Street Fighter V

SFV Street Fighter V: Zangief V Trigger 2 Guide

Posted alext96

V Trigger 2: Cossack Muscle

Duration: 2000 frames (about 33 seconds)

Cost: 2 bars of V Gauge

Install time: 5 frames

Cossack Muscle is a trigger that drastically changes numerous properties of Zangief’s trademark move, the Screw Pile Driver (SPD), as well as its aerial version, Borscht Dynamite (BD, also known as Air SPD). It has a very fast install that allows for activation combos. Once activated, the following occurs:

VT2 effects

  • All SPD’s and BD’s gain an extra 130 damage and 100 stun
  • All SPD’s have their okizeme changed to that of light SPD (bad oki)
  • All BD’s have their okizeme changed to that of EX/Heavy BD (good oki)
  • All SPD’s now will connect after being linked into or special cancelled
    • These combo SPD’s do only 80 extra damage
    • All meterless combo SPD’s do 50 extra stun
      • EX combo SPD does no extra stun
    • EX BD does 70 extra damage and 50 extra stun when cancelled into
    • SPD’s combo’d into via a crush counter will retain the full damage bonus
    • EX BD will retain full damage if juggled into
  • Whiffing an SPD or a BD will consume half of the remaining V Timer
  • This amazing announcer dude starts yelling every time Gief goes for/lands an SPD, it’s very hype

VT2 is a simple trigger that gives Zangief access to big damage on both sides of his mixup. However, is it better than VT1? The general consensus seems to be that VT1 is the better trigger, and is necessary against characters with fireballs. VT2, however, can be somewhat decent against rushdown characters and other grapplers. 

Here’s a more detailed analysis on why you should (or shouldn’t) pick VT2 over VT1:

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • As a two bar trigger, VT2 is less costly than VT1
    • Gief can use more V Reversals and still be able to use his trigger
      • Gief has a very fast V Reversal, so this is especially good
    • Flex punch enthusiasts may be able to get two triggers per round
  • VT2’s benefits do not diminish as the V Timer goes down, unlike VT1, which loses access to LV3 Cyclone Lariat after 25% of the V Timer is gone
  • More versatile DP punishes (since you can activate VT2 before punishing)
  • Easier to activate safely
    • Activation combos off medium pokes that are consistent at range
    • Makes most normals plus on block with a VT cancel
    • Safe raw activations in neutral
  • Powerful option selects: delayed activation OS and anti V-Reversal OS
  • Damage is generally not dependent on meter use
  • Buffs oki of lp and mp BD
  • Safe jump setups on hit and ranged 50/50s on block via cr hk xx VT2
  • Confirmable cr mp resets that are consistent at range via cc st hk xx VT2
  • Gief’s only side swap combo tree: cc st hp xx VT2 -> forward jump -> splash ->…
  • Gief’s max range corner carry combo route: cc st hp xx VT2 -> RBG
  • Has a light confirm activation route: cr lk -> cr lp xx VT2 -> cr lp xx lp SPD
  • Dope announcer guy

Cons:

  • Completely lacks the anti-fireball nature of VT1
    • Leaves Gief very susceptible to fireballs
  • Drastically inferior whiff punishes and ranged block punishes (e.g. Karin sweep)
  • Arguably nerfs mp, hp, and EX SPD by gutting their okizeme
    • Unlike VT1, better damage always comes at the price of oki
  • Lasts much shorter than VT1, and SPD whiffs are very costly
  • Much worse reset potential
    • Fewer interactions overall = harder to stun with it
    • Even if it works, the opponent usually just resets to neutral afterwards
  • Inefficient and ineffective meter usage
  • Lacks the improved flex armor of VT1
  • No substitute for meaty VT1 setups

Gameplan

In general, VT2 is useful in matchups where Gief has a reasonable chance of getting in, as it only is effective at close range. Much like VT1, Gief’s best activation scenarios come off of jump-ins, crush counters, SPD oki, and close Lariat oki. Although VT2’s activation does not have a hitbox and therefore cannot be landed meaty like VT1, it is much more versatile and less risky. This better activation is one of the biggest selling points for VT2 over VT1, since VT1 can be difficult to activate effectively.

