CvS2: Blanka Training Guide

Classic Fighting Games Capcom VS SNK 2
1

I really like the comprehensive Guile guide Majestros did over in the Fighting Game Discussion forum. That, in my opinion, is what the SRK forums are meant to be like. Seasoned and casual SF players alike can come to this website to learn a character from their favorite fighting game without having to sort through page after page of useless info, bad advice, or just plain ignorance at times. One or two pretentious people is alright, but when everybody thinks they’re an expert nowadays it ruins my experience whenever I come here now. Clear, consise, and to the point is all I ask for when read about a character I’m interested in that’s all. Definately NOT what this forum is in it’s current state. You can always learn something from people who are more experienced right?

Link to original Blanka Guide:

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/thread19520.php

Blanka.

Undisputed top-tier character in CvS2. At high levels, this is the character winning tournies after tournies. Super technical (at least the way I like to play him), but also downright cheap and braindead to use at times too (straight to the point… I also like that). I play A and C Blanka seriously in tournaments, so this thread will focus mostly on strategy and techniques for these two grooves only. I’ll play N and P if I’m messing around, and K I’m still a newbie trying to learn. I’m not even going to pretend I know anything about those other grooves though, so please nobody ask.

Pros/Cons to keep in mind when playing as Blanka:

PROS:
-Very powerful attacks. The damage he dishes out per hit is unproportional compared to like 80% of the rest of the cast. (1600 for one hit of electricity, 1900-ish on counter hit ----> ridiculous)
-Above average stamina. 14800 hit points. The average base stamina is 14400 (Ryu and Kyo). Blanka can take damage a lot better the the rest of the cast. Still don’t try to get hit too often though.
-Excellent set of normal attacks. A lot of his normal attacks hit extremely fast and also leave him very safe afterward as well (1 frame jump up HP madness, close s.HP is unpunishable —> opposed to Sagat’s close s.HP).
-Range. In a lot of matchups, Blanka wins by the simple fact alone that he has moves which hit out farther than anything the opponent can throw at him. Blanka’s d.HK is the most notable. Blanka can be a powerful zoning character. You won’t be getting in too often if a skilled Blanka doesn’t want you too.
-Speed. Blanka’s jumping/falling speed can be ridiculous at times. Before you know it, Blanka will be all over you with a j.MK then making half your guard bar disappear when you don’t pay attention. Granted it’s no Vega jump, but still very tricky to watch for. His walking and dashing speed is excellent too. Learn to use those as soon as you can.
-Priority. See excellent normals again.

CONS:
-Large size. Although pixel-wise he not the tallest character (66 pixels when standing and he’s actually conisidered a “short” character when crouching too), he makes up for it by being considered a “fat” character on the ground widthwise. Bison can chain three c.LP’s, before linking a s.MP xx special anytime Blanka is on the ground (and blocking especially). This makes him a liabilty against cross-up happy characters (it’s VERY easy to hit a deep cross-up on him) and moves that have large hitboxes (magical Sagat c.HP’s hitting from behind anyone?).
-Bad alpha counter. Blanka can’t escape from an A-Sakura’s repeated DP’s or a Bison blocked CC string. That’s all I need to say about that.
-Has a few bad matchups, regardless of groove choice. Eagle can counter him outright, Vega can annoy him to hell, and there are a few more I’ll mention later too.

Is Blanka the right character choice for you?

-I like to play real techinical (ie. push lots of buttons)
-I’m patient. Unless, you’re playing K or N groove, you’ll be running away and turtling a lot.
-I like to win. (sorry, I’m biased :lol: )

Some prerequsites:

Manual dexterity. I cannot stress this enough. If you’ve never pushed buttons on a joystick before or have no concept of timing whatsover, I suggest you beef up on your basics first. A/C Blanka is NOT newbie friendly. Picking him up when you still know nothing about SF will only lead to bad habits and make you a scrub player in the end. Mashing on a button to get a move to come out will get you nowhere. Playstation pad masters will get nowhere too. Learning to press all/any six buttons on the SF layout like you would type on a computer keyboard is the closest analogy I can think of. Now that you’ve determined that you’re not a button spaz, learn the following please…

-Japanese style double tap for pressing buttons (“2x tap”). Brush middle finger on button immediately followed by index finger (or other way around if you like to be unorthodoxed). What you get is two button presses within less than half a second of each other. Crucial for getting out the inputs you need when doing links, specials/supers, or CC’s that have tight timing. Also very useful for tech hits, reversals, and attacking with normals right out of block stun.

-The “Piano”. Drum your fingers across HP, MP, then LP in that order QUICKLY and without getting your fingers stuck (again, in opposite direction is acceptable too). You have to be able to do this without thinking to play with Blanka’s RC electricity games.

-“Fast Electricty”. Two fingers over one button, then quickly drum up and down until you’ve pressed and released the button a total of at least five times in about one second. Can’t do it fast enough? Keep practicing until you can. Think of your girlfriend’s favorite battery powered toys…

-Generic RC button press. Push index finger and thumb together (thumb touches joint of index finger). These fingers hold down LP+LK for the roll input. Ring finger will hold down HP about half a second later. Make sure you get two distinct button press’s (LP+LK, then HP). If you press all three buttons at once (might as well just mash your whole palm in there) then you’re not doing it right.

2

Special Moves you should know

RC Hop: LP+LK, MK+HK

In theory, the execution to this move is simple. Press and hold two buttons, then hold down two other buttons. The way to press the buttons is a little unconventional for those who don’t know though. Instead of trying to twist your fingers into some contorted shape, miminized wrist strain and hit the MK+HK with your knuckles instead. Fold down your index and middle fingers to hit MK+HK with your first knuckles. This should be the first roll cancel you learn if you normally never use it.

Although this move is very good, do not abuse it to the point where you whole offense becomes just trying to RC hop in and do whatever. You ARE vulnerable during your landing frames. How I use it ----> Blanka’s universal roll is very slow. Anytime I would normally roll (ie. playing footsies and I know the opponent is about to use a laggy move), I use the RC Hop instead. That’s it. This is essentially Blanka’s LP+LK roll… only better. I wish all my characters could do this move. Very useful for going through Guile Sonic Booms too.

Forward Hop: any two kicks (I like just hitting all three)

Canceling from normals moves you would normally use up close is the best way to use it.

-d.MK xx KK
-s.LP/d.LP xx KK
-d.LK xx KK

From there I can mix it up between throw, RC electricity, jump straight up, CC activation, or normal attacks (jabs/shorts… once the opponent lets me). When you have full A-groove meter, using the command hop to move you into point blank range becomes a powerful tool. As for the RC electricity option, be conservative with those. There’s like a 3 frame vulnerabilty window after you land from the forward command hop. Going for an RC that close is just begging to be thrown, as you make that window even longer.

