SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Mai Shiranui

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不知火 舞, Shiranui Mai
"No matter how beautiful I am, you don't need to hold back."
Difficulty Mostly Easy
Max Mode Needed? Big benefits from it
Tier Placement Pretty Good (B)
Standing Hitbox ?
Crouching Hitbox Short
Wall Jump Yes

Introduction

Maifacesvc.png

Mai Shiranui needs no introduction as one of the most popular SNK and fighting game characters of all time, and here she's no different. The bubbly kunoichi is just as annoying to deal with here as she is in any other fighter with her hit-and-run, poke and zoning heavy gameplay. Her first appearance was Fatal Fury 2, where she gained her popularity, many fans, and her eternal love for Andy Bogard - a love so strong that even in a post-apocalyptic setting she is on the hunt for his whereabouts. Here, she plays as a mix of her KOF98 and KOF2002 iterations, and for the most part, works just well enough to hold her own in the right hands, albeit they made the questionable design choice to limit Cho Hissatsu Shinobibachi - her staple super - as an Exceed only.

Strengths Weaknesses
  • Relatively easy to learn: At most, the only hard part about learning Mai is knowing how to use all her buttons and memorizing her command normals, and maybe a couple combos. Outside of that, she's a self-explanatory character who is easy to play as. And if you've played her in other games before, she more or less plays the same here.
  • Great buttons in general: Almost all of Mai's buttons are good for something, either with good hitboxes, range, useful as anti-airs, mixups, and so on. She can play neutral quite comfortably as a result.
  • Easy combos: Mai has more combos than some other characters in general, but other than her max mode loops, can all be learned quickly and for the most part, are pretty similar to each other in how they start.
  • Very mobile character: Packing faster movement in general and all of Mai's command normals moving her around in some fashion, or even her special moves, it can be hard to pin down Mai and keep her in one spot, and sometimes make her sporadic movement also hard to predict, too.
  • Great for turtling, zoning, and/or hit and run: Mai primarily plays as a hit-and-run character, but her move list naturally lends itself to giving her some good zoning and defensive capabilities, too, forcing most opponents to have to approach her or play more patiently.
  • Very annoying in the right hands: If the player plays their cards right, the variety of tools she has will give her a frustrating to deal with neutral that helps her contend with even most of the god tier characters, especially with a life lead that pressures the opponent to chasing after her. Her constant poking and knockdowns will slowly lead players to growing increasingly impatient in fighting against her.
  • Has her KOF2002 Max SDM as her Exceed...: The SDM version of her staple super returns and deals pretty high damage, with invulnerability frames to boot!
  • Arcade mode cheese: More of a joke than anything, but if you're really struggling with arcade mode runs for some reason, just pick Mai. Get a life lead, then as soon as you do, stop pressing buttons and watch as Mai wins by doing absolutely nothing. Doesn't work on consoles.
  • ...but it's an Exceed despite being her main go-to super: Mai's go-to super in every other game is now a once-per-match attack that you can't afford to waste. What's worse, it's her only decent super, too.
  • Exceed also has limited comboability: Want to combo her Exceed? cl.C, df.B into Exceed. That's basically it. A farcry from just about any other game she's in where she has a few ways of comboing into the super. The lack of max mode cancels she can perform and the oddly high startup her Exceed has doesn't help matters, either.
  • Low health: Mai's on the frailer end of life so she can't take as many hits, thus can die slightly faster.
  • Projectile is slow on startup and recovery: While still a good projectile, it's pretty risky to throw out too often and a good read from the opponent can bite her for trying to zone.
  • Iffy Light Attack chains: Mai doesn't get many ways to confirm combos off of her lights, on top of her lights being more for poking and pestering the opponent to stay in place rather than comboability.
  • Koshuu No Mai is no longer an anti-air: What was her (fairly mediocre) anti-air DP in previous KOF games has now been converted to an odd rekka follow-up attack instead with even less usability.
  • Not suited for rushdown: Mai's a hit-and-run character. She has good buttons for anti-airing and in general being obnoxious towards the opponent, but has none of the buttons, frame data or utility to effectively chase after the opponent.
  • Supers are very unsafe on block and situational at best: Mai simply doesn't have any good supers to work with. They hurt in the corner, but outside of that they're dangerous to throw out in neutral. Her fans super doesn't combo properly without the corner, leaving the opponent able to front step the third fan, and her other super is a slow anti-air with little combo potential and high recovery. Without combos to confirm into them, using Mai's supers doesn't yield very much reward.
SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Frame Data Glossary
Damage

How much damage the attack does. This takes into account no defense modifiers, so the damage assumes a 0% damage modifier.

