UMVC3/Morrigan

Overview Combos Strategy/Counterstrategy Resources Data

Introduction

A heir to the ruling clan of the Demon World, Morrigan is a succubus wielding a wide variety of magical abilities. Her most iconic ability is her shapeshifting, mainly in transforming her bat wings into a variety of weapons. She is the main character of the Darkstalkers series, which had heavy influence on the Marvel Vs Capcom series, and has been a mainstay in Capcom's crossover fighting games.

In UMvC3, Morrigan is an oppressive zoning character. Utilizing her uniquely strong fly/unfly cancels, she can fire off both grounded and aerial fireballs with rapid speed, quickly filling the screen. This is further exaggerated by her Astral Vision (22XX) hyper, which creates a clone of Morrigan behind the opponent, using all the same attacks that she does. A well-executed Morrigan fireball pattern can lock down an opponent for a long time, while dealing huge chip damage that puts pressure on the opponent to act hastily.

Strengths

Weaknesses

God Tier Zoning: Morrigan's zoning capabilities are top-class, not just in UMvC3, but in all of fighting games. Her fly/unfly patterns allow her to cancel from fireball to fireball almost instantly, and she can use her 1 frame Unfly to instantly return to a blocking state, keeping her safe if the opponent does find a hole. Her Astral Vision hyper not only doubles her fireball count and chip damage potential, but also is uniquely frustrating in that it puts projectiles behind the opponent, which almost no character is equipped to handle. Mobility: Her unique flight and mobility options also allow her to run a fairly strong offensive game when necessary. She can easily dash up behind her own projectiles and run a series of high/low/throw mixups, all while abusing her 1frame unfly to remain safe from retaliation. Meter Assist: Not only is Morrigan one of the few characters in the game with a dedicated meter-build assist, her meter-build is significantly faster than the other options. A backline Morrigan can constantly generate more meter for her team by constantly calling this assist, which is very difficult to punish.

High Execution: Morrigan has extreme execution requirements in order to be played at a competitive level. Rapid Fly/Unfly cancels are central to her gameplan and a Morrigan player will be doing them constantly, rhytmically, and very quickly just about any time Morrigan is the point character. Playing Morrigan requires that a player not only be mechanically clean, but also ergonomically clean as well. It is not a joke or exaggeration to say that many people who attempted to learn Morrigan were forced to quit out of fear of permanently damaging their wrists. Limited Combo Routes: Her only OTG option is a fairly mediocre Level 1 hyper. She gets very weak conversions off throws, and in general her solo damage is quite poor. If Morrigan lands a clean hit, she usually needs to either rely on a TAC to another character to secure the kill, or settle for a knockdown to resume her zoning/chipout gameplan. Meter-Hungry: Constantly uses her team's hyper meter in order to maintain Astral Vision. Although Morrigan also has several ways to generate meter for her team, and is uniquely able to generate meter during her install hyper, she can also quickly burn through all of her team's bar.

Unique Mechanics

Morrigan's dashes and airdashes work very differently from the standard ones found on other characters:

Her ground dashes, both forward and backward, place Morrigan into an airborne state. She will continue to rise higher into the air for the duration of the dash, ending up just underneath her regular jump height. As a result, Morrigan can not wavedash or plinkdash across the ground the way that most characters can. Instead, Morrigan can access her air normals and air specials relatively quickly, and relatively low to the ground. Morrigan can extend the duration of either dash by holding down the dash input, allowing her to glide fullscreen in a single dash. Her forward ground dash can be canceled from Frame 15 onwards. Her backdash can not be canceled, except with X-Factor.

Morrigan has four valid airdash directions:

• Forward - Travels directly horizontally forward like a standard airdash. Can have its duration extended by continuing to hold forward, similar to her ground dashes.
• Backward - Travels directly horizontally backward like a standard airdash. Can have its duration extended by continuing to hold backward, similar to her ground dashes.
• Down-Forward (Can also be input as Down) - Morrigan swoops forward in a parabolic arc. She initially swoops down, to roughly once character height lower than her initial location. If not canceled, she will then arc and start to fly upwards, eventually ending about one full character height above her initial location. This airdash can not have its duration extended, and will cover roughly fullscreen distance if not canceled early.
• Up-Forward (Can also be input as Up) - Morrigan gives herself a slight upwards boost. This dash has a very short duration that can not be extended by holding the input. If Morrigan cancels this dash with an attack, she will lose all momentum from the dash and begin to fall straight down.

