- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
(Originally posted on my blog at http://nintendodojo.com/blogpost.aspx?id=159288)
To start, I will say that I feel Sonic gains very little from custom moves when compared to other characters, but he still does get some neat new tricks. It is worth to run at least something different depending on the MU since I feel like they help against almost every character. I'll just go through every move and tell you what I've learned and discussed with others about them.
TL;DR VERSION AT THE BOTTOM (for lazy people)
Neutral Specials:
Homing Attack - the default neutral special
Stomp - this custom goes straight down always and has a meteor effect. I find it pretty useful when you want to edge-guard recoveries of characters like Mario or Captain Falcon. It's really easy to aim for their predictable path and even hit that 1-frame vulnerability of ledge grabs. There are other gimmicky things you can come up with on the spot, but you should remember you are losing a possible recovery option when picking it.
Surprise Attack - this custom comes out much faster than Homing Attack and does actually do more damage than the fastest possible Homing Attack (it always will do 8% while Homing does 6-12% depending on how long you wait to release). It also is a superior recovery tool as it will go straight up into the air a bit if there is no target in range. It is useful for some short combo followups too.
However, it's KO power is very inferior to Homing Attack (about 30%'s worth) and on hit or block it will not bounce off high in the air like the default one does. It sends you straight down and leaves you vulnerable on the ground just like when you miss with the Homing Attack and don't get the bounce on the ground. You have to be very cautious how you use it. Generally, I suggest using it offstage more than on to avoid that nasty end-lag on the ground.
Side Specials:
Spin Dash - the default side special
Hammer Spin Dash - this custom starts with a huge hop that covers a lot more vertical ground quickly and can bury opponents in the ground as it lands on the stage (sets up a free up-smash KO around 100%). It can be canceled any time out of the hop like the default, so it grants additional combo opportunities and fanciness that you wouldn't normally see. It also aids in recovery and the ground dash itself can be canceled similar to the aerial spin charge cancel (ASCC) tech from SSBB by holding backwards as you are about to land or start Spin Dashing (this applies to your down special as well). The downsides to the move are that the actual dash on the ground is slower than normal and it does do slightly less damage as a result. It also can be bad to lose the option to hit someone right next to you with the move since the hop can actually jump over entire characters (though this can be a plus too if trying to avoid frontal assaults). Also, this move has a much smaller charge window, so canceling it with shield can only happen right at the start of the move and is less useful.
Burning Spin Dash - this custom is literally a Spin Dash on fire, boosting the damage and speed of the dash while losing it's initial hop at the beginning. It can ignore and destroy projectiles like Sheik's needles and Diddy's banana on the ground (EDIT patch v1.0.6 no longer is intangible; no longer ignores Sheik's needles, laser projectiles, etc.). It's high speed and damage helps a lot when trying to be very quick with your Spin Dashes, but it does greatly reduce the jump height while dashing, which could make you lose some combo-ability. In addition, you have to wait a bit longer to jump out of the dash if you hop off the ground, so you could nearly SD if you dash and jump off the stage and expect that you can jump back right away (you can still attack out of it right away like normal). There also is a VERY punishable end-lag when this move runs into a shield or wall. You can avoid this by jumping just as you hit the shield (or well before it if you see it coming), but the timing is tight. You also lose a bit of recovery potential since there's no aerial hop to help you anymore. And as a friendly reminder, this custom affects your down special as well in most of the same ways too.
Up Specials:
Spring Jump - the default up special
Double Spring - this custom cuts the height in half of the default jump while giving you the opportunity to use it twice. It proves useful for those times you want to have an easier time landing on the stage against certain characters who can really punish you (like maybe Rosalina). Having double projectiles can also make for some interesting gimps or simple ledge coverage. Each spring does less damage than normal though. Plus, you sacrifice a lot of combo's out of up-throw that you could do at percentages around the 40-70 range. The only useful spring combo I've found that can be done is up-throw > n-air at 0%, which you can do with a regular jump anyway (though it's easier to do with the spring).
