Street Fighter 6/Blanka/Matchups

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For routes/combos on marked Punishes: You can refer to Punish Combos listed here: https://wiki.supercombo.gg/w/Street_Fighter_6/Blanka/Combos

Blanka

Blanka vs. Blanka (Even)

A mirror match. Who's the true King of the Jungle?

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Cammy

Blanka vs. Cammy (Slightly Favorable)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Chun-Li

Blanka vs. Chun-Li (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Dee Jay

Blanka vs. DeeJay (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Dhalsim

Blanka vs. Dhalsim (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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E.Honda

Blanka vs. E.Honda (Difficult)

A high-damage character who's core move counteracts many of your tools. Blanka balls and jump-ins are ill-advised; Parrying and patient, grounded play are key to navigating the matchup.

Quick Notes

Sumo Headbutt renders Blanka Balls of all types unusable as it is fully air-invulnerable. Aerial-approach in general is inherently risky.
- While H Headbutt can be DI'd, it is ultimately important to learn how to parry headbutt.
Honda's higher damage and HP do not incentivize trades or abare. Maintain momentum once you can mount an offense.
Honda is susceptible to throw loops without SA1, so abuse throws when possible.

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Guile

Blanka vs. Guile (Even)

A classic zoner matchup. Blanka's assortment of tools give him more options to navigate Guile's booms than ever before, but patience and good reactions are still key to this matchup.

Quick Notes

Avoid reckless jumping unless Guile ever stands, moves or fires booms predictably. Careless aerial approaches, including Blanka Balls, can be blown up by his Flash Kick.
Be comfortable at mid-range and be accustomed to Blanka's 3HP range in order to play around booms safer than most characters can.
Learn optimal reversal punishes for OD flash kicks. Discourage its use to open Guile up as you would any other character.
Guile's only super reversals require charge inputs. This is particularly notable if he's in burnout, as cross-up setups render him incapable of using a reversal.

Neutral

Being around far mid-range, enough to land 3HP at/around tip range, is ideal for Blanka as it gives you enough time to react with it in case Guile ever tosses a non-OD boom and in range to anti-air with numerous options in case he jumps in. Once you land 3HP/anti-air, or manage to get in close enough through other means, you can begin running offense. Being full-screen is not too scary for Blanka as we can parry, jump, coward crouch and 3HP slide under projectiles without issues.

Close-mid range is trickier for Blanka as booms may stuff 3HP's startup and Guile's buttons are generally quicker than Blanka's on top of boasting great range. 6HP becomes a viable (High Risk!) poke around its max range as it leads to great damage if it happens to trade with Guile's booms or pokes and can be difficult to punish if blocked at max range. Otherwise, at this range walk gradually and be cautious while also being mindful of sudden movement/jumps from Guile. Blocking booms do not drastically reduce drive gauge and careless drive impacts/rushes may get stuffed by booms or other callout options, so do not be afraid to block when closing in; You may end up wasting more gauge via other means than you might have if you simply blocked a few booms.

Guile's 5HP/HK are both possible whiff punishes for Blanka if whiffed. His MK buttons, while good, may present an opportunity for you to DR in if whiffed.

Offense

Once Blanka's in, run your gameplan like any other character. Note if a Guile likes to use OD Flash Kicks and bait them where possible; Blanka has many KDs so there shouldn't be too much difficulty in baiting one while remaining at a dangerous range for Guile.

Guile in burnout is particularly susceptible to cross-ups, as he has SA reversals that can be used without charge. Learning a cross-up mix may be worth your time in case a corner burnout situation presents itself.

Defense

Guile's lows do not lead to big combos or large damage without a CH; Simply walking back to create space and avoid grab pressure is a fairly low-risk option if Guile's applying pressure.

Guile does not possess many + buttons to reset pressure with on block(6HP, which whiffs when crouching), relying mostly on spaced booms or drive rush to press advantage. Try to walk out of this pressure instead of gambling; Remember that your buttons are slower than Guile's so a stray poke may not be in your favor. Guile's 5MP is 0 on block; if they frequently link into 2MP after it is blocked, you can contest with 5LK/LP.

