SOCD: Back + Forward = neutral on a leverless controller
Hold both horizontal directions and the controller sends neutral. That is how the MICRO and SWORL come set up, and this one rule powers most leverless tricks.
SOCD: Back + Forward = neutral on a leverless controller
Hold both horizontal directions and the controller sends neutral. That is how the MICRO and SWORL come set up, and this one rule powers most leverless tricks.
- Press Back.
- Press Back + Forward. The game reads neutral.
- Press Forward.
Watch it slowed down, then press Try it and do it yourself with a controller or your keyboard (A, S, D and Space, or the arrow keys). Timing is not frame-accurate. The animation shows the order of presses; check exact timing in your game's training mode. The animation assumes the Capcom/Neutral SOCD mode (Left + Right = Neutral, Up + Down = Neutral), which is how the MICRO and SWORL ship. Game and character names belong to their owners.
Pro notes: SOCD: Back + Forward = neutral
Notation 4 + 6 = 5. Directions are written for a character facing right.
Keys you press vs what the game reads
Top row: the buttons you hold. Bottom row: the direction the game receives in Capcom/Neutral mode. Highlighted steps are where opposing directions cancel to neutral.
SOCD modes
| Up priority (Classic)L + R = Neutral, U + D = Up | Capcom/NeutralL + R = Neutral, U + D = Neutral. Shipping mode. | Last priority (2iP)Newest direction wins | NoneBoth sent; the game decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works | Works | Different result | Different result |
Set the mode by holding a direction while you plug in: Up = Capcom/Neutral, Left = Up priority, Down = Last priority, Right = None. Check yours in the controller tester.
Frame and timing notes
- Mode table for Back + Forward: Capcom/Neutral = neutral; Up priority (Classic) = neutral; Last priority (2iP) = whichever was pressed last; None = both sent (the game decides). SOCD tricks change or stop working in the last two.
- Modes are set by holding a direction while plugging in (Up = Capcom/Neutral, Left = Up priority, Down = Last priority, Right = None).
- Capcom Pro Tour has required Left + Right = neutral since 2019 and Evo bans sending both directions at once.
Leverless tips for the SOCD: Back + Forward = neutral
The finger map used here: ring finger on Back, middle finger on Down, index finger on Forward, right thumb on Up.
- Out of the box the MICRO and SWORL send neutral when Back and Forward are held together. You can watch it happen in the controller tester.
- Tournament rules (CPT, Evo) require Left + Right to resolve to neutral, so this is the setting to keep.
More techniques
-
Crouching dragon punchIntermediate
Hold Down the whole time and tap Forward twice. An anti-air straight from a crouch.
-
Double-tap dashBeginner
Two fingers on one button: slide the middle finger through Forward, then the index finger.
-
Down, downBeginner
Two fingers on the Down button, one after the other, with the attack on the second. Orie's Sealing Hoplon (22A/B/C) is the example.
-
Dragon punch (no diagonals)Beginner
Forward, Down, Forward, punch. Street Fighter 6 accepts it with no diagonal at all.
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