Capcom vs. SNK 2 Cammy Guide - Version 0.1 By: LBL (lelbx@hotmail.com) Copyright 2002 1/9/02 Version 0.1 - Initial release CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. CvS2 CAMMY III. BEST NORMALS IV. SPECIAL and SUPER MOVES V. CAMMY GROOVES VI. COMBOS VII. BASIC STRATEGY VIII. VERSUS SPECIFIC CHARACTERS IX. MISCELLANEOUS X. CLOSING I. INTRODUCTION Eh, I got bored and decided to write another character FAQ again after a couple years absence. A lot of new Capcom games have been out since the last time I wrote guides (SFA3). I wanted to write guides for those games, but truthfully, I don't think I could've given out any 'master' quality strategy for any of the characters since I never played as well in those games as I did in SFA3. But CvS2 is different; it re-sparked an interest in me to be competitive again (something I could never even hope of reaching in MvC2). And Cammy's a no-brain character in CvS2, anyone can pick her up in a day, learn her best moves, and become semi-dangerous. Plus I think I need to do her justice with (what I hope) is an adequate character guide. I'm not the best CvS2 player, and I won't win any tournaments (soon), but I'm no newbie FAQ author either. I know my stuff, just need to practice more with actually successfully showing my knowledge. ^_^ II. LEGEND LP = JAB PUNCH MP = STRONG PUNCH HP = FIERCE PUNCH LK = SHORT KICK MP = FORWARD KICK HK = ROUNDHOUSE KICK u = up d = down f = forward b = back df = down-forward db = down-back uf = up-forward ub = up-back QCF = Quarter circle forward (d, df, f) QCB = Quarter circle back (d, db, b) HCF = Half circle forward (b, db, d, df, f) HCB = Half circle back (f, df, d, db, b) III. CvS2 CAMMY I think this is Cammy's best fighting game incarnation, hands down. Okay, she was all right in MvC2, but only as an assist. But I digress, CvS2 Cammy is one dangerous bitch! And that's what people will call her if you play her right. She doesn't take long to learn at all (hell, I picked her up in a few days) and once you do have the basics down with her, she'll quickly be one of the more powerful characters on your team. Why is she so good? Well, she has some of the BEST prioritized normals in the game; and no I'm not talking about her LP and LK... EVERYONE'S jab and short have priority. I mean her ridiculously powerful HP and HK pokes that can disrupt just about anything. You can't rise above the character pack in CvS2 without a good anti-air, and Cammy's Cannon Spike certainly does the job well enough. Add to the fact that Cammy can rush down, annoy, and throw her opponents like there's no tomorrow, and you've got one helluva character. IV. BEST NORMALS Rather than giving a rundown on ALL of Cammy's normal attacks, I think it's more effective (and less boring) to just tell you about her best attacks. That way you can forget about the rest and concentrate on using the ones that are most important. JUMPING ATTACKS LK - Cammy's cross-up, and thank god it's one of the better ones that's easy to position and land (unlike say, Mai who has 2 cross-ups, both of which are impossible to land). Good for low jumps and air-to-air battles too since it comes out so quick. Like all cross ups, the prime time to use it is after you've knocked someone down. MP - Combo starter. She hits at a much more combo-friendly angle than her HP or HK attacks. Priority on this isn't too shabby either, I remember being able to knock Blanka out of his Electricity move. But you're not gonna be beating uppercuts with this either, so be careful. It's a good all-purpose jump in, although Cammy is definitely better on the ground in just about any scenario. HP - Air-to-air battles. Meeting someone in the air? Attack with Cammy's HP. It's not the best air-to-air move in the game, but it does a fairly good job with the added bonus of sometimes doing an air throw. HK - Air-to-air battles too. Same as the jumping HP in usage, although I think this has a bit more horizontal reach. Her kick air throw won't come out as much since most of the time you want to hit someone with the tip of her boot at maximum range. Although truthfully, most of the time you'll want Cammy GROUNDED and not in the air. It can be a good combo starter too, but it doesn't hit at a combo-friendly angle like her jumping MP does. STANDING ATTACKS MK - Good, quick, decent ranged poke. It seems