Tekken 9 How To Play Against Common Strategies

Tekken 9 How to Play Against Common Strategies

Alright, Tekken fans! So, you’re pumped for Tekken 9, ready to climb those ranks, but you keep running into the same tricky moves and strategies? Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. This guide will help you figure out how to handle those frustrating situations and become a more well-rounded player. We’ll be talking about some popular tactics people use and, most importantly, how to stop them. Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Basics: Why These Strategies Work

Before we get into specific counters, let’s quickly discuss why these strategies are so common in the first place. It often comes down to a few simple things:

• They’re Effective: These moves and tactics often lead to easy wins if you don’t know how to deal with them. People use them because they get results.
• They’re Easy to Learn: Some strategies are simple to perform and remember, making them popular for beginners and intermediate players alike.
• They Exploit Weaknesses: These tactics target common mistakes that players often make, making them even more useful against those who are new to the game.

Understanding these reasons makes it easier to accept that you’ll see these a lot, and it motivates you to learn the counters.

The Aggressive Onslaught: Dealing with Pressure

One of the most common things you’ll face is an opponent who just keeps attacking. They don’t give you any breathing room, throwing move after move in your face. This can be intimidating, but here’s how to handle it:

Understanding the Offense

Many players try to use constant plus frames on block to gain advantage on their offensive side of game. Players use this tactic to put pressure, so opponent will make the wrong move because of this pressure. And some players also tries to mix up low and high attacks to confuse their opponents.

Recognize the Pattern

Often, aggressive players have a pattern. They may favor certain strings or moves. Look for these tendencies. Are they constantly going for lows after a certain poke? Are they always using the same high attack in a combo? Identifying these patterns will help you anticipate their next move.

Use Your Movement

Don’t just stand there and take the beating. Back dash or sidestep to create space and avoid their attacks. A well-timed sidestep can completely negate many strings and set you up for a punishing counterattack.

Practice Blocking and Punishing

You’ve got to get good at blocking. Many aggressive players try to throw out unsafe moves, relying on the pressure to avoid getting punished. Learn to block those attacks and then hit them with a quick counter. Knowing which moves are unsafe and when to launch your fastest attacks are key.

Use Defensive Moves

Consider moves that can interrupt your opponent. For instance, some characters have quick moves that can stop your opponent’s strings. These can be really effective in breaking up their offense.

Don’t Rush In

A mistake a lot of people make is rushing in to punish, just to find themselves getting hit again. Be patient, keep your calm, and find an opening.

The Turtle Strategy: How to Beat Defensive Players

On the flip side, you’ll face players who are extremely defensive. They block constantly, waiting for you to make a mistake. This can be very frustrating because it feels like they’re not doing anything, but here’s how to handle it:

Understanding Defensive Players

Defensive players are basically waiting for you to make a mistake. They use their guarding and movement to take out the space and make the opponents make a bad move so they can attack. Some defensive players will wait for you to throw out the moves then punish you.

Mix Up Your Offense

Don’t become predictable. Don’t use the same move over and over again, or the defensive player will simply start to predict and counter you. Try mixing up between highs, lows, and throws. Keep them guessing. For example, if you keep going for low attacks, then they will be able to block them. That’s why it is better to mix up highs and lows to keep them guessing.

Use Throws

Defensive players love to block. Throws can bypass their guard, giving you a chance to inflict some damage. If they keep blocking, throw them, that will make them more defensive and this will create space for you to perform your moves.

Take Calculated Risks

Sometimes you need to take a chance. Don’t be afraid to try a slightly slower attack or a risky mix-up, just be sure to know what you’re doing, and you don’t expose yourself to their attacks. Use your moves to take the advantage to be on the offensive side of the game. This will keep the defensive players busy in guarding or moving, so they won’t be able to attack freely.

Use Moves That Force a Reaction

Some moves can make your opponent move, or guard, or move in the wrong direction. Use them to get your opponent out of their shell.

The Low Attack Game: Dealing With Low Pokes and Sweeps

Low attacks can be very annoying. They’re difficult to see and often lead to long combos. Here is what you can do against low attacks:

Understanding Low Attacks

Low attacks are those moves that your opponent does while crouched or low on the ground. They’re useful because they can bypass blocking and hit you on your legs and make you fall on the ground, that’s why people use them more often. Some low attacks are slow while some are fast, so you need to have the habit to be prepared to block them all the time.

Learn to Block Lows

Blocking low attacks is essential. You can’t just stand there; you have to crouch block to stop them. Practice this and start identifying the start-up animations that hint at a low attack. Also knowing which moves the opponents are doing often, helps you block them.

Use Mid Attacks to Counter

Mid attacks hit characters standing up and crouching, making them effective for countering low attacks. You can use them when you think your opponent will go low.

Use Jump Attacks

Some jump attacks can go over low attacks and can punish the opponent.

Predict and Punish

If you notice your opponent loves using the same low attack, be ready to block it and launch a counter move.

