Rolling Crystal Flash

Charge B, F, Punch

Vega rolls forward and then extends a claw.

• It gets one extra hit when done up close.
• Jab hits 2 or 3 times, Strong 3 or 4, Fierce 4 or 5.
• Strong and Fierce are unreliable, sometimes there’s a gap between hits that can be DP’ed.
• You can cancel a C.LP, C.MP or C.MK into this move. It will only combo from point blank.
• You can combo a C.MP after the last hit.
• When the last hit is meaty, you can combo anything after. A C.HK slide is especially useful.
• You are airborne during some frames of rolling, which prevents you from being grabbed and reduces juggling if you’re supered.

Strategy: this is a dynamic underrated move with a lot of applications. The extended claw frames stay out a long time, have a large safe hitbox, work as anti-air and a ground poke, and leave you in frame advantage.

Use the Jab version at max range when your opponent is getting up. Once they’re used to it, slightly vary the timing. Do it early, it will whiff on purpose and you can walk up throw or punish them if they tried to reverse. Done slightly late and little far away, their DP hurtbox will whiff and you’ll hit them out of it.

The Jab Roll is also good as zoning. Low jumpers like Zangief find it hard not to land on it. You can throw it out from 2/3 screen away while playing keepaway – it’s very easy for them to misjudge its range and walk right into it when trying to pursue.

The Fierce version does 4 hits of chip, and pressures them into doing something. Also gives you plenty of time to charge for a link C.LP into another roll. A second roll isn’t safe and can be interrupted with normals, but if you program them to mash after you roll, you can easily jump in.

Scarlet Terror

Charge DB, F, Kick

Vega does a flip kick

• This is Vega’s reversal attack, it gets you out of wakeup pressure and is great anti air.
• The Roundhouse version does two hits, and you can do the move again for a third hit juggle. This is easier as anti air, but you can still get all 3 hits ground to ground if you’re point blank.
• This move is invincible on wakeup, but has a lot of startup and recovery, so high level players will try to safe jump on you and get an easy punish if you miss or get blocked.
• The Short kick version has a little less recovery and the Forward version has a higher vertical hitbox, but the Roundhouse version does so much more damage that it’s the only choice.

Strategy: this move “completes” Vega, he no longer gets bullied up close. The enormous damage he gets off one antiair makes it very dangerous to jump at him, but many characters have no choice but to jump anyways because his ground attack range is so stifling.

In addition to anti-air and wakeup, this move beats out a lot of other specials. You can interrupt Ryu’s hurricane kicks, Chun’s Spinning Bird Kick, Fei’s Triangle Kicks, and any torpedos like Honda’s headbutt or Bison’s Psycho Crusher.

Flying Barcelona Attack

Charge D, U, Kick, then press punch in the air to claw or F/B+P when close to grab

Vega jumps to the wall, then jumps off with a claw attack or a throw that grabs grounded or air opponents.

• Input the move with up-forward or up-back to choose which wall you jump to. Inputting straight up will go to the closest wall.
• After going off the wall, you can steer in the air left and right. This lets you crossup once or twice which will remove the charge from charge characters and make dragon punches harder for motion characters.

Strategy: this move is a monster to the point that Vega is hated or even softbanned. Wall dive loops on a knocked down opponent are incredibly hard to deal with even for top level players.

FBA is a very analog move, it has a lot of variables that take time to master.

• The distance to the closest wall determines speed and height. If your back is to the wall, you will jump fast and low. If you go full-screen off the far wall, you will go very fast and high. If you’re midscreen, the initial jump will be a slow arc, giving the opponent more time to prepare.
• After you’ve gone off the wall, you will automatically move towards the opponent, but can steer to increase or decrease your horizontal speed. Use this to land early and bait a response, or speed up and make your crossup harder to block. Steering is open during the entire air time – you can zigzag by both speeding and slowing during the same jump.
• The timing of your button press is the last variable. Press it a little early to catch them before their reversal comes out, or press it as you cross over them to make blocking ambiguous, or press it late as you’re flying past them so you have time to land and recover while they’re still in blockstun.

The claw attack has an enormous hitbox that covers below and to both sides. Many characters have jump attacks with high hitboxes that they’ll use to hit you out of the air, but you can increase your air speed and press the button early to often defeat even that.

Other players will use ground moves or dragon punches to stop you. Study where the enemy hitboxes are on these moves: there’s always a way to steer around them and grab them while they’re stuck.

Sky High Claw

Charge D,U, Punch then Punch again to stab

Vega goes off the wall then flies directly at the opponent for a stab

• You don’t have to press punch the second time, but it extends the hitbox a little.
• Like with the FBA, you can input up-forward or up-back to choose which wall you jump to.
• Using HP will attack ground opponents, MP and LP will go much higher and only hit air opponents.

Strategy: This isn’t an especially good move, but it has some niche uses. The startup looks exactly like a FBA, so mixing them up can make this hard to react to. Watch out when the opponent is crouching or sliding, low hurtboxes sometimes make this move miss and leave you wide open.

You can use this move to punish fireballs with the correct timing and spacing. You want to be in the middle of the screen with the opponent at the edge, then input the move right before the fireball reaches you. You’ll bounce off the wall and fly over the fireball, hitting them when they’re stuck. This is easier against Dhalsim, Guile and Ken fireballs and harder against DJ, Ryu and Sagat’s taller ones.

If you’re stuck in the corner, do a C.MP cancelled into a LP Sky High Claw. The MP blockstun will give you time to fly over them and land safely.

Handspring

3P or 3K

Vega flips backwards as an invincible escape move

• 3K is very quick and lands a step back, 3P goes much farther
• Both versions are invincible to all attacks and throws, but have a short period where you can’t block after using them.

Strategy: Handsprings can get you out of some sticky situations, but you have to be careful. If the opponent predicts you’re going to use it, they can walk after you and sweep or grab.

3K is nice as bait on the opponent’s wakeup. You’ll go through their reversal or grab and get a free punish.

3K can also be used against heavy jump attacks. You do it early enough to recover before they land and you get a free throw. Also useful against tricky air hurricane kicks.

3P is nice to go through fast fireballs, especially Ryu’s super fireball. This changes the timing of their next fireball and gets you out of traps. O.Sagat’s fireballs are fast enough to use 3K for this.

Repeat 3Ks can be used to fully charge your super meter in a couple of seconds. If you’re fullscreen and not being pursued or fireballed at, there’s no reason not to.

Rolling Izuna Drop

Charge DB, DF, DB, U, Kick, then press punch in the air to claw or F/B+P when close to grab

Vega jumps to the wall, then jumps off with a claw attack or a throw that grabs grounded or air opponents.

• Input the move with up-forward or up-back to choose which wall you jump to. Inputting straight up will go to the closest wall.
• After going off the wall, you can steer in the air left and right. This lets you crossup once or twice which will remove the charge from charge characters and make dragon punches harder for motion characters.
• The Super is not activated until you succeed at grabbing the opponent. If you get the claw or miss, you can keep trying.

Strategy: since this move doesn’t activate unless it’s successful, it’s a highly threatening option. Use a few 3K flips early to charge meter, then the opponent has to spend the rest of the round careful not to make one mistake. A lazy fireball or missed normal will cost them 50%. This empowers your wall dive fakes, which you can use to fish for reversals.