4x4lo8o
Noob
This is gonna be sort of a mid-level guide to fighting up close with Ares. Nothing really new or ground breaking here and probably nothing eye opening for anyone already playing the character at a high level, but I think it at least covers some stuff all Ares players should be aware of and that hasn't been covered or laid out particularly thoroughly on the forums.
Starting with his best normal-
d1
6 frame low
-4 on block
+9 on hit
d1 is the core of Ares pressure game. It's going to be the only tool Ares has that the opponent has to worry about respecting up close in the neutral game. d1 will be where a lot of Ares combos come from and where most of his pressure starts and ends. You've got 3 basic options when you use d1: d1~d4, raw d1, d1~gs. d1~d4 is what you'd like to do every time. It leads to a combo on hit, and on block it does good chip and leaves you with frames advantage. Unfortunately because of the hole in it, it's actually punishable and against good players you can't get away with using it every time. So most of the time you're just going to use a d1 without canceling into anything. On hit you don't get as much, just more pressure or some mix up attempts but on block it's completely safe. The third option, you're going to want to use more sparingly. Generally you'll save it until partway through the match when you've determined that your opponent is insistent on blocking your d1 and immediately counter poking every time. At that point you can use d1~close godsmack(or MB close Godsmack) to get some damage and discourage them from counter poking every time.
d1~d4 - low launcher, not hit-confirmable. Has a 12 frame gap, making it potentially unsafe on block
d1~close gs - acts as a frame trap, catching people pressing buttons trying to interrupt d1~d4 or counter poke. This option has become less useful since the patch. Having a reliable mid hitting, hitconfirmable string that also allows you to continue pressure on block(22) makes risking d1~d4 less desirable and leave d1~gs as something you won't need to fall back on as often. It's can still be something useful to have in your pocket for when you know your opponent's going to counter poke after blocking a d1
d1 on hit gives you a few options for follow ups(more on all this strings and their options on their own later, this is just a brief overview of how they work as d1 follow ups)-
d1 - using d1 again will catch them if they try to back dash or walk away. It can also condition them to block low, which will open them up for the overhead after future d1s. You can use just a plain d1 again or go into d1~d4 or d1~gs depending on what you think the opponent will do and how much you want to risk
22 - will interrupt anything the opponent does and is hit confirmable into d4 for full combo. On block 22 is +1, which grants you a d1 that has to blocked or back dashed. This will probably be your main string after a d1 on hit since it's a tight frame trap that'll catch them for full combo if they try to jump or mash out and leads to more pressure on hit.
3d2/3d4 - leads to big damage and a 50/50. Difficult to hitconfirm after d1, use once they're respecting your options and are hesitent to press buttons
b2 - a slow overhead that can catch the opponent if they're sitting there low blocking expecting a d1
throw - will beat them out of any buttons they try to press, must be teched
You'll want to mix these up based on reads and your opponents habits. If you don't know which one to use or don't have any idea what your opponent will do use 22.
s3 used to be the preferred option after a d1 hit because it leads to both damage and mix ups, but it's difficult to hit confirm(by the time you visually see that d1 hits and press 3 you can get interrupted if the opponent is mashing out a poke or 6 frame move) and it can back dashed or jumped out of. 22 is a 10 frame start up and hits mid, meaning you can easily confirm that d1 hit and stuff anything the opponent tries to do and now that it no longer whiffs on crouch blocking opponents and is positive on block it's a better default option and s3 is best saved for mixing things up once you've got a feel for your opponent. 22 is also back dashable though.
If you think the opponent's going to back dash you have a few options, none of them particularly great. You can d1 again and it'll catch them if they're stand blocking or trying to back dash, but it has the same problem as the initial d1 where you have to commit to something potentially unsafe if you want real damage. Your other options are b1, which can catch some characters back dashes but doesn't have enough range for some characters like Superman(doing b13 will force those characters to block the 3 but won't punish) and is potentially interrupted by pokes, or you can dash forward and d1 or 112. Dashing forward is pretty risk since anything they do other than dashing backward will generally beat it, so it's not really recommended unless you're really confident that they'll dash. d1 is probably the best option if you suspect a backdash
Some opponents like to just sit there and block low since they know that most of your options hit mid or low and once they block a d1 your pressure is over. If this is the case you can try throwing out a b2. b2 loses to anything they do other than blocking low - back dashing(or sometimes walking backwards) makes it whiff and there's a 10 frame gap so if they're trying to poke they'll probably win - and it's slow and is possible to block on reaction but if they're focused on blocking d1 it can hit.
