Phoenix Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Mixup Theory
Oncoming Mixups
Counterplay
Dark Phoenix as a character, once fully activated and allowed to set up her offense, is extremely oppressive and heavily favored to win the match by herself. Players have developed a variety of strategies to prevent this from happening, with various levels of in-match consistency.
Guard Break Setups
When Phoenix dies with five bars, her Dark Phoenix activation places her in the air slightly above her location when she died. This means that a player who has Phoenix in a kill combo has some leverage to cause her to activate at a specific position. This is can behave similarly to an Oncoming Mixup, except that Dark Phoenix does not have any of the usual throw immunity when she awakens, making her much more vulnerable to being Guard Broken. This is the most consistent method for dealing with Dark Phoenix on teams that have access to it, as it is entirely in your hands to execute the strategy once you have hit Phoenix.
One small additional detail is that, although Dark Phoenix Rising will almost always place Phoenix airborne (even if she died while grounded), it is possible to force her to activate in a grounded state if she is knocked down and killed with a late-hitting OTG attack.
Characters with notable guard break potential include:
Anti-Air Command Grabs
Spider-Man's Ultimate Web Throw is an anti-air command grab hyper with enough range to grab Phoenix from outside the range of her activation shockwave. Spidey can consistently land this setup from most combos by killing with Maximum Spider, activating X-Factor as soon as the cinematic ends, and immediately going into Ultimate Web Throw. Other characters can also kill Phoenix and DHC into Ultimate Web Throw if Spidey is on the team. Video Example
She-Hulk's "Taking Out the Trash" hyper is an anti-air command grab hyper which has enough invincibility to blow through Phoenix's shockwave and grab her. She can kill with a variety of moves and X-Factor cancel into the hyper, or have another character kill with a hyper and DHC to her.
Frank West also has access to an invincible anti-air command grab with "Funny Face Crusher" as long as he is at least Level 3. He can set this up off just about any kill while grounded by doing Kill Move > LMHS, X+S > 623XX.
Spencer has an anti-air command grab in Jaw Breaker (623H). If Spencer kills Phoenix with Bionic Maneuvers (236XX) midscreen, the hyper's cinematic ends in such a way that Phoenix will pop in the perfect position for Spencer to grab her from outside of the initial shockwave range. Video Examples.
Nemesis has an anti-air command grab in 63214M with enough reach to grab Phoenix from outside the range of her shockwave.
Skrull has a similarly long-ranged anti-air command grab in 214M.
Both Thor and Haggar have 1f Aerial Command Grabs in their respective j.63214H specials.
Haggar also has an Anti-Air Command Grab if he kills on the ground in 623H.
Unblockable Attacks
Shuma-Gorath has an Unblockable attack via his Chaos Dimension 236XX Level 3. Shuma can combo into the activation bite of Chaos Dimension, continue the combo afterwards to kill Phoenix, then X-Factor and mash H to eat Phoenix as she activates.
X-23 has an Unblockable attack via her Silent Kill 214XX Level 3, similar to Shuma. However, X-23 has a harder time comboing into her Unblockable hyper than Shuma does.
Firebrand can force Phoenix to block a meaty attack on awakening, usually either an assist or THC, while charging his Unblockable 623[H] Demon Missile attack. Depending on the meaty attack used, Phoenix may be able to escape this with an X-Factor Guard Cancel into teleport or other mashed move.
C.Viper can fully charge an X+S Focus Attack to make it Unblockable and, as a bonus, the armored property of this move will allow it to beat Phoenix's shockwave on awakening. However, the very limited range on Focus Attack can make practical setups into this move difficult.
Taskmaster also has an Unblockable attack in the Headbutt followup to his Sword Master attack (623X>H). Like all Taskmaster unblockable setups, it is vulnerable to a well-timed pushblock on Taskmaster's sword swing, but a sufficiently fast multi-hitting attack from a teammate can keep Phoenix locked down and make timing this difficult.
Phoenix Wright can force Phoenix to awaken into a meaty Steel Samurai Maya (236XX) hyper, activate X-Factor, and then land a High/Low Unblockable by connecting an Overhead attack at the same time as Maya's Low hit.
Besides these specific setups, any number of characters can kill with a Team Hyper Combo, then X-Factor to move freely while Dark Phoenix awakens into meaty attacks from the assist characters and attempt to mix her up. Video Example.
Meter Steal
It is possible to prevent Phoenix from activating Dark mode, even if the Phoenix team is successfully able to build all five bars, by using one of a handful of methods to lower the opponent's total meter below 5 full bars before Phoenix is able to die.
In a vacuum, every character has access to a universal way to remove meter from the opponent via Side TAC, so long as the team still has at least two characters alive to perform a TAC at all. As a general rule, Phoenix players can simply mash a Side TAC break while being aircomboed to prevent their meter from being stolen this way. By using a TAC Cancel, characters can fake out with a TAC in a different direction, and then cancel to a Side TAC in order to steal one of the Phoenix player's bars. This does not guarantee a successful Side TAC, but does force the Phoenix player to read that a TAC Cancel will be attempted and guess correctly.
As discussed on the TAC Cancel page, all characters can perform a TAC Cancel if they have X-Factor available, by performing TAC (Up or Down) > X-Factor > TAC (Side). Additionally, a few characters are able to airdash-cancel the startup of a TAC if they link into the TAC attack from a neutral state. These characters are Zero, Chun-Li, Morrigan, Spider-Man, and Shuma. Shuma can only land this airdash-cancel if he is brought in via a TAC from another character first. These characters can also perform the X-Factor TAC Cancel like normal, or even perform both in the same sequence for a "Double TAC Cancel", which is extremely unlikely to be read correctly.
A handful of characters are able to take advantage of a technique popularized by MarlinPie in which you intentionally whiff a TAC in the Up or Down direction, baiting out the opponent's TAC Break attempt, then recover and still land a Side TAC before landing. Doom and Nova are both able to perform this setup, and other characters with 8-way airdashes likely can as well(?). Video Example.
Besides this universal option, the only other practical way to steal an opponent's meter is Morrigan, whose Soul Drain (236S) projectile steals 30% of a bar on hit. Morrigan can fairly consistently combo into Soul Drain by scoring a Hard Knockdown, throwing out a Soul Drain, then canceling the recovery into Shadow Servant (623XX). Video Example The OTG hyper will lift Phoenix up into the fireball, hopefully stealing her bar in time before she dies. There are also a variety of other methods for comboing into at least one Soul Drain, including DHCs to Astral Vision and using assists to cover its startup. Morrigan can either connect one Soul Drain just before Phoenix is about to die in order to deny the transformation, or intersperse Soul Drains into her combos and fireballs throughout the match in order to keep the opponent's overall meter low and make it harder for them to reach 5 bar in the first place.
Besides Morrigan, the only other character with non-TAC capacity for stealing meter from the opponent is Shuma, whose regular ground throw and airthrows steal 24% meter on success. Because you can not combo into Shuma's throws (obviously), this represents a much less practical option.
Snapping Phoenix in Early
The most straight-forward approach. Phoenix is almost always kept in the Anchor position to maximize the amount of time her teammates have to build meter before she is brought in. By using a Snapback, you can force Phoenix into the point position early, giving yourself an Oncoming Mixup and a chance to kill Phoenix well before her team can build the necessary meter.
Unfortunately, Phoenix has some of the best tools in the game for dealing with Oncoming Mixups. She has access to an 8-way airdash, a teleport, and access solid Throw Tech OS in j.H. Even worse, she has access to Phoenix Rage (236XX), making her one of very few characters in the game with an Air-OK invincible hyper, giving her an option to blow through meaty oncoming setups. That said, getting Phoenix to spend a precious bar on an invincible hyper to protect her incoming is a small victory itself, and she may need to spend a second meter later in order to safely DHC out. Oncoming Mixups for dealing with Phoenix should ideally be prepared to deal with all of these options.
Timer Scam
tldr don't try it.
In theory, if you have eliminated both of Phoenix's teammates and have a significant life lead, you can circumvent the need to kill Phoenix at all and avoid any risk of dealing with her Dark form by winning on time. If you simply refuse to actually attack Phoenix and run away for whatever the remainder of the match timer may be, an assist-less Phoenix might not be able to chase you down effectively enough to make up the difference.
In practice, this has been tried by a few different players at various points in tournament matches and has an extremely low success rate. non-Dark Phoenix is actually a very competent Point character when you ignore the disadvantage of her terrible Health (which instead becomes a distinct advantage when her goal is to get herself killed). She has great mobility and solid potential for both chip damage and mixups. Since you are unable to threaten Phoenix with meaningful damage while running away, there is nothing to stop her from rushing you down with repeated throw mixups until you crack, and so beating Phoenix on time is not really any more practical than winning on time in any other context.
A handful of characters have "timer scam" infinites, infinite combos with low enough Minimum Damage Scaling and base damage that it would take them an impractical amount of time to kill any normal character. Notable examples of this type of infinite include Dante's TAC Infinite, Nova's Timer Scam TAC Infinite, and Spencer's non-TAC "Zipfinite". If you have unwavering faith in your execution skills, you can bleed out upwards of 70-80 seconds killing one of Phoenix's normal-health teammates using one of these infinites, securing a win without having to interact with Phoenix at all.
