Input Masking is a tactic in Street Fighter games.
Description[]
Some actions such as dashing and jumping can not be interrupted. However the inputs done during these unchangeable actions are still registered. In a way Input Masking works similarly to buffering, however with masking the action isn't intended to be stopped. When the uninterruptible action of a player is ended, the very first frame of control could be used to use the attack or action that was masked during the previous action.
Tactics[]
Masking tends to work best with throw attacks due to their unblockable nature. Grabs with zero frames work the best however other kinds can be used too, as players are likely react to the previous action in a delayed fashion if their personal reaction times are slow. 1 frame grabs such as Yoroitoshi can work very well due to the same reactions. Characters that can change their aerial trajectory or manipulate their hurtbox in the air tend to get the most out of the jumping route while speedster characters such as Ibuki with her 18-frame dash with a high horizontal distance tend to get the most out of dashing. Players should be careful of walking or jumping into attacks when attempting this and some players consider masking an online only tactic and can be stopped offline due to no lag.
Trivia[]
- This is one tactic that may work better in an online environment rather than local play as in online the opponent can not physically see the extra input while in local the opponent can either see or hear the inputs.
Videos[]
Ibuki Mask Input
In this example, Ibuki is doing the inputs for her Ultra Combo 1 during the Dash to approach Makoto, since Dashes can not be interrupted by the player once started the inputs still register in the command system. Then Ibuki proceeds to grab Makoto.