Street Fighter 6/Luke

Luke
Vitals
Life Points	10000
Ground Movement
Forward Walk Speed	0.047
Backward Walk Speed	0.032
Forward Dash Speed	19
Backward Dash Speed	23
Forward Dash Distance	1.467
Backward Dash Distance	0.751
Drive Rush Min. Distance (Throw)	0.817
Drive Rush Min. Distance (Block)	2.499
Drive Rush Max Distance	3.461
Jumping
Jump Speed	4+38+3
Jump Apex	2.115
Forward Jump Distance	1.90
Backward Jump Distance	1.52
Throws
Throw Range	0.8
Throw Hurtbox	0.33

Introduction

A contractor for a PMC, Luke uses his elite military background to teach mixed martial arts. His days off are spent eating junk food, playing video games, and fighting, but make no mistake—Luke plays to win.

Luke Sullivan is a shotoclone character with an emphasis on a strong midrange pressure and whiff punishing. Luke has most of the standard shoto tools you could want, but puts several unique spins on them to craft his own style. Where Ryu is defensive and neutral-oriented, and Ken is aggression and combo-utility oriented, Luke focuses on a strong midrange that transitions into excellent pressure once he's gotten in.

One notable thing about Luke compared to other shotos is his many advancing target combos that let him convert openings into effective punishes and pressure. Luke can use his great 2MP, 5MK and 2MK to push opponents back, or lunge forward for punishes with 5LP, 5MP and 5HP. Complimenting this is his signature Sand Blast fireball, an exceptionally formidable tool for both neutral and pressure. Its extremely high speed allows Luke to use it as an extended poke or blockstring ender while still having good advantage on block at most ranges. If he chooses to spend meter on OD or Drive Rush, then Luke is also capable of dealing monstrous damage and carrying you very deep into the corner.

Once the opponent is in the corner or low on Drive, Luke is extremely formidable at locking the opponent down. Easy throw loops, a fast and safe overhead, a Level 3 Super that gives him oki, along with many ways to be plus or even fully reset pressure. Many of Luke's normals lunge him forward, which synergizes with Drive Rush to create hard-to-escape pressure sequences and surprise whiff punish opportunities. On defense Luke excels at well, with his 2LP being a 4f jab with a great hitbox. He has a great DP with Rising Uppercut and a fantastic anti-air in 2HP.

Perhaps the only things Luke could be considered to struggle with is his approaches, as he doesn't have as many ways to effectively skip neutral and force RPS in neutral the same way other top tiers like Ken and Juri can. He also has a rather poor sweep, but he can make up for this by using 5HP to punish a sweep on block instead of sweeping back. All in all, Luke is a character with few meaningful weaknesses, and can perform well at all levels of play. While his 5LP is on the slower side, this is because it moves him forward for better punishes and pressure and thus exists as a tradeoff rather than a weakness. Sand Blast similarly does not travel fullscreen outside of the OD version, but this is another tradeoff for its powerful speed and frame advantage. None of these differences create meaningful weaknesses in Luke, allowing him to craft a strong and reliable gameplan. If you want a shoto with more of a focus on pressure and playing out the midrange, you should hit the streets with Luke.

Pick if you like:

Avoid if you dislike:

Well Rounded: A remixed yet still generalist shoto-esque kit that is never truly out of options
Extremely Safe: Pressure that is hard to challenge with a 2MP that is plus
Disciplined Neutral: Many safe and forward moving normals that allow for potent whiff punishes and a hitscan fireball that keeps them locked down
Everything in One Combo: His Perfect Flash Knuckle combos give his best corner carry, damage, and oki when you can route into them

Combo Focused Special Moves: Most special moves don't have much utility in pressure or neutral
Low Impact: Having below average damage even with meter
Straightforward: A general lack of silly gimmicks to rely on, slightly ironic considering how much of a goober Luke is

