jiovanni007
Smash Ace
So we have a massive amount of information regarding Kirby, but one thing we lack is a compiled compendium of in depth match-up analysis. I am here to remedy this in a slow, but sure process. I'll update as often as possible and the flow of updates is starting at Mario, going down, then returning to the top of the next row to go down so no one has to sweat over who's next. So to all of my Kirby pros and my Kirbys just trying to get in the game, this one is for you, enjoy!
-Gumby
p.s. - Feel free to add anything, I edit often.
Character Analysis
Mario
Intro:
Mario come back into Brawl ready to go, I find him to be a bit underrated personally and his abilities should not be taken lightly, at least in this match-up.
Copy or Starshot:
This one can go either way, I prefer to starshot under the stage since his vertical recovery isn't the greatest. If you decide to take the fireball, long range spamming isn't encouraged since you will just end up in a stalemate with him caping and you throwing fireballs. Mixing them into your standard bair and fair approach tends to be useful at times, but is overall a mediocre copy due to Mario's reflecting ability.
Analysis:
This match is always going to go the player that tries harder throughout the fight. Mario has a decent pressure game in his fireballs and likes to use them to set-up or lure you closer. His utilt is dangerous and can lock you at lower percentages which leads to an uair which leads to a bair >.> Mario is moblie in the air and has some quick attacks in his bair, uair, and nair. He is likely to spam these a whole lot from both SHs and full jumps. On the ground he is going to be using his quick fsmash to kill and build damage. The stutter step gives him a lot of range and when sweetspotted, its pretty powerful. his bair lacks lag and is sometimes chained into a dsmash for a surprise attack (similar to MK using his gair). Outside of those, he won't use his other ground moves that much and will try to combat you in the air. To counter this, try not to get below him in the air and make sure you are always throwing out attacks in the air. Mario players know that they don't have long to live so they are very aggressive in their pursuit of victory. Always go for the gimp even though he'll try to cape you. The range of the cape isn't as good as it was in Melee so you can still connect and be reflected much easier. Edgehugging + Ledgehopped hammer can also prove to be effective as well due to his landing lag on his ^B. Also take great caution when using final cutter since it is very easy to cape or FLUDD.
Videos:
t!mmy (Kirby) vs Colby (Mario)
Boss (Mario) vs Gonzo (Kirby)
Luigi
Intro:
Luigi returns to Brawl in all of his weirdness and still retains his strange, yet sometimes effective fighting style.
Copy or Starshot:
Weegee just all around makes it difficult for Kirby to pull of any neat tricks. If you take his fireball, then he is likely to approach with VB which will cancel it out or throw some of his own. Trying to starshot or starspike him is also risky. A Luigi player with composure will gracefully VB towards the edge and more than likely spike you instead. The situation isn't that terrbile since this match isn't that difficult.
Analysis:
Luigi is very similar to Mario in playstyles, but varies in some ways too. His utilt doesn't lock you like Mario's, but he will constantly batter you with uairs, bairs, and nairs. One main point is that Luigi's nair can kill you at roughly 130%. One thing I've seen Luigi's do as well is lead in with a dair or fair, the chain it to a nair since it comes out almost instantly (if not absolutely instantaneous). Also, block after jabs, ALWAYS!!! If you block, he'll throw you, if you don't he'll Dragon Punch you. You decide which is worse. Fsmash is incredibly strong this time around and doesn't lag as much as it should so always keep a keen eye out for it. When fighting Luigi, pretend like you're fighting Mario, though he can knock you around in the air quite a bit, you still rule the skies in this match for the most part. His bair has better reach than your, so try to counter him from the air when he lands on the ground since it doesn't lag. Also try to weave in and out with your attacks while you're in the air to avoid the nair and retaliate during it's cooldown. Edgeguarding is a breeze. His recovery is great, but not too difficult to counter if you know what you're doing. His second jump may be accompanied by a VB which will propel him very high into the air. Here you want to read the air dodge and knock him off again before he can get the ground. Then it'll just be up to his >B to cover horizontal distance. All in all, this match isn't that difficult, just play your best.
Videos:
Gonzo (Kirby) vs Boss (Luigi)
Blitz (Luigi) vs Twilight Kirby (Kirby)
Both close matches, TWK lost his, but still that demonstrates how close the match-up is.
Bowser
Intro:
Mario's rival is back with a new flavor (lol, had to) and is not nearly as bad as his Melee counterpart. However since this match is usually an easy win for Kirby, many Kirby players are ignorant of what a good Bowser can really do.
