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Shiki FAQ

by taraction

Hello, and welcome to the Shiki segment of the:

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       888    Y888  "Y8888P88 8888888P"   "Y8888P"  

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum: Hyper James Dostie Edition FAQ

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Table of Contents: 

Updates/versions
i.  Game Introduction/Thoughts
ii.  Character Introduction
iii.  General Strategy
iv.  Normal Moves
v.  Special Moves/Supers
vi.  Notable Properties/Miscellaneous
vii.  COMBOX
viii.  Advanced Strategy and Matchups
ix.  Closing/About the Author

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Updates/versions

Ver 1.11, 3/10/09: Hey man, I got hit by a car. For serious, broke my
leg etc. So anyway, mostly fixed several errors and took out and
changed/reworded/removed some comments regarding move properties.
Nothing major, really, and as stated earlier I think the guide is
mostly done unless I find something new. 2009 is a great year for
fighting games.

Ver 1.10, 9/05/08: Hi, been a while. Added a few small things, fixed
a few typos, changed some match/strategy things around. Nothing major,
but I feel that the Shiki guide is pretty much complete. I'll take
suggestions or thoughts: [email protected]. Thanks.

Ver. 1.01, 6/09/08: Yo, I forgot something. Shiki's overhead special
kick thing (qcb/214 D) is indeed her absolute/ultimate juggle, and 
it has a few uses. Specials section and misc parts updated.

Ver. 1.00, 4/25/08: I'm satisfied with the guide now. Removed some
scrubbiness, added six more matchup hints, editing some things for 
readability. I'm probably a little off on some things still, but this
should all be more than enough for a beginning player to pick up the
character. It took me a while to figure all of this out!

Ver. 0.93, 4/01/08: NEW COMBO, and a fairly important one at that. Never
thought it would work, but it does. It's listed in COMBOX under the
"NEW" heading and as "A4" in strategy. Small changes throughout otherwise.
Kittens are wonderful. Oh, and no, this is not an April Fool's joke.

Ver. 0.92, 3/28/08: Fleshed out character intro. 

Ver. 0.91, 3/26/08: Clarification on several things. I need to experiment 
with a certain combo/setup. Also added NGBBBBBBBBC dividers for the sections 
to make it easier to find things. Put ALL combos in the COMBOX section. Also 
added a start to the matchups part. Yay!

Ver. 0.9, 3/24/08: Almost complete. Normals, specials, supers and tactics all 
done.  Need to get correct move names and update strategy sections on what 
HARBINGER OF MORTALITY dodges.

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i.  Game Introduction/Thoughts

Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (see main faq for game system information), is a 
little known 2D fighting game with a large cast of all-star SNK characters, 
using a team dynamic with an old school system reminiscent of early SNK games 
or Street Fighter. It�s easy to pick up, but there are some things that are 
very important to understand:

Guard Cancel Forward Step (GCFS). 66 (or forward > forward) after blocking 
cancels your blockstun (time spent blocking when you can�t do anything except 
GCFS or tag counter) and allows you to punish things that are otherwise 
unpunishable. This is important for Shiki and it�s important against Shiki, 
and the same goes for all characters. A+B alone is the Forward Step, AB Step, 
or what some may refer to as the �roll�, which is an invincible dash that can 
also cancel normals, greatly reducing recovery frames (some call this lag).  
The AB Step/GCFS mechanic is enormous. The AB command will also allow safe 
falls, or tech rolls. Many throws in the game can be tech rolled, including 
Shiki�s, as well as many of her moves, including her sweep (cr.C).

D. Assaults. There are two big reasons to do these:

1. Not only do damage, but GREATLY REDUCE RED LIFE. These effectively inflict 
more damage than anything, technically, since if there is no red life, there 
is no way to recover your life outside of character specific moves, like 
Shiki�s level 2 super. 

2. Charges the other character, increasing their attack power. As long as the 
character�s life bar is flashing, the character is Hyper Charged. Big damage 
combos do that much more when this is active, and you should expect your 
opponent to play defensively in its duration. 

