Reina strategy: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:33, 13 September 2024

Key Moves

Function
	Core
	Secondary
	Extra

Move	PokeFast and safe, see Poke	Counter	MixupUseful against a guarding opponent.	KeepoutUseful against an opponent moving in.	ApproachUseful when moving in.	Oki
1,1
df+1
df+4,2
b+2
f,F+2,F
3+4
f+4
db+2
f,n,d,df+4,2
EWGF
EWGK

Tracks left

2,2
4
df+2

Tracks both

b+2
EWGK
3,2

Tracks right

df+1
EWGF

Basic Gameplan

Reina's gameplan revolves around conditioning her opponent to sit still through her strong space control and approach tools. From here, she can land her mixups to deal damage. The primary challenge with her is getting her low mixup options to land successfully, since they are universally quite risky. To circumvent this, she can use her opponent's passiveness to force mistakes by keeping up the pressure, or relieving it at will to punish reckless approach with keepout or whiff punishment. In a pinch, she also has a plethora of turn-stealing options to retain her turn.

Approach

Reina's lightning-fast approach centers around the aptly named Raiden (f,F+2). This is an extremely fast, advancing, long-range poke that transitions into Sentai (SEN) stance to setup mixups, even on block. f,F+2 makes it quite easy for Reina to approach and begin mixing up the opponent. She also has other situational tools to approach that, while not leading into quite such a clear cut mixup, can still be effective. She wants to use her approach tools to get in range of the opponent, setup mixups and quickly earn the life lead, from where she can play a safer neutral game.

f,F+2,F: Reina's core approach and space-control tool, that can be hit-confirmed into SEN.3. Fast and long-range, it doubles as a mid mixup option and a whiff punisher. It is very easy to use to approach and force Sentai mixups, and is quite difficult for an opponent to contest with keepout. It can be quite linear, however, and requires Reina to use a long dash, or delays, or wavedash realignment to effectively track her opponents with it. The SEN mixup from f,F+2,F on block is easy to enforce but unrewarding against proper defense^[1] , so it is advisable to run the basic mixup sparingly, while also incorporating options like an empty SEN transition (f,F+2,F,n), or the non-transition (f,F+2,n), to earn mental frame advantage to run other mixups or to control space.

f,F+3+4: Reina's f,F+3+4 is a great approach and CH-fishing tool. It is very lightly minus on block and has surprisingly low recovery, so she has many options to keep her turn, either through using movement (stepping retaliation and whiff punishing), evasive moves (e.g., b+4, 3,2) or fast pokes (e.g. 1,1). With its CH-launch property, it can also serve to discourage the opponent from approaching with standing moves. Its weakness is its linearity and high hitbox.

3+4,4: Reina's 3+4,4 is a versatile space-control tool that doubles as a long-range whiff punisher, and a twitch-confirmable mid mixup option. Its extreme range makes up for its slower startup (i18 i26), and it also is a useful approach tool that low crushes. While safe at -8 on block, the mixup potential from it is not as strong, since you're essentially giving up your turn, and recover crouching. However, the threat of the CH-launching extension can be potent against opponents too eager to take their turn, which can earn you the mental frame advantage to run a mixup. 3+4 > ws3+4 is an occasionally useful sequence to use here, since a careless high retaliation will get your opponent hit by ws3+4 for a follow-up.

f,f,F+3
f,f,F+4: Reina's wr kicks give her great frame advantage on block to run mixups with. They complement each other, since f,f,F+3 is a linear mid, but f,f,F+4 is a homing high. Effective in wake-up situations, and causing chip damage on block, they are also great pressure tools.

f+1+2
f+3+4: These tools have the primary advantage of being able to cover a long distance while high-crushing, thus giving Reina the ability to get around strong, high keepout tools like EWGF or Steve's b+1. Neither tool directly sets up a mixup, since the moves on their own are punishable on block. Instead, Reina must rely on earning mental frame advantage from cancels and extension threats.

f+1+2 puts Reina into her Senshin (SSH) stance, which looks like a forward roll out of which she does an automatic, punishable mid punch. It also has a chunky low option (SSH.3), and can be cancelled into her wr moves. It is best used from a range just outside the maximum range of 3+4 (~3.6-4.0). Here, if the opponent is unwilling to approach you, f+1+2 will cover the distance rapidly and connect on block. At this particular spacing, the pushback is such that most characters' i10/i11 punishes will not reach, allowing Reina to setup a spacing trap. The speed of the roll also allows cancelling it into SSH.3 for a low option, or SSH.uf+3 and SSH.uf+4 for pressure.

f+3+4 is a forward rolling Taido kick which is a CH-launcher, but quite punishable on block. Using it from range against a passive opponent can be a good way to get them to press, otherwise you can charge it into f+3+4* which will break their guard. If they are over-eager to interrupt you, cancelling f+3+4 early can get them to whiff, allowing you to whiff punish.

wavedash: The classic Mishima approach tool, this can easily close a gap and setup a Wind God Step (WGS) mixup. However, Reina is open to attacks during the animation, and it takes a bit of execution to safely wavedash-cancel or to reliably perform moves out of it. Her wavedash can be combined with SEN (WGS.f+3) to cover more distance while enforcing a SEN mixup.^[2]

↑ This is very much an "on-paper" problem, since the proper defense required can be quite demanding in practice due to the transition's speed. Feel free to run this until your opponent shows you they can handle it.
↑ https://twitter.com/Mister_J0EL/status/1790134555438948438

Mixups

In general, most of Reina's mixups have poor risk-reward due to the low options being almost universally launch-punishable without the mids leading to a launch themselves. Her mixups tend to reset to neutral on hit, which doesn't allow her to loop her offense. They can also be slow to startup, and are vulnerable to lateral movement.

She is thus required to earn her opponent's respect to land her mixups, through poking or turn-stealing. She is encouraged to use more of her mids to both mixup and pressure the opponent, since despite not leading to a launch, they are generally quite safe and do chunky damage. For example, her mid mixup tools like f,F+2,F and f+4 (and to an extent df+1,2) can be safely and easily hit-confirmed into further damage.

Standing Mixups

Reina's standing mixups are quite good, and the mids lead to decent pressure even on block. Their weaknesses include linearity, and being somewhat slow to start up, in addition to the aforementioned high risk of the low options.

Options

df+4,2: A solid low-risk, medium-reward mid mixup option, it does nearly as much damage as Reina's df+1,2 on hit while being completely safe on block. It can be hit-confirmed into a WRA transition for more mixups. While it gives up your turn on block, you can condition the opponent to respect you with the threat of the CH-launching extension.^[1]

df+1,2: The fast but unsafe mid extension on Reina's key mid check, it is a Heat Engager, and can be delayed in order to bait opponents into pressing. It is not hit-confirmable, and so requires commitment. However, it can be twitch-confirmed if you see the opponent moving/ducking during the startup of df+1.

f,F+2,F: Reina's signature move doubles as a fast, safe mid mixup option. It can be hit-confirmed into SEN.3 for a chunk of damage (and this is important to do reliably), and the SEN mixup on block still allows Reina to force an (unrewarding) offense. It is quite linear, so Reina must condition her opponent to not sidestep, or spend time realigning with them, to get it to land reliably. The low expected reward from the f,F+2,F on block situation also makes it necessary to incorporate the non-transition to break the opponent's defensive patterns.

f+4: One of Reina's slower mid mixup options that trades speed for low risk (it leads to pressure on block) and high reward. It is important to practice confirming the hit on a crouching opponent in order to reliably land the follow-up df+1,2. Almost none of her moves frame trap into f+4 even on hit, so it is important to make sure the opponent is not going to press or move when going for it.

f,F+3: Another slower mid mixup option, it also has low risk and high reward, being a Heat Engager, a launcher in Heat, and granting a follow-up outside of Heat. The f,F input allows the tracking and range on it to be extended, and its low-reaching hitbox is good for hitting low-profile stances like Xiaoyu's Art of Phoenix (AOP) or Zafina's Tarantula (TRT).

f,n,d,df+4,2: Reina's hellsweep is the most threatening low in her kit, being unseeable, with good range and optionally leading to a WRA mixup opportunity on hit. It is death on block, so it is very important to test your opponent's habits before sneaking it in, to avoid getting it blocked. It is quite linear, and requires your opponent to be still, or requires Reina to realign with her opponent to land successfully.

db+2: Reina's easier-to-input power low is still quite threatening, having good range and decent tracking to both sides. It is also launch on block, albeit not as bad as her hellsweep. It is lightly minus on hit, so you need to be mindful about continuing your pressure.

