The Official Character Guide Thread

[Splash_King]

Oh the inhumanity. I never had even a nightmare as terrible as the day my wonderful thread disappeared, without a trace... Why didn't I save those guides on my PC... WHY OH WHY?!

..Oh wait, I did. Fear not fellow guide-submitters, your guides are safe on this hard drive of mine. Soon enough I'll put them back up. Let's get back to work, yeah?

On a more official note.. Welcome to the official character guide thread! The purpose of this thread is for our fellow Wiichaters to create character-specific guides for any character they wish. These guides are meant to help people become familiar with, or even sub/main the said character. All guides must be PMd to the thread's owner(me )in order for them to be submitted. I'll read over it and think if it's good enough for the thread, and if it is, congrats! Your guide will immediatly be editted into the first post!

On that note, if we already have a guide for a character that you think you can rewrite/simply make better, feel free to make up that guide. If YOUR guide is better than the previous one, I'll replace the old one with it and put the previous one at the bottom of the guides-only post, as an honor for all members' hard work. I couldn't just delete them, after all. If your guide is not deemed better, if you cover anything the previous guide doesn't, with your permission I'll add it to the old guide and give you credit, ofcourse! In some cases, we may even combine most of the guides to make an entirely new one, if both guide owners agree to it. But really, it's not exactly complicated. So get moving and make some excellent guides for Wiichat! :thumbsup:

 

[Splash_King]

Donkey Kong - Written by spiff-ssbb

Spoiler

Donkey Kong
Mastering the Giant Ape

Contents
1. Introduction to DK
2. History of DK in Smash
3. Pros and Cons
4. Move Set Analysis
5. Strats and AT's
6. Conclusion

1. Intro to DK: The Furry Giant
Before i get into things. I must insist that everyone take in this beautiful song at least once. It is absolutely essential to your life:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npuuTBlEb1U[/ame]
We've all undoubtably had our run ins with DK 64. Instantly realizing that firing feathers and coconut bombs at other monkeys is magically addicting. Actually, all DK games were surprisingly fun... considering you did the same thing in each level... From riding barrels and owning up crocodiles in DK Jungle to escaping bottomless pits and ice caves in DK's stint with the Game and Watch games... every level is exactly like the one before... with more bad guys... why is this so fun? its one of the great mysteries of mankind. But anywho, you all know about DK, lets get down to things.

2. History of DK in Smash: The Road From Crap Kong to King Kong
In Smash64 the characters were pretty balanced... barring Ness. But DK always seemed to suffer from getting owned by quick characters... the incredible amount of shield stun in that game didn't help. And nobody will ever be able to tell you why his U tilt was so slow... He wasn't as bad as poor little Jiggly... but he wasn't very king like.

Melee came around and Jiggle made a big turn around!... to be replaced by our good friend DK. DK's incredibly huge target size and his weight seemed to play perfectly into the hands of every opponent who knew how to L cancel. DK sucked. Always out prioritized, spaced, and in most cases over powered.

BUT!!!!!!!! Febuary 2008 came around and WHAT did we have??? The installment of a Smash DK that is FINALLY worthy of the epic character... be excited everybody, be very excited... cuz DK's awesome now let me tell you why.

3. Pros and Cons of Being a Big Ape
Pros:
-Heavy, meaning he doesn't die easily
-Reach, DK has one of the best tilt games out there
-Power
-Grab game
-Aerial attacks
-Super armor.. finally

Cons:
-Large target
-No Projectile
-Slow moving, meaning you should have a counter pick for projectile spamming characters
-Pretty easily chain thrown
-Vertical Recovery... is not something us DK users like to talk about

4. Move Set Analysis
Standard Attacks
Jab: DK has a double jab, no rapid attack. Simply punches once with each hand.

This can be useful if someone gets in on you (generally you don't want this to happen). Usually one jab and then a grab works better than the double jab. For the most part you wont be using the Jab much.

F tilt: DK swipes forward with his huge hand. Can be tilted upwards slightly.

This is one of DK's best moves. Great range. Use it to space people out, interrupt their entries, and block projectiles. DK doesn't have a chain grab but D throw to F tilt can get you some extra damage at low %.

D tilt: DK crouches and swipes forward.

Less useful than F tilt because it has less range and cant interrupt aerial approaches. Only use it if your trying to trip your opponent.

U tilt: DK swipes his hand above his head from the direction he's facing to the ground on the other side.

This move is pretty awesome to interrupt foolish aerial entries from above. Use it to fill combo's as well. The move has great range and priority. The hit box lasts for the entire swipe of the hand.

F smash: DK claps impressively.

SUPER strong move. But pretty situational. It can punish non sweet spotted recoveries, like Sonic's or Marth if he misses the ledge. Sometimes you can pivot cancel one and catch the opponent off guard... works once or twice a set I've found.

U smash: DK claps above his head.

Great power but again, situational. Has zero hit box beside DK, it only hits above... so its really only useful when you've got someone gimped (like if samus tries to up b you or something) Aerials work way better than this move in most situations.

D smash: HUUULK SMAAAASH!!!!! -DK double fists the ground.

More range in the direction DK's facing. Pretty awesome KO move. Great power, and its a pretty quick move. I like to do it out of pivot cancels so you can slide into it.


Aerials
N air: DK spins in the air with his arms out.

Great move to interrupt aerial approaches. Can fill the odd combo or two when you mess up your spacing on your B airs.

B air: DK does a quick back kick.

Best move for entries by far. You can get two out in a single short hop. Spam this move if your going to spam anything. Make sure you space it well though so you don't get shield grabbed.

U air: DK does a head but upwards.

Good move for the odd star KO. Great power, but lacks priority. Hard move to land unless you can mind game someone into an early air dodge.

D air: DK stomps the air.

Meteor smash #1 in DK's arsenal. Sometimes you can use this as a tech chase. Jump over the get up attack (assuming they try one) and D air. Probably the easiest Meteor smash he has to hit especially against vertical recoveries.

F air: DK double fists the air and rolls forward.

Meteor smash #2.... and definitely the coolest. Early hitbox hits at about a 30 degree angle. Late hit box hits straight down... hence the meteor smash. Use it on ledge guards and on the odd entry, just to add to your meta game. Surprising power on this move.

Specials
N Special- DK punch

Charge by tapping B. Hold Charge by pressing shield. Use by Pressing B again. If fully charged the move has super armor while the arm is moving forward. The start up lag has no super armor and you can get hit out of the attack... so space it well if you wanna use it effectively. you can catch people with this a surprising amount of times during matches.

Side Special: DK Head butts downwards

Meteor smash #3. Strange properties on this attack. Its like a weak meteor smash with more hit stun... not overly useful except to simply add to your meta game. just throw it in there from time to time, especially when you've got a DK punch charged.

D special: DK smacks the ground furiously.

Good move for spacing. out ranges your F tilt. Use it to space characters with ground entires like Ganon. It out ranges Marth's sword to... just throwing that in there cuz its useful

U special: DK spins rapidly with his arms out.

Recovery move... doesn't go up enough.. but oh well. Disjointed hit box... there's a bit of a force field around DK's arms. Have the move end close to the ground to cancel the lag of it. This last fact makes Battlefield an awesome choice for DK users.

Throws
F throw: cargo carry
use it for spacing or for quick KO stage spikes.

B throw: DK tosses the character back and over his shoulder.

KO's at high %. this is its only use.

U throw: Tosses straight up

good for getting characters in the air where you want them. not enough power to KO.

D throw: DK mashes the character into the floor and they roll forward.

follow with F tilt at low % for some extra damage.

5. Strats and AT's

Brawl is a game of infinite useless AT's... so we wont get into too many of them. the useful ones are RARing Pivot Canceling. You can manage quite well without anything else.

RAR: Reverse Aerial Rush

simply mash the control stick backwards as you jump them immediately mash it back the other way. You jump backwards but keep your momentum. good for B airs.

Pivot cancel:
run one way, mash control stick the other way. towards the end of the pivot animation you can cancel it into any move.

Entries:
For the most part with DK you don't wanna go all crazy throwing yourself into battle. spacing is everything. His tilts have awesome range so keep hitting the guy at the finger tips and you should be fairly safe. try and keep a buffer zone between you and the other guy as much as possible.

If you wanna do aerial entries go with the B air. its safest. every once and a while you can throw in the odd F air or DK punch to try and punish air dodges or side steps.

Deeeefence:
F tilts for the win. use them all the time on those over aggressive marths and...well.. anyone really.

6. Conclusion
All in all DK's awesome this time round... so have fun with him. its so awesome stomping people to the bottom KO zone and Cargo throwing them into the wall on FD. but remember, NEVER sacrifice a KO for a meteor smash. peace out fellow monkeys

Falco - Written by bokenman23

Spoiler

HANDS OFF MY PREY!
Falco is cooler than most things. Cooler than Fox. Easily cooler than Slippy. Even, perhaps, cooler than you. And he has a lot of things going for him.

STYLE

Falco has multiple styles, which is unique among characters, who usually only have one. His first, long range fighting, is pretty simple- keeping at distance, firing his blaster repeatedly, reflecting anything in his path if he is backed into a corner.

The second, close range fighting, includes rushing in close and utilising his incredibly strong smash attacks, multiple hit attacks and chain grabs.

The last, aerial- fighting, includes pushing your adversaries into the air and taking advantage of Falco’s superior aerial abilities.

Of course, these styles can be combined, and it’s extremely advisable that you do so while using him.

STRENGTHS

Falco has an incredibly diverse set of moves, as there is a good balance of quick and strong attacks, making it amazingly easy to rack damage up quickly. For example, his neutral attack is capable of scoring multiple hits.

His dash and his up tilt can launch enemies up into the air, leaving them open. His down tilt is quick and has practically no lag whatsoever, also good for blocking. His strong side can be spammed, and has reasonable knockback.

His side smash looks like it can take an eye out or take a head off, and is absolutely diabolical when used when the opponent has a high damage percentage.

His aerial skills are absolutely amazing, and Falco can take advantage of slower characters that are less aerially inclined. Most attacks score multiple hits, and his down aerial can be used as a meteor smash when performed correctly.

His blaster is also quicker in the air, making it quite easy to shoot four shots in a single jump.

His chain grab. Just thought I’d mention it, because it is one of his unique features. It’s pretty simple to use- grab, throw down, grab, throw down again, so on. This makes racking up damage easy.

His reflector is different from either Fox’s and Wolf’s as it can be used to reflect things from farther away. It can also be used to make close enemies stumble, making them easy pickings for Falco.

His Landmaster, although weaker and slower than Fox’s and Wolf’s, can fly quicker and much better. It also lasts longer, so you can make your enemy lose a life and do a fair amount of damage before the final smash wears off.

Falco Phantasm is also considered a strength for Falco: it is quick, can launch enemies flying upwards, and can be used as a recovery. It is also useful for when someone is edge guarding you, as you can just attack them without being stopped.

But take caution, be careful of using this method when the enemy has an item at the ready.

That’s enough of Falco’s many strengths, now for his weaknesses.

WEAKNESSES

Now, let me start off by saying Falco doesn’t have much in the way of weaknesses, which is probably why he’s a top tier.

Most of his special attacks have substantial lag before and after being performed, and if they miss, Falco is in big trouble. Fire Bird, Falco Phantasm, Blaster and Reflector- they all do it.

Falco falls faster than most other characters, meaning he has to act fast when he is thrown off of the stage. This can also leave you open when a Fire Bird goes wrong.

Falco is a jack of all trades- not amazing in primarily one field, but is average in both speed and strength. So he is outclassed a lot when against those that are amazing in either speed or strength.

Fire Bird should only really be used as recovery, and even then it’s not very useful. Use very sparingly, both as recovery and attacking.

COMBOS

Now what’d I tell you? Not many at all. Now, onto Falco’s combos.

Falco Phantasm/Up Tilt/Dash+ Fair - As mentioned before, this propels the enemy upward, leaving them open for a multiple hit aerial assault.

Down grab (repeated) - I don’t know if a chain grab counts as a combo, but just thought I’d put it in there.
F smash+ U smash+ F smash- This is a simplistic combo. It works best when the enemy is at low percentage so they aren’t knocked back quite so much in between attacks. Be careful though, the attacks can be easily shielded. It’s good for a surprise attack, at any rate.

I’m sure that Falco has many more wonderful combos, but as with Wario, I just kind of wing it and hope for the best. Feel free to make up any of your own, or contact CK to edit them in.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend Falco. Try and use him if you can, because he is an incredibly useful character that will defeat most enemies with ease. And he’s cool. Cooler than everything.
And that includes you.

Ganondorf - Written by Gr7mm Bob

Spoiler

Intro: Ganondorf/Gannon is the King of evil in Hyrule. Arch-nemesis of Link, tyrant of the land, and so-on and so-forth. Throughout his long history Gannon has been and remains to be a beast whether in literal terms or symbolic. Gannon is all Power this is his absolute strength and his weakness. In SSBM he was just a slower more powerful C. Falcon Clone. That has dramatically changed.

Gannondorf has very low speed, agility, no built in combos to speak of and very tall making him an exceptionally large target. But he can take a beating a deal it back even harder. Be sure to play a balanced game of offense and defense to keep people guessing.

Be warned though, almost all of his moves have a half-second tell. Also almost all of Gannon’s attacks have about a ½ second ‘cool-down ‘ and therefore timing is required to be a hybrid of art and science.

Neutral A: his fastest attack is this one. Use it to throw your opponent off guard or even block minor attacks. Yes at a whopping 9% this punch can be used as a quick shield because the hit box goes from his wrist to just past his fingers enough to stop things.

It’s like a little slap in the face that is quick and gives you enough flinch time to attack or get back. It’s a disruptive move and will only KO when someone % is really up there like maybe 150%.

Side tilt: At this he will do a little heel kick that deals about 13% and will send your opponent away at a low angle. It’s got the same range as his Neutral A, but better for sending people back. It can most likely kill a medium when done near an edge at 150%. (KO possible)

Down Tilt: Is a lower version of the side tilt does the same amount of damage, but will send an opponent up at a near 80 from the ground. Same reach as his Side tilt and Neutral A but with a greater probability of killing a medium or lighter than the other two. With both his Side tilt and down tilt his hit box is his entire foot. (KO possible)

Up Tilt: (Vacuum Stomp) I call it that because it pulls things within a small area towards the strike zone. Items, people, things that go ‘boom’, anything around. 27% hit and will KO just about any moderately damaged opponent. In this one he lifts his leg by the thigh as high as and manly as physically possible, and then a little more.

Holds it for 2 seconds giving your opponent the chance to either escape, or punch you squarely in you newly exposed crotch. However hard this attack is to successfully pull off, it yields high rewards with a devastating explosion on the ground in form of you sending all involved opponents flying up at a 60.

Be warned though this attack can and will set off those boxes filled with explosives because it is a fire attack, killing yourself this way is very humiliating believe me, it will happen to you eventually. (KO most likely)

Dash-A: While running hit the A button and Gannon will do a football style shoulder smash that will throw your opponent up and behind you. Does 15% and will KO a light at 130% damage

Side Smash: An elbow thrown at high velocity and short range. Quick hit does 19%, while a fully charged hit scores 33%. Kind of quick but leaves you very open to retaliation should the opponent dodge or block. (KO move)

Down Smash: This one is similar to C. Falcons Down smash, but if you get your foe at the right time you’ll do a neat little juggle double kick.

Quick: The first kick does 5% and the second does 14% combined they do 19% and will send an opponent bouncing along. Fully charged the first kick does 7% and the second does 16% with a little extra something behind it to send your foe a ways away. For a combined total of 23%. It’s a good sweeper move. Best used for people who like to think they can side step around you.

Up Smash: Does a base damage of 19% and a charged rate of 26%. And you this one can be been done in pretty rapid concession by Gannon standards. This one is best for sending opponents skyward. Or it is sure to put a little more spring their step. It’s a Rockettes styled kick with a small hit box and serious three legged-race contributor. (Serious KO power available)

Aerials (attacks done in air, duh)

Neutral A: Press for a sloppy double kick that would make Jackie Chan cry. It does about 5 to 11% each hit. Lasting hits boxes. Moderate launching power. But it’s quick and will stop some of you opponent’s attempts to kill you. Speed is always in short supply W/ Gannon so make good use of it. But as with any character don’t get predictable!

F-Air: It’s a little Shadow fist of sorts that sends your opponent sideway instead of down. Does anywhere from 14 to 17%. As always lovely launch power for a small hit and as always very predictable. (KO possible)

U-Air: A back-flip kick that doesn’t seem to hurt much, bet deflects very well. Items and people mainly. Does roughly about 6-14% the closer towards the center of the kick the more damage is dealt. His hit boxes are from his knees to his feet and it lasts a decent amount of time to.

B-Air: snappy little punch that always seems to do 16%. Again there is still potential launching power but be smart.

D-Air: This is the most powerful spike I have ever encountered. This one always does 22% percent with an insane launching ability to grounded foes. Nearly all successful hits from this are a KO when out above the open. (I say nearly because there are a lot of lucky survivors.)

He brings his knees to his chest and with great force and speed he unleashes a wicked downward mule kick. This is 1 of 2 of his meteor smashes. (KO most likely)

Neutral-B (a.k.a. the Warlock Punch): The warlock punch is what you get when you mix a Falcon Punch with a piece of Chuck Norris’s hair. This evil steroid induced punch will do a massive 32% standard and about 37% with a turnabout.

Maximum launching power, large hit box, and a wonderful sound that make you laugh manically. But all that come at a steep price. This attack takes about 2-2 ½ seconds to wind up. This is problematic because it gives your intended target enough time to debate whether or not their teeth really taste all that great. Consider yourself WARNED! (KO most likely)

Side-B: This one is good because it counts as a grab so it will just go right through a shielding opponent, grab them by the face and blat them to the ground for 9% and on the ground just long enough for a D-tilt or maybe even a D-smash.

Also if you know you opponent is going to roll away use the Down-B kick. However tempting, DO NOT use near an edge or you will fly off stage and fall to your death in the most humiliating of ways.

When you use this in the air you will grab your opponent by the face and hasten their decent to earth as a landing zone for you. Does 12% at a short height and does progressively more damage with more height.

If you want to live make sure that you don’t miss, and you have something Nice and stage like to land on. Unless you know you are doomed and decide to go Kamikaze. Hint-Hint.

Down-B: This is a flying kick very similar to a Falcon kick. But it doesn’t go as fast or as far and does about 10-15%. But in the air this kick will turn you into a purple killer dive-bomb. If done when your target is right below you, it does a massive spike and returns them to the ground.

