UMVC3/Doctor Strange

Overview Combos Strategy/Counterstrategy Resources Data

Introduction

Previously an intelligent but otherwise ordinary surgeon, Doctor Strange began to study magic in an attempt to repair severe damage done to his hands in a freak accident. Eventually, he earned the title of Sorcerer Supreme, marking him as the greatest authority on magic on the entire planet.

In UMvC3, Strange is a keepaway style character with a variety of useful projectiles but rather slow and awkward normal attacks. His biggest contribution to a team is his extremely high damage, as optimized Strange combos can kill just about anyone off any starter.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Damage: Extremely high damage potential through Impact Palm/FoF loops, which can be tacked on to the end of almost any confirm, even from other characters using DHCs or Hard Tags. Powerful Hyper: Access to Spell of Vishanti, an extremely fast fullscreen projectile hyper that can punish whiffed attacks or assist calls. When paired with X-Factor activation, Strange can quickly kill any character and score a huge momentum swing off any small mistake. Amazing Assists: Two excellent assists with long total duration - Eye of Agamotto and Bolts of Balthakk.

Rough Mobility: Very limited and awkward movement due to poor walkspeed, dashspeed, and flight speed. Relies on teleports to maneuver around the stage and smart projectile usage to prevent the opponent from rushing them down. Somewhat Larger Hitbox: Very tall while standing, giving him a larger than average hurtbox that makes it difficult for him to maneuver around enemy attacks and easier to combo. (Note that Strange still has a standard-sized hurtbox when crouching, and is not more vulnerable to instant overheads than normal characters.) Bad Normals: Normals have below average range and terrible recovery. Even Doctor Strange's light attacks are punishable on block.

Health	850,000
Invulnerable Reversal(s)	214XX, 623XX
Grounded Magic Series	Simple
X-Factor Damage Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 45% / 70%
X-Factor Speed Boost (1/2/3)	20% / 25% / 30%
Air Movement Options
Air Actions	Air Jumps?	Air Dash?	Flight?	WallJump?
0	No	No	Yes	No
Minimum Attack Scaling
Normals	Specials		Hypers
15	20		45

Move List

Assists

Daggers of Denak
Assist A

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x3	45+10	-	106, 76
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 3 per projectile
THC Hyper: Spell of Vishanti. Strange summons three projectiles that hover above him for a moment and then fire toward the opponent, tracking their position on screen. Projectiles first gain a hitbox on frame 45. Because the daggers are aimed towards the opponent, this is one of the few assists that can hit an opponent at superjump height. However, it offer significantly less coverage and lockdown potential than Strange's other assists, and is an unpopular choice.

Eye of Agamotto
Assist B

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x10	49	120	112, 82
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 1 per frame for 10 frames
THC Hyper: Spell of Vishanti. Summons a large stationary projectile immediately in front of Strange. The projectile remains on screen for 120 frames (2 seconds) and can hit up to 10 times. Provides a massive amount of lockdown and can act as a shield to protect characters during hard tags or other lengthy actions.

Bolts of Balthakk
Assist Y

Strange steps quite far forward during this assist, making him vulnerable if called recklessly.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000 x2	43	15(29)15	139, 109
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	High	Priority: Low, Durability: 8 per shot.
THC Hyper: Spell of Vishanti. Strange fires two shots across the screen. They look like beams, and have infinite horizontal range, but technically are each single projectiles. There is a sizeable delay between the first and second shots, but the first shot causes a long enough Stagger animation that they will combo naturally on standing opponents. Has faster startup than common beam assists such as Doctor Doom's or Iron Man's. Also, each bolt has as much durability as a call of either of those assists by itself. As a tradeoff, the bolts are shot from very high up compared to most standard assist calls - high enough that most characters can avoid it by crouching, and it will whiff on some characters even if they are standing.