Punishes

OD Flash Kick/Crossfire Somersault - (DI/6HP) Guile's primary reversal. Know your highest damage routes to make Guile's hesitant to gamble on reversals.
Sonic Hurricane - (6HP/5HK) A reversal you may occasionally see if Guile's in burnout or doesn't want to use Drive Gauge. Not enough time for a DI but most heavy routes still apply.
(Whiff) Sonic Blade - (Walk Back>3HP) Some Guiles opt to use Sonic Blade as trap/pressure reset after normals are blocked. Walking back gives Blanka time to identify and react with a 3HP to punish these attempts.
2MK - (5LP) A quick and efficient low-poke that some Guiles may spam. If this is blocked close to Guile, Blanka's light punch can lead to good punish counter options.
2HK - (5HP/HK Close. 2MP Far) Unless this was blocked at tip range, at -12 Blanka can get a 5HP/HK starter depending on how close Guile was. 2MP is a safe substitute if you doubt your reach.
2MK~6MP - (5LP) A low/overhead TC that Guiles will occassionally toss in for easy chip damage. Though Guile's overhead on its own is safe, if done from this TC, Blanka can punish with his light punch.
2MP~2MP/5MP~4HP/2MK~6MP - (Parry/Reversal) All of Guile's TCs have frame tight windows which can be reversal'd out of, and make Perfect Parries extremely easy to perform when you know they're coming.

Jamie

Blanka vs. Jamie (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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JP

Blanka vs. JP (Favorable)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Juri

Blanka vs. Juri (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Ken

Blanka vs. Ken (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Kimberly

Blanka vs. Kimberly (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Lily

Blanka vs. Lily (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Luke

Blanka vs. Luke (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Manon

Blanka vs. Manon (Even)

Quick Notes

Neutral

Offense

Defense

Punishes

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Marisa

Blanka vs. Marisa (Slight Disadvantage)

A plus frame distributor decked in armor. Despite spotty neutral, huge damage coupled with numerous options to deal with Blanka Balls give Blanka a much stricter margin for error.

Quick Notes

Marisa's armored options makes Blanka Balls difficult to commit to. Feint them and space safely.
- Her reliance on armor makes her more susceptible to throws on wakeup than other characters.
Play reactively over proactively. Marisa has numerous ways to gamble, but her common neutral skips/counters can be reacted to if you see them coming.
- Do not commit to punishable options often as Marisa vastly outdamages you and has more HP than you.
Be ready and comfortable in playing around Gladius. Blanka has numerous options to punish it.
Utilize universal defensive options such as Parry and Drive Reversal in a pinch.

Neutral

Neutral is not terrible for Blanka in this match-up in spite of his Blanka Ball being somewhat null, as Marisa's approach options usually come with some risks attached. Her drive rush is not particularly fast, and her scariest/cancellable buttons are fairly stubby. VS opponents who utilize Gladius as a counter-poke, get used to its range and learn to punish it properly. Otherwise, remain just out/around the range of Marisa's 5MP/2MP if you can help it. Her longest range buttons from there are single hit or fairly committal options that can be potentially DI/Whiff punished or lead to openings for you. Watch for Phalanx/jump-ins and counter-them with AAs. With some patience, Blanka can keep Marisa at bay or annoy her into a mistake wherein he can get his own offense started.

Jump-ins can catch poorly placed buttons from Marisa as many are quite slow; Marisa has slow anti-airs with limited range. Avoid using big buttons of your own such as DI, 2HP, 6HP, 2HK, or 3HP preemptively, as Marisa can punish your own mistakes far more severely than you can to her should she manage to get a stray hit.

Although DI can be blown up by Marisa, it is nonetheless important to react to certain moves, primarily Phalanx and Quadriga, with DI. DI can also beat Marisas using DR5HP to approach, or charged heavies in general.

Blanka balls are not entirely useless in this matchup. Feint Blanka balls on occasion and test an opposing Marisa's reactions. Ones who use scutum pre-emptively may be susceptible to punishment, and some may opt to just block/attempt parries instead.

Offense

Marisa lacks conventional reversals until she has SA2: Scutum and SA1, her reversals before then, do not protect her from throws. Take advantage of this and get used to timing throw loops. If you are ever hit by scutum, the damage is extremely low and Marisa only has two guaranteed follow-ups: her command grab and a 2LK/2LP starter. It is often worth simply jumping after a scutum hit to avoid the much more rewarding throw option and possibly punish it.

Marisa's anti-air options are slow and can sometimes mess with her positioning barring 2HP, which is still slow. Utilizing jump-ins, especially up close where Marisa has some difficulty addressing cross-ups, can be a good option against her to reset your pressure.

