Among the playable cast ofTekken 8, there are simple characters and there are complicated characters. Characters like, say, Yoshimitsu have a whole lot of different Stances and unique mechanics. In comparison, someone like Paul Phoenix is a lot simpler and a perfect choice for beginners.
But, that doesn’t mean Paul Phoenix is ‘just’ simple, while he’s easy to pick up the self-titled ‘Strongest in the Universe’ is difficult to master, which is what this guide aims to help with. So, let’s look at who Paul Phoenix is, how he’s different inTekken 8, how he’s meant to be played, and more.
Who Paul Phoenix Is & What He Means To Tekken
The Story Of This All-American ‘Bear Killer’
While Paul Phoenix is a character that’s beenaround since the originalTekkengame, he’s not exactly the most ‘complex’ character. In a few short words,Paul Phoenix is a hot-headed guy who loves fighting and has a couple of fated ‘rivals’ those being Kazuya Mishima (though they haven’t fought much since the originalTekken) and Kuma.In fact, these two (Paul and Kazuya) actually had a battle against each other for hours at the end of the first King of Iron Fist Tournament. Since then, Paul hasn’t really ‘fought’ against Kazuya one on one for over 20 years, which is why everyone views Kuma to be Paul’s rival much more than Kazuya nowadays. After all, the guy has competed in just about every King of Iron Fist Tournament and might as well be ‘cursed’ because he can’t seem to avoid facing the giant bear Kuma regardless of what bracket he starts in.
All-in-all, Paul Phoenix is sort of treated like a ‘joke character’ or comic relief in theTekkenstories, which is a bit of a shame. He’s always either beaten by Kuma, destitute in his own dojo made from an abandoned building, orscheming with Marshall Lawto compete ‘with’ each other in the tournament and split the money afterwards. But, at the end of the day, Paul is one of the most animated and joy-filled characters on the roster, which is a big part of why he’s so beloved. Though, let’s be honest, the new hairdo he’s sporting inTekken 8probably won’t come back in the next game, as so many Paul playersare using his more classic skins instead.
How The Tekken Notates Combos & Attacks
For Writing Out Directional Inputs, Attacks, & Combo Strings
Just like with our otherTekken 8character guides, it’s first important to break down how exactly players are meant to read inputs for this game in guides online. TheTekkencommunity uses a bit of a unique nomenclature for writing out their inputs as opposed to following the standard Light Punch, Heavy Punch, Light Kick, Heavy Kick method. To be more specific,Tekkenhas Left Punch, RIght Punch, Left Kick, and Right Kick that are expressed in the same order as 1, 2, 3, and 4. So, a combo that followed a sequence of, say, Left Punch into Right Punch into Left and Right Punch together would be written as 1,2,1+2.
When doing things this way,Tekkenplayers can easily readhow a combo or attack string is performedregardless of what their controller method is (be it a fight stick, controller, or even keyboard). We aren’t going to get over all the terminology used or how it’s written, but for the sake of this guide, here’s what you’ll need to know:
u
d
b
f
While crouching
1
2
3
4
u/f
d/f
u/b
d/b
Paul Phoenix Overview
Deathfists, Demo-Mans, & Dangerous Pressure
Funnily enough, Paul and Marshall Law actually have a lot in common when it comes to their overall game plan. Both characters are very offense-focused in their attack options, both have one or two very iconic moves (Somersault for Lee, Demolition Man for Paul), and both have one or two unique ‘gimmicks’ but are primarily pretty easy to understand.Where Paul differs, however, is that he’s much more about landing huge high-damage hits than multiple smaller hits like Marshall Law is.
Additionally, Paul’s Heat mode is absurdly powerful inTekken 8, one of the strongest in the game. Combine that with his large number of moves that can get his opponent against the wall and punish them dearly once they’re there, and Paul has a pretty easy-to-achieve gameplan each match. As one would expect, both his Deathfist and Demolition Man play a large part in this gameplan, but there are a variety of other shoulder-tackles, uppercuts, and more that are worth using as well.
Paul Phoenix’s Rage Art
Big Bang Phoenix Smasher
As far as ‘number of attacks’ go, Paul Phoenix may have the lowest number in the game for his Rage Art.When using Bing Bang Phoenix Smasher, Paul literally only does one gigantic punch. Granted, it’s a punch with some of the most ridiculous windup out there, but it’s still one punch regardless.
