Berserker.
:^)
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- Jun 8, 2009
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How to use Monado buster (Or to be blunt, how to not waste buster art usage)
Credit goes to these guys for all helping in the making of this guide. Without them, you guys would have been slapped with the "soon" of despair
@Zatchiel
@S.F.L.R_9
@
Masonomace
@erico9001
@
Nammy12
They all shared their opinions on this and their research. Everything in this guide is a fused opinion of everyone involved in making this. I also forgot to ask SOME other people to help on this again so **** me for that one
I. The added pros and cons of buster
Alright, we all get what buster is capable of and its disadvantages. Let's have a recap at those advantages and disadvantages:
Pro : Increased damage output by 40%
For some perspective, this is how Shulk's damage in buster looks like
Move |
Buster
Jab Combo
Jab1 / Jab2 / Jab3 | 4.9 / 4.9 / 7.42
Jab3 sourspot | 5.88 Dash Attack
Dash Attack | 16.1 Tilts
Ftilt Blade | 18.9
Ftilt Beam | 16.8
Utilt Blade | 11.9
Utilt Beam | 10.5
Dtilt Blade | 13.3
Dtilt Beam | 10.5 Smashes
Fsmash 1st hit | 7.7
Fsmash 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 18.2 or 16.1
Usmash 1st hit / 2nd hit | 6.3 / 18.9
Dsmash Front Blades | 19.6 / 14 / 8.4
Dsmash Front Beams | 15.4 / 11.2 / 5.6
Dsmash Back Blades | 16.8 / 11.2
Dsmash Back Beams | 14 / 8.4 Aerials
Nair Blade | 10.5
Nair Beam | 11.9
Fair Blade | 10.5
Fair Beam | 9.1
Bair Blade | 17.5
Bair Beam | 11.9
Uair 1st hit | 7.7
Uair 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 14.7 or 11.2
Dair 1st Ground or 1st Air | 10.5 or 8.4
Dair 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 16.1 or 14.7 Back Slash Startup
\ Front Startup Initial sweetspot | 14
\ Front Startup Initial sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Startup Initial sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Startup Initial sourspot | 19.6
\ Front Startup Final sweetspot | 14
\ Front Startup Final sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Startup Final sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Startup Final sourspot | 19.6 Falling
\ Front Falling sweetspot | 14
\ Front Falling sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Falling sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Falling sourspot | 19.6 Landing
\ Front Landing sweetspot | 14
\ Front Landing sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Landing sweetspot | 21
\ Back Landing sourspot | 18.2 Air Slash
UpB Early 1st hit or Late 1st hit | 8.4 or 7
UpB 2nd hit | 7.7 Vision
DownB sweetspot | 14
DownB sourspot | 9.8
DownB Forwarded sweetspot | 18.2
DownB Forwarded sourspot | 14 Pummel & Throws
Pummel | 4.2
Fthrow | 4.2 / 11.2
Bthrow | 4.2 / 12.6
Uthrow | 4.2 / 5.6
Dthrow | 4.2 / 5.6 Floor Trip & Ledge Attacks
Front & Back Floor Attack | 9.8
Front & Back Trip Attack | 7
Ledge attack | 9.8Shulk's damage output becomes insane in buster. You have the potential to do the highest DPS. At mid %'s, you can perform combos that do 25/28% damage (N-air to f-tilt at mid %'s, N-air to jab at low %'s, N-air to f-smash at mid high %'s)
Buster's increased damage also applies to hits on shield. Anytime Shulk's Buster augmented attack moves hit someone's bubble shield, they deal more damage & shieldstun, making Buster attacks safe on shield most of the time. A less practical yet effective strategy you can do with Buster is breaking their shield, however only a few of Shulk's moves deal additional shield damage naturally such as Back Slash from the front or behind, & his Floor attack. Although with Buster, Shulk can use his F-smash & D-smash to dish out a lot of shield damage & shieldstun.
Con : Increased damage received by 13%
This disadvantage is basically a chunk of the reason why using buster can be unsafe. You take 13% more damage. For example, Mario's u-tilt deals 5.5% damage but on buster Shulk, it deals 6.215% damage. Dedede's f-air deals 12% damage but when used on Buster Shulk, it deals 13.56% damage. Greninja's d-smash deals 13% damage but on buster, it deals 14.69% damage. Basically, you take ~1-2% more damage. This is one of the reasons why there's a risk to using buster and especially when you try rushing down with it
For a math reference to how much damage you receive from being hit with Buster on, check the table below for example:
Base damage dealt | Fresh damage received
0 – 5.3% | 0 - 0.98845%%
5.4% – 10% | 1.0071 – 1.865%
11 – 16% | 2.0515 – 2.984%
17 – 21% | 3.1705 – 3.9165%
22 – 26% | 4.103 – 4.849%
27 – 32% | 5.0355 – 5.968%
33 – 37% | 6.1545 – 6.9005%
38%+ | 7.087%+
Basically, any single attack that deals less than 5% shouldn't be worried about, because it won't even be 1% extra damage you take. On the other hand, being hit by a stronger attack would mean you taking more damage from it, which may possibly be the deciding factor of losing your stock, or barely holding on. It's important to remember that Buster artificially reduces your weight, so the extra few damage you receive from an attack may KO you if the move is strong enough.
Pro/Con : Decreased knockback
Buster significantly decreases the knockback on all of your moves. In one way, this is great because you can perform easier follow ups and combos last longer (Refer to the combo thread and look how long the combos can last). However, decreased knockback also affects the hitsun applied. Some attacks become unsafe on hit at lower percentages so think before hitting with an aerial most notably due to the landing lag
II. How to use your moves in buster art (Numbers on safety will be updated)
The damage increase and knockback decrease has an incredible effect on your moves. It's not just the damage output that is affected. Your safety on shield is significantly increased. Also, the push back on shield is a lot more noticeable. Take advantage of your immense range and added safety, and you'll be able to avoid taking damage while dealing a good amount out the same time. Anyway....
Jab
-11 on block (Unsafe) ~1st hit
-18 on block (Unsafe) ~2nd hit
- 22 on block (Unsafe) ~3rd hit
Basically, this is purely known for damage racking. It's also technically your safest punish option even if its range is pretty short in general. When I meant punish, it really depends on how far you are from the opponent. If you're quite far, f-smash probably works better. Deals 17.22% damage if all hits connect. Although Shulk's jab combo does not fully connect on the floatier characters in the game, you still should use it. There needs to be a delay though in between the jabs. You can continue to connect all hits or try to simply connect jabs 1 and 2 for some mix ups. Against shorter characters though, jab will probably miss so be wary of that. Since jab is your quickest attack (Frame 5), this is one of your only option against close range pressure
Dash attack
-24 on block (Unsafe)
Dash attack is best used for punishing missed techs off of Shulk's aerials or throws. It's also usable for punishing landings, but you're likely to profit more from punishing with Shulk's grab instead (unless we're talking about the shorter characters in the game.)
F-tilt
-18 on block (Safe)
Becomes ridiculously safe on shield thanks to the extra shield pushback. It also deals an insane amount of damage in just one hit (~18% base, 16% tip). This is your main damage racking tilt and also serves as your spacing tool due to its long range. Comparing f-tit's range with d-tilt, f-tilt reaches farther against characters with more of a leaning hurtbox (ie. Bowser). Also, pivot f-tilt in Buster is useful for when foes are nearing your zone. You can also hit foes with pivot f-tilt even when you're facing away from them. If you're close to your opponent and you land a backward facing f-tilt while sliding a bit, you'll still hit the opponent for sweetspotted damage. You can take advantage of this when you're punishing rolls or spot dodges. Pivot f-tilt is also effective against aerial approaches if it's well spaced
U-tilt
-16 on block (Unsafe)
Very solid anti-air since it covers so much of Shulk's upper area . This also string very well into another u-tilt in buster art. Although not guaranteed, you can follow up u-tilt from u-throw. Additionally, depending on the opponent's %, you can follow up with air slash from from U-tilt. In stages with platforms, you can harass players who are on platforms by using u-tilt. U-tilt can also be used to set up for a lot of attacks. If they try to attack you against from getting hit, you can use u-tilt again or pivot f-tilt or f-smash or jab if they seem too close. If they air dodge, you can punish the landing with anything. If they jump away, you can chase them with f-air's range but it's also an option to just chase their landing
D-tilt
-9 on block (Safe)
Shulk's other valuable ground spacing tool. Fairly fast, deals fair amount of damage, and has surprisingly long range. It's safe when tipped or hit at the blade part (not at close range). Also, this is your main option against short characters that usually avoid jab because of their small hurtbox. Get used to the range and learn how to space d-tilt. Think of this as a quicker spacing option than f-tilt. D-tilt's range compared to f-tilt is dependent on the opponent's hurtbox. D-tilt generally has longer range than f-tilt against characters that have a skinnier hurtbox shape. Since d-tilt comes out at frame 10 and its range is comparable to f-tilt, you can use it to stop ground approaches
F-smash
-43 on block (Unsafe)
The one move you will be fishing to land along with b-air and f-tilt. It deals 25% damage. The problem with f-smash is the ending lag is easy to punish. Use f-smash only when pivoting, as an anti-air against SH approaches, or when punishing. Pivoting with f-smash is one of the easier ways to land it. Only use pivot f-smash like f-tilt when foes are already nearing your zone. As for anti-air purposes, aim f-smash upwards to catch some foes off-guard. However, punishing is really the safest way of utilizing f-smash. Pivot f-smash is a great way to get the opponent out of your space.
U-smash/D-smash
-24 on block (Unsafe) ~U-smash
-29 on block (Unsafe) ~D-smash
Both attacks (Because of buster's enhanced damage capabilities) are capable of breaking shields, more notably for D-smash since it is very lethal when the opponent is cornered because of it being a multi-hitting smash attack that deals a ton of shield damage when all hits connect. Otherwise, the utility for both smashes are still the same (with only better shield breaking properties.)
N-air
-1 on block (Safe)
Deals 9% damage on base hit and 11% when tipped. If FF'd, hitting the base of the Monado with N-air is safe. Tipping with n-air will net more shield damage and shield push back. Don't land the base of the monado with this. It's unsafe, and you'll get shield grabbed unless you fast fall with it. Learn to tip with n-air. In addition, Shulk's n-air can easily combo into jab, d-tilt, f-tilt, grab/dash grab, or f-smash at certain %'s for nice damage. Anyway, spacing with n-air will be the key to maximizing its utility in buster, because it's safe when tipped on shield. You can use n-air for approaching (try to tip) or running away. N-air is usually used over f-air for approaches and when the opponent is already slightly inside Shulk's zone. If the opponent is too close, it may call for faster attacks.
F-air
-7 on block (Safe if well-timed and well-spaced)
This is your main tool for defensive spacing. You won't be using it a lot for offensive pressure. Tipping or landing the middle portion of the Monado is the best way of making f-air safe as possible. You'll be using f-air basically for footsies, running away, and walling out opponents. Although f-air deals a good amount of damage (10% base hit, 8% tip), it's not primarily used for damaging since you can't get much follow ups from f-air. F-air is your primary tool of keeping your opponent out of your zone. Also, it is great for playing at mid-range against your opponent due to the amount of area it covers in front. F-air works great out of practically all of our throws, and can lead into itself or n-air for lengthened follow-up potential. It's great out of d-tilt, u-tilt, or n-air. It does really good damage for its speed. The range of it makes it great to challenge other attacks.
B-air
-7 on block (Safe)
AMAZING. Although it has a slow start up, you'll still be using this move a lot. Very godlike for poking the opponent due to its insane horizontal reach and damage whether it's tipped or not. Base hit deals 16% damage while tipper deals 11% damage. Easily eats shields and pushes back on sweet spot and possibly on sour spot. Both hitboxes are safe on shield. You should also look to land a hit with b-air which can be done by RAR'ing with b-air or crossing up opponents with b-air. The only problem with b-air is that as mentioned, it has a slow start up so if you're too predictable, you'll get power shielded. SH'ing b-air can allow you to punish rolls thanks to its range and surprisingly, its start up
U-air/D-air
-6 on block (Unsafe) ~U-air
-11 on block (Unsafe) ~D-air
There really isn't much to say about u-air or d-air while you're in buster art. U-air is a somewhat decent anti air. D-air can be followed up after buster f-air for a psuedo Ken combo. Other than those uses listed, you're not going to use u-air or d-air that much. They're both situational
Back slash
-28 on block (Unsafe) ~Front hit
-33 on block (Unsafe) ~Back hit
Still quite useless. Just quite because you can potentially follow up back slash from b-throw at certain percentages but it isn't guaranteed.
