Capcom vs SNK 2/Rugal

Introduction

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Matchups

Story

Rugal Bernstein is the big baddie of the early King of Fighter's games. He is a feared man by criminals and governments, and a highly influential arms dealer operating off his aircraft carrier, The Black Noah. Rugal was infamous for violence, and would often kill his victims in gruesome ways. Not only that, but Rugal would preserve their corpses in liquid metal, creating statues of their bodies to line his rooms. At about 25, Rugal would come to fight an 18 year old Goenitz, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. Goenitz took out his eye in one shot. As a reward for Rugal surviving the blow, Goenitz gifted him with the power of Orochi, further fueling his immense strength. Rugal would have the eye replaced with a bionic one afterwards.

Eventually, Rugal would recruit two personal assistants, Mature and Vice. Unbeknownst to him, these two were actually part of the Orochi clan, sent by Goenitz to see if Rugal would be a fitting host for Orochi. Soon after this, greedy for more trophies, Rugal would host his own King of Fighters tournaments. In order to maximize how many corpses he would add to his collection however, fighters would be in a team of 3, with each battle being a 3v3. Saisyu Kusanagi, the head of the Kusanagi clan, would go and confront Rugal. Saisyu would be defeated, but Rugal wasn't impressed with him, leaving him instead to be a final fighter to the winning team. Saisyu's son, Kyo Kusanagi, and his friends Goro Daimon and Benimaru Nikaido would win the tournament. After safely defeating Saisyu, they would face Rugal, and bring his reign of terror to an end... for now.

Gameplay

Rugal is essentially a weaker Sagat. He uses a lot of buttons in neutral, and does not have strong meterless combos, but can really deal huge damage with meter. He has a few unique tools at his disposal as well, although they are situational. Rugal has some of the best damage output in the game in general thanks to his Gigantic Pressure super, and it's ability to juggle into his Genocide Heaven super. His Dark Smash divekick can work for some decent offense, and it can eat most normal anti-airs, however it can be swatted away if used predictably. His normals are also good in the damage department and has a ton of anti-airs, however they have very specific ranges where they can and cannot work at.

That said, Rugal has a lot of weaknesses. Some of his specials are difficult to use, especially his God Press, which only really works as an RC and a combo ender. Kaiser Wave has to be used sparingly in order for Rugal to effectively zone with it. As well, Reppuken can rear it's ugly head in terms of it's speed, but is usually a decent form of blockstring and throw pressure. His infamous Genocide Cutter is a decent reversal with LK, and a pretty consistent anti-air as well, but it cannot do much else besides that, as the range is low and cannot be combo'd into from more than two 2LKs. His Dark Barrier can also be used as a projectile reflector and a jail tool in the corner. Overall, Rugal has a versatile kit, but the individual moves are not strong enough to put Rugal amongst the best characters. He sits in the upper mid-tier.

Groove Selection

Best - C: Rugal heavily relies on having super consistently for big damage, which immediately sets C-Rugal a bit above the rest. C-Groove's meter can be stored indefinitely, allowing Rugal to use his super only when the time is right without the worry of a timer like Rage or Max Mode. Airblock makes anti-airing him harder, which can force you to respect Dark Smash even more, and Alpha Counters give him an extremely needed defensive option. His roll isn't the best, but being able to RC specials is a massive benefit to make up for the slow startup of his various moves. C-Rugal is comfortably his best Groove.

Useful - P/A/N: P-Rugal is behind C in terms of strength. It seems odd at first, but P-Rugal is a surprisingly powerful character. He has access to shorthops, and his good dash. He gains decent meterless reward from a parry, but even more scary is that one parry with meter can turn into a Gigantic Pressure confirm for massive damage. This is more or less the game plan of P-Rugal. Gain meter through parries in neutral and get the confirm for the damage. A-Rugal is somewhat different, and might not seem like a strong character at first, but once Custom Combos are taken into account, you realize that Rugal has really good synergy with CCs. He can confirm into it from a large amount of moves and setups, his main ones being God Press, Dark Smash, and Dark Barrier. These are corner only, of course. His Custom also deals great damage. However, confirming into Gigantic Pressure deals the same damage if not more, so that somewhat hurts Rugal a bit. N-Rugal relies a lot on his offense more than his defense, as he can pop MAX Mode to confirm into Gigantic Pressure, and even juggle it into Genocide Heaven, although that usually is only done if it secures the kill. He has a shorthop and a run, as well he can RC his special moves. A very versatile Rugal, but not having a stored level 3 somewhat hurts, since P/C Rugal having a stored level 3 always poses the threat of a potential confirm at any point. With N-Groove, that time is limited. Still, he is a decent character.

Worst - K/S: K-Rugal sacrifices a lot just so he can have a very powerful level 3. He does gain the benefits of rage, making his damage high, but losing stored level 3 and rolls/defensive options hurts him a lot. He does retain a short hop an a run, however JDs do not grant him the same reward as parries, especially in the punish department. The lack of consistent meter does not make K-Rugal as much of a threat as one would think. S-Rugal is similar to K-Rugal, but with some differences. He does have defensive subsystems, and can somewhat control where he gets his meter from. When he has a level 3, his Gigantic Pressure confirm becomes downright terrifying. He can always juggle it into a Genocide Heaven and the combo will be a true 10K damage combo. His dodge attacks are okay at best however, so that limits how he shuts down the opponent defensively. The main draw with S-Rugal is landing his level 3 since he will always get 10k damage from it.

Rugal is a slow, neutral/pressure heavy character with big buttons and even bigger damage output with meter. He relies heavily on having meter, but when he does have meter, he can dish out some of the best punishes in the game. Rugal is best in C-Groove. Difficulty: Medium Tier: B
Pros	Cons
Metered Damage: Rugal's damage potential with his Gigantic Pressure super is definitely the main draw of his character Offense: Rugal has many blockstrings and special moves that can deal great guard damage. He also has good corner traps and setups which can make his offense pretty scary. Normals: Rugal comes equipped with multiple useful normals, and they are surprisingly versatile, but requires knowing which normal works best for a given situation. Anti-Airs: Rugal has a large set of anti-airs in 5MP, 5HK, 2MP, 2HP, cl.HK, j.HP, Genocide Cutter, and HP God Press. You have to know which one to use, however, as each anti-air has it's own specific range where it's useful and very few of them can actually cover a wide variety of ranges. This makes Rugal's defense decent. Health: Rugal has the second highest health value in the game, making him a great anchor character once he has access to meter.	Meterless Damage: Rugal's best meterless combo from 2LK is Genocide Cutter, and that can fall out pretty easily. Without close HP or HK to confirm into God Press, Rugal's meterless combos are terribly inconsistent and very weak in damage. Slow Specials: Most of Rugal's specials are slow, so they must be done early so ensure that they will not whiff or get stuffed. Offense is Character Dependent: Rugal is a rather slow character, which means that fast characters can escape his offense quite easily. This makes it difficult for Rugal to lock onto characters like Claw or Blanka and get his offense in. Big: Rugal is big and tall, making him subject to more offensive pressure than others. It also means he can't crouch under things that others can, like Boxer Dash Straight

Players to Watch

Name	Country	Groove	Accounts	Notes
Tetsu	Japan	C-Groove	N/A	Old C-Rugal player. Pulls off very stylish super combos. Sample Match
Dari	Japan	C-Groove	N/A	Relies on fundamentals, as he is a great C player overall, but can use Rugal's meter well if need be. Sample Match
P-Rugal	Japan	P-Groove	Twitter: @oyasuminecalli	As his name suggest, P-Rugal is his specialty. He has perfect fundamentals and uses parries very efficiently. Sample Match
Ankoku	Japan	P-Groove	Twitter: @ankokuPruga	A fine P-Groover. Lands lvl3 confirms off of parries like it's nothing. Sample Match
Silentscope88	USA	K-Groove	Twitter: @silentscope88 Youtube: Silentscope88 Discord: Silentscope#7008	A strong K-Groover and Rugal main. Knows the ins and outs of Rugal's defense to create a scarily well rounded character. Sample Match

!!!THIS PAGE IS A WIP. IF YOU NEED FRAME DATA NOW, REFER TO THE CVS2 BIBLE OR LOOK THROUGH EDIT HISTORY TO FIND THE LAST EDIT CONTAINING FRAME DATA IF THERE WAS ONE!!!

