Marvel vs Capcom 3 Character Strategy Guide

Akuma

Plays very similarly to his Street Fighter counterpart though his moves are easier to link together in MVC3. Akuma has been, and remains, a fast, high damage character with poor health. Akuma players will need to get in asap and rushdown lest they be zoned out and chipped to death by projectiles, though he can punish projectile happy characters with his Messatsu Gouhado Hyper (QCF+2 ATK). While Akuma needs to be played aggressively to be useful, his basic moveset is well known and makes him a comfortable pick for newer players familiar with the standard Fireball/Shoryu/Hurricane Kick options. More experienced players will utilize his teleport to get in and avoid projectile spam. His (Forward+H) is ashort hop kick that moves him forward and easily combos into lots of moves.

His Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (hurricane kick) is incredibly good as both a regular move and an assist, asit moves him forward, hits mulitple times, can be comboed out of, andis extremely difficult to counter without amulti hit projectile.

Strengths

Fast movement speed
High Damage
Easy to combo into/ out ofmostmoves


Weaknesses

Low Health
Poor range

Good for Beginners?

Maybe. Akuma may be better than Ryu in most cases, but he needs solid combos to do damage. Ryu hits harder and has a little more health so he's the better choice for greenhorns.

Amaterasu

GamesRadar’s favorite dog shaped Deity is a diverse character whose options change depending on which of her different weapons you have equipped. Down, Down + Attack causes Amaterasu to switch weapons, which changes the properties of her H attack and changes a few of her special moves. The reflector disc can be used to counter moves and projectiles and offers an easy to perform combo in Forward + H, followed by repeated H attacks.

Her Glaive sword gives her a solid charging attack and increases the reach of her H attack, many of the sword attacks can be charged, causing extra stun or ground bounce. Her Rosary whip extends her range even further, covering most of the screen, but these attacks cannot be comboed into or out of with special attacks. She also gets the excellent Cold Star projectile (QCF + Attack) with the Rosary equipped. Mashthe attack button for additional hits.Amaterasu’s tiny size also makes her a huge pain to play against, as a huge number of attacks and projectiles will completely whiff over her small, low hitbox.

Strengths

Can adapt to many playstyles with the right weapon selection
Tiny hitbox makes her very difficult to hit with many moves
Excellent level 1 Hyper move, Okami Shuffle

Weaknesses

Low health
Must get used to changing weapons on the fly

Good For Beginners?

No. Amaterasu's weapon switching mechanic means she's got nearly 3 times as many moves to memorize as the average character, which is a lot to ask from new players. Her low health also makes her hard for newbies to use effectively.

Arthur

Arthur’s an interesting charater who mixes small size with a small armada of projectiles. While he’s not totally useless in close quarters, Arthur needs to exploit his numerous projectiles by playing keepaway. (QCB + H) activates his Scythe, a boomerang like projectile that hits on the way back and drags the opponent towards you. This is useful if you’re looking to do a combo as Arthur’s incredibly slow movement speed can make it very difficult for him to get in, or away. His(Forward + H) attack covers a lot of ground and can easilylead into a combo.Arthur is particularly useful as an assist character as if you activate his Armor Summon Hyper as it will power up his assist attacks, specifically his Fire Bottle and Dagger assists.

Arthur's Fire Bottle attack hits On the Ground (OTG) though its slow start up can make it difficult to use as an OTG assist. Follow up an OTG Fire Bottle with a Goddess Bracelet Super for decent damage.

Strengths

Huge projectile selection and ranged game options
Goddess Bracelet is an excellent Level 1 Hyper Move
Small hitbox


Weaknesses

Extremely slow movement speed on ground and in air
No Dash
Very few combos

Good for Beginners?

Sort of. Arthur has a billion projectile options so new players can throwout lots of stuff and play keepaway fairly easily, but his slow speed and bad close up options mean you've gotta have some moves to keep him alive.

Captain America

Much improved from his MvC2 version, Cap’s basic moves remain similar in execution but better in practice. His shield slash attack now hits on the way back and draws players in, creating easy combo situations. He has a solid selection of normal attacks that combo easily. His Charging Star (QCB + H) can be used to rush through some projectile attacks as long as they are not multi hit beams. His cartwheel/flip move (Special + Attack) can be used in conjunction with assist attacks to cross players up and put pressure on them from both sides.

Strengths

Solid basic moves and specials
Easy to pick up and play with

Weaknesses

Attacks and approach options are all fairly straightforward

Good for Beginners?

Absolutely. Cap has a very straightforward set of moves that are easy to understand and use, his normals are good and he doesn't need big combos to do solid damage.

Chris Redfield

Chris is the prototypical keepaway character, his huge arsenal of guns and projectile attacks make him incredibly difficult to get in on, but his movement speed is ho hum and his close quarters attacks are slow. All told, Chris has an absurd number of projectile attacks, many of which do significant chip damage. His grenades (Dragon Punch + Attack) do an excellent job helping him control space on the stage, and when timed correctly his Shotgun (QCF + L)and Flamethrower (Backwards + H)can be used as anit-air. With his huge projectile selection and serviceable close quarters attacks, Chris can be a huge pain to take out.

Strengths

Unparalleled projectile options
Big chip damage
Not difficult to use

Weaknesses

Slow movement speed
Close quarters moves are slow
Aerial attack options are limited

Good for Beginners

Yes. Chris has a number of excellent projectiles, like his Flamethrower (Backwards + hold H)that are easy to use, do good damage and are annoying to deal with if the opponent doesn't know how to handle them.

Weaknesses

Slow movement speed
Close quarters moves are slow
Aerial attack options are limited

Good for Beginners

Yes. Chris has a number of excellent projectiles, like his Flamethrower (Backwards + hold H)that are easy to use, do good damage and are annoying to deal with if the opponent doesn't know how to handle them.