UMVC3/X-23

Overview Combos Strategy/Counterstrategy Resources Data

Introduction

An imperfect clone of Wolverine, the 23rd attempt at recreating the Weapon X program and the only one to survive. She shares her "dad's" regenerative capabilities, adamantium skeleton, and heightened, feral senses. However, instead of having three claws on each hand, she has two per hand and an additional, hidden claw on each foot. Laura eventually escaped the program, but struggles with the emotional damage of being raised exclusively as a killing machine for her entire childhood.

In UMvC3, X-23 draws superficial comparisons to Wolverine, as they are both rushdown-focused characters with limited ranged ability. Her attacks are usually slower, but in exchange she has several aerial specials that provide her some unique mobility options. The most important difference, however, is her unblockable level 3 "Dirt Nap" hyper. X-23 teams are typically constructed to maximize the effectiveness of this unblockable attack. These teams are typically called "300%" teams because - while they often struggle in neutral - one clean hit with them will lead to inescapable death to all three members of the opposing team.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Phenomenal Mobility: X-23 has some of the fastest & most efficient grounded mobility in the game. Her lightning-fast grounded dash speed combined with multiple movement-based special moves and a fast wall jump allow her to swiftly maneuver around the screen. Powerful Hyper: Her Silent Kill Level 3 Hyper can enable inescapable unblockable setups that can kill a character from full health, provided enough resources are available. Cancel Versatility: Has multiple cancel options and specials that are safe or even advantageous on block to maintain pressure when in range.

Very Poor Zoning: No projectile options and poor range cause her to struggle against characters who can zone her out, especially if they can match her mobility as well. Limited Throw Conversions: Very limited conversion options off of normal throws, and her command grab is too slow to use consistently. Combo Extensions: Doesn't get very notable combo extensions off of common assists; mainly relies on X-Factor or large amounts of meter to deal excessive damage.

Unique Mechanic

X-23 has Talon Attack (j.236X) which is a unique movement option and attack that she can cancel any normal or special that leaves her airborne. This is useful for varying her movement as well as enabling combos and pressure. Additionally, X-23 can cancel the invulnerable, airborne incoming frames of Cross-over Counter into Talon Attack before she lands.

Health	830,000
Invulnerable Reversal(s)	236XX
Grounded Magic Series	Full
X-Factor Damage Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 40% / 60%
X-Factor Speed Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 30% / 40%
Air Movement Options
Air Actions	Air Jumps?	Air Dash?	Flight?	WallJump?
0	No	No	No	Yes
Minimum Attack Scaling
Normals	Specials		Hypers
20	20		40

Move List

Assists

Neck Slice
Assist A

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	42	7	119, 79
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	-
THC Hyper: Rage Trigger.

Ankle Slice
Assist B

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	44	4	114, 84
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Low
THC Hyper: Rage Trigger. X-23's Ankle Slice on point needs to be fully charged to hit OTG, but the assist performs the uncharged version, which hits OTG regardless. Has very poor coverage and lockdown, but its low-hitting and OTG properties give it some utility. As a Low-hitting assist, it can be used to set up High/Low Unblockables when combined with an overhead attack from the Point character. This requires being very close as the assist has poor range. You can also whiff this assist on purpose mid-combo if X-23 is in the second position, so that a TAC immediately after brings in your third character instead. This is a useful strategy for 300% teams, as your anchor character likely has an easier TAC Infinite than X-23.

Crescent Scythe
Assist Y

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000 x3	29	9	154, 124
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Invuln (as Crossover Counter) frames 1 - ???
THC Hyper: Rage Trigger. This is X-23's fastest assist and the one that covers the most screen space. Like other DP-style assists, it lacks any kind of invincibility or defensive properties, has poor horizontal reach, and knocks opponents awkwardly high into the air on hit. This assist is mainly notable for its use as an Alpha Counter. When brought in as a guard cancel, this assist does have a respectable amount of invulnerability, allowing the previous point character to escape pressure fairly safely. Additionally, this attack can be canceled into Talon Strike (j.236X) to either remain safe on block or convert into a full combo on hit.

Ground Normals

Stand Light
5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000	4	3	11
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-1	-1	Mid
Hitbox does not extend as far as the visual claw swing effect indicates, but still has good reach for a light normal. Good bare button to steal momentum. Otherwise mainly used after Neck Slice or Talon Strike to confirm a hit or maintain pressure.

Stand Medium
5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000 x2	5	2(2)3	19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-4	-5	Mid	-
Double-hitting poke normal. Has a solid hitbox and advances X-23 forwards slightly.