to have a bit more priority than her HP, since I remember out-poking Iori with this more times than I can with the HP. Mix it up with her other standing pokes, but truthfully I like the others better as they have just about the same high priority but do more damage. HP (far) - Abuse this move! One of her best pokes, rivaling her standing HK. It's very very VERY fast for a fierce attack and out-prioritizes SO many moves! It can stop Blanka's rolls; it can stop Morrigan's crazy flying; it can stop Bison's Psycho Crusher; it can cleanly disrupt Level 1 supers; it has REACH; it's TOO good. CONSTANTLY poke with this sucker. HP (close) - Just as good as the long distance version. It comes out fast and it out-prioritizes just about anything too. Reach isn't that much of an issue anymore (unless you're trying to combo), since the far HP is good in and of itself if it comes out by accident. This move is BUFFERABLE, so you can combo with this if you want... although if you're looking to combo, I'd choose something with a little more reach for safety reasons. Plus, OFTEN times, if you keep advancing and poking with this move, you'll end up throwing them. And probably the best thing about Cammy's close HP, it links into just about ANYTHING, EASILY! The more useful links are into a crouching MK or standing HK. Love this move. HK (far) - Abuse this move too! You won't believe how much priority this move has and how many other moves it will beat out. It's very very fast, just like the HP, and has EXCELLENT reach. Cammy can hit with the very tip of her boot, controlling a lot of ground space in the process. It can cleanly beat Blanka's crouching HP, disrupt moves, and just annoy the hell out of everyone in the process. Constantly poke at your opponent with a barrage of standing HK and HP pokes. CROUCHING ATTACKS LK - Who's crouching LK isn't useful? Like just about everyone, Cammy can easily link multiple crouching LKs together for some good up close and personal poking. Better still, these are bufferable into a LK Spiral Arrow. MK - Bufferable, and a good choice to combo with. It's also a nice poking tool since it has speed and reach. Although the standing HP and HK are better overall, it's nice to mix this in for a good high/low poke game. Crouching MK xx LK Spiral Arrow is safe against nearly any kind of retaliation. MP - Bufferable, (and IMO) easier to combo with than the crouching MK. MK has more reach, but if I'm guaranteed a combo, I usually opt for this over the MK if I know I can land it since to me, it's easier to combo with (guess I'm just too used to SFA3). HP - The only reason this move is here is because it is bufferable into her SUPER ONLY. Yes, it has that strange SFA2-like property of not being able to cancel into her specials but it's very simple to cancel into her Spin Drive Smasher. I actually highly prefer this over her crouching MK when I combo her super, since this way I don't do a regular Spiral Arrow by mistake. Not much other use. V. SPECIAL and SUPER MOVES ROLL (C,A,N-grooves) - LP+LK Okay, so the Roll isn't a special move, but I feel I needed to warn you about it. STAY AWAY FROM THIS MOVE!!! Cammy has got to have THE worst roll in the game. It's SLOW, it doesn't go very far, and it takes FOREVER for her to stop flipping and be back on her feet again. You're just begging to be thrown or comboed if you use this for any kind of offensive maneuvering. The only justifiable time you should use this is to roll past fireballs from a distance, but even then be VERY careful doing so. PUNCH THROW/SUPLEX - f/b + HP You're gonna be doing A LOT of this. Sometimes it'll come out by accident while you're just advancing on and poking the hell out of your opponent with HP. But you've gotta plan on setting up and landing a few intentional throws too. Cammy's punch throw bounces her enemy FAR away from her, and it takes her a while to stand back up again. She gets on her feet just before the enemy can get on his (if they didn't Tech Hit), so make sure you close the gap quickly by dashing/running towards them afterwards (poke with standing HK if you can't reach them in time). Her punch throw is good to use to get her opponent into the corner also. KICK THROW/FRANKENSTIENER - f/b + HK Like her punch throw, the enemy is bounced away from you afterwards, so you need to make sure to get back on