PIT BASIC STRATEGY GUIDE
Intro
Purpose of This Guide
Smash Bros. is a complex fighting game, if not the most. There are many attacks and techniques at one’s disposal, and it can be hard to know what to do when. This guide is meant to be an insight into most general situations, and tell you what moves are most appropriate. Reading about this in theory can sound easy, but the key is to be able to think about this without hesitation in the heat of battle.
How this guide will work is I'll name a position, list the viable moves, and go on to describe the strategies.
This is not a guide to mindgames. Mindgames are something you learn by experience and changes with every person you face.
Positions
Close
- Jab
- Shield
- Grab
- Short Hop N-air
A common mistake for players is to try spotdodging. Never spotdodge in this position! There is little to no advantage gained from it. If they jab, shield, or sometimes even when they grab, they will still be able to catch you when the dodge is over.
The jab infinite will be your number one choice in this situation. It ties other jabs, and beats grabs, shields, and dodges. The only reason you shouldn't do this is if the opponent's character has a dragon punch (fast move with start-up invincibility, like Marth's up-B). But dragon punches tend to leave them open if you shield it.
If you're shielding against a jab, you may need to risk a grab or roll and hope you get the timing right. Don't wait for them to push you away, as most of the time your shield will shrink too much before then.
If they're behind you, or you're shielding an attack and can't quite reach with a grab, your safest bet may be to jump cancel your shield and retreat with an N-air.
Spaced
- F-smash
- D-smash
- F-tilt
- D-tilt
- Angel Ring
- Short Hop Aerial
- Roll/dodge
- Dash Shield/Grab/Attack
As you can tell from the list, this position is the most complicated and trickiest. They're out of range for your melee attacks, but they're too close to try an arrow.
The F-tilt has best range of any of your normal attacks, and it pushes blockers away enough to prevent them from countering. But this moves is also the slowest of Pit's attacks. It's a good move to throw out when they're out of range to see if they'll go into it.
D-tilt causes your character to crouch, which can avoid some things, and the attack hits low enough for shield stabs. This attack comes out quicker then the F-tilt, making this useful for when they are closer. It also sets up for juggles.
The D-smash is your fastest ranged attack, and also leaves you the most open. It's a good move for taking advantage of openings. Use this when they roll toward you as the second hit is perfectly timed to hit them when they're finished.
The Angel Ring is a wonderful move that acts like a ranged jab. It beats grabs, plus shields and dodges so long as you keep pressing the B button. Despite the size of the ring, the move actually has a very small hitbox and terrible priority, so if the opponent anticipates they can smash attack right through you. It's also vulnerable if they roll past you.
Pit's F-smash is decent in range, speed, and power. It functions well against short-hop approaches.
A short hop F-air can be safe against shields if you DI backwards while striking with the tip. Depending on the enemy's out of shield options, a cross-up done by jumping behind them and attacking, can be very safe.
Whether you shield, dodge, or roll will depend on what attacks you expect from you adversary. Sudden dash grabs are risky, but well rewarded against a shielding opponent.
The dash attack is generally useless, and you should always opt out to jump out of a dash if you mean to attack.
Far
- Arrows
- Close-in
You're Pit, shoot your arrows until you run out. You're at an advantage with your projectiles, there’s no reason for you to try getting closer. Be careful when they approach, and know your range for safely firing. Don't be predictable with your firing. Try charging shots to fake them out. If you need to close in for a kill, do it after you create an opportunity with your arrows.
Juggling
- Aerial
- Arrow
- U-tilt
- U-smash
- Shield
- Angel Ring
Most aerials if you shield them, will cause the attacker enough landing lag for you to counter them.
If they're high enough in the air, you get a free chance to fire an arrow. If they try to air dodge the arrow, you may get your opportunity to attack them afterwards.
Choosing between doing an aerial or an U-tilt/U-smash mostly has to do with timing, and when you think they'll try to airdodge. Try to fake them out with empty jumps and dashes.
The U-tilt has surprising priority, and is fast enough to not leave you vulnerable if you miss, which is likely to happen because of it's narrow reach. Doing a foxtrot into a sliding U-smash can cover a lot of ground, but it can leave you vulnerable.
A favorite tactic of mine is to catch where they land with the Angel Ring. Think about it. Any attacks they do are canceled when they land, and if they try to shield, or roll/dodge, you'll still get them.
Landing
- Airdodge
- Aerial
- Angel Ring
This is a dangerous position to be in. Don't fastfall right away, but save it to trick up the timing of the opponent. Also don't spam your airdodge.
Only try to use an aerial if they jump up to you. If you want to attack them while they're on the ground, use the Angel Ring as it will be able to defeat their shield.
