Xiaoyu strategy

This page is for Tekken 8. For Tekken 7, see Xiaoyu strategy (Tekken 7).

Introduction

Ling Xiaoyu is back for the 8th mainline installment of the Tekken franchise! She uses the Chinese martial arts Baguazhang and Piguaquan, which focuses on speed, evasion, spins, flips, and back turned maneuvers to keep her opponent constantly guessing. She is mostly known for her iconic “Art Of Phoenix” stance that infamously evades all highs and several mids simultaneously, and her okizeme.

Xiaoyu is not the easiest character in the game to learn, but the payoff is well worth it once you get over her steep learning curve since her execution requirements are not high. Once you master her stances and okizeme she is one of the most satisfying characters to play in fighting game history. But, to get the most out of Xiaoyu a lot of matchup knowledge against other characters will be required.

Recommended for:

• Lab monsters
• Want to play with a really flashy style
• Players who want a variety of playstyles available to them
• Players that love stance characters
• Players that like an evasive character
• Players that like okizeme

Quick Start

As small a list of moves as necessary to produce a coherent Ling Xiaoyu: a mid and a low for each stance, and a selection of other options. Be aware that this toolkit can wear thin just as quickly as it’s picked up, in which case the gaps can be filled with additional attacks, explained in more detail below.

The basic gameplan is to use these mids and lows to poke and annoy the opponent into whiffing attacks, launch and carry to the wall, and force the opponent to guess between HYP 2 and 3 in heat.

• 1 jab is good okay
• 3 is your 14f launcher for whiff and block punishment
• df+1 (transitions to RDS, or hold DF to stay front facing)
• db+2 (transitions to RDS)
• f+4 for homing, gives a guaranteed b+4,1 on hit
• AOP 1
• AOP f4,4
• AOP uf4 (for tracking)
• RDS 1
• RDS d+3
• RDS 1+3 (a generic and therefore homing grab)
• RDS db or RDS db,b (movement, but like AOP almost an attack of its own)
• HYP 2
• HYP 3

Key Moves

db+1: Her iconic Storming Flower is now a Heat Engager in Tekken 8! Safe and rewarding.

HYP 3: Perhaps Ling's most interesting addition in Tekken 8. HYP 3 is a new low from HYP that creates deadly 50/50s with HYP 2. First step is +7 on hit and leaves your opponent in full crouch. Second step knocks the opponent down. The third step is a launcher! All three versions of HYP 3 are -13 on block.

ub+3: New launcher in Tekken 8. Xiaoyu does a similar animation to Street Fighter character Guile’s Flash Kick. Has really long range so it’s amazing for whiff punishing. It’s also 20 frames and can be done from crouching. Abuse this as much as possible!

f+2+3: Changed to Wang’s Waning Moon in Tekken 8. Now Xiaoyu gets a guaranteed combo. Must be broken with 1+2.

db+2: Called Feathered Fan. This move is a high crushing low that tracks to Xiaoyu’s right(her weak side), 18f startup and -8 on block while leaving her in RDS at an advantage, making it a solid way to start offense.

ws2: A versatile and powerful 13f counterhit tool, even on block the situation is so good for Xiaoyu that it’s almost as though it were plus.

RDS d+3: A pesky low. On hit it’s +7 and leaves the opponent crouching with few options (yes, the same as HYP 3!), and on block it’s only -12 with a mindgame extension.

AOP (d+1+2): This stance is the single reason to play Ling Xiaoyu. Its existence enforces her pressure by making the opponent shy away from pressing.

AOP 1: This move is kind of a big deal in Tekken 8 compared to it’s Tekken 7 version. Somewhat of a niche combo filler move in Tekken 7 due to it’s AOP 1,2 extension. But, now AOP 1 is probably one of her best pokes in Tekken 8.

AOP 1+2: Easily one of her best moves if not her best. AOP 1+2 is a -1 on block counter hit launcher that hits from range 2.

f,F+4: High counter hit launcher that is +9 on block. Automatically transitions to HYP stance on hit and block. So, this move is really good when your opponent's back is at the wall. Especially when Xiaoyu is in Heat.

f+4: High homing move that is a little plus and does chip on block and +13 on hit, which guarantees Heat Engager b+4,1, giving tons of non-recoverable damage. Really essential to Xiaoyu’s keepout game.

Cali Roll(RDS f+3+4)/Cyclone Left(RDS f+3+4,3+4): Cali Roll is a backwards roll that chases turtles, evades similarly to AOP, and changes the timing on her RDS offense. Cyclone Left is the mid launcher, and forces them to respect your roll.

B+1: An 8f mid that is mostly used as an anti pressure tool, but can also be used to punish certain -8 and -9 moves. Similarly to Yoshimitsu’s Flash, Ling’s B+1 allows her to get out of pressure or punish moves no other character in the cast can. You can also just simply tap b+1 to enter RDS at advantage on hit.

db+3 and RDS db+4: Unusual 15f lows that do no damage, but are +2 on block and hit. Have some uses in setups to create oki opportunities, or to continue pressure. On counterhit you get 14 frames of advantage which gives you a guaranteed f+1+2; b+4,1; or df+2,3, making these lows rewarding to use at the wall.

Heat System

• Allows faster access to Hypnotist (HYP) stance three steps powered up moves (TLDR: Xiaoyu will perform the knockdown version of HYP 3 much faster)
• New moves f+2,1,2 and f,f+1,2 become available
• Heat Engagers: db+1; b+4,1; RDS 1+2,4; HYP 2; AOP 2,1
• Xiaoyu has two Heat Smashes. One Heat Smash from front-facing (2+3), which wall breaks, and the other from RDS (RDS 2+3), which floorbreaks but only on airborne. Both Heat Smashes leave Xiaoyu at advantage in one of her stances. RDS HS in particular is ususual in that it leaves the opponent standing even on hit, and vulnerable to a HYP mixup.

Stances

Art Of Phoenix (AOP)

Ling’s signature stance Art of Phoenix (AOP), which is entered by pressing d+1+2, infamously evades all highs and several mids simultaneously. While in AOP you can tap down to evade even more mids, or roll to either side with AOP 1+3~d or AOP 2+4~d. Without the down inputs these rolls will lead into slow grabs.

AOP has slight built-in sidestep right properties, so if you side step right before entering AOP you will basically perform 2 sidesteps while being in AOP. Sidestep right AOP is abbreviated as SSR AOP.

