UMVC3/Nova

Nova

As a high-schooler Richard Rider is chosen by a dying alien to receiving the power bestowed as a member of the Nova Corps. With his new roll Nova divides his time between saving the world and saving the universe. Nova was a founding member of the New Warriors and more recently is seen taking part in Steve Roger's Secret Avengers.

In a nutshell

An extremely versatile character, Nova can fulfill many roles in the game. His rushdown capabilities are rather notable, ranging from high pressure to overhead mixups, especially with his unusual air dashes and varied hitboxes. As a zoning / keepaway character, he can create barriers, anti-air energy javelins, and has a Hyper combo for any situation. Additionally, he has the unique ability to enhance some of his Special moves and Hypers by consuming his remaining Red Life - both a curse and a blessing. If you want an extremely versatile character with strategic concerns, Nova is the intergalactic hero for you!

Players to Watch

TA|Moons, Nemo, Infrit, Marvelo, Zansam, Darryn

Character Vitals

CHARACTER DATA

Health:

900,000

Base Ground Magic Series:

Stronger+

Double Jump:

No

Air Dash:

Yes

Air Dash/Jump count:

1

X-FACTOR

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

X-Factor Damage Boost:

30.0 %

50.0 %

70.0 %

X-Factor Speed Boost:

10.0 %

20.0 %

30.0 %

X-Factor Duration:

10.5 s

15.5 s

20.5 s

MINIMUM DAMAGE SCALING

L Attacks

M Attacks

H Attacks

Special Moves

Hyper Combos

Normal:

5 %

10 %

35 %

X-Factor Lvl 1:

35 %

X-Factor Lvl 2:

35 %

X-Factor Lvl 3:

35 %

Video Walkthrough

Move List

Assist Types

Name

Type

Damage

Special Properties

Cross-Over Combination

Gravimetric
Pulse (H)

shot front

35,000 x
3 / 4 / 5

proj
softknockdown
(air only / level 3 only)
stagger
(ground only / level 3 only) ;
Level determined by
Nova's Red Life.
Red Life still drains
as an Assist.

Gravimetric Blaster

Nova Strike (M)

direct front

50,000 x 3

airok
softknockdown
wallbounce

Gravimetric Blaster

Centurian Rush (M)

direct tiltdown

100,000

high
forcedgroundbounce
(aironly)

Gravimetric Blaster

Normal Moves

Name

Command

Damage

Notes (glossary)

Standing Light

l

55,000

rpdfire

Crouching Light

d + l

50,000

Standing Medium

m

80,000

Crouching Medium

d + m

75,000

low

Standing Heavy

h

85,000

Crouching Heavy

d + h

80,000

low softknockdown

Special

s

100,000

launch nocancel

Nova Slam

f + h

100,000

high nocancel
otg softknockdown
groundbounce

Jumping Light

air l

55,000

high

Jumping Medium

air m

75,000

high

Jumping Heavy

air h

90,000

high

Jumping Special

air s

40,000 x 3

high nocancel
aircombofinisher
hardknockdown

Throws

Name

Command

Damage

Notes (glossary)

Forward Throw

f + h

80,000

throw hardknockdown

Back Throw

b + h

80,000

throw hardknockdown

Forward Air Throw

air f + h

80,000

airthrow hardknockdown

Back Air Throw

air b + h

80,000

airthrow hardknockdown

Special Moves

Name

Command

Damage

Notes (glossary)

Gravimetric Pulse (L)
(Level 1)

qcf + l

90,000

airok proj

Gravimetric Pulse (L)
(Level 2)

qcf + l

50,000 x 3

airok
softknockdown (air only)
proj ;
softknockdown caused only by
last hit.

Gravimetric Pulse (L)
(Level 3)

qcf + l

50,000 x 5

airok
softknockdown (air only)
stagger (ground only)
proj ;
softknockdown and stagger
caused only by last hit.

Gravimetric Pulse (M)
(Level 1)

qcf + m

90,000

proj

Gravimetric Pulse (M)
(Level 2)

qcf + m

50,000 x 3

airok
softknockdown (air only)
proj ;
softknockdown caused only by
last hit.

Gravimetric Pulse (M)
(Level 3)

qcf + m

50,000 x 5

airok
softknockdown (aironly)
wallbounce (aironly)
stagger (ground only)
proj ;
softknockdown , stagger ,
and wallbounce caused
only by last hit. wallbounce
only occurs if opponent reaches
wall during air reel.

Gravimetric Pulse (H)
(Level 1)

qcf + h

35,000 x 3

airok proj

Gravimetric Pulse (H)
(Level 2)

qcf + h

35,000 x 4

airok proj

Gravimetric Pulse (H)
(Level 3)

qcf + h

35,000 x 5

airok
softknockdown (air only)
stagger (groundonly)
proj

Centurion Rush (L)

dp + l

90,000

strk otg

Centurion Rush (M)

dp + m

100,000

high
forcedgroundbounce (aironly)

Centurion Rush (H)

dp + h

35,000 + 35,000 + 80,000

launch ;
launch caused only by last hit.

Nova Strike (L)

qcb + l

75,000

airok softknockdown

Nova Strike (M)

qcb + m

50,000 x 3

airok softknockdown
wallbounce ;
wallbounce caused only by
last hit

Nova Strike (H)

qcb + h

110,000

airok
softknockdown (air only)
wallbounce (air only)
crumple (ground only)

Flight

qcb + s

0

airok ;
Leaves Nova in Flight.

