In-Depth Character Discussion: Eddie/Sammy "Skate" Hunter

*Original post by Don Vecta.

Let's start writing something for one of the most underrated yet more dynamic characters of the roster, Skate (or Eddie/Sammy, whatever you wanna call him) it's certainly not a slouch and can be extremely reliable. He relies mostly on constant movement and abuse of his blitzes and some of his grabs.

Let's begin with his moveset. I'm removing the damage count from the movelist thread since it's for SOR2 version only, both versions have different damage input.

Edward Samuel "Skate" Hunter.

Normal attacks.

Rush Combo - B B B B (Jab, Jab, Low kick, Roller kick)
*NOTE: In Skate-2 The third attack, the low kick, comes out pretty slow even in SOR3 delay hit input so threat carefully. Skate-3 it's quite fine so don't worry.
*TIP: The first hit of the roller kick is aimed backwards. Stand inside your enemy to get all 5 hits.
*TIP: The first three attacks do almost no damage, and the fourth is moderate at best. You will find yourself relying a lot on grabbing the enemy with Skate... or finishing with a blitz attack.
Roller kick - Hold B and release (2 hits, knockdown Identical to attack four in the combo).
Backflip kick - Hold B and press C or back attack button (repeatedly if desired) (2 hits, second knockdown).
*NOTE: You cannot perform this move if you're wielding a weapon, the same move throws the weapon.
*NOTE: Stand close for both hits.
Double spin kick - A
*NOTE: Somewhat lacking in range, also constantly misses Jets.
Corkscrew kick (SOR2)- Forward + A (6 hits), knockdown on last.
Tantrum Rush (SOR3)- Forward + A (5 hits), knockdown on last.
*TIP: Corkscrew kick it's being target of anti-air moves, use with caution. Also it's fully possible to miss the (powerful) knockdown hit and go straight through your target if you stand too close.

Blitz attacks.

Blitz 0/1: Skate-2 and 3: Dynamite headbutt - f f + B/X + f f for Blizt 1 (1 hit, knockdown). The best move of all his repertoire: Abusable, great combo ender, quick, INSANE damage, one-hitter, makes you pass through swarms. Blitz 1 it's ungodly awesome cuz pretty much crosses almost the whole screen (think in the Kusanagi's kunai special attack, more or less). Sometimes you can land right into grabbing enemies who were not in range or they were blocking. You must have this move always in your gameplay.

Blitz 2: Skate-2 Forward flip kick. X + f d (3 hits, 3rd hit knocks down). A decent blitz attack, good for combo ender (if you put your star attacks with B, that's it), great damage and safe on block. It does bit more damage than the Blitz 1 but in my personal view I still find the Blitz 1 more reliable. It's still pretty good, though.
Skate-3 Rolling attack. X + f d (5 hits, last knocks down). Mid damage, probly good for combo enders. I don't really like it so much, if you ask me.

Blitz 3: Skate-2 Flip split kick. X + u f b (5 to 6 hits, last one knocks down). One of the few Blitz 3 attacks that never pass beyond the enemies. It has awesome damage and also if you use B as your star attacks, a great combo ender. Hits enemies from behind too in the splits. Certainly a great, useful blitz attack.
Skate-3 Rolling split kick. X + u f b ( 7 hits, last kick knocks down). Mid to high damage, if done too close to the enemy will pass through it like most Blitz 3 attacks do. Useful mostly for mid range attack to exploit whole damage (thanks Badjab).


Jumping attacks.

Double back kick - C, then B (1 hit , knockdown)
Side kick - Left+C or Right+C, then B (1 hit , knockdown)
Roller press - C or Left+C or Right+C, then Down + B (1 hit)
*TIP: No knockdown, use it to grab enemies.

Grab attacks.