NGBC is a fun game. There is much debate and worry over its balance, but 
competing at high level with this character is entirely possible, very 
possible in fact.  Fighting top tier is hard, but such is hard in any 
fighting game. The game system itself has issues such as gaining meter �all 
the time- even immediately after supers. Kim effectively gains meter for his 
B&B�s super during the combo, allowing him to do the series virtually 
indefinitely. Another issue involves some characters� throw causing a 
backturn effect where you can be crossed up in the corner quite ambiguously. 
These strongly affect the game, but throws can be broken and said crossup has 
to be in the corner. 

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ii.  Character Introduction

Shiki is a character from Samurai Showdown 64, she also appeared in SvC 
Chaos. Not a very popular character in NGBC, but she certainly has her strong 
points. The things in this faq have been reamed almost entirely from me 
learning the character from training mode, as there was no resource for 
information about the character beforehand, and there still wasn�t until now. 
Two things were picked up from Cajunstrike and T. Bear, which are noted later.

How good is she? Well, tier-wise, I'd say B tier is probably generous, C is
likely more accurate.  I see people do pros and cons for characters in faqs
like this often, so here's some of that silliness:

PROS:
+ Good mobility. Her walking speed and general moveset afford her great 
maneuverability.
+ Good damage without meter, she can actually run most of her gameplan without
using meter. It does help, though, if you make a mistake or need that life.
+ Specials can avoid/punish some characters very effectively, giving her a
significant boost in some matchups.
+ Those not familiar with the game/character will die if instructions below
are followed.

CONS:
- Does not have a low poke into damage B&B like a traditional character.
- Weak throw game outside of command throw setups.
- Poor defense (pokes not fast enough to stop pressure/throw games, few 
reversals, spotty anti air capability).
- No projectile. Cannot control space well at all.
- Against someone with good system knowledge and with an idea of what Skiki
is capable of (i.e. high level play), things aren't so simple. Almost
everything you can do has a risk involved, and poking with As, Bs and punishing
things will be mostly all you can do if they have meter to GCFs.

However, 98.73% of the time, you won't have to worry about that last con since
you wanna have fun with he game and destroy your friends with Purify's Sexy
Awesome Shiki Sauce. PSASS.

In her ending, she gives a farmer a baby. RANDOM. Almost as random as RANDOM 
qcb C/D. 

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iii.  General Strategy

You cannot safely do anything with this character except poke with normals 
unless you have meter. Dash stab (qcb C) and crack shoot (qcb D) are lows and 
overheads, respectively, but both can be GCFSd (see above) and punished. 
Tread carefully.

Your goal is to:

A. Knock them down for okizeme (japanese term for �wake up game�, or what you 
do when your opponent is rising from the ground) or:
B. Dash stab reset into mixup. 

On A, your knockdowns are qcb D and level 2 super. The latter doesn�t give 
you as much time to set something up. Crack Shoot (qcb D) will land as a 
punishment to whiffed lows, and will beat moves, even trade or beat Mr. Big�s 
lariat. Shiki�s other knockdowns are tech rollable. Let me repeat that, ALL 
OTHER MOVES THAT APPEAR TO KNOCK DOWN CAN BE TECHED, INCLUDING HER THROW. 
Your options after successful knockdown:

A1: Close D (overhead) > close C one hit for dash stab combo OR cancel to 
close C/far D > D. Assault, OR > close C/far D > level 2 super
A2: Crouch C (low) > run up and continue pressure. Crouching C is two hits, 
and as such, is not always safe to GCFS against. Note that it does not knock 
down, however.
A3: Whiff close D > throw OR whiff > cr. A to B&B (see B1).
A4 (corner): Close D (overhead) > close C one hit > qcb D for the knockdown >
restart oki game with above options.

For B, there are many ways to combo into dash stab, but the two most 
effective are:

B1: Close/crouching A > close B > far D > C stab. More damage, confirmable. 
(thx T.Bear for showing me close B > far D combos)
B2: Crouching D > C stab. Confirmable, also combos into level 2, D. Assault, 
kara cancels, basically every special/super.

Less effective, but also possible ways to combo into dash stab include close 
C (one or two hit), deep far C, deep far D, deep cr. B.

The dash stab itself leads into a combo, which is either:

C stab > C followup > C dp (this whiffs) > C dive or
C stab > C followup > B dp (hits) > B dive.

