Table of Contents
Introduction
Nina is a short range, offensive character with high speed moves and exceptional frames, who possesses the ability to lock down opponents with her infamous tools like sidestep 1 cancels and myriad of other + frame tools. Her nasty counter hits and frame traps only add to her arsenal of pressure. She has perhaps the steepest execution in the game concerning her advanced stuff, and while her damage isn’t exactly top tier, her wall carry circumstantially the best in the game. Don’t let this scare you though, she has more noob friendly tactics than ever before, and she absolutely annihilates people unfamiliar with the matchup with pretty basic tools, as we’ll discuss later. You don’t have to be an execution god to get started with her, and this is the game to begin trying Nina if you haven’t already. The reward will be mastery of a phenomenally interesting character, as well as all the ladies. All of them. She’s easily the funnest characters to grind in practice mode, just landing her harder combos and setups offline is super fun.
Organized by chapters on the side. I’ll post a TL;DR and simplified game plan at the end, so you can skip to that if you have a short attention span and want to jump in immediately with her essentials. For most of the guide, I’ll be mixing in tactical discussion alongside movelist descriptions. Check the combo link below to choose some launchers and follow ups of your level, with damage value comparisons, as well as execution explanations at the bottom. Also covers wall enders. You’ll find how to do ws1 combos and all the difficult stuff there.
If you want to get the the meat of the fun part with this character check the SS1 section. I’ll put the legend for terms and inputs at the very bottom, it includes an explanation of the concept of frames.
Resources:
Link to Nina’s Grab Flowcharts
Basic Properties/Punishers:
Average-ish female hitbox. She is one of the 3 backsway characters in the game, so KBD the hard way if you want proper movement. The easy way to start chaining 2 backdashes with her (which is all you need till higher ranks) is to do b, b and hold the 2nd back as you roll towards db. This ensures you never hit d on its own making it safer and easier to avoid qcb motions. Follow this with a roll from db to back, then you can let go to do another back input to complete the 2nd backdash. Don’t get hung up on this if you are new, just start by using basic back dash.
Standing Punishers:
i10: 1,2 jabs (17 damage, +5 on hit), 1,4 (24 damage, +1 on hit)
i12: b2,2 (28 damage, +5 on hit)
i14: df3,4 (34 damage, +7 on hit, free mid low mixup if desired), f3 (30 damage + wall splat)
i15: df2 (60+ damage combo) (Doesn’t launch crouchers on normal hit)
i16: b1+4 (70+ damage combo)
i18: uf2,1 (75 damage combo)
Crouching Punishers:
i10: d+1 (5 damage, +6 on hit)
i11: ws4 (15 damage, +7 on hit)
i13: ws1 1+2 (35 damage, KND and wall splat), ws3~1+2 (possible chain grab followups)
i15: ws2 (60ish damage combos, has problematically short range)
i18: uf2,1 (75 damage combo)
Homing Moves:
db2: 20 damage, normal hit KND, CH tailspin launch, -5 on block, doesn’t actually duck anything, slow (i20), decent range, wall splats
df1+2: 15 damage, wall splat on hit, massive pushback on block, even at wall.
Armor Move:
f1+2: 24 damage, i17, -14 on block, ok range, wall splats. Can also be done with ws1+2, same move.
Wall Bounce:
Ff1+2: 26 damage, -5 on block, when fully held does 32 damage and +8 on block
Tactical overview:
There are a few concepts in Tekken which are worth understanding before you embark on learning Nina. Some are immediately useful while others will only make more sense when you have more experience with the game.
The first is the concept of “gimmicks”. A simple approach might be to repeatedly do what works in till you win, but this can be counterproductive in the long run since it will cost you looking for alternate approaches to certain situations, rendering you helpless when you encounter certain obstacles and stunting your growth and tactical variety. For instance, moves like df32 can make Nina look a lot better at controlling space than she actually is, because you wont expect a move like that to be vulnerable to duck on the second hit. Nobody can react that fast right? Wrong. It will consistently be ducked by good opponents. What rank before this is actually a concern? Probably towards the end of intermediate ranks, since it requires a mix of reasonable reactions and character matchup knowledge.
So how do you know whether you should be using a potentially dangerous move or not? Its up to you. But something that will save you a lot of pain with characters like Nina is keeping in mind the vulnerability to moves you otherwise take for granted. By all means, use whatever works to kill scrubs, but you should at least attempt to seek out more air-tight ways of poking with her and constantly revising your move usage. People don’t often mention this about Nina but her movelist is positively massive with very few obvious moves that are objectively amazing, so it can be tough to decide what to pull out on a whim. You need a good deal of planning and real time decision making to make Nina truly shine, she is far from a brainless rush down caricature most noobs paint her as.
When I mention scrub killers and easy moves I’ll caveat them in the following sections. But keep in mind that if you want to maximize her against solid opponents you need to rely on less attacking, more safe decision making, better movement and spacing, as well as a good deal of character matchup knowledge. Don’t get sucked in by these moves but feel free to use them to get free points against bad opponents, especially online. Check the TLDR strats for more.
Dealing with Range:
With that out of the way, lets move on to her range and space control. This is important to Nina because she has very bipolar range on her moves, and her ability to control space is far weaker than her ability to lock down at point blank. She sucks at approaching, which makes stuff like a quick dash into block very important to approach the opponent. The sharper you are with her the less of a weakness it becomes, but dash blocking can naturally be riskier and less rewarding online with laggy connections. Regardless, you need to implement this tactic to get to close range with priority, which is essentially her entire gameplan.
If you react well after blocking with this method, you get priority for free through block punishes (which give you + frames on hit) and baited whiff punishment, and sometimes you will give a free approach regardless, if your opponent freezes. Since her pokes (such as df1) come out fast, chaining them after short bits of movement can cover similar ground to throwing out longer range moves.
There is a lag between the opponent’s ability to visually react to your movement and your decision making (which is already occurring before they respond), which causes 2 different things to happen. At low ranks people will throw stuff out preemptively, which should encourage you to stay back and whiff punish, while at intermediate ranks people will instinctively block instead of contesting an incoming poke they can’t interrupt. Both are tickets to get in proper range for poking. Just don’t abuse the distance you cross before attacking and try to mask movement with side stepping and fakeouts to avoid being predictable.
Long Range and Approach Moves:
Fff1+2: This move is probably her best approach in season 3. It gets her to a reasonable distance on block (careful, there is still some pushback so only part of her movelist is actually available as a followup) with a semi-fast running move that is +4 on block. This move crushes lows while she is not touching the ground and deals great damage.
It particularly shines at the wall where pushback is reduced, and it even wall splats for high damage wall combos, making it particularly nasty in the situations where you have your opponents back up against the wall. Keep in mind that like all running moves it is difficult to execute at close ranges, while being easier when further out. Mildly steppable.
Uf1: This will cover a large distance and combo on normal hit, while hitting mid, and is completely safe. It also jumps over lows. Problem is the frames are bad enough that your turn is up if it’s blocked, so don’t consider it a free approach so much as a long range possibility. It isn’t very fast on start up either. Recovers crouched. B1+3 can catch a retaliation jab from this though. Strong against people whiffing randomly at range or moving forward at the wrong time, as well as a hard callout.
DB2: This move is also one of her homing moves. Its very slow but the range is pretty good so you can still land the occasional CH randomly. You have very few good followups if blocked at -5 frames, but it’s a good way to simultaneously close distance while throwing out a hitbox. Despite its homing property, its relatively slow speed makes it tough to catch a small step with it, so it functions more so as a space control tool that can’t be stepped. Also wallsplats. If you notice your opponent jabs immediately after this move, you can try immediately using your parry (b1+3 or b2+4) to catch retaliations
Qcf3: This is actually a really good move for approach from time to time. You are dead as hell if it’s blocked or stepped, which it can be very easily if overused, however it leaves you with frame advantage that varies between 0 to extremely + based on how far you are. At long range the advantage is more pronounced because you will have recovered from more of the animation before it hits the opponent, leaving your fast options like ws4 completely uninterruptible. It leaves your opponent crouched on hit as well, and on CH gives a combo. Its phenomenal for finishing an opponent with a sliver of health left, but remember this move is risky as balls. You can check the opponent’s duck with fff1+2 at similar ranges, however.
