MTFS Pro Track

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Pick a tab. Character pages are deep dives; Start and System are the only tabs worth reading before playing.

How you'll actually get good

You already know fighting games. What you lack is pattern recognition specific to THIS game, and that is built only in matches, fastest when every match carries one narrow question. You also know your own tendency: you optimize. Research feels productive; a lab session quietly becomes an hour chasing 10/10 on a combo that was ranked-ready at 8/10. Optimization is a lab skill. The game is learned in matches; the lab exists to fix what matches expose.

The Loop — the whole method

1 · Warm up10 min: yesterday's fix, BnB reps, anti-airs.

2 · Play6–10 matches in Casual Match (online). One focus, no switching.

3 · Name itONE sentence: the thing that beat you most.

4 · Fix it10–15 min labbing exactly that.

5 · Stop45–60 min total. Return tomorrow.

Short daily sessions beat weekend grinds: motor learning consolidates between sessions, not during them. One fix per day compounds; ten fixes per day burn out and none stick.

Rules for the optimizer in you: lab time never exceeds one third of play time · combos are done at 8/10 · research happens AFTER a loss exposes a gap · the character tabs are lookup material, not homework.

Which mode, when

Training Mode — every lab segment in this site (warm-ups, drills, "fix it" steps).
Combo Challenges — learning a character's routes; they're the verified combo source while wikis catch up.
VS CPU — days 1–2 of a brand-new character only, to feel the kit moving. CPUs teach bad habits after that.
Casual Match (online) — the default for every "play matches" instruction here, Stages 1–5. Real humans, no rank pressure.
Ranked Match — from Stage 6 on. Entering earlier isn't harmful, it's just noisier feedback while your fundamentals settle.

Picking your four (from your eight)

You like Storm, Magneto, Doctor Doom, Green Goblin, Star-Lord, Ghost Rider, Loki, and Deadpool. Every one is a zoner, trapper, resource-manager, or trickster. Your taste is coherent, so pick by attachment, not tiers. Loving how a character looks is the criterion that survives losing streaks.

Rank all eight by gut: who do you most want to WIN with? Looks count fully.
Play only your top four for one week of daily Loops.
Week two: swap the one you least enjoyed for #5.
Watch one number: after a loss, did you queue again with that character or switch? Run-it-back characters are your team.
Lock the four for a month. The bench is your counter-pick pool, not the bin.

Slot anchors (verified): Doom's assists are elite in every slot; his Shooter beam starts round one with you. Magneto's Vertical assist is rated among the game's best. Deadpool's Assault assist (Meat Shield) has counter startup. Loki is explicitly built as a tag enabler. Natural spine: Point = your favorite · Shooter = Doom · Vertical = Magneto · Assault = flex.

The seven rules worth front-loading

The one exception to "don't front-load": system knowledge. It's invisible in-game and expensive to discover by losing.

Teams are FOUR characters; you start with two. Point + Shooter at the start; Vertical and Assault unlock via Stage Transitions, wall-sticks, or losing a round.

Corner carry is the macro-game. A Break unlocks your next character, +1 Assemble bar, bigger health pool; a Stage Transition leaves you at +25. Carry beats raw damage. Route for the wall.

Motion inputs add 1000 damage per skill over Quick Skills, otherwise identical. Free damage for your hands.

Instant Block negates chip and builds YOUR Skill Gauge. Defence generates resources.

Assists have hurtboxes; catching assist + point = up to 250% combo damage. Punish careless calls; protect your own.

Grey Life: blocking skills and chip build recoverable health that returns while you avoid damage. Disengaging heals.

Air Assemble Smash phases through projectiles. The universal anti-zoning answer. Every zoner on your team has this ceiling; every zoner you fight does too.

Combo grammar (same for everyone)

Gatlings: weaker buttons cancel into equal-or-stronger, once each, max four normals per string. Air normals chain freely; nearly everything jump-cancels on hit.
Slam Launcher (the universal 2H-family anti-air): as a starter triggers a high air combo with two enders — spike down (ground bounce, ends early) or blow back (toward the wall).
Link Attacks (mash one button): the autocombo. L route → Assemble finisher, M → Super, H → Ultimate. Training wheels for days 1–3, then drop them; manual routes corner-carry better.
EX Skills cost 25 Skill Gauge; each assembled ally raises your cap by 25.
Throws: M+H, teched with M+H. Light normals cancel into throw — the tick-throw engine. Command grabs can't be teched.

