Street Fighter 6/Zangief/Strategy

Neutral

Overview

Zangief, like many other grapplers of his type, relies on a patient neutral game of walking and harassing the opponent in neutral with large pokes so that he can then get away with more committal neutral tools such as jump-ins, dashes, Drive Rush, and more. His threatening presence will often lead to opponents ceding ground to him, allowing Zangief to gradually push the opponent toward the corner. Once the opponent has been cornered, Zangief's mixup game becomes significantly more threatening thanks to the addition of Drive Impact wallsplat, increased combo damage, and dramatically improved okizeme.

Approaching the Opponent

One of the greatest challenges Zangief faces is in how he approaches the opponent. He's big, he's slow, and he's somewhat lacking in specialized tools. As a result, his most reliable approach option is to simply walk towards the opponent. While slow, walking poses the least risk and has the lowest opportunity cost, allowing Zangief to better counter anything opponents throw at him.

Other universal options are of great use to Zangief as well. While his jump and dash don't travel very far, they are still key tools to leverage to get in on the opponent. Use them sparingly to catch the opponent off guard. In addition, Drive Rush is quite useful in the midrange, allowing Zangief to threaten with his 5MP target combo or L SPD at range, building upon the opponent's mental stack. Drive Impact, while risky, is also useful against opponents who try and poke Zangief out.

Pokes

Zangief boasts a good variety of ground pokes, though none stand head-and-shoulders above the rest.

2LK, 2LP, 5LP are all solid, low-commitment pokes, with 2LK being the fastest, 5LP having the most range, and 2LP striking an excellent balance between the two. However, converting off of these at range often requires Drive Rush or a very risky buffered Double Lariat.

At midrange, Zangief's options are somewhat less potent, but useful nonetheless. 5LK and 2MP are both cancellable pokes with decent range, allowing Zangief to check grounded approaches and whiff punish the opponent. Between the two, 2MP is better at checking approaches due to its greater active frames and larger cancel window, while 5LK is a stronger whiff punish due to its faster speed, greater range, and low pushback. 5MP, 5MK, and 2MK are all rather large pokes with identical startup, but none are special cancellable, leaving them vulnerable to Drive Impact. 5MP has the shortest range but can lead into a target combo on counterhit, punish counter, or with Drive Rush. However, the followups can whiff due to pushback and leave Zangief wide open to punishment. 2MK is not particularly notable outside of being a long-range low, letting Zangief check backwalking opponents with a small chunk of damage or whiff punish at ranges where 5MP would fail. Finally, 5MK has the greatest range but is ultimately the least useful of the bunch.

At the end of midrange, Zangief has his 5HP and 2HK, both with considerable range. 5HP is quite slow, especially when charged, but is safe to throw out against a grounded opponent. The charged version is notable as it has upper-body armor and improved frame advantage on hit or block, allowing Zangief to armor through an opponent's buttons. 2HK serves a similar purpose to 2MK but with greater reach, reward, and risk.

Counterpokes

To compensate for his slow movement and below-average frame data, Zangief has a variety of counterpokes to check predictable opponents.

Against low pokes, he can utilize 6MK, 3HK, and 6HK to hop over them and punish for varying degrees of reward. 6HK and 3HK are risky to throw out as they are incredibly unsafe, but are quite rewarding on punish counter, especially in the corner. 6MK is a much safer alternative and can be spaced to be plus on block or link into another button on hit. It is also difficult to tell whether the 6MK will hit during its late active frames or whiff entirely, letting Zangief catch an unaware opponent off-guard with a whiffed 6MK into SPD.

Against upper-body pokes, Zangief has 5[HP] and Tundra Storm. 5[HP] is far and away the more useful of the two, allowing Zangief to armor through a single attack during its startup. The move can also be released prematurely to more easily punish attacks, but doing so ends the armor. Tundra Storm, on the other hand, is a unique counter that only works against grounded kick attacks that hit Zangief above the knees. While the parry is out relatively quickly, the horrendous total duration of the attack paired with its underwhelming reward on hit makes it an option that should rarely, if ever, be used.

