Capcom vs SNK 2/Rock

Introduction

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Matchups

Health (at Ratio 2)
14400	Above Average
Stun
70	Average
Dash Length
15 Frames	Short
Dash Type
Hop	Corpse Hop=Yes, Proj. Hop=Yes
Run Speed
8.5	Above Average
Roll Distance
120 pixels	Medium
Roll Duration
31f	Very Long
Wakeup Speed compared to Ryu
4f	Slow

Story

Rock Howard is the biological son of Geese Howard. Geese didn't help raise Rock at all, leaving Rock's mother Marie to care for him. They lived a fairly modest and simple life, and while Rock knew of his father and who he was, he never met him. When Rock was seven years old, his mother contracted a very serious illness. He tried to nurse her back to health, but being a young child, there wasn't much he could do. In a last-ditch attempt to save her, he went to Geese Tower to confront his father. Despite Geese's immense wealth and Rock's begging and pleading, Geese sent him away, wanting nothing to do with it. When Rock returned home, his mother had passed away. Rock would never forgive Geese for this, holding a permanent grudge against his father ever since.

Rock isn't the only person with a grudge against Geese however. While he was still fairly young, Terry would send Geese flying from the top of his tower and to his death. Rock, still a young child, felt a strange mixture of feelings. He felt joyed that a horrible man had met a deserved fate, but he felt lonely, now truly orphaned. He would attend Terry's street fights from then on. Eventually, Rock would let his anger get the best of him, and charged Terry down. Terry, the kind man he is, wouldn't try to hurt Rock at all. After Rock got his feelings out, Terry and him talked a lot, and Rock would become Terry's pupil and eventually adopted son. Rock would grow into a formidable fighter in his teenage years, combining the fighting styles of Geese and Terry, and improving on their moves a lot as well. Rock would end up competing in the King of Fighters tournament held in Second South Town, and would find that it was a ploy by his uncle Kain R. Heinlein to get Rock close to him. They agreed to work together, Kain wanting the secrets of Geese's will and also promising to tell Rock things about his mothers family, and saying she was possibly still alive.

Gameplay

Rock is the epitome of an all-rounder, thanks in no small part to his mixed moveset from both Geese and Terry. Rock has great buttons for neutral, like his 2MK, 2HK, 5HP, 5MP, 2MP, and j.HK. He has various specials with great uses both in neutral and offense, like his 236P Reppuken fireballs, his 214P Hard Edge specials, his various 236K Crack Counters for calling out bad pokes, and even a 214K command run with various followups to mix the opponent up with. He even has a 360P Shinkuu Nage command grab that he can cancel with PPP for extended combos from it, or hold PPP to shoot out a blast of energy with Rasetsu. Rising Tackle is a charge move sadly, limiting it's usage, but if Rock has the charge for it, it's a great reversal and anti-air.

Rock's supers match up in their versatility as well, with 236236K Shine Knuckle being a great combo ender, 236236P Raging Storm making a useful and damaging anti-air and reversal, and his 632146K Deadly Rave level 3 giving him massive damage potential. What holds Rock back from top tier status is not excelling in any specific category, and having lackluster and committal tools in comparison to the top tiers. Rock has to play a bit more honest, for lack of a better word, and struggles against the powerful and high damage pokes that the top tiers have. Rock is plenty powerful, and if he gets to play his game, he shines with the best of them. He just doesn't get to play the easy and straightforward style of many of the top tiers.

Groove Selection

Best - K: Rock is very comfortable playing in K-Groove, as it gives him all he wants. Run and hop make his mixup potential a lot scarier than it already is, and h.HK is a beast of a button that can be hard to properly challenge. He has plenty of use for Just Defend into punishes thanks to 214HP Hard Edge being a very consistent hard knockdown ender. Rage makes him a damage beast, and he can do Deadly Rave combos like Geese for massive damage, or save for a confirm into level 3 Shine Knuckle or an anti-air with level 3 Raging Storm. What K-Rock lacks is a roll, which isn't too bad since his roll isn't the best, but it does mean he can't roll cancel specials. Some of his specials do work well with RC, like 236HP Double Reppuken, or his various 214K command runs. Still, this isn't a huge downside, and the rest of the benefits make K-Rock the best rock.