C dive and DP allows for a better offensive situation midscreen, and is ideal 
for the reset. The B versions do more damage and, in the corner, effectively 
set up the reset just as well as the C version. The dash stab combo, along 
with whatever you used to combo into it, nets about as much damage as some 
character�s level 1 super B&Bs.

Now, this �reset� means that you recover and land in front of the opponent 
before they land, and then you have these options to continue your offense:

B3: Command grab. 
B4: Close D > see above sequences in A.
B5: Crouching C > also see above.
B6: Crouching D if you anticipate them trying to jump out of grab range, or 
to stuff attempts at hitting/throwing you out of close D. 
B7: Level 2 super. See above.

Teleports are good, but not great. Don�t overuse them, as they are not active 
immediately and do have recovery. After an air teleport, you are in a state 
similar to if you just did a dash stab > C followup, meaning you can only 
cancel into a DP > dive, a dive by itself or fall to the ground. Use the 
teleports mainly to escape disadvantageous situations.

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iv.  Normal Moves
(Note that Shiki�s neutral jumping normals are not different from her 
forward/back jump normals)

A:

The A button for most characters in any SNK game usually entails moves that 
are your primary pokes, B&B (bread and butter, i.e. essential combo) starters 
and, along with B moves, generally grant some degree of frame advantage. 
Shiki is no exception to this, though she somewhat trades range for speed of 
startup/recovery (startup is the amount of time it takes for the move to 
animate to its point of effect, recovery is how long it takes after the point 
of effect for you to return to neutral and be able to block/hit another 
button).

St. A, or standing A, at close is a relatively quick head/neck height slice 
with one of her daggers. It cancels into close B, cr.A and D. Assault, though 
the latter is not recommended as a better setup is close A > close B > far D 
> DA. Close A begins the Slash Chain (see combos). This normal can be 
crouched, i.e. avoided entirely by an opponent in their crouch animation. Far 
A has considerable startup as Shiki steps forward before swinging. Out of all 
of her normals, you will likely be using far A the least.

Cr. A, crouching A, functions similarly to a close A in what it cancels into, 
with the added advantages of its range and speed, though it is actually 
slower than the average cr. A, not as effective at stopping dash > throw 
games as many other characters�. Its usefulness as a poke and B&B starter 
remain, however, and it is an excellent move to use in range or just out of 
range to control space.

Jump A leaves much to be desired, but is the fastest executing move in the 
air if you are threatened and jump D does not have time to animate. It would 
make infinitely more sense to give a character with a floaty jump weak 
jumping normals with a large amount of active frames, but this isn�t exactly 
Street Fighter, so WHATEVERRRRR.

B: 

The B button is strong for Shiki. Typically a button for kicks, they are 
instead longer-ranged dagger swipes than their A button sisters. 

St. B at close is a vertical cut that cancels into many moves, basically 
everything in your arsenal can come after this, whether an A move came before 
it or not (though generally, an A button should start combos, as it is then 
easier to confirm hits, or rather make sure you�re hitting them rather than 
having your attacks blocked, preventing you from doing something 
unsafe/wasting meter. Far B is a great poke. Decent startup, good range, 
combos into level 2 super or D. Assault if hit deep and controls a large 
amount of space in front of and slightly above you. If cr.A is far out of 
range, use this.

Cr. B (remember, cr. stands for crouching), though somewhat slow when used 
standalone, is also a good move. It hits twice and can combo into D. Assault 
if hit deep or level 2 super when hit at any range (this move ends the Slash 
Chain and said super is its only finisher, aside from cancelling into qcb 
C/D, which will not combo). Has decent vertical range, but is by no means 
meant to be used as an anti air move.

Jump B is similar in function to jump A, except with a different hitbox. 
Again, jump D is the superior air to air and jump-ins are nonexistent ane 
unnecessary.

C:

The C button serves as your heavy slashes. Slower, more damaging moves with 
ranges comparable to the B button attacks. 

St. C at close is a two hit, two swing attack with both daggers. The first or 
second hit may lead into a combo, and one-hit close C cancels into many 
moves, and is the only way to combo into some specials (more on this below). 
Most often, close C will be used after an overhead close D, which then 
cancels into your next attack (D. Assault, super, one-hit into dash stab). 
Far C is a move with a lot of startup that does a considerable amount of 
damage and, if hit deep enough, can combo into the standard options. Farther 
out, level 2 super works. Far C is one of the two normals of Shiki�s that can 
be cancled on whiff, or �kara� canceled as it were, just as the move is 
becoming active. This allows for some interesting possibilties.

