Continuing on with my SFIV series I’ll talk about a new attack/counter function in the game: the Focus Attack. I have read absolutely nothing on the topic (including websites and the manual), so this post is based completely on my experience.
So what exactly is this Focus Attack? When I first played, I just thought it was some kind of parrying action like in 3rd Strike, but how wrong I was. It can be used as a type of counter, but as people become more familiar with its vulnerable traits, you’re not going to want to spam it as much.
Essentially with this ability your character “focuses” and pauses in their tracks. It looks as if they are focusing their power for an attack and that’s one way to think of it. As soon as you let go, or after you’ve focused for the maximum time period, your character performs their focus attack. There are three levels of a character’s focus attack:
Level 1: If you quickly press mp+mk, their FA comes out very quickly but has no special properties after you hit your opponent. This can be blocked and countered because of the extended time of vulnerability after your attack comes out.
Level 2: If you hold mp+mk and let go after your character flashes white once, you will perform a much stronger attack. This is blockable, but if it connects then your opponent will be stunned (not dizzy) and fall to the ground. You can then proceed to execute a combo or hit (I will touch on this more later on in this post). If you miss, there is a bit of vulnerability after you execute as your character recovers.
Level 3: Holding mp+mk until your character flashes yellow will yield the full force of your FA. This is unblockable and will stun (not dizzy) your opponent indefinitely if it connects. If the FA does not hit, be prepared as you will be completely vulnerable for a period of time after the attack animation completes.
During this period of “focus,” your character may absorb one hit before taking any damage. But that’s not without consequence. If you look at your HP guage, an area of your HP turns white as this is the damage you would have taken if you were hit (this only applies to super moves). This area does recover, but that is only if you are not hit during it’s regeneration. If you are low on health, even if you absorb a hit with focus, you may die and lose the match. One other thing to keep in mind is that not all single hits are absorbable. Every character has a special move which cracks the focus. This means that the first hit will go through the focus guard. Get to know these.
Now you might ask why you’d want to use this focus since you’re vulnerable for such a long period after it comes out? There are other applications. First, lets talk about the counter:
Because this focus attack can absorb a single hit, you can potentially use it to counter an attack. If someone is jumping at you and during the match your uppercut just hasn’t been getting priority, try to use a focus counter. As soon as they hit you your focus will absorb the hit. You can then let go of mp+mk and release a counter hit. This is not always putting the FA to good use because it’s easily countered with a double hit (for example, Chun’s air two hit punch).
You can even fake a FA. In the middle of the animation of focus, you can dash forward or dash back. This is important when you start using it as a cancel in your combos.
The Focus Attack Dash Cancel (FADC)
This is where the fun begins! Have you ever thrown an uppercut only to have it blocked by a crouching opponent, or having trouble trying to connect those slow ultras? Learn how to FADC. In this usage, you can cancel any attack with a FA, then quickly dash out of it (as long as you’re on the ground). The only drawback is that it takes 2 ex bars. But that tradeoff can be to your advantage. Cancelling a missed uppercut could potentially save your life (especially if you miss on Gief).
Ok, now what about those ultras? So fricken slow, that your opponent can throw a punch and jump out of the way before it gets to them. What do you do? FADC a move which puts your opponent into juggle state, and ultra them to death. If you haven’t already done the trials, here’s an example with Ryu:
Hit your opponent with an uppercut, but cancel with a FA as the first hit launches them into the air. Dash forward while in focus, and ultra. If your timing is right, then you should be able to hit them with your fireball:
F, D, DF+HP, FADC, Shinkuhadouken, GG
Most characters utilize the FADC to their advantage in connecting ultras, so be sure you do the hard trials to learn them. There’s no doubt to the fact that the more you play, the more you learn. Besides all the tips, you’ll have to go out and try them yourself and see how you can incorporate the FA/FADC into your game.
Random Tips:
When you FA and connect with a Level 2 or Level 3, there’s a lag time for you to recover. Bypass the lag time by dashing just before your FA connects with your opponent. It’ll save you precious milliseconds.
If you FA and absorb a fireball, dash backwards to prevent yourself from being vulnerable from another attack. You also gain invincible frames by dashing back.
Designer, developer, and excellent napper.