Table of Contents
Introduction
| Paul is a beast of a character with high risk, high reward moves, and a plethora of tools with which to scare opponents from pressing buttons. He has insane damage output, particularly at the wall, and is especially deadly with rage, where he is the only character capable of canceling his rage art to extend combo damage, and also one of a handful of characters that can wall splat from very far away with their rage drive (which, for Paul, happens to be an enhanced Deathfist). He has also been blessed with very welcome changes in Tekken 7 from previous games, such as a much better b+1,2 string (is now homing and has a much bigger hitbox despite still being a high), an easier to perform Demoman, and much more optimized combos thanks to tailspin. Surprisingly, he has only improved as the seasons have gone on, with season 3 in particular further bolstering his wall carry (or at least making it easier) and wall damage (across all characters, not just the big characters), while also giving him a legitimate backturn catch. Overall, Paul is an incredibly solid character with the power to turn any situation into a winning one. There is a reason why most players fear him; all he needs is one good Deathfist. |
| Pros: |
| +Excellent damage output overall, especially at the wall; possesses several launchers and mini-combo starters (most of which are safe), as well as good oki |
| +Best utility out of the rage mechanic in the game; cancellable rage art and Deathfist rage drive that wall splats from very far |
| +Incredible homing moves; possesses the fastest homing move in the game (b+1, i12); qcb+4 is + on block and both it and u/b+2 are CH launchers |
| +Incredible risk/reward ratio with mixups; safety and/or pushback on key moves can give many characters trouble finding openings and punishing him |
| +Plethora of good punishing tools, such as WS3,2 for lows, b+1,2 for free plus frames at i12, and even a short range launch at i14 with b+3 |
| +Execution rarely a factor; very consistent, simple combos whether in front, off-axis (in some cases more beneficial), or backturned, though some conversions need a fair bit of practice |
| Cons: |
| -Occasional trouble with moves that have pushback; standard launchers can whiff on some -15 or worse moves; pushback punishes (Deathfist, f,F+2:1) are unbufferable from block stun |
| -More prone against runaway strategies due to fewer safe approach options; tends to be weaker without walls |
| -Lows range from risky (staggering on block) to mediocre (either too slow or unrewarding on hit, though this changes with CH for some) |
Complete Moves Breakbdown
| Top Move | Good Move | Situational Move | Don’t Bother | Note: Moves somewhat ordered by speed/category (can be done standing, only while crouching, etc.) | |||
| Move | Properties | Active Frame | Advantage on Block | Advantage on Hit | Advantage on Counter-Hit | Damage | Thoughts |
| 1,2 | h, h | 10 | +1, -1 | +8, +6 | +8, +6 | 7,12 | Generic jab string, can start 10-hit combo but none of them (he has 3 of them) are very good; 1,2,3 is -14 on hit and block, only use as an i10 round ender |
| 1,4 | h,l | 10 | +1,-11 | +8,+1 | +8,+1 | 7,8 | Low after 1 to sometimes catch opponents off guard; combos on counter-hit only; very low damage; high crushes on frame 10 |
| 2,3 | h,h | 10 | 0,-12~-11 | +6, Knockdown (W!) | +6, Launch (crumple) | 10(12),21 | Non-jailing counter-hit string; generally not worth it unless you really feel that they will press buttons in disadvantage; only useful as a quick i10 punish on backturned opponents |
| 2,d+3 | h,l | 10 | 0,-12 | +6,-1 | +6,-1 | 10,11 | Higher damage but less rewarding version of 1,4 |
| f+2,3,1 | h,h,m | 12 | 0,-11~-10,-12 | +6,+5~+6, Knockdown (W!) | +6,+5~+6,+19 | 10,16,22 | Uh… This is a string; doesn’t jail but the last hit leaves the opponent at -19, actually allowing for a free Deathfist at the wall or a f,F+2:1 in open ground; can punish at 12 frames but generally not worth it as the next move is far better |
| b+1,2 | h (homing), h | 12-13 | -9~-8,-5~-4 | +2~+3, +8 (ballerina stun) | +2~+3, +8 (ballerina stun) | 12,21 | Your 12 frame punish; fastest homing move in the game; can hit very low to the ground for a high; can also tailspin in the air; no longer knocks down but instead gives +8 on hit, which enables 50/50s; now wall splats |
| d+1+2 | m | 12-13 | -16~-15 | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | 30 | Highly evasive move (makes most highs whiff), but very unsafe on block; use sparingly to escape pressure or slight disadvantage |
| 4_f+4 | h | 12 | -7 | +7 | Launch | 17 | Magic 4; very linear hitbox; on counter-hit leads to either simple but unreliable followups (b+1,2 or 3,2), or difficult but reliable followups (qcb+4, dash b+1,2); f+4 has added range, should almost always use this over regular 4 |
| d/f+1,b | m | 14 | +3 | +9 | +9 | 13 | Auto-transitions to backsway for access to those moves, which cannot be interrupted on hit, but can be jab interrupted on block (except for qcb+3 and qcb+1+2 against certain jabs; low jabs can be low crushed for reasons explained); can do almost any move out of this transition (including another d/f+1,b or even his 1,2 jab string by pressing f+1,2) except moves with back inputs (i.e. b+1) and the d/f+1+3 throw; can also sidestep up (direction depends on player side) and either block immediately or use moves that can’t be done out of backsway; use this to start pressure |
| d/f+1,1,2 | m,h,m | 14 | -2,-5~-4,-9~-8 | +4,+5~+6, Knockdown | +4,+8~+9, Knockdown | 13,9,22 | String off of one of Paul’s most flexible moves; not great due to 3rd hit not naturally connecting but can stop people from attempting to interrupt followups from backsway; 2nd hit on counter-hit allows 3rd hit to land; 3rd hit knocks down in open ground for a free Deathfist afterwards and also wall splats |
| d+1,(D) | m | 14-15 | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +3~+4s | 16 | Fairly versatile mid, though not to the same extent as d/f+1,b; hits very low to the ground, good against low profile stances vs Eddy and Ling; has decent tracking to his right, can also sometimes hit opponents stepping to his left; has 2 followup strings, and a stance transition to crouch with the same frame advantage; has extra advantage on counter-hit, allowing both followups to connect and also forces crouch by itself |
| d+1,2 | m,m | 14-15 | -9~-8,-17 (+20g if fully charged) | +2~+3, Knockdown (W!) | +3~+4s, Knockdown (W!) | 16,26 (39 if fully charged) | Mid followup from d+1; can be fully charged for +20g advantage on block and extra damage on hit, though this is very slow and can be jab interrupted on block regardless of charge; no longer has pushback, much riskier on block; only combos on counter-hit and if uncharged |
| d+1,4,2 | m,l,m | 14-15 | -9~-8,-31,-14 | +2~+3, -17, Knockdown (W!) | +3~+4s, Knockdown, Knockdown (W!) | 16,15,21 | Low followup from d+1; not interruptible on block, but the low staggers if blocked; full string does not connect naturally unless all hits are counter-hit or are done on a backturned opponent; usually a round-ender or a wall combo ender |
| b+3 | h | 14-15 | -6~-5 | Launch (crumple) | Launch (crumple) | 16 | 14 frame punish; short range but still allows Paul to launch more moves than most other characters; useful against generic parries since it is a knee; better to use before a rage art cancel combo than d/f+2 |
