Guile Tactics and Battle Strategy Guide (Appendix i - add-on to JerseyFame's original guide) - Character Specific
Written by: Larry Fulgencio - 5/22/09
Email: LJ_103@hotmail.com
PSN: LJAY103

Main: Guile (Alternate Costume #8 with Blue Jacket)
Alternate: Fei Long, Bison, Abel, Seth

Vs. Online Abel

Change of Direction - Deadly move, keep your distance with Sonic Boom.

Wheel Kick - Flash Kick will take care of this. Use an LK Flash Kick to allow yourself to recover incase Abel does a tech recover.

Marceaux Roll - THROW HIM OUT OF IT or you can throw a Sonic Boom to force him to do that.

Tornado Throw - Usually followed by a Marceaux Roll. If in close jump back to avoid a Tornado Throw, you may however, risk getting Wheel Kicked.
 
Abel's gameplay requires a lot of close-in combat. Tornado Throw, Sky Fall Grab, and Change of direction are examples of close-in combat. Sky Fall Grab of course is Anti-Air but can be linked with his D+HP. Keep your distance so you can anticipate the Wheel Kick and Marceaux Roll are coming towards you. From there, you can capitalize with a Throw, Flash Kick, or even Flash Explosion.
 
Vs. Online Akuma

Dive Kick - Old school Guile's tend to crouch block and counterattack. A quick LP will stop this attempt.

Hurricane Kick - Beware that a short hurricane kick can be linked into a Shoryuken.

Demon Flip - Tricky because of the different moves that he can do. D+HP will knock him out of the air.

Fireballs (All) - These dreaded fireballs, use Guile's speed to dash in under the air Fireballs. The horizontal fireballs can easily be avoided with correct timing.
 
MOST Akuma's play keepaway by throwing insane amounts of fireballs on ground and in the air. To avoid getting cheese'd your instinct is to go forward. After lots of experience with fireball spammers, it later becomes easy to avoid these. As you get closer to him beware of the Shoryuken wake up move, and counter attack. Experienced Akuma's tend to teleport to the other side and continue playing keepaway. EX Sonic Boom's will usually take care of the air fireballs and make contact as Akuma lands. Cross-Ups, Akuma has a great cross-up game and if timed correctly, you may never get out. To avoid getting crossed up, avoid the fireball's until you are around half screen's distance. At this point  throw a Sonic Boom and attempt to capitalize and turn into the aggressor. Raging Demons are never a problem if you don't receive a Level 2/3 Focus Attack. Simply jump over, up, or back to avoid this as soon as you see's Akuma's animation frames start up.
 
Vs. Online Balrog (Boxer)

Buffalo Head - This is a move that requires a lot of avoiding and anticipation. Keep your distance so you don't get headbutted.
 
Balrog, like Guile is a charge character. You usually don't have to anticipate his dashing attacks. You do however need to anticipate whether he is going over head or hitting you low. You will not have this problem if you zone correctly with Sonic Booms. Do not spam this because a good Balrog will find a way to cross you up into death. Beware of the low hit block strings, followed by a Buffalo Head, avoid doing a Sonic Boom after the last low hit before the Buffalo Head because it will go right through and knock you into the air. You may also get juggled with an experienced Balrog. Zoning with Sonic Booms and capitalizing when in close will result in a Guile victory. Balrog's love to keep their charge so at any given moment they can counter attack. Make them lose their charge by back throwing and switching sides.
 
Vs. Online Blanka

Beast Slide - If you jump away from one, if done a second time, it will make contact.
 
Do not jump in on Blanka at the beginning of the round, you might get rolled on. The worst thing that can happen if you block low is if Blanka did the Backstep Roll which will make contact if blocked low. If you do see it coming, you have enough time to block high. If a Vertical Roll is done you can meet that beast in the air and slam him back down to Earth. Or just meet him on the way down, and throw or Flash Kick. Some Blanka's know what to expect and try to refrain from using such moves. An aggressive Blanka likes to jump and Hop to the other side, either to do a cross up or simply just eat your neck. Blanka's cross-up involves a jump-in attack followed by a low attack, to electricity. If blocked it usually comes with a Beast Slide. Like mentioned above, a Beast Slide is way too quick because although short, it travels fast, and does not take many frames to start up and end. If blocked, Blanka has enough time to recover to counter attack with some roll. To defeat Blanka, zone him with Sonic Booms, counter Backstep Roll with EX Sonic Boom or if you manage to block it, meet him in the air and throw him. If you'd like, you can throw a LP Sonic Boom hoping that Blanka will do a Barrel Roll and recover and fall back on it. I think that's pretty funny.
 