Ground Normals

Stand Light
5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
45,000	4	3	20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-10	-11	High	-
Whiffs against crouching characters, except for very big bodies like Sentinel. Also whiffs against many smaller character while they are standing, such as Wolverine, Spider-Man, Ammy, etc.

Stand Medium
5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
53,000	6	3	30
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-15	-16	Mid	-
The ideal grounded normal to press when you go to start your pressure. Hits behind him and fairly high up. Situational anti air

Stand Heavy
5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	8	4	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-16	-17	Mid	-
Causes a large amount of pushback that can make follow-up Impact Palms whiff. Often omitted from confirms for this reason.

Crouching Light
2L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
43,000	5	2	17
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-6	-7	Mid	-
Does not hit low. Only marginally faster than 5M and much worse range, although it does lower Strange's hurtbox quite a bit compared to standing.

Crouching Medium
2M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	8	5	25
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-13	-14	Mid	-
Niche button used to attempt to avoid some higher hitting moves while still applying pressure

Crouching Heavy
2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
68,000	9	4	27
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-9	Low	,
Strange's only Low attack. Like with 5H, this move is sometimes omitted from confirms; the Strike property will cause any follow-up Impact Palms to not apply a crumple.

Launcher/Special
S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
75,000	8	5	38
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
Launch	-21	Mid	,
Disastrously unsafe launcher. Range is much larger than it appears.

Aerial Normals

Jumping Light
j.5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
48,000	5	8	15
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+11	+10	OH	-
-

Jumping Medium
j.5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
58,000	7	3	25
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+16	+15	OH	-
-

Jumping Heavy
j.5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
68,000	8	3	34
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+18	+17	OH	-
This is what you get when you mess up Impact Palm input.

Jumping Special
j.5S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
73,000	9	4	28
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+18	+17	OH
-

Command Normals

Illusion
4H

Counter Stance

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
0	4	21	1
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Counter	-
If Doctor Strange is hit by a physical (not a projectile), non-low, non-hyper attack while this is active, he will activate Illusion Teleport. (see below) Illusion does have a dash cancellable property.

Illusion Teleport
N/A

If Strange is struck while using illusion, he negates the attack,

And teleports behind the opponent.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	1	10	15
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	Invuln frames 1-20
If Doctor Strange's counter activates, he teleports directly behind the opponent. You can dash cancel the 1st frame of the teleport startup which can allow you to challenge or punish things that you normally would not be able to.

Impact Palm
6H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
75,000	6	5	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	, , versus airborne.
Key combo and confirm tool for Strange. Crumple state on hit versus grounded opponents gives you time to set up Grace of Hoggoth, reposition, or even hard tag to another character. When hitting an airborne opponent, does not force a Soft Knockdown, but causes such a massive amount of hitstun that opponents will typically fall all the way down even from great height. Impact Palm is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Special Moves

Daggers of Denak
236X

L Version

M Version

Daggers track opponent.

L +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000	11	-	34*
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 3
M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000 x3	31	-	29*
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per projectile
Strange deploys projectiles which hover in front of him, then shoot towards the opponent, tracking them. L version fires one projectile which starts to move on frame 15. M version fires three projectiles which start to move on frame 45. These projectiles disappear if Strange is hit. If used in the air, Strange cannot recover until he reaches the ground, and is vulnerable unless he uses X-Factor or a Hyper to cancel the recovery. Can be canceled into an OTG Spell of Vishanti to effectively add free damage to that hyper in most cases. If the M version is used up-close against a cornered opponent, it will strike them from behind and push them slightly out of the corner. This can allow Strange's teleports to cross-up, which they can not do if the opponent is fully in the corner.

