Hey everyone. So I’ve noticed that the opinion of Oni and his matchups has shifted dramatically over the last 6 months or so. Since that time I’ve also picked up Oni as my main and have learned a lot about him. I think his other matchup ratings at Eventhubs are out of date now so I thought I’d get a new discussion on this started. I’ll start with my take (I’m no expert but I’m currently 2391 PP / 5537 BP with Oni on XBL).
Abel: 6:4 Oni. Oni has all the tools he needs to shut down Abel, I don’t think this match-up is difficult at all.
Adon: 6:4 Oni. Gamerbee agrees, Oni has the advantage here. IMO Adon can’t defend against Oni’s mix-up game, and Adon also has a hard time getting in against Oni’s pokes. Just bad for Adon all around.
Akuma: 5:5 even. I don’t think Akuma has any advantage here, Oni I think does fine against him. I look forward to facing Akuma because of his low health and Oni’s god-like EX DP. Akuma’s escape options balance it out and make it even I think.
Balrog: Probably even, though I find Balrog a tough fight (tougher then he was when I mained Akuma), so I might even say 4.5:5.5 in Balrog’s favor.
Blanka: 5.5:4.5 Oni. I used to get owned by Blanka but once I learned proper fireball spacing, pokes, and focus attacks, mixed in with demon palms against blanka’s electricity, I think the fight becomes pretty easy for Oni.
C. Viper: 4:6 Viper. I think one of Oni’s toughest match ups, since her escape options are solid, she does huge damage, and can mix up Oni pretty easily. I almost beat Wolfkrone the one time I faced him with Oni, but I think that was only because he was rusty and dropped some big combos.
Cammy: 5:5 even. I don’t fear Cammy at all with Oni, which is a strange feeling because she bodied my previous chars pretty well. His defense options keep her at bay well, and she doesn’t have great options against his mix-up slashes if you can surprise her with them.
Chun Li: 4:6 Chun. One of Oni’s poorer match ups because of her great pokes, which shut Oni down pretty well. Both of her Ultras can tag Oni easily too, so she can do big damage when she needs it. You have to play very well to beat a good Chun.
Cody: 5:5 even. I don’t fear Cody at all, but I don’t think he has necessarily any reason to fear Oni either, since he can punish Oni’s mistakes pretty easily, and Oni doesn’t have great answers against his frame traps since he can’t FADC his DP (yet!).
Dan: 4:6 Oni. Moving along…
Dee Jay: 6.5:3.5 Oni. Dee Jay can’t do much against Oni’s mix-up game, and doesn’t have any offensive tools for Oni to be afraid of.
Dhalsim: 4:6 Dhalsim. A good Dhalsim is a very tough fight for Oni. Oni can win, but like Chun he has to play very well. Oni does not like being poked.
Dudley: 4:6 Dudley. Dudley I think is one of Oni’s toughest fights because he is like the only player IMO that can dominate Oni when they are both point blank, due to his great jabs and defense options that work oddly pretty great against Oni. Oni can win by out-poking Dudley, but a really good Dudley can still get around those. If you need help with this matchup, note that spamming f.LK shuts down many of Dudley’s offensive options.
E. Honda: 5:5 even. Both characters have good tools for this matchup. Oni’s fireball game gives him a needed zoning tool, but their recovery time is so bad it makes this matchup better for Honda than it would be against other Shotos.
El Fuerte: 4.5:5.5 Elf. I haven’t figured out this match-up yet so I’m just putting it in Elf’s favor since he still beats me. In Oni’s favor is the fact that Elf’s mistakes a very easy to punish with Oni.
Evil Ryu: 5:5 even. I like facing Evil Ryu because of his low health, so I would say if anything this is slightly in Oni’s favor. I’m sad that that is getting buffed in Ultra though, he doesn’t need it IMO. Oni also out pokes Evil Ryu (f.FP ftw), which helps a ton, but Evil Ryu’s dive kick and zoning game, combined with massive damage output, I think even this up.
Fei Long: 5:5 even. I think this match “disadvantage” is overrated IMO. Fei Long’s pokes are great, but I really don’t think they beat Oni’s. I think it’s a very fair match-up. I enjoy this match, especially since Fei’s defense options are pretty weak.
Gen: 4.5:5.5 Gen. Gen’s pokes and mix-ups are good enough that I think it’s a small uphill battle for Oni.
Gouken: 6:4 Oni. I really only ever lose to good Goukens because of overconfidence. Oni has everything he needs to shut Gouken down. The fact that Oni’s slashes armor break are a huge help too.
