Zangief

===========================================================================
Game: Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Zangief Character Guide FAQ V.1.1, updated on 6/16/00
by Daniel (PhatDan81) Finch dan@finch.com
Unpublished work Copyright 2000 Daniel D. Finch
Updates: 1.1 Fixed a few typos, touched up a few things, added more tips on
             how to use Mega Zangief, thanks to JPlatt (tetsuo1@home.net)
===========================================================================

CONTENTS

I.    Introduction
II.   Legend
III.  Regular Moves
IV.   Special Moves
V.    Supers
VI.   Combos
VII.  General Strategy
VIII. Misc. Stuff
IX.   Legal Stuff

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I. INTRODUCTION
===========================================================================

Who is Zangief?  Zangief is a wrestler from Russia.  He was first introduced in
the Street Fighter II Series.  He's appeared in all the Street Fighter Alpha
Games and all the VS. Series games.  He is known mainly for his high-powered
grabs and his Spinning Clothesline attack.  He is the innovator of the Spinning
Pile Driver.  He got the idea for this when he was picked up by a cyclone and
spun around.  Another thing he's known for is wrestling bears for fun, which is
why he has so many scars on his body.  Ever since Street Fighter II, he's been
an underdog.

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II. LEGEND
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ABBREVIATIONS

U     Up
D     Down
B     Backward
F     Forward
S     Standing
C     Crouching
J     Jump/Jumping
SJ    Super Jump/Jumping
360   Rotate Joystick Once
P     Punch
K     Kick
AC    Air Combo
A1    Assist 1
A2    Assist 2
THC   Team Hyper Combo
LP    Light Punch         Jab
MP    Medium Punch        Strong
HP    Hard/Heavy Punch    Fierce
LK    Light Kick          Short
MK    Medium Kick         Forward
HK    Heavy/Hard Kick     Roundhouse

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BASIC COMMANDS

LP+LK            Calls in second partner
HP+HK            Calls in third partner
Assist 1         Calls in second partner to attack
Assist 2         Calls in third partner to attack
Snapback         D, DF, F + Assist (one level), an attack that forces
                 opponent out if it hits
Variable Counter B, DB, D + Assist (one level; while blocking) tags in
                 partner and causes partner to automatically attack
Crossover Combination  Assist 1 + Assist 2 (one to three levels)

All three characters come in and do a specific super.  The two secondary
characters then step out after they do their supers.  If this is done when the
super meter is at level two, then the primary character and only one secondary
character do supers.  If the meter is at level one, then only the primary
character does a super.

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III. REGULAR MOVES
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PUNCHES
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JAB

1.  Standing

A basic standing jab, it's a little slower than most other jabs, but it's still
a good attack for starting combos.  This can combo into a Spinning Pile Driver.

2.  Backward (Elbow Drop, ground version)

Zangief falls down, holding his elbow, knocking the opponent down when it hits.
 It doesn't combo off anything and it doesn't combo into anything.  I don't
really recommend using this.  The start-up and recovery delays on it are not
very good.

3.  Crouching

Same as the standing version, this is also used to start combos.  I'm not sure
if this also combos into a Spinning Pile Driver.

4.  Jumping

Same as the crouching version, this is used for starting air combos.

5.  Down (in air; Elbow Drop, air version)

This is the air version of his elbow drop.  It's much more useful than the
ground version, but it still has the same recovery delay as the ground version.
 Use this as a surprise attack.

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STRONG

1.  Standing

Zangief holds his hand out and does a sideways swipe.  This can combo into some
of his special moves.

2.  Crouching

This is Zangief's primary launcher attack.  He does an uppercut while
crouching.  It has pretty decent range.  In this game, you can now combo into
it, which can make it easier to connect.

3.  Jumping

Zangief does a downward swipe with his arm.  This is used as an AC filler and
to combo into AC finishers.

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FIERCE

1.  Standing

Zangief takes a step forward and extends his arm out.  It has good range and it
does good damage.  It also combos into some special moves.  The other good
thing about this move is that even opponents with super armor will get stunned
if it hits them.  The bad thing about this move is that some smaller opponents
can crouch under it and it has a slow start-up and recovery.  Always cancel
into a special move after doing this move.

2.  Crouching

Same as the standing version, this version has a little less range though. 
Otherwise it has the same priorities as the standing version.  This move hits
both crouching and standing opponents.