Although VT2’s activation can lead to some nice activation combos, whether or not these combos end in a VT2 SPD depends on your priorities. If you want to end your trigger time quickly so that you can start building V Meter again, end your combo in an SPD. This can be useful if V Reversals are crucial for the matchup or if you are aiming to build two triggers. If you want to save your VT2 SPD for a later use, you can end your combo in microwalk st lk xx lariat to get a close lariat and its accompanying oki, or a knee hammer for some up-close plus frames. If you are willing to bet it all, you can go for an RBG, instant BD, tick SPD, or st hk (hoping for a crush counter). There are a lot of options here, so be creative. Keep in mind that, if you think you can get it, landing a VT2 BD is more or less always preferred over a VT2 SPD.

I personally use VT2 as a tool to let me play a lame Gief. I’ll use the big damage as early as I can to cement a lead so I can force my opponent to approach. Gief is great once he’s in, but has trouble getting there, so by making opponents come to me, I can mitigate one of the character’s greater weaknesses. This is only really useful against characters who do not have good zoning and cannot chip away at Gief slowly, but that consitutes a fairly large portion of the cast.

Here are some of the best ways of abusing VT2’s activation:

Activation Routes

Cr HK xx VT2: The go-to jump-in activation route. Also a decent option in pressure situations if you notice your opponent walking back a lot. On block, Zangief is +13 and gets a solid mixup between st hk, dash forward, microwalk headbutt, microwalk SPD, microwalk CA, and “instant” BD. These options all work best the closer you are to your opponent; at max range, you do not have any way to hit confirm your SPD. Do be warned that this is a very risky option in neutral, as cr hk has poor range, long recovery, and shifts your hurtbox forward, making it easy to whiff punish.

Since you are +13 on block, and they are left crouching, an immediate followup st hk will land meaty on its final active frame should they perform a reversal jump or backdash (because st hk does not hit crouchers). This leaves you at +5 on hit for a link into SPD. This is much easier than any of the microwalk options, does more damage and stun, and doesn’t consume your V-Timer if it fails, but doesn’t give oki. Do note that the link into lp SPD will whiff should your cr hk connect at max range. Here is a video of this combo: https://youtu.be/eCivM0qRdxM

By dashing forward and inputting a half circle forward, you can call out a backdash or jump by reacting with up/forward + punch as soon as you react. Even against the quickest backdashes, you will always have enough frame advantage to get an SPD punish. Keep in mind that, not only is this method very difficult (it’s hard to react and punish accordingly), you leave yourself at -12 after the dash should they do nothing. The main advantages of this over an immediate st hk are that you get oki should you land the air SPD, and the setup works even if the cr hk connects at max range.

The optimal method for catching backdashes and back jumps after a blocked cr hk xx VT2 is to do raw lp/EX BD, however, this is much more difficult than it sounds. Because cr hk xx VT2 is +13 on block, you have to microwalk forward for about 4 to 10 frames (character/range dependent) before your instant BD. This requires you to input half circle forward during the VT2 screen freeze, hold forward for a few frames, then input up/forward + punch(es). Doing EX BD will usually give you one or two extra frames to input the punches after you input up forward, but only gives you a small 20 damage boost for your bar, so I would recommend using it to practice this technique and then moving on to lp BD once you are confident in your execution. While the microwalk window is generally pretty lenient, being at least a 5 frame window for all but two characters at max range, it is very difficult against Ed (3f window) and Kolin (1f window).

After hitting cr hk xx VT2, you can either dash up (optimal only at far range) or jump forward (the better option up close). The dash forward will leave you with time to walk forward afterwards and cover their getup option. The jump forward will give you access to a 5f safe jump on quickrise (qr), which means that you can also block reversal 3f DP’s if you empty jump. On backrise (br), you are +3 after an empty jump, so you get your heavy SPD mixup, but with a light confirm that combos into SPD for huge damage, as well as a much stronger throw/instant BD OS. Note that due to required landing recovery frames, you can only land an instant BD on opponents who are airborne during their backdash until frame 11 or later. I personally recommend going for a cr lp -> SPD in this case, since you will tick throw them on hit and link into the SPD on counterhit. This setup works best at close range, as at further ranges, you will be unable to land your light confirm. However, at far range, you can abuse the recessed hurtbox of EX SPD to catch wakeup buttons more easily. In general, timing your button/SPD to abuse the plus frames on landing is very difficult, so I would practice this.

