NOTICE! - For best results while reading this moveset, make lots of motorcycle noises with your mouth! VROOM VROOM!!
< THE SECTOR AHEAD HAS FALLEN TO THE FORCES OF EVIL! >
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// INFO!!
>> MACH RIDER!!
It is the year 2112. Planet Earth has been invaded by an evil force known as "The Quadrunners". You are Mach Rider. After your hometown was wiped out by The Quadrunners, you decided to take action--to stand up for what's right. You travel the globe, searching for survivors and destroying every 'Quad you encounter. All that stands between you and certain death is the thousand-pound, four-gear, infinite-ammo death machine you ride on in your quest for true justice.
Notice! -
Mach Rider is a truly unique character. For one, he fights while riding on a huge motocycle. For two, he fights while riding on a huge motorcycle. Obviously this is a special case, so keep in mind how Mach Rider looks while performing all the standard actions of a Smash Bros. fighter....
Idle: Sets one foot on the ground to steady himself, while keeping the other solidly on it's pedal. Occasionally he'll intimidatingly rev his engine, or fiddle with the dashboard--sometimes a small windshield-wiper will clear away the grime from the front of his bike, or his lights will flash on and off. Once in a great while, he'll accidentally honk his horn, which startles even himself!
Walk/Dash: Pretty self-explanatory, methinks. The faster he goes (due to his four gears--you'll get to that later), the lower he crouches in the seat, to the point where he's literally one with his vehicle.
Jump: His first jump is created by him quickly slamming his front tire into the ground, creating a short, forward-flipping jump. His second comes from a burst of energy out of his exhaust.
Roll: The engine flares up, propelling him a short ways forward. He drives slightly into the background, avoiding attacks par the course before ending the maneuver by pulling a concise 180-degree drift, to face the direction he came from. Doing this again (i.e. a backwards roll) will make him twist his bike sideways (so the nose is facing the player), then kick off with one foot, sliding backwards. How does he manage to avoid any attacks like that? Because he slides backwards at Mach Speed, of course!
Ground Dodge: He shifts all his weight to one side, balancing himself and his bike on one knee (think of how motorcycle racers handle corners).
Edge Hang: Holds the edge with one hand, while his other hand grips the back wheel of his bike (he's REALLY strong, man).
Prone: Mach Rider lays on the ground next to his similarly-disheveled bike, one arm still weakly draped over the handlebars. When rising, he simply props the bike back up, then hops on and drives back into he fray.
>> MACH STYLE!!
Mach Rider is actually a pretty average fighter...but due to his huge bike, he ends up being the largest character in the game, though not quite the heaviest. Generally his attacks are pretty powerful, but only because most of them involve the giant steel machine between his legs. So basically, he's nothing without his trademark motorcycle. Luckily, it's impossible for him to lose it or be knocked off it, unlike the only other bike-riding Smash Brother: Wario. The only time you'll see Mach Rider OFF of his bike is during a few of his Victory Animations and Final Smash.
So the guy's strong and big. He's also *technically* the fastest character in the game,
just beating out Sonic. Take note, though, that unlike other characters, Mach Rider actually has to accelerate to get up to that mind-bending top speed. When he first starts a dash, he's abysmally slow, but as the dash goes on, he quickly picks up speed. Now, it follows, then, that he also has to brake. Mach Rider is even worse at turning around during a dash than the ever-sliding Luigi. Thankfully, as long as you stay in the dash, you won't have to gain back your speed, and can continue on in the same gear. Mach Rider also has quite a few moves that take advantage of this huge speed limit, letting him execute them mid-dash at the expense of a gear (
I suppose you could call this "built-in Boost Smashing", though it only applies to one Smash Attack).