If you enter AOP while in full crouch Ling will automatically perform AOP down, though she won’t do the SSR. Both FC AOP and SSR AOP are useful and should be used appropriately.

To get the most out of this stance obviously you will need a lot of matchup knowledge across the Tekken cast so get to practicing and playing!

Rain Dance Stance (RDS)

Ling’s unique backturned stance Rain Dance Stance (RDS), entered by pressing b+3+4 or FC db+3+4. You will spend a lot of time here. This stance gives some mixups, but Ling's movement also becomes much stronger in RDS. The manual entries as well as her RDS sidestep give her quick and evasive lateral shifts, and both RDS b+3+4 and RDS db create a lot of space. Creatively stringing all of these options together, along with her other movement, can be used evasively or to ‘dance’, confusing the opponent.

Unlike most characters, Ling will not turn around if f is pressed while backturned. Instead she will dash towards the opponent. In order to turn around you must hold b.

She has 1+3 and 2+4 throws from RDS that can be broken with either the 1 or 2 button. These are treated as her generic throws, so they have homing. If you press forward before inputting 1+3, 2+4, or 2+3 Ling will perform a “hop” before throwing the opponent, which will make the throws true command throws that must be broken with the correct button. The hop is slow enough that people can react and duck, but the throw is cancelable into FC, allowing you to counterhit them with ws2 or use other FC options.

Ling's Tekken 7 Rage Drive is gone from RDS in Tekken 8. BUT, she does have a Heat Smash in RDS (RDS 2+3) now! All hits from her RDS Heat Smash are mid and leaves her in HYP stance.

Hypnotist (HYP)

Hypnotist (HYP) stance has been vastly improved in Tekken 8. The stance now has a new scary low HYP 3 that launches on the third step of HYP.

Entered by pressing ub+1+2(to go left) or db+1+2(to go right). While in HYP stance you can change the direction, resetting your steps, by pressing 1+2. Any of these inputs will also start a rewarding punch-only parry starting on frame 2. This stance is primarily used for okizeme mixups and mind games. Each step Ling takes(there are three steps maximum) increases the properties of three moves (HYP 2, HYP 3, and HYP 2+3) from HYP. HYP 3 gains the most from each step, going from an unremarkable low poke, to a chunky knockdown low, to a full launcher.

HYP is also the main focus of Ling's Heat System. In Heat Ling gains faster access to her higher reward HYP moves. TLDR: Xiaoyu will perform the knockdown version of HYP 3 much faster.

Unlike the other two stances, HYP’s button options are limited, so a complete overview is below.

HYP 2: Heat Engager that is a safe wallsplatting mid (-4 on block) that becomes +0 on block on the second step and +9 on block on the 3rd step, with a lot of pushback. Often evades jabs and other highs because of how she leans. HYP 3: Perhaps Ling's most interesting addition in Tekken 8. HYP 3 is a new low from HYP that creates deadly 50/50s with HYP 2. You’re crouching during the animation so you evade highs. First step is +7 on hit and leaves your opponent in full crouch. Second step knocks the opponent down. The third step is a launcher! All three versions of HYP 3 are -13 on block. HYP 2+3: Ling’s unblockable. With each step Ling takes, the damage increases. You can cancel the unblockable by tapping back,back (b,b). Yes, evasive. HYP 3+4: Evasive but slow high airborne launcher that low crushes on frame 12 and is +8 on block. Can be canceled into RDS by holding b. Ling can dodge many Rage Arts with this. HYP 4: Another high launcher, -2 on block, but your fastest button from HYP at 14f. On the best HYP transitions (on hit or after RDS Heat Smash on block) Ling is so plus that HYP 4 will hit them before their powercrush or parry attempt can begin, launching them. This works even on Rage Art attempts. Not evasive.

Here are some spreadsheets giving an overview on each of Ling’s stances: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/130YRZ_xF7pR0XECQnAkWTsXyekPrp4OkrbLCCDLUAtE/edit

Explanations of Additional Tools and Pokes

Not every move is listed here, and moves not listed are often still worth using, but these are common and useful. Experiment, pick your favorites, and use them often, but also make sure to keep your options varied. Ling Xiaoyu’s ability to brute force the opponent is less than other characters so you need to confuse them with multiple situations that they’re not familiar with, and every opponent has a different level of knowledge about Ling.

Many of these attacks are noncommittal, allowing you to use them individually to gather information, before applying that knowledge to link them together with movement and rulebreaking techniques to punish your opponent’s habits. Others are strings with many options. Leave your strings unfinished most of the time so that your opponent is unsure of what’s coming next.

1: The basic 1 jab. +1 on block, +8 on hit. The 1 jab is great for frame trapping into counterhit 4’s, which is especially rewarding at the wall.

1,2: The basic jab followup that is -3 on block, jails, and tracks slightly. A generic Tekken tool.

1,2,1: The extension to the 1,2 jab string is a safe, delayable mid that knocks down. If the second hit counter hits then the third hit is guaranteed.

1,d+2: A high, mid jab string. If the second hit counter hits, the generic BT b+3 is guaranteed. On hit RDS 1 or RDS 3 becomes uninterruptible. Puts Xiaoyu into RDS at -3, the same as ws2, but there’s more options. Hold back to enter HYP. Hold forward, down, or up to not enter any stance. Has a rarely used punishable extension in 1,d+2,1+2.

1+2: A -7 normal hit mid launcher, if you can perform a slightly difficult f,F+3 pickup. Often mixed with ss4, as they’re of similar speed. Even without the execution for the full pickup, hitting guarantees a 3+4 or ub+4. Near the wall you can simply use f3,1,4 to pick up instead for simplicity’s sake.

3+4: A slightly slow counterhit launcher, but it’s airborne and only -1 on block, so it continues neutral. Used to be a piano-slide input 4~3. You have the option to enter AOP by holding d, which can be useful both on block or in combos for oki.

4: 11f counter hit 4, nice to have because you can use it as a frame trapping tool, a keepout tool, and an anti-pressure tool.

f+2,1: An advancing mid high string with many useful options. It’s jailing, so unless you whiff the first hit entirely you won’t die from pressing both, leaving the choice of pressing one or two hits to you. The frames are not excellent after either option, but the extensions provide cover and enforce mental frames.

This string has two extensions, the punishable f+2,1,4 and the Heat-only plus on block pressure option f+2,1,2. Both of these extensions counterhit launch on their own, and they need to be stepped in opposite directions. The 2 extension additionally allows Ling to choose to be in RDS by default or front facing (if she holds f).

