If you’re looking for some great tips to use when fighting agains Sabrewulf, check out these top 5 expert tips from Bill “MK_TomBrady” Menoutis, co-author of the Killer Instinct Ultra Fan Book.
5. Watch Out for His Range
Sabrewulf has a lot of range on his normal attacks. Many of his attacks have deceptive range, making contact from distances that would normally be considered outside of sweep range. When fighting Sabrewulf from a slight distance, never think you are out of his range.
4. Be Ready to Get Crossed Up by Sabrewulf’s Dash
Sabrewulf’s dash allows him to dash right through his opponent, appearing on the other side of them. This crosses up which direction you need to be holding in order to block his attacks. If you aren’t looking for his dash, you end up holding the wrong direction as he appears on your other side, resulting in him getting a full combo.
3. Watch Out for Run 50/50 Mix-ups
Sabrewulf has a hit level 50/50 where he can mix-up his Hamstring low slide with his Jumping Slash overhead. Even though these attacks are done from Run, he can cancel out of Run with a 50/50 quickly, not giving you any time to react. Both the low and overhead mix-up options are unsafe when you block them, so make sure you remember to punish after blocking these attacks.
2. Be Aware of His Instinct Meter
Sabrewulf is a VERY damaging character, able to do BIG damage fast. His Instinct gives him a damage boost on all of his attacks, allowing him to inflict even more damage. When he has access to Instinct you need to be cautious when you chose combo break, if Sabrewulf lands a Counter Breaker he can Instinct cancel and continue with a near 80% combo that you cannot escape after being locked out by the Counter Breaker. You also need to choose your attacks carefully. Using an unsafe attack while Sabrewulf has a full Instinct Meter could result in him Instinct Canceling out of his combo punish, giving him the opportunity to inflict a lot of damage.
1. Use Shadow Counters
Sabrewulf’s main Combo Opener is Ragged Edge, a 2-hitting Special Attack. One of Sabrewolf’s only holes is that he lacks a safe single hitting Opener, this is why it is common for him to use Ragged Edge so much. While the Light and Medium versions of Ragged Edge may be safe when blocked, they are very easy to Shadow Counter because it’s a 2-hit attack. Making good use of Shadow Counters is a great way to throw off the gameplan of any Sabrewulf player.
For even more Killer Instinct strategies, get the Killer Instinct Ultra Fan Book with Free Living Guide access available at Primagames.com/KillerInstinct.
