Q&A Doc's Tips: A Little Mac Q&A Thread

[Funkermonster]

Is it possible to roll, shield, or escape in any way out of Mac's Jab string before the final hit? I've been fighting a lot of Mac's doing this to me.

 

[Highwayman300]

Is it possible to roll, shield, or escape in any way out of Mac's Jab string before the final hit? I've been fighting a lot of Mac's doing this to me.

If they keep going with the string after 16-21% damage you can easily "DI" out of it just like most Jab combos.
Depending in your damage and number of thrown punches, you can also shield after you have been pushed far enough if they don't end the combo quickly.

 

[Pierce7d]

Make sure to hold up and away. If Little Mac hits you towards the further reaches of the jab, rather than really up close, you can escape the final punch.

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Is it possible to roll, shield, or escape in any way out of Mac's Jab string before the final hit? I've been fighting a lot of Mac's doing this to me.

Characters with fast up b (Marth, Mario, etc) can escape it pretty easily. Other than that, you can only escape if you're towards the edge of the jab range. DI out or Counter

 

[BadKarma]

Does anybody know how exactly little mac loses his KO punch? I tried some testing and it looked like if he takes 10% damage he loses it, but I'm not sure if thats true.

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

Does anybody know how exactly little mac loses his KO punch? I tried some testing and it looked like if he takes 10% damage he loses it, but I'm not sure if thats true.

For 6 seconds he is unable to lose his KO Punch, but after that any attack that makes him stumble will make him lose it.

 

[Boomuki]

Does his k.o. upper punch hit htrough shields? Because i was playing with Olimar today and to me it seems he killed me with it while i was shielding...

 

[mimgrim]

Does his k.o. upper punch hit htrough shields?

Yes.

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Does his k.o. upper punch hit htrough shields? Because i was playing with Olimar today and to me it seems he killed me with it while i was shielding...

It goes through shields and counter moves

 

[Bunansa]

Regarding the wavebounce, reverse-b and further higher end skills. Are any NOT allowed by Mac's toolset? I do not have the ability to test and I'm wanting to create a list of skills to refine before I compete more professionally. Thanks in advance!

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

Regarding the wavebounce, reverse-b and further higher end skills. Are any NOT allowed by Mac's toolset? I do not have the ability to test and I'm wanting to create a list of skills to refine before I compete more professionally. Thanks in advance!

Considering most of the posts I've read about advanced tech in the Smash 4, I'd say we'll only know when the Wii U version comes out. Almost no one actually adapted properly to the 3DS controls and lack of C-Stick.

 

[Bunansa]

I know Im simply using the 3ds as Port-a-Training for when Wii U comes out and stuff gets serious. Lag + General slippage on Circle Pad I whiff smashes and accidentally Up Special rather then side special etc. etc. CERTAINLY ready for some pro-practice on the Wii U with some of you!

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Yesterday as I was trying to side b on the stage I countered....TWICE. Idk what happened. Maybe the 3ds turned in my hand and I thought I was pressing side when I wasn't. Hopefully my circle pad isn't messing up. Can't wait to get my hands on the GC controller.

On topic... Anyone else tired of losing stocks to characters with counter moves? I feel like a counter shouldn't be a kill move and should just give you space.

 

[Bunansa]

I agree entirely and believe that the alternate custom skill of Compact Counter should be the NORMAL counter skill. It allows for a full up combo or an evasion without it throwing you off the ledge helpless (Here's to that failed edgeguard attempt) or causing you to spike a character so far away there is no follow up at a middle percentage where kill isn't assured. But I'm also a proponent for Custom-Enabled For Glory matches. The jumping Meteor Sidespecial is AWESOME!

Also Sticky I'm gonna go ahead and add you, if you'd like to do the same you're welcome to!

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Well I was actually talking about Counter moves in general. Smash 4 has decent hitstun but a lot of knockback so true combos are few and far between. If you get too aggressive someone can pull out a Counter and ruin any momentum. Marth can Fair and immediately go into a Counter to prevent a punish. Not only that but Counters are powerful and can kill at average killing percent. I wouldn't mind if Counter moves had a set knockback and not be a reliable kill move. But yeah Macs Slip Counter is risky close to the edge. I haven't tried his others yet.

