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My Guide to Ness in SSB4

Game Versions
Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
(Sorry for no pictures/videos, I'm lazy and so this guide will just be a wall of text XD. Also this is my guide to Ness, all strategies I talk about aren't confirmed to work well by 'pros'. I just think they're good.)

Table of Contents
  1. Introduction
  2. Neutral
  3. Offence
  4. Defense
  5. Data

:4ness:Introduction:4ness:
Introduction to Ness
Ness is an incredible character, an aerial god and a back throwing beast. The purpose of this guide is to teach how to play Ness as well as I can to anyone willing to learn him for Smash 4. If you've been playing Ness since day one or just wanting to learn him now, you've made a great choice. Ness has been around since the very first smash bros game (Smash 64), and in Smash 4 he's better than ever Ness's main strength and weaknesses are :

Strengths
  • Racking up quick early damage
  • Down throw leads to combos
  • Great defensive options
  • Long air dodge (not always good)
  • Can absorb any energy based projectiles (psy magnet)
  • Good recovery distance
  • Incredible aerial attacks (excluding down air)
  • Of course Back throw (killing at around 100% depending on stage position, rage etc)
Weaknesses
  • His up B(PK Thunder) can be absorbed by many characters
  • Medium sprint speed
  • Floaty
  • Smash attacks are hard to land
  • All specials have slow recovery and can be punished easily after missing
  • Recovering with Up B can be difficult


Introduction to Me
My first Super Smash Bros game was Brawl, however it wasn't until Smash 4 first came out until I realized how fun the game was and how much there was to it. I only found out about competitive smash in the final months of Brawl, and only played Smash 4 more competitively a few months after it was released. I have never even played an Earthbound game and chose to play Ness purely because I had never played him in Brawl due to his difficult recovery. My highest tournament placement was 1st at my universities local tournament, I'm definitely still learning
the game and have very little tournament experience however I feel like I wanted to make a guide of the knowledge I have picked up on so far.

(All data in this guide was tested on Mario, omega Battlefield in training mode from his spawn point with cpu behavior on stop)

:4ness:The Neutral:4ness:
  • Aerials
  • PK Fire
  • Facing Projectiles
  • Getting the Grab
Aerials
The 'neutral' is when both players are on the stage and are trying to hit each other and take stage control by knocking their opponent off the stage. Ness's aerial moves are great for the neutral, short hopping (slightly tapping the jump button) and nairing is a great way to approach your opponent along with fair. constantly throwing out moves will allow you to trade with any projectiles thrown at you or even grab physical projectiles. If your opponent shields your attack and/or tries to approach you try and retreat while still throwing out moves. If you catch your opponent with a move try and go offensive and play more aggressive. Nair is also good for punishing people trying to roll behind you. If your opponent is approaching you from the air you can try and catch them landing with either a; nair, dash attack or even side B(Pk fire).
Up air is a good landing tool (better than nair imo) It has a large amount of shield push back. When you are trying to land and your opponent is shielding underneath you to try catch your landing if you land a falling up air on their shield it will push them away enough for you to not get punished. Landing a falling up air at low percents can also combo into up tilts which could lead to a short hop nair. A falling up air is also a good kill option at high percents.
Dair has its uses! When being knocked into the tumble animation by an opponent it's very common for players to mash the air dodge button so they land on their feet. However, this will leave you with a lot of lag if you are not knocked off the ground very high because you have air dodged into the ground. When you only have enough time to perform the beginning of one move, using dair just above the ground will allow you to land and immediately do whatever you want as it has now landing lag.

PK Fire
If you can see your opponent approaching you on the ground, and assume they will either dash attack or grab you, I like to dash away from them and then side B at them. If you catch them with this they should stuck in the fire right in front of you and you should be able to land an easy forward smash. Ness's side B is a great move as it can lead to a grab and then combos, however, it should be used wisely. It's generally only good to go for this move every now and then to catch your opponent off guard or used from a distance to create space as it is a very slow move that can leave Ness very vulnerable when dodged/shielded by your opponent. Another use, is to catch people getting up off the ledge. If timed right you will land a pk fire on people who are getting up onto the stage straight from the ledge, this is done by pk firing towards the ledge as you see your opponent
begin to get up from the ledge. As said before pk firing as someone lands may hit them if they are landing with an air dodge as they will be suffering from 'landing lag'.

