Iron Man
Character overview:
Iron Man (IM) is a character made for both rush and zoning. The threat of getting hit w/ the infinite (see below) from one of his many set-ups (also, see below), makes his rush deadly. Though, not as fast Magneto, Storm, or [a flying] Sentinel, the infinite threat helps make up for it. As for his zoning game, IM relies on a solid “ground-controlling” assist (e.g. Sentinel <Y>, Storm <A>, Doom <B>, etc.), his Smart Bombs (SBs), Uni-beams, and his j.hp. He can easily use all of these tools to shut anyone out and keep’em where he wants them to be. On top of that, hit-confirming his normals into INF set-ups makes people think twice about coming anywhere near you.
IM IS NOT equal to War Machine (WM). The first major difference is speed; War Machine’s SBs are much faster, and so is he overall. Also, (due to the difference in speed and move properties) some combos IM can do, WM can’t, and vise versa. WM has 2 supers (Proton Cannon = QCF+2P and War Destronyer = QCF+2K) to IM’s 1 (Proton Cannon = QCF+2P). And their 2 Proton Cannons (PC’s) are also different, WM shoots Missles (which cause bounce if hit on juggle), and IM shoots a giant beam (which hits as a beam on juggle). Same applies to their Uni-beams and c.hp’s. There are many other differences b/w them, but these are the most noticable/important.
Normals:
Jab (LP):
Crouching: IM sticks a quick straight punch forward, while ducking. This’ll mostly be used for block strings/set-ups.
Standing: IM sticks out a quick standing punch. This’ll mostly be used to pressure taller characters (those who can’t duck under it; most notably, Sentinel and Cable) after dashing, and in combos.
Jumping: IM lunges slightly forward while thrusting his foreground hand forward. This is the version of LP you should, and will, end up using the most. First of all, it’s the first [standard] hit of his INF. On top of that, this is one of the moves you’ll be spamming while superjumping and airdashing around. If it’s blocked, continue string for pressure; if it hits, hit-confirm into combo/INF set-up (more on that later).
Fierce (HP):
Crouching: IM fires off a missile while ducking. Since this move is technically a normal, it can be canceled out (w/ special moves, PC, or tag-out). However, if he’s interrupted before it completely leaves his shoulder, it will not come out. This isn’t a bad move. Personally, I use it quite a bit. It’s a decent zoning tool if you call it w/ an assist like Sentinel <Y>, Storm <A>, or Doom <B>, then cancel into a uni-beam or flight mode. Also, combos into tag-out.
Standing: IM basically does a “Hadouken” stance and pops off some circular energy beams from his hands. This’ll only really be used in combos.
Jumping: While in the air, IM thrusts both hands forward, which emit an energy ray extension of themselves. It can be controlled and pointed in 3 directions - angled downward (j.d+HP), neutral/straight forward (j.HP), or angled up (j.u+hp). This move is GDLK! First of all, the hitbox on it is HUGE, and’ll hit a lot of shit from farther away than you’d think. This is extremely important to know when fighting Sentinel in the air. Second, this hit-/block-stun on it is absurd! You get A LOT of time to follow up. On block, continue the string and end it w/ another j.HP, throw an assist call somewhere in there, then repeat. If you do it right, you can keep them blocking indefinitely. On hit… shivers this is where the fun begins. If you hit an opponent deep enough while they’re grounded, you’ll have enough time to dash-in and combo/set-up INF. If you hit air-to-air, you can hit confirm and do the same thing [combo/set-up INF]. This move is MUCH scarier if you have unfly mode whlie going air-to-air (more on that later).
Short (LK):
Crouching: IM ducks and sticks his leg out. I believe it’s got the best range of his grounded light moves, and hits low. So you’ll be poking around and using this a lot. This move will probably start about 90% of our ground attack strings.
Standing: IM does a short leg kick. Range is about the same as s.LP, and I believe speed is comparable as well. Mainly used in combos.
Jumping: While in the air, IM does the exact same kick he does for s.LK. Like j.LP, you’ll be using this A LOT. Again, like j.LP, this’ll be used much in the same way. However, the main difference is the angle this hits at. It hits at a lower angle, at the bottom-front corner of IM. This move also has some good priority, so it’ll win out a lot air-to-air. Again, on block, continue string/pressure. On hit, hit-confirm and combo/INF set-up. Also, this is used for overheads (more on that later).
