Fuerte General Summary

Normals
*Disclaimer - Fuerte has no footsies. You will not win a footsies battle with him.

Ok, now that that has been established, Fuerte's normals are more bad than good (until you master his Hab Dash...explanation later), most of his close normals can be canceled into the Hab Dash/Super

- LP, this is your main blockstring (practice the timing of the links, they can't be canceled into each other like others)
- MP, semi-half decent poke, beats out a lot of good moves
- c. MK, slow start up hurts this move but once active, you're in the air and can't be thrown, goes over low moves
- c. HK, your launcher, extremely slow startup
- f. HK, a dropkick, excellent on focus attacks cause of its double hit, second hits as an overhead
- F. MK, (Shower Kick) overhead, can link into normals and Super with precise timing
- cr. LP, can chain into each other and into any other light move (can't cancel into special moves though cause of the chaining properties)
- cr. HP, your normal AA, pretty good hit box
- cr. LK, a good pressure tool for up close and can link into cr. MK for more damage
- cr. HK, slide sweep, horrible startup, good range, hit from far for fast recovery if (-1 on block)
- J. HP, your main crossup, stuffs a lot of moves
- J. HK, another crossup but harder to hit with than J. HP, also a good move stuffer

- Air Throw, not the best air throw in the game but it's a throw nonetheless and it's an excellent way to ground your opponent
- Wall Jump, best in the game, can control the distance, able to do a Tostada Press or Fajita Buster instantly from taking off

Specials

- Habanero Dash, your go-to move, gives Fuerte his high mobility, a different punch after the initial input yields different attacks:
~LP, Stops the dash
~MP, Tostada Press, invincibility on startup, range can be controlled
~HP, Fajita Buster, a grab, can't be blocked (can be ducked however), range can be controlled
~LK, Back dash (goes further than normal back dash)
~MK, Gordita Sobat, just like his normal MK, safest special Fuerte has
~HK, Calamari Slide, just like cr. HK, extremely unsafe on block
(Ex can take 2 hits!)

- Habanero Back dash, same as normal Hab Dash with a few differences, if he hits the wall, he'll run the other way
~LP, Stops the dash
~MP, Tostada Press, invincibility on startup, range can be controlled
~HP, Tortilla Propeller, his best move, grabs both standing and crouching opponents, can't be blocked (safe Tortilla explanation later), range can be controlled
~LK, MK, HK, Picadillo Jump, he jumps towards the wall to bounce back from, great escape move
(Ex can take 2 hits, after hitting the wall and running forward, armor resets to take 2 more hits...4 hits!!!)

Note: You don't have to stop the Hab Dash to change directions mid screen, just input the other direction and he'll instantly go that way

- Guacamole Leg Throw, your AA move, input strength determines distance, LK is great for building meter from far away and hopping over projectiles (MK for Gouken), if it trades however, your opponent is instantly grounded but take no damage, only you take the damage; Ex version is a great escape tool, massive invincibility with semi fast recovery (watch out for Option Selects)

- Quesidilla Bomb, this is your armor breaker (worst in the game IMO) Fuerte rushes to body slam his opponent, not a good move, extremely unsafe, beats out horizontal based attacks (Tatsu, Blanka's Roll, etc), horrible startup, amount of charging determines it's qualities (the longer it's held, the more damage and stun), if blocked, you will be punished severely cause of it's slow recovery
2 secs - LV 1, doesn't knock down
4 secs - LV 2, does knock down
6 secs - LV 3, does knock down
8 secs (2 inputs) - EX version, knocks down, has NO armor

Super - El Fuerte Dynamite
- Fuerte does cartwheels and backflips into opponent, strength determines properties; LK has invincibility on startup, HK is better for juggles (c. HK), his EX meter is more important for Hab Dash and Guac but Fuerte builds meter fast so it's ok if this is used

Ultra 1- El Fuerte Flying Giga Buster
- 2 hit Ultra, very damaging cause damage scaling doesn't apply too much, great to AA opponents who like to jump a lot or against FB happy players, distance can also be controlled (can catch opponent from half screen!), beware of mid-air altering moves (Air Tatsus, Burn Kicks, etc.)

Ultra 2 - El Fuerte Ultra Spark
- Another great Ultra that is also extremely damaging, it's also a throw so your opponent can't block it (and it comes out fast). The problem with this one is that you can't control the distance with this one like you can with his first Ultra. So you can't catch players who are jumping away. It can still be used as a AA but not in the same way as his first cause the timing is different. You'll have to wait till they're closer to the ground to use it.

sorry for the squished screen, yeah his combos aren't major (unless you want the most badass combo in the game...)

