Combos

Low Hit-Checks

COMBO 1

Crouching standing , then cancel into either:

111 damage, 253 stun

151 damage, 293 (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

327 damage, 133 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

R. Mika’s low-check hit-confirm combo. This is slower than her jab openers by one frame but is necessary to give the opponent any reason to worry about blocking low, keeping them on the ground and more susceptible to your command grabs and anti-crouch normal throw. Crouching doesn’t lead to more than this, but it’s better than nothing. Standing is preferred over crouching for the increased damage on hit and frame advantage when blocked. When blocked, you can consider this a two-hit tick into a potential EX Rainbow Typhoon. If your foe is keen to neutral jump to dodge your grapple threat when they block ticks, keep an eye out for their jump and nail it with Wingless Airplane, or use crouching into a mix-up on their air recovery landing.

Normal Hit-Checks

COMBO 2

Standing/crouching standing/crouching , then cancel into:

102/121 damage, 253 stun

142/161 damage, 293 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

318/337 damage, 133 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

R. Mika’s fastest and most basic hit-check into a knockdown. She requires flush or nearly flush range to link two jabs; if you’re unsure about the distance, just use a single jab before canceling. In many situations where your opponent makes merely a small error, a single jab into LP Shooting Peach will be as good as it gets. This combo is most applicable when you’re given a tiny opening, like if you block something that leaves your foe at -3. Basically, if you don’t have time to squeeze out standing , use this. Standing jabs do a tiny bit more damage than crouching jabs and have slightly more range, but the same combos work for both. To easily cancel two standing jabs into her Critical Art, perform a motion of . If an enemy is blocking, just don’t press the last punch input. As with Combo 1, the best aspect to this hit-check is that R. Mika is close enough after two blocked jabs to go for EX Rainbow Typhoon, and foes trying to jump away from that leave themselves open for you to watch and nail them with Wingless Airplane/crouching .

COMBO 3

Standing standing , then cancel into either:

147 damage, 280 stun

179 damage, 320 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

355 damage, 160 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

R. Mika’s standing short hits in four frames, which is slower than jabs but the same speed as crouching . The standing ender of Stomp Chop is far more vulnerable than “naked” standing strong on block, so use this combo against small guaranteed openings (-4), as a link extension after point-blank standing or normal-hit charged , or after a successful jump-in. Against astute players who know they can punish blocked Stomp Chop, you can try a cheeky mix-up—when your jump-in hit/standing /charged into standing is blocked, pause slightly and perform standing when standing fully recovers. This looks the same but doesn’t register as the target combo version. That leaves R. Mika safe from guaranteed punishment (-2 instead of -5 from the actual target combo) while perhaps inviting a big reversal move that you can punish yourself.

COMBO 4

Standing standing , then cancel into either:

212 damage, 355 stun

236 damage, 395 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

412 damage, 235 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

R. Mika’s standard opening, useful after jump-in or late cross-up . Standing hits in five frames and is tailor-made to link into standing , leading to very respectable damage. Standing doesn’t need to hit flush with the opponent, but you can’t start more than about a step away.

If you counter-hit up close with standing , you can link into this combo. This isn’t possible to hit-check on reaction, so if you suspect your adversary will do something that will leave them susceptible to getting counter-hit, just do the light tick into standing immediately. On block, don’t perform fierce. Using standing into this combo this way (fishing for counter-hits) can discourage players who react to blocked up-close ticks with quick ticks of their own, hoping to interrupt throw attempts. Even if your initial standing is guarded, this just turns into a frame trap with a three-frame gap.

COMBO 5

Standing standing , then cancel into either:

186 damage, 310 stun

218 damage, 350 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

394 damage, 190 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

This combo is the same as Combo 4, but while standing standing does more damage and allows HP Shooting Peach to connect at the end, this variant has a more lenient link and leaves R. Mika slightly safer on block (-2 after standing compared to -6 after standing ). Take care to leave the stick or d-pad in neutral during the second standing to avoid inadvertently linking Passion Press when you didn’t want it. Also note that this link has slightly less range than standing standing . From point-blank range, you can also do standing standing standing for slightly more damage and stun than the meterless variant here (190/348 vs. 186/310). This isn’t worth doing into EX Shooting Peach or Peach Assault, though, because the extra hit causes more damage scaling on the combo finisher, leading to a weaker overall combo.

