Fighter's History Dynamite/Marstorius

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Fhd marstorius.png



Introduction

Remember Zangief in good old SF2? Remember how his Spinning Piledriver did crazy damage and could be done from a mile away, but was sometimes tough to pull off because of the 360° motion? Okay, now imagine a grappler that has a move that does similar damage to the SPD with similar reach, and can be performed by a mere half circle motion. Even better, a character that can actually COMBO into this throw, without the need to tick into it?? That's Marstorius!

Sounds too good to be true? Well, there is a slight catch... to balance out the brokenness involved with his grab, Marstorius was given a jump that's extremely low to the ground. So low, in fact, that he has severe problems jumping over fireballs, making it painfully easy for anyone with a fireball to keep him away. Ouch... but he has some other sneaky tools that help in getting around the projectile problem.

Marstorius isn't a character for everyone. It will take some practice to get used to his moves and his strange jump. Although if you're a Zangief player in the SF2 series (or generally want to run over people with a grappler once you get in), then this is definitely the character for you.

Weak Spot

FHD-marstorius-neutral.png FHD-marstorius-squat-1.png FHD-marstorius-squat-2.png FHD-marstorius-crouch.png
Frame count - 2 2 -

Marstorius has the odd distinction of being the only character with his weak spot on his feet. This is a double-edged sword - since it's so low on his body, most special moves will not hit his weak spot at all when he's on the ground, so he doesn't get dizzied or take as much damage from most combos. On the other hand, he can be dizzied very easily by most characters with a quick chain of cr.LK (x2) into cr.HK. Marstorius also tends to get hit in the feet when he tries to jump over fireballs, which is another huge problem with his low jump.

Color Options

Punch Kick
Fhd-marstorius-color1.png Fhd-marstorius-color2.png

Moves List

Quick Reference

Special move name Input Nickname Note
Dash Lariat Charge B.png,F.png + P.png Lariat KD, approach tool, longer charge time
Kneel Kick Charge B.png,F.png + K.png Anti-air, longer charge time
Moonsault Press Charge D.png,U.png + P.png Moonsault Crossup
Flying Knee Drop Charge D.png,U.png + K.png Knee Drop Reversal, anti-air, jump through projectiles
Double German Hcb.png/Hcf.png + P.png DG Command throw
Drill Power Slam Uhcb.png/Uhcf.png + P.png drill slam rushing command throw

Normal Moves

Light Punch Snka.gif

  • Standing LP (Close): activation range = 55
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-close-LP.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit +6
On block +7
Frame count 2 3 3

Close-range elbow that some characters crouch. Not chainable, so stick to crouching LP unless you really want to hit a weak point.

  • Standing LP (Far):
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-far-LP.png Recovery
Chain cancel yes
Special cancel yes
On hit +6
On block +7
Frame count 2 3 3

Open-palm strike that hits high and whiffs on crouching opponents. This IS chainable, unlike the close version, so you can mash it for a far anti-air.

  • Crouching LP:
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-crouch-LP-1.png FHD-marstorius-crouch-LP-2.png Recovery
Chain cancel yes*
Special cancel yes
On hit +3
On block +4
Frame count 2 2 3 4

*Becomes chainable only from 2nd hitbox

A short upwards swipe, like he's trying to swat a fly. Chainable and an awesome anti-air.

  • Jumping LP (Diagonal/Neutral):
Damage 14 Startup FHD-marstorius-jump-LP.png
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4

An elbow drop that doesn't hit very deep, so it's more of an air-to-air than a jump-in. You can cross up with it, funnily enough.

Heavy Punch Snkb.gif

  • Standing HP (Close/Far):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-HP-1.png FHD-marstorius-stand-HP-2.png FHD-marstorius-stand-HP-3.png FHD-marstorius-stand-HP-recover.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit -5
On block -10
Frame count 4 2 2 2 (6) 20

Standing chop! Similar button to E.Honda's chop from SF2. Hits crouching opponents. Not a bad anti-air, but cr.HP has a better hitbox and can hit crossup attempts. Always cancel it with a Double German attempt to cut off the recovery frames.

  • Crouching HP:
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-crouch-HP-1.png FHD-marstorius-crouch-HP-2.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit -3
On block -8
Frame count 4 2 2 20

Crouching chop! Use this if you don't have charge for Rising Knee or Kneel Kick - it has amazing priority.

