Samurai Shodown 3/Haohmaru: Difference between revisions
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:Mostly used from back throws if you put your opponent into the corner. Make sure to walk up between each rep. This combo is pretty easy. Feel free to spice it up with a Zankousen if it'll get you the kill. | :Mostly used from back throws if you put your opponent into the corner. Make sure to walk up between each rep. This combo is pretty easy. Feel free to spice it up with a Zankousen if it'll get you the kill. | ||
====Midscreen Resshinzan loop==== | |||
:This combo is your best option off of a backthrow, since the throw distance puts you perfectly at the optimal distance that some characters with wider hitboxes require to get the Resshinzan stumble. The only issue with this is that the starters are all character specific, requiring different distances of microwalks and starters. All of these are listed off of a backthrow, but the combo can be started off of any stumbling Resshinzan. | :This combo is your best option off of a backthrow, since the throw distance puts you perfectly at the optimal distance that some characters with wider hitboxes require to get the Resshinzan stumble. The only issue with this is that the starters are all character specific, requiring different distances of microwalks and starters. All of these are listed off of a backthrow, but the combo can be started off of any stumbling Resshinzan. | ||
:'''Basara, Genjuro, Haohmaru, & Rimururu:''' Throw, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx | :'''Basara, Genjuro, Haohmaru, & Rimururu:''' Throw, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... | ||
:'''Ukyo & Shizumaru:''' Throw, microwalk forward, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... (NOTE: Shizumaru's microwalk is incredibly small, to the point where you can barely see it. Either grind this hard, or just stick to the non 421S combo.) | :'''Ukyo & Shizumaru:''' Throw, microwalk forward, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... (NOTE: Shizumaru's microwalk is incredibly small, to the point where you can barely see it. Either grind this hard, or just stick to the non 421S combo.) | ||
:'''Galford & Hanzo:''' Throw, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx | :'''Galford & Hanzo:''' Throw, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... | ||
:'''Kyoshiro & Nakoruru:''' Throw, microwalk forward 5B xx 421A, 2B xx | :'''Kyoshiro & Nakoruru:''' Throw, microwalk forward 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... (NOTE: On Nakoruru, this combo can be ignored. You can just loop 5B xx 421C on Nakoruru with no problem.) | ||
:'''Gaira:''' Throw, walk forward, n.2B 5B xx 421A, 2B xx | :'''Gaira:''' Throw, walk forward, n.2B 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... | ||
:'''Amakusa:''' Throw, microwalk backwards, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx | :'''Amakusa:''' Throw, microwalk backwards, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... | ||
===Bust=== | ===Bust=== |
Revision as of 13:50, 24 August 2022
Introduction
Thanks to his training under Nicotine Kafuin, Haohmaru is a bona fide b-ball prodigy with a keen eye for three pointers and a propensity for slam dunks. Neither of these things really lend themselves to sword duels, but he makes it work anyways.
Haohmaru, the face of the Samurai Shodown franchise, appears once again with all the classic Haohmaru buttons, Haohmaru damage and Haohmaru simplicity you know him for. With a solid projectile in Senpuu Retsuzan and a great DP in Kogetsuzan, he's strong and very familiar, making him great to learn the game with if you're just getting started.
Slash lets Haohmaru control space with his air specials, which he can do from a backdash in true SNK fashion. His toolkit opens up some fairly basic yet rewarding combos, with even the shortest backhit string ending in Zankousen for huge damage. He gets pretty far on honest SamSho gameplay, even in a game that tends to reward far sillier strategies. Slash’s struggles are due purely to his lack of high-damage grime, but his funky space control and burst damage on big openings give him just enough spice to hang with the rest of the crowd.
Bust loses the good longer range neutral tools from his other Technique, instead becoming SamSho 3’s most infamous gorilla, gaining numerous moves that handily outshine Slash in almost every way. He has a simple front-hitting infinite, a dominant neutral game laden with mixups that easily lead to his infinite, and an invincible launcher that also leads into said infinite, because of course it does. If you want to not think and play the best character in the game, Bust is the way to go.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
|
|
Stats
Damage taken | Rage rate | Rage duration | Throw startup | Deflect advantage | Deflect disadvantage modifier |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
105% | 98.05% | 4 sec | 14f | +23 | ±0 |
Normal Moves
Far Slashes
5A
|
5B
|
5C
|
2A
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2B
|
2C
|
Near Slashes
n.5A
|
n.5B
|
n.5C
|
n.2A
|
n.2B
|
n.2C
|
Overheads
5BC
|
u.5BC
|
Kicks
5D
|
6D
|
2D
|
3D
|
Jumping Normals
j.A
|
j.B
|
j.C
|
j.D
|
Dashing Normals
66A
|
66B
|
66C
|
66D
|
Unarmed Normals
u.5S
|
u.2S
|
uj.S
|
u.66S
|
Command Moves
「Gatotsu」- n.5C~C (Bust Only)
|
「Hien」 - 2C~C (Bust Only)
|
Special Moves
Universal
- 「Senpuu Retsuzan」 - 236S
|
- 「Kogetsuzan」 - 623S (also from dash)
|
Slash
- 「Resshinzan」 - 421S
|
- 「Hishou Senpuu Retsuzan」 - j.236S
|
- 「Hishou Resshinzan」 - j.214C
|
- 「Zankousen」 - 63214C
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- WFT「Tenha Fujinzan」 - 623623AB
|
Bust
- 「Senpuu Ha」 - 236D
|
- 「Gou Ha」 - 623D (can be used unarmed)
|
- 「Nagi Yaiba」 - 2146C
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- WFT「Tenha Dankuu Retsuzan」 - 641236CD
|
Strategy
While Haohmaru is generally able to play a fairly patient neutral game focused on using his pokes and movement to find openings for damage, how he goes about doing so differs greatly between Slash and Bust.
