General/Other - Sonya Blade Sonya General Discussion Thread

[lslick]

Would you guys like a mini written guide based of my findings and notes so far of Sonya? I would have a few people look over it to make sure I don't give the wrong info out and for further testing. It would include stuff from all three variations. A lot of it is spread out within the different topics in the Sonya forum. And I think it would be great to have a lot of it in one place for new players as well as people who are currently playing her. Let me know

 

[nfdsallwd]

Would you guys like a mini written guide based of my findings and notes so far of Sonya? I would have a few people look over it to make sure I don't give the wrong info out and for further testing. It would include stuff from all three variations. A lot of it is spread out within the different topics in the Sonya forum. And I think it would be great to have a lot of it in one place for new players as well as people who are currently playing her. Let me know

im trying to start playing her so that would be very useful, thanks

 

[TPH GUNSHOT]

Ok it took me a long time to find a main because all of the characters are interesting. I decided to main Sonya. I will upload videos when I can. She is gonna be my tournament character along with Kano

 

[Tony at Home]

Sonya's EX Arc Kick is soooooo good for corner-carry combos. Really easy to go from mid-screen to being right on top of your opponent with them in the corner.

This is in Covert Ops, I still need to dig into her other variations, but I find in Covert Ops she has a really scary corner game with Military Stance, and spending extra meter and sacrificing damage for getting the opponent cornered is well worth it.

 

[Konqrr]

Sonya's EX Arc Kick is soooooo good for corner-carry combos. Really easy to go from mid-screen to being right on top of your opponent with them in the corner.

This is in Covert Ops, I still need to dig into her other variations, but I find in cover Ops she has a really scary corner game with Military STance, and spending extra meter and sacrificing damage for getting the opponent cornered is well worth it.

While I don't use this in combos, I use it against crossups and obvious attacks. The corner carry is amazing.

 

[Dedlock]

It's too bad the ex arc kick's damage is just a pitiful 2% more than the regular, especially for three hits.

Sonya Imo needs more threatening ex special moves,


we have a leg grab that is almost identical to the regular version apart from armour but I find it a waste of a bar exact same damage and no bounce?

Ex arc kick damage increase is minimal for two extra hits, it's faster and higher but again not worth the exbar.

No special for drop kick, in the previous game her dive kick became a bicycle kick, and it would have been lovely to see those properties come back.

Her energy rings is my favourite of her ex moves, because it looks prettier!

Don't get me started on ex reversal/Parries, because those moves are exclusively used in practise and never heard of again.it's a waste because her exparries are actually pretty great but not worth wasting a bar over when we've got a vastly superior xray.

So overall I find myself staying away from her ex special moves in.favour of building up an Xray. This is covert ops variation by the way.

 

[XxPlaneCrashxX]

hey guys i have a question (i never played sonya in any mk before so please excuse me) :
i heard about her military stance cancel stuff but i don't know how to use it properly.. do you use it to extend combos like d'vorah or is it just to make your strings safe ? and do i have to dash cancel it or just the regular ff, bb etc ? I'm interested in playing the cage family but sonya and johnny with their cancel stuff is something new for me

 

[Dedlock]

hey guys i have a question (i never played sonya in any mk before so please excuse me) :
i heard about her military stance cancel stuff but i don't know how to use it properly.. do you use it to extend combos like d'vorah or is it just to make your strings safe ? and do i have to dash cancel it or just the regular ff, bb etc ? I'm interested in playing the cage family but sonya and johnny with their cancel stuff is something new for me

Military Stance cancel is easy as pie, just press 2, that'll have her go back to her regular stance, MS is both useful to extend juggles and also help sonya mix up and poke.

 

[XxPlaneCrashxX]

thank you ! damn sonya is a really fun character.. now i want to main her instead of cassie lol
her divekick game reminds me of my sf main - cammy

 

[DaZengie]

It's too bad the ex arc kick's damage is just a pitiful 2% more than the regular, especially for three hits.

Sonya Imo needs more threatening ex special moves,


we have a leg grab that is almost identical to the regular version apart from armour but I find it a waste of a bar exact same damage and no bounce?

Ex arc kick damage increase is minimal for two extra hits, it's faster and higher but again not worth the exbar.

