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Aerial Instant Needle Cancelling

Simikins

Nerfed
Joined
Jun 5, 2015
Messages
366
Location
New Zealand
3DS FC
0447-8060-8710
Aerial Instant Needle Cancelling
Instant Needle Cancelling (INC) is well known as one of Sheik’s hardest techniques. It’s used to cancel needles directly into an attack, with only 7 extra frames of startup, out of a dash. This is caused by the 1 frame window on frame 8 of Sheik’s needle charge where pressing shield will cancel immediately, rather than with the needle cancel animation.

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Something that is less known, is that this 1 frame window also exists when charging needles in the air.
GIF
The main difference, is that because buffering an attack will out prioritise a shield input on the ground but not an airdodge in the air, you can’t instant needle cancel into aerials, only specials. Even without this ability, it opens up some great aerial movement with the use of b-reversals.

Note: The main advantage of this over regular needle cancelling is speed. With a regular needle cancel, you are forced to go through the 7 frame cancel animation before the airdodge starts, and the earliest you can regular needle cancel is on frame 9, meaning the fastest possible b reverse airdodge with needle cancelling is 16 frames before the airdodge starts, whereas with instant needle cancelling it’s 7 frames. The instant needle cancel window, however, is 1 frame on frame 8, while the window for regular needle cancelling is from frame 9 until your needles finish charging… so basically as long as you want. You can differentiate between an Instant Needle Cancel and a regular Needle Cancel easily as with an instant needle cancel the needle charge sound does not play, whereas with a needle cancel it does.

Aerial Instant Needle Cancel into Specials - Needle, buffer another special move, then on frame 8 press shield
Practically useless for grenade, bouncing fish and needles as you can b reverse those by themselves (unless you want to look super flashy of course), but it allows for a pseudo b reverse vanish. Vanish cannot be b reversed normally, so this can give you some whacky vanish movement to throw your opponent off guard.

B-reverse Vanish
Needles (Frame 1) > tilt stick in opposite direction (next 1-3 frames) > Buffer up b after b reverse and within 7 frames of initially pressing needle > shield (frame 8)
GIF

Walljump B-reverse Vanish
Same as above, but add a walljump
GIF

Aerial Instant Needle Cancel Airdodge - Needle, then on frame 8 press shield
Combining this with b-reversals, Sheik can basically b reverse airdodge.

B-reverse Airdodge
Needles (frame 1) > b reverse (next 1-3 frames) > airdodge (frame 8)
GIF
Using this can allow for some tricky landing options, and even if the opponent reads the b reverse we can airdodge fairly safely.

B-reverse Airdodge Ledge Cancel
Same as above but aim at a ledge
GIF
Fancy movement

Making use of needle fidgeting:
With a regular needle cancel, you can cancel needles into another special. This is known as needle fidgeting. You can needle fidget at any time in the needle charge, and you can do this into needles. What this means is you can needle fidget into an Instant Needle Cancel. Have fun.
GIF

- Simikins
 
Last edited:

Simikins

Nerfed
Joined
Jun 5, 2015
Messages
366
Location
New Zealand
3DS FC
0447-8060-8710
Is it at the exact same frame or earlier/later?
Not sure which part you mean, but the special move has to be buffered before the needle cancel and after the needle, so within the 7 frame startup. The 1 frame window is on the eighth frame of the needle charge animation, same as grounded INC.
 

Glitchy_

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Messages
135
Location
Austria
NNID
Nintend0pr0
Not sure which part you mean, but the special move has to be buffered before the needle cancel and after the needle, so within the 7 frame startup. The 1 frame window is on the eighth frame of the needle charge animation, same as grounded INC.
That's exactly what I wanted to know, thanks!
 
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