For a high-risk, high-reward option, Zangief has Siberian Express (63124K), a long-range grab with two different versions. At the midrange, just under round start distance, Zangief will immediately rush forwards and grab the opponent. While ultimately reactable and extremely punishable on whiff, it can still catch an opponent off guard. The OD version is faster, but the yellow flash makes it easier to react to. From further out, the move changes drastically, gaining significantly increased startup in return for gaining a hit of super armor and increased range. The OD version has two hits of super armor and has a unique property where it reduces its startup if it armors through a strike (not a projectile!), making it more useful against Dhalsim in particular.

Against projectiles in particular, Zangief's Double Lariat (PP) and Cyclone Lariat (236236P) serve as powerful, albeit slow and risky, anti-fireball tools. Double Lariat and its OD version are faster, but have much shorter range. Between the two, OD Double Lariat is significantly better, as it boasts frame 1 projectile invulnerability instead of frame 5 invulnerability, and its faster startup makes it better at catching extended hurtboxes. Cyclone Lariat, however, has an enormous hitbox, making it far more reliable in the midrange. However, the slow input makes it more challenging to use if not buffered, limiting its usability on reaction.

Whiff Punishment

While many of Zangief's pokes can also serve as whiff punishment tools, 5LK, 5MP, and 2HK are particularly notable. 5LK is the fastest and is special cancellable, allowing Zangief to combo into Double Lariat (PP) or its OD version on hit. Alternatively, he can cancel into Drive Rush for greater reward or a sneaky grab reset. 5MP has similar range to 5LK, but confirms into a target combo instead of a special cancel, making it less flexible but safer on a failed confirm. Finally, 2HK exists as Zangief's slow, long-range whiff punish with solid reward thanks to its excellent knockdown.

On top of his normals, Zangief's Screw Piledriver (360P), particularly the light and OD versions, make excellent whiff punishment tools due to their size, speed, and reward. While the 360 motion can be slow to input, Zangief can buffer the half circle and quickly input 8+P to have the move come out near instantly on reaction. This technique is risky since mistiming either the buffer or the 8 input can result in Zangief jumping in place, leaving him wide open.

Anti-Airs

Zangief has several solid anti-air options, though none are particularly fast. On the ground, Zangief has access to Double Lariat, 5HK, and 2HP check jump-ins. Double Lariat and its OD version are by far his most reliable anti-air thanks to the move's shrunken hurtboxes and air invincibility. While they are slow, give poor okizeme, and can struggle against crossups, they are ultimately quite solid options with a speedy input. To assist against crossups, Zangief can delay Lariat so he has time to change facing directions before startup. 5HK is the polar opposite of Double Lariat, being his high risk, high reward anti-air. It is still relatively slow and it lacks a disjoint, but it grants a much better knockdown and can even combo into OD Borscht Dynamite (j.360KK) at the right spacing. 2HP strikes a middle ground between the Lariat and 5HK, but with the added benefit of superior vertical range. Ultimately, however, the milquetoast nature of the move and its horrendous recovery result in it remaining a niche option.

His most unique anti-air option is Aerial Russian Slam (236236K), but its slow startup, slow input, and great height of its initial hitbox make it inconsistent. If buffered, it performs significantly better, but it remains a high risk, high reward option.

Air-to-Airs

If Zangief chooses to take to the skies, his option spread increases dramatically. j.LP and j.MP are useful for catching opponents roughly level with Zangief. j.LP is the faster of the two, but j.MP puts the opponent into a juggle state on counter hit, allowing Zangief to combo into a TK OD Borscht Dynamite (j.360KK) if he before the opponent. j.LK and j.MK hit below Zangief, making them solid options at catching crossup attempts. j.LK is faster, but j.MK is larger and more damaging. For his heavies, j.HK boasts incredible range while j.HP knocks down on air hit, granting consistent advantage. Finally, Flying Headbutt (j.8HP) covers directly above Zangief and combos into OD Borscht Dynamite (j.360KK), making it one of the most rewarding air-to-air options in the entire game, albeit a short-ranged one that can only be performed from a neutral jump. Overall, his spread of air-to-air normals is quite good.

More uniquely, Zangief has access to Borscht Dynamite (j.360K), a powerful air-to-air command grab. While slow to input, Borscht Dynamite does excellent damage and can be performed incredibly low to the ground, making TK Borscht Dynamite a solid option against deep jump-ins. The input can also be stored for up to 20 frames, allowing Zangief to input a half circle on the ground, jump, and then Borscht Dynamite an opponent at a greater speed than performing the 360 motion in the air. The two versions of the move grant largely identical reward, but the OD version deals 100 additional damage and boasts superior range.

