Matchups
A Word:
It is with great confidence that I say Dormammu is the most matchup-based character in this game. Many of his tricks are versatile, allowing him to rush, harass, or turtle as needed, largely dependent on his teammates. Dormammu wins fights by exploiting his opponent’s weaknesses; every opponent provides you with a unique battle experience.
All advice is provided without consideration of assists; this is undesirable yet a necessary limitation. Given Dormammu’s playstyle, this also makes it generally impossible to categorically state how a matchup should be handled. For example, take a relatively clear matchup like Hulk: you zone the crap out of him, and he really has no recourse. When you take a relatively clear matchup like Hulk, but add in Magneto’s EM Disruptor assist backing him up, this is more than a slight difference - the entire way you approach the fight has changed. Similarly, if you are backing Dormammu with a multi-hit projectile assist, suddenly Hulk’s super armored attacks aren’t something you should worry about as much, and rushing him is more easily recommendable. So, given this, I will primarily discuss your opponent’s options, and how you can handle those options, and not the general concept of how the fight ought to be approached.
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.
As of December 27, 2012, I have decided to add gameplay of solid Dormammu players playing against the various characters in this game. This will be more or less helpful depending on the exact team structures being used, but I am confident that this is worth including. If you know of a gameplay video that would help others learn Dormammu’s matchups, please point it out to me.
For additional information about the testing methods used, please see the below sections:
Testing Between Normals
Spoiler
Spacing:
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I set the CPU to repeat an action, with a small break between attacks so I can slightly alter positioning.
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I place Dormammu outside of the opposing attack’s range.
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I attack with Dormammu repeatedly while inching him closer each time, while always providing the opposing character an opportunity to attack between each test.
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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
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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).
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
, s.:h:, :f::h:, :rdp::l:, j.:h:, j.
no matter, since he’s being given tools in other depts. air purifications…thats interesting. will creation spikes otg again? lets hope so. ARE THEY GONNA FIX THE HITBOX ON C.B AGAINST SMALL CHARS? being able to attack after a d/b airdash…now thats attention to detail.:tup:overall, i like his changes.