FLUDD Usage?

[The 0ne]

I'm having trouble picking times when I use the FLUDD. Like any character who charges things, I fully charge it whenever I have the opportunity, but the move rarely comes out.

How are you guys using it?

 

[moofpi]

I use it to throw off my opponents a lot of times because no ever expects fludd in the middle of a fight. I sometimes also only charge it halfway at the beginning then start charging again as I descend to the stage later on, baiting them but you can flick left or right to roll then punish or shield or shield>grab if you're facing them. They're a lot more likely to run in if you're not facing them.

In non-edge guarding situations it takes about a half charge to make a significant impact on the opponent. If you knocked them into the air or they are coming at you from the air in a way they think you can't cover, just aim and blast them with the fludd (you can always charge another), it will stop their momentum in air and if they're close enough you can usually get an Fsmash or other punish.

Also if I'm getting frustrated with an excessive roller, a projectile ledge camper, or a fast character with good spacing and baits, I'll just blast them sideways. It really helps if they were already moving in that direction. Even if it seems like a waste of a fludd or a random move the opponent is now somewhere they did not want to be and you put them there, either way it's a quick way to reshuffle the current situation.

Since Mario can get juggled bad sometimes a half charge or more fludd and DIing backward makes a good escape, especially if you've already used your second jump and don't just want to Up B and hope for the best.

For character specific things, fludd (ANY charge) repels all of Pac-Man's fruits except the key, Link/Tink's bombs, but not Peach's turnips no matter how much it seems like it should.

 

[Mike_Tha_Hero]

I barely use it tbh. Most people are smart enough to not be gimped by it off stage.

 

[Kulty]

In my opinion, I mostly use FLUDD to push away my opponents so that I can reset the neutral game between me and my opponent. It lets me time to breathe against a character who keeps pressuring me a lot. I don't find it particularly useful against most characters off-stage because of their recoveries, except for some characters (Little Mac, Ness as notable examples). Hope that it helps you.

 

[FrankTheStud]

I always have it prepared. I usually start the fight with charging FLUDD... FLUDD is good at throwing off opponents and decent at keeping them offstage. It works best when your opponent is mid-recovery, helpless, or stuck in a committed move (Falcon/Warlock Kick, Sonic/Sheik/ZSS d-air). It also works great with cape, and while not always easy to pull off, can lead to some dirty plays.

For example:
https://www.facebook.com/FrankRR3/videos/1104538136229070/?l=2732462717524224424

(please ignore the terrible quality and my derpy voice at the end)


With that being stated, FLUDD is also good against opponents who enjoy camping, or rushing in (Duck Hunt, Mac, C.Falc, Megaman, Pac-Man, etc.) because it tries to give you control of the stage. Also, if used correctly, it could even launch them a bit into the air and allow you to get some up-air juggles or even a forward air off-edge because they're not expecting it. Sure, shielding prevents FLUDD from doing anything, as does air dodge, but FLUDD literally takes 3 seconds or so to fully charge, and can even be useful at half charge. It can also be cancelled immediately into shield, so it's fairly safe to charge against defensive/campy characters and aggressive alike (as long as they aren't grab-happy, in which case, shield-cancel into sidestep or jab).
My big issue honestly is finding a way to get in on a defensive Rosalina, as her down+b absorbs FLUDD entirely, and that's one of Mario's best ways for getting in on and/or punishing campy players. Rob is also a nightmare to get in on, and a good Shulk can keep you out for days. The only difference is that the latter don't absorb saltwater like it's candy.

Edit: Small additions and grammar fixes.

 

[SuperLuigiTheIntalian]

I use F.L.U.D.D. to Edge guard other opponents.... the rest is just unnecessary. I'm better off Dash A-ing and Meteor smashing the opponent.

 

[The 0ne]

So the vibe I'm getting here from you guys, if I'm right, is literally just to throw it out when I feel like it.

But also using the charge as a bait, and that thing about using the recoil momentum was interesting, @ moofpi

 

[DtJ S2n]

If an opponent burns their double jump and is DI-ing away from you to avoid getting juggled, a fully charge FLUDD near ground level, before they can snap the ledge, can create a difficult edge guarding situation for them or straight gimp them depending on the character. There's also a lot of niche situations where it just works. In the Ness match-up, he wants to stand at the ledge and b-throw us for a kill and he'll try and absorb fireballs with down-b or reflect them with f-smash. You can bait out either option and just fludd him from an entirely safe range and set up an edge guard.

