CvS2: Help with Athena

[Megatron9]

Can someone help me out with athena,
like here anti-air, B&B combos, pokes. everything that i may need to know about her. oh and i play in N,K,A grooves but tell me what grooves she is the best in.

[Ubersaurus]

Her Anti air is her standing strong. Really, it's not that great, but it's all she's got. Make sure to hit with the tip of her hand, it's harder to trade then.
Her b&b, if I recall (been awhile) is cr. shortx2, cr. fierce.
Her best pokes involve her crouching fierce, her standing fierce, and, that's about it as far as normals go for poking.
Athena is pretty fast and well suited to rushdown and poking, in my experience. Her crystal bit is pretty decent at level 1 and up, although damage on it is crap, it's good for getting people off of ya, and can work as anti air too. Emphasis on can. I use S groove Athena, and she's solid in that one. Her knockdown dodge attack is her standing fierce, which is great.
Psycho Ball's are your friend. Mix em up speedwise like any fireball. Alot of people I play against often jump into jab ones.
That's about all I can remember on Athena.

[Cheezy Rice]

All you need to know for Athen is the C.HP, dont' know much else her lp fireball is good for pressure.

[Shogun17]

She's pretty good in A-groove. She can use her command throw as an unblockable A-combo starter. As for her CC, activate then command throw -> (super jump -> fierce -> short kick -> land) x N until almost in the corner (usually 1 or 2 times), superjump -> fierce -> air shoryuken -> land -> shoryuken x N until meter is almost gone -> crystal super (2 hits) -> second phase of crystal super.

It does pretty good damage and is usually pretty easy to land since activation gives you 5 free frames to land her 1 frame command throw. Otherwise, just stay away and throw fireballs, charge up meter by doing reverse tiger knee air dives, and when in close, do some poking (mostly with ducking fierce).

[melanthius]

Originally posted by Ubersaurus
Her Anti air is her standing strong. Really, it's not that great, but it's all she's got. Make sure to hit with the tip of her hand, it's harder to trade then.
Her b&b, if I recall (been awhile) is cr. shortx2, cr. fierce.
Her best pokes involve her crouching fierce, her standing fierce, and, that's about it as far as normals go for poking.
Athena is pretty fast and well suited to rushdown and poking, in my experience. Her crystal bit is pretty decent at level 1 and up, although damage on it is crap, it's good for getting people off of ya, and can work as anti air too. Emphasis on can. I use S groove Athena, and she's solid in that one. Her knockdown dodge attack is her standing fierce, which is great.
Psycho Ball's are your friend. Mix em up speedwise like any fireball. Alot of people I play against often jump into jab ones.
That's about all I can remember on Athena.


I would have to say her anti-air is actually her low fierce... Sorta like Blanka's slide, it doesn't look like it should antiair, but it does. Of course, there are attacks that beat it flat out, and attacks that trade with it.

Ex. Against Ryu's jumping forward, it loses. Against Eagle's jumping forward, it loses. Against Bison's jumping forward, it can lose or trade, depending on timing. Against Sagat's low fierce, it usually loses (damn sagat)

Athena is a good character, but don't rely on her special moves. She can be thrown OUT of her teleport...which looks kinda funny, but it can happen. Jab fireballs are ok, but don't get predictable. If you have quick hands, unlike me, you should use the crystal bit level 1 super as an anti-air as often as possible. The reason is that this is one of the level1 supers in the game with extreme invincibility. Out of the air especially, I can only think of a couple supers that would actually hit it out.


Athena is best in run grooves, but she is great in dashing grooves too, because her dash into throw is amazing. Her roll is almost as quick as Iori or Sagat, if I remember the numbers correctly, but don't rely on this unless you anticipate a heavy attack from your opponent.

but seriously, like someone said, just use low fierce and you will do fine.

[Ubersaurus]

athena's low fierce only works as anti air on moves that aren't hitting like, straight down. Like, I think Honda's body splash, as opposed to his roundhouse kick. hence why strong is good as a faraway anti air.

[Koop]

ACTUALLY


ANTI AIR

- standing MP against straight jumpers; shoto's, joe, bison. Not guaranteed everytime like....

standing MK takes out all. Even Blankas high jumping kicks and Nakaruru's imfamous crossovers. excellent reaction time

Cr FP- Anti airs the grapplers...raiden, Zangief, and Vice

standing FK- anti airs only those whose didnt zone there jump kick right!


B&B's
- Mp-->Mk intant 3 into crystal super.

-jumping down MK into phoenix arrow is a good setup or whatever your choice do to the fact if parried or block she still bounces to safty

- cr shorts into cr FP is beautiful B&B


tatical theory

- using your teleport is crucial. Build a solid mind game with it!

- Psychoballs trade with strong jumpers such as sagat and vega, use wisely

-NO NEED TO RC ANYTHING WITH HER!!!

-FP is abusive...make sure you dont over use it!

-Mp-->MK combos...and if missed recovery is that of cammy!

-learn your levels of phoenix arrow...meaning learn how to do it at the drop of a dime out of air...and at different portions of you oppent: head, chest, crouch, knees...

Thats about it till i feel like posting more

[Musourenka]

Originally posted by melanthius
Athena is best in run grooves, but she is great in dashing grooves too, because her dash into throw is amazing. Her roll is almost as quick as Iori or Sagat, if I remember the numbers correctly, but don't rely on this unless you anticipate a heavy attack from your opponent.

Actually, Athena is in the best roll class; better than Sagat's and as good as Iori's (her's covers more distance, though). Athena, Benimaru, Iori, Kim, King, and Yuri have the best rolls in the game; 24 frames long (quickest rolls in the game) and are vulnerable to attacks only on the last three frames. Naturally, they can still be thrown, so don't abuse rolls. Athena's is just safer than most characters.

[jae hoon]

Somehow everyone forgot jumping fierce as antiair, and yes really it is. If you press foward and fierce when you jump you either throw them or smack them back down. And yes it will beat Haohmaru's jumping fierce, at least it has for me. Her but bounce can be used as anti air as well. K and S are probably her best grooves, S groove Athena is just fucking nasty. Learn the shinning crystal bit, its imperative to Athena play. Id post more but im not lazy, just remember when all else fails downfierce that shit. :lol:

[Hellion]

I've never gone against a good P-groove user before, but I am wondering if it's possible to parry and then attack her butt bounce? Or is it almost a safe bet that she'll clear the parry and you may phoenix arrow without any hope of reprisal?
No one really uses P-groove here, and the computer doesn't wanna co-operate.

[Mummy-B]

Yeah it's possible to hit her. It'd have to be with something fast though, because remember that a Parry gives frame advantage.

I'd say just about any DP would hit get her clean, mp and fp versions easily.

[Koop]

ok the butt bounce answer for you guys


lets use sagat (but use the advise to work with your favorite)


head level but bounce: within p groove you can parry...but she has so many options to do. You will have to let her perform the next step before trying to counter. Other grooves...you can uppercut if timed right, but the hit will be worthless

Mid level butt bounce: counter wisely p groovers..cause she can either shining crystal...phoenix arrow or super phoenix arrow but either way you should be able to tiger knee that ass or uppercutt that ass.



The butt bounce is something i use on cats who doesnt have a distant anti air (ie uppercut). Use wisely when using it and lean different outcomes of it.

:)

[jae hoon]

Sagat can smack the shit out of her off the butt bounce, standing roundhouse will hit her. You cant be predictable against p groove anyway, and yes I do play p groove also, as well as n, s and k. The problem with playing against p groove with Athena is that the opponent is always waiting on one of three things.

A. A fireball
b. Jumpin Roundhouse or Foward
c. Crouching Fierce

You have to use alot more crouching, shorts into crouching fierces and alot more standing jabs, ducking jabs. Mix up your Psycho Ball Attacks as to not get repetitive, and above all air throw that shit! :lol:

[Koop]

well when you get here I will show you when i use the butt bounce (this makes us sound like strippers:p ) effective. Ive taken on alot of sagats ( no in p groove) but when i do the butt bounce either they:


walk forward and get phoenix arrowed

take the hit and fall the hell down..


just block

but I will show what im talkin bout....

[jae hoon]

Lol I know what you are talking about, ive been using Athena for awhile and I still do use the butt bounce all the time. I was just making the comment that you can be smacked after a parry even though most people wont think about it. I will say though out of all the grooves, P is generally the hardest for me to beat with Athena, alot of times ill have to switch to Nak in that situation agaisnt a really good P Groove player. And who says im not a stripper eh:lol:

[Drizzt01]

Athena, Athena...most people don't realize one thing about her...many nowadays who play against Athena use low jumps in grooves that have it available, or use charaters that counter her ducking fierce. In these situations I have found that standing forward, and toward+forward are very good. Personally, I use tow+for. It's actually her best anti-air, respectively since the shinning crystal is a super. It hits anything because she jumps forward and kicks. Only those that super jump and that you're close to it won't hit, but then you moved forward so they can't hit you either. Try it.

ALSO...I found something very useful with Athena. Read carefully:

Jab psycho ball...run towards them...get close enough to grab...throw one ducking short, then use her command grab...if you're in the corner, then follow up with a fierce psycho blade, actually, any running groove can do that. If you want to make the person look bad...do a shinning crystal. Damage wise it's almost the same. The latter take slightly more damage. In S-groove her shinning crystal is pretty strong. I think that's her best groove. She has all she needs...infinite level1 supers, run, and dodge. Although, I use her in N- groove. I've beaten alot of Sagat and Blanka players. The only ones I have trouble with are the Shotos. I'll let you know when I've devised some strategies.

Oh...by the way...if you have someone that doesn't have an uppercut or priority command grab, i.e., Zangief, do a ducking short and then command throw them. It usually works. Becareful though...mix things up. Firts time do d. short x3, then knock them down with the butt bounce. When you see that they are knocked down run in and do the command throw strategy. It almost always works for me...especially against k and p grooves. Try it.