SS.4: SS.4 trades damage and speed for safety, and is one of the two safest lows in Reina's arsenal (the other being db+4). When taking the SS into account, it is slow, but if you earn the respect to do a SS without fearing interruption, it is unseeable (and can be mixed with a SS into a mid). It is neutral on hit, but gives excellent pressure on CH to go for any mixup.

Stance Mixups

Sentai (SEN)

Sentai is Reina's most ubiquitous stance (not counting her WGS, since crouch dashes are not commonly thought of as "stances"). It functions as a graceful twirl forward, and can serve as a gap-closer, although Reina cannot block during the animation. It is the easiest stance to flow into, with all her other stances being able to transition into it (not to mention a fairly fast manual transition). Many of her key moves can also optionally transition into it, and it is a stance Reina players will commonly find themselves entering.

As a mixup stance, it is characterized by its speed, with Reina having fast and ambiguous transitions into SEN, and fast options from SEN, requiring the defender to quickly commit to a defensive option. However, mixups from it have high risk for not as much reward, since a correct read on their part leads to Reina getting launched, and none of the Sentai options launch themselves. It is important to be free-form in applying Sentai mixups, not getting predictable with them and sneaking them in when least expected, reducing the chance of the opponent guessing correctly.

Entries

f,F+2,F block (+2 SEN): f,F+2,F is likely the most common SEN transition for Reina, due to f,F+2,F being such a key move for her. Despite being so easy to enforce, this mixup is not favorable to Reina in the long run, since most options can be jab-interrupted, and both the options that beat jabs (SEN.3, SEN.3+4) can be ducked and launched. SEN.1 will armor through interruption attempts, and using SEN.1+2 is important to increase the reward on the opponent ducking, despite it being unsafe.

Mixup:Reina-sen3.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

The ubiquitous f,F+2,F mixup on block, in the mirror

	B~punish	DB	jab	SSL~b~punish	SSR~b~punish	B~wait	SSL~b~wait	SSR~b~wait
SEN.3	6chip damage	-76FC.df+4 staple	20	22	22	6	22	22
SEN.2	0	20	-6	-67df+2 staple	20	0	-67	20
SEN.4	7chip damage	45	-43	-75	-74	7	-75	-74
SEN.3+4	22	-80FC.df+3 staple	22	22	22	22	22	22
SEN.1	-432~1 EWGK punish	42	2	-43	-74	0	0	0
SEN.1,qcf+2	36	42	8	36	-74	-67	-67	-74
SEN.1+3	20	-76FC.df+4 staple	-6	20	20	20	20	20
SEN.1+2	-24CH 1,1,2	51SEN.1+2~2	6	51	-77	-24	51	-77

Nash equilibrium with payoff -4.99

SEN.3: 0.35
SEN.2: 0.39
SEN.1+2: 0.26

DB: 0.28
SSL~b~punish: 0.29
SSR~b~punish: 0.44

Payoff for dominated options

SEN.4: -41.52
SEN.3+4: -6.09
SEN.1: -33.15
SEN.1,qcf+2: -10.46
SEN.1+3: -6.44

B~punish: 4.28
jab: -6.17
B~wait: 4.28
SSL~b~wait: 4.99
SSR~b~wait: 4.99

1,1,2 hit (+11 SEN)
f+2,3,F hit (+9 SEN): A rewarding transition from landing a move on hit, it puts her in SEN at enough plus frames to make SEN.2 uncontestable. With SEN.2 acting as a very real deterrent to stepping, ducking or interrupting (even with armored moves), it forces the opponent to simply stand block, opening up the other SEN options much better. Of course, since this situation is a reward for landing a move on hit, it is not going to be easy to actively enforce, although the 1,1,2 on hit situation ends up being quite common since it's her primary i10 punish and an excellent, hit-confirmable jab string.

Mixup:Reina-1,1,2-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's 1,1,2 on hit into SEN, in the mirror

	B~punish	DB	jab	SSL~b~punish	SSR~b~punish	B~wait	SSL~b~wait	SSR~b~wait
SEN.3	6	-76	26	22	22	6	22	22
SEN.2	0	20	24	20	20	0	20	20
SEN.4	7	45	-6	-75	7	7	-75	7
SEN.3+4	22	-80	24	22	22	22	22	22
SEN.1	-43	42	44	42	42	0	42	42
SEN.1,qcf+2	36	42	44	42	42	-67	42	42
SEN.1+3	20	-76	20	20	20	20	20	20
SEN.1+2	-24	51	53	51	51	-24	51	51

Nash equilibrium with payoff 5.24

SEN.2: 0.65
SEN.4: 0.16
SEN.3+4: 0.19

B~punish: 0.42
DB: 0.16
SSL~b~punish: 0.1
B~wait: 0.31

Payoff for dominated options

SEN.3: -5.91
SEN.1: -7.24
SEN.1,qcf+2: 5.24
SEN.1+3: 4.22
SEN.1+2: -4.35

jab: -19.22
SSR~b~punish: -18.3
SSL~b~wait: -5.24
SSR~b~wait: -18.3

Mixup:Reina-f+2,3,F-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's f+2,3 on hit into SEN, in the mirror

	B~punish	DB	jab	SSL~b~punish	SSR~b~punish	B~wait	SSL~b~wait	SSR~b~wait
SEN.3	6	-76	26	22	22	6	22	22
SEN.2	0	20	24	20	20	0	20	20
SEN.4	7	45	-43	-75	7	7	-75	7
SEN.3+4	22	-80	24	22	22	22	22	22
SEN.1	-43	42	44	42	42	0	42	42
SEN.1,qcf+2	36	42	44	42	42	-67	42	42
SEN.1+3	20	-76	20	20	20	20	20	20
SEN.1+2	-24	51	53	51	51	-24	51	51

Nash equilibrium with payoff 5.24

SEN.2: 0.65
SEN.4: 0.16
SEN.3+4: 0.19

B~punish: 0.42
DB: 0.16
SSL~b~punish: 0.1
B~wait: 0.31

Payoff for dominated options

SEN.3: -5.91
SEN.1: -7.24
SEN.1,qcf+2: 5.24
SEN.1+3: 4.22
SEN.1+2: -4.35

jab: -13.33
SSR~b~punish: -18.3
SSL~b~wait: -5.24
SSR~b~wait: -18.3

b+1,1,3,F block (+0 SEN)
WRA.1,F block (+0 SEN): This transition makes all SEN options jab-interruptible (other than SEN.3+4 and SEN.1), making the transition very unrewarding to use on its own for mixups.

b+1,1,3 is itself -10, making the transition all the more unrewarding. Its real purpose is as part of the broader strategy with the b+1 string. b+1 alone can be used quite effectively to earn respect for a mixup. If the 2nd hit lands as CH, then CH (b+1),1,3,F~3 is all guaranteed. With b+1,1 being fairly delayable, Reina can condition her opponent to respect b+1 by delaying the 2nd hit into a follow-up (b+1),<1,3,F. If the opponent mashes, this can be CH-confirmed into SEN.3 for a cool 53 dmg. If unsuccessful, she risks a jab-punish on the transition, though this can also be discouraged with SEN.1 or SEN.3+4, or by not transitioning occasionally and doing (b+1,1),3,3 for a potential CH-launch.

df+1,F block (-3 SEN)
f+2,3,F block (-2 SEN): Having the poorest frames of any move-based transition on block, every option other than SEN.1 becomes jab-interruptible, including SEN.3+4 which doesn't high crush in time. The df+1,F transition is useful when Reina has conditioned her opponent to respect her df+1 through poke pressure. Similarly, respect for f+2,3 can be earned by delaying the (f+2),<3, causing the opponent to hesitate to take their turn. It is an easy mixup to enforce, but it is not recommended to use as a primary source of consistent damage. It's better to use to sneak in the occasional hit and shift momentum, or to add to the opponent's mental stack.

