Razvan (Blanka) vs Fane (Ryu) - Fane wins
Boni (Viper) vs Pig (Ken) - Pig wins
Berni (Gouken) vs Pavel (Guile) - Berni wins
Zgub (Blanka) vs Sfera (Seth) - Zgub wins
Second Round
Fane (Ryu) vs Pig (Ken) - Fane wins
Berni (Gouken) vs Zgub (Blanka) - Zgub wins
Losers Bracket
Razvan (Camy) vs Boni (Viper) - Razvan wins
Pavel (Bison) vs Sfera (Seth) - Pavel wins
Third Round
Losers Bracekt
Razvan (Camy) vs Pig (Ken) - Razvan wins
Pavel (Honda) vs Berni (Bison) - Pavel wins
Fourth Round
Fane (Ryu) vs Zgub (Blanka) - Fane wins
Losers Bracket
Razvan (Camy) vs Pavel (Honda) - Pavel wins
Fifth Round
Zgub (Blanka) vs Fane (Ryu) - Fane wins
Zgub (Rufus) vs Pavel (Honda) - Zgub wins
Final
Zgub (Rufus) vs Fane (Ryu) - Zgub wins
These are the results of last night's Garena session. While the competition was hot, some questions arose, and we thought it would be nice if we made them public. Here they are:
- What is Gouken's retirement pension ?
- Can he really be Santa Claus ?
Garena wishes you a Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!
In case you've missed it, here it is, the Garena theme song! For all you Robot Unicorns out there!
Other than that, there is a certain idea wandering amongst us, something about a Street Fighter competition. It's a bit early to talk about it now, so don't get all excited yet!...In the near future though we're hoping to organize the first, members or nonmembers, Garena Tournament! We'll keep you posted...untill then enjoy the theme song!
Balrog is another strong character in Street Fighter 4 who can play both a very aggressive offensive style or sit back and wait with his solid defense for his opponent to make a mistake. In either scenario you will find his crouching Light Punch to be an invaluable tool to not only interrupt your opponents offense, but to start one of your own. His wide range of Dash Punches also allow him to play a strong high low mix up game which will keep the other player guessing at all times, especially when you start to land throws on them for good measure.
Some of Balrogs combos require very strict timing to pull off and landing his Ultra is a bit different than some other characters in the game, but do not let this deter you from picking him up -- hop into training mode, get these combos and set ups down, and you will thank yourself once you start stacking up the wins.
Strengths
* Very useful normal moves such as crouching LP to shut down his opponents offense and start one of his own.
* Wide range of Special moves that allow him to adapt to any situation and mix-up his opponent when he is on the offensive.
* Good number of Armor Breaking moves.
Weaknessess
* No cross-up move means he will have to find other ways to pressure downed opponents.
* Somewhat difficult combos which will require more timing and precision compared to some other characters in the game.
Notable Normal Moves
* Crouching Light Punch
* Crouching Hard Punch
* Crouching Hard Kick
A simple straight forward way to hit confirm into his Dash Straight into Super.
Crouching medium kick, Crouching jab, Crouching medium punch , fierce punch Buffaulo head butt, then ultra or super mabye go in for a wakeup options can also be used as blockstring.
Crouching Light Punch, Crouching Light Punch, Crouching Light Kick, EX Dash Upper, Crouching Light Punch, Crouching Light Kick, Buffaulo Headbutt
This combo is a bit complicated because you are linking the crouching light punch after the EX Dash Upper, so the timing perform this combo will require a bit of practice. Also, the opponent must be standing, otherwise, the EX Dash Upper will not connect. Good damage and stun.
Crouching Light Punch, Crouching Light Punch, Crouching Light Kick, Buffalo Headbutt, Ultra
This is Balrogs bread and butter combo in Street Fighter 4 so be sure to get this one down in that it is his safest way of landing his Ultra. To land the Ultra after the Buffalo Headbutt, charge down, then go to up-back to hold the charge, and when you land from the Buffalo Headbutt input the command for the Ultra. By holding up-back during the Buffalo Headbutt the game will see this as you never losing a charge that is required for the Ultra.
