"Time to get serious!" Hakan Match-up Thread

Classic Fighting Games Ultra Street Fighter IV
21

HAKAN

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 1
Slide Wakeup: loses to EX Slide. Ultra and ex Rocket whiff.
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main Points: maximize punishment damage, know how to stop the shenannigans, be unpredictable

Ahh, the mirror match. I really think after the AE changes are out that this will be a lot more common than it is right now. I prefer U1 because a whiffed rocket or a bad slide can be punished with it. Know how you can get out of Hakan’s wakeup game. Try to bait out that rocket as much as you can.

WAKEUP GAME:

The good news is that you know a lot of what he wants to do. The bad news is that he knows a lot of what you want to do.

Slide wakeup:
Hakan cannot reversal rocket or U1 on slide wakeup, but he can EX slide. Be conservative with your slides in general. One bad slide and you will eat a rocket or at worst a U1. You have to slide a little bit later than usual.

Crossup j.hk:
To get out of the crossup j.hk, Hakan can EX rocket, which is a great tool to use against the jumpin.

Uncrouchable Oil Dives:

Oil Press -> Empty Vertical Jump -> LK Oil Dive
HP Oil Rocket-> f+MP -> HK Oil Dive

You can Super out by using mk if he goes for a dive setup. If you get the timing down perfectly, you can backdash the dive, instantly neutral jump, and right when you land activate U1. It’s tight but possible.

The point of this section is to know how to get out of his wakeup moves. If Hakan has meter, just oil up or go for a dive/mistimed dive.

WHEN TO OIL UP:

Backthrow - Hakan can reach you with HP slide, don’t oil up
forward throw - HK oil safe
full screen isn’t safe

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

Basically you are waiting for Hakan to make a mistake. Use your slides sparingly, it’s such an easy punish. The main goal is to make him whiff a rocket. He’s so wide open after that. Watch his tendencies for patterns. I try not to use Rocket too much. Just turtle and wait for him to get greedy.

Every jumpin attempt he makes, you should swat it away with standing HP. If he gets an empty jump U1, something is wrong.

Oil can help a lot with extended range, but most hakan players will see this coming and jump after a couple pokes.

What you can do is instead of using rocket, use LK Dive and catch him in the air going up.

C.lp into lk dive is also a good tool. Hakan cannot jump out or crouch down.

If he slides and FADCs forward, you can reversal rocket or use U1. Make sure it’s a reversal or you might eat a U1.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

Know how to get out of his wakeup stuff
pokes into lk dive to catch a jump
c.lp hit into lk dive

22

IBUKI

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Loses to EX Raida and EX Kazegirl, free if no meter
crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main points: Aggressive wakeup, use U2 wisely, take mental notes of tendencies

Ibuki can give you a lot of trouble if she gets into her wakeup game. Luckily U2 can stop her knife shenannigans. She also has ways to bait it out so only use it in certain situations. She has poor stamina so a couple wakeup connections will really turn the game around. Watch her tendencies and try to figure out which move is her ‘go to’ move.

WAKEUP GAME

Slide Wakeup:
Great tool if Ibuki doesn’t have meter. Kazegirl gets counterhit by the slide. She can EX kazegirl or EX Raida to get a reversal and since EX Kazegirl is a go to move for most Ibuki players I wouldn’t try sliding if she has meter.

Crossup j.hk:
if she does nothing or crouches, the hk will whiff. If she goes forward, it will hit. If she goes backward, it will block. Kazegirl will get counterhit and EX Kazegirl will whiff. She can also Kasumi Gake out. This will usually be the best option for wakeup. Start by j.hk into pokes just to see what her tendencies are. You can also use c.lp into lk dive, Ibuki can’t crouch but she can jump or Kazegirl. Watch if it counterhits, which means she probably went for a Kazegirl. What you do after the j.hk really depends on Ibuki’s tendencies.

Uncrouchable oil dive:
It’s not great to use on slide wakeup but these two setups might catch her off guard:

Oiled f+HK -> Back dash -> MK Oil Dive
Crouching HK -> f+LK -> MK Oil Dive

WHEN TO OIL UP:

Ibuki can reach you on reaction with Neck Breaker from full screen so try to bait it out.

Forward throw: She can get a hk oil with EX Neck Breaker.
Back throw: She can get a lk oil with Neck Breaker. Don’t oil.

GENERAL STRATEGY:

If you don’t have U2 and she knocks you down, she’ll get into her Kunai crap. Just hold back and it should block the knife. Watch what she does after a blocked knife. You can get a rocket in if she doesnt Kazegirl or jump. Watch for tendencies.

Neck Breaker is high risk high reward for her. It gets her into her wakeup game but easily punished on block. Keep that in mind and low block. You can either Rocket and get oil or c.mk slide to get into wakeup. I prefer c.mk

Energy grab CAN BE BLOCKED. A lot of people don’t know that. It can be punished by a c.mk slide.

Oil can help by parrying the knife if you’re really good at FAs while getting up, but Oil isn’t really a huge deal in this matchup. The main goal is to get Ibuki to do something stupid and you block and punish. A blocked special (EXCEPT Tsumuji) should be punished EVERY SINGLE TIME.

SETUPS FOR U2:

post slide -> slide again -> U2

Blocked Kazegirl - U2 (when blocking the EX, wait a little bit then U2, she can delay her fall with Kunai.

After a sweep and she instantly jumps, get rdy to U2. DO NOT hit the kicks until you see her throw a knife. She’s trying to bait you if she doesn’t throw Kunai. Reversal rocket should do the trick.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

Oil Dive setups
Knowing when to U2 and when she’s trying to bait it out
blocked Kazegirl -> U2

23

JURI

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Pinwheel, free if no meter
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main Points: Play Defensively, know how to punish her moves, Patience

This isn’t too bad of a matchup if you know how to deal with her specials once you block them. Deal heavy damage when you’re in wakeup mode. Oil isn’t mandatory in this matchup so go for dealing damage instead of opportunities to oil. Patience and defensive play will cause Juri to become frustrated and she will make stupid decisions to try and get in on you.

WAKEUP GAME

Slide Wakeup:
The slide will beat regular Pinwheels and Fuhajin, but will be beat by EX Pinwheel. Only use if she doesn’t have meter.

