Pound for pound, Rashid’s Ysaar Super is the best level 2 in all of Street Fighter 6 right now. It sees him produce a massive tornado that essentially serves as a 5-hit ceiling to floor hitbox that slowly inches into his opponent, all but stopping the action of a given round as most characters have no choice but to try to endure an unfavorable series of mix ups.
Japanese pro and top JP player on the planet, Kakeru, recently faced this oh so common scenario while playing in ranked, and perfectly executed a brilliant answer that not only negated Rashid’s offensive efforts, but actually won him the round.
When Rashid activates Ysaar it immediately limits his foes’ options. As the tornado comes in contact with the defender, they’re able to attempt to block or parry the five hits, but Rashid can take advantage of these predictable approaches either with low/high mix ups or a damaging Punish Counter throw, which leaves the Super on screen and forces the defender right back into the same situation a few moments later.
If the defender is able to clip Rashid with an attack or a Drive Reversal, the tornado does not dissipate and so they’ll often still be struck by it, giving Rashid enough time to not only return to his feet, but also launch into a full combo despite just being hit himself.
What’s more, many of Rashid’s attacks and movements are enhanced when we performs them through Ysaar, meaning his propensity to pounce and strike is even more potent than usual.
With all this in mind, watch as Kakeru thwarts this incredibly powerful Super situation with a display of both knowledge and skill. He uses Perfect Parry (which must be timed within a two-frame window) against Rashid’s sped up Eagle Strike, which grants him enough time to punish the attack with OD spikes into a full level three Super.
You may not be able to pull this kind of thing off with your main character, but at the very least take a little bit of relief in knowing that at least one Ysaar interaction went down in this manner:
God Hand pic.twitter.com/6cWsBXUhCD
— HiFight(ハイファイト) (@HiFightTH) April 12, 2024