The Dormammu Thread

[Karsticles]

A Word:
I want to make this a one-stop spot for all inquiries regarding Dormammu. Please do not hesitate to suggest changes/additions or alert me to errors in the main thread or via private message. A brief overview of what is contained in each section:

•The Basics: General character information, such as X-Factor and health values, along with the legend for notation that will be used throughout the guide. Each move is listed, along with the frama data for that move as well as how to make effective use of that move in a generation situation. If you are looking for strategies on how to make one of Dormammu’s normals, specials, or hypers useful in a variety of situation, read the “Discussion” portion of that move’s section.

•Strategy and Matchups: first, a general overview of your goals with Dormammu is given. Then, a specific section exists for each character in the game; within these sections I will try to list effective strategies against each character in the game, especially options Dormammu has to directly counter specific abilities each character has.

•Team Building: I have presented a general overview of what it means to make a team in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. This is followed by a section for each character in the game Dormammu can pair with, along with the various synergistic abilities between Dormammu and the given character.

•Gameplay and Combos: Here contains an archive of videos showing excellent Dormammu gameplay or concepts, and also a listing of combos possible with Dormammu. If you would like to contribute to this section, please be sure to read the rules for video submission.

Please do not hesitate to contribute! All assistance in making this guide as comprehensive as humanly possible is welcome; please do not hesitate to suggest changes as well.

Table of Contents:
The Basics
The Basics, Page 2
The Basics, Page 3
The Basics, Page 4
The Basics, Page 5
The Basics, Page 6
General Strategy
General Strategy, Page 2
Team Building
Team Building, Page 2
Team Building, Page 3
Team Building, Page 4
Team Building, Page 5
Matchups
Matchups, Page 2
Matchups, Page 3
Matchups, Page 4
Gameplay and Combos
Gameplay and Combos, Page 2

General Character Information:
Dormammu Biography
Character Art
Color Options

General Statistics:
Health: 1,000,000
Level 1 X-Factor Bonuses: 130% Damage, 105% Speed
Level 2 X-Factor Bonuses: 160% Damage, 110% Speed
Level 3 X-Factor Bonuses: 190% Damage, 115% Speed

Notation:
:l: - Light Attack
- Medium Attack
:h: - Heavy Attack
:s: - Special Button
:a1: - Assist Button 1
:a2: - Assist Button 2
:atk::atk: - Any Two Attack Buttons
(Air) - Performable While Airborn
(Low) - This Move Must Be Blocked Low
(High) - This Move Must be Blocked High
(OTG) - This Move Hits Prone Opponents
(Mid) - This Combo Requires A Mid-Screen Opponent
(Corner) - This Combo Requires A Cornered Opponent
(Assist) - This Combo Requires An Assist
(Reset) - This Combo Requires A Reset
(XF1) - X-Factor Level 1 Damage Levels
(XF2) - X-Factor Level 2 Damage Levels
(XF3) - X-Factor Level 3 Damage Levels
c. - Crouching
s. - Standing
j. - Airborne
sj. - Airborne Via Superjump
XDYC - Perform Liberation With X Dark Spell: Destructor(D) And Y Dark Spell: Creator© Charges
(XFC) - X-Factor Cancel
(DHC) - Delayed Hyper Cancel

Normals:
Standing :l:

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 48,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 6
•Active Frames: 2
•Recovery Frames: 12

•Frame Advantage on Hit: 0
•Frame Advantage on Block: -1

Discussion:
•Primarily useful for punishing your opponent’s unsafe moves, as this is Dormammu’s fastest attack. While it has solid range, 6 frames is a slow startup for an s.L attack (3-5 is typical). If you are looking for a normal to cover the space between you and a close opponent, consider using s.M, as it is active for five times as many frames while only having a 2 frame longer startup. Check the Matchup section for information on which attacks this can potentially punish on block.

•This move cannot chain into itself.[/details]

Standing

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 70,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 8
•Active Frames: 10
•Recovery Frames: 16

•Frame Advantage on Hit: -7
•Frame Advantage on Block: -8

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles. With some practice, you can successfully destroy nearly any projectile in the game and cancel into a special move. You can use this to punish your opponent’s projectiles via Dark Hole or Purification, or store Dark Spells. Check the Matchup section if you are having trouble negating a projectile; a few projectiles are too much for Dormammu to negate. Arguably Dormammu’s best normal for countering ground projectiles due to its large number of active frames. Consider c.M as well though, as they can both be useful in various situations.

•It is rare for a normal move to have as many as 10 active frames; the excellent range on this move is useful for creating a little space between you and your opponent. s.M outranges a massive portion of the roster’s attacks; see the Matchup section for specific applications. At its maximum range, standing medium can unfortunately knock your opponent out of your launcher’s range.

•After a Dark Hole L against an airborne opponent, s.M often leads into a full combo.[/details]

Standing :h:[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 90,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 13
•Active Frames: 5
•Recovery Frames: 21

•Frame Advantage on Hit: -2
•Frame Advantage on Block: -3

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles. With some practice, you can successfully destroy nearly any projectile in the game and cancel into a special move. You can use this to punish your opponent’s projectiles via Dark Hole or Purification, or store Dark Spells. Check the Matchup section if you are having trouble negating a projectile; a few projectiles are too much for Dormammu to negate. The small number of active frames and short hitbox make it a less optimal choice than s.M or c.M, though.

•Dormammu’s only normal which hits above his head. You can use this as an anti-air, though c.M is often superior. It is essential to know which attack is most appropriate as an anti-air for any situation; consult the Matchup section for general results against specific attacks.

•Knocks opponent upward. As such, when hitting opponents at certain angles, it can be difficult to follow-up from this attack. As this is Dormammu’s best anti-air attack in many situations, it is important to know how to follow up afterward.

•This is Dormammu’s Snapback animation.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=91OBxCzhj2g&t=55s’]Standing :s:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=uyKkcjsA0vU&t=04m08s’)[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=91OBxCzhj2g&t=55s’]

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 95,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 9
•Active Frames: 20
•Recovery Frames: 12

•Frame Advantage on Hit: –
•Frame Advantage on Block: -9

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles. With some practice, you can successfully destroy nearly any projectile in the game. Check the Matchup section if you are having trouble negating a projectile; a few projectiles are too much for Dormammu to negate. Of all of Dormammu’s options, s.S is the easiest to negate projectiles with, but since it cannot be canceled into specials or hypers, it also lacks a follow-up. Generally, you want to stick with s.M and/or c.M.

•Neither special nor hyper cancelable.

•This move has a massive 20 active frames, which is great because it allows you to make risky guesses on a move with only 12 recovery frames, but also unfortunate because opponents hit by the initial active frames will have absolutely no problem punishing you in their 9 frames of advantage. s.S has very respectable horizontal and vertical range, and its startup is rather fast for its benefits when compared with many of Dormammu’s other normals.

•When using this move alone, try to make the hit connection as meaty as possible; the number of frames your opponent is placed into blockstun begins on the first frame he is hit. The -9 frame advantage assumes your opponent gets hit on the first frame. Theoretically, it is possible to make the very last frame of your launcher hit, and against a blocking opponent, you will actually have 10 frame advantage on block.

•Mid-screen, when launching opponents, you must make a split-second decision: whether to superjump forward, or superjump straight up. Both lead to a full combo, but superjumping forward will cause your opponent to land mid-screen from you, from which you have the option to relaunch with certain assists, or simply use Purification M into Chaotic Flame, which pushes your opponent full-screen. If you superjump straight up, however, your opponent will be flung full-screen from sj.S. Thus, if you have no intention to relaunch your opponent, and would rather not spend meter on Chaotic Flame, it may be worthwhile to superjump straight up, so you can benefit from having a full screen of space between you and your opponent, but without having to spend the meter to do so.[/details]

[Karsticles]

The Basics, Page 2

Crouching :l: (Low)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 45,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 7
•Active Frames: 2
•Recovery Frames: 13

•Frame Advantage on Hit: -1
•Frame Advantage on Block: -2

Discussion:
•This is one of two low-hitting normals Dormammu possesses, with the second being c.H. c.H has a startup almost twice as long as c.L, and thus c.L is Dormammu’s choice move for starting combos off of a low attack. This attack does not possess a normal hitbox however; rather than threatening the general space in front of Dormammu, only the vicinity around the attack’s “spark” is affected. This may not seem important, but at times this attack will actually reach past and behind your opponent, leaving you open to punishment.

•Dormammu does not possess a normal magic series. Whether you follow this move up with a c.M or go straight into s.S depends on your situation. Because c.M hits higher in the air than Dormammu’s other two crouching attacks, it will sometimes whiff against short or crouching opponents. Thus, you must unfortunately only have c.L to hit confirm from unless you want to risk being open due to a whiffed c.M.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=WTHCwqMD3RU&t=62s’]Crouching ](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=91OBxCzhj2g&t=02m19s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 70,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 9
•Active Frames: 8
•Recovery Frames: 24

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +6
•Frame Advantage on Block: -7

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles. With some practice, you can successfully destroy nearly any projectile in the game and cancel into a special move. You can use this to punish your opponent’s projectiles via Dark Hole or Purification, or store Dark Spells. Check the Matchup section if you are having trouble negating a projectile; a few projectiles are too much for Dormammu to negate. Slightly inferior to s.M for countering projectiles, but since you are in a crouching position, it can be easier to follow-up with a Dark Hole or Dark Spell afterward, and the anti-air trajectory can be more helpful against projectiles that approach you from an aerial angle.

•Knocks opponent upward.

•This attack does not hit low. Rather, it is a solid anti-air normal. Dormammu’s crouched stature minimizes his hurtbox, and the vertical hitbox on this attack is respectable. c.M cannot chain into c.H, but it can chain into both Flame Carpet and Dark Matter, as well as Dormammu’s launcher. Launching is generally your best option, but in corner combos, it is possible to chain several c.M attacks together using a combination of Flame Carpets and Dark Matters (opponent-dependent), leading to high damage and meter gain. Due to its angle, this attack often whiffs against small and crouching opponents, making it very punishable when used against grounded opponents.

•If you hit an opponent with c.M while he is airborn, you can cancel into Flight and continue the combo with j.L, j.H, j.S. This can sometimes be useful when an opponent is too high to combo straight off of Dormammu’s s.S after a c.M. Alternatively, Dormammu can chain c.M into Dark Hole against aerial targets, which then leads into a full combo.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m54s’]Crouching :h: (Low)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=WTHCwqMD3RU&t=62s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 90,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 13
•Active Frames: 4
•Recovery Frames: 24

•Frame Advantage on Hit: –
•Frame Advantage on Block: -5

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles. With some practice, you can successfully destroy nearly any projectile in the game and cancel into a special move. You can use this to punish your opponent’s projectiles via Dark Hole or Purification, or store Dark Spells. Check the Matchup section if you are having trouble negating a projectile; a few projectiles are too much for Dormammu to negate.

•Knockdown attack.

•Better reach than c.L and c.M, and one of only two attacks Dormammu has that hit low. The startup is particularly slow however, and the recovery on this basic attack is massive compared to the active frames it offers. c.H can only be chained into from c.L on a counter hit or during level 2 or 3 X-Factor. This limits its use greatly. However, after a Mass Change M or L, you can use j.M on your way down, and this will link into c.H, Whether this particular c.H leads into a launcher is variable based on your opponent’s character and positioning.

•In level 2 and 3 X-Factor, Dormammu can chain c.L into c.H in other situations as well. For example, the combo string j.L, c.L, c.H is possible, giving Dormammu a universal pressure string and method for hit confirmation against the cast.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=91OBxCzhj2g&t=28s’]Aerial :l: (High)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m54s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 50,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 7
•Active Frames: 3
•Recovery Frames: 16

•Frame Advantage on Hit: 0
•Frame Advantage on Block: -1

Discussion:
•Dormammu is one of the few characters in the game with an 8-way air dash. Of those few, he is one of the even smaller group of characters who are able to connect a jumping normal off of a down-forward airdash at the minimum height necessary for such a dash. The only move Dormammu can connect with in this situation with j.L. Outside of this use, j.L is not terribly useful in the air, as its range is outdone by j.M for spacing purposes. When Dormammu is under the effects of level 2 or 3 X-Factor, you can cancel your aerial combos into Flight, and then connect j.L, followed by further aerial attacks, for a considerable increase in damage. Some corner combos also utilize j.L to juggle off of Dark Matter.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m40s’]Aerial (High)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=91OBxCzhj2g&t=28s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 70,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 10
•Active Frames: 11
•Recovery Frames: 15

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles.

•Dormammu’s aerial M is great for spacing, and it is his only attack that consistently hits every character in the roster post-Mass Change L or M. Due to its high hitbox area, this attack is best used either when level against an opponent in the air or while coming down from a jump to ensure your space is maintained. In situations where you are above your opponent, j.M will frequently whiff, making j.S or j.H your choices of attack in such situations.

•After connecting with j.M post-Mass Change L or M, you can generally link into c.H, and then, depending on your opponent’s character and his positioning, chain into your launcher. If you meet your opponent at superjump heights and successfully hit him with this move, your only real option in most situations is to follow it up with another sj.M, sj.H, sj.S, and then cancel into Dark Hole L.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m42s’]Aerial :h: (High)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m40s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 85,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 10[
•Active Frames: 5
•Recovery Frames: 29

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles.

•This attack is not good for spacing, but it is good for approaching and starting combos. If you are interested in aerial spacing, use j.M. If you want to start a combo just off the ground against an airborn opponent, j.H, j.S, s.S will do it. After Mass Change H, this is your attack of choice, as it hits directly beneath Dormammu, just like j.S, but comes out 4 frames faster. To lead it into a full combo, you may have to use c.L or c.M after landing due to the startup on s.S.

•j.H is also very useful for approaches via superjump. After superjumping, delay a tridash into j.H, and this can lead into a full combo. Learning the timing takes practice, but this is a valuable tool in Dormammu’s arsenal, especially since j.L is rather obvious and not very safe, since you are approaching from the front. With practice, your j.H can connect the moment your opponent comes into range, making the approach method very safe.

Where j.H really shines though is its ability to hit behind Dormammu! The hitbox is not very large, but when setting up your superjump into j.H, position yourself so your airdash will place you just above and behind your opponent, and j.H will still connect. This can be very difficult to block reliably, and still leads into a full combo.

•After a Mass Change H, you can also air dash either forward or backward slightly before canceling into j.H to create a vertical mix-up. Alternatively, you can air dash toward your opponent after Mass Change L or M and then cancel into j.H to start a full combo. The second of these is a rather slow setup, though.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=hbqIAaztlqg&t=70s’]Aerial :s: (High)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=00m42s’)[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=hbqIAaztlqg&t=70s’]

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 90,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 14
•Active Frames: 5
•Recovery Frames: 27

Discussion:
•This move negates low and medium priority projectiles.

•This attack does a respectable job of covering the area in front of and beneath Dormammu while he is in the air, making it a solid attack when descending upon opponents. In most situations, connecting with j.S during a downward ascent will allow Dormammu to transition into a full combo. If you do not care to rely on trijumping j.L to advance on your opponent, considering extending your superjump height a bit and then air dashing down-forward and using j.S as your method of approach. Both are effective in a large variety of situations. There is no particular advantage to approaching with j.S or j.H after a superjump into air dash other than added hitstun and damage; with proper timing, both are entirely adequate to use.[/details]

[Karsticles]

The Basics, Page 3

Throw - /:f: + :h:[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Discussion:
•Dormammu is able to follow up solo after utilizing his air throw, but not his ground throw; Dormammu’s ground throw has possible follow-ups only when done while simultaneously calling certain assists; check the Team Building section for options your team may have.

•Air throws leads into a full combo for significant damage. Keep in mind that air throws cause significant hitstun decay, so you may need to develop combos specifically for Dormammu’s air throw with your team. Check the Combos section for examples. Dormammu’s backward air throw recovers faster than his forward air throw, and thus makes the appropriate follow-up easier.

•After landing a ground throw in the corner, you can link a Snapback.

•In corners, finishing a combo via Chaotic Flame can offer you an opportunity to reset your opponent via an air throw. After Chaotic Flame, tap your opponent with s.L, and then jump toward them and air throw; this resets you into another full. Instead of tapping s.L, you can also elect to simply jump forward after Chaotic Flame. The height at which you launch an opponent into Chaotic Flame from Purification, along with your opponent’s hitbox size, determines how easy it will be to air throw him.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m04s’]Ground Dash - /:f: + :atk::atk: or /:f::f:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=rKWjC6qBEs8&t=01m40s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Discussion:
•Jump cancelable, but not attack, special, or hyper cancelable.

•Dormammu’s ground dash is unfortunately limited; he cannot cancel it into any sort of attack, and it cannot be crouch-canceled for wave dashing purposes either. If you are attacked during your dash motion, you are unable to block. Generally, you must either be prepared to jump-cancel your dash to enable blocking, or simply utilize his air dash for travel, as it gives him significantly more offensive and defensive ability while still maintaining a similar level of speed. If you jump-cancel to block an attack, keep in mind that jumping still has frames of animation before you are airborne, and so you are still vulnerable to low attacks for a moment.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=03m30s’]8-Way Air Dash (Air) - /:f:/:u:/:d:/:df:/:db:/:uf:/:ub: + :atk::atk:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m04s’)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Discussion:
•Attack and special cancelable. j.L can connect off of a trijump.

•Dormammu’s air dash is highly useful, especially when making approaches. When using Mass Change L or M against an opponent, a post-teleport air dash will allow you to cross-up or simply reach the ground faster. When making a frontal approach, you can superjump to reach max air dash height as fast as possible, and then air dash down-forward (AKA trijump), coupled with j.L. This provides Dormammu with a very fast aerial approach into an overhead attack, and soon after j.L he lands, from which you can land c.L, causing a difficult-to-block high-low mix-up, from which you can launch a full combo from.

•When traveling along the ground, it is often useful to trijump rather than ground dash. Not only is this roughly as fast as dashing normally, but it is more difficult for your opponent to respond to than a simple forward dash, and you retain your offensive options during your maneuvering.[/details]

Command Normals:
Dark Matter - :f::h:

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 80,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 20
•Active Frames: –
•Recovery Frames: 26

•Frame Advantage on Hit: –
•Frame Advantage on Block: -3

Discussion:
•Wallbounce.

•Chip.

•Neither special nor hyper cancelable.

•One low priority hit point.

•At the very least, Dark Matter connects into Dark Hole or Purification. If you are willing to put in the time to practice, Dormammu can always combo off of Dark Matter by dashing forward afterward, jumping, and then air dashing down-forward and continuing the combo with j.L. Check the Combo section for a visual reference.

•Dark Matter is the weakest projectile in the game in terms of priority. Any other projectile, including Wesker’s gunshots, will destroy it with impunity. Dark Matter also requires a 46 frame period to complete, and only covers the horizontal plane. This makes the move very risky to perform, as it is easy to avoid and leaves Dormammu open for almost a full second. Use this move cautiously and sparingly - it is not Dormammu’s Hadoken.

•On the positive side, Dark Matter flings your opponent to the opposite end of the screen, which is obviously favorable to Dormammu, and is his only meter-free way to create respectable distance outside of clever usage of Mass Change. Dark Matter can be comboed into via c.M or s.H, and that combo can continue off of Dark Matter from anywhere on the screen (see the Combos section). Dark Matter is especially helpful for extending corner combos. Alternatively, you can connect a Dark Hole or Purification after a successful Dark Matter, which is much easier, and can still lead to solid damage via Chaotic Flame or more Purifications, respectively.

•Since Dark Matter is a command normal, and not a special, you can call assists during its active frames. Having an assist that can protect you after a whiffed Dark Matter can help make the move much safer. Certain assists may even let you transform Dark Matter into a full combo. See the Team Building section for specific details on your options if you want to get fancy.[/details]

Flame Carpet (OTG) (Low) - :df::h:[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 5
•Damage: 81,700

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: –
•Recovery Frames: 31

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +5
•Frame Advantage on Block: +4

Discussion:
•Lasts 180 frames (3 seconds).

•Chip.

•Neither special nor hyper cancelable.

•Only one Flame Carpet may be active at any time; you may not “refresh” your Flame Carpet before its time expires. Flame Carpet is Dormammu’s best defense against characters looking to engage in close combat with him, as even aerial approaches must eventually touch the ground, and your opponent risks falling into the pool of fire below even on a successful hit. Flame Carpets laid on top of an opponent expire too fast for Dormammu to combo off of alone, and thus it is best to either utilize an assist to extend this fortune into a full combo, lay Flame Carpets pre-emptively, or plan to use the small frame advantage as an opportunity to create space between you and your opponent.

•All of Dormammu’s normals can be canceled during their recovery phase on block or hit into a Flame Carpet, turning his normally punishable normals into a frame advantage. This is possible even if you already have a Flame Carpet laid on the screen, allowing the possibility of multiple Flame Carpets on the screen simultaneously, but only if you are canceling blocked or hit normals into one.

