Metalex
Smash Journeyman
.:.:.:.:.:Mewtwo:.:.:.:.:.
A Guide to Jablocking
Table of contents:
1. What is a Jablock?
2. How does it apply to Mewtwo?
3. Low percent setups
4. High percent setups
6. DI influence
5. Plaform Tumble setups
What is a Jablock?
A jablock happens when you hit the opponent with certain attacks with weak knockback exactly when they are knocked to the ground after getting hit (generally a Jab for most characters thus the name). If done correctly this will make the opponent unable to roll or do their getup attack, and is forced to immediately do a normal getup which allows you to get a free followup with almost anything afterwards!
In Brawl you could continue to jablock the opponent as long as you wanted to the edge of the stage, but in Smash 4 you are restricted to 3 jablock hits before the enemy gets knocked away from the ground.
How does this apply to Mewtwo?
Mewtwo has 2 moves that that can cause the enemy to go into a Jablock, and that's either a small shadowball or a Ftilt.
The neat thing about Shadowballs is that they can Jablock all the way until KO percents and beyond (as far as 430%!!) while Ftilt will only lock until about 15% (on midweights) before knocking the opponent away so it is a bit more situational in use and because of that most of this will focus on Shadowball locks.
To see how a Shadowball or Ftilt lock looks you can do a confusion and then hit with a shadowball or Ftilt exactly as the opponent lands which will cause the Jablock and make them unable and become forced to stand up if done correctly. This isn't a reliable setup though as the opponent can easily just jump away after the confusion ends.
However, luckily there are multiple safe Shadowball lock setups with Mewtwo that im gonna show you where many use a technique called djc SBC which is short for "doublejump canceled Shadowball Charge".
To do this just start charging a shadowball at the beginning of Mewtwo's double jump. This will cancel the momentum of mewtwo's double jump immediately and cause him to fall towards the ground while charging the Shadowball.
Onto the setups:
(The percent ranges are rounded to 5's, and those i've listed goes for midweights, might add lightweights and heavys too later)
Low Percent Setups
Dtilt > fj Footstool > djc sbc > Shadowball lock (Works at about 0% - 20%).
This setup works well on all characters, and is very easy to hit with as Dtilt is our best best combo starter and a safe move in the neutral.
What happens in this setup is that the opponent gets hit with Dtilt and i fulljump into a footstool, then i do a double jump but immediately start charging a shadowball which cancels the double jump. After that i fall down and hit the opponent with the Shadowball lock and then disable and F smash.
Keep in mind that almost all the setups Mewtwo can do to reliably setup a Shadowball lock uses footstools and it's crucial that you don't use your double jump before the footstool as this will cause Mewtwo to be unable to stop his momentum with a double jump canceled shadowball charge (djc sbc) afterwards!
ff Uair > fj Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock (Works at about 0% - 20%)
This setup works on all characters except these as they are too short to be hit by a up air when grounded and is best used out of a short hop airdodge (also called shad or Phase). This setup can be done into the 40% range too, but then you need to hit with the tipper/sourspot part of Uair which doesn't give a guranteed footstool like sweetspot can do.
ff Fair > fj Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock (Works at 0% - 15%)
This one is a bit situational as it only works at lower percents, but is a bit safer than the Uair due to Fair being a more useful move in Mewtwo's neutral game. To do this setup you have to read the opponent's DI a bit to run the right distance before jumping for the footstool.
Then there's 3 setups that are not as reliable due to being from a tech chasebut still can still be useful as they don't require a footstool:
ff Fair > Shadowball lock (works at about 10 - 20%)
Easiest setup to do since it doesn't require a footstool or djc sbc. Works best against fastfallers since they fall faster to the ground and has less time to react with a tech. The percentage it starts working on is slightly different for every character since it is as soon as the character is sent into tumble animation by the Fair.
sh Fair > Shadowball lock (works at about 10 - 20%)
Not really it's own setup but a variation of the one above. Credit to
Sonicninja115
for showing me this one!
ff Bair > Shadowball lock (works at 35 - 60%)
A okay setup setup but a bit situational as it works best on midweights since the timing is strict on fastfallers and floaties can easily react to jump out of it.
