Q&A Consult Your Navigator - Mega Man Q&A Thread

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(Yes I get that this is from X8, but it's still Mega Man related.~)

Mega Man Question and Answer Thread (Soon to be an FAQ thread)
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A navigation of any kind is helpful to you as you set out to learn new things. Mega Man is new to the Smash Bros. series, so naturally there will be a lot of questions about his gameplay, moveset, and more. This thread is for any general Mega Man questions that you have pertaining to his role in Smash. If you have any other questions that pertain to Mega Man from his series, you can talk about it in the social thread found here.

In the post below this one, I'll be adding an FAQ as time goes on and many questions are answered already. Don't be shy about asking a question that you "think" might be too obvious. Chances are, someone else on the board has the same question but hasn't asked it yet!

Wait a second Yink...why'd you put a "Check Here" in the title?... well, I did this because a lot of times people create a thread asking a question that's already been asked. Check here first to see if someone already asked it. That way, we can minimize the clutter of threads on the board. Thank you for understanding!

 

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Important Threads:

Bubble Man's Jacuzzi - Our resident social thread. Is mostly full of Blue Bomber nuts but you are free to talk about anything so long as it stays within SWF rules.

Dr. Light Capsule - Our resident video/critique thread. Please read the OP for rules about posting.

Custom Moveset Project: Mega Man - For discussion of custom moves and info about the Custom Moveset Project. Is a tad outdated due to recent patches but it contains recommendations on popular sets.

Zero's Advice - General Match-Up discussion. If you have a question about a particular match-up please check here rather than creating a new thread.

Boss Select - Weekly Specific Match-Up discussions. Please check the OP to find out which character is being discussed at what time.

Staggering! Flame Stag's Tournament Reports - Feel free to discuss recent tournament results, placements, or personal goals/achievements.

Guide/FAQ Threads:

Super Fighting Robot! - A basic guide created by multiple community members and mains. Updated semi-regularly.

List of Mega Man's Techniques and Tricks - An advanced guide created by our board's resident lab researchers. Contains in-depth tutorials on ATs both general and specific to Mega Man.

Let's Blow Stuff Up: A Guide to Crash Bomb - An in-depth guide to the various properties and specific set ups of Crash Bomber.

White Halloween - An in-depth guide to the custom moves: Ice Slasher and Skull Barrier.

Wood Man's Treehouse: A Leaf Shield Guide - An in-depth guide to both Leaf Shield and Plant Barrier.

Air Man's Unbeatable Thread - An attempted look into just how our Up-Air, the Air Shooter, functions as a move given it's wind box.

 

[BBC7]

Is there any difference in lag between shooting pellets on the ground and in the air?

 

[Jimbo_G]

Is there any difference in lag between shooting pellets on the ground and in the air?

As far as I can tell they're nearly identical, BUT I have found the point-blank hit of the N-air version actually has a scary amount of knock-back that trumps the F-air sword by a good margin.

 

[BBC7]

As far as I can tell they're nearly identical, BUT I have found the point-blank hit of the N-air version actually has a scary amount of knock-back that trumps the F-air sword by a good margin.

As have I. It actually catches me off-guard, I jump up to shoot someone and they get knocked back with rocket force. What's the matter, dude? It's just a lemon

 

[dettadeus]

So why does Megaman get air-grab-released like Brawl Wario?

 

[Captain Soviet]

Any signs of Protoman as a trophy?

 

[HarveyBirdman]

Is there any difference in lag between shooting pellets on the ground and in the air?

Damage and KnockBack wise they are completely identical. The only difference I can find is that n-air allows you to keep firing forward while moving backwards, which is really really useful for keeping spacing.

 

[GoodJobDino]

How is everyone else dealing with getting knocked up and having the threat of someone under you? Because the down a is... Well... Not very good imo. Not that I expect a hit every time, when it is aimed correctly, the opponent shields which is nice for being able to land safely. But I often find myself out ranged with it. Am I just using it poorly?

 

[Fenrir VII]

How is everyone else dealing with getting knocked up and having the threat of someone under you? Because the down a is... Well... Not very good imo. Not that I expect a hit every time, when it is aimed correctly, the opponent shields which is nice for being able to land safely. But I often find myself out ranged with it. Am I just using it poorly?

Don't come straight down. Mega Man has good horizontal movement in the air, so get at an angle and throw a metal blade at them. If you get to the side of them, fair and bair also become options.

Other than that... leaf shield is actually a decent coverall for that situation, as it briefly stalls you in the air (making some attacks miss), and can disrupt an attempt to punish your landing lag.

