Avengers in Galactic Storm/Dr. Minerva

Doctor Minerva

Strengths

Weaknesses

Extremely high damage and stun, capable of many touch of stuns, infinites, etc. that can potentially kill the opponent in one touch Very good framedata on her normals, all of her normals (except 2D) are plus on block Lots of mobility options with fast walkspeed, a slide, a wall jump, and drill kicks The only character in the game with cancellable crouching normals (and good ones at that) Very short crouching hitbox and 2D means you can low profile a lot of things

Tied lowest health and stun in the game No fireball (with the exception of Ultimus assist), can't apply pressure from fullscreen without getting close No grounded overhead and a mediocre throw limits mixup options

Introduction

Greatest caffeine aficionado in the Kree Empire.

Minerva is one of the four selectable Kree characters you can play as in Avengers in Galactic Storm. She's a glass cannon, having low health and stun but in return having some of the highest damage and stun output in the game. She's got a wide range of conversions into huge damage, and can easily kill off of one mistake. Minerva also boasts some of the strongest mobility in the game, with unique features like a wall jump and her drill kicks. She's also the only character with cancellable crouching normals (with the possible exception of Crystal's 2C 2D chain).

Though Minerva struggles when at a life deficit, she can easily turn the tide of the matchup when given the oppurtunity. Though a bit of a strange character at first glance, she's pretty simple at her core and can prove to be very effective taking advantage of her great framedata, damage, and mobility. Minerva's the character for you if you want to cheap out rounds, get big rewards off of assist hits, and abuse DRILL KICKS!!

Moveset

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 5 ? ? +10 +17 Special, Super, Assist A solid jab. Like most jabs in this game, you can do a 1 button infinite (or touch of stun) with it.

cl.A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 5 ? ? +7 +17 Special, Super, Assist A good close jab, can link into far jab which leads to a jab infinite.

5B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 9 ? ? +17 +13 Special, Super, Assist Heavy normal with alright range. Strong button due to its great combo-friendliness (+17 on hit, cancellable). Can be used as a poke, and a strong combo extender used in many of Minerva’s touch of death combos.

cl.B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 10 ? ? +8 +4 Special, Super, Assist A decent damage punch. While not a bad normal, combos off of it are a lot more limited and less lenient than her other close normals, so it’s generally better to use cl.C or cl.D when you’re close to the opponent. At the very least, links into 5A and can convert into a jab infinite.

cl.C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 5 ? ? +7 +17 Special, Super, Assist, cl.D, cl.A Quick kick that can chain into cl.A and cl.D. Amazing close normal, you can use the cl.C > cl.D chain to start touch of deaths.

5C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 6 ? ? +10 +15 Special, Super, Assist, 5D Chains into 5D. Not very remarkable.

5D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 12 ? ? Launches +8 None Minerva’s farthest reaching normal. Knocks down on hit. Can be used as a longer-range poke but whiffs on some crouchers.

cl.D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 5 ? ? +10 +17 Special, Super, Assist, 5D Minerva’s strongest close normal along with cl.C. Very plus on hit and often your starter for many TODs. Mostly done when chained from cl.C. Chains into 5D.

Crouching Normals

2A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Low 4 ? ? +11 +17 Special, Super, Assist, 2B Great button to use in neutral, one of Minerva’s strongest normals. Allows you to confirm off of stray hits into high damage. Chains into 2B.

2B

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Low 9 ? ? Launches +3 Special, Super, Assist A 2-hit move, both hits are cancellable. The second hit launches. The issue is, the second hit is very inconsistent. It can drop on a lot of characters at most ranges, and won't hit anyone crouching. The first hit has a lot of hitstun and can combo into Minerva's specials and assists when cancelled.

2C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Low 6 ? ? +9 +15 Special, Super, Assist Similar use to 2A. More range, but slightly slower. Most of the time, you can link 2 together, but this isn’t possible VS. some characters. Similar to 2D, Minerva's pushbox becomes very wide and she gains low profile while this move is active, but only for a short time.

2D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Low 19 ? ? Knocks Down Varies (always minus) None A slide with very low profile. Also seems to expand Minerva’s pushbox widely, as she can’t be hit by moves like Cap’s tackle while using it. Only downside is that it's rather bad on block, so use it with caution when up close.

