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

[Renegade TX2000]

Nahh, just keeping an eye on the Mac board, haha. Villager main, actually. Had to find someone as annoying as Olimar was

I see, why you keeping an eye on the mac board? reveal your reasons!

 

[DtJ Hilt]

Haha, there's just no active mod here at the time being, so I'm filling that role. Making sure things don't get too messy in here X:

 

[Mrawesome48]

So my win rate against this guy is still 0 percent nothing i do seems to work. What usually happens is i get hit by dash attack knocked off stage, get back to stage get dash attacked or fsmash right back off. Rinse wash, repeat till i lose a stock. If i try to go over i get killed by upsmash or up B. I cannot grab him nor can i properly shield.

 

[Unowninator]

If Little Mac's neutral (B) gives him Super Armor, why do some attacks still make me flinch & fly?

 

[Unowninator]

If Little Mac's neutral (B) gives him Super Armor, why do some attacks still make me flinch & fly?

 

[Lavani]

Mac's neutralB is heavy armor, not super armor. It'll armor through hits up to a certain percent, but strong hits will still break through.

 

[Grump]

The folks I've played against that try to edge-camp are so determined to get me by the edge that they don't really have a back-up plan when I succeeed. I usually mix it up between spot-dodging then attacking, feinting then grabbing, or one of my favorites (spaced properly): roll back + side-B. If all else fails, you know they dont have much room to run, so use your ftilts or side titlts for some spaicng fun.

 

[Zediwonder]

Mac's neutralB is heavy armor, not super armor. It'll armor through hits up to a certain percent (or maybe it's knockback based?), but strong hits will still break through.

So is it like a stronger version of Bowsers ability at low %?

 

[Lavani]

So is it like a stronger version of Bowsers ability at low %?

It's more comparable to Yoshi's double jump or Charizard's sideB (armors through hits that do less than 14%)

 

[JesterJaded]

I dash > shield cancel > roll behind and do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqhR1ogjQEE

At that point they'll be expecting it, so you can mindgame them into questioning whether or not you're going to roll and combo them into oblivion or feint the roll and grab them. It's all about mind games with ledge campers. Don't be afraid to bait them out if they lack projectiles.

 

[Kunoku]

So I've recently faced 5 little macs in about 20 games and I've noticed that I fight against him on the center of the stage to rack up damage frequently. At first I used to camp by the ledge but I don't do it anymore. Now with that said, I've been wondering do opponents camp the ledge when they fight you and mainly try to gimp you (if they are not a zoner) or do they go all out and try to overwhelm you? Do they play defensively? If you win do they leave or do they pick a zoner and try camp you out? I'm very curious as to how others deal with the little mac. More so on how you guys deal with the many types of opponents.

 

[Moustachio]

If my opponent wants to play games with me by the ledge, this is how I'll react: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEisaNlQzfM

 

[Kunoku]

If my opponent wants to play games with me by the ledge, this is how I'll react: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEisaNlQzfM

A Ganon by the edge is not the best idea ;-; haha

 

[Noventia]

Is there any way to reliably dodge fox's lasers? Jumping leaves you vulnerable and they're fast enough to get you if you roll. They just seem a huge annoyance.

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

Is there any way to reliably dodge fox's lasers? Jumping leaves you vulnerable and they're fast enough to get you if you roll. They just seem a huge annoyance.

Just run through them :x they do one percent and have no hitstun. I use it as a chance to get in...

 

[Grump]

1. do they go all out and try to overwhelm you?
2. Do they play defensively?
3. If you win do they leave or do they pick a zoner and try camp you out?

I'm very curious as to how others deal with the little mac. More so on how you guys deal with the many types of opponents.

The characters that usually try to overwhelm me get all of their approaches cut short by either jabs and tilts or their combos broken with nairs. Throw in a counter or a shield-grab every once-in-a-while for good measure, and aggressive overwhelmers don't really have much of a chance. Even projectile spammers can be attacked with a Side-B once they have enough damage to get decent KB from the attack.