  • Jumping HP (Diagonal):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-diagonal-jump-HP.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4 6

Cross chop with a pretty safe weak point. Has much more range than j.d+HP in front, but much less behind. Your most reliable air-to-air - throw this out if you don't want to risk getting your feet hit during j.HK or j.d+HK.

  • Jumping HP (Neutral):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-neutral-jump-HP.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4 4

Jumping chop! Not that useful since it's stuck to a neutral jump.

Light Kick Snkc.gif

  • Standing LK (Close): activation range = 47
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-close-LK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit +5
On block +6
Frame count 2 3 4

Foot stomp with a fairly wide hitbox. Doesn't chain but can link into normals. It can be used to hit weak spots that your jabs don't reach.

  • Standing LK (Far):
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-far-LK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit +2
On block +3
Frame count 2 4 6

Mars sticks his leg out. Actually a solid poke against some characters where crouching or low-profiling st.LP's are a concern. Slightly too much recovery for any links, so just cancel it into Double German.

  • Crouching LK:
Damage 8 Startup FHD-marstorius-crouch-LK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit +5
On block +6
Frame count 2 3 4

One of Mars's best normal moves. A quick low that combos into Double German and links into normals like cr.LP and cr.HK. It's the longest cr.LK in the game, although it's not chainable like Zazie's, Ray's, Lee's, etc.

  • Jumping LK (Diagonal):
Damage 14 Startup FHD-marstorius-diagonal-jump-LK.png
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4

Short-range knee attack. Would be a worthless jumping attack but you can cross up with it.

  • Jumping LK (Neutral):
Damage 14 Startup FHD-marstorius-neutral-jump-LK.png
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4

This hitbox would be good for crossups, so it's painful to see that it's on neutral jump. Anyway, it's your easiest instant overhead to land.

Heavy Kick Snkd.gif

  • Standing HK (Close): activation range = 47
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-close-HK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit -3
On block -8
Frame count 4 6 18

Headbutt. Wait, kick button is a headbutt? Whatever. Tall hitbox that can hit crouchers and a lot of weak spots, along with working as a trade anti-air.

  • Standing HK (Far):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-stand-far-HK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit -3
On block -8
Frame count 4 6 18

A high kick that doesn't have a weak point on the foot. Great move as a far anti-air.
As a heavy normal, it can combo into his hidden move from a longer range than Double German. This is a good way to tack on extra damage in combos. The range it stops comboing into Double German is around his heel.

  • Crouching HK:
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-crouch-HK.png FHD-marstorius-crouch-HK-recover.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel yes
On hit kd
On block -10
Frame count 2 8 (11) 18

Probably the best sweep in the game - comes out on frame 3 and has colossal range. This extends his hurtbox less than most other sweeps along with being a little more active, so it'll beat a lot of pokes. Whenever you do a sweep, always do a Double German motion to cancel the recovery time, whether it hits or is blocked.

  • Jumping HK (Diagonal):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-diagonal-jump-HK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4 5

Turnaround kick. This has the most reach out of Mars's jump normals, making it useful for sneaking a hit in if you manage to jump over a fireball. You can expect to get your weak spot hit in situations where they can anti-air you. It can also cross up, and you can overshoot and fake a crossup as a gimmick.

  • Jumping (Neutral):
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-neutral-jump-HK.png
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4

Leg drop! Looks funny but not all that great. Active all the way down.

Command Normals

  • Back Brain Kick: Uf.png + Snkd.gif
Damage 24 Startup FHD-marstorius-UF+HK.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
On hit kd
On block -8
Frame count 17 14 10

Marstorius does a small hop and falls to the ground with a kick. Knocks down on hit and must be blocked high. Kind of an odd move, but it has its uses - it's great for hopping over sweeps and occasionally as an overhead. It pushes back quite a way on block so it's fairly safe, which isn't ideal for Mars but it's better than being unsafe.
If you've been charging long enough, you'll get Kneel Kick or Flying Knee Drop to come out, which can be avoided by delaying Uf.png by at least 12 frames.

  • Body Splash: (in air) Db.png/D.png/Df.png + Snkb.gif
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-bodysplash.png
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4

Every grappler gets one! A hard-hitting crossup monster that's active for the rest of your jump. If you hit it early you can still go right into Double German.

