I posted this in he other match-up thread since this didn’t exist before lol, good thinking.
Bison’s not the toughest match-up in the game, especially thanks to his lack of a good reversal on wake-up. Yes, his EX Psycho crusher can get him out of sticky situations, but he has to burn meter for that and it usually won’t punish a cross-up
Bison’s typical game looks like this:
–Walk back to build a charge or crouch charge and spam Devil’s Reverse to build meter.
–At a moment when you commit to an unnecessary move, he launches scissors, slide, or Psycho crusher to catch you during recovery.
–At mid range, he jumps over to cross you up with his knee.
–To confirm into a special he pulls: cr.LKs x3-4 XX LK Scissors, cr.LK x1 XX LK Scissors again (Why? Because it’s totally safe.) Block this until he pushes himself out of normal range. He may also use jabs to confirm this.
-----> On hit or block with a cr.LK, he may walk up and throw instead. Throw tech can beat that, and it can also beat his 4-frame cr.lk.
–Standing HK/MK to zone you out since it’s fast and un-punishable. Use MK CW to fly through this with invincibility.
–Long-range= more Devil’s reverse for meter and sitting on a charge to bait you. You can’t punish these directly. Rather, keep moving in on him and force him into the corner where it’s no longer an option. If he comes towards you with Devil’s reverse instead of retreating, consider it an opportunity to Flame kick counter.
–Devil’s reverses Fake Out, which whiffs in front of you, allows him to go for a throw. Tech this, flame kick or jab on reaction.
–Headstomp. Neutral jump HK will beat this if you jump early or neutral jump MK if later. Retreat jump kick if really late. Forward/Backdash will give you an opportunity to punish hard.
–Teleport at strategic moments to force you to whiff. Use caution.
Fei meet’s Bison’s pressure with his own rekka pressure which can come more spontaneously. As far as Focus being the end-all to random Rekkas, I’d try mixing them up a little since they do come out pretty fast; unless he’s waiting for it, there’s no reason why he should have his fingers ready on Focus. You can also throw two Rekkas out at max range instead of one, or just cross Bison up if you’re close enough.
If Bison gets predictable with his jump-ins, Flame Kick> FADC them either on sight or on reversal. This will make him more wary of jumping in. If Bison does get the jump on you, let him finish his dial-a-combo up to the second LK Scissors, and watch for FADC combo breaker moments as cue to Flame Kick, CW, or tech a throw.
If you manage to force Bison back into the corner, don’t be too aggressive about rushing in. Wait within Rekka range to find your opening. If he’s spamming HK or MK, walk as close as you can and try to fly through with MK CW. His kicks both start up in 6 frames, have 3 frames of activity and 14/16 frames of recovery. Contrast this with Fei’s 10 Frames of invincibility on his 16 frame attack and you’ll see why it works so well for many Fei users here. You can do this on reaction to a kick and hit Bison since you have a total of 9 frames to react for a clean hit.
Up close, Bison’s reliable reversals are EX Headstomp/Devil’s reverse, EX scissors, EX psycho, and Teleport. Both forward moving EX’s can be punished and he knows that. EX stomp can be deadly if you whiff a Flame kick, but can otherwise be back dashed. Teleport can be punished on Dash> Rekka or HP rekkas if you’re not committed to an attack.
Phew, with all of that said, yes Bison can mix things up on you pretty well, but there’s nothing stopping Fei from crossing him up most of the time, pulling a jab>tenshin, or throwing random Rekkas when he’s idle, assuming you’re not telegraphing that you’ll throw them. This fight is all about spacing and avoiding Bison’s footsies since Bison’s tools aren’t the scariest in the world (no SRK> Ultra to worry about and damage output is average/equal to Fei’s). Even if he knocks you down, his damage really ends there.
Final judgment is a 5-5.
