For a game that prides itself on fast pacing and the ability to dash cancel almost anything, I often hear people in the Senran Kagura community saying that Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus cannot be played competitively.

To which I have to say, they're not completely wrong. The inability to keep out AI opponents, wonky scoring system, and poorly explained 'how to' of turning off grunts can make SV seem like a casual clusterf**k. And that's not including the steep imbalance in character abilities.

All of these things combined can make SV seem like a game only worth buying for the story with little replay value outside of the occasional mod that comes along.
However, many of these issues can be overcome and/or improvised upon by following a certain set of guidelines so that Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus can be played in a more competitive and more balanced light.
Without further ado, let's get into it.

First let's get the technical stuff out of the way.
Now I will leave a disclaimer that I am no Wifi-IT Guru, so this is by no means a guaranteed way to ensure that your game runs smoothly online, but I can give some basic tips to help reduce stuttering and buffering for a smoother experience playing Shinovi Versus.

• Make sure any unnecessary tabs, programs, or apps are closed and not running in the background: As a rule for any game, having additional apps open in the background can really eat up your RAM and potentially make your game run slower (especially major software like internet browsers). Check your task manager and keep open only what you need (or use an alternate source like your phone as you play).
  
• Try to reduce the number of players to no more than two: While some people may not have problems with this, I have heard reports of people saying that the overall buffering and lag would increase with a party of 4 vs just 1 and a friend playing together.
  
• On that note, Make sure all players have good wifi: This is a general for any online game. If you want to have a solid connection, make sure your wifi is decent.
  
• Do not play Understorm mode: both my friend and I have decently strong computers and wifi, however, we only played Understorm once, and our frame rates dropped dramatically. Not so much that the game was unplayable, but it was enough for us to not do it again. (That and it's not the best mode for competitive play anyhow)
  
• Make sure your computer has plenty of Ram and GPU: the minimum requirements according to the Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus store page is 6GB of Ram, 6GB of available storage, and an i3 processor. However, for a solid connection, it is recommended to have a 8GB of Ram and an i5 Processor.
  

Please Note: This isn't to say you will indeed have any of these issues should you not follow them, nor is this a definitive set of answers to your problems, but rather it is a guideline to work by should you run into these issues.

Nobody likes a third wheel. I've met many a player who's claimed that grunts cannot be disabled whatsoever. This however, is far from true, and I will show you how, It's super easy.

First, set up your multiplayer room. Once you are in the room, hover over the "Ready" button. While hovering over this, press RB (I think R on Keyboard) or Block and you should get a message like the one below which says "ready to start with grunts disabled". Depending on whether you play with M&KB, Controller, or custom controls this may vary. But this is the guaranteed way to turn off grunts in your multiplayer game. Keep in mind, only room hosts can do this.

Simple, right? You can now play Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus grunt free. I understand your frustration at how simple this may have been, and I agree. It's bad game design to not properly explain things to your players, but that's what guides like these are for.

"Okay, so you've showed me how to turn off grunts. What about the annoying AI?" you may ask. Sadly, there is no way to truly turn off bots in Shinovi Versus.

However, this is where we can get creative. Though annoying, there's no denying the fact that the AI is dumb, as they will often run into walls trying to navigate around the map, seeking for opponents. Below I will have a list of maps viable for 1 on 1 matches that will keep bots at bay. But the general idea is for human players to choose maps where bots will either get stuck or be too busy fighting each other to bother you, while keeping to designated areas until fleeing to a new one.

Q: But what if they come at us?
A: Ever heard the statement "Two's company, Three's a crowd"? Whenever an AI opponent decides to waltz in on you and your partner's dance of death, both players must take a temporary truce, stop fighting and flee to a new area before resuming your fight. I like to call this the 2-3 Rule.

Q: What if the bots maul me when I respawn?
A: If you can safely evade the bots while returning to your combatant's designated area, then do so. However, if you get spawn ambushed by a decent amount of your HP, you may take a revenge kill sequence and gain a scroll or 2 in place of your lost health.

Q: the bots won't leave us alone. Help.
A: Continue to follow the 2-3 Rule. Try to lure the bot into getting stuck or fighting the other bot. If the bot still continues to trail you, you may enact the Enemy of my Enemy Rule, where either both or one of you takes turns killing the bot without hitting each other in the process.

Other ways to avoid/minimize bot nuisance

• Choose less troublesome characters-some characters like Dash types (i.e. Ikaruga, Murakumo), tanky types (Katsuragi, Yomi), are more troublesome and more likely to interfere. Whereas characters like Yumi, Minori, and Mirai are less troublesome due to low damage and weaker ninpos. Keeping them on minimum difficult also helps.
  
• Have a party of 4-the #1 most easiest way to evade bots? Don't have any at all. Invite your friends and play either a game of switch-off duels, play 2 sets of 1v1s at a time, or play team matches. However, as mentioned in the Connectivity Section, this can possibly increase the amount of stuttering/buffering.

What makes a viable map? A viable map must be...
-Large enough and/or have plenty of obstacles to keep bots at bay
-Be generally flat and open with little awkward or narrow terrain.
Viable maps are categorized as follows...

