Street Fighter 6 has been out for a while and I’ve been having a blast playing it. Capcom really did a good job redeeming themselves from the atrocious beginnings of Street Fighter V as the latest entry really feels like a premium fighting game package. However, like with every new fighting game, there are going to be some growing pangs for players who are getting used to the added mechanics and tactics.

Street Fighter 6 is no different as there are some players who are asking Capcom to start nerfing particular attacks as early as now. But, while they do seem “cheap,” there are already some really good ways to beat them. While I’m not a pro player so take these pieces of advice with a grain of salt, I’ve figured out means to defeat these “cheap” tactics and, honestly, some of them are very simple with some practice. So, here are three common “cheap tactics in Street Fighter 6 and how to beat them.

Complaint: Drive Impact is too strong

Let’s start with the most general game mechanic everyone in Street Fighter 6 has and the one that’s causing a lot of newbies to pull the head out of their hair. Drive Impact is a common move in the game wherein you have your character unleash a powerful horizontal strike. If it hits or is blocked, it’ll send the opponent flying towards the corner. If the opponent hits the corner after getting hit by Drive Impact, regardless if it’s blocked or not, he or she will be stunned long enough for you to rush in with a combo. It gets even worse if the Drive Impact hits as a Punish Counter, as it will do massive damage and stun the opponent for, you guessed it, another combo. And it can be so easy to get a Punish Counter with Drive Impact as it has two hits of armor and it’ll still keep on trucking!

So, Drive Impact is virutally unstoppable, right? Well, hold your horses as, while it’s good, it definitely has it’s weaknesses. For one, you can use quick, multi-hitting moves like E. Honda’s Hundred Hand Slap or even Jamie’s standing heavy punch to break through all the Drive Impact’s armor. It also can be countered with throws so someone can simply use your normal throw to snatch the enemy out of the Drive Impact animation. A well timed super will also break through the Drive Impact’s armor with very little hassle.

However, the best counter to an opponent’s Drive Impact is to do one of your own. Drive Impact takes around half a second for it to come out. And, without tooting my own horn, that’s still very reactable, even for me who has old man reflexes. The thing is you have to be looking out for it, though.

The problem most beginners have is they keep on pushing buttons and, if the opponent uses Drive Impact while this is happening, they most probably won’t be able to recover fast enough as the animation for the button press is still coming out. However, Drive Impacts are special cancellable so, as long as you’ve been mashing a normal and you see a Drive Impact coming, you can cancel that normal into Drive Impact to counter the incoming hit. I know it seems impossible to react to it but, honestly, it’s not that hard. It does take a bit of practice to get used to, though.

Complaint: Modern Controls Zangief is too powerful

Street Fighter 6 is the most newbie version of Street Fighter ever thanks to the inclusion of Modern Controls. It’s a simplified control scheme where you don’t have to do complex motions, like quarter-circle forward with a punch to throw a fireball or a weird “Z” motion with a punch to execute a Dragon Punch. No, all you have to do now is just hold down a direction and the dedicated Special button to do most of that.

This also goes for probably the most difficult special motion to execute, the standing 360-degree direction with a punch to unleash Zangief’s Spinning Pile Driver. The funny thing is that Capcom mapped it so all Modern Control Zangief players have to do now is just press the Special button! Additionally, Zangief’s Level 3/Critical Art is now just done with down with the heavy attack and Special button together. The idea of Zangief being able to do one of the most damaging moves with one single buton press is frightening. Even some pro players have taken issue with it!

Now, the good news is there are a few noteworthing things to mention about Zangief using the Spinning Pile Driver in Modern Controls. The range of the grab is the same as the Classic Controls Heavy grab so it’s not that far when compared to the light version. Modern Controls also get mandatory 80% damage scaling so it won’t do as much damage as the Classic Controls versions. However, the bad news is Zangief can still use the Classic Controls version of the Spinning Pile Driver with Modern Controls! What this means is, even in Modern Controls, the Zangief player can still do a 360 motion with the light punch to get the same range of the Classic Controls version without the damage scaling.

However, I still don’t really see the big issue here as all you generally have to do is play against Zangief as you would normally do! Zangief’s gameplan is still the same, which is try to get in to connect with the Spinning Pile Driver but try to use his long range pokes to get some additional damage in. It doesn’t matter if it’s Classic Controls or Modern Controls. The strategy against Zangief is still going to be the same. So, the best advice against facing off against a Zangief using Modern Controls is fight him the same way you would any other Zangief.

Complaint: Blanka’s Rolling Attack and E. Honda’s Sumo Headbutt is not easily punishable

Although I’m thrilled to see Blanka and E. Honda returning in Street Fighter 6, I know a lot of players who have faced off against them aren’t. This is because they have a special move each that can easily be abused, especially for newbies. These attacks would be Blanka’s Rolling Attack and E. Honda’s Sumo Headbutt. What makes them “cheap” special moves is because they can be spammed and, when blocked, you can’t do anything against them. Blanka will harmlessly bounce backwards and he’ll recover fast enough to block any incoming reversal attempts when the opponent blocks the move. E. Honda’s Sumo Headbutt will push the opponent far enough so that most normals won’t be able to reach and, like Blanka, he’ll recover enough to block incoming reversal attacks.

Sadly, there are no real easy answers to either of these moves. The simplest way to overcome these moves are to either block or Drive Parry them. Yes, these aren’t sexy answers but all you have to do is block the first one and then try to do something to bring everything back to neutral. Don’t allow the Blanka or E. Honda player to start spamming the move.

If you’re dead set on punishing the Rolling Attack or the Sumo Headbutt, however, well, there is another option for you. One thing you have to know about both these special moves is that they’re noted as airborne attacks. This means you cannot sweep or throw them while their doing their animation. But this also means that most anti-air special attacks, like Guile’s Flash Kick, Luke’s Rising Uppercut and Chun-Li’s Tensho Kyaku, will stuff them clean. It does take some timing and some good reflexes. But, if they’re getting too trigger happy with these moves, it just makes them more predictable, making it easier for you to react to them.

What other “cheap” tactics are in Street Fighter 6 and what are your solutions to them? Let me know in the comments section below!