Another option is to upB to throw off their timing, then go back to Rush and bounce again (assuming they aren't covering that exact area). This will give you your second jump again, as well as allowing you to cancel an attack before bouncing the second time.

I actually think Mega is really, really good in the air, so if you play around with it, you have a lot of options.

 

[GoodJobDino]

Awesome, thank you very much!

 

[CelestialMarauder~]

What frame does uptilt come out on? Do we have that kind of data floating around?

 

[NawtKool]

I've a couple questions:
Anyone have a good way to deal with the ending lag on the jab? It leaves me very vulnerable, and the keener players online capitalize on that.

Also, is there a practical use for his dsmash? I like how much knockback power it has, but its small range and incredible amount of ending lag make me stray away from it.

 

[GoodJobDino]

The dsmash is used primarily for players approaching or rolling around you. It can also be useful if someone is falling from above you, as I believe it has a wider hit area than usmash.

And I am honestly not sure what you mean by jab.

 

[NawtKool]

Thanks for the reply, I kinda figured that'd be dsmash's use, it just feels difficult to land.

And by the jab, I mean usually the lemons keep them preoccupied enough to have all 3 hits, but before I can shield or jump, I get attacked/grabbed/etc. I guess that'd mean I have to space myself better, but I'm also wondering if I missed something obvious I could do.

 

[Locke 06]

Thanks for the reply, I kinda figured that'd be dsmash's use, it just feels difficult to land.

And by the jab, I mean usually the lemons keep them preoccupied enough to have all 3 hits, but before I can shield or jump, I get attacked/grabbed/etc. I guess that'd mean I have to space myself better, but I'm also wondering if I missed something obvious I could do.

At the end of your jabs, you can jump with no lag and retreat. It's a lot like the games he comes from.

 

[~Burst~]

Down smash is a terrible option to use against rolls. Unless you have a charge going and its going to kill, even then you have to be frame perfect on the roll. Always use up smash to read rolls.
Unlike up smash the knock back hit on down smash is only on the first frame if they get hit with anything after that you are heavily punishable. If they are hit throughout any part of up smash they are pulled in until the final hit which launches them. up smash is also better for covering the air since it eats hit boxes if they want to throw down a hitbox.

 

[Fenrir VII]

I agree with everything Burst said. Usmash is a much safer, more versatile move, but the kill power of dsmash is really nice.

Dsmash and utilt are the best grounded killers Mega has (in terms of uncharged kill %), but they are both extremely punishable on miss. They are also kind of opposites in usage. utilt comes out really quick, so shield drop > utilt or dodge > utilt works (as well as the metal blade setups we've talked about). Dsmash comes out fairly slow, so it's nearly impossible to hit on reaction.

I actually really like dsmash when the opponent is falling above me. Again, usmash is the safer move to use in this scenario, but dsmash really isn't bad. you have 2 options for this. Option 1 is to predict an attack by the opponent and let the dsmash go. This will cause Mega to crouch, which often causes the opponent to whiff and eat the powerful hitbox. This is BRUTAL against opponents who like to ledge-drop > double jump attack onto the stage.

Option 2 is to predict an air dodge and charge it for a bit, to hit the landing lag (oh so satisfying). This is also AMAZING against people who spam counters.

Roll away fsmash is also really good with this scenario... one of the reasons I say Mega Man is great at punishing landings.

 

[NawtKool]

Interesting stuff guys! I'll try and mess around with the Usmash to get used to its horizontal range on ground. Never really bothered trying to use it to punish rolls, but sounds like a lovely choice .

 

[Funkermonster]

As someone who doesn't really play Mega Man I have to ask: If I got shot with Mega Man's Crash Bomber (which I'm told is a terrible move), could I just easily give it back to him if I just hit him with any non-disjointed melee attack? I met at least two MM players on For Glory who got me with it and I couldn't catch him since he jumps away or off the stage, and it explodes on me before I can do anything.

 

[Fenrir VII]

As someone who doesn't really play Mega Man I have to ask: If I got shot with Mega Man's Crash Bomber (which I'm told is a terrible move), could I just easily give it back to him if I just hit him with any non-disjointed melee attack? I met at least two MM players on For Glory who got me with it and I couldn't catch him since he jumps away or off the stage, and it explodes on me before I can do anything.

Crash bomb is FAR from terrible. lol. It forces the opponent to switch their playstyle momentarily or take a small amount of damage + knockback and possible followups. Also if you eat the explosion above like 50%, it puts you in the air. You really don't want to be in the air against MM.

