- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
still a work in progress...please stand by!
Thank you for choosing to read this thread! Hopefully it will add to the discussion started by EOE and Dark Pch about Peach's movement, and add more context to these concepts. This post will cover Peach's movement options involving her floating mechanic.
The Basics
To float, simply hold "down" on the control stick and hold "jump". This activates her float, which she can hold for 150 frames (2.5 seconds) and use to hover in the air while being able to move horizontally. By holding "jump", you can float at any height by tapping "down".
To ground float (integral to her movement), press both "down" and "jump" at the same time, and release "down" when you want. Peach will then hover above the ground, giving her access to her entire aerial moveset while remaining essentially grounded. For the rest of this guide, ground floats will be referred to as GF.
In order to use an aerial while floating, press the attack button or c-stick set to attack. It is more convenient to hold jump and tap "down", so that you don't accidentally use a d-air instead of another aerial when pressing "attack".
Essential Techniques
GF and Retreating Aerials
Using the c-stick, it is very easy to perform defensive, retreating aerials during a GF. Most commonly, the most defensive option is a retreating f-air, which excels as a pseudo-walling move that does a large amount of shield damage, has excellent range, and possesses great knockback. Fortunately with the shieldstun mechanics of SSB4, Peach's f-air is very safe on shield, and even safer when her momentum is carrying her backwards. This technique is especially effective against characters that lack range, have poor traction, or rely on grabs to rack up damage. Luigi is a prime example.
To a lesser extent, Peach's b-air and n-air act as "get off me" tools to push opponents away and help reset the neutral in Peach's favor. Her n-air lacks considerable amounts of startup lag (frame 5) and endlag; repeated GF n-airs that are cancelled into the ground are therefore somewhat effective at pressuring shields.
JCFF
The term coined and investigated by Peach player EOE, the JCFF stands for "jump cancel fast fall". The JCFF lets Peach cancel all upwards momentum during a jump and immediately transition to a fast-fall animation. This technique is one of the most important aspects of Peach's neutral game, as it opens up entire worlds of possibilities, from movement mindgames to lag-cancelled aerials to turnip re-catches.
The JCFF is performed by pressing and holding "jump", quickly tapping "down", and immediately releasing "jump". These instantaneous inputs trigger Peach's float briefly enough to end her momentum upwards, which is then cancelled by releasing "jump" and fast-falling. When used multiple times in succession, Peach appears to zigzag between the air and ground. The JCFF requires a fair amount of practice to use on a consistent basis. It is advised that you set one of your triggers to "jump", as it will make timing the technique more reliable.
Movement mindgames using a JCFF include
After hitting an opponent, turnips will bounce back in the direction they were thrown and will fall slowly. During the time after the turnip connects and before it hits the ground, Peach can quickly JCFF and input an airdodge to catch the turnip without typical airdodge lag. It is possible to regrab the turnip and throw it again, which maintains heavy pressure and forces your opponents to remain defensive; normally, opponents that are not experienced with catching thrown turnips will typically shield-this is a perfect opportunity to get a grab, or to shield pressure with d-air.
QFR
The "quick float release", used mainly by Dark Pch., is an additional movement option that is somewhat more easy to use than the JCFF. Rather than having to cancel any upwards momentum, the QFR is performed by dashing and quickly inputting a GF. The subsequent animation is Peach's initial dash, followed by a whiff of air, and her cancelled GF into her neutral stance. This technique lets Peach quickly change direction and bait out responses from opponents.
Contrasting to the JCFF's pseudo-wavedash, a single QFR moves Peach further horizontally, which allows her to dodge whiffed attacks from the opponent and maintain even more distance. It is exceedingly easy to transition from a string of QFR's (they are best performed in rapid succession to mix up Peach's movement) to a retreating f-air or a turnip throw, as you have to choice to land and cancel her GF to move in for a grounded option, or remain floating and attack with an aerial.
Thank you for choosing to read this thread! Hopefully it will add to the discussion started by EOE and Dark Pch about Peach's movement, and add more context to these concepts. This post will cover Peach's movement options involving her floating mechanic.
