SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Vega

バルログ, Balrog
Difficulty	Difficult
Max Mode Needed?	Almost Useless
Tier Placement	Trash (E)
Standing Hitbox	?
Crouching Hitbox	Short
Wall Jump	Yes

Introduction

Vega (known as Balrog in Japan), or also known as Claw to avoid international confusion, is a narcissistic, Spanish ninja that works as M. Bison's personal bodyguard. In at least a few of his appearances, most notably Super Turbo, he has proven to be a monster of a character with incredible buttons and gameplay that forces even the best players to stay on their toes in their approach against him (outside of SF4 and SF5, at least). In SVC, unfortunately, Vega suffers tremendously. He retains a few of his qualities like his great speed, good pokes, and somewhat unpredictable gameplay, however he's also a good example of a good character thrown into a game whose system completely hinders them. Vega's a charge character, but SVC - outside of Guile - is very unforgiving to charge characters when the likes of movement, zoning, and especially front step are prevalent. The system does nothing but make matters worse for Vega as he gains practically zero benefits while also having a pretty bad movelist to work with. On the bright side, you never have to worry about losing either his mask or claw.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Amazing mobility and speed: Fast walking speed, fast and large jump arcs, wall jumps, good dashes, a slide kick, wall leap special moves that let him fly around the screen, and backslashes to flip backwards to distance himself further from the opponent, Vega is far from easy to pin down with all the options available to him. Annoying pokes: Players who aren't in-the-know about the matchup will find dealing with his pokes frustrating as they come out fast, are hard to react to, and give Vega free pressure, especially if he cancels said pokes into a backslash or other special moves. Decent anti-airs: Vega's st.D and cr.C, while not amazing, come out quick and have decent range to give Vega a chance at stopping jump-ins and hold his ground. Can no longer lose either his mask or claw: Whether out of rushed development or an effort to balance out Vega, Vega can no longer be debuffed from blocking or taking too many hits. At all times, Vega retains both his claw and mask so he never suffers from reduced range, damage, or defense. Now, there's zero penalty for playing defensively with him. Unique hit-and-run playstyle: Other characters like Mai can play hit-and-run just fine, but Vega's unique movelist gives him the kind of hit-and-run gameplay that allows him to gain presence from fullscreen and force opponents to second guess their choices or face being called out by Vega. Forces (most) MUs to play patiently: Approaching Vega like any other matchup will probably result in that character getting blownup by Vega, especially if they can't keep him pinned down. You need to observe how Vega plays, as brute forcing in generally means you're playing his game. That said, Vega has few good matchups, and depending on the MU, can be easy to call out or get washed from the get-go. Rare matchup: Very few players play Vega, making it more likely you'll stand a chance in matches. Even if the opponent knows the matchup, they may still struggle with knowing every knowledge check against Vega.

Pokes are annoying but in reality, pretty bad: Almost zero of Vega's buttons are plus on hit or block, only some buttons are cancellable, the hitboxes on most of them are actually pretty small or stubby, questionable jump buttons, damage isn't too impressive, and overall pressing any button with Vega is actually a risk depending on the situation. Hardly any combos to work with, and none of them are good: Good luck getting a combo with Vega, especially if you're playing the NeoGeo port due to the charge input bug. All of his combos can't be hit-confirmed, are situational, do iffy damage, etc. Bad Exceed: Vega's Exceed range is really stubby and isn't fast enough to be a reactionary tool in neutral either, unless you can somehow take advantage of his i-frames. Using it at all is a risk as chances are, you aren't comboing into it. Arguably one of the worst Exceeds in the game, though it still has its use as a punish tool, especially when buffered with dash... However, that is its only real use, anyways. Wall leaps can be easily anti-aired: Vega's hurtboxes on wall jumps are pretty big, and using them in neutral gives your opponent more than enough time to react to them and anti-air Vega without proper setups or situations where the opponent can't react to the initial start of it. Nearly everything is super unsafe and makes for free punishes: If anything Vega does is blocked, there's a pretty strong chance you can punish him for it. He's too risky of a character for SVC where almost everything he does is a commitment. Hard to master: Vega's packing a steep learning curve, his buttons and movement are easy to learn but knowing how to use his tools effectively without getting called out is a slow process. Is a charge character in a game that is anti-charge characters: Charge characters are forced to use BC input for front step, which is a steep cost of meter to give up for a punish, unless they buffer super with dash input. Even with the benefit of 30F charge times, they're too committal in a game full of movement and punishes. In some MUs, having time to charge at all is a problem. Not to mention, the NeoGeo port's charge input bug limiting their options.