Useful - N/C/P/A: Rock has uses in a majority of the other Grooves too, though they don't give him as much as K-Groove does. N-Rock gets a lot of what K-Rock gets, but also gains a roll in exchange for sacrificing the damage of Rage. Rock doesn't have a great roll, but being able to RC various specials makes his neutral a lot scarier, and gives him the ability to reversal without charge or meter. C-Rock gets more access to his supers, namely Shine Knuckle, allowing him to end combos in bigger damage. Level 2 Raging Storm is a cheaper version that still is a true reversal, and he can confirm it into a Hard Edge or a level 1 Shine Knuckle for worthwhile damage increases. P-Rock has very consistent punishes after a parry, making him a rewarding P-Groove character. He also maintains hop for h.HK. The sacrifice here is that you won't usually have meter, but when you do, a single parry hurts a lot with a Deadly Rave combo. A-Rock has a damaging Custom Combo, and CC in general is a great utility. Rock has a lot of utility with CC as well, letting him use it in a variety of situations. The sacrifice is never using his supers really, and no hop/run.

Worst - S: S-Rock has very little worth using. While Rock can perform without meter fine, his supers are great, and having meter to use them is a big buff to Rock's gameplan and damage. The level 1 versions of his supers aren't the greatest, doing lackluster damage and not being reversals, so having infinite level 1's isn't a huge deal. Having to charge for meter is very risky as well for an aggressive character like Rock. Run and hop are also in K-Groove and N-Groove, two of Rock's best Grooves. You would be better off picking any of the other Grooves for Rock.

Rock is a strong all-rounder with great aggressive mixup, solid neutral buttons, and some decent zoning. He doesn't excel at much of anything besides offense, and can lose to the more degenerate tools of the top tiers, but he has every tool to succeed, especially in K-Groove. Rock is best in K-Groove.
Pros	Cons
Versatile: Rock has a bit of everything in him, from a fireball, a reversal, a command run, a command grab, and a very reliable combo ender Mixup: Between his great low confirm, plus on block 6MK overhead, hop HK being a dominant jump-in, and Shinkuu Nage command grabs, Rock has plenty of ways to mix an opponent Damage: Thanks to his solid combo enders in 214HP Hard Edge and 236236K Shine Knuckle, Rock can consistently convert into solid damage and a knockdown Neutral: With plenty of solid buttons, a useful fireball for cancels, and a few different forward moving specials, Rock has great ways to play and win in neutral Supers: Rock has 3 great supers, with a consistent combo ender and punish in Shine Knuckle, an anti-air and reversal with Raging Storm, and an expensive but damaging combo ender in Deadly Rave Counters: 236K Crack Counters allow Rock to call out repetitive pressure strings or consistent poke timings and score a knockdown	Top Tier Matchups: Rock struggles to deal with the overpowering tools of the top tiers, namely the amazing buttons many of them have Defense: Rock's only meterless reversal requires charge, and his roll is bad, limiting how he can escape pressure Zoned Out: Rock is susceptible to being zoned out, and while a level 3 Shine Knuckle may make them rethink that fireball, it's an expensive answer Slow Mixup: While Rock has a solid mixup game, all of his options are fairly slow and reactable, and he lacks a crossup to make jump-ins hard to predict, making his great mixups shine only from conditioning the opponent

!!!THIS PAGE IS STILL A WIP. IF YOU NEED FRAME DATA NOW, REFER TO THE CVS2 BIBLE OR LOOK THROUGH EDIT HISTORY TO FIND THE LAST EDIT WITH FRAME DATA IF THERE WAS ONE!!!

Normal Moves

Far Normals

5LP

Far Jab
Far Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	300	3	RF/SP/SU	Mid	Mid	3	7	4	14	+4	+4	None
Rock quickly punches the opponent in the face. Pretty standard jab all around, crouchable but fast so it makes for a solid panic button or fast last minute anti-air. Rock's has a bit more active frames than the average jab, which makes it a bit more likely to interrupt the opponent.

5MP

Far Strong
Far Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	800	8	SU	Mid	High	5	7	17	29	-1	-1	None
A beefier jab that can't be crouched. Decent button to stuff the opponent out with, thanks to the fast 5 frame startup and decent reach. Low reward, but -1 isn't punishable so it isn't really in desperate need of a cancel. If you want to whiff punish, use 2MK or 2HK instead.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1300	13	SU	Mid	High	7	3	33	43	-12	-12	None
A beefy hook from above. Not much use really, as it's very slow and -12 on hit/block. If you have a super however, it makes for a very high damage cancel into Shine Knuckle or Deadly Rave.

5LK

Far Short
Far Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	400	4	SU	Mid	Mid	5	7	9	21	+1	+1	None
A kick to the shins. Decent reach and speed, so it can work as a check in close range, but without a special cancel or any link options after it isn't very rewarding. If you have a super, it can be used for easier super confirms or fast a fast punish into super, but 2MK works better for this same thing a bit better.

