Story
Magneto, born Max Eisenhardt, later known as Erik Magnus Lensherr, is a character from the X-Men series by Marvel. He is a mutant with a powerful ability to control all forms of magnetism. Viewing humankind as morally and naturally inferior, he aims to conquer the world in order to establish mutantkind as the dominant species; however, his extreme methods and cynical outlook derive from his desire to protect fellow mutants from the atrocities he endured as a child during the Holocaust.
Gameplay
The basis for Marvel's Master of Magnetism is pure rushdown. From his basic Hyper-Grav xx Tempest combos to his never-ending line of possible resets and infinite combos, his rushdown game is unmatched by any character on the roster. What he lacks in versatility, he makes up for in speed and mixups. If you like overwhelmingly oppressive rushdown, and are willing to overcome his steep learning curve, this is the character for you.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
|
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Colors
First row: LP, HP, A1. Second row: LK, HK, A2.
Moves List
Normal Moves
5LP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 9 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Basic standing jab, fast and decent range. | |||||
5MP
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| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| Launcher | SJ | - | - | - | |
|
Generally better to just chain into 2HP for launcher, but still nice to have as an auto-combo. | |||||
5HP
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| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 6 | 7 | 24 | HL |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock |
| None | Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - |
5LK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 7 | 2 | 17 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Placeholder text | |||||
5MK
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| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 19 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Placeholder text | |||||
5HK
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| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 + 4 | 7 | 20 | 16 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| Launcher | Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Hits twice. The first hit is useful for comboing into magnetic shockwave. Two hit's is good for setting up ROM against Sentinel. | |||||
2LP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
5LP but crouching. | |||||
2MP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 9 | 14 | 38 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| Projectile | Chain, Special, Super, SJ Cancellable | - | - | - | |
|
Placeholder text | |||||
2HP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 7 | 8 | 25 | HL | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| - | Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
The easiest of Mags' three launchers to use. Sends them straight up, unlike 5MP and 5HK | |||||
2LK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 4 | 9 | L | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, SJ, Super | - | - | - | |
|
One of the fastest moves in the game. Great for hitting the opponent | |||||
2MK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6+3 | 4 | 8 | 21 | L | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Special, Super SJ cancellable | - | - | - | |
|
good for hitconfirming with assists like Psylocke AA | |||||
2HK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 7 | 27 | 8 | L | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| - | - | - | - | - | |
|
Good range and hitbox. can combo into Hyper-Grav under certain conditions | |||||
j.LP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Placeholder text | |||||
j.MP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 16 | 12 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Placeholder text | |||||
j.HP
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 8 | 13 | 8 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| Flying screen | Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
good landing hitbox. cancelling j.HP > airdash > j.HP is his best whiff meter build option. | |||||
j.LK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 10 | 11 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Slightly bigger than jLP, deceptive sprite-hitbox. Core tool for his infinite | |||||
df + j.LK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 10 | 9 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Key normal of his. Influences the opponent's trajectory based on Magneto's momentum. Enables many of his infinites | |||||
j.MK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 1 | 30 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| None | Chain, Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Pops the opponent straight up on hit. good normal for setting up magneto's tricky resets. | |||||
j.HK
| Damage | Startup | Active | Recovery | Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 7 | 6 | 15 | H | |
| Special Property | Cancel | Adv. Hit | Adv. Guard | Adv. Pushblock | |
| Flying Screen | Special, Super | - | - | - | |
|
Faster and a little bigger than jHP. Good jump-in | |||||
Throws
Placeholder note: Magneto's throws(both HP and HK) do extended hitstun when pressing up after you grab them. It is strictly better in 99 percent of cases.
Special Moves
+ 
+ 
+
, 
, 
+
+ 
+ 
Repeat to end. You can't block while flying.
EM Disruptor
HCF + P [on ground or air]
A decent full-screen projectile. Use only the TK jab version as the other has dangerously more lag. Use this when turtling or when trying to establish full-screen distance.
Hyper-Gravitation
HCB + K [on ground or air]
Also called Hyper-Grav (as Magneto himself calls it) or simply HG, this is mainly used in combos. Either version can be used in most combos, but outside of it always use the roundhouse version to be safe. Experience-wise, it has its moments outside of combos both good and bad, so use it sparingly as it has tremendous lag. Good situations would be when the opponent is falling down to you from a superjump, or when baiting him to attack your "unprotected" assist. When it connects perform his launcher as soon as you're in range as this can be mashed out of easily.
Magnetic Forcefield
HCF + K [ground only]
A counter-move in which Magneto conjures a circular field around him to protect him against physical attacks, though it is too short to be of any use unless when fooling around. Avoid this like the plague.
Magnetic Blast
u, uf, f + P [air only]
Also called as Overhead Wave. Magneto lets out a slow-moving projectile with a weird angle. The main use of this move is to delay your descent, the projectile is just icing on the cake. Good situations would be to avoid Doom's molecular shield assist, Sentinel unblockable and some ground-based traps.
