GGST/May/Strategy

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Strategy Summary

May's goal in neutral is to get her opponent into the corner, then use strike/throw pressure and anti-air reads to open up her opponent to high-damage wallbreak combos. May has many strong tools to achieve this, including good ground and air movement, a variety of pokes to harass her opponent and powerful counterpokes, anti-airs, and air-to-air options. Mid-screen, her neutral wins will usually result in good corner carry or okizeme. Many of May's attacks have a long total duration (including throw whiffs), relatively high startup, or both, but lead to enormous reward on hit. May benefits strongly from conditioning her opponent so that she can land these committal attacks by predicting her opponent's actions.

May is at her weakest when she is defending because her kit lacks meterless tools to escape from pressure. On defense, May needs to rely on matchup knowledge, universal mechanics, and her metered reversal to escape her opponent's pressure.

Neutral

Summary

May has a variety of tools that she can use in neutral. Her pokes (5K, f.S, and 2S) can cover a variety of distances and positions with reasonably fast startup for their maximum range. Her counterpokes (6P and 5H) are effective against mid/high pokes and stubby/low pokes, respectively.

May has one fast and relatively safe anti-air (6P) and three situationally powerful but slow anti-airs - 2H covers high jump-ins, 5H covers IAD, and 6H can cover either but needs to be used as a pre-emptive read because it is both slow and not disjoint. May can also use her S vertical dolphin ([2]8S) as a fast and safe anti-air as long as she has the charge to use it, and she can use her H vertical dolphin ([2]8H) as a long-range, reasonably fast anti-air against high airdashes.

May usually dominates the air with her massive j.H hitbox, which leads to a big reward on counterhit both as an air-to-air and as a jump-in. May can use j.H aggressively or as a bait following a backwards airdash to hit an advancing opponent. May's other aerial attacks (j.P, j.K, and j.S specifically) are situationally useful because they are faster than j.H, do not extend her hurtbox as much as j.H, or both. May's j.D is exceptionally effective against airborne opponents that are both above and in front of May.

May has some tools that can set up tricky situations from neutral. May can use 3K as a risky get-in tool. This is particularly effective against aggressive opponents or opponents with short effective range, since 3K excels at catching forward movement. May can use her S horizontal dolphin ([4]6S) to whiff punish or counterhit exceptionally slow attacks from a distance or as a risky poke from mid-range that sets up a RPS situation on block that favors May in many matchups. In pressure, May can attempt to use H horizontal dolphin ([4]6H) as a risky pressure reset against opponents who expect an S dolphin and choose not to poke. May can also use j.2H to set up ambiguous left-right crossups that can lead to a knockdown on hit or a high/low mixup on block with 2K, [2]8H, and 5D/5[D]. Against cornered opponents, May can use airdash cancels to set up high/low fuzzy offense. May's ability to set up tricky situations in neutral improves greatly when she has meter to use Roman Cancels.

Detail

Pokes

  • 5K: May's faster poke option. 5K lifts most of May's hurtbox off the ground, which lets it avoid many low attacks. 5K consistently loses to 6P. 5K notably does not have foot invulnerability, unlike in previous Guilty Gear titles, so it will lose to particularly long lows (like Ky's 2S, Faust's 2H, or Potemkin's Slide Head). May can convert any 5K hit or block into a strike/throw pressure situation by dash-canceling the move. While it is possible for the opponent to react in time to mash out (or even connect a c.S for a full punish), this is especially effective at catching opponents who respect May's pressure and hold block, and can be a surprising way to get in during a scramble. May can also cancel 5K into S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin as a safer option at its full range.
  • f.S: May's longest-range poke. It hits both low enough to hit crouching characters (except Faust) and high enough to catch jump-outs, though low-profile attacks will avoid it. May's f.S is roughly average in terms of reach and speed compared to the rest of the cast. May's f.S extends her hurtbox, but doesn't have a hurtbox at the farthest reach of its range. It usually loses to 6P, but at its maximum range it can clash. May can't start a true combo at f.S's ideal poke range except on counterhit, since S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin won't combo without the counterhit. In matchups where May outranges or matches the range of her opponent with f.S, it's a low-risk, low-reward poke. In matchups where May's f.S is outranged, it's a situational move in the corner and not very useful anywhere else.
  • 2S: May's shortest poke. 2S is useful mostly because it hits low to the ground. It excels at stopping low approaches such as Sol's Night Raid Vortex and I-No's Stroke the Big Tree, and is effective at hitting opponents who try to counterpoke May's other pokes with 6P. May generally can't follow up on 2S without meter - her best option at its ideal range is S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin. At point-blank range May can convert a 2S hit into a full combo with 2H.
  • j.H: The hitbox of j.H is huge and can hit opponents in front of May that are slightly below, level with, or slightly above May. As a poke, May can IAD into j.H to try to poke the opponent from a long distance away. May can also jump or airdash backwards and use j.H to try to catch opponents who chase after her. Be aware that j.H isn't disjoint and it more or less extends May's hurtbox to match the hitbox, which means that opponents can punish j.H if it predictably whiffs and can easily use 6P against it. At the edge of j.H's range, May can't convert it into a combo without meter or an air counterhit mid-screen. May can convert a deep jump-in j.H into a full combo.
  • [4]6S: Totsugeki! May's fast horizontal dolphin is a reasonably fast but risky poke that can cover a lot of distance. When used as a poke, May risks getting counterhit by 6P or faster low attacks on reaction, so don't poke with horizontal dolphin too often and stop if the opponent consistently counterhits it. Generally, the risk/reward for connecting [4]6S as a poke is tilted against May until she has 50 meter. The reward for landing a dolphin poke increases greatly with 50 meter, since May can use a roman cancel to create a high/low mixup on block or a big combo on hit confirm.

Counterpokes

  • 6P: Like most characters, May can use her 6P to counter-poke most mid and high pokes. Like most characters, May's 6P will lose to pretty much every low attack in the game. May can use 6P as a defensive counterpoke against some pressure strings that rely on reactable mids or highs, which is important in some matchups. May can follow-up a counterhit 6P with OTG 214P or 214K > [2]8H (whiff) to reposition herself next to her opponent at about +8 frame advantage for strong strike/throw pressure.
  • 5H: May's 5H is very disjoint, very active, hits both air and low-profile attacks, and has relatively short recovery, which makes it a very effective counter-poke when properly spaced. May can get a short combo into a knockdown from a grounded counterhit midscreen, and she can get a meterless wallbreak combo from any air hit near the corner. May's 5H has exceptionally slow startup for its range, making it very risky to use in neutral when within range of her opponent's faster normals.
  • [4]6S: Totsugeki! May's fast horizontal dolphin has enough reach and speed to counterhit or whiff punish slower attacks from a surprising distance. May can convert a counterhit into a knockdown with [4]6S > Throw. May can abuse opponents who recklessly spam attacks or intimidate them out of using their bigger pokes by consistently hitting them with this attack.

