitted by Daggerfall) JP, b1-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball (10 Hit, 37% damage)
This is pretty much my new favorite kombo. Usually it is tough to connect with the 212 but it’s a little easier when following the b112. You just have to be patient with your dash. If you input the 2-1-2 chain too early, it will interrupt your dash and you will be out of range to complete the kombo. Also remember that you don’t have to complete the entire Upball command at the end of the kombo. See kombo #3 for details. I plan to make this my new go-to kombo for online play.
Kano is limited when it comes to getting his kombos started. The jump punches mentioned in the above kombos are a standard method. Here's one more to consider:
F3-B2 (2 Hit, 9% Damage)
This is a good starter because the first hit is low and the 2nd hit launches. It is best followed up with dash, 2-1-2, dash, B1-2 Up Ball for a 9 Hit, 34% Damage kombo, as seen in this video:
If you have trouble connecting with the 2-1-2 chain, or are in a particularly laggy match, you might be better off following it with dash, b1-2, Upball for a 6-hit 30% damage kombo. This is much easier to connect with and you only lose 4% damage. It just depends on how comfortable you are connecting the 2-1-2 chain.
The range on the low-hitting F3 is deceptively long. If you dash before using it you can hit your opponent from outside sweep distance.
This can be a very tricky maneuver if you link into it from a JP (as seen in the video above) because the JP will hit low-blockers and the F3 will hit high-blockers.
Connecting with Teleport
Kano can have a hard time connecting his kombos against teleporters. After you block a teleport attack your opponent is usually hovering in the air for a few seconds. If you start your kombo too early most of it will whiff. You'll want to wait for your opponent to fall. Start your kombo just as they touch the ground but before they can block. This way you will be able to get off the entire kombo. Your best option to punish a blocked teleport is to use kombo #5 without the JP starter (just b1-1-2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball). You can also catch your opponent in your X-Ray and there’s nothing they can do about it. Just like the kombo, though, if it’s used too early it will whiff. I see a lot of people doing uppercuts to punish blocked teleports and it makes me sad. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to bust out a 34%-damage kombo or 41%-damage X-ray to punish a teleport!
Mixups and Mind Games
When using Kano as a rushdown character it is very important to get comfortable with his awesome set of mind games. I call this the Paper Rock Scissors method because your opponent has no choice but to guess how to defend. It is important to note that Kano’s rushdown tactics only apply to characters without a strong wakeup attack (like Kung Lao and Nightwolf). My favorite way to start up Paper Rock Scissors is from a JK Airthrow. Here is what you can do anytime you initiate an offensive wakeup game against your opponent (from just outside sweep range or closer):
1. Dash in and sweep. (low)
This can be used to train your opponent to block low, setting up your other choices for success. It also has amazing range. Because of its range and speed Kano's dashing sweep can be used to initiate Paper Rock Scissors all by itself.
2. Dash in, B2-F1, Upball. (overhead, no dash needed; 3 Hit, 21% Damage)
You want to start the overhead well before your opponent starts to wake up, as it has a very slow startup. You can use this when you have trained your opponent to block low, or if your opponent is a low-blocker by nature. Be careful because if you input the Upball command too fast, you might end up doing a Choke instead. Don't dash after a sweep as there is no need. You can literally spam B2 as you sweep an opponent in order to hit them as soon as they are able to be hit.
3. Dash-Jump in (input the dash command and immediately jump) and initiate the following kombo: JP, F3-B2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball. This is a 9-hit 34% kombo that hits Medium, Low, and High. It can be VERY difficult to deal with, especially during Paper Rock Scissors. If you get the Dash-Jump down, your JP should connect at the exact moment your opponent is able to be hit. This is almost always a good choice. The great thing is you can abuse it as much as you want. It your opponent starts to catch on you can just use one of the other Paper Rock Scissors options. It is best used from sweep distance or further (with a dash-jump), making it the perfect choice to follow an Upball. You will know you’ve done the Dash-Jump correctly when you hear the dashing sound effect but you don’t really see Kano dash. You will notice that his JP gains a nice bit of range, though. Again, if you have trouble connecting with the 2-1-2 chain, or are in a particularly laggy match, you can use JP, f3-b2, dash, b1-2, Upball for a 6-hit 30% damage kombo. Here’s a short video showing this option in action:
4. Dash in and throw. (unblockable)
Use this when you are sure your opponent is going to block but you’re not sure if it will be high or low or just to mix things up. Be careful because the recovery on the throw is fairly slow making it difficult to maintain offensive pressure after throwing your opponent.
