Are you losing to Dragunov in the online ranks of Tekken 8 and need help figuring out what to do against him? Don’t worry; after reading this article, you will be comfortable combating the fierce foe. This article will cover how to deal with Dragunov players’ common attacks in Tekken 8 and review his strengths. This article is essential to read if you want to get back into the online ranks and defeat every Dragunov in your path.
Defeating Dragunov in Tekken 8 – Stay Away From Him
Dragunov is a powerful character in Tekken 8, equipped with highly damaging combos and dangerous mixups. He can be overwhelming for new players to deal with, causing you to lose the match. However, Dragunov has to get near his opponent to apply those strengths. If you keep your distance from him, he can’t get started and has to take a risk to approach you.
In Tekken 8, you can not only move back and forth but also left and right. When keeping your distance from Dragunov, you must use all the movement options you have to maintain a distance from him. Using movement allows you to make his attacks whiff in front of you because he will try to chase you down. Upon seeing him whiff, you can go for a whiff punish! But there is one specific approach option he has that can be difficult to deal with: ‘While Running 2’
Sidestepping Against ‘While Running 2’
Dragunov’s ‘While Running 2’ (WR2) is a very long-range dash attack that can quickly hit opponents. If you aren’t expecting it, it can make your character get slammed to the ground very hard or cause you to take massive damage in the corner. It’s also a ‘Mid’ attack, meaning that if you are crouch-blocking in anticipation of a low attack, it will hit you.
Nonetheless, with every problem in the game, there is a solution. When going against Dragunov players who like to do WR2 at far ranges, consider sidestepping to the left sometimes. This way, you can make the WR2 whiff if the opponent does it. If you are at relatively closer ranges, you want to sidestep to the right instead. Pay attention to what ranges the opponent wants to use WR2 and act accordingly. Unfortunately, nobody can play perfectly, and Dragunov sometimes makes his way in. So, what’s the plan when he is in his strongest position?
Dealing With Dragunov’s ‘Sneak’ Follow-Ups
Dragunov’s ‘Sneak’ is a stance he can enter momentarily, where he has a few options that can mix up his opponents. He can enter this stance safely by doing forward + 3, then holding down + forward right afterward, or holding down + forward then going straight into 1, 4. Each of these inputs will put Dragunov into the stance, and most players will try to pull them off.
There are 5 follow-ups Dragunov can do once in ‘Sneak’ mode (You can check them out in the training mode’s move list as well):
- [Cocked Hammer] Pressing 1 during ‘Sneak’ will make Dragunov do a high attack.
- [Stinger Elbow] Pressing 2 will make him do a mid attack that will launch the opponent in the air.
- [Slay Ride] Pressing 3 will make him do a low attack.
- [Ignition Switch] Pressing 4 will make a mid attack come out that is not only a heat engager, but it is also plus on block.
- [Snap Knee] Pressing 3+4 will make Dragunov do an armored attack
With these follow-ups in mind, you want to understand how Dragunov players will mostly utilize it. Many Dragunov players like to press 4 after doing ‘Sneak’ because they can keep pressuring the opponent due to the attack being plus on block. If the opponent does not know how to deal with it, they can keep looping it repeatedly. To deal with this, you want to sidestep to the right to make the attack whiff.
Of course, every other ‘Sneak’ follow-up can punish the sidestep if you do it, so use your character’s armored attack to beat out the rest of the follow-ups, except for the low attack. If the Dragunov player presses 3 after ‘Sneak’, the low attack will end up defeating your armor. Against players who do this against you, block low and punish the attack afterward.
Dealing With Some of Dragunov’s Common Strings
When going against some Dragunov players, you’ll notice they all have particular pressure strings they go for. Some of them are a lot more common than others. Here are a few popular Dragunov pressure strings and how to deal with them (You can check these out in the move list as well):
- [One Two Scud Kick] This is a string of 3 high attacks that are very fast. To deal with this string, duck under the third hit, then go for a punishment.
- [One Two Mine Kick] Just like One Two Scud Kick, this is a string of 3 attacks, but the first 2 are highs while the third one is a low. When face to face against this string, you must block the low attack and punish. While blocking the first two hits, you can indeed block the low attack in time.
- [Cougar Combination] This is also a string of 3 high attacks that you can duck under the third hit and punish.
- [Avalanche Hammer Rush] This is a string of 3 attacks where the first one is a low, the second one is a high, and the last one is a mid. After blocking the low, keep ducking, then do a launch punish. Continuing to duck after blocking the low will cause the second hit to whiff and the third hit will be slow to come out, allowing you to interrupt.
You Are Now Ready to Get on Tekken 8 and Fight Dragunov
Absorb these tips into your muscle memory, and you will be comfortable fighting against Dragunov quickly. Remember, improvement takes time, so don’t be stressed if things don’t stick to you quickly. Take your time and enjoy the ride! Stay tuned for more guides and tips on Tekken 8!
Here is a guide below on how to generally improve at the game:
