The King of Fighters 99 King Strategy guide by Yu Lew it's been a while since I've written a FAQ.. (then again.....hehe...) but since king got better since the 98 fiasco.... I feel I should write about her again] finally she can be a challenge for PEOPLE!!!!!! Contents: =================================================================== 0.0 Preface 1.0 Introduction 1.1 About the Author 1.2 How to Use this Guide 1.3 Where to Get More Information 1.4 Character Background 1.5 Revisions 2.0 The Moves 2.1 Normal moves 2.2 Special Moves 2.2 Desperation Moves 2.3 Normal Moves 2.4 Command Moves 2.5 Combinations 2.6 Taunts 2.7 Strikers 3.0 General Strategy 3.1 Overview and Example 3.2 Ranges and Zoning 3.3 Mind Games 3.4 Meter Management 3.5 Punishing Mistakes 4.0 Acknowledgments 4.1 Credits 4.2 Version History 4.3 Copyright Information 1.0: Introduction (do I really need one?....hehe) =================================================================== 1.1: About the Author ------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's been many changes about the author of this FAQ (ME GODDAMMIT...hehe) relationship problems and stuff.... but there's always been time for KOF for me I'm a Macross fan too.... those 2 are usually my way of just having fun and avoiding frustration (DO YOU HEAR ME CLARK & CHOI PLAYERS?????)...hehe....but since king is one of my FAV characters to use, I had to do this FAQ 1.2: How to Use this Guide (if you like reading read on and hear me babble about my personals..hehe) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, since I've been criticized for this guide before (and praised for it) I'm happy to do this update of course I'll be using the names of King's moves with the motion so you can get used to it. I'll also be offering strategies on how to fight with her (WITHOUT CHEEZE). 1.3: Where to Get More Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is designed for middle to advanced-level King of Fighters '99 players; in other words, if you're reading this, then this guide is for you. If, however, any of the terminology in this guide is confusing to you, please refer to Andrew Seyoon Park's comprehensive The King of Fighters '97 Beginner's Reference v.0.10 which may be found at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/4810/ Therein you will an extensive glossary of terms in addition to all the basic rules of the game. 1.4: Character Background ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME: King "The Beautiful Kickboxing Lady" FIGHTING STYLE: Mui Thai NATIONALITY: France BIRTHDAY: April 8, 1973 AGE: 27 HEIGHT: 175cm WEIGHT: 58kg 3-SIZE: B-86 W-55 H-85 BLOODTYPE: A HOBBIES: Collecting Wine Glasses FAVORITE FOOD: Vegetables FAVORITE SPORT: Billiards MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: "Jean (I think)" THING SHE HATES THE MOST: Gross People (like Jack) With Mai Leaving to go with Andy's team, King's left with nobody in the female team until Blue Mary and Xiangfei Join. Little did King know that Kasumi came back and is out for revenge. with these 4, a new female team is joined 1.5: Revisions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- v1.0 edied version of my 97 faq 2.0: The Moves =================================================================== (Note: The following assume King is facing right. Mirror the motion if facing left.) 2.1: Normal Moves ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.Standing A a quick jab good for standing pokes or combos good range 2.Standing B looks like the venom strike special move... without the fireball very quick .. misses low blockers 3.Standing C looks like a jab. fairly quick and good damage 4.Standing D a good roundhouse kick. perfect for oncoming jumpers. (used oftened this is called the scrubby way of playing king) 5.Close A quick elbow (comboable) 6.Close B quick low shin kick (comboable) 7.Close C upper elbow to the face (comboable) it misses low blockers (except tall guys) 8.Close D (2 hit roundhouse) good for combos (comboable and 1st hit can be also canceled) 9.Crouching A quick low jab (comboable) good for poking 10.Crouching B quick low short kicks (comboable) Great for poking and combos 11.Crouching C an upwards punch (anti air) perfect for oncoming jumpers. (like the standing D, used oftened this is called the scrubby way of playing king) 12.Crouching D a low roundhouse kick. good damage. good range. 13.CD somewhat like the standing b kick except the kick hits the midsection (CD's are always good) can be canceled 14.Jumping A a jumping punch with the fist at an angle 15.Jumping B a great jumping kick (great against clark's jumping D) where King kicks upward, giving her priority over most jumpers (if king is a late jumper) 16.Jumping C looks like the A jump but stronger 17.Jumping D a normal jump kick, good combo starter 18.Jumping CD an overhead jump kick, has priority over almost all jump kicks (with the exception of Kings's jumping b and Clark's jumping D) one of King's best normal moves 2.2: Special Moves ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Different Character's each has their own special moves. That's what makes each one unique. The joystick motions and the button combinations each make up a special move is shown here 1.Tornado Kick '95 -O \ | / O- + B O O O Description: a 2 hit kick that get's King across the screen... first hit goes diagonaly up (15 degrees) and the second is diagonally down (15 degrees) (exactly like her 95 tornado kick) Purpose: