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Guide Wisdom of Solomon: Complete Guide to Shazam

EGP Wonder_Chef

EGP Wonder_Chef

Official Quan Chi Nerf Demander™
Wisdom of Solomon
Wonder Chef's Shazam Guide​



Table of Contents​

1. Overview
2. Normals
3. Specials
4. General Gameplan / Mixups
5. Defense
6. Combos
7. Interactables
8. Closing
​


1. Overview

Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel) is a rushdown oriented character that specializes in mix-ups. His main game plan is to seize the momentum and chain together various mix-ups, most of them starting with or ending in a hard knockdown.

Pros

  • Good Mixups
  • Good Mobility
  • Uses stage interactables VERY well
  • Good Damage
  • Trait opens up the possibility for even higher damage
  • One of the strongest wake up games
  • Wisdom of Solomon
  • Strength of Hercules
  • Stamina of Atlas
  • Power of Zeus
  • Courage of Achilles
  • Speed of Mercury

Cons


  • Below average normals
  • Highly meter dependent
  • Clunky mobility
  • Bad space control
  • Weak zoning
  • Mix-ups are very unsafe
  • Weakness to characters with good wakeups


2. Normals

If I have left out a normal or string then it has no real use that I know of.

​
1
Shazam's fastest combo starting normal at 8 frames. Hits high and has very short range. Shouldn't be used alone, only to start strings.

1,1
Slightly plus on block, but too much pushback to really take advantage of it. If you are really good you can hitconfirm this into a Background Bounce Interactable for a lot of meterless damage.

1,1,2
Low damage midscreen combo starter. Only followup is Torpedo or Lightning Projectile. Used for corner combos. A very strong string with trait up, as it consists of 3 punches.

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2
Relatively fast mid at 9 frames. Short reach, but leads to his best mixups.

2,2
One of Shazam's best strings. On hit you can go into MB HM for a full combo. On block you get to mix the opponent up between HM, AC, or Torpedo. I will expand on this more later.

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3
Almost only used in combos. 3 xx HM on block is around even for a gimmicky setup.

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F1
Decently far reaching normal. Hits pretty fast at 11 frames, but doesn't hit crouchers. Good as a punish.

F1,2
Ends in a slightly plus on block overhead. Also grants you a full combo on hit by followup up with MB HM. If blocked, following up with a d1 is a great frame trap.

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F2
Short reach and not too fast at 16 frames, however it hits mid and leads to all of Shazam's highest damage combos.

F2,2
This is Shazam's strongest combo starter. On hit, the second hit leaves them in a stagger state so long that Shazam gets a free HM that starts a new combo with fresh damage scaling. This allows him to get over 50% for a bar off of a J2 > F22. Also only -1 on block.

F2,2,3
This string is even on block, however it whiffs on crouchers making it unsafe half of the time. It gives you a full combo, however with lower damage than using F22 alone. The important part of this string is that it does a large amount of damage, and it is used in Shazam's most damaging combos. If your opponent ducks the 3rd hit of this string consistently, you can use F22 xx Atlas Torpedo to stop them from crouching.

This is a good string to use into Background Bounce on hit.

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B2
One of Shazam's best footsie tools. A very far reaching overhead. Usually used as a starter for B23 or cancelled into a special move. The downside to this move is that it is unsafe on block, as are almost all of it's potential followups. It also whiffs on crouchers unless you hit it at max range (an overhead that whiffs on crouchers, makes sense!) Still an extremely important move.

B2 xx AT - Safe on block against some characters. Most can't get a full combo even if they do punish. Double overhead and puts you behind them.

B2 xx Forward Teleport - This can be punished, however the timing to do so is very difficult. Can confuse the opponent. If the B2 anti airs them you can do B2 xx Forward Teleport > D1 xx HM MB > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC.

B2 xx Backwards Teleport - Safe against most characters. Good for poking and being annoying.

Raw B2 in the corner can also lead to very high damage without having to use B23 by following up with 112 or 3 xx MB HM.

Notes: Does not whiff on crouching large hitbox character such as Lex.

