Author/Twitter handle: @ novriltataki

Character Discord Server: https://discord.gg/010mtfwzqq54ecePm

Day 1 Combo
2K->c.S->2D->214P
Day 1 Blockstring
2K->c.S->2D->41236P

General style

During the neutral phase, Venom controls space with long ranged normals and projectiles. He uses the projectiles’ cover to start pressure and secure mixups after knockdowns. His damage is overall on the lower side of the cast and he has no defensive options.

1. Neutral: Pokes, Space control, far range converting

Faster ←—————————————————-> More Rewarding
Normals                  Stinger S/Carcass S                       Ballset/QV

Normals and specials that create moving balls help you control the screen quickly and give you chances to set up stationary balls. The stationary balls grant you more powerful space control and allow you to approach into point blank range safely.

f.S- Long ranged normal. Canceling into Ballset(214X) is usually safe when far enough.

2S- Overall the best poke because of its range/speed/recovery ratio.
The main cancel options from it are Stinger S/H, Carcass S and QV.

2K- Fastest “far” normal, and is a low.
“2K->2D->Ball set” is a common way to score a knockdown and okizeme outside of point blank range.

Backdash- Venom’s backdash helps him reposition in the ideal ranges for f.S/2S.

j.H- Venom’s best air normal. Strive to meet the opponent at its tip.

j.S- Fastest air to ground, can hit right below and as a crossup.

j.P- Fastest air to air, and covers horizontal angle. Will not win air battles so use it only when you can make the timing of the contact between you and the opponent unpredictable.

2D- Situational as a starter. Short ranged and dangerous to whiff, but counters specific moves with its low profile.

6H- Prevents the opponent from jumping away. Best used while advancing behind a ball. Always cancel this into ball set or QV.

Stinger S/H- Harass from afar and add extra damage to your normal pokes.

Carcass S- Great in most ranges and allows you to recover fast enough and AA if the opponent reacts and jumps above it.

QV- Can be used after poking with normals at specific ranges (ideally, max range of QV hitbox) to set up a ball. Alternatively it can be used to erase a projectile while setting a ball. Risky to use while the opponent is free to move around.

Ballset(214X)- Recovers faster than QV but still leaves you open. Use when the opponent is far enough or while the opponent is forced to block another projectile (A previous ball/Stinger S/Carcass S).

For neutral, the main 1 ball sets are P and S. If you can somehow find time to set them up, the main 2 ball sets are PK and SH.

Ball sets in neutral are strong and forces an immediate commitment from the opponent. So after you set a ball in neutral, don’t think about what you want to do but how your opponent will now react.

Other than the usual “P ball->5P->follow”, make sure to mix in many baits against aggression. Examples:
“P ball->ignore ball and counter the approach”
“S ball->IAD backwards->hit the ball”

Forcing the opponent to block a slow moving ball is the best way to go from the neutral phase into the offense phase.

More information about using ball formations in the neutral phase can be found in this video:

2. Offense: Pressure, close range converting, mixups and okizeme

c.S- Venom’s main tool up close. Can be done as “2K->c.S” for a low, or “6S+H” for the throw option select. Leads to good combos on hit, and offers many options on block. Always charge down after pressing the button. On hit, do a big corner carry combo. On block you need to mix between different patterns.

The usual blockstring structure is “(2K)->c.S(2)->jump cancel / 1-2 extra normals->Special/wait.”
The key is mixing different specials, at different times during the string of normals. Even a frame disadvantage is ok if you can create unpredictable conditions — your position and the area you control.

Carcass S- Frame advantage on block. The closer you are to the opponent, the better this move becomes. (Easier to continue offense and harder for the opponent to evade.)
Which is why you always charge down during a blocked c.S, but it can also be used later, after 2S/2H/2D.

j236S- An overhead after jump canceling c.S, but works even better as a mixup option after a blocked jump-in normal.

QV- Is Venom’s most common ender. QV is ideal for farther ranges where Carcass S is less effective. Leaves you at -4 negative frames, but with a ball ready to be used.

Manage your blockstrings so that QV blocked at its max range.
If you do this, against many characters, “PQV->whiff 5P->hit ball” cannot be interrupted, and leaves you in an advantageous situation, with an active ball in front.

The common solution against this is to hit Venom with a quick long normal and trade with the ball, which ends in pretty even frames.

This is where mixing the P version with the other QV versions come in:
“KQV->jump forward->j.X->hit ball” / “SQV->IAD backwards->hit ball” / “HQV->teleport->hit ball”
All of these can be used to evade the opponent’s quick retaliation and get back in after a ball.

5H- A great normal to cancel into QV. Its long blockstun makes the QV harder to evade compared to other normals, and it also pushes the opponent backwards, into QV’s ideal range.

2H- Improved a lot Rev2. Its anti-air capabilities remained the same, but now the first hit is a low, and its range vastly improved. It now replaces f.S and 2S as a better filler normal in combos and blockstrings.

Stinger S- Leaves at you at a very small advantage and farther positioning but comes out pretty fast. Can be YRCed if you really want to reset the pressure.

“2D(2)->Stinger S” is a solid pressure ender because if the 2D hits, you can react and either RRC the stinger for a damaging air combo, or charge the stinger for a big ball okizeme.

Stinger H- Ends pressure with the most disadvantage for you, but it punishes attempts to evade/counter all the other, slower specials.

Carcass H- A great option in the corner when you expect them to try to escape via the air. It’s riskier to throw out than Carcass S because of long recovery and the ball disappearing if Venom gets hit.

A typical pressure string looks something like this: (skip c.S when not close enough)
2K->c.S->2H(1)-2H(2)->2D(1)->2D(2)
Each of these hits can be cancelled into specials. The specials that can reset pressure are slow to come out so they have exploitable gaps. Effective pressure simply means using the chain of normals, and mixing up when to use a special and which special to use.

Okizeme:
Set up balls during the knockdown, and while the opponent is forced to block the balls, apply “hit/throw” mixups, or “late airdash/empty jump low” mixups, or get close and start pressure.

A simple okizeme setup that you can always rely on is to create a P ball at the end of the combo, hit it with 5P and move into point blank range while the opponent is blocking the ball.
But get used to timing your approach so that the last gap between you and the opponent will be closed only after the ball touches the opponent, during the blockstun. This way you won’t be affected by Blitzshields, and you’ll be able to punish them easily by attacking low.

Other okizeme setups are much more rewarding, but require consideration of position, unique reversal options, and Blitzshield. Applying okizeme that doesn’t fit the character and the situation may get you countered easily. Watch match videos of top Venom players and examine which setups they use against the characters you play against, and considering the opponent’s super meter.

3. Defense: Anti-airs, fending off pressure, and reversals

6P is the main anti-air.
c.S/2H/rising air throw are situational AAs. In cases when 6P doesn’t work well, one of these may do the job. (2H still anti-airs in Rev2)
2K is the fastest normal (5 frames) for abare. (Abare=Disrespecting pressure and trying to interrupt between the attacks.)
Venom has no invincible reversals, so Faultless defense is extremely important.
Backdash can help in specific situations. (A pretty small invincibility window.)

4. Meter Usage Priorities

Faultless defense!!! (Push them to 2S range.)
YRCing S Stinger at end of blockstring to reset pressure.
YRCing H Stinger at neutral.
RRC to convert a normal->special outside c.S range into a bigger corner carry combo.