And I'll add you back Bunansa

 

[Bunansa]

Try the compact counter! Its awesome! Super short knockback and a SLIGHTLY wider counter-timer from what I can tell. But you finish with like 1/5th the endlag? You can combo it into a full jab string or grab dthrow + upspecial combo. Really nice imho

But alas, no one likes custom movesets

 

[Highwayman300]

Anyone knows where does Mac gets his IFrames on roll?
I noticed I am getting hit a lot on roll with him.
In past games most characters where around 8 or 6, but Mac's roll is so fast that i can't really tell.

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Unfortunately I don't know that data about Mac's roll. But I have found out a gameplay tip dealing with the opponent's roll.

Don't mash Ftilt when pressuring someone's shield. They can roll through you and grab for free if you mash. My brother figured this out against me and did it with both Falcon and Marth. Be patient with your pressure. Ftilt -> hesitate -> Ftilt (or another move). This way you have a split second to see what they do. If they roll you can counter with your own roll, pivot Ftilt or jab, or Dsmash. If they don't, you can keep up the pressure. This situation is mostly apparent when their back is to the ledge. In most cases, they will roll back or jump when center stage

So just remember don't mash Ftilt when pressuring. Mashing creates buffering and you'll do two when you only wanted one and get grabbed. DON'T GET GRABBED!

 

[Phill-Bot]

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAADRUqFx7WO4Dg

 

[Ganreizu]

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Yes.

 

[Phill-Bot]

Is there any reason to do one angle smash over another in different scenarios, or should I keep looking around the forum to see where this is discussed?

 

[ndayday]

Neutral Forward smash is "normal," hits them horizontally.
tilted up, the move send them upwards and kills earlier.
tilted downwards is Mac's strongest attack in terms of damage, it deals something like 32% fully charged? Anyway to compensate it does terrible knockback so it can't kill. It also is a shieldbreaking move, meaning if someone shields it it'll severely reduce the shield/probably break it, similar to Lucina/Marth's Shieldbreaker.

 

[Phill-Bot]

So I'm assuming the up tilted fsmash has less range to balance out the better kill power?

What scenarios is the d tilt fsmash and up tilt fsmash best used in?

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

So I'm assuming the up tilted fsmash has less range to balance out the better kill power?

What scenarios is the d tilt fsmash and up tilt fsmash best used in?

D-Tilted: Good for shield damage and deals a lot of damage without launching the opponent too far.
F-Tilted: Good for finishing off opponents near the ledge due to it's horizontal launching trajectory.
U-Tilted: Good for finishing opponents off on stages with lower blast ceilings, good for finishing opponents with medium to high damage, safest option since you don't need to edgeguard too much if you don't kill, just need to position yourself to hit them when they get back to the ground.

 

[Shack]

How long does the KO punch last?

 

[Bunansa]

To Charge the tilited- fsmash'es, I can't seem to get them regularly, is it best to pivot at the time of forward smashing or when it is charged? Im confused as to why I am only getting them 40-50% of the time in competitive play. Just not fast enough I guess

6 seconds on the KO Punch after that any stumbling strike against you will lose it

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

To Charge the tilited- fsmash'es, I can't seem to get them regularly, is it best to pivot at the time of forward smashing or when it is charged? Im confused as to why I am only getting them 40-50% of the time in competitive play. Just not fast enough I guess

6 seconds on the KO Punch after that any stumbling strike against you will lose it

Wait, are you getting the charge 40-50% of the time or are you getting the smashes 40-50% of the time?
Because if it's the charge, then you might have a serious problem with your buttons.

 

[CommanderVimes]

So I know it's childish, but while Little Mac was my most hypeful newcomer, my interest in maining him started to wane when I saw how many of my opponents were rage picking him in For Glory mode. I want to get over that now.
So as not the most experienced or technical smasher, what are some things I can start doing early to separate my LM play from the average Gloryer? What are some bad habits and/or crutches they seem to get that I should look for and eliminate early in my play?

The way I see it Mac might not be the most advanced or flashy character, mores he's just entirely about spacing and footsies. My idea is to use his fsmash down (hook) to rack up shield damage and perfect my RCGs. For movement, I've also been kind of tapping the stick to do bursts of his dash thinking I'm being trickier, but if that's dumb I'll just hold it. What's a good way to bait a dash in, the usual dash/roll back?

 

[Funkermonster]

Best thing to do against Projectile users?

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

Best thing to do against Projectile users?

