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Make Your Move 14 - This is Snake, I'm done here

Conren

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
90
Location
Boston
NNID
Conren1
3DS FC
5086-4445-8944
BANJO--KAZOOIE

Banjo-Kazooie has two midair jumps, and can glide as well as crawl.

Neutral Special - - Egg Blast
3%

Kazooie rises out of Banjo's backpack and spits out an egg. Eggs can be shot out three at a time before Kazooie pauses for a moment. Eggs bounce along the ground and deal 3% damage. An egg has a small chance to be either a fire egg or an ice egg, and have the standard properties of those elements. Can be used while gliding and as long as you hold one of the jump buttons it won't interrupt the glide.

Side Special - - Pack Whack
10%

Banjo flails his backpack while spinning. Does 10% damage with a good amount of knockback that can really clear a crowd. Can be used to recover.

Up Special - - Beak Bomb
15%

Kazooie appears halfway out of the backpack with a "bawk". Then the due flies straight in the direction held. Deals 15% damage to anyone that happens to get in the way, and KO worthy knockback. Obviously, it's a great recovery move. Can be used out of a glide.

Down Special - - Split Up

Kazooie jumps out of Banjo's backpack and becomes an AI controlled character that follows Banjo. Using the move again will have Kazooie run back into the backpack from wherever she may be. While the duo are split, their regular moves change. Banjo retains the ability to crawl while Kazooie gets three midair jumps and retains the ability to glide. As for specials, Banjo retains Pack Whack while Kazooie retains Egg Blast. All other specials are changed.

Banjo's Neutral Special - - Taxi Pack

Banjo traps the foe in his backpack for 2x grab timer. During this time, Banjo's pack based attacks gain extra damage, depending on the weight of the foe. Banjo's Pack Whack will also gain extra distance when used in air. As an Easter egg, this move can be used as an alternate way to reunite with Kazooie. The foe can still be hit for damage, and Kazooie likes to spam Egg Blast on a packed foe.

Kazooie's Side Special - - Wing Whack
8%

Kazooie spins with wings outstretched, doing four hits of 2% damage. If she's dashing or in the air, the move gains extra distance. She likes to use this when Banjo uses Pack Whack, giving a double deadly dealing of spinning attacks.

Banjo or Kazooie's Up Special - - Generic Diagonal Moving Attack.
8% or 6%

Banjo or Kazooie, or both if they're close to each other, will use an attack where they move diagonally up forward. Banjo hits with his fist for 8% damage. Kazooie hits with her beak for 6% damage but a bit more range than Banjo.

There should be at least four good moves here.
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
Bear and Bird

Stats: Being a fat bear, Banjo is a clunky character, being a mid-heavyweight, but that just makes him very easy to control. His first jump isn't all that good, but he has a unique midair jump no thanks to being aided by Kazooie, who will flutter about identically to their source material. This jump actually has worse height gain than Banjo's first, but it covers an incredible amount of horizontal space and effectively lets Banjo "float" for nearly 2 seconds before his fatass brings him back down to earth like an anvil. Banjo at least has a crouch with a similar animation to Mario and Sonic's where he puts his hands over his head like a wimp, which you can use to duck projectiles along with Kazooie peeking her head out of the bag to check out what's rocking.


Neutral Special: Who needs a Star Man when you have golden feathers that make you invincible? Banjo will hunch down as Kazooie covers the front of him with her body, shining a marvelous gold. The two can move around as if wielding a Hammer, but with one twist: they're both invincible! Projectiles are automatically reflected, attacks do nothing and enemies who touch you take 5% and flinching knockback, being pushed back if they were shielding. Unfortunately, Kazooie's body only covers the front of the pair and while she keeps the veil up golden feathers will scatter behind her at a rapid rate, being used up within a very short 1.5 seconds...you don't just get kicked out of the attack either, you have to cancel it manually the moment you see you're not invulnerable anymore. The pair recover feathers at the rate of 0.1 seconds' worth every 1.5 seconds, though you can't just casually pull up the move to dodge any old projectile as it has similar lag to Peach's Nspec. This is a move best used wisely, as in making up for Banjo's terrible lack of speed.


Side Special: In the first two games of the series, players could enjoy shooting eggs at baddies from the crouching animation, either through Kazooie's front-side or back-side. For the ground version, Kazooie will perform the latter as she poops out an egg that bounces closely along the ground behind her at a modest rate (Jigglypuff's dash) before breaking after traveling 4 SBBs, the same distance as Mario's fireball. The egg pooped out depends on how long the player held down B for:

0 Seconds - Blue Egg: The classic egg. Spammable but weak, only dealing 1% and minimal flinching. It literally does nothing to shields.

0.3 Seconds - Fire Egg: This toasty egg actually inflicts some reasonable damage, 8% and flinching knockback, but otherwise isn't all that great.

0.65 Seconds - Grenade Egg: An egg with more firepower behind it, contact with anything or breaking apart causes to explode for a neat 14% that'll kill at 130%. The only downside? This egg can hurt you as well, so try not to use it against enemies close to you.
One Second - Ice Egg: This egg deals 5% keeps enemies frozen for 1.5x as long as the Ice Climber's Down Special.
1.5 Seconds - Clockwork Egg: The most super specialist egg of all, it hatches a small robotic bird that runs around after the nearest foe and self-destructs upon touching anything or when a couple of seconds pass.

In the air, Kazooie fires the eggs diagonally downwards from her mouth, which is admittedly pretty fun to do when you're kept afloat by the second jump.


Up Special: Here's the move that makes up for Banjo's total lack of vertical movement. The bear will make a noise somewhat resembling the word "jumbo" as Kazooie pops out of his backpack. The latter will then rocket upwards while making her best impression of a jet plane, scattering red feathers behind her as she goes. The pair travel for as long as you hold down B, which can be as far as Sonic's Spring or even all the way from the lowest platform of Temple to the ledge at the rightmost section of the stage, practically beating out most recoveries in terms of height gain. That being said, the two enter helpless after the flig-excuse me, only Kazooie enters helpless afterwards whereas you're allowed to use any Banjo-based attacks as you're falling, which are obviously pretty sparse at most. It at least helps that Banjo falls quickly and thus won't die off the top of the screen easily. Aside from recovery, Kazooie acts as hitbox while she's flying upwards, dealing more damage the further she flies that caps between 14-22% that's accompanied by high upwards knockback sure to KO around 150-95% - if you've knocked an enemy up into the air, feel free to go all out and dive at them for a win!


Down Special: The duo rip off Yoshi and Bowser as Kazooie flips into the air before crashing down beak-first. It deals a nice 16% and knockback on a high angle that'll KO at 140%, though where Yoshi creates stars on the side of him Kazooie instead bounces the duo back into the air backwards halfway as far as they landed, which can be used to continuously stream together attacks. Another cool feature of the move is what happens when you hold down B for a moment beforehand: just as she's about to fall, Kazooie will stall in mid-air and rotate her body like a drill before crashing down! What differentiates this from the original is that Kazooie will drill through the first thing she hits, even a foe, dealing them multiple hits of up to 22% before bouncing off of them. The victim receives less knockback, but this can just be used to combo as Kazooie's jumps are refreshed upon slamming into a foe. It's a pretty staple move of the bear and bird, but missing with the drill will cost you as Kazooie continues drilling into the ground and is left wide open - mix the two options together and devastate your foe!
 

Smady

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
3,306
Location
K Rool Avenue
I’m actually commenting these sets backwards, so if you look down at my Gyarados comment, you’ll see that the positive qualities of that set I like are largely the same as in Bad Girl. That being, it plays accurately for what you’d expect for the character. That’s where the similarities end, of course, as Bad Girl is mindless as opposed to being powerful. This is a sensible playstyle for a brawler character, whom beats up weaker characters. From a characterisation standpoint it makes perfect sense too, as Bad Girl uses up her followers as if they mean nothing to her and causes havoc all over the battlefield, though perhaps not to the extent that I’d like. It feels too reserved in places when it could relies upon basic types of moves that add only a very small amount of substance to the playstyle, instead of taking advantage of the minions in interesting, torturous ways. The set is a solid like for me but would greatly have benefitted from a bunch of ways to complexly toss around the minions, instead of it mostly being an incidental thing working out in the set’s favour in the end. Definitely a big improvement for you,Kalmar, and I hope you take the feedback to heart, come back to us improving yet again.

Gyarados received an unfairly cold reception. To me the set represents a very amicable representation of a primal beast that has a nightmarish control over powerful magic, in the form of Pokémon moves. That’s entirely accurate here, on a giant character that doesn’t really have all that many ways to interpret the devastating move pool it hails. The simple and easy interactions remind me of Empoleon but watered down enough to make sense to any player. Gyarados feels imposing without feeling overpowered and surprisingly is quite in-character as well, a credit that I don’t see at all in other comments. Movement is slightly awkward compared to other characters but giving a way for infinite versatility in facing when using moves, also posits an interesting extra factor in making this Pokémon a terrifying opponent in the hands of a skilled player. All I can say here is that, while it does make sense, the set lacks depth. Albeit, that quality makes the set instantly playable, direct in its offence. It’s exactly what you want out of a Pokémon moveset that doesn’t try for some insanely ambitious end goal and I must say it seems quite underrated.

Originally Dark Falz blundered when it came time to take advantage of a fascinating concept in team play bosses, but this remake picks up the ball and takes it to the end zone. There are plenty of great interactions using the soul orbs, plenty of creative functions of the basic idea that make this one of the few unique boss sets and distinct precisely because of that from its forbearer. Most of all I think you should be proud of redeeming the character and making a set that flies the flag of his respective series of games. The Chaos Sorcerers add a whole other layer of depth to the playstyle that greatly helps in defining the less important aspects of Dark Falz. The effects on the smashes do outstay their welcome, but are nonetheless a cool take on how to use a summoned minion, one so acutely simple it’s bizarre we have yet to see a focus on one. The sets funnily enough does have an odd balance in how many of the moves you’d usually see held up as significant, taking a step down to allow for the grab game and orbs to shine. It becomes a bit problematic when the sets starts to really heave on the projectiles and to be perfectly honest, a couple of specials are strangely not that important. I can forgive it on a boss compared to a ‘normal set’ as it isn’t quite as bad to pile on effects or spam projectiles, in the face of what may be aggressive team play. I also can’t imagine the end result being a whole lot better than it is, there’s shockingly only a small amount of things for this character to do outside of what you have him do. What I will say does actually harm the set in my eyes, though, is that you don’t take nearly enough from the base concept to influence one foe’s knockback through their ally. It’s a missed opportunity in an otherwise admirable set.

In the pantheon of Geto sets, Volknerr is up there, but admittedly has its fair share of problems. It’s in a sense the most basic form of zombie master you can imagine, a character who summons up to a max amount of them and basically doesn’t interact with them. There are certainly a few interesting interactions (although why they turn to bones I’m not sure, isn’t that skeletons?) and the set has a nice, if odd tone. It basically feels like someone’s original character from a Role Play. All the good and bad things come with that distinction; unfortunately I’d say the bad outweighs the good. It’s a fun characterisation that seems to play on the odd pick-ups, items and strange abilities picked up by a character like that. Simultaneously, all these effects and moves that don’t particularly flow together, creating tornadoes and pulling out various weapons… it’s a fun eclectic sort of moveset, but it rarely flows. There is no playstyle section, but I wonder how this character would play if not simply making use of his very easily landed spells and constantly resurrecting zombies. What seals it may be the characterisation being a bit weak. He doesn’t come across as any particular kind of necromancer; frankly you could replace the header image of the character with another image of another RPG class. If you just said the character had obtained a zombie-summoning staff and Vlad, the set could work just the same. If you did focus on the zombies and keep control of the rampant over-creativity, I can see myself warming to this kind of set from you.

Does whatever a spider can! Spider-Man is a fully self-aware set for an iconic character and takes into account many of the things that are usually taken for granted when it comes time to make a set for such a character. Why not throw out goop bombs of web to stick together platforms and items and etcetera? Well, because that simply is not the iconic Spider-Man. The use of it here makes sense for Smash and the character, in a sense a simplistic form of stun and a way to recover. It’s not generic either, it’s well-established as its own thing, in tandem with a great take on power shielding in the spider sense. I’ve gone long enough without talking about the organisation, but the organisation is stunning. I need not say more, it speaks for itself, what a beautiful take on a comic book layout. There are even some moves thrown in there that reference typical comic book baddy fight moves; beating up multiple enemies, casting them aside as a stall on the ledge or simply batting them into the air to wail on.

My problem is basically that the set doesn’t go deep enough to satisfy my taste for playstyle, it’s quite general and in-keeping to very in-smash ideals. It’s full of simplistic punches and kicks, nothing offensively un-smash, to the point that it’s funnily enough, politically correct. Forgive the obnoxious term, but I hope you can see what I mean by that. I simply do not care as much about direct in-smash implementation as I do an interesting playstyle and do feel even the basic flow could be largely improved upon if you guys were opener about flashier moves. Just as a throwaway example, pulling up slabs of the stage, it’s not used to its fullest potential. I still like the set and I respect it a tonne more than I like it, this set would fit in smash very well and users can disagree that this is all they want out of a set. Personally I like to think all sets start out a bit more ambitious even in Sakurai’s case and have to be moulded into something that slots into the game, so trying to replicate the process leaves me a bit unimpressed, though not disappointed. This is pretty much what any person would expect from a Spider-Man set.

A self-described masterpiece is Sho. I can see that. From the start, the writing style and consistent tone is great, the organisation taken from Ocon is complimented very well by the layout and limited use of images. It looks and reads better than any of your other sets. The set doesn’t especially get amazing until you hit the minion special. The use of frames as measurement, the risk-reward styling, the simple ordering and cohesion of effects that are finely-tuned… it’s some of the best, simplest minion creation I’ve ever seen. This is a field totally untouched by movesets in a sense. Sets generally go for flashy interaction-heavy minions or ones that have no hard interactions and are about as deep as Dedede’s Waddle Doo. To see a set that actually thinks outside the box for once when it comes to minions puts a smile on my face and I kept smiling when reading this set, as it kept strong all the way to the last move. The tether I loved when presented in Kitanji are improved upon in this set, making for a fantastic couple of tilts. The interaction-heavy garbage dumps and their equivalent soft interactions as basic walls are excellently crafted. The smashes are a fantastic improvement on your usual standards for smashes, but forgetting that, just excellent in taking advantage of the playing field without losing touch of balance or consistent tone. The smaller details of Sho using his megaphone to shout down opponents or waste time of his own accord, disavowing teammates, or generally to be an annoying control freak, are constant and that is impressive considering the breadth of detail, as well as quality.

The sole complaint I can level is that Sho over-reaches in a couple moves. He can teleport too freely and pull around foes at the same time around the potentially, utterly covered stage. His absolutely ludicrously powerful neutral special makes any match-up against Sho one that most any foe would find difficult to control. But there are two things holding that complaint back for me. One, it’s a complaint I wouldn’t level against the set unless it was already impressively balanced for Smash otherwise. Two, it does fit perfectly in what the character’s underlying effects on a match-up should be. And the set is very well characterised indeed, from the writing style to the laissez-faire nature of some central moves, arrogant in their success while dismissing the shortcomings. This is counter-balanced by a dichotomy of choice on part of the player, given an infinite amount of ways to build on the stage and not for a second forgetting the limitations of Smash Bros. It loses that clinging to zeroing-in on complete perfection that a few of your sets have, but I applaud your decision to take a new direction and try an unorthodox execution. It doesn’t lose what makes you, well, you, it actually makes emphasises your unique style to its maximum degree. In all, the set is a fantastic example of an inspired concept given full attention by someone who is very talented. No question you can put the character and the game away if you want to, it may be impossible to create a better adaptation for Smash Bros.

Nitros Oxide’s a refreshing change of pace for vehicle sets, a new set of rules, something I welcome in any ‘genre’ of movesets. Oxide is a different beast than the others and that gives his circuit playstyle a jolt of life, the two elements creating a nice original playing set that makes sense for the character. What I like about the set is the ramps, the boost pads and crates working together to make a death zone, but not an absolute one. It’s quite versatile for opponents to avoid this and Oxide does have ways to counter the responses, not in any broken way. I do have a problem with how melee moves don’t flow that well into those things I just said I liked, as they mostly just exist to branch out his basic match-ups. The characterisation on the surface is very good, but I do feel some of the character is sacrificed to create easy-to-use moves that while having a good fit in the playstyle, are huge wedges that have far too wide a use. The set’s already bordering on overpowered and while I wouldn’t say the concrete puts it over the edge, I don’t think it’s too useful in a normal match. It’s a nice tool, but in Smash I can’t see it being much more than an obstruction. It’s not a definitive vehicle set from you, but I still quite like it regardless.

Peeup and Koric on the same page is a true delight, recalling you both as well as I do. It’s obvious that you’ve brushed up on your general writing and have a consistent vision for how Little Nemo plays throughout the specials of the set. It’s definitely a huge positive how the characters on the bed interact; your attention to balance in comprising this weight system that uses characters up in important moves is great. That’s something that Ant Hill Mob also did recently, but it’s hard to say in which set the balancing part, not the actual use of it, is more appropriate a fit. While the up special isn’t so great, the other two specials set up the set well. Disappointingly, after the specials, the set loses its initial lustre. It’s a profound drop in not only detail and quality, but also in relevance. We don’t see any mention of the original concepts of a multi-weight bed, even when a simple move would be affected by it. The consequences of trading up your Oomps are neither given a second thought. That’s a terrible shame because I really thought after those specials you’d come back and made a good set, which after that long a break from set making, would be one for the books. Though there are successes to be taken from this outing and I hope you make another soon, as the criticisms I can make here are fairly obvious. I’m far more optimistic when it comes to those, as opposed to subtler flaws that are hard to articulate. Keep at it, peeup.

Koric! I’ve missed you in chat, dude. This set’s exactly what I’d expect from you, very methodical, clear and functional. This is precisely what you’d expect from Riesz considering her set of weapons and I’ve no doubt you take deep consideration from the source material. The problem is that you don’t do well at carrying across this incredible expertise in the set. It’s an absolute crime that the detailed extras, going into specifics on transformations and a levelling system, will probably be ignored. It’s hidden away, though not very inviting when you do find it. That’s linked to the overall problem with the set, it’s kind of stuffy and doesn’t flow that evidently. You undoubtedly poured a tonne of effort into making this as you always do, but as I’ve said before, you would learn so much if you simply read, heck even commented, other sets. I’ll admit now, it sucks I’m the guy who reads every one of your sets because I suck at commenting them.

The minion use in Vespiquen is the exact kind of minion use I’ve always enjoyed. It’s not remotely awkward or gimmicky, it’s simply a universal way to help branch out your playstyle. Not only does it increase versatility, but sheds a new light on the most basic of this Pokémon’s moves. You can tell this set had plenty of thought put into how to make it, as every move has a use in the playstyle that is well-defined and generally creative. There’s little to complain about. If I were to nitpick, I’d nitpick redundancy on some of the swarming moves, or the grab game, which is fairly ‘short’ compared to other input sections. Not bad, but not as good as the rest of the set.

Where the set comes into its own is in the interactions, those wonderful Combees that augment and alter every facet of Vespiquen’s moveset. The idea to keep them on patrol is quite a good one, making it easy to keep vague semblance of stage control if the player is willing to sacrifice time creating these set-ups. I love that animation, that is worthy of a regular vote on its own. Truly a wonderful bit of work and demonstrates how fun it’d be to create patterns of these minion Pokémon swooping in and causing damage to the foe. It’s dynamic, but simple – creative, but acutely self-aware. It’s astonishing that you’ve come so far and you deserve all the praise I can give for making this great set.

There are some sets from before the cut-off point earlier on in the contest I also want to comment, among them ChuChus, Marin, Ant Hill Mob and Minami. Hopefully I will get to them soon.
 

Junahu

Smash Ace
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
899
Location
Shropshire Slasher
Challenge Mini Entry​
Banjo and Kazooie are the glorious (though somewhat troubled) original IP of Rareware. They starred in a good game once upon a time, along with a sequel that people insist was also good, a gameboy advance game which no one remembers, and an xbox-360 game that involved cars.
And yet that one shining title was so good that, to this day, Banjo & Kazooie remain iconic characters synonymous with Rareware at their very best.
In the Smash Bros of Superness, Banjo & Kazooie feel quite at home being a heavier, bigger Mario (statwise), with more aerial action to boot. Banjo jostles along at a syrupy pace and provides most of the muscle, while his backpacked companion Kazooie is abused for her acrobatic skills. As the image shows, Kazooie pops her head and wings out from inside the backback whenever she's needed. If her legs are required, they come out from the bottom of the backpack.
Banjo handles the pair's first jump, which is fairly good, and Kazooie flaps her wings for the remaining jumps. Only the second of those jumps gains any height, with the others (all 4 of them) being used to slow their fall
The duo is mechanically one character, so there wont be any weirdness like splitting them up. However, because Kazooie is a pretty fragile bird, the duo take 0.4x extra knockback if she is ever struck directly. This is a problem, as many attacks involve kazooie poking out of the backpack, rendering her an easier target to strike
Up Special: Flight
Kazooie wishes to fly free like a Breegull should, and if she has to drag Banjo up with her, so be it. She rockets, beak first, 3 stagebuilder units upward, before levelling off into a glide. If an opponent gets in her way during her ascent, they take 10% damage, and knockback that is halfway between the knockback of Mario's Up Special and Luigi's (sweetspotted).
Glide Up Special:

If this input is used while Banjo and Kazooie are already in a glide, they perform a shuttleloop, much like Metaknight's Up Special. Kazooie's variant boasts stronger knockback, a longer sweetspot, and the ability to angle the analogue stick in order to mirror the whole move either horizontally (so they perform the shuttleloop facing the opposite direction), or vertically (so they perform a downward loop). Banjo & Kazooie enter free-fall after performing their shuttleloop.

Side Special: Talon Trot
Banjo rolls forward onto his back as Kazooie emerges from the backback to support his weight. Carrying the blubbery bear, Kazooie can use those spindly legs of hers to dash around at a speed rivalling even a certain blue hedgehog. This will last until the player releases the B button.
During the Talon Trot, Kazooie is free to peform a single jump (on par with Banjo's), crouch during a dash in order to slide forth on her stomach, and even use any regular attack. Doing so quickly ends the Talon Trot however, as it is Banjo who's responsible for the heavy hitting, so he needs to be in control in order to attack. At least the transition adds little in the way of extra lag for those attacks, and if you keep holding the B button down, then they'll hop right back into the Talon Trot after Banjo's attack is done.
Air Side Special: Wall Trot

The bear takes his backpack in paw and swings it ahead of himself, dealing 5% damage and light knockback. At the end of the swing, Kazooie's legs pop out from the bag and begin scratching furiously in front of the duo. These wild kicks deal 3% individually, for a total of 15% damage. And those kicks have some serious range to them, especially considering that the backpack swing was already disjointed to begin with.

However, a bunch of light hits isn't really the point of using Talon Trot in mid-air. If those legs of Kazooie's meet a wall, or even just an unlucky opponent, Kazzoie's kicking gains traction on that solid object. This causes her to essentially run vertically up that wall (or up over the foe's face) for the breifest of moments, before having to return to the backpack. Any momentum gained from running up a wall, is carried over to Banjo when the attack ends, launching him skyward.

Basically, you attack a wall with this Special, and it will catapult you upwards, without using up your recovery


Glide Side Special: Beak Bomb

Pausing in mid-glide for a moment, Kazooie shoots forward like a missle (dragging Banjo along too, of course) for up to 4 stagebuilder units, or until she hits something. This attack can be angled up to 45 degrees up or down using the analogue stick. In addition, using Beak Buster will not cause Banjo and Kazooie to fall helplessly afterwards, but it will take them out of their glide. You may hold the B button to increase the delay before Kazooie launches into the Beak Buster, which also helps if you need to aim more precisely.

Colliding with a foe deals 16% damage and some nasty KOing knockback in the direction Kazooie was travelling. However, Kazooie herself suffers half of this in the form of recoil damage/knockback.

Neutral Special: Egg Launcher
Banjo crouches down with his paws over his eyes as Kazooie's head emerges from the backpack like a tank turret. While you hold the B button, Kazooie will fire an egg twice per second. I know.. shocking stuff, Kazooie vomits eggs. This is the kind of stuff you just have to accept.
These eggs, by the way, slowly arc forward until they hit an opponent or the ground, upon which they will eggsplode. Eggs do not cause the enemy to so much as flinch, and each deals a poultry 2% damage (1% if the foe was grazed by the eggsplosion). You can freely angle Kazooie's head, by tilting up or down on the analogue stick, in order to lob eggs in different trajectories (up to 85 degrees upwards). This allows the fowl to take a few cheeky shots in a variety of situations. Incidentally, Kazooie will remember what angle she fired her last egg at, assuming that position again the next time you start this Special.
You can also mash the B button in order to fire eggs at an even more potent pace, but you lose the ability to change your firing angle whilst mashing.
If you're curious, the maximum range from which you can successfully lob an egg and hit the mark, is 1.3x the distance Mario's fireball travels. And, at most, an egg can reach 1.4x ganondorf's height into the air. [I could probably save you the hassle of imagining those distances by measuring them in terms of Stagebuilder Units instead, but I don't wanna.]
Air Neutral Special: Egg Payload

With the bear leaning backwards ever so slightly, Kazooie's rear end pops out of the bottom of the backpack and sharts a single green egg directly downwards. This egg is a bit bigger than the usual sort, and it falls as fast as any small dropped item would. The egg is also kinda bouncy, so when it hits something it will bounce straight back into the air, 3/4 the height it fell. Upon hitting something a second time, the egg simply shatters. The egg deals 8% damage and decent hitstun when it hits an opponent. If the same egg hits the same foe twice, it deals an extra 2% damage and double the hitstun.


Glide Neutral Special: Egg Bomb

Banjo grasps Kazooie's extended neck and then yanks on it, forcing Kazooie to cough out an egg. This (red) egg quickly flies straight in the direction you were currently gliding in, exploding after travelling 2.3 stagebuilder units. Egg Bombs are somewhat stronger than Kazooie's rapid firing variant, and thus deal a healthier 6% damage and mid-light knockback away from the explosion. Of course, you can only fire the one egg, so make it count.

Using this Special will force kazooie to come out of her glide, but only 0.7 seconds after the move ends, so you have a little time to change your trajectory, or use another gliding attack.

Down Special: Wonderwing
Ta-ta-ta-tataaaaa!
Kazooie covers her bear friend in a magnificent glowing shield formed with her wings. She can only cover the front sadly, but for the 1.1 seconds this special lasts, Kazooie's shield will be impregnable from the front. Attacks will clank off of Wonderwing, Projectiles and traps evaporate before its might, even grabs won't work. Wonderwing also functions as a solid wall, pushing foes away with 10% damage and decent backwards knockback.
Of course, the best thing about Wonderwing was always that you could move around with it active, and you can definitely do the same here in Smash Bros. You cannot jump very high (you get one tiny hop), nor turn around, nor even walk backwards. But being able to move at all is certainly better than being an immobile patsy.
Air Down Special: Wonderwing

While attempting the same move in mid-air, Banjo and Kazooie end up tumbling forwards, the duo falling to the ground with Kazooie's invincible wings pointed downwards. If they land before the move can end, those wings slam into the floor, launching nearby foes away with surprisingly severe knockback and 13% damage.

Even if Kazooie is so high up that she won't land during Wonderwing, you can still use this to block attempts to juggle you, or even drag foes downward using her solid wings.


Glide Down Special: Beak Buster

Hey! Did someone order a Stall-then-fall? No? Well too bad! The bear and bird plummet to the ground, with Kazooie leading the charge by launching herself downward. Functionally, this is the same move as the Beak Bomb, only angled straight down (and without the 4 stagebuilder unit maximum range). You can even delay the attack by holding B, just like with Beak Bomb.

Playstyle
Defeat Gruntilda and her silly magic spells. Smack her stupid head with a Beak Bomb from across the stage, or push her lardy self off a cliff with a Wonderwing. Also, shoot her with eggs. That's the weakness of all Banjo bosses.
...

Huh? A Smash Bros Playstyle? Sorry, I got nuthin'.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
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Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
The Six Samurai - Kamon

Explosives Expert

Kamon is part of the "Six Samurai" archetype of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and a demolitions expert proficient in dynamite. His special effect is to destroy one face-up Spell or Trap card per turn, along with the standard "Six Samurai" effect of being able to save another of your "Six Samurai" by saving it. His artwork is modelled after the ancient Japanese daimyo Gamo Ujisato. He controlled Obama Castle through his retainers, so you can thank Obama for this set.

Statistics

Kamon is not particularly large or tall, but he is slightly bigger than average, with a size similiar to Wolf. His weight is also slightly above average but not excellent, again similiar to Wolf. His speed is slightly below average and, wouldn't you know it, is comparable to Wolf's. He has decent traction.

Aerially, Kamon isn't that great, as his control is a bit poor and he falls fairly fast, although that does help him with his vertical survivability. He has decent air speed, though. His jumps are actually real nice, especially the first jump, and he comes equipped with the ability to Crawl quite low and to wall jump, although all other abilities are off limits to him. Still, it is a nice boon.


Specials

Neutral Special: Dynamite

Kamon takes out a stick of dyanmite from his armor and lights it swiftly, before tossing it forward. The dynamite will last 2 seconds until exploding, unless it hits a foe, minion, attack or solid item (ground doesn't count). This explosion is pretty potent, dealing 14% damage and KOing at 140%, all with some pretty quick starting lag. Two downsides, however, are the fact that Kamon may be damaged or set off his own dynamite and that the ending lag is fairly long. The explosion is slightly smaller than a Bob-Omb's.

Kamon can angle the dynamite before tossing it by holding down B and moving the control stick, with up moving his angling up and down moving it down, allowing him to rotate it up to a full 360 degrees. Rotating it a full 360 degrees takes about half of a second, by the way. Releasing B will cause him to throw it at whatever angle you are aiming. The dyanmite will "cook" while you are aiming, which is to say, the timer will go down while you are doing so, which allows you to cause it to explode at different times as opposed to waiting, or even blow up in mid-air.

You can also instead press the Shield button, which will allow Kamon to move while holding the dyanmite, but will not allow him to change the angle of it. In that case, pressing B will simply toss it at whatever angle it was set at: there is no way to change the angle at this point. This allows him to cook dynamite while moving, since it will still cook, and still keep whatever angle he had. Do note that holding it for 2 seconds will cause it to explode in your hand, so keep aware of the time!


Down Special: Explosive Trap

Kamon takes out a small bit of rope alongside a longer-fused dyanmite and ties it to the stage under him. If you smash the input, he will light the dyanmite as he places it: otherwise, it will remain unlit. This long-fused dyanmite will take 5 seconds to explode but is more potent than your average dynamite, dealing 17% damage while KOing at 120%. Unlit dynamite will only be activated by being struck with an attack or by being lit, at which point it will last as long as it normally does when lit. All pretty simple stuff, really. Like all of Kamon's dynamite, he is also hurt by the explosion.

Kamon likes leaving traps like these around, but do note that his own attacks will blow it up, so you gotta be careful around them. Kamon can have any number of dynamite traps on the field. Lag is fairly standard on this move, like Snake's Down Special, but it takes slightly longer if you make the dynamite lit. Ending lag is slightly fast.


Side Special: Tanto

Kamon takes out his Tanto (A type of Japanese dagger/very small sword) and swipes it in front of him swiftly for 8% damage and decent knockback. This very quick attack comes out and ends quite quickly and can be angled up or down some. This makes it a very useful close combat move in general.

What is cool about this is using it with your dynamite, as if you hit dynamite with it, it'll cut off their wicks, turning them into non-lit versions that only explode when attacked. This is pretty useful if, say, one is about to go off in your face. You can also, with precision learned from playing Kamon, actually aim this attack enough to only cut part of the wick, which allows you to adjust how long until the dynamite explodes, allowing you to shorten the fuse on stuff like your Down Special dynamite. This attack is notable in that it will never set off your dynamite, giving you a key safe move, but you can't really expect it to be your only tool.

If you use this mvoe while you are holding Neutral Special dynamite (via the shield saving of it), then Kamon will cut the wick on the one you are holding. This allows you to save yourself from blowing yourself up if throwing the dynamite would be unfavorable too you, though if you just got hit or are in the middle of a move it can't save you. Non-lit dynamite only deals 5% damage and no flinch when thrown, but it will still explode if attacked, letting you toss it into a fray or when you see an attack for some ka-blooey.


Up Special: Self Sacrifice

Kamon takes out a stick of dynamite and blows it up in his face, dealing 14% damage to himself and straight-up vertical knockback to himself that KOs at 140%. Yes, his recovery hurts himself, though with proper timing it can hurt the foe as well. Since it hurts himself, he'll actually get his recovery back when he uses this, but the knockback means he can't stall well because he will just kill himself over the top. Hiding under the stage just means you'll end up stage spiked.

It's a pretty basic if self-damaging recovery, so don't get to the point you need to recover often. Something fun is to try and chain it on foes if you get the first hit and mix it up, threatening to suicide off the top with them.


Standards

Jab: Dynastrike

Kamon swings a stick of unlit dynamite forward forcefully, striking any foe within it's small range for a solid 7% and okay knockback for a jab, which is combined with this being quite a quick attack. The scary thing about this is how the dynamite will still explode on contact with an attack, letting you use it as a bit of a suicidal counter: Clash an attack with this and watch the dynamite ka-boom for 14% damage and 140% KO power knockback! This means Kamon can pull out quite a quick "lose-lose" button.

One downside to this, however, is that it'll explode from any attack, including ones you might not want it to or projectiles, so it can be a bit risky, especially as you take more damage. Use caution wheh handling dynamite.


Forward Tilt: Matchstick

Kamon strikes a matchstick as he swings his arm forward, burning anyone in front of him for 10% damage and some weak knockback, you know, with the fire animation effects like when you get hit by Falcon Kick. Kamon can also angle this attack up and down. It's pretty quick to come out on both ends, so it makes a decent close range option.

What's great about this is that you can use it to light your dynamite that's on the ground by striking it with the matchstick, allowing you tu convert unlit Down Special dynamite into lit dynamite or to adjust the amount of time until a dynamite stick explodes with Side Special, then light it up with this move. You can also hit A after Kamon swings it for him to toss the matchstick forward, going about 3/4ths of a Battlefield platform in length. It only deals 3% damage doing this, since a lot of the damage in the normal move is simply the force of Kamon's arm, but it allows you to safely set off dynamite from a distance, which can be fun if you cut a wick really low on some dynamite. So this move gives you a few options.


Down Tilt: Leg Sweep

Kamon does a quick sweep with his leg for 8% damage, 100% tripping the foe on the ground and knocking them slightly into the air otherwise. This move has a bit more start-up than your average Down Tilt, preventing you from really trip-trapping a foe, but it has short ending lag that allows a good deal of followups and tech chasing. In addition, tripping is in general pretty excellent to inflict when you are littering the stage with dynamite, as it limits the options of where the foe can go safely and forces them where you want them to go. Overall, a simple and yet effective move.

Up Tilt: Playing With Life

Kamon tosses a stick of unlit dynamite forcefully into the air, dealing 7% damage and some weak upwards knockback to anyone it hits. This attack starts quickly and has very little ending lag as Kamon catches and puts away the dynamite stick, but it has a very long duration, and the dynamite will not directly protect Kamon's hitbox while it is in the air nor can he moved or attack until it comes down. On the plus side, it IS an excellent anti-air move: Especially since attacking the dynamite causes it to explode with it's common 14%/140% hitbox, so you can counter aerials quite well with this. Stall than falls vs. Kamon are suicidal. The dynamite stick goes up a Ganondorf.

Dash Attack: Wave

Kamon takes a stand and makes a swinging motion forward with his arms, looking more like a traditional Japanese dance than a battle technique. But don't let appearances decieve you: The power Kamon puts behind this by planting his feet and pushing his body weight forward deals 13% damage and some surprisingly good knockback that KOs at 230%. The movement also causes a small and somewhat weak wind hitbox to be generate at the edge of this attack near it's end, giving it a bit of a buffer to protect it's quite long ending lag. Starting lag is pretty decent, though. It's a poor DACUS.

Grab Game

Grab: Grab

Kamon reaches a hand forward and grabs with decent speed and range. Very simple.

Pummel: Kamon Klobber

Kamon punches the foe for 2% damage with this relatively quick pummel.

Down Throw: Dynamite Tie-Up

Kamon takes out a length of rope and ties it around the foe alongside a stick of lit dynamite, before throwing them away for 8% damage and okay knockback. The dynamite explodes after 4 seconds for 14% damage and knockback that KOs at 140%, making this potentially a very damaging throw, but fact that the damage is delayed means that it can be dodged. But it can also be used to keep the pressure on the foe since they have to constantly be aware of when it goes off.

You can also combine it with some other things, such as cutting the wick by using your Side Special on the foe from behind (The dynamite is tied behind them) to force them to keep it there indefinately, where you can hit it to activate it or, worse, make the FOE hit to to activate it via body-wide attacks. Using your matchstck allows you to instantly blow up the dynamite easier or to re-ignore one with the wick cut, possibly altering the length. In general, a good tool for both defense and pressure.


Forward Throw: Gunpowder Gutpunch

Kamon removes some gunpowder from a pouch and throws it at the foe, while his other hand gives them a swift punch. Did you really expect an explosives expert not to have gunpowder? This move only does 8% damage and some weak knockback, but you still get breathing room. The important thing is that the foe becomes coated in gunpowder for the next 4 seconds: While this does not do anything initially, Kamon has some good ways to take advantage of this.

First off, hitting them with a move like Kamon's matchstick Forward Tilt will actually set the foe on fire, burning them for 2% per second over 4 seconds, with flinching every 2 seconds of it. While the foe is on fire, they'll instantly explode any dynamite they touch (even if it was attack-only or whatnot), making it a nice way to turn static dynamite into a veritable minefield for the foe. It also has some other uses that will be explained later.


Back Throw: Tanto Toss

Kamon tosses the foe behind him while slashing them with his Tanto, dealing 11% damage and some fairly good, albeit non-KO, knockback. While this is a pretty standard throw, it does allow you to easily cut wicks on dynamite you have strapped to foes, allowing it to remain inert and be kept there indefinately, and you can also cut nearby wicks with this. But it's a bit of a specific use.

Up Throw: MAD

Kamon holds the foe close and sets alight MANY of the dynamite attacked to his armor. The foe has to escape regular grab difficulty, reset from any struggling they may have had before, in the time that it takes Ganondorf's Warlock Punch to start. If they don't, then...BOOM! All that dynamite explodes magnificantly for 25% damage that KOs upwardsly at 50%! This is all well and good, but Kamon still isn't immune to his own dynamite, so he'll take this too, making this a case of mutually assured destruction for the most part.

It's best used as a finisher when Kamon has a stock lead or is at low %s. Note that Kamon will still explode even if the opponent escapes his grasp...so they also need to be quick with their dodging to avoid it even when they escape! Note all characters have much quicker grab releases from this, so they can usually dodge it. If they escape especially early, Kamon can move if they escape, allowing him to shield or dodge the explosion with good timing. A deadly tool.


Smashes

Forward Smash: Gunpowder

Kamon tosses a bag of gunpowder forward 3/4ths of a Battlefield platform to a full Battlefield platform, the bag spilling out gunpowder as it does so, leaving a trail of it if it is over solid ground. Getting hit with the bag deals 10%-13% damage and knockback that won't KO until 260%-245%, making it one of the weaker attacks that is balanced out with excellent range and secondary effects. Any opponent hit by the bag is covered in gunpowder for 4 seconds, as seen in the F-Throw. It's also decently fast to start up and doesn't have too much ending lag. The bag disappears when it hits the ground like an item whose timer has run out.

Gunpowder that trails out of the bag will stay on the ground in a straight line for quite a while, around 6 seconds, and does nothing if not activated by lighting it, accomplished with your matchsticks. Lighting it causes wherever in the trail it hit to spark and be lit on fire, slowly lighting up the rest of it and travelling along the gunpowder at Ike's dash speed. This fire deals 5% and a flinch to anyone it touches and will explode any dynamite it touches while still continuing, so a gunpowder line essentially works as a fuse, and can allow you to detonate quite a lot of dynamite at a time, like a chain reaction. Enemies can be caught on fire while coated in gunpowder, just like the Forward Throw, and enemies who are on fire will ALSO cause the gunpowder to spark, ignite and do it's trail-y thing.


Down Smash: Leap

Kamon lights a stick of dynamite and places it under him. This dynamite can hold a bit more of a punch than normal if you charge it, 14%-18% damage that KOs at 140%-100%, and will explode 3 seconds after being placed. It gets placed right under you, so be careful of it blowing up if you stick around it for too long (There is a bit of a grace period before it explodes by touch). If you press "A" while Kamon places it, he'll dramatically leap up the length of his first jump while placing it, allowing you to place it into an oncoming foe or something to blow them up. Lag is fairly quick on both ends. It's a good addition to your many traps.

Up Smash: Samurai Slash

Kamon quick draws his Tanto so he can give an upward slash with a single stroke, striking the foe for 18%-23% damage and knockback that KOs at 165%-140%. It's also very quick to start up and strike, though it has a good deal of ending lag. Kamon can use this to cut falling dynamite's wicks if you have enough precision, while also being one of your best (if punishable) ways of dealing damage aside from the your dynamite. Since Kamon strikes at a bit of a diagonal angle, he can't hit people slightly behind him.

Aerials

Neutral Aerial: Full Moon

Kamon takes out his Tanto and does a full 360 spin slash with it, dealing 13% damage and some decent knockback to anyone around him. It's got real average lag on both ends for it and can be used to cut wicks down, but it's a lot harder to get a precise cut than the more singular, straight cuts of your Side Special or Up Smash. It's also a decent midair or shorthopped GTFO move.

Forward Aerial: Dynamite Flip

Kamon lights a stick of dynamite and flips it forward for only a small distance, the dynamite exploding for 14% and KOing at 140% when it hits something or after about half a second. Small wick on this one, I see. This dynamite also explodes upon ground contact. Very quick to come out, but it's got a bit more ending lag then you'd expect. Kamon will probably want to DI backwards to avoid the resulting explosion. There's only so many ways I can explain using dynamite.

Down Aerial: Midair Matchsticks

Kamon takes out a matchstick and swings it under him with his hand balled into a fist, smacking anyone under him upwards for 9% damage with weak knockback. If there is ground under him, the matchstick will strike against it and ingite, allowing Kamon to transition from the air to the ground while lighting up his gunpowder or dynamite. Pressing A while it lights up will even cause him to toss the matchstick like his Forward Tilt! All in all, pretty useful.

Back Aerial: Reverse Flip

Kamon swings behind him with a stick of unlit dynamite for 6% and weak knockback, which combined with it's low lag makes it an excellent move to "Wall of Pain" with. Hitting A after he swings will cause him to casually flip the unlit dynamite behind him, allowing him to litter the stage from above with unlit dynamite. He can also use this like a counter ala his Jab.

Up Aerial: Cloud

Kamon takes out some gunpowder and tosses it up above him for a short ranged, 6% damaging attack that does very little knockback, but has quick speed, making it an effective juggler that will coat the foe in Gunpowder for 4 seconds as a bonus, giving you an aerial way to do that. Kamon's aerials pretty much allow him to do his ground stuff in the air, so there isn't much to explain.

Final Smash: Explosion Overclocking

Kamon grins as the Smash Ball is activated, moving faster than the eye can blink thanks to it and setting up dynamite almost everywhere: The entire stage will be covered except where Kamon stood and about 2 safespots. Kamon then re-appears back where he started and tosses a lit match, causing it to all go BOOM for 50% damage and knockback that KOs at 85%. Foes will have to scramble to the safe spots, possibly fighting themselves for it, before the explosions are activated and reach them if they want to survive. Looks cool.

Playstyle

...Really? After all I beat into you that Kamon is about dynamite, you need a playstyle section? Pretty much everything is explained fairly well in the set itself, so screw you, I'm too tired to write a playstyle section, so I won't.
 

Slavic

Ask not the sparrow how the eagle soars
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
757
Location
taco bell, probablyn't
So, this is my first moveset, and my first post here in the forums! I have looked around the forums for a long time, though, I just didn't have any reason to make an account until I learned of MYM. I have a lot of plans for this, so I'll be here for a while. Anyways, here's my moveset for Spider, from Spider: the Video Game on the Playstation 1. (Sorry, I'm terrible at names.) Because there's only one melee attack in Spider, I relied a lot on things real life spiders do, animations from Spinarak, Ariados, Joltik, and Galvantula, with a couple filler attacks. Any feedback is nice! Glad to finally join.

= Spider =

"The mind of a genius. The body of a spider. A mortally wounded scientist accidentally implants his consciousness in a nano-tech marvel-a cybernetic spider. Now shrunk to the size of a bug you must fight to stay alive."

Dr. Kelly is a scientist dealing in cybernetics whose research finally comes to fruition in the form of a cybernetic spider, controllable by Kelly's mind. During an experiment, one of Kelly's competitors, MicroTech, hires mercenaries to bring Kelly to their leader, simply a brain in a glass jar, so he can obtain the technology. However, something goes awry, and the mercenaries shoot up the lab, mortally wounding Kelly and destroying the technology before he can disconnect himself from the spider. Kelly, now in the body of a spider, must track down the agents and save his human self from death, as well as his research, which sends him through his lab, a museum, the sewers, and more. During the course of the game, Spider finds several weapon upgrades, ranging from a machine gun to a missile launcher.

= Statistics =
Spider is a short character, as would be expected considering he's a spider. To prevent him from being a near untouchably short character, instead of simply crawling around the ground which would put his hitbox lower than most attacks, Spider has a tendency to be reared up, a trait displayed in real life spiders, as illustrated below.


This puts Spider's height somewhere between Jiggllypuff and Toon Link. As far as weight is concerned, he is down there with Kirby and Pikachu, meaning he's going to be much easier to knock around than a good deal of his competitors. Due to being a spider, he can get away with a good ground speed, rivalling Pikachu's, while still retaining unparallelled traction, meaning he's a good approaching rush character. While his ground speed is difficult to match, he isn't much to look at aerially. He's roughly at Ganondorf's level for movement through the air, not the lowest, but still not something to rely on, and his fall speed is average, matching up with characters like Olimar and Squirtle. As a spider, naturally he can cling to walls, ceilings, and sides of most platforms, as well as move along them freely as he so pleases. He can even descend slowly on a thread, in a sort of reverse tether recovery trait. While this does keep Spider alive at lower damages, this skill isn't as useful with higher percentages, as he lacks the bulk to prevent being rocketed off the stage if he isn't careful. Naturally, Spider can drop completely to the ground in order to crawl, which also allows him to approach projectile campers with no fear.

= Specials =
Neutral Special: Arachnid's Leg (Flamethrower / Missile Launcher / Boomerang)
This attack has multiple effects, based on which rotation Spider is in (more on that later). In all versions, this attack is a projectile weapon, giving Spider a fairly good ranged game.

If Spider's front leg is currently in its Flamethrower form, Spider will point his leg forward and shoot a jet of flame forward. This fire does less damage than Bowser or Charizard's, but it has better range and deteriorates much slower, and in addition, can be influenced, allowing Spider to aim the attack anywhere in front of him within a 60 degree arc. The attack deals a constant 1% damage every half second the opponent is hit, though the attack has less stun and trapping potential than Charizard or Bowser.

If Spider's front leg is in its Missile Launcher, Spider will lift his leg and launch a missile forward. This attack, unlike the other two, has a considerable amount of startup lag. However, it makes up for this with the damage and knockback it does, making it a more powerful move than the flamethrower or the machine gun. The missile is homing, and will chase the closest opponent for 3 seconds. If the missile hits the opponent, the missile will explode, dealing upwards 15% damage and a decent amount of knockback as well. If the missile doesn't make contact with an opponent or surface, the missile will explode in the air where it is, unlike Snake's. This attack does have a cooldown time, so it can't be spammed.

Finally, if Spider's front leg is in its Boomerang form, Spider launches a metal boomerang straight forward in front of him, more similar to Kirby's Cutter ability than Link's boomerang. This boomerang has the unique ability of passing through all subtances, including opponents and solid barriers, and travels roughly the length of one and a half Battlefield platforms in front of Spider. At the maximum range of the attack, the boomerang pauses, spins in place for a second, and returns, regardless if Spider is in his original place or not. If an opponent is hit by the boomerang on its dispatch or return, they take some damage, in the realm of 4%, and a little bit of stun. If the opponent is hit by the spinning stationary boomerang, they take weak combo damage, stun, and the boomerang spins in place an extra second, extending the duration of the attack.

Side Special: Electro-Beam
Spider lifts his special leg up and a small, blue electric orb spwans from it, holding itself in the air at the tip of the leg. The longer this attack is held, the bigger the orb will become, although it will never grow larger than half of Kirby's size. It takes roughly 2 seconds to fully charge the attack. Once released, the orb will lock on to the nearest opponent, chasing them down and passing through all surfaces. If the orb hits the opponent, they take moderate damage based on the charge, anywhere between 4 to 8% damage, and suffer a good deal of stun as well. Though it's tricky, the attack can be avoided with proper dodging, or more simply just shielded away. However, timing to defend from this attack is tricky, as the orb is fairly fast and follows a slightly eccentric flight pattern.

Up Special: Poisoner
Spider pulls himself closer together, lowering his body and bringing his legs towards his body. Spider then begins to produce a purple poisonous cloud around his body, enveloping him. Spider himself will take no damage from this, but any opponent who comes in contact with the cloud will take damage, at a rate of 2% a second they are in contact with the cloud. This attack can be used endlessly during this stage, though it is not recommended, as Spider still takes the full brute of projectile attacks with no way to defend against them. After the attack is released, the cloud rises upward, with Spider still in the center. This cloud drifts up slowly, but will not dissipate until it leaves the stage. Spider will be forced out in some way during the attack, though. If the cloud passes through a barrier, Spider will be pushed out below. The cloud also thins, and once it is too thin to support him, Spider will fall out of the cloud below. Alternatively, Spider can choose to drop out whenever he wants, which is usually the better option. Spider can't use this attack again until the last cloud is completely gone from the stage to prevent spamming.

Down Special: Upgrade
When Spider first begins the brawl, his special leg is in its default Flamethrower mode. The Flamethrower takes the appearance of a metal, dualbarrel contraption, as seen in the picture above. When this attack is used, Spider lifts the Flamethrower in the air and the weapon begins to glow. During this move, a bue shield forms around Spider temporarily, preventing him from taking damage. After a second of transforming, the shield disappears, and Spider is now equipped with his Missile Launcher. The Missile Launcher resembles a miniature version of Snake's launcher, with slightly different detailing and coloring. Another use of the attack and Spider becomes equipped with his Boomerang. The Boomerang is similar looking to the Missile Launcher, but with a wider opening, and half of a boomerang sticking out of the end. One more use of the attack and Spider returns to his Flamethrower, ready for battle once more.

= Smashes =
F-Smash: MechMine
Spider pulls out a small orange spiked mine with his front legs, and proceeds to hold the mine above his head during the mandatory charge time of this attack. Once the attack is released, Spider slams the mine downward, causing it to explode if it hits an opponent, dealing somewhere between 15 to 18% damage to the opponent. However, if the attack hits no opponent, the mine travels forward in the ground the distance of a Battlefield platform before either hitting an opponent or exploding at the end of its range.

U-Smash: Anti-Air
Spider lifts his special arm into the air above him and holds it there during the charge-up time of this attack. Once it is released, waves his arm back and forth above him a couple of times. Depending on the arm used, the effect of this attack changes. With the Flamethrower attached, this attack will be accompanied by a very short jet of flame that burns and traps opponents, dealing gradual damage (3%) as opposed to the immediate damage of the other variations. If the Missile Launcher is equipped, the attack creates a chain of explosions at the tip of the leg, dealing more damage than the Flamethrower (14%), but knocking the opponent out of the attack to prevent overuse or comboing. However, this is one of Spider's best K.O.ing moves. Finally, if the Boomerang upgrade is equipped, Spider simply slashes through the air with the boomerang, dealing damage between the Flamethrower and the Missile Launcher (7%), with no added gimmicks to complicate the attack.

D-Smash: Trap Door
Spider begins frantically digging into the ground with his rear legs, in a fashion similar to Snake's Down Smash. Spider doesn't have the option of half charging this move or cancelling it, again, like Snake. Instead, a roughly one and a half second charge time without interuption rewards Spider with... seemingly nothing. Indeed, even the sharpest of eyes would only notice a slight juxtaposition of the ground where Spider had been digging before. However, if an opponent were to step on this portion of ground, they would take light damage, around 3 or 4%, and would become pitfalled for a second or two, giving Spider time to react. Up to three of these small sweetspots can be planted around the stage, as opposed to Snake's one proximity explosive. In addition to the pitfalling part of this attack, if the attack is charged past the initial building of the trap door, Spider will plant a small blue mine in the whole, damaging any opponent who gets pitfalled by up to three times as much. As consequence, though, only one of these mines can be planted at a time, the attack takes a little longer to pull off, and the mine partially pokes out of the ground, revealing the trap much more.

= Standards =
Standard: Slash
Sharing its name with the default attack from the game, this attack is a simple but effective continuous attack. Spider turns halfway towards the screen and holds his other front leg in front of him, not yet used in the moveset, and stabs forward once. This part of the attack does 4% damage and a little bit of knockback. If the attack is used repeatedly, Spider thrusts his dagger leg at high speed, dealing 1% damage per hit and minor knockback.

Dash: Tarantella
When this attack is used, Spider quickly lifts all of his legs off the ground while retaining his dash speed, causing Spider to rotate quickly along the ground while moving. During this attack, any opponent on either side of Spider is hit by weak combo damage is drawn inward toward Spider's body, giving Spider a good rush move to stack damage against the opponents.

F-Tilt: FLS (Front Leg Strike)
Spider points his special leg in front of him, and does a quick strike based on his current upgrade. If the Flamethrower is Spider's current upgrade, a quick jet of flame shoots forward a very short distance, dealing 2 or 3% damage and trapping the opponent slightly, giving Spider a chance to stack some combos. If the Missile Launcher is currently equipped, Spider creates a small explosion in front of him. Like Spider's other attacks that use this mechanic, the Missile will do the most damage, at the cost of more lag and greatly lessened combo potential, dealing a solid 6 or 7% damage. Finally, the Boomerang upgrade takes the middle road, offering less damage than the Missile Launcher without sacrificing versatility or chain potential.

U-Tilt: Golden Wheel Strike
Spider jumps very slightly upwards in the air and quickly rolls up into a wheel shape. He then spins very quickly a couple of times, dealing weak combo damage, around 2%, to any opponents that come in contact with him. After a slight moment, Spider uncurls and returns to the ground, ready for battle.

D-Tilt: Scary-Go-Round
Spider pulls his legs off of the ground, similar to how he does in the Tarantalla, and also similar, begins to spin in place. In addition to dealing damage from the knife on the end of Spider's leg, the attack will also deal additional damage based on which upgrade is currently in use. The Flamethrower adds a trailing fire effect to the attack, creating a disc of flames around Spider, burning and repelling opponents away from him. The Missile Launcherd creates a small explosion around Spider once the attack is finished, dealing extra damage and knockback which Spider greatly appreciates, at the cost of ending lag as Spider shakes himself off from the blast. With the Boomerang equipped, Spider gets a good balance of course, and he gains two blades during the attack, one on either side. This attack can deal anywhere between 3 and 10% damage, based on the upgrade used and how much the opponent is combo'd.

= Aerials =
N-Air: Flightmare
Spider raises all eight of his legs outward and quickly spins around in a single 360 degree rotation, ensnaring opponents and knocking them around to the other side of his body. Beyond that, the attack is pretty simple and straightforward, doing standard combo damage.

F-Air: Leaping Strike
Spider leaps in a downward diagonal with his clawed leg outward. If he hits an aerial opponent with this attack, they get spiked downward towards the ground or any pit below them. If Spider strikes an opponent on the ground, he does decent damage (6%) and some knockback. This attack is Spider's saving grace in his otherwise laughably pathetic aerial game. The ability to get out of the air quickly and powerfully is very good for such a lightweight.

U-Air: Pinwheeling Strike
Spider adjusts his body so the bottom of his body is facing the screen, and he rotates quickly in a cartwheel like rotation. This attack is about as strong as his Neutral Air, and functions relatively the same, with one exception. This attack only gains a special attribute if Spider has his Flamethrower equipped. In this case, a ring of fire is left behind for a second after the attack, lasting longer than most of Spider's Flamethrower based attacks and serves to prevent him from being destroyed in offground combat long enough for him to return to the ground where he excels.

D-Air: Bat Bomber
Based on the Bat enemy from the Spider Video Game, this attack causes Spider to drop one of his mines down below him, exploding on contact with an opponent or after a short fuse of one second. This attack deals out a good 8% damage if it contacts with an opponent, but is a difficult attack to land, best used to keep Spider from being juggled by opponents.

= Grab Game =
Spider's grab style might seem a little unorthodox, but as a spider, even an enlarged one, it's quite difficult to feasibly grab and throw opponents. Instead, after watching several videos of spiders hunting, I found good alternatives to how Spider can grapple against his mighty foes. First off, the actual grabbing attack involves Spider spitting a silky net of web a short distance forward and pulling any trapped opponents back towards him on a string of silk. This web is sturdier than normal grabs are, making it harder to break out of, but the throws lack the standard K.O. potential or basic knockback normal throws have.

Pummel: Dagger
Spider stabs his ensnared opponent with his dagger hand, piercing them and dealing 2% damage per strike.

