The General Fighting Game Strategies section contain a list of general strategies that can be applied to any of the fighting games listed on this wiki (unless otherwise noted). This list is made under the assumption that the reader already has a basic knowledge of how the respective games work (i.e. knowledge of attack buttons, defensive options, etc.).
Playstyles
Rushdown
An offensive playstyle. Basically a rushdown player tries to get up in their opponent's face and swing away until their opponent cracks from the pressure. Effective rushdown often utilizes quick normal attacks that are easily hit-confirmable into a combo and leave the attacker at a relatively safe frame advantage if blocked. Mixups come into play here as the rushdown player tries to open up their opponent with a mix of overheads, low attacks, throws, staggered strings, and even unblockables if available.
Turtling
A defensive playstyle. A turtling player usually will want their opponent to attack them until they make a mistake that leaves them vulnerable, which a turtling player will punish. Various defensive options such as Instant Blocking, Slashback, Barrier Guard/Faultless Defense, and Pushblocking can help a turtling player in creating opportunities to disrupt an attacking opponent.
Zoning
Zoning is when a player controls an area or space on the screen in order to limit an opponent's options while maximizing chances in creating their own. Old-school zoning incorporates long-ranged normal attacks and a projectile (think Dhalsim and Guile from Street Fighter 2), while new-school zoning can employ short-ranged normals with obscene hitboxes and quick recovery frames and numerous projectiles to make their opponents' lives a living hell.
Runaway
A runaway playstyle is pretty self-explanatory; the player runs away and avoids as much contact with the opponent as they can. While it may seem "cowardly" to runaway, there are legit strategies to using this playstyle, such as using the clock to your advantage if you have a life lead or staying away from an obvious disadvantaged situation if your character is ill-equipped to deal with it. However, some games are starting to implement system mechanics designed to punish excessive running away (namely Guilty Gear and BlazBlue), so keep that in mind and do the minimum needed to avoid Negative Penalty.
Offensive Techniques
Frame Traps
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Offensive Kara Cancels
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Attacking Option Selects
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Offensive Fuzzy Guard
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Unblockables
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Burst-Bait Combos
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Meaty Attacks
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Tech Catches
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Okizeme
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Mixups
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Defensive Techniques
Defensive Kara Cancels
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Defending Option Selects
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Defensive Fuzzy Guard
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Chicken Blocking
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Special Techniques
Jump Install
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Attack Buffering
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Dash Splitting
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Special Guard Cancels
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Metagame Strategies
Footsies
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Abare
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Yomi
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Forced Choice Scenarios
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Risk vs. Reward
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Trolling
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