Facing Projectiles
Playing an opponent with projectiles can be annoying as Ness is generally better at characters trying to him as he can throw out many hit boxes in front of himself. Energy projectiles should be absorbed with Ness's down B(psi magnet) and then quickly canceled with a jump so you don't have to go through the whole absorb animation.Physical projectile spammers(link) can be a little more difficult as Ness is forced to approach. Either approach in the air with aerials or through sprinting and power shielding projectiles then dash attacking or rolling behind
your opponent and punishing them(usually a grab into combos).

Getting the Grab
A lot of Ness's game comes out of grabs as it leads to early combos and can kill with his back throw. Although it's great to get a grab with Ness it is important to not be looking for it too hard, it's far safer to throw out lots off attacks and only get grabs when you can see the opportunity. Sprinting up to your opponent and
shielding right in front of them can be great to get a bad reaction from your opponent. If they get scared and attack you you should be able to get a grab after they hit your shield. If they shield you can quickly react and grab them. If they don't react or try to approach you presumably they are going to try grab you and so you should jump out of your shield and nair immediately. This will beat a grab as any attack will beat a grab and since a nair can come out very quickly and will cover all around you and you will be in the air it's a great move against opponents looking to grab. Finally an easy way to get grabs is if your opponent is trying to land and you get underneath them and shield. Many people will try to throw out an attack on your shield and then land right next to you allowing for an easy grab!

:4ness:Offence:4ness:
  • Combos
  • Edge Guards
  • Getting the Kill

Combos
Combos are when you can hit the opponent with multiple moves in a row quickly, without them escaping. Below are a list of 'true combos', which are combos that are guaranteed for Ness no matter what the opponent does. (Note PK Fire will usually allow you to get a grab and combo, however it isn't always guaranteed so it isn't listed below)

from: 0-2% | down throw > jump > fair > up air > land > up tilt |damage: 34%
from: 0-18% | down throw > jump > fair > up air |damage: 27%
from: 0-35% | down throw > jump > fair > jump > fair > fair |damage: 28%
from: 0-18% | down throw > jump > fair > jump> nair |damage: 25%
from: 15-66%| down throw > jump > up air |damage: 20%

I will use |down throw > jump > fair > jump> nair|
over | down throw > jump > fair > jump > fair > fair|
when combo'ing off the edge of the stage, as doing fairx3 will usually result in your opponent hitting your up B while you try to recover
Edge Guards
An Edge guard is when you have gotten your opponent off the edge of the stage, and are trying to prevent them from recovering back to the stage.

Ness can edge guard easily and effectively with his pk thunder (up B). Whenever you have your opponent trying to recover you can just constantly use pk thunder. However if your opponent gets past the Pk thunder they can run straight up to you and attack as you will not be able to move when controlling your pk thunder.
If you notice your opponent has gotten past your up B, you need to get your up B to hit the stage so it gets destroyed and you can move again. A tip to try and do is to spin the up B in a circle between them and the stage as it will be difficult for them to get past it. hitting with the tail of pk thunder will cause them to get slightly stunned and will not knock them up. Excellent for hitting people right after they have used their second jump which can make it impossible for them to recover.

If you are playing a character with a linear/poor recovery such as Luigi or captain falcon. When they're trying to recover back to the stage, a good idea is too drop down off the stage and attack them with a fair. You want to time this so it is after they have used their second jump and a few moments before they would up B.
Attacking them right before they up B with mean they will generally not try to air dodge even if they see you coming as it will usually mean they have fallen too far. If you know they can still make it back with their Up B after you have faired them once, jump back and grab the ledge then wait for them to try come back, and fair them again. Ness's fair has more priority than a lot of opponents Up B's when spaced correctly as the attack isn't considered to be apart of Ness.

Bair is another useful move especially on stages with diagonal sides. This is because if you bair someone into the stage it will slam them into the stage, then diagonally down away from the stage to their death, this is known as a 'stage spike'. If you see a character such as pit who is recovering from directly under the ledge, you can sprint off the stage and bair him as he recovers.

Finally 'ledge trumping', this is when you grab the ledge as somebody else is already grabbing it. This results in them being flung off the edge and will allow you to jump off and bair them. It also means if they grab the ledge again they will not be invincible. Meaning if you can see they're going to try and grab the ledge again you can get up off the ledge and charge up a down smash while facing away from the ledge.


Getting the Kill
One of the most important parts of the game is getting the kill. Doesn't matter how much damage you can rack up if you're never able to actually kill your opponent. Ness's mains method of defeating his opponent are up air, down smash, forward smash and back throw.

Up air is Ness's strongest aerial. It hits all around him apart from underneath. You want to try catch your opponent off guard by jumping up and throwing it out kind of randomly or by falling with an air dodge and then up airing right before you hit the ground.