Anti-Airs

  • 5P: May's 5P is her fastest (4f) anti-air. Goes into 6h 28hs on normal hit (although this can be hard to confirm depending on height). on CH the same applies, but you can sometimes also go for a c.s instead, which leads to an air combo with excellent corner carry midscreen, or a wallbreak near the corner. While a situational anti air, it has good reward if you land it.
  • 6P: Like most characters, May can use her 6P as a reaction anti-air. The upper body invulnerability of 6P makes it a very forgiving anti-air compared to May's other options. On normal hit the reward is pretty much nothing. On CH May can opt to do run up otg c.S, which leads into a great amount of setups (see okizeme section for more details). May can also follow-up a ch 6P with OTG 214P or 214K > [2]8H (whiff) to reposition herself next to her opponent at about +8 frame advantage for strong strike/throw pressure.
  • c.S: May's c.S hits slightly above her head, which makes it a usable, though very risky, anti-air. May is rewarded for landing a c.S with a full combo, but the lack of upper body invulnerability, low profile, or disjoint means that c.S will usually lose or trade if May's opponent connects an attack. May gets a very favorable situation if her opponent blocks c.S in the air.
  • f.S: May's f.S sees good use as an anti air at further ranges. While f.s is relatively slow, it has incredible range and is disjointed at the tip. While on regular hit reward is fairly limited, on air counterhit you get a massive combo with a whiff [4]6S > c.S pickup. if you find yourself having spaced rather far away and in a need to contest in the air, f.S may just be what you need.
  • 2H: May's 2H uses May's crouching hurtbox and has a very disjointed and active hitbox that sweeps above her from front to back. May is rewarded with a full combo on either air or ground counterhit, making 2H a strong high-risk, high-reward anti-air when combined with its favorable hitbox. May's 2H is very punishable if it whiffs.
  • 5H: The tall, disjoint, and active hitbox on May's 5H make it an effective anti-air against airdashes. May's 5H has slow startup, which means that May usually needs to be watching for an airdash to react in time to connect the attack. May's 5H is exceptionally rewarding against cornered opponents, since it leads to a massively damaging wallbreak combo on air hit.
  • 6H: May's 6H has a huge hitbox above and in front of May. Unlike 2H, it's not disjoint at all, which makes its use as an anti-air very risky. May usually needs to pre-emptively use 6H to connect because of its huge hurtbox and slow startup. May is rewarded with a ground bounce on hit that can lead to a massively damaging wallbreak in the corner. If an opponent blocks 6H, May gains a favorable situation when her opponent lands. When properly spaced, 6H is surprisingly difficult to punish on whiff thanks to its reach. It sees the most use in punishing specific air options out of blockstrings, for instance Potemkins backwards megafist.
  • S Vertical Mr. Dolphin ([2]8S): A very fast anti air option, at 6f this is your second fastest anti air, with a Hard Knockdown on normal hit and potential for big combos on Counterhit. It's also very disjointed which means it will beat even deeper jumpins very well. Its only real downside is that it requires you to have a downwards charge ready, which somewhat limits the scenarios where it can be used.
  • H Vertical Mr. Dolphin ([2]8H): Similar to 28S, but a lot slower at 16f. It has a lot more range and height compared to its faster counterpart, and is very plus on block. Useful for catching people jumping out of your pressure in spots where you would normally do a horizontal dolphin.

In order from low-risk, low-reward to high-risk, high-reward, May's anti-airs are: 6P, [2]8S, f.S, [2]8H, 2H, 5H, c.S, 6H.

Mash/Scramble Options

  • 5P: May's go-to mash button. Reaches pretty far for what it does and hits high enough to serve as a fast anti-air, if not a very good one. Loses to 6P. Can be canceled into S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin on block or 3K on hit for a knockdown, which is the most that May can get out of 5P without meter. The proration from 5P generally means that using meter to extend a combo is only worth it if it will definitely end the round.
  • 2P: The only real benefits to using 2P over 5P are that it hits lower and that it's harder to hit, both because it uses May's crouching hurtbox and because it doesn't extend May's hurtbox forward as far. 2P is not suitable for use as an anti-air. 2P is a very stubby attack that should be canceled into 5P during mash. The mash sequence is virtually identical to 5P, ending in either S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin on block or 3K on hit.
  • 2K: May can't mash 2K, but it's a six-frame low that gatlings into 2D and 3K, which makes it a good move to use in scrambles to secure a knockdown. 2K suffers from heavy initial proration, so it's only worth using meter to extend a combo from the move if it will definitly end the round.
  • j.P: May can use j.P in situations where she needs to quickly interrupt an opponent from the air or extend an air blockstring. Make sure that you actually time the j.P to connect, since it cannot be whiff-canceled, unlike in previous Guilty Gear titles.
  • [4]6S: Totsugeki! May's fast horizontal dolphin slower than most of her other scramble options and vulnerable to both 6P and lows, which makes its use as an abare attack very dangerous except against specific pressure strings where these options are impossible. However, a counterhit leads into a knockdown combo on ground hit or knocks the opponent back to neutral on air hit, and the attack has much greater horizontal reach than any of May's other fast attacks.

Pressure Starters

A flowchart showing May's gatling and cancel options.
  • 2K: May can use 2K as a quick low pressure starter. From there, she can gatling into 2D on hit for a knockdown, 6K or 5D for a high mixup, charge 5[D] for a very high risk, very high reward disrespectful mixup, or cancel into a special. May can also use 2K > 2K or 2K > delayed 2D as a frametrap. 2K connects at a range where S Vertical Mr. Dolphin's behavior can be difficult for the opponent to predict, which makes it a surprisingly strong follow-up option. At very close range, S Vertical Mr. Dolphin will connect on the way up (hit confirming into a knockdown and more or less safe on block at -3). At the middle of 2K's range, it will usually connect as an overhead, and at the very edge of 2K's range it usually whiffs, which sets up an unreactable high/low situation since May can use another 2K on landing. In most cases, May's goal when using 2K is to score a knockdown or confirm a frametrap, since the damage proration on 2K itself is so high that it will never result in a particularly damaging combo.
  • 5K: May's long-range pressure starter. May doesn't have as many follow-up options as she does from c.S, but she doesn't have to take as many risks or capitalize on an opponent's mistake to start pressure from 5K. Follow-up options include dash cancel > 623K, dash cancel > 66 BRC, 6H, 6[H], 3K, 5D, and jump cancel. 6H and 6[H] in particular can lead to a dangeorus guessing game where the opponent either respects the follow-up and gives May a reset or presses a button at the risk of a big counterhit. Other options are riskier and, with the exception of dash cancel > 623K, generally are not worth the risk without 50 meter to reduce the risk on block or increase the reward on hit.
  • c.S: May's high-damage pressure starter. May has a lot of options following c.S thanks to its frame advantage, including an immediate gatling into 6H as a frametrap, a delayed gatling into 5H or 2H as a frametrap, gatling into a high/low with 2D or 6K/5D/5[D], tick throws, jump canceling into an aerial attack or air throw, or using the advantage frames for pressure resets. Using a variety of these options is vital for May to overwhelm her opponent's ability to defend against them effectively. May gets her highest damage combos from c.S pressure, so any time she gets a counterhit or hit confirm, she can expect to deal about a third (midscreen) to half or more (corner wallbreak) of her opponent's health in damage with a meterless follow-up.
  • j.S and j.H (jump-in): May can use j.S and j.H as deep jump-ins to start pressure, since the hitstun from both moves can be enough to combo into c.S, particularly on counterhit. j.H is generally more effective at this, while j.S can be used from a greater height to beat risky (not 6P) anti-airs that are timed to beat a deep j.H for a counterhit. Both can be dash canceled into BRC for a fuzzy high/low setup against a cornered opponent. Follow-up options are the same as c.S or 2K, depending on which landing follow-up is used.

Air-to-Air

May has a potent air-to-air game when she holds her second jump/airdash for a hit confirm thanks to the launch trajectory and momentum from her j.D. This momentum is preserved if May uses a fast Roman cancel, which can lead to air combos with extreme corner carry.

  • j.P: May's j.P is good as a fast scramble or in situations where no other attack will be active fast enough to land a hit, but it has very little range and poor follow-up damage. May, like many characters, can use j.P>j.P>j.P>etc. for an easy, but not very damaging, wallbreak combo when she's near the corner with forward momentum.
  • j.K: May's j.K is her fastest air normal with good follow-up options. May's j.K works best against opponents that are slightly above her, but can hit opponents that are level with her or even below her if they are close enough. May's j.K has little knockback, so it can consistently cancel into j.D for a simple combo that can be extended using a jump cancel, airdash, or RRC.
  • j.S: May's j.S is quite slow (same startup as j.H), but hits opponents that are significantly below her, has less recovery than j.H and it doesn't extend her hurtbox by as much as j.H. Like May's j.K, her j.S has relatively little knockback, which makes canceling into j.D fairly consistent. In some situations, May can get a better combo by canceling into j.H > airdash or j.H>j.D instead, depending on positioning and momentum. Combo follow-ups are similar to May's j.K.
  • j.H: May's j.H is slow, huge, and has high knockback. It generally will not lead to a combo as an air-to-air hit without a counterhit or a cornered opponent. While it can hit from far away, characters with faster air-to-air attacks with similar reach, such as Ky, Ramlethal, Millia, or Zato, can easily counterhit May out of this attack. On counterhit, May can sometimes follow up with j.D > jc9 j.D, which can be extended using RRC. On corner hit, May can keep the opponent in the air by following up with j.D > 66 j.H > j.D or a similar extension, generally leading to a wall-break.
  • j.D: May's j.D is ridiculously disjoint and thrusts May up and forward. The attack will win against nearly any other attack from an opponent that is above and in front of May. May can jump cancel j.D, with her most consistent follow-ups being j.D > jc9 j.D or j.D > jc9 j.K > j.D. On a low counterhit, May has enough time to land and continue the combo on the ground.