their ass after you get back on your feet. They aren't bounced quite as far away as the punch throw, but you recover slower. If CvS2 throws behave like they did in CvS1, then Cammy's kick throw should be stronger but slower to come out, while her punch throw is weaker but quicker to come out. Since both produce basically the same effect (the enemy is bounced far away), and the damage difference is completely unnoticeable, I'd suggest always sticking to her punch throw for the quicker grab. AIR THROWS - f/b + HP or HK (in the air) Both are essentially the same. The punch air throw is a body toss to the ground; the kick air throw is a mid-air frankenstiener. Both produce the same effect: the enemy is caught in midair and quickly slammed straight to the ground, although the kick one throws them a bit farther away. They aren't an essential part to her game, but they are useful against mid-air parriers or mid-air just defenders. (SPECIAL MOVES) SPIRAL ARROW - QCF + K Body projectile essentially, the strength of the kick determines the distance traveled and recovery time afterwards. This move is great for getting close, setting up traps, going under fireballs, comboing... it's just all around excellent. If you are using this move for setting up traps or zoning, make sure you hit with the very TIP of it. The LK Spiral Arrow is (nearly) COMPLETLEY safe, and if blocked has (nearly) NO recovery time afterwards... setting up the perfect opportunity for a LK Cannon Spike counter. The MK Spiral Arrow is not quite as safe as the LK version, but it's still safe enough and good for getting closer. The HK Spiral Arrow is very UNSAFE if blocked, so make sure you hit with it. Overall, the LK version is the best since it offers near non-existent recovery time, comboabilty off of a crouching LK, pokes, and sets up traps. CANNON SPIKE - DP + K Anti-air! ...and a very good one at that. Cammy's LK Cannon Spike is her best option for an anti-air since it's reliable, has priority, and is VERY safe as "uppercut" anti-airs go. The LK Cannon Spike recovers MUCH faster than you would think it does, and if blocked, it is usually unpunishable by everything except the fastest supers. The reason is Cammy bounces far enough away and the move itself has such little recovery when it is blocked. Did I mention how much priority this baby has? It can hit people out of supers, it's an awesome wake-up option, it can hit limbs, it can stop cross-ups, it's GREAT! You'll basically be EXCLUSIVELY using the LK version, as the others travel too far up to be safe. The HK version, however, is great to combo into from a standing HP for excellent damage. AXEL SPINNING KNUCKLE - HCB + P Cammy spins towards her enemy and does a double hitting far standing HP. Not much use IMO. It probably goes through fireballs like all it's previous incarnations, but it's FAR to risky even try. This move is slow coming out, doesn't combo, and has recovery time to boot. It might be useful in some strange A-Groove custom combo that requires forward momentum, but in all other cases... STAY AWAY!!! CANNON STRIKE - QCB + K (in the air) or press K during HOOLIGAN COMBINATION This move is so much improved! It basically has no recovery time, even though it looks like it should, so it's PERFECT for setting up traps, especially ones involving throwing. Since you can do this move out of the Hooligan Combination, you can use it to offensively advance quickly at your opponent too. Learn to use this move in your mind/throwing games. HOOLIGAN COMBINATION - HCF, uf + P, then... CANNON STRIKE - Push K before reaching your opponent RAZOR EDGE SLICER - Do nothing FATAL LEG TWISTER - f/b + K when close to your opponent's head CROSS SCISSOR PRESSURE - f/b + K when close to your opponent's midsection The throws (Fatal Leg Twister and Cross Scissor Pressure) are useful for mind games, since most people will instinctively block at first. Cammy is still very vulnerable to being hit out of this as she's rolling in the air towards her target though. But more times than not, this move will catch people off guard. Canceling the Hooligan Combination into her Cannon Strike is a good way to offensively advance on your opponent and at times can bait people into prematurely trying to anti-air her Hooligan Combination roll, allowing you a counter opportunity. The Razor Edge Slicer is