Street Fighter 6/Offense

Offense

Normal Moves

Street Fighter 6 uses the standard 6-button layout the series is known for: Light/Medium/Heavy for attack strength and Punch/Kick for attack type.

There is no "priority system" for normal attacks like the one found in SF5 or SF3. Any two attacks that collide on the same frame will both count as a counterhit. This can create trade combos if a high-hitstun move trades with a low-hitstun move.

Unlike in previous entries, strikes beat throws when they connect on the same frame. This means that a defensive 4f normal is a strong option against tick throws from +1 advantage or worse.

There are very few normal attacks with frame advantage in SF6. Light normals can still frame trap the opponent by chaining them together, but they will no longer create true blockstrings, so opponents can counter with invincible reversals or parry. An opponent mashing their own fast light normal will beat most blockstrings other than chained light normals.

Special Moves

Inputting a specific directional command before pressing an attack button results in a special move. Most special moves have different properties depending on which button strength is used, such as Ryu's Hadoken traveling faster or slower, but some moves do not vary between strengths. By inputting the move with 2 buttons, special moves can be powered up into Overdrive (OD) moves at the cost of 2 stocks of Drive gauge. Overdrive moves have improved properties, such as invincibility, multiple hits, better juggle potential, or simply more damage.

Throws

You can throw the opponent by pressing LP+LK at close range, or 4+LP+LK to throw them backwards for a side switch. Throws are universally 5f startup and 3f active, with a total whiff animation of 30f.
[Note: As of Beta 2, all characters have identical throw ranges.]

Each throw is different in terms of knockdown frame advantage and separation distance; many forward throws allow for "Throw Loops" in the corner where the character lands a throw, then walks or dashes up to the opponent with frame advantage, creating another throw mixup. This is generally impossible midscreen if the opponent Back Rises.

Regular throws only work on the ground, and will not connect against opponents that are jumping (including pre-jump frames) or using a move with airborne frames. Opponents are also throw invincible during backdashes for the first 15 frames, and some specific attacks can have their own throw invincibility. You cannot throw an opponent if they are in hitstun, blockstun, or knocked down, so they cannot be used in combos. If a throw and a strike connect on the same frame, the strike will take priority (unlike in previous Street Fighter titles).

When used as a Punish Counter, throws gain 70% extra damage, become a Hard Knockdown preventing Back Rise, and drain 1 bar of Drive Gauge from the opponent. This is particularly notable against Drive Parry, which are in a Punish Counter state when thrown.

Throw Escapes

You can escape (or "tech") a throw by pressing LP+LK as the opponent's throw connects. Throw techs causes you to push the opponent away, preventing any damage and returning both players to neutral. Only regular throws can be teched; command grabs and air throws cannot. You can input a throw tech until the 9th frame after a throw connects. The large pushback makes a successful throw tech rewarding when cornered, creating enough separation to begin working your way back to midscreen.

Throw Invincibility

• Opponents cannot be thrown during pre-jump frames, or while airborne (except for Air Throws).
• Opponents cannot be thrown while knocked down. There is 1 frame of throw invincibility after wakeup, so inputting a throw at +5 on a downed opponent can connect.
• Opponents cannot be thrown while in hitstun/blockstun. There are 2 frames of throw invulnerability after exiting hitstun/blockstun, so inputting a throw at +4 can lead to a successful tick throw.

Counters

Counterhits

A Counterhit (CH) occurs when you strike your opponent during their startup or active frames. Attacks that trade with each other both land as a counterhit. A yellow "Counter Hit" icon appears on either the P1 or P2 side of the screen, depending on who landed the hit. Counterhits add +2 to the frame advantage of the move, and deal an additional 20% damage. Counterhits that cause a knockdown usually do not gain any extra knockdown frame advantage, except on Sweeps where they generally give the same advantage as Punish Counters.

Punish Counters

A Punish Counter (PC) occurs when you strike your opponent during their recovery frames. When this occurs, it will display "Punish Counter" on the side of the screen. Punish Counters add +4 to the frame advantage of the move, deal 20% more damage, and depletes some of the opponent's Drive meter. Specific heavy normals can gain extra properties when connecting as a Punish Counter, such as extra frame advantage, crumples, tumbling knockdowns, or spinning air juggles. Sweeps (2HK) gain extra knockdown advantage, making it much easier to pressure afterward. This system causes the optimal punish route to vary significantly from the standard confirm combo route for most characters, and makes "barely punishable" moves vulnerable to much larger punishes than in previous Street Fighter titles.