  • Drop Kick: (in air) Db.png/D.png/Df.png + Snkd.gif
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-dropkick.png Recovery
Chain cancel no
Special cancel no
Frame count 4 10

Another jumping command normal. This one knocks down grounded opponents. This is mainly used for its impressive reach, but the hitbox is similar to j.HK - projecting his weak spot.

Throws

Damage 34 FHD-marstorius-throwbox.png
32
Range
(From pushbox)
31
  • German Suplex: B.png/Ub.png/Uf.pngF.png + Snkb.gif

You got this by accident. All of Marstorius's throws have the same advantage, but the single German leaves you a little closer than the Double German.

  • Front Suplex: Db.png/Df.png + Snkb.gif

Like SF2 Zangief, Marstorius has a crouching throw. This leaves your opponent noticeably closer to you than his other throws, which is... something.

Special Moves

  • Dash Lariat: Charge B.png 72f,F.png + P.png
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-dashlariat.png Recovery
On hit Light/Heavy
kd
On block Light/Heavy
-10
Frame count Light 8 6 20
Heavy 18 6 20

TIGER!! Marstorius charges at the opponent and delivers a clothesline that knocks down on hit. This move has a long charge time, nearly 2 in-game seconds, so you're not going to be using it all the time - Marstorius isn't a character that wants to spend a lot of time standing still. However, you can still use it on round start, and you get half the charge done during a jump, so keep it in mind.
The LP version travels about half-screen and hits quickly, while the HP version goes nearly full-screen but is incredibly slow to attack. The HP version has one interesting use, and that's to cross over cornered opponents. Using it in neutral will just get you punished.
The good news is that it's safe on block, as you're pushed back quite a ways. The bad news is that... well, you're pushed back quite a ways, and being far away isn't where you want to be with Marstorius. This means you shouldn't overuse it, at least unless you have a lead.
Throw it in there every now and then when your opponent completely forgets that Marstorius can quickly charge across the screen in an instant. It's also a big part of what makes Double German so threatening - after landing your command throw, charge by holding the direction you were facing (since he turns around during the throw), and Tiger! towards them just after the throw. You've got time to go for a cross up or empty jump.
One oddity with this move is that completing the input will give a throw if you're close enough. It always results in a German Suplex (B.png/Ub.png/Uf.png/F.png + Snkb.gif), even if you do it with Snka.gif.

  • Kneel Kick: Charge B.png 72f,F.png + K.png
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-kneelkick-1.png FHD-marstorius-kneelkick-2.png Recovery,
weak spot
reappears
On hit Light
kd
Heavy
kd
On block Light
-13
Heavy
-14
Frame count Light 4 4 4 21
Heavy 4 4 4 22

WHEEL KI- Oh..... Another long-charge move. This is a good anti-air. It can kinda hop over low pokes and score a knockdown, but Enzuigiri (Uf.png + Snkd.gif) is more accessible.
The problem is... the extra-long charge. It also doesn't go very far, and it's less safe on block than Lariat. If blocked, the opponent can sweep you for free (or worse).
You may be prone to getting this accidentally due to move overlap between its input and Rising Knee or Enzuigiri. For the former, input Ub.png + Snkc.gif or U.png + Snkc.gif, and for the latter, delay a little.

  • Moonsault Press: Charge D.png 40f,U.png + P.png
Damage 30 Startup FHD-marstorius-moonsaultpress.png Recovery,
landing
On hit Depends on
character height
On block
Frame count Light 24 15 7
Heavy 24 20 7

MOOOOOONSAULT! Marstorius flips into the air and comes down with a body splash that must be blocked high. The HP version goes slightly higher and stays in the air longer.
It doesn't knock down on hit, allowing you to combo into Double German if it hits (but damage scaling will severely cut down the damage). It's actually airborne and his lower hurtbox disappears on the first frame, but it takes a little too long for him to come down to abuse this.
Compared to Knee Drop, it's not invincible, and has a wider hurtbox on the way down, but it's still an option from a distance. It has slightly less recovery and doesn't move as far forward. This isn't really worth using much outside of occasional mixups after a Double German.
You can use this for corner crossups, with LP Moonsault working for P2 only and HP Moonsault for both.

