I hear a LOT of complaining how in every update Vega gets the shaft, I don’t have the patience for him personally but is he really as flawed as he’s made out to be?
Not at all.
i’d say at least 30 of the matchups are 5-5
No way! Any recommending reading? I might wanna show some people.
recommended reading for what? how to play Vega? Or you mean that his matchups are mostly 5-5
The only matchups (IMO) that Vega loses is:
Rufus
Akuma (iffy but I personally think it’s closer to 5-5 than 6-4 Akuma)
DeeJay (probably iffy but I suck at that matchup)
Makoto (iffy)
Cody (iffy)
Abel (iffy)
Yun (iffy)
and Seth (iffy)
The only matchups that are definitely not 5-5 is Rufus (6-4 but I wont argue 7-3 Rufus’s favor)
and Blanka (7-3 Vega but I wont argue 6-4 Vega)
You forgot about Cammy 
And a Yang that know hat he is doing, yes even in 2012. And if you include Dee Jay here then Guile is definitely also 6-4 against Vega. Can’t agree with Cody though…
And back to topic: No Vega is not that bad at all, considering all the changes on the whole cast, imho the 2012 iteration the most potent so far, surpassing his Super Version (we still have a semi-safe CH and got a the glorious cr mk).
Vega doesn’t suck by any means, but his unorthodox style turns a lot of people off. Think a glass cannon without a reversal…yeah it sounds shitty and quite frankly it can be sometimes but he has some great tools:
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He has the longest throw range.
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By far he has the fastest overall walk speed. While he’s not the quickest character in the cast (his jab and poke game assure that),no one is faster on their feet. That’s not opinion. If some of the other ‘fast’ characters (Akuma, Bison, Chun) had Vega’s backward walking speed, they’d be insanely broken. Yeah, it’s that good.
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St.rh is a 4-frame, double hitting, potentially armor-breaking normal move. Handy for those opponents that are gifted at closing the space between you and them, just keep whiffs to a minimum. It also doubles as a space and character specific anti-air.
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(Far)St.lk is Vega’s best kept secret. People focus in too much on Vega’s cr.mp, which lead to it being percieved as over-powered and then it was nerfed in AE. Fuck it. We still have st.lk. It’s the epitome of a god-like normal and if you’re a struggling Vega, then use it more. It’s phenominal.
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Vega is capable of dealing out 400+ damage…without Super or Ultra. Opportunities for it are rare, but far from non-exisent.
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Cosmic Heel gives you several untechable options, or you can just follow it up with a Scarlet Terror to take a nice chunk of life from your opponents life bar. If used rarely, Cosmic Heel, in turn rarely misses, since the start-up speed and range can catch even the best unawares. Cosmic Heel is the move every character thinks they deserve, but only Vega is worthy of it.
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Vega’s jump-in firece is fucking deadly, I’m of the opinion it’s the best jump-in in the game, and by a significant margain too. See hitbox for proof.
No mashing shoryukens, no risk-less EX Upkicks, and, save for Splendid Claw, no offensive invincibility whatsoever. It a wonder this many people even main Vega to be honest…When you watch someone who is capable and patient with Vega, it’s pure art, a visual orgasim.
But in all honesty, anyone who hasn’t mained him prior to SF4, doesn’t have character loyalty or aren’t intriged by his character design are probably not gonna come into this game and say, “Hey, I think I’ll main the charge character with no reversal, no 3-F move, heavily punishable special moves and 1-F link jabs”.
Not downplaying Vega, but NO ONE is maining him because he’s a powerhouse. No one is maining him for the same reasons they main Ryu, Ken or Yun or whatever. Like I said it’s an art-form to play successfully as Vega, and not everybody is an artist…
SHORT VERSION: No, he doesn’t suck.
nah… 5-5
Even going against Rom who definitely knows what he’s doing I still say 5-5 for yang as well. And Guile… If he’s not 5-5 then he’s 6-4 Vega. Vega shuts him down pretty well.
Cl.StHK isn’t a gaurunteed(sp?) Armor break. I’ve personally had it happen atleast once and saw one on Jozhears replays where the focus ignored it despite the second part of the kick landing.
I do agree with you though Rabbi on Vega’s design. The concept is that he’s a matador. He’s aesthetically pleasing and his moves are flashy, like a real bullfighter. I think Capcom is dead on with what they intended Vega to be.
getting shafted =/ horrible
The second hit will whiff occasionally if the opponent’s hurtbox shrinks or dissapears after the first hit, i.e. Rog’s EX Dash Punch, but no one said it was a guarentee. You can still armor-break EX Dash Punch with it, but spacing and timing has to be right. Probably due to the underwhelming hit-box HK has since Capcom didn’t want it to be used as a sure-fire AA.
Lab work is the best way to find out what it will whiff on and what it wont. Doesn’t change the fact that Vega hasa 4-F double hitting normal, which is amazing. It shits on Able’s EX COD and Guy’s and Fuerte’s EX run.
And BTW I totally agree that Vega loses to Cody.
Cody is a frame-trapping beast, and Vega’s option selects suck. That fucking zone knuckle is annoying and Cody’s jump-in is very intimidating. Cody can also take half your life without burning a bar.
Neutral Jump HP, st HP>Criminal upper.
And his fucking mk and EX ruffian kicks are armor breaking! (light version might be too…) why??? Can someone explain to me why mk ruffian is armor breaking? Ridiculous.
If Cody had average walking speed he’d be top tier easy.
Yeah but he doesnt have much to mix it up with. He has a slow overhead and his throw range is average at best. Frame traps lose to blocking. He’s also free on wakeup. I will say tho that if he’s not 5-5 then he has a slight advantage at 6-4. but either way is iffy.
vega rapes deejay
that matchup is 6-4 for sure. only threat is knee / j. mk. otherwise, always in vega’s favour.
This guy is the best Vega in the world.
I call Zombie BS to anyone who thinks that Vega is shitty. I have played against some pretty solid Vega’s online and in person and when used right, Vega can be a devastating fighter to go up against. The key is whether or not players are patient enough to learn him and whether they can endure a few major ass whooping’s in the process.
<3
So why do people make him out to be so underpowered and inherently flawed?
No reversal, very situational AA’s, no I-Frame invincibility on any offensive move, no 3-Frame move, can’t mash with him.
Also, lose the mask and you take more damage. I fucking hate it when during an ultra animation, one of the hits knocks off my mask and the last hit of the ultra barely kills me…ahhh rage city righ there.
But in retrospect, I’ve finished off opponents with a mask-less EX FBA that certaintly wouldn’t have killed them if I had mask on so…classic gift and curse situation.
Because of two things: First he WAS, back in Vanilla and second he still IS once you get him off his feet, preferably in the corner.
Vega lacks reversal options by design, and this can sometimes be frustrating. So people here argue that having this option is essential to be “tournament viable” and so Vega will always be mid tier at best in this game.
Anyhow, far away from being shitty…
Edit: too slow 