So you wanna RSF

Command: HP>qcf + LP, LP, HP (repeat)
there are other ways of doing it but I like the double LP for the start and stop of the Hab Dash

Fuerte's Run.Stop.Fierce (Infinite, RSF, Daipon Loop, etc.) is his most damaging combo and is what can make him compete damage wise with the other characters. There is no other combo that can truly strike fear into an opponent that can compare to this one (Ultras and Supers aside). It basically starts with a close Fierce punch canceled into his Hab Dash Stop and into another Fierce punch, only to be repeated over and over.



This is a must for any Fuerte player to master.

However, it is not easy to do. If you Hab Dash too long, your next Fierce will get blocked. If you Stop too quickly, your Fierce won't reach (with possibility of his f. HP coming out which is extremely slow). So how do you know when the precise timing is to Hab Dash Stop? When you practice it enough times, you can feel the timing whether you're on or off. It's not something that can be expressed in words but through experience. There is a certain rhythm that you will learn that will apply to it.

Another problem is getting the setup to use it. You can't just walk up to your opponent and start doing it (obvious). So when are the best times? After a FA is generally the starting place for you to begin this combo. It leaves your opponent open for you to have enough time to use it, and it stops any type of reeling they normally do from hits (more on this in a bit). But it's not always gonna be from a FA, there are other free times you can do it. Just be wary of its startup cause it's kinda slow (8 frames!). Say you were able to block a SRK, if you wait for your opponent to land when you start, they will still beat you out of it. So in that situation, make sure you start up right when you see them about to touch the ground. Like that example, make sure your opponent has a lot of recovery time after a move that allows you to beat their next attack when throwing out that fierce.

As I mentioned just before, certain characters have a certain reeling when hit. Most noticeably the shotos Ryu and Ken (damn you shotos!). From experience and other opinions, here is a list of the difficulties of hitting certain characters (just to name a few):
Easiest: Big Guys - Sagat, Zangief
Easier: Charge - Balrog, Honda
Hardest: Shotos - Ryu, Ken

Safe Tortilla


0:36

It is indeed one of Fuerte's best attacks. This move grabs both standing and crouching opponents (and since it's a grab, blocking won't help). As seen in the video, the safe Tortilla can grab him out of a wakeup SRK in its starting frames. That is huge! And if they happen to SRK before you can grab them, they will completely whiff, setting up a huge moment for you to RSF, Ultra, whatever!

So how do you do a Safe Tortilla?

It's both spacing and timing. First do a Tortilla. You notice how far they land? Do three dashes toward them. As soon as the third dash is done, go into a B. Hab Dash and input Tortilla almost as soon as you start the Dash (and aim a little past the body of your opponent). This little practice shows you the amount of time and the proper distance (like one dash away from the opponent) at which you can Safe Tortilla.

If you Safe Tortilla correctly, you can grab a lot of opponents Reversals or bypass them completely. Even Supers and Ultras! Just beware of moves with invincibility frames. Ken's SRK has more invincibility frames than Ryu so his can be harder to grab. Viper's EX Seismo also has a ton of invincibility frames so she can use it and punish your whiffed Tortilla (even if you land behind her, she can recover faster and attack while you're still recovering). Those are just a few examples.

Mastering the Hab Dash



So you have nice mixups for your wake up game, you can run stop confuse your opponent from far away to get in and knock them down when they are off guard, and you now have a good understanding of his RSF...what next?

First, let's go with your opponents jump in attempts. Make them think twice about this. If you have Ultra, make them pay! You could also use his cr. HP which is a good AA, but this topic is about his Hab Dash so let's keep it together. In a lot of my videos (if you guys actually watch my Fuerte fights lol) I am capable of AA'ing my opponents with a Tortilla or a Tostada. How is that? When properly timed, you can B. Hab Dash into either of those and it becomes extremely difficult for your opponent to escape, especially if they threw out a limb to try to hit you. It almost becomes its own pseudo-ultra and can become one of the more damaging AA's in the game. Learn the spacing and timing and your opponent will think twice on jumping in on you. (If done right but you're opponent was able to guess right and jump out of it, it's exactly the same set up as a Safe Tortilla so go into that strategy at that point.)

Second, you're up close and you can't do much cause Fuerte's normals are terrible, what do you do? Well, you can B. Hab Dash out of there and start from a stalemate all over again or you can mind f**k your opponent to oblivion. As can be seen in the video, his normals seem to actually be threatening when they are thrown all over the place cause of his Hab Dash. Anyone of them can be used and becomes a great pressure tool since your opponent doesn't know when/if you're gonna end in one of the Hab Dash preset moves.

Safe Jumps

I thank Densuo from SRK for compiling a list of safe jumps for the Luchador.

