GGST/May/Matchups

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 May



Matchups

  • Keep on Rockin' is a great resource to find specific matchups played by good players: https://strive.keeponrock.in/#/?p1chars=may
  • Character Strategy pages generally have basic, universal counterplay.
  • Please keep in mind matchup charts are subjective and not all players will agree
    • Current Matchup favorability is taken from Rating Update high rated matches. (<41% is unfavorable, 41%-45% is slightly unfavorable, 45%-55% is average, 55%-59% is slightly favorable, >59% is favorable)

Anji

 Anji MitoPlay safe and take minimal risks.
Average

 

  • Anji controls space against May fairly well, so avoid risky approaches
    • KouGGST Anji Mito 236S.pngGuardAllStartup12 [28]Recovery14Advantage-, 5P, and 6P are dangerous anti-airs, so avoid jumping if possible
  • Autoguard makes the risk-reward of S DolphinGGST May Mr. Dolphin Horizontal.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3 in neutral not favorable
  • Using IB against his blockstrings makes punishing FujinGGST Anji Mito 236H.pngGuardAllStartup16 [32]Recovery21Advantage-8 [-6] and its followups much easier

Fuujin Followups

May can beat 3/4 Fuujin followups (the low being the exception) with Vertical S Dolphin. Note that it's very easy to do this on reaction against the two options that put Anji in the air, but will be hard doing the same with the overhead. It's generally safer to just block the overhead, as by the time you recognize it you'll likely trade with it at best, and it's very punishable on block anyway. In neutral, you should tend towards a more grounded approach, as Anji's pseudo DP can be tricky to deal with. 5K is an ideal poke as you can trigger the autoguard on his spin and still act before he can. When he has 50 meter, dolphin pressure becomes very unsafe due to his counter super. Use it sparingly and use more delayed followups to account for it.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Axl

Baiken

Chipp

Average

  Chipp's exceptionally fast 5P allows him to mash out of three frame gaps, notably May's c.S > 6H frametrap.

Chipp's extreme movement speed and quick attacks let him easily whiff punish attacks from a safe distance. May should avoid using slow attacks pre-emptively in neutral in this matchup.

As a character with a meterless invulnerable reversal, Chipp has an exceptionally easy time escaping from May's larger frametraps. May should be more careful about her pressure strings in this matchup as a result, and should use throw okizeme early to beat it as a wakeup. Most Chipp players will attempt to burst out of a whiffed DP punish, so be prepared to bait the burst with c.S (CH) > block burst > c.S > ...

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Faust

Slightly Favorable

  Same as Ram, an immediate f.S covers all of May's options after Horizontal S Dolphin is blocked, except for 5P or 6P, and can counterplay that with a delay or option that beats those moves, such as a low.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Giovanna

 GiovannaRun your best gameplan while watching spacing
Average

 

  • May can choose to match Giovanna's aggression or play defensively and force her to approach
  • Giovanna's great anti-air options encourage a grounded playstyle
  • 5H is a fantastic counterpoke against her normals, but is easily whiff punishable.

Round Start Options Gio's roundstart options rarely directly beat yours unless you both take huge risks.

  • 2S: a standard starter
    • Beats all P/K buttons and most special moves
    • Loses to 214SGGST Giovanna 214S 1.pngGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5
    • Trades with f.S, 2S, and 5H
  • S DolphinGGST May Mr. Dolphin Horizontal.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3: slightly more risky
    • Beats Gio's 5H/2H and all special moves except 623SGGST Giovanna Sol Nascente.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery21Advantage-15
    • Loses to all P and K buttons
    • Trades with f.S and 2S
  • 5H: a very risky opener
    • beats Giovanna's 5S/2S and 214SGGST Giovanna 214S 1.pngGuardAll, HighStartup{4} 27Recovery21Advantage-5
    • Loses to 5H and 236KGGST Giovanna Trovao.pngGuardAll [All (Guard Crush)]Startup27Recovery13Advantage+4 [+15]
    • Trades with 214KGGST Giovanna Sepultura.pngGuardAllStartup13Recovery20Advantage-4

Neutral

  • May can switch between matching Gio's aggression or playing defensively at will
  • Air approaches are discouraged due to Gio's great anti-air options.
  • Avoid whiffing buttons too often, as gio has a variety of tools to punish whiffed normals
  • May's 2S or 5K are great pokes to check Gio's dashes, but lose to Gio's 2D at a distance
  • May's 5H is a fantastic counterpoke against both her approaches and gio's 2D, but can be baited and whiff punished

Defense

Offense

  • Giovanna's VentaniaGGST Giovanna Ventania.pngGuardAllStartup5+4Recovery49Advantage-37 is a 7 frame reversal, which means many safe jumps will not work against her if she has meter.
  • After a blocked S DolphinGGST May Mr. Dolphin Horizontal.pngGuardAllStartup7Recovery20 (24 OH)Advantage-3
    • 6P beats 5H and dash f.S, but loses to 2D and other dash buttons
    • Backdash loss to dash f.S/5H, but will reset to neutral if she uses 2D
    • Jumping can be caught by 5H, but otherwise puts you in the air above Giovanna. Use this to escape or commit to an attack.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Goldlewis

Happy Chaos

I-No

Jack-O' (Mirror)

Ky

Average

  Ky Kiske's Stun Dipper (236K) is a risky, but unusually quick, roundstart option that will beat any of May's attacking options at round start. May should block on first round start as a low-risk start that punishes this option.