Sentinel Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Sentinel has several long-range normals for controlling space and fishing for hits in neutral. All of Sentinel's L and M buttons can destroy projectiles on contact. 5M, 2M and 5S have armored frames for blowing through other attacks, and j.5M has absurd range, reaching nearly fullscreen and slightly upward. Sentinel's normals have long recovery, but it can circumvent this disadvantage by utilizing its very strong Flight Cancels. Sentinel's flight has 17f startup, and its Unfly is instant. A basic strategy for Sentinel is to throw out any of his powerful normals and buffer a 214S to cancel the move's recovery into Flight, reposition with Sentinel's excellent Flight Mode speed, throw out another normal, Unfly-cancel that attack with another 214S before following up with yet another normal. A sequence like that allow Sentinel to quickly put out three different attacks to cover a variety of angles while also giving him the flexibility to confirm those attacks if any of them happen to connect.
When Unfly-Canceling a normal, you can perform the input for the next attack at the same time as the 214S. For example, j.L > 214S{Clr|1|L}} will cause Sentinel to essentially "cancel" his initial j.L into a second attack for two quick overheads.
Sentinel's unique 5H and 2H beam normals mean give it an edge in long-range battles because it can throw out a projectile and call an assist at the same time. This is something very few other characters can do, since most projectiles are special moves, and assists can not be called during them. In assist wars, Sentinel can use 5H to protect its own assist while simultaneously sniping the opponent's assist. Once this advantage has been established, Sentinel can advance forward, either by plink dashing up after recovering, or by Flight-canceling his 5H and flying forward, and attempt to run an offense.
Mixup Theory
Sentinel's offensive game is primarily Strike/Throw based, where opponents who are forced to respect Sentinel's powerful armored normals leave themselves vulnerable to being grabbed by a ground throw, airthrow, or 623X command grab. Sentinel's regular throws are notably powerful because it can buffer a 214S during any throw attempt to fly-cancel a failed throw, without interfering with a successful throw. 623X Catapult has a few unique applications based on its ability to be special-canceled into. 5L > 623H is a basic tick-throw that starts an easy combo against opponents holding down-back. As a more advanced option, Sentinel can kara-cancel its 5H Beam into a command grab to surprise opponents. 5L 5H ~ 623L tick-throws with similar timing but looks more intimidating.
Dealing with Pushblock
- Sentinel can pressure opponents with high-blockstun air normals (mainly j.M and j.H), ideally tagging the opponent just before Sentinel reaches the ground. Even if these attacks are pushblocked, Sentinel can plink dash forward to cover the entire lost distance - and then some - before the opponent's Advancing Guard Delay finishes.
- Both Sentinel's Fly and Unfly, if timed properly, will negate the pushback effect of Advancing Guard on Sentinel's attacks. Sentinel usually likes to Fly-cancel its normals anyway, and so slightly delaying these cancels gives Sentinel a chance to remain surprisingly close to a pushblocking opponent and continue to pressure them.
- Several of Sentinel's options have long enough range that they can still connect even after a pushblock. Normals like 2M and j.M can clip an opponent who tries to escape immediately after pushblocking.
Oncoming Mixups
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Counterplay
Sentinel is one of very few characters with an invincible, air-OK hyper in Hard Drive (j.236XX). This means the vast majority of standard Oncoming Mixups do not work reliably on Sentinel, and are dangerous to attempt versus it. Additionally, even if Hard Drive is successfully baited out, Sentinel quickly flying to the opposite end of the stage makes it difficult to properly punish. There are a few possible ways to attempt to punish Hard Drive, depending on the situation:
- Characters with sufficiently fast grounded plink dashed can chase down Sentinel and punish it in the opposite corner.
- Characters with fullscreen projectile options, like Beam hypers, can throw them out during Hard Drive, and Sentinel will fall helplessly into the projectile while recovering.
- By intentionally jumping into Hard Drive and rhythmically tapping pushblock, you can "ride" Sentinel across the screen, and then airthrow him out of the recovery.
Video Timestamp: SpartanThrone discusses how to punish Hard Drive
As a big-body character, Sentinel is vulnerable to Instant Overheads that either whiff or can not be comboed on normal-sized characters. Additionally, while Sentinel's armored attacks can be scary when it has momentum, its normals are slow, and none of its attacks have frame 1 armor. Sentinel is very vulnerable to being pressured by repeated jumping attacks.
Arthur Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
j.S Cancels
j.S is Arthur's only mobility tool, and is a key part of both his movement and zoning capabilities. j.S replaces Arthur's vertical momentum with a very quick fall, while not affecting his horizontal momentum. Consequently, Arthur's fastest practical forward movement to is superjump up-forward, and then quickly j.S back down towards the ground, and his fastest practical backwards movement is to superjump up-back and j.S.
Additionally, Arthur can cancel j.S on whiff into any of his air-OK specials, allowing him to quickly access these specials while falling. The basic sequence is Superjump, short delay, j.S > Any special. Timed properly, Arthur can land-cancel nearly all of his projectile options as soon as they are fired, recovering almost instantly and allowing Arthur to follow up with additional zoning. A small delay is required, as otherwise Arthur will land during the startup of his projectile and not fire it at all. Below are some common specials to use off j.S in order to provide large amounts of projectile pressure:
236H Crossbow - The standard choice for zoning patterns. Fires two projectiles at a down-forward angle that reliably cover both the ground and normal jump height. Usually provides enough projectile density to force opponents to superjump around it.
236M Lance - Slightly faster startup than Crossbow. Mainly notable in Anchor situations with either Gold Armor, X-Factor, or both. Gold Armor gives Lances Medium priority, which means that opponents will almost never have a way to contest the projectile without spending a hyper. Lances also have very high base damage and, when utilizing the stacked buffs of Gold Armor and X-Factor, can keep an opponent locked down in blockstun while dealing immense chip damage.
236L Daggers - In the context of a canceled j.S, you will almost never be airborne long enough to throw more than one dagger, making it almost always inferior to Arthur's other 236X options. At superjump height, Arthur can fall long enough to throw out two daggers, which might be useful for the additional vertical coverage.
Managing Gold Armor
Arthur's Gold Armor install enhances both his potential as an assist and on point, and so Arthur teams will usually prefer to get him into Gold Armor quickly and safely.
The simplest way to get Arthur into Gold Armor is to simply activate it raw. King's Armor is invincible during the pre-flash startup. You can use the super flash to judge whether the opponent will be capable of punishing the remaining two frames post-flash, and DHC as necessary.
Additionally, Arthur has a fairly unique reversal option in 623M, which is invincible all the way through its active frames. Although Heavenly Slash's long recovery normally makes it very unsafe and limits its combo potential, 623M > 214XX is roughly neutral on block.
Besides managing being able to safely enter Gold Armor, Arthur uniquely also needs to be able to handle safely exiting Gold Armor when its duration expires, because the end of the hyper's duration places him into a vulnerable Hard Knockdown state. The most reliable way to protect Arthur when his install runs out is to use Goddess' Bracelet (236XX). Arthur can retreat to fullscreen if performing this hyper just before his armor will wear off, and the lingering projectiles can keep an opponent stuck in blockstun long enough that they cannot traverse the stage and OTG Arthur in time.
Mixup Theory
Counterplay
Anchor Arthur can quickly kill most characters even wiithout opening them up offensively by using very high base damage of fast and durable projectiles like his 236M Lance to quickly deal lots of chip damage while keeping the opponent trapped in blockstun. However, Advancing Guard has a short window during its duration where the pushblocking character is fully immune to chip damage. By intentionally delaying the pushblock input on any blocked lance, it is possible to enter this immunity window just as the next lance connects, negating Arthur's ability to deal any chip damage at all. This creates an impasse where your character can not escape the blockstun of the lances, but Arthur can not actually put any pressure on you, and his X-Factor and Gold Armor timers will be expiring during this. You can see a video example of the correct pushblock timing here.
Firebrand Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Instant Wall Cling Fireball
When Firebrand performs his Hell Spitfire follow-up off a Wall Cling, he remains in recovery until touching the ground, as opposed to the fixed 29-frame recovery of doing a regular fireball in the air. Under normal circumstances, this is worse, but a Wall Cling done sufficiently low to the ground can recover significantly faster than normal air fireballs. The Instant Wall Cling motion drastically improves Firebrand's neutral game by allowing him to fire projectiles quicker and safer, and maximize his potential to capitalize on the pressure created by Hell Spitfire.
The 4754L input is the fastest and allows Firebrand to cling to the wall at the lowest point possible. On a stick-based controller: input back, roll to up-back, release the stick, then tap back again. On a hitbox-style controller: hold back, tap up, release both, then tap back.
The 8754L input is slightly slower but may be easier depending on your controller setup and execution.
An Instant Wall Cling Fireball done as low as possible will just barely be able to hit Morrigan when she is standing, so choosing her as a practice dummy while learning the input gives good feedback on when your inputs are perfect.
Instant Wall Cling Fireball can be looped into itself to produce large amounts or fireball pressure while staying at long range. Alternatively, Firebrand can transfer into normal fireballs, or plink dash up behind his wall cling fireballs in order to advance on a defensive opponent and attempt to open them up.
It is also possible to get Wall Cling Fireballs very low to the ground by using j.214H Hell Dive, either using a Tiger Knee motion directly off the ground, or simply jumping and inputting the special, then inputting a normal Wall Cling as Firebrand flies into the wall. This is slower than an Instant Wall Cling Fireball, but can be useful for getting off a single low-aimed projectile with minimal execution requirements.
