Hey everybody. I want to put together a tips and tricks video for Leon. However, I don't have that much material. This is all I've got so far.
1 - One guess set ups via , that rob the opponent of 50% life.
a. ,
b. ,
c.
2 - Directional air throw into breakables (this is obvious and probably doesn't need to be stated)
3 - CH into . Once the opponent is conditioned to duck, you can do CH into , or throw them .
4 - Knowing they'll ground tech, still go for ground grab (whiffs), then mash to start the above #1 loop.
Looking forward to your feed back. There have to be more secrets out there.
After the 33P into 7P and you hit with 8P you can do the full string(8PPP), a small dash forward then the air throw (just 66T, makes it easier instead of trying to time a dash then neutral T, all directional Ts become some air throw), beware near walls.
Another one you can use if the opponent is holding in reaction to you doing things after 33P 7P is to hold P+K for a partial or fully charged CB (only works if there is a delay before they attempt a hold, if they delay, then hold a full charged CB is pretty much gonna nail them). If they are holding immediately beware of a second hold (that will catch you if it is a mid punch hold) so go for other options.
You can also 6K into Desert Falcon on CH. Or CH 6K PP4P into air throw. Pretty much any 6K string finisher can get you PP4P if you find they are SEing from a P+K for a burst.
Stun, 2K, 3K CB. CB is guaranteed if you get the 3K. If you CH 2K outside of stun, 3K then 214P into air throw. 214P guaranteed.
If you CB an opponent near a wall 3P will launch them high enough for an air throw, all other launches he has have knockback so 3P is the best one near a wall.
Of a combo-able wall splat PPK is the optimal damage combo.
Against super heavies after a CB WRK, 4K, 2T, 41236T is the optimal combo, otherwise an air throw without doing anything after the WRK is his best option (aka no juggles). For everyone mid weight through heavy CB, WRK, 3P, air throw is optimal. Light and lighter (and some heavier characters while going downhill) CB, WRK, 66PP, air throw. Against Alpha CB, WRK, 6PPK, air throw.
There is one nice trick about knocking someone into a breakable if it is a "against the wall" breakable (they won't be knocked back like the standard wall breakable) if you have to run up to them and haven't done any ceiling or breakable hits or have been Bursted prior to the current situation. 33P, 3K, P+K. Guaranteed combo and the optimal followup is 8PPP for launch (juggle after this is dependent on weight but I haven't exactly tested any because I almost never get this situation) into air throw.
Breakable combos are pretty self explanatory but are dependent on Leon's standing when the breakables are hit. If he is close he can do his P+KT into air throw. If he is far away he has to run up, 3K, 214P into air throw. Then there is what I said above.
And these (I have no doubt you have seen these already):
First one is on Normal Hit, the combo can kill without a Powerblow on Counter or higher by replacing the PB with 3P into air throw.
Second one was a High Counter hit with a modified combo because of Hitomi's distance from the nearest wall. If I had used 66PP instead of 3P I probably would have hit the wall.
Key to those combos is that the opponent must not tech the second breakable so 4K can hit into a guaranteed 2T. If they tech then resume all mind games.
Leon has a lot of knock back in his more powerful strikes, if you are trying to avoid hitting walls in juggles modify the combos as necessary, an air throw is always the optimal finisher, even a launch into air throw without a juggle is better than trying to straight juggle without an air throw.
Always be mindful of the environment. As a Leon player you need to know each stage inside and out to figure out where the breakables are, know how close you are to the nearest wall, and how to put your opponent into said wall. Being between an opponent and a wall isn't always a death sentence, if it is a full wall a normal T changes into a wall throw that interacts with DZs.
In a combo near a wall you can 66PP OR 8PP into an air throw (66P and 8P have knockback on CH and have different heights as well to mixup if opponents are trying to hold). If it is a bouncy wall you can 3P (timed) into an air throw (minus the current air throw glitch, which is always optimal).
Cliffhanger combo on Scramble that I've found most effective is Stun/CH 8PPP (slight delay on the third P), on medium and lighter 3P, 4K, 2T, 41236T into Cliffhanger choice. Yes, the Dervish Throw can be broken but the combo nets over 100 easy damage with just a 66P starter on NH.
