Injustice: Gods Among Us Guide Preview – Batman – Strategy

You’ve got your basic moves down, memorized special moves, and even locked down some advanced combos. Here’s your overall strategy for Batman from Injustice: Gods Among Us!

Using Flying Kick (Back + Hard) and Wheel Kicks (Forward + Hard)

When using either of these attacks without Meter Burn to add armor, there are a few things to take into account: If you are outside of point-blank range, you will obviously need an attack that will reach your opponent, and if you are close to your opponent you will want a faster attack as well as an attack that can beat out some of your opponent’s faster pokes.

Flying Kick is a bit slower than Wheel Kicks, but it travels half screen, making it more useful from outside of point-blank range.

Wheel Kicks is faster, but covers only up to sweep range. This makes it a better option up close over Flying Kick, but when timed right this attack can jump over and hit your opponent’s faster generic pokes, such as Down + Light attacks or even sweeps.

When using the Meter Burn versions of these attacks for armor, the move you choose can also vary based on the situation. If your opponent is pressuring you with ranged attacks, you will need an attack that will connect with your opponent from the distance he or she is attacking. This is where you would use the Flying Kick Meter Burn. At very close range you will need an attack that is fast enough to go through your opponent’s attack while still connecting before he or she is able to recover and block. This is where you use the Wheel Kicks Meter Burn.

You can also use the Meter Burn versions of these attacks offensively. In situations where your opponent blocks one of your attacks that doesn’t have advantage, but still leaves you at low negative frames (meaning you recover quickly after your attack is blocked), you can follow up with the Meter Burn Flying Kick or Wheel Kicks. With the Meter Burn versions, you can punish opponents eager to go back on the offensive by using the armor in these attacks to absorb your opponent’s blow while you go through his or her attack, hitting the opponent and getting awarded with a juggle combo starter. This can open up a mind game where the opponent may become hesitant to attack after blocking some of your safer attacks and can allow you to continuously attack even at slight disadvantage because your opponent is now aware of your option to armor through his or her attack.

You can use the charging version of Flying Kick or Wheel Kicks as a baiting tool. You can begin to charge these attacks from close to its maximum range, then cancel with a backward dash. This acts as a lure to see if you can get your opponent to hit you out of the attack. After back dashing the attack successfully, you can now whiff punish your opponent with your Straight Grapple special attack or Character Power if the bats have already been called down.

Batman doesn’t need to make practical use out of his combo cancel attacks. His need for meter for his special attacks to control the match with his zoning is far more important than the small damage a combo cancel offers at the cost of two bars of meter. His Meter Burn Straight Grapple and Sky Grapple also set up situations for him to use his Flying Kick/Wheel Kicks as part of a combo, which only costs him one bar of meter as opposed to two.

Using Stay Down (Back + Medium, Hard)

Stay Down offers a staggering number of possibilities. Whether it hits or is blocked, it will move Batman a half screen away from his opponent. This string starts with a fast upwards swipe that begins mid to overhead and ends mid. On hit or guard, Batman flips backward extremely quickly and puts him in a range where he is safe to start using projectiles. Use this to retreat away from a close-range opponent, as well as an anti-air to stop the opponent from jumping in. After the opponent blocks or is hit, Batman is free to move; he can dash in for pressure after it hits or stay at his current distance and throw projectiles. Stay Down can be used along with his projectile strategy to maintain distance on opponents, thus zoning them out. It can also be Special Canceled at the end, which makes approaching Batman even more difficult after blocking this attack because the opponent now has to worry about a Straight Grapple, Slide Kick, Batarang, or Mechanical Bats. Mechanical Bats will allow you to dash or jump in safely after releasing them whether the opponent has blocked or been hit, and either option is advantageous for Batman.

After Stay Down lands, Batman can either dash in for pressure or choose to maintain his space. In the corner, this can be canceled into a Straight Grapple for a combo or Batman can dash forward and perform a Double Jump Dive Kick for a cross up, or attempt a cross up Jumping Medium. Stay Down is also Batman’s combo ender of choice; if Stay Down hits in open space and you have Mechanical Bats, you can use Release Bats late after Stay Down hits to combo into a Straight Grapple. The first hit of Stay Down can be Special Canceled—preferably into a Meter Burn Straight Grapple—to further add to Batman’s damage. Batman can be interrupted by a Super Move that is fast enough to reach him as he rolls back from planting the Batarang Bomb. In order to interrupt this attack, your opponent must activate their Super Move as Batman is planting his Batarang Bomb on the ground. The Batarang Bomb finish to the string can also be avoided by a forward, backwards, or neutral jump as well as a back dash.

