So, I’m currently running a team of Dante/Magneto/Viper. I have a few (lots of) questions about assists, character order, and possibly a character swap.
I’ll start with the character swap.
Now, to start, I want to point out that this is my “investment” team. I put characters in that have a lot of execution-heavy but effective tech, so I can learn the stuff, show off, but also, in the long run, actually have a really good, impressive team with me should I get good enough with them. Here’s the general idea behind that:
Dante is good overall, but his gameplay greatly benefits from high execution, as opposed to someone like wesker or wolverine who does not get as much from a high-execution player. His gun loop is great for gaining meter, and he can do all sorts of crazy stuff with his jump cancel techs, etc to maximize damage. He works great with Magneto due to the DHC trick, but considering the long-term nature of this team, it may be pointless to consider that due to the impending take over of UMvC3.
C. Viper is a great character who is basically worthless until the player aquires a certain degree of execution ability. Her crazy techs and stupid combos are rediculous, and how well she does despite no one (yet) fully and efficiently taking advantage of all her crazy tech (especially that new FADC shit, have you seen that? wtf?). She can suck up a lot of meter, but considering that I have two battery characters on the team, I don’t think it’s too much of a problem.
But, and I’m sure some would agree with me, I’m not so sure people would consider Magneto an execution heavy character. One side of me says that his incredibly long neverending combos require a different sort of “stamina” execution, due to their longevity. However, another part of me sort of throws that to the side, and questions whether he really belongs here. In the end, however, this is about making a team that will really pay off, not one full of crazy execution characters.
So, as far as the character switch goes, I’m thinking about swapping Magneto out for Ammy. While ammy isn’t exactly a combo fiend herself, I do get the sense that she just would work for the team. I am forced to consider the options:
Keep Mags.
Pros: Amazing battery character with long, damaging combos. Beam assist would be great for approach, especially for viper, and gives dante a keep-away game. Having 3 potential point characters allows me to change up team order for advantage in many situations.
Cons: The beam’s low blockstun makes it difficult to use for lockdowns, something that viper could really use.
Take up Ammy.
Pros: Strong, versitile character that covers several of Viper’s bad matchups. Cold star assist is BEAST and would be amazing for viper’s lockdowns, and is just overall an amazing assist.
Cons: Lacking a beam assist is going to make approach more difficult. I’d also be losing my primary battery. Her shit health also doesn’t help. She’s also not a very good point character like magneto, making my team less versitile when it comes to switching up order.
So, help me with that, please?
Next, I want to talk about assists.
Currently, the team assists are as follows:
Dante: Crystal
Mags: Disruptah
Viper: Burn kick
Now, my issue here is that I’m not sure where I should be keeping my priorities.
For Dante, the more common assist is Jam Session. It’s significantly faster, but I just feel like I need a lock-down assist, and while slow, Crystal does have a lot of blockstun. But at the same time, I get the feeling that it just may not be worth throwing away such a good fast mid range assist. Were I to switch mags with Ammy, I would DEFINITELY switch to Jam Session, since cold star takes care of lockdown like no other. But assuming I stick with this team, was I right to pick crystals, or is Jam Session worth it?
Magneto is a non-issue, if he’s staying on the team, he has the beam. I see no valid reason to choose any of his other assists, but if you think you do, feel free to point it out.
For viper, it’s a tossup between all of them. Burn kick’s high-hit is very alluring, and is the reason I have it on currently. Long-ranged unblockables with mags cr.H or Dante’s cr.M just seem so cool, but I can’t help but feel I’m sacrificing some potentially fruitful opportunities. Seismo could be good for combo-extensions, but then I’m not sure if my team needs it. The big question for me is the TK assist, which, while not very useful in combos or for approach/preassure, can be occasionally used as a surprise anti-air, and make crossover counters VERY useful, especially since you can cancel the move as you could if she were using it normally on point, allowing her a free combo. So which should I go for? TK for crossover shenanigans and anti-air, or BK for high-low mixups and unblockables?
The last issue is team order. I honestly don’t think it’s much of an issue, but I’ve considered switching mags to the front. To be completely honest, all of these characters are used regularly as point characters, so it gives a really nice advantage in that I can switch up my order before a match depending on match-ups without severely effecting flow or team synergy.
And that’s my super long post. I hope you’re actually willing to read it. =D
