b2jammer
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2014
- Messages
- 163
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- b2jammer
Don't get me wrong, it's still absolutely terrible, so I might just be missing the point entirely, but I don't get the (seemingly widespread) notion that Little Mac's recovery is even worse overall than it was in Smash 4.
Everyone cites the big nerf to Jolt Haymaker, that you can't use it twice in midair even after getting hit, and it is true that this does hurt his neutral to some extent (you don't want to get overzealous with Side-B, or you might get launched offstage without access to it). Thing is, being in a position to use Side-B a second time in Smash 4 implies one of two scenarios:
Then there are the changes to air dodges. Air dodges are much slower, but unless you're recovering high (which often wasn't even feasible in Smash 4 as Mac), this change really didn't mean much, since even the Smash 4 air dodge was usually too slow to allow for a followup unless Mac was hugging a wall. The return of the directional dodge more than makes up for it imo, since it gives Mac a decent substitute for his Smash 4 Side-B if he's close enough to the ledge without having to spend his actual Side-B.
Overall, if there were any problems with Mac that I would want a patch to fix, it's not his recovery. With a longer Side-B that doesn't cause helplessness, higher jumps and Up-B, and directional dodges, Mac has options for getting back onstage. It's not a good recovery, not by any stretch, but I don't buy that it's gotten worse than before.
Personally, I'd rather see a buff to KO Uppercut's charge time. Because KO Uppercut charges so slowly and is so easy to lose, it's very inconsistent as a KO option and thus doesn't come into play very often. If it were to charge faster, it would become a serious consideration for the opponent to play around. It already received a damage and safety nerf without any real compensation besides a slight range increase, so I think a change like this would be a good starting point.
Mac's lack of range or safe aerials, which defines his playstyle, often means that opponents will be hitting Mac more than he hits them, so he needs some kind of means to catch up. A raw damage boost would likely make him OP given that it's currently in-line with everyone else's, and his frame data and speed are already some of the best in the game, so improving those further wouldn't really help much. Mac's grounded playstyle also limits his combo potential, seeing as Ultimate's limits on locks, grabs and footstools force most combos to be air-based.
Everyone cites the big nerf to Jolt Haymaker, that you can't use it twice in midair even after getting hit, and it is true that this does hurt his neutral to some extent (you don't want to get overzealous with Side-B, or you might get launched offstage without access to it). Thing is, being in a position to use Side-B a second time in Smash 4 implies one of two scenarios:
- If you were close enough to directly reach the ledge with the first Side-B, then chances are your opponent successfully edge-guarded you, since you would most likely be launched too far away to reach the ledge with the second Side-B (you wouldn't be able to follow up with a wall jump or Up-B, unlike in Ultimate).
- If you couldn't even reach the ledge with the first Side-B, then you would never get the chance to use it a second time unless your opponent got greedy and tried to edge-guard you when you're already in a bad position.
Then there are the changes to air dodges. Air dodges are much slower, but unless you're recovering high (which often wasn't even feasible in Smash 4 as Mac), this change really didn't mean much, since even the Smash 4 air dodge was usually too slow to allow for a followup unless Mac was hugging a wall. The return of the directional dodge more than makes up for it imo, since it gives Mac a decent substitute for his Smash 4 Side-B if he's close enough to the ledge without having to spend his actual Side-B.
Overall, if there were any problems with Mac that I would want a patch to fix, it's not his recovery. With a longer Side-B that doesn't cause helplessness, higher jumps and Up-B, and directional dodges, Mac has options for getting back onstage. It's not a good recovery, not by any stretch, but I don't buy that it's gotten worse than before.
Personally, I'd rather see a buff to KO Uppercut's charge time. Because KO Uppercut charges so slowly and is so easy to lose, it's very inconsistent as a KO option and thus doesn't come into play very often. If it were to charge faster, it would become a serious consideration for the opponent to play around. It already received a damage and safety nerf without any real compensation besides a slight range increase, so I think a change like this would be a good starting point.
Mac's lack of range or safe aerials, which defines his playstyle, often means that opponents will be hitting Mac more than he hits them, so he needs some kind of means to catch up. A raw damage boost would likely make him OP given that it's currently in-line with everyone else's, and his frame data and speed are already some of the best in the game, so improving those further wouldn't really help much. Mac's grounded playstyle also limits his combo potential, seeing as Ultimate's limits on locks, grabs and footstools force most combos to be air-based.
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