B2,3
A meterless combo starter. You can get very nice damage off of it, however it is very unsafe. The nice part about this string is that if you do B2 xx Teleport (DF/DB 3) and the B2 whiffs, the second hit of this string will come out instead. Sometimes it catches people jumping or backdashing away.

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F3
A very good F3. Average speed for a F3 at 29 frames, however it has long reach and leads to very high damage, especially if combined with Shazam's trait. Meter Burning F3 is one of Shazam's main ways of baiting wakeups, which is largely important to his gameplan. +7 on block.

B3
Not a very good B3. Extremely short range, however the damage off of it is nice. I would use F3 more in most situations. Used in a lot of his combos. +7 on block.

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D1
One of the better D1's in the game. 6 frames and +2 on block. D1 > D1 is uninterruptable and D1 > 22 is a very good block trap. The only downside is the range is somewhat short. SUPER STRONG with trait on. Tons of damage on block or hit.

D2
Shazam's best grounded Anti Air. One of the best D2s in the game. The hitbox reaches behind his head, and it has a quick 9 frame startup.

Works decently as a poke too. D2 by itself is safe on block, and D2 on block cancelled into HM will connect if the opponent is standing, and if it hits the HM will whiff below them, then you can juggle them with d1 xx HM.

D3
Shazam's sweep. Good range, good speed, and a hard knockdown to start Shazam's mixup game. The downside is that it is very punishable on block at -11.

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J1
A good air to air attack if your opponent is very close to you right when you jump. Otherwise, not so useful as a jump in attack.

J2
An amazing air normal. It has a great hitbox for air to air, air to ground, and crossup. It can even hit standing opponents as an instant overhead on the way up, and you can combo off of it once you land. This will be your scariest anti air, as you can follow an air to air up with MB HM for REALLY high damage.

J3
Mostly used for combos, however due to the huge amount of hitstun, if the opponent blocks a very deep J3, Shazam gets a free HM. The opponent can backdash out of this, however that can be punished with B2 or Torpedo. It does cross up.

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Throw
Not a very good throw. He throws his opponent far away, and recovers around the same time as them, which is almost never what Shazam wants.



3. Specials


Atlas Torpedo
A decent damage 3/4 screen flying headbutt. The further you are from the opponent when you start the move, the less safe it is. From far away it is extremely unsafe, but from point blank it becomes safe against some characters, and most of the characters that can punish it can't get a full combo. Beware those that do though. You are going to want to use this move off of your normals a lot to convince your opponent not to backdash, jump away, or crouch. Once you condition them into that, the really scary mixups can begin.

MB Atlas Torpedo
Pulls the opponent full screen and gives you an extremely hard knockdown. Usually gives a free interactable OTG or a really good mixup. I will expand more on the post MB Torpedo mixups later on. You can mash the Meter Burn button, and it will automatically Meter Burn the move if it hits. You should almost always Meter Burn this move if it hits.

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Bolt of Zeus
8% damage high hitting projectile. It starts up and travels pretty fast, however it is very easy to duck. Can be used in certain situations where you have a heavy life lead to trade with the opponent's zoning, otherwise it isn't very useful.

MB Bolt of Zeus
The projectile becomes Mid, gains very high damage, and super high chip on block in exchange for the startup becoming SUPER slow. Useful for chipping out unsuspecting opponents, but the startup is so slow that nobody should be caught unaware by this.

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Herculean Might
11 frame command throw that only hits people that are standing. It has very far range and can't be ducked on reaction. This is Shazam's signature move and you'll be using it in footsies, as a punish, in combos, for mixups, etc. Does okay damage on hit, but does not give you enough time to start a setup or mixup without meter burning it.

MB Herculean Might
Shazam launches the opponent high into the air. He can also jump cancel the end of it. Shazam's highest 1 bar combos start from a raw MB HM. This is also the one you will be using in combos and pretty much every other time that you land it. Also causes a very good hard knockdown.

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Achilles Clutch
Command throw that only hits crouching opponents. Good for mixups by cancelling off of strings like 22. The meterless version of this move is your ideal combo ender because it does huge damage and gives you the best hard knockdown to allow for mixups.

