Many people play better in casuals than in a tournament. Why is that? People get nervous of course. They are taken out of their element and they are playing a whole new game.   They are worried that all these people will be judging their game.  They also worry about how far can they place in a tournament.  The #1 reason why a lot of people get nervous is that people are worried to run into a “TOP PLAYER.”  But there are countermeasures on how for people to play normally or at least 95% at their level.   Many people also have strategies to get themselves ready for a tournament. This prevents many people from “Choking” in a tournament. Choking is a term of missing a big opportunity to win the match/set. (more…)

Laswagga Question
But what I mean is, when I go and spend hours on end practicing my links and mix-ups, and play offline crack-sessions with friends who are very experienced players.  Is my best option to simply STOP playing online? I travel to tournaments already, but I can’t always afford to make it. Is it better to just cut all ties to the online scene and grow offline, or should I stop accepting challenges and seek out competition that meet my own standards? Yeah, this was a bit long. Lol.

JWonggg Answer
Playing online is a good way to get you better.  I got better from online and so did Floe from Chicago.  The thing is, when you play online, you should just out new stuff.  Even if you lose, its ok because its just casuals,  But experimenting is the key when your playing online.  Just do stuff you normally don’t do, so you can understand breaking through with new strats.

Chris E Question
I am a Rufus user and I’m having a very hard time doing his BnB combo with s.LK link to s.HP. I can hardly ever do the link in training mode, let alone in a real match. However, I can pretty easily combo s.HP just after a jump-in. I even like to do c.MK xx heavy galactic tornado because there’s a low hit in there. So my question is, is the little damage the s.LK does make a difference, and is it worth practicing for?

JWonggg Answer
You have to learn the s.LK link into s.HP because thats his BNB.  It is worth practicing for because if you land a dive kick you have to do THAT combo.

Terje Question
I was wondering if you have any tips and videos about using the stick. I have tried and tried to my finger hurts, but even something as simple as a jump forward kick doesnt work every time. Is it the PS3, the quality of the stick or just me? I played alot of Ken in street fighter 2, and I know how to do a fireball But even that seems to work only 1 of 5 times in sfiv with my setup. Is it just me and my sloppy execution? If the setup is ok, I just have to settle with the fact that my hands does not move as fast as I want them to I guess.

JWonggg Answer
I think its your sloppy execution, but if you want to hold the stick.  Make a ok hand sign  and use that for your joystick.  Thats how I hold it.  And you probably are letting go of the stick when your inputing your moves.  Don’t do that.  Your just whiplashing the stick and thats no good for the stick

Scott Question
I main Bison and I have a lot of trouble with the Guile match up. I know it’s a bad match for me, but what are some of the best ways to bait a hardcore turtle Guile to do something stupid? I guess this question can apply to all characters, because I have a much easier time beating aggressive players than players that are just content to down+back or up+back for the whole match. My second question involves command throws and to a lesser extent normal throws as well. I have a really nasty habit of down+back option select tech throw whenever I’m blocking a combo from my opponent. I’m pretty paranoid about getting thrown. What is the best way to practice throw techs, and what is the best way to deal with command throws mid-combo like Abel players do in their mix ups?

JWonggg Answer
The best way to bait the Guile is to gain as much meter as you can by doing devil reverses.  And once you gain the meter, thats when you try to wait for the sonic boom opportunity and just get in there with a ex headstomp and do the 2nd ender so you put him into a pressure situation.  You need to pressure the guile so you can throw some damage in there.  And you have the right idea to tech regular throws.  But against command throws, you just need to be in the mindset, that your facing against command throw chars.  So when you see yourself in a situation, you need to start tapping on backdash or just using a ex to get out immediately.

Matt C
Me and my brother do a lot of training mode too but its mostly just combos. Im wondering how you do training mode so that it helps you in a particular match up.  I have been playing viper a lot lately and my brother is like psychic with his snake strike/DP against my hjc burning kicks and f+mp. If he is playing any character with a DP like move he basically takes away that part of my game which is obviously crippling for viper. I dont think I try to use them too much either. I try to mix them in and stuff but he catches me like 90% of the time. Im also wondering what to do with viper against a fast rushdown character like fei long. He is so fast with his attacks and forward movement that it seems to take seismo hammer totally out of play, plus all of her attacks are relatively slow coming out so I cant really stop the rushdown.