COMBO 6a

Standing or or (toward nearest corner), then:

(whiffs)
123 damage, 190 stun (advances toward corner)

227 damage, 350 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

Wall hit, , juggle
281 damage, 415 stun (299 damage with EX Wingless Airplane)

Wall hit, charged , juggle
295 damage, 415 stun (313 damage with EX Wingless Airplane)

This is a link combo into Passion Press in the direction of your choice. In corners, Passion Press unlocks R. Mika’s true potential. Midscreen, it’s still useful to push the opponent a long way toward the corner. Follow up with EX Shooting Peach for damage, use HK Wingless Airplane to land directly next to where they’ll wakeup, or exploit the chance to get in a V-Skill power-up relatively safely. In corners post-wall hit, launch with Lady Mika or charged , then juggle with a number of options. To sacrifice guaranteed damage for an immediate reset chance, pop foes up with crouching . To juggle and keep them in the corner, use EX Shooting Peach. To maximize damage (but corner R. Mika), use Wingless Airplane. Keep these building blocks for corner juggles in mind when incorporating V-Trigger. For example, if you score a hit canceled into V-Trigger near a corner, you can move forward during Nadeshiko’s hit with , then link standing to Passion Press (or simply Passion Press if you’re not sure about the range).

COMBO 6b

Standing or or , immediate backdash (edge-of-screen hit occurs), immediate crouching (whiffed), then juggle:

171 damage, 260 stun (no knockdown, sets up air recovery situation)

, juggle
270 damage, 415 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

, juggle
270 damage, 415 stun

, juggle
288 damage, 415 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

, juggle charged , juggle
330 damage, 490 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge and full V-Gauge)

R. Mika doesn’t require the corner to have Passion Rope Throw fun. Midscreen, backdash immediately after canceling Passion Press to Passion Rope Throw. The screen will drag in R. Mika’s direction, creating an artificial corner that the enemy bounces off of. As soon as your backdash ends, use crouching to roll forward. Properly executed, you’ll now be in position to launch your target with a Lady Mika uppercut. From here, the usual juggles apply. Use EX Shooting Peach for corner push (although if you just wanted raw corner push, the best thing to do would’ve been to let Passion Rope Throw go unimpeded) and EX Wingless Airplane for max damage. You don’t get the point-blank advantage created after corner Passion Rope Throw, but you get an alternate midscreen bread and butter with damage comparable to standing standing (into whatever). You can also bop foes out of the stumbling run into air recovery with a normal like , affording you an immediate mix-up against their air recovery landing. As with these Passion Rope Throw tactics in the corner, whenever you can reset into a command throw, you’re likely doing more overall damage than had you finished the combo.

COMBO 7

Hold standing , then link:

Standing standing
230 damage, 398 stun

Standing standing
258 damage, 433 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

Standing standing
412 damage, 293 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

From edge of charged range, standing
191 damage, 333 stun

From edge of charged range, standing
231 damage, 373 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

R. Mika’s charged standing is her best mid-range engagement tool. It crushes lows, goes over conventional fireballs if properly timed, and leaves her at +2 if blocked. Considering its range and speed, it’s basically a “low jump” opener or like a dive kick, and you should treat it accordingly. On hit, proceed into these combos. You can link her Stomp Chop target combo when charged connects deep into the target’s body, but if the tip of charged hits, you’ll need to use the standing link variants. Examples of this range include going for charged standing immediately after using back throw or EX Rainbow Typhoon. If charged counter-hits, it results in a Crush Counter spin, leading to even more potential pain, like in Combo 11. Spend a little time in training mode with the dummy set to random guard/random counter-hit so you can train yourself to react to charged blocked, normal-hit charged , and charged as a Crush Counter. During actual tense matches, that decision making is not a conscious process.

Jump-ins

COMBO 8

Jumping , land and link , then:

Juggle immediate
197 damage, 330 stun

Pause, juggle with
197 damage, 330 stun(requires one stock of EX Gauge)

Juggle
224 damage, 330 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

V-Trigger cancel with , juggle charge , immediate
326 damage, 455 stun (requires full V-Gauge and one stock of EX Gauge)

V-Trigger cancel with hold , juggle late (Nadeshiko hits, sides swapped), juggle
350 damage, 500 stun (requires full V-Gauge and two stocks of EX Gauge)

These are juggles to use after Lady Mika launches as a normal hit. R. Mika is actually left with frame advantage if is guarded, so you can use this liberally as an up-close poke or a grounded follow-up after a jump-in, as listed. Launching with Lady Mika and then V-Trigger-canceling into Nadeshiko (Behind) leads to fun, high-flying wrestling juggles where Nadeshiko dropkicks the foe back in your direction.

Grounded Counter-Hits

COMBO 9

Counter-hit , forward dash, , then:

Juggle
272 damage, 475 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge, pushes toward corner)

Juggle
296 damage, 475 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

V-Trigger cancel with , juggle charge , juggle
378 damage, 575 stun (requires full V-Gauge and one stock of EX Gauge)

Combos involving the big flip and extra juggle potential after Crush Counter Lady Mika. Lady Mika is safe on block, so you can just throw it out up close. Since its startup is relatively slow at 10 frames, you’ll want to do this from advantage, like after being guarded during your jab, jump-in, or charged . Opponents who try to jump away from a grab will eat the uppercut. It’s also a great reversal punish counter-hit, which is where you can guarantee these combos. Charged standing also leads to a Crush Counter against certain reversals or to more potent combos, but you won’t have time to unleash it against, say, a blocked LP Shoryuken. That’s where Lady Mika comes in handy.