MB Achilles Clutch
Launches into the air slightly after AC hits. You're only really going to use this when you land a raw AC, or a few rare combos. Does a LOT of damage if you start with this and have two bars though.

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​
Advancing/Eluding Mercury Storm
Shazam teleports a short distance away, either towards or away from the opponent. This move is mainly used because Shazam becomes invincible for the middle part of the teleport. Using this you can teleport through projectiles, interactables, or even the opponent. This is also Shazam's best wakeup, and one of the best wakeups in the game. Most characters can't do anything about Shazam doing a backwards teleport on wakeup. Very hard to punish.

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​
The Power Of SHAZAM (Super)
Shazam punches forward and into the air slightly. Does pretty good damage for a super, but doesn't have too much range and isn't too fast. Meter is too strong with Shazam to be throwing away on this Super.

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​
Solomon's Judgement (Trait)
Shazam summons lightning onto his fists for a while. His punches do 4% extra damage on hit, and 2.5% chip on block. This makes his combos considerably higher, and his chip damage INSANE, but it has a very slow startup so comboing into it is almost impossible.



4. General Gameplan / Mixups

Shazam generally has one goal:

Knock the opponent down, and never let them get back up.

Shazam has TONS of mixups on knockdown, and great ways to bait wakeups, and all of those mixups and baits should lead into another mixup.

Let's go over some of Shazam's main mixups:


Meaty Herculean Might On Wakeup

This is Shazam's main and most powerful mixup. The core of his knockdown game is based around this.

Normally HM will whiff when the opponent is crouching, however the moment an opponent is getting up from a hard knockdown, they are considered standing for just a split second before they can crouch again. This means that if you time a HM to hit an opponent the moment they get up, it can't be ducked, jumped, backdashed, or armored through. The ONLY way to escape this command grab is for an opponent to do an invincible wakeup attack. This lets you mix your opponent up in a 50/50:

If they don't wake up and you HM, you get 40% that leads back into the same mixup.

If they do wake up and you bait it, you get anywhere from 35%-52% that leads back into the same mixup.

Considering almost every wakeup attack in the game will get the opponent less damage than that, the risk/reward is almost always in your favor.


The catch is that not every knockdown gets you this setup. There are 3 practical ways and 2 situational ways to set this up:

  • Achilles Clutch: This is the highest damaging combo ender anyway, so end ALL of your combos in this.
  • Sweep: Does less damage than AC as a combo ender, but you will get this mixup off of a raw sweep.
  • MB Atlas Torpedo: This gives you a long enough knockdown to dash up, wait slightly, then hit a meaty HM.
  • B3 > F3: You can do this to keep a combo unclashable and still have time to get the mixup, however the timing is much harder.
  • SOME Interactables: Some interactables have a long hard knockdown timing, however each has a different timing, making setting up the mixup off of them very difficult.
Baiting wakeups will be different for each character. The main ways to bait wakeups are:

  • MB F3: Great at baiting single hit wakeups such as Black Adam's Lightning Cage or Lightning Hands.
  • Advancing Mercury Storm: Teleporting through the opponent will often make a wakeup attack whiff, allowing you to whiff punish for massive damage. Good for multi hitting long wakeups like Nightwing Staff Spin.
  • Crossup Jumping Attack: Good for Wakeups such as Aquamans that only hit below and in front of him. Can lead to over 50% easily.
  • Jump Back 2: Catches forward moving wakeups and teleports behind you such as Killer Frost's Slide or Ares' Forward Teleport.
  • Just Block!: Never underestimate the power of just blocking! Works great on unsafe wakeups such as Doomsday's Upwards Venom.
Often times just one option will beat all of a character's wakeup options, for example MB F3 beats everything Joker has, Advancing Mercury Storm beats everything Deathstroke has, and just blocking beats everything that Wonder Woman has. Learn which anti-wakeups are good for each character!