Crossup j.hk:
It dodges all Pinwheels, goes over Kasatushi, and counterhits Fuhajin. Great move to use. One interesting thing to note is that she can neutral jump out so be careful if she starts doing that.

OS U2:
Back up a bit after the slide followup and j.hk. You can OS a U2 if she goes for pinwheel.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
If the player abuses lk pinwheel, Dive will catch it. It will not catch mk, hk or EX.

Dive setup:
HP Oil Rocket -> f+MP -> LK Oil Dive

I prefer using the crossup method if she has meter and slide if she doesn’t. I throw in a couple Dives now and then to mix it up if she’s realized she can’t reversal on wakeup.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Backthrow: lk oil safe
forward throw: hk oil safe
Full screen: lk oil safe if tried to punish on reaction

GENERAL STRATEGY:

The basic strategy is to just play it slow. Don’t rush in on Juri and wait for her to try something. Know how to counter each attack.

Shikusen: It’s very easy to punish if she goes for the 3rd strike. If it’s just one hit, it’s a lot harder. It’s armor breaking so you can’t use FA. You can choose to block it and hope that Juri goes for three hits or you can stop it before the attack touches you. There are two ways to do this. Using AA moves like standing HP and fwd.mp are really hard because she can mix it up with just a regular jumpin and mess up your timing. Use Coward Crouch to dodge the attack. You can poke her afterwards. You can also jump forward and use j.mp into a combo or U2. If Juri is jumping in any direction, remember that she can use this move.

Pinwheel: It’s tight, but you can punish with a c.mk into slide. WAMO says you can’t punish a blocked LK pinwheel but I can c.mk in training mode. For HK and EX, you can also use lk Dive. Against the EX, it might push you out a little too far for c.mk to reach, but you can use fwd.mp to get the slide combo. ALL BLOCKED PINWHEELs SHOULD BE PUNISHED. If the c.mk is too tight for you against lk pinwheel, go for c.lp into dive, but she can jump out.

Fireball: Don’t be tricked into trying to catch her with oiled ex slide from full screen. She can recover and block. If she’s abusing fireballs, just oil up and inch closer. Just watch out for a jumpin attack or Shikusen.

When she activates Ultra, just back out and block. She’ll expect you to try and rocket so be conservative.

Just punish her moves and she’ll become impatient and try to force things. Once she does, get her into your post slide wakeup and deal some heavy damage. Don’t be afraid to try slide wakeup -> U2. Just play defensively and wait for your moment to strike.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:

Punish lk/mk pinwheel with c.mk slide
work on reaction timing against Shikusen.
OS U2

24

KEN

Preferred Ultra: Personal Preference, I usually use U2
Slide Wakeup: Beat by all Shoryukens, not free
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main Points: Focus Attacks and DNCs are huge, Defend with unoiled, don’t let Ken get close

This can get kind of annoying. Ken’s normals are really good and his shoryukens shuts down a lot of your wakeup games. You have to beat Ken by using Focus attacks and oiling up. Also, get as much damage in as you can with the crossup j.hk. Let him be the aggressor, at full screen you can get oil. Keep him away from you until you get oil then you gain the advantage.

**
WAKEUP GAME**

Slide Wakeup:
Not good against Ken. Unless your opponent is horrible at reversals, you shouldn’t use this on wakeup. Easily punished.

Crossup j.hk:
This is the go-to move against Ken. lp shoryuken gets crossup hit and stays on the ground. mp/hp/ex shoryuken whiff. If he blocks the j.hk, he can catch you with a lp shoryuken before you have time to use c.mk so it might be wise to poke after a blocked j.hk.

OS U2:
THe OS U2 is also a pretty good weapon against Ken. You just back up a bit after the follow up and do a j.hk forward. If he goes for shoryuken, it’ll catch.

Uncrouchable Dives:
The basic setups for Uncrouchable dives all work on Ken, but beware of shoryuken. Throwing in a Dive here and there after a non-slide knockdown would be okay, but I’d stick with the cross j.hk after slide.

As you can see, the crossup j.hk is really the only safe weapon you have against Ken on wakeup. Don’t forget you can always oil up into reset/rocket. If he starts catching on to the crossup j.hk stuff, just oil up.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Full screen is lk oil safe, backthrow is lk oil safe, forward throw is hk oil safe. It’s all good for Hakan here.

**
DECIDING WHICH ULTRA TO USE:**

U1: You can reversal any blocked Hurricane Kick with U1, just hold back and not down-back. You can parry, poke, U1

U2: Totally shuts down his jumpin wakeup game. You can add OS U2 to your wakeup options.

Your preference, but I usually just duck under the hurricane kicks and punish with a sweep into either instant forward safejump throw/block or dash forward hk Dive.

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

First, you gotta stop his jumpins. Here’s a tip on how to do that. The two main air attack will be j.mk or a hurricane kick. Once you see Ken reach the peak of his jump, hit HP. It’ll get both of them. The j.hk will either hit him or trade. Another thing you can do is use j.mp. If Ken tries to use the crossup j.mk, it will be a delayed mk, giving you an opening for j.mp.

Next thing to stop is his footsie game. If he can’t jump in, he’ll use his fwd.mk to get in close. If Ken is a little inside 1/2 screen walking towards you, use fwd.mk or fwd.mp to poke him. If he’s closer, try to time a FA and if you’re unoiled, dash back. (Oiled, use DNC). Use your long pokes to keep him away. Ken will then turn to his Hurricane kicks. Just remember that you can duck under them.

Really work on your FADNC game. FA works great against an obvious fwd.mk. With oil you can get a slide combo. You can also FA a lp Shoryuken. Don’t dash cancel and hit him in the air then dash forward and U2. A lot of Kens like to use lp shoryuken on wakeup.

The double lp shoryuken can get annoying. Watch ken’s feet. Right before the feet hit the ground, hit c.mk.
**

WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

counter lp shoryuken with c.mk before he gets a 2nd shoryuken
FADNC
FA a lp shoryuken into U2
If using U1, block Hurricane kicks and get U1 reversal

25

M. BISON

Preferred Ultra: U1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Double Knee and EX Psycho Crusher, Free if no meter
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main Points: Don’t let him get in, Watch his tendencies on wakeup, stop his specials

Just play it defensively and punish his specials. Knowing how to stop his moves will help you with this matchup.