Whiff Punishers: Surprisingly, she has pretty decent whiff punishers. DB3+4, B1+4, uf21 are all pretty good at filling this roles. Careful about throwing these out too liberally, since they are all unsafe, although uf21 is only -13. B1+4 and db3+4 however are suicide on block against a knowledgeable opponent. UF21 is generally the way to go but B1+4 is a tad faster, which can occasionally help, and the range will surprise you.
As with much of her movelist, there is plenty of scrub killing fluff which I’ll mention briefly:
UF434: Massive guaranteed damage on CH (51), SS possibility with absurd frames from the low hit (uf434d or u), and huge range. If the opponent can’t react to it its a free ticket to ss1 pressure and approach potential. Gets low parried on the 2nd hit past a certain rank, and has really shitty tracking making it miss a lot of the time when there is a lot of movement going on.
Df32: Mid high NC with good damage and + on block with possible transitions. Controls the match in tandem with jabs if the opponent can’t deal with it.
D23: Second hit CH’s into a full combo and has massive range. Easy to catch eager people who thought you whiffed the first hit on accident. Gets you killed at higher ranks.
Medium Range Moves:
Hitboxes in Tekken 7 are quite fickle. The distinction may seem subtle but be aware of what is strictly a point blank tool and what can be used more loosely, particularly when playing Nina. The following moves have good enough range and allow her to attack without being glued to the opponent.
Qcf1: This thing yields great CH combos, leaves at +1 on block and is invisibly fast while having great range. You can delay the 1 input to make her forward shift give more range. Careful though, this move is still a high and is slower if you wait on the 1 input. It’s not bad damage on normal hit too. It does not move Nina forward post-hit like Anna’s, but it’s still a welcome addition to her toolkit. Keep in mind pushback when blocked, it can be difficult to cover the distance created by this without moving first.
D2: One of her few fast lows that has any range. It leaves at 0 on hit in a full crouched position with a very early high crush window. It is unseeable for the opponent, and pretty safe on block anyway, which means the biggest risk is getting low parried when predictable. You can stay down afterwards and dickjab to beat any move which doesn’t jump, or you can do FC df4 for a wipe the floor into ff3 follow up, while also crushing jabs. Ws4 or ws4,3 is a good option out of this if your opponent is retaliating with i13 mids like df1. Uf1+2 is ideal from here, since it can be performed from crouch, as well as any of your ws or crouched options. Careful of hopkicks from here, people at low ranks will spam them after eating lows (which isn’t smart but they do it anyway). If you block one give them a b22, or try to preemptively float them out of it with ws1. If they freeze on hit, you can crouch cancel by tapping up and do another d2 instantly to mess with them or opt for alternative pressure. D2 should probably be your most common low, but keep in mind it can be stepped.
F214: This move has decent range, and if any part hits on counter you can start a combo guaranteed for 70+ damage. For the 3rd hit to combo, it can’t be delayed for too long. The problem is the last hit is a high, and since the string is 3 hits your opponent has time to predict the high ender and crouch on reaction. However, you have a mid option with 2 to cover this, but the mid option can be punished by 12 frame ws moves like ws4, for ~15 damage. The risk reward of throwing this out is not so bad, if your opponent stays up to avoid the mid, the high is very safe, at -3 only. You can delay the hits, but if you delay the third hit you are likely to drop an otherwise guaranteed combo if your prior hits landed on counter. This is, however, useful if you realize the opponent is guarding, since you can catch a hesitant retaliation with the delay trickery.
One of the most underrated things is just using the first hit as one of her better ranged pokes. It’s a whopping +8 on hit and only -3 on block, one of the few things aside from df1 that brings Nina forward a bit and is relatively safe and fast. Keep in mind its high though, but the step possibilities on block as well as the threat of the rest of the string really helps establish priority.
FF1+2: Nina’s wallbounce. This move can be held to be + on block, gaining a bit of damage, but will wall bounce either way, for an improvised combo that will change depending on distance between the wall. Check combo thread for possibilities and range adaptations.
F1+2: In most matchups this move can be extremely irritating (careful for Law, Bryan, Lars, Paul, Ling, Josie and 2d characters, they can launch this on block). It has massive range, and can beat whatever the opponent tends to throw out. You can also use it to catch them as they approach you. Great when you have health to play with and they don’t, or if you want to gamble a bit.
DF32: Her gimmick at medium range is this move. It will get ducked and punished at high rank for more than its worth, but if it goes unpunished by low rank players it can control a lot, being a natural combo, +1 on block and mid high with good damage and phenomenal range. Don’t overestimate the move, its more for combos than anything but it covers a lot of her space control weakness if the opponent can’t deal with it.
Post Approach/Close Range
This is the range where she can utilize most of her movelist. Nina is almost unparalleled in speed up close because of her fast pokes and crush moves that put you back in the driver’s seat instantly. The faster you can think at point blank, the stronger she will be. Keep your movement and poking crisp, and a lot of her stuff allows follow ups even when blocked, especially when you incorporate her phenomenal side steps after pokes.
Don’t get hung up on constantly attacking simply because you achieved close range, you have to think or you will get CH out of your pressure for more damage than your pokes are worth. Another thing to understand about close range pokes in general is how the pacing shifts. Fast pokes like df1 or jab not only have faster startup, but because the block stun and ensuing interaction happens quicker, your opponent has less time for decision making than the half second pause granted by something like dragunov’s running 2 on block. This means you are trapping your opponent mentally even more so than you suppress them with good frames.
It’s a different kind of rushdown and requires quicker decision making on both sides. Panic responses like hopkicks and crouch jabs are more of a problem in these situations than when you are at + infinity, but it also makes you more difficult to read offensively (as well as making you far harder to step, because stepping queues are much faster). Low risk checks, side step maneuvers, low parries (especially against crouch jabs) and baiting panic responses for punishes are going to be an important part of your repertoire when pushing your turn with Nina.
Here are some shorter range moves worth using when you close the gap:
1: This is the fastest move for almost every character and Nina is no exception. The extensions are pretty ass. 1212 is never a combo on normal or counter hit and is technically unsafe, as is the mid extension with 1+2, so your opponent can just block and they will either regain the advantage or punish you. You are better off stopping after 1 or 12 and doing more interesting maneuvers such as side stepping or using d2 to crush high retaliations. The exception is 124 which is actually ok, despite being a high it can cover a bit for hasty opponents who try to CH you afterwards. If you do it every time you will get launched but its ok to mix in if you just want a simple, mild extension to your jabs. There is a mid with chain grab extensions, which can also help cover for the high property of the kick, but its unsafe (-13), requires a timed 1+2 for hit followup, and has kind of ass range so I wouldn’t count on that as much as just being sparse with the high kick extension.
Its worth noting her jabs can move her forward further than most characters while covering longer range. This means that despite her small limb size she can extend what is normally a range 0 poke into the medium-shortish range instead. This is part of the strength of her poking game; pokes like jab and df1 are typically balanced by having very little range due to their phenomenal frame properties, but in Nina’s case she trades having longer range moves for having jabs or df1 that blurs the line between range 0 and short range. Many characters have similar frames from these same moves, but this makes her better at quick checks than most because she can use these a bit more reliably that most. Seriously, the second hit of 12 goes far for a jab.
DF1: This is a vital mid check for Nina. Because most of her mids are either risky on block or not very damaging, you have to throw this out a lot get people to stop ducking. She is only -1 on block off the first hit, and -3 with df12 on block (which is also a natural combo for good damage). Spamming df1 into various options like step, crouch or d2 to avoid high retaliations will make her feel like a very quick character and is key to her rushdown, while basically forcing people to stand in the face of it. Jabs can close the frame gap afterwards as well, just be wary of using df1 into df1 against characters with good magic 4’s like Lee, Kazumi or Julia. Otherwise go ham when it calls for it.
