Wenbobular
Smash Hero
- Joined
- May 26, 2006
- Messages
- 5,744
Everything in this guide on Fox is indeed up for debate. Suggestions, comments, critiques are all welcome and encouraged, don't be too harsh if you want to be a critic though. Tips for formatting and whatever spelling/grammar mistakes are also appreciated.
So far I'm doing up to and including the moveset analysis, matchups and Fox specifics will be up soon hopefully.
I. Fox, the character
II. Moveset analysis
III. Matchups
IV. Fox specific combos, techniques, and tactics
I. Fox, the character
Summary
Fox is a versatile character that can be played aggro style, turtle style, edgeguarding/gimp style, or a combination of any of those. Good Foxes can utilize aspects of each of these styles and make Fox a difficult character to face (then again, this is SSB64...almost all the characters are viable
)
Strengths and weaknesses at a glance
+ Good projectile
+ Good combo ability
+ Long duration aerials
+ Fast running speed
+/- Fastfaller*
- Long charge time on recovery
*Both + and - because being a fastfaller allows for faster aerial play but also gets caught in juggles easier
Fox playstyles
Most good Foxes will blend these styles throughout games
Aggro Fox - Uses aerials, lasers, and reflector to aggressively approach, pursue, pressure, techchase, and combo their opponent.
Turtle Fox - "****ING PEW PEW" -random noob
Keeps opponent away with lasers and aerials, applying pressure when almost certain they can get the hit in uncontested (i.e., closeup laser/aerial).
Edgeguard/Gimpyfox - Often starting with a throw off the stage, the edgeguarding Fox relies on edgeguarding and shinespikes for kills.
Once again - these styles are meant to be mixed all over the place. One minute you might be facing aggro combo Fox, but get thrown off the stage and you'll be facing Gimpyfox in a flash. Be on your toes, Fox can be a very dynamic character.
II. Moveset analysis
Italicized moves denoted moves that are very important in Fox's repertoire.
B moves
Neutral B - Pew pew, the laser. Fires a pink laser for 6% damage fresh, decays to 5%. The stun is significant enough to combo into things if hit when close enough. Cannot be blocked by physical attacks (except Ness's reflecting bat).
Important notes about the laser - if you land when firing a laser, the lag is canceled. This has led to the Short Hop Laser, or SHL, and the Short Hop Double Laser, or SHDL. When used in tandem, the result is a barrage of lasers that can make it very difficult for the opponent to approach. Usually a mix of SHDL and SHL is used, as the first shot of the SHDL is too high to high to hit many characters (though it can catch jumping enemies). An opponent hit by a close-up SHL or SHDL can usually be grabbed and thrown or UpSmashed while stunned.
Down B - Reflector. Reflects projectiles. Also hits opponents when close enough for 5 damage. Knockback is significant even at 0%, so it is often used for gimps offstage. Also called the shine.
Up B - Fire fox. Fox's recovery move. Slow charge-up time, leaves Fox vulnerable. Most glaring of Fox's weaknesses.
Ground Attacks - Miscellaneous
Neutral A - Fox's neutral A comes in three parts.
Part I - the Jab. Pops the enemy into the air, very good setup for throws and UpSmashes. Very little lag and quick startup time, thus it is often used in between aerials to thwart shieldgrabs and is a very good interrupt move in general. Because of its fast startup and retraction time, the jab can be used to pressure shielding characters into a roll, which can often lead to a free grab if you chase in the right direction. Can also be combined with pivoting to apply further pressure against a shielding opponent.
Part II - Jab follow-up punch. Fox's jab comes out as a one-two punch, starting with a left and leading into a right. Similar use as the jab, Part I. If come slightly delayed after Part I or immediately. A fast Part II is often used when the opponent's character needs to be popped up more to allow time for an UpSmash or grab.
Ground Attacks - Smashes
UpSmash - Fox's main combo finisher, Fox does a pinwheel on the ground, kicking the opponent near 90 degrees vertical (if anyone has a better word that pinwheel...haha). Very good knockback, comes out near instantaneously. Since UpSmash can be pulled out when running, a random UpSmash against an opponent with high percent can be an effective finisher, but be aware of the very slow wind-down time. Also has weak hitboxes after the initial kick. Hitbox follows Fox's feet as he goes through the loop.
