Sans Glutin
Smash Ace
How Not to Suck Completely - A Yoshi Guide by Glutin
Table of Contents:
1. Who is Yoshi? (Duh)
2. The Moveset
3. Advanced Techniques
4. General Strategies
5. Match-Ups (Lol...)
6. Fin
1. Who is Yoshi?
Most people probably already know the answer to this question, but I'll answer it regardless. Yoshi is a fictional, happy-go-lucky, egg-pooping dinosaur who appears in the Mario games by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the SNES, and he has accompanied Mario on most of his adventures, as well as being playable in countless Nintendo sports games and his own puzzle/platformer games.
Throughout the three Smash games, Yoshi hasn't really ever been exceptional, and he might have actually made his worst installment yet in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. He isn't very fast on the ground, and hes not very strong (in fact, he often has trouble KOing). However, he can combo pretty well and has some neat tricks up his non-existent sleeves.
In this guide I will try to teach you how not to suck completely with Yoshi. Heck, you might even win some. Woo.
2. The Moveset
All damage percents are fresh.
Tilts and Whatnot
Standard A (Jab) - Double Kick
9% (Both hits)
Yoshi plunges his boots into his opponent, kicking forward twice with not all that much range. However, this move is pretty good. It is fast coming out and it doesn't have that much ending lag. It is a good way to get opponent's off of you, and it also has combo potential. You'll find yourself using this move a lot.
Dash Attack - Running Headbutt
9% when it first comes out, 7% otherwise
Yoshi runs at his opponent head-first. This isn't that great of a move, it is kind of laggy but has good range and stays out for a little while. Use it occasionally.
Forward Tilt - Tail Swing
9%
Yoshi swings his tail horizontally at his opponent. Fast, excellent range, and minor knockback so has combo potential. You can often do two of these one after the other at low percentages.
Down Tilt - Tail Swipe
10%
Yoshi gets low to the ground and swings his tail horizontally at the opponent's feet. This is a decent move. It has nice range and can be used to shieldstab your opponent. It can also be used to gimp characters that are having a hard time recovering off the edge. Good to avoid being shieldgrabbed.
Up Tilt - Upwards Tail Hit Thing
11%
Yoshi swings his tail upwards in front of him (it stays pretty close to him though). A move primarily used to set up combos and vertical KOs. Doesn't have that great of range but it is pretty fast and is decent for juggling.
Smash Attacks
Forward Smash - Headbutt
16% (uncharged)
Yoshi rears back and nails his opponent Zidane style. This move has nice range and it is one of Yoshi's few KO moves, so try to keep it fresh if possible. This can also be used as a kind of dodge-and-attack move, since he rears back a considerable distance.
Down Smash - Tail Sweep
14% (uncharged)
Yoshi sweeps his tail in both directions on the ground. Like a lot of Yoshi's moves, it has great range. However, it doesn't really have the KOing power you would like from a smash. Oh wells, you'll still use it often.
Up Smash - Vertical Headbutt
16% (uncharged)
Yoshi rears back and swings his head above him (I think there's a hitbox on both sides of him as well). Probably his best KO move. Try to keep it fresh so when you get them in the high %'s you can finish the job. Good range.
Aerials
Neutral Aerial - Sex Kick
12% if it hits right as it comes out, 6% otherwise
A basic Sex Kick, one of Yoshi's better moves. Comes out pretty fast and stays out for a while, the only thing is that it is easy to shieldgrab (see General strategies for more info on preventing this).
Forward Aerial - Flip Headbutt
Like 15-16%
Yoshi sort of does a strange spin in the air and tries to hit his opponent with his oversized head. Not that great of an aerial due to lag and it being hard to hit with. It kind of makes him move weirdly during the start-up of this move. This is a powerful spike if you sweetspot it (though it isn't very easy to do).
Down Aerial - Flutter Kick
A buttload (31-32%)
The infamous flutter kick. Yoshi moves his feet back and forward, kicking you like a billion times very quickly. This move is great for racking up damage, but it should still be used sparingly. It is best used out of a short-hop on big characters, but it won't be near as effective as racking up the damage on small characters and they will be able to punish you if they can get out of it (it has bad ending lag). This is a spike, and it can gimp character's recoveries pretty well.
Up Aerial - Vertical Tail Slam
13%
Yoshi swings his tail vertically above him. This is a much needed move for Yoshi. At low percentages it is a good combo move, and it kills well at high percentages. It is probably one of his most effective KO moves.
Back Aerial - Tail Barrage (Lol my names blow everything has to do with a tail or head)
14% if all hits connect
Probably Yoshi's best aerial. He swings his tail behind up and down four times. It is fast, can be autocancelled (see below) is great for comboing and shield pressure, has good range, all around great move.
