Welcome to episode 2 of Jett Vs., a series of blog posts where I post one of my Super Street Fighter IV match videos and analyze it for your viewing and reading pleasure.
This episode features my Rufus against an Italian player’s Dhalsim. Dhalsim can be frustrating to fight against because of his ability to keep opponents away, but I was able to capitalize on some critical mistakes to squeak out a win.
About Rufus vs. Dhalsim
According to iPLAYWINNER’s tier list, they list the match at 6-4 in favour of Rufus. What that means is, if Rufus and Dhalsim were to face off against each other for 10 matches, Rufus would win 6 and Dhalsim would win 4. Why would Rufus be given the advantage? I don’t know enough about the match-up (as you’ll see in the video), but I suspect that Rufus has the edge because Dhalsim can have a hard time keeping Rufus out. In particular, the EX Messiah Kick and dive kick are moves that can go a long way to break through Dhalsim’s defense.
The Match
This match was really ugly. I could tell that my opponent wasn’t quite sure how to handle Rufus and I knew that I didn’t know how to handle Dhalsim. It also didn’t help my cause that I failed to maximize my damage output because I couldn’t execute my combos when the opportunities arose. Part of that was because my execution with Rufus is still a work in progress, and part of it was because I wasn’t even in the mental state to think about combos. I was way too concerned with trying to get inside. Rookie mistakes, I know.
While I think his Dhalsim was better than my Rufus (as proven by pummeling me with limbs for the majority of the match), I was able to recognize a pattern in his offense and exploit it throughout. My opponent was relying heavily on the Yoga Teleport to get inside when he wanted to and hit me. However, instead of mixing up his teleports so that I had to guess which side he would appear, he would teleport behind me every single time. I was able to hit him with an EX Messiah Kick and EX Snake Strike on two separate occasions because I caught on.
The most critical mistake he made though was attempting to teleport behind me when I had my Revenge meter charged up. What my opponent failed to realize was that if he’s in the air, and I execute Rufus’ Big Bang Typhoon, he’s going to eat it every single time. I was able to counter his teleports with an ultra combo three times, which directly led to two out of my three wins against him. If you watch carefully, I’m actually waiting across the screen the moment I have my ultra charged up to bait him into teleporting.
Say what you will about skill or technique, but a player’s ability to adjust to their opponent’s tactics is just as critical to coming out on top. I was able to adjust enough to win this time. Hopefully, next time he plays a Rufus, he’ll have learned his lesson.
In Third Person 
