Capcom vs SNK 2/Iori

Introduction

Iori is a very versatile character whose moveset lends him to a rush-down/mixup style with damage mainly coming from his Rekka combos. Coupled with that, he has very serviceable pokes, good anti air, and a good reversal DP for use in defense and neutral situations. He also has one of the best poke RCs in the game with his Rekka, is the shortest character in the game, and has the best roll in the game.

His drawbacks are getting in against dominant "big button" characters (Sagat, Blanka, Cammy, etc), a relatively low ceiling of one shot burst damage (his supers aren't very strong), and characters who duck and outpoke his Stand Roundhouse.

In CvS2, he is often considered a "high" tier character, just below the established top tiers. He is a staple on N groove teams, as well as one of the Best SNK characters in the game. Conventional wisdom is that he is one of the easiest characters to use, and recent Japanese tourney play features him on two of the best players' teams. In C and A grooves, even.

Data

Health	14000		Just Below Average
Stun	70		Average
Stun Duration	+60f		Poor
Guard Guage Recovery Rate	Fast Type		Best
Dash Length	102 pixels
Dash Duration
Dash Height	0		Grounded
Run Speed	7.4		Average
Roll Distance	132 pixels
Roll Duration	27f
Recovery Frames	3f		Best
Wakeup Speed compared to Ryu	0f		Average

Normal Moves

Far Standing Normals

5LP

Stand Jab

5LP

Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
300	4	RF/SP/SU	H/L	H/L	2	4	8	14	+5	+5	-
While sharing almost the exact same traits as the close jab, the standing jab doesn't have that many tactical uses; You're too far away to tick into throws, and Iori's walking speed is too slow for repeated walk up jabs to set up anything threatening. If you're at this range hit low strong instead.

5LP

Stand Strong

5MP

Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
800	8	SP/SU	H/L	H	7	3	25	35	-5	-5	-
This move has the special property of being able to chain into Iori's f+strong. There's only one instance in which I use this move, and that's to combo after a connected Scum Gale. Even though it's a far reaching bufferable move, buffering into fireballs is not safe, and the move itself leaves much to be desired in terms of priority and speed. It reaches farther than the f+strong, but at that distance a fierce rekka ken will completely miss. Needless to say, a whiffed rekka ken will lead to a lot of hurt.

5HP

Stand Fierce

5HP

Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300/1400	13/14	SP/SU (1st part only)	H/L	H	7	5	26	38	-5	-5	-
Reading on the left of the commas refer to when Iori's head is going OUT. Reading on the right refers to when Iori's head is going UP. This move doesn't really have much tactical use since the distance to get the bufferable version of the fierce is really specific. However, the bufferable version happens to be Iori's most damaging bufferable move, and there's ONE useful set up to get it shown below (see Running Grab).

5LK

Stand Short

5LK

Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
500	5	SU	H/L	H/L	6	6	8	20	+3	+3	-
AKA "kickin 'em to da curb". Other than randomly whiffing it every now and then as a fake fireball, the only use for this move I have is for combos. See combo section.

5MK

Stand Forward

5MK

Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1000	10	SU	H/L	H/L	6	3	26	35	-6	-6	-
I probably don't use this move as much as I should. It's quick, has surprising range, and even more surprising priority. I'd use it against characters that can crouch the standing roundhouse if you can get into the range to use it. 6/13/03 - Some Japanese players like to punish whiffs with s.forward into super, but I find that whenever I bait a whiff I'm too far away to hit with a s.forward. I just do a low/standing roundhouse instead. I also noticed that Japanese players have set-ups for COUNTER HIT s.forward and buffer the super on reaction, but to me that's in-humanly difficult (the window to buffer is 3 frames long, 1/20th of a second). That super isn't one that you want to have blocked.