Using Mind Games (Light, Medium, Hard)

Mind Games is a combo attack that begins the exact same way as Tricky Bat, but ends with a very safe low attack that is only punishable at point blank range by attacks like Batman’s Palm Strike and by Superman’s Kryptonian Crush. Being a safe combo starter, you can use it whenever Batman is in close or to punish unsafe attacks that have been blocked up close. If you want to mix up the opponent with a 50/50, you can go for an overhead in place of the last hit, but you will need to spend two bars of Meter Bounce Cancel into Wheel Kicks, which hits overhead.

The first two hits of Mind Games and Tricky Bat are totally safe when blocked and cannot be interrupted by any other move. Moreover, the full combo attack of Tricky Bat and Mind Games cannot be interrupted by any attack in the game.

Using Caped Crusader (Medium, Medium, Hard)

Caped Crusader is Batman’s most damaging combo attack starter. It can be used as an up close whiff punish, as a poke, as well as after landing a Jumping Attack to begin a combo. The only issue you will run into using Caped Crusader lies in the fact that the second hit of the string is high, so it can be ducked and the last hit will get interrupted. The up side is that the opponent has to be very fast to duck to interrupt the string. If the opponent chooses to interrupt, you can use Cape Parry to punish his or her interrupt attempt, but if your opponent reads your attempt properly, Batman is open for punishment. You can also use a Bounce Cancel Flying Kick to punish the opponent’s interrupt for max damage, but it will cost you two bars of meter. The best way to cover the holes of Caped Crusader is having Mechanical Bats active to release if you feel the opponent will try to interrupt. Caped Crusader, when blocked, cannot be punished and is totally safe.

Using Darkness (Back + Light, Light, Hard)

Darkness is Batman’s go-to combo starter, however it must only be used when it is guaranteed to hit the opponent or you have your Mechanical Bats deployed to cover your recovery, as this attack is unsafe when blocked. Batman can combo into Darkness after the Mechanical Bats hit an opponent, when landing a jump in attack, and when the opponent isn’t crouched (because the first hit starts low). Darkness is safe against most characters in the game, though Superman’s Super Move can punish Darkness (just as it can many attacks) when blocked. Be careful when attempting that in a classic Batman/Superman brawl.

Using High Tech (Back + Light, Light, Medium)

High Tech is a good attack string to use when you want to score a knockdown that can’t be Tech Rolled. The low hit is quick to execute and, when blocked, the last hit pushes the opponent away. If you have Mechanical Bats deployed, you can use Release Bats while the opponent is being pushed away and Batman is recovering. This gives Batman the opportunity to maintain pressure and go for a cross up attempt for big damage. High Tech cannot be punished by most of the cast, however Superman can (of course) punish it with Kryptonian Crush.

Using Straight Grapple (Down, Forward + Light)

Straight Grapple is used to counter projectiles in a projectile war as well as to add damage to Batman’s combos. Straight Grapple is unsafe—very easily punishable up close, but at far range it offers a bit more security. Use this in anticipation of an opponent who tries backward dash, forward dash, or jump, or who you think will try to toss a projectile of his or her own. Straight Grapple isn’t fast enough to stop an opponent’s projectile on reaction, but with anticipation it can. With the Meter Burn version, Batman will just pull himself to the opponent and the opponent will be staggered long enough for Batman to perform a standing jump Medium, Flying Kick, or Wheel Kicks, all of which lead into a damaging combo. The Meter Burn version of Straight Grapple is Batman’s most important Meter Burn Special Attack, as it is his best combo extender.

Using Batarang (Back, Forward + Medium)

Batarang is Batman’s primary projectile. It builds meter, travels full screen, and if it catches an airborne opponent, it will hit them out of the air, though it is unsafe when blocked up close. For that reason, it’s best to use Batarang when your opponent is at such a distance away that he or she can’t punish it. If the opponent is able to punish and you have Mechanical Bats, you can Release Bats to cover the recovery of a Batarang throw. The Meter Burn version of Batarang will detonate, causing a knockdown on hit, and even on block will push your opponent back. Better still, if an opponent jumps, thinking he or she has avoided the Batarang, the Meter Burn detonation is big enough to catch your opponent in the air.

Using Cape Parry (Down, Back + Hard)

Cape Parry is one of Batman’s key tools to use as defense against strong opponents up close. Use the Cape Parry when you know an opponent will do a High or Overhead attack. Cape Parry can also be used to interrupt opponents out of combo attacks that have big enough gaps, and can parry linked Special Moves as long as there is a big enough window for the move to execute.