Additionally, Ling can use f+2,1~b to enter HYP if she so chooses, which is worth doing once in a while, or for combos or setups.

f+3,1: An advancing mid mid string with fewer options but much better frames. Leaves you at -3 in RDS and slightly offaxis towards the left, the same situation as ws2. Two punishable extensions, f+3,1,1+2 and f+3,1,4, see use mostly in combos. You can press them in neutral but it’s a risky choice with little relative reward.

df+1: A 14f mid poke that crushes highs on frames 6~13 and tracks slightly to her left. One of her best mid pokes. Hold df or f to stay front facing. On hit RDS 1 becomes uninterruptible.

df+2: Another 14f mid poke with good frames, this one has several extensions. df+2,3 is a natural, mildly confirmable, -1 on block wallsplatting high that will catch the impatient or those who try to interrupt you, and is cancelable into full crouch with df+2,3~d. From that position you can use ws2 or just wait. There is also a (punishable) wallsplatting mid extension, which you can use to ‘gotcha’ overly canny opponents who try to duck and launch the high.

df+4: A 12f mid, the range is not that great and it has some noticeable pushback. But because Ling has a 14f df1, this is sometimes her best option to check situations.

ws+2: Can be done from iws to counter hit fish with or used as a mid poke, at 13f this move is a jewel. Puts Xiaoyu into RDS at -3, a common and good situation that a Ling player should become familiar with navigating.

The charged version will hit grounded, do a little chip, and launch even on normal hit, as well as being your optimal, if slightly annoying, punish for stagger lows. Much slower at 22f, but still worth using. You can even charge not all the way, just as a simple built-in timing mixup, although the move’s properties won’t change until 22f.

d+1: A slightly inconsistent multihitting mid keepout attack. Some of the hits will inevitably whiff, leaving both you and the opponent unsure of who has the advantage. But it tracks well to the right, and you can use this button as a soft callout to many powercrush attacks, as the d+1~d transition to AOP will allow this to hitstun the powercrush, evade the hitbox, and then launch punish with AOP uf+3. Test which ones it works on!

d+3: Previously Wang’s move, but added to Ling in Tekken 7. This move performs like a generic d+4 with a few slight differences. 14f startup and crushes highs while only being -12 on block. On counter hit the extension(d+3,4) is guaranteed. Less range and tracking than a generic d+4 so be careful.

d+4: The generic d+4, usually a 12f low that crushes highs and tracks well. A great generic Tekken tool to setup full crouch mixups, low poke, or end rounds with.

db+4: A low that is 18 frames fast and only -12 on block. On counterhit you get 14 frames of advantage which gives you a guaranteed f+1+2; b+4,1; or df+2,3. Very strong at the wall.

b+1+2: Your main 15f launcher and a great whiff punisher. Used to be a piano-slide input df2~1. Punishable at -13 but worth using often anyway due to tracking both sides and launching on normal hit. If the first hit trades you unfortunately usually lose out, because the second hit is the one that launches.

b+2: A 15f homing mid that leaves Ling in RDS, the extension hits low. The low extension has to be low parried because Ling can parry (RDS b+1+3 or RDS b+2+4) most attempts to block punish it.

b+4,1: A strong Heat Engager, as well as an example of a string that you shouldn’t finish most of the time, as its second hit is obviously punishable. However the first hit on its own is very useful at 13f and tracks well to Ling’s weak side, and even though it’s technically punishable on block, the second hit will discourage people from trying. Nearly twitch confirmable, but difficult to do so.

uf+4: Your slightly unfortunate orbital. Less evasive than other orbitals, worse on block than 3+4, and only launches on counterhit. Still worth using once in a while. Can transition to full crouch with uf+4d, as well as AOP with uf+4, d+1+2. The only one of Ling’s old transitions that still requires the full AOP input to transition.

ub+4: A standard mid powercrush from neutral. Can be used offensively to steal the initiative or defensively to claim it. Useful in combos as a single-hit tornado attack from front facing. Punts and flips the opponent if they stay grounded.

ss+4: -13 on block low counter hit launcher that crushes highs on frame 6 and leaves Ling in full crouch. One of her best pokes for sure.

f,F+1: Another move with myriad extension options, as well as a move with adjustable tracking and distance due to its f,F input. f,F+1d will guarantee AOP 2,1; f,F+1,3 is a -1 on block wallsplatting high; f,F+1,4 is a punishable mid launcher; and the Heat-only f,F+1,2 is the same ender as f+2,1,2.

f,F+2,1: Can be done from a f,F input so it can punish from very far ranges. Mid mid, hit-confirmable, knockdown, wallsplatting string. Can be cancelled by inputting f, f+2,1~b. Cannot say enough great things about it.

f,F+3: A long range mid poke for annoying the enemy. Leaves you at -5 in RDS with some distance. Try RDS db or RDS b+3+4 afterwards to create whiffs.

f,F+1+2,1+2: ‘X Marks the Spot’ is an extremely delayable, safe, mid mid counterhit string. On block you’re -8, which is perfect parry bait if the opponent is antsy and wants to jab check you.

FC df+2,1 and AOP f+2,1: This low low string was made natural and given an AOP version in Season 2, as well as having its input made a little easier. Either hit will transition to RDS at +3, which is unexciting but good, and the choice of one or two hits allows you to disrupt your opponent’s defensive tempo. This string is better in the open, as Ling slides in to close distance.

FC df+4,4 and AOP f+4,4: Very similar to FC df+2,1, another low low with the choice of one or two hits. However the first hit of this string will leave you in AOP at +4, and the second in FC at +5. The second hit is also fully safe at -6 and can only be parried if the first hit is blocked. This string is better at the wall, where the opponent can’t backdash away from repeated uses.

AOP 1: This move is kind of a big deal in Tekken 8 compared to it’s Tekken 7 version. Somewhat of a niche combo filler move in Tekken 7 due to it’s AOP 1,2 extension. But, now AOP 1 is probably one of her best pokes in Tekken 8.

AOP 1’s new HYP extension AOP 1~b is really deadly in Heat. Since Xiaoyu seamlessly transitions into HYP stance from an extremely solid mid poke from the best stance in the game. The new mid extension AOP 1,4 also gives AOP 1 a mid, high mixup between AOP 1,2 and AOP 1,4. AOP 1,4 wallsplats naturally and tornados airborne! Also be aware that AOP 1,2 and AOP 1,4 both leave Xiaoyu in RDS.