Mobility
Besides Firebrand's excellent grounded plink-dash speed, Firebrand has the following tools for moving around the stage quickly and unpredictably.
2H - Firebrand's slide moves him forward about 1/4 of fullscreen distance. It has fairly long recovery, but it can be whiff-canceled into other movement options in order to add some extra total forward movement to them.
M Demon Missile (623M) - A generic approach tool when covered by an assist. As a bonus, it passes through opponents, meaning that said assist-call may hit cross-up. Without assist coverage, it isfairly easy to punish.
Bon Boyage (236S and j.236S) - Although the point-blank frame data may give the impression that Kidnap is very punishable, it is quite difficult to punish in stray air-block situations or if it whiffs. Kidnap starts up quickly and moves very fast, allowing Firebrand to suddenly become aggressive from mid or long-range. Its hitgrab nature means that if a random Bon Voyage does happen to connect, it can ignore an opponent's assist calls or stray projectiles. Firebrand can Option Select a throw (or airthrow) with Bon Voyage by inputting 236H+S
Hell's Elevator (214X) - Moves Firebrand from the ground to hovering at jump height and one of three positions. It is mainly used to cancel into from normals. 214M can lead to cross-up potential, but is vulnerable to being airthrown by aware opponents. 5H > 214H, j.214H > j.S is a sequence that can be used to quickly evacuate from a close-range scramble to full-screen distance.
Hell Dive (j.214X) - A Pseudo-airdash in one of three directions. Like a regular airdash, Firebrand can perform an attack during the movement, and doing so will maintain Firebrand's higher top speed. Rapidly jumping and using j.324M or j.214H canceled into j.H or j.S is a great way to move around the screen while covered by a strong normal. j.214L can be used to feint this kind of movement, or to quickly escape to the ground after a failed Airthrow attempt.
Wall Cling Dismount (j.454S) - Under normal circumstances causes Firebrand to perform a very small hop off the wall. However, in specific situations, namely when Firebrand enters the stage on incoming, or if the screen is scrolling, Dismount can launch Firebrand forward an unexpectedly large distance instead.
Mixup Theory
Fuzzy Pressure
Firebrand has a very fast High/Low mixup with his 2L and j.L normals, combined with his ability to use j.L as a Fast Fall to quickly alternate between quick aerial and grounded pressure. However, Firebrand's ability to convert an Instant Overhead j.L is inconsistent on normal-sized characters. Consequently, Firebrand's offense becomes much scarier if he can utilize Fuzzy Guard to keep the opponent trapped in their standing hurtbox. Approach with high-blockstun attacks like j.H and j.5S, optionally with assist coverage, than rejump into additional overhead attacks before blockstun ends.
Once Firebrand has the opponent locked down, he can continue to attack with aerial normals, and use j.214L and j.214M to reset pressure and return to the ground - ambiguously either attacking with a quick Low or returning back to the air for more Overheads.
Firebrand's pressure game also lends itself well to throws and airthrows. His normals have good frame data for tick throwing, with 5L being +6 on block, 2L being roughly neutral on block, and 5H being +1 if the second hit is blocked. Firebrand can also tick throw off his aerial normals, using a sequence like j.L > j.214L, land, 6H. When attempting a ground throw, 2L is Firebrand's fastest normal and is recommended to buffer during the attempt in case the throw is teched. When going for ground throws, always prefer a Forward Throw, which is easier to convert into a combo.
Firebrand also has a few generic cross-up options, especially when paired with assist coverage. Namely, these are 623M, which passes through opponents, and 214M which leaps over opponents if done at close range.
Unblockable Basics
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Counterplay
Although perfectly-input Instant Wall Cling Fireballs can hit most characters when they are standing, the majoriity of the cast can crouch under them, and if the inputs are even slightly sloppy, many characters can stand and dash underneath them as well. Additionally, although rapid Wall Cling Fireballs can create large amounts of pressure when looped, it takes a good amount of time for Firebrand to set up the first shot, and he is vulnerable to fast or durable horizontal projectiles during that window
Strider Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Video Guide - Marvelo's Strider Tutorial Part 2: Neutral Game
Fighting at Long Range
Strider's long-range game is surprisingly strong, and he matches up well against many zoning-focused characters by taking advantage of these tools:
- 214L Tiger is very quick, low-commitment, and spammable as a grounded projectile. It has very low durability, which can be compensated by layering it with his other Formation specials. Strider can dash up behind a tiger to start his offense.
- 214H Bird bomb is similarly very fast. The bomb itself is a "wall" of durability that will completely shut down many beams or other projectiles that try to pass through it. It also has a "hidden missiles" effect, where the delayed explosion can protect Strider even if he gets hit while calling out the bird, and it can also turn a random trade into a full combo for Strider.
- 214S Formation B is generically strong as a projectile and can be thrown out in-between his other long-range tools for extra pressure.
- 623H (and 623M) are long-range physical hits that cause a Wall Bounce on hit. In particular, Tiger Knee H Gram (6239H) is very threatening, as it has almost zero recovery, allowing Strider to convert a random fullscreen hit into a full combo. Although TK Gram has superior recovery, it will whiff on many crouching characters, a weakness that does not apply to regular, grounded Gram. If Strider has Formation B (214S) already stocked, he can cancel grounded Gram into the shot, making it just as good as the TK version.
Lastly, Strider's strength at long range is supported by the fact that he can punish many full-screen zoning attempts with his Vajra teleport. Simply performing 421M, falling j.H when you expect a beam or projectile is a fairly universal punish.If the opponent tries to cancel their projectile with X-Factor or a hyper to punish Strider, he can simply choose to not attack while falling, or double-jump to safety. 421H Vajra can also be used against opponents trying to zone at superjump height, punishing them with a Hard Knockdown.
Approaching
When Strider does want to approach an opponent, he has several means of doing so:
- 3H Slide is a long-range Low attack that can close distance quickly while low-profiling many projectiles and other attacks. It is unsafe on block and can not be special-canceled, so it should be paired with assist calls to protect Strider's recovery.
- Dash-up 5H is another surprisingly long-range tool and leads to easy pressure if it connects, especially when supported by a lockdown assist.
- Dash-up 5L and 2L is very low-commitment pressure. Notably, if an opponent pushblocks either of these normals, the Advancing Guard Delay means that Strider is at huge plus frames, enough that he can dash up and link another L normal.
Strider can also approach by dashing into an Instant Air Doublejump, detailed below.
Instant Air Doublejump
Strider's double-jump is uniquely short among characters who have one. This can be utilized to perform a lower jump than what would otherwise be possible. Unlike an airdash, there is no minimum height requirement for a double-jump - it can be performed instantly upon leaving the ground. This is true for any character who has a double-jump, but is especially important for Strider. Strider's regular jump is floatier than average, and his double-jump is much shorter than average. As a result, if Strider inputs a double-jump immediately upon leaving the ground, the double-jump momentum will override his regular jump momentum, and he will stay very close to the ground. This is called an Instant Air Double-Jump, or just Instant Double Jump (IADJ/IDJ).
An optimal Instant Double Jump is done by inputting any jump, waiting 3 frames for the pre-jump animation, and then inputting a second jump on the fourth frame. However, even much sloppier inputs can still result in a shorter jump arc than normal. A 10-frame gap between jump inputs will result in a height that is effectively the same as a normal jump, and shortening the gap will result in progressively shorter jumps.
Video Guide - IADJ on button-based controllers
Handcam - IADJ with stick on P1 side on P2 side
A perfectly-timed IADJ allows Strider to perform an Instant Overhead j.L on almost the entire cast, which is an extremely fast overhead that can be easily confirmed with a j.L j.H j.S sequence. However, most players will opt to use j.H (specifically j.6H) as their normal of choice off an Instant Doublejump. Although 4 frames slower than j.L, j.H is still a very fast overhead. It has the advantage of still connecting against most opponents even if the IADJ input is not perfect, it also option-selects an airthrow in case opponents try to Chicken Block Strider's pressure. Additionally, j.H can sometimes hit as a cross-up, adding an extra layer to Strider's offense.
Impotantly, Strider can buffer the IADJ input during other actions. If, for example, Strider is performing a falling j.H, or just set up a 214S Formation, he can buffer the IADJ input while recovering from those actions, and immediately get a perfect double-jump right afterwards. This allows Strider to layer his pressure by following up many of his great offense tools into another Instant Overhead.
Formation B
214S is a critical move for Strider's neutral and pressure due to its use as a general cancel tool. The 214S input refers to both Formation B (Deploy), where Strider sets up the satellite, and Formation B (Shot), where he fires the satellite as a projectile. Strider can cancel any normal attack into either Deploy or Shot. In particular, canceling 5H, 2H or 6H into Deploy allows Strider to turn a move that is slightly negative on block into one that is neutral or even plus, while simultaneously setting up a Formation for later use. This cancel can also be done on whiff.
Formation B (Shot) is notable because Strider can also cancel his grounded specials into Shot. Ame-no-Murakamo (236X) and Gram (623X) are normally both quite minus on block, but having a Formation B stocked allows Strider to cancel these moves and maintain a large amount of frame advantage, leading to more pressure. A common sequence for Strider is 5H > 214S, 5H 6H > 623L > 214S using both the Deploy and Shot aspects of Formation B to repeatedly cancel Strider's moves and maintain momentum. In general, Strider wants to constantly be weaving into and out of Formation B to take advantage of these powerful cancels.