Flight Mode
QCB + KK [on ground or air]
Magneto does a quick spin and then floats steadily. You cannot block while in this mode. You can move by either holding the stick to anywhere you want to float to, or using his PP airdash which is a hundred times faster and a million times more useful. Do the motion again and you will fall to the ground (You can be hit while falling unless you have Unfly mode). Be warned that doing this the wrong way (HCB + KK) will make him do a Hyper-Grav which will get him killed. This has a similar use to the Magnetic Blast: to delay your descent. This can be used to avoid Sentinel's unblockable (as Justin Wong popularized) and, in conjuction with airdashing, avoid the infamous Strider/Doom trap. He can also be in Unfly mode which makes it a little bit safer to use. Don't bother using this in combos.
Super Moves
+ 
+ 
Magnetic Shockwave
QCF + PP [ground only]
Magneto reels his arm back and slams it down the ground, creating successive columns of blue Magnetic energy that shoot upward from the ground in front of him.
- Whenever the opponent's point character gets hit by the super the game goes into "Flying Screen" as the camera follows the opponent until the super ends. But if the super hits an assist and not the point character, the assist gets hit normally but the game does not go into Flying Screen.
- It hits 8-10 times midscreen but in the corner the super ends once the column reaches the far end of the playing field. Because of this reason you should avoid using this when you've got the opponent cornered.
- There are many dangers in using this outside of combos since Magneto is completely vulnerable during the super. First, when you're up close and you Shockwave, they can pushblock the super and kill you for free. Also, be aware that against a lucky and/or incredibly skilled opponent, they can completely avoid getting hit by using either a forward air dash or an air super that propels them forward. To improve their chances even more, they can call an assist to shield themselves from the columns and hit you.
- This super can't be mashed to increase damage.
- This super is greatly affected by damage scaling, so use this only in short combos or if you're in desperate need to push the opponent into the corner, because otherwise you're just wasting a bar.
- This combos off of many attacks but the most notable of them are: Hyper-Grav, s.hk (1 hit), c.hp, c.hk (OTG or juggle). For some reason, doing c.hp xx Shockwave often adds one more Shockwave hit.
- This super is seldom used in high-level play because after Shockwave hits, Magneto is too far away from the opponent to start any real mix-ups and gives your opponent the chance to regain momentum. For this reason, it has fallen out of favor in lieu of the "five fierce combo" which doesn't cost a bar and gets the opponent right next to you for possible follow-ups.
- Generally, this is the safer super to DHC Magneto in, but you still have to take your chances.
- If the first hit of the Shockwave 'trades' with an incoming move from the opponent's point character, the Shockwave seems cancel after the current shockwave, Flying Screen occurs, Flying Screen finishes, and then the Shockwave reappears and finishes. Video example. Note that Magneto does not actually take damage from this 'trade'.
Magnetic Tempest
QCF + KK [ground or air]
Also called as Popcorn or simply Tempest, Magneto lets out numerous metal shards from his hands that shoot out in random directions except behind him.
- This unlike Magneto's Shockwave super can be mashed for more damage (I can't confirm this, though most people do it anyway).
- This is used primarily in the corner, utilizing the Hyper-Grav xx Tempest combo which inflicts a respectable amount of damage when it connects. (HGxxTempest works because the super flash screen kills four frames, letting the HG hit nearly instantly.) The drawback is that it can be escaped if the opponent counter-mashes out of the HG. Less commonly seen but definitely more useful is using this in conjunction with an assist that takes the place of the Hyper-Grav to make the Tempest combo into it, coined as the "unmashable" Tempest combo.
- This is a 1-frame start-up super which means that if you're fast enough you can DHC Magneto out before something hits him (Hail and most non-beam projectiles).
- Be aware that the shards deal rather poor amounts of chip damage and the super doesn't cover the space behind him so think twice before using it outside of combos, especially at close range.
- A rare occasion to use this is when both the point character and his assist is cornered, both of them are hit by your AAA (Cable-b and CapCom-b are prime examples) and are thrown away to the top of the screen, you can SJ up and Tempest so that the assist will get hit by the shards as soon as it falls toward the ground. His point will block the shards and makes it safe from retaliation.
- This super has a weird property—your momentum before you perform the super (either you're going up in the air or falling down) is retained after the super ends. What this means is that when you TK the super (QCF -> UF + KK) and it ends, you will shoot upward as if you've just started superjumping. This property gives him the ability to tack on the Hyper-Grav xx Tempest combo between reps of the ROM infinite which makes it even more scary.
- The best situation to DHC Magneto in safely with this is when you have your back against the corner AND you're full screen away from the opponent. Watch out against beamers.
- You can use this super's long DHCing window to let him fill the screen first with shards to cover your next character before you DHC him out e.g. Mags is full screen away from the opponent, he does his Tempest super, then he lets the super fill the screen with shards, and he DHCs into Cable's Time Flip super. Cable will be safe against most forms of retaliation.
Assist Moves
Projectile: 
E-M Disruptor E-M Disruptor 
Hyper Grav 
Hyper Grav 
c. 
