How do you play Meta Knight? Not asking for tips, but your general style and move applications.

[Opana]

I try and work them offstage with throws and fairs/bairs, then grab the ledge. From there I have many options I like to use, most often drill rush off the ledge, out of a ledge drop, or out of a ledge hop either to gimp with the dragging effect or kill near the blast line. This is possible by holding up and free falling back to the stage. I also use pretty much any aerials out of a ledge drop/let go, sometimes I'll drop and drill rush back for a stage spike too. One of my favorite uses of the ledge is catching them in a shuttle loop, then ledge hopping into another shuttle loop. Once in awhile I try and punish an attack at the ledge with a cape slash.

I have taken the tip from this board and use the cape to punish counter often, not necessarily for kills but damage racking at mid percents. I prefer to punish whenever possible with nado though, the damage is too tempting lol.

I use fair/bairs first hit into the ground to attempt and dash grab, although depending on the percent I'll dtilt as well. I like to mix up ftilts hits to get surprise strings, like ftilt1 to dtilt or something like that. I also love grab release to dtilt as it strings into dash attack.

So I'm curious how others use his moves so I can take get some fresh ideas and other takes on him, I plau him similarly to my Ganon lol which likely isn't the best way.

 

[Katakiri]

I've said on and off record that I play MK like a Melee Fox and with a tourney record of x4 1st place, x3 2nd place, & x1 3rd place finishes with nothing lower to my name, I certainly believe that is the way to play MK correctly. I like to keep a safe distance away from my opponent on the ground, but be close enough to punish any wayward twitch they make. Combos out of Dash Attack and Dash Grab are my bread & butters.

At ledge, I either go for a N-Air gimp or I space myself on-stage and poke with D-Tilt & F-Smash. Spacing is important because of how fast both of those moves end. If I'm in the right position, I cover the ledge get-up & ledge attack options with the pokes, but I can move so quickly out of them I can Mach Tornado ledge rolls and cover the aerial option with Up-Air or N-Air. In short, I cover every possible scenario by spacing myself properly. The ledge is a VERY good place to have your opponent as MK so long as you're smart about your options and respect your opponent's options.

I also use Mach Tornado far more than other MK mains have expressed. The move is still very safe and I will usually use it to punish or juggle. Specifically I like to wait for a reaction from my opponent when I'm hovering above them using D-Air and wait for an opportunity to fast-fall into Mach Tornado right beside them. It's difficult to put that technique into words but I do it a fair bit in the matches on my YouTube channel.

Another trick I use is giving my opponent an option when I Up-Air chain/juggle them. If I can tell an Up-Air chain is going to end, I can either Shuttle Loop or let the chain end. If I let it end and purposely fall a little, almost all opponents will attempt to air dodge to escape another Up-Air or Shuttle Loop, this lets me intercept them and tack on damage with Mach Tornado; more damage than I would get for a simple Shuttle Loop. If I'm at a decent rage level, Mach Tornado has enough Knockback to KO even earlier than Shuttle Loop in the air but again that's only because rage affects Mach Tornado more than Shuttle Loop.

Another thing is altering your landings with Dimensional Cape. Having a safe, non-predictable way of transitioning from air to ground was one of the things that made Wave-Dashing so great in Melee and, while obviously not directly comparable, Dimensional Cape makes MK very difficult to juggle because he can teleport to the other side of the stage faster than most characters can even run. Cape as a movement option in general is something that should be abused; just don't over-use it or it can get predictable. Mix-ups!

Oh! And I recently started using Mach Tornado and Drill Rush as anti-projectile options. I never thought to try to challenge projectiles with them but they work really well against characters like Link. Drill Rush especially so due to it having MK further away from the hitbox of the move than Tornado because sometimes Mach Tornado just doesn't destroy the projectile before it touches MK. It's interesting if not useful.

If you want to see my MK, this is a set of For Glory games taken today. It's For Glory but it's also the most recent footage I have of my constantly-evolving playstyle. There's a couple tourney matches from a few weeks back on the same channel but I consider it out-of-date footage at this point.

I'll probably post some more in the video thread after I get back from a tourney today so, more MK gameplay!

 

[Opana]

Read every bit, good stuff.

I'd love to mitror to learn from you!

 

[DiggersBoy]

I do what Katakiri does, just with less FSmashes and more Shuttle Loops. I think throwing out Shuttle Loops often is great, because it's a great combo finisher and does quite a bit of damage. However, it does rack up stale move negation, so it's like a double-edged sword in a sense.

But, Katakiri wins tournaments, so you should probably listen to him more LOL

 

[Lavani]

I don't think I can really contribute anything that Katakiri didn't already cover, in fact I learned two things from his post:

- Mach Tornado eats shields and I should probably be less afraid of sitting on a blocking opponent's shield. Usually if I do a bad tornado I just drift away and get punished and that really isn't desirable.
- Fsmash FAF is wtfearly. 42f FAF on such a powerful attack active 24f? Approaching 1.0.0 Greninja usmash levels of safety, why have I been ignoring this?