Strider's dashes cause him to "slide" across the stage, and if he cancels his dash into a normal attack, he retains a good amount of this sliding momentum through the attack's animation. This is very useful with 5H.
- A forward dash canceled into 5H will combine the forward momentum of Strider's dash, the forward step of the 5H animation, and the attack's naturally long range to connect from surprisingly far away, which can catch opponents off-guard.
- A backdash canceled into 5H will cause Strider to "shuffle" in place, because the backdash's momentum and the forward step of the attack's animation cancel each other out. This can be very annoying to deal with in a grounded neutral game.
In either case, remember that you can cancel 5H into 214S for even better recovery. Then, remember that you can buffer an Instant Air Doublejump during the 214S animation for even more mobility and pressure!
Mixup Theory
Video Guide - Marvelo's Strider Tutorial Part 4: Resets, Raw Tags, and Random Tech
If Strider has assists available, he can very easily set up Left/Right mixups using his Wallcling (214S) and Vajra (421M) specials.
Wallcling setups:
5H + Call Assist > 236S, L > 236L (switch to cross-up side and then stay there for multiple attacks)
5H + Call Assist > 236S, 6, rejump IADJ, j.H j.S (cross-up with assist, then hop back to original side and tranisition into IADJ offense)
5H + Call Assist > 236S, 6, land, 2L (fakeout to Low)
5H + Call Assist > 236S, 6, land, Throw (fakeout to throw)
The basic Teleport setup is:
5H + Call Assist > 421M, falling j.H
Depending on the timing of the assist call and Teleport cancel, this can be made to hit either cross-up or same-side. Even if the mixup is successfully blocked, as Strider falls with j.H, he is at frame advantage and can land and go into his standard High/Low/Throw mixup with IADJ as needed.
Oncoming Mixups
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Counterplay
If a Strider player is relying on the 5H + Call Assist > 421M cross-up setup, know that a delayed pushblock on the canceled normal will always shove Strider back to the original side, negating most of the Left/Right mixup.
Nova Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
In most matchups, Nova wants to bully his way into close range using his solid normals and set up a Strike/Throw offense. Key normals to utilize in neutral include j.H and 2M
j.H is a "dolphin kick" with vertical reach that extends both above and below Nova, making it perform well against grounded opponents. It is also a Throw OS when input as j.6H or j.4H, and Nova's airthrow has excellent confirm potential. This move is most frequently used as a Box Dash - Jump upwards to minimum airdash height, then airdash forward, then cancel the airdash into j.H as you approach the opponent. This is typically paired with a horizontal assist, like Plasma Beam or Bolts of Balthakk, to cover Nova until he gets into range. You can choose to superjump, which will let Nova reach minimum airdash height slightly faster and gives j.H additional hitstun, but this requires you to call the assist before leaving the ground.
Another movement pattern that Nova can use in neutral is to superjump, and use the limited air control granted from superjumping to "steer" Nova to a desired location, then airdash straight down and cancel into a falling j.H. Remember that Nova's straight down airdash is significantly faster than his diagonal ones.
2M is an advancing slide attack. Even hitting on the last possible active frame, it is still slightly minus on block, and so it should always be paired with an assist call to prevent the opponent from stealing Nova's turn. Autopilot canceling 2M into 236L is recommended. If Nova has even a pixel of red health, level 2 Grav Pulse reaches far enough to connect even after the previous hit is pushblocked, it frametraps from 2M (which can be confirmed into a combo using 214XX Human Rocket), and is plus on block. Even level 1 Grav Pulse is only slightly minus and causes enough pushback to reset to a neutral state, letting Nova try again.
Nova can stall at superjump height if needed, by using a combination of Flight and Nova Strike (214X), to remain above dangerous things on the ground like assists, Astral Morrigan, Vergil Swords, or anything else he would like to wait out.
If Nova is in a matchup where he would prefer not to rush down too aggressively, he can run a zoning game using 236H Gravimetric Force and X+S Energy Javelin. Use an assist to cover Nova while he deploys the barrier with 236H. Levels 1 and 2 Pulse last long enough and cover enough space that Nova will typically have time to safely throw two javelins. Conveniently, two javelins take approximately enough time for your assist to come back off cooldown. Nova can then either loop this process until the opponent takes a risk to go in past the shield, or approach himself under the cover of his own Javelins and assist.
If Nova is in a matchup where he is being zoned out by large volumes of projectiles, he has access to his Human Rocket (214XX) hyper as a generic punish option so long as he is on the ground. Human Rocket can hit as early as frame 14, travels very quickly across the screen, and destroys all projectiles during its active frames, including projectiles from other hypers. On block, Nova can steer himself away from the opponent to minimize the risk of punishment, and on hit, Nova can confirm into a combo.
Mixup Theory
Like Magneto, Nova has a fast and spammable j.L which he can use for repeated Overhead attacks by jumping and quickly airdashing back down. Unlike Magneto, Nova does not have a fast Low attack to pair with this Overhead pressure, as his 2L hits Mid. Additionally, Nova's diagonal airdashes are quite poor, so Nova needs to airdash straight down to get the "twinkle toes" effect. Instead, Nova usually wants to use dash-down j.L to set up tick throws. 2M can still be thrown out as a Low option if an opponent refuses to crouch-block at all.
Oncoming Mixups
236H can be used when setting up oncomings, especially in the corner, as a meaty projectile to lock an incoming character down while Nova runs his mixups. Generically, Nova can place a pulse in the corner and then dash or 2M slide under it in order to go for a cross-under setup.
(After killing with Nova Force in the corner), Dash Back -> 236H + Assist Call, 2M Video Timestamp
Generic corner Left/Right mixup. Because Grav Pulse does the heavy lifting in terms of actually being the cross-up hit, this setup does well against mashed buttons from the oncoming character. It also works with a variety of assists, as the assist call only serves to make confirming the Pulse hit easier. This setup works best if Nova has red health available for Level 2 or 3 Gravimetric Pulse, which increases the size of the shield and allows it to hit the oncoming character sooner. If Level 1 pulse is used, most characters with any kind of aerial mobilty can evade the shield hit altogether.
Dash into corner, 2M + Assist Call > X+S, Anything Video Timestamp
Dash deep into the corner and then kara-cancel 2M into Javelin to make it hit ambiguously on the way up. If the opponent successfully blocks the Javelin, Nova is still at plus frames and can run additional offense; the javelin will fall back down shortly after to provide Nova with additional coverage, or to convert any successful mixup attempt into a Ground Bounce.
Backdash to fullscreen, X+S > 214XX > 1XX Video Timestamp
Toss a Javelin and cancel into Human Rocket to ambiguously cross under the oncoming opponent as the Javelin falls on them. If successful, the Javelin hitting the airborne opponent causes a Ground Bounce and makes the follow-up combo simple.
214H, 214H (side switch), 2M > Snapback, 2M + Assist Call (Spencer), Dash Video Timestamp
Classic Snap reset into a midscreen mixup popularized by Coach Steve. Spencer's Slant Shot assist is uniquely useful as a meaty hit against a midscreen oncoming opponent here. If the cross-up is successful, Spencer pulls the opponent down to the ground for an easy confirm. If the cross-up is blocked, Spencer keeps the opponent stuck in blockstun just long enough for Nova to layer the mixup one more time with either another cross-under attempt or a Guard Break throw.
Sideswitch oncomings with Nova/Sentinel
Counterplay
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Vergil Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
6H Stinger can uniquely be kara-canceled into a dash, meaning that Vergil can Plink Dash forward without having to actually plink inputs. Simply mashing 6MH will cause Vergil to rapidly dash forward. Keep in mind that Vergil still has to properly plink dash or wavedash backwards.
Vergil's primary goal in neutral is to make the opponent block either Round Trip or Spiral Swords (623XX). Once Vergil has established that it is his turn, he can maintain that pressure for a very long time with minimal windows for the opponent to escape, piling on mixup options and chip damage. In order to maximize the extent to which Vergil can keep an opponent locked down, he can take advantage of the Round Trip Glitch
Under normal circumstances, Vergil's Round Trip attack requires 90 consecutive frames of charge in order to activate. Vergil can switch which button is held mid-charge, so long as at least one button remains held at all time. If Vergil releases all held buttons, he will lose his charge and must start over from the beginning. Obviously, this also includes releasing all held buttons in order to actually activate Round Trip. Furthermore, if Vergil activates Round Trip, he can not start charging a second Round Trip until the sword returns to him. This serves as a limiter on how often he can utilize this powerful move.
A glitch allows Vergil to retain his Round Trip charge even after activating the move. Although he can not have multiple Round Trips active at once, he can still use this to fire Round Trips much faster than normal. To perform the glitch, release the held button during the hitstop caused by landing any normal attack (Note: this is Hitstop, not Hitstun). Instantly re-hold the button after releasing it, before the hitstop concludes. If done correctly, Vergil will perform Round Trip, but maintain the blue glow on his arm indicating the move is fully charged. As soon as Round Trip has completed, Vergil will be able to perform another Round Trip with minimal delay.