Roundhouse (HK):
Crouching: IM sticks his leg out while crouching and fires the jets in his boot a little. Pretty far horizontal range. This is an OK move. End block strings w/ this and call an assists, then cancel into LP Uni-Beam for chip/pressure. Depending on the assist used and spacing, a lot of the time you can dash up keep the pressure on.
Standing: IM’s launcher. While floating, he literally sticks his leg straight up. Good vertical range, not-so-good horizontal range. Fast start-up, but pretty bad recovery (use d/f+HK and it starts even faster). This move…holy shit! You use this to instill FEAR! You see anyone do anything stupid or flinch, you dash-in and peg’em w/ this. Or, if they’re getting a little overzealous in their rushdown, make’em run into this. It’s only decent as AA IMO, ‘cuz it trades w/ a lot of the stuff you’d try to AA (e.g. Magneto’s j.HP/HK, Storm’s j.HP; and IIRC, it flat out loses to Cable/Cyclops’ j.RH). The reason this move is feared, it should always lead to INF set-up, and therefore death. If you’re execution’s on point, hitting this should end the match. HOWEVER…like I said before, the recovery’s pretty bad. If this move is blocked or even worse, whiffs, you’ll probably get hurt, if not die. On block, cancel into fly then unfly right away; or cancel into LP Uni-beam. On whiff…GGPO, get ready to play w/ your next character.
Jumping: Like his j.HP, IM’s j.HK can be changed if used w/ a direction. j.d+HK does a knee that comes down at about a 45 degree angle, and keeps going 'til he lands, makes contact w/ something, or it’s canceled out off. j.n+HK is basically like IM’s standing launcher…'cept it’s in the air, and is pointed directly down. j.u+HK is basically IM’s standing launcher…'cept it’s in the air.
First, the j.d+HK. This is actually a really good move, but personally, I don’t really use it. I do need to point something pretty important out. If this move is used, and IM makes contact w/ something or it’s canceled out off (e.g. w/ and air-dash or flight mode), you are put into normal jump state (and therefore, lose un-fly mode). Other than that, this move is good some tricky maneuvering, but it’s actually really good for locking people down in the corner. This is done by doing it and calling an assist, then canceling w/ into fly, then doing it again, canceling into fly, repeat.
Now, j.n+HK. This move is dirty! First, I do need to point out it takes a while for IM to get the full extension. But w/ that said, once it’s out, it’s got some insane priority. On top of that, it’s got a real strange hit-box, so you can do some beefy cross-ups w/ it. On hit, d.s.LK -> s.HK / …you know what.
Finally, j.u+HK. This move is ok, IMO. But it does have it’s uses. On hit, it causes a floaty juggle state that you can follow-up. It does chain from j.HP.
Forward (MK) & Strong (MP): All standing and jumping versions of both of these are basically just combo fillers. However, the crouching version of each are fairly noteworthy. c.MK is actually IM’s sweep and knocks down. If the opponent doesn’t roll, you can OTG w/ s.LK. You can also hit this move w/ some assists and make the assist OTG, then you can d.j.LK into INF. IM’s c.MP is actually pretty important. On hit, it causes a mini-launch/float that you can follow-up (more on that later). Also, this move should be used after c.LK a lot. That’s because if it hits, hit-confirm into s.HK. You can also chain it into c.MK if you feel like being tricky.
Specials Moves:
Hyper Combos:
Ways to open a match (the “face-off”):
IM fits in any slot on a team. He can come 1st (to gain meter/kill using INF), 2nd (for Frame-Kill or DHC option), or 3rd (main assist). Of course, the slot he gets depends on the team he’s on. So here are some ways to start the match:
1.) Block.
IM is relatively slower than basically most of the characters you’ll probably be up against in the “face-off” (Magneto, Cable, and Storm for the most part). He is generally faster than Sentinel, but that’s only because Sentinel can’t start the match flying. So blocking is one of the best things you can do. And you’re better off blocking low since that’s the way most Magneto’s and Storm’s start the match, hoping to hit and go into “1-hit kill” combo. Cable will probably go defensive, and Sentinel will either go defensive, or try an over-head. In Sentinel’s case, he’ll probably go offensive, since IM really can’t do anything against his super-armor at the “face-off.”
