Table of Contents

Shadow

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Description

Manual

Probably the most secretive project in the last twenty years, the Shadow robot definitely earns its name. Somehow, the Shadow is capable of generating quasi-real projections of itself. A single Shadow robot can at times replace half a dozen conventional 'bots. Unfortunately, the projections don't last for very long and any damage done to them is “felt” by the host robot.

Since this is the newest HAR in the company's arsenal, many pilots find it hard to compete against and hard to fight with. Once it is mastered, though, it is a weapon to be reckoned with. WAR is still trying to measure it's purpose in future missions.

Matt's FAQ

Quick & fairly powerful, the Shadow is one of the easiest 'bots in the game to win with. Using a combination of AI flaws & quick moves, you can easily beat the computer on the hardest difficulty level almost every time.

The computer cannot(in my version) hardly ever avoid the Shadow Grab once it's thrown, with the notable exception of the Electra on the higher difficulty levels. The best strategy to catch the computer with the Shadow Grab is to make distance between you and your computer opponent, and then throw the Shadow Grab.

Also, performing a Shadow Dive while jumping away from a computer opponent connects most of the time, even on the highest difficulty settings.

However, the Shadow Punch and Shadow Kick are virtually useless against the game's AI–unless you find yourself cornered by a computer opponent. Due to another AI flaw, when you are cornered, about 95% of the time you can perform a Shadow Kick with the computer at close range and it will not be blocked. (provided you are using a mid-to-fast speed character)

The Shadow is definitely the 'bot to use to find most of the games secrets, as a skilled player can almost always get a perfect, or at least near to perfect, round with it.

Strategies

Overall the Shadow is very vulnerable. It has a weird mix of short range attacks, but doesn't like being close-range. And its long range repetare is built around the shadow-specials which are weak to block/counter-attacks. In short you generally have to be creative with this bot in order to keep the pressure against the opponent, this will typically end up in a weird hit-and-run dance. The infinite stun bug with Shadow Grab is the main lure of this bot, exploit it for all it is worth against AI, but it is generally polite to ask a human opponent if he wants to play against it or not (considering it is a bug).

VS CPU/AI

Easiest way is to stun and abuse the stun/shadow grab trick, just use normal CPU weaknesses to get him down. Learn to use good timing with Shadow Kick and Shadow Dive, both can be used to repeatedly catch the opponent for some free damage. And always use the sweep to knock enemies away.

VS Human

Most humans don't have the reflexes to block a closely timed shadow kick, it is actually faster than the sweep. The sweep can work against you if you're used to use it against CPU, as you need to push enemy away, and then setup an attack for him while he raises up vs a Human. Avoid using Shadow specials unless you are very sure of the hit, they punish you to hard if you miss or they have time to block. This bot have many weaknesses against humans.

Upgrades

Tournament Upgrades

Enhancement Effects

Enhancement Localization

Moves

Specials

Basic Attacks

Generally lacking in reach and mobility, Shadow's often good basic attacks often gets cut just a bit short of being really useful. Remember that the sweep, while perfect for getting you out of tight spots and insanely fast, usually doesn't put you in a much better position unless you can be aggressive afterwards.
Bad:
Good:

Combos

This assumes default setting with Rehit mode on.

Basic Combos

Fancy Combos

Tournament Combos

Robyrt's FAQ

1. OVERVIEW

Shadow is in a tier by himself, at the bottom. Yes, he has a guaranteed kill once he stuns you or hits you with a Shadow Grab, and Shadow Kick infinite is as good as anyone else's corner combos. Unfortunately, he gets punished for trying to do those things, and he has literally nothing else to fall back on. From the strategy guide, it's clear that Shadow was intended to be a “skill character” with crazy (but hard) combos and judiciously applied special moves. Since those combos flat-out don't work and the specials all telegraph themselves, it takes way more skill than the developers anticipated.

2. TECHNICAL INFO

MOVE NAME       | COMMAND     | DMG. | TYPE
----------------+-------------+------+---------------
Jump Punch      | (air) P     | 10   | Light Jump
Jump Kick       | (air) K     | 12.5 | Medium Jump
Jab             | f+P         | 4    | Light AR
Strong          | P           | 11   | Medium AR
Fierce          | b+P         | 14   | Medium AR
Short           | f+K         | 6    | Light AR
Forward         | K           | 11   | Medium AR
Roundhouse      | b+K         | 16   | Medium KD
Low Jab         | df+P        | 4    | Light AR
Low Strong      | d+P         | 11   | Medium AR
Low Fierce      | db+P        | 14   | Medium AR
Low Short       | df+K        | 6    | Low
Low Forward     | d+K         | 10   | Low
Sweep           | db+K        | 15   | Low KD
Shadow Punch    | qcb+P       | 15   | #1 Medium KD
Shadow Kick     | qcb+K       | 15   | #1 Low KD
Shadow Grab     | d,d+P       | 0    | #1 #2
Air Shadow Grab | (air) qcb+P | 0    | #1 #2 E1
Shadow Dive     | (air) qcf+P | 15   | #1 Medium KD
Ice Freeze      | hcb+P       | 5    | #3 E3
Kick Throw      | (close) f+P | 22.5 | Heavy Throw

Scrap: b,f,uf,u,ub,b+P Destruction: d,d,d+P during 5th hit Fire & Ice: d,d,d+P during 6th hit

#1: “Shadows” disappear after any animation they do is completed, or when their owner blocks or is hit. They can be hit: all hit effects are transferred to the original Shadow, while the “shadow” goes into an air-hit animation. They count as projectiles, and special grab-type moves act as 0 damage hits on them.