3.  Jumping

Zangief extends his arm out downward at about a 45-degree angle.  This is used
as an AC finisher.  It can also be used as a jump-in attack.

4.  Forward (in air)

While in the air, Zangief positions his body parallel to the ground and extends
his arm straight out.  This is used for aerial confrontations or as an AC
finisher.

5.  Down (in air, Siberian Splash)

While in the air, Zangief again positions his body parallel to the ground, but
this time he holds his hands out, doing a belly flop.  This can be used for
aerial confrontations when the opponent is below you.  This can also be used as
an AC finisher, but it's mainly used as a jump-in attack.  Be careful about
using this move because it will lose out to launchers, vertical supers and
dragon punches.

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KICKS
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SHORT

1.  Standing

A basic standing LK, Zangief does a shin kick.  It has poor range and is used
either for poking or starting combos.  It comes out faster than his jabs.

2.  Crouching

A basic low LK, it has slightly better range than the standing version.  It
comes out just as fast and pretty much has the same priorities as the standing
version.

3.  Jumping

Zangief basically swings his leg straight out.  It doesn't have very good range
but it comes out pretty fast.  Use this to start air combos.

4.  Down (in air; Knee Drop)

Zangief points his knees downward and uses them to attack his opponent.  This
has the same priorities and weaknesses as his Siberian Splash, except this has
a less horizontal range.

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FORWARD

1.  Standing

Zangief swings his leg straight out.  It has the same priorities as his
S.Strong, but has better range.

2.  Crouching

A basic low MK, it has about the same range as the standing version and also
has the same priorities as the standing version.

3.  Jumping

Same thing as his J.Short, except he uses his other leg, plus this has better
range and does more damage.  Use this as an AC filler and to combo into an AC
finisher.

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ROUNDHOUSE

1.  Standing

Zangief falls backward while swinging his legs upward.  This has pretty good
range.  It hits twice and acts as a mini-launcher.  If it connects you can jump
afterwards and do a Spinning Pile Driver.  The start-up and recovery are a
little slow.  Use this as an anti-air attack.

2.  Crouching

This is Zangief's sweep attack.  It has above average range and is easy to
combo into.

3.  Jumping

Zangief positions his body parallel to the ground and extends both legs
straight out.  It has good range and should be used as an AC finisher or for
aerial confrontations.  It comes out faster than his J.F.Fierce.

===========================================================================
IV.  SPECIAL MOVES
===========================================================================

A (*) means that the move can be done in air at any time.
A (h) means that the move can be cancelled into a super only if it does not
connect while the move is being performed.
A (H) means that the move can be cancelled into a super while it is being
performed
A (M) means that the move cannot be done in air in Mega Zangief mode.
A (I) means that the move can only be done in Mega Zangief mode.
A (R) means that the move cannot be done in Mega Zangief mode.

UPWARD THROW D, DB, B + LP

This is basically Zangief's strong throw from the first MVC and from the Street
Fighter Alpha Series.  In this game Capcom has made it a command attack, since
there's no medium punch button in this game.  It still has the same priority as
it did in the other VS games.

GLOWING FIST (H)(R) F, D, DF + P

Zangief does a quick spin and then hits the opponent with the back of his fist.
 His fist is also glowing and it will neutralize fireballs.  Use this in combos
and also to travel forward.  It has a very quick recovery, so you can use it
whenever you want, except for when your opponent is behind you.

AERIAL RUSSIAN SLAM F, D, DF + K

Zangief jumps forward slowly and if the opponent is in his path, he will grab
them and throw them to the floor.  If the opponent doesn't get grabbed, Zangief
will fall back down to the ground.  The grab that he does cannot be blocked,
but can be tech-hit out of.  After the peak of the jump, Zangief will be able
to attack on the way down.  Use this mainly to travel forward and do jump-in
attacks.

The upward part is very unreliable to connect and the opponent has to be at a
specific point.  Also keep in mind that on the upward part, Zangief is
vulnerable to attacks, so be careful about when you use this move.  The kick
button used determines how far forward he jumps.  The short version causes him
to jump at about a 70-degree angle and the roundhouse version causes him to
jump at a 45-degree angle.  When Zangief's in Iron Body mode, he travels even
shorter.  Don't use this move in Mega Zangief mode.

