Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite Character Tips
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Infinite Heroes and Villains
With 30 characters at your disposal in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, there are some tough decisions to make. How will you fill out your team of two? Will you go slow and powerful like Thanos and Nemesis, or quick and nimble like Spider-Man and Nova? Choices don't end there either. You'll also need to figure out which Power Stone fits your characters. Check out this quick character to guide to give you the basics on each character, along with their strengths and weaknesses.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. For more thoughts on the game, check out our MvC review, and be sure to check back soon for our final review. And if you're curious what others thought about the game, read our review roundup.
For more on how to better play Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, check out our in-depth guides below:
Arthur
Like Rocket Raccoon, he's close to the ground so his hit box is small, but so is his hurt box. Because of his limited reach, it's difficult for him to get in close and start basic combos. Also like Rocket, he has a ton of projectiles to give him so reach. His Dagger Toss is a bread and butter move to keep your opponent at bay. Mash out the attack button during Dagger Toss to throw more than just one. All of his special attacks are a variety of projectiles, whether they're faster and weaker or slower and more powerful. The Scythe Toss acts as a boomerang. The good thing about Arthur's variety of special moves is that they're easy to remember. They are all quarter circle turns. The attack depends on the attack button pressed.
Arthur can jump during his level one Hyper Combo, which means you can at the very least get some chip damage if your opponent blocks it. Like in MvC3, Arthur has his Golden Armor Hyper Combo that beefs up his special moves' strength and speed. This lasts a limited time. If Arthur takes too much damage, he'll lose the golden armor and will run around in his underwear. Unlike other characters, Arthur is great at dodging projectiles thanks to his double jump.
Arthur's small stature makes it difficult for him to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. The Time Stone is a good solution for this problem.
Captain America
Captain America's speed is a little surprising. He's one of the slower characters on the ground and the air, but his dash covers a lot of ground. His dash is longer than most characters. That dash can be canceled by pressing down or up mid-dash. Thanks to his shield, he has a variety of projectile attacks that can be strung together with combos or can create openings with as a good mix-up. His Liberty Shock move acts as a counter move, and even works against Hyper Combos. He might not have much speed, but he does have a backflip special move that has some invincibility frames and allows him to switch spots with his opponent. Because of that backflip, that takes away from some of the usefulness of the Time Stone Surge. His juggles and attacks are pretty brutal, which makes him a good fit for the Power Stone to lay on the most damage as possible.
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is slightly similar to Ultron. She can fly, has medium speed and fast projectiles that span the stage with her Proton Blast. Her Photon Absorber special move repels certain damage. Her Blitz Blow is a fantastic special move that propels her in any direction up or down, making it a good opening attack for a combo and juggle. The Blitz Blow is also a good attack to get her in close to perform two of her command throws.
Her movement is versatile thanks to Blitz Blow and flight, so stay away from the Time Stone. Instead, give her some more projectiles with the Reality Stone. That will quickly mix up her attacks up close and at a distance, making her difficult to read and block.
Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield may seem like a boring character when he's among Marvel superheroes and Capcom's crazy lineup of characters, but he's actually a lot of fun to use. His attacks are mostly projectile based. He has an unusual meter above his Hyper Combo Meter that shows how many Magnum shots he has. Another special moves reloads those shots. He's not a bad character for beginners thanks to his combination punch special moves. These can be extended by mashing the same button. His Flame Thrower basic move can also extend combos and juggles easily. His movement speed is medium, but he doesn't have much elusiveness when in the air. This makes him a good candidate for the Space stone. That way, he can box up his opponents and rely on projectiles, or quickly get in and use a combination of attacks and projectiles.
Chun-Li
Chun-Li is the only character in the game with directional charge special moves. This means that you have to hold a specific direction before flicking the stick in the opposite direction before hitting an attack button. These can be tricky to pull off unless you're used to charge moves in Street Fighter games. Other than the unique nature of these moves in MvCI, Chun-Li is similar to the Street Fighter version of her character. Since Chun-Li is pretty fast, she's a good fit for the Power Stone. That way, she can get inside and lay down some powerful attacks during the Infinity Surge.
