Capcom vs SNK 2/Sagat/Strategy

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Strategy

Despite being the strongest character in the game, Sagat in practice is not that complicated of a character. When boiling it down, he has two real main playstyles: a neutral heavy Sagat that focuses on using his pokes to confirm into damage, and a pressure heavy Sagat that uses his run pressure and short hops to kill the opponent slowly. As you would expect, the Capcom grooves are where you'd play the neutral Sagat, and the SNK grooves are the ones where you'd play pressure Sagat.


Neutral

Sagat's neutral game is the best the game has to offer. He sports a cavalcade of powerful, damaging pokes. If used right, Sagat becomes a giant, imposing wall that's hard to break down. He's got it all, from fast annoying pokes to strong, punishing ones. There are many bits and pieces to Sagat's neutral, and they will be detailed here.


Pokes

5LK: Good for space control. Mainly used at max range to badger the opponent and stuff out their longer range pokes which most likely have slower startup. 5LK has the range to outrange jabs and has the speed to beat pokes that can reach 5LK. You can use it up close for frame traps, as it is -1, but at max range is where this button is most effective.

5MK: Sagat's longest ranged poke, but is really unsafe to compensate. Because of that, spacing is necessary to avoid getting punished. When spaced, it can be a nice way of checking opponents from even longer distances and keeping them honest, as it can halt bad approaches pretty well. Although, 900 damage is pretty low for Sagat's standards, but it's still useful.

5HP: Really powerful counterpoke. Because of it's crazy priority, it can check a lot of standing pokes easily. As a standard poke, it can easily be crouched under (with some exceptions, those are the matchups Sagat tends to dominate), so it's not nearly as threatening as 2HP. If landed in neutral, it does a crazy 1600 damage, tied for the highest single button damage with other big body guys like Zangief and Raiden. In neutral, if you anticipate a standing poke or approach, use this button to counter.

2LK: A good up close poke, hits low and can lead into more pokes. Generally it's good for combos and pressure, but if you can use it's quick speed, it can be a pretty nice poke in Sagat's arsenal.

2MK: One of Sagat's best pokes. At a very fast 4 frames, it also sports great range. It has both a special and super cancel to guarantee chip, and also hits low. It can stop a lot of pokes by itself, and it is only -2, so basically unpunishable without parry or JD. In which case it's very hard to get either of those due to it's speed, especially when used unpredictably. Overall a very nice tool in Sagat's kit.

2HP: The button you were probably thinking of. Every Sagat loves this button, but there's a catch. If you overuse this button, which is a very tempting thing to do, a good player can take advantage of this. The main weakness of 2HP is its speed. Plus frames don't matter if the move whiffs, and if it whiffs or gets i-framed on, Sagat is left open.

Some ways opponent's counter 2HP include:

  • Activating Custom Combo: because of its long hurtbox, activations can punish this move from long distances.
  • Low Jumps: Any low hop can take this button out. Some jump-ins can't really counter this move, fair enough, but every character has some answer for low jumping a vulnerable Sagat in the 2HP state.
  • Roll Cancels: An opponent anticipating a 2HP can simply roll cancel past it. It may not lead to huge damage in some instances but if it happens multiple times the damage can rack up.
  • Parries/JDs: Both of these mechanics can turn the +2 that 2HP has into something much worse and punishable. Predictably using 2HP is just asking for these defensive mechanics to shut it down.
  • Lvl.2s / Lvl.3s: Due to their high i-frames, an opponent anticipating this poke can i-frame through it. It has high active frames, so level 1 supers will most likely trade or straight up lose, but level 2s and 3s can beat it out.

Now that I've downplayed this poke, reminder that these weaknesses apply if you overuse this button. Situational or not, using this button predictably can result in these events happening, but if you have a healthy variety of all the pokes mentioned, you will most likely not face these difficulties. It has great range, very powerful damage, and even better reward when cancelled into super (Mainly Low Tiger Cannon). It's definitely his strongest poke, but has to be used wisely. Despite how powerful Sagat's button is he cannot cheat neutral against a good player.