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Frame Data Glossary
Damage	How much damage the attack does. This takes into account no defense modifiers, so the damage assumes a 0% damage modifier. Note: Damage is a little inconsistent. Example: Geese cl.A deals 5 damage. Against Zero, sometimes it does 5 pixels of damage to his life bar, other times it does 4 pixels. Against Ryu, cl.A does 4 pixels of damage, other times it does 3 pixels of damage. This info comes from the Enterbrain Mook, but most likely this is the cause of damage modifiers skewing the damage slightly, thus making it a bit inconsistent. Damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma. It is listed because it's an official source for this info, just keep in mind damage is not 1-to-1 due to varying health values and screwy ways the game calculates damage anyways. There will be a question mark next to the four mentioned characters because it's only a guess as to what the actual damage values are (until health and damage are better understood), since they were never gathered in the Mook.
Counter Damage	How much damage the attack does on a counter hit, or when it connects with an opponent while they're performing an attack. Counter damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma.
Guard	Where the attack hits, and thus where it must be blocked. Mids can be blocked standing and crouching Overheads must be blocked standing Lows must be blocked crouching Unblockable cannot be blocked Throws break through block up-close
Guard Crush	How much guard meter damage the attack does to the green Guard Gauge.
Stun	How many points of stun the attack adds to the opponent's invisible Stun Gauge.
Meter	How much meter is gained for performing/landing the attack. Special moves earn meter both when activated and when they connect with the opponent, whether it hits them or they block it.
Cancel	The type of cancel the attack can perform. Any - All cancel types work Ch - Chain cancel; it can chain into other attacks (mostly just lights) Self - Can chain only into itself Cmd - Command cancel; can cancel into command normals Sp - Special cancel; can cancel into special moves, and almost always this means super cancels are possible too Su - Super cancel; can cancel into super moves Free - Free cancel; can be cancelled in Max Mode by other special moves or super moves Written only for special moves as all normals can be Free Cancelled, so writing it in for every move would be redundant X - Cannot be cancelled, either outside of Max Mode or that it cannot be cancelled at all
Startup	How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or has a hitbox. The SVC Chaos wiki uses classic startup notation, which does not include the first active frame. A move with 3 startup becomes active on frame 4. Super and Exceed startup will calculate both the frames before and after the super flash animation as such: X+Y, with X being the startup frames before the flash animation and Y being the startup frames after the flash animation. The startup will not take into account the frames of the flash animation itself where time freezes and the opponent player cannot act. Super flashes last 28 frames, whereas Exceed flashes last 27 frames. Because there is currently no way to view throw boxes, it is assumed that throws/command grabs are at most 0-1 frames of startup. Truthfully, we don't actually know though.
Active	How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. Consecutive sets of active frames on a multi-hit move are separated by a comma. (Example: 3, 4 - The attack has its first hitbox for 3 frames, then the second hitbox for 4 frames) If there is a gap between sets of active frames, the gap is denoted by a number in parentheses. (Example: 3, (2), 4 - The attack is active for 3 frames, then is not active for the next two frames, followed by being active again for 4 frames.) Throw boxes are not visible either through dipswitches or the hitbox viewer so it's only a guess how active throws and command grabs are, but it's probably one active frame at most. This also applies to hitbox images - they will still show the push and hurtboxes of characters but outside of that, unfortunately there is no way to depict the throw boxes at the moment.
Recovery	How many frames it takes for a move to finish after it's been active.
Total	The total number of frames the attack lasts on screen for. This adds up the startup, active, and recovery frames into one number.
Hit/Block Adv	These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will end before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish. SKD refers to a soft knockdown, or a knockdown you can tech roll out of. HKD refers to a hard knockdown, one that you cannot tech roll out of. All frame advantages assume Ryu as the opponent. If there are variable wakeup times, it is currently unknown info. Frame advantages of projectiles assumes the opponent is point blank range. Any farther and this obviously changes and/or doesn't matter. Block advantage assumes no use of Guard Cancel Front Step. For one, it obviously decreases the attacker's frame advantage significantly. When the defender uses GCFS is also a variable factor so you cannot provide a hard answer as to what the frame advantage is after GCFS, as well as how soon they cancel GCFS into an attack. Generally speaking, just assume the block advantage minus the active frames of GCFS, and that's a rough estimate of the frame advantage when GCFS is performed. This doesn't really matter in most cases, since the attacker will automatically be quite minus after most attacks.
Invulnerability	Indicates whether there's any frames of invulnerability during the attack.