| d/f+2 | m | 15-16 | -8~-7 | Launch (+3~+4a on crouchers) | Launch | 13 | Generic d/f+2; evades some linear highs; can’t launch crouchers unless they are counter-hit; somewhat short reach, but extra active frame makes up for it |
| u/f+4 | m | 15-17 | -13~-11 | Launch | Launch | 13 | Generic hopkick; low crushes starting from frame 9; generally not used as d/f+2 is safer, but u/f+4 can be used as a hard callout to crouchers; delayed hopkick (u/f,n+4) is i23 and deals 25 damage as usual, try to use it to punish staggered lows |
| u/f+3,4 | m,m | 15-16 | -16~-15, -13~-12 | Launch, launch | Launch, launch | 14,20(14) | “Shredder kick”; also low crushes from frame 9, lasts slightly longer due to extra hit, but easier to react to and punish on block; extra hit also compromises some damage depending on stage position; u/f+3 by itself leads to less damage due to not launching as high and is also launch punishable |
| 3,2 | m,h | 15-16 | -7~-6,-3 (+4 if inputted backsway) | +4~+5,+7 (+14g if inputted backsway) | +4~+5,Launch | 14,17 | Mid-range mid; ok damage on hit; also hits very low to the ground, good against low profile stances; like b+1,2, does not jail on block and 2 recovers pretty slowly, so be wary on block or whiff; 2nd hit by itself can launch on counter-hit, use f,F+4 as a pickup; season 3 allows you to backsway out of this move, which has the primary purpose of making Paul’s combos much better with backsway 4 to screw; this opens up a lot of possibilities with Paul and increases his base damage in many ways, making some qcf+1s no longer necessary; on block, it is similar to d/f+1~b on block except Paul can CH anything that is i12 or slower, instead of trading with i12; on hit, this is an excellent backturn catch as 3,2~b+1+2 hits 90% of the cast and cancelling the backsway with an immediate d+1+2 is 100% guaranteed on everyone, even characters with frame 1 escapes |
| d+4,2:1+2 | l,m,m | 15 | -31,-18,-17~-16 | -17(Knockdown if clean hit),-9,Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown, -9, knockdown (W!) | 9(13 on clean hit),23(16),23(11) or 30(15) on just frame | The Demoman, Paul’s infamous power low; needs to clean hit or counter-hit to fully combo; severe pushback on last hit so usually difficult to punish; last hit can often only be stepped by Alisa, Chloe, and Lili; useful combo ender or wall combo ender; last two hits by themselves naturally combo into each other, though this is rare; slightly more damage in season 2, making it a more optimal combo ender when done after a post-screw qcf+1 |
| f,F+2 | m | 15-17 (effectively 16~18 at best due to the extra input) | -17~-15 | -7~-5 | -7~-5 | 14 | Long-range mid elbow; multiple followups, 2 of which can be cancelled by holding back; usually ill-advised to use by itself; can also be done while crouching as FC d/f+2 with the same options as below |
| f,F+2,1 | m,m (h if just frame) | 15-17 (effectively 16~18 at best due to the extra input) | -17~-15 (-21~-19 if cancelled),-12 (-4 if just frame) | -7~-5 (-11~-9 if cancelled), knockdown (W!, knocks down farther if just frame) | -7~-5 (-11~-9 if cancelled), knockdown (W!, knocks down farther if just frame) | 14,20(24) | Natural combo, also has a just frame which is relatively easy to perform; good damage on hit, better on just frame; punishes most moves that have pushback; just frame cannot be cancelled; both wall splat on hit; mix up between this, the cancelled version, and just frame version on block, as the cancel can allow you to close the gap while both the regular and just frame attack cannot be interrupted (but can be fuzzy guarded against) |
| f,F+2,2 | m,l | 15-17 (effectively 16~18 at best due to the extra input) | -17~-15 (-28~-26 if cancelled),-19~-17 | -7~-5 (-18~-16 if cancelled), launch | ‘-7~-5 (-18~-16 if cancelled), launch | 14,21 | Gimmicky launching low; very slow, most opponents at higher levels should be blocking or low parrying depending on character, as pushback prevents most characters from reliably punishing it on block; cancel is a tad slow, a few opponents can simply react to this move and hopkick regardless of cancel; use very sparingly |
| f,F+3,4 | m,m | 15-16 (effectively 16~17 at best due to the extra input) | -17~-16,-15~-14 | Launch, launch | Launch, launch | 17,15(10) | Dash version of u/f+3,4, so can also low crush from frame 9; launch punishable on block and slightly less damaging, but there are 3 possible followups that are high, mid, and low respectively; 4 is a high that is mildly safe (and can instant screw as of season 3) but loses to moves that are i11 or faster; d/f+4 is a mid that is -14 on block and loses to anything i13 or faster; d+4 is a low that high crushes but can be interrupted with a launch and is also launch punishable |
| d/f+3,4 | m,m | 16 | -9,-10~-9 | +2,+6~+7 (double-over stun with same advantage if fully charged) | +2, double-over stun with +6~+7 advantage regardless of charge | 14,17 | Mid-mid natural combo string; slower than average, but may catch people looking for 3,2 off-guard; jab punishable on block, but can be charged and made safer if fully charged; also forces double-over stun if charged or counter-hit |
| b+2,1 | m,m | 18 | -5s,-12(+8~+9s if fully charged) | +4s,0s(+8~+9s if fully charged) | +4s, Launch | 22,22(35 if fully charged) | Another mid-mid string; floor breaks in the air; 2nd hit can be charged to intentionally delay the string or fully charge it for more advantage and damage, but leaves opponent able to interrupt or sidestep up (first hit forces crouch and direction depends on player side); not natural combo unless 1st hit counter-hits and very little to no charge on 2nd hit; 2nd hit launches on counter-hit for big damage; can also be an alternative combo ender; if they do not backroll, the fully charged 1 will hit them grounded for potentially 12 more damage than a Deathfist ender; if they backroll, release it early so that they have a chance to act and potentially get counter-hit by the early 1; fully charged is vulnerable to i11 moves or faster, some characters can counter-hit launch with their magic 4s; on backturned opponents, uncharged 1 will hit them even if they backroll; uncharged 2nd hit no longer safe on block, and is 0s on hit |
| Opponent down, d+2 | l | 18 | -12 | +4 | +4 | 20 (usually 16 because they’re grounded) | Used when opponent is down sometimes; more useful at the wall if you end a combo with f+1+2 |
| d/f+4 | m | 19-20 | -1~0 | +9~+10 | Knockdown (W!) | 21 | Slow mid; at worst -1; can wall splat on counter-hit |
| d/b+2 | m | 19-20 | -11~-10 | Knockdown (W!) | Launch | 21 | Counter-hit fishing mid; evades some highs; -11 but pushback makes it safe against most characters; good pickup after qcb+1 or in general against players who stay down; flips them over more in season 2, not a huge change |
| SS3 | l | 19 (effectively 29 due to the required sidestep input) | -12 | +4 | +12 | 18 | One of his best lows; kinda slow so sometimes can be reacted to; on CH allows for b+1,2 or d+1+2 followup; use b+1,2 in open ground and d+1+2 at the wall for a wall splat |
| f+1+2 | m | 20-21 | +3~+4s | +8~+9s | Knockdown (W!) | 22 | Hammer of the gods; very good mid overall, locks down the opponent by forcing crouch; can start mixups on hit, adds pressure on block; knocks down and wall splats on counter-hit as a bonus |
| u/b+2 | m (homing) | 20-21 | -9~-8 | Knockdown (W!) | Launch (crumple) | 22 | Homing mid; knocks down on hit, launches on counter-hit; used to be able to set up side hit Deathfists, which are no longer possible in season 3 |