Low Hop j.HK: Only available in grooves that allow short hops (P, S, N, K). Sagat's normal jump is too slow for low jump HK to work as something he can use in neutral. Due to the opponent expecting Sagat's potent low pokes, they aren't expecting a quick and damaging overhead like j.HK. Due to it hitting fairly low, it can make contact with standing and crouching characters, but there are some exceptions where hitting low jump HK is really difficult (i.e. Athena and Yuri).

Low Tiger Shot: This sounds weird, but it can be a poke against button-based zoners. However, it's only really effective against long disjointed pokes and nothing much else. In neutral, if you know your opponent can't zone you out well, then don't try to push too many fireballs in neutral. If they know you will throw a fireball, they can close the space by rolling. You can punish this roll, through throwing or using a meaty 2MK/2HP, although it can sometimes whiff due to range.


Anti-Zone

Long Range Buttons: If the opponent intends to zone but is still in the range of things like 5MK, you can use it to either force a trade or beat them entirely. Sagat can kinda have a hard time getting in on characters like Hibiki due to his speed, but if he can manage his button usage and approach carefully, his threatening neutral game alone can give him some space.

Roll: A pretty self-explanatory option, however it's not good to just spam roll to anti-zone. His roll is pretty easy to sniff out, and a quick meaty or throw can punish it. Carefully pick and choose when the opponent cannot recover in time for you to roll past.

Jump: Unfortunately, Sagat's jump is pretty slow, but against slower zoning moves j.HK can be a good punish option. Don't jump-in too much though, as he is open to anti-airs.

Fireballs: Sagat's fireballs are still pretty good for zoning. He isn't a zoning character in CvS2 but if he has to engage in a fireball war, he can actually come out on top against a fair amount of fireballs. By winning in a fireball war, or anticipating a bad fireball, he can jump over and get a free punish. Alternatively, if he's being zoned out through buttons, he can use his fireball to have a long ranged "poke" of his own, though very unorthodox. If the opponent keeps on eating those fireballs, they may be tempted to poke less and instead try to answer the fireball.


Pressure

Despite Sagat preferring neutral in dash grooves, Sagat can pressure in both dash and run grooves, it's just that he has more freeform rushdown in the run/short hop grooves. Regardless, his very high damage can leave opponents scrambling trying to prevent a round ending confirm into super. Here are some of his pressure options, ranging from blockstrings, to tick throw setups.


Up-Close Options

5LP: A 2-frame jab that can annoy the opponent. Leads into Sagat's throw pretty easily and can be a nice button to repeatedly use. This is especially good on characters who cannot crouch this button, as they will have to deal with this button a lot up close.

2LK: 1 frame slower than 5LP, but hits all crouchers. Not only that but it hits low, although when up close players tend to crouch block anyways. Great button to pressure with and even moreso tick throw with.

5LK: At just -1, this button can frame trap into buttons like the previously mentioned 2LK and 5LP, however reversals can trounce on those attempted frame traps. If the opponent is scared to do anything too committing, this button isn't a bad thing to use up close.

Throw: Pretty obvious. Unblockable, and leads into more pressure. Sagat usually likes to tick throw into this from 5LP, 2LK, 5LK or any jump button.


Blockstrings

* x n means the move notated can be repeated as many times until it falls out of range.

5LP x n *, 2HP: Not complicated, just hold forward while linking a few 5LPs and when it eventually is out of range end in a 2HP. Very good guard damage and safe on block, ending with a +2 button. Can force opponents to get really impatient due to the repeated use of 5LP, or scare them into doing nothing, leading to more free pressure. It's a simple blockstring and leaves just a 1-frame gap if done right, which means that reversals are almost never going to beat this blockstring.

2LK x 2, 5LP, 2HP: Requires some microwalking, but pretty much the same idea. Ends in 2HP, and does decent guard damage. However, this time 2LK can only be landed two to three times, but because it's a low poke it can account for crouchers and it's still a decent blockstring.

5LP, 2MP, 2MK xx Low Tiger Shot: Uses a very plus button in 2MP. It doesn't serve much use but here it can be used. Cancelling into Low Tiger Shot tacks on extra guard and some chip, and due to the spacing the blockstring created it's no longer minus. Does a good amount of guard damage, can be used if you are good at linking very odd normals that you wouldn't normally try to link.