Defence facts: no high/low blocking in the air; jumping escapes ground mix-ups but loses to anti-airs. Landing converts air blockstun to ground blockstun. A Perfect Reflect on your point → Disassembled: no assists, no tags until refill. Don't autopilot pressure into a patient defender.

Storm A — the wind trapper

Setplay character. Place a hazard, steer it with Tempest, convert off it. That loop IS the character. Dustloop's own comparison: Rachel Alucard.

Engine: Tempest (U + direction) is a gauge, not a toggle — it moves her projectiles, speeds her actions mid-move, and regenerates faster after Eye of the Storm hits. Everything advanced is a variation of: Tornado down → wind moves it → they deal with the hazard while you move in behind it.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use	Numbers
`5L`	Jab	Fastest button, panic + punish	6f, −3
`2M`	Low	Oki starter — knockdown	10f, +29 KD
`2H`	Anti-air	THE anti-air, launches	12f, air-invuln 5–17
`U`+dir	Tempest	Steer projectiles, speed actions; usable during other moves	gauge-limited
`236X`	Lightning Strike	Main projectile (air OK)	—
`22X`	Tornado	Lingering hazard (NOT an anti-air)	—
`j.22X`	Hailstone	Air icicle; steerable, persists longer after Tempest	—
`214X`	Whirlwind	The lunge / combo ender (air OK)	—
`623M/H`	Cold Embrace	Command throw — pressure break	9f, +4 on hit
`236M+H`	Hurricane	Combo ender ONLY	−98 on block
`632146M+H`	Eye of the Storm	True reversal; boosts Tempest regen on hit	invuln 1–15, −56
`2A`	Vertical assist	When she's backup	2000×3, 15f

Mastery ladder

BnB 5M → 5H → 236L + 2H anti-air until automatic. Hit-confirm the BnB against random block.

The Tempest loop: 22L → U → 22L (hit) → 214H (her in-game combo challenge). Then freestyle: place Tornado, steer it different directions, no follow-up — build wind intuition.

Oki: every 2M knockdown → Tornado on their wakeup. One setup, every time, until opponents start respecting it.

Defense kit: 623M to break pressure, Eye of the Storm as reversal (sparingly — it's −56 blocked). Hurricane never leaves combos.

Advanced: steer Hailstones mid-blockstring to re-space; Tempest during Whirlwind to adjust its reach; convert stray hazard hits into full combos.

Clicked when: you win matches without ever panic-pressing at point-blank — you reset to your range instead.

Study these players: Akash (CEO 2026 5–6th, Storm on a Spider-Man/Blade/Magneto team) and Yamii (7–8th, Storm alongside your Goblin). Search "Akash Marvel Tokon Storm" and "Yamii Tokon" on YouTube — CEO VODs are all archived.

Never: Tornado as anti-air (it's a placement, 2H is the button) · Hurricane in neutral · contesting scrambles up close — being point-blank means you already lost neutral; leave and re-set.

This week's drills

10 min: BnB + 2H anti-air vs jumping dummy.
10 min: Tornado placement + Tempest steering, four directions each.
Matches (Casual Match, online): count jump-ins you stuffed with 2H. That number is the scoreboard.

Magneto A — the two-resource engine

Snowballing zoner. Debris makes skills stronger; Magnetize makes them reach. Both at once is when he's frightening. The best-documented character on Dustloop — this page is mostly quoted fact.

Engine: Debris (max 3) floats until a Skill gathers it for power. Magnetize (purple static, applied by charged heavies / Unique / Gravity Bind / Ultimate) lasts until you hit them with a Skill or they hit you — and it makes Gravity Bind pull them in, Shrapnel projectiles track, and Magnetic Blast add a ground-bounce projectile.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use	Numbers
`5L`	Jab	Fastest button; stuffs low air dashes; combo glue	6f, −3
`5LL`	Pull-in kick	Pulls them in on hit AND block → tick throw	9f, −10
`5H` / `5[H]`	Lunge punch	The pressure engine (see ladder step 3)	14f / 26f; charged magnetizes on block
`2M`	Advancing low	Low + launch; tick-throw setup	12f, −12
`2H`	Anti-air	Huge vertical range; Slam Launch starter	12f, 9000
`5U/2U`	Metallic Meteor	Creates 1 debris; magnetizes on hit (air OK)	25f, −4
`236X`	Magnetic Blast	Chargeable projectile; debris speeds charge	H: 15f, −7 (safe ender)
`623X`	Gravity Bind	Command throw (M = air throw, 8f); magnetized pull-in	H: 9f, 18000
`214X`	Polarity Shift	Corner carry / ground bounce; debris boosts both	18f, −7
`22X`	Shrapnel Spike	Setup/combo tool — NOT a neutral button	34–36f startup
`236M+H`	Magnetic Maelstrom	Combo ender; debris adds projectiles	9f, −56
`2A`	Vertical assist	Rated among the best in the game	8000, 15f

Mastery ladder

Chain rules: 5LL only follows L normals; strength can't repeat in a string; 2L self-cancel locks out 5LL. Learn them before they bite mid-combo.

