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Question - Scorpion Should you play unsafe or safe?


The Power of Lame Compels You
I think Ninjutsu should play safe. He's not a character that can just run in and mix like Sonya, Ermac, Sub-Zero, etc because he lacks a true 50/50. Instead of simply waiting for a mistake or a whiff punish opportunity, Scorpion can force one. His buttons, mobility, etc can be pretty frustrating and he hits like a truck when he opens you up.
Also staggers are pretty decent on Ninjitsu.


PSN: Cansuela
Play random as possible and hope to open your opponent up rather than making educated decisions in neutral.
I mean honestly online this is pretty damn successful. So many people "just do it". It's sort of interesting for someone like me at a level above mashers and people who will just Yolo teleport or do unsafe specials right in your face, but much worse than players that are true students of the game and lab every match up and grind execution and weird conversions for hours on end.

Often, it's like I'm speaking a different language than the people that just commit to shit with no hit confirming and mercilessly just attempt to play their game and sometimes I get mopped up because I'll be too in my own head and trying to play some "sophisticated" version of the game and they're like fuck it, F4 soul ball, wakeup every time, here's am xray, I will crossover jump you constantly etc. Whereas, I'll then play someone more patient attempting to play footsies, and I'll do much better because they actually know what they have to respect with frames and understand my options in a situation.

Ultimately it's on me to adapt and punish the dumb shit, but sometimes it takes a couple of games to sort of adjust my approach and get it through my thick skull that they won't respect frames, or start stand blocking even though I've hit them with an oh on oki like 4x in a row so for some dumb reason I go for a low starter because most people will respond to conditioning but a lot of fuck it just do it players won't. Often though these guys won't let you play them more than once or twice, especially if late in a game you make a big adjustment and start punishing some foolishness consistently and they're like, nope on to the next.

Basically, online I think a high risk high reward, aggressive, lots of buttons and meter usage, lots of running and jumping approach can be really damn successful, especially in short sets or single games. I play lots of people with that style that have a few thousand wins that I easily beat and would call straight garbage, but it clearly works a lot.

If you want to play more competitively and maybe offline at tournaments, get consistent sets against high level players and just generally care about improving overall, a safer play style is definitely better. I'm not good enough to always make bad players pay for the silliness, but good players definitely will.


PSN: Cansuela
If you're getting up and scorpion is on top of you and you have to guess high or low are you saying if you choose to block low and scorpion does f2 you can react to that?
Yeah you can because the first hit is a mid so you can crouch block it and stand up in time for the oh. Worst case scenario is they cancel into takedown but big deal, better to eat the takedown than take a full combo.

F2 can be frustrating, and if they are really conditioning you with staggers, throws, and lows it can still hit (I eat it more than I should myself), but f2 and scorpions mixups in general are definitely fuzziable and f2 alone is reactable


PSN: Cansuela
And just to triple post like a boss, I agree with what some have said in terms of the either safe or unsafe dichotomy is overly simplified.

Being unpredictable and reading your opponents tendencies is the real key. You might spend a round and a half being text book, never wake up, or not jumping at all, or not throwing or whatever the case may be. But in that last half round a timely wakeup, or throwing out an unsafe overhead that you've not showed at all, or just jumping in from half screen can really really catch the opponent off guard and can pay off majorly.

One of the beauties of fighting games is how dynamic they really are and how there's not just one key or approach to success. What works on one person may not work on another, even if those two players are equal in terms of skill. Further, what may work on one playet may not work on the same player in a diff situation or at a different time.

If I am constantly respecting my opponents wake up option when they have meter, well if they're good they will recognize that and might save the meter and just wakeup grab or buttons or jump out the corner whatever and in that case my safety was my undoing.

I feel like hell sparks is a good example, I see good shinnok's meter burn hs for safety and set the precedent and then later conserve the meter and not meter burn it but the other player just fully expects it and blocks anyway.

Mind games.
Well you don't have to guess high or low at all but anyway that's exactly what I'm saying. If you're looking for it then I don't see why not - the overhead comes out in 22 frames, 5 frames after the 17 frame mid and it's not like the animation is hard to distunguish it from anything else. The animation is very recognisable as well.

You block low for 16 frames, then high for at most 10 frames after the first hit of F2 (so 27 frames overall) then go low. That covers B3/F2/F2~Takedown. You'll be free to grabs unless you can tech on reaction :p
I get bodied free by grabs lol. I really need to work on reacting to that nonsense.
If you wanna learn what its like to play a good unsafe character to get a feel for what everyone is talking about then play mystic ermac. The guy is the embodiment of high risk high reward. You can also play him pretty safe too as an option and not commit to teleport constantly. His stagger string pressure is pretty good too off of b124. And you have a safe check off of it if they block with mb push cuz hes neutral after b124.


Premium Supporter
Depends on your opponent and the character you are facing.

Opponent doesn't punish? I do unsafe stupid stuff all day until they do
Characters with shitty/No mids? D1 into D1 for days :DOGE

But even against smart players, you can't play too smart as well.

My advice: Put yourself in the mind of those random ranked players and mimic their playstyle. Guaranteed top 8 seating at Tournaments.

Dankster Morgan

she don’t call me daddy she call me Grandmaster
Yeah, I always advise ending combos with spear into standing 3, rather than spear into a string xx teleport, because standing 3 on hit will leave you at a range where F2 is basically 100% safe.
This is my new ender after the patch. I used to do F42 but now armor shredding is different so they can actually get up lol.


Get over here!
I do this very often. Yet another great use for s3