The King of Fighters XIII/Maxima

File:Maxima sprite.gif

Quick Combo Reference

0 Stock, No Drive Gauge	Anywhere Anywhere Anywhere	j.C, d.A, df+C, qcb+A =263 dmg j.C, st.C (1), df+C, qcb+A = 282 dmg j.D, st.D, hcb+B, (wall-slam) qcb+P = 268 dmg
1 Stock, No Drive Gauge	Anywhere Anywhere	j.C, d.A, df+C, qcf x2 +P = 357 dmg j.D, st.D, df+C, qcb+AC, df+C, dp+B = 487 dmg
2 Stock, 1+ Drive Gauge	Anywhere	j.C, st.D, df+C, qcb+A [SC] qcf x2 + AC = 638 dmg
3 Stock, 2 Drive Gauge HD Bypass Combo	Anywhere	j.C, st.D, df+C, qcfx2 +CB [HD Bypass], [MC] hcbx2+AC = 796 dmg

Console Changes

- df.C has better recovery

- No recoil after air vapor canon

-Guard points on normal are now cancel-able by specials

-Hit box on the follow up to EX Maxima Press improved. Can now hit from counter CD.

-No bounce back when EX Maxima Press is guarded. He’s now more vulnerable to punishes.

Yamamoto: "df.C can be used effectively as an early (okiwaza) anti-air as the recovery has improved. Also counter df.C and counter j.CD can be followed by EX Maxima Press for extra damage, possible to counter-confirm. Pressuring the opponent by earning precise follow-up damage is the ideal way to play Maxima "

Gameplay Overview

Gameplay Notes

The best way to describe Maxima is a big, blue wall. Maxima, from his specials, to his normals are meant to keep counter an opponent and lock them down. Although he has one command grab, he has an air grab and variations of his command grab to give him utility. On top of being a highly defensive player, his moves have the dreaded "Guard Point" ability that lets him absorb a hit while he does a move. Nothing hurts an opponent's spirit more than to have their attacks blocked AND get hit at the same time!

Some would think he's the "Big Guy" kinda tank, but this man packs power. For 1 meter, Maxima can take half an opponent's life away. He is rippling with power and should never be underestimated. Despite being slow, with meter, he can be a very big threat.

Pros

• Has very long range and powerful normals
• 5 normals, 2 specials, and 1 DM have guard point
• Can cancel any normal guardpoints into specials.
• A 1 frame command grab that can also change to a slow run grab.
• Follow up to command grab can be super cancelled!
• Deadly with meter and drive.
• Easy 100% HD combo with 3 bars, overkill with 4. Still does major damage without HD!
• EX moves are fast (EX Maxima Press) or have guardpoint (EX Air Vapor Cannon)

Cons

• Incredibly slow - All far normals can be punished by rolling through them.
• None of his moves are safe on whiff (So make sure to hit your mark!)
• Hard to get in without meter
• Very limited defense against cross ups.
• Requires a great deal of timing to utilize guardpoints (That won't stop us!)
• Only 1 move (d.C) has lower body guardpoint and is incredibly slow (Can work around that)
• Very limited in air offense because hop C has terrible hitstun and jump D is slow.
• 100% HD combo is hard to link (Needs perfect timing).

Normals

Standing

st. A: 30 damage,*special cancel-able, super cancel-able, hits high: Maxima extends his fist out in a quick punch. It's not the fastest normal, but it covers such a high area that hops and jumps get beat out by his st.A. Good anti-air!

Specials that can cancel from: (B) Maxima Press, EX Vapor Cannon, EX Maxima Press, EX M19 Blitz Cannon

st. B: 30 damage, hits mid: Maxima brings up the back of his foot in a hindkick. This move is pretty fast and good for poking. You can use it to kind of poke people out of the air if they're hopping or advancing in on you from the ground. You can't special cancel it or super cancel it and does not combo with other normals.

far C: 100 damage, super-cancel-able only, hits mid: Maxima rears back and punches forward in a punch. Far standing C has guardpoint for 1 hit. It can absorb mid to high hits. On hit, it can be super cancelled into the DM, but outside of HD mode, it can't be special cancel-able. Be sure it hits something 'cause it's not safe on whiff!