[Koop]

Athena, Athena...most people don't realize one thing about her...many nowadays who play against Athena use low jumps in grooves that have it available, or use charaters that counter her ducking fierce. In these situations I have found that standing forward, and toward+forward are very good. Personally, I use tow+for. It's actually her best anti-air, respectively since the shinning crystal is a super. It hits anything because she jumps forward and kicks.


Not knockin ya....but her best anti air is standing medium kick...jumping toward FP and crouching FP. U use that toward forward {kick} with a medium punch combo [3hit]. Other wise bison will rape you...rolento will laugh at you and blanka....well i rather not get on that.


Crystal supers are no good unless its a wake up call honestly. Lv 1 are pathetic in that case. S-groove???? [is it me or is people suddenly on that with her since the evolution preview??]

anyhow you say you can beat sagat and blankas but have trouble with shoto's????? odd.

just a question on your jp psycoball run---->low short command grab.

What if bison jumps....what is sagat crFP that shyt....what if vega decides to trade hits by just sliding??

I ask cause ive tried that in casual battle [during my beginning athena dayz] and got tore up. just wondering

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Lil_Koopsta

Not knockin ya....but her best anti air is standing medium kick...jumping toward FP and crouching FP. U use that toward forward {kick} with a medium punch combo [3hit]. Other wise bison will rape you...rolento will laugh at you and blanka....well i rather not get on that.
Crystal supers are no good unless its a wake up call honestly. Lv 1 are pathetic in that case. S-groove???? [is it me or is people suddenly on that with her since the evolution preview??]
anyhow you say you can beat sagat and blankas but have trouble with shoto's????? odd.
just a question on your jp psycoball run---->low short command grab.
What if bison jumps....what is sagat crFP that shyt....what if vega decides to trade hits by just sliding??
I ask cause ive tried that in casual battle [during my beginning athena dayz] and got tore up. just wondering

Yeah I can do that S Groove shit to, it looks good but there are about 10 different ways out of it. I guess once you learn how to do it it becomes easier to get out of or something. Actually Athena can effectively beat Sagat, her df is anti air for any jump in he has, and as long as you can effecitively hit and run on Sagat you have a good chance of beating him. I have beat many Sagats in my day because they always seem to want to underestimate the matchup. That is one matchup to where Athena cant be predictable with her df. Sagats will win over Athena's, you have to use her speed and Psycho Balls tricks to be most effective. You actually want Sagat to jump at you.

The reason he probably has problems with Shotos is because there jumping roundhouse and jumping foward will stuff most of Athena's anti airs. But here is a weird thought, if they jump at you and you know you cant antiair them why dont you just roll? Your roll will recover before they land and Athena has one of the better rolls in the game. You could even just run past them if nothing else or even teleport. There is always a way around with Athena its just a matter of knowing what it is and executing it.

[Koop]

Well thanks for the info. I like to question things cause i rather learn than be an idiot ya dig.


anywho...jae when you comin to the east coast man??

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Lil_Koopsta
Well thanks for the info. I like to question things cause i rather learn than be an idiot ya dig.


anywho...jae when you comin to the east coast man??

Im not sure my ass is on crutchs right now so im not going anywhere. No prob with the questions, ill always answer them if I know how to. I think the biggest problem most people have with trying to play Athena is they try to get to fancy with her, she isnt a combo character, hell I have no combos outside jumping roundhouse to crouching fierce. She is just a sold based character made more for annoyance tactics than anything else. To many people look for either flashy like Terry or Kim or another Sagat, which she is neither. But used in the correct fashion she is just as deadly. BTW I can beat Rolento, Terry and Kim with Athena which are so called bad matchups for her.

[Shinku Nage]

In the other thread Peachy mentioned how there were two cancels for the SCB super, one that goes straight across, and one that goes up slightly. How do you do the different ones? I know it has a different angle in the air, is that what he was talking about?

[Koop]

Originally posted by Shinku Nage
In the other thread Peachy mentioned how there were two cancels for the SCB super, one that goes straight across, and one that goes up slightly. How do you do the different ones? I know it has a different angle in the air, is that what he was talking about?

After you start the shining crystal....if you do QCB and one of the following button this will happen



LP = the fireball will go straight across

MP= will go forward but then shoot upward

FP = like a wavelength...goes up down up down up up....this is for the confusion


I maybe wrong...I think. I normally use FP. And just recently learned how to cancel the shining crystal land and start it up again.

[Drizzt01]

Well...I have problems with the Shotos because their jumping mk is too good. I have actually run under them and tried to df them, but they still hit me! Now that sucks. Well...I admit when I'm wrong...and I was wrong with her towMK. It's good, but not against everyone. I actully use strong instead for characters that jump high. Blanka can get hit with df if you are a certain distance away. Likewise with Sagat's df. Athena's df is invincible at the very tip. That means she hits everything. A butt bounce can be hit solidly by the shotos with their df. Also by those with df's that are similar like sakura, vice, etc.. If I do the lp fireball and run in for the shorts I try to mix it up. For a few times I do shortx3 to df. then when they get used to blocking I do my command throw strategy. I don't know why that other person can't do it. MIND GAMES PPL.

[Hellion]

I am curious now as to which groove is her best one.
I prefered her in K groove at first, but I've since switched to N in spite of the lack of options against roll cancelling.
I liked having the mobility of K blended in with the extra options from N, and besides I try to not jump anyway unless I jab psycho ball and the other person jumps it (Or if they are hopelessly broken by Athena's damaging mind games). Also once you break stock you can use her lvl.3 supers in the air against RC'd moves (Easier said than done for me, as I only have a D-pad to practice on, and my reaction sucks) Also, while she is excellent in K, I felt that she needed just a little bit more mobility to be even more dangerous.
(I was recently slaughtered by my brother GF2 while he was playing Todo in K, and he practically raped K Athena in the corner)

Like what someone said earlier in this post, she really doesn't need to roll cancel anything, although her RCs are pretty good.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Drizzt01
Well...I have problems with the Shotos because their jumping mk is too good. I have actually run under them and tried to df them, but they still hit me! Now that sucks. Well...I admit when I'm wrong...and I was wrong with her towMK. It's good, but not against everyone. I actully use strong instead for characters that jump high. Blanka can get hit with df if you are a certain distance away. Likewise with Sagat's df. Athena's df is invincible at the very tip. That means she hits everything. A butt bounce can be hit solidly by the shotos with their df. Also by those with df's that are similar like sakura, vice, etc.. If I do the lp fireball and run in for the shorts I try to mix it up. For a few times I do shortx3 to df. then when they get used to blocking I do my command throw strategy. I don't know why that other person can't do it. MIND GAMES PPL.

Against a shoto's jumping foward you either do jump up and foward, not the but bounce just foward, or you can always teleport away.

Athena's best groove is often times debatable, while I think she is underrated in K groove, a roll does actually help Athena alot. I went back to N at the last tourny and her roll is just to good not to use. Obviously you cant be predictable but there were to many instances I could remember where I just could roll and throw someone. I would say overall N is probably her best groove followed by A and C but thats just my opinion.

[Orochi_Shoto]

Originally posted by Lil_Koopsta
anyhow you say you can beat sagat and blankas but have trouble with shoto's????? odd.

Yeah, this is odd, but that's how it is sometimes. This is slightly off topic, but Maki does very well against Sagat, and not too shabby against Blanka. Despite this, she has problems against Shotos, Yun, and Raiden. So really to me it isn't that odd that Athena shares this quality.

Anyways, back on topic. Yes, you can make do with the teleport for safety (good idea when in desperation). You could high jump back and psycho sword. You could high jump back and qcb + RH. Sorry if it's really qcf + RH, I always get it mixed up with Athena. If it is qcb + kick, then you could also TK it if you need it fast, in which case it might not succeed j. forward, but it's worth a chance to test.

[jae hoon]

Really the question for me usually is how do you beat Yama and Vega with Athena? Those are usually my most troublesome matchups and I really havent found a way to counter them yet.

[Koop]

Originally posted by jae hoon
Really the question for me usually is how do you beat Yama and Vega with Athena? Those are usually my most troublesome matchups and I really havent found a way to counter them yet.


Thats all I play here jae man. Yama's. I use the lk phoenix arrown into a crFP for the ol chip chip chocolate chip.

standing MK takes his jump in out ( exclude k, n, p groove)


he has problems with the lp psychoball.


phoenix reflector works wonders...when timing jumpins.


butt bounce into lk phoenix arrow is lovely

patience is a key...

[Aoshi Shinomori]

Well with Athena you have to realize that she's one of the light weights like Sakura, Yuri, and Nakoruru so speed is her strong point and not very much strengt. With characters like that you have to know how to combo. I recommend using either C Groove or S Groove (just for the record I hate S Groove but that's just my opinion so please don't flame me on it and yes I know how to use it). As for Yamazaki play defense and counter with quick attacks. Also a handy combo is to use her "Fang Arrow Super and follow up with her "Psycho Sword". Projectiles" are your friend but becareful with his "Double Return" move and beware with missed "Psycho Swords" as with most uppercuts if it doesn't connect you're in deep dog food. Also your "Phoenix Arrow" should counter his "Guillotine" Super.

Sorry I can beat Vega with Athena but I don't have a specific strategy for him...wait when you say Vega do you mean Vega (M.Bison in America) or Vega (Balrog in Japan)?

[Koop]

^^^^^^

Thanks for the info man. No flames from us man. We enjoy a good lesson or stratagy and quick to ask questions. Appreciate it greatly.

I believe jae was speaking on VEGA (claw aka balrog)

[Hellion]

Is it worth tigerkneeing any of Athena's moves?

