From my matchup document
I played a Bison a couple nights ago who beat me 30 - 0. Extremely impressive Bison by the name of Happy Medicine. After the beat down, I needed to learn how to beat him. I took a few hours to test things and write out my thoughts on the match up. It’s pretty extensive and I know no one will really care…but here it is if anyone does.
Bison: Main issues in the match include scissor kick pressure and his escape options after being knocked down. He has decent pokes but they aren?t much of a threat as you can deal with them with c.mp, hk tsugri?s, or s.mk. Your game plan is to be as aggressive as much as possible while keeping Bison?s pressure at bay as much as you can through strong defense and wise decision making.
Plying offense: Gaining ground in this matchup is fairly easy as his game plan is similar to yours, to be aggressive. More often than not, Bison will come to you rather than you needing to come to him (most likely through scissor kicking or slide?ing in). Take advantage of his lack luster anti air options. Jumps need to be done after he?s walked forward, just outside of his s.hk range, and preferably when Bison is crouched not standing. It?s easy for a standing Bison to react by s.hk or air to air you with j.mp.
On knockdowns, always be ready for any of his wake up options (teleport, ex psycho/scissor?s, head stomp/devils reverse) and have a good idea of how to deal with each option (see below notes). Cross him up when you can in order to make him lose his charge, but don?t over use it as he can ex head stomp in reaction or jump back fierce you. It?s important to stand ground and not jump back or dash back in fear of scissor kick?s or ex psycho?s.
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Ex head stomp: When done close or in the corner you can dash out, use f+lk so that he can whiff, or even mp fukiage if you?re fast enough. The best option in this case would be to f+lk so that you can punish strong. From afar you can dash under or use mp fukiage. If you dash under punish with f+hp. If you DO block it, reversal ultra 2 in order to hit him before he lands.
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ALWAYS STAND block the ex psycho to be able to punish faster. When done close (on reversal) you CAN punish ex psycho crusher with a REVERSAL ex hayate (must be reversal). If blocked at mid screen, you can c.hp or f+hp him after you recover. If done from full screen to get close, you can poke him out of it on reaction (s.mp, c.mk, s.mk, etc.). NOTE the ex psycho has a LOT of block stun so compensate for the block stun when trying to punish from mid screen.
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Teleports need to be reacted to quickly with either ex hayate or a dash forward. After dashing forward do not sweep as he can block and it pushes Bison further away from you. Hold your ground, and risk a jump in if he?s crouch blocking.
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The key is to pressure Bison when has no charge because charge allows HIM to begin pressuring you through scissor kicks. To advance forward, Bison needs to give away his charge. You need to keep this in mind because he?s taking away his greatest move (scissor kick?s). By taking away his scissor kick pressure, you have much less to worry about and can pressure him much easier.
Playing defense: Just as quickly as you lose pressure, Bison will begin pressuring you with scissor kick?s. From mid screen, the scissor kick pressure is easily dealt with by back dashing away from danger. If a bison is doing things like dancing back and forth or dashing forward, there?s nothing to worry about because they are severely weakening Bison?s greatest strength (his pressure). By dashing forward or dancing back and forth, they give away charge and allow you to open him up through a nice jump in or basic footises.
While in the corner, Bison?s game becomes even stronger. Beware of frame traps on wake up or after jump in?s. They will get you in a TON of trouble if you crouch tech. It?s best to just block on wake up and late tech while standing to avoid being frame trapped.
Carefully watch how Bison is pressuring you with his scissor kicks and assess the situation. If he?s over aggressive, try to jump back in hopes to catch a scissor kick on your way down. If he?s hesitant, you can hk tsugri (NOT INSTANT) him in hopes to get some breathing room. If he tries to head stomp, use the f+lk so that he whiffs and you can punish him. If you manage to block a s.hk you can gain a bit of breathing room in hopes to hk tsugri for more space. In some cases where Bison is not doing much air coverage (ex head stomp or s.hk), you can risk jumping in on him to reverse the situation. Just be careful of the situation and don?t be afraid to block. If you find yourself in this situation, your goal is to distance yourself from him as much as possible.
General Notes: Devil reverses need to be ex hayate?d (after landing), dashed towards (if no meter) or ultra 2?ed. After blocking a head stomp, free ultra 2. Slides are only safe when the TIP hits, anything else can be c.lk?ed on block. Teleports need to be ex hayate?d or dashed under. Ex psycho?s need to be punished from mid screen or ex hayate?d after blocking up close.
The general strategy is to be able to pressure Bison more than he pressures you. Knowing when to jump and knowing how to fight off Bison?s wake up options well will gain you a successful win most of the time. Take notice when Bison has charge and when he doesn?t, try as much as possible to apply pressure on him before he can begin his scissor kicks. When you can, take away his charge through crossups. On the other end of the spectrum, understanding how to get out of Bison?s pressure is essential as well. Watch out for frame traps and know that it?s okay to block.