Air slash
Utility remains the same but it's best used when the opponent is at mid percentages. At low percentages, it's unsafe. Even if you get both hits on the opponent, the hitsun and knockback won't be enough so the opponent has enough time to punish you while you're helpless
Vision
At lower %'s, DO NOT USE THIS. You will get punished if you use normal vision. Use forward vision at lower percents instead of normal vision, since the latter is punishable." I also wouldn't suggest doing it under pressure, but to use it "wisely." You die earlier in Buster so if someone charges a smash attack and you counter on instinct you're either dead or taking a ****load of damage. Just try not to use it unless you have a read and always use forward vision if you use the counter while grounded. Use this when you're feeling too much pressure
Pivot grab
Learn to use pivot grab in the similar way you use pivot f-tilt and pivot f-smash
Pummel
Do not ignore pummel in buster. Deals 4% damage. At below 40%, use your pummels much more sparingly if you're going to use them at all, because the opponent is likely to break out of grab within that range. It depends on your opponent but free damage is free damage and shouldn't be neglected.
F-throw
Deals less damage than b-throw. You usually use this over b-throw when Shulk is facing a direction where it's off-stage. Otherwise, you should use b-throw more often since it deals more damage. Throws do become stale, so be aware of that if you are doing many throws. You may want to alternate between F-throw and B-throw
B-throw
Your highest damaging throw. Deals 17% damage. The only problem with b-throw is that the potential for following up actually pales in comparison to some of his other throws. You can potentially get back slash off from b-throw at a certain percent and if the opponent doesn't tech the knockdown
U-throw
If the opponent is smart, they will respect the hell out of up throw -> up tilt. If they airdodge, they can get punished heavily on the ground by just about anything. If they jump, chances are they are now almost completely helpless above you because they have to respect the range of your aerials too. Only exception would be characters with multiple midair jumps, which you'll have to respect yourself by being patient. At low-mid percents up throw -> forward Vision isn't bad if they end up too close to you for you to "safely" follow up with u-tilt and you predict aggression from them (normally in the form of a falling n-air, normally not if they don't have an aerial with sex kick properties).
D-throw
At certain percentages, you can combo f-air off of d-throw. At lower percentages, you can catch them with d-tilt, f-tilt and air slash. At mid percents, if they jump away you can follow up with aerial pressure, whereas if they don't then you could have a tech chase opportunity. Basically, this is your best throw option for follow ups or potential follow ups
III. When to use what
Jab vs shield grab
I'd say they go hand in hand, but I use jab a lot more than a direct out of shield grab.
If they airdodge up throw anywhere between 0 and (probably about) 80, you can jab them immediately afterward. If they go for something aggressive you can get a counter out (although that might be at percents a little later than 0, I can't tell), while if they just try to jump away from the up tilt threat then you can chase them with aerials.
Whereas you have jab, of course, leading into grab (any variation, not just shield grab) as a fair mix-up.
I feel like I get jab out of shield punishments more often than I get shield grab punishes, so naturally I would say our out of shield jab is better than out of shield grabbing. But I don't want that to discredit how convenient our shield grabs can be. We have to drop our shields to get out jab, which does take a while, it might not always be the most punctual method of punishment.
Both have their merits but conclusively I feel jab punishes are usually going to be more... opportune than shield grabs, especially with that little bit of added shield pushback we take in Buster. That could make the difference between landing the grab and delivering a punish, or whiffing just barely and taking punishment.
Shield+grab is a great punishing tool for opposing jabs on our bubble shield, or is generally a good tool for punishing someone's landing when you're aggressively positioning yourself while dash-cancel-shielding with your shield DI held toward the oncoming hit to help reduce any shield push-back effect. Other ways shield+grab is a good tool to use is for when characters extend their hurt-box while doing a move that would help you be in range to shield, such as the simple jab, however when we perfect shield & grab, the effectiveness of shield+grab becomes much greater (An example involving one Shulk F-smashing, & in mid-moment of the F-smash's startup, the opposing Shulk who's dashing will cancel his dash by shielding will perfect shield the 1st hit of F-smash, & can act out of shield immediately with grabbing the other Shulk because of his arms reaching out further).
Meanwhile Jab as an entire tool is better used for when you know shield+grab is not in range, & believe me Shulk's stationary grab range is poor. Remembering that Horizontal testing I did with Shulk's move-set I realized Jab-1 is more range than standing grab, & doing the Jab-1 with spacing inputs such as Perfect pivoting also helps your positioning as well. Most of the time people cannot DI out of our full Jab combo unless they're a very light & or floaty character such as these fests:
but anyway, Jab is definitely one of our fastest frame moves, & a full Jab combo dealing 17.22 damage (Training mode value), at some or most times it gets the job done, yet I don't feel too comfortable using Buster's Jab at very early % in case the knockback isn't high enough for Buster Shulk to go unpunished.
F-tilt vs D-tilt
F-tilt is a multi-purposeful tilt capable of several objectives: spacing, landing cross-up / combo finisher, & stage control. Not only is a Buster F-tilt very safe on shield, the shield-stun it deals decreases their stage control, meanwhile you profit from bullying their shield pushing them closer towards either ledge area. This puts Buster Shulk in a better & more favorable situation. Although both tilts are good in Neutral, F-tilt is a bulky option even when pivoted. For a quick educational yet trivial fact about F-tilt is it can be performed while holding an item; just hold down on your analog stick to be crouching, & then flick the C-stick / R-stick in the direction Shulk's facing. D-tilt cannot do this, but it's not missing out on that much.
D-tilt much like F-tilt can be a combo finisher or even as a landing coverage tilt after N-air, especially if you're super-spacing yourself. Buster D-tilt's primary function however is more for comboing at an early % than being a combo finisher. Semi-approaching / spacing with D-tilt as your landing option to zone their grounded approach after a SH > N-air is recommended over F-tilt unless you Perfect Pivot your F-tilt to be surprising & still relatively safe on shield, but D-tilt hitting with the Beam area is about as safe. Remember that F-tilt spaced still deals more damage than D-tilt even if you sweetspot it, so stick with using the longer range & keep them out.
Some spoiler goodies to know who gets hit by F-tilt or D-tilt when standing or sometimes crouching. However, this is not accounting for hitting someone's shield before the other, as we know both can hit the opponent's shield, & it gets better if the character was large, making his bubble shield large & easy to poke.
's hand
's hand
's claw / hand
's nose
's Luma
's lips
's lips
/ 's hand holding the Bronze Sword
's nose
's claw / hand / chin?
's arms / robot hands (When he crouches, F-tilt will hit before D-tilt does at max range, so pivoting F-tilt is another good option for spacing out ROB at mid-close range. Although when he crouches, both tilts are close to hitting around the same range.)
's hand (If he ever crouches, D-tilt will be closer to hitting him than F-tilt.)
's feet / dress
's feet / dress
's clown car propeller (including all the koopalings)
's feet
's feet
's feet
's feet
's feet / dress
's feet
's feet
's feet (It's very close between his feet & the shield / hand)
's feet
's feet
's feet
's feet (Both D-tilt & F-tilt at max range don't get hit by her counter)
's feet (Both D-tilt & F-tilt at max range don't get hit by Marth's counter)
's feet (D-tilt at max range gets hit by Ike's counter however, while F-tilt doesn't get hit by the counter)
's feet (Honorable Mention for almost avoiding our entire F-tilt while crouching)
's feet (It's very close between D-tilt & F-tilt. Also his crouch is easier to hit with F-tilt than normally D-tilt)
's feet
's feet
's feet
's feet (very close to hitting Pikachu's face with F-tilt)
's feet (When using D-tilt or F-tilt against his Double Team counter, it's advised to use D-tilt between the two tilts for the regular DT attack, as F-tilt is required to be too close to Lucario to proc his counter frames, not to mention that F-tilt's ending lag makes D-tilt the better choice.
DISCLAIMER: If you're generally close to Lucario while proc'ing his Double Team with either F-tilt or D-tilt, you're still going to get punished. Keep your tilts spaced if you want to punish Lucario's regular Double Team counterattack.
AWESOME NEWS: So Lucario can reverse the direction of his Double Team by holding the analog stick in the opposite direction he's facing, & this version of Double Team comes from behind Lucario's starting position, so it's easier to punish with strict timing on your part. . .so easy that you can act out of D-tilt asap with a Forwarded Vision counter to counter his counter. You MUST be spaced far apart however.
As Lucario is the CPU 2nd spawn in Training mode, on the right side, doing a D-tilt to proc his Double Team, he reverses it to slide right to left, Shulk uses Vision as soon as possible & Forward it to punish Lucario without DI dying at 94% after being dealt 16% from Lucario's Aura boosted Reverse Double Team.
At max D-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's regular Double Team slide attack reappearing nearby you, you draw back your Monado & back away enough to perfectly avoid Lucario's slide counterattack.
At max F-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's regular Double Team slide attack, you get hit no matter if you try shielding or Vision countering. At least Buster F-tilt on Lucario's Double Team Counter isn't a huge mistake like it is hitting most of the other Counters, as his Counter scales by his own Aura.
At max F-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's full length Reverse Double Team in favor for Shulk, your F-tilt is still countered. The result of Lucario facing away Double Teamin countering a F-tilt from behind him goes without saying what will happen to Shulk.
When Smash Shulk Forward Vision counters Lucario's Reverse Double Team on either side's spawn in Training Mode, he KO's Lucario at 80% without DI. The only issue with this is that Shulk is hitting with the hit-box behind him during the Forwarded Vision, launching Lucario in the opposite direction, in which Lucario might survive if he DIs.
Note: you can't beat Lucario's DT slide attack with D-smash. Don't even try it.
Note: If Lucario Reverses his Double Team facing away from you & you D-tilt him at close range, you can hold the shield button to perfect shield his Reversed slide attack & can F-smash punish him as your perfect shield drops. Any farther away from Lucario's back, & you'll be punished, so the key to punishing Lucario's back-facing Reverse Double Team is to be as close to him as you can generally.)
's feet (She can partially avoid our F-tilt. Stay spaced away for F-tilt to hit her if she ever crouches you. I advise pivoting F-tilt so that the tipper portion area of F-tilt. It's too bad she avoids the Vanilla 13% / Buster 18% though. If you prefer a tilt on the ground for her, I say go for D-tilt more, but pivoted F-tilt works too. Whatever you prefer.)
's webbed hand / feet
's feet (Close to hitting his hand with F-tilt though. You could choose between either tilt. And when he crouches which you won't see often, either tilt can hit him.)
's boot (Very close to hitting his thigh with F-tilt though. You could choose either or.)
/ 's feet (F-tilt kinda comes close to hitting her / his face.)
's feet (Comes very close to hitting his glash helmet. I swear though, D-tilt hits Olimar from a faraway distance it seems like. . . probably just me.)
/ 's feet (She can partially avoid the F-tilt, like Jigglypuff. We won't be getting the Vanilla 13% or Buster 18% while she's crouching, but she can be hit if she stays crouching long enough to be doing push-ups [this will likely never happen in a real match])
's feet (Another close tie between D-tilt & F-tilt. D-tilt beats F-tilt stationary-wise, but pivoted F-tilt is more mobile than D-tilt. Take your pick.)
's feet
's feet
's feet (F-tilt comes close to hitting his smile.)
's feet (When he crouches, he can actually avoid F-tilt at a very close range [lol], but worry not for we can still deal the Vanilla 13% / Buster 18% to him if you wanted to.)
's feet
F-air vs N-air
N-air is more interesting that we give it credit. When you use a N-air while Full Hopping in stationary position, it looks like a large circular hit-box right? Yet if you influence the N-air with any air drifting to the left or right, Fast Falling, rising with it from buffering it with a SH / FH, it alters the hit-box slightly, or by a lot depending on the air speed & movement speed you move with N-air (*cough* Speed).
This is especially true for when you SH > N-air, but can't hit with the backwards hit near the end (not the start-up hit from behind), but you can FH > N-air & FF it to allow that same backwards hit to connect while it's landing. Basically N-air is influenced more with our positioning & movement by a larger margin that F-air, including the usage of Monado Arts affecting our movement / positioning.
Meanwhile F-air is best influenced by FF'ing it, because of F-air's entire attack animation being deceptively smaller than it appears. F-air doesn't have an active hit-box from behind, although its hit-box finishes around the time the Monado is swung to be parallel with Shulk's left foot. Where the hit-boxes start being active are also required to be taken into account for their usages. F-air's active hit-box starts appearing to hit around the 80º angle above Shulk, while N-air's active hit-box appears to be hitting behind Shulk somewhere close to a 150º angle (30º angle if facing away from you). F-air starting from high to low pertains that we should use F-air more to stuff aerial approaches & ride the momentum from it, while N-air is more of a follow-up move that covers more directions in Neutral, so it punishes general movements like rolling or spot-dodge.
SH > F-air at a very close distance (10.5%) pushes Mario's shield back 1.5 tiles from his original tile position. Meanwhile SH > F-air within max range (8.4%) pushes Mario's shield back an estimated 1.20 tile blocks from the original position.
SH > N-air at a very close distance (9.8%) pushes Mario's shield back an estimated 1.4 tile blocks from his original tile position. Meanwhile SH > N-air within max range (11.2%) pushes Mario's shield back 1.7 tiles.