Back Hop: B+KK (just press all three kicks)

Blanka’s best and must-use postioning tool. At certain angles, against certain jump-ins, and against certain characters at point blank range, Blanka’s put in a postition he doesn’t want to be in (ie. he would be stronger if he were at more of a distance). The initial frames are invincible. Abuse them to the point your opponent starts to feel sick. Some uses:

-Avoiding throws. Probably the most common use. You don’t even have to guess. Just hop back everytime you feel threatened.
-Blanka has trouble anti-airing certain jump-ins (giving the opponent the advantage). In these situations, reset the match by creating some distance. The trick is to hop back as late as possible (ie. don’t press B+KKK until the LAST second against Chun or Cammy j.LK). Then make them block a d.HP or d.HK as they land.
-Footsies. Walk forward a little, opponent attacks, you B+KKK, opponent whiffs, you hit them in their recovery with d.HP/d.HK
-Wake-up games. Opponent knocked down. They try reversal srk as they get up. You completely avoid with B+KKK invicibility frames, d.MP xx Level 3 as they recover.
-Reversal on your own wake-up. Unless they perfectly time their meaty attack, or they’re baiting you so they can projectile super you in your recovery, back hopping as you get up is a very good tactic. Opponent loses all the momentum they recieved from knocking you down in the first place.

The weakness to this move is that even though it’s invincible in the beginning, there are a lot of vulnerable recovery frames in the end. Although the distance you create makes it so most characters can’t punish you anyway (ie. the characters who I think suck… Athena, Ryu, 90% of SNK… anybody who can’t do anything about RC Blanka ball or Honda headbutt scrubs), a few common tourney characters can. I wouldn’t even use the back hop vs. Eagle or Vega when up close for example. Both don’t even have to guess. Just jam on HP and they’ll hit Blanka every time he hops back. (Against Vega, you’re better off when you’re at point blank range anyway).

other notes:
-From neutral, two back hops give you your charge. You’ve just hopped back to escape a difficult jump-in for example. Opponent decides to press the attack or try and run at you (which is stupid for him). You can hop back again and give him a face full of RC Blanka Ball.
-Learn the timing to link one back hop to the other seemlessly. There should be no unnecessary pauses in between multiple hops. Listen to Blanka’s grunts to help you learn the timing. You’ll learn it within 30 seconds I guarantee.
-Don’t hop yourself into the corner. This one should go without saying right? Corners are deadly in CvS2. Get out with whatever way you can as soon as possible if you ever accidently end up in this position.

Fierce RC Blanka Ball: charge back, LP+LK, F+HP

1400 base damage, 1600 on counter hit.

The first of three critical moves that make or break a Blanka player. How you use these moves will determine whether your Blanka’s a beast or just plain scrub-tastic. Execution is easy. I find it easiest to hit roll when I’m still charged down at back, then go straight to forward and HP. No neutral, hand sliding, or anything silly involved. Keeping things simple is the best way. Holding down all the buttons you press is important too. I couldn’t even do this move until I started holding down the buttons. Now I can execute 20 times out of 20 with my eyes closed. Keep practicing until you can do the same. That’s the only way you’ll be able to use it consistently in a real match.

uses:
-Anti-air first and foremost. If you have your charge all set and ready to go, use this move deep everytime the opponent tries a front jump in. You get the knockdown.
-Offense against characters who can’t punish it (ie. Athena, Iori, 90% of SNK, Ryu, Akuma, etc…). Feel free to go nuts rapid firing this move, whenever you face one of these characters (I still play it patient though… RC ball anytime they get within attack range or leave the slightest of holes in their attack pattern).
-Escape. If your Blanka is cornered, always be on the lookout for an opportunity to RC Ball your way to the other side of the screen.
-Anti-projectile. This use I list last because it’s the riskiest. Balling through Tiger Shots seems like a good idea, but if your timing is in anyway slow, Sagat blocks and fierces you. Against Sonic Booms, it’s not even worth the risk. You have to be anticipating the projectile, and attack when you’re sure you’ve baited one out. Anyway, I never even attempt to a ground fierce RC Ball against: Sagat, Chun-li, Guile, Cammy, anybody else who has an easy way to punish it. Just plain not worth the risk of leaving yourself open.

Jab RC Ball: Charge back, LP+LK, F+LP

I don’t know what the damage is, because I don’t try to hit with this move. It’s zero as far as I’m concerned.

This is a complex roll cancel (and the first that uses a prerequisite technique I listed earlier). I use the Japanese double tap technique for this. Charge back and double tap LP, but at the same time you’re hitting the first LP tap of the two LP taps press and hold down LK with your thumb. Finish the motion with F+LP (the second part of the 2x tap). Did anybody understand that?

uses:
-Moving forward. When whiffed, this move has instant recovery on the ground. This is a LOT better than the 5 or so vulnerability frames that the RC hop has at the end. Go through projectiles from a distance when you have a charge with this move, but you don’t want the full commitment of a Fierce Ball or the vulnerabilty of an RC hop. Just make sure you whiff. I like this move against Guile a lot.
-Fake out games. Learn how to RC electricty after this move (the execution is also a little unorthodoxed… I tell how I do it later). Mix it up between electricity for chip and whiff electricity, throw on your opponent’s wakeup. This is one of the most powerful mixups in the game in my opinion. You don’t have to RC the ball when you use it like this. Blocked electricty, d.HK (counter hit knockdown), jab ball, mixup from there.

notes:
-Just like a Fierce Ball, you’re open for attack if blocked. Sometimes it might not be worth the risk of doing this move if there’s a chance of eating a Guile s.HK afterwards. Know your distances down pat before you try to abuse this move.

RC electricity: roll, five punch inputs

1600 base damage, 1920 on counter hit.

The second critical move (ie. One of Blanka’s most dominating moves, but will get you KILLED if you use it poorly).

What to press for specific setups:
*All moves are whiffed and button sequences are just MY personal preferences.

-d.LK —> for when you need RC electricty FAST
LK (with thumb), HP, MP, LP, LP+LK, HP

-d.MK —> most common
MK (any finger), HP, MP, LP, LP+LK, HP

-RC Hop —> the wait is because the LP input for the RC hop will mess you up if you don’t
RC Hop, (wait), HP, MP, LP, LP+LK, HP

-RC Jab Ball —> the double tap jab counts as an input too, so just remove the HP you would normally do.
RC Jab Ball (with 2x tap), MP, LP, LP+LK, HP

-s.LP —> the s.LP has short animation time
LP, MP, HP, LP+LK, HP

-d.LP —> the MP, LP get pressed one right after the other Tekken style
LP, (slight pause), MP, LP, LP+LK, HP

-RC electricity, RC electricity…
These chain one right into the other. From full screen, this is THE fastest way A-Blanka builds up his meter. Up close, I don’t recommend more than 2 or 3. After the second one, start mashing on HP to just keep it going instead. You want your opponent to try and hit you, trade in the process, and take 1920 counter hit damage for his troubles.

