Get Lei'd: discuss lei strategies at leisure

i thought it would be nice to see what others think of lei fei since i dont see much talk of him right now.

one thing that comes to mind is lei's flowing style of play, which seems to be balanced by the fact that most of his moves strike the mid range making him relatively easy to predict. that has been my main objective so far, finding the few high and low moves he has and incorporating them into play. lei fei players out there have undoubtedly noticed this shortcoming....and perhaps we can share strategies here in the future. that is...if anyone is interested.

 

Have you looked at the <a target="_blank" href=http://virtuafighter.com/view.php?section=vf4&chara=lei&file=ken_lei_introduction.html>Lei Dojo</a> on this website yet? Just wondering...

 

Yes Lei is strong at beyond "elbow range".

Lei is predominantly a striker, but he also has a strong auto-reversal and sabaki game. He's also limited at close range but still very powerful all round. Lei-Fei is extremely predictable however this can be used as a weapon if you put a lot of thought into your attacks.

He has among the most crumbles, staggers and sabaki moves in the game.

If you're looking for the best low attack in the game. Lei has probably two of the best attacks:

[IN]d+K
Name another low attack that staggers. Note theres a combo for 40% dmg if the opponent DOES NOT struggle/recover in time.
ie:
[IN]d+K - [DM]K - d+P+K+G - [DM]P, P+K - uf+K+G - df+K

Lei's Backturned low kick is strong as well
BT d+K

Lei's standard "d+K+G" is long ranged and fairly fast.

Lei's best attacks are linear. Though a majority of his better moves and stance attacks are linear Lei-Fei has a good balance of circular attacks as well.

While in stance its very tempting to keep attacking. However this can be easily interrupted by dodge+attack or dodge+throw tactics. This bring us to the vulnerabilities exposed by the dodge attacks, ie that most dodge attacks are throw counterable except Lion. Many of them are also Punch based and reversible. So weigh your options when in IN or TG stance. Don't commit to an attack all the time.

Most of Lei's attacks will revolve around the [IN] and [DM] stance.

Consider this scenario. You've just entered [IN] stance at close range and you've got the initiative.

Your options are:
<font color=orange>(low) </font color=orange>
[IN]d+K:
This is the #1 option, so expect people to avoid eating this at all costs. That means they must either dodge or duck.

<font color=orange>(Mid)</font color=orange>
Due to the power of the "[IN]d+K" a DM stance change looks similar to attack which may make wary defenders duck.

[DM]P+K or [IN]K+G:
are good options vs a ducking opponent. Both will cause a stumble so you have an opportunity to "uf+K+G" or throw. Throw is a #2 option and is important because stumbles can be struggled out of.

[IN]KK:
This kick is extremely fast and should be used as a last resort gamble in a 50/50 situation.

<font color=orange>(High)</font color=orange>
[DM]P, P+K
This is simply Lei's best move. Its linear so be careful about giving your opponents lots of practice dodging.

<font color=orange>(Reversal or Sabaki) </font color=orange>
If you want to capitalise on the opponent counter attacking you, Lei has options that allow him to reverse or sabaki their attacks.
[IN] reversal
This is important simply to limit opponents use of reversible Punches and especially d+P. Note that some dodge attacks are punches and can be reversed ie Kage, Lion, Aoi, Lau. Also some are punch based but cannot be reversed ie Akira.

[EV]P, K or [EV]PK, P
EV stance takes time to execute. So you have to do this quickly to make use of this High/Mid sabaki. You can sabaki dodge attacks but you need to delay your execution slightly.

<font color=orange>(guard or stance cancel) </font color=orange>
G
With all the above options Lei-Fei is formidable, but a simple dodge will avoid a majority of the above. Thus knowing when to bail out from your stance by thinking a few moves ahead is an advanced strategy.

You can either defend or throw or attack or dodge depending on the situation. What is important, is breaking out of the all out offense or set attack pattern strategies and focusing on making your opponent make mistakes or reveal weaknesses.

 

whew! well..i thought i would mention something that always pops up during my battles. given that lei's reversal puts so much distance between the two fighters i generally always follow it up with his charge move, p+k (from DM is it?). fully charged there are two outcomes: 1-it is blocked by the rising opponent but there remains ample time to enter f+p,p,p,p...usually gaining quite the advantage in an open ring (if not more often than not ROing them)......or 2-it hits for a good chunk of damage and the enemy crumbles with just enough room to juggle with f+p,p,p,p to your hearts content. nearly always a win-win situation.

oh, and yeah i read the lei dojo....i just wanted a topic where i could inquire about lei in general.

 

When I did charged [DM] P+K and was blocked(This will break guard opponent), I like to do
1. f,f+P.
or
2. Dash-in, df+P+G combo or any other throws. /versus/images/icons/smile.gif

 

Bear in mind that Lei-Fei gameplay is very different at higher levels.

Simply because Lei-Fei is very linear and rigid within his stances.

Note the guide was written for beginner to intermediate play. Also much of it is effective vs the AI which not a true indication of actual skill.

