__ ________ ________ __ __ | \ | __ \ / ____ | | | | | | \ | | | \ / / | | | | | | | \ | | | |\ \ | | | |___| | | | | |\ \ | | | L_\ \ \ \ | ___ | | | | | \ \| | | _ \ \ \ | | | | | | | | \ | | | \ \ | | | | | | |__| | | \ | | | \ \____/ / | | | | __ |__| \__| |__| \_______/ |__| |__| |__| The Charlie/Nash MvC2 FAQ/Strategy Guide For Advanced Players Written by The Jack Of Clubs SECTIONS: 0. A Word From JoC 1. Charlie's Background 2. Basic Attacks/Additional Attacks 3. Command(Special) Moves -Sonic Boom -Somersault Shell -Moonsault Slash 4. Hyper Combos(Supers) -Sonic Break -Somersault Justice -Crossfire Blitz 5. Charlie's Assists 6. Combos I. Combos II. Combo Tree 7. Strategies I. Players' Strategies II. My Strategies 8. What's next? 9. Credits SECTION 0-A Word From The Jack Of Clubs This is my attempt at a Charlie/Nash FAQ and strategy guide for Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Charlie is absolutely my BEST character in this game. I've been playing with him since X-Men vs. Street Fighter (versus series, anyway) and I'm under the impression that I know what I'm talking about. This guide is meant for experienced players who already understand the game engine, combo system, etc. If you are a new or inexperienced player, there are several good gemeralized FAQs available at GameFAQs. For everybody else, I will cover the pros and cons of Charlie's techniques and provide strategies that work in actual play. So, go to it! SECTION 1-Charlie's Background "Charlie's history is among the most variable of any Street Fighter. What is known for sure is that Charlie and Guile are comrades in arms, both working for the US Special forces in the same fighting style. After the Alpha series, Charlie would appear to be dead, thus fueling Guile's quest to destroy M. Bison and Shadaloo once and for all in the Street Fighter II series. What is open to speculation is how, when, and even if Charlie really met his end. "It's known that Guile and Charlie were both captured by M. Bison while on a secret operation in Thailand. Both initially escaped. The events that follow are totally dependent on what endings from what particular games you witness. Conflicting endings even exist within Street Fighter Alpha 3, where Guile and Charlie are together in a game for the first time. Such is the variable nature of the Street Fighter Universe." (Preceding text taken verbatim from Videogames.com's Complete Guide to Street Fighter) SECTION 2-Basic Attacks/Additional Attacks This is the key I'm going to use in move descriptions and combos. (Note: I refer to this game as if it were played with 6 buttons, so I will say JP, SP instead of JP, JP when Jab is hit twice, and so on.) JP=Jab Punch SP=Strong Punch FP=Fierce Punch SK=Short Kick FK=Forward Kick RK=Roundhouse Kick QCF=Quarter Circle Forward QCB=Quarter Circle Backward F=Forward B=Back U=Up D=Down S.=Standing C.=Crouching J.=Jumping /\=Super Jump \/=Land(during a combo) Special Attacks: Charlie's air combo enders are FP, RK, and Moonsault Slash. C.FP- Charlie's Aerial Rave launcher. Has lousy horizontal range. C.RK- Charlie's sweep. F+FP- Charlie's Spinning Backfist. Has good range over his normal S.FP, and you can combo it. B+RK- Charlie's 'Jumping Sobat.' This hits overhead. Useful against low-blocking opponents. Unfortunately, nothing comboes out of this. F+RK- Charlie will do a quick lead-leg roundhouse. This does the same damage as his normal RK. Pro: It's quick. Con: Nothing comboes out of it. Throws: F+FP: Charlie executes a suplex. F+RK: Charlie knees the opponent four times and launches him up a litle. F+FP(air): Charlie does a backbreaker over his knee. The opponent lands right in front of him. SECTION 3-Command(Special) Moves Sonic Boom: Charge B or D/B, F+P Charlie yells, "Sonic Boom!" and swings his arm, sending a spinning projectile across the screen. Use Jab for a slow Sonic Boom, or Fierce for a fast Sonic Boom. Pros: Setup for combos. Can be used as a one-hit shield when rushing in. You can hit an opponent with this if they dash- or jump-in. Its slow speed is actually an asset because it stays out longer than many projectiles. It's a fairly strong projectile with good priority. Cons: Slower startup/recovery. Only does ONE hit. NEVER start a projectile war using Charlie; he'll lose. Don't overuse against beamers or you'll get crispy-fried. Somersault Shell(Flash Kick): Charge D or D/B, U+K Charlie yells, "Somersault!" and does a backflip with his feet extended. This attack also sends a projectile upward at an angle. Use Short for a short(1-2 hits) kick with less height, Roundhouse for a longer(1-3 hits) kick with more height. Pros: Great anti-air move. It fires a projectile into the air; always a plus. Good counter move, esp. against jumpers. The Short version is fairly quick. Has good range(vertical/horizontal). Easily comboed out of a low hit. Cons: The Roundhouse version has BAD recovery. This move is easily punishable. DON'T pull this out of nowhere. Moonsault Slash: U, U/F, F+K (done in air) Charlie's only aerial special. Charlie brings up one of his legs and swings it downward in an overhead arc. Pros: Good Air Combo finisher. Good surprise tactic. Good priority. Great recovery. A very unusual move. Cons: DON'T oveuse this move. It gets predictable. SECTION 4-Hyper Combos(Supers) (Note: All of Charlie's Hyper combos are ground only.) Sonic Blade: QCF+PP Charlie fires off 9 Sonic booms in sets of three. By rapidly jamming on the punch buttons, you can make Charlie throw up to six extra, for a total of 15. They move very slowly across the screen. Pros: When mashed to its full extent, this is Charlie's most powerful HC. Great for pushing a blocking opponent away. Works well with some assists. If one of your other characters whiffs a HC, Hyper Cancel into Sonic Blade to push your opponent out of range. Brcause of its low speed, you can dash in after it's finished and combo. Cons: This super is SLOW. Molassses comes to mind. It ONLY combos off of a C.RK, and even then it doesn't hit fully. You can chip with it, but don't expect it to do much. Since it's so slow, never just throw this out. Have a VERY good reason to use this HC. Somersault Justice: QCB+KK Charlie does two small Somersault Shells followed by a large one. Pros: Works as an anti air-super. Comes out very fast(Juggernaut Headcrush-fast). Combos off of pretty much everything. Fairly good to DHC out of. Excellent punishing move. Cons: Recovery is bad if blocked. Like the Somersault Shell, DON'T pull out of nowhere. Don't use to chip unless opponent has very little life. If you're too far away after this executes, the opponent can recover after the first somersault, so be VERY careful. Crossfire Blitz: QCF+KK Charlie charges forward, covering approximately 2/3(?) of the screen. If the charge is unblocked, he proceeds to automatically combo his opponent for 10 hits. Pros: Comboes out of a Standing FP/RK, and you can combo it off of an OTG C.RK(see strategy section). A very cool punishing super. Almost NO recovery lag if blocked. If you whiff another character's super, DHC into this to prevent getting punished. Almost ANYTHING will DHC well out of this, since it holds the opponent in place. Awesome priority overtakes a lot of other HCs. Not awesomely damaging, but you always get max damage out of it. Cons: SLOW startup, easy to see coming when done by itself. SECTION 5-Charlie's Assists Alpha:Projectile Assist: Jab Sonic Boom THC: Sonic Blade Beta:Anti-Air Assist: Roundhouse Somersault Shell THC: Somersault Justice Gamma:Balance Assist: Sonic Boom if opponent is on the ground, Somersault Shell if he is in the air THC: Sonic Blade if opponent is on ground, Somersault Justice if he is in the air SECTION 6-Combos Best combo starters: Jump-in RK, dash-in C.SK, jump-in FP Moves listed in parentheses are optional. 1. Dash-in, C.SK > C.FK xx Somersault Shell This is my most used/abused combo. Quick and effective. Be careful with it, though; if you are too far out of range after the FK, the Somersault Shell will only hit once, and you'll get nailed once they recover. 2. J. FK\/ C.SK > C.FK xx Somersault Shell A jump-in variation of #1. Take the same precautions. 3. Dash-in, C.SK > C.FK (> C.RK) xx Somersault Justice This is like #1, but it ends with a super. I don't usually use the C.RK in this combo; it doesn't help much, and the enemy can roll out of it before the super hits. Also, like in #1, if you're out of range after the C.FK, the opponent can recover. 