WedginatorX
Smash Champion
Attended the Best Buy Smash 4 Demo today with some of the other Jersey smashers. I got some time to lab it up with sonic and find some new techniques as well as finding what's removed. Below are the three videos I was able to record. The first two are mostly me messing around with Sonic's specials and trying to see what ATs sonic retains from brawl and what new techniques he has gained. The third video is another sonic player demonstrating sonic's throws, tilts, smashes, and other moves I didn't get a chance to test myself due to the two-minute match time limit.
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Now, as far as I can tell, Sonic has received a very significant list of buffs and nerfs. Overall, I believe Sonic has been buffed as a character and that he's much stronger than his Brawl counterpart. Here's a general list of some of the info I've discovered:
Buffs:
1.
Now, as far as I can tell, Sonic has received a very significant list of buffs and nerfs. Overall, I believe Sonic has been buffed as a character and that he's much stronger than his Brawl counterpart. Here's a general list of some of the info I've discovered:
Buffs:
- Side B spindash animation changed and is now faster. If you want to vsdj, you can either double jump out of it and attack, or let it hit the ground. If it hits the ground, vsdj resumes the regular side-B animation and goes into the spindash hop from side B. So the charge of the side b is even able to be vsdj'd now, and after that you can immediately VSDJ again. Also, alternatively you can cancel the first VSDJ into a shield, what I'm referring to as VSDJSC, because of the fact that when you do the first VSDJ, sonic is still charging side B and can thus cancel the VSDJ into shield.
- Down B spindash charge is significantly faster, both on the ground and in the air. This makes sonic's spindash pressure a lot more powerful, and the hitstun is also increased while decreasing spindash's knockback, allowing for legitimate spindash > aerial move combos. Spindash bair can now combo.
- Fair startup is faster. So yeah, our 13-frame-startup aerial is now even more ridiculously fast. I was able to use it to momentum cancel full-on hits from donkey kong at 120 and live. Fair also autocancels right as you hit the ground so you can act as soon as the fair is over with no delay. This allows you to cancel fair into utilt, ftilt, dtilt, jab pressure, or a throw very easily now, and perhaps even rack up some damage with fair combos at low %.
- Sonic's tilts are all much faster and have greater range to them.
- Bair hitstun and knockback increased. This is now undeniably his best kill move.
- Uair horizontal range increased, even large than brawl's. Uair can now kill at lower %s. Has more knockback and hitstun so makes uair combos more deadly. Uthrow uair to another uair or spring uair is now possibly legit.
- Up throw puts the opponent higher in the air, at perfect range for uair to connect in its sweet spot.
- All other throws seem to just be even better versions of his previous throws. Didn't get to test whether dthrow is techable.
- *New* down smash - basically goes into a split like Falco in brawl. Seems to be useful and fast for quick punishes like airdodges/spotdodges. I believe this is a buff, requires further testing.
- Dair spikes when sweetspotted.
- *New* Sonic's homing attack has waaay faster startup.
- *nvm apparently i was wrong spinshot is still in using c-stick, credit to espy*
- NO ASCSC! ASC is no longer shield cancellable. This is probably the trade for a faster and more aggressive spindash.
- Recovery on sonic's aerials have all increased from brawl. *Note* all of the characters have increased recovery time from aerials, so this isn't just specific to sonic.
- Spring no longer bounces sonic as high. That, or sonic is heavier and therefore does not float as much afterward.
- Recovery on dair hitting the ground is much greater and you must dair from a much higher height in order to get the animation to cancel correctly so you can act when you hit the ground. Seems like a fast double jump to spring usually does the trick to get the proper height.
- Bair hitbox possibly decreased? Seems like it might be but not super significantly. Still able to be used for all previous uses, just need to be slightly adjusting your spacing.
- Fsmash is now slightly slower startup, seems to hit maybe slightly less hard but not significantly, but has significantly more recovery. Probably the price for making bair and uair so much better for killing. Fsmash can definitely still be a strong punish and kill move, just a bit riskier to use now but still a good move.
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