X-Men: Children of the Atom/Cyclops

Introduction/Summary

Ground Chain: Stronger
Normal Jump Chain: Stronger Cross
Super Jump Chain: Stronger
Tech hit type: Escape/Safe Fall
Weight Class: Middle

Pros:

• Air normals have large hitboxes and priority (+ down ones especially).
• J.MK has unblockable frames
• Very good space control
• Great Damage/Stun off of stray hits
• Can chase “Flying” characters via use of super jump+double jump

Cons:

• Damage is low in combos due to scaling
• One of the longest OTG times, making for some "Cyclops only" combos.
• Slow Optic Blast/ Poor Recovery
• Has a tough time versus smaller characters due to most moves hitting high

Moves List

Normal Moves

Cyclops can double jump, and the double jump can cancel normals ( j.HK xx Double Jump, attack). During a normal jump, this resets your limitations.

s.LP - A quick high punch that can self-chain (w/ second animation). When juggling, opponent will fall after. Tall crouchers can get pinned from it, and it's easy to get dash jab links.

s.MP - A launcher that will pop up standing opponents and juggle airborne ones upwards.

s.HP Shoots a projectile bullet. Recovery is long so cancel it with a special or SJ. Good for putting something in the opponent's way or forcing them to block.

s.LK - A quick kick that can self-chain (w/ second animation) with a long and more mid-level hitbox.. When juggling, opponent will fall after. Most crouchers can get pinned from it, and it's easy to get dash LK links.

s.MK - A decent range poke with a good hitbox but could miss shorties. So-so recovery so it must be cancelled. Standing opponents will be kicked up slightly but bounce soon after. Airborne opponents get held then fall.

s.HK - First animation has a great (if high) hitbox. Lots of stun (esp with dash bonus) on the ground as well as when hitting as a juggle. Pressing HK twice causes a second, launching hit. Pressing HK, d + HK x2 (must be pressed twice) will combo to sweep. Pressing HK, up + HK x2 will cancel the s.HK to a jumping one. If up or down + HK is only pressed once after the first one, it will simply be canceled. This is how Cyclops can crouch cancel (and jump cancel). Cyclops can go over some lows with this.

j.MK (neutral) has potential to hit behind airborne opponents, crossing them up AND unblockable frames entirely. Most useful after a Gene Splice. Seems to hit larger characters more easily. It's juggle properties on the way up push higher than on the way down of a jump (or SJ).

c.HP See above, better for space control against pixies and low dashers.

Throws:
MP Throw: Optic blast throw tosses them up in the direction you hold
HP Throw: Bodyslams them in the direction you hold, and they bounce up a bit after giving time to follow up
Crouch Kick Throw: MK or HK+Down-Forward or Down-Back. Tosses in the direction you hold, not a ton of follow up time.
Air throw (MP/HP): Blast them directly into the ground then flip off. Problem is they recover faster than you do. Avoid doing this unless it will kill or break the floor!

Tech-Hit:
On both techs, Cyclops is invincible until landing, and unable to do any action. This lack of mobility upon tech makes you vulnerable to counter-thrower/tech traps if you are out-metered. Possible escape is holding up/p-back so you jump immediately on landing. Reversal Gene Splice can still be thrown if the throw is timed perfect to the frame (unlikely, but still a risk).
Against non-counter throwers or unmetered ones, you can try to use your invincible landing frame to beat out their throw, provided they don't outrange you.

Running DDT Throw F,F, HP+HK
Long startup, long recovery (miss or hit), grab range during the run is fairly short. Very limited uses. You could throw it in as a surprise reset during a low corner juggle, but chances are they can hit you before they land. Can't grab out of the air and shorties can crouch it!

Special Moves

Optic Blast D,DF,F + Punch (ground and air, beam type)
Meter Gain: +5 execute | +2 on block per hit | +4 per hit
LP- Crouch low, shoot forward.
MP- Standing height, shoot forward.
HP- Standing, shoot up forward.
All strength air beams shoot forward. Extremely slow and rather dangerous to use.

Gene Splice F,D,DF + Punch (ground only, mash for more hits)
Meter Gain: +20 execute Stronger buttons mean more forward motion and slightly increased height (when unmashed, mashed hitting height increases greatly). Has invincible frames on startup, but still has a throwable box. If a throw triggers at the same time the move starts, the throw can win.

Mini-Combo F,F, LP+LK (starts out with 2 hits, keep tapping for up to 6)
Combo looks like stand jab-jab, stand short-short (these start the juggle), c.MP, s.HP.
Cancels normals, good for some combos and pressure.

Super Attacks

Mega Optic Blast D,DF,F + 2P (ground only)
Can be comboed into with specific setups. The recovery on this makes it a bad idea to chip vs fast characters.