The recipe above shows Vergil using a held L input for Round Trip, and activating the glitch during the hitstop of 6H Stinger. This is one of the most common ways that the Round Trip Glitch is utilized in normal matches, due to the high amount of hitstop caused by 6H. However, Vergil can perform the glitch off any special-cancelable normal, including air normals, so long as they hit or are blocked.
Mixup Theory
The Pope Select is a 3-way option select that takes advantage of Stinger's unique interaction with Vergil's forward dash. It essentially works this way:
- If the opponent is on the ground and throwable, 6MH will ground throw them.
- If the opponent is not throwable on the ground, then 6MH will cause Vergil to dash, which he will immediately jump-cancel, then
- If the opponent is in the air and throwable, {{{2}}} will airthrow them.
- Finally, if the opponent isn't throwable in the air either, {{{2}}} will option-select Helm Breaker, which is fast, has a great hitbox, and is very difficult to punish.
As a result, the Pope Select covers a large variety of potential defensive options from the opponent and allows Vergil to set up a dangerous, nearly risk-free mixup nearly any time that he is close to the opponent and has frame advantage. Vergil can go for a Pope Select off several common situations he can set up in neutral. After an opponent blocks Round Trip, after they block Spiral Swords, after they block an assist, after nearly any normal canceled into Devil Trigger (214XX), and so on. To close the distance and set up a Pope Select offense, Plink Dash in with mashed 6MH, then wavedash once when close (36MH) to make the next dash option-select a throw and transition into the Pope Select.
Oncoming Mixups
ShadyK Anchor Vergil Oncoming Setups
These setups usually want Vergil to have both X-Factor and Devil Trigger active. The speed boost from X-Factor allows Vergil to more quickly perform cross-ups, and Devil Trigger increases the size of the Round Trip projectile, making the setups more practical to land and confirm.
Jump back j.]L[, land, 214L/214M, dash up 5L Video Timestamp
Basic setup of a midscreen kill. Long-range Round Trip makes this resistant to almost any kind of mashed button or airdash by the incoming character. The mixup comes from the Left/Right of whether Vergil's dash will cross under the opponent or not, which is very difficult to see. Alternatively, cross under with 623H Rapid Slash.
Dash back ]L[, dash back 214H, land, 5S Video Timestamp
Very ambiguous cross-up in terms of when Round Trip hits. To time properly, try to throw Round Trip quickly, so that it is already returning to Vergil before the next opponent appears on screen. Once Round Trip is flying back towards Vergil, input 214H to teleport above the now-appearing opponent, and Round Trip will hit them cross-up. This is a knowledge check - it will consistently hit cross-up even though it looks like it should not. If your opponent is familiar with this setup and holding forward against grounded Round Trip, then Vergil can fakeout by replacing 214H, land, 5S with 214M, 5M which will instead hit same-side.
Dash back, Superjump, j.]L[, land, 214L/214M, 5S Video Timestamp
Standard Left/Right mixup with Round Trip depending on the choice of Teleport used. The clever part of this setup is that the screen scroll of Vergil's superjump makes it more difficult to see where Vergil is teleporting. By the time the camera has returned to ground level and properly shows Vergil's location, it is too late.
CorkyJay Oncoming Setups
[1] fill in later
Mixup Options off the "Miniboss" Sideswitch Snap
[2] fill in later
Counterplay
Video Guide - FChamp explains how to fight Vergil
Key highlights from the video:
- Helm Breaker is safe if stand-blocked or crouch-blocked, but many characters can Chicken Block it (hold up-back), then quickly land and punish with a fast normal, like 2L or 5L. or punish with a ground throw.
- Most of Vergil's cancel options after blocked Helm Breaker will also lose to a fast 2L, however, Vergil can chain j.2H into 5S upon landing, which will blow up mashed light attacks and requires a different punish.
- If you notice Vergil is regularly chaining blocked Helm Breaker into his 5SHSH string, then pushblocking Helm Breaker will make 5S whiff, making it very punishable.
- A common low-level Vergil strategy is to activate Spiral Swords at fullscreen and then approach with either 214L or 214M for a "cross-up". This is fake; when Vergil teleports in this way, the initial swords will always hit same-side, so holding down-back is completely safe. You can then react to the teleport afterwards and switch block direction as needed.
- This only applies to "raw" Swords -> Teleport in a neutral situation. Vergil can make swords hit cross-up by teleporting in certain reset situations.
- Another common Vergil trick is to put you into blockstun, then call an assist and teleport, which makes the assist an ambiguous cross-up. This can be beaten consistently by performing a delayed pushblock on reaction to the assist call. The pushblock will keep your character in extended blockstun, removing the small blockstring gap where the assist is able to cross up.
- Some characters have tools to punish raw Spiral Swords activation, depending on spacing.
- Some characters (not all of them!) can buffer Snapback on response to Spiral Swords' super flash, and trade with the swords, which deletes them. This trades one bar for both players, and gives you a slight frame advantage as Vergil takes longer to tech roll out of the Snapback trade than you do.
Haggar Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
j.2H is Haggar's defining neutral tool. It has great range and is heavily disjointed, meaning it will beat most other physical attacks cleanly. Trades are almost always in Haggar's favor, because the lengthy Ground Bounce into Hard Knockdown will give Haggar time to recover and start a combo. One of Haggar's main goals in neutral is to make an opponent block a regular jump pipe, land-cancel the recovery and dash up, then run his offense as the blockstun wears off.
Although Air Pipe is strong, it is not infaliable. Notably, when done at close range, its 13f startup is vulnerable to being airthrown. Air Pipe -> Rejump -> Airpipe in particular has a lengthy gap where opponents experienced in the Haggar matchup will consistently airthrow Haggar. In general, the more predictable Haggar is with j.2H, the more likely the opponent will be to punish it.
j.L is useful because it performs well against the things that beat Air Pipe. j.L is fast to start up (by Haggar standards) and thus performs well against airthrows. It also creates a hitbox around Haggar, including on the cross-up side. This helps protect against opponents dashing under Haggar to attempt to tag him with a cross-under crouching normal; j.L will typically trade with these.
2H gives Haggar a tool to get in on projectile-heavy zoning characters. It places Haggar into a Hard Knockdown state, during which he can not be hit except by OTG attacks. After that window, he becomes completely invincible while performing a tech roll either forward or backwards. Whiffing 2H from midscreen or fullscreen lets Haggar roll past general zoning patterns with very little risk, and wake up close to the opponent than he started.
Although Haggar has very limited options for aerial mobility, he does have access to j.63214X (Skyhigh Backdrop). Backdrop halts Haggar's aerial momentum and causes him to float in place for the duration. If Haggar is at superjump height, and something dangerous is below him that he would prefer not to contest, such as an assist call, or an opponent with an install hyper active, he can whiff Backdrop up to three times in the air to stall.
Mixup Theory
At close range, Haggar has access to this very powerful Option Select. If the opponent is on the ground, and not in hitstun or blockstun, Haggar will command grab them. In any other case, Haggar will automatically perform his invincible Lariat instead.
This Option Select is easy to perform, but has two restrictions which limit its strength:
- It MUST be performed with H Piledriver, which is the fastest version but has the shortest range. Performing the OS with 63214L or 63214M will always result in a Lariat.
- It must be performed in a neutral state. If Haggar cancels a normal into the 63214H+S input, he will always perform a Lariat.
The Lariat OS is therefore mainly useful in two specific situations. At round start, Haggar can walk up to the opponent and open the round with the Piledriver/Lariat OS, which will beat all round start options except for Chicken Blocking. Haggar can then mix the opponent up with Air Throw, which beats Chicken Blocking. Also, if Haggar manages to make an opponent block a lockdown assist, such as Arthur Daggers or Doom Beam, he can dash up behind the assist, and perform the OS right as the opponent leaves blockstun. Timed correctly, the Lariat OS will beat just about any option which would work against Piledriver, including invincible reversals and Alpha Counter. Like with the round start setup, Haggar can instead attempt an airthrow to punish opponents trying to Chicken Block out of this setup.
Kara Command Grab
Haggar can take advantage of the lengthy startup of many of his grounded normals by kara-canceling them into his 63214X Piledriver command grab. The obvious choice for a kara-cancel is 6H grounded pipe. Pipe's forward movement will extend the effective range of Haggar's command grab, and opponents are naturally scared to challenge pipe, increasing the likelyhood they will hold down-back and get caught. 2H (Delay) 6H ~ 63214L and 2L 6H ~ 63214L are common setups to tick throw an opponent off a blocked normal.
Note that you cannot use Haggar's Piledriver/Lariat OS if you kara-cancel into command grab.
Resets
Haggar has two main options for attempting resets in his regular combo routes.
- Hit an opponent who is airborne (such as after a Ground Bounce) with 5L or 5M to force an air tech, then cancel into 623H to grab them out of the air.
- This is primarily useful when the opponent is cornered, where many characters can not escape it on their own. If attempted midscreen, it will lose to a backwards airtech.
- Characters with a fast 8-way airdash like Magneto can escape this setup even in the corner by airdashing straight up.
- Launch an opponent after 5S or 623L later into a combo, then superjump cancel into a j.L, which causes very little hitstun and will force an airtech. Then delay cancel j.L into j.63214X.
- Alternatively, delay your superjump cancel, and perform a surprise superjump -> j.63214L as the opponent recovers from your launcher.