5MK

Far Forward
Far Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	700	7	None	Mid	High	8	6	15	29	+1	+1	None
Rock kicks out in front of him. Useful poke to stop forward movement, and Rock's lower hurtbox recesses pretty far, letting it avoid some lows. No cancel, but it is +1, so Rock gets advantage after it.

5HK

Far Roundhouse
Far Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1300	13	None	Mid	High	8	9	19	36	-2	-2	None
A beefy roundhouse kick. Stellar anti-air from far away, making it very useful in conjunction with 2MP. Whiffs on crouchers, so it isn't a great neutral poke, but Rock doesn't really need this to be a good poke. No cancel means that if they whiff something, you would probably rather punish with a 2MK > 214HP/Shine Knuckle/Deadly Rave for the knockdown and better damage.

clLP

Close Jab
Close Light Punch
cl.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	400	4	RF/SP/SU	Mid	Mid	3	4	8	15	+5	+5	None
A fast elbow. Has some pros and some cons over the far version, with the pros being higher damage and being +5, but the cons being that isn't faster than 5LP and has much less active frames. Still crouchable as well, so you really just won't need this often.

clMP

Close Strong
Close Medium Punch
cl.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	700	7	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	5	13	21	+4	+4	None
An elbow just like cl.LP. Sadly, this means it is still crouchable, which really sucks cuz this is otherwise a great medium normal. 3 frame startup and +4 on hit/block is very useful, and this would be great for frametraps and counterhit fishing. If it wasn't crouchable, it would be great, but because it is you won't use it often.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1100	11	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	3	31	38	-10	-10	None
A swinging hook punch. Generally the close heavy you'll use more, though cl.HK is superior. This is because of cl.HK being crouchable, while this isn't. You'll often link into this or punish with it, and cancel into 214HP for a knockdown or Shine Knuckle/Deadly Rave for a super. Make sure to always cancel this if you can, as it is very negative both on hit and on block, which will get you punished vs a knowledgeable opponent and end your offense always.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	500	5	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	2	6	9	17	+2	+2	None
Rock knees the opponent in the chest. Your fastest normal, making it great to interrupt strings, and also your highest damage light. It pays for this by having no realistic meterless combo potential at all. +2 means it's good to start offense but won't link into anything, and the light hitstun isn't enough for anything besides Rising Tackle, Shine Knuckle, and Deadly Rave to combo.

clMK

Close Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	800	8	SP/SU	Mid	High	2	9	16	27	-3	-3	None
The much more interesting twin of cl.LK. It keeps the 2 frame startup, but is a medium normal instead, allowing it to combo into 214HP. This makes it a GREAT button to mash up close, aided a lot by the high active frame count. You can't link from it, but you can very easily link into it from a light hit for an easier link than 2MK. This is range specific however.

clHK

Close Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1200	12	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	8	20	32	-2	-2	None
A big ol' swingin kick. Would be your preferred close normal, but it can be crouched under. This makes it sorta situational: if you get a punish on something like a DP or super it's best to start with this, but confirming it from a link isn't so consistent. Can also be used as a decent close anti-air.

2LP

Crouch Jab
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	300	3	RF/SP/SU	Mid	Mid	4	3	6	13	+6	+6	None
Rock jabs at the opponents legs. Standard 2LP for mashing and pressure, but it's outshined heavily by 2LK, though it does do more damage. This means you can usually go into this rather than a repeated 2LK for a slight damage increase, although this has to be done as a link, making it a bit harder.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

First Hitbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	700,600	7,6	SP*/SU	Mid	High	3	6	25	44	-11	-11	None
Rock uppercuts in the air. The main normal to use for anti-airs, as it reaches very high into the air and starts very fast. The first hitbox cancels into specials, so if you catch the jump deep, you can toss an MP Reppuken for them to land on. Not as useful on the ground due to pretty short horizontal reach, and for punishes you can get cl.MK at the same range for a frame less startup and 100 more damage.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1200	12	None	Mid	High	8	10	22	40	-4	-4	None
Rock steps forward and elbows the opponents stomach. Can be a decent poke or punish thanks to the forward movement, but -4 on block really limits your pressure after. No cancel options either really hurts. Alright to use every now and again, but not anything core to Rock's gameplan.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	200	2	RF/SP/SU	Low	Low	4	4	7	21	+6	+6	None
A very useful low kick. +6 on block lets Rock run pressure even if these get blocked, and gives him great link options afterwards. 2LK > 2LK, 2MK is an obvious and easy 2 frame that gives great damage and an easy knockdown. Running in and repeatedly doing these can be oppressive, especially against Grooves without rolls, and mixing in hop j.HK or 6MK for surprise overheads or Shinkuu Nage for a grab can be a very simple and useful mixup. The only downside to this move is the very low damage, but this isn't too much of a dealbreaker thanks to the other strengths.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	800	8	SP/SU	Low	Low	4	8	20	32	-6	-6	None
A great low kick for linking into, or whiff punishing into a special/super for knockdown. Combos into 214HP at all ranges, guaranteeing a knockdown anytime this hits. Make sure to cancel however, as -6 on block isn't great. Whiffing this how you would other 2MK's isn't great either, as the range isn't as comparable and the total duration is a bit longer overall.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1200	12	SU	Low	Low	5	3	30	38	DWN	-9	None
A fairly good sweep. Great reach and very fast startup make it a very useful whiff punish into a knockdown. It doesn't have a very long total duration for a sweep, so it isn't a huge risk, and is only -9 making it pretty safe when spaced. Without a cancel however, it's a bit more committal than you might want, though the reward is very worth it. You can easily set up a hop mixup from this.

j.LP

Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
j.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	500	5	None	High	High	4	20	0	24	Varies	Varies	None
Pretty basic j.LP with fast startup and lots of active frames. Useful for knocking opponents out of the air from a backward jump, or from a hop to stuff slower anti-airs.

j.MP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	800	8	None	High	High	4	8	0	12	Varies	Varies	None
A quick punch downward. A bit faster than Rock's faster jump-ins, so if you're getting hit out of a j.HK a lot, try using this to be a bit faster.

j.HP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1100	11	None	High	High	6	6	0	12	Varies	Varies	None
A decent j.HP that is entirely outshined by Rock's strong j.HK. It has one frame faster startup, but this isn't much faster, so if j.HK is getting beaten this probably will too. The hitbox is a bit fatter and closer to Rock, but this is only really impactful when doing deep jump-ins, and the longer reach of j.HK is usually more useful.

j.LK

Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
j.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	None	High	High	5	19	0	24	Varies	Varies	None
A reaching kick. Similar to j.LP, but trades 1 frame slower startup and 1 frame less active for better damage and reach. This is usually worth it, and makes an alright air-to-air.

j.MK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	900	9	None	High	High	5	13	9=0	18	Varies	Varies	None
A kick very similar to j.LK, but a bit less active in exchange for even better damage. This is also a pretty worthwhile trade, and for opponents that aren't below you, this is your best air-to-air.

j.HK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1200	12	None	High	High	7	8	0	15	Varies	Varies	None
Rock kicks down fast below him. Very useful and strong all-purpose air normal, thanks in no small part to the hitbox reaching far away and below Rock. This tends to beat out normal anti-airs cleanly because of this, and score Rock a pretty high damage hit. Works as an instant overhead on a majority of the cast as well, and off a backwards hop, this is pretty safe. If Rock had better meterless combo options after his hop, this would be stellar, but instead it works on its own just as an overhead mixup and combos when done very deep or off a normal jump.

Command Normals

Parabola Kick

Parabola Kick
Overhead
6MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	900	9	None	High	High	27	3	18	48	+2	+2	None
Rock winds up a big arcing kick. Fairly slow, but hits overhead, and unlike a lot of other command normal overheads, leaves Rock +2. This means Rock can have this hit or be blocked and still threaten more pressure, like a 2MK that leaves only a 3 frame gap, or call out mashing with Crack Counters or reversals by blocking. The slow startup makes this hard to do in a blockstring, but it can be easily done meaty, which is a pretty solid mixup.

Throws

Kokusen

Kokusen
Punch Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	1800	0	None	Grab	Grab	3	1	13	17	DWN	Grab	None
Rock flips the opponent over his shoulder and slams them, bouncing them away. You can easily get oki from this with a superjump j.HK, and it can be a safejump with a slight delay depending on wakeup time. Standard punch throw with 3 frame startup and lower damage.

Grappling Upper

Grappling Upper
Kick Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	2000	0	None	Grab	Grab	5	1	10	16	DWN	Grab	None
Rock grabs the opponent before uppercutting them away. Higher damage but slower startup, standard kick throw. For some reason, only has 10 frames of recovery on whiff where most throws have 13, but this only happens in the extremely rare situations where throw whiffs even happen, so don't worry about it too much. To get oki from this, whiff 214MP to get close.

Colors