•On small characters, Flame Carpet allows you to uniquely juggle them via c. several times in the corner. Against incoming characters, pre-emptively laying a Flame Carpet, and then using Mass Change as they appear on screen will provide a nice mix-up. During level 3 X-Factor, a freshly laid Flame Carpet will combo into Dormammu’s launcher.

•Flame Carpet also possesses 5 sets of 1 low priority hitpoints. Its low altitude minimizes its effectiveness as a projectile absorber however. Combined with the restrictive 46 frames needed for this move to complete, this is generally better considered an incidental feature than one to use Flame Carpet for particularly.

•The Flame Carpet Corner Trick:
When you c.M into Flame Carpet on small characters, their bounces between flame hits will take longer to complete than normal and large characters. This opens up unique combo opportunities for small characters in corners. However, with proper spacing, you can actually make any character in the game bounce like this in corners when OTGing with Flame Carpet. Each character has a unique degree of spacing necessary to make this happen, but a few examples of how to achieve the proper spacing:
1)After launching your opponent in a corner, superjump backward and complete your normal MMHS series.
2)After launching your opponent in a corner, superjump backward, and hold forward while completing the MMH portion of your normal MMHS series.
3)After launching your opponent in a corner, superjump upward, and hold back while completing the MMH portion of your normals MMHS series.

Any of the above will also have different results depending on how you delay your air series, and if you try using an MHS air series instead of MMHS. Each character on the roster requires a specific input for the proper spacing to be achieved on landing.

Using this trick properly allows Dormammu to relaunch on his own in corners. Your goal is to place Flame Carpet while your opponent is at the peak of his post-sj.S bounce, and he is at the maximum distance possible for Flame Carpet to connect.[/details]

Specials:
[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m10s’]Dark Hole (Air) - :qcf: :l://:h:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=52s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 9
•Damage: 122,200

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 26
•Active Frames: 34
•Recovery Frames: 6

•Frame Advantage on Hit: –
•Frame Advantage on Block: +7

Discussion:
•Knockdown.

•10 sets of 3 low priority hit points.

•Dormammu is unable to act after this move has been performed in the air unless it is during Flight. Dark Hole will disappear if Dormammu takes damage.

•Dark Hole is Purification’s sister skill, and one of the most important lessons to learn with Dormammu is when to use which one. Firstly, it is important to note that Dark Hole does not reach across the entire screen; most opponents can dodge a full-screen Dark Hole by remaining motionless, but it generally still catches if your opponent performs any action. Dark Hole comes out slightly faster and recovers faster after its active frames than Purification, and the move is faster in general. Dark Hole is clearly superior for absorbing projectiles, possessing 30 hit points to Purification’s 15. Dark Hole is by far easier to cancel into Chaotic Flame off of, and it even remains for its full effects when canceled. Dark Hole also deals slightly more damage. Especially worthy of attention is that a Dark Hole done on an airborne opponent immediately in front of Dormammu can be comboed out of on hit.

•The disadvantages of Dark Hole are noteworthy, however. Worthy of mention but only infrequently coming into play, Dark Hole hits 9 times to Purification’s 4, meaning that future attacks will suffer from damage reduction more than if they had been hit by Purification. Dark Hole covers very little of the vertical plane, and enemies are extremely likely to take the skies to avoid large numbers of Dark Holes. Most importantly, Dark Hole puts your opponent in a state of recoverable knockdown, which means he has the opportunity to roll toward you for and cover some ground while remaining invulnerable. This is undesirable, but can sometimes be punished with a Flame Carpet; it is a risk worth noting, however. Dark Hole is clearly the preferred skill for connecting Chaotic Flames at long distances.

• If you whiff a Dark Hole against an opponent and he is able to punish you, consider spending meter on Chaotic Flame (anti-ground) or Stalking Flare (anti-air) if it will make you safe. Losing a bar of meter is much better than losing a character.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m16s’]Purification (OTG) - :dp: :l://:h:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m10s’)[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m16s’]

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 4
•Damage: 120,300

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 32
•Active Frames: 23
•Recovery Frames: 11

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +11
•Frame Advantage on Block: +2

Discussion:
•Spinning knockdown.

•5 sets of 3 low priority hit points.

•Purification is Dark Hole’s sister skill, and and one of the most important lessons to learn with Dormammu is when to use which one. Overall, Purification is the slower attack of the two, and it does slightly less damage. However, on connection, Purification nearly always guarantees that you can safely land a second Purification; even though it is likely to be blocked, one could consider the extra, guaranteed damage to actually make Purification the higher damage skill. Since Purification knocks your opponent into the air, you also do not have to worry about where he decides to recover, unlike with Dark Hole. With Dormammu’s impressive repertoire of screen control techniques, it is not uncommon to have an opponent try to superjump toward you; Purification is excellent for catching them in the heights. However, Purification merely knocks your opponent straight up, not back, and so this is merely a detriment to approaches, and not a solution on its own. If Purification connects with an assist character, that character can be juggled by continual Purifications until its death, as assists have no ability to block and do not benefit from hitstun decay.

•Purification is also Dormammu’s most convenient means to connect a Chaotic Flame on an opponent after an air combo. It is certainly not the only means, but others require specific assists, a corner, or Liberation charges. The timing on Purification after an air combo is tight, as is the cancel into Chaotic Flame. Superjumping forward after launching your opponent at mid-screen will likely require a Purification M after knockdown, while superjumping straight up will likely require a Purification H. Near corners, this placement becomes more difficult to predict.

• At very high hitstun decay levels, it is possible for your opponent to recover from Purification before Chaotic Flame lands.

• If you whiff a Purification against an opponent and he is able to punish you, consider spending meter on Chaotic Flame (anti-ground) or Stalking Flare (anti-air) if it will make you safe. Losing a bar of meter is much better than losing a character. [/details]

[Karsticles]

The Basics, Page 4

Mass Change (Air) - :rdp: :l://:h:[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 13
•Recovery Frames: 17

Discussion:
•L version places you above and in front of your opponent. M version places you above and behind your opponent. H places you above and centered over your opponent.

•Proper Mass Change usage, along with Dark Spells, marks the difference between an experienced Dormammu player and a novice. Mass Change completes in a total of 30 frames, which is the same speed as every other character-relative teleport in the game. Mass Change H allows Dormammu to hit immediately after Mass Change’s recovery, but due to its placement directly over an opponent’s head it also makes him the most vulnerable to being hit during the 17 post-teleport frames. A successful strike from Mass Change H will lead into a full combo in most situations. As you appear above your opponent, you are able to easily mix-up your opponent by slightly airdashing either forward or backward, but again this extends your vulnerability period slightly. Generally, your opponent is mobile, and his choice of movements during the 30 frames you are vulnerable for decide your action for you. Mass Change H always places you slightly in front of your opponent.

•Mass Change M is superb, but against many opponents, leaves you unable to combo out of it without the aid of an assist, an airdash before attacking, or your opponent moving closer during your recovery period. Both j.M and j.S can connect after Mass Change , but j.S is opponent-dependent, and often will not work against medium sized and smaller characters. Against some opponents, delaying your j.M a bit, and then comboing into c.H, will let you connect s.S. You can always airdash down-forward after a Mass Change L or M and mix-up with Dormammu’s j.L into c.L. Dormammu can use Mass Change M to successfully combo off of many assists in the game, even using those assists to cross-up and make the approach extremely difficult to guard. See the Assist Synergy section for more details. Against opponents chasing you, Mass Change M often creates needed space for you, especially against aerial foes. Against incoming characters, pre-emptively laying a Flame Carpet, and then using Mass Change M as they appear on screen will provide a nice mix-up.

•Mass Change L is primarily meant for messing with your opponent’s head; its practical uses are rather limited, and if you are looking to mount an assault from a similar position, Mass Change M is almost always your better option. If you unleash a Stalking Flare at full screen and your opponent expects you to cross-up with Mass Change M, consider using the L version instead; the animation will cause them to think you are performing the predictable cross-up, causing them to block in the wrong direction. Against cornered opponents, it is generally best to not use Mass Change M, simply because a failed assault leaves Dormammu sitting in the corner - unarguably his worst position to be in.

•Mass Change is useful for approaches, but it is especially worthwhile as a method to punish careless opponent who rely on ranged attacks. Mass Change during the startup period of their chosen projectile and teach them a lesson in caution. Whether Mass Change H is safe in this situation depends on which projectile your opponent is utilizing. Against some opponents, Mass Change H will place you directly in the projectiles hitbox, ruining your plans.

•Mass Change is also useful against opponents jumping toward you; airborne opponents cannot change their momentum without a dash, and cannot alter the direction their character faces without utilizing a flight mode. A well-timed Mass Change M against an incoming, airborne opponent is rarely a poor idea. If you land before he does (and you can help ensure this by airdashing down), use the time to store a Dark Spell or mount a ranged offense. If there is a lesson to be taken from this, it is that Mass Change can aid Dormammu in almost any goal, and limiting yourself to solely punishment, rushdown, or keepaway with the move is throwing away opportunity.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=43s’]Flight (Air) - :qcb: :s:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m26s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 21

Discussion:
•Lasts 120 frames (2 seconds).

•Using Flight during flight cancels Flight; 0 frames of recovery on cancel.

•Dormammu’s Flight is limited in usefulness, as the only special moves he has access to while airborne are Dark Hole and Mass Change, and has no method to control the ground below him. His movement remains slow, but he can perform more than one Dark Hole while airborne now. It is worth noting that using Mass Change during Flight will cause Dormammu to retain his flight state after he exits Mass Change.

•Dormammu does not have the ability to fly-extend his aerial combos outside of special circumstances. When in the state of level 2 or 3 X-Factor, Dormammu can fly-cancel his normal aerial series and extend it. To do this successfully, you must fly-cancel the sj.H very quickly. For example, the following is possible:
s.S, sj.M, sj.M, sj.H, qcb.S, sj.L, sj.M, sj.H, sj.S.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m04s’]Dark Spell: Destruction - :qcb: :l:](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=43s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Recovery Frames: 20

Discussion:
•Stores one “Destruction” charge; see Liberation, below, for more information.

•Dark Spells are very fast, and take roughly half the time a Dark Hole or Purification does from startup to completiion. If ever you find the time to pressure with a Dark Hole or Purification, consider that you may have just given up storing two Dark Spells, depending on your opponent’s situation. Dark Spells provide no immediate benefit, but rather are the actions a skilled Dormammu takes to unleash a new level of power against an opponent. In short, sacrifice a small opportunity now and gain massive potential in its stead.

•Finding the time for Dark Spells is both match-up and team dependent. Against an opponent who has difficulty dealing with a simple Flame Carpet placed before his feet, you will likely have as much time as you like to store Dark Spells. Against one who hails you with projectiles while constantly teleporting to assail you, finding time is more difficult. In general, you can always store a Dark Spell after a successful Dark Hole, Purification, or Chaotic Flame. Stalking Flare, when used properly, provides the opportunity to store three full Dark Spells. When used poorly, you will not even have time to store one. If you utilize certain assists, Dormammu may even have time to store Dark Spells mid-combo!

•Generally, singly charges of Dark Spells are not worth liberating unless they would save you in a pinch, and the same goes for having two Dark Spells saved. The end goal should always be to store three Dark Spells, at which time Dormammu will gain access to a new and powerful ability for one time only. For more about the various powers gained through various Dark Spell combinations, see the individual Liberation Combinations.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m10s’]Dark Spell: Creation - :qcb: ](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m04s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Recovery Frames: 20

Discussion:
•Stores one “Creation” charge; see Liberation, below, for more information.

•Dark Spells are very fast, and take roughly half the time a Dark Hole or Purification does from startup to completiion. If ever you find the time to pressure with a Dark Hole or Purification, consider that you may have just given up storing two Dark Spells, depending on your opponent’s situation. Dark Spells provide no immediate benefit, but rather are the actions a skilled Dormammu takes to unleash a new level of power against an opponent. In short, sacrifice a small opportunity now and gain massive potential in its stead.

•Finding the time for Dark Spells is both match-up and team dependent. Against an opponent who has difficulty dealing with a simple Flame Carpet placed before his feet, you will likely have as much time as you like to store Dark Spells. Against one who hails you with projectiles while constantly teleporting to assail you, finding time is more difficult. In general, you can always store a Dark Spell after a successful Dark Hole, Purification, or Chaotic Flame. Stalking Flare, when used properly, provides the opportunity to store three full Dark Spells. When used poorly, you will not even have time to store one. If you utilize certain assists, Dormammu may even have time to store Dark Spells mid-combo!

•Generally, singly charges of Dark Spells are not worth liberating unless they would save you in a pinch, and the same goes for having two Dark Spells saved. The end goal should always be to store three Dark Spells, at which time Dormammu will gain access to a new and powerful ability for one time only. For more about the various powers gained through various Dark Spell combinations, see the individual Liberation Combinations.[/details]

Liberation - :qcb: :h: • See “Liberation Combinations” Immediately Below.

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Discussion:
•Using Liberation will consume all Dark Spell charges and produce an effect according to the Liberation Combinations list below.

•Dormammu’s fully charged Liberations are powerful enough that it is almost unfair to categorize them with the rest of his specials. All of them are roughly on par with actual hyper combos, and each is powerful enough to take Dormammu’s threat level up a notch. There simply is no strategy your opponent can employ that is able to counter the proper Liberation. The difficulty comes in finding time to use Dark Spells during a fast-paced match; finding time for Dark Spells is something that comes only with experience.

•As with all specials, Liberation can be canceled into after a launcher. After launching, simply use :qcb::ub::h: instead of the normal motion. By doing this, the :ub: will jump-cancel your launcher; however, all jumps have 4 frames of animation before actually becoming airborn, and during these 4 frames you can cancel the jump into any special, normal, or hyper. So, you are technically canceling your launcher into a jump, and then canceling your jump into Liberation. The timing on the motion will take practice, but this is a worthwhile technique to master - 2D1C is most effective when canceled after a launcher, and 1D2C is extremely powerful when used in this manner as well.[/details]

Liberation Combinations:
[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m46s’]0 Destructor, 0 Creator](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m10s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 80,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: 5
•Recovery Frames: 21

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +5
•Frame Advantage on Block: -3

Discussion:
•Knockdown.

•Negates projectiles.

•5 low priority hit points.

•The only saving grace of this move is that it covers the area above Dormammu’s head and behind his body, something no other move of his can do. Aside from this virtue, 0D0C is lacking in worth. 0D0C’s range is much smaller than it seems and is active for only 5 frames. For the startup and recovery this move inflicts, it is simply not worth using in most situations. If you happen to successfully connect with this move, consider canceling it into Chaotic Flame to create some space for yourself.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m58s’]1 Destructor, 0 Creator](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m46s’)[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=01m58s’]

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 3
•Damage: 94,800

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: 10
•Recovery Frames: 16

•Frame Advantage on Block: +1

Discussion:
•Knockdown.

•Negates projectiles.

•5 low priority hit points.

•A significant improvement over 0D0C in nearly every aspect. The range on the small explosion is much larger, active longer, recovers faster, and leaves you at a frame advantage on block. If you need a quick method to blow your opponent back a bit, it might be worthwhile to utilize this move. However, due to the 15 frame startup, the move must still be used pre-emptively, and you are generally better off saving the charge to unleash its bigger brothers later. This move can also be utilized in a minor way during corner combos.[/details]

[Karsticles]

The Basics, Page 5

2 Destructor, 0 Creator[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 6
•Damage: 163,800

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: 10
•Recovery Frames: 16

•Frame Advantage on Block: +1

•Notes: Knockdown. Negates projectiles. 6 sets of 1 low priority hit points.

Discussion:
•Everything 1D0C is and better. The explosion is large enough that you can hit opponents at mid-screen, giving you a solid threat range with little startup time.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m04s’]3 Destructor, 0 Creator (OTG)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m00s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 10
•Damage: 195,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: 15
•Recovery Frames: 21

•Frame Advantage on Block: -5

Discussion:
•Causes knockdown.

•Negates projectiles.

•10 sets of 1 low priority hit points.

•Arguably Dormammu’s most versatile Dark Spell combination, this move covers the entire horizontal plane up to the full height of a normal jump.

•Unlike its younger brothers, 3D0C can OTG, and from that OTG you can connect a Dark Hole into Chaotic Flame, making worthwhile for consideration as a combo extender. In corners, 3D0C will allow you to combo into Stalking Flare, which will provide enough time for you to charge another 3 Dark Spells.

•3D0C is undoubtedly Dormammu’s best Liberation-based response to projectiles, as it will devour them all and send your opponent flying helplessly; follow up with the mode of pain of your choice, or store more Dark Spells to ready another 3D0C and keep the momentum in your favor. 3D0C is also a superb method to punish assist calls at nearly any range. For consideration of how swift 3D0C is, consider that it differs in only a few frames in startup time from Ryu’s Shinkuu Hadoken; it’s actually slightly faster. Before using 3D0C, never forget how much effort it took you to acquire it in the first place.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m32s’]0 Destructor, 1 Creator](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m04s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 3
•Damage: 108,300

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 12
•Active Frames: 10
•Recovery Frames: 24

•Frame Advantage on Block: -10

Discussion:
•Causes knockdown.

•Negates projectiles.

•5 low priority hit points.

•Atrocious in nearly every way. A -10 frame advantage on block means you should never use this outside of a combo, and there are always better options. The high damage may seem to be a saving grace, but as it occurs over 3 hits, it ought to really be considered 3 sets of ~25,000 damage, or less power than chaining three :l: attacks along with all the damage decay it will cause. It can negate projectiles, but it has as many active frames as s. while lacking the ability to be canceled into a special.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m36s’]0 Destructor, 2 Creator](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m32s’)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 9
•Damage: 183,400

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 12
•Active Frames: 10 (9) 10 (10) 10
•Recovery Frames: 35

•Frame Advantage on Block: -10

Discussion:
•Causes knockdown.

•Negates projectiles.

•5 low priority hit points.

•Nearly as worthless as 0D1C. The only benefit of this iteration is that much more space is created between you and your opponent, and Dormammu recovers with enough time to connect a Dark Hole into Chaotic Flame if all three spikes connect. Again, the -10 frame advantage is there, so it must be comboed into. Not only that, but you are forsaking both the higher damage of any combo you could continue with instead of utilizing this move and the efforts taken to secure two Dark Spell charges. Only use this as a method to create a fleeting wall between you and your opponent before you realize you gave up 1D2C and 0D3C for the moment of amusement and safety.[/details]

0 Destructor, 3 Creator (Low)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 0

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Recovery Frames: 36

•Frame Advantage on Hit: -21
•Frame Advantage on Block: -23

Discussion:
•On hit, opponent cannot jump for 300 frames (5 seconds).

•0D3C can potentially win you the game or waste all of your efforts. 5 seconds is not a long time for the efforts needed to create this effect, but no other ability in the game removes a character’s ability to jump. Against air-based characters, you can remove their wings and place them under your control entirely. Some players particularly utilizing this technique in tandem with Dormammu’s Liberation assist to ground an opponent for their point character. Against some opponents, such as Haggar, 0D3D combined with Flame Carpet removes every option they possess for harming Dormammu. 300 frames is more than enough time to store a further 3 Dark Spells against such opponents, allowing you to maintain the advantage indefinitely, so long as you can prevent them from blocking the setup each time. This is the only Liberation which deals no damage and derives all of its usefulness via its utility, so be sure of yourself when aiming for it as your goal.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=48s’]1 Destructor, 1 Creator (OTG)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg0pqQ7j47U&t=02m14s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: ~19
•Damage: ~174,200

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 15
•Active Frames: 54
•Recovery Frames: 36

Discussion:
•Unrecoverable knockdown against airborne opponents. Negates projectiles. Each meteor has 3 sets of 3 low priority hit points.

•Likely the most useful 2-charge Liberation combination. Use this primarily to create pressure against aerial opponents, as it does too little damage to justify using it as an OTG when compared to Purification, and there is too much delay in meteor fall for it to be used as a punishment or a space-creator. Before using this however, remember that you are merely a charge away from the vastly superior 1D2C.[/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=58s’]2 Destructor, 1 Creator (OTG)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=48s’)[

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: Highly Variable
•Damage (Fire Spike): 80,000
•Damage (Meteors): 15,000 Per

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 20
•Active Frames: 20
•Recovery Frames: 21

Discussion:
•Unrecoverable knockdown against airborne opponents. Negates projectiles. Each meteor 1 low priority hit point. Fire Spike has 100 hit points and causes knockdown.

•2D1C is primarily useful either as an anti-air for those immediately above you or during a combo. As a mere OTG, most of the meteors will whiff, and the damage is underwhelming. 2D1C is not very versatile, but it makes up for that versatility in power. If you are going for 2D1C, you ought to have a plan to use it accordingly.

•Unlike 3D0C and 1D2C, the majority of 2D1C’s effect occurs proximal to Dormammu. The spike and meteors OTG, but the damage they do is pretty weak compared to your other two options. 2D1C shines as a meter-builder when used in a combo. If you cancel your superjump after a launch into 2D1C, all 46 meteors will connect with your opponent! Not only does this build a full bar of meter, but your opponent falls straight down after this, just in time for Dormammu to relaunch him and do a full aerial combo!

