Street Fighter EX2 Plus/System

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Health

All characters in this game have the same amount of health at 200 health points.

Dictator, Darun, and Zangief take less damage than the rest of the cast since they have a damage modifier.

Specials deal chip damage only when done outside of Excel, Supers only deal chip damage if done raw or cancelled from a normal, they do no chip damage if super cancelled from a special or another super. Chip damage can kill in EX2 Plus.

Throws

EX2 Plus has single button throws, just like Street Fighter II. Throws have no startup, if two players input it at the same time, the throw will still be teched.

You only have 4 frames to tech after the throw input. There is no tech option if you are being thrown during a moves animation, whether its on startup or recovery. After teching a throw, there is no frame advantage for either player.

Most characters have their throws on medium and heavy normals. Some are missing a punch or kick variant and others can only use their heavy normal to initiate it.

Super Meter

You can have up to 150 units of super meter, meter is divided in three bars, each bar is 50 units long. Excel activation, supers, and guard break all cost 50 units of meter. There are a variety of ways to use meter in EX2 Plus.

Super Cancelling

Super cancelling allows you to cancel your special moves into a super, you can also cancel a super into another super (a super can't be cancelled into itself, you have to super cancel into a different super).

The window to input the super cancel is usually pretty generous, a lot of combos in this game rely on super canceling a special or super very late into its animation. Jump-in confirms into a super (e.g. Ryu's j.HK > cr.MK XX Hadouken SC Shinku Hadouken) usually deal less damage than a slightly optimized Excel combo, but are easier to pull off.

Meteor Supers (Level 3 Supers)

Big cinematic supers that cost all 3 super meter gauges, they all deal 50% damage or more if they hit raw (Zangief's meteor super is the most damaging at about 70% damage), and some of them can be comboed into. Some are even fast enough to be used as antiairs or specific punishes, such as Guile's.

Guard Break

Guard Breaks are done by pressing a punch and a kick button of the same strength simultaneously (Lp.png + Lk.png OR Mp.png + Mk.png OR Hp.png + Hk.png). All Guard Breaks are fully unblockable and will put the opponent in a stunned state if they hit, allowing for a free followup.

Guard Breaks have a lot of startup and can be reacted to, they're forward moving attacks with a lot of horizontal range so they can still catch someone off guard with their deceptively long range. Every character has a different Guard Break, and some have special properties (e.g. Bison's Guard Break is airborne so it goes over lows).

When you're hit by a guard break, you're put into a stun state which can be mashed out of. Doing so will let you avoid jump in starters. After wakeup, there is an extended period of invulnerability to guard breaks and hitting two of them too soon after one another will cause a knockdown, even though the opponent might have recovered already.

Cancel Breaks

Basically the same as guard breaks, but cancelled into from blocked/hit specials and supers. Even moves with invulnerability on startup, like Ryu's Shoryuken, can be cancelled, as long as you input the cancel break while grounded after it connects with the opponent.

Hitting your opponent with a cancel break after a special or super move hits them will cause them to get knocked down instead of being put into a stun state. This usually even combos, but if hitconfirming your special or super, there is no reason to cancel break.

Some characters (e.g. Sagat) can utilize cancel breaks as combo tools. Inputting a cancel break will trigger a "CANCEL BREAK" message under your health bar to indicate the difference, as raw guard breaks have no message of their own. Essentially they are the same, but the hitstun inflicted by a cancel break is way lower.

What a cancel break also does is remove any active move that is being blocked and immediately ends blockstun. This denies any sort of "unblockable" setups one could think of.

Excel

The defining mechanic of this game. It works similar to Custom combos from Alpha 2 or A-Groove from CVS2. It is activated by inputting a punch and a kick of different strengths. (Lp.png + Mk.png, Lp.png + Hk.png, Mp.png + Lk.png, Mp.png + Hk.png, Hp.png + Lk.png, Hp.png + Mk.png), and it costs one meter.