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22 String Mixups

22 is one of Shazam's most used strings. It starts in 9 frames, hits mid, and leads to a full combo on hit. Aside from that, it contains an entire meta game of mixups within it's two hits:


There are 3 main enders for the 22 string:

  • Herculean Might: If the opponent blocks the 2nd hit of 22 high, they can not duck or jump HM. That makes HM guaranteed unless your opponent stays blocking low, backdashes, or does a reversal special (I don't know why this beats it.)
  • Atlas Torpedo: This counters exactly what 22 xx HM loses to: Opponents crouching, backdashing, or doing a reversal special attack. This can be blocked high and punished by some of the cast, but the risk usually isn't TOO bad. On hit you get a MB AT Knockdown which we will talk about in the next section. Use this tool to make the opponent fear moving after 22, conditioning people to respect AT is the first step to setting up your mind games.
  • Achilles Clutch: You can use this if you have 2 bars and feel like making a high risk high reward read. This beats crouching opponents, however loses to opponents who: get hit by 22, stand block, backdash, do a reversal special, or jump. On hit for 2 bars you get over 50% though.
The other mixup comes between the first and second hit of the 22 string.

There is a slight gap between the hits that doesn't give the opponent enough time to do any attack or armor, however they CAN backdash. If they backdash it, the second hit whiffs and the pressure ends. There are two good options to counter this:

  • 2 xx Torpedo (Copyright @Cage Redfield 2013): This will catch all characters trying to backdash within the gap, or trying to crouch in fear of 22 xx HM.
  • 2 > Chase The Backdash: 2 by itself is +1 on block. If you do just the first hit, then chase the opponent's backdash with a B2 or Forward Dash, you can punish them with a full combo for backdashing. Of course if they don't backdash you might be throwing yourself right at them to be punished.

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Meter Burn Atlas Torpedo Mixups

On hit, a Meter Burn Atlas Torpedo gives you one the best hard knockdown in your arsenal. Use this to condition people to fear AT, so that you can open them up for other mixups. On hit MB AT pushes the opponent a huge distance towards the corner, then throws them behind you at almost full screen. As bad as this sounds, you have time to do a LOT of different mixups:

  • Dash > Meaty Herculean Might: Just like it says, you can get the meaty HM setup to force them to wake up. This of course means you can do any of the wakeup baits discussed in the Meaty HM section.
  • Corpse Hop: If you dash twice quickly as fast as possible, Shazam actually hops over the opponents body right as they are waking up, allowing you to hit them from behind with 22, F12, or any other string or special that you want. This is especially deadly because if you delay the second dash just slightly, you can end in front of the opponent instead.
  • Crossup Atlas Torpedo: If you wait a split second and then do another AT, or immediately dash forward and do another AT, it will hit the opponent from behind as they are waking up. This is even harder to block because AT is an overhead. With meter, this of course leads into the same MB AT oki.
  • Dash > Crossup J2: Simple, but effective. An immediate dash forward into forward jump 2 will be a very hard to see crossup. Beats most wakeups by making them go backwards.
  • Interactable: Not so much a mixup, but you do sometimes get a guaranteed interactable off of a MB AT. Some interactables work and some don't though.

​
Unfortunately, Torpedo can be punished by a large portion of the cast. Fortunately, the move is more or less safe depending on how far away you are when you do it. Far away torpedos are the least safe, while point blank is safe on most of the cast. Here is a list of who can punish a point blank Torpedo (for example B2 xx Torpedo or 22 xx Torpedo) and their best ways to punish it.

Aquaman - B1 Combo. B1 hits, but b12 whiffs. F2 also works. (B12 hits fully sometimes based on where Shazam's B2 hits.)
Bane - D1 xx Double Punch
Batgirl - Nothing
Batman - Nothing
Black Adam - Nothing
Catwoman - Nothing
Cyborg - Nothing
Deathstroke - Sword Flip
Doomsday - Nothing
Flash - Lightning Charge MB Combo / Lightning Uppercut
Green Arrow - Nothing
Green Lantern - B1 Combo / B13 Combo / Lift Combo
Harley Quinn - Nothing
Joker - Nothing
Killer Frost - Nothing
Lex - Corp Charge
Lobo - Nothing
Martian Manhunter - Trait 3
Nightwing (Escrima) - Nothing
Nightwing (Staff) - 1 xx MB Ground Pound Combo
Raven - Nothing
Scorpion - Nothing
Shazam - MB HM Combo
Sinestro - Trait Combo
Solomon Grundy - Nothing
Superman - F23 may or may not hit depending on where the b2 hits you. Will not punish after 22 xx Torpedo
Wonder Woman - Nothing
Zatanna - Nothing
Zod - Nothing

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Other Various Mixups


MB Herculean Might Ender

If you haven't previously used it in a combo, you can end in MB HM and get some really strong mixups. It's a hard knockdown with a LOT of advantage.