Another good way to whip out an UpSmash is when shielding. UpSmash out of shield can hit whiffed dash attacks, whiffed Z-cancels, and can just be used as a surprise tactic on people not expecting it.
Teleporting UpSmash - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdggE9_qbiI
Credits goes to House for the video...no idea who discovered it though.
DownSmash - Fox does the splits and kicks opponents on both sides. UpSmash has more forward range which is why UpSmash is the preferred combo finisher, but DownSmash is vital as an edgeguarding move. Since this move sends opponents in an almost horizontal trajectory, this move is very effective near the edge. Since it hits both directions, players often face away from the ledge when DownSmashing so they can easily shorthop into edgehog/further edgeguarding.
ForwardSmash - Fox does a sort of knee-height dropkick. Can be pseudocomboed into, but true comboing into ForwardSmash is a bit difficult. Main use is as an edgeguarding tool because of its decent knockback, hitbox duration, and priority. It can go toe to toe with most aerials and exchange hits, usually leading to the recoverer's doom.
An interesting and quite useful tactic with ForwardSmash: you can ForwardSmash in the opposite direction during your initial dash, which I like to call the pivotsmash. Pivotsmashing is useful against ledgehop-happy opponents, as it often catches them in the middle of an aerial. Having already used their second jump, this often leads to a stock.
Aerial Attacks
Nair - It's hard to order Fox's aerials in terms of usefulness, but the one I feel is least useful is the Neutral Air, because the knockback and the duration make it the most difficult to use during combos. That said, the weak hit on this aerial can lead to an UpSmash in the right circumstances (usually with platform assistance). Nair also has the most horizontal knockback of all of Fox's aerials, and it is usually used offstage after an Fair chain. At certain percents, shorthopped Nairs chain into Fox's aerials, but Fair/Bair are better comboing moves in most situations.
Fair - Fox's Forward Air is another of his staple moves. Doing a barrel roll in midair, this move has very good range in front of Fox and is used for both spacing as well as combos. Fair chains with itself and combos into both Dair and UpSmash at certain percents. A lot of Fox spacing involves shorthop Fairs and Bairs to keep the opponent away.
Bair - Like his Fair, Fox's Backward Air is a staple for spacing and comboing. During this move, Fox does a split that hits both his front and his back (bigger/stronger hitbox in back). Much of what was said about Fair applies to Bair. What separates the two is Bair's amazing duration, making it an excellent edgeguarding tool. Fox can jump off the stage backwards and tap the opponent while jumping back to reclaim the ledge. Because Bair doesn't turn him around, Fox can easily grab the ledge again after a ledgehopped Bair.
Uair - Fox's Up Air is his main juggling move against heavy and fastfalling opponents. Fox does a flipkick in midair that consists of two parts: a small setup followed by the main kick. If Fox only hits the opponent with the setup, the hitstun is quite significant, making grounded Uairs potent combo setups. The main kick of the Uair makes for a very good juggling tool, making Fox look almost like Captain Falcon with repeated Uairs (unfortunately Fox has no ridiculous Up-b finisher). The knockback on Uair is also good enough to kill at decent percents against floaties.
Dair - Fox's Down Air is a drill that hits 7 times at its fullest (I think). With DownTilt and UpTilt, Dair stacks up the damages quite nicely. Just watch out for people with good DI. Dair also functions as a decent edgeguard, as it pushes characters quite a ways downwards and has a good hitbox.
III. Matchups
Coming soon...
IV. Fox specific combos, techniques, and tactics
Basic combos
Uptilt --> Drill --> Uptilt --> Drill, etc.
The most basic combo. Works on all characters at some %, but is easily DI'd out of when facing higher level opponents (or people on keyboards
)
At lower %, use Dtilt to start the drilling process, as Uptilt has too little knockback.
How to end this combo: Simplest way is to either Upsmash at the end of the drill, or jab a few times and then Upsmash.