  • Note: Damage is a little inconsistent. Example: Geese cl.A deals 5 damage. Against Zero, sometimes it does 5 pixels of damage to his life bar, other times it does 4 pixels. Against Ryu, cl.A does 4 pixels of damage, other times it does 3 pixels of damage. This info comes from the Enterbrain Mook, but most likely this is the cause of damage modifiers skewing the damage slightly, thus making it a bit inconsistent.
  • Damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma. It is listed because it's an official source for this info, just keep in mind damage is not 1-to-1 due to varying health values and screwy ways the game calculates damage anyways.
  • There will be a question mark next to the four mentioned characters because it's only a guess as to what the actual damage values are (until health and damage are better understood), since they were never gathered in the Mook.
Counter Damage

How much damage the attack does on a counter hit, or when it connects with an opponent while they're performing an attack. Counter damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma.

Guard

Where the attack hits, and thus where it must be blocked.

  • Mids can be blocked standing and crouching
  • Overheads must be blocked standing
  • Lows must be blocked crouching
  • Unblockable cannot be blocked
  • Throws break through block up-close
Guard Crush

How much guard meter damage the attack does to the green Guard Gauge.

Stun

How many points of stun the attack adds to the opponent's invisible Stun Gauge.

Meter

How much meter is gained for performing/landing the attack. Special moves earn meter both when activated and when they connect with the opponent, whether it hits them or they block it.

Cancel

The type of cancel the attack can perform.

  • Any - All cancel types work
  • Ch - Chain cancel; it can chain into other attacks (mostly just lights)
  • Self - Can chain only into itself
  • Cmd - Command cancel; can cancel into command normals
  • Sp - Special cancel; can cancel into special moves, and almost always this means super cancels are possible too
  • Su - Super cancel; can cancel into super moves
  • Free - Free cancel; can be cancelled in Max Mode by other special moves or super moves
  • Written only for special moves as all normals can be Free Cancelled, so writing it in for every move would be redundant
  • X - Cannot be cancelled, either outside of Max Mode or that it cannot be cancelled at all
Startup

How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or has a hitbox. The SVC Chaos wiki uses classic startup notation, which does not include the first active frame. A move with 3 startup becomes active on frame 4. Super and Exceed startup will calculate both the frames before and after the super flash animation as such: X+Y, with X being the startup frames before the flash animation and Y being the startup frames after the flash animation.

  • The startup will not take into account the frames of the flash animation itself where time freezes and the opponent player cannot act.
  • Super flashes last 28 frames, whereas Exceed flashes last 27 frames.
  • Because there is currently no way to view throw boxes, it is assumed that throws/command grabs are at most 0-1 frames of startup. Truthfully, we don't actually know though.
Active

How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. Consecutive sets of active frames on a multi-hit move are separated by a comma. (Example: 3, 4 - The attack has its first hitbox for 3 frames, then the second hitbox for 4 frames)

  • If there is a gap between sets of active frames, the gap is denoted by a number in parentheses. (Example: 3, (2), 4 - The attack is active for 3 frames, then is not active for the next two frames, followed by being active again for 4 frames.)
  • Throw boxes are not visible either through dipswitches or the hitbox viewer so it's only a guess how active throws and command grabs are, but it's probably one active frame at most.
  • This also applies to hitbox images - they will still show the push and hurtboxes of characters but outside of that, unfortunately there is no way to depict the throw boxes at the moment.
Recovery

How many frames it takes for a move to finish after it's been active.

Total

The total number of frames the attack lasts on screen for. This adds up the startup, active, and recovery frames into one number.

Hit/Block Adv

These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will end before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish.