Classic & Modern Versions Comparison

List of differences with Modern Luke
Missing Normals	Standing Light Kick (5LK) Standing Medium Kick (5MK)
Missing Command Normals	Outlaw Kick (4HK)
Shortcut-Only Specials	Avenger (2S) ~5X for No Chaser (~P) ~2X for Impaler (~K)
Assist Combos	A[L~L~L~L]: 2LK ~ 2LP ~ OD Flash Knuckle ~ SA1 No SA1: 2LK ~ 2LP ~ OD Flash Knuckle ~ M Rising Uppercut Burnout: 2LK ~ 2LP ~ L Flash Knuckle On Block: stops at 2LP Auto-hitconfirm if opponent is hit by the 2nd light in the string A[M~M~M]: 2MP ~ OD Flash Knuckle ~ SA2 No SA2: 2LK ~ 2MP ~ OD Flash Knuckle ~ M Flash Knuckle Burnout: 2MP ~ L Flash Knuckle On Block: stops at OD/L Flash Knuckle A[H~H~H]: 5HP ~ OD Sand Blast ~ SA3 Can transition to Fatal Shot by pressing S instead No SA3: 5HP ~ OD Sand Blast ~ Fatal Shot Burnout: 5HP ~ M Sand Blast ~ SA3 On Block: stops at OD/M Sand Blast (no ~Fatal Shot)
Miscellaneous Changes	Triple Impact (5LP~MP~HP) changed to 5L~L~L Nose Breaker (2MK~2HP) changed to 2M~M The L and M Assist Combos can transition from OD Flash Knuckle into DDT by pressing ~XX even with the Auto button held

Most of the tools Luke is missing in Modern are combo tools, namely 5LK in light confirms, j.MP for his only cancelable jumping normal into Aerial Flash Knuckle, and 4HK for his highest damage combo starter/filler.

The most important omissions for neutral are Classic Luke's 5MK (a low-risk ranged poke that pushes opponents out without moving Luke in) and j.HP (a jump-in hitting directly below Luke that is difficult to contest or anti-air). This makes Modern Luke's keepaway slightly worse and his jump-ins slightly easier to beat, though this difference is negligible.

Of the whole cast, Luke is probably the one whose Modern and Classic kits are the most similar, with the added benefit of Modern conveniences (auto hit-confirming low lights, instant Supers, etc).

Normals

Standing Normals

5LP

Standing Light Punch

5LP

5LP

Standing Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	2	11(14)	Sp SA TC	300	LH	+2	-3

Cancel reaction window: 15f (14f TC)

An advancing jab that cancels into a target combo or special moves. While slow for a light normal, its range and cancellability makes it very consistent in punishes.

5MP

Standing Medium Punch

5MP

5MP

Standing Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	4	16	SA TC	600	LH	+2	-3

Cancel reaction window: 16f Super (17f TC)

Another good whiff punishing normal. Can buffer into another MP to begin his Snapback Combo TC.

5HP

Standing Heavy Punch

5HP

5HP

Standing Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	3	23	Sp SA	800	LH	+1	-6

Cancel reaction window: 17f

A powerful, long-range swing that is especially useful in Flash Knuckle cancels, but is unsafe if not cancelled. Great for chipping away at the opponent's Drive gauge.

5LK

Standing Light Kick

5LK

5LK

Standing Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	2	12	Sp SA	300	LH	+3	-2

Cancel reaction window: 12f

Solid combo tool that links from 2LP and 2MP. Fairly low risk when used in neutral near max range.

5MK

Standing Medium Kick

5MK

5MK

Standing Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	3	16(19)	-	700	LH	+1	-3

One of Luke's best neutral pokes due to its speed and safety on block.

5HK

Standing Heavy Kick

5HK

5HK

Standing Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	7	16	-	900	LH	+2(+8)	-5(+1)

Punish Counter puts opponent into a limited juggle state

One of Luke's best meaty buttons due to its forward movement and large number of active frames; can be up to +7/+0 when spaced perfectly. However, it's unsafe on block if not spaced properly.

