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{{ MoveListRow | Atlas Torpedo | b , f + m <br>Alternate Command: <br> hcf + m | 10.00 | Visually similar to Psycho Crusher from Street Fighter and Superman from Mortal Kombat. Functionally AT is an overhead move, hitting your opponent even if they are crouch blocking. The move varies on safety. At the end of the move, if you land close to your opponent you can be punished, but landing farther away you are safer and less characters can punish. It does decent chip but nothing to warrant abusing the move. Hitting the opponent in the corner leads to some interesting situtation.}} | {{ MoveListRow | Atlas Torpedo | b , f + m <br>Alternate Command: <br> hcf + m | 10.00 | Visually similar to Psycho Crusher from Street Fighter and Superman from Mortal Kombat. Functionally AT is an overhead move, hitting your opponent even if they are crouch blocking. The move varies on safety. At the end of the move, if you land close to your opponent you can be punished, but landing farther away you are safer and less characters can punish. It does decent chip but nothing to warrant abusing the move. Hitting the opponent in the corner leads to some interesting situtation.}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Atlas Torpedo (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Atlas Torpedo | 5.70 | The additional damage is not as important as the positioning you are left in. While you are some distance away from the opponent, Shazam is left with lots of advantage. From here you can activate trait, opt to go for an interactable throw, dash in to catch your opponent before they wakeup, or corpse hop by dashing forward twice rapidly which makes Shazam hop over the opponent. | {{ MoveListRow | Atlas Torpedo (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Atlas Torpedo | 5.70 | The additional damage is not as important as the positioning you are left in. While you are some distance away from the opponent, Shazam is left with lots of advantage. From here you can activate trait, opt to go for an interactable throw, dash in to catch your opponent before they wakeup, or corpse hop by dashing forward twice rapidly which makes Shazam hop over the opponent. While the damage is not comparable to what you get in a normal combo, this option is great for setups and usually leaving you near an interactable with favorable advantage.}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Bolt Of Zeus | d , b + m <br>Alternate Command: <br> qcb + m | 7.00 | The move is | {{ MoveListRow | Bolt Of Zeus | d , b + m <br>Alternate Command: <br> qcb + m | 7.00 | The move is aright. The damage is decent for a projectile and it surprisingly catches people every now and then. However you can avoid it by just crouching. Practically you can end combos with this to create some distance between you and your opponent. Do not expect to have a zoning/fireball game however as Shazam has no moves to complement this. Use it to pester opponents but do not expect to keep them out for long. Only use it past mid range, it's startup is long and you will be hit out of it. There is a light mixup with this move and Atlast Torpedo but that will be discussed later.}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Bolt Of Zeus (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Bolt Of Zeus | 13.00 | | {{ MoveListRow | Bolt Of Zeus (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Bolt Of Zeus | 13.00 | A hefty damage increase both on hit and chip make this move more interesting. That and it will now hit crouching characters. A good option to close out rounds as the chip is massive and forces the opponent to jump over it to avoid getting touched by it. On hit it will also knock down opponents so there is that. It's startup is atrocious although the animation and projectile itself looks cool.}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Herculean Might | d , b , f + l <br>Alternate Command: qcb f + l| 13.00 | | {{ MoveListRow | Herculean Might | d , b , f + l <br>Alternate Command: qcb f + l| 13.00 | Aside from the awesome name, this is Shazam's bread and butter. Achille's Clutch has it uses but in my opinion Herculean Might is the better tool. Its great range is further supported by fantastic speed. It is slightly safer is you whiff the move granted you still should not want to do that. It can occasionaly catch backdashers, and switches sides with the opponent getting you out of the corner if you want it. The hard knockdown and advantage it leaves you at avoids most wakeups tried by your opponent, or if you are feeling risky, you can dash up and arrive at the opponent just as they wakeup. Wakeup as a game mechanic also lends itself towards the move but that will be explained later. Certain drawbacks to this move are that it will not catch crounching opponents and opponents can also backdash to avoid the move timed well.}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Herculean Might (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Herculean Might | 9.00 | Pressing Meter Burn on successful grab | {{ MoveListRow | Herculean Might (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Herculean Might | 9.00 | Pressing Meter Burn on a successful grab starts up why Shazam is so much fun. Granted at first it seems weird. The opponent hangs in the air logner and Shazam is left in a weird recovery that can be jump canceled. But it is the meter burn that makes this move work so well. During the recovery state you actually can connect a b3 on your juggled opponent. Provided it is the first b/f3 you have done in the combo, a wall bounce happens and Shazam gets a very decent combo. }} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Achilles' Clutch | d , b + l <br>Alternate Command: qcb + l | 14.00 | Command throw that only connects with crouching and juggled opponents. hardknockdown}} | {{ MoveListRow | Achilles' Clutch | d , b + l <br>Alternate Command: qcb + l | 14.00 | Command throw that only connects with crouching and juggled opponents. hardknockdown}} | ||
{{ MoveListRow | Achilles' Clutch (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Achilles' Clutch | 17.00 | Pressing Meter Burn during Achilles' Clutch<br>adds a divekick that causes groundbounce}} | {{ MoveListRow | Achilles' Clutch (Meter Burn) | Meter Burn during<br>Achilles' Clutch | 17.00 | Pressing Meter Burn during Achilles' Clutch<br>adds a divekick that causes groundbounce}} | ||
Revision as of 15:51, 15 March 2014
Shazam
Unlike most foster children, Billy Batson couldn’t care less about finding a family. He just wants to turn eighteen and finally become an adult. While the boy’s compassionate and kind, he’s gotten used to protecting himself by staying emotionally distant from everybody. But that changes when he meets an ancient wizard who introduces him to one very powerful word.