Morrigan
Character Data
Health	950,000
Ground Magic Series	Zig-Zag
Air Chain Combo Limit	None
Forward Dash Duration	46* frames
Backdash Duration	23* frames
Jump Duration	43 frames
Superjump Duration	80 frames
Walljump?	No
Doublejump?	No
Airdash?	4-Way
X-Factor Damage Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 37.5% / 55%
X-Factor Speed Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 35.5% / 45%
Minimum Damage Scaling (Normals, Specials)	10%, 20%
Minimum Damage Scaling (Hypers)	50%
Minimum Damage Scaling (X-Factor)	35%

Move List

Assists

Shadow Blade
Assist A

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 x5	27	15	132, 102
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid
THC Hyper: Shadow Servant. Difficult-to-use anti-air assist with no invincibility and limited horizontal range. Tends to knock opponents too high into the air to be easily used in combos. Shadow Blade has two properties that make it worth considering as an assist choice: First, it is the only of Morrigan's assists to use Shadow Servant as its Team Hyper. Shadow Servant deals comparable damage to Finishing Shower if all enough blades connect, and has the added benefit of hitting OTG. This allows Morrigan (or any teammate) to simply call a THC after any Hard Knockdown to get solid damage. Second, although Shadow Blade has no invincibility as an assist, it does have 4 frames of invincibility when used as a Crossover Counter. Having this assist in the backrow gives any character access to an invincible guard cancel reversal for the cost of 1 bar of meter. As a bonus, Morrigan can freely cancel this attack into Flight once she has entered, to start a combo on hit or protect herself on block/whiff.

Soul Fist
Assist B

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	39	-	128, 98
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
THC Hyper: Finishing Shower. Morrigan fires a single projectile, that travels at the same speed as the L version of her point fireball. This assist is generally outclassed by other projectile assists, as it will lose to beams or other popular options due to its low durability.

Dark Harmonizer
Assist Y

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	25	-	110, 80
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	-
THC Hyper: Finishing Shower. Assist-exclusive move that Morrigan cannot perform on point. When Morrigan uses this assist successfully, your team is given 30% of a hyper meter bar. This assist has no other effect. One of three meter-building assists in the game, along with Amaterasu's Bloom and Frank West's Pick-Me-Up. This assist is uniquely powerful due to its quick recovery, allowing it to be spammed repeatedly as long as the point character does not require the use of a "real" assist. The window to actually hit Morrigan out of this assist is also very small, further contributing to its spammability. You can also flight cancel or super cancel this move upon using it as a Crossover Counter. You can flight cancel at any point, even if Morrigan hasn't touched the ground. If she doesn't touch the ground however you will not build any meter.

Ground Normals

Stand Light
5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000	4	3	10
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-2	Low	-
Standing low attack. Morrigan's 5L is fast even by light attack standards and has solid range. It is an important part of her mixup game, paired with using her unique dash to quickly switch into overhead attacks.

Stand Medium
5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
55,000	8	4	13
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+1	-1	Mid	-
-

Stand Heavy
5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 x4	10	12	9
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+11	+9	Mid	-
Multi-hitting attack. Morrigan advances forward very slightly - about half a character length - while kicking around herself. Can protect Morrigan from airborne attacks and even hit behind herself, although its range is not the greatest. This attack is notable for being extremely advantageous on hit or block. It can even link into itself on hit, provided that hitstun deterioration has not progressed to far, and can basically always link into 5L. This gives Morrigan a relatively basic combo extension and allows her to get some free extra damage and meter-build from ground confirms.

Crouching Light
2L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000 x2	4	2(3)2	10
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-2	Mid
Note: Not a low. Morrigan does a quick poke with respectable range. If not chained or canceled, she will then perform a second jab with slightly longer range. It is a fantastic move to mash out when trying to challenge your opponent because of its quick startup and she can low profile under so many moves and assists. Things such as teleport character + Doom plasma beam assist can be easily punished since Morrigan will low profile underneath the beam and punish the teleport.

Crouching Medium
2M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
53,000	8	4	16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-4	Low	-
-

Crouching Heavy
2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000	9	5	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-7	Low	,
Standard sweep attack.

Launcher/Special
S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
100,000	8	4	29
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
Launch	-12	Mid	,
Morrigan produces a spire in front of her, acting as a disjointed attack that protects Morrigan from the front.