  • Forward Dash > Jump Over: My favorite, it goes underneath them and then crosses them up again. Looks very deceiving, very hard to block.
  • Dash Under Meaty HM: Dashing under (or doing nothing) allows you to time a meaty HM.
  • Interactable: You can get a lot of free interactables because of how long the knockdown is.
MB Achilles Clutch Ender

MB AC gives another very nice hard knockdown for some neat mixups.

  • Immediate Forward Jump > HM: This gives a meaty HM that can confuse your opponent.
  • Walk Back > Ambiguous J2: You can walk back and either cross up or not cross up J2.
Stuffing Wakeups

Certain wakeup attacks do not have full invincibility, so knowing how to stuff them is important. Characters like Aquaman, Zod, and Raven have no fully invincible wakeups. There are 3 very easy ways to time meaty attacks that stuff non invincible wakeups:

  • After AC, immediately dash up and do a D1 (the only thing you can combo off of this is D1 xx AT)
  • After HM, immediately dash up and do 2 or D2
  • After MB AT, immediately dash twice and do 2 or D2

Unclashable Setups

Off of a HM you can do a B3 > F3 to make the combo unclashable. The F3 also gives you a very nice hard knockdown, enough that you can Trait > Forward Dash > HM and it will land meaty, which gives you a traited MB HM > B3 > F3 that will do a LOT of unclashable damage. You can also Forward Teleport through them and get a meaty HM after this.



5. Defense

Anti Airs

D2: Your best and most consistant Anti Air. 9 Frames with huge range, you can convert into a 30-37% combo that ends in an oki setup from this. This is the best AA to use on reaction.

Air to Air J2: Your most damaging anti air. Works great on reads or to catch jump backs. You get huge damage off of this:

Air to Air J2 > 3 xx MB HM > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC - 44%

B23: Definitely not useable on reaction, the 3 in this string catches jump backs better than nearly anything else in the game for a 41% combo. Use this on a read, but remember that it is very unsafe.

F3: This is great for stopping people from jumping out of the corner. It has a deceivingly large hitbox and hits the top of nearly every character's jump arc.

F1: Not commonly used, this normal can sometimes anti air jump ins that are aimed to land far in front of you. Has more horizontal range than D2, but not as good of an AA hitbox.


Wakeups

Shazam luckily has one of the best wakeups in the game in his teleport. Both forward and backwards are fully invincible and extremely hard to punish. What's important is knowing how to punish your opponent for trying to punish your wakeup.

If the opponent jumps back to try and punish your forward teleport, a wakeup Atlas Torpedo or waking up by jumping forward into an air to air J2 will beat it a lot of the time. This is obviously risky because you can be blown up for both of those.

Almost no opponents can catch a backwards teleport well. Most of the punishes that are consistant are ground spike moves such as Aquaman's From The Deep, which usually don't convert to too much damage.

If your opponent blocks on your wakeup to wait and punish a teleport on reaction, a wakeup HM or AC can really mess with their head and net you a lot of damage.


6. Combos

BnB Combos


These are optimal BnB combos that every Shazam should use:

F22 - Varying
F22 puts your opponent into a stagger state that gives you a free inescapable HM. So after F22 just do the HM combo listed below. Do not cancel the F22 into HM, just do F22 and HM as soon as possible afterwards. This means a J2 > F22 combo does 52%!
112 xx MB AT - 23%
You really aren't getting anything else off of this string, unless you hitconfirm the 11 into background bounce.
22 or F12 or B2 xx MB HM > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC - 34% or 37% or 36%
Basic BnB off of the 22 or F12 strings. Also works if you do a B2 cancelled into MB HM. If you hit the F12 string you don't have to cancel it into a MB HM, you can wait and catch them falling. Either way works.

