Combo Notation Guide | Character Name Abbreviations | |||||||||
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Combo List
- All damage values are damage dealt to Sol unless the combo cannot work on him, in which case the character with the closest defense modifier is used.
- Damage values listed for combos with interchangeable combo parts assume the highest damage variation unless otherwise stated.
# | Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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Combo Theory
May's combos utilize a few specific tricks and terms you should know about.
Dashjump: When jumping from a run a character keeps their horizontal momentum. This is mostly used by May to get into her aircombos and makes them more consistent. Sometimes it is not required but it won't hurt to do either way. Oftentimes it is mandatory however.
To practice a dashjump try neutral jumping and then as soon as you hit the ground input 669. The timing takes some practice but you should see that May will jump with higher horizontal momentum. If you do it correctly you will only see a frame or 2 of actual running animation.
Air combos: May's air combos follow a basic structure that allows you to interchange specific buttons to adjust for height or optimize for damage.
Starter - (Filler) - jD - forward jump cancel - (Filler) - (jD) - Ensenga
Starters: jK, jS ,jH
Filler: jS, jH
jD: jD can be delayed to adjust for height, the cancel window from jH > jD is actually quite large.
Ensenga: A good Ensenga will hit the opponent while they are slightly above you as you will recover with more advantage when landing. Midscreen you will often just get one Ensenga hit but instead gain corner carry.
Your primary goals are to have 1: a doublejump and 2: make the Ensenga hit twice if close to the corner. Try not to be above the opponent when doing Ensenga as the second hit can OTG which is often a guaranteed punish.
So for example a consistent air combo would be jK > jD > jC9 > jS > jH > Ensenga
Another popular one jK/jS > jH > jD > jC9 > jH > jD > Ensenga
Lame Loops: May can juggle opponents in the air an X amount of time with cS > 2H > 28H. This works by hitting the back of an opponent with 28H which makes them flip around towards May. An example is this command grab combo: OHK > [dash cS > 2H > HS-VD]x2. Getting 2 loops like this is naturally referred to as a "2loop". These loops can get very advanced with upwards of 6 repetitions being possible. The conditions for these are incredibly convoluted however and out of the scope of this guide.
Irukancel: Also known as Dolphin cancel or Inertia cancel, these refer to the cancels that are possible after HoD (Hop on Dolphin). The dolphin ride May does after 46S/46H is drastically different from the one she does after hopping on a dolphin set by a Hoop. For starters, the animation is actually slightly different and the hitboxes get upgraded. More importantly however, HoD allows you to do Irukancels which lets you link any air button on hit. So for example you can 6K > HoD > Irukancel jH > 2K > 2D for a double overhead mixup. Also important is j2H as a cancel button, as it allows you to instantly reach the ground and do low attacks.
TODO: bigger section on how to use these
About Burst safety: Tons of May's combos are naturally burst safe just by holding back during them. An example would be the HoD > airdash > jS > jH part in dolphin oki combos or similarily the airdash portion of 46H > RC conversions. Since jS recovery is so low, if the opponent tries bursting it, then you will recover faster than the burst comes out and option select block it. Plenty of air combos also have auto burst safe points without any blocking since May is generally below the opponent, which will make the burst whiff way over her head. Lame Loops also share this property during their juggles if done correctly.
BnB Combos
Combos in this section partially overlap with the other sections and is largely a collection of the important ones to get started.
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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5D8 > HHSHD > jC9 > SHDE | Any | 149 | All | Easy | Very important BnB for May as the 5D8 combo is used very often in confirm strings into RC. Remember E stands for Ensenga. | |
jK > jD > jC9 jS > jH > (jD) > Ensenga | Any | 162 | All | Easy | Basic air combo. Refer to the section on air combos in the combo theory section on how to adjust for heights and weights. | |
2K > cS > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 54 | all | easy | Basic blockstring into oki. | |
2K > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 35 | all | easy | Basic blockstring into oki, more resistant to FD. | |
5K > fS > 46S | any | 78 | all | easy | Basic poke blockstring. | |
6K > 2P > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 61 | all | easy | 6K block/confirm string. Will only combo properly on CH but doesn't need to be confirmed since the strings are the same. | |
6P > cS > 6H > P-Hoop | any | 130 | all | easy | 6P confirm. Also works as a blockstring since 6H pushes fairly far away. Depending on the range cS will sometimes whiff after 6P, unfortunately there isn't much we can do about that. You can also try 6P > cS > jS aircombo but it's more character specific. | |
5D6 > 6H > 5H > K-Hoop > cS > 5H > 46H > iAD > ]K[ > jS > jH > 6H > P-Hoop | Corner | 182 | all | Hard | You have to tap the K-Hoop or you can't build charge. If releasing the Hoop during iAD gives you trouble try pressing and holding K on the bounceback from 46H and release it by negative edging. If you find this combo too hard feel free to just do the 5D8 one instead. |
Blockstrings
5P 5K 5S 5H 5D May's blockstrings mostly try to confirm hits into knockdown and summon for oki. On block you can either try resetting or do 46S to make the string safe. 2D > 46S can also be used for corner carry, however since her oki is pretty strong it's advisable to hitconfirm into a setup.