Copy or Starshot:
I say starshot Bowser. You don't even have to spike him due to his poor vertical recovery. There's really no debate on this one unless you're playing on Castle Siege or Bridge of Eldin where you can use the fire to rack up about 40%. Otherwise just starshot if you get the chance.
Analysis:
Yes I know that the Match-Up thread lists this as a 7-3 in Kirby's favor, but it also lists the Snake match as 3-7 and I've won over some good Snake players before. Someone that is truly a pro with their character know how to overcome the obstacles presented in matches such as this. One thing a Bowser will always do to Kirby is fire. The fire is so much better now and if you're not throwing an attack when he starts it, you get get burned for 15~30 damage. Make sure you DI away since he can control the direction and catch you more if you try to get slick and DI up and over his head. Bowser Claw is also another dangerous move. It kills, suicides and has SA frames. A lot of Bowsers use thin when they're high on damage or on their last life since they will be declared winner if you lose to that move, regardless of damage. Bowser on the ground destroys you. All of his tilts are relatively quick (especially dtilt), powerful, difficult to shield grab, and outrange anything you throw at it. Good news is that in the air, he can't do anything to you. When fighting Bowser, keep him in the air as much as possible. Bair is your friend since it comes out faster than all of his attacks. When above Bowser, try to use the brick coming down because his uair will kill you from 70%. When gimping, always go for the dair. His horizontal recovery is crazy, but vertical recovery is negligible. Some Bowsers may also get tricky and Koopa Klaw on the return to get a quick kill, so always come from above with the dair. Bowser is an easy, but he still has some tricks to try to combat you with.
Videos:
Gumby/me (Kirby) vs Cubia (Bowser)
This one's old and gonna be replaced with one of my new vids facing my friends Bowser since we're both much better now. This one was shot back in March.
Peach
Intro: Peach also returns, a bit nerfed but still very playable and has been pulling her weight at tournaments recently.
Copy or Starshot:
This one's a no brainer, starshot. Her vertical recovery leaves much to be desired so just inhale, get really low and spit her out under the stage and she shouldn't make it back.
Analysis:
Peach is a very tricky match-up indeed. Float canceling returns and removes lag from her aerials and she has that reliable vertical KO that Kirby players hate oh so much. Slide tossing adds a new depth to her mindgames at the expense of having her turnips being able to kill (outside of stitches and dot-eyes of course). Peach can prove to be very unpredictable and very dangerous as well. Slide tossing gives her a very good approach and retreat that can be followed up seamlessly with grabs or jabs, he ftilt is amazing and has wicked range, and all of her aerials are very useful. Mostly in the air, she'll be spamming dairs and nairs to build damage to finish you with a fair or usmash. On the ground, she'll be sliding all over the place with turnips and battering you with ftilts and dtilts to set you up in the air. Her counter is pretty good now and her >B is actually usable. When combating Peach, you have to take your time. She throws out a lot of attacks at a time so playing defensively and threading the needle in between he attacks is key. Once you connect one attack, make sure you follow it up as quickly as possible. The lack of a sex kick makes this task easier than in the case of Mario and Luigi, but you must watch out for fairs. Never ever try to come directly from above her in any move except for the brick since her sweetspotted usmash can knock you out pretty early and her utilt is disjointed. Killing Peach is no problem once you have some damage on her, fsmash, usmash, hammer, and brick all do a very good job at knocking her out from ~80%. Just be very wary of her range, she is very deceptive with it. Her bair and fair will surprise you a lot and the quickness of her dair makes it hard to counter straight up. Taking advantage of openings is a must to win this match.
Videos:
Gay! (Peach) vs Lucky (Kirby)
Not very many vids on youtube, but this one's decent.
Link
Intro: Link returns and for some reason, everyone's favorite Hylian is still bad after all these years. I think that he's the only one of the original 12 that never hit mid tier, but I digress...
Copy or Starshot:
Same rule applies from Peach, his vertical recovery is terrible so just spit him under the stage. You could take the Bow just to make him mad since you should easily win this match.
Analysis:
Theoretically Link should destroy Kirby without thinking. He has three mean projectiles and a disjointed hitbox. Luckily for Kirby players, Sakurai had poor execution when designing him. His only advantage against Kirby is that he can camp very well. In the air he lacks speed and priority. On the ground he lacks speed in his attacks and isn't too terribly powerful. My only advice is just to fight and try not to stay under him when he's in the air. Gimp always since he probably won't get back. Short and sweet.