A few last things to note on this physics section: Mach Rider has one of the lowest jumps in the game. When he jumps, he quickly pops a wheelie, then slams his weight forward, causing the front tire of his bike to crash onto the ground. At the same time, he lifts up the back of his vehicle, causing the bike to frontflip into the air above him. Understandably, this barely takes him anywhere. This first jump is
almost as bad as Peach's mid-air jump in Brawl (almost). Thankfully, his second jump (a burst of engine exhaust propels him upward) is better, but still only around Ganondorf level.
In short, Mach Rider takes some getting used to.
...Once you get acquainted, though, you'll find there's a lot to like here. The guy has quite a good deal of range, assuming you use his specific style to it's best. In spite of his terrible jumps, he has a very good recovery, that makes him invincible throughout most of it, takes him a fair distance, and can potentially deal a butt-load of damage in the process. Ultimately though, when playing as Mach Rider, you'll want to rely on getting up to top speed and making use of his "In-Transit" attacks, while relying on his extreme weight to keep you on-stage.
>> MACH ABILITY!!
>> Mach Rider's bike has four gears. Whenever you begin a dash from a dead stop, you're automatically placed in first gear. By using Mach Rider's Dash Attack, you'll shift up to the next gear in line, which will increase Mach Rider's speed dramatically. At 4th gear, he's even faster than Sonic. Though beware! Using "In-Transit" attacks will cause Mach Rider to downshift, meaning if you use any attack other than Upshift (his Dash Attack) while dashing, you'll lose your built-up speed.
>> Mach Rider does not lose his momentum after executing certain attacks out of a dash, and returns to that dash immediately after, though down a gear. Moves this applies to are called "In-Transit Attacks", and are marked as such. To facilitate the use of this, after you end a dash (i.e. stop holding the control stick left or right), there's a period where Mach Rider is still in his dash, in which you can use an In-Transit attack. It's only about a second long, but if it weren't there, you'd have lots of trouble using most In-Transits.
>> Once at 3rd or 4th gear, Mach Rider's actual dash has priority, though it deals no damage and only a set amount of light knockback. It won't interrupt most things, but, for example, could cancel out a few character's A Combos. That said, 4th gear has more priority than 3rd.
>> His first jump will carry him farther horizontally depending on how much speed he's picked up. At top speed, it can potentially carry him all the way across the lowest level of Battlefield, meaning smart use of his aerials could lead to tremendous attack range in certain situations (and stages that are large enough to facilitate this).
>> Mach Rider cannot Wall-Jump or Wall-Cling...but he can, however, Wall-Ride. Yes, when you jump toward a wall and press away from it (as if you were going to perform a Wall-Jump) as well as the shield/dodge button, Mach Rider will spontaneously kick his bike into it's highest gear and begin driving up the wall, perfectly vertical. Pressing the jump button again will cause him to kick off, going back into the air. This ability even comes with it's own unique attack (see "MACH SITUATIONALS!!")!
>> MACH STATS!! (Out of 10!!)
- STR = 8
- WGT = 7
- SPD = 6
- RNG = 5
- JMP = 2
- REC = 4
- TRC = 2
- MACH = 10
>> MACH PROS!! (AND MACH CONS!!)
+
- Weighty and hard to knock around.
- Lots of attacks pack a powerful punch.
- In-Transit attacks can create some amazingly large hitboxes.
- (Potentially) the fastest-moving character in the game.
- Fights with a freaking motorcycle.
_
- Relatively hard to control (definitely NOT a precision fighter).
- Very poor jumping ability.
- Most attacks don't have very good range if not joined with a 3rd or 4th gear dash.
- His (mach) speed often puts him in great danger of SD'ing, especially outside of really big stages (a.k.a. the majority of them).
- Largest target in the game after you factor in the size of his bike.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MOVES!!
A: Wheel Razor - Planting both feet on solid ground, Mach Rider pulls up on the handlebars, lifting his bike's front wheel off the ground. The engine revs, spinning the wheel at mach-speed, which deals a trio of low-damage hits.