Aerial Normals

j.A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Overhead 6 Active until you land ? Varies Varies None Description Goes Here

j.B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Overhead 6 ? ? Varies Varies None Description Goes Here

j.C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Overhead 8 Active until you land ? Varies Varies None Description Goes Here

j.D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Overhead 5 ? ? Varies Varies None Description Goes Here

Special Moves

Mar-Vell Rage 236K 236K 236K 236K~236K 236K~236K 236K~236K~236K 236K~236K~236K

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236C ? Mid 15 ? ? -3 +3 236C~236C, Super First hit of 236C rekka. Plus on block. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236C~236C ? Mid ? ? ? -7 -6 Super, 236C~236C~236C Second hit of 236C rekka. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236C~236C~236C ? Mid ? ? ? Launches -29 None Final hit of 236C rekka. Whiffs on crouching Cap, B.Knight, Minerva, and Crystal. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236D ? Mid 15 ? ? -7 -9 Super, 236D~236D A great combo ender if you're looking to stun the opponent. Does a lot of stun. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236D~236D ? Mid ? ? ? -7 -6 Super, 236D~236D~236D Second hit of 236D rekka. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236D~236D~236D ? Mid ? ? ? Launches -29 None Final hit of 236D rekka. Whiffs on crouching Cap, B.Knight, Minerva, and Crystal.

Mar-Vell Surge 236P

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236A ? Mid 12 ? ? -16 -6 63214B Does less damage but faster than the heavy version. Slightly more reliable as a combo ender VS. cornered opponents due to the reduced hitstun making heavy surge less reliable in those situations. Occasional Sentry juggle followup. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 236B ? Mid 17 ? ? -15 -14 63214B The great thing about this move is that it can be cancelled into 63214B on hit or block. This makes it a very high damage combo ender. Keep in mind that it’s still unsafe on block, though, and that 236B xx 63214B isn’t a true blockstring. Still, if this does get blocked, it’s probably better to cancel it anyways in case they mess up the punish.

Mar-Vell Surge (Air) j.236P

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel j.236A ? Mid 12 ? ? Varies Varies j.236C Can be cancelled into j.236C on hit or block. This move can potentially be used to escape the corner, but it is a risky maneuver. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel j.236B ? Mid 17 ? ? Varies Varies j.236D Can be cancelled into j.236D on hit or block. Very risky, but if you manage to get j.236B xx j.236D, it'll instantly stun everyone except Supremor.

Mar-Vell Knee 623K

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 623C ? Mid 8 ? ? Launches -20 None Unsafe on block. Does good stun. Decent anti air, as you'd expect a DP to be, but it does lose to early jump attacks. Not super consistent in combos, but can be used as a ender if you're close enough to the opponent. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel 623D ? Mid 8 ? ? Launches -31 None Serves the same purpose as 623C, high-stun anti air that loses to early jump attacks. Preferred in combos.

Mar-Vell Driver 63214B

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 17 ? ? Knocks Down -4 None A hitgrab. Can be blocked. This is usually mostly used after a Mar-Vell Surge. One potential benefit of this move is that it doesn’t build any meter for the opponent, so it could be used as a combo ender if you don’t want your opponent to get the meter for an assist. If the first hit's damage is enough to kill the opponent, the music will stop but the rest of the animation will play out before the round ends. How menacing.

Sky Drill j.236K

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel j.236C ? Mid 8 ? ? Varies Varies None A divekick-style special, often called Drill Kick. You can TK (2369C) this move to build meter very fast. This move’s frame advantage on hit/block depends heavily on your spacing, height, distance, etc., but it’s usually safe enough. Can be used as a mobility tool. Hits up to 3 times, but often lands before the third hit (This actually makes it safer, though). Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel j.236D ? Mid 11 ? ? Varies Varies None A 3 hit drill kick. Does more damage/stun than the light version, but generally a lot more unsafe. Be cautious when using this, as you can potentially be punished very heavily if it’s blocked.

ULTIMATE ATTACK

236KK	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Adv Block Adv Cancel ? Mid 12 ? ? Knocks Down +6 None Minerva's super. Uses both super gauges. A pretty standard super, fully invincible and high damage. Plus on block, though you can't really continue pressure after if it is blocked. Strong anti-fireball, whiff punish, combo ender, but very expensive.

Combos

Infinites

5A microwalk 5A microwalk 5A...

Jab infinite.

5B microwalk 5B microwalk 5B…

Another one-button infinite.

cl.C microwalk cl.C microwalk cl.C…

Another one button-infinite.

Combo Starters

2A > 2A: solid, consistent combo starter. You can do 3 2As vs. some opponents when close.

2C > 2C: another good low starter, but doesn’t work on everyone (mainly drops on Shatterax).

cl.C > cl.D: high damage combo starter that leads into almost anything.

2A > 2A > 5B: Slightly tight, but leads into 5B, which could potentially start a touch of death.

cl.C > cl.A microwalk cl.C > cl.D: Starter off of Minerva's lesser used cl.C cl.A chain.

BNB Combos

2A > 2A xx 236B xx 63214B

2C > 2C xx 236B xx 63214B

High damage confirm, can do up to 40% on many characters.

2A > 2A xx 236D~236D~236D

2C > 2C xx 236D~236D~236D

Doesn’t do as much damage as a Mar-Vell Surge ender, but does significantly more stun. Keep in mind that this doesn’t work on crouching B.Knight, Cap, Minerva, and Crystal.

2A > 2A > 2A xx 236D~236D~236D

Touch of stun on some characters.

cl.C > cl.D > 5B xx 236D~236D~236D

Universal touch of stun combo.

Other Combos

j.236B xx j.236D

Touch of stun on all characters except Supremor. Won’t work at lower heights.

cl.C > cl.D > j.236D

A combo that can be done on some characters by TKing (2369D motion) a Sky Drill. Works most consistently on Crystal/Minerva. Also possible on a couple others like Cap, but requires a very precisely TK'd drill.

2A 2B j.236A xx j.236C

Touch of stun on Shatterax and Korath. The timing for the TK surge is tricky. Also works on Crystal and Minerva, but the surge will stun the opponent, not the drill kick.

2A 2B(1) xx Sentry j.236B xx j.236D

Fun touch of stun on Supremor. Only works midscreen or if you're cornered.

Strategy

Mobility

Minerva has some of the best mobility in the game. Her walkspeed is very fast, so she can move on the ground quite easily.

Minerva's forward dash has low profile for a short duration, it's possible to go under fireballs with it. The timing can be pretty tight, but her forward dash being crouch/jump cancellable on any frame makes it a fairly low commitment option.

2D is also a good choice for low profile, but beware that it is rather unsafe on block. It's a very important normal for dealing with fireball zoning.

Learning to short hop with Minerva is definitely worth it, as she doesn't have a grounded overhead. short hop j.A and j.D are good choices for quick overheads.

Minerva's walljump is done by pressing 4 while in the air next to a wall, which makes her cling onto it. You jump off by pressing 6, any button, or she'll automatically jump off after a while if you don't do anything. The main use for the walljump is for escaping the corner. If you see an opening, often a grab attempt, jump onto the wall and jump off. Maybe do a j.236A if you really want to make some distance.

Beware that this won't always work out, the opening might not be big enough for you to safely escape or you might get read. Don't attempt it too recklessly.

Another use for the walljump, mainly against Shatterax, is using it to go over projectiles. If an opponent calls Ultimus from fullscreen for example, if you have time you can cling to the wall and stay over the projectiles to avoid chip damage. The jump off may also give space to approach. Of course, this also comes with risk, Shatterax does have options like his psycho crusher to punish you.

Assist Strategy

Ultimus

Can't go wrong with Ultimus. Solid defensive assist, and Ultimus' projectiles can help you deal with zoning. On some characters, it's possible to convert off of a defensive Ultimus into an unblockable by jumping over them. They can get hit by Ultimus' leaving hitbox which is unblockable, then you can juggle a knee which is sometimes unblockable. Most consistent on slow wakeup and tall characters such as Supremor.

A video showing an Ultimus unblockable setup can be found here.

Notation for this particular setup is:

Call Ultimus, TK j.236D, jump over opponent, Ultimus exit hits unblockable, 623D

Ronan

Ronan is a good defensive assist due to its speed and (mostly) reliable homing. He also does a lot of stun on hit, so it's possible to get some cheap stuns with him.

Sentry

Probably Minerva's best assist pick. Sentry's fast, goes fullscreen, and launches the opponent. However, the best thing about Sentry is the followup juggle you can get. Minerva can pretty reliably get a 236B or j.236B, and sometimes the j.236B can be cancelled into j.236D to add to the juggle. This juggle does about 30% on all characters and builds some meter back, so landing Sentry is very rewarding.

Att-Lass

Definitely a threatening assist, as it instantly stuns the opponent, but is probably the worst assist defense-wise. Keep in mind when you play with Att-Lass you may not hit the opponent too often. If you can combo into it or catch the opponent overextending, though, Att-Lass can definitely be worth it.

Okizeme & Setups

Minerva generally doesn't get a lot from okizeme due to her weak mixups, but continuing pressure after the knockdown can be good. If you want to mix your opponent, your best bet might be a 2A/short hop j.A high/low mixup, but it is possible to react to the overhead. If you're not going for a mixup, cl.C cl.D is a good meaty. Going for a throw isn't really worth it unless you're absolutely sure it'll work. Minerva doesn't really have throw setups, and her throw is one of the weaker ones in the game, not doing much damage and not letting you apply pressure afterwards.

Matchups

Captain America

Tough matchup. Watch out for tackle and st.D, as getting hit by those moves pretty much ends the round. It's possible to counterpoke raw tackles with 2D. It's a fairly high commitment, but it works. Tackle's also punishable on block, so take advantage of that. It's a very bad idea to drill kick in this matchup; Cap can almost always punish it on block or ON HIT.

Cap's zoning is also pretty tough. If you can read minds, it's possible to go over low shield with 236A/B, but this is generally a super risky maneuver. Generally you'll just jump over the fireballs, maybe even short hop them if your timing's good.

If Cap has an assist or super on hand, it's probably best you respect him and try to bait him into wasting meter. Vision is pretty much instant, Giant Man is very threatening as Cap's followup juggle can melt half of your health, Iron Man and Thor you don't have to be as afraid of but be aware. Thor in particular might force you to give up the corner, which enables Cap to do his zoning. For his super, it's definitely something you must avoid at all costs. As you'd expect, it does absurd damage, not to mention that Cap can follow it up.

Black Knight

While a good matchup for Minerva, Black Knight has a few annoying aspects. His crouching hitbox is painfully hard to hit consistently, as sometimes cl.D or even 2A will whiff on him. 2C is one of your most consistent normals when fighting against Knight.

Black Knight is capable of doing a lot of damage to you by linking a ton of 2As, so don't get reckless just because you have the upper hand in damage. All of Knight's specials are quite punishable on block, and one punish is all you'll need to end the round.

Knight might try to do a crossup j.2B vortex on you. While tricky to deal with, once you guess right and block one of the j.2Bs, you can punish it. Due to Knight's weird hurtboxes, 2C is probably the most consistent move you can use to punish j.2B.

DP is one of Knight's stronger tools. You can't really jump at him because of it. He might also do a wakeup DP sometimes, so keep an eye out for that. 2D is another good normal of Knight's that can beat out some of your options. It's generally best to wait for Knight to slip up, as the unsafety of his specials (and some of his normals) allows for strong punishes that'll easily turn the tide of the match in your favor.

Thunderstrike

You can duck Thunderstrike's fireball, but he can still zone with thunderbolt, thunderwave, and Thor. Often, it's best to just block it until you build meter for an assist that'll allow you to interrupt his zoning and approach. Lifelead's important in this matchup, as Thunderstrike's chip damage won't be enough to make it up if he's at a big life deficit.

Thunderstrike's pressure is slightly weakened by your crouching hurtbox, as it causes his cl.B to whiff. If Thunderstrike corners you, chances are he'll try to go for a throw loop, which is very very bad. Avoid it like the plague. You can do so by jumping, doing abare jabs, or if it's absolutely necessary, just getting hit.

You can punish thunderwave when close via 2C.

Shatterax

2D or even a well-timed 2C can allow you to go under Shatterax's fireballs.

Use Sentry in this matchup, it's pretty much your only hope to interrupt Shatterax's zoning.

Supremor

Important note about Supremor; he has a sort of weird pushbox that can sometimes interfere with your proximity normals. Instead of doing cl.C cl.D, just do cl.D. A lot of the time, cl.C will come out as 5C instead, which is not ideal. This most commonly happens when he's stunned or on wakeup.

Supremor's pressure is very threatening. Reacting to his short hops is very difficult, tentacle can catch mashing and jumping, and Death Ray could get you caught in a throw setup. Keeping yourself out of the blender is the key to this matchup. Tentacle can definitely be an issue, as it will shut down any jumpin attempts or catch you on the ground if you aren't blocking. However, it's insanely punishable on block/whiff. Take advantage of that. Conditioning Supremor to make him attempt tentacle less can help a lot, your jumpins can be effective versus him. 5D is a pretty good poke in this matchup. 2D is also good.

If you get caught up in Supremor's pressure, don't risk interrupting it. Try your best to block his short hops. An assist can give you a way out; remember that blocking gives you meter. You can't always escape throw setups, but if you think he's going to attempt one, jump or abare 2A can work to stop it if the setup isn't inescapable. When you're cornered, that's when Supremor will be at his most threatening. Generally you can escape by jumping out, but beware of Supremor's tentacle snatching you out of the air and putting you back where you started.

This matchup is certainly doable, as your damage can match his and your superior mobility can be tough for Supremor to deal with. Sentry is definitely the best pick in this matchup, as getting the j.236B xx j.236D setup is very consistent on Supremor. If Supremor's zoning you out or building meter with Death Ray, 2D can go under it.

As mentioned in the assist strategy section, Supremor is particularly vunerable to some unblockable setups.