4. Dash-in, C.SK > C.FP /\ JP > SK > SP > FK > Short Moonsault Slash Your basic Aerial Rave. For what it's worth, it does some good damage. You could also start it with a jump-in. 5. Dash-in, C.SK > C.FP /\ JP > SK > SP > (slight pause) F+FP(air throw)\/ C.SK > C.FP /\ JP > SK > SP > (slight pause) F+FP(air throw)\/ C.SK... Charlie's air throw combo, which I explain better in the Strategy section. You can keep looping this as long as your opponent doesn't roll or tech hit. 6. Dash-in, C.SK > C.FK > S.RK xx Crossfire Blitz A 13-hit combo that does about 1/3 of a lifebar damage on a standard target. Make sure you cancel into the Crossfire Blitz very quickly. Nice and simple. SECTION 7-Strategies I. Players' Strategies A lot of the guys on the MvC2 message board at www.gamefaqs.com were cool enough to help me out with this section by giving me their individual strategies, so I'll start with those. Thanks, everybody! "When I play Charlie, I try to dominate with Ground Combos into his supers (Flash kick super...Crossfire Blitz super) and basically try to keep the opponent on the ground with me. His u,uf,f+k move is great for knocking characters out of the air. Like Guile, he has some pretty nice normal kicks...so I combo his supers out of them if anything. A simple, damaging one I do is, s.lk s.mk s.hk(hits twice)xx Crossfire Blitz. That's my general strategy. His Sonic Boom super is kinda slow so I only use it for chipping a weak character(remember to mash). He works good with Hayato too cause you can DHC Black Hayato from that Crossfire Blitz combo I listed for LOADS of easy damage. Works good with Rogue too...." -Stuc2K "Yeah, I like Charlie too,his corner game is very good. His Air Blade move (u,uf,f,k) can be use as sort of a ''quick drop'' move. His Sonic Blade (Sonic Boom super) can be used offensive wise, but I don't recommend just throwing it out though, only use if the character is coming down from a super jump, it does nice chip, also, you can use the Sonic Blade as a nice move to switch out on. If you missed another characters Hyper Combo, DHCing into the Sonic Blade is also safe to do then. His Crossfire Blitz should only be used as a counter type move, because of its aweseome speed. It doesn't do as much damage, but in the corner, you can add to it with some OTG hits to increase the damage from the super. His Summersault Justice though, comes out super quick, and can be used to counter some block LP/LK-HP/HK attacks because of its super start up." -Gen2000 "Well, first Charlie is better than Guile, that overhead flash kick thing is confusing to people. His Sonic Boom Super Move is good if you are cornered, I throw this out and remember to mash! Jab Sonic Booms for an assist or as a normal move is great to confuse and add pressure. He seems faster than Guile in a air combo and he dominates the corner game. If I dont have an anti-air assist with me like in my team now I use that assist or his Projectile assist for pressure. This sounds stupid, but dashing in crouching jab is good for me to set up combos. His sonic boom move is good prioroty for a special move." -Lavitz2345 "Here is a combo that I've done before/2 variations cammy is on aaa. clk,clk,chk,right after they trip call cammy xx sonicblade super. Thats an easy way to connect it. And if they are in the corner. clk,clk,chk,right after they trip call cammy xx sonicblade super walk forward lp,lp,hp,crossfireblitz otg clk,chk. Or instead of using the cfb launch them and you know the rest. The moonkick is by far his best move since it has no lag after being blocked, lucky thing a lot of my opponents don't know this. And if you time it like a quick ahvb when you jump back you can catch them off gaurd if you are close. I always have a good beamer and an AAA on charlies team. With him on alpha assist." -metrock1 "Ok..... Charlie does best on the ground and in the corners. When I'm being cornered, I do a c.lk,c.lk,flash kick little combo, it knocks them back good. When cornering, try to combo.If that dosen't work, Do his hp throw and the opponent will fly into the air, correct? As