Vs. Online Cammy

Cammy online isn't much of problem with Guile.  Cannon Drill can be countered with a Flash Kick. If you don't time your Flash Kick right, it could be followed with a Cannon Spike. You don't have much time from when the attack is blocked to when she lands on the ground. In that time, a Flash Kick is effective. Spinning Back Fist and a Hooligan can easily be read and countered with a Flash Kick. This match should be a cake walk because of the lack of moves and versatility with Cammy, especially because she has no projectiles. Its imperative that you throw Sonic Booms to zone, but ensure that you immediately hold your charge to prepare for a Flash Kick, because an EX Spinning Back Fist or EX Hooligan will go right through your Sonic Boom. Your tools to defeat Cammy are Flash Kicks and Throws. You can pretty much play Old School Guile to defeat Cammy.
 
Vs. Online Chun Li

Overhead Flip Kick - Careful not to turtle against Chun Li, this move will always get you.

Flip Cross Up Kick - Used quite a lot, to avoid from taking damage from this move, ZONE ZONE ZONE!
 
Kikoken doesn't travel to be fast enough to be listed as a "Move To Watch Out For". Chun Li is very versatile and has a lot of moves of destruction (hence the 100 LB thighs x2). Her lightning kicks can juggle the opponent if timed correctly. D+MK can be linked to Kikoken and Super. There's nothing to it, just zone yourself and attack when necessary. She poses a big threat in the right hands, and mainly its because of the two moves listed above. They are very effective against turtlers. Avoid turtling, and play on the aggressive, her super and ultra startup frames give you enough time to block and counter. Guile's easiest combo is the jump in with HP or HK, D/B+MP, Sonic Boom or Flash Kick.  After knocking her down DO NOT jump in simply because she may perform an EX Spinning Bird Kick which will allow her to recover quickly and be right up on you as you get up. 

Vs. Online C. Viper

Burning Knuckle - You can be juggled, so try to limit jump-ins.

Burning Kick - Nothing to worry about unless you get knocked in the air with a Seismic Hammer

Seismic Hammer - Avoid doing LP Sonic Booms because you can quickly get knocked with this and juggled with a B. Knuckle or B. Kick
 
C. Viper is quick and she has a lot of techniques that can destory Guile. Like Guile, she has a move that has a setup for everything else. For example, Guile's LP Sonic Boom can set you up for other moves. C. Viper's is the Seismic Hammer or Burning Knuckle. A smart C. Viper user will not use a Burning Knuckle if you are on the ground. Avoid the knuckle by staying on the ground, if she senses you will not jump she will then move on to the Seismic Hammer. To avoid this you can FADC or simply dash forward or backward. You may jump up if you are at a good distance away. Never Jump in if you are far cause the recovery time for this move can counter with a B. Knuckle. Use Guile's ground game using his sobat kick (B or F+MK) or his bazooka knee (B or F+LK).

Vs. Online Dan

DAN IS NOT A JOKE THIS TIME!

Gadouken - This fireball still has its same distance properties but comes out very quick and can be used in many combos.

Dankukyaku - Has priority in the air and is widely used. An EX Dankukyaku can penetrate through your LP Sonic Booms, so be careful. If timed right, you can air throw against this move.
 
Dan does not rely on many combos, yes this includes cross-ups. Many of his moves are dealt with countering. Koryuken (Dragon Punch), will be used as an anti-air. His dashes can be distracting cause its funny to watch so be careful. Trust me, this is a good tip to remember cause i've failed miserably by paying attention to taunts and dashes. Defeat Dan the same way you would against Akuma w/o teleporting or air fireballs. 
 
