Now, remember what I just said about no move being quicker than three frames in Street Fighter V? Good, well, Chun-Li’s aforementioned standing fierce punch, with it’s brilliant range and speed, puts her at a disadvantage of -3 frames when it is blocked by an opponent.
These can be confirmed on hit into combos, making them extremely useful tools for catching aggressive players-she will beat them, most of the time. Chun-Li has two grounded moves, her crouching light punch and kick, that are three frames. Three frames of startup is exactly what it sounds like: three frames of animation where the move is classed as beginning and will not hit the opponent and you yourself can be counter hit out of it. No move comes out quicker than three frames in SFV. No, wait, come back! I know they’re a bit tedious, but they’re a massive part of the high-end of Street Fighter and are a bit easier to understand with Street Fighter V. Now it’s time to talk a bit about frames. Both had dominating performances with the character, but why exactly is Chun-Li shaking out to be the best of an excellent bunch? (which he informed us in his post-tournament interview stood for Master Of Vampires, which is obviously brilliant) travelled from his home in Japan to win Sonic Boom in Madrid while Street Fighter mainstay and Evil Geniuses team member Ricki Ortiz won Defend The North. In the two tournaments that took place this past weekend, a Chun-Li player came out on top. Six months into Street Fighter V’s lifespan and there’s no denying it is a very finely balanced game, but it’s clear that top players are starting to figure out exactly what works. The top 8 consisted of several Nashes (one being the overall winner) and a few Chun-Lis, rounded out by a Vega, a Ken and an R. As well as the glitz and glamour surrounding the event this year, EVO was also notable among players and viewers as the event where the ‘tier list’-a totally opinion-led order of which characters are the strongest and most effective in tournament play-began to take shape.