generally useless, since most people WILL attack Cammy before it comes out most of the time, but can catch people off guard sometimes... the low damage doesn't make the risk worth it though. (SUPER MOVES) SPIN DRIVE SMASHER - QCF, QCF + K Her combo-friendly super of choice. Average damage for a super. Like most Level 1s, the Level 1 Spin Drive Smasher doesn't have that much priority and it trades at times, so it's better to wake up with a Cannon Spike than a Level 1 Spin Drive Smasher. Level 2 is only available in C-Groove, and allows for some special/super move canceling, but it's not really worth it IMO. The Level 3 version behaves like most other Level 3 supers, it has invincibility frames in the beginning making it a good wake up move. Best use for this move is when tacked on at the end of combos though. REVERSE SHAFT BREAKER - QCB, QCB + K (mash afterwards) This is not a worthless super as most people write it off to be. For one, it's a great anti-cross up. Use this as a wake up when your opponent is trying to cross you up... especially that pesky flying Morrigan. It's a good anti-air on it's own as well, but ONLY the Level 3 version, and do it as late as possible for the best results. The Level 1 version has absolutely NO priority whatsoever. It has semi-vacuum properties, so a somewhat high risk- high reward use would be to approach an opponent getting up, then bust out a Reverse Shaft Breaker next to them. If they tried any non-super wake up, it will very likely be snuffed (even the shoto's Dragon Punches). At the very least it does great tick damage. It's not the most damaging super, but it does decent damage if you MASH like crazy. VI. CAMMY GROOVES So what Groove does Cammy do best in? The decision is all preference IMO. There's no definite advantage one groove offers her over another, unlike say Morrigan who NEEDS the run/fly options of S,N,K-grooves to be threatening. So chose whatever groove best compliments her partners, since Cammy's going to be doing the same thing in every groove... whittle them down and build meter. I'm a C-groove user, and so I have most experience with that. I'm assuming you know what attack and defense options each grooves give, so I'll just run down my opinions on how Cammy would do in them. C-GROOVE CAMMY Exclusive air blocking for C-groove is a definite plus, and something you'll likely take for granted unless you play the others. Her roll is HORRIBLE, so it's definitely not any kind advantage. Dashing is okay, and useful when you need to get close quickly, like after a throw. I think the best advantage C- groove has over the others is the ability to store and use supers at will without restrictions. People know when you have you break stock in N-groove or when you're fully raged in K-groove, that you're looking for a chance to land a super. With a fully charged C-groove, people never know when you're going to use it. That constant fear/surprise factor is very useful. Not to mention that C-groove builds up meter VERY fast, you'll always have meter to burn if you're constantly attacking and/or you can quickly build meter for your partners. C-groove also has the unique ability of Level 2 super canceling. You can do her ultra-stylish Level 2 Spin Drive Smasher xx Cannon Strike (miss) xx Level 1 Reverse Shaft Breaker combo... but it's not anything important to go in depth about. A-GROOVE CAMMY Custom combos are what you get in this groove. I don't think I've ever seen an A-Cammy before. I don't know of any custom combos for her and since I've never seen any myself either, I can't comment much. Unless I get new info, I don't see much in this groove. P-GROOVE CAMMY With P-groove comes PARRY! And with parries, you can stop any and all kinds of poke patterns; you get free jump-ins so you never have to be afraid of anti-airs; you get an invaluable defensive tool that protects you from tick damage; you get an invaluable offensive tool that allows you to counter- attack after a successful parry. All these wonderful benefits come with parries... that is, if you an actually DO THEM! P-groove sounds great on paper, but it's bad in practice. I have never seen a successful P-groove user parry on the level of Street Fighter III. And because a missed parry (which happens VERY often) can mean eating BIG damage, I can't recommend P- Cammy. S-GROOVE CAMMY Does ANYONE