  • SKD refers to a soft knockdown, or a knockdown you can tech roll out of.
  • HKD refers to a hard knockdown, one that you cannot tech roll out of.
  • All frame advantages assume Ryu as the opponent. If there are variable wakeup times, it is currently unknown info.
  • Frame advantages of projectiles assumes the opponent is point blank range. Any farther and this obviously changes and/or doesn't matter.
  • Block advantage assumes no use of Guard Cancel Front Step.
  • For one, it obviously decreases the attacker's frame advantage significantly.
  • When the defender uses GCFS is also a variable factor so you cannot provide a hard answer as to what the frame advantage is after GCFS, as well as how soon they cancel GCFS into an attack.
  • Generally speaking, just assume the block advantage minus the active frames of GCFS, and that's a rough estimate of the frame advantage when GCFS is performed.
  • This doesn't really matter in most cases, since the attacker will automatically be quite minus after most attacks.
Invulnerability

Indicates whether there's any frames of invulnerability during the attack.

Move List

Normal Moves

Close Normals

cl.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 5 4 8 17 +0 -2 -
  • A slow attack with her fan. It can be normal canceled, and it can be used on chains(After a cl./cr.B). It can be normal canceled, but can't chain into the Light Attacks, sadly.

cl.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 3 7 16 +2 +0 -
  • It can look like, but it doesn't hits low(There are some characters with cose low-hitting normals). It can chain into itself, and most of the other Lights too. You can normal cancel it into something if you want.

cl.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 4 3 20 27 -3 -5 -
  • For comboing purposes. Cancel it into a Special/Command Move to do damage.

cl.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 6 22 34 -8 -10 -
  • A kick aiming upwards. Use this one like the cl.C.

Far Normals

st.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 5 4 8 17 +0 -2 -
  • A very nice poke. It can't be normal canceled, and can't chain into Lights as well, but Mai recovers very quickly after the attack, making it a safe attack to use.

st.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 6 10 22 -4 -6 -
  • A simple poke. Can be used to anti-air, but can only work depending of the opponent. You can't normal cancel it, and it can't chain into other Lights.

st.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 8 4, 3 19 34 1st= -6 1st= -8 -
  • Doesn't have so much reach(Compared to most moves), and can't be normal canceled.

st.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 9 5 15 29 +0 -2 -
  • Mai jumps, and does a kick. This move can't be normal canceled, but Mai will move a little forward during the move.

Crouch Normals

cr.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 8 3 9 20 +0 -2 -
  • Just a poke. Can't be normal canceled, can't chain into other Lights. A bad thing about this move is that it's hard to chain into it, due to the startup.

cr.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 4 7 17 +1 -1 -
  • Another one of those low-hitting moves. Can chain into other Lights, but can't be normal canceled(Forcing you to chain it in case you used it).

cr.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 7 7 16 30 -3 -5 -
  • Another move for comboing. Cancel it into something, and you'll be fine. The startup of this move makes it a bad move to use after a Jump-in attack.

cr.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 7 8 20 35 SKD -10 -
  • A sweep(We know you like the position, don't lie). You can normal cancel it, but you can't combo with it. Cancel it into a special move if you need meter.

Jumping Normals

nj.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 7 - - - - -
  • Neutral Jumping Attack
  • Mai kicks. Dunno how can you use this one(Neutral jumps aren't that used here). This normal can't be normal canceled into QCB+P.

j.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 8 - - - - -
  • Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Mai holds her fans, and attacks with the tip of one of them. You can use this one as an air-to-air attack, or even as a Jump-in move(Mai has better options, but you still can use this one). This move can be normal canceled into her QCB+P in the air.

nj.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 4 10 - - - - -
  • Neutral Jumping Attack
  • An attack with her tail that can be used as an defensive air-to-air attack. Can't be normal canceled into QCB+P as well.

j.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 4 11 - - - - -
  • Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Mainly for crossup combos(But it's hard to combo after it). You can't normal cancel it into QCB+P.

nj.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 9 - - - - -
  • Neutral Jumping Attack
  • Mai puts her fan upwards. Use this noe if you want to hit an opponent higher than you(Assuming that he/she is jumping too). You can't normal cancel it into QCB+P.

j.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 3 - - - - -
  • Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Another fan attack. Good to start combos, and you can normal cancel it into the QCB+P.

nj.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 8 7 - - - - -
  • Neutral Jumping Attack
  • Use this move as a kind of anti-air move. Interestingly enough, you can normal cancel it into the QCB+P! Try this: Hit the opponent in the air with a n.D, and then cancel it into a QCB+A for a reset setup! We'll talk about it later.

j.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 7 - - - - -
  • Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • This one should be your move to begin combos. It has good reach, angle, damage, and can crossup the opponent. Oh, if you want, you can even cancel this move into the QCB+P.

