Sta.sh
First I'm going to touch on how most scrubs TRY to play Dormmamu. They try to spam 'Black Hole', 'Big Bang', and the 'Chaotic Flame' Super. It irritates me. Mainly because they are destroyed so easily! Dormammu is a POWERHOUSE and he needs to be able to demonstrate it! I mean, he's pretty much a god for cryin' out loud! So, I'm going to touch on my strategies which have led me to be a 7th Lord (and climbing) and able to wipe out a full team of characters with full health. Yes, I have done it before. Ask my training partner
As always, we'll start with Dorm's normals. Dormammu is the owner of my favorite normal attack: his c.M. I can't stress my love for this attack! His L is quick in both the s. and c. versions. His M is decent anti-air and his c.M is tricky and quick. It serves as my go-to combo starter unless the opponent is getting use to it, in which case I'll switch up to Dorm's c.H. Dormammu can chain L into M, or L to H. But, not M to H! Always remember that!
Moving right along. A key staple to Dormammu play is is 'Puddle of Flame' and 'Finger Shot'. The fire puddle is just damaging enough that you're enemy will try their best to avoid it, and while their attention is focused on the puddle you can punish very effectively. The magic dart, 'Finger Shot', is a good way to build distance between your enemy and yourself. If you're feeling pressured and cornered, lay the fire puddle and when your enemy steps on it, clear the air with the dart and hit them with a H 'Dark Hole'. Always have a fire puddle on the ground! I can't stress that enough! It gives Dormammu a power over the enemy that only Trish can match.
Your average combo starter will be:
(L + c.M + S) or (L + c.H + S)
After the launch, you can go for this as well.
(j.M + j.M + j.H + j.S)
To extend this combo, use the 'Puddle of Flame' and start the launch over again. So, a normal combo for Dormammu should look like this:
(L + c.M + S + j.M + j.M + j.H + j.S + Puddle of Flame + c.M + S + j.H + j.S)
Also, if you time it just right (and you're in the corner) you can pull this baby off.
(L + c.M + S + j.M + j.M + j.H + j.S + Puddle of Flame + c.M + Puddle of Flame + c.M + Puddle of Flame + Finger Shot + H + S + j.H + j.S)
Do this to really irritate your foe, and encourage him to 'rage-quit'. It's a good feeling when this happens, because you were beating the snot out of them at close range to make him quit, as opposed to just zoning him out!
Next, we'll talk about Dorm's Special Moves. Starting with 'Dark Hole':
Like Super-Skrull's 'Meteor Smash', depending on what button you push the hole will open at one of three places on the screen. L opens a hole just in front of Dormammu, M is mid-screen, and H is nigh-fullscreen but not completely. These are my favorite specials in the game, truth be told. Also, if you're airborne, you can use 'Dark Hole' also. Do this to discourage your opponent from jumping towards you!
The 'Purification' attack works in the same manner as 'Dark Hole', except it shoots a pillar of energy into the air and covers the ENTIRE vertical screen. This is a Phoenix killer, fyi. When she sits in the far corner and is just shooting her power balls at you, hit her with this to let her know that she's your bitch now. Again, like 'Dark Hole', L opens a pillar just in front of Dorm, M is mid-screen, and H is nigh-fullscreen. Also, these hit OTG (off the ground) and if you Hyper Cancel it on the first hit you can score a 'Chaotic Flame' Super for good damage. For example:
(L + c.M + S + j.M + j.M + j.H + j.S + Purification (depending on where your enemy is: L, M, or H) --> Hyper Cancel to 'Chaotic Flame' Super)
'Liberation' is a fun move that is used in conjunction with Dormammu's 'Power of the Destruction' and 'Power of Creation' moves. For easy identification, 'PoD' is called 'Red' and 'PoC' is called 'Blue'. There are several different possibilities for what this move can do, so I'll go through each.
'Burst' is when Dormammu has no charges whatsoever. It sends out a bubble of force around Dormammu, in all directions. This is very good for those pesky teleporters. Cough, cough...Dante.
'Boom' is with one Red charge only. It's a little explosion and is good for extending combos if you place the distance right. 'Big Boom' is with two Red charges only. It has better range than it's weaker stage and is better for extending combos. 'Big Bang' is three Red charges, and is the ultimate version of 'Boom'. It covers the whole screen and does good damage, and even hits OTG. Use it when someone's trying to spam you, aka Sentinel. Also, if you have 'Big Bang' ready to go when Dante uses his 'Million Dollars' Super, and you manage to block it, there's a moment between his bullet volley and his charged shot finisher. Use this second to unleash 'Big Bang' and stop him cold, with some punishment to boot!
'Spike' is with one Blue charge only. It summons a little spike in front of Dorm, and does decent at combo extensions also. 'Hell Spike' (two Blue charges) is similar to shockwave-type supers (aka. Thor's 'Mighty Thunder') but only a downgraded form. It summons three spikes in succession and juggles your enemy. 'Hell's Grasp' (three Blue charges) is a tricky, but rewarding move. It spreads along the floor, and if your enemy doesn't jump or block, the ability to jump will be nullified for a few moments! Use this is your enemy tries to evade you simply by jumping back. While they're trying to figure out why they can get airborne, you can rush them and light them up!
