This brief, tool-assisted combo video starring Balrog was presented live on stream today – at the inaugural Wednesday Night Fights: Arcade Edition tournament held at Super Arcade. The idea to make a Balrog combovid came up during Balrog: Behind the Glory filming. I couldn’t say no, but i didn’t have much time to work on it, so it’s missing a few of his appearances.
0:04 / SF2CE Dhalsim’s non-knockdown air recovery animation has a vulnerable period exclusive to Champion Edition, leading to inescapable juggle combos. Normally that weak spot rises with every hit, but the corner changes everything. Touching the wall makes him descend with each hit, so the entire combo revolves around precise corner spacing. Balrog’s F+HP hold allows him to set up another juggle situation after the dizzy, which most characters can’t do.
0:15 / HSF2 Balrog’s c.HP, close s.MP, and Dash Upper originally shared the same exact active sprite. All three are showcased in the first combo, starting with backwards c.HP against ST N.Dhalsim’s whiff far s.MK, followed by his c.LK -> s.MP CPS1 chain, linked into HK Dash Upper for the dizzy. Unfortunately the only reason this combo requires CE Balrog is because HF Balrog’s fully-extended backwards c.HP refuses to hit Dhalsim’s s.MK cleanly. They always trade. CE Balrog is better than HF Balrog in the most subtle ways, which is surprising because he wasn’t even considered good in Champion Edition.