Smoke Thread - "Where There is Smoke, There is Fire!"

Thirteenthorder

Thirteenthorder

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-Credit to Zephna for Character Thread Formatting :hail: -​

~Where There is Smoke, There is Fire!~​

Smoke is a character that isn't necessarily considered "Kombo-Heavy". He doesn't have any particularly astounding high-low mixups, and his kombos are fairly slow on startup in comparison to others in the cast such as Reptile. However what he lacks in speed and trickery, he makes up for in damage, not to mention a particularly useful fireball that can be helpful in a number of situations. The key to victory with smoke is to be patient, wait for your opponent to inevitably give you an opening, and punish with a very damaging (and most likely practical) kombo.

Spoiler:


X-Ray Attack - Base Damage: 34%. Can be held for approximately 7 seconds (Credit Baraka2011). The startup seems to be a little slower, if not the same as his Teleport.

Shake - Smoke stands in place and vibrates. If the opponent happens to throw a projectile, Smoke will counter it with the air punch seen in EX Teleport. Attack and be held or "charged" for approximately 5 seconds. This attack (or Counter I should say) is fairly quick on startup, but should really only be used if you're at a distance from your opponent and can predict the projectile coming.

Smoke Cloud - Smoke sends a cloud of smoke at the opponent's feet, which (if it connects), sends them into a falling state out of a smoke portal directly infront of you. I favor this projectile because it, like Shake, has a fairly quick startup however it is not safe on block if used within attacking distance of your opponent. This is a very useful attack and can be landed after an Air Throw to continue a kombo (Also known as an OTG Smoke Cloud or Off The Ground). Please note that kombo-ing Smoke Cloud off of an Air-Throw or even a combo requires very strict timing. Try to grab your opponent at the lowest possible point in the air to ensure the Cloud OTGs.

Air Throw - Smoke grabs the opponent and slams them to the ground. As mentioned earlier, if you can catch the opponent low enough you can hit them with a Smoke Cloud and chain into a kombo. Very useful and can't be blocked since it's in the air so you don't have to worry about recovery (or retaliation if used in the middle of a kombo). It's also very important to note that the Air Throw can be whiffed (IE performed to miss on purpose), as often as you like to gain meter, just be sure it's safe (Credit to bmsirhc for this discovery)

Teleport - A move second in importance only to the Smoke Cloud, Teleport causes Smoke to appear behind the opponent and punch them in the back. If the first punch connects, he will appear on the opposite side and punch the opponent in the gut. If the first hit "whiffs", or misses, Smoke will be left in a vulnerable punch animation state. This attack is very, very useful to punish projectile spammers and can even catch an opponent attempting to jump in, but it is VERY unsafe on block, and can leave you at the mercy of your opponent's more damaging arsenal of kombos if you use it too predictably.

Invisibility - Smoke performs a quick stance and then temporarily "disappears" for approximately 8 seconds. You can see a clear silhouette of him for the duration of the move. It is, however, worth noting that the EX version will render him completely invisible (with an additional 2 seconds added to the duration at that). Also note that on startup Invisibility has invincibility frames, meaning he will be immune to attacks for the duration of startup (Credit to bmsirhc). This makes Invisibility especially useful to use when your opponent attempts a wakeup attack, as it will allow you to continue to apply your rushdown pressure unhindered.

Smoke Away/Smoke Towards - Smoke moves forward (or backwards) the distance of about 5 steps in a puff of smoke. I'm assuming that this move would be useful in making distance between you and your opponent, however I don't see the true usefulness of this move (yet?). The downside to using this for transportation during the match is as follows: Your opponent CAN attack you while in the smoke state, leaving you very vulnerable should you miscalculate the distance you wish to travel, once again leaving you open to a kombo. It is notable that you can pass through your opponent however. Use sparingly, if at all. EX version seems to travel faster and has an even faster startup. I's also important to note that while the regular version can pass through projectiles, the EX version can pass through all attacks (Credit to bmsirhc).


Spoiler:

1 = Front Punch (Square or X)
2 = Back Punch (Triangle or Y)
3 = Front Kick (X or A)
4 = Back Kick (Circle or B)
DC = Dash Cancel
EX. = Enhanced Version
J. = Jump/While in the Air
NJ. = Neutral Jump - Jump up
-x? = Do Attack ? number of times

Shake: B,F+1
Smoke Cloud: D,B+2
Air Throw: R1 or RB
Teleport: D,B+4
Invisibility: D,U+3
Smoke Away: F,B+3
Smoke Towards: B,F+3


Spoiler:


VS Keepaway, Projectile Spam, and Zoning: Teleport is your best friend in this situation. Wait for the moment that spammer throws his fireball and show him it'll be his last if he wants a chance at winning the match. Zoners and Keepaway Players will inevitably jump a little more often than your average offense-based opponent. Again you'll find that Teleport will keep these jumpers on the ground. Just wait for the opening and punish when you get the chance with D,B+4.

VS Teleporters: I find that the general rule of 'Teleport Wars' in MK9 is that "Whoever teleports first is at a disadvantage". Do your best to read your opponent. If you can sense that teleport coming from a mile away you already have the upper-hand. Punish on block with a well-timed kombo, if you don't have the time a simple Teleport will do the trick to punish them for being so lax.