I've been afraid to try Mach Tornado as anti-projectile, but I love Drill Rush for it. Drill Rush's huge disjoint is also really nice for outprioritizing things like Sonic's Spin Dash, it just has a ton of forward reach compared to most of Meta Knight's kit.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Yeah I'm going to have to tough it out against shields with Tornado myself.

 

[Opana]

f anything the only thing out of the norm I often do is Drill Rush edgeguarding, which I hope to continue as well as including what's posted here.

 

[Chainsaw114]

I feel like its rather obvious that MK is a sticky character. Watch the opponent, get in when the opportunity arises (jumps, sprint, or mach tornado for me), and shield/dodge at the right time when they try to retaliate. I've got alot of trouble fighting characters like Robin and Sonic though, since approaching is tough or I just get punished for my rather overuse of Dimension Cape attack. Otherwise its just damage them with throw combos, punish air dodges with mach tornado, and use UpB, Fsmash, or DC with proper reads. If I need an approachable kill move on the ground I go up to them and UpSmash. Drill rush also works when i'm knocked into the air and I see the opponent trying to follow up or use a projectile. Everything is situational of course.

 

[Gemba Board]

Hi guys. I'm not new to the boards, but this is my first actual post:
I really like MK in this game. His offensive options more than make up for his lack of damage output. I notice a few things people like to do in this game from tourneys at Super Sundays; 1) people love rolling and feel rather safe doing so.
2) people love shield grabbing... And why shouldn't they? Shield stun is relatively poor in smash 4.
MK can punish both of these habits and I love him for it. I learned from katakiri that we can spam double jump into dair then fast fall to do it again right in their face before you hit the ground. Most people will attempt a shield grab and eat the dair spam. Also, nados and drill rushes help punish roll and spot dodge habits.
I generally like to approach with a decent mixture of dash attacks, nairs, walk up dtilt, and dash grabs/pivot grabs. MKs profile while in the dash attack animation is very convenient. I do it while the opponent is landing from a jump and if they challenge me with their own attack, dash attack is likely to trade with or beat out most moves. Against grounded shielded folks dash grab is the obvious go-to, but to keep things fresh and unpredictable, I'll nair right off the ground and fast fall into dair spam behind and above the shield.
Not sure what people are doing with dcape these days, but I love using it as a mind game tool to open up defensive players. Empty dcape isn't exactly safe when coming out from the cape, but if you threaten your foe with a dcape attack, you can alternate between both options and train them to block, dodge, counter, etc. With this, its kinda like decapre's teleport from usf4. Dcape mixups keep the opponents guessing and can even lead to baited reactions.
Also, as mentioned above, I like to drill rush back to the stage for a sometimes accidental stage spoke with those who like to chase MK offstage. (Great option in a mirror match)

 

[Demon-oni]

Whats up everyone. Relatively new to this character forum since I main ROB but I've been picking MK back up as a secondary again after finding out how he can use his tools now.
I primarily like to keep rather aggressive, though I'll dance around someones range a bit if they have more than 1.5x my range. I like to keep to a them on there toes by throwing out dash attacks and d throws which can be easily comboed off of with uair follow ups, as well as the occasional dair which can lead to a fair/bair at kill percents. If they keep a shield on I like to throw out dairs, d-tilts, and tornadoes to pressure if I can't get an easy grab in on the character. My kill options usually switch between uair links to up B for good vertical kills, playing passively waiting for either a dtilt punish or them to charge a long wind-up move for D-Cape kills, or going aggressive offstage since MK still has one of the best gimp tool sets in the game, After seeing Katakiri's matches, I will say I need to start using D-Cape more as movement option, and possibly playing a bit more patiently when they are above me.

 

[busken]

Though I mainly play defensively, I always adapt to the character and opponent I am playing. If I play against an overly aggressive Little Mac, I will champion shield grabs and side smashes. If I play against a spacing heavy Ness, I want to bait and punish by going in and out of his range. Wi-fi in my opinion is a really good tool to establish a good play style that fits your respective character because you can gain so much MU knowledge, learn common habits, and adapt to a plethora of play styles. One thing I never do is roll, I perfect pivot instead and throw out a hitbox.

 

[makemesmellbad]

One thing I never do is roll, I perfect pivot instead and throw out a hitbox.

MK's roll is one of the safer rolls in the game, though, and it's very fast and not laggy, so it can make for good dances around opponents who like to rush right in towards a ledge for stage control. Rolls (especially MK's) can take players out of the neutral quickly just because of MK's great transitions.

 

[Float SSB]

Aggressively. I basically never stop rushing in either with dash attack, dash grab or run in tornado. I like to put defensive burden on my opponent.

If a player is being overly defensive I will sometimes run at them and roll back a few times in a row just to see what their reaction is or if they will throw out something laggy.