Edgeguarding
- Arrow
- Aerial
- Mirror Shield
- Wings of Icarus
First off if they are far away, try firing an arrow. If your lucky you'll take away their double jump.
Your main goal is to try to meet them with an F-air. Use N-air if they suddenly get close. You have to be careful, and make sure that when you meet them you still have at least one midair jump left. You don't want to use your Up-B to escape and potentially get attacked.
When they are in range to make the ledge with their up-B, it's generally useless to try stopping them with out getting caught in their attack.
Advanced
By using Wing Renewal and Wing Pivoting in tandem, you can fly far out and attack accurately with the B-air, and still have all your jumps for coming back.
Refer to UndrDog's thread in the link section
It can be worthwhile to intercept a striking Up-B with the Mirror Shield to turn them around. The timing is tight though, and requires practice.
Ledge Guarding
When you're waiting for them to get up, be prepared to use U-air if they jump, or D-smash if they roll. If they try getting up normally or use their ledge attack try shield grabbing.
Against a ledge hop attack, (letting go of the ledge, attacking and grabbing again) you can block them with the shield, then drop it and use the D-tilt for a meteor smash. Remember that your feet have to be touching them for the meteor to work.
Recovery
Pit is well know for his ability to recover from insane distances, but he also has options. Use your extra midair jumps to fire arrows at your opponent to discourage him from edgeguarding. If he jumps off after you, be ready to use the mirror shield to block his charge, also use the shield if he uses projectiles off the edge.
A footstool jump is an option you shouldn't forget about when they come for you. Sure you don't need the extra height, but it gets you clear out of their attack range, and can possibly KO them.
When knocked far away, you should always glide first. Don't use all your mid air jumps before attempting to glide. Otherwise you won't be able to use your Up-B after canceling. Stop your glide to attack, or if you think you'll run into something.
When you're higher then the ledge you don't want to use Up-B. You can be easily gimped up high, instead drop and aim for the ledge.
On some stages Pit can use his recovery to reach the opposite side's ledge. Opponents can see you do this and run to the other side in time. Only use this tactic when your enemy is grabbing the ledge and being aggressive.
Ledge Grab
Besides the normal options, Pit has some interesting options he can do when letting go of the stage. By pushing the stick away from the stage and jumping right after, you can draw your bow and then turn around and shoot. Useful for annoying, but they can jump after you.
It's possible to hit someone standing on the ledge with a F-air by pushing down on the stick and jumping immediately. A useful tactic if they don't D-tilt spam. You can do the same technique for doing an F-air with the Side-B, and land on the stage. This is great if they're shielding. Keep mashing the B button to break through their guard.
Miscellaneous
Getting Knockouts
First some data. These are his most reliable KO moves' percentages.
100% - Sweetspot B-air
130% - F-smash, D-smash, Glide attack
150% - F-tilt, F-air, U-smash
The B-air is quite powerful, but you shouldn't start spamming it to hope for a quick KO. Short hopping a B-air goes over a lot of character's heads. Your best hope for landing it is when they're airborne.
Once your opponent reaches 150%, you should stop using weak attacks like side-B and AAA. It's not worth racking up more damage, and giving your opponent more time to hurt you when you can KO him.
Using Throws
The forward and back throws are only good for getting them off the edge or into a hazard. It's almost possible to chain throw these at low percentages (0-40%), but experts can spotdodge in time. In which case you could trick them by doing side-B instead.
A down-throw to a full jump U-air is a guaranteed combo at certain percents. Against Bowser it works up to 70%, and works up to 35% for Jigglypuff. Past these percentages it's better to use the up-throw. It does twice the damage as down, and sends them straight up, making it safe and easy to draw out the bow for a shot.
Links
Glossary of terms and abbreviations.
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=42749
Additional terms are edgehugging (running off the edge and pushing the stick backward to grab), and instant dash attack (done by smashing the control stick forward, and tapping the c-stick down a split second later).
Brawl's new adv. techniques.
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=164597
The Pit Compendium
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=163980
Interesting features of some of Pit's attacks
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=4109423#post4109423
UndrWorld - Pit Demonstration Videos
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=155928
Descriptions of Pit's unique techs and names are also found here.
Credits
Thanks to...
Admiral Bowser for Pika help and encouragement
Arigon convincing me to take out parts
erickdredd reminding me of glide attack's KO potential
GamerGuitarist7 making a great arrow FAQ, and for his "Things that should be well known" thread
jaycee00 for the tip about using the F-smash backwards
UndrDog for creating a technique video, and for his Wolf tips.
Zeela12 for writing about the history of Pit
Thank you Nintendo for creating Kid Icarus and Smash Bros
Thanks to the creators and moderators of SWF
And thanks to everyone who's given me encouraging posts!
