Capcom vs SNK 2/M. Bison

Introduction

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Matchups

Health (at Ratio 2)
14800	High
Stun
70	Average
Dash Length
18 Frames	Very Long
Dash Type
Hop	Corpse Hop=Yes, Proj. Hop=Yes
Run Speed
9.2	Fast
Roll Distance
120 pixels	Medium
Roll Duration
26f	Average
Wakeup Speed compared to Ryu
0f	Average

Story

M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, known as Dictator worldwide, is the big bad villain of the Street Fighter franchise. Almost nothing is known of his origin, not even what country he's from. All we know is that he grew up as a skilled martial artist learning an art called Soul Power. Bison saught more and more power however, and once he mastered Soul Power, he went on to kill his master. Before his masters death, he learned the secret art of Psycho Power from him. As Bisons strength grew, now infused with Psycho Power, he wanted to find all of the fighters in the world, defeat them, and learn their techniques. In his quest to do this, he formed Shadaloo, a criminal organization focused on money before anything else. Through Shadaloo, he finds and defeats many fighters. He fought Gouken, though he learned nothing as Gouken defeated him with simple strikes. He fought Charlie Nash, and defeated him. He fought Chun-Li and defeated her. He even beat Akuma up pretty badly. Even Ryu, in an epic showdown, lost to M. Bison. Ryu was then put under mind control, as the Satsui no Hado is a very similar power to Psycho Power. However, with the help of Ken, Sakura, and Sagat, who had changed his mind on working for Shadaloo after seeing M. Bison control Ryu, Ryu was freed and defeated M. Bison... for now.

Gameplay

Bison is one of the most infamous top tiers in CvS2. His powerful control of neutral, strong mobility, scary pressure, great hitconfirms, and annoying roll cancels make dealing with him a pain. He has great pokes and footsies buttons, like his 2MK, 5MP, 2MP, 2HP, and his infamous 2HK slide. Psycho Crusher, Scissor Kicks, and Head Stomp all make for very annoying and powerful roll cancels to force the opponent to deal with. Bison also doesn't lack in damage, with plenty of confirms into Scissor Kicks or into his supers.

What truly makes Bison scary though is his amazing synergy with the best Groove in the game, A-Groove. Bison has the most versatile and useful tools for Custom Combo in the game, and his infamous Paint the Fence Custom Combo deals ridiculously high damage and can secure a round or just a life lead quickly. Bison can use CC as a reversal, as an offensive mixup with his throw, as a combo extender after Scissor Kicks, and as a situational combo extender. He has more ways to utilize CC than anyone else, and likely has the best CC in the game as well. Mixed with the above strengths, M. Bison is a mainstay on every high level A-Groove team, and is a terrifyingly powerful top tier.

Groove Selection

Best - A: While Bison isn't necessarily weak in other Grooves, his synergy with A-Groove makes A-Bison comfortably the best version of Bison. A-Groove already comes with plenty of versatile tools like roll and Alpha Counter, but Custom Combo is the real juice here. Bison's infamous CC, Paint the Fence, does ridiculous damage. If that wasn't enough, Bison has more ways to use this CC than any other character, giving him the best usage of an already incredibly powerful mechanic. If A-Bison has a full bar of meter, the opponent is scared for their life, regardless of the life lead or time remaining. A-Bison can always win with meter on his side. The threat of being hit by Bison's CC at any moment gives Bison really strong leverage in any given situation.

Useful - C/K/N/P: To some extent, Bison is useful in all of these Grooves. C-Bison is probably the most useful besides A. Bison can utilize C-Grooves level 2 cancels very well, and has some very flashy combos after Scissor Kicks into his Mega Pyscho Crusher super. He can also end in super fairly often thanks to C-Grooves versatile meter. K-Bison is a lot more unique, with a run and hop to make his offense a lot scarier. Bison has lots of ways to build charge while confirming, so it isn't impossible to link into normals for long enough to charge a Scissor Kick ender. Rage allows him to end in a level 3 Mega Psycho Crusher for massive damage. Lack of rolls removes some of his more annoying tools though. N-Bison gets the movement and the rolls, but his damage is a lot lower in exchange for more consistent super enders and arguably the best offense besides A-Bison. P-Bison seems weak, since he requires charge to punish anything, until you realize that his 2HK is incredibly fast and will likely reach in time to punish whatever you parried. Close parries can lead into more realistic hitconfirms into Scissor Kicks as well, but similar to N, his damage is notably lower than all the other Grooves.

