Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Sentinel FAQ v2.0 -------------------------------------- Written & compiled by dragonkahn Created on November 9, 2000 Last Updated on September 12, 2001 Email: dragonkahn@yahoo.com =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== 1. Profile 2. Overview 3. Notable Normal Moves 4. Special Moves 5. Hyper Combos 6. Assist Types 7. Strategy 8. Combos 9. Partner Recommendations 10. Miscellaneous 11. Props and Credits =============================================================================== 1. Profile =============================================================================== Real Name: ??? Height: varies Weight: varies Place of Birth: ??? Occupation: ??? First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #14 Superhuman Powers: ??? History: ??? =============================================================================== 2. Overview =============================================================================== Sentinel is one of the most overpowered and cheapest characters in the game. And this has been proven in the tournament scene. He is a part of Duc Do's winning team of Spiral/Cable/Sent, the best player in the game during its heyday. He's also in the notorious team of Team Watts, which Alex Valle plays to near perfection. And now, he's a part of Justin Wong's team of Storm/Sentinel/Cammy, who is the current MvC2 World Champion. Overtime, many people have learned and utilized his Flight-Cancelling game. And eventually, what was once a lopsided losing battle against Cable, suddenly turn more favorable towards Sentinel. Granted, Sentinel still has a tough time against Cable, Cable doesn't dominate Sentinel like how it was before. Strengths --------- Keep-away - Sentinel is one of the better keep away characters in the game. It's not really like Doom and Cable's "Don't get near me!!!" keep away, but more like "If you get close to me, I'll knock your ass back out!!!" type of keep away. He has 4 variations of projectiles, the fastest flight in the game, Flight-Cancelling, and higly-prioritized basic attacks to push your opposition away. Dashing or jumping in on this guy is possible, but he'll find a way push you back out. Speed and Surprise - For a big guy, Sentinel has a pretty damn fast ground dash, both forwards and backwards. His Flight Mode is the fastest among the game. He can fly back faster than most characters trying to move forward. Sentinel's normal attacks are somewhat slow, but thanks to Capcom's cancellation system, they can be cancelled into a fast special and then cancelled again into a fast super. His attacks are fast enough that you need quick reflexes to block them. Sentinel's rushdown is nothing to sneeze at. He may dash in with a low attack, which leads to a painful Hyper Sentinel Force combo. Or he may jump up suddenly and perform a Stomp Combo on you with quick speed. His rushdown is quick enough that you don't know whether to block high or low. You should always be on your toes when playing against this guy. Reach and Priority - Sentinel can hit you with just about anything from across the screen, and it'll hurt too. He also has Super Armor, which takes him 2 hits to get stunned. So, he just might be able to sneak in an attack even when you're hitting him. His jumping Fierce, Short, and Roundhouse have mad air-to-air and air-to-ground priority, which makes him arguably the King of the Skies. Damage - Sentinel is the most damaging and most durable character in the game, hands down. He takes the least amount of damage, taking only 50% of what Akuma takes. He also dishes out a lot of it too. All of his normal attacks do chipping damage, even to Iceman. His Rocket Punch is the most "useful" damaging special in the game IMO. Juggernaut's Punch is also damaging but has a lot of lag at the end, making it too risky to pull out. Strider's Parachute Bomb (the most damaging special in the game) on the other hand, has no recovery time at the end, but has laggy startup time, making it hard to connect. Lag and Recovery - For a guy that's bigger than Juggernaut and Hulk, Sentinel's pretty darn fast, in terms of execution. All of his supers have little or no lag whatsoever. If your opponent blocks any of your supers, you can be sure that you pretty much safe from counters, even from AHVBs (Air Hyper Viper Beams). Weaknesses ---------- Size - Sentinel is the biggest character in the game, covering nearly 1/3 of the screen area. Anything you throw at him will most likely hit him, even when he's crouching. Sentinel is huge prey to the Doom/Blackheart trap. His size is prefect for combos since any attack will most likely hit him. Crossovers are the worst nightmares for Sentinel players. Anti-Air - None of Sentinel's ground moves, whether it be normal, special, or hyper, will hit your opponent when he's in the air. As long as he's in the air and Sentinel is on the ground, he is perfectly safe from Sentinel's attacks. Most players will cover this weakness by pairing Sentinel with a high-hitting Anti-Air assist, such as CapCom AAA or Cammy AAA. =============================================================================== 3. Notable Normal Moves =============================================================================== standing Fierce --------------- Rating: ****- This is Sentinel's one-button beam. Does only 2 hits max and has long recovery. It'll miss most crouching opponents but