illinialex24
Smash Hero
When I look at some players, it seems that they have too much difficulty in grabbing an item thrown at you and the like. Although they can always grab the grenade after it hits them, they have no answer but shield a banana, vegetable, or bomb. However, being able to grab items without taking any damage is a crucial ability for most Jigglypuff's because she can use the items often more effectively than the original character. Essentially, if you are better with these items than your opponent, they have a much lower chance of winning.
The Basics: How to Catch Items
There are two very easy ways to grab an item, press A while the item is close enough to you or air-dodge.
Pressing A has a variety of different results, you can be dashing or standing or walking to catch the item. Some characters like Sonic and Diddy Kong have a long time period where they can catch an item thrown at them (try throwing an item at a dash attacking Diddy Kong or Sonic, there catching animation last long enough so they will catch it), while others have much more difficult times, like Jigglypuff. Although I don't recommend the dash attack catch, the standing A catch still can work fairly well if you have good timing. There is 1 redeeming but very risky factor. If you press A in the air to catch it, you will attack the opponent and catch it if you time it right. However, if you miss, you get hit by the move.
Air-dodging is fairly important. Because of her floatiness and many jumps, anything thrown to you will likely get caught if she is in the air. This is mainly to be used when they opponent is trying to lob you stuff from afar, because it has a lower risk and reward. Essentially, the trade off is that you cannot push your opponent back with an attack while catching, but it is also much safer. However, at close range, the opponent can intentionally try to set the air-dodge catch up (like Peach throwing a vegetable at close range to you and waiting to fair right afterward, to punish an air-dodge or hitlag, or a Toon Link throwing a bomb and then to a fair). In this situation, it is better to do an A catch, preferably a forward or back (depending on where you are facing your opponent) catch, so you catch the item, hit your opponent, and allow you to combo them fairly easily.
Finally, you can catch items while landing if you are smart, so you can grab items on the ground below you. The main use for this is against a Diddy Kong, because he will leave his banana's everywhere. He will often leave a banana in front of him and a banana in his hand, ready to punish you when you land or if you commit. This is where Jigglypuff shines. You can waveland and catch a banana at the same time. And with a banana in his hand ready to throw, trying to start up a banana glide, you get essentially a banana and a free grab.
Finally, Diddy Kong's can also set banana's near the stage as a trap for anyone trying to get up. Essentially, if you try to get up with a normal attack or roll, you will trip and he can **** your face. He will also have a banana with him ready to punish you can force you to recover by shooting peanuts at you. You have a few options here that can work: push away and fair with the fair getting the item, push away and air-dodge, or the last and best one, ledge jump a neutral air. It essentially grabs the banana for you, doesn't really leave you open to his peanuts or banana's, and allows you to **** with his banana.
Opponents Counter Measures
Because of this, all quality opponents will not telegraph their moves. Only Snake's will truly lob their projectiles, but this is because of their truly short life (like 5 seconds) and the ability of them to cause you to drop the grenade whenever they feel like it by pressing shield. What do they do instead? They either make it so when you generally have a chance to catch it, the item is useless to you or try to mindgame when the actual throw will happen.
Peach
Although many Peach's early on telegraph their moves by throwing it to try to setup a combo. A trick with Peach is she cannot throw her item while she is gliding. However, she will hit you, stop gliding and chuck it. For Peach it is relatively hard for her mindgame it, but you should just adapt to the player. One thing you should know is when she is repeatedly chucking vegetables off the stage is a perfect time to grab one. Just push away, air-dodge and come up from below the stage so you can't get hit. Another one is that Peach can throw the item and then attack, making you think she was gonna glide.
Toon Link
This guy is really good at making sure you don't get an item. He will throw bombs up all around the stage, making so when the timing is very hard to catch them when they are about to land, you have to memorize when it will come down. That added with the fact that when they are landing means he will be chucking boomerangs and shooting arrows at you makes catching one almost pointless. Another trick he will do is pull out a bomb, throw a boomerang and shoot an arrow and then throw it. This is your best chance to catch the bomb. However, unfortunately, because he pulls the bomb out first, you can't be nearly as patient with it. Your other good opportunity is when he throws a bomb down or drops it, because the timing isn't that difficult. However, he can screw with you here badly too. Often he will drop a bomb and then fast fall air-dodge to re-catch it, putting you way off-guard. In this matchup, you really have to force him to try to chuck bombs at you, which he will do once in a while, and catch them.
