The Basics
Air Attacks and Anti-airs
Blanka's jumping attacks are quick, have long reach, and can be used in several different situations.
His jumping light kick is an excellent crossup with excellent priority, sometimes beating other fighter's jumping attacks. It is used primarily as Blanka's crossup move, and can be linked into several different strings of attacks.
Blanka's j.HK is a HUGE dropkick that has extremely good reach. Use this move to quickly jump over fireballs/projectiles and punish your opponents from a seemingly too far distance.
Jumping HP is an awesome high priority air attack. It is a downward-aiming swipe with both of Blanka's claws, that has strange hitbox priorities. Instead of just hitting ahead of Blanka like most other jumping moves, the jumping HP can be used to hit directly BELOW Blanka as well. This makes it an excellent tactic to use when you have your opponent in the corner, or if you are facing someone like Dhalsim, who's standing medium punch anti-air pretty much beats everything else you can dish out, including your crossup j.LK. The jumping HP, when used at the right angle/deepness, can either beat or trade most anti-air normals in the game, and is one of the reasons Blanka can actually dominate a match when given the right positioning.
Blanka has several anti-airs that can all be used in different situations:
-Vertical ball attack can be used in two situations. If your opponent is in front of you, use the HK version (which is VERY fast) to surprise them. Remember, there's no airblocking! If you are getting crossed up, the LK version of the vertical ball will stop or trade about 80% of the crossups in the game, which will definitely frustrate your opponents. However, if your opponent is deep enough with the crossup attack, the LK vertical ball will not work, and you will eat their attack.
-Standing HP can be used in some situations, most notably if an opponent is jumping in for a crossup but is not really deep enough to get it properly. Also, if you are ahead on life in the match, use standing HP to trade with most jump-in attacks. Remember, this is a HP so it will pretty much do the same, or more damage, than most of the jump-ins people use.
-Electricity can also be used as an anti-air, but be wary of trying to use it too much. Unlike a lot of the other multiple button tap moves (like Honda's Hundred Hand Slap or Chun's lighting legs), it doesn't come out as consistently as you'd like. Use this move sparingly, and only if you have enough time to get the right amount of button taps out to activate the electricity in time.
-Jump straight up HP is an EXCELLENT anti-air for anybody jumping at you. It is a quick, upwards smack with Blanka's palm, that most people have now begun to call "the pimp slap" because it looks exactly like a huge palm slap. Use this move to surprise jumping attackers, and also to hit people who are almost directly above you, going for crossups - it is surprisingly fast.
-Standing medium punch is a standing claw swipe downwards. VERY fast, and this move can actually neutralize a lot of jumping attacks completely. Use this in certain matchups to give Blanka the complete advantage - especially against Zangief.
-Jump forward MP is an awesome air to air, the hitbox and his jump arc is high, so it hits most other airmoves from above.
Footsies
C.HP is awesome. Huge range and quick recovery, great for punishing whiffed. Sweeps and especially good against Fireballers, work at its max range (this is a good jump in range too) and try to trade hits with/snuff fireball throwing frames. C.HP can beat flat air attacks like Guile's j.HK and Dictator's 'Swallow Dive' (the backflip puch that follows Head Stomp)
Against Shotos you can also use his s.HK (backflip kick). At the right range, you will flip over any crouching kicks they throw, but your feet will hit their hands snuffing their fireball throwing frames! It works like Sagat's far s.HP in this respect.
C.MK and c.LK are great against other low kicks, they can beat moves like Guile's c.MK clean. This really undermines the opponents comfort ranges and helps you put pressure on.
S.LK has incredible priority, with good enough timing it can beat almost anything. S.LP is great too, so go experiment.
Whenever attempting a Slide, always charge back in case it connects since it will start his wake-up options.
Crouching HP's range can surprise players who aren't expecting it. Additionally, if your opponent blocks it, you'll likely be able to use a LP Rolling Attack and stop just before you hit your opponent. This leads into some nasty mixups.
Amazon River Run (3HP) is a great move to use against fireballers. Using it right as your opponent throws a fireball will knock them down, turning the tables. River Run also goes under Guile's Sonic Booms, essentially negating their threat and making the matchup way easier. You can even use it as an anti-air in some situations. Just keep in mind that this move is slow and unsafe on block, so make sure you hit with it when you use it.