  • Flying Knee Drop: Charge D.png 40f,U.png + K.png
Damage 24/24 FHD-marstorius-kneedrop-1.png FHD-marstorius-kneedrop-2.png FHD-marstorius-kneedrop-3.png FHD-marstorius-neutral-jump-LK.png Recovery,
landing
On hit Light
kd/kd
Heavy
-12/kd
On block Light
-6/+2
Heavy
-17/0
Frame count Light 3 3 6 16 4 10
Heavy 3 3 6 27 6 10

One of Mars's most useful moves by far. He does one knee attack on the way up, and another on the way down. There's a notable window of invincibility on startup, making for a good anti-air and reversal.
The first hit of the LK version will knock down, but not the HK version. If done close enough to the opponent Marstorius will usually cross them up with HK Knee Drop, which can surprise people. This is a bit of a risky gimmick where you'll get hit in the weak point if they can react and anti-air. Since his regular jump is unreliable at getting over fireballs, use this instead to advance on an opponent who's just throwing them non-stop. Be careful though, since the HK version goes farther and stays in the air longer, you will often end up landing in range of their sweep while they recover before you land, sending you right back to where you started. It's still an option, and one read that leads to a knockdown could snowball.

  • Double German: Hcb.png/Hcf.png + P.png
Damage 64 FHD-marstorius-DG-throw.png
Range
(From pushbox)
71

Marstorius's signature move. A command throw with no whiff animation that deals ~25% of your opponent's life. The range on his grab is insane (you can grab them from over one character width away!), and of course you can combo into it during hitstun in this game's engine.
Even better, Marstorius has a sick array of mixups he can do after landing a Double German, and potentially catch the enemy with another one (see the Strategy section for examples). Your most basic is body splash, st.HK xx Double German, which you only have to do twice after landing Double German. Due to its huge range, even if they block, you can just tick throw them with a little delay.
Needless to say that when you play Marstorius, landing this grab as often as you can is your goal. It does more damage than any of his combo enders too, although there's some situations where you might be slightly too far to combo.

  • Drill Power Slam: Uhcb.png/Uhcf.png + P.png
Damage Hitbox
1
Throw
60
Startup FHD-marstorius-dps-throw.png Recovery:
(20) - if whiffs/blocked
(52) - if hits
On hit +41
On block -6*
Frame count 6 28 20 52

*Frame advantage is measured as 20f of recovery + 2f of additional lag from active frames

That's a pretty bizarre motion, huh? If you can actually pull this off, then Marstorius lets out a frightening yell and quickly glides a full screen towards his opponent. You need to connect the hitbox first to trigger a throw. Light and Heavy versions are identical.
If this move isn't blocked, then he does an insane spinning tackle that deals damage comparable to the Double German. If it IS blocked... well, he stops in front of the opponent and gives them an opportunity to land a free sweep or combo.
If you can do this move consistently without leaving the ground, then maaaaaaaybe it's worth doing every now and then to completely frighten your opponent. Otherwise, it gives you worse oki than Double German due to the distance Mars jumps back after the slam. You don't have time for a crossup (or even a jump-in), but you can get up close and tick throw.

The Basics

If it hasn't been made abundantly clear yet, your entire gameplan with Marstorius is to land the Double German as often as you can. Its frightening range will scare your opponent into playing defensively, so you have to learn how to chase them down so you can get in range to land it. Most of the cast have fireballs, and they'll be shooting them like there's no tomorrow to keep you out. This of course is a problem for Marstorius since he has no way to completely counter them, and his low jump means that jumping isn't always an option.

It might seem like jumping normals will help you get over fireballs, but none of them actually lift your hurtboxes. You still have some options though: j.D.png+HP moves your weak spot all the way to his back knee, but it might still get clipped. Meanwhile, j.HK and j.D.png+HK both move your weak spot far in front of you, which can be good if you jump early. You'll still get hit, but it's better than taking one of three hits to your weak spot.

The most reliable way to get through fireballs is the Flying Knee Drop. Sticking to the LK version is generally advised, as you just want to be in sweep and Double German range, not directly on top of them. Using HK knee can close greater distances, but if you use it on reaction to a fireball, you'll just get hit by a sweep, taking damage and gaining no ground on the opponent. What you want to do is advance slowly until you're within sweep range, where the opponent will start sweating. Marstorius has an incredibly fast, long-reaching, and disjointed sweep, so it can beat a lot of normals and reward you with a knockdown.