WAKEUP GAME

Slide Wakeup:
It’s free if Bison has no meter, but Bison can teleport out, Head Press out, or Devil Reverse out. Be ready to slide again but watch out if its a Devil reverse.

Crossup j.hk:
It counterhit crossups normal Double Knees and Psycho Crushers and the EX versions whiff so keep the crossup hit in mind. Bison can mistime his EX Knees or Crusher so it’s not a reversal and you will have to block. Again, he can teleport out, Head Press out, or Devil Reverse out. If he usually teleports out, OS a slide with the j.hk. If he uses Head press, just wait for him to fall in front of you and time a rocket. If he uses Devil Reverse, be ready to FA the hit or DC if he runs away.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
It’s actually pretty effective in this matchup. Any reversal special that isn’t EX will be grabbed. EX can still beat it though. He can also mistime his Devil Reverse or Head Press to get out. He can also teleport back and can punish you.

It just really depends on the type of Bison player you are playing. If he uses teleport reversals, crossup and OS a slide. If he uses wakeup specials, use the Dive. No meter, Slide is good. You just gotta figure out what his go-to move is against wakeup attacks then use the best tool designed to beat it.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Back Throw: Can be beat by psycho crusher, dont oil up
Forward Throw: HK oil can be caught by the last hit of hk double knee but not crusher.
Full Screen: If you make an obvious oil attempt, he can catch you with crusher. Try to bait it out by spamming crouch.

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

First step is to stop his devil reverse and his head press. Airthrow gets beat so don’t use that. Standing HP is good most of the time but sometimes it will trade. instant j.mp can trade sometimes and devil reverse will dodge and punish you. Right now your best option is standing HP AA. There is another option that beats Head Press and devil reverse: neutral jump lp. Once you see the jump in the air, neutral j.lp. It will poke Head press out and if he uses Devil Reverse you can land and FA it before he can hit you (DNC after your FA hits if oiled, backdash if unoiled). You neutral jump so the devils reverse won’t crossup your FA.

Now he’ll probably get frustrated and use crushers, scissor kicks, and his sweep so be prepared to block low:

The sweep is easy to punish with a rocket or c.mk. If it’s from far away, just use rocket.

If the Crusher goes through you, punish it with c.mk into slide. If the crusher didn’t go through you, it was probably a lp Crusher and punish it with Rocket/U1.

Lk Scissor kick gives people trouble. After the scissor kick, Bison will usually do another lk scissor kick, standing HK, or Crusher. If he’s up close enough to get hit by a c.lp, do that. It will either hit him or you’ll still be in block stun and you’ll block the 2nd attack. If he’s too far away, just keep blocking because the HK can counterhit you or can try to catch his standing HK with a slide. Don’t try a slide when he’s close though. There’s no shame in just blocking, but watch out for the walk up throw. You could try going for a lk dive after a c.lp but he can jump out (cannot crouch out though).

A note about U2: you can airthrow it so just jump when he activates it from a distance. He can adjust the distance and still get you so if he’s close to you, it can be risky. Just block it if it’s close. If he’s far away, jump away and grab.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

Punishing Crushers discussed above
OS slide in a j.hk
c.lp after a lk scissor kick
neutral j.lp into FA against HP/DR

26

MAKOTO

Preferred Ultra: U1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Oroshi, free if no meter
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main points: FA and airthrows are key, don’t fall asleep and watch out for resets, take advantage of oil

One of the few “favorable” matchups for Hakan (I think there’s more, just saying). FAs and airthrows will come in handy against her jump in attacks. After a grab, watch out for resets and crossups. It’s hard to get oil in this matchup so take advantage of the little oil available to you.

**
WAKEUP GAME**

Slide Wakeup:
It counterhits all forms of Hayate and Karakusa. The only thing that beats your slide is EX Oroshi. I don’t think I’ve ever been countered with this move yet but I haven’t played any top tier Makoto players. Just keep the EX Oroshi in mind when doing this.

Crossup j.hk:
If Makoto hold down, it will hit. If Makoto holds back, it will block. If makoto walks forward or stay neutral, you will whiff. If she jumps, you will hit her in the air. Normal Oroshi and All Hayates get counterhit. EX Oroshi and all Fukjage whiff giving you time to punish. Just watch out for the walk forward and neutral. Risky, but if she walks forward, stay neutral or anything else that causes a whiff you can jump in U1.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:

c.hk: dash forward -> hk Dive
fwd.mp: mk/hk/ex Dive
oiled fwd.hk: dash back -> mk dive

the Fukjage can beat the dive and so can EX Hayate.

Other Setups:
Oil Rocket, forward dash - Moderate to late j.HK.
Oil Dive, neutral jump - Early j.HK.

WHEN TO OIL UP:

Don’t oil up if Makoto is standing and has meter, since EX Hayate can punish any version of the oil shower. Forward Throw is MK Oil is safe and HK Oil safe IF no EX meter or U2.

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

She’ll either try to get in with Hayate or a jump in attack like Tsunugi or j.hp. To stop the jump in attacks, use Focus Attack. FA will make her think twice about using Tsunugi. Focus attack also works against Hayate. Abuse Focus attack until she stops abusing those two moves. Another tool you can use is fwd.mp, which can catch a Hayate or swat away a Tsunugi. An even greater tool to use is airthrow against the jump in attacks.

If you’re unoiled, you don’t want her close. Dash back after FAs and look for openings.

Once you’ve stopped the Hayate and Tsunugi abuse, she’ll try to use her grab to get combos. This is why it’s wise to mixup between FAs, fwd.mp, and airthrow against jump ins.

Try to get oil whenever possible. FA oiled while sliding back is a great way to stop the grabs. It also adds dnc. If your wakeup game isn’t effective against the Makoto you are playing, take the oil and reset/rocket/U1.