it can prevent him from jumping up. If your opponent manages to completely dodge the beam, cancel it out into Drone Swarm or Flight Mode and fly backwards. Use this move after Hyper Sentinel Force so you can juggle your opponent for another one. This is Sentinel's quickest move from far range, so this should be used frequently. crouching Fierce ---------------- Rating: ****- Same as standing Fierce, except that it hits crouching opponents. Alternate between standing and crouching to throw your opponent off. jumping Fierce, Short, Roundhouse --------------------------------- Rating: ***** These three basic air attacks is what makes Sentinel the King of the Skies. Combinations of these attacks will give Sentinel air-to-ground control. His Fierce a.k.a. "The Frying Pan" is Sentinel's best air-to-air attack. It has mad priority and reach, and will knock your airborne opponent back down to the ground. His Short and Roundhouse attacks a.k.a. "Stomps" is used to pin and keep your opponent to the ground. standing Roundhouse ------------------- Rating: ***-- This is Sentinel's only launcher, a.k.a. "The Big Boot". It's impossible to connect with it from a ground combo, but can be connected after Sentinel lands from an air combo (OTG). It also has a long recovery time, giving your opponent enough time to block it, dash-in, and combo. It can be used as an unreliable Anti-Air, though, using it against jump-ins. crouching Roundhouse -------------------- Rating: ****- This is Sentinel's sweep move. I use this move a lot when I'm rushing down with Sent. Surprisingly, not that many people use this move. It's a good move to try to pressure your opponent. What I do is rush in with crouching Roundhouse, quickly cancel into Flight, and then pull off Short, Roundhouse. If it connects, then downwards Rocket Punch. If it doesn't, then just Flight Cancel. =============================================================================== 4. Special Moves =============================================================================== Rocket Punch: D, DF, F + any punch ---------------------------------- Rating: ****- This move is Sentinel's Bread and Butter; it does a whole lot of damage, comes out really fast, and can be done in the air. If it completely misses your opponent, though, it leaves Sentinel wide open because his hand needs to retract back to his arm. Recovery time depends on the distance the hand travels. Also, treat his Rocket Punch as an extension of his body, not a projectile. If your opponent attacks it with a fireball or whatever, then it'll hurt Sentinel, even though he's all the way across the screen. The Fierce version goes horizontally straight while the Jab version goes downward at about 30 degrees. Use Fierce version for long range and Jab version for close range. And always cancel into Hyper Sentinel Force if it hits or Plasma Storm if you are close enough and have only one super. Upward Rocket Punch: F, D, DF, F + any punch -------------------------------------------- Rating: **--- A Rocket Punch that goes 30 degrees upwards. Not really reliable because it completely misses grounded opponents, and leaves Sentinel wide open for a dash-in. Not really good Anti-Air, either. More useful in the air though. Drone Swarm: D, DF, F + Short ----------------------------- Rating: ****- Summons 3 drones that goes across the screen. Each drone requires one hit to stop, so it takes 3 hits (or a beam) to completely stop the swarm. You can control the height of its flight by pushing down to make it go lower or pushing up to make it go higher. If you can control it right, it can prevent your opponent from dashing or jumping in on you. This move is also used as Sentinel's Guard Break. *See Strategy section for his Guard Break. Drone Bombs: D, DF, F + Roundhouse ---------------------------------- Rating: ****- Has slow startup and can be seen a mile away. But good for pressuring and chipping your opponent; can also block out fireballs. But its most useful for stopping dash-ins and jump-ins. They may get a hit on you but once the Drone Bombs are out, they hit your opponent even if Sentinel's getting his ass kicked. You can control where the Bombs drop by holding down Roundhouse to release them at the other end of the screen. If it's not held down, then they will be released in the middle of the screen. Flight: D, DB, B + both kicks ----------------------------- Rating: ***** Perhaps, the most useful move in his arsenal. Flight is to Sentinel like Air-dashing is to Magneto. He has the fastest flight in the entire game. It's so fast that he can actually dodge most super jump attacks. Other than mobility, Flight has another use...Fly-cancelling. Sentinel can pull off laggy basic ground moves relatively safe. If he sees that the opponent has an opportunity to retaliate, all Sentinel has to do is quickly cancel into Flight Mode and fly back or cancel into Flight Mode and immediately cancel out of Flight Mode. Also, when Sentinel is flying, if he sees something that will potentially hit out of the air (i.e. opponent DHC into Storm's Hailstorm), Sentinel is quick enough to quickly cancel out of Flight and he'll be able to block. Use and abuse this as often as possible. Flight is a major part of his game as I've mentioned before. =============================================================================== 5. Hyper Combos =============================================================================== Plasma