Strider_HiryuX@hotmail.com version 1.0 ---------------------- Legal stuff...ok, basically everything belongs to their respective company. I don't really care what you do to my FAQ so long as you don't change it and ask me first. Other than that, it's just a free document and not meant to be sold or offend anyone or anything bad...So...enjoy ^_^. --------------------- 1. Intro and Analysis 2. Legend 3. Normal attacks 4. Speical attacks 5. Supers 6. Combos/Assists 7. Strategies 8. Specific strats 9. Thanks and whatever else. ---------------------- 1. Intro... Strider Hiwho? That's what I was saying when I saw him in Marvel one, his big debut. He's been around alot longer than that, but I think Marvel 1 sent him on a rocket ride to fame. Before Marvel 1 though, there was a game for the NES called Strider. I had never played it until I after Marvel 1 came out and I decided to check out Strider's backround. Anyway, the first game was like an action/RPG. You would run around and slice things up, trying to rescue a professor or something. His next game was Strider for the Genesis(and Arcade I heard, but I've never seen it). This was more of an action side scroller. I personally thought it was better than the NES version, aside from the fact that Strider looked like a white honky from Georgia. Anyway, this is where alot of his moves from MvC1 surfaced from...like his cool jump, Ghram, wall cling...etc. They DID make a sequal to it, but it was really bad. There is also Strider 2, for the PSX, which is really good, I suggest giving it a try. Well anyway, MvC1 is when he got famous. In my opinion, he owned in that game. He was lightning fast, amazing combo abilities, one of the best supers in the game, priority and range, and the list goes on. Then came MvC2, in which he is STILL amazing in...Anyway, Strider has a pretty strong following, and is well known by any fighting game fan. Hopefully, you'll get a better understanding on how to use Stridey. ^_^ Bio... Well, from what I know, a Strider is a class of ninja...Government super ninjas to be exact. Strider was one of the best Striders ever known. His clan, the Ouroboros, provides all of his mechanical gizmos and what not. His main weapon, is a special 2 handled sword called a Cypher. As far as what he's doing in MvC 2, that's beyond me. I think he was just out for a peacful flight on the Strider Glider and he bumped into Ruby's flying ship and it happened from there...Should have taken the time for a storyline Capcom...for shame. As far as his OTHER story lines, I think that the Ouroboros exiled him after he endangered a mission by trying to rescue his friend, Kain. Any other stuff you know I'd love to hear. Why play Stridey...? Do you like those lightning fast characters? Insane 70+ double jump air combos? Having one of the coolest characters ever conjured up in your control? People that can hold their own easily without assist reliance? A nifty, knockdown, heat seeking assist? If you answered yes to any of these, give Stridey a try. He's super fast, one of the best combo characters in the game, style just flows from him, and he can easily take on anyone 1v1 and come out on top, especally when they don't use assists every other second, and his Variety assist type is quite useful for pressure, combos, and bait. Not to mention, he is one of the best anti Cable characters in the game(behind Spiral). Granted, he is massively toned down from his previous vs game, BUT he is overall better(IMO). No more 7 hit ground combos, Ouroboros time is cut nearly in half, and lacks the complete invinciblility you had in MvC1, and no hyper combos while it's on...BUT he now has faster recovery on all his moves(save his Leigon), can hit out of a teleport(best new upgrade) easier double jump combos, and not to mention 2 really cool new colours...^_^ Analysis... Strength: Strider is pretty weak, which doesn't make much sense seeming how he has a sword...but whatever, that's how Capcom wanted it I guess. He can do damage VERY easily, especally when it comes to air combos, but just standard attacking is fairly weak. Doesn't matter though, since you're not trying to be Juggernaut. The damage adds up when you pull out the 22 hit double jump combos. Rating: 6 Speed: Hiryu is very very fast. His attacks are quick, his footspeed is quick, and thanks to his special moves, he can cover anywhere on the screen almost instantly. His dash is quick and perfect for starting ground. He is at least one of the top 5 fastest characters in the game. Use his speed to your advantage by constantly staying offensive. Rating: 9.5 Offense: Here is where Strider shines. With his speed, constant teleporting, rolling sweep, Ouroboros, etc, Hiryu is one of the most offensive characters in the game. He easily can and SHOULD stay offensive for 95% of the match. Never give the person a chance to rest. Keep on top of them by any means nessicary. Make good use of all of his moves. His teleport