When I get grabs I do down throw until around 140% at which point I go for back throws. Seeing as I usually have center stage I have to do pivot grabs but that isn't so bad. When I down throw I just go with the highest damage option unless I am at the end. Then I go for fair followup to put myself in a gimp situation.

I use down smash a lot to punish rolls since I can do it on reaction and beat most anything that isn't a jab.

When I am recovering I am always looks for laggy moves/ charged smashes to punish with my dimension cape.

I hunt for up-b quite a bit. I like trying to for people to burn their double jump way up high and punish them for it with up-b.

My preferred way to exit a high pressure situation is rising dair. This is also how I escape if I dash attack through a shield.

I drill rush to tech chase sometimes. I cant really explain when other than when I know it will work. Its intuition.

 

[Bullys]

Its really interesting and helpful to actually see people explain how they put things into practice opposed to the more theoretical guides (which are still helpful).

I don't want to side track anything in this, but if anyone could just briefly explain what the play style difference for Smash 4 MK vs say Brawl MK and Project M MK would/might be - not the differences, but much like how you chaps have described your play style here.

 

[Wyles]

1. Halberd Low Ceiling
2. Up Air
3. Shuttle Loop
4. Kill off top
5. Boom baby

 

[Galactic Knight]

1. Halberd Low Ceiling
2. Up Air
3. Shuttle Loop
4. Kill off top
5. Boom baby

Is that the H.U.S.K B playstyle?

 

[Wyles]

Is that the H.U.S.K B playstyle?

Yeah brah. You could do the same with zss but with boost kick instead of shuttle loop. H.U.B.K.B

 

[_Hades]

I've said on and off record that I play MK like a Melee Fox and with a tourney record of x4 1st place, x3 2nd place, & x1 3rd place finishes with nothing lower to my name, I certainly believe that is the way to play MK correctly. I like to keep a safe distance away from my opponent on the ground, but be close enough to punish any wayward twitch they make. Combos out of Dash Attack and Dash Grab are my bread & butters.

At ledge, I either go for a N-Air gimp or I space myself on-stage and poke with D-Tilt & F-Smash. Spacing is important because of how fast both of those moves end. If I'm in the right position, I cover the ledge get-up & ledge attack options with the pokes, but I can move so quickly out of them I can Mach Tornado ledge rolls and cover the aerial option with Up-Air or N-Air. In short, I cover every possible scenario by spacing myself properly. The ledge is a VERY good place to have your opponent as MK so long as you're smart about your options and respect your opponent's options.

I also use Mach Tornado far more than other MK mains have expressed. The move is still very safe and I will usually use it to punish or juggle. Specifically I like to wait for a reaction from my opponent when I'm hovering above them using D-Air and wait for an opportunity to fast-fall into Mach Tornado right beside them. It's difficult to put that technique into words but I do it a fair bit in the matches on my YouTube channel.

Another trick I use is giving my opponent an option when I Up-Air chain/juggle them. If I can tell an Up-Air chain is going to end, I can either Shuttle Loop or let the chain end. If I let it end and purposely fall a little, almost all opponents will attempt to air dodge to escape another Up-Air or Shuttle Loop, this lets me intercept them and tack on damage with Mach Tornado; more damage than I would get for a simple Shuttle Loop. If I'm at a decent rage level, Mach Tornado has enough Knockback to KO even earlier than Shuttle Loop in the air but again that's only because rage affects Mach Tornado more than Shuttle Loop.

Another thing is altering your landings with Dimensional Cape. Having a safe, non-predictable way of transitioning from air to ground was one of the things that made Wave-Dashing so great in Melee and, while obviously not directly comparable, Dimensional Cape makes MK very difficult to juggle because he can teleport to the other side of the stage faster than most characters can even run. Cape as a movement option in general is something that should be abused; just don't over-use it or it can get predictable. Mix-ups!

Oh! And I recently started using Mach Tornado and Drill Rush as anti-projectile options. I never thought to try to challenge projectiles with them but they work really well against characters like Link. Drill Rush especially so due to it having MK further away from the hitbox of the move than Tornado because sometimes Mach Tornado just doesn't destroy the projectile before it touches MK. It's interesting if not useful.

If you want to see my MK, this is a set of For Glory games taken today. It's For Glory but it's also the most recent footage I have of my constantly-evolving playstyle. There's a couple tourney matches from a few weeks back on the same channel but I consider it out-of-date footage at this point.

I'll probably post some more in the video thread after I get back from a tourney today so, more MK gameplay!

Great post. I recently picked up meta knight and i feel hes really under rated. Ill use this to improve mine thanks !

 

[Gui JP]

-snip-

Jesus that was a ride. I recently had a few matches against a pretty good Rosalina/Sheik/Diddy player, and struggled to get one stock off of each (Read: They actually used the Luma and mixed it up.)

Awesome stuff yo