| b+4 | l | 20-21 | -13~-12 | +3~+4 | +3~+4 | 14 | More often than not, you do this move by accident when trying to do qcb+4; not terrible, but Paul has better lows |
| SS1 | h | 20 (effectively 30 due to the required sidestep input) | +8 | Knockdown (W!) | Launch (S! immediately on grounded hit) | 23 | Very good on block but highly telegraphed through sidestep; somewhat rewarding on counter-hit |
| f+1+4 | m | 21~23 | -14~-12 | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | 26 | Evasive SSL version of d+1+2; much bigger sidestep in season 2, can evade many more moves, including Leo’s b+1,4 and multiple moves even at other characters’ + frames, also gives you followup options, most notably with Deathfist; still launch punishable by some characters at -14 so be careful with this move; season 3 lets Paul recover 1 frame faster so it’s easier to mini-combo after |
| f,F+4 | m | 23-34 (effectively 24-35 due to the extra input) | -5~+6 | Launch | Launch | 20 | Very linear but safe launching mid; ends in crouch, so WS3 is practically necessary as a pickup right after; can potentially apply pressure at a distance; low crushes from frame 13; some combos used to end with this move due to a side hit Deathfist not having as much knockback, but this has since been removed as of season 3 |
| b+1+2 | h | 24 | 0 | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | 28 | Paul’s power crush; has armor from frames 8-23; slow for a power crush and also high, but 0 on block; opponents that jab your armor can often still duck under this move, so use sparingly |
| b,n,f+1 | h | 28-31 | -6~-3 | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | 22 | Paul’s backswing blow; can evade moves at times, but very slow; leaves opponents just close enough to hit them with a Deathfist for free afterwards |
| FC d/f+1+2 | l | 32-33 (requires more frames due to requiring full crouch) | -12~-11 | Launch | Launch | 20 | Extremely slow launching low; only -12 but most players will be able to block this or low parry it; season 3 gave this move the ability to cancel it with a b or d/b input; can be used somewhat sparingly as a feint approaching tool |
| u/f+2 | m | 34-35 | +9~+10 | Knockdown (WB!) | Knockdown (WB!) | 35 | Extremely slow mid; if they ever get hit by this move, they are knocked very far for a wallbounce in season 2; made faster and even more + on block, but is still mostly useless |
| b,b+1+2 | m! | 63-64 (effectively 64-65 due to the extra input) | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | Knockdown (W!) | 80 | Unblockable; extremely linear; can be cancelled with u,u for shenanigans; please don’t use this |
| WS1 | m | 10-11 | -4~-3 | +7~+8 | ‘+7~+8 | 12 | Generic WS1; fastest WS move Paul has at i10, though there are few lows that need to be punished with this move; also extremely short range and usually hits on frame 11 anyway |
| WS2 | m | 15-16 | -14~13 | Launch | Launch | 20 | A WS2 that starts backturn combos which aren’t ideal but are mostly irrelevant in infinite stages; in season 3, followups are much better thanks to 3,2 backsway existing, no longer has the issue of whiffing the backsway 4 on Gigas, Jack or Marduk; still advised to try and use u/f+4 or u/f+3,4 in the presence of walls |
| WS3,2 | m,h | 13-14 | -8~-7,-9~-8 | +3~+4, Knockdown (W!, S! in air) | +3~+4, Launch (crumple, S! in air) | 16,21 | i13 punish from crouch; is a knee; overall great damage, also has use in combos; 2nd hit by itself launches on counter-hit, though most opponents should be able to duck it if they block the 1st hit |
| WS4 | m | 11-12 (at best 13-14 from qcf roll dash) | -6~-5 | +5~+6 | +5~+6 | 18 | Generic WS4 at i11; if attempting to do qcf+4, you get this move instead; low risk, low reward mid |
| d/b+1_FC d+1 | sm | 10 | -5 | +6 | +6 | 5 | Generic low jab; high crushes at frame 4 if not FC |
| d+2_FC d+2 | sm | 11 | -4 | +7 | +7 | 8 | Other generic low jab; high crushes at frame 4 if not FC |
| d+3_FC d+3 | l | 16 | -17 | -3 | -3 | 12 | Generic high crushing low; high crushes at frame 4 if not FC |
| d/b+3 | l | 15-17 | -18~-16 | -4~-2 | -4~-2 | 12 | Slightly faster but more punishable version of d+3 |
| d/b+4_FC d+4 | l | 12 | -13 (-15 if FC) | -2 (-4 if FC) | -2 (-4 if FC) | 7 (10 if FC) | Generic fast low; high crushes at frame 4 if not FC |
| qcf | Stance | Lasts 18 frames, moves accessed from this stance require at least 2 extra frames to perform | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Paul’s roll dash; gains access to some of his main moves; stance by itself evades some (but not all) highs; can also access Demoman and all moves done with the up direction, as well as sidestep up (direction depends on player side); d,d/f motion is a true high crush and delayed forward input can either lead to a WS move or a roll dash move depending on your button timing |
| qcf+1 | h | 16-17 (effectively 18-19 at best due to being accessed from roll dash) | -4~-3 | Launch | Launch | 21 | One of Paul’s best launchers; is an elbow; evades some highs; very good combo filler at the beginning or end of combos; directly after most launchers, you can link up to three qcf+1s, though any following qcf+1s after the first one are 1-frame links |
Frame Data
| Command | Hit level | Damage | Start up frame | Block frame | Hit frame | Counter hit frame | Notes |
| in rage 1+2 | m | 55(10,45) | 20 pc8~17 | -22 | KND | KND | Rage art |
| in rage 1+2, b | m | 20 | 20 | -22 | TSU | TSU | Rage art |
| in rage qcf+1+2 | m | 40(60) | 12(14~) | +3(wl+9) | KND | KND | Rage drive |
| 1 | h | 7 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| 1, 2 | h, h | 7,12 | 10 | -1 | 6 | 6 | |
| 1, 2, 3 | h, h, m | 7,12,7 | 10 | -25~-24 | -14~-13 | -14~-13 | |
| 1, 4 | h, l (TC) | 7,8 | s cs10~ | -11 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | h | 10(12) | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2, 3 | h, h | 12,21 | 10 | -12~-11 | KND | CS | |
| 2, d+3 | h, l (TC) | 10,11 | 1 | -12 | -1 | -1 | |
| 3 | m | 14 | 15~16 | -7~-6 | +4~+5 | +4~+5 | |
| 3, 2 | m, h | 14,17 | 15~16 | -3 | 7 | KND | |
| 3, 2, b | m, h | 14,17 | 15~16 | +4 | +13g | KND | |
| 4 | h | 17 | 12 | -7 | 7 | Launch (JG?) | |
| f+2 | h | 10 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| f+2, 3 | h, h | 10,16 | 12 | -11~-10 | +5~+6 | +5~+6 | |
| f+2, 3, 1 | h, h, m | 10,16,22 | 12 | -12 | KND | 19 | |
| f+1+2 | m | 22 | 20~21 | +3~+4s | +8~+9s | KND | |
| f+1+4 | m | 26 | 21~23 | -14~-12 | KND | KND | |
| d/f+1 | m | 13 | 14 | -2 | 4 | 4 | |
| d/f+1, 1 | m, h | 13,9 | 14 | -5~-4 | +5~+6 | +8~+9 | |
| d/f+1, 1, 2 | m, h, m | 13,9,22 | 14 | -9~-8 | CS | CS | |
| d/f+1, b | m, (Special) | 13 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 9 | |
| d/f+2 | m | 13 | 15~16 | -8~-7 | Launch (JG?) (+3a) | Launch (JG?) | |
| d/f+3 | m | 14 | 16 | -9 | 2 | 2 | |
| d/f+3, 4 | m, m | 14,17 | 16 | -10~-9 | +6~+7 | FS (+6~+7) | |
| d/f+3, 4* | m, m | 14,25 | 16 | -6~-5 | FS (+6~+7) | FS (+6~+7) | |
| d/f+4 | m | 21 | 19~20 | -1~0 | +9~+10 | KND | |
| d+1 | m | 16 | 14~15 | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +3~+4s | |
| d+1, D | m | 16 | 14~15s | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +3~+4s | |
| d+1, 2 | m, m | 16,26 | 14~15 | -17 | KND | KND | |
| d+1, 2 (Hold) | m, m | 16,39 | 14~15 | +20g | KND | KND | |
| d+1, 4 | m, l | 16,15 | 14~15 | -31 | -17 | KND | |
| d+1, 4, 2 | m, l, m | 16,15,21 | 14~15 | -14 | KND | KND | |
| d+4 (Close) | l | 13 | 15 | -31 | KND | KND | |
