Marvel vs Capcom 3 Character Strategy Guide
We played with all 36 MvC3 characters and give you beginner strategies for all of them UPDATED!
Tron
Tron is another odd character that doesn’t fit easily into one particular playstyle. She’s got good mobility, relatively fast moves, and decent range. Her Bonne Strike (Reverse Dragon Punch +ATK) is a fast rushing charge that can catch players off guard and quickly pushes them into the corner when it hits.
Her Beacon Bomb and Servbot Launcher (both projectiles) are difficult to use as they leave her wide open to counter attacks, do almost no chip damage and get shut down by other projectiles. Because Tron’s Normals and Bonne Strike inflict multiple hits, players are likely to block often once you get in close, punish them with her Bonne Mixer (QCB + ATK)and Level 3 Hyper command throw (QCB +2 ATK)for big damage.
Tron's Gustaff Fire (Forward + M) is a good move for her regular combos but is one of the best assists in the game. When used as an assist Tron jumps out and shots a small flame from her robot. This move hits multiple times and sets upe opponents for big combos. Most importantly, it has huge invulnerability frames, allowing Tron to safely come in and spray fire whenever you need her to.
Tron's crouching H hits OTG and can be comboed out of with her Forward + H boulder attack.
Strengths
Solid normals, with good range and multiple hits
Above average health
Good command throw
One of the best assists in the game
Weaknesses
Vulnerable to keepaway characters, bad long range options
Level 1 Hyper moves have big start ups and need to be comboed into
Larger than average hitbox makes her easy to combo
Good For Beginners?
Sort of. Tron's Bonne Strike is really easy to mash and get damage with, but her lack of easy to use projectiles and weird normals might turn some players off.
Viewtiful Joe
Like Thor, Viewtiful Joe is likely to annoy new payers as he does not feel immediately rewarding to play as. His tiny frame means his normals have incredibly short range, his Hyper moves require a little finesse to use, and his specials are very situational. Put the time in though, and you’ll find Joe can be extremely annoying for your opponent to deal with. Many moves go right over him, his triple jump and Air Dash ability let him get around projectiles. His Viewtiful God Hand Hyper (QCB + 2 Attacks)is absolutely devastating if you learn how to connect it. His Air Joe (Mash Attack in air)is a mashable air combo that does good damage and is a lot of fun to use.
Strengths
Small frame allows him to avoid many attacks entirely and slightly more difficult to air combo
Viewtiful God Hand can completely cripple a character for 10 seconds
Excellent air game
Weaknesses
Terrible range on all normal attacks
Special moves are situational, need practice
Newbie unfriendly
Weaknesses
Terrible range on all normal attacks
Special moves are situational, need practice
Newbie unfriendly
Good For Beginners?
No. Joe's terrible reach, situational Hypersand reliance on air combos makes him useless to newbies.
Wesker
Wesker is a fast, high damage character who relies on his speed and teleport to confuse opponents and get in. His normal attacks do big damage, even on block, and his Phantom Dance Hyper (QCF+2 Attack) is one of the very best in the game, as it hits pretty much everywhere all at once. Unless the player is well versed with the teleport though, Wesker can have a hard time getting in and finding his opening. His relatively slow normals can make it difficult to get rushdown characters off of him.
A popular Wesker tactic is to play keep away with his Samurai Edge projectile (Forward + H) and Air Samurai Edge (Down+H while airborne).
Strengths
One of the best Hypers in the game
Moves do big damage
Weaknesses
Understanding his mobility takes some getting sued to
Can get overwhelmed by rushdown characters
Weaknesses
Understanding his mobility takes some getting sued to
Can get overwhelmed by rushdown characters
Good For Beginners?
No. Wesker's moves are all fairly slow and have very short range, though his Phantom Dance is excellent in anyone's hands.
Wolverine
If you’re looking for a slightly slower, heavier hitting version of X-23, Wolverine fits the bill. His standing L attack has good range but is actually fairly slow for an L attack, standing M followed by L actually sucks the opponent towards you, making it easier to combo out of. The key to playing Wolverine is utilizing his Berserker Slash (QCB + Attack) as the move automatically crosses up opponents by dashing through them. Using an assist attack during this will hit the opponent from both sides at once, making it hard for them to block.
His Dive Kick (Down + H while in the air) may seem bad as it cannot be directly comboed into on a standing opponent, but it causes a ground bounce if it hits an opponent in the air and staggers them if it counterhits. Of his 4 hyper move options, Berserker Barrage X (QCF +2 ATK) and Fatal Claw (QCB + 2 ATK) are the easiest to use effectively as they can be comboed into without fail.
Wolverine's Down Forward +M slide attack hits OTG and is incredibly easy to combo out of. It is one of the game's best OTG attacks.
Use his Dive Kick during an aerial combo to score a ground bounce, land and relaunch the opponent with S, perform a short air combo into Drill Claw (S + Attack) and end with Fatal Claw for an easy to do, high damage combo.
Strengths
Great combodamage
Easy to learn basics
Cross up attacks are leath with assist help
Weaknesses
Limited approach options
Needs help getting in close
Weaknesses
Limited approach options
Needs help getting in close
Good For Beginners?
Sort of. Wolverine is a fun character to mash with, but a lot of his moves are surprisingly slow and he has a hard time getting in.
X-23
Much like Wolverine, X-23 is a fast rushdown character that’s capable of putting big pressure on characters with her relentless offense and mixups. Her (QCF+Attack) move can hit high, low, or with H, becomes a quick long range grab that can be comboed out of. X-23’s normals are lightning fast and have good reach allowing her to pull off long combos with only a little opening. That said, her stamina is very low and she tends to take big damage from attacks.
Strengths
One of the fastest characters in the game
Lightning fast combos and mixup capability
Weaknesses
Low Stamina
Very Few long range options
Weaknesses
Low Stamina
Very Few long range options
Good For Beginners?
Sort of. X-23 attacks, especially L,are so fast that even a beginner can pressuresomeone by getting in and mashing, as her fast moves can counter many attacks before they have a chance to come out. Just don't expect her to last long.
Zero
Zero is a solid all around character with projectile options, easy to use specials and strong normals with good range and damage. While Zero’s solid fundamentals make him newbie friendly, more advanced players can use his teleport in conjunction with an assist attack to mix up opponents. His Sougenmu Hyper (QCB +2 Attacks)effectively doubles his attack/combo power, temporarily allowing him to play a strong rushdown game. With a solid bag of tricks to pull from, Zero is a rock solid beginners choice with room to evolve as well.
His Jumping H is incredibly strong and can add big damage to any combo.
Strengths
Good normal moves and easy to understand specials
Good fundamentals can be enhanced with tricky teleport tactics and Hyper usage
Weaknesses
Straight forward attack patterns require good assists to help mix up and confuse players
Weaknesses
Straight forward attack patterns require good assists to help mix up and confuse players
Good For Beginners?
Yes. Zero's normals have great reach, do good damage, and are easy to combo out of. Like Dante, he gets much scarier with experience.
Feb 25, 2011
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