High Percent Setups
(Jab 1) > w Utilt > sh Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock
This combo is quite special as it requires a specific timing for all characters since to do this combo you have to hit with the weak part of Utilt which is impossible against certain characters and on some it requires that you Jab and hit them with Utilt afterwards with a special timing. This is a very good KO setup on the characters it works on as it converts into a early KO with a simple Jab or Utilt.
I've provided a link to a thread below with more information on which characters it works on! The thread is for Jab > weak Utilt > Usmash, but replace the Usmash with the footstool and cut off some percents and the characters it works on should be about the same, inform me if it's different for any character though!
http://smashboards.com/threads/jab-or-utilt-ko-setup-characters-percents.422787/
Last hit Nair > Shadowball lock (Works at about 45 - 85% dmg)
This setup is pretty straightforward, just hit the opponent with the last hit of Nair and throw a uncharged shadowball and you have yourself a free followup and most likely a KO if you land it at the higher percents!
DI Influence?
Most opponent's who doesn't have knowledge of these footstool setups will DI away from Mewtwo as that is what you want to do to best avoid many of Mewtwo's combos and the window to react to it is quite small. Sometimes it will happen though that the opposing player DI's towards Mewtwo and ends up behind him so you can't hit them with the Shadowball lock when they land.
This can however be prevented if you do a turnaround-B or B-reverse Shadowball charge to change direction so you will be able to hit them with the Shadowball lock anyway when Mewtwo lands!
It can be quite tricky to time at first but the order the button's are pressed in a footstool setup should be like this done in a really quick motion for the B-reverse (facing right)
(Jump) >(Footstool) >(Double jump) > + (Shadowball charge + smash Control stick in opposite direction) > (Launch Shadowball)
If done correctly it should look like this:
Unfortunately it's impossible to punish with a disable normally after the Jablock since they are turned away when they rise up from it, but there is a tricky way to do it...
When you have landed a jablock on a opponent facing away from you, you can then exactly when they have done their getup animation do a RAR jump > Footstool > DJC Disable to land a disable on the right side!
Credit to
Swoops
for the idea!
This only works on some characters though so i will add them here when i have labbed a bit with it as well as a visual example.
Platform Tumble lock Setups
When the opponent is standing on a platform close to the ground (battlefield side platforms, but not top platform for example), certain attacks will cause them to slip off and make them fall off in a special tumble animation (similiar to a footstool) where they will be unable to do anything while falling and neither tech when they land. This way Mewtwo can hit the opponent with a Shadowball or Ftilt lock afterwards and punish accordingly!
Nair platform tumble lock (works at all percents!)
(*Note that this video was done prepatch)
What happens in this setup is that you use Mewtwo's multiple low knockback hitboxes of the Nair to hit the opponent off the edge of a platform to tumbles off, and then you can Jablock the opponent with a Shadowball or Ftilt.
This is a very good and reliable setup as it doesn't require the opponent to stand at a specific spot on the platform and it works at all percents!
If you have trouble doing this, try to hit only with the first few Nair hits until the opponent is roughly at the center of the platform, and then fastfall before the final high knockback hit comes out.
A way to setup into this Jablock setup from the ground is to either Dthrow the other player up to the platform at midpercents or do a confusion to send them up, which only works on some characters (Marth for example)
Shadowball platform tumble lock (works at all percents)
If the opponent is standing close to the edge of a platform you can use small shadowballs (or semi charged at low percents) to push them off and go into the platform tumble animation, then afterwards hit with a Ftilt or Shadowball to lock them.
This one is pretty difficult to do against fastfallers since they fall to the ground fast and it's hard to do a Jablock in time when they land.
If your opponent happens to land close to the edge after the shadowball lock, one of the best punishes is Dtilt > dj Dair to get a spike as i've shown in the example above.