The last option for opening them up after a d1 is a throw. The throw can be teched or back dashed, but it will interrupt any move they try to do so it's an easy way to go for some safe damage or finish out a round
Moving on to Ares other tools:
trait - 4 and b4 are used mostly as zoning tools and are unsafe up close. u4 and uu4(bu4) both hit overhead, u4 restands and uu4 is a hard knockdown. Both are slightly positive on block with lots of pushback. dd4(bd4) hits low, is +5 on block with pushback and launches on hit. d4 also hits low and launches, but it provides better combos on hit and is +14 on block. d4/dd4 have the same start up and u4/uu4 have the same start up so for the purposes of mix ups they can be used interchangeably, but Sword generally provides more on both hit and block so for the rest of this guide I'll only be referring only to u4/d4. Just keep in mind that if your sword is on cooldown or want to save sword you can always use Axe instead.
Although all of his trait mix ups are positive on block they all have large amounts of pushback which limits his pressure options. The pushback can be a good thing since it can give breathing room or a chance to start zoning, but it also means you don't get any real frame traps of off them. The exception to this is d4, which gives you a free fireball or b13 check. It also leaves them in f3 range(which is an overhead, after they just blocked your low) or spaces you to throw an axe. Following a blocked 3~d4, 22~d4, or b1~d4 you're also in range for a f23 check.
Ares can hold his trait out by holding 4 and alternate between the low/oh/projectile versions using d/u/b or can cancel out by dashing(trait dash cancel - tdc). This builds meter and can be used for mind games and spacing. He can do it after canceling into trait at the end of strings. Tdc is safe after certain strings and can be used to continue pressure.
b13 - This is easily Ares best footsies tool. With a 15 frame start up it's not exactly the fastest normal, but it advances forward and the range it covers makes it extremely useful. b13 on hit sends the opponent full screen and is -1 on block. b1~d4 leads to a full combo, but isn't hit confirmable and has a gap that can be used to punish. b1~gs can also be used to mix things up if they're constantly poking out of b1~d4.
There's a neat little option select you can do with this move. If you hit b1~d4 and b1 whiffs the d4 won't come out. b1 by itself advances pretty far forward, but b13 covers significantly more range and will generally connect if b1 was spaced wrong. To take advantage of both combo offered by b1~d4 and the extra range on b13 you can press b1d43. I'm not sure about correct notation for that, but basically you can hit b1~d4 like normal than immediately press 3 afterwards and if b1 connects the low sword will come out and if b1 whiffs b13 will come out
B1~mb teleport is completely safe and can be used to mix up the opponent and continue pressure. It effectively leaves you at neutral, and if they're mashing d1 to interrupt b1~d4 the d1 will come out in the wrong direction and you can punish. b1~warp away and b1~warp escape can also be used to harass and opponent, but be aware that some characters can punish
3d2 - A 14 frame mid that leads to Ares highest damaging combos both midscreen in the corner. Also leads to Ares only true 50/50 mix up(a 50/50 places the defender in a position where they're forced to block a mix up that's unfuzzyable and unseeable, essentially it's a guess with a 50% chance of being wrong). 3 as starter can lead into pretty much every tool and set up Ares has, the only real downside is that the speed and range can make it difficult to land in neutral situations.
s3 has two strings off of it - 33 and 3d2. I don't recommend ever using 33. It has a couple sort of gimmicky set ups and resets it can lead to, but other than that it's inferior to 3d2 in pretty much every way. 3d2 leads to better damage, mix ups, and more options on block, so stick with that.
3d2 is +2 on block and on hit is hit-confirmable into teleport or MB Godsmack for full combo. The second hit is an overhead, which sets up his 50/50. You can use trait to replace the overhead with a low(3~d4), which is a true blockstring that can't be poked out of and also leads to a combo on hit.
