V-System

V-Skill

Sonic Blade

Sonic Blade: Here’s where an older, wiser Guile starts to get interesting. Tap the medium strength buttons together to activate Sonic Blade, Guile’s V-Skill. Guile does his usual double-fisted windup, then places a stationary Sonic projectile about 20 percent of the screen away. This single-hit, motionless projectile is active for 42 frames. In some ways it’s like a floating F.A.N.G MK Ryobenda, creating a temporary shield in front of Guile. It will clash against single-hit projectiles that cross its path. Also, foes trying to advance from the ground will run into it unless they’re using some move expressly designed to dodge (or plow through) projectiles, like Karin’s EX Sappo dash or R. Mika’s EX Shooting Peach.

Though it’s good anti-ground movement and anti-fireball, Guile extends a foot forward during windup that is easy for opponents to counter-hit with pokes if they’re nearby, thus preempting the projectile. Additionally, Guile’s tall standing hurtbox coupled with Sonic Blade’s small hitbox mean foes jumping in as Guile releases Sonic Blade will surely hit Guile before they fall on an active Sonic Blade and that trade is not in Guile’s favor. Eighteen frames is slow for anti-air purposes anyway. Guile does recover 10 frames before the Sonic projectile disappears though, so you may be able to anti-air someone jumping in late over Sonic Blade with standing MK (7 frame startup), or LK/EX Somersault Kick (4 frame startup).

Apart from Sonic Blade’s function as a temporary projectile wall, it’s also part of the windup for Sonic Cross and it builds V-Gauge on hit or block.

Sonic Cross
Sonic Boom during Sonic Blade recovery

Sonic Cross: Sonic Cross is produced by throwing a Sonic Boom through Sonic Break with the right timing. The end of Sonic Break’s recovery can be canceled with Sonic Boom, giving you have plenty of time to charge up Sonic Boom during the command and windup for Sonic Break. The ideal cancel window is within frames 37-41 of initiating Sonic Break. Put another way, about 8-9 frames before it recovers normally, allowing Guile to walk/block/whatever. As normal, Sonic Boom will emerge 10 frames after input from wherever you cancel Sonic Break’s recovery. Sonic Blade’s stationary projectile continues to exist while you’re winding up a canceled Sonic Boom, but then (with the proper timing) the lateral Sonic projectile sweeps up the stationary one and they travel forward tangled together.

Sonic Cross hits twice and causes a briefly jugglable knockdown. The hitbox for Sonic Cross is also twice as tall as for Sonic Boom or Break, making it harder to clear with jumps or arcing projectile-avoidance moves, for example Birdie’s Bull Revenger. Sonic Cross is basically a variable-speed, “free” EX Sonic Boom, slightly less damaging with more windup, since you have to telegraph it with Sonic Blade. When you have time to get them out, LP, MP, and HP Sonic Cross are simply buffed-up cousins of equivalent Sonic Booms that happen to build V-Gauge. LP Sonic Cross, for example, is an even stronger projectile to trail than LP Sonic Boom. And EX Sonic Cross is a high-damage, three-hit version of EX Sonic Boom, like a fast version of Akuma and Gouken’s three-hit fireballs in SFIV. Sonic Blade and Sonic Cross build V-Gauge instead of EX Gauge on hit or block.

EX Sonic Cross
EX Sonic Boom during Sonic Blade recovery

V-Reversal

Reverse Back Knuckle While blocking,

Reverse Back Knuckle: As with most characters, Guile’s V-Reversal gives him another defensive outlet when under extreme pressure, but it’s not foolproof. Attacks that recover quickly will allow opponents to block in time, or even allow them to throw you before the attack actually hits them. Plus, Guile’s V-Trigger mode is expensive at three stocks, so being really conservative with V-Gauge is advised. Try to rely on blocking or calculated Somersault Kick gambles to get out of trouble.

V-Trigger

Solid Puncher

Solid Puncher: This power-up state is inspired by the infamous hardware bootleg version of SFII’s original arcade board called “Rainbow Edition” (which, if you’ve never seen it, really deserves tracking down footage online; there have even been some delightfully insane Rainbow Edition tournaments! If you’re exceedingly lucky, a remaining bar, pool hall, or vintage arcade place near you might even have an ancient modded cabinet that still works). There’s also a hint of a shout-out to the old V-ism/Custom Combo/A-Groove mechanics.

Guile’s Solid Puncher V-Trigger amplifies his projectile dominance to the max. Upon activation, Guile sparks up electrified bracelets on both wrists and a 2000-frame (or 33-second) timer starts. While the timer is in progress, Guile’s Critical Art’s range is greatly expanded and he gains access to a new projectile called Sonic Break, detailed in its own entry after this one. His Sonic Boom recovery is slightly reduced, increasing Guile’s projectile control in the neutral game, thus making links easier after Sonic Boom hits up close. (But note that Guile is not granted extra advantage after blocked V-Trigger Sonic Booms.)