Cr. C is a two-hit attack, though if the first hit connects, the second will 
whiff.  This functions as a sweep (knockdown), but can be recovered from 
(teched) if the opponent hits A+B when landing (qcb+D and a super are the only 
untechable knockdowns that Shiki has). This is your only low-hitting move 
aside from dash stab, and it functions as a low option in mixups/okizeme when 
a close D (or command throw or super!) is expected.

Jump C is a damaging downwards swipe of both daggers. The move is not easy to 
hit with given its hitbox/range and is generally inferior to jump D in air to
air, though it serves as a better jump-in. However, as stated earlier, 
jump-ins are not necessary for this character, and not good enough even to 
consider. There are many, many ways to be anti-aired in this game, and 
Shiki�s jump is quite high and floaty/slow.

D: 

D also holds a strong moveset, and all are essential to good play. All of 
Shiki�s D moves are kicks with her little sexy boots etc etc. 

St. D at close is an overhead heel drop/axe kick with few active frames. For 
an overhead, its startup isn�t �that- slow, but still seen in time to react 
and block. This is a basic start of her okizeme/wakeup/what you do when 
they�re getting off the ground game. If you time this incorrectly, however, 
you can easily be thrown out of the move (remember, only a short part of its 
animation will count as a hit). The best way to combo after a close D is far 
D or CLOSE (yes, close) C, which are moves that lead into many things, and 
all your standard options. Far D in itself is a decent poke, and can net a D. 
Assault if hits deep.

Cr. D, unlike most other characters�, is �not- a sweep. It is instead a two-
hit (yes, a lot of her normals hit twice, this is good for confirming hits 
and punishing tag guard cancels) upwards-angled kick. She stands on her hands 
when doing this, possibly avoiding lows, and this move is the other normal 
that can be empty/kara canceled, or canceled even when not connected, such as 
in sequences as close D > kara cr. D > level 2 super. Cr. D is also one 
confirmable, rather reliable and decently damaging way to combo into the dash 
stab series. Even if far away and only one hit connects, this is still 
possible. Cr. D is cancelable into all of her specials and supers (and yes, 
even when it whiffs).

Jump D is the air to air normal of choice. Identical in animation to the qcb 
D move, and as such has a commendable hitbox and decent effective range. Due 
to her spinning during its startup, you may just avoid your 
opponent�s air to air and win cleanly. It�s not the best normal for its 
purpose in the game, but it works.

Tag Counter: This is actually an animation unique to the tag counter. Good 
range, does what it�s supposed to do. 

D. Assault: An average DA. Some go farther, some have better hit boxes, some 
are faster. None of the above matters, however, for its intended purpose: 
combo into it. She doesn�t have a special D. Assault, but those are largely 
superfluous anyhow.

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v.  Special Moves/Supers

Note that I use a lot of nicknames for the moves. I call them what they look 
like, �cause I�m a stupid, fat, lazy American.

*Harbinger of MORTALITY, �dash stab�*
qcb A/B/C, 214 A/B/C, hurricane kick A/B/C, etc.

You�ll be using the C version of this aptly named move a lot.  You mainly 
want to combo into it, but it does have its uses standalone, and I mean 
besides random.

It can be easily beaten, though the A and B versions can serve as 
bait for things such as DPs. The move will slide under many projectiles and
moves (see list further on in faq), is quite fast, faster even than the level
1 super version. 

B and C versions are punishable by GCFS (but not without GCFS at all), C 
especially, and A version CAN be punished if anticipated. The solution for 
this if the move is blocked is its super cancel. You have enough time to 
confirm if the move hit or not and then do the motion for your level 1 super, 
which will leave you safe, and possibly punish an attempt to punish your dash 
stab!

Super cancel to level 2 can be used if you are killing their first character 
to get the life steal with no worries of your super�s recovery since there 
will be a pause before the other character tags in (remember above I said 
that okizeme is harder after this move). This means you can heal yourself, 
kill them, and have time to tag out safely and heal some more. Life is good. 
Time Overs are strong in this game, and Shiki can certainly run away 
effectively with her mobility options.