Aerial Normals

Jumping Light
j.L

j.L	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	40,000	4	13	10
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+6	+5	OH	-
Very fast downward-angled attack. Although it does not work naturally as an instant overhead against normal-sized characters, Morrigan can still use it for dangerous High/Low mixups by performing a quick jump -> down-forward airdash -> j.5L. It is also a very active normal and can lead to easy confirmable air combos when pressing it during a defensive jump back.

Jumping Medium
j.M

j.M	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	55,000	7	4	26
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+12	+10	OH	-
-

Jumping Heavy
j.H

j.H	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	70,000	10	8	20
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+14	+12	OH	-
Morrigan surrounds herself in a hitbox, hitting on all sides and protecting herself from anything but highly disjointed attacks or projectiles. Useful against characters with fast grounded movement or teleports, as it can protect Morrigan from being crossed under.

Jumping Special
j.S

j.S	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	35,000 x3	5	23	18
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+8	+6	OH	,
Morrigan's j.S is a uniquely strong offense and neutral tool. She wraps her wings around her legs, forming a "drill" that attacks up to three times while falling. It is extremely fast, making it great to use as a jump-in attack or as a follow-up to her dashes. Due to its multiple hits and large active frame count, it is fairly easy to confirm and can keep an opponent in hitstun for a long time while Morrigan lands to set up her next attack. It also can setup Morrigan's 5L as a mixup when using her Down-Forward airdash if the j.5S is performed low enough so it whiffs and Morrigan lands immediately for her to perform her 5L standing low. All three attacks of the hits act as Air Combo Finishers, and no matter how many of them connect, the last one will spike the opponent downwards for a Hard Knockdown if used after a launcher.

Command Normals

Splash Libido
6M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	12	6	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+5	+3	Mid	on counterhit
Morrigan thrusts several spikes directly in front of her, creating a large disjointed hitbox. Can be useful juggling an opponent who is falling from jump height.

Deep Crescendo
6H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	11	5	29
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-13	-13	Mid
Morrigan performs an arcing, upward kick. This attack knocks opponents upwards on hit, and can be jump-canceled on hit or block. Its primarily useful for setting up certain combo routes, as it allows Morrigan to pursue an opponent up to jump height and perform loops using her aerial normals.

Special Moves

Soul Fist
236X

L/M

H

236L/M/H	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	70,000	15	Until Hit	36
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-14	-16	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Morrigan's most recognizable and important special move. Produces a single projectile that travels across the screen. Its strength lies in the fact that it is fairly fast to fire, can be fired even faster by using Fly/Unfly cancels, and has no restriction on the number of projectiles that can be present on screen at once. L and M Soul Fist are both fired directly forwards, with M version traveling faster than the L version. H Soul Fist is fired upwards at a 45-degree angle.

Air Soul Fist
j.236X

L/M

H

j.236L/M/H	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	70,000	10	-	42
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Air version of Soul Fist. Note that this version has faster startup than the grounded variant. Doing a Tiger Knee'd air fireball (2369H) off the ground actually produces a fireball faster than simply firing a grounded one, although an air Soul Fist done this way can be ducked by most characters. As with the grounded version, it is at its strongest when rapidly fired as part of a Fly/Unfly pattern. L and M versions fire downwards at a 45-degree angle. As with the grounded variants, the M version travels faster but is otherwise identical. H version is a horizontal shot fired directly forwards. Air Soul Fist has a small amount of "recoil" and will push Morrigan backwards about half a character length on use.

Soul Drain
236S

Grounded

j.236S

Upon a successful hit you'll see bats fly back to you as well as its distinct sound effect.