JWonggg Answer
In Training mode, beside combos you can record punish setups.  For example.  If I am Balrog and I put the training dummy as Ryu.  I would record Ryu’s action of throwing fireballs to me.  And then play it back.  And you can find ways on how to punish the fireballs.  Like you can super or ultra through it.  Practice the timing, the situation, and how late or how early you can do it.  So you can understand it in a real match.  Well if your doing alot of HJC burning kick towards him.  Fake it with a neutral HJC burning kick to see if he’s doing it on reaction or not.  Then you can punish him depending on what type of dp char he has.  Against fast chars, Viper has to take advantage that they are coming to her, so the chances of knockdown are alot higher,  You can thunder knuckle with FP or ex seismo when they are trying to get in.  But when they are coming towards you, just HJC burning kick backwards to gain meter.

Purify (NC) Question
What does Rose need in the next game? I also wanted to hear some more details on your experience playing her, what you think are her real faults and how/if she can be improved without adding something that could potentially break her (things like these would be too good: Soul Illusion, soul throw always wins, pushback on fireballs, Alpha 2 crouch strong, etc.) I’ve been playing her in local tournaments with decent results, but most wins probably come from people not knowing they should just disrespect her all day/matchup unfamiliarity.

JWonggg Answer
Rose needs alot of stuff.  She needs A2 crouch strong, soul illusion would be too cheap for this game.  But give her more dmg and a good wake up option.  Her ex soul drill is a nice wake up option, but you can punish it on block which sucks.  My experience is that she has no mixups and I feel that they best way playing her is to play super defensive since she really has no mixups and her damage output isn’t that great.  So the best way is to just use her far normals to do the dmg.  But she loses to character that can simply just rush her down 24/7

Christian Question
Do you still play or plan to play boxer in tournaments?

JWonggg Answer
I don’t like boxer anymore.  He seems too boring.  Especially when everything starts with cr jab.  Its ehh

Daymon Oliveros
1)        I’m a bison player, and going up against chun-li is my biggest weakness. I can’t go air-to-air because she has higher priority and an air throw, and Bison’s great poking game doesn’t work since Chun arguably has a better one… What can I do in this matchup?
2) You got me hooked on DFO lol.  What subclass upgrade do you recommend I choose at level 18? I’m a lvl 13 Gunner right now.

JWonggg Answer
The match is def a good match for either party.  But Bison can take advantage in the corner with his scissor kicks trap.  Also your jump fierce gives Chun a hard time to Anti Air.  Your main objective is to keep rushing her down in the corner.  Also for DFO, I think you would want to be a mechanic when you reach lvl 18. (more…)

Week #5 is up guys.  Enjoy!!!

2DKami Question
I been getting alot of trouble with the ryu blanka matchup.  Everytime I throw a fireball,  blanka would just ex blanka ball, if I try and play footsie, he would just  slide or random blanka ball.  Additionally, he would randomly does a ex rainbow ball and cross me up most of the time.  What exactly would you do in this matchup as ryu?  I don’t sure what to do without being able to zone him out with fireballs.  Also, what kind of stick would you prefer for sf4?  a  TE or hori? I have one more concern regarding anti-jumpins.  Sometimes I see people do dp to anti air and others do cr.fierce.  What’s the difference between the two and when to use one or the other?

JWonggg Answer
As Ryu, this match is very annoying because like you said, you can’t throw fireballs because of EX ball and slide.  But if you store your meter up and have a super, he will have to worry.  And the best way to approach in this match is you need to walk forward and take him to the corner.  And if he tries to blanka ball you need to DP on reaction and always crouch so you can block the slide.  Once you block the slide, you get a free cr.mk into DP combo which does pretty good life on Blanka since his defense isn’t as good.  When he uses his rainbow ball, focus it so you don’t eat a cross up. Once you focus, you can dash and get a free ground combo.  I use the TE stick just because of the frame..   Sometimes people do cr.fierce because they don’t have time to do a  dp motion and depending on the angle, you would want to do cr.fierce.