Electricity continued:

Not many people know this, but you can actually delay your button inputs on the RC electricity so the roll animates a little first. So in a sense, there are two kinds of RC electricity. Fast electricty (ie. fake out electricity) and delayed input electricity.

Delaying your input: HP, MP, LP, (longer pause than usual), LP+LK, HP
Blanka will move forward more a little before hitting. Move won’t start hitting until later animation frames.

Fast electricity: HP, MP, LP, (no pause), LP+LK, HP
Move now hits as it usually does. On the 3rd frame or whatever it is. If you’re using RC electricity as a meaty attack, it will now whiff as opposed to if you did it with delayed input. Important part of the throw mind game (*will be discussed below later).

Level one super: charge b, f, b, f+P

This move does a lot of damage and it’s only one hit. It’s great for trades. Use it.

3

Normal Moves you should know

Ground:

d.HP

1200/1300 base damage, 1520 on counter hit

I consider this critical move number three. When used correctly, this move DOMINATES. But when used without strategy and thinking, might as well stick a please take my 50 cents now sign on your forehead. There are two hitting parts to this move. The end frames at the tip of Blanka’s fist, and the initial frames that hit up close. Hence, the two seperate base damages. The end frames are the version of this move that we want to focus on. Blanka is your fighter. This move is his sword. Anytime the opponent leaves himself open for attack, this is the move you’ll most likely be doing damage with.

Learn the exact range of this move, first and foremost. Anytime you throw one out, you have to know it’s going to either hit or the opponent will block. No whiffing. Ever.

This move not only takes forever to recover when it does whiff, but it extends Blanka’s hit frames way out as well. No blocking, no hopping back, no anything. Blanka’s open too all forms of punishment (especially roll, super) everytime he misses. Now that you know how this move works, I’ll discuss more indepth on when to use it during the character matchups section.

Conclusion: Powerful move, but has it’s weaknesses. Should be used for counter attacking. Rollable by opponent. Punishable after JD. Use with discretion.

d.HK

1400 base damage

RANGE and a knockdown attack. Has the same use in general as the d.HP. The main difference is that this move is a lot safer. With significantly less recovery frames, this is one of those moves that you can whiff many of in a row with little fear of retaliation (still not totally safe though, so don’t go nuts). This move can be used as safe poke against many characters in the game because of those characteristics. The range is slightly less than the d.HP, but that holds it back from nothing (since d.HP should never be used as a poke).

Conclusion: Blanka outranges 80% of the cast with this move alone. You get a knockdown AND fantastic damage. Needless to say, you’ll be using this move a lot.

d.LK
Frame advantage (can continue attack afterwards).

Link these.

d.LP

400 base damage.

Farthest RANGE out of all the ground light attacks. Most damaging as well. This move is super and special cancelable! Combo with this. Link it from a d.LK.

s.LP
Frame advantage (can continue attack afterwards).

Hits FAST. This is Blanka’s fastest hitting move in the game. Hits on the 1st (?) frame. Makes this the easiest move to link. Has the slowest recovery of his light attacks as a result (which is still not very slow at all frankly). But since you’ll always be canceling it into something, it won’t matter anyway. This is the move you’ll want to mash on when you think you’re opponent is coming to throw you. Link from d.LK.

Conclusion: Lacks the range and quick recovery as Blanka’s other light attacks, but makes up for it by hitting fast (making it easy to link with).

s.MP
Frame advantage (!) (can continue attack afterwards).

Really good against those characters that can’t duck it. Short recovery. Safe to whiff. Most common use is as a meaty attack. Can attack again safely after when this move is blocked. Can combo after when it hits.

The range is deceptively long. In reality, Blanka’s entire hand doesn’t even hit. In other words, don’t try to poke or attack straight up with this. It’s best used as an up close attack like a d.MK instead.

d.MK
Even on frames when blocked (up to you whether to continue attack).

Hits FAST. Hits low. Super and special canceleable. Many characters simply do not have an answer to this move when up close (*most notably Vega). Short recovery. Moderate risk to whiff. Do NOT whiff against:

-Mirror match Blanka
-Cammy
-Chun-li

This use to be Blanka’s best meter building move. With RC electricty, this move becomes obsolete for that purpose now. Just use it as you would a regular attack from now on. You’ll also be using this move a lot. I’ll usually just hit d.MK up close and then wait to see what the opponent does next. Hopefully it’s something I can counter hit with d.HP or d.HK.

s.HK

Safe when blocked

It looks like good anti-air but it’s not. This is the move to use when the opponent tries to jump away when you’re close.

s.HP

1300 base damage.

Safe when blocked.

See s.HK for uses. The only difference is that this move is super cancelable. Hits fast too. You can get a lot of counter hits up close with this. Bad recovery when whiffed though (it’s rollable). Is it safe when JDed?

df+HP

1300 base damage.

Not safe. Far range. Knockdown.

One of the most frustrating things about fighting a sitting Blanka is the threat of this move. With j.HP to cover the air and df+HP as an option everytime you get close on the ground, many characters simply cannot get in. When put into proper practice, this tactic can be infuriating to the non-Blanka player.

Since Blanka attacks low as possibly as the game allows, this move will beat a lot of things. More like many things simply go over his hit box. Cammy s.HK, shoto fireballs, etc…

What keeps this move from being constantly abused is the long recovery (even longer than d.HP). Blanka can be hit by ANYTHING if you whiff. Since this is a hard attack however, when blocked at the magic range (hitting with just the tip), the heavy block stun keeps you safe. In fact at the perfect range, Blanka can safely throw out like 3 or 4 of these and be perfectly safe everytime. It’s difficult to setup though.

Anyway, the point is this move is good. But you have to use it with discretion. Whenever possible, use d.HK instead. The range of this move is what gives it’s advantages. I like to think that the threat of this move is even scarier than the move itself (if you want to jiggle around on the ground, you’d better do it outside my df+HP range). So with that in mind, when playing against good players you’ll rarely see me do this move. I throw it out every now and then though to either 1. “test the waters” (ie. my opponent) or 2. when I feel risk/reward ratio is in my favor.

d.MP

1000 base damage.

Not safe. Specific use ONLY.

Ends your attack pattern. The specific use it that it’s the most damaging super cancelable move with the most range.

Air:

-jump up HP

1500 base damage… ouch.

This move is very fast, as Blanka’s jumping speed is very fast. Possibly the best jump straight up move in the entire game.

-jump back HP

-jump up HK
For when you want to come down.