At certain ranges, you can slightly delay your jump-in and shift for an ambiguous crossup. This is Gief’s only left-right mixup in VT2, but while it’s tempting to go for, it loses hard to backrise. It’s much more viable after a cc cr hk -> throw x2 framekill. In that case, your safe jump option becomes a perfect 4f safejump, so keep that in mind. Shoutouts to Mhike2Stronk for bringing this to my attention. Walking forward slightly before jumping also lets you land a meaty jump button against backrise. This is a solid mixup to empty jump SPD. At some ranges, doing this will cause wakeup uppercuts on qr to whiff entirely; this will happen if you cross the opponent up just after they wake up. Here is an example: https://youtu.be/yI1xqP6H5U8

Delayed VT2 activation: The go-to route after a hp/EX SPD, especially against 3f chars and chars with good reversal options. Loses to wakeup block; leaves you at -4 and point blank. To perform this, after your hp SPD -> dash, crouch block for a few frames (the window is character dependent, although you generally want to block for about 6-10 frames) and then activate VT2. Note that you can (and should) use this in any scenario where you are +2 and point blank (unless you have CA), such as after blocking Urien’s EX Chariot Tackle or Rashid’s lv1 lp Spinning Mixer.

If your opponent performs their invincible reversal, you’ll block it, and have access to a plethora of punish options (see: VT2 DP Punishes). You can input your punish slightly after inputting the VT2 activation (such as st hp or reversal VT2 activation) so that if they do DP, you’ll punish optimally. This is especially good against Cammy and Karin, who have highly punishable DP’s that are very difficult to react to.  If they forward or back jump, you’ll notice during the activation screen freeze, and they will eat a free BD. Make sure to slightly delay your BD to outrange jump buttons if they back jump and walk forward then perform it the opposite way if they forward jump (autocorrect BD). 

If they neutral jump, certain characters can beat your instant BD with a jump button or air throw; characters with very poor jump-ins cannot. Against these better jump-in chars (like Ken, Sakura, Necalli, etc.) you could generally go for an immediate aa cr hp, which will give you enough frame advantage after the air reset for a mixup between meaty headbutt and hp SPD. If you’re daring, you can call out their immediate jump button with either a slightly delayed instant HP BD or a slightly delayed instant air headbutt xx EX BD. Against chars with poor jump-ins and no air throw, your instant HP BD is a legitimate punish. Don’t be afraid to do it against characters with good jump ins/air throws anyway as a mixup. VT2 is all about those big gambles. On the whole, most characters have some jump button that will beat out your instant BD if they time it perfectly, but they have to guess the exact point at which you’ll do your BD- one frame off, and they’re getting grabbed. As long as you’re unpredictable with your instant BD timings, the odds are very highly in your favor of landing it- just make sure to use EX BD on some characters so that your delayed instant BD doesn’t whiff their pushbox and fail completely.

If they wakeup backdash, you can spot their backdash startup during your activation screen freeze. Punish with a buffered lp SPD. Certain characters with more airborne frames on their backdash (Cammy, Rashid, Birdie, Zangief, etc.) may require different timing, so be aware.

This option is a legitimate 50/50 with continuing your hp SPD loop with another hp SPD. It beats all options that your hp SPD loses to. If you’ve looped them once or twice, consider going for it. Because you crouch block before activating, you also have extra time to react to their lack of quickrise (should they choose to do so) and save your activation for a later occasion, if you want to do so.

Cr mp xx VT2: A solid activation route after your HP SPD loop against 4f chars, and as a meaty after a close lariat. Cr mp is +11 on block, so even on block, you get a solid mixup between an immediate headbutt followup or a slightly delayed SPD/tick SPD. The only issue with this option is that it does not cover wakeup backdash effectively, since your opponent will be air reset on hit. Note that you can combo cr mp xx VT2 into microwalk st lk xx lariat, which will get you a close lariat that is +28 on br instead of the usual +29 from cr mp -> st lk xx lariat. This allows you to land a dash up -> buffered meaty hp SPD. This alone is a solid mixup and a decent reason to pick this route.

St mk xx VT2 aka Wang_Gor’s patented combo: Zangief’s only ranged poke with good VT2 activation conversions at range. At all ranges, against non-extended hurtboxes (meaning not as a whiff punish), you can link a lp SPD on hit for 266 dmg/310 stun. On block, you still get your standard VT2 mixups. This is best used as an empty cancel. Considering that VT1 has no activation combos from medium normals without counterhit, this combo alone solidifies VT2 as the easier to activate trigger, even in neutral. Shoutouts to Wang_Gor for pointing this out to me. Keep in mind that you are +11 on block, so you can mix them up even at range with a microwalk lp SPD or an immediate dash forward (see the end of the cr hk xx VT2 section above) as well as up close with an immediate headbutt or tick SPD.