Videos:
Kirbz (Kirby) vs Brian (Link) - All I could find, not really necessary.
Next update: Zelda + Sheik
-Gumby
p.s. - Feel free to add anything, I edit often.
Character Analysis
Intro:
Mario come back into Brawl ready to go, I find him to be a bit underrated personally and his abilities should not be taken lightly, at least in this match-up.
Copy or Starshot:
This one can go either way, I prefer to starshot under the stage since his vertical recovery isn't the greatest. If you decide to take the fireball, long range spamming isn't encouraged since you will just end up in a stalemate with him caping and you throwing fireballs. Mixing them into your standard bair and fair approach tends to be useful at times, but is overall a mediocre copy due to Mario's reflecting ability.
Analysis:
This match is always going to go the player that tries harder throughout the fight. Mario has a decent pressure game in his fireballs and likes to use them to set-up or lure you closer. His utilt is dangerous and can lock you at lower percentages which leads to an uair which leads to a bair >.> Mario is moblie in the air and has some quick attacks in his bair, uair, and nair. He is likely to spam these a whole lot from both SHs and full jumps. On the ground he is going to be using his quick fsmash to kill and build damage. The stutter step gives him a lot of range and when sweetspotted, its pretty powerful. his bair lacks lag and is sometimes chained into a dsmash for a surprise attack (similar to MK using his gair). Outside of those, he won't use his other ground moves that much and will try to combat you in the air. To counter this, try not to get below him in the air and make sure you are always throwing out attacks in the air. Mario players know that they don't have long to live so they are very aggressive in their pursuit of victory. Always go for the gimp even though he'll try to cape you. The range of the cape isn't as good as it was in Melee so you can still connect and be reflected much easier. Edgehugging + Ledgehopped hammer can also prove to be effective as well due to his landing lag on his ^B. Also take great caution when using final cutter since it is very easy to cape or FLUDD.
Videos:
t!mmy (Kirby) vs Colby (Mario)
Boss (Mario) vs Gonzo (Kirby)
Intro:
Luigi returns to Brawl in all of his weirdness and still retains his strange, yet sometimes effective fighting style.
Copy or Starshot:
Weegee just all around makes it difficult for Kirby to pull of any neat tricks. If you take his fireball, then he is likely to approach with VB which will cancel it out or throw some of his own. Trying to starshot or starspike him is also risky. A Luigi player with composure will gracefully VB towards the edge and more than likely spike you instead. The situation isn't that terrbile since this match isn't that difficult.
Analysis:
Luigi is very similar to Mario in playstyles, but varies in some ways too. His utilt doesn't lock you like Mario's, but he will constantly batter you with uairs, bairs, and nairs. One main point is that Luigi's nair can kill you at roughly 130%. One thing I've seen Luigi's do as well is lead in with a dair or fair, the chain it to a nair since it comes out almost instantly (if not absolutely instantaneous). Also, block after jabs, ALWAYS!!! If you block, he'll throw you, if you don't he'll Dragon Punch you. You decide which is worse. Fsmash is incredibly strong this time around and doesn't lag as much as it should so always keep a keen eye out for it. When fighting Luigi, pretend like you're fighting Mario, though he can knock you around in the air quite a bit, you still rule the skies in this match for the most part. His bair has better reach than your, so try to counter him from the air when he lands on the ground since it doesn't lag. Also try to weave in and out with your attacks while you're in the air to avoid the nair and retaliate during it's cooldown. Edgeguarding is a breeze. His recovery is great, but not too difficult to counter if you know what you're doing. His second jump may be accompanied by a VB which will propel him very high into the air. Here you want to read the air dodge and knock him off again before he can get the ground. Then it'll just be up to his >B to cover horizontal distance. All in all, this match isn't that difficult, just play your best.
Videos:
Gonzo (Kirby) vs Boss (Luigi)
Blitz (Luigi) vs Twilight Kirby (Kirby)
Both close matches, TWK lost his, but still that demonstrates how close the match-up is.
Intro:
Mario's rival is back with a new flavor (lol, had to) and is not nearly as bad as his Melee counterpart. However since this match is usually an easy win for Kirby, many Kirby players are ignorant of what a good Bowser can really do.
Copy or Starshot:
I say starshot Bowser. You don't even have to spike him due to his poor vertical recovery. There's really no debate on this one unless you're playing on Castle Siege or Bridge of Eldin where you can use the fire to rack up about 40%. Otherwise just starshot if you get the chance.
