Help with the Falco matchup

[LanceStern]

How do you all as Pac-Men (or women) deal with the Falco match?

I recently had a tournament where I beat a top Metaknight player (in part because they didn't know the matchup). They switched to Falco and handily swooped me up. I'm wondering what's your gameplan/setups when going into the match?

 

[Froggy]

Use the trampoline between you two when you are charging fruit. Only charge to key unless you're going for a recovery or hard mix up. Only use key to punish lag. Run into him, shield and in he sides bs you have a free punish. Do this repeatedly to dissuade him from spamming the reflector.

Flat stages preferred in this matchup.

 

[Megamon]

Be wary of his multihit moves. Use jab, ftilt, fair to keep him out. Getting him offstage and reading his recovery options is pretty important. Although our items aren't as useful due to his reflector, he still has to be aware of our setups, especially since his reflector has lag. Trampoline is very useful against shield-then-punish reliant players. He can follow you after trampoline, though, so be careful. Z dropping can force a reflect, so use it to your advantage. Falco's not like Fox in that he can't do what we hate, and that's get in easily. Keep him out and lean on percent. It's very useful to play campy in this MU, and against good falcos, our items should only be used to punish, or kill offstage. The key is to keep him out, and gain percent until he makes a mistake, then key him or something.

EDIT: Back airing the hydrant is nice, but not all the time. Keep track of it's health. I forgot Down tilt and nair. dtilt is a good spacing tool. Nair is really fast, and can punish a move out of shield really well. Also good kill move on phantasm if timed correctly.

 

[LanceStern]

So this is one of our tougher matches I'm guessing. Sounds like we have to play better than him.

I think his jab out-ranges our tilts. He has lots of priority too and he has grab -> up air almost guaranteed

 

[Froggy]

So this is one of our tougher matches I'm guessing. Sounds like we have to play better than him.

I think his jab out-ranges our tilts. He has lots of priority too and he has grab -> up air almost guaranteed

The matchup is pretty even. It just requires us to play differently.

 

[xzx]

Poke much and try to get in at the right times. Play slippery. (Works for me at least.)

 

[gamecubeguy214]

All I know is throw a cherry or strawberry at the start of the match and his lasers will hit that instead. The power pellet also does this. This also works for Fox.

 

[Hitbox4smash]

When playing against a fox I always start with a cherry or strawberry, then once I pick it up I jump cancel throw it ahead of me as I approach and grab to get started. When it's a falco I usually place down a hydrant first and stand on top of it while charging fruit, usually to apple or key (since the match just started and those are the easiest to land without them getting reflected.) In the process of this, if the falco continues to shoot lasers, the vertical water from the hydrant will push you above the hydrant in time to avoid the launch of the hydrant from the Laser's damage. For the rest of the match I find it's best to always keep an active hydrant on the ground somewhere and apply a lot of pressure to the falco using FAIR, NAIR, falling UAIRS and FTILTS. (as this helps to shut down their movement while distracting them with the hydrant's properties) Of course you should know how to switch up combos while using the water shots to an advantage so the water doesn't screw up your combos.

All I know is throw a cherry or strawberry at the start of the match and his lasers will hit that instead. The power pellet also does this. This also works for Fox.

 

[Froggy]

I rocked the best Falco in Austin pretty hard when I played him

Really throw your hydrant down and change to key behind him. Run and block watch him reflector and then punish for him. Keep doing it until he becomes weary of the reflector and then start punishing him with the key(you may need to throw out keys to get him to commit to the reflector to begin with). Its an easy match up i think, Falco is less mobile and than you and has only average range. Not difficult to gimp either.

Don't throw your hydrant at him btw. Also be wary of him using reflector break your hydrant while interrupting your charge as well.