Vs. Online Dhalsim

Yoga Teleport - Although does no damage, makes up for Dhalsim's lack of speed and can lead into some deadly combos.
 
Dhalsim likes to keep distance using the long arms and long legs. Sonic Booms and trading hits using D+HK will put you in for the win simply because of Dhalsim's stamina, don't trade too many hits because Guile has a horrible stun rating. Other than that, Dhalsim plays with a pattern of ZONE POKES, meaning his long stretchy arms, keep you away but does less damage if not blocked. Now if he teleports next to you and performs combo's, he's as good as any player.

Vs. Online E. Honda

Hundred Hand Slaps - Should be treated with caution. Do not allow jump-ins with this guy.

Character like Blanka and Chun Li have special attacks that require repeatedly pressing a button. Honda will jump in with an attack and upon landing, will perform HHSlaps, into a Sumo Headbutt.

Sumo Splash - Knowing he has this move should force you to play an amazing ground game with Guile. Block high once you see his rear end attempt to land on your head. Flash kick will work only at a certain distance, beware of this move.
 
Oicho Thow - Like Abel, it is a command throw and cannot be tech'd. As much as you can, avoid close combat. If you tend to see a pattern where the user will time it perfectly so you cannot get out, charge and prepare an EX Flash Kick to counter this.
 
Safe distance is required to defeat Honda. Use your projectile to your advantage and keep him away. I am not encouraging spamming because his stamina is pretty high up there and will take lots of patience and sonic booms to defeat him. Again you can throw an LP Sonic Boom and force him to jump right into an air throw. If he chooses to do a Sumo Splash, you can throw him in the air right before he positions his behind to land on your head. If timed correctly an HP in the air has priority over this splash. Upon landing keep your distance to avoid HHSlap chip damage.
 
Vs. Online El Fuerte

Habanero Dash - Very predictable. A well-timed splash will over power you. Like Blanka's Hop Roll, it will hit you in the back.
 
Although his main move is a Habanero Dash, you know an attack is coming but you dont know from where. You cannot air throw a splash, you can air throw a spinning throw. There is no way to predict it except to guess. He is extremely quick and the only way he can win is mixing up his dashes. Force him to jump. He does not have a good air game so he is mainly used as a ground opponent. He does have a wall jump that you can easily air throw. Be careful when jumping in on Fuerte because his air throw does a significant amount of damage. You can force Fuerte to do whatever you want by throwing sonic booms. Use this technique because instead of him making you guess how he's going to attack, you apply pressure altering his plot. If you can keep him on the ground, good on ya, he cant box with Guile, take him out.
 
Vs. Online Fei Long

Rekkaken - Can be linked after a jump in.

F+MK - Avoid turtling as this will always get you if you aren't ready to Flash Kick.
 
Fei Long is quick, VERY quick. In my experience, users attempt to chicken wing as a sonic boom is thrown at close range. It will get you, so avoid throwing close sonic boom's. Flame Kick's should be treated as a shoryuken, it can be done upon wake up and has priority over Guile's air attack. My favorite counter to a Super Rekkaken is a D+Medium Punch to Flash Kick to Double Flash. Contrary to popular belief, this combo does quite a bit of damage. Because of Guile's moves he really wont need EX moves against him. Its always good to save it though. Defeat Fei Long with Flash Kicks, because his lack of throwing a projectile forces him to dash forward, FADC, Chicken Wing, or Jump In. All of which can be countered with a Flash Kick.

Vs. Online Gen

Gen can simply juggle you around like he owns a circus with his style. Gen's jump can easily jump over fireballs, knock, and juggle. This can be repeated till you are defeated. Gen is so versatile, although weak in power, he has a lot of tools in his arsenal. Simple attacks may not do a lot damage but can easily be linked into ultra's/super's/special moves. Gen's ground game isn't as strong as others which forces him to become airborne. Guile's air throw should be used as much as possible. Guile's weak priority with his Flash Kick force you to perform other moves because of Gen's jumping pokes. Usually if you attempt to counter Flash Kick's with Gen, you will most of the time trade hits. Gen has a quite a few effective anti-air moves. His Ultra in the Crane Stance, air kicks, and at the right distance - his Rapid Slap. Take care of Gen using air throws after a slow sonic boom to force Gen to jump. A common combo they like to do is jump with MK to HP Rapid Slap. His wall kick can leave you in the air for a little bit and then juggled with a LK or LP to Rapid Slap. Be careful. If a Gen player decides to use an Oga, jump back and air throw. You best game here is a ground game. Throw as many LP Sonic Booms as you can and force him to jump, once he starts to figure it out, you can hold B+MK and counter Gen's jump in over your Sonic Boom.

