Hiya!

A new year. A new season for Street Fighter V.

Season 5 isn’t just another new patch. They’re now calling it Champion Edition and it could potentially be the final one we get for Capcom’s flagship fighting game and they made this update a rather big one. For those who have been holding out from getting the game, you can get the game at a discounted price with all of the new characters, costumes and stages for free while you pity the loyal fans like me who scrounged for Fight Money and actual real cash to buy them as DLC. No, I am not upset. I am not upset. I am… not… upset. Okay, I took my deep breaths so I’m okay now.

Capcom did also decide to give loyal fans something new this season. Each and every person of the roster is getting a new V-Skill with Champion Edition. This is something I’ve been wanting for a while so I was super excited to see what they were going to be like. I have tried all of them out and even viewed the demonstrations just to see what they can do. Obviously, some of them are good and some of them, well, are pretty terrible.

Only time will tell where the new V-Skills will fall in what category. I can, however, give my personal opinion on how things stand right at this very moment. I do have two criteria that influenced my choices. First, the new V-Skill has to generally fit into the character’s playstyle, which is why R. Mika’s Pumped Up! isn’t included (it’s too passive for a rushdown character like her). Second, the new V-Skill has to be more functional than the old one, which is why Laura’s Volty Sprink didn’t make the cut. It’s good but you lose the explosive dash pressure from her V-Skill 1.

So, anyway, here are the five best new V-Skills that were added in Street Fighter V in Champion Edition!

#5 Dhalsim’s Yoga Deep Breath

It’s the only “install” V-Skill on the list but it’s a doozy.

When Dhalsim uses the Yoga Deep Breath, it powers up his next Yoga Fire projectile attack. It seems pretty boring but what does make it stand out is that the Yoga Fire now bounces instead of just dissipating when it hits the floor. The powered up Yoga Fire will also track the opponent, meaning you can intentionally throw it over your opponent and it will bounce backwards!

The EX version of the powered up Yoga Fire will also do more hits and damage, enabling Dhalsim to actually do a longer and more damaging combo if spaced properly. Another neat thing about the Yoga Deep Breath is that you can activate it in the air. This can be a cute way to avoid landing on a projectile.

Dhalsim’s V-Skill 2 is not without its weakness, though. Since it’s an “install” move, you can’t use it in the middle of combos. Using the V-Skill also doesn’t give Dhalsim any V-Gauge. It’ll only fill up if the powered up Yoga Fire hits the opponent.

#4 Zangief’s Super Russian Kick

Sweet Chin Music!

What Capcom basically did with Zangief’s new V-Skill was combine a couple of things from Street Fighter IV: his old standing hard kick with the Focus Attack. Zangief will perform a side kick to the opponent and, while this may not look like much, the move has a lot of reach, giving the Russian wrestler a tool to hit opponents from a distance. The V-Skill also has 1 hit of armor so you can’t just be hit out of it.

What makes the Super Russian Kick stand out is a couple of things. You can hold down the button to charge it up and, when fully charged, it’ll cause a wall bounce on hit and guard crush on block. Either way, you can tack on a good combo afterwards. You can also cancel the charge by dashing in either direction, giving him some movement options.

There are some problems with it, though. Connecting with it doesn’t lead to any combos without activating V-Skill as the recovery of the Super Russian Kick is too slow. You’re also rather vulnerable to light attacks if it’s blocked and the kick is not spaced properly. I do think it’s a little better than Zangief’s old V-Skill because it can help him cover more ground. I would’ve wanted his Green Hand but this is okay.

#3 M. Bison’s Hell’s Warp

Did Capcom just give M. Bison a way to punish full screen attacks that is almost abusable? That’s not fair!

M. Bison’s Hell’s Warp has the dictator teleporting behind his opponent and striking him or her with a big knee kick that will knock the opponent down. He can also juggle the opponent in the air after the hit. Additionally, you can actually combo into it if you catch your opponent in the air with something like his EX Psycho Blast or even EX Psycho Inferno, leading to even more damage!