Thing about it is, the vast majority of players will bum rush Mega man once they are stuck with it. In general, this is not a great idea because Mega Man has really good mobility and disjoints. you can try to roll through him to transfer it. An attack will work too, but it's less reliable (because the bomb can be stuck to different body parts, and the BOMB has to touch the opponent. It doesn't matter if you hit them with your arm if it's on your leg, for example). Typically, crossup attacks like dash attack, etc are the most reliable, but again, they're the most risky because if MM sees you coming, he can punish.

Another option is to just shield the bomb. Problem with this is that it's essentially a free grab (or possible shield break) for MM.
You can also air-dodge/roll/spot dodge through the explosion, but again, dodging is predictable and punishable.

So what I'm saying is... it's really a rock paper scissors every time you are stuck... and people will generally get stuck 5+ times per match. So the MM player has time to read your responses and punish you next time for them (or just run away b/c trololol). This is why I say it's not terrible. Actually I think it's top 5 in his most useful moves.

 

[Smog Frog]

is megaman really that bad or is it just a really steep learning curve?

 

[Funkermonster]

^ I don't play Mega Man myself, but I'm betting its just a steep learning curve... Most of the complaints I heard about him were his slow projectiles and bad specials, although what @ Fenrir VII just told me seems to suggest otherwise if you just put some thought into him (except Leaf Shield, which apparently still sucks).

Its way too early to decide though, game has only been out for so long?

And a personal question of mine: Does Mega Man's Mega Upper (from Marvel vs Capcom)/Shoryuken Utilt seem to have any invincibility on it like real shoryukens in Capcom Fighters? I just hope its as cool in Smash as it is in other Fighters.

 

[GoodJobDino]

Megaman is very good.

 

[~Burst~]

^ I don't play Mega Man myself, but I'm betting its just a steep learning curve... Most of the complaints I heard about him were his slow projectiles and bad specials, although what @ Fenrir VII just told me seems to suggest otherwise if you just put some thought into him (except Leaf Shield, which apparently still sucks).

Its way too early to decide though, game has only been out for so long?

And a personal question of mine: Does Mega Man's Mega Upper (from Marvel vs Capcom)/Shoryuken Utilt seem to have any invincibility on it like real shoryukens in Capcom Fighters? I just hope its as cool in Smash as it is in other Fighters.

It has I frames during the sweet spot hit.
I believe someone pointed out that you can uptilt bomb ombs and suffer no damage which I did test and is true.

 

[Funkermonster]

Awesome, thanks. About damn time Smash Bros got one of these

 

[Z1GMA]

I've a couple questions:
Anyone have a good way to deal with the ending lag on the jab? It leaves me very vulnerable, and the keener players online capitalize on that.

Definitely jump.

is megaman really that bad or is it just a really steep learning curve?

Megs is def not a bad character. And yes, it takes time getting comfortable with him.
I can honestly say that he's one of the best keep away-characters ever. Zoning too good.

 

[Tikivoy]

Me and my college friends are having a character locked tournament soon, and I'm leaning toward using Mega Man. However, since we're allowing custom moves, I'm kind of split on whether I should use Beat or Rush for his up special.

The rest of his normal moveset I prefer to keep, so can anyone share some advantages/disadvantages of using Beat over Rush? Our tournament is basically using 1v1 For Glory rules with customs by the way.

 

[Smog Frog]

Me and my college friends are having a character locked tournament soon, and I'm leaning toward using Mega Man. However, since we're allowing custom moves, I'm kind of split on whether I should use Beat or Rush for his up special.

The rest of his normal moveset I prefer to keep, so can anyone share some advantages/disadvantages of using Beat over Rush? Our tournament is basically using 1v1 For Glory rules with customs by the way.

beat actually holds you when he comes up, so you can't control the stage as efficiently with aerial metal blades. however, beat goes a noticeable amount higher and you can control where beat goes. basically preference.

 

[Fenrir VII]

I don't think there's any good reason to pick beat. Rush canceling is way too valuable to give up for an arguably better recovery

 

[GHNeko]

Beat is a good choice against someone where Rush Canceling is not a huge thing and they have a fairly reliable spike, since Rush Coil has no invincibility and you're committed to it until you actually flip.

Being able to move left and right with Beat makes it harder for people to meteor you, so on stages that dont have a wall and you're fighting a player with good gimping/spiking abilities and Rush Canceling isnt all that imperative, then Beat is a suitable alternative.