AOP 4: A 12f mid poke from AOP and your fastest option in the stance. Makes some distance.

AOP 2,1: Mid mid, hit-confirmable, knockdown, wallsplatting string. Can be cancelled by inputting AOP 2,1~b.

AOP 3+4: An unseeable knockdown low from AOP. It gives amazing oki, and the opponent can only get a float punish. Used to be a piano-slide input AOP 4~3. You can mask the startup of the animation with AOP down, AOP d+1+2, or AOP 1+2 to make AOP 3+4 a scary 50/50 from AOP.

AOP uf+4: Has good tracking properties while in AOP, evades a lot, and is a great mid poke. Leaves Ling in full crouch or against conditioned opponents can transition to RDS. The extension AOP uf+4,4 is -12 so be careful on committing to it. A good round-ender mindgame string.

AOP d+1: A 19f low poke from AOP. On counterhit this move will give an attack throw animation that floor breaks.

RDS 2: Basically a jab string from RDS, though a little slower at 12f and 0 on block. RDS 2,1 is like 1,2 and RDS 2,2,1 is natural on counterhit and ends similarly to d+1, including the ~d transition to AOP. In Tekken 8, use RDS 2,1~b to enter HYP stance.

RDS 1: The typical safe mid check from RDS. Gives a dramatic camera-flash crumple launch on counterhit, alright frames on hit or block, and has a (punishable) natural combo extension RDS 1,2 which you can use against the impatient or in order to wallsplat. The extension is cancelable into full crouch with RDS 1,2~d, though it’s more awkward than the similar cancel from df+2.

RDS 3: Another safe mid poke from RDS. In Season 2 this was changed to give a true +12 on normal and counterhit, guaranteeing RDS 2,1. You can choose to take the +6 situation front facing or go to HYP at +5, which is alright. RDS 3 is airborne from frame 5, meaning that it will beat downjabs or other low interruptions by default, but it can also be jab floated on most RDS transitions.

RDS 1+2: A third safe mid poke from RDS, this time leaving Ling front facing. The RDS 1+2,1+2 extension knocks down and is slightly delayable. In Tekken 8 RDS 1+2 has a new extension RDS 1+2,4 which is a plus on block high Heat Engager. Both extensions are hit-confirmable, so it’s often safer not to press them until you confirm your opponent isn’t ready to deal with them.

RDS d+1 or 2: A basic 10f crouch jab from RDS. You don’t have one from neutral so enjoy it where you can. Be careful inputting d+1 from RDS, as if you input an RDS sidestep beforehand then RDS d+1 will give you front-facing d+1 but backwards! This tech looks really cool but is pretty dangerous and nearly useless. You can do the same thing with db+1 and df+1 as well but they’ll be strangely offaxis and, again, backwards.

RDS d+3: Ling’s amazing low poke from RDS. This move tracks well and leaves you advantaged at +7, though rather far. The extension (RDS d+3,4) is guaranteed on counter hit and can be twitch confirmed. If they attempt to punish the first hit recklessly the extension can counterhit them itself, which is especially rewarding at the wall, but pressing it recklessly against standblockers removes the advantage from the first hit and makes your relatively safe -12 low into a launch punishable low high string.

RDS d+4: This isn’t a poke, being a stagger low, but as of Season 2 it is now unseeable, making RDS much more threatening to passively standblock. Gives a 3+4 or ub+4 guaranteed on a clean hit knockdown. If you don’t get a clean hit, it’s unrewarding for the amount of risk you take.

RDS b1+2: A new-to-Season 2 powercrush from backturned. Punishable and mid. But if you want to force your opponent to sit still and block against RDS, there’s little better.

RDS b+3: This move is actually a generic! That means it doesn’t show up on the move list in practice mode. You should still be aware of it though, because it’s Ling’s fastest attack from RDS. It used to knockdown but now it’s ‘only’ +8 on hit, though the opponent is rather far from you.

Whiff Punishers

Don’t let Xiaoyu’s small size fool you, she has some of the best whiff punishment in the game. Whiff punishment is a very strong aspect of Xiaoyu’s arsenal. In fact her whiff punishment is so strong that it deserves its own section.

b+1+2: Mid, mid launcher that tracks both ways and her 15f launcher.

3: A high 14f launcher that has even more range than b+1+2. Very important for your block punishment as well.

ub+3: New launcher in Tekken 8. Xiaoyu does a similar animation to Street Fighter character Guile’s Flash Kick. Has REALLY long range so it’s amazing for whiff punishing. Abuse this as much as possible.

AOP d+1+2: Safe launcher that gives great combo damage and wall carry. Primarily used as a great panic move, but also great as a whiff punisher on moves with a lot of recovery while Ling is in AOP.

AOP uf+3: Used as a quick reliable whiff punisher while Ling is in AOP. Especially for moves that recover too quick for AOP d+1+2 to punish in time.

AOP 1+2: Used when Ling is in AOP far away from the opponent where AOP u/f+3 or AOP d+1+2 won’t reach.

RDS 4: A 13f mid launcher from backturned that hits grounded and has great range. You can bait whiffs with this move by doing b+3+4 while in RDS (sort of like Lei’s haha step in earlier games).

RDS f+3+4,3+4: The Roo Kick from Cali Roll. This move can sometimes be used as a whiff punisher.

f,F+2,1: Can be done from a f,F input so it can punish from very far ranges. Mid mid, hit-confirmable, knockdown, wallsplatting string. Can be cancelled by inputting f, f+2,1~b. Cannot say enough great things about it.

uf+3+4: A safe low crush with lots of range, this move has its uses as a safe whiff punisher in situations you want to be completely safe in.

If you step, walk, jump, or roll completely around to the opponent’s back, Ling’s 1,d+2; df+1; f3,1; or ws2 will all guarantee an RDS 4 for a full launch against those without any especially quick backturn options. RDS 2,1 and FC.d3,2,1,4 are also mostly guaranteed if they get started.

Neutral and Common Situations

Your goal, as a player of Ling Xiaoyu, is to make your opponent unhappy. This sounds antisocial but we’re Ling players so we have no souls. Anyway, usually this is accomplished by peppering them with small attacks and weaving in movement to restrict what the opponent can press. This is a universal truth of Tekken, and many characters play like this. What is not a universal truth of Tekken is anything Ling chooses not to bother interacting with. Ling Xiaoyu has a suite of unique rule-breaking tools that are sure to frustrate any opponent who autopilots their options. Their effective use often requires understanding the rules better than anyone else.