Your pokes are great against her, don’t be afraid to use them. (c.lp, s.mp, f.lk, s.hp, etc)

Play defensively. She’s looking to catch you sleeping with a Hayate or Tsunugi. If oiled, punish the Hayate with Rocket. Don’t abuse FA when she’s close.
**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

Using fwd.mp as AA
Dive Setups
Your Focus Attacks and DNCs

27

**ROSE
**
Preferred Ultra: U1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Soul Spiral, Free if no meter
Crossup j.hk: Whiff mp
Main Points: Aggressive Wakeup game, stay back and let her set the tone, oil helps with punishes.

Rose isn’t too bad of a matchup if you keep some things in mind. Try to get a lot of your damage in wakeup. When you’re both standing, have patience. You don’t need to be aggressive in this situation. Take what she gives you and know what to do when you block a certain move. Oil help a lot with this.

**
WAKEUP GAME**

Slide Wakeup:
The only move that beats it is EX Soul Spiral. Normal Soul Throws and Soul Spirals are counterhit and EX Soul Throw whiffs.

Crossup j.hk:
Again, the only move that beats it is EX Soul Spiral but you can block after the j.hk and it will either block or whiff. Other Soul Spirals and Soul Throws are counterhit and EX Soul Throw whiffs.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
ALL Soul Throws whiff but it’s still beat by EX Soul Spiral. Normal Soul Spirals get grabbed. Another thing to note is that if Rose activates U2 when she gets up then the Dive will still grab her if timed correctly.

The main point about wakeup game is you need to watch out for EX Soul Spiral. You can get a lot of heavy damage in if she doesn’t have Meter or doesn’t use EX SS. If she’s abusing EX SS, then block after the crossup j.hk or just oil up. Rose is one of those basic characters on wakeup so all the basic wakeup setups work. Because EX Soul Spiral is really her only answer against wakeup, don’t be afraid to try and bait it out also.

WHEN TO OIL UP:

Forward throw: HK oil safe
Back throw: lk oil safe
Full screen: lk oil safe

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

In this match, just stay back and see what she does, if she backs up and goes for fireballs, you can easily catch her with a slide because it’s so slow. If she’s a little more aggressive, then just block/parry and punish.

Be careful about using EX Rocket when you’re getting up. Rose can use close MK and you won’t be able to grab her.

A rushdown Rose will use a lot of pokes into Soul Spiral. Just play defensively and block them. When oiled, you can easily punish a blocked SS with Rocket. U1 is always an option too. When unoiled, you can either c.lp into lk dive or just lk dive. c.lp into dive will get Rose if she holds down. Just doing lk dive without the c.lp will catch Rose jumping. Watch for tendencies.

Remember to block low so she can’t get a Spiral combo. Don’t worry about jumping in against Rose, you’ll use slide to get in close against fireballs. Blocking low and playing defensively might cause Rose to start doing walk up throws. Use c.mk.lp.lk to tech.

Rare, but if oiled, punish blocked Soul Reflects with Rocket. Unoiled, you usually are too far away for a decent punish so just poke with a s.mp.

It’s actually possible to get an EX rocket off in between a c.mk/c.mp and mk/hk Soul Spiral. If it’s a lk/EX Soul Spiral, you’ll stay in block animation.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:
**
EX Rocket in between a c.mk/mp and a mk/hk Soul Spiral
blocking a Soul spiral -> c.lp into dive against crouch OR reversal Dive against jumps
Timing a slide against fireball

28

RUFUS

Preferred Ultra: Personal Preference, I use Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Messiah, free if no meter
Crossup j.hk: whiff standing LP
Main points: Bait out that EX Messiah and know how to punish it, don’t get too close, know how to stop Dive Kicks

I prefer to use Ultra 2 in this matchup but Ultra 1 isn’t a bad option either. Below is a link of Wildcat vs Rufus and he actually uses U1 so use whatever you are comfortable with. On wakeup, try to bait out that EX Messiah by using the below advice. Also know how to punish it once you block it. When you’re both standing, you don’t wanna be too close because of Dive Kick pressure. Know the ways on how to get out and try to get oil any chance you get.

[media=youtube]EvkIclTIiPI&playnext=1&list=PLBC3ACFC28413F1C2&index=8"[/media]

WAKEUP GAME

Slide Wakeup:
The only thing that beats it is Ex Messiah Kick. Snake strike and regular messiah kicks will whiff so be prepared to punish those. Really work on your reaction speed to get this down.

Crossup j.hk:
Snake Strike gets counterhit in the air (reset) and EX SS whiffs. EX Messiah can beat you if you don’t block after the j.hk. What you can do against EX Messiah Reversal is hold back while doing the j.hk and keep holding back. You will block the EX Messiah and the j.hk will hit if he doesn’t do a reversal. You could also OS a U2.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
Rufus is one of those basic characters on wakeup so basic setups work. Rufus can still EX Messiah out, but it will only get one hit and only do 20 damage. The main problem is that he will now be in control. EX Messiah is the only move that can reversal hit. EX Snake Strike whiffs, everything else gets grabbed.

If rufus doesn’t have meter, you’re free to do pretty much anything. With meter, use the crossup j.hk. Once you’ve taught him not to EX Messiah on wakeup, use Oil Dives.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

At max range, oil up. Rufus can’t do a whole lot about it unless you use MK or HK oil. Unless Rufus has U2, backthrow is lk oil safe and forward throw is hk oil safe. If he has U2, use mk oil after a forward throw and don’t oil after a backthrow.

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

Let’s start by going over Dive Kicks. You don’t want Rufus to get in close to you. His dive/poke/throw mixup can destroy Hakan. Keep your distance as much as possible and try to get oil, which will help a lot in this matchup. Oiled backdash or FA backdash helps with getting out of his dive kick pressure. You get a little space after that. If you’re in the corner and can’t backdash out, use backDNC. fwd.lp is a good one to use, it will stop the dive kick if that’s what he goes for and you can tick into a throw if he goes for throw/pokes.

When unoiled and he’s doing close dive kick pressure, it’s a lot harder.

Unoiled Post-blocked Dive Kick
another dive kick - you can air grab or j.lk poke, but beaten by a poke. C.mp+lp+lk pokes him out of air
pokes - Reversal Rocket, beaten by dive kick or jump. You will stay in block stun if you try to tech
throw - Reversal Rocket, beaten by dive kick or jump. You can tech.

Using c.mp+lk+lp is a great tool to get out of these three basic things.