Stand Heavy
5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
68,000	9	4	21
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+1	-3	Mid
Important combo tool due to its (relatively) high base damage, large amounts of hitstun, and Strike property enabling both simple and advanced jump loops. Its rather lengthy recovery can be largely negated - even on whiff - by canceling into Mirage Feint (214X).

Crouching Light
2L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
35,000	5	3	13
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3	-3	Low
Standard fast low attack. Like 5L, it is good for maintaining pressure after Talon Strike or Neck Slice.

Crouching Medium
2M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
28,000 x2	6	7	16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-3	Low	-
Has slightly poorer range than 5M and advances X-23 only about half as far forward. Mainly useful as a low confirm.

Crouching Heavy
2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
63,000	10	4	20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-2	Low	,
Standard sweep attack. This attack does not juggle high enough into the air to start jump loops the way that 5H does, but it can still be followed up with a Mirage Feint Cancel, or with a regular 5S.

Launcher/Special
S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	8	4	27
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
Launch	-9	Mid	,
Standard launcher. Unremarkable, except that it is fairly fast.

Aerial Normals

Jumping Light
j.5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000	4	3	16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+9	+9	OH	-
-

Jumping Medium
j.5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	6	3	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+16	+15	OH	-
Works naturally as an instant overhead against big-body characters, and can also work as an instant overhead against standard-sized characters via a Fuzzy Guard setup. Thanks to j.2H, this can be converted easily and freely into a full combo if used as an instant overhead. Otherwise, it is fairly standard air combo filler and a respectable air-to-ground attack.

Jumping Heavy
j.5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	11	3	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+18	+17	OH	-
-

Jumping Special
j.5S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	11	3	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+18	+14	OH
Because X-23 also has j.236L as an Air Combo Finisher, this move is mainly used for its strength as a regular normal. It is a strong jump-in attack, deals good damage, and is helpful in jump loops or similar combos due to the large amount of hitstun dealt.

Command Normals

Falling Claw
j.2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
68,000	8	Until Grounded	10
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+7	+6	Mid	Special Cancelable
Immediately halts all of X-23's aerial momentum and causes her to plunge straight downward. This attack hits on both sides directly below her, and thus can be used as a Crossup. However, it does not hit overhead. This move is useful combo filler, can help with certain conversions (such as after an instant overhead attempt), or be used for mobility purposes to evade underneath certain air attacks.

Special Moves

Neck Slice
236L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
85,000	18	9	14
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-1	Mid	-
Largely unremarkable advancing attack. X-23 does a quick backflip and then advances forward while slicing. The backflip can be used to evade and then whiff punish some normals (so 2L xx 236L sometimes works as a frame trap, or to bait mashed pushblock attempts). However, uncharged Neck Slice isn't advantageous enough to combo after without additional resources.

Charged Neck Slice
236[L]

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x3	37	12	11
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+30	0	Mid	Stagger on hit versus grounded, spinout into on hit versus airborne.
The charged version of Neck Slice deals more damage and has significantly better advantage on hit, while also being slightly better on block. It is impractical for most teams to combo into this move, but it easily starts combos of its own. Charged Neck Slice is a decent approach tool, especially when covered by an assist, and is extremely difficult to punish once active, even on whiff. Although typically neutral on block, very few characters can contest X-23's fast 5L, so she typically keeps momentum.

Ankle Slice
236M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
85,000	20	4	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3	-4	Low	-
Works very similarly to Neck Slice, but with a low-hitting slash instead of the larger, mid-hitting attack of 236L. Like with Neck Slice, it is fairly unremarkable when uncharged.

Charged Ankle Slice
236[M]

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x3	39	7	19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+27	-3	Low	Staggers on hit vs grounded.
Charging Ankle Slice causes it to gain the OTG property, which makes it an important combo tool. Like with Neck Slice, charging this move also causes it to deal increased damage and hitstun, while also enhancing the move's horizontal range. Against most characters, this move launches the opponent slightly airborne when it hits OTG, allowing for a combo into Rage Trigger and basically nothing else outside of X-Factor. Against large-body characters (Hulk, Sentinel, Nemesis), this move launches slightly higher, allowing her to combo into Weapon X Prime (623XX) instead.

Decapitating Slice
236H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
120,000(3 hits)	26-45	8	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw	, Can be charged
X-23's command grab. In most cases, it is too slow and predictable to use effectively, and opponents can simply hold up on reaction to the lengthy startup animation. Charging this special by holding the button increases the range of the attack (she leaps further horizontally) but otherwise has no benefit. On successful throw, the opponent is knocked airborne and eventually falls down next to X-23, allowing her to pick up with a well-timed normal just before they reach the ground.

