Hey all,
I recently started playing SFV and I am enjoying it quite a bit. I decided i would try and main Zangief after playing a few of the characters and watching a few tournaments. I like the fact he is big and bulky and can output good damage.
I have been looking over the forums here reading about his move-set and different combos and I am just really stuck in figuring out which combos I should be learning. I think I heard the term Bread and Butter combos so was wondering what are some of Zangief’s BnB combos?
Also when I was playing some Ryu I was told to spam shoryuken when waking up in order to catch my opponent off guard and get in some good damage and I was just wondering if there is an equivalent for Zangief?
Another problem I am having is when I am trying to perform his CA I always end up jumping. Is there any other way I can perform this so it actually comes out and lands?
Finally after a few fights online I always end up loosing because once the other person gets in my face and starts attacking me I don’t know what to do so I end up just blocking… Badly. What should I be doing in this situation?
Thanks all and sorry for all the text and noobie questions 
P.S What would be a good beginner fight stick that’s not too expensive because i hate the feel of using the pad for this game
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Doing a CA without jumping means you have to buffer the pad/stick motions while you are doing another move. Good ones to practice on are Forward MK and Vskill (MP+MK). Once you have that down you can move into more advanced stuff like buffering it into a dash. .
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Getting cornered or “put in the blender” is very tough with this iteration of Gief. He has no go-to reversals to punish the opponent for getting so aggressive. If you think they are coming with a grounded attack, you can cr LP, if you think they are going to the air you can try a quick Air SPD. If you think they are gonna throw, tech it.
You need to be very plugged in to your opponents options, try and get a block in and then use your V-Reversal (this is why it is very important to use vskill to gain red meter). Another piece of tech is to use the vskill flex as a pseudo alpha counter. I have only seen it discussed here, I have not brought it into the lab yet
Gief really isn’t about combos. You can practice stuff like crossup body splash (j d.hp) c.lp, s.lk xx lariat. Our best combo is 3x c.lp :lol:
First, you got bad advice that you should spam shoryuken on wakeup. That is a situation strategy that will not work against good players and leads to very painful punishment. For Gief, you do not have a solid wakeup option beyond blocking. You can wakeup c.lp if the opponent is not throwing out “meaty” attacks (attacks that are active above your character when you stand) or on occasion you can wakeup ex spd.
For CA you can buffer the 720 while in the air and hit punch as you land next to the opponent. That is the classic beginner way to hit it and get a feel for the super. Forward+mk moves you towards the enemy so you can buffer the 720 while you’re in the air and then hit punch when you “land”. Fortunately in this game you can combo into the 720 which is easily done by cancelling headbutt (f+hp) to 720 or by hit confirming f.mk into 720. You can cancel c.mp to super or link it from jabs and shorts but those are a little bit harder.
When you have an opponent rushing you down, block and look for a chance to do your v-reversal (f+3 kicks). We don’t have a natural invincible reverse like the shotos. Block and reset the situation and prevent them from getting in on you like that again.
Maybe this stick if you’re looking for something on a budget (http://www.amazon.com/HORI-Fighting-Stick-Mini-PlayStation-4/dp/B014KXMEW4?ie=UTF8&keywords=hori&qid=1459191801&ref_=sr_1_6&s=videogames&sr=1-6).
