Samurai Shodown VI/Andrew
Introduction
Andrew Jackson Jihad
The 7th President of the United States was apparently a shoto during his military days, because that's exactly how he plays here. Armed with his rifle and bayonet, Andrew sports great reach on his pokes, a strong fireball game, a WFT that can punish anything from fullscreen and one of the best anti-airs in the game. Andrew is pretty much the closest Samurai Shodown comes to having a Street Fighter-esque shoto and can certainly be played like one with some scrutiny, but he also has juggles from his overhead specials and a minigame with Grand Canyon to spice things up.
Data
- Dash type: Run
- Damage taken: 102%
- Rage retention: 135
- Rage duration: 11 seconds
Gameplan
If you are at all familiar with how Ryu plays then you should have no problem diving into Andrew. His best poke happens to be 2B, a low-hitting attack with decent range that will recoil on block. Think of this like Ryu's crouching medium kick, but it doesn't combo. Andrew also has 5C for a great punish tool and an even longer-ranged poke, and 5B for a slightly worse poke that is better at catching jumps. You can safely recoil cancel these into Eagle Arrow (236S), which is very much a traditional fireball which serves as your main poke at longer ranges. This move has an additional followup in the form of Eagle Break (214S), where Andrew will rush towards the fireball and lunge straight with his bayonet. If you happen to be in a fireball war then this can potentially blow through your opponent's fireball and score big damage and a knockdown, but be careful with using this as it is very unsafe. You may also use Smart Bomb (421S), a high-flying overhead which can be used to leap over the opponent's fireball and hit them for a free juggle combo. Additionally, if Andrew is in Rage, he may end fireball wars with his WFT, a quick fullscreen fireball which may be seen as a Shinkuu Hadouken of sorts. This WFT is also very easy to combo into and punish with, so it's definitely a boon for Andrew.
As for anti-airs, Andrew more than has you covered. In addition to his fat 2C, he also has Rising Star (623S), an insanely fast Shoryuken-style attack with amazing priority and very high vertical reach. Andrew may choose to use Shooting Star (623S~S) as a followup for extra damage, but this will sacrifice okizeme for him. When up close, Andrew has a bit of mixup with a decent run for a running throw, 6B for a leaping overhead which will beat low pokes and his 5D, a standing low which can lead into combos just like his close medium slashes. At this range n2B is a strong footsies button, as it has a large proximity window and if you're out of range for it you still get 2B. You can also use your WFT as an anti-air from anywhere if you're feeling lucky - just not behind him, of course.
Andrew may choose to play a minigame to power up his Grand Canyon (632146C), which can be used as another combo ender, but the potential reward you get out of it depends on how much ammo you have on you. Andrew starts every round with three shots, but by landing Blue Eyes (214D) he can increase this quite a fair bit. Blue Eyes is a very safe recoil cancel option and doesn't have bad priority at all, but the catch is that it literally does no damage and you are not put at any real advantage for landing it, so you have to interrupt your game a fair bit to get the most out of Grand Canyon. If you manage to land it twice, assuming you're good at Grand Canyon juggles, then ending a combo with Grand Canyon will deal more damage than your meterless bread-and-butter combo ender, while landing it thrice will make Grand Canyon more damaging than your WFT. It often isn't worth halting your momentum just to fish for ammo and you often don't have to worry about Grand Canyon to win, but if you feel like it is worth the investment (i.e. that you are likely to score a Grand Canyon punish) then go for it.
Andrew is best off running VI Spirit, as he builds meter easily from running his game and he enjoys not having a timer on his WFT. Furthermore Hyper Guard may be used to buy space for him if needs be.
Normal Moves
Far Slashes
- 5A - A quick punch, nothing special.
- 5B - A straight poke with a bit less range than the bayonet's glimmer would have you think, actually a bit less than 2B, but it has a better chance of catching jumps and still reaches quite far. Use either when appropriate.
- 5C - A huge swipe which reaches well over halfscreen and will recoil on block. You are in range to land this at round start.
- 2A - 5A but lower.
- 2B - A low-hitting dig to the shins. Reaches far, recoils and cannot be deflected, making this a very good poke. If they jump you will usually recover in time to anti-air.
- 2C - A very high-reaching stab upwards. Will hit crouching opponents.
Near Slashes
- n5A - Same as 5A.
- n5B - Andrew strikes with the butt of his rifle. Special cancellable.
- n5C - A huge bayonet swipe. Your highest-damaging normal on its own but you can get the same damage from an optimised n5B combo.
- n2A - Same as 2A.
- n2B - n5B but lower, but for some reason has a particularly large proximity window. Deals less damage but is better for playing footsies with given the more reliable combo potential. Hits mid.
- n2C - Same as 2C.
Kicks
- 5D - Standing low. Special cancellable.
- 6D - Overhead leap kick. Does two hits meaning that it will break moves with armour such as I Spirit's Hyper Slash.
- 2D - Your fastest low attack. Useful for tick throws.
- 3D - Low-hitting sweep. Special cancellable.
Dash Normals
- 66A - Running 5A.
- 66B - Running n5B. Special cancellable.
- 66C - Running n5C. Has great range and knocks down on hit. Use this if you can't punish with 66B.
- 66D - Running 2D. Knocks down on hit.
Air Normals
- jA - Aerial 5A.
- jB - Aerial n5B.
- jC - A downward stab tailored exclusively for jump-ins. Has very good range and can be tricky to anti-air if high enough, but doesn't have the best horizontal reach.
- jD - Jump-in kick, covers a different angle to your juS if you need it.