F-Throw: Zorro Strike / Inferno
Spider slices his dagger in the air in front of him horizontally at the opponent, damaging them for up to 4% damage. Following that, Spider does a diagonal slash of equal power, this time slicing through the webs that hold the opponent. Finally, Spider does one more horizontal slash, again, the same power as before, and this time, the attack knocks the opponent away slightly. However, if the Flamethrower is currently equipped, instead of slashing at the opponent, Spider sends a cloud of flame at the opponent, burning them. Unlike his other fire attacks, the web prevents the opponent from escaping the attack, so the fire damage stacks up against the opponent. The fire then deteriorates the web, releasing the opponent. The fire part of this attack can do up to 15% damage.

U-Throw: Launch Pad
This attack only works if Spider has his Missile Launcher equipped. When it is equipped, Spider launches a missile directly upward, with the web holding the opponent attached to it. The missile flies up around twice the height of two Ganons, and once it reaches the peak, the rocket goes out and slowly falls. Once the missile hits the trapped opponent, they are blown up, taking somewhere in the realm of 14% damage and a decent amount of knockback, able to K.O. at 100% damage. Like all of Spider's Missile attacks, there is more start-up and ending lag than most of his attacks.

D-Throw: Buzz Saw
Spider drags the opponent underneath his body and quickly rotates around in 360s with his dagger in the opponent. This attack deals rapid combo damage, and after the whole attack is finished, something like 8% damage is dealt to the opponent. After this attack is used, the opponent is freed from the web, like the other throws. In addition to this attack, if Spider has his Boomerang equipped, the attack's damage is doubled due to a secondary blade being used.

B-Throw: Drag Off
Arguably Spider's most interesting "throw", this attack makes good use of Spider's speed and ability to walk on surfaces. When this throw is used, Spider begins dragging the opponent away backwards. After that, it becomes a race to the nearest ledge. If Spider can manage to make it to the side of a ledge, the opponent will dangle below him on a single strand. A simple attack will cause Spider to cut the thread, unraveling the thread and dropping the opponent below, although they will have an easy time recovering. If Spider can manage it, he might make it to the bottom of a platform, in which case the opponent will almost always be unable to return to the stage, netting Spider a K.O. However, this is a difficult feat, as Spider has to reach his destination within a few seconds, and even making it there could backfire on Spider, if the opponent can hit them after being released, as Spider doesn't have a reliable recovery option.

= Final Smash =
Spider Smart Bomb
Not to be confused with the item from Brawl, the Smart Bomb is the strongest upgrade in Spider: The Video Game, containing the ability to wipe out every enemy on the screen. As such, this upgrade is extremely rare and should only be used against the strongest enemies in the game, such as rats and scorpions. Obviously, killing every opponent in one attack is absurdly overpowered in Smash, so the function of the attack works differently than in the game. Instead, when the Final Smash is used, Spider ascends off the screen on a single strand of thread. Once he is off the stage, a thread shoots through the stage at incredible speeds. Within a second, a massive spider web has ensnared every opponent on the screen, preventing them from moving. Spider then descends to the center of the stage holding the Smart Bomb. The bomb then detonates, creating a huge explosion, damaging every opponent on screen. The damage is based on the distance from the center of the explosion. Opponents within a regular Smart Bomb's radius will take up to 70% damage, while opponents farther than the length of Final Destination will have their damaged lowered to 40% damage, the minimum. However, because the opponents are stuck in place, this Final Smash deals no knockback whatsoever, and serves to damage opponents so Spider can effectively take them out with his normal moveset. After the detonation, the web deteriorates, and all players drop to the stage, ready to fight.

= Spider Playstyle =
If it wasn't evident enough above, Spider specializes heavily in projectile attacks, and much prefers to fight at a ranged distance. Luckily, his speed and on ground maneuverability give him the option of escaping most foes. His ability to switch between his different upgrades changes Spider's playstyle rapidly through the course of the match, and it keeps opponents on their toes, as the different weapons are much less obvious than telling the difference between Sheik and Zelda. This allows you to mess with the opponent's mind and psyche them out.

In general, Spider's stats make him a fast striker, though K.O.s are difficult to come by for him. His speed allows him to outspeed most foes, with traction to boot, allowing him to control the stage at different points with his multiple projectiles and web traps. Naturally, while Spider does have melee options, his frail defensive stats meaning taking hits isn't recommended, hence the ranged moveset. If Spider does find himself caught in a CQC, his grabs can get opponents away from him, disrupting their flow and buying time for Spider to get away.

More than close combat, Spider wants to avoid aerial combat at all costs. All of Spider's attacks have odd hitboxes or awkward timing, and either rely on keeping opponents away from him or getting back to the ground. His Flamethrower makes his aerial game a little more respectable, though it's still not worth trying to use as a main strategy.

With Spider's Flamethrower equipped, Spider can rack up a lot of damage fast, something he greatly appreciates. The Flamethrower consistently has the most range and versatility in his A moveset than either of the other two weapons, making it a good move at earlier stages of the Brawl, when Spider has low enough damage to manage to get close to the opponent, and the opponent is healthy and Spider needs to inflict quick damage to them. Ironically, the biggest threat to Spider in this form is projectile campers, having traded his ranged Missiles and Boomerang for the Flamethrower, he can't touch foes like Ness or Pikachu.

The Missile Launcher is Spider's best K.O. upgrade, as the explosions from both the Special move and the A moveset can K.O. opponents easy at higher percentages, around 80%. This set is easily Spider's most powerful upgrade, though it's balanced out by increased lag to prevent spamming of missiles. These attacks are really good for later in the match, as the Missiles are both accurate and powerful, but not good for racking up damage.

The Boomerang of course takes the middle ground of all three upgrades, giving Spider a strong ranged attack, though weaker than the Missile Launcher, but without sacrificing anything like the Missile Launcher does. The Boomerang is simple, but effective, and works great for the middle of the match, with the potential to K.O. higher damaged enemies, and providing a reliable set of A moves and a nifty Special.

Naturally, Spider can play mind games with the opponent, setting them up for one specific attack and switching to a different one, or even just playing it out like he has a different weapon than the one equipped. When used in coordination with his other attacks, it gives Spider the control of the match, forcing the opponent to focus on what attack Spider is going to use instead of their own combat. The Poisoner and his U-Smash give him a reliable attack against aerial opponents, dealing enough damage and knockback to clip their wings, while the Electro-Beam gives Spider a weapon for any situation, a fast moving projectile that hones in on enemies.

However, all is not peachy for Spider. His biggest threats are heavier opponents like Bowser or Ganon who can walk up to Flamethrower and Boomerang attacks without fear, suffering little threat from Spider's weaker attacks and force the little guy to run away. Spider's Missile Launcher is strong enough to leave a dent on the powerhouses, but characters like Donkey Kong can wait for Spider's opening or ending lag to throw a punch and send Spider flying. Spider's best option for these larger characters is to try and set up successful traps along the stage or grab the opponent, though if they break out, Spider is going to be in trouble.

Overall, Spider is a good projectile character, if you keep his threats in mind. His ability to switch without fear as a pseudo-shield can give him quick defense if he wants it, and switching up his upgrades in the middle of a match can cause the opponent to make a slip-up or misprediction, which Spider feeds on. Spider's grabs and traps can throw the opponent off their guard and mess up their flow, giving Spider a chance to rack up good damage or even pull off an unlikely K.O.

= Animations =
Neutral: Spider sits on the stage, slowly moving his legs up and down, like a real Spider.
Idle: Spider turns towards the screen and taps his foot on the ground impatiently.
Walk: Without going to much into the mechanics of how a spider walks...
Run: That, but faster.
Dash: That, but faster.
Roll: Spider curls all of his legs up in a disc shape and rolls like a wheel (or a wheel spider).
Spot Dodge: Spider quickly drops his whole body to the ground.
Aerial Dodge: Spider's body rotates slightly, so the top of his body is pointed almost towards the screen.
Sleeping: Spider's body drops to the ground like in his Spot Dodge, and he sleeps in that position.
Crouch: Similar to his Dodging or Sleeping position, Spider brings his body to the ground.
Crawl: Spider's walking animation, but with his body closer to the ground.


= Other =
Entrance: Spider descends onto the stage on a thread
Up Taunt: Spider taps all of his legs on the ground in a circle around him.
Side Taunt: Spider juggles a mine with his back legs for a second.
Down Taunt: Spider rears back on his back four legs and pulls the pose from the cover of his game, a Safety Dance style 'S'.
Victory Theme: Unfortunately, all of the music in Spider is very unmelodic, fitting the theme. As such, some fanfare would be made for Spider's victory theme.
Victory Pose A: Spider jumps and rotates to his left, as if surprised by something, jumps to his right in a similar fashion, and then jumps to face the screen.
Victory Pose B: Spider sits atop a dead bat, striking his two front legs together.
Victory Pose C: Spider is facing far right for a second, before spitting out a web offscreen and pulling a grasshopper onto the screen.
Losing Pose: Spider sits with his body close to the ground, tapping his daggered leg on the ground repeatedly, similar to clapping.


= Palette Swaps =
Red: Black Widow
Spider takes the coloration of the aforementioned Black Widow.
Blue: Blue Tarantula
Spider takes the coloration of the aforementioned Blue Tarantula.
Green: Lynx Spider
Spider takes the coloration of the aforementioned Lynx Spider.
Yellow: Crab Spider
Spider takes the coloration of the aforementioned Crab Spider.
Other 1: Enemy Spider
Spider takes the coloration of the enemy from Spider; a silver metallic body with a black widow hourglass.
Other 2: Spinirak
Spider takes the coloration of Spinarak, a green body with a black face and detailing.
Other 3: Spiderman
Spider takes the red, blue, and black pattern from the iconic superhero's costume.

Snake: "Otacon, am I really fighting a bug?"
Otacon: "Actually, Snake, spiders are arachnids, not-"
Snake: "Whatever, who are they and how do I beat them?"
Otacon: "That's Dr. Kelly. He's a scientist trapped in the body of an experiment he was working on after he was attacked by mercenaries."
Snake: "Sounds rough. What was the experiment?"
Otacon: "He was developing microtechnological weapons to be used on remote controlled animals. Be careful, Snake. He may look harmless, but he's got a knife, a flamethrower, and even a missile launcher."
Snake: "Big deal, just give me a boot."

Otacon: "Snake..."
 
Last edited:

Smady

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
3,306
Location
K Rool Avenue
Hello Dr. Slavic, I’d love to hear more about your history as a lurker on this site and hope you do stick around for a long time making sets with us. Immediately Spider strikes me as a set that actively creates a character you can relate to as a player, in spite of the unusual size and shape. It’s not an easy character from the get-go, but you adapt to this difficulty like a natural. The weapon switch combined with a shield, a sort of counter that helps to balance the set in Spider’s favour, is cool and the options it gives Spider solely in the specials is impressive. Already at this point the set is building up a personality, if not yet a fully-developed one. The set doesn’t take off like it could have done at this point, as we get to some strange moves. The smashes are far, far too direct of moves for smashes, they don’t leave any room for personality because they’re such stalwarts of Smash Bros movesets. A character digging a hole or planting a mine underground that casually travels forward isn’t very distinctive. The set also doesn’t actually have much of a truly unique playstyle. It’s a set defined by the moves, as easily imagined as they are, it’s not a good adaptation if the character basically just brings out every tool it has on a suitable input and the playstyle ends up being a sum of those parts. Nonetheless, it’s a strong first set and one that shows plenty of promise, the extra sections and care you put into the layout, post-set sections and stats are wonderful, you should try to make your next set a little more colourful and use more images if you can find them, though.
 

Slavic

Ask not the sparrow how the eagle soars
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
757
Location
taco bell, probablyn't
Spider strikes me as a set that actively creates a character you can relate to as a player, in spite of the unusual size and shape. It’s not an easy character from the get-go, but you adapt to this difficulty like a natural. The weapon switch combined with a shield, a sort of counter that helps to balance the set in Spider’s favour, is cool and the options it gives Spider solely in the specials is impressive. Already at this point the set is building up a personality, if not yet a fully-developed one. The set doesn’t take off like it could have done at this point, as we get to some strange moves. The smashes are far, far too direct of moves for smashes, they don’t leave any room for personality because they’re such stalwarts of Smash Bros movesets. A character digging a hole or planting a mine underground that casually travels forward isn’t very distinctive. The set also doesn’t actually have much of a truly unique playstyle. It’s a set defined by the moves, as easily imagined as they are, it’s not a good adaptation if the character basically just brings out every tool it has on a suitable input and the playstyle ends up being a sum of those parts. Nonetheless, it’s a strong first set and one that shows plenty of promise, the extra sections and care you put into the layout, post-set sections and stats are wonderful, you should try to make your next set a little more colourful and use more images if you can find them, though.
Thanks for the criticism, I really appreciate it. Looking back at it, I do feel I played a little too safe in the moveset, if you know what I mean. I tossed around a couple of ideas more based on the weapon switching, but a little voice inside my head kept telling me that it was too strange or not fitting of Brawl, and I need to get away from that. Spider itself is a fairly simple game, with the only a handful of attacks (although I tried to incorporate every upgrade in some way).

I thought about making all of the special moves based on the switching upgrades, but I found including the other upgrades from the game made for an easier moveset structure. I also contemplated including the Electro-Beam and Poisoner in the switching mechanic, but that seemed harmful to the overall function, taking longer to get to the wanted weapon. The mines were originally supposed to be fast moving in both directions, but that seemed almost too powerful, so I ditched that for a wimpier bomb instead. The trap door thing was one of the first ideas I had for this character, and it wasn't until I started writing the description I realized it sounded so much like Snake's Smash, so it felt weird not to bring it up. As for the Up Smash, I will admit to being uninspired and lazy, so I simply filled in with some random Smash-styled attack.

What I feel you're saying in the end is focus on one idea and build the idea into the character. In this case, it would be the weapon upgrades. Instead of simply using everything from the game, incorporate the three weapon style into all of the attacks and make it flow into one solid character. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

As for the pictures, I do apologize. Spider was a really unknown game when it came out, so outside of grainy screenshots and cover art, there wasn't much to provide. I thought about putting images of spiders in, but I know that's a big fear of some people, so I decided against that as well. However, I am working on a new character, who I'm sure will be better and more solid, thanks to your advice.

Also, how do you put things into spoilers?
 

Smady

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
3,306
Location
K Rool Avenue
Thanks for the criticism, I really appreciate it. Looking back at it, I do feel I played a little too safe in the moveset, if you know what I mean. I tossed around a couple of ideas more based on the weapon switching, but a little voice inside my head kept telling me that it was too strange or not fitting of Brawl, and I need to get away from that. Spider itself is a fairly simple game, with the only a handful of attacks (although I tried to incorporate every upgrade in some way).

I thought about making all of the special moves based on the switching upgrades, but I found including the other upgrades from the game made for an easier moveset structure. I also contemplated including the Electro-Beam and Poisoner in the switching mechanic, but that seemed harmful to the overall function, taking longer to get to the wanted weapon. The mines were originally supposed to be fast moving in both directions, but that seemed almost too powerful, so I ditched that for a wimpier bomb instead. The trap door thing was one of the first ideas I had for this character, and it wasn't until I started writing the description I realized it sounded so much like Snake's Smash, so it felt weird not to bring it up. As for the Up Smash, I will admit to being uninspired and lazy, so I simply filled in with some random Smash-styled attack.

What I feel you're saying in the end is focus on one idea and build the idea into the character. In this case, it would be the weapon upgrades. Instead of simply using everything from the game, incorporate the three weapon style into all of the attacks and make it flow into one solid character. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

As for the pictures, I do apologize. Spider was a really unknown game when it came out, so outside of grainy screenshots and cover art, there wasn't much to provide. I thought about putting images of spiders in, but I know that's a big fear of some people, so I decided against that as well. However, I am working on a new character, who I'm sure will be better and more solid, thanks to your advice.

Also, how do you put things into spoilers?

I may be wrong, but I believe it's simply [spoiler*][/spoiler*] without the asterisks.

The set had fun and creative inputs. My problem, and I'm sorry for not being clear before, was simply a lack of flow. Moves don't work into a cohesive playstyle, there's not really an overarching idea to how Spider plays. This can be simple - Spider hangs back, uses the poison gas and changing properties of his one special to his advantage [it's more than fine to have "only" a single input like that, by the way]. This may have his simpler melee moves space the opponent away or something to that nature, all fulfilling a unique option for the player to take in succeeding in their match as Spider. Conversely, it could be complex, Spider may create an array of traps that combine in interactions like the one you had in your down and forward smash [Mine+Dig] but on a more dynamic level. It's hard to explain really, I'd recommend first of all checking out some other sets and you'll probably get what I mean rather than me clumsily trying to flesh it out in this reply.
 

BridgesWithTurtles

Smash Champion
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
2,172
Location
The long road to nowhere
3DS FC
3523-2059-7939
The age of exploration has dawned upon the
world of Arcadia. Brave adventurers set sail
across the vast skies in search of treasures untold.
And, where there is treasure,
there will be Air Pirates.

"Impossible is just a word people use to make themselves feel better when they quit."

Vyse is a 17-year old Air Pirate and the main protagonist of the RPG Skies of Arcadia. Affiliated with the Blue Rogues, Vyse is an aspiring, adventurous young lad with a never-say-die attitude. Though young, Vyse's rearing and long, challenging adventure have bestowed him with experience far beyond his years. His vehement determination has acquired him a legendary reputation far and wide across Arcadia, a world of endless sky and floating continents. Bathed in the magic of six moons, the planet is host to six elemental energy types, which are inherent in all its living inhabitants. Through the extraction of the energy of fallen moon stones, Vyse and his friends have been able to power their airships and weapons, imbuing them with the powers of the lunar bodies. Vyse's weapon of choice are his twin cutlasses, which he uses to fight with in a dual-wielding fashion.

Vyse's dream has always been to see the world; to experience its peoples, landmarks, countries, and wonders. What might lay beyond the clouds in the realm of Smash Bros is beyond the young pirate's imagination, though he knows that wherever he may go, there always exist the possibility of confrontation. Usually fighting in a small party, Vyse has his experience in swashbuckling group combat. While he's perfectly capable of fending for himself, he hasn't quite shaken his history of battling with his crew. As a result, Vyse's playstyle emphasizes cooperation with other fighters, and is most effective in battles involving teams.

Size ~ 5​
Weight ~ 5​
Jumping ~ 7​
Ground Speed ~ 6​
Traction ~ 8​
Air Speed ~ 8​
Fall Speed ~ 8​

Vyse appears to fall into the mid-to-high tier for most of his stats, corresponding to his role as an everyman in Skies of Arcadia. This doesn't make him too impressive at first glance, but his middling stats play well into making him not only a good assistant, but also a dependent, in team battles. While much of Vyse's moveset lingers in the field of offense, his mild ground speed prevents him from being a true rushdown fighter. His decent jumps, air speed, and fall speed, on the other sword-wielding hand, contribute greatly to his ground-to-sky and vise-versa chasing capabilities, allowing the pirate to keep pursuit over his victims. Vyse's attacks tend to have a lot of “impact”; resonating booms and shredding slice sounds accompany most of his landed hits. In spite of the apparent presence of power behind much of Vyse's attacks, he isn't exceptionally powerful, preferring to keep his enemies around longer so that he may enact a more gruling series of skillful attacks on them.

Defensively, Vyse's lacking weight keeps him from lasting too long into a stock, though the shifty rogue has some tricks that allow him to extend the time he spends on a life. His middle-ground frame sees him standing just taller than Falco, his height restrained by his crouching stance. A modestly large shield helps, to some extent, protect Vyse from projectile spam, which he may find to be a nuisance.


Idle Stance
Vyse, the swashbuckling sailor that he is, slightly shimmies forward and back in a battle-ready stance, holding his right cutlass out to his side, with the other held facing backward.

Walk
Vyse approaches forward slowly, back and knees bent. He holds both cutlasses forward, with his left sword held straight out and the other slightly retracted at his side.

Crouch
Vyse bends down onto one knee and one foot, his right sword held forward at his side, and his left sword resting on the ground, with his palm on top of it.

Dash
Leaning forward slightly, Vyse dashes, right cutlass held facing forward and left cutlass facing outward from Vyse.

Jump
A quick bound off of the ground, darting into the air with his right sword held across his chest and his left sword facing behind him. Vyse's midair jump has him backflipping or frontflipping, with his swords held crossed over his chest or both diagonally outward, respectively.

Shield
Vyse raises his left cutlass to guard his face with its blunt side, and holds his right one with its sharp edge facing in front of his body.

Sidestep
Quickly side-hops into the background, then jumps back into the action.

Roll
When rolling backwards, Vyse crosses his swords in an X-formation over his chest while backflipping once. A short-distance roll that comes out quickly. When rolling forward, Vyse somersaults with his cutlasses held outward beside him. This gives the same distance as his backward roll, but is slower.

Air Dodge
Strikes a pose with his right cutlass held facing backward and his left cutlass held facing forward, and with one leg extended diagonally behind him.

Helpless Fall
Falls with one leg held below the other, and both arms raised and bent.

Edgehang
Vyse, face stern with determination, grips the ledge with his left forearm resting atop the stage's lip, his left hand pressing down on his cutlass. He holds his right arm down at his side, cutlass facing downward.

Trip
Reeling back on one leg, Vyse lands on his rear, dropping his right sword beside him and holding his left behind him. With his free right hand, he brushes his hair in embarassment, smiling with his eyes closed.

Sleep
Vyse is so persistant that he doesn't even take time to lay down, instead resting his right forearm on his right knee, forehead pressed to his arm. The blue “sleep effect” indicator from Skies of Arcadia appears over Vyse's head.


Neutral Special – Moon Stone Shift
The Moon Stone Shift is Vyse's most important and defining move, and the first action that should be mastered by prospecting players. Pressing the special button causes Vyse to shift which type of moon stone his cutlasses are powered by, thus changing their properties (along with their color) and the function of some attacks. Vyse will always start a battle with the red moon stone equipped, representing his associated element, fire. The Moon Stone Shift cycles through the spectrum of moon stones in a set order: red (fire), purple (ice), blue (wind and water), yellow (electricity), silver (dark/light/void), green (earth), red (fire). Shifting moon stones is instantaneous (pressing the button rapidly can shift through the entire list in one second) and is accompanied by a distinct sword-unsheathing sound effect, and Vyse can even shift his element during most of the frames of his attacks, though he cannot shift when grabbed, helpless, in a grab-release or flinching animation, or otherwise incapacitated. Nonetheless, the ability to shift at almost any time grants Vyse the ability to mix up different element combinations for potentially highly effective combos.

As previously stated, the color of Vyse's weapon dictates the element that is associated with it, which affects how opponents react to his attacks. Like the inhabitants of Arcadia, all of the other fighters have elements that they are associated with. They respond to Vyse's attacks according to the rules set forth by the Skies of Arcadia type chart.

[collapse=Element Relationships]

[/collapse]

While it may seem complicated, the translation is simple. An advantageous attack deals 1.25x the normal amount of damage, while a doubly advantageous attack deals 1.5x the normal amount of damage. Likewise, resisted attacks deal .75x the normal amount of damage, with doubly resisted attacks dealing only .50x the normal amount. All damage output in this set will be given assuming hits are neutral, and all attacks make use of this system unless specified.

Elemental affiliations of the other fighters:
Croagunk – Green
Tamoe Mami – Yellow
Mace Windu – Silver
Swallowman – Blue
Megumi – Silver
Jinbe – Blue
Gruesome Twosome – Yellow
Ultron – Yellow
Lord Magnemite – Yellow
Shadow – Silver
Hammer Bro – Blue
Axel – Yellow
Anthill Mob – Red
Bubble Witch Marin – Blue
Starforce Megaman – Yellow
Minami – Purple
ChuChus – Yellow
Ho-oh – Red
Samurott – Blue
Zoboomafoo – Green
Blaziken – Red
Bad Girl – Purple
Koffing – Green
Gyarados – Blue
Merlina – Silver
SSB Luigi – Red
Dark Falz – Silver
Volknerr – Green
Spider-Man – Green
Sho Minamimoto - Purple
Nitros Oxide – Red
Lethe – Green
Little Nemo – Blue
Riesz – Green
Vespiquen – Green
The Six Samurai – Kamon - Red
Spider - Yellow
Vyse – Varies based on equipped moon stone.
Salvatore - Red
Pinsir - Green
Armored Ventus Nightmare - Silver
Slayer - Silver
Sol Badguy - Red
TAC - Varies; Normally, TAC has no elemental alignment, but after copying enough of an opponent's moves, he takes on their element.
General Zod - Blue
Elec Man - Yellow
King Boo - Silver
Blizzard Man - Purple
Quick Man - Blue
Pac-Man - Yellow
Tingle - Green
Ring Man - Yellow
Magnet Man - Yellow
Kudgel - Red
Guts Man - Green
Dive Man - Blue
Heracross - Green
Vanellope von Schweetz - Yellow
Dr. Ivo Robotnik - Yellow
Whiscash - Blue
Soldier - Red
Ares - Silver
Dipper and Mabel Pines - Silver
Rain - Blue
Scrooge McDuck - Blue
Blood Falcon - Red

Nintendogs - Green
Cody Travers - Blue
Pichu - Yellow
Strider Hiryu - Yellow
Jet the Hawk - Blue
Omega Ridley - Red
Dust Man - Blue

Even a pirate with an eyepatch can see that elemental matchups are important. Even though the difference in damage may seem minuscule, the multipliers can have a great effect. A doubly-resisted attack that normally would deal 5% damage would only deal 2-3% damage, essentially making an average attack little more than a slap on the wrist. Likewise, an attack that deals 30% damage could potentially deal 45%, tearing holes in an enemy's health. To correctly make use of Vyse's attacks, intelligent use of the Moon Stone Shift is required. Learn the order, learn the timing, learn the matchups, and Vyse's playstyle comes into clear view, opening up the doors to the rest of his moveset.

Pictured: Vyse's swords imbued with the power of a red moon stone, giving them a red, translucent appearance.

When Kirby copies Vyse's power, he gains the ability to shift moon stones (changing the color of his eyes as an indicator), and automatically shoots out a small burst of energy of whatever color he shifts to. This burst fires out ¾ the length of a Battlefield platform, straight from Kirby's hands. The attack follows the damage output rules of the type chart, with a 10% default power. Knockback is simlar to Kirby's own Forward Tilt. He also gets Vyse's hair and eyepatch/DBZ scouter hybrid...so that's pretty cool.

Down Special – Counterstrike
This move is not affected by Vyse's moonstone color. Bracing the blunt sides of both of his swords in front of himself, Vyse shouts “Bring it on!” and takes a counter-ready stance. The timing for this counter isn't anything very demanding, with a window similar in duration to Lucario's Double Team. If hit by a direct attack, Vyse quickly responds with an unavoidable downward slice from his right cutlass, which deals the same amount of damage that the opponent's attack would have done, in addition to Vyse himself taking half of the damage from the attack. Very slight, fixed knockback is also dealt. Counterstrike cannot parry indirect attacks.

With fixed knockback, an inability to reflect projectiles, and a halved-damage penalty, Counterstrike may come across as a pointlessly weak counter. However, the primary function of the move is not its main draw, nor is it its central use. If the down special input is held for 1.5 seconds, Vyse “charges” his counter, upgrading Counterstrike into its more potent form: Skull Shield, which will activate the next time Vyse counters. When attacked, Vyse will raise both arms, his swords pointing toward the sky, and summon the Pirate Spectre, the spirit of a deceased rogue.
The Pirate Spectre instantly counters for Vyse, swinging its massive cutlass to hit the attacking opponent for 20% damage (this is unaffected by Vyse's weapon type). In addition to countering the enemy's attack, Vyse will take no damage, and the Pirate's Spectre deals moderate, unfixed knockback, significantly improving upon the basic functionality of Counterstrike.

But the improvements don't end there. The Pirate Spectre continues to block attacks for Vyse for three more hits. These parries only apply to standard attacks, and the effect wears off after 8 seconds; during this time, Counterstrike functions as normal, though pulling off another Skull Shield does not add to the longevity of the automatic Pirate Spectre. This effect is the perfect way to limit an enemy's options, granting the player an easier time reading the foe's next actions, as any attacks that aren't grabs or specials become useless, lest the opponent risk 20% or more of damage.

If the player feels sufficient in their ability to defend themselves, they can instead bestow the effect of the Pirate Spectre onto an ally. When activating the counter, just as the Pirate Spectre appears but before it attacks, the player can direct the spirit either left or right using the joystick, which will cause Vyse to swipe his swords in the inputted direction, flinging the guardian ghost in the desired direction (Vyse still counters for himself, though only in Counterstrike form). The ghost only flies 4.5 character spaces before disappearing, but if it contacts an ally, all of the benefits of the auto-counter will then be granted to that partner (with the same 8-second time limit). Should he be fighting in a 3-man crew, Vyse can assign the Spectre to both of his teammates at the same time, though he must activate Skull Shield twice in order to do so (in rapid execution, given its time limit). While the benefits of the Skull Shield seem powerful, it is fairly difficult to pull off, and some degree of teamwork is required in order to bestow it upon someone else, as the player and their partner will need to be aligned well enough for the directed spirit to contact its target; failure results in a wasted attempt, though Vyse still counters for himself.

Up Special – Rain of Swords
Rays of light emit upward from a circle around the pirate's feet as Vyse crouches down slightly for a second, preparing a great leap so long as the input is held, then forcefully jumps into the air at an 80-degree angle, traveling six character spaces (though he can travel three if the move is not charged and the input is released early). At the height of his jump, Vyse, pausing in midair and swords crossed across his chest, swipes both weapons outward, releasing twelve bursts of light that travel diagonally toward the ground, six of which exist on the plane of battle. This spray of hitboxes tends to pelt foes in its path with a barrage of impacts, each dealing 9% damage. While knockback is low, the attack itself serves a defensive purpose, creating a showering wall of projectiles that can shield Vyse from enemies attempting to approach from the ground, making this attack a short-hopper's worst enemy. In addition, Rain of Swords can also be used as a pseudo-shield to guard one of Vyse's allies below him. Offensively, the attack serves well in allowing Vyse to approach, as the sting from the projectiles is often enough to allow Vyse to follow up after landing, providing him with the opportunity to string in another attack, making this a decent strategy to land a finishing blow. However, the move is very telegraphed, so it is best used, both as an attack and a shield, if the player can properly read their opponent. Vyse is left semi-helpless after using this move, being able to perform aerial standards, air dodge, and shift his moon stone, but nothing else.

When used in the air, Rain of Swords works much the same way, though without anything for Vyse to jump off of, it has a decreased distance of five character spaces total.

Side Special – Cutlass Fury
Vyse stops in place for ¼ of a second, then, if uninterrupted, quickly bursts forward ¾ of a Battlefield platform in length, initiating a string of attacks that rely on the special move button nd a joystick input being pressed upon impact in order to initiate each succeeding hit. If using all upward inputs, Vyse slices the foe with an inward slash from his left cutlass, uppercuts with his left blade, slashes upward with both swords together, then brings both swords together at his left hip, swinging them high up as he jumps. The strikes deal 5%, 7%, 6%, and 8% respectively. As Vyse jumps upward, the upward swing, with fixed vertical knockback, brings opponents with him; a distance of four character spaces. Vyse ends his onslaught by holding both swords together, and slamming them down, plummeting to the ground along with his opponent, putting them into prone state, from which Vyse can read their next tech and attempt to capitalize on it. This final blow deals 9% damage. However, if the input for Up Special is inserted instead of the normal input for Vyse's jumping strike, he will instead leave his opponent on the ground, and use Rain of Swords instead. This significantly cuts down on the move's normal start-up, and allows for mix-ups that can potentially make the move easier to execute and land.

With all downward inputs, Vyse uses the same inward slash from his left cutlass, then diagonally downward and inward with his right cutlass, downward and inward with his left cutlass, then foregoes the jump and finishes with a downward slam with both swords together that puts the enemy in prone state. The same damage is done regardless of which inputs are used; they key differences lay in their hitbox functionalities. Failing to press either an upward or downward input during this move cancels its execution mid-use. In addition, Vyse can cancel into any of his ground moves at any time during this move. If used in the air, Cutlass Fury functions the same way, and Vyse's descent is stalled completely for the first two hits and then slightly for the rest. He can cancel into any of his aerial moves.

Cutlass Fury deals a total of 35% damage, and 52-53% when amplified by a max type multiplier. While this may be a hefty chunk of damage, it may be preferable to cancel into another move early and end the string before it can finish through.


Forward Smash – Sword Wave
Vyse twists his torso to his right, winding up for a strike, then swings his right cutlass in a horizontal half-circle that encompasses the full 180-degrees in front of his body. Right before delivering the blow, the move can be canceled into a jab or Forward Tilt. While deceptively short in range, and a bit slow to start up, this attack has little in the way of cooldown and packs a decent punch, dealing 13-20% damage and killing horizontally at ~130% damage uncharged. Like other Forward Smashes, it can be angled. When this move is fully charged, the sword glints just before it is swung, and if the equipped moon stone is red, it sends out an arc-shaped wave, about as long as Kirby's cutter wave (though much more flat) and as fast as a thrown item straight forward (or diagonally if angled), traveling in midair for the length of ¾ of Battlefield. While the range may seem impressive, it should not be thrown out recklessly in a team match, as the projectile could mean big trouble for Vyse's allies. In singles and team matches, the wave can work well as a pseudo-shield to deter approaching enemies, or as a way to punish rollers who dodge the physical brunt of the attack, and even though it's a projectile, another Vyse can counter the wave with Counterstrike. At middle percentages, Jab and Forward Tilt both lead well into the beam, and smart tech reads can catch an opponent getting up from Down Tilt off guard.The projectile portion of the attack deals less knockback than the actual sword strike, and kills at around 190%.

If the equipped moon stone is yellow, the wave sent out from this move is replaced by Electri, a lightning strike spell that sends out a narrow bolt of electricity that deals less damage than normal, at 18%, but stuns opponents for ½ of a second and passes through characters. The range of the projectile is still the same.

A green moon stone changes the projectile into an earth rupture attack that distorts the floor of the stage or platform, traveling along the ground. Foes hit by this attack are launched into the air. At very low percentages, this is useful for tech-chasing in the same manner as DK's Hand Slap, as it sends the enemy only a few inches from the ground. Vyse can initiate a combo string on a foe's fresh stock by flipping them up with the quake and then using Quika to meet and catch them with a grab or second attack. At higher percentages, it is a possible kill move, sending foes off the top of the screen and killing at 150%. Damage output is the same as normal.

A blue moon stone sends out a small wave of water along the ground, traveling at a slower speed than its other variations, at Kirby's running speed and the height of a crouching Pikachu. The wave eventually dissipates as the other versions of the projectile do, but travels off of ledges. Foes are weakly pushed as the wave runs into them, dealing small, multiple hits that add up to a maximum of 23%. This can weakly pull enemies down off of a stage, similar to a weaker versions of Piplup, and is also useful in “passing” foes to an ally.

A purple wave is nearly identical to the red version, though it freezes the foe it contacts in a block of ice, like the Blizzard of the Ice Climbers. If Vyse is quick to follow up, he can potentially engage his opponent as they are about to break free from the ice.

A silver projectile takes the shape of a silver crescent shape that spins as it travels. Those it contacts are “stuck” to the projectile, spinning along with it as it travels. When the projectile reaches its max range, it disappears, slinging the foe back toward Vyse. If timed correctly, this can be chained into Vyse's Down Tilt, or for more advanced options, Vyse can attempt to meet his opponent with an attack out of Quika.

The sword strike itself is an important part of the move, being the primary killer of the sword-wave duo. In addition, the range of the move extends just slightly behind Vyse, allowing him to possibly hit a foe standing behind him (though this requires very close proximity). This is helpful in playing into reads and punishing rollers, as well as protecting an ally behind oneself from an assailant, though in a friendly fire match, back-to-back partners are forced to either read one another very well or stay seperated, as this move could backfire and damage an ally.

Up Smash – Slice and Dice
Holding both cutlasses above his head, Vyse twirls his twin weapons in a synchronized, clock-wise motion. Shredding aerial foes up for multiple hits of .07% damage, a total of 16-25% damage may be dealt depending on DI, launching foes upward diagonally. The entire animation takes about 1.25 seconds to execute, giving Vyse ample time to shift moon stones during the attack, should the opportunity arise that another fighter enters the hitboxes of the move during its duration. This is a relatively weak move in terms of knockback, killing at ~190% when uncharged.

Some of this attack's properties are altered by Vyse's moon stones. The basic attack described above is universal, but different elements add their own quirks. The fire variant adds burn damage to the attack.

Purple weapons shred foes up with chunks of ice while a chilling gale swirls around Vyse's swords. The icy crystals in this move alter its launch trajectory, sending foes vertically.

Silver weapons create a gravity-bending rend of energy that increases the pull strength of the move, and launches foes outward in a horizontal path. Smart players can use this variation to pull in foes, then launch them by switching to the ice variant. Damage is lessened from the fire variant by 7%.

Yellow weapons emit electricity from the edges of the swords, electrocuting foes in a manner similar to Pichu's Forward Smash before launching them. This keeps them vulnerable to an ally's attack, but deals 4% less damage than the fire variant.

Blue weapons create a swashing, swirling aura of water within the hitbox range, dealing 5% less damage than normal. At the end of the move, Vyse swings both swords upward, creating a splash of water that tosses the opponent upward and causes them to tumble to the ground, putting them in a prone state. This variant has little KO potential.

Green weapons grind foes up with a bit of rubble and dirt, dealing the maximum amount of damage but a bit less knockback than the fire variant, making it more useful for combos at higher percentages.

Down Smash – Whirlwind Strike
Like some Forward Tilts and Forward Smashes, this move can be angled, either forward or backward. If angled forward (or if no directional input is given), Vyse, crouching, swipes his right sword down clockwise at an angle at the ground in front of him, dealing 11-17% damage and dealing moderate upward diagonal knockback to his target, then twisting to slice backward, counter-clockwise along the ground with his left cutlass, a hitbox which deals 9-15% damage and pulls any target behind him to stand in front of himself. If this move is angled backward, then the reverse happens. Vyse swings his left cutlass, behind his back, clockwise, dealing an identical hit to its forward version, then swings his right cutlass in front of him counter-clockwise, dragging any target in front of him to land right behind him. The initial hit of this move kills at 170%. Transition from one phase of the move can be slowed by a small amount with timed presses of the attack button.

This is a crazy move that grants Vyse the ability to reposition his teammates, should he have any. The first hit of the attack knocks foes away, and the second hit drags a partner in to take their place. This can be used to force a teammate to take an attack for oneself or engage a foe head-on, or, if the player feels less cruel, it can also be used to save or protect a teammate in immediate danger. Of course, both players should be fighting on the same wavelength and should mutually have a general idea of when this move is going to be used, lest unwelcome scenarios, such as knocking away allies and dragging foes into range of punishment, become a regular event. Luckily, due to Vyse's nearly universal moon stone shifting, damage on an ally can be mitigated while maximizing damage on an enemy by quickly shifting moon stones from a high-damage output stone to one of a lesser strength, a process aided by transition slowing as described in the above paragraph.​

Jab – Cutlass Slice
Vyse raises his right arm, and swipes downward with his cutlass. A fairly basic move with two separate, linking hitboxes in a manner similar to Wolf's Forward Tilt, dealing 2% and 3% damage. Granting decent knockback for a jab, this is a relatively quick move that serves reliably in mix-ups and reads, but has little use outside of such situations, as it is outclassed by other moves in Vyse's arsenal.

Floor Attack – Arc Blade
Vyse rises and crouches, swinging his left cutlass diagonally up behind his shoulder. This knocks any opponent behind him into the air just above and behind Vyse, dealing 4% damage. If the attack button is pressed again, Vyse foregoes entering his idle stance, and instead backflips up from his position, landing one character space behind his previous position, putting him right behind the launched opponent and allowing him to follow up with any number of options, such as a Rain of Swords if the opponent is unsuspecting and techs downward, or a jab if they try to fall in front of Vyse for an attack.

Floor Attack (Strong) – Bootleg
Performing a quick recovery, Vyse handstands while facing the camera, spreading his legs out on either side of himself and kicking with his boots. Fairly telegraphed and not too quick to come out, this move lingers for about 2 frames, giving it some exploitative value. Knockback is low, and damage output is 3%. Vyse's moon stone does not affect this attack.

Trip Attack – Unsuspecting Strike
In his sitting position, Vyse feigns his own embarassment at having tripped by smirking and quickly jabbing his left sword along the ground behind him, tripping the opponent in retaliation and dealing 3% damage.

Ledge Attack – Cutlass Spear
Vyse hoists himself up, and, holding himself up with his knees and one hand, stabs forward with his right cutlass, low to the ground. The attack has rather impressive range and a lingering hitbox, and deals low knockback coupled with 5% damage.

Ledge Attack (Strong) – Rogue's Landing
Vyse front-flips onto the stage, rising two character spaces into the air before slamming down to the ground at the edge of the platform in a tripod stance with his right arm behind him, dealing next to no knockback, but a bit of stun resulting from the sheer unexpectedness of the attack. Only the downward motion of this maneuver deals damage, a slight 3%, making it weaker than Vyse's “weak” ledge attack. What makes this move “stronger” are the options it gives.

If the attack button is pressed again as Vyse lands, he'll rise to his feet and swing his right cutlass upward at an angle, starting at his left hip and ending above his right shoulder. If the attack manages to connect with an enemy (more easily done if they're stunned by the first part of the attack), they are dealt 5% damage, sent two character spaces into the air, and can possibly be followed for another hit. Only this part of the attack calculates Vyse's moon stone.

The player can also press the shield button after landing to have Vyse roll backward and snap right back onto the ledge, possibly allowing for a partner to follow up on the stun provided by his initial leap, or simply to play mind games and mix up one's pattern.

Dash Attack – Quika
Vyse pauses for ¼ of a second, a blue ring of light emitting from around his feet. He then bursts forward at light speed for a maximum of three character spaces, dealing no damage. Vyse moves so quickly that he disappears, appearing to teleport. He reappears either in place or one, two, or three character spaces away, determined by the timing of an attack input. Vyse will reappear using any of his ground attacks (chosen by the player), including his grab, possibly catching his enemy off-guard and allowing Vyse to intercept, mix-up, or play mind-games. Tilting the control stick in the opposite direction will cause Vyse to face the other way when he reappears, forcing his opponent to rely on a difficult read to dodge or block accordingly. Vyse can even Moon Stone Shift while teleporting, allowing him to pull off some devious stunts. The sound effect of shifting does not occur during the invisiblity frames, so while the player must know the pattern and timing of the Moon Stone Shift exceptionally well in order to effectively make use of Quika shifting, the foe will have no idea whether the player is shifting or not.

Forward Tilt – Piercing Purge
Vyse quickly leans into a straight stab, dealing 8% damage and “impaling” the enemy by locking them in place. Vyse can either choose to end the attack here, leaving the opponent stunned for ¼ of a second after releasing them, or input the attack button again to transition from the stab into a rising cutlass “pimp slap” from the hilt of his left cutlass, knocking the opponent away with 5% damage, killing at 185%.

The initial stun from the first hit gives Vyse the opportunity to retreat and judge the opponent's next tech (the stun isn't long enough for him to reliably use another attack every time), or leave them susceptible to a partner's attack. This move is useful in multiple ways, acting as a pseudo-defensive tech-forcing move that allows the player to choose whether they wish to cancel the action early or string into a knock-away attack.

Up Tilt – Hoist
At half of the speed of Piercing Purge, Vyse swings both swords up together as he clutches them side-by-side, their chopping ends facing upward. This has the property of sending targets into the air, about 4-6 character spaces, depending on percentage. Dealing 7% damage, this move puts foes right into position for a following Rain of Swords or an aerial attack, though the launch trajectory varies based on where the move connects and how the foe DIs. The tips of Vyse's swords send enemies into the air at a forward angle, potentially out of range, while the middle portions send them straight up or at a slight forward or backward slant, depending on DI. Contact with Vyse's hands results in a meager 2% damage; however, it launches targets straight upward at the heighest distance, and gives them greatest control over their trajectory. With friendly fire turned on, Vyse can also hoist his teammates, so it is preferable for Vyse's hands to make contact, not only to deal less damage, but also to provide the best possible set-ups. Some characters would not be able to perform aerial chases of high caliber without assistance from Vyse. The maneuver has many applications, with a simple strategy involving hoisting an ally immediately after tossing an enemy, or vise-versa: tossing an enemy into an airborne ally's range of attack. Obviously, the hand part of this move's hitbox is not affected by moon stones.

Down Tilt – Sliding Kick
Vyse slides along the ground for one character space with one leg extended. If he contacts a grounded enemy (the only way for this move to hit), he kicks off of the opponent, sending them sliding anywhere from ¾ of a Battlefield platform in length to two of such platforms in length, depending on the enemy's damage. 5% damage is dealt. Vyse himself kicks into the air just a few inches, allowing him time to execute one aerial move before landing, though the choice to do so will result in landing lag, for obvious reasons. This move is not affected by moon stones.

The sliding knockback provided by this move is useful in “passing” enemies to an ally.

Neutral Aerial – Cutlass Cross
Vyse pulls his legs in so that he's in an almost sitting position, and brings both cutlasses in over his chest in an X-formation. Immediately, he pulls his swords apart in an X-shaped slicing motion. As he pulls his swords inward, a small hitbox on the weapons deals 3% damage and pulls enemies in toward the area where the swords meet, before pushing the target out with the outward part of the attack, which deals 15% damage in a small range directly in front of Vyse. This attack kills at 140%. The transition from the pull to the push portions of this action lends itself to a moon stone shift, should Vyse which to do so.

Forward Aerial – Dual Slice
Raising both cutlasses over his head a la the final hit of Cutlass Fury, Vyse quickly brings both swords down in front of him, slicing down to his waist-level. Dealing 15%, this move spikes, dunking foes toward the ground. By fast-falling, Vyse can often reach his opponent in time to continue his assault. Comes out rather quickly, though even as a sword-based move, its range is disappointingly low.

Back Aerial – Lunar Cleave
Vyse, almost non-chalantly, swings upward behind his back with his backward-facing left cutlass, creating a swishing blur of light resembling a crescent moon. The upward motion of the swing launches targets depending on the point of the motion that contacts them. While in its initial frames of swinging backward, the blade sends fighters diagonally upward behind Vyse. As it comes upward, the attack sends the target in a more vertical path, and while curling forward toward the back of Vyse's shoulder, it sends them diagonally forward and upward in front of Vyse. Deals 14% damage and kills at ~155% for most variations.

Each moon stone adds an accompanying stream of energy that trails Vyse's sword, extending behind it in a (usually) lingering arc. Red leaves a trail of fire that singes and eats projectiles that contact it, safeguarding Vyse from the back (deals 3%). Yellow brings a crackling arc of electricity that does not linger, but stuns opponents (even in midair) for ½ of a second (deals 5%). Blue creates a sudden, curling wind current that launches targets 1.5x higher than normal (making it excellent for getting foes off one's back or aiding an ally's movement). Green leaves behind a noxious, shining aura that poisons anyone it contacts, dealing 2% per second for 3 seconds. Purple creates an arc of sharp ice that melts away after 2/3 of a second, but knocks foes at a downward angle (deals 7%). Silver sends out a crescent-shaped arc that travels straight behind Vyse at Jigglypuff's dash speed for a distance of one Battlefield platform, granting Vyse a tricky projectile that serves well in punishing opponents (deals 4%). Vyse can short-hop away from a foe with one element equipped, baiting them to pursue, but unexpectedly shift to silver and give them a nice treat.

Like other moves in Vyse's repertoire, the trajectory on this attack allows Vyse to choose a way to position his ally, given that they're willing to take some damage. If Vyse follows an Up Tilt hoist with a quick jump and Lunar Cleave, his target can gain substantial height.

Up Aerial – Lunar Rend
Vyse holds his left arm into the air, spinning his cutlass in a counter-clockwise motion, creating a full circle above himself and leaving a blur of light resembling a full moon. The animation takes about .75 of a second, with the target receiving knockback dependent on which part of the hitbox they contacted. 13% damage is given. Because of this attack's large area of effect, it can be difficult for teammates to avoid, but it also works as a high-priority shield that deflects projectiles in directions based on positioning. While it may pose a threat to teammates, it also serves well in protecting them, as well as Vyse himself. Kills at 190%.

This move has elemental variations. Red imbues the sword with flame, creating a ring of fire that deals burn damage.

Yellow shooks sparks out from the sword, radiating around all sides of the hitbox, acting as a single hit that zaps the enemy, increasing this move's area of effect. Damage is 2-3% less than the fire version.

Green emits a shining green aura around the hitbox, poisoning foes for 2% per second for 3 seconds; if foes are caught within the center of the circle, the move is sweetspotted, and they are badly poisoned for 4% a second for 3 seconds.

Blue creates a current of wind that travels around the spinning sword, redirecting projectiles and nearby items based on where they contact the wind hitbox. Additionally, fighters are dragged in the general direction of the wind if they are nearby, but this effect is not significant. 5% less damage is dealt.

Purple encases the sword in a strong coat of ice, giving the attack high priority at the cost of encasing the sword's bladed edge and reducing damage by 8%.

Silver creates a gleaming grey void within the circle, which pulls foes, projectiles, and items inward toward the attack, with an effective pull range of ¾ of a character space around the hitbox. Enemies and items are shredded by the sword and this pseudo-black hole, while projectiles are completely absorbed. 4% damage is lost in exchange. In team battles, Vyse can use this move to great effect in protecting he and his partner from projectile spam. Additionally, the pull effect of this move is great for punishing air dodgers and helpless fallers; Vyse can pull them off of the stage if they are close enough, then use his recovery to keep himself alive.

Down Aerial – Sky Bomber
A stall-then-fall move similar to Sonic's dive kick, Vyse pounces downward at ¾ the speed of Zero Suit Samus' plummet, right cutlass held out in front of him. While falling, Vyse zips through any target in his path, dealing some stun accompanied by 8% damage. While Vyse does not plummet indefinitely, he falls for half the height of Skyworld's ceiling before leaving this move's animation.

When Vyse hits the ground, he crashes blade-first, piercing any bystander for 10% damage and low knockback. Rather unimpressive as an attack, this move works best for mobility and chasing. When Vyse's fall speed isn't quite enough, this plummeting maneuver can get him to the ground faster, allowing him to chase foes to the ground just as Rain of Swords allows him to bring a grounded fight to the air. This move also allows Vyse to intercept attacks on his allies. While landing lag is moderate, Vyse isn't drastically vulnerable should this move miss, though it should be used cleverly, like the rest of his arsenal. Throwing it out carelessly weakens its effectiveness.

Grab
Vyse grabs with both arms grasping the target's shoulders, cutlasses gripped firmly and facing forward. Because both of his hands are occupied, Vyse has a clumsy and low-range dash grab and a slow standing grab.

Pummel – Pirate's Scorn
Vyse, smirking in confidence, knees his captive with his right leg. A moderately-high speed grab attack that deals 2-3% per hit. Its damage output is the same, regardless of moon stone equipped.

Forward Throw – Cutlass Wrath
Vyse sternly slices away at his opponent in a series of quick sword strikes, accumulating to a total of 13% damage. The final hit knocks enemies at a 45-degree incline, killing at 165%. The entire animation lasts for 1.5 seconds, leaving Vyse vulnerable. While best used in a 1v1 situation, this throw does have its usefulness in multiplayer matches, as the foe is held in place long enough for another player to capitalize on their vulnerability. Ideally, an ally should attempt an easy KO during this window.

Back Throw – Quick Shift
Vyse, holding his opponent with both arms, quickly twirls around, pressing his back to his captive and reversing the direction each of them faces. Dealing 6% damage, this weak throw is unaffected by moon stones and is useful for quickly repositioning an ally (or using them as a shield). If the shifted individual is swung into another character, the third player takes 4% damage and modest horizontal knockback. Essentially acting as a more efficient version of Down Smash when used on an ally, it's also a more situational move.

Up Throw – Rising Strike
Vyse smacks the enemy with the hilt of his right cutlass, stunning the foe, then quickly rolls around through the background to stand behind them, bringing both swords upward from his left side at a diagonal angle. The foe is propelled upward (being star KO'd at 180%). The first hit deals 4% damage, while the second deals 8%.

Vyse is able to to cancel the second parts of this attack by pressing and holding the shield button at one of two times. If the shield button is pressed after attacking with the hilt, Vyse immediately dodge-rolls backward. He can do the same after the automatic roll to the opponent's backside, causing him to continue his roll and distance himself from the enemy. Both options are valuable in that Vyse can stun his opponent, then remove himself from the situation, allowing an ally to step in for an attack. Such a tactic is also useful in tech chase reads based on how the opponent recovers from their stun state, which functions as a grab release. A new type of depth emerges in team battles, where Vyse can cleverly use his dodges and rolls to deal damage on his captive while avoiding their partner's advances. With three different ways to carry out the throw, players should mix their choices up so that opponents are never certain of exactly what the player will do.

Down Throw – Wevli
A blue circle of light shines up from around Vyse's feet, and a shining, azure vortex of wind and water, resembling a whirlpool, encompasses the enemy, spinning them round while racking up 8% damage. The whirlpool is about a head taller than Ganondorf, and one character space in width. After Wevli racks up damage for 2.5 seconds, the whirlpool collapses and dissipates, dragging the opponent to the ground and instantly putting them into a prone position in a splash of water that deals 4% damage, for a total of 12% overall. Vyse can then use this opportunity to tech chase the opponent. 4% damage is also dealt to any non-captive opponent that finds their way into the attack's hitbox.

Wevli deals blue (water) damage, regardless of which moon stone Vyse has equipped.


Pirates' Wrath / Delphinus Bombardment
Vyse's fighting style differs so much between 1-on-1 and multi-man environments that the crafty pirate has decided to use a different Final Smash depending on the situation.

In a 1-on-1 brawl, Vyse gets personal with Pirates' Wrath. The screen darkens as the background shifts into a celestial night sky, with moon stone comets falling in the distance. “Behold,” Vyse shouts, raising his right sword into the air. A large tornado, which pulls in nearby foes, is conjured around the pirate, and a crackling bolt of lightning shoots straight down the cyclone's center. Vyse swings his raised cutlass, dissolving the tornado and sending the lightning bolt crackling across the length of the stage. If the bolt contacts anyone, whether while in the tornado or while it is traveling, they are dealt 40% damage and stunned in place. As soon as (and if) a single opponent is stunned, Vyse darts through the sky to reach them while shouting “Pirates' Wrath!”, delivering two wide-swinging sword slashes that form a skull-and-crossbones insignia over the foe. A massive explosion result from this concussive attack, dealing 60% damage to the enemy, and almost certainly killing them. While somewhat difficult to avoid, the lightning bolt can be dodged by ledgehanging, ending Vyse's fit of destruction prematurely. The entire process is a shortened version of this.

In a team battle, however, Vyse takes a far different approach. He calls upon his (stolen) airship, the Delphinus, the most technologically advanced and powerful warship created by the Valuan Empire. The massive vessel lowers itself in the background, and Vyse backflips onto the ship. Pulling around to about 40 feet in the background, Vyse commands his vessel's crew to rain destruction upon the stage. A targeting reticle appears, which can be moved with the joystick, dictating the direction of fire from several of the Delphinus' weapons. Pressing the special move button fires the ship's cannons, which send cannonballs hurtling straight towards the arena. Each deals 30% damage and moderate knockback to anyone they hit. The standard attack button launches torpedoes, which come falling down from the top of the screen in random locations, similar to PK Starstorm, but far fewer in number. Dealing 50% damage and high knockback each, torpedoes cannot be aimed. Finally, pressing the standard attack button and the special move button together fires the Moon Stone Cannon, the most powerful weapon of the Delphinues. Repositioning itself so that the ship's front is facing the stage, rather than its side, a massive pink laser fires in the direction of the reticle, functioning very similarly to the laser on the Halberd, though it is more telegraphed at the bonus of being far more powerful, dealing 200% damage and instantly sending anything it hits into the blast zone. As soon as the Moon Stone Cannon is fired, the Final Smash ends. Alternatively, it ends after 15 seconds. Regardless of how crazy powerful the cannon is, the weapon is still highly telegraphed, so it's best saved for a finisher at the end of the move's duration.


One final factor is the crew assist techniques, which derive from Vyse's teammates. Vyse's team hops aboard the Delphinus with him, and they can assist him in taking out their enemies with their crew assists, simplified but based upon the techniques featured in Skies of Arcadia. Depending on his teammate's elemental affiliation, a number of spells can be casted to increase the flurry of hitboxes in this Final Smash. Activated by the players of the crew members themselves, an assisting spell can be used once per Final Smash.

Red – Pyrum is cast, raining down fireballs all over the stage.
Green – Noxum is cast, conjuring a thin fog of green gas that poisons players, gradually dealing 3% of damage a second while the Final Smash lasts.
Purple – Panika is cast, causing the enemies to become confused and have their controls reversed, possibly attacking one another. This lasts 7 seconds or until the Final Smash ends.
Blue – Slipara is cast, putting the enemies to sleep until they are next hit and leaving them as sitting ducks.
Yellow – Driln is cast, halving the speed of the opponents for 8 seconds or the duration of the Final Smash.
Silver – Eterni is cast, with the ability to instantly KO a target. The target is chosen at random if there are two enemies, and the chance of the spell succeeding increases with the target's damage. This move is best reserved for the end of the Final Smash, after racking up damage with cannonballs and torpedoes, to take out persistant enemies that refuse to be KO'd.

