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May is currently the most polarizing character in Guilty Gear Strive, as her playstyle and design revolve around annoying opponents with her unique rushdown.
While most rushdown characters are blessed with an arsenal of fast moves and mobility options, May has only two mobility options and the rest of her moves are slow and hard hitting.
This means she doesn’t have nearly as much control and escape potential.In return, she can hit harder with a much lesser execution barrier.
This guide will go into how to use May in Guilty Gear Strive, her kit, movement and game plan. Combo routes and the fundamentals of the game will not be explained, so make sure to check out other guides as well
Guilty Gear Strive: A guide to using May
Moving with Mr. Dolphin
The two most important moves in May’s arsenal in Guilty Gear Strive are her charge specials:
- Mr. Dolphin (Horizontal) [4-6S/H]
- Mr. Dolphin (Vertical) [2-8S/H]
In both moves, May dashes towards the opponent on top of a dolphin, and what makes the move special is how incredibly fast it comes out.
The vertical dolphin has a higher jump arc while the horizontal one has a wider one. May will use this to shift around the screen.
Mr. Dolphin works as a good poking tool and is reliable, but this move is especially effective if it lands a counter-hit. The increased hit-stun allows May to perform combos that aren’t normally feasible with Mr. Dolphin.
May’s kit & the incredibly potent command grab
May has only two other specials besides Mr. Dolphin in Guilty Gear Strive:
- Overhead Kiss [623K]
- Arisugawa Sparkle [214P/K]
Arisugawa Sparkle is May’s only projectile move and shouldn’t be used for anything other than closing the distance. It doesn’t have very good damage, but what makes it unique is its trajectory and sustainability, allowing May to even perform certain set ups.
Overhead Kiss is a command grab that doesn’t do much damage on its own, but is integral to May’s best combo routes. It diversifies May’s offense beyond poking with dolphins and slashing.
While a run-up command grab is one of the most obvious ways to land Overhead Kiss, it’s much safer to connect upon using the heavy variation of Mr. Dolphin on counter-hit.
The game plan & May’s supers
May players in Guilty Gear Strive should focus on surprising their opponents with Mr. Dolphin and try their best to do so on counter-hits. One of the biggest mistakes May players make is spaming Mr. Dolphin instead of relying on reads. Use her slashes to poke at the opponent and use Overhead Kiss to punish excessive blocking.
May has two supers in Guilty Gear Strive:
- Great Yamada Attack [236236S]
- The Wonderful and Dynamic Goshogawara [632146H]
Great Yamada Attack is May’s signature super in Guilty Gear Strive and is basically a bigger projectile move that hits thrice. Due to the slow start up, it’s pretty easy to react to if done raw. Regardless, it's a reliable way of trying to close the distance and start the offense. It is feasible to perform this in certain combos.
Goshogawara, a reversal super, can be used in the middle of the enemy offense or on wakeup. Because of the fast start-up, it’s pretty easy to combo into as well.
For more advanced information on her normals and combo routes in Guilty Gear Strive, make sure to check out the Dustloop wiki.