Provoke the opponent, note their response, gather information, and eventually exploit their weaknesses.

The following situations are here as primary examples, in order to unpack the principles of playing Ling Xiaoyu. But these rules often apply to situations other than those explicitly named, so be on the lookout for other places where you can apply these lessons.

On the ws2 situation

Certain moves of Ling’s put her into RDS on -3 or -4 while close to the opponent. These moves are 1,d+2; df+1; 2,1; f+3,1; and ws2, all of which are recommended as useful and common pokes for Ling Xiaoyu players to become comfortable with. In RDS it takes 6 frames before Ling blocks when holding back. Taken together these facts can leave you concerned for the safety of these very basic poking options. And it would in fact be unpleasant to be so heavily disadvantaged so often. However, many features of Ling’s RDS stance make this situation one that feels almost advantaged for Ling, rather than disadvantaged, and you should become familiar with your options here.

Firstly, the RDS sidestep is significantly better than Ling’s front-facing one. It is nearly on par with Lili’s or Alisa’s, if less readily accessible. Combined with the fact that some of the pokes that lead to this situation leave Ling slightly off-axis to her front-facing left, RDS into a sidestep left (that is, into the background if on Player 1 side) is a highly evasive option. Homing moves will be required to hunt you down if you sequence multiple RDS sidesteps together.

Secondly, holding db while in RDS will cause Ling to slide backwards a significant distance. This is actually a generic option from backturn, but Ling is in backturn so much more often than most that it’s practically a special move she shares with Azucena and Lili. Ling makes enough distance that many attempts to retaliate will whiff. Long reaching advancing mid strings like Lili’s 3,1 will tend to hit you, though.

Thirdly, Ling can actually turn around faster than 6 frames by holding uf into f. Theoretically this takes as little as 2 frames, with a 3rd for a b to block, though that would be frame perfect. This instant turn-around input is one of Ling's more demanding ones and is absolutely NOT necessary to play her.

Fourthly, Ling has frame 1 parries from RDS with RDS b+1+3 or b+2+4 and manual low parries with RDS d+1+3 or d+2+4. These are highly unusual tools in Tekken and they will have their own section.

Finally, even in RDS Ling always has the option to enter AOP, or use Cali Roll, RDS f+3+4. From RDS the AOP transition lacks an inbuilt sidestep, but it will still crush all highs and many mids, as will Cali Roll.

When laid out in simple bulletpoints like this, each of these options sound lackluster. After all, advancing mid strings, or far reaching tracking lows, or other combinations of these properties, are not uncommon in Tekken 8. However, all of these options, fundamentally, are movement, which means that they all can be canceled into each other or into generic Tekken movement, which itself includes sidesteps, blocking normally, or ducking, leading to a multiplicative effect. Several options can be applied at a single time.

A fluent and advanced Ling Xiaoyu can heavily punish any attempts to lock her down, with combinations such as RDS db b to backdash for distance and allow for whiff punishment on anything too short as well as block those advancing mid strings, or RDS uf,f,df into AOP~d, which would evade many of the homing moves people may use to track down your RDS sidesteps. However this isn’t necessary to play Ling well. This type of play is merely something to aspire towards, a distant skill ceiling. Even much simpler application of these options can provide great benefit.

For example, a common response from some opponents, to a blocked stance transition in the ws2 situation, is to press 1 jab or downjab, or another fast move. As Ling is at -3, this jab is theoretically feasible, because her fastest option from RDS is RDS b+3 at 10f. At this frame situation, Ling ‘has no option’ that beats jab: RDS b+3 would connect after the jab, effectively being 13f.

But this is deceptive, because Tekken is a three-dimensional game. Even a normal sidestep would beat a 1 jab here, but the RDS sidestep not only beats jabs and other linear options but sometimes even options explicitly meant to track lateral movement. And if Ling steps this naive jab, she has easy access to a fast and dangerous normal hit launcher in RDS 4, Mistrust, in order to heavily punish what was meant to be a noncommittal and safe poke.

After this, a more educated opponent may use homing attacks to attack the ws2 situation. But most homing attacks are high or mid, and often slower than other options. The slow speed means that Ling’s fast highs will beat them out. And RDS db, AOP, or Cali Roll may duck or evade them outright, and this, too, can lead to a launch, leaving to a dissatisfactory set of choices for the opponent.

At wit’s end, the opponent may resort to the great equalizer of Tekken, the humble generic d+4. At 12f, this low tracks both ways, crushes highs, beats power crush, and checks nearly every situation, with the only disadvantages of being heavily punishable and leaving the user -4 on hit. But d+4 is unrewarding, and gives the turn back over to Ling, and even so RDS db will still block it, or RDS low parry can call it out on a hard read. If this is your opponent’s option then you are quite happy as a Ling player.

Of course all of this is assuming that your opponent responds with a button. Your opponent can also respond by using movement, just as Ling can. And this is, in fact, the correct response to the ws2 situation: to move. RDS is inherently linear, with few tracking options. But if your opponent steps alongside your RDS sidestep or dashes forward to avoid whiffing after your RDS db upon seeing the ws2 situation, then that is just a return to equilibrium. Ling loses nothing by attempting her noncommittal movement options, and she potentially gains quite a lot. If your opponents online begin moving with you, you are beyond needing this guide, and you are beginning to play intermediate or high level Tekken.

On the Storming Flower situation, and on cancels and mental frames

After db1, or the safe string ender 1,2,1, you are heavily disadvantaged but safe at -9. However there are unsafe string enders that look identical, using the same Storming Flower animation, from f,F+2,1; AOP 2,1; and u+1+2,1+2,1. All of the unsafe versions, additionally, are cancelable into RDS by holding back. All of these facts lead to a complex situation that can stress the opponent severely.

Be aware that, strictly, all of Ling’s cancels, including these, are weak decisions from the point of view of hard frame data. However, the complexity of the decision tree combined with the high prevalence of other decision trees common in Ling Xiaoyu’s gameplay, means that your opponent will not make good decisions unless you show the same options too often.

In usage, db1 can be used as a reliable and rewarding midcheck, wallsplatting opponents, Heat Engaging, and remaining safe afterwards. 1,2,1, although less rewarding without the Heat Engage, comes from the very useful 1,2 string, is delayable, and can leave the ender off entirely, which allows you to engage in will-she-won’t-she mindgames after 1,2. Opponents get antsy after blocking strings, wanting to press a button or move to ‘take their turn’. This is especially true after combos, or at the start or end of rounds, which is when the final hit of 1,2,1 connects most often.

