VF5FS Lion Move Analysis

Top-10 Moves(top)

1. : Almost too good to be true low, side turns, +5, half circular, « only » -16.
2. TRSF Stance Guard break : takes advantage of the new system, yutori killer, guaranteed combo for good damage, good wall carry for ROs. Also guarantees a 9K into wall combo near a wall.
3. : not a great move but the fact that the second hit exists opens the door to mindgames even on block, it’s the corner stone of Lion’s close range game. Also a very good combo ender to keep momentum. Will give 40 damage + knockdown after 90% of the blocked low in the game.
4. : a three hit string that combos on side hit leaving Lion with good advantage to continue to attack.Can also create wall combo situations if the first or last hit makes the opponent hit the wall
5. : 16 frames low that knockdown, ultra unsafe on block and evade. Will evade highs and give a combo on CH. Though this move may look like a noob friendly move that shouldn’t be used at higher level I feel it’s exactly the opposite. This move will help you break the opponent fuzzy guard vs good defenders, and help you start your offense. It is also a good anti sabaki//YY tool with the combo it gives on counter. Near walls you can add a + so it becomes a 40pts 16f low.
6. : one of the best midckick in the game, it is one frame slower than most midkicks but is half circular, and has good range so it’s a very good poke at mid/long range
7. FC+: A throw that will deal around 65pts of damage to most of the cast, with very good oki.
8. : one of Lion’s best mid, half circular, jumps over lows at the first frame, gives a small combo on CH, safe on block, and a followup possible.
9. : safe 70ish combo starter on CH (even more on lightweights), gives people a good reason to not abare.
10. : Lion’s whiff punisher for short range moves when at close range. With the improved back dash properties it is definitely a good move even though its range may have been towned down.

Attacks(top)

P(top)

• : safe 70ish combo starter on CH (even more on lightweights), gives people a good reason to not abare.

• and : When it connects on front side only the firts two hits are natural combo.The three hit string combos on side turn leaving Lion with good advantage to continue to attack.Can also create wall combo situations if the first or last hit makes the opponent hit the wall.

• : Almost to good to be true low, side turns, +5, half circular, « only » -16 means a lot of chars won't be able to punish you with big damage. This moves sets up good mind games especially near the wall (see strategy section). It's also a good move to use at nitaku since opponent cannot lazy TE and block this move at the same time, hence it will beat lazy TE and abare with big moves.

• : not a great move but the fact that the second hit exists opens the door to mindgames even on block, it’s the corner stone of Lion’s close range game. Also a very good combo ender to keep momentum. Will give 40 damage + knockdown after 90% of the blocked low in the game.

• : A move that I tend to overuse at close range. It will duck highs and can punish whiffed short range moves after a backdash a bit like but with the advantage of being low and the drawback of being risky. Not very punishable on block though (-15). Combo afterwards gives significantly more damage on the lighter characters so the risk/reward is better against them.

• and : This mid attack main purpose is to go under high attacks instantly so it's a good move to use against people who like to poke with from a distance or strings with high attacks.Note that this attack leaves you at a disadvantage even on hit. You can go into stance after this move but be aware that none of your options can beat an opponent low if you do so.

K(top)

• : one of the best midkicks in the game, it is one frame slower than most midkicks but is half circular, and has good range so it’s a very good poke at mid/long range

• : 16 frames low that knockdown, ultra unsafe on block and evade. Will evade highs and give a combo on CH. Though this move may look like a noob friendly move that shouldn’t be used at higher level I feel it’s exactly the opposite. This move will help you break the opponent fuzzy guard vs good defenders, and help you start your offense. It is also a good anti sabaki//YY tool with the combo it gives on counter. Near walls you can add a + so it becomes a 40pts 16f low.

• and : A 13 frames high attack that is mostly useful to punish attacks that are worst than -13 on block. It will give 40ish damage and a knockdown. Also used as a combo ender.

• : A 19f mid attack that launches on normal hit for good damage. This attack can go over low attack but it's not instant like . Can be used against low rising attacks but must be done a bit early. This move also have good range. However due to its animation it will always end up pretty close to the opponent on block so you can not use it from max range and be out of throw range on block.Can be used to punsh sweeps with bad recovery on block.

• and +: A 15 frames high kick that gives a combo on normal hit. Mostly used inside combos. It can also be used after a backdash to punish an opponent whiff at small/medium disadvantage or for zoning. If buffered perfectly it can also be lion's best -15 punisher.

• and : One of Lion’s best mid, half circular, jumps over lows at the first frame, gives a small combo on CH, safe on block, and a followup possible. It's a good move to go over low rising attacks, you can confirm the scond hit if you saw the low attack during the first hit animation. If the first hit CH you can go for a combo. On certain characters like Aoi it's even possible to combo off a RCH over a low rising attack. Don't be too greedy with the second hit, and try to always confirm because if it's ducked it has a pretty long recovery.

• and : A two hit mid-mid string. A very good move to close the distance with the opponent. It has good range and can be hitchecked even on normal hit if you see a whiff. This move can OTG most (but not all) combos ending with to discourage your opponent from staying on the ground.

