Heroes Are A Paranoid Lot: A Near-Comprehensive Guide To Scarecrow

By BxA Ragnarok



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Welcome, to the Parliament of Fear ​

Overview

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Movement

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Pokes & Normals (As of 8/9/17)

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D1: It would be criminal to not speak on Scarecrow's D1 in the current state of the game.



Startup: 6F

Block Advantage: -2F

Hit Advantage: +13F

Combo From? : Y​

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D3: Scarecrow's sweep. Also very good in the current Meta. Against some characters it becomes a

very strong meaty tool on knockdown.​

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Startup: 20f

Block Advantage: +1F

Hit Advantage: +38F

Combo From?: Y​

Anti Air Conversions



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Perhaps you were captivated by Whiteboi's performance at CEO. Maybe you were one of the unfortunate few to run across a skilled one online. Or, could it be you've always felt something deep down in the pit of your soul? An addictive feeling of ecstasy from the fear of your opponents. Watching them cower into submission, afraid to press any button for fear of what will happen next? Whatever the reason, you and Dr. Jonathan Crane have now become aligned. You are Scarecrow.============================================================================*The thoughts & opinions expressed in this guide reflect my personal point of view. You're free todisagree and we can talk if you do so in a respectful manner.Scarecrow has been described by many to be a bit of a Hybrid Character Archetype. His strengths include powerful jump attacks, fast long range pokes and a devastating mix up game up close. He isn't for the every-man as it takes a bit of work overcoming certain match ups that would otherwise be considered even. He isn't the strongest character on the Tier List however his Pro's do outweigh his cons. For the patient player, Scarecrow has just the right tools to be a true Nightmare for the opponent.Scarecrow's forward movement walk speed isn't bad by any means. The character doesn't have much of a problem in this area. While he's no Catwoman, Scarecrow's long range normals combined with his forward movement make it relatively easy to close the distance against most other characters. You will notice however that his backwards walk is a little on the slower side. Though in most situations your goal will be to move forward, not necessarily backward.Scarecrow's back-dash is the stuff of Nightmares but not in the way you'd like. With his larger hurt box the scuttle-esque animation doesn't always help Crow avoid strings/normals that other characters would be able to avoid with ease. His forward Dash, best described as a quick hop forward covers a fair bit of ground. His Meter Burn Roll doesn't cover a great deal of space, so it's not always the best to get around zoning. However the little space you do cover dashing in is aided by how much space Crow's normals control.While Scarecrow's Jump normals cover a long range in front/below him, his large hurt box & floaty animation can make it harder to jump in on certain characters. That isn't to say his aerial approach is bad, it's just not universally exceptional.It would be hard for anyone to argue how good Scarecrow's D1 is. At 6 frames, it's the go to button for all quick punishes. As is common in Injustice, D1 will combo into Scarecrow's most ideal combo extenders on hit. It is also one of the few normals he has that will Tick into Command Grab on block. This, coupled with the move being only -2 on block make it easily one of the best buttons in the game.At first glance you wouldn't think that Scarecrow's sweep would be an ideal button. After all, how good can a normal be that has 20 frames of startup? Once you delve into Scarecrow's Oki Pressure and Neutral you'll begin to see just how good of a button this can be in certain situations. Scarecrow's sweep has one of the longest reaches in the game. It also has very little in the way of recovery (14 frames) which means on whiff it isn't very punishable, unless on a read. The long startup and short recovery make it an ideal tool to use on an opponent's knockdown, particularly those who have high wake ups, or slow ones. Using As an example, Scarecrow's sweep will low profile Punch Float, leaving him with a free whiff punish. If Atrocitus blocks, Scarecrow is +1. If he tries to MB B3, Scarecrow will have recovered in time to block. Experiment for yourself and see how best to apply this normal.Scarecrow's D2 is an arching normal that covers a crescent from the 4 o'clock position to just behind his head.Startup: 11FBlock Disadvantage: -18FHit Advantage: +57FCombo From?: YWhile Scarecrow's D2 isn't always the best at covering cross ups, there's no denying just how potent of a tool this normal is. With it's wide range, jumping at Scarecrow becomes very risky. Up close it can play an even bigger role in your mind games as D2 is another one of the few normals Scarecrow can Tick into Command Grab with. For opponents that like to jump, you may also cancel into Fear-Ferno and launch for full combo. There are gaps in some of the cancels, however exploiting them requires a good read from the opponent. Use at your own discretion."Ground Shaker" A mid hitting downward arching swing of Scarecrow's hook that covers from the top of his head to the ground just as his feet.Startup: 17fBlock Disadvantage: -10fHit Advantage: +19fCombo From?: YYou'd almost think this move is an overhead judging from the animation. Scarecrow swings the hook of his chain from the top of his head down to his feet. While it's not the fastest mid in his arsenal, it does have a variety of uses. Due to the unique animation it functions as a decent Anti Air when done on a read and can even stop some cross up attempts. It also serves as a Tick Grab normal for Scarecrow's Command Grab. You may not be using Stand 3 much since the accompanying string of Stand 3 F2 1+3 is almost completely useless. However you may find it a strong normal to use in the corner. It's slower which allows him to stuff some Semi-Invincible wake ups. You'll also be able to mix the opponent mid screen & in the corner by using it to setup command grabs or MB Fear Ferno pressure. Lastly Stand 3 generally nets a bit more damage when used as a combo ender, beating most other normals & strings with the exception of F13.A deceptively long range downward swipeStartup: 17fBlock DIsadvantage: -8fHit Advantage: +6fCombo From?: YAkin to stand 3, B2 is not among Scarecrow's faster buttons. However while lacking in speed the deceptive range of B2 makes it ideal when handling opponents in sweep range. The accompanying string of B22 is very good for handling opponents who may try to dash in or jump from short distances as it extends from Arm Length to an upward swing cover his face & head.Hook Lunge. An advancing mid that moves Scarecrow forward about 9 steps.Startup: 15fBlock Disadvantage: -9Hit Advantage: +4Combo From?: YArguably one of Scarecrow's best normals. Hook Lunge quite literally carries Scarecrow forward roughly 9 steps. While not entirely safe on block it is special-cancellable allowing one to combo into Command Grab on hit or cancel into Db3 to be reasonably safe. It's most practical use when one has meter on block is to cancel into MB DB2, thus allowing you to quickly and safely close the distance between you and your opponent. The downside, if you could call it to that to this move is that it's not a true 100% mid. Characters with low profiling moves (Catwoman) (Red Hood) (Cheetah) can duck under it. It may not come up often but be advised in those match ups.Long range upward swing of his Scythe & Chain.Startup: 28fBlock Disadvantage: +3fHit Advantage: +65fCombo From?:YOften described as (soap bar in my mouth) Scarecrow's B3 is one of his better normals in the game. While not as plus as you may like, the long range and curving hit box of the move make it nearly impossible to dodge up close. What will likely have your opponent up in arms is that Scarecrow's chain can hit people who jump over him.Longest range F3 in the game.Startup: 28fBlock Disadvantage: -28fHit Advantage: +59fCombo From?: YUnlike his B3, Scarecrow's F3 is extremely negative on block. You may think it unfair, but the length of this move more than makes up for how unsafe it is on block. The full length of the F3 will hit opponents who are up to half screen away. Also, from that range only a handful of characters can punish it on block. One of it's more practical uses is for opponents in the corner who would otherwise try to jump out or throw a misplaced projectile.