Rango the Mercenary
The Mercenary
So I'm learning new ways to spike enemies. One thing that's apparent is Cloud is not Captain Falcon. Going offstage with Dairs is a horrible risk that can be very costly. Despite the Frame 11 advantage, if your jumps and Up B timing are not precise, it can end up an SD every time.
I'm experimenting with methods in lab and came up with four methods we can use to our advantage.
1) The walk-off. When you Dair, DO IT IMMEDIATELY. If you spend more than a split-second popping C-Stick downwards, it's an instant death. You will not recover unless you have Limit. Also, it's worth noting C-Stick should be set to Attack and not Smash. If you set it to Smash, you run the risk of Cloud simply fastfalling to his death without the chance of recovery.
This is mainly used as the signature option for players who have lost their jump and trying to safely make their way to the ledge, either via a 45 degree angle downwards or attempting to recover low.
2) The jump. Spend a split second falling off and then back jump immediately into Dair. This is an attempt to fake-out the opponent into thinking you're going for the walk-off, or expecting you to use any edgeguarding method for that matter. If they're recovering a little higher than the ledge or at a position different from the walk-off, this works nicely. You can also jump forward if they're going horizontal. However, it goes without saying you must Climhazzard and recover the very moment your Dair animation ends.
This is a standard general methods, but different from jumping offstage into Dair to catch high recoveries, as well as
3) The ledge. You have access to a myriad of edgeguards if you hang on the ledge. One is to fall off and airhop Bair them. Another is to hang at the ledge and bait low recoveries. Fall off, airhop, and pop Dair immediately. Make sure you fall far enough that your jump doesn't put your Dair above the ledge. If you can catch the 2 Frame, they're either dead, sent away, or stage spiked into the ledge.
This is a very risky method against characters, like Samus, whose Screw Attack has multiple hitboxes. If it trades or beats you out, you may face an awkward situation where you try to airdodge or SDI out of Screw Attack and SD.
4) The stage. Cloud's Dair is big enough to catch the 2-frame against characters who recover low, like Little Mac. In fact, this is a key method to ending stocks on Little Mac. This could be used on other characters, but a list would be an ideal work in progress.
Using this is potentially risky because, as you're using the sweetspot of Dair, you have no autocancel. Anyone can ledge attack you, or if they're using the right character, punish you very hard.
Ending stocks with Dair is a crucial part of some players' playstyles. You give the opponent no chance to download, read, or beat your neutral.
For characters who you do not want to risk the Dair spike on, there is a slightly safer option - walk-off B-reversed Limit Blade Beam. However, this requires Limit. This is also read by players who can recover very low, like Marth. Plus, this is also highly punishable by characters, like Captain Falcon, who can simply switch to a horizontal approach and Raptor Boost you for a free stage spike.
Any other methods for Dair spike setups are welcome here.
I'm experimenting with methods in lab and came up with four methods we can use to our advantage.
1) The walk-off. When you Dair, DO IT IMMEDIATELY. If you spend more than a split-second popping C-Stick downwards, it's an instant death. You will not recover unless you have Limit. Also, it's worth noting C-Stick should be set to Attack and not Smash. If you set it to Smash, you run the risk of Cloud simply fastfalling to his death without the chance of recovery.
This is mainly used as the signature option for players who have lost their jump and trying to safely make their way to the ledge, either via a 45 degree angle downwards or attempting to recover low.
2) The jump. Spend a split second falling off and then back jump immediately into Dair. This is an attempt to fake-out the opponent into thinking you're going for the walk-off, or expecting you to use any edgeguarding method for that matter. If they're recovering a little higher than the ledge or at a position different from the walk-off, this works nicely. You can also jump forward if they're going horizontal. However, it goes without saying you must Climhazzard and recover the very moment your Dair animation ends.
This is a standard general methods, but different from jumping offstage into Dair to catch high recoveries, as well as
3) The ledge. You have access to a myriad of edgeguards if you hang on the ledge. One is to fall off and airhop Bair them. Another is to hang at the ledge and bait low recoveries. Fall off, airhop, and pop Dair immediately. Make sure you fall far enough that your jump doesn't put your Dair above the ledge. If you can catch the 2 Frame, they're either dead, sent away, or stage spiked into the ledge.
This is a very risky method against characters, like Samus, whose Screw Attack has multiple hitboxes. If it trades or beats you out, you may face an awkward situation where you try to airdodge or SDI out of Screw Attack and SD.
4) The stage. Cloud's Dair is big enough to catch the 2-frame against characters who recover low, like Little Mac. In fact, this is a key method to ending stocks on Little Mac. This could be used on other characters, but a list would be an ideal work in progress.
Using this is potentially risky because, as you're using the sweetspot of Dair, you have no autocancel. Anyone can ledge attack you, or if they're using the right character, punish you very hard.
Ending stocks with Dair is a crucial part of some players' playstyles. You give the opponent no chance to download, read, or beat your neutral.
For characters who you do not want to risk the Dair spike on, there is a slightly safer option - walk-off B-reversed Limit Blade Beam. However, this requires Limit. This is also read by players who can recover very low, like Marth. Plus, this is also highly punishable by characters, like Captain Falcon, who can simply switch to a horizontal approach and Raptor Boost you for a free stage spike.
Any other methods for Dair spike setups are welcome here.