5LP x n, 2LK, 2MK xx Low Tiger Shot: Depending on how many 5LPs you can string, this blockstring can go from good guard damage to north of 70% guard break. By using two 5LPs (the bare minimum for most characters), then doing the rest of the string the guard damage is good.

2LK x 3, 2HP: Quick low string if you were trying to confirm and noticed that 2LK got blocked. Does okay guard damage for the limited moves that you are using.

2LK x 3, 2MK xx Low Tiger Shot: The same 2LK starter but instead it uses a 2MK link into Low Tiger Shot. Gets free chip, but slightly less guard damage.

2LK x 2, 5LK, 2LK, 2HP: Uses a small frame-trap in 5LK, 2LK. There is a small microwalk between 5LK and 2LK, meaning it can get hit by reversals, but because of the spacing 5LK leaves Sagat, he can choose to hold the pressure for a slight moment and wait for a reversal or an attempt to poke out. He can do nothing against the reversal and punish, and beat the light normal with 2HP. If they choose to stay blocking, this blockstring is pretty good.


Throw Setups

Empty Jump: Can be used in both short hop and normal jump grooves, but low hop grooves prove more effective since Sagat's j.HK is even more of a threat.

Light Normal Pressure: 5LP, 5LK and 2LK can be great tick throw options. When pressuring with these buttons, you can simply just not pressure and catch the block with a throw.

Empty Dash/Run: If Sagat finds himself out of range for his light normals to land, he can dash or run forward and immediately throw. Due to Sagat's dash being a little slow, it can be mashed out of, but it can work in very tense situations where options like these are not considered in the moment.


Defense

Sagat is slow. One of his few weaknesses is that he can struggle a little against fast, agile rushdown characters like Cammy and Blanka because of his sluggish speed. However, with the correct use of Sagat's defensive options, he can be a very good character on defense and even do a little but of zoning. There are many aspects to Sagat's defense, from anti-airs to zoning, and while some are more important than others, it is important that a Sagat player must learn to deal with what they dish out.


Anti-Airs

5LP: A hard move to anti-air with, but it's doable. A 2-frame startup move can beat a lot of preemptive jump-ins but it usually loses against jump-ins with active hitboxes.

5HP: Usually done against short hops. Against longer jumps it has a tendency to whiff. Due to the big damage, some opponents might even stop doing repeated shorthops if it means they eat 1600 damage in one punch. Sagat being a big body character is weak to things like shorthop jump-ins, and scaring the opponent from doing them can be a great way of barring one of Sagat's defensive liabilities. If JD'd, Sagat can do a Tiger Uppercut to make it harder to JD, but Parries can beat this move if they are low enough to the ground unless cancelled into super.

5MK: Better done as a late anti-air. Plus frames don't matter since it's an anti-air. It has a lot of horizontal range, but not too much vertical range. It's best to land this against jumps that land short of Sagat, rather than jumping right in on him.

5HK: The button for longer jumps. Against shorthops it tends to trade due to it's slower speed. Against 45-degree angle jumps this button can shine, however it can trade even at the tip, though Sagat's high health usually means he can afford to take those trades.

High Tiger Shot: Not exactly the best anti-air, but it does cause a knockdown. It's hard to space the shot to where the opponent jumps right into it but it is possible. The button strength is also important in terms of what you want to use to anti-air with.

Tiger Uppercut: An obvious one, since it is a true DP. Light Tiger Uppercut is a good anti-air that can strike most jump arcs and ranges. Heavy Tiger Uppercut is far more damaging but also far more committing, but it is a satisfying move to land if you know they're going to jump in. Alternatively, if you sense that a P or K groove opponent is empty jumping and fishing for a parry/JD, then the HP version is great for that since it is multi-hitting and hard to get all the hits taken out. The i-frames also make it even better as jump-ins have a hard time trading with it, but deep jump-ins can do so. If this move trades normally Sagat has the advantage, as he remains standing but the opponent gets knocked down.