If they're in the air, Upair them.
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
Uptilt --> Uptilt --> Uptilt, etc.
Even more basic than the Uptilt Drill combo, but it's more character specific. Most of the time it requires you to do walking Uptilts to compensate for DI and the natural way it sends an opponent.
How to end this combo: If you're by the ledge, Fsmash them off and edgeguard. Even Dsmash works sometimes due to weird hitboxes.
You can also extend this combo with more uptilts and drills, or lead into Uair/Fair/Bair chains.
Characters this applies to: Heavier characters are more easily caught in this at medium %, but works well on floaties at lower %.
I've always found Mario to be hardest to combo using just UpTilt, he seems to get out of it in just one or two. You can keep characters like Falcon in this for a good 5+ Uptilts before doing something else.
Fair/Bair Chains
Just what it sounds like, you short hop Fair/Bair a bunch. Terrain needs to be taken into account (sometimes having odd terrain helps this combo a lot - platforms and slopes on Saffron can occasionally let you combo across the map).
This combo needs experience to pull off - you usually have to use both the weaker hitboxes and the stronger hitboxes depending on the % and character.
Also, chaining Bairs is harder because you can't really run while using Bair - moving forwards while Bairing can usually combo, but is very hard to pull off. However, it does work sometimes on the floatier characters like Jiggs.
How to end this combo: On even ground, the best way to end this combo is with a running Upsmash. If you want to continue the combo or rack up some more damage, you can sometimes hit a drill at the end (harder if you're just using Bairs).
If they're off the stage after you've finished your last Fair, jump and Nair them to send them farthest from the edge.
Characters this applies to: Easiest on the floaties - Mario, Luigi, Jiggs, Kirby, Samus, and Ness are all pretty easy to chain Fairs on.
For the rest of the cast, you usually have to start Fairs on a descending series of platforms, because they usually touch the ground before you can get another Fair off on flat ground.
Uair Chains
Pretend you're Falcon.
How to end this combo: Either Uair them til you can't anymore, or be creative with this one. Ending this combo with a death takes experience, and usually involves platforms, as Uair juggles without a platform tend to just end in lots of % racked up.
Characters this applies to: Everyone at some % or another.
Jab --> UpSmash
THE Fox finisher. Learn it, love it.
How to end this combo: n/a
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
On floaties, this pops them into the air for the setup.
On heavier chars, you usually hit them with the Upsmash before they're at high enough % to actually fall over.
Aerial --> grab/Dtilt
At a % where your opponent won't fall over, aerial leads into easy grabs for edgeguard gimps and Dtilts for comboing. Mix it up between shorthopped aerials and full jump fastfalled aerials to keep your opponent guessing.
Aerial to grab / Dtilt is your staple for combo setups at low % edgeguards and combos.
How to end this combo: Edgeguarding (if you threw them off the stage) or more combos (if you Dtilted).
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
Fox in the Box
Winston brought this up. Since so many people love Hyrule...
This is a mini-segment on how to box with Fox. On Hyrule.
The basics of Fox boxing revolves around:
Throw
Jab
Drill
Fair/Bair
The most boring box combo for Fox goes like this.
Throw --> Jab --> Regrab - repeat
This combo works on almost the entire cast, with the superfloaties being the exception (Pikachu can also UpB out if it a LOT). You have to mix it up between Fthrow and back throw, but apart from that it should be pretty simple. Sometimes you might want to drill to get them with the throw.
How to end this combo: Throw --> UpSmash
Characters this applies to: Almost everyone, excluding some floaties. If you throw in drills you might be able to get floaties with it too.
Rising Nair --> Land on ledge to left of pit --> UpSmash
This one works best on heavy chars...but since I'm not the best in the pit, I'm not terribly sure about this one. Anyways, if you Nair at highish % and hit them into the green box, they'll bounce right into you on top of the ledge, leading to an easy UpSmash.
How to end this combo: If you're UpSmash doesn't do it, I'm not entirely sure how you managed to get them with this Nair --> UpSmash in the first place.