As good as the [DM]P+K move is, the more you abuse it the better your opponent is going to get at dodging. The more you abuse "df+P+G" the better the opponent is when they learn throw escaping. The same goes for [IN]d+K, you'll teach you're opponent how to dodge or struggle as well.

In the end you've just given your opponent valuable experience and training in Dodging, Throw Escaping, Struggling whereas you've invested much of your time hiding behind powerful combos and sabaki attacks.. you'll then feel rather helpless and naked as the realisation that you are so defensively inept.

So at the initial stages Lei-Fei's all out and continuous offense style will be horrible snuffed out once the opponent has grasped some advanced defensive techniques. As always Defense is much more deeper than Offense. In the sense that its much harder to develop defensive skills as opposed to offense.

Anti Dodge or Dodge provocation tactics are developed once you start getting dodged a lot.

 

yeah, ill cross that bridge when i come to it.

f, f+p is a good one..ill try it.

 

Yup. If ppl learn how to block your f,f+P
try the 2nd option /versus/images/icons/smile.gif Use throw. (This one is a bit tricky as your opponent has to finish the struggling animation or else your throw will whiff. Learn the timing.)

 

heres a good one. the kumite opponents often dont expect it if done at the right time. f+k, d+k,p,p,p reverses you but chances are the computer will go for a punch to your back and get fucked by the sabaki reversal and its follow up. if by chance you are too slow to act it could get ugly with a rear throw...which is the gamble, but generally if you mix one of these in every three rounds or so youll be safe....and confuse the hell out of comp or human opponent alike. funny thing is(even at 10dan levels)...the computer leis really dont use this move effectivly...they only pull of the first part, the toe-step inwards. and to think, i kept on wondering what move they had that i didnt.

 

Whats wrong with doing this sequence?

df+P+K, P - (*1) [TG]P - b+P, P - (*2) ff - d+P+K+G - [DM]P+K- f, f+K - [IN]d+P+K+G - [DM]K - [IN]d+P+K+G - [DM]P, P+K - uf+K+G - df+K... then ff+K+G vs rising attack

(*1) The [TG]P is a powerful sabaki move that cause a Head Crumble. The opponent will land face down and head towards after the double punch followup.

(*2) If you dash forward you the CPU tends to TechRoll. So buffer the "ff" as early as possible to make the CPU TR but also the dash helps track better so the following [DM]P+K will have a higher chance of backstaggering.

The above works 80% of the time vs comp. It also works against players who don't understand that you simply don't TR after a head or stomach crumble

 

this isnt really groundbreaking but i kept on doing it to the comp on accident. qcf+p+k is a powerful sabaki at close range....but the real juice is that f+k is a great followup if used quickly during the crumble, not to mention that it lines you up in ?tiger stance? (reversed)...so you can pop out a d+k,p,p,p as soon as they get up. im telling you, they just kept falling for it.

 

Umm... after qcf+p+k, opponent will crumble and best followup is b+p,p or p,p,p

 

The above series if done correctly usually kills the comp within 7 secs.

 

If you get that sabaki hit on your opponent, qcf+P+K -> b+P,P and more followups just like what Ken mentioned above, you'll easily take off 80% of opponents hitpoints.

 

assuming they dont block....which they will.

 

MOMOMO do you understand what the terms SABAKI, STAGGER, STUMBLE and CRUMBLE mean?

A sabaki is similar to a reversal and parry but it is an attack. "[TG]P" is a particular sabaki attack and it also causes a HEAD crumble as well. Sabaki attacks will only works vs certain classes of attacks. [TG]P works vs HP,HK,MP,MK,KN,EL, it won't work vs non-reversible moves, LP,LK and SM (somersault attacks).. If the punch hits it'll cause a head crumble which is a guaranteed combo oppurtunity as the opponent's rock back and then slumps to the floor. Thus the best move is "b+P,P" as it is guaranteed and recovers fast enough for you to interupt the oncoming TR (ie ff - d+P+K+G, P+K) . There are also stomach and leg crumbles as well.

Head: you can connect with high/mid/low attack
Stomach/Leg: only mid/low.
The above applies to the first hit after which they'll float slightly depending on the type of move.

If Lei scores a stomach crumble then use:
"P+K, P,P"

With Head and Stomach crumbles its extremely risky to TR as it cause them to land face down and head towards which means if their tech roll is interrupted they'll recover with their back towards you. [DM]P+K is used to punish the TR in the above string.

Stagger and Stumble are combo oppurtunities as well. Staggers can be struggled out of and stumbles cannot. Guard breaks, mid when crouching, wall bouncing are types of staggers.

[IN]d+K
causes a stagger. So it is a great combo move but at later stages it can be avoided by struggling.

Lei's leg stagger combo:
[IN]d+K - [DM]K - d+P+K+G, P, P+K - uf+K+G - df+K


Also note in the DOJO I outline all of LeiFei's head crumble moves and their applications. They are specialised moves and are big gamble moves. So depending on your luck, skill and knowledge they'll have a place in you gameplay and tactics.

Head Crumble moves:
b, f+P+K
qcf+P+K
[TG]P
[DM]P+K (fully charged and hit)

 

yeah...i knew it all. i hope you didnt type that all up just for me...