The df+1,F on hit situation (+4 SEN) is similar to 1,1,2 on hit in that SEN.2 is uninterruptible, however it can now be armored through.

f+3
WGS.f+3/UNS.f+3/WRA.f+3: Reina's manual transitions into SEN, these can be used creatively against a turtling opponent to reduce their chances of predicting an incoming mixup in order to successfully land it. An example is manually transitioning into SEN from approximately range 2.5, where the threat of f,F+2 can make the opponent unlikely to press, but which moves Reina into the ideal range for all her SEN options to land. Another is to do f,F+2,F into nothing, then f+3 into a mixup.

Options

SEN.2: The fastest mid option, it is a good checking tool. It is not too minus on block, allowing movement and turn-stealing to still be a threat, and gives good plus frames on hit. It is an excellent default option from ≥ +4 SEN transitions where it can't be stepped left.

SEN.3+4: It serves as a high-risk, medium-reward low mixup option, as an anti-jab interruption option, and as a tracking option to catch steps.

SEN.3: The fastest SEN option; it is used to stop interruption or stepping, gives light pressure on block, but can be ducked and launched.

SEN.1+3 (or SEN.2+4): An unbreakable grab from SEN, it doesn't do much damage by itself, but gives rewarding oki on hit and can condition the opponent to duck. It can be used to catch stepping and stand blocking, but can be launched if they choose to duck.

SEN.4: The slow, low-risk, medium-reward pressure option; SEN.4 discourages stand blocking with its chip and plus frames, but is open to being stepped (either way) or jab-floated. It is a rewarding callout on a ducking opponent, and is good to use when your opponent is respecting you (or is frozen up), say, after conditioning them with SEN.2. Out of raw SEN (f+3), it doubles as a good oki tool since it hits grounded.

SEN.1
SEN.1,qcf+2: The option to discourage interrupting SEN, SEN.1 is an unsafe mid powercrush that will armor through jabs on all transitions. It can be hit-confirmed into the follow-up if it absorbs anything, although the follow-up is not guaranteed on single jabs or possibly 1,1s from transitions where you're more minus. The extension is also quite delayable, making block punishment another guessing game for the opponent. However, both SEN.1 and the extension are quite unsafe, and can be stepped right. However, it tracks the opposite way to the safe mid check in SEN.2.

SEN.1+2: A medium-risk, high-reward mid mixup option. It is essentially unsafe, since an i10 punish is always guaranteed on block, though anything above that can be armored through with WRA.1+2 (on common SEN transitions). In contrast to SEN.2, it is unsafe on block, but much more rewarding on hit, and makes it less favorable for an opponent to duck against SEN. In Heat, it becomes pseudo-safe^[2] due to the auto-parry. It tracks the opposite way to the safe mid-check in SEN.2.

↑ Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.
↑ pseudo-safe because autopiloted attempts to punish or interrupt like jabs will get parried very hard. The parry is punishable however, by aerial moves like hopkicks

Heaven's Wrath (WRA)

Heaven's Wrath is a scary pressure and mixup stance that generally offers better risk-reward than SEN. She can remain in WRA for quite a bit longer than SEN, allowing her to vary her timings and throw off the opponent's defensive reads much better than from SEN. As a trade-off, WRA is more difficult to setup since none of her other stances transition into it, and the manual transition is notably slow (and you're not blocking throughout). Her best options for WRA entry are from move-based transitions.

WRA options are generally quite powerful, but the stance is vulnerable to interruption from power crushes, and especially Rage Arts, since WRA.1 is the only option that beats those. Be careful about transitioning into the stance, or the stance options you're using, when your opponent is in Rage. A good idea is to default to cancelling the stance to block a possible Rage Art attempt.

Entries

WGS.4,2,D hit (+6 WRA): Hellsweep is Reina's best power low, and the staple low mixup option from standing or WGS. It leaves the opponent a good distance away however, making the follow-up situation not as straightforward (unless you've backed them up against a wall). Opponents can usually backdash out WRA.1 and WRA.1+3. However, this mixup is still fairly rewarding with the correct play - we want to mostly default to WRA.3+4, which is only beaten by jab interruption. To discourage that, we must use WRA.d+4 and consistently CH-confirm it into WRA.d+4,3, and WRA.2.

Mixup:Reina-hellsweep,D-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's WGS.DF+4,2,D on hit into WRA, in the mirror

	b,B~punish	DB~punish	jab	SSL~b	SSR~b	b,B~wait	DB~wait
WRA.1,4	-69	-80	36Reina does not CH-confirm into F~1+2	34	34	-69	-80
WRA.2	9chip damage	30	36	30	-78	9	30
WRA.3,4	15chip damage	31	-41	-69	-74	15	31
WRA.4	-23	50	-24	50	50	0	50
WRA.1+2	-32	30	36	30	30	-32	30
WRA.3+4	7	47	-24	47	47	7	47
WRA.1+3	-79	-76	-23	-79	-79	-79	-76
WRA.d+4	9	-76	30	9	9	9	0
WRA.4,2,2	36	50	-24	50	50	-32	50
WRA.d+4,3	-60	80	30	-69	-69	-60	-69

Nash equilibrium with payoff 6.98

WRA.2: 0.23
WRA.1+2: 0.03
WRA.3+4: 0.45
WRA.d+4: 0.29

b,B~punish: 0.22
DB~punish: 0.11
jab: 0.34
SSR~b: 0.15
b,B~wait: 0.18

Payoff for dominated options

WRA.1,4: -19.09
WRA.3,4: -15.76
WRA.4: -0.13
WRA.1+3: -59.86
WRA.4,2,2: 6.98
WRA.d+4,3: -16.18

SSL~b: -31.64
DB~wait: -29.03

ws4,4,D hit (+6 WRA): A reward from landing Reina's i11 ws punish, it keeps her right in front of the opponent, who's forced into crouch. Being on P2 benefits Reina a lot in this mixup, since the opponent no longer has the option to SSR against WRA.2. On P1, we want to default to WRA.3+4, while using WRA.2 and WRA.1,4 to discourage interruption, and WRA.1+3 to discourage stand blocking. On P2, we can default to WRA.2, while using WRA.3,4 and WRA.1+3 to discourage stand blocking.

Mixup:Reina-ws4,4,D-P1-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's ws4,4 on hit into WRA, in the mirror with the defender on P2

	b,B~punish	DB~punish	jab	SSL~b	SSR~b	b,B~wait	DB~wait
WRA.1,4	6	-80	65	6	34	6	-80
WRA.2	9	30	36	9	-76	9	30
WRA.3,4	15	31	-15	15	-69	15	31
WRA.4	-24	44	5	-24	44	-32	44
WRA.1+2	-32	30	36	-32	30	-32	30
WRA.3+4	7	47	-25	7	47	7	47
WRA.1+3	20	-76	20	20	20	20	20
WRA.d+4	9	-76	30	9	9	9	0
WRA.4,2,2	36	44	5	36	44	-32	44
WRA.d+4,3	-60	80	30	-60	-69	-60	-69

Nash equilibrium with payoff 9.13

WRA.1,4: 0.13
WRA.2: 0.26
WRA.3+4: 0.47
WRA.1+3: 0.13

b,B~punish: 0.29
DB~punish: 0.11
jab: 0.18
SSR~b: 0.08
b,B~wait: 0.34

Payoff for dominated options

WRA.3,4: 4.47
WRA.4: -8.16
WRA.1+2: -7.68
WRA.d+4: 3.13
WRA.4,2,2: 9.13
WRA.d+4,3: -28.82

SSL~b: -9.13
DB~wait: -21.98

Mixup:Reina-ws4,4,D-P2-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's ws4,4 on hit into WRA, in the mirror with the defender on P1

	b,B~punish	DB~punish	jab	SSL~b	SSR~b	b,B~wait	DB~wait
WRA.1,4	6	-80	65	34	6	6	-80
WRA.2	9	30	36	30	9	9	30
WRA.3,4	15	31	-15	-69	15	15	31
WRA.4	-24	44	5	44	-24	-32	44
WRA.1+2	-32	30	36	30	-32	-32	30
WRA.3+4	7	47	-25	47	7	7	47
WRA.1+3	20	-76	20	20	20	20	20
WRA.d+4	9	-76	30	9	9	9	0
WRA.4,2,2	36	44	5	44	36	-32	44
WRA.d+4,3	-60	80	30	-69	-60	-60	-69