Punishes

May's highest-damage punish options are c.S, 2H, and 6H, with 6H being especially effective against cornered opponents and 2H being somewhat more effective at mid-screen and significantly more useful when May is in the corner. c.S is good for baiting bursts, since May recovers in time to block a burst from the attack and, on high air hits, can delay the follow-up attack for a long time while without dropping a combo. May can use 5K as a faster mid-range punish or 2K or 5P as faster short-range punishes, with both leading into 3K for a knockdown.

Invulnerable Reversal

(j.632146H clash) Two hits are better than one!
  • The Wonderful and Dynamic Goshogawara (632146H/j.632146H): May's only invulnerable reversal, but a very good one to have. Hits twice, once on the way up as an invulnerable uppercut, and once on splashdown. Only the splashdown hit can wallbreak. The second hit will connect if the first does, even from a great height. May is not invulnerable during the splashdown, though the attack will continue regardless of whether May gets hit or not, which makes interrupting this overdrive very risky for May's opponent. In reversal trades, 632146H does reasonably well thanks to its generous invulnerability frames on startup, large hitboxes, lengthy vulnerable float (which avoids some super hitboxes), and second hit. If May has 100 meter, she can RRC on hit to start a very damaging combo or PRC at the maximum height of the attack on block to threaten a left-right mixup. In either case, May will hop off Goshogawara and the super attack will continue. May can also use 632146H to force a knockdown after a wall-break, and it is faster and easier to use for wall-breaking than her Great Yamada Attack. The aerial version of this attack (j.632146H) is similar in function to the grounded version, but notably does not hit opponents that are completely below May during ascent. May's j.632146H also has a niche use as a potent air combo finisher that can force wallbreaks from mid-screen.

Situational/Combo Fodder

  • 3K: May's 3K is a low-profile sliding low attack that gets a hard knockdown on hit. The low-profile can avoid many attacks, but takes a lot of frames to come out and has a short duration, which makes it less suitable for avoiding attacks or projectiles on reaction than 6P. 3K is an excellent gatling choice when using one of May's faster attacks to punish a whiffed or blocked attack to score a knockdown. While 3K can be used in neutral to surprise opponents and get a knockdown from farther than 2D can, it's punishable on block and does not trade well, which makes it risky to use in neutral.
  • 6K: May's quick overhead. It has the same startup as an uncharged 5D, but it has a better hurtbox, it has more subtle visual and audio cues, and it is relatively safe on block. May is airborne for most of 6K's startup and active frames, which allows May to avoid lows and throws. 6K has very little range, leads to very little without an offensive RC, and has initial proration, which greatly limit its usefulness outside of RC-based high/low mixups.
  • 2D: The range on May's sweep is frustratingly short, which limits its use as a neutral tool. The main benefit to using 2D instead of 3K in blockstrings is that it can safely special cancel into [4]6S on block or [2]8H on hit. Use 2K in neutral instead, since it's four frames faster, has about the same range as 2D, and gatlings into 2D or 3K anyways.
  • 5D: The range on May's universal 5D matches the animation and is surprisingly long. Like all characters, May's uncharged 5D is very unsafe on block and lacks follow-up options on hit without RRC, so it's only useful as a round-ending high/low mixup option. May's charged 5[D] behaves similarly to the rest of the cast, allowing May to press up to begin a homing jump combo on initial hit. May's homing jump combos do ridiculous amounts of damage since she can use j.D, her highest-damage air normal, where most characters would need to jump cancel. The reward May gets from connecting 5[D] is arguably worth the risk she takes and the mind games she needs to use to foil her opponent's defense, but like all characters, May's 5[D] is very easy to defend against and punish if used predictably.
  • j.2H: May's j.2H is a situationally effective mix-up tool that makes it difficult to anti-air her. When May uses j.2H, she slows her air momentum and rides her anchor to the ground. This forces May's opponents to either respect j.2H and block high or commit to a hard read anti-air when May still has her midair jump option. May's j.2H is also a decent left-right mixup attack following an airdash over her opponent. May can convert most air-to-ground j.2H hits into a knockdown with j.2H > 2K > 3K or start a blockstring with j.2H > 2K that leads into high/low pressure. The small hitbox and large hurtbox of May's j.2H make it easy to anti-air if May uses it too often, so it's best used sparingly or in situations where no other option will do a good job of maintaining May's pressure.
  • H Horizontal Mr. Dolphin ([4]6H): Totsugeki! May's signature delayed dolphin charge, hits from the same range as [4]6S. The startup on May's [4]6H is very slow and reactable, so May usually needs to mix [4]6H with [4]6S to command respect and keep her opponent from automatically interrupting [4]6H on reaction. Skilled opponents can tell the difference and consistently react to [4]6H with 6P, a low, or an invulnerable move, which can make [4]6H more or less useless except for combos. May is +5 on block when using [4]6H, so she is free to extend her pressure using attacks such as 5K, f.S, or [4]6S. May's [4]6H staggers on counterhit, and unlike [4]6S, May can dash in for an inescapable Overhead Kiss, which is one way she can get wallbreaks from her potent corner pressure.
  • P Arisugawa Sparkle (214P): While this attack is strong for okizeme and some OTG setups, it has far too much startup and far too little range to be useful in neutral.
  • K Arisugawa Sparkle (214K): May's "fireball." It has painfully long startup for its range, but May can try to use 214K as a poke from about three-quarters screen anyway. The projectile can be destroyed by any opposing attack. Because the attack starts above May's head, it fares reasonably well against IADs from its maximum range. Most characters have either fast movement speed, low-profile advancing attacks, anti-projectile tools, better long-range attacks, or some combination of these, which greatly limits the usefulness of 214K in neutral. May can use the advantage frames and projectile hitbox from 214K to advance in relative safety using S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin or a ground dash.
  • Great Yamada Attack (236236S): May's meme overdrive. Summons a gigantic pink whale that advances from May's side of the screen to the opponent's as a full-screen projectile that hits like a truck. May's 236236S has much less startup when used on May's side of the screen than the opponents. May's 236236S notably has a dead zone directly in front of May and offers no invulnerability, so it's very unsafe when used at close range without PRC. May's 236236S is used in some of May's highest-damage combos. The tumble state following a 236236S hit counts as airborne, which lets May continue the combo if she catches up to her opponent during the tumble. In neutral, the main use of 236236S is as a hard call-out against counterable air options while May is in the corner. When used to wallbreak, May needs to cancel into 236236S as soon as possible or her opponent will escape the wallsplat in time to block it. If May can't cancel into 236236S or use it almost immediately after her opponent's wallsplat, she will not be able to use it in time to wallbreak.

Pressure

What is pressure?

To borrow from ShinshoBEAM's guide to XRD Jam, "Pressure is not doing blockstrings. Pressure is not doing frametraps. Pressure is putting mental pressure on your opponent by limiting their options, while forcing them to deal with your wider array of options."

The end goal of pressure is to open your opponent up, and the only way to achieve that is to get your opponent to make a mistake. May's pressure lacks the extreme suffocation of something like Zato or I-no when they're set up, but in exchange your reward for managing to open your opponent up is very high, especially with meter, thanks to high base damage on May's best combo pieces, high risc build and mean okizeme setups after you end your route.

Basic May Pressure

The core of May's pressure game consists of Strike vs Throw. May's throw's are lower damage then her strikes by some distance, but both normal ground throw and OHK set up strong okizeme midscreen, and OHK of course allows you to fully combo at the wall for a decent amount of damage.

As for May's strikes, her high damage without meter comes from landing counterhits on big normals like 5H, 6H, 2H and 2D. Landing a c.S or 2H starter also lead to high damage, but are very rare outside of punishes. Anything else wont lead to much of anything combo wise. As such, your pressure should try to either get people to sit still so you can throw them and set up okizeme to apply mixups, or make them mash or otherwise evade your throw attempt and eat one of your big starters for huge damage. Throwing a lot will make your opponent want to start mashing out, which makes frametraps better, and frametrapping a lot will make your opponents want to stay blocking, meaning throws become a better option.

In this way, your strike and throw options work in tandem with each other to make it difficult for the opponent to choose which option to cover, provided you switch up between them enough.