Move List

Normal Moves

Close Normals

cl/st.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	4	4	6	14	+2	+0	-
A fast attack with his claw. Good as a starter for light attack combos, can be canceled, but it whiffs against low crouching chars.

cl.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	5	6	4	15	+2	+0	-
A fast attack with Claw's knee. It hits low crouching chars, can be comboed after a cl.A - albeit only at point blank range, and you can cancel it. It's good for tick throws too.

cl.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	10	5	16	31	+4	+2	-
His most damaging cancelable move, but it's slow and whiffs on low crouching chars, so use this only on punish situations.

cl/st.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	cl.D= 7 ; st.D= 9	cl.D= 8 ; st.D= 9	cl.D= 14 ; st.D= 15	cl.D= 29 ; st.D= 33	cl.D= -2 ; st.D= -4	cl.D= -4 ; st.D= -6	-
A great anti-air. The range is nice, the priority is nice, and the damage is simple. Use it only as an anti-air.

Far Normals

st.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	7	4	16	27	-8	-10	-
Nice cancelable poke. It's fast, its reach is nice, but potentially punishable on hit.

st.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	14	7	6	27	+7	+5	-
A poke. It isn't fast as st.B, and cannot be canceled, but its reach is barely better. Much safer overall, too.

Crouch Normals

cr.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	5	6	11	22	-5	-7	-
I remember this poke in the early SF games... It could combo in itself, it was extremely fast, and was a followup to his rolling move. Here, this move isn't like that, sadly. Don't worry, you still can combo after the cl.A, and cancel it.

cr.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	6	6	7	19	-1	-3	-
A low poke. It's cancelable, fast, and can be comboed after the cl.A.

cr.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	6	10	13	29	-3	-5	-
Okay reach and angle. This move is okay as an anti-air, and only that.

cr.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	6	6	9	21	+5	+3	-
This move has the same animation and startup as cr.B. It cannot be canceled and doesn't knock down but you can link another cr.D after a meaty cr.D.

Jumping Normals

(n)j.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	5	10	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack A good air-to-air, and only that.

nj.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	6	11	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack Can be used as an air-to-air, but the j.A is better.

j.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	5	16	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack A fast jump-in. Good to use on combos. The kick stays for the entire arc of the jump.

(n)j.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	8	10	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack A slow, but good jump-in for combos. The reach is not that great, compared to the move below. It can even crossup the opponent, but it's hard.

(n)j.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	8	nj= 8 ; dj= 7	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Claw's best jump-in in my opinion. It's faster, has more reach, but can't crossup compared to the j.C, now just choose which jump-in you'll use.

Command Normals

Peace of Mercury
f.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	20	4	17	41	-1	-3	-
An overhead kick. It's slow, so you cannot combo after this. It's unsafe if blocked too, watch out when you use.

Cosmic Smarts
f.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	14	5	15	34	SKD	-2	-
This move has a nice reach, can be used as an anti-air, but whiffs on low crouching chars and Claw can't combo after it, so watch out in this move too.

Round Slider
df.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Low	-	-	-	-	9	14	6	29	SKD	-2	-
This is Claw's cr.HK from the Capcom games. Can be used as a low poke too. It can't combo too. Unsafe if blocked.

Throws

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Guard Cancel Blowback
on Block

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0	0	Mid	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Special Moves

Rolling Crystal Flash
[b]~f P

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
[b]~f A	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
[b]~f C	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Claw's classic rolling move. A version is better if you're doing poke games, and the C version is for combos(It's nice to cancel the last hit of this version in Max Mode) and cheap finishers. Unsafe if blocked too.