Dante
Dante is a great character to use for beginners and experts. Thanks to his sword, Dante has great reach for even his basic attacks. These attacks get basic combos started with ease. Dante does, however, have a long list of unique basic attacks that change depending on the direction and attack button pressed. These can also change depending on if Dante is in the air. His long list of moves continues into his special moves. He has, by far, the longest list of Special Moves in the game. It's mostly quarter circle moves, making them easy to remember, and many of the moves can be comboed by mashing out an attack button after a special move. Since Dante's moves and movement are so versatile, it's a good call to use the Power Stone or the Mind Stone to give him lots of Hyper Combo meter.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is another character for the experts. He's fast in the air, but slow on the ground. For some reason, even though he can fly he doesn't have an air dash, but makes up for it with abilities of teleportation and flight. He's one of the more complex characters in the game due to his slow movement and long list of special moves, many of which take planning to successfully pull off. The Grace of Hoggoth makes three orbs, which takes a while for Doc to conjure. Then, that move transitions into Cast A, Cast B, Scatter and Gather. Basically, you can perform different special moves to control the three orbs.
The Time Stone, Mind Stone or Reality stone are great for Doctor Strange. It's fitting that Doc can utilize almost any stone in the game.
Dormammu
Dormammu is a tricky character for beginners, but absolutely deadly for pros. His specials are unlike anyone else in the game. Quarter turn and any attack button puts his Dark Hole attack anywhere. That hole will stay there, which can be particularly dangerous when used in a separate combo. His moves do different actions and damage depending on if they're stacked. Each special move charges the ability of his next special move. His hand turns red, then his forearm, then his entire arm. The more of his arm that is glowing, the more powerful his special attack will be. The more powerful attacks add range and power to his special moves. One that power is drained, he'll have to start the charge process over again with more special moves. He seems slow, on the ground, but pros have already figured out how to wave dash with him to make him nimble on his feet. In the air, he has a flight ability. Dormammu could utilize the Power Stone or the Reality Stone to add to his strength and give him some tricky projectiles.
Firebrand
Meet the most elusive character in MvCI. His Hell's Elevator special move in just a collection of strange movements, whether it's flying straight upward, swooping forward or flying backward. From his new location, Firebrand can rain projectiles down at his opponent. He can also plant tornados which stay on the ground for about five seconds. Putting all this together into a tricky offense isn't for beginners. He definitely needs some time in the lab to perfect these strategies. As if he wasn't tricky enough, he can make a clone of himself with a Hyper Combo, adding to combos and damage output.
Stay away from the Time and Space Stone with Firebrand. He's best with the Reality stone to add to his projectiles, or the Mind gem to give him some extra meter to work with.
Jedah
Jedah is a complicated character with a simple set of moves. His Spirale Divina attack throws buzz saws that angle upward. Those can be placed in the air and then used later for combos. His special moves consist of a few projectiles and close quarter moves. He also has a command throw as well as one in the air that swoops down to surprise your opponent. His dashes are slow and angle him upward, which may make it difficult to get in close. They're pretty telegraphed, so good opponents should be able to spot this and punish when you're just trying to close the gap. Spirale Divina remains his most useful tool in mixing up his attacks. Opponents may have a tough time dodging Jedah's attacks on his own, let alone hovering projectiles around the stage. Since Jedah's projectiles are already tricky, the Reality Stone is perfect for him. This gives him even more projectiles to work with and to include in his mix-up game.
Frank West
Frank West is one of the more complex characters. He has a leveling system throughout each match, which is a nod to the RPG nature of Dead Rising and similar to his system from UMvC3. He has access to more special moves depending on his level. His level can be raised with the Snapshot special move. The higher his level, the more effective his attacks will be in both range and strength. Landing his third Hyper Combo will automatically bring him to level 5, which super charges his attacks. He has a collection of close-quarter and projectile moves, which mostly involve him utilizing zombies to his advantage. He also has a move where he drinks wine to take less damage. The trade off is that he is susceptible to attacks when he throws it up a few seconds later. In order to get him quickly to level 5, using the Mind Stone is a good way to build his Hyper Combo Meter, to land the Combo that can get him there.