When you land, there is slow recoil but you also push nearby people away and may even kick that rotten tri-force brat right between the eyes.

Up-B: Gannon’s third jump really does get a significant amount of height. When done close enough under an opponent he will latch on cause electric damage, then separate with an explosion for a total of 11%.

This generally leaves in a favorable position because he can do this repeatedly as long as he connects each time. Every time he does this, he jumps a little back as well. Even if he does miss there is a chance that he can still tag the target with 7% darkness hit.

Grab: Simple go up to the dude and grab. For additional damage you can knee them over and over by tapping A. You can also change it up with various throws. See below. Its sad to say by Gannon’s throws are nothing spectacular. Simple kicks and punches with no other worldly forces involved.

U-Throw: He throws them up in the air followed by a neat little fair-well punch that does 7%. You could always follow it with an Up-B if your opponent isn’t expecting it.

D-Throw: Choke slams victim into the ground with a little bit of a bounce. Does 7% and can leave certain characters available for a chain throw. Rare, but not impossible.

F-Throw: He will go ahead and punch the victim in the stomach hard enough to knock them away. This does the most damage of all of his throws at 13%.

Could rush them with a shoulder hit (Dash-A) or flying kick (Down-B).

Back-Throw: Throws behind with a follow up kick doing 10%.

With Gannon being as predictable as he is, always try to keep your opponent guessing don’t overuse a move because they will see it coming and you will pay dearly. Gannon doesn’t run, jump, or chase well so force you opponent into a ‘corner’ and pummel away and always expect retaliation.

But be a heavy as he is he doesn’t fly too far this makes you a tank but by no means invulnerable

Ike - Written by myself, muahahahahahah.

Spoiler

GREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT AAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
Written by SSBfreakCK

Ike.. He's a tricky one to handle. Terrible recovery, slow, and almost no combos to work with. But with that absolutely insane power, it's hard not to use him. He's someone who can be absolutely godly in the right hands due to that amazing strength. Here's the guide!

When using Ike, there are some major points you need to remember. These are:

I: Defense! Make the opponent come to you. He has very few reliable openings. I'll mention those later. But you can't forget, if the opponent is launching projectiles, you have to rush in. Ike obviously has no projectiles, so you need to get in against a projectile spammer ASAP!

II: His power attacks. Use these the least amount as possible, as they're easy to predict and have startup and cool down lag, both of which are punishable more often than not(F-Smash?). I'll decipher this a bit more later.

III: His speedy moves. These include his neutral A(combo starter, just plain awesome) his D-smash(be careful or you'll get punished), his N-air, even his side B(be extremely careful when using it, I'll explain why later). You need to use these moves whenever you can, whether to start combos or just get in an actual hit. Ike's nothing without these quick attacks, so make use of them!

IIII: His Eruption(neutral B). This has super armor, and unfortunatly I never tested it enough to learn how to use it. At a certain point when using the attack, you can't be knocked back and you'll continue to attack, although you still take damage, leaving your opponent to get hit with Eruption.

This move is an awesome edgeguard. If they get to the edge but run out of invincibility frames, send them flying with a super-charged Eruption. If they get up for a jump or get up attack, release it at the right time to gain those super armor frames and blast them. Aside from that, it's not very useful. Stick to counter(Down B) for super armor, Counter's more reliable and less punishable.

Note: Apparently Super Armor is capable of prevent the knockback of Final Smashes, of which I already knew. But, Shadow*91 confirmed that super armor can stop even projectile Final Smashes, such as the light arrow from Zelda/Sheik! Apparently long, multi-hit moves such as the Zero Laser will end in defeat for Ike's super armor, thanks to Shadow*91 doing some testing. Anything with one hit shots like Marth's Critical hit is still prone to Super Armor blocking, just take caution and you'll survive nearly anything thrown at you!

Thanks Shadow*91!

V: His recovery. When using his side B to recover(longer you charge the further he flies, which can be a suprisising amount of distance when fully charged) you need to be extra careful. If someone gets in your way, you hit them and fall down with virtually no chance of recovery(you'll only survive if you're directly above the ledge)!

If you're too high for them to get in the way, or so high accidentally hitting them wouldn't matter, it's perfect. His up B is a monster at vertical recovery, considering Ike moves through the air horizontally well. But, it's range is terrible, and you often get gimped. Just be careful using it. Most of the time if the enemy edgeguards, their invicibility frames will stop you from hitting them 99% of the time. Use it carefully, and you still have a chance!




I think that covers the good things of Ike. So now I'll go indepth on the bad things to do with Ike.


i: Aether(up B). NEVER use up B mmediatly after you're hit or trying to avoid an attack when you're off the stage. You'll almost always fall downwards and miss the ledge. Take the attack and hope to god you'll survive. If the odds are grim, use this attack to drag the enemy down with you if you're going to die anyways. Practice with this attack alot to learn it's distance, and even moreso to learn how to not get gimped. So whatever you do, DO NOT button mash aether.

Also, DO NOT USE THIS OFFENSIVELY. The only thing to use it for is his down grab to Up B to (attack). Remember, this thing is only bad when used as the first attack move you're going to use or when poorly recovering. It is a plausible attack move if the opponent is falling towards you from directly above, however.

ii: NEVER use his power attacks when the opponent is close by. Using his F-smash when your opponent lands next to you is a terrible idea. Even an A tilt is bad. Use his quick attacks if they ever get in close, specifically his neutral A. Only use these moves to finish off an enemy who is prone to an attack during cool down, or good use of prediction.

iii: His recovery is poor and relies alot on prediction, make sure you have a plan. You need to make a split second decision whether to fall down and use his Up b, or immediatly use his side B to recover. Basically, if your enemy is going to edge guard or something similar, use side B, also, if you're very high up use side B. If you know your opponent will attack you or want a more reliable recovery, use his Up b. Still, don't wait for you to go down enough to land right on the ledge when doing so, you'll probably get gimped with ease.

iiii: His approaches are very limited. As I mentioned before, Ike has quite a bit of lag on most of his attacks (a little on atleast all). Approaching can be very predictable and punishable, and should never be used unless your opponent is a ranged fighter.

v: His F-smash. DON'T USE HIS F-SMASH. Unless you know exactly what the enemy will do, don't use this monster. The terrible lag before can get you interupted, and the devilish lag afterwards WILL get you hit. Only someone who's rushing into the fray will get hit by this, and even then they have a chance to spot dodge this terrible move. Do NOT use this attack very often, use it sparringly or you'll be getting punsihed badly.

vi: His counter(Down B). Yes, it's a wonderful move. You can stop all damage and hit before they're done, you can stall in mid air for a moment, and it can save your life. BUT. Don't use counter very often. It's cooldown could get you killed if your opponent predicts a counter, which can even cost the match. Use it sparringly, mainly against big hits or attack you otherwise won't avoid.

vii: His Quick draw(side B). The quick draw is great. It's fast, it has wonderful range(charged or not) and it's somewhat powerful. But, the after lag is terrible whether it attempts to slash and misses, or is shielded. Don't use this attack for hitting the enemy. Time your release to get infront of the enemy WITHOUT being close enough to do the ending slash. Immediatly follow up with an appropriate attack. They're far away, try an f-air. Close enough, always do a neutral A combo.




That pretty much covers everything. Now, for some combos and useful things of Ike. First some good qualities and moves, then I'll post some combos.

QUALITIES------------:


I: His short hop. This is great for approaching with a F-air or a neutral air. It's a great height for approaches. Make good use of it if you have to approach. I'll note a great use of it with his B-air in #6

II: His Neutral A combo. The second and third hits have great range for a neutral combo, and have much more power and knockback than any normal 3 hit move. Use it whenever they're in range, it won't disappoint.

III: His Quick Draw(Side B). Remember how I talked about to use it as an approach? It's wonderful, especially when paired with the equally awesome neutral A I just talked about. And if you can pull it off, it's a great recovery move. My point is, learn how much charge leads how far, so that you can meet the opponent quickly and launch any attack but Quick Draw itself.

IIII: His Down grab. It's a wonderful grab. While it's not going to do too much damage or many combos, it's great to use his Up b afterwards, a F-air if they move too much to the right/left, or even his u-air for some massive knockback. Use this grab when you can, it's pretty good. He's got a good shield too, shield grabbing an enemy's approach is always an option. Remember: defense is the key to victory!

V: His down B(counter). If the opponent has some kind of extremely laggy but powerful attack(Falcon punch, another Ike's F-smash) you may have time to immediatly see it coming, and use Ike's down B. Always keep this in mind, considering it does huge damage and renders the attack useless.

Some attacks that have lasting hit boxes or have huge range can't be dodged, so this can come in handy. Even if they aren't using a powerful attack, from time to time you can stop a predictable attack from hitting you and smack them back without even dodging! Use it sparringly, but if you see a good moment to use it, don't hesitate.

VI: His aerials. Alot of people I know say Ike should stay out of the air. WRONG. His awesome f-air has huge range and does good damage and knockback, even though it has minimal lag. A great midair interception. His neutral air has less power, but it also is quicker, has more speed, more range(a bit more behind Ike) and can even be used to start combos or intercept an approach.

His B-air is VERY powerful, use it whenever you can. Also note, if you short hop and use B-air as soon as you can, you'll land with NO lag, while if you do it high in the air you'll have lag. Amazing, right? Perfect this short hot to B-air timing and you'll be scoring some interesting comobs.

His U-air is extremely powerful, and is hard to avoid. If the enemy is above you, use it, especially if they try to recover from above. Or, if you're dropping down from above, use can even use it to intercepting a jumping enemy by quickfalling, or even hit a tall enemy(like Ganon) even if they're just standing. But be careful, it's only good for the suprise, if they suspect it you'll be punished very badly.

His D-air.. A powerful spike, with good longevity. If you miss the spike, for a bit your blade will still hit anyone below for some good damage and knockback(upwards), but no spike. You can easily use it when predicting an approach, or use it when recovering downwards to the stage. And never forget as I mentioned, it can meteor smash, and it does damn well at that. You can also use it when the opponent is standing up and you're jumping to them. It'l rebound them upwards with hit stun, then you can do multiple things from there to begin a combo. All his aerials are great, they just need prediction to get over the small amounts of lag.

VII: His power. This is a bad thing most of the time, but predict well and KO your opponent at early percents such as 70 or even 50! If you know when and where to use a powerful attack, use it and send them into oblivion. But either way, be careful. Use it to KO only, and ONLY at an opening, never out of the blue when they aren't vulnerable.

VIII: His U-tilt. His other two tilts aren't very good, but this move has a long duration and is alot faster than the other tilts. Hit an enemy approaching from the air, launch them upwards at low percents for another hit, or even just as an attack, it's great for combos at low percents.

VIIII: His D-Smash. It's his quickest smash, and it does good damage and knockback. It also hits behind him, which will definatly connect if they dodgeroll. It's an excellent move when used with prediction. But, be careful with it. If they sidestep dodge you'll miss, and you're vulnerable. You have only a small chance to react if they dodgeroll away from you, rather than behind you.

Note: Don't use this if they're already behidn you! It's too slow. Just dodgeroll or spot dodge instead. You will be punished if you use this move! Even the slow side tilt is better than this in that scenario.



Ike doesn't have many combos, but hey, if he has any why not use them?


COMBOS-----------:


i: Down throw to aether to (optional attack). The aether is only escapable if they move to the right using directional influence. If they don't, bam. The final attack is optional, whether it's an aerial or just a jab combo, go for it. Down throw to U-air is also very usable for a finshing move. Ike's down throw has alot of combo potential, feel free to experiment!

ii: B-air to U-tilt to Up B to (optional attack). Familiar? At very low percents, if the opponent is behind you and isn't too light, you can B-air them and land right next to them, then turn and do a U-tilt at the same time, throwing them up. Then aether them before they get away. You can then follow up alot of attacks from here. This combo is very hard to use, but pull it off and they're in pain.

iii: D-air to U-tilt to aether(or U-air) to (optional attack). Yep, aether to an optional attack again. This is great from coming down from the air. If you spike them if they jump, they're knocked down and prone to the hit, or they must retreat. If they are on the ground, they bounce up with stun and are prone to a U-tilt. Then you know the rest.

iiii: F-air to neutral A to dash attack. It's hard to pull off at even medium percents, but it's an efficient combo and even an approach if you want to do that. The first hit of the neutral A probably won't hit, but if it does you're set.

v: Dash attack to dash attack. Simple and easy to use, but hey, simplicity always works.


Ike really doesn't have any combos that differ alot.. But he's certainly got the power to make up for that.


Ike's approaches: Ike doesn't have the best approaches, but they do have power. Then again, approaches are used to make them easily hit for another attack, which they fail to do most of the time. Still, they are useful for chasing enemies off the stage, and are necesarry against projectile spammers.


I: Dash attack. Yep, the standard dash attack. It's got good range and when predicted right, a spot dodge will fail and a dodgeroll backwards will land a hit.
Then again, it's easily shielded and to dogeroll behind of. If you predict them shielding, grab them!

II: F-air. Run in and smack them with the wide ranged F-air. It's great for knocking them off the stage when they're near the edge, and at low percents can be used to combo. Beware of shielding and spot dodgers. Someone who poorly dodgerolls behind you can also get hit if they don't go back far enough, which can be handy.

III: Neutral Air. Yep, virtually the same as the F-air, but it hits backwards further, and is much quicker. This gives them less options to work off of. Much less landing lag than the F-air too. Even though it has less power it's much easier to combo with. A fairly good opener, certainly.

IIII: Quick draw. It's not a good approach itself, but if you use it to dash directly infront of the opponent without using the slash, you can follow up and suprise them. Even so if you hit them with this at the right time that they won't expect it, it's possibly worth the risk. I've mentioned this time and again, learn to use this move!!

V: B-air. How do you approach with a B-air, you ask? It's simpler than you think. When running, jump and slam the control stick backwards in the same direction, and you should jump facing the reverse direction. Quickly do a B-air, and you'll strike them with his most powerful opening. It's predictable, but here's another thing: if you do this right, you'll land with no lag! Remember the combo I spoke before about? Even if they're out of range for the combo, rush in with a dash attack since you'll land able to attack!


That's pretty much all of his approaches. Nothing special, but they are somewhat unique. Remember, stick to defense, but if you need to get on the offense those are your primary options!


To sum it all up, Ike is difficult to work around with his poor speed, lack of reliable recovery, and especially his disability to get combo'd very easily. He has very few combos and quick attacks as well. Monstrous lag comes with monstrous power. He doesn't have any projectiles either.

But he's not all bad. His quick attacks have great power for their speed. He has good range, and can kill at the lowest percents from just a single hit(barring DeDeDe's F-smash). He has the counter move and his approaches aren't as terrible as most other power hitters. In terms of possibilities, he's not terrible, but he's not the best either. But in the hands of a prediction master, you'll be killing someone in 20 seconds with that monstrous power. I hope you enjoyed this long ass, and I especially hope this helped all you Ike users out there.



Remember, this is my first actual guide, so I know it's pretty shakey. Bear with me if you can, ok? Goodluck Brawlers! 3.. 2.. 1.. GO!!

Jigglypuff - Written by WMBQ

Spoiler

All About Air
A Jigglypuff guide by WMBQ

If reading the title doesn’t make it obvious enough, Jigglypuff is all about the air. She has no less than six jumps, and each of those is extremely propelling. Though they primarily take her sideways, they can be used to go up as well very usefully. I was off-screen below Final Destination and I recovered using those six jumps without grabbing the ledge.

Evidently, her aerial attacks are all useful. That’s right, every single one of them. Her grounded attacks? Not so much. All of her smash attacks, excepting her DSmash, have a huge amount of lag, and the DSmash has a considerable amount of lag anyways.

However, she does have one useful attack: the dash attack. This is great for short, grounded combos, and it can be used to force your opponent across the stage, because the distance they’re launched when hit by the attack is about the same distance Jigglypuff runs in the same time. This means you can effectively hit them, run forward, and hit them again. Very fun to use on Final Destination.

Unless you’re doing the combo mentioned above, don’t run, and touch the ground only to replenish your jumps. Her grounded game leaves her ridiculously vulnerable, but she has full control over the air. I honestly can’t stress this enough. If you’re crossing the stage, do it in floats, not by running. It’s faster, and you’re more of a threat to the enemy.

Now, onward with the guides to the actually attacks: first I’ll make a list of Jigglypuff’s “Do use” attacks and a list of her “Don’t use” attacks.

DO USE:
-Dash Attack
-FSmash
-UTilt (If necessary, but only if you’re pressured onto the ground by your opponent)
-Uair
-Bair
-Nair (Useful, but I’d use Fair, which is more useful and virtually the same in lag and animation)
-Fair
-Dair
-DSpecial
-NSpecial (Recovery ONLY)
-FSpecial (Same as NSpecial)

DON’T USE:
-USpecial
-USmash
-DSmash
-DTilt
-FTilt

Jigglypuff’s attacks are more powerful than most people give credit to her for. Honestly, there are very few attacks that do less than eight percent damage. She’s pretty powerful, and she can combo. Not to mention she’s small and floaty. Of course, she’s the 2nd lightest character in the entire game, which is a huge problem… I’ve been KOed by my brother at 60 percent from an uncharged smash attack. Anyway, I’ve gotten off topic. Onto why you should use certain attacks:

Dash Attack
I’m pretty sure I’ve already explained this, actually.

FSmash
Jigglypuff flies forward with her foot outstretched. Similar to Kirby’s, but there’s more lag, and she doesn’t cover as much distance as Kirby. In return, it does more damage and knockback.
Use this attack rarely. It can be used as a KO move, but don’t overuse it, or people will see it coming. Use it towards the end of a match without using it beforehand, and that will maker your opponent weary of new tactics. (At least, it works for me, it forces them to play defensively.)

UTilt
Like I explained earlier, use this only if you’re pressured onto the ground. It doesn’t do much damage, and provides little knockback, but it forces your opponent out of there, so you can leap back into your kingdom, the air.

Uair
Oh, what a lovely combo attack. It’s kind of hard to explain the animation, but Jigglypuff turns over, hitting the opponent from above. If you use this as a combo when your opponent is at medium-high percentages, this can be used to KO, if you do it correctly. When I’m in the air, I press CStick Up, Jump Button, CStick Up, etc. You can do this six times, and it can infuriate your opponent (Namely my brother) when they don’t get a chance to counter it and they end up KOed off the top of the screen because Jiggly rises with them, with her amazing six jumps.

