UMVC3/Strategy/Set Ups

So you've built a strong team you're familiar with and you've practiced your Bn'B combos in Training Mode yet you may still be having issues getting through the opponent's defense and actually getting your combos started consistently. Either the opponent is beating you to the punch or successfully controlling the space in order to hinder your advances. There are a variety of tips and ticks that will assist in these areas and knowing what your opponent may already know will help to improve your game.

Normal Stand/Crouch

As a beginner player in Ultimate you're quickly introduced to the {{#motion: l , m , h , s }}combo in all of it's variations. Players will often plan their advances on deciding to begin a ground attack either high or low. This gives the opponent an option to either block high or low and it's a fairly simple process. In fact such a strategy will often leave your attacks avoided or guarded, giving the opponent an opening to attack your team.

A preferd basic strategy may be to throw in a quick stand to crouch attack such as {{#motion: l , d + l , m , h}}. In general the light hits are swift enough that even if the first hit is guarded you opponent will remain in block stun long enough to land the crouching attack and enter a well practiced combo chain.

Air

On unique aspect of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is that a lot of the action takes place in the air. Those who are aware of the advantages and dangers of air approaches are better prepared to handle it no matter which side of the equation they find themselves on.

Cross Up

When attacking from the air the angle and possition in ratio to the opponent is key. With you approach with the air attack you have the possibility to create what is commonly know as a "Cross Up" or sometimes it's called a "Mix Up" because you're causing the opponent to mix up which way they should be blocking. Jumping in with an attack typically hits the front of the opponent and it's pretty obvious which way to block but decrease your distance from the opponent and time the air attack so that you hit the back side of the opponent on the descent then you're just performed a cross up. All the characters on the rost can perform a cross up of some kind yet some characters have attacks that are even better for the purpose including Wolverine's diving kick, Spider-Man's Web Glide or Zero's jumping Heavy. Moves like these can be more effective because of the speed they move accross the screen or the width of the attack.

Flight/Air Dash

Using air dashes to get into the opponent can be one of the swiftest way to get a cross up over the top of an opponent. Refer to the List of Air Mobility for a list of which characters can perform these type of moves.

Dashing

More concerning the dash technique was already discussed in the Game Mechanics section and player's should understand the use of dash and wave dashing in order to move in on an opponent to open up their combos. For example, an opponent using Hulk may be relying on the armored {{#motion: h}} attack for heavy damage but when the attack missed your character it can be a great strategy to dash in (or wave dash) and relaliate with a combo. It just can't be said enough, if you are walking around rather than dashing then your movement is seriously crippled in competitive game play.

Assists

Using an assist partner brings a lot of variation to the action that occurs on screen. The opponents motions can easily be distrupted when there is an assist on the screen who distrupts the spacing of the matchup. Using the assist attack wisely and knowing how to follow up when the assist connects will provide openeings for your point character's combos.

Traps

Many characters have attacks that will capture the opponent in a temporary trap such as Dormammu and Rocket Raccoon. Using these with your point character often requires you to understand where the opponent will be on the screen in order to lay the trap at the right place at the right time. This same logic needs to be applied to your assists as well. When you call an assist with an attack that will catch the opponent you'll need to be prepared to follow up. Practicing where the assist will set the trap in training mode and what your point character should be doing depending on a variety of angles will help you to maximize the use of those assists.

Unblockable

Some assists attacks hit either high in the air or low on the ground. Combining these types of assists with a point character who is doing the exact opposite may create an "unblockable" situation since the opponent is un able to block both low hits and high air hits at the same time. One example of this is having Wolverine on point using his Sliding Claw (which will hit low) with an Akuma assist performing the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku (which will hit high).

Punish

Another great option to get in that combo chain is to punish an over zellous opponent. Many attacks are considered "unsafe" because it leaves their character open to be retaliated against by a blocking opponent. A great example of this would be X-23's Crescent Scythe, if you block that on the ground you are almost guaranteed an opportunity to start a combo against the opponent as they approach the ground again.

Be smart about how you control space, your entry points into the opponent's space (proactive) and look for those chances to retaliate their advances (reactive) and you will see your hit count noticeably improved.