Street Fighter 6 Season 2 Balance Changes Teased; Ryu Allegedly Receives Huge Buff

by Ali Haider

Capcom is currently working on a huge balance patch for Street Fighter 6 season 2 ahead of the release of Akuma, and some of the changes have been revealed.

The changes come courtesy of a playtest in Japan. This has allowed some Japanese players to test the game ahead of the May 22 release of Akuma as a DLC character along with a major balance patch.

Keep in mind that nothing has been officially confirmed and most of these are observations taken from Reddit or Twitter.

street fighter 6 season 2

Street Fighter 6 Season 2 Balance Changes

General Changes:

  • Universal Changes:
    • After performing a back throw, there is no longer throw advantage for any character.
    • Pushback after a back throw into the corner has been increased, reducing Perfect Parry effectiveness.
    • Drive Reversal is now -6 on block and can be utilized as a wakeup option for characters without invincible wakeup reversals.

Character-Specific Changes:

▼Guile:

  • Sobat Kick: Range reduction may have been applied.
  • Loop Combo: Reduced meter gain from loop combos, though it is unclear if this affects all or specific Supers.

▼JP:

  • SA2 (Amnesia): Increased recovery, preventing combo extensions from light attacks into SA2 and medium attacks.
  • OD Stribog: Can now be comboed into from medium attacks and target combos.

▼Ken:

  • MP HP Target Combo: Now always forms a true blockstring, preventing delays in cancel timing.

▼Manon:

  • 4HP Combo: Can now combo into OD Renversé followed by Grand Fouetté (236PP~K), but it’s unclear which specific move has been buffed.

▼Lily:

  • 2HP: Hurtbox has been increased, potentially making it more vulnerable on whiff.

▼Blanka:

  • DR Overhead: Now +1 on block (instead of +2), making it less advantageous.
  • 2LP: Always combos into M Rolling Attack.

▼Cammy:

  • 4MP > HK > H Hooligan Combination + HK: The combo no longer connects, though it still side-switches.
  • OD Spin Knuckle: Projectile invincibility starts later, reducing its effectiveness against projectiles.
  • SA2: Command has changed from Kick (K) to Punch (P).

▼Honda:

  • Buttslam: Greater distance on block, reducing follow-up pressure (2LP doesn’t reach).
  • 5MP: Increased range due to forward movement.
  • Headbutt: Will not pass under jumping opponents anymore, making it more susceptible to punishment.

▼Luke:

  • J.HP: Significantly increased hurtbox.
  • 4HK: Decreased plus frames, preventing combo loops into itself after a punish counter Drive Rush.

▼Ryu:

  • Denjin Charge: Can now choose between normal and Denjin charged versions for Hadoken and Hashogeki (Heavy version consumes the charge).

Character Observations:

  • Akuma:
    • The new special move is minus on block for all versions:
      • Light Version: Punished by medium attacks.
      • Medium Version: Punished by light attacks.
      • Heavy Version: Safe, but still negative on block.
    • Observations include advantages of specific attacks and cancellable properties:
      • 5MP~MP: Target combo cancellable.
      • 6MK: Not cancellable.
      • 6HP > HP: Hit-confirmable target combo.
      • Other detailed changes require further observation for clarity.
  • Dee Jay: Adjusted back throw distance to reduce its effect in the corner.
  • Chun-Li:
    • Observed to have adjusted meter gain for SA2 follow-ups.
    • Exact nature of the adjustments needs further clarification.
  • Rashid:
    • Does not build SA gauge while SA2 is active.

Capcom hasn’t shared the official set of patch notes so take this with a grain of salt, as these changes need to be confirmed first.

Street Fighter 6 is out now for PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series S|X.

You may also like