•2D1C strongly benefits from X-Factor, since damage scaling is capped at 50% during it. Launch-canceling into 2D1C along normally leads to 339,000 damage. With level 1 X-Factor, this leads to 663,600 damage. With level 2 X-Factor, 796,800. With level 3 X-Factor, 965,300![/details]

[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=hbqIAaztlqg&t=02m28s’]1 Destructor, 2 Creator (OTG)](‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1UIpTEmeDE&t=58s’)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: ~22
•Damage: ~222,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 27
•Active Frames: 79
•Recovery Frames: 14

Discussion:
•Unrecoverable knockdown against airborne opponents. Negates projectiles. Each meteor has 3 sets of 3 low priority hit points.

•A contender with 3D0C for Dormammu’s most versatile Liberation. Like 3D0C, 1D2C OTGs, and it also covers a huge portion of the playing field, but a different portion. 1D2C only does an adequate job of covering the middle of the playing field; it will frequently whiff entirely against opponents too close or too far from Dormammu. Rather, 1D2C’s primary virtue is that it covers the middle of the horizontal plane while covering most of the vertical plane - at least up to superjump levels. This is doubtlessly Dormammu’s most powerful response to opponents utilizing air tactics against him.

•Like 2D1C, 1D2C can also be launch-canceled to great effect. While both the damage done and meter gained are smaller than 2D1C’s, you can relaunch, though this is sometimes difficult in execution due to the inherent randomness of the move. Notably, 1D2C recovers very quickly. So quickly in fact that you have time to store two Dark Spells before the move completes, or even Mass Change into a full combo if it connects, with plenty of time for hit confirmation on the latter. However, unlike Dormammu’s other Liberations, canceling 1D2C too early into a hyper combo can cause the meteor shower to end prematurely; practice for precision in this regard.

•If your team composition allows you to end a combo into Stalking Flare while in corners, and the Stalking Flare drags your opponent upward, 1D2C can usually be used as soon as you recover; most of the meteors will connect, and your opponent will be brought back to you so you can damage him further.

•1D2C strongly benefits from X-Factor, since damage scaling is capped at 50% during it. Launch-canceling into 1D2C along normally leads to 277,200 damage. With level 1 X-Factor, this leads to 570,900 damage. With level 2 X-Factor, 702,700. With level 3 X-Factor, 853,500![/details]

Hypers:
Snapback - :qcf: :a1: or :a2: (1 Bar)[URL=‘http://youtube.com/watch?v=mZWkuLQsXq8’]

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: ???

Frame Data:

Discussion:
•While not necessarily a hyper, as it costs meter, I felt this was the most appropriate place to list information about Dormammu’s snapback attack.

•Dormammu can land a Snapback after landing Chaotic Flame in the corner, as well as after a forward ground throw against a cornered opponent.

•Dormammu uses his s.H animation for his Snapback.

•When using Snapback against both a point and an assist character simultaneously, you can continue to juggle the assist character, and no point character will appear on the screen to defend the assist. However, at some point the game’s engine will allow the assist to recover, regardless of your actions against it. The mechanism that determines this is not yet known, but Dormammu is able to do all of the following against an assist post-Snapback:

1. Two Purifications
2. Purification, s.S, sj.M, sj.M, s.H
3. Purification, Chaotic Flame
4. Purification, Dark Hole, Chaotic Flame (recovers midway)

•When using Stalking Flare after using Snapback against both a point and an assist character simultaneously, the fireball will track the off-screen point character, possibly disappearing entirely from the screen. Stalking Flare will return from off-screen once a point character is back on the screen.[/details]

[Karsticles]

The Basics, Page 6

Chaotic Flame - :qcf: :atk::atk: (1 Bar)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 30
•Damage: 281,400

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 8+3
•Active Frames: 59
•Recovery Frames: 41

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +8
•Frame Advantage on Block: -21

Discussion:
•Knockdown.

•30 sets of 1 high priority hit points.

•Chaotic Flame is Dormammu’s combo ender of choice. It has one of the fastest startups on a beam-based hyper in the game at a mere 11 frames, fast enough to punish many normal attacks on reaction, even up close - simply pushblock your opponent’s attack, and Chaotic Flame afterward; the validity of this tactic obviously depends on how much recovery your opponent’s move has. With high priority, it will also completely devour any non-hyper projectiles on the screen during its active period.

•Assist Punishing: Chaotic Flame does massive damage to assists due to the extra 50% damage assists take. If your opponent’s point character is not hit by Chaotic Flame, then the assist will also take unscaled damage, resulting in even further punishment. While it is tempting to X-Factor cancel Chaotic Flame into itself to kill an assist, be sure that you understand the limitations of Chaotic Flame’s hitbox before doing so.

•Chaotic Flame also pushes your opponent across the entirety of the screen, making it an excellent way to create space. However, it is generally a poor idea to rely on this tactic, as Dormammu needs to conserve meter for more fruitful opportunities. If your opponent is low on life, it is worth considering Chaotic Flame to kill them through chip damage - you may either kill their character, cause them to expend meter to swap their current character out, or force a naked tag, which will result in the incoming character getting hit by Chaotic Flame.

•When X-Factor canceling this move, you can cancel at any point and a subsequent Chaotic Flame will still connect. If you wait for Chaotic Flame to finish before you use X-Factor, you can catch your opponent in a Dark Hole, and then fire another Chaotic Flame; if your opponent a large hitbox, you may also be able to connect a Dark Matter before the Dark Hole. Near corners, Chaotic Flame can be X-Factor canceled into Stalking Flare successfully.

•When using Chaotic Flame to punish an assist call, know that the game is coded so that assists being hit while their point character is in blockstun sometimes automatically recover from hitstun and leave the screen. Be sure you understand this mechanic before devoting an X-Factor cancel to another Chaotic Flame on the assumption that you will be killing an assist with it.

•In corners, connecting c.L, c.M, Chaotic Flame leaves your opponent with enough hitstun still to connect a s.M at the end of the hyper, and then connect a launcher, air combo, and a Purification OTG into a second Chaotic Flame.

• If you whiff a Purification or Dark Hole against an opponent and he is able to punish you, consider spending meter on Chaotic Flame if it will make you safe. Losing a bar of meter is much better than losing a character.

• After using Chaotic Flame in a corner, you can land a Snapback against your opponent before he recovers.[/details]

Stalking Flare - :qcb: :atk::atk: (1 Bar)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 20
•Damage: 256,300

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 31+4
•Recovery Frames: 62

•Frame Advantage on Hit: +19
•Frame Advantage on Block: -18

Discussion:
•Homing, lasts until “hits” are expended.

•Disappears if Dormammu takes damage.

•20 sets of 1 high durability hit points.

•Due to the long recovery of this move, your opponent must be full screen or near-to if you want to cross-up via Mass Change. If you want to achieve this effect at a closer range, you must expend X-Factor to do so. The opportunity to cross-up with Mass Change is Stalking Flare’s strongest attribute, as success will likely either put Dormammu in a position to perform a full combo afterward, or provide him with enough time to charge three Dark Spells, if the opponent was caught by the fireball from underneath. Alternatively, you can DHC out of Stalking Flare into a utility hyper with quick recovery, and use your new point character to utilize Stalking Flare as a very strong shield or a projectile for them to cross-up with.

•Stalking Flare disappears when Dormammu takes damage; it must be used cautiously. On the other side of this coin, Stalking Flare can provide you with a perfect baiting hyper; use Stalking Flare when you know it is unsafe to your opponent’s hyper, and when he takes the bait, DHC into a hyper which beats his, while also getting the damage that you would have lost in losing Stalking Flare. While Stalking Flare can be useful for dealing chip damage, Chaotic Flame will cause more, and you may wish to consider whether it is worth your meter to chip your opponent rather than wait for an opportunity to deal full damage. Lone Stalking Flares may buy you a moment to gain Dark Spells, but educated opponents who cannot realistically avoid taking damage from Stalking Flare will rush toward it to block the 20 hits it deals as soon as possible to remove the thread from the screen, and Dormammu will not have time to gain the benefits of three Dark Spells in this situation. It is generally foolish to run away from Stalking Flare to buy time without a sound plan to cause damage to Dormammu, as Stalking Flare will not disappear otherwise. It is not recommended to use Stalking Flare to attack assist characters unless it will certainly kill them, as the 20 hits Stalking Flare deals are the same whether they are all received by one character or divided by two. Thus, using Stalking Flare in a combo that affects both the point character and an assist will result in both only receiving roughly half of the damage they would have if either were alone.

•If you have 1D2C readied and are in a corner, using it as soon as you recover from a Stalking Flare that connects underneath your opponent (and is thus dragging him upward) will drag your opponent back down to the ground, from which you can cause further damage, depending on your positioning, readied assists, and hitstun decay. In corners, you can combo into Stalking Flare from 3D0C, and have time to charge up three Dark Spells again.

•You may fire unlimited Stalking Flares on the screen simultaneously, but it is difficult to maintain more than two on the screen due to the move’s massive recovery. Stalking Flare will remain on the screen and act normally if you DHC out of it. If your opponent’s point character dies while Stalking Flare still has hits to expend, it will wait for your opponent’s next point character to arrive and then behave normally. Due to these properties, it is sometimes useful to place several Stalking Flares on the screen after killing a point character. The incoming character will suffer the chip damage from all Stalking Flares until they expire.

•Chipping with Stalking Flare:
Since chipping an opponent out with Stalking Flare is so popular, I decided to calculate the damage of Stalking Flare chip damage at various X-Factor levels. This will allow you to better determine if Stalking Flare is a worthwhile expenditure of your meter. All damages assume Advancing Guard is not used. Stalking Flare deals 256,300 damage, and all chip damage is 30% of normal damage. However, Stalking Flare will actually deal more chip damage than this would suggest, because it does not suffer from damage decay when blocked.

The damage, per hit, of Stalking Flare’s chip damage:
Normal: 6,000
X-Factor 1: 7,800
X-Factor 2: 9,600
X-Factor 3: 11,400

Since Stalking Flare hits 20 times before expiring, the full chip damage:
Normal: 120,000
X-Factor 1: 156,000
X-Factor 2: 192,000
X-Factor 3: 228,000

Consider whether this expenditure of meter is worthwhile; it is generally a good idea to chip out a character with little life using Stalking Flare, as the flare remains for when the next character comes on the screen. It is also a good idea when the chip damage from Stalking Flare can kill your opponent’s last character before he or she touches ground, thus removing their use of X-Factor, assuming it is still available. Otherwise, remember that while a level 3 X-Factor Stalking Flare does 228,000 chip damage, a successful Chaotic Flame deals 534,660 damage, and a successful Dark Dimension will deal 760,000; both of these alternatives are very easy to land as a punishment against an opponent. Weigh your options carefully.

• If you whiff a Purification or Dark Hole against an opponent and he is able to punish you, consider spending meter on Stalking Flare if it will make you safe. Losing a bar of meter is much better than losing a character.[/details]

Dark Dimension (OTG) - :dp: :atk::atk: (3 Bars)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 1
•Damage: 400,000

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 8+0
•Active Frames: 20
•Recovery Frames: 72

•Frame Advantage on Block: -69

Discussion:
•Frames 1-36 invincible.

•Untechable knockdown.

•5 sets of 5 high priority hit points.

•Dark Dimension leaves your opponent in a state of untechable knockdown, allowing you to use an OTG move or assist to continue your combo afterward. Your most basic option is simply to tack on an OTG Purification followed by Chaotic Flame. Dark Dimension hits OTG, and is thus appropriate for ending aerial combos with. As with all level 3 hypers, Dark Dimension is unaffected by damage scaling.

•Dark Dimension is noteworthy for its extended invincibility frames - 36 frames is more than half a second, and actually lasts longer than the hyper combo’s actual startup and active frames. However, with 72 frames of recovery, throwing Dark Dimension out during a match with your opponent able to act freely leaves you completely open for a punishment of your opponent’s choice. Besides this, Dark Dimension travels along the ground at a somewhat slow pace - it can be avoided entirely merely by your opponent jumping, and it is not unblockable.

•Since all specials in MvC3 can be canceled into hypers, if you are using Dark Dimension in a combo, be sure to get a free Dark Spell off before canceling it into Dark Dimension.[/details]

Assists:
A: Dark Hole

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 9
•Damage: 122,200

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 50
•Active Frames: 34
•Recovery Frames (This Assist): 103
•Recovery Frames (Other Assist): 68

Discussion:
•Knockdown.

•10 sets of 3 low durability hit points.

•Dark Hole’s assist version has a massive 50 frame startup; this is nearly a full second, making Dark Hole difficult to utilize in a fast-paced fight. For some characters, the slow activation rate may actually be beneficial, and proper timing of the assist with certain attacks may make them safer, with Dark Hole beginning right as the blockstun on your attack ends. To help Dark Hole connect, it is often beneficial to switch what side you are on of your opponent after you call it to mix up your opponent’s blocking. This is easiest with teleporters.

•Dark Hole will devour any low durability projectile in the game, and it also covers a large space in the middle of the screen, making it a solid assist for screen control. Dark Hole can also be used to increase the lockdown period on an opponent in blockstun. Remember, pushblock is effectively disabled while a character is blocking an attack from an assist. Use this to mount an extended assault on an opponent via high-low mix-ups. For characters such as C. Viper and Taskmaster, the blockstun of Dark Hole may provide you with enough time to execute their unblockable attacks. For almost every character in the game, Dark Hole being blocked provides a setup for very strong combo opportunities - see the individual character sections for examples.

•Unfortunately, due to Dark Hole hitting 9 times, any combos started with Dark Hole will suffer a dramatic damage decrease due to scaling. It is easiest to start combos with Dark Hole when using a highly mobile character, or one with great reach. Dark Hole can be used as a combo extender under the right circumstances, but the actual extension is also limited for this same reason. As an upside, the large number of hits can lead to reset setups via air throw, as opponents usually recover very quickly after being hit by Dark Hole at the end of a combo. Alternatively, if your character can self-OTG, you can use Dark Hole as an easy way to hold your opponent while you snap in another character while still attaining respectable damage from your character’s combo. Dark Hole can also be useful for locking down incoming characters for long periods of time.[/details]

B: Purification :l: (OTG)

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Attack Data:
•Hits: 4
•Damage: 120,300

Frame Data:
•Startup Frames: 56
•Active Frames: 23
•Recovery Frames (This Assist): 103
•Recovery Frames (Other Assist): 73

Discussion:
•Spinning knockdown.

•5 sets of 3 low durability hit points.

•Purification is an awkward assist, primarily due to its 56 frame startup - this is nearly a full second of in-game time. This makes Purification awkward to use for its OTG effect outside of corners, and even in corners, you must finish your aerial combo as close to the ground as possible for Purification to OTG in time. Purification also fires your opponent straight into the air, far out of reach for many characters to follow-up with a combo. While it performs reasonably well against projectiles, it cannot be used on reaction to defend against them.

•On the positive side, Purification is rather wide, and it covers the entirety of the screen’s vertical axis. Outside of specialized character combos, Purification’s primary utility is in creating a pre-emptive wall to prevent characters who are airborn from closing in on you. This makes Purification a worthwhile consideration for keepaway-focused characters who have difficulty covering themselves from the heights. Similarly, Purification can be useful as an assist for characters with little anti-ability against opponents who like to stall in the air. Simply call Purification while standing on the grounds below, and they will be brought before you. Again, the one second startup time is considerable here, so this application is somewhat limited in practice.[/details]

C: Liberation - see the above list of Liberation Combinations.

Details

[details=Spoiler]
Discussion:
•Using Liberation as an assist will function as the normal move at all times. All Dark Spell charges will be consumes upon calling the assist, resetting the Dark Spell charges to zero for both Creation and Destruction. Dormammu must store Dark Spells while on point to perform anything other than 0D0C Liberations.

•Both Dormammu’s best and his worst assist, depending on the situation. 0D0C is objectively awful as an assist, but many characters are able to DHC into Stalking Flare and provide Dormammu both with enough time to charge 3 Dark Spells, and raw tag another character in, all without losing damage potential or putting a character in harm’s way. No other assist in the game comes near the power of any fully charged Liberation Dormammu has at his disposal, but your teams needs to be oriented around making use of it. See the Team Building section for a list of DHCs that allow Dormammu to build 3 Dark Spells.[/details]

[Karsticles]

General Strategy

A Word:
Dormammu is a strong zoning character with a lot of mix-up opportunities. In any given situation, Dormammu has a large list of strategies to choose from, and often none of them come out clearly ahead of the others without considering who your opponent, and what your team, are. If there is one thing that can be said for certain about Dormammu, it is that time is his friend. The difference between a Dormammu with three properly chosen Dark Spells stored and one without is worlds apart. The more experienced your opponent is, the more difficulty you will have in finding time to store Dark Spells; depending on your team and matchup, you may not have time at all.

What Dark Spells you want to store, and how you want to face your opponent with Dormammu, is a combination of personal taste and matchup knowledge.

Playstyles:
I believe Dormammu can be broken down into four distinct playstyles, each of which are suitable dependant on the team/character you are facing. These are conceptual barriers; they should not be considered to impose a limitation, but rather a way to guide your thoughts when figuring out handle specific matchups. These styles are given names for ease of reference in the Matchup section of this guide. The ideal Dormammu play always merges these concepts into one whole.

Tower Style

Spoiler

I call this Tower Style because it reminds me of turtling in RTS games behind a wall of Bunkers, slowly whittling down your opponent’s resources as you remain safe behind a wall of buildings. This style is best used against slower characters with either predictable movements or no means to inflict serious harm to you in the event that you misinterpret your opponent’s positional goals.

In the event that you guess wrong against your opponent’s position half a second from your input, you are likely in a position to be punished. If this is the case, cover yourself by canceling into Chaotic Flame if your opponent is grounded, or Stalking Flare if your opponent is airborne. Likely, you will only get chip damage out of these, but losing a bar of meter is preferable to losing a character.

Aside from these issues, your biggest concern is Dormammu’s utter inability to play keepaway in the traditional sense. Dark Hole and Purification, hit or block, do not provide you with any space on their own. Flame Carpet helps deter your opponent’s advance, but doesn’t actually create space on its own. Dark Matter creates a little space, but it’s not particularly reliable. To rectify this, you either need an assist that forces space between you and your opponent on block or hit, or get used to having to Mass Change away from your opponent once the distance is covered. You can also perform c.L, Flame Carpet block strings, but this is not safe against characters with hypers that are invincible on startup.

Sorcerer Style

[details=Spoiler]
As the name suggests, this method of play is all about Dormammu’s Dark Spells. Against some opponents, you are never quite safe enough to Tower Style due to your opponent’s punishment options, but your opponent also has no easy way to get past Flame Carpet and apply pressure to you. At more than a second each for both Dark Hole and Purification from startup to completion, sometimes you need a safer option while still zoning your opponent. Dormammu’s Dark Spells take half as much time to complete, and lead to big damage/chip that is still very safe.

Sorcerer Style utilizes Flame Carpet, Dark Spells, and Mass Change frequently. Essentially, place a Flame Carpet, and spend the majority of your time charging Dark Spells, Liberating them when able, and refreshing Flame Carpet at every opportunity. Unlike Tower Style, you can deal damage from afar while remaining mobile with this strategy. Because you are not using Dark Hole and Purification to slow your opponent’s advancement, you will need to use Mass Change M frequently to create space between you and your opponent.

Which Dark Spells you charge is entirely a matchup-based decision. While 3D0C is without a doubt Dormammu’s most versatile Liberation, the payoff when it is blocked is very small - it doesn’t even provide frame advantage on block. On the other hand, 1D2C deals significant chip damage, still leads to a full combo on hit, and also provides you with enough frame advantage on block to charge two full Dark Spells without compromising yourself, placing you only one more Dark Spell away from another volley of meteors.[/details]

Phantasm Style

Spoiler

Since the day this game was released, and I saw the title “Phantasmagoric”, I knew it was for me. Phantasmagoric refers to a the nature of something being chaotic and ever-changing, and a phantasm is an illusion. This playstyle is most effective against characters that are airborne often, or that do not have the ground mobility to punish your teleports easily.

This playstyle emphasizes the usefulness of Mass Change. Mass Change is this game’s safest teleport. It recovers faster than any other teleport in the game, and unlike other character-relative teleports, it places Dormammu at a healthy distance from his opponent when the L and M versions are used.

What do you after a Mass Change M or L is up to you. You have multiple rush opportunities, you can dash to the ground and place a Flame Carpet for defense, you can air dash upward and Mass Change again, go for an air throw, enter Flight, etc. The moves place you in a very versatile position. Now and then you may even risk a Mass Change H to pressure your opponent immediately. The point of the playstyle is to confuse and disorient your opponent.

