Just casually attempting to resurrect my own thread, don't mind me. I started reading the SF6 Season 3
patch notes as I'm in the FG mood again, and got inspired to do a little write-up of my view on it. I'm not going to go over every single character as we'd be here for awhile, but I'll go over my characters of choice and any one else that I think have interesting (or
very deserved) changes. Obviously I'm not coming at this from pure high level experience or anything as I have none, it's just the perspective of a professional amateur Diamond/Platinum (and one character in Masters, that shit was a real grind) player.
First up, the general changes are pretty exciting.
Perfect Parry Requirements
Conditions for a Perfect Parry are changed for some attacks.
The screen freeze that occurs with a Perfect Parry will no longer occur if the correct block direction input is not used.
High, Overhead attacks: Standing Block + Parry
Low attacks: Crouching Block + Parry
If a player performs an incorrect block input, a Perfect Parry will not trigger, but they will recover more Drive gauge than a normal parry.
For projectiles that do not trigger a screen freeze, the old Perfect Parry input still applies.
This is a really good change to me, honestly. It's a perfect way to change up the parry tap meta without fundamentally altering the balance or nerfing it. So, now to get the screen freeze PP (which is what you obviously want as its the only form that leaves you plus) you have to be blocking the attack correctly with either a down-back or back input. You're not punished if you guess wrong, as you still parry the attack as normal and get actual net gauge recovery over a regular parry, so it's still useful. You have to commit and actually pay attention to the attack coming at you, basically, and you can't just tap the parry button like you could before which was far too safe in most situations. Great change, hell yeah.
Sweeps
Along with reducing the hurtbox on the 1st active frame, we made adjustments so that on a normal or counter hit, players can still perform a recovery.
By greatly reducing the hurtbox immediately after the attack start-up, although there's some risk if the attack was blocked or missed, it's now an attack that can win out against other pokes more often. Remember this option when you don't have much health left or are in a pinch.
On the other hand, the move can now be recovered from after a normal or counterhit, so your offensive situation after hit is much different. Each character will have a different wake-up gameplay now so study up.
Due to this change, the strategy of knocking down an opponent and switching sides before they get up is now gone, except if the attack lands as a Punish Counter.
Note that attacks that slide along the ground are not subject to this change.
Definitely something I wasn't expecting, as I never really had any specific issues with sweeps before but it's something that's still a good change. Smaller hurtboxes during sweep active frames means you'll likely win trades more often which is solid, we're going back to the SF4 days where sweeps were often legit poke options which I'm personally okay with. They are also getting a bit of a nerf to compensate for the increased effectiveness which is entirely fair; the only way you're getting an actual hard knockdown with one now is on PC's. On normal and even CH, the other guy can roll recover on wake-up. This is a pretty big change honestly considering it's breaking up the SF tradition of 'sweep = always hard knockdown'. The thing about slide sweeps being unchanged is interesting, I guess Dee Jay, Bison and Blanka came out of this with only buffs as their sweeps still always hard knockdown.
Throw Escapes
The player who escapes a throw will now receive more Drive Gauge and Super Art gauge than before.
Eh, it's a fine change. I've read people online exclaiming that this means '
throw loops are dead!' which I think is an overreaction. It doesn't really do anything directly related to loops, it just gives the defender some level of incentive to actually go for a throw tech every once in awhile, particularly if they're almost burnt out. It still doesn't change how risky going for a tech is, or change throw behaviour, or anything like that. I'm entirely neutral on this; I'd probably still just eat the throw personally, even if I'm getting close to burnout.
There's some other general system mechanic changes mainly about assisted combos and modern controls I have literally no interest in, and some relatively minor things like light attacks having adjusted knockback.
Time for character shit; oh yeah, there's some good stuff in here.
Akuma
Akuma gave his opponents few options when faced up against his powerful neutral game and attack sequences. By tweaking the pushback of his moves on block and the properties of his attack sequences, we've given opponents a bit of help when faced with Akuma's numerable options.
