Samus recovery issues?

[Conn1496]

So, I've been getting pretty good as Samus. Learning when to use what in what ranges, etc. But there's one thing that constantly lets me down, and that's her recovery. Her up-B is just awful for horizontal, and her tether is just kinda unreliable for me (Especially online where it sometimes just doesn't register at all - it needs fixing.). Is there some way to improve her horizontal gain or is she just bad at recovering?

I think my issue may be using her up-B too early, or just generally being bad at her tether, but either way, I was wondering about her options, or maybe specifics on where her up-B and tether can reach the ledge from. Any help would be appreciated as this is my one fatal flaw when playing as her, IMO. Thanks!

 

[Xygonn]

Down-B increases horizontal recovery a bit. Not sure if you are using it. It can be used two ways. Bomb->move and bomb->bomb->move.

This also lets you change up your momentum back toward the stage and is an essential part of not getting punished on recovery.

 

[Conn1496]

Down-B increases horizontal recovery a bit. Not sure if you are using it. It can be used two ways. Bomb->move and bomb->bomb->move.

This also lets you change up your momentum back toward the stage and is an essential part of not getting punished on recovery.

Tried this, and only find this working at higher altitudes where it's not a problem recovering anyway, but it's a neat trick to mix-up with, I suppose. Might not use it all the time, but it's good to remember now and then.

 

[IsmaR]

For Z-air not registering, do you mean you're doing other aerials instead? That's usually because using it out of the tumble animation results in grab/Z-air being read as a standard attack. This is best remedied by airdodging or a quick aerial before tethering.

 

[Conn1496]

For Z-air not registering, do you mean you're doing other aerials instead? That's usually because using it out of the tumble animation results in grab/Z-air being read as a standard attack. This is best remedied by airdodging or a quick aerial before tethering.

Funny you should mention it - I actually figured this one out for myself between the first post and yours, but still have a couple of edge-finding problems on the tether anyway. I just figure that a quick [block] [hold block] then [attack] button press ensures it. Not ideal, still sometimes fails is really high lag (rare), but I can get used to it. -good tip, either way. Might have to try the quick aerial one some time, see how reliable that is too.

 

[GotACoolName]

Just air dodge and then press grab for a successful tether. Works every time.

Bombs do help with horizontal recovery. Don't use bomb-jumping, though. That was only ideal in Melee. In Brawl and Smash 4, you get more mileage just dropping one bomb and moving towards the stage. They're most effective when you use them first -- before your jump -- because you can change your momentum towards the stage instantly right after being launched. If you're launched low and far from the stage, the best recovery procedure is bomb while DIing towards the stage (one time or twice, depending on how far you are) --> jump --> either air-dodge and tether or screw attack, depending on where you and your opponent are. Tethering is great when you're semi-close to the stage horizontally and has the added bonus of allowing you to use it out of an air dodge, which means you can quickly dodge an attempted edge guard from the opponent and immediately grab the ledge. If you're low and under the ledge, it's more practical to use screw attack.

Also remember that Samus has a pretty high wall jump that you can utilize on many stages, including a sizable chunk of omegas that have walls going all the way down to the blast zone. In even the worst-case scenarios, you should always be able to recover with bomb(s), mid-air jump, wall jump, and screw attack. Between them and her tether, Samus has a ton of options.