The only bad thing about Solid Puncher is that it requires three V-Gauge stocks in order to activate it. Both Spinning Back Knuckle and Burn Straight (his fierce unique attacks) allow for relatively safe counter-hit fishing, which builds V-Gauge most quickly. Standing HP and his infamous two-hit crouching sweep also build lots of V-Gauge on counter-hit but are punishable if guarded. Use of Sonic Blade and Sonic Cross also contributes to V-Gauge. At least you’re unlikely to need V-Reversal, easing the pressure to spend your gauge other ways, unless a 3-frame jab character is really in your grill and getting dizzied seems imminent.

When V-Gauge is full, you can treat V-Trigger activation the same as with almost every other character, using it as a hit-check. It’s great for making close standing HP or crouching HP safe as otherwise risky, close pokes, or for preventing punishment after a blocked sweep (though you must cancel it from the first hit). You can also cancel Sonic Boom (normal or EX) into V-Trigger, giving Guile a very SFIV, FADC-like mix-up once per round. You can verify off a combo into Sonic Boom (still pretty much like using V-Trigger activation to confirm a combo with anyone; Sonic Boom V-Trigger provides time to build enough charge to immediately link Sonic Boom into a Sonic Break chain post-freeze). Or you can finish a blockstring with a Sonic Boom and V-Trigger cancel it. From here, you can either begin a Sonic Break barrage post-screen freeze, or you can immediately dash/walk forward and go for a throw or fish with a hit-check. You can also simply play wait-and-see post-freeze if you expect them to attempt some grand reversal, potentially handing you a devastating reversal punish counter-hit opportunity.

Derived Sonic Break (first follow-up) during Sonic Break or Sonic Boom

Derived Sonic Break (second follow-up) during Derived Sonic Break

Derived Sonic Break (third and fourth follow-ups) during Derived Sonic Break

EX Sonic BreakDuring V-Trigger EX Sonic Boom: x1-2

Sonic Break: In name, this is a call-back to Charlie’s Sonic Break Super from the Street Fighter Alpha series, where Charlie followed a short combo with several Sonic Booms. In SFV function, Guile’s Sonic Break is basically a mini-Sonic Boom, which depletes V-Timer when used. From a neutral position, you can perform Sonic Break by tapping , no charge time required! When you have V-Timer to spare, this really frees up your ability to be mobile with Guile. You always have a fireball ready to go, even if you weren’t prepared with a down-back or back charge. By holding  or when tapping , you can throw a slower or faster Sonic Break, too.

Even more strikingly, though, during V-Trigger you can chain into Sonic Break repeatedly from any Sonic Boom or Sonic Break, simply by tapping more punch buttons repeatedly. For follow up Sonic Breaks, the punch button used determines the speed: tap  for a slow Sonic Break, for a medium speed one, or  for a fast Sonic Break. Within the same string of projectiles, you can change up the speed of each one, creating confusing sequences for the opponent. You can throw fast fireballs and tail them with slower ones (which enemies might land on if they jump the early, fast ones), or start out slow and progress to faster Sonic projectiles that catch up to earlier-thrown ones. Whether for varied zoning, blockstrings, or stuttering combos, this has myriad uses.

From Sonic Break, you can chain into up to four more Sonic Break projectiles. From Sonic Boom, you can also chain up to four follow-up Sonic Break shots. The advantage of starting with Sonic Boom is that it has a slightly better initial hitbox against mid-range pokes, and one fewer Sonic Break means you save a bit of V-Timer. Either way, you max out at a string of five projectiles.

Sonic Break by itself depletes 350 frames of V-Timer, reducing your total Solid Puncher time by just under six seconds. V-Timer is also depleted by 350 when chaining into the first follow-up (or “derived”) Sonic Break from Sonic Boom or a “naked” Sonic Break. For potential third-, fourth-, and fifth-stage Sonic Breaks after the first follow-up, V-Timer is depleted by 300 per. A max salvo of Sonic Boom chained to four Sonic Breaks depletes 21.7 seconds from the total timer, while five Sonic Breaks in a row will deplete 26.7 seconds. The way to squeeze the most projectiles out of Solid Puncher is to always (if possible) start your Sonic barrages with Sonic Boom, since it doesn’t deplete V-Timer, and is a superior projectile anyway.

Solid Break is flexible. It can be used as a sudden flurry, enabling you to fill the screen (or vastly extend a combo) with a parade of five consecutive projectiles, followed by a mini-flurry of 2-4 more. Or it can be used to add teeth to your fireball game over a long, tense period. Simply chaining Sonic Boom to a single Sonic Break doesn’t deplete much V-Timer and can give you real screen control and tempo-shifting options. Sonic projectile timings can be varied wildly, since you can choose conflicting Sonic Boom and Sonic Break timings, like throwing LP Sonic Boom canceled to fast Sonic Break.

Sonic Break isn’t quite the equal of Sonic Boom, though. It does slightly less damage, and its first active frame also appears back from Guile’s extended hands, making it more likely to lose to midrange pokes.

If you begin with EX Sonic Boom, it can be chained into up to two EX Sonic Break projectiles. This drains the usual single stock of EX Gauge, then 450 frames of V-Timer (or seven seconds) for each EX Sonic Break you choose to throw. With up to six knockdown-capable projectile hitboxes tearing across the screen, Guile exerts total control of the ground.