Eye of Agamotto
236H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x10	31	-	14*
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+53	+52	Mid	Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 1 per frame for 10 frames.
Strange conjures a large orb in front of him, which hovers in place for 120 frames, can hit up to 10 times, and is fairly durable. Once conjured, Strange can strike the orb with Impact Palm (6H), causing the orb to float towards the opponent. Once in motion, the orb slowly tracks the opponent across the stage. Striking the orb with Impact Palm refreshes both its duration and durability, allowing it to last an additional 120 frames and hit an additional 10 times. However, an Eye of Agamotto in motion loses hits as it travels, reducing its ability to lock the opponent down. As with Daggers of Denak, if Strange uses Agamotto in the air, he will not recover until he reaches the ground. Use with caution in neutral against characters with quick teleports and fast movement

Mystic Sword L
623L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 x3	8	3(1)4(8)4	18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	0	Mid
Note: not a projectile. Strange produces three quick slashes immediately in front of him, with very good recovery. Strange can combo after this with many normals if he is still in range, notably 5S. This attack is also much better on block than any of Strange's grounded normals, and he can cancel into this attack in order to protect himself. Characters with small enough hurtboxes can duck underneath the second and third hits of this attack, making it significantly worse on block. L Mystic Sword Drop Chart Character Close Spaced Notes Akuma No Yes (2 Strange widths) - Amaterasu - Arthur - C. Viper - Captain America - Chris - Chun-Li - Dante - Deadpool - Doctor Doom - Doctor Strange - Dormammu - Felicia - Firebrand - Frank - Ghost Rider - Haggar - Hawkeye - Hsien-Ko - Hulk - Iron Fist - Iron Man - Jill - Magneto - M.O.D.O.K - Morrigan - Nemesis - Nova - Phoenix - Phoenix Wright - Rocket Raccoon - Ryu - Sentinel - She-Hulk - Shuma-Gorath - Spencer - Spider-Man - Storm - Strider - Super-Skrull - Taskmaster - Thor - Trish - Tron - Vergil - Viewtiful Joe - Wesker - Wolverine - X-23 - Zero -

Mystic Sword
623X

M Version

H Version

M +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000 + 80,000	11	4	36
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-15	-16	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 8
H +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000 + 80,000	11	4	36
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-15	-16	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 8
Strange slashes with magic in front of him. Unlike the version, the M and H versions attack once, then fire a single-hit projectile. The M version fires directly forward, while the H version fires at an up-forward angle. Very good durability for how quickly it fires.

Grace of Hoggoth
214L/M

L Grace

M Grace

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	26	-	14
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-
Strange summons a crystal directly in front of him. These crystals remain where they are summoned indefinitely, and Strange can have up to three Graces active at a time between the L and M versions. If a fourth Grace is summoned, the oldest one disappears. Grace of Hoggoth has no hitbox and has no function on its own. This move's only purpose is to enhance and alter the properties of Flames of the Faltine (214H, below). If a Grace of Hoggoth is active when Strange uses Flames of the Faltine, the fireball will travel towards the nearest Grace instead of traveling directly forward as usual. L and M Grace have special effects that occur when a Flame projectile passes through them: L Grace powers up the Flames of Faltine projectile. Powered-up flames deal higher damage, have higher durability, and gain the OTG property. A single flame can be powered up three times, and a Lvl3 Flame also causes a Crumple state on hitting a grounded opponent. M Grace explodes when a Flames of Faltine projectile reaches it. The explosion deals solid damage and hits OTG. However, it does not enhance the Flame projectile itself. When a Flame projectile reaches the Grace it was tracking, it will turn to move towards the next closest Grace. If there are no graces remaining, it will fire in the current direction of the opponent.

Flames of the Faltine
214H

Flames home in on any graces that Strange has already placed.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	12	-	18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+4	+3	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 3
Relatively standard projectile that travels straight forward. Has special properties if used when a Grace of Hoggoth is active (see above). Strange can only have one Flames of the Faltine active at any given time, and attempts to use this move while a fireball is already active will fail. Normal Faltine is still a quick projectile that can be thrown out to poke, control space, and contest an opponent's assists. The risk of whiffing the fireball can be mitigated by canceling into either of Strange's level 1 hypers.