Rush Style

Spoiler

Alright, it’s not the fanciest name, but it works. Rush style is just what it suggests: rushing constantly with Dormammu via superjumps into j.L, j.H, and j.S, combined with Mass Change and Flight to mix up your opponent’s ability to counter your approach. See the section entitled Approach Methods below for your various rushing opportunities. This section is primarily about why someone would play like this when Dormammu is such a capable zoner.

First, the rewards are great. If you play the zoning game, you have a long and difficult fight ahead of you. One slip up and Dormammu will probably get KOed. With rushing, you just need to do one thing right, and, assuming you have the resources, you just earned yourself a dead character.

Second: he’s good at it. Dormammu is no Magneto, but two of his air normal cross up, and his air dash lets him choose his angle of approach carefully. In the event you realize you are about to make a mistake, Mass Change can shift you to a more comfortable position. Dormammu’s only real weakness when rushing is the lack of a universal hit confirm. Against smaller characters, like Amaterasu, you may find yourself frustrated with essentially having to hit confirm straight off of your aerial attack. If that’s not a problem for you, all the better.

Thirdly, Dormammu simply is not the best zoner in the game. Against some teleporters and keepaway characters, this simply is your best option, and your assists should provide Dormammu with the ability to capitalize off of his rushdown game.

Approach Methods:
Dormammu has a unique issue: he has no universal method to achieve hit confirmation on the ground. Against an aerial opponent, c.M provides an abundance of time to ascertain whether you hit, but on the ground, c.M whiffs against a massive portion of the cast; a full list is in the Matchup section. s.S is punishable on block, s.H has awful range and startup in a ground war, and s.M’s funky hitbox can make it whiff as well. c.H does not link from c.L, and so you are essentially in a position where you must hit confirm off of s.L or c.L, which is decidedly unreasonable.

For this reason, and because Dormammu cannot cancel his dashes, making continued ground pressure nigh impossible, it is best for Dormammu to only use ground normals when either punishing an opponent’s attack, and therefore you can go straight from c.L to s.S., or when outranging an opponent’s approach; I recommend checking the ever-evolving list of ways to outrange your opponent’s approach methods with Dormammu’s in the Matchup section.

Dormammu’s strongest method of approach is through the air. While airborne, Dormammu has access to his air dash, teleport, and flight - he is very mobile, but what he does after becoming airborne is rather basic: he can really only approach with a normal, and he does not have access to a dive kick or similar command normal to aid his approach. Rather, what makes Dormammu’s aerial approach stronger is mixing up your timing with the descent. A combination of delaying your post-superjump air dash, entering flight and dashing, and using Mass Change makes your actual form of descent difficult to respond to reliably.

As for how to end your time in the air, j.M is only really useful as an air-to-air normal. It has excellent range, but does not cover the area below Dormammu well at all. j.L is only really useful if you are making a normal jump approach into tridash, and then chain it into c.L, or if you need to win an air-to-air conflict that you can’t outrange. In general, you are choosing between j.H and j.S when approaching your opponent from the air. Neither is clearly superior to the other, but rather, they are each situational. j.S comes out slower, but covers more of the area beneath Dormammu and causes more hitstun and damage. j.H comes out faster, and has a strong hitbox behind Dormammu for cross-ups.

Regardless of your chosen method of approach, ending it in a Flame Carpet will always provide a bit of chip damage, is generally safe, and provides you +4 frame advantage on block, which is just enough time to perform a superjump or dash away from your opponent and create some space to ensure the match continues on your own terms.

Ranged Options:
Dormammu has more ranged options than any other character in the game, because not only do you have to choose between charging Dark Spells, placing a Flame Carpet, using a Liberation, approaching with Mass Change, spending meter on Stalking Flare or Chaotic Flame, and firing Dark Holes or Purifications, but with the massive startup time on the latter of these options, you have to think about where you place them as well!

Both Dark Hole and Purification have roughly a half-second of startup time. Against many characters, an aggressive approach, combined with a misplaced hole or pillar, is enough time to start a full combo against Dormammu. Knowing your matchup and the consequences for a whiffed Dark Hole or Purification is essential. These are very powerful, but very slow and punishable moves. The rewards for your success here are meager, and the risks are often massive. Dark Matter is a dangerous choice for similar reasons; it is slow to recover, and it has the worst projectile priority possible in this game.

Flame Carpet is almost never a bad choice, but it may not be your best choice; depending on your opponent, it may not even last until you need it, as it expires after 3 seconds. Liberations are such a complex issue that I will leave commentary to this: you took the time to store three full Dark Spells; it’s not an easy task. Take care before expending them, make the effort worthwhile.

In almost every situation, finding time to store Dark Spells should be a primary goal of yours, as every Dark Spell combination takes Dormammu’s damage and control options to a new level of power. For specifics on which Liberations are most appropriate for any given situation, consult the individual discussion sections for each Liberation. However, when choosing to store Dark Spells, you are foregoing other opportunities: Flame Carpet, Dark Hole, Purification, Dark Matter, Mass Change cross-ups, etc.; these are all worth considering in every situation, and thus the big question when playing Dormammu becomes: “when do I do what?”

Additional Reading.

Cross-ups, Mix-ups, and Setups:
Dormammu has no ground-based mix-ups; he has no ground overhead. However, Dormammu can cancel any of his normals into Mass Change, which puts Dormammu in a position to use a high attack. The real threat of this cancel is not the high/low mix-up, though, but the potential to cross-up your opponent by calling an assist beforehand. Dormammu’s easiest, and still strong, method of crossing-up an opponent is through calling an assist, and then using Mass Change M. Check the Team Building section for what assists provide a strong opportunity for utilizing this rare opportunity. From Mass Change H, an air dash in either direction can make your attack difficult to block, but this is time consuming and dangerous without the cover of an assist.

If you have space between you and your opponent, Flame Carpet can potentially set up an unblockable against a grounded opponent, but the spacing is very precise. After placing Flame Carpet, Mass Change M, and your subsequent air attack, which hits high, will knock your opponent into Flame Carpet, which hits low. This is generally not something to rely on, but instead a potential setup to keep in mind during play.

As was said before, Dormammu cannot reliably apply ground pressure. Luckily, Dormammu’s strongest mix-up and cross-ups both originate from his air approach. Dormammu’s only real mix-up is his trijump j.L into c.L. The j.L can be performed at his lowest jump height required for an air dash; superjump to reach this height faster. Properly performed, this mix-up is very difficult to block reliably. Its downside is that, with Dormammu being such a slow character, the trijump into j.L takes a while to perform relative to your opponent’s options, and the j.L has very weak range for an approach option. Thus, it is best to save this mix-up for when your opponent is pinned by an assist, or on your opponent’s wake-up.

Dormmamu’s strongest cross-up is without a doubt his superjump followed by a down-forward air dash, and then j.H or j.S. When properly performed, Dormammu’s angle and speed of approach make this setup very difficult to respond to beyond blocking. Dormammu switches sides almost immediately before attacking, and thus your opponent does not have time to place his own attack in the proper direction to counter your approach. The approach is also safe on block, and works on the game’s entire roster. As an extra bonus, using j.H provides you with an option select if your opponent attempt to meet you in the air, and Dormammu’s air throw leads to a full combo. j.S can be used instead of j.H, but you will need to delay more before your air dash, and the angle of its effectiveness is different.

[Karsticles]

General Strategy, Page 2

Dark Spells and Liberations:
Dark Spells are quick to store, and the rewards are massive. Regardless of how you play Dormammu, Dark Spells and Liberation should be a core part of your gameplay. Check the Dark Spells section for advice on how to create situations where you can charge Dark Spells safely; ideally, you are not sacrificing opportunities to charge them, but the utility gained from a fully stocked Liberation is generally worth the sacrifice anyway.

Against many opponents, a combination of back dashes, your assist(s), Mass Change, and Flame Carpet can provide you with the time to charge your Dark Spells; Dormammu is arguably one of the best runners in the game. If you currently enjoy the opportunity to throw out several Purifications or Dark Holes against your opponent, strongly consider charging Dark Spells instead; the trade-off is generally worth it.

The proper Liberation always depends on your knowledge of the matchup as well as your own personal goals and playstyle. If you are unsure of which Liberation is the best to use, I recommend reading the Discussion sections for each combination in its respective section. If you are still unsure, consider using 3D0C. 3D0C is versatile enough that it is never a bad choice, even though it might not be your best one.

X-Factor:
Dormammu has a ton of usages for X-Factor. His level 1 X-Factor is not impressive, but it can be used to greatly enhance the damage and meter gain on a post-launch 2D1C or 1D2C, both of which lead to a full combo in X-Factor, or to extend a Chaotic Flame into a second Chaotic Flame plus whatever your situation allows you to combo in before it. If you want to burn his level 1 X-Factor, it’s probably to kill a particularly troublesome character with a rare opportunity you found, or to cover an error of yours.

If you are down a character, particularly a character Dormammu uses for Mass Change cross-ups, using X-Factor after a Stalking Flare can replace that character’s function once from anywhere on the screen, and leads into a full combo that is guaranteed to kill your opponent if you have the meter available and the cross-up is successful. Both level 2 and 3 X-Factor open up new combo options for Dormammu: c.L chains into c.H now, and you can also perform fly-cancel combos.

At X-Factor level 3, Dormammu receives a massive 90% damage boost; Stalking Flare combined with 5 bars of meter can deal over a million damage in chip alone without considering the benefits of Advancing Guard. It is not at all unreasonable to spend a few meters in this fashion if it will result in a dead character. Take care to not expend all of your meter unless it results in a won match, however; the threat of a level 3 X-Factored Chaotic Flame will change how your opponent plays in your favor. The second shortcoming of holding off on X-Factor for solo Dormammu is that many of the boosts he gains are chip damage related, and thus an opponent activating X-Factor negates much of your strategy.

Team Aerial Combos:
When TAC exchanging into Dormammu, he has the ability to ground himself and freshly launch an opponent. Immediately after engaging in a TAC attack, immediately after Dormammu performs his automatic attack while coming onto the screen, airdash to the ground. This will work when TACing up, left/right, or down, but the timing is more difficult when Dormammu comes in higher off the ground.

Alternatively, Dormammu is able to combo two Dark Holes after a TAC in any direction while still having the opportunity to OTG. You can see a video of this concept in action here.

Resets:
Dormammu is, in all situations, able to combo off of his air throw, and he has a good number of ways for setting up those air throws for a reset. The first is the most obvious: after using Chaotic Flame in the corner, you can air throw your opponent upon his recovery. Depending on your opponent’s hitbox and height at the end of Chaotic Flame, you may need to link a s.L afterward before the air throw - you can always link an s.L after Chaotic Flame in corners. If you want to be cheap with meter, you can even just Purification your opponent and then air throw him after he recovers.

When air comboing an opponent, you can try for a reset either by using a weak attack like s.L, waiting for your opponent to recover, and then air throwing him, or by doing a standard sj.M, sj. M, sj.H series, canceling into Flight, and then air throwing your opponent. Obviously, you want to use this sparingly, and typically only during a relaunch, otherwise the damage versus risk is generally not worthwhile.

Any time you are about to relaunch your opponent, you have an opportunity for a reset. s.H props your opponent to the perfect height for an air throw, and also recovers quickly. In corners, when relaunching, you can do c.M, Dark Matter, c.M, and instead of canceling c.M into s.S, wait for a moment and air throw your opponent. c.M can be replaced with s.H, and you can omit the Dark Matter to throw your opponent off a bit.

Dormammu has many more reset options, but they are all team-dependent. The above situations are nigh-universal, since Dormammu can relaunch with the vast majority of the game’s assists.

To keep your opponent from mashing to tech your air throw, you need a secondary threat: an air combo. Dormammu can juggle an airborne opponent using a combination of j.L, j.H, j.S, j.M, j.M, j.S, and j.M, j.H, j.S. Which of these to use, and how many repetitions you can do before your opponent recovers, is largely dependent on your opponent’s character and his character height.

j.L has almost no effect on your opponent’s height.
j.M knocks your opponent slightly upward.
j.H knocks your opponent noticeably upward.
j.S knocks your opponent noticeably downward.

Learn the proper combinations to maintain your opponent’s air position for juggling, and then link into c.M when you are ready to transition the combo to the ground.

Running Away:
Dormammu is one of only two characters in the game with an 8-way air dash, flight mode, and teleport; the other is Phoenix. This means Dormammu is tied for having the most mobility options in the game’s cast. Unlike Phoenix’s teleport, Dormammu’s comes with an option to place him at a convenient distance away from the opponent’s character - right out of strike range for most opponents, but right within yours, and difficult to air throw on reaction, unlike Dante’s predictable Air Trick.

With all of these options, plus Flame Carpet, Dormammu is without a doubt one of the best characters in the game at running away from an opponent, though he is not necessarily able to possess an offense while doing so. Why does this matter?

It helps in running down the clock when you have a life lead, and it helps get Dormammu out of troublesome situations, but the most notable use for Dormammu’s unpredictable and largely safe mobility options is waiting for your opponent’s X-Factor to disappear to run out after it has been used out of desperation. Unlike many characters who simply have to risk blocking or fighting, Dormammu is able to evade his opponent’s approaches. Plus, since Dormammu’s normal offense works in a similar manner, you are always maintaining the threat of an offensive approach against your opponent - you are always just a Mass Change away.

[Karsticles]

Team Building

A Word:
When building a solid team, there are six questions to be asked in no particular order of importance:

1. What assist-based synergy exists between the characters.
2. What DHC-based synergy exists between the characters.
3. How able your team is at handling a variety of opposing strategies.
4. Whether the structure and order of your team is solid (point/battery/assist/anchor/etc.).
5. Whether your THC synergizes well; this is generally an afterthought.
6. Whether special TAC opportunities exist.

The character sections below cover, to the best of my ability, 1, 2, and 6. The others are too team-specific, rather than partner-specific, and are thus beyond the scope of this guide. These sections are ever-evolving; please do not hesitate to contribute, as it is a massive task to take on alone.

All DHCs are performed after a basic magic series combo for testing. If there are special considerations given to a DHC outside of a combo situation, then it will receive the necessary notation as listed below. For DHCs out of Stalking Flare, all tests are done by launching an opponent and then canceling the launch animation into Stalking Flare, unless the associated notation declares otherwise.

Hyper Combo Synergy Legend:
(+) - The DHC can occur in full with either no or little damage lost from most positions.
(~) - The DHC requires strict timing, is inconsistent, or may not function under heavy hitstun decay.
(-) - The DHC is not possible without sacrificing considerable damage on one of the hypers.
© - The DHC only takes place when the starting hyper combo takes place in or near a corner.
(d) - The DHC allows Dormammu time to charge several Dark Spells.
(b) - The DHC can allow a hyper which would normally not connect alone due to travel time to do so.
(f) - The DHC does not connect on its own, but a second DHC can make the hypers connect.
(u) - No direct damage-based connection takes place, but your new point is left in a profitable situation.

Character Synergy:

Akuma (Partner)

Spoiler

Akuma Assists:
•Gohadoken: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Tatsumaki Zankukyaku: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand at short distances, and will carry your opponent back to you for a full combo. After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo. Tatsumaki Zankukyaku’s blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

This assist’s blockstun can provide you with enough time to safely perform Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

•Hyaki Goju: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. One of two assists in the game which must be blocked high, allowing Dormammu to set up unblockables. However, the timing on the assist makes it very difficult for the setups to be used in practice.

Akuma to Dormammu DHCs:
•Messatsu Gouhadou -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Akuma DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Messatsu Gouhadou(+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Akuma has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

Amaterasu (Partner)

Spoiler

Amaterasu Assists:
•Solar Flare: An absolutely worthless assist as far as is known by anyone. A considerable startup time and very few active frames make it unlikely that you will be able to use this assist to achieve its intended goal. You are much better off using Bloom if you want a passive assist with Dormammu, and simply punishing projectiles with Chaotic Flame more often.

•Cold Star: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere on the screen. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Cold Star’s blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

Calling Cold Stars before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

•Bloom: The meter gain really is superb, but it means having to essentially play Dormammu without direct assist support a good portion of your matches. Dormammu is also not particularly strong at protecting Amaterasu. If you appreciate having excess meter, it is probably best to pair it with a point character that can delay the fight well while calling Bloom before you bring Dormammu in.

Amaterasu to Dormammu DHCs:
•Okami Shuffle -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Amaterasu DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Okami Shuffle (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Vale of Mist (u)

General Tips and Tricks:

Arthur (Partner)

Spoiler

Arthur Assists:
•Heavenly Slash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo.

•Dagger Toss: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

Dagger Toss’ blockstun can provide you with enough time to safely perform Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

•Fire Bottle: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Fire Bottle’s blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

Calling Fire Bottle before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for you to connect Chaotic Flame afterward.

Arthur to Dormammu DHCs:

Dormammu to Arthur DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:

C. Viper (Partner)

Spoiler

C. Viper Assists:
•Thunder Knuckle: Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can lead to a full combo. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Seismic Gunner: While Dormammu cannot relaunch with this assist, characters OTGed with this assist are propped at the perfect height and distance for Dormammu to perform an air throw and reset your opponent.

•Burning Kick: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. One of two assists in the game which must be blocked high, allowing Dormammu to set up unblockables. However, the timing on the assist makes it very difficult for the setups to be used in practice.

C. Viper to Dormammu DHCs:
•Burst Time -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Burst Time -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)
•Emergency Combination -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Emergency Combination -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to C. Viper DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Burst Time ©(+)
•Chaotic Flame -> Emergency Combination ©(+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Use Dormammu’s Dark Hole assist to create enough blockstun to land C. Viper’s unblockable Focus Attack.

•With Dormammu on point, after launching, considering TACing to C. Viper instead of ending with the usual Purification into Chaotic Flame. After the TAC, use C. Viper’s Burst Time, and then DHC into Dormammu’s Stalking Flare. This will provide you with enough time to gain 3 Dark Spells, all while retaining Dormammu on point!

•After DHCing from Burst Time to Stalking Flare, consider building up the charges for 1D2C. The next time you Burst Time into Stalking Flare, 1D2C can connect off of Stalking Flare, which then leads into a Dark Hole, Chaotic Flame. 1D2C and Dark Hole build nearly a full bar of meter together, so this additional damage pays for itself.

[Karsticles]

Team Building, Page 2

Captain America (Partner)

Spoiler

Captain America Assists:
•Shield Slash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change.

Calling Shield Slash before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

•Stars and Stripes: Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Charging Star: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Captain America to Dormammu DHCs:
•Hyper Charging Star -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Hyper Charging Star -> Dark Dimension (+)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes -> Dark Dimension (-)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Captain America DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame ->Hyper Charging Star (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Hyper Stars and Stripes (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Final Justice (+)©

General Tips and Tricks:

Chris Redfield (Partner)

Spoiler

Chris Redfield Assists:
•Combo Punch: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Gun Fire: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change.

•Grenade Toss: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Calling Grenade Toss before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo in corners.

Chris Redfield to Dormammu DHCs:

Dormammu to Chris Redfield DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:

Chun-li (Partner)

Spoiler

Chun-li Assists:
•Kikoken: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control, but does not reach full-screen. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

Calling Kikoken before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Tenshokyaku: Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Hyakurestu Kyaku: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere, with enough time to charge a Dark Spell in corners. After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo. Hyakuretsu Kyaku’s blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

Calling Hyakurestu Kyaku before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect Chaotic Flame afterward. In corners, you can land a full combo.

Chun-li to Dormammu DHCs:

Dormammu to Chun-li DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:

Dante (Partner)

Spoiler

Dante Assists:
•Jam Session: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere, with enough time to charge a Dark Spell in corners. If your opponent benefits from high hitstun degradation, instead of relaunching from Jam Session, you can connect a Dark Matter, Dark Hole, Purification combination instead.

After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo. Jam Session holds your opponent long enough for you to combo off of it from anywhere on the screen via Mass Change M. This makes it very useful for mindgames, as you can call Jam Session while superjumping toward or away from your opponent; Jam Session will cross-up if you are close enough on a forward jump, and then you can Mass Change L to place yourself for a full combo after it finishes. Jam Session also makes the very unsafe Dark Matter much, much safer. Jam Session’s blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up. Jam Session provides a much-needed method for Dormammu to push back those who approach him; Purification and Dark Hole merely slow down opponents, they cannot stop them.

In corners, you can call Jam Session while OTGing with Purification, and this can allow you to combo into Stalking Flare. Timed properly, this will allow Dormammu enough time to gain 3 Dark Spell charges.

If you call Jam Session at the same time you lay a Flame Carpet, and Flame Carpet connects, it will combo into Jam Session, which then leads into a full combo.

Call Jam Session when performing a ground throw with Dormammu in the corner, and your opponent can get hit by the end of Jam Session, allowing Dormammu to perform a full combo. Mid-screen, you can connect a Chaotic Flame.