-j.MK

-j.HK

-j.MP

4

Advanced A-groove

Basic combo theory:

All A-groove characters have one main goal pattern everytime they activate. Bison’s, for example, is to carry the opponent to the corner so he can start doing DP’s. Sakura’s is to land continuous uppercuts, and so on and so on. Blanka’s goal everytime he activates is land repeated jump up HP’s in the corner. My main thought is literally jump up HP times a million everytime I get full meter. As probably the fastest hitting jumping move in the entire game, many characters can’t even jab as fast as Blanka can do fierces. Also with a unique hitbox, that always seems to keep the opponent in the perfect position, this is the perfect move to do not only damage by power (1500 base damage) but by crazy hit count as well. Ways to carry your opponent to the corner, so you can land your HP pattern, is what varies.

Blanka is remarkably versitile in A-groove in that he can carry his opponent to the corner anywhere from the screen, either with straight up activate or combo into activate, with a minimum of 7000 damage everytime. Blanka customs are all about improvisation. There’s no set pattern to follow everytime you activate. The following are the patterns I personally like to use for all specific situations. Combos vary from player to player, so don’t take every combo here word for word. Anyway, please enjoy…

Kang’s Customs

Midscreen

CC, c.MK, df+HP, HP electricity, [sj.HP x 2 to corner] x n, [jump up, HP x 5] x n, s.HK’s (optional), kick super. ~8000 dmg

My all purpose ground custom. It looks intimidating to do at first (because of the HP electricity part), but I assure you it’s suprising easy to execute. The c.MK, for those who don’t know, is because time doesn’t freeze when you activate in A-groove as opposed to C-groove supers (seven frames for Lv 3’s etc…). Sacraficing the damage of a hard (but slow hitting) attack and sticking out the fasting hitting attack is a very worthwhile habit everybody should get into. The HP electricty is there because it’s simply the most damaging non-super attack Blanka can do period (1600 a pop base damage). The first 5 hits of the combo alone will already score you 5000 hit points. Super jump HP’s to carry the opponent to the corner, jump up HP madness, then finish with a super.

Execution: HP+HK, 2x tap MK (so you attack out of the CC activation animation “freeze” as soon as possible), hold DF, 2x tap HP button three times (should be a total of six HP presses). There you go. The entire opening portion of the custom is automatic. Blanka does a kick, knocks down with a slide, then proceeds to shock the bejesus out of his opponent for massive damage. From there, make sure to SUPER JUMP forward with HP’s. Once you reach the corner, NORMAL jump up with HP’s.

Notes:
-You have around 7.5 seconds to do whatever you want everytime you activate. After the initial combo starter (d.MK, slide, electricity in this example), Blanka generally can complete FOUR jumping patterns before time runs low and should finish with a super. Depending on where you are on the screen, these might sometimes be four jump up HP patterns (already in corner, the most damaging option, you’ll be nailing upwards of 9700 with these) or four super jump forward HP x 2 patterns (starting from other side of screen. Still 7000 on average though). It’s up to you as the player to determine the best time to activate based on your positioning, chance of sucess, and whether the damage is worth it or not.

-I write [jump up, HP x 5] in my combo notation, however, if you can get a rhythm going with your HP presses (and depending on the character) you can get upwards of 7 to 8 HP smacks before Blanka lands.

-Since the CC starts with a d.MK, it can also be used as an anti-air/anti-crossup that goes under trip guard. In these cases, do the d.MK early so the opponent lands ON your attack.

-Some people prefer whiffing jab balls to carry the opponent to the corner. From my experience, super jump forward HP’s do just as much damage and carry the opponent to the corner just as fast.

-BAS from Japan has an all purpose ground custom as well. It goes sometime like “CC, s.HP x 4, slide, s.HP, whiff jab ball, [d.HP, s.HP, whiff jab ball] etc…”. It’s totally nothing but fierces. I think it looks really cool, however the most damaging custom I’ve found is still the one I made up myself.

Variations:
-Alternate ender for when you’re feeling flashy: d.HP, Roar super.
-It’s possible to start with close s.HK instead of d.MK and still get the same results. I only recommend this when the opponent is either dizzy, guard crushed, and nowhere near the corner.
-If you still have time on your CC meter before you super, but not enough time for another jump up HP repetion, stick in some s.HK’s before you kick super. Milk your custom combo for as much damage as possible. It’s free after all right?

Corner, Combo into activation

**RC HP electricity (optional), CC, HP electricty, [jump up, HP x 5] x 4, kick super ** ~9700

This combo is the absolute killer. This can either be done straight up, or the most damaging way you can do it, comboed into activation.

Execution: The “fast electricity” technique must absolutely be mastered to use this combo effectively. You want to your electricity to start up as soon as you come out of the CC freeze frame, as you only have so long before the opponent falls to the ground and you miss your juggle opportunity. Many times you’re not sure whether your RC electricity in the corner will hit or not. Whether the opponent will block it, you fail and get thrown, or success. Blanka players have to be able to see that their attack was successful then activate and combo on REACTION. Practice this one for sure. If your having trouble, that probably means your HP electricity isn’t hitting fast enough.

Variations:
-Can also be used as an alternative midscreen. Must be at point blank range. After the initial HP electricity finishes hitting, stick in some super jump forward HP’s to carry opponent to the corner.

Notes:
-CC, fast HP electricity, is a powerful counter CC. If the opponent gets up close and predictably activates, blow through his CC with your own CC Alpha 3 style. Wait half a second for his CC flash to disappear first, then activate yourself. He sticks out a limb, you counter CC and shock him to death. Counter hit HP electricity does 1920 base damage by the way.

Midscreen, Combo into activation

RC electricity, CC, [s.HP, whiff jab ball] x 2, s.LP, [super jump forward, HP x 2] x n, etc…

How to combo into CC when not in the corner. Works on any character in the game. The s.HP, whiff jab ball pattern gives you the proper postioning to continue with your custom as usual. I prefer simply launching with a s.LP from there. There are more damaging ways to combo from an RC electricity. I for one however, find this the easiest. I’d rather sacrifice damage for consistency in this case. Therefore, s.LP it is.

Execution: The trick is to activate as early as possible after hitting successfully with a HP electricity attack. 2x tap HP from there (to attack right out of CC freeze), then finish s.HP, whiff jab ball pattern. Takes practice.

Variations:
-Can also be started after a deep cross up j.MK, HP electricity (2 hit combo). Damage is massive.

Miscreen, At a distance

**CC, slide, s.HP, whiff d.LK, [super jump forward, HP x 2], etc… **

This is for when the opponent is clearly open for punishment, however is at too far a distance to properly nail with the all purpose CC. Since there’s not HP electricity involved, it’s obviously not as damaging as Blanka’s other customs, but it still gets the job done. I choose to whiff a d.LK to cancel the recovery of the s.HP, but a s.LP works just as well (and is also easier). I find a s.LP seems to annoyingly hit sometimes though (messing up your custom), so I play it safe with a d.LK instead.