Characters this applies to: Lots of the heavies/fastfallers, and I'm not sure about anyone else. I hate sucking at box combos
That's it for now... edgeguarding techniques up next I think...
So far I'm doing up to and including the moveset analysis, matchups and Fox specifics will be up soon hopefully.
I. Fox, the character
II. Moveset analysis
III. Matchups
IV. Fox specific combos, techniques, and tactics
I. Fox, the character
Summary
Fox is a versatile character that can be played aggro style, turtle style, edgeguarding/gimp style, or a combination of any of those. Good Foxes can utilize aspects of each of these styles and make Fox a difficult character to face (then again, this is SSB64...almost all the characters are viable
)Strengths and weaknesses at a glance
+ Good projectile
+ Good combo ability
+ Long duration aerials
+ Fast running speed
+/- Fastfaller*
- Long charge time on recovery
*Both + and - because being a fastfaller allows for faster aerial play but also gets caught in juggles easier
Fox playstyles
Most good Foxes will blend these styles throughout games
Aggro Fox - Uses aerials, lasers, and reflector to aggressively approach, pursue, pressure, techchase, and combo their opponent.
Turtle Fox - "****ING PEW PEW" -random noob
Keeps opponent away with lasers and aerials, applying pressure when almost certain they can get the hit in uncontested (i.e., closeup laser/aerial).
Edgeguard/Gimpyfox - Often starting with a throw off the stage, the edgeguarding Fox relies on edgeguarding and shinespikes for kills.
Once again - these styles are meant to be mixed all over the place. One minute you might be facing aggro combo Fox, but get thrown off the stage and you'll be facing Gimpyfox in a flash. Be on your toes, Fox can be a very dynamic character.
II. Moveset analysis
Italicized moves denoted moves that are very important in Fox's repertoire.
B moves
Neutral B - Pew pew, the laser. Fires a pink laser for 6% damage fresh, decays to 5%. The stun is significant enough to combo into things if hit when close enough. Cannot be blocked by physical attacks (except Ness's reflecting bat).
Important notes about the laser - if you land when firing a laser, the lag is canceled. This has led to the Short Hop Laser, or SHL, and the Short Hop Double Laser, or SHDL. When used in tandem, the result is a barrage of lasers that can make it very difficult for the opponent to approach. Usually a mix of SHDL and SHL is used, as the first shot of the SHDL is too high to high to hit many characters (though it can catch jumping enemies). An opponent hit by a close-up SHL or SHDL can usually be grabbed and thrown or UpSmashed while stunned.
Down B - Reflector. Reflects projectiles. Also hits opponents when close enough for 5 damage. Knockback is significant even at 0%, so it is often used for gimps offstage. Also called the shine.
Up B - Fire fox. Fox's recovery move. Slow charge-up time, leaves Fox vulnerable. Most glaring of Fox's weaknesses.
Ground Attacks - Miscellaneous
Neutral A - Fox's neutral A comes in three parts.
Part I - the Jab. Pops the enemy into the air, very good setup for throws and UpSmashes. Very little lag and quick startup time, thus it is often used in between aerials to thwart shieldgrabs and is a very good interrupt move in general. Because of its fast startup and retraction time, the jab can be used to pressure shielding characters into a roll, which can often lead to a free grab if you chase in the right direction. Can also be combined with pivoting to apply further pressure against a shielding opponent.
Part II - Jab follow-up punch. Fox's jab comes out as a one-two punch, starting with a left and leading into a right. Similar use as the jab, Part I. If come slightly delayed after Part I or immediately. A fast Part II is often used when the opponent's character needs to be popped up more to allow time for an UpSmash or grab.
Ground Attacks - Smashes
UpSmash - Fox's main combo finisher, Fox does a pinwheel on the ground, kicking the opponent near 90 degrees vertical (if anyone has a better word that pinwheel...haha). Very good knockback, comes out near instantaneously. Since UpSmash can be pulled out when running, a random UpSmash against an opponent with high percent can be an effective finisher, but be aware of the very slow wind-down time. Also has weak hitboxes after the initial kick. Hitbox follows Fox's feet as he goes through the loop.