Against defensive players, I poke. And poke. And poke some more. Seriously, I take the fight to them but only close enough for them to get agitated. If I can get a read on when they'll do some sort of melee-zoning attack, I'll reverse pivot f-smash or shield-jab (or another haymaker if they like to poke back with, say... Shulk's tilt or d-tilt). For me, it's all about being an annoyance until they commit to a move (or more particularly, a safe habit that I can then exploit). If you can space the move juuuussssttt right, his f-smash is a decent pressure tool: if they shield, they get knocked back enough to not be able to retaliate. If they dodge, you should have enough time to fit in a d-tilt

I have a question for other Little Mac's though: Are there any characters that cannot be safely pressured on the ledge? I've had success poking Marios, Kirbys, Links to a lesser extent, and Nesses, but I'm wondering if any of the cast has quickly executed moves that have the reach advantage over our staple pressure-game.

 

[Smob]

Hey guys,

Apologies in advance if this doesn't merit it's own thread but I am not quite sure how to deal with recovering against Mario. Is there a safe way to recover without falling victim to fluud (or cape)?

Thanks,

Smob

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

@ Smob I went ahead and merged your thread

 

[Spudman]

Honestly against Mario in my experience I'd say your best bet is to try your best to be unpredictable (as impossible as that may seem with Little Mac's abysmal recovery) Recover high, low, wherever you think he won't end up committing to. Save your 2nd jump until the absolute last moment you can, use air dodges wisely to avoid the cape.

Mario is just very well equipped to make a miserable day for a Little Mac player; he's a gimping machine. There's going to be a lot of recoveries where there's not much you can do but eat a gimp. I really feel like it just comes with the territory of playing the character unfortunately, you can't afford to make mistakes lol

 

[FlipFlopMist]

Hey guys,

Apologies in advance if this doesn't merit it's own thread but I am not quite sure how to deal with recovering against Mario. Is there a safe way to recover without falling victim to fluud (or cape)?

Thanks,

Smob

Mario vs Little Mac sure is a tough fight, his projectile has a weird bouncing arc that you sometimes dash under and sometimes get hit by...
If you're on a stage that you can wall jump off of, always try to recover low, Mario's tools aren't suited for dealing with someone recovering low unless he commits, so really take advantage of the fact that you can wall jump as Little Mac as it gives you a lot more recovery then people expect you to have.

Recovering low/wall jumping isn't always an option though, and this is where things get tricky. Against FLUUD? There is nothing you can really do except hope that you're not sprayed back far enough to not make it back.
In my experience though, Mario's tend to not respect Little Mac at all and will go for cheeky kills via their forward dunk punch, or go for the cape,

This is the important part of playing as Little Mac, knowing what option to choose when recovering as it could mean the difference between a stock and just a close call. You can air dodge, counter, or Side B. The first is really safe, but requires some good timing, and the Mario can still follow up with something, but so can you. Counter is a really good idea as well, it's your best recovery option when you can't wall jump though, it not only smacks your foe away but also brings you forward quite a bit-don't use it too often or smarter players will attack you from the side where there's no stage and you'll counter punch yourself away from the stage. Finally, your Side B, this recover option should only be used when the other two are too risky, or when you've been caped. It changes your direction, so if you know he's going to cape you, then just allow yourself to be caped, and THEN do your side B, you may even manage to hit them with the move.

What to do when your only way to get back on stage is to Side B and catch the ledge with your fingertips, no walls to jump off of in sight-only to have a Mario and his Cape/FLUUD waiting for you? The only advice that can be given for that is... Don't allow yourself to get in that situation, you have a ton of very limited options at your disposal, you just gotta mix it up and try to be as unpredictable as possible.

Hope that helped.

(I really wish Little Mac could cancel out of his Side B with a double jump as long as he had his second jump available, he'd still be really bad at recovering but he wouldn't be such an uphill battle the moment a good player pops you up.)

 

[Mrawesome48]

How do you play against Little Mac? I'm having a lot of difficulty being able to hit him. opponents i have been facing just roll-dash attack(roll back) roll-Fsmash/ Rinse wash repeat till they win the match.

 

[Vincent21]

How do you play against Little Mac? I'm having a lot of difficulty being able to hit him. opponents i have been facing just roll-dash attack(roll back) roll-Fsmash/ Rinse wash repeat till they win the match.

Get your tent, set it up on the ledge, smile, and shield. You're camping now. Be prepared to to spot dodge if he does a hail mary grab, or otherwise block the attack incoming and grab him out of shield, and back throw him off stage. You are now in control. Smarter Little Mac players will either inch towards you throwing ftilts and such looking to poke you off or get you to commit to punishing something that you can't punish, or take an early lead during the neutral game and FORCE you to come to them since you're already down a stock. If that happens you let them outplay you and you either have to outplay them right back or eat the L.