Execution: Practice whiffing d.LK, then going into super jump forward immediately afterwards. Don’t even wait a single frame. super jump as soon as you can.

Notes:
-This is the custom to punish a blocked Chun-Li super.

Anti-air, Anti-crossup

CC, HP electricty, [super jump forward, j.HP x 2] x n, etc…

As you’ll probably notice, this is the exact same CC as the “Corner, Combo into activation” one. That’s the beauty of A-Blanka. His customs are so powerful, yet so stupidly braindead you can land them anywhere. Since this CC does serve a specific purpose, I wanted to list it again.

Execution: Fast electricity all the way. Make sure you activate DEEP as well.

Air to ground, Cross up

Jump in, CC, j.MK, d.MK, slide, HP electricty, jumping patterns…

Self expanatory. It’s a custom combo that needs to be blocked high. I never see anybody do these for some reason. Blanka has a powerful jump-in. Until somebody says otherwise, this will be known as Kang’s A-groove shit for now.

Execution: 2x tap MK when you do j.MK. 2x tap again when you do d.MK. You’ll get the 2 hit combo everytime.

Notes:
-Set this up by using any normal setup where you would get a cross-up opportunity. The fact that you can come in from the front too makes for an extremely powerful guessing game.

Blocked CC, Guard Crush, Chip

CC, [slide x 3, HP electricty] x n, kick super

The infamous Tokido block string. Now Blanka can chip you to death as well!

Execution: This combo is all about rythmic button tapping. The rhythm is [1…1…2…3…4…5]. Rinse and repeat. Slap on the HP button like forum nerds slap on their monkey’s every night they’re not reading srk.com. Everything will be automatic.

Variations:
-Naturally during any blocked CC, the opponent is not going to want and sit there and block it all. That’s why you mix in a few [s.HP, d.LK]'s every now and then too. With all the slides you’re doing, the opponent is bound to let go at the wrong time and get tripped sometimes. Always be ready to launch and super jump after them on reaction.

Anti air block

CC, jump forward, mash on LK, (opponent air blocks), land, slide, s.HP, d.LK, jumping patterns

This is BAS and Gunter’s shit. I have nothing to say about it. I prefer straight up anti-air customs instead.

That’s it for all my Blanka custom combos. Anybody who can master these will have a powerful set of A-groove tools that can be used for any situation. A-Blanka is THE tourney winning character. Happy beasting.

5

Advanced C-groove:

There’s no significant difference between playing Blanka in C or A. By playing him in C, you’re sacrificing one strength in order to pick up another. Instead of being able to cash in on free damage after every landed RC electricity, Blanka now does his damage from landed crouching shorts comboed into super.

Pros:

-Can now combo super’s after d.LK’s
-Can now punish things with d.MP xx super
-Command hop, super now becomes extremely fast and damaging

Cons:

-Loses ability to combo after RC electricity
-No reliable instant punishment method. The best you’re going to do is a d.HK if you don’t have your charge ready.
-Less versitile in comboing big damage from the air. Cannot activate CC through anti-air’s anymore.

It’s all depends on personal preference for which Blanka a player should pick. If you’re better at comboing supers than landing CC’s, by all means pick C. If you’re really good at roll canceling, you might consider picking up A instead. Both are real safe and powerful choices, C-groove being the slightly more advanced in my personal opinion… (linking crouching shorts is hard! :mad: ). Gameplay strategy between the two has it’s sutle differences as well. In C-groove, Blanka now must:

-Maintain his charge a lot more.
-Run away a lot more. Air block is good. Use it to your advantage.
-Play more patient in general.

Anyway let’s proceed to the good stuff…

Kang’s C-groove Tools:

Command hop, super:

*Reference from the old Blanka thread. Don’t take it word for word now (it’s out of date). But the principle is the same. Instead of triple tapping, 2x tap the HP button when you have C-groove. I don’t feel like writing anymore right now, so this will do temporarily.

Setups:

-Punch throw, forward hop, cross-up level 3
-corner knockdown, forward hop, meaty level 3
-d.MK, forward hop, level 3
-d.MK xx forward hop, level 3 (a little harder but doable)
-cross up MK, cross-up forward hop, level 3
Press KK before you even land for this one.
-vs. hop back happy Blanka —> forward hop, level 3 (you nail him in his recovery)

Hop forward, d.LK, d.LK, s.LP xx ball or level 3

s.LP is the easiest normal for Blanka to link. Have your charge ready (the d.LK, d.LK, s.LP should give you ample time), and hold down LP to avoid negative edge for best results.

Punch throw, roll, cross-up level one

If you must waste your level ones, this trick isn’t bad.

Use a lot more level one roar supers. Powerful as wake-up.

Pros:
-Hits instant.
-Massive invicibility and damage when done deep.
-Will beat rival Blanka’s RC electricity.

Cons:
-Poor recovery (so make sure it hits).

Last second b+KK hop to avoid wake-up moves, punish with d.MP xx level 3

Guard breaking HP ball, free d.MP xx level 3

Meaty d.MK, hop forward, d.LK, d.LK, d.LP xx HP ball or level 3

You must either use a d.LK or d.LP for the third hit of this link combo. The s.LP will not reach. Practice that timing! It’s slower than most other character’s links if that helps.

airblock setup
jump up and down, airblock RC pyscho crusher, free d.HP or level 3

6

Basic Strategy:

Hold down back. Your Blanka has now just become twice as threatening as it was before. Wow!

Anti-airing with Blanka:

Actually, this is the first and foremost basic skill you’ll want to learn with any character. Well, after learning how to block and move around maybe… Anyway, Blanka lacks a straight forward, no BS anti-air move like Hibiki has her s.HP or Sagat has Tiger Uppercut. That by no way mean he’s lacking in this department though. Blanka has a lot of anti-air moves. They’re just situation specific. One won’t always work versus certain jump-ins but might excel versus another. Use each move accordingly… (I’ve listed my opinions of what they’re good for after each)

-jump up HP
You’ve anticipated your opponent’s jump-in and/or you’re in the air already. Opponent wants to jump over you. Hitting from the front.

-jump back HP
Opponent wants to cross you up.

-RC electricity (whiff d.LK first)
Opponent wants to cross you up. You’ve read the opponent’s jump-in from a mile away. Activate CC after you hit with this.

-RC ball
Blanka’s most reliable anti-air. Good from the front. Delay it for a bit if you want to hit a cross-up. Only good when you have your charge of course.

-df+HP
Opponent jumps in from far. Anti trip guard when the opponent sticks out a move. Very risky, but worth it sometimes.

-s.HP, s.HK
Versus air-block fiends. RC electicity is better. But these two will do if you don’t have time to whiff your d.LK first. Of course Blanka is screwed if the opponent attacks. In most cases you’re better off just using jump up HP anyway (don’t give a care if opponent air-blocks or not).

