Rufus
Ideal Team Position: Point
Many of Rufus’ strengths from the Street Fighter IV series remain intact in Street Fighter x Tekken with names like Brenttiscool, JB, Ricki Ortiz, and Homeless Dragon enjoying great success with him in tournament play. His divekick, though not as overpowering as it once was, is still his preferred way of starting offense, possessing enough hitstun and blockstun to allow Rufus to apply pressure to the opponent. What makes Rufus’ toolkit particularly intimidating in his ability to tag in an opponent safely from a variety of situations. Ending combos with a tag cancelled Snake Strike can lead to big damage and a full juggle for an incoming partner. A blockstring ended with Galactic Tornado can allow his partner to enter the field of battle safely. His best reversal, the EX Messiah Kick, can be easily tagged into on block or on hit so that his partner can ensure his safe retreat off the field of battle. This can be particularly strong if the opponent had to fight to put Rufus on the defensive, only to watch that momentum disappear with the time continuing to run out. Rufus also possesses the ability to close gaps of distance quickly thanks to a long jump and his df+mk, along with a respectable forward dash, walkspeed, and his divekick. Since his primary strength is his ability to set up his partner (and Rufus’ toolset allow him to have synergy with almost every character in the game), it is recommended that you place Rufus in the point position when putting him on your team.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
|
+Divekick is still a very useful tool to maintain offense despite the nerf +Plenty of fast links for combos and confirms +EX Messiah Kick is an excellent reversal to safe tag partner to begin a tag-in combo off of reversal +Strong whiff punishment +Can punish blocked boost combos that some characters have difficulty or cannot punish +Excellent tag synergy with large number of the cast thanks to several options to safe-tag such as Galactic Tornado, EX Messiah Kick, and LP Snake Strike on rare occasions (+4 on block, +7 on hit) |
-weak against crossups -Floaty jump can make him easy to anti-air -Overly reliant on meter for best options for damage -Divekick is vulnerable to air-to-airs if used too overzealously, especially thanks to the combo system -Divekick can be blocked low |
Moves
Normal Attacks
rpdfire
1st hit 
+ + + + 
+ + 
+ 
+ + + + + 
/ 
+ / + / + / + / + crossup
/ +
Unique Attacks
+ vs airborne 
+ + + vs airborne crossup
+ on 2nd hit Throws
or 
+ + 
+ + Special Moves
+ 
vs airborne 
+ 
vs airborne + and version can be steered with
or 
on final hit 
on Super Combo
+ 
Frame Data (updated for v2013)
| Move | Command | Hit | Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Hit Adv | Block Adv | Cancel | JP | JC | JS | "Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| " | |||||||||||||
| Far LP | H | 30 | 6 | 2 | 9 | +6 | +2 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves | |
| Far MP | H | 60 | 7 | 2 | 15 | +4 | 0 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Far HP | H | 90 | 9 | 4 | 17 | +4 | -1 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Far LK | H | 30 | 6 | 2 | 12 | +3 | -1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Far MK | H | 60 | 10 | 2 | 18 | +1 | -3 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Far HK | H | 90 | 17 | 2 | 17 | float | +1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Close LP | H | 30 | 4 | 3 | 9 | +5 | +1 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves | |
| Close MP | H | 60 | 5 | 2 | 14 | +5 | +1 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Close HP | H | 90 | 6 | 4 | 21 | +1 | -5 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 3 | 1 | 1 | Forces standing | |
| Close LK | H | 30 | 4 | 2 | 8 | +7 | +3 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Close MK | H | 60 | 7 | 2(4)3 | 14 | +4 | 0 | 1st hit:SM,EX,SA,CA | 2,2 | 1,1 | 1 | - | |
| Close HK | H | 90 | 8 | 2 | 25 | -1 | -7 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | Forces standing | |
| Crouch LP | H | 30 | 4 | 2 | 11 | +4 | 0 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves | |
| Crouch MP | H | 60 | 7 | 3 | 15 | +3 | -1 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Crouch HP | H | 90 | 14 | 2 | 34 | -11 | -16 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | Crumples on standing counter hit | |
| Crouch LK | L | 30 | 4 | 2 | 12 | +3 | -1 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves | |
| Crouch MK | L | 60 | 6 | 1 | 19 | +1 | -3 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Crouch HK | L | 90 | 12 | 2 | 25 | hard knockdown | -7 | - | 3 | 1 | - | - | |
| Jump Up LP | M | 40 | 6 | 7 | until ground+4 | +12 | +4 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Up MP | M | 70 | 6 | 5 | until ground+4 | +16 | +5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Up HP | M | 100 | 5 | 4 | until ground+4 | +20 | +8 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Up LK | M | 40 | 5 | 6 | until ground+4 | +12 | +4 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Up MK | M | 70 | 4 | 6 | until ground+4 | +16 | +5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Up HK | M | 100 | 6 | 4 | until ground+4 | +20 | +8 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal LP | M | 40 | 6 | 6 | until ground+4 | +12 | +4 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal MP | M | 70 | 6 | 7 | until ground+4 | +16 | +5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal HP | M | 100 | 8 | 5 | until ground+4 | +20 | +8 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal LK | M | 40 | 6 | 7 | until ground+4 | +12 | +4 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal MK | M | 70 | 7 | 5 | until ground+4 | +16 | +5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| Jump Diagonal HK | M | 50,50 | 7 | 3(4)3 | until ground+4 | +20 | +8 | - | 3,3 | 1,1 | 1 | Knockdown on airborne opponent | |
| Launcher **LC | H | 100 | 13 | 2 | 54 | switch | -34 | - | 3 | - | - | Crushes crouching attacks frames 1-12, Launches opponent while switching characters | |
| Cross Cancel | H | 30,60 | 10 | 8(6)2 | 19 | hard knockdown | 0 | - | - | - | - | Invulnerability frames 1-10, Resembles LP Galatic Tornado | |
| Head Bazooka | LP+LK | throw | 130 | 5 | 2 | 20 | hard knockdown | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Hand Machinegun | b+LP+LK | throw | 130 | 5 | 2 | 20 | hard knockdown | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vulture Kick | f+MK | M | 80 | 21 | 2 | 14 | +1 | -5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | Knockdown on airborne opponent, Airborne frames 10-24, Lower body invulnerability frames 10-20 |
| Glory Kick | df+MK | L | 70 | 21 | 2 | 12 | +3 | -1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Fragrance Palm **LC | f+HP | H | 80 | 13 | 5 | 20 | float | -8 | SM,EX,SA,CA | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Falcon Kick | df+MK (air) | H | 60 | 13 | until ground | 4 | +10 | +2 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Target Combo | LK > f+HK | H | 30,60 | 12 | 2 | 21 | float | -6 | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Galactic Tornado LP **LC | qcf+LP | H | 30,50 | 11 | 8(6)2 | 21 | knockdown | -2 | - | 3,3 | 3,3 | 0 | Chargeable: 51F for EX Version and 100F for Super Art, Hits count as projectiles, Absorbs one projectile hit |
| Galactic Tornado MP | qcf+MP | H | 20x2,40 | 15 | 21(5)2 | 22 | knockdown | -1 | - | 3,3,3 | 3,3,3 | 0 | Chargeable: 51F for EX Version and 100F for Super Art, Hits count as projectiles, Absorbs one projectile hit |
| Galactic Tornado HP | qcf+HP | H | 20x2,50 | 16 | 21(5)2 | 22 | knockdown | -2 | - | 3,3,3 | 3,3,3 | 0 | Chargeable: 51F for EX Version and 100F for Super Art, Hits count as projectiles, Absorbs one projectile hit |
| Galactic Tornado EX | qcf+PP | H | 0,80 | 13 | 19(4)1 | 17 | wall bounce | -1 | - | 3,3 | 3,3 | 0 | Chargeable: 51F for Super Art, Absorbs one projectile hit, 1st hit pulls opponent toward Rufus |
| Snake Strike LP | f,d,df+LP | H | 40x4 | 9 | 1(3)1(3)1(4)1(3)1 | 18 | +7 | +4 | - | 3,3,3,3,4,4,4 | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1 | 0 | Airborne frames 1-27 |
| Snake Strike MP | f,d,df+MP | H | 40x5 | 8 | 1(3)1(2)2(3)1(3)1(3)1(3)2 | 20 | +5 | +2 | - | 3,3,3,3,4,4,4 | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1 | 0 | Airborne frames 1-35 |