Cr hp xx VT2: Good for activation combos if you land a point-blank jump-in. Solid as a punish if you neutral jump over command grab attempts after a landing air headbutt.

Fully Charged St Hp xx VT2: Puts your opponent in a free juggle state, which interestingly enough, allows for a juggle into EX BD for 361 dmg/410 stun. You can also combo into a knee hammer or st hk reset at closer ranges if you want to avoid scaling your VT2 SPD’s damage. Going for the fully charged st hp can be very risky, as it is easily whiff punishable and gets stuffed by many moves, but it can be a good option in specific scenarios due to st hp’s armor: as an anti air of sorts, as a hard read on certain advancing moves (Blanka balls, Balrog dash straights, etc.), or as an anti-fireball at midrange. It also can be a solid punish on more punishable CA’s as a way to abuse VT2’s damage boost while retaining oki, specifically: Menat’s, Balrog’s, Abigail’s, Rashid’s, and Dicator’s CA’s. Although the EX BD is heavily scaled, the damage is still solid due to the fact that it does not receive the inherent scaling that the special cancelled version gets, and Gief gets full oki off of it. The charged st hp also easily single hit confirms into a VT2 cancel, as it has a 22f cancel window (19f hitstop + 3f extra cancellable frames). 

Flex Punch xx VT2: Combos into lp SPD at all ranges against non-extended hurtboxes. You can combo into headbutt at point blank for a combo, or knee hammer for some close-up plus frames. Flex Punch xx VT2 -> lp SPD does 246 dmg/310 stun, which is a 194 damage improvement over raw flex punch, so it’s not a terrible option. I liken it to flex punch xx VT1 in terms of reward.

Cr mk xx VT2: Good during pressure, as it combos at all ranges into lp SPD, but there’s a catch. In order to land the SPD at max range, you need to perform a microwalk SPD. The easiest way to do this is to buffer a 8741236 motion during the VT2 screen freeze, then delay your punch input until you’ve walked for a few frames. You have at worst a 4f microwalk window against standing chars, which makes the combo consistently doable by anyone. Against max-ranged standing opponents though, the microwalk must be exactly 8 frames long, making it a 1f link. Luckily this generally won’t happen unless the cr mk is a counterhit, which will at least give you 2 more frames to land the SPD followup.

Cr lp xx VT2: Notable due to its role in Gief’s light confirm activation routes. Although that combo, cr lk -> cr lp xx VT2 -> cr lp xx lp SPD, has some of the worst scaling and damage output of all VT2 combos, it’s still quite useful. To be specific, it does 230 dmg/325 stun. This may not be a lot, but it’s still an improvement of 84 damage over his standard light confirm, so it’s a decent route if you want to get your VT2 over with in the hopes of building another one. The lack of oki isn’t really a big deal here outside the corner, since your standard light confirm doesn’t give you midscreen oki anyway. Note that this combo does not work after a hp SPD on Kolin and Ed if they wake up with backdash. You can go for raw cr lp xx VT2 as part of SPD oki for a slightly more damaging combo on hit (cr lp xx VT2 -> cr lp xx mp SPD for 242 dmg) at the price of it not being confirmable, and being +4 on block (meaning an immediate followup SPD will whiff).

CC st hp xx VT2: Landing this in neutral gives you access to jump-in combos as well as a guaranteed lk rbg at any range, no matter how long you delay your cancel. After a fully charged cc st hp xx VT2, you can always land a hk rbg. I personally prefer the RBG for the insane corner carry and lack of combo scaling, but going for a jump-in combo can be good if you need max damage, want to confirm CA, or want to end your combo in knee hammer for the close-up +3 mixup. You also get access to a side switch combo at point blank, which can be very useful if you block a DP in the corner.

If you go for the jump in combo, you have access to several options, but I personally recommend ending your combo in a knee hammer. By leaving yourself close-up and +3, you put yourself in a very good situation. Here, you can go for an SPD, a light confirm, or a cr mp confirm. Even if they block the cr mp, you can still catch their backdash afterwards with a st hk or an instant EX BD, which makes this an extremely strong mixup.