Guile: 5:5 even. I’m tempted to say this is advantage Oni because I really enjoy this match-up, but a solid Guile can beat me frequently, so it’s probably even.
Guy: 6:4 Oni. Guy doesn’t have anything for Oni to be afraid of. Just play smart and the match is yours.
Hakan: 6:4 Oni. Same as Guy. What a lot of people don’t realize about Hakan (which I learned when I mained him for a bit) is he is very weak to throws. Everyone knows he is weak to jump ins and cross ups, but if you do those AND mix in a few empty jump/wake up throws Hakan is usually free. That combined with Oni’s big combo ability means it is very hard for Hakan to stay oiled for long.
Ibuki: 4:6 Ibuki. I used to get terrorized by Ibuki. Now I win regularly with my footsies and mix-up game, and carefully timed dashes. But, still, I say advantage Ibuki. This is a tough match-up that requires careful play.
Juri: 4.5:5.5 Juri. Definitely an advantage for Juri, her pokes, escapes, and air game are just too good at keeping Oni out. The only question is how big is her advantage. I put it as a small advantage because Oni does so much more damage than she does that she has to play a little too well to win for me to say that this is anything more than a small advantage for Juri.
Ken: 6:4 Oni. I don’t think Oni has anything to fear from Ken. Ken’s pokes aren’t nearly as good as Oni’s, his damage isn’t as good, and his mix-ups aren’t as good either.
M. Bison: 4.5:5.5 Bison. Small advantage Bison, given his great pokes and escape options. But Oni can zone him decently and does much better damage, so it’s not that bad.
Makoto: 6.5:3.5 Oni. I feel bad for Makoto on this one, it’s pretty bad for her. I beat the #1 ranked XBL Makoto player this morning and put in half the effort it takes me to beat an average Dudley player.
Rose: 5:5 even. I well balanced matchup, I’d say.
Rufus: 5.5:4.5 Oni. Rufus loses to many of Oni’s pokes and mix-up options, and Oni’s strong DP and anti-airs make Rufus’s dive kicks less intimidating.
Ryu: 4:6 Ryu. I think Ryu is one of Oni’s worst match-ups to be honest. Now, I beat a lot of Ryus, but I think that’s because most Ryus play the character wrong. Offensive Ryus die to Oni, who beats everyone except Dudley (and maybe Cody) at point blank range. But zoning and poking Ryus can just crush Oni if they know what they’re doing. Oni has trouble doing anything safe in this matchup if Ryu can space him out.
Sagat: 5:5 even. Both characters have good tools in this match-up. I’d lean the advantage in Oni’s favor since he can more easily surprise Sagat than Sagat can surprise Oni.
Sakura: 5.5:4.5 Oni. Oni and Sakura are similar characters, but Oni has more tools and better pokes. Sakura is also much more predictable than Oni is. I don’t have trouble with Sakuras.
Seth: 5:5 even. Slight advantage Oni really, since his health is higher. Other than that they’re pretty even. I have trouble when Seth has Ultra stocked, but otherwise I think Oni has the advantage.
T.Hawk: 6.5:3.5 Oni. Oni’s great pokes, anti-airs, and limited fireball game beat T.Hawk pretty easily.
Vega: 4.5:5.5 Vega. Some say this is a terrible matchup for Oni, but I only think it’s slightly bad, since Vega has pretty poor wake-up options. A Vega player who knows how to poke can be tough for Oni though.
Yang: 5:5 even. Yang’s escape options make him tougher than Yun, but it’s not a bad matchup, since he likes to be in close and Oni is better at close range.
Yun: 5.5:4.5 Oni. Oni has nothing to fear from Yun. Yun is a solid enough character all around that I wouldn’t mark this as too lopsided though.
Zangief: 8:2 Oni. From all that I can see this is one of the most lopsided matchups in the game. Infiltration ditched his main, Akuma – who is a 7-3 against Gief! – to play Oni against Snake Eyez. He then thrashed Snake Eyez. What’s worse than a 7-3, you ask? An 8-2. And that’s what this matchup is. Just keep spamming those f.FP and s.FP, fellas.
Overall, after spending a lot of time with Oni the past couple of months, I think he’s a great character. He has so many tools and comeback potential due to his big damage and mix-up game, plus, unlike Akuma (my previous main), he actually has good health and great pokes! I think he can beat the whole cast honestly. I really like this character. You should fear no one when maining Oni.