2.) Jump straight up and block.
Pretty much the same as above - start the match on the defensive. Be sure to jump straight up, since jumping in a direction (u/f or u/b) takes longer and you won’t be able to block. This is probably your best option against a Sentinel.
3.) (Switch trick) Dash-back.
Probably the safest defensive opener. I’m not sure on how well this works since I’ve never really tried it. But IM’s back-dash is relatively fast, so it should be safe.
All the “face-off” options after this are offensive, and can be done w/ or w/o the switch trick.
4.) c.lk->c.mp->s.hk / \ (AC_INF set-up->INF)…
Generic “face-off” opener. Not that good, but it’s decent at catching people off gaurd. Can also be done w/o the c.mp, it’s only their jus’ in case the c.lk is blocked, so you don’t do a s.hk and are open to retaliation.
5.) s.hk / \ (AC_INF set-up->INF)
IMO, better than #4 simply because s.hk is fast, has good priority, and has retarded-ly long vertical range (but not-so-hot horizontal range). This will catch anyone who tries to jump into whatever, and won’t get caught by a c.lk because IM is air-borne when he does it. Best done using switch trick.
6.) jump-up->j.lk->j.mp, slight pause->j.mk, (bit longer than 1st) pause->j.u+hp ->[INF]xN…
Only works if the opponent jumps too. Good at making the opponent scared to use any kind of jump as an opener.
7.) jump u/f->AD d/f->ad.lk->ad.mk_mp_d+hp \ / d.s_c.lk->(whatever)…
Tri-jump off of face-off. Ok option, but not as good as Storm or Magneto since IM’s AD is slow in comparison to those two. Can’t be done w/ switch trick.
The Infinite (INF):
The infinite is a major part of [most] IM’s gameplan(s), and the way he deals out the most damage. It is done by:
[j.lp->j.mp, slight pause->j.mk, (bit longer than 1st) pause->j.u+hp \ /]xN
INF set-ups:
IMO, there are only 3 (well 4, including the use of assists) INF set-ups worth learning. 1 is off of a non-2-hit jump-in (I’ll explain why this is an important fact later on) AC, and the other 2 are also AC’s, but can be done after a 2-hit jump-in.
The 2-hit jump-in is important because if you hit them w/ a hard normal (Fierce/Hard Punch or Roundhouse/Hard Kick), in an AC, after a 2-hit jump, then that hard normal will cause Fly Screen (FS). And, [outside of the corner] FS will cause your opponent to fall straight to the ground, prohibiting you from getting the infinite on them. But, IM is a special case, because he can control the direction his air HP hits: up, forward/neutral, or down. Hitting HP up, does not cause FS, while neutral and down do. IM’s air HP is controlled by hitting either up or down w/ the HP. IM’s air HK can also be controlled in the same way.
1.) d.c.lk->c.mp->s.hk / \ sj.hp_d+hp, AD d/f->ad.lk->ad.mk, pause->ad.u+up \ / (INF)…
This is the set-up that can’t be done after a 2-hit jump because of the sj.hp being either neutral or hit downward. Also, this set-up will work off of a AA s.hk if the sj.hp is neutral.
2.) tri-jump lk->mk_mp_d+hp \ / d.c.lk->s.hk / \ sj.u+hp, AD d_d/f->pause, ad.lp->ad.u+hp \ / (INF)…
This, IMO, is his best set-up because 1.) it does the most damage of any PRACTICAL [solo] set-up, 2.) it’s easier to pull off in high pressure situations than set-up #3 (see below) and 3.) it makes you look super l337 whenever you do it out of close combat. If doing this on heavier characters, a c.mp can be added after the d.c.lk.
