Is it possible that we can make a big Modok tutorial project similar to that big combo video that done awhile back? The forums are looking pretty dead at the moment and this could possibly bring some more players.
At thought at one point someone was going to make a tutorial but I guess that got put on hold. If we can’t make a single video, perhaps we can make a series of smaller videos like movement, mixup, teams etc
I think Worstplayer mentioned making a tutorial of sorts? In any case, I was thinking of doing something along these lines when I have a ton of time over the summer. The only problem is that it’d be shaky cam and there will be no in-game audio as a result :(. It would end up looking similar to my last video, just longer and organized better. I was planning on writing an outline for the video once exams are over and posting it here for suggestions. I would try to go over most everything (normals to assists to basic game plans) in one video, but it might have to be split.
Yah man that was my goal. It got put on hold due to real life. If you want, since it sounds like you’re not to far from me we can possibly collab on the vid. I got the gear to make it the hotness.
Ok so basically the idea was thought through, but things just got in the way. That’s understandable. I personally think maybe two people work on this so if one person doesn’t have the equipment can get it and you can get strategies from more than one point of view.
That would be awesome if you have the time for it (and you are not too far away). I’ll send you a message at some point in the future to sort things out.
Okay, I started working on a comprehensive written MODOK tutorial, which will be used as a structure for the video. It’s clearly not finished yet, but please critique what I’ve already written! 
Also, if you have suggestions as to what else should be covered, tell me! (I’m trying to make this comprehensive and cover everything aside from individual matchups.)
MODOK Basic Tutorial
Contents:
1 – normals, 2 – specials, 3 – hypers, 4 – flight, jumps, and specials, 5 – normal grabs and killer illumination, 6 – combo pieces and bnbs, 7 – hitconfirms/blockstrings, 8 – mixups, 9 – resets, 10 – XFactor, 11 – MODOK’s Basic Neutral Game, 12 – assists for MODOK, 13 – MODOK’s assists
1 – Normals
st.:l: - Has short range, but functions well as an anti-air
st.
- Has long range, 5 hits, counts as a projectile, and is safe on block. It can be ducked under by some characters that are too close. All 5 hits will hit, no matter the length of the combo. It is a decent pressure tool.
st.:h: - Has long range and startup, but it can be ducked under. It has little purpose, even in combos. This move is jump cancellable.
st.:s: - Launcher with good range
cr.:l: - Has short range. Can be ducked under by some characters. Works decently for hitconfirms.
cr. - Has long range, counts as a projectile, and OTGs. It can be ducked under by some characters that are too close. If the attack hits the ground, it persists for a second as a puddle, whose edges count as a low.
cr.:h: - Has long range and startup and counts as a low. This move is jump cancellable. Good for combos and hitconfirms.
j.:l: - A fast, multi-hitting overhead that does not stop until it is cancelled or you land. All hits will hit, no matter the length of the combo. Excellent for hitconfirms and combo extension. This move is air dash cancellable.
j. - Has long range. Is excellent for pressure and combos. This move is air dash cancellable.
j.:h: - Has decent range and startup. It is an okay pressure tool, but won’t be used often. This move is air dash cancellable.
j.:s: - Has decent range and startup. It groundbounces (when not used in an air combo) and can cross up. It is a decent pressure tool and is excellent for extending combos. This move is air dash cancellable.
:df::h: - Has long range and startup, but is an excellent anti-air. This move is jump cancellable. Will mostly be used in swag combos and on incoming characters.
:f::h: - Has long range and startup. This move is jump cancellable and wallbounces. Once the wallbounce is used, it strikes them the enemy to the wall and forces an aerial recovery, but is still immune to hitstun. Excellent for extending combos.
:h: - Summons a shield in front of MODOK to absorb non-hyper attacks. The enemy must jump over it. The move is not cancellable into supers or hypers. You can call out assists, but you can’t THC. This move can be chained into from any grounded normal.
2 – Specials
:qcf::atk: (Psionic Blaster) – Shoots a beam projectile that causes a soft knockdown and pushes the opponent away. The grounded and aerial :l: versions are the fastest and do 3 hits. The grounded and aerial versions do 4 hits. The grounded and aerial :h: versions do 5 hits and are the slowest. The aerial :h: version shoots diagonally downward at a 45 degree angle. The :l: blaster is the go to version for zoning and combos in most cases. Some enemies can crouch under the grounded versions of this beam.
:qcf::s: (Psionic High Blaster) – Shoots a beam projectile that causes a soft knockdown on airborne enemies and a stagger on grounded opponents, while pushing the opponent away. Note that this beam does not hit high and hits mid. This beam does the most damage, does 5 hits, and has a startup in between the and :h: versions of psionic blaster, and costs one Level of Understanding (LoU). It has little purpose, even in combos. This move cannot be done in the air.