Scarlet Terror
[db]~f K

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
[db]~f B	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
[db]~f D	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Vega - thankfully - does not suffer from the charge input bug for this move specifically. You can go directly to downback and regardless of whether you pressed back or down first, Vega can perform this move after he finishes charging. You will always have access to it. One of Claw's best moves. Can be used as an anti-air too, it knocks down if hits and safe on block. Oh, and while Claw is doing this move, you'll have time to charge, leading to some interesting setups. You can charge this move by holding backwards too, and when you finished charging, press db, f+K and the move will come out.

Sky High Claw
[d]~u P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is used to travel around the screen and to punish projectiles. A version can be used as an anti-air, and the C version can be used to punish projectiles, because Claw will fly lower than the A version. This move is really fast, so use when you need.

Wall Leap
[d]~u K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Claw's classic(It was good in the early SF games) Wall Leap. You can use this to some hit & run strategies, and to get away from the corner too. You can control(With f/b) where Claw will land, and it's important to know exactly where he will land. He will do a simple backdash after he lands, remember that.

Flying Barcelona Attack
P After Wall Leap

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is an important move to Claw's hit & run strategies in this game(In every game, I mean). Well, in this move, Claw will open his arms, and either one can hit, so after a wall leap, try to move behind your opponent and press a punch for a crossup attack. The damage is great too, and it's safe if blocked(Remember that simple backdash?). If you want, after the Wall Leap, control Claw with db/df, to charge while you're moving.

Izuna Drop
P near the opponent, after Wall Leap

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A grab with no range. Don't think about using this, because it's unsafe if you miss the timing. It's hard to do too, so use the FBA(The follow-up above) instead.

Backflips
AC or BD

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
Backslash AC	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Interesting move that you should master. Claw will do two backflips, and he is invincible while doing them. Good to hit & run(You can cancel Normal Moves into this move too), good to escape from fireballs(Watch out for the timing), good to escape from GCFs, and good to do safe moves in Max Mode(Yeah, just press AC while doing a ground move in Max Mode).
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
Short Backslash BD	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
You'll need this too. It has the same properties as the move above, but Claw will do only one backflip. Good to use to do a quick escape against those reversals.

Super Moves

(Super) Wall Leap
[db]~df,db,uf K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0	0	Mid	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The input is strange, I know. But remember that this move is not like in the old SF games, where the super only starts if Claw grabs the opponent, so don't use this in vain(If you do nothing after the Super Wall Leap, you'll lose meter). You can control where Claw will go with b/f too, like in the normal version.

Flying Barcelona Special
Super Wall Leap > P Follow-up

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
A= 36x2 ; C= 32x4	A= 40 ; C= 36	Mid	A= 2x2 ; C= 2x4	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A safe super. You can use this like the normal version(With crossups and those things), and it does more hits and damage. Don't even try to make this move whiff.

Rolling Izuna Drop
Super Wall Leap > P Near Opponent

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
A= 34x2 ; C= 24x3	A= 34 ; C= 24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The same properties as the normal version, but it does more damage(The damage is nice too). Use at your risk.

Scarlet Mirage
[b]~fbf K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
B= 34x6 ; D= 32x9	B= 38 ; D= 36	Mid	B= 2x6 ; D= 2x9	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Claw's super for combos. The A version is more defensive, while the C version is better on combos. It knocks down, and you can charge while the super hits the opponent. The B version is a safe Super, but watch out for those GCFs.

Exceed

Red Impact
Charge ~

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0+132	0+132	Mid	0	0	0	X	4+7	11	26	48	HKD	-19	1F-11F (Full body invul during startup), 5F-22F (Upper body invul ending just below waist)
Vega has upper body invincibility during the startup and active frames of the Exceed. One of the worst Exceeds in the game, at least outside of punish scenarios. Hard to combo, stubby range (but not awful like you might be led to believe), can be blocked with ease, and the damage isn't as high as other Exceeds. Use it for punishes or if you know you can combo off of cl.C with it. It can also hit airborne opponents if they're closer to the grounde. In neutral this Exceed sucks since Vega has to not only charge it, but also can't combo into it outside of cl.C or juggles (the latter of which is incredibly rare for him) but combine it with Front Step or a forward dash buffer and it becomes a lot easier to land. It's best to learn to buffer it to get the most out of this Exceed and with time, you can land it consistently by doing this. If anything, it's the only meaningful use of Vega's Exceed, and the startup is still on the slower end of things.