Christopher Godina Question
My main problems are: 1. i main cammy and i know everyone of her moves pretty well, now do you have any tips for cammy agains gief and dragon punch tiers? 2. when i am trap in a lot of block strings, whats the best thing to do? if a block they grabb me, if i punch i get trapped in the combo and if i grab i get in the combo, what to do plz 3.how do you handle pressure so easily? i see your videos and you never seem to get under pressure, how you handle it so easily?

JWonggg Answer

Against Gief, its really hard since you can’t spam air cannon spikes against him.  The best option against Gief is to just play footsies with him with st.mp and cr.mk.  And make sure you always AA correctly with cannon spikes.  Against Dragon punch tiers, make sure you remember that your cannon spikes beats their dragon punch and your ex cannon drill and super beats their fireball.  It is basically a guess when your put in a block string.  The best option is to back dash out since her back dash is really good.  I never been put into a pressure situation.  I always look at every match a regular casual match.

Marcus Pleasant Question
Ima pad player. I want to get CvT when it hits the wii but its no way in hell I’m gonna us a wiimote or classic controller. And the gamecube’s dpad is like the size of a penny. So I was thinking of getting a stick for wii. If I play CvT with a stick and sf4 with a pad, will it hinder my performance in either one?

JWonggg Answer
It won’t hinder your performance at all.  I can play SF on a joystick but I can only play Double Dragon the fighting game on the Xbox pad.  I am use to it and that is my preferred controller.

LordABC of the AllisFighter.com community Question
What is the best tournament snack? For me, It’s a snack bag of Reese’s and  some Red Bull, and I know I’m going to be all set! Do you cook up something before a local tourney?

JWonggg Answer
For me, I don’t eat since I get tired after I eat.  It ruins my concentration.  But I just usually drink water/gatorade/red bull at tourneys.

Michael Lim Question
I use Balrog and I am having trouble against Zangief matchups. PPP and KKK lariats are causing a lot of issues and I was wondering how can I punish these effectively so I dont get knocked down. It seems that I block the first 2 hits of PPP lariat and when I try and sweep I get knocked down. What are my options. Also on knockdown, Gief has body splash crossup, knee crossup, naked jump and other options. Am I just limited to a pure guessing game on wakeup? What are my wakeup options with Balrog?

JWonggg Answer
You should headbutt after you block the first 2 hits of the lariat.  But if your from far and he’s spamming it, you can do st jab into cr rh to punish the lariat.  Also against Gief mixup, usually its game over for almost any character except for Akuma.  But if you wake up ex dash straight, that would be your best bet since you absorb a hit of the cross up.

Daniel Question
1)  I try to put the pressure on with crouching shorts into forward MK, dash cancel repeat.  I find that a lot of people tend to reverse  my step kick with a DP.  Is there a way to make this safer. 2) Are there any good  strategies to land Abel’s crouching FP outside  of FADC and jump ins. 3) My wake up game sucks. Are there any strategies I should use.
SSF4 Question. What tweaks would you like to see Able get? What tweaks would you like to see Guile get? (With DeeJay in the game,  Guile seems like a Joke)

JWonggg Answer
Yea most people will try to reverse out of it.  But if you time the St Fp, its a more strict timing that they have to perform.  I suggest abusing that more instead.  Abel’s crouching FP best way to land is from a jump in or from a rekka FADC cancel.  Abel’s wake up game isn’t that good since you can throw basically all of his options.  Best option for a wake up game is to just eat the mix up and then counter with a command throw/ex command throw.  For SSF4, they should give Abel faster moves like a 3 frame short and his ex rolls should not be able to be thrown.  They should give Guile more priority and more damage.  Other than that, Guile has always been a boring character.

Stephen Keith Question
I own SF4 for Xbox and PS3. I also have TE sticks for both. I have been playing on Xbox for a very long time (Almost since release) until my Xbox red ringed for the 2nd time. While I work out the process to get it fixed, I picked up SF4 and a stick for PS3. I quickly noticed while redoing trials that there is what seems to be an input lag on the PS3. I was wondering if there is an legitimacy to the claims about the lag. I use an HDMI cable on my PS3 on an HD DLP and have noticed a difference between the two consoles.Any thoughts? P.S. What did you think of the music mix for Marvel at SB4? I thought it was pretty sweet and nostalgic. 90′s jamz FTW haha!