choose this groove? This is probably the least picked groove overall. You get dodges, which are nice, but not needed. You dodge attacks, but you yourself aren't fighting back, and that's why I don't think dodges (and S-groove in general) is that useful. Running is always nice, but if you wanted solely to run, pick N or K groove. Manual charging of the meter is disruptive in fights, and Cammy's better off staying on constant offensive, rather than trying to sneak in meter charge time. Pass on S-Cammy. N-GROOVE CAMMY Probably the most popular groove, N-Groove gives you all sorts of options. You get to run AND roll (again, Cammy's roll sucks, but her partner(s) can definitely benefit) in this groove. Running is VERY nice, as it allows you to be constantly up in your opponent's face, especially when combined with Cammy's already excellent standing HP and HK pokes. She gets small jumps in this groove, which are themselves useful tools for getting in close to the enemy (which is Cammy's goal) as well as being hard to defend against. And you get safe falls so that you don't have to worry about the cross-up/wake- up/meaty attack scenario you get put in when you're knocked down. N-Cammy is great, and the running especially helps her. My only personal gripe about N- groove is that when you do break stock, your opponent knows you'll be looking for an opportunity to land a super and thus might play more defensively, making it difficult to land Level 3 supers on them. K-GROOVE CAMMY Just defend and a vicious +35% attack power when fully raged is what you get with K-groove. Just defend is very useful, especially people with predictably attack patterns (which unfortunately Cammy falls under). Just defend pokes and retaliate with her throw or better yet, her super if you're raged. She still has that ever-useful run, and thus can run in, just defend an attack, and counter. Of course that sounds much easier than it is to do, but I've seen and fallen to a vicious K-Cammy doing that and it seems to be her game plan (of course it's deeper than that, but that's the basis for her mind games and whatnot). And a raged Cammy will score extra damage with her already great pokes. K-groove is a good choice for Cammy too, but only if you're really adept at just defending (duh); don't rely solely on the rage power up if you're playing this groove. VII. COMBOS 1. [jump-in or cross-up], crouching LK, crouching LK xx LK Spiral Arrow Quick and easy combo that knocks them down close to you so you can cross-up afterwards. 2. [jump-in or cross-up], crouching MK xx LK Spiral Arrow Crouching MK xx LK Spiral Arrow is a very safe tick pattern if you hit with the very tip of the MK and Spiral Arrow. 3. [jump-in], crouching MP xx HK Spiral Arrow If you're guaranteed a combo, might as well go for one that's easy to do. Sometimes the HK Spiral Arrow does 2 hits if done close enough. 4. [jump-in or cross-up], standing (close) HP xx HK Cannon Spike If someone's dizzy and you don't have or want to use your meter, this is the easiest and most damaging combo to do. 5. [jump-in or cross-up], standing (close) HP --> standing (far) HK This is a very useful link that you can use during your poking and pressuring strings. I've heard that the standing (far) HK is bufferable into her Spin Drive Smasher super, but I have yet to confirm this. 6. [cross-up], standing (close) HP --> crouching MK xx [special or super] Yes, this is the (in)famous "James Chen" combo from CvS1. I don't think it combos into a regular Spiral Arrow anymore, but I've seen it combo into her Spin Drive Smasher super in videos. That's not to say you should never cancel the crouching MK into a LK Spiral Arrow, as doing so is completely safe and gets you closer to your opponent to throw them. You could also try to cancel into her Hooligan Combination and try to catch them off guard. 7. [jump-in], crouching HP xx Spin Drive Smasher The Spin Drive Smasher can be any level, but preferably Level 3. The best jump-in for this combo is the jumping MP done very deep, since the crouching HP comes out kinda slow and her other jump-in attacks hit at weird angles. 