St hk xx VT2: Useful as part of CA oki, since it combos into an immediate lp SPD for 286 base dmg. This essentially nullifies wakeup frame 1 armor after CA from Birdie, Abigail, and Gief, since both meaty SPD and st hk xx VT2 beat it. Here is an example: https://youtu.be/T4iSCr7LoUw

CC st hk xx VT2: At absolute max range, cc st hk only combos into itself. By cancelling into VT2, you can dash forward and get a cr mp air reset at any range, which gives you a great mixup. You’re +12 after the reset for a meaty headbutt. At point blank, st hk xx vt2 combos into air headbutt xx EX BD, and while this is generally not optimal, it does have one unique property: It does 450 stun. On 950 stun characters, doing this after a hp SPD to catch a backdash or delayed tech will leave them at 700 stun, which means that if they guess wrong on the next SPD 50/50, they will get stunned. You can also do this after an EX SPD on 1000 stun characters. Do not punish DP’s with this, as it does much less damage and slightly less stun than VT2 activation -> cc st hk -> EX BD.

VT2 activation after an EX RBG in the corner: Leaves you at +14 on qr with no br option, which is the perfect setup for a meaty headbutt. This means that on hit, you can link headbutt -> cr mk xx mp SPD, and on counterhit, you can link headbutt -> headbutt -> lp SPD. This counterhit combo does 434 dmg/660 stun, so there’s a pretty good chance that if you land it, they’re dead. You can also end the combo in st lk xx mp SPD for slightly more damage and stun, but should you actually land the stun, the added scaling layer will mean your followup combo will do less damage, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

DP Punishes

After blocking a dp with VT2 available, you generally have 2 options. You either do a standard dp punish (cc st hp -> hp SPD) and save the VT2 activation for your next mixup (usually either a cr mp xx VT2 or a delayed VT2) or you activate VT2 and then punish accordingly. If your opponent is about halfway to stun or more, do a max stun output punish; if they aren’t, do a punish that grants oki so you can keep the ball rolling. Note that none of the damage values listed in the following combos take guts scaling into account. In almost all cases, it is optimal to activate VT2 before you begin your punish.

For comparison, the three non-VT non-CA dp punishes are:

Uncharged cc st hp -> hp SPD (320 dmg/280 stun) Standard punish

Fully charged cc st hp -> dash -> hp SPD (363 dmg/440 stun) Heavy punish, optimal V meter gain

Air headbutt -> headbutt -> st lk xx lariat (357 dmg/616 stun) Heavy punish, optimal stun, do microwalk st lk for 21 extra dmg and okizeme

There are 3 main categories of optimal VT2 dp punishes and they are as follows:

Category 1: -36 on block or less

VT1 Akuma, Blanka, Chun-Li, Ed, Falke, Guile, Ibuki, Juri, VT2 Sakura, Urien, Zeku

Against these characters, you can’t get a fully charged st hp cc -> hp SPD, so using VT2 nets you a lot of extra damage and stun. 

Oki punish: cc st hk -> EX BD (394 dmg/460 stun)

Stun punish: ch headbutt -> cr mk xx mp SPD (430 dmg/570 stun)

Doing cc st hp -> headbutt -> cr mp xx lp SPD here nets you 4 extra damage and 20 extra stun. However, this is generally not recommended unless you’re absolutely certain you need that 20 extra stun to achieve stun. You already have VT2 ready so you don’t need the v meter gain from the cc, and the 20% extra scaling means that if it does stun, your post-stun punish will do much less damage. For reference: ch headbutt -> cr mk xx mp SPD (stun) -> air headbutt -> headbutt -> st lk -> lariat does 629 dmg, while cc st hp -> headbutt -> cr mp xx lp SPD (stun) -> air headbutt -> headbutt -> st lk -> lariat does 563 dmg. 

Chun-Li is unique in that her -16 on block ex sbk cannot be punished by VT2 activation -> ch headbutt. Your best punish route is generally reversal activation -> st hk -> ex BD, which is very difficult, but doable. If you really need to stun her, you can do an activation combo (ch st hp -> cr hp xx VT2 -> headbutt -> cr mp xx lp SPD for 382 dmg/530 stun), but be warned that the heavy scaling afterwards will make your post-stun punish very weak unless you have ca available. The corner carry you can get from the stun may make it worthwhile anyway. I personally recommend punishing with dash x4 -> lk rbg for near-guaranteed cornering.

Category 2: -37 on block to -41

Includes Cammy, Ryu, Necalli, Rashid, Sagat, and Karin

Note that Necalli and Sagat will only be -38 if you crouch block their ex dp. These characters will give you enough time to land a fully charged cc st hp, but not a VT2 activation -> fully charged cc st hp. However, landing this fully charged cc st hp is extremely difficult, so you may want to use your VT2 to punish anyway if you’re not confident in your timing. This is especially important for Cammy, as her ex csp leaves her out of range for uncharged cc st hp -> hp SPD, so using VT2 and a bar on her for an oki punish is not a terrible idea. EX cannon spike has very little blockstun and thus it is hard to successfully react after blocking it and input your st hp in time for the full charge.