Springing Headbutt - this custom has a hit-box throughout the entire upward jump with a 7% damage sweet-spot at the apex of it's height. It can also go slightly further than the default Spring Jump if you hit someone towards the beginning of the move's activation. There are also some interesting situational combos that can happen against certain larger characters (like Donkey Kong). However, since you cannot attack out of this attack as quickly as you could with Spring Jump, you do sacrifice the traditional up-throw > aerial-attack combos that you had before for a mostly lackluster damaging jump that can do as little as 1% damage if you happen to hit with the sides of the move (which happens a LOT). The spring itself also disappears very quickly, meaning you can't reuse it for any spring shenanigans that you might have come up with.
Down Specials:
Spin Charge - the default down special
Auto Spin Charge - this custom is basically a lazier version of the default Spin Charge. You simply hold down the special button instead of tap it to charge up, or release the button to stop. It proves to be easier to use right away when you want to immediately release it without accidentally messing up with only one button press (which has happened to me plenty). You may have to get used to the different timing of the charges to know exactly how fast you will go and it can be slightly slower to fully charge if you are a button-mashing fanatic.
Gravitational Charge - this custom is a Spin Charge with a wind-box. It pulls in foes in front and repels those behind. It can be useful to pull in foes to land the hit a bit sooner than if they were slightly too far and it can possibly gimp people with the repelling affect at the ledge. It does take longer to fully charge the move though. There are situations where the wind could mess you up with it's re-positioning effect, like pulling aerial landing foes behind you or on top of you instead of in front where you would have punished the landing. It's really just something you may have to get used to in the end.
That pretty much sums up everything I know right now about Sonic's custom moves. If you want a tl;dr version of the pros and cons of each and my personal custom choices, I'll just put it right here at the bottom:
(TL;DR VERSION)
Neutral Special:
1. Homing Attack - Pros: KO move, strongest of the 3, safest on hit/shield
Cons: flies into the abyss if no lock-on while off-stage
2. Stomp - Pros: meteor KO move, +edge-guard/gimp options
Cons: not a recovery move, not great for combos
3. Surprise Attack - Pros: faster than the others, improved recovery option, better damage output in quick combos
Cons: less potential damage, loss of KO option, far more punishable on stage due to horrendous end-lag on hit/shield
Side Special:
1. Spin Dash - Pros: balanced between combo-ability and speed/damage, somewhat useful for recovery
Cons: initial hop can sometimes miss foes right next to you
2. Hammer Spin Dash - Pros: higher combo-ability, useful for recovery, bury effect on landing
Cons: slower/weaker than normal, very easy to miss foes right next to you
3. Burning Spin Dash - Pros: high speed/damage, easier to hit foes without initial hop, ignores certain projectiles, LIGHT PEOPLE ON FIRE!
Cons: very low jump from dash, lower combo-ability at higher percentages, lack of recovery option without initial hop
Up Special:
1. Spring Jump - Pros: quick vertical movement, useful for aerial combo followups
Cons: N/A
2. Double Spring - Pros: trickier horizontal recovery, double spring projectiles
Cons: slower vertical recovery, loss of combo followups, springs don't stick around on stage
3. Springing Headbutt - Pros: quick vertical movement with a hit-box
Cons: hit-box is generally weak, loss of aerial combo followups due to increased time of wait until Sonic can attack out of it, spring doesn't stick around
Down Special:
1. Spin Charge - Pros: fastest charging speed when button-mashed well
Cons: N/A
2. Auto-Spin Charge - Pros: charges without need to press button
Cons: slightly slower to fully charge if one is better at button-mashing
3. Gravitational Charge - Pros: wind can pull foes closer to hit faster, wind can push foes behind offstage and gimp bad recoveries
Cons: takes more button presses to fully charge, wind can mess up your timing
MY PREFERRED CUSTOM SETS: 1212, 1312, 1213, 1313, 1112, 1113
I prefer keeping the default Homing Attack and Spring Jump, but I have no problem switching between Spin Dashes and Spin Charges. I enjoy having the KO power of Homing Attack and the reliable combos and frame traps I can do from Spring Jump too much to switch off of them. It's usually match-up specific for me whether I use Hammer or Burning Spin Dash. The Spin Charges really don't make a difference to my play-style, but I especially enjoy the Auto-Spin Charge since it does keep me from messing up instant Spin Charges and I don't find myself wasting time on a fully charged Spin Charge anyway.