With an understanding of what May is looking to do in her pressure, let's cover a basic example of a situation where you can apply both of her main options. May's best pressure starter is c.S. this is due to a bunch of reasons, but for this basic scenario the important bits are its gatlings, giving you access to every single one of May's high damage frametraps, and May being +3 if the opponent blocks, giving her extra time to move in for a throw while the opponent is stuck in blockstun. Your basic set of actions after your opponent blocks c.S should be to either frametrap with a delayed 5H, or to go for a throw by waiting out your recovery, doing a very short dash and then pressing throw or inputting ohk. This type of throw is called a tick throw, due to how little time your opponent has to respond to your throw attempt, forcing them to pre-emptively choose to cover either your throw attempt or your frametrap.

A couple of important things to note here from a technical aspect: Since c.S has more blockstun then 5H has startup, doing 5H immediately after c.S is blocked wont give the opponent any time to press any buttons, resulting in what is known as a truestring. Generally, you want to avoid truestringing, simply because in most cases giving the opponent time to try to do things like mash out means you can punish them for trying stuff. As such, you will want to delay 5H a bit to give your opponent just enough time to try to do something, but not enough time to actually finish doing that thing. Practice this by setting a training mode dummy to block all, and then having it do an attack after blocking. You can set this in the pause menu > Training Settings > Counter-attack settings > After block. Start out with slower moves, and slowly work your way towards the fastest moves in the game, like most characters 5P, or other fast options like jumping.

After an opponent blocks a move, they will be in blockstun. During blockstun and a brief period of time (5 frames) after they leave blockstun, your opponent will be immune to throws. This means that you have to delay your throw for it to work. This will give your opponent a chance to get out via mashing/jumping/backdashing, but that's what your frametraps are there to cover!


Besides c.S, there are plenty of other normals you can use to start pressure with. lower attack level normals like 5P, 2P and 2K have less hitstop and pushback, which means you get to tick throw your opponent even faster then from c.S, but they have less useful frametrap options. P normals have a self-gatling option you can delay for a bit to get a frametrap. 2K gets you access to delayed 2D to frametrap with, which is quite strong! However, K normals dont allow you to gatling during recovery, only active frames. For 2K, getting a frametrap with 2D means delaying it just barely long enough for it to work. It's nothing you can't do with some practice, but the easier (and less rewarding) alternative is 6P as a frametrap. This also works off of P normals, so its a good starting point.

Of course, sometimes your opponent will guess correctly. In case of a throw attempt, this either means you get counterhit by a small normal during its startup, often not leading to too much for your opponent, or a succesfull throw tech (unless you did OHK, which can't be escaped via teching) putting you and your opponent in a neutral situation. Both of those usually just end your pressure. In the case of the opponent escaping with a jump or a backdash however, you whiff your throw, which allows your opponent to counterhit punish you with some of their highest damaging moves. Without meter to PRC out of your whiff, there's no avoiding the punish. This makes throws risky if you haven't established your opponent has to sit still via frametraps, so make sure to represent those a lot to get them to sit still.

Conversely, if your opponent blocks your frametrap, you are still in control of the situation. They are in blockstun, and you still have any gatling or other cancel options your normal gives you at your disposal. Which leads into:

Special Cancels (And Stagger Pressure)

After you run out your gatling route or after getting your opponent to block a poke, you can use one of May's specials to extend, safely end or reset pressure. In this section we'll go over the options and what you can do after they're blocked, and how you can use the threat of a special cancel to get whiff punishes or steal your turn back.

S Horizontal Dolphin

[4]6S or S Dolphin is the main blockstring ender may will use, since its fast, has great reward on counterhit, and is safe on block. At -3, the only characters that could feasibly punish it are Sol and Chipp, but outside of point blank range, the pushback will keep you out of range of the very small first frame of these moves.

On block you have a couple of options, and so does your opponent. Due to how close you are as you recover, you will be in range for the fastest normal of most characters, which you can't contest very well with your own buttons. Although you can beat some 5P's with your 6P, this will fold to the 2K your opponents are much likelier to use, given most of them are barely any slower than their fastest normal and give the opponent much better pressure on block and reward on hit in most cases. As such, your best options without meter are either blocking and staying safe, or backdashing. This will avoid having to block most normals your opponents are likely to use to take their turn, and leave you at a pretty comfortable spacing in neutral with either no frame advantadge or slight disadvantadge. Backdashing does carry risk, since if the opponent decides to contest with a larger button, they can catch you in the air and deal a significant amount of damage to you. Making your opponents use these buttons means that your own fast normals come into play again, since you can hit them out of their longer startup. This dynamic allows you to RPS with your opponent a little bit, but generally speaking your risk is a lot higher than your reward for being correct, so you want to avoid your opponents actually blocking S dolphin if possible.

S dolphin comes with two options to dismount the dolphin, Whiff and Split. Whiff simply ends the active frames of S dolphin and starts the whiff animation, while Split will make May jump off the dolphin. These two options both take 26F at minimum, and often slightly longer due to travel time, meaning the opponent can stuff them on reaction if they are looking for it, or OS against them. If they are just waiting to block S dolphin and take their turn though, you can sneak these options in to reset your turn.

For Whiff, you should use it mainly to try and reset into 5P or 2K. If you end up close enough you can also try for c.S, or try to land a throw or OHK. Whiff mainly gets stuffed by people pressing fast mid or low pokes, or 6P. Split launching you into the air is a great way to get around most of these and take your turn or even punish them. If you succesfully get a Split off, you should use j.P to take your turn. Due to how low you end up and how close to the opponent you will be, j.P will provide enough blockstun to relatively safely go into c.S or 2K after they block it.

Most May players will rarely use Whiff in pressure since the things that beat it also beat some of your other special cancel options you'd like to use. Split is more common, but still risky depending on the opposing character. You will clear many 6P's, but some like for instance Testament's will still hit you.

With meter S dolphin becomes a way to get in from pokes or blockstrings and extend or go into mixups. While you can of course just (F)RRC and press c.S and reset, there are a couple of interesting setups you can do as well.

S dolphin blocked FPRC / whiff j.H / j.2H

When the opponent blocks S dolphin, May has access to a wide array of very fast and extremely hard to fuzzy guard high/low/throw mixups using FPRC. In order to access it, be sure to delay your RC to around where May backflips so that you don’t accidentally Red Roman Cancel. Depending on the exact timing of your PRC, May gets access to two different mixup structures. In the corner, every mixup can convert into either a wallbreak or more safe oki. Midscreen or further, however, you’ll have to use Wild Assault to convert if you want more than just a HKD. When doing FPRC as early as possible, May can true string into jP, which gives a 2 way mixup:
- Single Overhead into Low: j.P 2K
- Double Overhead into Low: j.P j.P 2K

When delaying the FPRC slightly, May gets access to an unfuzzyable, reversal safe, YRC safe, 3 way mixup. Although somewhat difficult to execute properly, when learned, this becomes one of the strongest mixup scenarios post-dolphin, especially in the corner.

Overhead: j.P Frametraps mash options, reversal safe, beats all fuzzy options, and is YRC safe on reaction. This option should absolutely be your Layer 1 when applying this mixup structure. Only do the other mixups once the opponent starts blocking jP.

Empty Low: whiff j.H 2K This is the Layer 2 of this mixup. Once the opponent shows that they’re willing to block jP, this means that they’re not representing any fuzzy options or reversals. Knowing this, May is now allowed to represent empty low to throw them off.

Empty Throw: whiff j.H OHK/Throw Layer 3. The riskiest option since it loses to the most defensive options. However, if the opponent seems to be blocking the high/low well, throw will add a nice third option into their mental stack. This also encourages them to start representing fuzzy options again, which allows May to return back to Layer 1.

An important thing to note about this structure is that when the opponent blocks [4]6S with FD, this makes delay FPRC j.P much weaker, since on hit May will no longer be able to combo the j.P into cS. If you notice that the opponent is doing this, instead of using delay PRC j.P, use immediate FPRC j.2H to still represent a threatening overhead with the same OS properties. Against FD, empty low and throw still work the same, as well as both of the immediate FPRC mixups mentioned above.


S dolphin blocked > 88 FRRC j.H vs 66 FRRC 2D

This setup is an unreactable high low mixup for relatively cheap. To input it, once dolphin connects immediately input 8 > Dash > RC~H or (6 >) Dash > RC~2D. The high is 2f slower then the low, but fuzzy blocking is incredibly impractical against this setup. j.H allows you to go into c.S, and 2D goes into [2]8H. Midscreen this doesnt offer you that much in terms of combos without using more meter or wild assault, but both will go into strong oki via j.H > c.S > 2D and 2D > [2]8H respectively. In or near corner, you get a full wallbreak route on both options.