Just by saying SHAZAM!, Billy is transformed into a magical flying adult superhero, one with the genius of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the unbreakable will of Atlas, the lightning blasts of Zeus, the power of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. But gaining the power of the gods means inheriting their enemies too. With the abilities of the world’s mightiest mortal, Billy will have to struggle with magical threats as well as his own youthful naïveté. To truly tap into his power, this orphan who’s always kept people at arm’s length will have to learn what family really is.
In a nutshell
Strengths: 50/50 mixup. Good damage with meter. Teleports build meter really well. Good dashes, can dash out of certain strings. D2 can interrupt certain strings as well. Meter Burn projectile deals good chip and hits crouchers. Amazing command grab range and speed. Variety of high/low in Combos. Both teleports count as true wakeup, meaning they get full invincibility on startup when used as a wakeup attack. Wakeup teleports easily one of the best wakeups in game. Combos usually end in Hard Knockdown. Amazing crossup with j2. B2 hits overhead and has really good range. Trait gives large boost to damage in combos. Trait deals huge chip damage. Trait activation easily done at end of combos. Huge corner damage with trait. Very easy corner combos. (Personally a really fun character to play. SHAZAM!)
Weaknesses: B3 range pititful. Command throws are stance specific, recovery can be punished if opponent is in wrong stance. Gets zoned out easily. Teleport has long startup often hit out of startup. Projectile sub par normally, horrible startup for both normal and meter burn versions. B2 whiffs on crouching characters that too close. Combos are timing specific with B3, which most of his higher damage combos rely on. High risk versus characters with certain wakeup moves, has to be very careful dealing with wakeups. Normals are comparatively weak with high startup hurting poking game. Most normals start high. Hard time dealing with certain tactics in the air, has to be careful with timing d2 (i.e. Batman crossup, air dashers, dive attacks like Hawkgirl). Damage reliant on meter. Super is garbage. Trait only affects his punching normals limiting damage. Corner combos weak without trait or has to sacrifice positioning for damage.
Character Info
Move List
Normal Moves
Combo Attacks
knockdown 3/4ths screen away speccancel
softknockdown half screen away
softknockdown 1/4th screen away
groundbounce speccancel
softknockdown
Jails softknockdown speccancel half screen away
m groundbounce h launch
brief stun on second hit speccancel
launch speccancel
Bounce Cancels
Character Power
Lasts 15 seconds
Takes 14 seconds to recharge
Throws
Special Moves
Alternate Command:
hcf + m
Atlas Torpedo
Alternate Command:
qcb + m
Bolt Of Zeus
Alternate Command: qcb f + l
Herculean Might
recovery can be jump cancelled as well
Alternate Command: qcb + l
Achilles' Clutch
adds a divekick that causes groundbounce
Alternate Command:
qcf + h
Alternate Command:
qcb + h
Super Move
Armored On hit, Shazam launches opponent into the sky with a haymaker and attacks with a flurry of punches finished with a smashing elbow. He then grabs the opponent as he/she flies downward, spinning them around before throwing them to the ground.
