h3ro said:
Could anyone point me to a good Dhalsim tutorial for a beginner? I'd like to start playing him.
I know there are a few guys that main him here, Satyamdas and Art, any tips for a person just starting with him?
I feel like I'm teleporting too many times and relying way too much on jump back sniper. I'm connecting but the damage is really low and I end up getting blown up when I go in. I wish non-EX Up-Flame came out quicker as well.
Best overall advice I can give is to expect to struggle and lose a lot in the beginning, and to try not to get discouraged when you get rushed down and killed by Yuns and Vipers and Abels and you feel like you can't do anything. Eventually you will get better at positioning yourself and be able to stay alive longer and give yourself a better chance to win.
It's crucial to learn his different normals and how you need to use them in various situations. I notice with new Sim players there is a tendency to rely on st.HP and st.MK almost exclusively, but you really have to use every single normal and command normal with Sim to be effective against good players.
If you don't have b+MK xx LP Flame or Flame xx Super down yet, I would recommend spending a little time each time you play in training mode practicing that on both sides and getting the muscle memory down for that. It isn't the hardest combo in the game but it isn't the easiest either, and in a match you really need to be able to do it on command since it is one of very few ways for Sim to deal damage.
Make an effort to stand your ground and anti air with B+MP and B+HK because they are very good and they will frustrate your opponent into doing more unsafe stuff to get in. B+HK for far and medium ranges, and B+MP for when they are trying to cross up or are jumping from close range. If you use B+MP you can cancel that into a MP or HP fire which forces them to block as they land. If you are feeling fancy you can cancel it into a teleport and give yourself more space. EX Blast is good for things like Akuma's demon flips, where normal anti airs have a tendency to lose clean. Even if you trade using EX Flame, at least he isn't on top of you.
Teleporting in is tough to resist, because we all want to catch the opponent doing something and punish, but it is almost always a bad idea to get close to characters who can hurt Sim. If you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, not only do you get hit out of your tele, but now the opponent is on top of you. Teleporting
out of danger is also tough to resist because of how fragile Sim is, but again, good opponents will either be option selecting to make you pay, or they will be anticipating a teleport and will attack accordingly. It is almost always a better idea to stand your ground and just block as best you can.
Sniper is punishable on block or hit by a large portion of the cast. Some need Ultra to punish, some EX meter, some don't need any meter, so keep that in mind.
Don't need meter:
El Fuerte
Guy
Viper
Blanka
Ibuki
Rog (Ultra also)
Need EX meter and/or Ultra:
Deejay
Dudley
Honda
Hakan
Yun (EX + Ultra)
Yang (EX + Ultra)
Vega (EX + Ultra)
Makoto (EX + Ultra)
Bison (EX + Ultra)
Sagat (EX + Ultra)
Abel (Ultra only)
Adon (Ultra only)
Akuma (Ultra/Super only)
Rose (Ultra/Super only)
Gen (Ultra/Super only)
That's off the top of my head and while I might be missing a few, that is still a lot of punishment for a little potential damage in return, and that is when the sniper is mid screen and max distance. If you do it too close or whiff it even more stuff can punish, and if you do it too close to your own corner then the whole cast can punish heavily. On top of that, focusing the sniper and dashing forward to punish heavily works as well. So sniper *really* needs to be used sparingly. I've been playing Sim for 2+ years and I still abuse sniper and get blown up for it, so I know that feel bro. :*(
The problem is that people know Sim doesn't want to come close, so if they get a life lead or just want to turtle on you then you don't have any options to open them up besides sniper.
Know your one (weak) option select. Against dive kicks on your wakeup, use db. lp+lk+mp. If they come in to throw you will tech it, and if they dive kick your db.mp will come out and sometimes
stuff it. It isn't much, but that and EX Blast are all we've got against dive kicks.