On block both options allow you some manner of pressure continuation. j.H is +3, plus enough to get you 5P no matter what. 2K and c.S can get thrown if your opponent is on point, but you can usually get away with it. 2D > [2]8H is +1 on block. In the section below on H vertical dolphin is a description of what sort of options you have here. For the overhead it's important that you input 88rrc as soon as possible. Doing it too slow will end up putting you too high up, which can make you less + or if midscreen cause you to cross over your opponent, preventing you from comboing or getting pressure.


S dolphin before being blocked > 66 FPRC OHK / Throw

This option can really catch people waiting to block dolphin off guard. It works well as a round closer, since at low health people are more likely to want to block or even FD dolphin to prevent chip. When done at the same timing as you would to frame trap with [4]6S, the OHK will beat all grounded mash options, so no need to worry about your opponent interrupting it (most of the time). OHK > 2S > 46S is your max meterless damage route midscreen, which does less damage then normal ground throw, so you may prefer to use that instead sometimes. In or near corner OHK is better by far.

H Horizontal Dolphin

[4]6H or H Dolphin (sometimes people call it HS Dolphin) is the slower, but plus on block variant of Horizontal dolphin. It's 25F startup + travel time makes it about as long as preforming a dismount from S dolphin. H Dolphin loses to fast pokes or 6P on reaction, or these same options as delayed OS options.

On normal block you end up +7 and in range for 5K. As 5K is 8F startup, this leaves a 1F gap, meaning that 5K will counterhit every option an opponent could use short of an invincible reversal attack, or backdashing. If you get the opponent to either block or do one of these options, you can instead use the plus frames to close the distance on the opponent and reset your turn, go for a throw, or punish whatever option they picked to avoid having to block 5K.

If the opponent FD's H dolphin, you'll end up not being in range for 5K to connect. You dont really have a super good way of enforcing your plus frames here, so it becomes more of an RPS situation around how you'll approach and what the opponent will try to intercept the approach with. Don't autopilot 5K when the opponent blocks H dolphin, since if they do FD you'll whiff and the opponent can punish.

H dolphin also has the Split and Whiff dismount options, but due to the extra long startup of H Dolphin these come out painfully slow, taking a minimum of 45F, and are best used for okizeme situations, or on very rare occasion an agressive approach with the extra distance on H Split.

While it's not really worth it to spend meter after your opponent blocks [4]6H, you can use meter to force people to block H Dolphin. This is also somewhat pricy for what you actually achieve, but H dolphin after an opponent blocks the RRC Shockwave is a 1F gap, and H Dolphin CH goes into c.S for a full conversion, so it may be worth doing if you believe your opponent will press after blocking the wave. These opponents are fairly rare, so use it sparingly if at all.

Arisugawa Sparkle

Arisugawa Sparkle is a very slow startup projectile (48F) that is also very plus on block. It comes in two varations, P launches it fairly close to May while the K version launches it across the screen. These variations are usually called P ball and K ball for brevity.

While ball's best application is as an okizeme tool, it can function as a way to cover an approach if canceled from a long range poke on block, or a very risky reset option from closer ranges. It's upwards of +29 on block, meaning that you have a lot of time to run up and hit them if they do block it. You're also actionable a little bit before the ball becomes active (May only has 45 recovery frames compared to the 48f startup of ball), so dont wait for the ball to move to start moving yourself.

Like most projectiles, ball is destroyed if May gets hit while its in startup or active frames, but unlike most projectiles the opponent can also hit the ball to destroy it mid flight. It also loses to any other projectiles it might encounter on its path. Opponents who hit the ball also get all of the cancel options that move would give them, which makes approaching with it precarious depending on the matchup.

Its best use in pressure is from long range normals like f.S or long range gatling routes like 5K 6H, since these spacings cut out most of the risk of using ball since most characters do not have options to close the distance and hit you fast enough, and the options that do work are very commital. Since ball does have a lot of answers to avoid blocking it, it should be used sparingly unless your opponent responds poorly to you using it, such as trying to jump over it and attack you (try j.D!) or always canceling into something specific after hitting ball you can whiff punish.

With meter you can use ball as an approach a bit better, since you can prc and keep the projectile fairly early in the animation, working from frame 8 onwards. This is pretty pricy but can force an approach or cover for a throw attempt.

There is also a highly niche "unblockable" setup in the corner, requiring a blocked 6[H] and 100 meter to cancel into ball, 66 PRC, 66 BRC and then OHK. If done correctly, OHK will connect before ball does, and people who try to jump, backdash or try to mash out of your throw get hit by ball and get you a combo. This doesnt work if the opponent has burst available, or has access to and the meter to use a reversal super, so its not exactly a true unblockable. It's also really expensive, so its more of a fun gimmick to pull on a friend rather then a strong option.

S Vertical Dolphin

[2]8S or S Vertical Dolphin is a very fast startup anti air and very slow startup overhead in one move. In pressure its usable as a way to catch people trying to jump out and mash some air button, but H Vertical Dolphin is usually preferred for this due to the much stronger combo potential. As an overhead, the amount of frames it will take to land is variable depending on opponent size, but it'll usually be a little bit slower then 5D, but faster then 6K. It's also not limited by gatling routes unlike those two, but it does require a downcharge which could be difficult to get depending on your pressure route.

Compared to 5D, it's a bit slower and somewhat harder to use, but it does scale your combo less as a starter and is a bit better on block, leaving you 0 in the air rather then -15. But because you're not really going to be using either of these without meter, since neither of them combo without using it, this doesn't matter so much. Since [2]8S leaves you airborne, it's more difficult to use FRRC to extend pressure or combo then on 5D, making it a little more expensive to use meter wise if you have FRRC routes down.

Compared to 6K it's a bit faster, but remains a little harder to use. 6K also scales less then [2]8S and is better on block at +2 grounded over 0 in the air, and combo's meterlessly via 2K [2]8H. Most May players prefer to use 5D for a metered overhead and 6K for a non metered one over [2]8S, But there are some spots where neither is available in your gatling tree, such as on a fairly close range 2S, where it's a decent option to mix in with your other special cancels.

H Vertical Dolphin

H Vertical Dolphin is a decently fast anti air and extremely slow startup overhead that covers a lot of range. In pressure May uses it either very close to the opponent to frametrap with good reward on hit, counterhit and being decent on block, or from very long range as a risky way to close space.

Up close, [2]8H is an 11F startup low profiling move that is +1 on block if it connects on its first active frame. This makes it a fairly useful tool for certain spacings in pressure, such as after WA or very close range 2K (2D) oon block. It also is airborne as soon as startup begins, making it a good counterplay option in places where the opponent throwing you after blockstun ends is a big concern, like after WA on block.

On block your RPS options depend on your spacing, up close 5P and 2K are great options since they are really fast, and from further out (like after a 2K 2D [2]8H string) options like 5K, 6P, 2S and 5H are great to intercept people trying to take their turn with a poke, or you can of course attempt to reset pressure or throw your opponent if you think your opponent is going to sit still.

The other use in pressure is using it from a long range blockstring such as 5K > 6H with your opponent cornered to close space and be + on block. It's an incredibly slow option, taking more then 30F to land. The big advantadge of it is that it will beat a lot of the options people use to deal with the Horizontal dolphins like immediate 6P. On block it's +6 airborne, and you can use j.P to reset pressure into c.S/2K or a throw attempt, and on hit you can do much the same to get 5P > 3K or even 2K > 2D to get a knockdown and run oki.

The big downside is that this pressure string is more of a knowledge check then anything else. All dolphins, [2]8H included, have a proximity range check, and none of them extend to opponents behind you. This means that if your opponent manages to cross under you even a little, your dolphin cannot possibly hit them at all. This is especially a risk with the opponent in the corner, because all it takes for this to happen is a single frame of forwards movement of any kind, putting you in the corner on defense at best and sending your straight trough the wall via AA c.S CH combo at worst.

Even if they do not do that much, It can still be 6P'ed if timed well, and on FD you get sent so far away you can't hit j.P on them, making it impossible to make good use of your plus frames. If your opponent knows about any of these, this pressure option goes from a strong tool to a liability, so be careful with representing it.