5. Dash in and start your b1-1-2, dash, b1-1 Upball kombo. (medium)
This should be reserved for when you have already caught your opponent with the other choices a few times. Once they’re flustered they will usually try to attack mid-chain, allowing you to get off most of the kombo. Option #3 is usually a better choice, though.
6. X-Ray (unblockable, no dash needed)
The range on Kano's X-Ray borders on retarded and will definitely catch even veteran players off guard. Unless your opponent is in the corner, you would have to follow your Upball with 1 dash to connect with your X-Ray and your Kano Ball with 2 dashes to connect. Watch out for delayed wakeup or you'll waste your X-Ray.
Usually you can train your opponent to block low by getting in 2 dashing sweeps. The 3rd attack can be the overhead kombo. You can toss in a throw just to mix things up, and the dash, b1-1-2 kombo is good for keeping pressure up. You can never go wrong with option 3. Kano just got his low attack with the recent patch and it’s your job to abuse it! If you’re lucky, your opponent will continue to guess wrong and you can take him out completely using only Paper Rock Scissors.
Here’s a short video demonstrating Paper Rock Scissors
You can see how fast and relentless the Paper Rock Scissors assault is. With such a mix of high, low, medium, and unblockable attacks coming out at random your opponent has no choice but to guess when to block or attempt to counter.
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karaokelove
New member
Matchup Tactics
1. Vs Zoners:
Kano has several viable options for dealing with zoning. For one, his own zoning tool, the knife, has enough recovery speed to get it out and still block their projectile in most cases. (I’m working on a list of projectiles that can be countered in this manner.) If the recovery on your opponent’s attack is long enough you can jump the projectile and slam them with an Airball. Once you are able to close the distance on a strong zoning character don’t let up. Stick right next to them and keep up the pressure. This is where the Paper Rock Scissors maneuver really shines.
2. Vs Rushdown:
Against speedy rushdown characters like Johnny Cage and Liu Kang you need to be able to control the distance between you and your opponent. This is fairly easy for a good Kano player to accomplish. Keep your distance and zone with knives. When they try to close the gap use Airball to keep them at bay. If they ever jump you can try to catch them with a knife or Kanoball. Depending on their wakeup potential you can try to initiate Paper Rock Scissors. One tactic I like to use is to dash forward at the same time as them, and sweep. This is effective for a number of reasons:
1) It’s deceptive. It allows you to sweep your opponent from almost full screen. Most people know Kano has no ranged low attacks, so it really catches people off guard.
2) It’s almost impossible to dodge. If your opponent is dashing forward that means they are thinking about advancing, not blocking low.
3) It throws off your opponent and initiates Paper Rock Scissors.
The kombo options of Paper Rock Scissors (#3 & #5) work well because most rushdown players want to get right back to rushing you down and won’t want to stay on defense throughout the kombo. Once you have enough meter for an X-Ray, watch your opponent and see how they react. If they seem to back off then you can hold on to your X-Ray as kind of a bargaining chip to keep them at bay. If they don’t seem to change tactics then they most likely don’t realize how dangerous Kano’s X-Ray is to a rushdown character and you should use it at the earliest opportunity.