[OmegaRed]

When I first started I liked Athena and now that I understand the game more I REALLY like Athena. My question isn't so much about power but which is more of a crowd please:

A-Groove Athena I have found the best way to activate is jump in, activate, dragon punch before landing....

then after that which is more of a crowd pleaser doing dragon punches into her super or doing c.fp into her super.

[Cantrip]

Ahvbing her phoenix arrow has its uses. The FK version is a fairly good poke andthe LK one after that is a good bait. ON aother note no one mention athenas S.FK, and i dont know why!! Its recoverey is cammy like and it just a notch less out prioritizing than her D.FP.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by OmegaRed
When I first started I liked Athena and now that I understand the game more I REALLY like Athena. My question isn't so much about power but which is more of a crowd please:

A-Groove Athena I have found the best way to activate is jump in, activate, dragon punch before landing....

then after that which is more of a crowd pleaser doing dragon punches into her super or doing c.fp into her super.

First off there is one thing you need to understand if your going to be a serious Athena player. FUCK THE CROWD! Seriously, use her to win not to show to the people, thats when you lose with her. Alot of people try to get to fancy with Athena and end up fucking up. And actually the best way to activate is to wait for them to jump at you and do her special throw. As far as the rest goes use the dp into the super its usually better as far as damage goes, fuck crowd pleasers.

OH btw when I said Vega I meant the american Vega, as far as Balrog goes, just df that shit.

[Hellion]

Athena is a goddess. It's amazing how often people fall for her SCB.. And these guys are considered to be the ones to challenge at our local arcade and all, with their RCing and stuff.

[ThisGuileKillYa]

Athena Athena.. I have all of her albums..

I never really have too much trouble w/ Yama's(maybe I'm not playin the right ones) but a good Vega does stick a claw in me. I think the way to beat vega is to bounce around worse than him and dont let him get on top of you.

People think she is all just cFP.. well, yeah duh. BUT ya gotta be smart on when to use it. Athena's cFP can even be effective against Sagat if you do it at smart times. If he cFPs and you roll in and hit him on the recoil or from behind, he's gonna think twice about future cFPs.. then who's winning the cFP battle?

How many times can I say cFP in one post? I bet I could fit in one more cFP.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Hellion
Athena is a goddess. It's amazing how often people fall for her SCB.. And these guys are considered to be the ones to challenge at our local arcade and all, with their RCing and stuff.

Alot of it is because of the perception of Athena, most people see her as weak and inferior, which obviously she isnt. The thing is the SCB doesnt do that much damage expect in K Groove, so people dont really fear it. You can hit someone with one or 2 shinning crystals and they wont even bother to notice at times. Its kinda stupid that way.

Oh and as far as a groove Athena goes, the best activate setup is to wait for them to jump at you.

[popoblo]

Originally posted by jae hoon


Oh and as far as a groove Athena goes, the best activate setup is to wait for them to jump at you.

then what? activate CC, command grab?

and how does athena do against the top tiers? i know just cr fierce that shit all day against sagat, even on jump ins. but just make sure not to trade with his cr fierce, or you'll die quick. what about blanka, and to a lesser extent of the top tiers, chun li?

thanks.

PS- anybody know where i can find some match vids with athena? i have the evo dvd and have seen peachy's vids, but where are some more?

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by popoblo


then what? activate CC, command grab?

and how does athena do against the top tiers? i know just cr fierce that shit all day against sagat, even on jump ins. but just make sure not to trade with his cr fierce, or you'll die quick. what about blanka, and to a lesser extent of the top tiers, chun li?

thanks.

PS- anybody know where i can find some match vids with athena? i have the evo dvd and have seen peachy's vids, but where are some more?

I really dont know of any match vids personally. I mean if you lived near Seattle you could just watch Team Athena - Me, Peachy and Puzzlefite. But we dont ever tape our matches over here.

As far as the CC goes that is how you start it if someone jumps at you. Its just situational awareness more than anything.

Athena can do good against top tier if you know how to play her. She actually can beat Sagat contrary to popular belief, but Blanka gives her more of a challenge. Just a few tid bits since im lazy right now. Sagat cannot jump at Athena, her df antiairs everything he has. Playing against Sagat is kind of like a wait and see game, throw some fireballs and see how he reacts. Then you can judge on how offensive or defensive you have to be against him. You should never be trapped in a corner with her Teleport, is it annoying yes but it keeps you alive.

[popoblo]

what are the best ways to use her teleport? i have a pretty simple game with her now. i don't use jab fireballs very much if i'm far away, i usually just tiger knee her phoenix arrow for meter, then wait for my opening to hit her CC. i know if i used her teleport more it would set up more grabs into CC's and other tricks. any advice on when i should use her teleport?

thanks

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by popoblo
what are the best ways to use her teleport? i have a pretty simple game with her now. i don't use jab fireballs very much if i'm far away, i usually just tiger knee her phoenix arrow for meter, then wait for my opening to hit her CC. i know if i used her teleport more it would set up more grabs into CC's and other tricks. any advice on when i should use her teleport?

thanks

Her teleport has two uses, the first is for evasion of course. To either get her out of a corner or out of a bad situation. The other use is the short version of her teleport. If you learn how to use this it can be used very much like a dash. Its very fast and has short recovery time. Alot of times you can do a couple short teleports, then use her special throw. Its a really easy way to set up her a groove custom combo and if you practice it you will learn how easy it is to get a command throw after the short teleport.

[DarkMagician]

jae can i ask wat team u play athena in and wat groove?

Also, does anyone have any match videos of gosu athena's?

[popoblo]

Originally posted by DarkMagician
jae can i ask wat team u play athena in and wat groove?

Also, does anyone have any match videos of gosu athena's?

i got 2 mathces of bokchoy's A groove athena vs opm at the go for broke hub and they're pretty good, just like i play my athena. check the hub, and look for "popoblo," and it'll be there in my cvs2 match vids folder. i also have one in my cvs2/match vids/svgl folder, mike p vs john choi (A groove). CR FIERCE THAT SHIT!

and jae hoon, above your avatar, it's spelled "quintessential":D

[DarkMagician]

go for broke hub?
wheres that?

[popoblo]

Originally posted by DarkMagician
go for broke hub?
wheres that?

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16592

just follow the directions, it's pretty simple.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by popoblo




and jae hoon, above your avatar, it's spelled "quintessential":D

Yeah I noticed I spelled it wrong im just to lazy to change it. :lol:

Anyways no there are no videos for us here but to answer your question I play Athena mostly in N and K groove. Sometimes I have her leading of and sometimes she is my second character.
N Groove Teams
Athena/Joe/Blanka
King/Athena/Joe
Joe/Athena/Sagat
Ryu/Athena/Joe

K Groove
Sagat/Athena/Blanka
Sagat/Athena/Joe
Athena/Joe/Blanka
Athena/Rugal/Sagat

There is more than that to those are just some of the teams I use.

[popoblo]

i put athena on my A-groove team as my battery (1st character) because she builds meter so ridiculously well and sets up a huge change of pace (from my meter-building, semi-turtle athena, to my hardcore rushdown rolento).

and since people sometimes put sagat as a R1/R2 first, this sets up a match in my favor.

[DarkMagician]

Originally posted by jae hoon


Yeah I noticed I spelled it wrong im just to lazy to change it. :lol:

Anyways no there are no videos for us here but to answer your question I play Athena mostly in N and K groove. Sometimes I have her leading of and sometimes she is my second character.
N Groove Teams
Athena/Joe/Blanka
King/Athena/Joe
Joe/Athena/Sagat
Ryu/Athena/Joe

K Groove
Sagat/Athena/Blanka
Sagat/Athena/Joe
Athena/Joe/Blanka
Athena/Rugal/Sagat

There is more than that to those are just some of the teams I use.

woh u got lots of joes in ur team.... i havent seen any good joe players, not like hes bad or anything, just havent seen any.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by DarkMagician


woh u got lots of joes in ur team.... i havent seen any good joe players, not like hes bad or anything, just havent seen any.
Joe is very very underrated, he is actually alot better than people will be willing to give him credit for. He has a reliable anti air, good specials, really good supers and does good damage, but thats another thread in itself. Sadly im the only good Joe player I know of.

[popoblo]

how does athena do against chun li? i play some good ones around here, i just haven't busted out my athena yet...

-what should i use to stop her cross-ups?

-should i just be smart with my cr fierce when they walk back and forth and look for medium into fireball/super? wouldn't a crouching fierce stuff a level 1 multi-kick super if they just tried to predict my fierce?

-and who just really fucks up athena? i heard vega does, who else?

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by popoblo
how does athena do against chun li? i play some good ones around here, i just haven't busted out my athena yet...

-what should i use to stop her cross-ups?

-should i just be smart with my cr fierce when they walk back and forth and look for medium into fireball/super? wouldn't a crouching fierce stuff a level 1 multi-kick super if they just tried to predict my fierce?

-and who just really fucks up athena? i heard vega does, who else?

Chun Li is hard for anyone to play against, you generally want to try to use stading foward for antiair, or the smarter strategy if you cant get off an air throw is to just roll when she jumps at you. Chun Li has a maddening pressure game and you can literally just be stuck holding the controller at times, because it seems like you cant do anything. As far as Chun's cross up goes your best bet is to usually roll. And yes Athena's cf can beat a lvl one super combo if its not comboed in. Level 1 supers have amazingly low priority.

I know its sounds stupid to say roll but her roll is very good and you will recover before they land there jump. But remember Athena does have an airthrow and you can airthrow shortjumps.

Who fucks up Athena besides Vega? Imo Besides Vega this is Athen'as 5 toughest matchups

Rolento
Kim
Sakura
Yama
Blanka

[iMPULSZE]

I use athena a lot. Look for any match vids with my name on Direct Connect, Go For Broke hub. THere should be a few decent vids there....