Okizeme
After landing 623B (usually after a 2D hit confirm), you can make a read on whether the opponent will try to back roll. If they do, you can circle step as they get up, which will place you in front of them when they wake up. Any well-timed attack from here will be unblockable, because SamSho 3.
Slash
With so much of Slash's neutral game focusing on backdash j.236C, which covers a great angle and travels full screen, Slash Haohmaru can initially be seen as a projectile zoner. And while he certainly can get a lot of mileage out of this particular playstyle, his zoning isn't especially damaging, so the main thing he really wants to do with his zoning is frustrate people into coming into his space with unsafe approach options. From here, you only need to call out one badly placed button with a circle step or dash under 66A to get a powerful back hit combo that can end the round, or at least bring you closer to doing so.
His mixup and okizeme options are lacking, of course, but with a reasonably strong reversal, an abusable 2D and an extremely consistent way to reset to neutral with backdash j.236S, Haohmaru has great ways to play defense and help him get back to the neutral game where he can continue whittling away at his opponent's patience.
Bust
While Slash wants to carefully manage space and frustrate people into coming to him, Bust wants to get the hell in, and by lord is he gonna make it hurt when he does.
For what he lacks in overall neutral options, he more than makes up for with the ability to just end the opponent's life in one touch. In the neutral, your goal is to find a window to catch them with Senpuu Ha or 66B, which at most spacings gives you an easy infinite that just ends the round right there. Though of course it won't catch airborne opponents, but you've got Kogetsuzan and Nagi Yaiba to anti-air bad jumps with with.
Up close, Bust gets to pressure people with his frankly unfair mixups -- 2D is still a very abusable low that can combo into 236D if your timing is good (it probably isn't, though), and still functions as a hard-to-see mixup if your timing isn't so good. Bust Haohmaru really doesn't have to work too hard to get hits in, but he is arguably the best in the game at making those hits count. If the opponent absolutely refuses to block low against your onslaught of 2D, just keep using it. Either they block low or get deleted for avoiding the overhead.
As if all of that wasn't enough, you also have some very powerful defensive options in Bust. Almost any gap in the opponent's offense is can be exploited by either Senpuu Ha or a Nagi Yaiba. If the opponent has an option that cancels on block into a slow but otherwise safe attack, such as Shizumaru's 5C into Kirisamejin cancel, Senpuu Ha will easily catch them out of the followup. It's even fast and long-ranged enough to punish a large chunk of the cast's heavy slashes on block, which is an incredible boon to have in this game. Nagi Yaiba's strengths are pretty self-explanatory, with its invincibility window on a successful "catch" being long enough to almost completely ignore even a Bust Genjuro card bounce setup. As is a tried and true saying in SamSho 3, abuse this as you see fit.
Combos
Universal
- 2D confirm combo: 2D 2D 2D 623B
- vs crouching Basara: using 2D more than twice will cause the 623B to whiff
- vs crouching Basara: using 2D more than twice will cause the 623B to whiff
- Being able to link out of a fairly abusable low kick is nice for Haohmaru to have, and lets him score a knockdown if he doesn't find himself in one of the situations where he can combo 2D into itself enough times to get a stun. You can use 623C instead of 623B for more damage, but the final hit of 623C has a propensity to whiff.
- Corner stun combo: 2D(x8)
- You need to be very close for this to work, so it's almost exclusively possible after a forward throw in the corner. Unless you play Basara on the side, you're not likely to land this
Slash
- Forward throw combo: f.throw, 63214C
- 2f link. Go get 'em, tiger.
- Back hit stun TOD: n.2B 5B xx 421A, 5C [stun] [circle step] n.2B 5B xx 63214C
- This is mainly what you'll be doing after most of your circle steps. The 5C will require a microwalk, but due to the ample hitstun on spaced 421A, this is easy. Simple and effective.
