Oh man, if we could get more vids like this in the match up thread it would be so helpful. Thanks Ajay.
For me, I’m a very visual person. I see it and I remember it. Plus this was only 10 seconds out of my day 
Ok summary of the Hugo match up from a drunk LoyalSol
Basically stick outside of his c.MP range. At this range he has jack shit he can do to punish you besides early as fuck EX lariet or early jump. So at this range if you can accurately predict your opponent’s tendencies you really shouldn’t have much to fear at first.
BUT!!!
This is a match up that changes a lot as meter bars build. First round Akuma has little to fear from Hugo. Zone him properly and you have little to fear. 2nd round you have a little more to fear, but you still don’t have to fear it. Make him burn meter if you fall to gain the life lead on round 2.
THIS IS THE ONE UNFORGIVABLE SIN!!!
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LET HUGO GO INTO ROUND 3 WITH SUPER STOCKED!!!***
If Hugo has super stocked in round 3 you are fucked. You can try to get him to burn it early in round 3, but even then you have to get in on him instead forcing him to come to you. Which is not easy to do.
So the summary. Win one of the first two rounds, get him to burn meter before going into round 3, and then zone him out. Akuma’s favor easily, but requires good fundamentals to win.
Drunk as fuck Loyalsol out. Happy Hugo hunting!
long time forum reader and might as well toss some of my feedback in to help out:
Elena:
i found that Mallet Smash and Rhino Horn where really easy to demon on reaction (baited with a down back turtle and pop’d it off on reaction), the start up is stupid long.
some elena’s like to get a hard knockdown and U2. i have caught this at really big distances with a WU demon (the healing animation is really long). most vortex options whiffs her u1 too.
her sweep is really long and i was not able to counter sweep her (ala footsies)
Rolento:
after a blocked roll i was able to do a quick dash and catch him with a sweep at the best of times (its a tight catch).
Hugo:
atm i am having a hard time getting a solid vortex going (hugo with meter eats akuma). i get a HKD and as i go in… ex back breaker
Anyone feel the Sagat matchup got easier?
Advantages to Akuma:
EX. Shaku at right distance is great for baiting out U2 and blows through fireball wars.
Added high tiger shot recovery more prone to punishes/jumps.
Less damage on U2 and U1.
DP FADC Forward Dash and Back Dash both punishable by reversal U1.
Landing a fs.RH is a guaranteed combo into fs.LP > fs.HP xx Fireball FADC and repeat (great stun and corner carry).
Advantages to Sagat:
Vortex impacted due to DWU
Jump back air fireball possibly easier to punish by U2?
Sagat can use red focus to beat jump forward EX air fireball.
About Rolento’s roll:
I just uppercut it a lot. The roll is almost like a super powerful Blanka ball, only Rolento has to telegraph it with the back flip. Every time you see a backflip just prepare an uppercut and if you see any forward movement just let it fly. Has been working for me. I think a smart Rolento (haven’t fought one yet lol) would start baiting that with short rolls though so it’s not something you can do all day. But at least it makes him think twice about rolling on you.
On block:
Framedata claims the roll is -8, and EX is -10, which I doubt very much. I don’t know about EX, but the normal roll seems to be -5 at most. The EX one is more punishable but pushes back further.
IMO the normal roll is the problem.
EX roll you can sweep.
Never been able to sweep the normal roll.
Normal roll you can get a c.mk if you time it right, but it’s too far so a c.MKxxfireball won’t combo and a c.MKxxtatsu won’t reach.
I’m not sure what the best punish is for his normal roll, any advice?
You can sweep the normal roll if you stand block it.
Akuma vs Hugo
General Flow Analysis:
This matchup is fairly straight forward in terms of the spacing both characters want to be at. If Akuma is a little beyond Hugo’s c.MP range Akuma’s fireballs for all intensive purposes are safe from anything Hugo can do on reaction to the fireball. The only way Hugo can successfully punish them is by timing an early EX Lariet or by hoping to trade his jump in with Akuma fireball. Hugo’s j.HK and j.HP enlarge his hurt box where a fireball that Hugo would normally clear without pressing a button will now hit Hugo because of the enlarged hurt box. If timed perfectly Hugo can trade his j.HP with the fireball, but the timing is incredibly strict. In general Hugo should jump in with his medium buttons or simply empty jump if he cannot hit Akuma. At Akuma’s ideal range Hugo’s focus forward dash can also be swept on reaction. In general d+d > MK is Hugo’s best option for getting around the fireball game and can be annoying for Akuma to punish. Akuma can stuff this with s.HP however and it also at the normal spacing Akuma wants to be at it can be difficult to do this into anything meaningful.
