Wing Stroke

"Mix up!"

—Rashid (Street Fighter 6)

The Wing Stroke (ウイング・ストローク, Uingu Sutorōku^?) is Rashid's second V-Skill, introduced in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. It returns in Street Fighter 6 as a special attack.

Input (Wing Stroke)

Street Fighter V: Champion Edition	+
Street Fighter 6 (Classic)	+>+
Street Fighter 6 (Modern)	+>+

Additional Inputs (Street Fighter V only)

Wing Spike	+>
Airborne Wing Stroke	+ (During neutral or forward jump)
Airborne Wing Spike	+>

Description

"A majestic mid-air forward dash performed from Arabian Cyclone. Allows you to break into a jump attack at any point of the dash."

—Street Fighter 6

Executed by pressing Medium Punch and Medium Kick simultaneously, Rashid jumps backwards while twisting his body during the rotation. At the peak of the ascension, Rashid briefly clings on to the wall before leaping straight toward his opponent. Pressing any kick button during the back flip causes Rashid to perform an Eagle Spike. This move can also be done in the air as well, after a neutral or a forward jump. Similar to the ground version, pressing kick during the back flip makes Rashid perform the Airborne Eagle Spike.

In Street Fighter 6, this move can be performed as one of the follow-ups to Arabian Cyclone. Executed by performing a quarter circle back motion and pressing punch (or pressing down and Special Attack for Modern Control) followed by pressing back and any kick button (or pressing back and any attack button for Modern Control), Rashid does an overhead kick, creating a temporary cyclone at his feet, then launches himself forward in a superhero-like pose. From there, he can use any aerial attack before falling.

Tactics

This move is one of the most versatile V-Skills in the game. It is essentially a command jump with number of follow-ups. It can be performed on the ground or in the air. Rashid can only use Wing Stroke on a forward or neutral jump. He can cancel his second V-Skill from most of his normals. Rashid can also cancel from his Whirlwind Shot as a way to end combos with Wing Spike. It builds V-Meter on hit and on block. Unlike his regular Eagle Spike, hitting the opponent with Wing Spike causes a side-switch. He gets tremendous okizeme afterwards, although he may lose corner pressure if he's closer to the corner. Wing Spike is very unsafe on block, like most of his special moves. However, if Rashid's second V-Trigger is active, it becomes safer to use.

While using Wing Stroke, pressing two kick buttons performs the EX Wing Spike. Rashid delivers two separate Eagle Spike kicks; the first on the ground and the second from the air. Similar to EX Eagle Spike, the EX version of his second V-Skill can be used to extend combos. He can link with Light Eagle Spike to further push his opponent toward the corner, or with Heavy Spinning Mixer once he has them in the corner.

If neither kick button is pressed during the back flip, then Rashid leaps straight toward his opponent and descends toward the ground like a regular jump-in. He can perform any of his airborne normals on the way down. While the distance traveled from the wall to his opponent remains consistent, dealing with his second V-Skill can be somewhat tricky for his opponent. This can potentially set Rashid up for a cross-up attack to catch his opponent off-guard.

Thanks to his second V-Skill, anti-airing Rashid becomes more difficult simply because he has so many ways to maneuver and attack from the air. Using Airborne Wing Spike, he can change the angle of his descension with the strength of the kick buttons pressed. The Light version has a steeper angle, while the Heavy version has a 45° angle. Rashid can bait out unsafe anti-air attacks like Ryu's Shoryuken or Cammy's Cannon Spike and go in for a damaging punish.

While Rashid's first set of V-Skills give him great mobility and a way to pass through projectiles against other zoning characters, Wing Stroke gives Rashid more corner carry, V-Meter buildup, and damage for his combos. He can also use it to confuse his opponent and force them to make a mistake while trying to anti-air his second V-Skill.

In Street Fighter 6, because Rashid can use any aerial attack out of Wing Stroke, he can force the opponent to stand in order to defend against the jumping attack. However, Rashid can also go for an empty glide and sneak in a throw or low attack while he has the opponent on their heels. Wing Stroke not only enhances Rashid's mobility, but gives him a variety of ways to approach and attack the opponent, thus amplifying his pressure game.

Trivia

• Rashid's physical pose while using Wing Stroke is similar to Chun-Li's air dash in the Marvel vs. Capcom games.
• Rashid's EX Wing Spike while Easifa is active is given the name Super Rashid Kick by Rashid himself, and would later go on to be his first Super Art in Street Fighter 6.

Gallery

Wing Stroke in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

Rashid's Normal and EX Wing Spike.

Airborne Wing Stroke

Rashid's Normal and EX Airborne Wing Spike.

Wing Stroke in Street Fighter 6.