Similarity Discussion

Introduction:

It's no secret that Namco reuses properties (and possibly animations) from one character to another. It's simply another form of balancing that not only reduces the odds that any single character is overpowered, but also evens the playing field such that characters can have a fighting chance against the rest of the cast. The longer you play, you'll start to notice said similarities that makes the game not only balanced, but makes remembering punishment much easier. Quick example, "hell sweeps" are a L,H NC strings that are usually invisible when executed properly, as such both attacks on block are launch punishable. Say you're completely new to T6 and you see Bob execute CD+4,1+2 for the first time, you notice that the 2nd attack seems guaranteed on hit. Using your experience from DR, you can induce that the string has properties similar to a hell sweep and be better prepared when you block the attack in the future.

Characters that do not share basic common properties are usually thought of as deficient, most likely as weak at punishing. A good example of this is the character Raven, while he's flashy and can possibly win on 50/50 shenanigans, he's lacking very basic punishment that's common to most of the cast. With a sub-par i12 punisher, poor standing i14 punishment, and no W!/KND i10 punishers; it is very easy for Raven to get completely walked over by his opponent. On the other hand, characters with special properties not similar to the rest of the cast are usually thought as over powered. A great example of this is Lars, his u/f+3 (hail mary style) attack introduced a move with properties that are not normally associated with the Tekken series. The easiest way to explain u/f+3 is by correlating it to the Street Fighter series' shoryuken (DP) attacks, a quick attack that crushes almost anything the opponent throws out, almost all lows and highs as well as some mids. To be fair he wasn't the only character with such a property in T6, Bob CD+2 and Steve PAB u/f+2 immediately come to mind. Also to be fair, these attacks are high risk for their properties and as they're all launch punishable on block, therefore can not be simply thrown out hoping that you'll crush your opponent.

Dragunov has many tools that saves him from having completely one-sided match ups, but he doesn't have properties that makes him really stand out from the cast. With that being said, let's talk about how some of his attacks stack up against the rest of the Tekken characters.

iWR 2 (compared to Alisa/Julia)

I figured I'll start with iWR 2 since it was Dragunov's bread and butter in T6 (vanilla), the problem was that the revamped iWR 2 was too strong and required nerfing. As it stands now though, iWR 2 is mid attack that gives nothing guaranteed on non-CH and combo on CH. With the opponent's back to the wall, W! is possible on non-CH (though inconsistent) and gives special combo on CH. Unfortunately the combo is 3,1,2 and not a full W! like it is without CH, therefore it's possible to do less damage on CH than on normal hit.

While nearly every character in the game has a generic iWR 3 that low crushes and is +17 on block (though the opponent can still block), there's three characters with running attacks that are very different from the rest of the cast but similar to each other (namely Alisa, Dragunov, and Julia).

Rather than stating all the pieces of data out, this seems to be the perfect time to use a table.

Key:

Potential - Damage potential on CH (Combo used: CH iWR 2, dash, iWS 4, 1,3,2 B! ff, 3,1,2)

Crush - What moves does the attack crush

All - Property occurs on CH as well as non-CH

u/f+4 (compared to Bryan/Lars)

If you've already read the Sergei Manifesto, you should know that the changes from DR to BR have completely destroyed u/f+4 combos and instead have made it a wimpier shell of its old self. It's gone from a decent combo with adjustable wall carry to small combo with almost no wall carry. The one thing I can't complain about is that even though the damage is lack luster, it's safe on block and has less tendency to whiff on attacks while the opponent is very low to the ground. With that being said, it's nearly inferior to Bryan and Lars' u/f+4 in every way.

Best case scenario, you're looking at landing u/f+4 on your opponent while they're near the wall and it's directly to your right. This will allow you to iWS 4 pick up the opponent and grant a combo and possibly wall carry for more damage. Bryan and Lars on the other hand don't have to worry about wall placement for full combo, instead get full combo on hit.

Bryan - u/f+4, d/b+2, d/b+2, 1, b+1, B!, u/f+3, d+3,2

Lars - u/f+4, f+1,2,3~DE 1, f,b+2,1, B! d/b+2~SE 1

These are a few examples of the type of combos you're looking at off a single u/f+4 and if you've never seen the second combo in action, the string has tremendous wall carry (though admittedly the post bind string will be different). Whereas Dragunov is looking at u/f+4, d+4,1,3 with no bind possible without a wall to your right. Don't get me wrong, this article isn't just about damage, it's specifically about attack properties, whether on hit or during execution. What really makes Bryan and Lars' u/f+4 so incredible are its mid-air hit boxes. Their u/f+4 attacks tend to crush jabs and certain moves at 0 range and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or has never seen an attack go right trough them.