it's cool for combos because people don't normally see this kick... it takes king all the way across the screen and can sometimes avoid low projectiles food for surprise attacks and also cool for attacking zoners. Notes: it's great that they gave King this move back, alot of people complained when she lost it in 96 for the revised edition, I'm glad that they brought it back without losing the revised Tornado Kick. it's usefulness in use is it's ability to bring king across the screen quickly 2.Tornado Kick -O \ | / O- + D O O O Description: a 6 hit aerial kick (it attacks opponents at a 40 degree angle) Purpose: A great attack if it hits. A stupid mistake if she misses. It's a great move if you anticipate your opponent jumping. but it leaves you very open if you miss. Notes: it is a great counter if you know your opponent is going to jump at you. you should avoid using it if your opponent is grounded (there is an exception to rules like this when playing certain characters. in this case it doesn't mean that you should not use this move when the opponent is grounded, but if you anticipate the opponent is off-guard for a few seconds, then use it to your liking) it's also good when King is Knocked down and the opponent jumps at you the tornado kick usually will catch your opponent 3. Surprise Rose -O | \ + A/C O O Description: An anti-air 4 hitter. King goes up for 2 hits, and then she goes down at you for 2 hits. although if she doesn't hit the opponent for the first 2, it's added in for the last 2. the C version brings King up further to attack with Purpose: Tick Damage. basically one of King's best moves. if you hit the opponent on the ground it might lead to you crossing up. or if the first knee hits, it knocks your opponent up for the full 4 hits. it is an above-average anti-air priority. The A-button surprise rose leaves you on the ground a little before the opponent hits the ground (thus if you're in the corner, a D tornado kick is the best follow up since the combo damage it does is pretty nice). the C-button version leaves you on the ground before the opponent, but the recovery time is increased by a few split seconds (thus, trying to do the tornado kick right afterwards will miss most of the time unless you get the timing right). Notes: a very unique anti-air move that is very weak in comparision to most moves but it is very effective when you learn its timing. use this attack if you want to do tick damage to your enemy. 4. Venom Strike | \ -O + B O O Description: A Fireball (It travels like Kensou's Fireball, not like Iori's) Purpose: What else? (Hey!! If you don't know what or how to use a fireball by now, I don't see a use for this guide anymore) 5. Double Strike | \ -O + D O O Description: A double Fireball Purpose: What else? Keep away. And it's also good for combo's. it can knock a jumping person up twice if you time it right. if the opponent falls on the first fireball, the second one will almost surely hit all the time. and it will combo a grounded opponent only if King uses this attack up close. Notes: try mixing up this move with the venom strike. sometimes people will mistake one for another and get hit twice. if you expect the opponent to jump after this use the tornado kick or surprise rose. it's a great move to knock the opponent back if you don't want to have them at close range. 6. Mirage Kick -O \ | / O- + A/C O O O Description: King runs up to you and hits you for a 4 hit combo Purpose: Tick Damage, it's usually used to drain an opponents energy. it leaves you at a safe distance from a lot of characters' low sweeps, and has a good recovery time. Notes: use it only when you expect the opponent to block (or if you anticipate him/her getting hit by it). mainly because her startup is soo predictable, you will have trouble using the Mirage kick from a distance. This move is very comboable! if the opponent blocks all 4 attacks follow up with a trap shot. (the Mirage Kick leaves you at such a safe distance that you are safe from punishment) 7. Trap Shot -O | \ + B/D O O Description: a grounded creasant kick ending in a combo of kicks if it hit's your opponent if it misses, the lag from the cresent kick is so long that you'll be punished horribly. Purpose: in 97 it was more useful since it was also used to do tick damage. be careful in using this move and be sure to know when you're opponent will attack, or else you'll know why it's so painful to miss. Notes: this move does good damage if it hits, but otherwise it's completely useless, even as an anti air, it has no priority at all, but if you catch someone with the cresent, then you've done some decent damage to the guy. you will only get punished if you use this up close to your opponent. if you use the trap shot at a distance (so only the cresent animation touches your opponent you will be safe from alot of low sweeps...usually I use this after a Mirage kick or after 2 low B's) 8.Mirage dance O- / | \ -O + A/C (up close to opponent) O O O Description: an unblockable move that hits 4 times (like Andy's/Ryo's/Robert's grab) Purpose: it acts like a grab without the missing grab animation a great move to attack turtler's with. Notes: this is one of the most overused moves with King (which makes it one of her strongest moves) I only use it once in a while against opponents because it can be used repeatedly (CHEAP!!) if an opponent runs up to you to try to combo you, use this to show them the error of coming close to King. this move