8. jumping HK xx Spin Drive Smasher Yes, her old SFA3 combo still works. Do a QCF motion in the air with HK, land, then do another QCF motion with whichever level you want. She'll combo her super straight from her jump-in. 9. [whatever], Level 2 Spin Drive Smasher xx Cannon Strike (miss), land, Level 1 Reverse Shaft Breaker (C-groove only) Her "l337" (elite for those of you who always wondered what those strange combinations of letters/numbers/symbols meant) C-groove combo. More hassle than it's worth IMO. The very real possibility of missing with the Reverse Shaft Breaker is too great to choose this over a simple Level 3 Spin Drive Smasher. VIII. BASIC STRATEGY - POKE POKE POKE with her standing HP and standing HK... CONSTANTLY. These two moves alone beat out just about anything your opponent can throw at you. By constantly pressuring with them, you'll force them to block, at which point you can just walk up and throw them or if they flinch, LK Cannon Spike! I like the pattern: (far) HP, advance, (close) HP, advance, (far) HK, LK Spiral Arrow... at which point I can LK Cannon Spike if I suspect retaliation, start more pokes with crouching MK, go into her Hooligan Combination, etc. But remember, ALWAYS MIX THINGS UP! Never be predictable, since people will quickly see the vulnerable holes in your attack pattern. But between Cammy's HP, HK, MK, and LK Spiral Arrow, mixing up shouldn't be much of a problem - THROW THROW THROW with her punch/suplex throw. As you're advancing towards them with your barrage of HPs and HKs, ALWAYS look for opportunity to throw. If they break out of the throw (both characters reel backwards), IMMEDIATELY do a standing HP... I have not seen one attack that can beat that move. If they attempted to poke or re-throw you, you'll hit them. If they block, then they're now stuck on the defensive. Either way, you're on the offensive now. - LK Spiral Arrow is a VERY safe move to poke with... AS LONG AS YOU HIT WITH THE TIP! If you do just hit the enemy with the tip her Spiral Arrow, she can block or counter (LK Cannon Spike or Level 3 Spin Drive Smasher) ANYTHING that comes her way. Well not EVERYTHING, there's always exceptions (Morrigan's Level 3 Cardinal Blade can hit her in the TINY moment Cammy's in full splits), but I haven't found any other attack that can punish her. So remember that you can bait them into many mind games/traps by forcing them to block a LK Spiral Arrow, then punish their retaliation attempt. - LK Cannon Spike is a VERY safe move to counter with. It is probably the fastest recovering anti-air "uppercut" in the game. DO NOT worry if this is blocked, since 90% the time you will recover in time to be safe. In fact, often times you'll WANT them to block a LK Cannon Spike, and make it think that she's vulnerable, only to LK Cannon Spike them AGAIN! A favorite trap of mine is thus: crouching MK xx LK Spiral Arrow (blocked), LK Cannon Spike to counter, (if blocked) LK Cannon Spike again. This will annoy people to no end, the fact that Cammy's best anti-air is almost unpunishable if blocked. - Cannon Strike (a.k.a. Dive Kick) is a VERY safe move to set up with. Cammy recovers just as she hits the ground, being able to block or counter anything thrown at her. So a simple trap would just be to force them to block a Cannon Strike, then LK Cannon Spike their counter attempt (and if the LK Cannon Spike was blocked, LK Cannon Spike AGAIN! ...remember, the LK Cannon Spike is very safe if blocked). You can mix things up by doing a Cannon Strike, land, then start your poke game, then start your throwing game. Confuse the hell out of your opponent! - Confusion... that would be the ultimate goal you want to achieve in a match. You want them to realize that your LK Spiral Arrow, LK Cannon Spike, and Cannon Strike cannot be punished. Then (if they're smart/predictable), they'll start anticipating your second/third Cannon Spikes or super and keep blocking. At this point, when you've notice them catching on, start THROWING instead! You want them to realize that they can't out-poke you and should try to anti-air your pokes instead. Anticipate when they'll try, block, then COUNTER! And once you REALLY start mixing up Cammy's pokes, throws, and set- up traps... your opponent will be utterly confused (and scared) as to what you will pull out next. This is where you want to be, as they become easier to predict and read when they get scared. - Some options when you've knocked them down: 1. They don't have a reliable wake-up: CROSS-UP! 2. They do have a reliable wake or have a full meter charged: pretend to go for a meaty attack, block their wake up, COUNTER! 