3.) tri-jump lk->mk_mp_d+hp \ / d.c.lk->c.mp, super-jump cancel / \ sj.lp, AD f->ad.lp->ad.u+hp \ / (INF)…
This is the now famous “Japanese Super-jump cancel set-up.” It was founded in japan, and the rest of the title is self-explanitory. Upon trying this, you’ll probably discover that you can’t super-jump cancel the c.mp. Well, that’s probably because you’re not putting the stick/pad back to neutral before the super-jump. The timing is a little tight, but once you get used to it, it’s easy and seems to become more leniant(sp?).
*Note: In the corner, you can do set-ups #2 & #3 after a HP throw.
- Other note-worthy set-ups:
> (In Corner) d.c.lk->c.mp->s.hk / \ sj.u+hp, AD u_f->ad.hp, pause->(OTG) sj.hk \ / (INF)…
This is a very good set-up. But since you activate FS, due to the sj.hp->ad.hp, you can’t really end the INF in any “real” way. You’re only option is to do it until the opponent dizzies. But, you can do this after a 2-hit jump-in. But the inability to end in a fatal way is the only reason I don’t consider this set-up as useful as the 3 stated above.
*Note: The ad.hp and the OTG-ing sj.hk MUST be done w/ nuetral.
> (In Corner) tri-jump lk->mk_mp_d+hp \ / d.c.lk->c.mp, super-jump cancel / \ sj.lp, AD f->ad.lp->ad.hp->ad.hk \ / (INF)…
This is basically the same as set-up #3, except the end is like the set-up posted above. I also think this is a useful set-up, but the in-ablilty to end it in a way that will kill your opponent makes it less useful.
> j.u+hk \ / (INF)…
This is a good set-up, insanely easy and doesn’t suffer from either of the FS penalties from the ones posted above. The only problem is that you’ll almost never hit anyone w/ this. It’s good if you use it to mixup up your game and surprise your opponent w/ it. BUT, this can be used on a Sentinel player how does a careless HSF which you super-jump out of.
Ways to end INF:
Once you get the INF to about 35-45 hits, stop the INF and end the combo, 'cuz anywhere around or after that, the opponent’ll dizzy. There are a couple of ways to end the INF, but the most common, practical, and deadly is comboing into a PC. This can be accomplished a couple of different ways:
1.) (On lighter to normal weight characters) [INF]xN->j.lp->j.mp->j.mk->j.u+hp \ / [INF]x1 \ / PC.
2.) (On any weight character) [INF]xN \ / HP Repulsor Blast (HCB+P) (2 hits) XX PC.
3.) (On light to normal characters) [INF]xN->j.lp->j.mp->j.mk->j.u+hp \ / [INF]x1 \ / s.hp XX PC.
4.) (On heavy-weight character) [INF]xN \ / s.lp->c.mp XX PC.
5.) (On any weight character) [INF]xN \ / s.hp XX HP RB (2 hits) XX PC.
Guard Breaks (GB’s):
Ok, IM’s INF is a major part of his gameplan because he can kill whoever he gets it on simply by landing one hit (1-hit kill). BUT, IM can also take out a whole teams by the INF alone. “How’s this done?” you ask. Simple, GB. No matter if it’s blocked or not, IM’s GB’s will should always lead to an INF. IM can kill one team member, GB the next, kill that one, then do the same to last one. And that is why IM’s GB’s are amongst the most feared in the game. So GB-ing is also a major part of IM’s gameplan.
IM has quite a few useful GB’s, all of which lead into INF killing cycle. But I’ll jus’ list the ones worth knowing.
1.) (On fall-in, in corner) jump up, pause->j.u+hp \ / (INF).
2.) (On fall-in, in corner) jump-up, pause->AD d->ad.u+hp \ / (INF).
3.) (On fall-in) / \ sj.lp, AD f->ad.lp, pause->ad.u+hp \ / (INF).
4.) (On fall-in, in corner) jump up, pause->j.u+hp \ / / \ sj.lp, AD f->ad.lp, pause->ad.u+hp \ / (INF).
Best assists:
Best teams:
IM as the assist
Revision history:
March 21, 2010 - Started.
March 22-23, 2010 - Added “Normals” section.
but evo ain’t really lookin’ that good anymore. I play mostly on XBOX now…but I need to somehow practice on PS3 for EVO…and I want to practice on the ol’ faithful DC (for that GAMME tournament too) so I’m splitting between systems…and now my exec on all of them are a bit off : /