Shikamaru (SCON4): Difference between revisions

	Shikamaru Nara
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HP	210
Guard Gauge	1520
Jab Speed	Frame 14
Jab Height	Mid
Backdash Type	Normal

Revision as of 16:35, 13 October 2022

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Summary

One of the most improved characters in the jump from Vanilla to Super, Shikamaru now augments his rangy normals and high damage with a variety of quality-of-life improvements, quicker super activations and more versatile and effective wisdom stance (). Shikamaru is known for his teleport attacks and one of the strongest oki tools in the game- his unblockable shadow jutsu.

Gameplay

Moveset

Basic Moves	Notes
	Furthest reaching in the game and hits mid. Long recovery time.
	Fast high crush (frame 8), causes the spinning launch effect and combos into and .
	High crushes and sweeps.
	Mediocre guard frames but has a high crush right before the hitbox comes out. Staggers on hit and leads to stance.
	Sliding kick which high crushes and sweeps. Can be used defensively to escape from attackers behind Shikamaru.
	Leads to stance. Staggers on hit.
	Slow but damaging divekick. Spinning launch.
Special Moves
	Throw shuriken. Charge throws shurikens spread horizontally, potentially catching sidesteps
	Standard up-shuriken.
	High crushes and sweeps but inferior to , and in almost every way
	Enters stance (see more below)
	Groundbounces. Too slow to use in most scenarios
	Staggers on hit and leads to stance.
	Air shuriken (standard air shanks)
Super Moves
	Can be done during stance. Average damage among cinematic supers.
	Can be done during stance. Unblockable, resets the combo counter and is unsubbable until the victim lands or is hit

Strategy

Wisdom Stance

Shikamaru is known for his wisdom stance which gives him several options. From stance:

teleports behind the enemy with a descending aerial dive
teleports behind the enemy on the ground with a running kunai slash
can be held to reverse the direction of a teleport attack
teleports in front of the enemy with no attack
teleports behind the enemy with no attack
is super-cancellable with or , allowing Shikamaru to combo into supers
cancels the stance

Shikamaru's teleport attacks are powerful as they lead to combos, though he can be punished if the opponent avoids the attack by sidestepping or otherwise moving out of the way. If the enemy is avoiding teleport attacks, Shikamaru can mix them up by using his "empty" teleport, . If he has his back to the enemy, he can use instead.

2X Usage

Chart showing which opponents can ground KNJ out of Shikamaru's , assuming their KNJ starts after 2X starts

is a powerful oki option. While it loses to wake-up-kick (WUK), when properly spaced it is unavoidable and leads to a combo.

Common ways to land the super include:
- Combos: or up to about 7 or 8 hits.
- directly into (at the total cost of 100% chakra) to access from other combo points or at higher combo counts.
- Throw > is guaranteed
- Backdash or walk backwards at the end of a combo to space outside of WUK range.
- to avoid a WUK- an immediate should catch the opponent before they can jump.
- If a recovery roll is predicted, Shikamaru can run forward to chase the roll and .
- In some situations close to the wall, Shikamaru can move backwards while staying close enough to regardless of whether the opponent tech rolls or not.
After being captured by , the victim cannot KNJ until landing or being hit.
resets the combo counter. Landing a leads to a punish mix as the opponent will need to sub if Shikamaru commits to a combo.
The opponent will very often have enough chakra to KNJ after a so Shikamaru should put thought into his follow-up.
Shikamaru has several options following a :
- : The most common follow-up at short range. Decent damage, quick recovery and threatens a combo.
- : The easiest button to time and can be -cancelled. has a quick recovery.
- : On the safer side for a Shikamaru string. Can be used as a lower committal way to score extra damage and build chakra.
The amount of time Shikamaru has between the animation and the victim reappearing will depend on the distance from the opponent. If Shikamaru is farther away, he may have time for one of:
- , and : Strong attacks which threaten an extended combo.
- : If the opponent does not have enough chakra to KNJ

Strengths

Between his rangy normals, mid jab and high crushes, Shikamaru is highly effective at mid-range and can be difficult to approach.

