VF5FS Shun Strategy

Introduction(top)

Shun has a unique design amongst the Virtua Fighter cast and his playstyle is similarly unique.

Shun has a lot of attacks with evasive properties, making him a strong "bait and attack" character. He has a good mixup game, with various mid/low mixups, and a lot of his moves have unusual properties which can help break down a defence. He also has multiple stances to transition into, each with their own bag of tricks.

But the ability which is absolutely unique to him is his Drink Point (DP) meter. Shun can take drinks from his bottle by performing certain moves, and for each drink gained Shun receives a +0.75% damage modifier, whilst unlocking extra attacks which otherwise wouldn't be available to him. With a high number of drinks in his system, Shun gains significant attacking power.

On the flipside, Shun's large movelist and unorthodox playstyle can be challenging to master. And while he is strong when his drink meter is high, his power is much lower while he has only a few or zero drinks. Managing his drink meter is an integral part of playing with Shun.

Nitaku(top)

Shun has a strong mid/low nitaku game. A prime example of this is his mid kick, and his low kick. Both of these moves are half circular, with the mid evadable to the front and the low kick evadable to the back, providing an extra bonus to this mixup.

Similarly, his key stances all have a mid/low mixup - In particular, Sōkokukyū, Chōkarō and Ōshin stances have this mixup.

What is recommended at different advantages?

- At +1, +2: Shun has to be careful with these advantages, as he has a 15 frame elbow () rather than a 14 frame elbow, so can lose out to a standing or easier. You can use which is 14 frames, but this move is significantly riskier than his elbow. Using a simple or may be a better choice, or can also work well as it is only 11 frames, and also has followups if Shun has enough drinks.

Shun does however have a couple of frame tricks at a small advantage. From a blocked high punch (+2), his Mule Kick will beat high punches/attacks, while his mid kick will beat low punches/attacks. You may want to keep this in mind too when you connect with a normal-hit rising attack, as you will be at +3.

- At + 3: Shun's elbow will beat 12 frame s (but not 11 frame punches!). On counter hit you will have enough advantage for a launcher/throw mixup. He also has a delayable mid after the elbow for further mixup options.

- At +4: Here Shun has some real damage potential. and (+6 DP) can both beat 12 frame punches.

- At +5: will beat 12 frame punches. Keep in mind however that chouwan () is a 'safe' launcher and is in this sense more likely to be the preference, as long as you have +6 DP. will also beat 12 frame punches if you are after a safer move to use.

Also will beat 12 frame punches. While the damage is not high, going low can break down a defense and this move will also knock down, forcing the opponent to defend a 'wakeup' situation.

Breaking down guarding opponents.

As mentioned Shun has a good mid/low mixup game, and again low attacks can break down a defence. Another option are his catch throws, which are unbreakable. He has catch throws from back-turned (+5 DP), his Choukarou stance, as well as Oushin (both backturned and forwards). His catch throw from Oushin can be particularly dangerous as it provides enough advantage to guarantee a chouwan () launcher.

Shun also has a guard break from his Kasen Gyou'in stance (input ), however it is not as advantageous as other character's guard breaks, in that it does not guarantee a combo upon breaking a guard. If a guard is broken, it will only provide a +10 advantage, and often pushes the opponent out of throw range, meaning that the throw is not guaranteed. However this break can also counter attacks, at which point a guaranteed combo from is possible.

Beating evading opponents.

Shun has a large number of half-circular and circular attacks. Good options are listed below.

In particular it's worth noting the potential of (From Choukarou). On counter hit this move gives a very high frame advantage; And being a circular attack, if it hits an evading opponent it will cause a counter hit. The frame advantage (+12, and also the frames required for the opponent to turn around and guard from back-turned) is effectively enough to guarantee a Chouwan () launcher and combo. Note that it only 'effectively' guarantees the Chouwan - If an opponent has a Sabaki/reversal which has immediate active frames, it could beat this option (Aoi can use her back-turned mid reversal to beat this option). Or an opponent may avoid some damage by going into a stance which provides a knock down rather than a float on hit (Shun's into Tentouritsu does this).

Also worth noting is . Even though you will need to spend drinks using this move, having a safe, full circular mid attack is quite rare in Virtua Fighter, as this effectively shuts down every defensive option except standing guard.

Front evadable:

(and )





(+7DP; also usable in Choukarou stance)

Back evadable:





(From Soukokukyu)

(From Soukokukyu)

Fully Circular:



(+10 DP, sacrifices 2DP)

(From Choukarou)

(From Choukarou)

(From Kasen Gyou'in)

Side Turned(top)

What are this character's options for side turning the opponent with an attack or throw?

