Falco Main from Melee

[GreenBread]

I went straight from Melee to SSB4 when it launched, and my main in Melee was Falco. Anything I should know about Falco in this game that might be different? I can't seem to play him as aggressively as I use to be able to, also the moves are somewhat different. What combos are there? Anything that combos into the spike?

 

[Sol0ke]

I can't think up the specifics ATM, but if you're going straight form Melee to Smash 4, Falco is VERY different. Most notably, he no longer holds his reflector and a couple of his standard attacks are different.

 

[GreenBread]

I've noticed that thus far, But I noticed isn't as useful for combing as it use to. Maybe I'm using it wrong. Also the spike now needs to hit that little sprite thing at the bottom of Falco's feet. Unfortunate I cannot Short hop laser anymore, it use to be so useful. Is the laser any useful this time around?

 

[rolrctermaniac]

what I have found so far is that lasers are only really useful when the opponent is near max range of them (which is silly short now, sakurai plz). Shine is mostly used for spacing because it has a pretty impressive range. Side-B has a nerfed hit box (compared to brawl so i guess you wouldn't notice that) but compared to melee the range is much larger and also doesn't put you in helpless state so he can do some fun things with that. Up-B is multi-hit now and snaps to the ledge very well, still mainly only used if you need to vertically recover.

His tilts are all very good his up tilt has a great hit box in front, reaches quite high above, and lingers for a decent amount of time. Forward tilt has great range and is incredibly quick. Down tilt is weaker than it was in melee but compared to brawl falco's, it is godlike. Along with these, his jab is VERY good, fast, great hitbox, many mixup opportunities. use it!

His smashes are all pretty solid. his upsmash is still very quick and the 2nd hitbox seems to last a little longer than the older iterations of the move, which is nice. however the knock back is slightly nerfed. His fsmash is relatively quick and has solid range and impressive knock back, but has somewhat punishable ending lag. It is completely different from melee. His down smash is pretty much the same.

His neutral air is completely different from melee, but with its great shield pressure for above platforms and its very short landing lag it is still very solid. nair-> fast ground move (usually jab) works very well. Dair is very nerfed compared to melee, considering it no longer spikes with the weak hit box and the greatly increased start up lag. Not useless, but very situational now. His Bair is no longer a sex kick, which is disappointing but it is very quick and hard to punish, it also has impressive kill potential for its speed and range. Up air is pretty much the same as in melee, very solid. Fair is completely different from melee, it is mostly used for gimping because its multihit lasts forever, has a great hitbox, and either the last hit doesn't connect and the opponent is stuck at falco's fast fall speed below the stage or the last hit does connect which has a great angle for gimping.

IMO falco's bread and butter are: Jab, f-tilt, up-tilt, up-smash, bair, nair, side-b.
moves with a niche use that they do very well: d-tilt, f-smash, d-smash, fair, u-air, shine
moves that are generally not very good but may be useful in the right situation: laser, up-b, d-air

That should cover everything,
Hope this helps :D

 

[GreenBread]

what I have found so far is that lasers are only really useful when the opponent is near max range of them (which is silly short now, sakurai plz). Shine is mostly used for spacing because it has a pretty impressive range. Side-B has a nerfed hit box (compared to brawl so i guess you wouldn't notice that) but compared to melee the range is much larger and also doesn't put you in helpless state so he can do some fun things with that. Up-B is multi-hit now and snaps to the ledge very well, still mainly only used if you need to vertically recover.

His tilts are all very good his up tilt has a great hit box in front, reaches quite high above, and lingers for a decent amount of time. Forward tilt has great range and is incredibly quick. Down tilt is weaker than it was in melee but compared to brawl falco's, it is godlike. Along with these, his jab is VERY good, fast, great hitbox, many mixup opportunities. use it!

His smashes are all pretty solid. his upsmash is still very quick and the 2nd hitbox seems to last a little longer than the older iterations of the move, which is nice. however the knock back is slightly nerfed. His fsmash is relatively quick and has solid range and impressive knock back, but has somewhat punishable ending lag. It is completely different from melee. His down smash is pretty much the same.

His neutral air is completely different from melee, but with its great shield pressure for above platforms and its very short landing lag it is still very solid. nair-> fast ground move (usually jab) works very well. Dair is very nerfed compared to melee, considering it no longer spikes with the weak hit box and the greatly increased start up lag. Not useless, but very situational now. His Bair is no longer a sex kick, which is disappointing but it is very quick and hard to punish, it also has impressive kill potential for its speed and range. Up air is pretty much the same as in melee, very solid. Fair is completely different from melee, it is mostly used for gimping because its multihit lasts forever, has a great hitbox, and either the last hit doesn't connect and the opponent is stuck at falco's fast fall speed below the stage or the last hit does connect which has a great angle for gimping.