Command Normals

Kokuen no Mai
f.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • (If used alone) An overhead move. You can't normal cancel it, but you can combo after it on the corner(With a f.A, or even if you walk a little forward and then do a cl.C). You can use this one on the opponent's wakeup if you want. (If used after a normal) This move will lose the overhead properties, will lose some hitstun frames(You can't follow it up with a normal), but it will be cancelable into the QCB+P(You can use this as a corner combo).

Koukaku no Mai
df.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • (If used alone) It's a slide, and it hits low. After the slide, Mai will follow it up with another kick that will do a knockdown on the opponent(And it won't act as a low move, remember that). (If used after a normal) The first hit will be a low, and the second will knockdown. Any difference? Actually, it has a difference. The first hit(The low-hitting one) can be normal canceled into any Special/Super Move(Can even combo into the Exceed!) A good thing of this Command Move is that you can freely do "Any normal, df+B", and it will work(Assuming that the normal can be normal canceled). Learn how to use this one, it can be important for your combos.

Dairin Fuusha Otoshi
j.2A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • It's like Kyo's d+A in the air, it will do a hard knockdown on the opponent, but can't crossup(Unlike Kyo's). It's a great combo starter too, and can even be normal canceled(And even combo, unlike the other Jumping Moves) into the QCB+P! It's easier on the corner, but if you jump deep enough, you can do it on midscreen.

Ukihane
j.2B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • A cool move that will do a hard knockdown on the opponent, but it's easier to hit a grounded opponent with it(You can hit opponents in the air, but that's very hard to do). You can use this move during a backdash too(If you can find a way to use this way on a match, that's fine). Interestingly enough, you can cancel air normals into this move(You can use this to trick your opponent in case he blocked the air move). The best way to use this move is crossup-ing a knocked opponent. Try this, while you're near from the knocked opponent, do a neutral jump, and then use this move for a crossup attack! You should learn this, you can need.

Yusura Ume
j.2D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • An attack with her butt. On hit, you can crossup the opponent on wakeup. You can use this move as an air-to-air move too, it stays for a long time.

Throws

Kof.lp.pngKof.lk.png Throw
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
24 24 Throw 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Kof.sp.pngKof.sk.png Throw
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
24 24 Throw 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Guard Cancel Blowback
Kof.sp.pngKof.sk.png on Block
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
0 0 Mid 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Special Moves

Kachou Sen
qcf P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Mai's classic projectile. The button pressed will determine the speed of it. Don't use this outside of combos(I mean, to begin corner combos from fullscreen away), because it has a very long recovery(Mai needs to find another fan on her suit).

Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi
hcf K
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
hcf B - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
hcf D - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Another classic move. The B version does two hits, and can be used on combos, while the D version does only one hit, and can't be used on combos(Thanks to the long startup). The first hit of the B version can be max canceled too.

Ryuu Enbu
qcb P
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcb A - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcb C - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • You know this move too, because it's a classic one. The A version does only one hit(But can't be comboed after the Lights), and the C version does two hits, and can be comboed from any cancelable move(Including the Lights), which is good!

Sayo Chidori
qcb K
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcb B - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcb D - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This is a great move. The button pressed will determine the speed of the attack. The B version is very fast, and can be used to anti-air the opponent. The D is just slower(Can't even combo). Mai has a loop using this move on the Max Mode(The hit can be max canceled).

Hakuro no Mai
dp P
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp A - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp C - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • A move from her KoF '98 version. The A version will do 3 hits, and the C will do 5 hits, while the last hit of each version will knock the opponent down, and any hit can be max canceled(But you can't combo with the last hit, so... Cancel after it). Mai has a Max Mode loop involving this combo too.

