It’s true that i haven’t incorporated offensive dashes ala 3rd strike in my game so you might be right here. But still, you always want to hit confirm that b mp. Risking a full punish by dashing just to end up minus if they block is a bad idea. So, while you can hit confirm it from cr mp if the dash is well spaced, doing st lp, b mp is not worth it IMO as you can’t realistically react to that st lp.
But you really don’t. st mp, cr mk, fb does as much as cr mp, st lk, mk tatsu, it hits crouchers and it even connects from a little further away. The only range where Ken can do more damage with cr mp, st lk, srk where all hits connect is really small. In all other ranges Ryu does at least as much damage as Ken, he covers more distances and has better options with meter. The only thing that Ken has over Ryu in those ranges is post knockdown pressure and only with mk tatsu. You can completely avoid meaty pressure if you quickrise following a srk knockdown, the only reason to use it over a tatsu is damage and only if you are sure all hits will connect.
TC2 is great, it’s probably the only tool Ken has that makes him desirable. But the hk tatsu ender is not something you can do often as it has 16 frames of startup and limited range. Realistically, you only get to do it if a TC1 or a jump in connects. You can’t cancel into it from a light and you can’t confirm a medium and cancel it into it like Ryu can (st mp, st mp/cr hp/cr mk). If you can confirm a medium cancel from a single hit kudos to you but most people simply can’t. As for his srk, i already explained why it’s not as good as it look initially.
As far as Ryu is concerned, i also think that parry is extremely underrated at this point. Most people just compare it to SF3 parries and conclude that it sucks. The difference is that the parry was a system mechanic in 3, so Capcom could afford to make it that good since every character had access to that goodness. In SFV, parry is just a v-skill and compared to other v-skills it has some pretty unique utilities besides absorbing projectiles and single hits:
- It cancels into itself so it can absorb multiple hits.
- It deals with crossups when srks can’t.
- It’s safer than a dp in many ranges.
- It’s easier to react with it than a dp. There is no directional input, you just press two buttons and that’s it.
- It allows Ryu to punish things that are normally not punishable. This is by far its most important function IMO. Right now it doesn’t seem that way because there is no meta in place, but when the gameplay gets more standardized, a Ryu player will know what button his opponents want to press according to distance and situation. He will also know what punish he can apply if he parries that button.
The deadzone is not small at all, especially now that s lk has been nerfed. But even when he isn’t into it, as long as he isn’t really close to the opponent the damage he gets meterless is mediocre, Ryu can do the same if the opponent is crouching and 50 more if he is standing. TC2 is great but it’s not a cure all.
Well, what can i say, i will be very happy to be proven wrong :).