finally puts King as one of the top 10 Characters to play 2.2: Desperation Moves ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't know why I'm even writing about this. King's Desperation Moves are "Almost" useless. (take the notice that I said "Almost") 1. Illusion Dance | \ -O \ | / O- + B/D O O O O O Description: A rush of attacks ending in a trapshot to a tornado kick Purpose: the only time to use this move is when you're on the ground from an opponent's attack. if the opponent is agressive, use it right when you get up for a real surprise (the b version only, the D version has a really bad start time) Notes: this move has been weakened from it's 96 counterpart. in 96 there was no startup for the b version, and the d version was faster. right now, only the B version is recommended as the only one you use. although with the addition of strikers it's one of the coolest attacks to combo with 2. Silent Flash | / O- | / O- + B/D O O O O Description: A very Powerful Trap Shot ending in a slicing upwards kick. Purpose: basically useless unless you use it as an anti-air attack (even then you will miss the 2nd attack(s) altogether). This move is very comboable if you hit your opponent with it Notes: Use this only as a last resort anti air attack. this move is good when comboed... but becareful of the distance when using it the last hit will miss if you're at a good enough distance away from your opponent very damaging 2.3: Effective Normal Moves ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Standing B an aerial poke (good against jumpers) Crotching C a good attack that attacks upward. Standing D (2-hitter) King's Best Move. it is cancelable into almost every special move she has (except the (S)DM's) for best use of this move, you should cancel from the first hit (meaning, DO NOT LET THE SECOND KICK HIT!!!!) and your opponent will be in trouble 2.4: Command Moves ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hop Kick \ + B O King hops foward with a overhead kick (hits low blockers) Slide Kick \ + D O A Low slide kick. goes under fireballs. 2.5: Combinations ------------------------------------------------------------------------- King relies more on mind games and combos. King also has enough special-case and corner combos to give expert players something to work toward. What follows is a mostly comprehensive list of what she can do. (the following combos can begin from the ground without the initial jump-in attack) Jump C/D, stand D, A/C venom strike Jump C/D, stand D, A/C Double Strike Jump C/D, stand D, Step Side Kick Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Tornado Kick Jump C/D, crouch B, Trap Shot Jump C/D, crouch B,crouch B, Trap Shot Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Surprise rose Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Mirage Kick Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Mirage Dance Silent Flash (SDM version), Tornado Kick Jump C/D, stand B/D(cancel first hit), Silent Flash(SDM version) (the following are possible only under special circumstances, specified in parenthesis) Jump C/D, stand D(cancel first hit), Surprise rose(A version), Tornado Kick (note this one only works in the corner) Stand D(cancel first or second(if you're good) hit), Surprise rose(A version), Tornado Kick (note this one only works in the corner) CD (counter hit/ not the CD counter) into the illusion Dance (S)DM) CD(counter or counter hit) Counter mode combos Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Mirage Kick(cancel the second/third hit into the Silent Flash) Jump C/D, stand A/B/C/D, Mirage Dance(cancel the second/third hit into the Silent Flash) Jump C/D, stand D, A/C venom strike(cancel the second/third hit into the Silent Flash) Jump C/D, stand D, A/C Double Strike(cancel the second/third hit into the Silent Flash) (if you find out more combos send them to me) 2.6: Taunts ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Press the start button to taunt the opponent. Taunt: She holds one arm up while beckoning her opponent with the other hand saying "Come on Baby!" 2.7 Strikers ------------------------------------------------------------------------- the reason I'm doing this is because I think strikers is one of the best things that ever happened to king of fighters... for beginners it's good because it can get them out of the corner. and for the advanced player... it keeps the grabbers (i.e.clark) from continuoisly grabbing I'm only going to put in the strikers that I think are good with King. (most of the time that's any one that can be used to combo with the Illusion dance DM. or ones that look cool enough to combo with) *Maxima (good because when he grabs a character King is ready with anything) *Benimaru (good because when he grabs a character King is ready with anything) *Shingo (good because when he grabs a character King is ready with anything) Andy Right after his Zanet ken elbow you can use the Illusion dance (need good timing) trap shot, tornado kick (any version), double or venom strike (you can use the Mirage kicks but only 1 hit will register) Robert hey if you don't know how to use this striker for combos... may god help you Yuri Now she's fun. run under her when she's doing the Dragon Punches, make sure you're on the opposit side of where Yuri attacks(as if you're ready to get hit by her)... then at the same time as the last hit do King's Illusion Dance (S)DM (you can still do venom strikes but if you do the DM man it