No special for drop kick, in the previous game her dive kick became a bicycle kick, and it would have been lovely to see those properties come back.

Her energy rings is my favourite of her ex moves, because it looks prettier!

Don't get me started on ex reversal/Parries, because those moves are exclusively used in practise and never heard of again.it's a waste because her exparries are actually pretty great but not worth wasting a bar over when we've got a vastly superior xray.

So overall I find myself staying away from her ex special moves in.favour of building up an Xray. This is covert ops variation by the way.

EX energy ring also knocksdown, whereas the regular one does not.
Probably be wise to save the meter for combo breakers or x-ray if you got a good read. I also found that a whiffed garrote parry and air leg grab are decent tools for building meter. If you're neutral jumping to avoid projectiles, on the way down, do a leg grab and build a bit of meter. On the ground, the parry comes out fast, recovers alright, and you can just do a few of those when you are zoned out. I would stop doing it once you're within punishable distance from the opponent though (e.g. about 3/4 screen from subzero since he can get you with his slide).

 

[Tony at Home]

It's too bad the ex arc kick's damage is just a pitiful 2% more than the regular, especially for three hits.

Sonya Imo needs more threatening ex special moves,

we have a leg grab that is almost identical to the regular version apart from armour but I find it a waste of a bar exact same damage and no bounce?

Ex arc kick damage increase is minimal for two extra hits, it's faster and higher but again not worth the exbar.

I still find a ton of utility in her EX moves.

If I'm not mistaken, her EX leg grab beats armor. In this game that's pretty much like being able to punch God in the face.

EX Arc kick has awesome carry on it, and it's now my favored Ender of choice. I don't really care about damage mid-screen. I just want to put the enemy into the corner because that's really the place where Sonya shines. Her 50/50 essentially becomes a 25/25/25/25 into extremely damaging combos.

 

[layer]

Sonya is surprisingly the one character I use the least meter for. I only really use it for the super armor as a get out of jail free card on some crazy wake up situations. I've been using her 21u4 for corner carry, but it's no where the distance of EX Arc Kick. I just figured I should save my meter for something better, though I still haven't figured out what that is yet.

 

[Tony at Home]

Particularly for EX Arc Kick, it's not just the corner carry, but the fact you are still directly on top of them after that. Sonya can push opponents far with just about anything, but what makes EX Arc kick special is that if the distance is right, you won't even have to do a single dash/step to really box them in the corner. They are immediatelly threatened by b1/b3.

Anyway, can someone give me a reason I should ever use b2 instead of f2.

F2:
Laughably large amount of active frames (this thing stays out forever!)
Neutral on block so long as you don't press B1 After.
Faster startup
Just as good reach if not better.
For whatever reason, though she punches the gut, appears to have a hitbox that goes as high as B2

B2:
negative on block
slower startup
good reach but appears to be easily crushed by lows.

Perhaps this move is useful in one of her other variations? Can't find a reason to ever press this as Covert Ops

 

[Filipino Man]

Particularly for EX Arc Kick, it's not just the corner carry, but the fact you are still directly on top of them after that. Sonya can push opponents far with just about anything, but what makes EX Arc kick special is that if the distance is right, you won't even have to do a single dash/step to really box them in the corner. They are immediatelly threatened by b1/b3.

Anyway, can someone give me a reason I should ever use b2 instead of f2.

F2:
Laughably large amount of active frames (this thing stays out forever!)
Neutral on block so long as you don't press B1 After.
Faster startup
Just as good reach if not better.
For whatever reason, though she punches the gut, appears to have a hitbox that goes as high as B2

B2:
negative on block
slower startup
good reach but appears to be easily crushed by lows.

Perhaps this move is useful in one of her other variations? Can't find a reason to ever press this as Covert Ops

b2 changes to the uppercut launcher punch in Special Forces, right? lol

ALSO, I think Special Forces Sonya might be her best variation. It's safe and she has a lot of ways to reset her drone giving Sonya the same mixup she had in covert ops, except it's safer on block. Covert ops is an easier 50/50 and you don't have to worry about drone, but there are a lot of gaps and a lot of unsafe things she has to deal with in covert ops. Corner vortex is better in Special Forces, but she loses out on damage midscreen for SURE.