Excel allows you to freely cancel every normal into every other normal or special, specials can only be canceled into other specials. Its activation has invincibility, outside of combos it is most often used in gaps, wakeup, to go through attacks, punishing and anti-airing scenarios. Lasts for 2.5 seconds (150f).

A quick rundown of excel properties:

  • 3f startup. 34f freeze on activation. 150f duration.
  • 7f full body invul after freeze.
  • Last 40f can be super cancelled.
  • 60f excel cooldown after it ends, unless you finish with a super or cancel break.
  • Moves deal half damage, rounded down, on first use. After first use, they will always do 2 damage, so it is better to use many different normals while in Excel.
  • Pushback on all normals is extremely lowered and gravity on juggles is increased. Your opponent will fall to the ground quicker while in excel.

The order of cancels while in Excel can be seen in the following chart:

Excel Chart.png

The only way to break this cancel order is by linking moves when you have enough advantage. Some examples are Area's F.png + Hp.png into Lp.png and Guile's sonic boom into Lp.png, which normally wouldn't be possible but due to enough hitstun can link into normals again.

During any freeze, no inputs can be buffered, but any button being held during the freeze will come out as soon as possible after the freeze. You can counter excel activation by holding the excel input during their freeze.

Gaining Meter

As usual for the Street Fighter series, any move that connects, whether on hit or block will build meter.

Any blocked hit builds 1 point of meter for the defender. For the attacking player, light normals build 1 point of meter, mediums 2 points and heavy normals builds 4 points. The numbers for blocked specials vary. The same goes for any move on hit.

The other main way to build super meter is by whiffing special moves, good to use when having a knockdown with large frame advantage or right as a screen shift is about to occur. Moves with an airborne followup (Ryu's and Kairi's rekka series) can be continued offscreen to keep building meter.

Other than the two methods mentioned above there are other actions that will grant additional meter while triggering a message on the screen:

First Attack

Hitting the first attack of a round immediately builds you 25 additional meter. Trades will give 25 meter to both players. A successful throw, super or guard break as first hit will also trigger this effect. If the first hit of a round is done during Excel, the first attack message will trigger, but build no meter. Most characters get to build 50 meter if they get the first attack from a jump-in combo.

Reversal

Getting a proper reversal input on a special or super move will trigger a message on the screen and build 15 meter. The reversal window is 2 frames, so the timing for successful reversals is rather tight. This can be triggered on wakeup, after air resets, and out of hitstun/blockstun.

Tech Hit

A "TECH HIT" is what the game calls successful throw techs. It gives both players 15 meter. Obvious throw attempts can be used to build meter if the opponent can reliably throw tech. This can also be used to deny building meter, as landing a throw gives noticeably less. Keep in mind that the window for teching throws is only 4f after the throw has been initiated.

Option Selects (OS)

Button Priority OS

Since Lp.png > Lk.png > Mp.png > Mk.png > Hp.png > Hk.png applies to input priority, using Lp.png + Mp.png / Hp.png or Lk.png + Mk.png / Hk.png as throw inputs is usually ideal, unless the medium/heavy normals do something you would like to come out instead. If the opponent is able to be thrown, you just get the throw, if not, a light normal comes out instead of a medium or heavy one.

Crouch Tech OS

To initiate a throw, only B.png and F.png are allowed as directions. This does not apply to the defender, as they get to hold any direction that is not D.png/N.png/U.png, so inputting Db.png + Lk.png + Hk.png or Db.png + Lp.png + Hp.png can function as throw tech. If the timing is correct, you tech if they go for a throw, block if they frame trap or mash out if the gap is big enough. This will get beaten if those options are delayed.

Throw/Excel OS

Every normal in the game can be cancelled into Excel if the second button is input 1 frame after the first. In combination with throws having no startup, this allows for EXCEL/throw option selects. If the opponent cannot be thrown, the normal will be kara cancelled into an EXCEL activation.