Jam Session also provides for some interesting reset possibilities. Performing a Flame Carpet OTG with Jam Session, instead of relaunching, mix up your opponent with Mass Change. [Example.](’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIkWhOCOfyE’)

•Crystal: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Calling Crystal before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Weasel Shot: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

Dante to Dormammu DHCs:
•Million Dollars -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Million Dollars -> Stalking Flare ©(d)

Dormammu to Dante DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Million Dollars (-)(~)
•Stalking Flare -> Devil Trigger (u)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Dormammu on point, using an assist that makes him use Chaotic Flame as his THC hyper, Dante’s Million Dollars will last much longer than your own hyper. You have an abundance of time to build Dark Spells, or, if your opponents hitstun is low, you can Mass Change M, and Dante’s last shot will place your opponent in a perfect position for you to launch into a full combo.

•When OTGing with Dante via Cold Shower -> Prop Shredder, you can call Dark Hole for some additional damage without interfering with the flow of your combo.

Deadpool (Partner)

Spoiler

Deadpool Assists:
•Quick Work: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo.

•Katana-rama!: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. After a Mass Change M, Dormammu can call this assist while using j.M during his descent, and this leads to a full combo.

•Trigger Happy: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Deadpool to Dormammu DHCs:
•Cuttin’ Time -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Cuttin’ Time -> Stalking Flare (+)
•Happy Happy Trigger -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Happy Happy Trigger (Air) -> Dark Dimension (+)

Dormammu to Deadpool DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Happy Happy Trigger (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Cuttin’ Time (+)©
•Stalking Flare -> Happy Happy Trigger (+)(b)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Deadpool has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

Dr. Doom (Partner)

Spoiler

Dr. Doom Assists:
•Plasma Beam: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a beam in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Hidden Missiles: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners, but the timing is very tricky; the missiles hit OTG, and you want to call them right as you are launching your opponent. Use Mass Change M to cause the missiles to cross-up right before they are about to connect; success leads into a full combo. Helpful for allowing Dormammu to apply extended pressure between Dark Holes and Purifications, and can also be effective for buying you time to charge more Dark Spells. Since the missiles appear directly behind Dormammu, this is also an effective way to shut down teleport-happy opponents. The missiles also effectively form a brief wall behind Dormammu; dashing behind them gives you a wall of missiles to protect you against opponents jumping in on you. The length of the active frames on this assist makes it difficult to protect though. Hidden Missiles’ blockstun can also provide you with enough time to use Dormammu’s j.L, c.L tridash mix-up.

•Molecular Shield: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere, and provides enough time for one Dark Spell charge in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand; depending on your distance from your opponent, j.S after the Mass Change may cause your opponent to fall into a soft knockdown from Molecular Shield; j.H provides more consistent results. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

On an opponent in a hard knockdown state, call Molecular Shield while OTGing with Flame Carpet, and use the rocks as a way to apply pressure on your opponent during his recovery. Depending on your opponent’s tendencies and position, you may want to either call Molecular Shield simultaneously with Flame Carpet, immediately beforehand, and you will have to choose between using Mass Change H and M.

Absorbs all projectiles during the windup period of its active frames, making it very useful in firefights.

After a successful Chaotic Flame that places your opponent at full-screen, call Molecular Shield while using Purification H or Dark Matter. This will provide exactly as much blockstun as you need for Molecular Shield to travel to its optimal distance for a Mass Change M cross-up. If you call Molecular Shield slightly before using Dark Matter, a successful hit from Dark Matter will combo into Molecular Shield, from which you can combo further via Mass Change M. The safety of this tactic depends on your opponent’s aerial mobility options.

During any period when you would confidently place a Flame Carpet that will connect with your opponent, call Molecular Shield simultaneously and it will also connect for additional chip damage. Molecular Shield will provide enough blockstun for you to also connect a Dark Matter on your opponent, which creates additional space, or leads to a Dark Matter, Dark Hole, or Purification if your opponent was hit, depending on the opponent’s position and hitbox size.

Molecular Shield is summoned slightly behind Dormammu, and the windup phase has a very large hitbox. The hitbox is so large that it will cover the area behind Dormammu, and it is high enough that it will even hit Dante after he teleports via Air Trick. Molecular Shield is good for protecting Dormammu from teleporters.

Calling Molecular Shield before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

Dr. Doom to Dormammu DHCs:
•Photon Array -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Photon Array (Air) -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Photon Array (Air) -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Dr. Doom DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Sphere Flame (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Photon Array (-), ©
•Stalking Flare -> Sphere Flame (-)©

General Tips and Tricks:

Felicia (Partner)

Spoiler

Felicia Assists:
•Rolling Buckler: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Calling Rolling Buckler before a Mass Change creates an unblockable due to it hitting low. If you use Mass Change M, the setup becomes even more difficult to block, and Felicia is also safer due to your opponent having to attack in the direction opposite of her.

•Sand Splash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Cat Spike: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Felicia to Dormammu DHCs:

Dormammu to Felicia DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Felicia’s command grab.

Haggar (Partner)

Spoiler

Haggar Assists:
•Double Lariat: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

Calling Double Lariat before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Violent Axe: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Steel Pipe: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

Haggar to Dormammu DHCs:
•Giant Haggar Press -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Giant Haggar Press -> Dark Dimension (+)
•Rapid Fire Fist -> Chaotic Flame (+)(~)
•Rapid Fire Fist -> Stalking Flare (~)(d)

Dormammu to Haggar DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Giant Haggar Press ©(+)
•Chaotic Flame -> Rapid Fire Fist ©(-)
•Stalking Flare -> Giant Haggar Press ©(-)

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Haggar’s command grabs.

[Karsticles]

Team Building, Page 3

Hsien-ko (Partner)

Spoiler

Hsien-ko Assists:
•Senpu Bu: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Calling Senpu Bu before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo in corners.

•Henkyo Ki: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control.

Calling Henkyo Ki before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo in corners.

•Anki Hon: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners, but inconsistently due to the randomness of items. Helps with horizontal space control.

Hsien-ko to Dormammu DHCs:
•Chiretou -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Hsien-ko DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Rimoukon (u)

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Hsien-ko’s command grab.

Hulk (Partner)

Spoiler

Hulk Assists:
•Gamma Wave: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). The spacing on this is very awkward and sometimes unsuccessful; spend time in training mode to ensure you grasp its limitations. Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space. Each rock arises independent of one another, which means the move beats out most projectiles, allowing you an effective means of control in a firefight. Unfortunately, it does not reach full screen.

•Gamma Charge (Up): Anti-air with super armor. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Gamma Charge (Forward): Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Can help Dormammu by providing him with space against incoming opponents, but possesses no super armor to help against attacks with high priority.

Hulk to Dormammu DHCs:
•Gamma Crush -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Gamma Crush -> Dark Dimension (+)
•Gamma Crush -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)
•Gamma Quake -> Chaotic Flame (+)©
•Gamma Quake -> Stalking Flare (+)©
•Gamma Tsunami -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Gamma Tsunami -> Stalking Flare (-)

Dormammu to Hulk DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Gamma Crush (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Gamma Quake (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Gamma Tsunami (-)(~)
•Stalking Flare -> Gamma Crush (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Gamma Quake ©(+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•In corners, you can call Dark Hole while OTGing with Gamma Wave. If you have built enough hitstun decay, your opponent will immediately recover in the air upon Dark Hole finishing. Use this opportunity to land Hulk’s anti-air throw, and reset the combo as seen [media=youtube]Kz2dhMK5YW4[/media].

•Dark Hole can make many of Hulk’s normally punishable normals safe. If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Hulk’s command grab.

Iron Man (Partner)

Spoiler

Iron Man Assists:
•Unibeam: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a beam in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Unlike other beam projectiles, Unibeam does not cause knockdown, and does not propel your opponent back a significant distance.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

At the end of combo, you can tack on a little extra damage by either calling Unibeam immediately before OTGing with Purification into Chaotic Flame, or OTGing with Flame Carpet and linking Chaotic Flame off of the beam.

•Repulsar Blast: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. The area this assist covers can be very nice as a way to help create space against incoming rushdown, and it is also a very effective counter to teleport characters.

Calling Repulsar Blast before performing a forward or backward ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo in.

•Smart Bomb: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

Iron Man to Dormammu DHCs:
•Proton Cannon -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Iron Man DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Proton Cannon (+)

General Tips and Tricks:

Jill Valentine (Partner)

Spoiler

Jill Valentine Assists:
•Flip Kick: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

•Arrow Kick: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Somersault Kick: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Jill Valentine to Dormammu DHCs:
Machine Gun Spray -> Chaotic Flame (+)
Raven Spike -> Stalking Flare (-)(d)

Dormammu to Jill Valentine DHCs:
Chaotic Flame -> Machine Gun Spray (-)
Chaotic Flame -> Raven Spike ©

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Jill’s command grab.

M.O.D.O.K. (Partner)

Spoiler

M.O.D.O.K. Assists:
•Barrier: The shield this assist creates is invulnerable to all non-hyper damage. It is not destroyed by attacks that normally destroy projectiles, such as Akuma’s Tatsumaki Zankukyaku.

•Balloon Bomb: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Balloon Bomb has medium projectile priority, and so it will not be destroyed by most of the game’s non-hyper projectiles.

Calling Balloon Bomb before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Dark Matter into Dark Hole, Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Psionic Blaster: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a beam in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

At the end of combo, you can tack on a little extra damage by either calling Psionic Blaster immediately before OTGing with Purification into Chaotic Flame, or OTGing with Flame Carpet and linking Chaotic Flame off of the beam.

M.O.D.O.K. to Dormammu DHCs:
•Hyper Psionic Blaster -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to M.O.D.O.K. DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:

Magneto (Partner)

Spoiler

Magneto Assists:
•EM Disruptor: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. Due to the speed of EM Disruptor, you will need to use j.H post-teleport if you want to combo, and then you have two options: if you want to stick to the basics, go into c.M, s.S. If you want to be fancy, you can jump after j.H and juggle your opponent with j.L, j.H, j.S multiple times, land, and then c.M into s.S. This makes EM Disruptor one of the few assists that allow Dormammu to reach high damage numbers without the need to relaunch. EM Disruptor is also the only beam in the game that allows Dormammu to combo off of Mass Change H; simply use the Mass Change M follow-up.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change.

At the end of combo, you can tack on a little extra damage by either calling EM Disruptor immediately before OTGing with Purification into Chaotic Flame, or OTGing with Flame Carpet and linking Chaotic Flame off of the beam.

•Hyper Gravitation: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Force Field: Magneto is only vulnerable for a single frame before the active frames begin. It can be a potentially valuable space creator, but it means having to put Magneto’s low health at risk and forgoing the valuable EM Disruptor assist and all of its uses. Also absorbs projectiles during its active frames

Magneto to Dormammu DHCs:
•Magnetic Shockwave -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Magneto DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Magneto on point, using Magnetic Shockwave and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Magnetic Shockwave instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

Morrigan (Partner)

Spoiler

Morrigan Assists:
•Shadow Blade: Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can lead into a full combo. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Soul Fist: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

Calling Soul Fist before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Dark Harmonizer: The meter gain really is superb, but it means having to essentially play Dormammu without direct assist support a good portion of your matches. Dormammu is also not particularly strong at protecting Morrigan. If you appreciate having excess meter, it is probably best to pair it with a point character that can delay the fight well while calling Dark Harmonizer before you bring Dormammu in.

When using Dormammu, the safest time to call Dark Harmonizer is right before you OTG with Purification into Chaotic Flame during your combos.

Morrigan to Dormammu DHCs:
•Finishing Shower -> Chaotic Flame (~)
•Shadow Servant -> Chaotic Flame (+)(b)

Dormammu to Morrigan DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Darkness Illusion (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Astral Vision (u)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Morrigan on point, using Shadow Servant and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Shadow Servant instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Morrigan’s command grab.

•After throwing a Soul Fist, air dash behind it for cover, and call Dormammu’s Dark Hole as you approach. Not only is Morrigan’s advance self-covered, but your opponent is pinned for mix-ups as well.

Phoenix (Partner)

Spoiler

Phoenix Assists:
•TK Shot: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•TK Overdrive: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•TK Trap: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. If you call TK Trap right as OTGing with Purification into Chaotic Flame, the TK Trap will hit right at the end of your hyper for a little extra damage.

Calling TK Trap before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

Phoenix to Dormammu DHCs:
•Phoenix Rage -> Chaotic Flame (+)(b)
•Phoenix Rage -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Phoenix DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Phoenix Rage (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Healing Field (u)
•Stalking Flare -> Phoenix Rage (+)(b)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Phoenix on point, using Phoenix Rage and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Phoenix Rage instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists. If you have more time, you can even Phoenix Rage, and as your opponent is returning from his wall bounce, Phoenix Rage a second time, and then DHC into Chaotic Flame. For absolutely massive damage, Phoenix Rage (XFC) Phoenix Rage, delay for the wall bounce, Phoenix Rage (DHC) Chaotic Flame works as well.

•Phoenix has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

Ryu (Partner)

Spoiler

Ryu Assists:
•Shoryuken: Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Hadoken: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Tatsumaki Senpukyaku: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand at short distances, and will carry your opponent back to you for a full combo.

Ryu to Dormammu DHCs:
•Shinkuu Hadoken -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku -> Stalking Flare (+)

Dormammu to Ryu DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Shinkuu Hadoken (~)
•Chaotic Flame -> Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senkpukyaku ©(+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Ryu has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

[Karsticles]

Team Building, Page 4

Sentinel (Partner)

Spoiler

Sentinel Assists:
•Sentinel Force (Charge): Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. Helps with horizontal space control. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). The drones also interestingly seems to “teleport” right next to the opponent so that they will always arrive at the same time when used with Mass Change M, regardless of your distance when calling Sentinel. After using Mass Change M, hit your opponent with j.M, and this will knock him into the drones. With proper placement, the drones will keep your opponent in hitstun just long enough for you to charge a Dark Spell, and then launch your opponent, without dropping the combo; some small characters fall out when doing this, unfortunately. Alternatively, wait until the first of the drones hit your opponent, and then Mass Change M - the drones do not provide a true block string, so drones subsequent to the first will still cross-up after the first is blocked.

If you call Sentinel Force right before you OTG with Purification mid-screen into Chaotic Flame, the last drone will hit your opponent right as Chaotic Flame ends. This provides just enough time for you to link a second Chaotic Flame, or lead into a Purification!

If you do not want to spend meter on Purification into Chaotic Flame at the end of a combo, call Sentinel Force right as you land, and then OTG with Flame Carpet. As your opponent rolls into recovery, use Mass Change to mix-up the Sentinel Force drones. Even if this mix-up fails, Sentinel Force will keep your opponent in blockstun long enough for you to perform Dormammu’s j.L, c.L mix-up.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

If you intend to try for an air throw reset in a corner after Chaotic Flame, but sure to call Sentinel Force right before your attempt. If you fail, Sentinel Force will help protect you and allow you to maintain pressure. If you succeed, your opponent will fall into the drones, and you can continue your combo with j.M, j.H, j.S, s.S.

Call Sentinel Force before you use 3D0C, and if you Dark Hole on the way down, the drones will connect, allowing you enough time to turn 3D0C into a full combo through Mass Change. If your opponent has already been through a long combo, you can still call Sentinel Force while OTGing with 3D0C to get a little more damage in before Chaotic Flame.

If you call Sentinel Force right as you launch, and you delay your air series, you can spike your opponent back into the drones. You can then jump and perform a few hits in the air for extra damage. If you hit your opponent with j.S at any time, he will still be spiked into an unrecoverable knockdown state.

Sentinel Force can also be used to relaunch in corners, but you must delay your air combo and the subsequent Flame Carpet as much as possible. Call Sentinel Force well before you lay the Flame Carpet.

Calling Sentinel Force before performing a forward or backward ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

•Sentinel Force (Bomb): Can be very useful for carpet bombing the middle of the screen. Do not think that the drones drop bombs based on where you call Sentinel - they will always drop their bombs relative to the camera’s focus on the screen when the assist was called. Unlike Sentinel Force, this stays out even if Sentinel gets hit, making is the safest assist option. While it is very nice for spacing, the bombs cause little hitstun and damage, and it doesn’t really lead anything in particular.

•Rocket Punch: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere, with enough time to charge a Dark Spell in corners.

Sentinel to Dormammu DHCs:
•Hard Drive -> Chaotic Flame (-)(~)
•Hard Drive -> Stalking Flare (+)(~)(d)
•Hyper Sentinel Force -> Chaotic Flame (+)(b)
•Hyper Sentinel Force -> Stalking Flare (-)(d)
•Plasma Charge -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Plasma Charge -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)©

Dormammu to Sentinel DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Plasma Charge ©
•Chaotic Flame -> Hyper Sentinel Force (~)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Sentinel’s Hard Drive causes spinning knockdown on its 12th (final) hit. After launching an opponent with Dormammu, instead of ending with the usual Purification into Chaotic Flame, consider TACing to Sentinel. From here, air combo into Hard Drive, and then DHC into Stalking Flare on the 12th hit. Done properly, you will have enough time to charge 3 Dark Spells, and Dormammu will be back on point.

•With Sentinel on point, using Hyper Sentinel Force and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Hyper Sentinel Force instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

•Dormammu’s Dark Hole provides the perfect amount of time needed to cover Sentinel on blocked attacks. For example, call Dark Hole assist at the same time you use s.S with Sentinel. If you hit with s.S, Dark Hole will not interfere, and your combo will continue as normal. If s.S whiffs, Dark Hole will start up just as the blockstun from s.S ends, making your launcher much safer. Dark Hole can also be combined with Sentinel’s Rocket Punch OTG to allow him to relaunch. Alternatively, you can simply enjoy the extra damage while invoking Hyper Sentinel Force or Plasma Charge.

•In corners, after using Hyper Sentinel Force to relaunch, call Dark Hole right as you launch, and slightly delay your sj.S spike. This will result in hitting your opponent back into the Dark Hole; performed properly, this will only hit once. Your opponent will immediately recover; as many opponents are holding forward to tech roll out of the corner, you can sometimes create a reset using this setup if you sj.S again on your way down.

•In corners, call Dormammu’s Purification after a relaunch off of Hyper Sentinel Force (or any other high hitstun decay situation) to cause extra damage. Purification can also be used to cross-up during Sentinel’s Flight mode, from which Sentinel can spike your opponent with j.S, leading into a full combo.

•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Sentinel’s command grab.

•While you can DHC Hyper Sentinel Force into Chaotic Flame for massive damage and a great mode to punish opponents, if you have more time and need a little more damage, it’s possible to Hyper Sentinel Force, wait, start a second Hyper Sentinel Force after the first one finishes, and then DHC into Chaotic Flame - all three hypers will hit, without the need for X-Factor, though if you wanted to, you could X-Factor cancel the second Hyper Sentinel Force into a third one, and then use Chaotic Flame.

She-Hulk (Partner)

Spoiler

She-Hulk Assists:
•Torpedo: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. Calling Torpedo before a Mass Change creates an unblockable due to it hitting low. If you use Mass Change M, the setup becomes even more difficult to block, and She-Hulk is also safer due to your opponent having to attack in the direction opposite of her.

•Clothesline: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from corners.

•Somersault Kick: Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

She-Hulk to Dormammu DHCs:
•Emerald Cannon -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Emerald Cannon -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to She-Hulk DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:
If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with She-Hulk’s command grab.

Shuma-Gorath (Partner)

Spoiler

Shuma-Gorath Assists:
•Mystic Ray: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a beam in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space. The beam also helps because it covers the entire screen in front of you; if you misjudge an opponent’s positioning before calling a Dark Hole or Purification, Mystic Ray can help cover your error. While the beam loses out in almost all clashes due to a low number of hit points, it frequently connects and stops enemy assists, as the beam first connects above the ground at a low and slanted angle, below most enemy projectiles.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Mystic Stare: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Mystic Smash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Shuma-Gorath to Dormammu DHCs:
•Hyper Mystic Ray -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Hyper Mystic Smash -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Shuma-Gorath DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Hyper Mystic Ray (-), (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Hyper Mystic Smash (~), (+)©

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Shuma-Gorath’s command grab.

Spencer (Partner)

Spoiler

Spencer Assists:
•Wire Grapple (H Shot): Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

•Wire Grapple (Slant Shot): Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

•Armor Piercer: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Spencer to Dormammu DHCs:
•Bionic Lancer -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Spencer DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Spencer’s command grab.

•Spencer has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

Spider-man (Partner)

Spoiler

Spider-man Assists:
•Web Ball: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

Calling Web Ball before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Web Swing: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Spider Sting: Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can lead to a full combo. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

Spider-man to Dormammu DHCs:
•Crawler Assault -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Maximum Spider -> Chaotic Flame (~)
•Maximum Spider -> Dark Dimension (+)
•Maximum Spider -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)
•Ultimate Web Throw -> Dark Dimension (+)

Dormammu to Spider-man DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Maximum Spider (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Maximum Spider (~)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Dormammu’s Dark Hole assist allows for Spiderman to get a free web ball/web throw in, this is helpful in his zoning game against characters he has trouble fighting in close quarters with. Spider-man has an excellent ability to hit confirm off of Dark Hole from a wide variety of positions.