and Ouroboros are GREAT pressure moves and can keep you on supreme offense if used correctly. Rating: 10 Defense: Well, Strider can't take hits for poop. Simple. He gets hit harder than 95% of the people in the game, right behind Bone Wolvie, Akuma, Servbot, Spidey and the other wussies. BUT, you shouldn't be put in a defensive situation in the first place...Now, that being said, Strider's damage taking skills are about a 2, but his defensive skills are really good. He can keep away with Tigers, Birds, Bombs, Wall Clings, Teleports, whatever he needs to. The same teleport offense strategy can be reversed and just as effective. Teleport away and double jump to walls. His FK air Ame no Murakamu is a nice way to get from one side of the screen to the other, especally with an assist covering you. Just stay on offense and you should be fine, but if it comes to running and turtling, Strider has that down too. Rating: 7.5 Supers: Well, Strider Ouroboros super is easily one of the best in the game. I mean come on! It adds a solid 30 extra hits to your combos, does much more damage, automatically puts you on offense(usually), and is just great. No downside to it. His other supers...well, they kinda suck. His Ragnarok works really good off of most projectile assists(Storm comes to mind), and his Leigon is good for chipping and DHCing out into whoever else. But the fact of how good his Ouroboros is makes his supers all worth it. It should be the one you use the most. Rating: 8 Overall: Well, insane speed and combos, versatile moves, one of the best supers in the game, and a cool style makes Strider a top notch character in the game. At the very least he's a top 5 tier, if not top 3. I personally rate him second(right behind Storm or Spiral). I never see Strider players anymore, but I guess it's just as well, since we don't want everyone using one of the top characters in the game. ^_^ Rating: 9.5 ---------------------- 2. Legend... (1P) (u) |||| (lp) (fp) (a1) |||| (b)===O====(f) |||| |||| (lk) (fk) (a2) (d) b=back d=down f=forward u=up lp=jab lk=short fp=fierce fk=roundhouse a1=assist 1 a2=assist 2 qcf=quarter circle forward dp=dragon punch motion (F, D, D/F) bdp=backwards dragon punch(b, d, b/d) hcb=half circle backward qcb=quarter circle backwards p=any punch k=any kick pp=both punches kk=both kicks thc=Triple Hyper Combo dhc=Delayed Hyper Combo s.=standing c.=crouching ji.-jump in sj=superjump dj.=double jump ---------------------- Normal attacks... lp: Jumping: A little air poke forward. Nothing special, probably'll only see it in air combos. Standing: A little ground poke forward. Pretty quick, high priority for a jab, piddley damage, ya know. Combo starter basically. Crouching: A little crouching poke forward. Ditto as the standing jab, except probably used more often. fp: Jumping: A slash diagonally across the air. Amazing priority, quick, wonderful air-air combat, great jump in, good damage, and overall a great normal move...abuse this. Standing: Swings backwards and diagonally across the opponents chest. Not too much use. You technically could poke with it, but nah...ends ground combos ineffectively...and lags at the end. Crouching: Rises upwards with a slash. This is his launcher. Combos great, nice anti air priority, and pretty good range. Use in combos alot, and against jump in's usually. The sooner you start it, the better the results...er as long as it hits them. lk: Jumping: Stridey sticks out his foot and pops you in the head. Decent jump in combo starter, but basically used in air combos. Switch up your jump in's with this once in a while. Standing: Stridey sticks out his foot and pops you in the shin. Not much use...only in ground combos will you see this one. Crouching: A crouching ground poke with his foot. Great combo starter, fast, nice range, decent priority and a nice poker attack...you should use this to start most of your ground combos. Not to mention the standard otg ones too. fk: Jumping: Hiryu spins around and slices. Although looking much better than his jumping fierce, it's not nearly as useful. Better range, but the priorty is worse and you can't get a throw out of it. Probably in jump in combos and as a finsher is how you'd use it. Standing: Hiryu spins around and slices. Ends a ground combo just like his fp, but not much diference...better range, but I think that's it...so use this for poking if you aren't going to use his c. lk...bad recovery. Crouching: Strider brings around his sword and sweeps you. Quick, decent range and priority, can otg afterwards, and is probably the most ideal way to end a ground combo. A useful poke too, but nothing compared to Ruby's sweep. DF+K: Strider does a sommersault and slides about 1/2 way across the screen. It hits low but you can't cancel out of it. It's good for suprising and REALLY good for people that like to jump in and cross up, cause it counter crosses up them and you usually will sucessfully land a hit. This