#2: Unblockable; grabs while coming down. A grabbed opponent cannot be thrown or Shadow Grabbed. Can grab an opponent in air hitstun in Rehit Mode. In versions before 2.0, hits for 10 damage while coming up and un-stuns a stunned opponent when grabbing them.

#3: Hits low; freezes opponent on hit. A frozen opponent cannot be thrown or Shadow Grabbed. Another Ice Freeze unfreezes the opponent.

Notes: The 2nd enhancement makes the Shadow Punch and Shadow Kick faster and more powerful. The 3rd enhancement can only be obtained by Nicoli in the North American Open.

Stats: Forward Speed: 4.7 Back Speed: 3.9 Jump Speed: 13.5 Fall Speed: 0.95 Armor: 95 Stun Res: 22.5

3. MOVE DETAILS

Normal Moves

f+P: Jab. Shadow sticks his arm all the way out, meaning this move could have great anti-air and anti-high poke potential. Unfortunately, it's slower than it looks, severely limiting its usefulness. Chains into itself.

P: Strong. Same as a jab, but slower and bigger. While this move is nothing to write home about, you'll probably end up using it because Shadow doesn't have anything better to poke high with. Chains into itself or jab, but doesn't combo.

b+P: Fierce. Shadow punches with both arms. Ironically, this move is basically a bigger, slower version of his strong punch. You'd think it would have good priority or chain into something, but it doesn't.

f+K: Short. Shadow kicks the opponent's shins. Again, if it weren't so darned slow it would be great at stuffing crouching attacks, and at least it can occasionally do that. Chains into itself.

K: Forward. The usual: Bigger and slower version of the short. Absolutely useless except in combos, since it chains into sweep.

b+K: Roundhouse. Shadow kicks his foot up at a 45-degree angle. I've tried desperately to find a use for this move, because it's so cool. The best I can come up with is that it's not that bad at close range: fairly fast, good anti- air, knocks down. If you let his foot fully extend, though, the move is a joke. Doesn't chain or start juggles or anything, except really close against a wall.

Crouching Moves

df+P: Low jab. I know I tell you to use low punches in every one of these, but with Shadow you really have to do it, because it's literally his only fast move. df+P is as fast as anything else on the market, and for an added bonus, chains into the other low punches. Unfortunately, its horrible range means it's basically to keep the opponent marginally off you. Don't even try to poke with it, as bots with low-attack stuffers (like, umm, all the top tiers) will own you.

d+P: Low strong. Slower and bigger than low jab, but only one frame slower, meaning it still combos into itself. Mashing d+P in a combo is often Shadow's only way to stun the opponent, which means this move is relatively good.

db+P: Low fierce. Like most of his other stuff, this move would be really cool if it had any priority whatsoever, comboed into or out of anything, or was fast. It's none of those. Stick with your low strong, kids.

df+K: Low short. May combo into itself, I don't remember. In any case, this is a gimpy low kick with absolutely no worth considering Shadow actually has good low moves that aren't this one.

d+K: Low forward. A slower version of the worst low short in the game, this move is in the running for game's worst move, right up there with Thorn's roundhouse. It's useful only in combos against a stunned opponent, because it chains into K or d+P.

db+K: Sweep. A really amazing move. Unpunishable except at close range, fast, ducks a lot of moves, loads of priority, juggles at close range. Unfortunately, Shadow can't use this move to its full potential, because he has such trouble getting to close range, and when there, he has to worry about it being blocked. Plus, Shadow Kick is so good that you don't want your opponent reminded he should be blocking low.

Special Moves

qcb+P: Shadow Punch. Shadow exudes a shadow which rushes up and uppercuts the opponent. Unpunishable against slow pilots, juggles, hits people who try to jump over the expected Shadow Kick, yada yada yada. Good on wakeup, but this move hits HIGH, so it gets stuffed by every low jab in the game. Since low jab is often the fastest, safest move a character has, this makes it basically a “please hit me for piddly damage” move except in very specific situations. Like all shadow attacks, it can be hit as if it were you, and it's really slow with a special “powering up” animation, which is bad. Very bad. Hey, I wish Shadow could actually do that uppercut HIMSELF. It'd be better than his fierce punch.

qcb+K: The infamous Shadow Kick, aka Shadow Slide (because the shadow slides along the ground, leg and arm out). Another one of Shadow's really good moves (scratch that, the second one), this one is basically instantaneous after the powering up, has buckets of priority, goes extremely fast, and juggles. Unfortunately, you're in for a world of pain when it's blocked, and it won't connect if you're both in the corner. Be very careful with this move: it could win you the round or get you stunned.

d,d+P: Shadow Grab. Goes straight up but doesn't hit anything except another Shadow Grab, then comes down behind the opponent and grabs them in a special animation during which they recover stun but are putty in your hands. If you grab a stunned opponent, they STAY stunned, meaning you can grab, punch, over and over until they die. It has way more vertical and forward range than it looks like, and it's practically a free win for you, but it gets stuffed by anything that hits behind you… or pretty much anything that throws off the opponent's horizontal position (including making the opponent block). If you block anything, it disappears, which is bad. Did I mention it's really slow? The only known way to re-stand a falling opponent in a combo.