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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2K > cS > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 54 | all | easy | Basic blockstring into oki | |
2K > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 35 | all | easy | Basic blockstring into oki, more resistant to FD | |
2K > Delay 2K > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 35 | all | easy | Small mixup string to the above | |
2P > 5H | any | 10+50 | all | easy | Frametrap string. On block it's plus, on CH you get a big combo. On block a great setup for OHK. | |
fS > 2S > 3K | any | 75 | all | easy | 2S can be confirmed into 3K for a knockdown with varying ranges of frame advantage (no setup). 3K is very unsafe on block however. | |
5K > fS > 46S | any | 78 | all | easy | Basic poke blockstring. Can RC the 46S on hit into 5D8. 46S might not connect at max range but usually not a big issue. | |
5K > fS > 5H(whiff) | any | 50 | all | easy | 5H is used to cancel the recovery frames of fS while not committing to more. About as fast as just letting fS recover by itself but threatens punish attempts. | |
5K > fS > iAD > jS > jH > cS > 2D > Summon/46S | any | 50+113 | all | medium | High risk high reward option to reset and close the distance after fS. jS will whiff on crouching in which case you need to do jS(whiff) > jP instead. Good to throw out occasionally but if your opponent knows how to counter it be careful. | |
5K > fS > P/S/H-Hoop > Release | any | 50 | all | medium | Blockstring into Hoop is another unsafe option to keep pressure going. Safety is largely distance dependent. | |
6P > cS > 6H > P/S/H-Hoop > Release | any | 130 | all | medium | 6H on block will push opponents quite far away which makes this safer. On hit this will still combo. |
Counterhit Combos
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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5H > 5D8 BnB | any | 212 | all | Easy | Might not reach in some counterpoke scenarios. | |
5H > 66 OHK combo | any | 192 | all | Medium | Microdash into OHK takes some practice. Compared to 5D8 the effective range on perfect stagger mash is shorter but it is hit confirmable through the microdash. | |
2H > Delay 2D(whiff) > c.S > jS > jH > jD > jC9 > jS > jH > Ensenga > Summon | Ground to Ground | 202 | all | Medium | Hitconfirm the 2H CH by delaying 2D so it whiffs under the opponent. | |
2H > 2D(whiff) > c.S > jS > jH > jD > jC9 > jS > jH > Ensenga > Summon | Anti-Air | 202 | all | Medium | Unlike grounded hits you want to 2D right away. Regular 2H anti-air hit can be linked by doing 2H > 2D(whiff) > 2P at low heights. Alternatively just do another 2H as a techtrap after 2H hit if they are too high. | |
jS or jH > land > cS > Aircombo | any | ~200 | all | Easy to Hard | Confirming aerial counterhits is very situational but generally your goal is to either see if you can land and hit cS into aircombo, confirm the hit straight into jD, or if you used jS you can also try airdashing after a delay. Try to practice different hit scenarios in practice, while ascending, while descending, jump back/forwards and so on. Much of your neutral is throwing jS out while moving so converting these is important. | |
46H > land > iAD > jS > jH > land > aircombo/6H | corner | ~200 | all | Easy | Converting a corner CH 46H is usually pretty easy due to the insane untech time they are stuck in during wallsplat. If you are close enough and have enough time you can also run in 6[H] > 46H and do a regular iAD corner combo for massive damage. |
OHK combos
Unless otherwise noted these assume you throw the opponent towards the middle. If May is cornered and OHK throws the opponent against the wall the combos will change.