one is more on key with Ruby's, but like I said, no canceling and there is more lag at the end. ---------------------- 4. Special attacks... (qcf+p...lp is a short dash, fp is about half the screen) Ame no Murakumo: Strider does a version of his S. FP, except he dashes towards you first. This move isn't terribly useful now since it doesn't combo out of a s. fp, or s. fk, but it can OTG...so that's mainly where I use it. It's also pretty fast, so you can nail people as a counter with this, but often times an air combo works just as good. (in air, qcf+p) Air Ame no Murakumo: Strider dashes at you in the air. This is great for ending air combos and traveling. It's pretty quick, so you shouldn't have any problem with it from combos. The lp version goes straight up at a 85% degree angle, and gives serveral hits in the air, but of course, if you miss...ouch. The fp version goes across the screen at a very slight uprise...maybe like 10degrees. The same with the fk, except it's aiming down. This is nifty to cross up people with, so you can call someone like Ryu or Sprial with their projectile as you jump, then do the motion and you'll jet to the other side and they'll often time get crossed up. And last is his lk, which jets him straight down. Not much use I've found for this yet. (dp+p or k...punch is chest level, kick is shin level)(can be done in air) Ghram: Strider swings his sword and it reaches all the way across the screen. This move is good for poking...that's about it. It can be done in the air and finish air combos too. Other than that though, I don't use much...just to see if they're awake...but if you get predictable with it, the recovery is bad enough for you to eat something. (qcf+lk for a tiger, and qcf+fk for an eagle) Formation A: Strider points and a tiger or eagle dashs across the screen and hits. This great for annoyance, chipping, keep away and building your bar up. Since MvC1, this move is MUCH MUCH more useful. It's fast, there are two types, and it can keep away suprisingly well. Can combo if YOU are in the corner...but main for chipping and keep away...check out the strat section for more. (charge b, f+P...repeat motion to fire)(can be done in air) Formation B: Strider summons a little orb to spin around him. This is kind of a good move, but since it takes so long to actually do...it loses alot of usfulness. The actual shot is about the size of Ryu's fireball, but it's ALOT faster. It's a GREAT coutner, but you are quite vulnerable if it misses. What I like to do is to keep one on as often as I can, and just see if I can use it. I by no means base any type of game around it, but it's a quick useful counter if you have it on. You can end combos with it too. (charge b, f+K...lk is right in front of you, fk is other side of the screen) Formation C: Strider summons an Eagle to slowly drop a bomb on you. This move...lags. It's usful in the fact that it's defense, not presure...If you ever try to presure someone with this you'll definately be eating super pie...so what I do is call it out against combo happy people like Spidey or Psylocke and let it trade hits...This does a lot of damage, more than a lk or a launch from another pixie...make sure you cancel into a super of some sort if you use the fk version...Don't rely on or get predictable with this move...just use it very sparingly. (hcb+k...lk is the side you're on, fk is the opposite side) Vagula: Strider splits into 5 images then reforms into 1 and hits you. This is a pretty good move actually. Great suprise move and for predictable beams. You can OTG afterwards too, so it's a potential starter combo. Best time to use this is against Cable HP mashing or Icebeams or whatever. If you hate Cable, you'll love this move. It's got alot of priority while he reforms so you don't have to worry about being hit out of it, just getting punished if it's blocked. The lag kinda bites so...make sure you hit, or cover yourself or something... (bdp+any button. Lp=top left, lk=bottom left, fp=top right, fk=bottom left) Teleport: Strider disappears, then reappears somewhere on the screen, depending on what button you push. This is really useful...anyone with a teleport is at an immdiate advantage...and Strider's teleport is a very good one. It's fast, can get him out of traps and into combos, puts him pretty much anywhere on the screen, you can even combo into it. It's probably Strider's biggest change because it alters his game play alot because now you can hit coming out of it...so now it's best used for staying offensive, but like I said, you can use it for defense and turtling and just to move to the other side of the screen. Basically, use it when they are on the other side of the screen and you need to be there...I'll go over more ways to use it in the Strategy section. (qcb+p...when on the wall, p to attack, k to shoot off, foward to jump down(laggy), up to climb, down to slide down, and tap back forward really quick to switch