Notes: The move can combo into itself when the opponent is grounded only using an XFC. Even in level 3 XFactor, this move can’t combo into itself. When the stagger hits, you cannot follow up with :f::h:, but other normals and :l: blaster work.
:dp::atk: (Balloon Bomb) – MODOK releases a bomb that causes a soft knockdown. The grounded :l: version goes right above MODOK’s head and has the shortest startup, and the aerial :l: version goes in front of MODOK’s feet by about 2 character spaces away. For both :l: versions, the bomb spawns by his feet. The grounded and aerial versions goes in front of MODOK’s feet by about 2 character spaces away. For both versions, the bomb spawns by the top of his head. The grounded and aerial :h: versions have limited homing and decelerates, with quick initial speed, while having the longest startup. For both :h: versions, the bomb spawns by his midsection. All versions do the same damage. Only one bomb can be on the screen at once. If another bomb is called, the older one explodes. This move has great durability and can exchange with beams and other projectiles.
:dp::s: (Jamming Bomb) – MODOK releases a bomb that causes a soft knockdown. It has excellent homing, moves at a constant speed, persists longer than :h: balloon bomb, spawns by his midsection, and costs one LoU. This bomb on hit jams the opponent’s controls for that character. Up is now down, and left is now right, and vice versa. Up back is now down forward. For example, doing the magnetic blast motion (896) is now your quarter circle back motion (214). Doing the magnetic blast motion on the other side is your quarter circle forward motion. This is great to know if one of your hypers that use these motions has invincibility. Turning your controller upside down “normalizes” you controls while jammed. Only one bomb can be on the screen at once. If another bomb is called, the older one explodes.
:qcb::atk: (Analysis Cube) – MODOK places a stationary projectile that, on hit, increases his Level of Understanding by 1. MODOK can hold a total of 9 LoUs (the current LoU is represent by the fire on his forehead). The grounded and aerial :l: versions goes in front of MODOK’s feet. The grounded version goes farther out at normal jump height. The grounded :h: version goes even farther out level with MODOK’s midsection. The aerial version goes above the aerial :l: version level with MODOK’s midsection. The aerial :h: version goes above the aerial version right above MODOK’s head. Note that this move is safe on block and that multiple can be on the screen at once.
:atk::s: (Battering Ram) – This move can be directed in all 8 directions and can be used to move around the screen. You can only combo off of this move if you XFC or use a hyper. Note that whenever you use this move, you count as being airborne.
:s: (Big Barrier) – Summons a shield in front of MODOK to absorb non-hyper attacks. The enemy must super jump over it. The move is not cancellable into supers or hypers. You can call out assists, but you can’t THC. Note that this move is a special and you can cancel whiffed normals into this move.
:qcb::s: (Flight) – This move allows MODOK to fly in addition to his normal jump. This gives MODOK unlimited air specials for the duration of the flight, except for Battering Ram, which cancels flight mode. Other moves that cancel flight mode include j.:l: and j.:s:. Air dashing also cancels flight mode. You can always just unfly normally. Unlike most characters, MODOK can block during his flight, though blocking forces him to unfly.
3 – Hypers
:qcf::atk::atk: (Hyper Psionic Blaster aka HPB) – This move is a massive beam that eats up all the LoUs you have collected, can be done in the air, and causes a hard knockdown. The greater your LoU, the more damaging and powerful the beam, and the longer the hard knockdown state will be. The damage is initially terrible, but it begins to do more damage than HBR fully scaled at 4 LoUs. With all 9 LoUs, it is the most powerful level one hyper in the game.
:qcb::atk::atk: (Hyper Battering Ram aka HBR) – This move has you controlling MODOK moving in battering ram bursts, with each burst consisting of three hits. When grounded, you can do 5 bursts, while when activated in the air, you can do 4 minus the number of air specials you have done so far. You can direct each burst in all 8 directions. This will be your typical hyper to end your combos with. With appropriate control of the HBR, it is possible to link this hyper into itself again. This is a level one hyper.
:dp::atk::atk: (Killer Illumination) – This move is a grab with invincible startup that you can combo after. Unfortunately, the enemy can jump out if it after the hyper freeze, so you will be using this move only to punish certain hypers/moves. This is a level one hyper that is mashable for extra damage (up to 76 hits, opposed to 30 unmashed).
I think now might be a decent time to rename the thread. Any suggestions?
The thread title fits, I see no need to change it.