SIBERIAN BLAST (H)(I) D, DF, F + P

Mega Zangief does a Yoga-Flame-like move, except he breathes out cold air and
not fire.  If it connects, it juggles the opponent(s).  Use this to neutralize
beams and fireballs and for jump-in attacks.  If the opponent tries to get
really close to you while you're recovering from this, do a Spinning Pile
Driver or Final Atomic Buster.

SPINNING CLOTHESLINE (H)(M) 2P

It's one of Zangief's classic moves.  He extends his arms out in opposite
directions then spins around.  In this game, the priority of this move has been
improved.  It now has a juggling effect, hitting multiple times.  It still goes
through fireballs too.  It can now be comboed into also.  It will also cancel
into his Final Atomic Buster and Siberian Blizzard.  Comboing this into a Final
Atomic Buster is not guaranteed.  See Section VII to find out more.

SPINNING LARIAT (H)(M) 2K

Zangief does a quicker and less-damaging version of his Spinning Clothesline. 
This move is very easy to combo into, but has lost its priority in air combos. 
It also hits once and then knocks the opponent away, so it won't combo into any
supers.  This version also doesn't go through fireballs.  Use this move as an
AC finisher.  Stick with the punch version on the ground.

FLYING POWER BOMB (h) B, DB, D, DF, F + K

Zangief slowly dashes forward holding his arms out and when he gets to his
opponent he grabs them and jumps up and then slams them.  It does decent damage
and it combos nicely off a S.Roundhouse.  If you start the move when the
opponent is right next to you, Zangief will do a suplex, then do a flying power
bomb, inflicting more damage.  Zangief has super armor while doing this move,
so it will take more than just jabs to knock him out of this.  Also keep is
mind that Zangief is very vulnerable to many attacks while he's dashing
forward, so use it as a surprise move or as a mistake punisher.

SPINNING PILE DRIVER (*)(h) 360 + P

It's another one of Zangief's classic moves.  He grabs the opponent, jumps up
in the air, spins around while travelling through the air, then slams his
opponent to the ground.  It's unblockable and it has short range and Capcom has
decided to make the move more damaging.  Rotate the joystick while the move is
going on to make it do as much damage as possible.  If it misses, he will be
holding his arms out, unable to do anything for a second.  Make sure that
you're very close to the opponent when you do this move.  This move is even
more dangerous in Mega Zangief mode because he can't be knocked out of it.

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V.  SUPERS (HYPER COMBOS)
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In this game, Zangief has lost his Double Final Atomic Buster for some reason I
can't imagine.  However he has gained more ways of comboing into his Final
Atomic Buster, which kinda makes up for it.  Plus, he can easily combo into his
Hyper Lariat.

MEGA ZANGIEF MODE B, D, DB + LK (one level)

Zangief taunts and his skin turns to iron.  While he's in this mode, he can't
be launched, stunned or knocked down.  The purpose of this is to do Spinning
Pile Drivers and Final Atomic Busters and stopping at nothing to do them. 
While doing any move, you cannot be knocked out of it, so take advantage of
that.  Also be aware that you cannot block at all.  If you want tips on how to
play in Mega Zangief mode, see Section VII (General Strategy).

FINAL ATOMIC BUSTER 360 + 2P (one level)

This is one of the few supers in the game that cannot be blocked.  Zangief
slowly dashes forward, attempting to grab his opponent.  When he does, he does
two suplexes, then finishes off with a Spinning Pile Driver.  It still does
massive amounts of damage.  You can rotate the joystick while he's doing the
pile driver to make it do more damage.  The redder he gets, the more damage the
final slam will do.  The priority of this super has improved since you can now
cancel into this off of a Spinning Clothesline, Glowing Fist or Siberian Blast.
 He has super armor the whole time when he's dashing forward trying to grab his
opponent.  Use this only in combos or to punish mistakes.  Throwing this out at
random means eating a super or a nasty combo.

HYPER LARIAT/CROSSOVER COMBINATION A1 + A2 (one to threelevels)

Zangief travels forward doing a series of Spinning Clotheslines.  It's easy to
do and it works well with beam supers and rushing supers.  You can only do it
as a team super which kinda sucks.  If you want to do the super with just
Zangief, press both assist buttons when your super meter is at level one.  Make
sure it connects, because Zangief taunts after he does the super, which leaves
him open for attack.

