I know these forums are kinda dead, but I’m hoping to create some discussion.
I was hoping to document all the various strategies Hugo players have at their disposal.
BASICS:
This shit is pretty simple.
UOH -> 360/720
no kidding, people do this all the time, only they use basic throws. Good to know yours aren’t breakable.
low short/jab xx 360+short tick grab
this is my default technique mid screen. If it lands, it send the opponent directly to the corner. LK needs to be deep, at max range 360+short will whiff (if you use 360+forward it might work, but it’s so slow that only opponents who’ve never seen the trick before will eat it).
low short/jab xx jab clap frame trap
the mixup, opponents can jump low short xx 360+short, but they can’t jump jab clap. If the clap is blocked, free mixups. If the clap hits a jumping opponent, free standing strong. If the clap hits, then free low forward (combos) or if you’re really good (qcf+KK).
On blocked clap you can standing strong/low forward and the only thing they can do is parry/block, alternatively you can dash (it’s not free, but if you train, most opponents will do nothing after clap and you can get away with the dash).
Common tactics after the clap are to dash 360/720 blockers. Or low short/jab/standing short mixups again.
low short xx strong clap -> 360+forward tick. I use this seldomly. It works, but cause it only works due to stun, a lot of opponents will jump since there’s time enough to see it. A tad easier than dash -> 360 jab, but also a tad less versatile.
low short xx EX lariat
a 25% stun 2 hit combo. I’ll use this to punish shit that’s too far way to grab.
low short xx strong/fierce clap. throws off parry timings if you abuse low short jab clap too much, and if it hits, leads to his stun combo (fierce clap jab clap ex lariat = 80% stun). If it’s blocked, you basically have more time to fuck with your opponent.
crossup body splash leads into all the low short mixups.
However, after crossup body you have other options.
A blocked crossup splash leads to the following:
360+short grab. if they expect a low short this will throw them off, they’ll either be too busy trying to block/parry to see the grab hit. If it’s a deep crossup or in the corner, you can even do cross up body splash, low jab, piledriver. It’s a really nice tick.
you can also try crossup splash standing fierce. hugo’s elblow hits over head, does good damage, and massive stun. The default reaction after blocking a jump in is to block low (especially if you use low short a lot), mixing elbow in is really solid.
If your crossup was really really tight. You can even get away with crossup splash, low short standing fierce that’s an even dirtier mixup. However, only works when really really close.
After blocked body splash you can even crossup body splash again.
Then you can start mixing all this up with empty jump cross up 360/720.
All these tactics work on block and hit. However if you hit someone with body splash, you can combo into low jab low jab hammer frenzy or low short ex lariat, super depending.
INTERMEDIATE
Here’s some common things I do.
standing strong hits -> low forward.
this is frame trap against most characters in the game. bitch slap is +0 on hit, but since it staggers so much, low forward will beat most things your opponent might try and retaliate with.
slow opponents will even get hit by this if they try retaliating after blocking.
standing strong also baits your opponents. It sets ken up perfectly for a difficult to deal with jump in. However, knowing this, you can be prepared to dp+short that jump in on reaction.
parried clap -> 720.
this beats everything your opponent might try except jump (but nobody jumps after parrying stuff) or dragon punch. It’s tough to beat this setup, cause I’ve never seen anyone escape this setup though. Tough to setup (cause your essentially baiting a parry), but practically guaranteed if you get it to work.
parried jump in -> 720.
This also works really well. you’re basically unpunishable until you land (unless they knock you out of the air, which you can parry during your 720 input). What happens is you jump in with say roundhouse aimed for the head. Most opponents will parry this shit on reaction (at the very least until you’ve hit them a couple times with it). once they parry it, you tap forward as though you were to parry a counter attack before landing, then with that forward input you finish a 720 and super them on landing.