In addition to 3~d4, 3d2 also opens up a bunch of other trait shenanigans. 3d2~d4 is a true block string and 3d2~u4 has a gap less than 6 frames which leaves it uninteruptable in most cases. 3d2~tdc is also safe and hitconfirmable into combo, allowing you to go for things like 3d2~d4~forward dash, d1 or throw. 3d2~invis is safe and 3d2~mb invis is slightly positive on block
3d2~mb teleport is a frame trap, leaving you at +3 or +4. 112 following 3d2~mb tele will beat 6 frame move like Flash's Flying Uppercut.
22- 10 frame startup, Ares fastest mid. 2 and 22 are +1 on block, giving you a free d1 check. 22 is hitconfirmable into 22~d4 for a full combo. 223 knocks the opponent back towards full screen and is a hard knockdown.
On block 22~d4 has a gap that's interrupted with pokes or armor, but 223 has a 3 or 4 frame gap so if they're trying to interrupt trait and you finish the string instead they'll get hit by the last hit of the string.
On block 22~mb teleport is safe.
b2- 19 frame start up, hits overhead. Has two strings, b23 and b21. This move is slow enough that you generally won't get away with it much in the neutral game, but sometimes the opponent is respecting you d1 enough that you can get away with it. b23 is -4 on block but leads to a full combo on hit.
b21 leads to poor damage on hit, but on block is +3 and leaves you close enough for a d1 check or in good position for a 22. It also has a large cancel advantage which leaves you with similar options on block as 3d2 - uninterruptable d4, safe phase shift, or safe tdc. b21~mb teleport and b21~mb invis are both frame traps
You can also use b2~d4 which is an overhead follow immediately by a low. Like most combos into low sword it is interruptable on block.
112- 8 frame, high starter. Being high makes it mostly useless for Ares outside of punishes since the opponent will generally be crouching anyway because of d1, but if you land it it does lead to some decent set ups. It's hit-confirmable into d4 for full combo, on block the d4 is interruptable.
On hit the string by itself is +21. This gives you a free b1, b2, or d1. It also gives a very ambiguous ji2. The jump in isn't guaranteed, most characters can d2 or dash out, but it's difficult to react to and whether or not it crosses up is based on stance.
On hit 112~mb Phase Shift is a frame trap that gives a free d1 check.
On block 112~mb teleport is safe
123- suffers from the same problem as 112 because it hits high, but 123 advances forward a decent amount and is +1 on block(free d1 check afterwards) which can make it a decent footsies tool. On hit can be combo'd off of with out trait for more damage than 112 so it can be used as a situational punisher as well
f3- 28f overhead. Has excellent range. Catches opponents far more often than you'd expect given it's speed because of its range and being an overhead. In most situations Ares should use this over MB b3 because of the range and block advantage.
On block it's +16. It has a large amount of pushback, but you are guaranteed a d4, a fireball, b13, or a b4.
j1- used mostly for air to air exchanges, but also has an excellent and deceptively long range against ground opponents. The opponent, especially if they're used to Ares going for j2's, can be baited into thinking you've whiffed a jump and in and hit as they go to whiff punish. If spaced correctly it also connects at a range/angle that is difficult for many opponents to anti air.
After a blocked j1 the opponent can poke out of 3d2, but 22 will blow up pokes. At max j1 range on hit a standing 3 will whiff, so you'll need to combo with b1~4.
j2- Excellent for cross ups and setting 3d2. After a blocked j2 Ares s3 is uninterruptable, making j2 one of the best ways for Ares to start his offense.
corner:
f3 - This move has great range, leads to huge damage and set ups, does good chip, and is +16 on block. On block it guarantees you a f23 or b13 or d4. You can also use d4 or step forward and do b2, 3, or 22 but it's tight so it' a good idea to make sure they're conditioned to block a f23 follow up after f3. It's extremely common for opponents to try to jump or move after a f3, and f23 will catch them out of almost anything they're trying to do. If they're really respecting your options after f3 you can sneak in another f3 for some chip and more pressure.
MB f3 is also extremely good for stuffing wake ups. Lots of characters have no wake up options that beat mb f3(so they have to stand up and block). Because of how good f3 is on block, it's often worth it to do a mb f3 on their wake up even if you think they're going to respect it and not wake up. For example MB f3, 3d2~d4, b13 is all a frame trap and does over 5% chip and build almost half a bar of meter, and if they try to wake up or disrespect any of it or block wrong they can eat a full corner combo.
3d2- This is your go to string in the corner. The corner means back dashing it or stepping out of its range isn't an issue and it leads to huge meterless damage. The 3~d4 mix up is even better in the corner than midscreen, leading to higher damage on hit and better follow ups on block.