SIBERIAN BLIZZARD (I) 360 + 2K (one level)

Zangief does a vertical version of his Hyper Lariat.  He travels straight up
while doing a Spinning Clothesline.  This beats out any non-projectile attacks,
even Hulk's Gamma Crush!  This combos off his launcher or off a Spinning
Clothesline.  Watch out for its recovery time though.

ULTRA FINAL ATOMIC BUSTER (R) 360 + 2K (three levels)

This is the granddaddy of all slam supers.  Zangief does a more powerful
version of his Final Atomic Buster.  In this one he does two flying suplexes,
then one giant Spinning Pile Driver.  Just like the Final Atomic Buster, you
can rotate the Joystick to make the final slam do more damage.  The thing that
sucks is that during the start-up, Zangief just stands still trying to grab his
opponent.  If you do manage to get it to connect, the amount of damage it will
do is very rewarding.  Capcom has increased the amount of damage this does,
making it even more damaging.

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V. COMBOS
===========================================================================

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MAGIC SERIES

Ground            Light to Medium or Light to Heavy
Jumping           Light to Medium or Light to Heavy
Super Jumping     Stronger
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Launchers         C.Strong/DF.Fierce, S.Roundhouse (mini-launcher)
Strikes           None
Knockdown         C.Roundhouse
AC Finishers      SJ.Fierce, SJ.F.Fierce, Siberian Splash, SJ.Roundhouse,
                  Spinning Clothesline, Spinning Lariat, Spinning Pile Driver
Assists                      _
  A   Spinning Clothesline    \
  B   Flying Power Bomb       |- Hyper Lariat
  C   Aerial Russian Slam    _/

All combos listed here may begin with a jump-in attack.  J.Fierce may be
replaced with a Siberian Splash or a knee drop attack (J.D.Short).  S.Short may
be replaced with C.Short.  S.Forward may be replaced with C.Forward.  S.Fierce
may be replaced with C.Fierce.  Zangief should always start combos with a
jump-in attack, unless of course your opponent is already standing right next
to you.

1.  S.Jab, Spinning Pile Driver
2.  S.Jab, Snapback
2.  S.Fierce, Glowing Fist
3.  S.Fierce, Glowing Fist, Spinning Pile Driver
4.  S.Fierce, Snapback
4.  S.Fierce, Siberian Blast
5.  S.Short, S.Forward, Spinning Clothesline
6.  S.Short, S.Forward, Snapback
7.  S.Roundhouse, jump (Spinning Pile Driver)
8.  S.Roundhouse, Siberian Blast
9.  S.Roundhouse, Flying Power Bomb
10. S.Roundhouse, Spinning Clothesline
11. J.Fierce, C.Short, C.Strong, SJ (Jab, Forward, [AC Finisher])
12. J.Fierce, C.Short, C.Strong, Siberian Blizzard
13. S.Fierce, Glowing Fist, Final Atomic Buster
14. S.Fierce, Glowing Fist, Ultra Final Atomic Buster
14. S.Fierce, Siberian Blast, Final Atomic Buster
15. S.Roundhouse, Final Atomic Buster
16. S.Roundhouse, Siberian Blizzard
17. S.Short, S.Forward, Hyper Lariat/Crossover Combination
18. S.Short, S.Forward, Spinning Clothesline, Siberian Blizzard
19. S.Roundhouse, Spinning Clothesline, Siberian Blizzard
20. Tag in, Snapback
21. Tag in, Siberian Blast
22. In Corner: Tag in, Siberian Blast
23. In Corner: Tag in, Siberian Blast, Final Atomic Buster
24. In Corner: Tag in, Spinning Clothesline, Siberian Blizzard
25. In Corner: Tag in, C.Jab, C.Strong, SJ (Jab, Forward, [AC Finisher])

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TEAM HYPER COMBOS

Zangief's supers are mainly made for starting THC's.  Final Atomic Buster can
be used as a filler for some supers, but he has a very limited choice.  Final
Atomic Buster can be a setup for almost any super in the game.  If you find any
possibilities as far as THC's go and it's not listed here, e-mail me and I'll
put it up.  I'll give you credit for it as well.

