Saulabis showed off some pretty sick technology right there. Rufus’ normals, while situational, aren’t really that bad. JWong plays a solid footsie and poke game alternating with rushdown/divekick pressure, and I feel like not enough time goes into those options. Cr.lk is apparently godlike vs. Akuma. Also his use of Fragrance Palm as a safe jump(?) setup is interesting. I don’t know if it actually is or what but his inputs looked like he meant it, which is worth exploring as well.
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Haven’t played a good Sagat in quite a while (very apparent in the 1st game…) so thought I’d post this up. Apart from missing a couple of chances to U2 I thought I played OK, maybe should have been a little more patient at times.
Obviously this is a tough matchup but any advice people have would be welcomed 
Linking EX Tornado from more moves possibly as I didn’t see it linked into much.
Could FA more projectiles instead of blocking them all. Just not all of them that is.
Didn’t see you use either st.mp/st.mk/st.hp (anti-air); worth using the first two as pokes every now and then. cr.mp is a good Sagat anti-air but so is st.hp.
I don’t feel like st.mp is much use in this match but I could have used st.mk. I tried to use aa st.hp a couple of times but my timing was off, your right though cr.mp is better against Sagat I could have used that more, thx 
Either cr.mp or st.hp. It’s not really much of a deal since there’s no reason for Sagat to jump in against Rufus. Just that st.hp does more damage.
Haven’t played a good Sagat in a while either so I don’t know if st.mk’s a good idea. Worth a look into because nobody’s been using it (except myself?) lately. I’m grasping at straws here but better than nothing for the matchup.
I think cr.mp is better against Sagat because of his low jump but stand fierce has it’s uses. I use st.mk in other matches and it’s not a bad poke, I just didn’t feel like I had much chance to use it in that match.
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Rufus/Gouken combos and resets video. The reset at 0:58 might look dumb but I have actually used it a few times in matches
A little farewell video to AE Rufus I made; has some good comebacks, perfects, combos etc.
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v2012 here we come!
I am ashamed of my input mashing in the clip at the start -_-
I’m loving the Honda comeback however. An interesting selection of clips.
Thanks!
Btw I didn’t choose the the clip at the start because u were mashing, it’s the only match I had saved against another Rufus player
hey man you have a VERY solid rufus do you own a ps3?
6:03 - …cr.lk combos into LP Snake Strike? Interesting.
Unfortunately no, I played SFIV on PS3 but switched to 360 a little while ago. Cheers anyway
I was aware that worked on Sagat although I wasn’t trying for it, wanted a jab GT…
In AE 2012:
cr.lk xx lp Snake Strike, cr.lp, EX GT, FADC, TC, U1
Sexy. Impractical, but sexy.
Fierce -> Fierce Snake Strike on T-Hawk is my favorite combo, especially with the jab at the end!
Solid Rufus, but Sagat is Sagat and he’s a bitch. I hate U2 so i never use it.
I use cr. strong for his St. roundhouse. Buffering ex tornado behind it in the corner. I also use U1 on reaction if i see a knee. I just focus tiger shots and build up a ultra till a knockdown. If you’re down to guess, cr. fierce beats high tiger shots and jump fierce-> U1 over a tiger shot is nasty. Most Sagat’s I play don’t see the cross-up after a forward throw. I kind of treat this match-up like Guile and walk to him to the corner. It’s a match-up you can easily get frustrated with but playing super patient is the way to go.
I like playing a little footies too. I stand at the end of his st. roundhouse range and hit st. strong. A lot of Sagat’s back up when i do this. And if you get him in the corner its over imo (for both sides).
Most of this you probably already know, hopefully you learned something new.
Awesome!
I welcome any advice so thanks, plus I did learn something - you have far better reactions than me if you can react to tiger knee with u1
Mubress,
I think you should stick with U1 against sagat. U2 can(but won’t with good sagats) shut his fireball game, but U1 prevents him to pressure you too much when you have 3 bars. Not to mention you WILL land it when you’re on him.
Do not throw random GT. Good Sagat will either TU or Ultra in it, even if you’re quite close(they hear the “galactic tornado!”).
Be ready to AA him with 2mp. I don’t know why, but sagat players tend to jump on more than others. Maybe because his jump is short
Know the 2hk range, so you do not use the very dangerous 2hp. 2hp against sagat is good, but only when you’re very far. If not, you’re taking the risk of a FADC TU(ultra maybe).
Be patient(i’m not, i lose most of the sagat matches i should win by being too impatient).
Play UMVC3. Sagat is not in the cast.
I use U1 on Sagat as well. Having U2, imo, still gives Sagat the most control. Mindgames with if he’ll throw a tiger shot or not = lame.
Repeated notes:
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st.FP eats Sagat st.RH
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Not sure what beats Sagat’s st.MK. It’s a really good poke.
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f-throw, dash twice, cross up j.MK is godsend. Almost guaranteed once per match.
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Walk in. BLOCK. Keep neutral jumps to a minimum mid-screen. Slow tiger shot with an early jump into divekick = free knee.
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Use short divekicks the same way Sagat uses normals to keep them guessing when you’ll actually jump. This is crucial! Make yourself more difficult to read/zone.
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Pay attention to meter. 2 bars = Tiger Uppercut FADC. Bait it. Sagat with no bars means huge risk/medium reward for doing naked uppercuts.
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If you get hit by a few random uppercuts don’t curl up and get scared. Some Sagat’s try to get cocky and throw you off your game by doing random uppercuts; especially early game. Rufus is made to take in random damage so remember it’s all a part of the match-up.
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Not many people know this. cr.short combos into EX Messiah. After a few mix-ups go for empty jump into cr.short EX Messiah. 9/10 it’ll land. Omni Guarantee. Great in the corner. Especially effective after hitting him with a j.MK cross-up once or twice.
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BLOCK. Don’t press buttons after spaced knee’s. Prepare to block high for overheads. Sagat does not have a crazy mix-up game; just a st.jab and cr.short meaty normal that’s safe to EX Messiah. Minimize your damage intake.
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This is universal. PAY ATTENTION to people who neutral jump bait EX Messiah. EX Messiah’s fear factor is so godsend. If someone is habitually jumping on your wake-up or after meaty jump-in j.RH all day. Worry less about EX Messiah’ing on your wake up and pay more attention to what your opponent is doing to bait your EX Messiah.
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If you EX Messiah Sagat on block, delaying your LK follow-up trades and sometimes cleanly beats his uppercut; even EX. It’s hella gay, lol. If you make them fear that lk follow up, sometimes no follow-up into grab will catch the ones who simply just try to block.
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j.RH jump in can hit Sagat twice just like Chun Li’s j.FP. Throw it in a few times. Also works well against players who are trying to jump backwards.
Just a few tips and tricks from a guy who has played way too many Sagat’s to count.
lol, unfortunately I struggle against any of the characters in UMvC3 because I suck at it. Some good points though thanks
I think that’s probably the best advice for someone playing Rufus in any match tbh. Unlike Yun who relies on safe pressure Rufus can afford to take some risks and get hurt (especially at the start of game when the opponent doesn’t have meter).
I will second your Omni guarantee (hehe), although sometimes it’s better to go for cr.lk into lp GT (or possibly SS against certain characters) as it’s safe.
Great advice dudes!