Crouching Normals

2LP

Crouching Light Punch

2LP

2LP

Crouching Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
4	2	10	Chn Sp SA	300	LH	+4	-2

Chains into 2LP/2LK
Cancel reaction window: 13f

Luke's only 4f normal. Useful in combos, particularly chained from 2LK, but lacks the range for many -4 punishes.

2MP

Crouching Medium Punch

2MP

2MP

Crouching Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6	2	14(17)	Sp SA	600	LH	+5	+1

Cancel reaction window: 16f

One of the rare normals with frame advantage on block, making it great for pressure. At +5, Luke lacks the ability to link into mediums on a regular hit, but it can link into 5LK consistently. Can lead to much higher damage on Counterhit or Punish Counter.

2HP

Crouching Heavy Punch

2HP

2HP

Crouching Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	5	24	Sp SA	800	LH	+1	-13

Forces stand on hit
Cancel reaction window: 15f

Luke's go to anti air normal, and an important combo tool after Counterhit 2MP. The early active frames are special cancellable, but the later AA frames cannot be cancelled.

2LK

Crouching Light Kick

2LK

2LK

Crouching Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	11	Chn	200	L	0	-3

Chains into 2LP/2LK

A standard, chainable 2LK for low-hitting confirms.

2MK

Crouching Medium Kick

2MK

2MK

Crouching Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	3	19	Sp SA TC	500	L	-2	-6

Cancel reaction window: 13f (17f TC)
Applies a 20% damage scaling penalty to the next hit when used as a combo starter (100/80/70/60...)

A cancellable low poke with decent range. The threat of Drive Rush cancels makes it a formidable tool in Luke's arsenal.

2HK

Crouching Heavy Kick

2HK

2HK

Trench Breaker

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	3	24(26)	-	900	L	KD +40	-9

Counterhit/Punish Counter: +44 HKD

One of the slower sweeps in the game, even being too slow to punish several other characters' sweeps. At -9 it is also fairly punishable itself.

Jumping Normals

j.LP

Jumping Light Punch

j.LP

j.LP

Jumping Light Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	9	3 land	-	300	H	+5(+9)	+1(+5)

j.MP

Jumping Medium Punch

j.MP

j.MP

Jumping Medium Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	4	3 land	Sp	700	H	+9(+11)	+5(+7)

Great air to air as it can lead into a combo with j.214[P]

j.HP

Jumping Heavy Punch

j.HP

j.HP

Jumping Heavy Punch

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	6	3 land	-	800	H	+6(+15)	+2(+11)

j.LK

Jumping Light Kick

j.LK

j.LK

Jumping Light Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6	6	3 land	-	300	H	+5(+10)	+1(+6)

j.MK

Jumping Medium Kick

j.MK

j.MK

Jumping Medium Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
7	6	3 land	-	500	H	+8(+13)	+4(+9)

j.HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

j.HK

j.HK

Jumping Heavy Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
10	6	3 land	-	800	H	+8(+15)	+4(+11)

Command Normals

6MP

Rawhide

6MP

6MP

Rawhide

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
21	2	21	-	600	H	+2	-3

6HP

Brutal Spike

6HP

6HP

Brutal Spike

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
16	3	15(19)	TC	800	LH	+3	-3

Great pressure tool as it is an advancing move that is plus on block. The only downside is the large startup and recovery makes it prone to drive impact

4HP

Suppressor

4HP

4HP

Suppressor

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
16	3	20	Sp SA	800	LH	+3	-3

Luke's ideal Punish Counter starter, but due to its short reach and slow speed it's mostly relegated to DP punishes. However, it does link to 2HP on punish counter which leads into a launch with 214[LP].

4HK

Outlaw Kick

4HK

4HK

Outlaw Kick

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
12	4	24	-	1000	LH	+4	-3

Target Combos

5LP~5MP~5HP

Triple Impact

5LP~MP~HP

             No results

No results

LP acts like 2 hits for damage scaling (100/80/70/60...)