Down smash is a great move that sends your opponent directly horizontal. The beginning part of your down smash will knock back your opponent further but will do the same damage as hitting someone ahead of you. Down smash is great for hitting people trying to roll behind you as the down smash will hit behind you first. It's great for killing people who are grabbing the ledge without invincibility. Finally it's a good option for people getting up off the ledge as it covers people having a regular get up or rolling on. The best way to down smash is to face away from the ledge.

Forward smash is Ness's strongest smash move but also his slowest.I sometimes use it to reflect projectiles that are very easy to see coming(e.g Villagers lloid rocket), however, this can be risky. The main other time I use it is if I can land a pk fire on somebody very close to me as they will be stuck in the pk fire long enough for you to hit them with a forward smash.

Finally Ness's infamous back throw. It's the strongest throw in the game and means you always have a reliable way of killing. If your opponent hits your shield you should be able to get the grab. It's important to not go for the grab too much as it can be easily punishable, and means you aren't throwing out any hit boxes.

:4ness:Defense:4ness:
  • Escaping Combos
  • Recovery

Escaping Combos
The general way to escape combos is to d.i.(directional influence aka holding the movement stick) away from your opponent and air dodge. Although it generally works this isn't always your best option because in smash 4 when you are air dodging as you hit the ground there is a lot of lag/recovery before you can move again. Ness's neutral air is amazing for getting out of combos as it comes out quick and covers both sides of him. For example if Ness gets his down throw to up tilts combo at 0%, spamming nair with Ness will allow you to hit Mario after the first up tilt and letting you escape from the combo. Landing while using an aerial attack also has less landing lag than an air dodge allowing you to escape and reset the game back to neutral. It's also a good idea to try jump out of a combo and then immediately nair or air dodge afterwards. This will create a lot of space between you and your opponent, however you will need to be tricky while trying to land back on the stage due to how floaty Ness is.

Recovery
One of the biggest turn offs for players learning Ness is his recovery. Being able to practice using Ness's up B to hit yourself back towards the ledge from many angles is something you just have to practice. Being able to recover from wherever you are will allow you to feel more confident and give you more options
when recovering. No matter how good you are with the up B, you still generally want to recover without using it. Characters with counters can jump ahead of you and counter right in front of you before you launch yourself, sending you flying the other way. Mario can cape or hit you with his F.L.U.D.D. while you are trying to hit yourself with the thunder. Characters such as Villager and Rosalina can absorb your recovery leaving you to fall to your death. It's important to know how your opponent is trying to edge guard you while you are recovering. For example when facing someone who is constantly absorbing your thunder you may want to just pk thunder early high above the ledge and just try land on the stage helplessly and let your opponent punish you however they can, as it is better than getting killed early.

Common ways of recovering with Ness are:
  • rising towards the ledge with an attack such as up air/fair, then either landing on the stage or on the ledge.
  • falling past the stage with a pk fire towards your opponent then jumping/Up B'ing towards the ledge.
  • Just jumping straight to the ledge can sometimes be an unexpectedly safe move.
  • Jumping and air dodging past the ledge then floating back down onto it or just straight on the stage.
  • Jumping from below the stage then almost immediately up B'ing mid jump towards the ledge, will allow you to recover quicker and snap to the ledge unlike a jump, your opponent generally wont be ready for this and will not be able to jump down and edge guard you without putting themselves in danger of getting hit by you rocketing towards them.
  • Up B'ing from above the ledge, straight down onto the stage will sometimes hit opponents. This usually isn't a good option though as it's easily punished
  • If you are recovering from high fast falling straight to the ledge can also be unexpectedly safe.
  • If Ness slams himself into a stage with a straight down side (such as omega windy hill) with his pk thunder, you can hit up B right after you hit the stages side and you will be able to use your pk thunder again.
:4ness:Data:4ness:
All 'Kills' data is against cpu lvl3 Mario on omega battlefield from his spawn point in training mode, with behavior on stop
  • Normal Attacks
  • Smashes
  • Specials
  • Aerials
  • Grabs/Throws
Normal Attacks

Jabs
  • Jab1: Frame 3-4, Damage 2%, Kills n/a
  • Jab2: Frame 3-4, Damage 2%, Kills n/a
  • Jab3: Frame 3-4, Damage 4%, Kills 283%

Dash Attack
  • On aerial opponent: Frame 8-8, Damage 7%, Kills 266%
  • Full Attack on grounded opponent: Frame 8-22,Damage 10%, kills 207%

