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 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.
- The new special move is minus on block for all versions:
- 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.