Bair
Jigglypuff kicks a round behind her. This is probably the “weak link” of her aerial attacks, but if your opponent is behind you, don’t hesitate to use this. Its power is less than average, and its combo ability is about average (for a combo queen like Jiggly anyways). Point being, use it if your opponent is right behind you in the air, and it becomes useful, but don’t use it to advance upon your enemies.


Nair
Jigglypuff attempts a Sex Kick, like Fox or Link. This is honestly pretty funny to see. Anyway, I find this attack kind of obsolete: it’s a fine attack in its own regard, but Fair is really the same thing, but with more range. Hitting with the “toe” of the foot is kind of useless here, since it’s so fAcking hard to aim, and it gives you about the same average results as the opponent coming in contact with Jigglypuff anywhere else.

Fair
Lovely little attack right here. Very similar to Nair, but Jigglypuff aims herself less awkwardly, and kicks with both feet for increased range. This attack is pretty useful on its own, but if you hit with the edge of her foot, it deals slightly more damage and knockback. Not enough to make a huge difference, but it’s a nice little bonus. It’s the small things that count, right?

Dair
I’M LOVIN’ THIS ATTACK RIGHT HERE. Yeah, this is possibly my favorite attacks in Jiggly’s arsenal. Jigglypuff does a drill kick, like Fox’s Dair, but I find it more devastating, as it’s very difficult to escape if you hit at the very beginning of the attack, especially if you use this right above the ground. It takes about two whole seconds, and if used right, your opponent is rendered completely helpless to the multiple blows. I believe this attack can deal a maximum of 28-30%, but I’m not fully sure. Either way, it’s a very nice move. It can’t, however, be used to KO.

DSpecial
Another one of my favorite attacks right here: Jigglypuff’s infamous Rest. This attack is one of the most devastating attacks in the game, along with Falcon Punch and Warlock Punch. It’s better than those because it can come completely unexpected, with a vicious no starting lag at all. However, in return, it’s a lot harder to hit with. Also, the enemies are sent flying straight up. It deals 20% on impact, but a flower appears above the foe’s head, gradually giving them 10% more damage, adding up to a pretty sweet 30% damage.
Missing with this attack is pretty catastrophic, though. If this happens, you’ll be waiting 10 seconds to wait up. If you happen to be next to an Ike, and you miss, prepare for a fully charged FSmash. With Jigglypuff’s weight, you’re going to die. Because of this, I recommend thoroughly practicing this in training or against low-level CPUs.
Another neat thing about Jigglypuff’s most infamous attack: your opponent is sent straight up. Use this in the air, and you’ve earned yourself a near definite KO. Also, it makes the same sound as the Home Run Bat, and is extremely satisfying to get a hit with.

NSpecial
Oh, the Rollout… what an uncontrollable attack. Use this for sideways recovery exclusively. It can be gimped pretty easily, but if you make it back to the edge, your opponent won’t be able to hit you until you’re safely in the middle of the stage. It deals 18% damage fully charged. Not horrible; it sends the foe flying pretty far if they’re at a high percentage. Once again: use for sideways recovery ONLY. Don’t use this as am offensive attack. That’s a huge mistake.

F/BSpecial
I can describe this entire attack in one word: pointless. It does 12 damage with no knockback. Use Fair instead. The only reason you should use this is for sideways recovery, in which case it can be very useful, as it doesn’t leave Jigglypuff falling endlessly while flashing after usage.


Don’t use the following attacks:

USpecial
This attack hinders your recovery instead of helps it, and if you hit the enemy, which is difficult to do in the first place, they’ll awaken before you finish singing. This attack is probably the most pointless one in the entire game. Avoid using at all costs.

USmash
This attack is laggy, it’s not especially powerful, and it has a small hit range. Not much else needs saying, don’t use this.

DSmash
In theory, I could just copy and paste the description from USmash, but I guess I’ll add something which I didn’t write under USmash: It’s not really a great idea to fight on the ground as Jiggly, making these two attacks even worse.

DTilt
Honestly, I don’t even know what this does; as it’s a ground attack, and I’ve ever even bothered to find out. I’m good enough as Jigglypuff as it is, so this attack is most likely pointless. Feel free to test it on your own, though.

FTilt
Same story as DTilt.




Grabs and Taunts


Initial Grab
This is actually fully identical to Kirby’s, as far as I can tell. Jigglypuff grabs her hand forward, but if she’s running, it has more range. One of the easier grabs to use, and it’s not very punishable if you miss. Nice and formidable.

Pummel
Never used it, as opponents can get free of Jigglypuff’s grabs petty easily. It’s probably a slap, but I recommend getting the throws on with anyways.

UThrow
Happens very fast, so it’s hard to tell exactly what happens. It’s definite that Jigglypuff launches the enemy above her with a psychic-like attack, reminiscent of Ness’s second jump. It deals 10% damage, and sends the opponent up surprisingly high. Very useful for getting the enemy into the air so you can rise up and fight them there, where you are king/queen.

FThrow
Jigglypuff inflates herself, pushing the opponent away from her. This happens very quickly. If you grab and immediately press in front of you, the opponent will have to take a moment to process what just happened, which can be vital for starting a combo. It does 10% damage.

DThrow
Now here’s something kind of disturbing… Jigglypuff rubs herself into the enemy in a certain place… eww… nice job, Nintendo… anyway, this attack does 11% damage, and the enemy is thrown up above after she’s done making love with them.

BThrow
Jigglypuff flips backward while holding the foe, then releases once they hit the ground again, sending them backwards. It does 9% damage. For all purposes, it’s identical to Kirby’s. (Man, these pink puffs sure share a lot in common!)

UTaunt
“Jigglypuff!” Jigglypuff does small dance while saying her name enthusiastically. Not too original, but I’m sure it has its followers.

F/BTaunt
One of my favorite taunts in the game. She does several spins around, then freezes in a ballerina-like pose. It’s been nicknamed the “manly pose” by me, Blue Man, and a real-life friend of ours who periodically makes spam accounts to piss people off in the Board Games section.

DTaunt
She deflates herself then falls to the ground like piece of paper, then reforms… wtf?


CONCLUSION

Well, it hasn’t been an easy task writing this, but I must say I enjoyed it. I hope I helped. I’ll write a small summary of her pros and cons before I have CK publish it.

+ Extremely floaty… ALWAYS chase your opponent off an edge. Recovery is an easy matter, so be sure to get lots of attacks in.
+ She can combo. Better than you all think.
+ She’s the queen of air. Seriously, it’s just crazy how amazing her air game is.
+ She’s powerful. Don’t know where the notion that she’s weak comes from.

- Too light! Be sure to avoid hard-hitting attacks if it all possible, because your life depends on it.
- Horrible ground game. She’s extremely slow and weak on the ground.


Anyway, that just about wraps it up! Be sure to give her a try, as she’s a seriously underrated character. Also, be sure to use DThrow at least once a match, to creep your opponent’s creeped out.

-WMBQ

Kirby - Written by Vexonator

Spoiler

HaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
A Comprehensive Guide by Vexonater
Kirby. Once the sexiest smash bros character evar, Kirby was raped by Sakurai in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Now he's back in the upper tiers where he belongs, and even you can utilize Kirby's mad combat skills.


1.) Kirby at a glance:


Kirby is one of the most underused and underestimated characters in the Smash Bros Universe. This is a complete shame, as underneath his marshmellow exterior is a marshmellow interior...of PAIN. Here's a few quick Kirby tidbits:


+ Kirby is extremely floaty, allowing for great recovery and edge guarding.
+ Kirby may seem weak, but he has an ample supply of KO moves..
+ Kirby's inhale attack allows you to copy the neutral special of any character in the game. Now even you can pull toad out thin air without having to play as Peach!
+ Kirby is THE character to play as if you enjoy mindgames. (More on this later)
+ Kirby has solid throwing abillity.
- Kirby is somewhat light, so you need to be careful at higher damage levels.
- Virtually all of Kirby's arsenal consist of melee attacks (only his specials even have disjointed hitboxes), meaning you will have to force your way close to your enemies.
- Most of Kirby's attacks have a high cooldown time, meaning you have to be careful with your choice of attack.
- While his final smash looks awesome, it sucks in execution (provided you even get people in to the pot). This won't matter in tournament 1v1's.




2.) Knowing Kirby's Attacks:


- Kirby has a plethora of really useful attacks. Here are the ones you will be using the most:


A: Tapping A multiple times will make Kirby unleash a storm of quick punches for 1 damage each. This is an extremely useful combo breaker, and can rack up a good chunk of damage if used every once in a while on an unsuspecting opponent.


Dash-A: When you are running in a direction, pressing A will cause Kirby to perform an acrobatic flip and spin around on his head. This attack is a very good approach against enemies who do not have disjointed hitboxes. Very often, an opponent will shield the attack and then drop the shield before the damage is actually over. This is another very good combo disrupter, and also helps in dealing damage to enemies.


Back-Aerial: In the air, doing a tilt attack behind Kirby will cause him to kick his foot behind him and hit anyone nearby. This attack is a surprisingly good KO move at higher damage levels. It is also a crucial part of Kirby's edge-guarding repitoire (more on this later). The timing is everything, though. If an opponent is hit in the later frames of the attack, it will not be as powerful.


Forward-Aerial: In the air, doing a tilt in front of Kirby will cause him to make 3 kicks in front of him. This attack is highly underrated. When doing a shorthop with Kirby, this attack can do wonders for his approach due to its' long execution time. It won't be netting you any KO's, but it's a very good disrupter and another good approach.


Down-Aerial: Meet Kirby's Meteor Smash. This down aerial causeshim to spin around in the air, feet together, spiking anyone who touches the lower half of his body. This is another crucial part of Kirby's edge-guarding repitoire.


Side-Smash: Kirby's side smash. This one is a very, very useful KO move, as it comes out fast and hits hard. It also has relatively good priority. This, combined with speed, can really help if you and your opponent are repeatedly parrying eachother (Pit).


U-Smash: This is another strong move, but it's somewhat slower than Kirby's Side-Smash. There are a few good combos that can lead in to a U-Smash if you're nimble enough.


Final Cutter: Kirby's U-Special. This is your projectile attack. Don't use it with the intent of spamming the hell out of it, because it will get you owned. However, it's a very good idea to mix this attack in to your rotation during melees. If you make contact at the beginning of the attack, you can hit an opponent 3 times per attack. Very useful. Be extremely careful when using it to recover, as it can be gimped.


Hammer: Another useful attack. If you spam this, you will lose. Instead, use it very sparingly on the ground. In the air, however, this is an incredibly useful attack due to the fact that it deals very high knockback and hits two times. You MUST throw this in to your airgame at lower damages.


Stone: Kirby's Down-Special. Do. Not. Spam. This. Move. This is the #1 mistake all newbie Kirby users will make. Stone is a godly move in terms of damage and knockback, but its' punishability is so high, you must use it sparingly. Here is when to use Stone:
I) When you're knocked up, use this to clear a path for yourself. However, it is advised that if you do not hit anyone on the way down, you should cancel out of it and immediately dodge or attack.
II) If you are being air juggled (Meta Knight), this is a very, very good way to get some cheap KO's.
III) If you're descending, and your opponent begins to charge an attack of any time. This is the ideal time to use Stone as an attack.


Inhale: This attack is the gateway to endless mindgames. Inhale not only gives you access to your opponents Neutral Special (use on Falco, Jigglypuff, or Captain Falcon for endless lulz), but it also unleashes the epic Kirbycide. There are 3 ways to do the Kirbycide, all of which must occur on aerial stages (or any stage with a bottom fallzone):
I) Stand by a ledge and suck up your enemy. Fall off the edge and die.
II) Stand by a ledge and suck up your enemy. Fall off the edge, but just before dying, press A and float back to the surface as your opponent dies. This will be extremely hard to do if your opponent is playing as ROB, Pit, or Meta Knight.
III) (My personal favorite): If you are ever knocked upwards off the stage in either direction, and your opponent is hanging by the ledge in preparation to attack, allign Kirby just off the edge and inhale your opponent, killing both of you.


2B.) Avoid using:


N-Air: It looks like it should be an awesome vortex of multiple hits, but it hits once and it hits weak. Kirby has many good aerial options, and I usually don't see a good reason to throw this one in to the mix. It leaves you far too vulnerable, and if it hits after the first few frames, the damage & knockback will be severely limited.


3.) What to Do:


- Here are some basic Kirby strategies:


i) Always keep close to your enemy: Kirby is at his best up close and personal, and your projectile spamming ability is crap compared to the likes of Pit & Lucas.


ii) Make frequent use of Kirby's evasive abilities: Kirby is a very, very fast dodger. You can easily roll out of the way of many attacks, and if you space well, you can follow up your dodge roll with a Final Cutter. Additionally, Kirby has one of the lowest crouches in the game. You can just hold the down button, and voila, Falco, Fox, and Pit are forced to get up close and personal. This is an EXTREMELY useful tactic when playing Falcos who won't let you approach them.


iii) Keep mixing up your arsenal: Kirby has a lot of great attacks, but if you spam anything, you are gonna get your ass kicked. Because most of Kirby's finishers are easy to punish, it's crucial that you connect with your attacks. Do NOT let your opponent out-predict you.


iv) Abuse your aerials: Kirby's aerials are obviously powerful. Single jump aerials are very useful in the lower damage stages of the fight, particularly u-air and
b-air.


v) Use your throws as much as possible: Particularly D-throw and U-throw. Kirby has a great grabbing range. D-throw leads in to many combos at low damages, and U-throw is difficult to disrupt once it's begun. Additionally, U-throw will kill anyone at any damage in the Mushroom Kingdom Underground, and can be bug abused to kill people in Shadow Moses Island.


vi) Attack from beneath: Use Kirby's aerials to good advantage whenever an oppoent is on a platform above you. In stages with a jump-through floor (Halberd, Distant Planet, Delfino Plaza, etc), you can abuse Kirby's jumping power to jump under the stage, fly under your oppoent, and use your Uair or, preferrably, Final Cutter. Again, don't abuse this.


vii) Taunt like a mofo: Kirby's taunts are made of pure and unbridled hilarity. Always do your "HAAAIIIIIIIII" taunt when an opponent is far away and cannot hit you with a projectile. This is a great way to tick off your opponent so much, he will make a mistake in his blind range. Save your other taunts for when you KO.




4.) What not to do:


i) Spam: I've said it before, I'll say it again. If you spam as Kirby, you will lose. It doesn't matter if you're using Final Cutter, Stone, or your F-Smash. There's too much cooldown lag on Kirby's attacks to make repeated use of anything a safe option.


ii)- Recover using Final Cutter: By this I mean, use it as a final resort only. Kirby has 5 whole midair jumps at his disposal, and these should all be depleted before you use your Final Cutter. The reasons for this are simple: Final Cutter has bad vertical range. It has even worse horisontal range. Finally, if you are being edgehogged, this attack will more than likely get you killed due to extremely odd invincibility frames when someone grabs a ledge.


iii)- Keep your Distance: Again, Kirby is not made for projectile fighting. He has a projectile, but it isn't much of one, and it dies out really quickly. You have many ways to approach an enemy, so use them.


5.) Kirby's Edge Guarding.


As I mentioned earlier, Kirby excells in his edge guarding area. Once an opponent is no longer over solid ground, you have a few ways to deal with them:


i) B-Air: I mentioned it before, and now I'll tell you what you need to do to make optimal use of this attack. First, send your opponent flying off one of the sides. You should jump to meet the enemy, facing the stage. With good timing, your b-air will easily knock your oppoent off the side of the screen or out of recovery range. Keep in mind your opponent's invincibility frames. Bairing in to Snake when he uses his cypher will likely be ineffective, and Bairing in to Ike during Aether may kill you.


ii) D-Air: As mentioned earlier, Kirby's Dair is an invaluable meteor smash. Hitting the opponent correctly with yoru Dair will send them flying downwards, but what if they're still coming back up? In a situation where one of Kirby's meteor spikes isn't enough (usually at the lower damage levels), a very good combo is to dair, fast fall in order to meet up with your enemy, and dair again. A successful pulling off of this combo will be effectively impossible to recover from.


iii) A fun way to deal with Edge Hogs: Say you yourself have been knocked off the screen and you need to make your way back (u phail). Should this situation arise, Kirby has the unique ability to scare people out of edge-hogging. Simply allign yourself above and just off one of the edges, and use your inhale ability. It's almost guaranteed to make your opponent extremely cautious and edgy whenever you recover later on, regardless of whether or not you pull off a successful Kirbycide.


6.) Finally, a few combos:


Due in part to his large attack cooldown time, Kirby does not have a lot of effective combos. Here are a few that I use:


- Dair, fastfall, Dair (mentioned earlier).
- Stone to the ground, then immediately cancel out and follow up with a bair or aerial hammer. Not necessarily a traditional combo, but a good tactic to use to counter potential grabbers.
- D-throw can easily be followed up with an Usmash or Utilt at lower percentages. This is a personal favorite of mine.
- Dash-A in to Side Smash/U-smash. Depending on whether how your opponent reacts, this may or may not be effective. However, it is a good setup to use if you want to force your opponent backwards. If your opponent shields the attack instead of dodging, you can follow up with a U-smash at the point the attack ends, as he is most likely to unshield in an attempt to punish you.
- Fair in to Hammer. If you hit with your first two fair kicks and miss on the third, you have a unique opportunity to follow up with a Hammer attack. Bound to send people flying.


7.) That's all for Kirby. If I missed something, too bad. Remember: Kirby must attack swiftly, attack randomly, and above all, be as big a nuisance as possible.

Marth - Written by Marth101(lol)

Spoiler

“The Prince of Altea”
A comprehensive Marth guide

Index:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-History of Marth
-Moveset
-AT’s and Combos
-Counter pick Stages
-Conclusion

History of Marth:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth is the prince of Altea and a direct descendant of Anri, the warrior who slew the dark dragon Medeus, in the Fire Emblem series. Being in the first FE game, Ankoku Ry? to Hikari no Tsurugi, he is the first lord (protagonist) of the FE series. Typical of most FE lords in successive games, he is a swordsman with a slim build and wears a cape, he shows nobility and justness in both of the FE games he appears in. This has also carried over to his awesome anime, in which he is fighting against villains. His father, Cornelius, is the king of Altea, and his elder sister, Ellis, is a princess. Marth uses the sword of light, “Falchion”, as his main weapon in both FE games and in the Smash Bros. series. Overall, Marth acquired his popularity as soon as he made his first appearance in SSBM. Due to the massive popularity he had, Nintendo decided to bring the FE series to America.
In the wonderful world of Smash bros, Marth was one of the few characters that reign supreme in SSBM. He was a force to be reckoned with, some players even considered him to be the best in the game. Marth gained a lot of popularity thanks to pro player Ken Hoang. He dominated the smash scene for years, taking Marth’s game to a “whole nother level.”. Years have passed, now that SSBB is here, he’s still a dominating force. Will he reign supreme again, like he did in SSBM?, we will just have to wait and see…

Marth’s Moveset:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Aerials
- Tilts
- Smashes
- Throws
- Specials

Aerials

F-air: %10-damage , %13-damage (Tipped)
As Marth is in the air, he swings his sword forward, covering the entire length of his body.

