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Street Fighter 6has everything you’d typically expect in a fighting gameregarding its Training Mode.Fortunately, it also has a tremendous amount of much-needed quality-of-life features and a new Frame Meter that pushes it into a league of its own,enabling players to learn about Frame Datain an easy and more meaningful way than ever before.
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Utilizing the Frame Meter to its fullest will help you better grasp your character, allowing you to narrow down the best options at your disposal for almost every situation. However, a lot is going on in the Frame Meter that can be overwhelming for newcomers, but it’s such a crucial tool that we feel it’s a must-learn for everyone that wants to take their skill to the next level.
Frame Meter Overview
Before diving into the thick of things, we must first cover thebasicsof theFrame Meter,as it will give you a much better understanding of the information presented a bit later in the guide.
Theimage above showcases the properties of the Frame Meter,allowing you to ascertain what each color represents and better grasp the pros and cons of every action in the game. Thetable we provided below highlights the most crucial Frame Datayou should focus on first.
Explanation
Counter State🟩
Also known asStartup Frames,Counter State refers tohow many frames it takes before the action connects.If you arehit during this window,it is known as aCounter Hit.
Hitbox Appearance Period🟥
This refers tohow long an action is activeafter the Startup Frames, meaningif anyonemakes contact with the moveduring these frames,they will get hit.
Punish Counter State🟦
Punish Counter State, also known as yourRecovery Frames,refers tohow long it takes you to perform a follow-up actionon your opponent.If this bar is longer than your opponent’s Post-Damage/Recovery Period,you areNegative On Block,meaningyour opponent can Punish youwith a fast enough action.
Post-Damage/Block Recovery Period🟨
Refers tohow long you or your opponent remain in a Block or Hitstun State after getting hit.If thisbar is longer than your opponent’s Punish Counter State, they arePlus On Block,meaning it is still their turn to attack.If it is shorter, you can respond with an actionto take your turn back.
While you should learn what every color stands for in the Frame Meter, the ones provided above will be most beneficial to you. Understanding what your advantage is after specific actions will be crucial to improving your strategy and play.
Now that we understand whatStartup, Hitbox, Punish, and Post-Damage/Recovery Framesare, let’s review a few examples that will hopefully better explain what they are and how you can gain valuable information from the Frame Meter.
Plus On Block Example
Theexample belowis what theFrame Meter will looklike if you are “Plus On Block"after landing an attack on a blocking opponent.Sinceyour Punish Counter State ends five frames before the opponent’s Block Recovery Perioddoes,you are +5 On Block.
This essentially means you can go directly into another action before they can respond,keeping them trapped in what’s called aBlock or Hit Stun State.Ifthey try to press a button here, your action will come out faster than theirs,resulting in aCounter Hitfor you.
🟩🟩🟩🟥🟥🟥🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦+5
⬛️⬛️⬛️🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨[🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨]-5
Negative On Block Example
On the flip side,we have another example wherethe opponent blocking the attack has a three fame shorter Block Recovery Period than the attacker’s Punish Counter State,leaving the attacker-3 On Block,giving theadvantage to their opponent.
This means thatthey can respond with a quick action to hit their opponent during their Recovery Frames,leading to aPunish Counter,which can lead to considerable damage. In this example,a jab would almost always be the best way to respondto this situation.
🟩🟩🟩🟥🟥🟥🟦🟦🟦🟦[🟦🟦🟦]-3
⬛️⬛️⬛️🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨+3
Additional Frame Information
Please note thatall moves have different Frame Data,and that’s before including Overdrive Special Attacks or characters that can apply buffs to themselves, such as Lily and Jamie.
You will need to learn which actions leave you safe and which ones to avoid tossing outto get the most out of your character, butyou should also study up on characters that always seem to get the best of youno matter what you try.
Attack Types And Their Frame Data
In almost every case,your Light Attacks will have the shortest Startup, Active Hitbox, and Recovery Times,with yourMedium Attacks being slightly longer than thatand yourHeavy Attacks being the longestof the bunch.
However, sometimes,your character’s Medium Attack will have Plus Frames, and their Light Attack will be Negative.As isthe case for Chun-Li’s Standing Punch.Again,all characters will have different Frame Data,so you will need to experiment with them to find the best options available for each situation.
Frame Data will change depending on if you land a hit or your opponent blocks the action. So an attack might be Plus On Hit, Negative On Block, and vice versa. You will have to test this for yourself to avoid tossing out unsafe attacks on blocking opponents, thinking it still leaves you with an advantage.
Looking Into Other Characters Frame Data
Looking into other characters' Frame Data will help you better understand when you’re able to interrupt their attacks and when you should blockduring their onslaught. If you notice they have many attacks that leave them Plus On Block, finding ways to deal with them will prove remarkably useful down the road.
Obviously,you don’t have to look into every character’s Frame Data,as that will be tremendously overwhelming and tedious. Still,for the characters like Kimberly, who may seem like they have an impenetrable offense, this will help you find the holesin their game plan.
Furthermore, thecharacters like E. Honda that have Plus On Block advancing movewith his Headbutt,practicing ways to counter it without blocking will prove beneficial,as you won’t automatically default to handing your turn over to them by blocking it.
Use The Frame Meter For Advanced Techniques
Lastly,using the Frame Meter will allow you to learn more advanced tricks,such assetting upFrame Traps,timingMeatyattacks, and much more,enabling you to maximize the tools at your character’s disposal.
Additionally,you can also pull up the Frame Meter in Replaystoanalyze the Frame Data of a specific match to see what went wrong and gain insight on how to fix your errorsand substantially clean up your gameplay.
Some characters will haveArmored Attacksoutside of the Dive Impact,which will be displayed in theFrame Meter,along withInvincible actions such as Reversals.The Frame Meter will help youfind ways to get around all of these or find the most optimal way to use themto keep pressure on your opponent.
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