MB HM > B3 > J3 > F223 xx AC - 40%
or
MB HM > B3 > J2 > J2 > 2 xx AC - 37%
This will most likely be your most used combo. The first one is more optimal, but sort of hard to hit consistently. The second one is VERY easy, for the loss of only 3% Remember, if you drop the combo not only do you lose the damage, but you lose the oki, which is possibly more important.
B23 > 3 xx MB HM > B3 > J2 or J3 > 2 xx AC - 39% or 41%
This is your go to combo when a B23 hits. J3 is very hard and only does 2% more damage, so I suggest going for the j2 in this combo. If only the second hit of B23 hits, then do the J3 will be much easier and the combo will do 42%

D2 > (J3 or J2) > (3 or 2) xx MB HM > B3 > (J3 or J2) > 2 xx AC - 30% or 32% or 33% or 34% or 35% or 37%
There are a lot of variables in this combo. If you do it with all 2's it's very very easy but only does 30% In some situations you can't change any of the 2s to 3s, such as when you hit a crouching opponent.
MB AC > 3 xx MB HM > B3 > J2 > 2 xx AC - 52%
If you ever hit an AC, you should go for this combo if possible. The one bar combo does over 15% less, so it's definitely worth the meter.
F3 or B3 > J3 > 3 xx MB HM > J3 > 2 xx AC 45%
You can use J2 instead of the first J3 to make it easier, but you lose 3% I think the J3 is just fine.

Background Bounce Combos

Background Bounces can add a lot of damage to Shazam's game. Be aware of where they are at all times.

11 or 2 or f22 xx BGB > B3 > J3 > J2 > 2 xx AC - 37% or 38%
Useful for hitconfirming into interactable bounce. Adds a lot of damage to the 11 combo. Saves a lot of meter for the others.

F223 xx BGB > B3 > J2 > J2 > 2 xx AC - 38%
Works if you hitconfirm F223 late.

B23 > 2 xx BGB > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC - 35%
Slightly lower damage than the normal B23 BnB, but lets you save the meter of using a MB HM.

MB HM > J3 > 2 xx BGB > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC - 47%
Adds quite a bit of damage onto the normal MB HM combo.
MB AC > 2 xx BGB > B3 > J3 > 2 xx AC - 48%
Huge damage for only one bar. Let's you save the bar of the usual BnB for the cost of only 4% damage.

D2 > J2 or J3 > 2 xx BGB > B3 > J3 xx AC - 30% or 33%
Does slightly less damage for the ability to save a bar from the normal BnB. It's worth it.


7. Interactables

Combing into interactables, and knowing how to get the best mixup afterwards is a strong part of Shazam's game.

Comboing into Interactables

Shazam has a multitude of good ways to combo into interactables:
Air Interactables

Almost any normal combo can combo into an air interactable. The idea is to cancel a later on jump 3 into the air interactable, so that they fall to the ground after the j.3 before the interactable hits them. If you do a lighter jumping normal, often times the interactable will combo, which scales it's damage. Do remember that some air interactables will not otg, or will have strange trajectories causing them to whiff.

Examples of combos:
MB HM > B3 > J2 > J3 xx Air Interactable
B23 > 3 xx HM > B3 > J3 xx Air Interactable
B23 > D2 > B3 > J2 > J3 xx Air Interactable
22/F12 xx HM > B3 > J2 > J3 xx Air Interactable
etc.

Ground Interactables

There are no set ways to combo into ground interactables, but Shazam has quite a few good hard knockdowns or ways to launch the opponent to OTG them. Each ground interactable has different properties, some of faster, some are slower, and some don't OTG at all, but there are a few main setups that Shazam commonly uses to combo into them:

MB HM in the corner gives an insane amount of advantage and a hard knockdown, so it guarantees a huge amount of corner interactables.

D2 xx Interactable in combos will often launch them high enough that the interactable will OTG them as soon as they fall, not giving them enough time to roll and wakeup.

