Zangief's Smetana Dropkick Street Fighter 6

Domingo posted July 31, 2023

This move is theoretically in the game to go over sweeps and slower attacks. If it lands normally, it knocks down. If it lands as punish counter, it knocks the opponent across the screen toward the corner and causes a splat effect. There are no follow-ups most of the time, but if your opponent is already in the corner, you can follow up with a standing combo, an SPD, or even a super. It's actually the only move other than a DI that allows you to combo into a grab.

Sounds decent, right? The catch is that the D/F+HK motion can come out when you're fishing for sweeps and will get you killed if you do this move instead. It hits mid, it's slow, and it recovers VERY slow. Slow enough that you'll likely eat a big punish if you miss or if it is blocked.

It has occasional use if you get a hard read on an opponent using a slower sweep or low medium attack, but you have to account for how slow it starts. You basically have to execute this move at the same time or even before your opponent presses a button. That's a big risk to take if they don't. You can try it as a punish vs. extremely slow moves (like a medium/heavy DP) but remember that it's slow and probably sub-optimal outside of the corner. The payoff is occasionally worth if if they're close to the corner. In that case, you can actually combo into an SPD or even a level 3. Otherwise, it's a big risk that often outweighs the best possible result.

The main thing to know about this move is to avoid accidentally doing it when you don't mean to!