Offense

Overview

As a grappler, Zangief's offensive structure is fairly simple: get in and quickly run a mixup. Due to his slow walk speed and lack of pressure extenders, Zangief struggles to stay in for very long, so it's crucial to make the most of his pressure once he gets in.

The Mixup

Zangief's primary mixup is strike vs normal throw vs command grab, with each option beating and losing to different defensive options. Zangief's frame traps are stable, but with variable reward depending on distance and screen positioning. Normal throw, particularly Spinebuster (3+LP+LK) is the second most stable option, losing outright to very little and with consistent reward. Finally, Zangief's command grabs are high risk, high reward maneuvers, with each command grab serving different purposes with different levels of risk and reward. Like most attacks, all lose to invincible reversals, but if Zangief baits a reversal with a shimmy, he can dish out incredible punishment. Below is a chart with a simplified overview of the mixup against different defensive options, assuming Zangief is at +2~+4 and within throw range:

Zangief's Option	vs Block	vs Mash	vs Throw Tech	vs Delay Throw Tech	vs Neutral Jump	vs Back Jump	vs Perfect Parry	vs Reversal
Frame Trap	-	O	O	-	O	O	X	X
Normal Throw	O	O	-	-	O*	-	O	X
Screw Piledriver	O	O	O	O	X	X*	O	X
Russian Suplex	O	X	X	?	X	X*	O	X
Shimmy	-	-	O*	O*	O*	-	O*	O*

O = Zangief hits the opponent outright
O* = Zangief can punish the opponent on reaction
- = No one gets hit/can be
X = Zangief gets punished
X* = Zangief can get punished depending on range/matchup
? = Winner is based on timing

Frame Traps

Light Chains - 2LP (+1) and 5LP (+2) are plus on block, leading to easy frame trap setups.

2LP/2LK > 5LP - 1f gap, auto-timed by chaining, blows up everything except invincible reversals, leaves Gief plus and in range for another strike/throw mix.
5LP/2LP, 2LK > 2LP. mashed chain to 2LK is a true blockstring, but a delayed chain or link leaves a frame trap opening.
2LK > 2LK. Delay chain 2LK to leave a 3f gap

6HP - Headbutt is +4 on block.

6HP, 2LK is a true blockstring
6HP, 5LK/5LP/3MP/2LP all frame trap 4f lights.
6HP, 2MP will trade with 4f lights. Depending on the normal and range, Zangief may be able to trade-combo 2LP afterward.
6HP, 360P will throw opponents out of the gap. MP SPD will always be in range after blocked headbutt.

Okizeme

TO-DO

Knockdown Advantage: All scenarios assume that opponent will Back Rise midscreen when possible, unless otherwise stated

Knockdown	KD Adv.	Oki/Notes
6LPLK (Forward Throw)	+10	Leaves Gief too far away to meaningfully pressure anything
5LPLK	+22	+0 after forward dash, can drive rush into meaty 5LK or SPD range
5[LPLK]	+0	Holding neutral throw does a follow-up which trades KD advantage for extra damage.
4LPLK	+8	Gives Zangief an immediate strike/throw mixup if the opponent lands in the corner or does not backroll.
3LPLK	+33	Best oki of normal throws by far. +11 after forward dash. Midscreen, you can Drive Rush to Throw Loop the opponent if they backroll. On neutral getup or in the corner, you can Throw Loop without needing Drive Rush.
1LPLK	+9	No oki possible due to distance
2LPLK	+14	No oki possible due to distance
2HK	HKD +32 HKD +45 (Punish)	On Punish Counter, Zangief can safejump any reversal with a brief, 2f delay.
360P	HKD +30 (LP) HKD +28 (all other versions)	After LP SPD, 1f window to meaty drive rush 5LK at range.
63214K (far)	HKD +29	Keeps same side, can check wakeup attacks and jumps with Drive Rush 5MP and can space out and punish wakeup attacks with L/EX SPD.
63214K (close)	HKD +26	Side-switches, immediate Drive Rush 6MK checks all non-invincible wakeup options while leaving Zangief plus enough to link into 3MP on hit and threaten H SPD on block. Can also meaty with Drive Rush L, M, or OD SPD.
PP	HKD +25 ~ 57	+25 is for hitting 1st active frame against a grounded opponent. Later hits and airborne juggles give better frame advantage.
PPP	HKD +38 ~ 57	Frame advantage varies heavily based on how OD Lariat juggles the opponent. The later the second hit lands, the more advantageous Zangief is. For most combos, gives better oki than standard Lariat.

vs. Burnout

Drive Rush

When cancelling a normal into Drive Rush on block and following it up with another normal, there may be an interruptible gap in the blockstring. The following table lists these blockstring gaps when performed at the fastest possible timing.