This is one of Marth’s best move in the game. It has decent range and good knock back. His F-air is often used to start or follow up “combos”. A wall of f-airs is often used to protect your zone from your opponent. Overall, this is a good move, but don’t spam it. As much as SHDF (short hop double f-air) may look like a good way to approach, its NOT. Your opponent can just shield grab or perfect shield it, and you will get punish for it. If you feel the need to spam, try spamming D-blade, Marth’s best move, which I will cover it later in the guide.

U-air: %10-damage , %13-damage (Tipped)
Marth does a flip, while swinging his sword above his entire body.

A really good move to use when your opponent is above you and coming back to the stage. This move can be used to its true potential by following a u-air after another u-air. In order to do this you must cancel an u-air by fast falling, if timed right it can cancel the lag in it.

B-air: %11-damage , %14-damage (Tipped)
Marth jumps and swings his sword right behind him, striking his opponents.

One of Marth’s best and safest ways to kill. This move can also be used to set up a spike offstage. It has good knock back and it can also be a good combo starter. A safe way to use this move, is to use it when your opponent is dashing towards you, run away from him and do a b-air. Most of the time it catches your opponent off guard.

D-air: %12-damage , %14-damage (Tipped)
Marth jumps and swings his sword below him, covering his underside.

This move is NOT supposed to be used on stage .…..EVER!!!!!!!!!!!, only off the stage. It has horrible landing lag, and you could be punished if you spam it consistently. Most Marth mainers, use this move to land a spike (it has to be tipped in order to spike). As sexy as it may look, its sometimes better to play it safe and land a f-air or b-air to get a kill.

N-air: This move has two hits, so read the percentages carefully. %3-damage (first standard hit) , %6-damage (first standard hit + Tipped) , %9-damage (second standard hit) , %11-damage (second standard hit + Tipped)
Marth jumps in the air, and swings his sword downward all around him.

This move is good to start comboing in the air. But take this notice, DO NOT use this move to approach, it makes my eyes bleed, every time I see a Marth mainer approach like that. It usually ends up you getting shield grab. I used to use this move to approach, but over time I learned that it’s as horrible as short-hopping double f-airing. Sometimes is good to use it when you’re coming back from the ledge, since it catches your opponent off guard. Try using it after an up throw or right after a f-air. It has really good range and it can be auto cancelled right into another n-air or another aerial and even D-blade.


Tilts

Jab: %4-damage , %6-damage (Tipped)
Marth does a single swing with his sword.

This move should be used to get some space from your opponent. Nothing special about this move. Try using the two jabs at the same time, not one. Its almost like the f-tilt, but with less damage, less range, but it comes out faster. When you don’t have time to do a f-tilt, try using a jab.

Dash attack: %10-damage , %13-damage (Tipped)
Marth runs toward his opponent and swings his sword at him.

IMO this is Marth’s worst move. It has horrible lag , and you usually get punish every time you use this move. Rather than doing this move, try to approach, by perfect shielding your opponent’s attack and get a grab in. Try not to use this move at all, if possible.

F-tilt: %9-damage , %12-damage (Tipped)
Marth swings his sword in front of him.

This tilt is supposed to be used when you’re in a tight spot and you want to space yourself. Its also good at stopping short hop approaches. This move can also stop and eliminate lots of projectiles in the game. Many Marth players, don’t use this tilt at all, but they should. Try mixing it up in your game.

U-tilt: %9-damage , %12-damage (Tipped)
Marth swings his sword at 180 degrees, right above his head.
A really good move to use when you’re on the ground and your opponent is right above you. You can lock your opponent in an u-tilt wobble (only certain characters like DDD, Snake, Bowser), but it has to be timed right. Its also really good to use to get vertical kills. U-tilt can start killing around %120 damage. This move can meteor smash you’re opponent also. It also comes out fast and it has medium range.

D-tilt: %9-damage , %12-damage (Tipped)
Marth ducks, and does a small poke hurting his opponent.


Throws

F-throw: %4-damage
Marth grabs his enemy and throws him right in front of him.

This is Marth’s best throw, out of all 4 of them. The f-throw can be chained at low percentages on certain characters. You can also get a tipped f-smashed out of the f-throw at really low percentages. The best way to use this move is to utilize it at low percentages. Almost every move can be used out of this throw (F-air, f-tilt, f-smash, d-tilt, D-blade etc…).

B-throw: %4-damage
Marth makes his opponent trip as he throws him back and trips him with his foot.

Nothing special about this throw. The only way to use this throw in a successful way is to use D-blade right after throwing your opponent. I would recommend to use his other throws rather than this one.

U-throw: %4-damage
Marth grabs his opponent and throws him upwards.

There’s a few possible ways to make this throw useful. Using u-tilt right after it can set you up for a reverse n-air or possibly even a b-air. At low percentages you can u-throw and u-smash your opponent. This throw starts to kill around %180-damage.
D-throw: %5-damage
Marth slams his opponent on the ground, resulting him to land right behind him.

Really good throw to use at the beginning of the match. Grab your opponent and use a f-smash right after to guarantee a free tipper. It tends to get around %24-damage most of the time. You can also use a reverse D-blade right after the d-throw. At very low percentages, you may also pull in a b-air if the opponent rolls in the wrong direction.

Specials

Dolphin Slash (up + b): %7-damage (hit near the end of the attack) , %13-damage (hit near the base of the attack)
Marth swings his sword and jumps vertically at the same time.

My most favorite way to kill somebody. This move is really underused, since many Marth users don’t know how to exploit the true power of this wonderful move. This move should be used as an attack also, rather than just for recovering purposes. I can’t stop saying how using DS out of shield, is mad RAPE!!! No, but seriously, use this attack right off when your shield is being attack by multi hit-attacks like R.O.B’s d-smash, Jigglys’s d-air, Kirby’s dash attack etc. Even if they don’t have a multi hit attack, use it anyways. Every time you perfect shield an attack, use it right away! This move has invisibly frames for the first 4 frames, so take advantage of it.

Counter (down + b): %8-damage or 1.1 x the damage Marth would have received.
Marth pulls his sword towards him in a defensive pose. As soon as he gets attacked, he will counter it with a slash.

A good move to use it when being attacked in the air when you’re recovering. Try to use it when being targeted by your enemy with a really strong attack like Falcon punch, Snake f-smash, D3’s f-smash, Mk’s d-smash etc. This move is not good for a Marth player to spam it, because once your opponent sees you doing it constantly, he will figure out your play style and he will punish you. Try mixing it up here and there, but don’t use it all the time. A good Marth player won’t use it at least for more than 8 times in a match.

Dancing Blade (side + b): This move has many possibilities to use it so read carefully to the directions and attack percentages.
-Forward blade strikes (Red ones):
1st: %3-damage standard , %4-damage (Tipped)
2nd %3-damage standard , %4-damage (Tipped)
3rd %4-damage standard , %5-damage (Tipped)
4th %6-damage standard , %8-damage (Tipped)

-Upward blade strikes (Blue ones)
1st %3-damage standard , %4-damage (Tipped)
2nd %4-damage standard , %5-damage (Tipped)
3rd %6-damage standard , %8-damage (Tipped)

-Downward blade strikes (Green ones)
1st %4-damage standard , %5-damage (Tipped)
2nd %11-damage standard , %13-damage (Tipped)

Marth swings his sword in many directions leading to a different attack every time. Four hits will make the full combo. The forward blades can carry on thru the whole combo, the upward blades can only carry after the first forward blade, and lastly the downward blades can only carry after the first two dancing blades (forward or upward).

My favorite move in the whole game!!! Seriously, this move is the bomb!!! This move is the key for winning a match with Marth. Not only does it have good range, but its really strong too. When you’re opponent is at low percentages, try using the downward blades since it tends to do more damage. I prefer doing the upward blades, at low percentages because if timed right, you can pull in a N-air right after the fourth upward blade. Every time you see your opponent mess up , use D-blade. But take notice that, the more you use it the weaker it gets, so try to refresh your attacks as much as possible. Another awesome thing this move has, is that it has a hit box that allows you to spike your opponent. To do this whenever you’re in the air, right next to your opponent, use dancing blade and in the third blade, do the downward one and if its timed right it should spike your opponent. This is just something fancy to show off to your friends, I wouldn’t recommend doing this in high level of play. Also don’t use this move in the air, as much as effective as it looks, its not. Take cautious that your opponent can DI out of the fourth downward blade. When you’re opponent is above %70-damage try using the forward blades, since if you tipped the last blade, you can start killing at lower percentages. The upward blade start killing around %130, I believe. If you see your opponent blocking your blades, try slowing down when using them, the time will eat your opponent shield and then you can pull in a Shield breaker and break his shield. The first dancing blade can be used for many purposes. Right after it you can follow with a grab, a jab, a f-tilt, a d-tilt, and an u-tilt. The best way to use this move is to use it right after a d-tilt. The IASA frames in the d-tilt should allow you to pull the d-blade right after the tilt. As a conclusion to this move, use it. This should be your most used move in a match.

AT’s and Combos:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AT’s

Marth’s Third jump:
Marth is able to do a third jump right after his two jumps. And no, I don’t mean by doing your two jumps and doing dolphin slash, Marth is able to jump three times in a row. To do this, do a short hop in place, and as soon as you’re about to hit the floor, do your double jump, and in the middle of the double jump’s animation , use an aerial attack (f-air, n-air, b-air), its easier with a f-air. As soon as you do it, Marth will be granted another jump. I don’t know why the game physics allows this to happen, but its something cool to show to your buddies. Its really hard to time it right, but mess around with it, you’ll get it, in no time.

Infinite Release grab:
This is one of Marth’s most useful techniques. Take note that this move only works on 3 characters (Ness, Lucas ,and Squirtle). To do this its really simple, just grab your opponent and as soon as you grab him, just start grab jabbing him, until the grab ends, then thanks to the 3 characters release animation, you’re able to re-grab them as soon as they break from your grab. Your opponents can only get out of the grab, if you don’t time it right. Note that this can be use as an infinite, so it tends to get banned in tournaments. Its only good to use it in friendlies. The easiest character to do it on is Ness, then Lucas and finally Squirtle.
My second favorite move of Marth. This move is the best way to start combos. Since it has IASA frames it can be cancelled, right into another move. You can also use this move to lock your opponents in a wall. You can get from %0- to %100 in less than 10 seconds in a d-tilt lock. It has decent range, so use it. Its Marth most underused move, I don’t see how many Marth players don’t see the true potential of this move.

Smashes

F-smash- %14-damage (uncharged) , %19-damage (fully charged) , %20-damage (uncharged + Tipped) , %27-damage (charged + Tipped)
Marth lunges his right hand forward striking with the sword.

This is probably Marth’s overused move, which is BAD. Do not use this move to rack up damage, only use it for killing purposes or if you know you will tip it at a low percent. This move has extremely good knock back when tipped, so try to tip it at all cost. If you’re one of those Marth players that like to spam this move, try using d-tilt for every f-smash you’re planning on doing. I’m sure it will help you out, plus it’s safer to do it, since Marth can get punish for every smash attack he misses. The lowest percent kill you can get off a tipped f-smash is at %46 percent, but it also depends on the character. Overall decent move, but not the best.

U-smash: This move has 3 hit-boxes so read the percentages carefully. %17-damage (uncharged) , %24-damage (fully charged) , %18-damage (uncharged near Marth’s body) , %26-damage (fully charged near Marth’s body) , %22-damage (uncharged in Marth’s body) , %30-damage (fully charged in Marth’s body)
Marth swings his sword right above him.

This move has many interesting things. First off it has it has 3 hit-boxes, so it tends to do different damage every time you use it. This move can also be used right after you cancel an u-air. This move is pretty safe to use when you’re opponent is right above you. Another interesting thing, is that this move can stage spike you. Yes, you heard it right, STAGE SPIKE YOU. To do this, as your opponent is coming back to do the stage, when your opponent grabs the ledge, use u-smash and your opponent will bounce off the stage and die. This happens because, apparently Marth’s boot has a hit box that spikes the opponent.

D-smash: This move has two swings that have different hit percentages, so read carefully. %14-damage (uncharged + first swing) , %17-damage (uncharged + Tipped + first swing) , %20 damage (fully charged + first swing) , %24-damage (fully charged + Tipped + first swing) , %13-damage (uncharged + second swing) , %16-damage (uncharged + Tipped + second swing) , %19-damage (fully charged + second swing) , %23-damage (fully charged + Tipped + second swing)
Marth ducks low and swings his sword on the ground to the left and to the right.

This move is only good when you want to land a horizontal kill. Another useful way to use it, is if your opponent is spot dodging all the time. It has decent range and knock back, other than that its just a regular smash attack. This is a move to not spam consistently since it also has horrible ending lag in it.


Release grab attack:
This is almost the same as the release grab, but this time as soon as you grab your opponent, you’re not supposed to hit him, and as soon as the release animation starts, Marth is able to run towards the opponent and do a f-air, Dolphin slash, or Dancing Blade. The only two characters Marth can do this on is Metaknight and Mr. Game&Watch. This move is extremely useful in the match-up against Mk. The only possible move you can do on G&W is a f-air, but its harder to do this on him, than on Mk. If timed right you can kill an Mk at %76 percent with a full upward D-blade. A good thing about this is that all the hits you land when doing this technique are guaranteed to be tipped.

F-throw Chain Grab:
With Marth’s forward throw you’re able to chain grab your opponents, by following f-throw after f-throw. This CG only works at low percentages, and can sometimes lead to a spike if you’re by the edge, when performing it. This CG works great against the Star animals, and another few characters like D3, Sheik and Ganondorf. A good small combo you can do with the CG, is to do 2-3 grabs and follow up with a f-smash it should tipper it and it will land around %29-damage.

Combos

These are a few ways to connect your moves to get the most out of them.

F-air -> U-air -> U-tilt (The u-air should auto-cancel into the u-tilt)
SHDB (short hop d-blade, the first hit only) -> to falling f-air or n-air
F-air -> D-tilt -> full d-blade
D-blade (end with upward blade) -> n-air or b-air
D-tilt -> d-tilt -> full d-blade
Grab -> d-throw -> f-smash
Grab -> f-throw -> f-smash
Grab -> f-throw -> d-blade (first hit only) -> Grab -> f-throw -> full d-blade (at low % only)
Full hop f-air -> to fast falling f-air -> to d-blade
F-throw -> full d-blade (end with upward blade) -> n-air

Counterpick Stages
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Battlefield
-Lylat cruise
-Pokemon Stadium 1
-Delfino Plaza

Battlefield:

Battlefield without a doubt is Marth’s best stage. The platforms positioning benefit Marth’s attack. His attacks, especially u-air, u-tilt, and d-smash, go thru the platforms striking his opponents. The middle platform works well for Dolphin slash, since it can cancel almost all of the landing lag of the attack. Since BF is so small is hard to avoid Marth’s range, and is easier to get horizontal kills. The platforms also help Marth by stopping projectile spam. Overall, the best stage a Marth player can counterpick with. Take note that in high level of play, your opponent most likely will ban this stage as soon as he see you choose Marth (trust me, I know =( ).

Lylat Cruise:
Another good stage Marth players can rely on. LC’s platforms are well positioned for Marth’s attacks. Tipped f-smashes occur a lot in this stage. The sides of the stage are really close, but the ceiling is really big, so try to do horizontal kills. F-smash , d-blade and f-air are your best bets. This is a good stage to counter against characters that don’t have a decent recovery, since you can gimp them at low percentages. Take note that the stage tilts from time to time, so most of your combos won’t work here. To finish it off, if your opponents bans BF on you, this is your best call for a counterpick.

Pokemon Stadium 1:
My personal favorite CP stage. I see this stage as Final destination, long-stretched, same altitude and the sides are relatively close. The obstacles give a change of pace in the match. Try to take advantage of the platforms that every terrain has. Also take note that this stage has walls, so try using the d-tilt lock. The ledges have a little gap beneath them, so try not to get caught in them whenever you use DS when recovering. I personally sometimes prefer playing on this stage rather than BF, since BF is a neutral and everybody is used to playing on it. Overall, good stage, really helpful terrain, so try to get the best of them.

Delfino Plaza:
A really good stage where Marth can exploit his aerial attacks. This stage is like LC and BF, but its moving constantly and sometimes gives flat surfaces. When moving, the stage has platforms well positioned for Marth’s attack. So use your up tilts, smashes and airs attacks. Canceling DS’s lag is also possible here, since there are also platforms well spaced above you. This stage also has a couple of walls, so try to get some d-tilt locks in for easy damage. Note that this stage can own your recovery so take note whenever the stage is about to go up. Overall, good stage and a decent counterpick, since most players are not use to playing on this stage.


Conclusion
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marth is a really good character if you can make the most out of his attacks. There are two words that are the key to your victory, Spacing and Tippers. Always try to space yourself, and try to tip your attacks at all cost. Use D-blade to get quick damage on your opponent. Use the stages the best possible way you can. Mix up your attacks, don’t go spamming f-air all the time. Be creative with Marth, that’s what makes us Marth mainers unique. Every Marth player has his own play style, unlike the other players, the only effective way they can use there character is to use it the same way. I think Marth has what it takes to be the unbeatable character, he once was. Just practice around, and try different stuff out with him. There is nothing much left to say….oh yeah

Respect the Tiara!

Meta Knight - Written by.. myself, again! Wewt.

Spoiler

The Warrior Behind the Mask - A Guide to Meta Knight


The mysterious swordsman known as Meta Knight, who is he? Even in his first in appearance in the NES game Kirby's Adventure and many other times, Meta Knight would challenge Kirby to a duel of swords. Meta Knight might appear fairly ominous and perhaps even evil because of these challenges, but this is not the case. Each and every time he handed Kirby a sword of his own to use, which is proof enough he is not a villain, but an honorable warrior. It seems more as if during Kirby's encounters with Meta Knight, Kirby's will, courage, and skill are being tested, rather than our mysterious swordsman trying to stop Kirby. Rather than being evil, he is more like a guardian of Dream Land persay, where Kirby and Meta Knight come from.

