Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike/Oro/Strategy

Overview Combos Matchups Strategy Resources Archive Page

Strategies

Overview

Oro is an unorthodox character with a strong neutral presence in many matchups, but he lacks the kind of moves that easily convert stray hits into big damage or knockdowns. Instead, he uses his quick grounded movement and tricky double jump to play a delicate hit-and-run type style.

Neutral

Oro's best grounded pokes are far MK and 5HK. Far MK is his second farthest reaching normal. It has fast (8f) startup considering its reach, along with a slightly disjointed active hitbox. It is particularly useful in the shoto matchups, where it will cleanly beat shoto 2MK when properly spaced. 5HK doesn't have the disjoint hitbox or the range of far MK, but it makes up for this with absurdly fast 7f startup and heinous stun damage. It does so much stun that even the long stun bar characters can't afford to carelessly get hit. Its speed, heavy priority, and hitboxes make it difficult to contest. Unfortunately, both of these otherwise incredible buttons suffer from the same major weaknesses. On whiff, far MK and 5HK are respectively 26f and 28f long, meaning they are quite whiff punishable. Both kicks are also -5 on block. Additionally, Far MK is -4 on hit, and 5HK is only 1f better at -3 on hit. While this is not always a problem, it can open Oro up to big punishes on block when the opponent has meter, and even on hit against characters with fast supers, like Ken and Chun Li. Finally, both moves have rather high active hitboxes, and they will whiff on short crouching characters like Chun, Elena, twins, and even in the mirror.

Far MP has the same startup as far MK, but with shorter range. It is also less rewarding to land, doing both less damage and less stun. Fortunately it has a shorter overall animation at 24 frames; less severe disadvantage on block and hit, at -2 and -1 respectively; and a lower reaching active hitbox. The extra block and hit advantage is useful against characters that can punish your stronger pokes. The lower hitbox is critical for maintaining Oro's neutral presence against characters that can crouch under his kicks.

2HP is another absurdly fast heavy button, with only 6f of startup. Much like 5HK, it is unfortunately quite whiff punishable, with 18 recovery frames and 28 frames total. Unlike that button, it is only -2 on block and +0 on hit. While not a standard "footsies" type move, it is excellent as a whiff punish due to its fast startup and fairly generous disjointed active hitbox. It especially shines in the Hugo matchup, where it will usually cleanly beat Hugo's standing LP, crouching LP, and standing MP; as well as the Makoto matchup, where it is pretty much Oro's only (albeit excellent) option to punish Makoto for abusing her 2MK.

2MK is Oro's primary low button. It has fast 6f startup, 4 active frames, and a quick (11f) recovery. It also has a generous disjointed active hitbox, so it tends to have favorable interactions with comparable low pokes. It will often cleanly beat tackle-type moves like Urien's chariot tackle. If you hit someone with it at close range, it can combo into human pillar driver (Oro's hit-grab) for a hard knockdown. All of this and it's even +0 on block, +1 on hit, and +2 on crouching hit; a rarity for Oro pokes.

Oro's forward dash is extremely fast and far reaching. If Oro is able to parry or make the opponent whiff a high commitment move like a sweep, he often has time to dash in and punish with a cl.MP combo.

Double jump means that Oro rarely has to fully commit to a jump. He can constantly test the opponent by faking jump-ins. If Oro is able to bait a bad anti-air, he should be prepared to land his biggest possible punish.

Poking ideas

-5HK beats Dudley’s 5HK (sometimes. . .)
-5MK beats Ken’s 2MK (requires good spacing though)
-2MP beats Urien’s 2MK (solid poke that stays out for a while)
-2HP beats Makoto’s 2MK (great priority, destroys Makoto’s standard pokes)
-5MP beats Urien’s 5HP (another solid poke, mix it up)
-2MK beats Chun-Li’s 4HP (best low-hitting poke. . . not much to choose from)

Super Art Selection

SA1 Kishin Riki

+ fully invulnerable startup
+ new combo from 2HP
- single long meter; takes a while to build
- EX version can be jumped after the super flash
- limited EX usage
- extremely limited combo potential
- much less damage than other supers

This super is not commonly used. The EX version has fully invulnerable startup, and Oro gains a new combo with 2HP xx EX SA1, but those are the only real positives. Both versions have very limited combo potential. EX is a real command grab, but it has startup after the super flash, so the opponent can always react and jump a raw EX super attempt. The 2HP combo isn't really hit-confirmable, and while 2HP is a good move, this doesn't significantly increase Oro's opportunities to land a big combo from neutral. The single big meter also limits Oro's EX usage. Overall this super just lakcs the immediate, round-ending combo potential of his other supers, and doesn't provide any benefits to make up for it.