Thank. Fucking. God. Finally. Akuma nerfs. I'm not going to lie; half the reason I stopped playing was because the game got stale, and a large part of why was from fighting 70% only Akuma matches (and 25% of the rest were Ed's). Flamey Fist (QCB+P), F.HP, and Hadoken have less pushback now so likely you can actually punish them with consistency, at least some light attacks. It was frankly ludicrous how safe 90% of Akuma's options were and how much pay-off he got from literally anything, so fucking glad this happened. They also increased nerfed some choice other normals which is also great; Cr.MP went to 16 frames of recovery which puts it in line with the majority of the cast and has more of a hurtbox, and his sweep has less knockdown if it hits an aerial opponent so the Tatsu into sweep spam is less silly. There's some other fairly minor stuff (EX Shoryu's third hit no longer hits grounded opponents!) but those are the big ones. He's still absolutely top tier, but it's like he's an actual character now with weaknesses. Thanks, Capcom.
Chun-Li
Crouching Heavy Kick
With range around the same as her Crouching Medium Kick, Chun-Li's Crouching Heavy Kick was a move with limited effective use. Its range has been increased, making it more useful as both a counter-attack and a whiff punish. While it is more unsafe on block now, it should be a better tool in Chun-Li's already powerful ground game.
I just wanted to talk about that, the other stuff she got wasn't really as exciting other than pretty good changes to L. Lighting Kicks. Her sweep was already famously pretty long ranged; I'm awaiting the day she gets a half-screen length sweep. Given the changes to sweeps in general, it's not too powerful just an interesting one.
Ed
Forward Throw
Ed's advantage and position on a successful throw has been significantly altered, especially in the corner. Ed will no longer be able throw or hit with a held Psycho Flicker right as the opponent recovers, thus making continuing his attack after a forward throw much more risky.
Psycho Flicker (↓↘→+K)
With Psycho Flicker now cancelable into Kill Rush, the non-held version of the move can now be used as both a powerful space-controlling move that can quickly close space on counter hit, or as a new combo piece.
Additionally, after considering the high return gained on Punish Counter and the strength of the held version, we've increased the risk of using Psycho Flicker by adding a screen freeze on successful Perfect Parry.
Entirely deserved and based changes. He had one gimmick that was I think far too powerful for it's relatively low risk with the throw into Flicker charge. If you were a character who didn't have a projectile immune recovery option, really all you could do was parry it but it still dragged you towards him, even on PP since it's a projectile so there was no screen freeze. You wouldn't even really gain any net meter considering you'd immediately be put into a blockstring by him; shit sucked. Glad it's getting adjusted in reasonable ways. It even got a buff to compensate; you can go into his ducking special out of flicker now.
Honda
Overdrive Taiho Cannon Lift (↓↘→+KK＞↓+P)
By altering where the opponent lands after being launched by Overdrive Taiho Cannon Lift and reducing its combo count, it should now significantly differ from its normal version. It will now link after hitting with the second hit of Standing Heavy Kick or after Power Stomp, even while in the center of the screen. Honda will now also be able to use a follow-up attack after it, unlike with the normal version.
Normal Sumo Headbutt (Charge ←, →+P)
Perfect Parry was an effective countermeasure against the safe on block Sumo Headbutt, but now that Honda's opponents will have to also worry about inputting the correct direction while closing the distance, we've decided this would be too effective at keeping his opponents away. We've reduced the amount of Drive Gauge damage Sumo Headbutt deals in order to make sure opponents who are unable to parry in time aren't overly punished for blocking.
As a Honda main, I can say that this kind of
relatively minor stuff is to be expected. He got some buffs to his combos with the buffs to EX Cannon Lift and his DF.HK stomp getting juggle properties, but Headbutt got another reasonable adjustment. The stomp bouncing opponents on juggle hits is pretty big to be fair, it actually gives him a reasonably easy combo extension tool which he was kind of lacking before, so it's all pretty net gain in this patch.
I had more, but I can't double post unfortunately until a bump.