Worst - S: S-Bison isn't necessarily bad, as it's still Bison. However, you have to grapple with S-Grooves limited mechanics, and Bison is notably a lot lower damage even with the infinite level 1 supers. His dodge attacks are pretty good, and can definitely make use of run and short hop to get in some good pressure, but due to S-Groove's very limited subsystems, Bison cannot do as well as he can in other grooves, although he is still a very strong character and one of the best S-Groove characters available.

M. Bison (Dictator) is a high damage combo character with incredible neutral tools that can annoy the opponent into a commital mistake, which he can punish with his best-in-class Custom Combo, Paint the Fence. His only real weakness is his reliance on meter for big damage. Bison is best played in A-Groove.
Pros	Cons
Neutral: Between multiple strong buttons, a fast and high jump, plenty of annoying roll cancels, and more than enough ways to punish a fireball, Bison is a strong character in neutral Combos: Bison has very consistent combo routes that can be confirmed into Custom Combo, and while the damage is low, they will always cause a knockdown Pressure: With the right spacing, Scissor Kicks and RC Psycho Banish can give Bison some great guard break pressure and can bully the opponent in the corner Custom Combo: When it comes to Custom Combos, nobody does it better than Bison. His Paint the Fence combo does ridiculous damage, racking up to 10k in a lot of situations, and he has more than enough ways to combo into it. Not only is it damaging but it is more versatile than any other CC, as he can not only do it raw but can confirm into it from many different confirms and moves that leave the opponent remotely in the air Supers: If Bison is not in A-Groove, he can still threaten very high damage. His Super Psycho Crusher does massive damage and can be confirmed into quite easily Mobility: A fast walk, solid dash, good run, and a high and fast jump means getting Bison to sit still is a chore even other top tiers struggle with Health: Higher than average health means that, even with all these strengths, Bison can still make plenty of mistakes and get away with them	Charge: Bison is reliant on having charge for any of his punishes, making it hard to be aggressive without good skill at charge buffering Meter Hungry: Without meter, Bison isn't bad at all, but he really shines when he has a Custom Combo stored. Without it, a lot of his options are less scary High Execution: Not only does Bison require good use of neutral and knowing how to work with his floaty movement, if you want to optimally use Bison, his CC is difficult to learn. Custom Combos generally aren't easy, and Bison's Paint the Fence is a lot of fast inputs back to back. In order to confirm into CC from any range, you need to have good situational and space awareness, as well you need to know what starters/routes you need to use to get the opponent in the right spot.

THIS PAGE IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

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	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	4	7	14	+6	+6	None
A quick Psycho Power infused jab. Good last minute anti-air and a fast button overall.

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	1100	11	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	8	17	29	+3	+3	None
A big Psycho Power infused punch. One of Bison's many pokes to control space with. Really fast and can check standing pokes. Can be linked into from 2LP for optimal damage confirms. It's a very manageable 2-frame link and can confirm into both HK Scissor Kicks and Psycho Crusher unlike 5LK/2LK. It only works against some standing opponents though, however some crouchers can get hit by this button, and those are usually matchups where Bison can pressure a lot more freely. Also one of the main buttons used to carry the opponent into the corner during Bison's CC. Since it's so fast and hits at a long range, it's one of Bison's preferred corner carry options.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

File:CVS2 Dictator 5HP1.png

First Hit

Second Hit

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1300,1300	13,13	SU	Mid	High	5	12	20	37	-2	-2	None
A slow Psycho Power infused uppercut. Not really used for anything other than anti-airs. It hits deceptively high and does great damage.

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	300	3	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	6	12	22	-1	-1	None
A fast midsection kick. Good frame trap normal, very fast and while slightly minus it doesn't offer big gaps. Unlike 5MP, 5LK can confirm into Scissor Kicks on crouchers, although it does less damage than the 2LK confirm and it cannot confirm into HK Scissors. It can still confirm into Psycho Crusher fine though.

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	1000	10	None	Mid	High	9	7	18	35	-3	-3	None
A long ranged toe kick. Pretty good poke. Good to use to end blockstrings with if Bison doesn't have enough charge for Scissor Kicks.

