Following his stellar silver medal finish at East Coast Throwdown 2024, XSET|iDom, sat down with Fighting Game Select to discuss the current health of Street Fighter 6.
The Capcom Cup 2019 champion has plenty of good things to say about SF6, such as that it’s the best modern game as a product and helps bring new people into the scene, but it’s also clear that he’s not nearly as happy as he could be with it. When answering the overarching question about whether or not SF6 is in a healthy place at the moment, iDom’s answer is actually quite clear: no.
To be fair, he puts it as “I’m kinda on the ‘no’ side of things… just a bit,” so it doesn’t seem as though iDom holds a burning hatred from deep within (and for someone who has stuck with one of the decidedly worst characters in the game since launch, that’s saying something).
Though he doesn’t exactly spit fiery darts for 15 minutes, the Capcom Cup champ does proceed to spend the time talking about the (mostly negative) effects of corner throw loops.
He feels throw loops simplify offense, and while this can be helpful in that it gives more characters viability (Ryu becomes comparatively scary to Ken if you’ve got your back to the wall) and makes it easier for newer players to see quick success, it ultimately turns the game into too much of a flowchart experience.
All that said, iDom also doesn’t see removal of throw loops as a very viable option at this point. He and Kizzie discuss potential alterations that might work in this avenue, but as is usually the case with the sensitive balance of fighting game mechanics, closing one can of worms can easily lead to three more springing open.
Check out the full discussion via the video below and give us your feedback on iDom’s thoughts in the comments. Do you think Street Fighter 6 is in a healthy place right now, or does it need a few tweaks to feel more balanced out?