I find there are some matchups that are just fun to see. Sure everyone likes seeing specific players or a specific character. But what about specific matchups? What are your favorite MUs to see played on stream or just spectate at a tournament?
Some of my favorites:
Cody - Guy
Beyond just being of course the greatest rivalry in SF other than Ryu - Ken, this matchup is great because it’s such a slug fest. Plus the two characters have so much in common while also being so very different. There are obvious influences from each one on the others moves (Cody far LK vs Guy far Mk for instance.) but more important are the differences. Guy is speeding all over the place and his his floaty jump while Cody’s low mobility means he tends to pick a spot and hold onto it. Guy’s elbow drop is great against Cody’s wide hurtbox and his lack of invincible anti airs but on the same note Cody’s slide is perfect for low profiling the elbow drop in neutral. Guy’s Run Stop pressure is good vs Cody’s lack of a reversal but Guy still has to watch out for Cody’s crLK. ect
Cody - Zangief
This one is fun mostly because Cody is so slow that it’s a reallllly patient fight for inches at a time for both players. One of the best matchups in terms of showing how good a players spacing is.
Zangief - THawk
Big guys, lots of heavy smacks. Just fun to see.
Rose - Guile
A great match if you love fireballs. I love seeing Rose angle reflect a sonic boom and having Guile jump into it.
El Fuerte Mirror Match
Literally the dumbest shit ever but damn if it isn’t entertaining XD
Ryu - Dhalsim
Not entirely sure what PRECISELY I like about it but it’s a fun match to watch if both players are spot on. Especially when it’s Alex Valle’s Ryu vs FChamp’s Dhalsim.
Juri - Guile
Another fun one if you love fireballs. It’s neat because Juri is one of the few characters who can keep up with Guile and force him out of his shell if he turtles. Plus there simply isn’t many Juris around.
It’s probably just over saturation. I still really enjoy watching Xian’s Gen. Even without the setups he has great footsies and whiff punishes are on point all the time. Gen - Bison is pretty fun to see. As is Gen - Fei
characters that i find really boring to watch no matter how they are played ,who plays them or if they do something crazy :
Rose, Addon, Honda, Cammy, Dhalsim, Abel, Rufus ( in the top worst along with Addon ), Blanka, Fei, Balrog
the only exception is for YC Mochi dhalsim, watching him bodying so hard peoples is just too fun, i never saw any other dhalsim at his level, i also love watching specifically Iperu fuerte , the rest that i didnt mention is " meh ok "
Zangief vs Justin Wong is a joy to watch, Justin Wong’s footsies are just amazing to see vs a character with buttons that counter him in a lot of ranges.
Balrog vs Makoto.
Ryu vs Dhalsim
Zangief vs Makoto
Yun vs Rufus
He didn’t say they did. Just they tend to be very oriented towards: knockdown - whiff normal - jump. They have great options mid screen but many players don’t even bother with it much less try and emphasize them, combine that with the high saturation of Cammy players and Xian’s Gen last year (which he often is winning based on setups after 1-2 knockdowns even though he has great footsies.) I can understand why it’d bore him.
Lol. Part of the reason I quit Gen. I could tell the character was stunting my growth. I spent way more time practicing set ups than I was playing. Then when I did play I just wanted to jump in for combos or do something that got me a set up
Then if all else fails ill just lean on one of the best comeback potentials of the whole game.
Nobody says you gotta play Gen setup style. Maybe you could develop the deadliest footsie / combo oriented Gen around. Show everyone some crazy stuff he can do with counterhits or find a use for jasen. It may not be the optimal way to play the character for the most consistent results but doesn’t mean you need to play him that way as long as you are enjoying yourself (and hopefully winning)
I’d love to see a player like Momochi, who is determined to use every normal attack a character has for SOMETHING, take on Gen. So many of his normals almost never see action. (mainly the crane stance stuff.)
These knockdown- whiff normal- jump setups are for Hakan at least very rewarding. 300+ dmg midscreen, causes opponents DPs to whiff and also quite safe(don´t know, if his J.HK crossups setups are really safe), can lead into the same setup. Frametrap potential is much better, when it comes from these setups. Meaty pressure isn´t bad, but a bit too risky imo. I think it is similar with the setups run by Cammy and Gen that the risk/reward ratio is really good. Play against a dude, who has 100dmg/200 stun pokes, a tool, which helps him great at space control, I will tell you that it is a godsend. Playing constantly at mid range would be better, if you are tanky, beefy and fast enough.
Ryu vs Ryu and Sagat vs Sagat. These are the matchups where the better ryu/sagat always wins, period.
Divekick vs dhalsim/sagat/charge. The two archetypes at it, clash of styles.
Snake Eyez style Zangief. Slow and steady death coming at your way.
In general I really like fireball wars. I hate Fuerte, Hakan, Balrog, Ibuki, Seth and currently Oni. Probably because I struggle vs the characters, used to hate Viper but not so much anymore.
