Air Stampede

The Air Stampede is one of Alex's special attacks, introduced in the Street Fighter III series.

Input

All appearances	+

Description

Executed by charging down and then pressing up and kick, Alex leaps into the air and comes straight down, feet-first, on top of his opponent, smashing them into the ground.

Tactics

This move causes a hard knockdown on hit. This allows Alex maintain pressure by mixing up frametrap normals with his normal throws and command grabs. The Air Stampede can also be used as an instant overhead. If Alex catches his opponent crouch blocking, he can use this move to close the distance and surprise his opponent.

The startup, and distance Alex jumps is determined by the strength of the kick button pressed. The Light version has the fastest startup. It also allows to Alex jump and land just in front of where he originally was. The Medium version has Alex leaping and landing about 1/3 of the screen away. The Heavy version has the longest startup. During this version, Alex comes down about half the screen from where he started.

The EX version specifically targets where the opponent is at the beginning of the move. It can reach all the way across the screen. During the EX version, Alex can move forward or backward to adjust his position to make it easier to land the move. The EX version is also projectile invincible at the beginning of the move. Not only this version does more damage than the other normal versions, it is also the safest, putting Alex +2 on block.

The Air Stampede is an effective way to approach the opponent. While each version is unsafe on block, the amount of pushback of this move makes it hard for his opponent to counterattack. By mixing up with his Head Crush approach, Alex can keep his opponent on their heels by forcing them to guess either to crouch block to avoid the command grab or stand block to block the stomp.

Even though it is one of Alex's most deceptive tools, it is difficult to connect. Because the strength of the kick button determines the move's range, Alex has to determine the correct spacing between himself and his opponent every stomp. If the wrong kick button is pressed, Alex can undershoot his opponent, leaving him vulnerable for a counterattack. On the other hand, Alex can also overshoot his opponent and completely jump over them, setting himself up for their punishes.

Sprite

Gallery

Alex's Light, Medium, Heavy, and EX Air Stampede.

Trivia

• This move is arguably based off the wrestling move the Double foot stomp, most notably used by Finn Balor.