The Basics
To float, simply hold "down" on the control stick and hold "jump". This activates her float, which she can hold for 150 frames (2.5 seconds) and use to hover in the air while being able to move horizontally. By holding "jump", you can float at any height by tapping "down".
To ground float (integral to her movement), press both "down" and "jump" at the same time, and release "down" when you want. Peach will then hover above the ground, giving her access to her entire aerial moveset while remaining essentially grounded. For the rest of this guide, ground floats will be referred to as GF.
In order to use an aerial while floating, press the attack button or c-stick set to attack. It is more convenient to hold jump and tap "down", so that you don't accidentally use a d-air instead of another aerial when pressing "attack".
Essential Techniques
GF and Retreating Aerials
Using the c-stick, it is very easy to perform defensive, retreating aerials during a GF. Most commonly, the most defensive option is a retreating f-air, which excels as a pseudo-walling move that does a large amount of shield damage, has excellent range, and possesses great knockback. Fortunately with the shieldstun mechanics of SSB4, Peach's f-air is very safe on shield, and even safer when her momentum is carrying her backwards. This technique is especially effective against characters that lack range, have poor traction, or rely on grabs to rack up damage. Luigi is a prime example.
To a lesser extent, Peach's b-air and n-air act as "get off me" tools to push opponents away and help reset the neutral in Peach's favor. Her n-air lacks considerable amounts of startup lag (frame 5) and endlag; repeated GF n-airs that are cancelled into the ground are therefore somewhat effective at pressuring shields.
JCFF
The term coined and investigated by Peach player EOE, the JCFF stands for "jump cancel fast fall". The JCFF lets Peach cancel all upwards momentum during a jump and immediately transition to a fast-fall animation. This technique is one of the most important aspects of Peach's neutral game, as it opens up entire worlds of possibilities, from movement mindgames to lag-cancelled aerials to turnip re-catches.
The JCFF is performed by pressing and holding "jump", quickly tapping "down", and immediately releasing "jump". These instantaneous inputs trigger Peach's float briefly enough to end her momentum upwards, which is then cancelled by releasing "jump" and fast-falling. When used multiple times in succession, Peach appears to zigzag between the air and ground. The JCFF requires a fair amount of practice to use on a consistent basis. It is advised that you set one of your triggers to "jump", as it will make timing the technique more reliable.
Movement mindgames using a JCFF include
- baiting a defensive option by appearing to jump and use an aerial
- baiting an offensive option by appearing to remain in one spot, then quickly JCFF'ing backwards to avoid the attack and punish the endlag
- pressuring people on platforms to shield while they are above, out of fear of a GF u-air, u-tilt, or u-smash (all of which have hitboxes that are taller than a standard Battlefield platform
After hitting an opponent, turnips will bounce back in the direction they were thrown and will fall slowly. During the time after the turnip connects and before it hits the ground, Peach can quickly JCFF and input an airdodge to catch the turnip without typical airdodge lag. It is possible to regrab the turnip and throw it again, which maintains heavy pressure and forces your opponents to remain defensive; normally, opponents that are not experienced with catching thrown turnips will typically shield-this is a perfect opportunity to get a grab, or to shield pressure with d-air.
QFR
The "quick float release", used mainly by Dark Pch., is an additional movement option that is somewhat more easy to use than the JCFF. Rather than having to cancel any upwards momentum, the QFR is performed by dashing and quickly inputting a GF. The subsequent animation is Peach's initial dash, followed by a whiff of air, and her cancelled GF into her neutral stance. This technique lets Peach quickly change direction and bait out responses from opponents.
Contrasting to the JCFF's pseudo-wavedash, a single QFR moves Peach further horizontally, which allows her to dodge whiffed attacks from the opponent and maintain even more distance. It is exceedingly easy to transition from a string of QFR's (they are best performed in rapid succession to mix up Peach's movement) to a retreating f-air or a turnip throw, as you have to choice to land and cancel her GF to move in for a grounded option, or remain floating and attack with an aerial.