Nash equilibrium with payoff 12

WRA.2: 0.43
WRA.3,4: 0.19
WRA.3+4: 0.18
WRA.1+3: 0.2

b,B~punish: 0.5
DB~punish: 0.08
jab: 0.01
SSL~b: 0.05
b,B~wait: 0.36

Payoff for dominated options

WRA.1,4: 0.7
WRA.4: -17.7
WRA.1+2: -23.24
WRA.d+4: 2.1
WRA.4,2,2: 12
WRA.d+4,3: -48

SSR~b: -12
DB~wait: -31.25

uf+1 hit (+8 WRA): Reina's uf+1 is an i13 high that gives a guaranteed followup on CH, making it a pseudo-magic 4. uf+1 has poor tracking to Reina's weak side (SSL), but since it can be done from crouch, it can be a good option when Reina herself is forced into crouch. The auto-transition into WRA on hit leaves the opponent standing quite close to her. WRA.2 can still be stepped, but WRA.3+4 trades favorably with jab, making it the catch-all checking option. WRA.3,4 and WRA.1+3 should be used to discourage stand blocking.

df+4,2,D (-6 WRA oB, +8 WRA oH): A highly versatile string that can be used to poke, mixup and pressure. Its pressure is due to the transition to WRA, which is advantageous on hit. It's possible to hit-confirm into the transition, and useful to do so since the transition is i10 punishable on block^[1]. You can earn the respect to do mixups by threatening the string extension, df+4,2,3, which will CH-launch them if they attempt to take their turn.^[2] On hit, the mixup situation is similar to uf+1, but some characters are not able to step WRA.2, making it safer to use.

Mixup:Reina-df+4,2,D oH-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's df+4,2 on hit into WRA, in the mirror

	b,B~punish	DB~punish	jab	SSL~b	SSR~b	b,B~wait	DB~wait
WRA.1,4	6	-80	36	34	34	6	-80
WRA.2	9	30	36	30	30	9	30
WRA.3,4	15	31	-43	-69	-69	15	31
WRA.4	-24	44	-24	44	44	-32	44
WRA.1+2	-32	30	36	30	30	-32	30
WRA.3+4	7	47	46	47	47	7	47
WRA.1+3	20	-76	20	20	20	20	20
WRA.d+4	9	-76	30	9	9	9	0
WRA.4,2,2	36	44	-24	44	44	-32	44
WRA.d+4,3	-69	80	30	-69	-69	-69	-69

Nash equilibrium with payoff 12.2

WRA.3,4: 0.24
WRA.3+4: 0.51
WRA.1+3: 0.25

b,B~punish: 0.5
DB~punish: 0.08
SSL~b: 0.05
b,B~wait: 0.37

Payoff for dominated options

WRA.1,4: 0.38
WRA.2: 11.73
WRA.4: -18.08
WRA.1+2: -23.94
WRA.d+4: 2.09
WRA.4,2,2: 12.2
WRA.d+4,3: -56.9

jab: -17.97
SSR~b: -12.2
DB~wait: -36.35

f,f,F+4,D block (+8 WRA): Reina's homing, high slash kick that can also be used to pressure. The mixup situation is the same as uf+1 or df+4,2,D on hit.

d+1+2: Reina's manual WRA entry is quite slow, and not recommended without adequate respect from your opponent, or from an advantageous oki situation.

Options

WRA.1: The anti-interruption option, WRA.1 is fast enough from any advantageous transition to interrupt anything, including power crushes or Rage Arts. It can transition to SEN on block for more pressure (although the transition is not great). Its weakness is that it is duckable, and can be backdashed out of after the hellsweep transition. On hit, WRA.1,4 is a natural combo, but it cannot be hit-confirmed. Beware autopiloting the string however, since it can be armored through on block, or evaded with certain backswing blows. WRA.1 on hit can be hit-confirmed (with some difficulty) into F~3.

WRA.2: A highly damaging mid mixup option, it is uninterruptible from +6 and +8 WRA transitions but can always be armored through with power crushes or Rage Arts. Its only weakness is that it is susceptible to being stepped right.

WRA.3,4: The slower pressure option, it's good to use when your opponent is freezing up or blocking against WRA, and can loop into itself with the optional WRA transition (+8 WRA). Its weakness is that it is linear and easily interruptible.

WRA.4,2,2,qcf+1+2: A tricky string, the entire thing is ncc from the two-hit WRA.4, and it is not too difficult to CH-confirm due to the unique animation. Even if WRA.4 gets blocked, all follow-up hits are somewhat delayable, with the rest of the string guaranteed if any subsequent hits connect, making punishing it or taking your turn quite a guessing game for the opponent. It also tracks surprisingly well to both sides, and cannot be backdashed. The downside is that the initial hit is jab punishable, jab-interruptible from +6 situations, and the follow-up hits are, save for WRA.4,2,2, launch-punishable on block.

It is a bit tricky to fish for CHs with WRA.4. Opponents are likely to either block (since the WRA mids are so strong) or interrupt. One strategy is to stay in WRA for longer to bait them into pressing, thus landing a CH. Another one is to use WRA.4 to catch ducking or stepping. The 2nd hit of the two-hit WRA.4 cannot be neutral blocked. Without a clean SS~guard, or the awareness to shift to stand block after ducking and eating the 1st hit of WRA.1, the 2nd hit of WRA.4 will connect, allowing Reina to hit-confirm into the rest of the string.

WRA.d+4
WRA.d+4,3: The only low option from WRA, it tracks to both sides (although it can be evaded with a tight SWR). While doing measly damage on hit, it can be a safer option to get the opponent to duck as compared to WRA.1+3, since even if blocked, punishment is a mixup due to the threat of the CH-launching followup. The followup is also highly delayable, making it risky for the opponent to take their turn. It can serve as a good mixup with jab-interruptible WRA moves, since it is ncc and can be CH-confirmed. It can be used to fish for CHs by delaying the move.

WRA.1+2: A fast, tracking power crush that discourages interruptions, stepping or ducking. The tradeoff is that it is fairly punishable at -13.

WRA.3+4: Another medium-reward mid mixup option that also tracks both sides, but is jab-interruptible (and can be armored through). It has a follow-up on hit, hits grounded and does chip damage on block, making it a good high-coverage option to use from any transition.

WRA.1+3 (or WRA.2+4): An unbreakable stance throw that deals decent damage in the open, but great damage at the wall. It can quite effectively get the opponent to duck, and has decent range while tracking both ways. It is a high throw, so it can be launched upon ducking.

H.WRA.2+3: Reina's low heat smash from WRA can be thought of as a floor-breaking, unbreakable command throw. It punishes the opponent for stand blocking or stepping and cannot be backdashed (even from a tip range hellsweep transition) or armored (except with Rage Art), but is launch if ducked. From +6 WRA transitions, it can be jab-interrupted. From +8 WRA transitions, if the opponent attempts to jab-interrupt, it trades for a full launch.

↑ An i10 punish is always guaranteed. Anything i11 or slower can be armored through with WRA.1+2. If you cancel WRA as fast as possible into block, you are open to being punished with up to i14.
↑ Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.

Wind God Step (WGS)

The classic Mishima crouch dash, this is a rapid, forward-advancing movement option that allows Reina to access her WGS moves. It doubles as an approach tool to rapidly close gaps, and even a pressure tool, with each wavu presenting the threat of another mixup. Outside of the moves out of WGS, it also allows her to access certain ws moves (e.g. ws4 with the input f,n,d,df,n,4) and both f and f,F moves, with the inputs f,n,d,df,f and f,n,d,df,f,F respectively.