Anyhoo, I made a couple edits to the basic info given above… now time to delve into some of the more interesting stuff. Please let me know if anything is wrong or should be added
4 – Flight, Jumps, and Specials: Aerial Movement and Abilities with MODOK
First, let’s cover MODOK’s basic aerial abilities. MODOK has an 8 way air dash and has a limit of 3 specials while in the air. MODOK also has his command flight mode, the longest in the game, which grants him unlimited use of his specials. This is indicated by a blue flame boosting MODOK up in the air. MODOK also has a special normal jump known as low flight mode. This mode is practically identical to the command flight version. MODOK once again has unlimited use of his specials. Inputting the command flight in low flight mode actually makes MODOK unfly, indicated by the flame turning back to its normal orange color. MODOK’s super jump functions like a normal super jump.
There is one very important catch to MODOK’s strange normal jump. MODOK cannot block for a few frames after jumping. This makes MODOK the only character in the game that cannot “chicken block” or “up back”.
Another item I would like to note with MODOK’s low flight mode is that it gives him the ability to fly to the top of the screen at the beginning of the round. Since this is his normal jump, MODOK can call assists. Assists like Jam Session and Double Lariat allow MODOK to set the pace of the match right away in most cases. Similarly, normal jumping when given space and performing body attack once or twice in the air and/or air dashing up, then activating flight allows you to set up a similar situation, as you can call assists and flight mode grants you one extra air dash, provided that you use it during flight.
The last thing I would like to mention is how the aerial special limit (3 specials) interacts with the command flight, low flight mode, and HBR. First off, for this aerial special limit, activating flight mode does NOT count as a special; however, unflying DOES count as a special. For example, if you super jump up and activate command flight, do an analysis cube, fire a blaster, and then unfly, you cannot do any more specials. If you super jump up and activate command flight, do an analysis cube, fire a blaster, and wait for the flight mode to end automatically, you can still do one more special. If you super jump up and activate command flight, do 9 analysis cubes, and unfly, you cannot do any more specials. So, just to repeat, flying does not count toward the specials limit, while unflying does. During flight mode, you can do unlimited specials, but when it ends, you cannot do anymore, since the 3 specials limit has been met. Note that these rules also apply to the normal jump (low flight mode).
Now, HBR is a strange hyper when it comes to the air. When grounded, you have 5 battering ram bursts. If you super jump up and activate HBR, you get 4 bursts. If you super jump up, do a special, and activate HBR, you get 3 bursts. If you super jump up, do 2 specials, and activate HBR, you get 2 bursts. If you super jump up, do 2 specials, activate flight, do another special (or however many more during flight), and then activate HBR during flight, you get 1 burst.
5 – Normal Grabs and Killer Illumination
MODOK can combo off of all normal grabs, and 3 of them you can combo off of in all situations. Abuse these normal grabs when you can, since MODOK’s grab range is above average. Note that these grabs, as well as Killer Illumination, affect your hitstun deterioration, so be wary of this when you try going for your follow up combo.
To combo after Killer Illumination, MODOK can follow up by simply doing: dash, cr., st.:s:. It is also possible to follow up for a little extra damage by doing: dash, cr., fly, adf, j..
For his grounded grabs, MODOK can follow up in most cases by simply doing: dash, cr., fly, adf, j., into combo. It is also possible (though I believe the timing is more strict) to follow up by doing: dash, cr., st.:s:.
For his :h: aerial grab, MODOK can follow up in most cases by doing: wave dash twice, cr., fly, adf, j., into combo.
For his :f::h: aerial grab, MODOK can only follow up in the corner and when the grab was done at minimum height (the height when you activate low flight mode or command flight on the ground). From there, follow up with: cr., fly, adf, j., into combo. Doing cr., st.:s: also works. Timing to get the cr. to connect is strict.
For the main three grabs that you will be comboing off of, know that if you toss them in the corner and you end up right next to your opponent, going right for a cr. will usually whiff, so it is best to recognize that you are in a corner and dash back, then do a cr., fly, adf, j..
