The December 2024 patch for Street Fighter 6 dropped just yesterday. Though this was advertised to not be quite as major of an update as the Akuma patch, substantial balance adjustments were made for every single character.
As such, this latest update is sure to have a dramatic impact on the meta as many top tiers were nerfed while other characters received noteworthy buffs. However, it can sometimes be difficult to truly ascertain what the changes will ultimately do simply by reading over the notes.
Rooflemonger has recently uploaded a lengthy visual guide that goes over the biggest adjustments. Since there are a lot of changes, the video spans for over an hour long.
For Luke, his Overdrive Sand Blast follow up will now cause a wall splat. This is mostly good for corner combos. During Rooflemonger’s video, it’s showcased how Luke can really bully the opponent in a fireball war by cancelling the Fatal Shot follow up into his level 3 super art or Critical Art, and have it connect at a pretty decent range.
Ryu seems to be one of the big winners of the new update. One thing that really has Ryu enthusiasts excited is how there is no longer a gap after cancelling his crouching medium kick into a fireball. Needless to say, Ryu’s fireball game feels substantially better compared to other Shotos.
Rooflemonger also goes over just how much easier it is to perform an anti-air against M. Bison’s Devil Reverse. Before this patch, M. Bison effectively had a free method of always getting in on the opponent with good frame advantage.
Check it all out in the video below: