Numbers represent direction on a keyboard numpad. For example, + becomes 236P.
> = Proceed from the previous move to the following move.
▷/land = Indicate that the player must land at that point in the sequence.
, = Link To perform a second action after the first action completely finishes its animation. the previous move into the following move.
->/~ = Cancel To bypass the remaining time or frames in an action by proceeding directly into another action. the previous special into a follow-up special.
Basic combos are simple combos with the fewest requirements and conditions possible. They:
Work against every, or almost every, character in the game
Can be performed from most positions in the play area
Require few adjustments, and if any are required they are simple
3K Chargeless EnderNot the best, but definitely the easiest.
Very Easy
Starter > f.S > 3K
A simple confirm into May's 3K slide.
This is the easiest combo to learn as May, and while it's not great, it helps you secure ranged and chargeless knockdowns. 3K knockdown still allows for a meaty afterwards, but no safejump or strong mixups otherwise. At further ranges of f.S, 3K will whiff, which leaves you very punishable.
2D > HHD Charge BufferA much better combo, but requires charge buffering.
Easy
Starter > 2D > [4]6H
May's meterless BNB, and an essential confirm to learn.
2D > HHD is a core part of May's further combos, allowing you to launch with HHD~FB into her highest damage combos. Since 2D is fairly average in terms of range, you'll often only get one or two buttons in before it, making it hard to confirm. Luckily, this combo is fairly safe, and you can end at 2D to be entirely safe.
A key part of this combo is learning to buffer charge for HHD. You can hold downback while you confirm with other normals, allowing May to build charge while continuing the combo.
OHK Dolphin LoopSimple, but a lot of room to optimize.
Easy
63214K, [2]8S, 2P > [2]8H
A simple juggle from May's Overhead Kiss command grab.
Like most of the combos here, there is a LOT of room to improve on this. However, this is a simple and fairly universal combo that also introduces you to the mechanics behind May's SVD. SVD vacuums the opponent towards May, allowing for followup juggles. You always end these in HVD, which is May's best knockdown against air opponents. This is the core of her SVD Loops, an advanced BNB combo which allows for massive damage in juggles.
This may require different delays depending on weight class. Lightweights should be hit as low as possible by SVD to ensure that the 2P connects, and with higher weight classes, you want to hit them higher as well.
Core BNB Combos
Core combos balance potency with consistency. They:
Work against most characters of a selected weight or hurt box type
May require moderate adjustments to account for variables such as screen position, hit count, resources, and opposing character
Are expected to be consistently performable by most intermediate and advanced players who main the character
SVD LoopThe signature May BNB.
Medium
Starter > 2D > HHD FB > Dashing c.S > 5H > SVD > 5/2P > HVD
A basic SVD Loop from HHD FB. The ender here can vary depending on character, weight, and your own execution, but this is the easiest option. Other enders include 5P > c.S > HVD or 2P > 2P > 5P > HVD.
There are a lot of little execution tricks to learn for this combo. The first is inputting HHD FB as fast as possible. A simple way to explain that is to input it as a dash, pressing H for the first forward motion and D for the second. Done properly, you should get HHD FB everytime.
The next trick is learning to buffer standing normals into SVD. Essentially, you dash and pick up with the c.S, and immediately press 5H once it connects. This will buffer the 5H very early, and you can use this buffer to build the charge necessary for a SVD.
With the enders, 5P is the fastest but you have to buffer charge for it and it doesn't work on a few characters for hurtbox reasons. This is simply done by holding down as per usual, and then in between the down and up positions, you input 5P while the stick is in neutral. You continue to finish the motion for HVD, and done properly it will buffer the motion with the same logic as the aforementioned c.S > 5H > SVD buffer. 2P is a bit slower and low damage but requires no charge tricks and is fairly universal, making it a more reliable basic option to use.
6P PickupMore corner carry, but less damage and not universal.
Medium
Starter > 2D > HHD FB > Dashing c.S > 6P > HHD
An alternate route from SVD Loops using May's 6P. This route gives considerably more corner carry, and a large benefit is that May can extend into much higher damage if she makes it to the corner in time, thanks to the slide caused by air hit HVD.
The theory behind how to do this combo is largely the same as a SVD Loop. Once c.S hits, you immediately buffer a 6P and then snap to holding backwards for charge. You can do this a bit easier by holding 6 as you input c.S and then quickly inputting 6P.
c.S > 6P does not work on AX, BA, BR, or MA. On those characters, stick to SVD Loops.
Corner HVD Slide PickupHuge corner damage for high difficulty and lots of character specificity.
Hard
c.S > 6P > 5H > HHD > ...
May's big meterless damage in the corner. On some characters, you will have to delay the 5H in order for HHD to connect.
6P causes a launch, allowing 5H > HHD to slide them on the ground. In the corner, you can dash in and continue the combo after this. Meterless pickups afterwards can be very tight, and often incredibly character specific.
If you're willing to spend the meter however, you can always pick up with HHD FB, making this a very damaging and consistent starter with 25 meter behind it. May can easily clear 250 damage in the corner if she lands this, so get to labbing!
OHK into SVD LoopsA great BNB for big damage from OHK.
Medium
63214K, 66 c.S > 5H > SVD, 5/2P > HVD
A higher damage combo using SVD Loops.
This makes OHK a bit scarier, and once you get into extending SVD Loops on certain characters, it becomes a very damaging option. May has a bunch of places to threaten frametraps, and OHK is identical to her run, so labbing out high damage from OHK is very worthwhile. The distance you have to dash here is variable depending on how far May is from the corner, it can be anywhere from a short microdash to almost a full on run.
Loop theory for Dolphin Loops
May's Veritcal Dolphin Loops (in vanilla AC known as Lame Loops). Lots of her standing normals can be buffered into SVD/HVD.
c.S > 5H > SVD is her standard loop from AC. It still works in +R but timing is stricter. Cannot get more than two of this loop and the second has strict timing and height requirements of the first c.S depending on the weight of the character. For example, heavy characters you need to hit as high as possible with the first c.S in order to get the second loop's c.S to hit. Light characters you want to hit as low to the ground as possible with the first c.S.
6H does big initial damage and it leads into loops/corner carry
6H > SVD is the most common use in loops
6H > SVD > 5P > c.S (easiest)
6H > SVD > c.S > 5H (Strict timing/height requirements based on opponent's weight/hurtbox)
6H > SVD > c.S > 6P (Strict timing/height requirements based on opponent's weight/hurtbox)
6H > SVD > 2P (Alternative for HOS/JO/SO and maybe some other characters)
Extensions
May can extend all her vertical loops with either FRC or with a buffered normal into SVD/HVD. This is something you'll have to lab out to see what you can get per character.
c.S > SVD
5P > SVD
5P(xN) > c.S > SVD
2P > 5P > SVD
2P > 5P > c.S > SVD
2P > c.S > SVD
5P > 2P > SVD
6P > c.S > SVD
All the normals you can buffer into SVD with and should hit most of the cast.
Loops
May has 2 kinds of loops in +R, and both have their uses: Vertical Dolphin loops and 6P loops.
Vertical loops are your go to when you have no meter to spend.
6P loops should be considered when you have meter and/or are near a corner.
All loops must be started in some sort of juggle state, 2D > HHD FB for example
c.S > 2D > HHD FB > Dashing c.S > 5H > SVD > 5P > SVD/HVD is universal...ish (2p suggested instead of 5P for HOS/JO/SO)
This video shows inputs for the loop, ending in 5P > c.S > HVD.
c.S > 5H > SVD can be extended with FRC into an ender at the cost of meter.
Dolphin loop basic
c.S > 5H > SVD
Dolphin loop variations
2P > 5P > c.S > SVD
5P > c.S > SVD
6H > SVD > c.S > SVD
c.S > JI > 5H > HVD FRC > Late airdash jH > land 6H > SVD
Loop Enders
5P > HVD
Works on:
2P > HVD
Works on:
c.S > JI > 5H > HVD FRC > Late airdash jH > land 6H > HVD
c.S > JI > 5H > HVD FRC > Airdash HRR > c.S > HHD
5P > c.S > SVD helpful tips
There are two ways of doing it. One: pressing 5P, then "dialing in" S during the startup frames, and start charging [2] after pressing S. The 8S for the SVD comes out at the tail end of the hitstop. Frame-data wise, it's 5f startup for 5P, 10f for the hitstop, 7f startup for c.S, 14f for that hitstop. This adds up to 36f, out of 30f needed to charge SVD. In lab, this will feel like 5P~S~[2], 8S.