D41: This move is more complex than meets the eye. It comes out in 12 frames and ducks highs almost instantly, making it basically immune to jabs. It’s an insanely good move to regain priority. If the first hit counters it’s a natural combo leaving you at +6, otherwise if the 2nd is blocked it’s 0 frames in a point blank situation, which favors Nina. The big weakness is that this move does not jail on normal hit which makes it dangerous to abuse vs high level opponents, but it’s speed and high crush make this vital regardless of the level of your opponent. This move can be done from crouch as well, which is great when you are in forced crouch situations, since you will beat highs with the crush property and will beat most mids on speed, even at a slight frame disadvantage. On top of all this, if the 2nd hit lands on counter without the first, you get a guaranteed hit with 12 jabs. 2nd hit can be delayed and you can also ss1 transition (poor frame transition but visually confusing for noobs). Careful for hopkicks, low rankers tend to panic when they eat too many of these. You’ll want to start thinking of it as a primarily defensive move at higher level.
1+4: Apart from the use for wall setups this mid can hurt outside of combos. Useful against people ducking in anticipation of lows and highs, does good damage, pretty – on block but very + on hit and forces the opponent into crouch if it isn’t blocked. It’s a great call out to remind people not to duck all day, which can otherwise give her trouble. It also helps beat evasive moves like Ling’s AOP and catches step very well.
UF1+2: Your command throw, where you literally throw your opponent a good distance. Great for breaking down turtles that simply hold back. If they don’t tech as they fall, much like with giant swing, they take additional damage on top of the 30, for a total of 40 damage. If they hit the wall it is untechable for 45 damage, and has gargantuan throw range. One of the best command throws around. Comes out super fast too, so any situation like db3 or CH d41 into uf1+2 is uninterruptible without the use of crush moves or side steps. One thing to note is that if the wall is at an angle behind the opponent they will often slide past the wall with this grab rather than smacking it directly, despite the throw’s great range.
UF1: Long range, moderate damage combo starter, safe on block and jumps lows. However, it is pretty slow to come out, and if you are interrupted your opponent can get an ariel float combo against you. If its blocked you are at -5 frames, so you don’t have much followup opportunity aside from parry gambits (catches jabs) or sidestep. Leaves you crouched on recovery, see the combo list above for specific followups from this launcher.
D, DF4: Another ducking low, this will knock down and can effectively reset the situation. Possible to do from full crouch (just hit df4 when you are already crouched, no d input required), where it comes out even faster. Free ff3 follow up on hit for 38 damage. Very unsafe. Can think of it like a budget snake edge, but is much harder to react to since it’s a tiny bit faster, making it viable to use even at high level. It’s still risky on block and doesn’t yield half health on hit, though. On counter hit this gives a full combo. Some of her higher reward damage from a low, and an ideal move for comebacks (although it also gets extremely predictable in that situation). The trick to get this move to come out is to still hold the df as you hit the 4.
B34: A hit confirmable 2 hit string, highly delayable without dropping the natural combo. On hit it gives you a free ff1+2 or ff3 after the knockdown, and the 2nd hit on its own gives a combo on counterhit. If the wall prevents them from getting knocked away too far to the side, you can even get a d41 pickup at certain angles for a combo (although this is highly finicky). Both hits are safe, although the 2nd is a high so you’ll want to take advantage of the high degree of hit-confirmability to avoid doing the followup if the first hit is blocked. Of course at low levels this is unlikely to be punished either way. A chunky damage addition to her mid game, great for catching people ducking on offense.
DF4: Fastest mid at i12. Not great frames on block though at -4. Good to know, though not many Nina’s use this frequently.
D343: The initial low hit ducks highs pretty quickly. The first 2 hits jail on counter hit, and if the 2nd hit is not ducked it’s extremely difficult to step the 3rd (but if they can, they will often launch you for finishing the string). The last hit is never guaranteed but leaves at +2 on block, which gives you additional options like jabs or sidestep if your opponent retaliates, or something like df1 to check certain ws options. The third hit is very vulnerable to parries, however.
B1: Super risky, but sidesteps far to the left side to evade certain pressure options. Easy launch punish if it doesn’t work, and requires close range. Yields combo on normal hit, but better to use it defensively.
Obligatory scrub killers are:
F3: This 14 frame fast high high leaves you at +6 on block and is hard to react to. F3 into another F3 is the world’s biggest noob killer since f3 also counter hits for 80+ damage combos and is uninterruptible at +6. However, it doesn’t jail between hits and you will eat damage against people who are good enough to crouch in between. When blocked this lets you do almost anything you want afterwards, such as another f3, uf1+2, b4, D~DF4, db3, df1, df32, etc. Don’t over use this move, particularly against high level opponents or it will start to cost you more than it gives.
B222: Aside from using the first 2 hits as your primary i12 punisher, this string has a few aggressive applications. If the first hit lands on counter, you can do an impressive 48 damage (and a wall splat) assuming you don’t delay the third hit. You can mess around with the first 2 hits (which NC and do ok damage on their own), and since the move comes out so quickly it is unlikely the opponent will duck anything but the third hit on reaction. Delaying the third hit after the initial hits are blocked can still catch people out for a full combo if the opponent tries to mash attacks in retaliation. You can also SS cancel the third hit into something like ss1 to cover the opponent’s ducking options and mix up the string. The cancel transition may not be super good but overall the mixup options with this string are sort of there and can get a bit of milage against scrubs while throwing out a high damage CH string, which only gets dealier at the wall.
B4: This CH gives potentially 90+ damage combos, making it a devastating momentum shifter. Your turn is up if blocked at -7 frames though. You can try using it after f3 at low level for high effect but at higher levels its more difficult to land. On CH use uf21 or b1+4 to capitalize on the potential follow up. Feel free to use it at random when CH fishing, but beware that its not safe to whiff and kind of clunky in general.
DF34 into mixup with 3+4 or 4: Outside of punishment, this is only useful to throw out randomly against inexperienced players. The 2nd hit is a high, which gives an easy duck into launch for good players. Don’t even try this move randomly more than once against someone in orange ranks, you will eat so much shit for it. The low is low parryable if you blocked the first two, and the 3+4 can be jab interrupted for a float combo. The low is also unsafe on block. If your opponent doesn’t know any of this, you can win a round with just this move though. However, it is very valuable as a 14 frame punish, where the first 2 hits natural combo and you can’t parry the low or interrupt the mid. The low hit is -13 on block and the mid is safe at -6.
This move is also murder in the opponent’s back, where you can finish with the 3+4 ender and get a free ff1+2 for 2/3rds of a life bar. Useful against people who stay in back turned for too long with certain characters (guaranteed punish against Raven’s qcf4 on block).
Basic Wall Game:
If point blank is where she gets to use most of her move list, the wall is where she becomes a legitimately scary character. Her advanced tools such as SS1, poison mist, 1+4 wall combo ender, and her throw game are her best tools at the wall, but these will get their own section. Some other basic complementary wall moves include:
DB3: This is a flawed low that gets much better at the wall. Because it hits grounded it can double as guaranteed damage if they stay down, as well as a successful guess if they stand block on oki, both of which are common situations at the wall. The opponent is more likely to freeze at the wall, especially if you master SS1 pressure, letting this shine with greater damage and better frames than d2. The opponent is less likely to step or backdash out of it as well. The opponent is in forced crouch afterwards, which only makes it more oppressive. -13 on block as well as low parriable, however.
UF3: Jumps lows, hits mid, and wall splats. i14 and -10 on block, although difficult to react to quickly enough to punish. U and UB versions are less safe but UB3 is ok to start the round with since it renders you safe to most things and knocks out an opponent trying to attack you at the start of the round, while backing you up out of danger.
F1+2: Great for calling out the opponent’s movements and attack due to the armor, and the risk reward is elevated in your favor at the wall due to followup possibilities from this move on hit.
Anti Ground:
If opponent thinks they can get out of your pressure by staying grounded, you can
D3+4 – step on that bitch for 16 damage (move only comes out when opponent is grounded)
DB3 – kick that bitch for 13, stop them rolling on the ground to the sides
QCF2 – tell that bitch to stfu for 20 damage and flip them on their chest head towards you, making life even harder with potential f1+2’s, ff3 and db3’s for a wakeup breakfast near the wall if they don’t tech.
FF3 – crotch shot that bitch from practically any distance for 19 damage
FF1+2 – give that bitch a high five with both hands for 20-25 damage depending on whether you hold it or not and a potential wall bounce if they try a wake up kick.
Special Step and SS1 Pressure:
SS1, as well as her accompanying roll dash are intricate tools that will give you great wall pressure, as well as a plethora of frame traps and pressure transitions. I will go through it in order but all of this is works together. This gets very interesting once you understand how everything works.