Vs. Online Gouken

Air Fireball - Gouken charges his fireball one way, but it may confuse you depending on which way he's gonna throw it.

Vertical Hurricane Kick - Devastating anti-air move. As Guile attempts to jump in and this move is performed, he'll kick Guile in the air and juggle him.

Running Palm - Can be juggled following an EX Running Palm.

Counter - Avoid jumping in, most online users do not use the Low counter for some reason.

Gouken isn't too tough, he has his fireballs and can be charged by holding down a button. As you immediately see a charge, throw an EX Sonic Boom, if you are fast enough, you will get both hits, if not you will at least get one. If they anticipate your jump he will throw a diagonal fireball and knock you out of the air. Counter can be used for a jump in which can thrash you across the screen. His back throw doesn't do any damage at all but you can be juggled with a full on Ultra or hurricane kick. Because the back throw doesn't do any damage, you will receive the full effect of the Ultra. You may have read about the more hits you perform in a combo, the less damage it does. Keep it a ground game but beware of that counter. I haven't seen or tried it but if you attempt to Focus Attack and he tries to counter, I believe it will go through. It hasn't been tested and I will verify it later, but that would be something I would try. You really don't have to worry about his dive kick or demon flip. His dive kick isn't as bad as Rufus' and the Demon Flip can easily be countered with just about anything. Just don't stand and attempt to block because you can be thrown or hit low.

Vs. Online Guile

This is for the inexperienced Guile (opponent) player. You can tell by your opponent "turtling" and flash kicking as an anti-air. Do not fall into this trap. Throw LP Sonic Booms and approach Guile attempting to throw. If the Guile is turtling, Guile will not have enough time to Flash Kick you. You can alternatively perform a F+MP (overhead punch) to steal a poke and 90% of the time, the opponent gets confused on whether or not you will follow up HIGH or LOW. This is your decision. If your opponent however throws a Sonic Boom right before he gets hit to counteract, go ahead and perform a double sweep OR jump-in with the attempt to perform Guile's BnB combo (Jumping HK, D+MP x Flash Kick). If your LP Sonic Boom is countered with another Sonic Boom from a far distance, your opponent will have time to block. Avoid jumping in because Guile's charge recovery time is VERY forgiving, he will have enough time to perform a flash kick. Your opponents double sweep can be countered with a LK Flash Kick after the first kick. If timed right, you will not be touched. If your timing is wrong, you will trade hits. This is also a great opportunity to perform a LK Flash Kick x Double Flash, or even Flash Explosion. Stick to a ground game against Guile and please avoid the HK Flash Kick. A blocked Flash Kick is nicely countered with probably an EX Flash Kick or your Ultra/Super

 
Vs. Online Ken 

Shoryuken - Usually done on wake-up or as an anti-air. Avoid jumping in if you are not throwing a Sonic Boom to follow. Guile's Jump is easily read and can be countered easily with his Ultra or a Shoryuken
 
Hurricane Kick - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO AIR THROW WHILE THIS MOVE IS DONE IN THE AIR. You will get knocked on your back. Avoid throwing a Sonic Boom at the beginning of the match cause this move will go right through it and get you in the face. If this move is performed and you are blocking low, it will go over you and can be countered with a flash kick. Personally, I like to jab him out of it and wait for a wake-up shoryuken. A missed/blocked shoryuken is beautiful cause it allows you many options to throw, sonic boom, flash kick, or even HP then Focus Attack.
 
Hadouken - I feel that this isn't as powerful as Ryu's and should be treated with caution. Avoid spamming and ABSORBING this move. The more they throw and the more you absorb it will quickly diminish your health if attacked while health recovery is in progress.
 