Koshuu no Mai
dp K
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp B - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp D - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • It was a great anti-air... Thanks, SNK. On KoF '98, Mai would do a Flame Kick, which was great to anti-air! But this has changed. Now it's a rush move. The button pressed will determine the distance Mai will travel. If you ask me: "It looks good, can I combo with it after a normal?" I'll just say: "No." But there is a good thing about it, the hit can be max canceled, but I don't know why would you cancel it, because you can't combo it from normals/Command moves, and you can't max cancel moves into it. You can use this to punish the opponent from far away, but only that.

Tsuika Kougeki
dp K > dp K
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp B - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Follow-up after dp B
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp D - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Follow-up after dp D
  • Here is the flame kick... A sad thing about it is that you can only use this move if the move above connects(Meaning, no anti-air for Mai). Anyway, each version will do 2 hits, and the button pressed will determine where Mai will land. On the B version, Mai won't move from her initial position, and she will land very quickly. On the D version, Mai will jump forward while attack, but she will take some time to land, making it unsafe on block.

Musasabi no Mai (Kuuchuu)
j.qcb P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Classic move. This one is Mai's dive attack. The button pressed will determine the angle, and the speed of the move. Each version will act as an overhead too. You can cancel some air normals into it, which is interesting for her! You can use this move during a backdash too, which can be useful to build meter.

Musasabi no Mai (Chijou)
[d]~u P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Mai will do a wall leap(Like Claw, or even Choi). After she jumps off the wall, you can move her(With the left/right directionals), to decide where she will land/attack. The button pressed won't change anything.
  • Follow-ups Mai can perform:
  • Musasabi no Mai - Hold P: Mai will do her dive. The button will determine the angle, like the normal version. It has the same properties as it too.
  • Musasabi no Mai (Kuuchuu) - qcb P: The dive again. It has the same properties as the other dive versions.
  • Ukihane - d.K: Mai will do her d+B Command Move(No matter the button pressed). It has the same properties as it too(You can try to crossup using this version too).
  • Yusura Ume - d.P: Mai's d+D, with the same properties.
  • Toki Tsubute - d.D near the opponent: A grab. It's unblockable, but very risky to use anyway. I think you can grab an opponent in the air too, but I'm not sure. The opponent can't do a recovery roll from it too.

Super Moves

Mizudori no Mai
qcf x2 P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
21x3 24 Mid 4 0 0 X - - - - - - -
  • Mai will throw 3 fans on the opponent(Like a Super projectile, but each one will act as a normal projectile), and the last one will knock the opponent down. The button used will determine the speed of the 3 projectiles. You can use this move on some combos, and each fan attack does decent damage.

Hou'ou no Mai
qcb x2 P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
A= 31x7 ; C= 31x10 36 Mid 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -
  • You can use this move to punish projectiles, due to the part where Mai is going up. If you hit an airbone opponent with this move, you'll get more damage, and you'll have the opportunity to juggle after it(There are some corner combos using this feature, I think).

Exceed

Max Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi
Qcb.pngHcf.pngKof.lk.pngKof.sk.png
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
59x12 63 Mid 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -
  • Mai's staple super, and her SDM from KOF 2002.
  • This would be a great Exceed, but the only combo Mai has is off of cl.C or cl.C, df.B. Beyond that, the startup is too slow to combo anything else off of it. Not even in max mode.
  • Technically, she can combo into it off of juggles in max mode, but those are rare, if ever pulled off in a match.
  • Mai has several i-frames during the duration of the super, so it's a strong punish if you catch your opponent pressing a button or unable to block.
  • Her Exceed does great damage, at least, so when it lands it hurts.

Strategy

Basic Strategy

Mai's gameplan

Mai is a fast character with great movement options, and that's your plan, move and attack the opponent, mainly in the air with her Command Moves, and her wall leap. You can walk/dash/jump back/forward while using pokes too, Mai's attacks are good for that. In the air, you can just use the j.D (probably her best jumping attack), or even her Command Moves. Her supers are iffy when used in combos, given her supers themselves aren't too useful. It's better that you use them for punishing situations as the damage is still good enough. For her Exceed, confirming into it is easy, but be careful using it by itself if at all, even if it has invulnerability. Basic gist: play hit and run as Mai, mixup your opponent, play primarily zoning with projectiles and pokes, and be annoying to fight against.