Recommended: nobody

SA2 Yagyou Dama

+ short meter; super is available early
+ 3 meters provides more EX availability
+ unblockable loops
+ 100% stun combos
+- lots of tricky setups to learn
- loops are dependent on stage positioning
- opponent may escape loops with parry
- character-specific escapes require specialized followups
- hard to land on some characters
- EX super has limited applications

This is the one with unblockables. The short bar means the opponent needs to be wary of super earlier and for a longer time. An excess of EX meter allows Oro more liberal access to EX uppercut, which is a pretty good invulnerable reversal. Oro only needs 1 bar to kill with standard unblockables, and with 1.5 bars, he can EX uppercut xx SA2, to potentially end a round with a 100% stun setup from any reversal. It's a scary super to deal with, and allows Oro to be a little more "random" if he feels like fishing for the win. The main downside to SA2 is that every setup is theoretically escapable, so your damage is never fully guaranteed. This is not a deal-breaker, but SA2 requires more specialized, matchup specific knowledge than SA3.

Things to consider when picking SA2:

1. Some characters have moves that are airborne on frame 1, which will make them flip out of normal unblockables if performed as a reversal. These characters are Gouki (demon flip), Chun (3HK), Hugo (backbreaker), Ibuki (taunt, hien), Necro (flying viper), Oro (chicken kick), and Urien (headbutt). This doesn't necessarily preclude picking SA2, but if your opponents are good at doing this, you may need to learn some specialized setups.
2. In addition to a first-frame airborne move (demon flip) Gouki has teleport, which is the only meterless move in the game that can completely escape unblockables. This doesn't make SA2 unusable against him, but it does require Oro to change how approaches okizeme.
3. It's extremely hard to get all 4 super hits on Alex, so he usually needs one less parry to escape. Stungun Headbutt will also completely escape unblockables, but then the Alex player has to play with Stungun.
4. Although Dudley is easy to hit with unblockables, many setups against him are fairly loose. Rocket Uppercut and Corkscrew Blow have enough invincibility and fast enough startup to hit Oro before they trade with the ball, effectively escaping the loop.
5. Any super with sufficient invulnerability can trade with the ball and escape the loop, but many of the best supers for this are rarely used.
6. SA2 is extra good against characters that Oro can cross up in the corner — Alex, Dudley, Elena, Necro, Hugo, Twelve — because he can still do unblockables when they hit the corner.
7. Chun's first-frame airborne move is a normal, so she needs to do a true 1f reversal to use it.
8. The triple dash -> back dash setup on Chun and Makoto is extremely difficult to parry.

Recommended: Alex, Chun, Dudley, Elena, Hugo, Ken, Makoto, Necro, Ryu, Sean
Not recommended: Gouki

You can really run SA2 against anybody though, it just requires more specialized knowledge in some matchups.

SA3 Tengu Stone

+ easy, consistent, high damage combos with EX version
+ 100% stun resets in the corner
+ high chip potential with normal version
- very long meter; limited super availability
- only one meter; limited EX usage

This is the nuke super. It forces Oro to play more calculated because he has less free access to meter. One advantage compared to SA2 is that the damage is more stable. Oro does a big combo rather than a series of resets, so the opponent doesn't get a chance to escape once they've been hit. Screen position matters less because Oro doesn't need space to cross over the opponent. A second advantage over SA2 is that if Oro is having a hard time opening up the opponent, he can pop 3-stone Tengu to pressure the opponent on block. Between the chip and random hits, sometimes this can do 40% damage even if the opponent never gets properly hit by a combo starter. The biggest disadvantage to SA3 is that if you use it to close out a round, you go into the next round with no meter.

Recommended: Ibuki, Necro, Q, Remy, Urien, Yang, Yun
Not recommended: Hugo

Like SA2, you can really play SA3 against anybody. It's particularly good against characters with low life or stun. It also requires less specialized, match-up specific knowledge.

Choosing which Tengu to use

This is highly based on player preference. Different players activate both EX and regular 3-stone Tengu in many different ways. In general, 5-stone EX Tengu is the one to use in a combo, while 3-stone normal Tengu is the one to activate for pressure and chip damage. There are situations when it may be preferable to activate EX Tengu, hoping to sneak in an early hit to steal a round.

Basic SA3 (3 items)

This is good for forcing a some respect and chipping the opponent. The items last a really long time.

Usually you want to activated non-EX SA3 after a back throw or sweep that leaves the opponent cornered. If you activate just as they hit ground, sometimes the super flash will eat their tech roll input. If you want to activate in neutral, you can throw a fireball and cancel into super to cover the activation, since it does have some recovery. Oro can whiff a move on the opponent's recovery, then just block while the stones hit the opponent meaty.

When applying pressure with the items, don't just mash light kick and walk forward. The items have recovery, so Oro has to stagger his attacks a bit to maximize his advantage. Generic 3-item SA3 pressure is mixing up 5LK with 2LK while walking between attacks or mixing in UOH to counteract the push back. If Oro does get pushed out, he can use UOH or 6MP to move closer again. If the timer is running out, he can try to mix the opponent up with 5HP or 2HK. Both of them hit rather far, force the opponent to guess high or low, and can be made safe if the tengu items are still active. Sometimes Oro can get combos out of this sequence, but it depends on the specific items and the order in which he summons them.

UOH, cl.MK xx human pillar driver is another possible combo after a 3-item SA3 activation. This does enough damage to discourage the opponent from just blocking low the whole time. It also causes a hard knockdown, setting up an okizeme situation.