All normal Throws (including Air Throws) can land as a Punish Counter, gaining a 70% damage boost, Hard Knockdown status, and draining an entire Drive bar from the opponent. Throws will always land as a Punish Counter against Drive Parry. Super Arts can technically hit as a Counterhit or Punish Counter, but do not gain any additional damage, Drive depletion, or knockdown advantage.

Corner Dizzy

As mentioned in the Burnout section, you can get a free stun combo after landing a Drive Impact on a cornered opponent in Burnout. While the opponent appears to stumble out of the corner, you can always jump forward and safely use your strongest air normal without fear of whiffing or crossing up. If you wait too long, the opponent will fall to the ground, where they can no longer be punished.

Some characters can take advantage of the dizzy time to stock up on certain effects that are normally unsafe to use freely:

• Ryu: Can stock Denjin charge, then j.HP or j.HK
• Kimberly: Can reload a Spraycan, then j.HK (or throw the spraycan to set up a mid-combo juggle)
• Jamie: Can get 1 Drink, then j.HP; 2 Drinks can be followed by a grounded combo, but no jumpin
  • Can also get all 4 Drinks to reach max level, but sacrifices the punish entirely
• Juri: Can jump back, whiff 1 LK Fuha Store, then j.HK; whiffing 2 LK Fuha Stores allows a 6HP into grounded combo
  • Backdashing also works, but Juri may be left too close and the Fuha Store can hit the opponent
  • If Juri landed the Drive Impact from far enough outside the corner, she may be able to whiff 2 Fuha Stores immediately, then j.HK

Combos and Blockstrings

Linking, chaining, or cancelling attacks together so that they connect before the opponent recovers from hitstun will create a combo. If the opponent is blocking, this is instead known as a blockstring ("true" or "airtight" blockstring may be used to specify that there is no gap for the opponent interrupt). Like in SFV, there is an input buffer that makes it easier to time button sequences without requiring precise timing. This buffer is 4 frames, meaning that the most difficult links have a 5 frame input window.

Damage Scaling

As more hits are used in a combo, the damage of each successive attack is reduced. This system, known as "damage scaling", allows longer combos to exist without being overwhelmingly powerful. Most extended combo sequences require the use of Drive or Super meter, so the tradeoff of lower marginal damage adds complexity to the decision of whether or not to spend those resources. Note that Drive and Super meter build do not scale the same way as damage.

The general progression of damage scaling depends on how the combo is started:

SF6 Damage Scaling

Attack #	General Scaling	Light Normal Starter (Standing/Crouching)	Cancellable 2MK Starter
1st Attack	100%	100%	100%
2nd Attack	100%	90%	80%
3rd Attack	80%	80%	70%
4th Attack	70%	70%	60%
5th Attack	60%	60%	50%
6th Attack	50%	50%	40%
7th Attack	40%	40%	30%
8th Attack	30%	30%	20%
9th Attack	20%	20%	10%
10th + Attack	10%	10%	10%

Note: Light Normal scaling only applies when starting a combo with LP or LK; it also does not apply to jumping Light normals or Light command normals. Likewise, 2MK scaling only applies when starting the combo (not when linked mid-combo), and does not apply to a non-cancellable 2MK like Kimberly's.

For scaling purposes, an "attack" corresponds to each move that is input by the player, not the number of hits performed by the character. This means that a move like Chun-Li's Lightning Kicks only counts as one attack, while Jamie's 236P~6P~6P (Freeflow Strikes) sequence counts as 3 separate attacks. Target Combos like Kimberly's 5LP~MP~HP~HK sequence also count each hit separately for the purpose of damage scaling.

There are many exceptions to these general guidelines; those that are currently known are documented below.

System-Wide Scaling

Super Arts
Will always do a set minimum amount of damage, even if the combo would normally be scaled to a lower percent.

• The minimum is 30% (Lv.1 Super), 40% (Lv.2 Super), and 50% (Lv.3 Super/Critical Art)

Level 3 Super Arts:

• Additional 10% damage scaling penalty when cancelled from a special move
  • This means that a raw special xx Lv.3 Super will be scaled as 100% -> 90%
  • Outside of this scenario, it acts as if there is 1 additional hit of scaling (100% -> 100% -> 70%)
  • There are some exceptions to this noted in the character-specific sections

Perfect Parry
Any punish (including Throws) performed after a successful Perfect Parry begins at 50% damage scaling (then continues to 40% -> 30% etc. as usual). There is no way to mitigate this by delaying the punish - if the followup is not scaled, then the opponent's move has recovered and it wasn't a true punish.