5HK

Stand Roundhouse

5HK

Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300	13	X	H/L	H/L	9	7	22	38	-2	-2	-
Iori's best poke by far, despite having the distinction of being one of Iori's two crouchable moves. Any character bigger than a shoto is fair game, however. You can use it fairly liberally against the characters that cannot crouch it to slowly drain their guard meter and entice them into making a mistake that will get you the all-important knockdown Iori needs to get in. Be aware, though, that the move is not safe against a fast roll and that Sagat can punish you hard with a standing fierce into super if you whiff it. Crouchable by half the cast (every female character, Ryo, shotos, Rolento, Haohmaru, Vega, Yun, Kim, Rock, Iori) Treat this move like a budget Sakura or Yamazaki stand RH (yama speed/damage, but -2 instead of +2 on block)

Close Standing Normals

cl5LP

Close Stand Jab
Close
cl5LP

Close Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
400	4	RF,SP,SU	H/L	H/L	2	4	6	12	+7	+7	-
Iori's close jab is very useful for many reasons: ) Comes out in 2 frames, making it Iori's fastest move. 2 frames are as fast as moves get in CvS2 with the exception of Zangief's SPD, which is the only 1 frame move in the game. So what does this mean? Whenever you're in a situation where you have to mash a move, such as trying to avoid a throw, this is the move to mash. ) +7 advantage, also the most out of any of Iori's moves. 7 frames is a fairly huge advantage as far as CvS2 goes, meaning most links afterwards are brain-dead easy if the jab hits, and if blocked you have ample time to set up stuff safely like walk up to your opponent again and get another close jab. A perfectly timed close jab tick into Scum Gale (8 frames) is very difficult to reverse by jabs or throws. All tick throws can be escaped by jumps, however. ) At 400 damage, it's the most damaging out of all of Iori's weak attacks that can be chained together.

cl5MP

Close Stand Strong
Close
cl5MP

Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

cl5HP

Close Stand Fierce
Close
cl5HP

Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1200, 1100	12, 11	SP/SU, SU	H/L	H	3	6	24	33	0	0	-
For the commas above, the reading on the left refers to the first portion of the fierce, where Iori's fist is around his waist level. The second reading refers to when Iori's fist is over his head. Outside of combos, the main use for this move is for anti-cross ups. Close roundhouse is your main anti-cross up, but you'll want to use close fierce against characters with bigger jumps like Blanka.

cl5LK

Close Stand Short
Close
cl5LK

Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

cl5MK

Close Stand Forward
Close
cl5MK

Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

cl5HK

Close Stand Roundhouse
Close
cl5HK

Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1400	14	SU	H/L	H	6	3	21	30	3	3	N/A
Best used as an anti-cross up, only a few characters can get over this move that I can think of (Blanka and Chun Li). Also has the distinction of being Iori's most damaging move that can be buffered into a super. The link from a close jab is a one frame link though, meaning it's a little too difficult to do really consistently. How does Iori manage to kick so high with that funky little cord tying his legs together?

Crouching Normals

2LP

Crouching Jab

2LP

Crouching Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Because this version is 1 hit and has a lot of lower invincibility (not to mention lower recovery), it's best used in the neutral game or when the opponent is far from Iori.

2MP

Crouching Strong

2MP

Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

2HP

Crouching Fierce

2HP

Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1100	11	SP/SU	H/L	H/L	4	5	20	29	-1	-1	N/A
Iori's other crouchable move. It doesn't really matter, though, since you'll probably never use this move as anything except as an anti-air at the 45 degree angle. It works fairly well as anti-air as long as you stick it out early enough, but it does tend to trade with the really high priority jump ins. When you use it as anti air you can buffer it into a fierce fireball to make your opponent land on it, but I would recommend throwing a jab fireball instead so that you can run after it and use it as cover to attempt to get in.

2LK

Crouching Short

2LK

Crouching Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
200	2	RF/SP/SU	L	L	4	4	8	16	5	5	N/A
Used mainly as your low combo starter and as a roll punisher, this move is pretty self-explanatory. Low shorts x3 into rekkas whenever the opportunity arises. The +5 frame advantage also lends this move into being another good Scum Gale tick, with the added advantage that people tend to sit and block after blocking one low short... they expect two more. The main weakness of this move is its relatively slow speed at 4 frames. When situations arise where you need a fast move, mash on standing/low jab (depending on distance) instead.

2MK

Crouching Forward

2MK

Crouching Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
800	8	SU	L	L	5	4	20	29	-2	-2	N/A
I hardly ever use this move since low strong is just better all around. Also, the animation of this move is very misleading. Iori's entire foot doesn't have an active hitbox on it, making the move a lot shorter than it looks. Its actual range is nearly identical to Iori's low short, which is a lot better move to use in more situations. However, the move can only be canceled into supers, so if you're having a tough time landing B&B's into maiden masher due to accidental moves coming out, this could certainly help you out. You can also toss the move out and empty buffer the super behind it ala Chun in 3rd strike, but the hitbox on the move isn't THAT good.