[2-3% per hit, light knockback...unless you transition into AA]
AA: Rapid Razor - The wheel just keeps spinning! Mach Rider holds his pose, but as the engine spins both wheels, using this continual attack causes Mach Rider to slowly move forward on the strength of the back wheel, which is still on the ground. This has the advantage of limiting a captured foe's DI options, but also eventually would cause Mach Rider to fall off-stage.
[1-2% per hit, vacuum knockback]
Side Tilt: Rubber Clubber - While lifting the front of the bike slightly off the ground, Mach Rider violently shifts his weight to one side, causing the airborn fore of his vehicle to swing across in front of him, slapping foes away. The attack is pretty short-ranged, only reaching a foot or two in front of Mach Rider, but packs quite a punch (it
is basically a giant metal club).
[13%, high knockback]
Up Tilt: Bareback [In-Transit] - Mach Rider sets his bike on Auto-Pilot for a second, leaving him free to do a handstand on his bike seat! He thrusts both feet upwards above him, striking foes coming in from the skies. This attack has a very large range, as the bike seat is already taller than some shorter characters (like Kirby), and Mach Rider himself has the build of your average human character. Combine them, and you have a solid attack that can reach higher than most ground attacks.
[8%, medium knockback]
Down Tilt: Shaker - Mach Rider pulls back on his handlebars, again lifting his front wheel up. This time, he follows through by slamming it down on the ground, damaging in front of him with a small shockwave fo force. There's a sweetspot on this: if you can manage to make the front wheel hit someone square in their center, you'll bury them in the ground! Otherwise the attack's average as far as damage and knockback go...though, like Link's Down Tilt, it can spike a recovering opponent with proper timing.
[6-8%, low knockback]
Dash: Upshift [In-Transit] - Crouching low in his seat, Mach Rider kicks on the afterburner, propelling his bike forward in a mach-speed dash. The attack doesn't last long, but at higher gears, covers more distance. Of special note are the double hitboxes--one in front of Mach Rider, for the nose of his bike as it plows through foes, but also a fleeting one behind him from the burst of fiery exhaust his bike exudes as it suddenly accelerates.
[6-8%, medium knockback charge, 10%, high knockback exhaust]
Notice! -
This move is special, and totally integral to Mach Rider's playstyle. Using it causes his bike to shift up a gear, which has various side effects. Most importantly, it makes him move much faster, and gives his In-Transit attacks much more versatility. Note, however, that the lag on Upshift is such that you aren't able to use it several times in a row, despite the attack having no effect on Mach Rider's dash (using it doesn't cause him to stop). There's a period right after it's use where Mach Rider adjusts to his new, higher speed, in which he's totally defenseless. Make sure you don't spam this, or at least make sure to always hit your target!
Neutral Air: Deadspin - By shifting all his weight to one side, Mach Rider wrenches his bike into a lateral spin, damaging and knocking away anyone that comes into contact with it. Nothing too special at first glance, but if the attack is executed after jumping out of a 4th gear dash, Mach Rider spins 4 times in a row (and 3 for 3rd gear, 2 for 2nd)!
[7-9%, medium knockback]
Forward Air: Flying Razor - While catching air, Mach Rider fires up his engine, spinning his front wheel rapidly in a move somewhat similar to Wheel Razor. However, this attack automatically lasts until Mach Rider touches ground again (just make sure you don't use this over a pit!), during which time you can tilt the control stick up or down to angle the bike's nose up or down, letting you aim the attack as it's executing!
[2-3% per hit, light knockback]
Back Air: Motor Cross - Mach Rider grips the handlebars firmly and plants his left knee on the bike's seat, while he kicks out behind himself with his free appendage. The attack has a small hitbox, is comparatively weak, and has very low priority...but there's a catch. Due to the way the bike's held (at a diagonal in front of him), it acts as a makeshift shield against oncoming attacks from the front! In layman's terms, it means the move gives Mach Rider super armor throughout 90% of it.