P+K(top)

• + : opens for 80 damage combos for –15 situations if opponent doesn’t TE after it, fast standing whiff punish after an evade or a ducked high/throw

• + : One of the few moves in the game that can go under mid rising attacks, giving a pretty damaging combo on hit. +2 on block, few people respect that. Fully charged version will give Lion the opportunity to continue to press the offensive, moreso if opponent is back to wall.

• +: fast (15f) semi circular mid that knocks down, great range (slightly better than ). Good whiff punish, safe on block. Hits low to the ground so this is the go to move after a low wall hit. Best tool for punishing whiffed attacks with fast recovery from mid range.

• + On of Lion normal hit combo starter, slow but good damage and safe on block. Mostly useful for techrollers if they’re already discouraged of stepping. + is also very good against Aoi since it will hit YY with a CH for 70ish combo. can jump over lows but unlike it’s not instant.

• FC: A fast two handed mid attack at 16f. It's pretty safe on block at -6 with a good pushback that will put you out of throw range. On hit the pushback allows for wall stagger from a good distance, so this is your go to move when opponent is back against the wall. This move is also very good on side turned oponents as it will cause a side crumple on CH or RCH and is very safe on side block. Being a two handed attack it's also good against sabakies, Aoi's Ying Yang stance and reversals (only Aoi can reverse it).

K+G(top)

• +: The step killer. Can be made safe on oki with the right spacing/timing (yes even to retaliation).

• +: The other step killer, leaves opponent side turned with very good options for Lion.

• +: One of the few low full circular that knock down on normal hit. Good step/yutori/YY/sabaki killer in big advantage situations. I see this move as something that will actually kill every advanced defense techniques at the price at being super unsafe with low damage. Don’t over use it on tech rollers unless they are really evade happy or your life bar will suffer.

• +: Another full circular low that knocks down on normal hit. Compared to + it has better range but a much slower startup that makes a lot it easier to block on reaction. Since it's very unsafe on block it is not recomended to spam this move. Yet it can be useful to catch an opponent backdash or backdash evade after a move with push back like Lion's FC +.

• +: no longer full cicular, but will still give advantage on hit. Gives a wall stagger that can be converted into very big damage when opponent is back to wall or when // to wall with Lion back to the wall. Since a lot of people will yutori against the wall fearing + or FC +, this will solve the problem.

P+K+G(top)

or +++
One of the few multi hit moves that Lion can hit confirm.
This move is a good move to use on the opponent tech roll if you suspect him to crouch or attack. In both cases you can use the first hit to confirm and commit to the second for the last part.
It's harder to use this move outside of tech roll pressure due to the long starting animation preceding the move itself.

or +++
A very good low attack to use on tech rollers, it will give you a small combo on CH and a large advantage on normal hit, pretty good for a low. Unfortunately it shares the same drawback as the mid attack, as it requires to go through the small stance animation first. Also both options are linear so the mixup can be easily avoided by evading which is where ++++ comes into play.

or ++++
A special high semi circular attack with a good reward on any hit. Used to keep evaders honest as you can choose the tracking direction depending on the direction you choose to go first with the or input. It's a good move to throw if you expect your opponent to do a mid reversal (with optional TE) after a tech roll as it will hit CH and give good damage.Same if he uses low P or abare with a big move so it covers quite a lot of options.

Stances(top)

Tōrō Sōfu Stance (TRSF) ++

• TRSF Guard break : takes advantage of the new system, yutori killer, guaranteed combo for good damage, good wall carry for ROs. Also guarantees a into wall combo near a wall.

• TRSF : This move is to be used as a high/low mixup option that complements the guard break.It will give a small stagger to crouching opponents that will guarantee ? a . On counter hit it gives a stomach crumple for a nice combo.Both the guard break and this move are linear attacks though.

• TRSF : A semi circular attack that must be escaped to Lion's front. Safe on block withh good pushback. Use it to discourage your opponent from escaping.

• TRSF : A 2 hits special high-Mid natural combo that side turns on hit, 2nd hit delayable for mind games if the first hit is blocked. The 2 hits are semicirculars in different directions (aka good luck to step when you are back to ring edge). The first hit must be escaped to Lion's back which complements TRSF in terms of evade directions. I believe it’s possible to hit confirm the 2nd hit if the first is a CH but it’s not easy, 2nd hit is Safe on block anyway.

Throws(top)

• : The standard throw for 40pts of damage. (Add info about evading rising attacks).

• :A side switching throw that guarantees 8P+K. Use it for positioning only.

• : Lion's best throw, it gives him a combo opportunity for 65ish against most of the cast. Can also lead to ring outs.

• : A 60 Damage throw. Easier command than the throw above and doesn't require to remember the following combo. This throw is useful against Taka and heavy wheights as it will give better/easier damage. It can also be used to get a ring out with the right angle.

• : A throw that deals small damage and put the opponent into a strong stagger. Especially efficient when the opponent is against the wall as 9K will be hard to struggle out of and can lead to a full wall combo. Against opponents who can struggle 9K use either 8P+K into a small wall combo or 3P+K or PK.

• : A 60pts damage throw. Opponent must SIDE roll to avoid a big pounce. Taka must roll very fast to avoid it.When opponent is against the wall a down attack is guaranteed for 72pts.

• : Less damage than but easier command. I can't think of a situation where it would be better to use this throw rather than .