May Guides

GGS May Guide

May in Guilty Gear

May is the cheerful first mate of the Jellyfish Pirates and a strong fighter. She has been in the Guilty Gear series from the beginning and is one of the more popular characters in the story. She remembers very little about her childhood, but what is certain is that she lost everything to the Crusades and was found and nurtured by the captain of the Jellyfish Pirates, Johnny, who took her in and gave her a new home. Now, May fights almost exclusively for her new family and is ready to put anything on the line for them.

May’s Fighting Style

May is defined as a balanced character. But in truth, she is an offensive monster who excels in pressuring her opponents and backing them into the wall. May is equipped with a whole number of pokes and normals that are great at keeping opponents locked down. Her vertical and horizontal Mr Dolphin are great ranged and anti-air options, respectively.  On top of that, she has a weird overdrive that starts from behind her making it an excellent option when trapped in the corner. Her ability to deal substantial meterless damage is one of her strongest suits, and her overall versatility means that she is a great character overall. 

Hence, anyone who plans to use May as a main character should keep all this in mind. She is a great rushdown character with several options in opening the opposition, including her  Arisugawa Sparkle, which is another excellent pressure tool. The possession of a command grab to discourage down backers means she is mix-up heavy will keep the other player guessing. 

May’s Best Buttons

Now let’s talk about these great buttons we have been claiming May has. If you are unfamiliar with the button layout and bindings, why not check out our guide on the topic here.

f.S: This is an excellent poking tool that extends, making it perfect for catching those trying to escape the corner. On top of that, it also catches crouching opponents despite its upward curve. That said, crouching moves or lower moves can avoid a hit. But all in all, f.S is a tremendous counter-poke option. 

2S: This move works like a crouching jab, and thanks to the anchor, it extends a bit, making it a good tool to use to check opponents who are dashing in. It is also great as it hits low profile opponents, meaning it can deal with most approaches and can get May’s offensive game started again. 

j.H: This is one of May’s best buttons and certainly one of her largest. This move sees her swing her anchor down to hit the opponent. May’s air-to-air game is impeccable, and her j.H is one of the reasons it is so good. This is mostly because of its humongous hitbox, which makes it extremely difficult to counter, and it is a decent option for keeping opponents penned in which you continue raining down her offence. 

3K: This remains one of May’s only options for avoiding pressure as it can escape some moves, and since it has a bit of range, it is suitable for opponents who are trying to keep May at bay. However, you must be careful as its hurtbox is a bit large, meaning it is quite possible to punish it, and it doesn’t do much in terms of going into combos or oki situations.

Mr Dolphin Horizontal [4]6S/H: So, when all is lost, Iruka san comes to the rescue. May’s horizontal Dolphin is an excellent move that typically acts as a combo ender. It is also helpful in keeping enemies pinned. The S version is especially useful as it can go low to hit opponents. The H version can be hit with a low poke, so it is advised that you space it out and mix it up for the best results.

Mr Dolphin Vertical [2]8S/H: The vertical version of Mr Dolphin is one of May’s only decent anti-airs, and the S version is a fast DP that cuts out the enemy’s approach from the air. The HS version, while longer, is also an excellent DP and can also act as a combo extender. 

May’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Okay, so May has a lot of strengths, but perhaps most notably are her normals. May’s normals are huge moves that swing wide and hit big, but they are deceptively fast. Therefore, normals like her 5H are disjointed and hit hard but are relatively safe. 5H, in particular, obtains a wall bounce if it hits in the air, and though it is -4 on block, it has a decent amount of pushback, meaning it is almost impossible to whiff punish. May is also a character whose pokes and little hits rack up a tonne of damage, meaning that she’s a low investment character and doesn’t need a tonne of resources to get going. This is great news for players who are constantly on the offensive, as you can effectively continue swinging with little difficulty. Furthermore, she has a command grab and dolphin moves which are all plus on block and encourage several 50/50 situations which are bad for the opponent and keep them guessing as to what is coming next. 

It’s not all rosy for May, as she does have a few struggles in the fight. Most notable of all is her poor counter zoning game. She doesn’t possess many rangy moves, and the ones that can hit at a distance aren’t the fastest moves in the game. Therefore, if you are playing against an accomplished zoner, you might have difficulty closing the gap. Also, her anti-airs aren’t the best. While Horizontal Mr Dolphin is an excellent option for players that take to the sky, she has little else going for her in that department. So, you’ll need to be impeccable with your anti-airs if you are to stay alive.

How to Fight May

In the several Guilty Gear characters available, May’s worst match-ups are probably against Sol and Chipp. These two are great range fighters and can be a hassle for May to deal with. Besides, it doesn’t really matter who you use against May, you can get the best of her by keeping her at bay. Her stubby normals and slow moves will mean that you can control the neutral game, and if you can keep her away from the ranges where she is able to utilise her 5H and some of her other offensive moves, you will do just fine. When zoning against May, watch out for her 3K as this can go under projectiles and score a hit, so it is best for you to keep her at the end of the screen or at least far enough that the 3K doesn’t pose a threat.

May’s Combos in Guilty Gear -STRIVE-

So, while there is a new combo maker that allows for new combo creations, here are some of the easier combos, you can get started with while using May. 

These are by no means the only moves that May has at her disposal, but it's a start, and as you play more, you’ll only get better. You should check out our other guides for Guilty Gear -STRIVE- and we hope this guide has been helpful for you.