In the high-octane world of Street Fighter x Tekken, a single mistake can lead to a team’s entire undoing. Do yourself a favor and make sure that mistake never occurs before a single punch is thrown; know your gems! Here I will give a brief rundown of the various types of gems and their general efficacy with Cole, in addition to specific gems that I believe best fit his style and finally a few of my favorite combinations.
Power Gems: Red.
Thus far all red gems grant an attack bonus to the wearer. It looks like Capcom does not want the player going the Infamous route, as I would say that these are the most useless gems for Cole to equip, as his damage output is not high enough to enjoy the increase, and his playstyle too lame to hit enough times for the gem to be worth it. Stay away from these.
Cole’s favorite Power Gems: None.
Defense Gems: Yellow
Thus far there are two types of Defense Gems, Iron Wall, which mitigates a certain % of damage over a period of time, and Fortitude, which negates the amount of damage = to the number listed for its duration. Iron Wall gems are virtually useless, especially on Cole as he will be K.Oed before they show any benefit. Fortitude gems, however, are among the best for Cole, effectively giving him +100HP for each bestowed upon him. One Lv. 1 gem gives him 850, tying Akuma, and 2 finally puts him in a moderate shared by X other fighters. Here using gems that activate upon getting hit are fine even for Cole afficianados, because you do not need to worry about its activation if you are not already taking damage.
Cole’s Favorite Defense Gems:
82: Fortitude Lv.1: +100 HP/20sec when hit by 4 normal moves. 1 slot.
88: Fortitude Lv.1: +100 HP/20sec when your attack is blocked 4 times. 1 slot. A linked combo or a few grenades makes this one of Cole’s easiest activation, but is a poor choice for a sole defense gem, seeing as it will never activate if you are always on the ropes.
91: Fortitude Lv.1: +100 HP/20sec when you get hit by 2 special moves. People use Special moves, nuff said.
95: Fortitude Lv.1: +100HP/20sec when you perform one Cross Cancel. 1 slot. Cole should not be afraid to Cross Cancel attacks to ensure his safety, and if you get the timing down this can be a very consistant activation.
Life Gems: Orange.
Thus far there are only two Life Gems, one restoring 80HP over 5 seconds and the other 60 immediately. Both have the same easy activation, get hit by 2 specials. You cannot go wrong with Orange gems, and Cole especially enjoys them.
161: Life Force Lv. 1: +80HP/5sec when hit by 2 special moves. 1 slot.
181: Harmonize Lv. 1: +60HP/0sec when hit by 2 special moves. 1 slot.
Speed Gems: Green.
All Speed Gems thus far do the same thing, increase the speed of a character’s movement, dash, and jumps for a brief period of time. These gems can be very effective on Cole regardless of your style, as they will aid you in running from aggressive rushers, stay in the air shorter to prevent punishes, and even come in faster when the situation presents itself. There may be more specialized gems out there for Cole, but he’ll really appreciate anyone who decides to go green.
Cole’s Favorite Speed Gems:
125: Divine Speed Lv.1 10% speed/20 See 90 for ease of activation.
127: Divine Speed Lv.2: +15% speed/15sec when connecting with 4 special moves. 1 slot. DLC Only. The activation is primarily gotten with Grenades and amp combos, and grants a noticeable boost. If combined with gem 125 you are only one special away from a 25% increase. Lightning Man indeed… Note: If you do not possess the DLC 126 has the same effect and condition, however it also occurs an 8% increase in damage to Cole, which is like rain for our hero.
131: Divine Speed Lv.1: 10% speed/20sec when you perform a Cross Cancel. Again, a common and effective move for Cole, and the activation allows you to gain a speed advantage after the separation caused by the move.
135: Divine Speed Lv.1: 10% speed/20sec when partner connects a launcher. 1 slot. It seems strange to have a partner launcher on a battery but it’s bound to happen sometime, and the immediate boost upon switching in allows Cole to regain whatever zoning he needs when the opponent recovers.
Meter Gems: Blue.
Meter gems come in two flavors: the onslaught increases cross gauge acquisition rate and proficiency decreases cross gauge usage. If there’s any purpose to proficiency lemme know, but Onslaughts are perhaps Cole’s very best gem friend if he wants to be a team player. Cole rarely relies on meter while he plays, and due to the amount of grenades and such you’ll use to zone people out, he’ll build meter quite quickly. This not only allows Cole to be a real battery (Ha.), giving good meter to a partner that needs it more than him, but it also ensures that he has enough around to use on Tag Cancels and Cross Cancels to get out of harm’s way.
Cole’s Favorite Meter Gems:
205: Onslaught Lv.1: +20% gauge acquisition/20sec for being blocked 4 times. 1 slot. Just a blocked combo or two and some zoning Shock Grenades are enough to activate this.
207: Onslaught Lv.1: +20% gauge acquisition/20sec for connecting 3 specials. 1 slot. See 90 for proof of easy activation.
214: Onslaught Lv.2: +40% gauge acquisition/15 sec for partner connecting a Launcher. 1 slot. May seem strange for a point man, and this is indeed a very viable gem for Cole’s sidekick if he or she is a meter hog, but it serves its use for Cole as well. If your partner has spent their meter, doing a simple launcher will provide Cole with enough energy to charge Empire City, giving the second character a second chance to finish the job.
Assist Gems: Purple.
Oh the assistance gems. I’ll assume that the players who easy input and cancel assist gems appeal to know who they are, and that they do not aid Cole in any way. Auto Block seems to have potential due to Cole’s lack of Meter and quick ability to gain it, but your sidekick will hate you for it and it will leave you optionless in a pinch. Auto Throw Escape is always good, perhaps two good, as the 2-3 throws you’ll see in a match are worth the meter drop for Cole. Also, you’ll be seen as rather Infamous if you choose to use them, so once again: it is your decision.
Coles Favorite Assist Gems: None for Hero Cole, although Infamous Cole is one of the best users of Auto Throw Escape there is.
17: Auto Throw Escape: Escape from Throws automatically at the expense of 1/6 of meter. 1 slot. Permanent.
Combinations coming tomorrow, please feel free to submit your own. Also, this is my first huge topic so feedback is welcome on the format. I repeat a lot of information in gem names and such, so lemme know if it should be sacrificed for improved readability.