Intro
Purpose of This Guide
Smash Bros. is a complex fighting game, if not the most. There are many attacks and techniques at one’s disposal, and it can be hard to know what to do when. This guide is meant to be an insight into most general situations, and tell you what moves are most appropriate. Reading about this in theory can sound easy, but the key is to be able to think about this without hesitation in the heat of battle.
How this guide will work is I'll name a position, list the viable moves, and go on to describe the strategies.
This is not a guide to mindgames. Mindgames are something you learn by experience and changes with every person you face.
Positions
Close
- Jab
- Shield
- Grab
- Short Hop N-air
A common mistake for players is to try spotdodging. Never spotdodge in this position! There is little to no advantage gained from it. If they jab, shield, or sometimes even when they grab, they will still be able to catch you when the dodge is over.
The jab infinite will be your number one choice in this situation. It ties other jabs, and beats grabs, shields, and dodges. The only reason you shouldn't do this is if the opponent's character has a dragon punch (fast move with start-up invincibility, like Marth's up-B). But dragon punches tend to leave them open if you shield it.
If you're shielding against a jab, you may need to risk a grab or roll and hope you get the timing right. Don't wait for them to push you away, as most of the time your shield will shrink too much before then.
If they're behind you, or you're shielding an attack and can't quite reach with a grab, your safest bet may be to jump cancel your shield and retreat with an N-air.
Spaced
- F-smash
- D-smash
- F-tilt
- D-tilt
- Angel Ring
- Short Hop Aerial
- Roll/dodge
- Dash Shield/Grab/Attack
As you can tell from the list, this position is the most complicated and trickiest. They're out of range for your melee attacks, but they're too close to try an arrow.
The F-tilt has best range of any of your normal attacks, and it pushes blockers away enough to prevent them from countering. But this moves is also the slowest of Pit's attacks. It's a good move to throw out when they're out of range to see if they'll go into it.
D-tilt causes your character to crouch, which can avoid some things, and the attack hits low enough for shield stabs. This attack comes out quicker then the F-tilt, making this useful for when they are closer. It also sets up for juggles.
The D-smash is your fastest ranged attack, and also leaves you the most open. It's a good move for taking advantage of openings. Use this when they roll toward you as the second hit is perfectly timed to hit them when they're finished.
The Angel Ring is a wonderful move that acts like a ranged jab. It beats grabs, plus shields and dodges so long as you keep pressing the B button. Despite the size of the ring, the move actually has a very small hitbox and terrible priority, so if the opponent anticipates they can smash attack right through you. It's also vulnerable if they roll past you.
Pit's F-smash is decent in range, speed, and power. It functions well against short-hop approaches.
A short hop F-air can be safe against shields if you DI backwards while striking with the tip. Depending on the enemy's out of shield options, a cross-up done by jumping behind them and attacking, can be very safe.
Whether you shield, dodge, or roll will depend on what attacks you expect from you adversary. Sudden dash grabs are risky, but well rewarded against a shielding opponent.
The dash attack is generally useless, and you should always opt out to jump out of a dash if you mean to attack.
Far
- Arrows
- Close-in
You're Pit, shoot your arrows until you run out. You're at an advantage with your projectiles, there’s no reason for you to try getting closer. Be careful when they approach, and know your range for safely firing. Don't be predictable with your firing. Try charging shots to fake them out. If you need to close in for a kill, do it after you create an opportunity with your arrows.
Juggling
- Aerial
- Arrow
- U-tilt
- U-smash
- Shield
- Angel Ring
Most aerials if you shield them, will cause the attacker enough landing lag for you to counter them.
If they're high enough in the air, you get a free chance to fire an arrow. If they try to air dodge the arrow, you may get your opportunity to attack them afterwards.
Choosing between doing an aerial or an U-tilt/U-smash mostly has to do with timing, and when you think they'll try to airdodge. Try to fake them out with empty jumps and dashes.
The U-tilt has surprising priority, and is fast enough to not leave you vulnerable if you miss, which is likely to happen because of it's narrow reach. Doing a foxtrot into a sliding U-smash can cover a lot of ground, but it can leave you vulnerable.
A favorite tactic of mine is to catch where they land with the Angel Ring. Think about it. Any attacks they do are canceled when they land, and if they try to shield, or roll/dodge, you'll still get them.
Landing
- Airdodge
- Aerial
- Angel Ring
This is a dangerous position to be in. Don't fastfall right away, but save it to trick up the timing of the opponent. Also don't spam your airdodge.
Only try to use an aerial if they jump up to you. If you want to attack them while they're on the ground, use the Angel Ring as it will be able to defeat their shield.
