For many characters, being directly above your opponent is the least advantageous place you can possibly be. In a way, it's like getting edgeguarded, in that your options are limited while the opponent has many more options from the ground. It's not a fun place to be, and it can be a struggle to get back on the ground.
I'm making this thread in order to give people a resource to see all of the universal options when landing. Many people seem to ignore the opportunities for mixing up a landing, choosing to stick with one or two options without using the rest. I will point out the options you can switch between, and the consequences they have for your opponent.
Normal fall speed vs. Fastfall
This is definitely the most basic difference that can be made, and it is one that should never be neglected. If you must fastfall to momentum cancel and you still have your double-jump, it's usually best to use your double-jump in order to go back to normal fall speed, if only to have this mix-up in your back pocket. This changes so many other things, so it's easy to tell how much of a difference it can make.
Opponent trying to use a well-spaced aerial? If they thought you were falling at a normal speed, and you choose to fastfall right before that moment, you're now right next to them, and you can either trade aerials or airdodge through the attack with little trouble. If they thought you were going to fastfall, and you choose to continue to fall at normal speed, they might outright miss their attack, which could allow for retaliation, and, no matter what, you're at least closer to the ground instead of getting hit back up.
Opponent trying to punish your landing? Most grabs only last two or three frames, while landing lag is usually four frames. Even if the opponent sticks out a ground move, they have to time it just right. If they think you will fastfall to the ground and guess incorrectly, their attempt at punishing can whiff, allowing you to retaliate. If they think you will land at a normal speed and guess incorrectly, you can powershield or spotdodge their move.
Now, building on that...
Landing aerial vs. No aerial
Depending on the character, there may be little reason not to use an aerial right before landing. However, most characters in this situation have to deal with a potential shield -> punish. Building on the normal fall/fastfall mix-up, aerials can make the opponent's 50/50 become much more threatening on an incorrect guess. Instead of being next to each other and the pressure still on you from landing, you can knock them away or even score a KO for yourself. It takes seven frames to drop a shield, so you should have frame advantage on landing if the opponent doesn't read you.
While fastfall timing can vary a great deal, the basic mix-up is normal fall -> late landing aerial or fastfall airdodge -> shield/spotdodge/fast or invincible attack. If they expect the normal fall and guess incorrectly, you can avoid or stuff a grab, and you're on the ground. If they expect a fastfall airdodge and guess incorrectly, your late aerial will hit them before their grab/attack comes out. Some characters have useful pokes like safe U-Smash or a shorthop aerial that can make it more complicated, but between the two options I listed, you should be able to avoid them, too.
Single-hit aerial vs. Multi-hit aerial
This is a often-overlooked option that can catch many people off-guard. Not every character has a multi-hit aerial that leaves little space between hits, but, for the ones that do, this can help a lot. When you land next to the opponent, their attempt at shieldgrabbing is usually tailored to wait for the shieldlag of the aerial, followed by a reflexive grab. However, this does not work well against multi-hit aerials, since the grab will be stuffed by later hits. Multi-hit aerials tend to have weak hits outside of the final attack, so what this does is hits the opponent out of their grab attempt, puts them in hitstun, and makes them land on the ground before they can throw out an aerial (except for frame 2-3 aerials, like Luigi and Meta Knight), which causes landing lag (and if you're lucky, you get landing lag from an aerial they accidentally throw out while trying to punish you). If you've ever messed up the autocancel timing on a multi-hit aerial and wondered why it was still safe when the opponent shielded the beginning of it, that's why.
For many characters, that leaves you with slight frame advantage, and because of all the helpless frames your opponent incurs, they may be too disoriented to properly buffer a quick move when they CAN attack. Many players will freeze up and hold Shield as a catch-all, so it can be an easy grab for you. It's also worth noting that you can start a fastfall at any point during your aerial, which will make it even more difficult for your opponent to know when it's safe to stop shielding. That can make it safe to land with a multi-hit aerial even if the opponent continues to shield.
Footstool attacking options
This is a very uncommon option, partly because few characters get anything useful out of it, and partly because it's hard to get yourself into position for it. It's pretty simple, though, and can really help characters who have a great deal of trouble landing. It's as simple as footstooling the opponent and doing a fast, low attack or a move that cancels momentum. For example, Zelda can footstool -> immediate Neutral-B all characters. Charizard can footstool -> immediate D-Air many characters. It's not terribly safe, but the fact that it's so rare to see can make it difficult for people to adequately react to, and the worst that can happen is that you're back in the air again, where you already were.
Remember, every extra option you have at your disposal is one more thing to get you on the ground, and one more thing your opponent has to make a read to deal with. Even the threat of a certain option can be a powerful thing--Just look at Ice Climbers' chaingrab. Keep all of these mix-ups in mind, and you'll find that getting to the ground isn't really that daunting a prospect for most matchups, and it can sometimes be more promising an approach than the average grounded attempt. King Dedede and Falco aren't the only characters that can mix up landings to approach.
