Combos

Low Hit-Checks

COMBO 1

(While charging ) crouching standing ()
111 damage, 253 stun (342 damage with Critical Art)

(While charging ) crouching standing/crouching /
167/159 damage, 293 stun (requires one stock of EX gauge)

Unlike in SFIV, Balrog can start low-hitting combos without an absurdly hard link. Crouching can lead into MP Dash Straight for extra damage, but requires that the combo start from up close. Cancel Dash Straight into Gigaton Blow if desired to put some real numbers behind a crouching .

Standing has a little more range than its crouching counterpart, but requires a cancel to LP Dash Straight. Either version of this combo (along with standing or crouching x2) can also lead right into EX Dash Straight (for damage and corner push) or EX Dash Grand Blow (for great okizeme position).

COMBO 2

This is just about the easiest, useful combo in the game and worth keeping in mind for the low hit into knockdown, no charge needed. For Balrog’s fastest knee-jerk punish option up close, omit the opening of crouching and just perform the Under Impact chain by itself.

Grounded Hit-Checks

COMBO 3

Standing is a useful, multi-purpose poke at close ranges. It’s not flush with the opponent at first, though, link standing LP Dash Straight instead.

COMBO 4

Standing reaches farther than most Balrog pokes and serves as one of his Crush Counters, alongside crouching . On block, Balrog is left at +3. This leaves a three-frame gap on block for the opponent to stick out moves, but at least any three-frame light attack they use will get cleanly beaten out by crouching here when performed with perfect timing.

COMBO 5

Up close, standing causes enough hitstun for Balrog’s Hard Smasher and Hard Pressure chains to launch and juggle. As with combos involving Under Impact, the nice thing here is that no button holding or directional charge is needed, so this combo is available at the spur of the moment and is very easy to perform.

As a bonus, standing causes a standing spin hitstun on counter-hit. It's possible to react immediately by dashing forward and linking Hard Smasher/Pressue for essentially the same combo but more damage (and some V-Gauge built up).

COMBO 6

Buffalo Pressure leads to combos even on normal hit. For the easiest and most consistent option after a successful overhead hit, just link standing x2 and cancel to LP Dash Straight. (Beef this up at will with EX Dash Straight or EX Dash Grand Blow.) For more damage, standing   MP Dash Straight works in close. If distance is a worry, just link one standing into LP Dash Straight.

Jump-Ins

COMBO 7

Crouching into HK Screw Smash is an extremely powerful launcher to use when the opportunity presents itself, like when jumping in over a predictable projectile toss. On block, crouching presents the best chance to mix in KKB misdirection successfully.

COMBO 8

Combos that involve linking a Buffalo Swing after crouching by way of KKB-canceling a quick special move.

Grounded Counter-Hits

COMBO 9

At max Buffalo Swing range, one standing/crouching will link, but crouching creates enough hitstun to use MP Dash Straight for extra damage. From closer in, two jabs will work for extra time to visually confirm the counter-hit combo before committing to a special finish. Damage scaling means that two jabs here instead of one results in more overall stun, but less damage, if canceling into Critical Art. From counter-hit Buffalo Swing closer in, standing can be linked into standing before canceling into MP Dash Straight for more damage overall. When in doubt, just go with a job or two. An ideal counter-hit finishing setup for this is Combo 8, when blocked.

COMBO 10

In order for HK Screw Smash to relaunch here, counter-hit crouching must hit up close. By performing HK Screw Smash with an up-back directional press, a head start can be gained on building charge for the juggling special move to follow.

COMBO 11

This combo containing multiple juggled EX Dash Straights will carry the opponent clear to their corner even if they have Balrog backed up into his corner. For this to work, the first EX Dash Straight must be KKB-canceled after one hit and the victim’s body must be juggled successfully with Buffalo Swing.

V-Trigger

COMBO 12

With Crazy Rush loaded up, crouching crouching becomes a brutal hit-check since it’s a V-Trigger cancellation away from linking into crouching .

COMBO 13

Like other EX Dash Straight juggles, this achieves corner carry from the opposite corner. It also heavily rewards hard reads against mid-range pokes and fireballs. It can also be tacked on when comboing into Buffalo Swing like from crouching or off counter-hit standing (both for 380+ with just one EX gauge and V-Trigger activation). LK Screw Smash is easier to link after "super freeze" from activating V-Trigger, and gives up only a tiny bit of damage from MK Screw Smash. Slightly more damage can be achieved by KKB-canceling the very first Bursting Buffalo punch off of the post-freeze Screw Smash launcher, so Balrog goes straight from launching with Screw Smash to juggling with Buffalo Swing, but this is much harder to execute. Finally, to prioritize stun over damage, finish with x2 at the end for Charging Buffalo instead of Bursting Buffalo. After this combo, from anywhere, the victim will be cornered.