Some of the longest ranging normal attacks in the game (notably and ).
is a mid and hits close to the ground, snuffing out high crushes and low profiles.
Several good high crushes:
- : Quickest (crushes on frame 8) and can be used to break up slow strings or delayed string pressure.
- : Lower commitment because Shikamaru sweeps his foot away from his body. Used as a poke in neutral.
- : Long range attack which can whiff punish or surprise an unsuspecting opponent.
Shikamaru hits hard. is one of the better combo filler loops in the game and is a great whiff punish starter.
Stance teleports, most often , can be used to punish substitutions.
punishes jump back.
Grounded and can "checkmate" the opponent, catching them even if they ground sub (see the chart to the side for which characters can substitute against ).
links to combos, primarily with and . It can also cross-up if Shikamaru manages to get under a jumping opponent.
Shikamaru has a unique mechanic when blocking. He will dodge physical attacks when on the ground and not next to the wall and not take guard damage, though he still takes chip damage.
- Shikamaru can dodge auto-guard breaks such as Gai , CS2 and Zabuza .

Weaknesses

Shikamaru does not threaten opponents on block due to low guard damage and the escapability of his strings.
- (-6) is his only safe blockstring. (-13) and (-12) may be safe depending on the opponent.
A near-complete lack of strings which can be performed on whiff make his buttons high commitment and his whiffs easier to punish as compared to characters which can continue strings on whiff.
Teleport attacks can be sidestepped, jumped or otherwise avoided and punished.
Shikamaru is a low health, low guard character. His dodge mechanic does not work when he is in the vicinity of the wall, so his guard may be broken easily.
His slow , slow and lack of a true reversal make him vulnerable to guard pressure from certain characters, especially when is ineffective.

Combos

Combos	Notes
Short super confirms
	Basic super confirm using wisdom stance
	A reliable super confirm for combos up to ~8 hits
>	The shuriken toss can be omitted
>	Connects when hitting the opponent directly into the wall or a corner
>
>
>
50% chakra
>	Just frame combo
> >	The shuriken throw can be omitted
> >	Just frame combo
> >
> >	Alternate: >
25% Chakra
> >	can be swapped with >
> >	Shikamaru only needs to walk forward to get into range of after throw
> > or >	Shika can convert this combo to if he starts with at least 30% chakra. He can combo to from 5% chakra
> >	The shuriken toss can be omitted
> >
> >	Just frame combo
0% Chakra
> > >	201 damage just frame combo
> > >	The "qbtod" off of a throw

Changes from Vanilla

HP increased from 200 to 210
Grabbable Moves: 8A, JA
5BB(A): launches with more lift, one frame less on the hitbox
has faster action and high crushes at frame 6; can super cancel into 5X and 2X
now teleports Shikamaru behind the enemy, instead of in front
SB(B) more lift on hit
SBB(B) replaced with SABB(B)
SABB(B) deals more damage
SA(A) now staggers
SAA(A) replaced with 8A
can be held to reverse teleport attack directions
added
added
sped up
Teleport strings are now true combos, instead of being side-steppable with a fast mash on hit (due to the stagger effect)
Some teleport attacks have been replaced with moves that combo reliably
replaced with modified from Vanilla; 8BA follow up after landing
sweeps instead of a grounded hit; less lift
6B(B) has more lift
2BBB(B) ends sooner and has more lift
RB: starts up three frames later
sped up by four frames
has less super freeze and comes out faster, can move faster when hitting from further away than right next to the opponent, opponent falls slower, opponent cannot sub until they hit the ground or are hit; resets combo counter
is now possible
is now subbable after the enemy hits the ground or is hit

Resources

Guides and Info

Gameplay footage

@@ Line 128: / Line 128: @@
 * Shikamaru hits hard. {{2}}{{B}}{{B}}{{B}}{{YC}} is one of the better combo filler loops in the game and {{4}}{{A}}{{A}}{{B}}{{B}}{{YC}} is a great whiff punish starter.
 * Stance teleports, most often {{Shika}}{{6}}{{B}}, can be used to punish substitutions.
-* {{Shika}}{{6}}{{B}} punishes jump back.
+* {{Shika}}{{B}} punishes jump back.
 * Grounded {{B}}{{B}}{{2}}{{X}} and {{B}}{{B}}{{B}}{{2}}{{X}} can "checkmate" the opponent, catching them even if they ground sub (see the chart to the side for which characters can substitute against {{2}}{{X}}).
 * {{8}}{{B}} links to combos, primarily with {{B}} and {{2}}{{B}}. It can also cross-up if Shikamaru manages to get under a jumping opponent.