Flurry - (Grab from the front) Forward +B or B (Headbutt 1 hit, Headbutt 1 hit , Elbow 1 hit, knockdown)
*TIP: You can choose to do 1, 2 or all three of these attacks. The extra damage on the third attack is seldom worth it though, knock your enemy down with any of the other moves instead for more damage.
Roller Uppercut - (Grab from the front) Back + B (2 hits with, knockdown)
*NOTE: In SoR3, this move is a non-slamming throw. SOR2 version it's just a kick. Notice also that it does hit enemies behind you so it's good to space out or clearing swarms.
Overhead throw - (Grab from the front) B while vaulting (1 hit, knockdown)
*NOTE: You land and become vulnerable before the one thrown starts to hit other people. This is evident if you throw anyone at a Bongo or SOR2 Big Ben who will hit you before the Galsia or whatever hits him.
*TIP: Can be done while vaulting either way. You can vault twice and throw on second vault since you don't let go of the opponent until you land.
*TIP: Don't bother throwing if you're not hitting someone else. Both the Roller Uppercut and the Migraine do more damage.
Migraine - (Grab from behind) B (6 hits with, knockdown on last)
*NOTE: This is arguably one of the best moves of his repertoire. Contrary of what was said on the movelist thread, Abadede cannot break it and it does have invulnerability... though once I've got caught by an explosion and both me and my victim flew over the skies so maybe there should be a vulnerable pattern there. So far I've NEVER been broken by anyone while doing this so I find it reliable, it's almost as damaging as Rudra's Izuna Drop. Also, it will hit whoever enemy is next to your victim so it's pretty safe to use in crowds.
Overhead throw - identical to the move from the front.

Weapon specials:

Knife: His normal stabbing skills are also top notch, extremely fast, almost as fast as a jab, though the knife stab does very small damage.
Flying stab: f f + B (one hit, knockdown). He does a flying stab, decent damage, mid range travel, good for opening your way.

Pipe/Plank/Wooden Bat (won't work on Metal Bats): Skate it's SHITTY using the pipe type of weapon for normal swings, it's slow, low range and rather unsafe, however, both his specials are fine, especially the second one.
Swing kick :f f + B (4 hits, last hit knocks down). He does a swing kick by leaning on the pipe. Okayish damage if hits all of them but kinda unreliable.
Matrix kick: f + A (4 hits+, last kick knocks down). By placing the rod on the ground, Skate will spin over it kicking with his two feet multiple times. This move gives absolute invincibility, does mid damage, doesn't waste special bar, in an enemy in front of you hits 4 times, but if you do a meaty attack either from an enemy standing up, you can get around 6 or 7 hits. Very reliable but enemies treat it as a Special attack so they'll usually back off when performing it, which it's also good as a safe move to clear space without wasting special bar.


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The overview:
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Skate relies on his speed, his blitzes and his grabs. His damage input it's quite mixed (especially if you use Skate-3, which damage it's a lot lower), while standard rush combos are the lowest damaging attacks, he makes it up with the insane damaging coming from his blitzes, the migraine and his corkscrew kick.

His reach it's horrible, not as bad as Roo's but still terrible. Trying the waiting game of throwing a flurry of rush B will take you nowhere, he's also short so the jabs can't be used effectively as anti-airs from Fabios or Hakuyos.

His rush combo it's also crappy (besides the terrible reach) because his third kick lags out a bit, so the best use of his rush combo it's for locking enemies in hit stun and either do a quick f f B or go for a grab.

With weapons you must stick with knives and pipes/planks/wooden bats. He is terrible swinging the pipes, though... same, he's HIDEOUS using swords/katanas so avoid them (or throw them to enemies). I'd go with the pipe/plank/bat because his Matrix spin kick it's pretty awesome and fun to use.

Run & Grab it's possible, even encouraged due of his speed. He's not as fast as Rudra but you can overrun tons of enemies and go for a grab f B B, vault then migraine. also remember you're quite safe while doing migraine so abuse it at will.

His air game it's okayish, shitty reach but he has good jumping arch. He's good and jumping d B (the cracking sounds it's satisfying, lol), then do a grab combo. with SOR3 jump style, you can control his jumps quite well.

Remember, Dynamite Headbutt it's your friend. abuse it at will. especially his Blitz 1 version it's ungodly! You can get out from swarms with it and hitting someone in the way for a big chunk. He makes Abadede his bitch due of his one-hit knockdown property and his damage input. It comes out VERY fast so you can trump certain attacks like the slashes from a Souther, or some lunge attacks like Zamza's. Also sometimes can hit faster than an agent shoots his gun or an Electra performs her forward special. His rising angle it's super useful against Jets, Rockets and Rushes and sometimes, if times correctly, you can trump their flying punches.

Skate-2's Corkscrew kick it's also almighty in damage. Good for pressure and reach certain enemies. The swarms won't move away so it's almost for sure you'll hit someone for a nasty damage and also most of the times you'll be ready to grab an enemy in front of you.