sides.) Wall Cling: Strider hopes backwards and grabs the wall with a hook. While doing this, he can hit, move around, switch sides, pretty much whatever he wants. This is a really good runaway tactic especally against people with no Projectile, or someone like Akuma who couldn't really hit you...I use this once in a while to switch sides, or I use it to let time run out if I have to. The main time I use this though is when I mess up a teleport though(lol). But still, it's often times not bad, since you can hope down, around, whatever. If the person is close I usually kick off, but if they're far away, I usually switch sides, then jump down(without attacking). Don't leave it out of your arsenal, but don't just use it in the heat of battle, or against Cable... ---------------------- 5. Supers... (qcf+PP...p shoots out rings) Ouroboros: Strider summons two orbs to twirl around him. This is a cool super...What it basically does is put you on 100% offense, protect you, give you extra hits and damage, and let you wail away. The start up time reeks though actually, so what I like to do is throw out a Formation A, then cancel into this, then dash in, or teleport to go offense. Usually works too. People love to block low for this, so teleport above them and come down with a fp to combo them. Once they get the hang of this strat, assist, then teleport low and behind then and attack low, if they get wise to this, switch to the first one or dash in. You can always double jump out of a teleport to mess their timing up. Tons of crossup/mindgame oppertunities with this baby on. Keep it on as often as you can because there is no downside to it if you start it up right... (qcf+KK...hold up to make the eagles go higher) Leigon: Strider points and sends out a whole lotta Tigers and Eagles. This move was toned down to almost unusable. Any character in the game can now super jump OVER it, land on the other side and nail Strider. So I only reccomend it for chipping and canceling into a DHC...A nice safeway to switch, because if you cancel it from a bird and it gaurentees some chip damage. Another note is the chipdamage is waaaay toned down from MvC1...I guess Capcom didn't like this move... (dp+PP) Ragnarok: Hiryu dashes forward and tries to grab you...if it hits you're taken up into the air and slashed about for about 16 hits. This move isn't too useful either, because it's slow in starting up. It combos quite well out of assists though...Other than that, limited uses. Pretty decent recovery so you shouldn't have to worry about eating a super or anything like that. ---------------------- 6. Combos/Assists...Well here's where most people probably skipped to...lol, so enjoy. Assist Chart ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- | | Ground Ame No Murakumo(Jab) Ame No Murakumo(Jab) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- | | | Variety Vagula(Seeking) Vagula(Seeking) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- | | Projectile Formation A(Eagle) Formation A(Eagle) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- | | Any assists gets you a Leigon in a Triple Hyper Combo | |----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- Jumping series: Magic Ground series: Magic Super Jump series: Magic Launcher: C. FP As you can tell by that(or not), strider is a combo Machine...you can mix it up pretty much however you want. Note that doing this with the Ouroboros on does more damage and hits, so I'm not going to post seperate Ouroboros combos unless it's special... s. lp, s. lk, s. lp, s. lk, s. fp or s. fk c. lk, c. lk, c. fk xx ame no murakumo(lp) c. lk, c. lp, c.lk, c. fp, sj lp, lk, lp, lk, fp, fk. c. lk, c. lk, c. fp, sj lp, lk, lp, lk xx ame no murakumo(jab)/ghram/Formation B Vagula or (jump in fp, c. lk, c. fk,) otg, c. lk, c. fp sj lp, lk, lp, lk, double jump, dj lp, lk, lp, lk xx ame no murakumo(jab)/ghram/Formation B Jump in lk, lp, lk, dash in s. lp, lk, lp, lk, c. fp, sj lp, lk, lp, lk...lk...double jump, sj lp, lk, lp, lk, lp xx ame no murakumo(jab)/ghram/Formation B tiger xx Ragnarok/Leigon You in corner, c. lk, c. lk, c. fk xx otg tiger xx Ragnarok Tiger, teleport into top corner, lp, lk, lp land, c, fp sj lp, lk, lp, lk air ame or whatever. Sentinel infinte: Jump in FP, FK, jump back up right away with lk, jumping, lk, jumping fp, jumping fk, land, jumping, lk, jumping, lk, jumping fp, jumping fk, etc. Not that hard. Delay it a little, and make the lk, lk, fp as you go up and the fk as you go down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- DHC/THC combos ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- Strider/Storm/Thanos: Jump in FP, lp, lk, lp+Storm Projectile assist, lk xx Ragnarok xx Icestorm, dash in, lk, s. fk sj lp, lk, lp, lk airdash up/forwards, lp, lk, lp, lk xx lightning attack xx lightning Storm xx power, Soul Strider/Bulleta/Spiral(ground) Jump in fp+Spiral Ground, lp, lk, xx Ouroboros, wail away on them until you have