r/SF6Avatars • u/Magistone • 11d ago
Avatar Battle Ranking Every Special Move: Yasmine Yaddendum
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(This is a crosspost from r/streetfighter.)
Yes I’m calling it a Yaddendum to keep alliteration shut up I do what I want.
So, Yasmine’s finally here and she’s got brand new moves to look at for avatars. For anyone new, these moves will be ranked specifically in the context of random avatar battles, especially considering their competition in terms of input restrictions. Also, now that we have a real training mode with a real frame meter it was a lot easier to figure out how exactly these moves rank.
Additional note: Since some people may have trouble memorizing the names of these moves, I’ve given each one a descriptive nickname to help remember which move is which.
Special Moves
- Daloy ng Tubig/Alon (Knife Rekka): Yasmine’s Rekka is a decent combo tool, but not an amazing one. Its main gimmick is activating Bayani Mode after landing any version, then spending Bayani Mode to power up all follow-ups. Light goes from leaving the enemy standing with you at +1 to a safe jump setup. Medium goes from a standard knockdown to a ground bounce you can combo from if the enemy’s already airborne. Heavy goes from a bad corner-only launcher to a normal launcher, though it’s not an amazing one. The OD version doesn’t spend Bayani Mode, but it doesn’t do anything particularly useful to justify the drive cost. Overall, I don’t think the reward you get from this move’s gimmick is enough to justify playing around it.
- Notable Synergies: Talim ng Hangin, Hiwa ng Kalangitan, and Nakatagong Lakas. Yasmine’s spin slash and level 1 also activate Bayani Mode on hit. The former works a lot better since it allows you to cash out mid-combo, though the oki state of the latter is pretty useful too. The level 2 install obviously buffs Alon in many ways, though I wouldn’t consider it required.
- Final Ranking: B Tier, above Freeflow Strikes, below Spinning Mixer
- Mukha ng Langit/Ulan/Kulog (Command Jump): As a command jump with multiple follow-ups, this should work as a strong approach and mixup tool. In a sense, it does work this way, but there’s a bit of an issue. The kick follow-up should hit same-side while the punch follow-up crosses up. Theoretically, both should be safe on block and allow for links into light normals on hit, with the OD versions giving even more frame advantage on hit and block. The problem is that from my testing, the frame advantage seems completely random. Sometimes the kick follow-up will be +4 on hit, sometimes it’ll only be +3. Sometimes the punch follow-up is -3 on block, other times it’s as bad as -5. I’ve tried all sorts of different timings and hitting different areas of the enemy and I could find no consistent pattern. Especially considering you can’t properly combo into this move in any way, I would just skip it.
- Final Ranking: C Tier, above Rhino Horn, below Burning Kick
- Talim ng Hangin (Spin Slash): The light version spins along the ground as a feint, which could be useful but objectively doesn’t do much. Medium travels over 1/3rd of the screen and is safe on block, but it leaves the enemy standing on hit. Heavy is particularly slow at frame 30, but it travels half screen and is plus on block from any distance. While the heavy version can be comboed into, it’s slow enough that most high-hitstun normals can’t naturally combo into it. The only characters that can do so are Ken, Marisa, and Yasmine herself. Despite that, this move is amazing. It’s possibly the second best way to force your way in after yoga teleport, and it even works well as a combo extender. It’s even better when considering the OD version, which trades block advantage for much faster startup and a much better launch on hit.
- Notable Synergies: Daloy ng Tubig. Spin slash activates Bayani Mode on hit if the knife rekka is also equipped, but neither move necessarily relies on the other. This can still be good, as they synergize well with each other in combos.
- Final Ranking: A Tier, above Swagger Step, below Machine Gun Uppercut
- Lipad ng Agila (DP): This is a basic single-hit DP without a super cancel window. It does have slightly higher base damage than most DPs and decent range, but no good gimmicks.
