Once upon a time there was a game where every character had a second jump (although a certain pair actually had five). Once it was used up, it could not be used again until the player touched the stage or an edge. And this was good.
Now we live in a much more complicated time, where many characters have things far beyond a single second jump at their disposal. These jumps and actions vary in quantity, type, and most of all, how they are regenerated to be used again. While an Action Replay or similar tool will be needed to supply numerical specifics and timings for a few things, I hope that my general observations are in-depth enough to spark discussion.
Every character in the game has a second jump; Charizard has 2, Pit has 3, DeDeDe has 4, and Kirby, MetaKnight, and Jigglypuff all have 5. Once these are used, they are gone until the player touches the stage or grabs an edge, at which point all second jumps are restored. Easy enough. As you also know, characters have an Up-B. Using this move does not "use it up" as some might think, but merely put the character in what I'll call "General Stun" where they can't do anything. Any sort of interaction with another character or the stage will remove this stun. There are many exceptions to this, which I will cover.
Peach's float is also unchanged: She can start the float at the termination of her first or second jump, as if was another type of second jump at her disposal. It also requires the stage to restore, and not an edge. Being inhaled by Kirby will restore it as well.
Gliding however, is new and has some interesting properties. At face value, gliding is similar to floating: a special, single use second jump restored by the stage or edge. Gliding can be done by Pit, Metaknight, and Charizard, and has a few important mechanics:
-Gliding must be done at the end of a second jump, not the first.
-Gliding can only start at the end of the full jump animation, not cancel it.
-Only a special gliding attack can be done during a glide, which terminates the glide.
-If the character has no second jumps left, terminating a glide results in "General Stun".
That last bit is extremely important. These characters will always want to save their last (or more) second jump so they will be able to respond, especially with Up-B. (Doubly so for meta-knight, whose up-B ends with him in a SECOND glide.) Since Charizard only has 2 second jumps, that means he only has one reasonable gliding option if he wants to keep his excellent Up-B.
Finally, Pit's unique Up-B fits in. Using this move not only puts Pit in "General Stun" like most Up-B's, but it uses up all his second jumps, his glide, and itself so that no sort of jumps can be done even if the stun is removed. His up-B is restored just like the second jumps and glide, by touching the stage or an edge.
Next up is wall-jumping and wall-clinging. Characters that can wall jump have a wall jump for right and left, just like like they have a second jump: Once they use it, it is used up until touching the ground or an edge. However, wall jumps are also restored by using the opposite wall jump or waiting a short amount of time. This is what makes wall jumping back and forth possible, and is the mechanic that keeps players from "climbing" walls".
Wall clinging is related because one can wall jump out of a wall-cling but pushing away from the wall. However, characters can also do what I call a "wall cling jump" by simply pressing jump during the cling. This wall cling jump is vertical, and identical to the characters' usual second jumps as far as I can tell. In fact, doing a wall cling jump counts as using your second jump if you hadn't already! The difference is that you can wall cling jump even if you did already use up your usual second jump; you can jump back and forth between walls and wall cling jump endlessly.
...at least, you could, but wall clings after the second have what looks to be about have the duration of the last. It doesn't matter if you clung for the full duration of the last cling or not, the third seems to last about half as long as the first and second, and the fourth half that, ect. It eventually gets to the point where the cling is over almost instantly and is useless. Your wall cling duration is fully restored the moment you touch the stage or an edge, just like second jumps.
Here's where things start getting unusual.
A new addition to Brawl is Footstool Jumps. Every character has a unique number that can be done, just like they have a certain number of double jumps. I can't understand the method behind the madness, but it's different than you might thing: Jigglypuff can only do 2, while Bowser can do 5. Kirby can do 3, but Squirtle can also do 5. Most characters can do 4... I have not taken the time to list the number each character can do, but the idea is interesting. Each footstool jump boosts you half as high as the previous. It also doesn't matter if you jump on different characters or the same in succession, the same limited number applies. Finally, each footstool jump is about half the size of the previous one; usual the third, fourth or fifth jumps are pretty much useless.
