Author: Lance "Tarnot" Hood

When Capcom gave M. Bison a fireball in Street Fighter V, they didn’t just give him a way to control space at long distances, they also gave him a tool for soul-crushing okizeme.

As Pan demonstrates in the video below, placing an EX projectile over a downed opponent directly after one of Bison’s standard combos is a great way to force opponents into choosing whether or not to attempt a tech at the risk of eating a Crush Counter roundhouse.

And don’t think you’ll escape simply by jumping; Pan has that option covered as well. As it stands, correctly-time dragon punches and Critical Arts look to allow escape from the pressure, but performing actions like that on wakeup could result in Bison landing a heavy punish if he smells your fear.

Bison isn’t alone when it comes to this sort of tactic in Street Fighter V. As Lucius of Rush and Kill Clan previously highlighted with footage from the final beta, Chun-Li has 50/50 options at mid-screen that offer vortex opportunities. If you didn’t catch that video, be sure to check it out.

Source: Pan

Under the right circumstances, Mario can produce some of the scariest combos in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Not only do these options tack on tons of damage, they often end with a move powerful enough to take a stock. If you spend a lot of time facing off against Nintendo’s iconic plumber, chances are you’ve fallen victim to these strings more than once.

In their most recent video, the Beefy Smash Doods discuss how to escape–or mitigate–the effects of three of the most dangerous combos Mario brings to a match. By following these tips, you’ll be able to escape through the holes in the combos, or at least learn when pressing buttons or using directional influence is a smart option.

If you’re a new Mario player, the video is also certain to give you an idea of which buttons you should be pressing and when.

Source: Beefy Smash Doods

When it comes to figuring out combos, folks like Doopliss and the guys at Rush Hour Smash waste no time. In their most recent Super Smash Bros. for Wii U combo exhibitions, these Smash technology titans take control of Bayonetta and string a surprising number of her attacks together in order to create zero-to-death situations that not only leave targets one stock shorter, but look stylish while doing so. Even the combos that don’t net a stock pump opponents full of stylish percentage.

The fact that these combos are performed in training mode–or, in the case of one video, against a target not keen on saving their own skin–means there’s a good chance directional influence or other factors will affect their effectiveness when performed against players. The potential for chasing down directional influence and still landing the next blow in any given combo is definitely there, but we’ll need some more time to see Bayonetta in the hands of top players before we can say for sure she’s as powerful as this video makes her look.

If nothing else, check out the footage below to get an idea of the sort of hits she should be going for.

Source: Doopliss, Rush Hour Smash

Team SoloMid’s Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios recently released a video offering insights into how players of any Smash title–and any fighting game in general, really–can step up their game and maybe start their own massive string of tournament victories.

His advice comes in five parts. First, he suggests that picking a main character as the most important step to improving, which makes sense; it’s hard to get better at any game if the tools you’re given to approach a match change every time you hit the character select screen. He then drives home the gravity of arming yourself with information and having the proper mindset when going into a match.

Of course, practice–and, specifically, knowing what to practice–makes a major appearance in this video, as does encouragement to get out there and participate in tournaments. Overall, if you’re new to the Smash series, you’ll want to check out this footage.

Source: ZeRo via Moom

With the 2016 tournament season well underway, we’re seeing multiple events all over the world nearly every week. Adding themselves to the growing list of events, the folks at First Attack Puerto Rico have dropped a promo trailer for their upcoming Winter Clash tournament to hype up the event for viewers and attendees alike.

The tournament will include brackets for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and plenty more titles. Additionally, this will be the last Puerto Rico-based Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament prior to the release of Street Fighter V, so everyone will likely be looking to go down as the last regional victor in the title before it steps aside for Street Fighter V.

Apart from regional players, you can also expect some great play from visiting competitors like Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong and D-Link’s Steve “LordKnight” Barthelemy.

Winter Clash is set to take place this weekend, February 6-7, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, head over to the official site. All the action will be broadcast live through Twitch.

Source: EsportsPR, tip via MonoPR

Now that folks have had time to play with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s latest update, we’re starting to see some technology surface. Surprisingly, not all of it surround series newcomers Bayonetta and Corrin.

Earlier today, Fire & Dice’s Zan uploaded an interesting bit of footage which looks at a boost grab technique that equips Meta Knight with a vastly increased throw range. While boost grabbing in the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. is nothing new, it’s not nearly as potent as it was in previous titles. But that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.

By using Zan’s maneuver, which incorporates a shield dash and a bit of walking, Meta Knight is able to scoop up opponents from several character lengths away.

Bayonetta has a markedly weaker version of the same technique.

Be sure to follow the link below to Zan’s channel for even more findings in the Meta Knight department. He’s putting in great work!

Source: Zan via LLL|Mr-R

With season three’s characters, balance updates, and PC release coming in March, it’s easy to see why Killer Instinct has recently drawn so much attention.

With a whole new group of players looking to get in on their share of the hype, Killer Instinct masterminds Sajam and Infil teamed up to create a series of short–seriously, they’re about thirty seconds each–videos to promote the Killer Instinct World Cup and discuss what makes each character in the game tick. You may think thirty seconds isn’t long, and you’d be right, but you’ll also likely be surprised how much information can be crammed into such a short period.

We’ve included a couple of the character guides below along with a primer on how the game’s combo breaker system works. You can find the rest in the full playlist, and if you’re looking to improve your Killer Instinct knowledge even more, be sure to check out Infil’s website.

Source: Sajam

We’re now less than two weeks away from having the final version of Street Fighter V in our hands, and we’ve got one last beta footage roundup to share. In a style similar to our previous roundups from this final beta phase, much of the content you’re about to see comes in the form of match highlights.

Up first, Lucius from Rush and Kill Clan offers a look at some devastating Chun-Li technology. After ending a combo with EX lightning legs, it seems that Chun-Li can use her V-Skill to put herself into a position offering ambiguous jump-ins.

We saw similar footage earlier this week from wauhti, but Lucius’ contribution provides options for outside of the corner as well. Don’t forget to stick around until the end for some lengthy combo extensions.

Next on today’s list, EyeOfThundera822 shows off his chops with Nash. These highlights offer a look at the sort of potential the returning character has, including combos, resets, V-Trigger usage, how to deal with projectiles, and plenty more.

Lastly, we’ve got some more R. Mika footage from Negativeedge. If you’ve had a chance to see Mika in action, you’ve likely got a good idea of what to expect: resets on top of resets. There’s a chance you’ve seen some of these options before, but be sure to check out how Mika deals with Rashid’s V-Trigger.

Sources: RnK Clan via itsumobasho, EyeOfThundera822,  Negativeedge