It is also important to note that you should always option select your grabs. When you go for a grab, there are three possible outcomes. You get the grab (any inputs during the animation won’t buffer), the grab gets teched, or you whiff the grab. Be sure to have a plan for the last 2 outcomes. For your aerial grab, try to get the :h: grab. After attempting to grab, going for a quick j.:l:, :l: cube is a good strategy. For the first outcome, your extra inputs are ignored and you combo off of the grab. For the second outcome, you will likely beat their mashing with j.:l: and get a cube in the process. For the third outcome, j.:h: cannot cancel into j.:l:, so that will be ignored, but :l: cube will come out, which is relatively safe in most post air grab attempts. Similarly, you want a strategy for your grounded throws. :h: gives you a barrier on whiff that takes time to come out and is not cancellabe. :f::h: gives you a slow move, but at least it is cancellable. So naturally, you want to go for forward throws more often than not. The problem with grounded throws is that there is a possibility that your opponent will mash that shield skills and you will be teching throws all day. So there are two strategies. Either you can mash :f::h:, which takes care of the first two options, and cancel into an :l: cube/blaster when you recognize that it whiffs, or you can do :f::h:, cr.:l:, :l: cube, similar to the back air throw version, if you suspect that they won’t be mashing throw. But this is Mahvel, so unfortunately, going for the first strategy is most likely better.
Nice work LTP. I’ll be waiting for the resets and the incoming characters section
Very nice so far LTP. Not sure if you need to, but you can mention that modok has an above average throw range which is a valuable tool for his mixups since his high/low game is limited. Also, you can mention that HPB causes a hard knockdown that increases in duration with more cubes. For example, if you catch them high in the air with a lvl1 hpb you can still otg into a second super. This makes the damage potential outpace hbr (except for hbr loops)
Thanks Fame96 and thank you Caveman. I will be sure to add those notes in the near future.
Alright, probably the longest part (or at least one of the longest) is done (I think). It’s combo time. It’s a lot, but it gives some tips and suggestions to catch your mistakes before it happens, based on my experience learning the character. Once again, let me know if something is missing or you have some organizational problems with it. I tried splitting it up so people’s eyes wouldn’t start bleeding but I think a paragraph or two might need some reworking. I left out swag combos/combo ideas since that’s what the combo thread is for.
Damn, this is like the size of everything I’ve already written.
6 – Combo Pieces and BnB’s
For this section, I will start slow with very basic BnB’s that as a MODOK player, you want to know how to do, or at least be aware of. Gradually, we will become more advanced and throw in a couple of example of common assists or common classes of assists for combo extension. I just want to quickly note that saving your wallbounce and groundbounce for the end of combos gives you access to extra damage and/or options.
Before I delve into some basic BnB’s, I would also like to mention what you should be thinking when you get a combo rolling. What should be the end goal of this combo? You have three basic options. Those options are to the kill the character, jam the character for a reset/snapback, or simply go for a reset. This decision will be based on a number of factors, including what you can do after your combo starter (it might not be possible to jam), how much meter you have/are willing to spend, the health of the character you are comboing, and the threat level of the other characters on your opponent’s team. Know what you can do with your assists after any touch with MODOK so you can make a smart decision on where your combo should leave your opponent at its end.
Now, time for some combos.
Basic BnB’s and Relaunch Variants/Info
There are two basic combo outlines that, as a MODOK player, you will typically go to. One has 2 sets of basic air combos, while the other has 1. I will show the latter first. Note that when you manage to hit 2 or more characters, these BnBs will hit fully and are your go-to combos.
MODOK Basic BnB Structure (1 air combo)
(cr.:h:, jump, adf, j. )x2, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:h: (whiffs), dash, st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, dash, cr., :l: blaster, hyper
With your starter, this combo will take you corner to corner.
MODOK Basic BnB Structure (2 air combos)
cr.:h:, jump, adf, j., dash, st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, wave dash twice, cr., st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:s:, dash, cr., :l: blaster, hyper
With your starter, this combo will too take you corner to corner. I recommend learning this combo, or its relaunch variants, as it gives you a good feel for MODOK’s combo pieces and how his normals function, and it saves his wallbounce.
Before I get ahead of myself, I will break down one part that is common to both of these combos, and that is cr.:h:, jump, adf, j.. Knowing to do this is critical to using MODOK. Once cr.:h: hits, just tap up, input a dash, then immediately press . Practice, practice, practice this until you will never drop it.
Once you get that down, the first combo should not be much of a problem. Just make sure you input the air series quickly enough (or shorten it to sj., slight delay, sj.:h:, slight delay, sj.:s:).
For the second combo, for the second air series, super jump up forward immediately after the st.:s:, then wait for a little bit before doing the air series. Going straight into the air series will not give you enough time to OTG afterward to follow up.
There are also a few variants of the second combo regarding relaunching. Some may find it difficult to relaunch by wave dashing twice. Another option is to land, tap :uf:, dash :df:, cr., st.:s:. Note that you are at the minimum dash height when tapping :uf:, so buffering your dash :df: is a good idea. This should be familiar if you are used to Doom relaunches midscreen. Another thing I should mention is that for this combo variation and the original combo, after doing cr., do not mash on st.:s:. Depending on your starter, this might not work. Remember that comboing from cr. to st.:s: is a chain, and that when cr. hits the opponent and OTGs, you can input st.:s:. But this is Mahvel, so you can buffer that st.:s: a little bit before the cr. hits, allowing you to always get your relaunch when hitstun deterioration would make it a tight link off of some starters.