-d.HP
Extremely specific. Use when opponent leaves the ground to jump in on you, but did so at a poor range (ie. within reach of Blanka’s fist).

-d.HK
Same idea as d.HP. When opponent lets go out block to jump. There are 1 or 2 frames before they actually leave the ground, and are totally vulerable to trips.

-CC (!)
I love A-groove.

Running away

Space control

Setting up your CC’s

7

Thanks Mr. kcxj!

Do you want us to contribute things now or wait until you’re finished and then contribute?

8

Mixup Tools:

Beasting from the Air: Set-ups for ambiguous cross-ups

Blanka has one of the most powerfully useful jumping attacks in the entire game. j.MK is not only a HUGE cross-up attack, but is also good from the front as well. When you set it up so it hits directly on top the opponent’s head, not even you yourself know on which side Blanka will land sometimes (nevermind which way the opponent should block).

Moves and info you’ll need beforehand:

-F, F dash.
Looks 100% identical to the KK command dash. The only way to discern the two is by sound. Blanka doesn’t grunt when you do this. Blanka also will NOT corpse hop over a downed opponent when you do this. The last major caveat that I’m also positive nobody else in this forum is aware of: Blanka’s F, F dash is shorter that then KK command dash. This is very important when it comes to your ambiguous cross-up game.

-KK command dash
Take everything I just wrote for the previous move and reverse it. Blanka does grunt when you do this, he will corpse hop over a downed opponent, and the KK command dash is longer than the F, F dash. These two moves will be the back bone of where you 50/50 mixups comes from.

-LP+LK roll
Used strictly for spacing and movement purposes. You can keep your charge when you do this. I never use this move anytime the opponent is on his feet and can pose an active threat to me. Only use when the opponent is DOWN.

-Punch throw
Knocks down (great!). You can also keep your charge when you do this.

-Kick throw.
Use for second player glitch. This move is crazy when you’re on the 2p side.

-j.MK
The main focus move of this particular post. The best time to use this move is as a meaty attack. When the opponent is just getting off the ground, there’s not much he can do when Blanka’s already right on top on him with a j.MK. How’s he going to counter? Jump back HP?

-HP electricity (no RC)
Players should definately master j.MK, HP electricity so it 2 hit combos everytime, from front and back. Use the piano method for the electricity. I press MK, HP, MP, LP, (slight pause) LP, HP all really, really quickly. Start the piano even before you land, and don’t try to RC either. You’re sticking in extra animation frames when you do that. Stupid, because you can get thrown. What’s great about this is that it’s good even when blocked. Opponent takes horrendous chip and is setup for Blanka’s continued offense regardless. When it hits and you have A-groove… ching!

Alright, here we go…

After the punch throw (opponent now on ground):
-KK command dash, j.MK -----> cross up
-F, F dash, j.MK -----> attacks from front

After the punch throw ground mix-up:
-roll or either dash, F, F dash -----> attacks from front
-roll or either dash, KK command hop -----> cross up (sorta)

*This is Blanka’s corpse hop mix-up. You pretty much either decide to meaty RC electricity from the front, or make them block it from the back. Use at your own discretion so you don’t get thrown too much.

After the kick throw (opponent now on ground a little farther away):
-roll, super jump forward MK -----> attacks from front
-walk forward a split second, roll, super jump forward MK -----> cross up

*2p glitch note: Even after a kick throw that doesn’t even leave Blanka near the corner, if the corner is still within super jump distance and the opponent is thrown there, Blanka can still cross-up (cheap).

General cross-up setups (opponent not knocked down):

-close s.MP, d.MK, super jump forward MK <— Powerful block string.
-close d.LK, normal jump MK <— Works because you get frames.
-far d.LK, super jump MK
-jump up HK, super jump forward MK
-j.MK, normal jump MK* <— The trickest, but also riskiest. Still my favorite though.

*Distance dependent… you might end up in the front, might end up in the back, opponent might actually be awake and jump back HK you in the face.

Conclusion:
Command hops are longer than the dash. j.MK’s are super tricky. Abuse these mix-ups like no tomorrow.

Throw mix-ups:

All about wakeup guessing games. Two main setups:

-Punch throw, MP ball over body.
-Knockdown in corner, LP ball forward.

From there…

-whiff stand jab, throw OR whiff stand jab, RC electricity

-whiff RC electricity, throw OR delayed input RC electricity (hits) or mash on HP so electricty hits meaty

-sit over body do nothing, throw OR sit over body, attack
Only good once you’ve gotten opponent use to the previous two mixups. The opponent should be scared of you and hesitating before you try this.

Throw mixups are 80% of my Blanka game practically. Use them until your opponent feels sick.

9

Universal Combos

jump up HP, s.HP xx ball super (5200)
Patented kcxj combo. Yes, the breast grope punch is super cancelable. Only use when opponent’s dizzy. Possibly the best use of a level 1 super in the entire game.

jump in HK, d.HK, roar super
Ino/Ohnuki combo. I love these two players. Those two and Ricky O are the reason I started playing Blanka in the first place. Let the opponent fall a bit and the d.HK to fully animate before you 2x tap that punch button to shock your opponent to death.

d.LK, d.LK, d.LP xx HP ball or Lv 3 super
The new Justin combo, even though Justin doesn’t do this combo. I was inspired by him comboing supers from hard to link light attacks that made me come up with this in the first place. I use d.LP because 1.) I find it easier to link and 2.) d.LP has more range. 2x tap is useless here. Don’t even bother. Just try your best to press the buttons.

s.MP, d.LK, d.LP xx HP ball or Lv 3 super
BAS is a beast.

s.MP, d.MK xx either KK hop
Works best on counter hit. Timing is 1 frame link otherwise. Good when blocked. Ticks away at the opponent’s patience and setups up for future mindgames/mixups (get them used to you doing this a lot).

j.MK, HP electricty
Two horribly painful hits. CC after this (!).

10

Versus Strategy:

The meat and potatoes of this entire thread.

How to beat…

Cammy:
-She cannot duck your s.MP, close or far. This is huge…
-d.HP is bad against her. She gets a free s.HP back in your recovery every time.
-RC electricty needs to be used conservatively. It’s still good. When it counter hits, you can dizzy Cammy in about 5 seconds). Just don’t try to whiff a million of these. Cammy can s.HK you for free if she times it right.
-Use d.HK sweep when she gets too close for comfort.
-Jump up and down a lot.
-CROSS HER UP… but only when it’s low risk for you. Use your set-ups properly. Trying to blindly land j.MK’s as soon as the round starts is just asking to lose. However, since Cammy does so well against Blanka in general, he NEEDS to land those crossup MK’s, chipping HP electricties to win. Cammy’s weakness is when she whiffs that s.HK and poorly distanced Cannon Drills. Use that info however you will.

