A-ism Juni Guide

Just something I figured I'd throw together here. Kenrick and I were fooling around while playing the Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, and we got into a bit of debate about Cammy, Juli, and Juni, so I decided that I'd sit and write this up. Hope it'll help anyone curious to better understand using Juni.

Normals to keep in mind

s.MP - Her standing MP from afar, oddly enough, seems to work as a sufficient anti-air, so if your opponent jumps in deep, you can use this to push them back without too much worry.
c.MP - A nice poke to use, and it can be cancelled into her specials and supers as well.
s.HP - Not too much range, but it's actually pretty quick to come out for a HP attack when compared to most other characters, and it has pretty good priority. I've seen it snuff out some things it shouldn't have, either stopping them completely or at the worst, trading hits with it. It also can be a killer on your opponent's guard gauge.
c.HP - Got an opponent that likes to toss out their air attacks from afar often so that they can nail you after landing at a safe enough distance? This is a nice answer to it. Just remember only to use it against somewhat far ranged air attacks, because in close, it's very likely it'll miss altogether.
s.MK - It has decent enough range and height to serve as a good corner pressure move for those times you want to keep your opponent locked down. If you can anticipate a jump attempt to escape the corner, toss this out to stop them in their tracks. Just be careful of Shoryuken-type moves and supers.
j.MK - You want to use this to stuff out your opponent when they jump. Put it out there as you rise up toward them in midair, while they're above you, since its angle makes it a difficult move to land on an opponent underneath you or completely grounded. Contrary to the way it looks, this is not a viable cross-up move at all, as only the front leg will make contact.
c.MK - A really nice poking move to use. This has about as much range as her c.HK, but it's faster to come out, so it can beat out other characters' crouching attacks often.
s.HK - The same normal that Cammy is notorious for, and for good reason. This has about the same properties, such as working well as an anti-air against far jumping attacks or keeping up a bit of pressure on an opponent, and it comes out damned fast for an attack of its type, so don't be afraid to send this out unless your opponent has meter, at which point, stick to using it for pressuring, counterattacking and the like.
j.HK - It's good when you're coming in for rushdown purposes, but it's a GREAT air-to-air attack. Use it when you and your opponent are both airborne coming in at around the same height. Nine times out of ten, you can beat them out. Otherwise, this should probably be your main attack as you come in, since while her j.HP has about the same priority, it has less reach, and retracts far too quickly, meaning you'd have to jump in deep to do anything useful with it half the time.

Overhead: f+MK - I wouldn't have even bothered to mention this had I not noticed anything about it that I felt was particularly noteworthy. It's fairly fast for an overhead attack and deals two hits, one of which is a nice height off the ground. I've seen it stop some characters' air attacks. It also starts out with Juni *quickly* crouching low to the ground and rising, so timed well enough, it can indeed save you from some of your opponent's normals while dealing damage.


Juni's Special Moves

Unlike Cammy and Juli, whose movelists consist of qcf and dp motions, most of Juni's moveset is based around the charge philosophy. These are what set Juni apart from Cammy and Juli, not just in execution, but because of the fact that she has techniques in her arsenal that overall give her more options to work with than the both of them. We'll start with the ones that she has in common with the two of them and how they are similar and different, aside from execution.

Cannon Spike: Charge d, u+K

This is the same as Cammy and Juli's Spike moves, and that includes the move's priority and such as well. The big difference, of course, is that Juni's Spike is a charge motion, and as such, pulling this out on your opponent suddenly is an almost non-existant tactic with Juni, since any opponent worth their salt will more likely than not be expecting the charge. Still, it's to be noted that it DOES make a good anti-air, so the same warnings or Cammy and Juli apply, those being that you are advised to use the LK version so long as you can help it, since missing the move in its MK or HK version does nothing but leave you open for pretty much any punishment your opponent can dish out.

Spiral Arrow: Charge b, f+k; can be done in air

This is the same as Cammy's, so as you would use Cammy's, try to make this hit with the last inch of the move so that you'll be relatively safe as the move ends. Otherwise, you're asking for trouble. You can also use it to get underneath projectiles as well, so if your opponent is a fair distance away, slip underneath and take them down with a well-timed Spiral Arrow. One HUGE difference from Cammy's Spiral Arrow, though, is that Juni can actually do her Spiral Arrow in the air (done by charging b, f+K before reaching the peak of your jump). While Juni is airborne with this, she goes a good distance across the screen towards your opponent, making it a really useful tool for getting over projectiles or intercepting an unsupecting opponent. Also, you don't have the recovery time from the slide from the grounded version to worry about, whether it's guarded or not, and if it is, against most characters, she stays relatively safe, since she bounces back a decent distance. Definitely something to keep your opponent on edge.

Hooligan Combination: hcf, u/f+P

Now, this move is EXACTLY like Cammy's, right down to the execution. You can follow up with a grab with f+K when you get in close which changes depending on your height in relation to the enemy's body or you can execute a sliding kick by pressing nothing after the initial input. You can also press K to cancel the move and land on your feet. While this move can be useful for getting over projectiles, it's all a matter of timing, since the move has slow startup as it is, and even then, I myself would use it sparingly because you can't guard during the move, even when you cancel it to land on your feet. In essence, you become a flying bullseye, especially to anti-air lovers, who'd have a field day smacking her out of it.