Note: To juggle with the Ultra, use the kick version, let the first hit connect, let the second punch pass through, and then HOLD all three kicks to finish it off. This is the only way to land all the hits after a juggle.
Controlling the Ground
Balrog will control space on the ground using his many variations of Dash Punches and quick to execute normal moves, so become familiar with the properties of all these moves so you can play both a strong defensive and offensive game. Also keep in mind that the EX versions of his Dash Punches have armor on them that can absorb one hit of a non-armor breaking move so use this to blow through your opponents attempts to stop your offense.
Balrog's Light Punch Dash Straight is one of your primary tools to pressure and punish the other player. It's safe when connected from max range so get a feel for how far it travels because if you do it too close to the opponent they can punish you. You will find yourself using this move very often in most battles due to it's speed and ability to move yourself closer to the opponent to mount an offense. You can use the EX Version to absorb one hit of whatever your opponent throws out so it's also good for going through fireballs as well. You can also cancel into Balrog's Super off of his Dash Straight, but again, be careful because if it is blocked you can be punished if you perform it too close.
If the opponents catch onto your linear game plan of pressuring with the Light Punch Dash Straight and start blocking high, you can mix it up with his Dash Low Straight which hits low to score a knock down. If they begin to Focus Attack your Dash Straight, you can use his Dash Low Smash to break their armor.
Balrog also has a couple ways to deal with characters who rely on fireballs to zone and avoid projectiles altogether. His primary way of doing this is using his Buffalo Headbutt which will go through fireballs and covers a significant amount of horizontal space as well (works well for hitting Zangief out of his Lariat). For instance, at the beginning of a round, if Sagat throws a High Tiger Shot, you can do a Buffalo Headbutt that will not only go through the Tiger Shot but will hit Sagat in the process. He also has his Turn Punch (commonly referred to as "TAP") where he will perform a quick spin, pass through a projectile and end with a punch.
Once you get in close to your opponent (or if they happen to close in on you), Balrog's crouching Light Punch is his go to normal move. Not only is it a great move because it is so fast and will stop the other players offense, it is also his primary way of starting combos. If they end up blocking it, you can mix in a walk up throw or Dash Swing Blow for an overhead.
His crouching Hard Kick is also a good normal move in that it is a quick way to sweep your opponent and start and offense. You can combo this off of a jump in Hard Punch for a quick 2 hit combo to score a knockdown as well.
Controlling the Air
Stopping jump in attacks and covering the space above Balrog isn't too difficult and is pretty strait forward. His primary way of doing this is with his down and Hard Punch. This is very solid anti air normal move that inherently has a lot less risk than his Buffalo Headbutt. His Buffalo headbutt of course is a good choice as well in that if it hits clean you can combo into Ultra. His Buffalo Headbutt is also a good way to get out of cross-up situations. If they jump over you when you are waking up, perform the Buffalo Headbutt and you will either hit their attack or escape in the other direction.
We're back with another poll. "In a life or death situation, who would you save?". This subject was once brought at one of our weekly sessions, and was received with extreme enthusiasm. Don't forget to vote, we're looking forward to your results.
The Chuck Norris vs Ryu poll has ended, with Chuck Norris as the winner, gaining 57% of the votes. It seems that once again Chuck has proven that the Round House Kick conquers all, even Ryu's Hadouken. We salute you, almighty Texas Ranger!
Sagat, arguably the best character in SF4. He's not called the king for nothing. Sagat is a very good choice for those who want to play it safe. He has great stamina, can take a lot of hits, but also he can put up a great offensive game, dealing massive damage to the opponent. He also has the fastest projectiles in the game, meaning he will have no trouble against other long range players. A downside for this overpowered character is his slow movement speed, but good players will always find other means of getting close to their opponent.
Strengths
* High damage combos and normal moves
* Tiger Knee is the best special move in the game because it's numerous applications such as it being safe on block and able to beat most moves in the game, even those with Armor.
* Quick Focus Attack allows him to mix it in with poke strings, land a counter hit and go in for high damage combos.