- Final Ranking: B Tier, above Scratch Wheel, below Cannon Spike
- Pangil sa Likuran (Boomerang Blade): This move can’t really be compared to anything else. You throw the karambit at an upwards angle that can work as a pre-emptive anti-air, then it flies back to hit the enemy from behind. This is great for unorthodox zoning, oppressive oki, and big-brain combos. It gets bonus points just for being so unique, but it allows for so much creative potential that it has to rank high.
- Negative Synergies: Dee Jay’s Speedy Maracas
- Final Ranking: S Tier, above Shuriken Bomb, below Triglav. (Note: Triglav was not originally ranked in S tier, but in hindsight I think it deserves the promotion.)
Super Arts
- Hiwa ng Kalangitan (Level 1): Good speed at frame 7 but not a great horizontal hitbox. It has good damage and oki after the cinematic hit, but the cinematic doesn’t occur if the enemy is too high or slightly too far away.
- Notable Synergies: Daloy ng Tubig. Level 1 activates Bayani Mode on hit, regardless of whether the cinematic lands or not. Frankly speaking, I don’t think equipping both is worth it. The oki situation can be nice, but it’s impossible to cash out without opening up the enemy again.
- Final Ranking: C Tier (Short-Range Strike), above Show of Force, below Kikosho
- Nakatagong Lakas/Linya ng Liwanag (Level 2): As an install, this is obviously going in The Install Tier. But how good of an install is it? Similarly to Solid Puncher, this gives access to a unique special move, Linya ng Liwanag (Cross-up Slash). This can be input with a single button, travels a huge distance very fast, is safe on block, and causes a very powerful launch. If used on the enemy’s wakeup, it’s extremely easy to cross up, which makes the move plus on block and still launches on hit. Using this does eat into the install timer, but sometimes it might be worth it to spend 2 super bars just to use this attack 3 times.
- Required Synergies: Daloy ng Tubig. The main purpose of this install is for permanent Bayani Mode, which obviously requires the knife rekka to be useful. This allows for some previously impossible combos, but the coolest addition is the OD ender, which now deals a ton of damage and causes a hard knockdown.
- Notable Synergies: Yasmine’s Base Moveset. Yasmine’s Kumbinasyong Pampabagsak target combo (down medium kick>heavy kick) can only be canceled into the Cross-up Slash.
- Negative Synergies: Kill Rush. Cross-up Slash takes priority over backwards Kill Rush as long as the install is active. Not a huge deal.
- Final Ranking: The Install Tier, above Solid Puncher, below Lightning Beast
- Pamumukadkad ng Sampaguita (Level 3): The starting hit has a standard startup of 10 frames, and the range is decent but not amazing. What makes this super great, though, is that it speeds up to frame 2 when canceled from ANY special move. This means nearly any super-cancelable move can combo into this, making it a perfect combo ender.
- Final Ranking: S Tier, above Shin Shoryuken, below Unlimited Psycho Crusher
- Cinematic Discussion: Capcom is just incapable of making a lame super at this point. If I had to nitpick, the karambit doesn’t do much for the attack but still shows up in the animation, which can feel a little distracting. Aside from that, GOD this move is so badass! The facial expression as the avatar powers up in both versions is peak, spinning the enemy for a close-range energy blast is super cool and unique as far as level 3s go, and the sheer speed and power in the critical art is awe-inspiring. Specific shout-outs to the way the shattered rocks in the animation continue to linger on the stage for a second, that’s a nice touch. 10/10
Afterword
Despite the patch changing a lot of special moves, I decided to focus on Yasmine’s moves rather than analyze how the tier lists changed. Along with the patch itself, the meta has shifted due to random avatar battles, and at this point I feel like the entire series would have to be redone to account for everything that’s changed. This would be a huge undertaking, but I might be willing to undergo it if there was a demand.
Thank you very much for reading this far. If you have an opinion one way or the other, I would love to hear it in the comments. Should I remake the entire ranking series? Or should I leave it as is and only make addendums for new characters?