Now that you've learned a bit about this sword-wielding master, it's time to learn about his qualities and abilities.



I: Meta Knight's qualities

Meta Knight is one of the most overused characters in Brawl, and for good reason. He can be an absolute master when used in an efficient way. He's small, but he packs more of a punch than you'd think

PROS:


- Using his cape and turning it into mysterious bat-like wings, Meta Knight has 5 mid-air jumps. Use them to your advantage, hether you're chasing a foe off the stage, guarding the ledge, or trying to recovery, these multiple jumps won't let you down.

- While his attacks are generally weak, he is blindingly fast. Rumor says his sword is swung so fast, it breaks the sound barrier. I wouldn't doubt it. He has barely any start up lag for his attacks, and even then his cool down lag is amazingly small. Even then, attacks like the shuttle loop and D-smash have quite a bit of power when considering their awe-inspiring speed.

- Meta Knight is one of the few characters with a near-perfectly safe approach, his Dash attack. It has alot of speed when launched, sending him behind his opponent. If they attempt to shield grab you, they'l fail. If they try to attack you, Meta Knight almost always outspeeds, or atleast ties with their attack, preventing any harm to Meta Knight. Better yet he has tons of combos to work from with this attack.

- Meta Knight's prioritzed attacks are very hard to beat, and most of the time, you'll deflect the opponent's counter-attack and continue to slice them apart, especially with his Neutral B and Side B (Tornado and Drill Rush, respectively).

- While Meta Knight is mostly known as an offensive character, he has the evasive manuevers to agitate a projectile using opponent into an approach, and especially play the waiting game with projectile-less enemies, or ones without long-range weapons(Link, barring his bow, which is still easy to dodge). Meta Knight can certainly pull off a defensive role. And considering his fast attacks, he will put the hurt on any approach when used right.

- Meta Knight's specials are unparraleled. They have priority, good power, great range(either horizontal or vertical), and are very easy to manipulate for your own gain. The can be offensive, spacers, combo starters and finishers, interupters, and even recovery(besides up-B even!). Master his specials and you master Meta Knight.

- In my eyes, Meta Knight only has three less-useful attack options. His F-smash, his Neutral A, and his U-tilt. They are very situational, but even then they still work. All of his other attacks vary from effective, to mind numbingly awesome.

- Using his multiple jumps, Meta Knight can glide across the stage for the ultimate horizontal recovery. And for stages that float in the air, he can fly in a swerved pattern to go under the stage and make it back to the other side! His Shuttle Loop also ends in one final glide, making him truly a master of recovery.


As you can see, Meta Knight has many things in his arsenal to induce major pain apon the enemy with. While he does have some cons, they are easily outnumbered by his Pros.

CONS:


- Meta Knight is rather light, and is KOd off the side of the stage, or even the odd star KO, very easily. If you can't master his fast attack speed and defensive manuevers, this can be his downfall.

- Meta Knight lacks raw KO power, with the exception of the foe being at the edge of the stage. However, this isn't a terrible Con, as he racks up damage quickly and is the master at gimping his foes, having no need for absolute power most of the time.

- He moves horizontally through the air very slowly. But with his low-powered aerials, this isn't a problem when it comes to doing combos. And with his glides, he doesn't really care about this hindering his recovery. It's a very small con indeed.


3 Cons is all he has, and even then they aren't very serious. This is why he is so deadly and amazing in battle. Now, we need to get to know his super-speed offensives.


II: Meta Knight's moves, let me show you them

As aforementioned, Meta Knight's useful moves are endless in supply, with only three moves that can still function at times! I'll be listing every single attack and how it functions.


Neutral A: Meta Knight's jab move. This is unique, as there's no single hit, no 2-3 combo. It's an endless jab attack similar to Captain Falcon's or Fox's neutral A, but without needing to set up. It does very little damage and knockback. However, it scores multiple hits, and can fend off an enemy, especially one who needs to get in extremely close. This attacks hits in a good radius all around Meta Knight and is launched quite fast, and even hits enemies slightly behind him!


F-Tilt: This is one of his best attacks. Meta Knight unleashes a slash each time you press A, up to 3. The first two slashes have practically no knock back, which means all 3 slashes will hit if they're in range. It does good damage for a tilt as well, and has amazing speed. The final slash sends them directly upward, making them prime for a follow-up hit. Great for starting combos, and intercepting foes.


U-Tilt: This attack is situational, and almost always fails in comparison to Meta Knight's U-Smash. Meta Knight draws his sword upwards above his head in a stabbing motion. It's not as fast as his other attacks, but has a bit more damage than usual. You must remember, after a dash attack, it can be used to combo in two U-tilt hits. From there on an aerial pursuit can take place for massive damage and combo potential.


D-Tilt: This attack is great for getting in a few quick hits, as well as spacing and stopping an opponent's approach. Meta Knight crouches low and stabs low to the ground, which can sometimes make enemies trip. Use this attack to fend off certain approaches, or if you want an attack that is quick, but can be used in sucsession faster than a D-smash. If Meta Knight repeats the attack, he will move forward very slightly, allowing him to get in one or two more potential hits.


Dash attack: Meta Knight leaps forwards while staying low to the ground, extending out a leg for a kick. This might be the best approach in the games! It does good damage, and launches the foe directly upwards, which can lead into many, many combos. Meta Knight is also propelled far enough behind the foe so that shield grabbing is not an option.


F-Smash: This attack isn't all that good, prediction is absolutely necesarry to make good use of it. Meta Knight draws his sword to his side for just a short moment, and with a grunt, he slashes forward with much force. This attack does very good damage compared to his others, and has great knock back. The only problem is, the big start up lag. The cool down lag isn't nearly as bad, but connecting with it is the problem, not being left open. It's his best KO move, but it's very difficult to pull off. Use is sparringly, if you do manage to get in a hit, you want it to be fresh.


U-Smash: Meta Knight slices rapidly above his head 3 times, the third slash having the knockback desired(similar to the U-tilt, but upwards and all at once). It has moderate damage, but blazing fast launch time and almost no cool down lag. This is not a good KO move, but is a great launcher to keep your foe on their toes. It's great at intercepting an aerial assault if they're coming down fast, just be careful when using it.


D-Smash: This attack is wonderful, and by far his best smash, and even one of his best attacks. Meta Knight slashes infront of him and instantaneously behind him in the blink of an eye. It has no start up lag, I can assure you that. It also does good damage, and great horizontal knock back, which often leads to a gimp. Use it at the edge of the stage for a clean KO, but don't spam it! It's not going to KO unless it's fresh. A small note, the second slash behind Meta Knight, is ironically more powerful. This makes getting behind Meta Knight a daunting prospect.


Meta Knight's Specials:


Neutral B-Tornado: This attack is very hard to stop, and is controlable in all ways. Meta Knight begins spinning around ferociously, creating a vortex that sucks in and slashes anyone nearby. This attack is nearly impossible to parry, none the less break through. Keep tapping the B button slowly to keep the Tornado spinning for awhile, tap B fast to make him rise upwards while doing so(recommended for most possible hits). If you catch your opponent inside during the beginning, you can do around 19% damage! This attack also launches quickly, can be used for horizontaly recovery, and is just plain useful. There's only one weakness - any attack from directly above will hit Meta Knight helplessly! One thing you need to keep in mind - if your enemy is shielding Tornado, get away quickly! During the move you can move quite fast, so take advantage of it to retreat before they pummel the small amount lag at the end!


Side B-Drill Rush: An attack even harder to stop than Neutral B, it's extremely useful. Meta Knight points his sword forwards and spins ahead, slicing anyone in his way. The final hit has somewhat useful knockback. Moderate damage, slow approach speed. Very little start up and cool down lag. This attack can be moved up and down, or even in a half circle using the control stick! You can even go up and down repeatedly for some mind games. It does respectable damage too, just don't use it when you're right next to someone, or else you'll miss! It can double as recovery, but be careful. If you don't hit the enemy, they might have the chance to KO you. Also note, if you're touching the ground at the end of the move, you won't flip backwards into the air and be left helpless, you'll land with very minimal lag and will have the chance to score some more hits! I only recommend this attack if you can end up on the ground directly during the ending of the move.


Up B-Shuttle Loop: This attack is absolutely amazing, very original as well. Meta Knight quickly spreads his wings and lunges upwards, slicing anyone in his path. The sweet spot is down about half way through the hit box, and has great knockback that launches upwards, and good damage. The second hitbox has poor knockback and average damage, but can be followed up by a glide attack(A during glide). Speaking of that, once the attack ends Meta Knight goes into a controlable glide! Be careful though, once the glide ends, he goes into a fall special, and is helpless! Also note, when used in mid air, the knockback is horizontal, making it a devastating side KO move! One final note: before you land during any glide, press A to attack and land without any lag! You must remember this trick, or you'll be left wide open!


Down B-Dimensional Cape: This is one odd, yet badass attack. Difficult to master, but the payoff is huge. Meta Knight exclaims "Fool!" and relinquishes his cape around him, vanishing into thin air, and reappearing wherever the player chooses. He can move in any angle within a specific area, which differs depending on how long and where you move the control stick. He can also reappear with a moderatly powerful slash attack. This attack has very few invincible frames, so be careful. To attack where you appear, simply hold down B. To just reappear without an attack, release B. This attack is hard to control, but can be used for recovery, suprise attacks, or even escaping the enemy when timed ahead. There is also a glitch which is difficult to perform, but gives Meta Knight an infinite vanishing time. I look down apon this stalling trick, so youtube it, my friends.


Grabs:


Pummel: Meta Knight brandishes his bat wing to clug the foe on the head, which can't be used rapidly. However, it gives a solid 3% damage each hit.

F-Throw: Meta Knight jumps upwards, delivering a kick while doing a backflip through the air, sending the opponent diagonally forward.

U-Throw: Comparable to Kirby's. Meta Knight spreads his bat wings and lunges upwards while gripping the opponent, coming crashing downwards to slam the foe into the ground with a small explosion, pushing the foe diagonally forward, and Meta Knight slightly backwards.

B-Throw: Meta Knight disappears and instantly forms behind his foe, delivering a quick slash to them, sending them flying.

D-Throw: Meta Knight quickly pulls his foe to the ground, and delivers a flurry of kicks, ending with a powerful stomp to send them into a rainbowing arch forward. Great for starting combos.


That's all of Meta Knight's moves. And with only 3 somewhat average ones, he has a lot of options to choose from, as well as some solid throws.

Now I need to teach you how to use Meta Knight effectively. Basically, I'll tell you how Meta Knight functions in battle, both offensively and defensively.



How to break the sound barrier


General Functionality:


Considering Meta Knight moves slothfully through the air, he should always use his amazing ground speed to move around. He should never fly through the air as an approach, his glide is not a good approach as the single cancel-slash is predictable, and his only option from there. Stick to the ground, and once your opponent gets launched, get into the air with them! Alot of the time people expect the flawless Dash attack entry, which means they'l stay shielded. Occasionaly, mix a grab into the offensives. D-throws with a pummel or two get good damage, and get the opponent that much closer to the stage's edge. Remember, once the enemy is off the stage, they're at a humongous disadvantage against Meta Knight. R.O.B, Kirby, and other ultimate recovery characters can be gimped by Meta Knight if done correctly, so noone is perfetly safe from his edge guarding prowess.

Speaking of edge guarding, this is a must for Meta Knight. If you're a player who doesn't Brawl competitively and will not edge guard, stay away from Meta Knight. Not edge guarding with Meta Knight is like not using Falco's blaster!

Be wary of shielding if you attack with an aerial, they may catch you in a grab if you're close by, or worse, counter attack. Meta Knight is most at danger of a shield-to-counter attack when he uses his B-air and N-air, since B-air lasts too long, and N-air also lasts awhile, with some unfavorable landing lag. Don't forget Tornado and Drill Rush can leave you in a bad position as well if you misuse them!


Meta Knight's offensive game:


Stop spamming F-smash, and get into the speed game Meta Knight plays so masterfully! Don't use Meta Knight's lag attacks very often, only once in awhile. Things to keep in mind, F-smash is a finisher, and a risky one. Don't use it unless you know it'l KO. Shuttle Loop is in the same boat, where it's a star or side KO. It can be used out of combos and to force the enemy to the side of the stage, however. His quickest attacks such as F-air, his dash attack, and his U and D airs function well at the appropriate time. Meta Knight's grabs shouldn't be used often, as he's left open, and is a bit too slow to work effectively. Still, don't neglect his grabs entirely, just use them sparringly. Just keep throwing in a rain of quick and lagless blows one after another, and eventually you'll score a hit, and it'l lead to a combo.

While Tornado and Drill Rush aren't the best at speedy, offensive attacks, throwing these in randomly can not only suprise the foe, but rack up damage and force them into a position where a follow up attack can be devastating. Throw these in sometimes and you'll reek havoc, and rack up their damage.

For the main part, don't spam with Meta Knight, ever. You can repeat, but try to keep things fresh. He is blindingly fast with all his useful moves, so one mis-prediction and they'l get pummeled by an attack they didn't predict.

If you've gotten in close and it's a fist fight where noone is scoring blows and you both are constantly dodging, his D-smash can really come in handy. It's rapid and hits both sides, and if you charge it for just a moment, you can catch anyone side stepping or dodge rolling. If you know someone will side step or dodge roll away from you, his rapid-hitting D-tilt can be very useful. If your opponent gets to the ground and your combo has either ended or failed, don't forget to chase them! Predict them rolling backwards to get away? Go after them and hold your dash attack back until they're open! Not sure where they'l go? Use Tornado, most get-up attacks won't break it, and anywhere else they'l go is easily followed!

If you're looking to push someone to the edge of the stage for some gimping, don't forget about his U-smash. Side steppers will regret staying in place, and it launches people up, making them vulnerable for some small combos, or a mid air Shuttle Loop. The Tornado achieves the same purpose as the F-smash, although while it is slower, it racks up more damage and is harder to counter. Drill rush into a D-smash is an effective move to force the enemy back as well.


Meta Knight's defensive game:


Whether or not you know, Brawl is tailored to defensive characters nowadays, with only a few exceptions, Meta Knight included. However, He can still pull off defensive duties perfectly fine. Here's the main strategy for doing so.


Strike defensively with an F-tilt, people rushing in will either get hit by all 3 attacks, or shield the first 1-2, and you'll be free to escape without lag. F-tilt is a combo monster, and is useful for even defense, as you can see. Either way you use Meta Knight, F-tilt is key. You should always be using this instead of his Neutral A, it's faster, does more damage, has less lag, and is alot safer.

If you've shielded an enemies attack, yes, use F-tilt to begin a combo. It's lagless from the start, any attack with ANY lag will get punished. If you don't feel like using it, get in a few D-tilts for some quick damage. You can also use the Tornado for some huge damage, and set the enemy up for an aerial face off, where Meta Knight knows no equal. The Shuttle Loop is a great attack to use as well if your enemy has a high damage meter, you'll have enough time to land and get ready for their approach, or even finish them off.

Meta Knight's dodge rolls are excellent, as they're very fast. So fast, most moves that hit both sides at the same time miss, and moves that hit from front to back can be shielded. Due to it's speedy end, he can effectively launch a counter attack, especially if they've used a laggy move. You know the drill, F-tilt, D-tilt, etc.

Mainly, try to play hit and run. Once to strike a combo, don't go after the opponent for some more. Retreat immediatly and start that spacing, and wait for them to walk in yet another trap. It's called defense for a reason eh?



Edge Guarding:


As I mentioned before, Meta Knight is no longer a monster without edge guarding. You must master this deadly art. For the main part, use Meta Knight's powerful but quick moves like his N-air, D-smash, and aerial Shuttle Loop to throw the enemy off the stage. Immediatly, chase them and launch a barrage of D-airs, F-airs, and if you aren't too far away to grab a ledge, Shuttle Loop them. Shuttle Looping right next to the stage's edge is effective, as the attack throws an enemy quite a good distance with good hit stun(for Brawl). This usually end up in a KO. Remember, go upwards and cancel the Shuttle Loop normally, don't slash, cancel, or dive downwards to end it, you'll kill yourself! But be very careful! If you miss and the enemy beats you to the ledge, you might edge guard yourself!! I've had it happen to myself many times when still learning the ropes. Try to be able to land on the stage just barely when employing this strategy!

So remember, don't just smack the enemy with your D-smash and jump of the ledge, follow them unless they have almost no chance of recovery as is.



Recovery:


Meta Knight's recovery is absolutely top notch. With Shuttle Loop being able to grab ledges at the appex of the loop, and 5 jumps along with a multitude of Specials that can be used to recovering, he's near impossible to gimp without getting gimped yourself.


When knocked off the stage and you're down vertically, simply use your jumps to get back up. If you think your opponent will edge guard your attempts to Shuttle Loop directly to the ledge, stall for a moment with 2-3 jumps, and use the remaining to get up high, and stage spike the enemy while recovering with Shuttle Loop! Note: This is best done on Battlefield or Final Destination.

As for Horizontal recovery, the 5 jumps aren't too useful here. However, you must remember, he can glide once by holding down the jump button, and again using Shuttle Loop! Always use the jump glide first ofcourse. If you constantly, but slowly tap B, Tornado has great horizontal recovery, but beware! It's wide open to attacks from above, mainly spiking! Drill rush can be used in the same manner, and smack around anyone waiting at the edge of the stage. But make sure you touch down, or you'll rebound back and be vulnerable, or even miss the ledge and Suicide!

Don't forget, in a pinch, if you've mastered his Dimension Cape you can go right to the ledge and grab it, but it takes serious skill, I can't even do it. It's also a great escape move in general if you've been launched in the air and need to get some space - just don't end the move too far away from the ground, or else you'll be wide open.


Approaches:


No Meta Knight player would Brawl without knowing his impressive approaches. His number one approach: the dash attack. It knocks the enemy into the air for easy combos, leaves him ready to attack and virtually invulernable, all the while doing passable damage. Don't be caught dead never using this attack.

Meta Knight's drill rush is a wondeful approach. Sidestep dodging and dodge rolling away will only get you hit, and as long as you stay on the ground, it can lead into a finisher or a combo delivered by an F-tilt, persay. It's a great entry, use it every once in awhile.

Meta Knight's infamous Tornado is also a wonderful approach. With great damage and manueverability, nice priority and hard to cancel and especially break through, it's a reliable approach. However, if this becomes predictable, you'll just get attacked from above. Don't spam this, or else.

The 3 hit F-air is also a useful approach. You need to rush towards them on the ground, and jump up while immediatly launching an F-air. It's great for inducing some tech chases, and combos very well. Just be wary that being shield grabbed or shielded then counter attacked is very possible, just use it cautiously and you'll get results.