Storm: D, DF, F + both punches ------------------------------------- Rating: ****- A good and damaging way to end ground combos. Mash the buttons for extra hits and damage. This super has very quick startup and little recovery time. If your opponent blocks it, you are pretty much safe from counter attacks. Although, I'd rather waste my supers on Hyper Sentinel Force. Hyper Sentinel Force: D, DF, F + both kicks ------------------------------------------- Rating: ***** This is one of the best supers in the game. Has absolutely no lag afterwards and is a good super to DHC into. If they block it, then you are safe from any kind of punishment afterwards, even from Cable's AHVB. This super can be linked one-by-one by using Fierce Beam and/or Rocket Punch in between them. Hard Drive: D, DF, F + both punches (in air) -------------------------------------------- Rating: **--- Although, it may seem to be a good super, at first, because you can link it after an air combo, but look at the damage. No thanks to Capcom's Damage Reduction system, an air combo finished off with Hard Drive does just a little bit more damage than the same combo finished off with a Rocket Punch. Don't with this super. =============================================================================== 6. Assist Types =============================================================================== Alpha ----- Projectile: Jab Rocket Punch Rating: ***-- A decent assist because of it's massive damage, but can be a seen a mile away, giving your opponent plenty of time to block. Ground type is better. Beta ---- Launcher: standing Roundhouse Rating: *---- The worst of Sentinel's assists. Sentinel just comes in and gives the "Big Boot", which launches your opponent in the air. You can air combo after this, but is unreliable because it doesn't interrupt or "outprioritize" a lot of other attacks or assists. Don't bother picking this one. Gamma ----- Ground: Sentinel Force Swarm Rating: ***** The best of Sentinel's assists. Sentinel summons 3 drones that goes across the screen. This is good for helping you dash-in or chip turtlers. It also stops Rushdown characters such as Magneto from triangle jumping in on you. Each drone requires one hit to stop, so it takes 3 hits (or a beam) to completely stop the swarm. If they get hit by it, they stay grounded on the floor, so you can combo after the last drone hits them. =============================================================================== 7. Strategy =============================================================================== Blackheart - coming soon Cable - When fighting against Cable, try not to stay on the same level as he is. If he's on the ground, you should be in the air. If he's in the air, you should be on the ground. You do not want to be in his beam's line of sight (horizontally straight). Superjump and activate Flight Mode. Try to stay directly above his head. If he tries to superjump up with you, knock him back down with Fierce or Roundhouse. Or if you're too far away to hit him, then quickly deactivate Flight Mode, otherwise you'll eat AHVB. If you do dodge it, fly behind him and do the Hard Drive super. Pulling out Hyper Sentinel Force against beamers are OK since it has so little lag afterwards that even a AHVB can't get him. In turn, punish blocked beam supers with Rocket Punch xx Hyper Sentinel Force. Not really a good strategy against beamers, but hey, they're a pain in the @$$ for everyone. Cyclops - coming soon Doctor Doom - Sentinel should win this match. Flying Sentinel will give Doom major problems. Just try to stay at a higher level than Doom and keep him pinned to the ground with Stomp attacks. Try to telegraph his Air Photon Shots: superjump, cancel into Flight Mode, fly over and towards Doom, and hit him with Fierce. Do not try to wavedash under his Photon Shot; Sentinel's too big to avoid them. If playing against Doom/Blackheart, however, you best have a good AAA with you (i.e. CapCom or Cyclops AAA). Otherwise, Sentinel will lose badly to them. Magneto - Magneto will rape Sentinel, if not equipped with a proper assist. Try to keep Magneto away from you at all times. If he does get close to you, he will triangle jump and cross up all over you. You may not know how to block his rushdown properly, which will result in a free damaging combo for Magneto. To prevent this from happening, pushblock all attacks he tries on you to give yourself breathing room. Keep him clear across the screen with combinations of Fierce Beams, Drone Swarms, and Flight-cancelling. Do not throw random Hyper Sentinel Forces. Magneto will be be able to superjump out of it, airdash over, and punish you. Try to fly around. If he airdashes straight towards you, knock him back down with Fierce. If he superjumps up at you, knock him back down with Roundhouse. CapCom AAA will definitely help out your cause in the fight against Magneto. Sentinel (Mirror Match) - It's all a matter of who gains control of the air. You will see a whole lot of flying and missed air attacks in Sentinel vs. Sentinel matches. Try to stay on a higher ground than his Sentinel. If you got quick fingers and reaction, try to dodge any laggy moves you he tries to throw out, and then fly over (or under, if more appropriate) and bust out c.lk, c.lk xx Upwards Rocket Punch. You and your opponent's assists also play a major role in this battle. Picking the right assist may ultimately