•After DHCing from Maximum Spider to Stalking Flare, you can raw tag Spider-man back in, and land another Maximum Spider, which then once again DHCs into Stalking Flare.

•With Dormammu on point, after launching, considering TACing to Spider-man instead of ending with the usual Purification into Chaotic Flame. After the TAC, use Spider-man’s Maximum Spider, and then DHC into Dormammu’s Stalking Flare. This will provide you with enough time to gain 3 Dark Spells, all while retaining Dormammu on point!

•After DHCing from Maximum Spider to Stalking Flare, consider building up the charges for 1D2C. The next time you Maximum Spider into Stalking Flare, 1D2C can connect off of Stalking Flare, which then leads into a Dark Hole, Chaotic Flame. 1D2C and Dark Hole build nearly a full bar of meter together, so this additional damage pays for itself.

Storm (Partner)

Spoiler

Storm Assists:
•Whirlwind: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space. Each whirl arises independent of one another, which means the move beats out most projectiles, allowing you an effective means of control in a firefight. Unfortunately, it does not reach full screen.

•Double Typhoon: Dormammu can combo off of this via Mass Change M, but the timing is very strict. Double Typhoon can helm Dormammu fill the screen with pillars, making it much more difficult to approach him, but Double Typhoon falls short of superjump height.

Calling Double Typhoon before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Lightning Attack: Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can lead to a full combo. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

Storm to Dormammu DHCs:
•Ice Storm -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Elemental Rage -> Chaotic Flame (+)

Dormammu to Storm DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Ice Storm (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Ice Storm (+)(b)

General Tips and Tricks:

Super-Skrull (Partner)

Spoiler

Super-Skrull Assists:
•Stone Smite: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

Call Stone Smite, and Mass Change M behind your opponent - your opponent will not wall bounce, but rather, your opponent will be sent flying back to the wall of the screen, and you will skid along the ground with him while remaining in a standing position. This does not appear to be useful in particular, but it is amusing.

•Orbital Grudge: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere, and provides enough time for one Dark Spell charge in corners. Mid-screen, you can also connect a Dark Matter into Dark Hole before Chaotic Flame for additional damage and meter gain if you are not confident with your ability to relaunch.

When placing Flame Carpet, calling Orbital Grudge simultaneously will cause the two attacks to combo. From here, follow-up as though you are using the combination to OTG your opponent after an air combo.

•Tenderizer: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners, and provides enough time for two Dark Spell charges during this period.

Calling Tenderizer before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Dark Hole into Chaotic flame afterward.

Super-Skrull to Dormammu DHCs:
•Inferno -> Chaotic Flame (-)
•Inferno -> Stalking Flare (d)(-), (+)©(d)
•Skrull Torch -> Chaotic Flame (-)
•Skrull Torch -> Stalking Flare ©(+)(d)

Dormammu to Super-Skrull DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Death Penalty (+)
•Chaotic Flame -> Inferno (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Skrull Torch (+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Super-Skrull’s command grab.

•When THCing with Super-Skrull’s Skrull Torch, its active frames have 0 startup time; if your opponent is not blocking once the flash occurs, they will be hit. This can serve a nice, but costly, way to create space with Dormammu against highly aggressive opponents.

•If your team order places Super-Skrull behind Dormammu, in instances where your Chaotic Flame whiffs due to an error in judgment or execution, DHCing to Super-Skrull’s Inferno often protects you from punishment and catches opponents off-guard.

[Karsticles]

Team Building, Page 5

Taskmaster (Partner)

Spoiler

Taskmaster Assists:
•Aim Master L: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Aim Master M: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps Dormammu cover the horizontal plane in the jumping range.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Aim Master H: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners (OTG with Purification). Helps cover the superjump angle for Dormammu. Properly timed, this assist can also help you approach via Mass Change H, letting you combo off of the arrows as they land. Conveniently, the first of the three arrows lands just outside of Flame Carpet’s hitbox, allowing you to control the next half of the screen beyond it. This assist can also be called while Dormammu launches an opponent, and the arrows will hit during your normal air series, adding more damage to your combo.

Taskmaster to Dormammu DHCs:
•Legion Arrow LM -> Chaotic Flame (~)
•Legion Arrow MH (Air) -> Chaotic Flame (~)
•Legion Arrow MH (Ground) -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)
•Legion Arrow MH (OTG) -> Stalking Flare (+)(f)

Dormammu to Taskmaster DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Legion Arrow LM (+)
•Chaotic Flame -> Legion Arrow LH (-)
•Chaotic Flame -> Legion Arrow MH (-)©

General Tips and Tricks:
•Use Dormammu’s Dark Hole assist to create enough blockstun to land Taskmaster’s Sword Master unblockables.

•If you intend on using Dormammu ahead of Taskmaster in your team order, consider placing Taskmaster immediately behind Dormammu. In instances where your opponent might try to punish your Chaotic Flame or Stalking Flare with moves like Hyper Charging Star or Bionic Lancer, DHC to Taskmaster’s Aegis Shield to cover yourself and score a free combo.

Thor (Partner)

Spoiler

Thor Assists:
•Mighty Spark: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a beam in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Blasts your opponent across the entire screen, helping you maintain your space.

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

Calling Mighty Spark before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows you to connect a Chaotic Flame afterward.

•Mighty Smash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere, and provides enough time for Dormammu to charge three Dark Spells.

•Mighty Strike: Anti-air with no invincibility. Negates projectiles. Good for Crossover Counters since it can be canceled into Mighty Tornado. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

Thor to Dormammu DHCs:
•Mighty Thunder -> Chaotic Flame (+)(~)
•Mighty Thunder -> Dark Dimension (+)
•Mighty Thunder -> Stalking Flare ©(-)
•Mighty Tornado -> Chaotic Flame (~)
•Mighty Tornado -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Thor DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Mighty Thunder (-)
•Chaotic Flame -> Mighty Tornado ©(+)
•Stalking Flare -> Mighty Thunder ©(-)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Thor on point, using Mighty Thunder and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Mighty Thunder instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Thor’s command grab.

Trish (Partner)

Spoiler

Trish Assists:
•Hopscotch: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Calling Hopscotch before performing a ground throw in a corner with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

•Peekaboo: Calling this assist while placing a Flame Carpet on a downed opponent in a corner creates a nice reset opportunity. Your opponent will recovery almost instantly after hitting Peekaboo - jump forward and air throw.

Calling Peekaboo before performing a ground throw with Dormammu allows for a full combo.

•Low Voltage: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

Trish to Dormammu DHCs:
•High Voltage -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Round Harvest -> Chaotic Flame (+)(b)

Dormammu to Trish DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> High Voltage (+)
•Stalking Flare -> Round Harvest (+)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Trish on point, using Round Harvest and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Round Harvest instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

Tron Bonne (Partner)

Spoiler

Tron Bonne Assists:
•Bonne Strike: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Gustaff Fire: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. Contrary to popular belief, Tron is not invincible during the fire portion of the assist. Rather, the flame that emits from her has a medium priority projectile hitbox, which covers most of her normal hitbox. Thus, opponents attacking her are generally “blocked” by the projectile hitbox; she is still vulnerable to low attacks, particularly sliding ones. It is still a very solid assist for protecting Dormammu from rushdown. The projectile hitbox can make this a useful anti-projectile assist for Dormammu while you ready a Purification or Dark Hole. Unfortunately, the assist has a tendency to knock opponents out of range for Dormammu to launch on a successful hit, and often the only follow-up you’ll have available to you is c.H.

•Bandit Boulder: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better). Unlike her normal assist, Bandit Boulder reaches full-screen, and has 10 projectile hit points, making it a very effective anti-projectile assist. During the start-up, Tron’s presence will negate all incoming projectiles.

Tron Bonne to Dormammu DHCs:
•King Kobun -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•King Kobun -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)
•Lunch Rush -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Lunch Rush -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Tron Bonne DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Lunch Rush (~)

General Tips and Tricks:
•If you DHC Chaotic Flame into Lunch Rush after a combo, your opponent will frequently recover mid-air, right above the Lunch Rush gunshot.

•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Tron’s command grab.

Viewtiful Joe (Partner)

Spoiler

Viewtiful Joe Assists:
•Voomerang: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Groovy Uppercut: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can lead to a full combo. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Shocking Pink: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners, but must be called during your launcher, and your air series must end prematurely. When using Purification OTG -> Chaotic Flame, call Shocking Pink immediately before Purification, and Chaotic Flame will carry Joe’s bomb to the screen’s extremity for a little extra damage. Somewhat unreliable, and even dangerous in corners.

Viewtiful Joe to Dormammu DHCs:
•Six Cannon -> Chaotic Flame (+)(b)

Dormammu to Viewtiful Joe DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Six Cannon (~)

General Tips and Tricks:
•With Viewtiful Joe on point, using Six Cannon and then DHCing into Chaotic Flame will allow both to hit with the speed of Chaotic Flame; you essentially give Six Cannon instant full-screen coverage. This can be an excellent punishment tactic, especially against assists.

•Akuma has a standing overhead command normal, and a thin character frame. If you can get your opponent locked down in Dark Hole, you can move him into the Dark Hole and try for high-low mix-ups. This is especially effective because your character’s attacks are partially covered by the Dark Hole, obscuring your opponent’s vision from what attacks you are using.

Wesker (Partner)

Spoiler

Wesker Assists:
•Ghost Butterfly: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Samurai Edge: Allows Dormammu to relaunch from anywhere, and provides enough time for one Dark Spell charge during this period. Alternatively, in corners, you can enter Flight, j.H, j.S, and then continue your relaunch. Example. Calling Samurai Edge before a Mass Change creates an unblockable due to it hitting low. If you use Mass Change M, the setup becomes even more difficult to block, and Wesker is also safer due to your opponent having to attack in the direction opposite of him.

•Jaguar Kick: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Wesker to Dormammu DHCs:
•Phantom Dance -> Stalking Flare (~)(d)

Dormammu to Wesker DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Rhino Charge (u)
•Stalking Flare -> Rhino Charge (u)

General Tips and Tricks:
•Wesker can use Dormammu’s Dark Hole assist to relaunch, snapback, or connect Wesker’s Lost in Nightmares in conjunction with an OTG Samurai Edge. If you have a second assist that allows you to relaunch with Wesker, call it for your first relaunch; during your second OTG, you can time Dark Hole to go off immediately after your opponent recovers in the air; use Phantom Move to create a mix-up.

•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with Wesker’s command grab.

•If you intend on using Dormammu ahead of Wesker in you team order, consider placing Wesker immediately behind Dormammu. In instances where your opponent might try to punish your Chaotic Flame or Stalking Flare with moves like Hyper Charging Star or Bionic Lancer, DHC to Wesker’s Rhino Charge to cover yourself and score a free combo.

Wolverine (Partner)

Spoiler

Wolverine Assists:
•Tornado Claw: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Anti-air with no invincibility. Good for Crossover Counters since it can be canceled into Fatal Claw. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

•Berserker Slash: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere, but the placement mid-screen is tricky. Dormammu must be close enough for the opponent to be knocked back toward Dormammu. Otherwise, a decent mid-screen assist that flings your opponent back to reset the fight in your favor. It does not retain the normal move’s invincibility frames, however.

•Berserker Barrage: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Wolverine to Dormammu DHCs:
•Berserker Barrage X -> Chaotic Flame (+)
•Berserker Barrage X -> Dark Dimension (-)(~)
•Berserker Barrage X -> Stalkign Flare (+)(d)
•Fatal Claw (Air -> Chaotic Flame (-)
•Fatal Claw (Air) -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Wolverine DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Berserker Barrage X (-), (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Fatal Claw (+)©
•Chaotic Flame -> Weapon X (+)©
•Stalking Flare -> Berserker Charge (u)

General Tips and Tricks:
•If you call Dark Hole simultaneously while using Berserker Slash H, your opponent will be caught in the Dark Hole. You can turn this into a full combo, but if you relaunch via Dive Kick’s ground bounce, you will have caused too much hitstun decay to end the combo with Drill Claw, Fatal Claw. Either end the combo with a normal sj.S, or do not relaunch.

•Properly timed, Wolverine can use Dark Hole to let him continue his combos OTG. Call Dark Hole, and then use Wolverine’s df.M. This works after Wolverine’s full launch to relaunch combo, and off of all of his throws. The timing is particularly difficult off of ground throws, but it leads to a full combo - definitely worth it!

•With Dormammu on point, after launching, considering TACing to Wolverine instead of ending with the usual Purification into Chaotic Flame. After the TAC, use Wolverine’s Fatal Claw, and then DHC into Dormammu’s Stalking Flare. This will provide you with enough time to gain 3 Dark Spells, all while retaining Dormammu on point!

•After DHCing from Fatal Claw to Stalking Flare, consider building up the charges for 1D2C. The next time you Fatal Claw into Stalking Flare, 1D2C can connect off of Stalking Flare, which then leads into a Dark Hole, Chaotic Flame. 1D2C and Dark Hole build nearly a full bar of meter together, so this additional damage pays for itself.

X-23 (Partner)

Spoiler

X-23 Assists:
•Neck Slice: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

•Ankle Slice: Allows Dormammu to relaunch anywhere.

•Crescent Scythe: Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit.

X-23 to Dormammu DHCs:

Dormammu to X-23 DHCs:

General Tips and Tricks:
•If your opponent blocks Dark Hole, practice tick throwing your opponent out of blockstun with X-23’s command grab.

Zero (Partner)

Spoiler

Zero Assists:
•Ryuenjin: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Anti-air with no invincibility. Can be very helpful for creating space for Dormammu in his weak spot, directly above himself, and also the space immediately in front of him. Can combo into Purification if timed properly. Can also provide time to lay down defenses or store Dark Spells on a successful hit. If you choose to end corner combos combos with Flame Carpet OTG plus this assist, you will have enough time to summon Stalking Flare successfully.

•Hadangeki: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners. Helps with horizontal space control. Allows Dormammu to cross-up with Mass Change M when called beforehand. The usefulness of a projectile in this regard is a combination of its startup (faster is better), travel time (faster is better), damage (higher is better), number of hits (less is better), and number of projectile hit points (more is better).

If you call this assist while using Dark Matter, your opponent will be juggled long enough for you to create a combo through Mass Change. Even if Dark Matter gets blocked, you will recover with just enough time to Mass Change M and make the incoming assist cross-up.

•Shippuga: Allows Dormammu to relaunch in corners.

Zero to Dormammu DHCs:
•Rekkoha -> Chaotic Flame (-), ©(+)
•Rekkoha -> Stalking Flare (+)(d)

Dormammu to Zero DHCs:
•Chaotic Flame -> Genmu Zero (+)
•Chaotic Flame -> Rekkoha ©(+)
•Stalking Flare -> Genmu Zero ©(+)
•Stalking Flare -> Rekkoha (+)(~)
•Stalking Flare -> Sougenmu (u)

General Tips and Tricks:

[Karsticles]

Matchups

A Word:
All comparisons are organized alphabetically. Each potential opponent’s section is divided between his or her normals, specials, and hypers. The perspective taken is your opponent’s options, and then what options you have for responding, either pre-emptively or after the fact. If an “X” is in place of a normal attack’s notation, then the valuation applies to all normals of that type.

For testing against throw/melee/limited range hypers, the results are always done from within the opposing hyper’s range; obviously, any hyper loses when performed outside of its range of attack. If Dormammu can beat a hyper in any way, I will list the situation. Otherwise, I will list the opposing hyper as absolute victor in the contest, meaning that it will be victorious even when performed during Dormammu’s cinematic.

For additional information about the testing methods used, please see the below sections:

Testing Between Normals

Spoiler

Spacing:

1. I set the CPU to repeat an action, with a small break between attacks so I can slightly alter positioning.

2. I place Dormammu outside of the opposing attack’s range.

3. I attack with Dormammu repeatedly while inching him closer each time, while always providing the opposing character an opportunity to attack between each test.

4. The first attack to connect between the two is listed as the victor; the experiment is repeated several times more to ensure accuracy.

Speed:
All data comes from the Brady Games guide’s frame data, and is then verified by me through placing both characters at point blank range and starting their attacks simultaneously; several tests are run to ensure the results are accurate, and not simply due to my own error.

Moving Normals:
Some normals alter a character’s hitbox. Unless the attack is clearly outranged by Dormammu’s listed response during all stages of the attack, I list them as equal to each other, and make an (RND) notation. Against attacks that last until a character reaches a certain position, such as Wolverine’s Dive Kick or Captain America’s Charging Star, the attack is performed at a variety of positions and distances, and only the question of whether Dormammu can outrange these attacks when given proper timing is addressed, since you are unlikely to have to beat them in a battle of startup frames.

Chaotic Flame Testing Explanation

Spoiler

1. I use the opposing character’s hyper at the maximum distance at which it can affect Dormammu if it is successful; during the opponent’s cinematic screen, I input Chaotic Flame. If Chaotic Flame wins, I list the hyper as < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR).

2. I use the opposing character’s hyper at point blank range; during the opponent’s cinematic screen, I input Chaotic Flame. If Chaotic Flame wins, I list the hyper as < Chaotic Flame (CIN, CLS). If Chaotic Flame also won in 1), then I simply list the hyper as < Chaotic Flame (CIN).

3. If Chaotic Flame lost in either 1) or 2), the reverse is attempted. Chaotic Flame’s input is made in the yet-to-be-determined situation(s), and then the opponent’s hyper input is made during its cinematic. If the opposing hyper beats Chaotic Flame, then it is listed as > Chaotic Flame.

4. If the opposing hyper lost in 3), both hypers are attempted simultaneously; the victorious hyper is listed as superior to the opposing one, and an (RND) notation is assigned. The Brady Games frame data is used for verification of the results.

5. If other results were found during the experiment, such as damage trades occurring, they are listed.

Dark Dimension Testing Explanation

Spoiler

Dark Dimension is always tested so that your opponent has at least 1 frame to act in response post-cinematic. Dark Dimension has 0 frames until activation post-cinematic, so unless your opponent is blocking before the cinematic starts, it will always hit at point-blank range unless your opponent is already blocking or invincible pre-cinematic. It is pointless to list Dark Dimension as beating nearly everything in the game merely because of its lack of post-cinematic startup time, and so Dark Dimension is always tested outside of this circumstance; even if a (CLS) designation exists, there is still a small bit of distance between Dormammu and the opposing character.

1. I use the opposing character’s hyper at the maximum distance at which it can affect Dormammu if it is successful; during the opponent’s cinematic screen, I input Dark Dimension. If Dark Dimension wins, I list the hyper as < Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR).

2. I use the opposing character’s hyper at point blank range; during the opponent’s cinematic screen, I input Dark Dimension. If Dark Dimension wins, I list the hyper as < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS). If Dark Dimension also won in 1), then I simply list the hyper as < Dark Dimension (CIN).

3. If Dark Dimension lost in either 1) or 2), the reverse is attempted. Dark Dimension’s input is made in the yet-to-be-determined situation(s), and then the opponent’s hyper input is made during its cinematic. If the opposing hyper beats Dark Dimension, then it is listed as > Dark Dimension.

4. If the opposing hyper lost in 3), both hypers are attempted simultaneously; the victorious hyper is listed as superior to the opposing one, and an (RND) notation is assigned. The Brady Games frame data is used for verification of the results.

5. If other results were found during the experiment, such as the two hypers negating each other, they are listed.

Stalking Flare Testing Explanation

Spoiler

All consideration is to how the opposing hyper interacts with Dormammu and the Stalking Flare after it has been released. Stalking Flare is very long on startup, and there is simply no reason for writing out that nearly every hyper in the game beats it on reaction when it is used unsafely. It is important to know which hypers can counter Stalking Flare even when you use it “safely”, however. Safely here means that you at least had enough time to put the Stalking Flare on screen. All opposing hypers are started as close to the moment after Stalking Flare is placed on the screen as possible.

Melee range hypers, such as Viewtiful Godhand, are not taken into consideration against Stalking Flare, since you will never come into a situation where such a conflict could occur, or the result is unimportant, since any normal attack would hit Dormammu anyway. Traveling melee hypers, such as Hyper Charging Star, are listed.

If a hyper beats Stalking Flare, I will list the nature of the defeat. This is important, as if a hyper is only stopping Stalking Flare due to causing damage to Dormammu, X-Factor canceling Stalking Flare’s recovery can potentially win you the exchange. If the opposing hyper is actually destroying Stalking Flare, then this tactic is less advantageous.

Why (RND) Is Used

Spoiler

When considering which hyper wins in a direct confrontation, it would be disingenuous to simply say the faster hyper wins. For example, Chaotic Flame takes a total of 11 frames before it is on screen and dealing damage. Shinkuu Hadoken takes 19 frames before it is on screen and dealing damage. While, technically, Chaotic Flame can beat out Shinkuu Hadoken, in practice the human body is simply not able to identify and respond to the flash animation within those 8 frames. In practice, it is more honest to say that whichever hyper begins first will win.

