Matchups
Avdol
Avdol's low hurtbox while crouching makes this a very tough matchup for Rubber Soul. Don't be reckless and stay on defense until you see that your opponent tries really hard to attack you or goes Stand On. You'll want learn to time your 4S anti-air properly, but watch out as many of Abdul's attacks have very high priority and will beat your attacks no matter what.
Alessi
Same as with Avdol, Alessi's hurtbox is even shorter, making Rubber's best weapon that is j.A j.S crossup mostly useless against him. Alessi can punish a lot of your attacks with 2C. Focus on using j.B or j.C during jump-ins and try to combo off that to deal as much damage as quickly as you can.
Black Polnareff
As long as you keep zoning B.Pol you should be fine. Most of his approach attempts can be punished with your anti-airs or 236+A/B/C. Your counter move is also very useful here, but watch out for B.Pol's 214+AA super as its startup is very long and will punish your counter if you used it too early.
Chaka
Similar match-up as with Black Polnareff, but his approach's better due to his super fast jumps. Whiffing your attacks can be fatal as Chaka can easily punish them with his super.
Devo
Difficult match-up for Rubber Soul as Devo can use his doll to attack from behind where Rubber cannot protect himself. Still, against any frontal assault from Devo or his doll, your counter makes a very good tool. Try to keep the doll in front of yourself to evade any dangerous situations. Rubber's wakeup time is very fast which makes it harder, if not impossible for Devo to time his mixups properly.
DIO
DIO cannot teleport in this matchup, as any failed teleport attempt means that Rubber Soul gets a free grab which equals bonus meter and high damage. Try to get close on DIO and attempt rushdown. Evade using Stand attacks from long distance as DIO can easily read you with his projectile super.
Hol Horse
Hol will keep running away from Rubber and chipping at his health. You must chase him into a corner and then not let him get away from it. Hol's rolls are extremely fast and will be hard to counter grab. It is essential you learn to react to them. 236+AA can occasionally be used in order to punish Hol from fullscreen or at the very least chip his health a bit. It will always cause chip damage as Hol's roll is just ends too early.
Hol & Boingo
Try to get as close to Hol as possible and don't let him leave the corner. If he does, you'll most likely need to chase him across the entire stage. Hoingo isn't as difficult to fight for Rubber as regular Hol is.
Iggy
5A and 6S are useless in this matchup unless Iggy turns his Stand On. Their only use is for anti-airs. For whatever reason whenever Iggy is launched by Rubber's wrap, with proper timing, Rubber can combo him with another wrap or his command grab super before he hits the floor or a wall. This only works against Iggy for some reason.
Joseph
While Old Joseph's attacks are not the fastest, they can still give you trouble while approaching. Any mistimed attempt at rushdown means you'll be punished with Old Joseph's Custom Combo for high damage. Keep your distance and look for an opening to strike.
Jotaro
While your zoning and counters should be enough for this matchup, Jotaro's s.5A is extremely fast and will almost always anti-air you. Look for any openings in Jotaro's offense and counter him in the middle of his strings if possible.
Kakyoin
Be careful not to jump into Kakyoin's nets once you commit to a jumping approach. While Kakyoin easily beats you in range, you should be able to time a jumping attack after his s.2C. While empty hops are advised just to stay safe, if you jump right in front of Kakyoin you'll most likely be hit by one of his anti-airs. You'll want to jump behind Kakyoin and strike him from behind, this should also allow you to start your offense. Do not be reckless as any mistake will cost you the round. 236+AA super is very useful to punish Kakyoin's emerald splash or whenever he whiffs moves from fullscreen. Do not forget about your grabs as they will turn Kakyoin's Stand Off where he's more or less defenseless.
Khan
Khan is extremely crippled in this matchup. Keep doing your block strings or attempt zoning in order to beat him easily.
Mariah
Rubber can easily interrupt almost every attack Mariah throws at him from midscreen. 6S becomes a very useful tool just for that, but note that in neutral, Mariah can just duck under it. Just rush her down and she should have no way to beat him. Obviously watch out where you jump so you won't land on an outlet trap.
Midler
Similar story as with Hol Horse. Midler will try to keep distance by running away from Rubber all the time. Do not jump too much as you're asking to be hit by Midler's cars. Keep moving on the ground and properly use rolls to dodge her ranged attacks, then rush her down in the corner. Unlike Hol, Midler's rolls are much slower, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to punish them, but watch out as Midler got very good jump-ins.
New Kakyoin
Much easier matchup when compared to regular Kakyoin. Still, watch out for his nets. New Kakyoin might try to play more offensively unlike regular Kak.
Petshop
This is actually one of the harder matchups for Petshop. Rubber Soul is very thin, which results in some of Petshop's combos being quite inconsistent. Rubber can still use his 2A/d.2A to do low attacks, which is just great. Petshop can be rushed down, but you need to stay calm and try to block his bullshit whenever you're not close to him.
Polnareff
Rubber has no way to beat Shooting Star, which means that he will be under constant pressure from Polnareff. Polnareff players have a habit of rolling after using Shooting Star to avoid damage. Use that opportunity to walk in and grab Pol's roll. This will give you the upper hand. Still, this matchup is very bad for Rubber as Pol's normals outclass his. Do not waste your opportunity to rush him down. Always lead to hard knockdown as Polnareff's Shooting Star will be temporarily disabled.
Shadow Dio
One matchup you should play more defensively. Shadow Dio players are usually very aggresive, and you can outzone their rushdown attempts.
Rubber Soul
It all comes down to how well you know your moveset. One Rubber Soul player will attempt to rush the other one down. Due to the limited movesets, this can be a very chaotic matchup.
Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice's roll is hard to read. Learning to grab his roll is gonna be hard. Do not rush him down as any mistake will lead to him punishing you for massive damage. Outzone him with projectiles and don't let him close to you.
Young Joseph
Arguably an easier matchup than Old Joseph. Rubber Soul can easily punish Joseph's moves, and he's too slow to punish him. Just rush him down and don't let him do a thing.