Debris literacy: 5U/2U everywhere, watch the counter, learn field lifetime. Match rule: never at zero in neutral.

The 5H mind-game: charged 5[H] magnetizes on block → debris-Blast pressure reset; uncharged catches contesters with counter hits. Both options favor you — this is his engine.

Tick throw 5L→5LL→623L (lands even from max range if unmagnetized). End blockstrings only on 236H or 5[H] — everything else invites reversals.

Economy: Wall Breaks wipe debris — spend before the wall. 5HHH is the resource-free combo extender (links 5L, or 5H with debris). Avoid 5LLLL; tag out for a better finisher.

Clicked when: you can say your debris count blind, and opponents visibly stop pressing into the 5H guess.

Study these players: Magneto is the most-repped of your eight at top level — SonicFox (CEO champion, Magneto in his four), Supernoon (2nd), Punk, and Akash all run him. Start with the CEO grand finals and SonicFox vs Punk.

Never: play him fast — slow movement and sluggish frames are documented cons; make them come to you · raw Shrapnel Spike in neutral · hoard 3 debris into an imminent wall break.

This week's drills

10 min: 5U placement angles + debris counting at a glance.
10 min: 5[H] → Blast reset vs blocking dummy; tick throw reps.
Matches (Casual Match, online): the only focus is "never zero debris." Everything else follows.

Doctor Doom S — the fortress

Long-range zoner with the best support kit in the game. Slow, deliberate, devastating with backup. Your recommended fourth pick and Shooter-slot anchor.

Engine: control screen space with 236X beams and Nullify Shield (blocks projectiles — you out-zone zoners by default). Once they respect the wall, the teleport dash turns respect into mix-ups. One hit → 22EX okizeme → snowball.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use
`236X`	Ray/Plasma Beam	The wall. Pair with a beam assist and approaches die.
`5U / 6U`	Nullify Shield	Eats projectiles. 5U buys assist-recovery time; 6U forces them closer.
`22X`	Satellite laser	Second threat angle; zone layering.
Teleport dash	Step-Dash/Airdash	Crosses up air AND ground. The approach, once respect exists.
`214X`	Command grab	The answer to conditioned blockers.
`22EX`	EX satellite	Okizeme engine — "very hard to stop" per Dustloop.
`6A`	Shooter assist	Beam — one of the best assists in the game.
`2A`	Vertical assist	Mystic Gauge: midscreen coverage, high hitstun, keeps them grounded.
`4A`	Assault assist	EX Merciful Smite: a free way in for any rushdown teammate.

Frame numbers not yet published on Dustloop for most of his kit; move roles above are from the wiki's written overview.

Mastery ladder

The wall: 236X + 5U/6U rhythm. Learn which beam covers which angle and how long Nullify holds.

Layering: add the 22X satellite so threats come from two angles at once. Watch what opponents do when both are live — that reaction is your data.

The turn: teleport dash IN only after respect is established. Learn the air and ground cross-up timings. Sneak 214X on blockers.

Snowball: hit → 22EX oki → repeat. Budget meter for this; broke Doom is half a Doom.

Team roles: learn all three assists even when he's benched — they're why he's on the team.

Clicked when: opponents stop walking forward against you, and your teleport mixup starts stealing rounds.

Study these players: no famous Doom rep has emerged yet — none of the CEO top 8 ran him, which matches his "needs assists and meter" profile. Watch Dustloop's Doom resources page and the official Discord's Doom channel; you may get to help define him.

Never: forget he's slow — sluggish normals, slow walk, laggy airdash. Without assists or meter he gets run down, and he struggles hardest on the back foot. Don't be the Doom who teleports in with no plan and no backup.

This week's drills

10 min: beam + Nullify wall vs approaching CPU.
10 min: teleport cross-up timings, both sides, air and ground.
Matches (Casual Match, online): count how many approaches your wall killed before they touched you.

Green Goblin B — the blender

Dustloop calls him a mixup character with tricky neutral and trickier setplay. Keepaway until the hit lands, then Glider bomb loops that are genuinely hard to block.

Engine: Glider Stance (4U to mount) is a second character. Glider dashes (direction + H in stance) cancel into every glider option including another dash. The win condition: Break knockdown while on Glider → Pumpkin Bomb → looping mixups ("the blender").

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use
`4U` / `U`	Glider Summon / Retreat	Enter/exit the stance. Gauge-funded.
dir + `H` (glider)	Glider Dash	5 directions, all cancellable into more glider options. Side-switch pressure.
`g.1/2/3[H]`	Held glider H	LOWS from the air stance — half the mixup.
`214M/H`	Shock & Awe	Overheads — the other half.
`623X`	Pumpkin Bomb	Four types confirmed: Sticky, Explosive, Poison, Stun. They CYCLE — track what's loaded.
`236X`	Razor Bats	Projectile with two follow-up stages (`236X~X~X`) — screen fill.
`22X`	Glider Raid	More projectile coverage (air OK).
`5U/6U/j.2U`	Flyby Kick	Cancellable into glider moves — movement that hits.
`236M+H`	Sky Scraper	Empties Glider Gauge. Tracks when used in stance. Round-closer only.
`632146M+H`	Goblin Surprise	On hit: refills the gauge and recovers in Glider state. His reset button.

Frame numbers not yet on the wiki; inputs and properties above are published.

Mastery ladder

Glider movement only: mount, dash all five directions, chain dashes, retreat. Fly before you fight.

Bomb literacy: cycle 623X in training and learn the four types on sight. Untracked bombs sabotage your own mixups — this mental stack is HIS burden that you make yours.

Keepaway neutral: Razor Bats stages + Glider Raid to fill screen; hit-and-run. His grounded buttons are stubby — never brawl midrange.

The blender: Break knockdown on Glider → bomb out → mix glider held-[H] lows against 214M/H overheads with side-switches. This loops into itself.

Gauge economy: know your dry-gauge plan (assists cover the rebuild). Sky Scraper only to close rounds; Goblin Surprise on hit puts you back in business.

Clicked when: you always know bomb + gauge state without looking, and a dry gauge triggers your runaway plan instead of panic.

Study this player above all: SonicFox won CEO 2026 with Green Goblin on point — the single best film that exists for any of your eight. Watch the grand finals vs Supernoon and SonicFox vs HOOK. Yamii's Goblin (top 8) is the second reference.

Never: trade buttons at midrange — easily counterpoked by design · burn Sky Scraper mid-match for damage · mixup with a bomb type you didn't choose. Off Glider he's at a massive disadvantage vs most of the cast: respect it.

This week's drills

10 min: glider dash chains + mount/dismount flow.
10 min: bomb cycle recognition, then one low/overhead blender rep each side.
Matches (Casual Match, online): track the gauge out loud if you must — state awareness IS the character.

Star-Lord A — the elemental gunslinger

Half zoner, half mobility demon. Four gun elements, an 8-way airdash, Free Flight, and a command hop. The most mobile of your eight.

Engine: Groove Switch (8U Light · 6U Fire · 4U Ice · 2U Earth) re-arms Elemental Blast (5U), his Assault assist, and his Super. Each element is a different neutral tool; switching in downtime and having the right ammo loaded is the skill.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use
dir + `U`	Groove Switch	8U Light / 6U Fire / 4U Ice / 2U Earth.
`5U`	Elemental Blast (air OK)	Light = fast fullscreen beam · Fire = slow orb that owns space · Earth = projectile-invulnerable shot · Ice = lab assignment (undocumented).
`236X`	Blaster Shot	Core projectile; cancels into Elemental Blast.
`623X`	Gravity Mine	Space trap; also cancels into Elemental Blast.
`214X`	Ravager Rush	All versions hit LOW. Half the mixup.
`5[H]`	Charged heavy	Overhead. The other half.
`22X`	Rocket Step	Command hop — approach AND disengage.
`236M+H`	Elemental Outlaw	Super; ender depends on stocked element.
`632146M+H`	Dance Off	Ultimate; grants 3 Elemental Blast shots on hit.

Frame numbers not yet on the wiki. Note: Dance Off "granting shots" suggests Elemental Blast is stock-limited — verify in training.

Mastery ladder

Movement first: 8-way airdash, Free Flight, Rocket Step. A session of pure motion — he's played above and around, not in front.

Element literacy one at a time: a day each on Light, Fire, Earth in real matches; discover Ice in the lab and write down what it does.

The cancel loop: Blaster Shot / Gravity Mine → Elemental Blast → reposition. Fire-and-move is his neutral.

The mixup: 214X low vs 5[H] overhead, plus Ravager Rush tag mixups. Small buttons mean the mix comes from these, not from normals.

Element-per-matchup plans: Earth vs zoners (projectile-invul shot), Fire for oki and space denial, Light for honest neutral. Switch BEFORE you need it.

Clicked when: you switch elements proactively in downtime, never under pressure — and you can't remember the last time you poked with a normal in neutral.

Study these players: no established Star-Lord rep yet — he didn't crack CEO top 8. Search YouTube for "Star-Lord Marvel Tokon high level" (new sets post weekly) and watch the Discord's character channel. Like Doom, he's under-explored: your losses will teach you faster than film for now.

Never: play footsies — his buttons are documented as small; if you're pressing normals at midrange you're playing him wrong · switch elements point-blank · forget which element is loaded (same mental-stack discipline as Goblin's bombs).

This week's drills

10 min: airdash/flight/Rocket Step motion drills.
10 min: one element's Blast in all situations; note its personality.
Matches (Casual Match, online): one element per set until all four feel distinct.

Ghost Rider B — the gauge you must vent

Mid-to-long chains into close-range mixups. His Vengeance Gauge powers everything up and punishes greed — Dustloop's page is now rich with real numbers.

Engine: specials raise Vengeance (Zone 1 → 2 → Red). Each zone improves hits, frames, and routes. In Red Zone his meterless specials behave as EX moves (metered versions locked). Top it out and he's forced into a punishable recovery plus several seconds of NO specials. Venting (5U/2U/j.U) is the real skill.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use	Numbers
`5H`	Chain poke	Near-fullscreen; guaranteed meaty after wallbreak; 214X converts	13f, −15
`5M`	Mid poke	Far, fast-ish; picks up Assemble Rush combos	11f, −8
`2M`	Low	1/3-screen low for pressure	8f, −17
`2H`	Anti-air	Absurd vertical reach; deadzone above/behind — bait it when fighting HIM	13f, −19
`j.2H`	Rising overhead	Fast overhead, beats throws; obvious animation, so rotate it	11f, High
`j.6H`	Air chain	Halfscreen air poke; whiffs on crouchers; hurtbox risk	6f, High
`5U/j.U`	Revelator Chain	Vent (hold = more); long untech = combo glue into slow specials	13f, −5
`2U`	Hell Throttle	The big vent (~half gauge), projectile-invul; levels: −6 / −3 / +3	12f
`236X`	Hellfire	Safe pressure ender at every level	14f, −4 to −2
`623X`	Penance Driver	Command grab: L reactable but long range; M/H fast; whiff = unwanted gauge	M/H 9f, +10
`214X`	Judgement Cradle	The mixup: canned low/overhead follow-ups + tick throw	—
`22X`	Ground chain	Hits basically anywhere on the ground	—

Mastery ladder

Chain spacing: poke at MAX range with 5H/5M/j.6H. Extended hurtboxes mean a clipped chain is a combo eaten — learn the whiff-punish distance from both sides.

Gauge literacy: feel Zone 1 → 2 → Red thresholds. Learn 2U as the pressure-release valve and 5U as combo glue that vents while it works.

The mixup rotation: 623M/H grab · 214X low/overhead/tick · j.2H overhead. Rotate, never repeat — each one covers the others' answer.

Red Zone riding: play whole sets deliberately AT Red Zone. Learn the overheat warning signs and the pre-planned exit (2U or eat the recovery somewhere safe).

Finishers: spaced Ultimate = unjumpable command grab; 5H meaty after every wallbreak; Hellfire ends every string you're not sure about.

Clicked when: you vent proactively, and your last overheat was a week ago.

Study these players: Fenritti (Japanese ArcSys legend — watch Fenritti's Ghost Rider vs Kei Tendo's Loki, which is film for BOTH your characters) and Potensu (vs Kazunoko).

Never: whiff Penance Driver (long recovery AND unwanted gauge) · autopilot j.6H at anti-air range — every 2H in the game vacuums you in · lean on 5U venting so hard you never reach Zone 2 — the power zones are the point.