3. Vs Teleporters:
Kano can really give teleporters a rough time. The recovery on his knife is fantastic and you’ll want to use this to your advantage. Bait your opponent with a knife (teleporters love to punish projectiles with teleport) and block. If you’re fighting Scorpion, Ermac, Sektor, Mileena, or Noob you can connect a kombo. If you’re fighting Kung Lao, Raiden, or Cyrax you’ll want to get off an Upball real quick. Be careful with Cyrax because you can actually do the Upball too early and whiff. Smoke is the only character I’ve found to be fast enough to punish the knife. I’ll get into fighting him in his own section. You can also catch most teleporters with Kano’s sweep when they’re trying to wake up. Overall, just always be on the lookout for the teleport, and be prepared to react to it. Don’t get overly aggressive or you’ll eat some damage. (*I need to test the theories in this particular section. Due to the recent patch Kano’s Knife Throw might not be able to bait out as many teleports as it once was. His Upball also might not be able to punish as many teleports as it once was. I’ll be sure to update this section soon, and any concrete information you can provide on the topic is appreciated. Thanks.)
4. Vs Blockers:
One of Kano’s main tools is his airthrow. Follow up every jumpkick with an airthrow. When your jumpkick is blocked just spam the throw command until you land. Unless you’re fighting a pro you’re throw will succeed. (Some characters can punish this tactic, such as Nightwolf. I’ll as a specific list as soon as I get the info.) Get in the habit of doing this with every jumpkick. Against players who just don’t seem to let go of the block button, dash in and sweep from max range. If they like to block low you can use a JP starter or use a dashing B2 overhead from max range. You can also feel free to hang back and pelt them with knives for chip damage, forcing them to come to you, though if they let go of block they can duck the knives completely. The JP, F3-B2 combo is also hard to blockers to deal with because it hits Medium and Low! This is probably your best option.
5. Vs Parry
Parry can mess with Kano's game pretty bad especially since the Knife nerf. If you try to get too aggressive you will end up eating damage. When facing a character with Parry (Liu Kang, Cyber Sub Zero, and Johnny Cage) you have to rely on Kano's defensive game. You can also try to bait out a parry by dashing in (particularly during wakeup) and throwing a knife instead of attacking. In fact, knife throw, even at short and medium range, can be a good tactic if your opponent seems to be parry-oriented. Once you have trained him to not parry as much, you can up the offense a bit.
5. Vs Dangerous Wakeup (Full list of specific characters coming soon)
Kano has to change up his entire strategy when fighting someone with a quick wakeup attack, like Kung Lao or Nightwolf. These attacks can completely negate the Paper Rock Scissors maneuver, severely limiting Kano's offensive options. Your best bet with these characters is to play defense, let them make mistakes, and punish those mistakes. One trick I like to use is to bait out their wakeup moves and punish accordingly. When you knock them to the ground you can dash in like you're about to initiate Paper Rock Scissors, but block at the last second instead of attacking. More often than not this will coax out a punishable move from your opponent. Just try not to get predictable or you'll eat a throw or sweep.
General Strategies
The first thing you should learn with any character is how to block. When moving in on your opponent from long range try wavedashing rather than jumping. For those who don’t know, wavedashing means blocking, dashing, blocking, dashing, and so on so that you are gaining ground but maintaining a defensive stance. Not only is wavedashing the safest way to close the gap on your opponent, it can be used to bait out attacks. If you’re not attacking you should be blocking. The only real exception to this is against characters with unblockable attacks such as Scorpion, Ermac, and Jax. With the exception of those cases, however, mobility will rarely outweigh defense. Keeping these defensive tidbits in mind, here are a few ways Kano can be played:
1. Aggressive
Kano can be played very aggressively. Against opponents without a dangerous wakeup attack you will want to stick to them at all times. Don’t let them outside of sweep distance if you can help it. Don’t let up the pressure and try to keep them in Paper Rock Scissors the entire match. If you find yourself at a distance try to bait out attacks with your knife throw or a wavedash.