It's all well & good to know that N-air fully spaced hit on shield does better than F-air fully spaced, but I didn't remind about F-air having more range in front of Shulk than N-air does (For the range comparison, think of tiles as the hit-box range capable of hitting a bubble shield. At maximum frontal range, F-air reaches 3 tiles, while N-air at max range reaches 2 tiles), so the shield-push-back effect from augmenting Buster equals out between the aerials. I say take your pick, although F-air does better at naturally spacing the opponent in front of you.
B-air vs F-air
B-air is best when you have territorial advantage over your opponent (when they are closer to the ledge than you are) because by itself it covers any distance between the ledge and as far as they can roll in. Buster makes it a lot safer on shield. You can also use turnaround f-tilt or turnaround jab to stuff ground approaches. RAR b-air is ****ing great, to add. F-air is faster and less laggy so you'll be able to follow it up more efficiently.
If you get a b-air at midpercents range, you'll have a tech chase situation. Big damage if you punish a missed tech with dash attack. Then, you can continue to follow up with aerials if they jump afterwards, and a grab if they airdodge. I've even been able to get b-air -> sweetspot f-smash on a missed tech. F-air will give you the same tech chase at later percents, which is good to keep in mind.
B-air is better for defensive more than offensive unless you're tangoing with your opponent near the ledge. F-air is great for either and is a lot less punishable if you whiff. Something interesting to remember when you're dealing with an opponent at the ledge: B-air beats every option essentially. If they roll in they take the blade, every other option leaves them prone at some point to the beam. It can even stuff projectiles like Villager's slingshot. Having said that, it's easier to bait more defensive responses (like normal ledge get-up -> shield/dodge, most usually) by short hopping with our backs to the ledge. Out of shield they might go for grab if you land within range of that, other than that I don't know of any characters that have very safe options from that position. Oh, and if you whiff, you'll usually have enough time to get a counter up before they can attack you. Even with a measly jab attempt from them forward vision in Buster will reward you decently.
B-air is actually good even when they're up close. Immediately use it from jump, and cross up the opponent for insane amounts of damage in buster. I'd use n-air, but at earlier percentages crossing up n-air is safe on hit. I'd use n-air but at earlier percentages but using it for crossing up would be unsafe on hit at earlier percentages. Unlike f-air which is restricted to mid-range, B-air can be used from long range or short range depending on the situation. Like f-air, you should use it while retreating. F-air is better at swatting while running away. B-air is better probably if you're swatting while rushing down the opponent due to its range having a chance of reaching the opponent even while he's using a projectile.
B-throw vs F-throw
F-throw vs B-throw is important to discuss, because B-throw may get overused for being Shulk's overall strongest throw. B-throw deals the highest damage & knockback, & it sends them backwards with their back toward us; this follows up nicely with Back Slash while limiting their options since they're not facing us (unless they had an aerial that can turn their direction i.e. Marth's B-air).
More damage -- In Training Mode, B-throw deals 16.8%, but in an actual match it'll deal 17.64% fresh, while F-throw deals 15.4% damage in Training mode (deals 16% if used for the first time in a real match & deals only 14-ish% the 2nd time thus staling it).
It depends on where Buster Shulk is at currently on-stage when we get a grab opportunity because it may affect the decision between using F-throw & B-throw. Granted, they're both stage-controlling throws of mainly getting your opponent off-stage, however F-throw doesn't have the KO power than B-throw possesses which B-throw iirc deals the most knockback out of his 4 throws, however F-throw doesn't have the knockback that B-throw possesses which B-throw iirc deals the second most knockback out of his 4 throws. For the throws & not just for Buster mode because we usually attempt at Smash mode to seal the stock if Buster dealt so much damage to gain that lead, so in that regard, keeping B-throw fresh could really help our grab-punish game stay threatening in case D-throw is used more often with Buster or not.
In almost every situation, B-throw beats f-throw in utility. Almost. The most obvious exception that anyone can think of is throwing them offstage. From the ledge (the one where they won't go off), F-throw seems to lead into tech chases if their DI is evidence of them expecting b-throw. D-throw can do the same thing a little better because of the angle (you can catch them airdodging or jumping away after you've committed to a dash follow-up), but f-throw does consistently better damage and ensures the same results if you read their decision with favorable accuracy. B-throw shouldn't be stale unless you're spamming grabs (and the throw itself). Under the extremely wild coincidence that you are, you can use fresh f-throw for slightly more damage than you'd get from a stale b-throw.
IV. Buster attacks on hit
(Coming soon....)
V. Shulk's zone
Alright, here's where it gets interesting. Spacing with buster is a big MUST. Learning how to play mid-range and maintaining a balance between defense and offense is essential when using this art. Also, learning which move to use and understanding the range of Shulk's attacks is also important in this art.
Keep in mind that you have better follow up potential off of your attacks (mainly tilts and aerials) when you're hitting with the blade, while you have safer spacing when you're hitting with the beam. So it's most effective to wear down your opponent's patience with your spacing, waiting for them to make a mistake, then punishing them immensely off of an aerial, tilt, jab or grab.
The opponent should be shielding a lot against you in Buster since the possible damage taken from a punish of just one or two hits is pretty goddamn intimidating. Still be wary of shields though, your opponent can and may adapt to your spacing and that can result in them powershielding in response. So stay aware of that too.
At projectile range (Self-explanatory)
Two things to note:
If they're using projectiles, you should think twice about using buster. You're better off starting with speed since it's much better for getting into the opponent's zone. Try to gain the advantage by landing a pivot grab or a pivot f-tilt or n-air then you can either stay in speed and take advantage of the mobility OR immediately switch to buster when you gain the advantageous position.
Moves to use:
> Speed art against projectiles
> Run or walk or wait
At mid range
This is the zone you want to be at the most because even without buster, Shulk's playstyle is mostly to maintain a zone between you and your opponent. This means taking advantage of your enormous disjoint to keep away your opponent. In buster though, his mid-range playstyle is further amplified by the increased damage and the increased safety on shield. Although the decreased knockback may be a disadvantage, it's actually also an advantage in a sense that they still stay within you range so you can still pressure your opponent's damage meter or shield with buster attacks
Despite what this suggests, maintaining your zone is one of your main objectives to actually close in. Your main options for poking are b-air and f-air. For defensive purposes, b-air, f-air, f-tilt and d-tilt are your options. HOWEVER, the only way you can maximize the usage of buster is actually by closing into close range, and to do that, you need to smoothly transition from mid-range. You can convert a hit confirm from n-air or d-tilt into an opportunity to go all in.
Moves to use (Arranged by range):
> B-air
> F-air
> N-air
> F-tilt/D-tilt
At close range (Disadvantage)
This is the zone and situation you want to avoid at all costs. Shulk's main problem is that his start up and ending lag is bad on most of his moves. This is the reason why it's not recommended to rush down with Shulk unless you're converting that rushdown from a hit confirm. At this point, you'll need to find ways on how to escape being at a disadvantage.
The problem with buster art is that once they're in, it will be difficult toknock them off. You get the logic now? Buster reduces knockback. You need to keep your opponents off once they're in. This is why it's imperative to maintain your range. You have some ways on how to go against close range pressure. Jab is your go-to option since it's Shulk's fastest attack. Comes out at frame 5 and when all hits connect it deals 17% damage. Shield grabbing and pivot grabbing are valuable for Shulk's disadvantaged state. Once you land a grab and get a throw off, you might be able to instantly transition into an advantageous state. Other than grabs, pivot f-tilt and pivot f-smash are for creating space and racking up damage since both attacks deal enormous amount of damage
Lastly, you should take note that you have vision to help you get out of situations but make sure you don't use normal vision because it's unsafe at lower percentages. Forward vision is safe and it also deals more damage than normal vision
Moves to use:
> Jab
> Shield grab
> Pivot grab
> Pivot f-tilt
> Pivot f-smash
> Vision (Forward)
At close range (Advantage)
The moment you've been waiting for. That time when you feel like you can go all-out and nuts with buster. The moment to close in is usually really optimal once you gain momentum by landing a hard hitting attack (f-smash), closing in (n-air), landing a grab or by knocking down the opponent. All your moves find use here. If you've racked up enough damage to mid percentages, you can chalk up insane amount of damage with buster combos such as n-air to f-smash/f-tilt. At early percentages, you have d-throw to jab against DK and Bowser, d-throw to d-tilt and d-throw to air slash. If you get them cornered, use d-smash or pivot f-tilt to punish rolls or spot dodges.
Once you get them off the edge, you have 3 options: Jump/Speed, Buster, or Smash. Jump/Speed is the way to go if you want to go for the gimp. Smash is only relevant when the percentage of the opponent is at KO range. Buster is actually an option because of the minimal knockback and the amount of f-airs you can string because of it. Basically, you're racking up damage while edgeguarding. Although, you're not really edgeguarding as well due to the lack of knockback, you're racking up damage while you're at it
In buster, you have combos from low to really high percentages such as....
Buster FF n-air (base hit) into buster f-tilt for 25/28% damage (http://webmshare.com/yQ3db)
Mario (49-103%)
Dr. Mario (49-103%)
Luigi (48-99%)
Peach (44-70%)
Bowser (58-119%)
Yoshi (49-104%)
Rosalina (42-75%)
Bowser Jr (48-103%)
Wario (49-110%)
Game and Watch (40-73%)
Donkey Kong (56-109%)
Diddy Kong (47-83%)
Link (52-90%)
Zelda (44-73%)
Sheik (40-94%)
Ganondorf (55-101%)
Toon Link (43-81%)
Samus (56-74%)
Zero Suit Samus (44-87%)
Pit (49-87%)
Dark Pit (49-87%)
Palutena (48-83%)
Marth (47-90%)
Lucina (47-90%)
Robin (46-96%)
Ike (50-102%)
Kirby (45-65%)
Dedede (60-106%)
Meta Knight (39-89%)
Little Mac (45-76%)
Fox (39-98%)
Falco (40-95%)
Pikachu (39-83%)
Charizard (52-97%)
Lucario (50-93%)
Jigglypuff (37-56%)
Greninja (43-90%)
Duck Hunt (42-93%)
ROB (52-95%)
Ness (47-81%)
Captain Falcon (46-105%)
Villager (48-82%)
Olimar (42-80%)
WFT (47-90%)
Shulk (51-92%)
Pacman (48-88%)
Mega Man (48-103%)
Sonic (48-90%)
FF Buster N-air to Buster F-smash for 33/35% damage (Aim upward) (http://webmshare.com/zVoVP)
Mario (60-104%)
Dr. Mario (60-104%)
Luigi (59-96%)
Peach (58-79%)
Bowser (65-135%)
Yoshi (63-115%)
Rosalina (Impossible because reasons)
Bowser Jr (58-130%)
Wario (58-120%)
Mr. Game and Watch (56-91%)
Donkey Kong (65-130%)
Diddy Kong (57-116%)
Link (63-124%)
Zelda (56-98%)
Sheik (51-117%)
Ganondorf (60-126%)
Toon Link (60-96%)
Samus (65-98%)
ZSS (55-109%)
Pit (59-98%)
Dark Pit (59-98%)
Palutena (57-79%)
Marth (58-87%)
Lucina (58-87%)
Ike (65-128%)
Robin (58-116%)
Kirby (53-95%)
Dedede (66-139%)
Meta Knight (54-111%)
Little Mac (55-114%)
Fox (50-115%)
Falco (51-104%)
Pikachu (55-108%) ~ Aim forward at 55%, above that you can aim upward
Charizard (66-113%)
Lucario (60-117%)
Jigglypuff (Impossible because it's Jigglypuff)
Greninja (55-115%)
Duck Hunt (56-98%)
ROB (63-126%)
Ness (60-101%)
Captain Falcon (63-138%)
Villager (61-106%)
Olimar (55-99%)
WFT (61-95%)
Shulk (61-110%)
Pacman (60-85%)
Mega Man (63-125%)
Sonic (61-108%)
Buster locking (Credit to @
Masonomace
)
Mario (21% - 33%)
Luigi ( 20 % -22%) - No idea why that specific range only...
Bowser (Works from 16-28%)
Bowser Jr. (13% -19%)
Wario (13% -23%)
Donkey Kong (Works from 16-32%)
Diddy Kong (Works from 13-27%)
Sheik (Works from 12-22%)
ZSS (Works from 11-30%)
Pit (Works from 13-18%)
Palutena (13% -15%) - Again with specific ranges…
King Dedede (Works from 15-31%)
Fox (Works from 11-29%) \
Falco (Works from 11-26%) - These 3 are candidates for earliest chance to do this combo.
Pikachu (Works from 11-27%) /
Charizard (15%-24%) - 25% works, but it’s really inconsistent, so I kept it separated from the group.
Greninja (Works from 13-34%) - Really weird gravity works to our edge here.
ROB (Works from 14-32%)
Captain Falcon (Works from 14-22%)
Wii Fit Trainer (14%) - No you’re not seeing things. It only works at 14%…. So in light of this, I thought I should list something that can nail at least 24 -25% against her / him.