Stagger Pressure

With a lot of options to think about for your opponent, it can be easy for them to just want to sit still and react to whatever you might pull out, or try a fuzzy or OS to cover several options at the same time. This can be pretty devastating to your pressure since our fast specials arent great on block and our slow ones are relatively easy to react to/OS against.

But knowing this you can exploit your opponents tendencies by not canceling into a special immediately, or at all. If your opponent is just going to sit still and try to react to whatever special you're going to do, you can get away with just riding out the recovery of your move on block, and then trying to retake your turn or even go for a big reset.

Some good ways to deal with people blindly OS'ing against S dolphin and a slower reset special is to simply delay S dolphin untill around the timing they press their button, which can get you a counterhit or a whiff punish depending on your timing, or to not cancel at all and simply wait for them to whiff, punishing or taking your turn back with a short dash into a normal. In this way you discourage them from just using the OS or fuzzy, meaning you can slip your other moves back in and keep them guessing. In general, just waiting and seeing what your opponent is going to do is a good way to find out what your opponent's habits on defense are and what they are going to be looking out for, provided you do it from a relatively safe position. 5H on block or being pushed far out via FD are great points to see what your opponent is thinking about.


Resets

A similar idea to stagger pressure, a reset is a situation where you try to restart your pressure after your opponents blocks a move, rather then trying to frametrap or go for a throw. An example of this would be c.S > dash c.S. This leaves a larger gap then a frametrap would, similar to a throw attempt, but if your opponent doesn't mash, you get to c.S on their block again, resetting the situation, except your opponent will have more risc built up, you will have a bit more meter, and you will have pushed them closer to the wall.

You might be thinking, "That's pretty nice, but why not go for a throw instead? Isn't that better reward?". Throws are generally higher reward on people not mashing, but as mentioned they whiff on people jumping or backdashing. Going for a pressure reset like this one however will force jumpers to airblock, which leaves you extremely plus on block, effectively giving you yet another c.S (or a different pressure starter) on block for free, and catches backdashers for a high damage combo thanks to the opponent willingly launching themselves into the air for you. They will also often counterhit people who delay their mashes to avoid tight frametrap timings.

This makes it great at discouraging these options, which makes them more likely to either start mashing, giving you the opportunity to kill them with a frametrap, or sit completely still, meaning they will be wide open for a throw. The option having higher reward then most frametraps on people using movement options to escape your throw while also being good on block makes it a great tool to mix in with your throw attempts and normal frametraps if you find your opponent overusing those tools.

Metered Pressure

Besides the metered pressure from May's specials as mentioned above, there are a few other ways to make meter work for you in your pressure. One of the easiest to implement is 5D. without meter, 5D is a 20f overhead with no possible followups on hit, leaving you and your opponent at equal advantadge. With 50 meter to use RRC, that same overhead becomes a great mixup tool that gives you great damage and very often a wallbreak, while also being + if they block it, allowing you to restart your pressure via whichever pressure starter you'd prefer. You can use it from K normals and c.S, making it easy to slot into the basic May pressure sequences.

Another realtively simple technique that is very useful is 5K Dash Cancel into (66)BRC. Doing this allows you to truestring c.S on your opponents block, going into your best pressure starter from one of your longest pokes. If 5K happened to hit, you get to do c.S > 6[H] for a huge combo anywhere on screen. There are also more difficult options that have their own advantadges. From closer ranges, FBRC 2K allows you to truestring or frametrap with c.S, for less total meter then just letting brc rock.

FBRC S Dolphin ends up at around +9 in very close range, allowing you to either safely go into c.S, get a 1F frametrap to 2D, or go for a throw attempt without having to dash, making it really hard to react to. To input this, make sure you're holding back as you input BRC. holding a charge position during brc, prc or rrc allows you to go into charge moves without having to charge for the whole 30 frames, so it's as simple as [4], RC~6S

A strong but difficult option is the backdash FBRC j.P instant overhead. Many characters have a way to do this, but May's backdash having a very short duration and low height makes it difficult to input manually. There is a trick you can do however, using kara backdash. Input like this: Dash > stop > Dash > 4 > RC~j.P. While in the braking animation from a dash (also works off of other non neutral states like recovery from moves, allowing stuff like 5p 4 dash fbrc, just not from neutral or walking), you can input dash > 4 to backdash. If you then RC fast enough, it keeps the dash input in the buffer as a neutral dash which will perform 66brc, keeping you close to the opponent. All you have to do at that point is correctly time your j.P and you're good!

This is an unreactable overhead that leads to a great combo in corner from c.S thanks to the additional brc slowdown, while also being safe on block. Very strong for closing out games, but hard to input and use. If you're just starting out, don't worry about this one quite yet, but keep in mind it exists for when you're ready to learn harder stuff.

Wild Assault

While Orange Wild Assault is mostly designed as a combo extension or conversion tool, May can use it as an option to extend pressure as well. At 16F startup, canceling into it from a lvl 2 move like 2S/f.S is a 3f gap, and it can truestring on lvl 3 moves or greater. All of the main frametraps May uses from c.S are Lvl 3 or greater moves, so using WA there to avoid having to cancel into S dolphin or play RPS with your other specials can be a great use burst.

If you get your opponent to block it, You might be inclined to simply go into c.S pressure. This would be a very strong idea, if not for the fact that the momentum from WA keeps you extremely close to your opponent. If your frametrap option after isnt an absolutely perfect 1f gap, your opponent can throw you, which puts you in a really bad spot considering you just spent your defensive resource to get there.

Instead, the first thing you want to represent is c.S > OHK or c.S > [2]8H Frametrap. OHK is throw invulnerable, and [2]8H (along with every other dolphin) counts as airborne from frame 1 of startup, meaning both avoid throws. OHK works the way you expect it to, although it can be a bit difficult to get the correct timing. [2]8H is a good starter on counterhit, scores you a hkd at worst on people trying to jump or backdash, and is +1 on block, giving you an rps situation as described in the special cancels section. Once you get them to stop trying to throw you, you can try for more greedy pressure sequences and frametraps.

c.S > [2]8H can be difficult to input. You want to buffer c.S during the wild assault to get it to come out when its blocked, and immediately start holding downcharge. If this proves very difficult, you can substitute 2K instead, which makes the charge a lot easier, but be advised that this makes the OHK option a lot more difficult timing wise.

You can make the OHK timing a bit easier by kara'ing it out of prejump. Input the move as 6239K. Prejump is throw invulnerable, and can be cancelled into special moves. This makes your window a bit wider to avoid getting thrown, turning a 1f window into about a 4f. Very useful if you want to tick throw from 2K or 5P. At further poke ranges you may be unable to get c.S from WA on block. In this case your next best option is 2K. Try out different spacings in training mode and try to be cognizant of your spacing in game.

Targeting Specific Defensive Tools

The outline above covers the basics for the standard situation where your opponent is either trying to avoid a throw or avoid dying to a frametrap, but there are certain options and tools people can use to either do a lot better against one of these two, or cover both at the same time. In this section we'll cover these options and what you can do about them.

Faultless Defense

Faultless Defense allows one to spend some tension to push opponents further back if you block their move. This means you can get pushed out of range for frametraps to actually work, such as c.S > 2H, and also means you have to dash longer for your throws and resets, making it easier for your opponent to escape them. There are two things of note about FD that can help us mitigate its effects.

1. The pushback increase is a multiplicative modifier on the blocked move. This means that on moves with very little pushback, FD wont help much. As such, using lighter normals to run pressure, like 5P or 2K, lessens the advantadge FD gives to your opponent considerably.

2. An FD'ing opponent cannot jump, backdash, or tech throws. This is useful for opponents that like to turtle with it, since it essentially gives you the green light to run in and throw them. In higher level play you will see less turtling and more flashing FD to the rythmn of your moves to lessen the meter cost, but if you know the rythmn the opponent is going to be using, you can exploit that by trying to time your throws to be around this same window, specially in conjunction with the above point.

Fuzzy Jump/Backdash/Mash

These so called fuzzy options use the 5f throw protection after blockstun ends to their advantage to cover both tight frametraps and throw attempts at the same time. How it works is this: Once you've blocked a move, continue to block (usually low block) untill around 4f have passed, then quickly input the option you want to do, then swap back to blocking again. If done correctly, you will block tight frametraps, but jump/backdash or mash out of throw attempts. If you do block something, your input for your other option will happen during blockstun, meaning it won't actually happen and you stay safe.