I’m not saying guess what he’s going to to after every dive kick because the odds to guess right aren’t great. There’s no problem with just blocking a couple and quick teching if you see the throw coming. This is very hard to do so keep your distance.

From farther away and he tries to dive kick pressure you, s.hp, fwd.mp, and j.hp are great tool to use.

The next step in beating Rufus is baiting that EX Messiah out and punishing it. Don’t do a lot of pokes while you’re both standing because Rufus loves to catch pokes with EX Messiah. Once you bait it out from wakeup or whatever, here are his options after you block it.

EX Messiah Options when blocked:
LK- You stay in block stun and can easily punish with a fwd.mp slide combo, Rocket, or U1
delayed LK- He’s looking to catch you napping or break your focus attack. Keep Blocking, U2, or CC into U1/rocket.
MK- This is the sweep attack and you can easily see it coming and get a lvl 1 FA. When oiled, get a combo
HK- This is the overhead attack and it’s also easily punished with a FA, you can get lvl 2.

This is why oil is key. You’ll be able to get a slide combo no matter what he does. Practice between a delayed LK and a MK. Keep blocking for the LK and FA the MK. Once you get the timing and can tell which one to do on reaction, then you’re set. You can easily see the HK coming and have plenty of time to FA.

If he’s spamming c.HP from far away, FA DNC into a fwd.hk and try an uncrouchable dive setup/bait out the EX Messiah.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:
Master c.mp+lp+lk against all three mixups
oiled lvl 1 FA combos
reaction time against blocked delayed lk EX Messiah and FA mk EX Messiah
unoiled post-blocked dive kick situations
OS U2 on crossup j.hk or block the EX Messiah.

29

RYU

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by Shoryuken
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp
Main Points: Take advantage of crossup j.hk, have great AA, Know what to punish

We’ve all played Ryu many times so I don’t think I need to go in massive detail. Just the basic strategy. A lot of Ken’s guide is applicable in this matchup so if you’re having problems reread that guide.

WAKEUP GAME:

Slide Wakeup:
Very risky to use because it gets beat by shoryuken. Do not rely on this move unless he’s a scrub.

Crossup j.hk:
This will probably be your go-to move on wakeup. Shoryukens whiff but on some timings the lp shoryuken will get counterhit in the air. Another thing to note is that if you time it just right and Ryu decides to reversal U1/Super, you will hand behind him. So if you have U1 ready, get that 720 prepared while he’s activating u1/super. Also, if Ryu holds down+back, your j.hk will whiff.

Uncrouchable oil dive:
Beat by shoryuken obviously. Ryu is a basic wakeup character so all the normal setups work. Ryu can also use U1 when he gets up.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:
**
Forward Throw: HK Safe unless he has U1/Super then use mk
Back Throw: LK safe unless he has U1/Super
**

GENERAL STRATEGY:**

If he’s full screen throwing fireballs, you can always trade blood for oil and hope there’s an opening for EX Slide. Another thing you can do is block the first one and CC under the second one, messing up with his timing and hopefully he whiffs a punch trying to do a fireball, giving you time to get a lk oil.

If he tries to cross you up with a hurricane or jumping towards you while pretty close, hold back when he jumps and use standing HP. if he’s farther away and jumping at you, use fwd.mp.

Like Ken, you can duck under his hurricane kicks and punish with a sweep then safe jump forward.

Remember that Ryu has a two-hit aerial move if you like to parry so you really don’t want him getting in close.

You should always punish a blocked sweep. If it’s close to you, punish with a slide combo. If he’s pretty far away and c.mk or fwd.mp won’t reach, then you can reversal HP Slide.

If Ryu is pretty far away and you block a c.MK, you can EX Slide before the fireball hits you.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

Standing HP and fwd.mp as AA, reaction time
punishing a blocked sweep from far away with HP slide
punishing a blocked c.mk from far away with EX Slide

30

SAGAT

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by Tiger Uppercut
Crossup j.hk: whiff c.mp
Main Points: Ask yourself what his most used move is, Save meter for EX Slide, make him use Knees and Uppercuts

Sagat can be tricky, you really need to look for tendencies and what his usual offensive strategy is. Try to find his go-to move. You should try to keep one bar for an EX Slide. The goal if this matchup is to block his uppercuts and Knees and punish every single time.

WAKEUP GAME:

Slide Wakeup:
Very risky to use because it gets beat by Tiger Uppercut. Do not rely on this move unless he’s a scrub.

Crossup j.hk:
Whiff a c.mp instead of a standing mp. Uppercuts whiff, Knees will be counterhit, and you can hit a crouching Sagat. This needs to be a somewhat early j.hk. You can also swap it out for j.lk or j.mk for tick U1 or rocket. You won’t be able to combo to a c.mk but you shouldn’t try to anyway just in case you need to punish a whiffed uppercut. Poke combos still work.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
Use if he does a lot of reversal Tiger Knees on wakeup. Uppercuts will punish your dive so there is a little trade off but all Tiger Knees get grabbed.

There’s also no shame in just oiling up. Oil can become a huge factor in this matchup. There’s always oil into block/rocket.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Full screen: Trade blood for oil and hope he’s fireball liberal, like most online Sagats, and EX Slide.
Forward Throw: HK Safe
Back Throw: He can EX Fireball and catch you.

**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

The first thing he’ll try to do is back up and throw fireballs. You can HP slide under the punch fireballs but most Sagats won’t use them in this matchup. Mixup between block and CC to try and throw off his timing and get lk oil, then EX Slide under. He might catch on and not throw fireballs when you’re oiled so just creep forward, watching out for tiger knees.

Punish blocked normal Tiger Knees with c.mk into slide. EX Tiger Knees cannot be punished. Practice in training mode between 1-hit tiger knees and 2-hit close up tiger knees. use LK version, that’s the quickest one.

I really like trying to bait out Knees and Uppercuts because a lot of Sagat player overuse them when close up. After punishing him enough, you can use your pokes a little bit more but be conservative with them.

