Here's a quick primer on footstooling, a game mechanic I've seen other people use approximately zero times.
For those of you who aren't aware, footstool jumping is one of the Brawl options that made it to the current demo of Project M (that's 2.5). Doing it next to an opponent makes you jump off of their head. If the opponent is not doing a move at the time (using an aerial, shielding, etc.) they are rendered helpless for a set amount of time.
It differs from its Brawl incarnation in a few ways. The input is a(ny) Taunt command, rather than a Jump command. This means that you can no longer "accidentally" footstool someone, keeping their existence to intentional use. That said, the D-Pad isn't the best way to do this, especially since it's the face button closest to the Analog Stick, so it is highly recommended that you change an unused button to a Taunt in order to make the most of it. I personally use X (my unused Jump button), but perhaps you have something else that would work well, too. Also, opponents who are footstooled can tech the ground upon landing, giving them a way to defend themselves on-stage. Also-also, while it's not a change in the mechanic, the average normal fall speed of characters is significantly higher, so offstage footstools now put opponents at a significantly lower position than they did in Brawl.
Because of the extremely short range and the fact that the opponent cannot be doing any other move at the time, it is pretty situational in the neutral position, but that's not the only time it can be used, and I'll explain why. I actually use it a fair amount, as Wario probably benefits the most from it in its current state (though I'd love for that statement to be proven wrong!), but there are universal options and benefits.
It gives every character the equivalent of a rather powerful Frame 1 spike (as in, it can't be Meteor Canceled) when it works. It also has the added benefit of not being affected by damage or (S)DI, and it cannot be wallteched. Most characters don't normally have that luxury, so it's good to have in your back pocket for a particularly nasty gimp.
It is also pretty easy to use out of low-damage strings, so it can net you a reasonable tech-chase opportunity or the equivalent of a Ken Combo with some characters.
Now, if you don't want to read all of this, I would recommend at least reading the next couple of paragraphs for a simple and effective use of footstooling. Unlike in Brawl, where missing a footstool command makes you use your mid-air jump, there's literally no reason not to attempt a footstool in PM. If you're in a potential edgeguarding situation and you're not sure you'll be in range, but you want a contingency plan for if that doesn't work, you can input a footstool command immediately before a regular jump and/or aerial as an option select.
If you're not within range, you'll do your aerial/jump like normal and edgeguard them as if you weren't ever using the footstool in the first place. If you're within range, you'll footstool them, and since most characters fall much faster than they do in Brawl, an offstage footstool is often tantamount to a pretty strong spike. Also, the worst-case scenario would be that they're already doing an animation, so you safely recover and don't get hit by their Up-B/rising aerial/whatever, so you don't really lose much (and it might save you from a situation where you'd get hit and die as a result). If used early, it can catch people trying to jump through/around you, so this preemptive footstool is very valuable as an option select. You can actually spam the button and see results a fair amount of the time, but, as with most useful tools, precision is best.
People also tend to think that on-stage footstool combos are limited to characters with unique momentum-changing options, like Peach's float or Wario's D-Air. While those tools are very useful and helpful for more varied options, remember that you retain complete air control when footstooling, so if you have a nearby platform, you can waveland to cancel the upward momentum and proceed to go in. Since this option is almost instantaneous, and most people are worried about other moves, it's easy to catch someone off-guard and get them to miss their tech, which would give your ground combos some flash and allow you to reset the opponent.
...That's about all I've got as far as general usefulness, though. I'd recommend experimenting with it and seeing what kind of mileage you can get from it. It's far from useless and has turned the tide on some of my matches many a time. I hope it can do the same for you.
For those of you who aren't aware, footstool jumping is one of the Brawl options that made it to the current demo of Project M (that's 2.5). Doing it next to an opponent makes you jump off of their head. If the opponent is not doing a move at the time (using an aerial, shielding, etc.) they are rendered helpless for a set amount of time.
It differs from its Brawl incarnation in a few ways. The input is a(ny) Taunt command, rather than a Jump command. This means that you can no longer "accidentally" footstool someone, keeping their existence to intentional use. That said, the D-Pad isn't the best way to do this, especially since it's the face button closest to the Analog Stick, so it is highly recommended that you change an unused button to a Taunt in order to make the most of it. I personally use X (my unused Jump button), but perhaps you have something else that would work well, too. Also, opponents who are footstooled can tech the ground upon landing, giving them a way to defend themselves on-stage. Also-also, while it's not a change in the mechanic, the average normal fall speed of characters is significantly higher, so offstage footstools now put opponents at a significantly lower position than they did in Brawl.
Because of the extremely short range and the fact that the opponent cannot be doing any other move at the time, it is pretty situational in the neutral position, but that's not the only time it can be used, and I'll explain why. I actually use it a fair amount, as Wario probably benefits the most from it in its current state (though I'd love for that statement to be proven wrong!), but there are universal options and benefits.
It gives every character the equivalent of a rather powerful Frame 1 spike (as in, it can't be Meteor Canceled) when it works. It also has the added benefit of not being affected by damage or (S)DI, and it cannot be wallteched. Most characters don't normally have that luxury, so it's good to have in your back pocket for a particularly nasty gimp.
It is also pretty easy to use out of low-damage strings, so it can net you a reasonable tech-chase opportunity or the equivalent of a Ken Combo with some characters.
Now, if you don't want to read all of this, I would recommend at least reading the next couple of paragraphs for a simple and effective use of footstooling. Unlike in Brawl, where missing a footstool command makes you use your mid-air jump, there's literally no reason not to attempt a footstool in PM. If you're in a potential edgeguarding situation and you're not sure you'll be in range, but you want a contingency plan for if that doesn't work, you can input a footstool command immediately before a regular jump and/or aerial as an option select.
If you're not within range, you'll do your aerial/jump like normal and edgeguard them as if you weren't ever using the footstool in the first place. If you're within range, you'll footstool them, and since most characters fall much faster than they do in Brawl, an offstage footstool is often tantamount to a pretty strong spike. Also, the worst-case scenario would be that they're already doing an animation, so you safely recover and don't get hit by their Up-B/rising aerial/whatever, so you don't really lose much (and it might save you from a situation where you'd get hit and die as a result). If used early, it can catch people trying to jump through/around you, so this preemptive footstool is very valuable as an option select. You can actually spam the button and see results a fair amount of the time, but, as with most useful tools, precision is best.
People also tend to think that on-stage footstool combos are limited to characters with unique momentum-changing options, like Peach's float or Wario's D-Air. While those tools are very useful and helpful for more varied options, remember that you retain complete air control when footstooling, so if you have a nearby platform, you can waveland to cancel the upward momentum and proceed to go in. Since this option is almost instantaneous, and most people are worried about other moves, it's easy to catch someone off-guard and get them to miss their tech, which would give your ground combos some flash and allow you to reset the opponent.
...That's about all I've got as far as general usefulness, though. I'd recommend experimenting with it and seeing what kind of mileage you can get from it. It's far from useless and has turned the tide on some of my matches many a time. I hope it can do the same for you.
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