May can punish Ky's Stun Dipper on block, depending on whether or not she is in shock state and Ky's spacing when he uses the move. If May is not in shock state, she can punish Ky with 5K>3K unless he is spaced well on normal block. If May is in shock state, the additional knockback makes Ky significantly safer. If May instant blocks one or both hits of this attack, she will be much closer - able to punish with 5K>3K consistently in shock state, or even with c.S in some cases.

[4]6S is not going to be very good in this matchup. Ky's 2S punishes every offensive option May can use after it's blocked, at worst trading favorably with May's 2P. This leaves May with only backdash, block, or jump - none of which can punish 2S. Not only that, but if they wish to gamble, Stun Dipper will catch both backdash and jump, only losing to block. Its more favorable for May to close the distance with running or jumping and reserve [4]6S for fast punishes where other buttons wouldn't reach or be fast enough.

May can interrupt Ky's Foudre Arc on reaction with [4]6S or 5P. If Ky is close to May and May blocks Foudre Arc while standing and not in shock state, she is at a slight (1) frame advantage, which she can attempt to use to poke Ky out of his pressure extension with 2K. Beware that Ky gains frame advantage if Foudre Arc connects meaty, which always happens if May blocks it while crouching, and can also happen if Ky is well-spaced when he uses the move. Ky will also be at advantage if May is in shock state.

In general, Ky's pressure strings require very unsafe resets to extend without meter. If Ky is using meter to continue pressure, May should continue to hold defense until he ends his pressure string or goes for an unsafe reset without meter while watching for gaps and movement that can signal a throw attempt.

None of Ky's air attacks hit directly below or behind him. May can take advantage of this when Ky jumps at close range by running directly under him in neutral for an air throw or air counterattack from behind with j.K or j.D.

As a character with a meterless invulnerable reversal, Ky has an exceptionally easy time escaping from May's larger frametraps. May should be more careful about her pressure strings in this matchup as a result, and should use throw okizeme early to beat it as a wakeup. Most Ky players will attempt to burst out of a whiffed DP punish, so be prepared to bait the burst with c.S (CH) > block burst > c.S > ...

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Leo

Average

  Leo's flashkick meterless reversal allows him to easily escape from May's frametraps and left/right crossups. May should be very careful about using frametraps in her pressure strings in this matchup as a result, and should use throw okizeme early to beat it as a wakeup. Additionally, May should avoid using j.2H to cross up, since it will not mix up Leo's reversal input. Most Leo players will attempt to burst out of a whiffed flashkick punish, so be prepared to bait the burst with c.S (CH) > block burst > c.S > ...

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May

 May
Average

  The mirror matchup presents May with the problem of dealing with her own kit.

Many of May's attacks will win or trade favorably with S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin, including:

  • 6P: Beats cleanly from a distance, but the upper body initial invulnerability is not good enough at point blank range or in tight frametraps.
  • 2K: Beats cleanly from a distance, but the low profile is not good enough at point blank range or in tight frametraps.
  • [2]8S or [2]8H: Too slow to use on reaction or in abare against S dolphin, but the rising hitbox is disjoint enough to hit horizontal dolphin cleanly during the first few active frames when it is near the ground. From a distance, [2]8H may avoid the horizontal dolphin entirely if it is used too early to hit.
  • 2H or 5H: Too slow to use on reaction or in abare against S dolphin, but both attacks are very disjoint and will counterhit if they collide with Mr. Dolphin. Only the initial frames of 2H are useful for hitting Horizontal Mr. Dolphin. These are more useful against H Horizontal Mr. Dolphin, where they can land huge counterhits on reaction.
  • 3K: If both attacks are active at the same time, 3K will win, but will not score a knockdown (May is airborne while riding Mr. Dolphin).

Horizontal Mr. Dolphin will always trade with itself when both attacks are active. This is especially important when either player is low on hitpoints. The player who is at a life lead can use S Horizontal Dolphin more aggressively, while the player at a life defecit should avoid using the move in neutral or abare to avoid the unfavorable trade.

Unlike Horizontal Mr. Dolphin, Vertical Mr. Dolphin (particularly [2]8H) can cleanly counterhit itself, which makes using it in neutral exceptionally risky in the mirror matchup.