The LP Dash Lariat is an excellent weapon once you're within sweep range. It comes out quickly and knocks down on hit, and can often end up trading with fireballs if you do it fast enough. The downside to it is of course the charge time, but this is where charge buffering comes in handy. If you do a special move like the Knee Drop, always return to Down-Back as soon as you can.

In addition to being able to combo into Double German, you can cancel normals on block by performing the Double German motion. Because DG doesn't whiff and you can't grab someone out of blockstun, Marstorius will just do a normal attack with the button you pressed. You should do Double German with LP so that you get a standing LP, which is fast enough to make your HP/HK buttons up to +7 on block. This has a variety of uses: working as an option select where you combo on hit or make yourself safe on block, allowing Mars to keep on his opponent after they block his sweep (you can also do this with Dash Lariat, but you don't always have charge), and opening up new blockstrings and chances for tick throws. All in all it's a very simple and powerful trick, maybe even a glitch. Using this trick to its fullest potential is essential for high level Marstorius play. Practice it if you're intent on picking up FHD's grappler.

Combos

Note: you can choose to use cl.LP to hit high weak spots instead of cr.LP which hits mid weak spots. It's still generous enough for links.

  • cr.LP, cr.LP, cr.LK, cr.HK xx Lariat
Quick chain into knockdown you can abuse, catching up to them with the lariat. HP Lariat is actually good to help you time the ambiguous crossup here. You can use st.LP instead of cr.LK, but everyone can crouch it.
  • cr.LK (x2), cr.HK
Use this to stun in the Marstorius mirror.
  • cr.LK (any light), cr.LP, st.HK xx Lariat/Double German/Drill Slam
Your best damage off a light, including a low. Double German does the most damage but you have to be quick or they may get pushed too far. Drill Slam is more consistent. Lariat can hit some weak spots which might come in clutch, but you need to have charge ready.
  • deep j.LP/LK, cr.LP, s.HK xx Double German/Drill Slam
Drill Slam corners opponent from half-stage.
  • j.HP (any hard jump-in), Double German
You can fit in an extra normal before Double German if in the corner or crossing up. You'll know if you land very close to them.
  • j.HP (any hard jump-in), st.HK, Drill Slam
  • Moonsault, cr.LP, s.HK xx Lariat/Double German/Drill Slam
Curiously, Drill Slam here does more damage than Double German.

Advanced Strategy

Double German mixups

So you managed to get in and land a Double German. What do you do next?

Outside of the corner, you should be charging LP Dash Lariat by holding the direction Marstorius was facing before the grab (i.e. if you grab facing right, hold right, then press left+LP after Double German ends). Doing this will put you right beside the opponent.

  • Use j.D.png+HP or j.LK to crossup your opponent.
  1. You can delay the jump or step back slightly after Lariat to hit in front. Be ambiguous.
  2. Once you land, do a cr.LK into Double German, which they may fail to block, or will combo from your jump-in on hit.
  • Empty jump cr.LK.
  • Step back like you're going to jump, then crouching LK into Double German. It catches people occasionally, and can be done outside their throw range (except other grapplers).
  • Uf.png+HK hop kick on their wakeup. This is an overhead and if it hits meaty it can be plus on block.
  • Empty jump Double German, a fun trick to mix up with the above ambiguous crossups or empty jump cr.LK.
  • Charge down-forward after landing DG and do HK Flying Knee Drop on their wakeup. It can sometimes outlast the invincibility of other reversals (Lee's Senkyutai comes to mind), but if they block the first hit, they may not expect to get hit by the second part, which crosses them up! This is a gimmick since they'll be able to interrupt HK Knee Drop with anti-airs or reversals.
  • Similarly to the previous point, you can Moonsault on their wakeup. Generally, LP will not cross up and HP will cross up.
  • Finally, you have to know when to back off. Either block and punish their reversal or wait and Double German, since throw protection on wakeup is short.

Be creative! It's very important to mix up what you do after a Double German to keep the opponent guessing. Marstorius only needs to guess right 2-3 times, so ride that momentum and you can pretty much seal the round right there!

