Quick Links
Street Fighter 6will give you a lot of different characters to select. Each of these characters has areas they perform well in and others they do not. Some of these characters are easy to pick and even easy to master. Zangief is not one of those characters.
RELATED:Street Fighter 6: How To Play Ryu
He will put your skills through the wringer as you learn them, but you will be well rewarded by being an entirely different kind of fighter for your opponents to deal with. They will need to understand how you play differently compared to normal fighters, and this can give you a great edge against those not prepared for what Zangief bring to the table.
Zangief’s Strengths In Combat
Zangief can do alarge chunk of damage from a single Special Move. This means where one character might need to land follow-up attacks or string a combo in order to claim victory, Zangief can win it all with one final heavy-hitting grapple. You will always want tobe getting closer to your opponents;the very fact you are getting closer willput a lot of pressure on them to be weary of an upcoming grapple,and this can throw them off their game.
Zangief is very dangerous at mid-range as well, ashe can close the gap and rush in for grapples. Your opponents will never know if you’re going for a striking attack or a grapple, andthis guessing game can take them out of their comfort zoneof how they fight non-grappler characters, which make up the bulk of the roster. Zangief is a truly terrifying opponent when he has afull super meter,as his unblockable Bolshoi Storm Buster will have experienced players suddenly go on the extreme defensive trying to be ready for it andgiving you a lot of control.
Zangief’s Weaknesses In Combat
Zangiefdoes not have the best anti-air game. He has a lot of anti-air options in his kit, butit is slow,and opponents can exploit this. It’s not just with aerial attacks, either;Zangief is slow on ground, too. In fact, he is theslowest character in the whole game. Do not expect to punish your opponents with quick attacks likeLukeorKen— your damage is going to come from being an overwhelming threat while you are on the attack and not from exchanges.Zangief is great at Mid-range and close-upand deals a ton of damage; however,his attacks come with some knockbackto them andcan push his opponents out of his effective range, meaning he will need to keep repeating his advance to his opponents after his heavy hits.
RELATED:Street Fighter 6: Best Characters, Ranked
Zangief’s Best Moves & Strategies
Dealing With Long Range Opponents
Advancetowards your opponent,blockingwhat they throw at your from a distance, andutilize your Siberian Expresson their recovery to reallyclose the gap and get into a much more favorable position.
Dealing With Short Range Opponents
You are agrapplerand have a wide arsenal withdifferent ranged grapplesto handle anything that is close enough to get your mits on.If your opponent tries to hit you, counter with Tundra Storm.
Stuck In The Corner
If your opponent is mid-range, block and follow-up with aSiberian Expresson your opponent’s recovery. This will get you out of that corner and back in their face. If they are keeping their distance, use what you read from dealing with longer ranger opponents.
Zangief’s Difficulty Curve
Zangief is not easy,far from it; he isone of the hardest characters to learn, but in doing so, you will have mastered a character that your opponents will need to go out of their way to specifically learn how to fight against. Zangief players are in a game of their own, and opponents need to beat them at that game rather than treat them like just any other character on the roster.
Do not start your Street Fighter 6 journey with Zangief.Start with a morebeginner-friendlyoption likeKimberly, and then Manon. Work your way up to Zangief.
NEXT:Street Fighter 6: How To Play Chun-Li