Only one of these assists can be used per Final Smash. If Vyse has two partners, the partner that presses the special button to activate theirs first determines which will be used. Still, it's always nice to have options.


Entrance
Vyse fades in from a translucent, still, red model of his body, entering his idle stance as his coloring appears.

Up Taunt
Vyse concentrates, focusing his power. He rises about 2 inches off of the ground, with his hair blowing from the force of the power rising from his feet. “Moons, give me strength!” he shouts aloud.

Side Taunt
“Haaaa!” Vyse “focuses” his strength, charging up his spirit power, bending his knees and brandishing his right cutlass over his face in a dual-stabbing pose.

Down Taunt
Vyse reels back on his heels and waves a hand over his mouth while snoring.

Victory 1
Vyse triumphantly plants a Blue Rogues flag into the ground before him, brushes his hands against one another to signify his hard work, and puts his hands on his hips, smiling at the camera.

Victory 2
Brushes the hair from his face in exhaust, grinning at his success. “It's an air pirate's duty to cause trouble,” he mutters tauntingly.

Victory 3
Vyse brandishes his swords in a showboating fashion, ending with holding his right cutlass over his shoulder. “That wasn't so bad,” he says, grinning.

Victory (Special)
In a doubles match, if the players performed substantially well (led by 3 stocks or more, or 4 points or more), and Vyse's partner is at least somewhat humanoid, they will perform this victory maneuver.


Vyse has different goals depending on the match type. In 1v1 combat, Vyse's goal is much more straightforward; he should primarily focus on using mix-ups and tech chases to lay down the hurt on his opponent, putting to use his decent combo-ability. Even his more team-oriented moves, such as Back Throw, have a use in solo combat, generally playing mind games with the opponent and forcing their strategies to get in line behind what Vyse is planning. It's a very assertive way to play, a style that the boisterous air pirate works well with.

At the core of Vyse's playstyle, however, lay the moon stone shifting and elemental weapon types, which the player's game should revolve around. Mastery of the system is crucial for maximizing damage output in all match types, and in 1v1 situations in particular, the various effects offered on some of Vyse's key moves can go to great lengths in keeping an opponent on their toes and frustrated with predicting what Vyse will choose to do. Since Vyse isn't the greatest at scoring kills, he needs to rack up an above-average amount of damage. Type matchups can be used in a variety of ways, and skilled players will be able to switch reflexively while hardly thinking about it, with memorization of the color order and the timing for the shift in relation to each attack being key factors in making the element system effective. Back Aerial may be effective in its knockback properties alone, for example, but its true beauty is revealed when coupled with mid-animation moon stone shifts. Hitting Croagunk at the beginning of the swing with a red weapon but then quickly changing to hit Blaziken with purple and then using silver to hit another foe approaching from behind maximizes the damage dealt by the single attack. Applying this to the rest of Vyse's moves is crucial for dealing the great amounts of damage the rogue is possible of scoring.

Vyse has an excellent mix-up game based around move cancels, fake-outs, and Quika in particular. He has various ways to end many of his animations, leaving his next action a guessing game for the opponent. Vyse forces his opponent to consider a multitude of possible options in how they respond to his actions, exploiting the enemy psychologically as well as physically.

Vyse's mix-ups come at a cost, however, in that they operate in a different light in a doubles match, which the rogue is specifically effective in due to his history of fighting in and against crews.
Vyse's unpredictability can cause harm for teammates who are not in tune, so anyone playing as or partnered with Vyse in a team battle should definitely know the character and his strategies, and be prepared for anything in the thick of battle. Vyse's partner should typically be covering their ally like a true crewmate, not only so they can protect Vyse and allow him to carry through with his more telegraphed or charge-reliant moves, but also to make his partner-involving techniques more effective. At the same time, Vyse should be using his AoE attacks and mix-ups to keep foes away from his partner and allow them to execute their own strategies. Rain of Swords, for example, is a great pseudo-shield that can buy a partner enough time to pull out a slow-winding attack or charge a special move. Vyse can also grant both he and his partner a Pirate Spectre, providing opportunities of seconds-long but grueling scenarios where the opponent team's offensive choices are greatly limited against both players, allowing both players to take advantage of the situation. All of these acts of unison require talented execution and great synchronization, however, as Vyse's mix-ups can throw his own partner off-guard and result in clumsy, painful situations for the crewmates. Both Vyse and his partner should also be aware of Vyse's element at all times, especially in a match with friendly fire turned on; the player should try to avoid hitting their opponent with elements effective against them. This becomes very apparent with moves such as Up Tilt and Down Smash, which are specifically intended to assist allies. The player should minimize damage done to their partner; if more damage is done to one's partner than the opponent, the payoff isn't there, and Vyse's partner-based set-ups aren't worth the effort put into them just to pull them off. Proper execution of crew-based techniques reaps high rewards for the air pirate, however, so any serious team should learn their way around them. A successful player can reap a treasure-trove of rewards, but dead men tell no tales.


Rather than explaining Vyse's advantageous and disadvantageous match-ups in a 1v1 scenario, this section will give examples of a few doubles pairings that work well in both Vyse's and his partner's favors, in order to illustrate Vyse's effectiveness in a 2-on-2 environment and paint a clearer picture of how he interacts with other characters in a cooperative fashion.

Mami Tomoe
What may seem as an unorthodox pairing actually has a few core unities that tie the characters together. While Mami is most effective in a 1-on-1 battle, she and Vyse both enjoy putting their opponents into prone states and effectively reading their techs. The degree of stage control Mami possesses from her floating rifles – including the free range of their placement – is a very helpful characteristic that works wonders for Vyse. The pirate's more telegraphed moves (which are often his most effective ways to kill or approach) become much safer to attempt and easier to execute due to the coverage offered by Mami's floating rifles. In turn, Vyse's partner placement moves allow Mami to reach heights she normally couldn't, letting her place rifles in normally unreachable areas. This not only helps augment Mami's own interests, but it also feeds back into Vyse's protection.

Vyse can also protect Mami. She can more safely approach a rifle spawned on the ground with coverage from Vyse's Forward Smash or Rain of Swords. If Mami whiffs a grab, Vyse can use Down Smash to reorient her and keep her out of harm's way. Vyse and Mami also do well in feeding into each other's attacks. An opponent sent sliding from Vyse's Down Tilt can be fed right into Mami's own Down Tilt, proning the enemy and forcing them to respond under the pressure of two closed-in adversaries. Successful reads in such a scenario could result in a series of looped attacks for the duo.
Aside from supplementing the weaknesses of the other, Mami and Vyse also compliment each other's strengths. Vyse can meet with an opponent tugged from Mami's ribbons with an attack out of Quika, or use Silver-powered Forward Smash to tug enemies into range for Mami to shoot with a rifle attack, trouncing the need for Mami to do her own pursuing while risking the startup of her rifle moves. If Vyse and Mami give their own opponents trouble in reading their next moves after a set-up, then together, with a doubled amount of possible responses to bad techs, they can give opponents hell. As a whole, with the amount of mix-ups and forces they both can impose on the competition, they create an air of extreme pressure that can be blood-boilingly frustrating to deal with.

Ho-oh
Obviously, the first thing that may come to mind is Ho-oh's Sacred Flames, which are useful in any team match-up. Protecting the already vulnerable Vyse from hindering effects is a great benefit. Between Vyse's partner-positioning and Ho-oh's bequeathment of Sacred Flames, a partnership between the two might resemble a slap-happy, violent friendship as the two hit one another with their own attacks in an attempt to maximize performance while minimizing the damage they do to themselves. If Ho-oh begins to take too much damage, Vyse has the tools necessary to keep foes busy while Ho-oh retreats and heals/charges Sunny Day. However, Vyse isn't the most effective candidate for, and certainly isn't, a rushdown character in its truest form, so while an effective strategy, it's not an invincible one.

Besides that, Ho-oh cooperates with Vyse in much the same way as Mami, in that it compliments Vyse in a way that makes the partnership a success at applying ample pressure. Between Vyse's moon stone swaps and Ho-oh's variability regarding the presence or absence of Sunny Day, the opposition has to deal with an environment of severely perturbing unpredictability; keeping up with the alterations the two make to their movesets over the course of a match becomes incredibly difficult. Battles become even more disorienting when Ho-oh and Vyse make adept use of their wind effects to push and drag their enemies in disorienting, focus-breaking mind-games. Whereas with Mami, Vyse would overwhelm the opponent with disorienting offense, with Ho-oh, he'd shut them down with rapid-fire mind games.

Special thanks to everyone who provided advice and critique.​
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
I may be wrong, but I believe it's simply [spoiler*][/spoiler*] without the asterisks.

The set had fun and creative inputs. My problem, and I'm sorry for not being clear before, was simply a lack of flow. Moves don't work into a cohesive playstyle, there's not really an overarching idea to how Spider plays. This can be simple - Spider hangs back, uses the poison gas and changing properties of his one special to his advantage [it's more than fine to have "only" a single input like that, by the way]. This may have his simpler melee moves space the opponent away or something to that nature, all fulfilling a unique option for the player to take in succeeding in their match as Spider. Conversely, it could be complex, Spider may create an array of traps that combine in interactions like the one you had in your down and forward smash [Mine+Dig] but on a more dynamic level. It's hard to explain really, I'd recommend first of all checking out some other sets and you'll probably get what I mean rather than me clumsily trying to flesh it out in this reply.

Spoiler tags are actually [collapse*]{/collapse*], without asteriscks.

Like so.
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
"The Diez Gentleman...they're so legendary they actually count as a lie!"
Ten Gents, all of whom stand on top of the Nether-Institute Evil Academy as legendary seniors with no equals. Their powers are said to rival the Overlord's, a truly impressive feat when you consider that said Overlord is the size of a skyscraper and could crush you just by making a fist. No one really knows why the Diez Gentleman were formed, but each of the members tend to act independently and do whatever they want since few can stand up to their mighty powers. For some unknown reason however, all of the Diez Gentleman have come together to declare war on Brawl and all its inhabitants - is there anyone who can stand up to their incredible powers?
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
"On a battlefield, superior orders are absolute! If I say die, you all must die!"






Salvatore

the Magnificent


Just your average superpowerful Nazi-esque military commander who likes fighting strong opponents, and giving impossible orders to both friend and foe with her German accent. She's also voiced by Michelle Ruff, and has big boobs...Etna would be jealous.


☠Magnificent Stats
Anyone who says otherwise gets shot. Salvatore's no slouch when it comes to running around or taking a hit, but she truly shines in the air, able to jump slightly higher and more nimbly than Zero Suit Samus. She also has a decent wall jump too.

Specials


[[Neutral Special - The Great Gun King]]
It's Salvatore's signature move! This'll cause the gentlelady to draw a golden gun and aim it ahead with one hand, its muzzle shimmering and expanding cartoonishly as the input is held. Once you let go of B or let 1.5 seconds pass, Salvatore will fire off a massive golden bullet that travels at Mario-Sonic's dashing speed (you can angle the shot slightly), dealing 11-23% that'll KO struck foes at 210-95%. The bullet embeds itself in any terrain it hits before exploding shortly afterwards, and if hit from above or below it'll tilt the other way a little. Striking the bullet head-on will cause it to travel in the opposite direction.


If you press B shortly after firing the bullet, Salvatore will hop on it for a free ride! This can be used for recovery since Salvatore stalls when using it in mid-air, being able to jump off the bullet for a good boost, though her second jump and other recoveries are not refreshed nor can she fire off another bullet until she touches stage ground.

[[Side Special - Blast Off]]
Salvatore takes out a rocket launcher, bends down and fires a rocket! The rocket flies across the screen (you can angle it slightly) and creates a fairly large explosion upon hitting anything (equal to a Smart Bomb's initial blast radius) that inflicts a meaty 18% and high radial knockback that'll KO at 120%. Attacking the rocket is ill-advised since it'll just explode in the victim's face (it won't hurt the shooter), though to be fair Salvatore goes through similar lag to a Falcon Punch when firing one off so you'll know when it's coming. The blast radius and damage output become 20% greater if the rocket is struck by a fire attack or goes through a fire trap - this can stack in the event where the rocket goes through multiple fire traps, though each subsequent is only 2/3rds as effective as the last. The blast radius caps out at 2/3rds that of a Smart Bomb's and will deal no more than 26% that'd KO at 70%, after going through 5 traps.


If the player presses A or B before or after firing the rocket, Salvatore will dump the weapon behind her like an item that can be shot by other players in the exact same manner. My mentioning of this obviously implies that Salvatore will have minions who can take advantage of this, because otherwise it wouldn't even be a feature.

[[Up Special - Amour Piercing]]
Salvatore takes out a pair of guns and aims them to the floor behind her on one side, where upon firing them their sheer force propels her like a rocket! Talk about creativity. The move can be charged for up to one second, determining whether Salvatore travels 3-6 SBBs, and deals 7-15% with good upwards knockback that'll KO at 180-150%. Like the name suggests, heavy amour is only half as effective and shields take a heap of damage, often around 47% worth. The actual flare from the gun makes an appearance as a hitbox, as wide as half a SBB while dealing 14% and good knockback that'll KO at 145%. Although Salvatore gets Super Amour on the attack when she charges halfway, she can freely maneuver into the background when you hold A during the attack, losing the hitbox in exchange for receiving intangibility frames as well as letting you decide which hitbox you want to use against the enemy. Salvatore doesn't enter helpless after the attack, though she does suffer a fair amount of end lag due to the guns needing to cool off, making this attack unsafe for approaching enemies.


[[Down Special - Subordinates]]
Salvatore points forward and yells "Attack!" or "Charge!", summoning one of her Gunner subordinates over 0.7 seconds. That might sound long, but you can choose where the Gunner is positioned as if aiming a regular recovery and can can make more appear just by holding the move out for a maximum of 5 units (each being a character-width apart).

Gunners have the same stats as their leader, but are more prone to knockback-scaling to the point where regular attacks will easily kill them at 35%. They don't attack foes actively, but rather wait until after they've been attacked, in which case they whip out a revolver and fire off a quick projectile with the lag of Wolf's Blaster that deals 5% and some pesky hitstun, yelling "Bang!" or "There ya go!" at random when doing so. It's not that broken though, as the Gunners will wait for the assailant to be in their shooting range within 2 seconds of being attacked before firing off the projectile, and they won't shoot if there's a comrade in the way so it's not always a good idea to clump them together in a massive group (Salvatore isn't even damaged by their bullets anyway). Interactions-wise, Gunners will hop on a golden bullet fired by Great Gun King if it flies into them, there being enough room for two to stand if Salvatore chooses not to score a ride. They will also arm themselves with a Side Special rocket launcher you dumped onto them, which will replace their default attack.

If you throw in another input right after summoning a Gunner (or double-tap B to skip the summoning), you can give them various commands to order them around based on the what you input, as many as you like in a similar manner to Dancing Blade:

Forward: Salvatore sweeps a hand sideways and yells "Shoot on sight!" to make her Gunners actively attack enemies whenever they're within shooting range. Using this command again makes Salvatore yell "Halt!" to reverse it, though if you smash the input she'll yell "Fire!" to make every Gunner attack, regardless of whether there's an enemy in-sight (only exception being if Salvatore's in the way). If the firearm can be charged, tapping the input makes the Gunner fire straight away whereas holding it for a moment makes them charge all the way.
Backwards: Salvatore faces this direction and yells "Line up!" to make the closest Gunner not behind her to get behind her. If there's only one Gunner onstage and he's already behind Salvatore, he'll instead follow her around until she leaves the ground.
Upwards: Salvatore raises a hand and yells "Formation!", causing all Gunners within half a Battlefield on either side to move to the opposite direction of her, providing there's room at all (in which case it won't work).
Downwards: Salvatore faces forward and points downwards, yelling "Arm yourselves!", causing nearby Gunners to pick up any shooting item near or on the same platform as them. If you smash the input instead, Salvatore will yell "Re-arm yourself!", in which case the closest Gunner behind her will twirl the weapon they're currently wielding until attacked - once given a different weapon in this state, the Gunner will flash both weapons, automatically swapping out to the one he had before whenever attacked (either by a foe or Salvatore). This can lead into some interesting combinations if utilized well, even catching the foe off-guard after they've attacked the Gunner in question.
A: Salvatore yells "Follow my lead!". This won't do anything unless Salvatore and a Gunner are facing each other in which case the two will fire the same firearm in unison, Salvatore using the same weapon as the Gunner.
B: Salvatore yells "On my mark!", causing any Gunner facing her to go through the start-up lag of their attack and fire it off the moment their comrades get out of the way. If the firearm can be charged, you can have the Gunner charge it all the way via holding the input for a moment.
Z/L/R: Salvatore points to the sky and yells "Build a tower!", causing the closest Gunner to the one on the same platform as the one closest to Salvatore to run up to his comrade and lift him! You can make a tower of Gunners this way with each additional tap of the input, but it can only be 5 Gunners tall and only the one on top can attack. To dismantle the tower, re-use this input and Salvatore will yell "Break the tower!". A stack of Gunners will ignore any of Salvatore's orders that force them to move, but otherwise you can choose when they attack or not.


Standards


[[Standard - I Challenge You!]]
Without leaving her upright position, Salvatore takes off one of her gloves and slaps with it! This comes out fast and even has good disjointed range, with different results depending in where foes are hit. Foes hit by Salvatore's arm take 1% and very weak horizontal knockback that doesn't have any noticeable effect until around 90%, while those hit by the glove head-on are spun around for 3% - you can even get an opponent with both hitboxes at lower percentages. Hitting up-close provides a good panic button for Salvatore and even helps space Gunners, whereas spinning characters around can mess up aerial approaches, turn Gunners around or even force a foe's attack into one so they're met with a counterattack afterwards. There's a lot you can do with this attack upon being mastered, and really nothing beats the humiliation of being slapped to death by a glove!


[[Dash Attack - Kamikaze]]
Salvatore leaps forth along the ground while performing a flip-kick, somersaulting forward a platform's distance (think Diddy Kong's Moneky Flip in terms of animation minus the after-kick). Salvatore's foot is a sweetspot that boots foes upwards for 8% and good knockback that'll KO at 165% whereas her leg is a sourspot that only deals 5% and weaker-scaling knockback on a low angle. The hitbox only stays out for a third of the distance as Salvatore travels, yet on the other hand she's treated as being in the air afterwards and is able to cancel into a midair jump or aerial attack while having some horizontal momentum to work with. This is mostly relevant with dashing off a bullet since it's the only way for Salvatore to outmaneuver it (providing it wasn't fully charged) and play around with it using her aerials, though the move can also be used to manipulate yours and the opponent's position if you've enough mastery of the sweet/sourspots. Alongside being able to rush past shielding foes, if the player presses A again as soon as they connect with the attack Salvatore will flip off her foe and somersault back a platform's distance. That in itself is good for weaving in and out of a Gunner's sight so you can deal with enemies for them or set-up using the sourspot - you can even footstool jump off the Gunner as you flip back!


[[F-tilt - Gunman's Spirit]]
Salvatore whips out a handgun and fires it. This is similar to Falco's blaster, though the bullets travel faster, only deal minimal flinching and have actual priority, which is poor. The weapon can also be fired on an angle at the cost of more start-up lag, in which case the bullet will ricochet off the first two surfaces it comes across. This attack is good for disrupting foes, making distant Gunners face you or even blowing up a rocket in mid-flight.


Similar to the rocket launcher, pressing A during the end lag will have Salvatore toss the handgun behind her for Gunners to use, which can be done with any of her tilts or smashes to further customize a subordinates' options. A Gunner will only fire at their target once before going through the move's end lag and doing it again if ordered to, meaning you can't just sic two on each side of an opponent to laser-lock them.

[[U-tilt – Blitzkrieg]]
Salvatore takes out a missile launcher and fires it on a high angle, the missile traveling on a high arc before landing a Platform or slightly further ahead of where it was fired. The missile deals 9-12% and decent knockback that KOs at 190-165%, and can be spammed just enough to not lock shielding foes in place. This is a fast projectile, though it's not all that easy to hit with given it doesn't hit above or in front of Salvatore. Its greatest use however is in being a firearm that fires over allies in front of you, making it useful in the hands of a Gunner so they can fire even if Salvatore or another comrade is in front of them.


[[D-tilt - Bomber]]
Salvatore quickly takes out a bazooka and fires it downwards, creating a moderate-sized blast that deals 10% with high knockback on a high angle that'll KO at 150%; certainly not as strong as Snake's, but comes out a hell of a lot faster. You can spam the attack up to 2 times before being pushed back progressively further by the shockwave of the blast mainly to prevent shield-locking, though the shield damage from each blast isn't that great anyway. This is more or less a strong close-range attack for Gunners to use, though it acts like an actual projectile when there's no ground before the user - this is useful when firing on top of a golden bullet or when a Gunner is knocked into the air and is able to align their shot with a foe for their counterattack, leading to mass rainage of rockets without worry of being pushed back.



Smashes


[[F-Smash - Megagun Launcher]]
With a battle cry, Salvatore whips out a giant laser canon and hoists it over her shoulders, letting it gather power before firing off a powerful energy beam. This beam only travels 2-4 SBBs and not across the entire screen, but it can be kept out for up to 2 seconds and inflicts good damage upon anyone hit, up to 25% that can KO at 75%. Despite being laggy to start-up, Megagun Launcher is a fantastic way to enforce stage control and essentially acts as a giant static hitbox in the hands of a Gunner. On that note, Salvatore can toss away any weapon produced from her smashes during their start-up lag as well as end lag, meaning you don't have to awkwardly fire them off just to give to a subordinate.


[[U-Smash – Hellfire Catharsis]]
Salvatore aims a pair of red and blue ray-guns diagonally above her and proceeds to fire an energy shot (from both) on that angle, which travels quite fast and deals 5% in electric damage that'll KO off the top of the screen at 195%. After the shot has traveled 4 SBBs it'll suddenly expand into a Kirby-sized sphere of energy that sparks, a brief hitbox that deals the aforementioned damage before becoming intangible. This actually occurs when you're charging the attack, whereby Salvatore will fire up to 6 shots at a semi-fast rate that each give the electric sphere more power - at most, it can become a Bowser-sized hitbox capable of dealing 30% while KO'ing as early as 110%. It's kind of hard to hit with the spherical hitbox when it's so high up in the air however, but luckily there's more to it than that: if the sphere detects an opponent from below, it'll pulsate suddenly before crashing down in a surge of energy! It'll go through Gunners if it has to, but otherwise never hurts Salvatore. The sphere stays out for 4-2 seconds (weaker ones do in fact last longer than stronger ones), and if the same character uses the move again it'll be replaced.


Great Gun King makes this attack a bit more fun since the shots will end up being spread out what with you being on a moving platform, enabling you to create multiple spheres with one attack (easily spread out across a stage like Final Destination). Also, if you were close enough to the top blast zone you can fire the spheres far enough that they'll be hidden away from mortal eyes, which can scare enemies if they couldn't memorize their positions and duration. Since the sphere gets positioned to be floating in front of the shooter far off the ground you don't have to worry too much about Gunners being hurt or hesitating to use this attack, say when you've formed a tower with them.

[[D-Smash – Toten Kreuz]]
Salvatore crouches down and takes out a small red gun which she holds firmly with both hands, as if ready to shoot at a moment's notice. After charge, Salvatore leaps into the air and aims the gun downwards, but instead of firing bullets it fires fire! The leap covers 1-2 of Salvatore's jumps depending on charge, which serves to increase the height and width of the 0.5 SBB-wide fire stream. The stream can be kept out for up to 2 seconds while you hold A, dealing outsiders 4% and flinching knockback while punishing foes hit a point-blank for up to 40% and knockback that'll KO as early as 85%, which is pretty brutal.


If you hit someone head-on, which is by no means an easy task, you'll inflict a lot of damage on them, but even if you don't you'll have yourself a nifty makeshift wall to block off foes, an inconvenience to foes since Gunners will use this whenever an enemy tries to get past them (complimenting any upwards knockback they'd take from them). Even better, since the attack itself puts a Gunner into the air it allows the Gunner behind it to attack, sending its projectiles past the fire stream; you heard right, projectiles can not only move past the fire stream but also have their power multiplied by 1.3x and deal fire damage - a Gunner's bullets and those from the F-tilt now have the capacity to KO enemies at 200%! One fun use of this move is to have Salvatore charge it while riding on a bullet and fire it above a foe - if they head towards the Gunners they'll be cushioned against the fire stream and take a lot of damage, but if they hide behind the pillar they'll have to deal with a stream of buffed projectiles. A nifty attack indeed.


Aerials


[[N-air – Shooting Star]]
Salvatore sweeps her hand towards the screen as energy surrounds her, dealing 6% in electric damage to foes right next to her in a similar manner to a Reflector. The move also leaves behind a small shining star that doesn't do anything on its own, but when coupled with more stars they'll guide ally projectiles along a "path" based on their order of creation before said projectile returns to its original flight trajectory upon reaching the end. There's no limit to how many stars can be out since they disappear after one use, though you can't have a projectile bounce around any more than 6 before it's forced on its original trajectory. If for any reason you want to get rid of lingering stars, simply hold A after the attack and they'll detonate harmlessly. Since it'd be inconvenient having to land just to place a star on the ground, Salvatore is allowed to use this attack during her pre-jump lag if the player has good timing since it never hurts to set -1- star. Stars have a ton of uses when combined with grounded Gunners, allowing you to use their projectiles for aerial support or guide them in all sorts of crazy ways.


If you want a longer-lasting star, simply double-tap the input and Salvatore will create a multi-layered star with a slight orange aura emanating from it. This star only affects Salvatore's projectiles, but it can be used by her up to 3 times before disappearing. Its properties allow you to create some very interesting projectile paths.

[[F-air – Splitting Bullet]]
Salvatore aims a handgun ahead of her, but instead of firing out just one bullet it fires several dozens! These bullets spread out in a wide conical area that extends a platform ahead of Salvatore, dealing little more than 4% and a bit of flinching. It's good for annoying foes despite having the start-up lag of Snake's F-air, but what's even more annoying is when the bullets spread out into the background after flying a Platform's distance and converge after traveling another Platform, inflicting 18% and high knockback to a struck foe that'll KO at 100% - the hitbox of course gets weaker if some of the bullets couldn't make it to the converging point, but it's still quite powerful. You need a lot of timing to master the move between the dual hitboxes and start-up lag, though it's great for pestering grounded foes for a Gunner's attack or blocking off an an enemy approach with preemptive strategy.


[[B-air – Deadly Down Under]]
Salvatore pulls out a freaking futuristic sniper rifle and aims it behind her before firing off a small yet deadly red blast from the tip, a process that's a hell of a lot faster than it sounds. The blast inflicts a powerful 20% with strong horizontal knockback that'll end foes at 125%, though it's surprisingly hard to hit with due to the hitbox being tiny and located at the very end of the long weapon, making it similar to Zelda's Lightning Kick in some regards. Shielding foes barely take any damage and can easily react with a shield-grab, though to be fair only those with tether-grabs will actually be able to reach Salvatore what with how long her rifle is. The rifle also has the strange ability to reflect any projectile you strike with the hitbox, causing it to travel horizontally at twice the speed whence it came. It might seem random for a B-air to have this kind of property, but it's actually useful for catching a Gunner's projectile or one trailing around a set of stars and sending it back when the foe least expects it, mainly Side Special rockets or U-Smash spheres. That aside, the move is reliable for assisting Salvatore's trek back onstage after jumping off a golden bullet or nicely spacing (stacked) Gunners on the fly.


[[U-air – Wuthering Heights]]
Salvatore pulls out what appears to be a blunderbuss and aims it upwards, firing off a long blast that easily covers 4 SBBs worth of space while dealing 11% and good upwards knockback that'll KO at 195%. It's essentially Zelda's U-air on steroids, though the recoils pushes Salvatore downwards as if she'd used one of her jumps, suffering little or even atrocious landing lag depending on how close she was to the ground if she lands (don't even think about using it offstage, as Salvatore can't grab ledges while being sent down). This is probably Salvatore's absolute best spacing move if used right since it simultaneously acts as a stall-then-fall after an aerial assault, though what's cool is that the blast counts as a projectile and as such can be re-directed by a set of N-air stars - this is especially convenient once you start falling after having placed a star and if it actually hits the knockback will change based on which direction the blast was coming from, allowing you to potentially meteor smash opponents.


[[D-air - Magical Rain]]
Shifting her back towards the screen, Salvatore takes out a pair of pistols and flips upside-down before firing a volley of blueish energy shots beneath her for as long as A is mashed, each dealing 2% and negligible knockback on a high angle (though you can get about 7 hits on a foe for hitting them head-on). The move comes out decently fast, acts as a pseduo-dodge as Salvatore jumps up a little upon flipping and cuts her fall speed while she's shooting (similarly to Fox spamming Reflector in mid-air), but that's not to say you can just abuse the move as the ending/landing lag behind it is quite atrocious what with Salvatore turning right-side-up, easily leading to punishment when used too closely to the foe. It's best used as high up in the air as possible (easy enough), where you can form a giant makeshift wall with endless bullets; even more fun ahoy if you combine this with N-air stars to make an awesomely huge hitbox until you stop shooting.