3. They think you're waiting for them to do a wake up and attempt to throw you: LK Cannon Spike, meaty standing HP xx HK Cannon Spike, Level 3 Reverse Shaft Breaker 4. You think they'll just block: THROW! - Some options when you're getting up: 1. You think they'll try to attack you as you get up: LK Cannon Spike! 2. You think or see them cross-up: Level 3 Reverse Shaft Breaker, LK Cannon Spike (the game even HELPS you out by automatically making sure the Cannon Spike faces the right direction) 3. You think they're waiting for you to wake up so they can block and counter: THROW! - BEST ANTI-AIR ATTACKS: 1. LK Cannon Spike - all purpose, virtually no recovery 2. Level 3 Reverse Shaft Breaker - anti-cross-up 3. Standing (far) HP - from afar - BEST JUMP-IN OPTIONS: 1. Cannon Strike - sets traps 2. jumping MP - combo starter 3. jumping LK - cross-up - BEST POKES: 1. standing HP (close and far) 2. standing (far) HK 3. crouching MK 4. standing MK 5. LK Spiral Arrow (no explanation needed, all these moves KILL) IX. VERSUS SPECIFIC CHARACTERS BLANKA With everyone and their grandma choosing him (or Sagat), you're gonna have to learn how to deal with this green menace. Unfortunately, there's a reason why SO many people have Blanka on their team; he's VICIOUS! Thankfully Cammy fairs a little better than other characters vs.Blanka IMO, but no one's an anti-Blanka... yet. The main thing you DON'T want is Blanka crossing you up! Once he does, whether he hits or you block successfully, he'll be all over you and you're stuck in a very sticky situation. If you do find yourself being in a crossed-up situation, get out by either doing a Cannon Spike or Level 3 Reverse Shaft Breaker reversal. Blanka's pokes have very high priority and range to boot. But Cammy's standing HK actually beats him out of his best poke (crouching HP), as well as many others. So CONSTANTLY barrage him with crouching HK pokes so that he doesn't have a chance to move. If he jumps, LK Cannon Spike! Remember, don't let him cross you up! His roll isn't a problem for Cammy. After blocking it, a dash-in or run-in HK can nail him, as well as her Level 3 Spin Drive Smasher. A standing HP can also actually stop the roll dead in its tracks. And NEVER EVER jump on a charged full-metered Blanka... you're just asking to get hit by his Electricity Ball super. Don't be afraid of Blanka, know that Cammy is more evenly matched with him than 90% of the rest of the cast. SAGAT ARG! There's also a reason why he's probably the most picked character in CvS2; EVERYONE has problems fighting him. One thing you have to be careful of: his CROUCHING HP! It's one of the most prioritized normals in the game, rivaling Athena's crouching HP and definitely on par or better than anything Cammy has in her arsenal. Standing HP and HK can beat it, but his Tiger Knee and Tiger Uppercut beat them cleanly, so be careful with your pokes and get a feel of what your opponent's Sagat tends to do. One thing to keep an eye out for: Sagat's blocked Tiger Knee, Tiger Uppercut trap. This is very similar to your Cannon Spike traps. The Tiger Knee has virtually NO RECOVERY time on it, and LOTS of Sagats will just go ahead with the Tiger Uppercut anyway assuming you tried to counter the Knee. REMEMBER THIS and BLOCK THE UPPERCUT! Speaking of which, Sagat's Tiger Uppercut has much less recovery time than it looks. Basically you can only hit him while he's in the air. You can't wait for him to land then punish him. So if you ever see him miss with the Uppercut or you block an Uppercut, don't be slow in countering, or he'll reach the ground and Uppercut you again! My best advice would be to poke push and throw him into the corner. Once he's there, he's forced to fight his way out, making his attacks and game plan much more predictable than if he were out in the open. Either he'll Tiger Knee (which you can Cannon Spike) out, low jump (which you can also Cannon Spike), or run and crouching HP his way out. Don't worry if you're having trouble against Sagat, EVERYONE does. Just know that your mission is to keep him from getting his fireball/anti-air and crouching HP traps going by getting him into the corner any way you can. M.BISON I'm talking about the evil dictator, not the boxer (I never understood why anyone living