Luke's main way to convert 5LP into damage. The last hit is special cancelable, giving him more damage and a better knockdown on hit or RPS on block, although it is not in his favor.

5MP~MP~MP~MP

Snapback Combo

5MP~MP~MP~MP

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             No results

No results No results Excellent whiff punish confirm tool from 5MP as the second hit cancels into super.

6HP~6HP

Double Impact

6HP~6HP

Double Impact

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
11	2	34	Sp SA	600	LH	KD +20	-19

Adds a knockdown and some more damage to Luke's 6HP. Punishable and not special cancelable with a small cancel window for the TC itself.

2MP~2HP

Nose Breaker

2MK~2HP

Nose Breaker

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	3	25	-	600(480)	LH	+2	-8

Adds damage and makes Luke plus on hit after 2MK, but does not cancel and is punishable on block.

Universal Mechanics

Throws

Forward Throw (LPLK)

Forward Throw

LPLK

Sweeper

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1200 (2040)	T	KD +19	-

Back Throw (4LPLK)

Back Throw

4LPLK

Scrapper

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	3	23	-	1200 (2040)	T	KD +14	-

Drive Moves

Drive Impact (HPHK)

Drive Impact

HPHK

Muzzle Flash

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
26	2	35	-	800	LH	KD +35 / Wall Splat KD +65	-3 / Wall Splat HKD +72

See Drive Impact

Drive Reversal (6HPHK)

Drive Reversal

6HPHK (in blockstun)

6HPHK

Battering Ram (Block)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
20	3	26(31)	-	500 recoverable	LH	KD +23	-6

See Drive Reversal

Full Invuln: 1-22f; Armor Break

Drive Parry (MPMK)

Drive Parry

MPMK

Drive Parry

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
1	12 or until released	33(1)(11)	-	-	-	-	-

See Drive Parry

Perfect Parry has only 1f recovery, and disables the opponent from canceling their attack
Perfect Parry vs. projectiles puts you into a fixed 11f recovery

Drive Rush (66)

Drive Rush

66

Lua error in Module:MoveDataParser at line 119: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

             No results

See Drive Rush

Frame data shown in (parentheses) refers to the version used after Parry

Taunts

Neutral Taunt (5PPPKKK)

Neutral Taunt

5PPPKKK

"Come on!"

5PPPKKK

Neutral Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
96 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Forward Taunt (6PPPKKK)

Forward Taunt

6PPPKKK

"Yeah! Let's let it fly!"

6PPPKKK

Forward Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
180 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Back Taunt (4PPPKKK)

Back Taunt

4PPPKKK

"Hadooken!"

4PPPKKK

Back Taunt

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
109 (total)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

At a brisk 60 total frames, this is Luke's optimal BGs taunt.

Special Moves

Sand Blast (236P)

Sand Blast

236P

236LP

Sand Blast

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
14	[5]	33	SA3	600	LH	-3	-8

Negative on block at the ranges it will hit.

236MP

Sand Blast

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
17	[7]	30	SA3	600	LH	0	-5

Can be slightly plus at max range.

236HP

Sand Blast

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
20	[10]	27	SA3	600	LH	+3	-2

Becomes plus even if slightly spaced.

236PP

Sand Blast

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
16	-	24	SA2 SA3	400x2	LH	KD +41	-2

Travels fullscreen, unlike the other Drive-less versions.

236PP~PP

Fatal Shot

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
8	-	42	-	1000(800)	LH	KD +46~58	-21

Costs an extra Drive bar.

Tacks on more damage and a better knockdown.