If a projectile passes through the rain some of the energy will latch on to give it a "shell", effectively expanding it by 1.25x its original size, though it in itself is an individual hitbox that deals 1% and flinching upon contact, effectively serving to make the projectile it's attached to easier to hit with (you can in fact have multiple shells on a single projectile by passing them through multiple rains via N-air manipulation). If a foe is sent flying through a magical rain, on the other hand, a single magical shot will isolate itself to chase after the victim at half the speed they were sent flying. This helps with covering the terrible end lag, and even gives you a bit of time to set-up or approach if the victim had multiple shots chasing them via going through multiple rains.


Grab


Salvatore reaches out with one hand to grab her foe by the collar, having some decent range to make it usable. No special interactions with Gunners, though they'll refrain from shooting captive foes until Salvatore gives them orders to do so.

[[Pummel - Gangfire]]
Salvatore yells "Fire!", ordering a Gunner on the other side of her captive to shoot at them. This sounds pretty broken, though foes will almost always escape before being hit by the stronger, laggier attacks, and Gunners will go out of their way to adjust their position to get within shooting range or not harm Salvatore. That being said, holding Z allows Salvatore to have the Gunner hold his fire so she can follow up with a throw.


Using this Pummel on a Gunner issues the order to him, causing him to fire his weapon as soon as he is released from hitstun via being thrown by Salvatore (in the case of smashes, tapping the input won't make him charge whereas holding it for 0.5 seconds makes him fully charge). The Gunner won't fire his weapon if Salvatore is in the way, but in the case of an U-Smash or D-Smash you can have the Gunner set that up without the need of an enemy target.

[[F-throw – Cocktail Shaker]]
Salvatore aims a pinkish ray-gun at her foe, but instead of being vaporized they get sucked into the gun! Salvatore gets to aim the gun slightly while you hold forward on the control stick, but she can also initiate a traditional pummel via mashing A that causes her gun to pulsate and deal 1% at a rapid rate (though this also gives the victim a chance to escape). Once you release the control stick, Salvatore will fire her victim off in the form of a pink energy projectile for the entire duration of their knockback, dealing them 10% and decent knockback that'll KO at 170%. As the victim is traveling, they're a projectile with transcendent priority that deals 5-23% and knockback that'll KO at 300-100% until their knockback expires or they actually hit a character/obstruction, in which case they'll be freed and facing the direction they were traveling.


This is deadly against a foe, regardless of whether you're using them or a Gunner as ammo. In the former case, a Gunner ahead of you that's been ordered to fire will shoot at the victim and deal damage with their shot while they're flying. The Gunner won't try to dodge the living projectile, but they'll prepare a counter-shot after being struck, as if they had received an attack from the victim themselves. Gunners, on the other hand, make great ammo due to their susceptibility to knockback and you being able to pummel them indefinitely, allowing you to get full mileage out of the projectile's potential. What's more, if you ordered the Gunner to attack via pummel before, they'll do that right after they've stopped moving! This is a great way to mess with foes who don't get knocked away by the Gunner (via shielding/super amour), but even if they were knocked away or dodged you can just have the Gunner prepare something for you to follow up with. You can also admittedly use this move to gimp enemies via dragging them offstage with Great Gun King, though between sucking enemies up and shooting them back out it takes such time to pull off that you'll usually have to take yourself out in the process.

[[B-throw - Gunman's Frenzy]]
Salvatore flips over the foe while firing a machine gun at them for 15 hits of 1% before landing on the other side of them, which comes out fast and admittedly looks pretty cool. It has no knockback capabilities aside from hitting foes upwards (out of the vertical range of a Gunner's projectile), but deals a lot of damage and pretty much guarantees to sandwich the opponent between Salvatore and any Gunner that may have been behind her beforehand, which can lead to a catastrophic outcome. Much like with the Dash Attack it's possible for Salvatore to cancel the flip into a midair jump halfway through, only here she'll continue shooting as she moves unless you cancel it into an air attack - this is good not only for pinning an opponent as you enter the air for a N-air/D-air set-up but also for intercepting third-party characters (note that the bullets don't pierce). Salvatore will go offstage if she uses this on an enemy next to the ledge, which at the very least can be used to set-up N-air or use the B-air.


[[U-throw - C-Sniping]]
Salvatore smacks the opponent a fair ways into the air with a sniper rifle from hammerspace, dealing them 7% and good upwards knockback that'll KO at 300%. If Salvatore doesn't move after the attack she'll keep the rifle on her and aim it at the victim, keeping it scoped on them wherever they go. Pressing A fires a bullet that instantly hits the victim even if there were any obstructions in the way, dealing 10% with okay set radial knockback (dependent on Salvatore's location) that'll never KO unless the victim was very close to the blast zone. While the bullet -can- be dodged, it's unlikely that any opponent ever will since the attack is so frighteningly similar to AT Lynn's attack, and Salvatore can man her post for up to 3 seconds. If you're clever you could have a Gunner attack the victim before Salvatore finishes them off with her sniping, but you could also reverse the situation by giving the Gunner the rifle via tapping Z so Salvatore can pressure the enemy instead - a Gunner will fire at the victim whenever they sense an attack against themselves or Salvatore, or as a finisher to compliment a powerful attack (note that the weapon only has one shot) or if you use the Pumel. If Salvatore gives a Gunner a rifle aimed at another Gunner, the one aiming will fire at his comrade exclusively to save him from an enemy attack.


[[D-throw - Become a Tornado!]]
Yelling the attack's name, Salvatore leaps back with her foe held by the legs and swings them around furiously, like a typhoon! After doing that for half a second, Salvatore lets go of her captive and watches them fly towards where she was standing as they take 12% and are bounced off the ground for surprisingly good knockback that can kill at 140% (110% offstage). The damage output is unnaturally good for one of Salvatore's throws (and rather fitting for the overkill animation), though more skilled enemy players can render it null with a well-timed ukemi. That being said, the throw does leave Salvatore in the air and as such puts her out of the way of her Gunners' fire when they capitalize on the foe's decision. Against a Gunner, this puts them on a reliable angle to rain down their bullets of choice.



☠Magnificent Playstyle - Woman of War
Salvatore seems like the epitome of bullet hell, not only having a ton of projectiles but minions that can use them as well! The only problem is that the two will get in each others’ way if mindlessly meshed together, and Salvatore isn't exactly loaded with piercing projectiles or the kind that fly over characters’ heads. To make the most of the huge potential contained within herself and her assets, Salvatore will have to play tactical and take her surroundings into utmost consideration.
Depending on how much time you invest into them, Gunners can end up being either disruptive or deadly. In the average match you'll typically only have time to just summon them, leaving them to their crappy default weapon, which is nonetheless good for annoying the hell outta enemies. Salvatore doesn't necessarily have a lot she can use to distract a foe like traps, walls or eager minions, but she does have a lot of firepower; if you need time to arm your Gunners with new weapons, simply blast the foe from a distance and you're good to go. If you're really into it, you could make a tower of 2-4 Gunners and have another in front of it (forming a sort of "L-shape"), each armed with rocket launchers and a D-Smash flame-thrower gun they switch into upon being attacked. By customizing Gunners to such killing extent, they can become the main threat to foes while Salvatore supports their assaults, though it can also work the other way around if the player doesn't feel like doing all that work.
If Salvatore wants to attack foes alongside her Gunners, she'll typically be taking to the air. Her Aerials are tough to use, but work very well together with a Gunner's attack in some way or form: N-air can bring the projectile in question to where Salvatore is in order to intercept foes going after her or trying to get out of the way, F-air helps in hitting with it, B-air bounces it back and D-air gives it a nifty boost while somewhat caging foes. Heck, most of Salvatore's aerials aren't even that good on their own and demand the assistance of Gunners (namely N-air, F-air and D-air), needing to be used in advance in order to really be effective. Despite having a good set of jumps and recoveries, Salvatore's offstage game is rather lacking (what with having an U-air that pushes her down), which is why she'd prefer to edge-guard using projectiles or take the time to set-up for her Gunners. That being said, Salvatore can also use Great Gun King to travel across the stage while staying out her Gunners' way, having access to her plethora of ground projectiles to cause mass mayhem.
That's not to say Salvatore should -always- want to give a Gunner some sniping room, as there are actually benefits to deliberately blocking them off. Mainly, you can give the Gunner an order to go through the start-up lag of their designated attack before firing it off as soon as you get out of their way, which is real sneaky with the laggier projectiles like the Side Special rocket. This works well with Salvatore's aerial game what with being able to manipulate/assist said projectile, or even punish enemies who try to roll past or knock her away.
It could be said that Salvatore is a tactical minion/bullet hell character, as she does require a good bit of dedication and strategy in her set-up. She can also crush foes just fine herself, but it's your call really. Organize your armada, move out and send all your enemies straight to hell!





Final Smash - Duel!


"Take my attack, full on from the front, and then say "A splendid attack, Salvatore!" as you die!"


Salvatore points forward and yells "Too late!", targeting a foe ahead of her who failed to dodge. The screen then fades out, and the two characters find themselves on a wide slab of rock out in the middle of nowhere. Next to each character are two random shooting items on either side of them that are about to disappear or will when one of them is picked up, which can be anything from a Ray Gun, Super Scope, Cracker Launcher, Falco/Wolf/Keroro Blaster, Von Karma's pistol or one of Salvatore's many firearms, providing it can cause hitstun. These firearms are the only way to inflict damage on the opponent in this duel zone, and when somebody is hit the screen will close in on them with the famous piiiiiiiiiiiing sound as they're returned to the real world and take massive damage fitting for a Final Smash (Salvatore yelling "Farewell!" if she wins). The winner also gets the keep the firearm they used to win the duel. If nobody wins the duel for whatever reason after 8 seconds, it'll end in a tie with no casualties. Boring.




[[Extras]]
Opening: Salvatore materializes from a magic circle and points ahead while yelling "Too late!".
Up Taunt: Salvatore throws up a hand and yells as a battle aura engulfs her. Such power!
Side Taunt: Salvatore throws out a hand commandingly and yells “Transform into a 7 armed hummingbird and blast me with 5,000,000 degree molten punches!”. If you use this in front of a Gunner, he’ll sweat-drop hilariously at the sheer absurdity of the order, which is pretty funny.
Down Taunt: Salvatore looks away and holds down the rim of her hat, calling her opponent "Trash.".
Random sound-byte A: If Salvatore picks up an item or uses a Special (sans Down Special), there's a 30% chance she'll call out "I'll use it!".
Random sound-byte B: If Salvatore inflicts fire damage on an enemy, she'll yell "Burn!" to accompany their pain.
Win 1: The screen closes in on Salvatore, who throws out a hand commandingly and says "I'm MAGNIFICENT!", emphasizing her namesake.
Win 2: A Gunner makes a mock-shooting gesture with his hands. He calls out "Bang!", only to be shot down by his superior at that very moment, who was behind him all along. Salvatore won't stand for silliness in her military unit.
Win 3: Salvatore twirls a handgun, then puts it away and says "You thought you could beat me with those generic attacks?" with her back to the screen and a hand on her hip. It's funny because she actually says this in the game.
Loss: Salvatore holds the rim of her hat over her face so it obscures the top part. She appears disappointed for losing, but she could also be respectfully saluting a powerful opponent for their victory.
Unlock Condition: Beat Classic Mode with 3 stock or less on hard or higher without continuing using your most used character. Alternatively, play 266 Vs. Mode Matches with said character.
Unlock Message: Taking command as a new addition to the cast, Salvatore orders you to use her!

Snake Codec
:snake: Colonel, there's a busty military woman giving out orders to everyone...even me.
:denzel: Seems you're up against Salvatore, Snake. Salvatore is a military enthusiast who lives for war, chaos and strong opponents. She's either taking orders from higher-ups or giving them out to whoever she meets.
:snake: She shouldn't be any different from some of the enemies I've fought in the past, but the way she treats her subordinates is frightening. Is she some kind of demon?
:denzel: Your intuition is as good as ever, I see.
:snake: ....huh, didn't expect that kind of answer.
:denzel: Be careful Snake, Salvatore's firepower and techniques aren't human, and she's willing to use her soldiers against you in battle. All this from someone who's lived for 2,666 years.
:snake: You won't survive long on the battlefield if you don't expect the unexpected. Can't say this'll be easy though.
:denzel: This could be your toughest battle yet, Snake. I'll be here to back you up.
:snake: Thanks Colonel. Could use the help right about now.



 

ForwardArrow

Smash Ace
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
502
Vespiquen
This set is a pretty huge improvement for you Conren, actually having a surprisingly strong yet open ended playstyle with the way her Combees are used. They can either be a close ranged defense to give Vespiquen better recovery and survivability, or dedicated to performing various "ordered attacks" around the stage, activated by throwing them out to attack. It feels like a very logical expansion on Olimar while remaining incredibly intuitive and in smash. That's not to say it's uninteresting though, you have a ton of cool inputs like the Smashes and the Nair in here to supplement the playstyle, and the bizarre shapes and combos of the combee swarm attacks makes it so I feel the set has a lot more depth than it appears too at a glance.

If I had to nitpick, the set isn't always at as high of a point as the Smashes and Nair in the ordered attacks, which are otherwise solid but not really anything worth getting excited over on their own, and the throws in particular feel like a wasted opportunity, not really making use of what made the other attacks in this set fun, just being attacks that get generically stronger with more combees. Those attacks are also drier in terms of attack description, which is a shame when the vivid descriptions earlier on give so much character. It's not a huge complaint though, because the set never really descends into anything outright objectionable and I do enjoy "simple yet deep" sets, of which this certainly fits the bill.

Salvatore
I'll admit I've been sort of questioning the direction you've been taking with your sets lately, with Minami, Mistleteinn, and Mukae generally going for a much simpler approach than before in a style that you are clearly not used too. In Minami it worked out and I certainly like parts of Mistleteinn, but I kind of missed the old more creative Kat. Well this set brings that side of you back, with lessons learned from the previous sets for that matter. You have an interesting take on Koala Kong's infamous ground chunk riding in the Neutral Special, what with it more playing into bullet hell here than it does gimping... and come the Nair, you give the ability to create an entirely customizable path to send your "platform" flying across and minions can ride it. Speaking of the minions, they are kind of brilliant in all the control you have of them. I particularly like that you can just stack them on top of each other in a tower to give them a vantage point to fire from, as well as the way the grab game plays with them and the ability to arm them with a lot of Salvatore's more powerful attacks.

The set doesn't really have any glaring flaws unlike your usual stuff in spite of all the great creativity, so I figure I'll just nitpick on one individual move I actually do like but think maybe could've been better. Nair makes for some crazy customizable projectile paths if used right sure, and is absolutely fantastic in conjunction with NSpecial... I just wish it was all more user friendly, because those paths will A. divert projectiles whether or not you want them too while they are out and B. disappear after anyone fires a projectile, meaning if some dumb minion fires a bullet at the wrong time your whole crazy bullet path is ruined. They aren't hard to make sure, but it makes the move seem like far more of a headache to use than I wish it was. And there are just some weird inputs and underspecifications here and there, like the Sniper Rifle being a melee attack despite firing a bullet and I'm kind of curious as to whether multiple fire attacks can stack their effects on a rocket. Because in the context of a bullet hell set like this that would make that move a lot more exciting if it did work, but I can't tell. This is again, all just nitpicking as I really do like this set, but there are a couple things hampering my enjoyment of it to put it truly among the elite.

N. Oxide
Dear god this is an all positive block have I gone insane or am I genuinely starting to like this contest. N. Oxide introduces mechanics that admittedly seem like they clash in the vehicle mechanics and the explosive crates. Certainly, that provides a problem if the Oxide player isn't keeping themselves in control, but if you ask me that just creates an interesting penalty for failure and the actual way Oxide's spacers work in the context of his set ups is fairly interesting. They feel versatile enough to keep him out of trouble as well as specifically suited to putting his opponents in nasty situations. It's not like the actual set up idea is bad either, being able to create systems that launch crates in every which direction in complex loops in conjunction with all this anti-gravity stuff is all pretty fun as far as set ups go.

Again, to give my token complaints about the set, the concrete suffers for me in that it's... really all fairly irrelevant if you ignore the anti-gravity devices. I know it's a special, but the fact that the move is just totally worthless otherwise feels off, though you try to attach a bunch of gimmicky effects to it which I feel really don't give it any more purpose. It's also bizarre some of the ways you suggest using the ramps as pits to murder the foe in, thankfully not brought up in the rest of the set but still feeling ultimately a bit off. Lastly... I know he has the spacers to allow him to thrive within his set ups, but after the specials and smashes he doesn't really have anything interesting to DO with his set ups other than knock foes into them. Which, certainly is the sensible thing to do but I just wish there were some interesting ways to mess around with them in the standards too instead of just a ton of spacers, though with how his vehicle mechanics work I know you needed a lot to keep him from being worse off in this set up than the foe. What you have is fine as far as I'm concerned, just it does feel like it could've been better.


And for those curious, I have decided to start MYM14 Rankings because I'm one of THOSE people. They'll be linked in my sig instead of the MYM13 ones from now until MYM15.
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
Nair makes for some crazy customizable projectile paths if used right sure, and is absolutely fantastic in conjunction with NSpecial... I just wish it was all more user friendly, because those paths will A. divert projectiles whether or not you want them too while they are out and B. disappear after anyone fires a projectile, meaning if some dumb minion fires a bullet at the wrong time your whole crazy bullet path is ruined. They aren't hard to make sure, but it makes the move seem like far more of a headache to use than I wish it was. And there are just some weird inputs and underspecifications here and there, like the Sniper Rifle being a melee attack despite firing a bullet and I'm kind of curious as to whether multiple fire attacks can stack their effects on a rocket. Because in the context of a bullet hell set like this that would make that move a lot more exciting if it did work, but I can't tell.
Great to have some criticism to help improve the set. I already talked about the various balancing issues and what I'd do to improve the set with you in the chat, but here's what I'm changing/adding for those who've already read the set:

*N-air: Salvatore now has the ability to create star paths that only affect her projectiles by double-tapping the input. These paths have a slight orange tint to them and can be used by her up to 3 times in a row instead of only once. If you want to get rid of these particular kinds of stars, you'll need to hold the input after double-tapping it to create one.

*B-air: Purely aesthetic, the rifle is changed to a futuristic-looking one, and it fires a small blast and not an actual bullet.

*Side Special: Clarified that the rocket's explosive range and power stack each time it makes contact with fire (mainly from D-Smash), but the bonus gained decreases each time as to not make the impending blast too powerful.

*F-tilt: Forgot to mention that you can use this to blow up a rocket in mid-flight.


On the other hand, I had to get rid of the Alt Side Special listed at the end of the playstyle section due to BBCoding problems when editing the set. Other than that, enjoy!
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
Before tomorrow, any other takers on the Banjo Mini? 3 is fine, but it would work a lot better with at least 1-2 more :)
 

peeup

Smash Lord
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
1,618
Location
Hartford/Mass
Question: What is the policy on recreating older movesets? I did a set for a Raw Shock back in MYM9, but I think I did a pretty ****ty job looking back on it, and I feel like with more creativity/time I can make something really cool? Is that legal/okay/frowned upon/taboo?
 

ForwardArrow

Smash Ace
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
502
I recreated a set of mine like 2 pages back that I thought I did an awful job with originally, it got a positive reception, and this sort of thing is done all the time in MYM. So that's more than okay peeup. Looking forward to it, actually.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
Question: What is the policy on recreating older movesets? I did a set for a Raw Shock back in MYM9, but I think I did a pretty ****ty job looking back on it, and I feel like with more creativity/time I can make something really cool? Is that legal/okay/frowned upon/taboo?
Feel free to recreate sets to your whim. It's quite legal and, for some, very pleasing. I've even recreated/homaged older sets that aren't mine! So go for it!
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
It grips prey with its pincers until the prey is torn in half. What it can't tear, it tosses far.


STATS

  • SIZE: 8 With the horns included he is around the same size as Samus. The horns are a hurtbox, but he will not take any KB when hit on them unless the move does over 7% damage.
  • WEIGHT: 6 Despite his size, Pinsir only weighs about as Wolf. Still not bad by any means but not exceptionally heavy.
  • GROUND: 5 Not too fast, not too slow, Pinsir trucks forward at an average pace thanks to powerful, yet stubby legs.
  • AIR: 4 Not exceptionally aerodynamic, Pinsir has great acceleration but below average top speed. His jumps each have his own height's worth of distance to them, including the horns!
  • FALL: 8 Pinsir isn't too at home in the air, coming back down to earth more like a rock-type.
  • CRAWL: YES Pinsir's crawl is actually rather decent, changing his height to Kirby's and allowing him to scuttle back and forth at about 3/4 the speed of his dash.
SPECIALS

B: FOCUS ENERGY
Pressing B will have Pinsir say "PIN!". Press it again and he'll say "SIR!", and a third time: "PINSIR!!".

Now, besides being a lagless way to taunt somebody 3 times, this actually has a pretty awesome function in that it will pump up Pinsir's fighting spirit per press (accompanied by a steaming effect similar to DK's full charge Punch, with each of the 3 levels having a more pronounced effect).
  • LVL 1) +2% to all hitboxes for 4 seconds. Attacks with multiple hits have this divided (10 hits = +0.2% per hit).
  • LVL 2) +4% to all hitboxes. +3% Heavy Armor at all times. For 8 seconds.
  • LVL 3) +6% to all hitboxes. +7% Heavy Armor at all times. Ground movement (and air momentum from a grounded jump) increased by 30%. For 12 seconds.
Seems pretty sweet, especially considering you can do this at any time, including mid-attack! However, for all the energy Pinsir builds up there is always a drawback as he then gains "tired" eyes and stance much like the PT Pokemon when fatigued:
  • LVL 1) -2% to all hitboxes for 4 seconds after FE ends.
  • LVL 2) -4% to all hitboxes. +5% Knockback taken (behaves as if he were at 5% higher than he is currently). For 8 seconds after FE ends.
  • LVL 3) -6% to all hitboxes. +10% Knockback taken. Attacks have an added 2 frames of start up and end lag. For 12 seconds after FE ends.
While a very powerful tool, you must be careful with how you use this tool or else you'll face dire consequences when your energy is spent. A common theme with Pinsir, you'll need some real Moxie to dive in and wail on your opponent to make sure you get the best out of him, but messing up can cost you dearly.


SIDE B: VICE GRIP
Pinsir charges forward, horns lowered like a bull and opened wide as he creates a large grab hitbox before himself. The charge has similar properties to Sonic's Side B in terms of distance (the hop, not the whole thing) and also lets him to a horizontal jump mid-air to try and recover. If he misses the attack, he will stumble and land in his crouch not unlike DDD's Dash Attack. If it ends mid-air he will go into special fall, but at a certain height will auto-cancel making it a tad safer to miss than on the ground.

When you do get somebody with the horns, you instantly deal 3% and start the pain train's engines:
  • FORWARD / NO INPUT) Pinsir continues flying forward with the foe clenched tightly in the Vice Grip, using Bind he will continually hit them up to 20 times for 1% damage unless they escape at standard grab difficulty, otherwise the move ends after 2 seconds. Pinsir can easily suicide KO off a ledge with this move and transition from Air to Ground in a charge forward to batter other targets with his prey for 5% and radial KB.
  • BACK / UP) Pressing Backward or Up after catching a prey item has Pinsir flip over and suplex them for 8%. Pressing Back sends them at a shallow angle along the ground, while Up is a high angle into the air, either way dealing 5% radial KB to other foes they hit.
  • DOWN / B) Pressing Down or B after snagging the foe will have Pinsir rear back then slam the foe against the floor for 6%, popping them up about the height of your horns when standing even at high % due to low knockback growth.
You only have a small window to input the other throw commands besides Bind, but mastering Vice Grip will be a vital bread and butter component to Pinsir's game, like with his other grapple specials. Unlike those however, this has a neat double-role when recovering as not only does it give a decent horizontal boost, but from a ledge-hop it can turn the tables on would-be edge-guarders.


UP B: SEISMIC TOSS
Pinsir faces towards/away from the camera and opens his horns wide, then leaps upward a fraction of a second later about 1.5x his height and clamps them shut for 10% and vertical KB, before entering special fall.

While a token recovery move, as with all non FE specials this has a giant grab box for 3% if you don't hit with the ending attack, and is another car in the pain train:
  • UP / NO INPUT) Pinsir flips over vertically and plummets straight to the ground (or to the blastzone if you feel murderous), slamming foes face-first against the floor for 14% and high diagonal KB in the direction Pinsir was facing. This is one of his go-to kill throws near the sides of stages thanks to the suicide option, as well as the high KB growth allowing kills as early as 120% on the average character.
  • BACK / FORWARD) Pinsir flips 360* to either side, smacking other foes with his prey with the standard 5%/Radial KB before flinging them at a shallow diagonal for 6%. This Circle Throw not only repositions foes, but gives you a boost of momentum upwards as you thow the foe, aiding not only in recovery but in repositioning yourself on-stage. If you haven't figured, after throwing somebody Pinsir does not go into special fall with any of these specials, making this in particular deadly vs people trying to spike you: throw them under the stage and Up B again!
  • DOWN / B) Pinsir flips over like with normal Seismic toss, but instead throws the foe straight down for 8% for a meteor attack. Like all meteors, this can be jumped out of by fast-reactions from the foe unless at very high % offstage, but on the floor or a platform it will bounce them off of it with KB similar to Falcon's Down Air. If a foe is on a platform this can allow a pillar of Up B's if done from below them.
Your token "up" grab, but not one to be taken lightly, Seismic Toss rounds out your recovery options making for a short-ranged, but extremely effective means of getting back to the edge, especially with FE granting some Armor to it. Even scarier when onstage with the movement speed giving you ways to link Side B and Up B together!


DOWN B: STRENGTH
With lag equal to DK's headbutt, Pinsir reaches down with his horns and unearths a boulder the size of his body from the floor, the hole quickly being filled by dirt or debris or what have you based on the stage. The boulder acts much like a crate, Pinsir able to carry it around like DK though as he is unhindered movement-wise (aside from losing crouch) with the only issue being you cannot use any of your Horn Attacks with the boulder in tow.

Speaking of Horn Attacks, while you have the boulder your specials get a little alteration:
  • B) Pinsir crushes the boulder between his horns, creating a hitbox for 12% and high radial KB if any foe happens to be touching it that is able to KO at higher %. However, like with a similar Rock Smashing maneuver, shards fly from the rock in nearly all directions, 5 in total for 3% each. While it is a tad telegraphed with how you need to space it and the slight effort put into the crush, FE counts for both the shards (divided) and the main squeeze, making it a valuable damage tool.
  • DOWN B) Pinsir leans back before heaving the boulder forward like a crate item, it crashing to the ground about a platform and a half away for 12% and horizontal knockback. While telegraphed on the ground, mid-air he trades range for speed as he throws it diagonally down with higher end lag instead of startup. The flung boulder can KO at higher %, moreso if flung at a recovering foe, usually netting kills around the 150% mark near a ledge.
  • SIDE / UP B) Pinsir transitions to his regular Side and Up B grapples, only with the boulder as his prey! The boulder counts as a 10% hitbox for medium radial KB (with decent enough KB growth to behave as a desperation KO move at way high %), and any throws involving the boulder behave similarly when it is thrown. The only difference being that when thrown this way they become items one can pick up like a crate, but that also leaves all foes sans DK, Pinsir and his Rival Heracross unable to do much with them due to lack of super ape/beetle strength. Pinsir is still unique however in that going to a Boulder will have him pick it up with his horns, allowing for multiple boulders to be out at once for your prey-tenderizing pleasure. Boulders have about 20% stamina to them before they crumble, with only certain abilities able to really "smash" them (you have to 1-hit KO with a move that does 20% or more in 1 go).
If done on a platform, Pinsir will reach through the bottom and yank foes upward to him with 5% and some hit-stun, making for quite the surprise. Seeing as there is not enough there to make a boulder, he'll go for the next best thing (or even grab one of his smashin' rocks from below if he can reach). However, strength has an equally fun use mid-air, as the 3rd car of the pain train:
  • DOWN / NO INPUT) Pinsir drops downward about 1.5x his height before releasing the foe, dealing an additional hit of 3% after flipping upside down / diagonally for the grab hitbox. If the move ends mid-air, the foe is released with Pinsir being at a small frame advantage, if they touch ground the foe is left prone with Pinsir just off the ground beside them.
  • BACK / FORWARD) Pinsir spins back or forth horizontally and violently tosses the foe diagonally forward with high KB but only about 4%, with a bit less KB but 5% with the forward option (this takes a smidge longer as he does a full spin, useful not only as he slows his momentum but uses the foe as a hitbox for the standard amounts). When the foe hits the ground they take an additional 2% and light upwards KB as they bounce against it (the 2% is not effected by FE). It should be noted since it seems relevant now, that when Pinsir throws a foe against one of the boulders left from Strength's grounded > Bthrows, it will shatter with the 5 pieces of 3%, but with the enemy unable to avoid the impact! This can also easily gimp foes off-stage if you manage to snag them at higher %'s, with the Back option being generally preffered as an anti-edge guard with higher KB.
  • UP / B) Pinsir flips upwards quickly and releases the foe, flinging them upwards for 4% and low KB, but high hit-stun. A basic option, but very handy in that it will almost always combo into Up B, or any up attack for that matter at low-mid %. Like with the Down option comboing into Side B easily, this is another path for the pain train to take.
The last of his Special Grabs, Strength is best used as an aerial counter of sorts, relying on the natural armor of your horns to try and get the hit in despite the DK-esque lag, or comboed off one of the many other throws that pop the foe up off the ground. Not the most damaging or powerful, but it's utility in keeping the strings of grabs together is a vital part of his plan

It should be mentioned that you can pick up boulders quickly from the air using Strength as well, allowing you to transition full-circle to that part of your game as well!