about 1/4 of your timer left, then do a THC. Over 100 hits and instant death to anyone in the game...and even if they don't die, you can OTG afterwards and they can't roll...Ouch. ^_^ Jin/Strider/Magneto Jin, c. lp, c. lp xx Bloodia! xx Ragnarok xx Magnetic Tempest, c. fp, sj lp, lk, lp, lk xx hypergrav xx Magnetic tempest xx Saotome Cylone Shuma and Strider Jump in lk, lk, s. lk, lk xx Chaos Dimension manual sj lp, lk, lp, lk grab, land otg lk xx Hyper Mystic Smash xx Ragnarok. And there's alot more. I'm actually really good and finding DHC's so if you want/need any with your current team, email me and I'll see what I can do. ---------------------- 7. Strategies... Strider has alot of indept gameplay to learn if you want to master him...Basically stay offensive, but I'll go though basic and some more advanced ones... Basic Strat 1: How to STAY OFFENSIVE! Strider has the nifty ability to be wherever he wants almost instantly...whether it's by means of teleport, wall cling, slide, vagula, double jumping or anything else, Strider is there...literally. So, of course use this to your advantage and stay on top of people! I mean, what's the point of being one of the most offensive people in the game if you're gonna sit back and throw out kitties all day? Not much of one...so attack about 95% of your playing time. Dash in and try to combo, and if it hits, go into an air combo, if not, cancel into a tiger or ame, then into an Ouroboros and teleport behind them. Call assists and use an FK air ame and switch sides for some cross up, or just teleport and assist. It crosses up really well. So, remember...what we do when we play as Strider? STAY OFFENSIVE! Basic Strat 2: How to keep away and run. Well, Strider has this covered quite well. I remember I was playing some guy who said "Man Strider can't defend for crap." And I said well I bet you I could keep away from you until time ran out, and he said yeah right, so I did. And I won by running...here's a few things you can do. First of all, jump around alot. Same goes for everyone, but Hiryu's double jump makes it easier to stay in the air longer. Number 2, teleport high alot, and then double jump against a wall coming out of it, then bounce off the wall after that. Great way to waste time. Number 3, Wall cling. Jump on the wall, climb up to the corner and wait about 5 or so seconds, jump to the other wall, jump kick off, and repeat step 2. And 4, throw out Formation A's. Tiger's are quick with very little recovery lag...and Eagles can stop jump in's from far away, so try something like Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Birdie, Birdie, Tiger, they should get wise and superjump by now, but if not, toss a few more out until they do, and when they do superjump, low teleport in the opposite corner and repeat. Mix all these steps up and it's easy to piss people off. Try something like...Tiger, tiger, bird, bird, teleport up high, jump off the wall, jump again, land, tiger, wall cling, switch sides, kick off, teleport high, bird, tiger, tiger, etc. Make up your own random crap you do. It's fun and usually effective, and not to mention VERY annoying. And, just to prove you're 100% untouchable Turn on Ouroboros and run away. Lol a pretty big waste, unless you're proving that if you don't want someone near you, they can't be there....^_^ Basic Strat 3: Traps and the Ouroboros. The Ouroboros is probably the best super for setting up traps, mainly because they can't do much while it's on but hold back or eat a 30+ hit combo. So what you can do, is assist with something that chips or holds their place(IE Doom's Anti Air, or Spiral's ground/projectile, etc)and have the Ouroboros chip and the assist chip, and they can't push block it either. Another thing to do with the Ouroboros is a THC. You can't do super moves while it's on, but you can do a triple super, which always does a solid 50-100% of their bar. Another thing you can do is switch out, and it'll combo...IE wait until there's about 1/8 of your bar left and switch out xx favorite combo/super. When the super is on, you'll want to hit low and high as often as you can. Low with a c. lk, and jump in with a c. lk. Teleport randomly below or above them but on their side for the best result. The thing about this is that it puts you on 100% offense...there isn't anything they can really do to hit you(except like a Air Hyper Viper Beam), so go on attack no matter what. Even recklessly...because at the very most you'll trade hits and the rings that shoot out will hit them. If you can play drums, try to keep a 32nd beat with lp and combo with the kicks and you can get about 40+ hits on it at least. To turn his orbs on, cancel out of a tiger so they have to block it, then dash in or teleport and commence flailing. (Sorry if that sounded redundant and boring, but I was emphasizing...