Basic Strategy
Movement
Dormammu has a fixed-duration hop-style dash which cannot be canceled into normal attacks; as a result, he cannot plink on the ground. However, both his front- and backdashes can be jump-canceled, and this enables Dormammu to move fairly quickly by dashing, jump-canceling, and then canceling that jump into a triangle-dash. He can also move quickly by doing rapid, repeated tri-dashes in succession. Additionally, Dormammu can plink while flying if above the minimum height to airdash. These techniques combine to allow him to move with surprising rapidity for what seems initially to be a slow and ponderous character. Finally, Dormammu's teleports enable him to quickly move full-screen of distance and cross the opponent up, even in the corner, making his one of the most potent left-right mixup kits in the entire game.
Space Control
Dormammu has exceptional Control tools and is one of the strongest zoners in the entire game, though his kit can be a bit unintuitive at first. Dark Hole (236X) has some of the highest durability of any projectile in the game and can be used to deal significant chip, as does Purification, Dormammu's 623X pillar attack. Dark Matter gives him the ability to control the lateral space, though its paltry 1 point of projectile durability means it will lose in any projectile war. Flame Carpet (3H) shuts down grounded approaches and Spells (214X) cover for Dormammu's various weaknesses, such as 2-red-1-blue - the volcano - functioning as a reversal and 2-blue-1-red - the big meteors - functioning as a screen-clearer. Stalking Flare (214XX) and Chaotic Flame (236XX) are two of the most powerful hypers in the game for controlling space, and Dark Dimension is an invaluable - if expensive - invincible reversal. Stalking Flare forces the opponent to either eat or block 20 hits, allowing for significant time to set up spells or to tag in another character if Dormammu's health is low or he is facing a bad matchup. Chaotic Flame meanwhile can delete an opposing assist character in addition to their point if you time it right, with the ability to spam Purification as cleanup for any erstwhile health that remains.
Rushdown & Mixups
Though it is not his primary strategy, Dormammu also has a capable rushdown and mixup game. When used sparingly to punish an opponent who has been forced into frustration by your zoning, this can be an incredibly useful tool in Dormammu's arsenal. His triangle dash instant overheads are on par with other characters like Magneto and Nova, and his teleport gives him one of the best left-right mixup kits in the entire game. Cover your teleports with an assist call or a Dark Matter (6H) or both. A well-placed Flame Carpet combined with a 623M teleport can create an unblockable situation if you time a tri-dash-light with the Flame Carpet for a simultaneous low and overhead hit. While this is a powerful strategy and absolutely part of Dormammu's kit, it is generally inferior to his control strategy not least because it opens him up significantly more to being punished should you overextend and put out an input incorrectly.
Intermediate Strategies
Flame Carpet Solo Relaunch
Dormammu is not normally capable of comboing off of Flame Carpet without either an assist or X-factor. However, in the corner, Dormammu may juggle the opponent in unique, character-specific ways, enabling solo relaunches against most of the cast with a bit of memorization.
| Character | Solo Flame Carpet Relaunch? | Follow-up Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amaterasu | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Arthur | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Firebrand | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Rocket Raccoon | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Tron Bonne | yes - don't dash into the corner | 5 separate hits |
| Viewtiful Joe | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Wolverine | yes - any timing/spacing | 5 separate hits |
| Akuma | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 5 separate hits or 2-2-1 / 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Morrigan | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 5 separate hits / 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Storm | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 5 separate hits / 2-2-1 - 5MS needed |
| Vergil | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 5 separate hits / 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Captain America | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 2M, carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Haggar | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / whiff S, carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Super-Skrull | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed (5M->2H possible) |
| Thor | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / whiff S, carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Hsien-Ko | yes - Delay MMHS, carpet immediately / 1D charge 4-1 5MS / 1C charge 2-2-1 | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Chris | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Dante | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Doctor Doom | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Hawkeye | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Jill | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Magneto | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 2-2-1 - 5MS needed (5M -> 2H possible) |
| Nova | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Trish | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Wesker | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Chun-Li | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Felicia | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Iron Fist | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Ryu | yes - Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| M.O.D.O.K. | Yes - Stand + wait for character to get spaced / Delay MMHS, 5S | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Zero | Yes - Stand + wait for character to get spaced / Airdash into corner / 1 spell charge | 3-2 - 5LMS needed |
| Phoenix Wright | yes - Immediate 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Strider | yes - Immediate 2M, carpet / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 5 separate hits / 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Frank West | yes - Immediate 2M, carpet | 2-2-1 - 5MS needed |
| X23 | yes - Immediate 2M, carpet | 2-2-1 - 5MS needed |
| Deadpool | yes - delay MMHS, whiff 2H, carpet | 3 then 2 - 5MS needed |
| Ghost Rider | yes - delay MMHS, whiff 2H, carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Taskmaster | yes - delay MMHS, whiff 2H, carpet | 3 then 2 - 5MS needed |
| C. Viper | yes - delay MMHS, whiff S / Crouch + wait for character to get spaced | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed / 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Spencer | yes - Delay MMHS, whiff S / Stand + wait for char to get spaced, tap stick back, flame carpet | 3 then 2 - 5MS needed / 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Hulk | yes - 1 spell charge, carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Sentinel | Yes - delay MMHS, dash back, carpet | 5 separate hits superjump ADDF j.H cr.H or Dash fwd 5MS needed |
| Shuma-Gorath | Yes - delay MMHS, jump UB ADDB, carpet | 5 separate hits - SJ ADDF j.H, cr.H or dash forward st.MS needed |
| Dormammu | Yes - Meaty carpet off neutral jump launch (needs 5LMS) / Stand + wait, tap stick back / Stand | 5 hits (meaty) 5LMS needed / 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Phoenix (Jean Grey) | Yes - stand + wait for character to get spaced, tap stick back, flame carpet | 4 then 1 - 5LMS needed |
| Spider-Man | Yes - Stand + wait for character to get spaced, tap stick back, flame carpet | 4 then 1 - 5MS needed |
| Nemesis | No - similar to Dormammu but much less consistent | Technically it can hit meaty on his bounce but inconsistent |
| Doctor Strange | No - doesn't work at all | - |
| Iron Man | No - doesn't work at all | - |
| She-Hulk | No - doesn't work at all | - |