[3-4%, light knockback]
Up Air: Vertigo - Gripping the handlebars, Mach Rider whips the bike out above him, then pulls it back under himself in one smooth motion. Basically, a backflip...only on a motorcycle. Understandably, the attack is quite a powerful one, but you must be careful! If you touch ground while the bike's still above Mach Rider, he'll be caught underneath it's bulk, and suffer tons of lag as he extricates himself.
[14%, medium knockback]
Down Air: Death Sentence [In-Transit] - Swings the nose of his bike across in front of him, spiking the opponent (think Samus' Dair, only with a motorcycle). As an end result, Mach Rider ends this move facing the opposite direction, meaning it doubles as a much more controllable method of turning around, as opposed to his horribly slippery dash turn. This is the only aerial Mach Rider has that will keep his gear/momentum status in-tact after using it (assuming it finished before he touches ground again).
[9-11%, medium knockback]
Side Smash: Crash Dash [In-Transit] - The engine of the bike explodes with energy, propelling the craft into a short, forward-thrusting wheelie. There are two possible outcomes for victims of this attack. The first is that an airborne foe hit by it will be sent flying away--pretty normal stuff for a Smash Attack. However, if this attack connects with an enemy on the ground, they'll be pulled under the bike, crushed beneath the back tire, and spat out behind Mach Rider in a cloud of flaming exhaust!
[15-20% vs. air, 24-27% vs. ground]
Up Smash: Hot Rod - Mach Rider pulls his bike up above him in a half-backflip, landing on his back. While balancing on his shoulders, he grips the sides of his bike with his legs and thrusts it above him, bottom facing up. The engine revs, sparks fly, and enemies take multiple hits as they're caught in the spinning wheels and gears. Finally, the engine overheats and explodes, sending trapped foes flying away! There's tons of lag on the end of this, as Mach Rider struggles up from beneath the metal behemoth (while simultaneously extinguishing the overheated engine with frantic waving of his arms), but the size of the bike means this has an incredibly wide hitbox to make up for it. And very few characters could realistically approach from the sides during the attack, seeing as the space between the bike and the floor is only as tall as Mach Rider's torso.
[3-4% over 5 rapid hits, 10-11& engine explosion]
Down Smash: Quake Shaker - Yet again, Mach Rider lifts up the front of his bike. Before that part hits ground, he pulls the rear into the air as well. For a split-second, he's suspended entirely in the air, but then--the front and back ends land consecutively, creating strong shockwaves on both sides. Unlike the similar Shaker, a foe will never be "buried", as if they're unlucky enough to be stuffed into the ground by one shockwave, the second will knock them into the air anyways. Generally speaking, this attack, with it's lack of range and inability to hit both times, is Mach Rider's weakest link.
[10% two times; one for each shockwave]
Notice! -
Mach Rider has no standing grab, only a dashing grab. Attempting to grab while immobile will cause him to start dashing. Once you've grabbed a foe, you're still in gear, which has it's good and bad points. The good news is that the higher your gear, the longer the range of his grab, as he keeps his arm out for the same amount of time no matter which gear you're in. The bad news is that you can't turn around with someone in your grasp, so if you use 4th gear's insane range to catch someone, you'll want to throw them ASAP, or risk flying off-stage on your out-of-control vehicle.
Grab: You're Mine! [In-Transit] - Mach Rider "changes lanes" to the side, as if rolling (though he's still vulnerable) and reaches out with one arm, catching hold of any foe in reach, and dragging them along with him.
Pummel: Blocked [In-Transit] - Still gripping the foe tightly, Mach Rider leans to the side and slams them against the ground speeding along below them. Interestingly, you can hold in the A button to keep your foe pressed against the ground, which deals damage much faster. In face, tapping the A button will do less damage, and produce much more lag.
[2% per second/slam]
Forward Throw: Clock Out [In-Transit] - Grips the enemy's collar, then winds up with his other arm and delivers a straight to the jaw that sends the opponent sailing forwards. If the enemy doesn't do anything, this comes with a great opportunity to follow up with a Fsmash or other In-Transit attack.