JWonggg Answer
There is input lag timing between the 2. I personally play on xbox and the fact that PS3 lags alot affects my gameplay a bit.  I miss combos I usually never miss but you’ll adjust to it sooner or later.  The music they used for Marvel is always better than the current soundtrack.  I would listen to anything besides the current music.

Sal F Question
I’ve been cracking my head and been trying to find an Agetec Fight Stick for my Dreamcast to play MVC and MVC2. I was wondering if you would recommend the Agetec fight stick to use at a Tournament level or would you recommend another arcade stick? What do you use when you play MVC2 at tournaments?

JWonggg Answer
I would recommend just a regular MAS arcade stick.  Mvc2 is at its best once played on arcade stick settings.

AuhsojSivart Question
First, it’s hard for me to find people around here to play MvC2, so I’ve lately been playing on PSN. My main team is Jugs/Rogue/Tron. I basically go for a safe switch to Rogue, then standing LK+Tron, LK, QCF+PP xx QCF+PP (Jugs Headcrush). While I can handle some random MSP’s and other good teams, I cannot, under any circumstances, defeat Cable. On Dreamcast, I don’t have much trouble, but the re-release has that stupid unblockable AHVB. Should I adjust my game/team to compensate for that, or should I just keep up my rushdown the way I play on Dreamcast? Second, when you’re playing games, is there someone who can beat you most of the time when you play them, but in tourneys and against otheres they always do worse? I have someone like that in a couple of games (mostly Tekken). Would you consider that person to be better or worse than me? Is it just because he’s played me so much that he knows my style? Finally, do you think Tatsunoko vs Capcom would have had more of a following if its release wasn’t just a month before SFIV? Do you think it’s going to happen again with the US version coming out right before SSFIV?

JWonggg Answer
You shouldn’t change your style just because of how different the game is compared to dreamcast.  They supposedly fix that cable bug problem at the last recent patch.  There will always be like that in games.  Sometimes people play better in casuals than tournaments because of how nervous people are.  That person would be better than you, but offically in tournament standards, you would be better due to the rankings.  If he knows your style, then that might also be the cause, but compare on how well he does against other locals in casuals.  TVC will have a bigger following since its coming out for the US, but not as big since its on the Wii.

Jimmy Question
Hi Justin, this question is less game related from the the ones you usually get.  I follow you on Twitter and have read that you and Marn are planning to move to the West Coast soon.  I was just wondering how this was going to affect your affiliation with Empire Arcadia and your relationship with the East Coast.

JWonggg Answer
That won’t affect my relationship with Empire.  It might with the EC, but I am moving for better goals in Cali.

Sovan Sim Question
I’m an Abel player. And I freaking hate Balrog. I can’t seem to rely on my mix up game because of his small punches. And all i’m relying on are Ex Manual Grabs and step kicks followed by the hvy punch chain. But i’m not really good at that yet. So my step kicks are normally followed up with grabs… And i can’t seem to punish balrog everytime he jumps in with that hit where he atks downwards… Soooo… How do i DESTROY and/or CRIPPLE Balrog?

JWonggg Answer
This is an annoying match for Abel since Balrog cr.jab has alot of prioirty over Abel.  But Abel’s main game is to follow up with EX command throws and ST.HP.  If Balrog jumps, you need to press cr.fp early so the 2nd hits him and it will stun in the air, and you will get a fallen sky move.  And focus alot of his dash straight moves to get a free crumple.

