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/ | ____/ / ______ _____ ________ ____/ /
/ /| |/ __ / | / / __ `/ __ \/ ___/ _ \/ __ /
/ ___ / /_/ /| |/ / /_/ / / / / /__/ __/ /_/ /
/_/ |_\__,_/ |___/\__,_/_/ /_/\___/\___/\__,_/
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/_ __/__ _____/ /_ ____ (_)___ ___ _____ _____
/ / / _ \/ ___/ __ \/ __ \/ / __ `/ / / / _ \/ ___/
/ / / __/ /__/ / / / / / / / /_/ / /_/ / __(__ )
/_/ \___/\___/_/ /_/_/ /_/_/\__, /\__,_/\___/____/
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/ ____/_ __(_)___/ /__
/ / __/ / / / / __ / _ \
/ /_/ / /_/ / / /_/ / __/
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========Table of Contents========
=================================
[F00]---- Introduction
[F01]---- Wavedashing and Dash Dancing
[F02]---- Short Hopping, Fast Falling and L-Cancelling
[F03]---- Shield Grabbing and Side-Stepping
[F04]---- Teching, Wall Jumping and Power Shielding
[F05]---- Directional Influence(not in-depth)
[F06]---- Jump/Dash Cancelling
[F07]---- Conclusion
If you’re wondering what all the [F] are for, it’s for functionality. If you press Ctrl F on your keyboard, something called the search box will pop up. Type in the [F#] corresponding to the section you want to read, and you’ll be taken right to it. Cool, no?
================I================
==========Introduction=========== [F00]
================I================
Okay, first of all, if you don’t know what Advanced Techniques are, then you definitely need this guide. Basically, they’re what separate a skilled smash player from a beginner player. No matter how good you think you are, if you can’t do these techniques, you’re not a skilled player. That’s not to say that you’re a bad player, I’m sure some people reading this guide are quite good, but it just means against actual pros, you won’t stand a chance. In this guide, I will only be able to teach you how each trick is done, you’ll have to figure out the timing and the right opportunities on your own, because that’s something that can’t be taught. However, I’ll teach you the best ways to practice it, and for some moves, show you videos that properly utilize the technique. Without further ado, my advanced techniques guide:
================II================
===Wavedashing and Dash Dancing=== [F01]
================II================
“The wavedash is an unorthodox movement technique that, depending on your character's traction, slides him/her to the left or right a certain amount with smoke clouds forming around the character's feet.”- Dalal
With that out of the way, let’s begin teaching you how it’s done. For those wondering what a perfect wavedash looks like, watch this:
YouTube - SSBM Wave Dash Montage
Alright, if it doesn’t look like that, don’t worry too much, those are pros. If you keep practicing eventually, it’ll look like that.
Alright,now, onto business. The best way to practice these is to go in training mode, Final Destination. Continuously jump into the air, hold down, and press R. Do it quicker and quicker until you get the timing so that your character no longer jumps in the air, it’s hard to explain what it’ll look like, but he’ll kind of crouch and then smoke will fly out from under him. Then, when you get hat right, do the same thing, but keep slightly moving the control stick more and more in the direction you want to move(while still holding it downwards, of course.) Eventually, you will look like the people in the movie. This is to be used as a quick evasion move, that has no lag afterwards, so you can attack quickly right after using it, very useful in heated battles.
The Dash Dance is a lot easier. Basically, you move the control stick back and fourth kind of quickly, causing your character to move back and forth, good as a fake-out move. It’s hard to find a good video where this is used, as it’s not often used, and it’s more situational. My only tip is that don’t move the control stick too fast, or too slow. It should basically be 1 frame for each animation.
If you really want a video on this one, go to smashboards.com and download some 1 v 1 videos, you’ll see some.
Also, while Dash Dancing, it’s possible to perform a “Pivot.” It’s very difficult and personally not worth the trouble, but some people use it. During a Dash Dance, for a split second, you’re in neutral position, and from this position, you can use a smash attack, instead of a dash attack. When you do said smash attack, you performed the pivot. I can’t really teach you much about it as I can barely do it myself.
================III===============
==Short Hopping and Fast Falling== [F02]
================III===============
Now whether or not you’ve learnt the wavedash is irrelevant. These skills are un-related. Short Hopping is a much more reduced jump, used for quick aerial attacks. Fast Falling is exactly what it’s named, the act of falling quicker, good for getting out of the air quicker, and L-Cancelling, personally the most useful thing ever, is a way to reduce aerial moves recovery time by half. Put them all together, you’ll have a move called the SHFFL, something we’ll talk about later.