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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OHK > 66 > cS > jS> jH > jD > jC9 > jS> jH > Ensenga | any | 159 | all | Easy | Offers good oki and damage | |
OHK > [dash cS > 2H > HS-VD]x2 | any | 154 | all | Medium | Very slightly higher stun, slightly worse damage, harder. If juggled correctly will have burst safety for most of it. Can use Whale (182dmg) or Burst Whale (242dmg) after the second 2H for a strong kill combo. | |
OHK > dashjump > jS > jH > land > dashjump > jK > jH > jD > jC9 > jH> jD > Ensenga > Summon | varies | 168 | Not lights | Hard | Corner carry version. If Ensenga doesn't hit twice they will tech above the ground. Also fairly character and screen specific. | |
OHK > iAD > jK > jP(1) > jH > land > jK > jD > jC9 > jS > jH > Delay Ensenga | Corner | 135 | all | Medium | Burst safe route. If they burst the jKP(1)H route it should whiff above you if spaced properly. | |
corner OHK > delay airdash > jK > jH > land > 6H > Summon | Cornered | 115 | all | Easy | jPH instead of jKH on lightweights. | |
corner OHK > delay airdash > jK > jH land > dashjump > jK > jD > jC9 > jS> jH > Ensenga | Cornered | 144 | all | Medium | jPH instead of jKH on lightweights. | |
cornered OHK > late airdash > jK > jH > dashjump > jS > jH > land > dashjump > jK > jD > jC9 > jS> jH > Ensenga | Cornered | 164 | Mid-Heavy | Hard | Corner to Corner carry. Character specific. The airdash needs to be very close to the ground. |
Roman Cancel Combos
Midscreen May's damage is mostly locked behind having a summon to convert from. With RC however she can turn any hit into a pretty hefty combo and fairly easily too.
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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Any grounded hit > 46S > RC > microdash > 5D8 BnB > K-Hoop | any | ~200 | all | Easy | Depending on your RC timing May might end up futher away, the microdash ensures that 5D will connect. The RC needs to be done fairly early or it will not link into 5D8. | |
Any grounded hit > 2D > 46S > RC > AD > jS > jH > land > dashjump > Aircombo | corner | ~220 | all | Easy | Same as above but against airborne opponents. Common scenario is 2D > 46S RC. | |
Any grounded hit > 2D > 46S > RC > AD > late jH > land > dashjump > jS > jH > land > dashjump > Aircombo | Any | ~220 | Hard | Full corner carry combo. Somewhat tricky due to strict late jH and dashjump timings. Might whiff on lightweights. |
Corner Combos
Some notes for corner combos:
Combo starters can be 2 button confirms like cS > 5H into 46H or 2K > 2D into 46H. If its 3 hits it will often get dicey and 46H will either not link or OTG. 6[H] is the max damage starter. When used below they are interchangeable.
By far the hardest part of these combos is the iAD jK link after 46H. There isn't really a trick to this other than the shortcut for iAD being 956. Takes a lot of practice but well worth it. If you wallsplat from far away for example from a raw hit in neutral, then often you can't iAD > JK, try to techtrap if you can recognize it.