Against all but Cammy, midscreen, you can do reversal VT2 activation -> immediate uncharged cc st hp for an aerial connect, and then land ex air SPD for 408 dmg/460 stun, a slight optimization over cc st hk -> ex air SPD.

Against Cammy, in the corner, you can do reversal VT2 activation -> cc st hk -> air headbutt xx EX BD for 415 dmg/550 stun. This is another slight optimization of damage and stun but should not be done if you know it will stun due to the heavier post-stun scaling and meter usage.

Against Karin, you can do reversal VT2 activation -> air headbutt xx EX BD. This is optimal VT2 usage. Your best alternative is just to not use VT2 and get a fully charged st hp punish.

Kage technically belongs in this list (-41 on block ex dp) but due to the two-part nature of his EX dp, he fits better in the next section.

Category 3: They’re probably dead (-41 on block to -45)

Includes Akuma, Kage, Ken, and Sakura

Oki punish 1: Ch air headbutt xx EX BD (416 dmg/510 stun) 

Oki punish 2: Microwalk back -> cc st hk -> air headbutt xx EX BD(415 dmg/550 stun)

Stun punish: Ch air headbutt -> headbutt -> cr mp xx lp SPD (507 dmg/710 stun)*

Activate VT2 between the first and second parts of the dp.

Of the oki punishes, the second is a bit more difficult to execute, but slightly more optimal in terms of stun.

Sakura’s EX dp has too much pushback for the second oki punish to work. Also, hers is a true blockstring, so activate VT2 immediately after blockstun ends.

Kage, at -41 on block, cannot actually be punished by the latter combo. Due to scaling, your optimal stun combo against him is actually just ch air headbutt -> ex air SPD. Unlike Karin’s -41 on block dp, however, you can activate VT2 between the two parts of his, making punishes on him much more powerful.

VT1 Ken’s EX DP is only -41 on block so treat it like Kage’s EX DP.

For Akuma and Kage, you have enough time after activating VT2 in between the hits of the DP to still land a CC st hk or a headbutt. If they are close to stun, it’s worth sacrificing immediate damage for this. For Ken, you only have enough time after the VT2 activation to land an immediate SPD. This can be a good use of EX SPD for the extra stun.

*There’s one issue with the stun punish here: Against Kage, Akuma, and Ken, you actually can interrupt their EX DP between the two portions of the move… and if you don’t, they will lose a decent chunk of stun as they are recovering from the second part. Kage and Akuma both have larger punish windows (roughly 18f windows) during this in-between phase, while Ken’s is much smaller (about 11f). Ken also recovers less of his stun during the second part than Kage and Akuma do. Thus, if Kage and Akuma are close to stun but not death, I recommend activating VT2 and then IMMEDIATELY going for headbutt -> cr mk xx mp SPD. This will do the most stun of all options. For Ken, it’s a toss-up. If you really think he’s close enough to stun, VT2 activation -> EX SPD is your best bet. Otherwise, you should probably forgo using VT2 and just land a fully charged st hp -> dash -> hp SPD.

Matchups Where VT2 Is Useful

Zangief (mirror match) – Low risk, anti-flex

  • Gief’s flex nullifies meaty VT1, making it hard to activate it against him
  • Going in on Gief can be risky thanks to his numerous defensive options
    • VT2’s lack of oki is thus not as big of an issue as in other matchups
  • Cr mp xx VT2 after hp SPD oki blows up wakeup buttons/EX SPD/flex/pre-emptive V-Reversal
  • Extra V-Reversal is useful to keep Gief off of you and punish blocked VT1’s
  • Cementing a lead and playing keepaway is very effective in the mirror
  • VT2 cancel lets Gief use charged st hp without fear of flex

Kolin – OS effectiveness, VT1 problems

  • Kolin’s V-Reversal allows her to get big punishes against blocked VT1, making it hard to activate against her
  • Kolin’s great whiff punishes make throwing out st hp in neutral for the purpose of activating VT1 somewhat risky. St mk xx VT2 is much less easy to whiff punish
  • VT2 makes beating double jump via st lp (whiff because she double jumped) -> EX BD a much scarier option
  • Cr hk xx VT2 is effective on hit since her wakeup EX Frost Touches are ineffective (threat of empty jump throw/low/high, as well as jump in normal) and wakeup EX Steps lose to empty jump throw