----

I came here initially with a question: With dtilt, I've noticed at reasonable percents around 80-90ish I can dtilt, dash, and jump while inputting UpB and that seems to combo. I tried it a few times with a test partner and it connects. What I'm unaware of is if my testing is just faulty or if this is a link, in which case who does it work on?

dtilt-->dash-->jump (already inputting next step) --> UpB

 

[Blue Mage]

Hey all, who do you think would be a good secondary for Mac? I was thinking about having a character who had multiple jumps like Pit/Dark Pit as backup for people who are adamant about picking stages that screw Mac up, like Duckhunt.

I used to play Villager, but I'm not really feeling that character anymore lately.

 

[Vincent21]

Hey all, who do you think would be a good secondary for Mac? I was thinking about having a character who had multiple jumps like Pit/Dark Pit as backup for people who are adamant about picking stages that screw Mac up, like Duckhunt.

I used to play Villager, but I'm not really feeling that character anymore lately.

Well if you're picking a secondary it should be for your bad matchups, realistically. Otherwise, if not directly to handle your match-ups, it should be a character where your skill set is transitory.

Other characters who uses a strong ground game to fish for punishable openings and is highlighted by his speed? Captain Falcon? Granted your using your (GODLIKE) dash grab to make these punishes as opposed to well spaced ftilts and armored smashes (you both love dtilt), but the CONCEPT is the same. Move around really fast, watch your opponent to find a opening from a move poorly space or whiffed, and punish.

While I honestly believe Little Mac was built with that fighting style intentionally since it mirrors the Punch Out!™ game series and the whole "wait and counter" gameplay it was based on where you look for tells, avoid attacks and then punish the other boxer, Falcon just plays like that because when you're grab has rocket skates attached and you're that fast what else SHOULD you be doing? The bonus here is that you CAN ACTUALLY JUMP AND STILL HAVE OPTIONS as well as just engage in a real gimping game.

If that route doesn't suit you, then just search based on match-up issues. Feeling like Mario gimps you too easily? Feeling like Villager can set the pace too easily once entrenched? Go to their mu boards, see who their players typically hate dealing with or find to be a poor mu for their character, and pick that dude up! It's that simple.

I have a question for other Little Mac's though: Are there any characters that cannot be safely pressured on the ledge? I've had success poking Marios, Kirbys, Links to a lesser extent, and Nesses, but I'm wondering if any of the cast has quickly executed moves that have the reach advantage over our staple pressure-game.

Speaking of Falcon's grab, it might be more difficult to poke him out of hiding because if you try to throw a smash at all, or even throw a bad ftilt, the dash grab will reach you no matter how on the edge of your hitbox your were. It's just fast and furious and it means being off-edge immediately. HOWEVER honestly you just poop on Falcon's ground options by holding A and letting jabs do your job for you. It's saddening. And I mean obviously there are characters who can go the extra mile like Villager and actually apply pressure on YOU without leaving that corner even if you're spending your time mid-stage.

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

Hey all, who do you think would be a good secondary for Mac? I was thinking about having a character who had multiple jumps like Pit/Dark Pit as backup for people who are adamant about picking stages that screw Mac up, like Duckhunt.

I used to play Villager, but I'm not really feeling that character anymore lately.

I was also going to suggest Falcon @ Vincent21 . That's actually one of the few I've been trying to have in my pocket xD

I would consider Sonic as a secondary if you like going fast, mix-ups, and comboing into things. Sonic is a bit harder to learn than Falcon when you're going from maining LM, but that's just my opinion from personal experience. Shiek isn't a bad option either!
Obviously, you'll want one to handle your bad matchups(probably), so keep in mind that character's strengths and flaws as well.

I dissected what it is that I like about LM, and found characters that fit that as well. Idk if that would work for you, but it's another suggestion to help you find your secondary. Here is an example of how I found who I wan't to secondary:
I'm trying to learn Falcon as my main secondary, as well as Ike and Sonic. I like characters with mix-ups that let you get in the head of your opponent. I also like characters that hit hard and have a good balance between fast and slow moves.
I like characters that are fast, but it's not the main reason I like LM. Other characters who are primarily fast I can't play =/.