From the safe versions, you are always able to hold back and defend normally. It is theoretically your opponent’s turn, no questions asked. You may ask why, given this, that these are valuable moves, if they leave you so disadvantaged on block. However, given the stress of the situation, the existence of the unsafe enders, and the general complexity of the game, opponents will often make exploitable decisions afterwards. For example, they may jab. A jab feels safe and reliable as a way to ‘cement a turn’ for many players. It is the fastest option for most characters, maintains pressure at +1 on block, has rewarding frames on hit, and as a 10f attack it is completely unsteppable at +9. But a jab is fundamentally exploitable, especially for Ling. Immediate duck or AOP will allow you to murder jab checks, launching with AOP uf+3 or wallsplatting with AOP 2,1. SSR AOP may evade many other highs or mids.

The moment that the opponent most wants to attack is the moment in which Ling’s evasion is most powerful. An opponent who is punished in this way once or twice will afterwards become hesitant and unwilling to press, which allows you to take ‘mental’ frames, and continue your pressure even when hard data suggests you couldn’t.

This principle also allows Ling’s cancels to be useful, despite on-paper poor frame data. All of the cancelable versions of Storming Flower are wholly mid strings, punishable, but also delayable. They are so delayable, in fact, that they are not always natural if you attempt to hit-confirm them. This quality is both good and bad. The more delayable a string is, the more options you have in regards to its timing and the more respect your opponent needs to give the initial hits. But, of course, if you delay too long, you can lose out on your reward from hitting your attack, and even be punished, or you can be interrupted.

Again, the moment your opponent most wants to attack is the moment in which Ling’s evasion is most powerful. And cancels encourage your opponent to press buttons and attack, either to interrupt or to punish.

In terms of frame data, the sequence of AOP 2,1~b into RDS 1 is atrociously risky as AOP 2,1~b puts Ling into an outright punishable state on block. However, the opponent does not see the cancel until much later than your input. If the opponent attempts to react to the cancel and is slow, then the RDS 1 often counterhits. AOP 2,1~b can even be sequenced into another AOP 2,1~b, leading to a flurry of animations and a confused opponent.

Be aware that the opponent can interrupt this and do not use the cancels in this way constantly! By using the cancels you are committing heavily and can be heavily punished in turn. As an occasional option, these and Ling’s other cancels into FC (df2,3~d and RDS 1,2~d) are good ways to confuse your opponent and enforce your pressure. Unfinished non-jailing strings without cancels can do similar things, such as RDS 1+2. Either extension is risky, being punishable or high, but with only the first hit on its own, an opponent waiting to punish is an opponent waiting for you to take the initiative.

And remember that you must occasionally finish the strings, even though they are punishable, and show the opponent as many options from these cancels and safe enders as possible. You may be punished for finishing, but doing so will enforce respect for the first hits on their own or for the cancels, providing you with freedom in your sequencing. Finally, finishing serves as a type of test. After all, if you find an opponent who does not reliably punish, then that just makes the string safe.

On full crouch

Historically, a Tekken move forcing the opponent into full crouch is seen as a good property for the move to have. Ling has several moves with this property herself, such as ws3 and 3+4, and you can be happy to use them for this to restrict your opponent’s attacks. Unusually, Ling enjoys being in FC to some extent, enough that several of her own moves leave her in crouch and she has cancels into that state. This is due to her excellent options from FC, as well as several unique properties of her stance transitions. These options are not developed enough for FC to be considered a stance of their own, as RDS is, with RDS ultimately being an evolution of the generic backturn state, but they are important to be aware of, and so they are compiled together here.

The generic Tekken move d+4, and Ling’s ss4, RDS db, the f+3+4 roll, AOP 1, AOP uf+4, neutral uf+4~d, RDS f+1+3~d/f+2+4~d/f+2+3~d Hop n’ Throw cancels, the AOP grab cancels AOP 1+3~d and AOP 2+4~d, AOP u (aka canceling AOP with a light tap), the Season 2 df+2,3~d and RDS 1,2~d cancels, landing after an empty jump, and pressing RDS u, uf, f, df, d, are all examples of attacks and movements that allow Ling to enter FC. These options range from the simplest a move can be, to quite complicated. The cancels come with the usual caveats for cancels, relying on mental frames and opponent hesitation, and the movement techniques tend to be slow and require practice. Use whichever ones you find comfortable. Additionally, pay attention to which enemy attacks put you into FC so that you can take advantage of these situations. Enemy Heat Burst is one of the most common and generic of these.

ws2 is, of course, the foremost of Ling’s options from FC. +5 on hit, a fast mid at 13f, on block it’s the eponymous move leading to the safe situation described elsewhere in this write-up as ‘the ws2 situation’, and even a counterhit launcher, if you are in FC you should consider ws2. The charged version hits grounded and launches on normal hit, if you can convince your opponent to duck into a 22f attack.

Other than ws2, Ling also has a pair of low, low strings with similar purposes to each other. FC df+4,4 and FC df+2,1 both transition Ling into stance with a small advantage, can be done with either a single hit or both hits, and are relatively safe and annoying options. FC df+4 transitions Ling into AOP at +4, while the second hit puts her back into FC, and FC df+2,1 will transition Ling to RDS at +3 on either the first or second hit. Additionally Ling can and should access either of these lows from AOP with AOP f+4,4 or AOP f+2,1.

Ling’s full crouch game is made more frustrating for the opponent by her stance transitions. In FC, the usual input d+1+2 for AOP will provide an immediate AOP~d Butterfly evasion. This isn’t infallible, but it is highly effective.

As of Season 2, Ling can now sidestep in either direction out of FC, as everyone else also can. This is especially good for her, as it enables her to not only use FC AOP for Butterfly but also SSR AOP from FC, no matter which side she’s on. SSR AOP is notoriously evasive, stepping many of the lows that people try to use to check AOP.

Additionally, Ling can transition directly into RDS from FC by using FC db+3+4. Differently from the manual transition while standing, Ling will slide to the left instead of the right, and she will also remain crouching below highs. This will evade many things unexpectedly so be aware and ready.