THROWS

GRAB + PUMMEL : BUG BITE
Pinsir's normal grab is really rather lackluster when compared to his array of command grabs as he swipes both arms just in front of himself, like Bowser. However the key thing it has over his other options is the sheer speed, only taking about as long as somebody like Mario's. Even with such speed, it's kind of a let down given your other options have such cool range and pinching prowess.

Tapping A after you snag a foe will have Pinsir put his iconic set of chompers to use, biting the foe over and over in a manner similar to Lucario's pummel. Extremely fast but on the lower end for damage. FE will count his pummel as a 10-hit move due to the speed.


SIDE THROW: STORM THROW
Don't think the Pain Train is over just because his standard grab is so different, just because it's the caboose doesn't make it any less important!

To start things off, like the rest of his throws there are multiple options with his side throw, 4 in all as you press back and forth in different pairings.
  • FORWARD / FORWARD) Pinsir swings the foe 360* around itself, and then another 360* with a step forward before launching them at a shallow diagonally upward angle with very high KB, but only dealing 2 hits of 3%. One of your KO options at high %, it is also a useful means of approaching foes in a multi-man setting by hitting them with their own kind.
  • BACK / BACK) Pinsir snaps the foe 180* behind himself quickly for 5%, before snapping them back the same way for another 5% and skidding the foe along the ground with weak KB that causes them to tumble.
  • FORWARD / BACK) Pinsir spins the foe 540*, ending up behind himself after 1 full spin, dealing 8% in one hit as the foe is flung with mediocre, purely horizontal KB.
  • BACK / FORWARD ) Pinsir snaps his prey 180* behind him, before coming back for a full 360* the opposite direction for 6% and mid-high KB at a diagonally upward angle. Not useful for KOing as much as Fx2, but it is a good means of sending a foe to the air for a mix-up.
As with Side B's forward option, this is an excellent way to smash captive prey into boulders, shattering them for even more damage when spaced right in the way of your tossing back and forth.


DOWN THROW: SUBMISSION
Pinsir tosses the foe into prone, then immediately flips over horns-first onto them and beings repeatedly giving them the "squeeze" as you Tap A, much like a second pummel. Just as fast as Bug Bite, this move does 3% per tap but has 1/2 the grab difficulty with Pinsir actually being at a frame disadvantage when they escape as he flips back over. Despite the shortcoming, with good speed you should easily be putting on tons of hurt on the foe (even if it is the rare throw that doesn't lead to much else...)

That is unless you had a Boulder in your grippuhs. As you can imagine, this throw would be a bit awkward to try if your horns were occupied by a boulder (fun fact: you can grab normally then combo into the rock's various moves). So instead of pinching them to submission, they take the same pose as Bowser's Dthrow as he leaps up, and smashes the rock on them for 12% + Shatter, popping the foe directly upwards with astounding hit-stun. Perfect for Aerial Strength or Up B follow ups.


UP THROW: VITAL THROW
Pinsir tosses the foe straight up, before leaping up with his first jump's worth of height and catching them, performing a lariat like that Russian Street Fighter as he slams foes head-first into the ground. Doing a set amount of KB at a steep diagonal that's enough to land them prone on a platform, Vital Throw has the unique quirk of doing damage based on Pinsir's current percentage. It deals 8% minimum, but then 1% extra per 10% Pinsir has accumulated, making for massive momentum shifts later on if you manage to land the grab.

It helps a lot that Pinsir isn't afraid to trade blows thanks to his high defense from the heavy armor he can take on, allowing for even Submission's recoil to be beneficial in the long run.



STANDARDS

A: FURY ATTACK
Pinsir swipes back and forth, raking diagonally out and in toward himself with one hand after the other for 4% each and minor KB. It's about 50% faster than Bowser's jab and has similar function: swat foes when they approach and lead into a frame advantaged forward charge. In fact, the longer you keep the move going the faster it gets, becoming like an infinite jab after about half a second of mashing A!


SIDE A: BRICK BREAK
Pinsir punches one of his long arms forward, hitting about as far as Link's Jab for a solid 8% and mediocre horizontal KB. This cannot be angled, but doesn't really need to be given the speed to power ratio it has going on for it.

Additionally, Brick Break as you may remember has a special property: if you hit with just his fist he will deal tremendous amounts of shield-stun, trapping foes in their shield long enough for him to have about 1/6 of a second frame advantage before they can react. This also can instantly shatter stones lying around (or being picked up by enemies) for their standard effect, which can be a great asset if you can tap one with a foe in range of it. Either way, combined with it being one of the normal moves you can use while also carrying a Boulder makes it a valuable way to set up a combo.


UP A: CUT
Pinsir closes his horns as he leans forward, quickly scraping an arc above himself with them cutting into foes for 12% and low-mid vertical KB. This is extremely quick, but only covers a shallow arc above himself. Luckily you have many ways of popping foes up just at the right height next to you to get in a good couple of slices each time.

This move's razor sharp hitbox has a special perk if you hit with the very tip. Made clear by the sound effect of a sharp blade scraping against something, Cut will slice into foes and cause further attacks to deal an additional 1% per hit (similar to FE) as Pinsir attacks the wound over and over. The "bleed" effect only lasts a second if you don't keep the foe under attack, but stacks extremely well with your general gameplan.


DOWN A: PINCH
Pinsir "bites" twice with his pincers, dealing 2 hits of 3% each time totaling to 12%. This behaves much like Marth's dtilt, even mirroring it in speed and range. However it lacks any sort of real KB, only doing hit-stun as it also hits higher and multiple times to make for a valuable damaging poke-option alongside your Jab.

This does have a quirk if you use it in tangent with his crawl: it doesn't stop his movement! Furthermore, while crawling you actually deal knockback in the direction you were moving at a diagonal to send foes just about in horn's reach while standing. Harder to get all the hits in on the move, but it can set up some nasty strings by surprise when you snap at their legs back and forth.


DASH A: HYPER CUTTER
Pinsir lunges forward just like with side B, except biting furiously with his horns and landing in his crouch (allowing you to crawl after if you hold down/diagonal). This attack starts incredibly early from the moment he "hops" and hits 12 times for 2% each. Like with Pinch, this is a primarily damage dealing move that also allows for a cross-up as you pass through people and shields alike while hitting multiple times. Unlike Dtilt though it requires much more commitment but can possibly reap much greater reward with a possibility of 30% with FE running at maximum.

Combined with the crawling aspect of Dtilt you can really combine the two two screw with opponent DI!


AERIALS

A: LARIAT
Opening his horns wide, extending his arms to either side, and kicking his feet out as well, Pinsir spins like a slow-mo Luigi down B 3 times. Behaving like a wide Sex-kick, Lariat will push foes away strongly for the 1st spin for 13% and decent radial KB, with the latter two only hitting for 7% and weak horizontal KB. The move lasts about as long as your standard sex kick aerials, but has unique hitboxes on the top/bottom and sides thanks to his feet/horns and lanky arms.


FORWARD A: HORN DRILL
Leaning forward and closing his pincers, Pinsir spins 5 times, hitting for 5% each spin with the hitbox on his horns before righting himself midair with a good bit of end lag, especially if he lands mid-move and stumbles on his face. Similar in use to Dash Attack, it requires more precision to use in order to get in all the hits without the foe being pushed away, but can potentially deal even more damage if you get in a good clean drill.

Like with Brick Break, Horn Drill causes increased shield stun per hit and in fact pulls shielding foes toward you like a screw, making it very useful to try and combo into your normal grab.


BACK A: SMACK DOWN
Leaning back fully, Pinsir falls with his horns acting first as a weak "flip kick" hitbox for 5%, before becoming a weak meteor for 8% as he falls his own height downward before righting himself. With less landing lag than Fair, Smack Down can prove to be a valuable tool at the edge to try and swat stubborn foes down over and over again, or as a ballsy off-stage gimper that doesn't kill yourself like with his Command Grab suicides.

Fast falling with this move against the ground will have Pinsir bounce off of it for half the height and a reverse-hit that pops foes up and away weakly in exchange for obviously more time spent in the move. Then again, Cut + FE hitting twice in one go is very tempting...


UP A: THRASH
Opening his horns wide, Pinsir sways his body back and forth to hit with each horn 2x for 5%, making for a possible 20% at low %. Each hit carries minor vertical KB with it however, meaning unlike your other damage-rackers it isn't too reliable at higher %. The duration of the move however makes for a scary anti-air from a short hop, as well as a great tool in general to pester more aerial foes, possibly even comboing into Seismic Toss.

On the swings that go inward, hitting inside of his horns will actually pull foes down into Pinsir, if spaced right this can combo directly into Dair (seen below), Nair, and even grab if auto-cancelled!


DOWN A: STOMP
Throwing his hands up and raising his feet, Pinsir then stomps down hard as he deals 2 hits of 5% with freeze frames like Wolf's Ftilt. Each hit pops the foe upward a slight amount, about 1/2 his height in fact, allowing this to be a great air to ground tool to get foes popped up and comboed into Uair (sometimes from the hook portion of Uair), or a smashed boulder between your grippuhs. This and Nair are the two aerials you can still use while holding a stone, by the way.



SMASHES

SIDE A: X-SCISSOR
As he takes a step back, charging the move, he will then take a big step forward as he faces the camera and takes a huge bite with his pincers that covers a great deal of vertical space, much unlike his other "biting" moves. This deals 12-17% as he bites and as he opens his jaws back up, but can deal 20-28% if you hit the moment his pincers close, each spot doing horizontal KB that can KO between 140-115 / 115-90%. Overall this takes about as long as Charizard's Fsmash as he has a good bit of start up and end lag as he steps back and forth.

Pinsir can really break the "smash" mold though if he charges with Focus Energy. While normally smashing with FE active gives standard bonuses, charging the attack will instead skip directly to the fully charged version and add on 1.4x the bonus damage and heavy armor while the hitboxes are active. This can grant your smash attacks an impressive 8.5% damage and 10% heavy armor on top of the normal charged damage! However, spending the pent-up energy like this will in fact, spend your energy and immediately begin the awful cooldown period where you are debuffed. So like all of Pinsir's abilities it is best to measure the risk vs reward of using his mighty power, perhaps use the heavy armor boost as a counter to make sure you get the most bang for your buck through an attack and KO the foe to give you time to recover your stats?


UP A: SUPERPOWER
Pinsir digs his horns into the ground slightly as he charges, before erupting upwards with a mighty yell of his name and gfx of exploding dirt. Superpower acts much like a catapult vs foes, dealing 16-22% and either pure vertical KB if they happened to stand on his horns as they went up, to pure horizontal behind him if they are hit as he straightens out from the effort. This will kill off the top at about 130-100% if the foe stands on the tip of the pincers and about 20% less if not on the tip, the horizontal portion has similar KO power but is much more dependent on spacing to be as reliable.

His best method of scoring a vertical KO outside of Seismic Toss, be wary of the very high start up as he sets up his horns as he can't attack and his defense is essentially down until he flips them back up. Thankfully the near non existent end lag makes it an ideal option to start your grapple juggles with if you manage to hit it.


DOWN A: STONE EDGE
Taking a step back as he charges, and closing his pincers tight, Pinsir will hop up, flip over and slam into the ground hard enough to shatter it! This produces a hitbox for 12-17% as well as rock shards from the ground, all dealing radial KB that can KO at around 170-150% near edges. This happens to be his quickest smash attack to send out, only taking about as long as Aerial Strength as he hops, slams, then flips back over. Though of course it is also his weakest in terms of killing power.

As you probably sniped from 100 miles away, this is another special move when you use it in order to smash down on a boulder. When using Stone Edge on one of your rocks you will shatter it (duh) but also turning it into a second Dsmash with identical damage to foes touching the rock and a total of 10 shards! While highly predictable if the foe sees you just standing next to a boulder, if you manage to get in this critical attack you could end up hitting 2 Dsmashes for the price of one!

Furthermore, if used on a platform or a foe hanging on an edge this will instead deal spiking knockback as the tips of his horns stab them.



PLAYSTYLE

PINSIR! PINSIR!!!
Pinsir is defined by extremes, being grapple-heavy, dominating or dominated, and either on fire or frozen by debuffs, it certainly takes some guts to pick him up.

His main highlight of course is the "Pain Train", his ability to link all 4 of his grabs together and combo between various throws. Of course DI dictates the effect and messing up even once makes Pinsir run out of steam really fast due to the punishable nature of trying to land his grapples. In order to soften them up, he thankfully has an array of interesting standards to try and continually pressure the foe into making a mistake with long-duration hitboxes, pop-up moves and in general being a pest thanks to the heavy armor on his horns.

If that isn't working too well it may be time to dig up the big guns with Strength. Getting a boulder out is like a slightly higher-stakes version of Peach with a Turnip, seeing as it's a Pinsir with a goddamn rock. You can either crush it then and there, keep it around to deter aerial assaults and try and get a grab in, toss it as a projectile or better yet, use a B throw in order to place it on the stage. Hopping and using Side B >Down is usually best for this as it is faster than Up B > Down even though the damage added from the throw is less, but being creative with how you grapple it can also lead to a secondary Pain-Train as you smash the boulder into foes left and right before throwing it away. Once on the ground you can get to work trying to smash foes into it, or just keep it around as a means to soak up potential attacks until you decide to huck it again. It's usually a good idea to keep one or two around to act as both targets and projectiles, and frees you up from having to dig up more for a time unless you are up against somebody with similar strength as you who can smash them... dang Heracrosses...

If you got your rocks and jaws at the ready and still have a hard time tearing into your foe, it's time to Focus. Focus Energy is a huge game changer thanks to the sheer damage output and approaching power you can gain, but it comes with that pesky price of having the reverse effect for the same amount of time when it's over. Due to this, many Pinsirs find it better suited to be used mid-combo as it can be done during an attack, particularly during a Pain Train. You can either stagger the stacks between hits to guarantee it isn't wasted, or pile it all at once and just go for broke.

When it comes time to kill, the Pain Train has a few options such as Seismic Toss or Storm Throw to finish off the foe, but comboing into a Smash Attack is just that much sweeter. F and Up Smash are the best options here as Dsmash is either situational (but amazing when you hit it) or just better suited for damaging, and work as amazing counter-moves as Revenge for trying to hit your way out of his grapples. The Focus energy boost to them can nail the coffin of many a stock, but remember to then keep track of the debuffed state afterwards.

On the Defense Pinsir is effective, but he much prefers to charge headlong into the thick of combat. While his command grabs offer plenty of safety within a certain range of the stage, his natural attributes lead to easy damage racking and combos on himself if he isn't careful. Past a certain range Pinsir can really only pray he can make it to the edge!

Once you're back in action, up on the edge and refreshed from debuffs though, it's back to square one of hunting down your prey. Simple, Effective, Extreme: Pinsir.



EXTRA

FINAL SMASH: GUILLOTINE
With the smash ball activated, B will have Pinsir yell his name and charge forward about 1/2 a platform and reach outward with one of his long arms in a DDD-esque grab with Focus-Energy Heavy Armor. When he grabs a victim, he will flip them up into his grippuhs and start to squeeze, hard. The camera zooming in on him as he presses the jaws tighter each time with a "PIN..." "SIR..." "PINSIR!!" as his pincers close shut on the foe (panicking like Bowser Dthrow the whole time, unable to escape) and are dealt 100% damage with godlike vertical KB.


UP TAUNT: SHARPEN
Pinsir scrapes his horns against one another, sounding like a knife being sharpened.

SIDE TAUNT: SWAGGER
Pinsir leans back, hands on his abdomen as he lets out a belly laugh at the foe "Pin sir sir!"