R.O.B.
His gyro can get fairly annoying and its really hard to waveland catch this one. The best option is to grab it with A and its fairly straightforward. If he you think he is going to throw it, SH an air-dodge or just shield.
Link
This guy is much easier than Toon Link because he has to throw his bombs to you. He can drop them and all that but to make them hit well, he is going to have to throw them. Although he can do the dropped bomb fast fall trick just as well, you can punish him much better than Toon Link for it. The best option here is generally to go for the air-dodge grab because his bombs hurt and are also generally going to be lobbed upon you.
Diddy Kong
He has two fairly easy items to catch, both very worthwhile. Because his banana is easily seen and can't be held by him, you can just air-dodge catch it very easily. However, he is the king, the king at mindgaming. His banana's can be so painful to play against that you really need to stay in the air most of the time. The good thing is these are the easiest to catch because they are often left laying around. Wavelanding the banana's is one of the best options, because it can help you setup for grabs and the like. In the air, if Diddy Kong has a banana, and you are near him, using aerials is very safe because at best you will grab the banana and hit him, at worst he will air-dodge. Just really, watch out for the fact that he can make your life hell with banana gliding. Do not land unshielded when he as banana's out because even if you catch the first one on the ground, the second one will come too quickly and so you will be in trouble.
Snake
He is going to lob grenades at you like its nobodies business. This is one situation where you should either ignore the item or air-dodge catch it and immediately throw it back. They explode too quickly to use effectively.
What to do when you have an item?
Most players when they get an item tend to throw it away immediately, trying to hit the opponent. This is exactly what you don't want to do. Learn the opponents strategy for using the item and play like them, learn how they use that item properly. Notice they don't just chuck it at the opponent immediately. They use specials, other attacks and the like to punish the opponent before dropping it on the opponent.
Jigglypuff is amazing at mindgaming with the drop and re-grab, and she can use this insanely effectively. Drop the item and use nair or C-stick an aerial during a fast fall. This coupled with air-dodges allows you to attack like normal with a mindgame while actually holding the item, allowing you great setups. My personal favorite is dropping an item, fast falling a C-sticked fair, and then throwing the item at them afterwards. Use moves to set up item throws, and use this to set up other moves. Jigglypuff a god with items if you can use them well, especially with how good her grabs are and the like.
The Basics: How to Catch Items
There are two very easy ways to grab an item, press A while the item is close enough to you or air-dodge.
Pressing A has a variety of different results, you can be dashing or standing or walking to catch the item. Some characters like Sonic and Diddy Kong have a long time period where they can catch an item thrown at them (try throwing an item at a dash attacking Diddy Kong or Sonic, there catching animation last long enough so they will catch it), while others have much more difficult times, like Jigglypuff. Although I don't recommend the dash attack catch, the standing A catch still can work fairly well if you have good timing. There is 1 redeeming but very risky factor. If you press A in the air to catch it, you will attack the opponent and catch it if you time it right. However, if you miss, you get hit by the move.
Air-dodging is fairly important. Because of her floatiness and many jumps, anything thrown to you will likely get caught if she is in the air. This is mainly to be used when they opponent is trying to lob you stuff from afar, because it has a lower risk and reward. Essentially, the trade off is that you cannot push your opponent back with an attack while catching, but it is also much safer. However, at close range, the opponent can intentionally try to set the air-dodge catch up (like Peach throwing a vegetable at close range to you and waiting to fair right afterward, to punish an air-dodge or hitlag, or a Toon Link throwing a bomb and then to a fair). In this situation, it is better to do an A catch, preferably a forward or back (depending on where you are facing your opponent) catch, so you catch the item, hit your opponent, and allow you to combo them fairly easily.
Finally, you can catch items while landing if you are smart, so you can grab items on the ground below you. The main use for this is against a Diddy Kong, because he will leave his banana's everywhere. He will often leave a banana in front of him and a banana in his hand, ready to punish you when you land or if you commit. This is where Jigglypuff shines. You can waveland and catch a banana at the same time. And with a banana in his hand ready to throw, trying to start up a banana glide, you get essentially a banana and a free grab.