You can think of this term as a fancy way of saying your opponent is delaying their option. Figuring out how to target this option makes more sense when you realise that is all it truly is. Since your opponent is delaying their throw escape option, you will have to delay your own frametrap to compensate. Reseting or Staggers also work well here, since these options leave a larger gap due to having to dash forwards to get in range for your move, which works out nicely to get your opponent to do the part of their fuzzy that loses to your strikes.

Something to note about fuzzy jump and backdash in particular is that you cannot jump or backdash while crouching. No matter how fast they do their input, they will for a moment be completely susceptible to lows. If you dont want to delay a frametrap for a very long time, doing a relatively short delay on a low frametrap like 2D can net you a knockdown and okizeme on opponents overusing this, but this can be difficult depending on your distance to the opponent.

Instant Block / Instant Faultless Defense

Instant Block and Instant Faultless Defense are difficult to execute options that will either completely negate all pushback or massively increase it respectively. Both can ruin your pressure string and leave you open for punishes or reset you back to neutral. While their effects are different the way to do them is the same: if you begin blocking/FD'ing 1-2f before a move would connect on your block, you will get the instant variant of whatever block variant you chose.

The simplest way to avoid your opponent hitting their IB window is to delay your move a bit. 2F is a very, very tight window, so the tiniest difference in timing will throw them off. However, most players will aim for the fastest timing on your pressure, so delaying will only get you just your normal move, while potentially opening up mashable gaps they can abuse. The other thing of note about the timing window being so short is that your opponents will in most cases be very preoccupied with landing said timing, meaning they are not busy avoiding resets or throws, giving you a bit of a bigger window to get these in on your opponent. Remember that an attempted IBFD that doesn't catch anything is just an FD, meaning the same rules for jumping, backdashing and throw teching apply.

Yellow Roman Cancel

Yellow Roman Cancels allow your opponent to spend 50 meter to try to stop your pressure out of blockstun. If you get hit by it, rather then take damage you're forced into a guard crush animation, and your opponent will be +10. This allows most characters to run some form of strike throw.

YRC ignores invulnerability, meaning you can't bait it with orca (if you wanted to do that for some reason). The only way to beat YRC is to either make it whiff or block it. On block its -16 and the 33 recovery frames are counterhit recovery, so if you do block or make it otherwise whiff you get to do a high damage combo. One final note is that YRC doesn't hit extended hurtboxes like normal moves would, meaning that if someone tries to YRC you from far away they are likely to whiff.

In practice you will mostly have to try baiting it by blocking on points your opponent has shown they are likely to YRC.

Invincible Reversals

Almost every character in strive has a move that makes them invincible on its startup. For most characters their version will be a super costing 50 meter, and will be heavily minus on block (barring some gimmick supers like Axl's or I-no's that are very minus on their first hit but plus if you stay put blocking the rest of the hits). Given the full invulnerability on these moves, the only way to deal with them is by calling them out and blocking them, and then punishing them.

Some characters have a meterless reversal in the form of a special move that is invulnerable on startup. These moves are usually referred to as DP's. While every character that has one has a unique one, the way to deal with them is the same for all of them. Unlike reversal supers, DP's arent grab invulnerable. This means that one way to call them out is via tick throws. Like reversal supers they are also very minus on block, most of them putting the opponent airborne and in counterhit recovery, meaning you can get the absolute best combo starters in your entire arsenal if you do block one or make one whiff.

Unlike supers, DP's cannot be PRC'ed on whiff. DP blocked PRC is a strong tool, so it may be adviseable to avoid the opponent doing this by either going for the grab callout or backing off and letting them whiff it for a huge punish.

Finally, there is one special category of invulnerable reversal that two characters have, namely Anji and Baiken. They have parries, which are moves that are strike invulnerable, and if you do hit them will play an animation and do heavy damage. Baiken's parry doesn't cost any meter, and Anji's does. While they arent too dissimilar from their respective normal counterparts, there is something of note about them for counterplay, which is that unique to meterless reversals Baiken's parry can be PRC'ed on whiff, and Anji's parry is not throw invuln, unlike other metered supers. This makes going for throws if you expect them to use it a better option then usual, and trying to whiff punish the move worse then usual.

Deflect Shield

Deflect Shield allows your opponent to spend 50 burst to push you back to a whole different stage if your move gets blocked. It also automatically correctly blocks low and high, making it a potent "stop mixing me already" tool.

The blocking window is 29f, followed by 19f of counterhit recovery. While DS will block every strike correctly no matter what, it is completely vulnerable to throws. Given your opponent is stuck in the animation for just under 40 frames, you have plenty of time to land a throw. If you can bait DS out, even better, since the 19f counterhit recovery means you get to pick whatever move you think would lead to the funniest route, and then kill them with a combo they cant burst out of given they just used half of it.

Pressure options per normal

The old pressure section is outdated, but does have more specific pressure sequences per normal that aren't in the section above yet. It can give you some good ideas, but be aware that it is old and may be outdated in many places.

Old Pressure Section

Summary

At a distance, May can attempt to use 5K, 3K, IAD j.H, IAD j.2H, [4]6S or f.S > [4]6S to begin pressure. All of these options except 3K will lose to 6P, all except the IADs can be safely blocked low, the IADs and 5K > dash-in are very reactable, and 3K is very unsafe on block. At a slightly shorter range, May can attempt to use 2S > [4]6S, which will beat 6P while being safe on block, at risk of getting poked herself. This weakness in May's midrange pressure requires careful play in neutral to overcome against a skilled opponent.

May can use counterpokes and reactive play to secure a knockdown into pressure. In this situation, May can use 6P CH, 5H CH>[4]6H>5K>3K, [2]8S air hit, [2]8H air hit, and [4]6S CH > throw to get knockdowns from a safe distance, depending on her opponent's neutral tactics.

May can use rock-paper-scissors to threaten pressure after S Horizontal Mr. Dolphin, which will leave opponents feeling like it's never their turn when done correctly. Once May is close, she can use c.S to establish strike/throw pressure or 5P/2K to try for a quick knockdown into okizeme.

If May can get on top of her opponent, she can use c.S to start pressure, which has stronger and more varied follow-up options that are harder to defend against. May can also use 2K at close range to start low/high pressure against opponents who fall asleep on defense or who focus too much on strike/throw defense, or 2P or 5P to set up quick strike/throw mixups in situations where she is too far away or not at enough frame advantage to use c.S.

Detail

Blockstrings and Hit Confirms

2P/5P/2K Starter:

  • [2P or 5P]x(1-3) > [4]6S on block or 3K on hit: May mashes the attack. After connecting 2P on hit or block, May should continue the string with 5P for greater reach. May can end this attack string with 3K on hit for a knockdown or [4]6S on block. May needs three hits or blocked punches to charge a dolphin if she starts charging during the first punch.
  • 2P or 5P > 6P: A quick frametrap that is punishable on block.
  • 2P or 5P > 3K RRC or 6K RRC or 5D RRC: With 50 Meter, May can use 3K, 6K, or 5D to set up a quick low/high mixup. May can use RRC to safely cancel 3K on block, and she can use RRC to hit confirm any of these attacks into a combo. May can be pushed out
  • 66 2P or 5P > 623K or 4/6D: With forward momentum, May can use a single punch to set up a tick throw.
  • 2P or 5P > 66 623K or 66 4/6D: May can also dash after the punch into a throw, though this is slightly easier to react to on defense.
  • 2K > 2K: A simple, low-risk frametrap that conditions the opponent to block low.
  • 2K > 3K on hit: May can hit-confirm into 3K at any range where 2K connects, though hit-confirming from a single 2K is quite difficult.
  • 2K > 2D > [4]6S on block: At most ranges except for 2K's maximum range, May can gatling into 2D, and she can either take the knockdown on hit, combo into [2]8H on hit, or cancel into [4]6S on block.
  • 2K > 3K RRC or 6K RRC or 5D RRC: With 50 meter, May can set up a low/high mixup with 3K, 6K, or 5D that's threatening on hit thanks to RRC and safe on blocked 3K or 5D thanks to PRC.
  • 2K > 5[D]: A high-risk, high reward low/high mixup. Usually May needs to overwhelm or distract the opponent with other attacks or threats to have any chance of landing 5[D] because of how easy it is to block on reaction on its own.
  • 2K > [2]8S: Creates an ambiguous low/high mixup situation where May can either connect [2]8S while ascending, as an overhead, or whiff and follow up with 2K as a low depending on spacing. This is difficult for the opponent to react to and is especially rewarding when May can use RRC to hit confirm [2]8S. If [2]8S does not hit while ascending, this is not a true blockstring or frametrap, and opponents can escape by backdashing, moving backwards, or striking May during [2]8S, so avoid using this too often.