* Multiple ways to connect an Ultra allow him to control the match once he has a full meter.
Weaknessess
* Slow walking speed means you will have to use his Tiger Knee and other means to move around the screen quickly.
Notable Normal Moves
* Standing HK
* Towards and HK
* Standing LK
* Jump toward MP
It has a shorter range than other focus attacks, but still it has good speed and is a good choice to put pressure on your opponents
Armor Breaking Move
Tiger Knee. Probably your best choice against players who try to focus attack you.
Best Special Move
Tiger Knee: Not only does it have armor break, but it also has high priority. This move will go through almost every other move in the game. Keep this in mind.
Landing the Ultra
* After an anti-air Forward and Roundhouse
* After a Focus Attack that leads to a crumple state
* After a traded or Focus Attack Dash Canceled Tiger Uppercut
* After EX Low Tiger Shot in corner
* After EX Tiger Uppercut
Controlling the Ground
Sagat will control the ground using his high and low Tiger Shots. These are a good way to keep you opponent under pressure. Be sure to alternate between your LP/LK Tiger Shots and HP/HK Tiger Shots because they have different speed. This is a good way to confuse a player that jumps over your projectiles.
The EX version of the Tiger Shot will score a knock down, so keep this in mind. It is a good move to put in a combo, or to land the ultra in the corner.
Sagat also has some moves for close range. His Tiger Uppercut and his Tiger Knee are good ways to punish opponents.
Controlling the Air
Sagat controls the air using his Tiger Uppercut. Very similar to Ryu's , a good strategy would be to keep your opponent in the corner with projectiles, and force them to jump in on you. Punish them with an upper cut, or with a tiger knee. Sagat has some good normal moves to use against jumping opponents. His standing HK, and his forward HK.
Forward HK is good for juggling, if it hits, you can go for a tiger knee, or another forward HK.
On our last Garena session, our first tournament was finally held! With 9 players participating, we let fate decide who was going to face who, and one lucky bastard got the chance to compete with the losers bracket winner, for a place in the final!
We played one match, best of 5 rounds, with 60 seconds time. You got to choose one character, and if you won, you had to stick with him for the rest of the tournament. Only those who got to play in losers bracket first match got to change their fighter, once.
So after our random selection, the matches were theese:
First Round
Razvan (T.Hawk) vs Radu (Juri) -- Razvan Wins
Bony (Dee Jay) vs Zaietz (Juri) -- Bony Wins
Sfera (Blanka) vs Zgubi (Sagat) -- Sfera Wins
Pavel (M.Bison) vs Fane (Fei Long) -- Fane Wins
Cimpy got the Cuc for the first round // Cuc plays with winner of losers bracket for a place in the final
Round Two
Razvan (T.Hawk) vs Bony (Dee Jay) -- Razvan Wins
Sfera (Blanka) vs Fane (Fei Long) -- Fane Wins
Losers Bracket
Radu (M.Bison) vs Zaietz (Juri) -- Radu Wins
Zgubi (Sagat) vs Pave; (M.Bison) -- Zgubi Wins
Round Three
Razvan (T.Hawk) vs Fane (Fei Long) -- Fane Wins Losers Bracket
Radu (M.Bison) vs Zgubi (Sagat) -- Zgubi Wins
*Cimpy (Juri) vs Zgubi (Sagat) -- Zgubi Wins
Final Round
Zgubi (Sagat) vs Fane (Fei Long) -- Fane Wins
Our second tournament:
Round One
Sfera vs Fane -- Sfera Wins
Cimpy vs Zgubi -- Cimpy Wins
Pavel vs Razvan -- Razvan Wins
Radu vs Bony -- Bony Wins
Zaietz got the cuc for the first round
Round Two
Sfera vs Cimpy -- Sfera Wins
Razvan vs Bony -- Razvan Wins Losers Bracket
Fane vs Zgubi -- Fane Wins
Pavel vs Radu -- Radu Wins
Round Three
Sfera vs Razvan -- Sfera Wins Losers Bracket
Fane vs Radu -- Radu Wins
*Radu vs Zaietz -- Radu Wins
Final Round
Radu vs Sfera -- Radu Wins
Our first tournament night at Garena saw Fei Long going on a rampage in our first contest! Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see "The One Inch Punch" ultra to often, but what the hell, maybe next time.