DOWN TAUNT: NUTCRACKER
Pinsir sits down and pulls out some sort of shelled berry from behind his back, places it in his horns and cracks it open to reveal a honey comb like Vespiquen's. Eating it restores 2% and is a healthy part of a Pinsir or Heracross' daily breakfast, providing he has time to do it (probably between stocks).


~~~

My part of a "Moveset Exchange Programme" with Froy, we each gave each other a set to create and then comment on. For more info, contact Froy or Agi :)
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
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Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
Armored Ventus Nightmare

You can't hear the armor's story through the darkness...

Statistics and Mechanics

The nightmare is a 1v1 boss...it can be fought on difficulties from Very Easy to Intense...it's HP scale differs from Master Hand's starting at Very Hard...

Very Easy: 150 HP
Easy: 250 HP
Normal: 300 HP
Hard: 350 HP
Intense: 450 HP

The nightmare's opponent can choose any number of stocks from one to five, like in Classic Mode...who knows...maybe he is even the final boss of his own mode...

If two friends are playing together, they should come to an agreement on what difficulty and lives to choose beforehand...otherwise, their friendship might begin to fragment...

Armored Ventus Nightmare is surprisingly not very large, a bit smaller than Ike...but his armor is extremely heavy...to the point that he is slightly heavier than Donkey Kong, but lighter than Bowser...and his ground speed is actually fast, about the level of Mr. Game & Watch...although he does not really have traditional 3v1 boss immunities, he retains the 1v1 boss immunity to tripping...

Despite being extremely heavy, the nightmare is very floaty, almost like it once knew how to float or glide...it's aerial control is very excellent as well, but it is slow...it's first jump is impressive, but it's second jump is merely okay...and that's about it for statistics.

When the nightmare is on the stage, it will be covered in a shroud of inky darkness, leaving only an outline of itself and the stage visible...and the opponent's character model, of course...it can be very easy to lose sight of him in the darkness...the A.V.N. will not lose the battle when hit off the side, but will instead respawn and take a small amount of damage, so he can't just do it forever...he can do so to reset how much "damage" he has on him that is counted for knockback, though...


Specials

Down Special

The inky darkness covering the stage pulsates as the nightmare stands in place, each and every bit sloshing into it in a surprisingly quite motion...the stage returns to normal due to this, but the A.V.N. gains a pulsating and sickly, inky aura around it...

This prevents the nightmare from hiding in the darkness...but many of it's moves gain a power buff, with all moves gaining a 50% power buff...in addition, Armored Ventus Nightmare gains a third jump and a glide...using this move again will cause the darkness to seep from the armor and once again coat the stage, allowing him to hide in it and utilize the move differences in the dark...understanding both darkness within and without is paramount to understanding the nightmare...the move is quick on all accounts...


Neutral Special

The nightmare's armor shimmers for a moment before it's outline vanishes completely, becoming one with the darkness...in this state, it is impossible to see the nightmare in the darkness, and he gains a crawl/crouch that causes him to sink into the darkness covering the ground he is on, becoming utterly unhittable...he can move around at 3/4th his normal ground speed, too, which is pretty good...that is really the primary draw of this move...with good timing, he can even use any of his ground moves when coming up from his crawl...well, except dash attack, of course.

He can only spend 5 seconds as one with the darkness before he mysteriously returns...he has to wait as long as he spent in it out of it to go back in it again...if you use your Down Special, it automatically turns it's effect into it's version that is used outside of a darkness encased stage...

If you use this after sucking in the stage's dark shroug...the nightmare instead becomes a featurless, inky black ball of pure darkness, which can be controlled in free flight at A.V.N.'s dash speed...contact with these sphere deals 12% damage and decent upwards knockback...if the foe is particularly damaged or up high, you can try to chase them off the top...A.V.N. can use it's air moves during this time, morphing into a pure inky dark version if itself to execute them...but it gains a lot more ending lag due to the fact that it morphs back into the ball after it's normal ending lag...this move is on the same timer as your darkness Neutral Special and must recharge in the same way...he can also use his Specials in this form...


Side Special

A.V.N. ceases it's reverse grip for a moment and points it forward, a sloshing stream of inky darkness erupting from it's tip...if darkness enshrouds the stage, only it's outline is really visible...this stream of darkness sloshes in and out of the stage in an arcing manner, each arc going as tall as Marth as it's height and travelling half a Battlefield platform at a time...it ruthlessly and relentlessly tracks down the foe with homing, which is to say, it always travels in whatever direction the foe is in, trying to hit them...if it catches up to them, it is 12% damage but knockback that KOs at 120%...then it disappears. It will also disappear after about three seconds of not hitting the foe...very good for keeping the foe on the move constantly...but a lot of characters can duck under the arch arc if they see it coming...

This move functions the same when the darkness is lifted...except for the damage...it instead does 16%, increased to 24% from the boost in damage...but it won't KO until 240%...so the move reverses roles when the darkness and light do as well...with good timing, a player can learn to shift the darkness and what this move does just before it hits, so that it does what you want it to do...and you can always use it to keep pressure on foes as you advance or retreat...it has high starting lag, but low ending lag...and A.V.N. gains 8% super armor during start-up...


Up Special

The nightmare vanishes in a puff of darkness, before appearing right behind or in front of his opponent, whichever is closest...no matter where he is, this happens, making it a perfect recovery in that regard...of course, since he appears right next to the opponent, a smart opponent will hit him when he reappears to send him flying again...something to note is that, while it has high starting lag, the ending lag is actually dependant on the difficulty...the higher the difficulty, the less lag this move has on the end, making it harder and harder to hit A.V.N. away when he reappears...or make you use a quicker attack, at least...hiding yourself with the Neutral Special might help disguise this move...and if the foe is pre-occupied, it's a near perfect approach...

Smashes

Forward Smash

The nightmare grips his keyblade tightly before giving it a mighty toss, flying through the air like a boomerang...the darkness empowered blade deals a mighty amount of damage, striking all in it's path down for 21%-37% damage, but it only KOs at 150%-135%...a real shame...it has quick start-up, but heavy ending lag, as the nightmare cannot move until the keyblade returns to him...if he's hit during that time, the keyblade will teleport back to him when he is doing going through hitstun...it always goes a Battlefield platform in length, like clockwork...an excellent way to end combos or control the stage...

Down Smash

Armored Ventus Nightmare sticks his keyblade into the ground, darkness swirling and gathering as it is plunged into the earth, combining as he holds it there...after completing the move, it stops gathering, merely swirling there as an obvious trap...in the darkness, all you can see is an ever-swirling outline...the trap becomes active after half of a second, but it's trigger condition is a bit odd, as it only activates if the foe is not within half of a Battlefield platform to either side of it...height is irrelevant...

If they aren't in that range though, an inky black tentacle will erupt from the darkness, quite large and menacing, and lash out at the foe...it can go as far as it needs and moves at Mario's dash speed...it will try to hit the foe for 15%-19% damage and drag them to where the dark trap was made, before disappearing...it's a bit unlike other traps, beause instead of warning foes away from an area, it lures them into the darkness...it can become very tricky to deal with when combined with your Side Special and Forward Smash...but of course, it also makes KOing more difficult, because it will pull KO'd foes back...it disappears with the same timer as Snake's Down Smash after it arms itself...it also disappears if it's dodged or shielded...high starting lag, but low ending lag...


Up Smash

A.V.N. holds it's keyblade high, darkness coalescing into one large, Bowser sized ball of suffering, before launching it forward...it starts out fairly high above him, higher the more you charge it, but slowly falls to the ground as it travels forward...so the more you charge it, the further it goes...it goes 3/4ths of a Battlefield platform at no charge, and 1 1/4ths of one at full charge...opponents hit by this swirling mass are struck for 21%-25%...but the knockback is dissapointing, it won't even KO until 200%-185%...but opponents struck by this move become tainted by darkness, the sphere dissapating as it seeps into their being...while it deals pathetic poison damage of 1% per second for five seconds, it deals a great deal more damage at their innermost, at their shield, dark pink chips of it constantly shattering off them...it's entirely possible to get shield breaks by hitting multiples of these, especially if any are charge...or just by supplementing it with hitting a shield normally...

Standards

Jab

The nightmare does a quick three hit combo with his keyblade, dealing 3%, 3%, 5% damage and weak knockback...the lag is very short and the hits very quick with this attack, giving it a strong and striking appearance...how much hitstun the last attack deals depends on the difficulty you choose...on Very Easy, there is almost no hitstun at all, so the nightmare must beware being struck back...but at Normal and higher, it becomes a good combo starter...on Intense, it's the best way to start some true combos...the three hits will true combo into each other for a long time no matter the difficulty, though...

Forward Tilt

The nightmare does a quick forward slash with his keyblade, a tendril of darkness shooting out of the end of it as he does so...getting hit by this move causes 11% damage when hit by the blade and some weak forward knockback...but if you get hit by the tendril, you take 5% damage and weak knockback that hits you towards your waking nightmare...the tendril means this move has great range...and being able to knock opponents back either away or towards you...it has very little ending lag, too, though the starting lag, while fast, is not blazing fast...against heavier characters like Bowser and DK, it can combo into itself 2 or 3 times at very low %s if you sweetspot it so they go between the blade and tendril repeatedly...

Down Tilt

Armored Ventus Nightmare slashes while crouched low to the ground...a quick attack that deals 7% damage...but it only trips the foe up, never damages them...it's not very special, but the nightmare requires twists and turns to trip you up...and it's an excellent move to put in a combo...if the foe is in the air or off the ground, it knocks them up a little instead...

If A.V.N. is in his darkness crouch instead, he'll send out waves of darkness around him while he is in his crawl state...each one does 8% and knocks the foe up...and he can still use it while moving, though his speed is reduce to half of his normal speed instead of 3/4ths...but you can use it as an excellent way to start something while stealthed or just turn yourself into a trap while moves like Side Special, Up Smash and Down Special mess with the foe...


Up Tilt

A.V.N. does a spin as he slashes into the air with his keyblade, dealing 8% damage and decent upwards knockback...it is a bit slower to start up than the rest of his tilts, but retains low ending lag...it doesn't really do anything special, but it is a great way to launch enemies into the air...and combined with the rest of his specials, it gives him excellent combo ability...which flows very well into his active control options...

Dash Attack

The nightmare darts forward as it's entire body melts into a rushing, inky darkness...he goes about 3/4ths of a Battlefield platform at Sonic's dash speed, dealing 12% damage to anyone in his way and popping them up for knockback that KOs at 220%...it's very fast travelling and has decently fast starting lag, but it's ending lag is very bad...the DACUS on this move is very interesting, because the projectile is slower than the nightmare armor moves...so you can basically fire it behind you...lots of options result from that...

Throws

Grab

Armored Ventus Nightmare lumbers forward a step as it grabs in front of it...this grab is quite slow, but the step gives it amazing range...maybe even as long as the Penguin King's...

Pummel

The nightmare armor shocks the foe with darkened power for 3% damage...it's slow, but powerful...standard pummel fare...

Up Throw

A.V.N. pounds his palm into the foe as it shoves them harshly upwards for 10% damage and okay upwards knockback...darkness flows into the foe freely from the nightmare armor's palm as they are tossed upwards, seeping into them...it's poison damage is only 1% for three seconds, but it still chips away at their shield strongly as well...and just like how Up Smash can stack with itself, it can stack with this, and this can stack with itself...or you can mix and match for the best combination of darkness consumption...

Forward Throw

The nightmare armor plunges his keyblade into the foe's chest or equivalent area, darkness exuding from where it impacts...after a moment, the foe is kicked off and sent flying from knockback that KOs at 230%, taking 12% damage...but the foe's heart has been intertwined with darkness now, and so too shall it follow how the darkness flows...

For when the darkness shrouds the stage, the foe will be pushed away from Armored Ventus Nightmare slightly, as if it releases darkness passively...and when the light floods the stage, the opponent is drawn towards Armored Ventus Nightmare, as if it tries to suck in even the darkness in the foe's heart...difficulty level determines how much it will push and pull...at Very Easy it is almost unnoticable, but it gets quite Intense later...on the highest difficulty, Ganondorf can barely escape it's force...after 5 seconds, all the extra darkness has been released, and the foe is no longer under this move's dominion...


Back Throw

The keyblade once again plunges into the depth of the foe, dealing 12% damage, wounding deeper than before...then the armor simply turns and tosses the foe behind him for fairly light knockback...this turns the armor around as he does so...and forges a link in the chain between the hearts of the two...

For a time, the foe will feel the armor's pain...each strike against it's metal plating being returned to it's sender for half the damage and knockback that it had hit it with...but in return, the damage and knockback of the armor's own attacks become halved, as if the enemy's link grants some protection against the darkness enveloping it...how the opponent reacts, on if to use this chance to strike him down while he is weakened, or to try and avoid lashing out when it will hit itself...that shall determine how the armor replies to it...after five seconds, this effect wears off completely...


Down Throw

Armored Ventus Nightmare forces the foe to the ground as it plunges the keyblade into the foe, darkness seeping out of him and starting to envelope them...if the foe cannot escape before it devours them completely, their body and essence are completely and totally consumed, resulting in an instant loss of stock...how much time the foe has depends both on how many stocks the foe has and the difficulty level...but with a baseline of 3 stocks and Normal Difficulty, the foe has to escape at normal grab difficulty, not counting any struggling they already had, before two seconds are up...although infusing the foe with enough darkness from moves such as Up Smash and your other throws can reduce it down to one and a half seconds...the more stocks the foe has, the easier this throw is, and conversely, it is harder with less stocks...how difficulty level affects it should be obvious...

If the foe breaks free, no damage is dealt and the armor is stunned for a fairly long time...it is an excellent chance to strike back...


Aerials

Neutral Aerial

The armor turns into practically a blazing inferno of darkness before it dissipates over a moment, dealing 12% damage and knockback that KOs at 170% to anyone it strikes...it's a very effective GTFO move...especially if you move the control stick in a direction during start-up, which will cause him to air dash a Ganondorf in that direction...still a hitbox, of course...if you don't want to use your Up Special, this is an alternative recovery method...starting lag is okay, ending lag is high...you can't stall forever by going up with it, so don't even try...chase opponents around in midair...

Glide Attack

Armored Ventus Nightmare can glide while darkness is absorbed, remember...the nightmare armor sends a whip of darkness forward with it's keyblade...anyone struck with it is dealt 5% damage before the tendril is yanked towards him, sending the foe flying at him...he then will ready and, if not dodged, strike down with a strone keyblade spike for 16% damage...the attack can always be air dodged, but the timing depends on the difficulty...on Very Easy, it's very easy to dodge and time it...but on Intense, your timing has to be almost perfect...if you do dodge it though, you end up in front of him while he takes massive ending lag...it's a prime chance to strike back...he can also use it to tether himself to the stage, but only like a normal, Brawl tether...

Forward Aerial

The armor once again sends a tendril of darkness forwards...and if it strikes the foe, it'll latch on for 8% damage and bring the foe to the armor, leaving them frame neutral...well, not exactly, it merely defaults to bringing them to the armor...hitting a direction when the attack hits allows the armor to place the foe in any direction the control stick can be pressed...if this is done, the foe will always end up the exact same distance away as they were when hit, except they are now at their new direction...so if a foe is a Battlefield platform in front of you and you choose back...they end up a Battlefield platform behind you...it has a good deal more ending lag if you do it this way, though...this move can also be used as a tether recovery...

Up Aerial

Armored Ventus Nightmare swings his keyblade upwards in quite a quick movement, dealing 10% damage and okay upward knockback...it's really meant to be a quick attack and juggling move more than anything else...it hits slightly in front of the armor, but only at the very start...quite quick on both ends, really...try following up with this following your tilt combinations...

Back Aerial

A.V.N. slices behind himself with the keyblade in hand, a quickly started move that deals 11% damage and KOs at 140%, making it one of his better killers...if you've absorbed darkness, then it will also send out a little dark shockwave that travels about a half of a Battlefield platform, dealing 6% and flinching anyone it hits...but it upgrades the normally only okay ending lag of it's darkness enshrouded version with much heavier ending lag...so it is very much a trade-off on what kind you want to use...but the shockwave is great fun when combined with your Forward Aerial's ability to reposition so easily...

Down Aerial

Armored Ventus Nightmare stalls in midair while positioning its keyblade, before dropping straight to the ground...anyone caught in the plummet is spiked for 12% damage, while anyone caught in the landing takes 14% and strong upwards knockback that KOs at 155%...what happens when you hit the ground depends on if darkness shrouds the stage or if you have absorbed it...

If darkness blankets the area, then a shockwave is sent out along the ground, earth shaking and expanding out at Pit's dashing speed until it reaches an edge...to both sides of him, of course...enemies hit by this take 8% damage and knockback towards the nightmare armor, making it a very good way to force foes near you...and can be very good to activate your Down Smash or bring them towards your Side Special...but if you have absorbed light, two towering pillers of darkness instead strike high right next to both sides of the armor...going up a total of two Ganondorfs, to be precise...anyone hit by these takes 17% damage and is knocked out at 120%, making it a much better KO move...but it has a lot more ending lag...one is a kill move and one is a damaging move, so choose your variation based on the situation...starting lag is a bit slow for a stall then fall...


Final Smash

Darkness collects and forms around Armored Ventus Nightmare as it absorbs more and more of it, even if none seems to be around, eventually the entire stage looking normal...before it explodes out of Armored Ventus Nightmare, striking anyone nearby with a VERY powerful wind style hitbox that can set up foes for KO easily...of course, that's not the true point of this move...

When he absorbed the darkness, he was adding it to himself, he was mending his wounds...and from it created darkness to replace it...thusly, A.V.N. will regain 1/4th of it's total HP when this move is used...this can be especially devastating at higher difficulties...of course, when it can face foes with devastatingly strong Final Smashes, it is almost required...he can even surpass his maximum HP with this...extremely dangerous...that is the power of a Dark Curaga...

Perhaps one should avoid using Smash Balls while fighting such a nightmarish foe...or if they do, be well aware of the risk that goes with the reward...


Playstyle

The soul's etching seems to be completely consumed and devoured by the darkness...it is impossible to decipher in this state...
 

Conren

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
90
Location
Boston
NNID
Conren1
3DS FC
5086-4445-8944
[/collapse="The Worst Character Ever"]

Edit: Decided to make it a Super Special Extra for Vespiquen. Go check it out at the end of Vespiquen's moveset.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
May I have your attention please!

...

I WILL have your attention...please!

Leadership is proud, happy and happyproud (Possibly even proudhappy!) to introduce a new board to help with your Make YOur Move needs! And so, without further ado...


- What is The Whiteboard?

The Whiteboard is a new forum launched and designed to provide a friendly and open enviroment to preview sets and get advice from the entire community. This forum is designed with things in mind such as "Moveset Previews" and a more accessible and easily free "Moveset Graveyard", in addition to possible future functionalities we've got plotted and turning in our minds!

We hope that The Whiteboard will start and continue to hold great promise and help for Make Your Movers both young and old. But we need your help to do it! Not only in posting previews and ideas, but in giving them suggestions and advice! Together, we can make The Whiteboard a success!

- Moveset Preview

The Moveset Preview section of the forum is for just what you imagine: Previewing your movesets, or ideas, to the masses! By posting in-progress or even simple starting ideas here, this forum promises to be a shining beacon of thinking. Don't worry about the size of your preview, the quality of it or anything else: The constructive and friendly atmosphere of The Whiteboard is here to help with everything from fine tuning to fleshing out ideas! Just remember, this is all member based, so we need YOUR help to do so: Contribute to yourself and other people's previews, they'll contribute to yours and we'll enter a perpetual motion of helpfulness!

To help kickstart Moveset Previews, I've even posted a wide variety of previews for my own sets, from largely finished to more bare bones! So don't be intimidated and come on by!

- Moveset Graveyard

Ever not feel like making a set, but already got some work done? Try giving it a proper burial in our Moveset Graveyard! Be it inspiring someone else to take up its mantle, cannibalize it for ideas or simply show it off for others to see, the Moveset Graveyard is the place to be! Don't be afraid to post your dead works, either: I'm sure people would rather see them than let them rot away!

- Future Functions

And that's just what this forum has now. With proper time and success, we hope to provide more and more to help members with, and continue to grow our community!

So check out The Whiteboard today!

(Also if no forums are appearing: Sign up and they should then work)
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
I will update the Comment Corner tomorrow, sometime when I am not being distracted by E3. Sorry for not keeping up on it lately: I've been kinda busy, as you can all plainly see!

Salvatore Dali

Mmmm, that outfit.

Your Forward Throw is actually very similiar to a concept I had for Roy Koopa. Not a bad thing: I just found it amusing.

Salvatore's Neutral Special offers an excellent start to this set and quite quickly endeared me to it: even leaving aside the ability to travel on it, which is quite brilliant and fun, the way the prokectile works with ground embedement and such is really quite cool. The Gunner minions work quite well into this, I feel: The minion arming is much cooler here than it ever was in Kang and has a LOT of options...although I do feel like the minion orders could have been streamlined somehow, though I'm not sure what suggestion I would make for it. Not removing options, as I like the options, just streamlining how to get them. The standards are pretty slick and, while remaining basic, offer a good deal of playstyle: The Down Tilt and Dash Attack are two inputs I especially enjoyed.

My biggest problem with this set probably came from some moves that felt very awkward, and nothing exemplified that more than Up Smash: It's very flashy and very confounding, I had to easily read it twice to understand what it did, and it did not feel like it contributed to the set much. The Neutral Aerial wasn't an input I particularly liked either, not so much for the reasons FA suggested, as much as it feels very awkward and not working well with your bullet game in general: The only thing it works with is making a track for your NSpec bullet to ride on, which is okay, but it just doesn't feel well when combined with her game overall. On the flipside, I loved the Down Smash, which felt very cool without being overly flashy and still remaining playstyle relevant.

So ultimately, Salvatore felt like a good set, albeit with some flaws. But the good outshined the bad and so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pain Train

Glad to see Pinsir is out and out quick: I'm working on Heracross, my end of the exchange, and hope to have something to show for it soon, although E3 will probably eat up my day tomorrow. :)

The Pain Train is quite an adapt name here, as Pinsir's wide variety of command grabs combined with decent normal grabs giving him quite a healthy game in that regard, while Focus Energy is a real cool buff: The different tiers of charge and the fact Pinsir gets equivalent debuff time is quite nice. My favorite part about the set is how all the command grabs and throws all work together, as it creates a nice, tight and cohesive playstyle, with Focus Energy getting it's due in the Smashes. It's all very cool stuff. I was a bit weary of the boulder in previews, though it was an interesting idea, but I feel that the worry was unfounded in this regard: the boulder serves a really neat function throughout the set and definately feels more like an asset than a problem.

What I dislike about this set is that about half of the standards and aerials don't feel like they do anything, even in the context of outside the playstyle or providing weaknesses, they're just kinda...there. Brick Break is cool, I like the Dash Attack, BAir is okay and DAir's freeze frame use is cool, but even then only Brick Break and maybe the dash attack feel like they go with anything, while everything else feels more or less...there, nothing added to the substance of Pinsir, and nothing keeping my interest. I think that with a little more of the tight focus Pinsir displayed earlier here, it could have become great, but as is it is merely good. Still enjoyable, still good, but just that.
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
In his defense, the standards and aerials are there to supplement damage and pressure foes to let him take advantage of any opportunity to land a grab, which is the meat of what makes pinsir, pinsir.

Each of them are there to combat certain situations against foes in order to land certain grabs, like ftilt > vice grip, up air > seismic toss, dair/utilt > short hop strength, nair/fair > normal grab, and so on.

His game plan revolves around keeping foes clamped between the pincers, so the "normals" simply serve to supplement his main moves of specials, grabs and smashes.

Actually, I did come up with a few things to spice them up. Check out his standards and aerials again.
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
To be fair, the U-Smash was one of the inputs I actually struggled on for ideas. I had to settle with something that took advantage of Great Gun King just to make it at all interesting. I definitely agree it doesn't enough for the set that I'd replace it with something else were I able to think of an idea.

Was somewhat surprised you didn't think the N-air contributed that much when I thought it was one of the best inputs in the set. It can be used for a fair bit more than controlling the path of your Nspec bullet; you could for example, place a star in front of a Gunner you have during your pre-jump frames before jumping over them, placing a star above them and finally one behind them, allowing you to guide stuff like the F-Smash and Side Special rocket over their heads while they're shooting foes! They also give projectiles with no distance cap like U-tilt, D-tilt and Side Special a greater lifespan if you used your great jumping ability to place stars as high up on the stage as possible, using them as some degree of cover. I also mention in the N-air that stars work together really well with a Gunner's projectile; if you're in front of them, you can jump out of their way and set a star in front of them, which'll prompt them to fire their projectile at any foe in their sight. The really cool thing about this is that if that foe takes to the air to avoid that projectile, you can just set another star in order to get said projectile to intercept them! It gets even better when you consider that most of Salvatore's aerials are designed to support projectiles or make them easier to hit with. I don't think the N-air would be as good as it is without assistance from minions, because with it Salvatore can make their projectile her own to support her aerial game, given it's tricky to fight foes up there. I don't mind if this doesn't change your opinion of the move for the better, but I do think perhaps you are slightly overlooking its uses.

As mentioned, I can change the U-Smash if I think of something better (despite the fact that editing is a massive pain to do what with your BBCoding being messed up in the process), but other than that I'm glad you liked the set.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
Set and Comment Corner has been fully updated, in addition I have made some fairly large changes to my rankings, have a look!
 

Kholdstare

Nightmare Weaver
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
1,439

Challenger approaching gif for all your movesetting needs
Transparent version I made
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
Gonna postpone the deadline for the Challenge mini to accomadate for Smash4's hype. Jump in before Next Sunday while you have the chance!

And speaking of Minis and Smash 4....



SMASH 4 HYPE MINI:

Create an assist trophy and / or unique item for one of the three newcomers!

Also, try and make a POKEBALL item for one of the newly announced Gen 6 pokemon!
 

Lemonwater

Smash Ace
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
664


Slayer
Slayer is the former chieftain of an organization of assassins and a descendant of Nosferatu. With his unyielding attacks and special vampire abilities, he makes mincemeat of his opponents. A charming, refined and somewhat erudite man, Slayer exudes class; but that is not to say he doesn't enjoy combat. Although he is technically not a part of the on-goings of the world, he often offers advice to others, and has grown somewhat attached to the world. Having lived a long time, he posseses a strengthened sense of perspective, and as such, he generally remains calm and dignified regardless of the situation in which he finds himself. Despite this, he is not without passion. Slayer is a lover of refined things; poetry, romance, and often stops to admire the beauty he sees in the world, and in those younger than himself. In combat, his blood boils, and although he is occasionally frustrated by the lack of challenge others are capable of presenting him with, he is ever graceful to those with whom he fights, offering them congratulations for a good performance, and usually assisting them with a warning or a bit of advice. He spends most of his time writing poetry and in the company of his immortal wife, Sharon. It is not known whether she is also a vampire or some other type of immortal being. She regenerates quickly has been shown capable of easily surviving having all the blood drained from her body and is Slayer's primary source of blood, though he is not above feeding on humans if he feels like it. He has shown himself to be more than a match against even the most advanced human and alien super-weapons (both living and inanimate) and other supposedly-mythical entities. He is able to survive indefinitely in the absolute vacuum of space and the crushing, frigid and lightless bottom of the deepest oceans. The cape he constantly wears seems to be alive and is fully capable of changing into various shapes and forms at Slayer's command. His raw strength is so great that he must hold back in combat to avoid doing widespread collateral damage, and he is able to fling objects (and beings) from planetary surfaces into deep space or into stars to be incinerated. He has created his own fighting style, though few have witnessed him using his true power seriously. His true combat techniques have no known method of suppression and it is advised that hostile encounters with him be avoided.

TL;DR
Slayer's a really laid-back vampire dude who never really fights at full strength or else you'll get owned instantly. Even his posture as he's lying down shows that you aren't really harming him with your attacks. He lies down on his side with his head in his arm, looking bored.

Stats
Height/size: Ike
Weight: Link
Falling speed: C. Falcon
Dash speed: Ganon
Walk Speed: Bowser
Crouch: Slayer's cape allows him to sit in the air as he's crouched. He loses about half his height crouching. He smokes calmly and crosses his legs while he's sitting on his floating cape.
Shield pose: Slayer puts one hand on his hip, stands up straight, and holds his other hand out in front of him, where he rotates it in rapid circles. The smoke from his pipe forms a barrier in front of him as well.
Down pose: Slayer lays on his side, smoking his pipe with one hand propping his head up in an amused manner and one of his knees bent.
Dodges: During all his rolls/dodges, Slayer temporarily vanishes into thin air. He always remains facing the same direction, no matter which direction he dodges. Forward dodge/roll has Slayer reappear a short distance away in front of his previous location. Back dodge/roll has him reappear a short distance away behind his previous location. Spot dodging has him reappear in the same location.

Overview: He's a heavyweight despite his looks.

Slayer's jumps are both relatively high for his weight and falling speed. His second jump is slightly higher than the first. He remains facing forward during his first jump, but rotates during his second jump (not flip). His first jump is similar to Yoshi's in height while his second covers about 60% of Yoshi's second jump in height.

Taunts and Character Appearances
When Selected - Slayer puts one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip, shaking his head as though being chosen is bothersome and boring for him.
Begin Match - Slayer's cape floats onto the screen. It grows much bigger rapidly and opens up, with its top part now resembling the shape of a bat's head, complete with glowing eyes. Slayer steps out from the dark shadow within the unfolded cape and waves to the audience. The cape then transforms back to normal and returns to Slayer's shoulder.
Victory - Slayer's cape grows into a similar shape as it did during his 'beginning match' animation. Slayer calmly waves goodbye to the audience and then steps into the darkness of the cape and disappears.
Defeated - Slayer slowly claps in a mocking manner while smiling wryly.
T1 - Slayer slowly claps in a mocking manner while smiling. Note that he also claps this way on the score screen after a battle if he doesn't win, the taunt is just shorter, being not looped.
T2 - Slayer puts one hand on his hip, turns his back to the camera, and raises the other hand, snapping his fingers loudly once.
T3 - Slayer shakes his head slowly and waggles his finger disapprovingly with one hand on his hip.

Note: When Slayer carries any item, he does so with one hand. Like DK, he is also able to move while carrying crates and barrels. He is unable to dash while doing this, but he strolls along casually while smoking his pipe with his free hand.


Grab
Slayer leans over and reaches toward the opponent's neck with his hand. Has about the same range as Ike's grab. He holds the victim with one hand by clutching their shirt at the area below the neck while lightly pusffing smoke from his pipe over their face to bug them. He has his other hand on his hip when he does this.

Pummel: Toxic Smoke
1% damage per hit, but deals multiple hits quickly
Hold down the A button while the foe is grabbed. Slayer does not have a traditional pummeling move. Slayer continuously blows a stream of hot smoke over his victim's face, suffocating them with the burning residue of whatever he's smoking. Has sort of a Fire Flower/Flamethrower effect in that it releases a continuous slow blast that washes over the enemy to deal constant damage. Enemies close enough to the smoke stream can take damage, but it does not flinch them.

U-Throw: Casual Toss
8% damage
Slayer throws the opponent upward with the same enthusiasm and force that a normal person would throw an apple up before catching it again. The launch is usually minimal and this is mostly used as a combo tool. Knockback starts to scale up greatly after 170%. Can kill at about 210%.

D-Throw: Trip
14% damage
Slayer trips the foe comically with one foot, causing him/her to fall flat on his/her face. Immediately afterward, he puts his arms up and does a quick shrug before getting back in his ready stance. The damage never stales. This throw can never kill and is used for damage, sort of like Snake's.

F-Throw: Casual Throw
9% damage
Slayer throws the opponent forward as though he were flinging a cape from behind his opposite shoulder forward. His other hand remains on his hip during this throw. Overall, a relatively lethal throw due to its almost-straight trajectory. Can kill most characters at 140% fresh.

B-Throw: Discard
9% damage
Without any enthusiasm or real effort, Slayer throws the opponent over his shoulder like spilled salt. His other hand remains on his hip while he does this. Launches the opponent a diagonal trajectory. It deals more knockback than F-throw but the trajectory makes it less lethal. Can kill most characters at about 170%.


Getup/Ledge Attacks/Recoveries
Standard ledge attack: Slayer flips himself quickly up from the ledge feet-first. Any opponent in front of him will be struck by his flipping legs on the way up. 6% damage
High damage ledge attack: Slayer vanishes and then reappears standing on the area above the ledge, doing a low shin kick. 8% damage
Standard ledge climb: Slayer pulls himself up with one hand so quickly and forcefully that he pops straight into standing position. 0% damage

Standard getup attack: Slayer does a sudden split kick in both directions and nimbly hops onto his feet. All without using his hands. 6% damage.
High damage getup attack: Slayer vanishes and reappears standing in the same place, where he unleashes a quick purple energy burst that hits enemies all around him. 8% damage.
Standard getup: Slayer hops back onto his feet without using his hands. 0% damage
Teching off surfaces: Slayer vanishes into thin air before striking the ground or wall, then immediately reappears in his neutral aerial stance.

Specials
B: Dandy Step
0% damage.
Slayer slides back with great speed, then slides forward again to return to the place slightly in front of where he was before sliding. He can't slide himself off ledges this way and will instead return to a more forward position if the journey backward is cut short by a platform ledge or a drop. Before he returns to his pre-slide position, a command can be issued that will have him deal various attacks during his return. Slayer is stoic during the sliding (but not during subsequent attacks or the brief moment between slides). The attacks are performed on the second slide when they are input, so a buffered input command will have the attack performed before Slayer can slide all the way back to where he began this move. Dandy Step may not be performed while in the air.

>>>Up-A during Dandy Step
Pile Bunker
15% damage
Slayer goes forward a bit and performs a very fast and powerful uppercut with decent vertical range, although its horizontal range is a bit lacking. It lags a bit when shielded, so it can be punished with a shield grab if properly timed. This attack launches the opponent a great distance and is capable of killing most characters at 100% fresh. It launches enemies straight up. Stales quickly.

>>>Down-A during Dandy Step
Crosswise Heel
7%, 7%, 6% damage
Slayer kicks upward in a diagonal direction and his feet trail purple energy. He spins very quickly to kick twice with the same foot, forming a purple 'x' in the air. Deals two hits with the kicks and a last hit with the lingering purple energy cross. Launches a moderate distance diagonally at a 45 degree angle. Can kill at about 180%. This is the fastest Dandy Step follow-up. Stales quickly.

>>>Forward or Back-A during Dandy Step
Under Pressure
17% damage
Slayer braces himself during the slide forward and deals a devastating straight punch in a crouched position with a straight arm, using the momentum from his slide forward to add to the strength of the blow. Leaves purple energy trails. Launches at an almost-horizontal angle and has great power and knockback. It has the least range of the Dandy Step follow-ups, as well as the most ending lag. Stales quickly.


Forward-B: Bloodsucking Cosmos
9%-12% damage
Slayer grabs forward with both clenched hands. During this grab, his face becomes paler, his eyes glow red, and his fangs are showing. If the grab is successful, Slayer bites into the opponent's neck and quickly pulls his head back, ripping his victim. Slayer will heal himself for 7% damage if he makes contact with this move. If the opponent has over 100% damage, he heals for 9% instead. This move does more damage if the opponent is above 100% damage. Deals minimal set knockback.

Down-B: Undertow
1%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 6%, 9% damage
Hellfire erupts from under Slayer as he does a slow crouching spinning backfist with his hand on fire. The flames deal damage rapidly during the start-up, then Slayer's shoulder strikes the opponent, then he completes the turn and does the most powerful hit in this special. Slayer is stoic during this move but the ending lag is considerable. None of the hits deals knockback other than the fist strike at the end. Mostly for damage, but this move can kill at over 200%. This move causes Slayer to travel slightly forward, even in the air, so it can be used to aid in high recoveries due to this and its stoic frames.

Up-B: Wings of Eternity
11%-17% damage
Slayer charges energy briefly, then bursts upward in a 60 degree angle, his cape transformed into a pair of black, outstretched bat wings. The sweetspot is on the wings, which slice opponents. Has slightly less distance than Squirtle's Surf. Any opponent in his way is dealt a chunk of damage. The energy-charging phase has a vacuum effect that may draw enemies close enough to be struck by Slayer's body or wings on his way up. Can kill off the ground at about 160%. Slayer creates purple energy trails when he charges as well as mid-'flight'. Unlike other up-B moves, Slayer does not go into a helpless state when this move ends, he is merely unable to do another up-B unless he lands or is struck, so he can still attack.

Ground Attacks
Dash Attack: Dramatic Entrance
6% damage
Slayer holds his arms out wide while sliding forward happily with both feet on the ground. He leans back slightly as he is doing this. Has minimal knockback but nearly no lag and it may trip enemies.

A: Casual Jab
5-7% damage
Slayer does a jab forward with his lead hand without pivoting his body or otherwise putting any weight behind the blow. Similar speed as Ganon's jab but faster. Sweetspot at the fist for more damage.

Forward-A: Guillotine Kick
12%-15% damage
Similar to Samus's or C. Falcon's up-A, except Slayer moves forward while doing this move and lands with his kicking leg forward, then brings his back leg and body forward into his neutral position. He bends the leg at the knee during the end of the move rather than keeping it straight the whole time. Has decent knockback on most contact areas, but has high knockback at the foot during descent (sweetspot). Has low-moderate knockback and deals less damage during startup but has good knockback and power during the downward arc of the kick. Strike at the end with the heel for the greatest effect.

Down-A: Play Footsies
9% damage
Slayer slouches in his cape-seat very quickly and pokes at the opponent's ankles with both of his feet. The cape then adjusts itself to bring Slayer back to sitting position, where he continues smoking his pipe. Deals minimal knockback but is a fast move, good for cheap damage. Has similar range as his Guillotine Kick but has much less knockback. Has good range due to the length of Slayer's legs. Sends enemies upward and directly above Slayer at higher damage percentages

Up-A: Skyward
12% damage
Almost identical to Snake's up-A. Deals similar amounts of knockback and is slower to start up, but has less ending lag. Has good launching power and knockback scaling.

Forward Smash: Cleaving Cape
20%-27% damage
Slayer grabs the section of his cape on his shoulder, then whips the cape out in a downward arc forward with one hand. During this move, the cape lengthens and shapes itself into a curved, long sword-like shape and cuts through anything in its way. Slayer follows through the slash and the cape goes back to its normal appearance and attaches itself to its original position on Slayer's back. Does high damage and has great knockback. Similar to Ike's forward smash in range, but has less vertical range. Does not have as much knockback as Ike's forward smash. The cape counts as a disjointed hitbox and has good priority. The tip of the cape deals less knockback and launches enemies straight up, but the damage is the same. Will reflect projectiles.

Up Smash: Maelstrom
18%-24% damage
Slayer whirls his arm about in circles so quickly that the movement cannot be clearly seen, then delivers an uppercut that has moderate vertical distance above him.

Down Smash: Soulquake
16%-21% damage
Slayer stomps down forcefully with both feet and straightens his body, with his hands on his hips. His stomp produces an expansive purple shockwave on the ground on both sides of him. The shockwave is about 2/3rd of Slayer's height. Then, the shockwave dissipates in bat-shaped and cross-shaped energy waves that fly away from Slayer and fade out. The energy bats and crosses don't do damage, the initial grounded purple shockwave does. Deals high knockback in a diagonal angle. Has great range and a lingering effect, but is the weakest of Slayer's smash attacks.


Aerials
A: Footloose Journey
9% damage per hit
Slayer's cape whirls around him at astonishing speeds, slowing his falling speed by 30%. The cape stops if it strikes an object or an enemy, 2 seconds pass, or Slayer touches the ground. Deals low knockback. This move allows for more radical directional changes during the cape spinning. Will reflect projectiles and turn enemies in the opposite direction.

Up-A: Flip
12%-14% damage
Similar to C. Falcon's or Ganon's up-aerial. It lasts longer than C. Falcon's, but doesn't linger as long as Ganon's. Sweetspot on the shins. Causes Slayer to rise upward a short distance when done.

Forward-A: Dual Claw Thrust
14%-16% damage
Slayer thrusts both hands forward, opened like claws, in a downward diagonal direction. Has a steep knockback when he strikes with the hands (sweetspot), otherwise it just hits opponents forward and up. Moderate knockback but only really viable for early kills sweetspotted.

Down-A: Crescent Cape
14%-17% damage
Slayer swings his cape but in a broad downward arc. The cape lengthens and distorts itself into a crescent-shaped pendulum or scythe form, slicing enemies below. The cape counts as a disjointed hitbox. The 'shaft' of the cape/pendulum/scythe is weaker in terms of damage but spikes opponents downward with moderate force. Otherwise, it launches enemies upward with high knockback. The cape reflects projectiles.

Back-A: Forge of Hades
9%/12%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1% damage
Slayer's pipe surrounds his fist in a cloud of smoke and ash, and he performs a spinning backfist-hammer in the air, his hand trailing purple energy. Due to the cloud, the move is similar to Ganon's back aerial but covers more area. The smoke deals residual burning damage to enemies struck. Hitting directly with the end of Slayer's fist results in more damage and greater knockback.
 
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