The King of Fighters 2002 UM/Defense
Guard Cancel CD (aka Blowback Attack aka Guard Attack etc.)
Press C + D while in blockstun. It cancels the blockstun by a blow that knocks down the opponent. The Guard Cancel CD has short frames of invincibility at startup, but has a recovery. It can get you out of a lot of attack strings while you block, and resume the pace of the match. It does little damage when it hits (it is possible to kill an opponent if it removes the remaining life to them). However, its use is limited by 3 factors:
- It will cost you one level of your super meter
- Your opponent might try to bait your Guard Cancel CD by making you whiff a standing CD while you're in blockstun, which has a slow startup and exposes you to heavy punishment. If you sense that bait attempt, just try to block instead.
- This move is not instantaneous and it does have startup. You cannot punish EVERY attack with a Guard Cancel CD successfully, and you can be exposed to punishment at the end of it.
Guard Cancel AB (Break Roll/Guard Roll/Guard Cancel Roll)
By pressing only A + B or back + A + B back (to Guard Cancel Roll backwards), while in blockstun, it is possible to roll forward or backward. This roll is completely invincible and unthrowable, and has no frame of recovery. This is one of the most important defensive elements to learn and master, but also one of most outstanding features of the defensive system in KOF.
- It will cost you one level of your super meter
- If performed at the wrong time and inaccurately, a punishable and fully throw vulnerable regular, normal roll may happen instead or a crouching A (See also Details of the system: priority buttons).
Quick Recovery (Fall-breaker/Tech-Roll/Quick Rise)
If you press A + B when touching the ground during a knockdown, you will perform a 'quick recovery' or 'fall-breaker'. You will obviously recover more quickly off the ground than you would from a hard knockdown. You will not be OTG (on-the-ground) attacked but you can be thrown on the first frame of the standing recovery animation. There are attacks and certain command throws that have "hard knockdown" properties that mean that you cannot quick recover or fall-breaker from the attack or throw, which provides the opponent potential wake-up options and mix-ups.