To start things off, the short hop. It’s pretty obvious what this is, it’s a much shorter jump then the full jump. It’s kind of hard to do, but when you master it, it’s useful. It basically depends on how hard you tap the button, something that’s difficult for some. I’ve found a technique that works quite well for short hops though. Place your right thumb on the A-Button. To the right is the X-Button, that’s what we’re gonna use for short hops, as it’s the easiest. Place your thumb about 2 inches to the right of the X-Button(the difference can be compromised for whatever you want, I use 2 Inches,) and then slide it quickly back to the A-Button, while applying very little downwards force. If done right, you’ll feel the X-Button slightly go down, but not much. Look at the screen the next time, and watch to see if you did it right. If you got it right, keep trying it faster and faster until it feels natural. Eventually you’ll get it, and when you do, you’ll be happy.
The short hop easiness depends on the character, and I’ve compiled a list of who’s the easiest and hardest to short hop with. Here it is:
Easiest:
Bowser
Easier:
Ganondorf, Link, Zelda, DK, Falco, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Peach, Roy, Yoshi
Harder:
CF, The Doc, Luigi, Mario, Marth, Mr. G&W, Ness, Young Link
Hardest:
Fox, Ice Climbers, Kirby, Pichu, Pikachu, Samus, Sheik
Check where your main character is on this list, and practice accordingly. You’ll get it eventually.
Now, the Fast Fall, a much easier technique. It’s easy to explain, and easy to do, that’s why I love it so much. Simply put, when you get to the peak of your jump, press down on the control stick. You’ll fall much faster then usual, and reduce some vulnerability from being in the air, pretty useful if you ask me. Obviously this is harder for short hops, but once you get those, this will soon follow.
Finally, the L-Cancel. This move is the most useful in my opinion, and many experts will agree. After an aerial attack, when you land, you’re vulnerable for some time. With this, it cuts that time in half. As you’re doing your aerial attack, when you’re 2/3 of the way to the ground, press L. If done right, you shouldn’t lag much. It takes some practice to be natural at it, but when you get it, you’ll be glad you did. The best way to know if you did it right is too go to training mode, pick Fox and go to Final Destination. As Fox, jump in the air and do your Downwards air move on the opponent, making sure to L-Cancel as you land, then right away do the Shine(Down+B.) If your L-Cancel was good, the shine will count as part of your combo, and the combo hits number won’t be 1. If you did it wrong, the count will be at 1.
If you put them all together in the order explained, you can do a SHFFL, which is a fantastic combo. SHFFL stands for Short Hop Fast Fall L-Cancel, and it’s basically a quick aerial attack, followed by a quick land, then repeated quickly. If done expertly, your opponent won’t stand a chance.
=================IV===============
==========Shield Techniques=========[F03]
=================IV===============
Shield Techniques, are what I’ve classified Side Stepping and Shield Grabbing as. They are both techniques that are explained in-game and really aren’t difficult to do at all, but they are still used by most advanced players, and so have a place in this guide.
To start things off, the Side Step. To do a Side Step simply press down while shielding. That’s it. No fancy timing or anything. Just Hold L or R and press down. Naturally, a bit of timing is required to use it effectively, since it’s a dodge technique, but performing it is so easy, that you’ll be able to master it in seconds, and the timing will soon come to you.
The Shield Grab, here’s where things get difficult(/sarcasm.) A Shield Grab is exactly what its name suggests, a grab while shielding. To so such a mind blowing thing, press A while shielding. You’d know how if you watched the “How to Play” video included in melee. Like the Side Step, it’s an easy technique to do, and it doesn’t require timing that’s too difficult, so you shouldn’t have a problem with it.
I feel bad, having a whole section dedicated to those two small paragraphs, so how can I improve this section? Well first of all, you should know that the two above techniques are the best when used together. See, use a Side Step to dodge the enemy technique, then quickly grab him, and launch him in the air, then SHFFL him. That combo was just a suggestion, but seriously, never use a Side Step without following up with a Shield Grab.
Also, there’s a technique I like to call the Grab Shield. No, not the Shield Grab. It’s a shield that comes up right after a grab. Basically, press and hold Z. You’ll grab, then shield. It’s not a bad technique, but don’t use it too much, it’s slow, and though the shield doesn’t go down with time, when you get hit you slide, and that’s not good.
Finally, there’s a whole bunch of things you can do while shielding, such as Aerial moves and Wave Dash, but I can’t do that for the life of me, so it’ll be difficult to explain. If you really want to find out how, watch some youtube videos, Wak07 has a nice one, and I’m pretty sure it explains how in one of the three parts.
================V================
========Misc. Techniques========= [F04]
================V================
I couldn’t really think of a name for this section, so I just went ahead and called it misc. Techniques. In here, I’ll teach you about Teching, Wall Jumping, and Power Shielding. These are all fairly un common moves, but still very useful.
First up, Teching. It’s a form of quick recovery move, and it’s very useful in heated battles. When you hit the ground after an attack, in the same frame, press R, and any direction you see fit. Depending on your direction, you’ll do a form of acrobatic move, land back on your feet, and move left or right if those are the directions you’re holding. It works really good as a way of quickly countering your opponent, particularly against Dair’s. It also work when you hit a wall, you’ll stop yourself from bouncing as far off the wall, allowing you to survive a potentially deadly hit. One of my favorite techniques easily, and you should definitely master this before Brawls release.
