Samurai Shodown VI/Sugoroku

Introduction

Sugoroku is a bruiser with quirky ways to win neutral, a high/low mixup game set up best via recoil cancelling and highly-damaging combo enders which lead to hard knockdowns. Additionally, he has an install which grants him access to an extremely powerful, rewarding special move, but he is at risk at either losing his weapon if he gets hit or blowing up if he can't land it in time. Whether you bother with the install or not, the rewards for getting in with Sugoroku are explosive.

Data

• Dash type: Run
• Damage taken: 101%
• Rage retention: 300
• Rage duration: 6 seconds

Gameplan

Sugoroku doesn't have the best neutral, but he can make do with 5B as a reasonably good poke which has an early recoil cancel window. For recoil cancels, he has both an overhead special (623D) and a low special (41236D) which do great damage and lead into hard knockdowns, but the opponent can evade these by simply jumping. Sugoroku doesn't have any good anti-air specials, so from here he can contest the opponent's jump with either jB as an air-to-air with similar range or 2B for a dependable anti-air. In addition to using his light slashes as defensive pokes, Sugoroku can also make use of his 2C, a low-hitting sweep with decent range which also recoils, but the recoil cancel window is much later and the poke only has a bit more reach than 5B. As a defensive poke he can also pull out Man's Car (41236S), where he spins his cannon in front of him and can slap it to keep it out for longer. A risky tool Sugoroku has in neutral is Edoite's Disposition (623S), where he shoots his way across the stage while riding on his cannon, which can potentially be rewarding but is very unsafe. Don't use it as a Blanka Ball feint as its recovery on whiff is very bad.

Sugoroku already has pretty decent damage output to offset his subpar neutral, with for instance his slide (3D) being able to combo into his low special for very good damage. However, Sugoroku has a chance to boost his damage output tremendously once he gets one of his family members to light his cannon for him (214D). While his cannon is ignited, he gains access to Sugoroku's Firecrack Edo's Sinter (632146D), which is extremely fast, covers a good distance ideal for punishes and combos from pretty much anything. However, to offset this, there are two things working against him. If he gets hit in this state then the cannon will fly straight out of his hands and Sugoroku will have to go pick it up again. Meanwhile, if he holds onto the cannon for too long without landing 632146D or losing his weapon in some way then it will overheat and explode, leaving him stunned for a full second and open to all sorts of punishes. If you're going to explode, do it right next to the opponent because it's unblockable, damages them and causes a soft knockdown.

Sugoroku gains Rage quickly and loses Rage quickly, and there is no way for him to combo into his WFT or use it for anything beyond simple utility. However, Sugoroku still enjoys IV Spirit for its damaging Continuous Slash combos which result in hard knockdowns and its lengthy Rage duration to fuel his burst damage. Sugoroku theoretically gets decent mileage out of V Spirit's State Of Nothingness given his access to launchers, lows and overheads he can combo from during slowed time, but he barely gets any room to meditate safely.

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

• 5A - A dinky palm slap. Has decent range for what it is.
• 5B - A straight swing with the cannon. Main poking button for its reasonable range and ability to recoil cancel.
• 5C - Sugoroku lifts the cannon over his head then strikes it down. The stomp he performs as he strikes has a hitbox on its own, making this a two-hit attack if close enough. This is your most damaging normal, but it's slow and it doesn't recoil so be careful when using this as a punish. This is kara cancellable, making it useful for setting up mixups if you catch your opponent off guard.
• 2A - 5A but lower.
• 2B - Sugoroku pushes the cannon above his head for two anti-air hits. Both hits launch and juggle into each other. Though this is an effective anti-air, keep in mind that the opponent will land on their feet after being hit by this. This does not recoil cancel but both hits can be cancelled into special moves on hit.
• 2C - A sweep with the cannon. This hits low, knocks down and cannot be deflected so it is usually better to throw out than 5C, but it deals less damage.

Near Slashes

• n5A - Same as far version.
• n5B - Standard meaty/combo starter.
• n5C - Has a similar startup to n5B but with a swing at the end. Deals a bit less damage than 5C but more than a combo from n5B.
• n2A - Same as far version.
• n2B - Same as far version.
• n2C - Same as far version.

Kicks

• 5D - Quick hop kick. High profile and immune to throws throughout its duration.
• 6D - A leaping butt slam for two hits. The first hit is an overhead but the second can be blocked low as well. There is a small delay before Sugoroku leaves the ground so he isn't instantly immune to throws, but from there he will high profile and evade throws until he lands. Punishable by throws.
• 2D - Fast, short low.
• 3D - Low-hitting slide which doesn't travel too far, but can go under some high fireballs. Launches the opponent on hit and is special cancellable.

Dash Normals

• 66A - Running 5A.
• 66B - Running 5B. Use if you're not sure if 66C will land as it's safer, but still not too safe.
• 66C - Running 2C. Given that this is his sweep, it is a low attack. He doesn't have any running overheads to back it up, though.
• 66D - Running 5D. Launches the opponent on hit. Special cancellable but the window is brief, making this your only running combo tool.

Air Normals

• jA - A downward jab with the cannon. Cannot be used as a crossup given its angle.
• jB - Aerial 5B. Suitable as an air-to-air but be mindful of its startup.
• jC - A very slow downward swing with the cannon. This is most suitable as a jump-in but you will have to time it early if you want to use it as such.
• jD - A dropkick. Very useful air-to-air for its range and speed, especially if you are unarmed.

Unarmed Normals

• u5S - Running 5A.
• u2S - Running 2A.
• u66S - Running 66A.
• juS - Aerial palm slap.