First hit: 10.00 then 4.75, 5.70, 6.65, 11.40
Move Analysis
Alternate Command:
hcf + m
Atlas Torpedo
Alternate Command:
qcb + m
Bolt Of Zeus
Alternate Command: qcb f + l
Herculean Might
Alternate Command: qcb + l
Achilles' Clutch
adds a divekick that causes groundbounce
Alternate Command:
qcf + h
Alternate Command:
qcb + h
S.T.A.R. Labs Mode
TBW
Strategy
Basic Strategy
1 = light attack, 2 = medium attack, 3 = strong/hard attack, xx = cancel into, -> = link Bolt of Zeus = Bolt, Atlas Torpedo = Torpedo or AT, Herculean Might = HM, Achilles' Clutch = AC, Advancing/Eluding Mercury Stream = Forward/Backward Teleport, Power of SHAZAM = Super
Shazam is a 50/50 grappler. His grabs are stance specific, HM will whiff on crouching characters. AC whiffs on standing characters. Both whiff on airborne opponents unless they are juggled. You goal is to mixup the opponent through forcing them to block and occasionally changing sides on them. You want to catch them with grabs not mash the grabs to hope to catch them.
MATCH START: Your options at the start of the match vary. Depending on your opponent you can HM which will reach as the start distance between you and your opponent is well covered by it. Backdash which will avoid any super aggressive start made by your opponent. b2,3 not recommended but can catch your opponent offguard. Do nothing, react instead to your opponent and what he/she decides to do. Forward dash: the risky option and not recommended as the opponent can and will punish you for it. Teleport again not recommended as a lot of the cast has long reach and will hit you out of your startup. I would recommend either backdash or HM. On the chance you catch your opponent getting the first meter is a huge boon to Shazam as it greatly opens up his damage and general gameplan. However the high level your opponent is, the more likely they will be looking or already prepared for HM and just simply crouch stopping your grab attempt.
It also depends on the character you are facing. Facing Grundy, Bane, or such would recommend a backdash as you want to keep distance from you and your opponent. Facing a Raven or Deathstroke and such you would want to stay close and the more distance there is between Shazam and characters like the more Shazam is digging his own grave. The best way is to experiment and decide for yourself. Shazam is not limited to a certain playstyle as he is mildly flexible. It also depends on your opponent and what they do at the start.
Mid Distance: Play the poking game. f1,2/b1,2,3 etc to mess with your opponent. However keep in mind one of Shazam's weaknesses is that his normals usually start high so the opponent can just duck. And his mid hitting normals have slow startup or ass range. Of course they duck, you bust out AC. Still Shazam's footsies or poking normals are subpar especially the higher tier character you face. The trick is not to out footsie or beat their normals per say as it is to keep them in a set track. You want your opponent to stay standing or crouching even if just for one second for you to use HM/AC to catch them. Stay safe and essentially work towards faking your opponent out to land either grab.
Up Close: Use a mixup of your combo strings. They are analyzed below. Aside from 1,2,b/f3 Shazams string have their own uses. The light strings are generally safe on block and one ends in a low knockdown. The reason is your want to fake your opponent to stay blocking either crouching or walking backwards. Catching them off guard with a grab is your game plan but you want to make your opponent stay in one stance. Use normal throw as well, granted you are not left in a super good position but the range you throw them at can push an opponent towards the corner. Normal throw is also Shazam's only reliable throw, it will catch either stance provided you are in range. It will not catch juggled opponents but that is for HM/AC. Keep your opponent guessing never 100% sure what you are going to do. Stay safe with 1,1,2/f1,2/2,2 Using these strings on block lets you avoid getting hit too much and 2,2 cancelled into either grab is a mixup in of itself. When the opponent is knocked be wary of wakeup attacks, usually at the start of matches players act too aggressively and get caught with wakeup attacks like Wonder Woman upper, Black Adam cage, Batgirl cartwheel, etc. By backdashing on their wakeup you still have enough room to attack their recovery. Make them stop relying on wakeup attacks, when they stop using them because you back off, mix it up by using HM on their wakeup. Characters are standing on their 1st frame of getting up when knocked down. Timed well HM will catch an opponent just as they getup because there is still time for the character to switch to crouching.
Far Range: The reason this is last is because I do not believe this is Shazam's ideal range. His projectile whiffs on crouching characters. Should you want it to catch crouching characters you waste valuable meter. Even meter burned the opponent can still jump to avoid the projectile as he would normally. Still he can zone certain characters like Grundy or Flash, or at least force them to work towards getting close to Shazam. Should you want to zone your opponent use Bolt or Backwards Teleport as your enders. Full screen Bolt is relatively useful, it's chip and damage are both decent without meter and can help close out rounds where the opponent can be chipped to death. Teleport backwards can build meter really fast should the opponent not be able to catch you. Force your opponent to come to you, use HM when they dash forwards and there is nothing they can do about it. Should they come too close or Bane does his charge move, practice timing your teleport where they cannot catch your startup or recovery. This resets the position you can just keep moving backwards again playing the zoning game.