The other way is to charge first, then piano neutral ~ P ~ S ~ 8S. The SVD input allows for 5f gap between 2 and 8, so that's where the 5P and c.S slot into with aggressive gatling timing. Ideally the final input involves negative-edge S, but the input window is lax enough to allow for double-tap. In lab, this sequence will feel like [2], 5~P~[S]~8]S[
May's ground game can be problematic for opponents, since most of her gatlings lead into loops if she has 25% tension. cS and 2D are very important moves for May as it leads to her staple midscreen and corner carry. Buffering into SVD/HVD/SHD/HHD from 2D/6P are core to her ground game
2P, 5P, 5K, c.S, 5H will all lead into 2D > HHD FB
2D > SHD/HHD FB leads to both loops and can carry from midscreen. Will be up to preference as to how you'll want to combo from this
c.S > 5H and c.S > 6P will depend on if you want to lead into damage(c.S > 5H) or corner carry(c.S > 6P). If you are close to pushing the opponent to the corner or in the corner, then you can likely get more damage meterless by doing the c.S > 6P > HHD route.
Jackhound
Jackhound > Microdash > c.S > 5H > Vertical loop
Jackhound > Microdash > c.S > 6P > HHD
Jackhound (midscreen/can't get close enough for c.S) > Microdash > f.S > 6H > HVD
Jackhound is interesting. You can extend weird hit confirms and continue combos off it. For example:
5K > c.S > f.S > 3K > RC > Jackhound
j2H where you land on the opposite side of what you expect for your charge partition > 2P > 2D > Jackhound
Combo ending in 2P/5P > HVD > Jackhound > Small combo after for a few more damage
Combo ending in c.S > 5H > HVD (heavyweights only) > Jackhound > Small combo after for a few more damage
You shouldn't really use it as a mixup as it is really slow and very reactable + punishable on block. Jackhound will also remove a knockdown state, letting you combo off things like HVD or trading with 2D (where you are not knocked down), or add a few more points of damage at the end of a combo to finish the opponent.
Air Combo Theory
jH
jH > j623H leads into loops and corner carry
jH > j623S(4) loses damage but has corner carry
jH > HVD FRC leads to damage to potential corner carry at the cost of meter
jH > 6H > SVD is one of the ways to lead back into loop from certain characters and height difference
jH is probably the move you'll be getting a CH from the most. Its the most flexible routing for her air normals and the most basic routing of hers.
SVD/HVD FRC
jH > HVD FRC
jS > HVD FRC
jH > HVD FRC > Late airdash jH > 6H > HVD
j2H (low aerial hit only) > HVD FRC
SVD/HVD FRC > Airdash j623H
SVD/HVD FRC > jH
Something you'll be spending meter to confirm weird air hits unless its too high in the air
j.H Restive Rolling
j623H > c.S > 6P > HHD
j623H > c.S > 5H > SVD/HVD
j623H > SVD > 2P/5P > c.S > SVD/HVD
j623S FRC > j623H > c.S > 6P > HHD
j623S FRC > j623H > c.S > 5H > SVD/HVD
jH Restive Rolling is one of May's best tools in the air. It leads to ground combos, both version of loops, and can be used as a heavy mixup tool. The most common confirm for this is usually SVD/HVD FRC. It has both corner carry and damage, but it's slow. The only way the move will connect is usually off CH starters, but you can also use j623S FRC > j623H as a confirm from an overhead mixup.
You can't get a knockdown when going for two c.S > 5H reps. In order to get two reps you need to hit the first c.S > 5H not fully in the corner so the HHD doesn't whiff/uncombo
The two c.S > 5H > SHD need to be as deep into the corner as possible. You can alternatively use HHD, but you have to delay it making for a harder combo.