ザンギエフ

Zangief — Counter-Guide

Key Info

Command grab character
- (close range) 63214789P — Screw Piledriver
- (close range) 63214K — Siberian Express (Close range)
- (far range) 63214K — Siberian Express (Far range)
- (in air, close range) 63214789K — Borscht Dynamite
Has anti-air with 12F startup
- LPMPHP
236236K
- Anti-jump special move
- Does not hit grounded opponents, so no need to worry about it on oki
236236P
- Projectile-invincible move with 18F startup
- Low expected value on wakeup, so no need to worry about it
SA3 Bolshoi Storm Buster
- Special move with -3F startup (invincible on frame 1)
- Will hit unless you input a backdash or jump beforehand
Move that is plus on block
- 6HP

Neutral Play (Mindset)

Target HP with Drive Impact (DI)
- If Zangief is mashing it, make time to land Drive Impact
- If Drive Impact feels risky, place crouching MK to zone out HP
Against 63214789P: try neutral jump, forward jump, or backdash
- Back jump does not allow a punish combo
- Neutral jump risks getting anti-aired on reaction
- Backdash is low-risk, but 6HP can hit in certain gaps of pressure sequences
- Read the distance and switch between neutral jump and forward jump accordingly
Go for cross-up jumps
- LPMPHP is weak to cross-ups, making cross-up-angle attacks very strong
- Since it has 12F startup, mix in whiff-jump setups as well
Go for oki aggressively — Zangief has no OD reversal and SA2 is slow
- Waiting passively risks getting hit by 63214789P as a reversal
- Keep up oki pressure to drain his Drive Gauge

Double Lariat

Used for anti-air and as combo ender.

Frame data on block

PP
- 15F startup
- Zangief is -12F on block
- +27F on hit
LPMPHP
- 12F startup
- Zangief is -11F on block
- +38F on hit

Recommended Counter

Double Lariat is Zangief's only blockable special move. On block, PP version is -12F and OD version is -11F — both are big disadvantage, so land a punish combo. Note: command grabs (Screw Piledriver, etc.) cannot be blocked.

Recommended Counter

Neutral
- Cross-ups do not get caught, so cross-up-angle attacks are a very strong pressure tool
- It's not the fastest move either, so always keep whiff jump in your options
On PP hit
- Taking back-roll recovery almost eliminates oki
  - HP or 2HK can reach but are not frame-perfect
  - If you see a rush, mash immediately or Drive Impact (DI) is the easy option
  - Zangief knows this, so he may use rush → forward jump
  - Recommended: mash sweep + watch for jump with anti-air
    - The following are recorded in the video:
    - Rush → forward jump
    - Rush → HP
    - Rush → (hold) HP

On LPMPHP hit
- Back-roll recovery puts Zangief's command grab out of range
- However, back-roll recovery still lets 6HP, HP, and 2HK connect
- Unlike PP, strike mix-ups that grant frame advantage are possible here — a true 50/50
  - Zangief is in a strong position here, so it's a good spot to blow out his OD reversal

Warning

On PP hit
- Mashing sweep at fastest timing
  - Loses to delayed 6MK, but 6MK whiffs on backdash since it's not frame-perfect
  - Against a Zangief who uses this option, try to counterpoke the 6MK

Screw Piledriver

First thing first: if you read a command grab, never back jump. Some characters have normals that reach even after a back jump — if that's your character, back jump is fine.

For characters without a normal that reaches after back jump, dodge with neutral jump or backdash on read. Ideally, use backdash so Zangief can't anti-air with a reaction.

63214789LP
- Low damage
- Short reach
63214789MP
63214789HP
- High damage
- Long reach
63214789PP
- High damage
- Long reach

Recommended Counter

Frame advantage on hit:

63214789LP — +30F
63214789MP — +28F
63214789HP — +28F
63214789PP — +28F

Oki options after those situations:

Rush → LK
- Frame-perfect, but Zangief needs cancel rush to continue combos
  - Multiple options branch from there — impossible to cover all of them reactively
    - Block string: Rush → MP
    - Mash punish: Rush → 6HP
    - Command grab: 63214789P
- If you see the LK, Drive Reversal has very high payoff — try it
  - Mainly used when Zangief has 5–6 Drive bars, so check his gauge
- The following are recorded in the video:
  - Rush → 2HK
  - Rush → LK → cancel rush → MP

Rush → 2HK
- Frame-perfect, but Drive Impact (DI) punishes it
- Cannot be made meaty due to distance, so you are always at -9F on block
- Use a move with 9F or shorter startup and long reach to punish

Rush → 2MK
- Frame-perfect but has no follow-up combo
- Just an approach tool during oki
Rush → 6HK
- Overhead option
- Drive Impact (DI) punishes it
- -5F on block, but no punish due to spacing
- After 63214789LP, there is a 5F gap — a 4F mash beats it
- After other versions, there is a 7F gap — a 6F fastest mash gives high reward