3d2~mb invis, d1 is a frame trap on block in the corner.
d4- On block is +15 and leads to much better damage and setups in the corner. The large and disjointed hitbox also makes it good for blowing up certain wake ups or for if you expect them to jump. After some strings, like 3~d4 it leaves you in range for a f23 that they have to block. Naked d4 or d1~d4 leave you with more push block but still give you a b13, spaces you well for a f3, lets you go for dd4 or uu4, or you can step forward and try for more pressure.
f23- Mostly used after f23 because of it's range, but it leads to big damage and can be used for mix ups. The second hit is an overhead, so you can use f2~d4 or f23~d4 to mix up and sustain your offense.
22- In the corner this isn't hitconfirmable into full combo due to the trait glitch so it loses some of its usefullness. However it's speed and the advantage it leaves you on block is still very valuable and after 22 on hit you can follow up with d1, 3, b2, or just about any other normal you want without being interrupt or you can go for a knockdown with 223
Trait/Godsmack mix up -This has been touched on a few times already, but it's a general strategy that can be used in a bunch of different places in his offense.
At the end of block strings Ares can create mix ups by canceling into his trait. In most cases this is unsafe because the trait can stuffed by attacks before it connects. If you're playing against a player who knows this and is eager to attack in the gaps in your strings you can instead cancel the string into Godsmack(I generally use MB close Godsmack, but there are other options). The Godsmack will go over the defending players attempt at interrupting and can net you a full combo punish.
Once the opponent is respecting this some of the holes in Ares offense disappear and it gets easier for him to use some of his mix ups and sustain his offense, especially against opponents who get mash happy while blocking.
Note: Some characters can d1 and still recover to jump out of the Godsmack, but it's not universal(changes based on character and the normal being canceled from) and can be very difficult(not probably practical if the opponent is trying to input d1~special when your GS comes out)
The change in the 22 string tightened up a lot of the holes in Ares offense that made using GS after blockstring necessary, but I figured I'd leave this section in as a reference. If at anypoint you notice that your opponent always counter pokes after a certain string you can blow them up by cancelling into GS. Saving that knowledge for the end of a set or match could have a huge pay off, Ares gets 25% unclashable off a mb GS.
Starting with his best normal-
d1
6 frame low
-4 on block
+9 on hit
d1 is the core of Ares pressure game. It's going to be the only tool Ares has that the opponent has to worry about respecting up close in the neutral game. d1 will be where a lot of Ares combos come from and where most of his pressure starts and ends. You've got 3 basic options when you use d1: d1~d4, raw d1, d1~gs. d1~d4 is what you'd like to do every time. It leads to a combo on hit, and on block it does good chip and leaves you with frames advantage. Unfortunately because of the hole in it, it's actually punishable and against good players you can't get away with using it every time. So most of the time you're just going to use a d1 without canceling into anything. On hit you don't get as much, just more pressure or some mix up attempts but on block it's completely safe. The third option, you're going to want to use more sparingly. Generally you'll save it until partway through the match when you've determined that your opponent is insistent on blocking your d1 and immediately counter poking every time. At that point you can use d1~close godsmack(or MB close Godsmack) to get some damage and discourage them from counter poking every time.
d1~d4 - low launcher, not hit-confirmable. Has a 12 frame gap, making it potentially unsafe on block
d1~close gs - acts as a frame trap, catching people pressing buttons trying to interrupt d1~d4 or counter poke. This option has become less useful since the patch. Having a reliable mid hitting, hitconfirmable string that also allows you to continue pressure on block(22) makes risking d1~d4 less desirable and leave d1~gs as something you won't need to fall back on as often. It's can still be something useful to have in your pocket for when you know your opponent's going to counter poke after blocking a d1
d1 on hit gives you a few options for follow ups(more on all this strings and their options on their own later, this is just a brief overview of how they work as d1 follow ups)-
d1 - using d1 again will catch them if they try to back dash or walk away. It can also condition them to block low, which will open them up for the overhead after future d1s. You can use just a plain d1 again or go into d1~d4 or d1~gs depending on what you think the opponent will do and how much you want to risk
22 - will interrupt anything the opponent does and is hit confirmable into d4 for full combo. On block 22 is +1, which grants you a d1 that has to blocked or back dashed. This will probably be your main string after a d1 on hit since it's a tight frame trap that'll catch them for full combo if they try to jump or mash out and leads to more pressure on hit.