2. Defensive
Kano makes an excellent defensive character. He can easily hang back tossing knives and Upballing to keep his opponent out. He has excellent tools to punish an opponent's mistakes. I have won many matches (particularly against teleporters) by waiting them out and punishing their mistakes. The important thing is to remain patient and know when it’s safe to counter. Even when playing defensively it’s important to take full advantage of your opportunities. Turn up the heat when you gain an advantage. Learn how to bait attacks with wavedashes. You need to practice being able to fully punish any mistake made by your opponent.
3. Tactical
This is really where you want your Kano to be. Once you master his Aggressive game and his Defensive game, you want to be able to switch between them as the situation calls for it. You want to be able to fight your opponent on your terms, so if you are being outmaneuvered you need to change your maneuver. Kano greatest strength is his versatility, so your opponent should never be able to beat you without changing strategies a few times throughout a match. If your rushdown tactics are getting punished, fall back on your solid defense. If you find yourself being outzoned, close the gap and turn up the pressure.
One Last Maneuver: Wavedash Baiting
Sometimes even Kano's knife doesn't have the recovery needed to punish an attack, like Smoke's teleport. In these cases wavedash baiting can go a very long way. Against most teleporters you can coax out a teleport by dashing. You'll have to learn to get a feel for when you can do this, but by wavedashing at random intervals you can throw off most opponents. The “random intervals” is the important part. Just make sure you are fully prepared to punish whatever comes your way. This method also works very well on characters with dash attacks, like the Kanoball, Kabal's dash move, Reptile's doubledash, or Sub Zero's slide. For any low dashing attacks (like the slide), be prepared to block low, which is only a little trickier when wavedashing. With some experience you will learn to bait out and punish almost any attack in the game with a wavedash!
That’s it for now. I’ll definitely be putting more work into this post as time goes on via updates and additions, so please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes or if you have any comments/suggestions/questions. I’m going to start on a character-specific Kano guide that I should have posted in a bit. If you have any advice on how to fight specific characters with Kano, please post and I can incorporate them into the guide. Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum! You have enhanced my Kano game tremendously!
1. Vs Zoners:
Kano has several viable options for dealing with zoning. For one, his own zoning tool, the knife, has enough recovery speed to get it out and still block their projectile in most cases. (I’m working on a list of projectiles that can be countered in this manner.) If the recovery on your opponent’s attack is long enough you can jump the projectile and slam them with an Airball. Once you are able to close the distance on a strong zoning character don’t let up. Stick right next to them and keep up the pressure. This is where the Paper Rock Scissors maneuver really shines.
2. Vs Rushdown:
Against speedy rushdown characters like Johnny Cage and Liu Kang you need to be able to control the distance between you and your opponent. This is fairly easy for a good Kano player to accomplish. Keep your distance and zone with knives. When they try to close the gap use Airball to keep them at bay. If they ever jump you can try to catch them with a knife or Kanoball. Depending on their wakeup potential you can try to initiate Paper Rock Scissors. One tactic I like to use is to dash forward at the same time as them, and sweep. This is effective for a number of reasons:
1) It’s deceptive. It allows you to sweep your opponent from almost full screen. Most people know Kano has no ranged low attacks, so it really catches people off guard.
2) It’s almost impossible to dodge. If your opponent is dashing forward that means they are thinking about advancing, not blocking low.
3) It throws off your opponent and initiates Paper Rock Scissors.
The kombo options of Paper Rock Scissors (#3 & #5) work well because most rushdown players want to get right back to rushing you down and won’t want to stay on defense throughout the kombo. Once you have enough meter for an X-Ray, watch your opponent and see how they react. If they seem to back off then you can hold on to your X-Ray as kind of a bargaining chip to keep them at bay. If they don’t seem to change tactics then they most likely don’t realize how dangerous Kano’s X-Ray is to a rushdown character and you should use it at the earliest opportunity.