Tiger Knee: Hits really high and can hit at distances Tiger Uppercut cannot. If RC'd, it becomes Sagat's preferred long jump anti-air, but it can work against short hops as well. There isn't much else you can do with it in terms of anti-airing, against close but not too close jumps it can work just fine.

High Tiger Cannon: Sagat's only real anti-air super. It costs some meter, but it has i-frames, and if you can land the level 2 or 3 version, you can get big damage for an opponent making an untimely jump. Most times you won't use this as an anti-air unless you have infinite level 1s and can spend meter without much care but otherwise you're better off saving the meter for something much more dangerous, as Sagat's anti-airs are versatile enough to where avoiding this option does not hurt him.


Anti-Pressure

5LP: As a 2-frame jab, Sagat can poke out of pressure with this button. This allows him to prepare for his next move as it leaves just a little bit of breathing room for him to deal with the opponent's next move.

Roll: Depending on what the opponent is pressuring with, this option can either be good or bad. If they end up trying to use heavier, slower normals to end their blockstrings with gaps, then you can roll and punish. If they're mostly pressuring with lights, they may be able to react to the roll and throw it.

Counter Movement/Guard Cancel: Both good options. If you spend a little meter you can get your opponent off of you and save a little bit of your guard meter. Sagat's guard cancel is pretty good, but it can be blocked. Fortunately it's not a guaranteed punish so you won't lose much (well except 1 bar of meter).

Throw: If the opponent is pressuring close enough and is not trying to tick throw, you can sit them down with a quick throw. Against good players, most times you end up with a throw tech, and in the cast of a throw tech, using 2MK is a great move since it's really fast and reaches all characters after a throw tech.

2LK: A 3-frame move, yes, but it can account for crouchers and is still really fast. If landed you can try and push the opponent out with a blockstring as 2LK has very flexible blockstring routes.

2MK: The same deal as 2LK, can cancel into Low Tiger Shot for some breathing room but it's 1 frame slower. It's better to use when the opponent isn't in throw range.

2HP: A very committing attempt to get out, but it can work. If you see obvious gaps in blockstrings or pressure, abuse it with a hard hitting 2HP. This can force opponent's to get smarter with their pressure as they know they can eat a big button and potentially a super as well if they don't play it smart with their offense.

Tiger Uppercut: This option can either go really good or really bad. If the opponent is close enough and you know they are going to press something then check them with this move. If it fails, you are open to a big punish. If it hits, you got your turn back. It's really risky, but if it works it works good.

Super: Like Tiger Uppercut, you're risking a lot by doing wake-up super. Tiger Cannons are not super punishable, but Tiger Raid and Genocide are. It's not really recommended, since Sagat likes to be conservative with his meter, but if it gets to that point and the opponent oversteps their boundaries, you can certainly try it.


Okizeme

Sagat's Okizeme game is rather average. He doesn't possess crazy mixups all the time (discounting the Tiger Raid mixup), his dash doesn't corpse hop and his overhead/low presence isn't super threatening on wake-up. The best thing Sagat can do is simply maintain offensive presence after a knockdown.

Here are some okizeme options Sagat can do, just note that they aren't that great.

  • Low Jump ("Fake" Corpse Hop): Sagat's dash doesnt corpse hop, but his low jump can. It's not going to make the opponent anymore confused on where to block, but it's something to get them scared on what Sagat is preparing.
  • Meaty j.LK: Sagat can cross-up j.LK easily. With the right positioning, he can get this move to look tricky in terms of which direction to block. If hit low enough, Sagat can confirm into whatever options are available to him.
  • Empty Jump: Sagat can jump and appear to be preparing a safe-jump, until he hits the ground and now the opponent has to quickly figure out what he will do next since he doesn't have blockstun to protect them from throws. This can be done into a low, a throw, or a Lvl.3 Tiger Raid if they are caught stand blocking, though it's a risky option.
  • Meaty: Meaties work well at stopping failed reversals and just aggressive behavior on wake-up in general. He can also use meaties to continue blockstring pressure or just pressure in general. In terms of Sagat's best meaty options, 2LK, 2MK and 2HP are some notable ones.
  • Throw: With so many options to kill the opponent, Sagat can simply punish their blocking by throwing them. This is good against opponents who are scared of what Sagat will do and not taking into account that he has options for punishing blocking.
  • Nothing (But look like you're gonna do something): If Sagat predicts a reversal from the opponent, he can simply choose to not do anything and avoid/block the reversal. Most times he's getting a punish, usually either a confirm into super, or if he doesn't have that, cl.HP xx HP Tiger Uppercut. The only times he can't consistently get a punish are against supers, but even if he doesn't punish the opponent still spent resources unfavorably. If he notices that the opponent is doing nothing either he can simply just take back pressure with either a 5LP, 2LK or throw.