This week's drills

10 min: max-range chain pokes; note where they whiff.
10 min: build to Red Zone, hold it 30 seconds, vent out clean. Repeat.
Matches (Casual Match, online): one focus — never overheat. Losses while venting correctly still count as wins this week.

Loki A — the trap enabler

Trap character with genuinely great honest pokes, freeze setups, feints that parry, and the best tag-enabling kit of your eight. Weak solo mixups by design — he hands other characters the kill.

Engine: Norn Stones freeze the point character when they activate nearby. Held L specials are pure feints; held M specials are feints that PARRY and counter up close. And his 623M/236M exist to hand a teammate plus frames or a restand. He wins neutral honestly, then makes everything after neutral dishonest.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use	Numbers
`5M`	Poke	Core neutral button	10f, −7
`5H`	Big poke	10000 damage, real range	15f, −11
`2M`	Low	Pressure low	11f, −11
`2H`	Anti-air	Launcher	13f, −13
`5U`	Norn Stone (roaming)	Slow projectile; freezes on activation near point	—
`2U/3U/j.5U/j.6U`	Norn Stone (traps)	Stationary; oki that's hard to disrespect; destroyable	—
hold L specials	Illusion	Jotun Mist / Serpent Spike / Fenris Fang become feints	—
hold M specials	Misdirection	Feints that parry and counter up close	—
`623M`	—	Generates plus frames for a tag — teammate gets a free turn	—
`236M`	—	Restand — teammate gets a standing victim mid-combo	—
Backdash	—	Fast: 10f duration	—

Mastery ladder

Honest core first: win neutral with 5M/5H pokes and his projectiles — 5U (Norn Stone, slow-moving orb) plus his three specials, Jotun Mist, Serpent Spike, and Fenris Fang, on the standard 236X/623X/214X motions (Dustloop hasn't published which name maps to which motion yet — your in-game command list settles it in ten seconds). Zero tricks this step; earn the right to be tricky.

Norn Stones: learn each placement (2U/3U/j.U spots), then the oki pattern — knockdown → stone → their wakeup options all lose something.

Feint conditioning: show the real L special twice, hold it the third time, punish their answer. Write down what each opponent did — that's the pattern library.

The parry: held M specials up close. This is your defensive ace and your scariest pressure tool at once.

Enabler play: 623M plus-frame tags and 236M restands into your point character's damage. Loki assists/tags are why he fits ANY four you pick.

Clicked when: opponents hesitate on your REAL specials because the fake exists — and every trap freeze converts to a combo.

Study these players: Kei Tendo (vs Fenritti's Ghost Rider — double film for you) and Kazunoko, the former DBFZ world champion, now on Loki (vs Potensu).

Never: try to solo-mixup — his kit documentedly lacks it; his plus frames are for handing turns to teammates · place stones under pressure (they're destroyable) · feint a player who isn't watching — conditioning requires an audience.

This week's drills

10 min: stone placements + converting a freeze into a full combo.
10 min: hold-vs-release timing on all three feintable specials.
Matches (Casual Match, online): pokes and stones only, no feints — build the honest reputation feints feed on.

Deadpool C* — the gambler

Chaotic rushdown funded by his own health bar. The one non-zoner in your eight. KeenGamer tiers him C, but Dustloop's writeup is warmer: excellent corner carry, solo wall breaks, dependable point. Early tiers disagree — trust your matches.

Engine: with gray health on his bar, ALL his M specials become Fourth Wall Attacks (Lightning Tornado Upper, Burning Haymaker…) that spend gray health to be some of his deadliest tools. He creates gray health by hurting himself — 2U, Roman Cancel, the 6U parry — and a Faulty Grenade in hand upgrades some further. Spent gray health is real health gone.

Toolkit

Input	Move	Use	Numbers
`2M`	Quick low	The fast starter; knockdown on hit	9f, +63 on hit
`5H`	Advancing swipe	Huge advance, near-zero pushback — keeps him in your face; awful on whiff	13f, −15
`j.5H`	Wide swing	Deep hitbox that hits behind him — his cross-up	13f, High
`j.6H`	Muzzle flash	Longest air reach, disjointed air-to-air	12f, High
`2U`	Meat Shield (low)	Best gray-health generator — fast, pops them up, doesn't cut the cap	14f, +79 on hit
`5U / 5[U]`	Meat Shield	Overhead; charged = unblockable (not in blockstun) but 60f and disastrous on whiff	28f / 60f
`6U`	Collateral Damage	Armor-parry: absorbed damage becomes gray health; tap U to keep absorbing — eats lows, projectiles, even supers	Parry
`4U`	Faulty Grenade	Random type, timed, explodes on YOU if hit — upgrade + liability	—
M specials (w/ gray)	Fourth Wall Attacks	The payoff suite; costs gray health per use	—
Roman Cancel	—	Cancels attack/special recovery; also converts health to gray — routing freedom, ArcSys style	—
`4A`	Assault assist	Meat Shield with counter startup — elite punish assist	—

He also has five hidden skills that only appear in the command list after you input them — Dustloop keeps them spoilered. Finding them is your lab treat, not homework.

