With an Evo 2023 win and a top eight placement at Evo 2024, it’s clear that Amjad “NASR|AngryBird” Al-Shalabi knows what he’s doing when it comes to Street Fighter 6. That said, pro players like Japan’s Saishunkan|Shuto have noticed Al-Shalabi resorting to a peculiar strategy that appears to fly in the face of everything we’ve learned when it comes to Street Fighter 6.
In a recent video from FGC Translated Shuto examines AngryBird’s surprising propensity to start matches on the defensive, contrasting it with the way Japanese players tend to approach the fight and trying to figure out why it’s working so well in a game where being on defense can so quickly translate into a death sentence.
If we learned anything from the first full year of competitive Street Fighter 6 action it’s that the best characters are those who can engage efficiently, carry foes quickly to the corner, and maul them with corner mix ups until they’re knocked out.
The widespread presence of throw loops, the encouragement of pounce and pressure offense thanks to the mighty Drive Rush mechanic, and damage output that’s on the higher side, walking yourself backwards toward the corner is clearly a recipe for disaster, and yet it’s often AngryBird’s go-to first move.
“I had an opportunity to watch AngryBird play in person,” starts Shuto as translated by FGC Translated. “The way he plays is very educational. He is very unique. He doesn’t care about corners, especially in [the] Akuma mirror. When a round starts, he starts to walk backwards,” he says.
It’s not like the Evo champ simply corners himself and endures pressure, of course, as he tends to spring forward out of his defensive positioning with strategically-timed Demon Flips, Drive Rushes, or even walk up throws.
Shuto notes how this approach is clearly risky as if AngryBird takes a hit while near the corner, he’s going to have to endure subsequent corner pressure that’s always a hard time in SF6. That said, many characters will carry you to the corner from almost anywhere on screen, and with that in mind, perhaps the risk is not as great as we initially intuit.
Herein may be the distinguishing factor between a player like AngryBird and the rest of us using this strategy: he can rely on his defense when he needs to.
“For some reason, he blocks everything,” continues Shuto. “And he ends up switching sides [out of the corner].”
There’s a good bit more to Shuto’s observations and his helpful insights as he compares other general strategies of Japanese players as well as those he’s met on his travels. You’ll get some theory behind spending or saving Drive Gauge, screen positioning, and neutral play in the full video here:
In response to this, Broski performed an experiment in which he forced himself to touch the back wall in every round before allowing himself to move forward. He too has some interesting takeaways as to the benefits of this strategy, so be sure to watch that video for even more insight.