[Top 5] SFV Best Frame Trap Characters That Are Great

Updated:

08 Jun 2022

Do you want to master frame traps in Street Fighter V? Here are your best shots.

Street Fighter V is a very footsies-based game, but when the opponent gets to the offensive there are many instances where pressure, blockstrings, and frame traps can be completely overwhelming to the receiving end. Fortunately, there are many ways in the game to deal with this sort of approach, particularly with the usage of the V-System.

When you are the one attacking a blocking opponent, during an offensive approach, or during footsies, you will want to use frame traps to catch the opponent with a counter hit and start a high-damage combo. A frame trap is when you throw a move at a blocking opponent, and just when they think they can punish you for it, you counter hit with another move that combined with the previous blocked one will have frame data that will allow it to come out before the active frames of the attack the opponent just tried to punish you with.

5. Cammy

Cammy basic block strings and frame traps

Cammy has been dominating opponents for most of SFV’s history. With her amazing speed, rushdown playstyle, and fantastic normal moves, no wonder she has often been considered a top-tier character in the game.

She was considerably nerfed in the latest update for the game and had many moves become unsafe and her health was shortened. Still, no one can beat Cammy when it comes to the straightforward rushdown style, and she has multiple angles from where she can approach the opponent.

When she has opponents in the corner, the scenario becomes that of a guessing game in which most Cammy players will go for the 50/50 option of either hit or throw and can quickly devastate their opponent. In the case the opponent blocks, they must be aware of her sneaky frame traps that she can pull off of a crouching jab after a crouching strong or a blocked standing strong into another standing strong and go for a fast combo from there.

What Makes Cammy Great:

Fantastic mix-ups
Normals that link between each other easily
Super fast speed perfect for the rushdown game

4. Rashid

Rashid Combos, Frame Traps and Counter Moves STREET FIGHTER V

What makes Rashid stand out is his excellent, unparalleled mobility. He has an actual run, not just a forward dash, and he can jump off the wall and change his trajectory mid-air with dive kicks. He’s above all a rushdown character, so the game plan here is to get in your opponent’s face and overwhelm them with fluid combos from multiple angles.

Rashid is really scary in the corner, even more so than Cammy, but his mind games are not focused on 50/50 mix-ups. Instead, he uses his high mobility to penetrate through the opponent’s defense and cut short any escape attempt. Because Rashid has tremendous corner-carry capacity, he can easily put the opponent right there where he wants them.

If Rashid is not moving around or trying to get in with Eagle Spike dive kicks, he’s trying to specifically bait the opponent into pressing a button for a counter. In this case, he can use the long-range of his standing roundhouse to get a crush counter that will even juggle the opponent in the corner for big combos and big stun, or he’ll try to fish for frame traps with his standing strong. If the fishing is successful, Rashid’s dynamic combos will do the rest.

What Makes Rashid Great:

Amazing mobility
Fast character with many ways to approach the opponent
Fantastic in the corner with savage pressure

3. Karin

SFV: Karin Tips - Frame Traps

Karin is the best footsies character in Street Fighter, and she is the true queen of whiff punishes. She can dash in and out of range with striking precision and can make any opponent suffer after a whiffed move with a highly damaging, highly technical, signature juggle combo.

Her crouching medium attacks are perfect combo starters, and they have deceptively long range. Her medium punches in particular are extraordinarily good to initiate whiff punish combos and she can even link her crouching strong into standing strong for better hit-confirms.

In neutral, Karin can turn frame traps into her signature combos by throwing her light normals or crouching strong and then catching opponents with counter hits after they block and press a button. This means that when dealing with Karin, one can never be comfortable during neutral, as she will take advantage of every opposing whiffed move, use her 3-frame crouching jab as a reversal to defend against pressure, and most importantly, convert frame traps into juggles that will demoralize any player battling her. If this wasn’t enough, her V-Reversal can shut down pressure and leave the opponent right in footsies range, allowing Karin to keep playing at optimal range.

What Makes Karin Great:

Best character at whiff punishing
Best backdash in the game
Juggling combos with great damage output

2. Akuma

Akuma Tech - Frame Traps

Akuma is the quintessential glass cannon. He has an above-average damage output, combined with below-average health and stun. With Akuma, you destroy or get destroyed.

He’s equipped with many different tools, not only in offensive terms but also when talking about mobility. Akuma is dangerous from all angles and all distances and his standing medium kick is a scary weapon to face in neutral, as it has tremendous range and speed, and it can be canceled into most of his special moves.

Akuma can effectively frame trap into this standing forward, and since it can be special-canceled into a lot of options it makes him a true frame trap machine. Since most of his gameplay is about a mix-up offense with a lot of true blockstrings and aggressive pressure, Akuma has plenty of opportunities to lay these traps and suddenly obliterate the opponent with massive combos with ridiculous damage output, especially if he has meter to spend.

What Makes Akuma Great:

High damage output
Fantastic mix-up game
Incredibly vast arsenal

1. M. Bison

M.Bison/Dictator FRAME TRAP | SFV CE SEASON 5

What ultimately defines M. Bison’s play is his terrifying approach, from the air or by teleport, by slowly walking forward or by using his invisible dash, and then start exerting his pressure on the opponent, and trying to catch them with frame traps and crush counters or even with his V-Trigger II command grab.

Bison is without a doubt the king of frame traps, being able to catch opponents with traps laid by his up-close jabs and mixing them up with safe-on-block normals, like the special cancelable crouching strong. He can also go for his Psycho Axe unique attack, which is safe on block and has crush counter properties, or, scarier still, his standing roundhouse will become a crush counter if the opponent presses a button against it, or a frame trap starter if the opponent decides to block it. His Hell’s Warp cross-up can also be a frame trap if followed by a standing short.

With terrific charge moves that leave Bison safe on block and that can be highly destructive when incorporated into combos, M. Bison is the perfect choice for those who, like himself, like to play the oppressor’s game, choking their opponent out of options and not leaving any breathing room.

What Makes M. Bison Great:

Relentless pressure and tremendous frame trapping
Safe special moves
Overwhelming space control

It is true that frame trapping is a well-advanced technique used efficiently in the highest level of Street Fighter, but mastering them is important even for beginners.

Understanding how frame traps work is essential to building solid pressure and it can be decisive during footsies in neutral. It is true that there are certain characters like Kolin who are great against the best frame trappers in the game due to her counter-attack gameplan, but for most of the match-ups, frame traps can be extremely rewarding.

Hopefully, this list helped you get a better understanding of what frame traps are, and made you fully aware of who are the characters that excel in this department. And remember, if you’re being pressured and hesitant to press a button in fear of getting trapped, your V-Reversal is your best friend.

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