Play defensively and punish his Knees and Uppercuts. If you have a life lead, sit on it. Parrying is pretty risky against jump-in attacks because of tiger knee so I would use your AAs instead. You can try blocking after a parry and hope for a tiger knee. I know this was kind of a simple guide but just use common sense against Sagat. Don’t let him catch you napping.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:

whiff c.mp -> j.hk
Punishing blocked Knees with c.mk slide
poke links after a j.hk
reaction timing on block

31

**SAKURA **

by liquigen

COMING SOON

32

SETH

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Beat by Shoryuken and EX Hyakuretsukyaku
Crossup j.hk: whiff mk
Main Points: Aggressive wakeup game, don’t be full screen but you don’t want to be close, look for slide openings

Play defensively while standing and have an aggressive wakeup game. The good news is you don’t have to do much to win this battle. An EX slide under a sonic boom with an uncrouchable dive on wakeup takes 1/2 his life. You only a couple combos to win. Don’t let him get in on you.

WAKEUP GAME:

Slide Wakeup:
Not a good move to use. Shoryuken and EX Legs will beat it. THere are better moves to use than this.

Crossup j.hk:
I like using this move against Seth. Shoryukens whiff and everything else counterhits. The only thing that he can use is EX Legs, which you can block after the j.hk. You can HP slide on reaction to catch a back teleport. Right when you see the teleport, HP Slide. Work on your reaction time to know when to c.mk (against connected j.hk), slide (against teleport), or wait for him to land after a whiffed Shoryuken (tip in WHAT TO PRACTICE Section). Not many Seth players will EX Legs on wakeup.

You can also just bait SRKs and do the normal meaty normals/360P/DDT setups on Seth’s wakeup if you don’t like the Crossup j.hk setup. Getting lk oil into block can setup a rocket in the future.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
He can shoryuken reversal or teleport out. Seth is a basic wakeup character to basic oil setups work.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

If he Has Ultra 1, don’t oil up on back throws and use mk on forward throws. It’s risky oiling up full screen when he has Ultra so try to bait it out when he has it. Keep an eye on his Ultra meter if he uses U1. Otherwise, standing oiling up rules apply.

GENERAL STRATEGY:

The first thing he’ll start to do is getting into his sonic boom routine and looking to catch you off guard with a lp boom and wall jump into j.hk. You don’t want to be full screen, but you want to be close. Don’t let him get all the way full screen. Inch forward a little bit so you still can block the sonic booms. The reason is that if you aren’t 100% full screen, you can block the lp sonic boom and still have time to s.hp the j.hk. You can also trade blood for oil and ex slide to catch the 2nd sonic boom. Again, you can’t be all way full screen and catch him so inch forward.

You don’t want to be close either because his jumping down.mks are very hard to get AA or an airthrow. Stay between halfscreen and less than full screen. While in this area, use standing hp when he tries to get in with jumps and look for opportunities to slide in. Also when you’re in that area, you can be reached by seth’s far HP. When oiled, FA DNC fwd.hk then go for an uncrouchable dive.

Punish every lightnings legs with a slide combo or oiled rocket.

If he ever gets close, it’s a guessing game. Block his low pokes and be ready to crouch tech. He can use his command throw so be on the lookout after a while if all you’re doing is blocking and teching.

In this matchup, you’re just hoping to find a couple combos and get the win before he gets you stunned. Don’t be afraid to look for a slide opening, just know the certain spots where you can hit him near the last frames of the slide.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:

Turn Random block on and do slide, whiff mk, crossup j.hk. If he blocks the j.hk, do nothing. If he doesn’t block, get a 4 hit slide combo with c.mk.
Be able to block the lp sonic boom and activate U2 from within full screen
practice staying within that range I explained in matches against a friend playing Seth

33

T.HAWK

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 1
Slide Wakeup: Beat by EX Tomahawk Buster and EX Typhoon, Free if no Meter
Crossup j.hk: whiff mp, beat by tomahawk. Use c.mp
Main Points: Make Hawk whiff tomahawk and be ready to punish with slide, you should punish every blocked special, keep him in wakeup for a long period

Some great tips were on the matchup thread by tataki so I wanted to start by saying thank you for saving me time. I haven’t had too much trouble with Hawks online. The main problem though is after you knock him down, what do you do besides oil up and back out? I think these wakeup options will help your game against Hawk a lot.

WAKEUP GAME:

Slide Wakeup:
Use if Hawk doesn’t have any meter, otherwise it’s easily punishable. It’s not really needed in this matchup, but it’s something to mix it up a bit.

Post-slide j.hk:
This is a setup Mordie-Kai found against Sagat that can be used against Hawk. Whiff a c.mp after a slide followup and use an early j.hk. All tomahawks will whiff and normal condors will be counterhit while staying on the ground. EX Condor will be counterhit but it will be an air reset. Don’t try to combo into c.mk for the same reasons why you don’t against Sagat.

Uncrouchable oil dives:
I like using Dives in this matchup even though it’s beat by EX Tomahawk Buster. It catches all Condors, normal Tomahawks, Typhoons, jumps, and crouches obviously (pretty damn good). Hawk is a basic wakeup character so basic setups apply.

Post-Dive Wakeup:
Dives are a great tool to use against T.Hawk so I should probably throw in a couple post-dive wakeup moves you can use

Unoiled dash forward -> dash back -> j.hk: all tomahawks whiff, all condors are counterhit
lk oil -> j.hk: all tomahawks whiff, all condors are counterhit

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Do not oil up on when he’s in the air, he can react with dive. On the ground though he can’t reach you in time from half screen away. Basic oiling up openings apply.
**

GENERAL STRATEGY:**

Do not jump at him at all. He can s.hk and s.hp you as AA, and if you kick him with an early j.mk he can spd you after you land.

While both standing and doing footsies, use s.hp, un-oiled f+hp, c.hp (beats his s.hp clean), oiled f+hk, focus attack (if he jumps cancel the focus into backdash immediately), neutral jumping normals (depending the angle his coming and if he activates dive).

**How to punish a blocked move: **
Condor spire: Rocket/U1

Condor dive: oil dive/Super

Tomahawk: a slide combo (remember sometimes a HP/EX version will crossup when falling down)

If Hawk’s moves whiff, jump or try to punish depending or the situation and if you are oiled or not.

If he did punish your short oil with a dive, be aware that you get the oiled wake up game, which is great against T.Hawk’s mix-ups.