COMBO 10

Counter-hit standing , then juggle with:

At max range, juggle
213 damage, 360 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

From mid range, juggle
240 damage, 360 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

From up close, juggle
213 damage, 360 stun

Standing is a good low-crushing poke from close range to mid range that paves the way for uncertainty about when charged standing is coming since it executes so much faster. Opponents often train themselves to react to the tension-building animation. If standing normal-hits, no juggle

chance arises, but R. Mika’s frame advantage is +2. If guarded, she’s left at -4, so don’t get too careless using this. On counter-hit, it causes a spinning aerial knockdown that leaves foes in a free juggle state, affording you a chance for a follow-up. From max standing range, you can only tack on late EX Shooting Peach for damage and corner push. Up close, you can use Wingless Airplane or crouching to force air recovery, which gives you a shot at making your target land on a meaty poke or grab attempt.

COMBO 11

Hold standing (counter hit), walk forward or forward dash, standing standing , then cancel to:

308 damage, 495 stun

329 damage, 530 stun (requires one stock of EX Gauge)

483 damage, 390 stun (requires full EX Gauge)

Hold standing , pause, juggle
418 damage, 650 stun (midscreen, requires full V-Gauge and two stocks of EX Gauge)

// (toward corner), wall hit, charged , juggle
420 damage, 625 stun (requires full V-Gauge and nearby corner; replace Wingless Airplane finisher with crouching for a corner reset chance)

Combos for charged standing as a Crush Counter. Among the most likely scenarios for landing this is fishing for charged from mid range against an opponent throwing fireballs, since charged flies over fireballs once the tension-building portion of startup is over. If walking or dashing forward for the full standing follow-up is challenging to confirm (which is understandable), replace them by stepping forward slightly into standing (taking care to go to neutral before to avoid an accidental Lady Mika).

The Crush Counter reel of charged standing is very distinct from normal charged standing . It’s worth training yourself to cue off of it to maximize your damage in these opportunities. If you find these combos difficult, though, you can follow up with Stomp Chop variants (like Combo 7) for less damage and stun. However, standing lacks the range of standing or , so step forward farther before you initiate Stomp Chop.

V-Trigger Combos

COMBO 12a

Hold standing (counter hit) , immediate forward jump to jump-in , standing standing

COMBO 12b

Hold standing (counter hit) , immediate forward jump to jump-in , standing // (toward corner), wall hit, charge , juggle

COMBO 12c

Standing standing standing (Nadeshiko hits), standing (wall hit), charge , juggle

On top of being a great neutral game tool and a sort of combo breaker, R. Mika’s V-Trigger has myriad applications in combos and juggles. Here are the most common puzzle pieces to help you link Nadeshiko, depending on the situation and your preference:

• After standing (or ):
• The most direct route. V-Trigger-canceling standing leaves R. Mika with +11 frame advantage, more than enough to link standing , standing , or Passion Press. Any single link gives time for Nadeshiko to link, too. Use Nadeshiko (Above) for ground-based combos (such as those ending in a Critical Art), or use Nadeshiko (Behind) to transition from a grounded hit to a juggle combo.
• After standing hold (or hold ):
• This is mainly useful for combos involving grounded EX Shooting Peach into juggled EX Shooting Peach, which carries the victim almost clear from one corner to the other. Delayed Nadeshiko coming in between the Peaches is what allows this to happen. Use Nadeshiko (Above) for extreme corner push, or execute Nadeshiko (Behind) for a combo that switches directions back beyond its starting point.
• After :
• After normal-hit Lady Mika (or Crush Counter Lady Mika, dash forward, juggled Lady Mika), Nadeshiko (Behind) is perfect to return the spinning victim to sender. Start charging standing just after the Nadeshiko call, then be ready to land EX Shooting Peach or EX Wingless Airplane once Nadeshiko and R. Mika have taken turns dropkicking the crap out of their opponent.
• After counter-hit charged :
• Crush Counter charged canceled directly into Nadeshiko (Above) actually gives you time to land an immediate full jump-in combo. There’s no timing involved—just jump forward right after the V-Trigger cancel. Actually eyeballing this on reaction to a raw Crush Counter charged hit is difficult but possible. Give yourself some extra time by paying close attention to what your foe is doing as you charge up ; it’s easier to react to a larger situation than a single hit in a vacuum.