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	1400	14	None	Mid	High	12	8	29	49	-11	-11	None
A slower long ranged toe kick. Same use as 5MK, although spacing is really important now since it is -11, but the damage is a lot better. It actually starts up a frame faster than 5MK so if the spacing is right this button can be used over 5MK.

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	SP/SU	Mid	High	2	4	7	13	+6	+6	None
A quick Psycho Power infused jab. Better than far LP because of the 2-frame startup. Generally when using close anti-airs this button works fine, since Bison might not get far HP.

clMP

Close Strong
Close Strong Punch
cl.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1000	10	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	7	13	24	+2	+2	None
A big Psycho Power infused punch. Good up-close meaty and melee button. Confirms into everything far MP can.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1500	15	SU	Mid	High	5	10	20	35	-2	-2	None
A slow Psycho Power infused midsection punch. Another good meaty button, sometimes used over cl.MP because of it's higher damage and much easier ability to meaty. The -2 is not that bad if meatied. If Bison misses his punch throw, this button won't get him killed. Also used a lot in CCs, most notably as the precursor move to the Psycho Banish reps during the actual painting of the fence. Once the opponent is juggled into the corner, most Bison players use this move to carry the opponent at the right height to mash DP.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	300	3	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	6	12	22	-1	-1	None
A fast midsection kick. Identical to far 5LK.

clMK

Close Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1100	11	SU	Mid	High	7	6	16	29	-2	-2	None
A long ranged toe kick. Not much use. It is -2 and pretty active but Bison has better meaty buttons.

clHK

Close Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1500	15	None	Mid	High	12	8	20	40	-2	-2	None
A slower long ranged toe kick. Same as cl.MK. Not too much use for it, usually done if Bison doesn't get kick throw.

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	SP/SU	Mid	Low	2	4	7	13	+6	+6	None
A quick Psycho Power infused low jab. A great low jab. With the uncommon 2-frame startup, this button can be used nicely in pressure, poking, and counterpoking. Go-to combo starter, links into 2LK, 5LK, 2MK, and 5MP for his BnB combos.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1100	11	SP/SU	Mid	Low	6	8	14	28	0	0	None
A slow Psycho Power infused low punch. One of Bison's main pokes. It is slightly slower than 5MP, but it hits all crouchers, and is 0 on contact. It's also pretty fast, meaning Bison can counterpoke with it and not get killed for whiffing it.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	SU	Mid	Low	7	8	25	40	-7	-7	None
A big Psycho Power infused low punch. Same as 2MP but there's a little more risk. It is unsafe and a lot slower, but deals great damage. Most times 2MP is used over this button but this is a great counterpoke and blockstring ender.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400	4	SP/SU	Low	Low	3	6	7	16	+4	+4	None
A really fast low kick. A quick low Bison uses in pressure and mixups. Not only can it link into 2LP, but it can be linked into from 2LP, meaning that it's a great button for combos as well and a nice button to have for low confirms.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	900	9	SP/SU	Low	Low	4	6	11	21	+5	+5	None
A slower low kick. One of if not Bison's main poke. It's very fast, and Bison usually whiffs it in neutral to build meter and control neutral while pushing an untimely interaction from the opponent. Super plus, can be used in blockstrings and combos. It can be linked into from 2LP, 5LP and itself for combo purposes.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

The Slide

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1400	14	SU	Low	Low	6	35	18	59	HKND	-29	None
Bison slides a long distance with his legs sticking out. One of Bison's most infamous moves. It's certainly a great move in his arsenal, but incorrect execution can lead to undesirable outcomes. When spaced, it turns that -29 on block into potentially being plus if hit within the last 6 active frames, but most times it leads to Bison being near unpunishable. Considering the huge 35 active frames, it's a great tool for meaties, although it is weak to reversals considering the long recovery. Great move in Bison's whiff punish game. If he's too far out and doesn't have charge, this button works just as well, as it gives Bison a close knockdown and decent damage.

nj.LP

Neutral Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
nj.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	600	6	-	High	High	4	22	-	26	-	-	-
A quick aerial jab. Not used much, nj.MP is the better air-to-air.

nj.MP

Neutral Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
nj.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1100	11	-	High	High	4	12	-	16	-	-	-
A slow aerial jab. Okay air-to-air, in terms of instant neutral jump air-to-airs, Bison has other options.

