Introduction
King is rated as a weak if not THE weakest character in the game. Not physically weak, although she IS a skinny girl, but weak in her ability to win matches consistently (it's a game after all). I'm going to try and be as objective about this as I can, but I have an undeniable soft spot for low tier characters. As per usual these characters have to work harder for their wins. That jsut means that YOU have to play better.
King has a very good roll and some special moves that become a great addition to your arsenal if you RC (Roll Cancel) them. For this reason playing her in a groove with a roll would benefit you a lot. King has quite a few CC's (Custom Combos) starters and that makes her somewhat of a threat. Her level 3 supers are of limited use and do relatively low damage. The preference for dashing or running is usually personal and/or situation dependant but running seems to add the most to her game. Lowjumps are almost allways a good thing to have at your disposal. I'm sure she can be played in many grooves at a decent level, as it allways comes back down to the player behind the controls, but considering all the aforementioned things I would recommend playing her in one of theese grooves: A, C or (my favorite) N. K groove being the 4th and slightly more risky choice.
Moves List
Normal Moves
Special Moves
Venom Strike: qcf+k
A generic projectile/fireball attack. The kick strength defines the speed of the projectile. Like most projectiles it is a good way to attack from far away, but is extremely vulnerable if jumped over. Doing it at close quarters (best when RC'd) affords your opponent less time to react and jump. At a distance King can run (depending on groove) behind hte fireball which will provide her with some cover. King will actually CATCH UP to the lk version of the projectile, making it even possible to combo in some situations. This is no different than Ryu's Hadouken, it's actually very similar.
Double Strike: qcf, qcf+k
A double projectile attack. Two Venom Strikes in quick succession. Good in combos and for block damage. Hard to RC through with moves such as Psycho Crusher and Flying Headbutt.
Surprise Rose: dp+k
An upwards knee attack that knocks an opponent up followed by downwards diving kicks. A 4 frame startup makes this her fastest htting special move, but the lack of any invincibility makes it useless in reversal situations.
Trap Shot: rdp+k
A backflip kick that stuns/traps an opponent (even if hit in the air) with a guaranteed followup barrage of kicks. Knocks down. A decent anti-air when RC'd, but the lengthy startup requires you to be quite fast to react.
Tornado Kick: hcb+k
Two airborne kicks. The first one will miss on crouching characters. The tartup speed and distance of the kicks is defined by the strength of the kick used. The frame disadvantage on block is quite small (-2 on lk, -1 on mk and 0 on hk)and allows for some very tricky guessing games. Good bait. Once you've punished a few retaliation attempts this becomes less of a bait/setup move and more of a cinsistent way of getting close (when RC'd).
Mirage Kick: qcb+p
Several kicks while sliding forward a short distance. Three, five or seven kicks depending on which button was pressed. The last one knocks down. Usually used in combos but also a good move to go through expected pokes. It is unsafe and risky, however, the final kick of this move makes it tricky. The delay before the final kick will snag people that are too late trying to punish with non-invincible moves. Depending on the range the pushback will either allow the last kick to connect or make it miss. If the final kick is blocked you are somewhat safe because of the big pushback.
Super Moves
Illusion Dance: qcf, hcb+k
A lengthy backflip/evasive movement followed by a flying kick. Once the kick connects a combo is performed. If it is blocked there will be no combo but a lengthy recovery. Useful at level 1 as a CC ender. If anyone has a good use for this outside a CC, do tell.
Silent Flash: qcb, qcb+k
A backflip kick that looks like the start of the Trap Shot. If the first one hits the super is finished. If it is blocked the level 1 and level 2 versions will stop and are safe to some extent due to pushback, but the level 3 version will PARTIALLY continue.