Contest number two to saw M.Bison going on Psycho Power all to way to the top, after a little detour to the losers bracket. We all witnessed the power of Bison's "Magic Little Feet". Hail !
Other than that, Juri got a lot of attention from our players last night, so she get's the prize for popularity.
Also T. Hawk gets the prize for most flying fighter! "Hunt or Die!"
These being said, we hope our contestants enjoyed a chill night, and we look forward to our next sessions! Hadouken!
On our last Garena session, we witnessed the power of The King. What seemed to be a peaceful and quiet night, turned out to be a massacre for one of our members. Luck was not on his side in his attempt to keep up with the game, he witnessed the might of Sagat! Slowly but steady the loses stacked up for our proud member Berni, who just couldn't handle the king's Tiger Destruction.
We all know how frustrating it is to go on a loosing spree. We understand what you must be going to right now, master Berni, so what we have to say to you is: "Taunt!"
As everything comes with a price in SF4, Chun-Li is one of the fastest characters, but also has one of the lowest stamina. She can very easily put pressure on her opponents as she has a good moving speed and fast dash plus high priority normal moves. She can also throw fireballs, and even though they are slow, they can trick the opponent in some cases.
Her ultra is very useful against other projectile player.
Legend
[U] - up
[D] - down
[B] - backwards
[F] - forward
[QC] - quarter circle
[QCF] - quarter circle forward
[QCB] - quarter circle backwards
[HC] - half circle
[HCF] - half circle forward
[HCB] - half circle backwards
[LP] - light punch
[MP] - medium punch
[HP] - heavy punch
[LK] - light kick
[MK] - medium kick
[HK] - heavy kick
Strengths
* Great normal moves
* Strong mix-ups
* Fast dash and walking speed
Weaknessess
* Low Stamina
* Can't combo into Ultra outside of corner
Notable Normal Moves
* Crouching LP
* Crouching LK
* Standing MP
* Jump Forward HP
* Jump HK
* Crouching HK
* Jumping LK
Focus Attack
Her Focus Attack is quick and has good range, so combine this with her fast dashing speed to pressure your opponent while you are on the offensive. Even if the Focus Attack is blocked, her fast dash speed will put her right back in their face almost instantly to start some high/low or throw mix-ups.
Armor Breaking Move
Spinning Bird Kick.
Best Special Move
EX Spinning Bird Kick: This move works great as an anti-air and a "get off me!" move when being pressured by an opponent.
Landing the Ultra
* After Jumping Forward HP near corner
* After EX Lighting Legs near corner
* Passes through fireballs
Controlling the Ground
Chun-li can control the ground using her slow moving fireballs. A good way to pressure your opponents with Chun-li is to launch a kikoken and move behind it as she has fast moving speed and dashes. Once she is in close range she can use her crouch kicks and crossups to land some combos. Be careful against other projectile opponents, because her kikoken won't stand a chance against their firepower. A good way to get close on opponents who keep pressuring you with projectiles is Hazanshu flip kick. Timed well this move will jump right over they're projectile.
Chun Li also has a very good Focus Attack in that is has good range and comes out quickly leaving her at an advantage. Be sure to mix this in with her poke strings and other attacks to possibly score a crumple. As a side note, if you score a crumple this is one of the best places to perform her Back MK, MK, Up Down MK, that although is not her most damaging combo, looks very cool and is a great way to finish off the other player.
Controlling the Air
Chun-Li does not have the absolute best anti-airs in the game but when she has EX meter her EX Spinning Bird Kick is her best bet. It will beat most jump in attacks when timed correctly.She can also air throw which is useful against jumping opponents.
Jump forward HP - good for air-to-air and also good for starting combos.
Jump up HK - good range and beats most air attacks. It covers about half the screen so it has great range but does not lead into combos like her jump forward HP.