Tilts
  • F-tilt: Frame 7-10, Damage 9%, Kills 177%
  • U-tilt: Frame 7-8, Damage 7%, Kills 155%
  • D-tilt: Frame 3-4, Damage 4%, kills n/a

Smashes

F-Smash
  • Normal F-smash(charged): Frame 21-22, Damage 28%, Kills 41%
  • Normal F-smash(no charge): Frame 21-22, Damage 20%, Kills 74%

D-Smash
  • D-smash behind(charged): Frame 5-13, Damage 16%, Kills 87%
  • D-smash behind(no charge): Frame 5-13, Damage 12%, Kills 126%
  • D-smash forward(charged): Frame 21-27, Damage 16%, kills 102%
  • D-smash forward(no charge): Frame 21-27, Damage 12%, kills 146%

U-Smash
  • Weak U-smash(charged): Frame 1-6, Damage 12%, Kills 140%
  • Weak U-smash(no charge): Frame 1-6, Damage 9%, Kills 193%
  • Strong U-smash(charged): Frame 21-22, Damage 18%, Kills 115%
  • Strong U-smash(no charge): Frame 21-22, Damage 13%, Kills 167%

Specials

Pk Thunder
  • Strong PK Thunder 2: Frame 1-10, Damage 25%, Kills 29%
  • Weak PK Thunder 2: Frame 11-32, Damage 21%, Kills 87%
  • PK Thunder: Frame ?, Damage 8%, Kills 339%

Pk Fire
  • Full Pk Fire: Frame 1~112, Damage 22%, Kills n/a

Pk Flash
  • Strong Pk Flash: Frame 1-1, Damage 37%, Kills 56%

Psi Magnet
  • Psi Magnet: Frame 1-2, Damage n/a, Kills n/a

Aerials

Nair
  • Strong Nair: Frame 5-12, Damage 11%, Kills 144%
  • Weak Nair: Frame 13-15, Damage 7%, Kills 232%

Fair
  • Fair: Frame 8-20, Damage 7%, Kills 186%

Bair
  • Strong Bair: Frame 10-11, Damage 11%, Kills 107%
  • Weak Bair: Frame 12-18, Damage 7%, Kills 221%

Up Air
  • Up Air: Frame 8-11, Damage 13%, Kills 127%

Dair
  • Strong Dair: Frame 20-20, Damage 12%, Kills n/a
  • Weak Dair: Frame 21-24, Damage 10%, Kills n/a

Grabs/Throws

Grab
  • Standing Grab: Frame 6-7, Damage n/a, Kills n/a
  • Dash Grab: Frame 8-9, Damage n/a, Kills n/a
  • Pivot Grab: Frame 10-11, Damage n/a, Kills n/a

Pummel
  • Pummel: Frame 3-3, Damage 1.2%, Kills n/a

Throws
  • F-throw: Frame 1-2, Damage 11%, Kills 654%
  • B-throw: Frame 1-2, Damage 11%, Kills 103%
  • U-throw: Frame 1-2, Damage 10%, Kills 216%
  • D-throw: Frame 1-13, Damage 7%, Kills 338%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you for reading! Or just skipping to the end whatever lol, hopefully you learned at least one thing, please comment any tips you also have for Ness that weren't mentioned in this guide.

-Poppt1
Author
thepoppt1
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First release
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Latest updates

  1. My Guide to Ness in SSB4

    More info on aerials in the neutral

Latest reviews

Pretty solid stuff! I didn't see anything mentioning D-Smash being a fairly reliable edge-guarding/kill tool, so perhaps expand on that. It's admittedly something I adopted from Project M; it's not as reliable as in PM, but with enough practice and good timing it can be done!
As someone who's been trying to main Ness and feeling discouraged by not knowing exactly what I'm doing wrong, this answers all of my questions! Thanks!
Thanks bruh
Well done. A lot of useful stuff here which I didn't know yet.
As a Ness main myself, many of these I find already in my playstyle, so I find this guide as a good way for people to pick up Ness.
I feel as if you should briefly touch on some of his techs namely the Dair autocancel since I find it aids in mindgames and good mix up on offense (helps get grabs or trip bat) to show that Ness's Dair isn't completely useless.
I like your review! There are a few small points that I think could use some revision/sidenotes, but on the whole it's a very solid guide.
Great job bruh
Great Ness guide, I would add how to deal with his bad MUs but that's pretty much a bonus at this point.
Excellent guide. Would love a section explaining some of Ness' bad MUs and how to deal with aggressive or defensive opponents.
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