Zamus's helpful Down-B also uses itself up like a second jump; whether or not you attack out of it, it cannot be done again even though it induces no stun of any sort.
What do Footstool jumps and Zamus's Down-B have in common? Besides being restored by touching the stage or an edge, they are also restored when the player is inhaled by Kirby. (And Kirby exclusively.) Kirby does not do this for typical second jumps, gliding, Pit's Up-B, ect.
Meanwhile, let's talk about the third party characters. Snake's Up-B disable itself and his second jump (if you haven't used it already) while not inducing any stun. Being attacked restores his Up-B (as does stage/edge), but other things that only knock characters out of stun like Kirby's inahle and grabs do not.
Sonic is in a very similar situation. Sonic's Up-B does not disable itself, nor his second jump, but puts him in a special stun I call "Sonic Stun" where he can only do standard aerials and dodges. Although this is not as bad as General Stun, it is harder to get out of: it is the same as restoring Snake's Up-B. Grabbing or inhaling Sonic will leave him in his jumpless tumbling state, while attacking him knocks him out of it.
(At this point I would like to clarify: Swallowing or Spitting out a character as Kirby or DeDeDe counts as an attack, I am only talking about inhaling them and letting them pop out of you.)
Diddy is another unique case. His Side-B disables itself just like Zamus's Down-B, and what's more confusing, doing the optional attack during his Side-B disables his Up-B! (Even though his Up-B does not disable itself, only causes General Stun!) Besides the typical stage/edge, Diddy gets his Side-B and Up-B both back by behing attacked or inhaled by Kirby.
Quick Summary of confusing points: Footstools and Zamus recover by being inhaled by Kirby, Sonic and Snake by being attacked, Diddy by either one.
Game and Watch's Up-B does not put him in stun, but simple disables itself. (Plus the nifty parachute...) Game and Watch gets his Up-B back when attacked, inhaled by Kirby, OR inhaled by DeDeDe. (Who did not cause the previous things to recover...) And of course, the typical stage/edge.
Next we have tether recoveries. 8 characters in the game have tether recoveries assigned to various commands and of varying lengths/angles. Each can tether exactly 3 times before the tether will no long work. Like jumps, these are restored by touching the stage, though obviously not the edge. However, unlike jumps, being inhaled by Kirby does restore them! (In other words, swallowing a tether spammer is not as clever as it might sound wth Kirby. DeDeDe though.......)
The only remaining thing is ROB's Up-B, which is the most difficult thing to restore. As the Dojo stages, you must stay on the stage for a combined ~1.5 seconds for it to fully restore. Edges, Kirby, grabs, nothing but the stage counts. While he is using his Up-B, ROB cannot use his second jump or any other B moves, just like "Sonic Stun"; however, any interference such as an attack or grab or even his own standard air attacks will let ROB do whatever he wants until he starts using Up-B again, just like General Stun.
That's everything in the game; I did not test to see if Wario's Bite and Bowser's Klaw restore anything, but I can't see any situation where they would grab with it and not proceed to attack. (Unlike Kirby and DeDeDe who can walk off the edge, and should if they catch Sonic or Snake out of their Up-Bs!)
Small random thoughts in conclusion:
-The Jigglypuff and Yoshi's Up-Bs do not use themselves up nor stun them. Yoshi should exploit this, Jigglypuff not so much.
-The same applies to Zamus! However, Olimar and Ivysaur are stunned by their tether Up-Bs...
-DK's B, Fox's Side-B, MetaKnight's B moves, Falco's Side-B, Ike's Side-B, Yoshi's Side B, Ganondorf's Side-B, Ice Climber's Side-B, Wolf's Side-B, Ness's B, Falcon's Side-B, and Lucas's B all induce General Stun after they complete in the air. Might have forgotten one or two, but I think that's it...
The most important thing to learn here is that Sonic and Snake can be easily gimped by grabbing or inhaling them after their Up-B and letting them break free, as well as knowing when Zamus, Diddy, and Game & Watch get their recovery options back. Although most of this information is far from new, I hope some find it useful being consolidated in one place.