j.236S	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	85,000	26	-	34
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-12	-14	Mid	, Steals 30% of one bar of meter from opponent on hit, Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Special Soul Fist variant. Soul Drain takes noticeably longer to start up than a normal fireball, making it easily recognizable. The fireball produced also has small bats following it, which the regular versions lack. Soul Drain does have faster recovery than her other fireballs, but Fly/Unfly cancels make this a non-factor. Once fired, Soul Drain travels with the same speed and trajectory as Soul Fist L (straight ahead on the ground, down-forward in the air). Soul Drain stands out from Morrigan's other fireballs in that it does slightly more damage, and because it steals meter from the opponent on hit. Meter will be stolen if the fireball hits either the point character or an assist, but does not steal on block. Soul Drain can be mixed into Morrigan's fireball patterns to occasionally supplement her meter generation, allowing her to use Astral Vision more frequently. Soul drain will only steal meter from your opponent, if it hits an opponent with 0 bar you will not gain any meter. If your opponent has less than 30% of a bar, it will just steal all of it. It also has use as anti-Dark Phoenix tech, since it can be used just before killing her to deny her from having all 5 bars necessary to transform. You can find various ways to combo Soul Drain as well as tag into Morrigan to combo Soul Drain on Phoenix in the Videos section. They are situational however if the Phoenix doesn't have the life to take the hits of the combo before the Soul Drain hitting. Regardless it's still a fantastic tool to have for that matchup as Morrigan is the only character that can reliably steal meter in this game. Due to the move's slow startup, Morrigan can only combo into it with specific situations like on a grounded opponent after 6M, before an OTG Shadow Servant or using X-Factor. With various assists and/or Astral Vision active, she can combo and juggle an opponent with multiple Soul Drains. This can easily steal up to 1.2-2.4 bars of meter from the opponent leading to more astral visions and depriving your opponent with meter. You can find various setups in the Soul Drain Setups section.

Shadow Blade
623X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	80,000	3	8	32/Until grounded +11
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-4	-19	Mid	,
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	35,000 x3	3	7	48/Until grounded +11
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-15	-30	Mid	,
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	28,000 x5	3	15	50/Until grounded +11
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-21	-36	Mid	,
Uppercut special. Although it has no invincibility, it is very fast at 3 frame startup, and the recovery can be flight canceled. Mainly used at the end of combos for slightly more damage before canceling into Finishing Shower or Darkness Illusion. Shadow Blade can not be Unfly canceled despite being able to be Flight canceled, so it is risky to use if already in flight, except in combos.

Vector Drain
63214X

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	120,000	5	2	20
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Throw
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	150,000	3	2	22
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Throw
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	170,000	1	2	24
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Throw
Grounded command grab. H version is the fastest, at 1 frame of startup, but has shorter range. L version takes longest to startup but has the greatest range. All versions (even H version) have superior range to Morrigan's normal ground throw. On a successful grab, Morrigan pulls the opponent into an animation almost identical to her regular airthrow, ending with a Hard Knockdown a short distance away. Morrigan can follow this up with Shadow Servant (623XX) OTG for some damage, but does not get much else after the throw. Vector Drain is notable as an offense tool because its whiff animation can be flight-canceled. If an opponent jumps out of the grab attempt, Morrigan can seamlessly transition into flight and continue to pressure. Morrigan's command throw allows for an number of frames between the down-back and back inputs. You can input the first 4 component directions of the attack, then do just about anything until you finally hit the back input, upon which you must finish the throw command. You can even cross up your opponent and the input will be stored until you do the back input on that new side

Flight
214S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	11	-	1
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	111 frame flight mode
Morrigan's flight mode is exceptionally strong, even among characters that have access to flight, and forms the core of her gameplan. Although characters with flight can universally cancel normal attacks into Fly/Unfly in order to recover faster, Morrigan is unique in that she can also cancel her special moves into Flight activation. Morrigan primarily uses this by repeatedly canceling her Soul Fist fireball specials with Flight and Unfly commands, letting her shoot them much faster than would otherwise be possible. Unfly is particularly strong as a cancel tool because it takes only a single frame. This means that virtually any of Morrigan's normals or specials (except for Shadow Blade, which cannot be Unfly canceled) can have an effective 1 frame of recovery if Morrigan performs it while flying. Not only is Morrigan able to relentlessly attack the opponent with repeatedly canceled moves, but she does so at extremely low risk. Attempts to blow through Morrigan's offense with invulnerable hypers or beams are ineffective, as Morrigan can always Unfly to return to a neutral state, then block the attack. If Morrigan moves while in flight, then airdashes, her flight's momentum will be partially preserved and added to the airdash, allowing her to move slightly faster than normal.

