Sagat — 对策

Recommended counters

Pick a read

• Reading 214K→6LK: hold the block and punish the -5 follow-up with your 5F starter
• Reading Greedy Tiger or 214K→6HK: after blocking 214K, mash a 4F button as fast as possible
• If your character has a 5F invincible super (Luke SA2, Ryu SA3, etc.): it lands clean — memorize it

If you have a 6F crouching medium, contesting after blocking 214K is an excellent risk/reward: whichever strength Sagat uses, every follow-up except 214K→6LK loses to a fastest crouching 6F mash. Even if the 6LK overhead connects, it's only 960 damage — your crouching punish-counter earns more than double that. Don't settle for "just block the follow-up." The clip records 214HK→214K→6LK / 6MK / 6HK:

Also note the 214K strength stretches your mash window from 6F up to 8F — after blocking 214LK / 214MK you can even contest with an 8F crouching heavy for more reward. The clip records 214MK→214K→6LK / 6MK / 6HK:

Fuzzy parry

Independent of strength, 214K→6LK and 214K→6HK have a 6F gap in startup. Hold standing block, then parry on the timing 5–6 frames after where the 6LK overhead would land — this covers both. Crouch-blocking is a trap because a missed parry gets you hit by the high 6HK; always stand-block.

The clip below records 214K→6LK (15F startup, always press your 5F punish on block) and 214K→6HK (21F startup — aim parries here; just-parry isn't worth chasing because the 6LK already gives a guaranteed punish on block).

Recommended counters

4F mash

Once you read Nova Tiger or 214K→6HK, mash a 4F button as soon as you finish blocking 214K. If your character has a 5F invincible super (Luke SA2, Ryu SA3 etc.), it's a guaranteed reversal — keep it in your back pocket.

The main fuzzy-parry target

214K→6LK and 214K→6HK are 6F apart in startup. Hold standing block and parry 5–6 frames after the 6LK overhead would land — that covers both. 214K→6HK (21F) is the main parry target; 214K→6LK already gives a guaranteed punish on block, so chasing a just-parry there is wasted effort. Stand-block is mandatory: a missed parry still has to defend the high 6HK.

Recommended counters

Hold the block, take the punish

When you read 214K→6LK, hold block (either crouch or stand works, but stand-block is mandatory if you intend to fuzzy-parry) and run your 5F punish on block. 15F is too fast to react and switch to crouch from a wrong guess, so call the read inside the pressure string.

Fuzzy parry to lock down the mixup

214K→6LK and 214K→6HK differ by 6F in startup. Hold standing block, then parry on a timing 5–6 frames after the 6LK overhead would land — covers both options. Always stand-block so a missed parry still defends the 6HK high. The clip below records 214K→6LK (15F startup, 5F punish on block) and 214K→6HK (21F startup, target for parry).

Recommended counters

4F mash

Reading Greedy Tiger or 214K→6HK: mash 4F as soon as 214K finishes blocking. The follow-up is a 17F high — it whiffs on crouch and only gets +4 on block — so the answer is to mash it down on read. A 5F invincible super (Luke SA2, Ryu SA3, etc.) lands clean.

Fuzzy parry covers it

214K's mixup is not fuzzy-blockable, but 214K→6LK and 214K→6HK are 6F apart in startup. Hold stand-block and parry 5–6 frames after the 6LK overhead would land — Greedy Tiger lives in that same parry window too. Always stand-block: a missed parry still has to defend the 6HK high.

Recommended counters

• Drive Rush
  • There is no Drive Rush oki here, so fire an invincible reversal the moment you see the rush
• 6HK
  • If you do a crouching attack as a reversal, 6HK whiffs over you and you take the Punish Counter

Recommended counters

Just parry

The startup is fast, but it often connects on its later active frames, giving you extra reaction time. 236MK in particular has a slow 18F startup and takes a while to arrive — a good window to hunt the just-parry. Watch for 2LK while fishing, and at 236LK-whiff range consider a fuzzy strike instead of the parry.

Stand-block once you've blocked a normal

After blocking any normal except 2LP, switch to standing block. Sagat has no 2MK drive-rush, so there's no low combo route from a single blocked normal other than 2LP. Reacting to 236K every time is exhausting, so default to "one-block then back away," and parry only when you actually see it.

Stand-blocked (not buried in)

If the screen shakes, Sagat is plus. If it doesn't, you're at 0 or better — mash a 4F poke or throw.