Groove Strategy


Cvs2 C-Groove Label.png

C-Groove Sagat is scary. He pretty much always has a meter lead and has access to a lot of supers, and the system mechanics in place really compliment the type of character he is, like air blocking, rolling, and the unique level 2 super cancel that gives him access to really high damage.

Pros Cons
  • Level 2 Super Cancels deal great damage.
  • Air Blocking makes air-to-air situations safer.
  • Strong meter usage with a lot of flexibility.
  • Good defensive subsystems (Guard Cancel, Roll)
  • Pressuring is difficult, but it can be done.
  • No short hop, meaning his jumps will be very sluggish.


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The key to making C-Sagat effective is his neutral. He has no shorthop to push any mixups with his lows and low jump HK. You have to resourcefully manage meter and use his pokes to slowly chip away at the opponent's health until the opportunity arises to confirm into super. When it comes to C-Groove squads, Sagat is one of the best characters you can use. If you like a fundamental-heavy character with high damage, plenty of supers and top tier button quality then C-Sagat is for you. He also has access to good defensive subsystems that mask his defensive liabilities. Rushdown happy opponents can get sat down with a quick guard cancel, and due to C-Groove's good meterbuild he can get it right back. If you have at least 2 bars stocked, a mindful opponent generally doesn't like getting as often due to the potency of Sagat's level 2 cancels and the massive damage they can bag. Sagat has great meterbuild in C, especially with Heavy Tiger Uppercut, as it gives him near a full bar when confirmed into it. Because of this, Sagat almost always has a meter lead. Overall, C-Sagat is very neutral heavy, but due to his great synergy with C-Groove he is still one of the most threatening characters in the game.


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Generally a matchup Sagat can handle. Some of his moves are weak to roll cancels, and his pressure can be denied through guard cancels, but C-Groove does not usually have the subsystems in place that invalidate Sagat's kit. Sagat himself can use some defensive subsystems to beat roll cancels and bait guard cancels. He can also apply anti-roll cancel techniques that are semi-universal, like jumping, counter rolling, or throwing. Some C-Groove characters you will find yourself fighting a lot are Ryu, Ken, Iori, Blanka, Cammy, Chun-Li, Guile, Geese and Sagat himself. Sagat can fight them all just fine (Cammy and Blanka may give him some issues) if he plays it smart. Against C-Groove, Sagat has to be slow and methodical. C-Groove has the tools to punish really aggressive opponents, especially with their frequent access to damaging level 2 or 3 supers. If you can push a lot of offense, you can get the C-Groove character to crack. Sagat himself is slow, but pushing the opponent more and more into the corner can give him the opening he needs. Usually he plays a lot of neutral against C-Groove, so whip out the pokes and slowly kill their guard and health. By countering the roll cancels, forcing the opponent to mismanage their meter, and playing a smart game overall, C-Groove characters are ones you won't find yourself having too much trouble fighting.

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You might come to believe this variation of Sagat would be very strong. Custom Combos in general do get big damage, however this version of Sagat is just redundant. In practice, he's merely a worse version of C-Sagat. His CC also has little practicality, only working as either an anti air or up-close activation. Even worse the CC itself is quite difficult to perform. Overall, there's way better A-groove characters out there and C-Sagat is just a better pick for this playstyle.

Pros Cons
  • Simple meter to work with.
  • Decent meterbuild
  • Custom Combos, even if Sagat isn't great at them, it's still a powerful mechanic
  • Good defensive subsystems (Guard Cancel, Roll)
  • Pressuring is difficult.
  • No short hop.
  • Subpar synergy with Custom Combo, can't use it as effectively as other characters.