Advanced Strategy

Match-Ups

Combos

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Quick Combo Notation Guide
  • cl. = close normal
  • st. = standing/far normal
  • cr. = crouching normal
  • f.; etc. = forward direction (NOT far)
  • X = any button
  • CH = counter hit
  • , = Used to separate attacks in the combo
  • / = Separates different options for the combo (mainly different starters or enders that are possible)
  • Unless otherwise stated (such as it's a link or you need to delay the attack), assume this is a chain/cancel.
  • Example: cr.B, cr.A, dp A ; cr.B chains into cr.A, then cr.A cancels into dp A
  • [b]~f = Indicates to charge back (or downback), then press forwards for the given special move
  • ( ) = Parentheses used to indicate the attack(s) within the parentheses are optional to add to the combo
  • (C) = Indicates a free cancel, aka a cancel only possible in Max Mode
  • (SC) = Indicates a super cancel via free canceling in Max Mode
  • (1) = Used to indicate how many hits of the attack should connect (or less than) before continuing with the combo
  • Example: cl.C(1), hcb P means that only one hit of cl.C should be performed before moving on to do hcb P, not more than one hit
  • [ ] = Used to distinguish combo loops or combo starters/etc. in case a certain attack is only possible after specific options
  • xN = Repeat the given loop for as many times as either possible or as many times as you wish

May change to numpad notation much later down the road.