Oncoming Mixups
Haggar Oncoming Mixup Reference Part 1 Part 2
Haggar has several tools for cross-ups against an incoming character.
236L and 236M - Old Reliable. Easy to throw out against any Incoming character with minimal setup. Plus on block, starts a combo on hit (just mash 5S), catches mashed airdashes and air hypers automatically. If you aren't sure what to do against an incoming character, do one of these.
5L - Dash under to hit cross-up, or fake out a dash to hit same-side. Useful because it can be special-canceled to create a second layer to the mixup if the initial hit is blocked. 5L > (Delay) 63214L will catch opponents as they land after blocking the initial hit, where 5L > 623H will catch people trying to Up-Back or Pushblock out of the other setup. Can also cancel into 236L for a double-crossup. 5L's main weakness as an oncoming tool is that it will lose to most mashed attacks from the oncoming character.
623L - Plus on block and starts a combo on hit similar to Violent Ax. Loses to good mashed oncoming buttons like Helm Breaker and Foot Dive.
5H - Very difficult to actually make hit cross-up; in practice, you won't use it this way. 5H's purpose is to be used as a meaty against oncoming characters, because it will beat most mashed attacks as well as catch airdashes. From there, Haggar can special cancel into one of his other offensive options, including 236L or 236M
6H - Similar to 5H. Scary to press buttons against, easily starts a combo if it stuffs or trades with anything due to the Ground Bounce versus airborne. If opponents are conditioned to be scared of pipe, can kara-cancel into 236X or 63214X as they land.
Counterplay
If an opposing Haggar is autopiloting repeated j.2H Air Pipe, you have some options for contesting it. Against spammed Air Pipe, do not pushblock the pipe swing, then jump up and airthrow the second pipe. Conversely, if Haggar is only occasionally using pipe, and not using it repeatedly, pushblocking it to deny his advance is a good idea.
Many characters can also dash under Haggar during the startup of Air Pipe and attack him from behind. If attempting this, avoid using standing normals, which tend to trade unfavorably with pipe. Instead, use a good low-profile 2L or 2M if your character has one.
Wolverine Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Wolverine's main goal in neutral is to look for an opening to attack with 214X. 5H -> Call Assist -> 214X can be used to bully his way in from a distance. Although all versions of 214X are unsafe on block, Wolverine can either cover his recovery with a lockdown assist, or by canceling the Slash into Berserker Charge, which leaves him at roughly +7 on block and starts a combo on hit. Both 5H and 214X hit high enough to catch opponents at regular jump height, jailing them and keeping them low enough to the ground for Wolverine to make use of his Cross-up and High/Low options.
Mixup Theory
5L Resets
Wolverine can take advantage of the quick untech time and short recovery of his 5L to force a dangerous reset situation against airborne opponents. This is useful if Wolverine secures a combo, but may have trouble converting to a kill due to factors like a lack of meter, or excessive Damage Scaling due to a throw or assist starter. Wolverine can most commonly set up a 5L reset off the following situations that leave an opponent at roughly jump height:
- After the Ground Bounce from j2H Divekick
- After Jump Loops, instead of launching with 5S
- Catching an opponent as they fall after an Air Fatal Claw (j.214XX)
After a 5L Reset, Wolverine has the following basic options to mix up the opponent:
- Airthrow (j.3H/j.1H) - Most basic choice. Will catch people sleeping who are just holding back/up-back and not prepared for the reset. Requires Wolverine to guess whether the opponent Forward airtechs or not, but Neutral and Back tech can be airthrown with identical timing.
- Divekick (j.2H) - Convenient because it beats just about any option that would be useful against airthrow. Will punish mashed throw tech (or most other air buttons), as well as catch airdashes. With proper timing, the same divekick sequence will connect against all three tech options:
5L -> Short dash forward -> Neutral superjump -> j.2H - 214L - Very fast crossup against neutral air tech. Will always whiff against forward tech. Will whiff against back tech unless delayed, in which case it hits same-side.
- Alternatively, consider
5L, dash up, 5H > 214L
- Alternatively, consider
- 214M - Must be delayed slightly (do not cancel immediately from 5L). Hits cross-up against neutral air tech. Will always whiff against forward tech. Against back air tech, hits cross-up and lets Wolverine convert to full combo without assists/X-Factor/Berserker Charge.
In any situation where Wolverine can go for a 5L Reset, he can instead connect a Snapback to attempt an Oncoming mixup against another character instead.
Instant Overheads
j.L AKA "The Ricki Ortiz" is a lightning-fast Instant Overhead that works against all large and normal-sized characters without any need to set up Fuzzy Guard. It can be thrown out when the opponent is locked down by an assist, or generically any time that Wolverine is very close.
j.L Instant Overhead can universally be converted into a full combo as j.L > X-Factor Activation > j.M, land, short dash, 5L 5M etc. This essentially trades Wolverine's one X-Factor activation for a kill. Wolverine can also situationally convert from a j.L Instant Overhead if certain assists are called in tandem, such as Tatsu or Doom Rocks.
Additionally, if Wolverine has both Berserker Charge and any level of X-Factor currently active, he is fast enough that j.L > j.3XS, j.2H will combo off the Instant Overhead, allowing him to convert into a combo that way.
If Wolverine has Berserker Charge or X-Factor (Level 2 or 3) active, but not both, then j.L > j.3XS, j.2H will combo only if the j.L is a counter-hit. This is possible if the opponent mashes pushblock against an expected 2L, or mashes throw tech against an expected ground throw. You do not need to hit-confirm the counterhit, just mash the sequence out. Worse-case scenario, you reset back into more pressure with j.2H Divekick.
j.5S can also be used as an Instant Overhead. It is significantly slower than j.L (but still fairly fast), and it does not work nautrally as an IOH against most characters the way that j.L does. However, j.5S has some advantages over its counterpart. It hits much deeper as a cross-up, adding to its mixup potential besides the High/Low element. It also causes much more hitstun, meaning that j.5S > j.3XS, j.2H will combo consistently even if Wolverine has no speed boosts active. This gives Wolverine access to a relatively quick Overhead that confirms into a full combo with no additional resources required. j.5S works as an Instant Overhead naturally against the following characters:
Captain America, Doctor Doom, Haggar, Hulk, Sentinel, She-Hulk, Nemesis, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange
The conversion timing can be tight against some of the smaller characters on this list, but it does work on all of them when done perfectly.
Oncoming Mixups
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Counterplay
Wolverine's j.2H Divekick can be very oppressive, and is fairly advantageous when spaced properly. However, its frame advantage is dependent on the height at which the divekick connects, and it can actually be minus on block if it hits too high. Although it can be scary, stand-blocking or chicken-blocking an expected divekick can cause Wolverine to connect higher up than expected, leading him to be throw-punishable on block. Wolverine will basically never be punishable if Divekick is blocked crouching. In a real match situation, attempting this throw punish can be risky. If you misjudge how disadvantageous Wolverine is, a follow-up Divekick will heavily punish almost every character's Throw OS. As an alternative, reversal Snapback (236A) can be used on response to blocking Divekick. Snapback can punish divekicks which are blocked high enough, and even in situations where Wolverine is safe, it will stuff or trade with most of his follow-up options due to its 2f startup.
Viper Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Rapid Seismo
Seismic Hammer is Viper's primary tool for playing neutral at medium-to-long range. It has a great hitbox at each of three spacings, and its Jump Cancel property means that Viper is very advantageous on Hit or Block, and very safe even on whiff. Although it has poor durability, this is mitigated by that fact that seismos appear underneath the opponent, circumventing their own projectiles to attack directly. In order for Viper to escalate Seismo from a minor annoyance to a serious neutral threat, a Viper player needs to be able to do two things:
- Rapidly chain together Seismo inputs in order to maximize the amount of coverage Viper can produce.
- Confirm M or H seismos into pressure on block or a combo on hit.
General concept for jump-canceling Seismic Hammer into itself. Use repeated tiger knee DP motions to buffer up-forward (or Up, it doesn't actually matter, but up-forward will be easier for most controllers) during the seismo motion.
Note that you do not Tiger Knee the initial seismo. Because the jump-cancel window only consists of three pre-jump frames, it is almost impossible to complete the full DP motion within that window. Thus, instead of thinking of the sequence as Seismo -> Jump Cancel -> Seismo, it makes more sense to think of the inputs as Seismo -> Buffer input for next Seismo -> Jump Cancel -> Finish Input.
Tutorial for rapid seismos on hitbox-style button controllers
Alternate technique for Seismo spam, in which Viper jump-cancels her 623X into a Focus Attack, instead of going directly into another Seismo. Focus Attack can be canceled directly into another Seismo.
The Focus Attack variant is more mechanically lenient than "pure" rapid seismos, as you have the entire duration of the Focux Attack charge to input each seismo, if you are okay with attacking slower. Perfectly performed FA seismo is not meaningfully slower than perfect pure Seismos. Because Focus Attack is not considered a special move, Viper can also call assists during that gap to further enhance her offense (it is technically possible to call an assist during the pre-jump frames of pure rapid seismos, but again it is much more difficult).
Additionally, Viper can dash cancel Focus Attack, and then transition from that dash into another Seismo, into plink dashing, or into essentially any grounded option. This is called FADC Seismo and is an important tool to master. The inputs for FADC Seismo would look like:
623X > 8XS > XX > 623X > 8XS > XX > 623X etc.
