Amjad “NASR|AngryBird” Al-Shalabi is the man to beat right now when it comes to Street Fighter 6. He’s the reigning Evo champion and thus arguably the top Ken player on the planet, so it should come as an exciting bit of news that he’s released a video on how to fight and defeat his character of choice.
Ken is regarded as one of the absolute best, most commonly used, and most frustrating to fight against characters in all of SF6, so getting some insight from the top dog is wonderfully helpful. If you have trouble dealing with Ken’s Jinrai kicks, Dragon Slash, his rush down, and more, this latest upload from FGC Birds is very much for you.
The first move to be placed under the microscope is the aforementioned Jinrai kick. This is where Ken spins around for a quick kick, and can then proceed into either an overhead or low kick follow up. Many Ken players use this for mix up pressure, but understanding where you can interrupt is key.
AngryBird explains how the light version of Jinrai kick (which can be discerned from the medium version via audio cue) can be interrupted easily, or even punished heavily if it’s done from too far away. Life will surely change for many once they stop letting online Ken users get away with fake pressure and mix ups.
Things go a little more in Ken’s favor if he’s using the slower and heavier versions of the move, but there are still more than likely moments when you’re letting him continue pressure instead of checking him when he’s at disadvantage.
The second move AngryBird gets to is the dreaded Dragonslash, the leaping kick that Ken uses to close distance and garner yet another mix up in your face.
The champ’s wisdom here? The aggressor is playing a guessing game right along with the defender, and the latter should keep this in the forefront of their mind.
Ken is only +1 after a blocked Dragonslash, meaning that while he does have advantage, he’s really only got limited options: jab or throw (you also see a lot of neutral jumps here to bait defensive throws). Checking with a jab of your own will lose only if Ken immediately jabs here, but will cleanly beat his throw and will give you enough time to react with an anti-air if he jumps.
There’s a lot more to the video and we’ll let Angry do the teaching, but will note that you can sort of use this guide as a barometer to see where you are as a competitive player.
If the idea of going into training and understanding frame data or listening for audio cues to be able to discern strengths of moves sounds like more work that SF6 is worth, that’s okay, just know that you’re going to hit a ceiling in terms of your growth.
If you’re willing to dig into to the game at those kinds of levels, however, you can start upping your win rate against frustrating top tiers like Ken in no time.