Finally, Diddy Kong's can also set banana's near the stage as a trap for anyone trying to get up. Essentially, if you try to get up with a normal attack or roll, you will trip and he can **** your face. He will also have a banana with him ready to punish you can force you to recover by shooting peanuts at you. You have a few options here that can work: push away and fair with the fair getting the item, push away and air-dodge, or the last and best one, ledge jump a neutral air. It essentially grabs the banana for you, doesn't really leave you open to his peanuts or banana's, and allows you to **** with his banana.
Opponents Counter Measures
Because of this, all quality opponents will not telegraph their moves. Only Snake's will truly lob their projectiles, but this is because of their truly short life (like 5 seconds) and the ability of them to cause you to drop the grenade whenever they feel like it by pressing shield. What do they do instead? They either make it so when you generally have a chance to catch it, the item is useless to you or try to mindgame when the actual throw will happen.
Peach
Although many Peach's early on telegraph their moves by throwing it to try to setup a combo. A trick with Peach is she cannot throw her item while she is gliding. However, she will hit you, stop gliding and chuck it. For Peach it is relatively hard for her mindgame it, but you should just adapt to the player. One thing you should know is when she is repeatedly chucking vegetables off the stage is a perfect time to grab one. Just push away, air-dodge and come up from below the stage so you can't get hit. Another one is that Peach can throw the item and then attack, making you think she was gonna glide.
Toon Link
This guy is really good at making sure you don't get an item. He will throw bombs up all around the stage, making so when the timing is very hard to catch them when they are about to land, you have to memorize when it will come down. That added with the fact that when they are landing means he will be chucking boomerangs and shooting arrows at you makes catching one almost pointless. Another trick he will do is pull out a bomb, throw a boomerang and shoot an arrow and then throw it. This is your best chance to catch the bomb. However, unfortunately, because he pulls the bomb out first, you can't be nearly as patient with it. Your other good opportunity is when he throws a bomb down or drops it, because the timing isn't that difficult. However, he can screw with you here badly too. Often he will drop a bomb and then fast fall air-dodge to re-catch it, putting you way off-guard. In this matchup, you really have to force him to try to chuck bombs at you, which he will do once in a while, and catch them.
R.O.B.
His gyro can get fairly annoying and its really hard to waveland catch this one. The best option is to grab it with A and its fairly straightforward. If he you think he is going to throw it, SH an air-dodge or just shield.
Link
This guy is much easier than Toon Link because he has to throw his bombs to you. He can drop them and all that but to make them hit well, he is going to have to throw them. Although he can do the dropped bomb fast fall trick just as well, you can punish him much better than Toon Link for it. The best option here is generally to go for the air-dodge grab because his bombs hurt and are also generally going to be lobbed upon you.
Diddy Kong
He has two fairly easy items to catch, both very worthwhile. Because his banana is easily seen and can't be held by him, you can just air-dodge catch it very easily. However, he is the king, the king at mindgaming. His banana's can be so painful to play against that you really need to stay in the air most of the time. The good thing is these are the easiest to catch because they are often left laying around. Wavelanding the banana's is one of the best options, because it can help you setup for grabs and the like. In the air, if Diddy Kong has a banana, and you are near him, using aerials is very safe because at best you will grab the banana and hit him, at worst he will air-dodge. Just really, watch out for the fact that he can make your life hell with banana gliding. Do not land unshielded when he as banana's out because even if you catch the first one on the ground, the second one will come too quickly and so you will be in trouble.
Snake
He is going to lob grenades at you like its nobodies business. This is one situation where you should either ignore the item or air-dodge catch it and immediately throw it back. They explode too quickly to use effectively.
What to do when you have an item?
Most players when they get an item tend to throw it away immediately, trying to hit the opponent. This is exactly what you don't want to do. Learn the opponents strategy for using the item and play like them, learn how they use that item properly. Notice they don't just chuck it at the opponent immediately. They use specials, other attacks and the like to punish the opponent before dropping it on the opponent.
Jigglypuff is amazing at mindgaming with the drop and re-grab, and she can use this insanely effectively. Drop the item and use nair or C-stick an aerial during a fast fall. This coupled with air-dodges allows you to attack like normal with a mindgame while actually holding the item, allowing you great setups. My personal favorite is dropping an item, fast falling a C-sticked fair, and then throwing the item at them afterwards. Use moves to set up item throws, and use this to set up other moves. Jigglypuff a god with items if you can use them well, especially with how good her grabs are and the like.