MB Atlas Torpedo has a very long hard knockdown and can set up some very nice interactable stuff, especially since it pulls them so far towards the corner.

Comboing After Interactables

Some interactables give Shazam a free combo. Some, like the Ferris Aircraft Turbine, only give him enough time for a MB Torpedo. Others, like the Batcave Missiles give him enough time to dash up MB HM for a full combo.

The best far and away is the Freeze Pipe on Arkham. This gives Shazam enough time to Trait up, and do a F22 into a reset for almost 60% guaranteed damage!!!

Mixing Up After Interactables Hit

A large amount of interactables in this game give you a good hard knockdown with time to set up a mixup. That means that Shazam can get a meaty Herculean Might setup off of a large majority of them! Not only does this put the opponent in a 50/50, but people usually only expect this mixup off of a combo knockdown, doing it after an interactable usually surprises them. This allows you do to setups like this:


The only problem is that each interactable has different knockdowns, and your character recovers differently after each one. I have created a list of which interactables you can get a meaty HM off of, and how to perfectly time it to be meaty.

Each interactable lists which moves to do in rapid succession before a HM to make it meaty. Do it all as fast as possible as soon as you can.

So if it says "Tree - Trait, Forward Jump" Hit them with the tree, trait as soon as you recover, jump forward immediately after that, and then do an HM as soon as you land.

Not all of these work 100% of the time, but some of them do. Consider them more as guidelines:

Batcave

Crime Lab
Bombs - Grants you a free combo
Background Bounce - Trait > Forward Dash
Right Side Missiles - Grants you a free combo

Lagoon
Electric Thing - Forward Jump
Barrels - Grants you a free combo

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Insurgency
Command Center
Steam Pipe - No Knockdown
Manging Monitors - Forward Teleport
Right Side Electric Generator - No Hard Knockdown

Luthor's Lab
Suit of Armor - Not enough time to meaty HM
Laser - Doesn't knock down
Hanging Lights - Whiff HM (very spacing dependent) can Dash into HM for imperfect timing.
Head - Not enough time to meaty HM

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Ferris Aircraft

Hanging Turbine - No Hard Knockdown
Toolbox - No Hard Knockdown
Hanging Missile - Whiff HM
Gas Tank from up close - Forward Jump
Right Corner Missile - No Hard Knockdown

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Gotham City
Rooftop
Bat Signal - Forward Teleport
Air Conditioner - Dash Forward
Background Bounce - Trait > Forward Dash
Water Tower - Not enough time to meaty HM
Alley
Chemical Truck when opponent is close - Dash > Dash
Chemical Truck when opponent is far - Dash > Whiff HM
S Tier Dumpster - Not enough time to meaty HM (not S tier for Shazam)
Big Sign - Forward Jump
Fire Hydrant - No Hard Knockdown

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Watchtower
Bridge
Left Corner Fire - Doesn't knock down
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Drones - No Hard Knockdown
Right Corner Grab - Not enough time to meaty HM
Reactor
Left Corner Fire - Trait > Forward Dash (This one wasn't working consistently for some reason)
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Drones - No Hard Knockdown
Laser - No Hard Knockdown

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Fortress of Solitude
Laboratory
Spaceship - Grants a free combo
Hanging Spike Thing - Forward Dash (frequently knocks them too far away)
Laser - No Hard Knockdown
Menagerie
Big Hanging Crystal - HM Whiff
Small Starfish Orb - Doesn't give enough time to meaty HM
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Right Side Portal - Forward Jump

---------------------​

Themyscira
Temple
Saucer - No perfect timing, but you can dash forward and manually time a HM
Lion Heads - No perfect timing, but you can dash forward and manually time a HM
Background Bounce - Trait > Forward Dash
Tree - Trait > Forward Jump
Port
Cannon - Not enough time to meaty HM
Hanging Bundle - Forward Dash > Forward Dash
Barrels - No Hard Knockdown

---------------------​
Stryker's Island
Cell Block
Mounted Machine Gun - Forward Dash (may knock the opponent too far away)
Robot Solider - Not enough time to meaty HM
Metallo - Not enough time to meaty HM
Big Metal Freeze Container - Forward Jump