Sagat:
You have two main moves to worry about when fighting against Sagat. His d.HP and j.HK. Both are tens on the threat scale (1 = laughable, 10 = code red). j.LK too to a lesser extent (when played right, you won’t have to worry about it at all.)

Blanka’s main weapon will be d.HP. Do not, however, just walk up blindly and try to attack with this. You will use this as counter attack and counter attack only. Let Sagat come to you. Everytime you see him flinch…

-he leaves the ground to jump
-rolls
-dashes
-low jumps
-whiffs a move
-walks too close for comfort

FIERCE him in the face. Just remember, if you get impatient and try to attack first with d.HP, Blanka will be the one eating the fierces instead. My main strategy is just to sit there maintaining my charge, distancing, and counter everything Sagat does.

Notes:
-Sagat’s s.MK is RC hop bait. He’s foolish if he tries to poke you with nothing but this. Punish accordingly.
-No B+KK hops back when up close. Sagat gets a free s.HP everytime. Cancel the hop from a normal instead (d.MK). When Sagat has meter. No B+KK hops back period. Sagat gets free supers in this instance.
-Sagat is big, tall, and fat. Blanka jump up HP controls a LOT of space against Sagat.
-No RC balls to attack. However, go nuts with RC ball as anti-air and anti-low jump (if you have your charge that is).
-Blanka d.HK is also a powerful weapon. Consider that your secondary attack after the primary d.HP.

Bison:
-Free s.LP xx anything after a blocked two hit scissor kick. Woo hoo!
-Blanka controls the ground with d.HP.
-Make Bison waste those RC psycho crushers. Punch or ball him in the back of the head after you anticipate and block.
-Bison has a powerful block string versus Blanka. Dash up, d.LP x 3, s.MP xx LK scissors (one hit). He will guard crush you in two repetitions, followed by big CC. Be careful.
-A big part of this matchup involves who crosses who up first. Both want to make each other lose their charge. Blanka is put in an extremely powerful postion when he’s at close range and Bison lets him land a few jumping MK’s (Bison at absolutely no answer in this situation). At mid-range, Bison has the advantage. Blanka is a huge cross-up target. Bison drools at the thought of landing a fat cross-up j.HK. Keep Bison out with jump up HP. Once Bison has full CC meter however, screw that. Blanka must NEVER leave the ground at all now.

Sakura:
Attack her like crazy when she doesn’t have meter. Don’t let her build meter for free at ANY time. Make her earn it by coming to attack you instead.

-d.HP when she’s coming down from a dive kick
-super jump forward HP when she’s jumping up for a dive kick
-jump straight up, come down with j.HK, free combo when she RC hurricanes
-hold on to cajones and run away like a little girl when she gets full A-groove. Baiting CC’s with B+KK hop will be your friend here.
-Blanka cannot AC her CC.

You have better stamina and do more damage per hit than Sakura. Don’t be afraid to go toe to toe as long as she doesn’t have meter.

Chun-li:
-Use a level one super every time she jumps. You WANT to trade with her.
-d.MP xx level 3 super after every blocked Chun kick super when you have max C-groove. Otherwise just d.MK xx HP ball.
-No d.HP’s ever. She gets a free hit afterwards if you whiff. If not, then a free jump-in at least, and you do not want to be up close when fighting against Chun. Keep her out with d.HK instead.
-d.MK is your primary weapon.
-jump up HP keeps her off you from mid range (since Chun will try to jump in when you keep controlling the ground).
-Blanka can pick Chun-li off the ground during a CC with df+HP. However, I don’t recommend it because CC, s.HP is more reliable and easier to time in my opinion (plus it does more damage). But if you must… try electricity, CC, df+HP (OTG), s.HP xx whiff LP ball, s.LP, super jump HP’s…

Vega:
-Whole match depends on how you use your RC electricity. Whiff LP ball, RC electricty. Make Vega mistime his pokes and/or trade with you.
-Once you get close, stay close. Don’t hop back for no reason. Vega gets free hit with s.HP.
-Use d.MK a lot.
-jump up HK
-d.LP xx level 3 after blocking a slide (when the range is just right :smiley: )

Hibiki:
-RC slices are all RC hoppable.
-Hibiki has no answer to Blanka’s d.HK all day. She’s totally out ranged on the ground.
-All of Blanka’s air attacks keep Hibiki out of the sky as well.

Blanka:
-First one to press d.HP wins.
-s.HP up close to counter hit.
-jump-in MK will give your Blanka a big advantage if you can catch the other Blanka unprepared.

Yamazaki:
Even match in my opinion.
-All his attacks are RC hoppable.
-RC ball him out of the sky when he tries to get close with j.MK.
-Watch out for his roll. It’s really scrubby. You’ll be eating a million roll in, d.LP x 3, SAA!! SAA! strings before you know if you’re not ready for it. Use your d.HK.
-Use your j.MP.

Eagle:
Even match number two
-Be patient. All of Eagle’s normal moves beat every single one of Blanka’s. Eagle’s d.MK especially.
-Watch out for dash, throw. Eagle’s is real quick. Be ready to tech always.
-No random hop backs. Eagle s.HP will nail you.
-Win with your d.HK and smart RC eletricities.
-RC hop when Eagle leaves himself open with d.HK.

Honda:
Blanka wins for free.
-RC electricity x n (or until you get your full CC meter). Honda’s only answer is to walk forward and f+HK you, thus losing his charge and is no longer a threat. When Honda walks forward to attack, you get d.HP or free jump-in anything.

EDIT: I take back what I said. My friend found a way to counter me last night. Honda rolls into the correct range (keeping his charge), then times his RC headbutt so it hits in between my RC sparks.

-Honda’s one of those characters you want to stay away from. They tempt you attack them, but it hurts you way more than it does them if you do. Play against Honda as you would Sagat, Yamazaki, or Rugal. Stay away and you’ll win in the long run.

Rolento:
-Play Blanka like a moving wall. Jump up HP a lot. Get Rolento into the corner and keep him there.
-Free ball when Rolento pogo hops to build meter.
-Can OTG throw Rolento with CC in A-groove. From my favorite smelly Canadian friend who fucks people up with Joe… :eek: :eek: :cool:

Geese:
-Can punish your balls with super jump forward HK.
-d.MK is unhoppable, unrollable, and his only good normal move.
-Mix him up to hell with your RC electricity, throw guessing games. He’s foolish if he tries his HCB counter against you at any time.

Ryu, Iori, Athena, Rock, other shitty characters:
-RC HP ball x infinity… woo hoo! I won!
-Don’t take these characters too lightly though. Keep in mind any groove Ryu can still dizzy you in like 3 hits if you get careless.

