Listing the very last thing this guide got updated with:

- Spread the tips into three sections since there was a text limit.

- Added a tip about learning which assists you wanna pick in case of playing the JP version.

Take this guide as how to approach the game, not how to become Justin Wong levels of good. MvC2 is one of the most popular games of its genre even after 20+ years of its release, with UMvC3 still being relevant and Infinite being often modded to match its siblings. However, said decades also brings powerful veterans roaming online really to deal with kids that only want to play with shoto teams.

I just wanna use this entry to explain how to build your team, some gameplay basics, and overall don't be paranoic or afraid of those players playing since they came out of the womb to pull infinites the microsecond you blink.

- Main a Team. Not a Character -

This is the simplest tip you'll get. You aren't maining Ryu, you are maining Ryu and his two other partners. Fortunately, most characters only have 2-3 special moves and supers, so the move list won't be a mess to memorize when compared to more current fighting games.

- Pick a favorite. Make the team arround them -

The biggest tip you'll get. MvC2 really encourages to make sure each character sinergizes with each other using their assists and supers together. The most powerful teams you'll find aren't just because a character is strong, but because is working in tandem with assists that will add to the combo, keep pressure, or simply help them covering some weaknesses.

For example, the Iron Man infinite is very easy to learn after you hit training for less than an hour, but you'll need some assists to make openings towards that combo. You can use the likes of Psylocke to uppercut the opponent with her immediate assist, while the third member can be the likes of Cable or Sentinel for projectile pressure (Cable also has an uppercut assist). Even War Machine can be a team member since is a clone character and can also perform the infinite and become your secondary DPS.

- Memorize your Assist's colors and/or location -

This might seem an odd tip, but you must be aware that this compilation of games are ROMs from different regions, mainly Japan and Global. While overall there's no much difference between them besides Norimaru in the Japanese version of MSHvsSF, the language does change for most of them. THAT INCLUDES THE ASSISTS IN MVC2.

So when fighting online you will find some players that prefer the JP version because either: They speak japanese, or they know will confuse some players. So unless you know japanese, make sure you memorize which assists you're picking for your main team. Fortunately they are colored, so by just thinking your picks like "Anakaris Red, Iron Man Red, Tron Blue" should suffice.

- Focus more on team sinergy than combos -

While MvC1 has a third character (AKA Colossus) to use when needed, and MvC3 you can rely on X-Factor Vergil when things go south, MvC2 requires your characters' teamwork. I pointed out several times how the likes of Iron Man, Zangief, and even Roll need the right partners to truly shine during a fight. As some very strong characters are only strong because of said assists, even in the competitive scene. So don't expect to pick a character and be good with them with just combos. Think about your assists as part of each characters' movelist, adding to their performance and/or covering their weaknesses. Roll might be often treated as the worst character in the game, but can pull some surprises with the proper partners.

- Don't worry too much about combos -

Sure, you are the expert of Iron Man infinites, or spent months to become a Master of Magnet. But more often than not, matches will be poking each other with specials and assists, and once in a while pulling a simple combo.
Excluding weird infinites which with the right team can be mastered, combos actually aren't that difficult as most characters have a similar execution for them. Low Punch and Low Kick become Mid Punch/Kick after a second press during a combo, and these become interchangeable during the string. Therefore, the basic combo of most characters is LP LK MP MK and followed with whatever you can hit the opponent with. Get your team on training, try this simple combo after launching the opponent to the air, and you'll see they'll do enough damage to confront other players with. If that four button input doesn't work with a character, then just tap arround and see what connects, and/or try to add assist attacks to see how it goes.

- Take risks with your assists and supers -

Don't hesitate to use your backup characters at any time can be used. Projectile assists can keep the pressure going, a random uppercut assist can catch an opponent off guard while dashing towards you, or you can keep attacking a blocking opponent as an assist comes to creat an opening.

Same goes for supers. Most of the bar will be spent towards it, and with everything is going on during a fight you'll gain meter constantly. Most supers are projectiles which can atleast chip away life bars, specially the likes of Storm or Cable as they can catch assists and kill them. Supers can also be a safe method to tag out your characters, so if a character is in danger drop a random super and then DHC into a healthier character.

- Lame tactics are still tactics -

This might the weirdest tip for some people, maybe even toxic for others. But hear me out. If a strategy works to give you wins, and/or the opponent can't figure out how to break through it, then you deserve the victory. Something like a Zangief or Colossus using his super armor as assists keep the opponent on check might not guarantee a win against MvC2 experts, but little Timmy and that one streamer salting and ragequitting about the game's fairness must learn how to break through a strategy a newcomer in the game can easily abuse. If anything, you should know what to do if the opponent learns to break your cheese playstyle, like having a character you are really good with to come out and get the opponent by surprise.

- High Tier teams usually are High Tier execution -

You'll often see those Magneto and Storm teams decimating teams in ten seconds flat with their speed and insane pressure. However, here's a visual example of you trying to play that way.

Listen. Magneto is one of my favorite Marvel characters, but as someone who tried to master him since back in the Dreamcast era, don't bother unless you REALLY want to spend hours and your hands' health trying to get the insane performance of those two characters. I am not saying you can't main Magneto in your team, and Storm is still a very strong pick in several aspects. But achieving the power level of those players will take you a lot of time as well potentially controllers. Focus on teams that don't require so much to learn first if anything, as most players you'll encounter will likely do the same. At most they'll go for Iron Man infinites.

- Only veteran players will break the game -

This tip combines with the one above to tell you not to worry too much about the online environment. MvC2 has all these insane tournament matches that makes DBFZ wish to be DBZ. Magnetos dashing from one corner to another in miliseconds, assists and DHCs working together to turn the game into a seizure warning, and several glitches to take advantage for once in a blue moon. However, as said in the previous tip, only players that mastered the game since the Dreamcast era or a tiny bit later can pull out such feats, and if for example there's a playerbase of 2000 players maybe there's 50 that know how to pull insane combos one after another, and from those 30 will go full Magneto tryhard teams, and the remaining 20 will instead go towards silly teams every now and then. While the 30 can become the bane of little Timmy and super casual players refunding the game seconds after being bullied, the other 20 can become your teachers as they body you with a Dan team without sinergy.

- This game is 6-ish God Tiers Vs Every other character -

Another "Don't be afraid of online or being competitive" tip. MvC2 is a balance mess, but in a good way. As said before, the likes of Magneto and Storm reign the game AS LONG they are in the right, competitive hands. The rest of the cast ranges from either solid, to requiring a team arround them. The latter also applies to the lowest of low tiers, so despite the Roll slander for years, you can make a fun team arround her to become an amusing threat. If you wanna just go full competitive go ahead, if you need the help of a strong god tier sure, but if you are all about memeing in online you'll need a bit of experimenting.

Sure. This wasn't the "How to win every game" guide, or simply tell you to spend hours in training learning Magneto superspeed infinites. Is more about the mindset you must have with this game. MvC2 is a rare case where you only need to learn the basics to have fun winning or losing. A incredibly rare instance where competitive players and casuals will have a blast in one way or another.

Lastly, MvC2 has been active since its release decades ago, so you have thousands of material to dig through and learn from. You have tournament events worth a lifetime to learn matchups from, pro players experimenting with unusual teams, how to pull those insanely difficult infinites without losing two fingers, and the list goes on. And thanks to this compilation, one of the most beloved fighting games is getting a massive revival despite its balance flaws.

MvC2 is much less difficult than it looks from the competitive scene. Most players, newcomers or those that played often but didn't master like myself, aren't going for the God Tier touch of death combos. They'll get a character they like for one way or another, make a team arround them, and have fun with others through Ranked or Casual. Combos only need a few hours to learn, yet aren't that often to happen as you'll rely more on assists and trying to make an opening. And there's some characters like Iron Man that offers a very simple infinite to rely on. So overall, MvC2 offers something to everyone, so don't be afraid of a roaming Justin Wong and a few other competitive players when you have one of the best fighting games available for everyone in the globe.