Next up is the Wall Jump. While not necessarily an advanced technique, it’s still cool to know. This technique only works in stages with walls, and it works best in Fourside. To do this move, when you’re up against a wall, move the control stick up and away from the wall, you’ll jump off the wall, and it doesn’t count towards your jump count. If you’ve done Young Links target test, you should know how to Wall Jump, as you need it in the beginning. Please note, only the following characters can Wall Jump:
- C. Falcon
- Young Link
- Sheik
- Falco
- Fox
- Mario
- Samus
- Pichu
If you really need to practice this move(it’s pretty easy to learn) then I suggest you go to Fourside, jump down the hole between the two main buildings, and practice wall jumping back and fourth until you get back up, then try again until you feel comfortable. This move doesn’t really have a particular usefulness in matches, unless you’re in Fourside, but it’s still fun to know.
Finally, Power Shielding. Power Shielding’s actually pretty hard to learn, as it requires perfect timing, but once you get the hang of it, you won’t forget. To Power Shield, you have to shield in the exact frame where the attack hit’s you. If done right, the animation will be a bit different, and your shield will not be damaged. Also, if a projectile hit’s you and you Power Shield it, the projectile will be reflected right back at the opponent. Cool eh? This is always done by Level 9 Computers.
================VI===============
======Directional Influence====== [F05]
================VI===============
Okay, I’m terrible at Directional Influence, so I really can’t go too in-depth about this, but I’ll try my best. Basically, Directional Influence, or DI as I’ll be calling it, is the act of affecting the way your character will fly when hit. It’s hard and tedious to practice, but when you get the hang of it, it’ll be worth all the trouble. As you get hit, you have to move the control stick in the direction you want to move. Though the change will be modest, it’ll still happen. A few good examples of this are when you’re hit off an edge by a Side Smash, hold Up and towards the ledge, you will go higher in the air but not as far, making it easier to recover. Crouching is the best, since a crouching character doesn’t fly very far. DI can not always be good however. If you DI the wrong way, you’ll help your opponent combo you better, and also help him kill you, so beware when using DI.
===============VII===============
===========Cancelling============ [F06]
===============VII===============
Cancelling. Both Jump and Dash. Very useful. Alrighty, let’s begin talking about them. Breaking it down into Layman’s terms, Jump and Dash cancelling are ways of cancelling out the animation of a previous action thus allowing your new action to be performed quicker. Not simple enough? Alright let’s try again. They make you attack faster. Better? Okay, jokes aside(no matter how lame they are,) these two things will allow you to dash grab, and dash attack quicker. I’ll start with the jump cancel.
The Jump cancel will speed up your Up Smash or Grab animations while Dashing. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but a Dash Grab is a lot longer then a regular grab, and Up Smashes are impossible during a Dash. Well thanks to jump cancelling, both those problems are fixed. To jump cancel press Y at almost the exact same time(it’ll seem like the same time, that’s how little difference you have to make it) and either Z or Up-C. Normally, I don’t use the C-Stick for smashes, but for this, you should, as you may Double Jump if you use Up on the control stick. Anyways, press Y while dashing and performing one of these techniques, and you’ll speed up the process slightly. Cool huh?
Next up is dash cancelling. I find Dash Cancelling a lot easier then Jump Cancelling, so don’t worry. All you have to do is Press Down while Dashing, and then proceed to attack. The reason this is good is because the end of a Dash animation is much longer then the crouch animation, so you have a bit of lag between the Dash and the attack. And lag is bad. I don’t even need to talk about how to practice this because it’s pretty easy.
If you ask me, any smash player should have these two techniques as a reflex, it just makes your game that much better, and they’re pretty useful for their simplicity. So practice these frequently, and you should be alright.
=================================
===========Conclusion============ [F07]
=================================
Thank you for reading my guide. Whether or not you found it useful doesn’t bother me, I’m just glad it got posted, as this is my first guide. I hope you did find it useful however so that I know my efforts weren’t a complete waste. Anyways, enough ranting on about nothing. With Brawl’s release soon, I suggest you freshen up on these techniques. Whether or not all of them will be in Brawl shouldn’t matter, it’s best to be prepared if they are, since you’ll be needing them on Wi-Fi. So yeah, practice hard and eventually you’ll be a fantastic Smasher. Peace out!
P.S. I’d like to thank Dalal from Gamefaqs and Wak07 from Youtube, as their guide and videos helped me to learn these techniques and write my own guide. So once again, Peace out!
Wak07's Videos:
Please note, I did not make these videos, nor do I know the guy who did, I just find them to be exceptional ways of further teaching you how to play like a pro.
YouTube - Advanced How To Play (SSBM) Part 1
YouTube - Advanced How To Play (SSBM) Part 2
YouTube - Advanced How To Play (SSBM) Part 3
Linear Mode