far D: 100 damage, hits mid.: Maxima rears back his foot and thrusts it in front of him in a forward kick. Far standing D has guard point for 2 hits even though it only hits once. It's very slow so you can time this much easier than st.C for standing guard points. Other than that, he can poke people from far away. Make sure that it hits as it's not safe to whiff this!

s. C: 50x2 damage, special and super cancel-able, hits mid: Maxima nudges the opponent with his elbow and quickly raises up his hand in a back fist to the face. St.C is a 2 hit normal. It's much faster than far standing C and the first hit of the move can be canceled into df+C. The second hit moves the opponent away. The two hits guard points separately, but they don't guardpoint two hits. All specials cancel as well. After the second hit, in midscreen, df+C might not hit, especially if the opponent is ducking.

s. D: 100 damage, special and super cancel-able, hits mid: Maxima brings up his knee in a crushing hit to the mid area. st.D guardpoints once and hits once. It's a slow and hard to combo into from jump ins, but the fact that it does so much damage in one hit makes it the optimal starter for combos. Since it hits once, you can do df+C and hit even on block.

Crouching

d. A: 30 damage, special and super cancel-able, hits mid: d.A is a quick punch from Maxima. It links much better into its self from other normals so it's the best choice for tagging people who are trying to get in with ground pressure or just to start some pressure yourself. Like st.A, it can't combo directly into Vapor Cannon, but works with all EX moves and supers. However, it links well enough that there's little gaps between hits. Used with df+C, it's a pretty safe way to start a combo.

d. B: 35 damage, hits low: d.B is a slow, but long range low B. Maxima extends his leg out for a front kick. This is the only low that Maxima can combo into, but the timing to combo into it is weird. d.B can combo into d.A which combos into df+C. This gives you a bit more openings for combos with a mid to low mix up. As it is your only low, it's advised to use it often. However, remember the timing from normal to normal with this move is long so you have to delay the next press. Also, from a distance, d.B, d.A, df+C might not hit and especially true for crouchers.

d. C: 100 damage, cancel-able, hits mid: SAFE! Maxima chops at the knees of an opponent, looking like an umpire in a baseball game. This move is the only move Maxima has that guardpoints lows. It's very slow start-up and guardpoints one hit, but the utility for it to cover his Achilles' heel is the main reason why it's good to use it. By itself, it can cancel into everything and has a pretty decent amount of range. Aside from being special and super cancellable, it's also whiff cancellable. You can immediately cancel this into vapor cannon or even a command normal like df+C. You can make people afraid to get in or twitch by using moves that whiff cancel. This is also faster start up for that strategy than st.CD.

d. D: 100 damage, hits low: Maxima swings his long leg out to sweep his opponent. Although this is indeed just a sweep, there's something to note about it. Its range is quite long and it does 100 damage. Timing a sweep the moment someone lands after an anti-air or when they wake up makes it difficult for them to recover as well as something they have to deal with. The range makes it so you can do it from a long distance as well. Use it for just those reasons or in simple traps like when you're pressuring someone. Although it's telegraphed for being slow, properly timing it and hitting people is very rewarding!

Jumping

j. A: 45 (40) damage, cancel-able, hits overhead: Maxima throws a lovetap to the head of the opponent from the air. It's a very quick normal and probably the easiest one to combo into. However, it does push you back. This is comboable with air Vapor cannon. If you feel like you've got the opponent stuck blocking low, you can combo a hit into a Air Vapor Cannon or EX Air Vapor Cannon. Other than that, good for pressure. The downward angle makes it choice for air to ground.

j. B: 45 (40) damage, hits overhead: Maxima strikes out with fast knee that has a horizontal hitbox. It's not often used, but it's fairly useful for crossing up crouching opponents or just applying pressure. It's easy, like j.A to combo into, but you cannot cancel it into Air Vapor cannon. Use it as an air to air or a means to get in without too much start up.

j. C: 72 (70) damage, cancel-able during (hyper) hops only, hits overhead: This is actually a two part one. Jump C is a wide body splash attack. Maxima comes down like a stone to crush his enemies under hsi weight. The move can cross up pretty easy and combos if you hit it deep. Almost all parts of his body are active, from his head to his toes, so it makes it an ideal air-to-air, ground to air, and cross up tool. Problem is you can only do this one a full jump so the utility can be taken away if you're baited.