VS Jump-Ins: I know you're probably feeling deja vu by now, but suffice to say any character that has the audacity to jump in on Smoke predictably deserves yet another Teleport. If you can catch your opponent low enough to the ground, both hits of his Teleport punch will connect and make them think twice. Air-Grab is another decent option, though I don't consider it nearly as safe. Anyone who can verify the priority of Smoke's Air-Grab would be of major help to me.

Mix-Up Abilities: Sadly, Smoke has pretty much nothing going for him in this department. If you were looking for a character who can mix up high and low attacks like there's no tomorrow, I'm sorry to say that Smoke is not the one for you. However, if you want a powerful character who has a variety of specials that link into combos which can easily damage the opponent, you've come to the right place. Smoke is all about waiting and punishing. To play him you have to be patient, very patient in some cases.


Spoiler:

This section of the Smoke thread will be divided into X-Ray, Meter, and No Meter Kombos. Have at it!

X-Ray Kombos:
50% 11 Hits: 3,D+1,2, (Dash), 3,2, (Dash), 3,2, Smoke Cloud, X-Ray Attack

45% 10 Hits: 3,D+1,2, (Dash), 3,D+1,2, Smoke Cloud, X-Ray Attack

Meter Kombos:
43% 12 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,2, EX Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2, j.4 xx Air Throw

42% 13 hits: j.p, 3,D+1,2, NJ.p, 3,2, 3,2 xx Smoke Cloud, j.4 xx Teleport Punch (Credit to torvic!) (Video)

42% 13 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2, EX Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

42% 11 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,2, 3,2, EX Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

40% 10 Hits: 3,D+1,2, EX Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2, j.4 xx Air Throw

33% 10 Hits: 3,D+1,2, j.4, Air Throw, EX Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

25% 6 Hits: 3,D+1,2, EX Teleport

Meterless Combos:
40% 13 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2, Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

40% 12 Hits: 3,D+1,2, B+2,3, Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2, j.4 xx Air Throw

40% 11 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,2, 3,2, Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

32% 9 Hits: 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2

30% 10 Hits: B+2,3, Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2, Air Throw (Thanks Fox17!)

30% 8 Hits: B+2,3, Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2

29% 8 Hits: Smoke Cloud, 3,D+1,2, 3,D+1,2


Spoiler:


CREDIT: Video created by bmsirhc

CREDIT: Video created by bmsirhc


Spoiler:

Basic Smoke OTG Cloud Kombo Video by Thirteenthorder

(PLEASE NOTE: As of the latest patch, the maneuver you see in the above video can no longer be done.)

 
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Make sure to add that the invisibility move has invisibility frames on its startup. That means it can be used to dodge or avoid projectiles just like his teleport.

Invisibility is best used after a knock down against wake up attacks as it will go right through him then you can re apply pressure.

Smoke Teleport (back and forth like Akumas), can pass through projectiles. Make sure to make a note on that. Also his EX can pass through normals. Some uses of this is for spacing away or towards depending on the situation.
Away - for spacing and reseting the play field
Towards - for pressure and mixup setups. After a knock down, teleport towards the opponent which will either cross up or not, then you can apply mixup game. This works great against a knock down on a corner

If cornered, use ex teleport towards the corner and this should give you invisibility for normal strings then you can counter.
 
Also, the Smoke Bomb OTG has very strict timing. It makes it easier to link if you jump kick then grab at the lowest possible point.

Example: You do the BnB 3, d.1, 2, j.4 xx grab xx smoke bomb

after the 3, d.1, 2 string, immediately jump but dont kick until the lowest possible point then cancel the kick to a grab then otg.

I use jump 4 and use the face buttons to grab ( 2+4) and negative edge the smoke bomb to make it come out quicker.

So to sum it up: In order to OTG Smoke Bomb, jump immediately but dont kick and grab until the lowest possible point.
 
Very important to note, I agree. I've been main-ing Smoke since Day 1 (and lurking this forum for weeks until finally making an account today haha). I'm assuming you use him also?

He's a great character and I'm glad that there's now an official place for knowledge on Tomas. (;
 
Who me? Yeah I used to main him, if I remember anymore strats ill post it here.

Heres some of my Smoke BnB combos:


Combo 1: 10 Hits-36% Damage, 1 bars used.
Combo 2: 11 Hits-36% Damage, 0 bars used. (should have been 12 hits but I missed the first hit on start up)
Combo 3: 7 Hits-29% Damage, 0 bars used. ( Utilizes his overhead to start the combo. Timing is very easy)
Combo 4: 9 Hits-34% Damage, 0 bars used.


Combo 1: 34% Damage
Combo 2: 41% Damage
Combo 3: 34% Damage

I took some of the longer combos thats been going around the internet and shorted it without sacrificing too much damage for online use.
 
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Np. I just remembered. Doing empty Air Grabs generates X-ray.

If Smoke has full screen and needs a quick meter built, you can repeatedly jump up and grab and repeat. Before attempting this, make sure you know the situation of the match to keep this strat safe.
 
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Good job ^-^ Time to bug ze mods to sticky this one to LOL. I tend to use smoke here n there so this will be a good reference for me on a few things hehe~
 
Haha please feel free to! You set the standards for Character Threads and I also see you assisted in making the Fatality/Krypt Guide (which was of immense help to me), so I really appreciate it! I also see that you play on PSN, so I would love to spar with your Jade/Smoke when the network comes back online.
 
Speaking of X-ray, thanks for reminding me. Hey OP, make sure to note that his X-ray is Dash cancellable. If it looks unsafe, you can dash cancel out of it rather than getting punished.
 
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