Shun has a couple of moves which turn the opponent:

- (From Choukarou). On counter-hit this move gives enough frame advantage for a Chouwan launcher, and this is generally the favoured option. On normal hit no followup is guaranteed, but you can pressure the opponent at their side.

Also near a wall this move is deadly, as the opponent hitting the wall side-on will cause a heavy stagger, at which point is a very strong option for big damage.

- (), (From BT Soukokukyu). While this is a two move string, it's the which will turn the opponent. On counter hit it gives an (effective) +12 frame advantage, which won't guarantee a high punch (the opponent can still duck) but is still a massive advantage. The is both delayable and cancellable into Soukokukyu, so mix up these options to keep your opponent guessing.

What are the optimal follow-ups when the opponent is side turned?

is the main followup to gain a side counter.

Do the options vary due to ring position?
What are the optimal follow-ups when you successfully evade an attack that recovers standing or crouching?

Combos(top)

Drinking and Combos

As might be expected for Shun's character design, Shun's combo damage is mostly determined by his current DP count. This is to say that unlike other characters, Shun does not receive large gains in combo damage in distinguishing between normal-hits/counter-hits, or by weight class; His damage output is mainly a function of the number of drinks he has under his belt (Chouwan is an obvious example - You can't do it until +6DP, and Shun gains extra damaging combos from Chouwan at +8DP).

With this in mind there are a few DP milestones at which Shun's combo power increases:

+4DP: This unlocks , which is a damaging staple for a lot of combos and an all-round Good Option.

+6DP: This unlocks , which can raise the damage potential against mid/lightweights (be careful if you launch at a long range however, as this short range move can miss!).

+8DP: This unlocks:
- The Chouwan followup () which produces a higher float and therefore more damage potential.
- (mainly important for after , and for low floats like ()CH, ()CH, (From Kasen Gyou'in) )
- , which gives a nice consistent Chouwan combo against most of the cast: , ► ►

Timing and General Tips:

- For (CH) combos which start with , the needs to be delayed somewhat (not as strict as a 1 frame delay however). When practicing the correct timing observe how high the opponent floats when hit by the ; They will tend to 'pop up' when using the correct timing.

- For combos, Shun is often positioned too far away from the opponent for any followups to hit. A forward dash or crouch dash is essential for some combos to work, but regardless I would recommend always advancing forward as it guarantees that combos hit consistently and also makes the timing more lenient in some cases. As a general guide, you want your followup to hit just as the opponent's legs are starting to fall downwards from their flopped state.

For combos starting with this means pausing for a moment until the time is right. Alternatively for the combo starting with the much slower , it needs to be executed quite early to hit the sweet spot. Also note the notations in the combo section; For the combo starting with , I've used a crouch dash rather than a forward dash. This is to prevent the ", " input from turning into a input and spoiling the combo.

- For combos which have a refloat (eg Chouwan combos with ) and then dash into , buffering is essential. Buffer the forward dash during the recovery of the . When the dash comes out it needs to be cancelled almost immediately by the . The dash is to move Shun forward just enough so that the kick will hit, but the dash must also be cancelled very quickly so that the kick comes out early enough for a valid combo. The timing is very tight so don't worry if you can't master it, a lot of players use at +8DP instead.

Wakeup Strategies(top)

Okizeme(top)

Baiting and punishing whiffed rising attacks

For punishing whiffed rising attacks:


(from BT Soukokukyu) into Soukokukyu for spacing/baiting, then
(+6DP)
(+8DP)
/ (mid rising attacks only, but very effective and damaging!)
(from Oushin or BT Oushin) (mid rising attacks only - If you transition into stance before the rising attack comes out it will whiff)
(low rising attacks only)

For crushing/countering rising attacks:

(can be difficult to time, especially if opponent recovers quickly)
() (hard to time, but see extra possibilities detailed below)

Note that Shun has some moves which do 20 damage points, however when he reaches +7DP, these attacks will do 21 damage points and be able to crush rising attacks! These moves are listed below.


(very strong move for crushing rising attacks at +7DP, as it has a ridiculously large active frame count. Does not do as much damage as other options which can combo, however it's strong crushing ability makes up for this)
(reasonably quick and has a good active frame count, I would lean to using this if you're fishing for a combo, or ring out opportunity)

Jump overs:

If your character does a move that jumps over the opponent immediately before their rising attack executes, it's possible for the rising attack to whiff, as it will not track to the other side. This is timing dependant however, if the jump is too early, the rising attack will simply switch to the side you've jumped to. Here are some jump over options:

- Neutral jump. Every character has this option. After a neutral jump Shun will be backturned, so good punishment options are BT , or (for mid rising attack only)

()- There is a bit of an option select in this one. Because it deals out 21+ damage points, it will also crush rising attacks with the right timing. So if the opponent recovers quickly, there is the possibility to crush the rising attack. If they don't recover as quickly, you'll jump over the rising attack. This is good if you're cornered against a wall/ring edge. Also even if a mid rising attack tracks after your jump over, if Shun finishes the move early enough his low profile will mean that the attack will miss. Always transition into Oushin for followup damage, typically ( at 10+ DP).