in the UNITED STATES would refer to characters by their JAPANESE names). His popularity seemed to die down a bit, but he still pops up every now and then. First, your standing (far) HP stops virtually all his pokes, or at least trades with him. It stops (but trades) his Psycho Crusher too. If he starts his flying/head stomps, Cannon Spike him. Don't ever jump at him, you can never beat his crouching HP anti-air and in air-to-air battles, he wins out more times than you do. If you block his regular or Super Psycho Crusher, make sure you THROW him when he gets out of it... you'll beat him out of anything he tries. His slide can catch you off guard at times, just remember to keep the pressure poking on and not allow him to start with his cross ups and long range kick pokes. IORI He's always popular, so you have to learn to deal with the drag queen wannabe too. First, his roll is VERY fast and recovers very quickly. If you see him start to roll... THROW! Else he'll get in and start his own nasty cross-up game that is just as bad as Blanka's. Cammy's standing HP and HK are _BEATEN_ by Iori's standing MK; but her standing MK _BEATS_ his! Tick with her standing and crouching MK, and when he stops with the standing MK pokes, then resort back to your trusty HP and HK. But Iori has a decent uppercut too that will cleanly hit your standing pokes, so be careful about sticking too many things out predictably. If you ever block his Deadly Flowersx3 special, remember that you must block the last hit STANDING! You don't want this boy to get his offense going, since he's a madman when he does. And most good Iori matches I've fought start their offense by throwing a slow ground fireball and then running in after it. It seems like you can roll through, but you can't, he'll combo you (and Cammy's roll sucks anyway). Jumping straight up or towards him gets you anti-aired, and blocking it leads to his SICK cross up game. You can DASH over the fireball (Cammy actually hops forward for a dash) and poke him then; you can block the fireball and IMMEDIATELY LK Cannon Spike; or if you're feeling adventurous Level 3 Spin Drive Smasher through it. Be very careful when he's capable of doing a level 3 super (like when he breaks stock). His Maiden Masher super is an excellent anti-air, and if he ever lands a crouching LK on you, prepare to get mauled when he combos the Maiden Masher into you. So keep this bastard from ever get a good offensive run going by poking him with MK and throwing him early and NEVER allowing him to get into cross-up range by LK Cannon Spiking his jump-ins and throwing him out of his rolls. More to come... X. MISCELLANEOUS COLORS LP = Blue MP = Green HP = Navy Blue LK = Pink MK = Yellow HK = Orange 3P = Red 3K = Silver INTRODCUTION 1. Cammy is in a long, hooded trench coat. When the match starts, she'll throw off the coat and yell, "Here I go!" 2. Cammy will smile with one hand on her hip while giving a thumbs up across her chest and yell, "Here I go!" SPECIAL INTRODUCTIONS 1. vs. Vice Vice taunts Cammy while Cammy does her normal introduction. Eh, do I really have to research her win quotes and win poses? I'll save that for next time. ^_^ XI. CLOSING Well, I hope you gained SOMETHING out of this. Am I the best Cammy expert out there? No, but I know enough to help beginners. Will you become an expert with Cammy by reading this guide? No, that comes with time and practice, but at least this gives you a foundation to build on. Just have fun playing whoever you chose, and don't get swept up in the whole stupid character tiers/rankings crap. While I do acknowledge that tiers, unlike Santa Claus, exist... discussing them and basing your game around them is a waste of time. Oh oh, I just used the "T" word... oops. Just have fun with CvS2 and hopefully have Cammy as part of your ass-kicking team. Until next CvS3... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to use this FAQ, just email me at lelbx@hotmail.com and I'll be happy to give it to you. Just give me credit for my work. Also e-mail me if you want to contribute/correct anything. Not doing so will cause me to do absolutely nothing against you. ^_^ Do not use this FAQ for any kind of profit whatsoever (what kind of profit can you get from ramblings anyway?). Capcom vs. SNK 2 characters are all copyrights of their respective trademarks.