Capcom just dropped the latest balance patch to Street Fighter 6, which saw a variety of tweaks like bug fixes and hero changes. Normally, this all sounds pretty standard for a fighting game, but Street Fighter 6’s approach has divided the community over its delayed and sometimes inconsistent attempt at balance.
For starters, the balance patch finally addressed the growing concerns with Mai’s pressure, reducing the overall Drive Gauge damage to her stHP (Standing Heavy Punch), reworking her throw loop, and making her fans projectiles more bearable when players attempt to parry them. To a casual player, it may seem like menial changes, but this could be a potential huge update to counteract Mai’s oppressiveness in high-elo play.
It’s as if Capcom noticed a spike in Mai mirrors in recent Street Fighter 6 tournaments and decided to put a stop to that.
The December 16 balance patch also gave Elena and Sagat more fighting chances, improving their quality of life and pressure game.
These changes are great, but Capcom forgot to address another major character that’s been the bane of everyone’s existence: Ryu.
Ryu remains unchanged in Street Fighter 6. He’s still the deadliest shoto known to man. When played optimally, he can still dish out insane damage with a single hit from his overhead or donkey kick. He’s still considered a top-tier character in the roster, according to the community.
Since the game’s launch in 2023, Street Fighter 6 has been constantly getting updates for character balance that usually overperform... but only once per year. Characters that got the ax were JP, a formidable zoner that was once a constant threat to high-elo matches due to the damage scaling of OD Amnesia. It was a significant problem in the community back then, but Capcom was swift to nerf it, making it less deadly.
It’s clear that Capcom is aware of overperforming heroes and nerfing them, but the inconsistency of its patches raises questions about Street Fighter 6’s priorities. The Mai patch was long overdue, but the lack of attention to Ryu makes it all the more confusing. Some players argued that Ryu’s balance omission wasn’t necessary, as he is technically fair. Besides, Capcom wouldn't bother with a major patch days before its Capcom Cup. A valid argument, but it also ignores a casual player’s plea. Diamond to low Master players are still haunted by his meaty confirms.
Capcom’s delayed and oftentimes bizarre balance decisions are hardly a surprise, but the game has sold over 6 million copies since launch. There are up-and-coming players who are interested in playing Street Fighter 6, only to get bulldozed by Ryu’s damage.
The latest patch isn’t entirely bad, per se, but Capcom's reactive and inconsistent balance philosophy is leaving its casual playerbase frustrated as they expected more. This makes it feel like Capcom doesn't really play their own game at all.
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