3. Vs Teleporters:
Kano can really give teleporters a rough time. The recovery on his knife is fantastic and you’ll want to use this to your advantage. Bait your opponent with a knife (teleporters love to punish projectiles with teleport) and block. If you’re fighting Scorpion, Ermac, Sektor, Mileena, or Noob you can connect a kombo. If you’re fighting Kung Lao, Raiden, or Cyrax you’ll want to get off an Upball real quick. Be careful with Cyrax because you can actually do the Upball too early and whiff. Smoke is the only character I’ve found to be fast enough to punish the knife. I’ll get into fighting him in his own section. You can also catch most teleporters with Kano’s sweep when they’re trying to wake up. Overall, just always be on the lookout for the teleport, and be prepared to react to it. Don’t get overly aggressive or you’ll eat some damage. (*I need to test the theories in this particular section. Due to the recent patch Kano’s Knife Throw might not be able to bait out as many teleports as it once was. His Upball also might not be able to punish as many teleports as it once was. I’ll be sure to update this section soon, and any concrete information you can provide on the topic is appreciated. Thanks.)
4. Vs Blockers:
One of Kano’s main tools is his airthrow. Follow up every jumpkick with an airthrow. When your jumpkick is blocked just spam the throw command until you land. Unless you’re fighting a pro you’re throw will succeed. (Some characters can punish this tactic, such as Nightwolf. I’ll as a specific list as soon as I get the info.) Get in the habit of doing this with every jumpkick. Against players who just don’t seem to let go of the block button, dash in and sweep from max range. If they like to block low you can use a JP starter or use a dashing B2 overhead from max range. You can also feel free to hang back and pelt them with knives for chip damage, forcing them to come to you, though if they let go of block they can duck the knives completely. The JP, F3-B2 combo is also hard to blockers to deal with because it hits Medium and Low! This is probably your best option.
5. Vs Parry
Parry can mess with Kano's game pretty bad especially since the Knife nerf. If you try to get too aggressive you will end up eating damage. When facing a character with Parry (Liu Kang, Cyber Sub Zero, and Johnny Cage) you have to rely on Kano's defensive game. You can also try to bait out a parry by dashing in (particularly during wakeup) and throwing a knife instead of attacking. In fact, knife throw, even at short and medium range, can be a good tactic if your opponent seems to be parry-oriented. Once you have trained him to not parry as much, you can up the offense a bit.
5. Vs Dangerous Wakeup (Full list of specific characters coming soon)
Kano has to change up his entire strategy when fighting someone with a quick wakeup attack, like Kung Lao or Nightwolf. These attacks can completely negate the Paper Rock Scissors maneuver, severely limiting Kano's offensive options. Your best bet with these characters is to play defense, let them make mistakes, and punish those mistakes. One trick I like to use is to bait out their wakeup moves and punish accordingly. When you knock them to the ground you can dash in like you're about to initiate Paper Rock Scissors, but block at the last second instead of attacking. More often than not this will coax out a punishable move from your opponent. Just try not to get predictable or you'll eat a throw or sweep.
General Strategies
The first thing you should learn with any character is how to block. When moving in on your opponent from long range try wavedashing rather than jumping. For those who don’t know, wavedashing means blocking, dashing, blocking, dashing, and so on so that you are gaining ground but maintaining a defensive stance. Not only is wavedashing the safest way to close the gap on your opponent, it can be used to bait out attacks. If you’re not attacking you should be blocking. The only real exception to this is against characters with unblockable attacks such as Scorpion, Ermac, and Jax. With the exception of those cases, however, mobility will rarely outweigh defense. Keeping these defensive tidbits in mind, here are a few ways Kano can be played:
1. Aggressive
Kano can be played very aggressively. Against opponents without a dangerous wakeup attack you will want to stick to them at all times. Don’t let them outside of sweep distance if you can help it. Don’t let up the pressure and try to keep them in Paper Rock Scissors the entire match. If you find yourself at a distance try to bait out attacks with your knife throw or a wavedash.
