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
- Dash
- Roll
- Air Guard (Exclusive to C-Groove)
- Counter Attack
- Tactical Recovery
See Groove Subsystems for complete technical data on specific subsystems.
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 Supers and Super Cancels
C-Groove is the only groove in CvS2 that has Level 2 supers. They are not as strong as a full Level 3 super, but a definite step-up in damage from a Level 1 super. They do a very good amount of damage considering how relatively little meter is needed, especially compared to other grooves.
Level 2 supers are distinguishable by their blue shadow animation, versus the Level 1 super transparent shadow and the Level 3 super red shadow.
The main feature of Level 2 supers, and in C-Groove overall, is the ability to cancel a Level 2 super into any Level 1 super or special move. This lets players extend combos and add on additional damage past what you would get from Level 2 damage alone, making them more powerful than their face value. Depending on the character and combo, it is possible to approach Level 3 damage numbers using only two-thirds of the meter; or get more damage with a Level 2 into Level 1 super than a straight Level 3 super!
In order to cancel a Level 2, the first requirement is that it actually connects with the opponent. A blocked or whiffed Level 2 super cannot be cancelled out of, still leaving you vulnerable to punishment.
If it does connect, cancelling can be done at any time after the first hit of the super. Just input a valid special move, or a Level 1 super if meter is available (you will have needed to start the Level 2 with full meter in this case) and the Level 2 will cancel into the performed action.
Just about any special or Level 1 can be used to cancel. However, it must be performed in the same place (e.g. grounded, in the air, with meter) as it would normally. Any inputs that would not successfully cancel the super will be ignored, resulting in the Level 2 super finishing as normal.
At the moment a Level 2 super is cancelled, the opponent's juggle potential is reset. This is what actually allows the move you cancel into to connect, as otherwise you would not be able to juggle with another attack after a super connects. There are circumstances where this can be exploited to create extended juggle combos, such as Kyo's upkicks after a Level 2 flame super, or whiffing Todo's command grab after a Level 2 Chou Kasane Ate (wave projectile) super to get more hits out of it than you would be able to otherwise.
Air Guard
For full technical information on Air Guard, see Groove Subsystems.
More commonly known as Air Blocking, Air Guard lets players block air-to-air attacks as if they were blocking normally on the ground. Although technically a Groove Subsystem and not a baked-in feature, Air Guarding is effectively a unique feature to C-Groove given that no other groove has it.
Air Guard only works if the blocking player and the opponent's attack (their projectile or the attacking opponent themselves) are both airborne. While this does not give C-Groove players complete defensive safety in the air like in P-Groove (air Parry) and K-Groove (air Just Defend), it does open up safer options for advancing or retreating with jumps. For example, a character that may unpredictably throw fireballs from a distance—especially Sagat and his high Tiger Shots—is much safer to jump in on (from distance!) as the projectiles can be blocked.
Air Guarding while jumping backwards is a common defensive positioning technique, better known as Chicken Blocking. As you need to use back (
) to jump backwards (
), if you continue to hold back you will block any air attack from the very moment you leave the ground. This allows you to safely retreat from situations where you may be vulnerable to incoming crossups or surprise jump-in or projectile attacks, where a backdash may leave you more exposed.
Blocking in the air is not a cure-all, however. If using Air Guard, you will lose trip guard when you land. Should you block an opponent's air attack but they land before you do, that may leave you wide open to get hit with a free combo. In some situations, it may be better to take the single hit in the air so you air flip out and are able to safely land and block immediately; versus blocking in the air and taking the full brunt of a super or A-Groove Custom Combo when you land and are unable to block it.
Groove Summary
Best suited for patient and defensive play, since you know you can get excellent damage when an opening appears
No timer on meter so it's always there when you need it, allowing you to play a consistent game at all times
Meter builds extremely fast, and gets good damage off partial meter (Level 2 cancels)
Strengths
Level 2 super cancels are a powerful tool, but they aren't the full story when it comes to what makes C-Groove so effective. The true power of C-Groove lies in the fact that you can use them quite often through the course of a match, given how relatively short the meter gauge is and how quickly it can be refilled through basic play. This meter efficiency and value for damage is what makes C-Groove scary to play against.
When you have full meter and have an opening to land a super, you could just cash out with a Level 3 and get on with it. But what if your character has a very solid Level 2/special cancel combo that does (for example) 90% of the damage of their Level 3? Consider the situation you would be left in if you just burned two levels of meter, leaving you with one. Filling one level of meter in C-Groove happens after just a few combos and pressure strings by both players, after which you have another Level 2 super ready to go. That's given you access to another 90% of Level 3 damage, just for filling one level of super meter!
There may be obvious times when you absolutely need that last 10% with the Level 3. If you're not sure a Level 2 combo will kill but a Level 3 is likely to do it, you go with the Level 3 every time. But this is another benefit of C-Groove: You can use any power level super at any time. There may be situations where you need to use the Level 3. So use it! There may be situations where you only have a Level 1 super available but it's an easy confirm of a BnB combo. So use it! You may be starting to fall behind in the middle of the round, so you do a Level 2 to save some meter and quickly fill it up to Level 2 again for comeback potential. So do it!
The flexibility of the meter always being available lets you take full advantage of the current game situation. No other groove can do this like C-Groove can. When you add air blocking, which can help control space up close (via chicken blocking) and in air-to-air scenarios, you get a very formidable groove that can lay on the damage offensively just as effectively as it can play patiently on defense.
Weaknesses
In a vacuum, there are truly very few weaknesses in C-Groove. But there are arguments that may show otherwise when taken in the context of the whole of CvS2.
The one major point against C-Groove is that in close, pressure-filled game situations, it lacks a true "gimmick" to tilt things in its favor. K-Groove players can Just Defend and turn safe and reliable opponent attacks into suddenly unsafe and unreliable attacks. A-Groove players with a full bar have an anytime, anywhere invincible Custom Combo activation to threaten with—and even if they don't, they can lay back and whiff attacks to build meter until they do. Both can use these tools also provide a level of safety for jump-in maneuvers.
C-Groove players might as well be playing Street Fighter II in comparison. While the meter in C-Groove can be efficiently cashed in for massive damage, it falls solely on the fundementals player—not the abilities of the groove—to open the opponent up to do that in tight situations. Compounding this is how the C-Groove player must play against the K-Groove or (full meter) A-Groove player much differently than normal to guard against their gimmicks. No matter the game situation, the K or A player can play against the C-Groove player largely the same way.
Character Considerations
Characters well suited for C groove: Sagat, Blanka, Hibiki, Honda, Guile, Ken, Chun-Li, Rolento, Yun, Kim, Eagle, Rugal, Yamazaki