Corner Crossups

Marstorius can cross up cornered opponents with a variety of moves. Some of these only work with Player 2 Marstorius. These all work off strings into sweep or LP Lariat, but after landing Double German from the corner, only HP Lariat and Drill Slam will cross up from that range.

  • HP Dash Lariat
  • LP Moonsault (P2 only)
  • HP Moonsault
  • LK Flying Knee Drop (P2 only. Doesn't work on Mizoguchi, Marstorius, Zazie, or Karnov)
  • HK Flying Knee Drop (P2 only)
  • Drill Power Slam

Mars isn't fast enough to get really ambiguous corner crossups like Ray with Dynamite or Lee with Dagger Punch. Your best bet seems to be HP Moonsault, which you can do immediately to cross up, delay a bit to land in front, or delay more to make it hit. Treat this as an empty jump setup, but it's still susceptible to throws.
Off a cornered Double German, you can cross up with HP Lariat and jump immediately for a crossup, or delay your jump to hit in front (you can also neutral/back jump while cornered, but that gives it away). After a crossup, you're too far for anything but a sweep, but if you were charging you can repeat the process.

You can also cross up with a jump after Front Suplex (Db.png/Df.png + Snkb.gif), but not other throws.

Instant Overheads

Due to his low jump, Marstorius has a few moves that he can use for an instant overhead. This is pretty risky and not worth it on every character, but on those head weakpoints you can stun and take the round. Typically a crossup into st.HK will already whittle them down to that last hit before a dizzy.
Note that if you hit the button too early, you'll get the corresponding grounded normal instead. Every hit has a window listed for how long after leaving the ground you can input before it will whiff - some are frame-perfect.

Character/Move nj.HP nj.LK j.LK j.d+HP
Ray No No No No
Feilin No No No No
Ryoko No Yes (1f) No No
Matlok Yes (1f) Yes (2f) Yes (1f) No
Samchay Yes (3f) Yes (1f) No Yes (2f)
Lee Yes (1f) No Yes (1f) No
Mizoguchi Yes (1f) Yes (3f) Yes (1f) No
Jean Yes (1f) Yes (3f) Yes (1f) Yes (1f)
Marstorius (mirror) Yes (3f) Yes (4f) Yes (3f) Yes (2f)
Yungmie Yes (1f) No No No
Zazie Yes (1f) Yes (3f) Yes (1f) Yes (1f)
Clown No No No No
Karnov No No No No

Note: Green box = weak spot hit

Match-ups

Ray Lee Zaz Kar Jea Miz Sam Yun Mat Clo Fei Mar Ryo
Marstorius 1 6 - - 2 4 2 - - - - 5 -

Vs. Clown:

  • 1 - 9

Clown is a real creep, so you're the Face in this matchup.
Seriously though, it's bad. Some people hold this at 1-9 or even 0-10 for Mars. Pick-a-Card isn't the fastest fireball, but it's got a wide hitbox and recovers quickly, allowing him to sweep or jab your jump and Knee Drop attempts to get in.
In the rare instance that you do get in, it's often game for Clown. A deep enough body splash will hit Clown's weak point, even if you trade with his Blanka ball. It can't be stressed enough though: that almost never happens because Clown's standing LP can beat everything Marstorius does in the air.

Vs. Jean:

  • 2 - 8

Another unforgiving matchup, but not to the same extent as others.
Jean's fireballs only have slightly less recovery than Ray's, and Mars can punish a blocked flash kick midscreen with Lariat (or Drill Slam, but this is a 3f window). Example
Jean has to commit to his anti-airs, so be sure to mix up your jump-in timings, strengths of d, u+K, and so on. Also note that his flash kick has 6f startup, so it's easy to safejump compared to other reversals, or meaty. Marstorius can hit meaty crouching LK and recover before flash kick comes out, netting him a punish. It also tends to miss on crossup attempts due to the hitbox, so Jean has a harder time getting Mars off him once he gets in.
Compared to most characters, Mars isn't worried about being killed by ABCD hands, either. Hands doesn't hit his weak spot (though Jean has no trouble hitting it with cr.LK and slide), and will connect twice crouching or three times standing, so scaling kicks in and you don't take a bunch of extra damage for crouching. Normally the first hit whiffs crouchers and only the third hit connects, with full glitch damage.