One more variation of the second combo’s relaunch is to preform what you do to combo off of grabs, though this is inconsistent with starters that heavily effect hitstun deterioration (starting off with j.:s:, which groundbounces, for example). Once again, this input is: dash, cr., fly, adf, j.. One more important note about this relaunch is to know your timing. If you input command flight and dash (2 buttons) right away, your command flight will plink into HBR… not what you want. Go into training mode and practice this relaunch off of normal grabs until you do not get HBR often. It is possible to circumvent this issue altogether by tapping forward twice to dash instead of using the normal 2 button dash, but you sacrifice the general ease and speed of the 2 button dash, though by all means, if you can do it, it’s certainly superior for combos in these cases where you must fly, then dash.
One last note about relaunching: you might be noticing that cr. does not consistently OTG against small characters (and for some reason, Dorm) after a hard knockdown in the corner. This is especially noticeable when that hard knockdown is caused by a throw, since more normal sized characters become affected by this. This is easily corrected by wave dashing back first before doing cr., st.:s:. MODOK’s launcher has a great hitbox, so though it might look like you are too far back, it will always combo. Though you do not always have to wave dash back before relaunching in the corner, it is a good habit to get into, since it will always work.
Optimizing damage on the Last Air Series
Now at this point, you should have enough information to get your basic BnB of choice going. Before I get into assist combo extensions, I will mention a quick combo optimization to your basic BnBs. If you end up in the corner or very close to the corner, you can add an extra :l: blaster at the end of your last air series. This is great, since at times, doing sj.:s: for the last air series will whiff if your combo starter was horrendously long. For the last air series, what you do instead is: sj., sj., :l: blaster, add or addf, sj.:s:. For this blaster air series, you want the opponent as high as possible, so after doing st.:s:, wait a bit on the ground before super jumping up forward. sj. also floats the opponent higher, which is useful for this purpose as well. Also, be aware that you go back to neutral before tapping sj.:s: after doing add(f), or you will get a TAC. The main thing to learn here is when you recover from :l: blaster to add(f) (ie. mash j.:l: after doing :l: blaster to see when you recover). Once you figure out the timing for doing add(f) afterwards :l: blaster, practice.
Tagging on an Extra Cube (2nd BnB Structure)
It is possible to put a cube in the very beginning of your combo without sacrificing much damage, though there are different combo routes to be taken depending on where you are on screen. In the corner, to get a cube quickly, do cr.:h:, :l: cube, st.:s:, etc. At midscreen, you have two options. The easier one is: cr.:h:, :h: cube, dash, st.:s:, etc. The harder one is: cr.:h:, cube, dash, cr.:l:, st.:s:, etc. It is good to know both, since the second one can be done almost anywhere.
Basic Assist Combo Extension and Combo Enders
Now, it’s time for combo extensions with assists. This is where you will build cubes for resets, do jamming bombs without sacrificing much damage, and/or optimize your damage for the kill. Usually, you want to have assists that ignore hitstun deterioration for easy combo-ability and allow you to continue the combo off of a hard knockdown in the corner. So let’s say :a1: is your generic combo extending assist. After your basic BnB, do something like: dash back and call :a1:, cr., :l: blaster. If your assist is fast enough, it may be possible to do an :l: cube instead of an :l: blaster. From there, let your assist juggle the opponent, then tag on your wallbounce ( :f::h:) or your groundbounce (j.:s:) at the end. Generally, try using up your wallbounce first before your groundbounce. You want to have at least one assist that allows you to get a :f::h: after a hard knockdown in the corner to have MODOK at his full combo potential. If both the wallbounce and groundbounce are already used, do :f::h:, blaster, hyper, for your typical combo ender into damage. If you wish to snap back, a typical ender has a snapback instead of a hyper (doing :l: blaster instead may be easier to time). During the time your assist juggles the opponent, see if you can do extra damage by adding an :l: blaster or bomb. So when your :a1: call is finished, do :f::h: to wallbounce. From there, you can do :l: cube or :l: bomb before calling out your next assist. The next step is to incorporate :a2:, another generic combo extending assist. You probably want to do :f::h: and :a2: at the same time, then see what can work. Try jamming bomb, dashing up and doing :l: bombs, or if :a2: does not hit in time after :f::h:, try calling it before :f::h: or doing an :l: or blaster after :f::h:. After finding what works, try getting in another :f::h: at the end, jump, adf, j.:s: to use your groundbounce, :f::h:, into one of the enders mentioned earlier or the resets that are to be discussed later. If your :a2: just won’t cooperate, try finding a way to be creative with your groundbounce to add it in. One quick optimization note: after using the groundbounce, it is possible to do :l: bomb, :f::h:, ender, but that doing :f::h: after the extra :l: bomb is very strict.