63214789LP
- Not frame-perfect
- Can be whiffed by walking backward
- If Zangief is only doing frame-perfect strikes, fuzzy jump is available — try it
- The following are recorded in the video:
  - Rush → 2HK
  - Rush → LK → cancel rush → MP
  - Rush → 63214789P

Warning

Rush → delayed MP
- Commonly used because it beats fuzzy options and keeps Zangief at an advantage on block
  - Beats fuzzy jump countermeasures against 63214789P described above
- When he shows this option, mash at fastest timing to earn your reward

Rush → delayed 6MK
- Has a low-profile phase that punish counters a fastest crouching MK reversal attempt
- Fuzzy options are also beaten
- When he shows this option, mash at fastest timing to earn your reward
  - The precise delay timing is up to Zangief's feel, so choose your button strength as you like

Borscht Dynamite

Aerial command grab. Zangief is +19F on hit. Situation is not great — oki requires rush. If Zangief uses rush, an invincible move with 7F or faster startup confirms a punish.

(in air, close range) 63214789K
(in air, close range) 63214789KK
- For juggle follow-ups in combos
- High damage

Recommended Counter

Confirm the rush and then use an invincible move with 7F or faster startup with good reach
- Research which moves confirm in your character's kit
  - Juli SA1
  - Manon SA2

Warning

Short-range OD reversals get whiffed by 2LP or HP

Siberian Express

The move's properties change based on distance.

Zangief is at a strong advantage — 63214789P and 6MK connect as oki.

[Close range] 63214K
- Screen sides swap
- Zangief is +26F
[Close range] 63214KK
- Screen sides swap
- Zangief is +27F
63214K
- Zangief is +29F
63214KK
- Zangief is +29F

Recommended Counter

Unlike after 63214789P, Zangief is in an extremely strong position:

Rush does not confirm an invincible reversal
63214789P connects as oki
Strike options also connect as oki

It's a pure 50/50 — buckle up and read your opponent.

Knee Hammer

Certain spacings during active frames give Zangief frame advantage on block.

Check the screen distance on block to determine who is at advantage or disadvantage. Unlike other characters, there is no screen shake when Zangief is at advantage, so build the feel through repeated matches.

light attacks

Zangief's light attacks.

Recommended Counter

Light attack cancel chains like 2LK → 2LP form a block string. After guarding what you think is a 2LP or 2LK or LP, awkward as it looks, just mash a 4F light attack.

Mash a 4F light attack
- Since it's a block string, your 4F attack will land as a counter hit only when Zangief does 63214789P or cancel rush out of it

Warning

Zangief can delay the button presses in a light attack cancel chain to create a mash-punish gap. When he does, there will be a visible gap — use perfect parry to put risk on it.

Headbutt

Zangief is +4F after the opponent guards it. From there, it becomes a 50/50 between 63214789HP and 3MP. When playing the mix-up on guarding Headbutt, it is very important to make sure you win big when you guess right.

Recommended Counter

When you get hit by Headbutt
- Basically it becomes a three-way 50/50: 63214789P, 3MP, and 6HP
  - Backdash loses to 6HP → 6HP hit
  - Neutral jump risks being anti-aired by LPMPHP
  - Back jump risks being punished by 236236K
- When reading 63214789P or 6HP, do a forward jump
  - Hard for Zangief to put risk on forward jump

When you get hit by rush → 6HP
- Forward jump is also recommended here
  - On HP, you go into airborne hurt state allowing an escape
  - For other strike options in the sequence, they're block strings so jump won't leak
  - 63214789P can be avoided
  - The following are recorded in the video:
    - 6HP
    - 63214789HP
    - 3MP

Normal Throws

There are many, but only LPLK and 3LPLK need special attention.

LPLK
- +22F on hit
- Corner judo follow-ups available
4LPLK
- +8F on hit
- Close range means command grab connects if you don't take a roll
6LPLK
- +10F on hit
- Distance is large, nothing connects afterward
3LPLK
- +28F on hit
- Rush enables oki
1LPLK
- +9F on hit
2LPLK
- +9F on hit

Recommended Counter

On LPLK and 3LPLK hit
- Mix between in-place recovery and back-roll recovery and read your opponent
On throws other than LPLK and 3LPLK hit
- Rush confirms an invincible reversal on these
- Always take back-roll recovery
  - Without back-roll recovery, oki pressure often gets much stronger

SA3 Bolshoi Storm Buster

A special move with -3F startup (frame 1 invincible). It hits in throw range whether you are attacking or standing still.

The best counters are: meaty attacks with throw invincibility, or safe jump.

Recommended Counter

During oki
- Use a move with throw-invincible properties as your meaty

During safe jump
- Buffer input up or backdash just before your jump attack lands
- If you have it buffered, you will escape if Zangief activates SA3