Hop C is a completely different move all together. Hop C looks like j.A, but a much deeper and punch. The start up for this makes it hard to combo into once you land which is why the move is hard to combo with with slow normals like st.D or d.B. St.C and d.A are much easier to combo with as you don't have to hit so deep to combo. The hitstun may be terrible, but the range on the normal is long. This lets you poke and possibly cancel into Air Vapor Cannon or EX vapor cannon. Although Air Vapor Cannon isn't safe on block, it can score a knockdown on hit as well as be much safer from a distance/closer to the ground. EX Vapor cannon is safe on block and in the corner, you can net a full combo with any normal when you land!

j. D: 70 (68) damage, hits overhead: j.D is quite a weird normal. Maxima extends his leg out and cleaves at opponents with his boot. Although this move has a lot more hit stun than Hop C, it comes out very slowly. You have to time the move early so that it will hit in the right place. Don't be fooled, this will really hurt if someone gets hit by it and the hitbox is really deep towards the ground. Good for air to ground pressure and can even cross up at certain spacings.

Blowback Attack

CD: 110 damage, cancel-able, hits mid: FORE! Maxima clutches his hands together and rears back for a nice big golf swing. This move is whiff cancellable so any part of the animation can be cancelled into a special. It has guardpoint covering mid and covers one hit. It can be used as an anti-air to guardpoint a jump-in, but it has a pretty high hit box at the end of its animation to hit jumpers. Like most st.CDs, use it to psyche out an opponent or continue to pressure them with its huge blockstun.

j. CD: 90 (80) cancel-able, hits mid: Maxima extends both feet up in a Raiden-esque drop kick. This is one of Maxima's most effective air-to-air's because of its long and wide hitbox. On block, like most jump CDs, it causes a lot of blockstun. On hit, it just plain hurts. After hitting someone with a counter hit j.CD, you can accomplish quite a lot. Without meter, you can tag them with a vapor cannon. With meter, you can hit an opponent with a EX Maxima press for some corner combos. If you have meter and drive, you can do a Vapor cannon and super cancel into double vapor cannon (Though you got to hit them low or they have to be cornered).

GCCD: 10 damage, hits mid: Same animation as CD. Fairly self explanatory, pop it when you're getting pressured OR if you want to push people away in a certain direction (Like back into a corner!)

Throw

Dynamite Drop = (b/f+C/D) close 100 damage, can be broken, causes soft knockdown: Maxima grabs someone and boots them with a dropkick to the chest. His throw does not have a lot of utility as it's a soft knockdown. If they don't tech, you can start playing mind games with them. If they do tech, you might be able to time an EX Maxima press for when they come out of recovery and aren't blocking.

Command Moves

M9 Missile = (df+C) 80 damage, cancel-able, hits mid: Maxima ducks down and thrusts his fist up towards the air. It's a bit awkward because it hits at a diagonal angle, but if it hits or becomes blocked, you can cancel it into any special. You can use this as an anti-air as well on full jump players. If you manage to hit someone and you can react to it, a M-14 Blitz Cannon (DP+K) will hit catch for almost 200 damage! In combos, this is usually used to tag extra damage and hits in, but in midscreen, it's hard to connect all the hits if the opponent is too far away or they're crouching to begin with. Be mindful of your spacing when you use this in combos or just go for 2-hit chains. Recovers fast, but terrible to whiff this all the same.

Special Moves

M4 Vapor Cannon = (qcb+P): Maxima rears back his fist and thrusts it forward, driving it into his opponent and letting loose pressurized vapor on impact. For each version, Maxima takes a step forward. All versions, on counter hit, wire. Wire means when they are counter hit, they'll get knocked back into the wall and rebound. A version is much faster. C version is slower, but has upper body guardpoint and increased range (steps further)

(EX) = qcb+AC: Maxima thrusts his first fist forward and lets loose a second fist to the opponent. This has increased range over the C version and comes out fast. On hit, this will make the opponent wire for a full juggle combo.

- The EX version has increased priority and wire damage can be followed up.

• Super-Cancellable
• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 120; EX Damage: 117

M4 Air Vapor Cannon = qcb+P (air): Maxima rears back his fist and thrusts it down towards the ground, letting out a pressurized vapor blast on impact. This move, on hit, causes a hard knockdown. It can be comboed into from j.CD, j.A, and hop C respectively. However, it's not safe really close up on block. It's best to do it low to the ground to avoid retaliation or use CD if you know it will be blocked so they have longer blockstun.