Energy Javelin

atk + s

70,000

softknockdown (air only)
groundbounce (air only)
proj

NOTE -- The amount of Red Life Nova has at the time of performing the Gravimetric Pulse determines what level the
move will be performed at. The more Red Life, the higher the level. Once performed, however, Nova drains all of the
Red Life that he has.

Hyper Moves

Name

Command

Damage

Notes (glossary)

Gravimetric Blaster (Level 1)

qcf + atk + atk

15,000 x 25

strk proj ;
Mashable. strk caused
only by last hit.

Gravimetric Blaster (Level 2)

qcf + atk + atk

18,000 x 25

strk proj ;
Mashable. strk caused
only by last hit.

Gravimetric Blaster (Level 3)

qcf + atk + atk

22,000 x 25

softknockdown
proj ;
Mashable. softknockdown
caused only by last hit.

Super Nova

dp + atk + atk

12,000 x 40

strk projnull ;
Mashable.

Human Rocket

qcb + atk + atk

100,000 per Hit

strk projnull ;
Each time you tap an atk button,
you add another hit (up to 3 total hits).
Each hit can be aimed with the
controller in any of the 8 directions.

NOTE -- The amount of Red Life Nova has at the time of performing the Gravimetric Blaster determines what level the
move will be performed at. The more Red Life, the higher the level. Once performed, however, Nova drains all of the
Red Life that he has.

Mission Mode

Strategy

Tips and Tricks

Nova's air mobility, between his flight speed and his air dash, is incredible. Use this to run away and irritate the opponent, or use it for fast cross-ups and overhead mixups.
Nova's air {{#motion: h}} has a large hitbox and is very fast on startup, while also pulling his "hurtbox" (the part of him that can take damage) in closer to the center, making this an astonishing safe move overall.
Because of the way Nova floats, his Nova Slam attack ( {{#motion: f}} + {{#motion: h}} ) can actually be used to attack while dodging low attacks. If you have your opponent scared, use this to test their reactions and probably inflict huge damage.
Nova's Crouching {{#motion: l}} does not hit low, only his crouching {{#motion: m}} and {{#motion: h}}. Keep this in mind when attacking, as that extra light will give the opponent time to block low.
Air Dashing straight down with a light attack is a very fast overhead. Use this to open crouching opponents.
If you ever finish a combo with the Human Rocket Hyper, try to aim the last hit down. This will cause Nova to land very quickly, and give you an amazing reset opportunity.
Virtually any combo can be finished with an {{#motion: otg}} Centurion Rush {{#motion: l}} , canceled into his Super Nova Hyper. This is often going to be the most damaging combo you can do.
Nova is one of the only characters to have a true X-Factor infinite. Centurion Rush {{#motion: m}} causes a {{#motion: forcedgroundbounce}} on any airborne opponent, and in X-Factor level 3, he can loop this bounce until the opponent is defeated, or X-Factor runs out.

Combos

Fly/UnFly Combo 1) {{#motion: air h (land), h , s (launcher), air h, qcb + s , air h , qcb + s ,
air h (land), h , s (launcher), delay air h , dp + atk + atk}}

Fly/UnFly Combo 2) {{#motion: d + m , h , s (launcher), air h, qcb + s , air h , qcb + s ,
air h (land), h , s (launcher), air h , qcb + s , air h , air s (land), f + h , s (launcher),
air h, dp + atk + atk}}

Throw Combo) Follwing a throw, {{#motion: f + h , h , s (launcher), air h , qcb + s , air h ,
air s (land), dp + l , dp + atk + atk}}

Air Combo) {{#motion: air m , air m , delay air h (land), uf , air m , air h , air s (land), f + h ,
s (launcher), air m , air m , air h , dp + atk + atk}}

Basic Strategy

Advanced Strategy

Strategy vs. Nova

As noted in the Tips above, Nova's crouching {{#motion: l}} cannot hit low. During any given fight with Nova, you can spend much of the match simply blocking high. It will save you a lot of trouble.
Nova tends to be hesitant to use the moves that will drain his red health. This will often help, as you will see much less of the Gravimetric Pulse {{#motion: h}} (barrier), and will give you more opportunities to get in. If he does use it, punish with a beam Hyper when able. This will both destroy the barrier, and deal huge damage to Nova, with the added bonus of him losing the previous red health.
Be wary of his surprisingly large hitboxes and throw range. He can easily confirm around 700k damage from almost any hit, and almost as much from a throw. He may be fast, but he can be zoned out, especially when he wants to play his own zoning game. Energy Javelin will cause problems in this strategy.
If all of the above seems contradictory, it's simply because Nova is so variable: he can do a bit of everything, and change strategies on a whim. Stay on your toes, and be prepared to change your strategy at a moment's notice. If you can control the flow and pacing of the match, you should be fine.

Nova

Players to Watch

Character Vitals

Video Walkthrough

Technology

Combos

Team Synergy

Move List

Assist Types

Normal Moves

Throws

Special Moves

Hyper Moves

Mission Mode

Strategy

Tips and Tricks

Combos

Basic Strategy

Advanced Strategy

Strategy vs. Nova