OTHER COOL SETS: 3213, 3313, 3113, 1233, 2233
So to those who spent their time choosing to read this, thanks! I hope you enjoyed it and learned something of use. Hope you enjoy being somewhat more informed about the coolest character in the game! 8)
To start, I will say that I feel Sonic gains very little from custom moves when compared to other characters, but he still does get some neat new tricks. It is worth to run at least something different depending on the MU since I feel like they help against almost every character. I'll just go through every move and tell you what I've learned and discussed with others about them.
TL;DR VERSION AT THE BOTTOM (for lazy people)
Neutral Specials:
Homing Attack - the default neutral special
Stomp - this custom goes straight down always and has a meteor effect. I find it pretty useful when you want to edge-guard recoveries of characters like Mario or Captain Falcon. It's really easy to aim for their predictable path and even hit that 1-frame vulnerability of ledge grabs. There are other gimmicky things you can come up with on the spot, but you should remember you are losing a possible recovery option when picking it.
Surprise Attack - this custom comes out much faster than Homing Attack and does actually do more damage than the fastest possible Homing Attack (it always will do 8% while Homing does 6-12% depending on how long you wait to release). It also is a superior recovery tool as it will go straight up into the air a bit if there is no target in range. It is useful for some short combo followups too.
However, it's KO power is very inferior to Homing Attack (about 30%'s worth) and on hit or block it will not bounce off high in the air like the default one does. It sends you straight down and leaves you vulnerable on the ground just like when you miss with the Homing Attack and don't get the bounce on the ground. You have to be very cautious how you use it. Generally, I suggest using it offstage more than on to avoid that nasty end-lag on the ground.
Side Specials:
Spin Dash - the default side special
Hammer Spin Dash - this custom starts with a huge hop that covers a lot more vertical ground quickly and can bury opponents in the ground as it lands on the stage (sets up a free up-smash KO around 100%). It can be canceled any time out of the hop like the default, so it grants additional combo opportunities and fanciness that you wouldn't normally see. It also aids in recovery and the ground dash itself can be canceled similar to the aerial spin charge cancel (ASCC) tech from SSBB by holding backwards as you are about to land or start Spin Dashing (this applies to your down special as well). The downsides to the move are that the actual dash on the ground is slower than normal and it does do slightly less damage as a result. It also can be bad to lose the option to hit someone right next to you with the move since the hop can actually jump over entire characters (though this can be a plus too if trying to avoid frontal assaults). Also, this move has a much smaller charge window, so canceling it with shield can only happen right at the start of the move and is less useful.
Burning Spin Dash - this custom is literally a Spin Dash on fire, boosting the damage and speed of the dash while losing it's initial hop at the beginning. It can ignore and destroy projectiles like Sheik's needles and Diddy's banana on the ground (EDIT patch v1.0.6 no longer is intangible; no longer ignores Sheik's needles, laser projectiles, etc.). It's high speed and damage helps a lot when trying to be very quick with your Spin Dashes, but it does greatly reduce the jump height while dashing, which could make you lose some combo-ability. In addition, you have to wait a bit longer to jump out of the dash if you hop off the ground, so you could nearly SD if you dash and jump off the stage and expect that you can jump back right away (you can still attack out of it right away like normal). There also is a VERY punishable end-lag when this move runs into a shield or wall. You can avoid this by jumping just as you hit the shield (or well before it if you see it coming), but the timing is tight. You also lose a bit of recovery potential since there's no aerial hop to help you anymore. And as a friendly reminder, this custom affects your down special as well in most of the same ways too.
Up Specials:
Spring Jump - the default up special
Double Spring - this custom cuts the height in half of the default jump while giving you the opportunity to use it twice. It proves useful for those times you want to have an easier time landing on the stage against certain characters who can really punish you (like maybe Rosalina). Having double projectiles can also make for some interesting gimps or simple ledge coverage. Each spring does less damage than normal though. Plus, you sacrifice a lot of combo's out of up-throw that you could do at percentages around the 40-70 range. The only useful spring combo I've found that can be done is up-throw > n-air at 0%, which you can do with a regular jump anyway (though it's easier to do with the spring).
Springing Headbutt - this custom has a hit-box throughout the entire upward jump with a 7% damage sweet-spot at the apex of it's height. It can also go slightly further than the default Spring Jump if you hit someone towards the beginning of the move's activation. There are also some interesting situational combos that can happen against certain larger characters (like Donkey Kong). However, since you cannot attack out of this attack as quickly as you could with Spring Jump, you do sacrifice the traditional up-throw > aerial-attack combos that you had before for a mostly lackluster damaging jump that can do as little as 1% damage if you happen to hit with the sides of the move (which happens a LOT). The spring itself also disappears very quickly, meaning you can't reuse it for any spring shenanigans that you might have come up with.