On parries

Ling ends up with her back to her opponent often, which can sometimes be good for her, but it’s an inherently dangerous situation. One of Ling’s defensive tools are her parries, which are accessible from both front-facing and from RDS with b+1+3 or b+2+4, or her manual low parry, which is again accessible from both front-facing or from RDS, this time with d+1+3 or d+2+4. All of Ling’s parries are not what the game calls ‘strong reversals’. Her parries are indeed powerful, but what the game means by this is that she cannot parry knees, elbows, weapons like knives, swords, or bazookas, or airborne attacks like hopkicks.

Notably, her parries activate 1 frame after you press them, and they are active for approximately 15 frames after that, meaning they work immediately and for a long time. This is highly unusual! Most parries and reversals in the game, even those called ‘strong’, are only active after 5 frames, and may have significantly shorter active frame windows. Unlike those other parries, however, on a successful parry, Ling’s give nothing guaranteed, only frame advantage.

They should still be used, because they allow for a flexible and unusual defense. String based offense is particularly weak to parries, assuming that you the Ling player know the string your opponent is using.

Ling additionally has a punch-only parry from front-facing on her manual transition to HYP, which is also useable from HYP itself with HYP 1+2. On a successful parry, the HYP parry is much more rewarding, though still nothing is guaranteed. Ling will enter HYP at +9 with the opponent backturned. HYP 4 will launch those who naively hold back to block, and HYP 2 will Heat Engage on those who hold db.

Ling’s parries also serve another purpose in conjunction with her offense. Unlike the ws2 situation, Ling has other attacks that can put her backturned while at significantly worse frame situations. All of her Storming Flower cancels do this, as does her RDS f+3+4,3+4 Cali Roll kick, her db+2 on block, her FC df+2,1/AOP f+2,1 on block, and her AOP 1,4 string ender.

Ling is truly punishable for all of these, meaning that a sharp opponent can guarantee damage on you after blocking them, typically with a fast and natural jab string like Dragunov’s 1,3,2. There is nothing you can do about these (except hope that the opponent is slow. If they are slow, then the following parry mindgame will apply to them as well).

However, db+2, the second hit of b+2,2, AOP 1,4, and FC df+2,1/AOP f+2,1 are different. On block, these leave you truly at -8 in RDS (except AOP 1,4, which leaves you at -9 instead). This means that after these attacks are blocked, Ling has options! Her 1f parries will work, as long as the opponent presses a punch or kick. This is especially useful for db+2, b+2,2 and FC df+2,1/AOP f+2,1 because they are lows, making the most common punish for them the general ws4. This means for most opponents, these attacks are safe.

Most players are not familiar with how Ling’s parries work and they will continually try ws4 and get parried. You will eventually encounter someone who does know how they work, or you will encounter some crouching punishes that will naturally beat Ling’s parries. If your opponent anticipates the parry then they can wait it out and launch punish you, or use a hopkick or other similar option. However these options will be slower, or naturally include the opponent not punishing your blocked attack. That means Ling can just hold back and become safe in neutral again, which will be punished if the opponent returns to pressing ws4. This rock paper scissors parry mindgame can be difficult or frustrating for both players, but given that you are the one playing Ling, you can choose to engage with it to the degree you feel comfortable.

Be mindful. Some of the jab strings or punishes that people will try to use on you are indeed guaranteed on most backturned opponents, but are not guaranteed on Ling! Kazuya’s 1,2,4,3 is a good example of this. There is a gap in this string that does not matter for most characters, but due to the frame 1 nature of Ling’s parries, she can actually escape it and parry the last, most damaging hit. (She may also be able to parry the third low hit, but it could be much more difficult to recognize.) Another example is that in the Ling mirror match this means that 1,d+2 into RDS 4 is not guaranteed, because the RDS 4 is parryable.

Okizeme

An absurdly strong aspect of Xiaoyu’s arsenal. Without a doubt she has some of the best oki in the game. Taking advantage of Xiaoyu’s oki is pretty much required to master the character. This section is far from complete and never could be. There will always be more setups to discover, and this is only a starting point.

Principles and Examples of Combo Ender Oki And Setups

Certain of Ling’s combo enders can be adjusted in order to fool the opponent into thinking the combo is over, or if they’re sleeping with their hands off their controller allow Ling to pick them up off the ground for additional damage. She also has a proliferation of moves that spike the opponent into the ground on non-floorbreak stages, like uf4, ff1, and 3+4. All of these situations can be useful, though they aren’t mandatory to learn. Think of them as a small gamble. You are giving up guaranteed damage from doing the full combo ender in exchange for the opportunity to extract either equivalent or better damage from a correct read on your opponent’s wakeup.

The simplest example of the first of these occurs after HYP 3+4. Putting the opponent into tailspin while remaining in neutral gives Ling the opportunity to adjust her followup in several ways.

If the opponent techrolls, Ling can go for an immediate HYP mix. This is unthreatening outside of heat. She can also choose any other stance or neutral for her mixup, but since HYP is the only major mix in her kit that requires windup, its timing lines up with the tech better as a frame-kill. If you are not going for a hard 50/50 low/mid mix, then your options will be f+2; f,F+3; or f+3,1. All of these options will have different outcome depending on the timing of your button presses and the opponent’s wakeup.

f+2 can be used as part of the guaranteed combo structure for additional damage, such as before a Rage Art. Doing this after HYP 3+4 requires a mild execution challenge, pressing f,f,F+2 or wr2, in order to not input f,F+2, which is a different move, but this only requires practice. For oki purposes, however, if the forward inputs are slow, then the f+2 can pick a ‘lazy’ grounded opponent back up, for a combo extension. Given that f+2 is ‘expected’, doing this on its own will not alert the opponent that something is wrong, making this quite sneaky. If the opponent falls for it consistently then this can add 20 to 30 damage and significant wall carry to all of your combos. If f+2,1 is performed instead then there is much less chance of followup given how much further f+2,1 sends them.

After HYP3+4, on immediate timing, f,F+3 will hit the opponent once and knock them a significant distance away. This is a bad outcome. However, if a slight delay is introduced then the opponent can be picked back up for a small extension. If the delay is lengthened then the f,F+3 will whiff entirely on opponents who tech, and knock away slowpokes…but on whiff this is not strictly disadvantageous. In this situation, Ling is approximately neutral in RDS. An opponent who presses a ws4 or a getup kick immediately will usually hit Ling for a slight punish, so there is some risk, but on seeing the whiff opponents will usually assume they are advantaged. An RDS db+4 will counterhit anything slower than the aforementioned fast options. As this is a low, and some opponents will recklessly hopkick on wakeup after seeing the whiff, be aware that you can take significant damage here. However, RDS 2 is a faster and safer option that will still beat out most buttons, as well as floating hopkickers. (A similar situation occurs after ws4 on hit, if you followup with f,F+3.)

f+3,1, similar to f,F+3, with good timing will pick up opponents who stay grounded or who spring kick. Often the first hit will connect for a small amount of damage, the second will whiff, and the opponent will be quite far away with Ling in RDS.