So many options... Haymaker, Projectile Nullifier Normals, Armored Moves, Spotdodge, Roll, Probably even Slip Counter.
It mostly depends of the situation. Are you having problems with specific projectiles?

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

To Charge the tilited- fsmash'es, I can't seem to get them regularly, is it best to pivot at the time of forward smashing or when it is charged? Im confused as to why I am only getting them 40-50% of the time in competitive play. Just not fast enough I guess

I made a post about this in a couple of other threads. I'll add it here too: To help with the tilted Fsmashes, it's best to do a regular Fsmash then do a quartercircle up for the uppercut or quartercircle down for the body blow. I can get them about 95% percent of the time using this. Smash the circle pad forward then quartercircle up or down.

So I know it's childish, but while Little Mac was my most hypeful newcomer, my interest in maining him started to wane when I saw how many of my opponents were rage picking him in For Glory mode. I want to get over that now.
So as not the most experienced or technical smasher, what are some things I can start doing early to separate my LM play from the average Gloryer? What are some bad habits and/or crutches they seem to get that I should look for and eliminate early in my play?

The way I see it Mac might not be the most advanced or flashy character, mores he's just entirely about spacing and footsies. My idea is to use his fsmash down (hook) to rack up shield damage and perfect my RCGs. For movement, I've also been kind of tapping the stick to do bursts of his dash thinking I'm being trickier, but if that's dumb I'll just hold it. What's a good way to bait a dash in, the usual dash/roll back?

When everyone talked about seeing LM all the time in For Glory, I never saw that lol. But here are some general tips. Don't spam dash attack. It's a sure way to lose stocks very quickly. Best time for dash attack is on a missed tech or a quick punish. Side b is a good move against projectile spammers but KNOW YOUR DISTANCES. Nothing is more frustrating than misjudging your distance from your opponent and landing in front of them to get punished or misjudging your distance from the ledge and SD.

When your opponent has their back to the ledge, pressure with spaced Ftilts. Dsmash when they try to roll through you. Also use Dsmash as an edgeguard. Running in and rolling back is a good fakeout and can bait attacks to be punished. Hope this helps. Ask if you need any more info

 

[Ralph Cecil]

Best thing to do against Projectile users?

If I have the lead I either rapid jab or shield them to try and force my opponent to approach. If they have the lead I just walk my way in there and shield everything and try to get at a spacing where they feel uncomfortable and wait for them to do something. Doesn't always work, so sometimes you'll have to be the one to act first, but Mac can play that game pretty safely.

 

[Highwayman300]

Any thoughts on how much can Mac's armor take without breaking? I have been noticing that instead of absorbing the hit I have been trading instead with Bowser's Down-B.

 

[Ralph Cecil]

If you mean smash armor I think it straight up armors anything that's not a grab or something of the sort, but I don't know about neutral b armor.

 

[Bunansa]

Faking dash attacks is my bread and butter. With how many LMs are on FG and other game modes. Just don't attack, LM is plenty fast enough to only send attacks at them when they whiff a counter/projectile/smash. So just run at them then Shield roll back at the right spacing and so many people will get tripped up.
Then just dash attack or dodge/pivot Jab them for 10-12% damage. Racks up fast and gives you a huge percentage lead in the early when they THINK you play like every LM out there.

No longer my practicing Main but still my favorite character. Love LM's toolkit and speed

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

Have we found any use for Straight Lunge (neutral b without KO)? I tend to use it just as a surprise move or for style. I never have a practical use for it. It's too telegraphed and Fsmash is a better option if I need the super armor

 

[Ralph Cecil]

Using the armor on it to land is the only use i've heard of. Works well to land against multi-hit moves like pits uair and nair.

 

[Bunansa]

I use it to ledge guard, you can feint a full charge by popping it early when they try to ledge-hang on you, it sends you forward but a quick nuetral B is not that slow recovery, you can immediately USmash, super armor through the Get-up jab from ledge and then half-full charge usmash to the face with sweet spot

But I will admit, that a lot of LMs jukes and fake-outs are easy due to everyone under-estimating a good LM. As the circuit in general becomes more experienced he will get less useful with these fake outs.

 

[sxiz]

what are the mechanics for canceling his neutral b? it seems to happen if you press b, but it doesn't happen immediately and sometimes a single press won't do it.

 

[Volt-Ikazuchi]

As long as it isn't ridiculously punishable, there's always a use to something like that. But Straight Lunge does look like a move for FFA's.