**
WHAT TO PRACTICE:**

The post-slide early j.hk setup whiffing c.mp
post-dive setups
oil dive after a blocked condor dive but be ready to jump/backdash if the dive whiffs

34

VEGA

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 1
Slide Wakeup: Free
Crossup j.hk: whiff s.lp
Main points: Aggressive wakeup game, know how to handle his special moves, practice your timing

You probably haven’t played a lot of Vega players. Because of this, you might not know how to handle him properly. The standard wakeup game applies. I’ll go into detail about how to handle his special moves. Also, your timing needs to be really good if you want to punish those special moves. I prefer Ultra 1 in this matchup because you can other tools to stop his Flying Barcelona or Sky High Claw. Plus, Vega can easily bait it out. U1 is also a great tool to use in mind games. Every time Vega is close he will want to use a special just to get out.

WAKEUP GAME:

Slide Wakeup:
I had to do it about 5 times for each move to believe it, but slide wakeup is free! Even off of EX rocket -> dash -> slide I couldn’t get off a Scarlet Terror or Flying Barcelona Attack. Vega can however use the Back Slash so be ready to hit him when he recovers. Do not attempt if he has U2

whiff s.lp -> j.hk:
whiffing mp leave you open for Flying Barcelona and you air reset Scarlet Terror. When you whiff s.lp, it counterhits all special moves and leaves them on the ground for a full 4-hit slide combo. Again, he can Back Slash out. Beats U1 but it will lose to U2. Do not attempt if he has U2.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
Vega is a basic wakeup character so basic setups apply, but Slide wakeup and j.hk are just too good to ignore.

I would use the j.hk wakeup move because Vega will want to Reversal when you’re jumping into him. After he know he can’t use anything, then go to slide. If he tries the short backflip, punish with a well timed f+MP into slide+body press. If he does the long backflip, punish with a well timed HP slide. If he has U2, just try to bait it out then go back to aggressive wakeup.

**
WHEN TO OIL UP:**

Forward Throw - HK Oil is safe if no U1 or U2
Back Throw - LK oil is safe if no U1 or U2
Full Screen - If he’s holding down, don’t oil

GENERAL STRATEGY:

Don’t try to punish his Rolling Crystal Flash, you can’t. He might try to poke you after the roll so just back out or if you’re feeling lucky try using Focus Attack and hope he won’t use Scarlet Terror.
**
Vega’s Specials and how to punish after block:**
Scarlet Terror:
You can c.mk into slide combo. Practice this by blocking lk Scarlet Terror in training mode.

Sky High Claw:
You ever see Vega jumping to the wall, block but be sure to stand. You’ll have enough time to CC if it’s Flying Barcelona. You want to block it because it’s easily punishable by a HP slide, an oil dive, or even Super (Not EX).

Flying Barcelona:
Coward Crouch is so useful against this move. After practicing it, you can CC the attack, get up, and have enough time to punish with a c.mk slide combo or if you are oiled you can rocket. You can also use U1.

One thing that’s really annoying with Vega is his down+fwd.HK which cannot be punished. If he is within 1/2 screen and standing, this is his go-to move. You either have to guess tech or block a special. Focus attack will help a lot in this matchup and this move. His only Focus breaker is Scarlet Terror and he needs to be pretty close for that to hit. If he’s about 1/2 screen away, use focus attacks. Once he gets about within starting distance, it can be risky.

It’s rare, but if he ever jumps in on you and you’re unoiled, just FA the attack, release the FA, then Backdash out. If you’re oiled, parry it. Your AA moves like s.hp and fwd.mp aren’t that great against his j.hk and j.hp. You could also use j.mp or airthrow.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:
whiff s.lp -> j.hk
punishing Back Slash
CC under Flying Barcelona and punishing
c.mk punish a blocked lk Scarlet Terror
Focus attack reaction and parrying

35

YANG

Will be made in the future

36

YUN

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Useless
Crossup j.hk: VERY specific, you might whiff, and even if you don’t it’s still not safe
Main Points: Know how to counter his moves, keep in mind what his go to move is, bait out that reversal and punish hard, STAY OILED

The dreaded Yun match. It’s actually not that bad if you know how to handle his various moves on block. The good thing about this matchup is that you can afford to make some mistakes while Yun really can’t. Keep your cool and don’t get frustrated with his dive kicks, they can be stopped.

WAKEUP GAME

Slide Wakeup:
Useless, don’t bother

Crossup j.hk
Weird wakeup + small build = not consistent enough to rely on. I wouldn’t bother with this.

Oil dives
Can’t be uncrouchable oil dived

So… what do we do?! WE CANT DO ANYTHING OH NOOOOOO… ok I’m calm now… what’s wrong with standard oiling up? Oil is a huge advantage against yun, why not add on to the oil? It’s safe if he tries to reversal. You can actually do a slide followup, oil up, and backdash and he will whiff any DP. Feel free to use the K followup as well.

Well, what if we wanna put some pressure on him? Whiff standing lp and neutral jump hk. Block when you land in case he does a reversal DP then continue the block string with fwd+lk. If he lk, mk, or hk reversals, it will be blocked. With MK and HK, he will land behind you. EX WILL HIT YOU. If he uses EX, bait it out next time by neutral jumping with NO j.hk, you can block the EX then.

If you’re oiled, you can neutral j.hk then fwd+lk and still be in range for a throw. If he blocks the fwd+lk, it will be a 0 frame advantage so this is another opportunity to bait or go for rocket.

WHEN TO OIL UP

Forward Throw: HK safe
Back Throw: not safe
Full Screen: completely full screen, his EX/HP Zesshou hohou won’t reach. Try to bait it out, but he can get you on reaction with HP if you’re not full screen.

GENERAL STRATEGY

Full Screen:
Be careful oiling up, but try to bait out a HP charge. Punish with rocket or pokes into slide. If he starts using palm to build meter, just oil up and EX slide, which will go right through palm. This is a good place to be because you can get oil and if he starts to build meter you can easily punish.

Mid Screen:
s.HP / f.MP / j.MP / j.throw are all good normals to stop him from jumping into you. To get a good feel, practice using each one when playing online or casually against a Yun. Only through practice will you know which one to use at certain points.