Marisa's armored specials mean she still has some good defensive options even in burnout, so do not commit heavily to Blanka Ball harassment just because she's burned out.

Defense

Parrying is very important vs Marisa as she's capable of shaving chunks of drive gauge from you for simply blocking. Parrying some of her obvious meaties, special cancels, some TCs and charged heavies come with the possibility of a perfect parry and will leave you with drive to spare, which will be important in case you ever find yourself cornered. Remember that you're capable of movement after a successful parry, so you're never locked into place and forced to take her command grab or fake pressure provided you've parried successfully.

Avoid using drive for [2]8KK reversal if you can help it: Not only does Marisa's Gladius blow it up in her most common string, if blocked it leads to Marisa's highest damage combos particularly in the corner. Utilize it with caution and rely on SA1 more often against Marisa if you can help it.

If cornered, Drive Reversal is a strong option after blocking any the following: 5LP~LP, 5MP~MP, Gladius/Phalanx/Quadriga, 5HP/5HK. It's worth utilizing Drive Reversal to escape the corner, as Marisa's pressure can easily chunk away at your Drive Meter in little time, and her command grab poses a bigger threat vs grab due to her close proximity.

Walking back during Marisa's offense is lower risk than other characters due to her mostly weak low confirms outside of 2LK range. It can help move you out of range of her target combos, force her to use her riskier single approach tools/pokes, and cause attempted command grabs to whiff due to it's speed and short range. Mind that you do not back yourself into a corner; ideally you want to hold/maintain space in neutral. Walk back only in the case her offense is started.

Marisa's 5MP~MP>Special can force a scary RPS where DI/Reckless Mashing can get blown up by Gladius, especially if charged. Unlike other characters Blanka's reversal is a poor option to deal with a charged Gladius as it only hits once, letting Gladius absorb the hit and leaving you wide open for a huge damage punish; Utilize SA1 if you want to interrupt Gladius instead. This catches her doing nothing after 5MP~MP as well since its 8f and Marisa is -8, meaning she will have to consider using phalanx once you have SA1 available.

Punishes

5MP~MP>(Charge Gladius) - (2LK/2LP/2MK During wind-up) Get used to reacting to this string: look for Marisa's fist to pull back slightly and glow, then react accordingly. 2LK is your most stable option due to its speed.
[H]eavy Charge Normals - (DI) With the exception of [4]HP (Which is very close range) and a very late [6]HK, all of Marisa's charged heavy attacks are not cancellable and are high enough on recovery that DIing them on reaction to a charge is a possible counter to an enemy opting to reset pressure with them often.
Phalanx/Quadriga - (DI) These two specials lose to DI barring their OD versions and L Phalanx. It's worth learning to react to these with DI to limit Marisa's meterless approach, annoying impatient players into jumping or spending drive.
Dimachaerus - (6HP/5HK/5HP) Marisa's combo extension special is -16 if blocked, -12 if OD'd. If they do not confirm into this special, punish them severely for it.
(Whiff) Gladius - (3HP. 2MP/5HP Whiff Punish) Whiff Gladius is a common poke option that Marisa will rely on occasionally in Neutral. Blanka's 3HP will low-profile this move entirely making it a stable low-reward option that can be used on reaction to Gladius' Startup. Alternatively, 2MP/5HP are solid high-reward whiff punish buttons on a whiffed gladius.
- Always mind that a charged gladius will travel further than the normal one.
Enfold - (Back Walk/Back Dash/Neutral Jump Punish) Marisa's command grab is her primary tool to opening up most on defense when frame traps won't work, but worse than most grapplers as it is stubby and slow. Expect it after a successful scutum, a charge heavy normal, or after a drive rush cancel.
SA1-3 - (6HP/DI) All of Marisa's SA reversals are easily punished. Make sure to block the 2nd hit of her SA2. Her SA1 has an added weakness of being vulnerable to throws.
Scutum - (2LP/2LK/2MP/2MK/3HP/2HK/Grab) Marisa's primary "reversal" is scutum, an armor stance. Players opt for this to deal with Blanka Ball. Feint ball and any low can lead into a punish. Throws, including Blanka's command grab, will beat the OD version which is active frame 1 and beats lows.
214K~P~P/214K~K - (6HP) Marisa's follow-ups from Scutum are immensely punishable, and likewise rare. Do not allow her to get away with either in the off chance you block either.