The King of Fighters '98 UMFE/EX Mai/Strategy
Strategy & Tips
Neutral
During neutral, EX Mai can choose between launching an offence or controlling space. Her main tools for space control are her 214P and 214K, which are very effective at stopping the opponent from closing in on you. 5A and cl.C are her main tools for dealing with hops via normals, and her best special for this purpose is 214P. Some of Mai's strongest pokes include 5B, 5D, 2D, 2C and 5C.
In the air, j.C is your best air-to-air while j.D, j.B and j.2A are best for jump-ins. j.214P and j.236K can also be used to alter your aerial trajectory, making it harder to anti-air you. She can also perform an air throw, and being able to option select this with j.C makes her air-to-air game much scarier.
On defence, [2]8K is your main reversal, but it should be reserved for anti-airs as it is extremely punishable on block and whiff. You can also spend meter for 2141236B. Be wary that EX Mai is very weak to pressure without these reversals. 214C's first hit can also work as an abare option, but your best option is to evade using [2]8P or a superjump.
Your main goal in neutral should be to keep the opponent out to charge your meter to maximum with Extra. Once you have a bar stocked, you should start thinking about offence.
An amazing tool to have is backdash j.2A, which lets EX Mai move backwards at great speed. This amount of control over engagement ranges can not only give you an amazing opportunity to charge meter, but also let you force the opponent to approach you and be open to your zoning.
Offence
EX Mai's offence mainly consists of short pressure sequences into a mixup, where the end result is entirely dependent on what the player wants to do. She can sacrifice damage to return to neutral, or cash out for very big damage. Arguably, EX Mai's win condition is to be in neutral, so more often than not your offence will be securing a small amount of damage before returning to neutral. However, unlike regular Mai, EX Mai is given more tools for offence, such as a guaranteed soft knockdown on 214P, 214K, and a brand new divekick series, meaning your offensive sequences will matter a lot more.
For mixups, you have a crossup with j.B, and an overhead in 6B. Due to the very slow speed of 6B, you will often need to condition your opponent to not interrupt your pressure, and also condition them to block low. Another thing to note is that EX Mai is generally a more offence-oriented version of Mai, but she shines the most with meter, meaning your gameplan should be focused around gathering that meter in neutral with your keepout and zoning before starting your brutal metered offence.
EX Mai's main pressure tool is j.2A. More often than not, EX Mai's pressure sequences will be built entirely around landing this move to cause a long amount of blockstun, allowing you to attempt to secure more plus frames or chase a mixup. To end pressure, you can simply either disengage with a [2]8P or a 214C. On okizeme, the best option for a meaty is a j.2A done with a safejump, from which you can begin your pressure again.
Combo Theory
EX Mai has multiple options to end her biggest combos. All of these options have varying strengths and weaknesses depending on the current situation in the match.
- 41236K - Use this if you have activated MAX Mode and want to keep it for a short while to stay on the offensive and rack up some extra damage. It will also be your main ender if you're not in MAX Mode for some reason and are not in red health to afford a super.
- 2141236K - Use this for high damage and a soft knockdown. Without red health, it's your highest damage ender.
- 236236P - Use this for a hard knockdown. In red health, it also does the most damage. After 236236P, you can choose to run okizeme, or charge meter. A very useful tactic is to backdash j.2A before charging up, as this will allow you to safely charge an entire bar.