Normals

LP “Light Punch”

• Crouch : faster than Lk
• Stand : fast but not for anti air use
• Far : mid torso poke
• Jump : good angle!

• Crouch : Good anti air
• Stand : 4 frames and kills everything
• Far : doesn’t cancel but maxmode is better anyway
• Hop : Very good move and deceptive due to required early start up…

Note: Air HP is a normal attack compared to previous KOFs, where he had to do it earlier than other characters.

HK “Heavy Kick”

• Crouch : long range!
• Stand : Your main whiff punishing move! Far range and fast!
• Far : good poke
• Hop : fast with big range but if done early is vulnerable to crouching LK. Hits while hopping away too.
• Jump : Same as hop

Command Normals

? LK “Ge-Shiki • Gofu In ‘Shinigami’ “

• Overhead
• Really slow and obvious – but if the opponent is stressed…

?LP “Ge-Shiki • Yumebiki” (1st attack)

• this move is a two part chain attack
• Chains into Ge-Shiki • Yumebiki
• Combo
• you can just hold fwd and press LP twice to get the chain

?LP “Ge-Shiki • Yumebiki” (2nd attack)

• Chains from Ge-Shiki • Yumebiki
• Combos
• Pushes opponent further away and so breaks certain combos

? LK “Ge-Shiki • Yuriori”

• Air only
• Great crossup attack
• Works in hops or jumps
• If position is incorrect to crossup, jump LK will hit them anyway

Specials

P “108 Shiki • Yamibarai” [EX]

• Standard projectile
• EX will stun opponent

• LP ver. causes juggle
• HP vers. hits 3 times
• HP ver. has invincible start up
• EX kills everything

1.P “127 Shiki • Aoibana 1″ [EX]

• aka “Iori’s Rekka”
• Quite safe
• EX is same

Optimal mid screen in v2:

Iori mid-screen maxmode combo (2 meters/ 3rd position) #KOFXIV #BurnToFight Ver2 pic.twitter.com/lps2fCLTOr

— frionel@KOFXV (@frionel26) May 3, 2017

Poison Combo by DC

Dark Chaotix

?ahin (thx Emre Salis)

5 bars – 849 Damage

– Preparation –

Practice far HK activation into close HP

you’re going to need that.

When you’re confident then you need to practice:

1. crouch LK x 2 or 3
2. stand LK
3. maxmode activate

It’s 2 or 3 crouching LKs because the amount you can do will depend on blocking opponent after a hop blowback or knockdown… but you need to be ready with either.  Stand LK is faster to visually confirm, thus harder.  Keep at it.

You could just cancel from crouching LK if you find that easier, some do.

Remember that training mode has random blocking, Iori will often find himself dashing in with crouching LK, pausing then repeating.  That’s his primary mixup!

After scum gale, mash HK, not really any timing needed!

– Optimal –

Iori is just most damaging at 3rd – he will take off around half a lifebar (500points) from a far D

• far D > MM > C > qcf AC > qcb AC x3 > dp C xx qcf hcb AC
• 555 damage
• Iori needs time to get close with maxmode otherwise the qcf AC wont hit. The rekkas need to be delayed to get the third hit to connect. Then you need to let the opponent fall, walk forward and let the dp hit twice before cancelling into the super.

If you’re having difficulty with cancelling the dp into super, remember to buffer: dp C > hcb AC

If it’s still difficult, go for the less difficult combos below.

Most reliable online combo

ANCHOR: j HP > HP > fwd LP > MM > C > qcf PP > dp KK > qcf LP > hcb P

You can use this with his far LK or HK activation punish. No need to pause, no need to think, just do!  Note that the last part is a buffered fireball into super (qcf hcb)

In Match combos

• Jump C or D > C xx MM
• cr Bx 2/3 > stand B xx MM
• Far D xx MM

then

• Point: > C > qcf AC > qcb ACx 3 > qcb C x3
• Mid: C > qcf AC > dp BD > qcb ACx 3 > qcb A x3
• Anchor: C > qcf AC > qcb AC x3 > dp C (2hit) xx qcf hcb AC

Combos with damage breakdown

Point 1 bar

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > qcb ACx 3 > qcb C x3 = 383

* timing is dependant on launching opponent as high as possible! Use qcb A if too difficult (373 dmg)

the same combo is done with

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > fwd A > qcb ACx 3 > qcb KK = 383

Point 2 bars

MM > qcf AC > dp BD > qcf hcb P

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > qcb ACx 3 > qcf hcb P = 479

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > qcb ACx 3 > qcb A x2 xx qcf hcb P = 508

Anchor 2 bars

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > dp BD > qcb ACx 3 > qcb A x2 xx qcf hcb P

*the EX rekka in this combo is done with a tiny pause between each hit. Then the last rekkas need to hit so the opponent is low enough to be caught by the cancelled super.

** without the super, three rekkas already notch up 418 damage, with super it’s 549

As said, just use the optimal combo, Iori is best in anchor for damage output!

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > dp BD > qcf C xx qcf hcb AC = 569

Then we swap out the qcf for a dp…

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > dp BD > dp C xx qcf hcb AC = 583
you’ll see this is the most common combo used

Then we swap out the ex fireball and EX dp K for rekkas!

j C > C > fwd A > MM > C > qcf AC > qcb AC x3 > dp C xx qcf hcb AC = 598

Note for the 15 points more damage it’s a much more timing demanding combo…

Cancelling the Climax

well if you have bars to spare, why not.

after dm, aim to press both kick buttons as he says “SHINE!” or as he makes his final nod

after sdm, aim to press KK just as he begins to say “Kurui Chire!” or just at the start of the final explosion / as he puts his head back (before the nod)

tl:dr far HK into optimal maxmode.  If they jump, dp.  Game over.

