Street Fighter V/Sagat/Introduction

Introduction

About Sagat

Battling the Satsui No Hado, Sagat seeks to purge it from himself in a similar path as his rival, Ryu.

Sagat is still the relentless zoner he always has been. However, with fireballs being much weaker in SFV compared to past games, Sagat has to work a little harder to get his job done. Luckily, he still dominates in the aspect of zoning, despite it being somewhat weaker in this entry. His classic game of fireball/anti air is still very much prominent, and made even scarier with his Angry Scar VS1. Sagat is no slouch when it comes to going in, either. He has some exceptional buttons to use to stab at the opponent, and can unload lethal damage from some basic combos. Due to a substantial amount of great pokes, zoning, and anti airs, Sagat is all about controlling space and keeping your opponent away. Give Sagat a shot if you like keeping the opponent at a distance and punishing them severely for any tiny mistakes.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Great anti airs normals and a great dp
Fireballs are fast and can actually effectively zone
Great Range on many buttons, and kara-cancelling allows him to control more space with his dp\knee
Has one of the best -4 punishes in the game on standing opponents with 1 bar. Requires many characters to play much more carefully against him.
Notably high damage with super meter or v-meter available
Annoyingly good corner-keep game, as well as solid corner carry with his zoning tools.

Slow walk speed and only ok dashes, meaning he can't rush in
V-shift baiting is especially effective against him due to the nature of his special moves
Very big hurtbox, normals stretch it a lot, making whiff punishing easy
Somewhat slow buttons startup-wise
Gains V-meter more slowly, while giving a lot back
Relies heavily on fireballs in a game littered with fireball invincible moves
Combos and damage somewhat reliant on having a standing opponent
Usually has to decide between damage and oki midscreen, with oki often being tied to meter

Unique Mechanic

Sagat is able to kara cancel his 6MK and 6HK command normals into any of his special moves. Kara canceling a move increases the startup of a move in exchange for moving forward. 6HK is the faster version and travels shorter than 6MK. Some of his more advanced combos require this; however kara canceling his Tiger Uppercut in particular is useful for anti-airing opponents who are just outside of range to normally hit. It can also be used to move forward and throw fireballs for spacing, or increase the range of a Tiger Knee.

Final Patch

Players to Watch

Bonchan
Ryan Hart

 -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProdigalSonComesHome

Zaferino

 -Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/zaferino1

TotalSagat

 -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1jpv-Iqp6hIptIra1BlXuw