Entries

f,n,d,df
df+3: Manually using the OG or easy-mode input is going to be the most common way of entering WGS. It is a highly versatile entry, allowing Reina to cancel the animation at any point into a block or sidestep, as well as hold the df input to stay in stance longer (or even enter FC) and alter her timing. The OG input is more flexible, since it allows chaining multiple wavedashes more easily, and the possibility of using f,n,qcf allows doing f and f,F moves from it more easily. It also makes WGS moves do additional damage. On the flip side, it adds a few more frames to any option out of WGS, and needs to be factored into the spacing and timing at which a crouch dash is initiated, otherwise it leaves Reina open to interruption. The easy-mode input is faster and easier to execute, making it useful to do iws moves (since they don't get a damage buff from using the OG input anyways) or WGF whiff punishes (where the speed can make a big difference).

WRA.df: WRA is a strong mixup stance with WRA.2 acting as an uninterruptible and highly damaging mid. This makes the opponent unwilling to press, instead preferring to block, backdash or perhaps sidestep. This opens up the possibility of boldly advancing forward with a WGS transition to land a CD mixup (mostly a hellsweep).

UNS.df/ub+1+2~df/1+4~df/u+1+2~df: Some of Reina's stances move her backwards or forwards across the screen, and transitioning into WGS from them makes her advance rapidly forward. Feinting defensiveness to bait the opponent into approaching her, then suddenly striking with a WGS mixup, can make them land much more successfully.

Options

iws4 (f,n,d,df,n ws4): The fastest mid option out of WGS, it is a safe, low-risk/low-reward mid check. It is quite negative on block for a poke, but has a bit of pushback to where a backdash can make the opponent's attempt to take their turn whiff, thus discouraging immediate retaliation.

f,n,d,DF+4,2: The main low mixup option - it is damaging but very risky. It's important to use it sparingly, preferring to catch movement and interruption with EWGF, or using more mids, to throw off the chance of having your hellsweep blocked. It's also important to disguise the timing of your mixups with wavedash cancels to further reduce the chance of getting it blocked.

f,n,d,df#2 (aka. EWGF): As a fast, plus on block high, EWGF can be very useful in discouraging mashing and/or getting the opponent to duck. Requires execution to serve as a fast pressure tool, and timing to avoid getting ducked and punished. On block, the pushback sets up for another WGS mixup.

f,n,qcf+4 (aka. f+4): Slower mid mixup option that allows you to continue your pressure.

f,n,qcf,F+3 (aka. f,F+3): Slower mid mixup option that has higher reward on hit (Heat Engager or favorable oki), but is slightly negative on block.

f,n,qcf,F+2,F (aka. f,F+2,F): A fast, tracking mid mixup option that can be hit-confirmed for great reward. On block, it leads into a slightly unfavorable SEN mixup, and requires a bit of practice to do reliably out of WGS.

f,n,qcf,f,F+3 (aka. f,f,F+3)
f,n,qcf,f,F+4 (aka. f,f,F+4): Reina's wr moves can be done out of WGS and used for pressure. Slow and a bit tricky to input, they can get interrupted easily.

crouch dash into block (f,n,d,df,b): A good movement option to (relatively) safely approach and threaten the opponent with the WGS mixup, probing their tendencies. It can still be hit if your inputs are not clean, or the opponent catches your timing.

crouch dash x2 (or more): A movement technique to make the linear options out of WGS track better, or to pressure the opponent with the repeated threat of a mixup. Can be hit out if the opponent decides to not respect it.

Poking

Reina has a solid kit of pokes, with the notable exception of a decent low poke. She generally wants to use her pokes much the same as any Tekken character - to probe the opponent's tendencies, as low-risk low-reward mixups, or to earn respect and/or frame advantage to land her slower, but higher-reward mixups. Reina's poking tracks reliably, but usually only in one direction. She must choose the right tool depending on how her opponent steps.

1
1,1
1,2: With good jab range, low minus frames on block, and access to the hit-confirmable Flash Punch Combo, Reina's jab and its extensions are vital parts of her poking game.

Reina's 1,2 has good tracking to Reina's weak side (SSL). Since the 2nd hit comes out faster than 1,1, it is a better lockdown tool, and can be used at close to mid-range to approach the opponent. If you commit to 1,2,3, then the 2nd hit can be CH-confirmed into 1,2,3,4 for 40 dmg. This is useful against an opponent over-eager to SSL~punish, since (1),2,3 will CH them attempting to punish after the SSL, and CH (1),2,3,4 is all guaranteed for 40 dmg.

f+2,3: A fast, long-range, delayable high-mid, it can be used to check the opponent even from a distance. It can also transition into SEN with f+2,3,F to initiate a SEN mixup, even on block. It's quite linear, though.^[1]

4: Reina's magic 4 is a fast high that gives good frame advantage for a mixup on hit, and a follow-up on counterhit. It can serve as a panic move, and has some tracking to Reina's weak side (SSL).

df+1
df+1,1
df+1,2: Reina's core mid checking tools. Her df+1 has solid range and tracking to her strong side (against SSR), with the typical extensions consisting of a safe high and punishable mid. Her df+1 has the additional benefit of being able to transition to SEN with df+1,F, allowing her to ambiguously initiate mixups. Appropriate use of the extensions can discourage her opponent from taking their turn or stepping after df+1 on block. df+1,2 being delayable also helps with this.

f,F+2,F: Reina's signature move doubles as a fast poke that tracks to her weak side (SSL). When used as a poke, the input ought to be done as quickly as possible, otherwise it is open to being interrupted. It has very good reward on hit if you can hit-confirm into SEN.3, otherwise you need to play the not-so-rewarding +2 SEN mixup.

1+2: A rare i12 mid, Reina inherits this move from her father without much change in its properties. Due to its speed, it serves as an excellent panic move and/or frame trap, and also tracks Reina's weak side (SSL). It is punishable at -10, but has low blockstun, making it moderately difficult to punish when used during fast-paced gameplay.

df+4,2: A reasonably fast, safe mid-mid that serves as a great check, and gives good damage and plus frames on hit. While it gives up your turn on block at -8, it carries the threat of a massively delayable, CH-launching extension in df+4,2,3, which can make challenging it a bad proposition^[2]. With the opponent hesitating to press due to this threat, or attempting to duck the extension, Reina can use the mental frame advantage from the string to transition to WRA and setup mixups (df+4,2,D). It's terribly linear, though.

db+4: Reina's poking low that is low risk at -13, but also low reward, with subpar damage and plus frames on hit. However, it carries the threat of a delayable mid extension in db+4,1+2 that can be CH-confirmed, granting some potential mental frame advantage. It tracks well against her weak side (SSL).

b+2: A fast, homing mid with great range. It has a bit of pushback on hit, which makes continuing pressure afterwards tricky, and completely gives up your turn on block while leaving you close to your opponent. However, it is Reina's fastest, safest homing move to use when poking down her opponent.

Pressure

Reina wants to use her pressure tools to force the opponent into situations where their responses are limited. She generally needs to make a read on whether her opponent will respect or disrespect her pressure, since rarely do her pressure tools give her a frame-tight checking option. If her opponent is respecting her pressure, she can either loop her pressure, or cash out with a mixup attempt. If they instead choose to disrespect it, she can use movement to setup whiff punishes with her excellent, long-range whiff punishers, or frame trap them with 1,1,2 (hit-confirmable) or df+1,2 (twitch-confirmable). If she can use her pressure tools to stoke the opponent's tension, they lead to solid reward on counterhit if her opponents press into them.

EWGF: The ever-versatile Mishima staple, EWGF is an excellent pressure tool at +5 on block, and a launcher on hit. It has a quite a bit of pushback for a pressure tool, so continuing pressure requires closing the distance, either with another EWGF, a crouch dash or other options, leaving Reina open to getting interrupted. It also demands good execution, since mis-inputs can lead to getting punished. However, it is a terrifying tool for any opponent to deal with, and can allow Reina to easily dictate the pace of the match.

f+4: A somewhat slow, overhead axe kick that forces the opponent into crouch even on block. Being in crouch massively limits the opponent's options, allowing Reina to get a high reward on a correct read, while not risking much if incorrect. f+4 is only +2c on block, which doesn't allow for a frame-tight df+1, which makes her pressure slightly looser and easier to escape than her father. However, she inherits the move's potency, granting a free follow-up on CH or against a crouching opponent. Since the opponent can only step to the background from crouch, being on P1 (opponent steps right) or P2 (opponent steps left) can be a significant determining factor in whether movement is an effective option for the opponent.

d+2: A fast, overhead elbow that is neutral on block while forcing the opponent into crouch. It grants a free follow-up on CH, but has poor range, making it more suited for when you're poking up close. It is less prone to getting interrupted, and despite not being as advantageous on block as f+4, at +0c, the situation from it is practically the same.

f,f,F+3
f,f,F+4: Reina's wr moves that give great frame advantage on block. Due to the input, they are slow if done at close range, and need quite a bit of respect from the opponent to land. f,f,F+3 can be used to setup standing mixups, and f,f,F+4 can be used to setup either standing or WRA mixups by transitioning into the latter with the input f,f,F+4,D.