Alternatively, you can use this input sequence as a shortcut:
623X > 8LMS > 5LMS > 623X
In other words, input a Seismo, then double tap LMS, once while holding the stick up, then once after letting the stick return to neutral. Then cancel your dash into another Seismo and repeat. The forward movement will mostly negate any attempt to pushblock Viper's seismos, which would otherwise be a strong counter-strategy as even the H version does not quite reach full screen.
Sufficiently fast and well-spaced Seismos will "jail" the opponent (halt any upward momentum from their jumps, preventing them from escaping to superjump height). It will also shut down many of the opponent's long-range zoning options, and discourage assist calls while protecting your own assists. Broadly speaking, Viper's goal in neutral is to use M or H Seismo to lock the opponent down and set up her own approach covered by an assist, then set up an offense using the frame advantage from L Seismo. The example videos below demonstrate how to use Rapid Seismo techniques in conjunction with assists to confirm a long-range hit or transition into rushdown offense.
with Strider Vajra assist
with Doom Plasma Beam assist
Viper Ball
Video Timestamp: Fullschedule explains the Viper Ball
When Viper performs Air Burn Kick (j214X), she retains some of the aerial momentum from her current jump arc into the special move. This momentum is still preserved if she feints the Burn Kick. A very specific input allows Viper to quickly get a burst of aerial forward momentum from a grounded state.
To perform the Viper Ball, input a regular Burn Kick input on the ground, then Tiger Knee to Up-Forward and complete the motion upon leaving the ground. Critically, you must not touch Up-Back or directly Up during this motion, or Viper will not gain the forward momentum and will only perform a small hop in place. This makes the motion for Viper Ball deceptively difficult, especially on stick-based controllers - it must be done both quickly and very precisely.
Performed properly, Viper Ball is superior to an instant air dash for quick forward movement. It is faster than Viper's IAD, allows her to block while moving forward unlike an airdash, and preserves her airdash/doublejump for an additional movement option after approaching to make her offense more unpredictable.
Viper Ball can be performed with any strength of Burn Kick. L Version stays lowest to the ground, allowing for the quickest and most easily confirmable overheads. H version travels much farther horizontally, letting Viper approach from a much more surprising distance, as well as perform cross-ups. You can also Viper Ball with EX Burn Kick: 2149S~S, which travels the farthest and is very fast, but this consumes a full bar of meter, and the meter will be used even if you botch the input, making it risky to attempt. You can also choose not to Feint the Burn Kick and simply let it connect as a relatively fast, long-range overhead attack.
Viper Ball is most commonly followed by a Down, Down-back or Down-forward airdash plinked into j.L to quickly return to the ground while attacking.
Mixup Theory
Viper's close-range offense consists mainly of alternating between a very fast standing Low in 5L and a very fast overhead attack in j.L.
5L is a 5f Low and is -1 on block. It is not Rapid Fire and does not combo into itself. 5L > 623L on block can technically be mashed out of by opponents with 4f or faster attacks, but it unlikely to be contested.
jL is a fast Overhead that is typically used after a downwards airdash in order to quickly land and hit confirm into mashed 5L on hit or block. Performed perfectly, Superjump > j.2XX > jL is a 14f Overhead against normal-sized crouching opponents, which is extremely fast. Note that Viper's air movement and cancel window for diagonal air dashes are slower than the window for her cardinal dashes. At 9f dash startup, j.3XX or j.1XX airdashes plinked into jL will not come out, the L input must be delayed slightly. In order to access an Overhead jL as quickly as possible from the air, use a j.2XX Downward airdash instead. Viper can quickly access jL from a grounded state by using Jump-Canceled Seismos or Viper Ball (2149X).
623L when jump-canceled or FADC'd is roughly +22 on block. If Viper can connect a close range Seismo, then following up with 5L, 2M, or jL is airtight. Additionally, opponents attempting to Chicken Block out of Viper's offense will be jailed by the Seismo and brought back down to the ground.
Basic mixup sequences using these tools include:
623L sjc. j.2XX/j.3XX ~ jL, land, 5L for a fast Overhead.
623L sjc. j.2XX/j.3XX > Delay jL, land, 5L / 6H Fakeout Overhead into either Low or Throw. If performed midscreen, Viper will not be in throw range after an Airdash Down, and must use Down-Forward instead.
623L sjc. 2149H~S, 2XX ~ jL, land, 5L using Viper Ball to quickly cross-up with a similar High/Low/Throw offense on the opposite side.
623L > 8LMS > 5LMS, 2M > 214X FADC Seismo to maintain grounded pressure, then cancel 2M Low into an Overhead Burn Kick. When not pushblocked, 214L and 214M will hit same-side, while 214H will hit cross-up.
j.3XX > jL, land, 2149H ~ S, j.2XX ~ jL Transition from a fast Overhead jL into Viper Ball to cross-up and attack again.
623L ~ S, 6H Feint Seismo into throw. Loses to people mashing pushblock against seismos.
Other Offensive Tools
214H is a reasonably fast overhead with surprising horizontal range. 6M > j214H and jS > j214H are frametraps that will connect even if the opponent pushblocks the initial hit, and can catch an opponent mashing airdash or other buttons after blocking a meaty oncoming.
236M and 236L can be used as fast cross-under options when paired with an assist call. Especially on incoming, call an assist and Thunder Knuckle under the opponent to ambiguously steal the corner and force a left-right mixup.
Unblockable Setups
Certain assists can keep an opponent trapped in blockstun long enough for Viper to fully charge her [XS] Focus Attack Unblockable. Thus, it is possible to get an opponent situation where, once they have begun to block the assist, the Unblockable hit is inescapable. The most standard Viper Unblockable setup looks like this:
(Call Assist) + 623S jc. [8XS]
623S as a meaty on an opponents incoming will jail them into the assist call on both Hit and on Block. This costs meter to perform, but has the fewest ways of possible to escape. Possible ways to escape this setup are:
- A well-timed pushblock on the EX Seismo itself. Once the Seismo blockstun has been overridden by assist blockstun, pushblocking will not help.
- A character with a frame-1 invuln air hyper may be able to juke the setup by mashing reversal hyper. Characters with applicable hypers include Phoenix, Sentinel, Morrigan (Level 3), and Spider-Man
Alternatively, 623L can be used as a meaty, which does not cost meter to attempt. The downside of 623L is that the opponent can choose to take the hit instead of blocking, which will juggle them high into the air, but does not cause enough hitstun for them to fall back into the assist. Meaty 623L also loses to the same escape options as 623S. Instead of using 623L, Viper can also meaty with an airdash button like jS, then land and begin charging Focus Attack, which is functionally the same.
Lastly, Viper can choose to perform no meaty attack at all. For characters with any form of aerial mobility, including double jumps, airdashes, and air-ok teleports (which is most of the cast), this gives them a fairly reliable window to escape. However, some characters, such as Nemesis, have no options for air movement, and choosing not to meaty them removes the option for that character to escape with a well-timed pushblock.
Assists that are well-suited for Viper unblockables include Tenderizer, Vajra, Cold Star, Jam Session, and Repulsor Blast. Also, Trish's Round Harvest hyper can keep an opponent locked down long enough in specific setups.
Viper Unblockables are most commonly done on the opponent's incoming but can technically be done any time that Viper is close enough and can jail an opponent into a relevant assist attack.
Counterplay
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Magneto Strategy Page WIP
Movement and Neutral Options
Basic Magneto movement pattern. Useful for more keepaway-focused styles, as it allows Magneto to retreat to the air, and land a safe distance away from the opponent. Perform a regular jump and airdash upwards to reach superjump height. When at the desired height, repeatedly plink dash reposition horizontally. Once you are a comfortable distance away from the opponent, you can return to the ground by using j.S to cancel Flight, then kara-canceling j.S into Magnetic Blast. If done properly, the Magnetic Blast will protect Magneto from the front as he falls, and can even be hitconfirmed into a combo if the opponent tries to contest it.
- It is important to use a regular jump and upwards airdash, and not a superjump. By reaching superjump height this way, you retain your ability to call assists. This gives you an immediate advantage over opponents who try to chase you to superjump height - you can call your assists, and they can't call theirs.
- You are reasonably protected against attacks from the front when landing with a Magnetic Blast. However, you are not protected from behind, and may be vulnerable to cross-unders upon landing if the opponent is close enough and fast enough. This can be mitigated by continuing to hold (down)forward as you land with the Magnetic Blast input, which will OS block a cross-under attempt.
Plinking a dash input into Magnetic Blast allows Magneto to approach behind the projectile with the maximum amount of coverage and speed. It is a powerful, safe approach tool when mastered.
It may be easier to input the Magnetic Blast input as a full half-circle j.47896L instead of only doing the required 896 motion, especially if trying to perform the input quickly after leaving the ground.
If trying to retreat rather than approach, do not bother plink dashing Magnetic Blast. Plinked backdash Magnetic Blast is significantly harder and not actually faster than just canceling the backdash into a normal Mag Blast input.
Perform an Instant Airdash just off the ground and immediately cancel into Magnetic Blast, falling alongside it. Allows Magneto to cover either his approach or retreat to move around at regular jump height with relatively little risk. This movement option is also useful for several combo routes.