^_^). Now more to the traps. What you can do with the Ouroboros on is call some nice chipping assists like Doom's anti air, or an Icebeam and mash away on the buttons while Assists as often as you can. Doom and Strider's Trap can take up to 25% of your bar in chippage. ANother thing is to pick people with highly chipping supers and do a THC while they're blocking...Like pick Bulleta and Cyclops...dash in and let them block it, then pull out a THC and boom, 40% or so of their bar is gone in chippage. ^_^ Storm's Variety and Blackheart's Anti Air assist work well in keeping them grounded long enough to jump back in and repeat a combo. Try something like: Jump in FP, dash in lp, lk, lp+assist, lk, fp, fk, jump in lk, lp, lk, dash in c. lk+assist, c. lk, c. fk xx jab ame, and repeat. Good for pressure, but they can always push block or Anti Air Assist you out of it...but don't do it over and over...just do it every once in a while. Advanced Strats: Teleport/Vagula/Wall Cling/Slide/evasive/mindgame: Ok, teleporting first. He has a quick teleport and can attack coming out of it, making it a perfect combo starter, and retreating move. I usually mainly to go offensive or get the person off of me. Defense wise you generally teleport as far away from the enemy as you can and then double jump to walls and then around some more. If they like superjump cross up(I've seen this mostly used with Tron Bonne) you wanna teleport the opposite low corner and they throw out some Formation A's. His Vagula is for hitting people, knocking them out of Super, patterns, what have you. It has ALOT of priority so you should use it mainly for that purpose. You have otg chances after it. Wall Clinging is a great hide/run tactic...mainly I use it to kill 10 or less seconds in the clock. Stay on one wall for about 5 seconds, then jump to the other and I usally suggest kicking off, rather than pressing forward, because you can't block until you land that way. Kicking gets you down fast, does damage, and is just usually a better choice. The leap to the wall is really quick, so whenever you wanna run, ALWAYS use this move. His slide is basically like his Evasive Teleport, except against normal jumps. I toss it out once in a while to check if they're awake because it has great speed, reach, prioroty, and hits low, so it catches alot of people off guard who don't block low...which is good because you can get them fearing this(which I have before...anywhere from half screen or closer they get sweeped) then it's really easy to hit high with Teleports and jump in. Most of the stuff that I said applies for evasive, but mind game is more with the low teleport and sweep. The Slide is a really good presure move, but I really suggest using it simultaneously with an assist, so you're covered. Teleport low with assists too for cross ups. Spiral's Projectile comes readily to mind. What you do is assist then teleport low and behind them and let go of the controller and 3 things happen. 1) They run away, 2)they get crossed up and the assist hits them and you continue with a combo, 3) or they try to hit Strider except the swords cover you and you can retailiate and go on with a combo. Of course Cable will probably juse AHVB like he always does, but that's the gist. ---------------------- 8. Specific Strats... Well, I don't know if I can do specific strats for everyone, but here's the people you'll face the most... Cable: Right at the top of the list...if you show me an arcade that doesn't have an abusive Cable player there, I'm moving in next door to you...^_^ Anyway, Much like Spiral, Strider owns Cable. If they become predictable with HVBs or FP's, teleport above them and let them have it. His keep away skills don't work as well as someone with a teleport, so you don't have to worry...and most people who play keep away characters can't fight upclose very well. So...keep the pressure on him. If he has an abusive assist(Capcom Anti air, Iceman, etc) then it makes things worse. What I do against Capcom is jump in blocking, then double jump straight up and come down on both or them+assist, and try to combo...Against Iceman, just teleport above in the corner and come down on him...His gun is more of a scrubby way to play him, but what I do is slide under his gun...If he sends out an assist like Cyclops that misses, I highly reccomend NOT NOT NOT trying to hit him. I suggest a teleport behind him. Baiting can be a way to play Cable, where they throw out assists then cover him so you eat a AHVB when you try to hit him...Another thing, try not to get cornered with that. If they corner you, superjump around alot. If they are really good at trapping, try a superjump above him and a Air Ame with lk. It'll send you down on top of him(hope it doesn't hit him though...) Try to stay close is the main thing to do against him though. Also, I highly reccomend NOT NOT NOT using assists against him as he can easily jump and hyper viper beam over and over until your assist character is dead, and all you can do is block and take chippage. Iceman: Yeah, he's overused too, but simple to beat. Icebeam from him=Teleport from you, and you'll almost ALWAYS come out on top. Most Iceman players that I've seen enjoy jumping in with a lk, and trying to end up in an ac with an Artic Attack at the end...so stay on top of him in the air as much as possible. If you see an artic attack coming out, teleport behind him, wait til he's done shooting, THEN hit him for a combo, or turn on your Ouroboros or something. He shouldn't be too tough as a fighting character, so just stick to him. Use anti air assists only...anything projectile or beam will get swatted and your teammate will take the Icebeam damage. Akuma: Oh yay, my fave...