2. Defensive
Kano makes an excellent defensive character. He can easily hang back tossing knives and Upballing to keep his opponent out. He has excellent tools to punish an opponent's mistakes. I have won many matches (particularly against teleporters) by waiting them out and punishing their mistakes. The important thing is to remain patient and know when it’s safe to counter. Even when playing defensively it’s important to take full advantage of your opportunities. Turn up the heat when you gain an advantage. Learn how to bait attacks with wavedashes. You need to practice being able to fully punish any mistake made by your opponent.
3. Tactical
This is really where you want your Kano to be. Once you master his Aggressive game and his Defensive game, you want to be able to switch between them as the situation calls for it. You want to be able to fight your opponent on your terms, so if you are being outmaneuvered you need to change your maneuver. Kano greatest strength is his versatility, so your opponent should never be able to beat you without changing strategies a few times throughout a match. If your rushdown tactics are getting punished, fall back on your solid defense. If you find yourself being outzoned, close the gap and turn up the pressure.
One Last Maneuver: Wavedash Baiting
Sometimes even Kano's knife doesn't have the recovery needed to punish an attack, like Smoke's teleport. In these cases wavedash baiting can go a very long way. Against most teleporters you can coax out a teleport by dashing. You'll have to learn to get a feel for when you can do this, but by wavedashing at random intervals you can throw off most opponents. The “random intervals” is the important part. Just make sure you are fully prepared to punish whatever comes your way. This method also works very well on characters with dash attacks, like the Kanoball, Kabal's dash move, Reptile's doubledash, or Sub Zero's slide. For any low dashing attacks (like the slide), be prepared to block low, which is only a little trickier when wavedashing. With some experience you will learn to bait out and punish almost any attack in the game with a wavedash!
That’s it for now. I’ll definitely be putting more work into this post as time goes on via updates and additions, so please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes or if you have any comments/suggestions/questions. I’m going to start on a character-specific Kano guide that I should have posted in a bit. If you have any advice on how to fight specific characters with Kano, please post and I can incorporate them into the guide. Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum! You have enhanced my Kano game tremendously!
karaokelove
New member
Alright, there it is. That should be the last iteration of my Kano guide until I get the character-specific strategies down. I hope you find it helpful!
karaokelove
New member
That will definitely be covered in my character-specific guide. Kanoball is a good way to punish a Shake-oriented Smoke player. You shouldn't rely on your knives too much against Smoke, anyway, because he can punish them with teleport almost 100% of the time.
aedanwolfe
New member
the way i look at it is you have better mixups with an actual low then smoke does with no lows. you should be able to outpressure him id think.
Nocturne
New member
Wow, very impressive write up, Karaokelover.
I play exactly the same way with Kano, and I have to agree on everything you said. His offensive wake up game is brutally effective against most match ups, and against the others you can simply play defensively and zone them. Only difference is I hardly use his sweep, but prefer the F33. Dunno why but to me it just feels more natural, and it's closer to his F3B2 launcher as well. It helps to train my opponent to block low as well, making the overheads and grabs easier to pull off. F33 tends to hit them even if they try jumping to evade a sweep (they'll jump the first kick but the second will often still catch them).
Again, excellent write up and very helpful to the Kano community.
+rep for you mate.
I play exactly the same way with Kano, and I have to agree on everything you said. His offensive wake up game is brutally effective against most match ups, and against the others you can simply play defensively and zone them. Only difference is I hardly use his sweep, but prefer the F33. Dunno why but to me it just feels more natural, and it's closer to his F3B2 launcher as well. It helps to train my opponent to block low as well, making the overheads and grabs easier to pull off. F33 tends to hit them even if they try jumping to evade a sweep (they'll jump the first kick but the second will often still catch them).
Again, excellent write up and very helpful to the Kano community.
+rep for you mate.
karaokelove
New member
Thanks a lot, Nocturne! I do think that if you experiment with his sweep a bit more it will really add to your arsenal. He was one of the best sweeps in the game and it would be a shame not to utilize it! The f3-3 is a good low and easy enough to pull off, but it doesn't really link into anything, making it more of a poke than anything else. One thing a guy mentioned in the Test Your Might forums is using b1 to initiate a tick throw. My xbox is in repair so I haven't been able to test it out, but apparently you can follow up b1 with a throw very easily. If it works like the guys says (and he's had very good info so far...) then it could be a very dangerous maneuver.
boX
New member
I agree with using his sweep a lot. It's very good.