Mastery ladder

Honest rushdown: 2M starters, 5H stay-in pressure (cancel it or call an assist on block — never let it sit), j.5H cross-ups.

Gray-health economy: 2U to create it on offense, 6U parry to create it on defense. Rule: know what the gray is FOR before you make it.

Fourth Wall literacy: learn all five M-special replacements one by one; note which routes and situations each unlocks.

Roman Cancel routing: pressure resets and combo extensions. This plus Fourth Wall is where his "devastating damage" reputation lives.

Grenade chaos management: 4U when safe, plan around whichever type you drew, and NEVER hold one into obvious incoming damage.

Clicked when: you can justify every gray-health spend after the match — and your 6U parry starts eating supers on reaction.

Study this player: kayos — 3rd at CEO 2026, the ONLY top-8 Deadpool (Spider-Man/Peni/Deadpool/Carnage). Search "kayos CEO 2026 Tokon" for the bracket run; his gray-health decisions are the curriculum.

Never: whiff 5H or raw 5U — both are documented disasters · self-harm without a plan for the gray · forget his mixups are poor: he opens people with strike/throw, assists, and tags, not overheads. He punishes YOUR indecision harder than any of your eight.

This week's drills

10 min: 2M/5H pressure with cancel-on-block discipline.
10 min: 6U parry vs CPU specials; tap-to-absorb multi-hits.
Matches (Casual Match, online): track gray created vs gray wasted. The ledger is the character.

All 21 — lookup after a loss

Tiers are KeenGamer's launch-window read; treat loosely. Beat them lines are community reads plus inference from documented weaknesses.

Fighting Avengers

Captain America B

Shoto, fundamentals-first

Shield projectiles, real reversal, charge attacks.

Beat them: nothing gimmicky — win neutral honestly, bait the wakeup reversal, punish hard.

Iron Man A

Aerial specialist

8-way air dash + Free Flight, elite beam assist.

Beat them: he lives above you — hold ground and anti-air rather than chasing him up.

Hulk A

Armored brawler

Gamma armor, mid-range frame traps, huge damage. No air dash.

Beat them: armor doesn't stop throws. Multi-hit strings shred single-hit armor.

Black Panther S

Conditional-mobility rushdown

Bask's Blessing grants 8-way dash cancels from any move.

Beat them: hit him out of Blessing; block the dash cross-ups patiently before pressing.

Unbreakable X-Men

Storm A

Yours — see her tab

Mirror: first to own center screen with hazards wins; her weakness is point-blank pressure.

Magik S

Teleport rushdown

Excellent range, teleports, strong assists. Early tournament favorite.

Beat them: teleports have recovery — stop chasing, hold position, punish the arrival.

Wolverine B

Armored rushdown

Berserk frame advantage, armor on specials.

Beat them: he must come to you — your whole team's dream matchup. Throw beats armor.

Danger B

Technical trap zoner

Calibration Orbs + lasers; Synchro Beam scales with orbs.

Beat them: rush the setup phase; never give free time to place orbs.

Amazing Guardians

Spider-Man S

Mobility rushdown + counter

Web zips for angles, 623X counter. On most winning CEO teams.

Beat them: stagger strings and throw to beat the counter; anti-air web approaches early.

Ms. Marvel B

Beginner footsies + command grab

Stretchy range. No air dash. Predictable offense.

Beat them: jump when you smell the grab; outpace her linear approach with projectiles.

Star-Lord A

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: pressure him before the right element is loaded; punish point-blank Groove switches.

Peni Parker C

Tank, random gadgets

Charging armor moves, wall climb.

Beat them: cross her up relentlessly; don't respect the random gadgets.

Samurai Outriders

Ghost Rider B

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: whiffed chains are the whole matchup — clip the extended hurtboxes; press when his gauge nears Red.

Blade S

Top all-rounder

Stakes, teleport entries, sword-empowerment scaling.

