Barrels

[Elated]

aside from barrel spiking, does anyone use the barrels offensively?

sometime ill shield dash right next to an opponent and instead of grabbing or rolling ill up+b. its usually unexpected and it has fantastic knockback. and if you happen to get hit by the opponent as your starting up, they get hit right in the face with a barrel.

the only problem with it is if you miss you free fall.

 

[Vyse]

http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=175689

I discussed this briefly once before:

Anyway, I've found that the rocket barrel has worked well to punish the enemy upon shielding an attack, hitting them away, and allowing you to land on the ground before they can recover. However the usefulness of this remains to be seen as the reason why Samus user's resorted to this was that it was faster than shield grabbing. Diddy on the other hand, doesn't have this problem. So I'm not sure whether or not that the ability to do this is all that useful.

Even if this has been discussed before, I think it's worth another look. I haven't done much testing to an opponent on high percent, but I'm pretty sure that if it hits, even if the opponent is at a low percent, they won't recover quick enough to hit you back.

But to answer your question.
Not really, not aside from the barrel spike.

 

[~^.NoiR.^~]

The safer player in Brawl will win. That's not very safe.

 

[N4N3RZ]

you can always Barrel out of the shield, it doesn't really kill at all but it can be used to get someone off you.
Note that I never Barrel out of shield lol.

 

[psike]

If they are at high percents on a platform above you, a quick up-b is effective. Don't do it more than once a fight though, unless you are playing someone noobish. If you are off the map, then never use it unless it is to spike or sweetspot a ledge (or to fly to the other side of the map against a really slow character).

EDIT: also check out barrel canceling- that may actually prove useful on some fateful day, though I wouldn't spam it

 

[IDK]

there was a thread about this once. it got closed.

 

[Advent Lee]

Some of my friends and myself believe in this one simple concept "every move in the game is useful and most of the time has more than one use"

I effectively use the barrels in my game play. Of course you can use them to spike, or to push off a very aggressive player even though it is quite risky.

But another use I have for the barrels involves finishing combos. Imagine your doing a basic Diddy combo on someone that involves you up-airing your opponent. Usually if that combo leads into the air (which most connected brawl hits/combos do) and your out of jumps, you can simply finish off the combo with an up-b. I have found it most effective on lighter characters.

 

[psike]

But another use I have for the barrels involves finishing combos. Imagine your doing a basic Diddy combo on someone that involves you up-airing your opponent. Usually if that combo leads into the air (which most connected brawl hits/combos do) and your out of jumps, you can simply finish off the combo with an up-b. I have found it most effective on lighter characters.

^^^This is very good advice as well. If you look at my approach thread, almost any of them can lead to an Up-B finisher that would have any aerial hit.

http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=178705

 

[Demenise]

Finishing combos is one big reason to use it, and there's another advantage to this. Since you can curve the way you fly, you can easily hit a DI-ing opponent. So yes, it IS kind of useful.