But of course, for someone who is the strongest in the universe, it only makes sense that they could brutalize their opponent in a single punch. So, like Marshall Law, Paul’s Rage Art is very ‘on brand’ for him. Mechanically it’s also one of the rare Rage Arts that starts with a low-hit, meaning it’ll catch a ton of people who don’t know this off guard the first couple of times it’s used against them.Just remember that Paul has to be at 25 percent health or lower to enter Rage and that if you rely on his Rage Art too heavily you’ll likely get grabbed by the opponent right after they block it with almost no chance of escaping.
Paul’s Gameplan & Gimmicks
DSS, Stance Switching, Oppressive Offense, & More
Contrary to how it probably looks at a glance or after fighting him once, Paul Phoenix actually does have mechanical complexity.Not only does he have a couple of moves with just frames for maximum damage, he also technically has a few basic Stances as well:
qcf (Quarter Circle Forward)
N/A
Paul Phoenix ‘ducks in’ closer to his opponent, very similar to how Steve Fox does
Paul’s main ‘Stance’ but one that a lot of early Paul players don’t utilize often. While the input might seem easy, getting a qcf consistently on a fighting stick especially takes some practice. Regardless, Paul has a lot of options from this Stance, including going into Deep Dive which has even more options.
DF after Cormorant Step
Paul ducks a bit again even lower after the duck from Cormorant Step
Again, similar to Steve Fox’s extended Ducking In, Paul can hold DF after Cormorant step to duck again, which leads to a whole other branch of moves. Hard to do currently inTekken 8due to how often people are pushing buttons, but still very useful in the right circumstance.
qcb (Quarter Circle Back)
Paul leans backward
Opposite to Cormorant Step, Sway is a retreating Stance that is great for mixing up opponents with 6 or so attacks you may choose after Swaying.
d,4,2,1+2
qcf,d,4,2,1+2
Paul sweeps the opponent’s legs, elbows them mid-air, spins, and get’s one more big hit on them.
Not a Stance, but this is one of Paul’s most iconic moves. Between this, Deathfist, and his Hopkick, Paul has three fantastic options whenever he’s face to face with his opponent.
Essentially, Paul’s gameplan is as follows for most matchups:
And that’s really about it for Paul, while he has a lot of moves he has a good handful that are so incredibly good compared to the others that it’s hard to utilize his full kit effectively if you’re not careful.
Everything You Need To Get Started With Paul Phoenix
Great Poke, Punish, & Counter Suggestions and Much More
Overall, Paul Phoenix is one of themore popular characters among the playerbase ofTekken 8, and for good reason.He’s a very strong character with simple yet incredibly effective mixup options, great offensive pressure, single hits that deal absurd damage, and a low-hitting Heat Smash. That said, here are a couple of other general tips with him to keep in mind.
Explanation
Paul’s jab game is weak compared to a lot of the cast. His 1 is fast and his 1, 2 is reliable poke, but he doesn’t go into full strings off his jabs like a lot of other characters do.
While Paul has some incredibly strong kicks, they’re not where his primary damage comes from. Typically these kicks are used either in Demolition Man, as an occasional low mixup, as a heat engaged, or as a launcher, they’re not what’s dealing the ‘meat’ of the damage. This can take some getting used to for someone who has been playing any other fighter (outside of Steve) and just switched to Paul.
It can be scary at first, but you got to stay close to your opponent. Paul Phoenix isn’t very scary at all if the opponent’s spacing is on point. Stick close and keep the pressure on.
1 is a great poke, but d/f2 is an amazing mid-range option that comes out fast, launches, and sets Paul up for a lot of damage. If they’re ducking your jabs, start relying on the d/f2.
5
The timing between the three hits of Demolition Man takes a bit of getting used to. You don’t want to input these buttons lightning-fast. If it helps, think of the back beat ofWe Will Rock You(the dun,dun, DUN) and attempt to match the inputs to this and you should get a proper Demolition Man every time.
6
Paul has a lot of grabs, and a lot of them are very easy to mixup an opponent with since most have different breaks. Remember to utilize these. Obviously the standard 1+3 or 2+4 grabs are good but his f2 or WR (while running) 2 are great options too.
To cap things off with Paul Phoenix, he’s a very fun character that is easily to learn and hard to master.Once you take Paul into Ranked Matches, he might feel a bit ‘stiff’ compared to other characters, and this is because Paul doesn’t benefit from button-mashing as much as other fighters do. So, remember your core tools and you should be fine.But, worst case scenario just use Deathfist or Demolition Man and things will probably work out.