they are coming down jump and grab them with your air throw and you can still otg with c.lk, c.lk, short flash kick or That somersault thingy of his." -Sonsonuser "air combo to a throw, otg, do it again, otg into a super..." -Magneto "Dunno if anyone has posted anything like this, but here goes. Charlie/B-Doom(wow another use for his assist? amazing) It's best to use a battery for this team(Magneto or Storm would work best IMO). With max meters, try to corner opponent, then get them to block a inverted air flash kick thingy(u, uf, f + k in air). Proceed to do a fairly slow ground combo, while calling Doom at the beginning. Let Doom chip them and throw a Sonic Blade super(d, df, f + pp) from a good distance. Try to time it so that the Sonic Booms start hitting when Doom is ending, so you can jump in again and repeat. Does pretty good block damage. (Note: I'm kinda polishing this... can't give exact timing and distance measures)" -Shuzer II. My Strategies 1. Up-Close This is Charlie's main game, period. If you want to be effective, you have to get in your opponent's personal space. Charlie's moves have good priority for regular attacks. I don't use Charlie's punches a whole lot outside of an Aerial Rave; his kicks just seem to work better for me. When I play I like to dash-in low with a Short Kick. If it hits, I can keep comboing. If it doesn't, I recover right away and try something else. If your opponent blocks your low attacks, hit B+RK to nail him/her in the head with your jumping sobat(the spinning back kick that hits overhead; see the moves section). If you keep charging a Sonic Boom during a ground combo, you can throw it and rush in while your opponent's stunned. Also, since you have to charge down for the Somersault Shell, you can dash-in low and let it charge while you're attacking, then let it loose. Charlie's Jumping Roundhouse has the best priority and reach of his jump-ins. Occasionally I'll use a Fierce instead, but only if I'm jumping in real deep. Charlie's F+RK attack has better speed and reach than his normal RK, but that's about it, since you can't combo after it. His F+FP also has better range than his normal FP, AND you can combo off of it. Try dashing in with F+FP for an atack with good reach. Also, try dashing in with B+RK to catch ducking opponents off-guard, especially if you usually dash in low. Use Sonic Booms and assists to give you a chance to get close. Also, an assist that knocks down the opponent is a big help, since you can OTG after it. Take Iron Man's Beta(Repulsor Blast) assist, for example: Iron Man assist(B), OTG C.RK xx Crossfire Blitz Iron Man assist(B), OTG C.SK > C.FP /\ Aerial Rave If you get the chance to OTG an opponent, DO IT! Easy damage! Of course, don't forget that most players know how to roll after a knockdown. They WILL catch on, eventually. Use Sonic Booms, assists and rush-ins to pressure your opponent into a corner(beware of his assists!). Charlie is GREAT in the corner. It makes his air throw combo easier to do. If you've got someone cornered, use your F+RK throw(the knee bash). As your opponent comes back down from the throw, you can launch, combo, Hyper Combo(Somersault Justice works well here), or any workable combination of those. Example: (in corner) F+RK throw, S.SK > S.FK xx Somersault Justice (in corner) F+RK throw, S.SK > C.FP /\ Aerial Rave You CAN use his FP throw, but the RK throw usually works better for me. Okay, so what about this illustrious air throw combo? C.SK > C.FP /\ JP > SK > SP > (slight pause) F+FP(air throw)\/... repeat. This sets up just like a normal Aerial Rave. The tricky part is when you're in the air. Normally with an Aerial rave, for the most hits, you would do the Hunter-style magic series, i.e. JP > SK > SP > FK > (AC ender), as fast as you can. You have to change a little for the air throw combo... Think of the fastest speed you would normally do an Aerial Rave with Charlie. Now slow it down just a little. This is about the ideal speed you want. What about the pause? Imagine that during that pause, you'd normally insert a FK. That's how long you want the pause to be; you're basically stalling the combo as if a FK were in there. After the pause