Nina’s Stances/SS1 Overview:
Nina has a couple of unique and discrete stances she can access. Firstly, if you do a quarter circle forward (QCF), she has access to moves like qcf1, qcf2, qcf3, qcf423, and her qcf 1+2 / 3+4 throws. In season 3 you can even buffer her df,df1 grab as well. What the game doesn’t tell you, is that if you do do a qcf and release the forward input, you get a shortcut to her ‘while standing’ moves (the moves you get in the brief window as you recover to standing from crouch). This means you can do qcf, let go of forward (or hit a different input, like uf), and hit 1, to get her WS1 for instance. This is also useful for combos, as mentioned in the combo thread link.
She also has a qcb (quarter circle back) stance called hayashida step. This makes her duck highs and automatically block lows (if you aren’t attacking), and gain access to a few moves like qcb 4 and qcb 3+4 grab. What’s interesting about this stance is that you can cancel it with basically any move. You can cancel hayashida step with side step upwards, to allow a fast transition to other moves, since doing some moves out of qcb too quickly will get you ws moves. You also have access to moves with u, uf or ub without having to crouch cancel with step.
Where SS1 fits in:
Side stepping is done by tapping and releasing a single up or down input (holding will make you jump or crouch instead and double tap gets you a side walk) and hitting 1 to get a ss1. On its own, ss1 gives terrible frames, but you’ll notice if you hold forward or back afterwards, she’ll do a shift in that direction following the ss1. This is allowing her to access her qcf and qcb stances automatically with close to 10 frames of advantage. Yes, you can even do the WS move tricks by doing ss1~forward, releasing the f to get stuff like ws1. And yes, you can do the hayashida back cancel out of ss1 to access ws moves as well as cancel possibility into her whole movelist (which is a visually super-fast transition if you do it well).
It gets crazier though. There are moves which allow a side step transition for ss1’s to occur. They are 12, df12, and df32. There are also moves which can cancel the last hit into SS, they are uf434, b222, d41 and df31. All these transitions allow for an easy side step 1 transition, which in turn allows cancels, which in turn allows more moves which can potentially cancel into ss1.
If your opponent can’t react to uf434, it is by far the best transition since you will land the fast low hit that makes ss1 uninterruptible. Obviously at higher levels this move falls off due to the opponent’s reaction speed and ability to low parry. Your alternatives then really become manual ss1 and 12 ss1. Df32 ss gives an ok transition with neutral frame differential on block, which allows ss1 to beat some things, but not jabs or df1’s, and at high level this move will be ducked, rending it pretty moot (however you will use this transition in combos). Your opponent cannot react with much margin though, and even jabs can be snuffed if the retaliation is late or slow. This is added to the fact that you are sidestepping, which means more linear retaliations have a chance of whiffing. Also, SS4 beats jabs, which means you need a pretty immediate df1 to beat both options. The 12 jabs into SS give you a -1 frame difference on block, but because they are so much faster than df32 as a move, your opponent has less time to realize what you are going for, even though technically the transition is 1 frame worse. You can mix it up with single jab, single jab, pair of jabs SS and stuff like that to mask it further. Df12, b222 are obvious transitions with poor-ish frames, and d41 is fast move to transition with but with god awful frames (like -5). Last one really depends on whether your opponent is the type to freeze or retaliate if they get clipped by a low. Her transitions and frames to SS are much worse than the frames ss1 actually gives you post block. Therefore, do not hesitate to simply ss1 by sidestepping without a move transition, this works perfectly well and doesn’t require anything clever. You need to be close though, so this is a favorite at the wall. You can also do a qcf stance out of df32 or df12, although the frames are less than stellar on block.
If your opponent gets too good at breaking the move-based SS transitions with jabs, use other options out of side step. She has SS4, which ducks jabs and will make your opponent more hesitant, while providing a low CH combo starter, or + frames on normal hit. If you force the use of an i13 mid it’s more likely they will be a frame or two late vs 12 ss, and ss1 can beat them. At high level you’ll probably use manual side step 1’s without move transitions pretty frequently. One alternative is to do 12 or df12 into side step transition, and simply block out of the side step instead of doing a move, and only do something like SS1 if you notice the string landed on hit. You aren’t obligated to attack out of side step, you can safely block instead.
SS1 Special Conditions:
So what’s the catch? Aside from the quick thinking and crisp directional execution you need to do this, ss1 puts out a decent amount of push back on block. This means not every move connects conveniently on your opponent after a few moves, and most of the moves aside from uf434 that can side step transition don’t bring Nina very far forward. This means you have a more limited moveset against an opponent backing up and can’t loop a bunch of ss1 into their guard – you have to decide on a move mixup or two and you’re done unless you can incorporate range creatively. However, with the wall stopping your opponent from getting pushed back, the possibilities explode and you can throw a perpetual wall of pain that is tough to defend against, striking out with lows, mids and highs out of nowhere. Also, the only guaranteed followups from ss1 happen at the wall when you land a ss1 off axis from your opponent and chain into b~uf3 or f~qcf1.
SS1 Application:
On open ground, ss1 has a few applications. You can do ss1b~ss1 loops for a pseudo-keepout to intimidate opponents at range, or you can use it to mask certain attacks. For instance, you can do ss1f~3 from far to get a hidden qcf3 startup to approach the opponent. For this the ss1 doesn’t have to be in range of the opponent. Similarly, you can do ss1b~uf1 to get people to move in response to a perceived whiff, only to get clipped by her long range orbital. You also have ss1b~uf4 which can close the gap without committing to rest of the string. ss1f~1 for qcf1 always connects even with ss1’s pushback, but in turn the +1 on block is difficult to capitalize on because of the pushback the qcf1 creates. It does catch eager retaliations and is pretty impossible to interrupt, but qcf1 is a high so you can still duck it or beat it with a high crush. A ss1 canceled into side step leaves you with f2, db3 and d2 still in range, which is ok for pressing too.
At the wall, your goal is to apply pressure and get your opponent to potentially crumble defensively. With the decent frames and poke moves Nina can do, it’s easy to cage your opponent at the wall. Her wall carry is truly impressive, and if you end your wall combo with ivory cutter (1+4) you force them to get up at the peril of eating db3’s for staying down, and when they stand you can mix them up or start applying ss1. Qcf 1 out of ss1 is really good here, as is ws1 for an uninterruptible mid check from ss1 (1+2 extension is risky but gives you a wallsplat natural combo for high damage with 2, df12 f1+2). A risky frametrap you can use off qcf1’s frame advantage is 2, f1+2 which wallsplats on CH for substantial damage but is -14 on block and not a natural combo. Due to the i10 startup it’s hard to interrupt, however. You can also cancel ss1 into side step for db3 for + frames off a low or d2 to duck high retaliations out of your ss1 while simultaneously hitting low. Since you can do uf moves out of qcb, its very easy to do ss1b~uf1+2 at the wall, which is can’t be interrupted without ducking or high crushing (this grab does additional damage with the wall, making it also very ideal). You can also do ss1b~1+4 for a chain grab starter that is only ever in range with the wall preventing pushback. In return for the short range the initial grab is completely unbreakable. You can ditch the rest of the chain to prevent them breaking it and take a huge frame advantage from the first grab interaction (leaves you over +8 and forces opponent into ws retaliations). Your opponent will almost definitely hit buttons since they are either panicking or trying to break the rest of the string, so you can throw out df2 for something safe and uninterruptible while doing good damage. If your directional inputs are on point you can also do stuff like ss1~ss d,df4 for a masked floor wipe into ff3.
It’s worth noting you don’t have to use ss1’s all the time, you can shark at the wall with a few other tools. DF1+2 on its own or out of ss1 is safe and pushes nina away from the opponent even with a wall, letting you threaten with the armored f1+2 or whiff punish their retaliations, as well as reposition to keep your opponent’s back against the wall. You can even cover the gap created by this move with db2 for instance. The usual pokes like df1 or db3 work well at the wall, and don’t need to be connected with forward dashes to keep you in range, saving you precious transition time to keep up the frame pressure. Also worth noting is the wall orientation, certain things like the last hit of d343 are difficult to sidestep when the wall is in the way of the side step possibility, rendering it less vulnerable, and sharking with ws1 1+2 gives you a wall splat combo starter off the side splat into df32. Uf1+2’s wall splat chances are also heavily affected by angle of the wall.