I will now give you a few sample enders using various assists. These combos pick up off from your basic BnB combo, and you are now in the corner, with your opponent in a hard knockdown state unless I mention otherwise.
:a1: = Doom’s Hidden Missiles, :a2: = Magneto’s Hyper Grav
cr. and :a2:, :l: blaster, dash back, :f::h:, :l: bomb, :f::h:, jump, adf and :a1:, j.:s:, :l: bomb, st.:s:, sj.:l:, (missiles hit), bomb, :l: blaster, add, sj.:s:, cr., :l: blaster, hyper/snapback
:a1: = Doom’s Hidden Missiles, :a2: = Magneto’s Hyper Grav (Full combo)
cr.:h:, jump, adf, j., dash, st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, wave dash twice and call :a1:, cr., st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:s:, (missiles OTG), :l: bomb, :l: bomb, dash back, :f::h:, :l: bomb, :f::h: and :a2:, blaster, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :f::h:, blaster, hyper/snapback
:a1: = Doom’s Hidden Missiles, :a2: = Magneto’s Hyper Grav (Full combo)
cr.:h:, jump, adf, j., dash, st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, wave dash twice and call :a1:, cr., st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:s:, (missiles OTG), jamming bomb, dash back, :f::h:, :l: bomb, :f:h: and :a2:, blaster, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :f::h:, blaster, hyper/snapback
:a1: = Doom’s Hidden Missiles, :a2: = Magneto’s Hyper Grav (Full combo)
cr.:h:, jump, adf, j., dash, st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, wave dash twice and call :a1:, cr., st.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:s:, (missiles OTG), :l: bomb, :l: cube, dash back, :f::h:, :l: cube, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :a2:, :f::h:, jamming bomb, snapback/reset
:a1: = Viper’s Burn Kick, :a2: = Hsien Ko’s Senpu Bu
dash back and :a2:, cr., :l: blaster, :l: bomb, :f::h:, :l: cube, :f::h:, :a1:, jamming bomb, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :f::h:, blaster, hyper/snapback
:a1: = Strange’s Eye of Avocado, :a2: = Sentinel’s Drones (Charge)
dash back and :a1:, cr., :l: blaster, :l: blaster, :f::h:, :l: cube, :a2:, :f::h:, blaster, dash, jamming bomb, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :f::h:, blaster, hyper/snapback
:a1: = Firebrand’s Demon Missile (Charge), :a2: = Dante’s Jam Session
dash back and :a1:, cr., :l: blaster, :f::h:, :l: bomb, :f::h:, jump, adf, j.:s:, :f::h:, pause, st.:s: and :a2:, sj.:l:, fly, blaster, add, sj.:s:, cr., :l: blaster, hyper
Find out what you can do with your assists and get creative!
Corner Combos - Optimizing Damage
Even though your basic BnB with adjustable enders will be your staple BnB, you should know that your combos can be optimized for damage when in or near the corner before you do your assist based combo ender. Here are two sample combo starters that go for optimal damage (provided by Caveman).
(cr.:h:, jump and float up for a moment, j.:h:, adf, j.:h: )x2, cr.:h:, jump, j.:h:, add, cr.:h:, st.:s:, sj., sj., :l: blaster, add(f), sj.:s:, ender
(cr.:h:, jump, adf, j. )x2, cr.:h:, jump and float up for a moment, j.:h:, adf, j.:h:, cr.:h:, jump, j.:h:, add, cr.:h:, st.:s:, sj., sj., :l: blaster, add(f), sj.:s:, ender
This combo works from the match start position.
Note that you must float up for a moment after doing cr.:h:, so you can do j.:h:, adf, j.:h:. Simply tapping up and doing adf, j.:h: whiffs. By floating up for a moment, adf, j.:h: can hit if you input j.:h: quickly after dashing forward.
Corner Combos - Building Up Your LoU (Cube Combos)
When in the corner, you can also opt to build up your LoU and go for a cube corner combo. Doing this however is heavily reliant on your assists and what characters you are performing the combo on (read: these only work on normal sized characters), so I will give you two basic combo parts that one typically sees at the start of cube combos as guidelines before you need to find a way for your assists to contribute in tandem with your wallbounce and groundbounce. Both your wallbounce and groundbounce should usually net you one more cube (ie. :f::h:, :l: cube and j.:s:, :l: cube).