3-item SA3 is pretty good against characters that lack fast normals or reversals to try to sneak hits through loose pressure strings and steal their turn back.

EX SA3 (5 items)

EX SA3 summons 5 items, and this version is the key to Oro's big tengu combos.

Oro will typically activate this after he hits the opponent with cl.MP. As a punish, it's ideal to do the chicken loop, and cancel last cl.MP(1) into EX SA3. In a situation where Oro needs to confirm the initial hit, he can either do cl.MP(2) xx EX SA3 or cl.MP(2), ~walk, cl.MP(1) xx EX SA3. From there, he can continue with the appropriate combo for either corner carry or damage.

Oro basically has two options for corner carry. The simple option is 5HK, 6MP, 6MP, 5HK, 6MP, 6MP, (5HK). The harder option is fj.HK, land, cl.MK, repeat. If the opponent looks like they might be getting too far way, he can try to pick it up with 6MP in place of fj.HK. If he is able to corner the opponent just before the timer runs out, he can omit the final HK from either version, then finish the combo with a full chicken loop to build as much meter as possible for his next activation.

Generally Oro does not want to activate this outside of a combo, but if it happens for whatever reason, usually Oro can still convert into a big combo if he gets an early hit. If he can land a UOH, often he can link it into cl.MP, and from there into whatever Tengu combo he needs, assuming he has enough timer left to do it.

Basics

Poking Strings

-d.LK - d.MK (d.LK d.LK is fine too, but less damage if it hits)
-close s.LK - far s.LK - d.MK (high-high-low, pushes you into zoning range)
-close s.LK - d.LK - s.HK (high-low-high)
-close s.LK - d.LK - d.HP (variation on Makoto, also comes out quicker)
-UOH - far s.LK - far. s.MK (don’t use on Chun-Li and Oro; they can duck the MK)

• (Use variations of these for yourself! This is only a guide.)
  
  

Normal Anti-Airs

-s.HK beats Yang’s divekick (proper range)
-d.HP beats Ryu’s j.HK (mix up with s.HK for far jump-ins)
-close s.MP beats Chun’s j.MK (use sparingly, and use the chance to juggle either a s.HK or another launch (first hit only) into super

• (Not shown: close s.LP against close jump-ins, then mixup when they land)
  
  

Air-to-Airs

-j.HK beats Remy’s j.HP (the height from a superjump helps to outprioritize)
-j.MK beats Q’s j.HP (it’s all spacing, use doublejumping to your advantage)
-parry - airthrow (use this after an air parry whenever you can, it hurts a lot)

• (Not shown: vertical j.HK… USE THIS!!! I can’t believe I forgot to include it)
  
  

Kara-Techniques

Beware that close MK has effectively no kara range, so st.HK is used to kara within cl.MK range. For kara-UOH, press Strong a split second after pressing and holding Forward.

Roundhouse is best for normal throws. Far Forward is best for his command grab and regular Kishin Riki. I don’t recommend doing the kara-command grab in a real match any more than I would recommend doing it on its own outside of a combo. As for Kishin Riki… do yourself a favor and pick a good super art.

Same as the command grab. During Kishin Riki you can make a grab attempt with any punch on its own, but you can kara only if you do the command grab motion. F, DF, D, DB, B, Forward, any punch. You must complete the half-circle motion before pressing Forward.

Zoning

Oro is surprisingly adept at projectile zoning, being able to cover different angles with minor recovery.

• LP fireball - standard grounded fireball, beware it extends his hurtbox before and during the fireball coming out, also the fireball comes out a distance away from Oro.
• MP fireball - far anti-air fireball, less recovery than LP fireball, harder to juggle out of in midscreen.
• HP fireball - closer anti-air fireball, less recovery than LP fireball, easier to juggle out of in midscreen.
• EX fireball - slow startup, but two hits and tracks to a degree. Note that it launches at an angle if the opponent is airborne on startup.
• SA2 ball - slow startup, but many hits and able to walk with the ball to create space/go in. LP version covers most distance and HP version bounces higher.

Kara fireballs can also be effective in controlling space.

Mixups

your best options for wakeups and mixups are these:

• cl.MP - hits mid, high parry only. Safe (mostly) , confirmable and is his bnb starter
• cl.MK xx hcb+P - hits mid, high parry only. Hard to confirm
• cr.MK xx hcb+P - hits low, low parry only. Hard to confirm
• MP+MK, MK xx hcb+P / MP into chicken combo - hits overhead, UOH must hit late to be able to combo off
• hcb+P - hits mid, cannot be parried
• (kara) throw
• HP - hits overhead, knocks down airborne opponents
• jump late, air qcf+K for 9 hits - hits overhead
• jump early, air qcf+K on landing, MP into chicken combo - hits overhead
• empty jump, cr.MK xx hcb+P - mix with above, hits low.

Additional Notes

• Personal Action: Recovers stun meter.

Close LK is a great move for tic throws since it has a 2 frame start up, frame advantage, and is only parrable high. Close LP has better frame advantage, but it is parryable either high or low.