Bair platform tumble lock (works at 0 - 25%)
A Guide to Jablocking
Table of contents:
1. What is a Jablock?
2. How does it apply to Mewtwo?
3. Low percent setups
4. High percent setups
6. DI influence
5. Plaform Tumble setups
What is a Jablock?
A jablock happens when you hit the opponent with certain attacks with weak knockback exactly when they are knocked to the ground after getting hit (generally a Jab for most characters thus the name). If done correctly this will make the opponent unable to roll or do their getup attack, and is forced to immediately do a normal getup which allows you to get a free followup with almost anything afterwards!
In Brawl you could continue to jablock the opponent as long as you wanted to the edge of the stage, but in Smash 4 you are restricted to 3 jablock hits before the enemy gets knocked away from the ground.
How does this apply to Mewtwo?
Mewtwo has 2 moves that that can cause the enemy to go into a Jablock, and that's either a small shadowball or a Ftilt.
The neat thing about Shadowballs is that they can Jablock all the way until KO percents and beyond (as far as 430%!!) while Ftilt will only lock until about 15% (on midweights) before knocking the opponent away so it is a bit more situational in use and because of that most of this will focus on Shadowball locks.
To see how a Shadowball or Ftilt lock looks you can do a confusion and then hit with a shadowball or Ftilt exactly as the opponent lands which will cause the Jablock and make them unable and become forced to stand up if done correctly. This isn't a reliable setup though as the opponent can easily just jump away after the confusion ends.
However, luckily there are multiple safe Shadowball lock setups with Mewtwo that im gonna show you where many use a technique called djc SBC which is short for "doublejump canceled Shadowball Charge".
To do this just start charging a shadowball at the beginning of Mewtwo's double jump. This will cancel the momentum of mewtwo's double jump immediately and cause him to fall towards the ground while charging the Shadowball.
Onto the setups:
(The percent ranges are rounded to 5's, and those i've listed goes for midweights, might add lightweights and heavys too later)
Low Percent Setups
Dtilt > fj Footstool > djc sbc > Shadowball lock (Works at about 0% - 20%).
This setup works well on all characters, and is very easy to hit with as Dtilt is our best best combo starter and a safe move in the neutral.
What happens in this setup is that the opponent gets hit with Dtilt and i fulljump into a footstool, then i do a double jump but immediately start charging a shadowball which cancels the double jump. After that i fall down and hit the opponent with the Shadowball lock and then disable and F smash.
Keep in mind that almost all the setups Mewtwo can do to reliably setup a Shadowball lock uses footstools and it's crucial that you don't use your double jump before the footstool as this will cause Mewtwo to be unable to stop his momentum with a double jump canceled shadowball charge (djc sbc) afterwards!
ff Uair > fj Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock (Works at about 0% - 20%)
This setup works on all characters except these
as they are too short to be hit by a up air when grounded and is best used out of a short hop airdodge (also called shad or Phase). This setup can be done into the 40% range too, but then you need to hit with the tipper/sourspot part of Uair which doesn't give a guranteed footstool like sweetspot can do.ff Fair > fj Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock (Works at 0% - 15%)
This one is a bit situational as it only works at lower percents, but is a bit safer than the Uair due to Fair being a more useful move in Mewtwo's neutral game. To do this setup you have to read the opponent's DI a bit to run the right distance before jumping for the footstool.
Then there's 3 setups that are not as reliable due to being from a tech chasebut still can still be useful as they don't require a footstool:
ff Fair > Shadowball lock (works at about 10 - 20%)
Easiest setup to do since it doesn't require a footstool or djc sbc. Works best against fastfallers since they fall faster to the ground and has less time to react with a tech. The percentage it starts working on is slightly different for every character since it is as soon as the character is sent into tumble animation by the Fair.
sh Fair > Shadowball lock (works at about 10 - 20%)
Not really it's own setup but a variation of the one above. Credit to
Sonicninja115
for showing me this one!ff Bair > Shadowball lock (works at 35 - 60%)
A okay setup setup but a bit situational as it works best on midweights since the timing is strict on fastfallers and floaties can easily react to jump out of it.
