Next up on VesperArcade’s analysis of Street Fighter V’s upcoming April balance changes is Balrog; in Season 2, the Dirty Bull was given many more ways to break through his opponent’s guard and mix them up for a world of pain. With an extra 25 health, crouching medium kick hitting low in exchange for reduced range, standing heavy punch becoming a Crush Counter, throw invincibility on the first 9 Levels of Turn Punch, and several normals gaining more block and hit advantage, Balrog has become quite the force to be reckoned with in SFV’s sophomoric season.
Though some players may currently call him a “robbery character,” due to his high damage output and the powerful comeback potential of his V-Trigger Crazy Rush, it seems the boxer was mostly spared the rod, as the only change he will be receiving will be his health getting reduced back to 1,000. Vesper proceeded to give his thoughts on the matter:
Balrog has some of the highest comeback potential of any character in the game right now. This is definitely mostly due to his V-Trigger. Your health could be gone in just a second. To have Balrog in such a healthy condition with his V-Trigger up seemed pretty overkill I would say. I’m sure not even Balrog players were expecting a health buff in Season 2, and even though Balrog lacks some defensive options, it looks like Capcom only wants grappler characters to have over 1,000 health in the game right now. I see a lot of people talking about “losing or gaining 25 health is not a big deal,” but you have to consider that in Street Fighter V, when you’re low on health, you take less damage. Balrog being a comeback character that can rob you at the end of a match, having above-average health is something to consider, to [not] give Balrog more chances than he should get.
After showing off his current mixups, Vesper provided his final thoughts.
My final verdict on Balrog overall, is very, very, slightly nerfed. I guess in a bubble it would seem like Balrog got nerfed. The fact that this was the only balance change means that Balrog got off CLEAN! I’m honestly surprised Capcom didn’t address his EX Dash Straight. They went after Urien’s EX Tackle and Birdie’s EX Bull Head, but for some reason, Balrog’s EX Straight is the same. This is not only safe on block, this is +1, meaning that it’s still Balrog’s turn. I feel like Balrog will still be one of the strongest characters in the game, even after this very slight nerf.
You can catch the full video above, as well as his previous coverage of other changes coming in the patch:
- Uppercut changes
- Jump back throw OS removed
- V-Reversal and charge changes
- Alex
- Guile
- Ryu
- Urien
- New moves & Air Force Base changes
- CFN features & Kanzuki Private Beach changes
- Nash
- Akuma
- Vega
- Birdie
Do you think this health reduction was enough, or do you feel more should’ve been done to Balrog? Tell us in the comments!
Source: VesperArcade