Kara Cancels

Specials

There is a 7f window for special cancelling after inputting a normal for every normal, including jumping normals and command normals.

Supers

There is an 18f window on whiff to cancel any normal into a super.

Guard Break

There is a 1f window to cancel a normal into guard break. Plinking can be used to make kara Guard Break consistent, some normals move their character a lot horizontally on the first frame, this plus most Guard Breaks being really horizontal makes kara Guard Break a somewhat situational option to catch your opponent off guard from over half-screen away.

Excel

1f only to cancel a normal into EXCEL. Plinking anything with the proper button combination will result in a kara EXCEL activation.

Very important for Vulcano Rosso's grounded EXCEL loops, as his Mp.png moves him forward by a lot on its first frame. Any normal can be kara cancelled, so certain air normals, like for example Dhalsim's air drill can be kara cancelled to stop air momentum, same with Area's j.D.png + Hp.png.

A very unique case is Garuda's F.png + Hk.png as it is the only normal move that is airborne on frame 1. This allows him to kara EXCEL from the ground and end up in the air, similar to what a short hop would look like.

Juggle States

Most normal hits against an airborne opponent put them into an air reset juggle state. After the initial frame of hitting, there are roughly 28 frames of the air reset animation. This is the same for any kind of normal used, but a followup can only be achieved depending on the recovery of the move, usually by jumping forward with an air normal, or if a special can reach them, by cancelling into it.

This air reset juggle state will restand the opponent upon landing and allow them block or reversal to build meter. A similar juggle state is one with moves that have knockdown properties, such as most specials. In this case, instead of air resetting onto the ground standing, they will just get knocked down. The juggle properties afterwards remain the same.

Screen Shifts

45-46f knockdown advantage after, might vary for certain moves. Special moves that are interrupted by screen shifts still build meter. As mentioned under Whiffed Specials, Ryu and Kairi get to keep going with their airborne rekka sequence, delaying the screen shift until they are no longer airbone.

Frame Data (In progress)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CJXiBz6i_zfAQgWkBj04mj8X6m5vX857/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105091819429489916445&rtpof=true&sd=true

Street Fighter EX calculates advantage using a strange formula. Instead of normals being individually tuned on block and hit like modern fighting games, Arika automated(?) the process by giving the system rigid rules and letting pushback handle the rest. If you've ever dug deep into Street Fighter Alpha 2's system, this approach may sound familiar.

Street Fighter EX grants each strength of button different classes of advantage. With the exception of 2HP, you'll always get 2 extra frames on hit.

  • LIGHTS generate 18 Frames of blockstun; 20f of hitstun.
  • MEDIUMS generate 23 Frames of blockstun; 25f of hitstun.
  • HEAVIES generate 34 Frames of blockstun; 36f of hitstun.
  • 2HP generates 34 Frames of blockstun; 32f of hitstun.

Formula

This does not mean EX2 leaves you +18 on a jab. From this number, we need to subtract our remaining active frames, recovery, and The Magic 7 to find out advantage.

  1. Add a move’s active and recovery frames together.
  2. Take that number, add what the EX2 Mook calls Magic 7. (I assume this is hitstop or something)
  3. Subtract that number from the correct strength and state.
  4. That’s your frame advantage.

Examples

GUILE 2LP

5f startup, 4f active, 5f recovery

4 startup frames + 5 active frames = 9f

Add the Magic 7;

9 + 7 = 16f

BLOCKED! 18f stun;

18 - 16 is 2. Guile’s 2LP is +2


Street Fighter EX2 Plus Navigation

General
Controls and Notation
HUD
System
FAQ
Video Resources
Version Differences
Characters
Area
Blanka
Chun-Li
Cracker Jack
Darun Mister
Dhalsim
Doctrine Dark
Garuda
Guile
Hayate
Hokuto
Kairi
Ken
M. Bison
Nanase
Pullum Purna
Ryu
Sagat
Shadow Geist
Sharon
Skullomania
Vega
Vulcano Rosso
Zangief