Movement: Use walking, dashes, and teleport. Walking forward with Shazam's decent walk speed will help you practice reacting to moves thrown out by the opponent. Dashes are fast and go far, but the recovery is punishable and certain moves catch characters dashing so it is more risky and does not allow you to react. Teleports are nice and build meter, but often you get hit out of the startup and the recovery is punishable. Use all of them, but prioritize walking and dashing over teleport. They are safer and guarantee covering space. You get hit out of teleport too often to warrant using it.
Going over his notable attacks, Shazam has a decent move set regardless of some weaknesses.
Light Attacks (or strings that start with light attacks): Use 1,1,2/f1,2/b1,2,3/b1,2/1,2/d1/j1. (1,2,b/f3 are useless strings do not bother using them.)
1,1,2: Safe on block but long recovery on whiff. Stop yourself from mashing it out if the first two hits whiff and you drop a combo, the opponent will recovery faster than you and then punish you for whiffing the string. In combo you can end into anything. Do not cancel into Herculean Might or Achilles' Clutch, outside of the corner and in the corner if the opponent is launched too high the command grabs will whiff. Canceling into the grabs on block will also whiff. End in Bolt to keep the opponent outside for light zoning if you feel like. End with Torpedo for damage and meter burn torpedo for hard knockdown. Canceling into backward teleport for getting away is semi pointless as you get the same result by canceling into Bolt. Forward teleport is risky for the mixup can be stuffed by wakeup attacks. Try canceling into trait to get the early damage boost. You can do it after a Bolt or directly after 1,1,2. It's riskier after torpedo unless the torpedo is meter burned as opponents wakeup attacks may catch you especially Martian Manhunter and Batgirl. If you do not cancel fast enough Bolt will whiff. Amazing in the corner. Just keep linking 1,1,2 until the opponent is about to fall out and then cancel the last one into a grab, this idea will be expanded in the corner combo section.
f1,2: You are advantageous on block and it has quick recovery on whiff. On hit you get a ground bounce but the opponent goes semi forward. If up close on hit you can cancel into AC. But it is better to cancel into HM if you have meter. You get better combo damage and HM will never miss on hit. Sometimes the opponent is too far for AC to catch them but HM will always catch them. Still up close and meterless AC will give more damage. Be careful as it starts high and then goes overhead. Opponents mashing can and will hit you out of the transition from f1 to 2. Still having advantage on block give you more opportunity to mixup or get out of range for the opponent to grab.
b1,2,3: A strings that ends in a low and knockdown is rare. Shazam does not have many lows to force the opponent to crouch. Using this tricks the opponent as they do not expect the low. The opponent can quick recover but still it is valuable so you can mixup the opponent.
b1,2 or just 1,2: Useful in longer combos. On hit cancelable into anything. You get guaranteed Bolt or Torpedo so you use it if you feel like. Really just more useful for his longer combos for the last bit of damage.
d1: 6 frame startup means it fast. +2 on block means the opponent cannot mash out and try anything. On hit you can cancel into torpedo practicing this helps random hit damage and punishment as you can interrupt certain strings with d1. On hit it is also cancellable into HM or AC but they will whiff unless the opponent is juggled. On block the opponent usually crouch block against this move although it is not a low, practice by hitting them with d1 and then they keep blocking expecting more d1s use the appropriate grab to catch them blocking.
j1: stays active for a long time. primarily used for air to air attacks. Hit on a grounded opponent does not have enough hitstun to guarantee a combo and on block I believe can be punished. Still can occasionally cross up but do not rely on it.