[5%, light knockback]
Back Throw: Eat My Dust [In-Transit] - Tosses the enemy over and behind him, then, gripping the handlebars, double kicks behind him, sending them flying backwards. Take note! If you're in 3rd gear, the kick will barely glance them, causing half he damage and half the knockback (as Mach Rider is simply moving too fast). In 4th gear, the throw will miss completely, doing absolutely nothing.
[8%, light knockback]
Up Throw: Sky-High [In-Transit] - Tosses the enemy with both hands lightly upwards, then backflips his bike. The front wheel does a few points of damage, then the back wheel sends them flying upwards.
[2% then 8-10%, medium knockback]
Down Throw: Smoked [In-Transit] - Tosses the foe ahead of himself, and lets his bike's heavy wheels do the fighting. ...In other words, he simply runs over the opponent. Only a set amount of very, very low knockback results, but those wheels do a lot of damage...
[11-14%, set knockback]
Rising Attack: Kickstand - Angry at himself for letting his foe get the better of him, Mach Rider grabs his bike's handlebars and swings it around him in a 360-degree circle, like an Olympian winding up for the Shot Put, though obviously he's not going to toss his trusty partner away. Given the size of the bike, you'd think this attack would have awesome range...and you'd be right! After he whips around in a circle twice, Mach Rider once again saddles up, ready to rumble.
[11-14%, medium knockback]
Ledge Attack: Mach Lift - With super-human strength, Mach Rider pulls his bike up and over himself, slamming it onto the ground ahead of himself before climbing up himself and mounting his makeshift weapon. He grips the bike from it's back wheel, and whips it over himself in a truly enormous arc. Really, when you think of how long the bike is, then combine that with the entirety of Mach Rider's swinging arm...the attack really covers some distance, especially above the recovering fighter. A very, very good way to get back on-stage.
[9-12%, medium knockback]
Ledge Attack >100%: Bumble-Buster - Worn out as he is, Mach Rider understandably lacks the strength to fling his bike over his head, and so does only what he can. In this case, this means he climbs up first, then tugs with both hands to pull his bike up (he faces toward the bike, and thus the edge, while doing this). But...he just...can't manage, so with one final burst of strength, the bike finally obliges, cresting the lip of the edge. But this is just too much for our embattled hero, and the bike's momentum causes him to stumble backwards and fall right on his butt. His frantic attempts to not get crushed by his own transport is what deals the (very light) damage. This move has more horizontal range than his regular Ledge Attack, but it's still not nearly as preferable.
[5%, light knockback]
Wall Ride A: U-Turn - Pressing the attack button while driving up a wall makes Mach Rider skid to a split-second stop as he slides forward while turning around before rocketing off the way he just came. In other words, this does nothing more than make him go back down the wall he just drove up. Keep in mind, however, that you can use this as many times as you want (to stay on the wall indefinitely)...
Wall Ride B: Machsault - While riding on a wall, Mach Rider suddenly slams both feet on the wall, popping him and his bike slightly into the air. Thusly suspended, he rotates his bike so the nose points directly down, then fires up his turbo, sending him careening straight down! Not only is this move powerful, but it goes right past any drop-through platform in it's way. Just watch for the terrible ending lag--pulling a thousand-pound bike out of the ground is no easy feat... [
[12%, medium knockback, unbeatable priority]
B: Backfire [In-Transit] - The engine pops, sending Mach Rider forward in a short burst. At the end, the out-of-control engine forces the bike to turn around. If you press B again right after he switches directions, the engine backfires again, leading to a potentially-endless chain of backfires. This is the quickest way to turn around when dashing, and it deals damage to boot--but be wary, as once you've used it, you can't stop early...which means you can run the risk of flying off-stage, which, like Fox or Captain Falcon's Side Specials, will put Mach Rider into a helpless free-fall.
