MultiVersus Velma 2v2 Guide

A quick breakdown of Velma’s kit, combos and general gameplay tailored towards 2v2 matches (though a lot of the fundamentals also apply for 1v1 as well).

I’ll try to keep this guide up to date according to eventual patch notes that require me to make substantial changes to the guide.

MultiVersus Velma 2v2 Guide

Velma is a Support-type character focused on heavy zoning and poking, while offering a lot utility to both herself and her partner. Almost all her attacks are imbued with disjointed hitboxes, where she uses speech bubbles and various objects to attack her opponents at relative safety.

• Powerful poking, zoning and great keep-away game, with many homing attacks and very long range.
• Unmatched utility. She can heal, reduce cooldowns (an ability that currently only she has), as being able to provide armor and gray health to her allies.
• Has some attacks with low knockback scaling that can combo with her allies attacks without breaking their combos.
• A couple of her attacks have lingering hitboxes which can hit enemies late.
• Decent movement speed, currently having below average ground speed and air speed.
• Very flexible in combat and capable of holding on her own in 1v1 situations at melee range.

• Limited options against heavy rushdowns and characters that can outrange her disjointed hitboxes. This is especially dangerous in situations where both enemies gang on her.
• Very limited recovery, with none of special abilities giving her high horizontal or vertical movement.
• Below average weight. While she is not by no means a true lightweight, she can be ringed out relatively easily.
• Limited combo potential, although she has a couple of bread-and-butter combos that can rack up a lot of damage in specific situations and depending on her partner.
• Certain attacks are very situational or are nearly useless in 2v2.

Passive Abilities

Velma is unique as she has access to an additional and potentially powerful ability as she collects EVIDENCE, which spawns periodically in the stage but have a chance of spawning as she lands certain attacks on her enemies, namely:

• Light’em Up (Side Air Attack)
• Bright Idea / Bright Air-Idea (Ground Up Attack / Air Up Attack)
• Calculated Victory (Ground Down Attack)
• Motivational Speaker (Neutral Special)
• Shutterbug (Air Up Special)

Gathering evidence fills up Velma’s EVIDENCE METER, up to 5 stacks; once she reaches maximum stacks, she enables a one-time use Ground Down Special, which summons the Mystery Machine to pursue the nearest enemy to Velma’s position. Opponents caught by the Mystery Machine will be temporarily disabled and can be damaged while inside the vehicle. Some small things to note about the Mystery Machine:

• The Mystery Machine will always pursue the enemy closest to Velma.
• The Mystery Machine has a hidden health bar that depletes over-time, even before catching up enemies. This means that opponents can destroy the vehicle before it catches up, or just outmaneuver.
• Enemies caught by the Mystery Machine can mash to release sooner, and their allies can also hit the vehicle to break it.
• The Mystery Machine will attempt to run off stage with its victim; the higher the percentage, the sooner it’ll jump from the platform. If an enemy is at low percentage, the Mystery Machine will instead remain still, but will move if the enemy reaches higher percentages above 50%.
• Velma’s evidence meter will freeze once she reaches max stacks, meaning that any evidence the player picks up while at it will be lost.
• If Velma is ringed out before summoning the Mystery Machine, she’ll respawn without it. In addition If her evidence meter will reset to zero (or one if she is equipped with the [Studied] Signature Perk).

Ideally, you’ll want to use the Mystery Machine as soon as possible, even if opponents are at low percentages. You can also try to move strategically towards higher percentage opponents so it’ll pursue them. Coordinating attacks with the partner is key to make the most of the Mystery Machine, as racking up percentages above 100% will guarantee the vehicle will jump offstage as soon as possible.

Normal Attacks

This is Velma’s primary poking attack, and should be always be used off-cooldown. You can mix up this with Velma’s other attacks, such as her Grounded Side Attack or even her aerials.

Ideally, you’ll want this to be always tracking Velma’s partner to give them HASTENED, on top of speech bubbles that hit allies grow in size, making it easier to hit enemies.

In situations where you want this to track enemies, a very effective way to inflict them with TARGETED is to land two hits of her Grounded Side Attack and then use the Neutral Ground Attack.