[jae hoon]

Just to add alittle something, I was fucking around with Athena a couple of weeks ago and I noticed you could combo in her sweep of a jumping foward, im not talking about the butt bounce im talking about just hitting them with foward and doing the sweep right after that.

[RagingStormX]

Athena is a bitch. I like her though, she does the most chip in the game, with her level 3 Shining Crystal Bit (corner only:lame: ) Also the character can't be able to duck the high hits.

[Legendary Gokou]

That jumping forward kick can be combo'd into her super. Both of them, but easier timing on the phoenix arrow super if you buffer ( qcf forward, qcf kick) Useful for lvl 2 cancels if you have c groove.

[vasAZNion13]

has anyone tried k groove athena effectively..
i'm pretty sure you can do a jd and do her command throw much like zangief and his jd/360...

command throw, jump forward do hp psycho sword...good damage...

corner, jd, command throw, shining bit, 2nd part of shining bit

i think someone's mentioned this, but...here goes anyways...if you managed to knock them onto the floor...run up to them and do the lp psycho sword as they get up...good chip damage plus no lag after the move is down....not sure if it'll work against wake up shoryuken and such

and i guess abuse c. hp?

when bar is about to end, just do the pheonix ball super...it's extremely good chip damage...
my anti air is jd and throw most of the time...or jd and jab...for every character....

anything else important for her?

[puzzlefite]

I've never thought of Athena much in K groove becuz she doesn't have as much HP as others. That means she doesn't get raged as much. However some people do use her effectively in K.

Also Athena's command throw is slower than Zangief's SPD. Chances are you won't be able to catch em fast enuff with it.

Her Phoenix arrow super sux. Anyone can uppercut or roll it on reaction. And if it's too high most characters can just jump and get knocked down to avoid the block damage. Basically if you're going to use it make sure they're not too smart and it kills for block damage. If not you're going to eat a combo.

[sHiNeRiK]

Is there a way to set up her super (qcb2+p) cuz I cant seem to do anything with it. :(

[Koop]

^^^^


Well you can do a jump in wake up super...suprise

in the corner you can do command throw...then lite there world up

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by sHiNeRiK
Is there a way to set up her super (qcb2+p) cuz I cant seem to do anything with it. :(

Roll super, wakeup super, basically shit like that. Not really much you can setup there, unless you have any setups for her grab.

Dont listen to Gon, K Groove Athena owns that ass fo free:lol:. jk
She is winnable in K yes, its harder to do but possible. You have to think about it like this, your playing Athena with no roll, small jump and run are still present so you can still attack. Rage Athena is actually pretty good, df while raged is sick and it enhances the damage of her shinning crytal bit quite a bit. Her other super the super phoenix arrow actually does have a use in K Groove if used right. That super in that groove does an ungodly amount of block damage. If your facing someone who likes to block alot, a good way to figure out what a person will do is to throw a couple of fireballs and see how they react, use that super if there life par is aboud 25 percent or so and it will kill them while there blocking it.

[vasAZNion13]

Originally posted by puzzlefite
I've never thought of Athena much in K groove becuz she doesn't have as much HP as others. That means she doesn't get raged as much. However some people do use her effectively in K.

Also Athena's command throw is slower than Zangief's SPD. Chances are you won't be able to catch em fast enuff with it.

Her Phoenix arrow super sux. Anyone can uppercut or roll it on reaction. And if it's too high most characters can just jump and get knocked down to avoid the block damage. Basically if you're going to use it make sure they're not too smart and it kills for block damage. If not you're going to eat a combo.

a lvl 3 phoenix arrow doesn't suck ass much....
i do that super a lot if they are turtling when i'm near end of my rage mode...

also i'm raged a lot because i'm a jd whore

but yea...k groove athena was not as effective as i thought it would be...at least for me..

[SunDash]

I don't like to use the Phoenix arrow super with her because of the faults listed above! I use her shining crystal bit instead. I like to follow up the shining crystal bit immediately with the crystal shoot she does. The damage and the number of hits rise more ^_^!

She reminds me a little of KOF 98 Athena in some ways!

[Legendary Gokou]

I've been testing this out, and I kind of like how it comes about.

For Anti-Air, here's something I don't think has been mentioned yet. Tiger kneeing her Phoenix Arrow move, but with the roundhouse kick. Try to position it where she'll back up and do the trip. I guess its not so useful when they're jumping in deep, but .... yeah. In certain situations I find it too good. Gives you knockdown to mix things up.

[ShidouK]

Athena stuff...

Not that I'm at all a good player or anything, but I've been playing Athena for a while now, and have picked up some nice tricks with her.

First off--I generally play in C groove, some P groove as well. Athena can cross up nicely with her jumping forward, and it has good air-to-air properties as well, as long as it's out first (it has some startup lag). If you get the crossup with the forward, generally you can do chains and links ranging from the usual c.sh-c.sh-c.fp to stuff as wild as c.jab-c.jab-c.sh-c.fp. It's sometimes worth it to fake the crossup and use Phoenix Arrow, changes the timing a little, but it's also fairly obvious after the first couple of times.

What else... I generally try to play a rushdown strategy in CvS2 (thus my teams generally look like Kyo/Iori/Sakura/Athena/Terry/etc.), so I tend to ignore spacing, etc. as much as I can (or maybe I'm just a bad player :) ).

A note about Athena's c.FP: It can, with extremely good timing, go under mid fbs (like Ryu, Ken, Athena herself, etc.) Unlike Charlie/Guile, you don't necessarily have to hit to have this happen, though that works too.

Should I think of anything else, I'll post it. Hope some of this helps.

[RagingStormX]

Her lvl 3 SCB do half life in chip damage on big characters. I love that super.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by ShidouK
Athena stuff...

Not that I'm at all a good player or anything, but I've been playing Athena for a while now, and have picked up some nice tricks with her.

First off--I generally play in C groove, some P groove as well. Athena can cross up nicely with her jumping forward, and it has good air-to-air properties as well, as long as it's out first (it has some startup lag). If you get the crossup with the forward, generally you can do chains and links ranging from the usual c.sh-c.sh-c.fp to stuff as wild as c.jab-c.jab-c.sh-c.fp. It's sometimes worth it to fake the crossup and use Phoenix Arrow, changes the timing a little, but it's also fairly obvious after the first couple of times.

What else... I generally try to play a rushdown strategy in CvS2 (thus my teams generally look like Kyo/Iori/Sakura/Athena/Terry/etc.), so I tend to ignore spacing, etc. as much as I can (or maybe I'm just a bad player :) ).

A note about Athena's c.FP: It can, with extremely good timing, go under mid fbs (like Ryu, Ken, Athena herself, etc.) Unlike Charlie/Guile, you don't necessarily have to hit to have this happen, though that works too.

Should I think of anything else, I'll post it. Hope some of this helps.

I have mentioned Athena's jumping foward but honestly its not that good. It doesnt really have good priority and it doesnt really crossup all that much. You would have a better chance of crossing up with the phoenix arrow then the jumping foward. Not to mention its not a good idea generally to jump with Athena unless you are small jumping or facing an opponent with no solid antiair. Unless you use the buttbump, she can usually be beaten out of the air easily. Her airthrow is an excellent antiair as I have mentioned before though, and can be done of the smalljump.
And now her crounching fierce will not go under Athena's fireball, as it is to big. You are correct about Ken and Ryu and can run under Sagats fireball, but you cant duck Athena's.

[SaiYuk]

K athena is very good, my main team consists of an r1 K athena, always.

JD gives her free jump-in, because her jumping roundhouse has great range (great angle too, perfect for using after a JDed anti-air).

for anti air usually st.MP is enough for most situations, if not you can always JD stuff. ppl always say st.MK is great anti crossups etc. but i never really tried it; never really had the need to. crouching fierce is a great anti air too against some air attacks, but not all. i havent really figured out what type of air attacks beat it, i think its the ones with less vertical priority/hit frame. (non-crossups)

i don't recommend throwing a lotta fireballs with athena unless your opponent goes into defense mode or just turtles. her fireball has slow startup and recovery.

straight jump up roundhouse is almost blanka-slap-level-good. same usage as that.

i agree with jaehoon that jumping forward isnt that good. i dont really use it at all. i find jumping roundhouse and butt bounce to be enough for air attacks. butt bounce has godly priority, though not invincible (so loses to shoryukens).

i dont use her sweep at all, her cr.fierce is too good a substitution for sweep. you can probably score 2 cr.fierces in a row if an opponent isnt too familiar with fighting against athena :D

her teleport comes in handy at certain situations. some situations where i would use it is, when running away from a flashing lv 3 S/N/K groover, get to the corner, when he comes your way, HK teleport outta there. if you know your positions well, you can always teleport -> command grab. but it's easy to get thrown out of it as teleport recovers slow and command grab starts slow too.

[edit]
oh, and K athena DOES have an answer for RC blanka balls and the like, that might be something to consider for using her in K groove. JD the blanka ball, run in crouching fierce. works every time. i would think P groove would work too for the same reason, so depends on how good are you at parrying, personally i think JDing is THAT much easier than parrying. maybe im just used to it.

[digdoug006]

Originally posted by SaiYuk

[edit]
oh, and K athena DOES have an answer for RC blanka balls and the like, that might be something to consider for using her in K groove. JD the blanka ball, run in crouching fierce. works every time. i would think P groove would work too for the same reason, so depends on how good are you at parrying, personally i think JDing is THAT much easier than parrying. maybe im just used to it.

hmmmm.......i think u can do more than just a crouching fierce if u jd a blanka ball. i think if u jd and run right after the blanka ball, u'll be right in front of blanka, free combo......i think. haha it's funny how i'm not sure, cuz i know i must've done it against blank players when i'm athena.......

[marvelscrub]

I like athena because she has cheesy CC->Command grab BS.