I can see Hell’s Warp going to be a nightmare when online. It’s great for countering foes chucking plasma at a distance or attempting to use a V-Skill install. A well timed V-Skill 2 will get Bison out of the corner since the move switches sides. What makes it worse is that you can’t punish Bison if you successfully block it!

It’s not perfect, though. The startup is actually really bad. Bison can still get hit or thrown during the initial teleport animation. There’s also a window of opportunity to hit Bison after he teleports behind the opponent and before he does the knee strike. Basically, if you’re going to do this, you can’t telegraph that you’re actually doing it because Bison can eat a huge punish if the knee doesn’t come out.

#2 Rashid’s Wing Stroke

So, Capcom just gave Rashid a new way to move around the screen? Great. Juuuuuust great.

Rashid already had a phenomenal V-Skill 1 as it allowed him to move forward after throwing his Whirlwind Shot to continue the pressure. His new one, Wing Stroke does this as well but adds more mind games to deal with. Wing Stroke has Rashid performing a wall jump. This can be done both on the ground and jumping. This may not sound like a big deal, but it’s the application of the move that makes it frightening.

After Rashid hops from the wall, he can do several things. He can perform a regular jumping attack, a forward Eagle Spike or his downward Eagle Spike. This means that a Rashid player can do the V-Skill II and his opponent is supposed to guess between those options to best counter it. Rashid was already a character that did this but Capcom, in their infinite wisdom wanted to give him more!

Of course, the biggest weakness is that Rashid loses his Rolling Assault, which allows him to control the ground pressure. Even so, I can definitely see Rashid mains mixing between the two V-Skills to mix up the opponent into guessing much more than necessary.

#1 Guile’s Dive Sonic

Okay, this move is seriously ridiculously great for Guile for so many reasons.

Guile’s V-Skill 2 is the Dive Sonic. This has the family man jumping forward and then tosses a downward angled Sonic Boom. This move is extremely good for so many reasons! For one, it allows Guile to jump over projectiles while covering his approach with a projectile of his own! It also is super plus if it connects. It acts like a jumping attack and Guile can actually combo from the downward projectile. You can also activate the V-Skill from some of his regular attack, allowing him to use the Dive Sonic as part of the combo.

Ultimately, the best thing about Dive Sonic is it allows Guile to move forward while holding a charge. This was one of his biggest weaknesses and his V-Skill 2 allows him to finally get away with this! It takes around a couple of V-Skill 2 moves to cover the length of the screen as well, making this a fine way to cover ground quickly and safely.

As good as Guile’s Dive Sonic is, it has some big weaknesses. It only does minuscule damage. If it’s done too close, some characters can actually crouch to avoid the projectile and anti-air Guile. Of course, characters with attacks that goes through projectiles can also easily counter this move. Even so, this is a really good V-Skill 2 thanks to it giving Guile to move forward with a charge.

BONUS: Vega’s Matador Flip and Cosmic Smart

I’m putting this in because, well, I main Vega and I believe Capcom gave the narcissistic ninja a good V-Skill. At least it’s much better than is old one in some particular situations anyway.

When I first tried it out, I wasn’t impressed with the Matador Flip and Cosmic Smart V-Skill combo. On paper, it looks bad. Capcom basically gave him another backflip! It moves him back so you can’t use this to avoid projectiles like his old V-Skill. Vega loses his target combo since the Cosmic Smart isn’t fast enough to link into. The Cosmic Smart is also punishable since it’s negative on block. Also, doing the kick seems ill-advised most of the time. However, as I tried out more stuff, I grew to like it much more than his old V-Skill for multiple reasons.

The Matador Flip seems to be completely invincible to attacks and throws and it’s invincible for the duration of the backflip! The Cosmic Smart can actually be spaced so it’s safe even if it’s negative on block. If the kick does connect, Vega can combo into a few moves. The most reliable ones would be his crouching heavy kick, his V-Triggers and his Critical Art. I still think Capcom should have made Vega’s V-Skill 2 his old Scarlett Terror kick but this is fine. At least it’s better than his old V-Skill in a lot of ways.

Byee!

What is the best new V-Skill in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition in your opinion? Let me know in the comments section below!