Unarmed Normals
- u5S - Same as 5A.
- u2S - Same as 2A.
- u66S - Same as 66A but knocks down.
- juS - Same as jA.
Hyper Slash (I)
- A+B - Essentially his 5C with the same exact range.
Command Moves
3B
- Similar to the universal overheads everyone had in V Special, this is a leap attack where Andrew stabs downwards for an overhead hit. Useful for low crushes but unsafe on block. He can link into stuff on counter hit, but not much.
Special Moves
Eagle Arrow - 236S (Samurai Drive)
- A standard fireball. Strength determines startup, fireball speed and recovery. 236A has the longest startup, slowest fireball and quickest recovery making it useful for space control, while 236C's quick startup, fast fireball and slow recovery make it best suited for combo enders or as a risky part of your fireball game. There is an additional hit when performed up close as Andrew pierces with his bayonet as he shoots the fireball.
- Eagle Break - 214S after 236S
- A followup which Andrew can perform after 236S. 214B is your best ender as it gives more damage and corner carry than 214A but is fast enough to combo unlike 214C. Outside of combos this is a pretty ballsy way to win fireball wars as it will probably reach them before their fireball comes out and it reaches far enough to trade with an early fireball if it does, but it is very punishable on block.
- Eagle Cross (Samurai Drive)
- This move occurs if Eagle Arrow didn't (or isn't about to) make contact with the opponent or another fireball before inputting 214S. Andrew rushes to the fireball then forward with a giant, flaming image of a bald eagle, dealing four extra hits with the last one causing a soft knockdown. Deals a good amount of chip damage, closes space, and is safe on block. The strength makes a bit of a difference as to how far Andrew travels, but you'll usually want the C version anyway as that takes you fullscreen.
Eagle Break - 214S
- A bayonet lunge, but nothing like that other move. This is the standalone version of 236S~214S and retains all the same properties. Strength determines startup, how far Andrew rushes forward and damage. 214A has the quickest startup as Andrew stays in place, while 214B sees him lunge from halfscreen. 214C rushes fullscreen before striking. This hits mid, so the opponent probably won't get hit by this randomly.
Rising Star - 623S
- A dependable DP fit for a shoto scrub. Strength determines the startup and how far Andrew rises, with 623A having the slowest startup and 623C being the fastest and highest-reaching version. This move is extremely fast, covers a very good area and beats everything but no version is fully invincible. Regardless this is a very dependable anti-air.
- Shooting Star - 6S after 623S
- A downward stab which spikes the opponent to the ground for a soft knockdown. This sacrifices okizeme for extra damage, as the opponent will recover a bit faster as they reach the ground quicker. Strength determines damage, so go with 623S~6C every time.
Smart Bomb - 421S
- High overhead leap which knocks down. Strength determines how far Andrew travels, with 421B hitting at round start range. Given how this attack effectively dodges the opponent this move can be used as a viable recoil cancel option. The opponent can be juggled for a bit after this hits. All versions will whiff at point blank, so be careful.
Blue Eye - 214D
- Andrew flicks a flash of light in front of his gaze. This is a fast, safe recoil cancel option, but it has poor range and literally doesn't do any damage. Hitting with this move, however, will give Andrew one extra shot for any time he uses Grand Canyon afterwards. In order to maximise your damage potential, then, you may find yourself actively landing these throughout the match to power up your Grand Canyon, which combos from every relevant starter.
Grand Canyon (Ready) - 632146C
- This is solely a combo tool, with the potential reward for it determined by how many times you've landed Blue Eye. Andrew sweeps forward with the butt of his rifle, launching the opponent. From there he takes aim, with the amount of ammo he has in his rifle displayed above him in the form of medals. The minimum amount of shots Andrew has to work with is three, but this can be raised by up to sixteen by landing Blue Eye. The amount of shots you have earned will reset for the next round.
- Grand Canyon (Fire) - S after 632146C (Samurai Drive)
- Andrew shoots the opponent, juggling them further. Strength determines the angle at which he fires, which you may need to adjust for your falling opponent. Of course, juggling with this move is much easier in the corner. Each shot eats a bit into your Weapon Gauge which is how damage scaling is managed, but they don't do much on their own anyway.
- With four shots total this move will deal more damage than 623S~S, and at five 236C~214B. With six, your WFT. With eight, your Secret Move.
Toy Transformation - 6321464E (II)
Supers
Statue Of Liberty - 236AB
- Andrew takes aim and shoots a quick fireball which destroys other projectiles in its wake. There is no displacement between Andrew and the shot, so you don't have to worry about whiffing this point blank. Great for combos, punishes and fireball wars. You usually want to run VI with Andrew so you can have the threat of this on you at all times.
Gold Rush - 21416BC (II), 236BC (VI)
- A rushing Eagle Break, a Rising Star then a Shooting Star finish. This deals more damage than your WFT and, being quite fast, will combo from the same things.
Combos
Assume 632146C will always result in a full juggle. Refer to its description for advice on when to use it over other enders.
Standard Combos
- n5B/n2B/66B/5D 236C~214B/632146C/236AB - Basic combos.
- 421S, 66C/214A/623S~S/632146C/236AB - Smart Bomb juggles. 66C gives the best okizeme by far.
- 6B, 5A/2A/2D - Counter-hit only.
Continuous Slash (IV)
- A+B BBC 623S~S/236AB - Standard juggles.
State Of Nothingness (V)
- 421S, n5C, ABC - An overhead AND a launcher. Worth depriving yourself of Rage the whole match? Probably not.
Colors