| d+4 | l | 9 | 15 | -31 | -17 | KND | |
| d+4, 2 | l, m | 9,23 | 15 | -18 | -9 | -9 | |
| d+4:2:1+2 | l, m, m | 9,23,22 | 15 | -17~-16 | KND | KND | |
| d+4, 2:1+2 | l, m, m | 9,23,25 | 15 | -17~-16 | KND | KND | |
| d+1+2 | m? | 30 | 12~13 | -16~-15 | KND | KND | |
| d/b+2 | m? | 21 | 19~20 | -11~-10 | KND | Launch | |
| b+1 | h | 12 | 12~13 | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +2~+3 | Homing |
| b+1, 2 | h, h | 12,21 | 12~13 | -5~-4 | KND | KND | Tail spin |
| b+2 | m | 22 | 18 | -5s | +4s | +4s | |
| b+2, 1 | m, m | 22,22 | 18 | -12 | 0s | KND | |
| b+2, 1* | m, m | 22,35 | 18 | +8~+9s | +8~+9s | KND | |
| b+3 | h | 16 | 14~15 | -6~-5 | CS | CS | |
| b+4 | l | 14 | 20~21 | -13~-12 | +3~+4 | +3~+4 | |
| b+1+2 | h | 28 | 24 pc8~23 | 0 | KND | KND | Power crush |
| u/b+2 | m | 22 | 20~21 | -9~-8 | KND | CS 13~14 | Homing |
| u/f+2 | m (TJ) | 35 | 34~35a | +9~+10 | KND | KND | Wall Bounce |
| u/b+3 | m (TJ) | 12 | 15~16 js10~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u+3 | m (TJ) | 13 | 15~16 js9~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/f+3 | m (TJ) | 14 | 15~16 js9~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/b or u or u/f+3, 4 | m (TJ), m (TJ) | 14,20 | js1~ | -13~-12 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/f+4 | m (TJ) | 13 | 15~17 js9~ | -13~-11 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| f, F+2 | m | 14 | 15~17 (16~) | -17~-15 | -7~-5 | -7~-5 | |
| f, F+2, 1 | m, m | 14,20 | 15~17 (16~) | -12 | KND | KND | |
| f, F+2, 1, B (Cancel) | m, (Special) | 14 | 15~17 (16~) | -21~-19 | -11~-9 | -11~-9 | |
| f, F+2, 2 | m, l (TC) | 14,21 | cs15~ | -19~-17 | Launch | Launch | |
| f, F+2, 2, B (Cancel) | m, (Special) (TC) | 14 | 15~s | -28~-26 | -18~-16 | -18~-16 | |
| f, F+2:1 | m, h | 14,24 | 15~ | -4 | KMeD | KMeD | |
| f, F+3 | m (TJ) | 14 | 15~16a (16~) js9~ | -17~-16 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| f, F+3, 4 | m (TJ), m (TJ) | 14,15 | js1~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| f, F+3, 4, 4 | m (TJ), m (TJ), h | 14,15,25 | 1~ | -5~-3 | KND | KND | |
| f, F+3, 4, f or d/f+4 | m (TJ), m (TJ), m | 14,15,18 | 1~ | -14~-12 | KND | KND | |
| f, F+3, 4, d or d/b+4 | m (TJ), m (TJ), l (TC) | 14,15,15 | s cs20~ | -17~-16 | -6~-5 | -6~-5 | |
| f, F+4 | m (TJ) | 20 | 23~34as (27~) js13~ | -5~+6 | KND | KND | |
| b, f+1 | h | 22 | 28~31 (28~) | -6~-3 | KND | KND | |
| b, B+1+2 | ! | 80 | 63~64 (64~) | KND | KND | KND | |
| WS+2 | m | 20 | 16~17 | -14~-13 | Launch | Launch | |
| WS+3 | m | 16 | 13~14 | -8~-7 | +3~+4 | +3~+4 | |
| WS+3, 2 | m, h | 16,21 | 13~14 | -9~-8 | KND | CS | Tail spin |
| WS+4 | m | 18 | 11~12 | -6~-5 | +5~+6 | +5~+6 | |
| FC+d/f+2 | m | 14 | 14~16 | -17~-16 | -7~-6 | -7~-6 | |
| FC+d/f+1+2 | l (TC) | 20 | 32~33s cs1~ | -12~-11 | KND | KND | |
| D(Hundred and sixty frames) | (Special) | 32~33 1~ | |||||
| D(Hundred and sixty frames)n, u+3+4 (On the way up) | m (TJ), m | 48 | 13~18d js9~ | -49~-44 | Launch | Launch | |
| D(Hundred and sixty frames)n, u+3+4 (On the way down) | m (TJ), m | 48 | 46~56d js1~ | -21~-11 | -10~0s | -10~0s | |
| SS+1 | h | 23 | 20(30~) | 8 | KND | KND | |
| SS+3 | l | 18 | 19(29~) | -12 | 4 | 12 | |
| Opponent Down, d+2 | l(On grounded opponent) | 16 | 18 | -12 | 4 | 4 | |
| qcf | (Special) | 18 | |||||
| qcf+1 | h | 21 | 16~17 (18~) | -4~-3 | YKU | YKU | |
| qcf+2 (Close) | m | 60 | 13~14 (15~) | -17~-16 | KND | KND | |
| qcf+2 | m | 40 | 13~14 (15~) | -17~-16 | KND | KND | |
| qcf+3 | l (TC) | 17 | 18~19 (20~) cs6~ | -14~-13 | 0~+1 | KND | |
| qcf+3+4 | m (TJ) | 40 | 19~20a (21~) js18~ | -9~-8 | Launch | Launch | |
| qcf, or d, d/f, n | 19~20 (21~) 18~ | ||||||
| qcb | (Special) | 19~20 (21~) 18~ | |||||
| qcb+1 | m | 24 | 21~22 (23~) | 0~+1s | TUD | KND | |
| qcb+2 | m | 21(31) | 15(17~) | -8 | KND | KND | |
| qcb+3 | l (TC) | 14 | 18~19s (20~) cs1~ | -21~-20 | -9~-8 | KND | |
| qcb+3, 2 | l, m | 14,20 | 18~19 (20~) 1~ | -10~-9 | +6~+7 | +6~+7 | |
| qcb+3, 2, 1 | l, m, h | 14,20,25 | 18~19 (20~) 1~ | -10~-9 | KMeD | KMeD | |
| qcb+3, 2, 3 | l, m, m | 14,20,22 | 18~19 (20~) 1~ | -13s | KND | Launch | |
| qcb+4 | h | 28 | 15~16 (17~) | +3~+4 | KND | CS | Homing, Tail spin |
| qcb+1+2 | m? | 22 | 18~19 (20~) | -14~-13 | Launch | Launch | |
| Basic Moves | |||||||
| Command | Hit level | Damage | Start up frame | Block frame | Hit frame | Counter hit frame | Notes |
| 1 | h | 7 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| 2 | h | 10(12) | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| 3 | m | 14 | 15~16 | -7~-6 | +4~+5 | +4~+5 | |
| 4 | h | 17 | 12 | -7 | 7 | Launch (JG?) | |
| f+1 | h | 7 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| f+2 | h | 10 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| f+3 | h | 30 | 16 | -16 | KND | KND | |
| f+4 | h | 17 | 12 | -7 | 7 | Launch (JG?) | |
| d/f+1 | m | 13 | 14 | -2 | 4 | 4 | |
| d/f+2 | m | 13 | 15~16 | -8~-7 | Launch (JG?) (+3a) | Launch (JG?) | |
| d/f+3 | m | 14 | 16 | -9 | 2 | 2 | |
| d/f+4 | m | 21 | 19~20 | -1~0 | +9~+10 | KND | |
| d+1 | m | 16 | 14~15 | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +3~+4s | |
| d+2 | Sm (TC) | 8 | 11s cs4~ | -4 | 7 | 7 | |
| d+3 | l (TC) | 12 | 16s cs4~ | -17 | -3 | -3 | |
| d+4 (Close) | l | 13 | 15 | -31 | KND | KND | |
| d+4 | l | 9 | 15 | -31 | -17 | KND | |
| d/b+1 | Sm (TC) | 5 | 10s cs4~ | -5 | 6 | 6 | |
| d/b+2 | m? | 21 | 19~20 | -11~-10 | KND | Launch | |
| d/b+3 | l (TC) | 12 | 15~17s cs5~ | -18~-16 | -4~-2 | -4~-2 | |
| d/b+4 | l (TC) | 7 | 12s cs4~ | -13 | -2 | -2 | |
| b+1 | h | 12 | 12~13 | -9~-8 | +2~+3 | +2~+3 | Homing |
| b+2 | m | 22 | 18 | -5s | +4s | +4s | |
| b+3 | h | 16 | 14~15 | -6~-5 | CS | CS | |
| b+4 | l | 14 | 20~21 | -13~-12 | +3~+4 | +3~+4 | |
| u/b or u or u/f+1 | m (TJ) | 12 | 18 js9~ | -8 | 3 | 3 | |
| u/b+2 | m | 22 | 20~21 | -9~-8 | KND | CS 13~14 | Homing |
| u+2 | h | 22 | 15~16 | -12~-11 | +9~10g | +9~10g | |
| u/f+2 | m (TJ) | 35 | 39~40a | +8~+9 | KND | KND | |
| u/b+3 | m (TJ) | 12 | 15~16 js10~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u+3 | m (TJ) | 13 | 15~16 js9~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/f+3 | m (TJ) | 14 | 15~16 js9~ | -16~-15 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/b+4 | m (TJ) | 14 | 15~17 js9~ | -19~-17 | -8~-6 | -8~-6 | |
| u+4 | m (TJ) | 20 | 15~17 js9~ | -13~-11 | KND | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/f+4 | m (TJ) | 13 | 15~17 js9~ | -13~-11 | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| u/f, n+4 | m (TJ) | 25 | 23(29,35) | -11(-13) | Launch (JG?) | Launch (JG?) | |
| WS+1 | m | 12 | 10~11 | -4~-3 | +7~+8 | +7~+8 | |
| WS+2 | m | 20 | 16~17 | -14~-13 | Launch | Launch | |
| WS+3 | m | 16 | 13~14 | -8~-7 | +3~+4 | +3~+4 | |
| WS+4 | m | 18 | 11~12 | -6~-5 | +5~+6 | +5~+6 | |
| FC+1 | Sm (TC) | 5 | 10s cs1~ | -5 | 6 | 6 | |
| FC+d/b or d+2 | Sm (TC) | 8 | 11s cs1~ | -4 | 7 | 7 | |
| FC+3 | l (TC) | 12 | 16s cs1~ | -17 | -3 | -3 | |
| FC+4 | l (TC) | 10 | 12s cs1~ | -15 | -4 | -4 | |
| SS+1 | h | 23 | 20(30~) | 8 | KND | KND | |
| SS+2 | h | 10(12) | 10(11~) | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| SS+3 | l | 18 | 19(29~) | -12 | 4 | 12 | |
| SS+4 | h | 17 | 12(13~) | -7 | 7 | Launch (JG?) | |
| SS+1+2 | h | 7 | 10(11~) | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| SS+3+4 | m | 18 | 15~16 (16~) | -7~-6 | +4~+5 | +4~+5 | |
| BT 1 or 2 | h | 15 | 8 | -8 | 3 | 3 | |
| BT 3 or 4 | h | 25 | 10 | -8 | KND | KND | |
| BT d+1 or 2 | Sm | 10 | 10s cs1~ | -2 | 9 | 9 | |
