Margaret

Zoner, rushdown, and midrange monster. Be thankful there's not many of them.

Combo notes

• Difficult to pick up with 2C in the corner. 2C pickup will work normally if she is high enough on [5B].

• Fuzzy target, requires delay j.C

Unique responses and punishes

Move	Response/notes
Whiffed 2B	5A > 2B can work, as will 5A > j.A. If you wait for her to be low enough for auto combo, she can block, so you need to punish in a different way. As 5A/2B can go the wrong way, j.C is safest guarantee'd punish
5A/5C in neutral	Sweep under as these are chest attribute
Command grabs (5D/2D)	Wait a little bit then upback j.A - works as ground grab (5D) is slow but air grab (2D) is fast, so is an OS against both and takes the card.
Ice/fireball (j.D/j.2D) and j.22C	All head attribute, so 2B/[2B] can be used to prevent following them in, or just to destroy them then jump cancel
Power slash	Note - while A can be rolled, B cannot, and there is no way to tell the difference on startup, so either block or be very far above her to dodge it entirely Gears/IK Beast/DP (if she has no meter to cancel) On block, A version allows for dash > 2B CH full punish, B version allows for far md CH 5B, or dash > 5A as a starter. Remember to IB the second hit to be within range
Panta Rhei (Tornado)	Can be blockstringed into - remember to IB for extra meter if this happens If a gap exists: Gears Beast/DP (if she has no meter to cancel)
Hassou Tobi	Gears (but be careful, if B version, has enough invuln to beat it, so must be delayed) IK works on all versions A/B versions can be jumped after superflash, SB can be jumped at a distance, or rolled if close. -38 on block, but can be OMC'd, so best to avoid it
Mediarahan	Either wait for her to stop glowing, and punish with 2B, or grab her at any point. Invuln to both projectiles and strikes, and can be used to gain health from gears. Does let you OMC though.
DP	Will whiff at max 5A range, so can punish, also fatal recovery, however hard to punish with 2B due to relatively low recovery and it being a grab. Fatal recovery, so do fatal combos if possible (from j.B, this is the chain fatal, from 5A, you can do combos for one axe level higher than you are) Remember to do backdash hitstop OS on safejump also.

Overview and tips

Dustloop page here

Margaret has a little bit of everything, which makes giving general advice on how to play the matchup quite difficult. In general, it's about trying to bait her into one of her slower actions, then capitalising on the time you have to move into Labrys' effective range until you can score a hit. A lot of what she has covers a lot of the screen, so it's a case of making good reads and threading the needle of safe space until you can connect. Maraget 2B is middle of the road - you'll end up getting a lot of trades as it has a large hitbox but not much head invuln. However, as long as you're not obvious on your jump ins, it's not the worst to deal with (and puts her in a bad situation on whiff).

A lot of Margaret's moves move her forward as well as attacking (2A, 2B, 5B, j.B), so if you have an opponent who likes using these, be aware of your spacing, and potentially attack into the space where these could put her for a solid CH. It's also important to remember to take persona cards from her if she sends those out instead of attacking herself, as persona breaking her is very possible and very benificial (long lockout period, pretty much neuters the character).

Once you put Margaret in pressure, she will struggle a little to get out, and while her DP is a grab like Liz DP, the invuln period is shorter, the recover is longer, it's shorter range, and it barely moves her, making dealing with it (via hops, spacing, and jumping) a lot more viable. Also she gets very little from it even on CH, so you're free to be a little more persistent. The main issue is power slash, which has a massive hitbox that includes slightly above and behind her. While A version can be rolled, and B version can be jumped, you have no way of telling which is which on superflash, so usually must be blocked, until you've already superjumped (being slightly above/behind her doesn't work). Basically - be ready for it, and accept that sometimes it's not your turn any more.

Margaret's pressure is tricky in some ways, as it's quite fast paced and can lead into some very tricky high/lows. However, Labrys DP nullifes some of the bonuses she gets from using ranged persona attacks during pressure as it also has long range. equally, rolling out is usually a bad idea as Margaret's attack will autocorrect and have massive range, so will almost automatically tag you for trying it. The best idea is usually to try to jump out when given space. The command grabs have a very simple OS (wait slightly then jump), so pose no threat once the OS is learned.

Some final quirks that you'll notice in Margaret players that you can exploit:

• If you can find a spacing where they like to use their forward moving attacks, you can bait them into using it and do falling j.B to hit them for it.

• Baiting 2B also allows for consistent punishes if done correctly, see if you can find a way to make them press it

• Learn what they like to do after DP and try and adjust in a way to beat it - it's an interesting scramble situation, so keep track of what they attempt

Main adjustments to make

Orb tends to be less effective here due to Margaret's full screen options, but if they don't react in time consistently, can be used. Also note that Marg sweep does not break Ariadne.

The safejump must be adjusted by using a backdash hitstop OS, and on successful DP bait, 5A must be used, but this will be a fatal, so be ready.

Labrys DP works surprisingly well here due to the slower moves that Marg has, combined with the relatively short range of her own DP. Also, Lab's horizontal DP range works pretty well against some of Marg's ranged pressure options, so remember to at least show the Margaret that you're willing to press it.

Margaret's DP is an interesting case - it'll hit in the usual situations DP's hit in, with the exception of some hops. However, it can be outranged without too much effort (5A at absolute max range will work), and has fatal recovery. It cannot be blocked though, so you will have to bait it by doing things other than blocking. This means hitstop OS on safejump too (44 after j.B, will backdash if j,B whiffs due to DP, otherwise doesn't come out). It doesn't move her though, so jumping and staying above her or at range is very effective. It also doesn't have that much invuln, so longer hitting moves like 5C or j.D should also work, and spike may catch her on whiff.

Spike oki is very effective as her reversal options tend not to move her and can get her caught relatively easily. Also, her as her DP can be outranged, you can enforce it without major risk.

j.B can be used to good effect, although her 2B is mostly capable of beating it cleanly if timed correctly, and will also move her out the way of any crossup attempts. Does sometimes clash, with nobody ending up with a clear advantage. The best thing to do is use it enough and then punish pre-emptive 2B attempts when they start happening

Chain knuckle tends not to work too well, both because Margaret's full screen options are better and faster, but also because she tends to put her persona in front of her, which will make chain knuckle get blocked and put you in an awful situation. SB spike is a fine option and will make her play a bit more careful, although Margaret doesn't mind superjumping as she has a lot of good air options, so use sparingly.

Gears in general is quite effective on Margaret as she tends to use longer range slower moves, giving you more opporunity to use it, even if she would normally be safe. However, she does have answers to it, including the potential for a fatal punish, so be careful

j.D can be effective as it will shut out some of Margaret's approach options, just be aware that her full screen projectiles can hit you out of it, and her j.C will hit you before you've even finished thinking about pressing it, so be aware of your positioning before use.