There’s a lot of talk right now about Street Fighter’s latest character, Luke, as he’s getting more and more a reputation for being a bit too powerful here in the final season of Street Fighter 5.
We have heard several top players express a bit of concern that the MMA youth will prove to be over-tuned in the competitive landscape and thus take the brunt of the attention, while frustrating anyone who chooses not to use him, so maybe it’s time to to examine where his weakest points may be.
We have spent some time using Luke and therefore have some ideas for his trends. Here are a few useful points to start with:
• Luke often gets punched when you try to shut him in or chase him down. Just sticking to his least pleasant areas is an often overlooked strategy that can be incredibly fruitful.
• Such a row is just outside his standing medium punch.
• He does not have conspicuous weaknesses, so it’s more about taking advantage of all the small benefits to make them something significant.
• The first step towards doing this is to know the frame data.
Use active thoughts for proper timing of meat and to keep the block strings tight when you get close – his amazing plug is tempting to use and you do not want to lose your earned benefit once you join.
• V-Shift is one of your best friends against him.
One of Luke’s greatest strengths lies in the fact that he can play defensively while still being effective … something few characters on Street Fighter 5’s list boast. Luke does not often feel the pressure to get close, (it seems that his worst match-ups are the ones where he does), and then he can use his fireballs (some of the absolute best in the game) to control horizontally space at a distance and puts enemies in bad jumps.
While facing Luke, fireballs are likely to be your first major frustration, so let’s see if we can start making them less effective.
Luke’s projectiles actually have more start-up (except the light version) and recovery than most others, but they are lightning fast and can easily catch you in neutral; they are really long-lasting plugs that make us feel on edge and prone to jump at almost any time.
Start by knowing that every time you block a fireball that is not EX, you are able to move again before Luke is. If you have your own projectiles, it’s your turn to throw one. If you try to maneuver close, you can take a step or two for free. As you get closer, Luke players will tend to throw out his light (fastest) version, which is -10 on the block and thus punishable if you are close enough.
Jumping a fireball can be difficult as you all do, but have to predict them correctly outside of his tongue. Remember, it’s okay to be anti-aerated once or twice (especially early in the round), as you both have a chance to land a big jump in the combo and ensure that your opponent needs some of their attention at all times. in heaven.
When you get close enough, a good Luke player will stop throwing plasma and start resorting to his normal conditions, which are exceptional. Many of Luke’s normal moves him forward and thus has a deceptively long range, and many of them are pretty hit-confirming to start.
You can use Luke’s range to your advantage as it’s particularly tempting to try to land stray pokes and convert.
Spend time in training mode learning how far attacks such as his standing medium strokes, heavy strokes and forward heavy strokes go, and instead of trying to land the first foot stroke yourself, let the Luke players whiz and take advantage of their long recovery times.
He only has four normal (cr. Lp, cr. Mp, cr. Lk, back + mp) that are positive on the block, so be sure to take your turn (or penalty) if you block something else.
The temptation to go for his goal combinations is strong, but if he hits more than one stroke on the block, he has a very punishable -6 at best. Of course, he will often cancel in fireball from things like squatting, but you already know that you are a plus in these situations too.
Luke’s most important special feature outside the fireball is his Flash Knuckle. It has three versions and he can briefly hold it to change the timing. It is also something he tends to get away with highway robbery with as its many variations can make it relatively difficult to identify and exploit in time.
First, if you ever block the light version (where he hits up), you can punish him. The only exception is if he has V-Skill 1 active and he fully charges the Flash Knuckle, but that’s a rare sight.
This feature is otherwise quite addictive due to how many different variations it has. I could go through about 10 pages of text to point out gaps, weak points and common quarrel strategies, but MC Mura has an excellent video that does all that with the added bonus of visual images (jump to 6:45 for the Flash Knuckle section) . It comes from before the last definitive update, but most of it still stands as useful advice.
He also shares some advice on the other parts of Luke’s set, and those who are serious about reaching this top grade. Mura talks about implementing V-Shift at crucial times, additional places where you can challenge him, and other gimmicks you need to be aware of.
In the end, this will not be easy for most, but there are more than likely a few things you are not doing at the moment that would help give you a bigger head start against Luke. Remember again, it’s a lot about chasing small benefits and getting them to increase.