Crouching MK can be comboed into itself, canceled into a Rolling Attack, or cancelled into a Suprise Forward for mixups, making it an invaluable tool for footsies.
Misc
Rolling Attack is great for closing the gap, you can even roll up and throw from certain ranges using LP and MP balls.
Blanka is one of the best throwers in the game, and is extremely good at countering tick throws with his own.
A lot of people worry about other characters body torpedo moves when playing with Blanka. j.LK beats them clean. Jump back LK, repeat is a safe, easy deterrent against the threat of Psycho Crushers and Honda headbutts, especially good when your ahead on energy.
LP Rolling Attack is quick, it recovers quickly when you whiff, and leads into throw/footsie setups. This makes it an invaluable tool for spacing and advancing.
His hold deals a ridiculous amount of damage, so use it as much as possible.
HP Rolling Attack's ridiculous speed allows you to use it as a counter-hit in a variety of situations, such as when your opponent is trying to walk up sweep, or sometimes at round start if you know your opponent will try anything except block.
Jumping LK has incredible priority, allowing you to beat moves like However, it will sometimes randomly trade with the flaming torpedo (And you will definitely be the loser in that trade).
Advanced Strategy
Fast Meter Building + Super
Surprise Back has stupidly good meter building potential, being an invincible backdash that builds meter. The catch is his Ground Shave Roll is one of the worst Super Combos in the game, but it does have its uses.
It's a great anti-air in some situations, dealing high damage, staying invulnerable for a long while, and being able to change direction if you get crossed up. Using the initial hop is the only way to make the move safe and secure all 5 hits. The strategy is to perform the Super motion to hit with the initial hop and hold the button just long enough so that you hit their falling body just before they hit the ground, giving you maximum damage.
Unfortunately this move isn't good for chipping since it's VERY unsafe on block. An inexperienced opponent or one who's one on life, however, may try to jump or dodge the Super, and you since your Super beats most jumping attacks, it might be something to consider.
Super does NOT roll under projectiles. Once you land on the ground after the initial hop, you're vulnerable. You'll beat out most normal attacks (except for crouching Jabs or Shorts or whatnot) but projectiles will most definitely hit you out.
If you use Ground Shave Roll after a knockdown near the corner, you can use this as a potential crossup that leads into a possible combo. You'll hit the opponent from behind, but it seems random which direction your opponent will need to block, much like CE Dictator's Psycho Crusher. You can even combo out of this. See the TZW combo videos for examples.
Using Surprise Hops
The leap is a valuable tool which is often overlooked, most people would attribute it to only really setting up throw and combo setups (which will be explained in later sections.). The leap also makes Blanka a very nimble character, able to move back and forth across the screen more easily than most other characters, while building Super meter the entire time.
Don't forget that there is little bit of invincibility at the start of the leap which will help you to avoid low attacks and even get out of SPDs since when you leap, you're off the ground. So if Zangief lands a meaty c.LK, you can leap backwards out of it making his SPD whiff. Quite cheap!
You can bait attacks with it, by leaping backwards at close range and countering with a slide, c.HP, c.HK, or even ball if you have charge.
You can use it effectively to close the gap after knockdowns if you don’t have a charge ready, so you can start a meaty or cross up.
Leaping forward in o throw range out of blue or off a c.MK can take your opponent by suprise, giving you a throw/headbutt/tick/combo.
For example, if you walk up and do a blocked crouching Medium Kick, then cancel that into a Forward, your opponent will have very little frame advantage to react. An opponent expecting this can just do Jab or Short you out of the hop, but if you mix up your options well, you can follow up with a hold or another crouching MK, canceled into another crouching MK or even a roll. You'll likely land the hold if your opponent wasn't expecting the hop, but your safest option here is still crouching MK.
You can also use this strategy during crossups. If your opponent blocks a crossup combo like jumping LK, standing MP, crouching MK for example, you can cancel the MK into a Forward hop and throw or MK again. You can mix up your strategy by canceling the MP into hop instead of MK to keep your opponents guessing.
When Downed
LK Vertical Roll makes it very difficult for Blanka to be crossed up. It also gives him a great option against Claw's Wall Dives. Crossing him up is possible, but your opponent will need to be deep enough into your body that it hits you during the starting frames of your Vertical Roll. You'll end up eating a combo in this situation, so stay alert when trying to perform a reversal.