Setting Up Evil Mist:
Evil mist is that purple breath attack Nina has. It has very interesting properties a lot of people don’t know about, so I’ll talk about what it does, how to incorporate it, and of course how to do it.
Evil mist is a high unblockable attack with a lingering hitbox, and a decent evasion window towards incoming highs. If it hits your opponent, it puts them in a stun, which allows DB3+4 or other launchers to hit. If they don’t break it by holding down, they get launched for a full combo off of that, and if they do break it, they still get hit by the DB3+4 for a bit of damage but no follow up. If you know for certain they will break the stun, you can hit them with qcf1, qcf1, f214, qcf423 sequence to still get a combo. Qcf1 will not start a combo if they don’t break it though, hence the quandary. If there is a wall at their backs and you manage to bump them with this move, your opponent recovers at a faster speed than on open ground, and will be able to block most options except 3F4 and f3, which both wall splat anyways if done immediately for the usual followups.
You’ll notice if you try and do the command for it as it’s shown in the move list, it’s bloody hard to get it to come out. Thankfully there is a shortcut method which is much easier. If you are in a quarter circle forward stance, such as ss1~f, df32~f, or rage drive~df, you can hit db, db, 2+3 to get it to come out of the forward shift. It has to be done pretty quickly but it’s a great setup if your opponent is frozen during ss1 cancel setups. For 2+3, I recommend binding that to L1 or something if you are on controller, you should bind R1 and R2 to 1+2 and 3+4 as well, this will make doing a lot of moves way easier (such as ws1, 1+2). Doesn’t matter which buttons you bind as long as you have access to them, otherwise you have to play claw style to hit tricky dual button inputs, or use a stick.
SS1 Dexterity Exercises:
Try these for fun in practice just to get an idea of what’s possible and build your transition speed, or make up your own. The possibilities are endless and nothing is full-proof (these are exercises, not necessarily great in-game setups), you get to be creative with this. They tend to work best when you anticipate several possibilities like the opponent blocking, ducking, hitting buttons, etc. else your offense won’t be very full proof. That being said you will often get players to freeze when ss1 setups go through.
From easiest to hardest:
SS1f~f3 to mask a qcf3 from range
SS1b~uf1+2 (only at the wall)
SS1b~uf1 at the wall, b1+3 to catch a retaliation if they block the uf1, or d41, 1+4 on hit for oki
D343, d41~d~ss1f~n1, 4 for ws14 ender
Qcf3, 12u~ss1b~uf434d~ss1f~ws1 1+2
12d, ss1b~u~df12f~1+2 (cancel the ss1b with step to access df12 into qcf 1+2 command grab)
Uf434~ss1b~u~d41d~ss1f~qcf1, df32f~db,db2+3 (evil mist of out of rolldash)
Df32u~ss1fn ~ws43, uf434~ss1b~qcb3+4 (only first part of chain), f3 as they try to break the rest of the
grab (only at the wall)
SS1b~u~fff1+2 (point blank)
You can cancel a side step into jabs instead of a SS1 if you hold forward as you step, so you can do: 12 side step right for a SS1b, cancel hayashida with up, hold forward and do 12 into side step right, repeat in a loop.
Incorporating Combos
Once again, check the combo thread for combos and execution details, link is at the top.
Wall Considerations:
The primary objective with Nina’s combos is not so much damage, but wall carry. Her damage was reduced from tag 2, but her + frames on SS1 improved, which makes her even better at the wall than she was before. Df12, df32, d23, d41, qcf1, qcf42, qcf423, ws1 1+2, df31, df34, b222, and of course rage drive all provide a decent wall link possibility before or after tailspin, but some are more finicky than others and are only available after shorter tailspins. Try to get a good idea of how damaging, how far, and how practical some of these can be. The less hits into tailspin, the more flexible your options will be and the combo will be easier, but you’ll do less damage and carry less far. Try out some possibilities on a small stage in practice, or long stage like violet systems to test the difference. The major ones typically used are qcf1, df32, df34, b222 and ws1 1+2 post spin.
If you need a really basic, low damage combo that is easy, and you want flexible wall links without too many hits going into tailspin, try df2, uf4, df1, d23, then pick enders from above for the wall, or fff1+2 for a damage ender. You can switch out the df2 launcher for b1+4, db3+4, or something else and the rest will still work. Once again, try the combo thread link once you get a feel for her to get better damage and consider your options. It’s important to be able to connect to the wall.
With the df32, 1+4 wall combo ender, you can execute a ton of wall pressure. If you land a combo, reach the wall and finish with this move, several things can happen. Firstly, if they don’t hold back, there is no means to get up in time to avoid a db3, since they are head towards you facing down. Basically staying down is a terrible idea because of db3. Get up kicks don’t solve the situation either, since they just get counterhit for a back towards you situation as they get up. If they do hold back, they will tech backwards and their back will be against the wall, right where you want them. Db3 is not a bad idea if they get up, since it is + on hit, relatively safe if blocked (-13), and if they crouch they open themselves up to wall splatting mids (df1+2, which is safe and puts you at an ideal distance if blocked, f1+2, which isn’t safe but has armor and damage, and held ff1+2 which is + infinity on block and wall bounces, as well as qcf2 for safe wall splat and good damage). If your opponent gets up you can also start your SS1 chains, your uf1+2 grab or qcf chain throws, evil mist setups (which are even harder to break with the wall against their backs), and + frames on block moves like d343 and f3.
If they are close to death, however, don’t miss the kill potential of df32, f1+2 for higher damage, or 2, df12 f1+2 for even more if you can land it.
Using Rage Drive:
Her rage drive functions as a long range wall splat extender, and it’s worth understanding the following aspect of wall splats to get the most out of it:
There are 2 sorts of direct, clean wall splats in tekken 7. If you do a combo, and manage to carry to the wall so they hit it with their back (not the side), your opponent will fall on their butt and slide on to their back, whether you hit them or not. The other kind is when you do a move like f1+2 outside of a combo, pushing an enemy directly into the wall. They will linger, and if you don’t hit them they will fall forward on their face. The latter lets you do stuff like backdash, qcf2 and flip them into a compromising orientation for free db3’s, or you can side step and start a combo off a float, and it gives more damage off a standard wall ender due to scaling. Also worth considering, is that when an opponent is splatted on the wall and their feet are touching the ground, you have 3 hits before they start to fall out of strings and hits at an accelerated rate, although there are ways to manipulate this.
Her rage drive (f2+3), which can be connected in any situation fff1+2 can connect, is a wall link move, and, if you reach the wall with this or after you’ve carried to the wall, this will give a wall re-splat which replicates many of the properties of the direct splat (latter one mentioned above), and will give you the ability to follow up with the typical df32, 1+4 follow up, or do fancy shenanigans.
Keep in mind, if you do a combo, and then use this move for the wall, and attempt to sidestep and push them onto another wall or extend the combo with a fancy situational carry, you still have the level of pushback for every hit you’d have on combo of this length (8+ hits), which means even a single jab on their side will send them flying far in the opposite direction. One thing you can do somewhat reliably, if the rage drive brought you at point blank for the wall splat, is her ss1b~df12 f1+2 follow up, which is typically reserved for when you land a direct splat like f1+2 into the wall.
Her rage drive does several things outside of combo as well. If a wall is nearby, it can ram a guarding opponent into the wall for 5 chip damage. Additionally, it jumps lows like an fff1+2, so if your opponent does a pesky low get up kick this will often go over it and hit them. If you hold down + forward afterwards (you don’t have the option of doing either df or f like after df32), you can enter a qcf stance with major + frames. To do qcf moves out of it, you have to hold df, then press and hold the f button to access the qcf moves. You are at least at +9 out of transitionless rage drive, and any option out of df is mostly uninterruptible. Keep in mind, you have the same problem as you have with fff1+2, in that if it’s blocked you are too far away to do anything consequential unless there is a wall (if you don’t do the follow up step). If there is a wall though, not doing the transition can open up other possibilities, it’s up to you. You can also do evil mist out of rage drive, if you hit df, then do the db, db 2+3 method.