2HK

Crouching Roundhouse

2HK

Crouching Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Air Normals

8LP

Jumping Jab
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8LP

Jumping Light Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Because this version is 1 hit and has a lot of lower invincibility (not to mention lower recovery), it's best used in the neutral game or when the opponent is far from Iori.

8MP

Jumping Strong
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8MP

Medium Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

8HP

Jumping Fierce
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8HP

Heavy Punch

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

8LK

Jumping Short
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8LK

Light Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

8MK

Jumping Forward
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8MK

Medium Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

8HK

Jumping Roundhouse
File:UB.gif,,or File:UF.gif+
8HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Special Moves

DP

Fire Ball / "Hyakushiki Oniyaki"
Uppercut
623+P

HP version

HP Version

HP Version

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1700	17	None	Mid	Mid	4	10	38	52	DWN	-33	4 (full), 10(lower)
Footsies DP Because this version is 1 hit and has a lot of lower invincibility (not to mention lower recovery), it's best used in the neutral game or when the opponent is far from Iori.
MP +	700+1100	7+11	None	Mid	Mid	4	[3/9]	48	64	DWN	-42	7 full/ 9 lower
Best DP This version has the highest amount of total invulnerability, so it's the best wakeup reversal and anti air. Make sure to hit the opponent deep to get both hits, otherwise you're missing out on damage compared to LP.
HP +	400+600+1000	4+6+10	None	Mid	Mid	4	[2/2/5]	59	72	DWN	-51	6 full/ 7 lower
Most Damage DP This is the damage DP. Perfectly usable as anti air or reversals, but only when the opponent is point blank. Also the recovery is so bad, Iori loses okizeme opportunities by using it.

Combos

No Meter combos:

Hit Confirms: cr.short x 3, qcb + fierce x 3 s.jab x 3, qcb + fierce x 3 s.jab, s.fierce, qcb + fierce x 3 s.short, s.jab, s.short, qcb + fierce x 3 cr.strong x 2, qcb + fierce x 3 cr.short x 2, cr.strong, qcb + fierce x 3

Non Hit Confirms (punish combos) s.fierce, qcb + fierce x 3 close s.fierce, hcb + roundhouse close s.fierce xx Fierce DP s.strong, twd.strong, qcb + fierce x 3

jump fierce, Cl. Fierce, DP+Fierce (optimal stun damage)

Low Jump strong/roundhouse-> DP+Jab

-cross-up-

b+short, s.jab, s.fierce, qcb + fierce x 3

Almost any Iori B&B combo can be started with hcb-twd + punch (Scum Gale).

Super Combos:

cr.short x 3, qcf-hcb + punch (any level)

s.strong, twd.strong, qcf-hcb + punch (any level)

S.jab, S.Fierce, qcf-hcb + punch (any level) (max damage)

C.forward kick xx qcf-hcb + punch (any level) (c.mk is super cancel only, easy to do)

Grooves & Groove specific strategy

C Groove

C-Groove Level 2 Cancel Combos-

Iori uses level 2 cancels pretty well. After his maiden masher is complete, Iori can cancel into any of his specials. The foremost being his Dragon Punch. Since maiden masher at level 3 only does 5000 damage, The cancels give Iori a much better damage/meter ratio, and allows him to use a meter for defensive purposes or be ready for another level 2 in a very short time.

Since Maiden masher is so easy to combo into, you'll get a lot of opportunities to land this.

Level 2 Maiden Masher

Cancel into

-Level 1 Maiden Masher (most damage, no tech roll)

-Fierce DP (1000 less damage, saves a level and 20 more stun) -Jab/Strong DP (even less damage, more time to setup or punish tech roll) -Level 1 wine cups, then Jump HP, HP, HP DP (Full combo can instant stun characters, cancel maiden masher early if combo will stun for more damage on post dizzy combo)

Matchups

Check here for matchup analysis, notes, and errata. Could be as simple as optimal punishes, safe jump setups, and effective counter pokes.

For example:

Blanka

Blanka ball punishes- Any level Maiden Masher, run a little and sweep (low HK), A groove activate sweep custom.

Colors

File:CvS2 Iori color selections.png

Iori Color Selections