Flames of the Faltine (Enhanced)
214H (with one or more Grace of Hoggoth active)

M (Red) Graces explode when Flames of the Faltine touches them.

The beam created when Flames are enhanced by L (yellow) graces.

Level 1 Pass through 1 L Grace	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	80,000	-	-	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Level 2 Pass through 2 L Graces	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	100,000	-	-	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 8
Level 3 Pass through three L Graces	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	130,000	-	-	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, (versus standing), Priority: Low, Durability: 10
Explosion Pass through any M Grace	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	90,000	-	20	-
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 3
-

Flight
214S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	22	99	0
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	, 99 frame flight mode.
Strange enters a standard flight mode. Because Strange has no airdash, his flight is not as useful for mobility as it is for other characters. Additionally, using Daggers of Denak or Eye of Agamotto while in flight will prematurely end flight mode.

Teleport
421X

L Teleport

M Teleport

H Teleport

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	11	-	19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-
Doctor Strange teleports to a specific location relative to the opponent's current position. L Teleport places Strange on the ground immediately in front of the opponent. M Teleport places Strange on the ground immediately behind the opponent. H Teleport places Strange in the air immediately above the opponent. M and H versions are useful for cross-up setups, and H version can be used when X-Factor cancelling Spell of Vishanti to convert into a full combo from anywhere on the screen. Note that Doctor Strange can not teleport behind an opponent in the corner. In this case, all versions of the teleport will place Strange immediately in front of the opponent instead.

Bolts of Balthakk
X+S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000 x2	19	15(29)15	14
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-6	-7	High	Priority: Low, Durability: 8 per shot.
Strange fires two bolts. Despite their appearance, each shot is a single projectile with infinite horizontal range, not a beam. The first shot causes a lengthy Stagger animation on grounded opponents that ensures the second shot will combo. Against an airborne target, the opponent will usually land and recover before the second shot can connect. Holds Strange in one place for a very long time, and many characters can avoid the beam by crouching or even standing. This is a risky move to use in neutral for very little reward.

Hyper Combos

Spell of Vishanti
Spell of Viscant
236XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
33,000 x10 - x20	10+1	30	45*
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-17	-26	Mid	, , mashable, Priority: High, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 5 frames
Very fast "sniping" hyper that appears underneath the opponent wherever they are on screen and shoots up indefinitely into the air. Can punish an opponent's offense from anywhere on the screen. Can also be used on reaction to assist calls, as most assists appear within a close horizontal range of the point character. Standard combo ender when using its OTG property. On a successful hit. X-Factor -> 421H Teleport -> 6H Impact Palm to confirm into a kill combo from any screen position.

Seven Rings of Raggador
214XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	15+1	25	19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Counter	Invuln frames 1-15, Counters any projectile
Strange surrounds himself in a barrier. He is invulnerable until the counter state is active. Once active, he will counter any projectile that comes into contact with him, including hypers, but is vulnerable to physical hits. If Strange successfully counters a projectile, Seven Rings of Raggador (Beam) activates. See below.

Seven Rings of Raggador (Beam)
Seven Rings Counter is activated

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x15 - x30	11	65	39
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-24	Mid	Invuln frames 1-114 (!!), , mashable, Priority: High, Beam Durability: 1 per frame for 15 frames
Strange fires a large beam directly forward. The beam is not active instantly when the counter is activated, and so sufficiently quick projectiles can recover in time to block or escape and punish Strange. Consider using as a DHC tool to evacuate Strange if he is snapped in early, or to quickly bring in to counter an opponent's hyper.

Astral Magic
623XX (3 bars)

"By the Hoary Hoasts of Hoggoth!"

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
450,000	10+1	30	49
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-57	Mid	Invuln until frame 33, , Priority: High, Durability: 3, ignores damage scaling
Strange launches a ghostly projection of himself forward. If the opponent is hit by it, they are pulled into a cinematic and dealt heavy unscaled damage. Typically used as a combo ender, as FoF loops build a good amount of meter. The Hard Knockdown caused by this move gives Strange exactly enough time to link a follow-up Spell of Vishanti if needed.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw
6H, 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw
Standard ground throw that sends the opponent a good distance away. Follow-ups are usually limited only to Spell of Vishanti.