| Snake Strike HP | f,d,df+HP | H | 40x5 | 7 | 1(3)1(2)1(3)2(2)1(3)1(3)1 | 37 | +4 | +1 | - | 3,3,3,3,4,4,4 | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1 | 0 | Airborne frames 1-34 |
| Snake Strike EX | f,d,df+EX | H | 30x7 | 8 | 1(1)2(1)1(2)2(1)1(2)1(2)1 | 28 | - | - | - | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 1,1,1,1,1,1,1 | 0 | Invulnerability frames 1-11, Airborne frames 1-40, Whiffs on grounded opponent |
| Messiah Kick LK | qcf+LK | H | 90 | 25 | 2 | 31 | -3 | -6 | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | Lower body invulnerability frames 1-34, Airborne frames 11-34 |
| Messiah Kick MK | qcf+MK | H | 100 | 27 | 2 | 25 | -5 | -9 | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | Lower body invulnerability frames 1-39, Airborne frames 11-39 |
| Messiah Kick HK | qcf+HK | H | 120 | 36 | 2 | 44 | 0 | -3 | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | Lower body invulnerability frames 1-42, Airborne frames 11-42 |
| Messiah Kick EX **LC | qcf+KK | H | 20x5 | 12 | 3(1)2(1)2(1)2(8)2 | 34 | -10 | -13 | - | 3,1,1,1,1 | 3,0,0,0,0 | 0 | Invulnerability frames 1-17, Airborne frames 11-39 |
| Messiah Kick High Attack **LC | LK after Messiah Kick | H | 80 | 13 | 4 | 19 | knockdown | -17 | - | 6 | 4 | 0 | Invulnerability frames 1-12 |
| Messiah Kick Low Attack | MK after Messiah Kick | L | 100 | 20 | 2 | 16 | hard knockdown | -1 | - | 6 | 4 | 0 | Stumble on crouching countehit |
| Messiah Kick Mid Attack | HK after Messiah Kick | M | 100 | 24 | 6 | 16 | hard knockdown | -5 | - | 6 | 4 | 0 | Airborne frames 10-29 |
| Big Bang Typhoon | qcf+PPP | H | 320 | 9 | - | 87 | hard knockdown | -73 | - | 3 | 1 | - | 72 frames cinematic freeze before attack begins, Invulnerability frames 1-19 |
| Cross Art **LC | qcf+MP+MK | H | 150+ | 9 | 2 | 51 | switch | -30 | - | 3 | - | - | 62 frames cinematic freeze before attack begins, Invulnerability frames 1-9 & frames 46-51 |
Boost Chain Frame Data
| Move | Hit | Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Hit Adv | Block Adv | Cancel | "Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| " | |||||||||
| Far LP | H | 30 | 6 | 2 | 9 | +6 | +2 | - | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves |
| Far MP | H | 42 | 7 | 2 | 25 | -6 | -10 | - | - |
| Far HP | H | 63 | 9 | 4 | 30 | -9 | -14 | - | - |
| Far LK | H | 30 | 6 | 2 | 12 | +3 | -1 | - | - |
| Far MK | H | 42 | 10 | 2 | 26 | -7 | -11 | - | - |
| Far HK | H | 63 | 17 | 2 | 33 | float | -15 | - | - |
| Close LP | H | 30 | 4 | 3 | 9 | +5 | +1 | - | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves |
| Close MP | H | 42 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 0 | -4 | EX,SA,CA | - |
| Close HP | H | 63 | 6 | 4 | 31 | -9 | -15 | EX,SA,CA | Forces standing |
| Close LK | H | 30 | 4 | 2 | 8 | +7 | +3 | - | - |
| Close MK | H | 42 | 7 | 2(4)3 | 25 | -7 | -11 | 1st hit:EX,SA,CA | - |
| Close HK | H | 63 | 8 | 2 | 32 | -8 | -14 | - | - |
| Crouch LP | H | 30 | 4 | 2 | 11 | +4 | 0 | - | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves |
| Crouch MP | H | 42 | 7 | 3 | 20 | -2 | -6 | EX,SA,CA | - |
| Crouch HP | H | 63 | 14 | 2 | 43 | -20 | -25 | - | Crumples on standing counter hit |
| Crouch LK | L | 30 | 4 | 2 | 12 | +3 | -1 | - | Rapid fire cancelable into light normal moves |
| Crouch MK | L | 42 | 6 | 1 | 24 | -4 | -8 | EX,SA,CA | - |
| Crouch HK | L | 63 | 12 | 2 | 34 | hard knockdown | -16 | - | - |
Move Analysis
Normal Moves
N/A
Unique Attacks
N/A
Normal Throws
N/A
Special Moves
N/A
Super Combos
N/A
The Basics
N/A
Advanced Strategy
N/A
Combos
Bread and Butters
- cl.HP xx qcf+LK>LK (244)
(0bar, easy)
- cl.HP xx qcf+PP, st.HK, st.HK, cl.HP xx qcf+MK (409)
(1bar, midscreen, hard)
- cl.HP xx qcf+HP>f, cl.LK/st.LK>f+HK, f+HP xx qcf+HK>MK (394)
(0bar, corner, easy)
- cl.HP xx qcf+PP, f+HP, f+HP, f+HP xx qcf+MK>MK (428)
(1bar, corner, medium)
Hit Confirm Combos
- cl.LK>f+HK, st.LK>f+HK, df+MK, cl.HP xx CADC (243)
(0bar, close, hard)
Post-launch Combos
- cl.HP xx dp+HP
(0bar, easy)
- cl.LK>f+HK, f+HP xx qcf+HK>MK/LK
(0bar, corner, easy)
Advanced Combos
- cl.HP xx qcf+PP, st.HK, st.HK, cl.HP xx qcf+MK (409)
(1bar, hard)
- cl.HP xx qcf+PP, f+HP, f+HP, f+HP xx qcf+MK>MK (428)
(1bar, medium)
Combos Into Supers
- N/A