Gamora
Gamora is a really fun character to use. She has a good combination of projectiles and close-quarter attacks. Almost all of her special moves can easily be comboed by pressing another attack button after the special move. Her sword is her main weapon of attack in close quarters, but she has other gun attacks that cause her to lunge into her opponent. Her sword attacks give her a lot of opportunities to get opponents off of you in a pinch. Also great for anti-air. With lunge abilities and strong sword attacks, Gamora can benefit from the Power Stone get the most bang for her buck.
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider may be slow, but his chain makes it possible for him to reach a ton distance. He has one of the longest list of special moves in the game. Most characters have heavy and light versions of the same special moves, while Ghost Rider just has different special moves depending on if you press heavy or light. It's a lot to remember, so he's best for experts of the game, or someone who spends a lot of time playing with him.
Since Ghost Rider can combo with the distance of his chain special moves, he would benefit from the Reality Stone. The Reality Stone Storm will give him even more projectiles at his disposal.
Haggar
Haggar's movement isn't great, just like it wasn't in UMvC3, but he's balanced by strong throws, attacks and specials. His special moves have strong knockback like the Violent Ax. If a heavy version of these is landed, it will knock your opponent against the wall of the sage, opening the opportunity for great juggle combos. The Hoodlum Launcher does what it's advertised to do and launches your opponent in the air after landing a strong hit. His projectile called Cleanin' Up The City launches a barrel at your opponent. It even has a chance to drop consumables that can give him meter or vitality depending on what drops. Like other slow characters, he would benefit from using the Time Stone allowing him to get in close with his powerful attacks and strong command grabs.
Hawkeye
This might be shocking, but the character whose main weapon is a bow and arrow relies heavily on projectiles. All of his moves are variations of arrow shots with the exception of the Trick Maneuver; a move where Hawkeye rolls backward. However, that move can be comboed into four different special moves by pressing another attack button, and those are all different arrow attacks. Other than all of his special moves, his other attacks don't provide much range. He lives and dies by those special moves. He has a tricky level three Hyper Combo. It attacks from the air with an arrow shooting downward. It will miss if you're directly against your opponent. Plan wisely.
Hulk
Hulk is a great character for beginners. He doesn't have a lot of speed to work with, so he's easy to control. His special moves are all quarter turns and an attack button. Because he's the Hulk and a large character, his basic moves have a lot of reach. If they connect, they're particularly devastating. His Impact Punch special move can be charged, and when it's fully charged it has armor making it particularly difficult to deal with. Because he's not very fast, he would be even better with the use of the Time Stone. That way he can teleport directly in front of his opponent and get through any opponents projectiles. Once inside, he can punish with his strong power.
Iron-Man
Iron-Man is quite possibly the most balanced character in the game, making him perfect to pick up for beginners. He has projectiles that span the length of the stage. His Repulsor Ray auto combos by mashing the same attack button. The Smart mine lays traps for a limited time above the ground. All of these moves can be achieved by simple quarter circle turns. He also has the gift of flight like the other flying characters. He's just a great all-around character who isn't too complicated. His projectiles are great at creating distance or opening up your opponent for strong combos on the inside. Since he's so well balanced, he can pretty much use any Infinity Stone to help him out.
Morrigan
Morrigan is a pretty straight forward character. She isn't the fastest, but makes up for it with long reaching special moves. This isn't a bad character to try for beginners. She has a collection of projectiles and moves for combat up close. This includes the Shadow Blade launcher that can be chained together with additional Shadow Blades to keep your opponent in the air for a nice juggle. She has an Astral Vision Hyper Combo, which creates the mirror image of herself. This returns from UMvC3, and can lay on some additional damage for combos. Her dash is a little slow, so she could benefit from the Time Stone. That way, she can cover more ground with the help of the Stone's Surge.