lead to either victory or defeat. Ideal assists you should pick when fighting against other Sentinels are CapCom, Cammy, and Blackheart AAA. Psylocke and Doom AAA, among many others, are horrible in Sentinel fights. Two main things to keep in your head: choose wisely, and stay on a higher ground Spiral - coming soon Storm - coming soon Sentinel's Guard Break ---------------------- To do Sentinel's guard break, your opponent must appear in the corner. When his next character pops out, hit him with Sentinel Drone Swarm at the peak of it flight (you must activate the Swarm even before he comes onto the screen so that it'll reach to the end of the screen once he pops out). Once he blocks it, do a standing Roundhouse to launch him and bust out your air combo. =============================================================================== 8. Combos =============================================================================== Legend ------ () = action done while standing, crouching, jumping, or superjumping (this is specified before the parentheses) xx = special/hyper cancel - fly (Short, Roundhouse xx Rocket Punch) - crouching Short, stand (Strong xx Rocket Punch xx Plasma Storm) - crouching Short, stand (Strong xx Rocket Punch xx Hyper Sentinel Force), standing Fierce and/or Rocket Punch xx Hyper Sentinel Force. Repeat last two moves if desired. - standing Roundhouse, superjump (Jab, Short, Strong, Forward xx Rocket Punch) - (in the corner) crouching Short, stand (Strong xx Rocket Punch xx Hyper Sentinel Force), dash-in Roundhouse, superjump (Jab, Short, Strong, Forward xx Flight Mode), fly towards your opponent, Fierce throw, Short, Forward xx Upwards Rocket Punch, fly towards your opponent again, Fierce throw, Short, Forward xx Upwards Rocket Punch Email me if you got a good combo worth posting (dragonkahn@yahoo.com). =============================================================================== 9. Partner Recommendations =============================================================================== Cammy - She can utilize Sentinel's Ground assist to its full extent with her Cannon Drill. Call out Sentinel's assist and then Air Cannon Drill over your opponent to the other side. Then dash-in on your opponent, while the Drone Swarm is getting the other side. If it hits, you can combo it off, since the opponent stays grounded, and launch him in the air for a nasty air KBA combo. Magneto does have somewhat a similar stategy like this, but not as effective as Cammy's. Any character with Teleport - Teleporters can also take full advantage of Sentinel's ground assist, too. Right when the Drone Swarm is about to hit your opponent, teleport to the other side of your opponent. Now, he must block the Swarm by holding the other way. He may get confused or may not be fast enough to know which way to block. It helps a lot if you do your teleport move behind Sentinel. Since Sentinel's so big, he can cover you up while you're doing the teleport. This makes it harder for your opponent to know whether you're gonna teleport to the left or right side, or not even teleport at all. Good teleporters that can do this real well would be Spiral and Strider. Blackheart - When partnered with Blackheart, you get the Sentinel/Blackheart trap. Call out Blackheart's Anti-Air assist and do Fierce Beam xx Drone Swarm. Then Fierce Beam xx Drone Swarm. Call out Blackheart again and repeat this process until your opponent chips to death or 'til you get bored. It doesn't work quite as well on air dashers because they can dodge Blackheart's Inferno in the air. There's also a hole where your opponent can super jump and get close to Sentinel, but all you need to do is dash back and proceed with the trap. Captain Commando - CapCom's Anti-Air assist provides Sentinel all the anti-air he needs. It's one of the best assists in the game, and does a lot of damage. Sentinel could just fly and keep calling out CapCom's assist to annoy the hell outta the opponent. =============================================================================== 10. Miscellaneous =============================================================================== - My favorite team: Spiral/Strider/Doom and Spiral/Storm/Cammy - My Money Teams: Spiral/Cable/Sentinel and Storm/Cable/Captain Commando - Team in experimental stage: Magneto/Cable/Cammy - My favorite character: Cammy - My favorite Top-Tier character: Spiral - The Unsung Hero/Heroine: Sonson - No respect for: BH/Capcom teams (geez, show some more skill, doods) - Mad props to: Magneto, Iron Man, and Strider/Doom players (Rock on.) - Arcades I go to: Burbank All-Amusement, SHGL - What I want: an all-black outfit for Strider and an all-white outfit for Spiral OH BOY!!! =O =============================================================================== 11. Props and Credits =============================================================================== Props to... ----------- - Gen2000, stuc2k, striderhiryu827, sinawe358 - Soo a.k.a. SooMighty for teaching me the Art of Mag Rushdown. Thank you, Sensei -_- - and to all the puny, little scrubs that I have crushed to get to where I am today. Credits to... ------------- - Marvel Enterprises for the Sentinel profile =============================================================================== What ya think of my FAQ? Email me at dragonkahn@yahoo.com I would luv to hear from ya © 2000-2001 John "dragonkahn" Le Long Live the Dragon