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Combos
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Rush combo: B, B, B, B. Unreliable from 3rd hit, fourth hit it's a double kick with okayish damage. Use it if you don't want to move from where you are.
B, B, ff B. You bread and butter. Decent damage coming from the dynamite headbutt. Quick and makes you go out of the place so you can avoid being swarmed from behind. Not good if you need to stay in place and avoid scrolling forward.
B, B, B, ff B. Great combo if the third kick doesn't lag too much, using Skate-3 it's not a problem. But I'd go for the above combo.
B, B, f f grab, f B, f B, vault, Migraine. Damaging grab combo, Migraine it's the best damage option, though you can alternate any grab according to your needs.
B, B, A. Low reach, mid damage. Use it to do a quick knockdown and clear people around you. Mind the special bar, though, of you'll lose energy.
B, B, (B), f A Tantrum (Skate-3 only). This is also a good damage combo for Skate-3, but remember it consumes special bar so use it when you are full or else you'll lose health.

*CORKSCREW KICK can't be done in combo, so if you're playing with Skate-2, go for the dynamite headbutt combo instead.

Migraine - (Grab from behind) B (6 hits with, knockdown on last)
*NOTE: This is arguably one of the best moves of his repertoire. Contrary of what was said on the movelist thread, Abadede cannot break it and it does have invulnerability... though once I've got caught by an explosion and both me and my victim flew over the skies so maybe there should be a vulnerable pattern there. So far I've NEVER been broken by anyone while doing this so I find it reliable, it's almost as damaging as Rudra's Izuna Drop. Also, it will hit whoever enemy is next to your victim so it's pretty safe to use in crowds.

You can be broken out of it by Mr.X - when he shoots the mob you're hitting, you will also get shot...I guess any non-player attacks that can hit enemies are able to break it (like exploding bikes/bombs, as you already pointed out).

edit: Robot X can also break it with missiles. (dunno about Robot Y as I'm not sure if missiles can hit enemies)

It actually does more damage than Rudra's izuna drop, even if you take the 2 grab attacks into account (his headbutts are weaker than Rudra's knee hits). In any case he's second only to Max on throws, especially as everything works against fatties and safe-landers. (assuming you don't try to neck throw the latter, which is silly :p)

Pipe/Plank/Wooden Bat (won't work on Metal Bats): Skate it's SHITTY using the pipe type of weapon for normal swings, it's slow, low range and rather unsafe

Skate 3's actually quite good with swinging pipes, he can even hit enemies behind him...however it's much harder to do than with Max, and in any case it's far better to spam the forward-A special to get rid of the weapons. (I can't imagine anyone using Skate 3 much anyway, he's so much weaker than Skate 2)

An interesting thing I noticed about X + f f and f f+B. If you use X then you jump further than with B.

argomight wrote:An interesting thing I noticed about X + f f and f f+B. If you use X then you jump further than with B.

The difference is one is 1 star blitz, one is no star blitz.

realnabarl wrote:

argomight wrote:An interesting thing I noticed about X + f f and f f+B. If you use X then you jump further than with B.

The difference is one is 1 star blitz, one is no star blitz.

Thanks, didn't know it made any difference.

SOR2 Skate's Corkscrew Kick seems to give him a degree more of invincibility than SOR3 Skate's Tantrum Rush; in the latter case, he puts himself at risk of being counterattacked, especially if the whole attack is blocked or if it misses altogether. The Corkscrew Kick, on the other hand, gets him airborne and makes him dart down at an angle, and his recovery time is fast if it's blocked or misses.

I'm running into a weird issue with SoR2 Skate's 3 star blitz via command input (Special Combo -> Up -> Forward -> Away). 30% of the time I do the input, it registers it as the command input for his 1 star blitz. It seems to mainly happen when he's facing to the right, not the left weirdly enough. Anyone else see this happen?

There might be some kind of weird bug surrounding blitzes that have Forward -> Away as part of their input, I think I remember noticing this with another character before. Hasn't happened for any characters with Away -> Forward inputs or quarter circle style inputs (Away -> Down -> Forward / Down -> Forward -> Up).

That corkscrew kick is pretty damn strong, considering he's one of the weaker characters.
And I only learned recently that you can throw enemies if you press punch before he completely vaults them.

Iceferno wrote:That corkscrew kick is pretty damn strong, considering he's one of the weaker characters.
And I only learned recently that you can throw enemies if you press punch before he completely vaults them.