Beat them: few weaknesses — honest match; punish teleport recovery, deny free sword charge.

Loki A

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: destroy the stones on sight; don't react to anything until you've seen it twice.

Deadpool C

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: his gray health is pre-paid damage; play patient and make the gamble never pay.

Knights of Doom

Doctor Doom S

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: Air Assemble Smash through the wall; he struggles hardest on the back foot — keep him there.

Magneto A

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: deny free debris time; a Wall Break resets both economies.

Green Goblin B

Yours — see his tab

Mirror: walk him down when the glider gauge runs dry; his grounded buttons lose to yours.

Carnage A

Necrosis rushdown

Unique applies Necrosis → specials plus-on-block.

Beat them: watch the state — with Necrosis his pressure is real; without it his recovery is punishable.

Champion

The Champion S+

Own tier, barely documented

Sits above S in early lists. No air dash.

Beat them: unknown quantity — the loss IS the research. Note what worked; Dustloop fills in weekly.

Stages, not a calendar

Each stage has a gate: an observable skill in matches, not a date. Week counts are typical pacing at one Loop session a day. Run the pick bracket (Start tab) during Stages 1–2; from Stage 2 on, "your characters" means the four the bracket kept — their ladders live in their tabs.

Stage 1 · ~Week 1 · Foundations

Make the universal layer automatic

Movement for your trial four: dash, high jump, air dash, any flight/stance options.
2H-family anti-air with each until it's a reflex.
One BnB per character at 8/10 (each tab lists one; Combo Challenges cover the rest).
Throw and throw-tech. Motion inputs everywhere from day one.

Gate: you anti-air on reaction and land your BnB on touch, in matches.

Stage 2 · ~Week 2 · Point depth

Your point character's ladder, steps 1–3

Run their tab's ladder through step 3 — engine, core loop, one oki setup.
Matches with that single focus; the Loop names the day's fix.

Gate: the character tab's own "clicked when" line, first half.

Stage 3 · ~Week 3 · Second character

Same treatment, next ladder

Steps 1–3 of your second character's ladder; keep playing the point in matches.
First tag combos between the pair.

Gate: you can switch who starts without your win rate collapsing.

Stage 4 · ~Week 4 · The team layer

Four characters, one unit

Assist calls that cover approaches; one tag combo per pair you actually use.
Corner routing on purpose (System rule 2); Air Assemble Smash both ways.
Lock your four.

Gate: you trigger a Stage Transition most matches, and assist calls stop getting teammates blown up.

Stage 5 · ~Weeks 5–6 · Defence + resources

The invisible skills

Instant Block drills; stop chipping out — leave and heal grey life.
Throw-tech under pressure; punishing reversal-happy opponents with staggered strings.
EX spending: know which EX per character is worth 25 gauge.

Gate: you can name why you lost each match, and it's a decision, not a dropped input.

Stage 6 · Weeks 7+ · Ranked, forever

The permanent loop

Ranked with the daily Loop; one sentence, one fix.
Lost to a character you don't understand? That's when the Roster tab and Dustloop open.
Once a week, rewatch ONE lost match. Not five.

Gate: none. This is what improvement looks like from here.

Eight habits

One fix per session. The sentence from Loop step 3 is your most valuable daily output.

8/10 and move on. The last 20% of consistency arrives through matches.

Research after losses, not before playing.

Daily beats weekend. Skills consolidate while you sleep.

Lock the team for a month. Every swap resets your pattern library.

Anti-air over everything. The highest-value reflex in any tag fighter.

Position over damage. Corner carry, oki, grey-life denial win rounds damage-optimal play loses.

Losing is data collection. A loss you can name beats a win you can't explain.

Sources & honesty

Dustloop Mechanics · character pages: Storm, Magneto, Doom, Goblin, Star-Lord, Ghost Rider, Loki, Deadpool — all pulled 17–18 Aug 2026.
Frame data quality varies by page: Storm, Magneto, Ghost Rider, Deadpool, Loki have real numbers; Doom, Goblin, Star-Lord have verified move names/properties but blank frame tables. Each tab says which.
Tiers: KeenGamer launch list. Roster playstyles: Kakuchopurei. CEO 2026: SonicFox won; Akash and Yamii made top 8 running your characters.
Official Discord — tech lands there first. Wiki pages are visibly filling in week to week; re-check after patches.

Compiled 18 August 2026. Tabs added at Atiba's request: one deep page per liked character, lookup roster, staged program.