The first basic combo part is simply cr.:h:, :l: cube. You can usually get at least two reps in before you have to use your assists.
The second basic combo part is the one I usually turn to and seems more consistent. It goes like this: cr.:h:, jump, (j., j.:h:, :l: cube)x3, j., j.:s:, assist extension
Now, I will give you a sample cube corner combo. See what your assists can do for you.
:a1: = Doom’s Hidden Missiles, :a2: = Magneto’s Hyper Grav
(8 cubes and does 1,239,200 damage with 2 bars, builds over a bar)
cr.:h:, jump, (j., j.:h:, :l: cube)x3, j. and :a2:, j., cube, (hyper grav connects), :l: cube, j.:s:, wave dash back, :l: cube, :f::h:, :l: cube, :f::h: and :a1:, jump, addf, st.:s:, sj.:l:, cube (when missiles hit), :l: blaster, add(f), sj.:s:, cr., :l: blaster, HPB, cr., :l: blaster, HBR
Corner TAC Combos
As you probably already know, MODOK has some crazy TAC combos. These combos have the goal of getting 9 cubes to have a fully powered HPB and make MODOK a serious threat in the second slot. I will write down notations for simple up, down, and side TACs in the corner that maximize damage while minimizing difficulty.
Up TAC
pause for a moment, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj., adu, sj.:l:, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj., fly, (sj., :h: cube)x4, cube, cube, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj.:s:, assist based combo ender (if assists ignore hitstun deterioration)
You want to pause for a split second at the beginning to ensure that you are close enough at the end to connect sj.:l: after all the cubes. You can always just try dashing forward first, then sj.:l: instead.
Down TAC (takes away groundbounce)
sj., sj., adu, sj.:l:, :l: cube, sj.:l:, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj., fly, (sj., :h: cube)x4, cube, cube, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj.:s:, assist based combo ender (if assists ignore hitstun deterioration)
Side TAC (takes away wallbounce)
sj.:h: (delayed), :l: cube (delayed), sj.:l: (1 hit), :l: cube, sj.:l: (1 hit), sj., adf, sj., fly, (sj., :h: cube)x4, cube, cube, :l: cube, sj.:l:, sj.:s:, assist based combo ender (if assists ignore hitstun deterioration)
These TACs, of course, are adjustable to whatever you feel more comfortable with. One thing you can do instead is plink an :h: cube after you activate fly. What this means is that you are getting an :h: cube with the same 214 motion (quarter circle back) that you use to get flight. Your inputs look like this: :qcb::s:, :h:. The :h: must be added on quickly. Though this is harder, it does give you more freedom in your TAC, since you now have 10 cubes. You can add in an extra sj. during your cube reps, if you notice the opponent is not floating high enough, or you have more time to delay them, since you can scrap one of them. You could also opt to do an :l: bomb in the start of the up TAC, then find a way to get one more cube, and then plink into another cube from flight mode.
Other Important Combo Notes
If you can hit the opponent with the top of HPB, you can always follow up with your assist based combo extender if your assist ignore hitstun deterioration. This builds meter and does more damage than going into HBR.
Instead of the basic cr.:h:, jump, adf, j. loop, you can try the execution heavy cr.:h:, jump, addf, cr.:h:, loop. Once mastered, this is more damaging and a very scary technique to have for opening up opponents, since it abuses one of his 2 lows and can beat advancing guard. Simply doing add is far easier and works only in the corner, but it won’t beat advancing guard.
You can loop the HBR. In the corner, you can do: cr., :l: blaster, slight pause, HBR, forward (automatically goes forward for the first burst), down forward, down forward, down back, forward. Once you go upright, you can do another HBR with the same motion to do another rep.
When ending combos with HBR, it is best to direct the bursts in the following order: forward (automatic), up, forward, forward, down. Once HBR finished, you are vulnerable until you land, and following that order always gives you time to land safely and calculate your next move. DO NOT SIMPLY MASH OUT HBR AND GO UP, UP, AND AWAYYYY. I cannot stress this enough. It’s not a mashable hyper. You won’t get more damage. All your opponent would have to do is call an assist for you to fall in and they get a free combo. All you have to do for each burst to choose a direction and press a button when the previous burst is finished hitting. Hit training mode and get used to the hyper.