*Shiki Kick/Crack Shoot*
qcb D or 214 D

Overhead. If this move is blocked, you cannot make it safe, you will most 
likely get hurt if you�re fighting a competent player. If they have no meter, 
or cannot/will not punish you, this trap can be done indefinitely:

Cr. A > cr. B > qcb D. You may cancel cr.B on hit into level 2 or mix this up 
with a dash stab, but remember, this string is UNSAFE. Most characters can get
at least something free off of GCFsing this.

Mainly use this move to punish things and a match opener (as they have no
meter to punish it).

It can cross up crouchers. Note that this move is also untechable. THIS MOVE
IS SHIKI'S ABSOLUTE JUGGLE. There aren't too many situations in which you'll
get to use this property, but they do indeed exist and it has definite uses.
It being a hard knockdown helps too! Cr.B > qcb D is the most common
application, with basically any move that's special cancelable and can hit
them in the air a possible option for comboing into the juggle.

*Teleport*
Down, down > any button, 22 > any button, etc.

You giggle and teleport a set distance away in a gray shiny bubble portal 
thing, either on the ground or in the air.

A version teleports slightly forward.
B version teleports a distance away forward.
C version teleports slightly forward and into the air.
D version teleports a distance away in the air.

As mentioned, you may only follow up with a DP or dive, or DP > dive on hit 
in the air. To get yourself out of the corner or out of something like, say, 
Marco projectile nonsense, B version is quite useful. A version is more of a 
feint. 

*Shiki DP (Dragon Punch)*
DP A/B/C, 623 A/B/C, etc.

A shoryuken. Not the best, but can be used as anti air, and only as anti air. 
Its only other use is within cancels during the dash stab combo. The A 
version does one hit, B two, and C three. The A version is generally the 
better anti air.

Possible in the air.

*Dives*
qcf A/B/C in the air, 236 A/B/C etc.

The main use of dives is during dash stab combos and uses as offense after 
teleports. They have varying arcs and properties.

A version: two hits, this is hard to use in dash stab combos, but possible. 
Very steep arc.
B version: one hit. Not active until within range. Steep arc.
C version: one hit, hits higher. Arc not as steep.

These can also be used to change your jump trajectory to bait anti airs. 

*Command Grab*
hcb+f D or 632146 D (Guilty Gear overdrive motion)

Nasty move. Can grab opponent out of many things, including things like Kyo�s 
dp and even supers. Very hard to avoid in its reset trap described above. 

This move reverses the opponent�s directional inputs. For example, blocking 
low would be up+forward (9) when facing right. This is active as long as Mr. 
Pink Skull Head is laughing at them. If Shiki is hit, they do a DA, or if 
they successfully tag out, the effect goes away.

This move can be tech rolled.

Supers

*FLIGHT OF LUCIFER (level 1 super)*
2141236 A/B/C, SNK rolly thing

I previously thought this move was useless, however, as I mentioned 
previously, it can make your C dash stabs safe on block and possibly punish 
retaliation. 

The super itself actually does less damage than your standard dash stab 
combos, and does not leave you in an advantageous situation on hit as it is 
tech rollable. Outside of said situation, avoid using it and save meter for 
guard cancels, AB steps and level 2 super.

*Shiki�s Curse (level 2 super)*
2141236 D, SNK rolly thing

A fast super that sexes pplz with SHIKIGASM and steals life with high 
priority, though not so great on invincibility. This has won many matches for 
me.

Ways to combo into this:

Slash Chain (see combos) > super
Cr. B > super (can be done on first or second hit of cr.B)
Cr. D > super
Close C > super
Close D > far D > super (difficult, link)
Close D > close C two hits > super (difficult, link)
Close D > close C one hit > super
Close D > kara (whiff) crouching D > super (easier than it sounds)
Dash stab > super cancel.
Far C > super
Far D > super

Trivia: go to the command list in training while the voice clip for the super 
is starting. The voice clip actually lasts a good bit longer than what�s 
played in the game.

AAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhaaaaa

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vi.  Notable Properties/Miscellaneous

Shiki�s walking speed is rather stupidly fast, which is definitely a good 
thing. This helps your general game, including getting throws, getting in 
range for pokes, getting under jumps (you have many ways to do this).