Analysis:
Yes I know that the Match-Up thread lists this as a 7-3 in Kirby's favor, but it also lists the Snake match as 3-7 and I've won over some good Snake players before. Someone that is truly a pro with their character know how to overcome the obstacles presented in matches such as this. One thing a Bowser will always do to Kirby is fire. The fire is so much better now and if you're not throwing an attack when he starts it, you get get burned for 15~30 damage. Make sure you DI away since he can control the direction and catch you more if you try to get slick and DI up and over his head. Bowser Claw is also another dangerous move. It kills, suicides and has SA frames. A lot of Bowsers use thin when they're high on damage or on their last life since they will be declared winner if you lose to that move, regardless of damage. Bowser on the ground destroys you. All of his tilts are relatively quick (especially dtilt), powerful, difficult to shield grab, and outrange anything you throw at it. Good news is that in the air, he can't do anything to you. When fighting Bowser, keep him in the air as much as possible. Bair is your friend since it comes out faster than all of his attacks. When above Bowser, try to use the brick coming down because his uair will kill you from 70%. When gimping, always go for the dair. His horizontal recovery is crazy, but vertical recovery is negligible. Some Bowsers may also get tricky and Koopa Klaw on the return to get a quick kill, so always come from above with the dair. Bowser is an easy, but he still has some tricks to try to combat you with.
Videos:
Gumby/me (Kirby) vs Cubia (Bowser)
This one's old and gonna be replaced with one of my new vids facing my friends Bowser since we're both much better now. This one was shot back in March.
Intro: Peach also returns, a bit nerfed but still very playable and has been pulling her weight at tournaments recently.
Copy or Starshot:
This one's a no brainer, starshot. Her vertical recovery leaves much to be desired so just inhale, get really low and spit her out under the stage and she shouldn't make it back.
Analysis:
Peach is a very tricky match-up indeed. Float canceling returns and removes lag from her aerials and she has that reliable vertical KO that Kirby players hate oh so much. Slide tossing adds a new depth to her mindgames at the expense of having her turnips being able to kill (outside of stitches and dot-eyes of course). Peach can prove to be very unpredictable and very dangerous as well. Slide tossing gives her a very good approach and retreat that can be followed up seamlessly with grabs or jabs, he ftilt is amazing and has wicked range, and all of her aerials are very useful. Mostly in the air, she'll be spamming dairs and nairs to build damage to finish you with a fair or usmash. On the ground, she'll be sliding all over the place with turnips and battering you with ftilts and dtilts to set you up in the air. Her counter is pretty good now and her >B is actually usable. When combating Peach, you have to take your time. She throws out a lot of attacks at a time so playing defensively and threading the needle in between he attacks is key. Once you connect one attack, make sure you follow it up as quickly as possible. The lack of a sex kick makes this task easier than in the case of Mario and Luigi, but you must watch out for fairs. Never ever try to come directly from above her in any move except for the brick since her sweetspotted usmash can knock you out pretty early and her utilt is disjointed. Killing Peach is no problem once you have some damage on her, fsmash, usmash, hammer, and brick all do a very good job at knocking her out from ~80%. Just be very wary of her range, she is very deceptive with it. Her bair and fair will surprise you a lot and the quickness of her dair makes it hard to counter straight up. Taking advantage of openings is a must to win this match.
Videos:
Gay! (Peach) vs Lucky (Kirby)
Not very many vids on youtube, but this one's decent.
Intro: Link returns and for some reason, everyone's favorite Hylian is still bad after all these years. I think that he's the only one of the original 12 that never hit mid tier, but I digress...
Copy or Starshot:
Same rule applies from Peach, his vertical recovery is terrible so just spit him under the stage. You could take the Bow just to make him mad since you should easily win this match.
Analysis:
Theoretically Link should destroy Kirby without thinking. He has three mean projectiles and a disjointed hitbox. Luckily for Kirby players, Sakurai had poor execution when designing him. His only advantage against Kirby is that he can camp very well. In the air he lacks speed and priority. On the ground he lacks speed in his attacks and isn't too terribly powerful. My only advice is just to fight and try not to stay under him when he's in the air. Gimp always since he probably won't get back. Short and sweet.
Videos:
Kirbz (Kirby) vs Brian (Link) - All I could find, not really necessary.
Next update: Zelda + Sheik
.