(sarcasm). I hate him so much. He's easily the most abused character in the game, wether it's a c. lk, c. lk xx hurricane kick xx Tenma Gou Hadou or if it's an air combo ending in a glitched Hurricane Kick with a super...It gets old though. Not to mention that his Expansion assist is one of the best in the game...or cheesey I should say. Amazing priority...jump in against it though, because hurricane kicks don't have anti air properties(except Ken's). Anyway, watch for his Messatsu Gou Shouryuu because it's really fast and takes you apart fast...but if it's blocked...>=D How I suggest you play this one is constant assisting, and simple combos because they do more damage then the flashy double jump combos. Akuma takes damage REALLY poorly so it shouldn't be too long before he's dead. He can be tricky to get on defense though, but once he is, he's like a baby in a rocker...A nice anti air assist works wonders if they're over agressive...Try Jin's. ^_^ Doom: Again, always used...But he is probably one fo the hardest people to actually get to, with his air projectiles and flight, his jumping FP, Photon Shot, molecular shield, etc...If they do a Molec shield, teleport behind and come down a slashin. His Photon shot is tricky to avoid, if it's on the ground. But most people use it in the air, and in that case, stand/dash/slide/teleport underneath him and let him Shoot until his heart's content, then as he starts falling, jump on the other side into a manual AC. His super chips alot to, but try to stay as offensive as possible so he doesn't get a chance to use it. In the air, just try to aviod it with a low teleport. Most important thing here is to stay on top of him with assists. If people abuse his Anti air assist for traps and stuff, it's easy to aviod with a teleport...it works wonders against everyone. ^_^ Variety assists and anti air usually take care of His air game(especally storms and Blackhearts). Spider Man: He's all over too, but I think you have more priority than him if you're brave enough to stick your c. lk out first. This fight is where I use my bomb the most. I love trading hits with Spidey with this(and I do quite often) because most don't realize that that bomb takes out almost 1/5 of your bar. Watch out for his s. fk as anti air, it works really well, but there really isn't a secret to Spiderman...Push block as much as you can, and block low ALOT. If you actually do get caught up in his dreaded eternal combo of doom, um...I usually block high, but I still get hit low sometimes...it's pretty cheesey. Best thing to try and do is block high and hold down back as he lands...usually keeps you safe. Roll often too, because he likes that sweep xx Crawler Assult crap. A nice Anti Air Attack(AAA) works well against his constant dashing in. Guile: Yeah, he's back, and overpowered like hell in my opinion. He can combo his Sonic Hurricae out of anything, that sucks you in, covers 3/4 the screen, comes out instantly, and sets up for wicked DHCs. Most Guile players that I've seen like to do his sweep xx Sonic hurricane, so roll alot. If you block the sweep, push block then tiger xx Ouroboros strat and go offensive. Watch for his Flash Kick, cause it has alot of priority and takes you out of alot of jump in's. I usually double jump in against Guile to mess his timing up. I bombard him with assists (Projectile if I have them) and don't let up on him for anything. Try not to get nailed by a launcher, because he can end it with a super or flash kick and they both do alot more damage than they should. Guile shouldn't be too tough with good rolling skills and push block timing... Ryu: Good ole Ryu. Predictable and popular as ever...Ryu has some more speed added too him this time, with a few new damaging combos. If they play old school Ryu, it's an easy win. Vagula the predictable fireballs, teleport away from the hurricane kicks, and block and counter the ole Shouryuu ken's. Simple. If they play new school crazy air combo Ryu, watch for c. lk, c. lk xx hurricane kick xx Shinkuu Hadouken, or a c. lk . launch into air Shinkuu Hadouken. You're faster though, and have more priority, so it shouldn't that hard to stay on top of him. A nice beam/projectile assist helps keep the presure on. Psylocke: Oh yeah, she's the new hottie in