your opponent should be just a little bit lower than you onscreen. I usually hold forward during the whle air combo, so that after the split-second pause the throw goes off nicely. After you both hit the ground, all you have to do is C.SK > C.FP to launch and start over again. Occasionally you'll hit funny with the launcher or part of the combo and you'll end up on the other side of your opponent, so be careful. Doing this combo in the corner helps to eliminate that problem since you're in the corner(DUH). Charlie is faster that a surprising number of characters, and he's got great priority for a fighter his size, so use this to your advantage, especially at the beginning and end of a match. 2. Keep-away Are you nuts? No. No. Don't even try it. You must be a lunatic. Well, I'd better give you some pointers here anyway... Number one, don't play keep-away with Charlie. The Sonic Boom is Charlie's only distance move, although Somersault Shell can shoot down some opponents(i.e pesky Storm players). Sonic Blade is his only distance HC, and it's too slow to be real effective by itself. With the right assists you can keep your opponent pinned down and hit him/her with this, or at least chip the heck out of them, as long as your super holds out. Charlie's a pretty fast character, and very agile, so if you're trying to avoid getting hit, jump, dash, and evade in general, using your assists to protect you. DO NOT start fireball wars with characters like Cable, Iron Man, etc. who have multi-hit, high-priority projectiles, although sometimes Sonic Blade can be used as a shield against these types. You can use Sonic Booms to cancel out projectiles like Ryu's, or even captain Commando's. Also, Somersault Shell/Somersault Justice will shield you from some projectiles and advance you(good against pesky Spiral "Wall of Swords" players). 3. Assists I highly recommend Charlie's Anti-Air assist over the other two. It's good to break through to players who use a lot of projectiles or who spend a lot of time in the air(did someone say Doctor Doooooooooom?). If you already have a good anti-air assist(AAA), then you may want to go with Charlie's Projectile type. Having a slow Sonic Boom onscreen is always a plus. Charlie works well if he is backed by a character with a good AAA, preferably one that knocks down the opponent or sets him/her up to be comboed. Also, Projectile/Expansion/Dash type assists help to clear the way for Charlie to get close. SECTION 8-What's Next? I'm gonna keep updating this with strategies, combos, etc. as they come. Also, characters that Charlie has the advantage over, and who can crush him easily. I'll probably do a team FAQ, since there aren't many for MvC2... hey, why not? So stay tuned. SECTION 9-Credits www.gamefaqs.com for hosting FAQs to help idiots liek me learn the ways of the game CJayC for running GameFAQs All the guys from the GameFAQs MvC2 Message Board who helped me out by giving me strategies: Stuc2K Gen2000 Lavitz2345 metrock1 Sonsonuser magneto Shuzer Bucky, Bowen, Sean, and all the other guys who beat the tar out of me in the FIRST MvC, giving me incentive to get good at this one The good players I play regularly: Roger, Goatee Guy, Mayor McCheese, the guy who thinks glitching Juggernaut is cheap although he always did it anyway, Tim from Tilt, Bucky(again), Green Shirt, Short Guy who hangs around with Goatee Guy, Pickles, and anyone else I forgot The Good Lord for giving Capcom the inspiration to make time-wasting games like this one My car for getting me to the arcade to play this game Dragon Gym, which keeps me from becoming pear-shaped while I play this game This FAQ is copyright 2000 Josh Yarnall(alias Jack Of Clubs). If you're gonna use any info from this FAQ, e-mail me first and tell me, and give me credit. If you didn't get this from www.gamefaqs.com or www.angelfire.com/zine/InsanityFair I've clearly been ripped off. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and all mentioned characters are copyright their respective companies, who allow us to humbly write stuff like this without asking them first. Wow, we're bad! What, you're still here? Get out there and play! Take down a Magneto player for me.