looks cool as hell) Takuma once his Ho-shokoken hits there's a slight chance to smack your opponent with the illusion dance (you need great timing) Shin Kyo are you kidding me? he's the best striker out there... with all the coolest combos you can think of best striker Ralf a little after the Galactica Phantom hits your opponent, use the Illusion Dance (or if you're close enough, the Silent Flash) Clark when Clark grabs your opponent... Run past him.... then Illusion dance your opponent Mary when she tosses the opponent up in air use the Illusion Dance (you need good timing) Kasumi when she tosses the opponent up in air use the Illusion Dance (you need good timing) Kim ohh he's fun right after the second hit of his phoenix kick do the illusion dance you need good timing but it looks soo damn cool 3.0: General Strategy =================================================================== The following is a suggestion as to how to think about a match as a King player; I stress that being unpredictable is the key to consistent victory not just with King but with any character (but this mostly applies to King). 3.1: Overview and Example ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most things considered, King now ranks a sone of the best contenders in KOF 99. she's gotten refined and alot better since giving her 95 tornado kick and the mirage dance. I've played her since 96 because I liked her new style. And I've been an Avid King user ever since then. 3.2: Ranges and Zoning ------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the venom strike and double strike, King can zone her opponent away. And if the opponent jumps to try to avoid it, he/she can fall into a coming tornado kick, or the second half of the venom strike. at close range, her mirage kick can drain some energy off a foe (and leave king far enough away most of the time to be safe). and the double strike can knock the opponent a safe distance away from King. King is a good attacker up close or far. with a multiple array of attacks 1 grab, a couple of tick attacks. poking, zoning, fireballing, she's a strong character 3.3: Mind Games ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mind games are Essential with King. Ever since KOF96 she had been forced to resort to mind games and Anticipation. By mixing up tornado kicks, mirage kicks, surprise roses, venom strikes and double strikes, you'll have your opponent trying to guess what you're throwing next. And the surpise advantage by doing the Illusion Dance (S)DM when she gets up from a knockdown to an airborne opponent (or an attacking one) makes her deadly. if you have played King is 96, take notice that her Illusion Dance timing is different now. her Hard kick version is slower while her New Light kick version is like the same speed as her 96 counterpart. another trick is to use 2 low b's with a trap shot. that zones opponents and puts king at a very safe distance againt most attacks. or instead of a trap shot use a 95 tornado kick. this is good for getting king close to your opponent 4.0: Closing Acknowledgments =================================================================== 4.1: Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide would not have been possible without the following: - The King of Fighters Mailing List: kof@dhp.com Without it I wouldn't be playing KOF97 as well as I do now - Howling Mad Henry Moritarty (a.k.a. Madman) awesome guy. inspiration to Finish this FAQ - Andrew Seyoon Park, aka EX Andy: asp@uclink2.berkeley.edu the idea and moves for this guide. (thanks for the taunt translation and reminding me some of the other combos that King has, see Matt Hall/Moonrun) http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/4810/ - Greg A. Kasavin:shrike@slip.net the idea for this guide. (Your Yashiro Guide inspired me for this guide, Thanks!!!) http://www.slip.net/~shrike - Chikako Jennifer Ishikawa: iorin@aol.com Back story, character profile, some speech transcription and translation. (Arigato!!) http://members.aol.com/iorin/chika/index.html - Tony Wedd: miku@camtech.net.au Grammer, Text info. (BTW: please cut down on my capitalization on things this was all done on Notepad, so I had no help with grammer) (a special thanks to you for putting your time in to fully check on my Guide) - Matt Hall @ m00nrun: kensou@aol.com moonrun@pacific.net.sg Combos!!!!!!!! (a special thanks for the Silent Flash, Tornado Kick combo) http://home.pacific.net.sg/~moonrun/index.html - Neo Geo Freak Magazine Official special moves, some combos. - SNK Corporation of Japan For creating the best 2D fighting game in years. THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS READ THIS GUIDE!! If you took your time to read this guide, you have showed me that I am not a fool for writing a guide no one would read. Please send your criticism to me so I know if you liked it or not. THANKS 4.2: Copyright Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is intended for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or in any medium without express permission of the author is prohibited. (ahhh %#%$# it!!! if you want to make a copy of this go ahead!!!! you took your time to read it, so please do!!) Thanks for reading and enjoy the game. Yu Lew Isamud@mail.idt.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guide v1.1 Copyright 1999 Yu Lew All rights reserved. The King of Fighters '99, King, Neo-Geo, Neo-Freak etc. are all trademarks of SNK Corporation, Copyright 1999