The Throw Game: Avoiding Grapples and Throws

Throws are moves that can be a very good strategy. They can’t be blocked with guard, and they are a great way to open up defensive players. Here is how to deal with throws:

Understanding Throwing

Throws are moves where your character grabs the opponent and throws them to the ground, dealing damage. They bypass guarding, making them great for breaking through defenses. They often work in the same way that low moves work, since the player can’t guard the moves while standing up.

Learn to Break Throws

Most throws can be broken by pressing the corresponding button when your character gets grabbed. Practice the timing in training mode. It requires good timing and reaction.

Space Yourself

Throws usually have a short range. Try to create space and make the opponent miss a throw and be open to attack.

Predict the Throw

Like other attacks, you can also start to predict the throw when the opponents are throwing too much. When the opponent tries to throw you and misses, then they are open to attack.

The String and Combo Game: Interrupting Long Strings

Combos and long strings can be very intimidating. They often lead to huge damage and can easily knock you out. Here’s how to deal with them:

Understanding Combos and Strings

These are a sequence of moves performed back to back, they usually start with a hit or launch and then followed by multiple moves. Many players try to use long combos to do as much damage as possible. Some strings are mix-ups with lows and highs, which makes them harder to block.

Identify Gaps in Strings

Many strings aren’t completely flawless. Look for small gaps between the moves. This is where you can use a fast attack to stop the string and start your own offensive attack.

Interrupt with a Fast Move

Use fast moves to interrupt the string. You don’t always need big moves, just something to stop the opponent and start your offensive game. Some characters have very fast punches that are useful in these situations.

Don’t Just Block

Constantly blocking won’t help much if your opponent is performing long combos. You need to be active and find the opportunity to stop their attack. Waiting too long for the perfect opportunity will let them do too much damage.

Use Movement

Try to sidestep or back dash during the combo to make your opponent miss the last attacks and punish them. Also sometimes sidestepping after the first hit, will let you get away without getting hit by the combo.

The ‘Cheap’ Tactics: Dealing with Common Annoyances

Every game has a few moves that players consider “cheap.” These are usually moves that are easily spammed or difficult to deal with. Here’s how to approach them:

Understanding “Cheap” Tactics

These moves or tactics are usually very annoying, hard to block, or easily repeated for quick wins. For some moves, players may even feel like it is not the correct way to play the game.

Stay Calm

The first thing you should do, is stay calm. Don’t get angry and start playing more aggressive. Instead, try to find a counter that works. Remember that these tactics usually have some kind of a weakness, so keep your calm and find a way to counter them.

Practice Specific Counters

Some moves have specific counters. Research online or go to practice mode to figure out what works. If you can find the counters for the most annoying moves, you will easily beat those players.

Adapt Your Strategy

Don’t keep falling for the same thing. If a player keeps using a certain cheap move, change your game plan to counter it.

Character Specific Strategies

Every character is different in Tekken 9. They have their own moves, combos, and gameplay style, so you will have to change the strategy depending on which character you are playing against. Here’s some general advice for dealing with specific character types:

Grapplers

These characters use throws a lot. They want to get close to you and grab you. Practice throw breaking, use long-range attacks, and move around to avoid getting grabbed.

Rushdown Characters

These characters are aggressive. They want to rush you down with fast attacks and combos. Block a lot, interrupt strings, and use pokes to stop them in their tracks.

Zoners

These characters want to stay at a distance and poke you with long-range attacks. Move closer, don’t let them set up their space, use fast attacks, and don’t let them control the battle.

Defensive Characters

These characters are very good at blocking and moving around. Mix up highs and lows, use throws, and be patient. Try to create space to bait them to come out of their shell and attack. Then, punish them.

All Rounders

These characters are versatile. They can do a little bit of everything, so be ready for anything. Try to identify their go-to strategies and punish them.

Practicing Your Defense

Defense in Tekken 9, like in any fighting game, is not just about blocking. It’s also about movement, spacing, and making smart decisions. Here are some ways to improve your defense:

Training Mode

Training Mode is your best friend. Spend time there to practice blocking, throw breaking, sidestepping, and learn how to punish moves. You should be able to block most of the moves without thinking.

Play Against Different Opponents

Playing against different players with different styles will help you adapt to a wide variety of strategies. This helps you learn and makes you a more well-rounded player.

Watch High Level Players

Observe how high-level players defend against different strategies. Watch their movement and decision-making and try to implement their gameplan into your game.

Analyze Your Matches

Record and watch your matches. Identify where you are making mistakes and the moves you are falling for, this will help you improve the defense in the future.

Tekken 9 is a game of strategy, tactics, and timing. By understanding the common strategies you’ll encounter and how to counter them, you can level up your game. Remember to practice, stay calm, and adapt to your opponent. With some time and effort, you’ll be able to handle any situation the game throws at you. Keep practicing and don’t be afraid to make mistakes – it’s all part of learning.