Combos:


Finally, the thing everyone has been reading for, combos. The speedy swordsman just doesn't have the damage-inducing capabilities to do without combos(bar his powerful specials). Learn and perfect these combos well, a Meta Knight player can't do without them.


i: A rather well known combo, this one causes quite a bit of damage, and can bring someone from 0% to 50% if done correctly. It's tough to pull off, even I have trouble, but it's still wonderful.

Dash attack > U-tilt(can be done twice with good spacing) > U-air(can be done 2-4 times with good spacing as well) > Shuttle Loop


ii: The Dash attack is extremely versatile, here are some ways to use it.

Dash attack > (depending on the spacing, use one of the following) B-air, D-smash, F-tilt, Tornado, or turn around D-tilts


iii: Meta Knight's F-tilt can also be applied in a few ways. All of them are very useful for their own reasons.

VV F-airs(multiple)
VV> F-air > Drill Rush or Tornado(Tornado is less accurate)
F-Tilt > Dashing jump into U-air > any number of U-airs > Shuttle Loop
^> Shuttle Loop > at low %, glide slash


iiii: Meta Knight's D-throw is a very good combo starter, although the combos are short usually, they get good damage.

V> Tornado
D-throw > Dash attack > U-tilt(can be done twice with good spacing) > U-air(can be done 2-4 times with good spacing as well) > Shuttle Loop (yes this is a copy but with D-throw, since this isn't an opening)
^> Drill rush > D-smash, D-tilts(multiple), Tornado, F-tilt( Any F-Tilt combo)



Well, that's the end of the guide for the monstrous, sword weilding brawler known as Meta Knight. By now, you better know in the right hands, you will get raped.

Guide number 2 in the making, heheh. All you up and coming Meta Knight mainers, get out there and kick some ass for me! Goodluck Brawlers! 3.. 2.. 1.. GO!!

Olimar - Written by Shadow*91

Spoiler

Olimar and Pikmin

Olimar is from Pikmin and Pikmin 2 for the Gamecube. I won't lie, I've never played them so history is short.

Pros:
Small
Fast Smashes
Fast Throws
Super Armor

Cons:
Tether Recovery
Relies on Pikmin for his Best moves
Lightweight
Weak Attack Power(mostly)

He doesn't have many pros and his cons are his fatal flaws making Olimar one of the toughest to use correctly.

A-Moves:
Ground:

Neutral-A: Swings his head down then swings it back up if you press A again.

This is a good move as it does good damage for the knockback it creates. First hit isn't much but the second hit pushes them away giving you breathing room.

F-Tilt: A quick dropkick in front of him that also moves him forward.

Another good move if you caught without pikmin. Not a lot of damage but it pushes them away nicely.

D-Tilt: Pushes himself forward and rams them with his helmet.

This move is interesting as it has 2 hit boxes. His head does most of the damage and all of the knockback, which isn't much really.

The second hitbox is his antenna, yes his antenna. It does absolutly no knockback but does 2-4% damage. The antenna hit is actually a little clue. If it hits then you know another D-Tilt will, actually telling you if you can combo.

Up-Tilt: Jumps and spins for multiple hits.

This move hits both sides of him but has small start-up lag. The damage and knockback it does are the best of your A-moves that don't use pikmin. However the range is short as only Olimar's body is a hitbox, and his arms are really short.

Aerial A-Moves:
Neutral- A: Spins in the air just like his Up-Tilt.

This move is an exact replica of your Up-Tilt. I mean an EXACT replica. They have the same hitbox range, do the same amount of knockback and damage, and look the same. However its more useful in the air because its easier to get near an opponent.

F-air(Requires Pikmin): Swings a Pikmin in front of him.

This attack needs a Pikmin to work and certain Pikmin work better than others as which Pikmin you have creates a different damage level and knockback.

Purple: High damage and Knockback
Yellow: High damage and good knockback. Also slightly stuns them preventing an immediate recovery
White: Little damage and knockback. However the enemy stays near to get hit again.
Blue: Decent damage but good knockback.
Red: Good damage and decent knockback.

B-air(Requires Pikmin): Swings a Pikmin behind him. Just like F-air only a little slower.

Although its a little slower, this move works exactly like your fair. Even the pikmin work the same way.

U-Air(Requires Pikmin): Spins a pikmin directly above him.

This move rocks but still needs a Pikmin so keep them close.

Purple: High damage and knockback
Yellow: High damage and knockback. Also stuns on the final hit.
Red & Blue: Good damage but better knockback.
White: Little damage and knockback. When possible, don't use U-Air with white as its not worth it.

D-Air(Requires Pikmin): Slams a Pikmin directly below him.

This is Olimars easy to use spike move, but beware as it has major landing lag.

Purple: High damage and a fast spike to death for the enemy.
Red & Blue: Good damage and spiking power.
Yellow: Average damage and spike power. Yellow stuns the enemy giving them less time to recover from the spike which makes up for the l lack of power in the move.
White: Little damage and no spike power unless the opponent is over 136%. Never attempt a spike with White! It will almost always result in a good hit on you.

Smash Moves(All Require Pikmin)
All his smashes require Pikmin to work, however if you have a full line up of 6 Pikmin with you then you can smash so fast that when the first Pikmin lands, you can already do another smash.

F-Smash: Lauches a Pikmin in front of him.

This is a simple yet deadly smash as its easy to dodge but is fast enough that another can be thrown out easily.

Purple: High damage and knockback. Purple is actually at a downside here as he only travels half the distance the rest do reaching out barely longer than Marths sword.
Yellow, Red, Blue: Good damage and knockback. These 3 perform almost exactly the same here. Red does fire damage, Yellow does electric, and Blue won't stop even if parried.
White: Little damage and knockback. Here White is only good for making the enemy pause so you can hit him again.

U-Smash: Tosses a Pikmin above him.

This move comes out fast and with 6 Pikmin it can combo enemies at low %.

Purple: High damage and knockback.
Red, Yellow, Blue: Good damage and decent knockback. These 3 perform exactly the same in this move.
White: Average damage and little knockback. White is best for the Up-Smash combo i mentioned as its little to no knockback and fast smash speed make 2-3 hits go off easily.

D-Smash: Sends a Pikmin on either side of himself.

This moves is useful as its Olimars fastest smash and sends enemies away at low angles. It can also be used for what i call the PGB(Pikmin Ground Barrier).The PGB is basically, with any but White Pikmin, spamming your D-Smash with good enough timing that you perfectly stop nearly any ground move.

Purple: High damage and knockback.
Red & Blue: Good damage and knockback.
Yellow: Decent damage and great knockback. Yellow actually sends enemies away at lower angles than the others.
White: Little damage and average knockback. White can be used for the PGB, but I don't recommend it.

His Throws(Requires Pikmin):
Olimar has the fastest throws in the game and virtually no lag from missing. His pummel is he shakes his head and the Pikmin holding the enemy hits them with their head.

An interesting fact is that if the Pikmin holding the enemy is close enough, Olimars head hits them as well.

U-Throw: Pikmin holding them jumps up then falls down with them.

Yellow: High damage and knockbback. Yellow is best for U-throw.
Purple: High damage and knockback, just not as good as Yellow.
Red & Blue: Good damage and great knockback. Red and Blue perform the same here only Red does it with fire damage.
White: Little damage and good knockback.

F-Throw: Pikmin throws enemy away.

This is good but unless you facinb the edge it shouldn't be used much as its not as good as his other throws.

Red: High damage and knockback. Red is best for F-Throw.
Purple: High damage and knockback, just not as good as Red.
Blue & Yellow: Good damage and Knockback. These 2 perform the same with yellow doing electric damage.
White: Good damage and knockback, though worst of the 5. This is the best move White Pikmin can do besides the Pikmin Throw.

D-Throw: Pikmin jumps and slams them in the gut.

This is good as its fast and if done by Blue, a skilled player can chain grab with it.

Blue: High damage and good knockback. Blue is best for D-Throw because of possible chain grab.
Purple: High damage and knockback.
Yellow & Red: Great damage and high knockback. The only difference between the 2 is the element they inflict.
White: Little damage and good knockback. The only reason blue is better for the possible chain grab is that it does more damage. White can be used as well.

B-Throw: Slams the enemy behind Olimar.

This move is good and its your best throw as all but white perform great high.

Purple: Extreme damage and knockback for a throw. Purple is best for this throw!
Red, Yellow, and Blue: Great damage and knockback. Only difference is elemental damage.
White: Little damage and knockback. This is Whites worst move.

His B Moves.

Neutral-B=Pikmin Pluck: Pulls Pikmin from the ground. Can't be used in the air.

This is how you get your Pikmin. ALWAYS do this at the start of a match because no matter where you appear on a map there's always enough time for this. Fast button pressers can get 6 Pikmin in less than 1 second.

Forward-B=Pikmin Throw: Tosses a Pikmin forward and they latch on doing damage.

This move is good but you should only throw out 2-4 Pikmin at a time so you have a couple to protect yourself with. Also NEVER use this when recovering because you need your Pikmin to recover. Throwing them away is guaranteed death.

Purple: Doesn't grab the enemy, instead does a strong hit.
Yellow: Travels in high arc and does lighting.
Blue: Does good damage and can take most hits. Also is the only Pikmin that won't drown in water.
Red: Hits faster than others while latched on and does fire damage.
White: Does high damage but takes least hits to kill. This is where White is best as its poison damage does most out of all Pikmin.

Down-B=Pikmin Order: Makes a whistling noise then all Pikmin return to him and change their order.

This move calls all living Pikmin to you. So if some get sent off screen, fall off the stage, or get stuck behind a wall this move returns them to you.

This also has very slight yet powerful super armor at the exact moment of the whistle. This armor is enough to get by a few final smashes and if used perfectly in the Negative Zone, Olimar becomes immune to it.

The order of your Pikmin is important as it can lead to some moves killing while others getting you killed.

Up-B=Pikmin Chain: Olimar links up his pikmin head to toe and shoots them diagonally upwards.

This is his recovery. With 6 Pikmin, its the longest tether in the game. Since its a tether its easy to stop so a good tip is wait just a second before you use it and usually thats enough to hit them off the ledge and grab it yourself to come back.

On the ground this makes a nice quick hit to the enemy.

Olimar tips:

Olimar should be close to the enemy. All his moves are close range so get in there and hit fast. Only run to pluck more Pikmin then get back in their face.

Always have 6 Pikmin. His moves mostly require Pikmin so have a full party to stay safe. This is the best advice for an Olimar user!

Watch your lineup. You need to know which color is next before attacking or it can ruin your plan fast. Use the Pikmin Order or a quick smash to change the lineup on the go. Remember, the next Pikmin is the one cloesest to you.

Learn the Pikmins strengths and weaknesses. This way you know which to use and when.
a quick guide:

Purple: Always has high damage and knockback, but is usually slower or doesn't go as far as the others.

Yellow: Uses electricity in its attacks and stuns the enemy, but is low on defense.

Red: High attack power and uses fire in its attacks. Its your average Pikmin actually.

Blue: Can't drown and can take more damage than others. Not as high attack or knockback as the others though.

White: Goes farthest and does most for the Pikmin Throw. Can barely take 1 hit and is weak in most moves.


Thats my Olimar guide. Now go show why Pikmin should be feared!

R.O.B. - Written by Neosquid(AKA Nick Atack)

Spoiler

BEEEEEEPPP!!!!!!- A guide to R.O.B.


What is R.O.B?
-------------------------------
ROB, also standing for Robotic Operating Buddy, the real-life robot from the NES, has joined the Brawl! Appearing in Gyromite and Stack-Up, he has been long abandon....Making an appearance in Star Fox games and Mario Kart DS, Nintendo may have brought him back.

Although the ROB in Japan and USA are both different, the Japanese one is the only playable ROB, even in the US...Also, the Gyros from Gyromite make an appearance....ROB uses his base as a built-in jetpack, and his eyes are capable of firing lasers.


R.O.B.'s Moveset
--------------------------------------
Ill admit, I dont play as ROB a whole lot, so Sorry if I missed any good combos...

ROB has a bunch of similar moves...He has decent power, and usually low lag. ROB is heavy and good with ground and midair combat. He is floaty and can be juggled....

Ground Moves

Normal A- Swipes the opponent- 3% damage

Dash A- Shoots forward with arms- 5% damage...Gives ROB a chance to run up and hit again.

Down A- ROB shoves his arms down, can be used quickly, and can sometimes trip the victim....5% damage... Good for multiple hits and disrupting approaches, if the enemy is open hit them multiple times with this.

Up A- ROB shoots both his arms up above him, two hits, first 3% damage, second 6%, leading up to a good 9% damage. Good at juggling an enemy, also great for multiple hits.

Tilt A- Punches foe- does 6% damage.... Good at intercepting a ground approach, use it a lot.

Smash Attacks

Normal- Shoots a laser sparks from eyes- a good attack doing 19% damage. Can be aimed up and down a bit... It can KO, but at high percents and it HAS to be fresh. Use only when you're pretty sure you can land a hit and KO at the same time.

Down- ROB spins his arms near the ground, a multi-hit attack that can do about 18% damage. Great at intercepting an enemies' approach or dodge roll. One of your best moves, and best smash.

Up- ROB does a quick armstand, and burns the foe above him with a blast from its base- does about 19% damage. It's a good Star KO move, but pretty hard to land - use with caution.

Air Attacks
Most of ROBS aerial attacks involve ROB burning the foe with his hover-base thing....

Forward- ROB hits the opponent with both his arms, does about 10% damage...Good to hit the foe again when they fall, not much lag. This makes it good to combo with, and good at intercepting enemies in the air.

Normal- He launches fire from his base and spins, damaging anyone around him for about 10% damage. A plausible KO move, and especially good at knocking the foe away.

Up- ROB waves his arms up in the air, like he just dosnt care...This is a multi-hit attack that can do up to about 18% damage...

Down- Shoots fire from his base below him, doing about 11% damage...ROB hovers in the air for a moment, and mini-ROB will launch himself. Even through this is kinda a spike, it has start and finish lag...

Back- ROB faces his base behind him, and shoots flames. It has lag and it pushes ROB a bit in the direction he was facing. Good KO move if the foe approaches you from behind.

Special Moves
ROB is a great camper mostly because of his special moves. His Gyro and Robo Beam are good for edge guarding and long-range attacks, and his ROB Burner allows for good recovery and a quick escape. He can reflect projectiles with Arm Rotor, and it also doubles as a multi-hit attack. His combos are good, but dont ever spam...

Normal: Robo Beam-
ROB shoots a long, fast pink beam from his eyes. Since this move is super fast, and is very long, it is perfect for hitting long distance foes. As a bonus (or annoyance), it bounces of slanted platforms. Maybe it could bounce to a unsuspecting enemy?

The laser pierces enemys, but has some lag... The normal laser does about 5% damage, but if used again right after, ROB will only shoot energy particles...But after not firing ya lazor for about 15-20 seconds, the beam will become "Super Robo Beam", and it is fatter and does about 10% damage, with more power and knockback...

Robo Beam is perfect for camping cause it is long, fast, and will help keep the enemy away...Robo Beam is also good for edge guarding, casue you can keep pushing off your opponent, kinda like the Ray Gun...just with less punch...

When your opponent gets back up, push them off again. Remember, it takes about 2 seconds for the laser to recharge. Careful, cause Robo Beam can be reflected....Strangely, when Kirby copies ROB, his look and ability are very similar to Laser Kirby from the games....

Side: Arm Rotor-
ROB spins his arms really fast, and you can change the angle. It has a lot of lag and stuff, and it causes him to suddenly move forward. To continue spinning, keep pressing the button.

This attack usually does about 8-15% damage...Actually, the Arm Rotor reflect projectiles. Use it well...When battling ROB, try to dodge and attack him while hes vulnerable....

Down: Gyro-
ROB pulls out a top-thing and start charging it. You can stop when needed...After complete, you can keep the charge and move around. Press the buttons again, and ROB launches the Gyro a long distance near the ground.

It stops and spins in place, damaging anyone who touches it. After a while, it goes away.ROB can only have one of his Gyros on the screen at a time...If it hits someone at full charge, it has good knockback and causes about 18% damage...Gyros can be picked up and thrown, so watch yout opponents so they dont kill you with it.

Aim it at a recovering enemy and hope it sends them to there death...It is great for ledge guarding, and is handy to use while Robo Beam is recharging. Gyros are also good for camping....Try to always have a charged-up Gyro in case you need it.

Up: ROB Burner-
ROB uses his base as a jetpack. You can control it in midair, but you dont have to use it all at once...ROB cant use Specials or air-dodge, but can still use basic attacks. After a while, he runs out of fuel and has to land.

Dont take off right after landing- instead fight without it for a moment and wait to recharge...If not, you flight will be shorter. Recharging fuel takes about 2-4 seconds.

This is a really good recovery move, land and controllable, and it dosnt leave you helpless. It dosnt hurt foes, so use it for escape and recovery...

Final Smash: Diffusion Beam
RON fires a constant, short, spirally pink laser that keeps shooting from his eyes. Enemys trapped in this will suffer, and you can still use attacks and Special moves...The laser move in the direction ROB is looking, so the lasers will turn is his head does- use this to your advantage...

This Final Smash also gives invincibility! Chase down your opponents, and attack while they are trapped in the beam...The beam is also great for edge-guarding....Oh...There is also useful glitch on the Bridge of Eldin that makes this Final Smash unending....

Feel free to add anything....I know this guide wasnt amazingly great.....

Sheik - Written by spiff-ssbb

Spoiler

Sheik: The Guide to the 'It'

Contents:
1. Introduction to Sheik
2. History of Sheik in Smash
3. Pros and Cons of 'it'
4. Move set Analysis
5. Strats and AT's
6. Conclusion

1. Getting to know... her?... him?... it?

Its always been funny to me how people argue over what sheik is... poor thing. Sheik comes from a girl... but is only referred to as an 'it' or 'he' in any Zelda games... I think Nintendo's playing with our minds again. So discuss i say! Is sheik indeed a woman!?!??! Personally I call Sheik a her.. just cause its more fun slapping people in the face with a 'her' than an 'it'. For the record, Sheik's voice actor was female.... but ANYWAYS Sheik got her start in OoC as an alter ego of Zelda.

2. Secondhand Face Palming since 2001

Sheik got her debut in the Smash series with the second installment. Her prime for the game was between 2004-2006. After that she had a bit of a decline in the tier list but players like Tope still played her with great effectiveness. There's simply nothing more humiliating than getting slapped in the face for a side KO. She greatly out classed Zelda in melee.