[9-11%, light knockback]
Side B: Mach Blaster [In-Transit] - Mach Rider's four rotating machineguns let loose a short spray of lasers ahead of him, three from each turret. Each round deals precious little damage, and a set amount of flinching knockback (Falco's Blaster, Ivysaur's Bullet Seed). This move doesn't require you to release the control stick first, like most other In-Transits, and can be fired almost continuously, though obviously if you do that, you won't be able to use other attacks for a while (each use of the move results in almost two seconds of shooting). A great way to rack up damage, especially in higher gears, where you can simply bowl through enemies.
[0-1% per shot, 12 shots over two seconds]
Up+B: Up In Smoke - Mach Rider suddenly explodes! The force of the blast separates him into five or six shards, which then reform above his original position (or wherever you tilt the control stick). Enemies caught by the shards take damage--more for each piece they're struck by. The range of the move is quite good, and if you can manage to catch a foe inside all the shards of Mach Rider, you can deal a terrific amount of damage.
[5% per shard]
Down+B: Turbo! [In-Transit] - Mach Rider activates his bike's Turbo Boosters, shooting him immediately into 4th gear. The move deals no damage or knockback. HOWEVER...there's a 1 in 100 chance that the engine won't be able to take the stress the Turbo Boosters put on it, and will detonate under the pressure. If this happens, Mach Rider will be blown away into the air, resulting in a Star KO under any but the highest ceilings (he also takes 30% damage). Of course, if he's near a foe, the same will apply to them, though the knockback isn't quite as horrible (more like a Bob-omb). As time goes on, the chances of this happening increase, until, after two minutes, there's a 10 in 100 chance. Be very careful when deciding whether an automatic 4th gear is worth the risk...
[0%, light knockback (see Mach Ability) normal / 30%, mach knockback explosion]
Final Smash: Gunblaze - For a short time, the machineguns on the front of Mach Rider's bike fire an endless stream of high-powered lasers, no matter what he's doing. The rounds have a limited range, and do little damage per shot, but they're endless, incredibly fast, and have a "tractor beam" effect similar to the Super Scope. When used in conjunction with U-Turn or Death Sentence, they can create some heavy damage totals.
That effect lasts for 20 seconds, and when it's over, Mach Rider unfortunately finds himself with an overheated bike! In a last-ditch effort, he stands up on the seat of his bike, and leaps into the air, letting his faithful partner blaze ahead a short while before exploding in a glorious fireball. Like any real man, Mach Rider silently acknowledges his friend's sacrifice with a mid-air military salute.
...But put away the Kleenex, folks! Through the Power of Justice, Mach Rider's trusty steed is instantly brought back to life! The scattered, smoking shards fly back toward Mach Rider, reforming just at the right place to break his fall, at which point the battle resumes--at mach speed!!
[Laser Storm = 0-1% per shot, with 100 shots in total (5 shots per second)]
[Divine Wind = 25%, but a small hitbox (if the bike doesn't hit directly, it'll miss). Great knockback, but only an OHKO above 100%]
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// EXTRAS!!
>> MACH TAUNTS!!
Up Taunt [In-Transit] - Engine roaring, Mach Rider turns three extremely small circles, using his bent knee as an axis.
The burning rubber and plumes of sparking smoke are quite intimidating!
Side Taunt [In-Transit] - Leaning forward over the handlebars, and with one wagging index finger held aloft next to his head, Mach Rider scathingly tells his opponent "Don't blink!"
He really is that fast!
Down Taunt [In-Transit] - Mach Rider crosses his arms and says "Heh, you gotta' be faster than that."
Humiliating indeed!
>> MACH KIRBY!!
>> MACH LOGO!!
>> MACH TUNES!!
Speedy Hero! <Click here to listen>
Mach Schnell! <Click here to listen>
Nothing beats the original! <Click here to listen>