Medium Attacks: 2,2/b2,3/f2,2/f2,2,3/d2/j2 (Medium attacks are generally really good but sometimes have long startup) 2,2: Jails meaning the opponent is locked in place and basically HM is guaranteed if you cancel into it. So are AC and AT. However the opponent can still crouch so you want to be sure to catch them with the correct option. Opponents can also backdash inbetween the string so canceling into AT will catch their backdash. On hit it launches the opponent away and you get a guaranteed HM or AT. Again you can also teleport or activate trait for variety and depending on the situation.
b2,3: Seems amazing on paper but it has flaws. On block it is punishable and will completely miss crouching characters who are too close to you. Opponents can also backdash to avoid the 3 which they then punish on recovery. On hit the 3 launches the opponent up for a combo so it is very good in that regard. It is also relatively fast and you are airborne for the b2 portion. Meaning you avoid grabs like Grundy's Walking Corpse. If you do use it, see if your opponent punishes you. If they do not you get a free tool to abuse. If they do practice b2 and canceling into a move. Canceling into HM or AC will whiff but try teleports to get away from the opponent. If those options do not work do not use the move unless you are sure it will hit. On block also try backdashing afterwards so the opponent cannot punish too heavily.
f2,2: Aside from being an amazing move where he yells SHAZAM. f2,2 hitting on a grounded opponent also stuns the opponent briefly. From here you are guaranteed to connect everything except AC. AC will whiff as the opponent will be standing. However HM will combo and so will Bolt or Torpedo. It also starts mid and is relatively safe on block. The downside is that the move has relatively slow startup.
f2,2,3: Continuing the great strings but on hit launches the opponent in the air. On block you are neutral so it is pretty good. It is also special cancelable but the opponent is launched too high for HM or AC to connect. If you want the grabs you have to link them, wait for the recovery of f2,2,3 to end and the input the grabs. However mid combo using this string not only nets damage but the grab are guaranteed. You can link a 1,1,2 for a decent combo afterwards. Keep in mind the string is still relatively slow so practice doing it in combos.
d2: Anti air. Sometimes inconsistent and other times amazing how well it hits people. I swear this scales combos a lot but it does not matter. You can interrupt strings with this and anti air relatively well. You get a guaranteed combo so it is still very good. Practice timing it against certain attacks as the startup is weird. Timed well you can hit people directly above you. Practice using this move a lot against opponents that jump in a lot.
j2: Great jump in attack. It crosses up really really well. The hitstun decays fast at times but still you can consistently get a 2,2 afterwards as well as f2,2. Its reach can also preemptively hit people out of the air but it is not super as an air to air attack. In the corner this move is deceptive against opponents.
Strong Attacks: 3, f3, b3, j3, d3 3: By itself it is relatively good. On block you are safe due its significant blockstun. Practice hitting the opponent with this on block and canceling into trait it is practically guaranteed. While it is cancelable, on hit most attacks do not start up fast enough to the opponent while they are in hitstun. Its hit cancel properties is mainly for combos where stuff like HM is better guaranteed. On block you can teleport or whatever but better to cancel into trait for damage and such.
f3: Has pretty long range and hits overhead. The groundbounce is nice for combos afterwards as you can get a j3 after it. Aside from being powered up by trait nothing special afterwards.
b3: Okay on block. Wallbounce on hit. Short range however after a HM meter burn this move is guaranteed with practice. This is the key to Shazams higher level combos. Do not expect amazing properties like Flash 2 hit b3 or Batmans shenanigans after his b3.
j3: Okay overhead. Knockdown on hit but you can get st3 before the opponent lands to the ground and then combo from there. Usually better in combos. As an air to air not sure how this moves fares against other characters. Air to ground on hit is okay. On Block you can get hit during landing if done too early. Relatively safe on block but do not expect any air to ground like in Street Fighter. Occasionally this move crosses up but do not waste time as j2 does the job better and more consistent. It's short compared to most j3 limits this move to mainly combo use.
d3: Sweep is really nice on hit. Great advantage and plenty of time to setup your mixup and it is a hard knockdown. It sucks at about everything else. Throwing this move out will get you punished more often than not. It's recovery is atrocious on whiff or block. On whiff other characters especially grapplers and yes SHAZAM in a mirror can and will grab your extended hitbox. Basically they grab your extended leg if your sweep whiffs. b1,2,3 has better range and is relatively safer on block. However it has its uses, using will often mixup your opponent when they worry too much about AC or are walking backwards. It can catch them the trick is to not overuse the move and become reliant on it.
Advanced Strategy
Note: I am not a tournament level player, however the concepts I discuss I feel are more towards the advanced side and therefore put here. Nothing fancy, just maybe slightly more difficult.