3d2/3d4 - leads to big damage and a 50/50. Difficult to hitconfirm after d1, use once they're respecting your options and are hesitent to press buttons
b2 - a slow overhead that can catch the opponent if they're sitting there low blocking expecting a d1
throw - will beat them out of any buttons they try to press, must be teched
You'll want to mix these up based on reads and your opponents habits. If you don't know which one to use or don't have any idea what your opponent will do use 22.
s3 used to be the preferred option after a d1 hit because it leads to both damage and mix ups, but it's difficult to hit confirm(by the time you visually see that d1 hits and press 3 you can get interrupted if the opponent is mashing out a poke or 6 frame move) and it can back dashed or jumped out of. 22 is a 10 frame start up and hits mid, meaning you can easily confirm that d1 hit and stuff anything the opponent tries to do and now that it no longer whiffs on crouch blocking opponents and is positive on block it's a better default option and s3 is best saved for mixing things up once you've got a feel for your opponent. 22 is also back dashable though.
If you think the opponent's going to back dash you have a few options, none of them particularly great. You can d1 again and it'll catch them if they're stand blocking or trying to back dash, but it has the same problem as the initial d1 where you have to commit to something potentially unsafe if you want real damage. Your other options are b1, which can catch some characters back dashes but doesn't have enough range for some characters like Superman(doing b13 will force those characters to block the 3 but won't punish) and is potentially interrupted by pokes, or you can dash forward and d1 or 112. Dashing forward is pretty risk since anything they do other than dashing backward will generally beat it, so it's not really recommended unless you're really confident that they'll dash. d1 is probably the best option if you suspect a backdash
Some opponents like to just sit there and block low since they know that most of your options hit mid or low and once they block a d1 your pressure is over. If this is the case you can try throwing out a b2. b2 loses to anything they do other than blocking low - back dashing(or sometimes walking backwards) makes it whiff and there's a 10 frame gap so if they're trying to poke they'll probably win - and it's slow and is possible to block on reaction but if they're focused on blocking d1 it can hit.
The last option for opening them up after a d1 is a throw. The throw can be teched or back dashed, but it will interrupt any move they try to do so it's an easy way to go for some safe damage or finish out a round
Moving on to Ares other tools:
trait - 4 and b4 are used mostly as zoning tools and are unsafe up close. u4 and uu4(bu4) both hit overhead, u4 restands and uu4 is a hard knockdown. Both are slightly positive on block with lots of pushback. dd4(bd4) hits low, is +5 on block with pushback and launches on hit. d4 also hits low and launches, but it provides better combos on hit and is +14 on block. d4/dd4 have the same start up and u4/uu4 have the same start up so for the purposes of mix ups they can be used interchangeably, but Sword generally provides more on both hit and block so for the rest of this guide I'll only be referring only to u4/d4. Just keep in mind that if your sword is on cooldown or want to save sword you can always use Axe instead.
Although all of his trait mix ups are positive on block they all have large amounts of pushback which limits his pressure options. The pushback can be a good thing since it can give breathing room or a chance to start zoning, but it also means you don't get any real frame traps of off them. The exception to this is d4, which gives you a free fireball or b13 check. It also leaves them in f3 range(which is an overhead, after they just blocked your low) or spaces you to throw an axe. Following a blocked 3~d4, 22~d4, or b1~d4 you're also in range for a f23 check.
Ares can hold his trait out by holding 4 and alternate between the low/oh/projectile versions using d/u/b or can cancel out by dashing(trait dash cancel - tdc). This builds meter and can be used for mind games and spacing. He can do it after canceling into trait at the end of strings. Tdc is safe after certain strings and can be used to continue pressure.
b13 - This is easily Ares best footsies tool. With a 15 frame start up it's not exactly the fastest normal, but it advances forward and the range it covers makes it extremely useful. b13 on hit sends the opponent full screen and is -1 on block. b1~d4 leads to a full combo, but isn't hit confirmable and has a gap that can be used to punish. b1~gs can also be used to mix things up if they're constantly poking out of b1~d4.
