I use Mai in third place if I see my rival is a good one (if not I use Mai as first or second, because if not I can't use her xDD). Why? Well, just because Mai is my main character, what means is the character I use better. My team is Mai, King and Mature. I use King as battery character in first place and because is the one I know less, Mature as a speedy solid character as second and her combos Death Downer > SC > Heaven's Gates is really useful and Mai as my ultimate weapon.
I think Mai has great combos with meter. Some can not belive me, becuase if you search Mai on youtube you only see people using her as battery char in first place and it looks like they don't want to use meter with her, and Mai without meter for me is useless. Ok, is not really useless, she can zoning decently, her weak ryunebu is good and has great normals and CD, but i don't want play with her in that way. I want enjoy her, and to do it you need meters. Her HD combos are pretty easy, not so long and her NeoMAX is one of the most effective in the game. Her EX ryuenbu opens a new world of combos for Mai, in corner with some meter and some cancels you can be deadly with her and her EX DM is really useful too because it has good invencibility to evade fireballs or corner pressures.
What are Mai's best/most practical midscreen and corner HD combos?
Mid Screen:
1 cancel / at least 1 meter
-crBx2
-sA
-hcf+B
-Drive Cancel
-qcf+AC (in air)
and finish it with:
-sC
-ryuenbu A (qcb+A)
-DM or EX DM
-air grab (best option because of no use of meter and good damage)
-NeoMAX if you are in HD mode
-crBx2
-sA
-qcb+AC
-hcf+D
if after hcf+D you get the corner and you has one more cancel you can cancel it into a ryenbu C (qcb+C), another one, and then air grab or EX DM, or just one ryuenbu and normal DM.
-Kachosen A and hcf+B or D can be combo if kachosen hits and you are spaced correctly
-crB x2
-B>D
-crC
-ryeunbu C (qcf+C)
-Super Cancel
-DM or EX DM
-Musasabi Mai
-Drive Cancel
-EX Musasabi Mai
-Super Cancel
-DM or EX DM
(this one is better than just Musasabi > SC > DM, because you never know if Musasabi will impact. But Drive Cancel doesn't go out if rival covers, so better do Musasabi and then cancel it into EX musasabi, if Ex musasabi goes out is the right time to supe cancel it into DM or EX DM)
you even can do the same with first Musasabi going into HD. If you perform qcf+BC in air you will do a Musasabi wich starts HD mode at the same time, if the musasabi hits can be followed by a super cancel and DM or drive cancel > Ex musasabi > super cancel > DM/EX DM, and then NeoMAX. Is a bit risky, and not really damaging, but spectacular xD
Mid Screen HD combos:
the most practical when you are not sure if you will get the corner for me are:
-sC, HD, sD, ryeunbu > HDC > DM/EXDM > MaxCancel > NeoMAX (great damage)
-sC, HD, sC, EX ryuenbu, EX kachosen, NeoMAX (not super damaging for 4 meter HD combo, but useful)
-sC, HD, sC, hisatsu (hcf+D) > HDC > DM/EX DM > MaxCancel > NeoMAX
Corner combos is a big world for Mai:
the most useful for me are:
-crB x2
-sA
-hcf+B > DC > qcb+C (in air)
-ryuenbu
-air grab
-crB x2
-sA
-hcf+B > DC > qcb+C (in air)
-hcf+D > DC > qcb+C (ryuenbu)
-ryuenbu
-air grab / EX DM
-crB x2
-sA
-EX ryuenbu
-ryuenbu
-ryuenbu > DC > Ex ryuenbu
-ryuenbu A
-ryuenbu > DC > Ex ryuenbu
-ryuenbu A
-ryuenbu
-air grab / EX DM
-crB x2
-sA
-EX Ryuenbu
-ryeunbu
-hcf+D > ryeunbu
-ryuenbu
-air grab / EX DM
-crB x2
-sA
-EX Ryuenbu
-ryeunbu
-hcf+D > ryeunbu
-hcf+D > ryeunbu
-ryuenbu
-air grab / EX DM
HD corner combos:
(0 meter or 2 meter, 650 - 700 damage)
-sC, HD, sC, hcf+D > HDC > qcb+C (in air), hcf+D > HDC > ryeunbu C, ryuenbu C, ryuenbu C > HDC > kachosen A, ryuenbu C, ryuenbu C > HDC > kachosen A (here HD mode finishes), ryuenbu C, ryuenbu C, air grab/EX DM.
(4 meter - 750 - 850 damage) (i don't remember exactly the damge for this one)
-sC, HD, sC, hcf+D > HDC > qcb+C (in air), hcf+D > HDC > ryeunbu C, ryuenbu C, ryuenbu C > HDC > kachosen A, ryuenbu C, EX DM > MaxCancel > NeoMAX.
(4 meter - 850 damage) (i don't remember exactly the damge for this one)
-sC, HD, sC, hcf+D > HDC > qcb+C (in air), hcf+D > HDC > ryeunbu C, hcf+D > HDC > ryeunbu C, ryuenbu C, EX DM > MaxCancel > NeoMAX. (third hcf+D could be failed easily if you don't do it just in time)
My most powerful HD combo corner I found with Mai:
(5 meter, 904 damage)
-sC, HD, sC, hcf+D > HDC > qcb+C (in air), hcf+D > HDC > ryeunbu C, ryeunbu C, ryuenbu C > HDC > EX ryuenbu, ryuenbu C, EX DM > MaxCancel > NeoMAX.