Now we live in a much more complicated time, where many characters have things far beyond a single second jump at their disposal. These jumps and actions vary in quantity, type, and most of all, how they are regenerated to be used again. While an Action Replay or similar tool will be needed to supply numerical specifics and timings for a few things, I hope that my general observations are in-depth enough to spark discussion.
Every character in the game has a second jump; Charizard has 2, Pit has 3, DeDeDe has 4, and Kirby, MetaKnight, and Jigglypuff all have 5. Once these are used, they are gone until the player touches the stage or grabs an edge, at which point all second jumps are restored. Easy enough. As you also know, characters have an Up-B. Using this move does not "use it up" as some might think, but merely put the character in what I'll call "General Stun" where they can't do anything. Any sort of interaction with another character or the stage will remove this stun. There are many exceptions to this, which I will cover.
Peach's float is also unchanged: She can start the float at the termination of her first or second jump, as if was another type of second jump at her disposal. It also requires the stage to restore, and not an edge. Being inhaled by Kirby will restore it as well.
Gliding however, is new and has some interesting properties. At face value, gliding is similar to floating: a special, single use second jump restored by the stage or edge. Gliding can be done by Pit, Metaknight, and Charizard, and has a few important mechanics:
-Gliding must be done at the end of a second jump, not the first.
-Gliding can only start at the end of the full jump animation, not cancel it.
-Only a special gliding attack can be done during a glide, which terminates the glide.
-If the character has no second jumps left, terminating a glide results in "General Stun".
That last bit is extremely important. These characters will always want to save their last (or more) second jump so they will be able to respond, especially with Up-B. (Doubly so for meta-knight, whose up-B ends with him in a SECOND glide.) Since Charizard only has 2 second jumps, that means he only has one reasonable gliding option if he wants to keep his excellent Up-B.
Finally, Pit's unique Up-B fits in. Using this move not only puts Pit in "General Stun" like most Up-B's, but it uses up all his second jumps, his glide, and itself so that no sort of jumps can be done even if the stun is removed. His up-B is restored just like the second jumps and glide, by touching the stage or an edge.
Next up is wall-jumping and wall-clinging. Characters that can wall jump have a wall jump for right and left, just like like they have a second jump: Once they use it, it is used up until touching the ground or an edge. However, wall jumps are also restored by using the opposite wall jump or waiting a short amount of time. This is what makes wall jumping back and forth possible, and is the mechanic that keeps players from "climbing" walls".
Wall clinging is related because one can wall jump out of a wall-cling but pushing away from the wall. However, characters can also do what I call a "wall cling jump" by simply pressing jump during the cling. This wall cling jump is vertical, and identical to the characters' usual second jumps as far as I can tell. In fact, doing a wall cling jump counts as using your second jump if you hadn't already! The difference is that you can wall cling jump even if you did already use up your usual second jump; you can jump back and forth between walls and wall cling jump endlessly.
...at least, you could, but wall clings after the second have what looks to be about have the duration of the last. It doesn't matter if you clung for the full duration of the last cling or not, the third seems to last about half as long as the first and second, and the fourth half that, ect. It eventually gets to the point where the cling is over almost instantly and is useless. Your wall cling duration is fully restored the moment you touch the stage or an edge, just like second jumps.
Here's where things start getting unusual.
A new addition to Brawl is Footstool Jumps. Every character has a unique number that can be done, just like they have a certain number of double jumps. I can't understand the method behind the madness, but it's different than you might thing: Jigglypuff can only do 2, while Bowser can do 5. Kirby can do 3, but Squirtle can also do 5. Most characters can do 4... I have not taken the time to list the number each character can do, but the idea is interesting. Each footstool jump boosts you half as high as the previous. It also doesn't matter if you jump on different characters or the same in succession, the same limited number applies. Finally, each footstool jump is about half the size of the previous one; usual the third, fourth or fifth jumps are pretty much useless.