Anyway, I hope this makes a bit of sense ><

 

[Vincent21]

I mean if you wanna talk mix-ups that let you get ahead and also put people on tilt as being your primary character draw you may find some joys in Toon Link, honestly speaking. Once that boomerang is behind them, coming back, and you have a bomb in your hand the ball is in your court.

 

[Rizen]

Qs when should I use Mac's regular air attacks (if ever)? What are Utilt and Dtilt's uses?

 

[Vincent21]

Qs when should I use Mac's regular air attacks (if ever)? What are Utilt and Dtilt's uses?

You can sometimes interrupt aerial strings with nair if your opponent makes a mistake, so that's something. Other than that and the funny aerial kill combo (I mean killing up not killing down) they don't do much. Oh, wait, I SHOULD MENTION for jab locking purposes a dair can be used. So like you could open up a failed tech landing with fast fall dair into KO punch or charged Smash or something.

Dtilt kinda does everything. It's a decent spacing tool, you can normally string ftilt off of it, it hit confirms KO punch in the earlier % (as if you land the dtilt you just mash B and you have it, % and char dependent of course). utilt is mostly for dealing with people rolling behind you because it's hitbox covers great area behind you and it's the one move you can typically save yourself with if you yourself make a bad roll or just end up facing the wrong way.

Honestly though ftilt is your baby.

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

Qs when should I use Mac's regular air attacks (if ever)? What are Utilt and Dtilt's uses?

If you fullhop>bair>fastfall into buffered run you can auto cancel it into run, so that's something. It's very difficult for me to do, though my brother can do it everytime >.> It may be easier for others. I'm still working on my muscle memory.

His dtilt can also string into utilt, and I "think" it can string into fsmash. Dtilt can also shield poke once the shield is worn down a little.

Like @ Vincent21 said though, ftilt is your baby. Use it all the time! Dtilt is second best to it imo though, and shouldn't be forgotten.

 

[Funkermonster]

Is straight lunge (or any of its custom variants) actually useful for something? And best times to use Utilt?

 

[Vincent21]

Well we just covered utilt, but to summarize its for catching someone behind you. Oops, you rolled in front of them: utilt. Oh hey falcon whiffed dash grab: utilt. Oh hey someone rolled behind me: utilt

And if you mean our burning punch... No not really. I mean running up and throwing a forward smash isn't only just faster and better, but you even get better armor. You're more likely to land a Ganondorf utilt.

 

[Rizen]

@ Vincent21 , @ LCC Son-in-Law , thanks for the replies Yeah, Ftilt's great.

 

[SuperSixtyFour]

Does anyone know any strategies I could use besides the usual shield rolling and side-smash attacks thrown out there by Little Mac? I used to be very good with him and I nearly won a tournament with him once, but lately it seems like my strategy is getting worse and the last tournament I signed up for, I got my ass kicked. Is Little Mac becoming more and more predictable? Can anyone give me any tips to improve my strategy, maybe some combos or techniques that could help me? Thanks

 

[Thundering TNT]

His d-tilt is good for setting up "combos" and his f-tilt is a terrific poke.

 

[SuperSixtyFour]

It seems like every time I go in for a f-tilt I end up doing a dash attack lol. Do you have any advice on how to make your attacks more precise? I know it seems like an obvious question but I'm still fairly new to the Competitive Smash scene.

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

@ SuperSixtyFour I merged your thread into the Q&A thread. If you have questions in the future, please refer to this thread.

 

[SuperSixtyFour]

@ SuperSixtyFour I merged your thread into the Q&A thread. If you have questions in the future, please refer to this thread.

Okay thanks for doing that for me

 

[Viriquin]

Who does our Mac like to team with? The faces that come to mind initially are , , and , but what do you guys think?

 

[Mrawesome48]

So im still having an insanely hard time playing against Little mac. Been trying for the last 3 months to learn how to play against this guy. And the only advice people seem to give me is "throw him off the stage". Is there anyone who wouldn't mind helping me?

 

[LCC Son-in-Law]

So im still having an insanely hard time playing against Little mac. Been trying for the last 3 months to learn how to play against this guy. And the only advice people seem to give me is "throw him off the stage". Is there anyone who wouldn't mind helping me?

From my experience, Floating a lot while throwing out Dairs helps. It can give mac a problem. Still, you need to watch out for those Upsmasher and uptilts. Use turnips as a way of getting in if possible. Don't peach bomb much.
I wish I had more advice, but we don't have many peach players around here.