Dr.Mario (21% - 33%) - Same as Mario (They really are the same person…)
Dark Pit (Works from 13-18%)
MegaMan (14% -20%) - Timing’s tight at 20%
D-throw to jab combo (27% damage)
Bowser (0-23%)
Donkey Kong (0-13%)
Buster D-throw -> Air Slash (24.5%–25.2% damage) or (17.5%-18.2% damage if the second hit of air slash misses)
Mario 0-12% (gap) 28-35%
Luigi 0-4% (gap) 20-21%
Bowser - Left: 0-40% (41% first hit of air slash only) - Right: 0-42%
Yoshi 0-32%
Rosaluma 0-1% (Must be the first strike of the battle)
Bowser Jr. 0-35%
Wario - Left: 0-28% - Right: 0-29%
Donkey Kong 0-53%
Diddy Kong 5-34%
Game & Watch 0-14%
Little Mac 0-17%
Link 0-11%
Zelda 0-1% (Must be the first strike of the battle)
Sheik 4-24%
Ganondorf 6-22%
Toon Link 0-12%
Samus 0-25%
ZSS 4-31%
Pit 0-23%
Paulutena 0-16%
Marth 0-11%
Ike 0-22%
Robin 0-13%
Duck Hunt 0-11%
Kirby 0-8% (only the first hit of air slash, but it looks safe as long as you don't go for the second hit of air slash)
DDD 0-37%
Meta Knight 0-13%
Fox 4-30%
Falco 4-31%
Pikachu - Left: 0-40% (41-44% first hit of air slash) - Right: 0-41% (42-44% first hit of air slash)
Charizard 0-32%
Lucario 0-13%
Jigglypuff - Does not work at all
Greninja 5-34%
ROB - Left: 0-29% - Right: 0-32%
Ness 0-1% (must be your first strike of the battle)
C. Falcon 6-25%
Villager 0-5%
Olimar 0-20%
Wii Fit Trainer 0-19%
Shulk 0-18%
Jump Shulk 4-17%
Buster Shulk 0-17%
Shield Shulk 46-85% (first hit of air slash only)
Smash Shulk - Does not work at all
Doctor Mario 0-13% (gap) 28-35%
Dark Pit 0-23%
Lucina 0-11%
Pac-Man 0-7%
Mega Man 6-31%
Sonic 0-11%
Buster d-throw to f-smash (~34% damage)
: 0-18%
: 7-42%
: 0-30%
: 0-1% (first hit of match) Sometimes at 1% only the first hit of fsmash connects, but that seems to be a rare occurrence.
: 9-47%
: 0-13%
: 0-26%
: 0-24% (may work later depending on how Tink DIs)
: 0-27%
: 8-34%
: 22-33%
: 0-33%
: 22-34%
: 15-33%
: 0-29%
: 12-39%
: 9-35%
: 9-37%
: 0-34%
: 0-39% (Villager can airdodge at 25-39ish% but you can punish the landing lag very easily)
: 0-31%
: 0-34%
Shield 90-105ish%
: 0-34%
: 16-34%
Buster d-throw to f-tilt (~28% or ~25%)
Due to your immense range, you have several options against assaults from above. Your most notable option is u-tilt. It comes out at frame 10 (9.9 according to paste bin). Also, the reduced knockback allows for another possible u-tilt follow up or a jab combo set up. You can also opt for u-air but that requires a lot of precision due to the narrow hitbox. Also, this comes out at frame 14 so it isn't fast. As high reaching as u-smash is, you shouldn't use it as an anti air because the beam comes out at frame 30. Using n-air's large hitbox also works in covering Shulk but it moves slowly so take note of this. Also, retreating and properly spacing f-air or b-air will work in defending Shulk as well
Moves to use:
> U-tilt
> U-air
> N-air
> Retreating F-air
> Retreating B-air (Usually needs to be FH'd)
Below Shulk
Probably the most advantageous position the opponent can be in against Shulk. There are three possible instances where Shulk is above his opponent. Briefly put, these are while he is:
From the air, his aerials are sluggish and he has so few options in that position that it's not much trouble for most characters to keep him there with good patience and awareness. Shulk's only options are challenging with an aerial, air dodging, and Vision.
Ideally, you're going to either be looking to avoid them entirely or meet them while defending yourself with your outstanding aerial range. Vision in the air is already quite dangerous (and punishable at low percents in Buster), try not to get into the habit of using it to counteract juggling.
If they are directly below you, defending yourself with fast fall n-air or f-air is normally going to be your safest bet. Don't panic d-air. D-air is alright if they are chasing you towards the upper blast zone above the stage, but it has a very narrow hitbox which makes it a lot easier to misspace. If you use it near the ground it's times more punishable than n-air or f-air, and at low percents it's punishable on hit anyway. It deals more damage than either, but if the opponent has you in the air you shouldn't be worried about dealing heavy damage to them; you should be focused on reclaiming ground.
When trying to get back to the ground with an aerial, you should almost always be retreating them to dissuade shield grabbing and other out of shield options. You're not trying to offend your opponent from above, you're trying to defend yourself from below. Space yourself. If you're defending yourself offstage, your best options are f-air and air dodging. B-air if you're sent offstage backwards for whatever reason, but don't fastfall it.
As if I haven't said enough, there are two amazing options in the air that seem to be disregarded often: fast falling and footstooling.
While above stage, you don't always have to challenge a grounded opponent with an aerial, and airdodging into the ground against someone waiting below is an utterly foolish thing to do in this game. You can get to the ground quickly with a simple fast fall. You can do whatever you want upon landing. No landing lag penalty from an airdodge or an aerial. When it comes to fast falling offstage, if an opponent chases you offstage and you don't feel like contesting for some reason, your fast fall air dodge offstage is absolutely splendid. If you do this without your second jump, make sure you're within a distance where you can grab the ledge easily with Air Slash 1. Air Slash 2 is fine too, it just leaves a bigger window for the opponent to punish you if you don't grab the ledge with AS1.
When it comes to footstooling, it's a good mixup, but shouldn't be relied on nearly as heavily as your other options. You can footstool an opponent waiting below you in their shield to avoid them. You can also do it offstage against an opponent trying to ledgeguard you. It could very easily turn the tables on them. You'll probably get this once or twice, but your opponent should be adapting to it after it happens the first time, so again: don't rely on this much at all.
Moves to use:
>N-air
>F-air
>B-air
>Air dodge
>D-air (circumstantial)
>Vision (very circumstantial)
>Shield (if you're on a platform)
IV. Art synergy
Buster+Shield
Buster and shield go hand in hand when it comes to pure mid-ranged play. With shield, you can basically mitigate the punishment for whiffing or messing up in buster. Shield art basically becomes your CQC option of the sorts. Hell, you can even punish opponents for hitting you in shield. Buster will be your primary means of dealing damage and capitalizing your advantaged options, while severely increasing your reward per hit. At low to mid percentages and possibly mid-high percentages, shield allows you to take less hitsun due to your weight increase and defense increase. Playing with shield remains to be more defense oriented and spacing based despite the damage nerf. You'd want to learn how to transition from buster to shield, vice versa. Use shield art first (for example) then get hit, then retaliate and punish, then quickly switch into buster art to punish them extremely hard.
General strategies you should know with shield art:
- Abuse dat shield health. Yes, shield art increases Shulk's shield health so shield poking will be really difficult or borderline impossible, if anything. Learn to love shield grab or OoS air slash if you're trying to land the kill.
- Your best option after taking less hitsun is your jab, grab, dash grab or d-tilt. Air slash is also fine if the opponent's percentage is at KO range
- If your opponent attempts to run away from shield, use mobility arts to catch up. From that, you can either wait out shield to go off cooldown, or stay on speed/jump and try to deal damage, or go into buster and attempt to apply pressure
This works very well against characters that generally have a rushdown playstyle or a CQC playstyle. This isn't so effective against zoners and run-away characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the end of the guide. Thanks for reading! Any suggestions, opinions or something you really disagree with? Just go ahead and post. We don't bite
Credit goes to these guys for all helping in the making of this guide. Without them, you guys would have been slapped with the "soon" of despair
@Zatchiel
@S.F.L.R_9
@
Masonomace
@erico9001
@
Nammy12
They all shared their opinions on this and their research. Everything in this guide is a fused opinion of everyone involved in making this. I also forgot to ask SOME other people to help on this again so **** me for that one
I. The added pros and cons of buster
Alright, we all get what buster is capable of and its disadvantages. Let's have a recap at those advantages and disadvantages:
Pro : Increased damage output by 40%
For some perspective, this is how Shulk's damage in buster looks like
Jab1 / Jab2 / Jab3 | 4.9 / 4.9 / 7.42
Jab3 sourspot | 5.88 Dash Attack
Dash Attack | 16.1 Tilts
Ftilt Blade | 18.9
Ftilt Beam | 16.8
Utilt Blade | 11.9
Utilt Beam | 10.5
Dtilt Blade | 13.3
Dtilt Beam | 10.5 Smashes
Fsmash 1st hit | 7.7
Fsmash 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 18.2 or 16.1
Usmash 1st hit / 2nd hit | 6.3 / 18.9
Dsmash Front Blades | 19.6 / 14 / 8.4
Dsmash Front Beams | 15.4 / 11.2 / 5.6
Dsmash Back Blades | 16.8 / 11.2
Dsmash Back Beams | 14 / 8.4 Aerials
Nair Blade | 10.5
Nair Beam | 11.9
Fair Blade | 10.5
Fair Beam | 9.1
Bair Blade | 17.5
Bair Beam | 11.9
Uair 1st hit | 7.7
Uair 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 14.7 or 11.2
Dair 1st Ground or 1st Air | 10.5 or 8.4
Dair 2nd Blade or 2nd Beam | 16.1 or 14.7 Back Slash Startup
\ Front Startup Initial sweetspot | 14
\ Front Startup Initial sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Startup Initial sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Startup Initial sourspot | 19.6
\ Front Startup Final sweetspot | 14
\ Front Startup Final sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Startup Final sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Startup Final sourspot | 19.6 Falling
\ Front Falling sweetspot | 14
\ Front Falling sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Falling sweetspot | 22.4
\ Back Falling sourspot | 19.6 Landing
\ Front Landing sweetspot | 14
\ Front Landing sourspot | 12.6
\ Back Landing sweetspot | 21
\ Back Landing sourspot | 18.2 Air Slash
UpB Early 1st hit or Late 1st hit | 8.4 or 7
UpB 2nd hit | 7.7 Vision
DownB sweetspot | 14
DownB sourspot | 9.8
DownB Forwarded sweetspot | 18.2
DownB Forwarded sourspot | 14 Pummel & Throws
Pummel | 4.2
Fthrow | 4.2 / 11.2
Bthrow | 4.2 / 12.6
Uthrow | 4.2 / 5.6
Dthrow | 4.2 / 5.6 Floor Trip & Ledge Attacks
Front & Back Floor Attack | 9.8
Front & Back Trip Attack | 7
Ledge attack | 9.8
Buster's increased damage also applies to hits on shield. Anytime Shulk's Buster augmented attack moves hit someone's bubble shield, they deal more damage & shieldstun, making Buster attacks safe on shield most of the time. A less practical yet effective strategy you can do with Buster is breaking their shield, however only a few of Shulk's moves deal additional shield damage naturally such as Back Slash from the front or behind, & his Floor attack. Although with Buster, Shulk can use his F-smash & D-smash to dish out a lot of shield damage & shieldstun.
Con : Increased damage received by 13%
This disadvantage is basically a chunk of the reason why using buster can be unsafe. You take 13% more damage. For example, Mario's u-tilt deals 5.5% damage but on buster Shulk, it deals 6.215% damage. Dedede's f-air deals 12% damage but when used on Buster Shulk, it deals 13.56% damage. Greninja's d-smash deals 13% damage but on buster, it deals 14.69% damage. Basically, you take ~1-2% more damage. This is one of the reasons why there's a risk to using buster and especially when you try rushing down with it
For a math reference to how much damage you receive from being hit with Buster on, check the table below for example:
0 – 5.3% | 0 - 0.98845%%
5.4% – 10% | 1.0071 – 1.865%
11 – 16% | 2.0515 – 2.984%
17 – 21% | 3.1705 – 3.9165%
22 – 26% | 4.103 – 4.849%
27 – 32% | 5.0355 – 5.968%
33 – 37% | 6.1545 – 6.9005%
38%+ | 7.087%+
Basically, any single attack that deals less than 5% shouldn't be worried about, because it won't even be 1% extra damage you take. On the other hand, being hit by a stronger attack would mean you taking more damage from it, which may possibly be the deciding factor of losing your stock, or barely holding on. It's important to remember that Buster artificially reduces your weight, so the extra few damage you receive from an attack may KO you if the move is strong enough.
