Feint Input Buffer
Unlike Evasion attacks or command normals, feints require a buffer.
Generally, the buffer window to feint is, after going to neutral, pressing A+C within 10 frames of pressing a feint direction (2 or 6). (Or 2～10F of the direction input.)
5 2/6 A+C 5 2 6 A+C 5 6 2 A+C
(1) The initial direction of the command is neutral. You remain on it as long as you like.
(2) But once you leave that initial direction of neutral for one frame of a direction that is not a feint direction you have 7F to go to a feint direction (8F total buffer).
(3) Once you get to that feint direction, you have 7F to go to the other feint direction (8F total buffer).
(4) Whether you're at the first feint direction or the second feint direction, you have 8F to press A+C together to feint (9F total buffer)
At the start of a new buffer, you can't press the feint direction and A+C at the same frame (2+A+C or 6+A+C).
When you reach a feint direction for a feint, you are able to go to the other feint direction for the other feint only once.
Unless you exceed the 9F buffer total buffer for the first feint direction, you will feint with that direction.
After the buffer is exceeded, you only need to go to at least 1 frame of neutral to reset the buffer before you redo the input.
Feint Cancel Timing
In general, you input the feint for a feint cancel as you would a special for a special cancel -- during the hit animation.
But similar to target combos, a feint can be input during startup, slightly before hitting.
For a normal, the input window for a feint is 2 frames before the first active frame that connects, to the 1 frame after exiting hitstop/blockstop. (This is usually the last 2 frames of startup before the first.)
However for 2AB, the earliest you can input feint is the 1st frame of hitstop. Maybe it's because of the different hitstun and blockstun values that restrict that.
As long as you don't trigger any other special cancel, you can attempt to do feint cancel multiple times --
pressing A+C multiple times -- if you feel like you misinputted it (as long as you haven't exceeded the feint buffer).
Feint Cancel with Kara Cancel
Just like a special cancel, you can also feint cancel using the same timing as kara cancel inputs.
This gives you even more leeway when inputting a feint cancel during the feint cancel window.
You don't always have to strictly press A+C after the feint direction for a feint cancel.
Like the window to self kara cancel,
you have the same window to feint cancel by pressing A+C slightly before the feint direction:
- You have 5F after pressing A+C to press the feint direction (6F total window).
- With this max window at 6F, with this 1 frame of direction at 6F, the lastest
you input the feint is at the 7F.
Like a same frame kara cancel,
you can feint cancel by doing a feint direction and A+C at the same frame (2+A+C or 6+A+C).
Other Feint Techniques
With the input buffer in mind, you can do the following:
- You can do your feint in a non-feint direction
- 2 1AC or 2 3AC or 6 3AC
- And you can buffer a motion into a feint
- such as 236AC or 2AC36 or 632AC or 214AC
- You can motion store your feint cancel
- For example, cl.5C > 236A+C
You can then complete the buffer to go into a super, or do something else.
Feint Reversal Timing
It takes 1 frame of action to stop a feint.
The earliest you can stop a feint is 1F before the "minimum feint frames"
When you stop a feint, you make it go through recovery, and end that recovery, all on that same frame.
This recovery ends on that frame, and the next frame is the 1F after recovery that your reversal starts.
Rather the reversal window is created on the spot.
A reversal window of 2F: the 1F of action to the 1F after.
But you can't end a feint with the same feint direction.
You can't hold the same direction through reversal.
Only on the 1F after the minimum feint frames can you press the same direction
and reversal on the next frame.
As said above, feints can be ended/canceled by other moves.
- You can buffer (and disguise) your movement from your feint
- 6AC 6 to dash forward
- 2AC 69 to super jump forward
- Generally, when doing a feint, holding the direction doesn't cancel your feint.
- For example, holding the direction [6]AC doesn't immediately end the feint to walk forward.
- Holding a feint direction with the button you're feint canceling makes you unable to immediately end the feint into that direction.
You have to another direction or press the direction again, like the feint into dash from above. (Or another move)
Feint Reversal Timing:
Doing movement and other actions after feint or feint cancel is similar to reversal timing (see #Timing_For_Reversals).
However, the earliest you can do dash forward will be slightly different.
(1) Doing a feint and going in the direction that's different from the feint direction.
(2) Doing a feint cancel from a normal without any direction used immediately before.
- In cases (1) and (2), just holding the direction does end your feint into either walk forward or crouch. And you can reversal dash forward at the following timing.
- forward dash step
- 1F before the end of the minimum feint frames
- 1F after minimum feint frames
- (2F window)
- Forward dash run, Freeman forward dash step
- 1F-4F before the end of the minimum feint frames
- 1F after minimum feint frames
- (5F window)
(3) When doing a feint, you cannot end the feint at the minimum feint frames
by holding that same feint direction through the feint animation.
(4) Similarly, when doing a feint cancel, if you are holding a feint direction the frame before the normal button is pressed, you cannot end the feint cancel at the minimum feint frames by holding that same feint direction through the feint animation.
- In cases (3) and (4), just holding the direction doesn't end your feint into either walk forward or crouch -- you have to do an action or other direction.
- Forward feint can be ended with any other direction.
- Down feint can be ended with any other direction besides down-foward.
- Consequently, you can jump or hop on the first frame after the minimum feint frames.
- You can only press the same direction as the feint direction immediately after the minimum feint frames to end the feint early.
- Both the dash run and the dash step can only be completed the earliest after the minimum feint frames.
- In all the cases, the earliest to complete other actions to end at the minimum feint frames is the following.
- Normals, evasion attacks, backdash, super jump, special, T.O.P. attack, super
- 1F before the end of the minimum feint frames
- 1F after minimum feint frames
- (2F window)