| BT d+3 or 4 | l | 12 | 10s cs1~ | -11 | 3 | 3 |
Punishes
| Standing | Crouching | Character Specific |
| i10: 1,2_1,2,3 | i10: WS1 | Asuka b+3 (backflip) (-19~-18 w/ retreating animation); f,F+2:1 or Deathfist (be ready to chicken if you miss timing) |
| i12: b+1,2_d+1+2 (d+1+2 for wall splat) | i11: WS4 | Bryan f,F+4 (homing Mach Kick) (-10~-7s); FC d+1 (won’t work if it was meaty) |
| i14: b+3 (only up close) | i13: WS3,2 | Devil Jin Rage Drive (-14 with weird “crouching” animation); b+3 or b+1,2 (thankfully Paul’s highs don’t care about his lowered hurtbox) |
| i15: d/f+2_u/f+4_u/f+3,4_Deathfist (Deathfist for pushback or close to wall, usually shallow hit) | i15: u/f+4_u/f+3,4 | Dragunov WS1+2 (shoulder) (-14~-13 w/ mild pushback); b+3 or b+1,2 (for far ranges) |
| i16: f,F+2:1 (pushback only) | i16: WS2 | Dragunov qcf+2 (-14~-13); b+3 or b+1,2; pretty rarely will it hit meaty, but I thought I’d make mention that it can |
| i18: qcf+1 (hard) | i23: u/f,n+4 | Dragunov 1+2 (-14~-13, power crush); b+3 or b+1,2; pretty rarely will it hit meaty, but I thought I’d make mention that it can |
| i20: qcb+1+2 (hard) | Eddy WS1,3 or b+3,3 (-14 in RLX); Try to do a WS4 from roll dash. It will either hit him for 14 damage or float him | |
| i23: u/f,n+4 | Heihachi f,F+2 (evasive slow launching uppercut) (-16~-15 w/ moderate pushback); Deathfist (hard, whiffs at max range) or f,F+2:1 (very hard, impossible when meaty) | |
| Jack-7 Rage Art (-32 w/ retreating animation); f,F+4 or Deathfist | ||
| Jack-7 b+1,2 (-14~-13, forces crouch); FC d/f+2:1 or WS3,2 (preferred for consistency) | ||
| Jack-7 1+2 (-13~12, now a mid-mid string); b+1,2 | ||
| Josie d+4 (the 2nd most annoying low poke after Jack’s d/b+1) (-10); FC d+1 | ||
| King d+1+2 (evasive slow launcher) (-24 w/ mild pushback); Deathfist or qcf+1 (somewhat hard) or qcb+1+2 (hard) | ||
| Law f,F+3_DSS f+3 (power crush) (-17~-14 w/ mild pushback); b+1,2 or d/f+2 (inconsistent) or Deathfist (somewhat hard, impossible at meaty frames) | ||
| Law WS2 (-18~-17 w/ mild pushback); b+1,2 (only if you’re not confident in other punishes) or Deathfist or qcf+1 (very hard, impossible on meaty frame) | ||
| Law Slide Kick (-27~-23, grounded); WS3 (do WS3, 3,2~b+4 S!) | ||
| Lili f,F+2 (Power Crush) (-17); b+3 or d/f+2 or u/f+4 or Deathfist (somewhat hard, should only do at wall) | ||
| Master Raven d/f+2 (-11~-9, ends in backturn); b+1+4 (yields 50 damage as a backturn throw; won’t work if the d/f+2 somehow hits meaty; has followups so may be better to wait for them instead; high is duckable but hard to launch, the mid is -15~-14 with mild pushback, easier to b+1,2) | ||
| Master Raven qcf+4 (-14~-13, ends in backturn); d+1,4,2 | ||
| Master Raven 2,4 (-12~-10); b+1,2 or 1,2; now punishable in season 3; pretty rarely will it hit meaty, but I thought I’d make mention that it can | ||
| Master Raven f+3,2 (-14); b+3 | ||
| Master Raven f+1+2 (-14~-12, power crush); b+3 or b+1,2 (only for far ranges) | ||
| Master Raven WS1 (-14~-13); b+3 or b+1,2; pretty rarely will it hit meaty, but I thought I’d make mention that it can | ||
| Mishimas’ 1,1,2 (-17); b+3 or d/f+2 or u/f+4 or Deathfist (somewhat hard, should only do at wall) | ||
| Paul Deathfist (-17~-16 with moderate pushback); Deathfist (only up close) or f,F+2:1 (whiffs somewhere near max range) | ||
| Paul Demoman (-17~-16 with huge pushback); Deathfist or f,F+2:1 (whiffs somewhere near max range, will usually only happen if you only block the 3rd hit, otherwise it’s very consistent) | ||
| Xiaoyu California Roll (backturn launcher that rolls towards you; -11~-10 on backturn): b+1+4 (yields 50 damage as a backturn throw; sometimes won’t work if the Cali Roll hits meaty) or d+1+2 (she cannot block or parry this in time) |
Combos
| 6 hit combos (Center of Mishima Dojo) | 7 hit combos (Center of Mishima Building, First Room of Howard Estate, Jungle Outpost, and Twilight Conflict, most other stages if you are slightly off the center of the stage and closer) | 8 hit combos (Stages that are generally 24 units wide and above; these are the combos you will be mostly doing, so this is the longest list by far) | 9 hit combos (Only for extreme wall carry, i.e. 2 dashes from the center of Last Day On Earth) | CH SS+1 Combos | CH qcf+3 combos (always ends in backturn) |
| After d/f+2, u/f+4, u/f,n+4, u/f+(3),4, b+3, qcf+1, qcb+1+2, CH qcb+1, CH qcb+4, CH u/b+2, CH WS(3),2, CH (2),3, CH b+(2),1: | After d/f+2, u/f+4, u/f,n+4, u/f+(3),4, b+3, qcf+1, qcb+1+2, CH qcb+1, CH qcb+4, CH u/b+2, CH qcb+(3,2),3, CH WS(3),2, CH (2),3, WS2, f,F+(2),2, CH b+(2),1: | After d/f+2, u/f+4, u/f,n+4, u/f+(3),4, b+3, qcf+1, qcb+1+2, CH qcb+1, CH qcb+4, CH u/b+2, CH qcb+(3,2),3, CH WS(3),2, CH (2),3, CH b+(2),1: | After d/f+2, u/f+4, u/f,n+4, u/f+(3),4, b+3, qcf+1, qcb+1+2, CH qcb+1, CH qcb+4, CH u/b+2, CH qcb+(3,2),3, CH WS(3),2, CH (2),3, f,F+(2),2, CH b+(2),1: | qcf+1, (up to 3 jabs, with a dash inbetween each one), dash Demoman | Demoman (usually whiffs on Gigas, Jack, and Marduk, or any character when off axis) |
| b+1,2 S! dash Demoman (no real reason to use this in season 3, it’s wholly inferior to all other screw options) | 3,2~b+4 S! dash qcb+3,2,1 (should only be done after WS2 for consistency; they end up backturned so no wall combos after) | 3,2~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman (mixes new stuff with legacy stuff, generally only used if you don’t have the muscle memory down yet or you want to be able to adjust the combo mid-way through instead of at the very beginning) | 3,2, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman | qcf+1, qcf+1, dash Demoman (2nd qcf+1 is a one-frame link) | b+1,2 S! dash qcb+3,2,1 (guaranteed on Bears, otherwise only works when off axis to the left; most CH situations will lead to this situation, but it’s hard to look for otherwise) |
| d/f+1~b+4 S! dash Demoman | 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (if after WS2, they end up backturned so no wall combos after) | b+3, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman | qcf+1, f+2, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (more lenient on axis, microdash before 3,2 might be necessary; hard after CH qcb+(3,2),3, and impossible after b+3) | iWS3,2 S! dash qcb+3,2,1 (2 frame link, but will always land if you have the execution; it takes 6 frames to go into crouching state regardless if you are holding down or doing d,d/f roll dash, and you have 20 frames of advantage to hit them with, but WS3 has i13 startup, so you have to hit them on frame 19 or 20) | |
| d/f+1~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, 1, f,F+2:1 (legacy combo, impossible on b+3 and u/f+3) | f+4, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (I personally prefer this over b+3, as it has less room for error when off-axis, though both are not as consistent in this regard as qcf+1) | qcf+1, f+4, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (more lenient on axis, microdash before 3,2 is necessary; hard after CH qcb+(3,2),3, and impossible after b+3; a little less consistent than using f+2 on SSL axis and is harder in general, but it yields 3 more damage and is just 2 damage shy from being max damage without it being a just frame) | 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (Bears only) | ||
