Flash Kicks SUCK: The Hard Transition, 5/25/2015

Okay, I’m old school--- my instinct is to shoot down all incoming bogeys with Guile’s flash kick, period.  That’s just how I always did things.  And it’s not that I didn’t know about things like his crouching uppercut, I just always used them differently in the II series.  For instance, my favorite thing to do was to go from the crouching HP (I called it the Statue of Liberty Uppercut) right into his heavy Flash Kick.  Nothing like a good two piece, plus it just looked cool.

Anyway, as I got into the IV series, for the first time it dawned on me:  flash kicks suck.

Don’t get me wrong, when used with patience and intelligence, the flash kick rocks. It’s the whole… well, let’s just say the II series was more forgiving to that crescent moon/golden disc.  The capacity for punishing misused flash kicks is just so much bigger now.  And the hitbox isn’t quite what it used to be, nor is the recovery time.  Basically, the top tier Guile players--- the one’s I’ve seen, at least--- either barely use the flash kick, or only use it when they have enough EX meter to cancel right out of it.

…So for the record, if any of you bums fights me and I happen to do a flash kick on wake-up, I’m not dumb, I’m just playing braindead; charge it to my habits, not to my thinking.  Old habits die hard.

What makes using the flash kick so terrible now is… well, Guile’s got options.  And they’re not really new (except one, kinda); basically, had I not been so stuck in my ways, I may have made the switch sooner.  His standing M[edium] P[unch] and close standing H[ard] P[unch] really fulfill the bulk of anti-air obligations--- as long as you keep opponents out of your personal space.  I was ecstatic the day I found out the standing MP was a simple and effective deterrent to Cammy’s Hooligan foolishness; do you know how many times I got MERKED because of that cannonball B.S.?!  What’s funny is I remember that punch from Super Street Fighter II on the Sega Genesis; I just always thought it was goofy (plus, my middle attack button was busted, so I could only use light and heavy attacks… sucks, right?).

Then there’s the “newer” anti-air; Guile’s crouching forward HK.  I call it the Baby Sagat, because it looks and functions just like Sagat’s forward HK, except on a shorter character.  …I never use this kick.  But I should use it, because it allots for a nice, safe follow-up; big time damage if you make it an EX flashkick.  I think I neglect to use it because, mentally, I always want my Guile charging backwards, and that kick requires forward motion; at least with the uppercuts, I can continue my backward charging.

Don’t get me wrong, the flash kick still has its applications.  I was overjoyed to discover the LK flash kick still has its invincibility (take that, you ha-dou-doo shotos!)  And if you manage to catch someone with the flash kick at the peak of their jump, Guile can actually follow up with a SECOND flash kick, although I rarely see it occur (it’s definitely not as easy as linking dragon punches).  Then, of course, the flash kick causes juggle state but doesn’t require you to stop backward charging, which allows you to combo it with his Sonic Hurricane.  (I don’t use Sonic Hurricane, btw; I like Flash Explosion with full damage capacity).

There’s one more nuance about Guile’s anti-air game that I want to talk about here before I go; it literally almost made me stop using Guile in the IV series because it pissed me off so bad.  Remember my two-piece combo from earlier?  The crouching HP-to-HK Flash Kick?  Well… it no longer exists.  The crouching HP is no longer flash kick cancelable.  But there’s good news kinda:  crouching HP and close standing HP are almost the exact same uppercut.  The major difference?  …Close standing HP IS flash kick cancelable.  So, in a way, my two-piece still exists; it’s just not as convenient as it once was.  I guess the modification was designed to keep Guile players mobile instead of being so Oscar-the-Crouch.  …Frankly, I didn’t mind going camping; that “bang-bang” was so rewarding.

...Would be nice if, instead of trying to streamline his already limited moveset, Capcom would be as generous with him as they’ve been with… well, you know.  Those guys.  Anyway, learning to keep my boots on the ground as much as possible.  #SHENANIGANS

#HAPPYMEMORIALDAY #GODBLESSOURTROOPS #REMEMBERTHEFALLEN

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