Very nice work as always. Also one thing you might want to add is that kiler illumination does cause hitstun decay. In this case it will cause you to not be able to do solo analize combos and make ones with assists harder. This is probebly common knowledge but is something to keep in mind.
wow great write up! LTP gets my vote for BRODOK of the month for sure! I like how you broke down the combos to the basic variants. I think you may want a corner bnb to throw in there, too. Maybe one for gaining cubes and the other for max damage. For example:
(cr.H, j.H, adf j.H)x2, cr.H, j.H, add cr.H, S, j.M, j.M, L blaster, add j.S, etc
(cr.H, adf j.M)x2, cr.H, j.H, adf j.H, cr.H, j.H, add cr.H, S, j.M, j.M, L blaster, add j.S, etc
These are pretty close to max damage and work regardless of starter and can be optimized greatly with assists. The main difference for these combos is the cr.H, j.H, adf j.H which is only possible in the corner. When you jump cancel the cr.H you have to float up slightly higher than normal in order for the j.H to animate after the airdash. It is not hard to execute, but definitely different than the normal midscreen bnb. The first combo only works when near the corner. The second combo works from the match start position and can be confirmed from MODOK’s normal bnb if you end up in the corner.
As an aside, this is the perfect combo to land after the unblockable throw reset
Thanks. I will be sure to add a section on optimal damage in the corner, but I can’t really think of a worthwhile, basic corner cube combo. Cube combos, to me at least, seemed very assist dependent, with little similarities. I don’t mess with cubes and HPB combo-wise outside of TACs honestly. All my corner cube combos for my different teams are drastically different, and I never end up using them in games anyways, since they usually end up being as damaging as doing max damage corner combos, with the only advantage being that you end with HPB, which is more DHC friendly. I’ll try to come up with something worth reading anyways. There are some basic formats that I tend to follow.
I did forget to mention the extra hitstun deterioration off of grabs, I’ll add that note to the normal grab section and mention that you can always do the grab follow up into the second basic BnB structure (not sure about the first, but I’d assume it would work too).
And I never though of doing flying a little bit after cr.:h: to be able to to an extra IAD j.:h: before doing another rep. I’ve gotta try that out when I get the chance. I’ve been looking for an optimal combo after the unblockable throw reset, and the best I got with my strange/doom team was around 930k (I believe). I actually had to cut out :l: blaster off of the last air series, because st.:s:, into baby kicks and missiles was not possible with all the HSD. Looks like I’m going to have to work on that.
Edit: Also, just a random thought, doing the cr.:h:, jump, addf, cr.:h: loop might be easier if you do a triangle motion of sorts. Like :d::h:, :u:, :df: + :atk::atk:, :d:, :db::h:, :u:, :df: + :atk::atk:, :d:, :db::h:, etc. I never seriously tried learning it, but I’d really like to do it consistently. More lab work needed.
Nice strategies, folks!
Some little things you should correct:
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In the Jamming Bomb part, you forgot to mention the move’s most prominent feature: it reverses the controls of the opponent. Now, we all know this, but a MODOK beginner probably won’t.
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Hyper Battering Ram does not ALWAYS allow for only 4 rams in the air. It only allows for 4 if you use a special right before cancelling into HBR. If you only use normal moves in your combo, you will still get 5 rams.
By the way, hey there, Fame96! I remember you. We had a set of matches a long time ago. Not sure if you remember that, but I was the MODOK/Shuma-Gorath player, and we had a little discussion about whether Mystic Ray was a cheaper assist than Hidden Missiles or not. Remember? Good times.
I can’t believe I completely forgot to write what jamming bomb does lol. I will update that in the near future. Thanks! I should also throw in how to control HBR in it’s description.
And I’m pretty sure I’m correct regarding the HBR. “Now, HBR is a strange hyper when it comes to the air. When grounded, you have 5 battering ram bursts. If you super jump up and activate HBR, you get 4 bursts. If you super jump up, do a special, and activate HBR, you get 3 bursts. If you super jump up, do 2 specials, and activate HBR, you get 2 bursts. If you super jump up, do 2 specials, activate flight, do another special (or however many more during flight), and then activate HBR during flight, you get 1 burst.” I wrote that bit up directly after testing this hyper, just to make sure. I’ll double check though. I should also mention that this guide is for UMvC3, since I believe it was the way you described in vanilla MvC3.
Really? Oh, well, then I guess it is my bad for skimming through that part. I didn’t know at all that you could get less than four rams. Stupid glitchy super, haha. Disregard my comment, then.
EDIT: Skimmed your post again, haha. You’re right: I never got UMVC3, so I based what I said off MVC3. You mean the super actually got glitchier with UMVC3? For crying out loud, haha.
No problem, I realize that it’s a lot of text. I’m trying to keep things as concise as possible, but there is just so much to this character. HBR is such a funky hyper lol.
I should get all the corrections/additions done this weekend btw.