The Main 3

Iyokuu

Hey, SRK members, I've been playing all across the board lately and at some local events, but can't really decide on who to progress with. I know a little bit with everyone I'm interested in, but I've knocked down the selection tonight. I want a solid team of 3 and would like some advice on the matter. My absolute main is Adon. The decision comes from deciding between the next two slots. I want a rushdown character and my choices were Ibuki or Cammy, (Other suggestions and why are welcome) but I love the both of them, but can't decide between the two. Ibuki is pretty technical and I don't really have a steady way to get her down. Cammy is easy to me, but it seems like everyone wants to learn her now. I read something a while ago saying "my character can't win so main cammy" lol. That's really the only notable downfall about her to me. 

My third slot is between a divekick character. I chose Yun or Rufus. Rufus is fun to play around with, but Yun is cool. I know he got nerfed and a lot of people say he is horrible now, but others say he just actually has to work for his wins now. I don't mind working for the win. I love Juri as well, but I don't see too many wins with her. So any advice from you all would be appreciated. :)

kevinkimchii

The easiest way I can break it down for you, is to know what each (recommended) character type is. 

You have projectile characters such as Ryu, Sagat, Guile, Gouken, just to name a few.  There are vortex heavy characters such as Akuma, Ibuki, and even Cammy.  Then rushdown (basically any in your face character) such as Yun, Yang, M.Bison, etc.  You kinda get the idea.

You say you want a rushdown character and are deciding between Ibuki or Cammy, but Yun (who you named as just a divekick character) is also known for rushdowns.  But that does not mean that the character has to be played the same way as everyone else.  Justin Wong and Ricky Ortiz, just as an example, play completely different Rufus'.  Same applies to Daigo, Laugh, Alex Valle, and John Cho who all play Ryu.  It's all based on what you LIKE to play, not what you think you should have under your belt.  Yea, it is a good idea to learn a different character for those matchups that you hate (Sim vs Ryu as an example), but just play who you want to play.  Don't be concerned over tiers and popularity because then won't be able to play most of the cast.

But you answer your question, just try out the characters that you picked for your "rushdown" and "divekick" characters and see which one you enjoy playing first.  Everyone on SRK can give you input on who they think you should play or try, but you should definitely put in the practice first to see what you can do with them.  Granted Ibuki, Rufus, Cammy, and Yun all have 1 frame links that involve jabs or shorts (no plinking unless you rewire either of the 2 4th buttons to select) if you are worried about execution.  As another type of character I believe you should learn, is a true "zoner."  That will help you learn spacing and also teach you when you throw out projectiles or pokes (since usually their normals are notably good).  A lot of it has to do with matchups as well.  Learn which matchups are terrible for you with characters that you enjoy playing, and learn the counter-pick characters.  If anything, drop the character and try another.  Even if you don't necessarily main a character, that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn them.  It'll be useful as matchup data for you since you'll know the moveset and the capabilities of those characters.

I started off playing Ibuki since I thought ninja's were cool, but later decided that she was not the character for me.  Since then I have switched to Cammy and Ryu as my two main characters.  My Cammy is very divekick and frame-trap heavy.  I also play lots of footsies with Cammy since her normals (stand roundhouse, jump roundhouse, crouch forward, stand strong) have so much range and are very fast.  As for Ryu, it depends on the matchup a lot.  Sometimes I'm very aggressive with him, other times I'll turtle til I can get a whiff punish or crumple, then stay in. 

Iyokuu

Which character counts as a zoning character? Please say Sakura! I love her, but hate her tatsu loop. lol But seriously thank you for this advice. Today I'm gonna try to find some guides or basics videos about the character and play with them today. 

kevinkimchii

Well most zoning characters make good use of their long ranged normals and projectiles.  Sagat, Juri, Gouken, Chun-Li, and Adon make have very strong normals that are great for zoning.  Sagat, Juri, and Gouken have the best projectiles in the game (IMO).  Sagat's tiger shots have great speed and great recovery as well as high OP as f*ck stand roundhouse and forward roundhouse (the forward roundhouse juggles and leads into ultra 1 or ultra 2 combo setups, whichever you prefer using).  Juri and Gouken both have projectiles that shoot straight and upwards at an angle.  Juri has one that needs to be blocked low I believe.  Juri's fireball does have a kick animation followed by a release animation, but she can store her fireball which leads into some damaging combos and setups (especially with FSE).  Gouken has really good recovery on his fireball and you can charge and release it at different times.  And Chun-Li has to have some of the best normals in her game (her fireball kind of sucks IMO, but has very quick recovery that gives to enough time to follow up with another attack before the fireball even hits).  So hopefully that gives you some idea of who is considered a zoning character and what a zoning character is able to do.  It's basically all about spacing.  Knowing how to keep your opponent out with simple projectile and normal moves.

Sakura is not a zoning character.  She's more of a rushdown character.  She's also a 50/50 mixup character (you'll figure out what that means later).  Learning her tatsu loop (which is also character specific I believe) is crucial to her gameplay.  She's also known to have a lot of unblockable setups against most of the cast as well as high stun potential.  You can use her tatsu to play a little bit of a zoning game by going over projectiles to get in because it's safe on block (as far as I remember).

The Martian

Don't let people's idiotic remarks keep you from playing the character you want. 

I main Ibuki in 3S and Cammy in every game she's in. Just because she's a good character doesn't mean she's cheap and you shouldn't play her. Cammy is a lot less technical than Ibuki, but she's a hell of a lot more fun to play (to me, at least). People who don't main her just get salty because her pressure game is pretty awful to be on the other end of. 

Pick who YOU wanna play. Pick whoever is the funnest for YOU. 

chubbyfingerz

Your criteria are cheap. I'm sure you'll have no trouble winning with a trio like that.