Shiki�s jump is high and slow, or �floaty�. This isn�t exactly a bad thing. 
It should also be noted that there are many ways to change her jump 
trajectory, including the many dives and teleports. These can serve to bait 
your opponent into whiffing a move or putting you into a more advantageous 
position. You can also do DPs in the air, which also adds a mobility option, 
though this will less often put you into a spot you want to be as it takes a 
while to recover. 

Many of Shiki�s normals are two hits, meaning that if someone tries to alpha 
counter you/tag counter, you may very well hit them before their attack 
animates.

Shiki�s throw is techable, and its whiff animation is longer than the command 
throw�s whiff animation.  However, the actual startup of the command throw is 
longer, meaning in order to throw someone before they can throw you/break a 
throw, you have to use the normal one. It�s just necessary in some 
situations. A standalone command throw is difficult, unless you�re throwing 
someone out of a roll or using the reset.

The snake on her leg name�s Snakimaru. Actually no, I just made that up.

The Shiki Kick, 214D (aka qcb D) is Shiki's absolute/ultimate juggle, which
means that this move will always hit the opponent in the air if they're in
anything like a juggle-able state. For example, this is quite useful:

Corner poking/pressure with far B > Shiki Kick. The far B is good for hitting
them if they try to jump out of the corner, and on air hit, you can cancel
to the overhead special and it will combo and knock them down, allowing you
to continue pressure/okizeme. If you hit with a normal in this situation,
there's pretty much no reason not to cancel to the move to knock them down.

After all, as I've said many times, knockdowns are very important for her.

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vii.  COMBOX

Okay, I�ve already covered a lot of combos and for your convenience, I�ll go 
over the combos so far here, and follow with new ones: 

Close D combos:

Close D (overhead) > close C one hit for dash stab combo OR cancel to close 
C one or two hit/far D > D. Assault. Close D > close C/far D > level 2 super
is also available. If you're not meaty enough hitting with the initial close D,
your D. Assault may whiff. If you think you're going to get pushed out too far
to get the two hits of close C, just do one hit or go for something else (dash
stab combo).

Standard dash stab (Harbinger of Mortality) combos:

B1: Close/crouching A > close B > far D > C stab. More damage, confirmable. 
(thx T.Bear for showing me close B > far D combos)
B2: Crouching D > C stab. Confirmable, also combos into level 2, D. Assault, 
kara cancels, basically every special/super.

Less effective, but also possible ways to combo into dash stab include close 
C (one or two hit), deep far C, deep far D, deep cr. B.

The dash stab itself leads into a combo, which is either:

C stab > C followup > C dp (this whiffs) > C dive or
C stab > C followup > B dp > B dive.

Shiki�s Curse combos (AKA the level 2 super AKA SEX):

Slash Chain (see combos) > super
Cr. B > super (can be done on first or second hit of cr.B)
Cr. D > super
Close C > super
Close D > far D > super (difficult, link)
Close D > close C two hits > super (difficult, link)
Close D > close C one hit > super
Close D > kara (whiff) crouching D > super (easier than it sounds)
Dash stab > super cancel.
Far C > super
Far D > super

D. Assault (DA) combos:

Cr. D > DA
Close C > DA
Close D > Close C (one or two hits, two hit C may push out too far if initial 
close D was not close enough) > DA 
Close D > far D (same as above applies, the option to do one or two hit close 
C to ensure DA makes it superior to this) > DA
Cr. B > DA (must be near)
Far C > DA (must be near, highest damage DA combo)
Close A/cr. A > close B > DA

The Amazing One Hit Close C:

Close C one hit combos into basically everything, including the only way to 
combo into qcb D and the only way to combo into command grab (thanks 
Alex/Cajunstrike for the latter). It�s rather strange that it can do this, 
but not overly useful. NGBC�s ways are mysterious.

As above, one hit close C can be cancelled into DA instead of two hit if you 
anticipate the second hit pushing out too far. Also, remember, close D > 
close C one hit > dash stab is an important dash stab combo to use on their 
wakeup. 

Slash chain:
The default command combo (L2 button) is just this:
Close A > close B > cr. A > cr. B. 

There�s not much reason to use this, as with a lot of the prepackaged combos 
the game shows you. A close A is better used to combo into close B > far D > 
dash stab combo, by far. To make matters worse, it is impossible to combo off 
of the cr. B at the end except with a level 2 super. 

Combos off of far C:
Most of the desirable combos off of far C require the normal to have been 
done fairly deep. At its tip, only a super is possible. 

Far C > dash stab series
Far C > DA
Far C > either super (level 2 is faster and will hit farther out than level 1 
will)

These certainly do a lot of damage, but hitting with this normal is a 
challenge. Its startup is considerable and its range isn�t too very good. 
However, as with crouching D, it can be cancelled on whiff, which means you 
can:

Whiff C > A/B/C dash stab for a hit or bait. Cancelling with the A version 
lets you recover slightly faster than if you had just let the move animate. 
Also, a blocked far C into C dash stab is a frametrap. If they try to move or 
switch guard, they�ll get hit.

NEW COMBOS:
I'll add these here that I find. This first one is something I more or less
"realized", really, and it can very well be an important part of your game
plan in the corner:

I mentioned earlier that qcb D combos after close C one hit, correct? Well:

Close D > one hit close C > qcb D works, but ONLY IN THE CORNER.

What is the significance of this, you ask? Simple, you combo into a
guaranteed knockdown with this. There's no other way to do that outside
of combos that end with level 2 super, Shiki's Curse, and you don't get
good oki off of said knockdown. What's more, generally, you'll be hitting
with a close D quite often in the corner if not a command throw. 

This has all been added to the strategy section as option A4.

ngbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbc

viii.  Advanced Strategy and Matchups

Dash Stab can slide under the following projectiles, punish on reaction:
Mai�s fan
Chonrei�s fireball
Chonshu�s fireball
Hanzou�s shuriken (single)
Fuuma�s shuriken (single)
Robert�s high boom 
Asura�s arrows (some that spread lower may hit)
Athena�s arrows
Akari�s...thing
Mizuchi�s...thing 
Mars People�s zapper
Marco's heavy machinegun, grenade
All of Ai's projectiles
Yuki's shots (have to anticipate them)

I can't remember testing -all- of these, let me know if something does or
does not work.

For every projectile that she can�t slide under, her qcb D will hop over it.

Dash stab is also generally a safe match opener, as is qcb D. They cannot 
punish either without meter and both are great for stuffing moves/jumps. C 
followup to dash stab can hit in the air, of course, and set up the reset 
just as well without the stab itself landing.

It can also avoid/hit the following supers:
Robert and Karate�s super fireball
Hanzou�s super fireball
Neo Dio�s super fireball
Mr. Big�s cattle prod zappy thingaz
Marco�s VOMIT (this is somewhat tricky, but if you�re where Marco would like 
to do this super, you can actually dash stab under it on reaction and punish 
him. There�s the possibility you will take a few hits at the end of your dash 
if the blood spray hits you as it moves just along his legs. If Marco 
properly sets this super up, however, you won�t have time for the startup of 
dash stab)
(more of these later)

Character Pairing

You will use a moderate amount of meter with Shiki. Her general game does not 
involve actually using meter, though level 2 life stealing and level 1 making 
your blocked dash stab attempts safe are a big plus. Shiki is generally 
better as a lead-off character because of this and due to the fact that she 
has many effective ways to combo into D. Assault. Also, as mentioned earlier, 
Shiki�s low special and overhead special (dash stab and qcb D, respectively) 
cannot be punished without meter, making the two of them safe match-openers. 
Further, if your opponent is not accustomed to Shiki and her game plan, you 
may very well fight them for half the match, get a life steal and that, 
combined with your existing red life, be able to switch her out for your 
second character and have her heal to full health to use near the end of the 
match, where she can very well excel in running away to take advantage of the 
timer, fishing for a level 2 during this time to boost your life when the 
time over occurs for the win. I hate that phrase.

So then, you�re best off pairing her with a character that needs meter to run 
their game and shines where Shiki does not. Things you should want in a 
teammate:

- Good anti air
- Effective use of meter/D. Assault hyper charge for damage
- Fast low pokes into damage (Shiki�s cr. A is comparatively slow and does 
not hit low)
- A projectile, though not entirely necessary, is a plus
- A better throw game. Shiki�s normal throw is relatively weak as it does not 
backturn and is techable. Her command throw is good, but it is better suited 
in different situations than what is intended in a general throw game, and is 
techable as well

Some example decent partners: Big, Kim, Robert, Mai, Kaede, Iori, Hotaru, Terry,
Karate, Washizuka, Hanzou

Any more "traditional" character with a solid, universal game that makes use
of the system well is a good start. 

