Street Fighter 6: Top 5 Best Characters to Climb Ranks

Ranked mode can be one of the scariest experiences in any fighting game. I get it, you get paired up with a faceless individual you’ve never met and you have to fight them. When you lose, you have your hard earned points deducted and you find yourself at the bottom.

Ranked can be terrifying for the uninitiated. What if you don’t win? What if you CAN’T win and are stuck? Well, there are various solutions to this. One is the very difficult to stomach ‘git gud’ mantra. However, another pretty common piece of advice that is useful in context is ‘pick a top tier.’ Now, this is not a cure all solution, you do have to have some skill, but picking a top tier has its advantages as they might have tools that could make it easier to win. 

That said, what characters can you then use? Because simply picking a top tier doesn’t automatically mean victory. A basic example in Street Fighter 6 is JP. The villain for Street Fighter VI is without a doubt a very, very strong character as shown by some of the top players who have used him to great effect. However, he is quite difficult to use if you aren’t well versed in fighting games and if you pick him, you may very well be digging your own grave. 

So, with this article, the aim is to help out with a list of characters you can use who are great for someone relatively new to fighting games, and are also strong enough to help you defeat those in the lower ranks whom you might find yourself up against.

Before we get into the list though, understand that the best advice when it comes to playing fighting games is pick a character you like without caring about their rank or ability, as long as you are having fun. But, if you know that already and just want to climb the ranks in Street Fighter 6, then we’ve got you covered. 

Here are my suggestions for the best SF6 characters to climb ranked with

Ken

The American billionaire might have fallen on some hard times, but he has not lost his edge as a fighter. Ken is currently one of the best characters in the game and he is also Street Fighter 6’s first Evo winner after the antics of AngryBird. 

Ken is also currently the most popular character statistically in Street Fighter 6 and with good reason. He has all the tools you could ask for in a character, including a fireball, consistent anti-airs, strong corner carry and decent damage output. So, why is he great for ranked? Well, that is mostly to do with how strong he is in general. He has enough in the tank and is for the most part, uncomplicated which makes him a strong character especially in the lower parts of ranked.

Ken is a top character regardless of the rank, so he is probably the best to pick up for anyone. 

Marisa

Marisa is one of the new characters in the game and she is quite popular. She fights using an ancient Greek style known as Pankration. It is a noble art that reflects in her fighting style. 

Marisa is a good character and while many will argue that she  isn’t top tier, she certainly isn’t far from it. 

What makes Marisa a really scary character and great for someone trying to ascend ranked, is her damage. Marisa is the sort of character that melts your life bar in seconds. Make one mistake and you could be staring at defeat when against Marisa. She might not be the fastest, but she more than makes up for it with her damage output. 

Marisa ideal mostly because she is refreshingly straightforward to use. If you can simply walk down your opponent and bully them in the corner, you can win. On top of that, most of her moves are armored, meaning that she can survive hits and still lay on the damage. She’s also very viable in burnout which is a pretty useful skill to have. All in all, Marisa is excellent for most people, but she really does work in lower ranks. 

Zangief

Okay, hear me out. I know Zangief is considered one of the weakest characters, but I would argue this is a misrepresentation of the character especially in the light of recent happenings in the CPT. Also, Zangief is the perfect character when trying to climb up the ranked ladder. Yes, he is slow and has to work really hard against zoners. But, he has the highest life bar in the game, has anti-air options and is devastating once he can grab you. His grabs are versatile and his level one super can be used as a somewhat reliable anti-air. He isn’t as difficult to use as some might lead you to believe and all this makes him a great shout for one of the best characters to climb ranks.

Zangief has always been underrated in most Street Fighter games, Street Fighter 6 might be a chance for people to re-evaluate how they judge the Red Cyclone. 

Luke

The main character of Street Fighter 6 is the next entry on the list and there are few lists of this nature that will not feature Luke. Look, this is a character that was made to bring people into the game, therefore, he was given every tool to increase his attractiveness. 

Luke is strong and can help anyone move up the ranked ladder. If you are an Iron player looking to make it into Bronze, Silver or Gold, you can do worse than Luke. He has strong normals, a projectile, a dp, wakeup options, and so many other things. These all come together to make Luke a great pick for anyone looking to climb their way up the game’s ladder. Have I added that his level one super is absolutely insane? It’s a wakeup option, combo ender and counter for certain moves. With it, you should have no problem dealing with whatever opponents have to throw at you. 

Guile

Last, but certainly not least, is Guile. Guile is a character that some might say is difficult, but he’s pretty easy and as a charge character, might need some getting used to, but is worth putting the time.

If you wonder why Guile is on this list, the reason is simple— his playstyle. Guile has strong defensive options and a zoning playstyle that can be incredibly frustrating. But, this is the very reason it is so strong, especially among players with less skill. 

If you use Guile in the highest ranks, odds are, you’ll face several players that have great experience against him and can navigate a lot of the things he throws at them. However, in the lower ranks, many will not have cottoned on to how to deal with the barrage of projectiles that Guile throws. Therefore, his zoning is something of a cheap trick that many people will not be able to handle. So, if you can practise and learn how to zone effectively, Guile might be your key to climbing high in ranked.

And that’s it. As mentioned earlier, the best strategy is always to use the character you love, but sometimes, it’s fine to pick a strong character that can perhaps mask your weaknesses. If that is the case, the options we highlighted above are excellent choices. 

So, there is no need to fear ranked or Street Fighter 6 in general as you have all you need to have a fun time.