Vega has the potential to be a major tournament winning character but that potential is being destroyed by some real bad flaws on his SF4 design. I will suggest fixing those in one way ot other.
I am much aware that expecting Capcom to implement all of these changes would be foolish. But I think at least some of these changes can get implemented and will carry Vega to a higher standard. I really hope Capcom will take these into consideration.
NORMALS:
-cr.hp:
Problem: With this move, Vega gets into a great posture that would be an efficient anti-air. But as his hitbox is not on tip of his claw, instead on tip of his hand and inside his hurtbox, this move proves ineffective, mostly gets stuffed by any attack.
Solution: The hitbox in this move must be moved to the tip of his claw.
-st.hk:
Problem: This move is fast, hits twice, so breaks armor. But the same hitbox problem also exists here. For a standing opponent, the first hit usually misses. Even after a cr.mk-st.hk combo, the combo doesn’t happen and the first hit misses. For a jumping in opponent, it has the perferct angle to stop dive-kicks but because of the hitbox, it again gets stuffed. It also has a very bad recovery time for a move you cannot start a combo with and gets stuffed easily.
Solution: The hitbox of the first hit must get enlarged. The frame advantage must be -5 on block, 0 on hit. It is now -7 on block, -2 on hit.
-cr.lp
Problem: One of the biggest problems of Vega is he cannot get a combo started easily because he cannot get the time for a charge while comboing normals until cancelling them to a special. To explain further: If you catch the opponent with a cr.mp while you were unable to charge, you cannot combo it into anything so you cannot get a pressure or damage dealt. The only normal that gives you enough time to charge during its animation is st.hp, because afterwards you can connect it to cr.mp and ex.fba. But the problem is st.hp starts in 9 frames. Anything will hit you. So, like nearly the whole cast, you have to get that time from your jab-jab-jab combo to charge and cancel into a special. But that combo is an unplinkable 1 frame link and has 8 frames of recovery. So you will eat a dp if you miss that link, which is the easiest link to miss. The reward for landing this normal doesn’t even come close to its risk.
Solution: This move’s frame data must be improved to: 3 frames start-up, +5 on hit, +2 on block.
-cr.hk
Problem: This move is a huge risk for the player to throw it out. We all know that slides in this game are not for combos mainly, except for some characters, but to throw it out to check the opponent. But while most of them are (like Bison, Guile) ex.cancellable or safer on block (like Rose, Chun-li), Vega’s slide goes on and on for 13 frames and recovers in 17 frames, cannot be ex.cancelled and leaves you in -12 on block.
Solutions: This move can be ex.cancelled
-close st.mp, close st.mk, close st.lp, close st.lk, far.st mp, far st.lp, far st.hp
Problem: These moves have no use in Vega’s game.
Solution: I can suggest some uses for these moves. It is of course upto Capcom to implement these but we must have some use for at least some of these moves.
close st.mp: start-up 5 fr. pulls the opponent closer, +4 on hit
close st.mk: +6 on hit
close st.lp: +4 on hit
close st.lk: +5 on hit
far st.mp: +4 on hit
far st.lp: hitbox moved above his hurtbox to work as an anti-air
far st.hp: 10 fr. start-up (from 8). 170 damage, 250 stun. crumples opponent
-jump forward lk
Problem: As a character that lacks a way to open up a blocking opponent for damage, Vega can really use a cross-up. And this move has the perfect animation for that.
Solution: cross-up property implemented. The hitstun gets increased by 2 frames.
SPECIALS:
Problem: This move was intended to be a reliable anti-air. After years, most Vega players have adjusted themselves to use it in that way when the situation is suitable. But we mostly use it in combos. I am against its becoming invincible altogether but there is a logical problem with its being air-born and being hit by jabs.
Also, as it is mostly used in combos, the down-back charge is really unnecessary.
And third: mk and lk versions whiff on crouchers most of the time.
Solution: On all versions, Vega’s lower body invincible from the first frame to the end of its active frames. It requires back charge, instead of down-back. mk and lk versions hit crouchers in cr.lk-mk/lk st combo.