Turn Stealing

Reina can complement her efforts to earn the respect of her opponent to land mixups, or make the timing of her mixups more ambiguous, with a kit of evasive moves, rapid stance transitions, and parries.

df+3+4: high crushes the fastest (frame 6), and leads to big damage on CH. Launch punishable on block, but has a CH-launching (albeit also punishable) follow-up.
b+4: High crushing, CH-launching safe high
3,2: Another high-crushing, CH launching safe high-high. More likely to get ducked since it is a string, but has an unsafe mid mixup in 3,4 to discourage ducking. It requires committing to the entire string to net the launch.

b+1+3 (or b+2+4): Reina's mid and high parry that transitions to WRA with frame advantage if successful. It works similarly to Jin's in that the advantage you get from it depends on the recovery of the move you parried. It triggers fairly fast, and can be used reactively. It doesn't work against strings with extensions, since the string follow-ups hit Reina out of the automatic WRA transition (although WRA.1+2 is an option). It requires knowledge to know which moves lead to guaranteed followups, but the frame advantage (along with the surprise factor of getting your move parried) is almost always sufficient to go for a WRA mixup. It's quite bad on whiff if baited out.

f,n
u+3: Reina's has a punch parry from WDS and UNS (Kou, u). The punch parry frames on the former are tight, only 1 or 2 frames, but start at the very beginning of the animation, while the latter has a more generous window but starts up later. A successful parry will put Reina in WGS at +10, with a tight-but-practical guaranteed follow-up. The f,n can be used on reaction to slower moves. It also triggers fairly often from forward movement. However, while tapping forward to move and shifting to WDS, Reina will be unable to tech throws. Using WDS excessively without cancelling it into a dash or WGS may leave you open to punishment from opponents who tend to use their throws. The UNS (Kou, u) parry begins later in the animation but with a longer window.

WRA.df/WRA.f+3
UNS.df/UNS.f+3/UNS.3+4/UNS.1+2
WGS.f+3
f+3+4,db: Reina's multiple stances all transition into each other, and she can make it very hard for the opponent to predict when the mixup is coming by threatening one with a particular stance, only for her to cancel it into another. This can load an opponent's mental stack, allowing her to greatly increase her success rate on her mixups, particularly her lows, since it is less likely for the opponent to guess right if they don't even know when they are supposed to guess. A downside is that this leaves Reina wide open to her opponent challenging her when she's attempting these stance shenanigans.

Keepout

Reina has solid tools to enact a keepout-based gameplan when she has the life lead. She wants to use these tools to preemptively catch opponents rushing in, discouraging them from running their offense.

EWGF: The ever-versatile Mishima staple, EWGF can be used to launch the recklessly approaching opponent, even if they just move forward. It has great pushback on block for creating space. Reina is blessed with an i13 EWGF through her Wind Step (WDS), making her EWGF keepout game even more potent. It demands consistency in execution, since getting a WGF, or a d+2 or df+2 (other common EWGF mis-inputs), could lead to getting punished. It is technically a duckable high, so it is advisable to not get predictable with it (as with any keepout move), but is quite difficult to punish in practice.

f,n,3: A CH-launching, safe mid with notable pushback on block. It can be used in a manner similar to Bryan's 3+4, or Lili's f+4 - as a space control tool to push your opponent away and CH launch reckless approach. It has great range, but poor recovery, so don't whiff it. The f,n input moves Reina slightly forward and gives up space, while adding to the move's startup.

b+3
b+3~4: b+3 allows Reina to transition into her Unsoku (UNS) stance. When entering UNS, she steps back a tiny bit, and then starts moving backward. The stance can be used to create space to make the opponent's approach whiff. Upon whiffing, Reina can punish them hard with the single-button UNS.4, a safe mid that does chip damage on block, has great range, is a Heat Engager, and launches when Heat Dash cancelled. She can also launch their whiffs by transitioning to WGS with UNS.df and using WGS.2. However, she cannot block when in UNS, so do not use it within striking distance of the opponent. Reina's UNS stance is unique in that it can cancel into all her other forward-advancing stances, as well as some approaching attacks like UNS.1+2 and UNS.3+4. This allows Reina to use UNS to switch rapidly from keepout to rushdown.

Heat

This section could do with more detail.

Heat doesn't change much how Reina plays, but instead amplifies the power of every aspect of her original gameplan.

Approach: 3+4,4 and f+3+4 become safe with the Heat-only Lethal Fury extension and deal massive chip damage; H.2+3 is a slow, but damaging, long-range Heat Smash that auto-transitions into +8 WRA for mixups

Mixups: df+1,2 is both deadlier and safer with the Heat Dash cancel into guaranteed follow-up; f,F+3 is a potential launcher with the Heat Dash cancel, although it can't be confirmed; WRA is a much scarier pressure and mixup stance, with fast interruptions no longer possible due to the auto-parry, massive chip damage from WRA.3,4, a threatening low option in H.WRA.2+3, and a launching mid option in WRA.2 with the Heat Dash cancel

Poking: All her pokes deal chip damage, in addition to the increased potency of df+1,2; df+4,2 can be easily used to transition into the Heat-amplified WRA for terrifying mixups, even on block

Pressure: EWGFs are easier to do to serve as a pressure tool

Keepout: UNS.4 turns into a launcher with the Heat Dash cancel; u+3 and d+3 regenerate some Heat, making it somewhat necessary for the opponent to approach

Whiff/Block punishment: f,F+2,F is a stronger whiff punisher with the SEN.3 Heat Dash cancel; EWGF for whiff punishment is faster and more consistent; 3+4,4,4 now does huge damage, in addition to its long range and low crush; df+1,2 as a block punisher is stronger; ws4,4 is pseudo safe on block^[3] if you transition into WRA. This can be used exploit the opponent's muscle memory if they attempt to punish.

Dealing Chip Damage

Reina exerts an even stronger grip on the neutral when in Heat, making it risky for the opponent to do anything but block. Here, she can access multiple tools to deal large amounts of chip damage to the opponent to close out the round with a quick poke.

3+4,4,4: Can be simply thrown out, dealing damage if it hits and dealing chip damage if the opponent blocks it. It can be used up to thrice from a full Heat meter (i.e., after landing a Heat Engager). It is linear, and can be floated on a read. It is a fairly ubiquitous tool to deal chip damage. This fact can potentially make 3+4 and 3+4,4 safer to use due to mental frame advantage, since opponents are usually expecting the full string.

UNS.4: Easy to use due to its long range and tracking, and deals good chip damage on block.

f,f,F+4,D: Allows entry into a Heat-empowered WRA stance, while also dealing good chip damage

WRA.3,4,D: Slow, pressure move that deals great chip damage on block, and can be looped into itself. Very scary for the opponent to deal with due to the threat of the low WRA heat smash.

Wall

Reina has a terrifying presence at the wall with the increased potency of WRA mixups. She benefits from pushing her opponents to the wall and keeping them there, while fishing for wall splats or mixing them up with WRA. Outside of using fundamentals and wavedashing to claim space, Reina will generally push her opponents to the wall through high pushback moves like EWGF, wall carry combo enders (e.g., uf+3+4,1+2, WRA.3,4, ws3,4) or with tools like qcb,f+2.

