I’m not considering execution difficulty in most of the following. First score is for U1, second for U2.
Reversals 4/4.5 [details=Spoiler]I think Seth has possibly the best reversals in the game amongst his EX SPD, hp srk, teleport, and backdash. Seth can EX SPD safe jumps. His teleport isn’t Akuma-like but it does its job. He gets a mixup off his DP if you fadc it. The only disadvantages of his reversals are that they don’t do massive damage and his ultras are slow. His DP is 5 frames but the only time that matters is against safe jumps. Which EX SPD usually beats. With U2 DP FADC ultra his reversal becomes stronger even though it’s not as much damage as Sagat’s TU fadc ultra.
Endurance [details=Spoiler]Seth has the lowest vitality in the game still. If you want to judge these categories on their own then he should get the lowest score in the game.[/details]
200 health might not seem like too much. After all, 800 is still 80% of 1000, right? Well, the reason why this analysis is bad is that most damage in this game comes from depletion of limited resources (ultra and super meter). Your opponent usually only gets 1 ultra combo each round. Many of these combos do 500 damage. After getting hit by a 500 damage combo, Seth has 300 vitality. Ryu has 500. That’s 60% of Ryu’s. So basically, as long as Seth doesn’t get hit by an ultra, his low health doesn’t matter. But if he gets hit by a full ultra suddenly this becomes an extremely glaring weakness .[/details]
AA 5/4.5 [details=Spoiler]Seth has an AA for every goddamn situation. U1, hp srk, lp srk, cl.hp, j.mp, focus attack, sweep to make the move whiff, nj.hk, and j.hk are all anti-airs for different situations. His hp SRK has amazing range if you do it early enough. His EX SRK has even better range because you can hit them with it early in their jump. U1 means they can’t jump anywhere on the screen… nobody besides Ryu can do that.
Seth can lp srk, autocorrect hp srk, or cl.hp crossups.
When someone whiffs a jump-in you can SPD as they land and it’s free.
The only problem with Seth’s anti-air is that without ultra it doesn’t lead to high damage. But it always leads to mixup potential.[/details]
Zoning 4/3.5 [details=Spoiler]Seth has strong options at every range besides point blank. However, most of his best pokes can be jumped over and his tall hitbox makes punishing them this way easier. Seth’s pokes, however, are currently very strong. His s.mk, cr.mk, s.hk, s.hp, s.lk, sonic boom, and focus attack makes the opponent work at midrange no matter what character they are. Tanden whiff punish gives you a full combo. The risk of these moves is somewhat negated by his very strong anti-air.
At full screen he can out-fireball almost all characters because of EX legs, s.hp to punish/trade with fireballs, and his fast hp sonic boom.
Seth has an excellent corner escape with his walljump.
The biggest problem with Seth’s zoning is 1) that he has to give up ground in order to maintain distance and 2)most of his options can be punished HARD in most matchups while his own options don’t do such strong damage.
The biggest reason Seth’s zoning is strong is because he cannot be zoned himself and his reactionary play is VERY strong. He can play his game at any range if he keeps guessing right.[/details]
Rushdown 3.5/3 [details=Spoiler] Seth has powerful ways to get in but they are all punishable. He has dash up SPD, divekick, focus attack, tanden, j.hk, sonic boom fadc, etcetera. However, because of Seth’s low health these options are restricted. He also does not have a 3 frame jab or short to continue pressure, or the ability to walk up to opponents because of his garbage walkspeed. Seth without meter and down on life can have an extremely hard time pulling out the win against a patient opponent. In order to get in Seth has to bait out anti-airs and jumps. However, Seth’s U1 can punish most escapes (including jump back!).
Seth cannot convert a random jab at midrange into a huge combo or a strong mixup like Ryu or Yun can. Combos ending with legs midscreen leave you at a very minor advantage on wakeup. This limits his ‘vortex’ potential. However, in the corner his options are MUCH stronger. He gets a mixup off a midscreen combo ending in uppercut as well.
Seth can OS most backdashes and reversals with safe jump OS U1, DP, or legs . He can make Chun free on wakeup.
Seth’s U1 on hit can easily lead to a free round because of the safe mixup following it.[/details]
Mixup - 4.5 [details=Spoiler]Nothing Seth does is safe. But he has too many options to consider or counter all of them at once. He has too many mixups to adapt really. He has divekick/j.hk, SPD/(hit-confirm/AA), instant overhead stomp, blockstring reset w/ tanden, and jump-in/empty jump low. His SRK fadc is safe and beats most other reversals clean. His reset mixups off divekick are strong and can lead to stun easily. They are harder to uppercut than most mixups and simply add even more options to his mixup than usual.[/details]
Damage potential - 3.5[details=Spoiler] Seth’s damage essentially maxes out at a bit over 400 for any combo. However, he can get that meterless off a simple combo in the corner. In order to get damage Seth is shooting for either a stun or a corner combo.
Seth’s damage potential is only powerful as a momentum character. He has to hit the opponent multiple times to win a round. Seth’s simple punish combos do mediocre damage outside the corner.[/details]
Viability - 3[details=Spoiler] Seth has bad matchups but Seth’s playstyle is so versatile that they can usually be overcome with solid play. His weakest matchups are ones where he can be ‘out-randomed.’ In these matchups Seth has to base his game off his strong reactive gameplay. However, if the opponent gets a life lead you are in big trouble.
Poongko’s performance at Evo shows that Seth can be played at high levels successfully.
Seth’s biggest advantage in terms of viability is that most players don’t know the matchup well enough. And even when they do, you can simply change your playstyle and your opponent is forced to adapt. Like Ibuki, Seth is too slippery to put into a box. He can always body you if you don’t go full out and play your best.
Seth has no ‘free’ matchups besides Zangief and possibly T Hawk. He has lots of trouble against Adon, El Fuerte, and Makoto.
Seth has to change his ultra based on the matchup. In general, in AE U2 is more viable.[/details]
Just my 2 cents.