Hyper Slash (I)

• A+B - His 5C, but afterwards he rolls forward for an easier punish. Appears to have a pixel's worth of extra range going for it in comparison. Not kara cancellable.

Command Moves

4D, can be done unarmed

• A stationary dropkick. Throw invincible from the first frame and hits as an overhead, but punishable by heavy slashes on block. Essentially a riskier version of 6D. Staggers the opponent on hit and can link into 623A.

Special Moves

Man's Car - 41236S, then repeated S inputs

• A wall of pain as Sugoroku spins his cannon in front of him. By mashing the same button you used to initiate the attack Sugoroku will hit the cannon to keep it spinning. Strength determines the startup and how many times he can hit the cannon. 41236A can be hit three more times, while successive strengths will add an extra hit to this total. The final hit will cause a knockdown, whether you didn't mash, mashed a bit or mashed the full sequence.

Edoite's Disposition - 623S (Samurai Drive)

• Sugoroku hops on his cannon and goes for a ride. Strength determines the startup and how far he flies. 623A flies a short distance but is best used for combos. 623C has a lengthy startup but flies nearly fullscreen.

Thousand Chrysanthemums Cover Beat - 623D

• Overhead leap. Sugoroku will jump a set distance and attempt to trap the opponent in his cannon. This does a very good amount of damage if it hits, but if not the ensuing bounce is punishable. This is best used as a mixup option from a recoil cancel as Sugoroku leaps from about the same distance 5B will land and this move will whiff at point blank. This will not hit an aerial opponent. Hard knockdown.

Rasing Silver Dragon Shot - 41236D

• Low slide which reaches a similar distance to 623D and also traps the opponent in his cannon. This does a bit less damage than 623D but it is still rather good, and you can easily mix this up with 623D as a recoil cancel option if you know your opponent will sit still to block the mixup. This can be used as a ghetto anti-air and for ending juggle combos, as it can hit aerial opponents. Hard knockdown.

Karuta! - 214D

• Sugoroku will call his daughter-in-law, Karuta, to jump down to where he is and ignite his cannon for him. There is a small chance that his daughter, Okoma, will jump down instead. Sugoroku is free to move after the call and can be doing anything while his cannon is being lit, but he has to be near whoever's lighting the cannon or else the move will fail. This means you don't have to fully commit to getting your cannon ignited, in case you change your mind or if the situation calls for it. Nothing will happen if you perform this move while the cannon is ignited.
• There are two main drawbacks to having your cannon ignited. Firstly, though you can still block, if you are hit in any way then your cannon will fly out of your hands behind you, leaving you unarmed and thus stripped of many of his tools. Secondly, if the cannon has been lit for over six seconds it will overheat and explode. This explosion can be delayed by being in the middle of an action such as a jump or an attack, but it will be the first thing that happens after you recover. This won't deal any damage to you, but it will leave you vulnerable for one second. However, this explosion can not only hit the opponent for a bit more damage than your 5B and will lead to a soft knockdown but it is unblockable, so your opponent can't stay too close if it's about to blow up. Furthermore if you're advantageous and close enough after an attack then this can be used to end combos, however this will not slot into any cancel windows.

Sugoroku's Firecrack Edo's Sinter - 632146D when ignited

• This is the reason why you want to ignite your cannon. Sugoroku catches the opponent then launches them into the sky for a fireworks ceremony. This is a very fast rush which reaches a screen's distance, can be combo'd from all of your regular starters and shaves off around a third of their health. Of course, landing this will also diffuse your cannon for you. The decision you have to make is whether or not you can land this move within six seconds. Nothing will happen if you perform this move while the cannon is not ignited.
• After landing a 2B launch you can use this to rush under the opponents and switch sides, but why would you?

Toy Transformation - 6412364E (II)

Supers

Miniature Shrine Dash Man's Elevated Passageway - 236AB

• Sugoroku jumps out of the stage, then charges forward riding on a shrine carried by his men for one hit. He can be hit off of the shrine but his men will continue to charge forward and the opponent can still get hit.
• This can hit OTG but this will do barely any damage and it won't disarm the opponent. This also counts as a WFT hit so it will end Rage as soon as Sugoroku recovers. However, this WFT is fat enough to stuff short rolls easily.

Edoite's Chivalrous - 4123623BC (II), 236BC (VI) (Samurai Drive)

• Essentially a suped-up version of his 623S. Sugoroku will fly forward the whole distance, then eventually start to turn upward. At the end of this move, Sugoroku will slowly fall down. This combos from the same things that 623A does.

Combos

Assume your cannon has been ignited for when 632146D is listed.

Standard Combos

• n5B 41236B/623A/632146D - Standard combos. You can mash a little after 41236S but not too much.
• n5B 41236B~BBBB... - You can only mash the whole thing for a full combo in the corner.
• 66D 623A/632146D - Your best running punishes if you're not running IV Spirit.
• 4D, 623A - Link combo. Easy to hit confirm.
• 3D, 5B/41236D/632146D - Launch combos.
• 66D, 5B - More launch combos.
• 623C, 5B/632146D - Even more launch combos. The link into 5B is only possible in the corner.

Continuous Slash (IV)

• A+B BBC 623B/41236D/632146D - These will deal more damage than your close medium combos, your running combo and your close heavy slash.

State Of Nothingness (V)

• 2B/3D/66D ABC - Launchers into Fatal Flash.
• 6D n5C ABC - Overhead combo you can pull off in minimum time.

Colors

External Links

• Seesaa wiki