Normal Moves

Far Normals

5LP

Far Jab
Far Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	6	7	17	+5	+5	-
A quick stab. Has a lot of disjoint, can check things with a leading hitbox like Blanka Ball. Mainly used as a quick button check, but does not pose too much reward on hit. Has a slow 4-frame startup, and can be ducked by most characters.

5MP

Far Strong
Far Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1100	11	SU	Mid	High	5	4	24	33	-8	-8	-
An upward swing. One of Rugal's many anti-airs. Hits really high and close and has great priority. Very fast startup, but lengthy recovery. Make sure it does not whiff. Best used against jumps that land fairly close to Rugal at around a 60° angle.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1100	11	None	Mid	High	10	6	30	46	-12	-12	-
An big haymaker swing. Though this normal has large range, it is not rewarding on hit due to the oddly low 1100 damage. Usually used as a blockstring ender, since it deals good guard damage and somewhat safe when spaced. -12 and a 30f recovery usually means that this move will get punished if not spaced or if it does not connect.

5LK

Far Short
Far Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SU	Mid	Low	4	6	9	19	+2	+2	-
A quick downward toe tap. Small disjoint, but useable. It works as a decent poke. Fast, and plus. Can also be applied to pressure. Range is small.

5MK

Far Forward
Far Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1100	11	SU	Mid	Mid	5	5	27	37	-10	-10	-
A low leg swipe. Similarly to Iori's 5MK in motion, it has decent priority and range. Can work as a whiff punish into super, however it can whiff at max range.

5HK

Far Roundhouse
Far Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1500,1300	15,13	None	Mid	High	10	8	24	42	-8	-8	-
A big roundhouse kick. Another Rugal anti-air. This one works the same way as a lot of other normals with the same motion (Shoto 5HK, Rock 5HK, Nakoruru 5HK, etc.) Best used against jumps at a 45° angle, can be beaten by quick shorthops but the priority will usually win in most air-to-ground interactions.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1300	13	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	4	34	38	-14	-14	-
A backhand punch. One of Rugal's primary confirms into HP God Press. Links into this button are 1f, so it is usually not done in combos. As well it can fall out of proximity range quite easily. Gives Rugal decent reward on hit without meter, but is very unsafe if not canceled into anything.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	600	6	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	4	4	9	17	+2	+2	-
A quick knee. Deals 100 more damage than far LK, but that is usually negligible in combos. Usually used as blockstirng filler for offense.

clMK

Close Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1200	12	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	4	11	11	26	0	0	-
A slower knee. Decent damage, but fairly short proxy range. Can work in combos from deep jump-ins. Usually used as a meaty normal. 11 active frames as a ton, and that can make 0 on block into something like +4 if done right, which can create a strong blockstring.

clHK

Close Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK

1st Hit

2nd Hit

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1300,1100	13,11	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	7	25	36	-10	-10	-
A weird upward kick. Confirms into HP God Press reliably. It is usually used over cl.HP due to it being -10 compared to cl.HP being -14. Also one of Rugal's anti-airs. This one is best used as an anti-crossup (the opponent is right above you), and also works against shorthops that are right in Rugal's face.

2LP

Crouch Jab
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400	4	SP/SU	Mid	Low	4	4	6	16	+5	+5	-
A quick low jab. 5LP but lower to the ground and no disjoint. It is a decent blockstring/pressure tool, but still retains the 4f startup, which is lackluster for a low jab. 2LK is generally used on hit.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1000	10	SP/SU	Mid	Low	4	3	18	25	-1	-1	-
A low backhand punch. A decent counterpoke with good disjoint and great priority, but low range. One of Rugal's weirder anti-airs. It beats out a ton of jump-ins if done early, which makes it a useful anti-air, but it is strict in terms of timing. In terms of anti-airing, it is best used against jumps that land right in front or on top of Rugal, but the move must be done slightly early to make sure the active frames are already out as the opponent falls on Rugal.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