Cannon Strike: qcf+K in the air during a forward jump

A diving kick that's only as useful as you make it. Juni drops straight back down towards the ground with this. The distance she drops is determined by the strength of the kick button you press. Doesn't have good enough priority to contend with anti-airs, but it can definitely make a projectile happy opponent sweat since you can use this to easily get in their face before their fireball animation ends. Hitting this deep also makes for a nice starter for mixup mindgames. Careful, though, because she'll rebound if it's blocked, similarly to her Cannon Spike rebound, but higher so since the move starts in midair...lots more punishment time for your opponent.

Mach Slide: qcf+K

One of the unique moves in Juni's aresenal. The strength of the kick button used changes how far the teleport takes you, and while you are invincible during the teleport up until the point Juni reappears, if your opponent anticipates it, you'll get tossed or worse. A good way to use it (aside from escaping/evading moves/projectiles) would be to throw off your opponent during a rushdown. If, for example, you get your opponent to expect her Spiral Arrow after you come in with a couple of attacks, you can do this to catch them off guard for a throw (preferably her Earth Direct) or perhaps a super move.

Earth Direct: 360+P

As with the other 360 grabs in the game, the range and stregth change with the stregth of the punch button pressed. LP gives the most range, but is weakest, while HP gives the least range and is strongest. Good times to use this one are...well, any times that you know you can land a grab without fail, if you're decent at the 360 motion, but otherwise, good opportunities present themselves after landing deep Cannon Strikes or getting in your opponent's face with cancelled Hooligan Combinations and Mach Slides.

Psycho Shield: f+PPP after guarding an opponent's attack

Exactly like in the vs. games, Juni pushes her opponent back...WAY back. Almost across the entire screen back, in fact. With this, Juni should never be much of a victim to rushdown games, let alone being guard crushed. Get it down as best you can and it'll make Juni a lot more bothersome to deal with for your opponents.


Juni's Super moves


Spin Drive Smasher: Charge db, df, db, uf+K

Despite the more complicated motion, this is the same as Cammy's and Juli's moves of the same name, with the same priority, as well as the same drawbacks that said move suffers from, such as being highly punishable if blocked. It can still be used for combos with Juni, but because of the move's execution, her combos tend to be far more specific and situational in nature. Be careful. Use this one pretty much only when you know for sure you'll connect with it.

Psycho Streak: Charge b, f, b, f+P

Juni summons Bison who executes a Psycho Crusher on the opponent. This is basically her super projectile, though it emanates from a ways in front of her instead of close to her, meaning that if your opponent is near enough to you, they can do whatever to make you pay for the mistake of having used it, and what's worse, they have plenty of time to do so, since she stands there saluting for about another second or so after Bison's left the screen. So, where are the good points in this move? As stated, it's basically her super projectile, meaning it will snuff out your opponent's projectiles, with stronger levels of it able to get through some super projectiles other characters may send your way. It also can't be blocked in the air, so thanks to the speed at which Bison actually comes out and flies fprward, it's great to use when your opponent decides to jump back to try and get some space.

Combos

As it was stated before, due to the nature of the execution of her techniques, Juni's combos are rather limited. Still, keeping what she can do in note is all the better for you.

j.HK, c.MP xx Spiral Arrow - Be careful when using this one, because against some characters, the Spiral Arrow won't come out fast enough to combo.

j.HK, c.MP xx Cannon Spike - Not much to say about this one, except that hitting it makes for a good setup for a Psycho Streak if you can anticipate your opponent trying to recover.

j.HK, c.MP xx Spin Drive Smasher - Similar to the combo dealing with the Spiral Arrow, except you can have a level 2 or 3 to use in place to extend the reach of the first part of it to connect more easily.

j.HK, s.HP xx Psycho Streak - This one is, of course, exclusive to Juni. Bison comes out quite a ways in front of her, so the Psycho Streak can hit an opponent from the distance the s.HP will knock your opponent.

Mixups

One nice thing that sets Juni apart from Juli and Cammy is the fact she has more options to fall back on than they do.

Some nice things to do, for example, are jumping in with a HK and landing with a c.MPm then going into a Spiral Arrow, and repeating it again to get your enemy to expect it. After once or twice more, instead of doing another Arrow, instead go into a Mach Slide to get in their face, to catch then with a throw, if they're unsuspecting. Said time is a great opportunity for an Earth Direct. 3nodding

Another big thing to keep in mind with Juni is the invincibility of her Mach Slides. Provided you don't become predictable with them, and your timing is decent enough, you can bait your opponent into doing a move, then Mach Slide through it, right into their face for some punishment.

Here's hoping this helps someone, though if there's anything I may have forgotten, let me know, and I'll add it, and of course, credit you. 3nodding