If you are using it for comebacks, consider the following tactics:
Use it for the wall, as a carry after tailspin or after reaching the wall for extra damage on the wall conversion. Can also end a wall combo with 1+4, then do rage drive if they get up to get free chip damage (or half their life if they crouch or retaliate on get up thanks to the wall splat), and a follow ups at + frames. Keep in mind it does not hit grounded though, so confirm if they teched first. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to confirm if they did tech back. You can even wait a second before doing it to spook them into attacking after a pause.
Use it in the open to set up a chain grab, which can yield 30% to 45% life, or an evil mist setup (this is breakable stun though) for db3+4 and 2/3rds life combo. Requires doing the df transition for either.
Use it in the open as a bludgeon with the pushback and df transition to get their back to the wall and start frame traps. Even if they block it, if you do df transition and do the qcf 1 option you are at +1, or you can sneak a low with the qcf3 option which also leaves you at + on hit, or you can ignore the df transition if you already closed the gap thanks to the wall, and you can go straight for a raw ss1 transition into more frame traps (like qcf1), or hit them with f3, which basically lets you do anything again on block. D, df4 can also work, or d343 or anything you can think of.
A somewhat slow but powerful whiff punisher.
And as a hail mary instead of low parry, if you have a sliver of life left and are expecting the low kick, throw this out to jump it. Even if they didn’t attack you are back in the driver’s seat frame wise.
Use the rage art instead for a combo finisher if you are on an infinite stage or too far from the wall. Rage art will out damage rage drive if you don’t get any follow ups from the RD. Rage drive is much better for comebacks however, and is far more versatile. Rage art will get you killed if blocked or if you don’t have the health to tank a hit, rage drive will get you setups worth half a health bar and is far less risky. Rage art is a better whiff punisher however, and has incredible range in Nina’s case.
Grab Game
Nina has several command grabs and chain throws which require specific breaks. After king and jack she probably has the deadliest throw game, but it also entails a risk on some grabs. Refer to the grab flowchart at the top to see the possibilities and breaks. Keep in mind, you can complete chain grab inputs by mashing all 4 buttons (or 2 macros that cover all 4 buttons) to do the first variant in the move list of any chain grab. I use 1+2, and 3+4 on r1 and r2 to hit any 1 and 2, or 3 and 4 input respectively so I don’t have to go crazy with my thumb, it’s fast and consistent for those short window grabs.
Simple grabs:
All characters have basic throws, which are done with 1+3 or 2+4 inputs. You used to have to guess between the 2 grabs and break specifically with 1 or 2. In tekken 7, both these sorts of throws can be broken with either a 1 or 2 input, which reduces the chance of landing them. They also do a pretty generic 35 damage. Even these throws have value for Nina, however.
Her 1+3 throw leaves the opponent back turned with a very small window to hit them. You can hit them with d4 quite easily if try to get up, for 35 + 7 = 42 damage. More consequently, you can hit them with df34, and since that is a natural combo if the first hit hits, the 4 will also hit, for 35 + 34 = 69 damage (huehue). The window is small and if you try hitting the follow up early, you will mess up. You can even go for a b1+4 which will catch them if they get up for a full 60+ damage combo. Her 2+4 can be extended with 1+2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3+4 (or a bunch of 1+2’s and a 3+4, for an easy R1 x 6 into R2 if you use your macros that way). The follow up is unbreakable if the first part hits, for 42 damage. Keep in mind both of these generic throws can be broken with either 1 or 2, but if your opponent tries to break with 1+2 (which is necessary for some command grabs) then these become guaranteed. The grab animation is different (her hands are oriented differently) between her command and normal throws, which can que experienced players to break the specific throw, but this isn’t a concern till higher ranks. Also, remember that you can extend the range of the throw by holding forward before performing the grab, but this extends the window with which your opponent can spot and break the grab, and makes the grab itself a bit slower.
Command throws:
Command throws, unlike normal throws, require a more precise break, and are denoted with a slightly different grab animation your opponent may be able to spot (if they are experienced). If a command throw is performed from the side, you will instead perform the generic side throw, but with the required break of the command throw. These typically have variable range and break window opportunities.
Her classic command throw, uf1+2, requires a 1+2 break, and is one of her most effective throws. Like giant swing, there is a tech opportunity from your opponent that everybody misses for some reason. If they do tech, its 30 damage, if they don’t it’s 40, and if it hits the wall, they can’t tech and its 45. The range she will throw will surprise you, but if you are diagonally aligned with the wall it will often miss it. Can be easily used from crouch due to the uf input.
Her df1+3 has the range of a typical grab without forward being held (as well as the animation of a 1+3 grab), but unlike a regular grab, you specifically need to break this throw with 1. 2 and 1+2 won’t work. It does 37, and as far as I can tell you don’t get any follow up tech traps.
Her df2+4 is similar, you get 37 damage, but it requires a 2 break instead of 1, and gives the hand animation of a generic 2+4 throw. Mixing df2+4 and df1+3 with your command throws forces your opponent to rely on many more break methods, and can even fool experienced players into doing a lazy 1 throw break in the belief that you are doing a generic throw. Df2+4 also has difficult tech trap follow ups, if you attempt to buffer or mash she will take a step forward and miss the window for hits, but if you are precise you can get an ff3 for a hit whether they stand or stay down, giving 37 + 23 for 50, or you can hit them with an easier f1+2 if they stand for 24, but it will not hit grounded. If you mess up and either is guarded, you are at -14 for a free punish (although your opponent can definitely miss this window in the tech chaos + pushback).
Chain throws:
Chain throws are Nina’s highest damage throws, but offer many opportunities to break and can even give your opponent the chance to hit you in retaliation as they throw break, which damages Nina. Refer to the flow chart for options and risks, payoff and damage. These grabs can also be initiated by uf3+4 or fff3 off a close hit, or by reversing an attack (see below).
Another use for chain throws is to do the first part of qcf 1+2, or qcb 1+4, to get frame advantage without risking getting hit out of a break. The first grab of qcb 1+4 is actually unbreakable, which makes this a particularly good option for pressure. However, due to the crap range and additional backsway of qcb 1+4, this is almost exclusively possible with the opponent’s back to the wall with ss1~b tactics, but leaves your opponent crouched and at – a few frames with the wall behind him.
Depending on the opponent’s character and the particular grab, certain chain throws like qcf 1+2, 343, 1+2 can leave the opponent in a vulnerable state if they get up immediately. Anything which leaves the opponent with their head directly towards you or sideways with their chest down on the ground can let you hit the opponent with stuff. Keep in mind it can vary depending on opponent’s wake up option and character hitbox and some are naturally more finicky than others. You’ll want to avoid buffering because for some reason you can’t register inputs before the actual grab is over, so you have to time it very well. Finicky stuff will be marked with a *. Stuff that hits even if they stay down will be designated bold.
From qcf1+2:
Seoi gyaku: f1+2, ff3, 1+4, b1+4, db3+4*, uf21*
Neck crusher: d4 (difficult)
Leg stretch arm lock: db4, f1+2, 1+4, uf21, df34
From qcf3+4:
Commando arm lock: db3, ff3, f1+2, 1+4, df34, b1+4, db3+4*, uf21*
Double heel hold: d4, df34 (difficult), f1+2, 1+4 (recommended), b1+4 (risky)
From qcb1+4:
Twisted nightmare: db4, df12, 1+4, df34, uf21*
Neck crusher: df1
Leg stretch arm lock: db3, df12, 1+4, f1+2, df34, uf21
qcf1+2/qcb1+4 Falling arm break: db4, df1, 1+4, df34, b1+4
Keep in mind that 1+4 is safer than f1+2 for the same damage, and ff3 is also safer than f1+2 and hits grounded, but has tricker timing. Any diagonal input can be problematic, since you can’t buffer you will end up crouched if you mash in advance. This makes stuff like 1+4 ideal because camera orientation and directional input timing aren’t important, which makes it more mashable. Keep in mind risky moves can be punished if miss timed and blocked. If uf21 lands in the rear qcf1 can straighten the opponent for optimal combo follow ups.