(EX) = qcb+AC in air: Maxima lets loose a vapor cannon that continues on for a short period of time. Depending on the arc of his jump, he'll move forward or backward. While hitting multiple times, it also has guardpoint throughout the duration of the move. When hit, Maxima gets covered in a blue shield that absorbs all the hits that come his way. Things like grabs or proximity unblockable supers (Like Leona's V Slasher) will still hit him. Use it to pressure your opponent when they're knocked down or to try to safely get in the opponent's face. It's safe on block and if someone is hit with it in the corner, Maxima can combo off of it.

• Can't be cancelled
• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 110; EX Damage: 50 x 2, 60

M19 Blitz Cannon = (dp+K): Maxima activates boosters in his feet to launch himself into the air. If an opponent is caught, Maxima presses his fist to their chest and lets a vapor cannon loose, blasting them down to the floor. This is a nice anti-air, but should be used mostly to finish air juggles. It does not give an opponent meter because it's a throw as well as does a lot of damage. It's the ideal ender to a juggle. It does not trade well with air-to-air interactions and does 0 damage if it does trade.

(EX) = dp+BD: A very surprising EX DP that has guardpoint from start-up. Maxima can also cancel the first hit of the DP into another special move in a super/drive cancel. Will hit off the ground for extra damage and then do the initial amount done in regular Blitz cannon. The only issue is if it whiffs, you're in trouble! Don't fall for high jumps that might cross you up if you try to do it.

- EX version has guard point and additional hit frames on his knee.

• Normal version can't be cancelled; EX version is Drive- / Super-cancellable
• Hit Detection: Throw; EX Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 0, 150; EX Damage: 50, 150

Maxima Press = (hcb+K): Maxima, once he grabs you, activates his boosters and rushes you to the wall. On impact, he thrusts you into the wall. The B version is a 1-frame command grab while the D version causes Maxima to squat and slowly run towards you till he grabs you. B Maxima press is a great punish for those that don't respect your space on wake-up, after slower moves, or empty hopping into it. D version can be cancelled from normals and almost looks like when Maxima stops running. Creativity is key to mastering how to use these powerful grappler tools. If there was no follow-up, for any version, the opponent goes into a crumple state and falls to the ground slowly. This can set you up for cross up situations and corner pressure. Can't be teched.

(EX) = hcb+BD: EX Maxima press makes Maxima immediately shoot towards the opponent. On block, Maxima cools down and sits right in front. It does cause blockstun, but a proper punish will mean a very, full combo. It has a odd hitbox that can grab people out of the air as well as in the middle of combos where players have a certain hit detection. Players can extend combos for quite some time if given the opportunity.

• Can't be cancelled
• Hit Detection: Throw, EX Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 80

∟Press Plus = (qcb+P: After impact to the wall, Maxima pins the head of the opponent to the wall and slams his fist into them with brute force. This move is special and super cancellable, but most people will know you can only super cancel safely with regular Press Plus.

(EX) = qcb+P: After an EX Maxima press, you can super cancel with this variation of Press Plus or drive cancel. Allows for juggle shenanigans. Very important to know when to add Press Plus for a full combo or to just let them fall into a hard knockdown setup.

- EX version is very fast and hard to jump over. Press Plus can now be Drive and Super Canceled. It's an instant-grab when near opponent unlike the D version which has a start-up animation.

• Super-cancellable; EX version is also Drive-cancellable
• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 50, EX Damage: 120

Desperation Moves

Double Vapor Cannon = (qcfx2+P): Maxima punches his fists together and extends both fists forward in a highly pressurized vapor blast. This actually hits around 6-7 steps in front of Maxima so it can be classified as a short range fireball. While he does this, he has guardpoint all around his body in a giant blue shell. You can poke him out of it and cross him up, but it will hurt quite a lot if you don't. Maxima can also wire this move if his super counter hits.