Spikes can be used quite freely in Ling’s combos. She has many downward moves that will immediately end the combo on non-floorbreak stages in exchange for restricting the opponent’s wakeup options, preventing techrolls entirely and possibly forcing them into an AOP mixup on wakeup. If the wall angle is bad and looks inconsistent then this is usually the best option. Followups to the spike will depend on the wall situation and the opponent’s most common getup option. Typically AOP u+4 is a high coverage option that will refloat spring kickers and is safe. Otherwise, or near the wall, a low poke like ss4 or AOP d+1 will continue to pressure the opponent’s wakeup and make them stand into your mixups.

RDS ub+1

This seeable low has several unusual properties, such as multiple active frames, as well as providing a true +12 frame advantage to guarantee an AOP 4 on hit. These combine to allow RDS ub+1 to occasionally provide more than it’s ‘supposed to’ on hit, up to +14 to guarantee an AOP 2,1 Heat Engage. The conditions that allow this to happen require that RDS ub+1 connects on its later frames. The most common way to do this is to change the combo ender after the tornado to a single hit that leads to the timing of an opponent’s techroll aligning with the timing of an RDS ub+1. Usually this single hit is RDS f3+4,3+4 or RDS 1.

This setup works when the combo has 5 or 6 total hits. It’s most consistent after standing 3, or Waning Moon, Ling’s launching throw f+2+3. The following routes should work as simple examples:

1. 3 f,F+3 RDS db+4 f+3,1,4 t! b3+4 RDS 1 RDS ub+1 AOP 2,1
2. f+2+3 db+2 RDS d+3,4 dash ub+3 t! b3+4 RDS f+3+4, 3+4 RDS ub+1 AOP 2,1

This won’t work if the opponent doesn’t tech, or depending on the setup it may not work if the opponent techs the wrong direction. The RDS ub+1 itself can be canceled to give the setup more layers, but the more complicated the setup the more unlikely the gamble is to work.

The Wall Combo

Although not a ‘setup’, Xiaoyu’s best wall combo, f+2,1,2 with some delay to spike the opponent, leaves the opponent severely disadvantaged and she has many options to attack their wake up. The spike prevents them from techrolling to either side or using getup attacks, so Xiaoyu gets one additional attack on the grounded opponent of her choice for massive damage and a complex mixup. She can choose front facing or RDS options for this one attack.

Of her front facing options there are three primary types:

1. additional spikes like 3+4
2. flip downs like ss4 or db+2
3. flip overs like ub+4.

The opponent can wakeup after all three, but their options vary. For example they can only spring kick after extra spikes, as the other two leave them face-down. Ling has options to beat all wakeups from all three options. After 3+4~d for example, AOP 1,4 will connect with and resplat spring kicks or duckers while punting those who stay grounded, while AOP 1~b will enable an additional layer of HYP mix. Although AOP 1~b transitions at -2 on block, HYP 2 and 3 will both evade jabs. That is to say, AOP 1 is a high coverage option. AOP 1 without extension is also still a respectable choice, because Ling’s FC game is very strong at the wall, with fast and rewarding mids like ws1,4 and dangerous looping lows like FC df4. After flip downs and flip overs Ling is advantaged by varying amounts. f,F+1 has many useful extensions here. f,F+1~d on its own will spike the opponent and prevent tech rolls, leading to AOp mix. Notably ub+4 as a flipover enables an immediate manual HYP mix at the wall, usually with Heat still active.

Her RDS options are just as varied. RDS b+1+2 does the most damage, but RDS f3+4,3+4 will flip the opponent like ub+4, but also leave Ling positive enough that a Hop n’ Throw attempt will connect on tech roll. The Hop n’ Throw can also be canceled into FC, or left aside entirely. Ling could, for example, turn back around instead and apply a front facing mixup, or go into AOP or FC. Alternatively, after the Cali Roll, Ling can use RDS f,F+3+4 as a tech catch. This attack will be perfectly spaced to catch quick stand or tech left with an unbreakable hit-throw, as well as resplatting those who get hit normally (with ub+4), and is plus on block for those who are mis-spaced. But remember that these examples are just a starting point, and that there are many more options from this vortex of terrible outcomes for the opponent.

AOP 3+4

• You can always choose to take your frames and transition to a stance to apply a mixup.
• If the opponent stays on the ground you can use another AOP 3+4 or charge ws2* or crouch cancel into b+1+2 or df+3 or uf,n,4 or AOP uf(while landing)4.
• FC d+3, the first hit of the Fire Dancer string, is guaranteed, but might whiff if you are off axis.

Outdated Okizeme

Sometimes the game changes. These are old techs that have been patched, but have been left here for historical posterity and for the possibility that they are restored.

Season 2 made several system changes to waking up, mostly removing setups that could relaunch an opponent holding backwards, as well as making Ling’s ws4 less useful against grounded opponents.

u/f+4 into u/b+3

The uf4 into ub3 setup is new to Tekken 8. After your T! move in your combo you will spike the opponent with uf4. Then, you will press ub3 to relaunch your opponent. This setup does a boatload of damage.

If the opponent stays down to avoid ub3. Then, you get situations like AOP while landing 3 as Croft demonstrates in his video. Whiff punishing their wakeup kick with AOP uf3 is also a decent

Check out the two videos below to get an idea of this setup works. Ling Xiaoyu Is STILL The Oki Queen In Tekken 8! Wang's Waning Moon Throw is AMAZING in TEKKEN 8 🥳

AOP 3+4

• Crouch cancel b+1+2 is guaranteed and launches opponents who wake up backwards or stand up(The crouch cancel timing has to be just framed)
• If they try to stand up WS+2 will hit their back and you get a free RDS 4(Preferable option for opponents who stand up if you cannot get the crouch cancel b+1+2 timing)
• If the opponent stays on the ground you can use another AOP 3+4 or cc: b+1+2 or d/f+3 or u/f,n,4 or AOP uf(while landing)4.
• FC 3 is guaranteed but might whiff if you are off axis.

# [https://youtu.be/ReiIHc6Ibcw AOP 3+4 Oki Tutorial Video]