How do I play the neutral game against high %

[Russ The Love Muss]

A lot of the time I'm able to get people up to 80% fairly easily but after that I have a very hard time finishing off the stock and keep hitting people too far away for me to capitalise on.

 

[krazyzyko]

The strat may vary between MU's but mainly l space Bairs > laser them off stage and then edgegaurd accordingly.

 

[Deep2]

Shine > Bair.

 

[Russ The Love Muss]

Shine > Bair.

How do I get the chance to shine them though. I understand that I might get some from shield pressure but a lot of the time I will just hit them too far away to follow up with a shine and it's kind of hard to just run into them with a shine

 

[TunNel]

The biggest changes to make is to start using nair over dair as your primary approach tool in order to land them far off stage for edgegaurds/kills and to start using utilt instead of shine off of aerials for shield pressure (when properly spaced to land behind them that is) to lead into bair kills at higher percents.

Below are all reliable kill followups in high percents. Some are better than others depending on the character.
CC -> Dtilt/dmsash
jump->shine->bair/uair/firebird for platform tech chases or when opp is in hit stun in the air
utilit->fsmash/usmash
dash atttack -> bair/dair
grab->dair
ETCETCETC...

Falco has plenty of options for the kill. The key is to understand these options and adjust how&what you use to capitalize for the kills. So, for example, instead of going for standard shield pressure (nair/bair & shines) off of laser approaches or w/e you opt for a dash attack spaced a bit past his shield into utilts in order to lead into a bair kill OR maybe you space dtilts/ftilts on his shield OR even opt for a grab to get a dumpster near the ledge or bair off of an uthrow. So many falcos get into this formulated pattern revolved around comboing that they don't understand you have to use different options for given situations and instead just want that percent to go up. This is especially true for newer players. For every percent falco has more optimal approach tool.

Also, remember to keep patient. The kill rarely comes as easily or as quickly as the combo does and more often than not will be accomplished through edgegaurding.

 

[Red Rice]

I'm not sure how much total smash experience you have, but as you play more and more, you recognize situations and you'll know which kill options you have, which you should go for, etc.

Generally, I like to finish my pillar combos with
1. Shine bair
2. Shine > Shine > up-b
3. Pillar > dsmash/fsmash on missed tech

 

[Oskurito]

fair is a really good setup move to follow with finishing move, usually forward smash. Most of the times you just want to fish for a bair, or dair then bair, up smash kills floaties at very high% (is kind of viable sometimes). Just find an opportuniy to knock them off stage with any move of your choice and then edgeguard properly.

Also be patient, often times people start being overly agressive when they know they need just 1 or 2 hits to finish their opponents, this can result on the enemy easily predicting your approaches and punishing you hard.

 

[Splice]

You can also get free hits off if you can force your opponent above you.
Like if you zone a player to jump with lazers and run under them and do a rising bair. If you can control a area and space aerials, you can patiently apply pressure and if you read their movement while doing this you can just trade aerials and hopefully kill or edgeguard off this.

Using Utilt instead of shine and Nair instead of Dair is not a bad idea and can work well to increase the amount of followups you have available at higher percents.
Uthrow into Bair works on a lot players especially if it is unexpected.

 

[Jackson]

People have been mentioned Shine to Bair as a good finisher but I'm confused. I've seen Westballz shine someone in midair and then INSTANTLY Bair them even when the have really high percent. How can you actually land a Bair? Wouldn't the shine launch them too far too quickly? Keep in mind I'm talking about the really quick shine Bair.

 

[Russ The Love Muss]

People have been mentioned Shine to Bair as a good finisher but I'm confused. I've seen Westballz shine someone in midair and then INSTANTLY Bair them even when the have really high percent. How can you actually land a Bair? Wouldn't the shine launch them too far too quickly? Keep in mind I'm talking about the really quick shine Bair.

You just have to be really quick. Westballz is the man.

 

[Jackson]

You just have to be really quick. Westballz is the man.

Yeah he has mad tech skill. So to perform that, I just need to INSTANTLY cancel my shine into a Bair?

I'm gonna have to make my fingers faster.

 

[Russ The Love Muss]

Yeah he has mad tech skill. So to perform that, I just need to INSTANTLY cancel my shine into a Bair?

I'm gonna have to make my fingers faster.

Although I do believe a lot of time (If not all?) the Falco is shining them from above, so they are already in the air above them which makes it easier..

 

[Jackson]

Although I do believe a lot of time (If not all?) the Falco is shining them from above, so they have already in the air above them which makes it easier..

Ah, that makes a lot more sense then.

 

[Russ The Love Muss]

Ah, that makes a lot more sense then.

I think you also have to go through the jump-squat animation if you do a grounded shine, so the jump comes out even sooner if you do it from an aerial shine.

 

[roboticphish]

I actually talked to west about that; he mentioned that if you shine the very top-most part of their hurtbox, it gives you just enough time to get the bair out, that's how he's able to consistently do it up to like 200+%