Something I've touched on a bit before with you is his EX air roll. I know you said you don't like to use EX moves for Kano, but really, you should incorporate it.
If you hit someone with an mid-air roll, it will push them and you far away from each other, placing Kano so far away that he has to work at getting in again. If you do the EX mid-air roll (16% dmg), it easily reaches your 13% dmg threshold and also, after he grabs/lands the opponent, he rolls off and remains in tight with them. This IMMEDIATELY allows you to go into paper/rock/scissors attack mode.
It's a fantastic move that provides good damage, excellent setup afterwards, looks cool and he calls them a b*tch.
Nocturne
New member
True, the recovery on his B1 is quick enough you can use it as a simple poke and follow up with a grab. The advantage is that people will tend to block since it looks like you're starting a combo. I've found if you keep up the pressure with RPS (rock paper scissor) there is seldom need to incorporate the poke though, since they're most likely blocking low 9/10 after a few sweeps and/or F3B2's. Just dash in and grab.
I used to do his EX airball a lot to punish projectiles or zoners, but lately I've switched to using the EX upball. That's just my own ineptitude with the move though. No matter how much I train and try, I still can't seem to get the move to come out consistently. I suppose making the command D3 like a dive kick instead of FDBF was too much to ask? *sigh* ( <- personal pet peeve, just ignore me. lol)
I used to do his EX airball a lot to punish projectiles or zoners, but lately I've switched to using the EX upball. That's just my own ineptitude with the move though. No matter how much I train and try, I still can't seem to get the move to come out consistently. I suppose making the command D3 like a dive kick instead of FDBF was too much to ask? *sigh* ( <- personal pet peeve, just ignore me. lol)
karaokelove
New member
When I talk about the 13% making Kano's EX moves worth it, I mean it would have to add 13% to the damage they already do. In the case of his Airball it adds 8% damage. It's true that Kano's balls knock his opponents pretty far away (and I mean that in the dirtiest sense possible...) but there are still options available for keeping up offense. A "dash-jump" (covered in the guide) JP, f3-b2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball will easily catch people from that range, it's very difficult to block, and it does 34% damage. If you really want to keep your opponent close by I would recommend ending your kombo with a knife throw. It does decent damage, it will keep your opponent at your feet, and it won't waste any of Kano's precious meter.
And to Nocturne, I can never get my Airball to come out when I want it to, either. It's a fantastic move, it's just a shame that it's so unreliable. It seems like the more important it is that it comes out, the less of a chance it has of fulfilling that need. I'm actually on the list for one of those Hitbox pads for the 360. Using buttons instead of a joystick might be a little weird at first, but I think it will totally help with Kano's Ball and Airball attacks. And yes, d3 would have made a world of difference.
boX
New member
Hey, for those of you having a hard time with the EX airball coming out, there is a sure fire way that works every time for me.
the moment you jump, press and hold block (this is the key). now, you are in the air and holding block, execute your FDBF motion. You do NOT have to hit block or even release block. it will register as an EX airball move for you.
the problem people have is they jump in the air, execute FDBF and try to tap block at the same time as hitting the 2nd F. wrong.
give it a go....you'll see it works every single time without fail.
the moment you jump, press and hold block (this is the key). now, you are in the air and holding block, execute your FDBF motion. You do NOT have to hit block or even release block. it will register as an EX airball move for you.
the problem people have is they jump in the air, execute FDBF and try to tap block at the same time as hitting the 2nd F. wrong.
give it a go....you'll see it works every single time without fail.