Big announcement: on the next garena session we will hold our first SF4 Tournament. Players are free to choose their character at the beginning of every fight, no character/strategy is banned(feel free to pick Zangief and spam) and they will test their skills in a single match, best of 5 rounds. Tools of trade will hopefully be 2 arcade sticks, in order for the games to be balanced, or arcade stick vs gamepad, there will be no keyboard.
The grand prize of this tournament will be the title of "Chief" ! See you there, Hadouken!
Ken is like the American version of Ryu. I'm not going to start the whole, "who's better discussion" because it wouldn't be appropriate, even though Ken isn't as resistant as Ryu, he has much more offensive power, and has more speed.
Legend
[U] - up
[D] - down
[B] - backwards
[F] - forward
[QC] - quarter circle
[QCF] - quarter circle forward
[QCB] - quarter circle backwards
[HC] - half circle
[HCF] - half circle forward
[HCB] - half circle backwards
[LP] - light punch
[MP] - medium punch
[HP] - heavy punch
[LK] - light kick
[MK] - medium kick
[HK] - heavy kick
Move List
Strengths
* Kara-throw extends Ken's normal throw range, immensely expanding the number of opportunities to pressure opponents with a throw, and to control the ebb and flow of combat in your favor.
* Shoryuken is a valuable component in his ground game, used as an antiair, reversal, or ending move in a combo.
* Forward MK moves Ken forward while attacking -- an especially useful move for advancing towards the opponent without jumping at them.
* Normal combos without Super or Ultra attacks are powerful, and can knock the opponent down to the ground, setting up an opportunity for a high or low mixup, a throw, or a cross-up.
Weaknesses
Difficult to land the Ultra attack consistently. In order to land the full Ultra attack, you must hit the opponent at the right time and at the right distance.
Notable Normal Moves
* Kara throw
* Standing MP
* Forward MK
* Down MK
* Jump-forward MK
* Jump-up MK
* Down HK
Antiair
* Jumping-up MK
* Dragon Punch
* Jumping-back HP
Crossup
At close range, Ken's jumping MK can play the crossup game exceptionally well. Any opportunity provided by a knockdown (a sweep or a throw) should be used for a crossup, followed by a block string or a throw. When the opponent counters your attempts, hold back on the crossups or bait the opponent by changing your timing on your attacks.
Block Strings
* Down LP, down LP, down LP, wait and react.
* Down LP, down LP, slightly walk forward, Down LP, cross-up
* Down LP, LK, Kara-throw or, when the opponent anticipates a throw, Down MK,
Fireball
* Down LP, down LP, down LP, down HK
Focus Attack
Ken's Focus Attack comes out at a good speed and has solid range, although in many cases it's best to fake the Focus Attack to bait your opponents move.
Armor Breaking Move
Hurricane Kick. Use this to punish those players who are charging up their Focus Attack and to stop EX moves with Armor.
Best Special Move
Dragon Punch. His basic combo ender and go-to anti air.
Landing the Ultra
After Focus Attack that leads to a crumple state
After Focus Attack Dash Canceling his Hard Punch Dragon Punch as a counter attack for a complete ultra
After Focus Attack Dash Canceling the second his of his Hard Punch Dragon Punch.
Controlling the Ground
Pokes
Forward MK: A quick kick moving Ken briefly across the ground. Used primarily to engage the opponent without jumping at them.
The basic idea for ken, like Ryu, is to keep giving you opponent hadouken to keep the distance, and corner them. Ken controls the ground with his fireballs, and also with his shoryuken. Force your enemy to jump at you, and punish them with the dragon punch!
Another great thing about ken, is his Kara-throw. This extends your normal throw range giving you a very big advantage over you enemies. Use forward-MK and then quickly hit LP + LK for a normal throw. Ken will instantly move forward with his had reaching toward the enemy, executing a grab! You should use this as a surprise. Force your enemies to block, hitting them with normal combos and crossups, and then Kara-throw them away! Timing and spacing must be very good for this, otherwise can will be punished!
