Paul

Paul
Heat	Gains guard breaking moves. Deathfist and other related moves wall splat from further away. A charged Hammer of the Gods and Crushing Wind launch on regular hit.
Heat Smash	Low, i18, -12
Heat Engagers	uf+2 qcf+2 f+4 qcb+2 f+2
Stances	Sway (SWA) - qcf Backsway (BSW) - qcb Deep Dive (DPD) - qcf (or qcb), df
Fastest
Launch	i14 – b+3 (high) i15 – df+2, uf+4, uf+3,4 (mid) i15 – WS2 (crouching)
CH launch	i15 (~17) – qcb+4 (high) i21 (~23) – qcb+1 (mid)
Wall splat	i10 – 2,3 (CH only) i12 – b+1,2, d+1+2 (standing) i13 – WS3,2 (crouching)
Archetypal moves
Parry	b+1+3 (high or mid attacks)
Mid check	df+1 (standing) ws4 (crouching)
Power low	d4,2,1+2
Generic moves
Remapped	d+1 → db+1 d+4 → db+4
Missing	(none)
External links
Lore	Paul Phoenix
Twitter	#T8_Paul
Discord	TOP CONDITION OSU!

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

Paul Phoenix is a strong, fundamentally sound character who is often mistaken as an overpowering damage output machine. While he is capable of eye-watering damage, his greatest strength is in his ability to shutdown aggression, due to his toolkit being both extremely compact while also being built around blowing up opponents for mashing or not being precise with their dashblocking.

His df+2 is a very compact launcher with deceptively quick recovery that excels at clipping overconfident approaches, and his extensions out of df+1 that utilize his backsway (SWA) are great keepout tools against any opponent that wants to pressure after blocking a df+1. Moves like df+1,1, b+2,1, 3,2, and d+1,2 can be delayed to further complicate the gameplans of aggressive opponents, as well as f+1+4, which is a shoulder tackle that almost instantly shifts Paul 90° to the side for a knockdown and good damage.

Furthermore, Phoenix Smasher (qcf+2, also colloquially known as Deathfist) and Demoman (d+4,2:1+2) make up one of Tekken's all-time classic mixups. Deathfist is an astonishingly high damage whiff punish tool that hits mid, and becomes even more powerful in Heat. Demoman is a low string that does great damage and knocks down, while also being unreactable. Compounding this already potent mixup, he is one of the select few characters with a Heat Smash that also hits low, giving Paul an even more terrifying mixup while in Heat.

Strengths

• Damage: Paul has explosive damage potential, particularly with walls and stage hazards, making a single mistake against him potentially fatal. Having an i14 launch in b+3 greatly increases his punish opportunities, and any mixup can quickly snowball into a victory.
• Counter-Hit: Paul has many CH tools that guarantee free damage, or in the case of qcb+4 and qcb+1, a full launch from surprisingly long range and safe moves.
• Evasive: Paul has several high-crushing stances and many moves that are designed to be evasive, and his infamous df+2 still occasionally goes under jabs.
• Safe Pressure and Launchers: Paul has a good number of moves to keep opponents in check. df+2 and b+3 are safe on block, and f,F+4, while slow and linear, has impressive range, deals chip damage, and is actually plus on block.
• Ready to Engage: All of Paul's Heat Engagers have utility; Deathfist deals massive damage, qcb+2 is a safe mid check, f+2 is a fast i13 punish with decent range, uf+2 gives Paul an option to approach and pressure with, and f+4 is a low-crushing homing mid that is only -5 on block. All of them launch on Heat Dash, making Paul one of the most dangerous characters once Heat is activated.
• Brutal Heat Buffs: Paul gains several guard breaks in Heat that supplement his offense, f+1+2 becomes especially dangerous if charged, and Deathfist and its related moves wall splat from much farther away. Paul's Heat Smash is also the safest low Heat Smash on block at only -12, giving him great burst damage potential for closing out rounds while not risking as much as most other characters.

Weaknesses

• Linearity: Many of Paul's key moves are steppable, which requires him to be pretty conservative with his moves at higher levels and makes him more reliant on matching the opponent's movement to keep himself aligned.
• Walled Out: Paul likes to play defensively, but struggles to get in and make big comebacks due to several gaps in his offense; almost all of his strings are either exploitable or easily option selected.
• A Strange Complexity: While Paul is by no means a difficult character to play, many subtle optimizations are required to get the most out of his kit. Some punishes he must do against certain moves are often more difficult due to the moves having little to no buffer window, and his more rewarding combos are similarly demanding in execution.
• Fast Punishes: For all his damage potential, his i10 standing and i11 crouching punishes are a bit lacking against less punishable moves. 1,2,3 would suffice if it wasn't -14 on hit.
• Can't do a backflip :(

Key techniques

Just Frame Demoman

importance

★★★☆☆

value

★★☆☆☆

dexterity

★☆☆☆☆

rhythm

★★★☆☆

QCF1 Execution

importance

★★★☆☆

value

★★☆☆☆

dexterity

★★★☆☆

rhythm

★★★★☆

Deathfist Block Punish

importance

★★★☆☆

value

★★★★☆

dexterity

★★★☆☆

rhythm

★★★★☆

Sway Cancel Deathfist

importance

★★★☆☆

value

★★★★★

dexterity

★★★★☆

rhythm

★★★★☆

Instant WR2

importance

★★☆☆☆

value

★★☆☆☆

dexterity

★★★☆☆

rhythm

★★☆☆☆

Standing punishment

-10

24

-11

24

-12

33

-13

38

-14

76

-15

79

-16

79

-18

88

79

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Crouching punishment

-10

5

-11

18

-12

18

-13

37

-14

38

-15

80

-18

88

80

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

	Median
	Short range
	Hard
	Wall
	Meter/Rage

External links

• TEKKEN 8 In Eight Minutes | Paul Phoenix Guide by TheMainManSWE
• Paul Guide by Joey Fury
• Paul Phoenix Combo Guide | TEKKEN 8 by RyzingSol
• Various Paul Guides by onepunchmanPaul