No one mentioned anti-air CC yet.
CC, towards+mk (1-hit) x whiff d.lk, j.RH j.MK, land, superjump stuff.. blah blah DP, j.RH x Air super.

Stupid midscreen guard damage CC
CC, Towards+mk (1-hit) xN.. throw in a few jabs or something. phht, whatever.

I like how she can actiavte of a LOT of stuff.. Command grab or DP or towards+MK in the corner.. but too bad the DP SUCKS!! :) Any uses outside of combo? I always get hit. It seems to suck in combos too. No range, it's seems easier to combo low fierce..

Stupid combo
command grab in corner, towards+mk (2nd-hit), towards+mk (2nd-hit). W00t!

More combos
crossup mk, s.mp, d.lk, low fierce
crossup mk, s.lp, s.mp, low fierce

I can link CC off close s.mp (and prolly d.lk x2 too I guess), but I can't figure out a good way to play off it.
CC, low fierce, towrards+mk (2nd-hit), towards+mk (1-hit) x whiff d.lk, j.RH, j.mk, land, superjump stuff.. yada yada. Problem is the first towards+mk whiff sometimes. Any ideas?

[digdoug006]

cc->command grab is one of her cc's. it's probly the most effective one at that.

i dunno if you were joking around with that guard crush cc. anyways, i think u can fierce dp->qcb+rh (in air) x N, then finish off with a super or something. i dunno how much gaurd crush that does, hell i'm not even sure if it's possible to do it. i guess i'll give it a try and tell you if it even works......

[kcxj]

Originally posted by marvelscrub
No one mentioned anti-air CC yet.
CC, towards+mk (1-hit) x whiff d.lk, j.RH j.MK, land, superjump stuff.. blah blah DP, j.RH x Air super.


That combo's cool. I watched some random Jap dude do it in a match video if I can remember.

I was going to play A-Athena a while back actually. That was before I realized she can't do a THING against Blanka ball or Honda headbutt... :lol:

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by kcxj


That combo's cool. I watched some random Jap dude do it in a match video if I can remember.

I was going to play A-Athena a while back actually. That was before I realized she can't do a THING against Blanka ball or Honda headbutt... :lol:

Not true, if you block the blanka ball you can run foward and df if your fast enough and Athena's df cancels Honda's headbutt.

[popoblo]

Originally posted by jae hoon


Not true, if you block the blanka ball you can run foward and df if your fast enough and Athena's df cancels Honda's headbutt.

are you roll cancelling that crouching fierce? if so athena is GOD TIER.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by popoblo


are you roll cancelling that crouching fierce? if so athena is GOD TIER.

No im not, I just df

[popoblo]

no shit, that's the point- athena can't just crouching fierce a RC headbutt. if it's not RC'ed, fine. but who throws out non-RC headbutts (except jab ones for AA, but then you can't crouching fierce...)?

[jae hoon]

It depends on how much time she has, Athena's df cancels any of Hondas headbutts as long as you can get it off. The only way there usually getting an rc against Athena with Honda is if your throwing a fireball anyway. Headbutts are your least concern when playing against Honda, his throw and jumping roundhouse are much much more worry some. Not to mention I seriously doubt he was talking about rc headbutts and blanka balls.

[marvelscrub]

I thought RC headbutts were always the shit to do when upclose.. usually. What can Athena do against that? i've never played an RC Honda.

How is Athena usually played? As an upclose always-for-the-hit character, or a ranged positioning poke game?

i guess the obvious answer is a bit of both.. :)

[kcxj]

Originally posted by jae hoon


Not true, if you block the blanka ball you can run foward and df if your fast enough and Athena's df cancels Honda's headbutt.

Ok, you show me how to run forward and punish a Blanka ball with A-groove Athena, then I'll start using her. :lol:

Can Athena RC down fierce through LP Honda headbutts as well?

[Burghy]

I have seen many Athena players. These Athenas are good from far, but far from good.

1337 tactic: do air qcb+LK/MK for block damage, then do shining crystal bit as soon as you recover. You just hit their counterattack attempt! PSYCHIC

1337 tactic number 2: get ahead on life a bit, then keep jumping back in the corner. If they jump air throw! If they try to get in to do something, wall jump and run to the other wall with qcb+K! It's like a crappier Mai.

Sometimes they press down fierce

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by kcxj


Ok, you show me how to run forward and punish a Blanka ball with A-groove Athena, then I'll start using her. :lol:

Can Athena RC down fierce through LP Honda headbutts as well?

I dont play A Groove Athena I playe N/K Groove Athena, that would be very interesting to see though.

As far as the rc headbutt up close hell you can just do rc uppercut with Athena and it works just as well. Athena can rc just as well as Honda can.

Athena is played however you want to play her. I use her as either an in your face rushdown character in K Groove or a cat and mouse type of character in N Groove, more of a hit and run then the all out assult I do in K Groove.

Gon plays her very defensively and basically turtles his ass off but it works for him.

Peachy plays a weird Athena, all the shit he does seems random but it isnt. Its fun to watch what he does with her.

Athena can be played however you want her to its all up to you, its just finding which way fits your style.

[Legendary Gokou]

Just some combos that haven't been listed yet. Pretty basic but useful to know.

cross up forward, st strong, st fierce.

Same damage if you substituted st fierce with cr fierce. I stumbled upon this by accident.

cross up forward, CBS

Opponent had been knocked down, I did a small jump with cross up forward and for kicks I threw in the super, and it combo'd. I like this one. If you are in the corner, you can do this and get the chip damage since it forces them back into the corner. Might not get all the chip damage that CBS can dish out since it slightly pushes you back.

[kcxj]

Originally posted by Legendary Gokou

cross up forward, CBS

cross up forward, Cammy, Blanka, Sagat?

Oh shit, team up combos! :eek:

[marvelscrub]

I find S.Strong is great combo move.. seems you can combo anything after it.

crossup MK, s.MP, d.RH is old-school blanka combo and leaves you in perfect position for crossup again.

She can cancel sweep.. I dunno how good that is though.

I keep reading about the butt-bounce attack.. For the life of me I can't use it. I do better if I just forget about it. Prolly just me.

Anyone know where I can find some athena vids? The only one I've seen is that one against Chikyuu with SCB xN in S-groove

[Legendary Gokou]

I'm sure you knew what I meant, but just for clarification ...

cross up forward, crystal bit super.

I have some vids that I will upload in a week or two .... my Athena is not great, strictly novice.

The butt bounce is good for people who attempt to punish it if blocked. She can crystal bit super and it'll hit if they try to punish you. Except for Sagat, I think it was discussed that he can dp you right after.

[jae hoon]

Never use jumping foward unless you do the butt bounce. Yeah it has some combo abilities but it has no priority whatsoever, you can jab her jumping foward. Its retarded really.


Yes the butt bounce is effective, probably her most effective jumping move she has, definetly should be used by anyone who plays Athena.

As far as vids you would have to get the EVO dvd from last year that had Peachy on it. If you have seen that thats the type of shit we can do (We being Team Athena) with that annoying little bitch.

[kcxj]

Originally posted by jae hoon
Never use jumping foward unless you do the butt bounce. Yeah it has some combo abilities but it has no priority whatsoever, you can jab her jumping foward. Its retarded really

I'm sure you can find some uses for j.MK outside of butt bounce. I like to do cross up jumping forward, crystal bit super for two ticks of block damage for example.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by kcxj


I'm sure you can find some uses for j.MK outside of butt bounce. I like to do cross up jumping forward, crystal bit super for two ticks of block damage for example.

Yeah no, like I said ive been jabbed out of the regular jumping foward, its practically worthless. If im going to jump in like that ill use jumping roundhouse, its better anyway.

[marvelscrub]

you can crosup with j.RH?

j.forward is also better air-to-air than j.RH when your opponent is at equal height. AFAIK it's her longest reaching horizontal air attack..

Dunno about d.short.. I only use it when they're above me.

EDIT: whoops.. i meant j.short. I'm an idiot.

And while blocked butt-bounce, then dive down ball thingy is neat-o.. I've never had anyone get hit by it. They always block the damn thing.

[Legendary Gokou]

The only way I use j forward is its on the same level as marvel said, and also (more commonly) on small jump cross up. This is where a majority of my combos come off from.

I've never been jabbed out of it, but I don't go for it often out of a regular jump. I'd have to question correct positioning if you get jabbed out .... does the opponent dash back and jab you or what? Walk underneath?

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Legendary Gokou
The only way I use j forward is its on the same level as marvel said, and also (more commonly) on small jump cross up. This is where a majority of my combos come off from.

I've never been jabbed out of it, but I don't go for it often out of a regular jump. I'd have to question correct positioning if you get jabbed out .... does the opponent dash back and jab you or what? Walk underneath?

It doesnt matter even on a small jump I still get hit for doing it while the butt bounce and juming roundhouse connect. And if your talking about air to air, jumping fierce is better than anything else she has.

[marvelscrub]

You're not understanding us jae hoon.

Yes j.RH is good when jumping in.. I almost NEVER use j.MK when I can use j.RH. We're not saying to use j.MK as a front-on jump in all the time.

What is the opponent walks underneath you? What if you are actually going for a crossup? Will j.RH work then?
What if air-to-air j.fierce won't reach? It happens.. J.Fierce won't cover every angle air-to-air i don't think. (not that j.forward will either)

I'm not saying to give up all your jump attacks for j.forward.. but it does have some uses.

Hrm.. maybe you could use it as a far out jump-inwhen you jump from really far away? a la Sakura j.short?

[jae hoon]

Trust me ive been playing Athena almost since the game came out I know what she can and cant do. The foward crossup is a maybe as it is. Your not guaranteed to even get it in the first place, it makes much more sense to do the short jump roundhouse into shinning crystal if your going for chip damage. I used to use jumping foward for crossups but its not reliable enough to use on a consistant basis. Her phoenix arrow crosses up to if you know how to do it but it doesnt make it usefull to use constantly.