Truly Viable and Very Viable Maps
Hebijo Garden: the only truly viable map, Hebijo Garden's massive roundabout makes it tough for the AI to navigate while providing several solid combat spots for 1v1s
Sandy Shore Beach: A very viable map, Sandy Shore is one long coast, easily allowing players to separate themselves from any bots while still having enough room to play competitively.
Shop District-Street: the numerous buildings lining the streets of the Shop District make for a great deterrence to any unwanted bots. While not as spacious as some other maps, it's length and anti-bot gated garden area more than make up for it's lack of openness.
(Shop District-Street: Yumi, too thick headed to navigate through the gated garden, decides to flail at Minori from behind)

Moderately Viable Maps
Mt. Orochi Brush: the woods of Mt. Orochi Brush are moderately long and curved, enough to keep bots occupied with each other. But what makes this map viable are the three cornered off sections of the map, furthering separation while still providing enough space to fight.
Mt. Orochi Village: Moderately flat with open space, the large houses which separate the rear gardens from the rice patty fields tend to keep the bots away. Combined with it's medium size makes it easy to flee if your unwanted visitors start poking around.

Somewhat Viable Maps
In general, Somewhat viable maps usually have features of moderately viable maps, but they are usually smaller and thus more prone to needing to flee from bots. These maps include...
Gessen 1st Floor: While a larger map in nature, it's octangular shape and lower fountain area are relied upon to keep bots at bay.
Snow Mountain Field: a generally wide, open space, The only thing between the player and unwanted ai is the large, red bridge in the center.
Gessen Garden: While bots will generally keep to themselves between the main courtyard and lower entrance, the map's miniscule size may force plays to switch up a bit when they come around.
Hanzo Rooftop: a tiny map, the upper rooftop tends to keep the bots away most of the time as players will switch between the two lower rooftop areas.
(Hanzo Rooftop: Ikaruga, channeling her inner loner, tries to stay away from the roof party)

While these maps can still certainly be played, we do not recommend them for competitive play.

Almost Barely Viable
Hanzo Campus, Hanzo Gym, & Shop District Temple: These are maps which almost made the cut with their flat, open areas. However, each of the aforementioned maps fail to include any major obstacles and rely solely on the bots staying in their respective areas.

Absolute Not Viable
Battlefield (both versions), Snow Mountain Peak, Shop District Gate, Gessen Rooftop, Mt. Orochi Falls: All stages just listed have similar problems in being too small with too few obstacles, thus making separation from 1v1s impossible without a party of four.
Hebijo Castle Keep, Training Field: Relatively small maps, their awkward terrain makes for undesirable competitive play.
(Battlefield: I guess even some people enjoy a casual clusterf**k from time to time)

What is the Shinovi Versus Balance List?
No doubt, the Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus Cast is horribly imbalanced, even moreso than it's successor. Painstakingly crafted by myself and KiryuConway over many, numerous tests, The balance list exists to make matches feel less one-sided and more engaging by separating characters by tiers.

How to play the Balance List
Each set of characters is divided by tiers. Each Tier can only face one tier above it, below it, or against itself. For example, someone like Yagyu could face either Ryobi, Shiki, or Hikage. However Yozakura could not face the likes of Rin or Murakumo. Recently updated, Miyabi and Yomi are on par with Rin and Daidoji
(the Shinovi Versus Balance List: Version 2.6 as of 8/3/2021)

Will the Balance List ever change?
My friend and I have done extensive and tedious testing of said character's abilities and limits and we have made many updates to it over time. If you wish to make a case for a change in the Balance List, DM me via steam or join my discord server.
If you like this guide, I'll consider making another guide, going into detail as to why each character is where they are on the balance list.

These are a general (but by no means definitive) list of guidelines when playing Shinovi Versus Meta. For fairness, it is advised both players follow these rules.

• 1. Keep to a specific area. Flee and apply the 2-3 Rule listed under the Evading Bots Q&A section.
  
• 2. When evading bots, resist the urge to resume your battle until you have both reached the designated area.
  
• 3. Try to avoid grabbing items, as this could be considered cheating. While some may choose to edit and make exceptions to this rule (i.e. riceballs can be taken when hp is in red), Full Regen Cartons are considered penalty-worthy.
  
• 4. If accidentally knocked into a Full Regen Carton, your opponent is permitted 1 free ninpo against you (ultimates not allowed) which you may not limit break from.
  
• 5. If bots spawn-attack you or continuously harass you, you may apply the Enemy of my Enemy rule, also listed under Evading Bots Q&A, and eliminate them.
  
• 6. Overall try to avoid farming points from bots unless absolutely necessary as per Number 5 above.
  
• 7. Play by the Shinovi Versus Balance List (see section for details).
  
• 8. DO NOT CONTINUOUSLY RUN: Nobody likes a fleeing camper. If you continuously flee after all bots have been successfully evaded or to simply make the fight stall you will be disqualified. Fleeing in the case of your opponent entering an invincible form (Homura, Hikage), however, is acceptable to some degree.
  
• 9. Try and Keep track of kills fairly: We understand that the scoring system for Shinovi Versus is wonky and needlessly complex, So we try to keep things on a need know basis. While this is certainly not a requirement as one can simply go by the rules of Deathmatch or Strip Battles, keeping track of one's kill count can certainly make the game feel more consistent.

(the Deathmatch scoring system, according to the Senran Kagura wiki[senrankagura.fandom.com].)

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus might be an imbalanced mess, but we love it anyways. And that's why folks like me have fleshed out a guide like this so that way those who enjoy a more competitive scene can take advantage of the fast pacing and cancel options that Shinovi Versus offers.

Do you have to play by this guide?: Absolutely not. You may play your games however you like. However, this guide is to find and strike a balance in a game which is otherwise lacking in such an area so as to make the game more enjoyable without feeling like a complete mess.

Special thanks to my friend, Kiriyu_Conway, who helped me through hours of testing and balancing with Senran Kagura: Shinovi Verus.

The Shinovi Versus Deathmatch conditions were pulled from the Senran Kagura Wiki
https://senrankagura.fandom.com/wiki/Kagurapedia