A string is a canned sequence of attacks. It is not necessarily a combo, but it can be one.
In the in-game movelist, a single string is usually considered one âmoveâ. Another way to think of it is that the first attack in a string is the âmoveâ and every extra attack is an extension of that move. In either case, each step in a string must be considered, because the attacking player has the option to finish it, but doesn't necessarily need to.
Strings are a large part of the movelists in Tekken. Most of them have some weakness which can be exploited when known, and without knowledge of these weaknesses they can be unreasonably strong, so knowing your opponent's strings and how to deal with them is a significant part of matchup knowledge. Nonetheless, many strings even once known are real threats, either because of a favorable risk to reward, mental frame advantage, or simply the difficulty of punishing them accurately.
Properties
In addition to the usual attack properties, in a string—
- A delayable move gives the attacking player the option of doing the move later than usual by delaying its input.
- A jailing attack forces the defending player to guard if the previous attack was blocked.
- A natural combo (or neutral hit combo) is an attack that can't be blocked after a previous attack in the string hits.
- In some cases, the attack is only guaranteed when the previous attack gets a counter hit.
For non-delayable moves, the latest the input can be done is the last active frame of the previous move.
For delayable moves, the input can be done later than this. However, the input being delayed does not always delay the move itselfâsome moves have a natural delay, and delaying the input simply matches this. Many moves have a very small natural delay (1 to 3 frames), and it's common for moves to both have a natural delay and be delayable beyond that.
The longer an attack can be delayed and still be a natural combo, the easier it is to hit confirm.
Typical weaknesses
When an attack in a string is blocked, the next attack can often be beaten by one of:
- Sidestepping, if the attack is linear
- Blocking, if the attack is punishable
- Ducking, if the attack is high
- Low parrying, if the attack is low
- Interrupting it, if the attack is slow
- Some characters might also interrupt it with a parry, powercrush, or evasive move
As a general rule, every extra mid and extra option in a string makes it more likely to have a fatal weakness. When a string jails, this is generally treated from a balance perspective as though the two attacks are a single one, since a defender can safely attack into it without being counter hit.
Mental frame advantage
Mental frame advantage refers to the situation where a defender is led to anticipate an extension that does not happen, which makes them not take their turn effectively, thus the move has better frame advantage than it technically has. This is mainly influenced by how delayable or how delayed the extension is, there normally isn't an opportunity to react to the follow up not happening fast enough to take full advantage out of the frame advantage. It also significantly changes during each match, the more you use the extension, the more the opponent is inclined to wait for it, and vice versa.
For example, Yoshimitsu's d/f+1 is -4 on block. If the defender takes their turn to attack and Yoshimitsu does d/f+1,2, he gets launched. A more cautious defender could try and react to the extension not being done before attacking. However, the animation for d/f+1,2 starts very late, giving the defender about 13 frames to react. Against a defender who takes, say, 20 frames to react, the frame advantage for d/f+1 can be said to go from -4 to +3 on block. But if they anticipated the follow up not happening, the advantage could be anything from -4 to +3. That makes mental frames uncalculable properly, but still very much useful.
This concept is distinct from the defender using an option select.