Some important notes about Motivational Speaker:

• Velma has up 4 charges of Motivational Speaker. Each charge has roughly 10 second cooldown (without modifiers).
• If neither her partner or one of the enemies is TARGETED, the very first hit won’t consume charges.
• Only one enemy / ally can be TARGETED at once.
• If the locking bubble doesn’t hit either enemy or ally and end up hitting the the stage, it’ll spawn a large bubble speech that will add TARGETED to enemies or the ally that pass through it. On stages with fall-through platforms, hitting it with additional bubbles after the first one hits the ground will make them circle around the area.
• The speech bubbles count as projectiles, meaning they can be destroyed by certain attacks, such as Superman’s Ice Breath. On the other hand, due to the recent change to how projectiles interact with each other, the bubbles can be used to stop other projectiles, such as Shaggy’s (non-powered up) Sandwich and Batman’s Batarang.
• Using Motivational Speaker in the air will slow down Velma’s falling speed, being a good option for mix-up her recovery.

This is Velma’s primary “get off me” attack on the ground, and essentially acts as Velma’s “Jab Combo”, being her most versatile ground attack. It is a pretty safe move, with large disjointed hitboxes that can halt enemy advance and outrange their attacks. Velma can change directions mid-combo, being great to catch enemies trying to dodge behind her during the attack.

This move has a lot of mix-ups that can give Velma a varied of ways to engage enemies, such as:

Jab, Jab, Ground Down Attack

This is actually sliiiightly faster than her normal 3-hit combo, at the expense of reduced range, but with the added effect of being able to spawn evidence. In addition, if you’re able to hard-read opponents, you can bait them by charging the attack.

Jab, Jab, Ground Up Attack

This is a powerful kill confirm that can easily catch enemies offguard, and is arguably one her most reliable kill options on the ground. However, the catch is that you need to start the combo at a very close range to ensure the attack hits.

Jab, Jab, Down Special

A pretty decent way to apply her cooldown reduction while dealing damage to the enemy.

Jab, Jab, Ground Side Special

An interesting mix-up that can catch opponents offguard and drag them through the stage. Given that Velma can dodge while running (if she doesn’t catch the enemy), this is actually a pretty safe mix-up.

Jab, Jab, Air Side Attack

A hard mix-up to pull off due to the high endlag for jump cancel (and if you add server lag into the equation, it becomes even harder), but, if pulled off, can be an effective way to keep the offensive.

Jab, Jab, Neutral Attack, Neutral Attack

A pretty reliable way to apply TARGETED to her opponent. What is beautiful about this setup is that her Neutral Attack is a great jab reset and allows this string to lead in plenty of mix-ups that can keep her opponents in a lot of hitstun, such as:

• Jab, Jab, Neutral Attack Spam
• Jab, Jab, Neutral Attack, Jab, Jab, Ground Up Attack
• Jab, Jab, Neutral Attack, Jab, Jab, Ground Down Attack

This attack is offset by being a bit slow (especially the third hit, which can actually be dodged before landing), as well having a high endlag that cannot be dodge cancelled as effectively as other moves.

Arguably one Velma’s best moves, this is her primary spacing tool and has a surprisingly long range and speed, on top of being chargeable. It’s versatility is unmatched as it can be used both offensively and defensively; on short-hop cancels, Velma can actually combo this right into her nearly all her ground attacks (most notably her Jab Combo), against low percentage enemies. A fantastic way to close the gap!

This move is offset by its very, small hitbox, although disjointed, right above her head. However, it’s a pretty decent anti-air in the right conditions, and a fantastic kill move when used in the air against enemies near the upper blast zone. As aforementioned, this move can be combo’ed out of other attacks, which is the best way to land it due to its limited range; the ground version makes Velma slide slightly to the side, making it easier to land

This is actually Velma’s most damaging move out of her entire arsenal, dealing whopping 14% damage if fully charged (without modifiers), a feat hard to achieve due to its telegraphed animation. It can be done against opponents trapped by the Mystery Machine, however, to quickly rack up damage.