So, in all situations where the outcome is dependent on when the second hyper was started pre-cinematic, I will list the faster hyper as being superior, but I will also add the (RND) label to signify that, in practice, the first player to input his hyper command often wins, and there is a good deal of “randomness” involved. The data used for determining the faster hyper comes from the results of my own attempts to activate both hypers simultaneously, and is then checked against the Brady Guide to ensure I am not in error.

What (FAR) and (CLS) Mean

Spoiler

If two conflicting hypers have two results, with one listed as (FAR), and the other as (CLS), it simply means that, at a certain distance between the two characters, the relationship between them changes. Due to the large number of positional possibilities in the game and a lack of coordinates for communication, this is all that can be said. What (CLS) means is generally pretty obvious, but (FAR) can contextually mean anything from full-screen to just a few steps away from your opponent’s character. While this is not entirely satisfactory, there is simply no way to communicate the distance between two characters objectively.

General Matchup Legend:
(>) - The move in front of this symbol is superior to move(s) behind it in some fashion.
(<) - The move in front of this symbol is inferior to move(s) behind it in some fashion.
(=) - The move in front of this symbol is equal to move(s) behind it in some fashion.

Conditionals:
(WHF) - This relationship only holds true if the move in front of the symbol whiffs.
(BLK) - This relationship only holds true if the move in front of the symbol is blocked.
(FNT) - This relationship only holds true if the move in front of the symbol approaches from the front.
(OHD) - This relationship only holds true if the move in front of the symbol approaches overhead.
(CLS) - This relationship only holds true when you/Stalking Flare are close to your opponent.
(FAR) - This relationship only holds true when you/Stalking Flare are far from your opponent.

Matchup Normals Legend:
(RNG) - The expressed relationship is in regards to range.
(SPD) - The expressed relationship is in regards to start-up speed.
(TRD) - The two normals generally trade when both are spaced properly.
(RND) - Shifts in the opposing character’s hitbox render the spacing largely relationship.

Matchup Specials Legend:
(DUR) - The expressed relationship is in regards to projectile durability.
(PRI) - The expressed relationship is in regards to projectile priority.
(NEG) - The superior move is able to negate the inferior one entirely.

Matchup Hypers Legend:
(CIN) - The expressed relationship exists when your input is performed during your opponent’s cinematic.
(RND) - The equals sign here means that the hypers are close enough that the first input generally wins.
(NEG) - The equals sign here means that the hypers cancel each other out completely.
(TRD) - The equals sign here means that the two hypers will trade.
(DUR) - The expressed relationship is in regards to beating Stalking Flare’s durability.
(HIT) - The expressed relationship is in regards to beating Stalking Flare by hitting Dormammu.

Matchup Combos Legend:
(WHF) - This attack string will whiff against your opponent.
(HIT) - This attack string will hit against your opponent.
(FEW) - Only a few hits from Dormammu’s attack will connect with your opponent.
(BLK) - This relationship only holds true when the attack string is blocked.
(CRH) - This relationship only holds true when your opponent is crouching.
(SND) - This relationship only holds true when your opponent is standing.

Notation Examples

Spoiler

Dante:
•j.S > c.X (RNG)
Dante’s jumping S outranges all of Dormammu’s crouching normals.

Tron Bonne:
•Servbot Takeout < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
With enough space, Chaotic Flame will beat Servbot Takeout during its cinematic screen

C. Viper:
•Viper Full Throttle < Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Viper Full Throttle = Dark Dimension (RND, NEG, CLS)
•Viper Full Throttle < Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)
At close ranges, Dark Dimension will tend to beat Viper Full Throttle if it is input first. If the inputs are close enough, and both characters are close, Viper Full Throttle and Dark Dimension will not interact at all due to their invulnerability frames. After a certain distance is achieved between the two characters, Dark Dimension will beat Viper Full Throttle when the input is made during her cinematic.

[Karsticles]

Matchups, Page 2
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Akuma (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
Dive Kick < c.M (RNG)
Dive Kick > s.S (RNG)
Dive Kick = s.H (RNG, TRD)

Specials:
•Gohadoken > Dark Matter (DUR)
•Gohadoken < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)
•Tatsumaki Zankukyaku < c.M (RNG), c.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Hypers:
•Messatsu-Gohado Agyo = Chaotic Flame (TRD)
•Messatsu-Gohado Agyo < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Messatsu-Gohado Agyo < Mass Change M (CIN)
•Messatsu-Gohado Agyo < Stalking Flare
•Messatsu-Gohado Ungyo > Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Messatsu-Gohado Ungyo < Chaotic Flame (BLK)
•Messatsu-Gohado Ungyo < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Messatsu-Gohado Ungyo > Stalking Flare
•Messatsu-Gohado Ungyo > Dark Dimension
•Messatsu-Goshoryu > Chaotic Flame
•Messatsu-Goshoryu > Dark Dimension
•Messatsu-Goshoryu > Stalking Flare
•Shun Goku Satsu > Chaotic Flame
•Shun Goku Satsu > Dark Dimension
•Shun Goku Satsu > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)

General Tips:
•If your opponent likes to approach Dormammu via aerial Gohadokens, keep in mind that c.M will both snuff the projectile and still hit Akuma if the spacing is in your favor.

Amaterasu (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Cold Stars < Flame Carpet (DUR)

Hypers:
•Divine Instruments > Chaotic Flame
•Divine Instruments < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Okami Shuffle < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Okami Shuffle = Chaotic Flame (BLK, TRD); after flame portion.
•Okami Shuffle < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Okami Shuffle < Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)
•Okami Shuffle < Mass Change M (BLK); after flame portion.
•Okami Shuffle > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:

Arthur (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Lance Toss (Gold Armor) > Dark Hole (PRI), Purification (PRI), Dark Matter (PRI)

Hypers:
•For the Princess > Chaotic Flame
•For the Princess > Dark Dimension
•For the Princess > Stalking Flare
•Goddess Bracelet < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Goddess Bracelet < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Goddess Bracelet < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Goddess Bracelet < Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)
•Goddess Bracelet < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Arthur is a small character; small characters can be juggled several times in corners by looping Dormammu’s crouching medium into Flame Carpet.

•Due to Arthur’s unique hitbox, you can juggle him using c.M, Dark Hole L, c.L, c.M before launching. This actually does less damage than Dormammu’s standard combo due to the damage decay caused by your Dark Hole, but builds significantly more meter. It is even possible to connect another Dark Hole L after this, followed by another c.L, but it does not lead to anything more as far as is known.

C. Viper (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Burst Time > Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Burst Time < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Emergency Combination > Chaotic Flame
•Emergency Combination > Dark Dimension
•Emergency Combination > Stalking Flare
•EX Burn Kick < Chaotic Flame
•EX Burn Kick < Dark Dimension
•EX Burn Kick < Stalking Flare
•EX Seismo > Chaotic Flame
•EX Seismo > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•EX Seismo < Dark Dimension
•EX Thunder Knuckle > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•EX Thunder Knuckle < Chaotic Flame (FAR)
•EX Thunder Knuckle < Dark Dimension
•EX Thunder Knuckle > Dark Hole (PRI), Purification (PRI), Dark Matter (PRI)
•EX Thunder Knuckle < Stalking Flare
•Viper Full Throttle > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Viper Full Throttle = Chaotic Flame (TRD, RND, FAR)
•Viper Full Throttle < Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Viper Full Throttle = Dark Dimension (RND, NEG, CLS)
•Viper Full Throttle < Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, CRH, FAR)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:

Captain America (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.d+H < c.M (RNG), j.M (RNG)
•j.d+H > s.S (RNG)
•j.S < c.M (RNG), j.M (RNG)
•s.H < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Specials:
•Charging Star < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), c.H (RNG) and s.S (RNG)
•Charging Star > Flame Carpet (NEG)
•Shield Slash < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Final Justice < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Final Justice < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Final Justice > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•Hyper Charging Star < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), c.H (RNG) and s.S (RNG)
•Hyper Charging Star > Chaotic Flame
•Hyper Charging Star = Dark Dimension (NEG)
•Hyper Charging Star > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes < Chaotic Flame (RND, FAR)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes > Dark Dimension (RND)
•Hyper Stars and Stripes < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•All three of Captain America’s hypers, Charging Star, and Stars and Stripes are very unsafe on block; Hyper Stars and Stripes is invincible on startup though, and Final Justice becomes invincible from frame 16 onward.

•Shield Slash does not have a hitbox on its return route if Captain America takes damage at any time. So, do not feel as though you have to be defensive for worry of getting hit on the return path if you have an opening. You can also negate Shield Slash like other projectiles on its way in, and it will not have a hitbox on return, allowing you to punish it like any other fireball in the game.

•Captain America’s Somersault has absolutely no invincibility frames.

Chris Redfield (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Grenade Launcher < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Grenade Launcher = Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Grenade Launcher > Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)
•Grenade Launcher < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Grenade Launcher < Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Grenade Launcher > Stalking Flare
•Satellite Laser > Chaotic Flame
•Satellite Laser < Chaotic Flame (BLK); after 1st laser
•Satellite Laser > Dark Dimension
•Satellite Laser < Dark Dimension (BLK); after 1st laser
•Satellite Laser > Stalking Flare
•Satellite Laser < Mass Change H (CIN, FAR)
•Sweep Combo > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Sweep Combo < Chaotic Flame (FAR)
•Sweep Combo < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)

General Tips:
•Chris’ projectiles either travel too quickly or have too much space coverage to snuff them with Dormammu’s normals on reaction. If you must, use your launcher to block the firepower, but you are better off dealing with his projectiles in other ways.

Chun-li (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Hoyokusen > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Hoyokusen < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Hoyokusen < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Hoyokusen > Stalking Flare (CLS)
•Hoyokusen < Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Kikosho < Chaotic Flame (FAR)
•Kikosho > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Kikosho < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Kikosho = Dark Dimension (NEG, FAR)
•Kikosho < Stalking Flare
•Shichisei > Chaotic Flame
•Shichisei > Dark Dimension

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, CRH, FAR)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Chun-li completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Chun-li.

Dante (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.S > c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG) , j.X (RNG)

Specials:
•Air Trick < Air Throw (SPD), s.S (SPD)
•Killer Bee < c.M (RNG, FNT)
•Killer Bee > c.M (RNG, OHD)

Hypers:
•Devil Must Die > Chaotic Flame
•Devil Must Die < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Devil Must Die < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Devil Must Die = Dark Dimension (RND, NEG)
•Devil Must Die > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•Million Dollars < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR); also punishable after penultimate hit
•Million Dollars = Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Million Dollars < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Million Dollars < Stalking Flare
•Million Dollars < Superjump -> Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Dante’s Air Trick has 20 frames of recovery; punish it on reaction with either Dormammu’s launcher, which reaches up to Dante’s height, or with an air throw.

•Dante’s j.S outrange’s Dormammu’s entire arsenal. You can try to block and punish, but good Dante players may cancel the j.S into The Hammer on block for massive frame advantage.

•Hysteric’s missiles will disappear if Dante takes damage. They home in very well, so if you Mass Change, they will generally hit you before you fully recover. You can use Purification or Dark Hole to hit Dante, and thus take out the missiles as well.

Deadpool (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Trigger Happy L/M > c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG)
•Trigger Happy L/M < s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•4th-Wall Crisis < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•4th-Wall Crisis < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•4th-Wall Crisis < Stalking Flare (CIN)
•Cuttin’ Time < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Cuttin’ Time > Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Cuttin’ Time < Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)
•Cuttin’ Time < Stalking Flare
•Happy-Happy Trigger < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Happy-Happy Trigger < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Happy-Happy Trigger > Stalking Flare (DUR)
•Happy-Happy Trigger < Superjump -> Mass Change H (CIN, FAR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Deadpool’s Trigger Happy fires too many bullets to counter with Dormammu’s standing or crouching medium. If you must, use your launcher to block the firepower, but you are better off dealing with his projectiles in other ways, since Deadpool can cancel into Happy-Happy Trigger and you are defenseless, since launchers cannot be canceled into hypers.

•Dormammu can snuff out Pineapple Surprise with his projectile-negating normals.

Dormammu (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Dark Matter < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Chaotic Flame < Chaotic Flame (BLK)
•Chaotic Flame < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Chaotic Flame > Stalking Flare
•Dark Dimension > Chaotic Flame
•Dark Dimension = Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Dark Dimension = Dark Dimension (NEG, FAR)
•Dark Dimension > Stalking Flare
•Stalking Flare < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Stalking Flare = Stalking Flare (NEG)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)

General Tips:
•Remember that both Dark Hole and Purification provide frame advantage on block. Therefore, whoever establishes momentum first will be able to maintain it in terms of a long range firefight.

Dr. Doom (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.f+H < c.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), s.H (RNG), s.S (RNG)
•j.S > s.S (RNG)
•j.S < c.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), s.H (RNG)

Specials:
•Plasma Beam < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Doom’s Time > Chaotic Flame
•Doom’s Time > Dark Dimension (RND)
•Doom’s Time > Stalking Flare
•Photon Array < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Photon Array = Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Photon Array < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Photon Array > Stalking Flare (HIT, FAR)
•Photon Array < Stalking Flare (CLS)
•Sphere Flame > Chaotic Flame (CLS, RND)
•Sphere Flame < Chaotic Flame (TRD, FAR)
•Sphere Flame < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Sphere Flame = Stalking Flare (TRD)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)

General Tips:
•Practice snuffing Dr. Doom’s Plasma Beam with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

[Karsticles]

Matchups, Page 3

Felicia (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Dancing Flash > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Dancing Flash < Chaotic Flame (RND, FAR)
•Dancing Flash < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Please Help Me! > Chaotic Flame
•Please Help Me! > Dark Dimension
•Please Help Me! < Superjump -> Mass Change H (CIN)
•Please Help Me! > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Felicia completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Felicia.

Haggar (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.d+H > s.S (RNG)
•j.d+H < c.M (RNG)
•s.f+H > c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG)
•s.f+H < c.M (SPD), s.M (SPD)

Specials:
•Double Lariat < c.X (WHF)
•Violent Axe < s.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), and s.S (RNG)
•Violent Axe = c.M (RNG, TRD)

Hypers:
•Final Haggar Buster > Chaotic Flame
•Final Haggar Buster = Dark Dimension (RND)
•Giant Haggar Press > Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Giant Haggar Press < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Giant Haggar Press < Stalking Flare
•Rapid Fire Fist < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Rapid Fire Fist < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Haggar completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and he has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Haggar.

•Nothing stops Violent Axe H once it first hits short of Dark Dimension; do not attack during the brief break between the second and third hits.

Hsien-ko (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Anki-Hou = Dark Matter (DUR)

Hypers:
•Chireitou < Chaotic Flame (CIN, TRD, FAR)
•Chireitou < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Chireitou < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Chireitou < Mass Change H (CIN, FAR)
•Chireitou = Stalking Flare (TRD)
•Tenrai Ha < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Tenrai Ha < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Tenrai Ha < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:

Hulk (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
j.X < c.M (RNG)

Specials:
•Gamma Wave > Dark Hole (WHF), Purification (WHF)
•Gamma Charge < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Hypers:
•Gamma Crush > Chaotic Flame
•Gamma Crush < Chaotic Flame (BLK)
•Gamma Crush > Dark Dimension
•Gamma Crush < Stalking Flare
•Gamma Quake < Chaotic Flame (RND, TRD)
•Gamma Quake < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Gamma Tsunami < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Gamma Tsunami < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Gamma Tsunami > Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Gamma Tsunami > Stalking Flare (HIT)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Hulk is big enough that Dormammu can combo out of Mass Change M without the aid of an assist. j.M, j.H or j.S into launcher will work fine.

Iron Man (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Unibeam < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Iron Avenger > Chaotic Flame
•Iron Avenger < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Iron Avenger > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•Proton Cannon < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Proton Cannon < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Proton Cannon < Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Proton Cannon < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Proton Cannon > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Practice snuffing Iron Man’s Unibeam with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

Jill Valentine (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Machine-Gun Spray < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Machine-Gun Spray = Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS, TRD)
•Machine-Gun Spray > Dark Dimension (RND)
•Machine-Gun Spray < Stalking Flare
•Raven Spike > Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Raven Spike < Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)
•Raven Spike < Dark Dimension (RND, NEG)
•Raven Spike < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Jill completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Jill.

•Machine Gun Spray hits the entire screen; if you have a Flame Carpet out, it will be destroyed. This, combined with the move’s invincibility on startup and its movement trajectory, means Jill will be able to get in on you if she wants to.

M.O.D.O.K. (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Psionic Blaster < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Hyper Battering Ram > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Hyper Battering Ram < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Hyper Battering Ram = Dark Dimension (RND)
•Hyper Battering Ram < Stalking Flare
•Hyper Psionic Blaster = Chaotic Flame (CIN, TRD)
•Hyper Psionic Blaster < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Hyper Psionic Blaster < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS
•Hyper Psionic Blaster < Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Hyper Psionic Blaster < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Hyper Psionic Blaster > Stalking Flare (DUR)
•Killer Illumination = Dark Dimension (NEG)
•Killer Illumination > Chaotic Flame

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Practice snuffing M.O.D.O.K.'s Psionic Blaster with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

Magneto (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•EM Disruptor < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Gravity Squeeze > Stalking Flare
•Gravity Squeeze < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Gravity Squeeze < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Magnetic Shockwave = Chaotic Flame (CIN, TRD)
•Magnetic Shockwave < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Magnetic Shockwave < Chaotic Flame (BLK)
•Magnetic Shockwave < Dark DImension
•Magnetic Shockwave < Mass Change H (CIN, FAR)
•Magnetic Shockwave > Stalking Flare (HIT, DUR)
•Magnetic Tempest < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Magnetic Tempest < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Magnetic Tempest < Mass Change M (CIN)
•Magnetic Tempest > Stalking Flare (DUR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, CRH, FAR)

General Tips:
•Practice snuffing Magneto’s EM Disruptor with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

Morrigan (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.S < c.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Specials:
•Soul Fist < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Darkness Illusion > Chaotic Flame
•Darkness Illusion = Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Darkness Illusion > Dark Dimension (FAR)
•Darkness Illusion > Stalking Flare (CLS)
•Darkness Illusion < Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Finishing Shower < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Finishing Shower < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Finishing Shower < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Finishing Shower < Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)
•Finishing Shower < Superjump -> Mass Change M (CIN, CLS)
•Finishing Shower > Stalking Flare
•Shadow Servant > Chaotic Flame
•Shadow Servant > Stalking Flare (HIT)
•Shadow Servant < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Soul Fist can easily be snuffed by Dormammu’s crouching or standing medium; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

•Morrigan’s Darkness Illusion is only invincible at the very beginning. The actual range on the attack is very poor, and any move in Dormammu’s arsenal will beat out Darkness Illusion after its invincibility frames have completed.

Phoenix (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Teleport < s.S (SPD)

Hypers:
•Phoenix Rage < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Phoenix Rage > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Phoenix Rage < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Phoenix Rage = Purification (CIN, FAR)
•Phoenix Rage < Superjump (FAR)
•Phoenix Rage > Stalking Flare (HIT, CLS)
•Phoenix Rage < Stalking Flare (FAR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Stalking Flare is your friend. This can often be a solution to Phoenix’s teleport mix-ups; if Phoenix attempts to teleport behind you during the startup of Stalking Flare, Stalking Flare may hit her before she can recover. If Phoenix attempts to teleport behind you before you finish the input for Stalking Flare, she will eat a Chaotic Flame instead. This may also be your best time to X-Factor.

•Phoenix’s Teleport has 20 frames of recovery; punish it.

Ryu (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Hadoken < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Shinkuu Hadoken < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Shinkuu Hadoken < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Shinkuu Hadoken > Stalking Flare
•Shinkuu Hadoken > Dark Dimension (FAR)
•Shinkuu Hadoken < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Shin Shoryuken > Chaotic Flame
•Shin Shoryuken = Dark Dimension (NEG)
•Shin Shoryuken < Stalking Flare
•Shinkuu Tatsumakisenpukyaku > Chaotic Flame
•Shinkuu Tatsumakisenpukyaku > Stalking Flare
•Shinkuu Tatsumakisenpukyaku > Dark Dimension

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)

General Tips:
•Hadokens can easily be snuffed by Dormammu’s crouching or standing medium; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

Sentinel (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•c.M > c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG)
•c.M < Jumping
•s.H, c.H < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)
•j.M > j.X (RNG)
•j.H > c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG)
•j.S < c.M (RNG)

Specials:

Hypers:
•Hard Drive > Chaotic Flame
•Hard Drive > Stalking Flare
•Hard Drive > Dark Dimension
•Hyper Sentinel Force < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Hyper Sentinel Force = Chaotic Flame (TRD, CIN)
•Hyper Sentinel Force < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Hyper Sentinel Force > Stalking Flare
•Hyper Sentinel Force < Superjump -> Mass Change M (CIN)
•Hyper Sentinel Force < Throw (CLS)
•Plasma Charge = Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Plasma Charge < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Plasma Charge < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Plasma Charge < Mass Change M (WHF)
•Plasma Charge < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Do not try to catch aerial Sentinels with a Chaotic Flame or Stalking Flare when they are at a low height; Hard Drive has invincibility from the first frame of startup and can punish you on reaction.