Gap Value	Meaning
0	True Blockstring (no gap) if input with fastest button timing; can still lose to Drive Reversal
1 to 4	Small blockstring gap; opponent can interrupt with an invincible reversal; a 4f gap can trade with 4f normal attack
5+	Large blockstring gap; opponent can interrupt without an invincible attack
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Drive Rush Cancel - Blockstring Gaps
	5LP	5MP	5HP	5LK	5MK	5HK	2LP	2MP	2HP	2LK	2MK	2HK
5LP~DR	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

The following table lists the general BnB combo routes when cancelling a button into Drive Rush on hit.

Drive Rush Cancel - Combo Routes
Starter	Hit Adv.	Combo Route
5LP	+?	?

Defense

Reversals

Zangief has no strike-invincible or throw-invincible moves with the exception of his supers.
- SA1 is an anti-air command grab with 11f startup and limited range and is unlikely to work as a reversal even against very sloppy jump-in pressure.
- SA2 has 18f startup and can fail to punish many meaty normals.
- SA3 is Zangief's only real reversal in the practical sense. Will blow through any oki that is not airborne, will catch opponents trying to shimmy against normal throw tech as a bonus.

Zangief can use Jump-cancel SPD in order to call out meaty throw or shimmy attempts, although this does not offer any protection against strikes.

Anti-Airs

PP (Lariat) and PPP (OD Lariat) are Zangief's main anti-airs. All versions have air invincibility and a large number of active frames which make them trivial to time.
- Despite what the animation suggests, Lariat does not hit behind Zangief. It will not work as an anti-air against cross-up jumps.
  - It is possible to beat a cross-up jump with OD Lariat by delaying the input enough for Zangief to auto-correct to the opposite side before spinning.
- OD Lariat starts up faster, making it useful in situations where Zangief can not anti-air as early as he would like (for example, the opponent jumped over a whiffed 2MP).
- If OD Lariat anti-airs early, it will only hit once, and will deal less damage than regular Lariat. A late anti-air OD Lariat will hit twice and deal more damage than normal, while also juggling higher.
  - Two-hit anti-air OD Lariat can be followed up with TK j.360KK if near the corner.

2HP is Zangief's main normal anti-air. It is aimed in front of Gief, and also moves him forward slightly, so it tends to miss against close jump-ins and cross-ups.
- Can get additional combo opportunities if it trades with a jump-in, but is otherwise outclassed by Lariat.

5MP and 5HK are alternative anti-airs against jumps from ranges where Lariat will not reach.

Jump-back j.LP as an air-to-air is Zangief's main way of dealing with cross-up jumps, as his traditional anti-airs will whiff. j.HP is a riskier option due to slower startup, but scores some extra damage and a knockdown.

j.360K is an air-to-air grab that is quite fast and has very long horizontal and vertical reach. Like j.LP, jump-back Borscht can work as an answer to cross-up jumps, although doing this on reaction can be difficult.

SA1 is an anti-air command grab. It has startup comparable to OD Lariat, but the motion input makes it harder to use reactively. Has underwhelming range and may miss even against a correctly-read jump-in attempt, especially when close. Also has the opportunity cost of using Zangief's precious super meter.
- However, deals heavy emotional damage if it works.

Anti-Projectile

SA2 can be used on reaction to most projectiles from midscreen to punish.
5[HP]'s armor can be used to punch through single-hit fireballs or other pokes. This is similar to using Drive Impact, but is faster and carries less risk.
PP (Lariat) is projectile-invincible for the duration and can punish projectiles at footsies range. However, using Lariat to pass through fireballs when it will not counterhit the opponent is dangerous due to lengthy recovery.