R. Mika – Defensive options, anti-approach

  • V-Reversal is very useful in this matchup
    • One of the few quick enough to punish Lady Mika
  • Throw invincible, 350 dmg EX SPD is good on defense
    • Makes Mika’s powerful throws more risky
  • Charged st hp and flex are useful against dropkick
    • Former gets you an activation combo into EX BD
    • Latter gets you 350 dmg if you have VT2 activated already
  • Getting an early lead is effective
    • Gief can wall out Mika well, he has bigger normals
    • Mika can’t chip away at Gief, has to go in

Dictator – Lame play, defensive options

  • Dictator can play a defensive neutral style in this matchup much better than an offensive one
    • Having to move forward means he’s sacrificing charge
    • Approaching via scissor kicks/head stomp/psycho axe is risky due to flex
    • For Gief, getting an early life lead is important
  • V-Reversal is crucial in this matchup
    • Blows up some options that flex cannot (meaty Axe, VT1 pressure)
    • Can be done reactively rather than predictively, allowing Gief to avoid getting dashed in on and thrown
    • Defuses his VT2 charge
  • Delayed Activation OS murders his VT1 wakeup EX Stomp
    • You can air headbutt xx EX BD it for insane damage/stun
  • Powerful, throw-invuln VT2 EX SPD makes his VT2 command grab riskier
  • Unique, airborne, -40 on block CA
    • Punish options include: 
      • VT2 activation -> HP BD
      • Charged st hp xx VT2 -> EX BD for the extra stun

Karin – Ease of activation, DP punishes

  • Karin’s great whiff punishes and excellent neutral make activating VT1 via heavy buttons difficult
    • St mk xx VT2 is a better alternative
  • Has an EX DP so delayed activation is useful
    • Extra punishable EX DP, -41 on block for big dmg VT2 punishes
    • Least blockstun/blockstop of all EX DP’s, so hard to react and punish properly without the OS

Alex – Anti-parry, lame play

  • Good to get a life lead early, since Alex’s approaches are weak to flex
    • Namely, stomp and elbow
    • Force him to approach and wall him out with st mp
  • Delayed activation OS (and activation in general) makes his parry less effective

Cammy – DP punishes, V-Reversals

  • Cammy’s EX DP is -38 on block but reacting with fully charged st hp is nearly impossible
    • Much easier to do by OS’ing the st hp during a delayed activation OS, similar to Karin
  • V-Reversals are all but necessary against her relentless pressure, especially VT1 divekicks
  • Cammy has good whiff punishes, so st hp xx VT1 is risky in the matchup
    • St mk xx VT2 is a better alternative

Blanka – Anti-approach, activation setups

  • Flexing allows for EX BD punishes on blanka ball
    • Much more effective in VT2 due to damage boost
  • Charged st hp can beat rainbow ball
    • More effective with a VT2 cancel available
  • VT2 EX Upball can only be punished via st hk
    • No need to sacrifice damage for oki on your punish here
    • Can active VT2 after blocking and still land the cc st hk
  • Blanka has no 3f normal and does have an invincible reversal
    • Prone to cr mp xx VT2 and delayed activation OS
  • V-Reversal useful against his VT2 pressure

Necalli – Walling, defense

  • Necalli has stubby normals but good whiff punishes in VT
    • St mk outranges all his buttons and is less whiff punishable than st hp
      • St mk xx VT2 > st hp xx VT1
  • Throw invuln, 350 dmg EX SPD good for beating shimmies and command grabs

Boxer – Lame play, defense

  • Boxer does best in this matchup by playing lame
    • Approach options all lose hard to flex
    • Getting an early lead via big VT2 damage forces him to approach
  • Much of his VT1 pressure is susceptible to V-Reversals
  • VT2 EX SPD make his own VT2 command grab, B3, a riskier option
  • CA punishable via fully charged st hp xx VT2 -> EX BD

Kage – Walling, DP punishes

  • Stubby normals but good whiff punishes
    • St mk xx VT2 is better in the matchup than st hp xx VT1
  • EX DP insanely punishable, especially due to delayed activation OS
  • CA punishable via fully charged st hp xx VT2 -> EX BD

Anti V-Reversal OS

This is most useful either as a meaty after a close lariat, after a cr lp xx VT2 (works against all chars except Cammy, Cody, Ed, and Kolin) or as a followup to a knee hammer. It requires you to already have VT2 active, have enough frame advantage to attempt a cr mp, and not be at max cr mp range.