First Hit

2nd Hit

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400+1200	4+12	None	Mid	Mid	8	2+7	27	16	-10	-10	-
A slow outward stab. Rugal's longest ranged poke. Works extremely well due to it's range. Use it as a poke in neutral and a counterpoke against slower buttons. The second hitbox is duckable by the following characters: Rock, Hibiki, Nakoruru, Chun-Li, Mai, Sakura, Kim, Yuri, Vice, Athena, Maki, and Iori. Be weary of this as you use this in neutral, since it has a long recovery and can get punished up close. Also one of Rugal's anti-airs. It is best used against jumps that land further out from Rugal, not exactly too close to him.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	300	3	RF/SP/SU	Low	Low	3	4	9	15	+2	+2	-
A quick toe tap. Rugal's go-to pressure and anti-pressure option. It's quick, and gets the job done in most up-close situations. Generally the main confirm option for Rugal's combos, meterless and metered. Combos into Genocide Cutter and Gigantic Pressure, but more than two of them will cause both to fall out. You can do three 2LKs into a level 3 Gigantic Pressure and that will land just fine, but that is the extent of what 2LK can reliably combo into.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1000	10	SP/SU	Low	Low	5	7	19	31	-4	-4	-
A low outward kick. A redundant move in Rugal's arsenal. It does a decent amount of things but is outclassed by other normals. It is slow and is -4, so it is rarely used in neutral or up close. Even with a special cancel, it is rather weak.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1500	15	SP/SU	Low	Low	6	4	29	39	KND	-9	-
A hard low-hitting outward kick. One of the best sweeps in the game, with a very fast 6-frame startup and both a special and super cancel. With spacing, -9 will not be as bad as one would think, but this button is usually canceled into a Reppuken. However, if the opponent has a level 3, this is not recommended since they can blow through the fireball. This applies with supers like Ranbus, Direct Lightning, Shine Knuckle, Buster Wolf, even Rugal's Gigantic Pressure can go through as well. Be a lot more conscious when using this move if the opponent has meter. Great counterpoke and deals a very high 1500 damage, which makes the reward decent for landing it.

j.LP

Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
j.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	SP	High	High	4	22	-	26	-	-	-
A flying elbow. Usually used as an early air-to-air. Besides that, it does not do much.

j.MP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1100	11	None	High	High	7	7	-	14	-	-	-
An aerial outward punch. Also used as an air-to-air. It hits at a straight 180° angle, so it cannot do much else besides that. Decent priority.

j.HP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1400	14	None	High	High	5	6	-	14	-	-	-
An aerial downward punch. Doubles as both an air-to-air due to its high priority and a jump-in due to the angle it hits at. Has a fast startup, but extremely low active frames for a jump normal at 6, so it has to be timed right so it does not whiff.

j.LK

Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
j.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	SP	High	High	4	22	-	26	-	-	-
An aerial knee. Can work as a meaty jump in but is usually used as an air-to-air in a similar vein to j.LP.

j.MK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1000	10	None	High	High	7	7	-	14	-	-	-
An aerial outward kick. Rugal's cross-up. It has decent range, so it can work as both an air-to-air and jump-in. Has slower startup and low active frames so timing is also necessary.

j.HK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1500	15	None	High	High	10	12	-	22	-	-	-
A double downward kick. While being a dope ass looking normal, it is also useful in Rugal's kit. It really shines as a shorthop normal. Though 10f startup is lengthy, if done early in the jump it works as a great poke and overhead. Deals a big 1500 damage, which is great for jump-in purposes.

Throws

Scorpion Deathlock

Scorpion Deathlock
Punch Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	2000	-	-	-	-	3	1	13	17	-	-	-
Has average range at 52px. Usually Rugal's preferred throw due to better corner oki.

Hip Toss

Hip Toss
Kick Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	2100	-	-	-	-	5	1	13	17	-	-	-
Has average range at 52px. Can be used over punch throw midscreen.

Special Moves

Tiger Shot

Reppuken
236+P / QCF+P
+

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	800	8	None	Mid	Mid	15	-	40	55	-4	-4	-
MP +	900	9	None	Mid	Mid	15	-	40	55	-5	-5	-
HP +	1000	10	None	Mid	Mid	15	-	40	55	-5	-5	-
Rugal throws a grounded fireball that travels along the ground. A worse version of Geese's Reppuken. It cannot really be used as a poke, or an RC. The main issue is that it is really slow. The slow speed of LP Reppuken works as a good meaty, and when cancelled into from a sweep can be a decent form of starting offense. Has a lot of plus frames on hit if connected later (-5 point blank at worst) so you can create some pretty cool combos from it. Use mostly from longer range if you want to use it raw. Besides that it is too slow to act as a versatile tool in mid range.

Colors