Very few things will beat this. you activate super on the first landing frame, and it will stuff anything your opponent will attempt (usually a low kick or throw).
jump fierce (not down fierce) -> 360 + MK.
this should really be basic, but I use it so seldom that it depends mostly on surprise factor to work. If the fierce hits or blocks, it stuns long enough that the running 360+MK grab will stuff just about everything they do.
I also believe that if parry the jump fierce you’re pretty safe. I’m not sure how much priority jump fierce has against anti airs though. It’s a very solid max range poking tactic though.
you can jump fierce from across the screen, and then either hit it early if you see the opponent jumping (stuffing just about everything, since his outstretched hand covers the entire screen) or time it a bit later to nick the head of the blocking opponent, then 360+MK to grab them. Punishable if they jump the grab, so don’t abuse it too much.
ADVANCED
Not really advanced execution wise, but advanced mind game wise. I’m talking about bait outs.
whiff jab -> standing strong.
People eat this shit all day. standing strong stuffs just about everything (except chun’s forward fierce) and you’ll get solid counter pokes whiffing jab (baiting an attack) then standing strong whatever button they decide to press.
Walk forward on wake up.
This strat is old school, and pretty universal. But depending on the calibre of your opponent this strat might be more or less effective. It’s guaranteed to work pretty much once/match though.
on wakeup (preferably one in which you have lots of time: unrolled regular throws, dp+K grabs close to the corner, claps hitting airborne opponents etc.) walking forward into the body of the grounded opponent seems to ring off scrub bells. Most players with a dragon punch will almost extinctively try and dragon punch whatever attack they think you will do (which you never will, you will either block/parry it then fierce clab jab clap ex lariat -> death punish.
CHARACTER SPECIFIC
YUN
Yes, you can parry his dive kick -> 360.
However, that’s easier said than done. I’ve found that jump straight up or up/back jumping strong beats that shit clean.
Another tactic I use is to not red parry jab strong fierce -> shoulders until I have bar. Yun’s tend to jab strong fierce a lot. Occasionally they tag that shoulder on. If you red parry that shit on reaction then grab him, he’s never gonna do it again. So unless you’re desperate, don’t. wait for the yun player to do it again while you have bar. then 720 punish instead of 360 punish. Make him think it’s safe, and bait him out for max punishment.
KEN
Try this in casual first.
However, it’s surprisingly effective.
(blocked) low jab (blocked) low jab low roundhouse.
probably only gonna work once as well, and great against habitual players. Ken’s default poke is low forward, After you low jab him twice, where you’re too spaced to do anything relevant anymore (and Ken’s low forward will beat most other moves you might attempt) press low roundhouse, it’ll hop right over his low forward and stick your bum in your face. don’t laugh, don’t scoff and don’t think it’s retarded. It’s retardedly unsafe (welcome to hugo), but I know it works, cause I’ve utilized it multiple times.
CHUN LI
the bitch.
This tactic is really advanced, and requires a shit load of confidence and execution. But here goes:
Get his by Chun’s low forward.
If you’re sharp, you can find a situation in which Chun players will often default to low forward (perhaps after she blocks your standing strong). Now, being hit isn’t always the smartest thing to, but I’ve found this tactic to pay off. If your opponent is habitual (like most players are, and in this case if they aren’t you’re completely safe). When you standing strong (which should be often enough) and Chun blocks it, she may not know what’s guaranteed or not (I think reversal super is the only thing that’s really guarantted) and she’ll try different pokes to see how they work. Most players will attempt to punish with low forward at least once. When they do, let them hit you. After every standing strong, let them hit you with low forward. Now, eventually, chun li will have built bar. Assuming they’re as habitual as most people are, they’ll immediately low forward and then cancel to super the first chance they get. Usually without bothering to hit confirm. This is your chance to block super -> parry last hit -> fierce clap jab clap ex lariat -> dizzy -> repeat -> kill.
hard to set up, but incredibly well worth it.
Comments? Discussion? Additions?