High Percent Setups
(Jab 1) > w Utilt > sh Footstool > djc SBC > Shadowball lock
This combo is quite special as it requires a specific timing for all characters since to do this combo you have to hit with the weak part of Utilt which is impossible against certain characters and on some it requires that you Jab and hit them with Utilt afterwards with a special timing. This is a very good KO setup on the characters it works on as it converts into a early KO with a simple Jab or Utilt.
I've provided a link to a thread below with more information on which characters it works on! The thread is for Jab > weak Utilt > Usmash, but replace the Usmash with the footstool and cut off some percents and the characters it works on should be about the same, inform me if it's different for any character though!
http://smashboards.com/threads/jab-or-utilt-ko-setup-characters-percents.422787/
Last hit Nair > Shadowball lock (Works at about 45 - 85% dmg)
This setup is pretty straightforward, just hit the opponent with the last hit of Nair and throw a uncharged shadowball and you have yourself a free followup and most likely a KO if you land it at the higher percents!
DI Influence?
Most opponent's who doesn't have knowledge of these footstool setups will DI away from Mewtwo as that is what you want to do to best avoid many of Mewtwo's combos and the window to react to it is quite small. Sometimes it will happen though that the opposing player DI's towards Mewtwo and ends up behind him so you can't hit them with the Shadowball lock when they land.
This can however be prevented if you do a turnaround-B or B-reverse Shadowball charge to change direction so you will be able to hit them with the Shadowball lock anyway when Mewtwo lands!
It can be quite tricky to time at first but the order the button's are pressed in a footstool setup should be like this done in a really quick motion for the B-reverse (facing right)
(Jump) >(Footstool) >(Double jump) > + (Shadowball charge + smash Control stick in opposite direction) > (Launch Shadowball)If done correctly it should look like this:
Unfortunately it's impossible to punish with a disable normally after the Jablock since they are turned away when they rise up from it, but there is a tricky way to do it...
When you have landed a jablock on a opponent facing away from you, you can then exactly when they have done their getup animation do a RAR jump > Footstool > DJC Disable to land a disable on the right side!
Credit to
Swoops
for the idea!This only works on some characters though so i will add them here when i have labbed a bit with it as well as a visual example.
Platform Tumble lock Setups
When the opponent is standing on a platform close to the ground (battlefield side platforms, but not top platform for example), certain attacks will cause them to slip off and make them fall off in a special tumble animation (similiar to a footstool) where they will be unable to do anything while falling and neither tech when they land. This way Mewtwo can hit the opponent with a Shadowball or Ftilt lock afterwards and punish accordingly!
Nair platform tumble lock (works at all percents!)
(*Note that this video was done prepatch)
What happens in this setup is that you use Mewtwo's multiple low knockback hitboxes of the Nair to hit the opponent off the edge of a platform to tumbles off, and then you can Jablock the opponent with a Shadowball or Ftilt.
This is a very good and reliable setup as it doesn't require the opponent to stand at a specific spot on the platform and it works at all percents!
If you have trouble doing this, try to hit only with the first few Nair hits until the opponent is roughly at the center of the platform, and then fastfall before the final high knockback hit comes out.
A way to setup into this Jablock setup from the ground is to either Dthrow the other player up to the platform at midpercents or do a confusion to send them up, which only works on some characters (Marth for example)
Shadowball platform tumble lock (works at all percents)
If the opponent is standing close to the edge of a platform you can use small shadowballs (or semi charged at low percents) to push them off and go into the platform tumble animation, then afterwards hit with a Ftilt or Shadowball to lock them.
This one is pretty difficult to do against fastfallers since they fall to the ground fast and it's hard to do a Jablock in time when they land.
If your opponent happens to land close to the edge after the shadowball lock, one of the best punishes is Dtilt > dj Dair to get a spike as i've shown in the example above.
Bair platform tumble lock (works at 0 - 25%)
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