Reversal tactics:
Nina has 2 reversals, b1+3 and b2+4. Both stop mids and highs. It’s an almost instant move with a really small window, so it’s best used when you are at – frames and you know your opponent will try to break the flow with something fast, like a jab. Stopping kicks lets you down them and punch them in the face and you can get an additional 24 damage off a well timed f1+2 as they stand up or hold back, since they are backwards, or you can try an easier d4 if they try to get up for less. You can also stop punches, which gives the first part of the qcf1+2 chain throw to follow up on. If you don’t want to risk taking damage then don’t do the follow up, and take a +4 frame advantage instead. The damage of the first hit of reversal scales with the damage of the opponent’s move – stopping a jab gets you 28 damage for instance, but stopping a deathfist from paul will net you 45, and stopping an 80 damage unblockable will net you 65. Her reversals can be chickened, however, but she isn’t as predictable with these as asuka for instance.
TL;DR: Need a Basic Strategy and Simple Plan
Basic level:
Build a range of moves to create pressure. Up close, use jabs and df1 to lock down. If you anticipate retaliations, side step and go back into df1 and jabs, or simply block. You can also subvert their high retaliation attempts with d2, which will leave you crouched, ws4 is an easy follow up from here to snuff your opponent, or you can stay crouched and do FC df4 for more damage. Whenever you land jab or df1, feel free to throw out uf1+2, it’s hard to break and does great damage near walls, and moves won’t interrupt it when performed after a jab or df1 on hit. Db3 leaves you standing and at speed advantage so you can keep jabbing or df1, but its range makes it more ideal at the wall. Learn fff1+2 to cover range and keepout options from your opponent. Learn a basic combo off df2. At this rank, you can cheese hard with f3, df34 4/3+4 mixup, d41 spam and uf434 since opponents won’t know how to beat it. D41 is a fantastic defensive move if you are overwhelmed, it comes out super fast and beats highs so don’t hesitate to spam it at this rank.
Don’t hesitate to use f1+2 if you want to unga bunga through the opponent’s priority and cover great distance. It’s a fantastic armor move and you’ll want to use at every rank, just not all the time.
Low rank tactics:
You’ll have to start completing your combos consistently at these ranks or you will be leaving tons of guaranteed damage on the table. Anything you learned for df2 can also be applied to Db3+4 and b1+4 for more damage and range, but these are launch punishable, so it’s worth learning specific combos for uf21 which is safer at -13 but still has great great range for whiff punishing, unlike df2. Start using wipe the floor (d, df4 or df4 from crouch) into ff3 on hit, this will do enough damage to take control of rounds and give you momentum. Start using side step to enhance your offense, such as after blocked df1. You have to balance her cheesier moves with solid stuff, f3, uf434 and d41 are great sometimes but they can start to be exploited by ducking, so don’t rely on it entirely to win you games or you will struggle later when you face strong opponents. That being said, this will still win you many rounds in green ranks so don’t avoid using them entirely. Start learning your wall options. This includes using ivory cutter as a wall ender (db3 if they stay down, db3 and qcf2 mixup if they get up), giving you offensive momentum from combos. Augment your ranged game with uf1 for combos, qcf3 for + frame approach on hit, and qcf1 for keepout and CH followups. Start looking up Nina players to get an idea of how to fight.
Getting past orange ranks:
Read the guide. Improve your combos, she has a lot of possibilities and optimization considerations, including ws1 carry. Start learning ss1 options, this will open up your options at the wall and provide increased offensive variety. D41 is a great move but it becomes dangerous to use unless you are banking getting a CH, so be careful of using it outside of defense. You will face people who can low parry and crouch at this rank, making f3 and uf434 riskier still. Instead, let movement, side steps and specific tools become your offense. D, df4 into ff3 is really good for opening up people but don’t neglect her unusual offense tools like poison mist (look up ss1 poison mist section), rage drive, chain grabs/command grabs and B4 setups, they can do work for you and make you less predictable. People start stepping a lot too so be sure to know not only your homing moves, but the tracking on more common moves to help lock down.
You need to start nailing punishes too. Don’t bank everything on blind offense, punish your opponent for using high strings with ws2 or ws1 1+2, punish every hopkick, punish their lows with WS moves, punish whiffs with uf21 or db3+4 and be sure to use your i14 punish df34, 3+4/4, on top of the guaranteed 34 damage you have a chance of landing the low mid mixup and a ff1+2/ff3 followup, this can do half a life bar on its own. Defense is as important as her offense, and this is aided with matchup knowledge so be sure to study the important moves of other characters.
Also, work on KBD. It’s hard because she’s backsway but it will help you force whiffs and control ranges a lot better.
Need help at tekken god prime rank cause my name is Only Practice:
At this point good KBD is absolutely vital.
Eliminate dangerous strings almost entirely from your game, d343, uf434, df34 mixup (outside of punish), and f3 are going to cost you dearly in the wrong situations. In the right situations, however, her niche tools can really shine and you aren’t purely left with otherwise low damage pokes.
CH b4, for instance, is great against certain kinds of approach options from your enemy and can snipe an ongoing string if you stepped the first hit, and will net you 3/4ths life. Df34 3+4 into ff1+2 is guaranteed in the back of your opponent, so if you side step at the right time to reach the rear/side you can get 2/3rds life with this. DB3+4 can snipe asuka out of b3 and any followup variant. Her rage art can snipe opponents from very far away and armor through stance mixups and 2d character projectiles, and her rage drive is extremely useful for comebacks. Nina is chalk full of situational knowledge stuff like this due to her huge move list and range of utility, and it can totally sway matchups and situations. This really defines the difference between a basic Nina and a Nina which can go toe to toe with high level players. General strategy will only get you so far, so it pays to study matchups and optimal situational stuff.
Also, developing your combo understanding with her can really help maximize damage. For instance, her ws1 combos are useful but not in the way most people think. You’ll typically do less damage going into the wall with ws1’s than if you can reach the wall with any other technique (which kind of sucks for the effort). The reason for this is because you need to get off axis, costing you valuable damage on the early combo damage scaling going for df32~ss1 instead of uf4, df1. Additionally, most optimal damage involve stacking a bunch of ws1’s into ws1 1+2 for a fff1+2 ender, where most of the damage comes from the fff1+2, which does not give wall follow ups. This means the tailspin from ws1 1+2 itself has to reach the wall. However, there are 2 times where implementing ws1 combos are useful. On open ground for maximum damage, and in the case of walled stages doing post tailspin ws1’s. Experiment to find better damage for short range carries, and check the combo section for ideas. Also, b222 can give you superior damage and better wall enders than qcf423, and df34 can do lots of damage as a wall carry if you have a short distance to go. Learning ws1’s from p2 side can really save you on infinite stages.
Study high level ninas like Nina Assassin, Only practice, Knee and others. There are many philosophies on how to use her and it pays off to witness different people play her.
Anti Strats:
In case you ever face a Nina, here are some anti strats.
Interrupt all her SS1 transitions out of blocked moves before the side step 1, not after the side step 1. If you missed your chance, just guard and wait for a throw break, you don’t want to eat shit for messing up. Use jabs or generic df1, something fast.
Duck the 2nd hit of df32 if you can, you don’t need to punish, its just to subvert the frame advantage, and make interrupting a ss1 out of it much easier, potentially punishing it. This string also leads to df34, for which you definitely want to duck the 2nd hit, potentially launch punishing it instead of facing a low mid mixup.
Duck the 2nd hit of df34, 4 or 3+4, don’t let this mixup win an entire round when you can launch them for even trying it more than once. Also, you can fuzzy guard the third hit (just hold db first then b when the 3+4 would land, so you guard both options without guessing). Also ws4 the low third hit if you blocked it.
Low parry or at least duck uf434 on reaction. This is hard to do but this move will make it impossible to win matches if you can’t deal with the ss1 transition (which is uninterruptible if the 2nd hit lands). This move is hell at low ranks. It’s a high low high, so it’s functionally a medium speed low if you notice the high as a precursor to the 2nd hit. There is no mixup for the 2nd hit so just low parry / guard and counter. On counter hit you eat the whole thing for 51 or the 2nd hit is guaranteed for the uninterruptible ss1. A lot of people will ss cancel it into ss4, which is + on hit and launchable on block (-15). Punish this hard.