Guaranteed punishment after blocking certain rising attacks

Back roll rising attacks are -15 for all characters when blocked. Use if the character is standing, or if ducking.

Ukemizeme(top)

Ideal attacks to pressure with:

Option selects between attack or down attack:

Shun's best 'scraping' move (an attack that will hit someone on the ground, if they don't use fall recovery) is . is also good for damage, but has a longer execution. Importantly note that at +8DP, the full string of is available and will hit! So, for example, you knock down the opponent with and they do not recover, you can immediately hit with . Note you should execute this as , to prevent the down attack from executing instead.

is also a good option, and easier to execute after a crouching move like .


Meaties:

Ring Position(top)

Wall Pressure(top)

Wall splat moves

Attacks which cause a wall splat, providing a guaranteed combo situation.

Refer to the Shun combo page, under the 'Wall Splat' tab, for possible combos from these moves.

(Counter hit) - Good against evading opponents.

(Counter hit)

From Soukokukyu (Counter-hit)

Gyou'in attacks (Counter hit): or() or From Choukarou

(Counter hit, +6DP, does not work against Taka)

(Counter hit, +7DP)

(Counter hit, +10 DP, spends 2 DP) - Really strong move against evading opponents, on hit pushes opponents to Shun's Back, note this angle when near a wall.


Wall stagger moves

Attacks which stagger the opponent, which does not guarantee a combo but provides a highly advantageous situation and can combo if the opponent does not break the stagger quickly enough. The below attacks will stagger on normal hit, but with the damage modifier other attacks (such as ) can also cause a stagger on counter hit.

Refer to the Shun combo page, under the 'Wall Stagger' tab, for possible combos from these moves.



- Note this move is very good for gaining a Wall Side Stun (and crumple combo) when at an angle to the wall. Note the direction of rotation of, and depending on which foot Shun has forward, you can direct the opponent into the wall.

- Good for fishing for a hit at long range, and can get under high attacks sometimes too.

From Kasen Gyou'in (+7 DP)

(+7 DP, normal hit only)

From Soukokukyu (+7DP, normal hit only)

+ (+7DP, normal hit only)

Ring Out(top)

Ideal ways to ring out over half fences

is a fantastic move to launch an opponent over a half fence. Note that it knocks the opponent down at an angle (not directly in front of Shun) so you may also want to use an OM first to gain the best positioning.

Also take note of the potential of here. On guard it is +6 and you can keep pressing your offence. If you gain a counter-hit with it there is a good chance the opponent will pop over a half fence for a ring out.

Changing direction of combos

For some combo starters, the lengthy time that the opponent is vulnerable allows you to ring out an opponent from an indirect position - Essentially at a right angle to the plane of the characters. The following combos have this possibility:

- (Side-turned counter with ) ► ► OM (up or down) ► ►►
- ► ► OM (up or down) ► ►

The forward dash helps to modify the angle at which the opponent is juggled towards, because the closer to the opponent you execute the Offensive Move the greater the lateral movement around the opponent will be. With the closest possible OM this allows the combo to be re-directed at approximately a right angle.

Ideal combos that carry good distance (for ring out)

Drinking(top)

Shun is the only character in the game which has a form of meter in his drink meter, which affects his damage output, move properties, available attacks and combos.

• Each drink gives Shun +0.75% damage.
• Shun can gain a maximum of 40 drinks during a match.
• Some moves require a certain number of drinks to execute (noted in the Command List).
• Shun can gain drinks post-round (except for a Time Out).
• Every character also has moves which sober Shun (noted in the Command List). Pro players will use these moves to reduce Shun's drink count and his attacking power.

Drink meter management is a critical component of playing Shun. There are different philosophies to managing Shun's drinks: Try to maximise gaining drinks early on at the expense of pure damage output, or focus on winning the round as priority. In reality both strategies are viable, as unlike other fighting games Shun can gain meter in the short period of time after he has won a round. So by winning a round you are also gaining an opportunity to increase Shun's drink count.

However you play, you will want to make the most of any opportunity to gain drinks during the round and afterwards.