Super Optic Blast D,DB,B + Punch (ground and air, controllable directions, can reflect off of floor)
Recovery on the ground is similar to the MOB, so it's a much better idea to use in the air, where recovery is less (or harder to take advantage of). Easy to combo into as a juggle.

Combos

Some terms:
Launcher - Gets the opponent into the air.
Aircombo - Air to air hits while super jumping
Juggle - Ground to air hits or normal jumping hits
Stabilizer - If opponent is "slipping out" of the combo, this should bring them back in to the proper positioning.

Some Bread and Butter anywhere combos -
1) HP throw, jump-in d+HP*, dash c.LK** , c.HP xx Gene Splice (mash)

∗ depends on weight/OTG time, this part doesn't work on everyone
∗ ∗ can repeat dash c.LK and can also chain a few non-dashed ones
A slight delay from the last c.LK to c.HP brings you a little closer, and tends to ensure you won't miss all the hits of a mashed HP gene splice.

2) Dash s.HK (cc) dash cr.LK, s.HK a few times xx Gene Splice or go into corner juggle if you've reached corner.
3) Dash c.LK, s.MK, s.HK xx LP or MP Optic Blast (vs featherweights/girls)

vs Middleweights midscreen/anywhere but corner-
HP throw, dash-jump toward HK*, j.MP (land), dash s.LP**, s.HK xx Gene Splice (mash)

∗ bottom of your "flash kick" should be what hits him.
∗ ∗ Some may need this ommited.

Dizzy anyone feather to heavy:
- HP throw, jumpin d + hk (otg), land dash c.lk, s.:hp: xx :hp: gene splice (mash) or

- HP throw, jumpin :d:+:hk:(otg), land dash c.:lk:, s.:hp: xx Mini-Combo (5hits), :hp: gene splice (mash)

You can use :mp: throw as well. This may net more damage, but it also takes more hits afterwards to dizzy. Throwing straight up is easiest.

Superheavy variant -
- :mp: throw, jump up :d:+:hk:(otg), land c.:lk:, s.:hk: xx :lp:(or :mp:) gene splice (no mash) sj.:mk: double jump sj.:mk:, sj.:hk: xx optic blast
(often c.:lk: is facing one way, then when you s.:hk: you turn around, so keep in mind you have to gene splice in THAT direction)

If the turnaround s.:hk: is confusing your gene splice, or the jumpin hit is too hard on Sentinel due to his short OTG time, try this instead-

hp: throw, dash c.:lk:, s.:hk: xx :lp: or :mp: gene splice (no mash) sj.:mk: double jump sj.:mk:, sj.:hk: xx optic blast

Midscreen combos:
vs Superheavys
Launcher: dash s.lp xx jab gene splice
Aircombo: sj.d+mp, sj.hk..sj.lk, sj.hk
Relaunch: dash c.mk xx jab gene splice
(a corner may actually mess up this combo)

Corner combos:
vs Storm,Psylocke
Launcher: dash s.mk, s.hk-hk
Aircombo: sj.hk, dj sj.hk, [sj.lk, sj.hp] x 2
Relaunch: s.hk-hk

vs Middle and Heavyweights
Launcher: dash c.mp, c. mp (jump toward)
Juggle: j.hp, j.hk (land, re-jump toward)
juggle stabilize: j.hp, j.mk (land then re-juggle)
Re-juggle/Stabilze: (land) s.mp or c.mp (jump toward)
Heavy notes: Jump juggle until they get low (might be two or three times), land, c.mp, repeat

example... Cyke vs Cyke: dash c.mp, c. mp (jump toward), [j.hp, j.hk] x2, j.hp, j.mk, (land), c.mp, repeat jump juggle. In above example, if c.mp misses as a re-juggle, you were probably too close and it went behind them. Let go of toward as you're landing. If they remain high enough, a landing rejuggle isn't needed. If they're getting too high, SJ up for an air combo.

Repeating low juggles (these can be infinites, but minute changes in positioning and timing makes them very likely to break, walking forward as much as possible lessens the amount you need to re-dash in)

vs Middle and Heavyweights
Launch: dash c.mp, walk forward, s.hk (one hit, chaining is also possible but will eventually require more dashing)
Juggle: s.lp, c.mp, walk forward, s.hk (dash before or after the HK when needed)
Cyclops note: dash c.mp, walk s.lp, c.mp for launch may work better.
Lots of variations possible here for all.

vs Lightweights
Launch: dash s.mp, hk (chained)
Juggle: step forward s.hk, dash s.mp, s.hk
Spiral Juggle: s.lp, s.hk, dash s.mp, s.hk (s.mp seems to send her higher)

The Basics

s.HP and c.HP bullet to control space on the ground. You can cancel this to a super jump and throw out downward pokes right away, or wait and see what they do to get around the bullet before doing anything. Come down with downward HP or HK as those attacks are extremely hard to anti air.

Advanced Strategy

After a Gene Splice that pops them up, go up after them with sj.MK to try and hit the unblockable frames.