Another good way to whip out an UpSmash is when shielding. UpSmash out of shield can hit whiffed dash attacks, whiffed Z-cancels, and can just be used as a surprise tactic on people not expecting it.
Teleporting UpSmash - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdggE9_qbiI
Credits goes to House for the video...no idea who discovered it though.
DownSmash - Fox does the splits and kicks opponents on both sides. UpSmash has more forward range which is why UpSmash is the preferred combo finisher, but DownSmash is vital as an edgeguarding move. Since this move sends opponents in an almost horizontal trajectory, this move is very effective near the edge. Since it hits both directions, players often face away from the ledge when DownSmashing so they can easily shorthop into edgehog/further edgeguarding.
ForwardSmash - Fox does a sort of knee-height dropkick. Can be pseudocomboed into, but true comboing into ForwardSmash is a bit difficult. Main use is as an edgeguarding tool because of its decent knockback, hitbox duration, and priority. It can go toe to toe with most aerials and exchange hits, usually leading to the recoverer's doom.
An interesting and quite useful tactic with ForwardSmash: you can ForwardSmash in the opposite direction during your initial dash, which I like to call the pivotsmash. Pivotsmashing is useful against ledgehop-happy opponents, as it often catches them in the middle of an aerial. Having already used their second jump, this often leads to a stock.
Aerial Attacks
Nair - It's hard to order Fox's aerials in terms of usefulness, but the one I feel is least useful is the Neutral Air, because the knockback and the duration make it the most difficult to use during combos. That said, the weak hit on this aerial can lead to an UpSmash in the right circumstances (usually with platform assistance). Nair also has the most horizontal knockback of all of Fox's aerials, and it is usually used offstage after an Fair chain. At certain percents, shorthopped Nairs chain into Fox's aerials, but Fair/Bair are better comboing moves in most situations.
Fair - Fox's Forward Air is another of his staple moves. Doing a barrel roll in midair, this move has very good range in front of Fox and is used for both spacing as well as combos. Fair chains with itself and combos into both Dair and UpSmash at certain percents. A lot of Fox spacing involves shorthop Fairs and Bairs to keep the opponent away.
Bair - Like his Fair, Fox's Backward Air is a staple for spacing and comboing. During this move, Fox does a split that hits both his front and his back (bigger/stronger hitbox in back). Much of what was said about Fair applies to Bair. What separates the two is Bair's amazing duration, making it an excellent edgeguarding tool. Fox can jump off the stage backwards and tap the opponent while jumping back to reclaim the ledge. Because Bair doesn't turn him around, Fox can easily grab the ledge again after a ledgehopped Bair.
Uair - Fox's Up Air is his main juggling move against heavy and fastfalling opponents. Fox does a flipkick in midair that consists of two parts: a small setup followed by the main kick. If Fox only hits the opponent with the setup, the hitstun is quite significant, making grounded Uairs potent combo setups. The main kick of the Uair makes for a very good juggling tool, making Fox look almost like Captain Falcon with repeated Uairs (unfortunately Fox has no ridiculous Up-b finisher). The knockback on Uair is also good enough to kill at decent percents against floaties.
Dair - Fox's Down Air is a drill that hits 7 times at its fullest (I think). With DownTilt and UpTilt, Dair stacks up the damages quite nicely. Just watch out for people with good DI. Dair also functions as a decent edgeguard, as it pushes characters quite a ways downwards and has a good hitbox.
III. Matchups
Coming soon...
IV. Fox specific combos, techniques, and tactics
Basic combos
Uptilt --> Drill --> Uptilt --> Drill, etc.
The most basic combo. Works on all characters at some %, but is easily DI'd out of when facing higher level opponents (or people on keyboards
)At lower %, use Dtilt to start the drilling process, as Uptilt has too little knockback.
How to end this combo: Simplest way is to either Upsmash at the end of the drill, or jab a few times and then Upsmash.
If they're in the air, Upair them.
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
Uptilt --> Uptilt --> Uptilt, etc.
Even more basic than the Uptilt Drill combo, but it's more character specific. Most of the time it requires you to do walking Uptilts to compensate for DI and the natural way it sends an opponent.