Problem: The only problem with this move is against some characters, like Rose, Chun-li, etc., the ex verion doesn’t hit after a cr.mp or cr.mk.
Solution: The hitbox’s down portion must be enlarged.
Problem: Other than the ex.version, this move has no use in the game. I can again suggest some use. But this suggestion will change the whole way the move functions.
Solution: The recovery on block on all versions get bigger. But on hit, there is no knock down on the opponent and Vega drops in front of the opponent with +7 frame advantage, so he can get a combo started. The same applies to the ex.version.
-Rolling Crystal Flash
Problem: Right now, the normal versions of this move is only there for some combos. But even then the first hit of the lp version mostly whiffs in a cr.lp-cr.mp-lp.rcf combo and you get punished for properly pulling your combo.
The second thing is it still is not a true block string and can get cut by ultras.
The third thing is, it was a great improvement for ex.rcf to have that frame adv. on hit. But its projectile inv. property doesn’t get its usage because of the very slow start-up, so you actually don’t get that much opportunity to use that frame adv. on hit and land a combo.
Solution: The single roll of the lp versions hit further horizontally. The block and hitstun during the move increases to make it a true blockstring. Ex.roll gets it start-up animation increased by 4 frames. 16 from 20. Same as the mp version.
SUPER
Problem: Right now, Vega has the worst super move in the game. The reason is that, he must charge for it, go to the wall, then jump from the wall, come close to the opponent and grab. In this long process, he doesn’t have any kind of invincibility, and no way to combo into this super. So it is unbelievably easy for the opponent to evade this move.
Solution: The going to the wall part of the move hits the opponent like ex.fba. This also will make a rcf into super combo possible as you can already cancel it from rcf.
ULTRA
-Bloody High Claw
Problem: I, personally, do not ever use this ultra due to its many problems.
Problem number one is, there is nearly no way to combo into this ultra except for a very rare situation where you land an anti-air Cosmic Heel. Even then, the motion of the ultra makes this combo incredibly difficult, and landing U2 in that situation is much easier. So you can choose U2 instead of this if this is the use you want as a player.
Problem number two is, as the going to the wall section doesn’t have any invincible frames and there is no hitbox on your head, the ultra gets stuffed by jump ins or jab mashes even before you leave the ground and you land back with an emptied revenge gauge suddenly.
Problem number three is, even if you get to land this ultra while going to the wall, the main part still can whiff!
Solution: Vega is invincible from start-up until he reaches the wall. The screen freezes if he hits the opponent while going to the wall, so the opponent won’t fall off from the second part of the ultra. The solution for problem number one will come with the Cosmic Heel section.
UNIQUE ATTACKS
Problem: This move is one of the best offense tools for Vega. But with the frame data changed in the Arcade Edition, it became really risky and the pressure you could put on in Super Street Fighter 4 got destroyed.
This move also is one of the two ways to combo the ultras from. Considering the other way is jump forward hp/hk- U1/U2, and that there is no time for hit confirm if you are going to do this, this option is not really valid. So, anti-air CH-U1/U2 remains the only way to combo into ultra. But the problem is, Vega has a huge hurtbox around his body during the move, and the hitbox is really lower than that. So hitting an opponent in the air with Cosmic Heel requires the opponent to do an unsafe empty jump in front of you, which is a big rarity in tournament conditions.
Solution: The frame advantages on hit and on block return to the Super Street Fighter 4 form.
The move, on hit, makes the opponent float higher to make comboing into Ultra easier and eliminates the necessity to land Cosmic Heel as an anti-air.
Problem: While this is the only way to open up a down-back blocking opponent, it doesn’t give any other reward other than that one hit and the opponent there down back blocking again. And the -4 frames on block doesn’t make it worth the risk as the reward is that low.
Solution: Frames remain -4 on block but +4 on hit.
-Backflips
Problem: While it is a nice thing to have these, you cannot use them in professional matches due to the huge recovery.
Solution: No change for their recovery but pressing forward while doing these, makes Vega do a forward flip instead of back.