•Practice snuffing Sentinels standing and crouching lasers with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

•Both Chaotic Flame and Stalking Flare lose out to Hyper Sentinel Force when the latter is used on reaction. Be cautious when using either to punish - you may end up on the receiving end. For Stalking Flare, X-Factor canceling after the flare is out will let you win the exchange.

•Sentinel is big enough that Dormammu can combo out of Mass Change M without the aid of an assist. j.M, j.H or j.S into launcher will work fine.

She-Hulk (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Emerald Cannon < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Emerald Cannon < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Emerald Cannon < Stalking Flare
•Road Rage > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Road Rage < Chaotic Flame (RND, FAR)
•Road Rage < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Road Rage > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)

General Tips:
•She-Hulk completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against She-Hulk.

Shuma-Gorath (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.M < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), j.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)
•s.H > c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG)

Specials:
•Mystic Ray > c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG)
•Mystic Ray < s.S (NEG)
•Mystic Smash < c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG), j.X (RNG), Air Throw
•Mystic Smash (Air) < c.X (RNG), s.X (RNG), j.X (RNG), Air Throw
•Mystic Stare > c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Chaos Dimension > Chaotic Flame
•Chaos Dimension < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Hyper Mystic Ray < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Hyper Mystic Ray < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Ray < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Hyper Mystic Ray < Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Ray < Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Ray > Stalking Flare
•Hyper Mystic Smash < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Hyper Mystic Smash < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Smash < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Hyper Mystic Smash > Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Smash < Mass Change M (CIN, FAR)
•Hyper Mystic Smash > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)

General Tips:
•Shuma-Gorath completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and he has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Shuma-Gorath.

•Shuma-Gorath’s wonky hurtbox makes Dormammu’s usual Purification OTG into Chaotic Flame very difficult to land. Unless you cancel into Chaotic Flame during the earliest available frames, Shuma-Gorath will continue to rise out of Chaotic Flame with Purification.

Spencer (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Bionic Lancer > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Bionic Lancer < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Bionic Lancer > Stalking Flare (HIT, CLS)
•Bionic Lancer < Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Bionic Maneuvers < Chaotic flame (RND, CLS)
•Bionic Maneuvers < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Bionic Maneuvers < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Bionic Maneuvers < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Spencer’s Bionic Lancer has projectile invincibility; be wary of any specials or hypers you use against Spencer, as he can punish most of them on reaction. However, Bionic Lancer falls just short of traveling the full length of the screen; you are safe from Bionic Lancer if you are both on opposing ends.

Spider-man (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Crawler Assault > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Crawler Assault < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Crawler Assault < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Crawler Assault < Stalking Flare
•Maximum Spider < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Maximum Spider < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Maximum Spider < Stalking Flare
•Ultimate Web Throw < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Ultimate Web Throw < Stalking Flare
•Ultimate Web Throw = Dark Dimension (NEG)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•When sitting comfortably behind a Flame Carpet, keep an eye out for Web Throw; remember that it is a misnomer, and can in fact be blocked.

Storm (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Whirlwind > Dark Hole (WHF), Purification (WHF)

Hypers:
•Elemental Rage = Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Elemental Rage < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Elemental Rage > Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Elemental Rage = Dark Dimension (CIN, FAR)
•Elemental Rage > Stalking Flare
•Ice Storm < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Ice Storm > Dark Dimension
•Ice Storm > Stalking Flare
•Lightning Storm < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Lightning Storm < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:

Super-Skrull (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:

Hypers:
•Death Penalty > Chaotic Flame
•Death Penalty < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Death Penalty > Dark Dimension
•Death Penalty > Stalking Flare
•Inferno < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Inferno < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Inferno < Stalking Flare
•Skrull Torch > Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Skrull Torch > Dark Dimension (RND)
•Skrull Torch < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Meteor Smash is an effective way for Super-Skrull to bypass your defenses entirely, but it is punishable on block. Be ready for your opponent to cancel Meteor Smash into Inferno even if it is blocked, as this is the only way to make the move safe.

Taskmaster (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•Spidey Swing < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG), Jumping (see General Tips)
•s.S < c.X (BLK), s.X (BLK)

Specials:
•Aim Master L (Hold): < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Legion Arrow LM < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Legion Arrow LM = Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Legion Arrow LM < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Legion Arrow LM < Stalking Flare (CLS)
•Legion Arrow LM > Stalking Flare (HIT, FAR)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Aim Master L (Hold) can be snuffed with s.M and kara-canceled into a special of your choice, but the timing is very strict.

•Taskmaster’s Charging Star command normal negates Flame Carpet; unlike Captain America, Taskmaster’s Charging Star can be made safe by canceling it into Aim Master L (Hold).

•c.M, s.M, and s.S outrange Spidey Swing, and you can simply jump over Spidey Swing if you are close enough while it starts up. j.H and j.S can lead into a full combo at this point, but the timing is tricky.

[Karsticles]

Matchups, Page 4

Thor (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.H < s.H (RNG)
•j.H > c.M (RNG, RND)
•j.S < c.M (RNG)

Specials:
•Mighty Spark < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Mighty Punish > Chaotic Flame
•Mighty Punish < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Mighty Thunder < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Mighty Thunder < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Mighty Thunder < Mass Change H (CIN)
•Mighty Thunder > Stalking Flare (DUR, HIT)
•Mighty Tornado < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Mighty Tornado < Stalking Flare
•Mighty Tornado < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Practice snuffing Thor’s Mighty Thunder with your standing and crouching medium attacks; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

Trish (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•Dive Kick < c.M (RNG, FNT), s.H (RNG)
•Dive Kick > c.M (RNG, OHD), s.S (RNG),

Specials:
•Low Voltage L < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Duet Pain > Chaotic Flame
•Duet Pain < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Duet Pain = Dark Dimension (RND, NEG)
•Duet Pain < Dark Dimension (RND)
•High Voltage < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•High Voltage < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•High Voltage < Stalking Flare
•Round Harvest < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Round Harvest < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Round Harvest < Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Round Harvest > Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Round Harvest < Stalking Flare (CLS)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Whether you can snuff Trish’s Low Voltage depends on the version used. Low Voltage L is very easy to kara-cancel off of into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell, but Low Voltage H covers too much area for Dormammu’s normals.

Tron Bonne (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.H < c.M (RNG)
•j.S < c.M (RNG)
•s.H < s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Specials:
•Bonne Strike < c.M (RNG), s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG)

Hypers:
•Servbot Takeout < Chaotic Flame (RND, CLS)
•Servbot Takeout < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Servbot Takeout < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Servbot Takeout < Stalking Flare
•Servbot Surprise = Chaotic Flame (CIN, TRD)
•Servbot Surprise < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Servbot Surprise < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Servbot Surprise = Stalking Flare (TRD, HIT)
•Shakedown Mixer > Chaotic Flame
•Shakedown Mixer < Dark Dimension (RND)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (HIT)

General Tips:
•Tron Bonne completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against Tron Bonne.

•Tron Bonne is big enough that Dormammu can combo out of Mass Change M without the aid of an assist. j.M, j.H or j.S into launcher will work fine.

•Due to Tron Bonne’s unique hitbox, you can juggle her using c.M, qcf.L, c.L, c.M before launching. This actually does less damage than Dormammu’s standard combo due to the damage decay caused by your Dark Hole, but builds significantly more meter.

Viewtiful Joe (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Red Hot Kick L < c.M (RNG)
•Red Hot Kick M > c.M (RNG, OHD)
•Red Hot Kick M < c.M (RNG, FNT), j.M (RNG), s.H (RNG)
•Red Hot Kick H < c.M (RNG, FNT), j.M (RNG)
•Red Hot Kick = s.H (RNG)

Hypers:
•Desperado < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Desperado < Dark Dimension (CIN, CLS)
•Desperado > Dark Dimension (RND, FAR)
•Desperado < Mass Change H (CIN, FAR)
•Desperado > Stalking Flare
•Mach Speed > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Mach Speed < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Mach Speed < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Mach Speed > Stalking Flare (CLS)
•Mach Speed < Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Viewtiful Godhand > Chaotic Flame
•Viewtiful Godhand < Dark Dimension (CIN)

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, FAR)

General Tips:
•Viewtiful Joe is a small character; small characters can be juggled several times in corners by looping Dormammu’s crouching medium into Flame Carpet.

•Dormammu can dash through Viewtiful Joe when he is crouching.

Wesker (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Samurai Edge > Dark Matter (DUR)

Hypers:
•Lost in Nightmares < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Lost in Nightmares > Chaotic Flame
•Phantom Dance < c.X (BLK, CLS), s.X (BLK, CLS)
•Phantom Dance < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Phantom Dance < Chaotic Flame (BLK)
•Phantom Dance > Dark Dimension (FAR)
•Phantom Dance > Dark Dimension (RND, CLS)
•Phantom Dance < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Flame Carpet is an excellent way to shut down Phantom Dance, even when it is used during a combo; if Wesker touches the fire, he will be hit out of Phantom Dance. Wesker always lands wherever he started Phantom Dance; if he started next to you, be ready to punish during its recovery.

Wolverine (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•Dive Kick < c.M (RNG, FNT), s.S (RNG, FNT), s.H (RNG)
•Dive Kick > c.M (RNG, OHD)

Specials:

Hypers:
•Berserker Barrage X < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Berserker Barrage X < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Berserker Barrage X < Stalking Flare
•Fatal Claw < Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Fatal Claw < Dark Dimension (RND)
•Fatal Claw < Stalking Flare
•Weapon X > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Weapon X < Chaotic Flame (FAR)
•Weapon X < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Weapon X > Dark Dimension
•Weapon X < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (FEW, BLK, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Wolverine’s Berserker Slash is invincible during the middle portion of the move. This can allow Wolverine to bypass Flame Carpet entirely. While Flame Carpet is still useful against Wolverine, be wary when laying it, and do not assume you are safe because you are behind it.

•Remember that Dive Kick can be blocked low, and that once Wolverine starts it, he cannot block until reaching the ground. Flame Carpet is a wonderful answer to Dive Kick-happy Wolverine players; just block and let them fall into the fire, then combo.

X-23 (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:

Specials:
•Talon Attack L < c.M (RNG, FNT)
•Talon Attack L > c.M (RNG, OHD)

Hypers:
•Rage Trigger > Chaotic Flame (CLS)
•Rage Trigger < Chaotic Flame (CIN, FAR)
•Rage Trigger < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Rage Trigger > Stalking Flare (HIT, CLS)
•Rage Trigger < Stalking Flare (FAR)
•Weapon X Prime > Chaotic Flame (RND)
•Weapon X Prime < Dark Dimension
•Weapon X Prime = Dark Dimension (CIN, NEG)
•Weapon X Prime > Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, BLK, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•X-23 completely lacks any form of useful projectiles or ways to safely navigate your own defenses, and she has no long-range means to punish your activities on reaction. Always try to keep a Flame Carpet placed against X-23.

Zero (Opponent)

Spoiler

Normals:
•j.H < c.M (RNG)
•s.H = s.M (RNG, RND), s.S (RNG, RND)
•Shippuga < s.M (RNG), s.S (RNG), Jumping

Specials:
•Hadangeki < c.M (NEG), s.M (NEG), j.M (NEG), c.H (NEG), s.H (NEG), j.H (NEG), s.S (NEG)

Hypers:
•Genmu Zero > Chaotic Flame
•Genmu Zero = Dark Dimension (NEG)
•Genmu Zero > Stalking Flare
•Rekkoha < Chaotic Flame (CIN)
•Rekkoha < Dark Dimension (CIN)
•Rekkoha < Stalking Flare

Combos:
•c.L, c.M (WHF, CRH)
•Chaotic Flame (WHF, FAR, CRH)

General Tips:
•Hadangeki can easily be snuffed by Dormammu’s crouching or standing medium; cancel into Dark Hole, Purification, or a Dark Spell to achieve momentum.

•Shippuga has a very small vertical hitbox, and you can often simply jump over it and punish from above.

[Karsticles]

Gameplay and Combos

A Word:
Combos are separated by category; the order of categories is as follows: Basic, Position-Based, Liberation-Based, X-Factor-Based, and then Assist-Based. Combos are not cross-listed; the tier of features by which a combo is categories is Assist-Based, X-Factor-Based, Liberation-Based, Position-Based, and then Basic. The idea is for each combo to be placed according to the degree of circumstance required for that combo to be utilized; so, while an Assist-Based combo may utilize a Liberation, it would be burdensome for an individual looking through Liberation combos to navigate through the various assists not utilized by that individual, etc.

Generally, combos are listed within their categories based on damage dealt. However, for the Assist-Based section, combos are first organized alphabetically by the name of the character(s) whose assist is used. If two assists are used, the combo is placed by the name of the assist character whose name occurs first alphabetically.

Notation: I will always list, when relevant, any assist required, level of X-Factor used, liberation required, number of bars of meter consumed, and whether a reset is involved, in parenthesis, after the combo’s damage is stated, in that order.

Please feel welcome to submit content; however, combos will not be listed without an accompanying video, and that video must:

1. Be of decent quality off of a capture card; no webcams.
2. Display the damage done.
3. Contain only the contents of that combo.

Tutorials:
Dormammu’s Mission Trials
General Combo Tutorial
Stalking Flare Glitch
Mass Change Wakeup Games

Gameplay:
UCI Marvel 1.1 Grand Finals 1/2
UCI Marvel 1.1 Grand Finals 2/2
GRAND FINAL WinnerStaysOn 1/2
GRAND FINAL WinnerStaysOn 2/2
8 Bit and Up 13

Combo Videos:
Team WAD Combo Video
Various Combos
She-Hulk Smash! (Liberation Assist)
Air Throw Combo Video
Another Air Throw Combo Video
Charging Dark Spells Mid-Combo

Basic Combos:
966,200 Damage (4M)
c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::atk::atk:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

600,600 Damage (1M)
j.:l:, c., :f::h:, j.:l:, s., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:, s.:l:

574,600 Damage (1M)
c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

564,600 Damage (1M)
j.:l:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj.:m;, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

552,900 Damage (1M)
Air Throw, j.:s:, j., j.:h:, j.:s:, c., :f::h:, c., :f::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

453,900 Damage (1M)
Air Throw, j.:l:, j.:h:, j.:s:, c., :qcf::l:, c., :f::h:, :qcf:, :qcf::atk::atk:

444,800 Damage (1M)
Air Throw, j.:l:, j.:h:, j.:s:, c., :df::h:, c., :f::h:, :qcf:, :qcf::atk::atk:

403,400 Damage (1M)
:f::h:, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk:

Liberation-Based Combos:
1,154,000 Damage (1D2C, 4M)
:rdp:, j.:h:, c., s.:s:, 1D2C, :atk::atk:, s., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::atk::atk:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

850,00 Damage (Corner, 1D2C, 1M)
j.:s:, c., :f::h:, s.:h:, :f::h:, c., s.:s:, 1D2C, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:, s.:l:

722,800 Damage (Corner, 1D0C, 1M)
j.:s:, c., :f::h:, c., :qcb::s:, j.:l:, j., j.:h:, :qcb::s:, j.:s:, c., 1D0C, c.:h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:, s.:l:

672,600 Damage (1D2C, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, 1D2C, :qcf::atk::atk:

636,000 Damage (0D2C, 1M)
j.:l:, c., :f::h:, j.:l:, s., 0D2C, c.:h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

628,200 Damage (3D0C, 1M)
s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, 3D0C, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk:

594,600 Damage (2D1C, 1M)
s.:s:, 2D1C, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

548,200 Damage (1D2C, 1M)
1D2C, :rdp::h:, j.:s:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

524,600 Damage (0D2C, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., 0D2C, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk:

Position-Based Combos:
670,500 Damage (Corner, 1M)
c.:l:, c., :f::h:, j.:l:, j.:h:, j.:s:, c., :f::h:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

[Karsticles]

X-Factor-Based Combos:
1,610,000 Damage (XF1, 2D1C, Corner 4M)
c.:l:, c., :f::h:, c.:h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk: (XFC), 2D1C, :dp::atk::atk:

1,566,600 Damage (XF3, Corner, 1M, Reset)
j.:s:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l: (XFC), sj., sj.:h:, :qcb::s:, :f::h:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,430,000 Damage (XF3, 1D2C, Corner)
c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l: (XFC), 1D2C, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:

1,395,600 Damage (XF3, 3D0C, Corner, 1M)
j.:s:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l: (XFC), 3D0C, s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,152,800 Damage (XF1, 1M)
j.:l:, c. (XFC), j.:l:, j.:h:, j.:s:, j.:l:, j.:h:, j.:s:, c., :f::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

877,500 Damage (XF1, 3D0C, 2M)
:f::h:, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk: (XFC), 3D0C, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk:

Assist-Based Combos:
1,188,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 1D2C, 4M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, 1D2C, :dp::atk::atk:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

956,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 1D2C, 3M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, 1D2C, :dp::atk::atk:, :df::h:

780,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 1D2C, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, 1D2C, :qcf:, :qcf::atk::atk:

753,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 3D0C, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, 3D0C, :qcf::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

685,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

671,800 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, Mid, 0D2C, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, :atk::atk:, 0D2C, :qcf::h:, :qcf::atk::atk:

465,700 Damage (Dante - Jam Session, 1M)
:rdp:, :a1:, j., :rdp:, j.:s:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,045,700 Damage (Doom - Hidden Missiles, 1D2C, Corner, 2M)
j.:h:, s.:h:, :f::h:, c., :qcf::l:, c., :a1:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcb::atk::atk:, 1D2C, :df::h:, :qcf::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,963,200 Damage (Doom - Molecular Shield, Skrull - Tenderizer, XF1, 1D2C, Corner, 5M)
s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :qcb::l:, :a1:, :df::h:, :qcb:, :qcb:, s.:s:, sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a2:, :df::h:, :qcf::atk::atk: (XFC), :qcb::atk::atk:, 1D2C, :dp::atk::atk:, :df::h:

447,800 Damage (Doom - Plasma Beam, 1M)
:a1:, :rdp:, j.:s:, c.:l:, s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

692,900 Damage (Magneto - Hyper Grav, Corner, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :df::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,152,500 Damage (Sentinel - Sentinel Force, 1D2C, 4M)
:f::h:, :a1:, :qcf::h:, :rdp:, j.:s:, s.:s:, 1D2C, c., s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::atk::atk:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

770,400 Damage (Sentinel - Sentinel Force, 3M)
:f::h:, :a1:, :qcf::h:, :rdp:, j.:s:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::atk::atk:, :dp:

728,500 Damage (Sentinel - Sentinel Force, 1D2C, 1M)
:f::h:, :a1:, :qcf::h:, :rdp:, j.:s:, s.:s:, 1D2C, c., s.:s:, sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

672,300 Damage (Sentinel - Sentinel Force, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., :a1:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, j., j.:h:, j.:s:, :dp::atk:, :qcf::atk::atk:

551,800 Damage (Sentinel - Sentinel Force, 1M)
:f::h:, :a1:, :qcf::h:, :rdp:, j.:s:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

701,000 Damage (She-Hulk - Torpedo, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :atk::atk:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

726,500 Damage (Shuma-Gorath - Mystic Ray, Corner, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :qcf::l:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

1,075,700 Damage (Skrull - Tenderizer, 1D2C, Corner, 2M)
j.:s:, c., :f::h:, s.:h:, :s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :dp::l:, :qcb::atk::atk:, 1D2C, :df::h:, :qcf::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

685,200 Damage (Spencer - Wire Grapple H, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :atk::atk:, :df::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

685,200 Damage (Spencer - Wire Grapple V, 1M)
j.:s:, c.:l:, c., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :a1:, :atk::atk:, :df::h:, s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp:, :qcf::atk::atk:

636,400 Damage (Wesker - Jaguar Kick, 1M)
j.:l:, c., :f::h:, j.:l:, s., s.:s:, sj., sj., sj.:h:, sj.:s:, :dp::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:, :a1:, :df::h:, :qcf::l:, :qcf::atk::atk:

[Andarel]

Sorry - /-11 is a zoner in BlazBlue. She has a move called Spike Chaser that summons a continuous wall of spikes from the ground that moves across the screen. [media=youtube]9C5_DzyrzRo]YouTube - Tecnopolis Niigata Vicinity Tournament - Goro [Lambda] x Toujou Banana [Litchi[/media] 0:55, it’s an amazingly good move.

I can see PoD 1 being combo filler, since it looks like it ends very quickly. I kind of like PoC ‘evolving’ and PoD getting more powerful as they go up. Sure it sidelines D1 and D2, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad since D2 still has good range and damage and dunno about D1.

I’m not sure if you can combo into Stigma from afar somehow, but you can certainly do so at close-range: its startup is super-fast.