BTW jumping fierce hits everything jumping foward does, if you dont get the air throw you smack them down.

Edit: Basically it doesnt and hasnt worked for me, if it works for you thats cool, just isnt helpful for me.

[Legendary Gokou]

Alright.

Can someone please list the normals that Athena has, that are super cancellable? After combo'ing her jab into her crystal bit super, I'm a bit curious as to what else she can combo it off of. It was a complete accident, I was going for the super itself and I guess I hit punch midway through the second motion so I jabbed, I hit it again while completing the motion and it combo'd.

[jae hoon]

standing strong, standing fierce, ducking foward, those are the only ones I know of off the top of my head. Athena isnt really a combo character per say.

[marvelscrub]

Well, maybe you can explain to me why j.MK sucks even further?

I'm only a just started using Athena recently.. so there's probably lot's of little things I don't know about. I don't have short jump. A-Groove and ONLY A-Groove.

You say it's not really usefull for crossups. It's the only crossup attack she has though right? Is it that they can easily nail her out of it if they're free to move? Or that they can avoid it by ducking or something? I have to admit.. it is hard to land on some characters. But sometimes it seems like it IS garaunteed. Do you go for crossups at all? I'll have to rxperiment more with the crossup dive ball thingy.. Can you combo after it?

Maybe you can shed some light on the butt-bounce for me too. What attacks does it beat that her other jump-ins don't? Specify if you can.. it's just that whenever I go for it it's blocked. I feel helpless just bouncing away afterwards. Afraid I'll eat a projectile super or something. I know you can do hcb+K but everybody blocks the damn thing.

I find j.jab is good too.. anything wrong with that? :)

j.jab into RC grab owns!! :D

[kcxj]

This thread is hilariously entertaining. Ok, I'm playing A-Athena from now on, but will only use my meter to j.HK, super and get my 100 points of tick damage. It's free!

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by kcxj
This thread is hilariously entertaining. Ok, I'm playing A-Athena from now on, but will only use my meter to j.HK, super and get my 100 points of tick damage. It's free!

I know your not reffering to me, for one I dont use A Groove, I dont use jumping roundhouse that much, I usually use the butt bounce if I jump. And I have other ways of getting chip damage than that, althougth thats not a big part of my game with Athena.

[kcxj]

Originally posted by jae hoon


I know your not reffering to me, for one I dont use A Groove, I dont use jumping roundhouse that much, I usually use the butt bounce if I jump. And I have other ways of getting chip damage than that, althougth thats not a big part of my game with Athena.

Stop trying to be fancy and just press down fierce already. :D

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by kcxj


Stop trying to be fancy and just press down fierce already. :D

Lol yeah that works to, I do that alot as well.

[digdoug006]

ok i play a, c, k, and very rarely p athena. i haven't tried her in s tho, but it sounds fun (and CHEESY). running's great, but i luv her dash as well. when playing between running or dashing grooves, u have to alter your gameplay slightly.

ok about the j.foward. i always cross up whenever i get the chance with that move, i luv it. i don't throw it out EVER, unless i cross up. and i DON'T cross up unless they are down, and in the process of getting up. yeah it doesn't cross up as well as the shoto's forwards, or blanka, but it crosses up well enough for me to almost never miss it.

i guess i play her mostly in a and c, i believe a more. about rc headbutts. whatever you say that she can't do against that, applies to all other characters, not just her. playing an rc'ing honda whore is truly a challenge against your sanity. would i ever be up for it? goodness, i seriously don't know.....

i luv her air throw, it's awesome, along with the other people who can air throw. i use it especially often when i play p and k groovers. the butt bounce is pretty good, and i use it, but then again i try not to jump that much with her, she has such a long ark.

i'm just saying whatever works for me.

[jae hoon]

bump this shit

I have found out a couple of things though, jumping short does actually work as a cross up if timed correctly but isnt really necessary in here game.

Strong uppercut can be used as AA if timed correctly.

The butt bounce is awesome if your going to use a jumping attack with Athena use this. Its got good priority and is generally safe even if blocked and is comboable. Yes the regular jumping foward is comboable to but it does have that much priority from what ive seen.

[scythe master]

posting a "new" combo

standing mk, c.lk, c.fp

you have to be directly in front of the person
kinda hard to do, but great damage. you can cancel the lk with a psychoball I believe

[JALbert]

P Athena... does it work?

[Legendary Gokou]

Only as a battery. And even then, I'd say her only purpose was to frustate the hell out of the opponent with stuff like parry xx crouching fierce. :lol:

She's decent in it.

[jae hoon]

P Groove Athena is alright, her dash is actually pretty good but parry doesnt really benefit her enough to do anything with to basically sum it up.

I found out something new today, Athenas F+MK combos of her standing strong. It maynot seem like it matters but it does, first her standing strong is any excellent poke which every Athena player should use and the f+MK knocksdown giving you either a chance to get them off you or to set up your offense depending on the situation.

[Legendary Gokou]

Yeah. You can actually custom off of it in the corner too. I also like to use it to set up the CBS chip. Question though .... does her air phoenix arrow super takes out more chip on big characters like Sagat then CBS? I know they can uppercut on reaction, but still. It seems to take away a good chunk on him.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Legendary Gokou
Yeah. You can actually custom off of it in the corner too. I also like to use it to set up the CBS chip. Question though .... does her air phoenix arrow super takes out more chip on big characters like Sagat then CBS? I know they can uppercut on reaction, but still. It seems to take away a good chunk on him.

No, SCB has the most chip damage she can do.

[LowTier]

What does Athena have against a Cammy? :)

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by LowTier
What does Athena have against a Cammy? :)

DF owns Cammy for free

[ilikebeingalive]

its pretty clear athena isnt THAT great against top tier, i usually play a-groove athena, and my opponent beats my skull with

bison - generally a or c
rolento - A
rock - c, k
ryu - p, n
eagle - a

besides saying just c. fp all day, how do i beat those characters? take into consideration that I can RC her fireball, command grab and whatever.

[Frito-Bandito]

Well since ilikebeingalive's question is of more importance please dont answer my question right away....Is N Athena any good? I want to pick up a new character and thats the groove im using right now...

Thanks :D :D

[Legendary Gokou]

Sad but true, her normals from ground to ground aren't that great at a distance. RC command grab is her only good RC to me. I hear RC teleport can be good depending on the situation, but I haven't had too much success with it myself.

Athena has a weird style. Her anti air game is perfect, and her zoning is awkward at times. Against Eagle you want to get in, don't let him outzone you. An ocassional roll against him is good if you can predict his long recovery attacks.

Crouching fierce the rest. :)

Note - Athena is good in A, same goes for pretty much any other groove. She doesn't really suck in a given groove.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by Frito-Bandito
Well since ilikebeingalive's question is of more importance please dont answer my question right away....Is N Athena any good? I want to pick up a new character and thats the groove im using right now...

Thanks :D :D

N is IMO Athena's best groove next to S. You can pretty much do whatever you want with Athena in N Groove. You can turtle, rush, zone a bit or hit and run its all up to you. Her run is more useful for me then her dash and her SJ is good. She can win without RCing she has a good roll and of course df. Like it or not df is that good, you can df they can roll and you can recover to df again before they can throw you. Also she has nice mixups with her supers if you apply them right.

I know thats general but im way to lazy to list specifics and it usually depends on the player with her. Athena is one character where you kind of have to find your own strategies and see what works for you.

[LowTier]

Originally posted by ilikebeingalive
its pretty clear athena isnt THAT great against top tier, i usually play a-groove athena, and my opponent beats my skull with

bison - generally a or c
rolento - A
rock - c, k
ryu - p, n
eagle - a

besides saying just c. fp all day, how do i beat those characters? take into consideration that I can RC her fireball, command grab and whatever.

Rock/Ryu/Eagle... what exactly do they have that you're having trouble against with Athena?

Rolento... I assume you're playing athena in a run groove? Dash in, poke with df. Jab fireballs from across the screen should be ok against an A rolento right?

Bison... if you have K groove that'd be very helpful against him. JD in air to air and then air through. His poke string combos usually end with scissor kicks. You could throw that too if you JD it :) Throw him left and right. df him when given the chance.

[LowTier]

Originally posted by jae hoon


DF owns Cammy for free

Cammy's standing RH has longer reach than athena's df. Missing a df means i give up a free RH. :-(

I don't see how df works so effectively against Cammy. She can poke me before I get within my poke range. What other tips? :)

[Hellion]

One way to look at Athena is her ability to guard crush and chip to death.
An example
They're almost dead, jab psycho ball and that super phoenix arrow thing. It depends on the level, but it'll kill them if they don't have a descent alpha counter. Oh, and that's IF they block the fireball.
If they have a flashing guard bar, same thing.

[jae hoon]

Originally posted by LowTier


Cammy's standing RH has longer reach than athena's df. Missing a df means i give up a free RH. :-(

I don't see how df works so effectively against Cammy. She can poke me before I get within my poke range. What other tips? :)

If only this were true, Athena's df will stuff Cammy' standing roundhouse believe it or not.

When I and other people on here say Athena's df owns Cammy its not a joke its actually true, there really isnt much she can do against it.

[jae hoon]

I think this thread needs a post so im just going to update recap some shit.

Best Grooves

N, S, K, A, C, P

Anti Air - Strong Uppercut, df, standing strong, back + foward

Dont underestimate her command throw, not only is it quick you can combo an uppercut or the SCB off of it. In C Groove you can do the 2 into 1 scb combo.

Trapping someone in the corner in N Groove can be death for them if you have your stocks up. Chip damage off her SCB is outrageaous.

P Groove is still imo the hardest groove for her to beat, as they are looking for the df, the buttbounce, jumping rh.

Phoenix arrow can cross up if timed correctly but its hardly ever worth the risk.