Using Jump In Attacks and Cross Ups

As Batman, you have three jumping attacks to choose from: Light, Medium, or Heavy attacks. A jumping Medium attack is the most effective option for a chance for a combo attack chain, as that jumping Medium has a chance to cross up depending on the timing and range in which you have jumped in on the opponent.

Overall, jumping Medium is your absolute best jumping tool when it comes to jumping in on a grounded opponent as well. It has advantage when it’s blocked, and can cause ambiguous cross ups. Some ways to set up your jumping Medium are after ending juggles with a Stay Down combo attack in the corner, or after using High Tech or Diving Elbow, as your opponent has to deal with your cross up attempt. If it hits, you get a combo, and if it’s blocked, you get pressure.

Batman can also use Scatter Bombs when he is jumping in to punish opponents for trying to anti-air his jump ins. Scatter Bombs also keep Batman in the air, making it more difficult to determine when he will land.

Using Mechanical Bats

Release Bats can be used to extend Batman’s combos or anti-air, aid his projectiles, and enhance his offense. Summoning Mechanical Bats is usually what Batman will want to do whenever he starts a match. It will allow him to pressure the opponent and go for cross ups as well as throws, overheads, and low attacks. Best of all, Batman is able to release Mechanical Bats even while he is locked in any animation other than block stun, stopping the opponent from retaliating. When he’s under assault from zoning attacks, Batman can use Release Bats to stop them from throwing projectiles and advance forward safely, or confirm that the opponent has been hit by the Mechanical Bats and then use Straight Grapple to combo after landing Mechanical Bats from anywhere on the screen. Up close, it would be best to use Batman’s Back + Hard Flying Kick to combo, since the bats offer enough hit stun to combo into a Flying Kick for massive damage.

Batman can make situations where he is unsafe and at risk for punishment safe with the use of Mechanical Bats. If Slide Kick is blocked, Batman can Release Bats to protect him from getting punished while he recovers. Batman can also use Cape Parry the same way. If you use Cape Parry and the opponent doesn’t respond with attacks, you can Release Bats to protect him from getting punished as well as being able to hit the opponent or go for pressure, depending on if the opponent was hit or blocked.

Bat Swarm is primarily used as a combo starter or combo extender. It can be used for anti-air if the opponent jumps into the Bat Swarm vertically, but if opponents jump on top of Batman’s head they will land a hit. When Bat Swarm is blocked or hits, all bats will disappear, and Bat Swarm can only be used when all three Mechanical Bats are available.

Using Double Jump

Double Jump can be used either forward or backward. When going backward, Batman performs another flip that will propel him higher into the air while retreating. Double jumping forward, he will begin to glide through the air at a slow pace. When pressing Medium during a Double Jump, Batman will fall out of the air with a Dive Kick that behaves like a jump in combo starter and can also be used to cross up the opponent. When pressing Hard, he will perform a Diving Elbow that will knock the opponent down and cause a knockdown without Tech Roll escape, allowing Batman to follow up with enough pressure to go for a cross up attempt.

The best time to use Double Jump forward is when trying to get next to an opponent who has better projectile attacks than Batman, since he won’t be able to do much from a distance. The Double Jump forward will also help Batman avoid most anti-air attempts when he jumps. Double Jump backward is best for retreating away from strong offensive characters up close, which puts him in range to use projectiles. The Double Jump Dive Kick can be used for cross ups on a knocked down opponent as well as after avoiding a projectile moving forward, allowing Batman to punish the opponent while he or she is recovering if close enough. Batman’s Double Jump Diving Elbow can be used as an opening attack. He can also use Scatter Bombs during Double Jump to further change and delay his time in the air.

Using The Dark Knight Character Power

The Dark Knight is a fast Super Move that is best used as a reversal. If you anticipate an opponent will throw out a Normal, Special, or Super attack of his or her own, you can wait for the opponent’s start-up animation, then release your Super Move against your foe. It is best not to use The Dark Knight with Batman’s combos, as the damage won’t be as high as any of his regular single Meter Burn combos.

Get more Batman strategies from Prima:

Batman – Best Basic Moves & Introduction: Batman’s best basic moves: controls and descriptions

Batman – Best Combo Attacks: Batman’s combo attacks with controls and descriptions

Batman – Special Moves: Learn Batman’s special moves

Batman – Combos: How to perform Batman’s combos

Get it all with the official guide to Injustice: Gods Among Us

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