Hugo of course wants to be a little closer than Akuma’s ideal zoning range because at this range Hugo has answers for all of Akuma’s buttons. D.D. MK goes over both of Akuma’s best buttons, Akuma’s s.HK is unsafe from this range, etc. Also dash forward command grab and Hugo’s claps also become a threat at this range as well. However, this range is not so easy to get into because Hugo has very few consistent punishes against Akuma’s ground fireballs. Akuma cannot airfireball consistently in this match up because non-ex back breaker and U2 can punish the fireballs pretty sufficiently.
Mid screen Hugo has practically no teleport punishes outside of precisely timed EX Lariet or Super. The EX Lariet can be annoying to time since if you do it too soon the Lairet will end where Akuma starts the teleport instead of where it ends. Also early back breaker seems like it should work, but the recovery is so bad that you have to do it insanely early to even try to use it as a punish. In general the Akuma player can pretty much get away with minimal effort.
Hugo’s best position is of course with Akuma cornered. This is the one spot on the screen that Hugo can control and force Akuma to act instead of react. When cornered Hugo can out button Akuma easily. Random dash forwards into throws become a huge threat. Also a nice feature that Hugo has is that he can punish any teleport with LK meat squasher (Timing is a little annoying, but not impossible) which will simply send Akuma all the way back into the other corner. This is hard to do if Akuma has U2 however. Alternatively Hugo can punish easily using MP clap. HP clap can be difficult to time since you
typically have to auto correct it, but it is possible to do so. This however will put Akuma out of the corner which can be bad if Hugo has a huge life deficit to make up. The LK meat squasher tends to be the best punish if possible since it returns Akuma to his most disadvantaged situation. In general Akuma bleeds in the corner against Hugo. If Akuma gets cornered Hugo has a good chance to win any round.
This match up is highly dependent on how each round plays out and mistakes in early rounds can add up quickly for both characters.
This match up really hinges on one major factor. Hugo’s Super. Unlike most other match ups the bulk of this match up will come down to how much meter Hugo has by round 3.
Round 1:
In the first round Akuma has a good advantage over Hugo because without meter Hugo’s options against Akuma are really limited. Without meter Akuma only has to maintain the correct fireball spacing, avoid becoming easy to read, and punish any attempt to get around the fireball. In theory Akuma should always take round 1. In application it can be easy to mess up. Hugo’s goal for this round should be to weather the storm. If Hugo can somehow win this round he will have a very good shot at winning
AKUMA SHOULD NOT USE U1 IN THE FIRST ROUND.
The ultra will build way too much meter and could in some cases give Hugo super in the 1st round. Which he can use to win the 1st round. If this happens Akuma will be at a disadvantage in the later rounds.
In this round if Hugo has a punish opportunity (Say landing a focus attack for instance), doing ultra throw or the clap combos may not be the best idea. While these can help, it may be worth it to use the chance to land the meat squasher and run Akuma to the corner where Hugo has the potential to win the round.
In general if Akuma throws plasma and doesn’t let Hugo get away with anything, he should win the first round. Hugo has to get either Akuma to the corner or gain a large life lead and sit on it. Small leads are not enough to force Akuma to stop throwing fireballs. Hugo’s main goal is to try to win the round, but if he starts losing to make sure to stock as much meter as possible. Expending meter wildly is not in Hugo’s interest and typically you should only have enough meter for 1 maybe 2 EX moves to try to swing round 1 in Hugo’s favor. However even landing EX moves like lariat successfully will only net you a small amount of damage and Akuma will most likely be able to regain position after waking up.
If Akuma wins this round, round 2 will be difficult for Hugo. If Hugo wins it will become difficult for Akuma. Winning this first round is critical in the match up as it makes the subsequent rounds easier to play for both characters.
Round 2 [Akuma wins round 1]
If Akuma wins round 1, round 2 will look much the same, but Akuma needs to have an additional goal. The only way Akuma can consistently lose the game from this point onwards is by losing the 2nd round AND letting Hugo win with a nearly a full super bar. Outside of making mental mistakes or flat out amazing reads on the part of the Hugo player, the only way for Akuma to lose the match is if Hugo goes into round 3 with super.
Akuma’s goal is not only to play a similar game plan as round 1, but to also invite the Hugo player to spend meter whenever possible. If Hugo is without U2, trying to force Hugo into a situation where he has to burn meter on EX back breaker to stop you is worth the risk. Even if you get hit the following situation is still not bad for Akuma. If Akuma can’t win the round, the ideal way for Akuma to lose the round is by force Hugo to burn his entire super bar to go into round 3. If this happens round 3 will be a repeat of round 1 where Hugo is at a massive disadvantage. In fact it can be worse than the first round since Akuma starts fully stocked while Hugo has nothing to work with. In this scenario it is an uphill battle for Hugo. He has to win this round without burning meter which is extremely difficult since Akuma controls Hugo if Hugo is not willing to spend the bar.
Also Akuma should not use U1 if he is about to lose the round! This builds 2 bars of meter and if Akuma loses the round he is likely to lose round 3. It is more preferable to take the loss of the round, but limit the amount of meter Hugo can build.