1: first partner's super, 2: second partner's super, 3: third partner's super

A. 1. (Zangief) Final Atomic Buster 2. ANY SUPER except Time Flip or
   Darkness Illusion 3. Third partner's super

B. 1. (Zangief) Ultra Final Atomic Buster 2. ANY SUPER except Time Flip or
   Darkness Illusion 3. Third partner's super

C. 1.  First partner's super 2. Hyper Charging Star, Crawler Assault, Gamma
   Crush, Gamma Quake, Shinkuu-Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, Venom Web, Royal
   Flush (up close), Fatal Claw, Berserker Barage X or Weapon X 3.
   (Zangief) Final Atomic Buster

D. 1.  Hyper Charging Star, Crawler Assault, Gamma Crush, Gamma Quake,
   Shinkuu-Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, Venom Web, Royal Flush (up close), Fatal
   Claw, Berserker Barage X or Weapon X 2. (Zangief) Final Atomic Buster 3.
   ANY SUPER except Time Flip or Darkness Illusion

E. 1.  (Mega Zangief) Siberian Blizzard 2. Any vertical super, Blodia
   Vulcan, Magnetic Shock Wave, Fatal Claw, Maximum Spider or Venom Web 3.
   third partner's super

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VII. GENERAL STRATEGY
===========================================================================

Zangief is a counter-attacker.  The only way he can win battles is by getting
close to his opponents.  Getting to your opponent may be the problem.  His dash
doesn't do well because it's so slow.  Use Glowing Fist or Aerial Russian Slam
to get close to your opponent.  Any opponent feels intimidated when Zangief's
right up next to them.  When you get up close, mix up your jabs, shorts,
launcher attack and glowing fists.  If you're right next to your opponent do a
Spinning Pile Driver immediately.

The only time Zangief should be doing air combos is if his super meter isn't
charged up high enough.  In this game, Zangief can no longer do his air combo
to Spinning Lariat to S.Roundhouse to Final Atomic Buster combo.  One thing to
be aware of also is that his Spinning Pile Driver does just as much damage as
his air combos.  Your main focus should be on connecting Spinning Pile Drivers
and Final Atomic Busters as much as possible. Zangief's Spinning Pile Driver
can be comboed into in the air but it is very difficult.

If you want to win using Zangief, you need to learn how to do the 360 motion on
the joystick.  If you don't, then you're probably not going to win.  If you
don't want to learn the 360 motion then you should really think about choosing
another character.  Once you have learned how to do the 360 motion effectively
and on how to get near your opponent, you should be OK.  Below are a list of
scenarios of when to do his Spinning Pile Driver:

1. You see your opponent jumping your way.  Jump straight up then do a
   Spinning Pile Driver.
2. You're at mid-range and your opponent just threw a fireball.  Jump over
   the fireball, then do a Spinning Pile Driver.
3. Your opponent blocked a S.Fierce.  Cancel immediately into a Spinning
   Pile Driver.
4. You just hit your opponent with a S.Jab.  Cancel immediately into a
   Spinning Pile Driver.
5. You're in mid-air and you see your opponent jumping your way.  Right as
   he gets near you, do a Spinning Pile Driver.  This requires precise
   timing, but you should get used to it.
6. You just blocked a jump-in attack.  Right after you block the attack, do
   the 360 motion and as soon as they land, you should be in the process of
   grabbing them.
7. You just blocked an attack and your opponent is right next to you or has
   landed right next to you, unable to do anything.  Do a Spinning Pile
   Driver.
8. You just super jumped over a beam super.  As soon as you land behind the
   opponent do a Spinning Pile Driver.

Some of these will take a little practicing, but you'll certainly be a very
dangerous opponent once you've mastered how to use a Spinning Pile Driver
effectively.  If you find a scenario where you should do a Spinning Pile Driver
and it's not listed here, e-mail me and I'll add it on.  I'll give you credit
for it as well.

Zangief's supers do large amounts of damage.   They all can also be comboed
into.  Final Atomic Buster should be used as much as possible.  It can be
comboed into and does very good damage.  Use it to punish mistakes or combo it
off of a Spinning Clothesline, Glowing Fist or Siberian Blast.  Canceling
Spinning Clothesline into Final Atomic Buster is not guaranteed.  Your opponent
has a split second to counter before getting grabbed.  Hyper Lariat should only
be used in combos because of its bad recovery.  You can also use it on an
opponent who has next to nothing left on their life bar.