BnB Combos

BnB Combos
Combo Position Damage Stun Difficulty Notes
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), qcf P TBA TBA TBA TBA Easy combo. I wouldn't recommend this one, due to the bad recovery on the projectile(But I think it can be safe on combos). Mai has better options, but this one still can be used.
(j.X,) cr.B, cl.B, df.B(1), qcf P TBA TBA TBA TBA Just a combo with a low starter. The above does more damage too.
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), qcb P TBA TBA TBA TBA The most damaging of her basic combos, her main go-to BnB.
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), qcb B TBA TBA TBA TBA A good combo. You can use this one to confirm Mai's Max Mode loop. Note that you can't combo with the D version, due to the startup of it. If you're used to the pattern, you'll know the second combo(And probably some other ones below too).
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), hcf B TBA TBA TBA TBA Probably the most damaging thing you can do with the hcf K. Note that you can't combo with the D version, due to the first hitbox appearing behind Mai as opposed to in front of her. Remember that you can max cancel the first hit of hcf B so you can do more damage if you need.
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), dp C TBA TBA TBA TBA This one is one of the best(If not the best) of Mai's no-meter combos. Does many hits, and decent damage. You can use this to confirm Mai's loop too.
(j.X,) cr.B, cl.B, df.B TBA TBA TBA TBA Like the above, but with a low starter. This is Mai's only real low starter with a light, though the link itself isn't too hard. Worth learning since Mai has no light starter without it, otherwise.
(j.X,) cr.B, cl.B, df.B(1), hcf B TBA TBA TBA TBA Does more hits, has a low starter, but won't do more damage than the combo above. You can use this on some mixup games.
(j.X,) cr.B, cl.B, df.B(1), qcb C TBA TBA TBA TBA Can be used too. Has a low starter, which can help. The df+B is optional on this combo too.
(Corner only) f.B, st.A TBA TBA TBA TBA An easy link with Mai's overhead, but it's a corner only combo, sadly. Other bad things on this combo: You can't combo a normal into this Command Move; You can't cancel the st.A outside of Max Mode.
(Corner only) f.B, walk/dash a little forward, cl.C, df.B(1), qcb P TBA TBA TBA TBA Probably the most damaging thing you can do with the overhead outside of Max Mode, but it can be hard to do(You'll need to have a good timing to link the f+B with the cl.C).
(Corner only) f.B, walk/dash a little forward, cl.C, df.B(1), qcb B TBA TBA TBA TBA
(Corner only) f.B, walk/dash a little forward, cl.C, df.B(1), hcf B TBA TBA TBA TBA
(Corner only) Any normal, f.B, qcb P TBA TBA TBA TBA A simple combo but pointless beyond mixing up the opponent, assuming they try to attack back after f.B. Important notes: The f.B can be canceled into the qcb P only if you cancel a normal into it, but the Command Move will lose the overhead properties.
(Corner only/On a deep jump-in) d.A, j.qcb P TBA TBA TBA TBA You'll need to do a very deep jump if you want to land this one. I would recommend using the qcb A on the combo, but if you want to try with the C version, go ahead. On certain characters(Big ones), this combo can be easier.
(Corner only, fullscreen away) qcf A, sj.X / dash forwards j.X, any combo TBA TBA TBA TBA Combo video combo, you probably won't see this in a real match. This is better to use while the opponent is stunned/if you want to do corner pressure on the opponent by using the projectile as a meaty. You can learn this if you want to do more damage.
Super Combos
Combo Position Damage Stun Difficulty Notes
(Corner only) f.B, walk/dash a little forward, cl.C, df.B(1), Super TBA TBA TBA TBA
(Corner only) f.B, walk/dash a little forward, cl.C, df.B(1), Exceed TBA TBA TBA TBA
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), qcf x2 P TBA TBA TBA TBA This is probably the best confirm for this super. This Super isn't that fast when compared to most projectiles(Assuming the Super ones as well), and the 3 fans will connect into each other, and this is right, because you probably used it, and saw the Super doing 3 hits. But you used it alone, not on a combo. We need to add at least one attack before the Super to call it a combo. And that attack will push the opponent(If you tried this combo, you can see that the opponent stopped being pushed during the first 2 fans, and then he continues being pushed during that little pause after the first 2 fans(That means, the target's position changed, making the 3rd fan nearly useless, because the opponent can block it). I just noticed on the training mode that the opponent's position is what determines if the 3rd fan will connect or not(You can test the positions, but the fans will combo if they are used on point-blank reach, or even if they are used fullscreen away. This combo will do 5 on the corner as well.
(Fullscreen away) qcf A, qcf x2 C TBA TBA TBA TBA This is an interesting combo. You can use it while your opponent is stunned, and you don't know what to do. This combo can be used as a cheap finisher too(4 chipping moves from far away), but only when you need to(Don't waste your meter like that if you know that you're not going to win the match).
Anti-Air qcb x2 P, air reset Near Corner TBA TBA TBA This is the only possible combo for this Super, sadly(But you know, the opponent can't block while he/she is in the air here). The A version of the Super does less hits, but it's easier to combo after it, so you can stick with it for now. There are some great combos using this juggle properties on the Max Mode(And even a confirm for the Exceed!), but we'll see that later.
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B(1), Exceed TBA TBA TBA TBA It's just the most damaging Mai combo outside of Max Mode. It's not that hard to do(You don't even need good hands to cancel the df+B). Well, it's very important to confirm the Exceed on any match, so learn this combo, you will need it on your matches.

Max Mode Combos

Max Mode Combos
Combo Position Damage Stun Difficulty Notes
(j.X,) cl.C, df.B, dp C(4), [(C)qcb B, (C)dp C(4)]xN, (C)qcb C(1), (SC)qcf x2 P TBA TBA TBA TBA The last part of the combo is possible only in the corner. This is a great combo, but not that hard to perform, thanks to the DP(You can get a projectile if you miss the input. To avoid that, stop the motion on df, not on f). The corner only finisher is great, because it will add some damage to the combo, but... It's very hard to cancel a QCB+C into a QCF(2x)+P(You won't have so much frames to perform the inputs), but there is a way to make it easier, which is: Buffering the first QCF. Try something like QCF, QCB+C, QCF+P(While on Max Mode). You'll need to do it very fast to make it work.
(Corner only, opponent needs to be in the air) qcb x2 P, qcb C(1), [(C)dp K, (C)qcb C(1),]xN, (SC)Exceed TBA TBA TBA TBA This is the most damaging way to confirm the Exceed, and the only way to use the DP+K on combos. You can learn this, but it's a little hard to land it on a real match(You'll need to predict your opponent's jump for that). It's easier than the loop above too.

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