Talon Attack
j.236X

L Version

M Version

H Version

L (in air) +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	90,000	15	Until Grounded	11
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+10	+9	Mid
M (in air) +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	90,000	15	13	13
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-3	-4	Mid	-
H (in air) +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	90,000	15	13	13
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-3	-4	Mid	-
Divekick-esque special move. Direction is changed based on the button used. L travels diagonally down-forward, M travels straight horizontally forward, and H travels diagonally up-forward. L Talon Attack is an Air Combo Finisher and is preferred over j.5S due to dealing more damage and bringing X-23 down to the ground alongside the opponent, letting her follow-up more quickly. It is also a strong approach tool, as it is quite advantageous on both hit and block. M Talon Attack is also a solid approach tool, especially when done close to the ground as a Tiger Knee motion and/or covered by an assist. X-23 can freely cancel her other specials into Talon Attack so long as she is airborne. This is important for Crescent Scythe (623X) and Mirage Feint (214X) which have lengthy airborne periods during their duration.

Crescent Scythe
623X

Ground

Air

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	85,000	5	8	33*
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+1	-19	Mid
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	55,000 x2	5	11	40*
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-5	-25	Mid
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	44,000 x3	5	12	59*
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-23	-46	Mid
Dragon Punch-style upward hitting attack. However, it has no invulnerability and is a poor reversal. Crescent Scythe is mainly useful as combo filler, especially the H version which deals fairly significant damage. This move does not recover naturally until X-23 reaches the ground (recovery listed is for grounded version of the move). However, its lengthy recovery can be circumvented by canceling it into any version of Talon Attack at any time.

Mirage Feint
214X

L Version

M Version

H Version

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	-	3	-	14
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-	-
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	-	3	-	25
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-	Passthrough
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	-	6	-	7
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-	-
X-23 drops into a stance which can be maintained by holding the button. Releasing the button causes X-23 to leap forward, with the trajectory determined by the button used: L - X-23 hops very slightly forward M - X-23 leaps horizontally a very long distance. This leap has passthrough; it can slip behind opponents to cross them up. H - X-23 leaps upward and very slightly forward, similar to a standard forward jump. This version recovers very quickly, allowing her to perform aerial normals before landing. 214M is useful as a cross-up tool, by canceling it into L Talon Attack once it basses behind the opponent. 214H is a useful combo tool and can also be used to quickly access aerial normals as a sort of pseudo jump-cancel. While holding down the button to delay any version of Mirage Feint, pressing S will cause X-23 to cancel the stance and return to a neutral state. This is referred to as a "Mirage Feint Cancel" and is a useful tool to reduce the recovery of M and H normals. In particular, Mirage Feint Cancels allow X-23 to loop 5H into itself with some practice, leading to a high damage combo.

Hyper Combos

Rage Trigger
"Fight's Over!"
236XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x10 + 50,000 x3(245,400 - 294,600)	13+2	16(13)24(10)10	44
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-12	-29	Mid	Invuln until frame 19, mashable
Standard combo ending hyper, as well as a decent reversal due to being invulnerable from frame 1. Final hits raise the opponent quite high in the air, which makes DHCs awkward to perform unless the cancel is done early.

Weapon X Prime
623XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
10,000 x6 + 15,000 + 25,000 + 70,000 + 20,000 x2 + 60,000 + 70,000 + 110,000(280,900)	24+1	33	38
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-50	Mid	Invuln frames 6-64, Spinout into
Cinematic level 1 hyper. Although it is not frame 1 invuln like Rage Trigger, it has significantly more total invincibility. This makes it a decent counter-activation to certain other hypers, such as Doctor Doom's 214XX. This hyper is harder to combo into (and deals less damage) than Rage Trigger, but it is more friendly to DHCs in either direction. It is especially nice for comboing into install hypers such as Dante's Devil Trigger due to its lengthy spinout.

Silent Kill
Dirt Nap
214XX (3 bars)

X-23 is completely invisible during the install, but dust clouds still appear when she moves.

The unblockable attack performed during Dirt Nap is her L normal.

"Bye-bye."