Wall Splats

f,F+3: A safe, mid wall splat, with the tradeoff being speed. The situation on block is also very nearly neutral, so Reina can throw it out whenever she feels like. Mix it up with hellsweep to land WRA mixups at the wall.
EWGK: Another safe, mid wall splat, with the trade-off being execution difficulty (it is unsafe if you don't get the just frame) and speed, while also giving up your turn on block. It can also be thrown out whenever.
f,F+3+4: Fast and low commitment due to the aforementioned low blockstun and being nearly neutral on block. The tradeoff is it is a high, and susceptible to stepping. Due to the f,F input, it requires a bit more skill in order to successfully time it to land a hit.
b+4: Relatively fast, safe and high crushing, it also wall splats from a decent distance away from the wall, and gives a high wall splat. You give up your turn on block, however.
db+4
db+4,1+2: db+4 is a good low to spam at the wall, since the 1+2 extension threatens a wall splat, making pressing into or punishing the low risky for the defender. db+4 can also be CH-confirmed for a guaranteed splat, while also tracking well to both sides, allowing Reina to lock her opponent down.
b+1+2: An excellent tool to disrespect pressure while scoring a full wall splat. Unsafe on block, so be mindful about throwing it out.
4: A fast, high, safe wall splat tool, that gives up your turn on block. Use it when you think the opponent tends to resort to faster moves.
2,2,1: Reina's i12 punisher is excellent to whiff (or block) punish small moves at the wall into a wall splat. It is notoriously good at getting a splat even on wildly off-axis hits.
df+1,2: Another good punishment tool, that can also be used to gain mental frame advantage when mixed with df+1 to harass with pokes, or df+1,F SEN mixups. The advantage over 2,2,1 is that it can punish crouchers.
1+2: A fast, mid wall splat, that is lightly unsafe on block. Good to use against a stepping or mashing opponent.

WRA at the Wall

WRA mixups become more potent at the wall since WRA.1 and WRA.3 cannot be backdashed out of, WRA.1+3 does significantly more damage, and WRA.2 and WRA.3+4 both act as safe mid wall splats (with WRA.2 also being somewhat more difficult to SSR at the wall). This makes hellsweep much deadlier as a low standing mixup option to transition into WRA, since there is no longer any pushback at the wall.

Oki

Reina has a fair number of knockdowns off of which she can get oki. Her oki mostly boils down to discouraging staying grounded or ground rolling with EWGK, baiting out wake up attacks or spring kicks by feinting movement and whiff punishing, and taking advantage of techrolls by running up to enforce a mixup.

EWGK: An absolutely dominant oki tool, it punishes opponents who try to stay on the ground or ground roll. It will even CH opponents who try to delay their wakeup attacks. It is open to getting interrupted by immediate wakeup attacks, and can get blocked or whiff against backwards wakeup. It's important to get the just frame to avoid being punished.

Common Situations

Taido Kick on hit

Reina's "Taido kicks" refer to the following moves - 3+4,4, 3,4, f+3+4, df+3+4,4, b+1,1,3,3 and WRA.d+4,3. They're grouped together since they share similar properties, such as being -14/-15 on block, giving (+19/+17) on hit, and launching on CH. They're named after Taidō, the martial art that Reina's fighting style is based on.^[4]

On hit in the open, it is possible to follow-up with an immediate f+3~4. This will catch tech rolls to either direction, granting plus frames and chip damage on block, and hits crouching getup or staying grounded. It is an excellent option to simply auto-pilot after landing a Taido kick.

SEN.1+3

An unbreakable throw, it does measly damage on hit, but gives strong oki when it connects. The opponent is FUFA, and so cannot do recovery attacks or spring kicks. The key idea is to use EWGK to safely probe the opponent's tendencies; staying safe against the common wake-up option of backwards wakeup, while punishing the equally common option of ground rolling. Depending on how the opponent alters their wake-up options, you can choose to make a read with f,F+2~3 to punish backwards wakeup and wakeup attacks, or f+2,3,F~1+2 to punish quickstand.

Mixup:Reina-SEN.1+3-oki-mixup.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Oki mixup after Reina lands SEN.1+3 in the mirror

	U	B	DB	n	OTG.1/OTG.d+1	F	OTG.3	OTG.4
f+2,3,F~1+2 WRA.2	75Reina gets f+2,3,F~1+2~2 in the back	-24	-24	12(f+2),3 hits grounded	0	66	-9	1
df+1,2	28Reina commits to the extension	-43Reina punishes with 2,2,1	28Reina commits to the extension	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	6	29	29
f,F+2,F~3	0	36	36	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	11	38	38
3+4,4	-43	35Reina commits to the extension	35Reina commits to the extension	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	7	36	36
b+2	0	14	14	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	0Reina recovers too fast to whiff punish	11	16	16
EWGF	0	79	-25	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	0	-8	-8	83
EWGK	0	0	0	21	21	21	-9	-9
df+2	-32Reina punishes with 2,2,1	-67	13Reina's df+2 hits crouching	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	0Reina recovers too fast to whiff punish	10	69	69
uf+3,1	0	0	0	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	-8Reina punishes with OTG.4	15	-42Reina gets floated	43

Nash equilibrium with payoff 8.3

f+2,3,F~1+2 WRA.2: 0.12
f,F+2,F~3: 0.34
EWGK: 0.53
df+2: 0.02

U: 0.16
B: 0.07
OTG.1/OTG.d+1: 0.51
OTG.3: 0.26

Payoff for dominated options

df+1,2: 5.21
3+4,4: 0.68
b+2: 5.13
EWGF: 3.22
uf+3,1: -15.05

DB: -9.64
n: -9.58
F: -22.72
OTG.4: -9.48

Setups

Post-T! Spike

Reina can forego her combo ender after a tornado to instead spike the opponent and go for oki. If they tech correctly, you can apply a standing mixup. If they stay grounded or ground roll, you can do EWGK. A recovery kick must be baited and punished. This oki can also be applied after triggering a stage hazard.

<combo> T!: [+7] f+3~4; [+7] iws4,4,D; [+6] f+4

f+3~4: Leaves the opponent FDFA with you at +27d (-8). If they do not back quick roll, a follow-up EWGK is guaranteed. If they do, you get good frame advantage^[5] to apply a mixup.

dash f+4: Leaves the opponent FUFA with you at +2d to +3d. EWGK beats nearly all wakeup options (backwards wakeup, front roll, ground roll and staying grounded gets hit; wakeup kicks and spring kick get CH) and staying grounded except for stand up, which gets it blocked, and recovery kick, which counterhits it. If they stand up, you get good frame advantage^[5] to apply a mixup. If they do a recovery kick, you need to bait it and punish. Practice the execution on dash f+4 to avoid getting f,f,F+4.

dash iws4,4,D: Leaves the opponent FUFA with you at -1d in WRA. WRA.3+4 beats nearly all wakeup options (front roll, ground roll and staying grounded gets hit; wakeup kicks and spring kick get CH) except backwards wakeup and stand up, which gets it blocked, and recovery kick, which counterhits it. If they wake up backwards, WRA.1+2 can catch them. WRA.2 can be used as a safer alternative when the combo is ≤ 7 hits with the T! (otherwise, it gets evaded with backwards getup). Otherwise, WRA.3,4 is uninterruptible, and you get good frame advantage^[5] to cancel WRA into a mixup. If they do a recovery kick, you need to bait it and punish.

Mixup:Reina-iws4,4,D-ender-oki.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina uses an iws4,4,D spike after T! in a combo

	U	B	F	OTG.d+1	OTG.1	OTG.4	OTG.3	OTG.d+3	OTG.3+4
WRA.3+4	7	7	20	20	20	52	52	-6	21
WRA.3,4	11	11	0	0	0	-6	31	0	16
WRA.1+2	-32	24	24	0	0	36	36	-6	25
Wait	0	0	0	0	0	79	79	79	79

Nash equilibrium with payoff 7.97

WRA.3+4: 0.4
WRA.3,4: 0.47
Wait: 0.13

U: 0.72
F: 0.18
OTG.d+3: 0.1

Payoff for dominated options

WRA.1+2: -19.57

B: -7.97
OTG.d+1: -7.97
OTG.1: -7.97
OTG.4: -28.24
OTG.3: -45.65
OTG.3+4: -26.25

FUFT ws4,4,D WRA mixup near the wall

Reina FUFT ws4,4,D WRA mixup

[~+4] W! 1,1^[6]
[~+4] W! 3+4
[~+4] W! f+4^[6]^[7]: [+18] ws4,4,D

Using the setups above, Reina can land ws4,4 on an opponent near the wall, leaving them in FUFT and us at -2d. If they've been spiked, and they stay grounded, the first hit will whiff but the second hit of (ws4),4,D will hit them for 12 dmg, though they will be able to tech roll out of any further mixup. The second hit can also be evaded if the opponent ground rolls left immediately after Reina whiffs the first hit of ws4,4,D. The timing can be somewhat tricky for the defender, since ground rolling late can still result in getting clipped by the second hit. Upon a successful ground roll left, the opponent can punish Reina with a wakeup kick.