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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cS > 5H > 46H > iAD jK > jP > jH > 6H > K/P Hoop | corner | 196 | all | Medium | Standard corner combo. Going for 6H instead of an air combo leaves you with considerable frame advantage and is often more consistent on higher hitstun proration. | |
cS > 5H > 46H > iAD jK > jH > land > dashjump > jK > jH > jD > jS > jH > Ensenga > K/P Hoop | corner | 244 | all | Medium | Consistent air combo version. A dashjump before the aircombo is not always required depending on your iAD, however you should still do it for consistency. Omit the last jS on lightweights. | |
6[H] > 46H > iAD jK > jH > land > 2H > 28H > 2H > 46H > 6H | corner | 287 | midweights | Very Hard | "Reverse Dolphin" combo where you hit them behind with 46H and flip them back into the corner similar to lame loops. Very tricky to consistently do this reverse hit on most characters. Most consistent on Sol but timing adjustments will let you do this on other midweights too. Lights and heavies are usually out tho. Very sensitive to starters which change the timings. | |
6[H] > 46H > iAD jK > jH > land > 2H > 28H > cS > Burst Whale | corner | 336 | all | Hard | Kill combo with burst whale. Pretty inefficient if it won't kill unless you want to flex. Last cS will whiff on Dizzy. | |
6[H] > 46H > iAD jP(1) > jS > jH > land > 6[H] > Whale > 6[H] > Burst Whale | corner | 397 | AX,VE,AN | Very Hard | Char specific kill combo for 100 meter and burst. The secret here is iad > jP > jS > jH linking only on a few chars but it allows 6[H] after. Whale into another 6[H] is also a tricky timing. This combo can also be done on a few more characters like Ky if you superjump iAD instead. This is however pretty inconsistent with starters and often strictly requires 6[H]. |
Oki Combos
This section will mostly go over the basic combos done from Oki setups and less the theory behind them. TODO expand oki section
Combo | Position | Damage | Tension Gain | Works on: | Difficulty | Notes |
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P-Hoop meaty release | ||||||
Literally any blockstring | any | varies | all | Easy | Day 1 Oki that remains useful even in high level play. Just release the P hoop to hit meaty and run a blockstring. The hoop travels favorably to catch backdashes, if you FD brake properly you can also cover reversals. | |
P-Ball(midscreen) | ||||||
2K > cS > 2D > Ball Hits! > Dash > Aircombo/Lame Loop | Outside of Corner | ~165 | any | Easy | This is just the basic blockstring applied to 2D > P ball oki situations but this time the Ball lets you convert into a full combo. If they block you get another blockstring after ball impact. 2K > delay 2K > 2D also lets you convert this the same way. | |
2K > 2D > 46S > Ball Hits! > iAD > jS > jH > land > dashjump air combo | Outside of Corner | 174 | any | Easy | The other basic blockstring applied to P ball oki. Can also finish in 6H > P-Hoop after iAD > jS > jH. | |
2P > 2K > 6K > Ball Hits! > 2P > 2D > Summon/46S | Outside of Corner | 87 | any | Easy | Overhead string. 2K > 6K is mashable and pretty fake. Conditions for the mixup below. Also weak to FD. | |
2P > 2K > delay 2D > Ball Hits! > Dash > Aircombo/Lame Loop | Outside of Corner | 215 | any | Medium | Mixup string to the above. Try to time the 2D to have a similar timing to the potential 6K. Much better all around but needs the conditioning from the above string usually. | |
P-Hoop(midscreen) | ||||||
2K > cS > 2D > 46S > ]P[ > HoD hit > delay airdash > jK > jH land > dashjump aircombo | any | ~165 | all | Medium | The basic blockstring applied to P-Hoop oki. The delay after the HoD is important and the the untech time is until they reach the ground so no need to rush too hard. This is especially important on block as you want to adjust for crouching heights. You can use jS > jH in the airdash string but jK is much more consistent, especially as a blockstring on short crouching opponents like May or Baiken. You can basically confirm anything 46H or 2D > 46S with a HoD after similar to how one would use RC. | |
6K > ]P[ > HoD hit > airdash > jK > jH > cS > 2D Summon/46S | any | 128 | all | Easy | This is a string more commonly seen in corner K-Hoop oki. This is because a 2D > P-Hoop -> 6K is usually pretty fake, as you simply don't have enough frame advantage to hit meaty. A lot of characters can 5P mash it. But since the setups are generally threatening enough you can get away with it sometimes. If you feel cheeky you can try to meaty 2K into 6K instead. | |
2K > cS > 5H > ]P[ > hoop hit > 5D8 | any | 157 | all | Medium | 5D glitch string. While a hoop is active any 5D will have its warning spark stuck into the ground (for some reason). Extremely hot meme because this obviously throws people off. The timing to link 5H > hoop hit > 5D is a bit awkward and needs practice. Remember you can tap 5P during the recovery of 5H to "hide" the button. | |
K-Hoop(corner, non dolphin cancel) | ||||||
2D > 46H > ]K[ > airdash > jS > jH > land > 6H or dashjump aircombo > K-Hoop | any | 214 | all | Easy | Low mixup in the corner. Looping. | |
6K[HOLD] > 6K hits! > ]K[ > HoD hit > airdash > jS > jH > cS > 2D > P-Hoop | any | 131 | all | Medium | High mixup in the corner. Important to remember that Hoops only activate on the release of a button (negative edge). This means you press 6K and hold it, wait for it to hit, then release and HoD. It's really important to let 6K hit first as its not only the overhead, the startup of HoD is also throwable which means if they mash 4H they win. |
Video Examples