Yo! Nippon Ichi! Mai Shiranui is finally here and is just as dominant as you’d hope she’d be, serving as the second guest character in Street Fighter 6, allowing her to show off her Shiranui-style Ninja Arts expertly while mixing in the Overdrive systems and mechanics make them even more potent than ever before.
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Like Terry before her, Mai has splashes of gameplay from just about every iteration of herself, making her move list fun to explore and implement in matches. If you’ve been playing since the Fatal Fury days, Mai is an absolute treat and delight to play in Street Fighter 6, even if she can be deceptively challenging at times!
Mai Shiranui Overview
Mai Shiranui is a relatively beginner-friendly character with solid buttons that allow her to get in and apply her pressure while fishing for openings that allow her to execute devastating combos that have excellent corner carry potential and can lead to massive damage depending on the situation.
However, there is one aspect of Mai’s gameplay that can trip newcomers up, and that’s her ability to gain stocks of Fire from her Kagerou no Mai Super Art, making her Level One Super one of the best in the game. While it enhances her Special Attacks, it adds yet another system and resource you must manage to make the most of her.
Nonetheless, she is still extremely solid even without the Fire stocks and can be a threat from just about any range, making her a solid choice for anyone looking to pick her up for the first time, even if she will take a bit to get used to compared to some of the other fighters available.
Her projectiles allow her to control the spacing and tempo of the match, allowing her to swiftly close the gap behind them, giving her a potent mix-up game that can be tricky to deal with. Follow that with her excellent Normals, and you have a recipe for disaster that grants her suffocating amounts of pressure and massive damage!
Mai Shiranui Command List
Now that Mai’s basics are out of the way, it’s time to explore what makes her such a dominant fighter in Street Fighter 6. To do this, we will lay out her Command List, which is pretty lengthy and has many nuances that can make it quite challenging to pick up. Thanks to her ability to grant Flame stocks, she can substantially change some of her moves, making it crucial to note which moves are impacted by them!
Drive Impact = DI (Modern)
Drive Parry = DP (Modern)
Light Attack = L (Modern)
Medium Attack = M (Modern)
Heavy Attack = H (Modern)
Special Attack = SP (Modern)
Hold = Hold Input Button Down
Common Moves
|
Common Move |
Classic Input |
Modern Input |
|---|---|---|
|
Drive Impact: Botan Ichige |
HP+HK |
DI |
|
Drive Reversal: Yusura Ume |
⭢ HP+HK |
⭢ DI |
|
Drive Parry Parry Drive Rush |
MP+MK ⭢⭢ (During Drive Parry) |
DP ⭢⭢ (During Drive Parry) |
|
Cancel Drive Rush |
⭢⭢ or N+⭢ or MP+MK After landing a Special-Cancelable Move |
⭢⭢ or N or ⭢ or DP After landing a Special-Cancelable Move |
Throws
|
Throw |
Classic Input |
Modern Input |
|---|---|---|
|
Shiranui Gourin |
N or ⭢ LP+LK |
N or ⭢ L+M or T |
|
Fuusha Kuzushi |
⭠ LP+LK |
⭠ L+M or T |
|
Yume Zakura |
LP+LK While Jumping. |
L+M or T While Jumping. |
Unique Attacks
|
Unique Attack |
Classic Input |
Modern Input |
|---|---|---|
|
Senkotsu Uchi |
⭢ MP |
⭢ M |
|
Sori Geri |
Not Available On Classic |
⭨ H |
|
Hein Ren Kyaku |
LK > LK > LK |
L > L > L |
|
Hoshi Kujaku |
⭠ HK > HK |
⭠ H > H |
Special Attacks
|
Special Attack |
Classic Input |
Modern Input |
|---|---|---|
|
Kachousen Flame Stock enhances attack. |
⭣⭨⭢ P |
N SP |
|
⭢ P (After a Held Kachousen Overdrive) Midare Kachousen |
⭢ A (After a Held Kachousen Overdrive) Midare Kachousen |
|
|
Ryuuenbu Flame Stock enhances attack. |
⭣⭩⭠ P |
⭠ SP |
|
Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi Flame Stock enhances attack. |
⭣⭨⭢ K |
⭣ SP |
|
Hishou Ryuuenjin Flame Stock enhances attack. |
⭢⭣⭨ K |
⭢ SP |
|
Musasabi no Mai Flame Stock enhances attack. |
⭣⭩⭠ P During a Forward Jump |
SP During a Forward Jump |
Super Arts
|
Super Art |
Classic Input |
Modern Input |
|---|---|---|
|
Kagerou no Mai x1 Super Art Stock |
⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ P |
N or ⭢ SP H |
|
Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi x2 Super Art Stock |
⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ K |
⭠ SP H |
|
Air Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi x2 Super Art Stock |
⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ K During Neutral or Forward Jump |
SP H During Neutral or Forward Jump |
|
Shiranui Ryuu: Enbu Ada Zakura x3 Super Art Stock (Stronger when HP is at 25 Percent or Lower) |
⭣⭩⭠, ⭣⭩⭠ P |
⭣ SP H |
Mai Shiranui Combos
As you can see from her varied Command List and the brief overview above, Mai Shiranui is a pretty solid character with many tools available to her, making her tremendously strong and relentless. Now, it’s time to put all that information together and showcase some of the best combos available at her disposal that will help you take her offense to the next level!