Edgeguarding
- Arrow
- Aerial
- Mirror Shield
- Wings of Icarus
First off if they are far away, try firing an arrow. If your lucky you'll take away their double jump.
Your main goal is to try to meet them with an F-air. Use N-air if they suddenly get close. You have to be careful, and make sure that when you meet them you still have at least one midair jump left. You don't want to use your Up-B to escape and potentially get attacked.
When they are in range to make the ledge with their up-B, it's generally useless to try stopping them with out getting caught in their attack.
Advanced
By using Wing Renewal and Wing Pivoting in tandem, you can fly far out and attack accurately with the B-air, and still have all your jumps for coming back.
Refer to UndrDog's thread in the link section
It can be worthwhile to intercept a striking Up-B with the Mirror Shield to turn them around. The timing is tight though, and requires practice.
Ledge Guarding
When you're waiting for them to get up, be prepared to use U-air if they jump, or D-smash if they roll. If they try getting up normally or use their ledge attack try shield grabbing.
Against a ledge hop attack, (letting go of the ledge, attacking and grabbing again) you can block them with the shield, then drop it and use the D-tilt for a meteor smash. Remember that your feet have to be touching them for the meteor to work.
Recovery
Pit is well know for his ability to recover from insane distances, but he also has options. Use your extra midair jumps to fire arrows at your opponent to discourage him from edgeguarding. If he jumps off after you, be ready to use the mirror shield to block his charge, also use the shield if he uses projectiles off the edge.
A footstool jump is an option you shouldn't forget about when they come for you. Sure you don't need the extra height, but it gets you clear out of their attack range, and can possibly KO them.
When knocked far away, you should always glide first. Don't use all your mid air jumps before attempting to glide. Otherwise you won't be able to use your Up-B after canceling. Stop your glide to attack, or if you think you'll run into something.
When you're higher then the ledge you don't want to use Up-B. You can be easily gimped up high, instead drop and aim for the ledge.
On some stages Pit can use his recovery to reach the opposite side's ledge. Opponents can see you do this and run to the other side in time. Only use this tactic when your enemy is grabbing the ledge and being aggressive.
Ledge Grab
Besides the normal options, Pit has some interesting options he can do when letting go of the stage. By pushing the stick away from the stage and jumping right after, you can draw your bow and then turn around and shoot. Useful for annoying, but they can jump after you.
It's possible to hit someone standing on the ledge with a F-air by pushing down on the stick and jumping immediately. A useful tactic if they don't D-tilt spam. You can do the same technique for doing an F-air with the Side-B, and land on the stage. This is great if they're shielding. Keep mashing the B button to break through their guard.
Miscellaneous
Getting Knockouts
First some data. These are his most reliable KO moves' percentages.
100% - Sweetspot B-air
130% - F-smash, D-smash, Glide attack
150% - F-tilt, F-air, U-smash
The B-air is quite powerful, but you shouldn't start spamming it to hope for a quick KO. Short hopping a B-air goes over a lot of character's heads. Your best hope for landing it is when they're airborne.
Once your opponent reaches 150%, you should stop using weak attacks like side-B and AAA. It's not worth racking up more damage, and giving your opponent more time to hurt you when you can KO him.
Using Throws
The forward and back throws are only good for getting them off the edge or into a hazard. It's almost possible to chain throw these at low percentages (0-40%), but experts can spotdodge in time. In which case you could trick them by doing side-B instead.
A down-throw to a full jump U-air is a guaranteed combo at certain percents. Against Bowser it works up to 70%, and works up to 35% for Jigglypuff. Past these percentages it's better to use the up-throw. It does twice the damage as down, and sends them straight up, making it safe and easy to draw out the bow for a shot.
Links
Glossary of terms and abbreviations.
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=42749
Additional terms are edgehugging (running off the edge and pushing the stick backward to grab), and instant dash attack (done by smashing the control stick forward, and tapping the c-stick down a split second later).
Brawl's new adv. techniques.
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=164597
The Pit Compendium
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=163980
Interesting features of some of Pit's attacks
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=4109423#post4109423
UndrWorld - Pit Demonstration Videos
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=155928
Descriptions of Pit's unique techs and names are also found here.
Credits
Thanks to...
Admiral Bowser for Pika help and encouragement
Arigon convincing me to take out parts
erickdredd reminding me of glide attack's KO potential
GamerGuitarist7 making a great arrow FAQ, and for his "Things that should be well known" thread
jaycee00 for the tip about using the F-smash backwards
UndrDog for creating a technique video, and for his Wolf tips.
Zeela12 for writing about the history of Pit
Thank you Nintendo for creating Kid Icarus and Smash Bros
Thanks to the creators and moderators of SWF
And thanks to everyone who's given me encouraging posts!