 

[A17]

Some say a smart opponent won't be gimped by water. Perhaps even just having it charged can give you a psychological advantage against the analytical folks. Imagine the possibilities. I charge up my water gun on characters where it may not even be so useful.

Here's a fun one: If Donkey Kong is winding up, you can push him off stage and that won't interrupt the winding up. This means that he'll keep winding on the way down. If the player does not react fast enough, they may not be able to recover in time.

Here's another: If Link does a grounded up-B, pushing him off will put him in a freefall.

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I'd keep trying to push people off stage even if they have a good chance of recovering. Iv've been using Mario all afternoon andI've noticed some people feel they need to up-B to get away from the water or else "the water may push them to the death boundary". It's weird because it's not like they'll make it back to the stage going into freefall so far away from the stage.

Another observation I noticed is that some players DI up ward (or maybe they're jumping to get that vertical momentum) and that actually saves them from a low recovery.

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I've been trying to get some kind of setup where I can DJ, meet them in the air and create a wall of water going down with them. Haven't put anything to the test yet.

 

[Xeze]

Some say a smart opponent won't be gimped by water. Perhaps even just having it charged can give you a psychological advantage against the analytical folks. Imagine the possibilities. I charge up my water gun on characters where it may not even be so useful.

Here's a fun one: If Donkey Kong is winding up, you can push him off stage and that won't interrupt the winding up. This means that he'll keep winding on the way down. If the player does not react fast enough, they may not be able to recover in time.

Here's another: If Link does a grounded up-B, pushing him off will put him in a freefall.

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I'd keep trying to push people off stage even if they have a good chance of recovering. Iv've been using Mario all afternoon andI've noticed some people feel they need to up-B to get away from the water or else "the water may push them to the death boundary". It's weird because it's not like they'll make it back to the stage going into freefall so far away from the stage.

Another observation I noticed is that some players DI up ward (or maybe they're jumping to get that vertical momentum) and that actually saves them from a low recovery.

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I've been trying to get some kind of setup where I can DJ, meet them in the air and create a wall of water going down with them. Haven't put anything to the test yet.

Also works vs Zelda using Din's Fire. I use FLUDD against air aproaches. It slows them down allowing me to follow up. A kill setup can be done with this, since their momentum gets messed up and you can get a well timed up smash there.
FLUDD has so much potential imo. It's one of Mario's best tools.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I use it for spacing and to make my opponent scrabble to come up with a new approach. For example, if you're playing a character that approaches with fast falled fairs like Marth and Villager, it can really throw off their rhythm or even give you can opening to run right underneath them or behind them to counter. Sometimes just faking people out with it makes them recover in a much more predictable way, like a Ness that's concerned you're going to push them away from their PK thunder so they try to recover low.

 

[ZTD | TECHnology]

@smasher1001

Teach them, my son.

 

[Pixel_]

I heard most people use the scalding custom instead

 

[Xeze]

Here's an example on how I use FLUDD.

 

[Xandercosm]

Honestly, I never find much of a use for it. Maybe I just haven't gotten F.L.U.D.D. down but it just seems like its a pretty useless move. I would even venture to say that I wish Mario had a different down special. It's been in dire need of a replacement for ages. Maybe his hammer from the RPGs or the tanooki tail or something... On the positive side of things, though, I did see a totally awesome kill with it once. Like an actual kill. The guy blasted someone off the stage with it so powerfully that they were just instantly KO'd...

 

[Xeze]

Honestly, I never find much of a use for it. Maybe I just haven't gotten F.L.U.D.D. down but it just seems like its a pretty useless move. I would even venture to say that I wish Mario had a different down special. It's been in dire need of a replacement for ages. Maybe his hammer from the RPGs or the tanooki tail or something... On the positive side of things, though, I did see a totally awesome kill with it once. Like an actual kill. The guy blasted someone off the stage with it so powerfully that they were just instantly KO'd...

Thoughts about FLUDD being useless is a 2008 thing, when Brawl first came out. Give it more use and watch videos of Mario players using FLUDD. Trust me, it's a great move.

 

[Xandercosm]

Maybe... It definitely doesn't fit with Mario's user friendly style, though...

 

[GoldenMasterSword]

It seems to be a very difficult move to suddenly start incorporating in your game because of the immediate effect of every other move in his arsenal. It's different when the move you're charging up has strictly pushback and no damage.
That being said, it's fun to push your opponents around with. If it wasn't so easy for characters to get back onto the stage super low where Mario really can't do much, it'd be far easier to use for gimping.