If both hits of ws4,4,D connect, it gives Reina a mixup between WRA.1+3 (WRA.1+3 would whiff against backward wakeup if this setup is attempted in the open) and WRA.3+4. The former catches any tech into standing, while the latter catches any tech into duck or staying grounded. The opponent could recovery (toe) kick to avoid this mixup entirely, but it is possible to cancel WRA into crouch block (WRA.df,b,db) in time to block this for a launch punish (the timing is tight, and ought to be practiced). However, this gets you hit by spring kicks, which in turn opens up the possibility of cancelling WRA into stand block.

Mixup:Reina-ws4,4,D-at-the-wall.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's ws4,4,D spike at the wall in the mirror, Reina is -2d

	U	DB	B	F	OTG.1/OTG.d+1	OTG.4	OTG.3	OTG.d+3	OTG.3+4
WRA.1+3	35	-76	35	0	0	35	-8	-6	-24
WRA.3+4	7	47	7	20	20	52	52	-6	21
WRA cancel~DB	0	0	0	0	0	-8	0	64FC.df+4 df+4,2,3 WT! <OTG.d+4:1	-20
WRA cancel~B	0	0	0	0	0	0	-8	-5	77EWGF EWGF df+4,2,3 WT! <OTG.d+4:1

Nash equilibrium with payoff 9.7

WRA.1+3: 0.18
WRA.3+4: 0.49
WRA cancel~DB: 0.22
WRA cancel~B: 0.1

U: 0.58
DB: 0.08
OTG.d+3: 0.19
OTG.3+4: 0.14

Payoff for dominated options

B: -9.7
F: -9.89
OTG.1/OTG.d+1: -9.89
OTG.4: -30.17
OTG.3: -23.45

↑ https://twitter.com/Mister_J0EL/status/1796617643526394149
↑ Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.
↑ The Charging Hard autoparry will nullify any standing punish attempts, but won't stop airborne punishers like hopkicks.
↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2023/11/12/tekken-8-game-director-reveals-details-on-new-characters-reina-and-victor/
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 how much?
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 requires iws4,4,D
↑ follow-up ws4,4,D can be blocked by quick stand (hold U)

FUFT Spike at the wall

Reina airborne spike mixup

[+11] (airborne opp.) f+4
[+8] (airborne opp.) d+2: [+30] OTG.d+4:1; [+21] EWGK; [+0] DB

Reina can spike an airborne opponent with (for e.g.,) f+4 or d+2 to put them in FUFT at around +1~+4d. At the wall, this allows OTG.d+4:1 to connect if your opponent does anything other than stand up, recovery (toe) kick, or spring kick (without the wall, backwards getup allows them to evade the hits). If they quickstand, they must block low in order to block the stomp and punish (-26). It will hit them for 38 dmg if they quickstand into stand block, but it is -10 on hit and can be punished. EWGK will wall splat them for getting up into crouch block, while doing chip if they stand block, but it must be done quickly to avoid getting hit by spring kick or wakeup attacks. Recovery (toe) kicks beat out both options, which makes it necessary to low block occasionally and punish it hard.

In practice, it is uncommon for the defender to use DB as a wakeup option unless they are well-prepared for this setup. Therefore, using d+4:1 is a good default option to choose.

Mixup:Reina-f+4-spike-at-the-wall.gbt (download) ^{What is this?}

Mixup after Reina's FUFT spike (with f+4) at the wall in the mirror

	U	DB	B	F	OTG.1/OTG.d+1	OTG.4	OTG.3	Recovery Kick	Spring Attack
OTG.d+4:1	15	-80	30	30	30	40	40	-6	-24
EWGK	5chip damage	69EWGK W! df+4,2,3 WT! <OTG.d+4:1	5	21	21	51CH EWGK ws3,4	51CH EWGK ws3,4	-6	22
DB	0	0	0	0	0	-8	0	64	-20

Nash equilibrium with payoff 6.04

OTG.d+4:1: 0.19
EWGK: 0.64
DB: 0.17

U: 0.7
Recovery Kick: 0.14
Spring Attack: 0.15

Payoff for dominated options

DB: -28.83
B: -8.89
F: -19.1
OTG.1/OTG.d+1: -19.1
OTG.4: -38.76
OTG.3: -40.14

External Links

Reina Overview & Essentials by That Blasted Salami
How to Play Reina - Not Your Average Tutorial by Anakin
Reina Masterclass by MishimaComplex
Reina Defense Guide by Cruhstin

Notable Players

A list of active Reina players that can serve as a source of match footage (tournament, ranked or otherwise) on YouTube or Twitch to learn from.

Yagami: An Australian Tekken player who's seen great tournament success with Reina. A versatile Reina player who makes great use of her movelist, he maintains a disciplined, balanced style that takes advantage of her key moves while occasionally deploying tricky setups and stance cancels to gain the advantage.
KDF | Ulsan: An extremely accomplished Korean Tekken player, he's recently decided to commit to Reina. He favors strong space control with Reina's f,F+2 in tandem with his tremendous reactions and wavedash execution. While he doesn't prefer her more exotic setups, his masterful and aggressive use of her core moves has proven highly effective.
yoj99 A competitive Tekken player from the Middle East. He has a patient, defensively-minded style with Reina, preferring to create whiffs with movement, or control space with f,F+2 and 3+4. He has great knowledge of Reina's more obscure moves and setups and will deploy them to gain the advantage.
Joonya 20z: A veteran North American Tekken player and a frequent top placer in tournaments, he mains Reina in Tekken 8. He has a strong understanding of player psychology, and is able to use Reina's tools in unorthodox and unpredictable ways to catch his opponents off-guard and make them crack.

[1] This is very much an "on-paper" problem, since the proper defense required can be quite demanding in practice due to the transition's speed. Feel free to run this until your opponent shows you they can handle it.

[2] ttps://twitter.com/Mister_J0EL/status/1790134555438948438

[df+4,2_duck_jab-3] Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.

[4] seudo-safe because autopiloted attempts to punish or interrupt like jabs will get parried very hard. The parry is punishable however, by aerial moves like hopkicks

[5] An i10 punish is always guaranteed. Anything i11 or slower can be armored through with WRA.1+2. If you cancel WRA as fast as possible into block, you are open to being punished with up to i14.

[df+4,2_duck_jab-6] Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.

[7] ttps://twitter.com/Mister_J0EL/status/1796617643526394149

[8] Technically, the opponent could duck jab to beat both the df+4,2,3 extension and the WRA transition. In this case, you would do df+4,2 > low parry.

[9] The Charging Hard autoparry will nullify any standing punish attempts, but won't stop airborne punishers like hopkicks.

[10] ttps://blog.playstation.com/2023/11/12/tekken-8-game-director-reveals-details-on-new-characters-reina-and-victor/

[needs-testing-11] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 how much?

[iws4,4,D-12] 6.0 ^6.1 requires iws4,4,D

[13] w-up ws4,4,D can be blocked by quick stand (hold U)

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@@ Line 409: / Line 409: @@
 == Wall ==
-Against the wall, Reina can choose to fish for a wall splat (and land a damaging wall combo), or oppress the opponent with WRA mixups, since the opponent can no longer backdash out of any option.
+Reina has a terrifying presence at the wall with the increased potency of WRA mixups. She benefits from pushing her opponents to the wall and keeping them there, while fishing for wall splats or mixing them up with WRA. Outside of using fundamentals and wavedashing to claim space, Reina will generally push her opponents to the wall through high pushback moves like EWGF, wall carry combo enders (e.g., uf+3+4,1+2, WRA.3,4, ws3,4) or with tools like qcb,f+2.
 === Wall Splats ===