| After f,F+4 and qcb+3 (only when up close): | qcf+1, d/f+1~b+4 S! dash Demoman (legacy combo, hard to do after a prior qcf+1 and CH qcb+(3,2),3, and impossible on b+3 and u/f+3) | qcf+1, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (better damage, but hard to do after a prior qcf+1 and CH qcb+(3,2),3; ultimately more consistent as it almost always works off-axis) | qcf+1, iWS3, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (more lenient on axis; hard after CH qcb+(3,2),3, and impossible after b+3; a little more consistent than using f+4, but iWS input must be done properly, also yields 3 more damage and is just 2 damage shy from being max damage without it being a just frame) | ||
| WS3,2 S! dash Demoman | qcf+1, d/f+1~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman (legacy combo, hard to do after a prior qcf+1 and CH qcb+(3,2),3; ultimately more consistent as it almost always works off-axis) | qcf+1, qcf+1, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (max damage, but only usable on SSR axis most of the time, hard after CH qcb+(3,2),3, and impossible after b+3; this is a one-frame link, so only use for style) | |||
| After u/f+3,4 and f,F+3,4: | qcf+1, qcf+1, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (max damage, but 2nd qcf+1 is a one-frame link, so only use for style) | qcf+1, qcf+1, qcf+1, b+1,2 S! dash Demoman (legacy combo, more lenient on axis, hard after CH qcb+(3,2),3, impossible after b+3; multiple one-frame links, so only use for style) | |||
| After qcf+3+4: | b+1,2 S! dash Demoman | ||||
| dash b+1,2 S! qcf+1, dash Demoman | d/f+1~b+4 S! dash Demoman (d/f+1 usually whiffs off-axis) | After b+3: | After f,F+3: | ||
| qcb+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman | iWS3, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman | 2, f+2, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman | |||
| After f,F+4 and CH qcb+3 (only when up close): | |||||
| After CH 4 and CH f+4: | WS3,2 S! dash qcf+1, 1, f,F+2:1 | After u/f+3,4 and f,F+3,4: | After f,F+4 and CH qcb+3 (only when up close): | ||
| walk forward b+1,2 S! dash Demoman | WS3,2 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman | 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (can whiff off-axis) | WS3, 3,2, b+1,2 S! dash Demoman (legacy combo, not recommended) | ||
| d/f+1~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman (d/f+1 usually whiffs off-axis) | |||||
| After f,F+3: | After CH (3),2, FC d/f+1+2, CH qcb+4: | ||||
| 2, d/f+1~b+4 S! dash Demoman | After f,F+3: | f,F+4, WS3, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman (if done after 3,2~b, the mandatory sidestep to cancel the backsway makes this combo very inconsistent on 1P side and easier on 2P side; CH qcb+4 requires that you do f,F+4 as soon as possible so the opponent doesn’t flip over and make the screw whiff) | |||
| 2, 3,2~b+4 S! dash Demoman | |||||
| After CH (3),2, FC d/f+1+2: | 2, d/f+1~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman (legacy combo, not recommended) | After qcf+3+4: | |||
| f,F+4, WS3,2 S! dash Demoman | 2, qcf+1, d/f+1~b+4 S! dash qcf+1, dash Demoman (legacy combo, not recommended) | f+4, dash 3,2, b+1,2 S! dash Demoman |
Walls, Wall Break, Floor Break
| Wall Splat (these also break walls and balconies; using tailspin moves to break walls or balconies uses up your tailspin, do not waste it; if you launch them with d/f+2 right next to the wall, hit them with d/f+4 immediately before starting the wall combo; else, go straight into the wall combo) | Wall Combos (varies; will be ordered based on damage potential; if you don’t know, low wall hits do more damage, as if they were hit off a hard wall splat; for Deathfist, works best on Bob, Bryan, Dragunov, Eddy, Feng, Geese, Gigas, Jack, King, Kuma/Panda, Marduk, Master Raven, Miguel, Negan, Paul, Shaheen, Steve; genreal rule of thumb is, if they’re as tall as Paul or taller, they can be hit like this. For resplat combos, Bears cannot be resplat at all so do note that) | Rage Art Cancel Wall Combos (hard wallsplat only) | Floor Breaks: Do them after tailspin or the beginning of wall combos; either Deathfist after floor break, or do b+2,1 fully charged; they must back roll or stand straight up and block while you are at +8; any other option either leads to a guaranteed hit or a counter-hit | Wall Bounce (only possible if you somehow land an u/f+2) |
| Deathfist | 1,2, d+1+2 (only after extended # of wall hits) | RA cancel, Deathfist (easy) | qcb+1_d/f+1,b~1 (d/f+1,b~1 preferred) | From far away: Deathfist, wall combo of your choice |
| qcb+2 | d+1,4,2 (consistent, but the damage is pretty pitiful, especially for season 3) | RA cancel, u/f+3,4, Deathfist (time it well so you have enough time to Deathfist) | b+2 (recommended for longer combos) | From up close: 2,3 or 4 (only necessary for Bears since they’re too big), wall combo of your choice |
| qcb+4 | qcb+3,2,3 (hard to use after most combos, but gets the flip ov | RA cancel, u/f+3,4, 1, Deathfist (setup for low wall hit with characters mentioned earlier) | f+1+2 (recommended at the wall) | |
| f,F+2,1_f,F+2:1 | 1,2, delayed d+1+2 | RA cancel, u/f+3,4, d/f+1, 1, Deathfist (Gigas, Jack, Kuma, and Panda exclusive) | d/f+1+2 (immediately floor breaks; you can start a full combo here; easier to do the simple combos from d/f+2) | |
| WS3,2 | Demoman (use this for the wall splat throws or launchers if you’re breaking a wall or balcony) | RA cancel, u/f+3,4, d/f+1, 2, Deathfist (Gigas, Kuma, and Panda exclusive) | d+1 (not really recommended since all other floor breaks deal more damage, but it’s there) | |
| d+1,2 (regardless of charge) | 3,2~b+1+2 (only on most male characters; flips the opponent over for decent oki) | RA cancel, SSL Deathfist, d/f+1, 2, Deathfist (Gigas, Kuma, and Panda exclusive; DEATH COMBO if started with Deathfist wall splat and Paul’s health is very low; easy to mess up RA cancel as it can potentially land grounded if mistimed; 2 jab can be substituted with 1 so it can hit Jack, but it doesn’t kill unless you yourself have less than 30 or so health) | qcb+3,2,3 (should be used when you reach the wall, but followups become pretty limited) | |
| d+1+2 | 3,2, d+1+2 (usually switches sides; doesn’t work on females) | RA cancel, SSL Deathfist, 3,2~b, SS cancel Deathfist (Gigas, Jack, Kuma, Marduk, and Panda exclusive; save as above but should be able to hit all of them) | ||
| d/b+2 (regular hit only) | 3,2~b+2 (most consistent damage dealer for season 3, does the same damage as doing the shoulder, but without the side switching and it hits everyone; Bears side switch but there are better combos for them anyway. Highly, highly recommended) | (Text box about Rage Drive because I didn’t want to make a huge cell for it) | ||
| u/b+2 (regular hit only) | Deathfist (deals less damage after wall carry than 3,2~b+2 UNLESS it hits low to the ground) | |||
| CH u/b+2, d+1+2 | 1, Deathfist (hard wall splat only, works on aforementioned characters; doable, but not recommended for anyone else) | |||
| CH SS3, d+1+2 | d/f+1, 1, Deathfist (Gigas, Jack, Kuma, Marduk, and Panda exclusive; surprisingly consistent, though at times you might not have enough time to land the initial d/f+1) | |||
| d/f+1+3:qcf+2 (options limited) | d/f+1, 2, Deathfist (Gigas, Kuma, and Panda exclusive; as above, but is somewhat harder to time; works on Jack but only when you are off-axis to their right) | |||
| f,F+1+2 | 3,2~b, SS cancel Deathfist (Gigas, Jack, Kuma, Marduk, and Panda exclusive; difficult but is the most damage as of season 3) | |||
| CH f+1+2 | backdash qcf+1 into a wall combo of your choice (most consistent resplat) | |||