Mixup Theory
General Offensive Options
Magneto's basic offense is built off the strength of his powerful Light normals to generate good frame advantage and dance around his opponent for Left/Right, High/Low, and Strike/Throw mixups all in one. Because his Light normals are fast, cause relatively little blockstun, and can be rapid-fire chained or staggered, it is very dangerous for opponents to mash pushblock against Magneto.
- 2L - Basic Fast low. 2L -> Delay > 2L will bait pushblock, discouraging the opponent from using it and allowing Magneto to perform more advanced mixups.
- j.L - Downward airdashes plinked into j.L can be used to attack with fast overheads (or fakeout a j.L and go Low instead), and then land-cancel the recovery for large block advantage.
- 5L - Whiffs against normal-sized crouching opponents, which can be exploited by whiffing on purpose against an opponent holding down-back and then throwing them. Will also catch opponents trying to chicken-block.
Conversely, Magneto's grounded M and H normals have poor frame advantage and lack strong cancel option that keep Magneto's turn. It is recommended to avoid chaining into them unless you have confirmed a hit.
Basic fast overhead setup. Depending on how you time the airdash down, you can either cross up a crouching opponent or land same-side while attacking with a falling j.L. Mix in 2L lows, empty-jump throws, additional repeated j.L reps, and various timing changes as desired.
Try your best to airdash straight down, rather than down-back or down-forward, when attacking with j.L. This will make any follow-up confirm or additional pressure easier.
All the different variants of this setup would go down here.
Oncoming and Snapback
Basic setup for forcing an opponent to block a large meaty hit on incoming, while supported by any common powerful assist such as Sentinel Drones or Doom Missiles.
The strength of this meaty hit is that Magneto land-cancels j.S while the opponent is still in blockstun. If the opponent attempts a pushblock, Magneto can dash back up to the opponent and throw them out of Advancing Guard recovery.
All the different variants of this setup would go down here.
Magneto has very strong corner carry, but it may actually be preferable to force a Midscreen oncoming mixup, as Magneto's excellent mobility gives him great Left/Right options. This setup forces an opponent just far enough out of the corner for Magneto to get behind them and combo into Snapback, for a Midscreen oncoming mixup.
Because of the Sideswitch as you airdash behind the opponent, input the ending sequence as j.874L, land, 214A.
All the different variants of this setup would go down here.
Counterplay
Basic Option Select using the built in throw OS of a plinked backdash to help defend against basic Magneto High/Low/Throw offense:
- If Magneto attacks with a dash-down j.L, you react block the attack and (hopefully) pushblock Magneto away, slowing down his follow-up attempts.
- If Magneto goes for empty-jump Low, you OS Throw Magneto out of the startup of his 2L.
- If Magneto goes for empty-jump Throw, you will OS tech the throw.
This OS is much less effective if you are locked down by one of Magneto's assists while he is attacking, but it at least allows you to defend against solo Magneto pressure.
Combo Formatting Tests
Ghost Rider w/ Missiles double-super combo
5H H > 623L, 5H H xx 214H, Assist (Doom - Hidden Missiles) + 623XX > M, (assist hits), 214L, 236L > 236XX
Taskmaster corner arrow loops
2L 2M 5H 6H > j.236[X] (whiff), [rejump, j.M j.6H > j.236[M]]x2, land, 4H 5S sjc. j.M j.H j.6H, j.M j.H j.5S, rejump j.236[H] > j.236LH, rejump, j.2369MH
MODOK corner carry extension
j.5S, land, 2H jc. 6XX j.M, land, 2H jc. 6XX j.M, land, 5S sjc. j.M j.M j.H > j.236L, 2XX j.5H, land, 5S sjc. j.H > j.236L, 2XX j.5S, land, 2M > 236L > 214XX
PWright Solo Dizzy Combo
2L 5H 6H > 623L, L+M~H (Dash plink Heavy) > H jc. j.2H j.5S, land, 5H 5S sjc. j.M j.H j.H j.2H (Dizzy), land, 5H 5S sjc. j.M j.M j.H j.H j.5S, land, 236L > 214XX
Spencer GX Loop
2M 2H > 9X+S, j.M, rejump j.M j.H > 3X+S, j.5S, rejump, j.M j.H > 3X+S, j.5S, rejump, j.M j.H j.5S > 6X+S, 6X+S, 3X+S, land, 5S sjc. 2369H > L xx 236XX, Post-Hyper Ender
| Combo Section Info (click to expand) | |
|---|---|
| Connecting moves | > = Chain the two attacks together --5M > 5H --236H > L = perform the L follow-up to 236H. xx = cancel the first attack into the second attack --2H xx 236H --236L xx 214XX , = Perform the second action after the first one finishes, as a Link. --j.H xx j.214S, j.L --j.S, land, 3H ~ = Plink the two inputs, performing the second one immediately after the first. --236X~H |
| Basic Inputs | L -  M -  H -  S -  A/A1/A2 - Assist buttons (specific purpose usually specified) 5M - Standing Medium j.H/j.5H - Air Heavy 2L - Crouching Light X - Generic attack input, can be any of L, M or H (but not S). --236XX is a Hyper input --6XX is a forward (air)dash. |
| Other Notation | jc., sjc., and djc. - Jump Cancel, Superjump Cancel, and Doublejump Cancel land - Return to the ground from an airborne state rejump - land, and then immediately jump again. [X] - Hold down X ]X[ - Release held X. etc. - Continue the combo in the usual way. [Stuff]xN - Perform Stuff N times, usually as a loop. dash up - Dash to get close to the opponent before continuing the combo. May require 0 dashes or several depending on screen position and context. If multiple dashes are needed, it is implied that you should Plink Dash or Wavedash to close the distance faster. |
Chain-Based Color Scheme
Ground Normals - 2L, 5H, 6M
Ground Specials/Hypers - 214M, 623H, 236XX
Air Normals - j.M, j.H, j.2H
Air Specials/Hypers - j.623L, j.214H, j.236XX
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.
Chain-Based Color Scheme With Line Breaks
Ground Normals - 2L, 5H, 6M
Ground Specials/Hypers - 214M, 623H, 236XX
Air Normals - j.M, j.H, j.2H
Air Specials/Hypers - j.623L, j.214H, j.236XX
2M > 5H > 5S(1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S (1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S sjc. j.H djc. j.M > j.H > j.S, land,
(dash up), 623L xx 214XX
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
2H xx 214H, 2H xx 236H, 5S sjc.
j.M > j.M > j.H > j.S, rejump, j.236H, land,
4H (Hold H) xx 214XX
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
j.M > j.M djc. j.H (delay)> j.S, land,
214S, backdash, 214S, 236S (sideswitch here), L > M > H xx j.623H, land,
dash up, 623L xx 236XX
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.
Button-Based Color Scheme (Dustloop-style) No Line Breaks
L attacks - 5L, j.L, 214L
M attacks - 5M, j.M, 623M
H attacks - 5H, j.H, 214H
S attacks - 5S, j.S, X+S
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.
Button-Based Color Scheme (Dustloop-style) With Line Breaks
L attacks - 5L, j.L, 214L
M attacks - 5M, j.M, 623M
H attacks - 5H, j.H, 214H
S attacks - 5S, j.S, X+S
2M > 5H > 5S(1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S (1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S sjc. j.H djc. j.M > j.H > j.S, land,
(dash up), 623L xx 214XX
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
2H xx 214H, 2H xx 236H, 5S sjc.
j.M > j.M > j.H > j.S, rejump, j.236H, land,
4H (Hold H) xx 214XX
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
j.M > j.M djc. j.H (delay)> j.S, land,
214S, backdash, 214S, 236S (sideswitch here), L > M > H xx j.623H, land,
dash up, 623L xx 236XX
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.
Monochrome No Line Breaks
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.
Monochrome With Line Breaks
2M > 5H > 5S(1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S (1 hit) xx 623L sjc. 6XX, j.H > j.S, land,
5H > 5S sjc. j.H djc. j.M > j.H > j.S, land,
(dash up), 623L xx 214XX
The best damage output you will get without having to use any of Viper's infamously difficult extension tools, like Burn Feints and Seismo FADC. By beginner BnB combo standards, it's still pretty tough.
- 5S hits twice, with the second hit being the Launcher, but the first hit being special-cancelable. Chaining into the first hit of 5S before going into a special gets you a bit of extra damage every time.
- When superjump-canceling Seismo, if you input the airdash too quickly, you will be below minimum airdash height and get a regular air normal, causing the combo to drop. You may have to manually delay the airdash input very slightly to get it to work.
- Regular Jump Cancel > Airdash > j.M > j.S can replace Superjump Cancel > Airdash > j.H > j.S in a lot of cases, which is slightly easier but does less damage.
2H xx 214H, 2H xx 236H, 5S sjc.
j.M > j.M > j.H > j.S, rejump, j.236H, land,
4H (Hold H) xx 214XX
Chris' standard combo route when close to the corner. Superjump up-back (or straight up) after the 5S launcher in order to make the rejump afterwards easier.
j.M > j.M djc. j.H (delay)> j.S, land,
214S, backdash, 214S, 236S (sideswitch here), L > M > H xx j.623H, land,
dash up, 623L xx 236XX
Basic confirm that activates and fires Formation B in order to combo into Strider's Wall Cling chain.