Hyper Combos

Astral Vision
22XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	10+6	590	13
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	-
Morrigan produces a mirrored copy of herself. The copy is invulnerable, and is always located on the opposite side of the opponent's character from the real Morrigan, an equal distance away. Morrigan's mirror image will copy any movement or attacks (except hypers) that the real Morrigan performs, and the mirrored attacks will hit for an equal amount of damage. This hyper is the core of Morrigan's gameplan and what elevates her zoning from "very good" to "nearly inescapable". Astral Vision effectively doubles the total number of projectiles on screen, further limiting the opponent's movement and chip damage taken. More importantly, even characters who have enough projectile firepower to compete with Morrigan's fireball patterns can not aim those attacks backwards to protect themselves. If someone like Dormammu attempts to use their beam hyper to blow through Morrigan's zoning, they will simply be hit from behind instead. Astral Vision differs from other install hypers in several important ways. First, and arguably most important, Astral Vision does not prevent Morrigan from gaining meter while active, the way that most installs do. In fact, Morrigan can easily generate enough meter during one Astral Vision for it to pay for itself, allowing her to go directly into another install as soon as it ends. Astral Vision ends immediately if Morrigan tags out or uses any of her other hypers. If not canceled early by one of these actions, it lasts 590 frames (just under 10 seconds). However with 13 frames of Recovery, it is not safe to activate unprotected vs certain characters. Characters like Akuma or Dormammu can freely punish it full screen with their beam supers. A point blank soul fist hitting the opponent that is canceled into Astral Vision can be punished by a snapback. Try to ensure when getting ready to activate Astral Vision, the opponent is knocked down, pinned down by assists/Soul Fists, or is at a reasonable distance while also not being a specific character.

Finishing Shower
Dodge This
236XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
10,000 x35 ~ x70	18+2	69	21
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+13	+14	Mid	, mashable, Priority: High, Durability: 1 per missile
Morrigan floats in the air, while her wings fire a barrage of missiles. The missiles fan out semi-randomly from Morrigan's position, but they can also be steered by the player. Holding up () or down () during the hyper will cause the missiles to turn in the respective direction. If Morrigan is going to end a combo with a hyper, and not simply back off to save meter for Astral Vision, this is her most common ender. In the corner, Morrigan can link a TAC or j.5S into Shadow Servant (623XX) after this hyper. Finishing Shower cannot be push-blocked, with the help of an assist to keep the opponent pinned down, this can setup high/low incoming mixups. You can find a video of this below.

Shadow Servant
623XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000 x5	10+10	44	21
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-45	Mid	Invuln until frame 29, , , Priority: High, Durability: 5 per blade
Morrigan poses, and then 5 blades rise up from the ground, starting immediately in front of Morrigan and appearing progressively further away. This is Morrigan's only OTG, and thus her only way to get additional damage off a throw or other Hard Knockdown. This hyper is nor particularly damaging, and due to how the blades appear, it will deal significantly less damage if performed close to the corner, or when farther away from the opponent. In many cases, Morrigan players will use a Hard Knockdown to activate Astral Vision instead, as they get more value out of the chip and meter generation than they would from this hyper's raw damage. Shadow Servant is also very invincible, and works as a reversal, especially when used as a countercall to an opponent's hyper. While airborne, Morrigan has access to Unfly -> Block to protect herself from enemy attacks, and Shadow Servant gives her an alternate defensive tool to use on the ground.-

Darkness Illusion
214XX (3 bars)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
405,000	16+0	79	Until grounded
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-21	Mid	Invuln until frame 27, ,
Cinematic level 3 hyper. Morrigan glides across the screen, and pulls the opponent into a cutscene on contact. As a level 3 hyper, it ignores damage scaling and can be used at the end of combos in place of Finishing Shower to secure a kill. Darkness Illusion is VERY active, and Morrigan can travel almost the entire duration of the screen before it wears off and can no longer hit. It can be performed on the ground or while airborne. The animation for the grounded and airborne versions are different, but the total damage done is the same. Darkness Illusion has zero frames of startup after the flash. At point blank range, if an opponent is not already blocking before the hyper flash occurs, the attack can not be blocked. It also means that opponents can not protect themselves by buffering an X-Factor cancel or DHC during the hyper flash. The hyper ends with the opponent in a Hard Knockdown state, and Morrigan reappears next to them. She will appear on the same side when the super hit for the grounded version, while the air version she will appear on the opposite side when it hit. It is possible to immediately perform a 623XX OTG hyper just as Morrigan recovers to get some extra damage, if needed.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw
6H, 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw
Morrigan performs a hip toss, placing the opponent on the ground about one character length away from her. It is possible with tight timing to connect a 623XX Shadow Servant OTG immediately afterwards.

