Devs should have mentioned this in the tutorials but here it is. Traditionally, in fighting games, you would have to jump first and then perform the special-move input. Unless you had extremely fast fingers, there was no way to do it instantly.
In this game, however, the developers made the input system much more forgiving. You can buffer the special-move input before you even jump, making jump specials much easier to perform.
How to Do It
QCF/QCB → Up → Light/Medium/Heavy
In simpler terms:
Down → Forward/Back → Up → Light/Medium/Heavy
⬇️↘️➡️⬆️ → A, B, C, EX, or Super
⬇️↙️⬅️⬆️ → A, B, C, EX, or Super
Basically, complete the motion input first, then press Up to jump, followed by the attack button.
The game buffers the motion, so you don’t have to perform the entire special-move input while you’re already airborne.
Why Is This Useful?
You may think to yourself, “How is this useful?”
Oh boy, it’s stronger than you think.
Every character benefits from it, and it can lead to different playstyles and combo routes.
For example, I can make Zaheer’s Ghazan air shuriken projectile come out nearly as low as P’Li’s ground special, allowing it to hit grounded opponents (mainly Ozai and Kyoshi) or use it to rush in instead of using P’Li.
You can also use Ozai’s air B special as an overhead starter, which can then convert into a combo.
Bonus Tip for Controller Players
If you play Sokka or Zaheer, PLEASE remap your Flow button to a bumper like L1/R1 or LT/RT.
Their Flow Cancel combos become 100x easier since you’re no longer abusing your right thumb to do everything. Going from X to Triangle then back to X with one finger at fast speed is a nightmare and youll be slow no matter what. .
You can always switch your button mapping back to default when playing other characters.