Capcom vs SNK 2/C-Groove

C-Groove is one of the six grooves in Capcom vs. SNK 2. It features a multi-level super meter, air blocking, and the ability to cancel a Level 2 super into a Level 1 super or special move to extend super combos and add additional damage. It is a groove that rewards consistent, fundemental play due to its "always on" damage potential that needs relatively little meter to cash in on. C-Groove is inspired by the Street Fighter Alpha series, specifically A-ism in Alpha 3.

C-Groove is widely accepted as a top-tier groove in CvS2. However, nowadays many consider it a half-grade behind A-Groove and K-Groove due to the slightly more difficult—and less flashy—tactics needed to be effective in C compared to A and K.

Groove Data

Main Feature: Level 2 supers cancel into Level 1 supers or special moves

Meter Type: Three-Level Super Combo System

Meter Length: 168 units (56 units × 3 levels)

Guard Bar Length: 100 units (normal)

Meter Bonuses:

• At meter Level 1: +1% damage dealt
• At meter Level 2: +2% damage dealt
• At meter Level 3: +5% damage dealt

Groove Subsystems

See Groove Subsystems for technical data on specific subsystems.

• Dash
• Roll
• Air Guard (Exclusive to C-Groove)
• Counter Attack
• Tactical Recovery

Meter System

The meter system in C-Groove is the most straightforward one in CvS2.

The super meter is a single bar divided into three equal sections. A filled section is equal to one level of meter. As each section fills up, the corner of the meter will visually indicate what meter level you are at: Lv.1, Lv.2, or Lv.3. Filling up all three sections—the entire meter—means you have up to a Level 3 super available.

When full, all the meter can be spent at once, but players can choose to only use part of the meter to perform lower level supers or system abilities like counter attacks. When performing a super, its power level is determined by the strength of the attack button pressed upon execution:

• For a Level 1 super, use or ;
• For a Level 2 super, use or ;
• For a Level 2 super, use or .

If the meter is not completely full, higher button strengths will still execute the highest level super available. For example, if you only have the meter for Level 1 super but you perform a super with a medium or heavy attack button, the Level 1 super will still come out.

Any partial use of a meter will only deduct the exact amount needed for the action performed. This means that if you have 2½ levels of meter, and you do a Level 2 super, you will be left with a ½ a level of meter after the super.

C-Groove meter has a passive damage bonus applied to all player normals, specials, throws, and supers. The current power level of the meter determines the strength of this damage bonus:

• At Level 1, all attacks do 101% damage (+1%);
• At Level 2, all attacks do 102% damage (+2%);
• At Level 3, all attacks do 105% damage (+5%);
• There is no damage bonus when the meter is at less than Level 1.

The damage bonus is calculated at the moment an attack is connecting, In the case of supers, any meter remaining after the super flash determines what level of damage bonus will be applied. That is, when you start a Level 2 super with a full meter, after the super flash there will still be one level of meter filled, which means the Level 2 super will do 1% more damage than normal. (Note that if labbing for optimal combos in training mode, you will want to turn off infinite meter. Otherwise, everything you do will have a 5% damage bonus applied to it, including Level 3 supers!)

Meter is shared by the team and persists between characters and rounds. Any meter remaining after a round, win or lose, will carry over to the next round.

Unique Groove Abilities

Level 2 Super Cancels

C-Groove's one main unique ability (besides Air Guard) is a new feature that has never existed before in any Street Fighter game: the ability to cancel a Level 2 Super Combo into a Special Move or Level 1 Super Combo (if you have the Meter for it). This allows you to add more damage to many of the combos that can be performed with Level 2 Supers. The way this works is pretty simple, and it goes pretty much how you think it would: at any point, during a Level 2 Super Combo, if you input the code for a Special Move or a Super Combo that can be performed from where you are, your Level 2 Super Combo will be canceled, and your character will go straight into what Special Move code you input. However, there is one MAJOR caveat to this: the Super Combo HAS TO BE CONNECTING. You cannot cancel a Level 2 Super Combo that is whiffing, or a Level 2 Super Combo that is being Blocked. Only if the Super Combo is CONNECTING can you cancel it. It doesn't matter which hit connects, as long as ONE hit connects, you then gain the ability to cancel that Level 2 Super at any point from that time on.