| CH d/f+4 | backdash u+3,4 into a wall combo of your choice (seems to be relatively consistent, thanks Knee) | |||
| f+2,3,1 (regular hit only) | WS3,2, f,F+2:1 into a wall combo of your choice (only doable when your opponent is at an angle to the wall but is facing straight towards you) | |||
| Demoman (last hit only) | WR3,4 into a wall combo of your choice (after a rage drive far wall splat) | |||
| b+1,2 | qcf+3+4 into a wall combo of your choice (after a rage drive far wall splat, pretty inconsistent but does yield the most damage) | |||
| qcb+3,2,1 (last hit only) | ||||
| f+1+4 | Wall Splat Oki Alternatives | |||
| b,B+1+2 (stahp) | f+1+2_d+1 (frees them up to potentially multiple d+2s or d/b+2s if they do not back roll or getup immediately; even if they do, they are forced to guess the block) | |||
| 1,2_3,2 U/F (jump forward, and try to hit them land behind them and hit them with whatever you want) |
Mini-Combos
| qcb+1 or qcb+2 w/o backroll (24 or 21-31 damage respectively) | CH SS3 (21 damage) | b,n,f+1 (22 damage), d/f+1,1,2, or f+1+4 | qcb+3,2,3 | qcf+3+4 |
| dash d/b+2 (37-47 damage total) | d+1+2 (51 damage total (preferred at wall) | Deathfist (usually shallow, clean if you’re lucky with f+1+4) | d/b+2 (might have to wait a little bit by walking forward to land at most ranges) | f,F+2:1 |
| f,F+4 (same damage) | b+1,2 (54 damage total (preferred in open ground) | d+1+2 (usually impossible for d/f+1,1,2) | d+2 (wall only) | Deathfist |
| d/b+2 (for consistency on f+1+4) | b+4 (guaranteed) |
Game Mechanics
| Some of the mechanics of Tekken aren’t really well known, and while this is a Paul-focused document, I figure it’s best to leave this here in case it’s not well documented elsewhere. I will attempt to collect as much info as possible on these. |
| Crouching: Yes, I have to list crouching here. It takes exactly 6 frames for you to be considered fully crouching. It actually does not matter how you do it (holding down, holding down back, or if you’re a character like Paul that has a roll dash, doing a d,d/f motion), it always takes 6 frames. The only thing that bypasses this is if you are about to duck a high. Any time your opponent does a high, your character will crouch on frame 1 instead. This is why you can sometimes end up doing a crouch jab under their high when you meant to do another move (this happens a lot with Paul and d/f+2). |
| Throws: Throws take around 20 frames to break in Tekken 7 (this does not include their startup time, which is generally 12 frames, sometimes 11 frames, and usually 10 frames if the motion for the throw is complicated. At least 15 frames for lead throws, i.e. f+1+3). This is a comparatively easy window from previous Tekkens; regular throws can also be broken with either 1 or 2, eliminating the need to “guess” the break. However, all throws can break through regular armor, and in turn are unbreakable when catching a character in their power crush frames (with the exception of Hwoarang as he end up mid-air most of the time and thus can’t be grabbed by most throws). The general rule of thumb for breaking throws is to always look at how the opponent’s arms move. If they reach out with their left arm, it is a 1 break. If they use their right arm, it’s a 2 break, and if they use both, it’s a 1+2. There are a handful of unusual throws that break this convention, but King and Armor King are the most prominent characters for this; their Giant Swings look like 1+2 throws but are actually 1 throws, and their crouch dash throws can be either 1 or 2. However, for Giant Swing, there is a subtle difference between those animations and actual 1+2 throws; they lean much farther forward when they go for Giant Swing. If you’re sharp enough, you can also react to how quickly the throw is coming out; Giant Swing can be buffered so it comes out much faster than usual. Their Shining Wizards are 1+2 throws with the same grab animation as Giant Swing, but it will always come out slower than Giant Swing due to the extra forward inputs for the throw. Other throws that also break this convention are Law’s run up throw (lifts his knee up, this is a 1 break), Alisa’s head throw (1+2 break), and Lei’s Dragon throw (1 break). Several throws (apart from ones aimed directly towards your back) also cannot be broken; these throws include Eddy’s Handstand throw, Bears’ HBS throw, and Akuma’s DFlip throw. Fun fact: before season 3 was released, Yoshimitsu’s regular 1 throw was treated as a true 1 break if he was in No Sword Stance (NSS). No one, even among the Yoshi Discord, knew until the patch notes dropped. |
| Ultimate Tackle: A move that all characters automatically attempt when running towards their opponent for at least 2-3 steps (some also have a command to do them manually). It is considered a mid throw, but it is pretty slow to start up and can’t hit anyone airborne (I lowkey wish it could). There are several parts to the Ultimate Tackle. The tackle itself has around a 4 frame break window (i.e. the pink flash when it connects), which is where you can break with either 2 or 1+2. If you fail that, you’re falling to the ground, but if you can hit the 2-frame window to reverse the tackle with 1+2, your opponent will be the one on their back instead. Failing that, most characters can go for a series of 1 and 2 punches, of which you can only break the 1st or the last punch with the opposite hand (break 1 punches with 2, break 2 punches with 1). Some characters (Devil Jin, Jin, King, Nina, and Paul) have an armbar that they can use either at the very beginning of the tackle or at the end of their series of punches, which is broken by doing 1+2,2,2,2,2,2 (or alternatively, just mashing 1+2). A few characters have special options; Paul has Ultimate Punishment, which nets him a lot of damage, but is easily broken with 1, King has Leg Cross Hold, which is broken by doing 1+2,1,1,1,1,1 (or again, just mashing 1+2), Negan and Yoshimitsu both have an unbreakable stab as their tackle followup, and Dragunov and Marduk treat their tackles completely differently. Dragunov, instead of going for punches, will simply wrestle with his opponent; he has a 1 option, a 2 option, and a 1+2 option. It is purely a 3-way mixup, albeit with the 1+2 option doing more damage. Marduk is even more unique; his Ultimate Tackle transitions him to Mount, where he just goes ham after the first punch he throws (which can also be faked by hitting the other punch button fast; he has 1+2 and 3+4 options which are both slower but still fast enough to catch you off guard). Breaking these options are a little different; you basically pick what you break at the beginning (between 1, 2, and 1+2, which, if you do nothing at all, will also be counted as 1+2), and you either block his punches or eat 40-50 damage. However, unlike a throw break, if you mess up and want to change breaks at the very last second, you ARE allowed to do so. It’s just very hard. His tackles are also more wonky to break; a raw tackle has a 3 to 6 frame window depending on how close he is, but if he’s far, or you’re crouching (because the initial lunge is a high), it becomes a 2 frame break. There’s even a hitbox at the very end of the tackle for extreme ranges. How your character breaks the initial tackle depends entirely on the type of character your character is. However, Marduk is always -4 after the break no matter who your character is. Most characters break his tackle by quickly shoving him to the side; both characters are left crouching. Armor King, Dragunov, King, Marduk, and Paul, on the other hand, do a sprawl break that takes much longer to perform. Both characters are left standing. There are also 2 special tackles; one is after Dragunov’s rage drive, which cannot be broken in any way, and Asuka’s Ki Charge tackle, which, while also cannot be broken, can still be reversed within the same 2 frame window as other regular tackles. |
