Koopa Questions: a Bowser Q&A Thread

[Zigsta]

So you're asking for an aerial or special move executed in the air?

 

[Cassius.]

I don't know about the fastest move, but I can tell you what the best moves are for that situation..

 

[Dre89]

Zig- I'm just talking about any attack. The reason why is that I'm looking at applications for bowser bomb (without jumping first I mean).

That takes 32 frames (because you don't need to jump) and I was wondering if you could use it to punish someone for spotdodging klaw. Probably not but it'd still do a lot of shield damage.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

Good Bowser players move really well with Bowser. I would like to move like that. How do you do it? It's not just run or walk, but they have something. Personally, I move back and forth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOL1cbYiQkQ

How I want to move:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyb7BwVZP68&feature=player_detailpage#t=161s

 

[B!squick]

That was just, what do you call it, fox trotting? Where you just tap the control stick and dash for a moment. Pretty sure that's all that is anyway.

Also, I just finished watching that video and I kept switching from thinking, nice, to omg Acid, you're terrible.

 

[Z'zgashi]

Hey, Id like some tips on the Bowser vs. Toon Link MU. I played this Tink main who's about as good as me, prob a bit better, in that MU, and Id never done it before and got him to last stock, but I had a really hard time getting in and once I did get in, wasnt really sure what I should go for. If I could get any tips it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dre89]

You can utilt his dair.

Bowser's dair goes through all his projectiles except bombs.

But really though, I'm not a good player but you should probably just stay grounded powershielding everything and try to punish his landings.

Klaw hopping doesn't seem like a good idea because Bowser should stay grounded and it's asking to get zaired or naired. Getting zaired in the air is bad because you don't have grounded upb to protect yourself from the nair or grab follow up, or possibly even a usmash.

Good Tinks who vertical bomb camp like to cover their landing ls with zair, so that's something to keep in mind.

You probably already knew all of that but I thought I'd spit it out anyway.

 

[Zigsta]

I play very boring and grounded against Tink. He's annoying, but as long as you play calm, ignore your percent, shield often, and jab cancel the crap out of him, Tink has a lot of trouble killing.

 

[Cassius.]

I was one of the few NY players with the unfortunate luck of having to play Jash e v e r y single time we were at the same tournament.

Uh..my memory is slipping but to go off of what Dre was saying, don't even waste your time with DAir'ing anything. Unless it really comes down to that, which should be really rare because TL can punish the **** out of that lol, and you should try to avoid being in the air. I will say that now.

The point for the above is that should you either not be able to shield fast enough or if your shield is drained and you're risking a poke, you can jab nearly all of his projectiles and they'll cancel out (I forget if you can safely jab a bomb or not but that's kind of stupid anyway)

Zigsta and Dre were right, the only real solution is to just turtle it out and do what you can. TL will focus on zoning and forcing you to approach.

I really wouldn't recommend over extending yourself. What I mean is using tilts and extending hurtboxes and **** like that because TL can run up and NAir you, and ZAir is already long enough, so try not to make his job easier for him.

One of the gracious things is the pretty big weight difference between both characters. You can take a ZAir or a NAir if you need to in order to get something done, because a couple of trades will put TL closer to death than Bowser. I just really can say that you definitely do not want to be in the air, just avoid that as much as possible because he can get kills and some pretty hefty damage off of frame traps and baited airdodges. There's not too much you can do. Just do what Bowser does best and stay on the ground. Don't get overzealous.

 

[Dre89]

Yeah I was joking about dair and utilt being important in the MU. I think dair is underrated but it's only good against grounded opponents and Tink will always be in the air.

When Bowser is at KO percent, many Tinks will fish for usmash, meaning they'll have to challenge Bowser on the ground somewhat, where Bowser can beat him.

Smart Tinks however will ignore your percent and just keep camping you and eventually KO wither either nair or a gimp. Just try to avoid nair onstage, when you're at KO percents nothing else that Tink does to you really matters except gimps and maybe frametrapping with bombs into uair.

 

[Cassius.]

SmartER TLs wont even need to fish for the upsmash. They just have to get you in the air or offstage once and bait out Bowsers awful airdodge and boom, you're dead.

Be careful if you try to challenge TL with klaw when youre above him also, i hate using it against short or weird shaped characters because you have to be precise about when you time it. Too early and they wont get grabbed...