Pro/Con : Decreased knockback
Buster significantly decreases the knockback on all of your moves. In one way, this is great because you can perform easier follow ups and combos last longer (Refer to the combo thread and look how long the combos can last). However, decreased knockback also affects the hitsun applied. Some attacks become unsafe on hit at lower percentages so think before hitting with an aerial most notably due to the landing lag
II. How to use your moves in buster art (Numbers on safety will be updated)
The damage increase and knockback decrease has an incredible effect on your moves. It's not just the damage output that is affected. Your safety on shield is significantly increased. Also, the push back on shield is a lot more noticeable. Take advantage of your immense range and added safety, and you'll be able to avoid taking damage while dealing a good amount out the same time. Anyway....
Jab
-11 on block (Unsafe) ~1st hit
-18 on block (Unsafe) ~2nd hit
- 22 on block (Unsafe) ~3rd hit
Basically, this is purely known for damage racking. It's also technically your safest punish option even if its range is pretty short in general. When I meant punish, it really depends on how far you are from the opponent. If you're quite far, f-smash probably works better. Deals 17.22% damage if all hits connect. Although Shulk's jab combo does not fully connect on the floatier characters in the game, you still should use it. There needs to be a delay though in between the jabs. You can continue to connect all hits or try to simply connect jabs 1 and 2 for some mix ups. Against shorter characters though, jab will probably miss so be wary of that. Since jab is your quickest attack (Frame 5), this is one of your only option against close range pressure
Dash attack
-24 on block (Unsafe)
Dash attack is best used for punishing missed techs off of Shulk's aerials or throws. It's also usable for punishing landings, but you're likely to profit more from punishing with Shulk's grab instead (unless we're talking about the shorter characters in the game.)
F-tilt
-18 on block (Safe)
Becomes ridiculously safe on shield thanks to the extra shield pushback. It also deals an insane amount of damage in just one hit (~18% base, 16% tip). This is your main damage racking tilt and also serves as your spacing tool due to its long range. Comparing f-tit's range with d-tilt, f-tilt reaches farther against characters with more of a leaning hurtbox (ie. Bowser). Also, pivot f-tilt in Buster is useful for when foes are nearing your zone. You can also hit foes with pivot f-tilt even when you're facing away from them. If you're close to your opponent and you land a backward facing f-tilt while sliding a bit, you'll still hit the opponent for sweetspotted damage. You can take advantage of this when you're punishing rolls or spot dodges. Pivot f-tilt is also effective against aerial approaches if it's well spaced
U-tilt
-16 on block (Unsafe)
Very solid anti-air since it covers so much of Shulk's upper area . This also string very well into another u-tilt in buster art. Although not guaranteed, you can follow up u-tilt from u-throw. Additionally, depending on the opponent's %, you can follow up with air slash from from U-tilt. In stages with platforms, you can harass players who are on platforms by using u-tilt. U-tilt can also be used to set up for a lot of attacks. If they try to attack you against from getting hit, you can use u-tilt again or pivot f-tilt or f-smash or jab if they seem too close. If they air dodge, you can punish the landing with anything. If they jump away, you can chase them with f-air's range but it's also an option to just chase their landing
D-tilt
-9 on block (Safe)
Shulk's other valuable ground spacing tool. Fairly fast, deals fair amount of damage, and has surprisingly long range. It's safe when tipped or hit at the blade part (not at close range). Also, this is your main option against short characters that usually avoid jab because of their small hurtbox. Get used to the range and learn how to space d-tilt. Think of this as a quicker spacing option than f-tilt. D-tilt's range compared to f-tilt is dependent on the opponent's hurtbox. D-tilt generally has longer range than f-tilt against characters that have a skinnier hurtbox shape. Since d-tilt comes out at frame 10 and its range is comparable to f-tilt, you can use it to stop ground approaches
F-smash
-43 on block (Unsafe)
The one move you will be fishing to land along with b-air and f-tilt. It deals 25% damage. The problem with f-smash is the ending lag is easy to punish. Use f-smash only when pivoting, as an anti-air against SH approaches, or when punishing. Pivoting with f-smash is one of the easier ways to land it. Only use pivot f-smash like f-tilt when foes are already nearing your zone. As for anti-air purposes, aim f-smash upwards to catch some foes off-guard. However, punishing is really the safest way of utilizing f-smash. Pivot f-smash is a great way to get the opponent out of your space.
U-smash/D-smash
-24 on block (Unsafe) ~U-smash
-29 on block (Unsafe) ~D-smash
Both attacks (Because of buster's enhanced damage capabilities) are capable of breaking shields, more notably for D-smash since it is very lethal when the opponent is cornered because of it being a multi-hitting smash attack that deals a ton of shield damage when all hits connect. Otherwise, the utility for both smashes are still the same (with only better shield breaking properties.)
N-air
-1 on block (Safe)
Deals 9% damage on base hit and 11% when tipped. If FF'd, hitting the base of the Monado with N-air is safe. Tipping with n-air will net more shield damage and shield push back. Don't land the base of the monado with this. It's unsafe, and you'll get shield grabbed unless you fast fall with it. Learn to tip with n-air. In addition, Shulk's n-air can easily combo into jab, d-tilt, f-tilt, grab/dash grab, or f-smash at certain %'s for nice damage. Anyway, spacing with n-air will be the key to maximizing its utility in buster, because it's safe when tipped on shield. You can use n-air for approaching (try to tip) or running away. N-air is usually used over f-air for approaches and when the opponent is already slightly inside Shulk's zone. If the opponent is too close, it may call for faster attacks.
F-air
-7 on block (Safe if well-timed and well-spaced)
This is your main tool for defensive spacing. You won't be using it a lot for offensive pressure. Tipping or landing the middle portion of the Monado is the best way of making f-air safe as possible. You'll be using f-air basically for footsies, running away, and walling out opponents. Although f-air deals a good amount of damage (10% base hit, 8% tip), it's not primarily used for damaging since you can't get much follow ups from f-air. F-air is your primary tool of keeping your opponent out of your zone. Also, it is great for playing at mid-range against your opponent due to the amount of area it covers in front. F-air works great out of practically all of our throws, and can lead into itself or n-air for lengthened follow-up potential. It's great out of d-tilt, u-tilt, or n-air. It does really good damage for its speed. The range of it makes it great to challenge other attacks.
B-air
-7 on block (Safe)
AMAZING. Although it has a slow start up, you'll still be using this move a lot. Very godlike for poking the opponent due to its insane horizontal reach and damage whether it's tipped or not. Base hit deals 16% damage while tipper deals 11% damage. Easily eats shields and pushes back on sweet spot and possibly on sour spot. Both hitboxes are safe on shield. You should also look to land a hit with b-air which can be done by RAR'ing with b-air or crossing up opponents with b-air. The only problem with b-air is that as mentioned, it has a slow start up so if you're too predictable, you'll get power shielded. SH'ing b-air can allow you to punish rolls thanks to its range and surprisingly, its start up
U-air/D-air
-6 on block (Unsafe) ~U-air
-11 on block (Unsafe) ~D-air
There really isn't much to say about u-air or d-air while you're in buster art. U-air is a somewhat decent anti air. D-air can be followed up after buster f-air for a psuedo Ken combo. Other than those uses listed, you're not going to use u-air or d-air that much. They're both situational
Back slash
-28 on block (Unsafe) ~Front hit
-33 on block (Unsafe) ~Back hit
Still quite useless. Just quite because you can potentially follow up back slash from b-throw at certain percentages but it isn't guaranteed.
Air slash
Utility remains the same but it's best used when the opponent is at mid percentages. At low percentages, it's unsafe. Even if you get both hits on the opponent, the hitsun and knockback won't be enough so the opponent has enough time to punish you while you're helpless
Vision
At lower %'s, DO NOT USE THIS. You will get punished if you use normal vision. Use forward vision at lower percents instead of normal vision, since the latter is punishable." I also wouldn't suggest doing it under pressure, but to use it "wisely." You die earlier in Buster so if someone charges a smash attack and you counter on instinct you're either dead or taking a ****load of damage. Just try not to use it unless you have a read and always use forward vision if you use the counter while grounded. Use this when you're feeling too much pressure
Pivot grab
Learn to use pivot grab in the similar way you use pivot f-tilt and pivot f-smash
Pummel
Do not ignore pummel in buster. Deals 4% damage. At below 40%, use your pummels much more sparingly if you're going to use them at all, because the opponent is likely to break out of grab within that range. It depends on your opponent but free damage is free damage and shouldn't be neglected.
F-throw
Deals less damage than b-throw. You usually use this over b-throw when Shulk is facing a direction where it's off-stage. Otherwise, you should use b-throw more often since it deals more damage. Throws do become stale, so be aware of that if you are doing many throws. You may want to alternate between F-throw and B-throw
B-throw
Your highest damaging throw. Deals 17% damage. The only problem with b-throw is that the potential for following up actually pales in comparison to some of his other throws. You can potentially get back slash off from b-throw at a certain percent and if the opponent doesn't tech the knockdown
U-throw
If the opponent is smart, they will respect the hell out of up throw -> up tilt. If they airdodge, they can get punished heavily on the ground by just about anything. If they jump, chances are they are now almost completely helpless above you because they have to respect the range of your aerials too. Only exception would be characters with multiple midair jumps, which you'll have to respect yourself by being patient. At low-mid percents up throw -> forward Vision isn't bad if they end up too close to you for you to "safely" follow up with u-tilt and you predict aggression from them (normally in the form of a falling n-air, normally not if they don't have an aerial with sex kick properties).
D-throw
At certain percentages, you can combo f-air off of d-throw. At lower percentages, you can catch them with d-tilt, f-tilt and air slash. At mid percents, if they jump away you can follow up with aerial pressure, whereas if they don't then you could have a tech chase opportunity. Basically, this is your best throw option for follow ups or potential follow ups
III. When to use what
Jab vs shield grab
I'd say they go hand in hand, but I use jab a lot more than a direct out of shield grab.
If they airdodge up throw anywhere between 0 and (probably about) 80, you can jab them immediately afterward. If they go for something aggressive you can get a counter out (although that might be at percents a little later than 0, I can't tell), while if they just try to jump away from the up tilt threat then you can chase them with aerials.
Whereas you have jab, of course, leading into grab (any variation, not just shield grab) as a fair mix-up.
I feel like I get jab out of shield punishments more often than I get shield grab punishes, so naturally I would say our out of shield jab is better than out of shield grabbing. But I don't want that to discredit how convenient our shield grabs can be. We have to drop our shields to get out jab, which does take a while, it might not always be the most punctual method of punishment.
Both have their merits but conclusively I feel jab punishes are usually going to be more... opportune than shield grabs, especially with that little bit of added shield pushback we take in Buster. That could make the difference between landing the grab and delivering a punish, or whiffing just barely and taking punishment.
Shield+grab is a great punishing tool for opposing jabs on our bubble shield, or is generally a good tool for punishing someone's landing when you're aggressively positioning yourself while dash-cancel-shielding with your shield DI held toward the oncoming hit to help reduce any shield push-back effect. Other ways shield+grab is a good tool to use is for when characters extend their hurt-box while doing a move that would help you be in range to shield, such as the simple jab, however when we perfect shield & grab, the effectiveness of shield+grab becomes much greater (An example involving one Shulk F-smashing, & in mid-moment of the F-smash's startup, the opposing Shulk who's dashing will cancel his dash by shielding will perfect shield the 1st hit of F-smash, & can act out of shield immediately with grabbing the other Shulk because of his arms reaching out further).
Meanwhile Jab as an entire tool is better used for when you know shield+grab is not in range, & believe me Shulk's stationary grab range is poor. Remembering that Horizontal testing I did with Shulk's move-set I realized Jab-1 is more range than standing grab, & doing the Jab-1 with spacing inputs such as Perfect pivoting also helps your positioning as well. Most of the time people cannot DI out of our full Jab combo unless they're a very light & or floaty character such as these fests:
but anyway, Jab is definitely one of our fastest frame moves, & a full Jab combo dealing 17.22 damage (Training mode value), at some or most times it gets the job done, yet I don't feel too comfortable using Buster's Jab at very early % in case the knockback isn't high enough for Buster Shulk to go unpunished.
F-tilt vs D-tilt
F-tilt is a multi-purposeful tilt capable of several objectives: spacing, landing cross-up / combo finisher, & stage control. Not only is a Buster F-tilt very safe on shield, the shield-stun it deals decreases their stage control, meanwhile you profit from bullying their shield pushing them closer towards either ledge area. This puts Buster Shulk in a better & more favorable situation. Although both tilts are good in Neutral, F-tilt is a bulky option even when pivoted. For a quick educational yet trivial fact about F-tilt is it can be performed while holding an item; just hold down on your analog stick to be crouching, & then flick the C-stick / R-stick in the direction Shulk's facing. D-tilt cannot do this, but it's not missing out on that much.