| Armor: Often known as Power Crush instead, but there are actually two kinds of armor. The first is the normal kind. Most of you know this already. They can be beaten out by lows and throws, and if they absorb any number of hits (it’s infinite armor), they take ALL of the damage and can’t get any of the lost health back (Lei and Yoshimitsu can heal, but that’s besides the point). They also slow down significantly, meaning if they absorb a fast move, the attacker can still potentially recover. Lesser known is that moves with this property often have armor frames starting from frame 8 (or frame 6 if it is coming out of a f,F motion). If you attempt to throw them before frame 8, they can still break your throw. The 2nd kind of armor is Rage Art Armor. Most of you are also familiar with it. However, there are subtle differences between the two types; RA armor cannot be beaten by lows or throws (the throw will still hit them but simply not trigger), and it reduces the damage taken by 20% (this is why so many clutch moments happen with Rage Arts). Additionally, for a significant portion of the rage art armor (at least for most rage arts, any way), the one initiating the rage art cannot be slowed down whatsoever. However, there is still a portion of the rage art that can be slowed down (specifically, frames 13 to 18 for the mid rage arts; not too sure about Akuma’s or the fast highs from Alisa, Jin, and Steve). This is why some awkward situations occur where you slow them down with a jab and you still recover. I’m not exactly sure how long the slowdown is for both when getting hit but it’s very significant (around 15 frames). Negan’s taunt (which is the only regular “move” with Rage Art Armor other than the armored tackle from running after more than 3 steps) cannot be slowed down. |
| Ballerina stun: A hitstun property (usually from moves that tailspin) that makes the opponent spin around. During this time they cannot do anything except block or duck. Wall splats/wall breaks/balcony breaks instead if they are close enough to trigger it. Usually gives more than 10 frames of advantage on hit, meaning that if you were to attack with a jab after inflicting this stun to your opponent, they cannot attack to interrupt at all (not triggering counter hit), but can still duck under your jab. Paul is the exception to that +10 rule with only +8 on b+1,2 (the new changes to Asuka, Anna, and Lili might also be similar). There are several variants of this that do not cause the opponent to spin around, but have the same massive frame advantage either on hit or block. This is often denoted in frame data repositories with the letter g, and for tailspin moves that have ballerina stun, it is often kg instead (to indicate that they can tailspin). |
| Nosebleed stun: An old type of hitstun that has your opponent put their hands close to their face for massive plus frames. If the window is long enough or the move that caused it has short enough recovery (like Nina’s Bad Breath) it can lead to some guaranteed followups, but does not count as a “real combo” according to the game. You can break this by holding down to slump to the ground instead (but in Nina’s case she still has followups for people that slump down). Eddy’s d/f+2 looks like it has this property, but it always slumps you for a guaranteed iWS3. |
| Double over stun: An old type of hitstun that has your opponent keel over. They can either end up falling face down or falling face up. In both cases, if they don’t tap a direction immediately after getting hit, they eat free damage. Also does not count as a “real combo” according to the game. If they are falling face up, you have more time to land a grounded hit instead of floating them. Kazuya’s WS2 looks like it has this property, but you cannot break this hitstun and it counts as a true combo until you land. |
| Backturn: A stance every character has when they end up facing directly away from the opponent. Most characters have a generic set of tools from backturn (the 2D characters do not), some have more specialized options, and a few (Lei, Master Raven, and Xiaoyu) almost base an entire playstyle around it. Staying in backturn is dangerous because you cannot hold back to block as fast when you are caught backturned. It takes 7 frames for you to transition back to facing your opponent again… if you are holding back. For most characters, if you hold forward instead, it only takes 6 frames to turn around. The only characters that can’t do this are the aforementioned backturn specialists (Lei, Master Raven, and Xiaoyu). You can actually avoid many backturn catches this way if they rely on a 6 frame gap to turn around before you can block (famous examples include Josie’s 1,2,2 into d/f+2, Xiaoyu’s CH f,F+3 into BT4, and King’s BT d+2 into FC d/f+2). However, if the gap is 5 frames or smaller, it is considered a legitimate backturn catch on most characters. Some characters have faster escape options, however. Master Raven and Xiaoyu have instant parries from BT (Xiaoyu’s does not work on elbows and knees and the like); Akuma, Eliza, and Geese have 1f invincible moves in EX DP or Raging Storm respectively; Akuma’s forward teleport (yes, he has to input it as if he was facing forward) is frame 4 invincible; Devil Jin’s parry is 3f and it can cover his behind, but the counterattack is unlikely to hit. Zafina’s parry is frame 5 and fully tracks with the counterattack. Xiaoyu also has some moves from BT that leave her in extremely small hurtboxes (such as RDS 3 and Cali Roll, which also high crushes on frame 1). Other notable options from BT include an i8 BT jab for most characters (except the 2Ds) and holding d/b to turn around while moving 2 character spaces away. |
| Reversals: Also known as parries, reversals are moves that do not attack, but rather attempt to block an opponent’s attack and redirect some of their damage towards them instead. Many (but not all) characters have access to one. These include: Anna, Armor King, Asuka, Bryan, Devil Jin, Dragunov, Geese, Heihachi, Jin, Josie, King, Lei, Lee, Leroy, Marduk, Nina, Paul, Shaheen, Steve, and Zafina. A lot of these are specific, and work in unique ways. However, there is an important mechanic that applies for all generic reversals; if you land an attack onto a character with a generic reversal, you can, for a short period of time, chicken the reversal with f+1+3 or f+2+4, depending on which limb the move was executed with (left limbs are f+1+3, right limbs are f+2+4), and hurt them back! Again, these only apply to generic reversals (many of them do not fall into this category). Nina and Paul’s reversals are mostly generic. They last from frame 3 to 8; that seems pretty short, right? Well, it is. It’s often only used after he’s in severe disadvantage (i.e., after the opponent blocks a d/f+2). A unique distinction, however, even among generic reversals, is that if they catch a somersaulting move (i.e. Paul’s f,F+4), they will catch them in the air and either power bomb them or flip them to the ground! This is a unique, non-chickenable animation. |