How to end this combo: If you're by the ledge, Fsmash them off and edgeguard. Even Dsmash works sometimes due to weird hitboxes.
You can also extend this combo with more uptilts and drills, or lead into Uair/Fair/Bair chains.
Characters this applies to: Heavier characters are more easily caught in this at medium %, but works well on floaties at lower %.
I've always found Mario to be hardest to combo using just UpTilt, he seems to get out of it in just one or two. You can keep characters like Falcon in this for a good 5+ Uptilts before doing something else.
Fair/Bair Chains
Just what it sounds like, you short hop Fair/Bair a bunch. Terrain needs to be taken into account (sometimes having odd terrain helps this combo a lot - platforms and slopes on Saffron can occasionally let you combo across the map).
This combo needs experience to pull off - you usually have to use both the weaker hitboxes and the stronger hitboxes depending on the % and character.
Also, chaining Bairs is harder because you can't really run while using Bair - moving forwards while Bairing can usually combo, but is very hard to pull off. However, it does work sometimes on the floatier characters like Jiggs.
How to end this combo: On even ground, the best way to end this combo is with a running Upsmash. If you want to continue the combo or rack up some more damage, you can sometimes hit a drill at the end (harder if you're just using Bairs).
If they're off the stage after you've finished your last Fair, jump and Nair them to send them farthest from the edge.
Characters this applies to: Easiest on the floaties - Mario, Luigi, Jiggs, Kirby, Samus, and Ness are all pretty easy to chain Fairs on.
For the rest of the cast, you usually have to start Fairs on a descending series of platforms, because they usually touch the ground before you can get another Fair off on flat ground.
Uair Chains
Pretend you're Falcon.
How to end this combo: Either Uair them til you can't anymore, or be creative with this one. Ending this combo with a death takes experience, and usually involves platforms, as Uair juggles without a platform tend to just end in lots of % racked up.
Characters this applies to: Everyone at some % or another.
Jab --> UpSmash
THE Fox finisher. Learn it, love it.
How to end this combo: n/a
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
On floaties, this pops them into the air for the setup.
On heavier chars, you usually hit them with the Upsmash before they're at high enough % to actually fall over.
Aerial --> grab/Dtilt
At a % where your opponent won't fall over, aerial leads into easy grabs for edgeguard gimps and Dtilts for comboing. Mix it up between shorthopped aerials and full jump fastfalled aerials to keep your opponent guessing.
Aerial to grab / Dtilt is your staple for combo setups at low % edgeguards and combos.
How to end this combo: Edgeguarding (if you threw them off the stage) or more combos (if you Dtilted).
Characters this applies to: Everyone.
Fox in the Box
Winston brought this up. Since so many people love Hyrule...
This is a mini-segment on how to box with Fox. On Hyrule.
The basics of Fox boxing revolves around:
Throw
Jab
Drill
Fair/Bair
The most boring box combo for Fox goes like this.
Throw --> Jab --> Regrab - repeat
This combo works on almost the entire cast, with the superfloaties being the exception (Pikachu can also UpB out if it a LOT). You have to mix it up between Fthrow and back throw, but apart from that it should be pretty simple. Sometimes you might want to drill to get them with the throw.
How to end this combo: Throw --> UpSmash
Characters this applies to: Almost everyone, excluding some floaties. If you throw in drills you might be able to get floaties with it too.
Rising Nair --> Land on ledge to left of pit --> UpSmash
This one works best on heavy chars...but since I'm not the best in the pit, I'm not terribly sure about this one. Anyways, if you Nair at highish % and hit them into the green box, they'll bounce right into you on top of the ledge, leading to an easy UpSmash.
How to end this combo: If you're UpSmash doesn't do it, I'm not entirely sure how you managed to get them with this Nair --> UpSmash in the first place.
Characters this applies to: Lots of the heavies/fastfallers, and I'm not sure about anyone else. I hate sucking at box combos
That's it for now...
edgeguarding techniques up next I think...
I'm sure that if you tried, you could find videos.