Alex Question
I feel like i have a very strong game and have entered into 2 competitions so far. The first i was happy with my performance the second though not so happy. I was in a very difficult pool and had to play a lot of tournament players that have been competing for a while. After the tournament i played several player who ranked higher then me (much easier pool) and beasted on them quite convincingly.  I am trying to take my game to the next level so that i can compete with the top level players here in Australia for starters but i really dont know what i need to do or where i am going wrong.  I play Ryu and can do his combos consistently but i think it is the mind games that are were i am lacking. Any suggestions on how i can improve here?  Online and sometimes offline i have trouble teching throws, even when i know they are coming, i find my self mashing grab in order to tech otherwise i just get grabbed is there a better technique i can use, i am assuming i shouldnt be pressing it more then once or twice but it doesnt seem to always work. Do you look for a particular motion or noise that helps you determine when to press grab? Another issue i have been experienceing is if i stick out a poke at the same time as my opponent theres seems to have priority over mine, this has been online so i dont know if this is due to lag or not. And it feels like all of Akumas moves have priority over mine is this part of the game or do you think that i am doing something wrong?PS:Any idea when you may be coming back to Australia? The lansmash/ozhadou guys i have hooked up with told me about the last time you came here and kicked everyones ass except at Tekken where you came second…wish i could have been there.

JWonggg Answer
Online plays does affect offline since when your playing Online, you tend to mash alot more which helps.  But it doesnt work when your playing offline.  What I do to tech throws, is that when they put me in a block string I press grab according to the block string.  You can say like a push block.  Because you don’t have to press grab right away to tech.  You have some time to tech.  Also when you poke with Ryu, you cr.mp has alot of prioirty.  Abuse that and use cr mk as a poke also since he extends his leg really long and low.  I don’t know the next time Ill be in Australia.

Kirk
I main gief. What can I do about safe tiger knees beside catching them when they backdash with ex hand? What do you think American Giefs need to work on to win in tournaments?

JWonggg Answer
Against tiger knees, if you see them coming, you can ex hand on reaction and it will knock him down, but other than that, you have to take the chip damage since its free for Sagat.  American Giefs just need to be more patient and never jump.  Most of the damage comes from Gief jumping in.

Bryan meza
Well first off im an Abel player, and ive only been useing him for about 4 moths. I feel like hes a bad character because he does not have that much moves and he relays on mixups. Also most of the time when i get cornered i get scared and try to roll or EX tornado throw. Should I just sit there and wait for the ther guy to make a mistake? So im not sure if i should stick with him for SSF4, do you think i should switch? i dont really want to cause then i have to start all over with a new character. Lastly, i wanted some ideas on how i can get known in the street fighter community becuase I dont really have any money to travel or even to go to my arcade I rarely go there, just wanted to know if you had any ideas?

JWonggg Answer
Abel is just a mixup, he doesn’t have any pokes or tactical ways to just win by footsies.  But if your in the corner, you have to wait and wait for the perfect opportunity for the EX command throw.  You don’t have to switch, but its always fun trying out new characters in general.  The best way to get known by not travelling or going to the arcade is to win online tournaments

Adam Sexton Question
My next question is this… Sagat is considered top/God tier in every list that I’ve seen. However from a lot of the tournament results I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem like Sagat usually wins or heavily dominates the top 8. So how does Sagat get the reputation for being top tier despite not winning tounaments that often? Also, I have a lot of difficulty adjusting my mindset when I play. My mind tends to go blank and I realize afterwards that I wasn’t thinking about what my opponent was going to do next. I need to keep my mind proactive. Does that just come with experience or is there some way I can cultivate that mindset? Finally, I notice I have this major problem where my arms/hands tense up when the action gets intense. Like when I’m about to lose… When I tense up, my execution goes to crap and I do things like try to frantically mash out Ultra. How can I stop this from happening? Is this something that comes from experience too?

JWonggg Answer
Sagat is the best because of overall match ups.  But in the US, there should be a different ranking system compared in Japan.  In Japan, there are alot of Sagats and they play the character right.  The whole mindset things, just give yourself confidence and don’t think too much about “I need to do good”  When you do that, it will be alot easier to perform.  Your hands tense up because your getting nervous.  And mashing on ultra, thats like your last minute desperation act.  Don’t be nervous, play like its normal and you should be fine.