Vs. Ryoko:

Vs. Karnov:

Vs. Lee:

  • 6 - 4

A GOOD matchup? Yes, but not a free one.
Marstorius wants you to be in his face, and a lot of his normals outrange Lee's. One good strategy in this match up is staying just outside the range of his bigger buttons like crHP and stHP, then whiff punishing them with your sweep. You can actually beat those buttons while active with sweep, but be careful because it moves your hurtbox a bit forward on startup. Standing LP can be mashed to stop rush punches if you stay just outside their range. If Lee misspaces it, you can Double German to punish rush punch on block. The threat of Double German also makes it hard for Lee to do stagger pressure since he'll get caught out of rush punch or the follow-ups.
You can also use crouching LP and HK to attempt to stop him. This carries more risk, due to less range on cr.LP and more recovery on sweep, but both hit Lee's weak spot. You basically have to play this matchup patiently, and be wary about getting TOO predictable lest Lee find a gap and land a knockdown with rush punch. If you see him jump, you can backdash and sweep him if he's not too close. Otherwise, cr.LP, cr.HP, and Knee Drop work.
With all that said, what's bad in this matchup? Lee's combo game. Palm blast combos are pretty easy due to your size, and the more difficult double palm combo can deal so much damage that Mars can die if he gets stunned once. Example

Vs. Feilin:

Vs. Yungmie:

Vs. Marstorius (self):

Vs. Matlok:

Vs. Mizoguchi:

  • 4 - 6

This matchup is not as bad, mainly because Tiger Bazooka has long startup so it's easier to play around. It does have a pretty large hitbox and LP Bazooka moves slowly so it can be annoying. LP Koryuusai is safe on block and you'll be spaced out. Be wary of Renzoku (rekka kicks) going over your low pokes or beating command throw attempts. It's actually -1 on block though, so Mizoguchi has to back off or take a risk with his elbow. If he does it too close you can grab him.

Vs. Ray:

  • 1 - 9

Worst Matchup in the entire game. Ray will space you with his quick fireballs. Your Knee Drops and awful jump are your only options. If you're getting too close with those, you'll eat a Wheel Kick.

Try charging and poking or wait if Ray is spamming Tornadoes for trade hits. Your main objective will be to try to corner Ray and use Suplex traps. You can start the match with an Elbow to see what tactic Ray will use against you.

Vs. Samchay:

  • 2 - 8

Bad matchup - Samchay will never give you a chance to get into Double German range. He will keep you out with fireballs and may catch your Knee Drops with Ti Kau Koons. Samchay's fireball animation is laggy and leaves him vulnerable, so it's not the absolute worst.


Your gameplan is the usual: go through fireballs with Knee Drop to close the distance. After getting close enough, here's two situations that could happen:

  1. Samchay may try to punish your Knee Drops with Ti Kau Koon. If you're too close, then you're screwed and you'll have to close the distance all over again. Actually with right you can try to bait Samchay's Koon and then block it → punish it → get close.
  2. Samchay may not try to punish you and continue to throw fireballs at you. Samchay's fireball animation is laggy and stretches hurtboxes forward, leaving him vulnerable. Here you can catch him off guard with your leg drop (D.png + Snkd.gif in air). It hits really far and knocks down on hit. If you manage to land it, you get free time to get close and start your Double German mix-up game. Also Mars' sweep is a great punish - it has insane range.


You've managed to punish your opponent, what's next? Well, after scoring a knockdown use your Lariat to get at point-blank range in just a moment. To store your Lariat charge, always use your Knee Drop with Charge Db.png, Ub.png + Snkc.gif. This allows you to advance forward and store the charge at the same time.


Here's another tip: While LK Knee Drop is your main tool in every matchup, especially vs fireball spam, you shouldn't forget that you also have the HK version. It doesn't have real uses, but it can be used as a surprise attack while going through fireballs with LK Knee Drop. Keep it in mind - the surprise factor may help.

Vs. Zazie:

Game Navigation

General
Controls
Notation
HUD
Glossary
System
FAQ
Characters
Clown
Liu Feilin
Jean Pierre
Karnov
Lee Diendo
Marstorius
Matlok Jade
Makoto Mizoguchi
Ray McDougall
Ryoko Kano
Samchay Tomyamkun
Liu Yungmie
Zazie Muhaba
Ox