nj.HP

Neutral Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
nj.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1400	14	-	High	High	7	10	-	17	-	-	-
A slower downward punch. Good button to use as a jump-in against a dizzied opponent due to the very high damage. Other than that, not too much use.

nj.LK

Neutral Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
nj.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	600	6	-	High	High	4	11	-	15	-	-	-
A quick outward kick. Pretty much the same as nj.LP in terms of use. A quick and active air-to-air, but the damage is very unrewarding.

nj.MK

Neutral Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
nj.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1100	11	-	High	High	6	12	-	18	-	-	-
A slower outward kick. A good instant neutral jump air-to-air. Good damage, decent startup and has great range.

nj.HK

Neutral Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
nj.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	-	High	High	7	9	-	16	-	-	-
A big outward kick. Another good instant jump air-to-air. Compared to nj.MK, it deals more damage but it really depends on if you prefer 200 more damage or 1-frame less startup. Most times it's best to use nj.HK.

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	-	High	High	4	22	-	26	-	-	-
A quick aerial punch. A good air-to-air, but there isn't much use besides that.

j.MP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	500	5	Double Psycho Strike	High	High	5	8	-	13	-	-	-
A slower aerial punch. Has a unique property where if an aerial opponent gets hit it causes a hard knockdown, causing them to fall down instead of recover normally. In tandem with his Double Psycho Strike followup, Bison can confirm into CC, or Super Psycho Crusher if CC isn't available to him.

j.HP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1300	13	-	High	High	7	10	-	17	-	-	-
A double handed diving punch. Primarily a high damage air-to-air. Pretty slow startup, but if done early the high priority can make it work.

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	-	High	High	4	22	-	26	-	-	-
A quick outward knee. One of Bison's many crossups. Unfortunately, this button can only cross-up against thicker characters, but the high active frames can make the crossups pretty ambigouous.

j.MK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1100	11	-	High	High	5	10	-	15	-	-	-
A slower more outward knee. A very fast button, usually done as both an air-to-air and crossup. It's a lot more consistent compared to j.LK, but in terms of jump-ins Bison has other options.

j.HK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1300	13	-	High	High	6	18	-	24	-	-	-
A slow, powerful outward kick. Can also cross-up fine, and is just as consistent as j.MK. It deals a lot of damage and is usually done as a jump-in. In terms of air-to-air situations it can work fine but Bison can do better.

Command Normals

Double Psycho Strike

Double Psycho Strike
7/9MP > MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
/+>	600	5	-	High	High	5	8	-	13	-	-	-
A slow downward punch. Can be done after j.MP without making contact, creating an extra move to protect Bison in his back jumps. Has the same air knockdown property as j.MP. Usually confirms into either Custom Combo or Super Psycho Crusher depending on groove.

Throws

X

Generic Throw Name
Punch Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Placeholder

X

Generic Throw Name
Kick Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Placeholder

Special Moves

Psycho Crusher

Psycho Crusher
[4]6+P / Charge B, F+P
Charge ,+

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP Charge ,+	1800	18	None	Mid	High	11	31	18	64	HKND	-14	23 Frames (Full Body)
Bison does a forward moving drill attack while being coated in Psycho Power. placeholder
MP Charge ,+	2000	20	None	Mid	High	6	64	18	74	HKND	-16	31 Frames (Full Body)
Bison does a forward moving drill attack while being coated in Psycho Power. placeholder
HP Charge ,+	2200	22	None	Mid	High	2	Active until Bison reaches the corner	18	Varies	HKND	-18	39 Frames (Full Body)
Bison does a forward moving drill attack while being coated in Psycho Power. placeholder

Super Moves

Scissor Kick Nightmare

Scissor Kick Nightmare
[4]646+P / Charge B, F, B, F+P
Charge ,+

First Hit

Second Hit

Lvl.2 Slide

Lvl.3 Ender

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Charge ,+	2500	0	None	Mid	High	8	-	47	55	HKND	0	7 (Full)
Bison performs two Scissor Kicks. placeholder
Charge ,+	3900	0	SP/SU	Mid	High	8	-	47	55	HKND	0	12 (Full)
Bison performs two Scissor Kicks and ends in a slide. placeholder
Charge ,+	5200	0	None	Mid	High	8	-	47	55	HKND	0	18 (Full)
Bison performs two Scissor Kicks and ends by kicking the opponent away. placeholder

Colors