Corners in Street Fighter has always been a problem, now they’re crazier than ever
“Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” Patrick Swayze once quipped in 1987’s Dirty Dancing, coincidentally the same year that the original Street Fighter would be released in arcades.
Fast-forward about 38 years, and the corner in Street Fighter 6 is hands down the most deadly and impactful space on screen in the entire franchise, and is often the deciding factor in the rounds where opponents are placed into this spot.
There are several old and many brand new reasons for this, here’s a brief rundown of them.
1. Combos and therefore damage are extended in the corner.
2. Drive Impacts are a constant threat to cornered foes, especially when burned out.
3. Throw loops are more effective.
4. Limited ability to escape and diminished defensive options.
While some of these things existed in prior Street Fighter games, and the corner has always been a spot you did not want to be in, the sixth entry in the franchise says “Hold my beer!” and throws the kitchen sink at players who find themselves in this unfortunate spot on screen.
This was clearly intentional by the developers of Street Fighter 6, as the game heavily rewards players who corner their opponents, to the point where Capcom has had to nerf several character’s corner carry and side-switch options for being too dominant during normal gameplay.
It’s quite common to see high level players trade some of their life to escape the corner, because while losing some of your health may lead to you being knocked out, staying in the corner almost always will.
Thus, Street Fighter 6’s corner starts to act like its own vortex that’s character independent. The whole cast is capable of making your life miserable if they can pin you down to one side of the screen, and you’re usually guaranteed to lose at least some of your life while trying to escape out of there.
Rashid is allowed to easily corner opponents and has many corner escapes options, because Capcom loves this guy and he’s required to be top tier
There have been a few suggestions in terms of how to tone down corners in Street Fighter 6, by either making the stages longer, or reducing various cast members’ ability to push you there with their moves.
However, even if the developers were to nerf these things, the corner would still be the deadliest it has ever been in a Street Fighter game due to the above mentioned factors.
The bottom line is you should take Patrick Swayze’s line to heart and avoid being in there at all costs in Street Fighter 6, and place a special emphasis on putting your opponents there whenever you can.
Source: Event Hubs