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There isn't much to talk about. A-Sagat is essentially C-Sagat but without his access to scary good supers. The only supers he has are level 1s, and Tiger Cannon is Sagat's only real worthwhile level 1. He still has the defensive subsystems in place to help him out, and while the meterbuild isn't nearly as good as it is in C-Groove, he can still build meter faily quickly to stock a Custom Combo. The only problem is that Sagat is mostly a battery character if he's on an A-Groove team. If anything he's good on an A-Groove squad to build meter for the next guy coming in, whether it be Sakura, Blanka, or Dictator. His Custom Combo does the average amount of damage, getting up to 8k in some situations, but overall a competent player is not going to be that scared of Sagat's CC, if anything they're more worried about Sagat's buttons. Overall, just a redundant character.

If you want to see Sagat's Custom Combos, refer to the Combos Section


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Think of fighting C-Groove but now you have to be super careful once the opponent stocks a Custom Combo. Against characters who have really good customs, like Dictator and Sakura, you always have to be weary of the fact that they can activate it at any time, and just one mistake can result in a huge loss of health. Essentially you fight A-Groove players the same as you would C-Groove players (refer to the C-Groove section for any A-Groove stuff shared from C-Groove), but the catch is that they replaced their supers with a crazy potent offensive tool that can do big damage. There are many types of ways an A-Groove opponent can activate their CC on you. Most will be listed here and their counters as well.

  • Blocked CC: If the A-Groove player either failed to link into or mix into a custom. They will usually do a long blockstring that will tear your guard bar apart. Now, if you are in a groove with Guard Cancel or Counter Movement, then that is great. Just dock them in the fact with it if you have the resources. If you don't, then you will either have to hope there's a punishable gap, or in the case of the ShoSho, pray that they drop the custom and get a free punish. Because Sagat is a big guy, certain custom combo mixups are more effective on him as well, so you will have to be ready to block some really weird but true blockstrings. Blocking a CC kinda sucks since you don't really get an opportunity to punish unless you have the resources to Guard Cancel but if that's what has to happen then it's better to do that instead of eating it.
  • Roll CC: Oldest trick in the book. Basically roll super but instead it's a CC. If you notice the opponent getting a little roll happy then try to avoid getting greedy and stick with your faster buttons. If they are getting roll happy close to you then throwing is also a great option. Buttons like 2HP can get rolled past and you might eat a custom, but if you simply play it safe and defensively, then you will most likely shut down this attempt.
  • Wake-Up CC: Another old trick that catches a lot of players. Generally gets beaten by doing nothing on wakeup and promptly punishing afterwards, though note they still have i-frames after the super freeze so you can't hit them right afterwards. If they immediately attack with something unsafe then get away and punish. If they use something safe just try to run away as best as you can. Throw some Tiger Shots out if need me. The most important thing is hitting the opponent so they lose custom. They cannot block, so their best option of avoiding anything is jumping or rolling, and by that point they lost the i-frames to blow through your counterattack.
  • Anti-Air Custom: This one is pretty simple. Just don't jump. Sagat doesn't rely on his jumps to create offense, so he can afford to stay on the ground.
  • Trip-Guard Custom: Custom Combos that are done by blowing through the jump-in then countering with a low attack that will hit. Most times A-Groove players go for tripguard customs as answers to jumps than actual anti-air customs, since they are a little more difficult to perform. To beat these, just do an empty jump. You will be able to guard whatever hits you on the ground. It's even better if you have a low jump and intend to bait the custom.
  • Up Close Custom: Can work as a footsies tool and a mixup tool. Very hard to beat and can be mixed with pokes, throws, and empty movements. To stop this, it's best to not throw out any greedy, unnecessary moves. If the opponent senses you will do something that their CC can tag and follow up with, then it's best to stick to the fast buttons. As well, if they are doing it as an offensive mix-up tool, then you will have to just keep them out as best you can. Jumping is a decent option if they are right on you, but note they can still anti-air you. Rolling can also work, but it may get meatied if they see it in time, and throwing them is extremely risky but it can work.
  • Jump-In Custom: Pretty much beats any anti-air in the game. Instead of anti-airing them, try to get out of the jump-in and either air-to-air them, or use 2MK/2HK to punish their lack of tripguard.