D-tilt much like F-tilt can be a combo finisher or even as a landing coverage tilt after N-air, especially if you're super-spacing yourself. Buster D-tilt's primary function however is more for comboing at an early % than being a combo finisher. Semi-approaching / spacing with D-tilt as your landing option to zone their grounded approach after a SH > N-air is recommended over F-tilt unless you Perfect Pivot your F-tilt to be surprising & still relatively safe on shield, but D-tilt hitting with the Beam area is about as safe. Remember that F-tilt spaced still deals more damage than D-tilt even if you sweetspot it, so stick with using the longer range & keep them out.
Some spoiler goodies to know who gets hit by F-tilt or D-tilt when standing or sometimes crouching. However, this is not accounting for hitting someone's shield before the other, as we know both can hit the opponent's shield, & it gets better if the character was large, making his bubble shield large & easy to poke.
's hand's hand's claw / hand's nose's Luma's lips's lips / 's hand holding the Bronze Sword's nose's claw / hand / chin?'s arms / robot hands (When he crouches, F-tilt will hit before D-tilt does at max range, so pivoting F-tilt is another good option for spacing out ROB at mid-close range. Although when he crouches, both tilts are close to hitting around the same range.)'s hand (If he ever crouches, D-tilt will be closer to hitting him than F-tilt.)'s feet / dress's feet / dress's clown car propeller (including all the koopalings)'s feet's feet's feet's feet's feet / dress's feet's feet's feet (It's very close between his feet & the shield / hand)'s feet's feet's feet's feet (Both D-tilt & F-tilt at max range don't get hit by her counter)'s feet (Both D-tilt & F-tilt at max range don't get hit by Marth's counter)'s feet (D-tilt at max range gets hit by Ike's counter however, while F-tilt doesn't get hit by the counter)'s feet (Honorable Mention for almost avoiding our entire F-tilt while crouching)'s feet (It's very close between D-tilt & F-tilt. Also his crouch is easier to hit with F-tilt than normally D-tilt)'s feet's feet's feet's feet (very close to hitting Pikachu's face with F-tilt)'s feet (When using D-tilt or F-tilt against his Double Team counter, it's advised to use D-tilt between the two tilts for the regular DT attack, as F-tilt is required to be too close to Lucario to proc his counter frames, not to mention that F-tilt's ending lag makes D-tilt the better choice.DISCLAIMER: If you're generally close to Lucario while proc'ing his Double Team with either F-tilt or D-tilt, you're still going to get punished. Keep your tilts spaced if you want to punish Lucario's regular Double Team counterattack.
AWESOME NEWS: So Lucario can reverse the direction of his Double Team by holding the analog stick in the opposite direction he's facing, & this version of Double Team comes from behind Lucario's starting position, so it's easier to punish with strict timing on your part. . .so easy that you can act out of D-tilt asap with a Forwarded Vision counter to counter his counter. You MUST be spaced far apart however.
As Lucario is the CPU 2nd spawn in Training mode, on the right side, doing a D-tilt to proc his Double Team, he reverses it to slide right to left, Shulk uses Vision as soon as possible & Forward it to punish Lucario without DI dying at 94% after being dealt 16% from Lucario's Aura boosted Reverse Double Team.
At max D-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's regular Double Team slide attack reappearing nearby you, you draw back your Monado & back away enough to perfectly avoid Lucario's slide counterattack.
At max F-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's regular Double Team slide attack, you get hit no matter if you try shielding or Vision countering. At least Buster F-tilt on Lucario's Double Team Counter isn't a huge mistake like it is hitting most of the other Counters, as his Counter scales by his own Aura.
At max F-tilt range of proc'ing Lucario's full length Reverse Double Team in favor for Shulk, your F-tilt is still countered. The result of Lucario facing away Double Teamin countering a F-tilt from behind him goes without saying what will happen to Shulk.
When Smash Shulk Forward Vision counters Lucario's Reverse Double Team on either side's spawn in Training Mode, he KO's Lucario at 80% without DI. The only issue with this is that Shulk is hitting with the hit-box behind him during the Forwarded Vision, launching Lucario in the opposite direction, in which Lucario might survive if he DIs.
Note: you can't beat Lucario's DT slide attack with D-smash. Don't even try it.
Note: If Lucario Reverses his Double Team facing away from you & you D-tilt him at close range, you can hold the shield button to perfect shield his Reversed slide attack & can F-smash punish him as your perfect shield drops. Any farther away from Lucario's back, & you'll be punished, so the key to punishing Lucario's back-facing Reverse Double Team is to be as close to him as you can generally.)
's feet (She can partially avoid our F-tilt. Stay spaced away for F-tilt to hit her if she ever crouches you. I advise pivoting F-tilt so that the tipper portion area of F-tilt. It's too bad she avoids the Vanilla 13% / Buster 18% though. If you prefer a tilt on the ground for her, I say go for D-tilt more, but pivoted F-tilt works too. Whatever you prefer.)'s webbed hand / feet's feet (Close to hitting his hand with F-tilt though. You could choose between either tilt. And when he crouches which you won't see often, either tilt can hit him.)'s boot (Very close to hitting his thigh with F-tilt though. You could choose either or.) / 's feet (F-tilt kinda comes close to hitting her / his face.)'s feet (Comes very close to hitting his glash helmet. I swear though, D-tilt hits Olimar from a faraway distance it seems like. . . probably just me.) / 's feet (She can partially avoid the F-tilt, like Jigglypuff. We won't be getting the Vanilla 13% or Buster 18% while she's crouching, but she can be hit if she stays crouching long enough to be doing push-ups [this will likely never happen in a real match])'s feet (Another close tie between D-tilt & F-tilt. D-tilt beats F-tilt stationary-wise, but pivoted F-tilt is more mobile than D-tilt. Take your pick.)'s feet's feet's feet (F-tilt comes close to hitting his smile.)'s feet (When he crouches, he can actually avoid F-tilt at a very close range [lol], but worry not for we can still deal the Vanilla 13% / Buster 18% to him if you wanted to.)'s feetF-air vs N-air
N-air is more interesting that we give it credit. When you use a N-air while Full Hopping in stationary position, it looks like a large circular hit-box right? Yet if you influence the N-air with any air drifting to the left or right, Fast Falling, rising with it from buffering it with a SH / FH, it alters the hit-box slightly, or by a lot depending on the air speed & movement speed you move with N-air (*cough* Speed).
This is especially true for when you SH > N-air, but can't hit with the backwards hit near the end (not the start-up hit from behind), but you can FH > N-air & FF it to allow that same backwards hit to connect while it's landing. Basically N-air is influenced more with our positioning & movement by a larger margin that F-air, including the usage of Monado Arts affecting our movement / positioning.
Meanwhile F-air is best influenced by FF'ing it, because of F-air's entire attack animation being deceptively smaller than it appears. F-air doesn't have an active hit-box from behind, although its hit-box finishes around the time the Monado is swung to be parallel with Shulk's left foot. Where the hit-boxes start being active are also required to be taken into account for their usages. F-air's active hit-box starts appearing to hit around the 80º angle above Shulk, while N-air's active hit-box appears to be hitting behind Shulk somewhere close to a 150º angle (30º angle if facing away from you). F-air starting from high to low pertains that we should use F-air more to stuff aerial approaches & ride the momentum from it, while N-air is more of a follow-up move that covers more directions in Neutral, so it punishes general movements like rolling or spot-dodge.
SH > F-air at a very close distance (10.5%) pushes Mario's shield back 1.5 tiles from his original tile position. Meanwhile SH > F-air within max range (8.4%) pushes Mario's shield back an estimated 1.20 tile blocks from the original position.
SH > N-air at a very close distance (9.8%) pushes Mario's shield back an estimated 1.4 tile blocks from his original tile position. Meanwhile SH > N-air within max range (11.2%) pushes Mario's shield back 1.7 tiles.
It's all well & good to know that N-air fully spaced hit on shield does better than F-air fully spaced, but I didn't remind about F-air having more range in front of Shulk than N-air does (For the range comparison, think of tiles as the hit-box range capable of hitting a bubble shield. At maximum frontal range, F-air reaches 3 tiles, while N-air at max range reaches 2 tiles), so the shield-push-back effect from augmenting Buster equals out between the aerials. I say take your pick, although F-air does better at naturally spacing the opponent in front of you.
B-air vs F-air
B-air is best when you have territorial advantage over your opponent (when they are closer to the ledge than you are) because by itself it covers any distance between the ledge and as far as they can roll in. Buster makes it a lot safer on shield. You can also use turnaround f-tilt or turnaround jab to stuff ground approaches. RAR b-air is ****ing great, to add. F-air is faster and less laggy so you'll be able to follow it up more efficiently.
If you get a b-air at midpercents range, you'll have a tech chase situation. Big damage if you punish a missed tech with dash attack. Then, you can continue to follow up with aerials if they jump afterwards, and a grab if they airdodge. I've even been able to get b-air -> sweetspot f-smash on a missed tech. F-air will give you the same tech chase at later percents, which is good to keep in mind.
B-air is better for defensive more than offensive unless you're tangoing with your opponent near the ledge. F-air is great for either and is a lot less punishable if you whiff. Something interesting to remember when you're dealing with an opponent at the ledge: B-air beats every option essentially. If they roll in they take the blade, every other option leaves them prone at some point to the beam. It can even stuff projectiles like Villager's slingshot. Having said that, it's easier to bait more defensive responses (like normal ledge get-up -> shield/dodge, most usually) by short hopping with our backs to the ledge. Out of shield they might go for grab if you land within range of that, other than that I don't know of any characters that have very safe options from that position. Oh, and if you whiff, you'll usually have enough time to get a counter up before they can attack you. Even with a measly jab attempt from them forward vision in Buster will reward you decently.
B-air is actually good even when they're up close. Immediately use it from jump, and cross up the opponent for insane amounts of damage in buster. I'd use n-air, but at earlier percentages crossing up n-air is safe on hit. I'd use n-air but at earlier percentages but using it for crossing up would be unsafe on hit at earlier percentages. Unlike f-air which is restricted to mid-range, B-air can be used from long range or short range depending on the situation. Like f-air, you should use it while retreating. F-air is better at swatting while running away. B-air is better probably if you're swatting while rushing down the opponent due to its range having a chance of reaching the opponent even while he's using a projectile.
B-throw vs F-throw
F-throw vs B-throw is important to discuss, because B-throw may get overused for being Shulk's overall strongest throw. B-throw deals the highest damage & knockback, & it sends them backwards with their back toward us; this follows up nicely with Back Slash while limiting their options since they're not facing us (unless they had an aerial that can turn their direction i.e. Marth's B-air).
More damage -- In Training Mode, B-throw deals 16.8%, but in an actual match it'll deal 17.64% fresh, while F-throw deals 15.4% damage in Training mode (deals 16% if used for the first time in a real match & deals only 14-ish% the 2nd time thus staling it).
It depends on where Buster Shulk is at currently on-stage when we get a grab opportunity because it may affect the decision between using F-throw & B-throw. Granted, they're both stage-controlling throws of mainly getting your opponent off-stage, however F-throw doesn't have the KO power than B-throw possesses which B-throw iirc deals the most knockback out of his 4 throws, however F-throw doesn't have the knockback that B-throw possesses which B-throw iirc deals the second most knockback out of his 4 throws. For the throws & not just for Buster mode because we usually attempt at Smash mode to seal the stock if Buster dealt so much damage to gain that lead, so in that regard, keeping B-throw fresh could really help our grab-punish game stay threatening in case D-throw is used more often with Buster or not.
In almost every situation, B-throw beats f-throw in utility. Almost. The most obvious exception that anyone can think of is throwing them offstage. From the ledge (the one where they won't go off), F-throw seems to lead into tech chases if their DI is evidence of them expecting b-throw. D-throw can do the same thing a little better because of the angle (you can catch them airdodging or jumping away after you've committed to a dash follow-up), but f-throw does consistently better damage and ensures the same results if you read their decision with favorable accuracy. B-throw shouldn't be stale unless you're spamming grabs (and the throw itself). Under the extremely wild coincidence that you are, you can use fresh f-throw for slightly more damage than you'd get from a stale b-throw.
IV. Buster attacks on hit
(Coming soon....)
V. Shulk's zone
Alright, here's where it gets interesting. Spacing with buster is a big MUST. Learning how to play mid-range and maintaining a balance between defense and offense is essential when using this art. Also, learning which move to use and understanding the range of Shulk's attacks is also important in this art.
Keep in mind that you have better follow up potential off of your attacks (mainly tilts and aerials) when you're hitting with the blade, while you have safer spacing when you're hitting with the beam. So it's most effective to wear down your opponent's patience with your spacing, waiting for them to make a mistake, then punishing them immensely off of an aerial, tilt, jab or grab.
The opponent should be shielding a lot against you in Buster since the possible damage taken from a punish of just one or two hits is pretty goddamn intimidating. Still be wary of shields though, your opponent can and may adapt to your spacing and that can result in them powershielding in response. So stay aware of that too.
At projectile range (Self-explanatory)
Two things to note:
If they're using projectiles, you should think twice about using buster. You're better off starting with speed since it's much better for getting into the opponent's zone. Try to gain the advantage by landing a pivot grab or a pivot f-tilt or n-air then you can either stay in speed and take advantage of the mobility OR immediately switch to buster when you gain the advantageous position.