As we move on to the age of Brawl things have changed. Zelda got her throne back, and Sheik ate some nerfs. But never fear! DESPITE the common consensus that you MUST switch to Zelda to KO opponents in Brawl (and it is probably advisable that you do) if your like me you want things to be like they used to be, owning people without ever wearing that princess dress. This CAN still be done effectively and this guide is here to show you how.

3. The Good, the Bad, and the Nerfed

Pros:
-Sheik combos very well especially at low %
-Fair amount of USEFUL AT's
-Assortment of locks
-Needles still own
-Nice short short hop
-Autocancelling Aerials

Cons:
-F air got owned in the power department (its still useful though)
-All other aerials got nerfed, just not as much as F air
-Recovery is one of the easiest to ledge hog against
-Down B... lol

4. Move Set Analysis

Standard Attacks:

Jab- rapid attack
This move's pretty useful. Can lock opponents with bad DI in. Its got virtually no start up lag so use it if you don't think you'll have time for an F tilt... otherwise... go with the F tilt

F tilt- roundhouse kinda upward kick... Sheik... i extremely flexible
This is Sheik's bread and butter this time around... Its unexplicably fun getting 7 or 8 consecutive F tilts off. I'll go into the F tilt lock later on but for now all you need to know is that if you ever are in a position where your in range for an F tilt. DO IT! even if the opponent is too high % to lock you can follow it up better than any other move and its your most reliable move in general. i cant stress enough how much Sheik needs her F tilt.

U tilt- Upward kick with a Forward kick afterwards
This is usually the move people follow their F tilt lock with. When they're getting out, throw this in and you should be able to get both hits in. Other than for that use i would never advise using this move. use it to fill combos and to finish them. never to start them.

D tilt- Crouch kick
Use this defensively. Its your best move for defending against ground attackers, interrupting running attacks and grabs if you space and time it right. Other than that... the move isn't overly good. it sets up pretty nicely but normally i'd side with an F tilt. F tilt is faster.

F smash - Double forward kick
Useful for tech chase and for punishing side steppers. Quick attack with more knockback than in melee. more useful but still situational.

D smash- classic break dance
good clear out move. you wont get too many (if any) KO's with this move but never forget you have it. it can be very very useful for getting Meta's and such out of your face.

U smash- Double slap downwards
this... is your only grounded KO move. SAVE it! don't run around spamming them, even if you connect your just shooting yourself in the foot. It KO's at FAAAIRLY low % so NEVER use it until you've hit that threashold. you want it to be fresh every time you use it.

Aerials:

N air- sexxxxxx kick
good knockback and has a super long hit box duration... hence the sex kick. Recoveries are all better so its no longer effective to drop down on opponents with your foot out and trade hits for a KO. its more useful in controlling the stage. waiting out side steps and air dodges.

F air- sllaaaaap forward
not the one hit KO move it once was. But it can still KO. Its still super quick and still has good range so use it as much as you can. if you can get one with the opponent off stage follow them down spamming F airs. this is your most effective low % KO tactic. The knockback (especially when diminished) is low so you can Ken combo them pretty well... Ironically i've found this works super awesome on marths. On the stage mix N airs in when you would normally F air since N air deals greater damage... but when you F air KO someone make sure to taunt.. cuz they just got face palmed.

B air- back kick
2 hitboxes. early hit box is strong. late is weak. this can gimp KO if you catch your opponent without a jump. it also has good priority and range. Use it mainly for edge guards.

U air- spin kick up
pretty heavily nerfed but its your only upward attack so use it for juggles where you cant space an F air or N air... never use this on D3 though... or anyone with disjointed hit box D air moves


Specials:

N special- needles
these are awesome. spam them everywhere. fully charged for 18%... whaaaaat. throw your opponent off by using them randomly. CAN be used to ledge guard as well.

Side Special - Chain
Good move. tough to get the hang of when and how to use it. pretty awesome for ledge guarding... nana especially seems to get owned by it. Chain locks are wicked for damage as well.

U special- vanish
awesome awesome awesome. some super cool AT's. Also good for the odd KO. try using it where you normally would U air in melee for a Star KO.

D special - character change
...funny how the animation is a glorified version of a sim changing clothes. leave the dress at home boys

5. Strats and AT's - don't just kill people. make them look stupid while your doing it

DACUS - Dash Attach Cancelled into Up Smash
....i've never actually done this successfully. but the idea is that you input a dash attach and BEFORE Sheik dives you cancel it by inputting a U smash. Sheik should slide about 2/3 of FD.

Ledge tricks: the names of these have escaped my memory

Vanish slides:
Run towards the edge and just before you leave the edge input a vanish. you'll slide off the edge and explode. but without jumping. this makes it WAY better for stage spike KO's on vertical recoveries as your in the air but don't jump before you vanish.

F tilt locks:
consecutive F tilts properly timed can lock an opponent in until they can DI out. DO NOT mash A. this will not do them as fast as possible... despite what many believe. as Sheik's foot hits the floor after the F tilt input another one. it should look like a fluid motion. this maximizes the amount you can lock with.

Chain locks:
best done with your back turned. if your facing west, inputs of east - south east - east - south east repeated will continue to tipper the opponent towards you, pushing you forward, into another chain tipper. it CAN be done while facing the opponent but you end up tippering them and they get knocked away.

Help with KO's:

everyone knows that Sheik's main issue is with her ability to KO quickly. The only way to do this is to control the platform, get the opponent off the stage, and chase them. you MUST chase them. learn how far you can go and chase chase chase. F air spams and vanishes with the odd falling N air can KO early and B airs can stage spike... well... anything can stage spike... but you'll find its usually a b air that does it best. NOTE! NEVER chase Meta. never never never. you get out prioritized and Meta's moves are way too quick... and he has waaaay too many jumps. play smart against meta's and save your U smash... or counterpick.


7. Conclusion:

Sheik has a new more careful style of play. you can no longer run around the stage spamming F airs as if you were captain falcon with your knee. we sheik users need to space, and mind game our opponents into locks and combo's and saaave our KO move for the last hit. and like any mysterious girl... we enjoy a good chase

Sonic - Written by bokenman23

Spoiler

You’re too slow!
A Guide To The True Blue Wonder, Sonic the Hedgehog!

When I was a lad, Sonic was the coolest thing ever. He was a hedgehog that could run very fast and his legs kept going in a circle when he started going very fast for no reason that I could figure out. So naturally, when I got my first Mega Drive, I was thrilled.

But now he seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I don’t know if any of you saw Sonic X, *shudder* but just take my word for it that it was abysmal. Sonic and the Secret Rings was pretty crap as well. At least now Sonic is in a game to be proud of.

Style
When playing with Sonic, you need a mixture of both defensive and offensive tactics. Remember, Sonic is not a very robust character, and one good strong hit will send him flying. You must utilise his speed and specials to your advantage, and effectively attack from all sides. But more on that later.

Strengths
1. His speed, obviously. Sonic is the fastest character in the entire game, and with a bunny hood, it is actually possible for him to outrun the waterfall on the Pikmin stage. Write that down, boys and girls. You can go from one end to the other on the Bridge of Eldin in just under six seconds.

In fact, I was fighting Snake one time, he threw a grenade. I ran up, grabbed him, threw him upwards, grabbed the grenade and threw it upwards at him. He’s that fast.

2. His aerial game is amazing. His Up-B will propel you thousands of miles into the air, but be sure to use it in the air- if used on the ground, the spring will be open for other characters to use it, whereas in the air, the spring can also be used as a (albeit easily blocked) projectile. He’s also pretty light, so he can work in a lot of aerial attacks for a while.

3. Sonic is a master of mind games, this is due to his speed and also due to the fact that three of his specials look exactly the same. When facing a Sonic, your opponent will be constantly on their toes.

I once won against Ike by simply running past him and attacking him whenever I felt like it, then, when he thought I was just going to pass him again, I dashed in and hit him with a F-smash. You can also do plenty of things with his specials, as they all look the same.

The other thing is that they all move differently too- Homing attack rises into the air and comes crashing down, which is great for aerial enemies. Spin Dash is slower than Spin Charge, but you have more control and you can jump right from the offset.

Spin Charge you can just keep charging endlessly until your opponent finally cracks and makes a mistake. A MASTER of mind games. Don’t you forget it. In the Smash Bros. world, Sonic is the ultimate poker player.

Weaknesses
1. Sonic’s lightness is often his downfall, and one well-timed hit will often send him into orbit. So when fighting as Sonic, be sure to keep at a distance and dodge roll plentifully if an enemy does manage to come close.

2. Most of Sonic’s attacks lack decent knockback, and the ones that don’t have substantial lag before and after the move. His grabs, although they do decent damage, will often leave you open for an attack.

3. His speed. What? Well, the truth is, boys and girls, Sonic’s speed is not only his greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness. It’s also the reason why noobs cannot use him. They will usually kill themselves while using his speed.

Only someone with good reflexes can use Sonic effectively. His speed will make you catapult yourself off of the edge of stages, they also make Sonic easy pickings for explosive traps, such as bob-ombs or Snake’s mines. Be careful.

COMBOS
Now, out of all the characters that I use, Sonic is definitely one of the ones that I can actually string together a decent combo with.

1. First, charge up a spin of some description, doesn’t matter which. When you hit an enemy, tilt the control stick up, this should hopefully make two successful hits. Then, while they’re open, attack with one of his devastating, multi-hit aerials.

Don’t forget, when you’re Sonic, your enemies are mere playthings.*
(*And shut up, you disgusting perv. You know what I mean.)

2. Dodge+ Down Grab. No need for description. Dodge behind your enemy and grab him/her and pound him/her into the floor. Easy.

3. Double Jump+ Spring+ Dair. Exactly how it sounds. Double jump, then immediately use your spring, then do a dair. This is usually a good starting move, just be careful of the lag.

4. Dash-Up Smash- Yes. Dash and use an Up-smash while your opponent is helpless. Nice.

You can probably do some of your own now, just work in a couple of dashes and a good aerial afterward, always try and attack from all sides. Attack, dodge, attack. Run away. Simple.

Well, I hope that you have been enlightened, young grasshopper. Now go and give people an extra bum hole with Sonic’s pointy shoes.

Toon link - Written by Shadow*91

Spoiler

Toon Link: Hyrule's Cat-eyed Warrior

Toon Link comes from Wind Waker for the GC and its sequel Phantom Hourglass for the DS and he could be considered young links decendent in smash although the two vary greatly.


Pros:

Fast
Small
Projectiles
Good smashes
Floaty
Has spike move

Cons:
Light
Short reach
Spike can suicide if you miss
Laggy moves

Now his pros outweigh his cons, though they can still be considered his fatal flaws if facing a godly opponent.

Now to tell about his moves


A moves:


Neutral A: A quick three hit combo. if the enemy gets close or you chase them down this is your main tool as its fast and the last hit will either stun them to get hit again or push them away depending on there damage %.

Forward A: A powerful but slow downward slash. Does decent damage and can kill but has start up lag so careful how you use it.

Down A: A little slash at the enemies feet. This does little in damage, knockback, and stun and should overall be avoided as you have better moves.

Up A: A fast slash above him. This technically hits anyone closes to him and is fast, decent in damage and knockback. use how you want.

Dash A: A quick slash in front of him. This move isn't worth using often as there are better are approaches which I'll cover later.


Air A moves:


Neutral A: A fast hit in front then behind him. This is not only fast but powerful as are all his other air attacks and is good for hittihg a single or multiple enemies.

Forward A: A fast and powerful slashed in front of him starting from his feet to ending at his head. this, along with B-air, are your bread and butter air moves. They can be used a couple times before landing and have a good hit range.

Back A: Same as F-air only be hind you. All the same good stuff as your F-air.

Down A: stops and points sword below him then rushes down. If you hit you bounce up the move back down before returning to normal. Also, if you hit the ground it releases an energy wave that does no damage but pushes enemies away protecting you from the following lag.

If you hit right as you start going down it spikes the enemy to the bottom of the stage. This is toon links best and worst move at the same time, considering its very powerful but missing will cause either death or punishment from the enemy.

Many noobs spam this move and its why many look down on him. You should only use this to spike and only if your sure you'll hit.

Up A: Stabs sword directly above himself. This move is super strong in both damage and knockback, but has ending lag that gets worse if you land while its active considering the attack last 2 full seconds and keeps full strength through it.


mash A moves:


Forward Smash: A 2-hit attack where the first stuns and the second kills. Don't reley on this move it may be fast and powerful but if the first is dodged or shielded then your wide open from its lag. You can chose to not use the second hit but then theres even more lag so even if you miss use the second hit to cut off some lag.

Up Smash: A fast, strong slash directly around him that sends the enemy up. this is basically a super version of your up-tilt and is one of the few up-smashes that is stronger when used in a dash. Don't spam this as you'll drain its super power.

Down Smash: A fast hit in front of his feet to behind himself. This move is strong and will if done right pull the enemy behind him to get hit again. Use this when your surrounded or as a fast hit.


B moves:


Neutral B: Arrows: Shoots a quick arrow. Can be charged to increase distance and damage. This move is good as its fast allowing you to shoot many arrows quickly. If the enemy wants to stay away and you don't want to chase or are high on damage then fire away.

A quick arrow at close range also messes with their approach, considering they would probably be expecting something else.

Forward B: Boomerang: Throws out his boomerang which flies out then comes back. This is a great move because if you miss then the enemy has to dodge again since it hits on the way back.

It can be aimed easily making it very useful, so use it to distract or give yourself a quick breather

Up B: Spin Attack: Spins really fast causing damage before knocking the enemy away. This can be charged for more damage but only on the ground. Causes multiple hits. On the ground this is great for a quick damage attack on all who come nearby.

In the air its a rapid attack that causes tons of damage to the enemy and serves as your primary recovery move.

Down B: Bombs: Pulls out a bomb which can then be thrown any direction. THIS IS YOUR BEST B MOVE!!! Use it any time then either throw it or hold it for a little, just not to long.

You should try to always have bomb on hand because they make a great approach and can disrupt your enemies approaches. Just be careful because you can be hurt by your own bombs.


Throws: First off he has a tether throw meaning he doesn't grab the opponent but shoots his hookshot to grab them. This can also be used as a tether recovery, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you miss there is massive lag. His grab attack is to pummel you with the sword handle.


Up Throw: Tosses the enemy uo then cuts them. Overall not very good and not recommended.

Forward Throw: Shoulder rams the enemy. Better then up but still a bad throw overall.

Down Throw: Slams them on the ground then elbows them. This is a good throw as it pushes them above you allowing a combo into up-smash and does good damage on its own.

Back Throw: Flips the enemy behind him with a kick. This is your best throw in terms of damage and knockback and is the one you should use the most.


Basic Toon Strategies

The cat-eyed kid has a few strategies that make him useful:

First try to control the distance between you and the enemy. If you want close up combat then bomb and boomerang the enemies and start slashing.

If you want distance use that great speed and while throwing bombs behind you and once your far enough use arrows.
Second when you get an opening to F-Smash take it as you won't get many.

A few good approaches are to bomb or boomerang them or short hop then F-air or N-air them.

Toon can run a master ledgegaurd game. Either try to spike or follow them and F-air/B-air them away, then return to the ledge.

This is also where his tether becomes useful, if you see them getting back to the stage, tether the edge which prevents them from grabbing it, then pull yourself up to safety.

Use these strategies with your normal toon game and you should win everything that comes your way.


Toon Link for Top Tier!

Wario - Written by bokenman23

Spoiler

Wario is one of the characters in SSBB that doesn’t get used much. Maybe it’s because he’s seen as more of a joke, what, with one of his specials being a fart. Yes, I can see how people find it hard to take him seriously.

Style

Taking into account that Wario has terrible speed and his attacks lack range, it makes sense that when you are using Wario to take advantage of his close-range techniques and get in close, using him as an aggressive fighter. A fair few of his attacks score multiple hits in one shot, and can be diabolical if they find their mark.

Things You Should Do When Using Wario

Wario’s motorcycle is a very helpful piece of kit. CK says I shouldn’t spam it, and he’s right. Although it is good, can hit reasonably well, gives Wario good recovery and lets you cover a lot of distance in a short space of time, you are extremely vulnerable while riding it. A well-aimed attack could dislodge you from the vehicle and make you powerless. It’s also not a good idea to ride it around when there’s explosives about.

Another thing about Wario is that despite the fact that he is a heavy character, his recovery is excellent; he floats around just like Kirby. You can be sure that you will keep bouncing back even if strong attacks manage to hit you. Don’t abuse this however, because Wario is far from invulnerable.

His A attacks, tilts, smashes, grabs and aerials are by far his best assets, and you should really use these more than your specials. They are quick, strong and have good knockback, even the smash attacks. Be careful though, because there is a substantial amount of lag afterwards.

Don’t forget that there is also an element of unpredictability in these attacks, as Wario’s movements are so strange and hard to foresee.

The most interesting and helpful aspect of Wario is his ability to eat items. Say that someone is using a cracker launcher. Get in close and then make them drop it. You’re then presented with a choice- you obviously don’t want the opponent to get it again and blast the bejeezus out of you, but at the same time, you don’t actually want the item. Eat it and all the fuss is dealt with.

This is also helpful for Hammers (both kinds), Poke Balls and Assist Trophies. Don’t forget that you can also deal a fair amount of damage to opponents with this move.

Things Not To Do With Wario

Wario’s final smash makes him don his alter-ego, Warioman. Wario is invincible in this state, but can still be killed. ‘Uh?’ I hear you say. True, when Warioman appears, Chomp, Corkscrew and Wario Waft are all much more powerful. But so is the motorbike. Only people with lots of control are recommended to use the motorbike when playing as Warioman, as it is so ridiculously fast you are in danger of driving right off of the stage.

Also, Warioman's aerial's during this transformation, when used rapidly(note they increase in speed drammatically) will cause Warioman to float, and even rise when used quickly. It's great for pursuiting an enemy, stalling, or even recovery if you've nothing left to use.

Don’t charge Wario’s fart for too long. When you do that, Wario begins to flash red. This puts out a big warning sign to your enemies, telling them to approach with caution and shield themselves frequently. Aside from this, one thing you should never do in this state, and let me make this abundantly clear, you must not jump into the air and execute the move. You will kill yourself. I’ve seen it happen to so many people, and although we pissed ourselves laughing, it’s wasn’t a good idea.

Don’t use his specials too often. Although his specials are indeed powerful, they are all highly predictable and lack range. Using them too much will leave you vulnerable and open for a pasting.