Conditioning: Playing to win online is stupid. The more you focus on why you should win, the more stupid stuff you fall for. Injustice, like any fighting game requires thought. You want to win? You have to think. Especially with a characters like Shazam. It is not his learning curve that is difficult. Shazam is a relatively straightforward character, grab, combo, poke, grab some more. Shazam is built around his tools. His main tools being HM and AC, you have to condition not only yourself but your opponent. Online and off you will face a variety of Deathstrokes, Sinestros, and Ravens. You will get zoned heavily, you have to make sure to reduce the distance patiently and methodically. The only character here that you can kind of go all out is Raven but that is only in her regular state. Keep an active mind, on the opponents wakeup what will they do? Should they attack, block and punish. If you are prepared teleport through for a side to side mixup. During the neutral game, mixup your regular attacks with b1,2,3 force your opponent to either continuously walk backwards or crouch block to catch them with AC or Torpedo. Being to cautiously react and capitalize on your opponents mistakes is key.
Using Trait: If you end combos with a meter burn Atlas Torpedo, land a st3 on standing opponent block or hit, you should cancel into trait. There are no glaring downsides to Shazam's besides the usual cooldown and slight recovery. The punching moves being the only ones affected are debatable as a downside or necessary balancing. The chip damage you gain and the overall damage on hit boosts your combos by 6 to 10 percent. Corner damage skyrockets making the easy peasy 1,1,2 deadly. You gain some momentum in the mind games as well. Your opponent will second guess his offensive strategy as a costly mistake will lead to a highly damaging combo. Even on the defensive he has to deal with the increased chip damage. However the bonus only applies to punching moves so you should implement the punching strings more. You may lose the advantage of strings like f1,2 but 1,1,2 blocked is still safe at -1. Your b1,2,3 string still gains the chip and the low hit when they least expect it so there is that. Bottom line: Implement trait earlier in game and matches to gain some momentum. Use it too late and your combos risk getting clashed which will waste your trait.
Stage Management: Shazam is a grounded power character. The reason the grounded part is important is because he doesn't get access to fancy OTG shenanigans characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, and Black Adam get access to. That said he is still a power character. If it is an interactable Shazam can and should throw it. Aside from tools like Bat missiles and Jet engine fire on Watchtower, most objects will be thrown by Shazam. I don't know of any favorites but generally most stages work for Shazam. The reason this is advanced is not just how to use Interactables but WHEN to use them. Using them willy nilly will result in the opponent baiting you out and hitting you out of the animation. Generally opt for using one after a hard knockdown or basically at the end of a combo. However watchout for specific characters like Zod or Batgirl whose wakeup attacks always catch you when you use objects. When facing those characters you want to fake them out. Jump as if you will use the interactable but then don't press any buttons. If done just before they wakeup, the opponent is fooled into using a wakeup attack. You land faster and recover before their move can hit you and from that point you punish. Afterwards mix it up once they respect you not using interactables, use one to throw them off.
Practice Background Bounce: Certain stages like Hall of Justice and Wayne Manor are rife with background interactable bounces. This greatly increases meterless damage and punishing. This require knowledge of the stage and a bit of stage control. Punishing your opponent for 37% using no meter greatly helps as opposed to wasting valuable resources that you could use for later on.
Teleport: There are multiple concepts wrapped up in teleport. The get out of jail free card and meter building bonuses it gives also come with one more finicky bonus. When you teleport you actually have a hitbox mid teleport towards the end. If an opponent throws a projectile or a move and it hits the teleport hitbox, it will act as if you blocked the move. For example if Bane charges at you from a distance and you time the teleport correctly. Not only do you pass through him, but Bane reacts to hitting the teleport hitbox as if he had hit a blocking opponent. This puts him in a state of recovery where you can punish him without facing the threat of armor or grab or whatever. However if timed incorrectly, you can either get hit out of the startup of teleport or you simply phase through the opponent and Bane for example would simply charge all the way to the other end of the screen. So ideally you would want for the block recovery state the opponent is left in, if you cannot achieve that you still pass through the opponents move, but be sure to practice timing and measuring distance. You can and will be hit out of the startup of the move.
Learn Matchups: There are 30 or so characters in Injustice. However should you want to get better, you will want to learn matchups. Which are Shazams bad or unfavorable matchups? Which are his favorable. Practice backdashing on reaction. The invincibility and distance his has allow him to escape multiple silly strings characters like Batman or Green Arrow. Green Arrow's multitude of strings where he switches overhead and low a lot can be backdashed out of. Batman lows kick to overhead can be backdashed. Also learning how to hit a d2 inbetween strings like those halts there momentum and shenanigans, forcing the player to pause and think which hurts his barrage of moves giving you breathing room and/or ability to implement more Shazam shenanigans.