Don't attempt a reversal horizontal ball against normal jump-ins. A large variety of attacks will beat it, beating the entire point.
Reversal Surprise is good to get out of jams mid-screen, just don't use it to avoid something in the corner unless you like being hit afterwards.
Using Blanka Balls with Caution
Using Blanka’s horizontal ball is extremely risky against certain characters. If blocked, the following characters can punish you. Warning: some can even punish you when you hit as well (Ryu, for example, can hit you with a FP fireball!). Only use the horizontal ball in two instances: When you know it will hit (in a combo), when you THINK it will hit (as a wake-up counterhit), or when you're just trying to advance and you know you're far away enough that the ball won't be blocked.
For a list of attacks that can hit Blanka after he uses HP Ball, check here.
Bite Loops, Buffers, and Follow-Ups
Good old fashioned dumb fun. J.LK or J.HK into Blanka's hold will do wonders. Once you land that, you can do the following:
- j.LK > Hold xx Repeat - Simple to get out of on paper, but Blanka is quite fast, so this might end up working once or twice. Just be careful, since you want to make sure your J.LK is meaty so your opponent can't anti-air.
-j.LK > cl.MP > Hold – Just make sure you're close enough to do this tick.
-j.LK > MP > Hop > Hold - This leap will cross up, leading to some fun mixups. You don't necessarily have to go into another hold here, a crouching MK combo might be better.
-j.LK > crossover j.LK > combo of your choice - If you're at midscreen, the j.LK should usually crossover. If you can't get a combo going, you can also go for another crossup.
-3HP - People will get so scared of j.LK crossups that they forget that Blanka has a slide. Take advantage of that weakness.
-Forward Hop x2 > Hold/Combo – Characters who don't have reversals struggle against this.
-Meaty c.HP - This may whiff depending on where you end up landing, but if you land this while you're just far away enough for your opponent to be pushed back from the blocked HP, you can follow it up with an LP Rolling Attack after you recover, landing right in front of them. They might try to block the ball that never hits, giving you another free hold. You can try this again after the second hold, or you can do leap setups or even crossup.
Crossover Balls , Knockdown and Electricity Fun
These strats go hand in hand:
Whenever a slide, c.HK or vertical ball connects - you get a free attempt to do crossover horizontal balls. Unfortunately, you're going to have to work out yourself which balls to use as the whole thing is dependent on where you are on the screen and how deep the attack you used connected - this is something you get a feel for in time and isn't too hard to work out in a heated battle.
Remember Blanka can also do the following on a fallen opponent:
Forward Beast Leap > meaty f.MP (Headbutt) - The headbutt hits twice and people seem to forget the second hit is low and eat it every time... ghetto!
Forward Beast Leap > j.LK > Bite Loop - We all love bite loopps in this house!
Forward Beast Leap > j.LK > crossover j.LK > combo attempt or repeat j.LK's until it hits or you're hit - J.LK is a very good attack, if you haven't noticed.
3HP (Amazon River Run) - The fear of other options may have your opponent forget about your slide.
Back to the crossover balls - once you get the feel for it, you can start doing the following:
Crossover ball > combo attempt - It should dizzy most of the cast (the exception being Zangief) if you managed to land some hits prior.
Crossover Ball > forward/back MP - In case you don't feel like comboing.
Crossover Ball > MP or HP Electricity - You thought you were safe from CvS2 Blanka? Never. While Electricity isn't a very good move overall, you can get some decent chip damage this way. Increase your chip damage by learning to use MP or HP Electricity to really strengthen your game. Always be charging for another horizontal ball when doing this, if the electricity hits the opponent you can do MP vertical ball to cross over then go for another Electric. Repeat until the opponent blocks it.
Keep in mind that if your opponent blocks a crossover ball, you'll be open to getting hit, so be confident before you do a crossover ball.
Electricity Chip/Bite Psyche Out
When an opponent is getting up it's fairly safe to chip with meaty Electricity. It is also possible to time the electricity early so it finishes just before the opponent gets to their feet. You can then simply Foward + HP for a bite. Since electricity has almost 0 recovery this is really hard for the opponent to judge, and never fails to provoke a smile or sigh from the recipient.
Consider rolling behind your opponent after a knockdown and then using Electricity to chip.
