Hay errybody here’s a Ms. Fortune guide! I’m not a great player, but I do know a lot of cool Fortune tech that people should totally be rocking. Enjoy!
Everything I say in this guide pertains to headless Fortune, unless otherwise stated.
Fiber Uppercut
This is Fortune’s best special, hands down. The L version gives you invincibility through the hit. I believe M’s invincibility lasts through the first frame, and H’s invincibility lasts up to the first frame, but the important part is that their invincibility is worse than L’s.
L fiber is your main reversal option. On hit, you can go into a full combo. On whiff, you’re usually safe (doing the K followup, of course). On block, it’s unsafe. However, Fortune’s head makes this move much safer to use; if you use HP after your opponent blocks fiber, you’ll actually recover before them, making this a really freaking good reversal. If your opponent’s rushing you down, you always want your head nearby to make this move safe.
Aside from reversals, fiber uppercut is useful for plowing through stuff while moving forward. This move is great for beating assists and passing through projectiles. If timed well, you can even use it to beat reversal assists; just be aware that if fiber hits and assist and is blocked by the point, you can’t K cancel it. Be ready to bring in the head to make your reversal safe.
This move is also awesome for mobility in general. L, M, and H fiber give you 3 different jump arcs beyond the default movement options. Use them to approach your opponent at different angles, and get around zoning.
Kicking the head
If you’ve ever played against me, you’ve probably noticed I’m more interested in playing soccer than fighting. While I do go a little overboard, kicking the head is a very powerful option for Fortune. After hitting the head with s.HK, you can jump cancel, fiber uppercut, or rekka to follow behind it. Since the head comes first, characters usually have to block this or get out of the way. Meanwhile, you have all your air options at your disposal (unless you rekka’d), and the head recovers instantly when it lands. Use this technique to force your opponent into an unfavorable situation.
Kicking the head is also useful defensively, deterring opponents approaching from the air. Be aware of s.HK’s slow startup, though; it may be a better option to go for fiber uppercut if they’re too close. You can also hit the head with fiber, but it has a smaller hitbox for hitting the head, and doesn’t launch it as far. If the head is behind or on top of you, you can hit it with c.MP and cancel into s.HK or fiber to launch it.
Entering the battlefield
When Ms. Fortune tags in, is snapped in, or comes in after a character dies, you have immediate control of the head before she appears onscreen. Use this to catch your opponent by surprise, or cover your approach. Experienced players will be ready for this, but at least you can limit their mixup options when Fortune jumps in.
Fortune’s head-on and headless tag-ins are some of the safest in the game. She recovers very quickly, and you can use her head instantly after the tag command (when headless). You can tag your weakened characters out with lower risk by tagging to Fortune and getting your opponent in block or hitstun with the head. The tag-in immediate head attack can also be used to catch characters zoning or doing footsies off guard. If you land a f/b.HP into nom, you can confirm a combo from fullscreen.
Beating Pushblock
Getting constantly pushed out can be an issue for Fortune; other rushdown characters like Filia and Valentine are much faster at getting back to the opponent. Fortune has some unique tools to fight against pushblock.
Fortune’s head does not get moved by pushblock. If your opponent’s pushing you out, you can use the head to keep them in blockstun as you rush back in. Successive hits also stop you from being pushed back, so if the head hits right after a pushblock, you’ll stop sliding away. It’s not really feasible to have HP hit on reaction to seeing pushblock, but you can use it to prevent certain parts of your blockstrings from being pushed. In general, your head should frequently be attacking during your blockstrings if you’re not using it for any setups.
If your head is below or behind you, after being pushed you can cancel your attack chain into s.HK, fiber upper, or c.MP s.HK / c.MP xx fiber (if you haven’t proceeded past MP in the chain) to kick the head. From here you can proceed as usual when kicking the head at your opponent.
Fiber upper by itself is a good option when getting pushblocked. It gets you back to your opponent (or behind them!), and you can start attacking with the head to cover your descent.
When doing rushdown with IAD j.LK MK etc., in response to pushblock you can chain either hit of j.MK into j.HK, whiffing it and making you quickly land. You can run up and attack much sooner than if you waited for j.MK to finish.