For example. Marth. You can only really R.Cancel out of Dancing Blade, Nair/Bair/Fair/Uair (until around 45%) when untipped. When the aerials are tipped, you either cant R.Cancel, or it stops working before 45%. And Marth has a meteor on DB Down 3 and also has an easier to time Dair.

In this MU, especially on a non-walled stage, I'd opt for Tornado Hold or Beat as my counterpick up b.

So yeah, Beat and TH have a time and a place, but RC isnt really the life-saver we'd like to be.



EDIT: HOW THE**** DO YOU EDGEGUARD FOX.

 

[Tikivoy]

Thanks guys, I ended up winning (It was a small bracket...) using Beat, who's better recovery actually saved me at least twice. I decided to stick with him after realizing I tended to die from a lack of recovery in FG type matches.
I also found a permanent preference for the Plant Shield

 

[Mac2492]

How exactly does Mega's Uair work? It seems a bit picky as to when it carries enemies up.

 

[Kos-MosPlushie]

What's the most reliable % to throw an opponent into the air and kill with Megaman's up air? It's ranged from 85% to 140% for me so I'm not sure.

 

[jr22]

Hello Mega man mains. I decided to use Mega man as a secondary and I have one question. What are some kill options for Mega Man? If so, at what percentages.

 

[Hairnet]

Hello Mega man mains. I decided to use Mega man as a secondary and I have one question. What are some kill options for Mega Man? If so, at what percentages.

Off-stage bair kills quite early, like 60%. It's not easy to hit against good players, so it must be used situationally when you see an opening. I like bating with metal blade on stage after a bthrow and then bairing. This will not work against characters that have a recovery like Fox's, and it's very risky against Bowser and Dorf, who can just respond with suicide kill.

Another good kill option is the utilt (shoryuken). I think it kills at around late 80s or so. When an opponent uses a laggy move I move in and land it, or if you hard read something like Marth's Fsmash when you're directly in front of him, you can dodge roll behind him and shoryu. Learn the sweetspot.

If an opponent is dodge-roll-happy, read and punish with Dsmash. Kills around late 80s.

Usmash can punish missed aerials but kills relatively late, like 130ish.

Uthrow to Uair or Dthrow to Uair can lead to kills, but kill% seems vary greatly depending on characters. I'd say around 100 is the norm.

 

[Fenrir VII]

Hello Mega man mains. I decided to use Mega man as a secondary and I have one question. What are some kill options for Mega Man? If so, at what percentages.

Pretty much, if you're not gimping, you're going to be killing with utilt, dsmash, fsmash, usmash, bair, and sometimes uair.

I believe the killpower is mostly in that order, although I'm not sure on fsmash's placement, especially with charging.

Rage makes all this hard to pinpoint, but in my experience, sweetspotted utilt starts kill off the top between 80 and 100. dsmash is generally above 100, fsmash is incredibly variable based on charging so I'm not sure there, usmash is in the 140-160 range, and bair is around there too from the center of the stage (positionally dependent).

Uair can nearly always kill if the opponent gets caught in it and gets unlucky (or doesn't know that they shouldn't jump out of it). the pushback is pretty weird on it, though, so it's very variable on spacing when it hits and (I believe) %. it's definitely a strong option (because if it hits, the opponent stays in the air, worst-case), but I really find you can't rely on it to always kill at X %.

 

[jr22]

Thank you @ Hairnet and @ Fenrir VII for your answers

 

[Hairnet]

Thank you @ Hairnet and @ Fenrir VII for your answers

No probs. @ Fenrir VII mentioned Fsmash. It's a decent kill option IMO but I don't think it can be used against decent-good players. Way too laggy IMO. It can only be used it you really hard-read a whiffed aerial and if someone is ledge camping (charged Fsmash kills if people are hanging on the ledge). It you miss it, you can be punished really easily so I'd suggest to use it very, very rarely. It has deceptively short range, too.

 

[Fenrir VII]

No probs. @ Fenrir VII mentioned Fsmash. It's a decent kill option IMO but I don't think it can be used against decent-good players. Way too laggy IMO. It can only be used it you really hard-read a whiffed aerial and if someone is ledge camping (charged Fsmash kills if people are hanging on the ledge). It you miss it, you can be punished really easily so I'd suggest to use it very, very rarely. It has deceptively short range, too.

yeah I mostly agree.

It does have its uses, though... for instance, if you want to cover somebody's landing lag, and they can't reach you to counterattack before landing, it's actually a really good option. It also has its uses in edgeguarding.

Most of MM's kill moves have a decent amount of cooldown, so you do have to be careful. I think usmash and bair are the safest of the ones I mentioned, but they're also the weakest (game balance woo!).