Zangief's Level 1 Super Street Fighter 6 - Aerial Russian Slam

Domingo posted June 29, 2023

In spite of how helpful it might seem on the surface, this super isn't as useful as it could be.

The scenario where this move WILL NOT land is against close vertical jumps. People love doing that to Zangief, and this move won't stop it. It goes too far forward and won't catch anything that isn't a certain height. There's a chance Capcom could add different angles or make it catch at any height later, but at launch this move will not work vs. vertical jumps.

In 90% of situations, you're going to be using this to beat jumps at a distance. The catch is that it won't work if you do it too early or too late. You basically have to catch them at the peak of their jump or it won't land. It's good for people jumping in the corner, people reactively jumping vertically when you drive rush, or occasionally just normal jump-in attempts. You can also sometimes use it as a "panic" mix-up by drive rushing opponents after an SPD. People often instinctively jump away and this will snag 'em when they try. It (oddly) beats airborne specials like DPs, flash kicks, etc. when done at the same time, but that's a pretty serious gamble. It's spectacular when that scenario happens, though.

The other scenario where this move can occasional land is in combos. There aren't a ton of them, but there are a few. You can land it after a charged jumping HK (after a hellstab), but the timing is tight. You can land it after a blocked Drive Impact splat in the corner (after a hellstab). You can land it after a counter-hit overhead (after a hellstab, again), although you have to be VERY close for this to work. You can land it after the held version of the level 2 super. Finally, you can land it after a Drive Impact in which your opponent gets hit out of the air. It's worth mentioning that the OD/EX Borscht Dynamite works in most of those scenarios with comparable damage, too.