Dizzy Kos Mos Question
I was listening to one of the earlier gootecks podcasts (SFIV was not on consoles yet) and you said that your best character was Bison (at that time). You said he was a solid character, good defense and great focus attack. Why did you replace him with Rufus/Balrog/Fei? Did you find anything wrong with him that made you change your mind?Have you considered making your own podcast or video tips? It would be the greatest thing ever to have the best player in the US taking about the scene, giving tips and stuff. Or maybe teaming up with Gootecks.

JWonggg Answer
I got bored of Bison actually,  He is still a really good solid character but I just got tired of him personally.  I thought of making a podcast and making a video is coming soon.  Teaming up with Gootecks for making videos might happen in the future.  We’ll see.

Tom (Jedhawk) Question
1 – How do I know when I’ve got the Footsie game down right? It’s very hard to master but I know the principles behind it. But how do you feel you know when you’ve done it better than your opponent? 2 – I went to an arcade evening today and got some proper experience of watching and playing other players on the actual machines. But there’s not enough time to adjust my playing level when I’m beaten after 2 rounds and then have to wait for ages while the good players get into the feel of it so easily. Any tips to catch them up? 3 – I can’t resist asking a Honda question after all – What is the best way to connect the Ultra in battle? His options are very limited.

JWonggg Answer
Well the only way you can tell that your footsie becomes good is when your abel to just snuff out alot of people’s whiffed moves.  Like ryu throwing cr mk and honda does st rh to counter.  And make sure the pokes you use, dont whiff.  Your best way to catch up is to keep playing and realize the mistakes that you have made and discipline yourself to not doing it.  Best way to combo his ultra is after a focus attack or going through a predicted fireball.  Or doing the ultra really early at the opponents jump in.

Andres K Question
1-. I main Rufus in SF4 and I can get all link combos and ultra setups, no problem with that. But as you might now rufus has a lot of problems getting close against characters like Sagat, Ryu and Gouki, what would be your best advice against those type of characters? I can do well against other chars but those 3 are kinda hard, and even though I can win against them sometimes, its always a like a gamble, so I have to take a lot of risks in order to get close
2-. Will you plat TvC UAS when it comes to the states? Do you find it more appealing than the original TvC?

JWonggg Answer
Rufus does have a problem against those characters since they can limit him into nothing.  But the best advice I can give is to take more risks, and take them to the corner to start your rushdown. And when you do a combo, do st lk into st rh if they are standing.  You don’t want to push them away from a full galactic tornado combo.  You rather keep them there so you can keep rushing down. I will play TVC when it comes out.  I like the new one more since it has more characters like Joe and Zero.  I didn’t like Tekkaman Blade, I feel like he is in the wrong game.

Besides playing SF4, I been playing a lot of Tekken 6 with Lili and Bob.  I finally beat the Tekken Force mode which was a pain.  A easy pain though.  I was very hype for Tekken 6, but the online battling system is really unbearable….  Besides fighting games, Marn and Floe told me to install DFO (Dungeon Fighter Online)  Their description of the game was that it was WoW but with a Final Fight engine.  For people who did not know what that meant, it is basically a beat-em up game.  I downloaded the game and they had 5 choices of character.

• Slayer – The Blade Master (Uses many types of swords)
• Fighter – The Nen Master (Uses her fist/tonfas)
• Gunner – The Ranger (Uses guns/revolvers)
• Mage – Magic user (Uses broomsticks/rods)
• Priest – The Healer ( Uses Scythes/Crosses)

So I tried out the Fighter, since I been on a hand to hand combat style lately.  This game got me addicted.  I always enjoy playing beat-em up games and adding a leveling system, it got me playing. I been playing for 4 days I believe, and its really really fun right now.   There is one downside about it, you are only able to quest for 5 hours a day.  There is a fatigue point system.  Once you hit Zero points, you are not able to level anymore.  You can stay in town and mingle, but you cannot complete any type of quest until the next day.  I guess you can say it is a good thing also since you won’t lose your life on it and have the other 19 hours of the day to do something else, like practice Tekken 6/SF4!!!!

Here is my current status

Current Status

If you guys have DFO accounts, add me.  Obviously my character name is Feyla and I am a noob lolz.

If you guys want to sign up and play, go to DFO

And did I mention that it is FREE?

GOGOGO