When playing as Zangief, Hulk is an excellent teammate.  They work great
together.  Hulk's B assist (horizontal Gamma Charge) can set Zangief up for a
Spinning Pile Driver, Final Atomic Buster, Siberian Blizzard or even an Ultra
Final Atomic Buster.  Hulk's Gamma Crush and Gamma Quake supers set Zangief up
for a Final Atomic Buster.  Zangief's B assist sets Hulk up for a Gamma Wave or
a Gamma Quake in the corner.  Final Atomic Buster, Ultra Final Atomic Buster
and Siberian Blizzard set Hulk up for a Gamma Crush or Gamma Quake.

Siberian Blizzard, which can only be done in Mega Zangief mode, should not be
used very much.  You can combo into it off of a Spinning Clothesline or a
launcher attack or you can use it to counter jump-in attacks.  There really
isn't much use for it otherwise.  Ultra Final Atomic Buster which can be done
only as regular Zangief, is strictly for punishing mistakes.  It's hard combo
into, unlike his other supers, plus it has very poor range.  You must be right
next to your opponent for this to connect.  Only do this super if you're
absolutely sure that it will connect or in a desperate situation with your
opponent right next to you.

When playing as Mega Zangief, you need to be very careful.  As I mentioned
earlier, the purpose of this for Zangief to do Spinning Pile Drivers and Final
Atomic Busters while stopping at nothing to do them.  Zangief is a little
slower in this mode.  Walking forward to get to the other side of the screen is
not a very effective way to do it.  You can forget about using his dash.  His
dash is almost useless in this mode.  Instead, you will need to do a lot of
jumping and super jumping.

When playing as Mega Zangief, mix up your Spinning Clotheslines, Spinning
Lariats and attempts to do Spinning Pile Drivers.  Use Siberian Blast to
counter jump-in attacks and also to neutralize beams and fireballs.  When you
see your opponent beginning to attack you, do a Spinning Pile Drive immediately
to grab them out of it.  If an opponent tries to hit you with a rushing super
(Crawler Assault, Hyper Charging Star, etc.), do a Spinning Pile Driver or
Final Atomic Buster as soon as possible to grab them out of it.

When grabbing opponents out of supers, you have to time the grab just right so
the opponent's super does as little damage as possible.  If they start the
super right next to you, do a Spinning Pile Driver or Final Atomic Buster
immediately.  If they start the super at a short distance, time it so that you
grab them as soon as they get right next to you.  Thanks to JPlatt
(tetsuo1@home.net) for the tips on countering rushing supers.  If you're not
used to the 360 motion yet, do a Spinning Lariat to knock an opponent out of a
rushing super.  You'll miss out on damage, but it's a safe way to counter.

Beam supers should always be super jumped over with you landing behind the
opponent.  When you do, it's time for you to do a Spinning Pile Driver or Final
Atomic Buster.  All automated supers (Captain Storm, Final Justice, Maximum
Spider, etc.) do not work on Mega Zangief, so if your opponent tries to
foolishly do one on you, punish with a Siberian Blast, Spinning Pile Driver or
Final Atomic Buster.

You should not turn into Mega Zangief against characters with high-priority
projectiles and effective beam supers.  Also, do not turn into Mega Zangief if
your life bar is low.  It is very risky to do this.  Here's a list of which
characters to use and not to use Mega Zangief against:

YES                                NO
Amingo (do not jump over him)      Captain Commando
Captain America                    Mega Man
Jin                                Roll
Strider                            Hulk
Guile                              Bulleta
Charlie                            Silver Samurai
Ken                                Ryu
Dan                                Akuma
Venom                              Tron Bonne
Spider-Man                         Omega Red
Wolverine                          Colossus
Rogue                              Sentinel
Psylocke (be very careful)         Thanos
Felicia                            Gambit
Shuma-Gorath                       Cyclops
Kobun (be very careful)            Sakura
Sabertooth (be very careful)       Anakaris
Zangief                            Morrigan
Cammy                              Dhalsim
Hayato                             Marrow
Iceman (be EXTREMELY careful)      B.B. Hood
Chun-li                            Storm
Juggernaut (be very careful)       Ruby Heart
Jill                               Blackheart
                                   Sonson

                                   NEVER
                                   Cable
                                   War Machine
                                   Iron Man
                                   Dr. Doom

If you've noticed, I've made some changes to my list above.  After reading an
e-mail from JPlatt (tetsuo1@home.net) and some research, I changed my mind
about using Mega Zangief against certain characters.  I've also included
strategies for using Mega Zangief against certain characters.