Specials:

Zesshou Hohou (down to foward punch): Rocket non-ex versions. Be ready for mixups if EX.

Shoulder Charge: 9/10 times, this will be a LP. You actually cannot punish a lp shoulder charge on block. for MP, HP, and EX, you can punish with a lp combo into slide. The EX is tight so practice that. I usually just punish with c.lp into slide. The reason is that if it’s a lp Shoulder Charge, it sets me up to counter what Yun will do.

After a blocked Shoulder Charge, Yun has some basic options, here’s what will happen:

Jump Up Dive kick - my c.lp whiffs, I instantly see the jump and hit fwd.lp, causing an air reset. I can dash forward to Throw/Bait or bashdash and you’re back in mid screen (full if oiled)
*Another Shoulder Charge - *my c.lp counterhits
Zesshou Hohou - My c.lp counterhits
up-kicks - My c.lp crouches under it, all of them whiff

He could delay a c.mk so be prepared. Odds are he will do one of these things though.

Up-kicks: Just be quick with your punish when you block a LK up-kick. It’s only +13 so be on top of it.

**Command Grab: **Command grabs are 10/7/7/5 frames on start up. So make sure to throw out a 360p every so often during the block strings when u sense it coming.

Dive Kick:

If the dive kick is deep or you blocked the dive kick crouching, block. Make sure you block the dive kick standing for possible high dive block. My frame of reference is if it hits around head level, i go for the rocket.

double dives: interrupt them with f.lp (best), s.mp, or crouch tech lp+lk+c.mp (may not work on 2 lk dives).

If they space the divekick to hit at your feet, that gives you room to escape the situation entirely with up-back or dash-back.

You want to frustrate Yun by disrupting his jump in dive kick game. Then maybe he’ll try to get desperate with shoulder charges and Zesshou. Oil up with you can. Oil is key in this matchup. With Air resets, don’t be afraid to try and sneak in a lk oil. You are able to make a few mistakes, he isn’t. Even if he does punish the oil, you can enough to get out of his wakeup game.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:

Shoulder charge punishes and followups.
AA dive kicks, when to use which normal
The neutral jump hk technique.

37

ZANGIEF

Preferred Ultra: Ultra 2
Slide Wakeup: Not Free
Crossup j.hk: whiff c.mp
Main Points: Get oiled, use your pokes to keep him out, keep your distance, punish his Banishing Flat

I like to use Ultra 2 just to get rid of his jumpin wakeup game, which is deadly against Hakan. Get oiled whenever you have the chance. With oil, standing HP becomes very deadly and great at keeping Gief out. You should punish every blocked banishing flag and watch for the whiff.
**
WAKEUP GAME:**

Slide Wakeup:
Can be beat by EX Piledriver, EX Banishing Flat, Quick Double Lariat, Super, and Ultra. Not that great of a move to use if he’s really good at reversal Quick Double Lariat or has meter.

Crossup j.hk:
The problem with using mp is that Gief’s Lariat will still trade with you and knock you down. whiff a c.mp then do an early j.hk. This will counterhit both of his lariats but HP/EX Banishing Flat will whiff. Odds are he will be tempted to do a lariat when you’re jumping in so this a good move to use.

Uncrouchable Oil Dive:
These are really good against Zangief. It grabs all Banishing Flats and all Lariats. Here are some setups:

Oiled fwd.hk -> backdash -> HK Dive
c.hk -> forward dash -> HK Dive
HP Rocket -> dash forward -> Delayed HK Dive

WHEN TO OIL UP:

Forward Throw: HK Safe
Back Throw: LK Safe
Full Screen: LK Safe
**
GENERAL STRATEGY:**

Your pokes are for the most part, better than Gief’s. Use his standing HP as your main poke, as it breaks focus and is an all around great poke. Mix it in with standing MP, c.MP, and f.LP. If you want to close the distance, then use f.MP/c.HP/f.HK.

If Gief is using any version of his Lariat from a distance, you can punish with f.HK/f.MP(being oiled up will increase the distance and grant knockdown on the f.HK), slide(any version will do, but preferably the HP version) or 360K. Slide and 360K are the best punishes for Lariat, since it opens up the Hakan wakeup game. If you block a Green-hand of any type, punish with 360P or c.MK into slide.

Don’t let him get in on you. Use standing HP if he tries to jump in. Also, a FA DNC forward standing HP will usually catch Zangief. When Gief can’t jump in, he’ll start using BF to get close. Know the ranges and at what distances it will whiff in front of you for a Piledriver.

Play defensively and punish his BFs. Jumping in on Gief is pretty much worthless so I wouldn’t even try it. At times you’ll be pushed in a corner, just don’t panic and try to slide out. Use those normals to take control.

WHAT TO PRACTICE:

whiff c.mp -> j.hk
Blocking Green-hand and punishing with c.mk
Using standing HP as AA and for FADNC

38

I wanted to post this since this is the end.

Thanks everyone for helping me out in this long process. I gotta say, doing this has really helped my knowledge of various matchups and I truly hope that it has been helpful for everyone that reads it. I really think that if you are having trouble with a certain matchup, practice the suggested techniques and really read the information posted will help you a lot. I’m a strong believer that there is no such thing as a bad matchup, just an underprepared matchup (and maybe some matchups you have to think harder).

Big thank you goes out to Liquigen for helping write a few guides. I really appreciate the help. Also thank you to everyone who posted anything in the matchup thread or in the discussion thread. Too many names to list.

I’m thinking about just opening this thread up for conversation so if there are any additions you can post here and I can add it. I’m also hoping for a Sticky on this thread so it doesn’t get buried. Do we even have Mods in here anymore?

39

Question about thawk, you suggest using u2 against gief because of his wakeup vortex. Doesn’t thawk have something similar with the body splash? Do you have a reason for still suggesting u1 here?

40

My general idea when picking between U1 and U2 is pick U2 if it totally shuts down a big part of your opponent’s game. U2 shuts down Giefs wakeup jumpin stuff. The reason why I prefer U1 in the THawk matchup is because his wakeup vortex is more punishable with a U1 than Gief’s.

But again, that’s just my opinion on the ultra. Using U1 against Gief isn’t a bad call and using U2 against Thawk isn’t bad if he’s jumping in on you a lot on wakeup.