Because May counts as airborne from frame 1 while using any Mr. Dolphin attack, grabbing her out of RCs is riskier than it is for most characters, since it will result in a counterhit if the opponent used Mr. Dolphin.

Arisugawa Sparkle (214K) should not be used when the opponent could have a charged dolphin, since its effective range is almost the same as Horizontal Mr. Dolphin's range, and S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin will consistently counterhit on reaction if it is within range due to its speed.

6P is a strong counterpoke option in neutral against May because most of her longer-range pressure tools are vulnerable to it. In order to deal with 6P, the opponent will either need to get within range to use 2S, which can be poked with 5K, take a risk with 3K, which is punishable on block, or have a charged dolphin ready to punish on whiff, which is not always available if May is trying to play footsies.

May's many disjointed anti-airs, the huge damage May can get from them, and j.S's and j.H's slow startup make jump-ins in the mirror matchup exceptionally risky.

Overview | Frame Data | Matchups | Counterstrategy | Reverse Matchup Return to Top

Millia

Nagoriyuki

Average

  Nago is a tough matchup. In neutral he outranges May and gets higher reward off his neutral wins. May also doesn't want to be put on the defensive, especially against Nago's pressure. So, May's goal is to play a safe neutral, wait for an opening, use the opportunity to get in, and do her best to stay in. Getting him to the corner is ideal, even more than usual. May's damage will match his, his slow super jump and lack of airdash makes it especially hard to escape, and he won't be able to corner carry like he can from midscreen. He lacks a good option to cover the space directly above him and he prefers to stay grounded in neutral, so an airdash into j.2H at the right distance can be a good way to get in quick. Just don't be doing it without reason - present other options that he needs to watch for, and look for big whiffs to take advantage of.

Once in, there's the dolphin minigame as always. Nago's best answer to [4]6S is 214H, though it costs him some blood. May's best answer to this is 2P or 2K. Note that May should use less 5K than normal in her dolphin pressure as its a fairly bad option vs Nago, who has a faster 5K that gives him far better reward. 2S is a more reliable alternative. Backdash is also a worse option than usual as Nago can catch it with a few options, including the aforementioned 214H.

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Potemkin

Average

  Potemkin has two ranges May can abuse - just outside of his 5H, and right in his face. If May stays outside 5H range, she can look to whiff punish his buttons, she can punish Hammerfall ([4]6H), and she can punish Slidehead (236S) with an IAD j.H or j.S. Note: Do not use the Beach Ball (214K) in neutral. It is easily reactable with Flick (63214S) and this will allow Potemkin to close the gap. Speaking of that, once May manages to close the gap from this range, she should stay there. Potemkin's fastest option is his 5 frame 5P, but this will whiff on crouching, so his second best options are c.S and 2P, both coming out frame 8. May has two options that tie Potemkin's fastest (her 5P and 2P), and two more that keep under 8 frames (2K and c.S). In short, May has the faster framedata up close if she sticks with these buttons, and time spent pressuring Potemkin is time spent not under his pressure.

As for May's Horizontal S Dolphin ([4]6S), If Potemkin instant blocks he can punish with his 5P which is something to keep in mind.

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Ramlethal

Slightly Unfavorable

  Ram can f.S after a blocked Horizontal S Dolphin and it'll beat all of May's options except 5P and 6P. With a simple delay or a low hitting move though, Ram can beat these options. While that delay can allow May to do other things, overall this is a far more favourable situation for Ram compared to others, as May is taking a risk if she chooses anything other than those P options.

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Sol

Average

  Sol has an unusually strong option for dealing with May's Horizontal S Dolphin RPS in his 6H, which will beat attempts to jump out or backdash and counterhit May's 6P when used after a blocked dolphin. May can punish this choice on normal block with 5K, but can't get a meterless combo without using instant block. If May instant blocks Sol's 6H in this situation, she has many punish options, including run up and OHK, which is particularly effective when Sol is in the corner.

Sol's S Volcanic Viper makes applying OTG and okizeme setups against him more difficult than for most characters. In this matchup, May should favor strike/throw pressure setups and use throws early in the set to condition Sol out of using Volcanic Viper as a reversal. The fast startup of S Volcanic Viper makes landing OHK against Sol exceptionally difficult during okizeme. Normal throws are a safer choice for May in this matchup.

Sol's exceptionally fast 5K allows him to mash out of three frame gaps, notably May's c.S > 6H frametrap.

As a character with a meterless invulnerable reversal, Sol has an exceptionally easy time escaping from May's larger frametraps. May should be more careful about her pressure strings in this matchup as a result, and should use throw okizeme early to beat it as a wakeup. Most Sol players will attempt to burst out of a whiffed DP punish, so be prepared to bait the burst with c.S (CH) > block burst > c.S > ...

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Testament

Zato

Navigation

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