WHIFF PUNISHING: Easily one of the most important, when your opponent is throwing out moves constantly and you just stand there, you are essentially just building up to lose the match. Grundy spamming walking corpse? Whiff punish. Black Adam spamming lightning strike or b2,3? Whiff Punish. Wonder Woman or Superman dashing through the air and trying to side switch you? Whiff punish that maybe more anti air but year. If your opponent throws out of a move that does not hit you and you are at mid to close distance. Whiff punish. Now what tools would allow you to do so? b2,3, Herculean Might, and sometimes Achilles' Clutch. b2,3 crap on block but great on hit. It's speed and range practically guarantee hitting that annoying opponent throwing out moves willy nilly. Same goes especially goes for Herculean Might. Practicing whiff punishing and backdashing are key to Shazam. Achille's Clutch is less consistent but when the opponent keeps spamming d1 and/or sweep it might good to use AC during the whiff recovery of moves like sweep etc.
Baiting: A hefty chunk of playing Shazam relies on you making the rights reads. More often than not you have to be the one to figure out which wakeup move your opponent will use. Can't exactly jump over for the crossup when your opponent wakes up with uppercut or antiair grab. You need to learn how to read the opponent, early match watch what your opponent does on wakeup in response to your playstyle. If he/she wakeup uppercut don't go for the crossup or jump at all unless you have enough to land on the other side and block. Often times you can teleport through wakeups so try practicing that. Tricking your opponent into doing an unsafe move and figuratively handing you opportunity on a silver platter. Use a combination of backdashing and WELL TIMED teleports on the opponents wakeups and if they spam moves a lot. I repeat WELL TIMED, the startup on teleport is short enough to warrant using, but long enough that opponents can and will hit you of it. Backdashing is faster, relatively safer against certains moves, and while it doesn't build meter the timing is easier to manage. The downside is you cannot phase through the opponent, so you can't switch sides by dashing as you would with forward teleport.
Bolt of Zeus: Ignoring my move analysis. Bolt is still a tool to use. And all Shazam players must use everything available to them. Regular bolt is still decent to use at the end of combos when you want to play a range game against certain characters like Bane, Grundy, Flash, etc. Yes they all have ways around the move but forcing characters like those to come to you give you the power to dictate the pace of the match. Characters who do not possessed projectiles themselves are also good targets for Bolt. Characters like Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl may have projectiles but their lackluster range and high hitbox allow you to duck and throw out your own again forcing them to come to you. If you find yourself at a distance from the opponent throwing the projectile forces them to either jump or crouch, where you can then use Atlas Torpedo to catch them crouching or jumping. Do not expect to get a Ryu/Sagat fireball game going. Crouching avoids all normal Bolts no matter how many times you throw them. It's recovery is also long enough that mid range you can be punished for it. Not to mention characters like Scorpion or Martian Manhunter who blow up zoning of any kind.
Tips and Tricks
TBW
Combos
Note: Under Construction as Damage will be added later on. Bread and Butter? Either that or just basic combos. 1 = light attack, 2 = medium attack, 3 = strong/hard attack, xx = cancel into, -> = link Bolt of Zeus = Bolt, Atlas Torpedo = Torpedo, Herculean Might = HM, Achilles' Clutch = AC, Advancing/Eluding Mercury Stream = Forward/Backward Teleport, Power of SHAZAM = Super,
No Meter 1,1,2xxBolt of Zeus 1,1,2xxAtlas Torpedo (1,1,2xxTrait/Teleport)
f1,2xxAchilles' Clutch (Note Achilles' Clutch will whiff if the opponent is hit too far away after the f1,2) f1,2xxHerculean Might (Herculean Might essentially guaranteed and leads to better meter burn combos)
b1,2 and 1,2 strings are interchangeable as they both end with a cancel to Bolt or Torpedo should you opt not to use the 3 enders. Try to avoid using because if you hit these you could have hit better combos starters unless you aim for b1,2,3 in footsie game.
f2,2xxHerculean Might (If you land f2,2 be sure to represent and yell SHAZAM seriously it is fun also Achilles' Clutch will whiff and the stun does not last long. Do not take it for granted)
f2,2,3 -> 1,1,2xxAtlas Torpedo (More consistent ender than Bolt of Zeus and best midscreen meterless damage without trait)
f2,2,3 (slight pause) Herculean Might or Achille's Clutch Canceling into either will result in the grab whiffing. You must link the grabs. The timing is tight so practice if you choose to implement this combo.