Rising Uppercut (623P)

Rising Uppercut

623P

623LP

Rising Uppercut

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
5	10	22+12 land	SA3	900(800)	LH	KD +28	-27

Anti-Air Invuln: 1-?f, Airborne 7-36f
800 damage on later active frames

623MP

Rising Uppercut

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6	10	24+12 land	SA3	1000(800)	LH	KD +28	-29

Anti-Air Invuln: 1-?f, Airborne 8-39f
800 damage on later active frames

623HP

Rising Uppercut

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
9	10	25+15 land	SA3	1200(800)	LH	KD +29	-33

Anti-Air Invuln: 1-?f, Airborne 11-43f
800 damage on later active frames

623PP

Rising Uppercut

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
6	3,7	35+15 land	-	800(600),600	LH	KD +25	-40(-43)

Full Invuln: 1-15f, Airborne 8-50f
600 damage on later active frames (first hit)

623PP~PP

Slam Dunk

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
16	3	14+16 land	-	600	H	KD +14	-

Costs an extra Drive bar; can whiff against high juggled opponents

Luke's anti-air and reversal DP. While the meterless versions are cancellable into Lv.3 Super, the juggle will whiff, so this has little utility outside of beating an opponent's armor.

Flash Knuckle (214LP)

Flash Knuckle (LP)

214LP (hold OK)

214LP

LP Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
13	3	31	SA3	700	LH	KD +32	-18

Luke's main knockdown ender

214[LP]

LP Flash Knuckle (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
26	2,2	25(26)	SA3	600,200	LH	KD +54	-8

Hold 18-20f for Perfect version
Clashes with single-hit projectiles
Counts as 2 hits for damage scaling if both hits connect

Luke's least-situational charged version. Instead of just knocking down, it allows for a juggle afterwards. Only combos from 2HP.

Flash Knuckle (214MP)

Flash Knuckle (MP)

214MP (hold OK)

214MP

MP Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
19	3	27	SA3	900	LH	+3	-8

Does not knock down grounded opponents and knocks airborne opponents away. Good in juggles against characters Luke wants to keep out.

214[MP]

MP Flash Knuckle (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
29	2,2	26	SA3	800,200	LH	KD +54(+67)	-3

Hold 18-20f for Perfect version
Clashes with single-hit projectiles
Wall bounces on hit
Counts as 2 hits for damage scaling if both hits connect

Situational but leads to high damage juggles midscreen. Launches opponents out of the corner.

Flash Knuckle (214HP)

Flash Knuckle (HP)

214HP (hold OK)

214HP

HP Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
22	3	21	SA3	1000	LH	KD +42(+31)	-4

Mainly used after Luke's Triple Impact Target Combo

214[HP]

HP Flash Knuckle (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
33	2,2	24(25)	SA3	1000,300	LH	KD +64	+4

Hold 18-20f for Perfect version
Clashes with single-hit projectiles
Plus on block
Counts as 2 hits for damage scaling if both hits connect

High risk/high reward neutral tool.

Flash Knuckle (214PP)

OD Flash Knuckle

214PP

OD Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
15	3	39	SA2 SA3	400x2	LH	KD +62	-22

Luke's main combo extender. Leads to similar juggles as 214[LP] without being as slow and has slightly more reach, connecting after 3-hit light confirms.

214PP~PP

DDT

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
1	-	-	-	2500	-	HKD +12	-

Costs an extra Drive bar.
Must be input during 214PP’s first hit.

Aerial Flash Knuckle (j.214P)

Aerial Flash Knuckle

j.214P

Aerial Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
14	5	13(20) land	-	700	LH	KD ~	-12(+3)

j.214[P]

Aerial Flash Knuckle (hold)

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
23	6	15 land	-	1000	LH	KD ~	-30(-21)

j.214PP

Aerial Flash Knuckle

Startup	Active	Recovery	Cancel	Damage	Guard	On Hit	On Block
14	6	15 land	-	1300	LH	KD ~	-33(-21)

All versions can only be done from forward or neutral jump
- Can be done from back jump when cancelled from j.MP
Forced Knockdown state
The final 12 recovery frames are in a crouching state