Air Throw
j.6H, j.4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Airthrow
Morrigan Izuna Drops the opponent. Can be followed up with Shadow Servant, but the damage is not great, as the opponent is placed too far away for every blade to connect.

Snap Back
+/

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	2	6	26
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-11	Mid	Snapback
Animation and hitbox based on 6M.

Hard Tag
Hold 14f /

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
27,000	-	21	34
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-18	OH
Animation is based off Morrigan's air 5M.

Team Position

Morrigan's most (in)famous team compositions feature her as the point character. As players start with a bar of meter already available, she can activate Astral Vision very early in the match and shut an opponent down before they ever get a chance to capture momentum. Additionally, having access to two different assists - one to cover the air and one to cover the ground - significantly improves her zoning game and can patch any holes in her fireball pattern that may appear.

Despite being such an effective point character, she is sometimes also played in the second position, especially behind a character that is good at stalling. This allows Morrigan to build meter by repeatedly spamming her Dark Harmonizer assist, which deals no damage but uniquely builds a large amount of meter. This meter can then be used by Morrigan herself or for the other characters on her team. Morrigan has won no shortage of majors as both a point and second character, so neither role is particularly limited in effectiveness.

Notable Synergies

Doctor Doom: The infamous "Morridoom" shell that swept every major tournament for over a year. Doom's "hidden missiles" assist perfectly covers the superjump height that is otherwise a weak point in Morrigan's fireball game. If Doom happens to find himself tagged in, his playstyle aligns exactly with what Morrigan wants. Doom can run away and build meter using Flight and projectile specials, then throw out one of his safe Level 1 Hypers to DHC back to Morrigan with Astral Vision. Also allows Morrigan to kill with Doom's TAC infinites from anywhere on the screen. A well-executed Morrigan/Doom team is borderline impenetrable. Doom is out for a while during hidden missiles, so it is up to the Morrigan player to protect him with either Soul Fists or by crossing over the opponent so Doom is behind them instead.

Players to Watch: ChrisG (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), RF (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), Rok (Morrigan/Doom/Ammy, active), Escalante (Magneto/Morrigan/Doom, active), Cosmos (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), Jason_Gamedev (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), ShadyK (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, inactive), JRosa (Morrigan/Doom/Strider, inactive), Zoolaw (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, inactive), Buckethead (Zero/Morrigan/Doom, inactive),

Vergil: Even on block, Vergil's Rapid Slash assist will drag the opponent all the way to the far end of the screen. This is especially frustrating when called by a strong keepaway character like Morrigan. Opponents will slowly inch forward against Morrigan's fireball pressure, constantly bleeding chip damage along the way, then block a Rapid Slash and be sent all the way back to the end of the screen. Gives access to one of Morrigan's most easy and consistent Soul Drain loops.

Players to Watch: ChrisG (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), ShadyK (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, inactive), RF (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), Cosmos (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active), Zoolaw (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, inactive), Jason_Gamedev (Morrigan/Doom/Vergil, active)

Chun-Li: Chun has a double-jump and triple-jump, as well as multiple aerial specials that keep her airborne or even let her climb higher, like Spinning Bird Kick and Tenshokyaku. These allow her to stall and run away in the air for a long time, even without using a superjump. A point Chun can run away for a long time while Morrigan repeatedly builds meter on the ground with her Dark Harmonizer assist. Additionally, both of these characters have fairly consistent TAC infinites from both midscreen and corner positions. If either of these two get a hit, they can always TAC to the other to secure a kill.

Players to Watch: RyanLV (Chun/Morrigan/Phoenix, inactive), Acentric (Chun/Morrigan/Phoenix, active)

Phoenix: The infamous X/Morrigan/Phoenix team is quite potent, by running Morrigan as a meter building engine through the usage of the quick acting Dark Harmonizer assist, you can quickly build 5 bars to reach the goal of Dark Phoenix nearly every game. Combined with Morrigan's TAC infinite to get meterless kills, few teams have answers once Phoenix reaches 5 bars on top of potentially still having to deal with a full life team. Even playing Phoenix without the 5 bars is still great though can be difficult given her mobility and tools in the event your first character dies. You can also easily tag out your first character for Morrigan with Astral Vision. Even without an assist to support Morrigan, Astral Vision still shuts down many characters.