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
400,000	20+9	290	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Good Luck :)	Invuln frames 6-29, 290 frame invisibility install
Upon activation, X-23 performs a backflip and turns completely invisible for roughly 5 seconds. This means that neither X-23 nor her opponent knows exactly where she is, although the dust clouds kicked up whenever she dashes can give clues to her current location. While invisible, X-23 can move and attack as normal, however, her S button is replaced with a special unblockable attack. This special S follow-up can be done at any time, including during special attacks. Pressing S while on the ground causes the Unblockable attack to have identical hitboxes and frame data to 5L. Pressing S while airborne gives the unblockable the properties of j.5L. Because Silent Kill's followup is an Unblockable and not a throw, it can be landed even on an opponent already in hitstun or blockstun, leading to truly inescapable setups. Upon connecting this attack, a short cinematic plays where X-23 deals a single, highly damaging attack to the opponent. This attack causes a Hard Knockdown, and she can follow up either by catching the opponent before they land, or with an OTG 236[M]. Despite being invisible, X-23 is not invincible once the startup has ended, therefore she can be hit/thrown when approaching to perform the followup. This can be negated by using a normal or assist first, then going into the Unblockable followup.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw
6H, 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw
X-23 can follow up her forward ground throw with a well-timed dash up 236[M], although the damage potential here is limited. Picking up after a backthrow is effectively impossible.

Air Throw
j.6H, j.4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Airthrow
X-23 can follow up her forward air throw with a well-timed dash up 236[M], although the damage potential here is limited. Picking up after a backthrow is effectively impossible.

Snap Back
+/

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	2	4	21
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-3	Mid	Snapback
Animation and hitbox based on 5H

Hard Tag
Hold 14f /

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000	-	17	34
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-13	OH
-

Air Exchange
(During a Launcher Combo) / / / +

Up +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	45,000	11	4	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-	-
Side / +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	35,000	11	5	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-
Down +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	45,000	11	4	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	-
Notes - When TAC'ing INTO X-23, base damage from her attack is 60,000.

Team Position

Laura is typically placed in the Second or Anchor position on a team. Although her Unblockable hyper is very powerful, she typically needs another character to score the first hit and build meter in order to set her up. Unfortunately, her assists are not the most useful while she waits in the backline. Crescent Scythe is a decent defensive assist and can be used to set up Alpha Counter Cancels since it is freely cancelable into j.236X on hit or block. Ankle Slice hits Low and thus can be used to set up Unblockables when combined with an overhead from the point character. She also makes an excellent candidate for Level 2 or Level 3 X-Factor, as the speed boost opens up some additional solo combo routes for her, and the damage boost allows her to quickly build meter for more Dirt Naps.

Notable Synergies

Dante: Dante's Jam Session assist has huge vertical coverage and provides a significant amount of blockstun. When called against an oncoming character, it can force most opponents to block (or be hit) as soon as they appear, making X-23's unblockable hyper truly inescapable. It's also a generically useful assist that she can call in neutral in order to mount an offense. Like many other characters on this list, Dante has many tools for extended combos that build significant meter, which can be used to fuel Dirt Nap setups.

Players to Watch: Dapvip (Dante/X-23/Iron Man), Traumatisch (X-23/Dormammu/Dante), Mitsu (Dante/X23/Strange)

Iron Man/Doctor Doom: Both of these characters offer a beam assist. Besides being useful in neutral, X-23 can call these assists during her 5S launcher and then quickly bring a launched opponent back to the ground with j.236L. These beams lasts long enough for the opponent to land on them and for Laura to relaunch, making it one of the few ways that she can use assists to extend her main combo routes. Both of these characters also have relatively easy, any-position TAC Infinites, which are one of the easiest ways to build 5 bars for X-23 to use in unblockable setups.

Players to Watch Jayto (X-23/Doom/Vergil), Dapvip (Dante/X-23/Iron Man)

Dormammu/Vergil: Dark Hole (Dorm) and Rapid Slash (Vergil) are rare examples of assists that last long enough for Laura to call them before starting her 236[M} OTG, and still be active as she recovers from it. This allows her to perform a relaunch without X-Factor, which is a welcome boost to her damage potential. Additionally, Dormammu can activate both Stalking Flare (214XX) and Flame Carpet (3H) and then tag out, leaving these attacks on screen for the opponent to block while Laura mounts an offense.

Players to Watch: Jayto (X-23/Doom/Vergil), Traumatisch (X-23/Dormammu/Dante)

Magneto: With his high mobility, Magneto makes an excellent point character for 300% teams, as he can hold his own and score a hit even with limited assist availability. Magneto can score an early hit and set up a TAC for another character to finish, or be the character brought in to perform the TAC himself. In either case, the result is the same: one dead character and 5 meter to spend on Dirt Nap unblockables for the remaining two opponents.

Players to Watch: ASH (Magneto/X-23/Dante)

Other Players to Watch:

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