It depends on the game actually how you execute the throw - on the Genesis you have to press it at a certain time and the execution is strictest in SoR2 if I recall. Game Gear version I remember having very forgiving execution. Streets of Rage Remake has the easiest throw of any version, just hold down the attack button during the vault and Skate will throw as soon as he can. No risk of mistiming a press of the button and missing the vault throw.

Skate 3 is honestly terrible and is one of the worst characters in the remake, if not the worst. He's stuck with the low damage values from SoR3, poor jab range, that garbage offensive special, and his blitzes aren't even as good as the ones Skate 2 got in the remake. Skate 2 is much stronger and actually has one of the strongest set of grab attacks for raw damage. Not as crazy as Max of course, but he's still quite strong if you can get a hold of enemies. Corkscrew Kick is pretty strong and is actually reasonably reliable, and his 3 star blitz he gets in the remake is even better than his SoR3 versions.

Shadow Fist King wrote:SOR2 Skate's Corkscrew Kick seems to give him a degree more of invincibility than SOR3 Skate's Tantrum Rush; in the latter case, he puts himself at risk of being counterattacked, especially if the whole attack is blocked or if it misses altogether. The Corkscrew Kick, on the other hand, gets him airborne and makes him dart down at an angle, and his recovery time is fast if it's blocked or misses.

He's vulnerable in the air though. (can be hit from behind)

That corkscrew kick is pretty damn strong, considering he's one of the weaker characters.
And I only learned recently that you can throw enemies if you press punch before he completely vaults them.

And you can even throw fatties with it.

Skate 3 is honestly terrible and is one of the worst characters in the remake, if not the worst. He's stuck with the low damage values from SoR3, poor jab range, that garbage offensive special, and his blitzes aren't even as good as the ones Skate 2 got in the remake. Skate 2 is much stronger and actually has one of the strongest set of grab attacks for raw damage. Not as crazy as Max of course, but he's still quite strong if you can get a hold of enemies. Corkscrew Kick is pretty strong and is actually reasonably reliable, and his 3 star blitz he gets in the remake is even better than his SoR3 versions.

His throws are quite poor for crowd control (it's hard to knock others over with the neck throw), but who needs it when you can hit multiple enemies with the other moves. (for full damage that is also 2nd only to Max)

Skate 3 is perhaps more realistic (how hard do you expect a little kid to hit) and wasn't out of place in the original, but next to everyone else in the remake...yeah. (classic videogame logic...Skate 2 is one of the best and Skate 3 one of the worst). He can move vertically during his 2-3 blitzes though. (which is the thing that makes Zan's 3 blitz the best of all)

I honestly haven't put much time in with Skate 3 either in SoR3 or the Remake. Anytime I play him I tend to prefer Skate 2, cause Corkscrew Kick is a lot cooler. Is Skate 3's 3-star blitz worth the other disadvantages? I was aware of the diagonal movement but it's relatively short ranged and somewhat slow. The range is a safety issue when it comes to not getting hit out of it by a higher priority move; at close range the diagonal aspect should make it pretty safe though.

Zan on the other hand has a much faster knockdown on his 0-star blitz, and fantastic range and priority on the 2 and 3-star blitzes, so even in a tight area where diagonal movement is restricted, it's still very usable. And he's got better range on his jabs for keep away pokes, decent enough throw damage, etc. Skate 2 can't move diagonally during his 3-star blitz, but the shockwave caused by the slam it does has enormous range all around Skate, and easily hits enemies behind him, making it surprisingly safe against enemies who try to run up behind you during the blitz.

Having put more time into SoR3 Skate lately, I notice that in SoRR he's got much more limited ability to move diagonally than in SoR3. It makes it a lot harder to use effectively than in his original version. Zan's new 2 and 3 star blitzes in SoRR basically make him the definitive diagonal attacker, at least until SoR3 Skate gets back some of his previous diagonal attack capabilities.

SoR2 Skate's new 3 star blitz is still far better though. SoR3 Skate actually gets punched out by enemies during the roll, and tends to knock enemies down during the roll before hitting with the final, hard hitting attack. If I had to tweak it to be more competitive with the other characters and help make him more distinct than simply a weaker SoR2 Skate, I'd significantly up the diagonal capabilities on the 2 and 3 star blitzes, as well as make them functionally immune to high attacks like Galsia and Donovan jabs. SoR2 Skate's 3 star has insane range both front and back when he slams his legs, and SoR3 Skate's lack of range on the final slam kick means enemies will often walk up behind and attack during the longer recovery, especially on Mania.

Good analysis!