Nemesis
Nemesis is quite possibly the least nimble character in the game. Not only is he slow on the ground, but he doesn't have much of a jump either, which puts him at a big disadvantage. He makes up for that lack of speed with devastating power. Even his basic combos do a ton of damage. So if you're a Nemesis player, get in close to the action. He would absolutely benefit from the Time Stone. A Nemesis that can quickly get in close and get out of the way of projectiles is dangerous. He does have some projectiles of his own though. His rocket launcher ability launches a relatively slow projectile, but can be charged to shoot at the right time. Mashing out either kick button during the rocket launcher will launch another. This can be repeated infinitely. His level 3 Hyper Combo is a grab that transforms nemesis into his true from. It has devastating power of its own and also has acid burn, so damage is continuously taken for a short time afterward.
Solid Power Stone options for Nemesis Time and Power. You can choose to give him some balance with the Time Stone, or go all in on his power and super charge him with the Power Stone. We suggest the latter.
Nova
Nova is worth the attention of beginners. He's fast and nimble on the ground and in the air thanks to his air dash. He even has flight special move just like Captain Marvel or the other flying characters. He doesn't have many distance projectiles since many of his specials create a short-range blast of energy. Gravimetric Pulse is the closest thing, but its short distance. The other special moves launch him into his opponent. Because he's already fast, he doesn't need to use the Time Stone. Give him some more projectile help with the Reality Stone. Use those projectiles with his short-range attacks to create a crazy mix-up game that will be hard to block.
Rocket Raccoon
Small characters can be tricky to use because it seems like you're always out of reach of your opponent. That's why it takes a lot of knowledge of Rocket's command list in order to utilize his projectiles. He's small, which mean he has a small hitbox, but his normal attacks don't reach very far. Fortunately, he has a deep bag of tricks when it comes to his special moves. He has numerous projectiles at his disposal, as well as two types of mines. He also has a move where he burrows under the ground. He can also call upon his buddy groot to help him close the gap between him and his opponent.
Because it might be hard for him to get inside and land hard combos, the Time Gem is a good fit for Rocket in order to teleport right next to your opponent.
Ryu
The good thing about Ryu is that his special moves are basically identical to his Street Fighter move set. So, if you're familiar with him in the Street Fighter series, you'll feel right at home in MvCI. That also makes him a pretty good character for beginners. He doesn't have a long list of special moves and all of them are familiar. Ryu's Hypers are interesting because they can be directed and even activated in the air. This makes his Hyper game dangerous because opponents will never know where it is coming. His Shinku Hadoken can be a straight beam on the ground, straight up in the air when on the ground, straight in the air or angled downward from above. There's really no excuse for whiffing this Hyper Combo. Because his Hyper Combos are versatile and powerful, the Mind Stone is a good fit for him to give him more opportunities to throw those Hyper Combos.
Spencer
Spencer, as you can probably guess, puts that robotic grappling hook arm to good use. Quarter circle and any attack button launches his arm as a projectile. The direction depends on what button is pressed. His arm can be launched straight up, forward, or two angles in between. Once that attack hits, he can bring his opponent to him or land a follow up attack by pressing a different action button. Spencer arguably has the best movement set in the game. His arm allows him to move anywhere on the screen thanks to the Zip Line special move. He can grapple to either side of the stage or swing from the top. These can be chained together three times before Spencer has to hit the ground. Use this move to mix up your attacks against your opponent. You can quickly swing in front of or behind your opponent, which can make it difficult to block attacks.
There's no reason for him to use the Space Stone since he can already bring his opponent to him with his special moves. Don't use the Time Stone either since he can move quickly.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of the most fun characters to use. He's fast, he's strong, he has projectiles, his Web Swing special move is a great way to quickly approach opponents or get out of the way. He's a wonderfully balanced character. Those strong combos with basic attacks can be easily started thanks to his Web Ball special, which freezes opponents like Sub-Zero's freeze. He even has a distance throw called Web Throw. He has great Hyper Combos, which coincidentally is his easy combo, that can be tricky to dodge since it's a throw and approaches from above. For that reason, the Mind Stone is a good fit to give him plenty of meter to work with. The Space stone isn't a bad idea to consider either. With your opponent trapped in a box, Spidey can get in close and lands some of his quick combos.