One of the most important things you must remember when playing as Wario is to never leave your bike lying around. When you get off it, eat it, destroy it, whatever.

This is for two reasons: one, the bike can be used as a deadly projectile against you, and two, the bike is one of Wario’s most helpful attacks. If the bike is still in one piece, you must get back to the bike to perform the move. Make sure the bike is destroyed when it has outlived his usefulness.

Combos

Okay, I have a confession to make. I don’t really use combos as a rule, more just kind of wing it and hope for the best. So I did a check on Youtube, where you can find most of these:

Motorbike+ Corkscrew

This combo can go horribly wrong if the character uses a reflector, dodges, or simply jumps at the right time. So I don’t recommend using it very much. You start using the motorbike, then, at about halfway, jump off it. The motorbike crashes into the enemy, then run under it and do a Corkscrew. Simple, I know. And not that good. Don’t use it too much.

Chomp+ up smash+ fair+ Wario Waft

This combo is that much better if you execute it next to a wall, you also have to make sure you have at least a halfway charged fart. Start a Chomp, then throw the opponent away. They should bounce off the wall, giving you time to do an up smash (no charge) from there, jump backwards and do a fair, then execute the Wario Waft. This should do massive damage, but results can vary if not done near a wall.

F-Smash+ 4x Fair+ Corkscrew

This is a very simple combo- start with a forward smash when near the edge of the stage. Follow the enemy down, and then do four consecutive fairs, continually pushing the enemy down. Then jump and do a Corkscrew to reach the edge of the stage.

Feel free to make your own, these are just some I found on Youtube. In fact, find the video if you’re that interested.

So in conclusion, Wario’s poor range and bad speed make him a difficult character to master, and he may only be in SSBB for comical reasons, but after you master him he is a lot of fun and a deadly character in good hands. And even if you don’t win, you can still have one hell of a laugh using him.

And isn’t that what SSBB is all about?

Wolf - Written by anax4aero

Spoiler

The quick and dirty guide to using Wolf
by Anax4

If you plan on maining Wolf, or already main Wolf, congratulations. You have chosen a character that is considerably difficult to main, and who yet happens to be decently placed in mid to high tier. Meaning you won’t be as cheap as top tier characters, and not as screwed as low tier characters. You’ll also be one of the few who actually use him. Awesome.

Style

Wolf’s gameplay is, like the character himself, all about risks. How is that? well...

-If your attacks connect, Wolf is truly a beast. You will be fast, powerful, have awesome range, and kill without mercy.

-but if your attacks don’t connect, you’ll be laggy, slow, defenseless, and easily destroyed.

Due to this, the key to succeeding with Wolf is constant practice. You think Olimar needs a lot of practice? try mastering Wolf. When you use him effectively your fingers will be as nimble as a piano player.

Also, I am told that if you can use Fox well, you will be able to use Wolf decently too. However, be careful, because what can (and will) happen is that you’ll get confused in the middle of the game and do something with Wolf you should only do with Fox, and die.

Strengths

+POWER

+relatively fast...I’d say around medium speed.

+his range can be crazy...it’s especially good when your opponent isn’t used to fighting wolf.

+solid defense on the ground. The reflector is surprisingly good if your opponents don’t see it coming, and it will save you several times. You can also be a coward and roll around and when close to someone do Up smash, which hits twice on both sides.

+Wolf has one of the more powerful meteor smashes. You can kill almost any character relatively early in the game with a well placed meteor smash.

+Juggling is super easy with Wolf. Up air and Forward air are amazing for this, as well as up smash.

+versatile gameplay. Unlike many characters, you can vary what you do and always surprise.

+potential spamming. Neutral B will annoy almost anyone to death, so they’ll have to come close to you...and when they do you’ll know what to do.

Weaknesses

-HORRIBLE RECOVERY. This is what truly kills Wolf. I’ve been killed by Falco with 0%, because of his chain grab + spike + edge hog move, which will destroy any Wolf player with ease. You can’t avoid it. Likewise, everyone who knows how to fight Wolf will edge hog you if they get the chance.

Even more tragically, many times you will kill yourself accidentally. Oh well...at least know Falco and Fox have the same issue.

-Lag. As I mentioned before, sometimes missing one attack can leave you open to horrible stuff, eg. the Falco chain grab of death. This is especially the case with: Side Special, Up Special, Down Special, Forward aerial, Neutral aerial, Forward smash.

-Slower than certain characters like Falco, Fox, Pikachu, etc., which is a huge nuisance when they combo you.

-Wolf’s best techniques are difficult to get used to, can be unreliable, and in many cases will make you suicide.

The actual guide:

-Special attacks

The special attacks all have their nifty little uses, so I’ll mention each one.

Blaster: not as fast as Fox’s blaster, and much less useful as Falco’s. Nevertheless, it is one of the best projectiles in the game. Often it will catch your opponent unawares, and it allows you to keep people from connecting their moves.

A huge plus is the fact it will damage anyone close by, so you can even use it in the middle of a combo, and if they shield the blade, chances are they’ll get hit by the laser. Also, it sends enemies in a downward angle, so it often leaves people open to more destructive combos. It’s like Game and Watch’s frying pan, but with a better projectile.

How to use it: randomly, to keep enemies away, to gimp recoveries.

How not to use it: repeatedly. Sure, it’s annoying for the opponent, but fact is a smart enemy will get used to it and won’t fall for it. Do not become predictable.

Reflector: very very useful move. It works like the blaster in that it neutralizes your opponent when it connects. It also has the added bonus that during the first second you use it, Wolf will dodge, so you can use this as a counter move. And, naturally, it can reflect projectiles (Including Pikachu’s Thunder)

How to use it: for defense, such as when coming down after being sent up to avoid being juggled. And, of course, to reflect. Also, notice that using this move cancels horizontal movement, almost like Fox’s cancels vertical movement, meaning this move can be used as an approach after doing a short hop.

If you want to take a risk, you can also use it like Fox’s shine, to gimp recoveries, but I recommend against it, considering Wolf’s nasty recovery.

How not to use it: Although this move can counter, it’s better not to. Why? because if your opponent is an inch too far, you will miss and they may kill you (eg. Ike, Dedede’s Foward smash). Also, if you use it too much your opponent is likely to shield it and then grab you, which is also not good especially against Falco.

Side B: Wolf moves extremely fast forward, at an angle. If an opponent is in the path, he will get minimal damage, but if the opponent is in the sweet spot, he will get around 15% damage and sent flying either forward, backwards, or straight down (aka spiked). It’s a very amazing move, and when you connect it you will feel a surge of power and satisfaction.

Additionally, if you press B (or Special) during the middle of the move, it will be cancelled and Wolf will have significantly much more horizontal movement but less vertically. However, doing this is extremely difficult, as there are 3 frames in which to press B to make this work.

Even at 1/4 speed it is near impossible to plan it. Also, doing this takes away the sweet spot, and still leaves you in defenseless mode if you’re falling.

How to use: Mainly for recovery. If offensively, use it rarely. You also must have solid reflexes and a good idea of how far it goes, because the point of this move is to connect with the sweet spot. BUT, this move can be used well without the sweet spot. These are rare cases, when it’s better for a combo to not hit with the sweet spot.

Example: in Battlefield, it is possible to land on a platform, thus losing the lag of the move, and connect an up smash after slashing through the enemy with side B. Last thing, is that this move is GREAT when people are trying to gimp you.

It’s not uncommon to watch how a Meta Knight goes after you for the kill, only to be spiked by your Side B as you recover. There’s one more technique with this move that I shall mention later in this guide.

How not to use: unless you’re coming back from the stage, don’t use it to spike, because chances are you’ll die too. Actually, chances are you’ll miss, waste a life, and look like an idiot.

Up B: Just like Fox’s, but faster, without the fire, and with a kick in the end. This will be your most frequent method of recovery.

How to use: like all other moves, randomly, even for recovery. Make sure to try to approach the stage differently each time, or you will become predictable and get gimped. This is a minor technique to avoid getting gimped all the time.

Also, if you can stall in the air so that the kick in the end happens before you reach the edge, it may prevent an edge hog if the hogger loses the invincibility frames. This means that if approaching vertically from below and someone is on the edge, take all the time you can to use this move.

Also, you may want to use it in land to move rapidly across a stage and surprise someone...just don’t do it too often, this move can really leave you open, even if it hits.

How not to use: This is a move mostly for recovery. Don’t go crazy attacking with it, it sucks for attacking.

-Ground fighting:

When fighting on the ground, take advantage of your claws and your defense. It is often better to attack and defend than to try to connect combos. The best moves for spacing in the ground are Forward tilt (which hits twice) and Down tilt, which sometimes can trip and opponent.

You can also randomly move forward with a smash attack, and chances are opponents will be caught off guard. Also remember to use the neutral attack often, as for some reason it comes in useful without being necessarily awesome.

For kills, the best ground move is Down Smash. It is extremely powerful and also has crazy range. Use it anytime your opponent is open. Also, it can be a great move for edge guarding, by charging it close to the edge. If your opponent waits, he’ll get hit; if he doesn’t, he’ll get hit.

That leaves them the sole option of jumping back in, and if you know that you can predict what they can do depending on the characters they use.

Note: experiened players are not likely to fall for the down smash edge guard, so be on your toes.

-Aerial fighting

Although Wolf is great in the ground, most of your pwnage will be in the air. Both foward aerial and back aerial have excellent range and knockback (upwards and horizontally, respectively).

Up aerial is quick and has a decent range, and neutral air has good knockback if you hit with it instantly (the hits after the first one, although fun to use, are weak, have no knockback, and leave you open to grabs, so beware them).

Most importantly, Down aerial, Wolf’s meteor smash, may well be your #1 killing move, as it is a really powerful spike with great range. Practice spiking, though, because if you don’t have much experience doing it you may fall to your death attempting it.

Also, most of your combos will come from aerial moves. Short hopping is a great way to approach with Wolf. The reflector, blaster, and side B moves are often better used in the air. More on short hopping and aerials will be mentioned later on.

-Grabs

Wolf benefits from having excellent grabs, as ALL of them can be opening to combos and juggling. Namely, the forward and down throws will be great for combos as they send your opponent forward, and the back and up throws are excellent for juggling as they send people upwards.

The forward throw is recommended in two circumstances: first, when the opponent has low percentages, you can often chain the forward throw. Second, using it at an edge tends to send the opponent in a downward angle, which is often useful for following with an edge hog, spike, or other kind of edge guard.

Besides those cases, often the best throw is the down throw, as it causes the most damage and also sends in a downward angle. It also looks awesome.

-Advanced Techniques

This is what can turn a Wolf player into a true beast. There are certain moves that when you learn to execute them will significantly improve your game, and I truly recommend learning these for truly being awesome with Wolf.

Short hopping with F/aerial.

You know how forward aerial is the aerial with the most lag? well, not always. If you do a short hop from the ground and immediately at the same time do a F/aerial, there will be NO LAG. You will literally fall standing and be able to follow with any move you desire.

This is excellent for almost any combo, as you can follow it with an up smash, or with more aerials, for devastating effects. It is even possible to short hop across the stage doing F/aerial insanely quick.

Also, you can do this short hop with F/aerial and then push back on the joystick, and Wolf will basically jump back while using F/aerial, a great, great, GREAT technique for spacing and defense. Likewise, it can be followed with almost any attack pretty much instantaneously.

How to do it? well...depends on your controller scheme. I use X for jumping and A for attacking, so to do this I rub my thumb from X to A quickly and it happens.

Scarring

Wolf’s signature advanced technique. It involves going through an edge with Side B, surprising edge guarders with your sweet spot. It’s also one of the easiest to do...when hanging from a ledge, just smash back the joystick then quickly do a side B forward. Realize that this only works for some stages, namely Smashville, Battlefield, and Yoshi’s Island.

As a special note, Yoshi’s Island is a great stage for Side B, because sometimes the attack follows the ground, thus avoiding the difficult angle of the move. This is great for surprising people.

Slide Up Smash

You know how Snake slides around with the annoying mortar move, barraging through enemies and being a pain in the ass? Well, he’s not the only one who can do that. As a matter of fact, many characters can pull of this sliding up smash, except that it’s much much harder because each character has a different dash attack animation.
Wolf, sadly, turns out to be one of the difficult ones.

Nevertheless, it’s doable. Thanks to CK, I now know a nifty trick to perform this. Dash, then, ridiculously fast, smash the C-stick down and immediately after do an up smash. This is easier if you can use different fingers, as in do the Up smash with Z or R or L (by adjusting the controller settings, unless using Z), so that your thumb takes care of the C-stick.

This requires a lot of practice, and even when you get the hang of it it will be hard to pull it off in the middle of a combo during actual gameplay. Nevertheless, it is EXTREMELY useful, and it can turn you into a devastating killing machine. This technique, along with the Short Hop, will make your Wolf seem 2x faster than usual.

-Advice

Personally, I don’t like giving a list of combos, because with many characters, especially Wolf, it pays a lot to improvise. However, here are some generally useful pieces of advice:

-The Foward and Down chain grabs can be really useful to build up percentages. Try to incorporate a Sliding Up Smash after one of these grabs and you’ll see even more devastation.

If possible, follow with juggling, or with a spike that will throw them to the floor so you can follow with a down smash that will probably send them far. Sounds complex...but when it works, it’s beautiful.

-Up Smash, even when not during a slide, is extremely useful. It’s quick, unexpected, and painful. If you can incorporate it in your game following short hop aerials or neutral attacks, do so.

-Realize that the three attack combo you get by just pressing A (or attack) can be varied around. Many people will try to block all three, so sometimes it’s good to stop with the second one and follow with something completely different, such as a tilt move.

-If you think yourself good with Wolf’s recovery moves, it really pays off to go after your enemy for a gimp with either a spike or a Back air. In most cases, I think the best gimper is back air, because it doesn’t have as much lag, making recovery less risky.

-In the air there’s something that is useful to know: up air and back air follow each other very nicely. As in, both attacks have very little lag and can follow each other quickly. This means that if you’re juggling someone and they avoid one of your attacks, chances are you might be able to hit them with the other one. Don’t give up.

-Sometimes it helps to play mindgames. The most fun one is to repeatedly smash the joystick forward, so that you dash and stop immediately several times. I believe this is called stutter-stepping. This confuses a lot, especially if you can do the sliding up smash, as you can easily surprise with it.

It’s also fun to sometimes duck repeatedly and have them get annoyed and come at you.

-Be careful with taunting. While it is fun to do, it’s better to avoid it because Wolf’s taunts are rather long. Unless it’s a star KO...if so, go nuts.

The better rule, though, is to play with the edge, so that if an opponent comes back they can’t do anything to approach you except jump off, which in many cases will delay them so that their invincibility frames wear off. Also, by playing on the edge you get invincibility frames of your own.

-Sometimes it’s much better to use your shield than to reflect a projectile. Leaves you far less open to a follow up attack.

-Brawl is a weird fighting game. You know all those combo videos on youtube? real battles are not like that. Real battles will usually involve shielding a lot, and spacing. Wolf has a really awesome offensive and defensive game, but because of his poor recovery it is better to focus on his defensive game to stay safely on the stage.

Wolf also has awesome spacing, so make sure to know well the range of his attacks: the less you miss the less open you’ll be. I include this mostly because I know it is easy to get caught up in a fight and to just keep attacking, especially since Wolf has such strong attacks.

My one last great piece of advice: DO NOT get chain grabbed by Falco. Avoid it at all costs...run away, slap the controller off your friend’s hand, reset the Wii, I don’t care, just don’t let it happen. It is a horrible thing to see yourself go from 0% to death. Trust me.

 

[JonRyan]

awesome i was using those quite a bit :]

 

[Neosquid]

Where is my ROB guide? And where is the Jiggly guide?....I suggest trying to search the thread on Google to find them.

Oh by the way, Im Nick. Yes, not only did I lose my account, but a lot of my threads as well.....

 

[WMBQ]

I still have the Jigglypuff guide saved if you need it.

 

[Splash_King]

You're.. Nick? o.o ..Neosquid? Lulz, I say. Lulz. xD ..Erhem, anyways. For some reason it won't let me edit in any more guides.. maybe there's a character limit for posts now(OH SH*T), but I'll keep trying. I should still have every single guide. If it doesn't work by tomorrow, then I'll have to make a new thread and reserve multiple posts... If I do make a new thread, noone post until I say it's allowed, alright?

 

[Neosquid]

Just edit your first post......wait....

Oh no. OH NO!!! OHH NOOO!!!.........The Storyline I made! Its gone!

:mad5: Not only that, but my wonderful thread about the next Smash Bros is dead also.

 

[WMBQ]

He can't if there's a character limit. >_>

 

[Neosquid]

But his second post has much more than the first post, so I dont see why he cant just add to the first post.

 

[WMBQ]

That's true, but with these guides, there might not even be room for that.

 

[Splash_King]

..Trust me, there's not enough room in just two posts, that's not even half of the guides(obviously). If there really is a character limit, a new thread is absolutely in order-

..The storyline for new Brawl.. it is gone!! Blaaah! Even if I did the least amount of work, it was such a wonderous thread... Urk. The Wiichat apocolypse had a huge impact on the Brawl forums.. the most progress ever made in that forum happened during the deleted space in time... x.o

That, and the lounge probably got hit the hardest of all. It is the bussiest forum section, after all. ..The DP forums aren't looking good either, it's dead for sure now.. And the stickied platinum thread is gone too.. :sick:

 

[WMBQ]

The entire Alternate Plot is gone, guys... the story's kind of like that, except the plot was bigger.

[/snooty]

 

[bokenman23]

Shadow wrote Olimar, Gr7mm Bob wrote Ganondorf...

It was either Shadow or WMBQ that wrote the Toon Link one.

 

[Splash_King]

Ahh, thanks Bok.

Good news everyone(although Bok obviously already knows)! Every single guide is now up again! Man, I'm freakin' happy I backed them all up. But I do have some terrible news for one of the guides.. Eastbeast's brilliant Diddy guide won't get editted in no matter what I try, I have no idea why. I still have the guide though, and I'll try as much as possible to make it work.

Also, if your guide isn't up here, tell me immediatly! I've uploaded all the guides I have saved, so if your's isn't there, if you don't have it saved, well.. I truly apologize that it's been lost.

 

[RockerJ]

I've noticed a Sheik AND a Zelda guide... but why not both in one? I've also noticed that it helps me if you are flexible enough to use both, which I am beginning to do. So like, when I get better with them, do you want me to TRY to write a Zelda+Sheik guide?
(I write my guides a little like Shadow, but I might try to go into high detail)