This attack on its own is another great “get off me” attack since the uncharged version is very fast, although having lower range than her Ground Side Attack since it doesn’t make Velma slide along the ground.

This is Velma’s most powerful finishing move, being able to ring out mid-weight characters around 105% on tall stages, if fully charged and ground bouncing (without modifiers). Not only that, but this move is formidable for start strings of combos at low percentages with her Air Up Special, with mix-ups such as:

• Down Air, Up Special, Down Air.
• Down Air, Up Special, Fast Fall Up Air.
• Down Air, Up Special, Down Air, Up Special, Side Air.

These combos are very percentage dependent, in addition to the enemy’s directional influence. However, if done correctly, Velma can deal above 40% damage easily; even more so if doing these strings alongside her partner.

The downside of her Down Air is its very limited range, being one of the few attacks that are not disjointed. This means that it can be easily intercepted by other attacks, and can be predictable if overused.

Special Attacks

This is the bread-and-butter of Velma’s gameplay, and is loaded with utility. It has a very long range, deals damage over-time (1% per hit), and heals allies / damages enemies (while also applying WEAKENED). Regardless of hitting the partner or the enemies, the one hit will become TARGETED for Velma’s Neutral Attack. Lastly, this attack has a chance to spawn evidence; and apparently it has the highest spawn rate for it out of all her abilities. Always use it this whenever the cooldown refreshes.

Some important things regarding this ability:

• Motivational Speaker only goes on cooldown if fully channeled. This allows the player to bait opponents by cancelling it earlier, as well do mindgames or just apply pressure.
• Only the final hit of Motivational Speaker can spawn evidence.
• Only the final hit of Motivational Speaker will apply TARGETED and WEAKENED.
• Only the final hit of Motivational Speaker will inflict hitstun and knockback. This can make hard for Velma to use it against enemies that can quickly close the gap and pressure her.
• Using it in the air will completely halt Velma’s momentum in the air, being a great mix-up for recovery when combined with proper directional influence.
• The player can aim up and down while channeling.

This is a very situational ability, especially in 2v2 where enemies can easily intercept Velma. In addition, the ending lag is obscene after Velma catches and throw her opponent, with a very long window for dodge cancel. Lastly, this ability has the longest charge out of all skills in the entire game (taking around 5 seconds to fully charge).

Fast Thinker is best used as a mix-up to catch opponents offguard, or in when used the aforementioned Jab Combos above. Fully charging it is not recommended as it leaves Velma vulnerable (though she can dodge cancel it to bait opponents). This ability can be effective in coordinated play with the partner, but even so I consider this skill very underwhelming in 2v2.

Another very situational ability; being mostly useful to give Velma some much needed aid for horizontal recovery (though the distance is low) on top of also slowing her falling speed a bit.

As an offensive ability it can be used in certain mix-ups, but Velma has far better options. In addition, the hitbox is very underwhelming and small, only hitting in the main portion of the book, with no lingering hitboxes on her behind. You’d expect this ability to be something like Peach’s Bomber from Smash Bros., but really isn’t.

This ability appears to be currently bugged as it sometimes won’t apply stacks of ICE even enemies are standing on it. Nevertheless, this a very filler skill that should be used whenever it is off cooldown. It doesn’t deal any damage, but the slow stacking can be useful, especially when paired with Superman’s Ice Breath. Ideally you should place this at the borders of the stage for edgeguarding.

Given that this attack has no hitbox whatsoever, avoiding using it when enemies are near in close combat. The ending lag is pretty high, though it can be dodge cancelled.

As aforementioned, this attack can be combo’ed with Velma’s Down Air for some nasty damage output against low percentage opponents. In addition this attack is naturally an armor breaking ability. Lastly, it can also be used to gain a bit of vertical range to aid Velma’s recovery.

However, this ability is offset by a very small range (although the hitbox is actually quite generous and hits around Velma), being easy to intercept by anti-air attacks. It can potentially spike enemies, though, despíte not being as powerful as her Down Air.

This is one of Velma’s most valuable skills, being currently the only ability in the game that can reduce cooldowns, making Velma invaluable when paired with heavy-cooldown characters such as Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry and Morty.