11

i’d just like to say how unreal this thread is now that i’ve gone through and read everything. the A-groove stuff is pretty much all you need to know and then some. here’s some of my random questions i’ve generated…

  1. i’m still unclear on the best hand positioning for RC Hop. i’m doing it on my agetec stick (japanese button layout), so let me see if i’ve got it correct- hit the roll with index finger and thumb joined together, then fold down your middle and ring finger to hit the mk+hk with the middle joint of your fingers?

  2. is there any point in RC’ing the back KKK hop? since you said there’s already invulnerability frames in the beginning, wouldn’t it be kinda pointless?

  3. is there anyway you can tell if you’re doing the fast electricity fast enough? i still can’t get the RC electricity (CC), fp electricity custom, so that obviously means i’m not doing it well enough yet.

  4. you said cammy can’t duck blanka’s far standing mp. that’s not the case. by the time you’ve gotten in range to do a standing mp that she will block crouching, she could’ve hit you long ago with a far standing hk.

  5. i read somewhere that tokido perfected your N-cammy at evo2k2 with his blanka. i guess he was playing N-blanka, not A or C. do you remember if he did anything special to be so successful against your N-cammy?

  6. any ranking on blanka’s best grooves? i’d say it goes something like A/N/C/K/P/S.

here’s my random additions…

-when you’re doing jumping hp x2 to get them to the corner and you think you’re second hp won’t reach, do a hk instead.

-when you said milk your custom for more damage by doing standing hk’s when you don’t have time to do another jumping set, i just do one standing mk (two hits), into kick super. kinda flashy/not very common.

-for those who haven’t mastered fast electricity yet, when you do RC electricity in the corner, activate CC, and then do standing fp x2, whiff crouching lk, jumping fierces, super (scrubby, but works).

thanks

12

Sorry, I don’t play on the Agetec so I can’t help you there. Get a MAS stick or make your own instead.

Even if you RC it, you can still be hit by anything that reaches at the end. I don’t even bother. No need IMO.

Are you talking about the corner CC? Really drum on that HP button (two fingers). The electricity will come out in about 1 frame. I guarantee it works (and that’s how you’ve known you’ve done it right :lol: ). BAS does it on his Blanka video at Gunter’s site if you need to see how it looks.

I’m not telling people to walk up and try to s.MP Cammy when the match is even. When Blanka has the momentum going (ie. he already is close… after a knockdown, cross-up, Cammy let you hop in), instead of just doing something like d.MK, d.MK, d.HP (which would push Blanka totally out of range), try s.MP, d.LK, s.LP, continue from there instead. s.MP gives you a more frame advantage than a d.MK or anything else is the point. Don’t use it if you don’t feel comfortable, but for me I feel it’s one of the best moves to use up close period. Against ANY character who can’t duck it, abuse it like there’s no tomorrow.

He sat there and waited for me to come to him. He did RC balls when I try to jump in, B+KK hop back when I tried to kick him, and broke stock, supered me for 60% of my life bar when I did a low jump. Then I said fuck N-groove and never played it again.

K Blanka is the best in the game, followed by C, then A.

Your HP’s will always reach as long as you super jump. But feel free to do whatever in your customs. Blanka’s all about improv combos anyway.

13

When you’re done with the rest of your guide, how about answering a question for me. Why K? I understand what makes K good, but why is K Blanka better than A? I know the japanese think highly of K Blanka, but I still don’t understand why. From my experience, Blanka has some really difficult match-ups (such as Vega) that become winnable if you can RC electricity. I would figure that JD doesn’t cut it against characters that out-poke Blanka. Just wondering what can K do that A and C wouldn’t do better.

And for that matter, why is C better than A?

14

How about headbite into lvl 3 crossup punch super? Is that worth trying?

15

No, you have to be a retard to get hit by that. Even headbite, forward hop, lvl 3 is stupid. Use a level one instead if you must. I think Blanka is much more scary when he can combo his super off a d.LK.

16

(*guide updated 9/16)

to do list:
-organize C-groove section
-more throw mixups
-basic strategy discussion… running away, controlling space…
-finish character matchups… talk about vega some more.

Thread is open to questions and hate posts. Does anybody have any air-block setups? I’ll put them in the guide and give you the credit if anybody wants to volunteer.

17

Vega isn’t safe after his pokes are JD’d. Blanka gets a free trip (knocking down and doing big damage everytime). Blanka has the best low jump attacks in the entire game (killing Chun-li becomes ridiculously easy now). When Blanka’s raged, d.HP becomes the most painful mutha in the whole game. Blanka’s HP electricity also has more priority in K groove for some reason <— One of Ino’s secrets. It’s to make up for not being able to RC I guess… There’s nothing else I can tell you that you probably don’t already know. Maybe one of the good players from the forum can post here. Because quite frankly, I suck really really bad with K-Blanka…

C is better than A because it forces you to play more patient. The more patient you are with Blanka, the more you win I’ve found. Everything about C groove is a lot more strict as well. You can’t just stick out your tongue ala retard, spaz on the buttons with your palm, and still do 7500+ damage each time with CC’s like I do. It takes skill to time those button presses. In fact, the whole reason I use Blanka in A is because I also play Sakura and Bison. Otherwise, I would use C-Blanka without hesitation.

18

due to the lack of play around my area im laggin in CvS2…but I do play k-blanka…and everytime you JD you either get a knockdown (like kcxj said) or you get a chance to work on the guard meter…and we all know blanka doesn’t need much work to put a guard meter out of commission…half the time the opp. is running from you cause their guard is in danger.

secondly, like kcjx said, his low jump attacks are AWESOME!!! I mean straight up low jump fp is the best air to air move in the game IMO. Snuffs damn near everything and takes away ALOT.

you just have to play him to realize what makes him good…there really isn’t much to say but low jumping, jd’ing and running makes blanka a total beast (not like he wasn’t in the first place)

19

It’s trivially easy to get in with K groove Blanka. Then all you really have to do is low jump crossup MK -> electricity all day.

Low jump MP… Low jump HK… low jump MK… ahaha! Fun.

Although I’ve recently switched to C groove CBS and I think C-blanka might be even better than K groove because of RCs making him Super Turtle Man.

20

K Blanka is strong, i use him…i don’t consider myself an expert or anything, but he is strong…:stuck_out_tongue:

small jump for blanka owns, you can mix up so much. after a knockdown, you can cross up mk (blocked), small jump cross up mk into electricity or more cross up craziness (though i wouldn’t push my luck)

run is almost a disadvantage for blanka though, cause if you’re in the arcade and you can’t hear the game all that well, it’s hard to tell whether someone is dashing or hopping wiht blanka, making hopping more dangerous (cause they won’t know which side you’re going to land)

Also, when raged, he does crazy amounts of damage, and you don’t wanna get hit from a l3 super from k blanka.

But i’d have to say that C is stronger than A for blanka, since it’s blanka’s cc require timing for good damage, and you can ultimate turtle in C with l2/l3 bar filled (unless your opponent is K or P groove).