Staggering is a different approach to dealing with pushblock. If you continuously do low hitstun moves and leave gaps in your blockstrings (s.LP, c.LP and c.LK are great for this), an opponent trying to pushblock will instead backdash or c.LP with b.PP if they’re out of blockstun. Fortune’s light attacks are + on block, so you’ll be able to beat either of those outcomes. As a bonus, a propertly timed stagger will beat chicken blocking too.
This has been pretty universal so far, but Fortune’s advantage comes from the head (no way!). Staggering can lose to SRKs, but with the head you can do safe stagger strings. Simply attack, then block or air block while doing HP or b/f.HP. You want the head to hit as soon as the opponent comes out of blockstun, so it will beat jumping. This is obviously easiest when the head is nearby, but if you time the head attack earlier you can make it work at longer distances. During these staggers, if your opponent is doing anything besides blocking or safe invincible moves, they’re screwed. Against Bella I would highly recommend chicken blocking while doing this stagger, since you could eat an invincible command grab staying on the ground.
Meterless turnaround combo starter
These combo starter get your opponent to your head when it’s behind you, even if it’s as far as possible. It uses no meter or OTGs. It works against everyone, but the timing and distances it can be done from are more sensitive against certain characters (surprise, this is skullgirls!).
Ground chain -> s.HK xx L/M fiber~K, j.MP xx PP j.HK HP
IAD j.LK/LP MK xx H gato, s.HK xx M fiber~K, j.MP xx PP j.HK HP
Both can be used to get your opponent back to the head after a nom. However, if you cancel HP or f/b.HP into nom, only the second combo works, since the head doesn’t recover in time for the first one.
Resets
IAD j.LP crossup
With the head nearby, against a standing opponent
ground chain xx rekka, (hold HP), rekka, release HP, IAD j.LP xx L gato
Depending on the distance, you may want to jump backwards for the IAD to make this more ambiguous. This reset also works in the corner, because the head pushes the opponent out. Sometimes the hit crosses up even though Fortune doesn’t go into the corner.
This reset can be done without the rekkas, but the they make the timing easier so you don’t actually combo the j.LP.
This attack string is still good but not as useful on block, because IAD j.LP is unreliable on a lot of crouching characters. The following el gato can still tag players, but they have a little more time to react, and it hits mid. The reason the reset works well is because it takes a few frames for a character’s hitboxes to move down when they duck, so the j.LP can hit them while they’re holding down. Also be sure not to do this too fast, because crossups don’t work when an opponent is locked in blockstun.
Fiber Upper -> El Gato
Ground chain -> s.HK xx L/M fiber~K, L/M gato
Depending on the spacing, characters, and which strengths of moves you use, you’ll either hit a crossup or uncrossup el gato. The uncrossup is pretty dirty cause you cross the opponent, but then they fly back over your head. It’s hard to get consistent results with this reset, especially between different characters, but if I don’t know which way my crossup will go, my opponent probably won’t either! This sometimes whiffs Fortune and Filia due to hitboxes blah blah blah
Juggle rekka crossunder
Whatever -> f.HP c/s.MP s.MK xx rekka, rekka, rekka/slide (whiff), release HP or b/f.HP
Peacock: c.MP, M rekka x3
PW: s.MP, M rekka x 3
Parasoul: s.MP, L rekka x 3
Valentine: s.MP, M rekka x 3
Filia: c.MP, M rekka x 3 or s.MP, L/M rekka x 2, slide
Cerebella: s/c.MP, L rekka x 3 or slide
Fortune: s.MP, L/M rekka x 3
Double: too fat
This reset can catch people off guard, but it can also lose to mashing. Depending on the character, you can beat their air move with HP before it contacts you; another option is to use cat allergies to hit your opponent even if they hit you with mashing, but it may whiff depending on the head’s position. An alternative to this reset is following two rekkas with el gato, which is thankfully not character specific and more likely to beat mashing but less likely to catch someone off guard.
Fiber upper double crossunder
ground chain -> s.HK xx L fiber~K j.LP xx PP j.HK HP/f.HP
Uncrossup: ground chain -> s.HK xx L fiber~K j.MP PP M gato
Works on Valentine, Filia, Painwheel, and Peacock
Only use this reset when your head is in front of you, because it ends with techable j.HK. Use HP when the head is very far, and f.HP otherwise.
j.MK hit/throw reset
ground chain -> s.HK or L fiber~K, j.MK (1 hit) xx PP throw or j.MK xx M gato
Pretty straightforward hit/throw reset. Should work on everyone.