 

[HGTV Soapboxfan]

b2 changes to the uppercut launcher punch in Special Forces, right? lol

ALSO, I think Special Forces Sonya might be her best variation. It's safe and she has a lot of ways to reset her drone giving Sonya the same mixup she had in covert ops, except it's safer on block. Covert ops is an easier 50/50 and you don't have to worry about drone, but there are a lot of gaps and a lot of unsafe things she has to deal with in covert ops. Corner vortex is better in Special Forces, but she loses out on damage midscreen for SURE.

I pretty much agree with you that Special Forces is the best. On top of what you said, the drone gives her better options in the neutral and just further out in general so it's also easier to set up those mixup. The only thing I would say covert ops may be better for is a match up where she can just bully the character so you want to be able to apply those mixups without having to pull out the drone.

 

[XxPlaneCrashxX]

what are sonyas best buttons for pokes and footsies ?

 

[jmt]

b2 changes to the uppercut launcher punch in Special Forces, right? lol

ALSO, I think Special Forces Sonya might be her best variation. It's safe and she has a lot of ways to reset her drone giving Sonya the same mixup she had in covert ops, except it's safer on block. Covert ops is an easier 50/50 and you don't have to worry about drone, but there are a lot of gaps and a lot of unsafe things she has to deal with in covert ops. Corner vortex is better in Special Forces, but she loses out on damage midscreen for SURE.

Good stuff on stream last night man. Was fun.

 

[TOC EdDoughBoy]

Sonya guide for beginners.

 

[lslick]

Mids are suppose to hit crouching opponent whether they block or not correct? Cause I think I'm tripping at the moment

 

[Tony at Home]

Mids are suppose to hit crouching opponent whether they block or not correct? Cause I think I'm tripping at the moment

Whether a move hits mid or high is another element of frame data, in other words- very likely to be completely wrong in MKX

So yeah, a move might say mid in practice mode but actually be high. Which move of Sonya are you referring to?

 

[lslick]

Whether a move hits mid or high is another element of frame data, in other words- very likely to be completely wrong in MKX

So yeah, a move might say mid in practice mode but actually be high. Which move of Sonya are you referring to?

B2 >____>

 

[NoremacX8]

B2 >____>

I've personally noticed this with B332. The second mid on the 2 whiffs on crouch block from any range.

 

[Tony at Home]

I'm not a huge fan of the hitbox on Sonya's D2. I feel like it get's the job done, but I get the weirdest whiffs against certain jump ins.

 

[Tony at Home]

I'm moving onto Demolitions. I figured since it's the least explored variation of Sonya from what I can see, and if I want to learn Spec Ops I can just bombard all of you with more questions.

My first impressions:

Alot of strings that seemed useless in her other variations are now pretty useful. There's now actually a reason to let B33212 go all the way out without canceling it. Basically, Sonya needs enough advantage or enough distance from the opponent after the string to refill her grenades. She gets this from 4 places:

(I put a Sub Zero on wakeup with slide, and made sure it could not hit me after these strings, or I was at least able to block in time after refilling grenades)

112 (unique to variation)
222 (shoulder rush)
F3 (leg wrap)
B33212

112 has insane advantage. I actually can't remember if it's safe or not. It's not a good punisher though, as they reach means it will fail to punish many things, like Cassie's shadow kick.

222 looks like it will be a go-to combo ender.

F3 has a 20 frame startup. You need the hit advantage of a d1 to get it out uninterrupted. It is not very plus on hit at all actually, but it leaves the opponent very far away. The kicker is to throw out a grenade before you reload grenades. The range on this is actually decent- deceptively more than it looks. Decent, not great.

B33212. Pretty good because you can safely confirm from the b332. The opponent COULD technically duck the last hit of B332 and squeeze in a punish, but they'd be at quite a risk of getting hit with the rest of the string if you don't confirm it. I suppose one might be able to confirm off just b33 and not b332 in an offline environment. I think it's pretty safe for what it is and what it does.