Down Specials:
Spin Charge - the default down special
Auto Spin Charge - this custom is basically a lazier version of the default Spin Charge. You simply hold down the special button instead of tap it to charge up, or release the button to stop. It proves to be easier to use right away when you want to immediately release it without accidentally messing up with only one button press (which has happened to me plenty). You may have to get used to the different timing of the charges to know exactly how fast you will go and it can be slightly slower to fully charge if you are a button-mashing fanatic.
Gravitational Charge - this custom is a Spin Charge with a wind-box. It pulls in foes in front and repels those behind. It can be useful to pull in foes to land the hit a bit sooner than if they were slightly too far and it can possibly gimp people with the repelling affect at the ledge. It does take longer to fully charge the move though. There are situations where the wind could mess you up with it's re-positioning effect, like pulling aerial landing foes behind you or on top of you instead of in front where you would have punished the landing. It's really just something you may have to get used to in the end.
That pretty much sums up everything I know right now about Sonic's custom moves. If you want a tl;dr version of the pros and cons of each and my personal custom choices, I'll just put it right here at the bottom:
(TL;DR VERSION)
Neutral Special:
1. Homing Attack - Pros: KO move, strongest of the 3, safest on hit/shield
Cons: flies into the abyss if no lock-on while off-stage
2. Stomp - Pros: meteor KO move, +edge-guard/gimp options
Cons: not a recovery move, not great for combos
3. Surprise Attack - Pros: faster than the others, improved recovery option, better damage output in quick combos
Cons: less potential damage, loss of KO option, far more punishable on stage due to horrendous end-lag on hit/shield
Side Special:
1. Spin Dash - Pros: balanced between combo-ability and speed/damage, somewhat useful for recovery
Cons: initial hop can sometimes miss foes right next to you
2. Hammer Spin Dash - Pros: higher combo-ability, useful for recovery, bury effect on landing
Cons: slower/weaker than normal, very easy to miss foes right next to you
3. Burning Spin Dash - Pros: high speed/damage, easier to hit foes without initial hop, ignores certain projectiles, LIGHT PEOPLE ON FIRE!
Cons: very low jump from dash, lower combo-ability at higher percentages, lack of recovery option without initial hop
Up Special:
1. Spring Jump - Pros: quick vertical movement, useful for aerial combo followups
Cons: N/A
2. Double Spring - Pros: trickier horizontal recovery, double spring projectiles
Cons: slower vertical recovery, loss of combo followups, springs don't stick around on stage
3. Springing Headbutt - Pros: quick vertical movement with a hit-box
Cons: hit-box is generally weak, loss of aerial combo followups due to increased time of wait until Sonic can attack out of it, spring doesn't stick around
Down Special:
1. Spin Charge - Pros: fastest charging speed when button-mashed well
Cons: N/A
2. Auto-Spin Charge - Pros: charges without need to press button
Cons: slightly slower to fully charge if one is better at button-mashing
3. Gravitational Charge - Pros: wind can pull foes closer to hit faster, wind can push foes behind offstage and gimp bad recoveries
Cons: takes more button presses to fully charge, wind can mess up your timing
MY PREFERRED CUSTOM SETS: 1212, 1312, 1213, 1313, 1112, 1113
I prefer keeping the default Homing Attack and Spring Jump, but I have no problem switching between Spin Dashes and Spin Charges. I enjoy having the KO power of Homing Attack and the reliable combos and frame traps I can do from Spring Jump too much to switch off of them. It's usually match-up specific for me whether I use Hammer or Burning Spin Dash. The Spin Charges really don't make a difference to my play-style, but I especially enjoy the Auto-Spin Charge since it does keep me from messing up instant Spin Charges and I don't find myself wasting time on a fully charged Spin Charge anyway.
OTHER COOL SETS: 3213, 3313, 3113, 1233, 2233
So to those who spent their time choosing to read this, thanks! I hope you enjoyed it and learned something of use. Hope you enjoy being somewhat more informed about the coolest character in the game! 8)