Run/airdash under
ground chain -> s.HK, delay j.LP LK MP, run under, c.LK/throw
blabla j.MP, airdash under, j.LK c.LK/throw
blabla j.MP, airdash under, c.LK
blabla j.MP, airdash under, air throw
blabla j.MP, rejump, air throw
blabla j.MP, c.LK
blabla j.MP, IAD j.LK MK
blabla j.MP, run under IAD M/H gato
Works on everyone except Double. The first and last ones are difficult on Parasoul.
You get all kinds of mixups off of this setup. If timed right, run under can avoid most mashing except for fast crossup moves (like Fortune’s j.LP). Discourage mashing with the airthrow alternatives. Airdash under, c.LK is possible when you do an airdash low enough; use this to trick your opponent after you’ve hit them with airdash under j.LK a few times. Do the last one just so you can say you literally ran circles around your opponent.
Fake launcher
Corner only, with head in corner
ground chain -> s.HK HP IAD j.HK c.LK
ground chain -> s.HK HP IAD j.LK MP c.LK
ground chain -> s.HK HP double jump j.LK c.LK
ground chain -> s.HK HP double jump forward j.LP c.LK
Works on Filia, Painwheel, Peacock, Parasoul, Valentine
The HP will stop the opponent from getting launched, and with the jump cancel this is quicker than a lot of Fortune’s other resets. You can uncrossup with the first one by jumping back and airdashing forward, or vice versa; this is actually safe from most reversals (but the crossup isn’t). You need to hold HP to stop your j.HK from hitting your head, or the hitstop will allow you to get hit by reversals.
Reversal bait
Head near opponent
ground chain -> s.MK HP jump back PP j.HK
Similar to the previously mentioned reset. It’s not as robust, but can be performed on all characters. Most crossups will stop reversals anyway, but there are a few direction-less reversals like napalm pillar and ultimate showstopper. This works on block too.
Blockstrings/mixups
IAD j.LK MK
IAD j.LK c.LK/throw
IAD j.LK MK(1 hit) HK(whiff) c.LK/throw
IAD j.LK MK(2) HK(whiff) c.LK/throw
IAD j.LK MK(2) HK(whiff) rejump back j.LK xx PP j.LK MK(1 or 2) HK(whiff) etc.
IAD j.LK MK(2) HK(whiff) rejump forward j.LK delay j.LP xx L gato
IAD j.LK MK(2) HK(whiff) rejump forward j.LK delay j.LP xx b.PP j.HK
If you can get someone to block your IAD j.LK MK, they’re probably going to eat damage. You can do a blockstring of high hits as long as you want, and end with a low/throw at any point. Obviously the ball’s still in your court even if the c.LK gets blocked. If you want to maximize Fortune’s rushdown, get a lockdown assist so your opponent can’t pushblock out of this at all. The last two blockstrings throw in some crossups.
Ground airdash
j.LK MK xx PP c.LK
This is the same concept as the airdash into low from one of the resets. This is actually a true blockstring due to j.MK’s long blockstun. Deal psychological damage to your opponent with bizarre game engine quirks!
Whiffed Fiber Upper
ground chain -> L fiber~K…
…j.LK xx PP j.LK MK etc
…b.PP j.HK
…double jump forward j.LP xx L gato
These aren’t super solid blockstrings or anything, but L fiber upper puts you in a position a lot of characters can’t attack well. Combine this with Fortune’s air mobility and you can be a pest above your opponent’s head… too bad she doesn’t have Val’s j.HP. Attack with the head while doing fiber upper to keep your opponent blocking and possibly cross them up.
ground chain -> L/M/H fiber~K f/b.HP b.PP nom
ground chain -> L/M/H fiber f/b.HP xx nom
This lets you cross up your opponent twice: if you space out the f/b.HP and nom, they won’t be a true blockstring, but they will combo due to f/b.HP knocking down. You can also not cross up a second time by double jumping or just falling. Lastly, the second string here is a fake-out for opponents expecting you to cross up with fiber upper.