5K Starter:

  • 5K > dc 623K or dc 4/6D: May can attempt to dash-cancel 5K into a throw. The dash cancel is reactable and punishable, which means that May needs to surprise her opponent for the throw to succeed.
  • 5K > 6H or 6[H]: A wide frametrap. May's opponent can jab or use an invulnerable move to counterhit uncharged 6H, but when May throws in partially or fully charged 6[H], she can get big punishes against aggressive opponents who whiff or a guard crush against cautious opponents who keep blocking. When properly spaced, jabs will not hit May while she is charging 6[H]. While slower pokes can hit May if she charges 6[H], the risk of a big counterhit on uncharged or partially charged 6H often deters opponents from challenging the move. On normal block, May can use [4]6S as a frametrap or do nothing as long as she is far enough away to avoid a punish. On guard crush, May can use 214K or [4]6H to continue pressure.
  • 5K > 3K: May can hit-confirm into 3K at any range where 5K connects, though hit-confirming from a single 5K is quite difficult. With meter, May can blindly use this blockstring to catch opponents who are asleep on defense or trying to move after 5K and RRC to make 3K safe on block or get a combo on hit.
  • 5K > 5D RRC: May can threaten a high with 5D from shorter-range 5K attacks. This is only worth using when May has 50 meter to RRC a hit into a combo.
  • 5K > dc 66BRC: May uses the time slow from BRC to either counterhit an opponent who pressed a button or to do a high/low mixup against an opponent who kept blocking. It is possible for the opponent to jab May out of a follow-up 6K even during the slow effect, but May's faster attacks will be too fast to counterhit and the threat of a big counterhit during a BRC deters many opponents from trying abare attacks in this situation.
  • 5K > [4]6S: Generally May can't charge a dolphin solely during 5K's startup and hitstop, but if she began charging before the move was used this is an option.

c.S Starter:

  • c.S > 2H: Use immediately to build up RISC on block or slightly delay 2H for a frametrap. This is a very rewarding frametrap midscreen or when May is in the corner. It deals less combo damage on hit than 6H in the corner, but can frametrap 3-frame normals with good timing, unlike 6H. End the blockstring on [4]6S to end pressure safely.
  • c.S > 6H: This is a natural frametrap gatling when used with no delay. In the corner, May can convert this frametrap into a massively damaging combo on hit or counterhit. Without meter, May will not get as much out of this frametrap midscreen as 2H. As before, on block, May should end the blockstring with [4]6S to end pressure safely.
  • c.S > 5H: Use immediately to build up RISC on block or slightly delay 5H for a frametrap. 5H is safe on block against opponents without faster-than-average normals (4f or faster), which gives it a niche use against opponents who are very good at using IB against dolphin in blockstrings. Aside from that, there's usually not much reason to use this blockstring, since it is less rewarding than either 2H or 6H on hit.
  • c.S > 2D: Go for a low hit and knockdown. On block, end the blockstring with [4]6S to end pressure safely. On hit, May can convert into a combo with [2]8H.
  • c.S > 6K: Go for a high hit. Not very rewarding unless May has 50 meter, but relatively safe to end pressure at -2. With 50 meter, May can use RRC to convert a hit into a full combo.
  • 66 c.S > dl.c.S: May can use this route as a large frametrap and risky pressure extender from a point-blank c.S with forward momentum. May gets to start another blockstring on successful reset and a full counterhit combo on hit.
  • c.S > 66 c.S: May can use this route as a risky pressure extender. If May delays the dash until the end of c.S's recovery instead of dash canceling, she gives less time for her opponent to react to her movement, which makes the subsequent attack more likely to work. May gets to start another blockstring on successful reset.
  • c.S > 66 623K or 66 4D: A tick throw setup. If May delays the dash until the end of c.S's recovery instead of dash canceling, she gives less time for her opponent to react to her movement, which makes the tick throw more likely to work. 623K is most rewarding when May's opponent is in the corner, while normal throws are particularly useful for side-switching May's opponent into the corner.
  • c.S > dc BRC: Similar to the 5K setup, May sets up a high/low mixup using the time slow effect from BRC. Unlike 5K, c.S applies enough blockstun so that May's opponent can't abare out of any of May's fast follow-up options.

j.K, j.S, or j.H starter:

  • j.K or j.S or j.H > adc 66BRC > [j.K > land 2K] or [land 2K]: The left/right crossup part of a 4-way metered mixup. May can choose to either strike the opponent in the air or on the ground as a high/low frametrap. If May airdashes while above her opponent's collision box, she will cross up. When May starts with j.S, the follow-up j.K will be a true blockstring, while the follow-up 2K will be a frametrap. May needs to enter the BRC as soon as possible to make this blockstring into a useful frametrap. May can attempt to use j.H to start this high/low mixup as well, but she needs an exceedingly deep hit to cross up.
  • j.K or j.S or j.H > jc 22BRC > [j.K > land 2K] or [land 2K]: The same-side part of a 4-way metered mixup. May can choose to either strike the opponent in the air or on the ground as a high/low frametrap. May need to quickly enter the BRC to make this blockstring a useful frametrap. May can attempt to use j.H to start this high/low mixup as well, but she needs an exceedingly deep hit to connect the follow-up.

j.2H starter:

  • j.2H > 2K > many options: May uses jumps or airdashes to set up an ambiguous left-right crossup with j.2H. If the opponent fails to anti-air the initial hit, May can set up a series of high/low/throw mixups - ... > 66 623K or 4/6D for a tick throw, ... > 3K to hit confirm into a knockdown or as a high/low/low with meter to make it safe on block, ... > 5D for a high/low/high, or ... > [2]8S to set up an ambiguous high/low/high or high/low/low depending on distance. The 2K > 3K confirm may not hit with a max range 2K hit and unfavorable momentum. May can end on [4]6S for a lower-reward hit confirm in this situation instead, or as a relatively safe pressure ender. The number of possible follow-ups and distance from block pushback on the initial attacks makes defending against this pressure string on block exceptionally difficult as long as May varies her follow-ups.

Defense

May doesn't have much for character-specific defensive tools outside of her reversal overdrive. She will rely heavily on faultless defense, mash-outs, YRC, and counterhit 6P to escape pressure, depending on her opponent's pressure strings. May's best abare and quick punish attacks are 5P (speed), 2P (speed, better hurtbox than 5P), 2K (low profile, trades a little speed for a little reach), 5K (trades a lot of speed for more reach), and [4]6S (trades speed and a very poor hurtbox for a lot of reach). May has access to a mid-range hard knockdown from a command normal (3K), which she can use as a gatling after punishing with her fast punch or kick attacks to take her turn back. With 50 meter, May gains access to a reversal overdrive. In some matches, the threat of a reversal overdrive is enough to cause May's opponents to let off on pressure, which alleviates one of May's biggest weaknesses. If May's opponent doesn't respect this option when she has 50 meter, May can use it to deal a lot of damage and potentially steal a round from her opponent's pressure string or okizeme.

Meter Usage

May can deal a lot of damage and wall-break without meter, so she doesn't need to use it to increase her combo damage (though May can deal immense damage in some situations by spending meter). May becomes significantly more threatening when she has 50 meter to hit confirm easy-to-land attacks with RRC, which opens up opportunities in neutral against careless opponents for more damage and causes cautious players to play more passively. May can also use her meter to make up for her otherwise mediocre defense through Faultless Defense and YRC, or to open up her mid-range mixup game against opponents who are good at defense.


3K > 66RRC In Neutral

May can use run up 3K > 66RRC as a way to "skip neutral" / bypass the opponents pokes to either start her pressure or confirm into a somewhat scaled combo. Such as (3K > 66RRC > 6[H] > [4]6H) using 3K > 66RRC as a roundstart option after wallbreak is also somewhat strong, due to it bypassing predicted roundstart Dolphin counters, such as 6P and even some roundstart buttons, like  Sol's f.SGGST Sol Badguy fS.pngGuardAllStartup10Recovery13Advantage+2

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