Drive Rush
When used raw to start a combo:

• No additional scaling penalty; (any other applicable scaling penalties, such as 2MK starters, still apply)

When used mid-combo (regardless of whether it was cancelled into):

• All remaining hits in the combo have an additional 15% scaling penalty (plus any other scaling that applies)
• This scaling is rounded down to the nearest whole number (59.5 -> 59)
• Using Drive Rush multiple times per combo does not stack an additional penalty
• Example combo using Drive Rush cancel and standard scaling progression:
  • 100% -> 85% -> 68% -> 59% -> 51% -> 42% -> 34% -> 25% -> 17% -> 8%...

Drive Impact
If blocked near the corner into a Wall Splat juggle ("CRUSH" icon will appear):

• All followup have an additional 20% scaling penalty (plus any other scaling that applies)
• Because the DI was blocked, it does not count as the first hit of a combo
• 80% -> 80% -> 64% -> 56% -> 48% ...

If any of the following occur:
DI hits for a crumple (Punish Counter, or hitting after armor absorb);
DI hits near the corner for a Wall Splat juggle;
DI connects on hit/block near corner vs. opponent in Burnout ("STUN" icon will appear, opponent becomes dizzy):

• Drive Impact counts as 2 hits for scaling (followup: 80% -> 70% -> 60% ...)

Chun-Li

Lv.2 Super: counts as 3 hits for scaling

• e.g. raw Lv.2 Super ~ j.HK (100% -> 70%)

Guile

2MK: acts like a light normal when starting a combo (including 2MK~6MP Target Combo): 100% -> 90% -> 80%...
2MP~2MP (Double Shot): the second 2MP has a 10% scaling penalty and counts for 2 hits of scaling

• When starting a combo, scaling will look like 100% -> 90% -> 70%
• When comboed into (like from a jumpin), looks like 100% -> 100% -> 70% -> 60%

Jamie

Drink Level (DR0 to DR4): Each Drink Level above or below DR2 changes Jamie's base damage scaling by 5%

• DR0 = 90%, DR1 = 95%, DR2 = 100%, DR3 = 105%, DR4 = 110%
• Using Lv.2 Super to temporarily reach DR4 will only result in 105% base damage

j.214KK (OD Luminous Dive Kick, DR1 or higher): 90% scaling on next hit
63214K (Tenshin, DR3 or higher): The next hit after the throw does 100% scaling, but further hits are scaled at 60% -> 50%...

• After a tumbling Wall Splat from Punish Counter 214PP, Jamie can combo into Tenshin causing some weird scaling effects. The combo counter will increase by 1 during the startup of Jamie's next attack, then again when it connects; this hit will immediately be scaled to 60%.

Juri

236LK (Saihasho): the 1-Stock fireball version counts as 2 hits for scaling

• This applies whether the fireball hits raw or is comboed into
• No extra scaling after 0-Stock version or OD version

236MK / 236LK+HK (Ankensatsu): counts as 2 hits for scaling on 1-Stock or OD versions

• No extra scaling after 0-stock version

Ken

5MP~HP (Chin Buster 2nd): HP counts as 2 hits for scaling (10% scaling penalty on next hit)
623P (Shoryuken) xx Lv.3 Super: 100% -> 70% (when beginning the combo)

Kimberly

Lv.3 Super/Critical Art: Immediately upon activation, all moves are scaled to 111% (or 11% bonus damage) until the end of the game (carries over between rounds)

• Effectively, this just brings Kimberly's damage up to the level of the rest of the cast - her damage on "universal" attacks is 10% lower by default
• Drive Reversal's recoverable damage and the Burnout Chip damage on her Super Arts are the only "universal" damage values buffed beyond the standard amount

3MK (Slide): applies a 15% scaling penalty to next hit when starting a combo: 100% -> 85% -> 75%...

Luke

5LP~MP~HP (Triple Impact): 2nd hit (MP) scales twice
236KK (OD Avenger): Any followup after P or K ender is immediately scaled to 50%
Charged 214P (Flash Knuckle): counts as 2 hits of scaling, despite being 1 attack

• Applies to "Perfect" and "non-Perfect" charges

Ryu

623P (Shoryuken) xx Lv.3 Super: 100% -> 60% (when beginning the combo)