Ken is a formidable character in the right hands. One of the most common characters used in the game. Although he has only 3 moves, they are devastating in the right hands. Take Guile and punish him accordingly by avoiding the fireball spam and cross ups. You can avoid cross ups by taking a hit while jumping away. Experienced cross up players tend to follow and jump toward you, you can jump forward and air throw or wait till you can flash kick. I dont have much information on avoiding cross up because now I dont allow it to happen to describe such things. Keep your distance, block shoryuken's, and that nasty combo hitting you low followed with a hadou should and can be avoided by Guile's BnB combo following the frame after the hadou is thrown.
 
Vs. Online M. Bison 

HA! I use him so this shouldn't be too bad.
 
Block Strings followed by a Scissor Kick/Headstomp/Devil's Reverse - Bison has a nice block string to where he can hit LP a couple times, followed by a Scissor Kick/Headstomp/Devil's Reverse. His block strings can also be followed by a tick throw. Maintain distance or trade hits during the LP's.

Headstomp - The move that is most widely used and abused. A Headstomp has priority over a jumping opponent, and moves quickly enough to counter a Sonic Boom. You will trade hits or get stuffed by a headstomp if you attempt to counter with a Flash Kick. Avoid this by jumping back and performing an air throw. Same goes for Devil's Reverse.

Psycho Crusher - Can be stopped with a Sonic Boom or Flash Kick. It isn't used much except if you are in the air. I rarely see it performed from a standing position.

Because the Headstomp and Devil's Reverse is widely used. You can counter it with an air throw, if you DON'T press LP+LK when you are at its highest peak, you will miss and land, once you miss, hold D and right before Bison gets you with the finishing attack, perform a Flash Kick to counter. Do not let Bison get close to you, keep a zoning game with Sonic Booms, if Bison decides to teleport closer to you, block low and get ready to Flash Kick as he reappears. Sonic Booms wills force him to Headstomp or Teleport in which you can easily counter. Bison's slide is not a problem because the recovery time is not good at all, in which you can go ahead and perform D+HK or Flash Kick or Double Flash or even D+MP xx Flash Kick xx Double Flash. Bison is a pretty difficult opponent, but knowing how their moves work in what situations will give you the upper hand.

Vs. Online Rose

Soul Throw - Anti Air move against jump-ins, avoid and stick to a ground game.

I've seen a pretty nasty combo with her that defeated a cross-up happy Ryu with ease when the game first came out. She avoids jump-ins by doing a short slide pretty similar to Dhalsim's. Couple crouching attacks then a Soul Spiral, but it was so consistent Ryu got defeated. Now onto Guile, avoid a jump-in attack because this combo will get ya. DO NOT throw an HP Sonic Boom cause it could be reflected just as a fast. Do not throw EX Sonic Booms at full screen's distance either, it will cancel out and you have just wasted ¼ of your super meter. She's quick and I will admit that she's a difficult character to beat with an advanced user playing. Use lots of mixups with Guile. LP Sonic Boom, follow and before she can reflect, jump up and perform Guile's BnB combo. If you have no fear, throw an LP Sonic Boom and before it hits, Rolling Sobat (F+MK), Double Sweep (D+HK), if blocked, FLASH KICK! You can change the Double Sweep to a Target Combo.

Vs. Online Rufus 

see www.capcom-unity.com/jerseyfame/blog/200... - RUFUS TRAP

Vs. Online Ryu

A Ryu player in general will SRK you while you jump in and throw a Red Hadou/Super/Ultra (pick your poison). They will Hadou-spam you in which you can avoid simply by jumping forward (and over the hadou) until you are at about half screen's distance. If they throw another one, they will anticipate a jump-in and SRK you. Avoid this simply by jumping straight up because the Ryu may attempt an SRK after a Hadou. You may want to worry about being close to Ryu because his throw is forgiving and for some odd reason, has one of the longest reach distance. I can be maybe 2 steps away and still get thrown. Ryu has a good tick throw. With Guile, there isn't much Guile based strategies to defeat Ryu, in my opinion. You have to beat Ryu, generally. Meaning, Hop over fireballs, avoid jump-ins, use FADC's, tick throws, avoid Guile's Ultra/Super because it will leave you in the air to get punished. Ryu's F+MP and F+HP is something to worry about simply because it can be linked with other moves.