Moves to use:
> Speed art against projectiles
> Run or walk or wait
At mid range
This is the zone you want to be at the most because even without buster, Shulk's playstyle is mostly to maintain a zone between you and your opponent. This means taking advantage of your enormous disjoint to keep away your opponent. In buster though, his mid-range playstyle is further amplified by the increased damage and the increased safety on shield. Although the decreased knockback may be a disadvantage, it's actually also an advantage in a sense that they still stay within you range so you can still pressure your opponent's damage meter or shield with buster attacks
Despite what this suggests, maintaining your zone is one of your main objectives to actually close in. Your main options for poking are b-air and f-air. For defensive purposes, b-air, f-air, f-tilt and d-tilt are your options. HOWEVER, the only way you can maximize the usage of buster is actually by closing into close range, and to do that, you need to smoothly transition from mid-range. You can convert a hit confirm from n-air or d-tilt into an opportunity to go all in.
Moves to use (Arranged by range):
> B-air
> F-air
> N-air
> F-tilt/D-tilt
At close range (Disadvantage)
This is the zone and situation you want to avoid at all costs. Shulk's main problem is that his start up and ending lag is bad on most of his moves. This is the reason why it's not recommended to rush down with Shulk unless you're converting that rushdown from a hit confirm. At this point, you'll need to find ways on how to escape being at a disadvantage.
The problem with buster art is that once they're in, it will be difficult toknock them off. You get the logic now? Buster reduces knockback. You need to keep your opponents off once they're in. This is why it's imperative to maintain your range. You have some ways on how to go against close range pressure. Jab is your go-to option since it's Shulk's fastest attack. Comes out at frame 5 and when all hits connect it deals 17% damage. Shield grabbing and pivot grabbing are valuable for Shulk's disadvantaged state. Once you land a grab and get a throw off, you might be able to instantly transition into an advantageous state. Other than grabs, pivot f-tilt and pivot f-smash are for creating space and racking up damage since both attacks deal enormous amount of damage
Lastly, you should take note that you have vision to help you get out of situations but make sure you don't use normal vision because it's unsafe at lower percentages. Forward vision is safe and it also deals more damage than normal vision
Moves to use:
> Jab
> Shield grab
> Pivot grab
> Pivot f-tilt
> Pivot f-smash
> Vision (Forward)
At close range (Advantage)
The moment you've been waiting for. That time when you feel like you can go all-out and nuts with buster. The moment to close in is usually really optimal once you gain momentum by landing a hard hitting attack (f-smash), closing in (n-air), landing a grab or by knocking down the opponent. All your moves find use here. If you've racked up enough damage to mid percentages, you can chalk up insane amount of damage with buster combos such as n-air to f-smash/f-tilt. At early percentages, you have d-throw to jab against DK and Bowser, d-throw to d-tilt and d-throw to air slash. If you get them cornered, use d-smash or pivot f-tilt to punish rolls or spot dodges.
Once you get them off the edge, you have 3 options: Jump/Speed, Buster, or Smash. Jump/Speed is the way to go if you want to go for the gimp. Smash is only relevant when the percentage of the opponent is at KO range. Buster is actually an option because of the minimal knockback and the amount of f-airs you can string because of it. Basically, you're racking up damage while edgeguarding. Although, you're not really edgeguarding as well due to the lack of knockback, you're racking up damage while you're at it
In buster, you have combos from low to really high percentages such as....
Buster FF n-air (base hit) into buster f-tilt for 25/28% damage (http://webmshare.com/yQ3db)
Mario (49-103%)
Dr. Mario (49-103%)
Luigi (48-99%)
Peach (44-70%)
Bowser (58-119%)
Yoshi (49-104%)
Rosalina (42-75%)
Bowser Jr (48-103%)
Wario (49-110%)
Game and Watch (40-73%)
Donkey Kong (56-109%)
Diddy Kong (47-83%)
Link (52-90%)
Zelda (44-73%)
Sheik (40-94%)
Ganondorf (55-101%)
Toon Link (43-81%)
Samus (56-74%)
Zero Suit Samus (44-87%)
Pit (49-87%)
Dark Pit (49-87%)
Palutena (48-83%)
Marth (47-90%)
Lucina (47-90%)
Robin (46-96%)
Ike (50-102%)
Kirby (45-65%)
Dedede (60-106%)
Meta Knight (39-89%)
Little Mac (45-76%)
Fox (39-98%)
Falco (40-95%)
Pikachu (39-83%)
Charizard (52-97%)
Lucario (50-93%)
Jigglypuff (37-56%)
Greninja (43-90%)
Duck Hunt (42-93%)
ROB (52-95%)
Ness (47-81%)
Captain Falcon (46-105%)
Villager (48-82%)
Olimar (42-80%)
WFT (47-90%)
Shulk (51-92%)
Pacman (48-88%)
Mega Man (48-103%)
Sonic (48-90%)
FF Buster N-air to Buster F-smash for 33/35% damage (Aim upward) (http://webmshare.com/zVoVP)
Mario (60-104%)
Dr. Mario (60-104%)
Luigi (59-96%)
Peach (58-79%)
Bowser (65-135%)
Yoshi (63-115%)
Rosalina (Impossible because reasons)
Bowser Jr (58-130%)
Wario (58-120%)
Mr. Game and Watch (56-91%)
Donkey Kong (65-130%)
Diddy Kong (57-116%)
Link (63-124%)
Zelda (56-98%)
Sheik (51-117%)
Ganondorf (60-126%)
Toon Link (60-96%)
Samus (65-98%)
ZSS (55-109%)
Pit (59-98%)
Dark Pit (59-98%)
Palutena (57-79%)
Marth (58-87%)
Lucina (58-87%)
Ike (65-128%)
Robin (58-116%)
Kirby (53-95%)
Dedede (66-139%)
Meta Knight (54-111%)
Little Mac (55-114%)
Fox (50-115%)
Falco (51-104%)
Pikachu (55-108%) ~ Aim forward at 55%, above that you can aim upward
Charizard (66-113%)
Lucario (60-117%)
Jigglypuff (Impossible because it's Jigglypuff)
Greninja (55-115%)
Duck Hunt (56-98%)
ROB (63-126%)
Ness (60-101%)
Captain Falcon (63-138%)
Villager (61-106%)
Olimar (55-99%)
WFT (61-95%)
Shulk (61-110%)
Pacman (60-85%)
Mega Man (63-125%)
Sonic (61-108%)
Buster locking (Credit to @
Masonomace
)Buster d-throw to d-tilt (~19-21%) ~ WIP - Not organized yet (https://imgflip.com/gif/ga1ra)The theme of these combos? Edge-slipping combos aka True Combos, & I'll give a taste of this damage. . .but first an explanation:
If you tried doing edge-slipping setups with any other Art including Vanilla, then you may get some scenarios where a move could force them to fall off the platform such as Smash Art DAir, but then how will you lock them with a move upon them tumbling backwards & hitting the floor? The answer is you can't, it's impossible. The only way you can get these kinds of edge-slipping combos with Shulk is using the Buster Arts & that's final. The knockback decrease that also means the change of flinching / tumble state / etc., all that ties into why these edge-slipping combos happen.
So with that said, in Training Mode CPU is Mario, CPU Behavior is set to Control, stage is Battlefield, damage is set to 0% for example. My focus was to edge-slip Mario on one of the lower level platforms towards the center in order for these crazy combos to work since trying to Edge-Slip lock on the platform edge closest to the stage's ledge can result in Mario drifting toward it & tumbling off the floor & offstage thus avoiding our lock. At low percents, the moves regardless of being Blade sweetspot or Beam sourspot that can force the tumble state falling off the platform's edge and or lock them into a forced getup floor option are:
Note: Back Slash Leap's front hitbox can induce the Edge-Slip or lock them into a forced getup, but causing the Edge-Slip with BSL will have too much endlag for you to even string a platform-drop through FAir to lock Mario. Do not use BSL for Edge-Slipping.
- FTilt (You can either stand on the platform & Edge-Slip them with FTilt, or use FTilt to lock their tumble landing. You cannot FTilt Edge-Slip & try to FTilt lock after
- FSmash 2nd hit angled up, down, or straightforward (If you hit with the 1st hit, the opponent will be knocked up off the ground & the forced getup won't occur)
- DSmash all 5 hits (It's not possible to actually connect all 5 hits let alone even get 2 of the 3 frontal hits of DSmash to lock them. Even Bowser, who were to be Edge-Slipping from a Beam sourspot FAir for example, will be locked by just the 1st hit of DSmash & be knocked away too far by the 3rd hit (2nd front hit))
- FAir
- BAir
- DAir 2nd hit (The 1st & 2nd hits can both connect for Edge-Slipping as long as the 2nd hit makes them slip off. For locking, you must only connect with the 2nd hit because the 1st hit will bring them back up & the 2nd hit would either Meteor them in place or launch them away with little hitstun)
- Back Slash's front hit hitting from below aka the hitbox above Shulk
- Back Slash Leap front hit
- Back Slash Charge front hit
To lock with BSL, a Short Hopped FAir or BAir FF'd from underneath the platform receiving FAir's 17 landing lag frames or BAir's 21 landing lag frames will allow a BSL lock. However, you must be drifting accordingly toward their direction & be far enough from the platform above you because BSL lands on top of it, & being too close to their tumble landing will result hitting their back. That sounds nice since it deals 22%, but they have frame advantage recovering quicker from their hitstun than our endlag. If you choose to use BSL as a lock, you'll at best get a FTilt, DTilt, dash grab, Air Slash, AAS, & to an extent MAS, but you have to have the right mix of fast landing drifting & strict timing or else the MAS won't reach. And while it's great that BSL can lock, there's so much more damage potential with other options for locking.
Note: Back Slash Charge's front hitbox can surprisingly be the Edge-Slip starter & the lock, buuuut because of the horrible endlag you barely have any amount of frame advantage doing either. Since all of BSC's front hitboxes are petty in damage & knockback, it's much harder to to get an Edge-Slip not to mention we're using a Buster Art. Mario could be holding towards the opposite direction & not slip off the platform, while Shulk suffers endlag to the max. You're not guaranteed true combos / damage when using BSC as the Edge-Slip, but you do get a tech case scenario due to having frame advantage. All in all, don't use BSC to Edge-Slip.
Now as for BSC locking, you can Short Hop FAir or BAir provided with the right drifting to distance yourself & ofc fast falling your aerial to land quicker followed by immediately using BSC to lock. I find it easier to use the Beam sourspots for Edge-Slipping. After this you have a very short window of frame advantage but you're right in front of the tumbled victim, & the only options you have are Jab1 into Jab Combo or standing grab into a throw preferably DThrow into DTilt / FTilt / AS / AAS / MAS for heavier characters. While it's cool that even BSC can get lock combos, there's very little to be said about it since you can extend your lock combos even further with other better options.
Now then, how about a taste of damage?
Buster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo:
Blade SH FAir edge-slip (10.5%) > Blade FTilt lock (18.2%) > SH Blade NAir (9.8%) > DThrow (4.2% + 5.6%) > Instant Dash Attack (15.4%)
Total Damage? = 63.7%!
This combo is guaranteed IF you input every option quickly & IF the Mario doesn't hold towards
Buster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo:
Blade SH BAir edge-slip (16.8%) > Blade FTilt lock (18.2%) > SH Blade NAir FF'd (9.8%) > Air Slash (8.4% + 7.7%)
Total Damage? = 60.9%!
Drift your BAir toward them but not too far that you'd be in front of their landing. Be as close as you can be so that you don't have to drift as much for your SH NAir & always make sure to FF it because if you don't, Mario can land on the floor & put up shield before your Air Slash 1st hit can connect. Doing this combo correctly becomes guaranteed on Mario.
Buster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo feat. Chain Attack!:
--Buster Art staying on whole time--
Blade SH BAir (16.8%) > Blade FTilt (18.2%) > SH Blade NAir (9.8%) > Chain Attack light hit (4.2%) > RIki (2.8%) > Shulk (2.8%) > Shulk (2.8%) > Dundun (2.8%) > Shulk (2.8%) > Dundun (2.8%) > Dundun (2.8%) > Shulk (2.8%) > Dundun (2.8%) > Dundun (2.8%) > Shulk (16.8%) > Shulk (7%)
Total Damage? = 100.8%!! WOW! INCREDIBLE!
--Buster Art deactivated during the SH Blade NAir-- . . . wait what?
Explanation: When you land to the ground with an aerial, you can buffer deactivating the Art during the landing lag. In this case, if you were to mash B as you're falling to the ground after the NAir connects, your Buster Art will deactivate & you'll use your Chain Attack Final Smash without any trouble.
[Buster is active] Blade SH BAir (16.8%) > Blade FTilt (18.2%) > SH Blade NAir (9.8%) [Buster is deactivated] > Chain Attack light hit (3%) > Riki (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (12%) > Shulk (5%) [Deadly Blow effect appears here, & it looks awesome]
Total Damage? = 84.8%!! And it KOs!