Zamus's helpful Down-B also uses itself up like a second jump; whether or not you attack out of it, it cannot be done again even though it induces no stun of any sort.
What do Footstool jumps and Zamus's Down-B have in common? Besides being restored by touching the stage or an edge, they are also restored when the player is inhaled by Kirby. (And Kirby exclusively.) Kirby does not do this for typical second jumps, gliding, Pit's Up-B, ect.
Meanwhile, let's talk about the third party characters. Snake's Up-B disable itself and his second jump (if you haven't used it already) while not inducing any stun. Being attacked restores his Up-B (as does stage/edge), but other things that only knock characters out of stun like Kirby's inahle and grabs do not.
Sonic is in a very similar situation. Sonic's Up-B does not disable itself, nor his second jump, but puts him in a special stun I call "Sonic Stun" where he can only do standard aerials and dodges. Although this is not as bad as General Stun, it is harder to get out of: it is the same as restoring Snake's Up-B. Grabbing or inhaling Sonic will leave him in his jumpless tumbling state, while attacking him knocks him out of it.
(At this point I would like to clarify: Swallowing or Spitting out a character as Kirby or DeDeDe counts as an attack, I am only talking about inhaling them and letting them pop out of you.)
Diddy is another unique case. His Side-B disables itself just like Zamus's Down-B, and what's more confusing, doing the optional attack during his Side-B disables his Up-B! (Even though his Up-B does not disable itself, only causes General Stun!) Besides the typical stage/edge, Diddy gets his Side-B and Up-B both back by behing attacked or inhaled by Kirby.
Quick Summary of confusing points: Footstools and Zamus recover by being inhaled by Kirby, Sonic and Snake by being attacked, Diddy by either one.
Game and Watch's Up-B does not put him in stun, but simple disables itself. (Plus the nifty parachute...) Game and Watch gets his Up-B back when attacked, inhaled by Kirby, OR inhaled by DeDeDe. (Who did not cause the previous things to recover...) And of course, the typical stage/edge.
Next we have tether recoveries. 8 characters in the game have tether recoveries assigned to various commands and of varying lengths/angles. Each can tether exactly 3 times before the tether will no long work. Like jumps, these are restored by touching the stage, though obviously not the edge. However, unlike jumps, being inhaled by Kirby does restore them! (In other words, swallowing a tether spammer is not as clever as it might sound wth Kirby. DeDeDe though.......)
The only remaining thing is ROB's Up-B, which is the most difficult thing to restore. As the Dojo stages, you must stay on the stage for a combined ~1.5 seconds for it to fully restore. Edges, Kirby, grabs, nothing but the stage counts. While he is using his Up-B, ROB cannot use his second jump or any other B moves, just like "Sonic Stun"; however, any interference such as an attack or grab or even his own standard air attacks will let ROB do whatever he wants until he starts using Up-B again, just like General Stun.
That's everything in the game; I did not test to see if Wario's Bite and Bowser's Klaw restore anything, but I can't see any situation where they would grab with it and not proceed to attack. (Unlike Kirby and DeDeDe who can walk off the edge, and should if they catch Sonic or Snake out of their Up-Bs!)
Small random thoughts in conclusion:
-The Jigglypuff and Yoshi's Up-Bs do not use themselves up nor stun them. Yoshi should exploit this, Jigglypuff not so much.
-The same applies to Zamus! However, Olimar and Ivysaur are stunned by their tether Up-Bs...
-DK's B, Fox's Side-B, MetaKnight's B moves, Falco's Side-B, Ike's Side-B, Yoshi's Side B, Ganondorf's Side-B, Ice Climber's Side-B, Wolf's Side-B, Ness's B, Falcon's Side-B, and Lucas's B all induce General Stun after they complete in the air. Might have forgotten one or two, but I think that's it...
The most important thing to learn here is that Sonic and Snake can be easily gimped by grabbing or inhaling them after their Up-B and letting them break free, as well as knowing when Zamus, Diddy, and Game & Watch get their recovery options back. Although most of this information is far from new, I hope some find it useful being consolidated in one place.