There's a neat little option select you can do with this move. If you hit b1~d4 and b1 whiffs the d4 won't come out. b1 by itself advances pretty far forward, but b13 covers significantly more range and will generally connect if b1 was spaced wrong. To take advantage of both combo offered by b1~d4 and the extra range on b13 you can press b1d43. I'm not sure about correct notation for that, but basically you can hit b1~d4 like normal than immediately press 3 afterwards and if b1 connects the low sword will come out and if b1 whiffs b13 will come out
B1~mb teleport is completely safe and can be used to mix up the opponent and continue pressure. It effectively leaves you at neutral, and if they're mashing d1 to interrupt b1~d4 the d1 will come out in the wrong direction and you can punish. b1~warp away and b1~warp escape can also be used to harass and opponent, but be aware that some characters can punish
3d2 - A 14 frame mid that leads to Ares highest damaging combos both midscreen in the corner. Also leads to Ares only true 50/50 mix up(a 50/50 places the defender in a position where they're forced to block a mix up that's unfuzzyable and unseeable, essentially it's a guess with a 50% chance of being wrong). 3 as starter can lead into pretty much every tool and set up Ares has, the only real downside is that the speed and range can make it difficult to land in neutral situations.
s3 has two strings off of it - 33 and 3d2. I don't recommend ever using 33. It has a couple sort of gimmicky set ups and resets it can lead to, but other than that it's inferior to 3d2 in pretty much every way. 3d2 leads to better damage, mix ups, and more options on block, so stick with that.
3d2 is +2 on block and on hit is hit-confirmable into teleport or MB Godsmack for full combo. The second hit is an overhead, which sets up his 50/50. You can use trait to replace the overhead with a low(3~d4), which is a true blockstring that can't be poked out of and also leads to a combo on hit.
In addition to 3~d4, 3d2 also opens up a bunch of other trait shenanigans. 3d2~d4 is a true block string and 3d2~u4 has a gap less than 6 frames which leaves it uninteruptable in most cases. 3d2~tdc is also safe and hitconfirmable into combo, allowing you to go for things like 3d2~d4~forward dash, d1 or throw. 3d2~invis is safe and 3d2~mb invis is slightly positive on block
3d2~mb teleport is a frame trap, leaving you at +3 or +4. 112 following 3d2~mb tele will beat 6 frame move like Flash's Flying Uppercut.
22- 10 frame startup, Ares fastest mid. 2 and 22 are +1 on block, giving you a free d1 check. 22 is hitconfirmable into 22~d4 for a full combo. 223 knocks the opponent back towards full screen and is a hard knockdown.
On block 22~d4 has a gap that's interrupted with pokes or armor, but 223 has a 3 or 4 frame gap so if they're trying to interrupt trait and you finish the string instead they'll get hit by the last hit of the string.
On block 22~mb teleport is safe.
b2- 19 frame start up, hits overhead. Has two strings, b23 and b21. This move is slow enough that you generally won't get away with it much in the neutral game, but sometimes the opponent is respecting you d1 enough that you can get away with it. b23 is -4 on block but leads to a full combo on hit.
b21 leads to poor damage on hit, but on block is +3 and leaves you close enough for a d1 check or in good position for a 22. It also has a large cancel advantage which leaves you with similar options on block as 3d2 - uninterruptable d4, safe phase shift, or safe tdc. b21~mb teleport and b21~mb invis are both frame traps
You can also use b2~d4 which is an overhead follow immediately by a low. Like most combos into low sword it is interruptable on block.
112- 8 frame, high starter. Being high makes it mostly useless for Ares outside of punishes since the opponent will generally be crouching anyway because of d1, but if you land it it does lead to some decent set ups. It's hit-confirmable into d4 for full combo, on block the d4 is interruptable.
On hit the string by itself is +21. This gives you a free b1, b2, or d1. It also gives a very ambiguous ji2. The jump in isn't guaranteed, most characters can d2 or dash out, but it's difficult to react to and whether or not it crosses up is based on stance.
On hit 112~mb Phase Shift is a frame trap that gives a free d1 check.
On block 112~mb teleport is safe
123- suffers from the same problem as 112 because it hits high, but 123 advances forward a decent amount and is +1 on block(free d1 check afterwards) which can make it a decent footsies tool. On hit can be combo'd off of with out trait for more damage than 112 so it can be used as a situational punisher as well
f3- 28f overhead. Has excellent range. Catches opponents far more often than you'd expect given it's speed because of its range and being an overhead. In most situations Ares should use this over MB b3 because of the range and block advantage.