 

[Dre89]

Well yeah that's what I said, that smart Tinks won't look for it.

Even bomb cancelling is usually very unsafe in this MU due to uair's longlasting hitbox and the fact that they're lyto be underneath you attempting to frametrap you with bombs.

 

[MrEh]

This is a matchup where you mash A as fast as possible and try to challenge everything that he does on the ground.

When he's in the air, you just shield a lot and look for an opening.

 

[Vex Kasrani]

I don't know about that Chad, anyway, matchup is pretty annoying, but winnable.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

I would airdodge everything because the shield doesn't come on fast enough for me. 8[

 

[Dre89]

Airdodging projectiles has uses but in general it's much more punishable than powershielding.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

But I do it on reaction.

 

[MrEh]

I don't know about that Chad, anyway, matchup is pretty annoying, but winnable.

Gotta be a real man and challenge him. DASH ATTACK.

 

[B!squick]

If you want to be a pro like Zig you just gotta fully charge FSmash and profit apparently.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

And it actually works for him...

 

[Deleted member 189823]

Um, hey, I was wondering if SHF-Air is a safe approach. I see KKong and Ixis used it pretty often.

 

[Cassius.]

it's cool if the opponent is airborne.

if not, it's stupid...against most characters.

 

[B!squick]

it's cool if the opponent is airborne.

if not, it's stupid...against most characters.

See: 90% of Bowser's move set.

Got back into SW:TOR randomly. It's actually pretty decent now. If it was anything near what it is now back at launch the TORtanic probably wouldn't be sinking right now.

 

[MrEh]

SH Fair is a horrible approach unless you space it super well against someone who can't punish it. However, in that situation, you're not really approaching with it...

 

[Flayl]

Doesn't work against characters smaller than Mario (unless you know they're going to jump)

Retreating SH Fair is pretty good when you have the lead IMO

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

Doesn't work against characters smaller than Mario (unless you know they're going to jump)

Retreating SH Fair is pretty good when you have the lead IMO

Is it ok on block when you're retreating?

Next time we play you need to teach me some Bowser. I'm thinking about taking up a low tier.

 

[Flayl]

It depends on what options the opponent has really, any specific matchups you have in mind?

Also you'll probably learn more about Bowser by watching vids than by my tutoring haha.

edity: The thing that annoys me the most about Bowser's FAir is how a lot of characters can DTilt you or something if they're on a Battlefield platform and you hit their shield from below.

 

[NickRiddle]

ZSS gets grab/uair/fair off of that.
Maybe bair if facing away, and nair if facing towards, but I dunno.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

Should I use the F-Tilt often? I think it's one of Bowser's best tools, as it has great range. I've never had problems with it getting punished.

 

[Flayl]

If the people you're playing don't punish it then keep using it

 

[MrEh]

The issue with using Ftilt against a grounded opponent is that if you're just throwing out moves to poke, you're better off using Jab most of the time. It's faster and safer.

Ftilt as an anti-air option is as good as ever though. Oh they airdodged? Mash upB.

 

[Cassius.]

you need to be careful against people who have longer **** than you do and who can use it freely because bowser is extending his arm.

he can still be hit, whereas someone with a whip or a sword or something is relatively safe, unless the move is god-awful

 

[Zigsta]

At a really high level of play, ftilt is one of Bowser's worst moves. It's just way too laggy against a LOT of characters, all of whom are already better than Bowser. Sometimes I'll actually use dair more in a match than ftilt.

 

[Cassius.]

I'm OCD about being safe so I usually hate to overextend myself. I jab like a ***** and keep it moving: :>

 

[MrEh]

I can't remember the last time I used Ftilt against a grounded opponent. lol

 

[Z'zgashi]

I can, it was after a grab release

 

[Uncle]

GR to F-Tilt will never go out of style.

 

[Deleted member 189823]

I prefer GR to Jab to Klaw.

 

[Cassius.]

Some characters can hit you or SDI in between that.

 

[Zigsta]

Swei, that's a nice way of getting a read on your opponents' habits after the jab. Like Limit said, some characters can attack you after the jab, but if you know this, you can bait the attack and punish. Like if you know Marth will up B after jab, then you can shield the up B and punish with upair.