One of the most interesting aspects is that this is a homing skill and will always move towards Velma’s partner no matter how far they are, damaging enemies in the path; if the partner is fast enough, they can actually outrun the ability and make it perpetually follow them, dealing damage to enemies that follow them.

The catch is that this ability itself has a very long cooldown, arguably one of the longest in the game. Ideally it should be used when necessary, but can be weaved between attacks or used right off the bat after Velma and her partner burn their cooldowns.

Top 5 Best Partners

While I believe that Velma’s flexibility makes her fit in any team composition, I believe she has a couple of partners that really shine with her. Ideally she wants characters that can provide a solid frontline so she can camp and zone enemies while buffing her ally.

Superman is arguably the best partner for Velma. Even after they nerfed [Ice To Beat You], which gave them a powerful ICE stacking potential, Superman’s Ice Breath combined with Velma’s Toxic Concotion still is a powerful combo in many situations. In addition, Superman high weight, sturdiness and surprisingly high mobility makes him a fantastic frontline to keep Velma protected.

In a similar vein to Superman, Wonder Woman is beefy and can sustain a lot of damage while protecting Velma. Her combo game is superior to Superman, giving Velma plenty of time to snipe foes with her Neutral Attack and Neutral Special. Lastly, Wonder Woman’s defensive cooldowns can be used more often thanks to Velma’s Down Special.

The Iron Giant serves pretty much as a massive meat shield to Velma. His massive size makes easy for her to redirect her beam from Neutral Special, and she can nest in safety inside him during his Rage Mode. Given that the Iron Giant is the heaviest character in the roster, he can sustain plenty of damage and protect Velma well; although his limited speed can be a hinder if Velma is isolated from him.

The character I’ve had the most success with in 2v2 was Morty, surpisingly. While I don’t think he’s the best partner for Velma, he nevertheless has all the tools necessary to deal a lot of damage; in addition, Velma’s bubbles from her Neutral Attack can interact with Morty’s grenades in a very interesting way. Lastly, Morty has A LOT of cooldowns, which can benefit from Velma’s Down Special.

Bugs Bunny is amazing with Velma thanks to his ability to cause chaos in the battlefield, having a very powerful zoning kit that complements well with Velma’s. His many gadgets can keep enemies on their toes, and that makes him one of the best characters to enable Velma’s Mystery Machine to snag foes.

Recommended Perks

• Signature Perk: Whereas [Studied] only has value at the start of Velma’s stock, being more of a 1v1 perk, [Knowledge is Power] is incredibly useful in most situations, and it gives her partner an extra incentive to pick up evidence.
• [Coffeezilla] is absolutely mandatory for Velma to make her cooldowns more readily available.
• [Triple Jump] is arguably the best perk in the game, especially in doubles if stacked; having an extra jump completely changes how you approach opponents and how to recover. Even if the ally doesn’t stack this perk, it’s still very powerful as Velma has strong air presence with her air attacks, especially Side Air.
• [Tazmanian Trigonometry] provides Velma and her partner with very much needed survivability. If stacked, it allows both to survive many situations that would otherwise be their demise. Alternatively, [Make It Rain, Dog!] is a valuable alternative as it increases the speed of Velma’s projectiles (though not much since this has been recently nerfed), while [Slippery Costumer] makes her dodges more safe.

Conclusion

Even with her continuous nerfs over the past couple patches, Velma still is a very powerful character in the right hands, offering so much to 2v2 compositions. While I myself am an Iron Giant main, she became one of my favorite characters in the game. Her gameplay is very reminiscent to Phoenix Wright’s in Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, and I love me some unorthodox characters.

I am by no means a “pro-player”, far from being a “top 50” in 2v2 with Velma, but I enjoy this character a lot and I believe the way I play her is effective. I’m currently sitting at 55% ~ 60% winrate with her. The only times where I really struggle is against +30 players in organized compositions using rushdown characters such as Harley and Shaggy.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed my guide and learned something! I’ve aimed to make a very digested guide with a full breakdown so new players can really grasp the fundamentals of what make Velma so unique.

Thank you for reading!