(close) f+P: Throw. Shadow does Ryu's classic leg throw from Street Fighter, sending the opponent sailing to the opposite wall. Or rather, he probably can't even throw them that far. Quite a bad throw, since you can't combo after it or even follow it up, it's so slow.

hcb+P: Ice Freeze. Third enhancement required. Why this move isn't qcf+P is beyond me. Practice this move until you don't get random Shadow Punches, anyhow. Quite good, actually. Shadow throws ice along the floor. If it hits you or the wall, it bursts up in an ice attack that hits low and freezes the opponent for a few seconds. It's like a Shadow Kick that doesn't get you horribly punished, plus it does chip damage. Usually forces people to jump. Unfortunately, Shadow doesn't have a way to punish said jumping, except for your enhanced Shadow Punch.

Jumping Moves

P: Another very respectable move. Shadow punches downward. The DE team, in their attempt to play with our minds, has made this move actually a good air-to- air attack, able to beat high-priority stuff like Razor Spin on a regular basis. Its angle means it's also good for jumping in. Whether it works against the anti-air most of the rest of the cast enjoys (but you, of course, do not) is another matter.

K: Shadow kicks upward. Another move that in a well-balanced game would have a use, like air-to-air or insane speed or crossup ability or… you get the picture. It's really just a bad move, though. Note that you can use it to jump in because it hits all the way up into his inner thigh, but you might as well just punch instead.

qcf+P: Shadow Dive. Shadow creates a shadow that dives downward at an angle with a punch. Totally safe when blocked, but not while you're drifting to the ground after it finishes. Also surprisingly slow, given that some bots (Garg) have blazingly fast air-to-ground attacks. Knocks down, at least. Good for keeping you in the air to avoid a hazard or a Stasis Activator or something, but that's it.

qcb+P: Air Shadow Grab. Second enhancement required. Unlike Shadow Dive, this one is instant, and since you can use it at the top of the screen, it's quite fast. If Shadow had this as a normal move, he could quite possibly use it to set up Shadow Grab traps. Unfortunately, he doesn't, except if you turn on that option in multiplayer. And if you do, the opponent can counter-character you (and anyone else) with Jag. :-P

4. COMBOS

Instant Kill Combo #1 qcb+K or (wall) qcb+P → qcb+P/qcb+K x5. Repeat. Depending on the opponent, you can be closer or further away when you do this, and you'll need various combinations of punches and kicks to juggle correctly. You can also just Shadow Kick forever if your timing is right.

Instant Kill Combo #2 (stunned opponent) d,d+P → any non-special move(s). Repeat.

Instant Kill Combo #3 (wall) qcb+P → qcb+P or qcb+K x5

Instant Kill Combo #4 f+K, walk forward, repeat. Only for tournament mode with full leg speed and agility. Stupidly easy.

Most Powerful Ground Combo d+P → df+P → df+P → d+P

Meaty Moves b+K (late) → df+P → juggle b+P (late) → b+K

Chain Combos (almost all must be close) P → P d/df+P → d/df+P d/df+P → K df+P → db+K b+P → d/df+P d+P ↔ d+K K ↔ d+K K → db+K d+K → d/df+P Shadow Punch/Kick/Grab → Shadow Punch/Kick/Grab (may not combo)

Basic Combos:

* (air) P → db+K → df+P → juggle If you're jumping in deep, put in K before db+K. Air juggles vary but should end with b+K, jumpkick, or Shadow Kick infinite (for the kill).

* (air, close, wall) P → d+K → df+P → db+K → df+P → f+P → uf,K If you're low on agility, omit the first df+P or end with b+K after jumpkick. Yes, I know it's hard, but it can actually stun them, so stop whining.

* (close) qcb+P/qcb+K → df+P → b+K Free damage if you don't think you'll be able to start the infinite.

Tricky Combos:

* d,d+P → db+K → hcb+P → (air) K → db+K → df+P → f+P → P → [qcb+K] xN Trickiest shot ever. No sane opponent will ever let you pull off a close-range Shadow Grab like that, but if they do, watch out! You must be in the corner by the jumpkick, but you can push your Grabbed opponent to either corner.

* d,d+P → qcb+K → (air) P → db+K → juggle combo Depending on the opponent's agility and HAR, you can use different juggles after the db+K launches. A df+P is a great opening move, but under optimal conditions you can land another db+K and then df+P, or a more powerful starter like K/d+K.

Frame Data

Frame Data Page

HAR's: Jaguar, Shadow, Thorn, Pyros, Electra, Katana, Shredder, Flail, Gargoyle, Chronos, Nova