Light Attack Starter Combos
- cr.LK > cr.LP > ⭣⭨⭢ LK
- cr.LK > cr.LP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- cr.LK > LP > (OD) ⭣⭨⭢ K > j.MP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
Medium Attack Starter Combos
- cr.MP > cr.LP > ⭣⭨⭢ LK
- cr.MP > (OD) ⭣⭩⭠ P > ⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ P
- cr.MP > ⭣⭩⭠ HP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK > ⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ K
Heavy Attack Starter Combos
- cr.HP > LP > ⭣⭨⭢ LK > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- cr.HP > LP > (OD) ⭣⭨⭢ K > j.MP > ⭣⭩⭠ HP
- cr.HP > LP > (OD) ⭣⭨⭢ K > j.MP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK > ⭣⭨⭢, ⭣⭨⭢ K
Punish Counter Combos
- HP > (OD/Hold) ⭣⭨⭢ P > HP > ⭣⭩⭠ HP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- DI > HP > (Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ HP > (Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ MP > (Flame) ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- HP > (OD/Flame/Hold) ⭣⭨⭢ P > j.HP, HP > (OD/Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ P > (Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ HMP > (Flame) ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- HP > OD/Flame/Hold) ⭣⭨⭢ P > j.HP, HP > (OD/Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ P > (OD/Flame) ⭣⭨⭢ K > j.MP > (OD/Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ P > ⭣⭩⭠, ⭣⭩⭠ P
Drive Rush Combos
- Drive Rush > ⭢ MP, cr. MP > (OD) ⭣⭩⭠ P > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- ⭠ HK > Drive Rush > HP > (OD/Hold) ⭣⭨⭢ P > j.HK, HP > ⭢⭣⭨ HK
- c.MP > Drive Rush > HK > cr.MP > Drive Rush > HK > cr.MP > ⭣⭩⭠ HP > ⭣⭨⭢ LK > ⭣⭩⭠, ⭣⭩⭠ P
- DI (PC) > Drive Rush > HP > (OD/Flame/Hold) ⭣⭨⭢ P > j.HK, HP > (OD/Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ HP > (Flame) ⭣⭩⭠ MP > (Flame) ⭢⭣⭨ HK
Mai Shiranui Tips And Tricks
Lastly, we want to wrap this guide up with a few more tips and tricks that can help you get even more out of Mai’s outstanding gameplay, as she can be a force to be reckoned with in the right hands. Aside from all the nifty combos highlighted above, one of Mai’s best moves is her ⭠ HK, which should be used often.
Not only does it lead to her Hoshi Kujaku Unique Move, but it’s also remarkably strong and is one of her best hit-confirming tools. In addition to that, landing this action leaves her at a seven-frame advantage, allowing her to follow up with many options for massive damage and combos.
If it’s blocked, Mai will still have a three-frame advantage and be in throw range, making it a tremendously strong tool to utilize in most situations, especially during a Drive Rush, as the start-up of this action is remarkably fast. Do not underestimate the potency of this attack, as it can borderline carry you in certain situations and matchups.
Mixing this attack in with all the others highlighted above can make her offense immensely challenging to deal with, which is what makes her so devastating. Her pressure can be intense and suffocating, so utilize everything she has at her disposal to constantly keep your opponent on their back foot!
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