Only the alpha assist is worthy of mention. Magneto comes out and does the fierce version of his EM-Disruptor. This assist has so many uses—zoning, quick ground control, more damaging resets and combos, you can even use this as a pseudo-AAA!
If there's a character that benefits the most from this assist, it's Sentinel. It gives the robot more powerful combos (e.g. launch lk mp ff.lp + Mag-A f.hp xx LP Rocket Punch), better zoning and keepaway games. It also serves Cable and his keepaway very well. This assist forms the backbone of teams Rowtron and Combofiend and for this reason you should strive to keep Magneto alive for the late game 'clutch'.
Using this as a pseudo-AAA means pushblocking off your opponent's overheads while calling Magneto to brush him off you.
The Basics
Beginner Overview
Advanced Overview
Combos
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP /\ sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP > sj.LK XX hcf + HP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP /\ sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP, sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP > sj.LK, (uf + PP) ad.LP > ad.LK > ad.LP > ad.LK XX hcf + HP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP /\ sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP > sj.LK, (uf + PP) ad.LP > ad.LK > ad.LP > ad.LK XX hcf + HP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP /\ sj.HK, (df + PP) ad.d + LK > ad.LK \/ c.HP /\ sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP, sj.LP > sj.LK > sj.LP > sj.LK, ad.LP > ad.LK > ad.LP > ad.LK XX hcf + HP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP XX qcf + PP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > c.HP /\ sj.HK, (df + PP) ad.d + LK > ad.LK \/ s.HK XX qcf + PP
-Jump HK \/ d.c.LK > s.HK XX hcb + LK XX qcf + KK
- c.HP (launch), sj.HP, airdash df, HP, HK, land, d.HK . This is Magneto's classic "five fierce" combo, which is a bread and butter combo and does amazing damage. You can also replace the sj.HP with sj.HK.
Triangle (Tri) Jump
sj -> addf or addb -> attack
This is the basis for the Magneto rushdown game. It gives you a high/low game, as well as a mixup and crossup game.
Uses:
1. Tri-jump in with a sj attack, forcing the opponent to block high. From here, you have a mixup game of either landing and attacking low, or doing another fast sj, thus attacking high.
2. Tri-jump backwards, away from your opponent, with a high priority attack. Allows you to run away and still attack. It also allows you to hit any approaching opponent, giving you an offensive defense, one that you turn into a normal c.lk, c.hp launcher.
3. Tri-jump over an opponent and to catch him blocking the wrong way.
Infinites
ROM
c.hp, sj.hk, addf.lk, ad.lk, land, [sj.lk, sj.lk addf, ad.lk, ad.lk, land] - repeat in brackets.
Variants - replace the bracket section with any of the following:
[sj.lk ad df lk lk] [sj.lp ad df lk lk] [sj lp lk ad df lk lk] [sj. lp lp ad df lk lk]
Not specific reasoning other than letting someone drop/raise and for show.
The ROM is basis for Magneto play once you reach at least an intermediate level. The majority of your time playing, you'll be trying to set this up, one way or another. Add pauses inbetween after the second sj.lk when you get to the brackets, and then another between the third and fourth sj.lk's as needed to keep your opponent at a good height.
Figuring out the hand movements can be hard: here's a video of the slide technique.
The ROM Infinite Hitbox Tutorial by Magnetro is also an amazing resource. Be sure to check out the ROM Flowchart there - it should help with your positioning.
Slide
OTG -> [cr.lk, cr.fk, sj cancel, whiff addb.lk] - repeat in brackets
OTG off whatever, easiest way is a throw.
Fly mode infinite
Go into flight mode (QCB+2K), [lk, mp, pause]
Advanced Strategy
Resets
Resets go here (placeholder)
Continue Hypergrav xx Tempest into ROM
If you ROM, land, then sj.lk, sj.lk, air dash forward sj.lk, sj.lk HG XX tempest, then after the tempest, you hit sj.lk, sj.lk, land, and start ROM'ing again. In this scenario, Magneto starts falling towards the ground after the Tempest.
On the other hand, if you just do ROM, land, then sj.lk, sj.lk (with no air dash), HG XX tempest, then after you tempest, your Magneto will continue his upward trajectory, so you can't just do sj.lk, sj.lk, land. In that case, you would need to air dash down (or downforward) after the tempest and do sj.lk, sj.lk, land, ROM.
Mashing out of Hypergrav xx Tempest
The perfect and minimum "escape from hypergrav->magnetic tempest" is:
* Hold joystick neutral, towards + FP, neutral, back + RH
IIRC, you can use either strength punch or kick as long it is N,T+P,N,B+K. You can escape as soon as the hypergrav hits. You really need to hit the neutral. Assist buttons never count for mashing. You can accidentally press them, but it's pointless and you should stop thinking they're useful for mashing if you haven't already.
Video tutorial:
General data on mashability:
Personally I do a three pass four button mash going LTR, RTL, LTR with the stick following my hand. (I probably should follow the recipe more closely, but frankly I'm terrified when I play against Magnus and '3x mash' is easier for me to instinctually run with.) I escape about 90% of the time offline and about 50% of the time online: lag plays a huge factor in online Magnus.