If you get hit with evil mist, hold down to avoid a combo, even if the mist landed, this will help you stumble downwards out of anything more than a single follow up hit. The exception is the wall, where you have to hold down when you get hit immediately, and then immediately hold back to guard. She can also qcf1 you to combo if you held down, but this forces her to guess since qcf1 will not launch you if you didn’t hold down, and qcf1 does less damage than her mist combos on a standing opponent.
Back up, play the keepout game, and side step in anticipation of fff1+2 or uf434, she can’t do much to hurt you outside of close/medium range, and you can impede her ss1 transitions and move transitions by simply holding back and backing out of the danger zone. At long range her qcf3 will start to become visible because it takes time to reach you, this is highly punishable and low parryable, but since it gets her into range with + frames on hit off a low, you will start to see this in response to turtling.
Occasionally low parry in anticipation of d41 retaliation if they are overly reliant on it, duck the 2nd hit, this is difficult because if the low hits you your brain hesitates, but this doesn’t jail on hit so be ready to crouch and retaliate. Alternatively if they are side stepping out of the 2nd hit just interrupt them, you have forever to do so.
Her db3 leaves her at +3, don’t retaliate with anything other than jab or d1. Often safest to guard and wait in anticipation of another aggressive move.
Ducking up close is very safe vs Nina (as far as tekken goes). She can barely scratch you for briefly ducking and her fastest normal hit launcher, df2, doesn’t launch crouchers (except with counter). You need to be more careful at the wall though, her mids become more consequential when df1+2 and f1+2 have a wall to back it up. And while her launchers vs crouchers are otherwise unsafe (or in the case of uf1, super slow), you don’t want to sit there and eat a uf21 or db3+4 for no reason. Still, generic crouch jabs can get you out of a lot of pressure.
Learn to duck and launch the 2nd hit of ws1 1+2, its the easiest duck and launch you will ever see. The 2nd hit of ws1 4 is interruptible and while it looks like the final hit of d343 it does not leave her at + frames the same way, so feel free to retaliate from crouch with something like ws4. Crouch jab will kill the mix up, but try not to get hit by the 2nd hit of ws1, 4 since that will start a full combo.
Terminology Legend
U D F B, or u d f b = up, down, forward, back input respectively. Stuff like df or db means the diagonal inputs, down + forward, or down + back for instance.
1, 2, 3, 4 = square, triangle, X, circle = X, Y, A, B = left punch, right punch, left kick, right kick, respectively. If move is described as 123, it means 1, then 2, then 3, if there is a plus sign (+) in between, it implies you need to hit both of these at the same time (such as 1+2). If you are on controller it’s nice to bind multi button presses to the L and R buttons, such are 1+2 on R1 and 3+4 on L2, which facilitates inputs.
SS = Side step, SSR = side step right, SSL = side step left. ssr1b = side step 1 to the right, then hold back to qcb transition.
WS = while standing, this is a state where you are rising from crouch and have a window to do unique attacks. This is easiest to execute when you’ve been forced into a crouch by a move, or block a leg stopping low, since you can let go of directions afterward and hit an attack button during the recovery to automatically do a while standing move.
WR = while running, this can be done by double tapping forward from super far away range, and letting your character charge, or hitting forward 3 times to access the unique moves from running. The fff technique requires space to execute comfortably, so the further you are the easier it is to fff. If you are at point blank it’s still possible to do, but it becomes extremely demanding on input speed and becomes very difficult. Try this with Nina’s running 1+2 for instance. You’ll see it’s easier to do from afar and difficult to do the closer you get.
QCF = quarter circle forward. This means executing a quarter circle motion, which is down, down + forward, forward in sequence. Look at your d-pad or a joystick and imagine that you are doing a motion which covers a quadrant of the directions in a circular progression. You can basically roll your thumb in a direction like this to achieve the quarter circle input. It can be tricky at first, go into practice and turn on input history to see how you are hitting the directions.
QCB = quarter circle back. Same as the QCF but in the opposite direction, starting from down, to down + back, to back. A qcf on the player 1 position is the same as a qcb on the player 2 side.
S! = tailspin state caused by a move during aerial combos. Allows additional hits if you dash up afterwards
Frames = the game runs at 60 frames per second, so you can count frames as the smallest divisible unit of time, instead of seconds. It’s easier to say it takes e.g. 10 frames for a move to come out than .1289234 seconds. A 5 frame move is twice as fast as a 10 frame move for instance (relativizing made easy).
Apart from how long it takes for a move to come out after a button is pressed (called i frames, or i10 to say 10 frames of startup), there is recovery/follow through from each move, which can be slower or faster relative to the recovery of your opponent. If you recover faster following an interaction, you are at a speed advantage on the next attack if you both attack immediately. If you hit your opponent you are typically at + frames (or advantage), if they guard your move you are usually at – frames on the follow up (called disadvantage). Moves that break this rule and are + on block are very valuable but usually have long windup to compensate (although Nina has pretty fast ones like df32). Lows that give + frames on hit (like Nina’s db3 which leaves her +3) are super valuable as well, since you get to keep your turn even after subverting a standing guard.
If a move is sufficiently – on block, you can call it unsafe because you can’t even recover in time to guard fast moves. At -10 you can get jabbed, at -15 you can get launched without possibility of guard if your opponent capitalizes instantly. You can also be at a 0 frame difference, or neutral frames, which means neither has a speed advantage and you recover exactly at the same time. If your move misses entirely, there is no block or hit interaction and they have the duration of your entire move to attack you without you being able to guard. This is why it’s bad to whiff stuff.
Counter hit (CH) = if you hit your opponent as his attack is coming out, effectively interrupting him, this is called a counter hit. If you land a hit but they weren’t winding up an attack, you don’t get a counter hit. Certain moves on counter have special properties like starting guaranteed combo or turning a string into a natural combo (see below). + frames and CH’s in tandem are brutal if your opponent tries to interrupt you. A move in recovery does not grant CH, only before it hits. Hitting each other at the exact same time triggers CH properties as well.
Natural combo = if something is a natural combo, it means the follow up hit or hits is guaranteed if the first hit lands, otherwise an opponent can block later hits even if they were hit by the first part. Often abbreviated NC. Some strings can only garuantee to connect if the first was a counter, this is called a counter hit natural combo, sometimes abbreviated NCC. Nina’s B222 is a natural combo for the first 2 hits, but requires a counter hit on the initial hit for the third to be guaranteed, so we can say the third hit is a NCC.
Jail = if something jails on hit, it implies you can’t move or duck the remaining hits in the string if you got hit by the first hit. You can’t move just like in jail. If it jails on block, it’s means you can’t move or duck follow up on block. This is an important concept with Nina cause a lot of her stuff has phenomenal frames at the cost of not jailing. A natural combo always jails on hit.
Low Parry = hold down + forward to crouch and throw aside a low hit or a special mid (crouch jabs). You have a window of about a quarter second after you hit down + forward for it to activate, otherwise you look like an idiot and get hit by a low anyway cause you aren’t holding down + back to guard. This is commonly employed to snuff lows that are part of strings and you can’t interrupt, but can anticipate well in advance. Since there is high scaling on any follow up combo out of low parry, it’s sometimes better to guard a consequential low like bryan’s snake edge and punish it with a while standing launcher for more damage.
Tech trap = term for catching people out of a specific wake up situation such that a move becomes guaranteed if they recover a certain way. It’s a getup trap basically.
Crush = Avoid a hit region during a move (for instance, nina’s d2 ducks or “crushes” highs before the d2 attack actually lands). A crush is guaranteed to avoid a hit region during a certain window and overrides any intersection of attack hitbox. This is distinct from evasion or evasiveness, which is dependent on whether your character intersects with an incoming attack hitbox. For instance, Nina’s db2 doesn’t technically crush, but it can still evade highs and jabs in certain circumstances. Manually crouching works as a high crush. Another example is her running 1+2, which crushes lows at certain points in its animation.
Hit confirm = The ability to choose whether to finish a string or not on reaction, before actually committing to the final hit. That way you can avoid doing a potentially unsafe or duckable followup if you notice the initial hit was blocked. For instance, Nina’s b34 is delayable specifically for this purpose, and will still combo even if delayed significantly, allowing you to decide whether to do the 2nd hit based on whether the first part landed.