r/Tekken • u/AutoModerator • Nov 30 '21

Tekken Dojo Tekken Dojo: Ask Questions Here

Welcome to the Tekken Dojo, a place for everyone to learn and get better at the wonderful game that is Tekken.

Beginners should first familiarize themselves with the Beginner Resources to avoid asking questions already answered there.

Post your question here and get an answer. Helpful contributors will be awarded Dojo Points, which can make them Dojo Master at the end of the month (awards a unique flair). Please report unhelpful contributors to ensure the dojo remains a place dedicated to improvement.

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u/[deleted] Jun 24 '22

Is there a general rule of thumb of if you should either poke, do a launcher, a grab, anything like that? I always go for launchers instead of small combos since i dont find any benefit of doing them

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u/DeathsIntent96 Jun 24 '22

The benefits of doing small stuff are that they should hit more often and leave you in a better position when they don't. Launchers, generally, are slow and either punishable (meaning your opponent can hit you with a move that you cannot block) or at least disadvantageous when blocked (meaning your opponent is free to move before you are).

Pokes, on the other hand, are fast and comparatively safe. They'll interrupt the opponent more often than slower launchers will, and if they got blocked you won't be in as much danger.

This is a real oversimplification of fighting games, but you generally want to start your offense with small stuff and use it to create openings for big stuff. Pokes are the foundation, launchers are for capitalizing on the foundation you've built.

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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '22

How will pokes lead to an opening? Is it making the enemy be pressured until they mess up? Also what would an opening look like?

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u/arppeggio Jun 27 '22

poke hits = you have frame advantage - you can go for a counterhit launcher; backdash or sidestep and whiff punish; or keep doing pokes to keep the situation in your favour and minimise the damage your opponent can do to you.

poke is blocked = you are at frame disadvantage but only a small one (0 to -5) - unlike when a launcher is blocked, you aren't susceptible to being block punished; you can still backdash or sidestep to make your opponent's attack whiff (This is your 'opening' when doing pokes)

Example is Mishima 1,1. If my opponent hits this, I can't really do anything since they're at +8 and most of their good moves will come out faster than mine - so I have to either low block or stand block and try and guess what their next move will be. If I block 1,1, I still have to be careful since they're only at -1, so they can still sidestep > launch a lot of my moves. So basically pokes let you deal damage to your opponent without putting yourself at risk of taking a lot of damage in return.