There is the 41236T into 2T if opponent doesn't tech the DF.
He has his wakeup tackle throw that beats out just about all down attacks (most notably Rachel's 2K). Keep in mind it is an OH and can be low thrown.
More later.
I dislike that every time I drink I find some amazing Leon tech but absolutely forget what it is the next day.
A few corrections to what xzero said
crouch 3(hold)p is a better post cb launcher near wall than 3p as it does 2points more damage while also not wall splatting and granting air throw on all weight classes
3pp does more damage than ppk and is the better wall bounce follow up or pretty much his best non air throw juggle follow up on any launch too low to air grab
8ppp into air grab as a post cb follow up on middle-heavy does more damage overall than 3p into air grab. only use 3p T on those weight classes if you know there are breakables/walls in the foreground/background because its impossible to dash in after 8ppp and input 28T/82T
Some other tidbits
-You can add fully charged P+K as another follow up to his 33p, 7p set up since it gives him instant critical burst on opponents who hold too early and get hit by it during their recovery. This 2hit cb setup works on any of his stuns but requires opponent to either miss time a hold or guess wrongly on it. He can also do a single stun into fully charged P+KT for the ground bounce into air throw
-CH 2P+K guarantees 4k into ground grab
-7p on BT opponents causes unholdable limbo stun and works great against characters like ayane, helena, brad who have BT stances
-fully charged 236p and its string variations causes +14 guardbreak that knocks them too far back to capitalize on any guarantees in open space but when used on blocking opponents near walls it gives Leon guaranteed P into all of his mixups from it. my go-to setup from it is P6PK into P+K CB i do it in the match below at the 1:49 mark
(also dat tiger ally-oop)
-for those who don't know the last input of dervish throw has a huge buffer window so instead of quickly timing 41236T to match the last "combo throw" chain as one input, just input 41236 during the previous chains animation and then simply press T for the final "combo throw" chain. makes it far easier to pull off and make it unbreakable
-8pp, 4p+kp, 66pp, are all 2in1's s meaning the follow up hits are guaranteed if the first connects
Somewhere along the line I had seen hold3P with a 1m knockback on CH so I've been rolling with 3P, thanks for that.
I was under a good impression from another Leon player (on tournament level) that PPK was his best finisher (I'm going back to 3PP now, thanks).
8PPP is his best stun to launch/CB launch, we all agree on that. It has a big margin of error when it comes to getting his air throw in so online I opt for easier guarantees but go buck wild offline (not putting you down, this is good clarification).
Adding to Fork.
4P+KP also guarantees an air throw on all hits except CBs. Against Alpha you can get a 3P in before the air throw (tight window).
Power Launchers
The delay window in 8PPP is big enough that you can do an immediate 8P after the initial launch and time the followups appropriately. Just a PL into air throw (no CB before hand and on NH) nets 75 damage so ANYTHING added makes it better than a PB (his PB is annoying to time based on animation anyway).
His PL probably shines best under ceilings. Using the 2K 3K setup he can CB if he didn't do so before, he can run up and 3K into 214P into air throw, and charge 4K into ground throw, and attempt resets with risky 6Ks into Desert Falcon, I do not advise this unless your opponent is very hold happy or loves to block). Next to a wall he can P6PK into air throw on everybody (in Home and Temple, in Fuel go for 3P into air throw).
At level 3 Threshold/CB 9K can actually be used as a launcher (his most damaging launcher overall) and gets air throws on everybody but Super Heavies. Sadly, that is all it is good for and you can get more damage by using WRK combos. So don't use it unless you are seriously messing around.
66K bound is best followed up with 66PPP (you will have to delay the 66P until Leon takes a step forward and is still considered "not running"). You can risk a 9P however it can be teched so you don't get a guaranteed ground throw (a small dash is required after landing to try the throw).
It's funny how Leon's metagame is all about setting up for either an air throw or ground throw and becoming hippie bait.
Armed with inspiration I wander forth... a few thoughts need to be tested...