- Alternate back hit BnB: n.2B 5B xx 63214C
- When you aren't at the proper spacing for 421A, just cut the combo short to still keep a lot of damage on the table.
- Air Resshinzan conversion: j.214C 66B xx 623C/623623AB
- Sadly the most you'll get from a good Resshinzan, but it's pretty reliable as long as you remember to run very close for the 66B. You could also just do a 5C or Zankousen instead if that seems daunting.
- Cross-under anti-air stun combo: 66A n.2B n.2B 5C
- This is your most reliable (and most devastating) combo from a cross-under anti-air. Each n.2B requires a microwalk, but the timing isn't too strict. This stuns, so killing the opponent after landing this is easy.
- Back hit corner loop: n.2B [5B xx 421A]xN
- Mostly used from back throws if you put your opponent into the corner. Make sure to walk up between each rep. This combo is pretty easy. Feel free to spice it up with a Zankousen if it'll get you the kill.
Midscreen Resshinzan loop
- This combo is your best option off of a backthrow, since the throw distance puts you perfectly at the optimal distance that some characters with wider hitboxes require to get the Resshinzan stumble. The only issue with this is that the starters are all character specific, requiring different distances of microwalks and starters. All of these are listed off of a backthrow, but the combo can be started off of any stumbling Resshinzan.
- Basara, Genjuro, Haohmaru, & Rimururu: Throw, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A...
- Ukyo & Shizumaru: Throw, microwalk forward, 2B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... (NOTE: Shizumaru's microwalk is incredibly small, to the point where you can barely see it. Either grind this hard, or just stick to the non 421S combo.)
- Galford & Hanzo: Throw, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A...
- Kyoshiro & Nakoruru: Throw, microwalk forward 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A... (NOTE: On Nakoruru, this combo can be ignored. You can just loop 5B xx 421C on Nakoruru with no problem.)
- Gaira: Throw, walk forward, n.2B 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A...
- Amakusa: Throw, microwalk backwards, 5B xx 421A, 2B xx 421A...
Bust
- Front hit loop: ...236D [66B xx 236D]xN
- The starters for this are endless. n.5C~C, 5B, n.5B and 236A all work. Make sure to slightly delay the cancel from 66B to 236D so you don't accidentally get God Shoulder.
- Front hit Gou Ha juggle: ...66B xx 623D 623C
- Probably your best bet to finish off a front-hitting infinite for maximum cool factor (you might even substitute a WFT for the DP), but it's possible to be too close and have the Kogetsuzan whiff, or be too far and have the Gou Ha whiff. Spacing this right is obviously important.
- Alternate front hit loop: ...236D [623D n.5B xx 236D]xN
- This combo is more proof of concept with the n.5B restand after a max distance Gou Ha. It's not a consistent loop due to requiring particular midscreen spacing and the timing varying between characters (Nakoruru and Kyoshiro are particularly problematic, and Zankuro seems outright impossible to hit with this restand).
- Nagi Yaiba follow-up: 2146C n.5B xx 236D, [66B xx 236D]xN
- I mean, you can follow-up Nagi Yaiba with 623S or WFT, but why would you when the restand is so easy?
- Cross-under anti-air ToD: 66A n.2B [microwalk] n.2B 5C [stun] 2C~C
- Remember that whole thing about how Hien deals a billion damage? This sequence kills even high defense characters.
- Corner back throw stun combo: b.throw n.5C 641236CD
- Yeah this stuns for whatever reason (no, cancelling Gatotsu into WFT does not stun). You could do a more consistent combo option instead of this, but you could also end careers with it.
- Corner front throw stun combo: f.throw 2C~C xx 641236CD
- Another hilarious career ender. The actual way to get this to come out is a bit tricky to explain. Due to Hien's odd cancel window, the second hit won't actually connect and will instead empty cancel into WFT. Thus the input is done as 2C641236C~CD. In essence, press 2C, do the WFT motion, then press C before pressing CD. Done right, the WFT will come out.
- Back hit infinite: [n.2B 5B 623D]xN
- n.2B is an easy restand from 623D from here. If your opponent is in the corner, you can throw in another microwalk n.2B. You can start this combo from a cross under 66B xx 236D, but the spacing might be finicky.
- Unreactable mixup "combo": 2D 236D
- Timing the link from 2D to 236D, while possible, is quite difficult. Probably about as difficult as switching your block from low to high trying to deal with this combo that is also a really stupid 50/50. Further screw with their timing by varying how many 2D reps you do. Or possibly delay the 236D. Or do 6D xx 236D instead and get an easier combo at the cost of higher commitment. Worth keeping in your back pocket.
- Situational max Rage ToD: cross-up j.C 2C~C
- Y'know. Just in case. Only kills low defense characters.