Forward throw:
Immediate jump forward j.HK (Always lands in front, seems character specific.)
One tiny step j.HP (Crossup)

Back Throw:
Tiniest step forward imaginable, whiff jab, j.HP (Pretty sure this is the 'unblockable'. Even if blockable, I usually have no idea what side I'm gonna land on)
One tiny step j.HP (Crossup)

Airthrow:
Immediate jump forward j.HP (Also seems character specific. Usually lands in front.)

Fajita:
One regular step, j.HP (Crossup)
One small step, j.HP (Lands in front. Safe.)
Immediate empty jump, cr.lk (Meaty cr.lk)

Tortilla:
Overhead, run back, stop, j.HP (Fake crossup)
Overhead, run back, stop (smaller distance), j.HP (Crossup)
Dash forward twice, run back, stop, j.HP (Crossup. Also the timing for fake tortilla > airgrab to punish backdash)
One small step, whiff HK, j.HP (Crossup)
Immediately whiff HK, j.HP (Fake Crossup)

Tortilla in Corner:
Dash forward twice, run back, stop, j.HK (Crossup HK putting you in the corner)

Run Slide (or after slide RSF ender):
Small run back, stop, j.HP (Crossup)

After a close HK:
Cancel to run to run under them, cancel run and jump towards them for a cross-up jHP

General Strategy

For a Fuerte, you want that knockdown. As soon as your opponent is down, that's when Fuerte's game truly comes in. He has a mean wakeup game. You want to confuse your opponent on what your doing. You don't want to do the same move over and over. Mix it up between Tostadas, Tortillas, Fajitas, slides, Shower Kicks, throws, anything! He has so many options to choose from. Make your opponent fear that knockdown. The more fear they have, the easier it becomes to destroy them because they become desperate. As soon as you have this momentum, don't let it up!

There are several ways for your opponent to get out of your wakeup game though. They can use moves that have invincibility frames, they can dash, or they can even just block correctly. When this happens, and a stalemate occurs again, find a way to knock them down and start it up all over again.

During this stalemate, it becomes difficult for Fuerte to get that knockdown again. The opponent is wary of his Hab Dash attacks and Fuerte is extremely vulnerable while in the air. From a distance, build meter with LK Guac and from time to time just run at them and stop or do the back dash and run back. Anything to keep them on edge. Don't jump off the wall unless they committed to a move cause you'll be punished for it (no matter what distance you choose).

Be careful of getting in close with some characters. Fuerte has horrible footsies and will almost always lose that battle. It's best to stay at mid range until you get that knockdown. Only then is it ok for you to get close.

Gimmicks

Tortilla Reset (In Corner Only)

These are the only characters you can reset in the corner after a Tortilla with LK (the characters with the * I've done it to, the others you can supposedly do it too)...make sure to hit them when their head hits the ground:

Adon
Akuma
Cammy*
Chun-Li
Cody
Dan*
Dhalsim
Dudley
El Fuerte
Fei Long*
Gen
Guy*
Ibuki*
Juri*
Ken
Makoto
Rose
Rufus
Ryu*
Sakura*
Seth
Yang
Yun

*Special Note* cr.LP and cr.MK work too but much more difficult

Slide Cross Up

Abel
Dee Jay
Guile
Ibuki

EX Quesidilla Bomb Follow Up

Timing is extremely strict on these follow ups.

- MP (Corner Only)
- f. HK
- cr. MK (Corner Only)
- cr. HK
- Hab Dash Gordita Sobat
- Quesidilla Bomb
- LK Guacamole Leg Throw (Corner Only)

AE Changes

- Far st.LP startup frames changed from 5 to 4
- cr.LP startup frames changed from 5 to 4
- cr.LP chains into itself
- Close st.HP distance increased
- Habanero Dash Stop stopping frames changed from 3 to 1
- Ultra 2 damage changed from 510 to 450
- Ultra 2 startup frames changed from 3 to 4
- Propeller Tortilla lost invincibility frames

AE 2012 Changes

- Propeller Tortilla - strike- and projectile invincible from start until 13th frame.
- Quesadilla Bomb - EX version's counter-hits lead to wall bounce damage.
- EX QBomb charge time reduced from 390 to 210F. Shortened recovery by 10F when EX version or normal move hits at full charge.
- Calamari Slide - Fixed issue whereby using a Hard Punch -> Calamari Slide combo against a crouching Balrog, etc. wasn't hitting the opponent.
- Crouching Light Punch - Made all light version attacks rapid-fire cancelable.
- Guacamole Leg Throw - Reduced landing stun from 13F to 10F.
- Fixed the fact that some characters fell out of his RSF (Run Stop Fierce) loop due to recoil.

Updated guide with AE 2012 changes