This OS beats 3 options: Immediate jumps (and backdashes in some cases), block -> 3f normal, and block -> immediate V-Reversal.

To perform it, input cr mp, and then input an lp/mp SPD (depending on range) at the earliest timing that will cause the SPD to link after the cr mp. In other words, buffer the SPD to come out immediately after cr mp’s recovery ends. This requires you to finish inputting your SPD about 3-5 frames before cr mp finishes recovering.

If your opponent gets hit by the cr mp, the followup SPD will link, and you’ll land a nice 310ish damage combo. If your opponent blocks the cr mp then either continues blocking or tries to mash their way out, the SPD will frame trap them, and they’ll eat 330 dmg.

Things get interesting when they block and perform an immediate V-Reversal. This is commonly inputted to beat meaty headbutts or push away Gief when at further cr mp ranges. Since V-Reversals stop time for a handful of frames, Gief’s SPD input will actually be received during cr mp’s special cancel window. As a result, Gief will SPD their V-Reversal. This works on all characters except Claw.

Here is a video of this in action: https://youtu.be/FqV-K7POH50

Keep in mind that delayed V-Reversals will beat this OS.

Other Notable Combos

  • St lk xx lp SPD is a solid empty cancel in neutral. It won’t whiff punish at range, but it can work close up, similar to st lk xx lariat. This is still a far step down from the terror that is cr lp xx VT1
  • Cr mp -> st lk xx lp SPD is a decent ender after a jump-in with jump mk, or as a confirm option after a knee hammer
  • Headbutt -> cr mp xx lp SPD is good as a quickrise meaty conversion off of a close lariat. Avoid headbutt -> st lk xx hp SPD in any VT2 combo, as it always does less damage
  • Headbutt -> lp SPD is useful at further ranges for confirming your VT2 SPD. It’s especially useful after a blocked cr hk xx VT2 if you microwalk forward first. People will often jump here, afraid you’ll SPD them raw.

What I’d Want changed about VT2, from most to least important

  • Give VT2 the enhanced VT1 flex armor. Since VT2 is designed around being at close range, it makes no sense that VT1 gets such a crucial close-range tool while VT2 doesn’t get it. This alone would make VT2 undoubtedly optimal against Cammy, as well as helping against Bison, Kolin, etc.
  • Increase the V Timer by 500f and reduce the cost of whiffed SPD’s by 150f. Gief already generally gets punished hard when he whiffs an SPD, he doesn’t need such a harsh V-Timer penalty to boot
  • EX Combo SPD needs buffs. As is, it’s essentially useless. I’d add 30 dmg to it
  • Raw EX SPD is also lackluster. I’d give it the ability to grab hurtboxes. This would greatly buff VT2 Gief’s whiff/block punish game
  • Increase the range of lp Combo SPD so that it always will combo after a headbutt or st mk xx VT2 hits (not including whiff punishes). Decrease the dmg by 10 to compensate
  • Decrease cr mk pushback on hit so that cr mk xx VT2 -> lp SPD always hits against standing opponents (not including whiff punishes)
  • EX Combo BD was the only SPD variant left behind during the S4 combo SPD dmg buffs. I’d give it an extra 20 dmg to incentivize using activation combos
  • Make cr lp xx VT2 +5 on block/hit. Give Gief better light activation combos
  • Make VT2 BD’s frame 1 and increase the vertical range of VT2 EX BD so that the delayed activation OS would checkmate neutral jumps

I think that, with roughly half of these buffs, VT2 would be on par with VT1.

Conclusion

Zangief’s VT2 is a very risky trigger, but it feels very satisfying when it works. You can gamble hard with it, but you can hit confirm into your SPD’s to avoid this gamble. Doing so wasn’t really a viable option in season 3, which really hurt this trigger’s viability, but the season 4 buff to combo SPD damage helped it out quite a bit. Still, the trigger has five main serious disadvantages which generally make it inferior to VT1: no anti-projectile properties, extremely limited reset potential, vastly inferior whiff punishes, poor meter usage capabilities, and worse okizeme overall. However, its weaknesses make sense in the context of its lower cost and high activation flexibility. In my opinion, it’s a solid alternative to VT1 in any matchup where fireballs are not a factor, although many better Zangief players than me disagree with that statement.