Nocturne
New member
My problem is not getting the EX version. Your trick works great for that BoX. It's getting out the AirBall period. Sometimes it will trigger, sometimes I just land and immediately do a back jump out of nowhere. Sometimes it just doesn't trigger at all. I know it's my own fault for messing up the movement. I use the directional buttons primarily, but find I have to switch to the joystick for the FDBF. And there lies my problem. Now I just use jumpkick-grab, or EX upball if I need more distance (it nearly covers the entire screen just like foward jump-airball basically). I just find it kinda unfair that so many characters have air kicks (like Kung, Cyber Sub, Sonya) that's nearly the same move but all they have to do is press D3 or D4 to trigger it, while I have to jump and then pretty much rotate the joystick to trigger the AirBall. Once again, just my own ineptitude and a pet peeve of mine. ;-)
And just a tip for people who, like me, tend to whiff combos online :
Instead of doing : JP, f3-b2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball for 34%, simply do JP, f3-b2, dash, b1-2, Upball for 30%
You lose 4% damage, but it has significantly less chance to whiff and the biggest damage % comes from B12-upball, while 212 is easily whiffed online due to lag and when it whiffs, your combo damage will be considerably lower and can even leave you open to a punish.
I find I do a lot better with the shorter version of the combo, especially online. It's quick, brutal, starts low and keeps the pressure flowing nicely. If you pull this one off only once, you can be pretty sure they'll block low afterwards, opening them up to an overhead or an easy grab. Just don't jump in afterwards or you're gonna eat an uppercut 8 out of 10 times ;-)
PS : An additional advantage to the shorter combo version, is people often don't use their breaker as much. It looks less damaging because there are not many hits, yet it does a cool 30%. Mind games. Almost everyone will break the 212 when they spot the animation.
And just a tip for people who, like me, tend to whiff combos online :
Instead of doing : JP, f3-b2, dash, 2-1-2, dash, b1-2, Upball for 34%, simply do JP, f3-b2, dash, b1-2, Upball for 30%
You lose 4% damage, but it has significantly less chance to whiff and the biggest damage % comes from B12-upball, while 212 is easily whiffed online due to lag and when it whiffs, your combo damage will be considerably lower and can even leave you open to a punish.
I find I do a lot better with the shorter version of the combo, especially online. It's quick, brutal, starts low and keeps the pressure flowing nicely. If you pull this one off only once, you can be pretty sure they'll block low afterwards, opening them up to an overhead or an easy grab. Just don't jump in afterwards or you're gonna eat an uppercut 8 out of 10 times ;-)
PS : An additional advantage to the shorter combo version, is people often don't use their breaker as much. It looks less damaging because there are not many hits, yet it does a cool 30%. Mind games. Almost everyone will break the 212 when they spot the animation.
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Danno
New member
Nice write up!
So I just spent a good while in the training room today and realized I can't do neutral jump air ball. Anyone else have trouble with this move? I can do a forward jump ball and retreating jump air ball no problem from both sides. For some reason the rotation from a neutral jump airball does t work on any consistency.
Just some funny realization I cametoo. It's definitely impacted some zoning wars I've had.
So I just spent a good while in the training room today and realized I can't do neutral jump air ball. Anyone else have trouble with this move? I can do a forward jump ball and retreating jump air ball no problem from both sides. For some reason the rotation from a neutral jump airball does t work on any consistency.
Just some funny realization I cametoo. It's definitely impacted some zoning wars I've had.
aedanwolfe
New member
for me i usually end up doing a njp or njk then the downball comes out right after...no clue as to why.
karaokelove
New member
I definitely agree with you on this one. Originally I had that same information in the guide but it was making people upset that I dissed the 212 chains as unreliable. I think if you can manage to pull them off 100% of the time then by all means net yourself the extra 4% damage, but if you (like most people) lose your kombo during the 212 then fall back on the more reliable choice.
As far as breakers go, I like it when people break my kombos. Because Kano is just not a kombo-oriented character it's pretty much a waste of meter to break his kombos. Because his kombos are so short, by the time you use a breaker you've most likely taken at least half of the damage anyway.
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karaokelove
New member
Finally made myself a signature. Woo!