(EX) = qcfx2+AC: All aboard the crazy train! Like a steaming locomotive, Maxima comes out of the gates swinging like his EX Vapor Cannon special. The screen freezes, Maxima charges his Vapor Cannon cells, and lets loose an unscaled Double Vapor cannon hit that knocks the opponent away. Unlike the regular one, this does not have guardpoint, but it has VERY fast start up (3F) and it's completely invincible so it's a great reversal. The initial punches can be jumped over so the hitbox is a bit odd. If it's blocked or it misses, Maxima will wait a second and then let loose his vapor cannon anyway. A funny thing is if you're close to him from behind, he'll still hit you. This version is much easier to Max cancel into and is the main reason why he does so much damage. The last hit does not scale no matter how many hits were done. 180 is a lot of damage to go unscaled.

- EX version has faster start-up and increased hit count.

• MAX Cancellable
• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 220; EX Damage: 80 x 2, 180

Neomax

Maxima Laser = (hcbx2+AC)

• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: (15+0) x 22, 120

Combos

No Stock, No Drive Gauge -

d.B, d.A, hcb+B.qcb+P -->

Crossup j.C, d.A, df.C, qcb+P/hcb+B.qcb+P -->

1 Stock, No Drive Gauge -

(d.Ax3)/(d.B, d.A, df.C), Ex qcb+P (wires), df.C, (df.C), dp+K/Ex hcb+K.qcb+P -->

1 Stock, 1+ Drive Gauge -

Crossup j.C, d.A, df.C, Ex hcb+K.qcb+P, [DC] Ex qcb+P, (wire) df.C, dp+K

If, --> hcb+K.qcb+P, [SC] qcfx2+P

2 Stock, No Drive Gauge -

Hyperhop/hop C, Ex air.qcb+P, Ex qcb+P (wires), df.C, dp+K

qcb+P (counter), hcbx2+P NM

2 Stock, 2 Drive Gauge -

If, --> Ex hcb+K.qcb+P, [DC] qcb+P, [SC] qcfx2+P

3 Stock, No Drive Gauge -

d.B, d.A, df.C, Ex qcb+P (wires), hcbx2+P NM

Hyper Drive Combos

(1)j. C -> cl. D -> df C -> HD -> cl. D -> df C -> qcb + A -(DC)-> qcf + AC -(MC)-> hcb x 2 + AC = 1110 Damage

(2) If HD, --> [SC] qcfx2+P, [MC] hcbx2+P NM

Tips

• Maxima Press B is unblockable, it's considered a command grab. However, when it connects it'll press him against the wall. The whiff animation looks like any command grab.

• Maxima Press D is unblockable but has a slow start up.

• EX Maxima Press is blockable but is fast.

• All of Maxima's ground strong normals, have Guard Point (autoguard); d.D is the only exception.

• Vapor Cannon C will wire if it's a counter, EX Vapor Cannon will counter wire every time.

• d.C empty cancels.

• GP'ing takes no tick damage at all. It is possible to Guard Point Joe's entire Screw Upper DM (qcfx2+P)!

Quick notes between these two combos:

--> EX qcb+P (wire), df.C, (df.C), Ex hcb+K -->

vs

--> Ex hcb+K.qcb+P, [DC] Ex qcb+P (wire), df.C, dp+K

Use the second one for more damage, but first one if you only have 2 stocks and no Cancels. Arguably, both combos can be extended, but use the first one for SCs and MCs as it uses one less Drive Cancel already.

Maxima only has three special moves (if you count Air Vapor Cannon, he has four). The cool thing is he does massive damage and his limit is his stocks (the more he has the more creative the combos can get). df.C has pretty good horizontal range as well.

Strategies

Close Range

Cornered Opponent

Cornered

Character Matchups

Andy Bogard

Ash Crimson

Athena Asamiya

Benimaru Nikaido

Billy Kane

Chin Gentsai

Clark Still

Duo Lon

Elisabeth Branctorche

Goro Daimon

Hwa Jai

Iori Yagami (Claw)

Iori Yagami (Flame)

Joe Higashi

K'

Kim Kaphwan

King

Kula Diamond

Kyo Kusanagi (XIII)

Kyo Kusanagi (NESTS)

Leona Heidern

Mai Shiranui

Mature

Maxima (mirror match)

Raiden

Ralf Jones

Robert Garcia

Ryo Sakazaki

Saiki

Shen Woo

Sie Kensou

Takuma Sakazaki

Mr. Karate

Terry Bogard

Vice

Yuri Sakazaki

Links & References

Technical Reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfzcjMfwgi0#t=3m35s

Contributors

Reiki.Kito [1] [2]

Discussion Threads

Discuss at Dream Cancel