I'm making this thread in order to give people a resource to see all of the universal options when landing. Many people seem to ignore the opportunities for mixing up a landing, choosing to stick with one or two options without using the rest. I will point out the options you can switch between, and the consequences they have for your opponent.
Normal fall speed vs. Fastfall
This is definitely the most basic difference that can be made, and it is one that should never be neglected. If you must fastfall to momentum cancel and you still have your double-jump, it's usually best to use your double-jump in order to go back to normal fall speed, if only to have this mix-up in your back pocket. This changes so many other things, so it's easy to tell how much of a difference it can make.
Opponent trying to use a well-spaced aerial? If they thought you were falling at a normal speed, and you choose to fastfall right before that moment, you're now right next to them, and you can either trade aerials or airdodge through the attack with little trouble. If they thought you were going to fastfall, and you choose to continue to fall at normal speed, they might outright miss their attack, which could allow for retaliation, and, no matter what, you're at least closer to the ground instead of getting hit back up.
Opponent trying to punish your landing? Most grabs only last two or three frames, while landing lag is usually four frames. Even if the opponent sticks out a ground move, they have to time it just right. If they think you will fastfall to the ground and guess incorrectly, their attempt at punishing can whiff, allowing you to retaliate. If they think you will land at a normal speed and guess incorrectly, you can powershield or spotdodge their move.
Now, building on that...
Landing aerial vs. No aerial
Depending on the character, there may be little reason not to use an aerial right before landing. However, most characters in this situation have to deal with a potential shield -> punish. Building on the normal fall/fastfall mix-up, aerials can make the opponent's 50/50 become much more threatening on an incorrect guess. Instead of being next to each other and the pressure still on you from landing, you can knock them away or even score a KO for yourself. It takes seven frames to drop a shield, so you should have frame advantage on landing if the opponent doesn't read you.
While fastfall timing can vary a great deal, the basic mix-up is normal fall -> late landing aerial or fastfall airdodge -> shield/spotdodge/fast or invincible attack. If they expect the normal fall and guess incorrectly, you can avoid or stuff a grab, and you're on the ground. If they expect a fastfall airdodge and guess incorrectly, your late aerial will hit them before their grab/attack comes out. Some characters have useful pokes like safe U-Smash or a shorthop aerial that can make it more complicated, but between the two options I listed, you should be able to avoid them, too.
Single-hit aerial vs. Multi-hit aerial
This is a often-overlooked option that can catch many people off-guard. Not every character has a multi-hit aerial that leaves little space between hits, but, for the ones that do, this can help a lot. When you land next to the opponent, their attempt at shieldgrabbing is usually tailored to wait for the shieldlag of the aerial, followed by a reflexive grab. However, this does not work well against multi-hit aerials, since the grab will be stuffed by later hits. Multi-hit aerials tend to have weak hits outside of the final attack, so what this does is hits the opponent out of their grab attempt, puts them in hitstun, and makes them land on the ground before they can throw out an aerial (except for frame 2-3 aerials, like Luigi and Meta Knight), which causes landing lag (and if you're lucky, you get landing lag from an aerial they accidentally throw out while trying to punish you). If you've ever messed up the autocancel timing on a multi-hit aerial and wondered why it was still safe when the opponent shielded the beginning of it, that's why.
For many characters, that leaves you with slight frame advantage, and because of all the helpless frames your opponent incurs, they may be too disoriented to properly buffer a quick move when they CAN attack. Many players will freeze up and hold Shield as a catch-all, so it can be an easy grab for you. It's also worth noting that you can start a fastfall at any point during your aerial, which will make it even more difficult for your opponent to know when it's safe to stop shielding. That can make it safe to land with a multi-hit aerial even if the opponent continues to shield.
Footstool attacking options
This is a very uncommon option, partly because few characters get anything useful out of it, and partly because it's hard to get yourself into position for it. It's pretty simple, though, and can really help characters who have a great deal of trouble landing. It's as simple as footstooling the opponent and doing a fast, low attack or a move that cancels momentum. For example, Zelda can footstool -> immediate Neutral-B all characters. Charizard can footstool -> immediate D-Air many characters. It's not terribly safe, but the fact that it's so rare to see can make it difficult for people to adequately react to, and the worst that can happen is that you're back in the air again, where you already were.
Remember, every extra option you have at your disposal is one more thing to get you on the ground, and one more thing your opponent has to make a read to deal with. Even the threat of a certain option can be a powerful thing--Just look at Ice Climbers' chaingrab. Keep all of these mix-ups in mind, and you'll find that getting to the ground isn't really that daunting a prospect for most matchups, and it can sometimes be more promising an approach than the average grounded attempt. King Dedede and Falco aren't the only characters that can mix up landings to approach.