b2,3 -> 3xxHerculean Might (Decent Damage just remember the risk of b2,3 and not to get caught in abusing the move. Combo great for future meter burn combos combo harder to combo in laggy conditions)
b2,3 -> f2,2,3xxHerculean Might/Achille's Clutch (Here you can cancel into the grabs as the hitstun does not launch the opponent as high. Not super practical but looks flashy. Inconsistent on laggy connections)
b2,3 -> 2.2xxHerculean Might More consistent when dealing with laggy connections sacrifice of some damage though overall.
d1xxAtlas Torpedo (As d1 catches a lot of stuff it is a very easy combo for frame trap and abusing on opponent who habitually crouchblock)
No Meter Anti Air d2 combos are distance and seem be low damage combos as d2 I guess scales combos more? That said Shazam's anti air is still fairly decent and you should know these combos especially if you interrupt strings with d2.
d2-> 3xxHerculean Might This combo is range dependent, if the opponent is too far away when you hit the d2 the 3 will whiff. However it is fairly decent damage.
d2-> f2,2,3xxHerculean Might Much more consistent albeit some higher scaling.
d2 j2 3xx Herculean Might The j2 is distance dependent as well. Too far and it will either whiff or the opponent will fall out before you can get a combo going.
f/b3 Combos
Rare but on the off chance that you do get them.
f3->j3->3xxHerculean Might
b3->j3->f,2,2,3xxHM/AC
Alternate Costumes
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Unlocking
- Regime- 1 Armory Key in Hall of Justice Archives
- New 52- Complete every Shazam mission
Match Ups
TBW
Frame Data
| Move Name | Startup | Recovery | On Guard | On Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God Punch | 8 | 17 | -2 | 2 |
| Knee Strike | 9 | 23 | 1 | 12 |
| Hook Kick | 12 | 27 | 3 | 5 |
| Hook Punch | 8 | 18 | -3 | 17 |
| Thundering Elbow | 20 | 25 | -11 | 39 |
| Power Cross | 30 | 27 | 7 | 54 |
| Roundhouse Kick | 10 | 19 | -2 | 20 |
| Hercules Uppercut | 16 | 28 | -5 | 5 |
| Mighty Slam | 29 | 28 | 7 | 62 |
| Low Jab | 6 | 15 | 2 | 13 |
| Lifting Cut | 9 | 16 | -3 | 60 |
| Sweeping Kick | 10 | 20 | -11 | 25 |
| Jumping Strike | 6 | 24 | -10 | 2 |
| Mercury Sidekick | 7 | 24 | -6 | 15 |
| Achilles' Fist | 10 | 24 | -2 | 53 |
| Forward Throw | 10 | 21 | - | - |
| Back Throw | 10 | 21 | - | - |
| One-Two Punch | 7 | 17 | 2 | 16 |
| Solomon's Wisdom | 9 | 24 | -2 | 7 |
| Hercules' Strength | 14 | 22 | -1 | 63 |
| Atlas' Stamina | 11 | 26 | 1 | 32 |
| Zeus' Power | 13 | 36 | -2 | 32 |
| Achilles' Courage | 15 | 22 | 3 | 37 |
| Mercury's Speed | 5 | 23 | -2 | 8 |
| Mighty Colossus | 8 | 38 | -6 | 6 |
| One-Two Kick | 18 | 25 | -9 | 25 |
| Mighty Charge | 12 | 40 | -9 | 52 |
| Mighty Force | 20 | 25 | -1 | 20 |
| Roaring Strike | 9 | 23 | 0 | 47 |
| Atlas Torpedo | 17 | 0 | -12 | 22 |
| Atlas Torpedo (Meter Burn) | 0 | 60 | - | 60 |
| Bolt Of Zeus | 26 | -162 | -6 | 1 |
| Bolt Of Zeus (Meter Burn) | 39 | -165 | 3 | 26 |
| Herculean Might | 11 | 17 | - | 25 |
| Herculean Might (Meter Burn) | 0 | 27 | - | 26 |
| Achilles' Clutch | 13 | 21 | - | 23 |
| Achilles' Clutch (Meter Burn) | 0 | 46 | - | 34 |
| Advancing Mercury Storm | 25 | 11 | - | - |
| Eluding Mercury Storm | 25 | 9 | - | - |
| The Power Of SHAZAM | 17 | 42 | -10 | 6 |
| Trait: Solomon's Judgement | 0 | 43 | - | - |