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
So what about DBuster & HBuster you ask? I'm sure we'd love to know that.
HBuster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo:
SH Blade BAir (20.16%) > SH Blade FAir lock FF'd (12.6%) > Blade OR Beam FTilt lock (21.84% OR 19.32%) > SH Blade NAir (11.76%) > Jab Combo (5.88% + 5.88% + 8.904)
Total Damage? = 87.024% if the FTilt lock was Blade OR 84.504% if the FTilt lock was Beam
This combo can go smoothly if you master your drifting & fast falling for your aerials. After your SH BAir hits Mario you must immediately Fast Fall it & begin your next input: SH FAir. You should SH first & then FAir followed with drifting towards them & FF'ing once you know your drifting won't go past Mario when at this point he's already tumbling to the floor. Once you've FF'd & drifted your SH FAir, go for the quick FTilt input upon landing & hope you drifted & FF'd enough to get the Blade hitbox but if not, Beam is fine too. Treat your SH NAir like all the others you've read up 'till now & input SH NAir by jumping forward & press NAir while still holding towards Mario getting up but FF it once you've gotten close enough & waste no time to mash A for Jab Combo.
- - -
Did I mention that HBuster can make Down Smash lock? This Art I swear. .
EDIT:
HBuster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo feat. Chain Attack!:
(Make sure to go to the right side a little past Mario's standing position on the platform above you & have it set to 1/2 (Hold L) speed. Next you cycle to HShield for an easier time & press A on the Smash Ball item but don't worry, the Smash Ball will appear as soon as you Hold L
[HBuster is active] SH Blade BAir drifted toward Mario (20.16%) > SH then Blade FAir then drift + FF towards him (12.6%) > Blade FTilt OR Beam FTilt lock (21.84% OR 19.32%) > SH drifting towards Mario, input Blade NAir as soon as you can & drift toward followed by FF'ing it (11.76%) > [Deactivate HBuster here or don't since HBuster won't last long enough for Riki's first hit no matter how fast you do this] > Chain Attack light hit (5.04% or 3%) > Riki (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Dunban (2%) > Shulk (12%) > Shulk (5%) [Deadly Blow effect appears here, & it looks awesome]
Total Damage? = 108.4% if FTilt was Blade, 105.88% if FTilt was Beam O_O. . .
Okay fine, DBuster gets one too!
DBuster Shulk EdgeSlip Combo feat. Chain Attack!:
SH Blade BAir drifting toward him & FF it (18.48%) > SH then Beam FAir while drifting toward Mario & FF (9.24%) > Beam FTilt (17.71%) > Dash to SH & keep drifting towards Mario & finally FF Beam NAir (12.32%) > Chain Attack light hit (4.62%) > Riki (3.08%) > Shulk (3.08%) > Shulk (3.08%) > Dunban (3.08%) > Shulk (3.08%) > Dunban (3.08%) > Dunban (3.08%) > Shulk (3.08%) > Dunban (3.08%) > Dunban (3.08%) > Shulk (18.48%) > Shulk (7.7%)
Total Damage? = 119.35%!!! New Record for highest damage in a Shulk true combo!
That DBuster true combo is very specific & I wish you good luck on recreating it yourselves. The "Altogether for a chain attack!" shulk combo thread has been justified for actually having true combos with our final smash. Lol. Too bad the DBuster combo above doesn't KO Mario.
Mario (21% - 33%)
Luigi ( 20 % -22%) - No idea why that specific range only...
Bowser (Works from 16-28%)
Bowser Jr. (13% -19%)
Wario (13% -23%)
Donkey Kong (Works from 16-32%)
Diddy Kong (Works from 13-27%)
Sheik (Works from 12-22%)
ZSS (Works from 11-30%)
Pit (Works from 13-18%)
Palutena (13% -15%) - Again with specific ranges…
King Dedede (Works from 15-31%)
Fox (Works from 11-29%) \
Falco (Works from 11-26%) - These 3 are candidates for earliest chance to do this combo.
Pikachu (Works from 11-27%) /
Charizard (15%-24%) - 25% works, but it’s really inconsistent, so I kept it separated from the group.
Greninja (Works from 13-34%) - Really weird gravity works to our edge here.
ROB (Works from 14-32%)
Captain Falcon (Works from 14-22%)
Wii Fit Trainer (14%) - No you’re not seeing things. It only works at 14%…. So in light of this, I thought I should list something that can nail at least 24 -25% against her / him.
Dr.Mario (21% - 33%) - Same as Mario (They really are the same person…)
Dark Pit (Works from 13-18%)
MegaMan (14% -20%) - Timing’s tight at 20%
D-throw to jab combo (27% damage)
Bowser (0-23%)
Donkey Kong (0-13%)
Buster D-throw -> Air Slash (24.5%–25.2% damage) or (17.5%-18.2% damage if the second hit of air slash misses)
Mario 0-12% (gap) 28-35%
Luigi 0-4% (gap) 20-21%
Bowser - Left: 0-40% (41% first hit of air slash only) - Right: 0-42%
Yoshi 0-32%
Rosaluma 0-1% (Must be the first strike of the battle)
Bowser Jr. 0-35%
Wario - Left: 0-28% - Right: 0-29%
Donkey Kong 0-53%
Diddy Kong 5-34%
Game & Watch 0-14%
Little Mac 0-17%
Link 0-11%
Zelda 0-1% (Must be the first strike of the battle)
Sheik 4-24%
Ganondorf 6-22%
Toon Link 0-12%
Samus 0-25%
ZSS 4-31%
Pit 0-23%
Paulutena 0-16%
Marth 0-11%
Ike 0-22%
Robin 0-13%
Duck Hunt 0-11%
Kirby 0-8% (only the first hit of air slash, but it looks safe as long as you don't go for the second hit of air slash)
DDD 0-37%
Meta Knight 0-13%
Fox 4-30%
Falco 4-31%
Pikachu - Left: 0-40% (41-44% first hit of air slash) - Right: 0-41% (42-44% first hit of air slash)
Charizard 0-32%
Lucario 0-13%
Jigglypuff - Does not work at all
Greninja 5-34%
ROB - Left: 0-29% - Right: 0-32%
Ness 0-1% (must be your first strike of the battle)
C. Falcon 6-25%
Villager 0-5%
Olimar 0-20%
Wii Fit Trainer 0-19%
Shulk 0-18%
Jump Shulk 4-17%
Buster Shulk 0-17%
Shield Shulk 46-85% (first hit of air slash only)
Smash Shulk - Does not work at all
Doctor Mario 0-13% (gap) 28-35%
Dark Pit 0-23%
Lucina 0-11%
Pac-Man 0-7%
Mega Man 6-31%
Sonic 0-11%
Buster d-throw to f-smash (~34% damage)
These characters can either airdodge, jump away, or hit the ground and shield before fsmash comes out.
(sadly)
(at around 30ish% Mac enters his falling animation and you can fsmash him if he doesn't tech)*
*
*
Pikachu can work at exactly 30%, but most of the time he'll fall underneath fsmash.
Vanilla, Jump, and Smash
(sadly)(at around 30ish% Mac enters his falling animation and you can fsmash him if he doesn't tech)* ** Pikachu can work at exactly 30%, but most of the time he'll fall underneath fsmash. Vanilla, Jump, and Smash: 0-18%: 7-42%: 0-30%: 0-1% (first hit of match) Sometimes at 1% only the first hit of fsmash connects, but that seems to be a rare occurrence.: 9-47%: 0-13%: 0-26%: 0-24% (may work later depending on how Tink DIs): 0-27%: 8-34%: 22-33%: 0-33%: 22-34%: 15-33%: 0-29%: 12-39%: 9-35%: 9-37%: 0-34%: 0-39% (Villager can airdodge at 25-39ish% but you can punish the landing lag very easily): 0-31%: 0-34% Shield 90-105ish%: 0-34%: 16-34%Buster d-throw to f-tilt (~28% or ~25%)
Masonomace said:
Above ShulkMasonomace said:
Due to your immense range, you have several options against assaults from above. Your most notable option is u-tilt. It comes out at frame 10 (9.9 according to paste bin). Also, the reduced knockback allows for another possible u-tilt follow up or a jab combo set up. You can also opt for u-air but that requires a lot of precision due to the narrow hitbox. Also, this comes out at frame 14 so it isn't fast. As high reaching as u-smash is, you shouldn't use it as an anti air because the beam comes out at frame 30. Using n-air's large hitbox also works in covering Shulk but it moves slowly so take note of this. Also, retreating and properly spacing f-air or b-air will work in defending Shulk as well
Moves to use:
> U-tilt
> U-air
> N-air
> Retreating F-air
> Retreating B-air (Usually needs to be FH'd)
Below Shulk
Probably the most advantageous position the opponent can be in against Shulk. There are three possible instances where Shulk is above his opponent. Briefly put, these are while he is:
- On a platform
- Being juggled
- Offstage
From the air, his aerials are sluggish and he has so few options in that position that it's not much trouble for most characters to keep him there with good patience and awareness. Shulk's only options are challenging with an aerial, air dodging, and Vision.
Ideally, you're going to either be looking to avoid them entirely or meet them while defending yourself with your outstanding aerial range. Vision in the air is already quite dangerous (and punishable at low percents in Buster), try not to get into the habit of using it to counteract juggling.
If they are directly below you, defending yourself with fast fall n-air or f-air is normally going to be your safest bet. Don't panic d-air. D-air is alright if they are chasing you towards the upper blast zone above the stage, but it has a very narrow hitbox which makes it a lot easier to misspace. If you use it near the ground it's times more punishable than n-air or f-air, and at low percents it's punishable on hit anyway. It deals more damage than either, but if the opponent has you in the air you shouldn't be worried about dealing heavy damage to them; you should be focused on reclaiming ground.
When trying to get back to the ground with an aerial, you should almost always be retreating them to dissuade shield grabbing and other out of shield options. You're not trying to offend your opponent from above, you're trying to defend yourself from below. Space yourself. If you're defending yourself offstage, your best options are f-air and air dodging. B-air if you're sent offstage backwards for whatever reason, but don't fastfall it.
As if I haven't said enough, there are two amazing options in the air that seem to be disregarded often: fast falling and footstooling.
While above stage, you don't always have to challenge a grounded opponent with an aerial, and airdodging into the ground against someone waiting below is an utterly foolish thing to do in this game. You can get to the ground quickly with a simple fast fall. You can do whatever you want upon landing. No landing lag penalty from an airdodge or an aerial. When it comes to fast falling offstage, if an opponent chases you offstage and you don't feel like contesting for some reason, your fast fall air dodge offstage is absolutely splendid. If you do this without your second jump, make sure you're within a distance where you can grab the ledge easily with Air Slash 1. Air Slash 2 is fine too, it just leaves a bigger window for the opponent to punish you if you don't grab the ledge with AS1.
When it comes to footstooling, it's a good mixup, but shouldn't be relied on nearly as heavily as your other options. You can footstool an opponent waiting below you in their shield to avoid them. You can also do it offstage against an opponent trying to ledgeguard you. It could very easily turn the tables on them. You'll probably get this once or twice, but your opponent should be adapting to it after it happens the first time, so again: don't rely on this much at all.
Moves to use:
>N-air
>F-air
>B-air
>Air dodge
>D-air (circumstantial)
>Vision (very circumstantial)
>Shield (if you're on a platform)
IV. Art synergy
Buster+Shield
Buster and shield go hand in hand when it comes to pure mid-ranged play. With shield, you can basically mitigate the punishment for whiffing or messing up in buster. Shield art basically becomes your CQC option of the sorts. Hell, you can even punish opponents for hitting you in shield. Buster will be your primary means of dealing damage and capitalizing your advantaged options, while severely increasing your reward per hit. At low to mid percentages and possibly mid-high percentages, shield allows you to take less hitsun due to your weight increase and defense increase. Playing with shield remains to be more defense oriented and spacing based despite the damage nerf. You'd want to learn how to transition from buster to shield, vice versa. Use shield art first (for example) then get hit, then retaliate and punish, then quickly switch into buster art to punish them extremely hard.
General strategies you should know with shield art:
- Abuse dat shield health. Yes, shield art increases Shulk's shield health so shield poking will be really difficult or borderline impossible, if anything. Learn to love shield grab or OoS air slash if you're trying to land the kill.
- Your best option after taking less hitsun is your jab, grab, dash grab or d-tilt. Air slash is also fine if the opponent's percentage is at KO range
- If your opponent attempts to run away from shield, use mobility arts to catch up. From that, you can either wait out shield to go off cooldown, or stay on speed/jump and try to deal damage, or go into buster and attempt to apply pressure
This works very well against characters that generally have a rushdown playstyle or a CQC playstyle. This isn't so effective against zoners and run-away characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the end of the guide. Thanks for reading! Any suggestions, opinions or something you really disagree with? Just go ahead and post. We don't bite
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