Chun-li should be pretty easy to beat with Mega Zangief.  When you see a
Kikou-Shou starting up and she is next to you, use Spinning Pile Driver to stop
her from doing it.  When you see her coming your way with a Lightning Legs
super, time it just right so you grab her out of it with a Spinning Pile Driver
or Final Atomic Buster.

Juggernaut should not be much of a problem with Mega Zangief.  As soon as you
hear him say "Head Crush!" you have a split second immediately afterwards to
start doing a 360 motion.  He may get a couple hits in, but he'll end up with
more life lost than you will via Spinning Pile Driver or Final Atomic Buster. 
When you see a Juggernaut Punch coming your way, immediately do a Spinning Pile
Driver or Final Atomic Buster to counter.  When he does that Body Splash move,
counter the move with a Spinning Clothesline cancelled into a Siberian
Blizzard.  If he's dumb enough to attack you when you're close to him, punish
with a Spinning Pile Driver or Final Atomic Buster.

Iceman will keep Mega Zangief constantly on his feet and in the air.  However,
Mega Zangief can still ice this guy (no pun intended).  Expect a lot of Ice
Beams, Avalanches and Arctic Attacks.  Whenever you see an Arctic Attack start
up, super jump immediately.  You will get hit by a couple chunks of ice on your
way up, but you should be OK.  You may need to do a couple Spinning Pile Driver
attempts while in the air to avoid the super.  Afterwards, land behind Iceman
and punish him with the grab of choice.

All suspected Ice Beams should be neutralized with a Siberian Blast.  If he
throws out an Ice Beam directly above you, punish him with a Siberian Blizzard.
 If you're in the air with him and he tries to do an Ice Beam, punish with a
Spinning Pile Driver.  If he does an Avalanche while he's in the air and he
lands next to you, do a Spinning Pile Driver or Siberian Blizzard.

Assists A and B are Zangief's best assist attacks.  Assist A is a more
defensive assist.  Use it against jump-ins and to help your partner out of
corner pressure.  Since it juggles, you can use it to set up your primary
character for a super.  Assist B is more of a mistake punishing assist.  It can
also be a good surprise attack.  If this connects, it will set up your primary
character for an OTG attack.  When using Zangief, make sure that at least one
of your other characters has a projectile assist or an assist that will cover
the entire screen to help Zangief in case he is on the other side of the
screen.

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VIII.  MISC. STUFF
===========================================================================

-------------------------------------------
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

1.  Good range
2.  High-priority, high-damaging special moves
3.  Highly damaging supers
4.  High-powered grabs
5.  Good counter-attacker
6.  Simple, yet effective combos
7.  His heavy attacks will stun characters with super armor with one hit

DISADVANTAGES

1.  Slow; even slower as Mega Zangief
2.  Big
3.  Slow recovery delays on many of his moves
4.  Must be near opponent to do any damage
5.  Cannot block as Mega Zangief
6.  Low-priority air combos
7.  Slow recovery delays on all his supers
8.  Difficult to learn
9.  Plays poorly offensively
10. Often has a difficult time with small characters

-------------------------------------------
SPECIAL FEATURES

Zangief's dash although it's slow can act as a grab.  If you dash right up to
your opponent, Zangief will grab them.  Afterwards, press Fierce or Roundhouse
and Zangief will perform one of his regular throws.  If you wait too long after
Zangief grabs them, the opponent will either escape or tech hit.  Zangief has
super armor while he's attempting to do a Flying Power Bomb or Final Atomic
Buster when he's in regular mode.

-------------------------------------------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Kmegura for the information on Zangief's moves
MVCMasters (members.tripod.com/mvc_central) for some tips on how to use
   Zangief
JPlatt (tetsuo1@home.net) for the tips on using Mega Zangief
Capcom for making such an awesome game

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IX. LEGAL STUFF
===========================================================================

This FAQ is Copyright (c) 2000 by Daniel Finch.  No part of this FAQ may be
reproduced, or re-posted on the Internet in its original, unedited and
unaltered format or redistributed under a different name in any way whatsoever.
 Any Internet, commercial or public use is prohibited without written
permission from the author.  Profit from this FAQ in any form is also
prohibited.  Any similarities between this FAQ and another FAQ or another web
page are unin-tended and coincidental. Marvel characters are registered
trademarks of Marvel Comics.  Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Zangief,
all other Capcom characters and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes are
registered trademarks of Capcom.