Kara-throw set-ups
Down LP, down LP, Kara-throw
Down LP, LK, Kara-throw
Down LK, down LK, Kara-throw
Stand within the range of your crouching MP. Stand and wait for something. If the opponent doesn't react, Kara-throw them.
Jumping HK, Kara-throw
Cross-up MK, crouching LP, Kara-throw
Forward MK, Kara-throw
Controlling the Air
Ken controls the air with two simple moves: Jump + MK and Shoryuken. Jump up MK can catch opponents in the air jumping at you, and stop big guys such as Zangief from approaching you on the ground. (That's old school Street Fighter strategy!) Use Shoryuken MP when anticipating or reacting to an opponent's jump -- the safest version of all three versions.
Total K.O. ! That's the keyword for last night's Garena session. Our conclusion is that it's good and healthy to laugh, laugh as in ROTFLOL, every once in a while. We also learned that tooth paste does wonders to your Super Street Fighter 4 Xbox cd! That's a keeper!
There is no movie of the week after last night's session, so we'll just watch one of the older ones.
Also don't forget to vote your "Bring your sunglasses to Garena" contest winner!
The force of the Hadouken is strong with this one! Ryu is the most basic street fighter character. Even though he has a limited number of moves, he can adapt to almost any type of situation. If you're not the attacking type, you can stand back, like a calm little turtle, and counter hit, or if you're the offensive type, you can easely land some hard combos on your opponent. Either way, Ryu has it all!
Move List
Strengths
* Has multiple ways to connect his Ultra which allows him to dictate the match once he has the meter.
* Strong normal and special moves allow him to control the match.
* Damaging combos to punish his opponent for even a simple mistake.
Weaknesses
*He can be very predictable.
Legend
[U] - up
[D] - down
[B] - backwards
[F] - forward
[QC] - quarter circle
[QCF] - quarter circle forward
[QCB] - quarter circle backwards
[HC] - half circle
[HCF] - half circle forward
[HCB] - half circle backwards
[LP] - light punch
[MP] - medium punch
[HP] - heavy punch
[LK] - light kick
[MK] - medium kick
[HK] - heavy kick
Ryu's Focus Attack is one of the better ones in the game, it has decent range and a good speed. Use this within your block strings to continue applying pressure and possibly gain a crumple if the attack manages to hit one of your opponent's moves.
Armor Breaking Move
Hurricane Kick. Use this to punish opponents who fake Focus Attacks all too often and to crush EX moves with Armor such as Balrogs EX Dash Straight.
Best Special Move
EX Fireball: Knocks down on hit, then you can follow this up with an Ultra in the corner making it very useful within combos to control the momentum of the match.
Landing the Ultra
* After you Focus Attack Dash Cancel a Dragon Punch
* EX Fireball or EX Hurricane Kick in the corner
* After a Focus Attack that leads to a crumple
* After a connected air-to-air jumping MP
Controlling the Ground
The idea is to keep giving your opponents hadouken till they choke. When controlling the ground with Ryu, it is essential to throw fireball after fireball to force your opponent to jumping into your Dragon Punch or push them into a corner. This is one of the most basic Ryu strategies.
Once you get your opponent in the corner, the adantage is yours. Keep throwing at them, to maintain pressure! Be sure to alternate LP hadouken with HP hadouken and EX hadouken, to trick the other player. LP hadouken is slower than HP hadouken and if they decide to jump, in order to dodge it, they might land directly on it if they're not paying attention.
Be careful when playing against teleport opponents, because that is a good way to avoid hadouken and also get close to you!
Controlling the Air
Jumping at Ryu, that's not so bright! Jumping at a dragon punch is the last thing you could wish for. The idea is to keep the distance on you opponent using nothing else than, Hadouken, and forcing them to jump in on you. In case that happens, you have many many options to knock them out of the air and even deal some more damage with either his Ultra or EX Fireball when you have the meter.
Jumping MP is a good option, when it hits, you can perform an Ultra because you will land earlier than your opponent. Standing Hard Kick and crouching Hard Punch are also good moves to knock them out of their jump in attempts.