Stand-blocked (buried in)

If it lands deep on stand-block, you have a 5F-or-faster guaranteed punish.

On hit (quick-rise)

Quick-rising after 236LK denies Sagat the walk-up shimmy off drive rush.

Frame check on cancel-into-236K

On crouch block, the cancel routes leave Sagat at: 236LK +2 / 236MK +2 / 236HK +4 / 236KK +1 — every variant is Sagat-plus.

Recommended counters

Fuzzy 2HK against 236LP / 236HP

236MP / 236HP can be ducked under and punished with a crouching normal. You cannot react fast enough to distinguish 236LP from 236HP, so press 2HK in a fuzzy timing matching the 236LP block — it covers both: the low blocks normally, and the high gets whiff-punished by 2HK.

The clip below records 236LP and 236HP being mixed.

Recommended counters

Duck under 236MP / 236HP

Don't reach for parry — duck. Parry-spam burns drive gauge for nothing here. Once you confirm the fireball, 2HK lands clean as a whiff punish.

236MPHP

Mostly used as corner pressure. If you block it point-blank, recognize that Sagat is +6 and respect it.

Fuzzy 2HK against 236LP / 236HP

236MP / 236HP can be ducked and punished with a crouching normal. You can't react fast enough to tell 236LP from 236HP, so press 2HK in a fuzzy timing matched to the 236LP block — the low gets blocked, the high gets whiff-punished. The clip below records 236LP and 236HP being mixed.

Recommended counters

The gap inside 2MP→HP is 7F. If he does not cancel after it is blocked, Sagat is -14F.

• Invincible reversals
  • Except against cancel Drive Rush→2LP, the gaps mean your invincible reversal cannot be blocked
  • With no follow-up it is -12F, so the reward is lower, but it is a safe way to turn the situation around
  • If you trust your inputs, aim to escape with an SA instead
    • he has the 236MP fireball cancel, so do it with a move that has projectile invincibility

Recommended counter

Take the back-roll.

Even after the back-roll, Sagat may force the issue with a Drive Rush — his strike can't connect unless he delays it, so the same options as against his forward throw (LPLK) are very effective: Drive Impact, neutral jump, back-dash:

Recommended counter

• Planting a backdash puts risk on all three of 6HK / 6LK / 236K at the same time.

Recommended counter

Punish with a heavy normal.

Recommended counter

Take the back-roll.

Even after the back-roll, Sagat may force the issue with a Drive Rush — his strike can't connect unless he delays it, so the same options as against his back throw (4LPLK) are very effective: Drive Impact, neutral jump, back-dash:

Recommended counters

Mid-screen

• After blocking (mid-screen)
  • Unless Sagat follows with Drive Rush into MP, walking back is a low-risk way to end his pressure.

• After blocking (corner)
  • Mashing a 4F button after blocking MP will trade, setting up a combo for Sagat.

• After blocking — characters with a 4F standing normal
  • Mashing a standing normal immediately after blocking point-blank MP creates distance where Sagat cannot link into 2MP on trade.
  • If it wasn't a meaty hit, your best bet is to mash 4F MP.

• After blocking — characters without a 4F standing normal
  • Read between Just Parry and waiting it out.

• Sagat's walk speed is slow, and no matter what he does, he needs at least 6+ frames of walking to reach throw range — so pressing a button on the fuzzy timing when you'd block 6MP is a solid option.

• Fuzzy light punching the reversal attempt is an option, but if Sagat walks and throws well or delays the MP it will counter-hit very frequently, so pressing MP immediately on MP-block to fish for a counter-trade return is also worth considering.
  • The key is to make his walk throw carry risk — once you show it, bait the next Just Parry attempt.

• MP → MP
  • Ideally Sagat should hit-confirm before continuing, but MP is so strong that many Sagats auto-pilot MP → MP.
  • Against that habit, forward jump is a great answer — it also beats MP → throw.
  • The second MP has no combo on normal hit, so even an immediate jump is worth considering.

• MP → MP → 2MP
  • Holding forward-jump while blocking the second MP is very effective.
    • You can collect a reward against anything Sagat cancels the 2MP into.
      • Zangief and Lily can't use this — their jump transition is too slow.

Advanced

A fuzzy forward jump collects the best parts of all the answers above: on the second MP of MP → MP → 2MP, fuzzy forward-jump beats MP → throw, and if you end up blocking, jump immediately after guarding the 2MP. It's very busy, but worth the effort: