META KNIGHT JOINS THE MELEE!
Basic Attacks [BASIC]
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Neutral A: Infinite Slash
Damage: 1%-2% (each slash)
-This move may look cool, but it really doesn't serve much purpose. Sure
you can hold down A and rack up a little damage, but after about a second your
opponent should break free and you'll be left flailing your sword at the air
like a lunatic while he proceeds to punish you. If you do find yourself using
it though, it's good for leading into a tilt attack of your choice or even a
down smash if you're quick about it, but you should try and avoid using it too
much since it detracts from your combos and overall pressure game.
Forward Tilt A: Triple Strike
Damage: 4% (first slash), 3% (second slash), 5% (third slash)
-This attack should see a lot of use. Press A three times while tilting
left or right to execute three very speedy sword strikes. It has a pretty
decent range to it and the last hit knocks your opponent away and upwards.
Perfect for setting up a Forward Aerial or Up B attack. Great no matter how
you look at it.
Up Tilt A: Spin Strike
Damage: 6-7%
-I don't much care for this move. It's a bit slow by MK's standards.
You're better off with an Up Smash (which isn't particularly great either).
Down Tilt A: Low Thrust
Damage: 4%
-Another really great tilt attack here. This one comes out VERY fast so
you can usually hit a few times in a row with it if you're lucky. It has a
great range and can sometimes poke underneath an opponent's shield. Great
for breaking up enemy attacks and pushing them away slightly. NOTE: MK inches
forward ever so slightly after he uses this move, making it a little easier to
hit multiple times.
Dash A: Rushing Kick
Damage: 6%
-As with a lot of other dash attacks, this one isn't anything special. It
pops your opponent in the air for an easy follow-up aerial, but it's just too
predictable to rely on. This move should be used in strict moderation and only
if you feel that you have a good chance at hitting with it.
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Aerials [AIR]
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Neutral A Air: Spinning Strike
Damage: 12% (first hit), 7% (second hit), 5% (third hit)
-Probably the least useful aerial move in Meta Knight's arsenal. Meta
Knight basically spins around wildly hitting in all directions around him. It
does decent damage and knockback, but it's not as viable for combos as the
other aerials are for a couple reasons: 1) it's kinda slow to complete itself
2) it's more difficult to control the direction of the knockback than other
aerials. However, it makes for a decent safety move since it hits all around
you and sends the opponent away without much thought. Note: the first hit of
this move 'usually' knocks the opponent away before the other hits can land.
Forward A Air: Triple Slash
Damage: 3% (first hit), 3% (second hit), 4% (third hit) 10% total
-This move, along with his Down Aerial is what makes Meta Knight stand out
as a truly great character. This attack consists of three hits. The first two
are designed to trap the opponent in hitstun, while the third hit knocks them
back a ways. Landing a few of these is an excellent way to rack up damage and
get KOs after you've chased your opponents off the edge. A great way to get
this move out is to dash towards your foe, do a short-hop, tag 'em with the
Forward Air and then repeat. You can also try setting up for a Forward Air by
hitting your opponent with a Forward Tilt or by using a Forward or Down Throw.
Really any time that you find yourself on the same level as your opponent
(while both in the air) would be a viable time to use this.
Back A Air: Reverse Triple Slash
Damage: 3% (first hit), 3% (second hit), 4% (third hit)
-This is basically the same thing as Forward Air. Just use this when the
enemy happens to be behind you in the air. Easy, huh?
Up A Air: Overhead Slash
Damage: 6%
-Meta Knight does a quick sword slash above his head in a wide arc. For me,
this move really only has one use; juggling. Basically you just hit 'em with
an Up Aerial while they're above you (obviously) then jump and repeat... and
repeat... and repeat... until you run out of jumps. Then, you can either
finish them off with an Up B or even Neutral B. Fun combo, and not too hard to
do either.
Down A Air: Downward Slash
Damage: 7%
-This is another move that should be abused heavily. It's much like the Up
Aerial but Meta Knight swings his sword underneath him instead of above him.
He does so in a nice wide arc covering a big area so it's pretty easy to hit
anyone underneath you or in front of you. It's important to learn to do this
out of a running short-hop for your approaches but it's even more important to
learn to gimp people with it as it's Meta Knight's main tool for chasing
people off the stage and keeping them there. If you hit your opponent
correctly (meaning that they are in front of you and also slightly below you)
the knockback sends them away from you and downward, which can obviously be
very detrimental to their efforts to get back to the stage. Depending on the
character (it helps if they have a poor recovery) usually two or three of these
hits while you're pursuing them off the stage means they won't be returning.
NOTE: you might notice that this move can often be used interchangeably with
Forward Air but keep in mind that the Down Air is quicker and can be done in
much more rapid succession. It also has a shallow downward knockback instead of
shallow upwards as seen in the Forward Air, making it better in most cases for
gimping.
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Smashes [SMASH]
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Forward Smash: Power Slash
Uncharged Damage: 14%
Charged Damage: 19%
-This is Meta Knight's strongest hitting move (excluding Final Smash) and
one of his few viable means at getting a KO. It is, however, very slow for
MK's standards and since it lacks good range, it can be very hard to hit with.
I personally try and stay away form this move since it's easily punishable.
You're better off with a Down Smash instead.
Up Smash: Overhead Triple Slash
Uncharged Damage: 3% (first slash), 2% (second slash), 4% (third slash)
Charged Damage: 4% (first slash), 3% (second slash), 5% (third slash)
-Another sub-par smash attack. It's nice when you can connect with all
three hits, but when you don't you usually end up being punished since only the
last of the three has any real knockback to it. The best use for this move is
while rushing your opponent. If you execute this attack while running towards
your opponent, you will actually keep your momentum and continue forward while
doing the attack (usually helps if you charge it up a bit too). This is risky
and a bit situational, but no more so than a standard dash attack.
Down Smash: Double Slash
Uncharged Damage: 11% (front), 13% (back)
Charged Damage: 15% (front), 18% (back)
-Ahhh... now here's a real smash attack. This attack is FAST. I mean...
seriously... it's nearly instant. I highly recommend using using the C-stick
to ensure that it comes out at fast as possible (or if you're using the
Wiimote+nunchuck you can set your down d-pad input to do a Down Smash... which
is what I do and it works great). Aside from the being insanely quick, this
move hits both in front of you and then behind which helps control those
opponents who like to roll around you too much. And with its great knockback
it's arguably MK's best KO move aside from his Up B. Use it liberally.
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Grabs [GRAB]
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Grab Attack: Wing Stab
Damage: 3%
-Just your standard grab attack. Your opponent will likely be struggling to
break free of your grab so you obviously shouldn't do too many of these or else
you won't get your throw off. You can do more attacks when the opponent is at
higher %'s.
Front Throw: Flipping Kick
Damage: 9%
-This is MK's best throw in terms of where is leaves the opponent after
throwing them. They'll usually be (depending on percentage) in good range for
you to follow up with a Forward Air or perhaps Up B.
Back Throw: Dimension Strike
Damage: 10%
-To be honest... there really isn't much point to using this throw as
opposed to the any of the others.
Up Throw: Suplex Slam
Damage: 12%
-Basically the same as Kirby's famous Up Throw (you know the one). This is
MK's most damaging throw, but I would still opt for a Forward or Down Throw
since they're easier to follow up with Aerials.
Down Throw: Kicking Slam
Damage: 1% (each hit) (11% max)
-Looks cool and leaves your opponent in a decent place for an aerial. Just
don't use this in a free-for-all match or your likely to get hit before you get
the throw off.
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Special Attacks [SPEC]
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Neutral B: Mach Tornado
Damage: 1% (each hit) ~23% (max)
-Ahh... the good old Neutral B Mach Tornado... Meta Knight spins around
creating a bright orange tornado, this can hit multiple times, each hit doing
1%, up to a maximum of about 23% damage. You can move yourself left and right
with the control stick and repeatedly tap B to increase the duration of the
attack. Tapping the B button fast enough will lift the tornado off the ground
a bit. This attack is a spammers best friend, and with good reason too. Using
this allows you to completely absorb most projectiles and is pretty hard for
opponents to dodge or punish if used with some rhyme and reason rather than
just spamming the hell out of it. I would advise using this move sparingly as
it can get rather predictable. It can be used as a recovery (along with all
other of MK's specials) but be advised that you will enter fallspecial (meaning
you can't attack or jump) if you end this move while in the air. The main use
for this move is to cancel out projectile attacks and allow you to sweep in and
damage your opponent while he/she is busy spamming their lasers, arrows, etc...
It can also be rather deadly if you catch your opponent in the tornado while
near the top of the stage; the Mach Tornado has a decent upwards knockback on
the last hit, so you can expect to get a few "Star KO's" if you use it high
enough. In free-for-all battles with 3 or 4 people, this move becomes much
more viable since you can easily activate it and sweep across the stage
damaging everyone who gets in your path.
Forward B: Drill Rush
Damage: 1% (each hit), 3% (final hit) ~13% (max)
-Another multi-hit special that involves Meta Knight spinning around like a
madman? That's right! There really isn't anything special about this one
though. You'll rarely be able to connect with every hit and even so, the
damage is pretty sad (around 10% average) considering how easy it is for
enemies to dodge it and punish you. It can be useful if you are in need of
vertical recovery however, as you can 'aim' the direction of the attack with
the control stick.
Up B: Shuttle Loop
Damage: 9% (rising strike) 12% (gliding attack)
-Meta Knight does a rising upper slash, then flips around into a glide.
This is Meta Knight's best recovery move, but can leave him vulnerable to edge
guarders unless you time your glide attack well (press A while gliding). Both
the hit from the initial rising slash as well as the glide attack have great KO
potential and will likely be responsible for a large portion of your kills.
It's also important to note that you can choose the direction in which you do
your shuttle loop. Lets say you chase an enemy to the right edge of a level
and have used all your jumps. Even though your momentum is taking you to the
right and even though you are also facing to the right, you can hit left on the
control stick immediately after pressing Up+B to then shuttle loop to the left
and glide safely back to the stage. Also, when gliding, you can lean the
control stick forward to descend and back to ascend. You CANNOT start an ascend
without first gaining speed by descending or else you will enter fallspecial.
Down B: Dimensional Cape
Damage: 14%
-Meta Knight covers himself with his cape and teleports a short distance in
whichever direction you choose by using the control stick. You can also hold
either attack button to execute an attack when you reappear, but the attack is
fairly weak, and in most cases, absolutely worthless. The only use this move
has is in regard to edgehogging. Lets say your opponent is about to attempt to
grab the right edge on Final Destination. You're in the middle of the stage
and run to the right about halfway to the edge, do a shorthop, then while in
the air you do your Down B and aim for the ledge. If done correctly, you'll
reappear, nick the edge of the level and then grab on to the ledge just before
you opponent does, thus KO'ing him because he can't grab the ledge if you're on
it. Now this is, of course, very risky. If you overshoot the Dimensional Cape
you end up falling right off the stage. The timing is pretty tricky but once
you get it down it can be very rewarding.
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Final Smash: Galaxia Darkness [FINAL]
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Meta Knight executes his Final Smash by throwing his cape out in front of him a
fair distance. Whether or not your opponent takes any effect from this Final
Smash depends on how close they are in proximity to the MK's cape as he throws
it in front of him. Simply put, you have to make sure you foe's are very close
by in order for "Galaxia Darkness" to take effect. Assuming that you did in
fact "catch" one or more persons in your cape, the entire stage goes black for
a moment and then MK slashes through the darkness delivering 40% damage to
those in which he "caught" as well as 18% damage to others nearby. The
knockback is significant, but it does not guarantee a KO. That being said, it
is obviously very unwise to waste this move on an opponent that is sitting at
0-20% especially if they are a heavyweight character. Just remember that for
lighter characters (like Mr. Game and Watch or Jigglypuff) make sure they're
at 20% or higher before hitting them with this. Heavyweight characters (like
DK or Bowser) should be around 40% when using this move.
When compared to other final smashes, Meta Knight's seems a bit lackluster.
It's not like Olimar's or Dedede's where they just press the B button and
everyone gets affected. And it's not like Marth's where it's an instant KO if
you connect with it. Meta Knight players have a bit more work to do to get
KO's out of their final smashes, but that's okay because MK's players should
have a distinct advantage when it comes to actually "breaking" the smash ball
in the first place. Here are a couple strategies I employ when the mad dash
for the smash ball ensues:
1) Stand back a bit as the other character(s) get the first hit or two on the
ball, then run in close and use Up B to break the ball and damage anyone in
the way.
2) Position your self underneath the ball (not too close... leave a little room
in between you and it) and proceed to mash B. Your tornado should take care of
anyone nearby and should do more than enough damage to destroy the smash ball
if you get a good, clean connection. Remember that the faster you mash B, the
higher you go. So do you best to time your B mashing and stay in contact with
the ball.
2 awesome movesets on one page???? this... this is madness!