If the opponent ends up using a custom randomly and can't do anything with it, you can punish it with super pretty easily. Overall, a very tense battle for Sagat that can either go right or wrong in one poor move. Characters you will have to fight in A-Groove a lot include Bison, Blanka, Sakura, and Claw among others.

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P-Groove sucks. Common knowledge, but even with P-Groove you can make Sagat work. He's a weird mix of pressure and neutral, as he has both a shorthop and dash, so his mobility is in the middle. He's still strong, but it's really hard to deal with good grooves as P Sagat. You need to make good use of parries and the rare times you can use a level 3 super.

Pros Cons
  • Parry is a strong mechanic if used right.
  • Sagat doesn't absolutely need parries to win.
  • Has a shorthop for pressuring.
  • At most he gets access to one super per round.
  • No defensive options outside of parries.
  • Poor guard bar


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Cvs2 S-Groove Label.png

S-Sagat is the best character you can possibly use in S-Groove. That's not saying much, since S-Groove in general sucks, but Sagat has some niche tools in S-Groove like using his dodge attack in neutral, or replacing his tiger shot for his tiger cannon once he reaches low health. His damage output only really gets high when he gets those infinite level 1 supers, but again he can only get them if he's about to die, making it a very risky situation to be in.

Pros Cons
  • Dodge attacks are among the best S-Groove has.
  • Great Desperation (infinite lvl.1) Supers.
  • Has a shorthop and run for pressuring.
  • Supers are scarce until low health.
  • Power charging is difficult against rushdown opponents.
  • No consistently reliable source of meter.


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Cvs2 N-Groove Label.png

N-Groove Sagat may be less threatening compared to his optimal grooves but don't get it twisted. He's still very strong. He still has access good supers, and can "pop" to bag in some really big damage. Not to mention he still has a short hop. He's like a fusion of C and K but with the core parts of each groove taken out, you still end up with a very strong character.

Pros Cons
  • Easy control of meter, similar to C-Groove.
  • Retains great defensive subsystems.
  • Has a run and shorthop for pressuring.
  • Difficult meterbuilding.
  • "Pop" tricks are difficult and most times you have to just find a good time to use level 3 with limited time.


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Vs. Cvs2 N-Groove Label.png



Cvs2 K-Groove Label.png

The strongest CvS2 character. K-Sagat is the scariest man in the whole game. He has access to a short hop, already making his pressure insanely good, and benefits the most from K-Groove's Rage and Just Defense. Once Sagat is raged, one good super turns the round in his favor, and thanks to the extremely convenient Just Defense (JD) it makes getting rage far easier that you think.

Pros Cons
  • JDs are great in Sagat's punish game and gets him rage faster.
  • Terrifying damage with Rage buffs, can easily shift the round momentum in his favor.
  • Due to high health, he can get raged two or even three times per round with good JDs.
  • Has a run and shorthop for pressuring.
  • No defensive subsystems to help Sagat's defense.
  • No control over meter due to the nature of K-Groove's meterbuild.


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Combo
CvS2 Versions
Netplay/ Training
FAQ
Grooves
Groove Overview
Groove Subsystems
C-Groove
A-Groove
P-Groove
S-Groove
N-Groove
K-Groove
Capcom Characters
Akuma (Gouki)
Balrog (Boxer)
Blanka
Cammy
Chun-Li
Dan
Dhalsim
Eagle
E.Honda
Guile
Ken
Kyosuke
Maki
M. Bison (Dictator)
Morrigan
Rolento
Ryu
Sagat
Sakura
Vega (Claw)
Yun
Zangief
SNK Characters
Athena
Benimaru
Chang
Geese
Haohmaru
Hibiki
Iori
Joe
Kim
King
Kyo
Mai
Nakoruru
Raiden
Rock
Rugal
Ryo
Terry
Todo
Vice
Yamazaki
Yuri
Boss Characters
Shin Akuma
Ultimate Rugal
Evil Ryu
Orochi Iori