Strider Hiryu
Strider is a good character for experts. His moveset provides attacks that are a combination of getting in close when he needs to and keeping your opponent away from you. His formation special moves call upon an animal to drop a bomb on the opposite end of the stage, while Formation B creates an orb that circles Strider. That orb can then be launched at your opponent low with another special move. He also has a wall cling ability and a new set of special moves that can be performed when on the wall. The Time Stone, might not be the best choice for Strider because he's already fast and has a teleportation ability of his own that can warp through projectiles.
Thanos
Thanos is slow, but quite mighty. He's deadliest when he's on the inside throwing his huge, bruising first. Those strong punches and kicks can easily be strung together with basic attacks to really lay on the damage. Thanos isn't all offense, though. He has a great defensive move called Titan's Shield is a counter shield, but can be thrown by using heavy kick instead of light. Has a teleportation that can get you on the other side of your opponent quickly, which helps with his mix-up game. Since Thanos is already powerful, double down on that strength with the Power Stone. Activate it and watch your opponent's health bar fade away.
Ultron
Some pros have already found creative ways to utilize Ultron's mix of speed and power. That balance makes him a good starting character, or even great for pros who know the ins and outs of the game. His special moves are as basic as they come. It's just a collection of quarter circles with different attack inputs. Those special attacks are projectiles, a drone attack, command throws and up close energy blasts. This may seem like an overly simplified character, but those tools along with Ultron's speed can be strung together to make a great mix-up game. Ultron is one of the unique characters where he could potentially benefit from any of the Infinity Stones. There really isn't a bad choice. I'd recommend the mind gem to give him plenty of meter to burn through.
X
X's move set hinges on his X Buster special move. That special move can be chained into a variety of special moves. By pressing any attack button after the X Buster, X performs another offensive or defensive maneuver. He has to rely on those projectiles and abilities because the reach of his basic attacks isn't very far. Because of his relatively slow movement speed, X users will have to utilize his Buster Combo special moves in order to stay quick and elusive. When used effectively, this makes X hard to track, and has the potential to give him a strong mix-up game.
Zero
Zero is much more nimble than X thanks to his Hienkyaku special move. This ability, depending on what attack button pressed, can dash forward, backward and up in the air. All of his basic attack buttons can be held to charge his Hyper Zero Blaster, which gives Zero the easiest projectiles in the game to activate. Zero's Hienkyaku makes his mix-up game strong. He can chain those fast dashes into combos in front and behind your opponent, making it very difficult to block when done effectively. Hyper Zero Blaster can be comboed after any of his special moves. Just hold the attack button and add a quick projectile to continue a combo after a special move.
Zero has a unique Hyper Combo called Sougenmu that creates a clone of himself. This has the potential to double his damage output since Zero's shadow helper can aid in continuing combos and juggles.
Thor
Thor may seem like a slow character at first because of the slow sleep of his basic attacks, but he’s surprisingly well balanced. His movement speed on the ground is average, and being the God of Thunder means he has the ability to fly. His short list of special moves make it extremely easy to work them into a combo. Mjolnir has two hit opportunities when it’s thrown: headed toward your opponent and the return trip. If it connects on the second hit, it will send your opponent flying toward you in the air, which sets up perfectly into an air combo or juggle. The Mighty Smash special, which has a delayed hit, also acts as a good launcher, making it a prime candidate for a combo starter. If you’re looking to mix his special moves in the middle of combos, the Mighty Spark move can be activated in the air. It’s possible to pull this out multiple times before your opponent hits the ground. Thor also has the unique ability to charge his own Hyper Combo meter with the Mighty Speech ability. Down, down, heavy kick can be held to continuously charge Thor’s Hyper Combo meter.
Since Thor is already pretty nimble, has the ability to fly and is a bruiser when it comes to getting up close and personal, check out the Space Stone if you’re planning on using him. The Space Stone can draw your opponent into his punches. If you have them boxed with the Space Stone’s Infinity Surge, you can make them pay with combos that mix in his basic attacks with his special moves.