Just some generalized shit as im to lazy to post more in depth right now.
Use standing strong up close, its a quick attack which you can combo standing foward off and its very good.

[Legendary Gokou]

What do you do when the opponent is knocked down? I usually do ....

standing strong xx lk teleport to other side, bnb or jab dp

standing rh xx lk teleport to command grab

cr lk st rh xx jab fireball (doesn't combo)


Sometimes I do a rh teleport if they start catching on.

[caliagent#3]

s.strong, f+mk owns you all

[jae hoon]

s.strong, f+mk owns you all


I already mentioned that, but yes its a good tactic.

[Koop]

Ayo Jae...try this when you get some time:

knock your opponent down...now perform this if you are right next to them jump [but not to high...but yet not a small jump] do her mk phoenix ball as cross over.

ok...whats the trip. i found this bitch has no lapse if she crosses you up on the shyt [RH is not allowed]. ive had [90% of people] try to counter cause they think free hit....either i counter [phoenix uppercut] or just block an laugh my ass off. shyts almost like triangle jumpin but crossin they asses up. try it an tell me your outcome jae...been tryin some okie doke shyt as of lately...best used against a human opponent.

[Jackenstein373]

wow...I've never tried that before...it sounds like a good tactic...I'll have to try it out sometime

the only thing I know to do with Athena is just spam a bunch of LP psycho balls...teleport when cornered...and abuse her fierce punch

[jae hoon]

Koop: Sorry its been acouple days but I just dusted off an old PS2 so ill try it sometime today although I know what your talking about. I have mentioned MK Phoenix Arrow as a crossup for years.

Jackenstein: A good Athena is more then spamming her df, what are you going to do against K or P where there expecting and waiting for that.

[jae hoon]

Shit works on most characters Koop. The reason seems is that most of the time from what I can gather Athena hits most charactes on the back half of the head but not the back of the head. It seems by the time Athena recovers, the opponent due to where they intially get hit, are still in a blocking animation. Again this maynot be fact but thats what I gather so far.

Acouple potential problems may occur, one it still may lead to a potential SPD for characters like Gief, SPD is one of the quickest moves in the game.

Short characters maybe a problem as well, due to the fact that there well short. There blocking animations would start before Athena even got close to hitting them.

It looks like its something that could be abusable. If this continues to work consistently it could be huge on acouple levels.

First her short teleport becomes even more of a weapon. For those of you who dont know short teleport can be worked in effectively into Athena's arsinol if you know the ranges on it. Short teleport, command throw is a tactic often used in Athena Gameplay. Now if you can get the ranges right it is possible to mix it up and possibly confuse the opponent by short teleporting then jumping up and doing the meduim phoenix arrow. Obviously it cant be abused as they will catch on but if you mix in it it can possibly add another dimension to her game.

Another thing this can do is put more use into a knockdown. IE standing strong, into foward meduim kick, which generally puts them about a quarter of a screen away from you. Strong or Jab fireball, so you get them stuck on a block animation on wakeup. Run behind the fireball and jump up phoenix arrow while there blocking the fireball. Obviously timing is cruical in this but alot of Athena's shit is about timing.

Another important factor especially for K Groove is the SCB potential with this. If this works consistently you can get in a free chip damage SCB alot more often. Dont underestimate the value of this either. Your talking free damage especially for K for them just blocking. Chip damage is a good part of Athena's gameplan if you know what you are doing. Especially remember you can cancel out of a SCB after you do some chip damage into a throw or a command throw, phoenix arrow, standing strong combo etc etc.

Obviously this needs alittle more gameplay to find out for sure but it looks to work.

[Jackenstein373]

man...sounds awesome...but so complex...I'll just have to practice it A LOT until it's like programmed in my head

who are Athena's worst matchups?
who is Athena best against?

[jae hoon]

Worst matchups - Yama, Blanka, Vega

Best - Cammy, Bison

[Jackenstein373]

my Athena seems to do really well against Balrog and decent against Guile. She seems ok against projectile heavy characters

what's her best anti air? I've been using standing MP...and it works ok....but it's not GREAT

[jae hoon]

Strong uppercut or downfierce depending on the character you play.

And Athena kills rog, df under Rog's Standing fierce and just watch for lvl 3.

[Jackenstein373]

yea....her size really helps her a lot...big characters can't hit her

[Hellion]

NE1 ever accidentally do that glitch Buk reported where her SCB shuts down the opponent's specials/supers?

[Jackenstein373]

shuts down as in...beats it out? Or...what?

[jae hoon]

shuts down as in...beats it out? Or...what?


Sometimes for no explainable reason it will beat it out, kinda like dping a Super Blanka Ball but this doesnt make sense.

Well this thread has been dead for awhile so I think its time to really start getting down into character specific matchups.

Right now im just going to list imo the top characters she really has problems with, at least for me.

Vega
Blanka
Rock
Hibiki
Yama

[Legendary Gokou]

Athena has some weird links. I somehow got close strong to combo into far fierce, and then today I got cr mk to combo into cr fierce. I don't recall seeing a counter hit.

[Koop]

Sometimes for no explainable reason it will beat it out, kinda like dping a Super Blanka Ball but this doesnt make sense.

Well this thread has been dead for awhile so I think its time to really start getting down into character specific matchups.

Right now im just going to list imo the top characters she really has problems with, at least for me.

Vega
Blanka
Rock
Hibiki
Yama


some tips from ya boy...maybe can help...holla back:

vega - noted from a tournament vid against justin wongs vega...

vega st.lp eats you away..literally...i found that baiting cr fp works wonders. also two in ones are a must (cr lk - cr fp). super jumps timed at apex with lk or mk beat out his crazy jumping rh unless its wall timed. what made him respect my athena was the bait cr fp...hop back..bait jump in...teleport across screen. literally a hit an run or as he said a storm wanna be. i lost the match due to that damn cammy but took that vega out....booty bounce is good only on 2player corner cause when you do the mk phoenix arrow she hits then some odd reason moves away (test to make sure i wasnt fully drunk)...easy bait.


yamazaki - tested againt a good friend who has a very mean yamazaki...damn near kof style..

bootybounce must be timed...cr fp must be time...fw mk must be timed. i stress this hoon cause his angles on every move is bitchy...seriously. distance is another tatic.....psychoballs :rofl:...sorry that just sound funny....with different speeds...but you say... wha bout dat damn reflector? ....well i like the pull out my own reflector as a safety net an as a ass catcher just in case of a super jump in...careful if he has lv 3 style meter...an other will just be knocked the fuck back....another goody i like to use is her timed jumpin qcb x2 (any punch) is what i call nutz on ya chin...good suprise tatic...


Blanka - here in md i fight some of the best blankas (bchun /sparatic /rugal b/nassir /skisonic)

so i like the bait jumpin...standing mk takes his ass right out of the air...rc electricty is tossed if done as a wake up...yes you can throw them due to it actually being a roll combined move...sagat/athena/bison/vega have this funny style toss your ass outta that shyt move. worry about that cr fp he has...i think cr lp will eliminate it...but i want to get a moment to try it to confirm it...miss blanka ball is crushed by hoppin or runnin cr fp....ummm dammit mind cant think right now....need to have vids uploaded....

Hibiki - yeah i would like help...cause i need guile against that girl...

rock - jeez i havent fought a GOOD rock...so i just rape them...i would have to fight a GOOD rock in order to give a strat...


I myself need help against

rc Bison
turtle power cammy
rc todo
rc eagle (its really half an half...but i like more of advantage)

beat down city on

rc changs
rc ryo's
rc kyos
rc hondas
rc shotos

(yes damn near everyone in md/va rc's...its a disease here)

[jae hoon]

Well Cammy I can tell you easily.

Just remember the main thing against Cammy is cr fp beats anything Cammy has for free. Im serious go try it out, it beats out Cammy's standing rh standing fierce cr foward, it beats out her spiral arrow except at max length then it trades at worst. Cammy cant low jump at you because you can df that shit. DF is your friend.

[FOBio]

maybe i don't know athena all too well or something, but what is "DF"? i'm trying to think of what it abbreviates, and i have no idea.

by the way, i'm really starting to like athena a lot. :tup:

[jae hoon]

maybe i don't know athena all too well or something, but what is "DF"? i'm trying to think of what it abbreviates, and i have no idea.

by the way, i'm really starting to like athena a lot. :tup:


Down fierce, its your best friend.

[Rings of Saturn]

earlier, someone said that the Crystal super's Bit attack afterwards had three levels:

LP> straight forward
MP> straight then curves UP towards the screen
*FP> "straight then up, then down, like a WAVE" ***

hahahahah, um, the QCB FP crystal shoot doesn't go in a WAVE like fashion, at least, i've never seen it neither on CvS2 nor in the KOF

FP> the shoot actually curves straight up in a delayed arc from MP's version.

+++++++++

Also, someone mentioned the combo ( jump in, s.MP -->MK(chainkick) into crystal super)

This combo does not work/connect. But, if you were able to shoot the crystal bit in time before your foe falls down, which is super hard and nearly impossible, then i guess the combo works, but it requires incredibly fast thumbs/fingers. But I don't think that's the combo that person had in mind, i'm pretty sure he thought the crystal orbit comboed after the CHAINkick.



Some cool tricks:

-Crystal Orbit super will beat out ANYthing that doesn't have invincibility like the dragonpunches, tiger kick, LV3 supers. Lv1 Crystal Orbit super works super great as a wake up if you can sense that your opponent will attempt a LP/LK combo attack upon your recovered fall, since it will be out any standing/crouching normal, special move (minues invincible ones), and all Lv1 and most Lv2 supers.

-Another cheap, but effective strategy is ROLLING->Crystal Super (either Lv1, Lv2, or Lv3). much like Sagat's rolling->uppercut

-of course, her "push" (down fierce) is also super effective as an anti-air, suprise reprisal, and for fireballs as she "pushes" under it hitting your foe if you're close enough.