Players to Watch: RyanLV (Chun/Morrigan/Phoenix, inactive), Alioune (Magneto/Morrigan/Phoenix, inactive), Mothman (MODOK/Morrigan/Phoenix, active), Rusty Shackleford (Morrigan/Ammy/Phoenix, active), Snaketits (VJoe/Morrigan/Phoenix, active), Acentric (Chun/Morrigan/Phoenix, active)

MODOK: Similar to Chun above, MODOK is notable as a character that can stall in the air for a long time without using superjump, thus leaving assists available and allowing him to rapidly build meter with a backline Morrigan. In MODOK's case, he has two different flight modes to work with: one granted by his jump and another through his 214S command. Modok can float above superjump height for a very long time.

Players to Watch: Mothman (MODOK/Morrigan/Dante, MODOK/Morrigan/Phoenix, active)

Other Players to Watch: Terry Bogard (Morrigan/Dante/Strider, inactive), Dieminion (VJoe/Strange/Morrigan, inactive), Whatneutral (Morrigan/Vergil/Dante, active), Busby (C.Viper/Morrigan/Strider, inactive), Wero (VJoe/Raccoon/Morrigan, active)

Combos

Soul Fist Patterns

236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236H xx 214S (Unfly), land, 236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), etc.

The most basic/foundational Soul Fist pattern. Puts horizontal fireballs at both ground and regular jump height. Low risk, can be done from any spacing, and is generally sufficient to shut down the opponent's ability to call assists. Can usually call assists safely after landing from the Unfly Air Soul Fist. L Soul Fist is basically always preferred over M Soul Fist, as the slower speed means it stays on screen longer, helping to limit the opponent's movement options.

236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), Call assist (Doom - Hidden Missiles), Jump, Airdash j.236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236L xx j.214S (Unfly), land, 236L etc.

Diagonal L/M Air Soul Fists remain a meaningful threat on the screen for longer than the purely horizontal H fireballs do, but require that Morrigan be ready to protect herself with j.5S or Missiles if necessary.

Jump, Airdash Down (Hold), j.236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236L xx 214S (Unfly), land, 236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236M xx j.214S (Unfly), land, etc.

Anti-Superjump pattern. Opponents will commonly flee to superjump height to stall out Astral Vision, as Morrigan's fireball patterns are much less threatening there. Normally, an opponent can land from their superjump, block only ~2 fireballs, then immediately superjump back up to safety. This pattern forces the opponent to block significantly more projectiles as they land, and can keep them trapped on the ground for longer. Use an airdash - either a fully held downwards airdash or a shorter upwards one, to place Morrigan just above her regular jump height. Use Fly/Unfly to place two fireballs at this height as the opponent is landing. They will be forced to block these fireballs, then land directly into the rest of your pattern, forced to endure it.

Jump, j.236L xx 214S (Fly), j.236M xx j.214S (Unfly), Call assist, land, 236L xx 22XX

Video Timestamp No-Astral pattern designed to protect Morrigan's assist calls so that she can safely activate Astral or reposition. Many opponents are looking to punish Morrigan's assist calls with a fast projectile or beam assist of their own. Done correctly, this pattern puts 15 points of projectile durability at ground level simultaneously - the air L and M fireballs reach the ground at the same time, and then Morrigan's grounded fireball is shot behind them. This is enough to nullify most non-hyper attempts to snipe Morrigan's assist, and the assist in turn will protect Morrigan while she activates Astral Vision.

Jump, j.236X xx 214S (Fly), Airdash > Airdash > Airdash > Airdash etc.

Video Timestamp. Morrigan can Fly-cancel a single fireball then repeatedly plink dash in order to stay very close to the projectile, protecting herself from attacks while either approaching or escaping to the opposite side. As a bonus, if this fireball actually hits the opponent, Morrigan can use j.5H or j.5S to confirm into a full combo. If the opponent pushblocks your fireball, you can continue to airdash into them, then throw them out of pushblock recovery for a Guard Break.

236L xx 214S (Fly), j.5S, land, 236L xx 214S (Fly), j.5S etc.

Video Timestamp 1. Match Example. Low commitment pattern that is good against primarily-grounded characters like Wolverine or Haggar. Has the advantage of some built in cross-up protection, as j.5S will auto-correct to the proper side if the opponent somehow navigates behind Morrigan.