To keep things simple, it is safe to say, for now, that anything you perform out of a Level 2 Super Combo has the ability to Juggle the opponent. So even if a move does not Juggle the enemy normally, in this situation, it will. For example, Bison's Psycho Crusher normally does not have any ability to Juggle the opponent. But if you perform a Level 2 Knee Press Nightmare, and cancel the last hit into the Psycho Crusher, the Psycho Crusher will Juggle the enemy out of the air. Such are the benefits of C-Groove's Level 2 Super Canceling ability. To learn more about how the Juggling works, and EXACTLY why the Juggles work and why some don't, please read the Level 2 Super Canceling section in the second half of this FAQ. In the Combo section, under Level 2 Super Canceling, this will be explained in far greater detail.

This allows you to add on a lot more damage to a Level 2 Super. In some cases, a Level 2 Super canceled into a Special Move will do more damage that a Level 3 by itself. A Level 2 canceled into a Level 1 is the most devastating in many cases. However, the only truly consistent thing about Fighting Games is that NOTHING is ever consistent. In some cases, performing a Level 2 Super canceled into a Level 1 or a Special Move will do LESS damage than a Level 3 by itself. In those cases, you're better off landing a full Level 3 if you are looking for damage. However, if you only have a Level 2 available, or you just want to conserve Meter, feel free to do the Level 2 in the Combo anyhow. Sometimes if you're not careful, though, the cancellation can lead to disastrous results. For example, if you do Blanka's Shout of Earth, which garners more hits if you mash buttons, just be careful if you EVER do a Level 2 Shout of Earth. Mashing Punches will instantly cancel the Super into Electric Thunder, wasting your entire Super for one hit. Mashing Kicks may accidentally make you perform a Surprise Forward or a Surprise Back, again wasting your entire Super. My advice? Mash on Short (LK) and that's it. Oh, and wiggle that joystick like mad. ^_^

Air Blocking

(Chicken Blocking)

Groove Summary

C-Groove is a purely Super Combo-based Groove. You have a Three Tiered Super Meter which allows you to perform three different Levels of Super Combos. True, EVERY other Groove has Super Combos as well, but there are four main factors that make C-Groove far more Super Combo based than the other Grooves:

1. No time limit! Once a Meter is built up, you don't have to worry about any time limits. You are able to Super whenever and wherever you like, so utilizing Supers into your gameplay is MUCH easier. You can play naturally, and your opponent will never know when the Super is coming!
2. Any Super, any time, any place! A-Groove and P-Groove don't have time limits either, so why aren't they as good? Because A-Groove is stuck with Level 1 Supers (which are pretty terrible in priority by Level 1 Super standards) and P-Groove is stuck with Level 3's. C-Groove's biggest advantage is that a person using C-Groove not only can choose to do a Level 1 or Level 3 whenever he/she wants, but a Level 2 Super, which isn't available is any other Groove. If you have the Meter (and see number 3), you can do a nice Level 1 to finish off opponents, or you can do a powerful Level 3 if you need a comeback. Whatever the situation asks for, if you've got the Meter, you can do it. C-Groove is the ONLY Groove where you can choose what Level of your Super Combo is performed.
3. Meter builds up SOOOO fast! You do not realize how fast your Meter builds up in C-Groove. I swear I've seen fights where someone blows a whole Level 3 Super Combo on someone, and in 10 seconds, BOOM! You're Meter is full with a Level 3 again. The reason this seems so much fast than other Grooves is because it requires the least amount of points to build up a Level 1 Super in C-Groove. A-Groove and N-Groove have the next shortest meters, but C-Groove's Meter is more than 1/5 shorter than A-Groove and N-Groove.
4. Level 2's can produce tons of damage thanks to C-Groove's new ability to cancel Level 2's into a Special Move or a Level 1 Super (if available). This makes it much more practical to throw out Level 1's at will, because if you have a Level 2 left, you can still do VERY damaging Combos. So you don't always need a Level 3 for a good, damaging comeback Combo.

So if you like using Supers, C-Groove is the Groove for you. Especially if you're proficient at Comboing Supers.

Character Considerations

Characters well suited for C groove: Sagat, Blanka, Hibiki, Honda, Guile, Ken, Chun-Li, Rolento, Yun, Kim, Eagle, Rugal, Yamazaki