On block it's +16. It has a large amount of pushback, but you are guaranteed a d4, a fireball, b13, or a b4.
j1- used mostly for air to air exchanges, but also has an excellent and deceptively long range against ground opponents. The opponent, especially if they're used to Ares going for j2's, can be baited into thinking you've whiffed a jump and in and hit as they go to whiff punish. If spaced correctly it also connects at a range/angle that is difficult for many opponents to anti air.
After a blocked j1 the opponent can poke out of 3d2, but 22 will blow up pokes. At max j1 range on hit a standing 3 will whiff, so you'll need to combo with b1~4.
j2- Excellent for cross ups and setting 3d2. After a blocked j2 Ares s3 is uninterruptable, making j2 one of the best ways for Ares to start his offense.
corner:
f3 - This move has great range, leads to huge damage and set ups, does good chip, and is +16 on block. On block it guarantees you a f23 or b13 or d4. You can also use d4 or step forward and do b2, 3, or 22 but it's tight so it' a good idea to make sure they're conditioned to block a f23 follow up after f3. It's extremely common for opponents to try to jump or move after a f3, and f23 will catch them out of almost anything they're trying to do. If they're really respecting your options after f3 you can sneak in another f3 for some chip and more pressure.
MB f3 is also extremely good for stuffing wake ups. Lots of characters have no wake up options that beat mb f3(so they have to stand up and block). Because of how good f3 is on block, it's often worth it to do a mb f3 on their wake up even if you think they're going to respect it and not wake up. For example MB f3, 3d2~d4, b13 is all a frame trap and does over 5% chip and build almost half a bar of meter, and if they try to wake up or disrespect any of it or block wrong they can eat a full corner combo.
3d2- This is your go to string in the corner. The corner means back dashing it or stepping out of its range isn't an issue and it leads to huge meterless damage. The 3~d4 mix up is even better in the corner than midscreen, leading to higher damage on hit and better follow ups on block.
3d2~mb invis, d1 is a frame trap on block in the corner.
d4- On block is +15 and leads to much better damage and setups in the corner. The large and disjointed hitbox also makes it good for blowing up certain wake ups or for if you expect them to jump. After some strings, like 3~d4 it leaves you in range for a f23 that they have to block. Naked d4 or d1~d4 leave you with more push block but still give you a b13, spaces you well for a f3, lets you go for dd4 or uu4, or you can step forward and try for more pressure.
f23- Mostly used after f23 because of it's range, but it leads to big damage and can be used for mix ups. The second hit is an overhead, so you can use f2~d4 or f23~d4 to mix up and sustain your offense.
22- In the corner this isn't hitconfirmable into full combo due to the trait glitch so it loses some of its usefullness. However it's speed and the advantage it leaves you on block is still very valuable and after 22 on hit you can follow up with d1, 3, b2, or just about any other normal you want without being interrupt or you can go for a knockdown with 223
Trait/Godsmack mix up -This has been touched on a few times already, but it's a general strategy that can be used in a bunch of different places in his offense.
At the end of block strings Ares can create mix ups by canceling into his trait. In most cases this is unsafe because the trait can stuffed by attacks before it connects. If you're playing against a player who knows this and is eager to attack in the gaps in your strings you can instead cancel the string into Godsmack(I generally use MB close Godsmack, but there are other options). The Godsmack will go over the defending players attempt at interrupting and can net you a full combo punish.
Once the opponent is respecting this some of the holes in Ares offense disappear and it gets easier for him to use some of his mix ups and sustain his offense, especially against opponents who get mash happy while blocking.
Note: Some characters can d1 and still recover to jump out of the Godsmack, but it's not universal(changes based on character and the normal being canceled from) and can be very difficult(not probably practical if the opponent is trying to input d1~special when your GS comes out)
The change in the 22 string tightened up a lot of the holes in Ares offense that made using GS after blockstring necessary, but I figured I'd leave this section in as a reference. If at anypoint you notice that your opponent always counter pokes after a certain string you can blow them up by cancelling into GS. Saving that knowledge for the end of a set or match could have a huge pay off, Ares gets 25% unclashable off a mb GS.