IMO falco's bread and butter are: Jab, f-tilt, up-tilt, up-smash, bair, nair, side-b.
moves with a niche use that they do very well: d-tilt, f-smash, d-smash, fair, u-air, shine
moves that are generally not very good but may be useful in the right situation: laser, up-b, d-air

That should cover everything,
Hope this helps :D

Wow, thanks for that. Also, is Falco still aggressive? Or is it wiser to play of the defensive side?

 

[lavagolem123]

You can still be aggressive, but you HAVE to be more selective about how and how often you engage. Safe approaches are limited and very unlike Melee so variety is a must. Dash attacks, grabs, and jabs are gonna be your most used options to approach. No laser cancelling means you're gonna have to abandon that zoning-style that Melee Falco excels at. There's gonna be a heck of an adjustment period most likely, so just tough it out and you'll catch on. Good luck!

 

[A2ZOMG]

Falco in this game plays a LOT more like Marth if you want a comparison.

Your gameplan revolves around solid spacing and forcing people into bad positions through strong normals that are hard to contest directly. Falco has a strong Jab, D-tilt, F-tilt, DA, F-smash, and Reflector is AMAZING for pokes as well. Don't try too hard to go for combos as Falco, though D-throw does set up into moves at low percents. You also won't be using lasers much because they're pretty laggy. Just use them for harass at long distances when your opponent is in the air.

SideB doesn't put you in freefall this game, so recovery is much easier for Falco than before.

 

[GreenBread]

Falco in this game plays a LOT more like Marth if you want a comparison.

Your gameplan revolves around solid spacing and forcing people into bad positions through strong normals that are hard to contest directly. Falco has a strong Jab, D-tilt, F-tilt, DA, F-smash, and Reflector is AMAZING for pokes as well. Don't try too hard to go for combos as Falco, though D-throw does set up into moves at low percents. You also won't be using lasers much because they're pretty laggy. Just use them for harass at long distances when your opponent is in the air.

SideB doesn't put you in freefall this game, so recovery is much easier for Falco than before.

Hmm. What about higher percents? Is FSmash quick enough to get off in times in need of a KO?

 

[A2ZOMG]

F-smash is slower, but has huge range. You mostly use it as a punish for whiffs. Usually though if you want faster KO moves, you go for B-air or U-smash.

 

[hariooo]

Aside from the models looking similar, this is a completely different character. Most people like Melee Falco for his vertical dominance, space control, and ridiculously cool combo game (especially with platforms).

None of that exists anymore so you'll probably have more fnu with another character.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

Aside from the models looking similar, this is a completely different character. Most people like Melee Falco for his vertical dominance, space control, and ridiculously cool combo game (especially with platforms).

None of that exists anymore so you'll probably have more fnu with another character.

lol very encouraging.

 

[speedguy20]

• Nair is good for approaching
• Dthrow--->Fair---->Dthrow---->fair they should be off the stage and you can just fish for Bairs.
• Dtilt kills at 120% ish, but range isn't too great, still a safe move
• Jab is garbage. Don't use it.
• Can run--->Shine. Use this to mix your game up between dash-A and Shine.
• Laser is mainly used for baiting, and ledge guarding. Anything else and you'll be punished.

That's all I can think of for now. His play style really depends on who you're up against. For example bowser you're going to laser him and when he's close be super aggressive. But if you're against a Megaman, just Shine to your hearts content

 

[Road Death Wheel]

• Nair is good for approaching
• Dthrow--->Fair---->Dthrow---->fair they should be off the stage and you can just fish for Bairs.
• Dtilt kills at 120% ish, but range isn't too great, still a safe move
• Jab is garbage. Don't use it.
• Can run--->Shine. Use this to mix your game up between dash-A and Shine.
• Laser is mainly used for baiting, and ledge guarding. Anything else and you'll be punished.

That's all I can think of for now. His play style really depends on who you're up against. For example bowser you're going to laser him and when he's close be super aggressive. But if you're against a Megaman, just Shine to your hearts content

lol i never knew a 2 frame jab was bad. expecially when everybody else says its his best move

 

[speedguy20]

lol i never knew a 2 frame jab was bad. expecially when everybody else says its his best move

You can easily DI out of it, charge a smash and get a kill basically.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

You can easily DI out of it, charge a smash and get a kill basically.

u cant di out of it when used in the right position. u cant just spit it out like littlemac, a jab u can out of is bowser jr.

 

[speedguy20]

u cant di out of it when used in the right position. u cant just spit it out like littlemac, a jab u can out of is bowser jr.

But that right position is only going to happen once every 6 or 7 times in my experience.

 

[Road Death Wheel]

But that right position is only going to happen once every 6 or 7 times in my experience.

ur experience compared the many competive disussions through out this site seem to have an impass. if u think its bad dont use it or bother to learn for that matter.

 

[Jackson]

I agree that Jab is great. Something to note is that if your opponents are DI'ing out of it it may be because you are holding A. Try tapping A three times, the jab will combo into itself faster.