Overview
Don’t be fooled by her half-page move list! Knowing what you’re doing opens up a ton of options for this character. This guide will get you started with Tianhuo and to start impressing your friends by firekicking the crap out of them.
Do your homework! – What to Know Before Starting
This guide assumes that you understand basic fighting game terminology, have read the move list, understand the basics of combos, and at least understand the universal move list (the moves on the right page in your command list, aka forward A, down-forward C, throw, etc.)
IT IS CRUCIAL that you know the numpad terminology (1 is down back, 6 is forward, 5 is neutral, 4 is back, etc.) If you’re confused, here’s an image to help you understand.
And a quick thing before we start: no one is good overnight. If you want to excel at any fighting game character, you have to practice in training mode. This develops muscle memory so you can learn special moves, combos, all that good stuff. Once you understand, let’s get started!
Dragon, Not a Lizard – Understanding Tianhuo
Tianhuo is a character that excels at air dashes, air grabs, air attacks, air combos… air everything! Makes sense from a dragon, right? If you aren’t used to air dashing, learn early! It’s the bread and butter of what makes Tianhuo so great. Don’t worry if you don’t know any of her dash potential, we’ll cover that.
All of Tianhuo’s normals (that is, her raw 3 attack buttons) have a really great reach, making her an excellent poker. 1H or 2H does a special slide, which can be important once in a while to sweep the opponent, or cancel into 3H to start an air combo. Her attacks in the air come out quick too, but don’t have as much reach. The exception is the large hitbox on aH, which is suprisingly safe.
You’ve probably noticed the command list for Tianhuo is only half a page. This is because, like every character in TFH, a big part of Tianhuo is using her magic. Neutral D can have her fly (you can’t block while flying), and pressing D and any direction facing forward including up and down (8, 9, 6, 3, 2) will activate Firecracker, a useful flaming divekick. Pressing D and back in any direction (7, 4, 1) will have Tianhuo do some interesting maneuvers. These will be covered later.
What makes players the best at playing Tianhuo is being aggressive. You have to be quick and unpredictable in order for Tianhuo to get close. While mastering Tianhuo, try to practice crossups, fly, firecracker, air dashing with 9 a5H (discussed later), and her back magic maneuvers.
If you want to master Tianhuo, you must master her combo potential. Air dashes and fly can be used to extend your combos, as well as level 2 super. Her Volcanic Ash can be used to bounce an opponent on the ground twice. To put it simply, Tianhuo is a combo maniac. Don’t worry if you have a simple ground > air > special/super combo to start with, but be sure to always come back into training mode to try the combo trials.
Zoomies! – Using Air Dash to Your Advantage
The air dash (a66) is a dash covers half the screen in no time flat! It is a very powerful way of moving right in the enemy’s face before they know what’s going on. To take full advantage of the air dash, you’ll want to dash as quick as possible and as low as possible. If you came from a Guilty Gear background, this will be second nature to you.
One way of doing your dash is to simply hit 9 to forward jump and hit a66. Think this is the only way to airdash? Nope! There is a much faster and more convenient way. A great way to air dash quick and low is to hit 9 and immediately hit 6. This is effective because up-forward is already registered to the game as forward, so you can shortcut quick into forward after jumping forward. Expect some time in training to develop some muscle memory.
Now that you know 9 a6, use H as a jump-in. This will be a great way to get up close to the opponant to begin combos. Practice this a bit in training mode to get a feel for the distance you need.
Wait, That’s It? – Tianhuo’s Special Moves
Special Moves
Tianhuo has three special moves, all of which can be used in the air. They are as follows:
236L (Volcanic Ash): Tianhuo does vertical fire kicks up and down. If you can get this out fast enough, it is a good antiair for jumpins. It can also be used to start or continue a combo. Can be canceled from fly.
236M (Volcanic Brash): Tianhuo zoom horizontally in the air in a firey ball (one might even say fireball). This will be activated in the air, even if you input it on the ground. If it lands, Tianhuo pushes the opponant to the other side of the screen, similar to Ryu’s donkey kick. Great if you want to keep your opponants at a distance. This is a great combo ender if you want your opponent out of the way, and can also be canceled from fly to extend your combos.
236H (Volcanic Crash): An AA grab. It does decent damage and is a great flashy combo ender. Don’t expect to cancel this into super unless you are in Tianhuo’s level 2 state. (see the Supers section)
Firekicks, YUM – Using Tianhuo’s Magic Attacks
Tianhuo has 2 meters of magic which refills over time. Holding a direction and D will use one meter of magic. Her magic moves are as follows:
Neutral D (Fly): Tianhuo flies in the air in any direction. Great for messing with the opponent, and good for starting crossups and getting close, especially if you’re fighting Velvet or Oleander. Keep in mind you can only fly for a brief period, your magic intake will pause until you stop flying, and you can’t block while flying.
8, 9, 6, 3, or 2 D (Firecracker): Tianhuo will do a firey kick towards the direction of input. A quick move that covers a bit of ground. Very useful because you can attack in any direction facing Tianhuo quick and easy. It is really unsafe if it lands on the opponent while the opponent is blocking. Otherwise, it has 0 frames of recovery. The lesson here is try not to divekick too much unless you know the opponent won’t see it coming. This move is also useful during combos, as you can continue your combo at any point after using this move.
7D: Tianhuo will flip backwards. Useful if you want to get out really quickly. You may cancel into firecracker before you hit the ground.
4D: Tianhuo will flip forward on the ground, and will fall in a semi-arc from the air towards the opponent. This is not invulnerable, so use it wisely. If you use this move next to the opponent on the ground, you will be on the other side of the opponent. Good for mixups and confusing the opponent, but note this sort of ground maneuver only works if the opponent doesn’t attack.
1D: Tianhuo will flip upwards in an arc towards the opponant, whether on the ground or in the air. Wavy movements like this can disorient the opponent once in a while. Can cancel into firecracker before you hit the ground.
FINISH EM OFF – Using Tianhuo’s Super Attack
236 two attacks (Men Shao Ti): Tianhuo will connect from the air, then kick the opponent upwards and back down again. Your best combo ender for two reasons: does great damage on it’s own, and goes straight into your level 2 super, which opens up all sorts of possibilites. Try to use this as a combo ender, and DO NOT use when you think the opponent will be on the ground.
214 two attacks (Ren Shao Feng): Spend 1 meter after using Men Shao Ti to do additional damage and continue your combo. In addition, you immediately begin flying, your magic meter is completely refilled, and you may refill your magic meter while flying. YOU MAY AIR DASH UP TO 5 TIMES before you land on the ground. Take advantage of this by air dash canceling your combo until you run out.
Here is how your special moves change during level 2:
-236L Changed to a semi-combo ender which attacks upwards rather than downwards for additional damage. You may cancel this from fly for additional combo potential.
-236M Changed to make the enemy slam against the wall. This keeps them in the air a little longer so you may extend air combos after fly-cancel. It also makes it possible to extend your combo without fly-cancel.
-236H Changed to perform a groundbounce after completion. Use this to extend your combos. You may only groundbounce once per reset.
That’s it!
I hated that there’s no character guides anywhere on the Steam page for TFH, so I really hope this guide has helped! If you think this guide feels incomplete, let me know what you would like to know and I’ll see if I can add it in this guide. Until then, good luck and get firecracking!