Shiki, like Eiji in XI, can often run over the opponent for an easy OCV (one 
character victory) if they do not know what to look for in fighting her 
between said resets and opening/ending match strategy above and, even then, 
she has solid options against a good player, few as they are. My most important
advice to give is simply this: be careful to be safe. A player that doesn�t
know how to GCFS is an easy win every time, but a player that does know will
destroy you for being careless. This goes for any character.

Matchups

Vs. BIG: Qcb D can match lariat at certain ranges and will beat his lows, be 
careful to space it correctly though. Dash stab goes under lariat and 
punishes it. If he�s in your face with cr.A, though, you just have to be 
patient and break the throw and hope to return to a neutral situation.

Vs. Kim: Tag.

Vs. Asura: Easy fight. You can react to spikes and arrows to punish them
heavily, which is a lot of his gameplan. You have no reason to fear this
character.

Vs. Robert: You can deal with his projectiles easily, fast as they may be.
Teleports will disrupt his charges, but remember you do have recovery frames
and his cr.A/D are good. Be careful, his cr.C is enough of an anti air for him
not to need a flash kick charge, so no free jumps if you don't think he's had
time. Overall, this is in your favor, though he's a better character.

Vs. Hanzou: Wow simple character. Punish projectiles as usual. His st.A will
hit you even if you're crouching, though it looks like it won't, which makes
it all the more easy to combo into qcfx2+k or that Final Fantasy Edge-style
shuriken barrage. If he makes a few mistakes, you should have him. You do
more damage on your openings with better options, but he gets his openings 
easier than you do and has a pretty good dp and hot normals. Block and wait.

Vs. Geese: Stay out of the corner. Win.

Vs. Tung: Block.

Vs. Marco: Pick your qcb C spots wisely, there should be opportunities. He
relies heavily on projectiles. Teleports are risky as always, but possibly
helpful. He suffers from a lack of good anti air, much as you do, and
reversals and punishes aren't exactly his strong point. It's not an easy 
fight because it's Marco, but it's not too bad. See Kim.

Vs. Haohmaru: You can punish far C without meter if closer to him. Haoh is
strong, but you're fast and can do a lot of crazy nonsense. Take risks
carefully, he does a lot of damage.


(more later)

ix.  Closing/About the Author

My name is Brent, aka Purify (of the weird soul variety), known 
as �taraction� on gamefaqs. I am a Shiki/Mai player in NGBBBBBC. I�ve been 
playing this game since 20XX and know WHAT�S GOOD and REALLY GOOD. I�ve gone 
to several large US tournaments to play this game, including three Final 
Round tournaments in Georgia (in 2008 getting 2nd place behind Justin Wong), 
NEC in Pennsylvania or something, and there has been a very competitive scene 
for this game in my home state of North Carolina for quite some time now. 
Who�s da best? We�re da best! If you can make it to any of the larger 
tournaments on the east coast, chances are The Triad and/or myself will be 
there to help with this game. For more information on tournaments, visit 
shoryuken.com/forums, the tournaments section, and see what�s up. There�s 
also a forum just for finding and meeting up with people in your area to 
play. Lastly, an NGBC and SNK thread exists on the same site for you to 
discuss said topics in general with some of the best players around (and some 
of the worst too!).

There are many inside jokes in this guide, and I apologize. I hope you 
enjoyed it nonetheless. I�d like to thank these guys for making NGBC 
interesting and giving me solid competition:

SieClayton (plays all characters except Shiki, Kyo bestman)
Cajunstrike (THE United States Marco)
P. Soul (THE United States Iori)
Beast of Fire (THE United States Robert)
Return of Shiki/Shiki Dan
Arstal
Shaun Cosby

Matt Frank for reminding me that this game sucks

Also thanks to Dark Geese (THE United States Athena btw) for getting the SNK 
scene some attention, be it good or bad. This is all for now, look for my Mai 
guide in the future. To contact me about anything (I�m single! Lolol), my 
email address is:

[email protected]