Air Throw
j.6H, j.4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Airthrow
Standard ground throw that sends the opponent a good distance away. Follow-ups are usually limited only to Spell of Vishanti.

Snap Back
+/

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	2	3	37
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-18	Mid	Snapback
Animation and hitbox based on 5H.

Hard Tag
Hold 14f /

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000	-	20	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-15	OH
-

Team Position

Strange is typically run as either the second or third character on a team. His combos, specifically Flames of Faltine (FoF) loops, are great at efficiently killing characters. However, his awkward neutral makes it difficult for him to set these up himself. Instead, teams utilizing Strange will typically score a hit with another character, and then bring him in mid-combo using a specifically set up Hard Tag or DHC. From there, Strange can finish off the opponent's character, and retreat to safety before the next opponent appears.

He makes for a reasonably effective anchor, as both his mixup tools and chip damage become significantly more effective in X-Factor. Strange can also use X-Factor to fish for "free" snipes on point or assist characters with his anywhere-hitting Spell of Vishanti hyper. On block, he can activate X-Factor to avoid punishment and setup an offense. On hit, he can teleport to pursue the hyper with a follow-up combo.

Notable Synergies

Note: As mentioned above, Doctor Strange teams are typically constructed such that a hit or throw from the point character can be converted into a tag-in for Strange. Many characters are capable of doing this, more than would be appropriate to list here. For a more complete list of ways to enable FoF loops with other characters, please see Strange's combo guide.

Nova: Nova is one of the most well-known and effective characters to set up combos for Doctor Strange. His 214H Nova Strike causes a crumple versus grounded opponents, giving him more than enough time to recover and tag in another character (like Strange) to continue the combo. This is especially effective after a throw (something Nova excels at landing), as the hard tag will reset damage scaling. Additionally, Strange's Bolts of Balthakk assist is a very high duration beam that gives Nova an edge in neutral, comparable to bringing Doom or Sentinel assists.

Players to Watch: Nemo (Nova/Strange/Spencer), Combofiend (Nova/Spencer/Strange)inactive , Marvelo (Nova/Strange/Strider), LeonUltimate (Nova/Strange/Strider), Amongst Shadows active (Nova/Strange/Strider) Yipes (Nova/Spencer/Strange)

Spencer: Doctor Strange's Impact Palm 6H command normal causes a crumple state versus grounded opponents (similar to Nova's 214H, above). Thus, Spencer's Slant Shot assist, which causes a restand versus airborne opponents, is especially effective as a combo extension tool for Strange. Spencer is also a good character to set up Strange combos himself, as he can bring his teammate in using his 236S wallbounce, or by DHCing Bionic Lancer 214XX into Seven Rings.

Players to Watch: Miniboss (Strange/Spencer/Doom), Nemo (Nova/Strange/Spencer), Combofiend (Nova/Spencer/Strange), Yipes (Nova/Spencer/Strange)

Rocket Raccoon: As with many characters that do not have a native wallbounce, Strange benefits greatly from taking Log Trap assist, which provides huge screen coverage and is an easy combo extension tool. Rocket can tag in Strange with several methods, including using the high total hitstun from igniting his Oil Bomb special, as well as DHC setups using both of his level 1 hypers.

Players to Watch: IronGod (Thor/Strange/Rocket) Coach Arithmatic (Chun/Raccoon/Strange) 215jesse (Captain America, Strange, Rocket)

Other Players to Watch: IHeartJustice (Phoenix Wright/Captain America/Strange), Miniboss (Vergil/Strange/Doom), Will "Power" Richards (Vergil, Hawkeye/Strange/Dante)

Alternate Colors

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