This is one of those obvious cases where it feels like teleports will just F* up everything about this variation, but that's just my impressions. She could definitely zone with this variation, as she still has arc kick, her dive kick, her wrist blaster, and add grenades to all this. Even if it ends up being one of her weaker variations, I don't think there's a chance in hell it won't have some significant and powerful use in certain matchups. Then again, it might even be better than that. I think she has all the tools to deal with rushdown here, the question is whether she can actually go toe-to-toe with zoners/teleport characters.

Pretty sure Jacqui full auto would eat this variation alive though

 

[lslick]

I'm moving onto Demolitions. I figured since it's the least explored variation of Sonya from what I can see, and if I want to learn Spec Ops I can just bombard all of you with more questions.

My first impressions:

Alot of strings that seemed useless in her other variations are now pretty useful. There's now actually a reason to let B33212 go all the way out without canceling it. Basically, Sonya needs enough advantage or enough distance from the opponent after the string to refill her grenades. She gets this from 4 places:

(I put a Sub Zero on wakeup with slide, and made sure it could not hit me after these strings, or I was at least able to block in time after refilling grenades)

112 (unique to variation)
222 (shoulder rush)
F3 (leg wrap)
B33212

112 has insane advantage. I actually can't remember if it's safe or not. It's not a good punisher though, as they reach means it will fail to punish many things, like Cassie's shadow kick.

222 looks like it will be a go-to combo ender.

F3 has a 20 frame startup. You need the hit advantage of a d1 to get it out uninterrupted. It is not very plus on hit at all actually, but it leaves the opponent very far away. The kicker is to throw out a grenade before you reload grenades. The range on this is actually decent- deceptively more than it looks. Decent, not great.

B33212. Pretty good because you can safely confirm from the b332. The opponent COULD technically duck the last hit of B332 and squeeze in a punish, but they'd be at quite a risk of getting hit with the rest of the string if you don't confirm it. I suppose one might be able to confirm off just b33 and not b332 in an offline environment. I think it's pretty safe for what it is and what it does.

This is one of those obvious cases where it feels like teleports will just F* up everything about this variation, but that's just my impressions. She could definitely zone with this variation, as she still has arc kick, her dive kick, her wrist blaster, and add grenades to all this. Even if it ends up being one of her weaker variations, I don't think there's a chance in hell it won't have some significant and powerful use in certain matchups. Then again, it might even be better than that. I think she has all the tools to deal with rushdown here, the question is whether she can actually go toe-to-toe with zoners/teleport characters.

Pretty sure Jacqui full auto would eat this variation alive though

Yeah F3 and B2 are pretty good in this variation....If you air juggle B2 and special cancel it, you can reload your grenades before they can hit you. Some specials will still hit you though. Granted both F3 and B2 into grenade reload are risky, it's still a good option. If you have 2 grenades, her grenade wakeup will shit on a lot of people's options. You can't punish it on reaction if done midscreen. Grenade wakeup will beat armored moves free if not trade. If you are missing 2 or more grenades, you can safely beat the opponent's wakeup option in the corner with ex grenade reload. It drops grenades a set distance close to each other so you can block safely while destroying their armor. Also, in this variation, she has a grenade gimmick in the corner. Basically in this game, stages in the corner have walls to them. So you can bounce the grenades in the corner, and still have them blowup by themselves without disappearing offscreen. I made a list earlier but I didn't want to post everything right away without having more stuff that I found. Here is the small list of stages where you can bounce grenades off the wall in the corner:
Emperor's Courtyard = Left corner no walls/right corner has walls
KrossRoads = No corner walls
Jinsei Chamber = Both corners have walls
Kuatan Jungle = Left corner has walls/right corner no walls
Destroyed City = Left corner no walls/right corner has walls
Outworld Marketplace = No corner walls
The Kove = Left corner has walls/right corner no walls
Refugee Kamp = Both corners have walls
Quan Chi Fortress = Left corner no walls/right corner has walls
Dead Woods = No corner walls
Sky Temple = Left corner no walls/right corners has walls
Lin Kuei Temple = Both corners have walls
Training Room = No corner walls

I think we can really expand this idea considering that regular grenade throw has a longer defuse time compared to short and far grenade throw. Tell me if you guys find more interesting stuff with that variation