Strategy

Basic Strategy

Claw's Gameplan

Claw is a charge character who likes to travel around the screen, you already know that. And he likes to be safe everytime too, with his Wall Leap crossups, with his Backslashes, and with his safe anti-air Special move. Claw, as you know, is a hit & run character, and this can make the match easier to win against some characters. His pokes are very nice too, you should use them. You have the Backslashes at your dispose, and you can even punish projectiles when you need. So travel around the screen, be safe, punish the opponent when you need, and plan your game everytime(If you're in the defense, think what you can do to help yourself, and if you're in the offense, think what you can do against the opponent, and now it's up to you. Good luck in your matches).

Other Notes:

• When entering crouch, Vega's crouching animation will play a brief shine effect on his claw from the base to its tip. When the shine reaches the tip of his claw, that's a visual indicator that Vega's finished charging his special moves and can perform them. This is assuming you weren't of course charging prior, such as walking backwards or jumping, in which case the shine effect wouldn't be as important. Minor detail, but worth noting, much like how Leona shakes her head when she finishes charging while crouching in the KOF series.

Combos

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Quick Combo Notation Guide

cl. = close normal st. = standing/far normal cr. = crouching normal f.; etc. = forward direction (NOT far) X = any button CH = counter hit , = Used to separate attacks in the combo / = Separates different options for the combo (mainly different starters or enders that are possible) Unless otherwise stated (such as it's a link or you need to delay the attack), assume this is a chain/cancel. Example: cr.B, cr.A, dp A ; cr.B chains into cr.A, then cr.A cancels into dp A [b]~f = Indicates to charge back (or downback), then press forwards for the given special move ( ) = Parentheses used to indicate the attack(s) within the parentheses are optional to add to the combo (C) = Indicates a free cancel, aka a cancel only possible in Max Mode (SC) = Indicates a super cancel via free canceling in Max Mode (1) = Used to indicate how many hits of the attack should connect (or less than) before continuing with the combo Example: cl.C(1), hcb P means that only one hit of cl.C should be performed before moving on to do hcb P, not more than one hit [ ] = Used to distinguish combo loops or combo starters/etc. in case a certain attack is only possible after specific options xN = Repeat the given loop for as many times as either possible or as many times as you wish May change to numpad notation much later down the road.

Vega's combos are better suited for punish situations since he has to charge for all of his moves. Keep in mind, Vega can't cancel normals into Command Moves, even in max mode.

BnB Combos

BnB Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.X,) cl.A x2-3, st./cr.B, AC/BD	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	A simple hit & run combo to practice. And this is good because you don't need to punish your opponent to do this. Watch out, because the cl.A whiffs on low crouching chars.
(j.X,) cl./cr.A/B, [b]~f C	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	A kind of basic, but damaging combo. If you want to punish, you can use the cl.C(Do the charge, press the C button while standing, and then do the rest of the command).
(j.X,) cl./cr.A/B, [db]~f D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
CH [db]~f B, [db]~f D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	A defensive combo with a defensive starter. This is nice to use when you need. And you can use while you're in midscreen too.
(j.X,) cl./cr.A/B, [b]~fbf D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
cl.C, Exceed	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Claw's best punish combo, and it's the only way to combo with the Exceed (without counter hits and the Max Mode). Can be the best way to spend your Exceed.

Max Mode Combos

Vega can max cancel only 2 of his special moves.

Max Mode Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.X,) cr.A/B, [b]~f C(3), (C)[db]~f D(2), (C)BD, [b]~fbf D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Probably one of Claw's most damaging combos. Some guys said that this combo is possible with the Exceed instead of the Super on big characters, but I couldn't do it(Because I'm testing on a Keyboard only to see if it's easy to do), but I could max cancel the roll into the (Charge)db, f+D, and connect this move into another (Charge)db, f+D, and I can confirm that the first hit of the anti-air can juggle the opponent if canceled. The Super part is the most difficult. If you want to try with the Exceed, okay.