Round 2 [Hugo wins round 1]
If Hugo wins round 1 this gives him the best chance of winning the game. The 2nd round Hugo’s goal is to get super stocked. Even if he loses the round his primary goal is to build that super bar. Unlike if Akuma wins the first round, Hugo does not have to be so concerned about the life lead. Even if he loses this round he can still win the next round if his super bar is stocked or is close to stocked. Of course Hugo should still attempt to win the round, but he should do so with a back up plan for the 3rd round in mind.
If Hugo gains super at the end of round 2 he can possibly end the game using the super and avoid going into round 3 altogether. (See round 3 for the uses of super)
**Round 3:
**
Round 3 comes down to if Hugo has super or not. If Hugo doesn’t have super or can’t build super in time, Akuma should win. This round will play very similar to the first round.
If Hugo has super, this match up does a complete 180 and is now in Hugo’s favor. Super is the defining factor because the minute Hugo has Super and U2, Akuma’s zoning is impossible as everything except full screen fireballs are punishable on reaction. Akuma can not control Hugo from this distance so he will lose ground quickly.
Super punishes teleports and fireballs, can be buffered into Hugo’s buttons as a whiff punish, punishes focus attacks, and in general shuts down everything Akuma wants to do against Hugo. In addition the super can carry over half the stage to put Akuma in the corner where Hugo can further control Akuma.
At this point Akuma has to strictly focus on playing a poking game which is incredibly difficult for Akuma. If Akuma throws out a predictable sweep Hugo can focus forward dash into a command throw. If absolutely timed perfectly he can even get a LK meat squasher, but this is difficult to do. Hugo’s d+d MK goes over all of Akuma’s ground normals and is difficult to whiff punish. S.HP becomes Akuma’s go to button in many cases, but Hugo has answers for this button. In general Akuma has to play very cautiously as losing the life lead can be instant death. It’s not impossible for Akuma to win, but it is incredibly difficult.
The Akuma player has the option to take an opening gambit in this situation. If he believes that he can outplay the Hugo player upon having the fireball game returned, he can intentionally get the Hugo player to trigger the super in a situation where Akuma won’t be put in the corner. If Akuma can force Hugo back a little (using a throw for instance) and then get Hugo to trigger the super where Akuma will still have some room to work with, he can regain the zoning game and possibly regain control. Ideally the Hugo player should wait to use super till he is in a spot where Akuma will be at or possible be able to kill Akuma with it. This will cause Akuma to start with less than half his life, but with enough time it is possible he can regain the lead and subsequently the game. This however, is still very much an uphill battle.
Match up Flow Summary:
1st round: Akuma has the advantage early on against Hugo. Akuma should win round 1. Whoever wins the first round has a major advantage for the rest of the game if played correctly.
2nd round: The second round is all about Hugo’s meter. If Hugo wins the first round he can focus on building meter for round 3. If Akuma wins he can force Hugo to spend meter to enter round 3.
3rd round: If Hugo has super, he wins. If he doesn’t, Akuma wins.
Final prediction: Match up 6-4 Akuma. Hugo can win with good play, but winning the 1st round is inherently difficult and the winner of the 1st round takes a massive advantage into the later rounds. However Hugo’s super and U2 gives him a tool that other grapplers do not have against Akuma’s zoning. If Hugo didn’t have super this match up would be 7-3 or worse IMO.
While I warn against using U1, it is the better utility ultra against Hugo and has use to end a match. U2 also stops some teleport punishes.
Works like a charm, awesome. I didn’t realize stand blocking made a difference. Although I did already make the Blanka ball comparison so… d’oh!
i would realy like to see in the final summeries a analyzation/graphic of spacing/vectors. If possible for all Charcters. I know its a lot of work and i would like to help. The thing is my knowledge is far not as good as from other senior members here.
How y’all feel about the Ibuki match now?
Much the same. Both characters lost and gained with respect to DWU though I feel Ibuki is a little more solid than she was previously plus she still has a more effective knockdown game.
Why ya’ll fill Infiltration went with Ultra 1 vs Juri and Decapre? Hitbox issues making it harder to use U2?
C.mp and c.mk into u2 always works on juri. He probably chose it for other reasons.
Not sure if he was just using it as a mind game thing- he started using Ultra traps. Obviously most players would adapt to the traps in the long run…
Vs Juri it gives you a way to stop her jump in BS. That an U2 in general isn’t that useful against her.
Decapre on the other hand I’m still trying to figure that match up myself.
Maybe because he thought he couldn’t switch ultras due to tourney rules?
Btw when you say her jump bs you mean what exactly? Her ambiguous jump fierce on wake up shenanigans?
The fact her jump ins beat c.HP clean.
Also I’m going to be using U2 against Rolento. Tech forthcoming
Well I think I found a match up where I might consider using both Ultras. Against Poison it gives you a great option.