Probably the most anticipated patch in fighting games right now, Capcom’s flagship fighting game Street Fighter 6 has been on the same patch for a good while now. While there were some minor changes during the Ed patch for the most part the game has remained relatively the same since its release in June of last year. That’s all about to change with the Season 2 balance update that will be arriving alongside the last DLC character of Season 1 Akuma, and we’ve just been shown a sneak preview of what that balance patch will entail.
As shown in the trailer, every character will see changes come Season 2. Whether these be big changes or small changes varies (the change to Ed, in case you missed it, is that his crouching light punch is no longer -5 on block) but every character will be changed. The trailer mostly shows off the highlights of what these characters can now do, so it only shows off their buffs. This might be worrying for the majority of the playerbase who watch this video and see Luke and Guile with new tools, especially Guile getting a midscreen wallsplat, but keep in mind they aren’t going to be showing off nerfs in a video meant to drum up hype so hopefully Luke, Deejay, and Blanka are getting gutted.
Another universal change that many will appreciate is the rumored wakeup Drive Reversal. Drive Reversal in Season 1 is usually seen as a very niche answer, if it’s an answer to anything at all. At -8 on block you’re basically gambling your life trying to Drive Reversal, but with the new changes Drive Reversal is safer on block and can now be done on wakeup to beat meaty throws and buttons, a very welcome change especially to characters like Dhalsim and Manon who had no defensive options in the corner.
Overall, these are just a preview of the full changes we’ll see in Season 2, hopefully some nerfs will accompany these buffs but hopefully the game is changed overall. Season 1 has arguably outstayed its welcome, and a universal change on this scale is very welcome to shake things up. Look forward to Season 2 as well as the release of Akuma for Street Fighter 6 soon on May 22nd, 2024.