-another cool strat is LK-Teleport->Lv3 Crystal Super

-Last cool thing i can remember for now is the INSANE CHIP DAMAGE the Crystal Orbit does during your foes guarding in the corner, especially if you shoot the Bit afterward and continue with crouching LK, LK, LK, HP (the push). It chips both HEALTH and GUARD gauge. Execute the super deep in the corner after a throw as they get up, or after a roll towards the corner, or a jump in!

The TIMING for the maximum chip damage on the Crystal Orbit super are as follows:

(The crystal orbit super starts with the orbs above her head, swooping down below her feet, then back up to her head, then down, and up again, BUT it ALWAYS finishes with the orbits swooping DOWN then fades as they return UP to her belt/necklace) So, each count of rotations given, start with the instant orb beginning above her head swooping down to the feet as 1, then up and back down as 2, then swooping up again, coming back down to her feet as 3, and so forth (ex. I count as like this "balls drop: 1, up-down: 2, up-down: 3, etc. So, essentially, my eyes fixate to the image of the orbs at her feet as I count, 1-2-3-etc) Sorry, i'm trying to make it clear, as people in my area that I try to explain this to get confused and don't really know how to count the orbs revolutions...... With that said:

-Lv1 Super: 3 counts, then QCB+P, crouching: LK, LK, LK, HP
-Lv2 Super: 4 counts, then QCB+P, crouching: LK, LK, LK, HP
-Lv3 Super: 5 counts, then QCB+P, crouching: LK, LK, LK, HP

QCB+P your BIT SHOT after the orb chips as it hits LOW after the final COUNT. You can follow up after these corner guard traps with a short jump forward and HK then crouching FP for ADDED GUARD CRUSHing chip.

This strategy is good for stubborn opponents who won't fall into your super. Just trap in the corner and CHIP CHIP CHIP. Lv3 does MAXIMUM chippage. Try it in TRAINING MODE, with ALL GUARD set up.

*BIG* characters like Zangief, Sagat, Chang, Raiden, and whoever else, will get chipped from both the LOW ORB and HIGH ORB, so it'll chip as much damage as a REGULAR LV3 SUPER would deal if it were to HIT.

TRY IT OUT!

[Rings of Saturn]

OH yeah, adding to the corner guard trap with her Crystal Orb super,

When i said short jump, that's assuming you chose either S, N, or K groove.

Also, If you chose K groove, and you're gauge is almost out after activated, try your best to force your opponent into the corner for some massive CHIP damage if you can't hit them otherwise.

her Phoenix Arrow Fang super is unreliable. I never use it unless I play a beginner or intermediate player.



OH YEAH, she has a cross up move. It's the MK. Jump over to a cross up with a MK and follow with her B&B with crouching LK, LK, LK, HP (the push).

[kcxj]

The best combo after a cross up MK is d.LK, s.LP xx dp+HP, super jump forward, CC...

Even if you're not in A-groove, comboing into the dp is hit confirmable, gives you a knockdown with setups afterwards (meaty fireball, crossup teleport for example, or even go for another cross-up), and isn't a difficult one frame link like three crouching shorts into a fierce either.

[Koop]

Not trying to kill your momentum an thanks for the contribution Rings of Saturn...but one thing....your orb obsession will get destroyed...sorry

1) you stated lk teleport into lv crystal orbit...you will get destroyed the moment after you begin your orbit..."tricking" the orbit is the key...throwing it out after a LK teleport will commit blockin an apparently you dont know she is open for an ass whooping after you miss that first orbit hit...pray you never take on a vega fully charged or in rage....let alone you take on sagat...

2)Rolling into orbit...in tournament play... unless your timing into an RC'd orbit...will get your tossed the fuck outta the way...

3)there is no "timing" for chip damage with her orbit...you have to HIT an its better to try that lv 1 as a wake up...cause again...your "chip" damage leaves you open for everything at the end...

4)trying to get the orb fireball wave pattern is not needed unless you actually hit the opponent...a simple jump back wait for you to throw an roll is always the avoid...

5)your corner stratagy in a full fledge tournament/serious play moment will happen like this (naming the characters you mentioned)

Zangief: wait while you "chip" an simple standing or two in one 360 or full lv3 720...ive seen plenty of giefs willing to take the chip an retaliate after you "pause" when your done...

Raiden: depending on groove...did you witness what happened to athena at evo last year...watch to video for the evo 2004 an you will see...damage takin is WORSE than the chip you give

Chang: rather not say cause cause his throws will just easily dump what youve done an easily allowing him to begin his gangbang stratagy

Sagat: JAE HOON OR ANY ATHENA TOURNAMENT PLAYER PLEASE LET HIM KNOW WHY HE MAY BE IN TEARS...ESPECIALLY IF SAGAT IS FULL METER...

[Legendary Gokou]

The best combo after a cross up MK is d.LK, s.LP xx dp+HP, super jump forward, CC...

Even if you're not in A-groove, comboing into the dp is hit confirmable, gives you a knockdown with setups afterwards (meaty fireball, crossup teleport for example, or even go for another cross-up), and isn't a difficult one frame link like three crouching shorts into a fierce either.


Hm. I kinda like cross up mk, st strong into f mk. Easy hit confirm, and sets up another super meaty cross up if you walk forward a bit and jump forward. If you land the next crossup then I'd go with st strong xx dp+HP since it seems easier to confirm.

[Rings of Saturn]

yeah, i do have an obsession with her orbit

About the chipping timing, yeah, it does need to hit, I was just talking about the timing the rotations before you perform part 2 of her super, the crystal bit shoot. Otherwise, her orbit will close and end without you throwing the bit, enabling a LONG recovery time thus vulnerability.

IF you, while in the corner, SHOOT the bit, you'll recover in time to input c.LK,c.LK,c.LK,c.HP since they'll still be in block stun after you throw the shoot because the shoot has 2-4 hits, depending on the level of the super. So you should be safe unless you don't input the crouching LK LK LK FP.

Zangief, and other throwers won't be able to throw you unless you decide not to throw the BIT or attack after the shoot while they are still in block stun.

Trust me, it works. I've beaten MANY MANY great and skilled players with Athena alone, though, not with that tactic. But I've done this corner thing when they've been tough to hit.

As for the rolling into lv1 or lv3 super. I dont' mean roll THROUGH them, then they would be able to through you. But like, roll in order to land right in front of them and then super, that is, only attempt if they like to crouch and HP like with sagat, or if you can predict that they are going to attempt to hit you after you roll in front of them. Like how sagat's like to roll then uppercut after a fireball is thrown from the opponent, or even as a RUN>ROLL>Uppercut. Sounds predictable, but when you're in the moment and playing, your mind thinks that you can hit them as they recover from rolling,...nope, you get uppercutted or the super with the flaming foot super, though not all the time.

Yeah, it's scrubby, but it works, and has worked in tournaments. But I rarely use it, but whenever i do, success.

I hardly lose with Athena, unless I'm playing super good players with RC skills, then it's tough...

Aw, i wanna play against your Athena, now... I dont' have XBox live, so too bad...

[Drizzt01]

I play athena. A-groove

[Jackenstein373]

I like Athena on P groove....especially against Guile. If he tries to flash kick, perry into air throw. I have trouble with any RC'ing charging type character (Honda, Bison, and mostly Blanka). Does the ability to RC benefit Athena notably or it's not really a big deal? Like how good is RC'ing her command throw or DP?

[Legendary Gokou]

Her RC grab is her most useful tool. I don't think it adds much range, but it gives her an invincible throw. Which you can CC from anywhere on the screen.

[Jackenstein373]

so would that make A groove her best groove? RC grab into CC?

[Koop]

Eh....RC is risky....let me be honest an frank from tournament experience. I use her in C-groove as a base (2nd character) character....

her cr FP is your friend...lets be straight forward. timing is the essence if your willing to RISK the throw cause the RANGE is not as great as many may think. ive seen her uppercut (wakeup...midair...or against "tap grooves" [p or k] ) start as the beginning before the CC if your using A groove

balance is with athena if your using A or C. timing is more risky in A because you need to get off that CC an ive seen to many A's get destroyed trying to find ways to start a good damaging CC. C (like myself) tend to be patient an look for easy opening with cr fp and use standing MP or MK to anti air advantage...and i have a way of timing air throws like a bitch...

K groove....rush is a key...but timing and risk are a factor here

P...i havent played a p groover or seen one yet...

[jae hoon]

Sagat: JAE HOON OR ANY ATHENA TOURNAMENT PLAYER PLEASE LET HIM KNOW WHY HE MAY BE IN TEARS...ESPECIALLY IF SAGAT IS FULL METER...


Sagat lvl 2 fireball super beats out SCB, so does wake up tiger uppercut. A few jumpins will be any lvl SBC as well. Athena does not take damage well, one C Groove Sagat super combo does at least 2/3 of her life bar. The most reliable way to do that if you have Sagat cornered is to dash back do short fireball while they are on wakeup, forcing them to block then dash/run up to them and scb for chip or try and go for command throw, air jump sbc.

As far as grooves go

C: Athena has a good dash/roll, 2 in 1 doesnt really help her at all though. Good for spacing tactics/throw setups.

S: Everyone knows about low life S Athena already. Kinda gimmicky but can work if used properly. Good moves out of dodge.

A: Had a conv with Buk over this, really did come to the conclusion that A is her best groove. RC command throw is a good CC setup and her CC can do 7000-8000 dmg. You can also activate after st strong, foward mk

N: I prefer a run Athena myself, helps keep pressure on the opponent. Athena is good for making meter and still has rc and small jump.

P: Not alot you can do with P Athena outside parry down fierce.

K: You have to use straight pressure tactics, still has run and sj which she needs for pressure.