« VIDEO RUSHDOWN: FILIPINO CHAMP VS HAUNTS »

This past week FilipinoChamp stopped by HAUNTS HQ for some matches and I was able to get in some much needed practice vs Dhalsim. For those of you who don't know, with his top 8 placement at West Coast Warzone and coming off his recent win against UTJ & Bryant the Tyrant at Bar Fights 2, FilipinoChamp is currently ranked as one of the top 3 Dhalsims in the country. He is also a self proclaimed "Sagat killer" having beat most of the top Sagats in the country at some point.

The Dhalsim vs Sagat match is certainly an unorthodox match up which can give Sagat serious problems if he is not familiar with how to handle it. Even though 'Sim takes a lot of damage, being able to get in to do that damage and keep him locked down can prove to be a difficult task if the Dhalsim player is on point.

I recorded many of the matches here and decided to post them up and break down what was going through my mind, what I learned during these sets and also what I assume Ryan was trying to accomplish during the match as well. Although I won maybe 2-3 matches out of 10, you'll see most of the rounds come down to the wire with a minor misstep on my end that costs me the round/match. You'll see there is a lot of experimentation going on as well with these being casual matches -- many of the better strategies start to solidify later on in the set. Hopefully some of you will benefit from the beating I took and learn a couple things about this odd match up as well.

Here are the videos with match up notes below:

Close Range Advantage: Sagat

Although I usually have few opportunities to apply close range pressure vs Dhalsim, once I'm in there I am at an advantage. 'Sim has some solid pokes/normal moves, a teleport and a back dash to give himself some breathing room, but over all once I'm in, even one Tiger Uppercut or EX Tiger Shot combo will typically put me in the lead. There are many ways to counter Dhalsim's options when he gets in close or tries to evade: well timed Kara Tiger Uppercuts will stop back dashes, standing medium punch will stop close range teleports (need to punish these more myself), and one throw into the corner will put the round in your favor.

As I mentioned, getting in takes some work. Dashing in after he blocks a Tiger Shot then FAing through any follow up limbs will work, and Kara Tiger Shots can help Sagat gain ground as well. You can Tiger Knee over Yoga Fire but the timing is a bit different than Tiger Kneeing over other projectiles in the game since Yoga Fire moves slower than say a fireball.

Once you have him in the corner, Tiger Shot pressure is usually your best option. If you are point blank and start an EX Tiger Shot combo, if he blocks it you can follow up with a crouching jab with no risk of a counter attack to continue your pressure. Watch out for slides in that is one way 'Sim can slowly push Sagat back out. Tiger Knees in the corner do not work as well against 'Sim compared to other characters due to his small hit box and the fact that he can slide under them, but a well timed meaty Tiger Knee can be a good way to start a pressure string.

Mid-Range Advantage: Dhalsim

Generally speaking, at mid range you will see that Dhalsim has a ton of options to stop Sagat from advancing, giving him the advantage from this range. He can stop Tiger Shots with a fierce, use Yoga Fire to set up teleport cross ups and Jump Fierce to punish Tiger Shots as well.  Fighting from this range is not recommended for Sagat, and once you are in the corner with Dhalsim advancing to mid range you will see how bad it can get. From this position there isn't a whole lot you can do out side of some random upper cuts or waiting for a mistake. If he already has an Ultra, in many cases the round is over once you are in the corner fighting from mid range, as you'll see in the videos I posted.

Jumping in is typically a bad idea as well, even though it's hard to resist the urge to land a jump in combo from mid-range. Sim has a ton of anti-air options, and maybe 1/5 times you attempt to jump in will you even connect with your attack. It may be a good idea to test the 'Sim players anti airing ability once the round starts, but once you see they can hit you on reaction its best to just back out to full screen and restart the projectile war.

With two stocks of EX meter you can safely Kara Uppercut from mid range to gain some ground and even land a counter hit and follow up with an Ultra, but this is in no way a strategy you can use through out the entire match.

Also, one area where Sagat has an advantage from mid screen is when 'Sim jumps in from mid range and throws out a move such as a fierce, you can FA through it and start an offense and even follow up with a F+RH from the right distance.  Uppercut can also be a good option but beware of 'Sim baiting uppercuts with a teleport.

Full Screen Advantage: Sagat (slightly)

From full screen I feel Sagat has a slight advantage due to the speed of his Tiger Shots, the ability to Kara Tiger Shot and EX Tiger Shot which will do a nice chunk of damage and also send 'Sim closer to the corner. You will most likely spend most of the match at this range and inflict as much damage as possible through Tiger Shots until you have the opportunity to move in.

Beware that even from full screen 'Sim can catch Sagat throwing a Tiger Shot and start a combo. You can feint Tiger Shots with a standing jab or crouching Fierce to counter this strategy.

A well timed crouching jab will stop many of his attacks, and you can of course cancel that into a Tiger Shot to apply more pressure. Be careful when throwing our normal moves though, in that a couple mistimed moves will cost you a nice chunk of life.

Overall Match Up Advantage: Even

I feel at the end of the day this is a 5-5 match up with maybe a slight advantage for Sagat due to his damage output. As you see, a good 'Sim can really give Sagat a lot of problems due to his ability to keep Sagat at full screen and also completely shut down most of his options once he has him in the corner.

...or am I completely out of my mind and just have no idea how to fight 'Sim? Is this all solid advice or the blind leading the blind? Sound off in the comments and let me know!

Update on Friday, October 23, 2009 at 1:20AM by haunts

Parts 4 and 5 of the same set.