How to approach spacies

[tsm2k420XX]

I think falcon is insanely fun, but I do not know how to win neutral. Dash dances and nairs with the occasional fair mixed in beats marth when I do it, but I can't find a way to get in on spacies. Any suggestions?

 

[タオー]

You have to be conscious of spacing at all times, but since these MU's a very different concerning the neutral, I'll start with Fox:

You want to position yourself just outside of his nair range, and usually approach with a cross up aerial (nair is a good one, dair as well at low %). Work on spacing your grabs outside of Fox's shine range, and work on tech chase punishes. I don't care if people think tech chasing is lame, it's a great way to learn how to punish your opponent, since you can often setup situations to give you an advantage in position and momentum. It also teaches you a lot about your opponent so you can go for sick reads later in the match.

For Falco... so I'm assuming you're having trouble getting past lasers. Basics are: nair over low laser, raptor boost under high lasers (can be intangible to projectiles if you time it right), Power Shield laser to run up grab. Otherwise, try to approach Falco from his forehead, as he has trouble covering that unless he can pivot utilt. Usually if you can win the neutral though, trades will be able to net you the win, since Falco dies so early and Falcon lives so long.

 

[tsm2k420XX]

You have to be conscious of spacing at all times, but since these MU's a very different concerning the neutral, I'll start with Fox:

You want to position yourself just outside of his nair range, and usually approach with a cross up aerial (nair is a good one, dair as well at low %). Work on spacing your grabs outside of Fox's shine range, and work on tech chase punishes. I don't care if people think tech chasing is lame, it's a great way to learn how to punish your opponent, since you can often setup situations to give you an advantage in position and momentum. It also teaches you a lot about your opponent so you can go for sick reads later in the match.

For Falco... so I'm assuming you're having trouble getting past lasers. Basics are: nair over low laser, raptor boost under high lasers (can be intangible to projectiles if you time it right), Power Shield laser to run up grab. Otherwise, try to approach Falco from his forehead, as he has trouble covering that unless he can pivot utilt. Usually if you can win the neutral though, trades will be able to net you the win, since Falco dies so early and Falcon lives so long.

Lasers used to be a huge issue with falco, but when I dash dance a fox just lasers me and I can't punish in time, is there any reliable way around that?

 

[タオー]

Lasers used to be a huge issue with falco, but when I dash dance a fox just lasers me and I can't punish in time, is there any reliable way around that?

If you're dash dancing properly you should be able to punish a fox laser spamming by threatening space. I agree that Foxes lasers are very annoying in this day and age where we can counter Falco's with PS, but effectively Fox is in lag when laser spamming and you aren't, even if you get hit. Don't shield the lasers, and especially don't try to PS them. You want to position your self at a distance where you can react to the lasers and punish the Fox with nair, or a run up grab. Now that doesn't mean you always want to go in with one of those moves, as your opponent will also know those are your approach options and if they are lasering they're probably trying to get you to throw out an option. Be wary of how lasers negate staling on a lot of Foxes moves, and make sure you're punishes are up to snuff (Falcon can 0 to death Fox at any time, he just needs to find the opening). Fox is a character that forces Falcon to "play Melee" pretty early on. You can't expect to just beat Foxes options, you need to learn to recognize situations and counter Foxes approaches. Just remember that once you show you can take Foxes stock at any percent, the match up gets easier since they have to play cautious as well.

 

[Astherath]

As タオー said, DD for Fox and space Nair + Raptor Boost + Powershield for Falco.
http://smashboards.com/members/タオー.224663/
It's obviously much more complicated than that, but you want to have an easy guideline for this type of MU:

• Don't go for edgeguards unless you're sure you can cover their options easily
• Techchase, techchase, techchase! Every missed regrab/aerial is a stock that could've ended right there
• While lasers are incredibly annoying, they're not the end of the world, what follows them is; surprise followups after getting hit by a laser (dash grab/knee, raptor boost, instant uair, etc.) are incredibly strong and more importantly put fear into the hearts of your enemy
• Don't be afraid to camp/get camped!! Staying on top of a platform is not a bad or lame option to avoid pressure/lasers. Don't forget that if your opponent is forced to approach, you wil have the upper hand and advantage 9/10 of the times.