Moves which gain drinks(top)

+1DP





()

()

()

Cancel into Soukokukyu - e.g.

(Soukokukyu & BT Soukokukyu)

(Soukokukyu & BT Soukokukyu)

(Soukokukyu & BT Soukokukyu)

+2DP



Cancel into BT Soukokukyu - e.g.

(Zabantetsu)

(Oushin & BT Oushin)


+3DP

(hit)

+4DP



(10+ drinks)

+5DP

(0-5 drinks depending when move is cancelled)

(Soukokukyu) (0-5 drinks depending when move is cancelled)

+6DP

(opponent back to full wall)

(opponent back)

Post Round Drinking(top)

After winning a round by knock out or ring out (but not time out!) you have an opportunity to gain drinks. Generally at the end of the round, there will be enough time to gain +4DP. However it can be more or less depending on the circumstance. If you defeat the opponent with a move which has a long recovery time (eg ) then you will have less time to gain drinks after you have recovered. Alternatively if you do a move which leaves the opponent in a standing state, (eg finish the round with ) then you can gain +6DP!

Below are some options to gain the maximum amount of drinks after you have won a round.

+1-3DP - Finishing the round with moves which have a long recovery (eg finish round with ):

- or or (wait to drink)

If you finish the round with an attack with a long recovery, your optimal choice depends on how much recovery time is available. Generally just repeating is not a bad option. Though you may want to note that:

- The sequence (wait to drink) -> (BT Soukokukyu) (+3 DP) is slightly quicker than just doing three times. So there are situations where the sequence can be done but there is not enough time to do x3 (to test this out, finish the opponent with ).

- For , Shun will gain his drink slightly quicker than , even though their total execution time is about the same. If the post-round time is just about to end, it may be that will squeeze out another drink while won't.

+4DP - Finishing the round with a move with 'average' recovery (eg finish round with ) :

- -> (wait to drink) -> (BT Soukokukyu)

+5DP - Finishing the round with a move that doesn't leave the opponent standing:

- ( or ), then

There are some moves which do not leave the opponent standing as in the +6DP enders, but it is still possible to gain +5DP with . For these moves you will need to do a or , then . The or will keep the opponent from falling too quickly the ground, and will then hit the opponent Off The Ground (OTG) (they obviously are unable to perform fall recovery as they have just lost the round!).

Examples of such moves are (),, (hit) , , , .

+6DP - After hitting the opponent with a move that leaves them in a standing state for a long period:

(full animation, +5DP) ->

For finishing moves which leave the opponent standing or otherwise vulnerable for a long time, you can gain +6DP. is probably the most widely used example of such a move. Make sure to wait until fully completes so that you don't accidentally cancel the move mid-animation.

Other examples of such moves are , , , (), , , (Soukokukyu) , (BT Soukokukyu) , (Oushin) .

Moves which sacrifice drinks(top)

Once Shun gets to +10 DP, he unlocks three 'drink sacrifice' moves. When using these moves you actually spend drinks, much like you would use a typical super/special meter in other fighting games. In return for spending your hard earned DPs, these moves each have very favourable properties.

(spends 2 DP):

This move isn't for gaining high damage, but to catch out defensive opponents. Typically in VF full circular mid attacks like this one are usually at least punch counterable (think Jacky's or Lion's ) as your opponent cannot evade in either direction, and can only guard standing, severely restricting their defensive options. This circular however is only -7, making it reasonably safe and worth spending drinks on. The attack also knocks down the opponent towards Shun's back, which you can take advantage of if angled near a wall/ring edge.

(spends 3 DP):

For a move that launches this has excellent frames. The 17 frame execution is standard for many launchers (it's fast enough to use straight from a counter or counter elbow), but on guard you'll gain an advantage of +4! At +4 you can then use Chouwan () to beat low punch or 12 frame high punches!

, (spends 2 DP on first , and 3 DP on second ):

It's rare in VF that a low attack will launch for a combo on just a normal hit. It's even rarer that such an attack isn't punishable on guard. Try to hit-check the first kick; If it's blocked stop the string to avoid the vulnerability of the followup high kick, and also losing more DP. If it hits, input the second kick for a combo!

It's no understatement to say that this move is a very scary proposition for an opponent. If they are playing the odds, they will know that typically big damage will come from big launcher attacks, which in VF are almost always mid attacks. So even if they are hit with a low attack (sweep etc.), it's probably not going to do as much damage, so they can lean towards using standing guard most of the time. Once this move is unlocked however, Shun's mid/low mixup becomes very dangerous.

Other(top)

Stances.
Anything else is unique about the character?