town...Most people use her for her insanely priortized c. lk, leading to her aircombo ending with a super. Her Psyblades her amazing priority so watch for those. This would be good fight to use the bomb on too...Her C. lk will almost always nail you if you try to trade hits, so rely on jump ins and teleports more than your ground game. Toss out alot of Formation A's for some keep away(eww, I know), and use Ouroboros whenever you can. She takes damage a little better than you, but you'll ice her if she doesn't watch it. A nice AAA would be a good choice. Her assist is what gives people problems. It's practically instant, knocks you down, and the priority is almost unmatched. I don't want to say it, but I think the best way to handle it is Cable. No, scratch that. If they go for crossing up with it(which most people will), do his slide trip. Either you'll switch sides and the Psyblade will wiff, or you'll hit them as they do it and Psylocke usually won't do anything. If they use it as actually anti air, double jump in and go from there. Usually a teleport works... Sentinel: Oh man I hate hate hate this loser. He takes 0 skill, 0 damage, and he can hit you anywhere on the screen almost instantly then cancel into a super and do it over and over again. I use no rules on this loser, I use Strider's infinite on him, I chip him, I do whatever I have to to kill him. Most of the time, they'll chip you to death with FP's, Rocket Punches, and That little Bomb Squad move. Double jump to avoid the Drone move, Slide under the FPs, and the rocket punches...er they are hard to get around. Superjump alot and come down and start the infinte. LOL. He deserves it, so don't feel bad. Not like you're cheesing Kobun or anything. ^_^ A nice beam/projectile works well for pressuring and getting out that infinte. Cyclops: I see him alot. He's back like he was from XvSF...His MOB chips ALOT now, and you can do it in the air for even more fun. His Gene Splice is now insanely prioritizing and ends in a Super Optic Blast. Most people will chip with him...or at least become predictable with his MOB...He's got some good ground games, but his air to air fighting is crap at best. Try to take him in the air...by jumping in alot. Most people can't handle pressure with him because they use him keep away or beaming, which I don't really think is how he was mean to play. Once in a while you'll see some nice offensive people with him, and in that case push block and counter accordingly. His uppercut leaves him way open, and he practically signs his own death warrent if he shoots Crouching Optic Blasts at you when you jump in...But the main people use him is for his assist...which is bad bad news for Strider. It has more Priority than alot of your moves and can lead to an air combo(usually in conjuntion with Magneto...so you know you'll lose alot of life). Anyway, I don't really have a strat against this because it has too much priority to take him out of it, and they'll almost ALWAYS cover him afterwards, so just be really careful. This is where I'd suggest Cable. Plus, his Projectile can keep the pressure on when you're directly fighting him. ---------------------- 9. Thanks and whatever else... Extra Stuff: Colours... (lp) (fp) (a1) (lk) (fk) (a2) lp=light blue with a red scarf lk=a light tannish colour with a red scarf fp=an ugly green army-ish colour with an orange scarf fk=an even uglier maroonish colour, with an ornage scarf a1=a really cool black and red version. Black colour with a white scarf a2=a cool solid red look with all red except a white scarf. Entrance 1: Stridey rides in on his Tiger, then teleports to his corner and get ready to fight. Entrance 2: Stridey rides in on his Glider this time, and jump off in his corner ready to fight. Entrance 3: Stridey is already there this time, and there's an orb in front of him that he slashes and gets ready. Win pose 1: Hiryu hops up on the ceiling and staying there upside down as a bird passes by. Win pose 2: A Tiger leaps out and poses for the camera with Stridey. Win Pose 3: He turns his back away and closes his eyes, like his taunt. Win Pose 4: Slashs the air and points his sword down and says something like I don't need this toy [his sword] to beat you. Taunt: Turns away and says his win pose 4. Time over: Win he does his 3 pose, lose he breaks up into a buncha arrows and shoots off the screen. Same thing happens when he dies. Well, I'm not sure if I have anyone to thank. Not Crapcom, after what they did to my Chunny, I'm never forgiving them. I supose I'd like to thank some of my chums at the MvC2 message boards for mind stimulating conversation, and my friends for letting me trash them, and my arcade chums for taking it like a man. Lastly, Massystems for my awesome stick(www.massystems.com)...it's tops and I'd suggest buying one if you've got some extra cash. Lol, anything you wanna add or whatever, email me at Strider_HiryuX@hotmail.com and I'll give you credit.