Personally, I like to hop over fireballs, throw a couple LP Sonic Booms (occasionally), trip Ryu with a double sweep, and approach him as he gets up making him think I will throw him and instead jump right over just in time before he does and SRK and throw him around the screen. I use a lot of Guile's Target Combo (D+MK, F+MP) then follow up with another double sweep. When in close, I trade hits if a Hadou is attempted by doing a flash kick. F+HP after a F+MK or LP Sonic Boom usually hits cause they want to block low. Ryu's ground combo that hits a Crouching MK, Couple Jabs, and a Hadou really cant be avoided except by stopping it before it starts. You can try to jump over and you might be able to attack him as he finishes a Hadou. Fun to play against cause its challenging.

Vs. Online Sagat

Tiger Low's and High's can be avoided - High's can be avoided by ducking and the Low's can easily be jumped over. I get confused on the EX Tiger shots because it seems as if there isn't much change to its color. Beware of these. Tiger Knee's can be blocked and countered with a Flash Kick. You want to avoid blocking high when Sagat is up close cause a crouching MK can link into a Tiger Knee. Guile is obviously faster than Sagat so use that your advantage by throwing Sonic Booms, do not, I repeat, do not attempt to get into a fireball battle cause you will get hit eventually, you can only charge so much even though its forgiving. You can avoid his Tiger Uppercut by throwing an LP Sonic Boom and performing a jump-in, just as it hits/blocks, and perform Guile's BnB combo. It will take a lot to defeat Sagat since his stamina is so FREAKING HIGH! With enough pokes and his Target Combo will allow you to defeat him with ease. F+MP is your best friend against this guy. Do not attempt to jump in on Sagat unless a Sonic Boom is thrown or he just finished throwing a Tiger Shot. Sagat's Ultra is devastating, it usually gets me 50% of the time because his Ultra doesn't have many startup frames to get the first hit and will get you most of the time on a jump in.

Vs. Online Sakura

[Anyone, please input your thoughts on here. I haven't lost to a Sakura even when I don't try.]

Vs. Online Seth

As you can see in the Online Ranking, Seth is used by the top players in SFIV. He has many juggles and all I can say is that you should treat any online Seth as you would on Arcade mode on the Hardest Difficulty. Advanced players are usually up there in the ranks already and it may be rare to face him in an Online Match. With your 2 moves and his million moves, proceed with caution even though his Stamina is one of the worst in the game. Seth likes to zone you with his Dhalsim-like arms. His Fuerte Wall Jump is something to watch out for because I've experienced a 8+ hit combo that drained 1/3 of my life. Tandem Engine sucks you in giving you an opportunity if timed right, to perform a Flash Kick to stop whatever is coming. When I play against Seth, I avoid Flash Kicks, unless Seth makes the mistake of spamming the D+HP (long arms) and I would have enough slack to Flash Kick his arms. Good Luck!

Vs. Online Vega

Anytime he is up in the air going towards you, jump back and Air throw. Everything else should be cake. Not much against Vega. [Anyone, please input your thoughts on here. I haven't lost horribly to a Vega.]

Vs. Online Zangief

I love playing against this guy. Most experienced Zangief's will do Green Hand's to approach you to compensate for his lack of jumping and dashing speed. If this occurs, jump back and as you land perform a normal block string and jump-in and attack or if your "ballsy" walk up and throw him hoping you don't get SPD. Half the time you may get countered with a Lariat. Zangief's gameplay is close. There is no "if's", "and's", or "but's". He can do no damage to you from afar. Keep you distance with Sonic Booms and follow, usually he will attempt to Lariat as to not receive chip damage, punish him for even attempting this by performing a double sweep, at Zangief's hand's distance of the Lariat. If the first doesn't trip him, the second one will if done early enough. He cannot be air thrown out of his splash, but if it so happens that you are able to block it, block low because Zangief's tick's and poke's will get you in about 3-4 hits in a row. Believe or not, Zangief does have a cross up that he can mix up and fool you straight into a Spinning Pile Driver.