'Meteor' (1 Red, 1 Blue) summons a small rain of burning brimstone that hits OTG. This seems to be more of an annoyance than anything, in my opinion. But, I digress. 'Inferno' (2 Red, 1 Blue) is the cool, older brother of 'Meteor'. Instead of a slight drizzle of burning death, it's a downpour...and it's glorious. This also hits OTG and is great in combos where you can X-Factor cancel. (But I'll get to that in a minute) 'Hellfire' (1 Red, 2 Blue) causes an eruption of volcanic matter that showers down around the vent, it also hits OTG. It's useful, but 'Inferno' is my personal favorite, for example:
L + c.M + S + j. M + j.M + j.H + j.S + Purification --> Hyper Cancel to 'Chaotic Flame' Super --> X-Factor Cancel + Inferno
The damage is pretty spectacular. Just as a note, Dormammu can Teleport, Fly, and Air Dash in any of the eight directions. Use these to play Dorm as an aggressive keep-away/brawler and surprise your opponent, who will most likely be expecting a defensive keep-away/spammer. This is the key to my Dormammu play, and what makes me so (relatively) successful. Touching on Hyper Combos now, 'Chaotic Flame' is one of the fastest firing supers in the game. If you and your opponent activate at the same time, Dorm's will win UNLESS the enemy uses and armored super (aka. Hulk's 'Gamma Smash', Sentinel's 'Hyper Sentinel Force') It also X-Factor cancels into a second 'Chaotic Flame' for fun.
The 'Floating Bomb' super is also really nice, as far as damage goes. But the really spectacular thing is the chip damage it does. If you X-Factor cancel into a second 'Floating Bomb' you can do half a characters health in damage, WHILE THEY'RE BLOCKING! It just tickles me. Finally, we come to Dormammu's Level 3 Hyper Combo 'Dark Dimension'. It's a tricky move to use, since it travels along the ground, and though it's quick it isn't fast (if you understand my meaning). It's also easy to block, and although it hits OTG it's easy to whiff it. The best way to utilize it is to use it when your opponent uses a charging super, or a shockwave super. NOTE: You have to be on the opposite corner from your foe, so the shockwave doesn't catch you before 'Dark Dimension' hits them. Here's a list of all the Supers that Dormammu can overpower with 'Dark Dimension', if there's enough distance.
Jill: None
Wesker: Both 'Rhino Charge' and 'Lost in Nightmare'
Chris: Both 'Sweep Charge' and 'Satellite Laser'
Akuma: Both 'Messatsu/Tenma-Gohado Agyo' and 'Messatsu Goshoryu'
Tron: All Hypers
Zero: Both 'Rekkoha' and 'Sougenmu'
C-Viper: All Hypers
Chun-Li: Both 'Kikosho' and 'Hoyokusen'
Ryu: 'Shinku Tatsumaki Senpukyaku'
Trish: Both 'Round Harvest' and 'Duet Pain'
Dante: Both 'Devil Trigger' and 'Devil Must Die'
Amaterasu: Both 'Value of Mist' and 'Divine Instruments'
Spencer: All Hypers
Viewtiful Jow: Both 'Mach Speed' and 'Viewtiful God Hand'
Hsien-ko: All Hypers
Morrigan: 'Shadow Servant'
Felicia: All Hypers
Arthur: 'Armor Summon'
Haggar: Both 'Rapid Fire Fist' and 'Hyper Haggar Slam'
Dr. Doom: All Hypers
Dormammu: 'Floating Bomb'
Shuma Gorath: Both 'Hyper Mystic Smash' and 'Chaos Dimension'
Super-Skrull: None
MODOK: 'Killer Illumination'
Taskmaster: 'Aegis Counter'
Captain America: All Hypers
Thor: Both 'Mighty Thunder' and 'Mighty Punish'
Iron Man: None
Spider-Man: 'Crawler Assault'
Storm: None
Wolverine: 'Berserker Barrage', 'Berserker Charge', and 'Weapon X'
Deadpool: Both 'Cutting Time' and 'Fourth Wall Crisis'
Magneto: Both 'Magnetic Shockwave' and 'Magnetic Tempest'
X-23: All Hypers
Phoenix: 'Healing Field'
Sentinel: 'Plasma Storm'
Hulk: 'Gamma Quake'
She-Hulk: 'Sunday Driver'
It's a long list, I know. But when you commit it to memory, you'll know whether or not to burn 3 Hyper Bars. This can be a game changer! It can be an enemy X-Factor desperation-breaker, or your X-Factor victory-sealer. It's worth committing to memory.
Finally, I want to touch on assists. The official guide states that Dormammu is greatly aided by a beam assist, which is true. But then you easily turn into a major zoner-whore. I prefer up close attacks. Since I really only use Thor and Super-Skrull, we'll just assume I'm using both of their Beta Assists ('Orbital Grudge' and 'Mighty Smash'). These are great combo extenders for Dormammu, and I'll show you why. Take this corner combo for instance:
L + c.M + S + j.M + j.M + j.H + j.S + 'Mighty Smash' Assist + Puddle of Flame + Dark Hole --> Hyper Cancel into 'Chaotic Flame' Super --> X-Factor Cancel + Inferno + Forward Dash + 'Orbital Grudge' Assist + Puddle of Flame + Dark Hole --> Hyper Cancel to 'Chaotic Flame' Super.
With the right assists, amount of Hyper Bars, X-Factor, Red and Blue charges, and player skill, Dormammu is possibly the most terrifying character to fight in the whole game! That's why he's my main
Here's all the Dormammu titles and how to unlock them.
"Soul Eater" - Complete Arcade mode on Any Difficulty with Dormammu
"Dark Dimension Ruler" - Complete Arcade mode on Very Hard Difficulty with Dormammu
"Phantasmigoric" - Complete 5 missions in Mission Mode with Dormammu
"True Conqueror" - Complete all 10 missions in Mission Mode with Dormammu
"Lord of Darkness" - Use Dormammu 30 times
I also recommend listening to Dimmu Borgir's "Gateways" while rockin' Dorm. The heavy, symphonic sound fits him, I feel.
As if your insignificant abilities were enough,
UDP (LumberTadpole)
Up Next: Sir Arthur
Joy 