Iori’s gameplan is to rush down until you give up blocking. The usual strategy is to mixup his fast hop HP with an empty hop into crouching combo.

This works especially for Iori because his air HP (like Clark’s) needs to be done earlier than others. It won’t combo if done at the normal timing. Because it is done earlier, the opponent is under more pressure as they will see the frames and have less time to react with an anti air, therefore Iori can pummel away or employ a mixup.

The classic attack

1. Jump Blowback or HP
2. cr LK x1/2/3
3. stand far LK
4. stand far HK.

If they try to attack anywhere in this flow, they usually get hit and then Iori must activate. To mix up, simply pause between these steps.  If they block, well, repeat.  Don’t whiff the HK.  If they jump at you, be ready with stand HP or dp or even crouch LK!

But Iori doesn’t have to attack.  He can keep opponents at bay with his far D and if they jump, he has an invincible (at start) anti air.  It’s here where he can activate maxmode upon confirming that far D.

Iori is often seen running in and punishing everything with crouching B combos, because he has a longer chain of moves (cr. B, stand B, fwd Ax2) than others, so he has more time to cancel executing his rekkas (which are unsafe) and do a fireball instead.

Endgame on anchor with 2 bars, Iori looks to just punish the opponent’s whiff with his far D, activate into maxmode, and take half their life. Often Iori player will hop in with D, crouch B a few times, then mash far D and auto pilot activate. It works half the time because the opponent is trying to jump in or even trying to poke with their own move.

Close to the opponent in the corner, there’s nowhere to run. Close C is 4 frames and will smash anything coming in his direction. Far B mixed with Far D will scare them into blocking, at which point you jump in with blowback or C and just rinse the crouching Bs with a mixup.

Iori is vulnerable when he whiffs his own normal or tries to punish with rekkas or goes into autopilot maxmode and wastes his bar.  The scum gale command throw is slow and the EX is obvious when opponent has blocked everything else… do don’t use it.  Well, that’s what you want your opponent to believe.

The invincible Oniyaki

Arguably the best move in the game.  Iori’s dp heavy punch anti air has a start up invincibility that will destroy pretty much anything else, unless it’s another invincible move.  If you know your opponent will use a normal, this will go through it.  This doesn’t mean you can break out of blockstun, however.  Also, if you are too far away, Iori will hit them once and not knock them over, vulnerable to a full combo.

Tricks and Tips

• Use all the buffers!  Eg: qcf B hcb A buffers far B into super
• from 5/6 of the screen, if Iori throws a fireball and they jump, the opponent is vulnerable to Max Super
• Against opponents with an anti air normal or even special, use the early jump Blowback!
• .. but beware of opponents such as Beni and Kyo who will low profile crouch B counter that.
• After the opponent blocks your jump Blowback, run in and crouch B.
• Use the Activate OS when poking with B or D, get used to activating and then applying a mixup
• wake up dp K can be a fun thing to do, cancelled into qcb LP
• qcb P “Rekkas” have their own mixup, while extremely dangerous.  Each rekka is punishable, but if you delay and cancel into the next one, it will beat the punish attempt
• put space between you and the opponent with backdash + bk + LK for extra mileage
• If you expect a counter on wakeup, backdash + bk + LK to…. well… just for style really.
• jump C (blocked) > tiniest of pauses > scum gale / mixup with stand HP or LK
• stand LK > scum gale
• If you are struggling to get close to an opponent and hit them with jump HK but are too far away to combo, go straight into Max Super!  Buffer it with qcf HK > hcb PP

EX qcf P doesn’t come out!

Tried to go for the big combo but it just ended in disappointment? Try adding uf (up forward) after qcf, it’ll work better.

I’ve activated too fast!

Oh dear, a premature activation? You’ll need to clean up this mess-  Iori doesn’t really have moves to spam here but people often forget to block the EX dp K standing.  Otherwise, apply pressure as normal and while obvious, the EX scum gale is awesome.  It’s up to you to convince them you’re going to do something else and that they shouldn’t jump.  More crouching LKs please…

After landing EX scum gale

• max super!
• run HP fwd LP combo

Mixups

Opponents with slow reactions will kneel before him.

Midscreen, Iori will force opponent to block low with crouching Bs then hop over with his patented (air bk LK) cross up kick, which will crossup the crouching opponent (they need to stand to block it) and open them up for a combo.

Opponents with poor reads will beg for mercy:

mixup from crouch LK (blocked):

Videos

This is what happens with f+A qcb+C, poor Iori #PS4share #kofxiv #kof14https://t.co/0Z5ZiWG2Qj pic.twitter.com/pE5EyuuBh2

— diz (@diz0603) July 29, 2016

Punish Rekka

Iori qcb+A (1) on Block #PS4share #kofxiv #kof14https://t.co/0Z5ZiWG2Qj pic.twitter.com/N6EwDsEAQs

— diz (@diz0603) July 29, 2016

Safe jumps

Best damage

https://twitter.com/orochinagicom/status/774003315822571520

Funky double poison mist by 777

https://twitter.com/777_kim_kof/status/759353654985957376

Kara roll mix up

Iori stun combo