So I decided to make a new matchup list for Vega, based on my opinions as they are now. These change over time anyway, as new players come out of the woodwork, but here's where the matchups stand in my mind currently. Feel free to argue the numbers, or make your own list. Vega is the first number, opponent is the second. Numbers are decided assuming the opponent is controlled by a pro, who uses all the character's moves to his disposal, and has awesome execution. 2-8: Makoto, Yun, Cammy, Viper 3-7: Zangief, Fei Long 4-6: Cody, Balrog, Bison, Honda 5-5: Ryu, Ken, Blanka 6-4: Guile, Sagat, Dhalsim 7-3: Akuma, Chun Li, Dee Jay 8-2: Abel, Sakura 2-8: Vega's hardest matchups are the characters with fast cross-up attacks - Cammy and Yun with dive kick, and Viper with burning kick. Vega has almost no way to punish these or escape, and they break his charge. He's practically helpless. Makoto is an unusual case, where she and Vega both have to fight at close range, and all of her moves just happen to beat out Vega's. 3-7: Zangief because he's OP, and because Vega can't space him out. Fei because he can punish everything with rekkas on block, where other characters can't. The 4-6 characters all have some kind of advantage over Vega, but he isn't helpless. He's just fighting a slightly uphill battle. He usually has a trick or two that gives him an advantage over them as well, but if they take that out of his game, then he's struggling. 5-5 characters are truly equal. Ryu and Ken have no real advantages over Vega, it's entirely about mind games on both sides. Blanka and Vega both have equal number of advantages over each other, so they even out. 6-4 characters: Vega can easily cross up guile for tricks, and Guile's jumping kick whiffs on crouching vega, giving Vega several frames of advantage against any cross-over jump. Sagat can't space Vega out, and his uppercut is at a disadvantage against Vega's flying Barcelona. Plus he's huge so it's super easy to grab him from the Barcelona. Dhalsim just gets beat out by Vega's speed and priority, he's the only character that Vega can literally rush down with little danger. 7-3: Dee Jay is like Guile, but with worse normals and priority against Vega. He does have a cross-up jump, but it's easy to avoid and punish. Akuma can't space Vega or run from him, thanks to Vega's full-screen punishes. Also, both of Akuma's jumping normals whiff on crouching Vega. Chun Li is easy to cross up, and has no wakeup options except for ex spinning bird kick. Her own cross ups are easy to avoid or punish. 8-2: Sakura might be a 7-3, I'm going back and forth on her. She has frame traps on the ground, and a good anti-air normal against flying Barcelona, but even with that it's easy for Vega to abuse her from the air. Her only wakeup option is ex shououken, and vega has just as many frame traps against her. Abel is the worst character against Vega by far. He has zero wakeup options. None. Vega has a true safe jump on every hard knockdown, and Abel can only block it or get hit, and he can't roll away. Also, he's huge so it's easy to grab him from Barcelona, and he can even be grabbed out of his roll. And finally, he's the only character who still gets hit by Sky high claw even when he's crouching. It doesn't go over his head like every other character. So there's my thorough list. To anyone who wants to go "This character is higher, I beat Vega/you all the time!" I would counter that with "you probably just now the matchup/me really well, so it seems easy but it's not really because of the actual matchup." Regardless, feel free to comment/dispute!
Ooooooooooooooooo......I am a big Sakura & Abel fan, I would gladly play you to verify their status within this list. Next Monday I'm free and will gladly play you!
Sure! I'm traveling on Monday, I get back home at like 4:00 PM, US Pacific Time. Anytime after that will work. *puts on an air of overconfidence* I suppose I can take some time out of my busy schedule to show off a little. You're so full of heart, it pains me to have to teach you a lesson like this. But, what can you do? Better to get it over with quickly, wouldn't you agree? (Channeling every annoying anime villain I can think of so hard right now.)
I can totally hear it in Japanese, with those subtitles. There should be a few sighs, a few hand waves, and some fluffing of front-dangling bangs.
I was literally imagining sighs and hand waves while writing it. Also leaning of the elbow on a sword or gun like walking stick, facing away from the hero, with eyes closed, head down, and a grin.
Disagree with all the 8-2 and 2-8s. 8-2 usually means damn close to uniwnnable. If Makoto-vega is 8-2 then Cammy-Dhalsim is 11-(-1). Also how does cody beat vega? And Abel actually has a few wakeup options (ex roll, ex CoD, ex TT backdash)
agree really disagree with the sakura assessment too, for a long while Sakura was my pick against vega - i almost think the match is in her favor
Yes, I've known that for a while. It's like the opposite of a safe jump. I've done testing and Volt safe jumps are the equivalent of a 9f AE safe jump. Oh no, I've been on the dark side for a long time. Sim is completely opposite from my style though. It requires you to be super patient, runaway with no safe jumps...
I think the matchup depends on a lot, such as the Vega's style and if how well they know the matchup. (Pretty much, how much Vega goes for cheese and if the opponent knows the anticheese). Makoto beats flying cheese quite well, but you could adapt that from a Vega's point of view. Personally, I think Blanka is horrid for Vega
Actually no. You can play "rushdown" with Sim without problems. Just stay grounded and use Yoga Fire and far normals and stay far from the opponent. At least that's how I play, and it works well in both games.
Ahh that's too bad I once thought off/off was impossible with sim but I no longer feel that way. I think 3-cord has it right, 5-5. It is mostly mental and it comes down to who ever plays the lamest. I think the match is very similar to blanka v cammy, the lamest player always wins. That's of course only assuming both players are of equal skill and are good. I think a scrubby blanka beats a scrubby vega and a scrubby cammy beats a scrubby blanka.
Sim rushdown would be teleporting and going for j.p/j.k/yoga spear, cr.mk xx yoga flame. Or yoga spear, into a tick throw. Pretty much just spamming yoga spear and hoping the don't/have shoryuken The flaw with that is it requires your opponent to not be able to block and not to press buttons because your moves have terrible priority.
Uh... Sure. I'm not too into fighting games terms Next time I'll think before saying anything Doesn't Yoga Spear beat almost any move?
It doesn't have invincibility so it'll lose to uppercuts. Then you land and they mash something which will beat your cr mk. Jumping p/k is nice because they hit high, but they are easily beaten
I forgot about his ex wakeups. So he does have some options. Unfortunately for him, he needs that ex, and they are still all vulnerable to izuna drop (even ex roll). And yeah, "practically unwinnable" is exactly what I mean for the 8-2s and 2-8s. When it's just the two characters going up against each other with everything they have in their arsenals, the odds are seriously stacked in one character's favor. It's up to the player to make up for that disadvantage, but they'll always be facing a huge uphill battle the entire time. I'm changing Cammy to 7-3, since her dive kick is slower than Yun's and because she doesn't have a command grab or a mashable low attack, and therefore has fewer pressure options on a waking Vega. (Yun has like four killer options on a waking vega) Cody beats vega because vega can't counter his frame traps on the ground. And mashing Vega's specials won't stop anything, Cody's normals just stop them. Vega's best bet against Cody is to play an air and jump game, because the entire ground is his danger zone. Vega's jump game is very effective against him, but if the player is smart, it's also easily counterable.
