The King of Fighters XV has added a new playable character into the fray: Omega Rugal.

Veterans of KOF will remember Rugal Bernstein and his Omega counterpart as the de facto fighting game bosses of KOF ’94, KOF ’95, KOF ’98, and other dream match entries. He has it all: a fast projectile, a way to reflect projectile, a badass horizontal attack, good footsies and reach, and his ever-popular reversal: the Genocide Cutter.

And then there’s his boss form in KOF XV’s Boss Challenge entry: he has all those moves and has his Genocide Cutter priorities upgraded so you cannot surprise Climax DM him. We’ll say this: he’s tougher than Otoma Raga.

However, if you beat him, you get to unlock his new stage, his stage music track, and his alternate outfit with the sick pauldrons from KOF 2002. If you’re stuck, fret not: here are some tricks to defeat Omega Rugal in Boss Challenge mode.

Don’t Challenge Genocide Cutter; Bait It Instead

First rule when dealing with an SNK boss: do not jump in, even if you think it looks safe to do so. When Omega Rugal launches a fireball and you think you can jump in, he will Genocide Cutter you: no questions asked. This version has faster recovery from his projectile attacks (Reppuken & eye blast).

If you press any input when you think it’s safe, chances are Omega Rugal can Genocide Cutter you for big damage because the AI here is reading your inputs like in the old SNK boss days. Instead, fish that reversal out. It has a long recovery, so when he’s about to land, just use your best-hitting combo to deal a good chunk of damage. Use up your meter for a DM cancel if you have to.

He Uses Dark Barrier A Lot

The boss version of Omega Rugal has a Dark Barrier that lasts for a good amount of time. When it hits, it deals a big amount of damage and knocks you back. It’s just as dangerous as his Genocide Cutter. Fortunately, you can position yourself until it’s over; hit him hard when he’s recovering. If your character has a great super jump, just jump over him and punish him from behind.

He Has A Unique DM Where He’s Temporarily Invincible

Boss Omega Rugal has a DM where he slowly walks to you Terminator style. If you’re close, he will grab you and do a badass DM that deals a heckaton of damage; it’s a superior version of his KOF ’98 Dead End Screamer. Worst, while he’s in this state he’s covered in a red aura that reflects projectiles. He cannot be interrupted while in his DM state.

However, he can only be in this state for 4 in-game seconds. As long as you’re in the mid-screen and Omega Rugal is backed to a corner, you can safely avoid this move by just walking back slowly. He moves pretty slow in this state, so just slowly walk back too. Just don’t back yourself into a corner.

He Has Openings; Just Punish Him When They’re Available

You can punish him with big damage moves or simple combos when he recovers from his longer-than-usual Dark Barrier, Genocide Cutter, and his God Press DM. Also, if you’re sure that he’s going to do a run or stick out a normal move, just do an EX reversal. 80% of the time the CPU will do something a second after an attack.

Projectile Reflection & Armor Moves Help

Omega Rugal can fall prey to his own projectiles if you have someone in your team who can throw them back at him like Athena. Keep in mind that the AI is fast enough to pull off Dark Barrier again. Moves with Armor like King of Dinosaurs and Clark’s command grabs can help negate some of Omega Rugal’s one-hit moves.

Don’t Pull Off Fancy Combos

Unless they 100% connect like ET and Xiao Hai in a major tournament, don’t pull off combos you might drop. Omega Rugal can capitalize from your dropped combo and basically take off a huge chunk of your health with his unfair links to his damaging DMs.