Yard
Dumbell - Forward Jump
Fuel Tanks - Knocks the opponent too far away
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Right Corner Metal Thing - Immediately HM and it will be meaty

---------------------​

Metropolis

Street
Left Corner Car - Trait OR Forward Jump
Gunner - No Hard Knockdown
Flying Car - Whiff HM > Whiff HM (Can do Trait > Dash but it isn't
perfect timing)

Rooftop
Electric Cable - No Hard Knockdown
Drones - No Hard Knockdown

Museum
Plane Tail - Forward Jump
Rocket Launcher -No Hard Knockdown
Hanging Car - Whiff D1 > Dash

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​
Arkham Asylum / Joker's Asylum
Cell Block
Left Corner Rack - Trait > Dash
Flower - Immediately HM and it will be meaty, only works if the flower hits close
TVs - No perfect timing, you can Dash and manually time a HM if the TV hits really close
Freeze Pipe - Grants a free combo on hit

Mess Hall
Stove - Trait > Dash
Pig - Knocks the opponent too far away
Faces - Whiff HM (only works if the face hits close)
Chandelier - Dash > Dash

---------------------​

Hall of Justice
Plaza
Left Corner Statue - No perfect timing, can dash and manually time a HM
Head Statue - Dash (only if it hits close)
Doomba - Dash (only if it hits close)
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Right Corner Grab - Not enough time to meaty HM
Great Hall
Left Corner Metal Thing - Forward Teleport
Hanging Planet - Knocks the opponent too far away
Floating Robot - Knocks the opponent too far away

---------------------​

Wayne Manor Day / Night
Entrance
Car - Forward Jump
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Motorcycle - No Hard Knockdown
Gargoyle - No perfect timing, can Dash and manually time a HM

Great Room
Left Corner Armor - No Hard Knockdown
Chair - No Hard Knockdown
Chandelier -Dash > Dash
Background Bounce - Trait > Whiff HM
Piano - No Hard Knockdown
Right Corner Armor -No Hard Knockdown

---------------------​

Atlantis

Both Corner Water Tanks - Knocks the opponent too far away
Background Bounce - No perfect timing, can Trait > Dash and manually time a meaty HM
Slab - Not enough time to land a meaty HM
Orb - Not enough time to land a meaty HM


8. Closing

Shazam is easily one of the hypest and most fun characters in Injustice. Remember that even though he has to work considerably harder than some of the top tiers, he has the ability to win any matchup through good reads alone. The path of Shazam is a long one, and you will lose a lot, but playing Shazam well is one of the most satisfying things I have done in my 5 year fighting game career. Just remember to have fun!


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Cage Redfield

Cage Redfield

Fight!
SHOUTOUTS TO 2 xx TORPEDO

seriously though, great guide. Glad to see you've finally put this up after working on it forever.
 
SZSR

SZSR

Champion
For your b2, 3 > 3 xx HM MB > whatever combo

You can end with J3, HM for 40%. The only trick to hitting this HM is inputting it while you're in the air (basically hitting it at the same time as J3) so that when you land, the game will read your final input of the HM. Gravity scaling means that you cannot delay this though.
 
SneakyTortoise

SneakyTortoise

Official Master of Salt
Great guide, only thing I could think to add is in the normals section about jump in 3, landing it can lead into some huge damaging combos, even though it is unlikely to land in a normal match and jump in 2 might be better I thought it might be worth a mention
 
fr stack

fr stack

Noob's saibot or noob saibot's?
jesus christ thats a guide , also damn you for makin me think this was a grundy thread !
 
EGP Wonder_Chef

EGP Wonder_Chef

Official Quan Chi Nerf Demander™
subzerosmokerain said:
For your b2, 3 > 3 xx HM MB > whatever combo

You can end with J3, HM for 40%. The only trick to hitting this HM is inputting it while you're in the air (basically hitting it at the same time as J3) so that when you land, the game will read your final input of the HM. Gravity scaling means that you cannot delay this though.
Click to expand...
Yeah but ending in HM is way worse than ending in AC.
 
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