The Basics
Faustus wants to get his opponent into the corner as quickly as possible to perform a mixup and completely end their life with a juggle ending with 1000 Stabs'. The bulk of this Strategy page will be about how to use your high speed to get your opponent to the corner, and the options you have at your disposal to deal with how they choose to react to getting out of the corner.
Practical Combos
Mid-Stage
Dr. Faustus is arguably at his weakest in the middle of the stage. His damaging hard knockdown strings have lots of opportunities to counter them and most of them rely on Spinning Sweep, which is stopped cold if low blocked. Outside of landing counters, here are some suggestions:
1 Hit, 13 Damage- Dog Maul is a pretty good special. Big hitbox, fair startup, but lacking in recovery time. It makes a great counter-hit move using Faustus' speed to punish bad attacks.
2 Hit, 10 Damage- A very useful string against crouching players. The Swing Kick will whiff, but the Low Incision comes out as fast as if you were to use it with its special move input.
/- 3 Hit, 26 Damage
- Great damage and gets around standing blocks, however high countering the Flying Kick has pretty predictable timing, and if used against a crouching players the sweep will trip you when blocked.
- -> ->
8 Hit, 37 Damage- This string is to get around standing blocks. You can Scalpel Uppercut a hit early as a timing mixup. It's not a hard knockdown string and it doesn't travel super far, but the 1000 Stabs does get them closer downstage. Cancel the Stabs after the second hit.
- -> ->
- 11 Hit, 60 Damage
- Not a hard knockdown, but this Stanky Leg counter-hit combo carries your opponent a ways and does so much damage for a mid-stage juggle it's gross. If you think you can get away with it without being countered, go for it. Do not use this against a crouching opponent, as all of the high attacks in the string will whiff, and your blocked sweep will trip you. If you end up getting to the corner, you can adjust the combo to your liking to maximize damage.
Corner Mixups
Once you get your opponent into the corner, you need to choose how you're going to end them. Here's some suggestions based on how your opponent is reacting:
If They're Blocking High....
Go For A Grab!
Grabs are the answer for a player stand countering.
-> -> -> -> -> - 1+1+16 Hits, 6+24+83 Damage
- The threat of this combo alone should have anyone hold crouch after being hit by a Turn Around Slap.
- You have a 2 frame window to rear grapple someone after a Turn Around Slap. Faustus' rear grab can restand if you hit your opponent before they fall over, leading to more than 100 damage. However, if your opponent is holding crouch after the lap, the rear grab is impossible. What you can do instead of going for the rear grab is then wait and use a mid string to hit them while they're crouch blocking. This does require knowing what your opponent is looking for, so if they're reluctant to crouch after the slap, hit them with this nonsense and they'll start crouching real quick.
- -> -> ->
- 16 Hits, 66 Damage
- For when you just want to hit your opponent during Slap's stun like the developers certainly intended. Since your opponent will be facing backwards, you cannot double Stomach Stab juggle.
Go For A Low Poke!
These combos are also good against crouching players fishing for counters.
- -> -> ->
- 16 Hits, 88 Damage
- Very high reward, with a moderate amount of risk. If the sweep gets them, they have to parry the Low Incision or they just die. If the sweep gets blocked, you trip and completely lose stage advantage.
-> -> -> - 16 Hits, 78 Damage
- A little risky since the Scalpel Uppercut can be high countered, but a very fast option.
- ->
- 14 Hits, 62 Damage
- The Crouch Uppercut can feel quite slow and doesn't do the most damage, but it's your best option to safely launch low and its range is nice. Due to how long it takes to uncrouch, you're best off doing this string rather than try for the optimal Stomach Stab juggle and risk dropping your opponent before the Stabs.
If They're Blocking Low...
- -> -> ->
- 15 Hits, 79 Damage
- The opening Swing Kick hits high, but cancels into the Low Incision fast enough to match using Low Incision on its own.
- -> -> ->
- 14 Hits, 68 Damage
- You lose out on damage, but sometimes the raw Scalpel Uppercut is quick enough to catch your opponent.
If They're Crouch Countering...
Select a combo from either the Low Poke or Blocking Low lists above depending on if you read your opponent parrying high or low.
