Moves:
Normal Shot: Air Tornado: Air Man’s normal shot fires a singular tornado that stays in place briefly before flying forwards quickly. Holding down while shooting will fire a tornado that moves instantly and travels along the ground. These grounded tornadoes are slower and stop on walls however. Air Man can shoot up to 2 tornadoes at once. They deal 3 damage.
Special 1: Tornado Cluster: Air Man shoots out a cluster of 4 tornadoes in a semi-random pattern, the tornadoes stall in place briefly before flying forward. The tornadoes shot by S1 deflect projectiles, making this a good defensive tool. Holding up or down also changes the position the cluster spawns. The cluster tornadoes deal extra knockback, allowing for an easier escape, They deal 3 damage and cost 6 energy points.
Special 2: Rising Tornado: Air Man shoots out 3 tornadoes that immediately fly upwards in a curved angle, the same as Air Shooter from the original Mega Man 2. The upward angle of this attack makes it a good anti-air tool. The rising tornadoes knock opponents upward, meaning they're useful for keeping foes away. This move deals 3 damage and costs 3 energy points. You can also use Up + S2 for a more upward angle, hitting someone closer to you. instead of just standard S2 which covers a wider range. Both are valuable tools.
Other: Air Man's bulk packs him extra defense, at the cost of not being able to slide. By pressing slide in the air, for the cost of 3 ep, Air can push himself backwards, almost like an aerial wavedash, useful for escaping opponents. You can also use the backdash to throw off opponents when trying to mix up your movement options. Or just as a fast getaway tool, you can even use something like NS or S1 to attack your opponent while backdashing!
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Air Man is a powerful long range fighter with solid defense to boot. At a distance Air Man can use both his Normal Shot and Special 1 to fill the screen with projectiles, creating a bullet hell for any opponents unfortunate enough to be caught in his storm.
Staying away and being campy is an absolutely valid strategy with Air Man. He has increased defense by 15% and can block almost any shot with Special 1, allowing him to stay safe from afar even better.
Air Man can also deal well with opponents above him, Special 2’s ability to shoot upwards makes for a good anti air tool, so vertically oriented stages are Air Man’s friend when he has the low ground. Add on Special 1’s wide radius and upward tilt and he can stay safe while hiding away.
You can also use both NS and Down + NS to cover both the air and ground to throw off some opponents. You can do this and then following up with something like S2 for a wide array of coverage!
An alternative strategy with Air Man, if playing campy isn’t your thing, is to get right in your opponent’s face and use NS while jumping to consistently attack your opponent and you can use S1 if you want some more coverage, or simply want to back away. Along with that you can use S2 to keep your opponent in a corner and keep them near you. While you can use this strategy for opponents that are stronger farther away, you shouldn’t be as up close if your opponent is very powerful in close range.
Air Man particularly struggles with powerful close range characters, Air Man’s shots all spawn a little bit in front of him, meaning opponents are safest when they’re right on top of him.
Due to Air Man’s lack of a slide, it’s also difficult to quickly flee from an opponent that’s too close in the heat of a match. Keeping your distance is a definite must. Your S1 and S2 should help with this.
Air Man doesn’t have the best mobility, so you’ll be mostly relying on backdash for movement, as it’s both fast and a good mix-up tool. Air Man can still walk around as needed for some safer movement.