Solo Combos

j.5S, land, 5L > 5M > 2H > 6H jc. j.5M > j.5H > j.5S, land, 5M > 2H > 6H jc. j.5M > j.5H > j.5S, land, 5M > 2H > 5S sjc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx 623H xx 236XX (527,000 for 1 bar, builds 1.2 bars of meter)

Video Timestamp/Guide. Basic BnB jump loop off basically any confirm against a grounded opponent.

j.5S, land, 5L > 5M > 2H > 6H jc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), rejump, j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Unfly), land, 5S sjc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx 623H xx 236XX (582,000 for 1 bar, builds 1.2 bars of meter)

Video Timestamp/Guide. Slightly more optimized jump loop using Fly/Unfly fireballs for additional damage. Keep in mind that a fireball can only hit one character, so this combo does not work in a Happy Birthday situation, while the previous combo will work.

j.5H, land, 5S sjc. j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), rejump, j.5M > j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), land, walk forward, 5S sjc. j.5H xx 623H xx 236XX (753,000 damage for 1 bar, builds ~0.95 bars of meter)

Video Timestamp/Guide. Similar to above, uses an alternate route that eliminates most j.5M hits for more damage but less meter gained.

j.5S, land, 623M xx j.214S (Fly), j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Unfly), Airdash Forward, j.5H > j.5S, land, 623M xx j.214S (Fly), j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Unfly), Airdash Forward, j.5H > j.5S, land, 5S sjc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx 632H xx 236XX (574,000 damage for 1 bar, builds ~0.95 bars of meter)

Video Timestamp/Guide. Shadowblade loop. Has an advantage over other combo routes in that it can also easily confirm against opponents that are airborne, although it is easier if they are grounded.

j.5H, land, 623L xx j.214S (Fly), j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), rejump, j.5M > j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), rejump, j.5H xx j.236M xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), land, 236H xx 214S (Fly), j.236M xx j.214S (Unfly), land 5S sjc. j.5H xx 623M xx 236XX, 623H (720,000 damage for 1 bar, builds 1.1 bars of meter.)

Video Guide. Soul Fist loop is corner-only, but you can start the combo midscreen as long as you have pushed them into the corner before starting the grounded 236H. Otherwise, go directly into 5S Launcher. As with other routes, Morrigan can follow up a corner Finishing Shower with Shadow Blade or TAC for extra damage if desired.

Shadowblade Confirms
Superjump Confirms
Various Confirms

X-Factor Combos

[In X-Factor Level 1] j.5H, land, 5L > 5M > 2H > 6H jc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Forward, j.5M > j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Unfly), rejump, j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx j.236L xx j.214S (Fly), Airdash Down, j.5H xx j.236H xx j.214S (Unfly), land, 5S sjc. j.5M > j.5M > j.5H xx 623H xx 236XX, 623H (1,030,000 damage for 1 bar, builds 1.5 bars of meter)

Video

Airthrow X-Factor Conversions

Sample Team Combos

Soul Drain Loops

Morrigan/Doom/Ammy
Morrigan/Dormammu/Shuma
Morrigan/Strange/Raccoon
Morrigan/Nemesis
Morrigan/Sentinel
Morrigan/Joe
Morrigan/Akuma
Morrigan/Wesker/Akuma
Morrigan/Vergil/Shuma
Joe/Morrigan/Sentinel
Trish/Morrigan/Phoenix
Morrigan/Firebrand/Skrull
Morrigan + Uppercut assists
Joe/Morrigan/Phoenix
Morrigan + Alpha Counter and Ammy
Morrigan/Raccoon/Iron Man
Dorm/Morrigan/Raccoon
Thor/Morrigan/Raccoon
Morrigan/Magneto/Dante
Morrigan/Storm/Dante
Morrigan/Doom/Raccoon
Morrigan/MODOK

Soul Drain Combos

Will update with combos that involve Soul Drains but don't use Astral to loop

Morrigan/Strange/Vergil

TAC Infinites

Corner Down TAC
General Guide
Corner Down TAC Alternate Route

Alternate Colors

Videos and External Resources

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Anti-Phoenix setups with Vergil+Morrigan
Finishing Shower incoming setup with Missiles assist
Darchon's Morrigan Guide Pt. 1
Morrigan Guide Pt. 2
Morrigan Guide Pt. 3
Rapid Fireball Guide for Pad Users

Fake TAC Reset feat. Felicia
Anti-Pushblock Setups
Vajra Punishes
Double TAC Tech

Game Navigation